It was morning again, and Varric was the first to awaken. He felt quite different, for the first time in maker knows how long, he felt serene. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked over at the elven woman who clung to him as she slept. The concept of romance was foreign to him, he couldn't even write about it properly, let alone experience it. He didn't know how to be someone's significant other, years of chasing after fruitlessly chasing after Bianca didn't give him much time to figure it out. But, what he did know was that when he looked at Rosella, his world felt alright. That was enough for him. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer as he buried his face in her messy plush pink tresses. He wanted to hold on to this feeling, hoping it would last forever.
The movement broke Rosella from her sleep, she made a light sound of disapproval, before slowly opening her eyes to see the person that disturbed her sleep. Her eyes saw… chest hair? And then she remembered where she was, who she was with, and then what happened last night. The woman just about thought she had dreamt the whole thing, she was slightly taken aback. She kissed Varric, and not only that, she actually slept with him. The memories came flooding back to her at full force, she couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to do, what would she even say? She was like a dog that had finally caught its own tail, no idea what to do with it.
But, before she could even think about it, Varric pulled back from their embrace to look at her, and then he noticed her eyes were wide open. "Oh, sorry, Lady." He said with a chuckle. "Morning."
"G-Good morning." Rosella stuttered out, still in disbelief. "You really…? We really…? L-Last night…?" She asked cryptically as her face heated up a pretty shade of rose.
Varric took a moment to decipher what she was trying to ask him, he grinned, she was just too cute. "If you don't use your words, I'll never answer." He teased as her blush grew deeper.
Rosella pouted and pulled away, she refused to give him the satisfaction. "I won't let you get me this time."
Varric laughed, and pulled her back into an embrace, planting kisses on her face. "You know, I wouldn't tease you if you weren't so cute." To hearing this, Rosella gave him another embarrassing look, and his grin just grew wider. "See? Just like that." He laughed.
Rosella pouted once more and buried her face into his chest so he couldn't view her reactions any more. "You ass." She grumbled.
Varric basked in the glory of his work, before speaking to her again, his voice now filled with a more genuine tone. "Hey, look at me for a second." He said.
Curious, Rosella slowly moved her head from the safety of his chest, and looked up to him. Varric moved his face closer to hers, and placed his hand on her cheek. He looked into her eyes for a moment before he closed the distance between them and kissed her. Rosella eased into it, and kissed him back. After a few seconds passed, Varric broke the kiss, and pressed their foreheads together.
Varric then moved his hand from her face, to interlace their fingers. "I love you." He said to the elven girl, the phrase now coming natural to him.
Rosella smiled softly at him as she gave him her reply. "I love you too." She gave him an eskimo kiss, before moving to sit up, stretching as she did so. It then dawned on her that she had something important, and frightening to do today. Today was the day she would go to question Arnaud, and finally find out about what happened to her sister. She had been putting it off out of fear, but she needed to find out where her sister was. Her posture changed to a sulk, and her face to a noticeable frown. She sighed and put her face into her hands as the anxiety filled her.
Varric saw the change, and sat up beside her, putting his hand on her back. "Hey, what's wrong?" He said, slightly worried. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head and removed her hands from her face, she gazed to an empty corner of the room in thought. "No, Varric, you didn't do anything wrong." She sighed again. "I have to talk to Arnaud today…"
"Oh… Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Varric asked, looking up to her.
"I don't know, between the whole Bianca thing, and then last night, it didn't feel right, or… maybe I wanted to just escape it. I'm scared, Varric. I'm afraid to know… What if—What if they've sent her somewhere I can't reach her…?" Her body started to tremble, as she held back her tears. "What if she's… she's…" She couldn't get the words out.
Varric shushed her, and pulled her in for a hug, gently stroking her head. "Hey, hey, it's alright. Don't worry, Lady." He said as he comforted her. "Do you want me to come with you?" He asked.
Rosella nodded, wiping away the few tears that escaped. "Please…"
"Okay." He said, moving to look her in the eyes. "He won't get away with this. I'll drag him through hell myself if I have to. I promise." He placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'll protect your smile no matter what."
Rosella gave him a small smile and nuzzled against him. "Thank you, love." She felt a little better, but the outcomes were still heavy on her mind. "We need to get ready, Leliana and the Inquisitor are probably waiting on us." She said, moving away from him, and standing, her bare body on full display in front of Varric.
