Leliana had looked away from Rhy's and Evangeline both in a sigh. She had wished Anders was the same as this other mage, but if she had waited a year than she could have waited a few more hours. "Alright-" She began to speak as if to pull herself from Anders then but she had paused on her teeter totter of toes when she heard Anders voice. It wasn't monotone like it once was, it was exactly as she had remembered, and just the sound of it had brought her to crack. Unable to say a single word. Neither could she, as Anders movements to tackle her and hold her brought her to quickly yelp out of surprise and hold onto anything she could.
"A-Anders?" She asked almost hesitantly and out of fear this was just a dream. But in a sense it was if he was back than that meant she had to tell him everything… About how she had moved on with Fenris, how could she break his heart like that? And hers, it would shatter just seeing his face. When she realized this she had felt her heart rise in her throat and at first she couldn't speak but give a slight push to his shoulders. "A-A-Anders…" She said yet again with a short pause to regain her breathing that was heightening with her racing heart. "I-I c-can't I-I'm s-s-sorry I j-just c-can't" The tears forming to her eyes were impossible to hold back but quickly she closed her eyes to hide this emotion from him as she turned and rushed out of the Gallows.
Leliana was such an emotional wreck that she wasn't even paying attention to where she was going. She had gone past the Gallows through the Keep and past all the people in the city. Many had tried to stop her out of the kindness of their hearts and grasp her attention. Because in a sense they had adored Leliana like the people should have for their leader. But she hadn't given them a second look, the tears filling in her eyes blocked her vision and in a way she was rushing out of the town in a blinded manner. She wasn't sure where she was going, but after her pace had slowed down to that of a one of power walk to a normal pace she had reached up with the back of her hand and wiped away the tears from her eyes that had spilled out.
In soft snivels she had looked up from her weak legs that she could have sworn were shaking from how quickly she ran and she soon saw herself in the middle of the Wounded Coast. Then there was another fear shaking her. The fright of being in one of the few and many places that were most dangerous in the Free Marchs. She had wondered how she even had gotten this far within the Coast without getting ambushed by Slavers or Bandits that she had to try and trick herself and say that she had been lucky or the men weren't around to attack her, maybe they left? Shrugging her shoulders in this thought she had regained her confidence and carried on forward into the Wounded Coast.
Amazingly Leliana had gotten to the edge of the Coast with no problems, not even a single wild animal had bothered her. When she reached the sandy beaches she had walked to a fallen tree that was rotted out from the salt of the sea washing over it and made it her plato, sitting on the highest point. Which wasn't very high, but it was up enough so when the waves had come rushing in she wouldn't have been splashed besides the few droplets of water bouncing off the gnawed edges and moistening her skin.
"Well look what we have here boys… The ruler of Kirkwall." Spoke a raspy male voice from behind her. The man from which she could hear, grasped his hand around his hilted blade, the clanking sound was undeniable and she knew he wasn't alone either by the several footsteps ceasing eventually behind him.
"Can I help you?" Leliana asked as cheerfully as possible in her turn around towards the male. When she had looked to him she had noted he didn't look like a regular Slaver nor a Bandit. His attire was of armor which was sold in Kirkwall. In a sense a frown had plastered over her features in confusion before parting her lips. "Are you from Kirkwall?" After asking she had looked beyond him, and to the other men accompanying him. It was a small group of six but from their laughter she wasn't sure if she should have trusted them or not.
"We were from Kirkwall, until you had regulated you law." He responded to her latter question since the first had nothing to do with why he was here.
"What law…?" She asked in her sense of being lost. "I had passed a lot of laws—"
"Don't play dumb with me!" He spat in interruption and haste while giving a point of his finger in her direction. Soon he had seen how he reacted and relaxed back to a more comfortable stance than his slouched one in her direction.
Leliana blinked a few times as she still didn't understand why this man was so upset and what law he obviously disapproved of. After all she was speaking the truth when she had said she had passed many law, but it had seemed like this man wouldn't have taken her word on it. So it was up to her to figure out. She had looked to each men and then closed her eyes in thought as she massaged at her temples.
"She's never going to figure it out, it's not like we're allowed back in Kirkwall. So whats the point of even trying?" Asked a voice in a whisper of a younger boy further back, quickly the men had hushed him but Leliana had still heard it even with the distance between them.
"You're the thieves and bandits that had terrorized people at night in Kirkwall aren't you?" Leliana asked in a shocked tone of voice as her eyes opened and she looked more towards the leader. It had made sense now… She did pass a law a few months back one where they hadn't killed every thief, bandit and dangerous person they came across at night… Instead they had given them an ultimatum… One which Leliana was certain Fenris disagreed with since it was dangerous and that was… If they had wanted to change their ways they would have gotten a proper job to build Kirkwall up and in time if they proved themselves they would be promoted. Many of the dangerous people were against this and they also had the choice to leave Kirkwall and never come back, but if they had fought then they would have no choice but to kill them for the sake people protection in Kirkwall.
"And finally she's has got it…" Spoke the leader with a smirk. "Do you have any idea what our lives have been turned to? It's a daily battle just to survive a day out here… Yet you don't care do you? You have that nice chair to sit on."
"No, you got it all wrong. I didn't want to lose more people of Kirkwall which is why I put this law in place… I had to protect every and gain alliances with everyone, including the people in the city… I refuse to kill people if I don't have too." Leliana attempted to explain as her arms had expanded out to her sides.
"That's a shame… Because that's exactly whats going to happen now." He said and had stepped back, during this time the men behind him stepped towards Leliana, surrounding the fallen tree she was perched upon.
"L-Look can't we just talk about this?" She pleaded and began to glance down to the men. They were grasping at her ankles or wrist, trying to pull her down. In a soft shriek she had widened her eyes. "Please I don't want to hurt any of you—"
This time her screech had heightened as she had felt herself being pulled down from her standing position and brought down in a collision against the hard sand. She had hit so hard that the air had been forced out of her lungs in forceful push, then she felt another push was forced on her but this one was more to her top half. When she had opened her eyes from her haze she saw it was a man climbing on top of her. With only her eyes widening she had reached for her daggers instinctively and striked at the man until he had spewed blood and quickly convulsed off of her body.
In quickly regaining back to her feet she had fumbled with her daggers until grasping a tight hold on them. From behind her she had heard a man rushing towards her, again her reflexes clicked on immediately and she had blocked his blade which was coming down at her at full force with the edge of her blade and in a grunt from both parties trying to over the other Leliana had went to slice at the man's jugular, but had stopped due to hearing a second man from her left run towards her. This one had tried to swing his blade in a sideways and down swooping motion, but Leliana had caught it with her second blade just in time.
Seeing as how she was in a tight spot she had chuckled some nervously before giving both men a taunting look. "Really boys? There's always one thing that is open that one doesn't need a weapon to hurt." She said in confidence and in a twirl towards the first man who had attacked her she had kneed or more so kicked the man between his legs in his more sensitive areas. The other man froze in shock and a flinch, in a sense he felt his comrades pain as he tumbled to the ground in a hunch. Leliana had noticed his attention being not precisely on her and she had liked it this way as it had brought her to easily rush towards him and drill each blade to each side on the man's neck.
