#loghain x tabris

[queenofangrymoths]

behold my masterpiece

[myceliumtrees]

dragon age origins will always be the best simply because you can get the assassin loghain sent after you bouncing on it and moaning like a girl

[vigilskept]

dadw prompt: falling asleep with their head laying in the lap of their lover (for Chaya Tabris/Loghain) ~ @lordgoretash

ty for the prompt! somehow i took this premise and only managed to get these characters into this configuration after like. 1000 words. whoops. oh well. 8 years post-blight (still 2 years of Yearning ahead of them!) tabris/loghain be upon ye

words: 1093 | @dadrunkwriting

The cold that swept in between the flaps of the tent could not have been less welcome with her cloak unclasped and pooling against her ankles.

If her glare was a little too sharp for the occasion, she should be humoured.

The wry smile Loghain wore was a clear enough indication that his amusement was all at her expense, even before he told her, "You've definitely been in Orlais too long, if that was enough to set you off. You'll be asking the Avvar where they keep their pastries next."

"Va t'faire foutre," she pronounced neatly, reaching down to her cloak.

"And this, the thanks I deserve for coming here to bring you a thoughtful gift?"

The feigned offense in his words was severely undermined by the how little the feeling coloured his tone.

As she righted herself again, she felt rather than saw him draw near, then fall still just behind her, grasping for something that had slipped down to the bottom of his pack if frustrated slide of gauntlet against felt was any indication.

It would have galled her, probably, if someone had suggested to her during the Blight that to be unarmoured and unarmed with Loghain Mac Tir at her back would invite no more trepidation than an pleasant sort of idle curiosity.

If he weren't still armoured himself, she might've even indulged the temptation to lean back just a little further, so she might steal some of the warmth from his body.

He ran hot as a rule, but twice had been enough to learn the lesson that cold leached out of armour much slower than it did out of anything else. She chose instead to wrap her cloak back over her shoulders and wait him out.

It wasn't a long wait, at least, before she heard a soft grunt as he caught his elusive quarry and — a warmth she hadn't felt since she'd last liberated another bottle of aged West Hill Brandy from the Warden-Lieutenant's cellars and shared the spoils over a night of traded stories as they'd passed the bottle back and forth, until they'd reached the bottom.

The source of the warmth this time seemed to be a carved amber pendant hung from a slim leather cord that now fell against her chest.

This was a thoughtful gift. Her last warming charm had snapped off somewhere between Jader and whatever the Avvar called this place Loghain marked on their map with an enviable assurance.

Turning to face it him at last, she made no attempt to conceal her delight. "Where did you find it?"

Toe to toe in the narrow strip of the tent that didn't force one to duck their head, they were close enough that his quiet huff of laughter brushed the stray hairs that had slipped out of her braids since she'd plaited them in the morning.

"We don't all have trinkets throwing themselves in our paths hoping we might trip over them, you know."

"Shame, that," she mused, tucking her lip between her teeth to smother her grin. "I do love to see you get tripped up."

She felt the shape of Loghain's own tired smile brush against her forehead as he tipped his head down, rested it atop her own.

"Such cruelty," he murmured.

"Yes," she agreed easily, sliding her fingertips into the gap beneath his shoulder plates. "I must have learned it from those damned Orlesians."

It was a testament to how often they'd been the ones to strip each other of their armour that his only reaction was to remind her, "I'll be on the next watch."

She continued, unperturbed, tugging free the leather straps securing his breastplate one after another. "I put us both on that watch, I'll wake you with time to spare."

She needn't have voiced the reassurance really, when his was only a token protest. If she let him lean his weight against her much longer, she'd find herself bearing all his weight and — if experience was anything to go by — fighting to keep them both from topping over and bringing the tent down with them.

It had been good for the newer recruits to be able to have a little laugh at the expense of some senior wardens, but she wasn't particularly inclined to relive that experience so soon.

Instead, she tugged off his gauntlets at set them beside the rest of his armour, letting her weight nudge him backwards, step by step, until she had room to kneel and get at his greaves.

With practiced motions, one quickly followed the other, and with her leverage, it was easy enough to tug on the hem of his gambeson until he joined her atop the bedroll, bleary-eyed still but with a lingering softness to his smile she couldn't quite help the urge to catalogue.

It had only been a year back in Ferelden in the end, then half of another in Montsimmard before she'd made her way back to Jader. It shouldn't feel like she'd very nearly lost something, to spend a little time away from a place that wasn't really home. And yet.

She shook off the thought, arranging herself so she could prop her back against the storage chest.

It probably spoke ill of how much of a habit they'd made of this, that Loghain needed no prompting to draw himself up against her side, a head pillowed on her thigh as he closed his eyes for what little time she might be able to scrape away for him.