"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying this view." He teased as he looked her backside up and down.
Rosella then realized what the dwarf met, and promptly yanked the covers off of the bed. She covered herself and flipped him off with a pouty sneer. "You butt."
Varric blew a kiss at her before finally getting up himself. The two got ready for their meeting with Arnaud, both having bits of doubt hanging in their heads. They didn't know what they were about to walk into, but they knew it wouldn't be good.
When they were finished, they made their way to Skyhold's dungeon to meet Leliana and the Inquisitor. The walk felt like an eternity, though Varric's room wasn't that far from it. Rosella could feel the anxiety bubble up inside her with every step, but she had to know. The two finally made it, and saw Leliana and the Inquisitor waiting for them in the disheveled dungeon room.
"Thank you for helping me today." Rosella said as she bowed to Leliana and the Inquisitor.
"No problem." The Inquisitor replied, looking over to Arnaud's cell. "Are you ready to tell us where her sister is?" The Inquisitor asked the man.
Arnaud glared up at him from the floor of his cell, he looked moderately disheveled. "How long do you intend to keep me here?" He spat out, completely ignoring the question.
"Until you tell us where Rosella's sister is." The Inquisitor replied smoothly, folding his arms across his chest. "Your choice."
"My agents have gone through your estate, you have many dark secrets, do you not, Arnaud? What would Orlais think if they ever got out?" Leliana said, trying to coax out an answer from the man.
"You're bluffing" Arnaud scoffed.
"We have records of you having involvement with Gaspard's plot to overthrow empress Celene, I don't think she would take lightly." The inquisitor spoke up.
Arnaud began to little more tense, but still tried to save face. "Why would you leak that if you need my help?"
"You have given us nothing, and I am sure Empress Celene would have no qualms allowing us to keep you until the Maker takes you. You can tell us, and this can go away, or we can keep you here, forever." Leliana said, pacing in front of his cell door.
Arnaud weighed his options before making a decision. "You drive a hard bargain, so much effort you go through, for a dead girl."
Arnaud's words struck through Rosella like an arrow, the anxiety bubbled over, her body shook. "…Dead?" Came quietly from her lips in question.
Varric took hold of Rosella to try and keep her calm, shooting a glare at Arnaud in the process. He was ready to end the man, but they still needed verification. "What are you saying?" Varric interrogated.
Arnaud smirked, he would have one last moment of pleasure torturing Rosella before he was set free. "Do you not remember, mon fleur? I told you at the winter palace. 'You remind me of a younger girl I courted.' That tells you what?"
Rosella recalled the conversation in shock, how could she have missed that. She was unable to stand, her body sank from the shock as she stared at the ground unblinking. "No…"
"Oh yes, my dear. It was I who did it, after all. She really did look like you, right down to that delightful look of fear as my dagger pierced her heart." Slithered out of Arnaud's mouth, the man clearly having fun with this.
"Stop it!" Rosella screeched, tears pooling her eyes. The grief took control of her magic, the area around everyone began to chill, small jagged shards of ice protruded from the ground.
Varric, in an attempt to calm her down, hugged her, speaking in a gentle whisper. "It's okay, I'm here, It's okay." He shushed her as she sobbed into his chest.
The Inquisitor took over the interrogation, to spare Rosella more agony. "That is great, but those are just your words. We need her or her remains. Where is she?"
Now that his game of teasing was over, Arnaud sighed and told them what they wanted. "She's in a chest, buried on my estate. She's under the largest tree." He said nonchalantly.
"How will we know it's actually her?" The Inquisitor interrogated.
"She is intact, it was not very long ago. That girl will know who it is." He said gesturing to Rosella. "Now, I think we are done, you will release me." He said smugly.
"Oh, you aren't leaving. We've already told Celene about what you did, you're here for the rest of your life, Arnaud." The Inquisitor said walking away, Leliana followed.
Arnaud gritted his teeth and glared at the Inquisitor. "I have had no trial! You cannot do this!" his retorts fell on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, Varric got Rosella up from the ground, he put her arm around his shoulders to get her out of the dungeon. Before he left with her, he turned to Arnaud and spoke, anger filled his eyes, but his demeanor was eerily calm. "If it were up to me, you would die the same way she did." He then turned and took rosella outside with the others.
