[sandbox]

[bringspeopletogether]

Back to Skyhold. Back to work.

Alistair resumes training with the Chargers a few days after his and Cullen's return; the company got back from Halamshiral just before the Basin group showed up, Bull explains, so he was giving them a rest before picking up exercises again. Krem fills Alistair in on all the details as they're exchanging blows. Some of it is just Orlesian Worst Game Ever nonsense, but since it ends with a whole lot of shamefaced nobles with no mercenaries to their names, Alistair's pretty damn pleased.

(Maybe he can get the new mercenaries in on his plan to dress up the training dummies in Orlesian garb. Hmmmmmm.)

Cullen's in a war room meeting by the time Alistair's done. He throws some water on his face and heads for the kitchens -- maybe he can split a small meal with Kieran before Morrigan's return.

Comments

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen nods; a little of how tired he is comes through in his smile. "No more giant hole in the sky should make things easier, it's true."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Next you'll tell me it's helpful not to put my foot in a leg trap when I'm walking to dinner."

He gives Cullen another quick kiss.

"Love you. You can do it."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Though apparently not without stating the obvious."

Cullen brushes his thumb over Alistair's cheek, and steps away. "Help me get all this on?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair snorts, fondly amused, and says, "Of course."

He grabs Cullen's breastplate and gets to work on the straps. Above them, the noise of shuffling books and fabric draws to a close; Kieran picks his way down the ladder soon after, one pack slung over his shoulders.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen's tugging on his vambraces; he glances at Kieran, smiling. "Ready to go?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Nearly." Kieran hefts the bag higher. "I still have one more pack."

"I"ll get it in a moment," Alistair reassures him, fastening the last strap.

Kieran nods. Then, shyer, "I put Dane and the Werewolf in there as well. Is that all right?"

Alistair's eyebrows rise. "Of course it's all right," he says. "Anything I have up there, you're welcome to bring along." A beat; Alistair lowers his voice, conspiratorial. "I stole them all from the library anyway."

Kieran giggles.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen picks up his greaves, sits to put them on. "And anything he didn't steal from the library, he stole from me, and you're welcome to them."

[bringspeopletogether]

"I did see a couple of chess books," says Kieran, thoughtfully. "I definitely didn't think those were Alistair's."

"Hey," says Alistair, mock-affronted, which just makes Kieran grin again. Alistair returns the grin, then grabs his own vambraces off the chaise. Might as well suit up, too, just in case.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen laughs quietly and reaches for his coat. He tugs it on; he fluffs the collar; he cracks his neck.

"Right," he says, something close to cheerful. "Updates when I've got them. See you soon."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's smile warms. "Until then."

He finishes up with his vambraces; greaves next, so long as he's sitting, and breastplate last before he clanks back upstairs to grab Kieran's other pack.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen, meanwhile, is out and over the bridge. He goes straight to the rookery.

No one's in the library this early -- not even Helisima. And when he gets to the top of the tower, the first thing he sees is Leliana's longbow, aggressively polished and ready, sprawling over her desk.

Good. They had the same idea.

[bringspeopletogether]

As they walk to Morrigan's quarters, Alistair looks up at the sky. All that's left of the Breach is the faintest green streak, barely visible in the dim predawn light; he fills his lungs, lets out the air in a slow breath.

"You're happier with it gone," says Kieran.

Startled, a little embarrassed, he looks over.

"Not just because it means the Inquisitor succeeded." Kieran's watching him closely. He hesitates a moment, then goes on, "Is it because of the Fade?"

Alistair's mouth quirks. It'd be easy to brush this off with a joke, like Cullen's yes, not having a giant hole in the sky does make things easier, but as has been made plain over and over: Kieran isn't stupid. He looks down at his feet, and answers, "Yes."

Kieran shifts the straps of his pack. "Mother told me I was never to ask you about it," he says, quieter now. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's -- " Swiftly, he looks up. Cautious: "She's...that was a kindness, her saying that. It's not worth talking about. Doesn't make for pleasant dinner conversation. Or breakfast conversation. Or...ever conversation." Alistair rubs the back of his hair. "But it happened. And when things like that remind me of it -- it's...difficult sometimes."

He gestures to the tiny green scar in the sky. Kieran follows it; nods.

Alistair goes on, softer, "It got the better of me yesterday. I'm sorry I wasn't around."

"It's all right." Kieran chances a smile. "The library's quite nice. I found all sorts of other books about werewolves."

"Really? Like what?"

He pushes open the door to Morrigan's quarters. It closes behind them on the sound of Kieran's cheerful relaying of all his newfound werewolf knowledge.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Your communication lines," Cullen says, leaning over the rail with a cup of tea to hand.

"We should hear by noon." He can't see Leliana's face; it's obscured by her cowl. "If we have heard nothing by noon, we should start assuming the worst. I can send scouts with fresh horses to the post at the mouth of the valley, and then have them proceed on to the next post."