It was all they could do these days, to reserve for the other some little moments of rest and respite, even as the command found ever more inventive problems to point in their direction.

She eyed her cloak at the side of the tent, now tucked between pieces of Loghain's armour. A lost cause probably.

He was a line of warmth against her side, but that didn't mean he didn't feel the icy cold of the Frostbacks.

The solution, when she thought of it, was simple.

Tugging off her the amulet, she let it hang from her wrist instead, reaching for Loghain's free hand and there — it wasn’t quite as warm as before, but it was just enough to share between them to see them both through.

The response was a tired rumble, muffled against clothes. A thank you, maybe. Or the tired nonsense he was prone to these days.

She squeezed his hand once, lightly, in acknowledgement.

Sleep well was a foolish thing to ask these days, but as long as it was darkspawn disturbing his rest rather than the Calling, that would be enough.

[exalted-dawn-drabbles]

AND ONE MORE because you dangled that tabris cousinverse in front of me, so for Shaesa & Ariya (& Rosalie? if you want and ro doesn't mind :3):

❛ promise me you’ll still be here when i wake up. ❜

happy writing >:]

;w; welp what can I say but that you probably saw this coming... Tabris Cousinverse!AU with @a-song-in-the-stillness's Ariya Tabris and a brief mention of @rosella-writes's Rosalie Tabris. What happens when you betray your cousin for the sake of a man who would sell your family without a thought or care? Only what should be expected. She should have expected... for @dadrunkwriting

Rated G: Angst, Post DA:O final battle, ~500 words

Words That Should Have Been Spoken | By Exalted_Dawn

‘Promise me you’ll still be here when I wake up.’ 

Those had been the words on her lips as Shaesa had shut the door in her face that night. Her cousin had not even looked at her. Had not spoken. Said nothing in the wake of their victory. What more need she have said? The look of betrayal in her eyes after the final fight had said enough. The Terror and shock as Rosalie had lunged for the finishing blow, rather than Loghain as they had agreed. And the confusion as Loghain had picked her up afterwards, her hand clutching his and both notably alive and well.

What was there more to say when the two people you would do anything for betrayed and lied to you? All in the defense of a man who would have seen their family put in chains.

Nothing.

So Ariya had kept her words tied to her tongue that night, unable to speak in the face of Shae’s bowed back as her cousin disappeared behind the oaken door, all tense lines and hurt and anger. The door slammed shut, a stark bookend to their journey without the presence of a triumphant grin to bear it. As Ariya retreated for the night, their victory sat hollow in her heart because of it.

She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised when they found the room empty the next morning. 

Not a single possession had been left behind, and the sheets on the bed were crisp and unslept in. Alistair was gone too, of course. Neither had been seen– a miracle, by Alistair’s build alone– which meant they must have either snuck out during the chaos and celebrations last night, or in the bone-dead stillness of the deep morning. Even in the best case scenario, they could be well out of the city by now. And if they had left in a rush… 

No, certainly not. Shae and Alistair had both been injured, and even if in perfect health, Shae surely wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye to uncle Cyrion or Soris or Shianni. She wouldn’t. 

So that had been the first place they had gone in search of her cousin. Back to the Alienage, where this whole mess began. They had questioned neighbors and street vendors on their path in towards the heart of the settlement, where their homes sat cradled between a dozen rotting, wood walls. No one had seen her. And when they finally did reach Shae and Rose’s door, all that greeted them was a single sealed letter, pinned to the wood with a knife. A single letter, with three simple sentences scrawled in chicken scratch: 

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I love you.’

‘Goodbye.’

Shaesa Tabris was gone without a trace. 

Ariya had stood silent as the door slammed shut, and now her cousin was gone. She was gone…

[silversong79]

More Dragon Age Bullshit (affectionate)

Hey what's up demons it's me ya boi (gender-neutral) I'm back with a WIP rewrite of my Loghain x Tabris fic, Never Enough! I feel like a much better and more competent writer now than I was two years ago when I first started the original, and I have a much, much more solid grasp of the characters involved. There's even rumors in Willow's Brain Land of a sequel where the main couple find a companion of sorts who may or may not be hundreds of thousands of years old. Stay tuned for updates, and click the link below if you'd like to read!

Loghain is a sour old bastard by anyone's standards, but he's also, like....he can Get It, ya know? So of COURSE I had to make an OC to ship with him. It's not so much a redemption arc as a "dragged reluctantly back into the light by the collar of his shirt by his determined wife" arc.

I hope you'll all appreciate my girl Neida the way I do, she's very special to my heart!

