Reunion
A DA:I One-Shot

Sitting on the hallway table, Lilora nervously glanced at the faces of her companions. Everyone, except their missing friend Solas and future-Divine Cassandra, had gathered at the request of Leliana and Josephine. Neither of the woman offered explanation for why everyone suddenly was needed. She had tried asking Cullen, who was undoubtedly in the know, but he only smiled and avoided answering.

Beside her, Blackwall noticed her tension. Grasping her hand in his, he asked, "Are you alright, My Lady?"

Lilora met his eyes—so handsome, she thought with flushed cheeks—and shrugged as casually as she could."I wish Leliana and Josephine would tell us why we're gathering out of the blue," She replied, loud enough for the group to hear her.

Across the hall, Varric chuckled. "Can't be anything too bad if Ruffles is involved."

"I agree," Dorian chimed in, grinning across the hall at Lilora. "Were it only Leliana, then you should be worried."

Another, familiar voice jumped in. "Not all my intentions are malicious, Dorian."

Leliana, Josephine, and even Cullen approached the large group from the direction of the war room. Lilora rose, ready to question them, but Leliana held up a hand.

"Just wait a moment, Inquisitor. I promise, you will not regret it."

Frowning a bit, Lilora sat back down, her hand finding Blackwall's again. The group remained in a comfortable silence, some whispers—and Sera's laughter—exchanged between the companions.

Despite her confusion over the situation, Lilora took the moment to enjoy the peace. She watched Iron Bull and Dorian exchange some words. Much to her amusement, Bull seemed to be trying subtleness out for once, likely at Dorian's request. She also watched Sera, Cullen, and Varric; Vivienne with Leliana and Josephine; and Cole listening intently just a small distance from them all.

Blackwall ran his thumb over the back of her hand in circles, likely lost in his own thoughts, She didn't mind. Quite the opposite in fact, since his distraction allowed her sneakily plant a kiss on his cheek. She so loved catching him off-guard and getting a reaction out of him. He jumped a bit, but his lips curled into a smile as he returned the gesture.

Suddenly, the doors of Skyhold opened, and in marched a group of soldiers. Lilora recognized their formation immediately: an escort. She stood, curious and concerned, and waited to see what esteemed visitors the Inquisition had today.

In all honesty, she didn't know who or what to expect. Whatever guess she could have made, however, would have been wrong. Under no circumstances would she have suspected to see an old Elven couple emerge from the escort of soldiers. Under no circumstances…

Yet there they were, rather bewildered by the sight of Skyhold, trying to take it all in. Their eyes seemed to fall on her in unison, and the tears that followed made Lilora's chest swell. She moved towards them, slow then in a run. Her legs shook as she dropped to her knees in front of them, perfectly aligned with their eye level.

The speed with which she embraced them and the quiet whimpers she made into their shoulders did not escape the attention of her companions. Cole, of course, couldn't contain himself. His whispers drew the ear of those around him: "Hard to breathe, can't believe it's them. Ten years, has it really been that long? Need them, need to hold them, make sure this is real…"

Of everyone, Blackwall made the first move, be it out of curiosity or concern. He stood, approaching his lover and these mysterious visitors. He might not consider himself a smart man, but he was also no fool; between his own knowledge of Lilora and Cole's whispers, he had a hunch.

"My Lady," He called out, audible only to her and the couple.

Lilora pulled back from the elves just a bit, looking over her shoulder at him. She blinked back some tears, though streaks were already on her face. Breathing shakily, she stood and, while still clinging to the couples' hands, introduced them.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Halamar and Falena Talviel… My parents."

Even from across the way, Lilora could see the smiles on her advisers' faces. How long, she wondered, had they planned this? It shouldn't surprise her Leliana was able to track down the elves, probably through the letters she wrote them from time to time, but she still couldn't believe it. It didn't feel real.

Halamar, a grey-haired and and bright-eyed man, beamed at the various people. "A pleasure to meet those who helped our darling Lilora save the world."

"Indeed," piped Falena, her bell-like voice fitting her gently aged face. "And a pleasure to meet those who are responsible for bringing us here."

Leliana and Josephine bowed and curtsied respectively, much like how they greeted Lilora after the battle with Corypheus. The corner of Cullen's mouth twitched into a smirk at their obvious, albeit well-deserved pride.

