Skyhold
Kallian watched as Leliana took a step to the side to where she could lean against the dressing table there against the wall. "So glad to see you well."
The bard's opening words somehow shocked her so that she physically startled. "And you the same," she replied somewhat uncertainly, wondering if there was some sort of trick. Because the words sounded sincere and lacked any of the anger Leliana's voice had held last they'd spoken. The accent Kallian had thought gone was there again, a light caress on her sensitive ears. The sound of it made her shoulders lose some of the tension they held.
"That should have been what I said. It was what I planned to say." Leliana tugged at the tops of her long gloves, and Kallian noted that her bowstring fingers were exposed from the second knuckle, while the rest were not. She had always preferred it that way.
She still uses her bow. A wistful sort of emotion settled over Kal, remembering her wife in battle and how dangerous those two little fingertips could be. Maker, how she had been beautiful in action with every deadly shot.
"I am sorry that I struck you. I shouldn't have, especially not in front of all of Skyhold."
"I deserved it," Kal disagreed with a shake of her head. But then she paused with the thought of the Orlesians she'd heard gossiping about them. "Maybe not publicly. I admit that was surprising."
Little looked between them and then silently turned and jumped up on the bed, turning a circle and lying down with her back to them, giving them some semblance of privacy without her leaving Kal's side. They both watched her for a moment, then Leliana cleared her throat.
"I am also sorry for dropping in quite like this. I saw the light under the door, and I thought maybe you were here. But I was afraid if I left, I would not return to have this conversation. So I waited for you."
That hurt, but Kallian didn't show it. Instead she swallowed and nodded her head. "Stop apologizing to me... I am glad you chose to stay. I knew it was you just by how Little behaved once we topped the landing. She caught your scent."
Leliana gave a soft smile towards the bed where Little flicked an ear at the sound of her name, but then went still again. "It is good to see her." She turned her eyes back to Kallian and inclined her head. "It is good to see you, as well, now that I'm not as... inflamed."
Kallian brought her hands together in front of her, twisting her wedding band, and the action reminded her once again that Leliana was no longer wearing hers. The thought made her release her own ring and allow her hands to drop to her sides. She felt Leliana's eyes on her, and she forced herself to meet her gaze.
"You look different." Her head tilted to one side as she studied Kal. "Older. Serious."
Kal felt the tips of her ears burn along with her cheeks as she swallowed the lump that grew in her throat. "It wasn't a vacation, Leliana."
"I am aware, Kallian." The bard pushed herself off the dresser and took a slow step towards where Kal stood, rooted in front of the door. She stopped just before their fronts would have touched, then looked down between them to cautiously reach out and take both of Kal's hands into hers. "It isn't lost on me what you might have gone through, now that I know the full truth of why you left, rather than my own speculation." She laced their fingers together, and gave a squeeze. "But I still deserve a better explanation than your supposed cowardice. You left me like you never cared at all, and I have never known you to be a true coward."
Kallian's chest tightened and her eyes misted. She blinked back the tears and shook her head. "I left because I cared. Or that's what I told myself. I was wrong, Leliana, and I'm sorry. I can't give you better than my fears, because that's what it was. It was selfish and I hated myself for it, but I told myself it was for the best."
Leliana made a soft noise of disagreement. "You were wrong, yes. But as ever, I find myself still that stupid girl when it comes to you. And despite my misgivings, I'm here because I missed you so. My anger with you pales against how much I needed to touch you to make sure you were real."
Kal still couldn't wrap her head around the change in Leliana's mood, couldn't figure out how she felt so much more familiar tonight than the first night. It was like she had regressed to before she'd left with how easy it was to let go of her hands to slowly reach up and lower the hood over Leliana's head. The bard allowed it.
"I'm real. I'm here until you tell me not to be." She didn't let go of the heavy fabric, holding on to it in lieu of wrapping her arms around the bard. She still didn't know if that kind of contact would be welcome. She let her eyes dart over Leliana's face at this close range, noting again how pale her skin was, how the lines around her mouth had deepened. "You look different, too. Older. Wiser."
A corner of Leliana's mouth tugged up into a wry smile. "It wasn't a vacation, Kallian."
Kallian couldn't help but to return the grin and the barb. "I am aware, Leliana."
A few moments of silence passed that they just stared at each other, then Leliana reached up to circle her fingers around Kal's wrists. She gently pulled them free and led her arms around her neck. "I would hold you now, if I could?"
The request was made so softly that it made the fine hairs on Kallian's neck stand on end. Tingles sparked under her skin when she felt hands carefully settle on her hips. The look in her wife's eyes was earnest, almost pleading, as was the way she nipped at her own bottom lip while she waited for Kal to respond.
Kallian's throat worked up and down, but she couldn't force the words out. So she just leaned forward into her wife and tightened her arms. Her eyes closed when the hands on her hips slid around her waist and held her close. She breathed deeply to ground herself in the smell of Leliana's hair, lamenting the lack of Andraste's Grace but familiarizing herself with how she was now. It would do no good to hold on to what once was. There was not a piece of her that did not recognize how lucky she was to be in this position at all, considering what she did to Leliana. She really did not deserve this comfort. She didn't really deserve anything at all from her, least of all her forgiveness.
