Chapter 75

Emma nodded, feeling a little calmer after two amazing orgasms. Damn it, he'd fucked the fight right out of her! He rubbed his hand over her back. "Okay, firstly, I'm sorry for the way I started the conversation, earlier. I didn't mean for it to come out that way - like I was blaming you."
She chuckled. "Well, it may not have started off too well, but it had one hell of an ending."
He grinned. "Oh yeah, it definitely did."

Eventually, they disentangled from each other and stood up. Aedan tucked himself away and Emma looked around for her knickers, huffing when she found them. She held up the ripped clothing. "Should I just stop wearing underwear?"
He laughed and kissed her. "That would be great, except I don't want everyone else to see what you have to offer."
The return of the familiar warmth, and companionship that they'd once shared made her throat swell with emotion as she realised how much she'd missed him. Noticing her sadness, he took her hand and sat down, resting his back against an old wooden fence and waited for her to join him. Once she'd settled down in front of him, their joined hands resting between them, he started to talk. "I think we should get the most recent issue out of the way. Leliana was there to help me sort out what I wanted to say to you so that I wouldn't screw things up even more than I already had."

Emma stared at him in confusion. "Why Leliana? And why did you need help? You've never had a problem talking to me before."
"She's a bard, a woman, and she's got a way with words. I was hoping she could have told me if what I wanted to say was good enough to win you back." He blew out a frustrated breath. "And no, I've never had a problem talking to you before, but then, I've never messed up so badly, either. Also, we've been apart for three weeks now, and I wasn't even sure if you wanted me back, so, I got nervous and sought some help."

Emma's eyes widened and she flushed bright red as his explanation sunk in. She remembered the expression of fear and uncertainty on his face back at the ruin; well, at least she hadn't been wrong about that, but she understood now that the fear had been due to his worry about getting her back. Bloody hell! Someone just shoot me now and put me out of my misery! She rubbed a hand over her face, feeling like a first class idiot. She couldn't believe she'd been so damn stupid, acting like one of those drama-queen heroines from a cheap romance novel. She knew she owed him an apology. Her mouth opened… and then closed. Oh, well that was successful.

She tried again, but it seemed as if her brain had deserted her; she gave the organ a swift, mental kick up the ass and tried once more… nothing! "Oh, for fuck's sake! I don't suppose we could get Leliana back, could we? My brain seems to have buggered off for a nice long holiday somewhere."
Aedan chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Just say what's on your mind. It doesn't have to be in any particular order, and it doesn't have to be a masterpiece." His eyes opened as he realised what he'd said. "Well, shit! I guess that's what I should have done, too."

Emma's lips twisted up in a sad smile, and then she took a deep breath and tried once more. This time the words fell from her lips in a rambling monologue. "I'm sorry. I do trust you, but after what we've been through, and then the way you acted so distant in the ruins… plus, when I found you earlier, you didn't really sound like you wanted me there, and I was already nervous about whether you wanted me back or not." She fidgeted with her hands as she talked a mile a minute. "And then Leliana stepped out from the trees and said, 'Let's get started', and at the time it all made sense to me. Also, this sort of thing has happened to me once before, so I guess… well, I guess my brain switched to idiot mode and I jumped to the wrong conc-"

