#i love you gwaren

[gwah--ren]

thinking about how woodcarving and leatherwork become a staple of gwaren like serault and glass. are you following me here. leather armor from gwaren featuring intricate stitching designs and carving into the pauldrons... the ships crafted in gwaren being more works of art than regular sailing vessels... gwaren becoming a sort of hub of culture and art but not in the pretentious way val royeaux has... are you seeing my vision...

[cabeswaterdrowned]

hmm random but does anyone have any ideas or headcanons about what Adam and Jordan’s dynamic would be like?

[qunaricatnip]

Hiiiii it's me the person who reblogged your post about the Cousland x Loghain marriage (this is my main blog but 99% of my tumblr activity is through my side blog queenmelisende sorry for the confusion lol). Lets talk about Ferelden nobility. Their marriage would be an insanely good political alliance -- the two teyrnirs of Ferelden uniting? Cailan should be quaking in his boots. You said she would eat him alive??? I am desperate for more elaboration.

hi!! this is a sideblog too so no worries! but yeah cailan absolutely should be worried but the best part is, at least in my little au, he’s like…. 12 when all this is happening so all he really knows is that uncle loghain is leaving him (and anora) and it’s gonna be a while before they can see each other again :( it’s really maric that should be worried (and is) because he had to make a lot of concessions to the couslands for bryce and eleanor to be okay letting their baby girl go clean up maric’s mess (even if she really wanted it for spite reasons).

Tl;dr siobhan cousland was planning a coup from jump because she was raised to be queen and got told no and then maric dropped the perfect opportunity in her lap with a bow and his blessing, loghain was both collateral and a prize

siobhan in this au was born before the occupation technically ended and so her parents, still in the rebellion mindset of “ferelden first” was sort of groomed to believe that she’d one day be queen of ferelden because she’s the only noble girl within marrying age of cailan right up until anora is born and maric and/or rowan lose their minds. the couslands are Important, second to only the royal family and that shows in siobhan’s upbringing- she’s very politically minded, everything is duty/responsibility/optics with her and that’s something that (imo) would and should drive loghain crazy.

Politically on paper, her and loghain are an amazing match after celia dies right up until we remember that a) the couslands have already married their son and heir to a well known/regarded antivan trading family creating ties to a foreign, unallied country without the crowns express permission right after a war and b) loghain for all his accomplishments is not a man made for politics in any capacity that man is a Follower, he’s the type of person that need to be wholly devoted to a person/cause and c) uniting the only two surviving teyrnir’s is actually a recipe for disaster because oh my god why would you even think that maric that’s giving your subjects too much power and influence even with ferelden’s weird political structure

and siobhan knows this!! she knows that the people of gwaren don’t feel safe or supported by their teyrn and abandoned by their king and she’s also been personally slighted by the crown twice now!! so she graciously concedes to step in and throw the weight of her name around to build gwaren back up to the prominence it once had before the occupation gutted the city all while subtly reminding people that it was the couslands that actually care about the people of ferelden, its cousland gold bolstering the economy, its cousland trading partners bringing ships back into port without even saying anything because she’s a mac tir now after all that would just be gauche to rely on her maiden family name. its siobhan that runs the show and every single person in gwaren knows it, loghain is just insurance in the beginning (before whoops they’re actually in love your honor)

[daisymeade]

Introduce your Hero of Ferelden

31 Days of DA : Day 1

Heulwen Surana

Pictures after the cut at the end

Born 22 Wintermarch 9:11 in the Highever Alienage to Dimas Surana, the son of Rivaini immigrants, and Braith Vethavin, daughter of a Fereldan father and Antivan mother.

Her love of the stars came from her mother, who died from recurrent respiratory infections when Heulwen was five.

Nana Nerys, her maternal great-grandmother, would tell her stories as a child of elven heroes like the Hero of Fourth Blight, Garahel, and the Night Elves of the Rebellion. The latter, along with him already being a national hero, caused Heulwen to hero-worship the Teryn of Gwaren.

Knows sign language. Telor, her maternal grandfather, was made mute by an Orlesian before the rebellion.

Braith was a storyteller, Dimas loved to paint, Nerys was a poet, and Telor was once a singer. Heulwen is insecure about the fact that she was never any good at artistic pursuits. (Jokes on her. She loves maps and can draw one well but considers that practical not artistic).

Her magic manifested when she was eight years old, near the alienage's vhenadahl. An outburst of anger called down lightning on other children bullying her friends, injuring several of them...including her closest friend who ran screaming in terror.

Dimas made it in time to say goodbye and give his necklace to his daughter before the Templars arrived. He pays a neighbor to help write to her until his death when Heulwen is 13.

Before the Circle, she was much like her mother: bright and sociable. At Kinloch, she became shy and throws herself into studying, determined that if she couldn't leave then the Templars would never find fault with her as a mage. Knowledge and competence was safety.

She was in love with Solona Amell (the feeling was mutual) but was too nervous to pursue anything and was devastated upon learning that Amell, Uldred's apprentice, was a blood mage.

Ser Carroll attacked her when she was sixteen, leaving scars between her shoulder blades from his mace. Her crime was putting her hand on his arm when she thought he was being unnecessarily rough with another apprentice. He was moved upstairs with the plan to move him back down to the apprentice floor once Heulwen passed her Harrowing and moved upstairs herself. He was only punished because she was Irving's apprentice; the older mages told her that she should have known better.

Jowan, a year older than her, was assigned to be her guide when she first came to the Circle. It was common to see the two young apprentices walking around holding hands as Heulwen got nervous easily and would run off to hide otherwise (something that she would get in trouble for. One time a Templar had to pull her out from under a bed by an ankle as she wailed).

She immediately bonds with Duncan, a fellow Highevrian of Rivaini descent. He was little older than Dimas would have been and she knows logically that this will be her commander, but she feels an intense kinship and when he tells her, "I believe you will become the best of us," Heulwen holds that in her heart for the rest of her life.

In my canon, Heulwen recruits Jowan to the Wardens and Riordan puts him through the Joining alongside Loghain after the Landsmeet. Jowan really is the linchpin of this story because my girl would never have accepted Morrigan's ritual, but my favorite wet malewife malefirat would.

Heulwen and Loghain never learn why he survives killing the Archdemon (she's very happy about the fact; Loghain insists she take the credit), Jowan leaves with Morrigan through the Eluvian, and I get several fun little side stories my brain will never let me actually write.

Heulwen is a devout Andrastian. While Leliana is one of her closest friends and trusts that she'll do the best she can, Heulwen still doesn't have faith in the Chantry.