Her head was a mess, she always had thought there would be a possibility her sister could have been dead, but she could never have imagined the weight of grief that the news would bring her. She was overwhelmed, denial, grief, anger, they all took over, battling it out inside of her mind. Her eyes stayed fixated on the ground.
When he finally got Rosella out of the room, he sat her down on the ground to talk to her. "Rosella…?" He asked, holding her face between his hands. Her skin was still cold from the magic pouring out of her, it was slightly unnerving. She looked at him, but said nothing, hollow sadness filled her blue eyes. He didn't know what to do.
The Inquisitor spoke up from behind Varric. "We have to confirm Arnaud's story, we will bring what we find back here for Rosella to look at, when she's ready…" He then looked at Rosella. "I'm sorry." He said before he walked away with Leliana, giving the two some privacy.
"Thanks…" Varric said before turning his attention back to Rosella. "Rosella? Are you okay?" He called out again to her.
Rosella finally broke out of her own mind, she looked at Varric properly, and the tears fell, they were endless. And then came the sobbing, the wails of sadness and agony, all at once. She couldn't hold back her pain, and she collapsed into a mess of tears and anguish onto his chest. Varric just held her close, and let her get it out of her system, saying nothing, but gently stroking her head. He gave her a minute before he spoke.
"Come on, let's get out of here." He said softly to her.
The two eventually made it back to Varric's room. Hours went by, Rosella's sobs quieted down to occasional whimpers, until she was physically unable to cry. They sat on Varric's bed, close together in an embrace, silently. Varric was waiting for her to speak, when she was ready to. He offered her physical comfort until then, giving gentle kisses to her head and face, and occasional caresses. The room was still for a moment, before Rosella's exhausted and dry voice broke the silence.
"I've lost… everything." She choked out. "Mother, father… Mareli. What did they die for….? What did my people die for…? It… It should have been me…"
Her words broke his heart, even more so that he witnessed the very epicenter that caused all of her pain. "Don't say things like that." He said, holding her tighter. "That isn't true. Your parents died protecting you and her. Don't let that sacrifice go to waste."
"That means nothing if Mareli is dead! It was all for nothing!" She shouted, pulling away from him. "I couldn't even save her! I was useless! They saved me for nothing! You saved me for nothing!"
"It wasn't for nothing!" Varric shouted back, and Rosella froze. The dwarf sighed, and let her go. "I saved you because I saw something in you. You have power to help the world, not only that… but you also helped me. If it weren't for you, I'd still be chasing Bianca for Maker knows how long. But, because of you, I actually a future to look forward to. I can think about a future." He took her hands in his, and looked her in the eyes. "I know I can't bring your family back, or replace the things you've lost, but I hope that I can do the things you've done for me, with time."
Rosella calmed down a bit, and she looked down at their hands. Right now, she couldn't see any future, the only one she lived for all this time was shattered. She didn't know how to live without her sister, but she wanted to believe. She wanted to believe that he could save her, but she was hesitant. "Varric…" She started, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Her heart sank, she knew it was time to face the truth, she felt sick. Varric let go of her hands to get up and answer the door. She wanted to tell him to stay, but the word wouldn't come out. Instead, she sat there in the purgatory of her mind, waiting for the inevitable.
Varric opened the door slightly, he was greeted by the Inquisitor, and a large rectangular chest on the ground. Varric whispered to the Inquisitor so that Rosella couldn't overhear their conversation. "Is that… her?" He asked, giving the chest an uneasy look.
The Inquisitor nodded, and whispered back to the rogue. "It was where he said. Is she ready?" Asked the Inquisitor.
Varric paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder at Rosella, who didn't look good at all. HE then looked back to the Inquisitor. "Give me a second."
"When you're ready." The Inquisitor replied with a nod.
Varric closed the door and walked back over to Rosella. "Are you ready to see her…?" He asked.
Rosella shook her head. "I could never be ready for this…" She said softly.
Varric offered his hand to her. "I'll be with you. You won't have to go through this alone." He reassured. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you."
Rosella hesitated before taking his hand. She felt cold again, her heart was pounding in her throat. The worst feeling of overwhelming dread filled her, but she trusted Varric's words. She stood, and walked with the dwarf to the door. She took a deep breath as Varric opened the door. And there stood the Inquisitor, and the chest. Rosella immediately felt dizzy, she braced herself on the doorframe as she stared at the chest in shock. "Is she… really in there?" She managed to get out.