He captured her lips with a warm, sensuous kiss, stealing her breath with the love and passion that he poured into it. Then he laid his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry for being an idiot, too. It seems we're well-suited." He reached up and cupped her cheek as he looked into her eyes, his own unsure and full of anxiety. She stroked a hand over the face she'd come to love so much. "We both seem to have been bitten by the idiot bug lately."
His blue eyes blazed with happiness as he leaned forward to taste her lips once more, hungrily devouring every touch, every taste, the very scent of her.
"Are you sure about this, Aedan?" she asked unsteadily as arousal dampened her thighs. "I mean, what about your reasons for breaking up? Are you going to regret this later?"
"Oh, Angel. The only thing I regret is saying those words in the first place, and wasting time that I could have been spending with you." He wiped away a tear that had slipped down her flushed cheek. "I never stopped loving you, Emma, and I never will. Even if…" The words lodged in his throat, but he struggled on. "Even if you're pulled back to your own world." She wrapped her arms around him, wanting to ease the sorrow in his voice, and he crushed her to his body, afraid that she would somehow slip from his grasp and disappear. "You have to keep fighting to stay in this world, Angel. I can't lose you," he whispered, his voice hoarse.
"I will, Aedan. I promise. I love you too much to leave you."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other's arms. Emma couldn't help but smile; she had her man back and everything was right with the world… well, apart from the Blight, and the Landsmeet, and – ah screw it, everything was right with her world. After weeks spent alone, it was incredibly comforting to feel his warmth again.

Aedan cleared his throat and let go of her. He searched in his pocket and then got onto one knee. Briefly, he stared at the object in his hand, then he lifted his eyes to Emma and held out the ring. "I don't know if this is too soon, or…" He dragged a hand through his hair, nervousness emanating from every cell of his body. "Will you still marry me, Emma?"
She chuckled as tears of happiness stung her eyes. "Yes, most definitely, Aedan." He slipped the ring onto her finger and smiled as he traced the band; it was back where it belonged. His hand moved into her thick hair and pulled her closer as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. She smiled when they came up for air. "I've missed you so much, Aedan."
His strong arms enveloped her. "I'm never letting you go again, Emma, I promise." His lips found a pressure point at her neck and nuzzled.
"Hmm, that feels good."
He lifted his head slightly. "Don't get the wrong idea, Angel. I'm just checking you for fleas." A burst of laughter fell from her lips as he pushed her back onto a bed of grass, his body covering hers. She briefly thought back to the promise she'd made; in order to fulfil it, all she had to do was stay in Thedas long enough to take the potion and kill the Archdemon.

Piece of cake!

Eventually, they returned to camp, and there they were met with a few wolf whistles, especially when everyone got a look at their tattered clothing and dishevelled state. Emma blushed as she tightened her hold around Aedan's slightly torn shirt, which he'd wrapped around her waist. They'd managed to tie her skirt on, but, without her knickers, the shortness of the skirt was noticeable and a little indecent, hence the makeshift skirt, at least until they got back to her tent. She grabbed some new clothes and her toiletries, and it was back to the river for another wash. After rolling around in the grass and all their activities, they were both in dire need of one.

As the evening drew in, everyone started making their way to the campfire for dinner. Emma stared into the twisting flames as she lifted the spoon of stew to her mouth; all three main quests were completed and they were coming up to the final stretch of the story. She chewed on a particularly tough piece of… something. Rather than dwell on what she was eating, she contemplated what life would be like after the Archdemon was dead. They would probably move onto Amaranthine to fight the Mother, and possibly the Architect; she always had trouble with the decision as to whether to let him live or not. Ah well, something to worry about in the future. For now, they were preparing to make the trip back to Redcliffe to have a chat with Arl Eamon.

All of a sudden, she felt a scratchy sensation at the back of her skull; she was about to rake at the spot, thinking one of the damn fleas had stuck with her, when she caught sight of Aedan and Alistair, both looking twitchy. Their eyes met and it suddenly dawned on them. Oh shit!
"Darkspawn!" the three Grey Wardens shouted in sync.

Everyone jumped to their feet and grabbed for their weapons just as a couple of shrieks materialised in their midst. With an ear-piercing scream, they charged and the fight began. Emma cursed when she realised that they were making little progress - with each darkspawn slain, another took its place. However, eventually the head of the last remaining shriek rolled across the ground and everyone tensely waited to see if more would come. When nothing else had attacked them after a minute or so, they relaxed. After dumping the bodies away from their camp, they made their way back to the fire.
"I guess the Archdemon knows about us, now." Alistair said, as he took a seat and picked up his bowl of stew. Aedan nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah, it seems we've got his attention."