[bumblewarden]

🎨Self-Rec Tag Game 🎨

Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made.

thanks to @shivunin for thinking of me and tagging me in this game! i'd like to tag in turn @scarletkilometers @badartxd @siriskulksnerding @scribbledquillz and @heniareth

1. Something you absolutely adore

a father's day piece for best dad cyrion and his little warden tabris from years before anything goes wrong

2. Something that was challenging to create

my longest fic to date! i'm currently in the process of uploading it, but the fic itself is done on my end

3. Something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably) 

a tiny little ficlet of what happens when you recruit loghain but don't end up needing him for the ultimate sacrifice

4. Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.)

this was just supposed to be just a sketch to help me get out of some art funk with elements of crime wave and fen'harel, but it came out looking so much cooler than expected

5. Something you want other people to see

and some morrigan x warden morning fluff to cap it all off ^^

[whereismywarden]

Fanfic Masterpost (2024 Edition)

As I'm slowly getting back into writing, I thought it would be a good idea to make a new, up-to-date masterpost for my fics.

I've sorted them into series to make things easier, and each series is listed under its canon worldstate. (Well, I use "canon" loosely since I write a lot of canon-divergent crap, but you know what I mean.)

[Last Update: 08/12/2024]

Sad Mages Worldstate

Warden Loris Surana (🏳️‍⚧️♂️), Alwyn Hawke (♂️), Inquisitor Violette Surana (♀️)

Circle Mages - Daylen Amell & Surana's lives before the Blight

⚠️ Surana was written and is depicted pre-transition.

💕 Amell x Surana.

✨ Also canon in the Second Chances Worldstate (see below).

Warden Surana during and after the Blight

⚠️ Surana was written and is depicted pre-transition.

💕 Alistair x Surana; Carver x Surana.

💀 Alistair made the ultimate sacrifice.

Alwyn Hawke

💕 Anders x Hawke, Rylen x Hawke.

Inquisitor Violette Surana

💕 Orsino x Violette; Samson x Violette.

✨ Violette is Loris' mother (as the name suggests), but also Cullen's (not yet depicted in fics but will be eventually).

✨ Idk if I'll ever write about their time together but I'm also planning to have her romance Solas (post-breakup fics are more likely, however).

✨ Also canon in the Second Chances Worldstate (see below).

Second Chances Worldstate

Warden Daylen Amell (♂️), Alwyn Hawke (♂️), Inquisitor Violette Surana (♀️)

One for the Road

💕 Alistair x non-Warden Loris Surana; past Amell x Surana; past Carver x Surana; background Amell x Morrigan.

💀 Alistair became a drunk, and Loghain made the ultimate sacrifice.

💀 Carver died in the Deep Roads.

✨ Ongoing longfic.

Also canon in this worldstate: Circle Mages series & Inquisitor Violette Surana series.

Homecoming Worldstate

Warden Elaine Cousland (🏳️‍⚧️♀️), Violetta Hawke (♀️), Inquisitor Violette Surana (♀️), Rook Loris de Riva (🏳️‍⚧️♂️)

Lady Elaine Cousland's life before the Blight

💕 Nathaniel x Cousland.

✨ This series can be considered canon across all worldstates.

✨ Elle will also be paired with Sebastian (both pre and post-Blight) and Leliana (during the Blight).

Violetta Hawke

✨ Letta is paired with Isabela (which only comes up in passing so far) and Merrill (which hasn't come up yet).

Loris de Riva

💕 Rook x Harding

Lovers in the Dark Worldstate

Warden Kalian Tabris (♀️), Inquisitor Asaara Adaar (♀️)

Warden Kalian Tabris

💕 Alistair x Tabris.

✨ King Alistair with Mistress Tabris.

The Adaar Sisters

💕 Cullen x Asaara Adaar; Varric x Issala Adaar.

Other Fanfics

Warden Shaelyn Mahariel

💕 Bethany x Mahariel.

Old/Non-canon fics featuring my OCs

💕 Alistair x Surana; Carver x Surana.

Misc. Works

💕 Cassandra x Hawke; Alistair x Zevran x Tabris; Teagan x Cousland; Alistair x Aeducan; Cullen x Surana.

✨ Most of these are works that were created as part of exchanges or other fandom events.

[trillian-n7]

World State 1: The Canon Timeline Edda Cousland Human, Rogue, Alistair, Dark Ritual, Remained in the Wardens

Alys Hawke Human, Mage, Sarcastic, Anders/In Love with Varric, Left in the Fade

Gwendolyn Trevelyan Human, Mage, Cullen, Disbanded the Inquisition, Save Solas

Valka Laidir Dwarf, Rogue, Neve, Fought Solas

Fanfiction Drifting Roads (Hawke x Varric) A Chance at Revenge

More world states below...

