Girl, be ambitious!

Chapter 3: Heightened

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30448620/chapters/86502721

Characters/Relationships: Carver Hawke/Nathaniel Howe (eventually…it’s getting there, I promise!), Stroud/Loghain (established)

Summary: The Wardens make their way toward Kal'Hirol with an increasingly agitated Carver. Nate and Carver almost kiss. Sort of. They also almost die. Not really the first or last time for either of them.

Warnings: near-drowning, suicidal ideation

Excerpt:

“How many – uh…I mean – did you make all the arrows you wanted to last night?” Carver stammers, trying to make small talk as he scrambles to equip his armor and gather up the bedroll Stroud loaned him. But thinking about arrows only makes him blush harder, and he turns away from him, hiding his face and praying silently to the Maker that Nate hasn’t noticed.

“Let us hope so,” Nate says and he pats the quiver strapped to his back.

Carver’s nerves are so frayed that he actually jumps at the sound of the arrows rattling around. He tries to cover his startled reaction by abruptly standing up and slinging the half-tied bedroll behind him, and really only succeeds in making himself light-headed and off-balance. He stumbles forward, but Nate crosses the distance between them in two long strides and grabs his arm to steady him.

“Whoah there…” he says, setting Carver back more firmly onto his feet, and checking to see that his eyes haven’t rolled all the way back into his head.

Carver’s face is so hot by now that he thinks he might melt. Or at least he wishes he would. He mumbles an incoherent and embarrassing “Whoah yourself…” but he’s not sure if any of it comes out until the word “Sorry” forms again somewhere between his garbled tongue and his teeth.

Nate lets go of his arm and bends down to pick up his sword for him. Carver grabs it from him with another apologetic grunt and then just stands there, staring awkwardly at the ground in front of him.

Chapter 1: New Recruit

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30448620/

Relationships: Carver/Nathaniel Howe, Stroud/Loghain

Summary: Carver wakes up in the Deep Roads and is pretty sure he’s dead. It doesn’t help that the first person he sees is his former Commander, Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir. Luckily, Stroud and Nate are there, too, and together, they help him through his Joining.

Warnings: not a whole lot to worry about in this chapter, but there will be some sexual content/Warden Joining horniness/sex pollen to come (pun not intended, but I’m not getting rid of it)

Excerpt:

“Er…what did you say your name was?” Loghain asks, glaring right back at Stroud. “In his rush to save you, it seems our Warden-Commander forgot to ask.”

With his mouth full, he starts to say, “Carv –” but he stops himself. He swallows, then says, “My friends call me Hawke.”

Stroud nods. “Well, it’s Warden Hawke, now.”

Oh shit. Carver definitely wasn’t ready to hear that. Halfway into his next spoonful, his stomach lurches again.

Blue Blood