"Inquisitor, I must insist you rest in the cart."
Vanawyn sighed, looking over to Cassandra with a tolerant expression. "I understand and appreciate your concern, Cassandra, but I'll be fine. The people already in the cart need it more than I do."
The Seeker's brow furrowed and she grunted with discontent. "Your wound continues to look bad, and you are pale. It would not do for us to arrive at Skyhold victorious, only for the Inquisitor to be passed out."
"Head wounds always look worse than they are; you know that. If it makes you feel better, though, I'll have Vivienne look at it."
Her friend – meaning well but going about it in a brusque manner as always – nodded once. "It would be wise."
Shaking her head, Vanawyn walked over and greeted the First Enchanter with a wave.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Inquisitor? You look dreadful, darling." Actually concerned eyes shone out from a mask of indifference. It warmed Vanawyn's heart just a bit to know Vivienne cared about her, at least on some level. "Do you want me to look at that?"
Vanawyn gave her an amused smile as they continued to walk. "If you don't mind, please; Cassandra is convinced I'm going to pass out and destroy our triumphant return."
"To be fair, my dear, you do look as if you've lost a lot of blood. Come, let me see."
The Dalish mage had never learned much in the ways of magical healing, but Vivienne was clearly an expert as she parted Vanawyn's hair and gently prodded her forehead. New pain blossomed at the touch, surprising her; a small jerk was all she let her body do in reaction.
"Mmm. You will be fine, but I need to use some magic to ensure you don't lose any more blood. Hold still for a few moments."
If there was one thing Vanawyn could do very well, it was stand still. The two women stopped, survivors of the battle continuing to mill around them as one mage healed the other. Being magically healed was always an interesting sensation: it felt like a cross between near-oppressive heat and being really, really itchy. Her fingers twitched with the instinctive desire to scratch furiously.
Much to Vanawyn's relief, Vivienne wasted no time, stepping back not even a full minute later. "There. I would recommend getting plenty of rest once we return, but you should be more than ready for the remainder of the trip. You will most likely have a terrible scar, though. Pity."
She couldn't help but laugh; a scar? If she managed to get out of killing an old Tevinter half-magister half-darkspawn with just a scar on her face, that was a tradeoff Vanawyn could happily live with. "I'll take it. Thank you, Vivienne."
"You are quite welcome, my dear."
Vanawyn jogged to catch up with Cassandra at the front of their small march, who just gave her an approving nod. Both continued to lead the group through rocks and snow that had by this point become comforting. The path to and from Skyhold was often traveled by her team, and familiarity was exactly what she needed after the fight they had just endured.
They crested the last hill and her heart soared: Skyhold was still intact. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Vanawyn had been harboring deep fears that Corypheus would have sent something to decimate Skyhold while she was distracted by him in the Valley of Sacred Ashes. The thought had weighed heavily on her mind for the entirety of their victory march, and in that single moment all her fears evaporated. She felt as if she could fly.
Cheers from the rest of their group erupted as they saw their refuge come into sight at last.
They had barely made it to the bridge before the gate began to rise. Happy shouts rang as many of the people following them ran past Vanawyn to their loved ones still in Skyhold. She couldn't help but grin widely when her core group of friends walked through the gate with her. Now that they were all safely in Skyhold, it was really over.
They did it.
Blue-purple eyes lifted to look at the scar in the heavens, pride and relief in equal measure coursing through her veins. Everything was truly sealed. No more new rifts popping up, no more demons terrorizing townsfolk, no more looking over her shoulder in case one o–
"Everyone is happy. We helped. Everyone is better now. They still hurt, but it is much better now. Thank you." Cole's voice, full of wonder, distracted her. She looked down at the young…man? Was he human now?
Whatever he was, he was clearly overwhelmed by the joy around him. Vanawyn patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Yes, Cole. Thank you for all your help."
He didn't know how to respond to that, stuttering for a few moments before finally settling on simplicity. "You're welcome."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure someone here is about to be just plain happy, Cole." Vanawyn looked over to Dorian at his smug comment, brow rising in confusion. Her good friend jerked his chin up, gesturing behind her. She turned around, heart leaping as she spotted him from across the courtyard, looking concerned as he usually did.
Cullen.
He was alive. He didn't rush off after her, like she feared. He was here and alive. She was alive. They were alive. They actually made it through. She couldn't have stopped the stupid smile from plastering across her face, not even if she wanted to. Cold, wonderful air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath.
"Cullen!"
Brown eyes widened, frantically scanning the crowd until they finally settled on her. Their eyes locked for a brief, precious moment. He looked beside himself, as if he couldn't believe it. Her stomach filled with butterflies and all she could do was laugh happily, tears beading at the corner of her eyes. They both really had made it.
He tore away from Leliana and Josephine, clattering down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. A small part of her was swept away by how little he cared that they were both in public. It wasn't as if they had kept their relationship secret, but he was a painfully private person and tearful reunions in front of the entirety of the Inquisition weren't something they normally did. Vanawyn whispered a prayer of thanks to Mythal as she began to weave her way toward him.
Somewhere in the middle of the chaos of celebration they finally met. Vanawyn didn't slow down, plowing directly into his embrace. His armor was cold, but the fur lining around his collar was so warm. She nestled her cheek in it, her forehead against his cheek. "Cullen…"
"You came back." Incredulity mixed with relief in his voice, arms tightening around her. "You did it, and…" A sigh blew her hair into the air. "You're here."
It was a concerted effort to keep from crying, but Vanawyn managed to barely hold back. "Well… I noticed that someone snuck some luck into my pocket before I left."
A choked laugh was her only response as Cullen pulled back, gloved hand reaching to gingerly brush blood-crusted hair away from the gash on her forehead. The concern radiating from him was overwhelming.
"I'm… I'll be alright. It's already been patched up." She lifted a hand to move him away from the cut. Healed or not, touching it still hurt. "Don't worry, I'm here. And whole."
"We finally have a moment to breathe; don't tell me not to worry when you're covered in blood." A growing smile belied his words as he leaned down to capture her mouth with his own.
Time stood still as they twined their arms around one another, completely oblivious to the growing quiet of the crowd forming around them. At that moment in time, nothing else mattered. Corypheus was dead, the Breach was healed, and they were both alive. Nothing else mattered.
She eventually broke away for a gasp of air and touched her forehead to his, eyes closed. "You said that I would come back. I couldn't make you a liar, ma vhenan."
Cullen quietly laughed again, thumb stroking her cheek. "How thoughtful of you."
"You know me, always thinking of others first." Her palms slid up his armor, pressing against the chest plate, fingers curling around the top. "I…am so glad you're alright."
"Me, too." Large hands reached to hold her own, Cullen pressing a kiss against her knuckles before stepping back to give her a wide smile. "I love you. Let's get back t–"
Realization froze them both as they looked around, silently taking in the dozens of faces that happily watched their reunion.
Awkward silence was pierced by the sound of several of Leliana's crows, shortly followed by the raucous bellow of Iron Bull's laughter…which was soon cut off by Dorian coughing loudly. Vanawyn and Cullen turned to sheepishly face one another, neither seemingly knowing what to do. Varric's voice carried over the crowd, dripping with laughter.
"Oh, just kiss her again, Curly!"
They shared a simultaneous chuckle and she shrugged quietly, squeezing his hands. They were in it, now. Cullen must have had a similar thought process, as he almost immediately pulled her close, kissing her deeply while bending her backwards. Surprise was quickly overridden by elation and Vanawyn wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself revel in the applause that roared around the two of them.
We made it.