Tabris woke to the soft groan of the man beside her, stretching as before sitting in a meditative pose. She smiled to herself, trying to fall back asleep to the sound of a low hum as Sten worked through his chants.
But as she laid there, listening to him breathe, the fact it was one of their last mornings together made it hard for her to close her eyes. They had not changed their routine, relying on it to make it through this week. Sten would leave for Gwarin after the coronation today. She intended to go with him until he left Ferelden, but the idea of watching him leave, standing alone on the pier as she saw him for possibly the last time...
If they said goodbye today, at least her father would be there. She could go home. There was such a comfort to that idea. To sleep in her old bed, to sleep until she could stand again.
She heard him stir and he returned to the bed, curling his arms around her.
"Kadan," he murmured as he kissed her neck, "I am still here."
She realized then she had been crying and she let him curl her body against his. She looked up into his violet eyes and he cupped her face in his hands.
"I cannot stay," he said quietly, "Your kind will not allow mine for much longer. Even if I am with the Hero of Ferelden, I will not be safe. But you can come with me, kadan. Seheron...the elves live in peace there. There is war at times, but there is also joy and celebration."
"I can't," she whispered, "Maker, I want to...but I can't."
She kissed him desperately and he gently pushed her away.
"Perhaps it is better if you stay in Denerim," he said quietly, turning from her, "I do not know if I have the strength for this much longer."
He rose from the bed, and left the room.
oOoOoOoOo
As soon as Alistair finished his proclamation to the Landsmeet, Tabris pulled him over to the side and hissed, "What are you doing?"
"I thought you'd want leadership for the elves."
"Not that," she waved him off, "Why are you sending me to Amaranthine? The Blight has been over for less than a week. I thought I had enough time to-"
They both glanced down the Landsmeet Chamber, seeing the Qunari standing awkwardly to the side as nobles stared at him.
"I thought you'd prefer it, honestly," he commented, "No more waiting and just getting straight to business. That's the Grey Warden I know. Duty first, always. I mean...if we could all just go on vacation whenever we wanted-"
She felt as if he had slapped her across the face and she stood, stunned.
"You have no idea, do you?" She accused, "You have no idea what I'm giving up for this country, for you."
"We all have to make sacrifices," he said quietly, glancing over at Anora.
"Oh," she said, fuming, "So you marrying the beautiful princess and becoming king of the land is such a sacrifice? Leaving the Wardens, a death sentence, is a sacrifice? Tell me, did your home get destroyed during the Blight? Will you have to abandon your father to live in a hellhole while you go fight monsters, alone, in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter? Do you have to watch the love of your life leave you for the last time because it's not safe for him in your country? Do you really think this is the same thing?"
He responded, "I'm sorry, but this is just the way it has to be."
She paused, a smirk crossing her face, "No, it isn't."
Alistair raised an eyebrow as she turned from him, marching down the Landsmeet Chamber to her Qunari lover. She leaped into his arms, letting him cradle her as she kissed him fiercely.
From over his shoulder, she shouted out to the Landsmeet, waving her fingers profanely in the air, "I quit! See you, suckers! Seheron, here I come!"
Sten carried her out of the Landsmeet chamber and into the streets of Ferelden, the nobles breaking into hushed whispers.
He grumbled into her ear, "There was no need for theatrics."
"Says the man who is apparently carrying me the entire way home."
A smile flickered across his face before kissing her again, the crowds cheering at the sight of their hero. She was too distracted to flip them off before Sten plopped her back on her feet.
She shouted out to the crowds, "Good luck rebuilding this slum, idiots! Enjoy the terrible winters and the wet dog smell! I'm out! Bye Denerim, you piece of shit!"
"Are you finished?" Sten grumbled.
"Almost," she replied quietly, and then yelled into the crowd, "I'm going to go off with my heathen lover and we're going to have beautiful babies outside of marriage in the jungle! Through lots and lots of really dirty sex! That's right. Not saving the world anymore, going off to have non-Chantry approved sex! But good luck with the darkspawn!"
She could have sworn she saw Sten blush before he picked her up again.
"Perhaps you could have left that part out," he grumbled before he walked towards the gates of the city.
"Never," she smirked.