#fcousland x nathaniel

[saint-jimmys]

Stolen Glances

Day 8 of @14daysdalovers

Word Count: 1,300

Pairing: F!Cousland x Nathaniel

Summary:  After a lengthy ceremony at Vigil's Keep, Minerva and Nathaniel reveal their true feelings.

Notes: Omg I have fallen so behind on these D: I’ve had a lot to do recently so I’m trying my best! I have Day 5 almost done, BUT I was super eager to write this one so it’s out first lol

Available on AO3!

Tonight, Minerva would officially become the Arlessa of Amaranthine. Befitting tradition, there would be an official ceremony beginning with her vassals’ oath pledging, followed by a formal dinner and social gathering. With everything that had come up in the past month since she’d arrived, however, Minerva postponed this for as long as she could. Amaranthine had far more pressing matters to attend to with the darkspawn and the people of the arling that she felt that one night of ceremony could wait. Though as recent events had temporarily settled down, she knew that this had to happen soon, lest she never hear the end of it from her personal advisors.

Minerva now stood at the closed doors leading to the main hall, eyes closed as she took on an almost meditative state to attempt to ease her nerves. She reminded herself that this was a much smaller affair than the Landsmeet of months before. If she could handle the eyes of all of Ferelden’s most important nobility on her, she knew she could handle this.

When Minerva felt ready, she opened her eyes and had the guards open the doors.

“...Warden Commander of Ferelden, and now Arlessa of Amaranthine, Minerva Cousland!”

The tail end of the announcement came from Varel, the seneschal, as she entered the main hall. All of the nobles from her domain were already there and had their attention on her as she walked past them. 

Minerva was not dressed in her standard warden uniform, as she had to during most occasions in recent days. Instead, she wore a formal olive green dress with a golden trim, fitted at the body and loose in its long skirt. The sleeves were also fitted about three-fourths of the way down before billowing out at the ends. Her brown hair was half-pinned up with the rest falling in waving locks that ran past her shoulders. Minerva intended to make a statement in this way. The color of her dress meant to pay homage to her family’s heraldry, as it closely resembled the shade of the crest’s laurel wreath, and the formality of it meant to show that she took her noble role seriously, just as she did her warden duties. Judging by the expressions she caught, she felt she had succeeded.

Of everyone in the room, however, her dark eyes settled on one person’s briefly. Nathaniel stood away from sight of most of the nobility, but he stood out to her.  Perhaps because deep down, Minerva sought him. His expression was stern and he met her gaze head on. She was pleasantly surprised for she hadn’t expected him to come. Was this a silent show of his support? It might just be wishful thinking. Although they had steadily reconciled in the past month and perhaps even reignited feelings long thought gone, there was still an uncertainty to their interactions. Nothing was spoken of this yet or had been set in stone, leaving room for doubt.

Regardless, these small moments which indicated some mutual flicker of something made her stomach flutter. This lasted for a few seconds before she cleared her mind and prepared for the evening ahead.

***

The oaths of fealty went by smoothly, and the dinner and celebration afterwards went on just as well. She made it her goal to listen to most of her vassals’ grievances, knowing it was only a matter of time before she had to address them in some way or form. Yet despite her best attempts to focus, she often found herself distracted by the one gaze she felt on her throughout the night. And whenever she could, Minerva would steal glances in his direction as well.

What could he be thinking, she wondered, as she returned to her conversation with Lord Eddelbrek. Minerva smiled and nodded as she listened to him express his surprise at her having remembered him from her youth. It went on this way as she chatted with various others until the end of their gathering. All the nobility had either left of their own accord or were politely called away by Varel, leaving her and the seneschal to speak.

“Tonight was a great success,” Varel said, smiling, “I must admit, however, that there are some characters we must pay special attention to...namely Bann Esmerelle, but I am certain that can come with time.”

“I’ll keep tabs on her,” she replied, giving him a pleasant smile, “Thank you, Varel. You’ve been a great help this evening.”

“It is my pleasure.” He glanced over at the one person who had not yet left, gave him a nod and then another nod of departure to Minerva. “Commander.”

Varel strode off, leaving her alone with Nathaniel. When the doors to the main hall closed shut behind Varel, Nathaniel turned to her.

“I’ve never seen half of those people as happy as you’ve made them tonight. You’ve left them positively radiant,” he commented, taking a few steps towards her.

“Is that a bad thing?” she questioned curiously as she took a few steps of her own.

“No,” he said, confidently, “In my opinion, this is a good start to getting Amaranthine to where it needs to be. People need to feel enthusiasm again. They need to feel like they’re heard. And I’m not ignorant, even I can see that this place has fallen decrepit in the time I’ve been gone.”