The thought made something inside her chest crack, and the tears that fought at her eyes minutes before spilled over without warning when a sob escaped her throat. Once the levy shattered with the first one, she found she could not stop the ones that followed. The arms around her pulled her impossibly closer, supporting her when her knees weakened, which only made her sob harder. The audacity that it was Leliana comforting her while she cried was too much to bear, and she tried to pull away.
But Leliana held her like a vice grip, reaching down to hook an arm under her knees to scoop her up into her arms... much like how she used to carry her to bed when Kal fell asleep elsewhere. And just like many times before, her wife carried her to the bed; she did not place her on top of the duvet, but sat with Kallian in her lap, holding her close to her while she hummed under her breath.
It was several minutes before Kal could whisper her protest aloud, despite no longer physically struggling once Leliana had made it clear she was not letting her go. "I don't deserve this."
The low hum in Leliana's throat stopped, and she leaned her cheek down to the top of Kallian's head. "It doesn't matter, mon coeur. I wish to do it because I have not in so long, yes? Do not deny me my own comfort from doing so any longer than you already have."
Kallian swallowed hard with the clench her heart gave with the endearment and Leliana's reasons for holding her like this. She turned her head so that their foreheads met and their noses brushed. "I'm so sorry, Leliana. I can't say it enough, and I'll die someday still trying to make it up to you."
"I never meant to make you feel a burden," Leliana murmured back, reaching up to tuck Kallian's hair behind one ear. She let a single finger trace down the edge as her hand came back down to cup her jaw. "You were always anything but that, I swear." Her words were being breathed against her lips now, and Kallian's heart beat sped up at the proximity.
All it would take was a press, but she wouldn't dare.
She didn't have to. Her wife gave a deep, resigned sigh, then softly pulled Kallian's bottom lip between hers and held it. That crack in Kallian widened, and fresh tears fell down her cheeks as she kissed her back. It was chaste, and it was all too brief, but Leliana gave another, more contented sigh when it was over. The hand that cupped her jaw now wiped away those few errant tears before the bard pulled away to look at her.
"Once we are reacquainted with each other's presence, I would like to hear your story. I would know all of it, the whole truth of it."
Kallian sat up so that she was no longer against Leliana's chest, then slid to where she was sitting on the bed with their thighs aligned, rather than her lap. "I want to tell you. It's a long story, though, and I'm..." Kal made a gesture between them to indicate their situation. "I'm not sure I can handle that tonight."
Leliana dipped her head in agreement. "Not tonight. Tonight I would like to rest with you, if you would allow it? We both have more to say, but this has been more than I anticipated. We are both exhausted, no?"
Kallian nodded, then looked over her shoulder at Little. "Hey, girl," she said softly, feeling slightly guilty for what she was going to ask. "Wanna find Oghren and keep him company tonight?"
Little gave a sigh and a low groan, stretching her legs out straight before gathering herself up and going to the door. Kallian pressed a kiss to her fuzzy head and murmured a thanks before opening the door and allowing the dog to exit. Once the door was shut once more and the latch in place, she turned to face Leliana again. Her wife had her back to her now, and was shedding her gloves, unfastening her cloak. A lump appeared in her throat as more of Leliana's skin was bared to her in almost slow motion, and she tried to swallow it down but it refused to budge. Long, pale arms and freckled shoulders appeared. The plane of her back moved like water in the candlelight when she purposefully stepped towards the dresser. There were so many scars there, marks from her torture when Marjolaine betrayed her. They were almost silver in their age now, and there were newer ones that Kal did not recognize that were darker. Everything in her chest twisted again in a way that only Leliana ever made her feel, coupled with an urge to touch. She wouldn't do it, of course, but Maker how she wanted to.
Despite her fatigue from her emotions, her eyes mapped every bit of what was shown to her as the bard crossed the room in nothing more than her smalls to dig in a drawer and come up with a sleeping gown. She felt a soul stirring sadness when the gown was draped over her head and fell over the expanse of skin, and the beautifully shaped posterior. When Leliana turned to look at her in question, Kal's face heated up in embarrassment that she had been caught staring. But Leliana only gave her a small smile, and held out a hand for Kallian to come to her.
"I – I didn't mean to stare." She stuttered her words as she came to her without even meaning to move her own feet. "I'm sorry, it's just been..." She trailed off as Leliana shook her head softly, putting a finger over her lips.
" ...so long. I know." Elegant fingers began to pull the buckles of her weapon harness loose, and Kal let her eyes fall between them to watch. But something golden glinted in the light that caught her attention, and when her eyes focused on what it was hanging on the leather thread on Leliana's neck, her heart gave a leap.
"...your ring." Kallian lifted a shaky hand to the little piece of metal she had placed on Leliana's finger a decade ago. She traced the circumference with a single fingertip, then hooked it on her pinky to lift it, looking up at the bard. "I had thought you...Why do you still wear it, if it is concealed?"
Leliana swallowed as she gently pulled the leather straps of Kallian's harness off her shoulders. "To keep it near my heart, where I kept you while you were away." Her hands pulled free the tunic tucked into her tights, her fingers brushing the bare skin on Kal's waist. "I never intended anything else."
Kallian gave a nod, dumbfounded when the tunic was pulled over head and discarded on the floor. Leliana paused there, her eyes moving down Kallian's torso. She wore no bindings because her own breasts never grew large enough to require it, so she knew it was not a surprise that made her wife cease disrobing her for bed. Her eyes were on Kal's clavicle, where she knew a particularly ugly scar ran the length. It had only been glancing blow from a genlock, but it had hurt like hell when it happened.
