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Varric glanced up from the manuscript before him and watched as Zara walked quickly from the door leading to her quarters and across the hall—directly towards him. Shit, shit, shit! The last thing he needed was for her to catch wind of his latest work in progress: a romance that featured an emotionally distant mage and a stick-in-the-mud Templar meeting and falling in love in the middle of a war between their factions—not at all based on their fearless leader and her commander-slash-military advisor. (And certainly not at all meant for the exclusive viewing of nine “interested parties” who were also tired of the aforementioned mage and templar constantly dancing around their completely obvious emotions.)
A man can dream, Varric thought wistfully.
Luckily, Zara made a sharp left to the rotunda and avoided him completely.
Maybe she’s finally going to end all of our misery?
Varric sat back in his chair and frowned thoughtfully. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see Zara Trevelyan stalking the halls of Skyhold at random intervals—checking up on her inner circle, meeting with her advisors, dashing from meeting to meeting without stopping to even breathe—but this instance seemed… odd.
Odd because, not ten minutes later, Zara came stalking back through the door with a frustrated expression and muttering to herself under her breath. Varric studied her as she stopped, hands balling into fists at her side, and turned on her heel to march back to the rotunda once again, shoulders now squared, chin held high, and that stubborn look in her pale green eyes that she only got when dealing with the least solvable of problems. (Which was usually herself, from what he knew of her.)
Well hot shit, today must be my lucky day!
The door shut and Varric shot into action, sprinting across the hall to Josephine’s office. He threw open the door and shouted, “She’s doing it, Ruffles!”
The Inquisition’s ambassador looked up from her desk and gasped in that delicate way she had. “Oh goodness! Finally!” She stood in a hurry, nearly knocking down a stack of papers as she did, and followed Varric back to the main hall.
Varric took a passing messenger by the arm. “Would you be so kind as to tell the Iron Bull, Sera, and Blackwall to meet us at the mage’s tower as fast as their legs can carry them? Tell ‘em it’s urgent. They should all be in the tavern playing cards. Find Seeker Cassandra as well—she should be running drills right about now.”
The poor kid cast a glance at the ambassador, who must’ve given him a look, because he barely gave a nod before sprinting out of the hall towards the upper courtyard.
With that, Varric and Josephine made a dash to the rotunda. Solas looked up from an absurdly large tome and appeared to sigh before raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “If you are looking for the Inquisitor, I believe she went to see the Commander,” the elven apostate said.
“Oh, we know, Chuckles,” Varric replied. “We were just on our way to tell you, Sparkler, and Nightingale that it’s finally happening.”
At the mention of his nickname Dorian peeked over the railing on the next floor. “Truly?!” he exclaimed. “Well it’s about damn time!” He turned his gaze upward and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Did you hear that, Leliana? Zara’s finally gone to put us out of our misery!”
A door opened and shut, and then Vivienne was at Dorian’s side. “If you want to watch the show, darlings, you’d best hurry. I saw them leaving Cullen’s tower for a stroll along the battlements.”
The group froze and all exchanged glances before they made a mad dash for the garden. Varric could hear Dorian, Leliana, and Vivienne rushing down the stairs as fast as they could before the three joined him, Josephine, and Solas.
What a sight we must be, Varric thought with a small chuckle.
The group barreled through the garden, undoubtedly startling Mother Giselle and the various nobles known to wander there. Hurtling up the steps to the battlements, and slowly running out of breath doing so, they rushed through the door of the mage tower and up the three sets of stairs within until they reached the top.
“I don’t see them,” Josephine muttered in exasperation.
“There!” Dorian pointed. “They’re just exiting the tower near the tavern.”
The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard and, suddenly, Bull, Blackwall, Sera, and Cassandra were at Varric’s right.
“Did we miss anything?” Bull asked, practically vibrating in excitement.
“No,” Leliana replied in disappointment. “They’re merely having a stroll.”
Cole appeared out of nowhere, sitting on the bualestrade and legs swinging in the air. “Nerves jangling in my chest like the butterflies that used to flutter around Mama’s garden in the spring,” he murmured. “Maker, what was it I was supposed to say? Does he know? What will I do if he turns me away? Maybe I can find some distant corner of Thedas to exile myself until this war is done.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted noise. “As if,” she said in exasperation. “He practical stalks the battlements until she returns.”
“Hush up, will ya?” Sera growled, beer and meat pie in hand. “They’re stopping and I don’t wanna miss it, aye?”
Varric eyed the two in the distance as Zara leaned against the battlements and Cullen began to pace. Even though they were too far off for him to hear the conversation, he could tell the barriers were coming down as, ever so slowly, Cullen moved closer and closer to her.
The group held its collective breath as they saw Cullen’s hand move to Zara’s waist. This is it! Varric thought with a smile.
But, like something out of one of his own romance serials, the door to the tower next to them opened and an Inquisition scout barreled through, holding what looked like a sheaf of parchment.
“Oh, come the fuck on!” Bull cried, slamming his fist on the stone.
Leliana’s musical laugh filled the air. “I do believe that’s Scout Jim. The Commander asked for my report just before Zara went to see him.”
In the distance Cullen stalked toward the man, his posture and gait indicating he wanted the man all but thrown out of the keep for his transgression. Zara appeared to be looking at anything but the foolish lad.
“Should we send someone to ensure Jim’s head remains on his shoulders?” Dorian quipped.
But before anyone could reply the scout in question scurried away, head down and all but radiating shame.
“I think the universe is out to get them,” Blackwall sighed, shaking his head.
“On that we all agree,” Vivienne said.
But before Varric could suggest they beat a hasty retreat, the Maker smiled on them.
In a sudden movement Cullen pulled Zara close and, though they were too far to make out too much, it did appear as though he’d brought her in for a kiss.
“Finally!” Cassandra cried, throwing her arms up.
“Anaan!” the Bull said, raising his flagon of... whatever it was that he drank.
“You owe me five gold, Sparkler,” Varric said with a smile. “Told you he’d do it.”
The Tevinter mage muttered a curse under his breath before reaching into his robes for the coin. “Fine,” he growled. “But I hope you know that it was Zara who initiated the conversation, and I’ll hold it against you for as long as we both live.”
Varric cast a glance at the group, and it didn’t go unnoticed by him that Leliana was eyeing the distant pair with a look Varric didn’t recognize.
“Now that that’s out of the way, I suggest we all return to our duties,” Josephine said. “I’d hate for them to notice we’ve been spying.”
The group dispersed, Varric returning to his table in the main hall and glancing at the manuscript he’d left there. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to send it to my publisher, he thought.
Several minutes later Zara walked through the door that led to the garden, a spring in her step and a smile on her face unlike anything Varric had seen before.
“You alright there, Frosty?” he asked, though he already knew the answer. I think I need a new nickname. She’s not as prickly and cold as she used to be.
The mage looked at him with a raised brow, but replied warmly, “Never better.”
As she walked back to her tower Varric couldn’t help but smile as well. Zara’s path was a lonely one, but maybe—just maybe—it wouldn’t hurt that she had a hand to hold along the way.