Chapter Text
Sten had told her stories of Par Vollen during their travels but they really didn’t do the city justice and she’d only just arrived at the harbor! Willow grinned as she scooped up her six year old daughter, mostly to stop the little girl running away the second they stepped off the ship, and nudged Zevran.
“This truly is spectacular!” Zevran announced, his arm winding around his wife’s shoulders.
“Sten’s stories really don’t compare.” The pair gathered their packs and stepped off the ship, naturally they were immediately greeted with spears in their faces.
“Halt, bas!” Sten commanded, stepping forward to block the small family’s path, “State your business.” Willow took a deep breath and handed her daughter over to Zevran before squaring her shoulders and looking the Qunari in the eye. She pulled out a silver Warden’s seal and showed him.
“I am the Grey Warden Willow Tabris, my business is with your Arishok. I will discuss it with no one else.” The spears disappeared as Sten huffed in acknowledgment before nodding over to the other two elves.
“And them?”
“My husband, Zevran Arainai and our daughter Nina. They travel with me and will not stray from my side.” Willow grinned at Zevran when he rolled his eyes, she was trying so hard not to start laughing or make a joke. “The Arishok?” Sten stared in silence for a moment, giving nothing away with his facial expressions.
“The Arishok does not have time to humour an elf.” Sten crossed his arms and stared her down but Willow had always been stubborn.
“He will see me.” She pushed with a smirk. Sten turned to his comrades and spoke in Qunlat for a moment before he turned away from the Warden.
“Remain here.” He walked away but the other soldiers remained. Willow couldn’t help grinning, he was gonna be so surprised they were here.
“Mama, I thought the Qunari were nice?” Nina reached out for mother, leaving her father pouting as he handed her over.
“They are, Sprout.” Willow giggled, tapping Nina’s nose, “They just have lots of rules and procedures to follow.”
“Like Auntie Tornta?” Willow and Zevran laughed at the innocent question, only five years old but she already knew the dwarf so well.
“Exactly.”
At least half an hour had gone by, Zevran and Nina were now sat on the docks playing some kind of hand clap game but Willow still chose to stand. She recalled Sten saying something about showing weakness makes a bad first impression and she certainly didn’t want to appear weak. Finally a familiar figure came strolling down the docks. Willow didn’t even get a word before he nodded to her in greeting.
“Kadan.” He said with a small smile before he dismissed the guards. Willow opened her mouth to greet him only to see her daughter dash past her and cling to his leg in a hug.
“Hi Uncle Sten!” Nina cheered, grinning up at the hornless Qunari.
“I am not Sten. I am Arishok.” Normally such a mistake would warrant some sort of punishment but seeing as the child was so young and hadn’t seen him since she was an infant, Arishok was willing to let it slip.
“Oh. Hi Uncle Arishok!” Nina giggled and started climbing him.
“Hello Nina.” Arishok seemed completely unbothered and Willow and Zevran couldn’t help doubling over in laughter to see their young child climbing the leader of the Qun’s military like a tree.
“How are you?” Willow giggled, offering Arishok a hand, knowing he probably wouldn’t care for a hug.
“I have been well, though I cannot say the same for the rest of Thedas.” Arishok admitted and Willow nodded in agreement.
“Yes we’ve heard about the whole split in the sky thing.” Arishok rose an eyebrow at her, bringing a hand up behind Nina so she didn’t fall off his shoulder.
“You wouldn’t be running away from it would you?” Willow doubled over in laughter again, this time for dramatics, and grabbed Zevran’s shoulder for effect.
“You wound me!” She cried, grinning up at her old friend, “Actually I’m here to challenge you.” The mildly surprised look on his face was enough to tell Willow she’d caught him off guard, even for a moment, “I told you I’d never stop training until I could defeat you but it occurred to me that I’ll never know if I can defeat you if I never have the chance to fight you again.” Arishok nodded, a small proud smile slipping onto his face before he wiped it clean.
