103. “I’m so proud of you” kiss for Varric/Marigold.
<3 Thank you for the prompt! This takes place about a year into their relationship, I’d say. It involves the fact that Marigold is good with numbers, which may come into play during a sequel some day.
“Where are you taking me?” Marigold asked of Varric again,still blindfolded. The first time she’d asked, after Varric said he had asurprise and insisted she cover her eyes, she had giggled. But it’s been awhile, now, walking without talking and feeling like she was going to walk intoa wall any second, despite Varric’s careful guiding hands in hers. It wasgrowing bothersome.
“Almost there, Sweetheart” he said, voice apologetic. “Ishould have waited until—there’re some steps here, careful now…”
She felt the distinct feeling of passing from outdoors intoa building, and the light piercing the fabric over her eyes was not as bright.For a brief moment she wondered if Varric had dragged her to the chapel, nolonger willing to wait to be married… But no, she would have heard chanting onthe way in, and she couldn’t smell any incense. Instead she smelled wax, freshcut wood, new parchment and ink.
He whisked off her blindfold. She blinked, completelydisoriented. They were still in Kirkwall, of course, the walk hadn’t truly beenthat long… But she couldn’t think of a place that looked like this. There weren’tmany windows, and the carpets were plain, and the furniture was all of simply,sturdy make. Heavy, too—primarily tables, chairs, and shelves, so many shelves…And then were covered in books!
She spun around, taking them all in, still trying to piecetogether where she was. A library, obviously, but the dozen or so nobles whosenames flashed through her mind were all quickly ruled out; she already knewwhat their home looked like, or that they did not have the funds, or detestedliterature, or a dozen other reasons.
She turned to Varric. “So… What do you think?” he asked. Hewas smiling hopefully, waiting for her to figure it out on her own.
A slow smile overtook her at his playfulness, but she shookher head, still not sure what he wanted her to find here. But he was waitingexpectantly for her to ask, now, and she was feeling a bit stubborn today. Headtwisting as she went, looking for some hint she wasn’t understanding, she madeher way right out the door she thought they’d entered from. Varric called andchased after her.
She felt another wave of disorientation when she saw theother building on this street—she knew this street, right between Hightown andLowtown; there was no estate here! She spun, as read the sign above the door towhat should have been a warehouse.
Her jaw was still dropped when Varric caught up to her. “It’s a library. A public library,” she told him dumbly.
“What—how? There’s no way the council would agree to this!”
“It took some doing, I admit.”
She tried at him, but couldn’t tear her eyes away. “How?”she asked again.
“Well, you helped a great deal, with the location and thefunding.”
“This is the location I picked for the Inqui—for Keria’s ‘meetings’.”
“A large place with lots of traffic, away from Carta and Guildand Chantry territory, easily accessible by rich and poor alike,” he said witha nod.
“Remember months ago, when I asked for your help fundingKeria’s ‘special project’”
“Aw! I thought I was helping!”
“You were helping,Sweetheart. Your town, not Keria—Trouble steals enough of your time from me.”Varric put his arm around Marigolds shoulders. “You’re right, it was nearlyimpossible to get the Council to agree. Until you magiced the funds out of thinair.”
She finally looked at him. “It’s not magic, I’ve shown youhow the interest rates—”
He chuckled. “I know, I know. And yet, it still looks likemagic to me. That money helped build this—that, and lots of book donations.”
“But you said it could never work, with the thieves, and lowliteracy…”
He nodded. “What little funding the Council would spare forthis is going towards staff-slash-security. Also, for the time being, the booksare not allowed to leave the premises. But we’ve got some volunteers to try andorganize some reading and writing classes, so that more of the population canactually use them. To be honest, we’re relying pretty heavily on you beingright that after it becomes a steady fixture and books aren’t so rare, theinterest in robbing the place blind with diminish somewhat.”
She shook her head, partially at the pressure that put onher, and partially because it still seemed unreal. “A library, right here inKirkwall… I can’t believe you managed to hide this from me for so long! Why didyou hide it from me? I would have loved to help! Help more, I mean.”
“I know, and I wanted to talk to you about it, it waskilling me… But it’s not done yet, there’s still time for your to make itbetter. It’s scheduled to open in about a month’s time…”
“Varric…” Marigoldlet just a hint of her ‘you better tell me the truth right now’ voice she’ddeveloped during this relationship to edge into her tone.
He sighed, and looked far shyer than she’d seen him in along time—was that a blush? “I just wanted to surprise you—do you like it?”
“Oh, Varric, I love it!” she assured him, wrapping her armsaround his thick torso. “You know I do… I’m just so surprised! This is amazing!”
“Well now, of course not!” She cupped his face and pressed abig, slow kiss into his cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Varric. I’m losing countof all the times you’ve done something impossible.”
He turned to kiss her properly. She knew it was because hewas uncomfortable with her praise, but she didn’t press; she’d spend the restof her life trying to get him to see himself how she did.
“You helped,” he reminded her, and she ignored thedeflection, turning back to the sign atop the building.
“’Marian Hawke Memorial Public Library’,” she read. Then,after a moment, added with dismay, “Oh, she would hate that.”
Varric laughed. “Yeah, she would. It’s perfect.”
