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After several days of walking along the beaten road and camping on the edge of the woods, signs of civilization started to appear as she made her way north to Skien. The forests to the east side of the road had been cut down and the farms that dotted within sight of the road signaled that the town was only several miles away. There were more travelers on the road that day, and by mid morning the road had widened considerably and looked like people tried to repair it; stones had been placed on the ground and smoothed out, and the caravans that trailed along the path didn’t have to worry about potholes. The road became more congested as the town loomed into view, lit by the sun shining through the grey clouds. Perhaps it was because it was close to the border of the Imperium, but the town wasn’t as dismal as Anders had described it; once she reached the edges of the town she could see that, true, the buildings were made of decaying wood and looked like it had been repaired at least four times, and that the road sometimes deteriorated into mud. The people, however, were rather cheery and smiled freely at neighbors and visitors alike. Their clothes all seemed patched and occasionally dirty, but as she walked through the town, being jostled merrily by the loud crowd, she didn’t see a single beggar or stray dog or cat. The language was mixed here; she heard common quite a bit, but also some Tevene and Ander being shouted out by the merchants who set up stalls on the side of the road. Shouldering her packs and staff more securely on her shoulders, she set out to find the Inn that Anders told her to meet him.
It turned out that the Inn was in the northwestern edge of Skien; only several other buildings—mainly taverns and maybe a brothel—were set up alongside it, and if she could glance in the alleys she could see the Wander Hills peaking over the horizon, standing black in the grey sky. There weren’t as many people in this part of town, but was by no means deserted; several merchants had tents set up in-between alleys, and people regularly came in and out of the taverns. Stilling the excitement that she would soon see her lover, mabari and cat, she headed for the Inn.
The door was a bit worn but sturdy when she opened it, and saw that the main floor was used as a tavern. A bar was set up on the right side with a great number of barrels against the wall, and tables littered the area. A chandelier made out of antlers was perched over the middle of the tavern, and several animal heads adorned the sides of the walls. On the opposite side of the bar on the left was an immense carpeted staircase that disappeared into the second floor. As it wasn’t even noon, only several people occupied the bar, but from the number of tables and chairs and the cleanliness of the room, she was sure that it would be bursting tonight.
“Welcome!” A man with a thick Ander accent called from the bar as he poured ale into a customer’s mug, smiling amiably at her. He was burly and a bit hairy, with thick black hair and beard, but his green eyes crinkled warmly. He easily could tower over other people, and his muscles were practically bulging out of his thin shirt, and looked quite handsome. I must have been on the road too long if I’m finding random men to be extremely attractive. She felt a little guilty, especially since she was supposed to be meeting Anders, but she couldn’t help throwing a smile in his direction. “Searching for a warm bed, delicious ale, or damn good company?”
The customers tittered, nodding while toasting at ‘delicious ale’. “My, uh….” It would be too personal if I said ‘lover’, right? “Fellow traveler has a room here, I believe.”
“Ah, that Vair fellow?” The man set down the jug of ale, squeezing in-between the bar and the wall to approach her as she nodded. Guess Anders told him that I was coming. “He left earlier with his mabari and cat, but he should be back soon,” he said reassuringly, holding out his hand in greeting when he reached her. “I’m Bujarn, owner and barkeep of this inn.”
“I’m Kira. Bitte haska tawa.” She said, trying her best not to slur her words as she shook his hand in a firm but friendly handshake.
“Oh ho!” Bujarn grinned widely at her attempt to speak Ander, and the other patrons nodded appreciatively. Locals and not travelers, probably. “Bitte haska tawa. Not many people are brave enough to speak our language.”
“They’re all too scared that you’ll turn into a bear and eat them if they got it wrong, Bujarn!” One of the patrons with a thick Ander accent called from the bar, and sent his friends into a laughing fit.
Bujarn waved the man aside while rolling his eyes. “My name means ‘bear’, and I am frequently told that I look like one,” he winked, and she couldn’t stop a wide grin from crossing her face. The name suited him quite well, if one were to judge by appearance. “Shall I help with your things?”