"A genlock got too close." Her eyes slid closed as a curious finger traced the tissue, and she breathed evenly through her nose. She felt a shimmer of disappointment when the touch drew away, but was shocked when warm lips replaced it. Soft kisses made their way across the old wound, then up the bend of her neck to her jaw. The even breathing she was trying to maintain was increasing in pace, as was her heart in her chest. The sensations were so achingly familiar and terrifyingly foreign all at once that her fight or flight instinct was trying to ignite, while her body's desire began to peak. It was a confusing confluence of emotions that made her choke on her next breath when a light nip found her ear lobe.
It was like lightning striking through her core, and the whine her throat gave was a betrayal. A longing sigh escaped Leliana, but she pulled away instead of continuing, and Kallian could see the clear indecision warring with desire. For all of that time spent behind her mask, Kal could see this as plainly as if Leliana had stated so. An errant wonderment hit Kal then, what if... what if it hadn't been as long for her?
The leather tethers of her tights drew Leliana's gaze as she pulled the ties free, but Kal's hand on her wrist stilled her movements. "Has it... have you... was there anyone...?" The elf asked quietly, not fully prepared for the answer judging by the way her stomach bottomed out on itself once the words were out of her mouth. Her ears told her emotion despite how she tried to cover it, twitching a bit.
"No. There has not been anyone else. Our last time remains to be one and the same, if you have not?"
Kallian shook her head emphatically. "Never."
The corners of Leliana's mouth curled into a tiny, knowing smile. "Good."
Muscle memory answered the smile with one of her own. "Good," she echoed, caught in the very glitter of mischief she'd missed before in Leliana's eyes.
A long moment passed before a draft from beneath the door ran up her spine, and the resulting shiver brought her out of the well she falling into. She realized she was standing there half naked all over again, and moved to where her bag lay still packed to retrieve a shirt to sleep in. She hadn't dared to think she would be staying in the castle long enough to unpack it, until she and Leliana had spoken. She could feel the bard's eyes still on her as she pulled the long soft woven shirt out of her pack, shaking out from the tight roll it had been twisted into. She only slightly hesitated after taking off her boots, her hands on her already loose pants. The feeling of eyes never wavered as she pulled them off and kicked them away, quickly pulling the shirt over her head to cover herself.
She still didn't know how to feel, being this close to her. It was obvious that Leliana had missed her, and wanted this closeness, but so much had been left unsaid this night that both of them needed to say. There was line and she didn't want push it. No matter how badly a part of her screamed for that intimacy, she had to do this right. Anything else could destroy whatever chance her wife was willing to extend to her to make amends.
Leliana pulled the duvet on the double bed back, making a motion for Kallian to slide in first. She slid beneath the raised covers and scooted towards the wall to make room for her bard. Her heart was still slamming in her chest, and she found that her mouth had gone dry, as well. When her wife reached a hand out to cup the flame of the candle on the bed side table Kallian couldn't stop herself from blurting out.
"Don't!"
The outburst was loud enough to physically startle Leliana, and Kallian felt guilty for it. "I'm sorry, I just... don't put out the light. Please."
Understanding settled over Leliana's features, and she moved down to lie on her side facing Kal. "I'm sorry, I should have realized."
"No, it's all right. We didn't get that far tonight." Kallian licked her lips and folded her arms over her chest. "I really would like to tell you everything. Soon. I want you to know."
"Soon," the bard whispered, reaching up to touch Kal's face. "I'm content just being here with you for now. Lay with me?"
Somehow they still fit seamlessly. Somehow despite how their bodies had changed, they still instinctively knew how to mold to each other without any conscious effort on either of their behalves. Nothing more was said between them, and Kallian laid awake with Leliana's face pressed into her neck until the bard was softly snoring against her.
Maker, thank you. Thank you.
One uneventful evening found Evelyn in her quarters with a small stack of missives and a full ink well when the door at the bottom of the steps slammed open without anyone knocking. Only one person was so brazen, so she wasn't surprised when she heard running footsteps up the stones with Sera's voice calling up as she ran.
"Shiny! He's here!"
Fuck.
The heavy winged chair grunted as it slid across the stone floor when Evelyn shot to her feet. "You're certain?" she demanded when Sera appeared, breathless and sweaty as if she'd run miles to get there.
"Positive! Bloody white horses pulling a blue carriage, just like you said."
Evelyn stopped to think for a moment, wondering if she should meet him at the gates, or if she should let him deal with the policies of a meeting with the Inquisitor. A smile tugged at her mouth. She would let him stew. She took her seat once more, picking up her quill and continuing her work, with a wink at her lover. "Thank you, my love. He can wait until I'm done here, and then I'll think about seeing him."
Sera gave a snort, walking over to the sofa and propping her bow against it before unstrapping the quiver on her back. "I was in the yard when there was noise from the lift. Knew it was him as soon as I saw the horses."
Evelyn snorted. "That carriage is older than I am. Likely older than Max." She stopped as soon as she said her brother's name out loud. "Shit, he's here, too. Damn it. I suppose I'll have to– "
"Inquisitor?"
