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“Will you promise to be quiet?”
Fenor pouts at his sister, but she knows he is too kind to really be harsh with her, so she giggles and nods, taking his hand. He smiles, then looks back at their main objective.
They are hiding near the door that leads to the garden, in the large, cozy kitchen that smells like cinnamon and apples. Morning light enters from the small, squared windows and they can almost see the inviting aroma of the cake Mamae made lingering in the air.
They need to be silent and fast: Mamae is still standing with her back towards the table where the cake is, distracted by the food she is preparing and Papae, but both parents are still near enough to hear strange noises.
“They are doing the cuddle thing again.” Ashera whispers with a grin, the ribbons of her braids loose. Her head looks like a brown bush and there is a streak of dirt on her cheek, caused by an entire day spent playing outside.
“They will continue for a while.” Fenor smiles, then he reminds her: “Walk on your tip-toes and don’t laugh!” He squeezes her hand and then they move.
Their bare feet make so sound on the warm earthenware tiles; they keep out of Papae’s field of vision - not like he would see them anyway, focused as he is on Mamae’s face - and make sure to crouch to be even more silent.
Fenor points to the cake they can see from the ground: it’s big and tall, with many decorations and strawberries on it, so they will need to be extra careful. He can reaches it without problems, but he will need help to carry it outside the kitchen without making anything fall.
“I will take it.” he mouths and has to repeat himself many times until Ashera finally understands. “Keep. an. eye. on. them!”
She nods and crawls under the table, hidden by the long tablecloth, ready to warn him in case their parents turn around. They are still lost into each other, though, Papae’s arms wrapped around Mamae’s waist, his mouth pressed on her temple.
He whispers something in her ear and she laughs, the sound joyful and timid, the kind of laughter she makes when Papae compliments her or tells her those romantic things that Ashera still doesn’t understand well.
In the meantime, Fenor is slowly dragging the dish with the cake across the table, tongue between teeth, fingers slightly shaking for the effort of trying to be so quiet and careful.
Mamae giggles again and Papae grins as he whispers something else in her ear; they don’t turn around, though, so Ashera doesn’t give the signal and her brother keeps pulling the cake across the table.
It’s made of fresh cream, with wolves made of chocolate and strawberries cut to resemble flowers: it’s their favorite and the kids are already savoring its rich taste. They can’t wait until dinner for something as good as that!
They will make sure to leave some for their parents, though. They know how much they love sweet food too.
Fenor successfully takes the cake all the way to the end of the table, but it’s heavy and he gently kicks Ashera’s feet to let her know he’s finished. She crawls away from her hiding spot and helps him carry the porcelain dish, a gift from Aunt Vivienne which Mamae uses only with her best food.
“Vhenan.” Papae suddenly says and the kids freeze on the spot. They crouch on the ground, careful not to let the decorations fall, and wait impatiently for him to continue.
“I think I heard something.”
Ashera’s eyes widen in surprise. Fenor bites his lips and stays perfectly still.
Mamae giggles and replies: “I think I heard it too, but what could it be? The children are playing in the garden.”
“Are they?” Papae’s tone is softer, sultrier now. Sultry, that’s the right word. Fenor read it once in one of Uncle Varric’s books and told Ashera what it meant.
The loud sound of a kiss, then Mamae’s patient and amused voice: “Solas, we need to prepare dinner.”
“There is still time.” he mumbles and by the sound of it he is peppering her face and neck with quick, light kisses. “The sun is not down yet.”
Mamae giggles again and forgets about the hearth cakes dough they are making to focus on Papae instead. She kisses him and he murmurs something that makes both of them laugh.
Ashera cackles too - and Fenor blanches - before springing up from behind the table. The cake almost falls on the ground, but her brother is able to hold the plate - even if barely -, avoiding a disaster.
“You are doing the cuddle, mushy thing again!” the little girl laughs pointing at their parents. However, they don’t look surprised, more like smug and playful, and she realizes she has fallen for their trap.
She always has a hard time ignoring them when they cuddle and kiss. Seeing them like that always makes her cackle in delight, with the innocent amusement children feel when adults do their lovey dovey stuff.
“Ah.” Solas smirks. “It seems we heard it right after all, vhenan.”
“Ashera!” Fenor raises on his skinny legs and pouts at her. “Help me! We gotta run!”
She squeals and gets under the plate her brother is lifting, helping him carry it to the other side of the room with her short arms raised above her head. Their legs move fast despite the weight and they are out of the kitchen in one second, cheering and laughing in the distance, raising high their prize to the sky.
Solas and Scarlet chuckle, still holding each other, then she grows worried.
“Children!” she calls with motherly concern, looking at them through the open window near the door. “Don’t eat it all or you will get a stomachache!”
“Yes, Mamae!”
“Why do I have the bad impression they will devour it?” she sighs with a lopsided smile. “I fear we won’t see much of it, vhenan - ah!”
Solas has bitten her earlobe and is now sucking the tender skin of her neck.
“Solas!” Scarlet whispers, tugging at his sweater in alarm. “They can see us!”
“They are hidden in some safe spot far from our eyes, ma sa’lath.” he grins, wrapping tighter his arm around her waist. “Dinner can wait a little more. Besides, the children are busy with the prey they so valiantly caught.”
He wipes away some flour off her face with his free hand and she smiles at him, cheeks red like during their first time together.
