so bring me the dawn

[magnus]

I wanna give you wild love, the kind that never slows down
I wanna take you high up let our hearts be the only sound

There is a relief when the plague ends.

He can feel it bloom in his chest; he can feel the splintering of it. It’s a relief to know that it is finally over. That they have reached the end of it. There had been fear that had struck him at the end—fear that he had failed when the sickness had taken root in him, and in Isle, and in the rest of Tephrans. 

He had burned even hotter with his fever.

It had, for a moment, reminded him of what it felt like to die.

But it was short-lived and the fever had fled from him almost as quickly as it had taken root. And with it, he had felt the rest of the plague curl away from Tephra and all of Beqanna. 

And with it, he had known his duty had ended.

He had kissed Isle with even more fervor that night, a boyish joy flooding in him. He loved this land, and loved these people who called it home, but he was tired. He had taken the crown to help steer Tephra through the madness of the plague—to ensure her stability and security and he had seen it to the end.

But it is time to take the crown off.

It is time to retire.

It feels like fate when his niece comes to his border the next morning with fire in her veins and the volcano glowing from her eyes. It feels like fate, even when he rushes toward her in relief—after all of the fear that has spread through him since Chaol’s visit. It feels like fate even when she does not return his embrace as she once would have. Instead she shows him the magic that has since taken root in her; instead she tells him of how she was held captive in Loess’ prisons. How many healers had been. 

And then it feels like rage. 

Perhaps she senses in him that immediate need to take action and she quiets him. She turns her pupiless, glowing eyes to the border and something like a shadow of a smile crosses her lovely features. Something like justice in the set of her jaw. She burns like a shooting star. Like a vengeful angel. 

Relief mingles with understanding, and there’s only one thing to do.

“Long live the Queen,” he says with a wry smile, knowing he would stay to help however she needed.

Not that this new Leliana seemed to need much of anything.

I wanna go where the lights burn low and you're only mine

anyone who wants to can reply. <3 this was mostly just so it was IC and not in my head.