Anders wasn't certain of what Leliana was talking about but he didn't have time to really even question her within that moment. She had already pushed away, turned and ran from him. Anders reached towards he; attempting to grasp at her arm—armor—anything to have stopped her, but she slipped through his fingers.
"Leliana-! Leliana, wait!" He attempted to call in between gulping back a sob and trying to stand to his feet. He stumbled forward, but as he did so Rhys had started to hold him back down into the chair.
"Don't get up so fast, Speedy. You need to wait a moment." Rhys instructed him but Anders wasn't listening.
The blonde mage had started to fall forward and was crawling towards the door—at least until Rhys had stopped him by holding his shoulders back. Rhys then looked towards Evangeline who at the time was looking to where Leliana had went off to—in addition to Fenris's line of sight; since the elf had even stepped aside.
"Get her back before he loses it. She might be the only one to calm him down." Rhys spoke quickly and snatched Anders's hands. Rhys had never thought that he would be the one to tie magical restraints around another mage, but he was prepared to have done so in order to save the gallows from any attacks that Anders would have possibly done.
From fighting that was going off in the Wounded Coast, Evangeline and Fenris had nearly arrived after tracking Leliana's footprints down. Sven had traveled with them in order to make certain that they were on the right path. It was amazing at how Leliana was able to escape Kirkwall's city walls so quickly without hardly any slowing down. She had even managed to have gotten into trouble with a small group of bandits—which was nothing short of what the tracking-trio was capable of handling on their own once they had gotten there.
After most of it was finished, Fenris and Sven were sharing the task of still punching the leader and his friends down into the sand even more, before one by one in a violent execution spree. Evangeline tried to ignore and turned her sympathy more towards Leliana at that time. After all, she wouldn't have ever known what it would have been like to reattach herself to a mage that had once been made Tranquil. The only closest relation she could have was her lyrium addiction—and that was something that was very difficult to control these days.
"I know it may be difficult; but visitations with him will have to be taken one step at a time." Evangeline suggested to her when she was close enough to give any form of comfort. "It's as Rhys had said—he's not …not really the same as he once was. He may even need you close-by for his continued recovery."
When finally the last bandit was taken down Leliana had stumbled back to the fallen tree and leaned against it. She was trying to keep as much distance from herself, Fenris, Evangeline and even Sven. Even if she wasn't close with the Halfling she still didn't want to be near many people at this time. She wanted more than anything to curl up somewhere and figure everything out before she had made a wrong move again.
Then when she thought about it how she left Anders was possibly the worst thing she could have done for him. Why didn't she think of that? Just thinking about it had brought more tears to come to her eyes in a frenzy but none had poured out. Because she had wiped under her sockets before then. It wasn't until Evangeline had come up that Leliana that she had looked up from her lashes towards her and given a half smile. "I'm sorry…" She spoke out softly in her own disappointment in herself, she had looked away quickly and nodded her head towards her statement. "Right, let's walk back and see what happens."
Once they had returned back to Kirkwall Leliana hadn't gone straight back to the Gallows at first. She had needed some kind of confidence booster, something that she could look at and it would give her strength. That thing, or more so little person was Baelfire. It had been far too long since she had spent quality time with the boy that she had spent at least fifthteen minutes with him, giving herself a pep talk, at times the boy was responsive and had given his mother the needed hugs for no reason. But she needed them in truth, once given him back to the staff to take care of she leaned in and gave the boy a kiss to his brow. She thought she would wait a little while longer before taking him to see Anders since she wanted to go one step at a time and not overload him as she had just done.
When she reached the Gallow's once more, Leliana had looked back to Fenris and given a little smile to him. "I need to go in alone… I'm not sure what I'm going to say but I have to come up with something for why I ran off like that." Leliana didn't want to tell Anders about Fenris. So at all costs she had to come up with something else and avoid that so she or he wouldn't have a complete meltdown between one another. "I'll be back soon." Upon speaking those few words she turned and pushed the door open to allow herself in.
When she had she had stalled at the door and looked to Anders, and when she saw how much of a wreck he was in possibly from her she had almost collapsed right there. She had to look away to Rhy's within that moment as she stepped in closer. "Rhy's, can I have a moment alone with him? I promise I'll be a good girl now." She attempted to joke but her tone was so blank from the tug of war in her heart and with what little strength she had, Leliana looked back to Anders and his bound wrists. She was tempted to reach out for him and unbind him but obviously Rhy's had done this for a reason, and she didn't interfered for the sake of getting reprimanded.
"Yes, of course…." Rhys had nodded some when Leliana had given her request. He turned without another word at that time, and walked out the door.
Anders had been sitting back in the chair with only the restraints to have kept his hands tied together. His body was slumped forward; staring down at the sashes as though an unbelievable amount of information had been fed to him. It was difficult for Anders to hardly even accept. After all, he had been so use to seeing his situation in a black-and-white scenario. Not anymore. There was so much more color in everything; even more-so than of what he previously had known of it.
He could feel Leliana stepping close to him ; but she had halted still at a good distance away. Anders felt like an experiment; as if something that was caught in the wild and dragged through drugs and questionable exercises in order to achieve the end result of what he currently was…. And he was not far from the truth to that feeling either.
"…They -… They said I was tranquil, ...bu-but not anymore." Anders hesitated, still keeping his eyes down for the moment as his words passed through quivering lips. It was a frightening thought; one that could barely keep himself contained. "I felt something impaling me at one point; pain and then nothing... But I… I feel empty. I can't even feel Justice… Everything feels so cold; so empty now.."
Leliana's eye had followed Rhy's and once the click of the door sealed behind him she had shut her eyes as if somehow wounded from it. The tension in the room slowly rose and there was no denying it either. She had just to keep a straight face or try to so he couldn't read her, he always use to be good at that it made her wonder if he still could. But just as Evangeline had told her, she had to be there for him and help him through this time. It wasn't about her and how she felt, it was about Anders and somehow helping him recover from this ordeal. Though she never expected it to be as hard as it was now, as she stood before him like a statute unresponsive besides the few footsteps she had taken to bring herself closer towards him where she had taken a second knelt down.
Leliana didn't look to his eyes at first; instead her hands went to cup along his as her thumbs caressed gently across the length of his fingers and the back of his hands. She closed her eyes to the sense of the touch, as she had never imagined to be able to feel him again at least like this to where he was back in front of her.
When he spoke to her is when she tilted her head up. In response to his words she had bitten down on her lower lip and nodded to the statement. It still pained her to even confirm it, not because of what she had to endure without him but because of the sadness she saw in him. Her hand had reached for his quivering lip the second she had caught glimpse of it, where her thumb brushed to his pout in a soothing stroke.