World State 2: The Butterfly Effect Caitriona Cousland Human, Warrior, No Romance/In Love with Nathaniel, Dark Ritual, Queen of Ferelden

Alys Hawke Human, Mage, Sarcastic, Anders (dead)/Varric (post-game), Survived the Fade

Maxwell Trevelyan Human, Warrior, Cassandra (Divine ending), Kept the Inquisition, Stop Solas

Livia Stella Mercar Elf, Mage, Ashur (pre-game)/Davrin (dead), Sacrifice Ending

Fanfiction The Inquisitor and His Divine - WIP

Ficlets The Knight and the Queen

World State 3: Dwarven Politics Sereda Aeducan Dwarf, Rogue, Alistair (broke-up)/Gorim (pre/post-game), Loghain Sacrificed, Returned to Orzammar

Marisol Hawke Human, Rogue, Diplomatic, Sebastian, Survived the Fade, Princess of Starkhaven

Valka Cadash Dwarf, Rogue, Blackwall (Warden ending)/Varric (post-game), Disbanded the Inquisition, Stop Solas

Rurik Aldwir Dwarf, Rogue, Lace, Trick Solas

Fanfiction Hesitiations Situations - WIP

Ficlets Waiting for Her Prince Noble Endings

World State 4: Number 4 Katja Brosca Dwarf, Warrior, Zevran, Ultimate Sacrifice

Gideon Hawke Human, Mage, Sarcastic/Agressive, Fenris, Left in the Fade

Saoirse Lavellan Elf, Rogue, Solas, Disbanded the Inquisition, Save Solas

Camille Ingellvar Human, Mage, TBC

Fanfiction Lavender

Ficlets The Hunt

World State 5: The Mage Rebellion Irith Amell Human, Mage, Alistair (dead), Alistair Sacrificed, Chancellor to Queen Anora

Alys Hawke Human, Mage, Varric (head-cannon), Left in the Fade

Aisling Lavellan Elf, Mage, Cullen, Disbanded the Inquisition, Stop Solas

Kolya de Riva & Svetti de Riva Human, Warrior, Neve, Fight Solas & Elf, Mage, Lucanis, Fight Solas

World State 6: Tank & Spank

Eilidh Tabris Elf, Warrior, Alistair, Dark Ritual, Chancellor to King Alistair and Queen Anora

Emmett Hawke Human, Warrior, Isabela, Survived the Fade

Edric Cadash Dwarf, Warrior, Dorian, Kept the Inquisition, Stop Solas

Valeria Thorne Human, Warrior, TBC

[inquisimer]

Ships, OCs, & NPCs I Write For

Romantic Ships

Ariya Tabris x Zevran || Sari Mahariel x Alistair || Solona Amell x Alistair || Ember Cousland x Alistair || Ember Cousland x Nathaniel || Nika Brosca x Zevran || Catrin Surana x Zevran || Catrin Surana x Leliana || Catrin Surana x Zevran x Leliana || Ciel Andras x Nathaniel Siobhan Hawke x Loghain || Siobhan Hawke x Sebastian || Lean Hawke x Anders || Mari Hawke x Anders Neria Surana Lavellan x Cullen || Acacia Trevelyan x Cullen || Drew Trevelyan x Cassandra || Acacia Trevelyan x Barris || Irosyl Lavellan x Solas Arlow de Riva x Lucanis || Valya x Caronel || Isseya x Calien

Platonic Ships

Neria Surana & Solona Amell & Anders || Ariya Tabris & Loghain || Carver & Loghain || Hawke & Bethany & Carver || Acacia & Drew Trevelyan || Isseya & Garahel || Catrin Surana & Nathaniel || Arlow de Riva & Viago || Arlow de Riva & Teia

OCs

Ariya Tabris || Sari Mahariel || Solona Amell || Ember Cousland || Nika Brosca || Catrin Surana || Ciel Andras || Mari Hawke || Léan Hawke || Siobhan Hawke || Lief Amell (Hawke) || Neria Surana Lavellan || Acacia Trevelyan || Drew Trevelyan || Irosyl Lavellan || Arlow de Riva

NPCs

Bethany || Carver || Loghain || Nathaniel || Charade Amell || Cullen || Anders || Alistair || Isseya || Valya || Lucanis || Viago || Teia

[keita52]

Black Emporium Wrapup

First of all, thank you so much to the folks in the @black-emporium-exchange discord for being supportive and sending hugs because Maker knows I needed them.

I got two very lovely femslash stories featuring customized protags, which is just fantastic. 

Prank Wars by @seigephoenix (Sera/F!Cadash): Sera and Vari Cadash have a prank war going on in Skyhold, much to everyone else's amusement. Sera will always be there for Vari when she needs her.

