RP: Open (Some NSFW smuttiness later on)

[wardenalistair]

Alistair awoke in what appeared to be a stable, one that still smelled faintly of Mabari. And horse, of course, but that was more expected. He was also being poked in the bare back by itchy prickly straw. He jumped to his feet.

"Well, this is...horrifyingly familiar. Next I'll be swarmed by a large group of hounds, just you wait."

He did. Wait, that is. Nothing happened.

"O-okay then, maybe not. I haven't regressed to ten years old, have I?" He poked his own cheek, which was still fairly bristly, and glanced down at himself, half-clothed as he was in just the trousers he'd worn to sleep in. "Nope, never mind, still myself. How peculiar. I haven't dreamt of Redcliffe in years, but then this doesn't look much like Redcliffe, does it? It smells like Redcliffe. Hrm."

He wrinkled his nose and headed out of the stable, into what sort of looked like daylight, accidentally kicking some kind of book halfway across the stable floor as he did so. He muttered an apology to the thing and scooped it up, for lack of anything better to do with it.

Comments

[heromiyuu]

"But we learn it by just looking at you." she giggled, nipping his forearm scar playfully "Nate managed to stop the bleeding and we had to wait some good time for Sigrun and Velanna to come back. The potions we had were just enough to stabilize me and we had to retreat."

Neria closed her eyes and sighed.

"I might not be able to have kids, vhenan." she waited for her words to sink in "I cried, I was devastated for a long time and I thought that was something I had to tell you for myself, not through a letter."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair pressed a kiss to her forehead and interlaced their fingers.

"You know the odds of the two of us...tainted as we are...were never very good to begin with, my love. It doesn't change the way I feel about you."

He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "I don't know how well this lifestyle of ours is suited to children, but - if you want them - you know there are a lot of orphans left from all the fighting, between this war with Corypheus and the mage-templar conflict and the demons from the rifts. We could...adopt? If you wanted."

[heromiyuu]

"We definitely could. Not now, of course. I mean... we still have things to do. But once we're settled..."

Neria kissed his knuckles.

"Please, tell me that we have a good chance of settling somewhere?" she laughed "You're the High Constable now, I could train the order's mages... this... could happen, right?"

[wardenalistair]

"I mean...yes? I want to say yes. I definitely think yes." Alistair chewed on his lip. "Weisshaupt is...not the ideal place to raise a family, truth be told. I was much happier at Vigil's Keep."

He twisted his head to look at her. "Not that I want to abandon the Order, I just...don't fancy being in charge of everything forever. And I miss Ferelden already." He laughed lightly. "The Anderfels are too damn cold."

[heromiyuu]

"Wait, colder than Ferelden? That's impossible." she was legitimately surprised "I don't mind the cold weather... in fact, I like it."

Neria was quiet for some time, thoughtful.

"Perhaps it take some time, but I'm sure once we finish turning the Grey Wardens into something better there will be plenty of helpful hands to replace us. I'm still Warden Commander of Ferelden, Vigil's Keep is still there for us." she smiled

[wardenalistair]

Alistair grunted. "In the winter, yes. It's absurdly hot in the summer, so I'm told."

He let out a breath. "I'm sure you're right. I'm just...I want..." he paused. "I can do anything so long as you come back to me, love, but it would be nice to have something resembling...a home? I've never had one of those before, unless you count you. Which I do. But. You know what I mean."

[heromiyuu]

"I'm afraid to say my closest experience with a home was with you, in Vigil's Keep vhenan. I don't have the slightest clue on how a nice, normal home should be."

She shifted on the bed, laying just on top of Alistair, chin resting on his chest. "I have few memories of my family, in the alienage. My mother was severe, but incredibly sweet too, my father was mostly a cuddly bear and everything was good... normal. I don't think I could ever live such... ordinary life. Not after stopping the Blight, after spending half of my days crawling in ancient temples and the Deep Roads... I would probably be insane in a week." she chuckled "But I like the routine in the Keep, watching over the recruits and Amaranthine. It's hard work, but it's the only life I know outside the circle."

[wardenalistair]

"I think you overestimate my experiences with normal homes, my love," he said, chuckling.

He toyed with her hair when she shifted, fingers brushing through it gently.

"I spent most of my childhood in either a kennel or a Chantry. Vigil's Keep suits me just fine. We're...something of a family, aren't we, you and I and Sigrun and the rest? I would hate to leave any of them. It would be like the end of the Blight all over again."

[heromiyuu]

"Well, if you think being secluded from you family and being raised like a mass murder weapon is a better 'home' experience..." she chuckled "But please, let's spare the children from such bliss, yes?"

Neria kissed the middle of his chest. "So, now that we have agreed an ordinary life doesn't suit us, what's the plan? Rather than 'never be apart again', which I highly appreciate, what else? What do you want to do?"

She smiled again; Neria was always careful on letting Alistair deciding how things would work on his life, always recalling their conversation, during the Blight, of how he'd never had any power over his own destiny. Truth to be told, she was also always delighted with him bossing around.

[wardenalistair]

"Maker forbid," he chuckled.

Alistair arched a brow, a knowing look on his face at the question. He was very aware of Neria's tendency to make sure he felt heard, felt he had a choice in their decisions. It was one of many things he loved about her.

