A Candle in the Darkness (A Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfiction)

The Way It Should Be

1 August, 9:44

The familiar walls and towers were ahead of them, and Antonia couldn't contain her excitement any further. She spurred the horse on, glad that at least this was something she could still do well with only one hand. Cullen kept pace with her, and the gates opened for them. The Iron Bull had sent ravens on ahead, so everyone in the keep knew what had happened at the Exalted Council. Antonia braced herself for anger, for coldness, but instead, there they were, everyone lined up and applauding as their former Inquisitor rode into Skyhold.

She blinked back tears, moved that they would still approve of her even after she had dissolved the entity that had brought them all together. And then the tears flowed despite herself, because she saw Jared coming down the steps with the most beautiful sight she'd seen in days—her golden-curled, rosy-cheeked baby, waving a tiny little Inquisition banner.

In her haste to dismount, she actually forgot that she was missing an arm, and nearly fell off the horse when her left arm wasn't there to catch her. But she forgot about that as she ran to them, pressing her face against the soft little baby cheek.

He looked startled as she rushed up to him, pulling back from her and clinging to his uncle, and for a moment it was touch and go which of them was going to cry first.

"It's Mama, baby. Remember your mama?"

At the sound of Antonia's voice, Vel's eyes got big and round and he patted her cheek with his little hand.

"There you are! There's my boy!"

As she kept talking, a smile crept across his face, and then he threw his arms around her neck, clinging on tight. Antonia closed her eyes, holding him close, smelling his familiar post-bath scent. And then Cullen was there, with his arms around both of them, nuzzling his cheek against Vel's.

"Don't mind me," Jared said, "I'm just the baby-carrier, apparently."

Antonia laughed. Cullen grabbed the front of his brother's shirt, pulling him into the family hug. "What would we do without Uncle Jared?"

"That's better."

Behind her, she could hear the Iron Bull dismissing the assembled Inquisition, or what was left of it, promising that everyone's questions would be answered as soon as possible.

Lucky had rushed up to them and was sniffing noses with Phoenix and the new mabari. The three of them seemed to accept each other, and they trooped off to the stables looking for a handout from the always softhearted kennel master.

Cullen and Antonia took the baby up to their quarters, accompanied by Jared, and answered his many questions. Rather, Cullen did. Antonia crooned to the baby and played pat-a-cake and counted his tiny little toes and generally tried to make up for all the time she had lost.

Jared left the three of them alone once his curiosity was at least partially satisfied, and Cullen got his fair share of baby snuggles. Vel eventually drifted off to sleep against his chest, and Antonia fell asleep curled at his side, and he simply lay there enjoying the moment to breathe.

Morning came all too soon, and with it the need to begin dismantling what they had put together.

Antonia and Cullen sat with Josephine and the Iron Bull and went over personnel rosters and inventory lists and determined where people and things would be distributed until the door to the War Room flew open unexpectedly.

Cullen was on his feet, his hand on his sword, before he recognized Dagna. She ignored him and hurried to Antonia's side.

"Inquisitor, I heard what happened, and I think I can fix it. You see, you could use leather straps and maybe horn would work, it has more give and would be longer-lasting than wood, and then you could make—"

"Dagna, what are you talking about?"

The dwarf blinked at her. "Your arm. I'm going to make you a new one."

"Oh. Oh! You can do that?"

"Well ... it won't be able to do everything, but I think I can make you one that will help."

Antonia reached out to hug the archanist. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Inqu—Oh, I suppose we don't call you that anymore." Dagna looked around at them all. "So, where am I going?"

The Iron Bull cleared his throat. "That's a good question. Boss, we never talked about Skyhold."

"No." Antonia hated to think of leaving her home.

"It's a strategic location, but one both Ferelden and Orlais will be extremely wary of," Josephine pointed out.

"Exactly." The Iron Bull nodded. "I'd like to take it over, for the Chargers. Maybe expand a little."

Unspoken was the idea that if he needed to use the existing Inquisition infrastructure in whatever moves would be made against Solas, Skyhold would be invaluable.

To Antonia, the more important point was that her beloved home would stay in hands that would care for it as she had. "I think that's a marvelous idea."

The Iron Bull grinned broadly. He looked at Dagna. "You willing to stay on, little red?"

"I wasn't looking forward to packing up all my things just when I got the Undercroft set up the way I like it," she said. "Of course I'll stay."

"I am glad to have that settled," Josephine said as Dagna left the room. "How long will you stay?" she asked Antonia.

"That depends on the generosity of the new landlord." Antonia smiled at the Iron Bull.

"My big old fortress is your big old fortress, boss." He looked serious for a moment. "I think you should stay until the little imekari is born. I'd rather have you here with some good healers than off who knows where."

"Me, too," Cullen agreed fervently. "I'll have my sister come up for this one, too. She's delivered a few babies in her time." He put an arm around Antonia's shoulders. "I'm not taking any chances with your well-being. Not ever again."

"I'll be fine," Antonia protested.

The Iron Bull nodded. "Yes, because we're going to make damned sure of it."

Cullen didn't say anything more, but his arm tightened around her. And for once, Antonia relaxed into it. Maybe it was time to let someone take care of her, for a change.

It took nearly a week, but between them, they managed to find places for everyone who needed one, and redistributed the resources of the Inquisition so that each of the keeps could start off as its own entity with enough supplies to keep it going for some time.

Antonia stood on the battlements with the baby in her arm, watching the troops file out. Many of them looked up to see her there and saluted.

Cullen came up behind her, putting his arms around her. She leaned back against his shoulder. "It's going to seem so empty around here," she said.

"Yes. But look at them—they're all right. They did good work; they accomplished what they set out to do, and they're ready to move on to the next thing. You did the right thing."

"It was the only thing." Antonia sighed. "Is it wrong that I'm ready to move on to the next thing, too?"

"Not from where I'm standing. From where I'm standing, that's just the way it should be."