She's always felt like an outsider among her own people.* As a city elf because she was a mage. As a mage because she hated the Circle and wasn't "grateful" to not be in the alienage. Among the Dalish because she was deeply Andrastian. But she butts heads with no one more than elven Qunverts who say that the Qun is the solution. That as elves it's a better and safer place because for Heulwen, as a mage, it's not.

The only place that has never summoned her sense of alienation was the Grey Wardens, no matter how Weisshaupt pushed, because it was her sense of duty that filled her with belonging.

Also Zevran. Her husband Zevran is the sun that waits at the end of the end of the long, deep road that is her duty. Cause who doesn't like some cheese for their angst bread?

The languages she knows are Old Tevene, Elvhen, Antivan, CSL (Common Sign Language), Orlesian, and passable Dwarvish and Anderisch

Her favorite past times are cartography, astronomy, herbology, entomology, and research.

Her mabari's full name is Mithrahn'dahr or "dog with teeth like saws" as attested by Eyas and Talfryn Mahariel.

A Very Autistic Elf. Has a very Elle Woods attitude of, "What, like it's hard?"

Her specialization is a lightning elementalist, Arcane Warrior, and spirit healer. The healing doesn't come easily easily to her and is mainly a supplement to her traditional healing.

She still carries her longsword Spellweaver by 9:52.

Loves soup, coffee, and licorice

Sexuality is biromantic greysexual. She enjoys kissing and cuddling and her love language is acts of service.

Her closest friends are Leliana, Loghain, Anora, Oghren, and Nate

Not Fun Facts: Young Heulwen was merciful to a fault. Her entire thing during Origins was that, "I'm a Warden. I'm meant to kill darkspawn, not people." That said, had she been given the chance, knowing what he'd done, she would have conscripted Rendon Howe. Also, after forcing him to leave the captives and documents, Heulwen let Caladrius escape with his life, something she regrets deeply down the line.

Her game decisions:

Saves Connor with Circle mages. Finding out that the possessed don't need to be killed pushed Heulwen even further from the Chantry.

Peace with Dalish and werewolves

Anvil destroyed, Bhelen made king

Avernus conducts ethical research. Heulwen is very interested in all of his research and even brings him the Architect's things after Awakening.

Alistair rules with Anora

Saves Amaranthine City and Vigil's Keep. Nothing better than a good dwarven-built wall! The Hero of Orzammar doesn't skimp on her fortifications or craftsfolk.

Kills the Architect. She allowed Garevel to let The Messenger go but allying with the Architect would have been a step too far in her eyes.

*her feelings of alienation come from my own. those ocs do be reflections haha

art by @/ayumeart, @/themaybug, and @/birdcrow

[morganaseren]

yeesss anora OUR beloved! looking forward to reading anything you write about her <3

Oh! I didn't think anyone would be interested in my WIPs for Anora! 👀

Admittedly, my two main ideas with her are just a handful of sentences at the moment. I don't have anything too concrete yet, but, hey, maybe you or one of my other readers might like them!

Queen Anora and the Royal Archmage

An alternative to Niamh's Origins ending.

I still don't know if I'll have Anora rule alone in this one or have Alistair there ruling alongside her as King. I'm tempted to go with the latter due to the potential hijinks involved with Niamh eternally trying to mediate things between those two. 😂

Plus, the castle gossip along with the political gossip abroad regarding the three of them is bound to be amusing!

That, and I've kinda taking a liking to Niamh also being formally recognized as the Mistress to the Queen of Ferelden. 😌 Isn't it just wild that someone can gain a title like that?? I've been foaming at the mouth about it ever since I saw a clip where Leliana was introduced as the Mistress to the Queen of Ferelden during the Inquisition ball in Halamshiral. 😍

Anyway, this will be another slowburn as two women---one the silent ruler behind the late King Cailan's many decisions and the other a mage the world never recognize as anyone of worth---tentatively bond over the terrible cards life has dealt them and grow stronger together as a result.

The Teyrn's Daughter and The Sea Warlord

Honestly, this one came about as part of a fever dream involving Niamh and a harem of all her favorite women, but we're not going to get into that today. 😅

Despite the latter half of the title, Niamh actually isn't a sea warlord. She actually has a similar role from one of her other AUs, where she's the Captain of her maternal family's fleet of research vessels. Her main occupation is the study and conservation of marine wildlife, but she unintentionally earned a reputation abroad when pirates and other unsavory individuals began challenging her on both the open seas and whenever she arrived to port anywhere. She's never lost a battle; thus, her infamy began to grow.

Is Niamh eternally tired of such notoriety? Yes. Is she still that quiet but lovable nerd who'd much rather keep to her research than be bothered by the growing number of people attempting to earn a name for themselves by challenging her? Also yes. Will her suffering end anytime soon? Most likely not! 🤣

Because Niamh is officially recognized as a noble in this AU, she and Anora were actually childhood friends in Fereldan's court, but her training and eventual role as Captain within the Mac Eanraig clan would slowly lead her to drift away.

Their reunion is entirely an unexpected surprise.

Although Anora's been betrothed to Cailan for years at this point, she realizes she's going to be very unhappy with him. Thus, she sneaks out one night with a small pack of unassuming clothes and just enough gold to start a new life as she makes her way down to the docks in Gwaren to board a ship.

Said ship gets attacked by pirates later on, and who should happen to be close enough to intercept the attack other than the notorious Captain Niamh? 😏

What ensues is a slowburn as Anora struggles with the idea that she's slowly falling in love all over again with her childhood best friend.

Meanwhile, the Teyrn of Gwaren and Prince Cailan put a bounty on Niamh's head because they both believe she kidnapped Anora.

So, yeah, fun all around! 😂 Also, I'm sorry the writing content on my blog and my AO3 has been lacking as of late, but hopefully these ideas might interest some of you?

[fenrisdefender]

my HC for how Malcolm dies is completely different than the canon story we get. my HC is below, if you're curious to read it.

First of all, I never liked that Leandra's death was a random serial killer who had nothing to do with the rest of the story. Instead, my HC has an ongoing connection to the blood cult of Corypheus, which we know would have been in pursuit of Malcolm himself, as well as his offspring, for their blood.

When Marian Hawke was a child, she was as rambunctious as ever and even then too much for Leandra to handle alone. For income though, Malcolm traveled around South Ferelden as a healer, and was sometimes away for periods of time. Leandra herself was an herbalist and potions maker and Malcolm also sold her concoctions.

