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Darkness had descended on Skyhold by the time Denna, her companions, and their small battalion of soldiers returned to Skyhold. Logic said they should have set up camp near dusk and trekked the last few miles in the morning. The desire to sleep in their own quarters kept them moving. Sleepy pages helped unload supplies to be unpacked in the morning while droopy eyed stable hands took exhausted mounts to the stables for grain and a good night's rest on warm bedding. Denna and Bull oversaw most of the operation, until she could barely keep her eyes open.
Sleep drunk they made their way, half stumbling, from the stone and iron gates into Skyhold's vaulted ceiling great room. Blessedly empty, they trudged across the polished stone to the doors that led to her private quarters. Wordlessly they made their way up multiple flights of stairs. Their unexpected arrival meant her quarters were mostly unprepared. No warm bath or delicious smelling dishes waited for her arrival. Only a token fire had been set in the fireplace.
"Are you staying?" Denna's quiet question broke the silence of her room.
"Kadan, you could tell me a dragon had landed in the great hall and I still wouldn't walk down those stairs."
She let out an unladylike snort. "You're not getting into my bed with those clothes. They still smell of giant guts."
Bull shrugged, stripping out of his boots and pants. The sheath strapped to his back fell to the floor beside the bed. Usually he'd pick the clothing up, but that evening, neither seemed motivated by cleanliness. Denna had stripped down to a thin sheath, her own clothes balled up on the floor. Fighting their ever growing exhaustion, both crawled into the over sized bed Denna had requested for the room. It was one of her few splurges since becoming Inquisitor. Bull didn't spend many nights with her, out of respect for her position, yet she wanted him to be comfortable when he did.
Sleep came easily to both of them. Bull slept on his back while Denna migrated across the bed as she slept, her arm curling around his thick forearm. Neither noticed the dying embers in the fireplace slowly fade to a sooty grey. Though the large windows and doors of her quarters were pulled tightly shut against the cool night air, the early winter chill slowly seeped through. As the two slept on obliviously, the temperature in the room dropped slowly, but steadily.
The sun had risen past the skyline when Denna felt wide, heavy hands settle on her back, pulling her closer. Languid and disoriented from sleep, she barely registered the change in position. She let out an unhappy groan as he tugged her to rest on top of him. "Bull," she nearly whined, not wanting to open her eyes. "Not now hmm?"
A deep sigh and even breathing was her only response. Bull's arms loosened around her, nearly dead weights against her back. Confusion warred with exhaustion as she stretched slightly and cracked one eye open. The giant qunari beneath her appeared to still be asleep. His eyes were shut, mouth slightly slack. Deep, even breaths shifted her every so often. Unsure of what to do, Denna wiggled slightly to adjust the blankets around them.
Bull groaned, a deep guttural sound as his arms banded around her again. He seemed to wake long enough to mumble "Stop moving Kadan," before slipping back into a deep sleep. Denna couldn't think of a reason to leave the sleep warmed bed and allowed herself to drift off again.
Denna wasn't sure how much time had passed before she began to surface again. Still sprawled out across Bull, she felt his hands running up and down her back. Apparently while she slept, his hands had worked their way under her light cotton shift. She took a few selfish moments to enjoy the soft, affectionate touches before opening her eyes.
"Kadan? What are you doing on top of me?"
Denna propped herself up on an elbow. "You really don't remember?"
"Should I?"
"Early this morning you hauled me on top of you and told me to quit moving around before passing back out."
His laugh reverberated through her. "I wondered why I suddenly got warmer. Next time we need to remember to light a fire."
"Were you cold last night Bull?"
His hands tightened around her hips in warning. "Someone wouldn't let me wear my clothes to bed."
"You walk around half naked most of the time," she pointed out.
"That's different Kadan."
"So, in your sleep, you decided to use me as a bed warmer hmm?" Denna couldn't keep the teasing note out of her voice, knowing what might happen next.
She let out a delighted squeal as Bull flipped her underneath him. "And what if I did Kadan?" He pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. "Are you complaining?"
Suddenly serious, Denna reached up to cup his face. "Never. You're always welcome in my quarters and in my bed."
"Ahhh Kadan. You're too good for me, but I'm greedy enough to not let you go." Serious moment over, a sly smile worked its way over his face. "But can we get a fire going in this room? Josephine might have a fit if I keep you in bed all day to keep me warm."
Denna laughed and pushed at his chest. "Let me up you dragon and I'll get a fire started. You're lucky I'm a mage Bull."
"I'm lucky for a lot more than that."