There Is Always Time For A Talk by @floranna2 (Morrigan/F!Amell): Ahh, pillow talk but no sex. Boo. (Inquisition-era fluff)

And I was able to sneak in two treats at the end, giving two of our fantastic writers some extra rare pair love -- which was also satisfying because it showed I was starting to come out of the depression fog.

Acceptance for @uchidachi​ (Vivienne/M!Trevelyan): A Vivienne character study in a Soulmate AU. 

Only if for a night for thegreatandpowerfultoaster (Loghain/F!Tabris): When Morrigan comes to Beleina Tabris with the proposal of the Dark Ritual, it makes Tabris confront her own feelings about Loghain Mac Tir.

[jaegervega]

An old comic from my sketchbook I ended up updating a little bc I was making a thread on twitter of my dragon age OC drawings (which is here btw)

I updated it a little (the text mainly and just redrew it)

[queenofangrymoths]

It's Cold. Get In My Bed.

(Zevran/Saryi Tabris, Pre-Relationship Loghain Mac Tir/Saryi Tabris)

Soldier's Peak was hit by a blizzard when Saryi, Loghain, and Zevran went up to look over the repair efforts. Too cold to warm themselves, Zevran offers a solution.

[samsaraocean]

I saved and tried this option: I went to Loghain, convinced him to do the DR then when we went to see Morrigan I chose the “Nah, I don’t think so” option

I loved how Loghain looked at my warden, like “Girl, how many are you inside your little head? XD

[naomifj97]

Vigil's Keep

“—Oriana…

—It’s Commander now, Your Majesty.”

Or: After the attack on Vigil’s Keep, Alistair and Oriana reunite for the first time since the slaying of the Archdemon.

Hi again! So, this keeps the storyline stablished in previous fics, Newbie, A lamppost in winter and Wild. In this I STRONGLY start headcanoning because...well, you'll see 😉.

Anyway, one shot under cut, around 1k-2k words, not very long, featuring Alistair x the Warden, yearning and angst. Also, Oriana does not like templars and it shows.

Enjoy!

Oriana Tabris is exhausted.

She knows she’s out of shape; she hasn’t fought in months, and the armor is significantly tighter than it was before. The metal plats nail her flesh in an uncomfortably way around the abdomen that has yet to return to its former shape, around the breasts that now are fuller; the boots feel heavy and the gauntlets are making her hands sweaty. She has not had a proper night of sleep in weeks. The cramps in her lower back are getting worse. Every time she turns around, she’s sure she’s hearing him cry for her. Part of her wonders why she has not sent Loghain to do this; the world knows the bastard has earnt the privilege of doing all the tasks she is not up to for the rest of their lives. He would have deserved it.

But yet, there she is.

When she extracts the sword from that talking darkspawn, (The Withered, had he called himself?), Seneschal Varel lets out a high-pitched sigh of relief.

—I owe you my life, Commander. Thank the Maker, you have arrived.

Oriana almost rolls her eyes. “Me. Not the Maker. Me” she wants to say. But she’s tired, and uncomfortable, and she misses Kieran like one would miss a severed limb, so, instead, she asks about the attack. He does not answer; before he can, the far-away sound of horses and the tingling of armors makes itself audible in the middle of the pouring rain.

—It seems we have more company. Hopefully, they’re most hospitable than our previous guests —he says, gaze stuck in the gates of the Keep, those she has ran over like a raging, declining demon just half an hour ago.

Oriana takes a look in his eyes’ direction and the punch in the gut is so hard she almost gets out of air.

Even in the distance, those colors are unmistakable.

The colors that had been Cailan’s.

The colors that now are his.

At her side, Oghren lets out a snort.

—Spank me, this is gonna be interesting…

She just ignores him.

“Please be Anora, please be Anora, please be Anora” she begs to a Maker she’s sure doesn’t listen, as they wait for the Royal party to reach the gates.

But no. Of course not.

He walks in, fast pacing, shining golden armor in his body and gesture of worry in his frown, flanked by a female Templar and followed by dozens of soldiers armed to the teeth. Drops of rain hit his rebel dark blond hair, his tan skin, his long bright eyelashes; his eyes wander over the whole place with a focused look she knows so well it hurts.

They haven’t seen each other since the slaying of the Archdemon, since she left Denerim with no intentions of becoming his secret to keep. The last time they spoke, she swore she wouldn’t make of him an oath to worship.

—King Alistair!

Beside her, Mhairi kneels. Oriana doesn’t; she’s sure she won’t get up if she does. She might just lie there in the mud, letting it swallow her while the tiredness lures her to sleep. That sounds so much better than face King Alistair.

