The Great Hall at Vigil's Keep was much as Alec remembered it, noisy and full of raucous laughter and companionship. Nothing much seemed to have changed since his last visit, nearly eight years ago. And yet, he mused, as he reached for his tankard, things couldn't have been more different.

The last time he'd been here had been just weeks after he'd returned from Halamshiral. Right after he'd lost his hand. The pain had been fresh back then, raw and unmitigated by time. And he'd been on his own, a lonely traveler trying to come to terms with an uncertain future.

This time, he'd arrived at the Keep together with Dorian, his beloved partner of many years, and their adopted son, Corin. A family, of sorts. Corin was Alec's nephew, and he was a mage, which would have made him an outcast back home. Far better for him to grow up in Tevinter, as Magister Pavus' son and heir. He'd thrived in Dorian's home, and he was almost of age now, his powers fully developed, even if he still had some growing up left to do.

More things had changed. Back then, eight years ago, Alec had still seen himself as 'the Inquisitor' first and foremost. Nowadays, his time with that infamous organization was just a distant memory, of fighting demons and closing fade rifts, of unlikely friendships and uneasy alliances. These days, his time was taken up with the daily business of managing his estate, and an occasional rooftop run in Sera's company.

"Alec." Nate Howe smiled at him over the rim of his own tankard. "It's good to have you back here with us."

"Indeed it is." Next to him, Megan Cousland grinned, her green eyes twinkling merrily. "And about time, too."

Alec nodded in silent agreement. It was true. He should have made time for a visit long ago. He had missed his Warden friends. Nate regularly showed up in Kirkwall, but he hadn't seen Megan or Carver in ages, and he felt bad about it, even though none of them was the type to hold a grudge.

Dorian, who was sitting right opposite him at the long table, caught his eye and gave him a warm, encouraging smile. Alec was sincerely grateful his lover had agreed to come along on this visit. Dorian was fully aware of the attraction Alec felt towards Nate, of course, an attraction that had been sizzling for years and that was entirely mutual. Neither of them had ever acted on it, though. It had always seemed safer to leave things well alone.

A gust of laughter from a table at the other side of the room momentarily distracted Alec from his thoughts. Corin was sitting there, with a bunch of younger Wardens, and it was obvious that the boy was having a good time. His handsome face, so much like Alec's at that age, was flushed with wine and excitement, and his fingertips were crackling with magic. Clearly, he was enjoying the fact that here, at the Keep, he didn't have to hide his powers, like he did at Kirkwall or the family estate near Ostwick. Here, among the Wardens, mages were accepted and even appreciated, much as they were in Tevinter.

Corin was by no means the only young mage in their present company either. Alec knew that Megan regularly sent her Wardens to the Circles to recruit. There were always those who preferred the hardships of life among the Grey to being locked up in the safety of the Mage Towers. Just like the pretty girl seated right next to Corin. She was a bit older than him, maybe eighteen or nineteen, with a cloud of black hair surrounding her pale, proud face, and she seemed quite taken with him.

Corin for his part, couldn't take his eyes off her. Alec had to hide a smile when the boy extended his hand and, without apparent effort, made a large red rose appear from thin air, handing it to the girl with a fetching blush.

Dorian appeared to have noticed it, too. He raised an eyebrow at Alec who shrugged in response. "Aw, come on. It was you who taught him that spell, right?"

"I did, but…" Dorian cleared his throat. "Don't you think we should-"

"What's the matter?" Megan threw him a questioning look, then followed his gaze to the youngsters' table where the girl had now moved so close to Corin that she was practically sitting in his lap. "Ah. It appears that Alyssa has taken an interest in your boy."

Carver raised his head. "Alyssa? You'd better stop them soon if you don't want things to go too far. She's only been a Warden for a week or so. Girl's pretty desperate to get-" He caught himself just in time, blushing fiercely. "Sorry. But you know how it is."

Dorian tilted his head questioningly. "Actually no, I don't. What do you mean?"

Nate's expression was one of grim amusement. "It's a common side effect of the Joining. Increased sexual appetites. It will wear off in time, but right now…" He gestured toward the girl whose hand was resting on Corin's thigh now. "If the two of them leave this room, I bet Corin will be in for an interesting night."

"Well, in that case…" Dorian was about to get to his feet.

