Chapter Fourteen
I feel like the sun
I feel like the rain
I feel like I just found reason for living again
What I've been dreaming
I know that it's real
I know there's just no changing the way I feel
You're into my head
I'm out of my mind
I feel like I've just found reason for being alive
I have a secret
I think you should know
I feel like I just can't keep it
It's deep within me
And I feel like I'm losing control
Can you see my vision
We live in a dream
I see you today
I feel like all my fears are fading away
Been waiting so long for something new
I feel like a constant craving for being with you
~My Vision By Seal~
The Deep Roads
The next morning Hawke and Anders emerged from what had briefly been their private suite and rejoined their companions, all of them eager to continue their journey back to Kirkwall, flush with their success and laden with riches. Bartrand had been relegated to a simmering anger in the backs of their minds for Varric and Hawke. Both of them agreed to deal with him as soon as he could be tracked down, but that was for later. They fell to discussing Hawke's plans when they all got back to the city.
"I'll petition the Viscount for the return of the family estate just as soon as I can get an audience with him." Hawke frowned and hopped over a hole in the path, filled with an unidentifiable, dark liquid. "I'll either have to sweet talk that bastard, Bran, or just bribe him."
Varric shrugged, twirling an arrow between his fingertips as he often did. "He's definitely open to being persuaded by you, so save your coin if you want. I know you think he's indifferent, but you don't see how he looks at you as soon as you turn your back. Leave the leather armor home, put on something low cut and clingy, and Bran will probably give you an audience with Dumar the same day."
She shook her head. "Sounds like a lot of effort. I'm not sure I want to give anyone else the idea that they are welcome to grope my ass."
"No one is going to grope your ass except me, Marian," Anders said in a firm tone. "Or they will find themselves sucking on a fireball."
Hawke chuckled and shared an amused look with Varric before meeting Anders' angry gaze. "There's my jealous, possessive lover in all his glory. I do so enjoy that angry growl in your voice, love. I promise to show you how much, later."
Anders smirked, his voice dropping lower. "Can't wait, sweetheart."
Varric stopped and pulled Bianca from his back in preparation for dealing with the darkspawn on the path ahead of them. "It's nice you decided to put Blondie in a better mood, Hawke, but you two are seriously starting to give me a toothache with all the lovey dovey shit."
"Was it not your advice just yesterday for Hawke to show mercy to the healer? Make up your mind, dwarf." Fenris smirked, drawing his sword, then took off in a flash of blue, cleaving through two of the closest darkspawn. Anders froze two more, Fenris slicing through them while they were paralyzed by the ice.
"Maybe you just need to get laid, Varric. I can't imagine fondling Bianca while you rub one out is very satisfying." Hawke called up a Firestorm, smiling in satisfaction when the last of the darkspawn fell to her magic.
Varric turned toward her with a chiding look. "Hey, Bianca is a lady, Hawke. Don't talk that way about her, you'll hurt her feelings."
Catching Anders' wink Hawke rolled her eyes, slipping her staff through the leather loop across her back, the same as Anders used for his staff. She turned in a slow circle and sighed.
"Is it just me, or does it seem to be raining darkspawn every fifteen minutes? We never encountered so many previously."
Walking a few steps away, Anders gaze went unfocused. Hawke crossed her arms and waited, all of them accustomed to how Anders used his ability to sense the creatures so they could avoid them as much as possible. Hopefully, he would be able to take them on a path with fewer enemies.
When the minutes ticked by and Anders didn't move, Fenris gave her a questioning look. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders since she had no idea what was taking so long. Turning back to watch Anders, she tensed when his eyes flashed with blue light, but relaxed when the light quickly faded and Anders was looking at her again, his expression frustrated and angry.
"We need to move very quickly," he said, pulling Hawke against him in a brief embrace before he took her arm to lead them all toward one of the side passages, rather than the large main road they had been following.
"What is it, Anders? You seem upset." Hawke was forced into a trot to keep pace with his hurried, long-legged strides.
His brows were furrowed, his eyes sweeping back and forth constantly. "There are quite a few 'spawn all around us, but that isn't what worries me. It's how many more I can feel drawing near."