"There was a lot that had happened to bring you back." She replied in a soft tone. "But your back now and you know what…" She started with a pause as she stood up and sat more closely to his lap as she had reached out towards him to wrap her arms around his neck to bring him closer into her own holding embrace. "We'll get through this somehow… It's going to take a lot of time and effort but I'm not going to leave you alone to deal with this on your own. I lost you once and it almost killed me; I don't plan on doing it again."
Anders had felt the warmth of Leliana once she had come close to his return once more. He wanted to have held her but his hands were bound together; in the prevention of separating his arms. So instead, they remained between them. However; at least Anders was able to rest his head against Leliana's shoulder. He closed his eyes and smiled some; cherishing in the warmth she had given him.
"I love you." He spoke gently and shifted a little to where they both could have slightly been more comfortable then. "It was the worst experience of my entire life: not being near you, or thinking of you…. I don't ever want to be apart from you like that ever again."
The three words three tiny syllables he had spoken towards her brought her to part her lips but not be able to say anything back in return. She had wanted to more than ever that her heart had sung for it. Leliana hadn't even said those three little words to Fenris, not even a hint. But when she had heard it from Anders she wanted to reassure him with her love as she had never stopped loving him, not for a second. She had to push it out, after all it was just the two of them here… Right?
"I love you too…" She whispered out quieter than he had as her brow pressed more to his in that moment and she had closed her eyes listening to his words. Her fingers had went to the side of his features where her fingertips dragged across his jawline and went down his neck and back to the nape of his neck. It was a feeling she missed and one which she could trapped in forever. But as quickly as this thought had fluttered past her mind it had slipped from her upon knowing how wrong this was. A part of her was waiting for Fenris to walk through those doors and see her closeness with Anders and give away what she had been truly doing during the time he was tranquil. That when she had turned her head to his cheek and lain a kiss along his cheek before leaning back. She couldn't help but smile at his mentioning of her, it was one thing she had needed to hear to calm her racing pulse.
"I don't want to go another day without you either and I know Baelfire would say the same if he could... I can't count how many nights I dreamt of this day only to have it taken away again when the sun rose." She admitted in a soft tone as her left hand had reached between then and towards his bound ones.
Anders was feeling his reassurance soaring to new heights from within that moment. Having Leliana there with him had been one of the most important things to him. He had missed her so much, and yet Anders wasn't even certain for how long he had been away. That didn't change the fact that he missed the touch of her skin, or the delicate kiss from her lips. It would have never been enough for him in order to make up for lost time.
"Had I made you wait too long…? You knew I'd come back." He said and gave a half-hearted smile from his previous teasing. His head and dropped down towards his hands and he startled to mumble a little. "Um…. Leliana? The bindings are not really all that necessary are they? Wait- Your ring"
Though before she could have answered him, the door had opened and Anders quickly lifted his head up to see that Fenris had walked inside. His green eyes had shot fire towards them both, but his jaw had stiffened slightly when looking upon Anders. It was clear, through the rumors of the Gallows, that Anders was considered 'rescued' from the Tranquility. It would have been only a matter of time before Anders would have been allowed back into the Keep; back into Leliana's life-and then that would have pushed Fenris clearly back out. Fenris knew of this, but he wasn't one to accept such things easily.
"Fenris?" Anders blinked some in his high confusion rising. "…I thought you left with Alistair—"
"Plans change." Fenris responded tightly and then glanced towards Leliana. "…I was under the impression that you were going to stay in the Keep—"
"Well plans change." Anders repeated and mimicked his head in a bobbing motion from side to side; before giving a light laugh. However, the laugh was soon turned a bit louder in between snickering and giggle fits… at least until the moment when Anders had started to calm down.
Fenris narrowed his eyes at the clear side-effects that Anders was soon displaying. Terrific… A highly emotional—probably bi-polar and unstable mage.
Leliana blinked some when being asked about the binding and ring soon. She would have begun to free him of the bindings then and answered him about the ring but the sudden opening of the door had brought her to quickly jump out of her skin and cling to the ceiling if she could have at that moment. Instead her grip around Anders hands tightened in a firm grip for a few seconds before realizing and turning her attention to Anders bound hands. Clearly he was more stable than what he was earlier, Rhy's would have minded by now if she took them off, at least this is what she had thought. Plus this was an easy escape for her to not be able to look at Fenris and concentrate solely on Anders hands.
Leliana had just closed her eyes as she blindly untangled his hands, she was hoping to just go to a happy place where it was sunshine and roses. Clearly where she didn't want to listen to both of Anders and Fenris's conversation, in fear where it might lead. But soon she had found herself joining in when she knew it was an opportune time to do so.
"Alistair had come and gave me the news of what had happened to you, that's when Fenris came… And when Alistair left he requested for him to stay help me and make sure I could run Kirkwall properly." She spoke softly. Once the last bind slipped from Anders hand and into Leliana's she had stood up and trailed to the nearest table to set the bindings on while she looked directly to the ground.
Leliana would have answered Fenris right away with her response but Anders laughter fit had brought it so she had turned to look to him with concern and curiosity. This is what Rhy's must have meant about the aftermath of reversing ones tranquility. It was more of a deal breaker to her knowing then that she had to keep what had grown between her and Fenris to herself or at least until she could figure out a way to properly tell him where he wouldn't have a traumatic meltdown.
Turning to Fenris Leliana had only given him a short glance and a forced smile which was saddened one. She didn't want to hurt Fenris, just as much as she didn't want to hurt Anders either. "I had to make sure he was okay…" She finally responded to him and to Anders more previous question, so he hopefully wouldn't ask again and this time in front of Fenris, Leliana had stepped forward and reached under her shirt to pull out the ring that dangled from the chain. At least now his mind would be eased on the matter, since she didn't want to do anything which might have inflicted his healing process.
In a sense Leliana was trying to hide her actions from Fenris, she didn't want him to see her pulling the ring out and showing Anders it, this is why she had her back towards the elf the whole time and sparked up a new conversation to go with it as a distraction once she had rested her necklace with the ring attached to her chest. "You should probably rest Anders, you have been through a lot. With you back there's more than enough time to talk about what you had missed out on and we'll all tell you everything there is to know." She said cheerfully and had stepped a few feet closer as she had reached out with an open hand his way.
Anders looked up towards Leliana once her hand had extended out towards him. Though, he wanted to have asked her more about the ring since she wasn't wearing it on her finger anymore. He didn't have much time to have really asked her on anything judging from how fast that she moved. Seeing her extend her hand out to him had been just as grateful; considering that he hadn't gotten the chance to really feel her hand since—well who knows for how long. Anders wasn't certain on the track of time or of what's been happening.
Fenris remained standing towards the sidelines for the moment, seeing everything unfold. He didn't believe that Leliana was actually preparing to have taken Anders back to the Keep… Was she? Fenris could imagine of all the horrible things that would have went down by having Anders there now. Not that it would have been a complete chaos, but Fenris didn't like it. It was one step closer to his and Leliana's bedroom-so it was still too close.
