Here is the first of a few chapters of the kids growing up that's full of fluff and awes.
23 months old...
"Cullen?!" Lana tried to hobble up from a box she found at the back of their closet. Someone went to the trouble of cracking it open and digging out only a few things. No one in the abbey would dare impede upon their bedroom, nor were any likely to guess this was where the once Commander kept his old armor from the Inquisition days. None of the pieces of the set were missing; bracers, chest plate, even the old boots were all in place, but it looked disturbed.
She tried calling for the only possible contender again. "Cullen?"
"What is it?" his voice echoed from somewhere in the abby.
"Have you gotten into your old armor?" Lana shouted back, already getting to her feet. She had to stretch to make it over the desecrated box, trying to leave the evidence undisturbed should there need to be interrogations later. The owners of the abbey appeared rather poor to any who'd stop by, but the old armor of the Inquisitor's Commander had to be an enticing steal.
"What?" Cullen continued, the voice coming from a new direction.
"I said..."
"I know what you said, but...what would I do with it? Why would I get into it?"
Lana pursed her lips. She knew he wouldn't be the one to break into his old clothes, but it was better to prod into the least culpable before breaking out the accusations. "Someone has. Things are moved about."
"Why would anyone care about my old clothes?" Maker's sake he could be dense. She wanted to chalk it up to exhaustion, but from somewhere down the hall she heard an infamous Cullen grumble as he caught on. "How could anyone steal my old clothes?"
"Find box, open it. I don't know what's missing, but you'd best get up here and sort through it," she placed a hand to her mouth to amplify her words and began to walk towards where she thought he was. Thanks to the stones and open cells that created terrible echoes it could take a few rounds of Calen-had to find where they were in this place.
Lana hobbled out of their room and down the hallway. "I'm going to try and..." Her sentence faded as she heard a voice, high pitched and soft but dead certain in the words, echoing from behind an old cell. No one was in residence there, Lana and Cullen often leaving it as a place to store inventory. Pausing, Lana pushed open the wood a sliver and peered in. At that moment, Cullen's hand cupped around the small of her back.
"What's going on? You stopped talking and I feared I wouldn't find you," he spat out, staring at his wife while she gazed inward.
"I found the thief," she chuckled, jerking her chin inside.
Their chubby toddler stood upon a step stool he wasn't supposed to climb with his back to them. Tossed around his tiny neck was the surcoat that Cullen used to wear, the fur part as long as their boy, while the crimson fabric piled upon the floor like a waterfall. Unaware of the audience, Gavin stuck out his tummy and addressed his captive audience.
"I need you to. I need you to go to the upstairs." He paused and winnowed his amber glare down at their dog, "No, Honor! You need to shape up." The mabari's eyes opened and she huffed at his saying her name, but she didn't bother to rise off the floor for the toddler's admonishment.
Groaning in a near perfect replica of his father when he was exasperated, Gavin slapped a hand into the other. "You...you're needed to be good. You should all be good. Work good." When that tiny hand reached behind to rub the back of his neck, Lana melted.
"Sweet Maker," she cooed. Realizing he was caught, Gavin spun around to stare at his parents. He was in nothing but his nappy, a sliver of his brown tummy protruding between the dark bear fur while he kept trying to swipe at the back of his neck.
"Son," Cullen eased into the room, his arms crossing, "what are you doing?"
Gavin stared down at his tummy, prodding a finger into it as if it came out of nowhere. Then he snapped up, the biggest, cheesiest smile filling his face. "Morning chores!" His shout rang against the piles of toys he dragged and positioned to sit and listen in a half circle as Gavin doled out orders.
"Oh Andraste," Lana gasped, unable to stifle her grins. She pointed towards the golden bear's head sitting front and center, "He was talking to the helmet as well."
"Lana," Cullen was trying to get her on board with playing the strict and mean parents, but she was too far gone.
"But," she stumbled into the room and scooped down to her baby. Gavin was quick to wrap his arms around her in a hug. "He's playing you."
"What?" Cullen shook his head.
"Morning chores. He's addressing all the workers, giving out orders the way you do."
"I do not..." Slowly, Cullen glanced around at the stuffed animals and the one bored dog. A snort erupted in his nose and his head dropped down. "Okay, I do do that. Sometimes."
Lana turned to mouth silently to her son, "All the time."
"But he shouldn't stand on that, it's dangerous." He was trying to get back a modicum of discipline as both parents succumb to the adorableness.
"He's right, Sweetie," Lana wrapped her hands around Gavin and tugged him off the stool to plop onto the ground. "You can play Daddy on the floor."
"Yes, Mummy," he muttered, his eyes sparkling. Spinning while practically swaddled in his father's old coat, he eyed up Honor. "Sit, doggy!"
Honor glanced up at her true owner and Cullen waved his hand. Sighing, the dog rose up to her weary haunches and sat. Giggling, Gavin rushed forward to hug around Honor's neck. "Good doggy!" he encouraged, before quickly pecking his lips against her head in baby kisses. The mabari's tongue lolled out and took one long lap against their son's face. That was the highlight for him, Gavin breaking into greater giggles and he buried himself tighter into his servant.
Lana eased up to stand by her husband. His arms curled tight around her and she sighed in contentment when his chin landed upon the top of her head. Together they watched their boy patting the gentle mabari. Honor took all of it like a champ, never showing an ounce of getting weary of the child's affections and often trailing Gavin when he went on his adventures. They were inseparable.
"Should we let him play with the coat?" Cullen asked, breaking away from the sweet moment.
Lana nestled deeper into her husband, "Were you planning on wearing it again?"
"No, of course not," he shook his head. Somewhere in the world another fight to save it was raging while they remained safe in their abbey with their little boy and each other. "I was only concerned that he might trip and fall."
Gavin dipped down on his naked legs to tug up the long ends of the crimson wool and began to whip them back and forth. A few smacked into Honor's face, which she only rolled her eyes to Cullen and waited for it to pass. As soon as the assault began it ended. Gavin darted forward and declared, "I love you, Honor."
"Don't worry, Cullen." Lana hugged tighter to her husband's safe arms. "He'll grow into it."