prompt sentance - " I missed you every hour. "
~Sunflowers and Tea~
Featuring: Cole, and Maryden and their little girl Sandra (she's about two),takes place post Inquisition and after tresspasser. Enjoy :D
Dusty leather boots carried the lanky man up the cobblestone path to home. The dust used to bother Cole, but he's become accustomed to it. The house is stone with a sunflower and vegetable garden in the back and the door an ashy looking wood. The door creaks as he opens it inward, it's always open when someone is home. Cole had one hen strung over his shoulder and a sachel of onions and peppers over the other.
When Maryden opened the door for him, she's greeted with a kiss.
"Cole, welcome home! You left earlier than usual for market, was everything all right?" Maryden said after she tipped the hat up so it doesn't bump her in the eye. Even years later, he refused to get rid of the hat. It helped him remember the Inquisitor and the others. How much they had done for him. They are memories that warmed his heart.
He gave them both a kiss when he left that morning, but she nor Sandra had been awake.
"I'm all right. You both spent all day yesterday cleaning and repairing the house after the gardening, I thought you could use the rest. I'm sorry, I can wake you next time and we can all go."
His hair is longer now, pulled back to the nape of his neck with little wisps framing his face and he smiles a great deal more.
He handed the foodstuff off to Maryden and kissed her good morning, just once more because he could.
The little brown haired bouncy girl full of energy dashed to the door, hugging her Mother and Father's heels,
"Papa! Did you miss me?! You were gone when I woke up! I missed you!"
Cole knelt down and hugged the girl into his arms. Most cherished, precious, darling little one. Their little one. HIS little one.
"I missed you every hour. Especially your smile." Cole tapped the end of her nose with a long knobby finger and laughter bubbled up from Sandra's smile.
He loved this.
One hand at Maryden's calf, standing strong like the foundation of the house they built together. Her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, gentle and kind, soothing away any worry. Sweet little Sandra, happy, healthy and whole. They all were. Sandra stole her Father's armored sunhat and put it on. It almost ate her. "Then I'll just have to smile bigger now that you're home Papa to make up for the ones you missed at breakfast! Bright like the sunflowers! I'll be the brightest sunflower in the garden!" Sandra ran off in Cole's hat before Cole could even blink, barefoot in her little blue nightgown and singing of sunflowers.
Maryden put the food away and took Cole into her arms. "She's just like you. All sunflowers and tea."
Cole's brow furrowed as he smiled, chin resting on his lover's shoulder. He's confused but no less endeared. "Sunflowers and tea?"
Maryden took Cole's face in her hands after turning to face him. "Yes, sunflowers and Tea, the small things that bring comfort and joy that still somehow manage to outweigh the large hardships despite being small."
Cole was touched, and nuzzled his nose against Maryden's, his lips split in a grin as they shared breath from standing so close. "I suppose you two are my Sunflowers and Tea then."