Of Pranks and Marriage 7
This was originally two separate chapters, but they seemed a bit too short to post as one each. Thus the weird segway in the middle of the story.
Other than that, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.
x - X - x
Uneager to seize a day filled of her mother's drama and other antics; Evelyn made the bold decision to stay in bed when the bell rang for breakfast. She expected her mother to storm in and demand her attendance; but she received no such attention from Lady Trevelyan.
With only Stanton as company, the Inquisitor was left to her own devices until noon. That's when Dorian stopped by to say his goodbyes before leaving for Kirkwall. He seated himself on the end of her bed and retold the uncomfortable morning they all had lived through without her. Sparing no detail of her father's unkind remarks and her mother's passive aggressive comments on her behavior the previous evening.
"She said you were quite the little drama queen for boycotting the breakfast." Dorian finished.
Evelyn gritted her teeth, "She said what?" Her sudden change in temper woke the sleeping Mabari in her lap. The puppy tried to cheer her up by licking her hand in the cutest way possible, but it was to no avail.
Not used to seeing his master this serious, the Stanton whimpered and stalked over to Dorian's end of the bed, burrowing his head into the mage's lap. He petted the little dog on the head before he continued. "She saw it as a great slight on her."
"Of course she did. Because everything is about her… how insensitive of me!" She added sarcastically. Evelyn sighed in exasperation, "I'm sorry you had to sit through that."
Dorian smirked and ruffled the top of Stanton's head. "Oh, don't feel sorry for me my dear. You should worry about Sera and Cullen instead. All this drama just makes it feel like home."
Evelyn rolled her eyes in response. "Be sure to tell mother that before you leave. Maybe she'll actually believe you intend to come back."
"Well of course I want to come back!" He enthused. "How can I not, everything has turned out so juicy lately. It almost makes me regret planning this trip to Kirkwall."
"Then stay!" Evelyn begged, "I need a buffer!"
"I wish I could dearest, but Bull and the Chargers have been hired by an Antivan merchant. It's unclear when they'll be back." He gestured for the Mabari to return to his master. Stanton walked nervously over to Evelyn, but was unsurprisingly happy when she welcomed him back to her side.
"Well…" Dorian said as he rose from the bed. "If everything goes wrong, you could always have Sera poison both your parents."
"There's always a silver lining." She answered dryly. "Oh, before I forget!" Evelyn exclaimed when Dorian turned to the door. He looked at her with mild surprise as she stretched her body to the bedside table. She opened the drawer and pulled out a stack of white envelopes. "Mother said I could invite some friends. Would you mind sending these once you arrive in Kirkwall?"
"And why can't you have one of the servants do this?" Dorian responded when he reached for the envelopes. He flipped through the stack and perused the names written on them, his eyes eagerly bouncing from left to right.
"Because the letters would first go through my mother's hands for final approval. Then they would go through father's office. Three letters would make it, maybe four." Dorian nodded as he mouthed the name Varric. "Then" Evelyn continued. "They would somehow fall in Sera's hands…"
"And she would leave her mark on them." Dorian finished. He raised an eyebrow when he read the last envelope. "I couldn't help but notice Vivienne's absence… oh my bad, I mean Divine Victoria."
"As much as I appreciate her scrutinizing," Evelyn said as she stretched her arms above her head, making her shoulders crack a little. "I thought it would be better if I left her off the guest list. She's far too busy to attend parties anyhow."
"Well, she is reestablishing the Circles. Though it would be utterly hilarious to witness your mother interact with her."
"We're not adding more fuel to that fire."
"I guess you're right. I'll be sure to send these letters. I think I'll even visit Varric in the Hanged Man and deliver his personally." Dorian smiled reassuringly. "Well, it's time for me to take my leave. Hopefully I'll be in Kirkwall by this time tomorrow." He leaned in and kissed Evelyn on the top of her head. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone would you? I don't want to miss a thing while I'm away!"
"You're so mean!" Evelyn groaned. "Say hi to Bull for me would you?"
"If I can remember it," Dorian winked.
x - X - x
Little of consequence occurred while Dorian tended to his business.
Lady Trevelyan had sent for the tailor as they had discussed the night before his departure, resulting in new clothes for Evelyn, as well as Sera and Cullen. Lady Trevelyan attended the fitting, but said little to Sera and nothing to her daughter. The tailor took his sweet time, which resulted – to most everyone's satisfaction – in no dinner that evening.
The days that followed was uncomfortable at best. Lord Trevelyan – in lack of better company – focused his attention on the former Templar, to Cullen's great discomfort. Lady Trevelyan on the other hand fixated on how Dorian's leaving was all Evelyn's fault, and the somewhat harmonious relationship between them was long gone.
The remarks became less passive aggressive and more aggressive as the days passed. When they finally got a letter from Dorian two days after he should have return, the mage had to apologize for his absence and regrettably inform the Madame that he would stay out the week before he departed from Kirkwall.
This made Lady Trevelyan erupt like a volcano. She lashed out on her daughter and scolded her for letting a prosperous opportunity slip through her fingers. Evelyn – who had kept her temper in check for the past few days – lost her temper and said every venomous word she could think of in response. This of course led Lady Trevelyan to tears, because she "did not deserve to be treated this way". She then stormed off to Hill and made the elf arrange a carriage for her so she could be with Lady Ornacia, because "Lady Ornacia cared about other people's feelings," and opted to stay there until Dorian returned.
x - X - x
Lost in the warmness of the day, Evelyn let her back fall against the grass; her body nearly consumed by the red and yellow tulips embracing her. She had finally some time of her own.
She freed her mind and watched the ever-changing clouds paving their way across the blue sky. She saw a rabbit, and it reminded her of her dear friend Cole. She snickered and closed her eyes, eager to remember times spent with the odd spirit turned human.