Josephine's voice carried up the stairwell and Evelyn realized Sera did not shut the door behind her when she rushed in. She sighed, and pushed herself to her feet once more. "Yes, Ambassador?" she called back.
Josephine topped the stairs with a very carefully constructed look on her face. "Your Grace, your father has arrived."
Evelyn gave a dismissive twinkle of her fingers. "Sera told me just now, right before you came in. I'll see them in the Great Hall, just like any other dignitary. Remember, no favors for him."
Josephine inclined her head. "Of course, Inquisitor. I have his room on the south wall, just outside the servants' quarters. He is as far from you as I could possibly place him."
Sera's interest peaked at the mention of his board. "Which door down that way?"
"It's the last one there, almost to the corridor that goes down to the kitchen. But you did not hear that from me, Sera." Josephine fixed her with a shrewd look, and the thief gave a shrug as she began to put her weapons back on her body.
"Dunno what you're on about, Ruffles." She looked at Evelyn. "Give me some of your powders, Shiny. I have stuff to do while you're being a big hat."
Evelyn gave her a coy grin, then pulled open her leather coat and fished out two vials for Sera. "One for the way in, one for the way out."
Sera leaned to press a kiss to Evelyn's lips as she took the pair, then left the Inquisitor and Ambassador to the boring stuff. Evelyn watched her go with thoughts about what her imp had in mind for a welcome gift, then turned to gather the pair of gloves on her desk. She slipped them on, tucking them beneath her jacket. She gave a brave look to Josephine and held an arm out to her.
"Care to escort me into the Great Hall, Josie?"
Josephine smiled and performed a small curtsy before taking the proffered arm. "My pleasure, Evelyn." Her smile dimmed just a bit as they started down the stairs. "Are you sure you're going to be all right with him in the castle? Because if you say the word, I will have him removed with haste, and I will personally deal with whatever may come of it."
Evelyn shook her head. "It needs to happen if only for me to be able to move on with my duties. He will continue to throw fits until he gets his way, and his silence is paramount for my concentration on my tasks at hand."
Josephine made a small noise in her throat as they paused on the landing just before the door out of the tower. "Unfortunately for the bann, I do not weather temper tantrums from man-children."
Evelyn gave a small, undignified snort as she reached to open the door to allow the ambassador to pass ahead of herself. "I'll count that as fortunate for us, Lady Montilyet."
The two exited into the Great Hall, and Evelyn cast a look out into the dozens of heads milling about the tables as she crossed the dais to her throne and took a seat. She did not sit here often, usually only when greeting people of some import or another, and hated the feel of it. It was stiff and ugly, and did not suit her personality in the least. Everything about the damn thing screamed unwanted responsibilities, so Evelyn steered clear of the thing when she could. But from that seat she could see clearly over the entire Great Hall all the way to the doors, where she could see Cassandra and Iron Bull leading a delegation of men up through the center.
Both warriors took their respective place on either side of Evelyn's throne, and she avoided looking at the group of people they'd led in, making eye contact with Cass and Bull instead, so that they both knew her thoughts on the matter. Then she looked at Josephine, who seemed to be waiting on a cue from her, which Evelyn gave with a nod to proceed.
"Inquisitor Trevelyan, I present to you Bann Rogan Trevelyan of Ostwick, and his heir apparent, Lord Maxwell Trevelyan. The bann requests audience with Inquisitor at length and has reserved board at Skyhold for the week."
Her father had gained weight. He wasn't thin by any definition when Evelyn last saw the man, but now he was just... portly. His hair had gone completely silver, and the dome of his head shined in the candle light from the wax she knew he used. His mustache was bristly and thick, his nose red and slightly bulbous. It was all she could do to not draw her lip up in disgust at the sight of him. As it was, she maintained her bored expression as she passively looked the bann over as he waited impatiently for her to verbally acknowledge him.
She didn't. Her eyes moved to the man on her father's right, standing taller and more fit, with a head full of dark hair and a well kept beard, a smile making his blue-green eyes twinkle up at his baby sister. Her heart swelled inside at the sight of her older brother, and she restrained herself from breaking into a grin with him. "Lord Trevelyan, an honor it is to see you again. I hope I find you well?"
Her father sputtered, but did not dare break decorum in front of everyone standing there, paying rapt attention to the fact that the Inquisitor's father had arrived at the castle. They were also whispering now, likely about how she chose to address her brother over her father. To Max's credit, he fell into his role perfectly with an arm over his chest and a bow from the hip.
"Well in your hospitality alone, Your Worship. We thank you for having us."
Evelyn forced herself to turn her eyes to the bann, and gave him a single nod of acknowledgment. A smug sort of look came into his eyes, likely amused that decorum forced her acknowledgment of him, despite that they both knew it galled her to do so. A few moments of silence passed as she thought about every little thing she hated about him, from the sound of his footsteps to smell of his breath. The same breath that was puffing out his chest now as he prepared to make some monologue or another with that unbearable snide air about himself. Evelyn held back a smirk as she watched his tells. She would shut that shit down before it had a chance to fester.
"Bann Trevelyan." She called down to him from her throne just as he opened his mouth to speak, effectively cutting him off. She nearly smiled at the new shades of red that beautifully blossomed on his face as he held in his anger. "Welcome to Skyhold. I accept your request for audience, but I fear my days are mostly full for the duration of your stay. I shall work with my advisors to adhere my schedule accordingly. Until that time any questions, requests, or grievances should be passed through the Lady Ambassador. I hope you enjoy your stay at the castle."
