Reunion, Stef!

[Wilhelmina Spector]

I had settled in comfortably enough, grateful for the warm hospitality of Xavier. Truthfully, I had come to Ferelden not only to assist the Wardens in their search for Morrigan and Asha'bellanar, but also to spend a few precious hours with a man. Well, sort of. I was officially here to assist the Wardens in whatever capacity they could use me in, but I had been delayed from travelling to Ferelden with Stephan because of the tension between the Anderfels and the Grey Wardens. I had stayed behind to assist the doddering fool of a First Warden, who should have gone to his calling years before. It had taken the better part of two months to leave from the Anderfels, stopping over in Orlais to speak with the Wardens there, before finally arriving in Ferelden a few days ago. It should have been easier to get to Ferelden, but the First Warden had insisted I travel overland, rather than by boat. Why, I could not tell you.

But here I was, enjoying the gracious hospitality and learning that my preconceived notions of Ferelden were false. The Ferelden people, or those I had met thus far, seemed a warm and welcoming lot, though initially mistrusting of strangers, especially the older people, who still remembered the bloody overthrow of the Orlesian occupation. I had learned from my brief study of their society that they preferred to settle things in the Landsmeet, rather than the battlefield. That was my impression, anyway.

The chill wind whipped my hair round my face. The sky was awash with colours of dusk and evening, and already the first stars had appeared in the night sky. There was something so peaceful about it, and as I drew my heavy cloak around my body, I heard footfall behind me, the creaking of the heavy door opening with a bang. Then I could hear another Tevinter accent, and I turned to see him standing there, a smile on his tanned face.

"It has been a while." I smiled warmly at him, and wrapped my arms around his waist.

[Stephan Williams]

Stephan had to keep himself from running down the hallway. He had heard that Wilhelmina had come down to Soldier's Peak, and he couldn't wait to see her again. This had been the longest they had been seperated for as long as they had been together. He had wanted to wait for her and travel here together, but the First Warden had insisted that he go ahead without her. That kind of still irritated him. What if something had happened? Sure she was a fully trained mage, and a Magister to boot, but she was more of a healer than anything. Ok, so he was a little defensive when it came to her, even though he knew she was more than capable of handling herself.

Back home many people found their relationship a bit of an oddity. Stephan wasn't a magister, not by a long shot. He also had a serious reputation for having a distinct fear and mistrust of them. Which wasn't weird in and of itself, most people shared the same fear, but it was weird that he fell in love with one. Wil however, was unlike any other Magister he had ever met. She wasn't condescending or over-bearing. She didn't look down on you as if you were dirt, or more importantly, she didn't care to use blood magic. Wil held herself in a proud and regal manner, and she didn't dare to spare an emotion that was undeserved. Which often times led to her being labeled as cold. Not to him though, not his Wil. He knew under that exterior was a warm, loving heart. He felt it whenever he held her in his arms, and felt her melt into him.

Stef stopped a moment to talk to some passing Wardens, who told him that Wil was actually just past the door. With a smile Stef stepped through the door, closing the door behind him. He could help but smile while looking at her. She was everything worth fighting for in this world to him. He felt her arms go around him and he returned the gesture holding her close and kissing the top of her head. "Yes it has my love. Too long if you ask me." Now with her back in his arms, the world felt right again. He always felt as if he could face anything so long as he had Wil by his side. The chill wind blew in his face, and he was suddenly thankful for the warmer clothes that they had given him when he arrived.

[Wilhelmina Spector]

He was the one who had melted my heart, cold and unfeeling as I appeared to be, there was a softness that I did not allow many to see. It was a curious thing, this relationship, though I was hard-pressed to define it as anything official. As far as it mattered, he was mine and I was his, and that, more than anything else, was what made it worth it. A magister does not fall in love, my grandmother had once told me, for fear that they might come to question their judgment. I tossed those words of wisdom away, for they were nothing more than an old woman's words, and I was no magister of Tevinter to be feared or despised. I preferred to use my magic for good, not for the purposes of political wrangling, or the purpose of being intimidating, or for consorting with demons in the Fade.

In Tevinter, even in the Anderfels, I had a reputation for being as cold as the snow that seeped into my boots, my toes undoubtedly frostbitten or showing the first signs of chilblains. I put my cold feet out of my mind, and marveled at how warm my lover was. It was as though he had read my mind, though one sometimes did not need blood magic to read a mind. I smiled up at him, once more marveling at his height and warmth-- the complete opposite to my cold, haughty demeanour. I stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him.

