Work Text:
“Mamae, tell me a story.”
Harea rubs her eyes and sighs tiredly at the little boy she’s trying to make take a nap. If he falls asleep, she can too, but so far that isn’t happening. He blinks up at her with large hazel eyes, hands clutching the blanket Merrill made for him for Satinalia. He makes the same face as his father had when he wanted something, and she’s powerless to resist either of them.
She settles next to him in their bed, laying on her side to face him. He grins at her, waiting with as much patience as a three year old can.
“What story do you want to hear, da’len?”
He thinks for a minute, then announces, “I want to hear about Papa and the dragon!”
She huffs out a laugh. She should have known. All of Duncan’s favorite stories are about Alistair doing something. It helps her to talk about him, and it helps their son understand why his father is gone.
“Okay, da’isenatha. Babae and I met a long time ago when we were hunting a dragon. It was bigger than the ships that cross the harbor, with black scales that shined in the sun, and it breathed fire and had its own army.”
Duncan rests his head against his mother’s shoulder, and she pulls the blanket up to cover both of them. Her eyes drift shut as he asks, “An army of dragons ?”
She chuckled. “Mythal’s mercy, no. An army of darkspawn. The dragon called to them, and they came out of the Deep Roads to fight for it. They spread out all over Ferelden, hurting the farmers and everyone who didn’t live in a castle.”
“And the elves too?”
“The elves too. Mamae’s clan came to Kirkwall to escape the dragon, and I followed them when I found out about you.” She pauses to tap Duncan’s nose and he smiles. “Babae and I gathered an army of humans, elves, dwarves, and mages to help us fight the dragon. We followed it to Denerim, where the castle was, and found the darkspawn army.”
Duncan’s breathing is starting to even out as he relaxes into the story, but Harea knows he isn’t asleep yet. She focuses on staying awake, trying to finish the story before she falls asleep as well.
“Your babae killed hundreds of darkspawn. He used his sword and shield like a true warrior, cutting down any enemy who stood in our way. We fought our way to the top of Fort Drakon, where the dragon was waiting for us. The elves and dwarves joined us up there. Your auntie Morrigan and our mabari Fen were there too, and we all fought the dragon.
“It roared at us and tried to bite us. It slashed at us with its claws, but your babae blocked it with his shield. Your auntie Morrigan used her magic to freeze its fire so it couldn’t burn us. We fought it for hours. I ran out of arrows and had to use my swords too.
“Finally, the dragon got too tired to keep fighting. It laid down right there on the tower roof and roared again. It was so angry that we were winning. It tried to eat your babae right up, but he was too fast for it. He ran right up to the dragon and put his sword right through its heart.”
Duncan is silent, still, a heavy weight against Harea’s shoulder, and she smiles.
“Auntie Morrigan saved his life. And even though the dragon was dead, your babae had to keep fighting the darkspawn far away. He took his sword and he took Fen to protect him, and he went away to keep us safe.”
Silence fills the room, and for a moment she thinks he’s finally fallen asleep. Just as she’s starting to drift off herself, his little voice asks, “Mamae? When will Papa be done fighting?”
Harea brushes a lock of hair away from Duncan’s face, and he tucks closer to her. “You want him to stop fighting?”
He nods against her. “I want him to come home.”
Her son’s simple words bring tears to Harea’s eyes, and she blinks them away as fast as she can. “I know, da’len. He’ll come home as soon as it’s safe.”
Duncan sighs and one thumb finds its way to his mouth. She lets him have this moment of comfort as she holds him, wishing she had an answer that would make them happy.