Stories Of Thedas: Kallian
Stories of Thedas: Kallian
🌹ao3🌹
9:31 Dragon
Grey clouds reflected perfectly off the surface of Lake Calenhad until Kallian couldn't tell where it stopped and the sky began. It was a gloomy, frosty day, but at least it was calm. A soft breeze would ripple across once in a while, making the sky dance in the waters until it blew past, and all was still again.Â
Growing up in the alienage, she had never seen a lake. Though it wasn't her first time noticing one, it was her first time really looking. Redcliffe was a dim noise behind her; the news of Arl Eamon's sudden good health was rapidly spreading, and with it, hope blossomed.Â
Kallian let herself sit there for a while. Orzammar was next, a sprawling underground city. There would be no lakes there, no rivers or waterfalls. They wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow, and so, she let herself rest.
"Kall?" A quiet voice called, and she turned to see Alistair stood nearby, uncertainty clear in the set of his brow.
She smiled and gestured for him to sit with her with a nod of her head.Â
He did so wordlessly, knees drawn up to lay his arms across, and Kallian moved slightly to lean her head on his shoulder.
"You know, I think I might be the first person in my family to ever see a lake," she mused. "Well, apart from my mam."
"Really?" Alistair asked in surprise, before chuckling. "I've always felt like I couldn't escape it."
Kallian laughed in return as he kissed her head, resting his own against hers.
"Just… I know there's a lot of crap," she began quietly. "Death, pain, dirt… but I used to tell stories of places like this. My dad painted them, even though he'd never seen them himself… I wish I could show him, y'know?"
"You will," Alistair whispered, resolute. "One day."
Kallian smiled, warmed by his own determination for her family. She laced her fingers with his, pressing close.
They stayed there, silent, basking in each other's presence as they watched the grey clouds slowly turn orange and pink, the setting sun peeking through until it disappeared beyond the lake.
More Posts from Cityelfweek and Others
Original post here.
I did consider October, however as we don't know exactly when Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released outside of "autumn", I thought it would be best to avoid those months just in case they coincide. I know September is an autumn month, but I think it's unlikely to come out then? But maybe not!
Please let me know your thoughts :)
The people have spoken...
City Elf Appreciation Week will take place between the 5th of August and the 11th of August 2024!
Optional prompts soon to follow <3
Happy Friday! For DADWC, how about "Sing for me?" from the Dragon Age Inspired Prompts for Warden/Leliana?
Thank you for this prompt! For @dadrunkwriting
My Warden in this one is Rose Tabris, who uses she/her pronouns.
The day has been exhausting and Rose is at the end of her rope. Her body’s sore and her head is full from the day’s events. All she wants is to curl up in a bed and go to sleep.Â
But of course she can’t even be that lucky. She doesn’t have a bed, she has a bedroll on the floor of a tent. She can’t even have a nice fire to warm herself by because it decided to rain as soon as they started making camp. So she gets to be exhausted, sore, and drenched on top of everything else.Â
She wants to scream. She wants to curse the Maker she doesn’t believe in for putting her through such an overwhelmingly shitty day. Instead, she sits in her tend and stews in her frustration, annoyance radiating off of her in waves.Â
“Are you alright?” Leliana asks, her voice honey-sweet with concern. “I know today was tough for you.”Â
Rose rolls her eyes. “No shit,” she mutters. “Did I do the right thing?”Â
“With the werewolves?” Leliana cocks her head to the side. “Do you think you did the right thing?”Â
Rose swallows. “I don’t know,” she admits. “When Zathrian told me what those monsters did to his children, I was so angry.” She still is, can still feel the way her heart thrums with her rage at the knowledge of what humans have always done to elves — to her people. She may not have been raised among the Dalish, but that gives her even more insight on the cruelty of humans.Â
She doesn’t know what to do with her anger. It’s always been a part of her, living deep inside of her heart for so long that she doesn’t know who she would be without it. She’s always known herself to be an angry person because she’s had to be to survive. What purpose does that anger serve now when her decisions cost lives?
“But you did not kill the werewolves,” Leliana points out. “You let them be cured despite your rage.”
“I didn’t want to. I wanted to let them suffer forever.” Rose pulls her knees to her chest, her hair falling in front of her face. “But they weren’t the ones who actually did those things. They were just the children of those monsters and their children’s children. The descendants of horrible people who did horrible things.”
Leliana sits beside her, placing a hand on Rose’s knee. “I think you did well in recognizing that.”Â
“But I still– I still wanted them to suffer!” Rose can’t keep it to herself anymore. “There was a moment when I still thought they should keep their curse, that they should suffer for all time. What their ancestors did was so unforgivable I thought– I thought what’s to stop their children from being the same as them? Humans have done so much harm and have hurt so many people that just the thought of it makes me so– so angry.”Â
“You have the right to be angry.” Leliana says in the same patient tone. “But not all humans are the same as one another.”Â
Rose wants to snap that most are. That most humans she’s known have been cruel and selfish monsters who deserve no less than the fate Zathrian gave those original humans who hurt his clan. But she doesn’t know how true that is anymore, if the bad humans still outnumber the good.Â
Even the good humans have gaps in their knowledge of how things are for those like her. Even the good humans don’t understand their own privilege and they say things that to them sound perfectly acceptable while making Rose cringe away. Even Leliana — quite possibly the love of Rose’s life — doesn’t always comprehend that the things she says can be harmful.
Rose just sighs, the war in her mind making it difficult for her to think clearly. “I’m too tired for this,” she says. “Can you just… sing for me? Please?”Â
Leliana smiles and nods. “Of course.” She wraps an arm around Rose and pulls her close. Her lips part and she begins singing in that soft, sweet voice. Rose relaxes in her arms in a way she’d never thought she’d be able to relax for anyone and she allows that voice to carry her into sleep.Â
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A fan event to show your love and appreciation for all things City Elf. Beginning the first Monday of August.
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