Normally Kira would insist on carrying her own luggage, but she had un-shouldered her heaviest packs before she even knew it. Oh good grief what is wrong with you? She scowled at herself as Bujarn took them, testing the weight. “Thank you.”
“You are certainly quite strong,” Bujarn said, though he slung the packs over his shoulder as if they weighed nothing. She noticed that he had flexed his biceps and she had to bit her inner lip from giggling like a teenager. “Right this way,” he motioned for the stairs, and she followed him up as the patrons went back to drinking.
“Just to warn you,” Bujarn said as they ascended the stairs, casting a look at her over his shoulder, “that the tavern does get pretty loud, but people usually quiet down by midnight. All the rooms are locked and we have wooden tubs if you need it. We typically don’t allow animals but since Vair paid extra to have them here and that mabari dragged a burglar out of the wine cellar, I might just consider getting one of my own.”
She smiled proudly. That’s my boy. “Burglars are his favorite.”
“He’s yours then?” Bujarn seemed impressed, waiting for her on the landing. “I figured. Vair and your dog seem to merely tolerate each other; he dotes on that cat though. Not that I speak ill of my customers…”
“More of a dog person?” She said knowingly as she joined him on the landing. There were doors on opposite ends of the tavern with seven rooms on each side of the east and west walls; more animal heads were displayed here, and it was reminiscent of hunting lodges back in Fereldon.
“Yes,” Bujarn said, relieved. “I was privileged to have hunted with several mabari on occasion, and they’re a verdammte more useful. They are also very cute as klien hunde…puppies.”
Dear sweet Andraste, this man is amazing. “Have you been to Fereldon?” She asked as she gestured to the heads mounted on the wall.
“A bit obvious?” Bujarn chuckled, leading her down the hall. “Fereldon has a lot of forest and more game than the Anderfels; the hunting there is splendid! Orlais is too…riva pilu…not sure what the word would be in common, sorry, and the Maker may smite me if I try to explain it.” He grinned apologetically, and she repeated the words in her mind so she could ask Anders what it meant. “Hunting here isn’t…velum krei?…as fun. Mounting darkspawn heads scares the customers.”
She snorted, nodding. “I have to agree it would.”
“I have an ogre’s head mounted in the cellar though,” Bujarn said in a dead whisper. “I’m frankly surprised that the burglar wasn’t scared of that.”
“You killed an ogre?” It was her turn to be impressed. Due to his size towering over her and weighing probably three times her weight, she half wondered if he did it with his bare hands.
“I wasn’t the only one fighting it,” Bujarn waved his hand nonchalantly, reaching the end of the hall. “I just got lucky and made the killing blow, and since my hunting companions knew of my hen-na habit of hanging heads, they let me take a trophy. Come down for dinner tonight, and I’ll show you, since I’m sure you’ll want to rest for now.”
She was about to say that she wasn’t at all tired and would love to see the cellar, before forcing herself to nod. I don’t care if you are desperate for company that won’t be brooding or moody, get your ass in the room. “Yeah,” she said, faking a yawn. “Won’t say no to the viewing after dinner, though.”
“Excellent.” Bujarn smiled warmly, pulling keys from his pocket and unlocking the single door on the northern wall. “This is your room, and the second largest,” he explained as he opened it, holding the door open so she could enter first. She tried not to gape around. There were windows with thick drapes on the northern and eastern walls, with a fireplace with several unused logs on the western. The wooden floor was covered with rugs and animal skins, while the immense bed in the middle of the room had a plethora of fabric blankets and animal furs. A wooden tub was next to the fireplace, and several packs were strewn about; she noticed that several animal skins were in two piles in front of the fireplace, one large and one small. For Celia and Zander, perhaps?