He followed them as they went back to the Keep. It was there that Anders reunited with most of his 'Cabinet' and the rest of his friends that remained partially joined to the Union. Though while he was making small talk, and doing his best to have kept his composure down; Fenris on the other hand was reaching for Leliana's hand. He finally grasped it in his attempt of pulling her away from the cluster-forming crowd in the center of the room.
"Can I talk to you? In private? Please?" The elf was finding himself quickly sputtering out words as he was pulling her away at that time.
When he had taken her hand Leliana was happy to see he had done so and didn't ask about the ring. It was one more thing she could avoid until she had to tell him.
Leliana was happy to see everyone welcoming Anders back with open arms and that they didn't even treat him any differently from when he last seen. Though the longer she had stood by Anders hand in hand she had felt the eyes of Fenris's gazing towards them. Even if it wasn't intended to be cruel or anything of the sort she had still raised her shoulders up defensively as she had tried to put on a good front before the people of the Cabinet before her.
Soon she had felt herself being tugged away if she had wanted to or not. She knew it was Fenris, and in the moment of her hand slipping from Anders she had given him a few words so he wouldn't have followed. Or had hoped he wouldn't have. "Wait here… I'll be right back." And with that she was quickly whisked away before she had known it. But soon she didn't allow Fenris to lead her, but more-so for herself to take him to a more private setting practically half way down the hall and in a room if need be if there were people lingering. When she believed it to be safe enough she had sighed and rested her back to the wall. At first she didn't even look at Fenris, as her eyes were more situated to their feet until she had finally broke her silence and stare to the ground as she had looked up to him.
"I can explain Fenris…" She said in a soft tone, she wasn't trying to make excuses by any means when she said this either. It was truly that she needed to explain to him of what was going on, it was only fair. "As I said back in the Gallows I needed to check on him after I left in that rush…" She began explaining with a pause. "But I doubt this is what you wanted to talk about… So I'll just seal my lips now so you can speak." She promised as she raised her fingers to her lips as she had made a little motion as if locking her lips shut for the time being. But many hadn't known for how long as Leliana's talkative nature had easily come over her at any moment.
Fenris had paused for the moment in Leliana's rushed explanation. He smiled a little from her cute behavior, which was of the many things he had grown fond about her. Though he had to remain serious when speaking to her, or else she never would have taken him seriously. So, he attempted to reach back for her hand.
"I don't like this, Leliana… What are you thinking? Rhys has said that from now on, Anders is unstable. He's clearly unstable." The elf repeated and tilted his eyes briefly back towards the door before looking back towards her again. He lifted her hand more towards her cheek; nuzzling it here. "You cannot waltz a man out of a hospital bed and put him immediately back on a warhorse, …and you know that's where he's going to do. He doesn't need to be in the Keep; he needs to remain in the Gallows for right now."
Leliana had smiled when she had seen Fenris's smile. It was one of the many features she had grown to adore about him. Since he had rarely done so too was another reason. It seemed when they were mostly together is when he smiled most and of course this had brought her heart to flutterer at the thought or sight of it.
"I don't know what I'm thinking…" She quickly responded back upon hearing his question. Though her once warm curvature of lips changed to that of a frown as she looked down between them. "He might be a little unstable… But he'll get better." She paused upon looking back up to him, she had tilted her head into the touch he provided for her cheek. "But I can't just leave him in the Gallows, he won't get better there… That's no place for him. He needs to be surrounded by the people that care for him and wants what's best for him and that's here… He'll be okay… I'll watch over him." During this time she had reached up and placed her hand over Fenris's as if giving the back of his hand a gentle rub before pulling away and walking to the door.
Outside in the hallway a child's laughter had echoed through the hallway, Leliana had blinked upon hearing it and began glancing around for what she could have sworn was Baelfire's voice. Though in a quick zoom the boy had quickly rushed past her and in the direction of where Anders was. In fear of Anders relapsing Leliana's eyes widened as she quickly had chased after the boy. All she could see though was golden hair and the attire of children's clothing he wore, a part of her didn't understand how the child was so fast that a part of her wanted to give up while the other half of her kept going.
But she was too late Baelfire had somehow managed to squeeze past the people circling around Anders speaking to him and even though he had gotten past these people with ease he had somehow quickly came to a halt when he ran into what seemed like a brick wall and landed directly onto his bottom.
All Leliana could hear from the few feet she was away was sniveling coming from the center where Anders was standing and in fear that he had somehow hurt himself she had quickly pushed the fellow Cabinet people aside and rushed in the center.
"Baelfire!?" She questioned out of concern as she had finally pushed past the last person to see her son looking to his knee as if it was wounded from his fall even though it wasn't an area he had come close to hitting either. But Leliana had knelt down quickly to the soon to be two year old and cupped a hand over his kneecap. "Did you hurt your knee mister?" She asked in a act shocked tone, over time she had gotten so well at playing this even when he wasn't hurt since the boy had loved to get his mother's attention any chance he could. He soon nodded his head a pointed with one of his fingers to his knee as he muttered out the words. "Boo, knee." Though to those who weren't familiar speaking with him wouldn't have caught much but the boo part.
Leliana had only chuckled as she pealed her hand away from his knee and bent down to kiss the spot gently. When she had looked back up to him she had smiled, which in return brought the young toddler to smile as well. "All better?" She asked curiously.
Baelfire had given a nod of his head in a yes response as he began to stand up once more, acting as if nothing had harmed him it was easily seen that the boy knew how to play his mother like any child would have at such an age. "Mama up!" He pleaded in his sweet voice which brought Leliana to shake her head in humor as she stood up from her knelt position and afterwards bent over to pick up the young boy within her arms.
Anders eyes had widened to the sight of Baelfire. He couldn't believe at how much the boy had grown. He was going to have to ask again; if he hadn't already…?—He couldn't remember-About how long he had been in the rumored "coma," since nobody wanted to publically spread the rumored thought that Tranquils could have been reversed. It was not only that though; there were other breakthroughs to this notion as well. Tranquils could also be controlled by demons if ordered to do so, abominations didn't have to be killed—well if they had help from another spirit, that is-and death didn't have to be an instantly given option to a mage anymore.
Though Anders had felt oddly empty, with Justice gone, the mage had also felt a bit more clarity. He was at peace a little more from what had been transpiring; or so of what he envisioned. Justice had taken most of his hatred—if not all—of the self loathing and bitterness with him. That only left him to wonder just what Justice was now that they were separated. He may never find out now.
"Is that my Baelfire?" Anders had questioned and smiled towards the boy in Leliana's arms. He didn't want him startled though; because he wasn't certain if he remembered him even as his actual father. Things like that would have normally taken time, and Anders acknowledged at least that he may have been gone for quite a while.
"Icon, the Union has scattered and has been at a standstill for nearly over a year—" One of the mages of the Cabinet had mentioned when the small commotion had ended.
"Oh, thank you. I was just about to ask how far gone I was." Anders smiled towards him upon straightening his back once more in order to return his attention back towards the group of men who were still talking to him.
