Author's Note: I was looking through some of my older stories... mainly bits and pieces of stories that never completely shaped into anything more than random thoughts, when I stumbled onto this. I had written the first half of the story as something completely different (and I wrote it several years ago for something that was going to be for , but was tossed aside as a random thought) than the finished product you see before you, but as soon as I had read what was written, I knew that it was perfect for an idea I had floating about for a DA:I one shot! It is a kinda fix it fic because... let's be honest, how many of you thought that Josephine and the Inquisitor should have had at least several different options on the whole 'love declaration' thing? Any way... I hope you all enjoy this! I really enjoyed writing it!
Betrayal... not from friend or stranger, but from the beating of my very heart causes me to still my very movement, to try and combat the rapid beating of the organ whose affinity is love. Loudly echoing in my ears, is the rhythmic music that is the beat of said organ; only growing louder and faster as if my eyes picked up on the cue of an invisible conductor, changing the tempo of life from adagio to allegretto in the blink of an eye. There is a battle raging within my very body. Every sense combating each other for control of my actions.
My eyes try vainly to tear themselves away from that very object that is causing my whole body to act on its own volition; but are defeated as my ears hear the simple sound of laughter that has caused the symphony of my heart to increase in tempo and pitch.
A simple touch could quell the tempest my soul has become; stifling the heat of desire with just one fingertip to tan, sun-kissed skin, or it could cause my very body to combust at the overwhelming sense of completeness.
The very thought of trying to end whatever spell you hold on me is thwarted by the simple smile that has now set up residence on your flawless face.
A lump rises in my throat when I try to answer the question you have asked. Swallowing hard to allow even the shallowest of breaths has become an arduous task now that you have placed your elegant hand upon my arm. At your simple touch, seconds have turned to minutes and minutes have turned to hours. Time around us has become forever.
You smile as I still try to formulate words within my own mind. The words come slowly, just as slow as the time is moving. But it is as if a dam has taken residence in my throat, blocking any witty retort that has come to mind. Passion for even the most simplest of touches has fogged my psyche, causing the simple forming of words to become as operose as climbing the Frostback Mountains.
As I still stand dumbstruck by your simple caress, you lean closer to me. The smile never leaving your ruby lips. Your eyes revelling in the fact that you have stuttered my normal repartee. I have struggled to keep myself from falling for you, but it has all been in vain.
"I was wondering when I would finally suppress your normal, charming speech," Josephine whispers with a smile as she slides her hand further up my arm to slowly graze my neck over the collar of my jacket, knocking me out of my reverie. "It is not often to see the Inquisitor at a loss for words. It is a very good thing that you have me as an Ambassador for the Inquisition in the times that you do lose your voice."
"Is it, Josephine?" I say with a smile as I slowly reach for her hand and bring it closer to my lips, kissing the smooth skin.
"Yes, I do believe that it was a very opportunistic move for the Inquisition to bring me in to the fold." She bites her lower lip as a look of hesitation mars her face. "Do you not think it was a sound strategy?"
My racing heart slows as I see the confusion blurring the brief sense of satisfaction Josephine had once held tightly just moments before. I smile slightly before wrapping my arm around her waist. The music from inside the Winter Palace flows through the open door of the balcony to surround us in the celebration of a new era for Orlais. "Oh, I believe it a very sound strategy, Lady Montilyet," I reply as I bring her even closer, slowly swaying to the sounds of the music. "But, it can be very trying at times."
Josephine's brow furrows in confusion upon hearing my confession and turns in my arms to face me, bringing her face even closer to my own. "How can it be trying for you? It should alleviate you from the throngs of diplomats from the various lands that vie for your attention so you can only focus on defeating Corypheus and closing the Breach. Those should be the only objections that lie before you... I can handle the rest."
"Ah, but it does alleviate me," I continue as we move slowly to the tempo of the band in the distance. "I never said that it didn't, you only assumed that I was speaking about the Banns, Lords, Ladies, and general masses that constantly write to gain our favour. I speak of other such trying measures that you bring to the table, my Lady Ambassador."
"And what measures are these, Lady Trevelyan?" Josephine asks with a smile as she believes she has finally caught on to my meaning, but wants nothing more than to hear it come out of my mouth.
"Well, for one... the fact that every single time I walk into your office, I have a hard time breathing. It is as if there is a spell that hangs around you that causes my breath to catch whenever I see you sitting behind your desk."
She nuzzles into my shoulder and I can feel her smiling even harder. "Well, Skyhold is on top of a mountain, Inquisitor, and Skyhold isn't exactly as small as the Chantry the Inquisition was using in Haven. Maybe you are not in the best of shape that you thought you were."
I sigh as she chuckles softly at her own reply. "There is another matter that is very trying because of your station with the Inquisition... and it has nothing to do with altitude, I assure you."
"Oh... what is that, Lady Trevelyan?" She asks while her head is still resting on my shoulder. The speech causes her lips to ghost over the sensitive skin of my neck causing me to shudder at the contact.
"It is the fact that I lose all mental faculties while in your presence. My heart tends to pound, nearly to the point of wanting to escape my chest. My knees grow weak every time you look in my direction. I also can not seem to form one coherent sentence whenever you smile at me. It has been a very trying time for me whenever we have to be in the same room, but I do believe that I can find a way to manage it."
She lifts her head from my shoulder and stares up at me, her beautiful dark eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. Josephine arches a perfect eyebrow as she continues to stare. "And how do you think you can manage such life-threatening problems?"
"I feel as though I can rectify such problems by uttering one simple paragraph: I love you, Josephine Montilyet. I believe I have loved you since I first saw you in the Chantry back in Haven. Since that day, I have only longed to be near you and wished that, one day, I could hold you in my arms and tell you how much you mean to me. I want you to be in my life always... that is how much I love you."
As I lay my heart bare before the only person who has ever made me think of anyone but myself, I see tears glisten in her eyes. Lifting my hand to her cheek, I gently wipe away the errant tears that broke free. She continues to cry causing my heart to break at the fact that she may not feel as I do, that she may simply be humouring my fancy for her or she was only using me. "Josephine..." I start when I finally find my voice again. "I'm sorry..." I drop my hands from her and take a step away from her. "Maybe I should go back inside and..."
Before I could finish my sentence, she had closed the distance between us and pulled me into a searing kiss. We had kissed before... in the Chantry gardens back at Skyhold, but the forcefulness of this embrace was different. It spoke of unspoken affections and promises of a future full of love and hope, no matter the outcome of the Breach. My hands clench tightly on to the golden sash that wraps around her waist and pull her closer, my own lips vainly trying to convey so many other words that my voice and mind could not string together whenever she is around me.
When the need for air became too much to handle, Josephine breaks the kiss but does not leave the protection of my arms. "Did you mean all of what you said, Evelyn?"
"Every single word of it, Josephine," I sigh out as I lean my forehead against hers. My heart beats faster as I wait for her to speak again.
"I had often fought with myself over my own feelings for you and always thought that it was something different, because it all seemed so sudden..." She stops mid-sentence and looks directly into my eyes. A smile graces her lips as she continues, "But now that you have spoken of your true affections for me, I know, without a doubt, that what I feel for you was not just idle fancy, but an emotion which I could never put into words... until now. I love you, too, Evelyn."
I smile at that declaration as I move my hand away from her waist to cup her smooth, flawless skin. "You have made me the happiest woman alive, Josephine."
The Ambassador smirks as she nuzzles her cheek into my hand. "If that is the case, my dear Inquisitor, then do kiss me again."