But Alec stopped him with a quick gesture. "Leave him be, Dorian. He's not a child anymore. Why shouldn't he? It's about time, really."

"I beg your pardon?" Dorian's moustache was quivering with indignation. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." Alec did his best to keep his tone soothing.

Holding Dorian's gaze, he reached for his hand and squeezed it briefly, giving him a pleading look. He didn't want to have this discussion here and now, and he hoped Dorian would understand without words.

Dorian inhaled sharply, but when he saw the expression in Alec's eyes, he visibly relaxed. "You're right. He's old enough."

Megan and her lovers had followed their little exchange quietly, without getting involved, but they shared a quick smile when, a little while later, Corin and the girl disappeared into the darkness.

When dinner was over, Alec and Dorian joined Megan and her men in her suite for a drink, just like the last time they had visited. They made themselves comfortable on cushions arranged in a half circle around the fireplace, sharing a bottle of wine and swapping stories of their various exploits. Dorian still seemed subdued, though, and Alec felt a faint tinge of worry at the sight of his expression.

"Dorian? Are you all right?" It was Carver who asked, with a sweet, guileless smile.

"I'm fine." Dorian shook himself, as if to drive away a fly. "Just… A bit worried about Corin, to be honest."

"No need for that." Nate grinned suggestively. "I'd wager my bow that he's in a very happy place right now."

Megan made a small noise of agreement and placed her head in Nate's lap. Carver nodded, but stayed quiet.

Alec himself didn't quite manage to hide his impatience, though. "Oh come on, Dorian. When I was his age, I couldn't wait to finally do the deed either. I have rather fond memories of my first woman, as a matter of fact."

"Do you, now?" Megan's lips curved up in a slow, lazy smile. "Please do tell. I love a good first time story."

"Ah, no." Alec grinned. He knew Megan well enough to know that it wasn't wise to give in too easily if he didn't want to end up wrapped around her little finger like all her Wardens. "If we do this, I won't be the only one. I want everyone's story then, and I won't go first either. Come on, guys. Your first man, your first woman, or both, as the case may be? What about you, Carver? Nate? What was it like?"

"Not much to tell in my case." Carver shrugged, doing his best to appear unconcerned. "Both of them are right here in this room. Megan seduced me on my first day at the Keep, right after my Joining. Nate joined in not much later. And I've got no complaints about either experience." He smiled shyly at both of his lovers.

Alec smiled. It was kind of adorable when Carver put it like that. "And you, Nate?"

"Isn't it your turn?" Nate shoved him none-too-gently with his elbow, but he proceeded anyway, with a good-natured smile. "My first girl was a courtesan my father paid for me. In a high-class brothel in Orlais." He made a face. "It was okay, but looking back I'd have preferred a partner who cared, not, you know, a professional. She was perfectly sweet about it, but still… Anyway, the first man I was with was another squire, during my time in Ansburg. His name was Arryn, and he was cute. Blond, blue eyes, the face of an angel. We shared a room, and one thing led to another, and… yeah, well. You can imagine the rest."

"But wasn't there a rumour about a stable boy, right before you left?" Megan frowned. "I always figured that was why your father sent you away."

"Oh, that." It was Nate's turn to blush. "Yeah, Jamie… We messed around a bit and my father caught us with our pants down, so to speak, but we didn't actually-" He broke off. "I'm just glad he got away before my father got his hands on him. He was furious."

Alec sighed. "Poor you. Well, I guess I can no longer put it off, can I?"

"Nope." Megan was sitting up now, grinning at him with open curiosity. "Out with your story."

"Weeeeell…" Alec paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Dorian knew the tale, of course, but he'd never told it to anyone else. He wasn't going to mention his disastrous first attempt at sleeping with a girl, the one that he owed his scar to, so he skipped straight to his actual first time.

"My sister Ailsa had this friend, let's call her Helen, who was married young, to a much older man. They lived in Ostwick at first, but he got jealous, said she'd been flirting too much with other men, and he ended up locking her away in his country estate." He paused for breath. "Anyway, one day, I had just turned seventeen, Ailsa asked me to escort her there for a visit. And while we were there…"

He closed his eyes, recalling that long-past summer. 'Helen', whose real name had been Kathryn, had been twenty-three or twenty-four back then, a tall, lithe beauty with sad grey eyes and the softest, sweetest lips. From the moment he'd greeted her, with a polite little bow, he'd felt her eyes on him, warm and gentle, like a caress. He'd been flattered, of course, but also a little overwhelmed.

