Alone Time

Marian, Anders, Carver, Aveline, and Varric all left Kirkwall that morning and started their journey up Sundermount. They stopped for rest and lunch, then continued onward. Carver and Aveline discussed working for the guard, Varric discussed his business dealings with Aveline unwillingly afterwards. Then after she had thoroughly interrogated the two, she turned her eagle eyes to Anders.

"You aren't what I expected, Anders."

"Is that a good thing, or have I disappointed you?" He asked, slightly tense at the guardswoman's attention.

"I have been with the Hawkes since we were all escaping Lothering. I did everything in my power to help Marian during her pregnancy, and she told me the story of how you two met."

"I assume Carver told you his opinions also?"

"He told me. I didn't give his word as much credence. He never slept with you, he probably didn't know you as well."

"He's cute enough, but I prefer my men bearded. Besides with his temperament it never would have worked out."

"Never think about me in that context again, Anders." Carver sneered.

"Don't worry, I don't want to." Anders snarked back.

"As I was saying," Aveline asserted herself firmly as Marian and Varric held back chuckles, "I expected you to be naive and reckless. I also rather thought you'd be dead, given your past with Templars and the rumors of what happened at Kinloch Hold."

"Thankfully I was lucky enough to escape soon after returning to the circle. It was easy enough to sneak out with the mages who were recruited to fight at Ostagar. I slipped away in the night before the illusion of a different face could wear off, and headed North. I did consider returning to Lothering, to make sure that my time spent there hadn't exposed Marian and Bethany, but then I thought 'if I get caught in Lothering again, they'll ransack the village looking for accomplices.' So I didn't return."

"Not that it made much difference in the end..." Carver grumbled. Anders chose to ignore his interruption and continued, since the other three were all quite enraptured with his tale.

"I went from village to village, working as a farmhand or helping with laundry to keep a low profile. It was easy enough, with the threat of the blight Templars were too busy protecting the people to care about who I was. And... with the circle and Lothering destroyed, there was no one left in the entire country that I would consider friend. So my plan was to come to Kirkwall and free Karl. The only friend I had left in the world."

Varric was writing notes furiously, with Marian set a gentle hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Karl's death was still quite recent.

"How did you go from being an apostate to becoming a Warden though?" Carver piped up, even he was curious about Anders' life story, though he would probably never admit it.

"Well, the Blight was over by the time I found myself in the Arling of Amaranthine, and with the imminent threat gone, the Templars were on alert for apostates again. I was caught because I was needed to save a young man's life. He was a few years away from adulthood, and had been kicked in the chest by a horse. It took everything in me to save his life, and given the severity I had to do it where he was, out in the open, on the road going into the city. I don't know if someone turned me in, or if a Templar had been in the area to witness what I was doing, but as soon as the boy was able to sit up and breathe properly, I was captured. I was too drained to defend myself; I couldn't even stand on my own. On the way to the circle we stopped at Vigil's Keep to rest for the night. The darkspawn decided they would visit as well, and during the chaos I was recruited by the Hero of Ferelden."

"Wait, the Hero of Ferelden? Even I wouldn't go that far in my stories, and I am notorious for extravagant exaggeration." Varric chimed in, a slightly skeptical tone to his voice.

"Yes, really, the Hero of Ferelden. She recruited myself and some others to join the Wardens during that first attack, and more joined us along the way. You know, I saw her kiss the King the night she recruited me. And I know that she isn't Queen Anora. Quite the scandal, really, the King of Ferelden has an dalish mistress."

"Now I know you're full of shit." Varric laughed incredulously.

"Well, hold on just a moment Varric. From what I've heard the Hero is a dalish woman." Marian spoke up.

"Well, yes, that is what's been said."

"And wasn't King Alistair the only other warden fighting by her side during the Blight?"

"Yeah, that's the story I've heard. The King and the Hero stopped the Blight with a handful of friends and the armies they gathered." Carver agreed with his sister.

"Wartime romances do happen..." Aveline agreed, nodding her head thoughtfully.

"Every word I've said has been the truth! I'm glad you've all decided that there's enough evidence to support me, but really, can't you just trust what I say?" Anders sighed.

"I don't trust anybody" "Not a chance" "Maybe someday." The three said simultaneously.

"Well fine then, at least I have the trust of the one person who matters most." He huffed, then put his arm around Marian's shoulders. She giggled in response and put her arm around his lower back.

