Chapter Text
Midnight blue silk, cut so tightly around her curves that he almost could see her muscles moving with every breath. The bodice was cut low enough to emphasize her chest but decent enough to also loosely cover her arms to the elbows. She wore a necklace with a small pendant, something shiny and very expensive by the look of it. The lack of further jewelry accentuated its exclusiveness and directed the looks at her cleavage. He swallowed dryly. Damn.
A flared skirt flowed in soft waves to her feet, adorned in matching and surprisingly delicate shoes. He took a sip of his ale and promptly choked when she took a step in their direction and he discovered the slit in her skirt. Andraste's ancient ass, her bare leg was showing with every second step she took. The room was getting noticeably warmer.
"Pick up your jaw and stop staring. She's coming over," Dorian muttered cheerfully, but Varric was too busy admiring the Seeker.
"You look fantastic, Lady Cassandra.” Dorian took one hand and spun her once around. Varric could smell her perfume. Lavender, he noticed, and the impression was chiseled in his brain. He felt a bit dizzier than he should after only one mug, but maybe this one was stronger than usual.
And maybe if he'd put a hand over his eyes nobody could see him anymore. Right. Who was he kidding.
"You do know how to dress up nicely," Varric drawled when she came to a stop in front of him, but before he could elaborate, Dorian grabbed her arm and pulled her to a group of guests.
"I want to introduce you to certain people, Cassandra. They’re just here for you, anyway," he said, winking at her, leaving Varric's confused face behind them. What? He decided it was time to get some food and look for friends.
Two hours later, he was standing in a strategic corner on the dais with Bull, watching over dancing couples and conversing groups, and trying to catch a glimpse of the Seeker more often than not if he was honest, when Trevelyan came to them.
"Bull. Varric, " she nodded her greetings. “Has anything happened?"
"She's been talking to almost all of them," Bull answered.
"Good." The Inquisitor looked satisfied and sipped from her wine glass.
"What are you two talking about?" Varric watched them, puzzled, getting the uneasy feeling that he was missing out on something of importance.
"Surely you know that Josephine's gotten a handful of requests for Cassandra's hand?" The Inquisitor asked him innocently. She added, "After all, she's royalty and a renowned member of the Inquisition. It would strengthen our alliances."
A look of pure horror rippled across Varric's face. "You can't be fucking serious! You would arrange a marriage for her?!"
"You know I wouldn't force her. Never," Trevelyan replied, cold steel in her eyes. "But if she meets somebody she likes this way... would it matter how it happened?" Her face grew softer. "She isn't one to easily meet new people, and she deserves happiness as much as any of my friends."
"But she's a romantic! She left her home for the Seekers because she did not want an arranged marriage. Does she even know what you are plotting? She will never agree!” he exclaimed.
"And I think she really likes this guy. Look, she's smiling at him," Bull chipped in helpfully.
"She's not smiling, she's clenching her teeth," Varric said darkly after he cast a glower over to them.
"Maybe someone should rescue her. Or rescue the lad from her wrath," the Inquisitor remarked and bent down to Varric's ear.
"Life’s too short for missing out on opportunities," she added, only for him to hear. He recognized a very clear suggestion and it reminded him why she was leading this institution so successfully. She could read people too damn well. He swallowed hard.
Maybe– just maybe, she was right. Maybe the time was right, too.
"I'll go and rescue that guy," he said quickly and missed Bull's and Trevelyan's smug grins when he stomped off.
"Seeker, I’ve been looking for you! You promised me this dance, " Varric said forced-cheerfully, and nodded a quick pardon to Lord Whats-his-face when he dragged Cassandra to the dance floor.
"Wait! I haven't been dancing in ten years," she almost squeaked and pulled in the opposite direction. He was stronger.
"Follow my lead and everything will be fine," he just answered and put them in the correct position before he nudged her in the right direction. She was adorably clumsy at first, but she seemed to remember some basics, because she only stepped on his toes two times. Good thing that she didn't wear her usual boots.
"Nevarran court education coming through?" he asked her after they fell into a surprising ease.
"Actually, this was one of the more enjoyable things. I liked dancing when I was younger. The smooth and controlled movements, just like sword routines, require training and dedication," she said, a bit sadly, at the memory.
They moved in silence for a few heartbeats until Varric became aware of her proximity. Her slender hand in his broad one, the feeling of her skin under the silk of her dress, her smell like lavender, those two perfectly round breasts directly in front of his eyes and her bare thigh brushing against his leg from time to time. It all was just too distracting. He started to sweat and made a desperate attempt to pull his train of thoughts out of the gutter.
"Where have you hidden your weapons? And don't tell me you have none on you, I know you better than that." Her answer was open laughter, and he wondered when the last time was that anybody has been close enough to her to hear her unguarded like that.
"A dagger above my right ankle and another one on the inside of my left upper arm," she said, smiling at him.
"Practical places, easy to access," he nodded. He imagined how it would be to be a knife tied up to her.
Dwarf! Just... stop it.
"Yes. The Inquisitor instructed the seamstress to add this slit up the side of the dress. To give me more room to move. But I honestly think it only makes men stare at my legs," she sighed.
Oh.
"Can't really blame them, can you? They are great legs, Seeker," he winked at her and managed to not flush.
After all, he liked the view. Andrastes's wonderful tits, he wanted to do more than viewing. He smothered a grin when the compliment made her blush and he imagined her heartbeat quicken as he pulled her a bit closer.
When the second song ended, Varric lead her off the dance floor and said, "I could use some fresh air. Do you want something to drink? Nevarran red wine?" She nodded her assent and they went outside to the court yard with their drinks in their hands. When Cassandra saw how many other people had had the same idea, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly.
"Gardens?"
"Will it be less crowded?" Cassandra's voice sounded concerned. "I need some distance from all those... people."
