Chapter Text
Anders woke early on the morning of their anniversary. It was at least an hour before dawn, even the birds were still asleep, huddled together in their nests.
He sat up slowly in an effort to let Fenris lie in a little bit longer besides he had preparations to make and it would be a long, long day for them both. Anders swallowed dry. He had told Fenris that he had a present for him, something Anders knew his lover wanted more than anything else.
‘I’ve all I desire right here,’ Fenris had quipped while lying on top of the mage’s body before he had kissed him ardently.
They had come such a long way from the early days when they couldn’t even stand the sight of each other and now, now Anders couldn’t even imagine a life without him. With a last glance at his sleeping lover, Anders slipped out of their bedroom, a silent promise on his lips.
It’d been three years since they had escaped from Kirkwall. Looking back now, he was certain that had they remained in the Free Marches, the city would have destroyed them both. There was something corrosive about that place. It took bits of your soul twisted and turned them until you became something else that only resembled you in the same way a husk resembled the insect that had left it behind. Not suddenly but whittling away a little piece every day.
Still, it had been the best decision of his life. They had travelled Thedas and helped wherever someone needed helping, be it to fight bandits, slavers, Darkspawn, or treating injuries and illness . Sometimes they had allowed themselves to settle for a few months before they’d gotten restless again. Or more to the point until Justice had stirred and reminded Anders that there was something he was supposed to be doing instead of indulging in a life full of adventures and love-making to a gorgeous elf who was currently still sleeping soundly after a night of passion.
Dressed and ready, Anders closed the door to their house behind him as he walked toward the battle that would give them a new future and true freedom.
*~*
Fenris woke up in a bed that was too big and cold for his liking. Anders was a restless sleeper at the best of times and it was therefore not unusual for him to get up early but today was special and Fenris had hoped to be woken by a pair of warm amber eyes sparkling with mischief and wicked, clever hands and lips all over his body.
Grumbling under his breath, he got up to pour water into a small bowl which sat on a stool in the corner to wash the sleep off before he donned his clothes. He had replaced his Tevinter armour with reinforced black leather that left him more flexibility and was also quite frankly more comfortable than his old gear. He had kept the gauntlets but left them on the dresser this morning. Today was not a day for adventuring. Anders had promised him a gift for their anniversary and no matter what, Fenris had been unable to get it out of him despite his best efforts all night and into the wee hours of the morning.
He remembered having vivid dreams of Anders presenting him with a velvet collar and bell like one that the mage might have wanted to put on his cat, only this one was a size for a man grown, or should he say mage grown.
The thought of Anders wearing nothing but a smile and that collar sent a flush of heat toward his groin. If he hadn’t been hungry, he would have tracked down his lover this minute to drag him back into their bed for a morning shag. Alas, now that he was up, nature called and they still had some leftover bread and humus that Fenris liked very much. He was sure he would find Anders around the house somewhere and the gift he was looking forward to.
*~*
Anders loved Rivain. It had been the first country they had visited and that first taste of freedom had somehow stuck with him. The people here were more relaxed about religion and magic than any other region of Thedas Anders had ever even heard of. True, they had a Circle here as well but if you steered clear of the capital, and you weren’t too flamboyant about the fact that you were a mage most people let you be. The Qunari and Andrastians co-existed peacefully alongside some older, local customs and hardly anyone quibbled who was more right or wrong.
They had yet to see a Templar patrol dragging a child off to the tower and life-long imprisonment. It happened obviously but it was a rare event and most people were actually quite grateful to have a magical healer about to help with the kind of ailments that conventional physicians only treated with leeches and a friendly, ‘It’s in the Maker’s hands now.’
Anders wanted to live here. He knew Fenris liked it as well. The local food and wine were famous throughout Thedas, the people in this region had learned to appreciate Fenris ‘ and Anders’ skills and they only knew of Darkspawn from books and old stories. Anders could see himself settling down and growing old in this place with the elf he loved. Like he had always dreamed he would. There were enough idiots, bandits and slavers to keep them sharp and shoot lightning bolts at, and they could live happily ever after until Anders’ calling would catch up with him. He knew he couldn’t outrun the taint but he could bloody well try.
Except there was a third party in their story that just wouldn’t let them be. Like a guest who had overstayed his welcome and turned into a squatter. Looking back now Anders could not fathom why he had offered Justice to possess him. There would have been so many other options in order to help the spirit and solve his own little problem but he had ignored them all and went straight for the jugular, metaphorically speaking. Even now Justice did the mental equivalent of fidgeting because he perceived Anders as being idle and selfish.
Well, he was but it should be his choice and not a compulsion to wage war against injustice in the world. He did his part as much as he could but the spirit wanted nothing short of an outright rebellion that would cause the death of thousands and change the world forever.
Anders had once thought that the world needed changing, and it did, but sacrificing thousands of innocent bystanders was not the way. Fenris had taught him that and the further he had gotten away from Kirkwall the clearer he could see that his lover was right. Maybe it was a wash in Justice’s book but it wasn’t in his, not any more.
This morning sitting by the river where Fenris had for the first time actually spoken those three little words that every lover longed to hear, watching the sunrise, Anders made a choice.
The world exploded in pain and only one thing kept him from getting lost in the maelstrom.
Fenris.