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Soulmates. It was a term many knew of in Thedas, but not many had experienced. The idea of one being destined to another. Marked by a red thread which ties soulmates together on their skin and matches their destined to be. This red thread was only visible to the couple, and only glowed bright red once the two had made some skinship. Due to how rare this phenomenon was, many even believed it to simply be a rumor, a myth that was passed around by hags that no one would take seriously. It was near impossible for soulmates to find one another with the lack of consistent travel between countries and the steady threat of darkspawn and other mythical creatures and wars. Only the most sensitive soul continues to believe one day, they will find someone with the matching markings as them. One such as Moira.
Spending most of their time with the dead and wisps, it was no wonder someone like Moira would still believe in such fate. All their friends insisted on it being an old wives’ tale, not believing in tales as strongly as the elf in question. None of them had met someone who had actually found their soulmate before. A new rumor had started spreading around in the last few years that it was more likely to be a mark born from magic.
The Grand Necropolis was as busy as usual, with many students and professors clattering around in the mausoleum working, teaching and learning with death surrounding them. Everything was proceeding as usual, not a single detail out of place. However, a lot would change for the young elf with a simple interaction. Moira was taking a break in the open air garden enjoying the scenery. Some might have called it a gloomy atmosphere, since it was a garden full of gravestones and wisps floating around, but for Moira, it was dazzling. The soft glow of the spirits around made the scenery breathtaking and the smell of a variety of flowers wafting in the air from each breeze made it an ideal place to relax. They briefly closed their eyes to take in the moment resting their head against the tree trunk that they nestled themselves under. It was then the elf felt a slight nudge against their arm. Moira looked up, coming face to face with an unfamiliar skeleton. The skeleton did not seem like any Moira had met before. It was wearing a pair of goggles with green crystals imbued in them and it even looked like it had an attire with its gloves and necktie and many different bags. Not often did the dead approach or speak with them without their initiation.
The skeleton suddenly hissed, catching Moira off guard and bringing them back to reality. With this they realized what the skeleton was really trying to do. A single rose was in its hand, and it was clear that the skeleton wanted the elf to take it. “Um… thank you?” Moira mumbled to the skeleton as they retrieved the flower from the gentle skeleton. “I never expected my soulmate to be the undead.” they said with an awkward chuckle.
Moira started calling it “Friend” as the skeleton in question did not seem to be able to speak their language, hence not able to give Moira its name. Even though it was clear he could understand everything the elf told him. Their friendship had born from a simple rose and grew into something more as they spent each day together at the garden. Moira would talk about her interests, her hobbies, and even her fears to the skeleton with an open heart, feeling relaxed and refreshed around it. Friend always gave them a hiss of acknowledgement and it always felt encouraging coming from him. After a month of their casual hangouts, the time they spent together grew longer and longer, eventually alerting the guardian of the skeleton of his hours of disappearance. That day Moira was once again sitting under a tree, with Friend sitting right beside her as she was discussing a book they had laying in her lap. And that’s when Moira looked their eyes onto the most attractive gentleman they had ever seen.
The man had graying hair, an indicator of his further down the line age. He was dressed to the nines, looking exquisite as they can be. Moira had a sneaking suspicion that they saw this man around in the Necropolis, but they definitely would have remembered if they spoke before. The man’s eyes dripped with gentleness and obvious surprise, either from seeing the skeleton for the first time or that someone was actually speaking to the said skeleton.
“So that’s where you’ve been hiding all these times.” The man said with a soothing tone. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been running off to, Manfred.” Manfred.. that must have been the real name of her newly acquired friend. Learning his name did solidify their friendship for Moira, making them feel closer in the end. “Well, where are my manners? My name is Emmrich Volkarin. Who might you be, dear?” The man proceeded with a slight bow showing his incredible manners. “Thank you for keeping my Manfred company all this time.”
“I’m Moira Ingellmar. But you can call me Rook.” The elf attempted to get up from their resting place to get into a better position to speak with the other. Noticing this, Emmrich put out his hand to help Moira stand. This ended up flustering the younger one, a blush creeping over her cheeks and ears as she took his hand. That’s when it happened. The moment their hands touched, Moira felt a warmth around her body, her eyes that were locked on Emmrich noticed his eyes shot down to stare at her chest, prompting her to do the same. On her chest, plain for everyone to see, was the red string of fate. It was glowing brilliantly with twists and turns on her skin. The fateful meeting they had been waiting for all this time was finally here. Moira’s eyes widened, she was just about to speak up when just as quickly as it happened, it all ended. Emmrich immediately let go of her hand, once Moira was comfortably standing. “I must be heading out with Manfred right away. We have many preparations to continue for his training.” he said in a rush while bowing lightly to avoid eye contact. “Wait!” Rook yelled behind him with her hand stretched out to grab the other once again. However, she was too late. Having said his final words, the man rushed away in a hurry.
