Rima and Cullen face an unplanned pregnancy in a world on the brink of doom. They must decide if they will risk it all for a chance at happiness.
(Takes place about 2 years post-Trespasser.)
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Rima sat on the edge of the bed, staring ahead vacantly with tears in her eyes.
How had this happened? They had been so careful…
She shoved her face into her hand and let out a regretful sigh. The healer had warned her that the potions weren’t a hundred percent reliable, that there was a small chance of failure, but she had assumed all would be well.
How foolish.
Her cycle was several weeks late at this point, and unfortunately, her visit to the clinic confirmed her suspicions.
She was with child.
What was she supposed to tell Cullen? They had yet to stop Solas and his insane plans to tear down the veil…How could they possibly raise a child knowing the world may end at any time?
Rima had no clue how her husband would react. On the one hand, she knew he was aching to be a father, but on the other, they had both agreed to wait until Solas’ plans were thwarted in order to ensure any future children of theirs would be safe.
Scout slowly padded up to her, laying his head on her lap and giving a soft whine. Absently, she petted the mabari’s head and was rewarded with a sympathetic lick.
As she sat there, wallowing in her fears, the sound of the front door unlocking broke her from her stupor. Shit…Cullen was home early.
She furiously wiped at her tears, hoping to make herself presentable.
“I’m back, love!” he called from the entryway. “And I have a surprise!”
Rima took a deep breath, doing her best to collect herself, before she rose to her feet and met him in the kitchen.
“Welcome home, vhenan,” she said quietly, a tentative smile on her face.
Cullen was facing away from her, pulling groceries from his knapsack and loading them onto the counter. “We’re in luck. The market had your favorite maple syrup in stock. Would you like to have breakfast for dinner to celebrate?”
As he turned to face her, the bright grin on his face slowly faded as he took in her appearance.
“Rima, what’s the matter?”
She clenched her fist at her side, a low sigh escaping her. “It’s nothing…really.”
Setting the bottle down, Cullen wasted no time approaching her, gently cradling her face in his hands. “Love, you look as though you’ve been crying. Please…tell me what has you so worried.”
A warbled exhale left her lips and she closed her eyes. Against her wishes, tears began to pool in her eyes once more.
Cullen instantly pulled her into an embrace, running his hand along her back. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
She clung to him tightly, shoving her face against his shirt. She cried softly, her voice muffled slightly by their close vicinity. Eventually, she pulled back enough so that he could hear her speak.
“It’s…I…I learned something at the healer’s clinic.”
He gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his touch trailing down her cheek. “Whatever it is, we can face it together. I promise.”
Rima let out a quiet sigh, her right hand reaching up to cover the back of his left one.
“Cullen…I’m pregnant.”
He froze instantly, a look of utter shock on his face.
It took a while, but eventually he began to blink in rapid succession, a surprised noise tumbling out of him.
“That’s…Maker…”
“Yeah…”
“I want to say I’m ecstatic, but…Solas…”
Rima nodded sadly, another tear trailing down her cheek. “Yeah.”
Cullen let out a low, heavy sigh. After a few moments, he spoke. “How about we…go sit down?”
Again, Rima nodded, following him silently to the couch.
They sat down beside one another and he gently took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.
“What are your thoughts on the matter?” he eventually asked, his voice soft and careful.
She chuckled solemnly. “My thoughts are that Solas is a fucking idiot. If it weren’t for him, this would be an easy choice. I want to have a family with you more than anything. But…fuck.”
Cullen remained silent, staring ahead blankly, deep in thought.
“What if we went through with it anyway?”
“Huh?”
“I mean…we’re planning to stop him no matter what, right? We both want to protect this world and everyone in it. So long as we accomplish that, perhaps it would be possible after all?”
“Aren’t you worried about failing? If we can’t find him or figure out how to stop his plans, our child would die along with everyone else. Would you really be willing to risk that?”
Cullen was quiet for a few moments before speaking.
“Perhaps it’s selfish of me, but…I don’t think our happiness should be held ransom by one foolish man.”
Slowly, her gaze panned up to look at him, her brows furrowed intensely.
“If for some reason we can’t stop him…then at least, we’ll have had a chance at happiness. We’ll have been able to live our lives the way we so choose.” He let out a small exhale. “You showed me that life can be worth living, and…at the end of the day, I think we ought to be able to choose how we live our lives without fear of what may come.”
Rima sat in silence, pondering his words. She gently ran her thumb across his fingers, her touch feather light.
Perhaps he was right. Though Solas’ desires were ultimately selfish, he had told Rima to live well while time remained. He would no doubt want her and Cullen to make the most of whatever time they had left.
She let out a half-hearted laugh. “Are we really doing this?”
“Only if you want to.” He pulled her close, planting a delicate kiss on her forehead.
“I do…By the Void, I want to…” She chanced a peek at her husband, taking in his expression of joy and uncertainty. She let out another soft chuckle before throwing her arm around him and tugging him close. “Let’s do it. Let’s have this baby.”