(That is how the two of them met and fell in love in my HC: Leandra was learning her craft - much to the chagrin of her parents, but she wanted something of a skill that went beyond boring nobility - and subsequently was paired up to work with Malcolm. And so it goes, they fell in love.)

So, it follows that when they arrive in Ferelden with nothing but what is on their backs (and in Leandra's belly), they choose to put their skills to use. In my HC, South Ferelden is more tolerant of an apostate if they provide community and services, since the Chantry seems to neglect the people there. They protect the Hawkes in exchange for healing and medicines that Malcolm and Leandra provide.

But as Malcolm travels around the countryside a couple of times a year, Leandra finds that Marian is too restless and rebellious to watch after while attending to the twins. As a result, Malcolm offers to bring Marian along with him to the other cities, towns, and villages across South Ferelden while teaching her about magic and the world.

While traveling, they end up trapped in Gwaren in a terrible snowstorm. It keeps them sheltered in the city for a time where Marian meets a curious older man who eventually reveals himself to be a mage. During the month or so they are snowed in in Gwaren, Marian Hawke becomes friends with this man - a fellow apostate such as herself.

His name is Quentin, and he seems kind to her.

Now, with a name like that I'm sure you can imagine that he is not, in fact, truly kind.

Hawke is subsequently kidnapped by Quentin, who has a faction of mages (including his wife) obsessed with a mysterious figure communicating to them from beyond the Veil. The voice told them to find the blood of a "Hawke." Figuring a child is easier to kidnap than a fully grown adult, they took Marian.

Malcolm, as any father would do, desperately searches to find Marian, of which he is eventually successful. However, in the process of trying to save his daughter from a cult of blood mages, he dies tragically. In his last moments he says goodbye to his eldest daughter, and tells her to run as fast as she can to safety.

Hawke, being a grieving child and bearing the immense burden of survivor's guilt, convinces herself that she cannot face her mother and siblings. She believes her father's death is her fault and runs away in the opposite direction from Lothering - back to Gwaren.

At this point, she is under the impression that the blood mages all died. Quentin, of course, survived and later turns up in Kirkwall for his revenge and rematch with a fully grown Marian. And so, that is the motivation behind Quentin's kidnapping and murder of Leandra. This all also ties nicely into the DLC Legacy plot.

Hawke stays a runaway on the streets of Gwaren for nearly three years, adopted by a mercenary group that teaches her what she knows later in Kirkwall (because it wouldn't come out of nowhere, would it?). When she finally goes home to Lothering, her family - Leandra, Bethany, and Carver - all think Hawke has been dead the whole time.

In my HC, the bitterness and resentment Leandra and Carver carry toward Hawke comes largely from her running away and "abandoning" her family after the death of Malcolm.

And thus starts the story of my version of Marian Hawke!

Hope you enjoyed my version of the story (is enjoyed the right word in a story of tragedy?).

[scarlet-witchery]

drop the warden lore

okay anila you asked and I'll answer! (ilu boo 😘)

so Madelyn Amell, she's a mage, right? minding her own business in kinloch hold, being a whole prodigy of primal magic (I like to think that ice and lightning are her particular focus but she's also a nerd who loves reading about the different schools of magic and learning magical theory), but then gets told hey, this guy named Duncan is here to recruit you for the Grey Wardens. honestly I don't think Maddy would have actually believed it was real, because no one leaves the Circle unless they run away like her friend Anders (she almost asked him to let her come along on his last attempt but backed out at the last minute), and even then it's not guaranteed at all. so it's not until they get to Ostagar that it actually sinks in that hey, this is for real. this is a new life. you don't have to be locked up and hidden away anymore.

but she's always been a bit shy, although she's got a smart sense of humor, so when this doofy guy who absolutely towers over her (Maddy is at least a foot shorter than Alistair, hello height difference!) starts cracking jokes and talking smack about the Chantry she's like um are you sure you should be doing that? but Alistair ofc is still riding high on being free from the templars at this point in time and he's like, so what if you're a mage, that doesn't bother me, and his kindness and smart aleck nature really catch her off guard to where she feels comfortable making a few jokes back at him. ("if the king asks me to put on a dress and dance the remigold, I'm saying no." "I'd like to see that, actually." "for you, maybe. but it'd have to be a pretty dress.")

(picture Joyce and Hopper from Stranger Things and you've got Maddy and Alistair's build/height difference)

over the course of the Blight, tho, Maddy really comes into her own—even at Ostagar her fear takes a back seat and she charges into the fray, refusing to back down in the face of danger to the point of being somewhat reckless. she and Morrigan, Leliana, and Zevran grow close as friends, and of course when she develops feelings for Alistair she gets a bucket of cold water dumped on her head when she finds out he's a (bastard) prince, because what kind of future does she have as a mage to be with anyone? she's still new enough as a warden that she's still thinking like a circle mage (although her friends are like girl just do it, there's an apocalypse on, this is the least of your worries).

and then Morrigan finds a way that she and Alistair can both survive killing the archedemon! and they do! and Alistair becomes *king*—in my headcanon, Madelyn is the one who kills Loghain, and Alistair keeps goodwill with Anora and her supporters by offering her the title Teyrna of Gwaren and giving her back the lands her father held, so they can work together in rebuilding the country. Alistair rejects the whole idea of a political marriage, much to certain nobles' consternation, although Anora doesn't have a problem with that :p but then Madelyn is named Warden-Commander, and Alistair has to do actual ruling of Ferelden, and they don't get to see each other for a few months, until Leliana shows up at Soldier's Peak with Alistair in tow. Maddy ofc wasn't expecting them, but then Alistair asks her to marry him, and she's like...*record scratch*

long story short, she agrees and Leliana marries them (she's still a Chantry sister, even as a lay member, so she has the power to perform marriage ceremonies), and is very excited to do so, and the lovebirds get to spend a few days together before Leliana has to get the newly wed king back to his royal duties :p but just before he leaves Alistair calls Madelyn "my queen" and now she's thinking oh shit was he serious? does that make me queen? what the fuck am I gonna do about that?? and she has to have a bit of a crisis about it which is then fully interrupted a few months after that by the events of Awakening (which is when she gets to reunite with her friend Anders, yay! they were friends in the circle but become besties once he's a Warden).

it's only after that that Alistair announces to the court about his marriage to Madelyn (I like the idea that he throws a formal ball or feast or something like that for the Arlessa of Amaranthine to celebrate her victory over the darkspawn once again), and people are too shocked to protest, mostly. in fairness, I feel like after Maddy (and Alistair) kills an archedemon and saves the world most of Ferelden would be like yeah she can do what she wants. she's literally called the Hero of Ferelden, most of the common people either don't know or don't care that she's a mage. it's the nobles that she has to convince, and having someone like Anora in her and Alistair's corner certainly helps smooth over the whole thing.