“This is the second largest?” She asked incredulously, looking around the room to take it in. It wasn’t the most lavish that she had been in, but definitely looked the coziest. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Bujarn said proudly, and set her packs on the table that she hadn’t noticed right next to the door. “Gets very cold at night, so I try to keep it as warm and inviting as possible. Here’s the key,” he handed it to her, a small iron one that looked fairly shiny, “and let me or my partner Garrel know if you need anything. Garrel is in the room down the hall, verack schulum.” He muttered the last words a bit irritably, and she repeated those words mentally to remember as well.
“Thank you, Bujarn,” She said gratefully, and she shook his hand again before he made for the door. A small part of her was a little sad that he had to go—no never mind it was downstairs—but it was probably best for her to be alone.
“Can’t leave the customers alone for too long; they’ll raid the place,” Bujarn winked again as he paused by the door. “Once you’re hungry, come on down.”
“Will do!” Kira said cheerfully, and with a warm smile Bujarn closed the door for her, leaving her alone in the room. Taking a deep breath, she looked around her surroundings again. The room smelled a mixture of musk wood and a bit of Zander, and she smiled deviously, wondering how Anders coped with the smell. She set the rest of her packs on the table, taking her staff that was wrapped with heavy padding. She wasn’t sure where Anders had hidden his—he used it as a walking stick half the time—so she opted to hide hers under the bed. After hiding it to her satisfaction, she straightened and she took off her heavy fur coat, the cold air assaulting her through the thin fabric of her shirt. With a flick of her wrist a fire roared into the fireplace, warming the room considerably as she set the jacket on the table, and noticed a mirror was perched over it.
Taking a look at her reflection, she grimaced. Her hair was stringy and greasy and all visible skin was dirt smeared, and her clothes weren’t exactly the cleanest. She was unable to find a river for four days and she hadn’t dared used magic out in the open. Her acute need to be clean overrode all other desires and she quickly closed the drapes over the windows, setting out to wash.
Within minutes, she set up the tub next to the fireplace, icing the interior of the tub and melting it into warm water. Taking the cleanest cloth that she had along with a bar of soap that was on a dresser, she quickly undressed and lowered herself and scrubbed every inch of her skin, washing her greasy hair twice. Soon there wasn’t a speck of dirt on her pale skin and she didn’t feel like her hair would burst into flames if it were near a fire; she wanted to relax in the bath, but since the water had turned into a light brown-ish color, she thought better of it. The air stung her when she straightened, water sloshing and almost pouring over the edge. As she didn’t have any clean clothes, she searched the dresser and found that Anders had several clean tunics, and she threw one on. His smell flooded her nostrils, bringing back memories of his smile and his warmth, and she took several moments longer than necessary smelling his shirt. It was like he was actually here, holding her, and it was with some reluctance that she dropped the collar from her nose. I hope he gets back soon. Figuring that she should finish cleaning, she opened a window and was able to lift the tub and dump the dirty water out, making sure that no one was underneath the cascading dirty water. A cold wind breezed by and chilled her skin, so she closed the window shut while setting the now empty tub back next to the fireplace.
Hmm, not sure if I can go out like this, she thought as she looked down at herself. The cold air made her rather nippy, and her hair was still damp. Moreover, her smalls and bindings were dirty. Shivering, she looked at the bed, which indeed looked warm and inviting. Tentatively, she climbed onto it, feeling the plush mattress underneath her hands and knees. Holy hell, the mattress is made out of feathers. She smacked a pillow, and felt more feathers underneath the soft fabric. Well…I can’t go out in public like this, she thought warily, taking an animal fur and wrapping it around her body. I’ll just rest until my hair dries at least, and I’ll go out and find Anders. Allowing her body to sink into the animal furs and the downy mattress and pillow, she listened to the fire crackle, its light reflecting off the wooden walls. She hadn’t had a warm bed or shelter since leaving Skyhold, and this was a very nice welcome back to civilization. She pulled the fur to her chin, feeling it lightly tickle her skin and closed her eyes momentarily, sinking more and more into the bed. I’ll just take a twenty minute nap, and then I’ll go out...