He stopped and turned, looking at Fenris and Varric. "I can't stress enough how important it is that we go as fast as we possibly can now. If they manage to surround us, we won't make it out alive, there are too many coming. Marian must remain surrounded by the three of us at all times, do you hear me? I don't have time to explain why, but it is her they are drawn to. They have felt her and are trying to come take her. It's...what they do to females, of any race. Come, let's go."
"We will guard the rear," Fenris growled. "Let's make haste."
Anders gave a sharp nod, took Marian's hand and started running. Varric and Fenris were only steps behind them. With all of them focused on fleeing, Hawke was able to keep from fully feeling the fear that gripped her at Anders' words. What could it mean that darkspawn wanted to get to her because she was female? A sick feeling twisted in her gut, and she fell back onto an old device she learned from her father, to keep back panic when she would see templars as a child.
Wintermarch, Guardian, Drakonis, Cloudreach, Bloomingtide, Justinian, Solace, August, Kingsway, Harvestmere, Firstfall, Haring…
When she finished reciting all twelve months, she started over, calming herself methodically, as she had always done. The pounding of their feet and the drumming of her heart set the rhythm for her silent mental recitation, and time seemed to slow while she was fully focused on the exercise. It was jarring when Anders took a sudden left through a wide doorway, waited for them all to walk through, slammed it and threw the thick plank of wood into the slots to bar the door. When he leaned back against the stone wall, closed his eyes and dropped his pack, Hawke took note of the state of them.
All four of them were breathing heavily, flushed and dripping sweat. She swiped the back of her arm across her forehead to dash some of the sweat away, her eyes stinging from what had already dripped down.
"Do we need to get going again now, or are we far enough from the threat?" Varric asked, his eyes moving between Anders and Hawke.
Pushing away from the wall, Anders pulled his pack back on. "We do still need to continue walking for another hour or two, at least, but the bulk of the horde where we were has been left behind. Let's take a five minute breather."
He looked at Hawke and reached for her, pulling her into his arms to drop a kiss to the top of her head while Varric and Fenris moved further away to give them the semblance of privacy. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she trembled from the stress and fear still coursing through her. "You are out of danger," he whispered against her ear. "Nothing is going to hurt you for as long as I draw breath, I swear it. I would destroy this world to keep you safe, Marian."
Overwhelmed by her emotions, both good and bad, Hawke lifted her head to kiss him, sighing in relief at the feel of his warm, soft lips against hers. He was friend, comfort, security, love, desire, and so many other things to her, but she couldn't possibly put all her feelings into words, so she didn't try. Instead, her magic rose from the depths of her and swelled, wrapped around him and caressed him with the very essence of what she was, filling all the spaces of him with all of her.
Breaking the kiss, Anders met her gaze, stunned, the molten gold of his eyes shining with intensity while they filled with tears. "Marian." He pressed another kiss to her lips and shuddered. "I love you so much...so much...Never doubt that."
She laid her head against his chest, smiling at the sound of the steady beat of his heart. She would protect him too, she decided, squeezing him tighter. Together, they would be unstoppable.
They ended up walking another four hours, and Hawke murmured happily when she saw where they were, the light of the crystal lake shining brightly. Anders smiled at her and laced their fingers together, glad she liked his surprise.
"Great, we can finally get clean again, thanks Blondie," Varric said. "Come on, elf, we can camp at the same spot as last time. We'll see you both in the morning."
"Night, boys," Hawke called after them, letting Anders lead her to the other side of the lake. He stopped where the rock made a natural recess with enough space for them to sleep, but nothing and no one could sneak up behind them. She smiled her approval and laid down her pack, weapons and bedroll. They both stripped down to their smalls and went to the lake's edge, using a small bowl to pour fresh water over themselves, soap up and rinse off.
Hawke gathered all their clothes and they both spent some time scrubbing and cleaning their dirty things. After laying it all out to dry, she slipped into the lake, gasping at the cold, then ducking under the water, swimming further down to look at the beautiful crystals along the bottom. It was still such an awesome sight. Regaining the surface, she grinned when Anders swam up beside her.
"I thought you didn't like the cold water, Anders."
He pulled her against his chest. "I don't, I'm freezing my bloody bollocks off here. I came to get you so you can warm them up for me."
She laughed, the sound echoing around the cavern, making him smile. "Well, my nipples are numb, so I suppose I should get out anyway. We can warm each other up."
