Snowday
by
Silver-Eyed Rukia
Rated: T (for language)
Summary: Snow covers the entirety of Skyhold and its occupants know of more than one thing to do with the frozen mass.
Pairing: Adaar (female Qunari Inquisitor) x Sera
Note: This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.
A light breeze swept in through the open balcony door, brushing against the woman's skin and waking her from her ever so light sleep as the wind carried not only air but something wet too. Adaar rose from the bed and ran two fingers over her face before looking outside just to see not the usual snowy mountainscape but a seemingly solid wall of whiteness: snow. With as much ice that surrounded Skyhold it was still a rare event that it snowed, let alone in such a manner.
A light grumble sounded from her right and the Qunari smiled as Sera grabbed for her in her sleep, missing the warmth the much taller woman provided. Adaar leaned down to kiss her lover's forehead, brushing against the unevenly cut bangs of the elf. Another grumble followed as Sera woke from her slumber, stretching before propping herself up on one of her elbows, looking up at the Inquisitor that was already getting dressed.
"If you're planning on getting up this early every day I ain't gonna let you fuck me into a frenzy 'till late into the night anymore, you know."
"Good morning to you too", she replied before slipping on her pants and wrapping her chest with linen cloth, "and you should know by now that I train in the mornings. It's the only time I am ever free, it seems."
"Pfft, training. Thought the mighty Herald of Andraste was a natural talent at splitting people in half with an axe that weighs probably twice as much as I- oh it's snowing!", Sera interrupted herself and sped out onto the balcony with a complete disregard of the fact that she was stark-naked, a childish grin on her face as she looked into the yard that was already covered in the white poweder.
A heavy coat that she completely drowned in was placed over her shoulders as the horned woman placed herself next to the elf, giving her a curious look.
"As much as I enjoy the view, I doubt others will. Plus I am not going to risk you getting sick either." And with that she picked the archer up and tossed her over her shoulder, ignoring the protest and the very colourful language that followed the action.
Sera had disappeared shortly after getting carried around like a sack of potatoes, a rather dominant pout visible on her full lips. Adaar had used the small window of free time before she had to attend the war council to train in the garden, as it was still early enough that the mothers and priests were not yet out and praying. Not that she would have minded them, but she prefered the solitude every now and then.
She looked up while stretching her limbs, enjoying the soft tickle of the snowflakes on her face. She was used to the cold, had been even before joining the Inquisition and staying in the just as cold Haven. As the Qunari finished her small warm-up session that included practice swings with her 2-handed sword she cleared a small patch of grass from the frozen water and took a deep breath, placing her hands on the cold surface and lifting the rest of her body above her in an upright position, performing a handstand. Tilting her head backwards a bit to avoid her horns touching the ground the tall woman started pushing her own weight up and down, counting in a low whisper that barely left a cloud in the chilly air.
Time passed, how much she didn't know, but it must have been at least a solid 15 minutes because she heard the familiar footsteps of the dwarven scout approaching her, snow crunching even beneath her child-like feet. Well, child-like for a Qunari at least.
"Diligent as always, Inquisitor. Good morning."
"98...99...100."
Adaar flipped herself into a standing position and stretched, popping bones in the motion and breathing heavily but evenly.
"Greetings, scout Harding. Any news?", she asked as she grabbed the towel she had brought with her, sitting down in the small stony pavilion to wash off the sweat and dry off afterwards.
"Nothing on the enemy front ser, but you might want to come into the yard and see for yourself what's been happening this morning."
Frowning the blue-eyed woman did as told, picking up her coat and putting away her utensils before doing so. But no amount of information could have prepared her for what she found in front of her upon entering the yard from the main hall.
The fighting pit had been turned into a snow-fort that looked just about ready to deflect any assault upon its frozen walls. Several smaller barricades had been erected around it, building what looked like a frozen labyrinth that stretched from the pit all the way back to the requisitions room. Several heads peeked out from behind the walls, snowballs in hand and ready to defend their position. Down the stairs in the lower yard stood a similar fort, if only just a bit smaller but with many more barricades surrounding and protecting it, housing more men inside the fort and beyond the walls.
Adaar was rarely ever rendered speechless but just in that moment she truly didn't know what to say about the sight in front of her. Harding seemed to notice her rather obvious lack of understanding and carefully led her down the stairs, a bit away from both camps as they seemed eager to throw their snowballs at anyone who dared approach them.
"It might sound stupid, but it's a strategic training that the commander thought of. Well, he and the Iron Bull to be exact. It started when Sera threw a snowball at Solas' head to which he only summoned a spell, harmless I might add, that was supposed to hit her back, but a gust of wind derailed it and hit the Bull in the chest instead. And...this is what eventually became of it."
"In a matter of 30 minutes? Because I haven't been out of my chambers much longer than that."