The first thing that she registered through the darkness was something heavy jumping on the mattress. Before she could groggily open her eyes, wondering where she was, she heard frantic pattering on the blankets and a warm, wet tongue sliding over her cheeks over and over again.
“Uhhch…what?” She blinked her eyes open; Zander’s face swam into her vision, licking her face happily at the sight of her waking. She instantly remembered where she was, and happiness filled her at the sight of her mabari. “Zander! C’mere—oof!” Zander laid his upper half on her chest, rolling onto his back and demanding a belly rub. Chuckling, Kira sat up from the mattress and wiped her face with a sleeve, scratching his belly while he tried to lick her hand. The lighting was dim; taking a look around the room, the fire had died down to cinders and it was sundown. Mortified, she momentarily stopped scratching Zander’s stomach, and he huffed indignantly.
“Sorry,” she said apologetically, resuming scratching his belly. I slept the entire day? Oh crap. She hoped that Bujarn wouldn’t feel dejected that she hadn’t come down. Are you serious, what about Anders, what the fuck brain. “Where’s Anders and Celia?”
Zander let out a short growl, as if annoyed that she were thinking of anyone but him. Rolling her eyes, she scratched his favorite spot in apology, and his growl turned into what almost sounded like a purr. Biting her tongue from laughing, she glanced at the door, wondering how he got in. She could hear a low rumble of chatter and the clink of silverware and cups, and several people talking maybe several rooms over. Her door was ajar, and it looked like the hallway was lit, but she could see no one meandering in the hall. Zander could open doors if he wanted to, but how…oh, I didn’t lock the door. She was little sad that Anders wasn’t here yet, and from the way that Zander was enjoying her singular attention, he probably had something to do with it.
“I missed you, buddy,” she said truthfully as she wrapped her arms around his muscular build—good, Anders has been feeding him—and he whined softly, licking her ear as his little tail whapped against the blankets. It felt good again, to hug her mabari, and she kissed his wet nose. “You would’ve liked Skyhold; it was in the mountains, with fresh air and wide open spaces. Tons of people there too, and a surprising number of dogs. None of them as cute as you,” she added wistfully as he gave her puppy eyes. “I heard you were a good boy while I was gone. Did you really drag a burglar out of the cellar?”
Zander sat up on his haunches, huffing proudly, clearly expecting her to lavish more attention on him for being a good dog. She snorted, and scratched behind his ears. “That’s a good boy. Were you just as good for Anders?”
“No.” The door banged open and light flooded into the room, and for a second she winced to shield her eyes. She was either so tired or hadn’t heard his voice in so long that it took her a split second to realize that it was Anders’ voice, and she looked quickly to the doorway. His hair was longer and wasn’t tied back, and his body looked bulky due to the furs that he had wrapped around him, with heavy black boots that Celia curled her body and tail before prancing into the warm room. Anders’ gold eyes blazed at Zander, who merely stared innocently at him.
Relief, excitement, and apprehension flooded into her veins as she threw off the covers and pushed herself onto the floor. He was alive, he was healthy, but looked livid, and the second her bare feet touched the floor he commanded, “Out. Now.”
“What?” She said, a little stung that he was greeting her in irritation after almost four months apart. I didn’t haul my ass back for him to get snippy with me.
“Not you, him,” Anders said in vexation, not looking at her and maintaining his glare with her dog. Zander’s ears flattened against his skull and he gave a warning growl. “Oh don’t act like the wounded party; you were the one who shoved me into a cart and took off the first whiff you got of her. You got your alone time, so out.”
Zander stayed where he was, still growling lowly, until Celia’s bell caught all of their attention. She meandered by the doorpost and curled around Anders’ leg again before throwing a look at Zander, flicking her tail. Zander huffed, looking between her and Anders’ scowling, and her tail flicked again. Kira watched this silent communication with wonder while a smug smile spread across Anders’ face. Huffing again in annoyance, Zander stood on the bed and snuck a big wet kiss on Kira’s face and jumped off the bed. Seemingly satisfied, Celia walked delicately into the hall and Zander followed, growling at Anders as he passed, and his tail was barely out the door before Anders threw the door shut and locked it. Kira flinched at the loud sound that the door made, and wiped her face with her sleeve again.
