#syla surana

[qunaricatnip]

made a whole new side blog just to say greagoir and my warden are in a relationship in this playthrough and that’s a fun twist on the harrowing and warden recruitment scenes I hadn’t ever thought of before and now I’m a little obsessed with them

[captainderyn]

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

@ofmistandrain I just had to write something for Leliana and Ru that didn’t end with them parting ways thanks to their duties!

“Syla,” Ruinel sing-songed, ruffling the mix of elegant dark slate feathers and black baby fluff of the Griffon with her heavy head resting across her lap. 

She hadn’t intended to sit on the floor of the stables, the hay covering her dark breeches, but when she had come out to say hello to the creature of old–she could hardly believe herself that the cache of eggs had been found, could hardly believe it when they had been brought to Vigil’s Keep to be raised and definitely couldn’t believe it when her Warden charges had dumped the fuzzy black-feathered baby with the warm golden eyes in her arms. Two years on it had finally set in as reality and well, that wasn’t going to do anything to dampen her giddy excitement whenever she saw Syla.–she had been stretched across the hay in a nap and when Ruinel had sat down to gently pat her she had stretched out to rest her head in her lap.

The Fereldens had their dogs, the Wardens had their griffons. And if Baraneth–the queen-consort of Ferelden–could half her courtly duties because her old mabari Ailwife had taken up residence on her legs well then so could she. 

“Ehns ma ina’lan’ehn mor ean?” she intoned, to which Syla clicked her beak and purred, half lidded eyes rolling to glance at her. Scrunching her nose up and grinning she nodded. “vin ma ane!” 

From beside the stable door Orion lifted his graying muzzle and barked, though it was soft and followed by a grunt as the old hound lumbered to his feet and scampered over to whoever approached. Syla’s head jerked up, feathered ears flipping forward and eyes widening. The griffon scrambled to her feet and Ruinel followed, brushing hay from her pants with one hand and reaching out to soothe Syla with a touch on the neck with her other hand. 

“Orion!” She called, the command for him to let alone whoever had come dying on her tongue as she glanced up. “Lel?” Scooting between the stable wall and the cracked open door, not bothering to open it all the way she ran the rest of the way across the stable yard to throw herself into her love’s arms. 

Leliana’s arms were quick to wrap around her, taking a step or two back at the force that the elven woman had barreled into her with with a flourished twirl before setting Ruinel down. Her arms remained anchored around her waist while Ruinel laughed giddily, pressing her palms on either side of Leliana’s face as if making sure she was really there before pushing up to kiss her. 

“I didn’t expect you to be here!” she exclaimed when she pulled back, hands absentmindedly pushing away the strands of hair framing Leliana’s face, grown long over the past two years. “I thought with the Deep Roads and then the Frostback Basin and then the Exalted Council…” 

Laughing at her rambling words, Leliana cut her off with another kiss, resting their foreheads together. “The Inquisition is disbanded. I’m back here for good, Ru.” 

“…you should have written and I…” The words caught up with Ruinel’s mind and she broke off. “Wait what? You’re…the Inquisition…?” 

“Inquisitor Lavellan took Baraneth and Alistair’s offer, as far as Duke de Montfort and Arl Teagan and the Bannorn are concerned the Inquisition is disbanded. What they don’t know is that it still hunts for Solas, backed by the Crown.” There was no mistaking the mischief in Leliana’s tone at being able to slip the blindfold over the Orlesian and Ferelden ambassador powers so easily and her smirk reaffirmed it but Ruinel was still stuck on one particular insinuation. 

“Wait, you said you were back here…but the Inquisition?” Her eyes were wide, but guarded after over ten years of being separated regularly by duty. She couldn’t care less in that moment that the king and queen were backing the Inquisition’s war effort, meaning that this Solas was a threat beyond measure, or that Arl Teagan didn’t know his rulers were blatantly disagreeing with him and the Bannorn. All she heard was that Leliana was returning to her side. For good? 

“I had to shift my duties to Charter, and make sure she was up to it. There were a few loose ends I needed to knot but the Inquisitor released me from the title of Spymaster...” She trailed off, tilting her head with concern in her eyes. “Ru?”

“You’re really staying?” Ruinel asked tentatively and at Leliana’s nod she smiled wide. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” 

At the elf’s offended question--softened by the giddy joy overlaying it--the ex-Spymaster smiled in return. “I had to make sure everything would run smoothly and that the world wouldn’t end as soon as I left.”

Despite herself Ruinel scoffed. “The world is always ending.” But within a heartbeat she was kissing Leliana joyfully again before she sprung back, tugging her hand into her own. “Schmooples the second will be so happy to see you, and Boulette and the newest litter of nugs! The recruits have been all over them.” 

She paused in her rapid-fire words to catch Leliana and Syla staring at each other--the former with awe and the latter with suspicion. “Creators you haven’t met Syla!”

All but pulling Leliana over to the sleek griffon, Ruinel held out her hand until Syla stepped forward as well, eyeing Leliana with a guarded curiosity. Intelligent golden eyes looked between her chosen Grey Warden and the newcomer, beak clicking uncertainty. 

“You wrote about her but she is beautiful...” Leliana breathed, cautiously holding out her hand. After another moment of uncertain clicking, Syla pressed her beak to Leliana’s hand before lifting her head to nip at her hair. The griffon was eye to eye with her, while already the top of Ruinel’s head sat even with the top of the griffon’s withers. 

Leliana giggled at Syla’s attention, gently resting a hand atop her head and rubbing. “Yes you are  a very beautiful lady arent you? And you know it.” 

“She gets along with Orion just fine, the two are practically grafted at the hip but I cannot get and her Boulette to even look at each other.” Scratching at Syla’s favorite spot on her withers Ruinel rolled her eyes as the griffon rolled her eyes. 

“Well we’ll have to get over that now won’t we?” Leliana spoke to Syla in a sugar-sweet tone. “Yes, you’re going to have to get used to the nugs.” 

Deciding she had enough of the talk of friendship with the small, squeaking creatures, Syla backed her way away from the attention and turned her back to them, swishing her long tail. 

“Seems my audience with the queen of Vigil’s Keep is over.” Even with one animal turning away, Leliana still had Orion bouncing around her legs, tongue lolling happily. When she reached down to rub his ears vigorously he wagged his nubby tail and leaned against her until she nearly tipped over. 

“I’ve missed you too, ser, don’t get jealous.” Leliana’s eyes jumped up to Ruinel’s with a tenderness that made her heart ache and she reached out for her hand. “And I’ve missed you too.”