this is not to say that her transition to being queen is easy! oh no! she definitely has a lot of learning to do about court life, and handling Chantry officials and templars (oh Maker, the templars and the seekers are Not Happy about Maddy being queen, but she's surprisingly popular with the people, having saved the country and the world and everything). she definitely advances a pro-mage stance at court, too; mages are given more rights in general, apostates are offered protections in Ferelden, stuff like that. in other countries she very quickly earns the moniker "the witch queen" and the Chantry politely pretends she doesn't exist. she's also got the job of warden commander still—she is very upset to come back to her post after months at court and find out that the wardens took away Anders' cat and pushed him into leaving for Kirkwall (where he meets her twin cousins and falls in love with one of them). she's basically splitting her time between the wardens and co-ruling Ferelden for the next several years.

at some point she does meet Carver Hawke and they realize they're related and it's about as hilarious as you can imagine. in my world state there's actually two sets of Hawke twins, and both Jaesa and Jareth Hawke (aka Carver's older siblings) are both mages, and then the poor bastard realizes he's got another mage relative...he can't catch a break :p sorry Carver ilu you're my favorite boy

(I know this is moving slightly away from my girl but the Hawke twins are my and my wife's characters that we thought worked well together as disaster twins—ask me about the Hawke lore if you want more on them :p)

during the years that the Hawkes are causing mahem in Kirkwall, Maddy and Alistair end up having a daughter named Aldith, who naturally becomes the crown princess. not long before inquisition she has another daughter, Winifred, and a son, Eadric. I know that wardens aren't supposed to have an easy time of having children but fuck you I do what I want!

during Meredith's reign of terror in act 3 of da2, Alistair and Madelyn announce that they're willing to offer asylum to mages and apostates from the Free Marches—and Madelyn maybe even accompanies Alistair to meet with Meredith and Elthina in early act 3 (as a foreign sovereign and a Grey Warden, Maddy has diplomatic immunity and the templars can't touch her even if she is a mage) just to give some hope to her fellow mages. Alistair is the one who makes the suggestion but ofc he knows that the templars and the Chantry are dangerous to mages—he and Maddy both have first hand experience from opposite sides of the matter, and contrary to popular belief he's not an idiot so as in canon he'd be in support of the mages!

then in my own concept of inquisition where it's focused on the mage/templar war like it should have been, the rebel mages are still given refuge in Ferelden by the king and queen, and the inquisitor (Nina Trevelyan, another former circle mage—ask me the Nina lore ask me the Nina lore) and her people have to stop a templar plot to assassinate Alistair and Madelyn—Ser Barris is the one who warns the inquisition of the plot and how it's going to be blamed on the rebel mages. basically the royals would have a role in the whole "in hushed whispers" / "champions of the just" combo quest that would be a big turning point in the war and the conclusion of act 1 in my idea of inquisition. after this is when Maddy would call up some old friends (Zevran and Sigrun come to mind) and go on her quest to cure the Calling—Alistair wants to go, but one of them has to stick around and keep things running in the kingdom.

so that's my warden lore! I hope you enjoy reading it—i know it's a lot but I've been developing her for years now and I can't believe I haven't lore dumped about her before now. if you have any questions specifically about her or want me to follow up on anything here please let me know. as you can see I'm very happy to talk about her, or any of my other dragon age OCs <3

[musicismymoirail]

Ohhh fellow dragon age player???

Tell me more about your protags 👀👀👀

Oh, yes! :D It feels like I've been playing it forever at this point. But, okay! I do have sideblog for my da bullshit here but I haven't chatted about my protags in ages, so let's go! Apologies for the length ahead of time. ^^;;;

The Wardens: Left to Right.

Suibhne Tabris, the pragmatic & polite rogue whose always up to teach folks the old alienage proverb of 'no child of Adaia Tabris makes empty threats'. Push him if you dare. He's my technically canon warden and the leader of Origins ragtag group. Mainly because he's very stoic and chill. Mhm. He was left at the Chantry as an infant before the Tabris family adopted him. He loves his family dearly, and took Adaia's death very hard. Like he didn't speak for years after and people feel like he ended up as very muted version of his chaotic child self. But grief can change you, and that's okay. He romances Zevran (utterly smitten~), Morrigan is basically his sister, is the one that does the Dark Ritual, and he'd love to meet his son but respects Morrigan's wishes to keep away. He's just a chill sweetheart who will murder a whole castle of nobles to save his loved ones~. I love him. c: <3

Nari Aeducan, the iconoclastic & favored former princess of House Aeducan. Oh, Bhelen. You can keep the throne but you will never feel safe within the walls of Orzammar again. <3 Nari is... my newest Warden, and not super fleshed yet. She lost her eye in her childhood during a training match, and asked Daddy Dearest to get her a lyrium prosthetic eye. Because it neat. In my canon, she misses out on meeting Duncan and gets to roam around the Deep Roads until the Origins group finally stumbles over her like two months later? She's a survivor~~~ She also enjoys sweetly terrorizing her baby back-stabbing brother. <3 No idea who she'd romance, honestly? Probably no one. Her mind is just set on causing chaos in Orzammar. Bless her.

Raniel Surana, the tempestuous and diligent mage that lasted like four days outside of the circle before she turned to blood magic. To be fair, she was dying at the time & Mouse is cool. Raniel was my very first Warden~~~ Sooo. Her and Tabris both met Duncan before going to Ostagar, and she's both enthralled and terrified and so bitter at Jowan, so she's just bouncing in every direction. During the first fight, the orge atop the Tower bites off her arm and Rani, not wanting to die with her new friends, asks Mouse for help. She's Super Bitter and Pissed for most of the story, as losing your home and arm will do to someone. No one really questions the weird white mouse that travels on her shoulder. But Leliana and the others sloooooooowly bring back her old romantic self. Stories and stars do the soul so much good. She ends up as the Teryna of Gwaren, is a happy little blood mage and since Leliana is my canon Divine, is basically married to the highest religious figure in Southern Thedas. Go Raniel~~~~

I never got as attached to my Hawke as my Wardens or Inquisitor (weird as DA2 is my favorite game so far), buuuuuuut this is my current one.