"—Yes, Serah, but what are we to do?" Another Cabinet had mentioned to him quickly.
"What we've been trying to do since day one, gentlemen." Anders announced and then turned around to run up the steps of the stage in front of him. Like a child-icon with a reborn spritely youth, Anders rose his arms up into the air and made a wide sweep across the opened space above him. "We go to war! In the North to Tevinter! We'll bring the Acolytes down into snowy graves until the High Archon finally leaves us alone."
From above the crowd of Cabinet members, Leliana and Baelfire small clouds of frost began to form and snow started to rain down. Anders braced his hands back towards his hips proudly and looked back to the Cabinet members at the time had seemed a little uncertain if taking on Tevinter would have been the best option… At least, at this stage of things. After all, there were no recovered members regrouping to Kirkwall just yet, and Starkhaven was really the closest enemy—if they were to conquer other lands. Besides that, Starkhaven was actually itching for the main fight.
Meanwhile from the corner of the room, Fenris had pressed against the wall. He watched the display with narrow eyes. He didn't like the fact that Anders was being brought back at all. Though Fenris had known all along that this would have happened; and yet he allowed it. The minute that Anders had even seemed remotely capable of displaying emotion again, Leliana would have booted Fenris out of the picture. With a light grimace, the elf turned away and slinked back into the shadows.
Leliana smiled some with a nod when asked if this was his son. "Who else could it be?" She asked in a joke towards him, when she saw Anders trying to get a glimpse of his son the first time in over a year she had turned him some and brought the boys ear towards her lips as if to coach the boy with sweet words of reminding him this was who his father was. It would have been a while of course for the boy to warm up, but as soon as he had she knew he would be following Anders everywhere like he had always done to her. "He's a lot like you… He's always running from the people which are superseded to watch him when I'm working… Which reminds me… Where are they now?" She asked in a glance around and down each halls end.
When she had looked around though she had seen Fenris, and even though their distance was so short it had felt like the gaping hole between them was magnified as they stood there looking at one another. In fear of it being obvious Leliana looked away and turned her attention towards the Cabinets and their questions which brought Leliana to curiously listen to what Anders had said about their next set of plans.
After hearing them though she couldn't help but disagree, just as everyone had known in the room they had bigger problems than Tevinter, and even though they had Alistair as an alliance and he had the Orleasian's as allies as well. It still wasn't enough to bring down Tevinter. They had to get rid of the smaller bumps in the road first before proceeding further North. But Leliana wouldn't have told Anders this, at least not in public since she wanted to avoid at embarrassing him any since he had looked so proud and over jubilant like a child as he gave his short speech.
Leliana had looked behind her again during this time to see what Fenris's input would have been on this, though when she saw him beginning to turn and walk away from the scene she had wanted to chase after him. She truly needed to figure out some kind of solution for this predicament she had put herself in… But soon she was drawn away from her worry with Baelfire's squirming at last noticing the snow falling down. The little boy reached as high as he could and what flakes had fallen in front of him, he had clapped his hands; squishing the snow between his palms in a rapid melt.
But Leliana hadn't stayed below long under the snowy display Anders had provided. Instead she had stepped towards him and grasped his arm where she began to lead the mage away from there. "The Icon needs to rest…" She confirmed towards the Cabinet crew.
While she was walking down the hallway she had come across Baelfire's frightened nanny who at one time or another looked away for a moment and lost Baelfire. She couldn't blame her as the boy was as slick as butter. So in faith she handed the boy back to the woman who in turn would have taken him to get him something to eat while Leliana could concentrate more importantly on getting Anders to rest. She figured having Baelfire there would have been a distraction, and there would be times for later visits.
The members of the Cabinet had looked up towards Leliana once she had attached herself to Anders and left her announcement for the others to heed. They had looked towards each other, while the smaller questions of other multiple minimal topics ensued. Anders had turned towards Leliana as well after his arm was taken. He quickly moved towards grasping her arm that held towards his in a pleading manner. His smile was as bright as his eyes when he spoke to her.
"Oh, no. No-no-no. I've just been awake!—I've just been free! I feel alive! I don't need any more rest—I've rested enough." He said and quickly shook his head like a youth in spring.
Anders moved towards the scene in front of the group and waved his arm back up towards the air once more. This time it had cancelled out the frost spell; returning the air back to normal. He turned then and hopped down from the stage and held his arms back up towards Leliana. Anders grasped her waist and lifted her up as he started to turn around. Carrying her with him, he planted her feet back to the ground and kissed her lips with e brisk snap upon the separation. However, his hypertension hadn't slowed him down from even that, Anders was soon looking around the room for more curious wonders to explore.
"Is the library in the same room here, or has it moved? I need to find my battle strategies." He announced quickly and started to march in the direction he believed it was.
Leliana's eyes widened soon when she had felt Anders take hold of her that in reflex she had wrapped her arms around the mages neck and held on tightly with wide eyes. She wasn't expecting his lips to join hers when they had, that when such a touch was given to her needy lips she couldn't deny him and her arms had loosened their hold around his neck as her hand had buried to his golden hair. She didn't want him to pull away, that when he had she felt herself quickly seeking his lips again. But with his hyper personality she had reluctantly pulled back allowing him the space he not only that he needed but she had needed as well. Within this time she had raised her fingers to her lips and just when she had noticed she had so carelessly kissed Anders is when she had looked to see if Fenris had come back. But he hadn't and a sigh of relief soon passed her.
As soon as she heard Anders question she had nodded her head his way. But then quickly regretted it. Seeing as how he mentioned the plans for battle strategies. Soon she was chasing after him again as she grasped onto his wrist with each of her hands and had begun leading him in the opposite direction of the library and what would have been their room. "Anders, please…" She pleaded with a bit of a pout of her lower lip to him. Between this look she had taken one of her hands off of his own wrist and grabbed the other so she held each in her hand and in a backwards pace she had continued to walk in the desired direction. "I know you think your bright a bushy tailed but you really need to rest… If you won't do it for yourself will you do it for me then?"
Seeing the look that Leliana had given him, Anders had shrugged some. His grin had turned into a chuckle and then his chuckle had turned into an even louder laugh. Clearly he hadn't felt nearly this happy before in a long time. Probably in a year—as if those emotions had suppressed for that long. The experience, of course would have overwhelming for anyone to take in all at one.
"Okay… Okay-okay…" He said and reached back to Leliana; and stepped in closer towards her. "But only if a certain redhead stays with me in bed then."
He tilted his lips more towards the right side of Leliana's temple and left another quick kiss there. Afterwards, he ran with a skip and a hop towards the direction of where he believed the main bedchamber had been. Anders then spun back around and took Leliana's hands into his. The feeling of joy and love had always been the most wondrous for him to experience, but he had never felt himself as 'high' as this.
"It's still here isn't it? Our room?" He questioned then with his eyebrows wiggling from back and forth in their devilishly looks.