King Alistair and his bloody warm smile, his damned relief when he sees they’re all unharmed. When he sees her.

Alistair knows her body. As good as she herself does. So Oriana prays he doesn’t notice her hips are wider, her breasts fuller, her stance a bit different from an exhaustion so unlike any other she has suffered in her life. Two weeks ago, she was birthing his son. If she has her way, however, he’ll never get to know that.

—It looks I arrived a bit late. Too bad. I was looking forward to the whole darkspawn-killing thing —he jokes, and it’s like the taint is burning in her veins again. Then, he looks at her. His eyes soften, the laugh in his mouth disappears. The longing is undeniable when her name escapes from his lips, like a prayer, like an oath—: Oriana…

She forgot how to pray a long time ago.

—It’s Commander now, Your Majesty.

Her words are as sharp as her sword, as cold as the steel she used to slay that Archdemon and seal their destiny. Alistair thinks he probably deserves it, her coldness and disdain, but still hurts like she had run her very same sword over his chest. The pain in his eyes is evident to everyone, and he doesn’t even bother concealing it.

He doesn’t notice the changes in her body; the armor does a great job hiding those. He does notice that she seems tired. No, not tired: drained. The most exhausted he has ever seen her, and, because he has seen her in some of the darkest moments of her life, the worry floods over him as the first tide of the disaster. Yet, Alistair can’t help but notice she is as beautiful as the day he lost her.

He wants to ask. He wants to know where she’s been those past six months, how she’s doing, what has happened. He wants to ask her so many things he’d be talking until sunrise. Instead, he just chooses one:

—Are you hurt?

She wants to tell him to stop. She wants to tell him he can’t be that same caring idiot she fell so hard in love with because that’s not what they are anymore. They can’t be. Because she can’t endure being reminded of how much she still loves him.

—We’re fine.

—I wanted to come, give the Wardens a formal welcome. Then news about this arrived at court and… I was not expecting… I’m sorry I couldn’t reach you sooner —he fidgets with his fingers, like he always does when he’s nervous, and the familiarity gives Oriana a sudden urge to cry. Bloody hormones, she thinks, when she finds herself wondering if Kieran will inherit that from him. He expects her to interrupt him, to bark at him a grumpy “We’ve got this under control” or something like that, but she says nothing. So, instead, he clears his throat and asks—: So…what’s the situation?

Oriana peeks a glance to Seneschal Varel, who immediately explains what has happened. He says the Orlesian wardens are either dead or missing, and, out of habit, Oriana and Alistair exchange a look. She hates that there’s still an evident complicity between them; he is so relieved that he could sing.

They have been taken by the darkspawn, and they both know what that means. Without a Blight, however, it’s strange that the darkspawn are acting like that, and once again Oriana fears for what that means.

He says it’s a relief that the Hero of Ferelden is there and alive, and Oriana wants to punch him because she hates that bloody title, because she never wanted to be a leader much less a hero and she shouldn’t be alive to begin with. But she refrains those thoughts because now she can’t afford them. Now, Kieran needs her. And the sooner she is done with all that shit, the sooner Alistair is back in court, the sooner she can return to her son. So she answers with a blunt “The Hero of Ferelden will handle this” that chills Alistair’s spine, because no one better than him knows how far the Hero of Ferelden can go to carry on with her duty.

—I…can help. I can stay and help.

Her faces clenches with anger; a soft glimmer of betrayal reignites in her eyes. If he had wanted to stay, he could have sent Eamon to hell when he had the chance.

—Ferelden needs its King working to rebuild it, not running around fighting darkspawn!

He tries not to be hurt by her rejection.

—You don’t have to do this alone.

—Hey! And what am I? Chopped nug livers?

Oriana has never loved Oghren’s big, lousy, ill-timed mouth as much as she does in that moment. The banter that follows between the dwarf and the mage, Anders, convinces her that those two must be her new recruits. And that idea only grows stronger when the Templar at Alistair’s side steps in to arrest the mage. Oriana then remembers why she hates Templars so much: they treat mages as well as the nobility treat her people in the Alienage.

—Apostate or not, this man has done nothing but saving a lot of lives here, this night, my lady —she interrupts, with that dangerous glimmer in her eyes that makes Alistair warm inside.

—He’s a murderer! —the Templar protests, and then Anders protests, and Oriana is too tired for all this shit.

—Last time I checked, this place was under Wardens’ protection and responsibility, and so is this man!

Alistair had almost forgotten how much he enjoys Oriana angering Templars. The woman is fuming.

—The Chantry’s authority-!

—The Chantry’s authority means nothing to me. I have a right and I’m going to use it —Oriana replies, and, suddenly, she is no longer Oriana, but the Commander of the Grey the Blight has turned her into.