The next few days for Rook went in a blur. They spent every day looking for Emmrich and Manfred. The first day was the easy one, where Manfred had visited as usual. Moira used this to convince Manfred to show her where Emmrich is. The faithful skeleton happily obliged, bringing Moira to the classroom Emmrich had been teaching. Moira had said at one of the desks, eagerly listening to what the older gentleman had to say. As much as Moira had other things in mind, like the giddy excitement from finally finding her soulmate, and wondering how their relationship would blossom, Emmrich was a very good and captivating teacher. Every word muttered by the man was seeping into her core. Just before the session ended, Emmrich caught eyes with Rook, and they could see the faint blush form on Emmrih’s cheeks. In a rush, Emmrich ended his classroom and zipped away before Moira could stop him.
It seemed that after the classroom incident, Emmrich was doing his best to keep Manfred from meeting Moira, in case he brought her back to Emmrich once again. Moira didn’t understand why Emmrich was avoiding contact with her so adamantly. Did he not know about the Soulmate legend? Was he afraid of the glow he had seen? Or had he not felt the same effect from the mark as they had? Moira wished he’d at least give them a chance. Sure, the elf hadn't been in a relationship before, with their strong feelings towards finding their soulmate instead, but there’s no way they were being unreasonable wanting to speak! Moira was determined to make their third meeting productive.
The time had come. Moira had pinpointed where Emmrich will be next, and planned their meetup to be uninterrupted with no ways of fleeing. Memorizing Emmrich’s schedule and learning more about him from Emmrich’s students and colleagues had helped immensely. Fortunately nobody had found this suspicious enough to alert Emmrich, since both Moira and Emmrich were sweethearts, nobody assumed the worst from these interrogations. The more Moira learned about their soulmate, the more interested and obsessed they became. Emmrich was a Mournwatch member just like them, which did surprise Moira that they had never conversed before. However, the order was rather large. Emmrich was a very serious man when it came to his duties as a Watcher, with all of his colleagues complementing him immensely. He has a gentle and friendly soul, similar to his companion, Manfred, which confused Moira when she heard since Emmrich was doing a great job at rudely avoiding her!
A loud slap echoed within the empty classroom. It was a lot louder and intense than Moira had intended and the whole situation had turned more awkward than she was hoping for. Rewinding to how this had all gone down.. Moira initiated their plan by waiting just long enough for everyone in the classroom to scatter out. They had discussed this ahead of the time with the students. They will leave as soon as possible, so Moira could have a private discussion with Emmrich. Thankfully the elf’s love struck behavior was very adorable to the others that they had eagerly agreed to assist them. While people were leaving in a hurry, Moira slipped into the room, and waited till every last person was out to lock the door quietly. The elf turned around swiftly, locking their eyes on their prey. Emmrich had not noticed what was going on with his own classroom yet as he was still by the chalk board contemplating his session. Moving quickly like a raven, Moira made their way to Emmrich. The steps finally caught Emmrich’s attention but it was too late. Moira was there and there was no way to avoid them.
Moira slammed their hands against the wall on each side of the taller man, closing him between their arms. She had heard of this position, kabedon is what they called the action in her books. They always made it seem sensational, and the elf wanted to do their best to flirt with the older man, showing him their intentions. However, to an outsider, this looked rather embarrassing and awkward as Moira was much shorter than Emmrich. Their hands rested right around Emmrich’s chest, so instead of making it seem like Emmrich had no way of escaping, it looked like the shorter elf was trying to give him a hug, albeit in a very awkward fashion. “Pay attention to me.” she muttered quietly with a pout, hoping that this would be enough to keep him sticking around for an actual discussion. After the initial clattering, silence had taken over. Emmrich was too stunned to utter a single word. A blush had started forming from his neck all the way to his face by the sudden action, resembling a bright red tomato.
“L-Let’s calm down for a moment.” he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself and take control of the situation. The taller man wanted to nudge the smaller elf to get some personal space back and be in a reasonable distance while having this conversation, however, he was too nervous about what might happen with the mark again. He did not want to acknowledge the existence of their bond. It had been a long time since Emmrich had another living person to care for, as an orphan for quite some time and the idea of finding a soulmate and jumping into a full relationship terrified him. Emmrich cleared his throat while making sure to look at anything but the smaller elf standing right in front of him. “Can you perhaps.. Give me some space so we can discuss what you need?” Feeling that he will not be running away any time soon, Moira quickly obeyed the simple request, taking a single step back and crossing her arms under her chest.
“I guess that was too much seduction even for you.” Moira said in a smug manner, incredibly proud of themselves for getting this far. “I just wanted to talk to you about the mark.. You know what it means right?” she tilted her head in a curious fashion, hoping for a positive sign from the man. “Yes.. I have heard of rumors regarding this mark that appeared on your body. However, I’m unsure what more you need to discuss on this?” It was clear that Emmrich was trying to avoid the topic or act as if it had nothing to do with him. Moira was unsure how to feel about the reaction she received. They were hoping for more of a joyful reunion reaction for finding one’s soulmate, however, Emmrich seemed almost heartbroken. A sudden worry appeared in the back of Moira’s mind, was it just a reaction from her side? Did he not have the matching red string of fate?