Revelry Hawke, the stepford-smiling put-upon third parent of the Highly Dysfunctional Hawke family. All they wanted in life was to keep their family together and safe, and they Failed! Constantly! Carver died in Lothering! Bethany died in the Deep Roads! Leandra died in Kirkwall! And Revelry blames themself fully. :'D They're technically a rouge, but personal headcanon is they have magic too but just for Entropy spells and this goes unnoticed by all until the Arishok stabs them in Act Two. Losing one's family does have a way of letting you let go of a lot of things, does it~~? Forever sides with the mages, I do imagine they got offered the Viscountship post-game (because it's dumb that's Templar-locked) but Revelry stepped down after like five days. They're known as the Five-Day Viscount now. And they, idk, probably ended up in a polycule with everyone accidently. That seems like a very Revelry thing to do. o:

Do I have a favorite protag of the lot? Yes, it's Mir. :D

Mir'uvenan Ruoho Lavellan, aka Mir, aka Miracles, my beloved and endlessly chaotic Inquisitor. Left his clan because of his toxic and deeply codependent relationship with his twin brother, Mir is basically a shattered mosaic of trauma, impulse and passion. He doesn't know why he's here, he wants to burn the Chantry to the ground and steal its foundation to boot, and people are! Praising him?!? Him? Why! Whhhhhhhy!?! He's not a leader! TToTT!! Except, that's all the gaslighting talking. Mir is stupidly clever and intelligent, endlessly caring and absolutely has no issues telling off Ancient Tevinter Gods and their Fake Archdemons. He lost all his fucks when he got the Anchor, so fuck it. He'll do his best because he's kinda stuck here anyways. TT____TT

(And Bull's like 'this is why you're the Inquisitor, Kadan~~')

Mir's an absolute little nerd who adores mixing his own alchemical concoctions because smashing highly volatile flasks against his skin is just Heaven~~~ He ends up losing his hearing Quite A Bit because of all the explosions, but whatcha gonna do~? Dagna and Rocky teached him Dwarven Sign Language to help. He likes hanging around Dagna to learn magic in the non-magic way too because It's Fascinating! o: <333

Mhm. Romances Bull but it's pretty open. Sera is his BFF, and Dorian a close second. Never gets comfortable being the Herald or the Inquisitor, doubly so after the Jaws of Hakkon, triply so after Trespasser. He disbands it, and is happier for it just being a Red Jenny with Sera and just finally enjoying life at long last with a good support system of friends and connections. I always play the game as Mir slowly working through his miserable self-worth and healing through all the trauma his brother put him through, so I like him ending the game having more neutral-positive outlook. He is actually Not The Worst, and ain't that nice? c:

(He's still gonna punch Solas in the face if they meet again tho. Because friends don't let friends destroy worlds, and he already proved people are just as worthwhile now as long ago.)

And if anyone actually read through all of that, thank you and bless you for reading about my silly little protags I've put Far Too Much Thought into over the years! ;;v;; <3

Also, enjoy a silly comic of Mir buying 57 hand puppets. <3

[laurelsofhighever]

Fandom: Dragon Age (pre-Origins) Characters/pairings: Maric x OC Chapter: 6/8 Rating: T Chapter CW: pregnancy Fic summary:

Hoping to cool off his charged relationship with Queen Rowan, Maric Theirin has taken his son Cailan to Redcliffe under the guise of a royal progress to acquaint the prince with his future kingdom. When word comes from Denerim that the queen has fallen ill and that tensions are running high thanks to an impending Orlesian embassy, the pleasant trip loses its charm, and bad quickly turns to worse. The only comfort in this sea of madness comes in the form of Gwawr, a Chasind healer working in the castle kitchens. Well aware of his duties and determined not to take advantage, there is nevertheless something beguiling about her, and as their time together wears on, Maric finds himself facing a choice that could have dire consequences for himself, his family, and the kingdom he has struggled for so long to build. Or, how Maric met and fell in love with Alistair’s mother.

14th Guardian

My lord Arl Eamon,

Allow me to overlook the usual formalities. I regret not having a chance to speak with you before I left Denerim, but the importance of my words here cannot be understated. Perhaps it has already come to your attention that His Majesty, King Maric, has found regard in one of your servants: the herbalist who attended Prince Cailan in his illness during the summer. Perhaps what you do not know is the extent to which she has taken this fondness and enjoined the king to serve herself. I would go so far as to say she has acted in a manner not unheard of in these Chasind witches, and charmed him out of good sense.

It is not my desire to gossip about His Majesty’s affairs, but perhaps my lord has already seen the signs of warning in their conduct. This ill-advised infatuation has the potential to cause great damage to Ferelden, and to the state of Queen Rowan’s delicate health. It is my fear that, if she should learn of the affair, it will cause her great suffering not only in the anguish caused by knowledge of it, but also in the secondary effect of hastening the progress of her illness. I write to implore your aid in this matter, for your sister’s sake and for the good of the Ferelden she worked so hard to see freed. His Majesty must see sense before this woman turns his head completely to her whims.

I await your response and stand ready to heed my lord’s advice.

Faithfully,

Loghain Mac Tir, Teyrn of Gwaren

Read the rest on AO3!

[highaver]

@highevar asked: "Don't you think, after all this time and everything I've ever done, that I am owed this one?"

It was this selfish thing driving him. Some awful creature that had lodged itself in his chest since... everything, since that day, across the year they had spent dragging themselves through the very worst that life could ever have to offer. After all this time, after everything they had done - who were they, now, if they weren't together?

It was such an unkind part of himself that he didn't know to face it. An instinct that he did not know how to make peace with. Elethea deserved whatever her heart desired and he knew that, stood there, by the desk in his study, pinching the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb. She deserved to marry for love, to rebuild her life in Gwaren, to be happy. But what did that leave him with? The hand that he had dealt himself, that he had clawed for so desperately in those last days of the Blight. An empty life but one of power. His friends and family all gone, spread across the world while he sat and rotted in their absence.

He did not know how to live in this world without Elethea anymore. If he admitted as much to her, then she would hate him. If he admitted as much to himself...

"You cannot marry a Theirin!" An easy scapegoat. Balfour had always hated the man - and the politicking, the talk of kings, that had dominated the time around the Landsmeet had put ideas in the heads of many a noble. "Anora and I are barely recognised as Queen and Prince - and you wish to give our enemies a Theirin they might conspire to sit upon the throne?"

There was something on his face that was deeply unconvinced by his own words. As if he knew how wrong it was to say at all. As if he knew how little use it would be in keeping Elethea from the isolation of Gwaren. But they might be bound again in their misery, the two of them, if she had nothing else. It felt so obvious. So basic.