She looks back at the window for a moment - Fenor and Ashera are nowhere to be seen now, although their voices can still be heard. So she beams at Solas and kisses him eagerly, laughing as she feels the vibrations of his chuckle against her mouth.
“We should make sure they won’t finish it all in one day.” he says as she brushes her thumb against his cheekbone. There was a bit of flour there too and his hand still on her cheek smells like the dried fruit they cut for the hearth cakes.
“Shall we go hunt for them then?” she grins and together they leave the warm kitchen to step into the vast garden where apple trees and berries grow abundantly.
There are many hiding spots in a place like this, tiny nooks and shadowy corners for the children to see but not be seen; they know it perfectly by now, their personal playground where animals and plants became their friends.
But Solas and Scarlet know it quite well too and their great experience and past life allow them to pinpoint exactly where the kids are.
Following the sound of their voices is not that hard anyway. They are squealing and laughing in sheer triumph - and sometimes gasping in surprise, most likely when one of the chocolate wolves threatens to fall.
Scarlet and Solas head to the big chestnut that offer a relaxing, large shade; Fenor is trying to convince his sister that they cannot eat half of the cake now and that they need to cut it with something, otherwise it will be ruined.
Ashera replies that they already ate the cream on top and took one piece, making the chocolate inside trickle out, so it’s already ruined and they might as well keep eating it so it won’t get worse.
“We will leave the biggest pieces for Mamae and Papae!” she says, then in a somber tone: “Do we have to use our hands again to cut it, brother?”
“We should have used magic.” Fenor mumbles thoughtfully.
“We can’t use fire with the cake! It’ll burn!”
“An ice spell then! We could use ice to cut it!”
“My poor cake…” Scarlet whimpers and Solas does his best to stifle his snort. She hears it the same and pokes his side, making his burst into a full laughter.
Behind the bushes, a startled silence falls.
Solas clears his throat and, as Scarlet squeezes affectionately his hand, he says: “Children, perhaps it is best if you come out of there.”
Fenor and Ashera’s flushed faces appear from behind the leaves and flowers, a pout on their chocolate-dirty lips.
“Dinner can’t possibly be ready.” the older brother says matter-of-factly, his red hair sticky with frosting.
“It’s not.” Scarlet confirms with an amused smile, which turns into a fit of giggles. “Oh children, those faces are going to need a lot of water!”
Ashera grins and sticks out her tongue while Fenor looks at the cake behind them and mumbles sheepishly: “We tried to eat the cake, but we didn’t want to ruin it, but I think we did it the same and now it’s messy and chocolate is everywhere and we don’t know how to cut it and…”
“It is alright, da’vhenan.” Solas smiles and Scarlet takes out a round knife for dessert from the pocket of her apron. “We will take care of it.”
She gives the knife to Solas, who goes behind the bushes to retrieve the cake and cut it in precise, neat pieces. She cleans the children’s face with a handkerchief as best as she can, squeezing their noses and pinching their cheeks as she gently rubs away the chocolate and cream, making them laugh.
Once she is done, there are nine, beautiful slices on the plate: the chocolate doesn’t leak out anymore and the wolves and strawberries are safe. There are traces of greedy fingerprints here and there, but they are mostly covered by the cream and frosting now.
“Ooooh!” Ashera squeals, clapping her hands and bouncing. “Can we eat it now? Can we?”
“Will you eat dinner later?” Solas asks with a serious face that hides well his amusement.
“Papae and I were preparing hearth cakes.” Scarlet adds with a knowing smile. “Those are your favorites too, are they not?”
“We will eat them all!” Fenor promises solemnly and his sister nods the same way, before turning to Scarlet and tugging at her dress with big, adorable eyes.
“Can we, can we?”
She exchanges a look with Solas, then they both laugh and nod, finding the best position on the soft grass to eat their own slice.
“Looks like we will eat only cakes today.” she jokes, dimples on her cheeks, resting against her husband as they give the biggest parts with the chocolate wolves to Fenor and Ashera.
“Well,” Solas chuckles, munching his piece of cake happily and kissing her hair, “this is not a bad way to start dinner.”
“It’s not.” Scarlet agrees, looking at their children and then at him with a fond smile. There is already cream on a corner of his mouth and she giggles, leaning it to lick it away.
They spend a long time in the garden and when the sun sets and fireflies appear, they decide to have dinner there.
Solas summons orbs of golden light which warmly illuminate the garden, giving it a serene vibe, and then the whole family briefly go back into the house to finish preparing the hearth cakes.
The children are excited and happy, enjoying the novelty of eating outside in such a romantic way, and as they chew their favorite hearth cakes - they made three different types, so many they will have to share them with their friends tomorrow -, they ask for a story like they do every evening, when they eat at the big oak table in the house, surrounded by the frescoed walls Papae painted and the colored pillows and curtains Mamae sewed.
Solas and Scarlet begin, telling them about one important mission during the time of the Inquisition, describing in great detail Uncle Varric and Uncle Cole’s faces when they saw the High Dragon roar in the sandy distance of the Western Approach.
And when the children are sated with food and stories and their eyelids get heavy, they pick them up - Scarlet does it without difficulty despite her missing limb, now quite expert after years of motherhood - and carry them to their beds.
They wrap them in good dreams and warm blankets, tucking their favorite plush and doll into their arms. Then they go to their own room and there, among the orbs of light that timidly followed them, they make love, sharing chocolate-flavored kisses and tender caresses.