Wintermarch, 9:36 Dragon
It's been more than five years since the end of the Fifth Blight and the efforts to rebuild has proved to be long and difficult. The Hero of Ferelden responsible for defeating the darkspawn horde has since took up residence in Denerim, Ferelden's capitol, and served as Chancellor to the royal family for a couple years. When it became apparent that King Alistair no longer had any need for an adviser, the Warden relinquished his post and turned his attentions elsewhere.
Even at home, he kept himself busy as when he organized important documents for the monarchy and signed letters addressed to the nobility of the bannorn. He even met with dignitaries from other nations such as Orlais, Nevarra, Antiva and Starkhaven. There were some complaints, others petitioned for his aid for "personal" problems, the rest were simply a waste of his time.
Such work demanded most of his time, but at homes, there was always a form of interruptions waiting for him. Today was one of those moments. On a snowy day, as he was reading a letter from an Orlesian diplomat, little footsteps were heard running around the corner — in his direction.
"Papa!" the Warden heard, recognizing the voice of a young five-year-old boy. As he turned around, the Warden put the letter down and opened his arms to embrace his son.
"Papa," the child energetically called out again as he flung open the doors to his father's room. The boy possessed red hair and light blue eyes, with skin tone almost as light as his mother's and a large smile on his face which shows great excitement. As quick as a flash, the boy leaped into the air and latched onto his father, almost knocking him down in the process. "You're home, Papa! Play with me, Papa! Play with me!"
"Adrian!" a voice called. All eyes then turned to see Leliana, who noticed the commotion and was quick to stop it. In the years following the Blight, Leliana had settled down with her Warden lover and would later get married and start a family of their own.
Although both their respective duties as Warden-Commander of Ferelden and Left Hand of the Divine, they always took any opportunity they had to spend time with each other. Their young son, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy driving his parents crazy sometimes. Luckily, the stress did not seem to affect them as Leliana physically looked the same as she did years ago, never showing signs of aging. And since she became a mother, Leliana was more nurturing and loving as ever, but was known to be strict when necessary. Today was one of those moments. As she stood in the main hall with both hands placed at her waist, Leliana's maternal side took over.
"How many times have I told you not to jump on your father like that?" she scolded.
The boy looked up at his mother and sadly looked down at the floor, thinking she was disappointed in his behavior. The Warden glimpsed at his young son, knowing that he only wanted his father's attention and could barely contain his excitement upon learning of his return home.
"It's fine, Leli." He tried to reassure Leliana. "The boy needed to simply burn off some his energy, that's all."
The boy looked up and noticed his father making several glances at the balcony outside. As he turned to look, he realized what the plan was: reach for a piece of snow and make a snowball. Without being spotted. Young Adrian grinned at the thought and begun to quietly make his move. His mother, suspecting nothing, seemed to settle down a bit.
"Maker's breath," she sighed. "What am I going to do with you two?"
"Boys will be boys, Leliana." he said. "It is who we are. Sometimes it's best to just go with the flow and one day hope for the best."
"I suppose so," Leliana seemed to relent, exhaustion beginning to make itself noticeable. "Although I think Adrian takes more after you."
"Ah, no. I don't think so," the Warden disagreed. "I think he takes more after you. Remember that little 'incident' in Jader four years ago?"
"I was drunk!" Leliana protested, a small blush flowing to her cheeks. "That's… that's not my point! I'm merely saying is which of us Adrian takes more after."
"Does it matter which of us he takes after? Isn't it more interesting to learn more over time?" he asked.
"Maybe. I suppose it's probably for the best." Leliana said. But by then, the Warden had already closed the distance between them and pulled her into a kiss. Leliana closed her eyes and gave into her desires. As they pulled apart, hands around each other's waist, a voice broke the moment.
"Mama! Catch!"
Just as Leliana turned around, she was greeted by a snowball to the face. She shouted in surprise and backed away, raising her hands to wipe away the snow. Adrian laughed as the prank went according to plan, with his father glancing back and forth, unsure of whether or not to discipline the boy for ruining the moment. However, Leliana had finished wiping her face of snow and turned to glare at Adrian.
"ADRIAN!" she almost yelled. The young boy quivered, expecting punishment. But to his astonishment, he noticed Leliana was forming a smile. "That's it," she grinned as she prepared a snowball of her own. "Now you are in big, big trouble, little man!"
"Yay!" Adrian cheered. His mother was going to join in on the fun.
"I should warn you, pup," the Warden said as he moved in to join them. "Your mother is quite formidable than she looks."
As the day went on, the family engaged in many rounds of snowball fights — each of them laughing until the sun was seen descending in the background. The world may demand each of their time, but when it comes to their family, the world can wait.