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“Ser Aclassi?”
Krem glanced up at the sound of his name, just in time to see an Inquisition scout drop down into a bow before straightening once more.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I have a message for you, ser. From the Inquisitor.”
Krem’s cheeks warmed, and he hoped it wasn’t as obvious as he felt. “Thank you for delivering it,” he said, glad his voice at least managed to stay fairly stable.
The scout nodded and passed over the little piece of folded parchment. She dipped down into another bow before she turned to walk out of the Herald’s Rest. Once she was out of sight, Krem broke the wax seal and unfolded the paper. In Sulahn’s scrawling hand was a simple message.
We need to talk. Meet me in the war room.
Krem grimaced a little, thinking back to the reports that he had submitted to her when he and the Chargers had returned from scouting the ruins of Haven. Had his findings upset her? Or did she believe he had forgotten a few details in his reports? Or did she simply want to discuss strategies with him before presenting them to her other advisors? He shook his head a little bit, reminding himself that he would find out soon enough.
Now if only he could stop the hammering in his chest at the prospect of seeing the Inquisitor. Ever since the rest of the Chargers had found out about his crush on Sulahn Lavellan, the young man had become hyper-aware of his actions around the Inquisitor.
He wanted it to stop.
He was acting like some giddy adolescent, naïve and brand-new to the ways of love and romance. It was stupid.
He shook his head at himself, and turned towards the tavern door. Sulahn was rarely idle, and it was in his best interest to hurry.
A few minutes later, he was pushing open the heavy wooden door of the war room. Ahead of him, Sulahn was placing some of the metal pieces that marked the Inquisition forces. Her brow furrowed as her violet eyes scanned the map, and then she reached out to rearrange a few markers.
Krem cleared his throat a little to announce his presence. “You wanted to see me, Your Worship?”
Her gaze flicked up towards him, and she straightened up. “First of all, thank you for going out to Haven for me. It has lifted some of the weight from my shoulders. Eased some of my worries.”
“Of course, Your Worship. It’s what we’re here for.”
She nodded a little. “Now…What’s this about a bet amongst the Chargers?”
Krem stiffened, but tried not to react beyond that. If she was referring to the bet he assumed she was talking about…Andraste’s tits, who told her?
“A-a bet, Your Worship?” he asked, opting to feign ignorance in case she was referring to something else.
Sulahn was silent for what felt like an agonizing period of time, in which she tilted her head slightly and studied his face, her own expression unreadable. As the silence stretched on, Krem fought the urge to fidget and shift from foot to foot. Eventually, the Inquisitor shifted her weight and lightly crossed her arms, a devilish smirk spreading across her features. Krem’s heart dropped to his stomach.
It was indeed the bet he feared.
“Yes, a bet. According to an ale-addled Rocky, your fellow mercenaries have coin riding on you, Ser Aclassi.”
Krem fought the groan that threatened to leave his lips. The Inquisitor was far too amused at his expense.
Sulahn must have noticed the way he still grimaced, however, because she let out a laugh and lowered her arms to her sides, her all posture relaxing. “Krem, you should’ve told me.”
“I…didn’t think it would be appropriate, Your Worship.”
“Sulahn,” she corrected.
That gave him pause. She…hadn’t asked him to be so informal before. He swallowed thickly before he continued. “Sulahn, you’re the Inquisitor. You have to deal with enough snide remarks about your race. I doubted you would want to add on a controversial relationship on top of it.”
“Aren’t all of my relationships controversial?” she asked.
Krem paused once more. “Well…I suppose you have a point.”
Sulahn smiled a little, and moved away from the war table, crossing the room towards him. Krem was all-too-aware of the way his heart raced once more, and then of the way his breath hitched when she took hold of his hands in hers.
“Krem…I will lead the Inquisition in this battle against Corypheus. And I may still be standing here right now, but I chalk that up more to dumb luck than divine intervention. But, as dire as it sounds, I have my doubts about my survival.” As she spoke, she avoided looking at him, her gaze fixated on the flagstones beneath their feet.
“Call me selfish,” she continued, “but I can’t go through this on my own. So many people demand so much of me, so shouldn’t I afford myself some semblance of happiness in the meantime?”
Sulahn let out a sigh, and finally fixed her violet gaze on his hazel one. “Krem…Ar lath ma.”
A grin spread across his face. “I may not know much Elven, but I have a pretty good guess what you just said.” He broke one of his hands free from her grasp, laying his palm against her scarred cheek and drinking in the sight of her face.
After a few moments, he finally willed himself to angle his face down towards hers, and kissed her. When he pulled back, Sulahn’s cheeks were flushed, and a giddy smile graced her features.
“Did anyone bet that I would confess to you first?” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Krem let out something that was both a laugh and a groan before he replied. “The whole company gets to pay the Chief.”