She gave a final nod to the man, whose face went from pure anger to a calm darkness at the dismissal without giving him a chance to speak. It was a look she remembered well, and some part of her shrunk back in fear before she pushed it down and held his gaze despite it. She knew she had humiliated him, and that would have once bitten her in a savage way. But now, she was a woman grown. The victory was sweet and she could not let him see the glee she felt at his indignant reaction. After a moment, though, she visually saw him school his features to the best of his ability, and he even gave a stiff bow.
But the blades remaining in his eyes invoked the whisper of something he had said to her long ago when he'd had her back to the wall and his forearm pressing on her windpipe. He had told her that she lived at his leisure, while looking at her in much the same way he was now. A grim thought entered her mind after.
Now it seems you live at mine, Father.
"Your... generosity... does not go unnoticed, Inquisitor." He bit the words out while glaring daggers at her on the throne above him from behind her passive mask. "I shall speak to your ambassador in your stead, then." His words remained steady, to his credit, though Evelyn fancied she could see him tremble with rage ever so slightly.
Oh, how Evelyn felt for Josephine at that moment.
"Very well. I bid you good eve, Bann. Lord Trevelyan, a word before you depart, if you please? You may approach." She ignored the way her father stiffened and his eyes narrowed, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from outright laughing.
While Bull walked down the steps to politely escort her father out of the hall, Cassandra remained rooted to her right side as Max came up to the Inquisitor alone with a knowing grin. "Your Worship," he repeated the title, with more of a playful inflection to it now that his voice was not carrying up the dais. His eyes darted up at Cassandra, and she did not miss the way they lingered on her mentor.
Interesting.
She shot a glance up at Cassandra to see the Seeker's face more serious than usual, and her cinnamon eyes fixed on the balcony opposite them, but Evelyn had a feeling she was avoiding looking at Max because she too had noticed his look. "Your request for audience is granted right away, in my office. Follow me and Seeker Pentaghast, if you would."
Evelyn stood from the throne and jerked her head towards her door, allowing Cass to lead the way. She paused to touch Josephine's elbow as they passed her and leaned in to whisper to her. "Have Ellen and Bethany come to my quarters, if you have a moment, please?"
"Of course, Evelyn," Josephine murmured back with a nod. "Good luck."
Evelyn gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you."
Once the three of them were behind the closed door, Evelyn dropped all pretenses and turned around to meet Maxwell halfway in a tight hug. She ignored the way his armor pressed into her, and instead used it to prove herself that he was actually there. He hugged her back, then let go to hold her out to get a good look at her.
"Maker's breath, you've gotten taller, Ev." He clapped her on the shoulder gently, then dropped his hand to look over at the silent Seeker that watched the siblings from the side. "Seeker Pentaghast," he greeted her with a bow. "Maxwell Trevelyan."
"Welcome to Skyhold, Lord Trevelyan." Evelyn's eyebrow rose at the stiffness with which Cassandra replied, wondering if his look had really caused her such a level of discomfort.
But when Maxwell's smile only grew at the tone, something clicked and Evelyn really looked at her friend. What she saw was her throat slightly working up and down, and the tops of her ears red. Maxwell's next words didn't help the blush fade from her ears, but only served to tinge the Seeker's cheeks, as well.
"The sights here are... uniquely beautiful, as if the Maker used the lightest of brush strokes of the finest paints to create it." He never once took his eyes off of Cassandra when he said it.
Oh, boy. I don't think he's talking about the mountains. This is going to be interesting, indeed.
Evelyn hid her grin and looked up towards her quarters, then remembered Maxwell himself would be staying within the tower. "Your quarters are down two floors, down these stairs, here. I am afraid the bann is going to have to make due with extra servants' quarters."
Max finally pried his eyes away from Cassandra to give Evelyn a crooked grin. "You know you're going to catch an earful about that and what happened during presentation?"
Evelyn chuckled as she led the way up to her quarters. "Oh, I am counting on him to have a melt down while he's here. I'm going to let him disgrace himself while I just enjoy the spectacle."
Max gave a dramatic sigh from behind her. "He will be utterly unbearable on our way back to Ostwick."
She did feel a little guilty about that, but if she was right and he made an attempt on her life, then Max needn't worry about the bann on his journey home. But maybe he would behave in the castle, if he were not a complete idiot. "You do have my sympathies, but I really do have bigger things to worry about than the bann's ego, if such a thing larger exists. That was no fabrication."
"Of course, of course. I've suffered his ranting for thirty-four summers, one more month couldn't hurt." He stopped when they reached the top of the stairs and gave a whistle under his breath as he looked around. "My, my, Evelyn. You have... outdone anything I expected, if I am honest."
Instead of being hurt, Evelyn smiled softly at her well meaning and kind brother. "I know," she answered him quietly and honestly. She had never seen this for herself, either. "A great deal of that is because of Cassandra, if I am to be honest, as well."
Cassandra made a noise of disagreement. "You were already the person we needed. I only reminded you of it often enough that at some point I no longer had to."
"I learned more from example, I think." Evelyn gave her mentor a grateful smile, and Cassandra gave her a gentle nod of acknowledgment.
