He gave Sabbath space, as much as he didn’t always want to. He was drawn to her in a way that he could not explain, even when she snapped at him, both literally and figuratively. She seemed like she was warming up to him slightly the more he proved that he had no intention of abandoning Crowns, but sometimes he thinks that was simply a trick of his imagination.

Wishful thinking and all that.

Despite her sharp tongue and displeased stares, he had no intention of leaving Tephra. He stayed for Crowns, of course, but he would not even try to deny that he also stayed for her. True to his word, he has not used any of his powers on her again, even if it meant never touching her – no matter how badly he wanted to.

When he did take to the waters, he did not venture far. It’s why even beneath the waves, he can hear her, distant and muffled though her voice was. Just the fact that she is calling for him at all is enough to make his blood run cold, every worst-case scenario rushing through his mind. He knew she would only call for him like that is if something happened to Crowns.

He emerges from the waves, shifting from his kelpie form with ease as he does, and he does not bother to shake the water from his mane. She is pressing into him before he has the chance to register what is happening, and there is a brief moment that his body goes rigid. Seawater drips from the bright blue of his mane and down her neck, and the warmth of her tears melts away the frost from his scales.

There is a moment where his heart seems to lurch inside of his chest, and he reaches down, gently touching his lips to the top of her head. He had always wondered what it would be like for her to let him touch her without hypnosis, and though he is inwardly thrilled at the warmth of her pressed into the coolness of him, he is shaken from his thoughts by what she says.

“What did your mother say?” He asks her, knowing that she would have taken him to Leliana first thing. He is careful to keep the panic from his voice, locking away his worry as he slowly pulls her closer (still half expecting her to lash out suddenly). “He’s going to be okay, Sabbath,” he says quietly, but when she steps back, he knows she will see the concern etched so clearly into every line of his face. “He’s strong, even for a little boy,” he tells her with a half-hearted smile, stepping alongside her when she goes to move towards the den where Crowns sleeps.

He resists the urge to reach over and brush the fresh tears from Sabbath’s face, for he already knows that he is pushing the limits of what she will tolerate from him. Instead, he follows alongside her in silence, his brow knitting into a frown when she says that not even Leliana is sure what’s wrong with Crowns. He supposes if he is not getting worse, that is a good enough sign, but it is not altogether reassuring.

As they draw nearer to the den, his chest begins to tighten, afraid of what he is about to see. When his gaze settles on Crowns – appearing so small in sickness – he is at once relieved and devastated. His jaw clenches to ward off the sudden rush of emotion that he can feel rising in his throat, and he lowers his head to draw his son into his chest.

His frosted scales almost immediately melt against the boy’s fevered body, and he presses a cool touch to his forehead. “How long have you been sick?” He says quietly into the top Crowns’s head and then drags his nose down the length of his neck, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle that he has. He has never minded the powers that he had been born with, but at this moment, they feel utterly useless.

He would rather be able to heal than hypnotize.
He wishes he had been born with an ounce of something that would help his son, rather than the kelpie trickery he was granted.

His eyes lift to catch Sabbath’s, already knowing that hers will mirror the same worry that reflects from his. Yet even despite it, his lips turn into a subtle smile. He still knew that Sabbath could have raised their son without him, and it was only by her blessing that he was allowed here at all.