The freckled dwarf laughed at the mixed look of disbelief and admiration on the Inquisitor's face and just nodded, leaving the Vashoth to her thoughts as both parties made a move, the lower yard team advancing on the stronghold from the upper yard team. The scout silently left the scene as Adaar stepped around the fort, watching as a pair of horns emerged from said building, their owner laughing loudly as he threw snowballs at the enemy team with such force that they were knocked flat on their backs or behinds upon impact. And his aim was good too, impressive for a man with only one eye. The Chargers were on his team, of course, as well as Blackwall and even Cole. The scouts were also present in their team, which left only the trainees and the already fully trained swordsmen and their leader Cullen to be the other team. A quick survey of the terrain made it clear that mages had been excluded from the scenario, probably to avoid snow and ice based spells to uneven the chances between teams.
"First squad, try flanking their right, second squad, make sure that squad one has their backs clear", yelled the ever strong voice of the former templar, directing his team into an advance on the enemy position. They dodged snowballs as if they were arrows and defended their mates as if it was a real fight.
The Qunari was impressed. What seemed to be a silly snowball fight actually turned out to be a life practice for war tacticts, where the military trained soldiers fought against the random hit-and-run style of Bull and his Chargers. A larger number of men with a smaller base against a smaller number of men in a larger base. Simple yet effective.
"When I first laid eyes upon this I thought I had finally gone mad but now that I see how it works out I am truly impressed at the effectiveness of it", the seeker said as she approached the warrior from the side, wearing one of her rare smiles as they both watched the scenario unfold. Adaar nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, wondering which team would eventually win. The heated battle continued and several misguided snowballs hit Skyhold's walls, leaving a random yet strangely pretty pattern. Just as Cassandra was about to excuse herself a snowball flew her way. She quietly dodged the projectile with trained ease, only to turn her head at the squeel that followed the action.
Leliana stood behind her, face covered in snow and her hood down, probably from the impact of the frozen sphere: it had been one of Bull's snowballs after all. The seeker had a hard time containing her mirth as the spymaster removed the wet substance from her face and gave her a glare, only to adress the woman next to her with a little less fury.
"You can't tell me you think this a good idea. Fake conflicts based on snow?"
"What's wrong with it? It's a safe training for the new recruits and also a way to release some of built-up tension that surely all of them have. You could give it a try, maybe even with your spies? Everyone would benefit, if only to have some fun."
The redhead thought it over for a second before sighing in defeat, motioning for the seeker to follow her down to the lower yard.
"You have such nice hair, you should show it more often."
Sister Nightingale put up her hood, if only to mask the very obvious blush that had risen to her cheeks. No one had complimented her hair in what seemed like forever. Not since her travels with the Hero of Ferelden.
Adaar smiled and was just about to return to her chambers for a change of clothing when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Surprised she blinked, wondering if the still falling snow was playing tricks on her mind but no, it wasn't. There, just behind the inn, stood Sera. Or what was visible of her, as the Qunari could only make out her blonde hair despite being taller than most people.
Carefully she made her way over, avoiding the still flying snowballs and listening to the ever so nice comments from either team such as "Sodding nug-huggers" or "Blasted oxmen" among other things. As soon as she stepped behind the inn the noise seemed to cease, the wind carrying it into the other direction.
The elf didn't seem to notice her as she was busy rolling up a ball of snow that was already half as tall as she was. Her long ears peeked out from beneath a knitted wool-hat that looked to be selfmade if only for the fact that the bright colour arrangement of red and yellow practically yelled "Sera". Her hands were bare and her feet tucked into a pair of long, tight boots, a big difference to the slipper-like shoes she usually wore. A scarf in the same colours as her hat peeked out of her mantle, swinging left and right with every move she made.
The warrior, amused and intersted at the sight, decided to stay silent and watch whatever it was her love was doing. She leaned against the inn's outer wall and crossed her arms over her chest, careful not to make any crunching noise on the snow.
Sera seemed to be humming a song while playing around in the snow, ears and hands red from the cold but she didn't seem to mind. She stopped when the ball of snow was reaching up to her waist, carefully lifting it on top of an already rolled up but much larger snowball. Her quiver and her bow were resting in reach if she ever needed them, already slightly burrowed in the ever growing mass of flakes.
"Pish, I think it might be as heavy as the original if maybe not as attractive", the elf muttered as she stopped for a moment, rubbing her hands together to return some sense of warmth to them. A somewhat absentminded smile grazed her mouth as she bend down to start the last ball that was going to be the snowman's head. Or snowwoman? The Vashoth could honestly not tell as of now due to any lack of detail on the frozen sculpture.
Minutes passed as Sera simply stood in front of the halfway finished snowman as if in deep thought before bending down again to start the third and last ball of snow. The path she had used before had already been filled up with new snow. It didn't take her very long to finish her frozen buddy's head and she grinned proudly, patting away some of the figure's snowy mass to shape it into a...woman?