Leliana was beyond thrilled when Anders deiceded finally on going to lay down but the ultimatum she had been given brought her to smile innocently. How bad could it be just to lay down with him? Clearly they've done just that before without doing anything else… She would just have to hope it was one of those times as well. For she knew she had no will power when it came against him and her and them together, he was always such a smooth talker that had gotten him out of so many tight spots, most of those being with her when she had been beyond the point of being mad at him.
"One thing… You have to sleep." She attempted to deal and with a sealing handshake. But either she wasn't quick enough to offer this or he had completely ignored her to where all she was left with was a kiss before he scurried off to the room.
Leliana had followed slowly behind in pursuit and determination that this man had gotten some rest. At first she didn't even think twice to look to Anders when he stopped to look to her and ask the question he had. But towards the end of his sentence and his wiggling of brows had brought her to giggle softly as she had reached for the knob of the door to begin turning it to allow him and herself in. "I could never get myself to change rooms, it was some of the only few connections I had left of you." She admitted softly and had walked past the mage and stepped inside the room.
When she stepped inside she began looking around the room more precisely for Fenris's things. If it wouldn't have been suspicious she would have started to pick up the little and bigger things she had come across. But there was no way to do this without being questioned; she just had to hope Anders didn't notice the finer details of the room and what it held in it. In hopes that she would distract him she had quickly kicked off her shoes and began stepping towards the bed. As she pulled back the corner to slipped inside she had patted the spot next to her and waited ever so patiently.
"Sleep! Of course I'll sleep—Not much else to really do in a bed; except for one or two other things, and that's not sleep." Anders answered brightly upon entering the room and then looked around the area as if taking it in for the first time.
He hadn't really noticed Fenris's things still being in there—for it had been a year since he even had at last remembered the place. Anders had stopped in his mild spin though and turned back towards Leliana once she had invited him into the bed. The mage turned and soon practically jumped in onto the other side. He kicked off his boots and rolled in underneath the covers; still squirming as hyper as he had been when was first allowed to leave the chair earlier that day.
"Oh, this feels so good! I can't even remember when I've ever felt something so soft…" He pondered with his eyes closed; ruffling the fluff of the blankets from underneath his shoulders and hugging the viscount's robes that he wore. However, he paused briefly afterwards and opened up one eye towards Leliana. "Well, except for one thing. Come here—"
He moved swiftly, reaching up to wrap his arm around Leliana's form and pulled her quickly down underneath the covers with him. Anders snuggled up close to her; spooning his body against hers, nearly as if she were a throw pillow. He smiled with his ear pressed more towards her heartbeat and for the moment had finally stopped moving around nearly as much.
"Now this feels much better…" He mused and closed his eyes. "I've missed this sound too. I've missed so much for far too long."
Leliana's eyes widened and she soon found herself curling into a protective position when Anders had jumped into the bed so excitedly. Though when she found out she had been safe from him colliding down, she had opened her eyes again in relief. "I swear you're going to give me wrinkles." She said in a slight tease of a chuckle as she had continued to watch him so happily bundle in the covers like had never experienced the feeling before. Even though Anders was different with his ranged of emotions there were still a few times his emotions calmed enough that it had reminded her of the times she and he spent all that time ago. He was still the same Anders to her and she would have always loved him no matter how normal or crazy he may have seemed to others.
With Anders swift movements taking grasp of her, Leliana had quickly squeaked out of suddenness of him taking hold of her and bringing her down under the covers. When his head rested to her chest and listened to her heart she had went out to touch him then with one of her hands that began brushing through his hair. She had tried to do this to calm her beating heart which had seemed to spike when such a moment like this would come up between them.
When Anders spoke, Leliana had smiled as her other arm wrapped behind his back and with her wandering fingers she had begun what she had always done between moments like this with him and started to brush her fingers up and down his back and then into little circles. Eventually her eyes came to a close and she had relished in the moment spent between them she had thought it was perfect but she knew not to let that be too perfect since she had known it could have changed in an instant for the both of them as it had many times before and that was her biggest fear was having it all taken away again.
Thinking back on such times had brought the rouge to hold her breath until she no longer couldn't and release it in a painful breathe. Thankfully her eyes were closed for now as the hot tears filling her eyes began seeping out the corners but she had made no sound of crying, besides the holding of her breath. It was her fear of losing everything she had all over again. She never had wanted to go through that pain again, she refused. Figuring she should responded Leliana started to part her lips but no words had come out, only the sound of a cracked voice trying to speak before she had quickly sealed her lips shut and cleared her throat.
"At least now you won't have to miss anything else." She spoke and soon reached to tighten her grasp around him. "We can always make up for lost time but in the meantime we should be grateful for what we have now."
"Yes, you're right." Anders mused some and shifted his shoulders slightly from being nestled against Leliana's chest. "And there is so much lost time to make up for; so much that I'm grateful for too…"
He slowly lifted his head from Leliana's chest and sought out her left hand. Looking back up towards her, Anders had lowered close towards her lips in order to have left another tender kiss there. He pressed her hand against his chest; signifying to where his heartbeat was and gently rubbed the back of Leliana's hand for comfort. Looking back towards her eyes, Anders had started to smile even more brightly then.
"You've done this for me, Leliana. You didn't give up on me when everyone else would have—when I would have." Anders spoke with a glance downward at the thought before returning his hues back to her. "You've helped me to feel again. To dream... and to love… For that I cannot love or cherish anyone greater than you."
He lowered his lips and closed his eyes upon kissing her. Tilting his head slightly and teasing with his lips to help deepening of what kiss he received in response. His hand had later slid towards Leliana's left side. Anders's fingers played with the buckles and snaps of her attire to loosen the fastenings she had there to prevent him from achieving where his skin wanted to touch.
Leliana had looked to her hand which Anders had grasped and with a smile she had interlaced her fingers in a woven bind with his and gave a firm squeeze. She was so lost within their touch and closeness that Leliana hadn't noticed Anders move in towards her when their lips met in short greet she wasn't given the chance to return it, since it was a short meeting. When he turned her hand towards his chest she had turned her wrist to a more comfortable bend as her palm pressed against the center of his chest. There she had recall the reminder of his beating heart that she almost once long forgotten. For such a long time she had fallen asleep to the sound of it, the touch of it beating. That when it was back it had almost felt like a trick someone was dangling in front of her face which she expected to have been taken away again.
When Anders spoke, Leliana had looked up from his chest and into his eyes. Quickly she found herself lost in them that she had reached up with her free hand and had brushed her fingers along his cheekbone and to his ear. "Don't say that Anders…" She spoke in quickly hearing he would have given up even on himself. She had always believed Anders to be stronger than her in ways she couldn't describe. "When I had lost you, I died, I didn't want to leave this room. I had pushed aside every responsibility I should have taken over all because I wasn't strong enough." She explained in a soft tone between them. Between this time she still had heard his sweet words of love towards her and with it brought a smile to tug to her lips in the softest of ways.
Leliana wasn't given much the chance to answer though, not because she didn't want to but because of his second attempt to move in towards her. When their lips joined for the second time she had begun to feel herself melt underneath him. She had tried to fight the urge to wrap her arms around his neck, but it was too strong and she had done so in a slow sneak.