Tears began to form in Cullen’s eyes and he smiled from ear to ear. “Maker…I can’t believe it. We’re going to be parents…”
They both sat there, simultaneously laughing and crying, completely overwhelmed with emotion. The future was still uncertain, but Rima wasn’t afraid. Cullen would be by her side and no matter what came their way, they would protect their family.
Rima begs her Keeper to attend the Conclave, but things don't go as planned.
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“Are you sure this is what you want, da’len?”
Rima slowly let out a measured sigh before turning to face her elder. “I’m positive, Keeper. We’ve been over this several times already.”
Deshanna gave a sigh of her own. “I am well aware. But you can’t blame me for worrying…You’ve never ventured far beyond the clan, let alone across the Waking Sea. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”
Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Rima gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Banal nadas. You worry too much.”
“Won’t you at least consider taking a few hunters with you? I’d feel more comfortable knowing you could look out for each other. Harith even volunteered to come along.”
Despite her efforts, Rima could not prevent the grimace that warped its way onto her face.
“Creators, not Harith. He’d start a scene the moment a Templar so much as breathed in our general direction.” It seemed like Deshanna was going to object, but Rima quickly spoke over her. “Besides – I’ll be less likely to draw attention to myself if I go alone. A band of elves is practically asking to be attacked, but I can easily slip into a crowd.”
The Keeper gave her an exasperated look. “And what of the Templars? What will you do if you catch their interest?”
“I’m planning on avoiding that scenario,” she answered quickly.
“Da’len…” Deshanna groaned, bringing a hand to her forehead.
“Relax!” Rima insisted. “You know I can keep a low profile. And you’ve taught me enough about human culture that I’m sure I can pass for a servant.”
She put on her best puppy dog eyes, trying her best to persuade the Keeper. This was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She’d always dreamed of venturing to other parts of Thedas and had secretly been itching to see human society from up close. While she knew she had a duty to the clan as First, she didn’t want to be roaming the same forests forever.
After what seemed like an eternity, Deshanna finally gave an exasperated sigh. “Mythal preserve me…I just know I’m going to regret this…”
Rima immediately perked up, her eyes alight with excitement. “Is that a yes?”
“Just promise me one thing.”
Though she was hesitant to agree to anything just yet, she answered promptly enough, “Name it.”
“Don’t go looking for trouble. Stay in the shadows, listen to gossip, but don’t draw needless attention to yourself. If you’re going to head into the heart of the shemlen’s Chantry, I want to know you’ll be coming back to me in one piece.”
“Come on…when have I ever gotten into trouble?” At the Keeper’s raised eyebrow, Rima let out a small laugh before embracing Deshanna in a quick hug. “But really…thank you. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I just know I’m going to learn so much on this trip.”
-----
Three weeks later, she awoke in chains with swords pointed at her throat and wished she’d stayed home after all.
How had this even happened? All Rima could recall was fleeing for her life and encountering a strange woman before she lost consciousness.
The two shemlen who circled her seemed to blame her for the lives lost at the Conclave. Though her memory was beyond her grasp, Rima knew she was innocent. After all, how could one person be responsible for that much death and destruction?
She found herself grateful that Deshanna had listened to her wishes and sent her alone. If any hunters had accompanied her, they’d likely be dead just like all the others.
As they questioned her about her involvement, she kept her head held high. Frightened though she may be, she would stay strong. They wouldn’t see her falter.
The strange mark on her hand pulsed and crackled with wild green energy and against her will, she let out a cry of pain. She curled forward, gritting her teeth as her fingers clenched around her palm.
The two human women spoke with one another, and soon enough, the darker haired one – Cassandra, if she’d heard them correctly – moved to unlock Rima’s chains, though her wrists remained bound.
“What…did happen?” Rima asked tentatively.
With a sigh, Cassandra said, “It will be easier to show you.”
Setting her mouth in a thin line, Rima followed in silence as the woman led her out of the dungeon.
The bright sunlight assaulted her senses and she covered her eyes to the best of her ability. When she looked to the clouds though, she was unprepared for what she saw.
A gaping hole had ripped open the sky. It pulsed with an eerie green glow, its ominous aura encompassing everything beneath it.
All she could do was gape in disbelief.
By the Creators…how was she supposed to handle this?
She really should have stayed home.
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The first half of this has been sitting in my WIPs since 2016. I finally decided to finish it up.
I think acts of service fits her best. When Cullen is suffering from lyrium withdrawal side effects or forgets to eat because he's working too hard, she'll often do what she can to ease his pain or bring him food.
18.) Do they have any irrational fears?
I'm not sure if it counts as irrational, but her biggest fear is failure. After she lost her clan, she became especially fearful of letting people down.
I started these pieces back in 2016, wanting to compare Rima and Cullen's trauma from Therinfal and Kinloch, respectively. I didn't finish them at the time because I felt they were verging on torture porn, but looking back, I don't think I'd go that far. So I decided to clean them up a bit and post them.