The woman Alistair forced her to become, he reminds himself with a bitter thought.

When she pronounces the words that placed the last nail in their coffin months ago, she does not hesitate:

—I hereby conscript this man for the Grey Wardens.

He replies immediately:

—I will allow it.

His eyes do not leave hers as he speaks and Oriana wants to yell at him, hit him, scream at him, because he doesn’t have a right to look at her like that anymore. He knows too, but, Maker, he can’t help it. He tries to remember he has a wife, that he’s supposed to love another woman, that he’s made vows. But every inch of him is yearning for Oriana, yelling at him that he made a terrible mistake that night after the Landsmeet, that day he took Anora’s hand and swore to honor her as his wife while his heart still belonged to another and his mind was covered in thoughts of her. He had hoped the need would eventually diminish, but those six months have only made it more urgent, more consuming, more powerful.

He clears his throat.

—I see you have everything under control, Commander. But I still would like to stay, see if I can be of help. At least this night.

“I want to stay. I need to talk to you”, he’s saying.

She doesn’t care. She’s tired, she misses her baby, and she misses him. She still loves him as much as the day they conceived Kieran.

But she really doesn’t care.

She has an order to rebuild.

—Do as you please. The Seneschal can fill you in anything you precise. I have some matters that require my attention.

And, with that, she walks away once again.

Alistair wants to follow, wants to tell her to wait, wants to run after her and beg for her forgiveness. But, once again, he does nothing.

A/N: So, one day I saw a comment in a video of Alistair breaking up with a non-human noble Warden after becoming King that said "Wouldn't be funny if the warden was actually pregnant at the moment" and I took it as a challenge. I know the chances of two Grey Wardens conceiving are slim, but, you know, there's always magic (headcanons, I mean headcanons). Diverting from the possibilities the game offers and making up impossible ones is part of the fun after all!

So, yes, in this Alistair became King because Eamon manipulated him to do it. And married Anora because Eamon said it was the only way to avoid civil war, since he supported Alistair and Oriana supported Anora. I hate Eamon and it shows. Meanwhile, and unknown to any of them, even herself, Oriana became pregnant before the Landsmeet. So yes, in this headcanon of mine, Kieran is the Warden's child (Flemeth was five steps ahead any of them and performed the ritual on Oriana just in case), she survived the Archdemon thanks to him. Kieran is an Old God Baby and Morrigan is "cool auntie Morrigan" in this headcanon. Alistair and Oriana do end up together eventually, I swear. They just need to reach Inquisition for that.

Fun fact: this was the first Alistair x Oriana I wrote.

Fun fact 2: Yesterday was my first day on invisible orthodontic treatment and the pain is killing me. Send strength 😭.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!

[sidhelives]

Writer's Tag

@noire-pandora tagged me in this a million years ago and I kept forgetting to do it, but I made it at last!

Most popular fic:

Listen Closely - My longform Skyrim/Dark Brotherhood fic centering around a Cicero x Listener pairing. As of writing it has 2096 hits and 126 kudos, far and away higher than anything else I've ever written. It's currently a little more than halfway done.

Best fic:

Between Rocks and Hard Places - I'm probably super biased in this choice, but I think this exploration of Loghain's character and his feelings about the HoF (a Cousland in this case) is probably the best thing I've ever written. I come back to it and re-read it all the time. I'm so unbelievably proud of it. As of writing it only has 161 hits and 27 kudos.

Favorite fic:

I'm Sorry I Ruined Your Party - I don't care what anyone says, I love this stupid thing. It involves a original character (cousin of the HoF Tabris) who ends up injecting herself into basically all of the DA drama despite her deep desire to be left alone. It's super casual short form chapters with rotating POV and I love it. It's currently sitting at the end of DA2 Act 2 but my goal is to take it through Inquisition, because I got ideas. As of writing it has 111 hits and 11 kudos.

Least favorite:

A Clever Ruse - This is the only fic I've ever edited and retconned. I wrote it for Kinktober 2020 and it was originally Zevran x my OC Hypetia Amell but after publishing it I became very uncomfortable with how she was presented in it. I realized how out of character her behavior in it is and ended up changing it to a random Surana instead. I think it's still well written smut, it just is my least favorite because of the way it made me feel about Hypetia. As of writing it has 375 hits and 22 kudos.