"Then I suppose I owe you my thanks for helping to keep my sister's nose clean," Maxwell said with a nod and smile at Cassandra. "She is a handful, and the task is daunting. It certainly speaks of your integrity."
Red shot up Cassandra's neck again, and Evelyn didn't hide her little giggle this time, earning herself a mild glare from the Seeker. "It truly was no trouble, Lord Trevelyan," she grated out, looking away from Evelyn pointedly.
"Please, my Lady Seeker, call me Maxwell. It would be my honor."
Evelyn lifted an eyebrow at her brother's boldness. She agreed Cassandra was an admirable woman, and her own eyes may have strayed a few times in the year with the Seeker. But Maxwell was definitely turning on the charm, and if Cassandra's sputtering response was anything to judge... it was working.
"O-of course. If you wish it, Lord– Maxwell." Cassandra cleared her throat lightly then turned to look at Evelyn. "I should read dinner and eat reports. Wait. Eat dinner and read reports. Good eve, Evelyn. Good eve, Maxwell." She gave them both a nod in her hurried departure.
Evelyn stared after her a moment before she heard the door slam shut behind her, then gave Max a crooked grin with a knowing look. It betrayed the fact that she already knew the answer to her first question to him. "So... what was that?"
Max gave her an all too innocent shrug. "Whatever do you mean?"
Evelyn pursed her lips and gave him a small shove as she passed by him to seat herself on the sofa. "You know what I mean." She paused, but he didn't speak, only grinned at her, showing all of his white teeth in a goofy way that had always amused her. She sighed, resigned to the fact he was going to try. "All right, brother, but tread carefully. She is dear to me. And she beheads things."
If possible, Maxwell's smile only widened. "Let us only hope the legends are true and she alone took down a hundred dragons to save the Divine."
"There were five. One was a high dragon. She also had help from Circle mages. Sorry to disappoint you." She gave him a sarcastic smirk, and he laughed.
"Even better, that means she is a team player." Max looked around again, folding his hands behind his back as he turned on the spot to take in the large top level of the tower. "I truly am glad to see you here, even if the prospect terrifies me."
"That I'm the Inquisitor?" Her feelings were a little hurt for that, but then he looked at her with an alarmed expression.
"No, no. No, I only meant the danger in which your position places you. Not that I don't think you're well met for the job." He carefully took the seat beside her on the sofa, minding the sharp edges of his armor, and folded his hands into his lap. "I have never doubted your character, Evelyn. I have questioned your motives, your methods... but I have never questioned whether or not you were stable in your mind, and compassionate of heart. Because I know both to be true."
She didn't know why, but that was something she had needed to hear. Her body sagged into the sofa, all posturing evaporating from her. "Thank you, Max. I do my best now, truly. My blades haven't been clean, but it has been some time now since they have earned me coin."
"Maybe after this, they will never have to again. Maybe this was why they had to, to start. Maybe to harden you for this responsibility. So your shoulders could bear that burden with those you have always carried."
Evelyn gave a tired nod. "Perhaps. Though I know now it wasn't Andraste that flung me out of a rift, I still... some things are more significant than coincidence. My life has become a series of those events, and every day that I open my eyes and draw breath into my lungs, I am more and more sure that it had to be me. That the Maker chose me."
It wasn't a lie. The words Mother Giselle had spoken to her so long ago after Haven had fallen echoed in her mind. That the Maker could have set into motion events so long past his touch could no longer be discerned. She had died at Adamant. She had not seen anything, but as the voice in her mind had said to her when Leliana asked, it was not her time to see.
That did not mean it was not there.
Suddenly heavy with those thoughts, she shook her head to clear it, and sat straighter in her seat. "I'm sorry. My thoughts tend to run rampant sometimes."
"Maker's breath, I can imagine why. I'm not sure I would have stayed."
Evelyn held out her left hand and tugged at the fingertips of her glove, pulling the supple brown leather free. The mark shined as brightly as ever, pulsating slightly like always. Evelyn didn't know if she had grown accustomed to the pain of it, or if it had faded over time, but it wasn't as agonizing as it once was. She looked away from the mark and to the look of wonderment on her brother's face.
"I didn't really have a choice in the matter, Max."
He shook his head, eyes caught on the green glow of it. "No, I... I suppose you didn't." His agreement was said with sadness, and Evelyn's heart tugged for him. He had always wanted what was best for her, even if their ideas of what that meant often collided. But neither of them ever wanted this for her. She knew it hurt him, too.
She replaced her glove, and when the light disappeared completely, Max pulled a hand down his beard and sat back against the sofa, as well, forgetting his full suit of armor until he jerked back up right. "Maker, Evelyn," he said, sparing a bare glance at the linen to find it unmarred. "I've heard the stories, but seeing it for myself, it's... it's surreal."
Evelyn scoffed lightly. "You're telling me."
Before he could reply, the door downstairs sounded off with a knock that Evelyn recognized as Ellen's, and it hit her that she had not warned Max at all that her twin was in the castle. "Um, Max, that's... that's Ellen, at the door. I told Josephine to have her sent here, and then forgot to mention it before now."
His jaw dropped open for just a moment before he closed it, and he slowly got to his feet. "She's here?"
Evelyn's eyebrow rose, hearing Ellen's uncertainty in the back of her mind. "Is that a problem?"
