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“ Realize I want you. In the strangest way, I create you. But I couldn't dream you up. No, I couldn't dream you up ” Sucre - Persuasion
Eve of First day, shortly after the fifth blight ended
The night was already long, dragging on for what felt like much longer than the few hours the party had been going. Alistair supposed it was because he simply didn’t like these things. He had tried to talk Jasmine into staying home, passing the night quietly together until the day rolled into the next, bringing with it a brand new year. Instead, they were at the palace in Denerim, at a grand fete to celebrate First Day. The queen thought it would help boost morale in a city that was still rebuilding after the devastation of the blight, ended just a few short months ago. Alistair thought it was a bit ridiculous to spend so much time and money on a celebration like this - after all, so much of Ferelden needed rebuilding, and that included the Wardens. And he and Jasmine, thanks to circumstance and tragedy, were two of the senior most Grey Wardens currently residing in Ferelden, which meant that they, quite frankly, had better things to be doing. Jasmine, however, made it quite plain that they were expected to go. After all, she was the Hero of Ferelden, and he her steadfast companion, the two wardens who stopped the blight before it got the chance to truly begin.
It was lovely, he supposed. Anora had pulled out all the stops, the grand ballroom at the palace turned into something out of a fairy story. It was the little lanterns and wall sconces, tiny lights twinkling all about. He wondered, briefly, how they had managed it, then decided it must be magic of one sort or another. Dinner had already been served and eaten, and now the dance floor was filled with couples flitting about, holding each other close while twirling amongst the other dancing couples. His gaze darted about, looking for Jasmine in the sea of people before him, but it took several sweeps of the room before he finally found her. Without thinking, he began to make his way to her, on the other side of the ballroom speaking with Anora and some noble gentleman he didn’t recognize.
“Excuse me, Your majesty. Ser,” he said with a deep bow in Anora’s direction, and a nod to the noble. “If I may steal my wife away for a dance?”
He earned himself a smile from Anora, and a deep blush from Jasmine. It hadn’t been very long since their wedding, just about two months, and they were both still getting used to it. If he were honest, wife still felt a bit foreign on his tongue, though not in displeasurable way. More that he never thought he’d have someone to use it with, all things considered. And yet… in the midst of all the chaos and destruction, all the tragedy and loss that came with the blight, he had found her, someone with whom he could truly make a life. Maker only knew what she saw in him, but he wasn’t one to question his incredibly good fortune.
“Of course, Alistair. Go dance with your bride, make us all jealous.”
Alistair wasn’t used to that... that gleam in Anora’s eye, the one that made him feel as though she were plotting something, but as he walked away with Jasmine’s hand in his own, he found he didn’t much care what it might mean. As they made their way through the dance floor, the song changed. A waltz , Alistair though. Thank the Maker… I can handle a waltz without embarrassing myself too much.
He pulled Jasmine close, almost scandalously so, leaning in to whisper to her, his breath warm against her ear. “You are absolutely stunning, my love. You steal the breath from my lungs.”
And she did, too, dressed in a dark sapphire blue gown that contrasted beautifully with her auburn locks, currently in some sort of half up, half down braided style that Alistair couldn’t quite figure out. He loved that her dress was backless as well, as it allowed him to touch her bare flesh, feel her warmth against his palm. And then the way she smiled at his words, looking at him like she couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
“You clean up pretty well yourself,” she replied, pulling herself to him a little more tightly as they twirled around together. He supposed he looked just fine, though he didn’t much care for all the finery he was forced to wear.
“You know,” Alistair started, his hand running lightly up and down her back. “We’ve already been here for several hours now. Already did the whole ‘show off the wardens’ nonsense. Surely Anora wouldn’t begrudge a pair of newlyweds sneaking off to ring in the new year together.”
Jasmine looked around the room for a moment, and Alistair followed her gaze. Anora was busy with yet another visiting dignitary, and there wasn’t another soul paying them any attention. It would be quite easy to sneak off to their rooms upstairs with no one the wiser.
“We really shouldn’t, but… I suppose we did save Ferelden, and surely everyone will cut us a bit of slack, all things considered. After this song ends though - I want to enjoy a dance with my husband first.”
Convincing Jasmine of his plan to leave the party hadn’t been nearly as difficult as Alistair thought, and he was more than happy to finish their dance. He relished the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other, separated only by the fabric between them. It was almost torturous as well, being this close and not being able to be any closer, but he absolutely ached to remove the flimsy barrier of their clothes, to get her alone and naked so he could feast upon her body.
Jasmine looked up at him, an eyebrow raised as she gave a little wriggle against the erection now straining to be free of its prison. “And just what do you have in mind for me when we get to our rooms, my dear?”
He couldn’t help but grin at her. “Oh, I thought we might play a rousing game of chess.”
Ah, the look on her face as she tossed her head back and laughed was almost enough to make Alistair pick her up and carry her off to their rooms right then and there. “Come, love, the song is close enough to being done and I want to find out what you actually have in mind for me.”
She took his hand in her own, pulling him through the crowd, her footsteps quick and sure. They made it through a small door on the opposite side of the room, and Jasmine stopped for a bit to push him against the wall. Alistair could feel his heartbeat thudding in his chest, each beat threatening to burst right out. And then she kissed him, and everything stopped, the world ceasing to exist but for him, and her, and that moment as she pressed her lips to his gently.
She pulled away much too soon, a giggle escaping as she took his hand again, tugging him through hallways and up stairways until they reached the chambers they had been given. They had only just made it into the room before the door was slammed shut and her lips were on his again. She was more insistent this time, no mere peck now that they were alone. He moaned into her mouth, giving her the perfect opportunity to part his lips and sweep inside, the meeting of their tongues almost frantic with pent up desire. Alistair pulled away, reluctant, but not ready to cede control to her just yet. “Now, now, love. There’s no rush tonight. I mean to take my time with you, to show you just how much I love you.”