"I still have one question though. I understand why you would come to Kirkwall, and why you weren't with Marian, but why did you leave the Wardens?" Aveline said after a long pause.

"Well, for starters, they made me give up my cat. I still miss Ser-Pounce-A-Lot." He said with only slightly exaggerated sadness, "But the main reason was because I took my friend, Justice, into my body. He was one of us, he'd helped us in the fade, then through some accident was dragged out with us and was trapped in the body of a dead Warden. He fought by our side until the fiends causing all the chaos were dead. But his possession could not completely stop the decay of the body, only slow it. Once he was unable to fight any longer, he and I discussed him entering me. It would save him from the slow death of being stuck in a decaying corpse, and together he and I could bring justice to those abused by the Templars. Not everyone took the change well, so it was best for everyone that I leave."

"And you're okay with this?" Aveline asked Marian pointedly.

"He is alive, he is here with me, he is a wonderful father to our child. And from what I've seen and heard, I'd hardly call him an abomination. He's special, and that specialness makes him better able to protect me and the baby. Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" Marian responded without hesitation. Aveline simply nodded her acceptance of the answer and they traveled in silence for a time. Eventually Varric and Carver started making increasingly lewd jokes with eachother, and things returned to normal. Anders and Marian had switched to holding hands as they walked, occasionally whispering their own lewd comments to eachother.

They got to a clearing as the sky began to darken, and decided to set up camp. Aveline prepared some root vegetables that she had brought to make a stew, while Varric went off to hunt them down some fresh game. Carver went with him in case something larger tried to hunt the little man for it's own supper.

"I'm not sure why, but my chest really hurts." Marian said quietly, loosening her robes just slightly to try and alleviate her pain.

"Let me have a look." Anders ran his hands with glowing blue magic slowly over her. It didn't take him long to find the problem. "Aveline, Marian and I will need to go somewhere private for me to treat this. It will require a physical treatment, not a magical one."

"Go on, you're both skilled enough to protect yourselves." She said in an almost motherly tone as she continued to chop vegetables with her dagger.

Anders grabbed Marian's hand and pulled her back down the trail to where they had passed a small cave. Too small for everyone to camp in, but definitely large enough for the two to have some privacy.

"Well? What's wrong with me?" Marian asked earnestly.

"You haven't had your milk drunk since before we left. Your chest is too full, that's all."

"Oh, well I could've just squeezed some out by myself. Why did you make it sound so serious?"

"Because, it gives us a chance to finally be alone. Besides, why waste such nutritious milk? Two birds with one stone, I say."

"Oh! Oh my..." Marian flushed but quickly opened her robes and laid them on the floor, leaving her in leggings and a thin tunic, which she could now see was stained with her excess milk.

Anders added his coat on top of her robes for extra cushion against the cold, earthen floor. He then cast a ward onto the cave entrance to prevent anyone getting in, and any sound from getting out. Once that was done he swooped in and pulled her against him, kissing her passionately. She melted into the kiss, throwing her arms around his neck, holding him close. He broke the kiss to kiss along her jaw and down her neck, nipping at the sensitive flesh lightly.

"You can bite harder, I'm not made of glass."

"Oh, I know you're not. But if I leave any marks Carver might throw me off the mountain. I'd rather stay on." He chuckled against her skin.

"Mmm... Fair enough." She sighed happily into his ear. "There is somewhere else that your mouth would be more useful though, darling."

"Ah yes, of course." He chuckled and lifted her tunic up over her breasts, which were nearly twice their usual size. He set to work by gently swirling his tongue around each nipple, lavishing them equally with attention before he latched onto one and started suck hard, still using his tongue to stimulate her as he did. He drank down her milk hungrily, and using one hand to hold her breast, he slid the other down her stomach and into her leggings, setting to work by sparking electricity lightly against her clit as he rubbed slow, teasing circles around the sensitive nub.

"Oooooooh fuck!" She moaned, arching into him as he switched to her other breast, satisfied with his work on the first. "Anders, please..." She whimpered, unable to finish the thought. But he had a good idea that he knew what she wanted, and slid his hand further so he could finger her with two of his long, slim fingers while rubbing her clit with his thumb. She came with a cry, jerking against him and grabbing onto his head and shoulder for stability.

Anders pulled away with a satisfied grin, wiping a few dribbles of milk off of his face. "Let me know when you're ready for more, love." He gestured down towards his groin, where his fully erect cock was straining hard against his pants.