Adaar raised an eyebrow as the seemingly randomly built snowman turned into something resembling a snowwoman, as Sera had given the sculpture two rather obvious breasts along with a well-shaped behind. The tall woman could not stop the laugh from escaping her lips at the so very Sera-like action of building a naked snowwoman where pretty much anyone could see it. The sound made the elf turn around in surprise, a curse upon her lips as she spotted the Inquisitor.
"Oh shite, not you! Why is it always you when I'm doing anything? You keeping watch on me or something? Stop it."
Adaar shook her head no to the question and approached the smaller woman, pressing the archer's back against her front and wrapping her mantle around them both, taking the smaller hands into one of her own, much bigger hands to warm them up.
"To answer your question: no, I do not keep watch on you despite enjoying the very sight that you are. And seeing you here was pure chance. I was just curious as to what you were doing so I stayed. Plus it's rare to see you so quiet and concentrated."
Sera made a farting noise with her mouth to cover the obvious blush that adorned her cheeks. "Honey tongue you. Well, I ain't telling you yet so go. Hush, off you go to your oh so important war council or whatever it is you do all day when I am not around to make it awesome."
Adaar smirked and wrapped her arms around the elf, successfully keeping her from escaping her grasp. "And what if I do not wish to leave just yet? I am curious as to what you will make out of her", she said and nodded towards the snowwoman. Sera grumbled under her breath and silently admitted defeat. "Fine then. Go see if you can find branches for the horns."
The tavern was filled to the brim with soldiers, spies, scouts and pretty much anyone that had taken part in the frozen battlefield scenario, the sheer mass of people creating a permanent warmth even without the torches and the ever-flowing alcohol. From what the Inquisitor had gathered the fight had ended in a draw as both teams were eventually forced to leave the yard due to the snow and wind picking up in intensity, turning into a snowstorm. The fight had still lasted a good hour and it evidentily had raised the morale of not just the soldiers but everyone taking part in it. Even Leliana and Cassandra seemed more laid-back than usual as they sat among their troops, laughing and drinking like a common soldier.
The Qunari smiled down at the scene in front of her, watching proudly as dwarves, elves, humans and even Qunari shared a moment of utter peace, the war all but forgotten if only for this short a time. They played games, shared tales of their lives before the Inquisition and poured each other drinks until they could drink no more, enjoying not having responsibilities towards anyone inside the tavern. Only the inn-keeper was busy keeping the food warm and the beverages flowing but even the usually grumpy dwarf seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, in his own, grumpy way.
"It's all good, innit? They got to bombard each other with snow and insults and now they can do the same with alcohol and cards. Urgh, I don't wanna be the one who has to clean up afterwards though", Sera said as she approached the Qunari, standing next to her and watching as the Iron Bull managed to out-drink everyone but Krem who was surprisingly still standing after his 5th pint.
"It seems to have the same effect as your pranks then", Adaar added and looked down at the elf with a barely contained grin. "Even thought it took me a while to reassure Josephine that everything would be alright with the Marquis that got hit by your bucket. And its contents."
Sera laughed at the memory and took the taller woman's hand, dragging her away from the crowd into her own, personal room inside the tavern, pushing her into a sitting position by the windows and sitting down on her lap, straddling her legs.
"Josie still looks at me as if I am going to spill a bucket full of lizards over her next guest every time we see each other. Which does seem like a good idea now that I think about it."
A raised eyebrow was a response to her musings and the elf just shrugged and wrapped her arms around the Qunari's neck, kissing her softly. "Don't get your breeches in a twist, I won't do it again. Not with Josie anyways."
The pair sat like that for a while, enjoying each others comapny and warming up after being outside for so long. The sounds from downstairs were as loud as ever, only slightly blocked out by the wooden door seperating the first floor and the elf's room. Sera hummed as she traced some of the scars on the Vashoth's face, not asking about them though.
"I think we forgot to add them. On you, I mean. Well, the other you. Still looks good though."
Adaar turned her head to look outside, barely able to make out the snow-replica of herself that stood just outside the window. A pair of branches were supposed to resemble her horns and the snowwoman was suprisingly nearly as tall as she was.
"Well, we can always remedy that later on. Or tomorrow, depending on the weather. Even though I think it will be tomorrow when I am judging the look on your face correctly", she jokingly added as Sera pushed her onto her back, grinning as she sat on her lover's hips.
"Hey, the other you is all nice to look at and all that pish but I can't exactly drag it into my room and have my way with it now can I? It's still nice enough to look at though."
The laugh from the Qunari was soon replaced by another sound entirely as the pair lost itself in its own little world, the party just a floor beneath them all but forgotten.
I wanted to write a little something for the holidays, and I hope it's not too boring or cheesy or something. So yeah, Merry Christmas to you lot, or whatever religion you belong to :)
PS: I am planning on getting back to writing in general. Currently it'll probably all be Dragon Age Inquisition, maybe DA II or DAO, who knows. Just expect more to be coming your way if you are interested.
Phrase of the Day
I've come too far to see the end now, even if my way is wrong
"Nothing left to say" by Imagine Dragons
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