My Lady
The bright sunlight filtered in through the scattered holes in the ceiling and warmed the occupants of the Skyhold barn. The heavy smell of hay and horse leather clung to the Warden Blackwall as he entered and made his way to the stables. Horse Master Dennet stopped his shovelling and watched as the bearded man approached.
"Is she ready?" Blackwall asked excitedly, stopping in front of the man.
"She just came in this morning. You'll find her behind the last stall door." Dennet replied.
"Where on earth did you find it?" The Warden asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wooden slates of the horse pens.
"Some stuck up Orlesian fellow in Val Royeaux. Took a fair bit of convincing but he finally gave the beast up in exchange for the Inquisition's favor and a sack of gold to boot."
"Amazing. The Inquisitor should be here any moment now. I can't thank you enough for this, Horse Master."
"No, you really can't." He laughed, taking his leave to continue his work.
Blackwall smiled at the man's words, knowing the trouble it took the Horse Master to find exactly what he had been looking for. When he had come to the stables weeks prior, Dennet had laughed at the specifications of the Gray Warden's request.
"Every detail must be perfect." Blackwall had said, anxiously pulling at the end of his beard.
"I heard ya the first time! It'll take a while, but I think I can find just the thing you're looking for." Dennet replied.
Sure enough, the man had delivered on his promise a few months later. When Blackwall received word that it had arrived, he found himself running across the battlements, trying to reach the barn before his beloved Inquisitor. Now he stood in his usual place in the barn, crossing and uncrossing his burly arms as he tried to act as natural as possible. Soon enough, Blackwall saw The Herald crossing the battlements and down the large stone steps.
"Hey, Warden!" The Inquisitor Cadash shouted, smiling and waving once she had his attention.
As she crossed the swaying grass in the field, Blackwall watched happily, his heart almost beating out of his chest. Hair the color of cornsilk twisted beautifully in a heavy braid that fell past her shoulders; A few golden strands of it had come undone and curled around the tanned skin of her face. Blackwall loved when the scar that cut through the Inquisitor's eyebrow crinkled when she smiled. As ridiculous as it seemed to others, it simply brought him peace to know it meant she was happy.
"Good afternoon, my lady." He replied once the dwarf had come to stand in front of him. His usually harsh and gruff demeanor had completely melted away, leaving a smiling and fluttering romantic. He bent low, grabbing her hand and planting a tender kiss on her skin.
"Oh stop it, you sap."She laughed, batting him away but blushing all the same.
"Come to feed the mounts again?" He asked nonchalantly, casting a glance at the end stall of the stables.
"How did you know?" She questioned.
"I've noticed that you always come to help Dennet with the feedings You seem to rather enjoy spending time with the horses."
"Made it that obvious, have I?" She laughed nervously, pulling her braid over her shoulder and pulling at the end.
"I've just… haven't seen anything so beautiful! Before joining the Inquisition, I'd never owned one before. Now, there are dozens here at Skyhold. The recruits can't spend a lot of time with them, and the Horse Master can only do so much so… I just like to help out." She gushed, hands still pulling at her braid.
"That's an idea I can support. It's that kind of devotion that made the Inquisition choose you to be its leader."
"I was simply in the wrong place at the right time, love. It had to be someone, and I guess I was just unlucky enough to be the dwarf they picked." She said wryly, clearly not thrilled with her title as The Herald of Andraste.
"You're right. It definitely should've been Varric." He joked.
"I agree. Clearly, I don't have the chest hair for the job."
"And for that, I am eternally grateful." Blackwall laughed. Cadash giggled making the Warden's heart continue to jump and skip in his chest.
"She never wanted any of this. But she did what needed to be done and still finds a moment for life's small joys." He thought.
The man knew that the Inquisitor did not enjoy her title or status. It was a burden she bore, not for the sake of Thedas but for her way of life. Without the events at the Conclave, the Herald would have lived as just another surfacer dwarf. Unbound by expectations or rules, Cadash would have likely stayed with her previous mercenary company and lived a normal life. The freedom to make any choice had always been an appealing notion to her, a notion that now was threatened by Corypheus. It was for that simple reason that the dwarf had decided to become The Herald of Andraste.
"She deserves something to make her happy." Blackwall thought, taking a step closer to his love.
"I actually have a gift for you, my lady. A token of my appreciation for your efforts." He said, once again grabbing the Herald's hand.
"A gift? What is it?"
"Well, if I was just going to just tell you, I wouldn't have bothered hiding it so well. Just cover your eyes." He chuckled.
The Inquisitor rolled her eyes, shaking her head and smiling as she lifted her hands to cover her face.
Cadash listened closely to the sounds around her, trying to guess what Blackwall had in store. The only sounds that the dwarf could hear was the occasional whinny from the nearby mounts and the indistinguible buzz of conversations in the field nearby.
"Alright, my lady. Open your eyes." Blackwall finally said.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Inquisitor dropped her hands and looked to see what her Warden had brought for her. Her mouth dropped open and hung slightly agape as she took in what was poised in front of her.
A large Orleasian mount stood gracefully a few feet away, the muscles underneath it's light skin rippling and contracting. The heavy mane that ran down it's neck shimmered in the sun, the strands the exact shade of spun gold that the Inquisitor possesed. The woman tentatively grabbed the end of her braid, holding it tightly. Blackwall watched anxiously beside the beast as he waited for the dwarf's response to his gift.
"Is she…. mine?" Cadash asked, slowly taking a step closer.
"She is, my lady."
"We match." The dwarf said, her fingers still wrapped around the end of her hair.
"You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find one with your exact shade." He replied.
"Blackwall…. I don't know what to say." The Inquisitor said as she tentatively reached her arm out and stroked the velvet skin of the horse's face. The mount snorted, nuzzling her nose farther into The Herald's hand.
"I think she likes you." The Warden said, a small smile ghosting his lips. Cadash smiled widely at his words, turning to look at the bearded man.
"I hope so."
"Maker, what have I ever done to deserve that smile?" Blackwall thought, her joy making his heart skip again.
"I'll talk to Dennet about caring for her while you're attending to your duties away from Skyhold." He said, stepping closer to her.
"Thank you, love. For all of it." Cadash said, grabbing his calloused hand.
"Anything for my lady." He replied, leaning down and planting a soft kiss on her lips. His beard tickled The Inquisitor's face as she happily returned the sweet gesture. Their moment was soon interrupted by the sound of the mount next to them. She whinnied and snorted loudly, indignant at the lack of attention. Cadash laughed at the horse's impatience before resuming the gentle petting of the animal's neck.
"Wait your turn, ya beast." Blackwall grumbled, crossing his arms and coming to stand behind the Inquisitor.
"Now that I think about it, I should probably come up with something to call her." The woman mused as she stood on her toes to pet the heavy hair on it's neck.
"Did you have something in mind?"
A moment passed before Cadash said anything, her hands stopping their movement. Eventually she turned to face the Warden, a large grin on her face.
"I think I've got the perfect name. How about… Lady?"