"You are - We are both owed more than this country can ever repay. But this is foolish." The cruelty of it gnawed at his throat. Stop. He would never see her again. Stop, stop. The Blight was over. He was not meant to be so afraid. The panic was almost overwhelming. He could not stop the words. "Anora will never permit it."

[ripflemeth]

Cheeses of Thedas

From the Dragon Age fan who brought you Wines of Thedas, I now have some cheeses that you can pair them with! I love love love the cultures and climates of Thedas and dreamed up these cheeses to make the world feel a little richer, so feel free to use them in your writing and worldbuilding.

In parentheses, I included the Real World cheese the Thedas head canon was inspired by, when applicable.

Enjoy!

Ferelden Cheeses

Gwaren chumlavi (norwegian brunost) - This semi-hard cheese is mild, a little tangy, and a little sweet. It is made on the island off the coast of Gwaren in southern Ferelden. Local cheese-mongers boil a mixture of milk, cream and whey until the milk sugars into caramel, giving the cheese its characteristic brown color. Local legend claims it was a favorite of the dwarves who traded with the outpost during the Divine Age. In recent history, it is a favorite staple in the diets of fishermen and sailors who traverse the Frozen Sea, as it travels well and can be sliced easily to add to bread or hardtack.

Ceodre (cheddar) - A hard, off-white cheese, named after the small village it originates from in the Highever region, where a number of caves maintain the humidity and temperature needed for maturing the cheese. Delightfully sharp in flavor, its popularity has let to its spread across the southern countryside and has become a favorite on Ferelden farmsteads. In Orlais, the cheese is similarly loved, but not wanting to be associated with the palate of dog-lords, the Orlesians claim the cultures originated in the caves outside Montsimmard and call it "grottes fromage" or simply "grottes" which translates as "cave cheese.”

Marcher Cheeses

Minanter Cheese (emmental) - Whereas most cheeses are made into 10 or 20 pound cheese wheels, this particular cheese, crafted in the dank river valley between Starkhaven and Ansburg, is made in 200 pound wheels. The many tolls running up and down the Minanter charge per item, so bigger cheese wheels are more affordable. The size of these giant wheels of cheese is a popular amongst marcher city states, and in Ostwick the greased cheese wheels are used in races and competitions. The cheese itself is hard and the inside is riddled with holes, a by-product of the fermentation process. It has a mild flavor and melts easily when cooking.

Damsleigh (brie) - A soft cow's-milk cheese,  pale in color with a rind of white mold. This cheese is crafted by monks who live at a monastery outside Damsleigh, a small town in the Planasene Forest at the base of the Vimmark Mountains. It is said that when the Qunari invaded cities along the Waking Sea, brothers from the monastery took to the mountains, hiding out in caves. One monk, Brother Florence, had the foresight to hide away the monastery's stock of cheese wheels, and his thoughtfulness kept the monks from being driven from hiding by their starvation.

Nevarran Cheese

Fortnight (fromager d'affinois) - Similar to damsleigh in production and appearance, this soft cheese is produced by a secular cheesemaker based out of the city of Cumberland. Using milk from cows that pasture north of the city, the milk is richer and creamier than its damsleigh counterpart. Added to that, the production process heats the milk until a substantial amount of water evaporates out, making the cheese creamier still. While fortnight has a more intensive process to make it, the resulting cheese is made much quicker, in a mere fourteen days, which is where this rich delicacy gets its name.

Antivan Cheeses

Rialto (provolone) - The region that runs along the Rialto Bay and its most immediate trade routes is the home to a stretched-curd cheese that is a staple at tables and trade ports alike. Along the Minanter, in the eastern-most Marches, the cheese is called rialto dolce for its sweet and mild taste, but along the river valley that stretches between Seleny and Antiva City the rialto piccante varieties have a sharp flavor. Within Antiva, if you ask for "cheese," you will most assuredly be served this rialto variety without a second thought, but outside of the region it is referred to exclusively as "rialto cheese" and is sought after in palaces from Minrathous to Denerim. Pedaggio (munster) - Cattle herders who live in the steppe north of Seleny, in Antiva, will migrate south towards the river valley each summer to graze their herds in the lush and humid subtropical region. They return to the grassland plains with their herds to overwinter for the rainy months, and in the cool of cellars they craft and age a cheese that is very soft, very strong and requires vigilance. The uncooked, raw milk is cultured into cheese wheels that are washed regularly in a brine as they age in the damp and cool cellars of these winter homes. When the herders travel south for grazing season once again, they use the cheese as a toll for the Merchant Prince of Seleny, and that is where the cheese derives its name ('pedaggio' meaning 'toll' in Antivan). These cheese wheels are traded up and down the Antivan river valley for considerable sovereigns that rarely see their way back to the steppe herdsmen.

Orlesian Cheeses

Bosquet (limburger) - Cultivated in a monastery deep within the forests that lie between the rivers north of Val Foret, this cheese saw a rise in popularity after a folk tale arose about its use resisting the Tevinter occupation. As the legend goes, a local folk hero on the run from soldiers took shelter in the monastery, and the monks hid her in the cheese cellar. The smell was so pungent that the Tevinter soldiers passed by the cellar, leaving the monastery, and its hidden occupant, in peace. Bosquet is a rind washed soft cheese made from raw cow's milk. It has a crumbly texture and softens the longer it ages. After its third month of aging, it starts to give off a pungent odor that smells like feet. It is popular amongst Orlesian loyalists. Perdu (muenster) - Introduced to Orlais by the cook for an Antivan princess who married an Orlesian Grand-Duke. The Antivan princess arrived to Val Royeaux with a wheel of the coveted pedaggio as part of her dowry and begged her new husband's cook to try and recreate it. After years of trial and error, she found an acceptable imitation of the beloved pedaggio cheese. Upon tasting it, the Grand-Duke renamed it "perdu" for having found what once was lost.   Despite the enthusiasm of its reception, this cheese has little in common with its Antivan counterpart. It is made from pasteurized cow's milk. The cheese itself is pale in color, mild in flavor, and smooth in texture. Its orange rind is attributed to the blood lotus used to add a rich and colorful note to cheeses such as grottes. Souscendre aux Lueur - Cheesemakers in southern Orlais, drawn to the luminescent properties of deep mushrooms, use the blue fungus as a crucial ingredient in this glow-in-the-dark cheese. The cheese itself is a soft cows milk cheese interspersed with flecks of this particular strain of deep mushroom and rubbed with a deep mushroom oil. It tastes slightly sweet with hints of unami from the mushrooms. Commonly referred to simply as “souscendre” or under ash, this cheese gets its name from the coating of beech ash mixed with dried herbs and spices that form the dark rind which locks in the flavor and light while preserving the cheese's freshness. When sliced into, the food will illuminate a five foot radius with a blue glow for up to an hour for each cut made (subsequent slices can increase the glow up to a 15 foot radius). In order to gain any substantial stamina gains from the cheese, one would have to consume such a quantity that it would not be advisable, but that does not stop cheese mongers and adventurers alike from making claims to its bolstering affects. Snow-Favored Cheese (gruyère) - In the caves of the Frostback basin, the Avvar craft this cheese that has been a staple since the founding of Stone-Bear Hold. An excellent melting cheese for use in quiches, soups and fondues, it is sought after in trade, and often gets called the erroneous name "Snow-Flavored Cheese" for the mild flavor of its less-aged variants. The cheese tastes sweet, creamy and slightly nutty when young, then becomes more earthy, and complex as it matures. Virelay (epoisses) - Before the dawn of the Divine Age, when Emperor Drakon was uniting all of Orlais under his banner, he sacked the village of Virelay and razed it to the ground, leaving no survivors of the heretical cult known as The Daughters of Song that lived there. The cult had been a hedonistic one and hosted a yearly festival to celebrate gluttony and lustful desires, and one of the only surviving products of that town was a cheese that was so delicious that visitors to the annual festival kept making it in nearby towns. While the town was never rebuilt, the story of the cult lives on, and is passed down from one cheese maker to another.

