#grace lavellan

“Mamae.”“Emma da’asha,” Brenna cooed softly, reaching for her daughter. The potion that she’d been given to numb the pain and help her sleep was still coursing through her body so she could barely open her eyes or move, but she felt the gentle dip in the mattress as the toddler was put on the bed beside her.The cool light of morning came through a crack in the curtains, catching behind her daughter, silhouetting her.“Come here, da’assan,” she said, and Grace cuddled up close to her mother’s torso, and Brenna’s good arm wrapped around her, holding her close. She pressed a kiss to the soft dark curls on top of her head, taking in her sweet familiar smell.“I missed you, Mamae,” she squeezed her with all of her tiny might.“I know, baby, I’m sorry,” Brenna said, “I missed you too. So, so much.”“What happened to your arm, Mamae?” Grace looked up at her, and Brenna’s breath caught as she finally saw her daughter’s blue eyes. So innocent, but such a familiar colour. She had the Dread Wolf’s eyes.“I got hurt,” she told her, “Very badly. But it’s okay now.”“The green light is gone?” Grace blinked at her.She nodded, “Yes, da’len, it’s gone.”Grace clambered over her mother, inspecting the bandaged stump a little closer, a look of curiosity on her face. She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to it, then looked at her mother, “There,” she announced quietly, “All better now.”Brenna felt tears well up in her eyes. How beautiful and pure her child was in a world like this. A world that her father wanted to destroy. He wanted to help their people, she understood. She agreed with him. But not like this. To change the world, they didn’t need to destroy it. There were some bits that could be saved, that should be saved.Maybe things would have turned out differently if he knew about his child years ago. If she’d managed to tell him about being pregnant before the battle against Corypheus instead of waiting like she planned. He would have stayed. Told her the truth about who he really was. But he would have stayed. He would have waited on her hand and foot as their child grew safely within her. She would have had someone to hold her on the nights when she awoke from the nightmares, clutching at her bump as it was the only thing keeping her grounded. He would have held her hand through the birth, and cried as much as she did at the sight of their precious daughter. When she was strong enough, they might even have married. A simple ceremony outside of the walls of Skyhold, amongst the trees with her friends and her clan, with flowers in her hair and lanterns hung from every branch.  They would have been such a good family. Solas would have doted on Grace, telling her a different story every night, keeping watch over her in the Fade. She would love him so much. She would follow him everywhere. Trailing behind him in search of knowledge or another adventure. Fen’Harel and his little Dread Pup.She choked out a soft sob as she thought of that, mourning the life they could have had together, the love and security she desperately craved. “Don’t cry, Mamae,” Grace said softly, sitting up and wiping away her mother’s tears with her little hands, “Don’t be sad.”“Sorry, da’len,” Brenna sniffed softly, her voice softened from her tears, “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.”Grace cuddled in close to her mother’s chest and Brenna held her as best as she could.