"I...I'd love to but, we can't afford another baby."

"A lesser known fact about Grey Wardens is that the taint makes us sterile. I don't personally know any who were able to conceive after the joining without some serious magical intervention. I love our daughter more than anything, but I can never have another."

"Oh. That's rather sad..." At the slightly dejected look on Anders' face she quickly rectified her statement, "In general, I mean. It's sad that joining the Wardens means giving up a chance of having children in the future. I'm not sad that we can't have more kids. Unless the expedition works out we'll never have the means to care for more children anyway. And if it does work out, and we want more children, we could always adopt." She smiles tenderly and moves to cup Anders' cheek. "I have no regrets about being with you."

"That's a relief." He smiles back fondly before leaning in to kiss her, sweet and tender. He shudders when he feels her rubbing him through his pants.

"How do you want me, Warden Anders?" She asks with a lightly teasing tone.

"On your back, dear woman." He said with a chuckle, gesturing to their pile of clothes. She laid down obediently, biting her lip as she looked up at him.

"You know, Warden, I can't help but feel like you are missed elsewhere."

'Still with the Warden bit?' Anders thought to himself, 'Never would have expected her to like a man in armor. But I can play along...' "Yes, my lady, Warden Commander Mahariel will be quite cross with me that I've been gone so long. But seeing a beauty like yourself? How could I resist such a calling?" He shed his shirt and pants and settled in between her legs, rubbing his length against her.

"Well then you'd better be quick. I'd hate to get you in trouble."

"You clearly have never been with a Grey Warden before, my dear. Have you never heard about our stamina?"

"I have, fearless and relentless in battle is what they say about your order."

"The stamina is a permanent improvement, sweetheart, it affects all parts of a warden."

"I find that hard to believe. You'll have to show me." She teased, lifting her hips up against him impatiently.

Anders grinned and lifted her legs up onto his shoulders, then thrust into her with a grunt. He held her thighs tightly as he set his pace, thrusting hard and deep into his beloved. By the way she was mewling, he was doing a good job.

He leaned forward to kiss her, keeping her legs on his shoulders and continuing to thrust into her. She cried out against his lips and threw her head back, her eyes closed and mouth open, panting and moaning as he took her from this new angle. He braced one hand against the ground, and the other he reached under her head to get a fistful of her hair, pulling it as he gave her a hard thrust. He could feel her orgasm around him, and the sensation was almost enough to push him over the edge. Almost.

Marian was gasping and quivering when Anders continued his work on her, once she had relaxed enough for him to move after her orgasm. She watched him through half-lidded eyes, barely even noticing the sounds that came out of her now. Until he sped up, hammering himself into her. She let out a long, shaky cry as he fucked her. Her voice was rising without a care for the consequences, her core tensing, her pleasure drawn so taught she was sure she would snap. Then Anders leaned back to his original position, rubbing her clit hard and fast, his fingers cool and electric as he worked her. She came with a shuddering, breathless scream, throwing her head back as her body arched up, hips jerking into him. Anders gave a few more small thrusts before she felt him finish, the throbbing of his cock adding that extra layer of satisfaction to her orgasm.

Once they were both done they simply remained that way for a few minutes, savoring the feeling of eachother before Anders slowly pulled out.

"Come on, love. We should get heading back to camp before Aveline starts looking for us. Given the sky out there I'd say it's been at least half an hour."

"I love you, Anders."

"I love you too, Marian." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her before standing, and helping his now jelly-boned partner to stand as well.

-

When they returned to camp Aveline was stirring the stew, and Varric was lovingly polishing Bianca. Carver was standing watch.

"There you two are! Aveline said that there was something wrong with you? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I'm fiiiiiine." Marian responded with a little giggle.

"She's a little out of sorts from the treatment, but yes she's completely fine." Anders quickly added.

"What was wrong with her?"

"Well, you know how when someone goes through pregnancy they experience a lot of changes? Things don't just go back to normal once the baby is out. I had to-"

"Nevermind! Forget I asked!" Carver flushed and went to patrol the area around the camp, just to get away from the subject. Anders chuckled at his perfectly executed bluff. Marian giggled as well, leaning against Anders for support.

"Maybe I shouldn't trust anything you say, you lie so easily."

"Only to Carver, sweetheart, only to Carver." Anders chuckled and kissed her on the forehead.