“Very well. Follow me.” Arishok didn’t even bother putting the little girl down as he turned on his heel and led his old friends through Qunadar.
Before long, the group had made their way to what appeared to be a training ground of some sort. Willow and Zevran had spent a lot of the walk snickering about the fact no one was concerned their Arishok was carrying a small elf child on his shoulders. Finally, he put Nina back on the ground and nudged her towards her father.
“Considering this will be little more than a sparring session-“ Arishok smirked when Willow pouted at his assumption, “I will not hold you to the rules of traditional Qunari ritual combat.”
“First blood?” Willow crossed her arms with a grin, casting a quick glance around to see some of the people training had slowed down or stopped entirely to watch.
“A bold suggestion.” Arishok said no more and simply pulled his great sword from his back. Willow’s grin never left her face as she drew her sword and strategically placed her shield between them.
Willow had thought this was a good idea. She also thought getting a pet Dragonling was a good idea. Neither have turned out well. She’d spent time training nearly every day since the blight, she was certain that she was strong enough to take on her old friend. Unfortunately, Arishok was proving her wrong. The elf was able to hold her own for the most part but she’d been on the defence for the entire fight, barely getting close enough to make a decent strike. And now Willow stood crouched, shield over her head and struggling to keep Arishok’s massive blade from baring down on her any further and her only choices were to yield or find a way to get the fuck out of his reach. With a grunt of effort, Willow tipped her shield to the side, the pressure Arishok was putting on it caused his blade to slip with a horrendous screech, and Willow rolled to the side coming to her feet behind him. Not giving him a chance to regain his sense, Willow swung her blade for his shoulder. Her mistake was thinking he lost his sense in the first place. Arishok parried her strike with a mighty swing that had her staggering a step and leaving her back open for his blade to come down on her shoulder. The blow sent her to the ground with a grunt and Willow was suddenly regretting not wearing the dragon scale armour Wade made for her when she felt her pauldron crack. She didn’t have time to dwell on it as Arishok’s blade rapidly approached again and Willow gasped as she rolled out the way. The movement caused something quite painful to dig into her shoulder and the elf actually felt her skin tear.
“Wait.” Willow called carefully, one hand up to stop Arishok’s next blow. She carefully sat up and reached over her shoulder wincing at the damage she found. “Ah damn it.” She sighed, looking at the bloody shard of metal now in her hand, “You win.”
“Are you alright?” Arishok was already pulling the elf to her feet, while he was concerned he was also well aware of Willow’s pride and didn’t want to make a scene.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Willow stretched, attempting to hide a wince when the new cut on her shoulder panged, “Just a flesh wound.” She staggered forward a step when Arishok clapped her on the back good naturedly, a habit he’d picked up from Alistair, and Willow glared at him, “You did that on purpose.”
“Perhaps.” Arishok hummed as the pair strolled back over to Zevran and Nina. The little girl immediately came running up to the two and climbed the Qunari again.
“That was amazing, Uncle Arishok! You beat Mama!” Nina exclaimed, hanging off his arm like he was a climbing frame, “No one can beat Mama not even Papa but you did!”
“Hey!” Willow and Zevran both shouted indignantly. Arishok chuckled as the parents gaped at their child, having the time of her life before Willow snapped out of it and quickly raced over to her backpack.
“While, I remember.” She mused, turning back to Arishok and holding out a parcel, “Everyone wrote you a letter and Leliana even baked you some cookies. I think she even wrote down some recipes for you.” If he hadn’t spent a year travelling with her, Arishok would have been surprised at the gift but he knew their friends.
“You have my gratitude for delivering it all this way.” Arishok gratefully accepted the package, eager to get into the cookies but deciding it was best to wait for privacy first.
“We all miss you big guy.” Willow nudged him, hissing when he return the gesture and bumped her wounded shoulder.
“You are staying for the night.” Arishok chuckled, it wasn’t a question and they all knew it.
“Of course!” Zevran laughed, “You didn’t think we’d come all this way just to leave the same day did you?”