As soon as they'd all withdrawn for the night, she showed up on his doorstep, clad in nothing but a lacy nightgown. For a heartbeat, he was too stunned to react.

"What's the matter, Alec? Don't you want me?" There was a hint of insecurity in her voice, beneath the bravado, and it was strangely touching.

"It's not that," he hastened to reassure her. "It's just that I've never-"

"Don't worry." Taking his hand, she guided it to her perfect round breast. "I'll show you."

There had been no question of resisting after 'd been so eager, so starved for love and admiration, and she'd felt so amazing around him, snug and warm and wonderful… Alec almost moaned aloud at the vivid memory.

"Helen seduced me, and I loved every minute of it." He cleared his throat.

"And your first man?" There was a rough edge to Nate's tone. His eyes were fixed intently on Alec's face, as if he was trying to read his thoughts.

Alec realized that they were rapidly leaving their usual safe distance behind. He hesitated before he went on, instinctively looking to Dorian for guidance, but his lover just nodded at him to continue.

"My first man… was an elf, actually. An archer." Ignoring Nate's amused snort and Megan's whispered of course, Alec closed his eyes again. "He was the leader of a mercenary troop my father had hired for the summer. I used to hang out with his men, to watch them practice, and he noticed me and started teaching me a few tricks. I… I had quite the crush on him, and one day he took me to his quarters and asked me what was up. So I told him."

Alec shivered. It had taken all his courage to confess his feelings back then, but Maker, had it been worth it! Finnian had listened quietly to his stammerings, his face unreadable, and then, when Alec had tried to sneak out, his face hot with shame, had grabbed him by his jerkin and kissed the living daylights out of him.

"Turns out he wanted it just as much as I did." Alec's heart beat faster at the memory. It had been… wild and rough and hot, and Alec had been completely overcome by Finn's caresses, by the feel of his lean, hard body pressed up against his, the hoarse voice telling him to relax, to let go, to give in to the pleasure washing through his veins.

He'd come back for more as soon as he'd dared. It hadn't lasted long, of course, since they couldn't risk his father finding out about it, but Alec would never forget it. Damn it, Finn. Where are you now? Are you even still alive? Alec was powerless against the sudden sharp stab of nostalgia that made his eyes sting.

"So that's my story," was all he said aloud. "Megan?"

"I slept with my dancing teacher when I was sixteen. He was Orlesian, from Lydes, and he'd been flirting with me for months, but he probably hadn't expected anything to come of it. Until I asked him for some very specific lessons." Megan sounded light and casual, as if she was really talking about advanced dance moves. "I didn't care for him, but I wanted it out of the way and he was skilled enough. As for women…" She blew a quick kiss at Carver. "Carver introduced me to an unforgettable pirate captain once, but apart from her I've never been interested. Sorry."

Alec wouldn't have minded hearing more about the pirate lady, but it was clear Megan didn't want to go into details. "Dorian? What about you?" She tilted her head invitingly at him.

"Nothing quite so exciting, I'm afraid." Dorian was obviously aiming for the same flippant tone as Megan had. "An older friend seduced me at a party in Minrathous. It was all very embarrassing, and we never talked about it afterwards."

Alec knew there was quite a bit more to the story, but he didn't blame Dorian for keeping the details to himself. Most of the others had probably done the same. He was actually surprised that Dorian had gone along with the game at all. It spoke volumes about how much more reassured and confident Dorian had become, where their relationship was concerned. He'd never have agreed to this ten years ago.

The atmosphere in the room had heated up considerably, with all this talk of sex and seduction. Nate was shifting irritably on his cushion, and Carver kept sneaking looks at Dorian. And Megan…

Megan got to her feet with a quick, fluid motion and stretched slowly, shaking out her hair. "Well, I don't know about you, guys, but I'm getting all hot and bothered here, so I figure it's time to send Alec and Dorian off to their room, so we can work off some of the tension."

Alec was still struggling to come to terms with her bluntness, when Carver sat up slowly, his eyes firmly fixed on Dorian's face. "You think, Meg? Maybe we should ask them what they want."

Huggles and thanks to my amazing beta suilven. And to all of you - I hope you're all doing well and are glad for a little diversion.