The cheese itself is made through a time intensive and difficult process, including washes in both brine and brandy, but the finished cheese is like none other, with a custardy creamy center that is so runny it is recommended one eat it with a spoon.

The etymology of virelay has morphed over the centuries, and where once the Orlesian word was associated with wanton hedonism, it now carries a connotation of abstinence and patience, with the connotation of "worth waiting for." The small cheese wheels are sold in round wooden boxes with the emblem of two naked women dancing under grape vines seared onto the cover.

Rivaini Cheeses

Caws Cynrhon (casu marzu) - A traditional Llomerryn sheep milk cheese. It is fermented by maggot larvae who decompose the cheese with their digestive action, resulting in a very soft cheese that seeps liquid when pressed. It is often served sliced atop open face sandwiches alongside Llomerryn red sauce. The cheese is considered spoiled once the maggots have died and is to be consumed with live larvae that appear as translucent white worms, typically thousands per wheel of cheese. Considered an aphrodisiac, because the worms can jump out of the cheese when disturbed, diners hold their hands over their sandwiches while dining to prevent the maggots from jumping off the plate.

Orzammar Cheeses

Brochalavi (bronto-milk cheese) - The bronto's slow reproduction cycle and long nursing period lead to a sweet and watery milk that is used to make this cheese. Brochalavi has several versions, all of which utilize bronto rennet. The fresh curds taste mostly bland, slightly sweet, and have a soft and bouncy texture. The brochalavi that is aged a matter of weeks is often used as a vehicle for other flavors and ingredients such as syrups, mushrooms, and dried surface foods. The brochalavi that is aged for years is crafted with an additional bacteria; it is kept in cheese caves where it ripens into a pungent and nutty cheese. This aged variety originates in Orzammar, where dwarves pair it with the best ales, and it even finds its way to the surface as a rare and highly sought after trade item in upper class homes from Halamshiral to Minrathous.

Note from the author:

If you’d like to use these cheeses in your fanfic writing or DA roleplay, feel free to do so. You don’t have to credit me, but if you want to, you can tag me bc I’d really get a kick out of seeing them in action!

♡ ♡ ♡  Many thanks to all my friends who had fun brainstorming these with me or giving me prompts that led to these creations.

[gwah--ren]

gwaren heals elethea, elethea heals gwaren. they are one and the same. elethea is as "ruined" as gwaren is directly following the blight, and they are both rebuilt at the same time and so her identity becomes irrevocably linked with the city. i am she, she is me.

[anneapocalypse]

✨️💌 🧿 !!!

��What’s a fic you’ve posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

Another opportunity to shamelessly self-rec! 😆 Well then I'm going to shout out my Dragon Age Sera backstory fic, A Pot to Piss In, which explores Sera's early childhood with her adoptive mother, her experiences with the alienage following Lady Emmald's death, her introduction to the original Friends of Red Jenny and what became of them, and her brief return to Denerim and the Emmald estate in her teenage years. Truly, I am not unhappy in any way with the reception or feedback this fic has gotten, though I am always happy to point to it again. 😉 It's just one I had a tremendous amount of fun writing, and I'm still really happy with what I was able to spin from the details we're given in canon.

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

This is Tabriala bait and I am taking it, even though I've been on a bit of break from writing this month and haven't looked at it in a minute. One thing I'm really excited about in A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren is shouting my love of Briala from the rooftops no just kidding, I mean I'm not kidding actually but I'll say something more specific. In working on this fic I am really loving exploring Briala's inner world, what her life looks like in the aftermath of Celene's death, and how that fresh and complicated grief brings up much older wounds. Is "excited" the wrong word to use for that? 😛I think grief is a recurring theme in a lot of my fic, and grief over complicated relationships is something I especially like to dig into.

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn’t do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn’t going how you’d like it to?

I've answered this one previously but it was a while ago so I'll say it again:

I don’t really worry about fics not “doing well” in the sense that I think this question means. Like I don’t consider a fic to be a failure if it doesn’t do numbers–I already know I write for a niche audience. One thing that I do think is helpful–and I know this is hard–is to remember that not everyone who’s going to read the fic is going to read it the day or week or even the same month it’s posted–and that’s okay. It’s out there, for readers to discover. AO3 isn’t social media where your post is relevant for maybe two weeks at most; it’s an archive, where your work is kept to be found, and people do read fics months and years after they’re posted and still love them, so. There’s no failure if your fic doesn’t do x numbers and x days. You wrote and finished a story, and you put it out there. You succeeded. ❤

[v-arbellanaris]

If you could change one (1) thing about the way Loghain is handled in Origins, what would it be?

i think loghain is handled pretty well in origins, to be quite honest? i mean, on the one hand, the selling elves into slavery thing is sort of unnecessary at this point - he's already plenty "well-intentioned extremist" type of villain at that point that the slavery feels more like a bioware attempt at clobbering 'this guy BAD' into our heads, which feels gratuitous because we already have very real reasons to oppose him. on the other hand, he is a villain so i would expect him to do villainous things and it's not THAT ooc potentially and his story is about how he allows his (justified) vendetta against orlais to blind him to his duty to protect ferelden - and all fereldans...