She swam to the part of the lake that sloped up and walked the rest of the way out, Anders following behind her. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she looked at him with chattering teeth. He walked to a big pile of stone and blasted it with flames until the stone glowed orange with heat. Pulling her up beside him, they both stretched their hands out toward the hot rock, the water drying on their skin and driving away the cold. Hawke leaned over and flipped her hair upside down, letting the rock's retained heat dry her dark locks as well.
When she stood upright, Anders finger-combed her hair, a musing look on his face. "Have you ever thought about letting it grow out a bit longer than your shoulders?"
Practically purring from the feel of his fingers in her hair, she basked in the attention, finally cracking open her eyes to look at him. "Should I?"
He grinned, with all of his usual charm. "I would enjoy seeing it a little longer, at least. Long enough to wrap around my fist once or twice would be very nice. I could find many delightful applications for your longer hair in our bed-play."
Narrowing her eyes in thought, she nodded. "Alright, I will, that all sounds very intriguing."
He pulled the tie from his wet hair and smoothed it back, ready to redo it when he caught her severe look. "Oh. Right, sorry love, it's just habit." He wrapped the tie around one of his fingers and shook his hair out, letting it fall naturally around his face.
"Much better," she sighed happily, making him wink at her. She looked back and forth between them and laughed. "We've been walking around naked for hours, it's strange how quickly I got used to it. Should we take our naked asses to bed? You did say you wanted to grope mine, which we have time for now if you're still interested."
He followed her back toward their camp site, admiring her swaying hips. "You do have a gorgeous ass, Marian, and when would I ever not be interested? I could have you a dozen times a day, every day, and it would still never lessen my desire or need for you. I think you are well and truly in my blood now, there's no going back."
Hawke reached for his hand, smiling, as she always felt like doing when he was near her. "You make me very happy, Anders. I never knew what I was missing in life, until you showed me. Never knew how invisible I felt, until you saw me, all of me. I'm not as eloquent as you, which is why I tried to tell you how much I love you, through my magic earlier. I hope you felt it."
Eyes soft with feeling, Anders lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed a gentle kiss there. "I did feel it, and I've never been more touched by anything in my life," he said in a voice roughened by emotion. "You made your magic express your love to me, and I never thought anything like that could be done. You are all the possibilities, the dreams and the goodness that every mage should wish for, Marian. You inspire me to be a better man, a better person, and I still can't believe you're mine."
She eagerly stepped into his embrace, feeling surrounded by his arms and warmth when she lifted her face for his kiss, immediately catching fire, as she always did when he touched her. His tongue darted teasingly into her mouth, beckoning her to follow, and when she did he sucked on her tongue, making her moan with need. Still kissing her, he swung her up into his arms and carried her to their bedrolls. Laying her on her back, he pushed her thighs apart and leaned back to look at her with admiration, his warm brown eyes turning molten with desire, but still tempered by tenderness. She was no longer embarrassed or reluctant to bare all of herself to his gaze, the way he looked at her made her feel beautiful and wanted.
"I asked for romantic and randy, and you give it to me. You give me everything I ask for, my perfect man."
"I'm going to give you much more than you asked for tonight, I need this," he murmured, lying between her open thighs and pressing his mouth to her sex. They both moaned when he took his first taste, his lips closing around her clitoris while he sucked her there and fluttered his tongue lightly. He smiled when she shrieked, her fingers threading into his hair and pulling lightly, just the way he loved. Lifting his head, he slid two fingers inside her, his thumb rubbing her pearl while he watched her face.
"I love your taste, Marian, I can't get enough. I could come right now just from how wet you get for me." He curled his fingers inside her, his cock bobbing against his abdomen when she clenched around them. "Do you want me to fuck you with my tongue, love? Do you like it when I do that to you? Because I really need to eat this delicious cunt."
She moaned, tugging harder on his hair when she looked down at him, nodding her head. He smirked. "Ask me, sweetheart. Ask me for exactly what you want, and I'll give it to you."
"I want…" She moaned again and licked her lips. "I want you to fuck me with your tongue, Anders, please."