"I'm sorry you couldn't go with me to Orlais, but the First Warden insisted it was part of the trip I had to make alone, for fear of arousing the wrong interest..." My voice was soft and low, whispers for Stef's ears, and his alone.

[Stephan Williams]

The gentle giant that was Stef smiled to himself holding her close to him. He never really knew how much he enjoyed just the simple act of holding her. He leaned forward to help her out a bit and kissed her back chuckling. "I guess hoping you grew a few inches would have been too much to ask for." Giving her another kiss. He listened to her closely and leaned back a bit to look down at her better. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. That wasn't what he had expected. The First Warden simply told him that she had matter to attend to first, but Stef didn't think it involved going to Orlais. He looked around a moment and then shivered.

"You know what? It's a little too cold out here for my likings. How about we go to our room and we catch up a bit?" Of course he meant what she was doing in Orlais, but he kept it general in nature on purpose. He had been wondering why the First Warden had sent him here, but he was sure it involved Mina. Their relationship was no big secret, nor was the fact that they were one of the best teams around. Now he knew something was up, and his interest was definitly high.

[Wilhelmina Spector]

I chuckled when he spoke of the vain hope of my growing a few more inches. I was tall by Tevinter standards, but Stephan was a true gentle giant, one of the best men I had ever had the pleasure of taking to my bed. And it seemed as though time stood still when I was with him, as if all the troubles of the world could be erased from my mind, from the cares and worries I carried with me, the things that stalked me in my sleep were the nightmares each Grey Warden came to have when their time was coming to walk the Deep Roads.

It was not my time. I had too much to accomplish, too much to do and too many plans that needed to be set in motion. The mission the First Warden had sent me to do was incomplete, and I'd had too little time in Val Royeaux, scouring the archives of the Circle of Magi there. It was old magic I was interested in-- old magic which predated the forming of the Andrastian Chantry-- such old secrets that might be uncovered. I smiled as Stef asked if I wanted to head back inside, knowing what he had in mind. One did not need blood magic when they were in love; it was obvious from the way he held me close.

"Now that's an excellent idea," I smiled, taking his hand and leading him up the stairs, to our quarters. They were our quarters, not anyone else's. It was plain when we got there that the fire had been freshly lit and that someone had tidied up, for my documents had been bundled to the side, notes and scrolls, maps and other tactical documents sealed in wax tubes. I smiled at Stephan, and kissed him again. It would be nice to unburden myself, but my mission was for the Commanders of the Grey, not for anyone else. After all, who wanted to know why the First Warden wanted an investigation into how Queen Elissa and King Alistair had survived?

We had patchy records, scant accounts. It was too much to delve into now, and I just wanted to put these troubles out of my mind.

[Stephan Williams]

"Yeah, I do tend to get those from time to time." He chuckled and winked a bit at her before bending down to kiss her again. He could honestly kiss her all night, and be quite content doing nothing else honestly. He took hold of her hand gently and followed up to their room. Their room, that was nice to say even in his mind. Stef looked at her and saw her gaze around the room. "I thought you'd appreciate coming back to a straightened room." He didnt' go through any of the paperwork. He knew that she wasn't always able to come right out and say what she was working on. He never pried and he never dug through her stuff. He knew she would tell him as soon as she was able to, but until that time he would just be there for her. He would follow her to the end's of the world and for no other reason but because she said she needed to get there.

He put a hand to her face and smiled. "I love you Mina." He bent forward and kissed her. Scooping her up as easily as a child would a pillow, he carried her to the bed and settled into it comfortably.

Sometime later, Stef lay under the covers holding Wil close to him. "I missed you so much Mina." He rolled over and kissed her cheek and looked her in the eyes. Laying in bed was the only time he could do this without straining his neck. "So how long are we here before we have to head out?" Typcial Stef fashion, not even caring where or why. Hell he honestly didn't even care if he didn't have permission. He'd end up following her anyway, and he'd be damned if anybody tried to stop him from doing. The First Warden learned that little lesson the hard way, and considering how little they actually failed, no matter how impossible the task had seemed, the First Warden just let them do their thing.