Note/Disclaimer: continuation of The Last Day and An Eye for an Eye Leaves the Whole World Blind, takes place during Inquisition. Because I love my Warden and hell if he doesn't get a happy ending.
I don't own Dragon Age, as it belongs to BioWare. No profit being made, just for funsies, all that junk.
The Warden-Commander of Ferelden couldn't rid himself of the distinct feeling that he didn't belong here.
The thick stone walls of the fortress seemed to leer over him, blotting out the sun, surrounding him, cutting him off from the outside world. It shouldn't have been anything new to him – it wasn't. It had been a very long time since he'd been anywhere that could be called civilisation, but the longer he remained here, the more he realised how little he had missed it.
Being here, back in the thick of the action again; it brought everything back, whether he wanted it or not. With every step he took, he was bombarded with memories of a different time. It had all been so much simpler back then, when there had been a direct threat he had to face, a clear enemy to fight. Now… he didn't know. Things that seemed so straightforward before had become so hopelessly complicated it felt like there was almost no point in even trying to understand.
He knew he only had himself to blame. It was, more often than not, the consequences of his own rash decisions that had led to this.
No one seemed to look twice at him as he made his way up the steps and towards the main keep. To them, he was likely just one more Grey Warden, one more tired soldier with the same pale, slightly haunted look, after seeing one too many horrors. Another worn, grizzled veteran who has been fighting for too long and lost too much. It seemed all too common here. So much so no one saw it anymore. That was just how far the world had come in recent years, how much the near-constant state of chaos had shaped people's lives.
He didn't know if he was amused or horrified. Perhaps it was both.
Nothing seemed to change. There was always some deadly threat, some foe too great and terrible to be fought against by normal men and women – whether it was darkspawn, an Archdemon, magic, demons, or the simple idea of war itself. Something would always appear, sooner or later, threatening the fragile peace. At this point, it was almost as if the world didn't want to be saved.
He focused solely on where he was going, careful to ignore the odd, suspicious looks he knew where being cast his way from behind a sea of masks. He didn't need to see it. He knew they didn't want him and his kind here, regardless of any rank.
It was just as well, he supposed, that he wasn't here for them.
He pushed open a door and quickly disappeared through it, smiling a little to himself as he was met with a gentle breeze and the sight of a lush garden. He glanced around anxiously, his gaze trailing over his surroundings until finally, his eyes fell on what he was looking for.
The Warden fell to his knees, arms outstretched, his lips cracking into a rare grin. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, until a young boy bolted out into view, darting across the garden in what felt like less than a single second and threw himself into the man's waiting embrace.
"Father!"
The Warden let out a small, startled gasp that quickly turned into a breathless chuckle as he caught his son, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy and drawing him close. He clung desperately to his son, terrified that should he ever let go, it would all fade away and he'd be left with nothing. It would all fade away, and he'd finally wake up from this dream and he'd be forced to face the harshness of reality once again, this time without the comfort given to him by his wife and son.
His son.
It still didn't feel real.
He was starting to wonder if it ever would.
It had never occurred to him that he would ever come to cling so tightly to something he hadn't even been sure he even wanted ten years previously. Back then, this had been everything he'd wanted to avoid, everything he was desperate to get away from. It was one more reminder of how much times had changed; how much he had changed with them. He loved this boy, more than he ever thought he'd love anything. He'd let all of Thedas burn if it meant his family would be safe. Of that, he had no doubt.
He'd lost his family once before. He refused to let it happen again.
Never again.
"Hey," the Warden murmured, pulling back just enough so he could take a long look at his son, his eyes glistening with tears. "Hey, pup. I missed you."