☀ @godforge asked: ‘ all time ever does is pass and all i ever do is remember . ’
She must have spoken to one of his apprentices that followed him to Haven, or perhaps there’s something about him that invites those he comes into contact with to share their troubles. Luke can’t otherwise imagine why the Herald of Andraste would seek him out for something so personal, so vulnerable. He’s just another mage among the mass gathered here to help close the Breach. And yet, he’s flattered — honored, even — that Lady Trevelyan would trust him with something like this. Looking to her, his face can’t mask the empathy and the sorrow he feels for her situation.
❝ I’m sorry to hear that, my lady. Here, come sit with me a moment? ❞ He phrases it as a question, giving her the option to back out if he’s overstepping. The enchanter doesn’t move from his spot on the dock when he offers a gloved hand to the Herald.
A small smile rises on his face when she takes his hand. Without even thinking, he helps ease her down to the open spot next to him. Blue eyes turn from her to glance at the horizon. There’s nothing save snow for miles and miles past them and the glowing threat of the Breach in the sky, but it’s… calming, almost. A reminder of the steps they’ve taken so far and must continue to go.
❝ You’re not alone in that sentiment. You’re feeling a similar grief and pain we all go through at some point in our lives… Life itself is chaotic and unpredictable. Nothing can ever prepare us for the twists and turns it brings. We’ll see and experience things that shake us to the very core. We mourn, we regret, we wish for things to be different. In the short time you’ve been involved with the Inquisition, you’ve seen so much. ❞ Not a day goes by where Luke doesn’t remember the death of his mentor, the demons that took control of Kinloch Hold, the darkspawn in Denerim that nearly destroyed the nation, the apprentices he’s had to mourn over the years. But the fact that he’s sitting here now shows that not everything was lost, that one can recover from the wreckage.
There’s something familiar about this moment, almost as if he’s back in the Circle again with an apprentice’s head on his shoulder as he guides them through their thoughts. ❝ It won’t be this way forever. The pain is temporary. The memories will remain, but so will the lessons they teach you. Sometimes, it’s the toughest lessons that forge us into who we’re meant to be. ❞