A little something for @elidoo to thank them for their Ko-fi! I hope I got Luther right - I read that he was traumatized as a child when they tried to drown him to remove his magic, so I went with that idea and added a growing romance with Dorian ; v ;
Luther eyed the black, roaring sea with distaste and badly-hidden fear, his calloused hands twitching and flexing without pause, as if he wished to grab that restless, freezing mass of liquid and throw it far, far away, where his eyes couldnât see it.
âI hate this place.â he muttered. The rain and thunders covered his voice, but it didnât matter, he just wanted to vent and express the loathe he felt for the Storm Coast. Maybe it would hear him and decide to change, for once; less rain and more sunshine would be nice, but the clouds in the sky were so many and so fat with more water that he didnât keep his hopes up.
âYouâre looking as glum as this beach, Inquisitor.â said a voice just next to him. He jumped, turning with an embarrassed look to the source of it. Dorian, handsome and splendid even there, even drenched to the bones, hair stuck flat to his face.
âWe shouldnât camp here.â Luther said, glaring at the tents he and Cassandra had somehow managed to raise up. âWe canât even start a fire and this humidity is awful.â He cracked a smile, trying to joke. âBad for the bones, you know?â
âFeeling old, already?â Dorian chuckled, grimacing when a gust of wind ruffled his wet hair and his dripping robe. âMaker, youâre right. But your scouts said darkspawn was seen in the hills nearby and I donât really want to be ambushed by those funny fellows. Iâd rather camp in the middle of the ocean.â
Luther made a funny face, not really agreeing with the last statement, but he could understand Dorianâs reasoning. The Dalish clan he had grew up with had told him terrible stories about darkspawn and the ill fate that had hit one of the Fereldan clans in the south during the Fifth Blight. They had been stories to teach and educate the children, but they had also caused him to have nightmares for a few days.
âWe should head inside.â he finally said, nodding at their tent. Cassandra and Varric were already in theirs, probably already asleep after that long and tiresome day, and he needed to lie down badly as well.
Once inside, he removed the outer layers of his armour to better rest down. He tried not to glance at Dorian to avoid embarrassing him, but the Tevinter came close to him instead and welcoming warmth enveloped Luther like a woolly embrace.
For a second, he thought that was what it was: a hug, tight and tender, and his cheeks got red as a wide grin split his face in two. But then he remembered that Dorian was as wet as him and that he couldnât possibly be that warm yet; also, he couldnât feel any arms around his waist, just that wonderful warm sensation.
He quickly turned and disappointment and surprise replaced the hope and dirty thoughts in his mind: Dorian was holding a magic flame in the palm of his hand. It wasnât much large, but it danced merrily, sending harmless sparks fly all around and fill the cosy tent with that warmth that had so confused Luther.
âI have made one for Cassandra and Varric, too.â the mage explained, placing the cheerful fire between their cots. âIt should warm us pretty well during the night.â
âThank you. Thatâs a great help.â
Trying to forget about the ocean roaring just a few meters away, Luther successfully removed his wet, creaking outer layers and fell heavily on his bedroll. The flame next to it warmed his skin and hair and he already started to feel drier than before, while a pleasant drowsiness slowly invaded his limbs and head. He was more tired than he had thought.
âLong day.â he complained with a sigh as he adjusted himself on the thick bedroll. His arms ached after swinging his broad sword for the whole humid, wet day. âI canât wait to find the last Rifts seen in this area and leave for Skyhold.â
âIâve got the impression you arenât a big fan of the Storm Coast, Inquisitor.â Dorian lay down on his own cot, his wet robe draped over a rock just a few inches away from the flame. âIt is only an impression, however! I could be entirely wrong.â
âYou arenât.â Luther snorted with amusement, entwining his calloused, cut fingers on his chest, staring at the wet roof of the tent, listening to the endless rain, ignoring the merciless sea and its call. âToo much water for my tastes.â
âAh. You donât like it?â A pause, then a sniffle and Dorian grumbled: âThat would explain the smell.â
âHey!â
They both laughed, then a thoughtful, somewhat distant expression appeared on Lutherâs face. His lips twitched and he cleared his throat, his dark brown eyes still looking at the tent, but not really seeing it.
