09-08-2019, 08:22 PM
V u l g a r i S
He enjoys their quiet walks together as she continuously bleeds her magic into their home, giving it little pieces of herself to fill its gaps after the water shattered it. Maybe that’s why he’s come to love Tephra as much as he used to love Loess. The flowers smell like her breath when she laughs and the breeze always reminds him of their first kiss. It grants him peace that he did not know before she resurrected him from the volcanic ash. They are a perfect balance to one another now – vibrant red to his dreary gray, her strength to his quiet weakness.
Vulgaris watches the wind sweep through the grasses and trees as she drinks, tangling the black locks of his mane carelessly. He only turns to look at her when she speaks and his brows furrow in confusion at her words. She makes an excellent queen, he thinks, so he can’t imagine why she would say such a thing. He tilts his head curiously but a short laugh erupts from his lips when she speaks again.
Him? King? That had gone so poorly before that he can’t imagine her genuinely believing he might be fit to wear the western crown. But her gaze does not falter and she offers up a gentle plea. His laughter dies on his tongue as his smile fades to a frown. His father had been a king and saved his people when war came barging down their door, alongside his people and fellow rulers. And what had Vulgaris done? The perfect opposite. He kickstarted a war against the ones he loved best.
The memory leaves a sour taste in his mouth.
“Leliana, if there is anyone in this world who should not rule, it is me,” he says gently as he returns her kiss against her temple. “I do not inspire greatness in others. I don’t know what is best for our people. I only know how to love you and our children.”
He rests his forehead against hers and lets a slow sigh slip from his lips. The serpent knows he would shoulder the weight of the world if she only asked him to. Slowly, he grows to accept her request, even as fear blooms in his chest for the first time in so long.
“But I will do anything for you. If you want me to lead Tephra, then I will,” he whispers as he kisses along her jaw. It feels like a mistake but he could never deny her anything her heart desires.
Vulgaris watches the wind sweep through the grasses and trees as she drinks, tangling the black locks of his mane carelessly. He only turns to look at her when she speaks and his brows furrow in confusion at her words. She makes an excellent queen, he thinks, so he can’t imagine why she would say such a thing. He tilts his head curiously but a short laugh erupts from his lips when she speaks again.
Him? King? That had gone so poorly before that he can’t imagine her genuinely believing he might be fit to wear the western crown. But her gaze does not falter and she offers up a gentle plea. His laughter dies on his tongue as his smile fades to a frown. His father had been a king and saved his people when war came barging down their door, alongside his people and fellow rulers. And what had Vulgaris done? The perfect opposite. He kickstarted a war against the ones he loved best.
The memory leaves a sour taste in his mouth.
“Leliana, if there is anyone in this world who should not rule, it is me,” he says gently as he returns her kiss against her temple. “I do not inspire greatness in others. I don’t know what is best for our people. I only know how to love you and our children.”
He rests his forehead against hers and lets a slow sigh slip from his lips. The serpent knows he would shoulder the weight of the world if she only asked him to. Slowly, he grows to accept her request, even as fear blooms in his chest for the first time in so long.
“But I will do anything for you. If you want me to lead Tephra, then I will,” he whispers as he kisses along her jaw. It feels like a mistake but he could never deny her anything her heart desires.
In this shook-up, twisted world, I'm gradually growing transparent and vanishing
Don’t look for me; don't look at me
Don’t look for me; don't look at me