"My absolute pleasure," he murmured, and immediately lowered his head, sucking and licking at her clit while he kept pumping his fingers in and out. Looking up, he held her gaze while he reached his other hand up and lightly pinched one of her nipples, avidly watching her while she came hard on his fingers and against his tongue. He groaned with how aroused and rock-hard watching her made him, smiling at her when he finally slipped the fingers coated in her slick into his mouth and sucked them clean. He could see how much that excited her the first time he did it, and he would keep doing it since they both enjoyed it so much.
She sat up and pushed him back, and he leaned back on his hands and watched while she took him in her mouth, practically swallowing him down. "Maker, that's so good, Marian, don't stop." He shuddered in pleasure when she tightened the suction even more, her head bobbing faster. He rested a hand in her hair and pulled, starting to control her rhythm, pushing her just a bit faster. "Maker, I love your mouth, you're making me come...now...Fuck!" He exhaled a loud groan, shooting into her while his climax pulsed through him with earth-shaking intensity, watching her throat work while she swallowed it all down.
When she released him from her mouth, he laid on his back and pulled her into his arms, wanting to hold her while he recovered. She clearly wasn't ready for any kind of break, immediately covering his chest with caresses and kisses, sucking each of his nipples in turn before she bit down on one of them, drawing a sound out of him from somewhere deep in his chest. His look of lust-dazed pleasure, complete with a slow, lazy smile, had her core clenching automatically.
"I see you've discovered an instant recovery trigger I wasn't aware of." She glanced down to find him fully hard, impressed by how quickly he was ready to go again. He slipped a hand into her folds, teasing her with eager fingers when she repeated the bite on his other nipple, bringing a shuddering groan to his lips. She must have looked as shocked as she felt to draw such a powerful reaction from him both times, so easily, because he gave her a naughty smile and chuckled.
"I told you I like your teeth, Marian. I don't have a preference for pain, but I could tell that you would give me just enough to increase my pleasure tenfold.
She tilted her head curiously. "You could tell? How?"
He shrugged. "As a healer, I can usually tell quite a lot about a person's body, I think it's just a result of that type of magic. But with you, it was even more pronounced. Do you remember the day we met, when you brought Carver for me to heal him?" At her nod, he continued. "When you dropped the book you were reading and we both reached for it, our magic...connected, for want of a better term. I could immediately feel that you would be an incredibly passionate and giving lover. I wanted you then, that was the first time, but we didn't really know each other, so I tried to put those desires from my mind."
He palmed one of her breasts, squeezing gently. "And then when you came to hide out with me and told me about your sexual experience, so open and honest, I was nearly crazed with need for you. Not just because you're beautiful, that was only a small part, but because of the person you kept showing me you were, in a way you never did with any of the others. There was no pretense, you invited me to know you through your words and actions, not to mention the humor and attraction we shared for one another. I fell for you, fast and hard. I knew that if you ever let me touch you it would change my life forever, and it clearly has."
Struck speechless by his confession and ringing praise, she turned her attention back to his body but her mind was spinning at all he revealed, her curiosity more pressing in that moment than her arousal. "When did you first know you loved me? Can you recall?" Marian looked up, captured by how he was looking at her, which she could only describe as devotion.
"The first inkling was the night you helped me at the chantry...after Karl." He took one of her hands in his, holding it against his chest. "At the clinic afterwards, you were so understanding about Justice, so compassionate, and yes, loving. I couldn't believe the depth of your care and concern for people you hardly knew. I remember thinking how easy it would be for anyone to fall in love with you, even templars who didn't deserve you," he finished quietly.
She looked down at where her hand rested, feeling his heartbeat against her fingers, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "He was jealous, you know." She met his eyes. "The night we helped Fenris, he mentioned that he didn't like the way you kept looking at me, and that he felt like a jealous fool." She raised a curious brow when Anders' naughty smile appeared again. He looked up, pretending to consider.
"I may have goaded him, just a bit that night."
Marian shook her head, her smile changing to amusement. "What did you do, and why didn't I know?"
Lifting her hand to his smirking mouth, he brushed his lips against her knuckles. "I really wasn't doing anything different than any of your other companions, when you take the lead and walk in front of us. Your walk, the sway of your hips and that magnificent ass, how could I not look?"
She dissolved into giggles. "Maker's breath, Anders."
His grin was wide and genuine when he pulled her closer and kissed the tip of her nose. "I love your laugh, maybe that's the first aspect of you I became besotted over. To me, it's the sound of pure joy." He brushed her hair back from her eyes, turning thoughtful. "I can do without a lot of things in life, material or otherwise, and never miss them. As long as I can live free and have your laughter, I don't need anything else."
She sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "That's a real shame. I thought we were just starting to get really good at pleasing each other, but since you don't need it anymore, I guess we'll have to occupy ourselves with cards or something."
He sat up, giving her a narrow-eyed, mock glare. "Marian, Marian, we do not joke about denying me your body. You're going to get a sound fucking now to make sure you remember this lesson," he drawled.
She gave him a pert smile. "Promises, promises…"
Anders set his hands to her waist, turning her to her hands and knees, facing away from him. "Head down and ass in the air, wench." He pushed her head down, a slight smile lifting his lips when she looked back at him with excitement brightening her blue eyes. "This is a whole new position for you, isn't it?" He slid his hands over her waist, hips and ass, rubbing his cock against her wet folds.
"Yes. It hasn't been all that long ago that I was relieved of my virgin state, you know. In fact, before you, I can count on one hand how many times I've had sex, and still have two fingers left."
His hands froze at her waist. "What? You shagged three times before me, that's it? Three?"
She pushed back against him and smiled. "That's right. Scheduling conflicts, busy lives, lack of privacy. So, hurry up, I want to make up for lost time."
He smirked. "The templar really was a bloody fool." He tilted his hips and entered her with a single thrust, his hiss and her moan overlapping. "You are impossibly tight like this, Marian. Are you alright, sweetheart, not too uncomfortable?"
In response, she rocked forward until he was nearly all the way out and then slammed back, hilting him and crying out at the pleasurable sensation. "Shut up and fuck me, Anders. I'm doing all the work here." She looked back at him and smiled, lifting her brows with challenge.
"Oh, you asked for it now, hope you're ready to take it." Bracing his hands on her hips he started slow, despite his teasing words, letting her get used to the angle, depth and tightness before he increased the pace, thrusting faster, snapping his hips and driving deep, over and over. She was soon moaning with every stroke. Reaching around, he circled her clit with a finger, paying attention to how her body tightened as she got closer to her peak. He thrust even faster when she wailed and he felt the first spasms of her climax grip him, instantly giving in to his own, so they came together, filling her with his hot release.
Marian collapsed onto her belly, too shaky and drained to remain upright. He laid down beside her and pushed the sweaty locks of her hair off her forehead, smiling when she gave him a happy grin. He kissed her and nodded. "I hope you've learned your lesson well."
She shook her head. "I don't think I really did. You'll probably have to show me a few more times, at least. But perhaps later, I'm sleepy now."
He pulled her into his arms, both of them shifting to get comfortable. She was asleep within minutes, her limbs relaxed, one leg sprawled across him. Anders watched her for a time, thinking about the terror of the day, and the desperate flight to keep the darkspawn away from her. His eyes flashed blue as spirit and man came to an agreement over the woman sleeping in his arms: she would be protected, cost what it may. He would kill anyone, anything that threatened her. Resolved, Anders fell asleep with Marian, while Justice kept watch.
"Alright, elf, so what was your most embarrassing moment at the Hanged Man, then?" Varric asked while they walked along the next day.
Fenris shoved the white, wispy strands of his hair out of his eyes, giving Varric an aggravated look. "I don't know that I would call it embarrassing as much as annoying, the night Isabela teamed up with another drunk woman to try to persuade me to service them both."
"And did you?" Hawke asked with a smirk. "There are a lot of fellows who would consider that an evening very well spent, I think."
Anders chuckled. "Those would be fellows who don't mind catching something unfortunate. I've treated Isabela more than once for things she picked up from not being very discriminating about who she takes to bed."
Hawke looked horrified but Fenris shrugged. "I refused their offer, but I did have to use my battle skills to flash myself away from the other persistent wench. I can't remember her name."
"Angelique," Varric supplied. "She was from Orlais, if you recall the accent." His eyes cut to Hawke with a smirk. "I already know your most embarrassing moment, Miss Hawke, so no need to revisit it."
She narrowed her eyes, while both Anders and Fenris looked at her curiously. "I don't know that you actually do know my most embarrassing moment, but you certainly know the most embarrassing one that took place at the pub, since you kept it from being any worse."