He waved his hands. "No! No. Again, not what I meant... just that this is a lot to take in." He cleared his throat and then added under his breath, "Especially just thrown at me like this."
"Maybe if you hadn't started flirting with Cass the moment you met her, I'd have remembered to mention it!" Evelyn hissed at him, rolling her eyes. "That was rather distracting."
"Have you met her?" He hissed right back at her with a sharp gesture in the general direction of the rest of the castle. "She is distracting!"
Evelyn barely held back the snort of amusement she wanted to give him. She shook her head at him instead, then turned her face towards the stairs to call down them in her Inquisitor voice. "Come up!"
The door opened and two sets of footsteps were heard on the stone. When Ellen crested the top stair and saw Max standing there, stiff backed with his hands behind himself and obviously nervous, she froze. Evelyn saw her stare hard at him as if to connect the man in front of her to the younger man she'd known as a child, and then saw the recognition finally settle in, and lastly, she saw acceptance of her situation. Bethany lingered just behind Ellen, looking from her lover to the stranger in front of them, her own wheels turning and clicking.
"Maxwell." Ellen didn't wait for Evelyn to say anything. "I knew that was Father's carriage."
"Ellen." Max released his hands from behind his back and made to step forward, but then thought the better of it and remained where he stood. "Yes, we arrived about an hour ago. I..." His voice trailed off as his eyes looked her over. "It is good to see you. You look very different than I remember. I can tell you apart easily now." He gave a soft smile at the old joke, but they all knew he had always known which twin was which, even when they had been identical as children.
"Well, I was a child when you last saw me, so..." The awkwardness was palpable, evident in the way Ellen shifted uncomfortably on the spot, and Evelyn saw Beth reach over to place a hand on her twin's lower back.
"You were, and I wasn't much more than." He also shifted uncomfortably, almost guiltily, but Evelyn couldn't imagine what the hell he felt guilty for. His eyes flickered to Bethany, and he gave her a nod. "Lord Maxwell Trevelyan, my lady."
"Bethany Hawke," Beth replied easily with a nod back to him. Evelyn gave a side glance to see if the name registered to Max, but if it did, his face gave no sign.
"A pleasure." He looked back at Ellen, who was still standing exactly on the top stair, staring at him. "It seems our dear little sister has surprised us with each other."
Ellen looked at Evelyn for the first time since she'd entered her quarters, and pursed her lips. "So it seems. She has a rather bad habit of leaving important things unsaid."
Evelyn felt a flare of indignation. "Hey! I'm being as transparent as possible. I sent word for you as soon as I was done being forced to speak to the bann. At least I saved you that unpleasantness."
Ellen made a dismissive gesture with her hand, then moved a tiny bit further into the room. "All of that aside... it is good to see you, too, Maxwell. And properly introduced, Lady Hawke is my intended."
Maxwell's eyebrows shot up on his forehead, and his surprise made him look at Evelyn as if to ask, "Her, too?" in regards to their romantic preferences. Evelyn gave him a shrug and grin as he looked back at Ellen. "Well, then! Another Trevelyan."
Ellen cocked her head to one side and looked at Bethany. "Perhaps. Perhaps another Hawke. It remains to be seen."
"Are you of a noble house, then?" Maxwell asked Bethany curiously, and she gave a single nod.
"Amell, of Kirkwall."
The moment the word "Kirkwall" hit Maxwell's ears, he straightened up with a pale face. "Lady Bethany Hawke, of Kirkwall, of course. The Champion's sister. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner, Lady Hawke." His eyes studied them for a moment, and Evelyn could almost hear the Andrastian inside of him crying in his realization that his own sister had a hand in the downfall of the Circles.
While Max was a good man, he was also devout to the Chantry in a way that Evelyn had never been. He could indeed recite the Chant, and would attend services in the Chantry in Ostwick for much more than appearances' sake. Maxwell believed in the Maker, Andraste, and mostly that magic was made to serve man and never to rule over him. While he regretted that Ellen was taken, Evelyn also knew it was relieving for him to no longer bear that secret once she was within the Circle of Magi. It was a topic the two siblings hardly breached, because their tempers flared with each other when they did.
"No apology required, my Lord. The epitaph on my memorial will read 'the Champion's sister', I am afraid." She gave him a sweet smile.
Maxwell turned to Evelyn, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I suppose I should take my leave and find my quarters." He looked back at Ellen and Bethany. "Maybe we could have a drink tomorrow?"
Ellen shared a glance with her lover and then nodded to him. "I think I would like that. Surely Evelyn and Sera would join us?"
Before Evelyn could affirm, Maxwell asked, "Who is Sera?"
The soft smile Evelyn gave him told him all he needed to know, but she answered him, regardless. "My imp. She is busy attending to business with her organization at the moment, but I would like for you to meet her soon."
"Your imp, as in one, as in singular, as in you've finally picked someone that isn't betrothed or a wench?" Max was somewhat dumbfounded, and Evelyn knew why. She had been promiscuous when he'd last known her, so monogamy and Evelyn were not two concepts he could reconcile.
"She completes me in ways where I have nothing left to offer anyone else." Evelyn gave a single shrug with her explanation. "I'd never found that in anyone before her."
"I am glad to hear of it, Evelyn. Will you be joining the dinner the ambassador mentioned when we arrived?"