Naturally, everyone save for Cole, had many questions about Lilora's family. Blackwall allowed the others their questions, waiting to the side for his chance to properly introduce himself. He hoped she wouldn't be ashamed of him.

At last, after everyone's curiosity was sated and they left the family to their privacy, Lilora motioned Blackwall over. He rans a hand through his hair anxiously, trying to hide his worry as he walked with false confidence over to his love and her parents.

The couple eyed him with fascination, no doubt because they sensed he was a special case amongst the companions. Something about him required a private and proper introduction. He moved to Lilora's side, hands tucked behind his back, and bowed his head.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Talviel," He greeted, all the while praying he didn't break out into a nervous sweat. "My name is… Well, I go by the name Blackwall at the moment."

"Ser Blackwall," echoed Falena, a twinkle in her eyes. "Lilora has written us before regarding the Inquisition and its members, but much like seeing her for the first time in so long… There are some things that require face-to-face interaction."

Halamar nodded, arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders. "She has written us particularly about you."

"Only good things," Lilora added, smiling cheekily over their heads at him.

Blackwall coughed a bit, his awkwardness surfacing like the heat in his cheeks. "I, well, I'm glad to hear that. Truly, I mean it, I am honored to meet the couple who brought up such a strong, wonderful woman. You have no… Rather, I cannot express how important she is to me… Us! The world, really."

The couple laughed, and Halamar patted the man's shoulder. "Relax, Ser. We know you and Lilora are together, and you have our blessing. Anyone who can make our sweet daughter happy must be a good, kind-hearted person indeed."

A tinge of guilt prickled inside him as the elves laughed again. He glanced at Lilora, who caught the look and understood his fear. She smiled encouragingly and suggested they all take a walk around Skyhold together and catch up.

Naturally, she felt how scared he was, but she had confidence he would be able to overcome it. Her parents were accepting, forgiving people. She knew that better than anyone. While she allowed her parents to explore the gardens, she pulled Blackwall to the side and whispered, "It'll be alright, love. Just take it slow and don't rush yourself."

"As you say, My Lady," He acknowledged her with a squeeze of the hand. "I trust your judgment. Besides, if they raised someone like you… I feel more at ease."

Leaning and resting her cheek on the top of his head, Lilora sighed contently. "I have some serious thanks to give Leliana and Josephine… Letters, they weren't enough. I needed to see them again… And those two delivered on that without a word from me."

Hand on the small of her back, Blackwall murmured, "You've been so concerned about me during this, and I haven't even asked how you feel."

Lilora smiled against his hair, a smile of mixed emotions. "Happy, first and foremost. We've always been close, that was never an issue. I just… When I left them ten or so years ago, I did so without saying goodbye. I disappeared in the middle of the night because I was so torn up… I thought they'd be better without me. I thought their lives would be easier.

"I was going through a hard time… At that point, I'd been wallowing in self-pity and misery for.., Five years? I never took a step back and thought about how my leaving would affect them. At least not realistically. All I saw was how much more peaceful their lives would be without me. Simpler. I never thought about the pain and sadness they'd feel, the loneliness I'd inflict."

He rubbed her back, firm but tender. "You acted out of love. You wanted things to be better for them and thought you had the solution."

"Yeah," Lilora whispered, nuzzling her cheek on his forehead. "In actuality, I'm relieved I was wrong about them not wanting or needing me… Because I missed them… So much. If I think about living the rest of my life having never seen them again, never apologized for leaving…"

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. They're here with you, with us."

She pulled back, gratitude shining in her eyes. He nodded and, on his tiptoes, kissed her cheek. As they watched the two elves slowly come back their direction, Blackwall chuckled, grabbing Lilora's attention. Her stare earned another chuckle, and he explained, "I was just thinking you're rather tall for an elf."

Her eye roll sent him into a true fit of laughter, straight from the belly. Nudging him with her elbow, Lilora simply stated, "You're a dork."

Catching his breath, Blackwall grinned and clutched her hand. "I'll accept that, so long as I'm yours, My Lady."

A/N: In case it isn't obvious through the story or you didn't read the summary, Lilora is actually a... Well, whatever the "race" is for the Qunari/Tal-Vashoth. I guess Kossith? Anyways, I'm working on a story telling her origins and how she came to be raised by the Talviel family, though WHO KNOWS when I'll finish and upload that.

I read over this once, so I may have missed typos/mistakes. Let me know if you catch any and I'll fix 'em right up!

Until next time, thank you for reading. - LA