Tagging: @hezjena2023@the-cryptographer@fiannans@jrastegar@frostyfelassan@kittynomsdeplume@crown-laurel@piecesofsolaswriting@beaubartley@rosella-writes

[fiadhaisteach]

Things I’ve Read This Week* - 2021.04.03

New Stories

Hope in the Hand of a Child by Crystal_Grace - Solas & OFC - 65,309 words, complete

Doom Upon All the World by broomclosetkink (@broomclosetkink) - Solas/Female Lavellan, DA4 protag/Lace Harding - 8,146 words, complete

A Knot of Place and Time by Alexis_Trvlyn (@itsalexistrvlyn) & Dore_N - Solas/OFC, OMC/ OFC - 16,037 words, WIP (It's tagged as Solavellan & as OFC, but it's Solas & a twin brother & unclear how the pairings are going to play out yet)

Feral Verse, The S͍̈́o͓̖̖̺͆ͩͣ̑ṋ̻̭̉͋͑g̓ͥ in the Halls by apfelgranate (@notenoughdragons) - Solas/Female Adaar - 1,823 words, complete

No More My Heart Beats Without You by Cracking Lamb (@crackinglamb) - Solas/Female Trevelyan - 5,554 words, complete

miles to go before the fall of night, across the ocean and over the ruins, over hill and dale i return to you by victoriousscarf (@victoriousscarf) - Loghain/Male Surana - 1,558 words, complete

In another world by Noire12 (@noire-pandora) - Solas/Cassandra - 4,670 words, complete

Five Times Everybody Saw It by bluebeholder (@wanderingnork) - Solas/Female Adaar - 2,702 words, complete

Rereads

Hay by Viking_woman (@thevikingwoman) - Solas/Female Lavellan - 12,924 words, WIP

Lightning Struck, Miss Grey by LarasLandlockedBlues (@laraslandlockedblues) - Cullen/Female Trevelyan - 44,078 words, Abandoned/Hiatus HSE WIP (some threads are left untied but the main plot has a nice big bow on it in chapter 14)

Let the Revolution Take Its Toll by gamerfic - Solas/Female Tabris - 9,153 words, complete

Tumblr (re)Reads

Slippery Slope by @thevikingwoman - Solas/Female Lavellan

Why Teach A Dwarf About Magic? by @best-of-the-vein - Solas/Female Cadash

New Fairy Tales: Diver by @dycefic - Original Work, prompt

Subscription Updates

When the World Fell by Psalacanthea - Fen'harel|Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 10)

Bloodied and Broken, Dead Pasts and Dread Futures by youworeblue (@dreadfutures) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 141-142)

miles to go before the fall of night, across the ocean and over the ruins, the forest is dark and deep and i've seen you here before by victoriousscarf (@victoriousscarf) - Solas/Male Lavellan (Ch. 129-130)

Sugar Honey Iced Tea by AntlersandFangs (@thededfa), Beckily (@beckily), & Celtic_Lass (@thecelticlass) - Female Adaar/MBiT, Varric/MGiT, Krem/MGiT (Ch. 27)

No Longer A Game by Here_To_Be (@nolongeragameart) - Solas/MGiT (Ch. 55)

Bloodied and Broken, Ruined Empires and Dust by youworeblue (@dreadfutures) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 3)

The Calling by SilverQueen (@sadfantasylife) - Solas/OFC (Ch. 26)

Running With The Halla by InArlathan (@in-arlathan) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 10)

lover, your back is bruised from what you carry, In the face of your light by noverture (@noverturemusings) - Solas/Male Lavellan (Ch. 73-74)

Dissonant Verses, Dread Wolf Guide Us by Alexis_Trvlyn (@itsalexistrvlyn) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 9)

Til It Squeaks: A Modern Girl's Take on Thedas, Twist Some More by CrackingLamb (@crackinglamb) - Solas/MGiT (Ch. 5)

In Another World by fenkyuubi (@fenkyuubi) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 52)

This is the New World State, The New World State by bleucrow (@memoriscrow) - Zevran/MGiT (Ch. 19)

Dreams, In Waking Dreams by AParisianShakespearean (@a-shakespearean-in-paris) - Cullen/Female Trevelyan (Ch. 67)

Shit… I broke the game by Elenielwen (@elenielwen) - Solas/MGiT (Ch. 53)

Into the Cosmos, Into the Chaos by Pakhet (@shiver-the-tiefling) - MBiT, Solas/MGiT (Ch. 64)

Just Like Fire by Cracking Lamb (@crackinglamb) - Solas/Female Lavellan (Ch. 12)

I Have Found a Home (Ian x Solas), Who Am I in Your Arms? by theharellan (@theharellan) - Solas/NB Lavellan (Ch. 1), complete, series sub

Death at a great distance by elo_elo (@junkbabelna) - Fenris/Female Hawke (Ch. 7)

» side note - multiple chapters may mean multiple updates; or might just be me refreshing my memory, reorienting myself in the story, or rereading some for fun. 😊

*TIRTW & can recommend (previous weeks)