“Well, this wasn’t the reunion I imagined,” she said hesitantly as Anders approached her, looking very vexed. “Maybe tears of relief and lots of hugging of pets, but—“
He silenced her with his lips, kissing her so suddenly that she gasped into him in shock. One of his hands had snaked around to the back of her head as the other wrapped around her waist and he pulled her roughly against him, smothering any protests. His scent filled her nostrils, memories of them touching and making love assaulting her mind and it was enough for her to throw her indignation out the window. They were finally back together again, and she was really touching him, kissing him, smelling him, and he was safe.
Closing her eyes to stem off tears that threatened to stain her cheeks, she threw her arms around him and met his hungry lips with her own. She had missed the way he tasted, the way that his hands weaved through her hair, the way that he held her as if they could fuse into one. He kissed her deeply and roughly, as if afraid that he were any more gentler she would disappear, and the only way he could stop it was by taking her forcefully. His need for her ignited lust deep inside her, and her body ached for him to fill her, for him to make her his again.
Her hands explored his chest frantically, trying to find buttons or ties, and knowing what she wanted he stopped kissing her momentarily, quickly undoing the hidden buttons that were in his fur. The second the jacket hit the floor to reveal him with a thin tunic and breeches, she undid his waistband as he quickly tugged the tunic over his head, kicking off his boots when she pulled his breeches down. Kissing her briefly when she straightened to take off her own tunic, he took the hem and helped her quickly out of it, tossing it aside with his clothes. Even in the dim light she could see his naked body, the sharp contours of his shoulders to his hips underlying his lean muscles, and her body responded faster than her mind could when he jerked her to him. His forceful lips, his strong arms, his taut chest, his hardness, she wanted it all.
“Fuck, I missed this,” she breathed as his hands traveled down her body, cupping her breasts as he grew harder against her belly. Feeling his bare skin against hers made her ache even more, making her more desperate for his body, and she gripped his shoulders tightly as he pinched her. “I missed everything, I missed you, I missed your body, I missed your cock—“ Unable to merely hold onto him, she lowered a hand to stroke his hardness while pulling him closer to her, kissing him deeply as he hissed at her touch. She had to make him hard, to make him drown everything out but her, to make love to him. “Anders, please, I need you…”
“Oh fuck,” he growled into her lips as his hands traveled to her buttocks, squeezing them as he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist, and he angled his pelvis to tease her entrance as she let go of his member. She mewled when he climbed onto the bed while still holding her, his tip sliding against her folds as he laid her down with her head on the end of the bed. The soft fur cradled her back and skin while his hard body covered her breasts and pelvis, and she lowered her legs down his thighs. “Fire,” he commanded harshly as she raised her hips to him desperately when he didn’t enter her, and he pushed her hips roughly against the mattress, making her whine angrily at him. “I want to see you as I fuck you.”
She never ignited a fire so fast in her life, throwing her hand to the fireplace and pulling her mana to release into flames. The fire would burn out soon since the logs were still smoldering, but neither of them were going to last much longer anyway. The fire warmed her skin and reflected gold against his body and hair, and he briefly kissed her before angling his body to let the light wash over her. His kissed her neck, his breath hot against her skin as his hand traveled over to her breast, pinching and circling her nipple. She watched as the dancing light shadowed the muscles in his arms down his back, fighting back a gasp when he bit into her neck. She clutched at his forearm that grasped her breast as he bit and sucked her skin, his teeth sinking so sharply into her that she was sure that she would bleed. He was marking her, and the thought made her already wet regions slicken. She whimpered as he gave a final suck and bite, licking her sensitive skin while twisting her nipple. He moved his head down with his lips trailing from her neck to her other breast, nipping and sucking one while palming the other. His hair tickled her chest and stomach, his hardness pressed against her leg, and she began panting as she watched him eagerly toy with her. He had his eyes opened the entire time, flicking from her round breasts when he pulled himself away to meet her eyes as he kissed the scar on her abdomen tenderly, before lowering himself in between her legs.
