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The path up the mountain was a series of switchbacks, with some sections meandering gently through the forest. Lace had been insistent that she knew the best place for a picnic and that it "wasn't too far of a hike" from their home. Knowing better, Lilja knew that meant a full-day adventure to a place that her partner had yet to show off.
Happy to be there, Lilja smiled as she followed behind Lace. Leaves rustled together as branches swayed in the summer breeze. Birds flew across the paths, and small critters scampered through the underbrush as they walked by. With a sigh and a smile, Lilja looked up at the canopy and felt content as the rays of sunlight sneaking through warmed her face.
"We're almost there, I promise!" called Lace from ahead.
"No concern. I'm simply happy to be spending the day with you," said Lilja.
Her partner looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "And I am happy to spend a day with you to show you around the Hinterlands."
Lilja felt more genuinely content than she ever had before. With the blight mostly cleaned up across Thedas and the politics of Tevinter simmering down, the two of them were finally able to escape and enjoy the time away they had promised each other for a year. At first, Lilja had been nervous. For so long, her days had belonged to someone else's command, her routine had been dictated by being a Warden. There was a structure to follow, expectations in place, and, at one point, the whole world depended on her.
But now…
Now she woke up when she pleased or whenever Lace decided it was time to stop wasting daylight with them languidly lying in bed with each other. There was a calmness to each day with no expectation of what needed to be done. Always ready to get to work on something, though, Lilja had spent a few weeks helping Harding's village get back on its feet by clearing out the blight and rebuilding several buildings and homes, both in the village square and on farms just off the main path. Her parents had moved back to Ferelden and took up residence in an abandoned cottage just down the road from Ma Harding's. It was nice to see them every day.
Then there were days like today when both Lace and Lilja escaped the newest requests that had snuck into their schedules. They reached the peak of the path, where the land turned to rock jutting from the side of the small mountain. Lace led her over to the edge, and they both sat down, their feet dangling off as they looked out.
"There's Redcliffe," said Lace as she pointed to a castle far in the distance. "Over there is Master Dennett's horse farm. He also has a bunch of druffalo that constantly escape." She leaned across Lilja. "The village is just over that hill. You can just barely see the back corner of my Ma's farm."
"Not too far of a hike, she said," joked Lilja. "We trekked quite a ways."
"The only way we can get a moment of peace together," Lace smirked, then stole a kiss from Lilja as she sat back up. She placed her pack on the ground between them and started unloading the goodies that had been brought along.
The rest of the day was spent in joy and laughter over cured meats and cheeses, as well as ham and jam sandwiches with a recipe that Lace had perfected during their days at the Lighthouse. Lace enjoyed her favorite spiced juice from Treviso, while Lilja enjoyed her favorite mead from the Anderfels, as they told stories from the past, talked over recent events, and planned their constantly evolving future together. When the sun began to set, they casually walked back home, stopping to admire the lightning bugs in the meadows at the base of the mountain. Lilja took Lace's hand in her own and pulled her close before they moved into a slow dance, guided along by an orchestra of crickets and illuminated by tiny living lanterns fluttering around them.