"I am a simple man, my dear. To be with you, and to be able to hope to live to a ripe old age? That's quite enough. But what," he settled one hand on her waist, the other tipping her chin up slightly, "would you like?"

[heromiyuu]

"Not fair, I asked you first." Neria held his hand and kissed it, smiled widening on her face "What I want... hmm... I want to go back to the Keep once we settle our matters with the order. And to raise mabaris. Lots of mabaris. And I want children to raise... at least one little mage to burn our eyebrows when sneezing. They'll totally drive mistress Woolsey and Varel insane. " she chuckled, eyes dreaming with the idea "They'll grow up amidst the new Grey Wardens and tales of battles, but one of our girls will dream of Orlais and frilly dresses and aunt Leliana will certainly be very pleased to spoil her. She'll give you a hard time with boys piling up to court her." she planted another kiss on his hand "And we'll get old, surrounded by grandchildren, and mabari. Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?"

[wardenalistair]

"Mabaris! Oh, yes, please," Alistair said with a wide smile. "All the Mabaris the Keep can hold, I say. All of them. We'll invite Zevran back and he'll teach all the children to be entirely too sneaky for their own good. Ooh, and you know what we should do." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then the tip of her nose. "Seeing Anders here - I rather miss that mage, don't you? We should do what we can to drag him back. We'll keep that Vael off his back with our Warden immunity and I don't know, make sure he brings his lovers with, or something. What do you think?"

He looked a bit giddy with all of these ideas, grinning and giving her a very keen set of hazel puppy eyes.

[heromiyuu]

"Oh, so you want your shemlen so-called brother in law back? I thought you weren't very fond of possessed mages." she tilted her head, yawning " And the Vael Prince... well, he'll have to go through me if he wants Anders."

Neria shifted again, back to Alistair's side, resting her head on the curve of his neck, lazy and sleepy.

"This might sound crazy, but I miss even Oghren and his belch competitions. I won once, before you came back to the Keep."

[wardenalistair]

"I am not very fond of abominations, it's true. They're all 'rawr!' and 'eat your face off!' and 'die fiends!'. But Anders isn't one of those. And I always did like Justice."

His words started to slow, and he combed his fingers through her hair sleepily. He laughed.

"You never told me that, love. Truth be told, I miss all of them. Even Oghren and his belching."

[heromiyuu]

"Varel was very displeased with the competition Oghren set up with the guards." she nuzzled his shoulder and planted a small kiss to it "I heard him calling my name to solve that matter, all stoic and serious... he was very surprised to see me there." she closed her eyes, giggling "Poor Varel... oh, I really gave him a hard time."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair chuckled, the kiss to his shoulder making him squirm slightly. He reached down and tipped her chin up so he could kiss her, a soft, languid press of his lips to hers.

"You were certainly not what he expected as the new arlessa," he agreed when he pulled back.

[heromiyuu]

"Indeed... I guess I exceeded his expectations."

Neria smiled, slowly drifting into sleep, talking only after a good time.

"Vhenan...?"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair's eyes had slipped closed by the time she spoke again.

"Hmm?" he asked sleepily.

[heromiyuu]

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up?"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair opened his eyes with a pained expression. He kissed the top of her head.

"Not even the Maker himself could drag me away, love," he said thickly.

[heromiyuu]

"Good... otherwise I... would have one more reason to... beat the shit out of him."

Neria still muttered something else, but it was just impossible to understand as she finally fell asleep.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair shifted to curl around her more tightly and whispered into her hair with some amusement, "If anyone could do it, you could, my dear."

He lay awake a while after she had fallen asleep, still reveling at her presence in his arms, but eventually sleep claimed him too.

[heromiyuu]

For the first time in a really good time, Neria slept well the whole night, no nightmares to torment her sleep or the absence of Alistair to make her heart ache.

His warmth and his scent always worked miracles by her sleep and having him back in such tiresome situation was more than she believed she deserved.

When she woke up, hours later, her heart was relieved for having him by her side; she didn't think she would stand the pain of having dreamt all their time together. He looked serene and younger when sleeping, bringing a smile to her face when she recalled the first time they shared the tent. Creators, she was so nervous, but so was he, and everything was very awkward but he had been so thoughtful, so careful and gentle she could hardly picture a more perfect way of trusting her body and heart to someone. She caressed his cheek and brushed his lips with her fingerpads gazing at him fondly.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair had moved during the night to sprawl out on his back, one arm thrown carelessly above his head, the other wrapped loosely around Neria's side.

At the soft brush of Neria's fingers along his cheek, he stirred.

"Nnnngh," he mumbled against her fingers on his lips, eyes closed. He tilted his head back to nuzzle towards the sensation. Someone was touching him, his sleepy mind supplied, and if memory served him, those were his wife's fingers. He hoped. He scrunched his eyes shut even more and got a little furrow between his brows. Please, please...

"Please tell me that's you, love," he said, voice hoarse with sleep and cautiously hopeful, still not opening his eyes.

[heromiyuu]

"Why?"

Neria approached, speaking with a hint of humor just above Alistair's lips, brushing it slightly with her own as she spoke "Expecting someone else?"