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, that is certain. I just hope I am up to the task.”

Nathaniel scoffed, “Hah. You’re the Hero of Ferelden, I’m certain that you are.”

“So they say,” she said, a small smile on her lips. “I have to admit, I am surprised you came.”

“I found myself...interested in what our new Arlessa had to say.”

“And what did you think?”

He remained quiet for some time as if mulling over his response. Finally he said, “I thought that you are all the things my father was not. And that the role of Arlessa suits you.”

His tone was genuine. Any and all bitterness that had prevailed in him from the start had ebbed away with time and perhaps had culminated to this moment. Her eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but before she could recompose herself, Nathaniel further closed the space between them. He reached for her hand, thoughtfully.

“There was a time when I thought you would’ve made the ideal Arlessa. Do you remember? It seems like it happened almost a lifetime ago, yet the Maker still brought you back here. I look at you now and…” he trailed off and frowned slightly. Almost hesitatingly, he pulled his hand away. “You’ve done well.”

Abruptly, Nathaniel began to walk away from her, but she wasn’t about to let him go. Not this time. Before he could get anywhere, Minerva stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

“Nathaniel, wait.”

He turned back to look at her with a pained expression.

“What is this? Between us?” she asked, getting close to him again. “I want to know. I need to know.” 

Minerva had a sense of what might be, but she did not want to fall for a delusion. If there was nothing to be had between them, she’d rather hear it now than later.

Nathaniel looked into her eyes for some time before breathing out a sigh. “...I never stopped loving you, Minerva.”

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until he spoke; her heart pounding in her chest as the implication of what he’d just said dawned on her. Minerva attempted to speak herself, but was hushed when Nathaniel pressed his lips against hers in a kiss.

In truth, there was really nothing she could say. Her own “I love you” was woven into the way she eagerly returned his kiss and embrace.

[wardenari]

Nathaniel/Cara Cousland

All day today I’m going to post smut one shots or from longer fics in support of some mutuals that have gotten anon hate for daring to write sex. Honestly, except for “That Night” which I shared last week (but I can share again if you missed it) I’m not sure these are as sexy as what others have -- having said that, if you DO like something I wrote -- PLEASE tell me as insecure writer is insecure.

This is from my modern AU “Don’t Know What You Got (Til It’s Gone)” If you read the fic PLEASE pay attention to the TWs. I warn you in the author notes for those chapters so it’s easier to avoid if you need.

Some Nathaniel/Cara fun:

Nate bent down and picked her up, supporting her knees with one arm, her back with another as he continued kissing her and walked them into the living room. He laid her down on the couch, watching her as he toed off his shoes, reaching down and pulling off hers as well. He then laid down next to her.

His kissing resumed, as his hand tugged at her shirt, slipping his fingers underneath once it was free from her jeans. He ran his fingertips along her stomach, sending shivers down her spine. “Tell me this is ok,” he said against her lips.

Cara nodded, “Yes.”  

She began tugging at his shirt until he relented, and reached back, pulling it off completely. Cara let out an appreciative groan, running both hands over his pecs, down to his hard abdomen, feeling the muscles ripple under her touch. Anders hadn’t been kidding about how good of shape he was in. Cara felt a delicious urge to run her tongue over those defined muscles.

Nate bent to press his lips along her hips, thwarting her plans, but it felt too good for her to feel too disappointed. Cara lifted them in response, her hand running through his hair as she moaned. His lips were hot, and she shivered at the sensations they were causing in her. Her insides quivered as her breathing sped up. He kept his mouth moving up her torso, licking and kissing, pulling the most amazing sounds from her.

“Mmm, I want to hear more of that. I love the sounds you make for me,” Nate groaned against her skin, his hands tightening slightly along her sides.

He pulled her shirt up and off of her. His hand slid behind her back, and a moment later the bra was loose. She barely had time to register he was pushing her bra up before his lips wrapped around a nipple. The tip of his tongue flicked along it, mimicking an action she wanted his mouth to do lower on her body.

“Fuck,” she whispered, fingers tightening in his hair. She pressed her thighs together and squirmed needing friction. Her sexual frustration had been building in her ever since their first date, and she felt as if she was ready to explode.

Nate felt himself growing harder, the taste of her skin was familiar, exciting. He had spent too long dreaming of the sounds she made when he touched her, hearing it in real life was extremely stimulating. He knew then no one else would ever be as good as she was for him. No one else could live up to the way she made him feel, the way she unraveled him with just a look. He released the breast, moving onto the other one. His tongue teased the hard peak, causing Cara to bend her back, moaning loud. Her fingers dug into his shoulders.

“Nate, please,” she pleaded.

Read the rest on AO3