When she opened her eyes again, she noticed that the sky had donned the colors of the tulips. She concluded that she must have drifted off for a few hours. Well rested, she sat up and looked as the sun disappeared beneath the meadow.
She felt appease when the stars began to pop up above her. This was where she belonged. In a blooming meadow with the sun and the moon as her companion. Everlasting bliss, away from fear, anger and… wait?
Loud cries of pain consumed the silence and demanded her attention. She used her hands to push herself up from the ground. She frantically skimmed the open field for the source of the plea, but her eyes saw nothing more but tulips illuminated by the moonlight.
She scratched her head. Had she imagined it?
The mage shrugged her shoulders and decided to stretch her body. She shook her arms and legs, easing the stiffness in her joints. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, she felt completely relaxed again.
Her eyes popped open when she heard the same cry a second time. It was much louder this time, and it sounded somewhat familiar. She spun around, trying to spot the person in peril. When she couldn't see anything, she began to run in no particular direction.
She ran a solid five minutes before she heard the cries for a third time. It seemed like she was closer to the source. Evelyn stopped and panted as she tried to regain her breath. She looked around and noticed a cabin behind her.
'Where did that come from?' She wondered to herself. She walked up to it slowly.
It was four-walled cobblestone cabin with a single window. Evelyn tried to see through it, she used her hands to shield her eyes from the moonlight reflecting in the window. There was nothing on the other side, just a dark room without furniture. Not that she had expected anything from a cabin without a door.
She stepped away from the window and noticed that dark clouds had consumed the bright night sky. The sudden change in weather made her feel like all the warmth in her body had vanished with the moon and the stars.
A purple light broke through the window and grabbed her attention. She leaned back in to see the source of the light. Someone had created a protective barrier. She focused on the figure inside the barrier. It looked like a man's figure. The person stood on his knee, head bowed and folding his hands as if he was praying to the Maker.
The man suddenly shifted his posture. He used his hands to cover his ears. When he screamed Evelyn could finally see his face.
Her eyes widened. "Cullen!" Evelyn gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. There was no question about it; I was Cullen… only younger! She watched as the man she loved cried in agony. She began to bang on the glass, hoping to break it; but it was too sturdy.
Evelyn stopped the banging and began to look for stones on the ground. If she could find one big enough, she could possibly break the glass.
"There!" she said as she found a nice sharp one. She picked it up and readied herself, but someone grabbed her arm when she was about to throw the stone through the window.
"I wouldn't do that," a familiar voice spoke.
"But I need to help him!" Evelyn responded, choking on the lump in her throat.
"You know what will happen if you break that glass."
Evelyn lowered her arm and dropped the stone down on the ground. "Why are you here?"
"Because I could sense you needed me."
"Tyrion!" Evelyn cried and burrowed her face in her brother's chest.
Tyrion wrapped his arms around her. "Shh, shh. Everything will be all right."
"I miss you…" Evelyn whispered.
"But you won't have to. Now we can stay here together."
The thought of staying with her brother for eternity made her smile. She closed her eyes and let his warmth overpower the coldness. "That sounds nice," she murmured.
"Evelyn!" Someone cried out to her.
Tyrion's figure suddenly evaporated. Without the support from her brother, Evelyn fell down on the ground.
"Evelyn!"
She didn't respond to her name.
The warmth was gone, she didn't care.
There was nothing to care about anymore.
"Evelyn!" Solas tossed himself down on his knees next to her. "Are you still there?" He leaned in and studied her eyes. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was still her.
"It's raining…" Evelyn noted without intonation.
Solas used his staff to cast dispel, transporting them back to the tulip meadow.
The familiar place seemed to revitalize her, and she managed to force herself up in a sitting position. She used her hands to rub away the tears from her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"Because I'm Your friend," Solas answered and used his staff to rise up from the ground. He began to walk away from her.
"Where are you now? Why did you leave? How did you find me?" Evelyn demanded to know.
The questions lingered for a moment.
"You need to wake up."
x - X - x
Evelyn woke with a loud gasp for air. She clutched her chest and panted heavily.
"You're back!" Cullen said in a relieved tone.
His presence startled her. She clearly remembered that she'd gone to bed alone.
"That's good innit?," Sera sighed.
"How do you feel?" Dorian leaned over her, worry evident in his tone.
She ran her hands through her hair nervously. "What happened?"
No one seemed eager enough to tell her. Evelyn lifted her head and noticed the bow in Sera's hand and the Sword in Cullen's.
"Oh," she said breathlessly.
x - X - x
A/N: Thanks for your continued support and patience. As always, I live for your reviews and I enjoy responding to them.
Clairebrink: Yay, glad you liked it! Then Tyrion will stay. Gotta say I love that name. As Varric would note 'naming is the worst part', it's therefore perfectly acceptable to steal names from Game of Thrones J
Rebfan90: Bull is extremely lucky, 'cuz he got almost an extra week with Dorian.
Redrosemary: Aww! Glad you liked it, sorry I used so long to update!
CouslandGW: Thank you so much for your review! I really wondered what they would do after that as well. Most stories I read have all resulted in babies with these two, so I thought I would do something different. A puppy will do just fine for now. (And I didn't mind your language one bit. If you've done the FCE you have a higher English education than I. I'm not sure I could write at all without the power of Microsoft Office)
Blindluck92: She has killed 10 dragons and a God, she always had it in her. However, Dorian and Sera's antics are some of my favorite parts.
Bunsabuns: Cullen… Dreamy? I mean, I've only romanced him every time because it's impossible not to… And wow, thank you for thanking me. Seriously, I'm still smiling from that one. Ten days later.
