Titled SHAMELESS FLUFF in my folders, I wrote this for actualarishok and, I believe, fenharelwin, who requested "Loghain with puppies AND grandkids." :)
Loghain Mac Tir had lived a long life. He'd experienced joy and sorrow, pain and triumph, victory and failure. He'd loved, he'd lost, he'd lived. And yet…he'd never felt anything quite like this.
"These are your grandchildren," said Anora, smiling. She hadn't used to have those crinkles next to her eyes, but she also hadn't used to have two adorable black-haired children.
He stood at the door. The children- one was barely walking, but the other smiled at him with clarity in her eyes. She was older, and if she was anything like Anora had been, she was intelligent beyond her age.
"This is him?" she said.
Loghain wasn't sure what to say. What he could say. He'd come to Denerim because the first stirrings of the Calling had finally hit him…and now he planned on staying until the very last moments that he could.
"I'm your grandfather," he managed, voice rough.
The kids smiled, big toothy grins spreading across their faces.
"Mom told us all about you!" said the older one. "She said you were a war hero!"
"I am," he said. "I'm a lot of things." Did they know? Or had Anora only told him the good parts? At least there were good parts of his story to tell.
He got down on his knees with a grunt so that he was on their level. Anora watched behind the kids, smiling. He had barely gotten his balance when the kids rushed him, hugging him tightly. He put an arm around them both and felt his mouth turn upwards without his control.
"You're not upset or anything?" he said.
"About what?" said the older girl.
"Her name is Celia," said Anora. "That's Dawn."
"What would we be upset about?" said Celia.
"That I haven't been here," said Loghain, still smiling as the little one hugged his waist. Anora had asked him to change out of his armor before he came in. Now he knew why.
He picked the little one up and kissed her forehead on a whim. She giggled and stuck out her tongue. He laughed.
"Do all old heroes forget to shave?" said Celia.
"This one does," said Loghain, rubbing the greying scruff on his chin.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Celia. "You have to tell me all about the rebellion, okay? All about it, Mom doesn't know nearly enough and the history books are all wrong, they always are, that's the nature of history books. But you know it firsthand! Maker, no one does anymore. And then you have to tell us about Ser Cauthrien, she won't spill anything about how she met you and I've heard it's a real treat of a tale. And there's so much more I want to know!"
"One thing at a time," said Loghain, lifting the little one's shirt and blowing raspberries into her stomach. Dawn squealed and laughed. "I'll tell you all about it when we have the time."
Celia hugged him again. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I've waited so long to meet you."
Loghain was interrupted from his conversation rather abruptly. One moment he was hugging his grandchildren, the next he'd been completely bowled over by unknown attacking forced. He looked over and saw the girls laughing and squinted. What was going on…?
"You haven't met our mabari yet, have you?" said Celia, lifting a puppy in the air. It wagged its tail at the sight of the old man and barked.
Another mabari puppy sniffled around his elbow, licking it enthusiastically.
"What're their names?"
"We waited to name them until they got here," said Celia.
The dog licking his elbow whined when Loghain pulled himself back to a sitting position. It was still clumsy on its feet but still managed to make its way into Loghain's lap.
"How about Maric?" suggested Loghain.
"I'm not surprised," said Anora, shaking her head.
"It's just as foolish as he was, look," said Loghain, scratching the mabari behind the ears. It fell off balance in its excitement and barked in happiness.
"And the other one?" said Celia, still holding it. Dawn joined the puppy in Loghain's lap and began playing with it, rubbing its stomach with her tiny hands.
Loghain reached out and took the puppy in his hands. It licked his fingers with a joy Loghain couldn't fathom. "Adalla," he said. "She's a girl right?"
"Yes," confirmed Celia, sitting next to Loghain and leaning on his side.
Loghain brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear and smiled. His face hurt from the activity- he hadn't had much reason to do so recently. He didn't mind at all and kept smiling.
Anora walked over and joined her family on the floor. "Was it a good idea to visit?"
Loghain snorted. "You know the answer to that."
The little girl giggled and kissed his old cheek. "I love you, grandpa."
"I love you too," he said. "Both of you."
It had been a long road, but right now he was damn happy.