The Inquisitor nodded, and knelt down to the golden fastenings of the chest. "Would you like to see now?" He asked her.
Rosella gave a silent nod, she gripped Varric's hand tighter, she felt like she might faint any moment, but this had to be done.
With Rosella's consent, the Inquisitor opened the chest, and laid in it a girl, covered in bruises and gashes that looked just like the younger version of Rosella. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was covered in dried blood. Her eyes were closed, as if she was sleeping, her short pastel pink curls scattered across her peaceful face and the bottom of the chest.
Rosella stared at the girl, unblinking. There was no denying it now, her sister was gone. The last piece of her family was lying in that chest, dead. Rosella slowly knelt down to the side of the chest, staring into it without a single word or even a sound. Her trembling hand made its way to the edge of the box, and then down to the face of the elven girl inside of it. The skin was cold under her fingertips, it was unsettling for her. Rosella's eyes shed tears as she caressed her sister's face, for the first, and the last time since they were separated. She then moved to pick up Mareli, she put her hands underneath the girl, and lifted her stiff body out of the chest, and into her arms. She positioned the girl into a cradling position, her upper body held close to Rosella's chest, and she began to sing.
"Elgara vallas, da'len… Melava somniar…" Began Rosella's shaking voice out into the air, her tears falling onto her sister's face. She tucked the hair out of Mareli's face, and held the girl tighter as she continued to sing through her sobs. "Mala taren aravas… Ara ma'desen melar … Ara ma'desen melar…" The air grew fridgid as she finished singing, and if by magic, snow began to slowly fall from the skies above them. Her lament struck the very heavens, and materialized itself into snow. She then whispered to her sister a prayer, hoping it would reach her, wherever she was. "Falon'Din enasal enaste, Mareli..."
Varric took this moment to walk over to Rosella, putting his arm around her shoulders, and whispering the only words he knew how in this situation. "I'm sorry." He got a nod in response from the pink-haired lady.
The Inquisitor also spoke up. "I'm sorry for your loss, Rosella." He said with deep respect as he bowed to her. "May I ask, what should we do with Arnaud?" He asked.
Rosella shook her head. "Do whatever you want… I don't care." She said dejectedly. "It doesn't matter anyway… she can't come back."
"Very well." The Inquisitor responded, and bowed once more. "I will leave you two alone." He said, and walked away, back to the cells to deal with Arnaud.
Silence filled the air again, the two were left with their thoughts, and their heartache. Varric tried to break the silence with something, anything. He couldn't stand seeing her like this, it broke his heart. "That song… it was beautiful. What was it?" He asked.
"An elvish lullaby... I used to sing it to her when we were young, and my mother sang it to me. Mareli… she liked it when I sang to her." She said, wiping her now frozen tears off her face. "I can't let go, Varric…"
"I know, it's hard. It always is…" Varric said, taking a seat beside him.
Rosella looked over at him. "You… You've lost someone?" She asked.
Varric nodded. "Yeah, well, three. I didn't really talk about it with you, but I'm the only one left of my family." He sighed and leaned back on the stone guard of the balcony they were on. "My father died when I was two, and then years later my mother died. And my brother, well… My brother was corrupted by red Lyrium, and I killed him to save him from it. He wasn't the best brother in the world, he locked me in a thaig and left me for dead, but it was still the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him sometimes."
"How did you move past it all?" She asked, hoping for a magic fix to taking away the pain she felt in her heart.
"It's different for me… I don't really deal with things. I ignore it, I have a lot of shit to focus on with the world being overrun with demons." He said jokingly, trying to lift the mood. "What I'm trying to say is, it takes time. Eventually it won't hurt as much."
"I see…" Rosella said, looking back to Mareli, cleaning snow off of her face. She was a little disappointed by the answer.
"You know, putting her to rest may help. You'll get to say goodbye properly.
"I think… I think that's a good idea." She agreed. "I'd like that for her. Thank you, Varric."
"No problem." He said giving her a hug. "Come on, we should get out of the cold."
"Right…" Rosella said, getting up and gently laying her sister back into the chest and closing the lid.
The two returned to the warmth of Varric's room to plan a send of for Rosella's sister. She didn't know if it would take away the pain, but she hoped a funeral could pave the way to healing her aching heart. This was going to be a long travel.