“Did you.. not have the same reaction as I did?” she mumbled, barely audible to the man in front of him. Emmrich did not respond, simply looked away. Now, both wore a somber expression. With this they confirmed, Emmrich was Moira’s soulmate, but not vice versa. There was no reason for Emmrich to continue spending time with Moira.. After a moment of silence, Moira finally spoke up with slight hope dripping in her words. “At the very least, could we spend more time together as friends?” Hearing the gentle elf’s stuttering voice and seeing Moira’s endearing, soulful gaze looking up at him in hope, sent a sudden pang to his heart. “Of course.”
Since their heartfelt discussion, Moira and Emmrich have been spending a lot of time with each other, alongside Manfred which both adored dearly. They would spend their times at the garden, just discussing many things about the Mourn Watch, lessons and sessions regarding the dead, undead and spirits. Sometimes Moira would help Emmrich with teaching many things to Manfred about being a person. Moira kept awkwardly flirting with Emmrich nonstop, though she did not expect anything out of it, even getting surprised by Emmrich’s bashful reaction. She did appreciate the positive reactions she got out of Emmrich, which always brought her hopes up that maybe he would change his mind and still would like to date Moira. The more they spent time together, the more Moira fell for the older man. She knew from the bottom of her heart that Emmrich was truly their soulmate. The only shame was that they were not Emmrich’s..
At the same time, Emmrich was falling just as quickly. He did not expect to feel so strongly and get tangled in such a strong connection with another again. He was slowly regretting hiding the truth about his mark, as it was going to be much more difficult to bring up the fact that they were indeed soulmates of one another. Emmrich always made sure to not touch the other, in case she noticed the matching mark that he bore. No matter what excuse he comes up with, a lie was a lie. Would Moira ever look at him the same way again after such a despicable manner? The longer he waits, the harder it will be to pull the bandaid.
And eventually It was time for Manfred’s intervention. Manfred had learned a lot between Moira and Emmrich, as he turned into more and more of a person. He understood how people felt and how they reacted and even started learning some words so it wasn’t all hissing! It was a miracle that Manfred came up with this idea all by himself.
That night was perfect for Manfred’s plan. It was a full moon in the middle of the summer. Even though it was later in the night, the place was lit up brightly and it was cozily warm, Manfred had urged the two to the garden, not knowing what this new and unexpected behavior was about, they followed without making much of a fuss. That’s when the two found a table sitting in the dark, illuminated with a couple of candles. There were an assortment of finger foods and an intricate looking tea pot settled on the table. “Manfred, you prepared all of this?” Emmrich blurted, surprised by how thoughtful of a plan he had come up with. “Our son is all grown up.” Moira added, with a teasing hint of a sniffle.
Settling down at the table to Manfred’s request, the two enjoyed the abrupt setting. Moira was feeling whimsical with delight with the thought of their first date. She did hope Emmrich could also see that it was a rendezvous which was prepared by Manfred and Moira was going to make the most out of it. The night went pleasantly with their small discussions and delicious food, while Manfred played the butler. Once they were all finished with their meal, Manfred acted. While walking away from the table, he casually bumped into Emmrich’s shoulder. The sudden action had taken Emmrich off guard, moving his hand closer to Moira who had their hand resting on the table. That’s when their fingers touched for the second time.
The feeling of the red string of fate was one of a kind. A slight tingle throughout the mark that travelled all around the body. The warmth was calming and this time, visible to see on both of their hands. The mark between the couple even connected at the tip of their fingers, making it seem like an unending thread connecting one another. “So you do have it..” Moira’s voice wavered from relief and hurt. They could not stop the emotions bubbling within. The grief of being lied to over soulmates of all things.. and the feeling of genuine joy that they had found their soulmate and it was someone so amazing.
“I can explain!” Emmrich’s voice sounded rushed and nervous, desperate to rationalize his feelings and thoughts to his soulmate. “I was.. afraid. Afraid of letting someone close again..” This time, Emmrich did not look away from Rook. He wanted to make sure they understood his reasoning, both through words and through his eyes. Emmrich grabbed the elf’s hands tightly, making sure they did not let go or leave them behind. His desperation was palpable. “I was trying so hard to avoid the hurt, and it has caused us both pain. It was never my intention. I do hope one day you’ll forgive me.. and maybe then we can be with one another..”
That was the last straw. Moira clattered out of their seat, and smashed their lips against their found soulmate. It was an urgent and critical moment, however, the kiss itself was gentle and yearning. They always dreamed about this moment and even teased the other from time to time about it, but they were never certain if the couple would get this far. Emmrich eagerly reciprocated the kiss, deepening their connection. The tingling of their mark did not stop for a second, making them feel like two stars sparking in the night. They would never forget this occasion for the rest of their lives..