âI know things are different in Tevinter, but in the South some people, especially nobles, donât appreciate their children having magic talent.â His gaze hardened for a second, then he relaxed, exhaling slowly, quietly. âSometimes, when they are still young, some⌠methods are used to try to free them from magic. Ruthless methods that never work.â
Dorian was silent, still as a stone, but Luther knew he was listening intently, so he continued: âThey tried water with me. It wasnât a fun experience, so I guess the trauma never really went away.â He chuckled mirthlessly, scratching the stubble on his chin. âIâm mostly over it, now, though.â
âForgive me, Inquisitor.â Dorianâs voice was low, almost melancholic, like he had never heard it before. âI shouldnât have joked about it.â
âNo, itâs fine! Jokes like that are good. They remind me to keep my chin up and donât let it ruin my life. It took me a while to understand it, but the Dalish I lived with helped me, too.â
âI knew you Southerners disliked magic to maddening excesses, but these are barbarian ways.â The Tevinter scoffed and Luther turned to him, grinning when he saw him glare at the tent, his moustache all dried and ruffled. âAnd here I thought the Free Marches were moderately better than Ferelden and Orlais!â
âNah. Weâre a bunch of stubborn asses, all of us.â They laughed again and the mood in the tent suddenly got better. They were mostly dried, thanks to the flame still dancing happily between their cots, and Luther felt the strong urge to grab Dorianâs hand, lying just a few inches away.
He gathered his courage, also helped by the mirth still lingering in the small space they were sharing, and did it: Dorian jumped, but didnât move his hand away. Lutherâs grip was strong, but not overly so, and the mage could free himself whenever he wanted. But he didnât; he slowly relaxed, without uttering a word, and Luther smiled, a new kind of warmth spreading in his chest.
âThank you, Dorian.â he said. The Tevinter didnât reply, but he carefully moved his wrist so that he could hold Lutherâs hand in return. It was a gentle, chaste, shy touch, but their fingers were almost entwined and their palms were touching. Dorianâs skin was rough in some parts, not the delicate, smooth palm Luther was expecting from a nobleman from Tevinter. But again, he had travelled and fought much even before entering the Inquisition, so he had no reason to be surprised.
No more words were spoken between the two men, but they kept holding hands like that for the whole night, the flame between them burning warmer and brighter.
âŚyes x) But hear me out!! I had surgery a month and a half ago and I needed to sleep upright, but I then I got used to having so many pillows so I just kept them all⌠Right now I have three for my head, two on either side of my body, and sometimes one underneath my knees. There you have it, my very intense need for too many pillows x)
If anyone enjoys reading a good Dragon Age fic, then I highly reccomend @elidoo story, "Magnet"
I just read it again and it's still as wonderful as the first time I discovered Luther Trevelyn and his story as Inquisitor. I don't know if I can ever say enough great things about Magnet so please, go have a read.
Commission for @trashwarden by @elidoo (thank you again âĽ), Dorian Pavus and Vaxus Trevelyan from Dragon Age: Inquisition, post-Trespasser settings.
Request: âA goodbye hug between Dorian and Vax when the latter goes to hunt Solas down.â
Based on this comic.
Models made from scratch using Genesis 3 as base for both, faces sculpted in ZBrush. Dorianâs clothes and Vaxusâs hood were created in Marvelous Designer, the Inquisitorâs left arm edited in Blender.
Iâm so ecstatic I was able to keep my self-promise and help support a beautiful mission.
âFortitudo is a charity art book featuring Dorian Pavus from the video game, Dragon Age Inquisition, copyrighted by EA/Bioware.
Between now and December 24, we aim to raise over $10,000 USD, with all proceeds (minus shipping costs) split equally between the NCLR, to support their efforts to permanently end conversion therapy in the US, and the Russian LGBT Network, an interregional NGO that has been working to get gay/bi men targeted by the anti-gay purge safely out of Chechnya.â
I would share images, but you should check it out yourself @dorianartbook