"Her Inquisitorialness closed it so none of the stupid nobles would trample the herbs. They couldn’t distinguish elfroot from roses if their lives depended on it. But I have lockpicks with me. You are not the only one prepared for eventualities." He waggled his eyebrows and the Seeker gave her beautiful laughter once again.
After he made sure to lock the door to the garden again from the inside, they strolled between the plants to the rotunda.
"Soooo," Varric started casually and looked pointedly at an imaginary spot in front of them, "Met anybody interesting tonight?" He felt her tensing. For some entirely unknown reason, that was the first thing that popped out of his mouth. She hesitated and his heart fell, a long drop into the pit of his stomach.
"Those nobles Dorian introduced me to... they were going for an arranged marriage! With. Me. Didn't they learn anything in the past twenty years? Last time somebody tried to talk me into an arranged marriage, I broke his arm!" She spat out, fury burning in her eyes. "The only thing they are interested in is a bond to the Nevarran throne. They are not interested in me, and even less in what I want," she said, and he had to strain his ears to hear the last disappointed words.
"Will you tell stories in the tavern, again?" She then steered the conversation into safer waters. Of course, she just loved books and stories.
"Yeah. You'll hardly be there when I do, since it’s always late in the evening and you..." his voice trailed off and she looked crestfallen. "But I could tell you one now, if you want me to."
Her eyes lit up at that and they shone so brightly from deep within her that something struck Varric, hard and insistent. He stared at her for a second and he forgot about the story when he made a decision. Instead, he took her hand to press a gentle kiss on her scarred knuckles.
"You are beautiful."
"Varric..." her voice sounded tormented.
"Let's see where our story takes us, Seeker. I'd like to find out."
Cassandra didn't say anything for more than a handful of seconds and Varric started to become nervous, wondering if the Inquisitor had read her wrong, wondering if he was hoping for too much.
"I am not a little girl, Varric. I know how most arranged marriages usually work. Maker's breath, I was even offered arrangements exactly like that a few times tonight," she blurted out. "Whatever you have with Bianca, I refuse to be the 'other' woman," she said firmly. "And I won't be second to somebody who already holds your heart. Never."
Boom.
She definitely knew how to hit his weakest spot. He was silent for a few moments, holding her hand still, even as she tried to carefully extricate it from his. She deserved more than a short answer she'd likely consider lip service anyway.
"Bianca is past. She left a long time ago, and it took me a while to realize that it was she who left me, and not the Carta or her family keeping us apart all those years.” He looked at her and started to sink into her hazel eyes. The light in them confirmed his resolve.
"Too long," he continued, ripping his gaze from her. "And even if she came back tomorrow, how could I trust her again? I can't, and that realization hurt like hell. It's over. It's been over for a long time, and I'm ready to move on." It took him a lot of power to admit and actually articulate what had formed in his mind in the past weeks and months. He placed a quick kiss on the pulse point inside of her wrist, noticing that her resistance had melted away considerably at his words.
"I can't promise you a forever, Cassandra, and my writing skills with poems just suck," he glanced at her and caught a hidden smirk. "But I can pick you flowers and spin stories for you. Get you those pastries you like so much. Hell, I even wrote more of Swords and Shields for you, for what's that worth." That brought utter glee into her eyes and Varric figured he wouldn't get a better chance. He tugged her hand close to his chest and pulled her head down to him.
Her breath felt soothing on his hot skin, and his heartbeat was thrumming through his body. Cassandra's eyes sparkled with these wonderful amber speckles, her look changing from undecipherable to soft. He waited for one or two seconds to give her a chance to pull away if she preferred, and he prayed to whoever might be listening to a dwarf at that very moment that she wouldn't.
Their noses brushed slightly and his fingers stroked her jaw gently. It drove him near-crazy to almost feel her mouth on his, except for that tiny bit of distance that still separated them. Her arms curled softly around his neck, and then her eyes fluttered closed, just like the heroine's eyes always would in one of his novels, and she closed the gap between them.
Her lips were warm and she tasted like passion and bluntness when she deepened the kiss. Her fingers ran through his hair as her tongue traced his lips. He parted them to suck on her lower lip and she pressed her mouth against him, her tongue dancing with his. A content hum escaped her throat when he slid his hand down her waist and pulled her closer to him. In retaliation, she raked her fingers over his chest, firm enough that he felt the trail of her every nail on his skin, and he breathed in sharply.
He was sure he would get punched any second because he couldn't resist letting his hand travel down her thigh to get a grip on the bare skin showing there, but she only made a sound of pleasure and ground her body against his.
This feels like something good, he thought before a dizzy layer of relief covered his mind, and then he got lost in the way she tasted, the sweet suggestions of her kisses and the feel of her curves beneath his hands.
***
When they got back to the celebrations, only a little bit disheveled (or so they thought), the hall had emptied of most of the guests. Cassandra went straight to the table with the drinks and was fetching another glass of wine and a mug of ale for Varric. He looked after her, grinning smugly about the heat of their kisses still showing on her cheeks.
Varric went to Trevelyan and watched the dance floor with her. "You were right," he told her after a moment, and by the lighting up of her eyes and the smile, he knew she understood. She gave his shoulder an affirmative squeeze and watched Cassandra reappear with drinks in her hand.
"Inquisitor, would you also like something to drink?" She put their glasses on the next table and glanced at Trevelyan.
"Thank you, Cass, but I have to make sure that Bull and Sera behave just half an hour longer, so we can close this without incident. See you later at the Herald's Rest?" She cocked her head to the side questioningly. The Seeker nodded.
"One last dance for tonight, Seeker?" Varric looked up at Cassandra and held his hand out to her.
"Yes. Lead the way," she smiled and placed her hand in his.