A Candle in the Darkness (A Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfiction)

This Particular Move

12 Harvestmere, 9:41

Antonia stood up from behind her desk. She'd spent hours going over the papers on it, putting things in order, writing up reports from the last expedition, responding to correspondence, and it was only late morning, with another pile just waiting for her attention.

She stretched, feeling the cramped muscles in her back start to loosen. How did Josephine manage to do this all day, every day? It was no wonder the Antivan ambassador so looked forward to the afternoon tea and chat—well, really, more like a gossip session about members of various noble houses they knew in common—that she and Antonia shared whenever they could make the time.

Coming down from her quarters, Antonia walked out into the gardens. It was late fall and yet the plants were still in full bloom. The gardener had heartily concurred with Antonia's plan to focus on herbs for the kitchen and plants to be used in healing and in making potions, and the garden smelled divine. The scents of rosemary and basil, elfroot and the surprisingly pleasant seaside odor of spindleweed wafted through the air as she passed among them, and Antonia found herself smiling for the first time that day.

In the little pavilion across the garden, she spied Dorian. The mage must have found someone foolish enough to play chess with him, she thought, changing course to go see how the game was going. Not that she needed to wonder: Dorian would be winning. Dorian always won—except when he played with her. Antonia had spent a lot of time alone at a chess board, studying, in her childhood. Advantages to being bookish and alone, she thought, although she wasn't sure if she would have said the same at the time. It had been quite a solitary way to grow up.

To her surprise, as she drew closer, she recognized Cullen as Dorian's partner. Her steps—and her pulse—sped up. It was quite rare to find Cullen out of his office in the middle of the day like this, and she'd had no idea he played. She wondered how badly Dorian was beating him.

"Gloat all you want," Cullen was saying. "I have this one."

"Are you ... sassing me, Commander? I didn't know you had it in you."

Cullen sighed. "Why do I even—" Then he spied her coming toward them. With his innate courtesy, he started to rise from his seat. Dorian, naturally, did not—he didn't even spare Antonia a glance. For which she was grateful. No doubt he would have smirked, and she would have blushed, and really, that was the last thing she needed.

"Leaving, are you?" he said instead to Cullen. "Does this mean I win?"

At Antonia's wave of the hand, indicating they shouldn't stop playing on her account, Cullen retook his seat. "All right. Your move." He leaned forward, focusing on the board.

"You should prepare for my inevitable victory," Dorian said. "You'll feel much better." He moved a piece, and Cullen smiled broadly.

"Really? Because I just won." He placed the winning piece, then leaned back and grinned at Dorian. "And I feel fine."

To his credit, Dorian took the rare loss like a gentleman, giving Cullen a respectful nod of the head before getting out of his chair. "Don't get smug," he said over his shoulder. "There'll be no living with you. Antonia, my dear, I will see you later." He winked at her as he went past.

Cullen reached out to begin picking up the pieces. "I should return to my duties. Unless ..." He looked up at her as though it had just occurred to him that she might play. "Unless you would care for a game?"

"Prepare the board, Commander." She took a seat. Perhaps sitting over a chess board wasn't the best way to work out the kinks in her muscles after a morning of sitting over a desk, but this was an invitation she couldn't pass up.