@serphena I am terribly sorry, but this handsome lad happened to walk by and I asked him to pose for me. He was in a hurry, so I had only 15 minutes. I hope I managed to capture his gorgeous smile at least!
A little ficlet for @serphena , featuring her Inquisitor Theo Lavellan and his super adorable daughter Kiara.
In which Theo has to explain to his three year old daughter what that thing on his hand is and what that has to do with the green clouds in the sky.
As the tenure of this day approached its end, the swirling clouds dyed in a blazing red slowly crumbled. Its shimmering glow embraced the soil of the earth, a perfect scenery of a setting summer‘s day.
And what a day it was. Each and every hour the newly crowned Inquisitor could spend with his daughter was a blessing upon his weary, duty-struck heart.
A little solace, a little peace in the eye of thrashing storms.
They were taking a stroll in Skyhold’s garden, vibrant flowers thriving under the right amount of sunshine. Their hues and smells allured to stay, partake in the beauty its existence offered.
Theo would lie if he said that the image nature provided wasn’t a source of comfort. It reminded him of home, even.
But there was no more time to dwell on the past; What mattered the most was the little girl walking beside him, hand in hand. Theo had to slightly bend his posture in order to accommodate the size difference between him and Kiara.
Tilting his head to look at her, he couldn’t help the fond smile that emerged from his face when he noticed her staring amazed at the field of flowers and herbs.
"Look, papa!“, she pointed at it with her free hand, while squeezing her father’s hand with the other, "these flowers are pretty!“
Her earnest and gentle tone of voice tug at his heartstrings. Theo swore that charming daughter of his would be his undoing one day.
"Yes, they’re beautiful.“, he remarked in an almost remiscient, whimsical tone.
Kiara bounced in excitement, hair falling into her face.
"Can I pick one for you?“, she babbled sweetly, tugging Theo’s hand closer to her and in the flowers‘ direction.
A blessing. She was an absolute blessing. And he could never, ever say no to those warm, crystal blue puppy eyes.
"Of course you can, emm’asha.“
Kiara squealed in delight, let go of her father’s hand and swayed her arms energetically back and forth.
Then she turned around and began her hunt in the vast field of flowers. Her objective: Finding the perfect flower for papa.
Watching her carefully ogle and circle around various types of flowers, Theo sighed lighthearted, a rumbling chuckle purring in his chest.
Red, orange, yellow, blue, purple… A basket worth of colors and shapes.
At ease at the happy sight of his little girl, he slumped into the wooden bench not too far off the flower patches.
Laying his right elbow on the armrest, Theo’s shoulders sunk in relaxation. A light summer breeze tousled his strands of blonde hair and the enveloping serenity invited him to take a look at the sun-kissed sky.
In the far corners of the horizon, there it lingered; The Breach. Taunting him, mocking him. Daring him to rush into it headfirst and end this chaos once and for all. Its green vortex seemed to bite and chew more and more of the shattered sky and spewing out rifts anywhere it could fire.
It was almost hypnotizing to watch it move and turn. Almost like a clock, like a stern reminder: You only have so much time left…..
Suddenly the giant hole in the sky lit up in an even brighter, starker hue. Just a millisecond, but enough to make Theo jump in his seat.
".. Papa?“
Kiara’s voice rang out, uncertain and quavering. Immediately it brought the inquisitor back to his senses.
His daughter held a small entourage of flowery friends; all yellow and orange in color. Her questioning frown was alarming and swiftly Theo bend over to pick her up, seating her on his lap, while firmly, but tenderly wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.
"Everything‘s alright, Kiara“, he soothed.
But she didn’t seem placated, no. In fact, she drew back of his touch and let out a small whimper.
Quickly Theo saw the root of the problem: His hand, the anchor, had lit up as a counter-reaction to the breach and the emerging light flickered like a hungering candle‘s flame.
Kiara’s frightful hushes grew louder and she desperately buried her face in her father’s stomach in hopes that dangerous thing would go away.
Anxiety began to plant its seeds in Theo’s heart and in an effort to crush them before they eventually would grow into vines, he rubbed circles on the little girl’s back and gently kissed her forehead.
"It’s okay. It’s okay.“
Softly rocking her back and forth, he cradled her in a comforting embrace full of warmth and comfort.
As he wouldn’t be able to ease Kiara’s fears without explaining to her what that funny little thing on his hand did, he carefully eased her tight grip on him and moved her accordingly more into the center of his lap.
"It won’t harm you. It only glows spookily, see?“
Hesitantly tilting her head to look at the shining enigma before her, the elven girl widened her eyes as she examined the mark on his hand closer.
Theo slowly turned his left hand around its own axis so that she could take in all there was to see about this mark from Elgar’nan knows where.
While still wary of it, Kiara now approached it with more curiosity than fear in her eyes. Perhaps even wonder and fascination about its emerald spark.
"What is it, papa?“
"You know that big green cloud in the sky?“
Kiara bopped her head up and down in affirmation.
"That big green cloud creates other little green clouds all over the place. And this thing on my hand here can make them go away.“
She briefly looked to the side as if she pondered something, then raised her head to look at her father, puzzled.
"But why do they have to go away? Are they scary, papa?“
For a quick moment Theo wondered how he should phrase that demons were threatening the everyday lives of all people in Thedas, how he could convey a concept as bizarre as the fade to a three year old girl who shouldn’t even have to think about such things in the first place.
But he didn’t want to lie to her either. He’d swore he would never lie to his daughter, not if it could be prevented.
"Sometimes, monsters come out of these clouds. And these are scary, but you know what?“
At the mention of monsters, her shoulders began to tense, but her curiosity got the better of her; So she made a small questioning noise while listening to him intently.
"Papa will drive them all away with his magical hands!“, he sing-sang dramatically as he raised his hands and shook them as if he was casting spells like a mage.
A light and hearty laugh followed. Kiara was at ease again.
She looked so cute at that moment, Theo couldn’t help himself but to boop her on the nose. A squirm and high-pitched squeal followed, before dissolving into bubbly giggles again.
"So don’t you worry, da’vhenan.
As long as papa’s here, nobody needs to fear.“
The vibrant setting sun cast his daughter in a lively and warm light and like a beacon in the dark, her smile could save entire galaxies. If the world ended tomorrow, it wouldn’t matter as long as he preserved that image of her happiness. For her, he shall build the future she deserves.
Suddenly the little girl gasped, as if she had just remembered something previously deemed unforgettable.
"You’re a hero, papa!“, Kiana exclaimed with all the enthusiasm she could muster, springing her father into a tight hug.
Like in all those picturesque story books, a hero. The knight in shining armor, the one to save the day.
He was her hero.
And as she flung her arms around his abdomen and muzzled up to his chest, once again Theo wondered what he had done to deserve this beaming ray of sunshine.
Not all that glitters is gold.
So what? He will make it gold for her.
I know the last third is a bit different in writing style, but my poetic waxing doesn't really fit in dialogues. So sorry if the style change throws you a bit of. :'D
Nonetheless, I'm pretty proud of this one. Certainly needed the practise, too.
It was a lot of fun! And thank you Em for letting me borrow your characters, I hope their characterisation is OK, despite me not knowing that much about them.