Her kiss was that of a hungry one, much like the other times when he would leave and come back and Leliana would run to him with such love and desire coursing through her veins. Her legs had separated out in a bend of at least one of her legs then to allow Anders more space to fit between them. But as soon as this had happened, the quicker she had parted their kiss as a gasp had passed between her lips. The memories of her and Fenris had replayed in her mind. No matter how much she had loved Anders still she still had feelings for Fenris, it was only natural with all they had been through with one another and in truth she had felt as if she was doing wrong by him by allowing this.
"Anders…" She spoke in a breathed voice, but she didn't open her eyes as it was her only form of concentration from Anders touch against her. "I thought… You promised you would sleep…?" She asked as she began to open her eyes in a slow flutter. It was a lame excuse and one she would be surprised if Anders would even take. But she had to try while underneath him she had gazed up to him with the concerned loved look in her eyes. She didn't understand her feelings on this right now as a part of her had wanted to stop while a whole other part wanted him to continue. It was as if she was torn into two.
"I did promise I just didn't say exactly when." Anders grinned towards her words even after she had pulled away from him.
Anders had left soft kisses along her jaw and down towards her neck. His wandering hand from underneath her shirt had risen up more towards the connection of her breasts. The mage cupped one; rotating it to one side and scooting it a little higher against the front of her shirt due to his movements.
"Besides I think I could sleep better with this off." Anders mentioned with a light glance towards Leliana's tip, and he gave the fabric a small tug to tease her with before returning his kiss back towards her.
He was gradually undressing next to her; sliding out of the folds to his viscount robes and letting them get pushed to the edge of the bed. It wasn't until his upper body had been removed from the heavy coat, had Anders's initial focus towards removing Leliana's clothes along with his own, began to occur. He was gentle; leaving passionate kisses that sometimes he hated to had to leave from her compromising hold around his neck in order to raise her shirt up and over her breasts.
Leliana sighed in soft pleasures which Anders was giving her. She could have sworn it had felt different than the last time he had touched her all that time ago. Or she just wasn't use to it, and it had felt like it was their first time all over again. If only she could think through her pulsating head than she knew she could have stopped this. Also if she had just done what she could have easily done, and taken control of the situation and turned him on his back and just sat on him until he was asleep then she wouldn't have to have all these rush of feelings and sensations she was trying to fight.
She felt her eyes widen some when she saw Anders take off his robes, that she had instinctively pointed to the clothes and parted her lips to speak. But his lips meshed with hers before this was possible.
Though small gasps Leliana had shifted her head to one side so Anders would have easier access to her neck, as she had leaned in towards him as a soft purred sound shifted in the back of her throat as she had grazed her teeth across his skin between his neck and shoulder. She was slowly losing control and in a sense she didn't mind as much as she had before. She didn't want him to stop, as she wanted a different ending than that of what her dreams provided.
When Anders reached for her shirt Leliana had leaned back with little hesitation, though when she opened her eyes to look at him. It was like reality smacked her straight in the face again and she knew from here she couldn't do it… She couldn't led him on, only to shortly tell him afterwards of her and Fenris, it wasn't fair for neither of them.
Before her shirt was taken half way up, Leliana's hands placed to his shoulders gave him a push as she shook her head in a no response. She closed her eyes during this time as if to hide the tears shining brightly in her eyes.
"No, I-I can't…" She spoke, and she had noticed how familiar it had sounded to that of when he first embraced her when he came out of his tranquil state. Without waiting for any kind of response, she had slipped herself out from underneath him and began to stand up from the bed fixing her shirt and hair. "I'm sorry Anders… But there's just something I should have told you… I just thought I would have time to come up with the right words…" During this whole time Leliana's back was still turned to Anders, with her gaze towards the ground her arms had wrapped around her stomach in an insecure hold as she whispered. "I just don't want to hurt you…"
Anders had flinched some when Leliana had started to shrug him off. He wouldn't have been the type to have really struggled in persuasion of what he wanted. So in the mixed confusion of why she would have attempted in escaping from him, Anders had released her. He could only sit still in the bed when he watched her continuing to move away from him. To have had her so close to him and then find that she could still slip through his grasp was an uncomfortable thought.
Her words stung him, and he didn't know why. His chest had felt tight; almost as if deep down somewhere, he had known or he was preparing for an undirected impact. Anders had gradually started to sit up in the bed and turned to where the covers had still left an invitation for her to accept. All she would have had to do was jump back inside after him.
"What is it? -Oh wait… This is one of those family-crises isn't it?" He asked; still not really paying attention to the armor within the room—though even so it wasn't like there were any dectable traces of a specific person to have resided here other than Leliana anyway. Anders looked to the wall that remained from the opposite of himself and folded his arms.
"Alright. What is it? Did the litter of kittens finally tear your favorite lingerie to shreds? Is Baelfire wanting a mabari now?" He spoke eagerly, yet almost with a slight hint of a joke to it. "Don't worry. Whatever it is, I can take it."
Leliana had felt herself quickly tense when she had heard his thoughts on what it possibly could be. Oh how she wished it was just a family crisis, a simple one like he began asking one after another. Since in a sense this was a family crisis, but a large one that could tear their family apart if they had given it half the chance. As she stood there listening to each question he asked without saying a word and only shaking her head no at each one she began to feel her legs tremble from under her. Leliana attempted to stop this by locking her knee caps which had helped for a moment but only for a short while until she had to loosen her legs again.
"I wish it was that simple Anders…" She said in her usual soft tone, but this held also of fear as she turned around to face him. But she had her gaze was still put towards the ground and past her draped long flowing crimson hair her face was stained with tears she had silently wept.
Leliana sighed, as if trying to take what breathe of air so she could to calm her nerves as her twisting hands that hadn't stopped fidgeting when she had uncrossed her arms. "I never thought you would come back Anders… And it almost killed me to lose you, I wouldn't eat, couldn't sleep and as I said before I pushed aside every responsibility I had, and every person including Baelfire for weeks." She explained once more, she wanted Anders to know the full story not bits and pieces since she didn't want him thinking Fenris had just swooped the chance he had got. "W-When Alistair asked F-Fenris to stay here he had taken care of Kirkwall as best he could when I locked myself away…" She began explaining but in a pause she closed her eyes and said. "As well as m-me… He brought me out into the world again and somehow things started getting better. Not right away, but I wasn't in as much pain."
"I tried to fight it… I really did. I didn't want to have feelings for anyone else but he was there for me when no one else was." She attempted to explain as she stepped towards him and even reached out for him. But she had stopped short seeing that probably wasn't the best move right now. "I'll always love you Anders… But… I just need time. Time to think about what I should do from here. Because if I choose one of you I lose the other and I can't do that not right now."
In a snivel and a wipe to each of her cheeks she had reached to her chest and grasped the engagement ring on the chain around her neck and began pulling it off over her head to hand it to him. "I wore this so you would always be close to my heart, but I think you should take it back until I figure out where I stand… If you'll wait for me."