A deep rosy blush spread up Jasmine’s body, something Alistair had always found endearing. He didn’t think it was possible for her to still feel bashful - this wasn’t their first time together, not by far. It was gratifying, he supposed, to know that he had such an effect on one of the most powerful women in Thedas.
This time, he was the one leading, taking her hand again and bringing her to the massive four post bed that took up a good deal of the room. After so much time spent in barracks and camps, it felt decadent, and he planned to take full advantage of the size. He kissed her this time, the pace of their kiss slow, sensual, much like the dance they had just shared. She arched into him, and he couldn’t help but smile against her mouth. “Tell me, Jasmine. What do you want me to do to you?”
He didn’t think it was possible, but her blush deepened. She looked down momentarily, but seemed as if she gained her confidence as she lifted her face to his and looked him straight in the eye. “Undress me, Alistair, slowly. Lay me out on this bed, and then kiss me senseless before you make love to me.”
He leaned in close, sliding his hands into sleeves of her gown, and pushing them down. “I think I can manage that.”
The sleeves went first, and with them, the bodice of the gown. Next, her hair, his deft fingers making quick work of all the pins holding every strand in place. “Lovely,” he told her, his voice hoarse. He stopped then, wanting to take a few moments to admire the woman before him. Her hair fell just past her shoulders, a bit wavy from the braids they had been in. Her scar was on prominent display, four jagged claw marks running from her should diagonal across her breasts and torso, disappearing in the fabric at her waist. She must have noticed him staring at them, because she moved her arms up to cover herself. “Don’t,” Alistair commanded. “They are a part of you, and every inch of you is beautiful, including these scars. They tell me that you are a survivor, that you have done and seen incredible things and lived to tell the tale. You never have to hide anything from me, least of all your scars.”
A nod was his only reply as she moved her hands back down to her sides, waiting for him to make his next move as her breathing started to grow heavier, more labored. Her skin was silky smooth as he ran his fingers down her torso, skimming the sides of her breasts with the lightest tough as made his way down to her waist. She shivered a little at his touch, and he took that as encouragement. His hands delved into the skirt of her dress, slipping it over her hips, his fingers hooking into her smallclothes so that he could remove them as well.
“Maker, Jasmine, you’re… there are no words to adequately describe what I’m feeling right now.”
He lifted her up, leaving a puddle of sapphire silk on the floor as he carried her to bed, laying her down gently. Jasmine leaned up on her elbows, watching him as he removed each article of his own clothing, a hungry look in her eyes. She barely had time to take in the sight of him before he pushed her back down onto the bed, spreading her legs and kneeling between them. “Now, I believe you said something about kissing you senseless?”
Jasmine didn’t have time to reply before Alistair leaned down further, running his hands up her thighs and spreading them further. He followed his hands with his mouth, making his way up her legs with tiny little nibbles and kisses until her found her center. He grinned up at her as he parted her folds with his fingers, slipping them inside her, watching her face as he pleasured her. “More, Alistair, I need… I need more of you,” she cried out, trying to tug him up to her.
“Not yet, darling. I’m not quite done with you.”
He continued his ministrations for a moment more before leaning down and adding his mouth to the mix. She cried out again, something completely incomprehensible, and Alistair chuckled against her sex. His tongue moved slow and steady against her, finding and working the bundle of nerves that would bring her to climax. She was so wet already, and Alistair felt himself growing harder at the thought of just how incredible she was going to feel around him.
Jasmine’s hips started to buck against his face, her little whimpers and moans growing louder and closer together. She reached down to fist her hands in his hair, holding his head in place between her thighs, her actions only urging him to work her harder, faster. He was soon rewarded when she breathed out his name in a heavy sigh as her muscles clenched his fingers tightly. “Alistair,” she whispered,as he kissed his way up her stomach, and breasts, and neck until he was lying beside her, the two of them on their sides facing each other. “That’s not what I meant when I asked you to kiss me senseless. Not that it wasn’t wonderful, of course”
“I knew full well what you meant, but I have been dreaming about the taste of you on my lips all evening.” He pulled her closer, turning her around so that her back was against his front, lifting her leg enough so that he could enter her. Maker, but she felt even better than he had imagined, warm and still so wet after her climax. He thrust again, slow, so slow, wanting to make this last as long as possible, but not sure that he could. “Reach down and pleasure yourself, love. I want you to come again, Jasmine, this time while I’m inside you so that I can feel you tighten around me.”
He had never asked her to do that before, to touch herself while they were together. She seemed hesitant at first, but she obeyed, reaching her hand down and rubbing tight little circles around her nub. She rubbed faster as he thrust into her again, and again, and again, his pace quickening to match, one hand teasing her nipples as the other held hip. His grip tightened as he felt his pleasure start to peak, his short fingernails leaving little marks on her flesh. This time when she climaxed, when he felt her clench tight around him, she took him along with her, his orgasm brought on by her own.
They lay there, quietly, Alistair still inside her as he grew soft again, bodies slick with the sweat from their exertions. Jasmine snuggled back into him, trying to get even closer, and he wrapped his arms around her, dropping a soft kiss on her temple. It was faint, but in the background, maybe from downstairs, Alistair heard the sounds of cheering. Must be midnight, then.
“Happy First Day, my love,” he whispered, kissing her temple one more time. “May the coming year be filled with more happiness and less tragedy than the last.”
“Mmmm,” she mumbled, somehow already almost asleep. “How could it not be, now that we’ve got each other?”