Fandom: Dragon Age: Awakening.
Pairing: Nathaniel Howe/Velanna.
Theme set: Gamma
Title: My Lady Sleeps
Rating: PG
Warning[s]: Spoilers and non-explicit violence and sexy times.
Notes: Very random and out of order.
#01 - Ring
Nathaniel is a practical man and everything he owns these days has a purpose - except for one ring he purchased only because it has a large stone that reminds him of her eyes.
#02 - Hero
"It was only one a village and a very small group of darkspawn," she says, but secretly enjoys the look of admiration in Nathaniel's eyes.
#03 - Memory
She fills her journal with tales of the Dalish and life with the wardens - always careful not to include certain things about Nathaniel - some things are not meant to be shared with future generations.
#04 - Box
Everything she owns can fit in a small box - what little she brought to the Keep, the few things she’s acquired as a warden and mementos of a man that both annoys and intrigues her.
#05 - Run
She was running to find her sister; she told herself, and not running away from (him) anything.
#06 - Hurricane
A darkspawn arrow brings him down and Velanna quickly stands between him and the creature, sending a whirlwind of powerful magic that tears it apart.
#07 - Wings
"Birds are not meant for this," she tells Nathaniel as she opens the cages on a market stall so the birds can fly free while Nathaniel pays the bewildered merchant.
#08 - Cold
She scoffs when he offers her his cloak during a particular cold night, but doesn’t refuse him.
#09 - Red
Velanna casts a quick healing spell when a creature leaves a long gash on his arm, if only because his bleeding all over would slow them down - or so she tells herself.
#10 - Drink
One of the first things they ever agree on: Oghren’s Special Brew should be only to polish metal or peel paint off the walls.
#11 - Midnight
Sleepless nights are not rare among wardens, but at least they get to spend most of theirs together.
#12 - Temptation
She doesn't know which desire is stronger - to abandon herself to his touch or to walk away from it.
#13 - View
She goes to the highest point in the Keep mostly when she wishes to be alone and sometimes just to watch him train the grounds below.
#14 - Music
Sometimes she sings while she writes, an unusually gentle song that lulls him to sleep.
#15 - Silk
He buys her silk robes that catch her eye in the market - dark green, silky smooth and quick to end pooled on the floor by his bed.
#16 - Cover
She isn't sure what they have, but she knows for sure that it is the worst kept secret on Vigil's Keep (and if Oghren so much as dares comment on it she will do more than give him a "remedy")
#17 - Promise
“I will find Seranni,” she swears as they walk through the smoldering ruins of the Keep and all Nathaniel can do is nod in agreement and support.
#18 - Dream
She wakes from her first darkspawn-filled dream to find him watching her across the campfire, a hint of concern in his eyes.
#19 - Candle
Her skin glows in the candlelight as she lies in Nathaniel's bed.
#20 - Talent
She is grateful that the taint has given her the power to sense and hunt the darkspawn - and there is something to be said about the added stamina in more intimate situations.
#21 - Silence
He says nothing as she drinks the contents of the chalice, but despite the circumstances surrounding their first encounter, he cannot help to feel relief when she survives her Joining.
#22 - Journey
Being a Warden sometimes means time apart while one travels the Deep Roads and the other remains at the Keep, hoping to meet again soon or to meet again at all.
#23 - Fire
The first time she lays eyes on him and his fellow wardens, she greets them with fire and thorns.
#24 - Strength
“I am not going to break, you know,” she tells him in exasperation during their first night together.
#25 - Mask
She blushes when he offhandedly talks of her beauty, but quickly regains her composure, hoping he has failed to see her mask slip away so briefly.
#26 - Ice
She summons ice and melts it on the bathtub, enjoying the look of awe in his eyes.
#27 - Fall
There are many valid reasons to avoid falling for each other - and none of them matter at all.
#28 - Forgotten
A new warden occupies her room and her name is rarely mentioned anymore, but he will never forget.
#29 - Dance
They make a good team, their movements in battle a deadly dance.
#30 - Body
When he removes his damaged armor by the campfire, Velanna can’t help a furtive glance to admire broad shoulders and well defined muscles.
#31 - Sacred
Nathaniel has an arrow at the ready, but drops it when they finally catch up with her, her head bowed down as she stands by the graves of her fallen friends.
#32 - Farewells
He always knew there would be no proper goodbye between them, but it hurts all the same when she leaves and never returns.
#33 - World
He tells her of the places he has visited and the places he wishes he could see - and as foolish as it sound, Velanna wishes he could show them to her.
#34 - Formal
“My Lady,” he whispers against her lips.
#35 - Fever
Being sick is worth it for a hot cup of tea and her hand on his forehead.
#36 - Laugh
She laughs as Oghren runs back into the Keep, desperately scratching himself, and Nathaniel reminds himself never to get on her bad side like the dwarf did.
#37 - Lies
“I cannot understand how anyone would find him attractive at all,” Velanna says when one of the new recruits talks dreamily of Nathaniel’s looks.
#38 - Forever
As grey wardens, neither one believes in eternity together - only in treasuring what they have here and now.
#39 - Overwhelmed
He is a human noble who believes himself witty and funny - and she cannot stop wondering when those hateful qualities became endearing to her.
#40 - Whisper
“You are a funny human,” she says in hushed tones as her hands trace the muscles of his chest - but at least he is her funny human.
#41 - Wait
He waits for as long as possible to leave the camp because doing so will mean accepting she isn’t coming back.
#42 - Talk
They speak mostly of darkspawn and the weather - easier than talking about what they feel.
#43 - Search
She will never stop looking for her sister, even as a part of her has found a home among the wardens and comfort in Nathaniel's arms.
#44 - Hope
“Maybe she will be there this time,” he thinks every time he is sent into the Deep Roads.
#45 - Eclipse
Some of the new recruits - attractive young women - look at him with thinly veiled interest - then Velanna walks in and all other women are forgotten, eclipse by her beauty.
#46 - Gravity
She trips on a root and starts to fall but he is lightning-fast, catching her in his arms before she can meet the ground.
#47 - Highway
Sometimes, when it's just the two of them patrolling the highway, she will allow their hands to touch as they walk side by side.
#48 - Unknown
She won’t tell him what animal she has caught and cooked over the campfire but he tries it anyway, trusting that at the very least it will be edible.
#49 - Lock
“I could help you with that,” he offers, but she ignores him and freezes the lock of the chest to crack it open.
#50 - Breathe
She watches him sleep, his chest gently rising and falling as she wonders if this will be the last time they lie together like this.