She would’ve stopped him, wanting him to be inside her, and it would be unfair since she only stroked him several times, but once he grasped her clit with his lips, all justifications were suddenly gone. He circled his tongue around the nerves, and each pass raised her high, and she moaned and mewled his name every time he flicked his tongue or sucked her greedily. His hands were wrapped around her legs and he stroked her inner thighs, lapping at her as her hands clutched his hair. Her head was thrown back and she panted heavily, feeling her release coming closer and closer. She was drowning in pleasure, something that only he could give her, and her toes curled when she saw that he was watching her writhe at his touch.
“Did you miss this?” He asked quietly as he withdrew slightly, but still so close to her that his breath warmed her aching insides that screamed for him to continue. He kissed her inner thigh, moving upwards to her knee as he pulled himself on his knees to stroke himself. Her mouth watered at the image before her: her lover, bathed in flickering golden light, pleasuring himself as his eyes ran down her body. “Did you miss the way I pleasure you,” the calloused hand on her inner thigh caressed to her side, lifting her pelvis up to meet his eager hips, and her breath hitched; “the way I want you,” taking himself in hand, he guided it to her entrance and slowly slid into her, his gold eyes boring into hers as she moaned. He felt so good inside her, and the back of her thighs rested against his hips to take him fully. “The way I love you,” he began rocking into her at the behest of her whimpers, lowering his chest against her breasts and bracing himself on his forearms as she held onto his shoulders, kissing her deeply. He suddenly thrust heavily into her, ripping a wave of pleasure in her body so powerful that she cried out, digging her nails into his back. “Or,” he thrust into her again, then again, then again, and each time she cried out, feeling his cock pulsate inside her, “did you miss the way I fuck you?”
Before she could answer, he began to ride her, hard, ramming his hips against her pelvis so deeply and quickly that all she could manage was short gasps to the rhythm of his strokes. He was taking her so roughly that all she could was hold onto him, clawing his back and wailing out every time he stroked into her. She didn’t care if anyone heard her; all that mattered was him, his voice growing short and guttural, his body slickening with sweat and his thick cock pounding into her. “Everything,” she chocked out as he shifted his hands to her pelvis, rocking and angling her to slide against him rapidly. “I missed everything, Anders. I missed you, every—ah!” He had thrust deeply inside her, beginning to pant. “Every day, and every night. I want everything back, please…”
“Swear it, then.” Only slowing slightly, he straightened back onto his knees, taking her legs up to brace against his chest. Gripping the blankets, she moved her hips frantically against him, moaning and gasping when he leaned over her, thrusting into the deepest part of her. She felt chills racing through her limbs as he pounded into her, pleasuring them both as he stroked fully in and fully out of her. “Swear to me,” he panted as his hands framed her hips “that you will never part from me again.”
“I…” her heart was fluttering wildly as passion raced faster than blood in her veins. His eyes hardened at her response, and his fingers curled against her hips as he thrust into her. She felt the electricity spark sharply throughout her lower region and she screamed in half pain and half wild lust, arching her back to ride out the twin sensations.
“I said swear it!” He jerked her hips down from meeting his once he cut off his mana from hers, and her body shuddered in protest of being denied her climax.
“I swear it!” She cried, bucking her hips against his hands, desperate for him to finish her. “I’ll never leave you again, just please…!”
He ripped into her, both with his physical being and his mana. He rode her as hard as he could as she thrust her hips against him, the slapping of their skin barely being heard over her wailing cries and his loud groans. His eyes were heavy with lust, and his grip on her was desperate and her hips rose to his pleadingly. Her nails dug into his thighs as his hands gripped her hips, and he sent another spark of electricity into her veins. Pain and pleasure tore into her body again, and warmth shattered inside her, filling her as he suddenly jerked his pelvis against hers. Her limbs seizing, she threw her head back as she shouted in her climax, every tension releasing from her body as he cried out, and she felt him exploding inside her in his own orgasm. Her legs drifted down to his side as his hips bucked against hers, still filling her, before they both took a shuddering breath and then collapsed in the growing darkness.