Varric stroked his chin. "Well, now I'm intrigued to know what could be more embarrassing to you than what happened that night."
Anders made a sound of annoyance. "How about filling me in on what was so embarrassing, Marian? Fenris also looks like he's in the dark."
"I have never heard of anything that might be embarrassing to Hawke being gossiped about at the Hanged Man," Fenris confirmed with a shrug.
"Varric made sure no one ever spoke of it, afterwards." Hawke shook her head with a smile at Varric. "Go on, I know you'll do a better job of recounting it than I will."
The dwarf's smile was just shy of gleeful. "Well, first, Blondie, if you ever want to get Hawke drunk, but still have fun with her, you should invest in some Orlesian Rum."
Anders laughed. "What? Why Orlesian Rum, what's so special about it?"
Varric cleared his throat. "What's special about it is how it affects Hawke. Now, on this particular night, there happened to be a group of male singers from Antiva, and they all had a great interest in Hawke, started serenading her, buying her drinks. But it was the leader of the group who decided to outdo all the others, his name was Antonio. He brought out a bottle of Orlesian Rum he had stashed away in a bag."
At Anders frown, Varric held up a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I didn't trust him either, so I made him give me some first, to make sure he wasn't trying to drug her or do anything he shouldn't. It was fine and Hawke seemed to be having fun, so I stepped back upstairs for a while. Anyway, when I came back to check on her a short time later…" He glanced at Hawke before he continued. "The bottle was empty, the Antivans were still serenading her, and she was dancing on top of a table, stripping. Well, I stopped her before she could bare all and made her sleep it off in my bed before I had Carver come get her and take her home."
"What Varric didn't tell you, is that he had to practically tackle me with a blanket, which means he had a face full of my bare tits until he could wrestle me upstairs," she said with a laugh, then tilted her head. "I think I also asked you if I could sit on your face, didn't I?"
"You did," Varric confirmed in a matter-of-fact tone. "You may have a great rack, Hawke, but you're like my sister. I wasn't about to let anyone take advantage of you."
Anders made a strangled sound, looking between them. Hawke shrugged, her expression sheepish. "What can I say, I've always been a horny drunk, but that Orlesian Rum was a whole other level. I didn't even realize I had drunk the whole bottle. Thank the Maker for friends like Varric." She shuddered. "I don't even remember what those Antivans looked like."
"Why wasn't I bloody there?" Anders muttered under his breath, looking disgruntled.
"I think that was right after you met Hawke, Blondie, but before we came to ask you for the maps. And none of us knew the elf yet."
Fenris looked at Anders and raised a brow, the slightest spark of humor in his eyes. "What do you have to complain about? Apparently, I am the only one here who has never seen Hawke's bare breasts."
Hawke laughed. "He's got you there, love."
Anders shook his head and finally chuckled, giving Fenris an amused look. "And you never will."
Looking at Fenris with a mischievous smile, she shrugged. "But you've seen my bare feet. I think that did much more for you than my bare breasts ever could."
Fenris smirked at Hawke and shook his head. "No comment. I prefer the healer keep his fireballs to himself."
Varric chuckled when Anders gave Fenris a bland, long-suffering look, but didn't reply. "Smart, elf. So, what's the first thing you're all planning to do when we get back to Kirkwall?"
"Sleep in my own bed," Fenris answered immediately.
"Stand in the sunshine and breathe the fresh air. I've had more than enough darkness. Then, check on Carver and Mother." Hawke looked at the dwarf beside her. "How long do you think it will take to find buyers for the things we want to sell?"
"Not long," Varric said with a shrug. "I already have several in mind. You're a rich woman now, Hawke, and you definitely deserve it. How about you, Blondie? Gonna hole up in your clinic again and not come out for a month?"
Smirking, Anders shook his head. "I'll go back to healing those that need it, of course, but otherwise, I'll be wherever Marian needs me to be."
"I'll be with you in Darktown," she said without hesitation, swiping the back of her arm across her forehead to dash away a bead of sweat. "At least until I can sort out new accommodation for Mother, Carver and the both of us. I definitely won't stay with my uncle again, no matter what."
Anders' expression darkened. "No, you won't stay with him. I can't be responsible for my actions if he ever hurts you again, so best not to give him a chance."