Evelyn wrinkled her nose at the menu for the evening. "Seared salmon and lime. No, thank you. Not my flavors. I'll likely just get a stew at the tavern later in the evening. The castle is yours to travel, so feel free to join us there, if we show."
He nodded. "I'll round up Telys and find you there, then. He is also looking forward to seeing you again."
Evelyn's eyes lit up. She had not seen her older half-brother in the entourage that had accompanied the bann into the Great Hall, but the knowledge he was there excited her. She and Telys had far more in common than she and Maxwell, who had spent their youth pulling her and Telys out of brothels by their ears. "Please do! I am happy to hear that he came along."
"He is never too far from my side. If I had to call my right hand man, it would be Telys." Max gave a sigh and a final bow to the three women. "I bid you good eve, ladies."
They waited until the door closed behind him before all three of them let out a collective breath, then chuckled together about the timing. "I'm going to kill you for your surprises one day, Evelyn," Ellen commented idly, finally moving all the way into the room now that Maxwell had vacated.
"You're going to have to get behind Sera for that. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I know you reminded me just the other night that much time had passed between you, but I thought maybe it wouldn't be awkward."
"Well, it was. It wasn't terrible, though, and I still see the kindness in him. I appreciate I didn't get a lecture about the importance of heirs when I introduced Beth as my intended."
Evelyn made a dismissive wave. "He would be a hypocrite to preach about heirs. He is so picky about a wife, he himself has yet to have any. It is his spawn that will carry the torch, not ours."
Beth cleared her throat quietly, and gave a breathy sort of laugh, like she was nervous. "I mean, heirs aren't out of the question. I do want children with you, you know that," she said to Ellen, whose face turned pink as she glanced over at her twin.
Evelyn was grinning. "And I want nieces and nephews to spoil. So, there we go."
If Bethany and Ellen adopted, it would be her only chance at having interaction with children of any sort. It wasn't that she didn't want them, but her life just didn't seem to permit the space for the possibility. More than that, neither did Sera's; though, it had never been something she'd asked her lover about, either. Marriage had only recently crossed Evelyn's thoughts, and only marginally; children were a whole other level of life.
"Well," Ellen huffed, clearly flustered but not in a negative way. "We have to save the world first, then, don't we?"
Bethany inclined her head at Evelyn. "We're in... good hands." A sly smile tilted up on side of the mage's face as she let her eyes fall to Evelyn's left hand before she met her eyes again. Clearly the pun was intentional.
The twins both gave a groan, and it made Bethany giggle. Ellen reached over to lightly shove at her side. "You've been around Varric too much lately, love."
"Either Varric or Marian, she has terrible puns, too."
The moment Bethany mentioned Hawke's name, Evelyn paused in her annoyance of bad hand puns. She remembered Hawke and Isabela making jokes about Maxwell some nights back at the tavern. They may never have a chance with Max, but Telys was at Skyhold, and the two of them would just be a good time for him. They were finally going to bag a Trevelyan, and the thought made her laugh out loud. The suddenness was enough to make both of the mages in front of her jump in surprise. She waved a hand at the questioning looks.
"Your sister and Isabela may finally get a Trevelyan in their bed, that's all. Telys is here; he may not have the name, but he definitely has our looks, so I know they're going to go for him."
Ellen's nose wrinkled. "Maker, you're right. He looks like us, to be honest, specifically."
Evelyn gave her twin a pointed look. "And how badly were they trying for me when they met me?"
"Ugh." Ellen touched her forehead. "It's better than them actually talking you into it, but I still feel like they'll gloat enough to make me want to strike them both with lightning."
Bethany gave Ellen a supportive pat on the back, then looked at Evelyn. "While we're here, do you want to go ahead and do the nightly heal? This one could be the last."
Evelyn immediately started stripping out of her shirt. "Maker, yes. Let's get it over with. I want a fucking bath."
The scar was faded into a much less ugly red, and more of a blushing pink. It was still somewhat tender in the middle, but Evelyn had likely caused that from the fact that she and Sera had not stopped their alone time activities since they'd been back. She sat on the edge of the couch and leaned so that her side was showing. Bethany conjured a flame in her hand, kneeling so that she could be closer to see. Ellen stood behind her with her arms crossed over her chest skeptically, like she still thought it too soon. But when Bethany extinguished the flame in favor of placing her hands on the scar, she nodded to herself, then stood.
"You're clear, Evelyn. Just don't get too crazy. But this is your release from my treatment."
A thrill ran through her, and she beamed at her future sister-in-law as she pulled her shirt back over her head. "Thank you!"
"Just keep in mind the 'too crazy' part, Ev," Ellen drawled, but she was smiling. "But I'm proud of you for being as good as you were."
"Yeah, you're welcome. It killed me inside." Evelyn huffed, then climbed to her feet to head towards the bath. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to run a bath."
Her sister gave her a shrug and a gesture. "Enjoy. I'll see you in the tavern later."
Beth gave a wave, and then the two of them headed down the steps to let themselves out of her quarters. Evelyn took a deep breath of freedom as she crossed her room to her dresser for something more casual to wear to the tavern. She was pretty sure that her Jenny games would have Sera in high spirits, so she didn't worry whether the imp would be up for the time there. A good laugh was what she always looked for after a day of pranks, and Maker knew they could find those in the Herald's Rest.