"Fortunate we didn't dismantle those posts after all," Cullen comments.

"I will say it: you were right," Josephine says, coming up the stairs. "I am not ashamed to admit it."

Tired as he is, Cullen can't help but give Josephine a warm smile. "Thank you, Ambassador Montilyet."

"You should not say such things without a bow," she admonishes Cullen, and comes to join him and Leliana at the rail. "So. How will we pass the morning?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Kieran and Alistair pass the first hour of the morning in conversation, complete with Kieran pulling out a book every so often to further illustrate a point. One encounter with werewolves doesn't mean Alistair knows everything. A lot of people, unsurprisingly, have a lot of things to say on the subject.

They're interrupted by growling stomachs, and Alistair sheepishly slinking off to the kitchen to find them some breakfast.

He takes a slightly longer way round on the way back: if he can pass through the great hall, that ought to give him a minute to eavesdrop on any incoming news.

...If there were any to be had. Which there isn't.

Damn.

At least it's easier to focus with tea and some hastily-prepared rolls in hand (and belly). Alistair even makes a go at a few chess games while they're waiting. If anyone asks, he's dismal at it because he's starting to fall asleep again. Not because he's doomed to a lifetime of dismalness at chess. Absolutely not.

"You know what was even better than the werewolves," says Alistair at one point, moving his cleric further down the board. "The time your mother took out fifteen darkspawn with a single fireball."

(It can't hurt, he figures, to keep sharing stories of Morrigan as a ferocious warrior capable of walking through any perils unscathed.)

[howtoactfereldan]

It doesn't take until noon, it turns out. The raven goes straight to Leliana, letting out a soft, smug kaaaark.

She reads the small strip of linen, and nods. Cullen is suddenly very sure she's keeping her face neutral just to be awful, which means --

Josephine snatches it out of her hand; her face lights up. Then, and only then, does Cullen get to look.









A soft roar goes up from the courtyard.

Very shortly thereafter, a knock on the door.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's head turns at the sound of the roar. It -- doesn't seem like a frightened sort of sound? Maybe?

"Stay here," he murmurs to Kieran anyway, and rests his hand on the pommel of his sword as he moves next to the door.

Which means his ear's right next to the wood when Cullen knocks. Alistair jumps about a foot; about a quarter of a second later, he yanks open the door.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen's grin is as bright as it's ever been -- at least, toward Alistair.

Without a word, he pushes his way inside and goes to sit across from Kieran, clasping his hands between his knees.

"Corypheus is gone. Your mother is alive. She got knocked around a little, but her injuries won't prevent her from traveling. They ought to be here in a few days."

[bringspeopletogether]

Kieran's whole face lights up. "We won?"

Alistair covers his mouth, too stunned to say anything. A great chasm's opening inside of him, the same yawning disbelief that overtook him when he saw the corpse of the archdemon ten years ago -- and Warden Cousland, battered but alive, standing next to it.

We won.

We're all right.

It's really over.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Yes."

Cullen turns the grin on Kieran.

"In short. We won."

He glances at Alistair. "All of the Inquisitor's companions will be coming home as well."

[bringspeopletogether]

Everyone survived.

It feels like the chasm's about to split the floor open, too. Alistair doesn't care. He's light enough to float above it: everyone survived, Corypheus is dead, we won --

"Right." His voice is giddy with laughter as he gestures to both of them. "On your feet, both of you. You're getting hugged right now, don't complain about it -- "

[howtoactfereldan]

"One at a time," Cullen insists, "he's not wearing armor -- "

(But he's getting to his feet anyhow.)

[bringspeopletogether]

Much as Alistair would like to sweep them both into an enormous group hug, Cullen's got a point.

Kieran's on his feet, starting to laugh, too; Alistair wastes no time in pulling him into as fierce a hug as he dares, mindful of the armor. "We won," his son repeats as he flings his arms around Alistair.

"We did." Alistair's face is already starting to hurt from grinning so hard. "Maker's breath. We won."

And then Cullen. No worries about hugging too tightly there. A whoop of delight builds in his chest, rides free on more laughter as he swings Cullen around.

[howtoactfereldan]

All Cullen can do is hold on; he even manages to hold in most of the noises he'd like to make -- the ones that sound like an angry cat.

He does spare a moment to think about the other letters he's going to write, soon. (Not everybody's alive.) But it's true: though the costs were heavy... they could have been so much worse.

This is the real reason he does not protest Alistair's manhandling.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair appreciates the (mostly) lack of complaining!

"So," he says cheerfully once he's let go. "Sleep for a week?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Work to do first." Wry. "Have to let them in on the terms for the celebration. Those that stay on duty get first turn off when the Inquisitor comes home."