Hawke reached out and slipped her hand into his, smiling warmly. "Mother is going to be thrilled that I fell for the handsome and captivating healer, and will also likely tell me that she knew it would happen as soon as she met you."
He lifted her hand to his mouth for a kiss, his smile self-satisfied. "I thought it might help my cause if I got your mother on my side right away. Couldn't hurt, at any rate."
"What about Junior, Hawke? Is he gonna give you a hard time about Blondie?"
She shrugged, her expression turning mischievous when she met Varric's eyes. "I don't expect he'll say much, unless we engage in a bunch of 'lovey dovey shit' or start snogging right there in front of him."
"I'm game if you are," Anders said with a similarly teasing smile.
"Just make sure I'm there to see it if you do decide to pick on Junior," Varric said with a grin. "His reactions may be predictable, but they're still entertaining to watch."
Fenris shook his head. "I almost feel sorry for Carver."
"Don't, he always deserves it." Hawke wiped away more sweat with her free hand, then let go of Anders so she could fan her face with both hands. "Maker, why is it so hot in this passage? I feel like I'm boiling."
Varric pulled out an arrow to twirl between his fingers. "It doesn't feel warm to me."
"Here, this should help." Anders stopped and pulled out a water-skin, handing it to her, frowning when she quickly drank the whole thing. He placed a hand on her forehead, then moved his touch to the back of her neck. "You are quite hot. Are you feeling unwell, or any other symptoms, love?"
Hawke patted his cheek, handing back the empty skin. "I'm perfectly fine, Anders, just a bit warm. Could be my cycle finally trying to make an appearance, and wouldn't that just be wonderful down here?" She grumbled, starting to walk to catch up to Varric and Fenris just ahead. Anders followed behind her, his expression troubled.
They walked another two hours, stopping to refill their water-skins from one of the many fresh water wells throughout the deep roads. They took a short breather before setting out again. They were all quiet, seeming to feel the tension from the healer, who frequently looked over at Hawke. She continued to sweat, her cheeks flushed an angry red. Anders had already taken her staff and pack and added it to his back, trying to remove anything that added to her overheated state. He could see her shakiness had increased and stepped closer. She looked up at him, her eyes too bright, her expression dazed.
"Anders," she whispered, starting to crumple in a faint before Anders swept her up in his arms, turning to Fenris and Varric.
"We have to stop so I can tend her. That chamber there will do." He jerked his chin toward a door just ahead, starting to walk toward it. Varric walked beside him, looking at Hawke in concern.
"Maybe something she ate, like the elf? We can take a few days here if you think we need to, Blondie."
Fenris took her bedroll and laid it out without being asked, drawing a grateful look from Anders, who knelt and laid Hawke down, extending his hands over her, glowing with green light. After a moment, he lowered his hands, letting his head hang forward.
"Fuck," he whispered. He drew a deep breath and looked up, his expression grave. "It's not something she ate, I wish it was. It's the taint, or a form of it, I can feel it in her."
Varric shifted, his frown deepening. "What are we looking at here, Blondie, can you heal this, or...not?"
"I don't believe there is a cure for taint," Fenris said in a grave, quiet voice.
Anders shook his head, divesting himself of weapons and both packs before sitting beside Hawke. "There isn't a cure, per se, but it isn't fatal either, not always." He brushed Hawke's sweaty hair off her forehead. "She will have to overcome the fever though, and will likely be quite ill. I can't say for how long, it will very much be a case of wait and see. I think you will both be more comfortable sleeping elsewhere."
Hawke moaned loudly, as though to punctuate his words. Her arms pulled tight against her chest when she rolled toward Anders, curling into a ball and starting to shiver visibly. "C..c...cold," she stammered before falling silent again. Anders shook out a blanket from her pack and tucked it around her.
"We'll sleep just outside." Varric gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. "I don't want to leave you or Hawke unguarded, especially while you're taking care of her."
Anders nodded, his eyes on Hawke's shivering form, pressed against him. "Thank you. I'll let you know if we need anything.
Fenris and Varric withdrew, shutting the chamber door behind them. Anders scooted down and pulled Hawke against him, kissing her forehead when she all but crawled on top of him. Her shivering lessened immediately and she relaxed into him.
"Anders, are you here?" she mumbled, arms tightening around him.
"I'm here, love," he whispered. "Always here for you."