in terms of his motivations and things like that, i think his writing in this game is some of the strongest in the whole series. (his writing in tst could do with a bit of work but the writing for tst in general could do with that imho...)

i suppose one thing i'd change is the amount of dialogue he has, and how quickly you can recruit him. i've been tossing around a concept. like what if you could do the landsmeet after completing 2/3 main quests and on waking up eamon instead of having to complete all 3 main quests? not that you HAVE to do it at 2/3 but that you COULD do it at 2/3 completed main quests. i would've LOVED to bring him on one of the main quests and get his perspective on things??? gwaren is on the other side of the brecilian forest, what does he think of the dalish? what would he have thought of zathrian's vengeance, considering how closely their backstories echo each other's? what about orzammar, what would he have thought of bhelen or harrowmont? what about the anvil of the void, would he have sided with branka or caridin? why? what about the circle tower - he promised uldred that the circle would be free, after all. that would've been really fun!!!

and it would've made sense for things like the alienage - if you do the landsmeet at 2/3 main quest, maybe you can get valendrian and cyrion back but if you do it at 3/3 you can only get 1 - valendrian or cyrion. maybe at 2/3, it's more challenging to get anora and/or the landsmeet to side with you against loghain compared to at 3/3. idk! just spitballing i guess :)

[lordnochybaty]

First Line Meme

I got tagged by @sidhelives and it sounded so interesting I'm doing it right away instead of promising myself to get to it and forgetting XD (Also finally a writing meme that doesn't remind me how badly my WIPs are going XD)

Rules: List the First Line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

make your good love known to me - Anders/Oghren (Dragon Age)

The Deep Roads were terrifying.

Five Arguments Dorian managed to get into with Anders before they reached Skyhold (and one they had at the gates) - Anders/Dorian (Dragon Age)

They found the mage in Redcliffe of all the places. 

a simple show of compassion - Cole/Loghain, Loghain/Marric (Dragon Age)

When he first arrived at Gwaren he kept getting lost.

Just Cause - Justice/Fenris (Dragon Age)

Blood was soaking through his leggings, the cut on his thigh seeping through with every painful step.

a shared cause is the best aphrodisiac - Anders/Carver, Anders/Bethany (Dragon Age)

"They think she has a lover!"

Five Times Varric Kept Hawke Safe and One Time He Couldn't - Varric/Female!Hawke (Dragon Age)

„I know you’re up to something.”

Breathless - Cullen/Krem (Dragon Age)

Krem ignored his back pain with years of practice when he went to sleep but it was becoming more of an issue when it refused to go away in the morning.

Failed Confession - Cullen & Samson (Dragon Age)

The good part about the dungeons as far as Samson was concerned was that he never had to go there. 

the deed as power's creed - Solas/Gaspard (Dragon Age)

 The whole evening turned into a farse.

A Tale of One City - Jim Kirk/Blackwall (Star Trek/Dragon Age)

There were raised voices coming through the woods long before he was able to see anyone. 

stars fading but I linger - Trapper&Hawkeye (MASH)

„That's ridiculous!"

don't kiss the messenger - Trapper/Hawkeye (MASH)

„And he didn't leave anything?"

Okay, yeah, I did 12 but I wanted to see if change of fandom somehow affected the results. XD Apparently I start stories with shortest sentences ever - especially if title is long apparently, if it's short there's a chance for a longer sentence (which is hilarious if you think about it because I almost never have a title until right before I post the fic XD) Also lots of dialogue openings but not really mid-action sentences otherwise. Let me know if you notice anything else :D

Tagging: @meganmoonlight and anyone else who wants to do it - it'a great fun, highly recommend :D

[rosella-writes]

Happy happy Friday!! For DADWC, I would LOVE to see Anora/Nathaniel, maybe for the prompt "Admiring the other while they’re sleeping, brushing their hair out of their face to see them better"? ;u;

Thank you!!! Here's uh. Some rambling? In proper dadwc fashion I don't even know what's happening lol. @dadrunkwriting

Pairing: Anora Theirin x Nathaniel Howe Rating: G Words: 500

~~~

As a child, Nathaniel had compared Anora to ice. 

Their fathers had bent over maps and papers, muttering late into the night — the Howe and Mac Tir children had passed time in the gardens, ignoring one another. Once, in a fit of boredom, Nathaniel had suggested Anora join him to see the trophy room in the Howe estate, where he would often stow away. Anora merely turned up her nose and scoffed. 

Why see such trophies, she had sneered, when Denerim holds the Mac Tir glory?

Nathaniel, being her elder, hadn’t had the heart to tell her that all there was of it was likely still in Gwaren, hidden away with the mother she hardly saw. 

The ice served her well in the years between then and now. He can still see traces of it, even as she sleeps, in the furrow permanently etched between her brows. But in the years since the Commander of the Grey had permitted him to take time with his Queen, Nathaniel has seen the warmth deep beneath that chilly exterior. 

He stays with her now, in her chambers kept separate from those of King Alistair’s. He has his lover, she had told him fondly, as if explaining the relationship of a close friend or brother, and I have mine. Her rooms are warm and modestly furnished, but to a man now accustomed to a bedroll in the Deep Roads, there is no finer, more comfortable place. And Anora — her hair no longer in the pigtails of her youth, or tightly braided in the severe style she chose as Queen, but spreading over his arm and their shared pillows — is vulnerable against his side. 

Nathaniel knows blighted dreams await him, but even if sweet ones were in the wings, he would prefer this. He pushes a strand of gold back from her forehead, then lays a kiss there, lingering long enough to feel her stir. But she does not wake — she merely tucks closer, her hands drawing up beneath her cheek, her brow creasing as it did in her girlhood when she scolded him for failing to play pretend to her exact specifications. 

He holds the heart of Ferelden, he knows. Her husband rules well beside her, but she has been at the helm for five years longer than he. It feels surreal, to feel the warmth of the woman who could unmake him should she wish it, their skin separated by the soft linen of her nightdress. 

She would not, he knows. She’s no longer a girl of seven, insisting he take accountability for the knees she’d fallen and scuffed herself. He is no longer a boy of ten, susceptible to being ordered to and fro by Loghain’s only daughter. He chuckles to himself, then places one last kiss on her temple before laying his head on the pillow beside hers. Fool, he calls himself. He still would do as she asked, go where she would have him go, and be glad of it.