A light and slow pattering fluttered against her right breast, as if tapping her back into consciousness. She felt the rise and fall of skin underneath her chest, and the warmth of soft fur on her back. Opening her eyes, she was met with near darkness; she could feel that her nose was touching the side of Anders’ neck, and that she was laying on him, his chest rising slowly against her breasts. The only light came from the moonbeams that shined through the window and the embers in the fireplace had burned down to orange cinders. Anders had his face turned away from her, his eyes closed and breathing lightly, but his arms were around her under the blankets. Lifting her head from beside him, she pushed herself up as the blankets slid down her back to her hips, and Anders’ arms flopped to the mattress as she straddled him. The cool air chilled her skin, and she wasn’t sure if it was the movement, the air, or her giggle upon seeing him lay spread eagle under her that woke him. He blinked several times, yawning, then smiled when he caught sight of her. He looked so content that she could almost burst with happiness, and she bent down to kiss him, much to his delight since he instantly wrapped his arms back around her.
“How long was I out?” He asked in-between their kisses, his hands caressing her back to disperse his warmth into her.
“I don’t know,” she murmured, weaving her hands through his hair that splayed on the pillow. “The moon is out though, and Zander hasn’t busted down the door.”
“Celia hasn’t demanded for food yet, but…” Anders craned his neck back to the nearest window. “Hasn’t been an hour, then. She has taken to yowling for food now,” he said with a slight grimace as he turned to look at her. “Apparently in my care all discipline goes out the window since all I do is spoil her,” he chuckled, before pulling her closer to him.
“What about me, hm?” She pressed, rubbing his nose with her own as she smiled with him. She hadn’t heard him laugh in a while, even considering the months apart, and it was a little reassuring that he hadn’t been wracked with worry to the point of not being able to cope with her absence.
He chuckled again. “That can be arranged.” He said, kissing her lips softly. She sank into him for several moments, both of them caressing each other during their kiss, and his touch was gentle. He gave her a final kiss and his hand moved to her cheek, his eyes turning sad when she gazed down at him. “I’ve missed you so much, love.” He said quietly, his fingers tracing her cheekbones.
She softened, touching his forehead with her own. She remembered the anxiety that she had felt leaving him, the fear that the Nightmare demon would kill him after emerging from the fade, the regret that she had spent more time at Skyhold than necessary, and the constant ache of need for him. “I missed you too,” she said, leaning into his hand for him to press his palm against her. “I wanted you with me, but…”
He put a finger to her lips. “Not tonight, love.” He said, staring up at her and knowing what she was going to say. Talking about Corepheyus would bring them back to the reason why they both were here, and it seemed he had no desire to talk of it either. “Tomorrow, or the next, perhaps. For now,” his fingers brushed to her cheek to the back of her head, “we are each other’s and no one else’s.”
She had no qualms in forgetting everything that was happening, everything that was her fault. There was nothing she could do now, except to love the man below her, one of the few who could make her forget. Despite seeing his beautiful face, feeling his warm body, hearing his low voice, she could hardly believe that she was here in this room, in an inn further north than she had ever been, with her lover. “Make me yours again, please.” She murmured, letting him draw her into a deep kiss. Make me forget again. She gripped his hair as he explored her mouth, growing more and more hungry as her legs shifted around his hips. His fingers curled into her, and at her whispered words of I love you, I will never leave you again, he let out a soft cry. Cradling the back of her head and the small of her back, he rolled gently over her, holding her to him as she clutched at him, and the blankets slid off his back. I will never let anyone take him from me, she thought as she spread her legs at the nudge of his knee, holding his gaze as he readied himself, his eyes both sad and lustful simultaneously. Otherwise, I’ll….she gasped as he entered her, banishing all other thoughts, and soon all she fathomed was him.