He had waited, mostly in silence to have tried in keeping himself from interrupting her at any given point. However, it was difficult to take after all. Anders didn't expect this kind of information just seconds before his attempt of trying to make up for lost time. Looking at the floor and near the walls, it started to have made sense why there was so much armor around. Leliana was a rogue. She didn't need to wear half of the stuff that was in there; and despite of how slender that the plating to some of the things were, it wasn't necessarily molded to a woman's shape.
"You know, he could have been thanked in other ways—A Card, perhaps?" He caught himself asking after a while, and in between Leliana's explanation. "And how could this decision be that difficult if we have already been committed?"
He turned his head, looking towards her, still having the unbelievable shocked expression on his face. For in truth, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His arm swept back, across the covers' entrance and a mild trail of frost began to mist out of thin air.
But Leliana had continued and she was reaching for the ring around her neck to remove it. Anders's eyes lifted towards the tiny object that was in a loop around a thin golden chain. At first, he wasn't sure of what it was, but when he had seen it up close, Anders had remembered and then realized of what Leliana was doing.
His heart had felt twisted and skewered upon staring back down at the ring in his hands. His fingers had tightened around the object and his mouth momentarily had gone dry. There had seemed to almost be somewhat of a calm, before his emotional storm—when in all of the reality it was raging from within him. He glanced down and attempted to keep his hands from trembling upon carrying it.
"I just-..Right…. I just. Don't. Under-stand…" He paused in between which words he said before shifting his eyes along the floor. He fisted his hands as he started to move from the bed and marched out of the bedroom.
There were many eyes looking towards Anders as he was walking through the halls of the Keep. Not just because of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt but also because that with each step he took; his swinging arms from both sides were practically covered in magical traces of frostbite. His hazel eyes had shown a fire in them that had seemed like such of a dramatic switch most wouldn't have expected from him.
Upon reaching the door to one of the Offices, Anders was stopped by one of the guards that were there. The male blinked at him and started to raise his hands to Anders's shoulders. "Serah, I'll have to ask you—"
"Is Fenris in there?" Anders questioned, but was still staring at the door.
"Yes but—"
"I just want to talk to him." The mage replied, almost calmly.
"Ser—"
"I just want to talk to him." Anders repeated and finally placed his hands on the man's shoulders. A sudden ice spell was released and before the man could have even screamed from the cold pain he received, he was frozen solid.
Anders scooted the man aside and threw the door open upon marching into the room. He looked to see Fenris instantly sitting up from his hunched position at the desk. The image alone—Fenris behind a desk of his work, his struggle—was enough to cause Anders to sneer.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked the elf and started to march towards him.
Fenris looked at Anders back just as harshly; and soon started to stand up. "Your job."
"Yeah? My job, my wife, my life! All mine!" Anders scowled and slammed his fists onto the desk, causing the desk to quickly cover in ice and broken splinters as well. He straightened his back once more and started point at him. "Is there anything you haven't tried to claim from under me yet? Just because you couldn't have Hawke—!"
"You were a Tranquil, Anders!" Fenris snapped back at him, feeling his jaw stiffen with the thought of Naomi even being brought up. He turned slightly and started to walk around the desk towards him then. "You were a drooling vegetable… And if it were up to me, you'd still be one."
Those words ignited a rage that caused the entire office to freeze over in ice shards and snow. Anders and Fenris began fighting one another, despite how reckless the ice spells were getting. So much magic being released was causing the floor to slip, and even though Anders was steadily freezing Fenris completely solid from the legs up, and Fenris's armor was causing Anders's soft body-tissue to bleed from cuts and bruises- the two were still rolling on the floor; punching each other where they could.
Leliana bit down onto her lower lip soon after seeing Anders expression when she had handed back the ring. It had felt like a limb had been ripped right from her body, but it was of her own doing. She decided this and in the long run it would have been best. But that didn't stop the pain in her chest; it had felt like someone was literary lighting her heart on fire and squeezing it until they ripped it out.
The tears which were still collecting to her sockets hadn't ceased, it almost seemed as if they magnified when Anders had clenched his hand around the ring. She even flinched away to glance towards the floor as well when she heard his words, though when she heard his footsteps she had looked up through her bright emerald eyes and had reached out towards him as if to stop him. "Anders—Wait! Please!" She called out in desperation as she didn't want this conversation to end like this, even if it could go nowhere but downhill, he was in no shape to be alone after such news and knowing this she had chased after him.
Somehow Anders had gotten ahead of her by a great deal, she didn't know how. But she had gone to the only place where he could have gone after getting such information, Fenris's office… Or more so Anders office now that he was back… Ugh she didn't know anymore it was far too confusing. When she had rushed down the halls, she was stopped by the staff who had been concerned for her since they had just seen Anders angered look and then her broken down to pieces one. She was still crying while she was rushing down the halls after him after all and she figured the continuous stops are what made it difficult to keep up with Anders. But as soon as she was free, she had quickly pushed past the others which tried to stop her.
When she reached the door to the office Leliana looked to the guard with a widened eye expression. In concern she had reached out for the man to tap his shoulder as she whispered out. "Anders what did you do?" As soon as she asked this it had seemed as if her questions were answered as she heard some yelling and then crashing sounds coming from behind the door. In fright she had quickly pushed the door open to step inside, but stalled in doing so when she had seen the sight.
"Anders! Fenris!" She shouted almost immediately after seeing both men wrestle to the ground like two teenaged boys. "Get off each other this instant!" Between her shouting she had quickly stepped inside of the office and almost slipped upon doing so. But she had regained her footing instantly and somehow quickly managed to walk over to the duo in fear of one or the other hurting the other. She had tried to get close enough to grab one of their swinging arms or anything to stop this, but when she had almost gotten hit in the rage by stepping in too quickly and carelessly, that she had backed away.
Once she was a good enough distance away she started looking for anything she could use to stop them, but in her bad luck she came across nothing but what decorations were placed around the room to make it livelier. Stomping in her aggravation Leliana reached up and grabbed her head though in doing this she had seen to her waist one of her daggers and without thinking about her safety she fumbled for one.
"What am I thinking?!" She asked herself as she looked to the elongated blade with uncertainty, but as soon as she saw beyond the blade and to the men she knew what she had to do to stop them. "I'll ask you one more time to stop! Please…" She whispered when begging at the last spoken word, but still it seemed her words of were no use.
She angled the dagger between her two hands towards her chest and quickly without second thought she shoved the blade into her flesh and soon after a scream had bellowed out her lips as she stumbled backwards against the few tables in the office to brace against. During this time she peaked out of one of her eyes and looked down to the blade and her blood stained hands, then lastly back up to Anders and Fenris. "If you don't stop, neither will I. You two are—" She began saying but soon her emotions had taken hold making it to where her voice cracked as her tears started flowing again. "You're both being fools! I don't want to see you hurt one another, please, please stop it."