TallulahLucy

Rating: Teen Pairing: Cullen/Amell Genre: Angsty romance 

Solana Amell is no hero, of Ferelden or otherwise. Alistair ended the Blight. Alistair died. She ran.

For ten years after Alistair’s death, she traveled. She commanded no Wardens, she fought no wars. She kept to herself and tried to forget. Then the sky split open.

The Thedas she discovers when she finally comes down from the mountains is entirely different. Only the Inquisition is trying to set things to rights, and the head of its army is her old Circle crush, Cullen.

Is it possible for a mage and a Templar to live happily ever after?

While Cullen struggles with his addiction and the traumas in his past, Solana has to discover who she truly is. And she might not like the answer.

But true love is more than moonlight kisses and desperate vows. It may just be powerful enough to heal two broken people.

BOOK 1: Sun through the ashes [complete]: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9788639

BOOK 2: Into the night [complete] http://archiveofourown.org/works/11849727

My commission info. :)

9:31 18th Guardian 168

In my search to find peace of mind, I found a memory. Buried in bag with a few books it rested. A coin. Feeling its cool weight in my hand, I remembered my brother’s crooked half smile and filthy hand offering a simple token. Bran. Most of his gifts were often pranks or typical childhood silliness, but something in his eyes that day seemed different. Leaving for Templar training later in the afternoon, I wondered why he’d think to give me a coin. The simplest answer was he’d found it in his pocket and thought to mark my leaving in some way.

I was so excited, once again, to go to my grandparents’ for Thanksgiving; my brothers and I knew everything we would do: watch the parades on TV (as usual), play board games or play outside (as usual), get cleaned up five minutes before sitting down to be served dinner (as usual), then excuse ourselves after the pie and go watch the animated tv specials until it was time to get in the car and fall asleep on the way home (all as usual).

I will NEVER forget the painful shock of being taken by the shoulders that day and steered into the kitchen, where I spent the holiday prepping the meal and serving the meal and cleaning up after the meal, while my brothers had no change in their holiday schedule.

I was 11 years old.

I never thought anything of it, until one day I did. Me, being me, called my father and my brother out.

To my father, “You know, it’s funny that we’re the ones cleaning up every time we come here.”

My brother goes to hand me his plate. “I took my own plate in. You have legs too, take yours.”

To my mother, “It’s pretty ridiculous that they never clean up, it’s us every time.”

My brother and father get defensive.

My father, “That’s rude. Your grandparents are old-fashioned, that’s just how they do it. You know, that’s just how it is.”

My brother, “Stop being a brat, just take it.”

My mother rolls her eyes, “You know how men are.”

My mother is a feminist, my brother marched in the Women’s March and is a fierce defender of Women’s Rights.

Had no knife skills - couldn’t peel and cut a carrot.

Was impressed by my ability to make pasta, as though boiling water and dumping in some noodles is a difficult feat.

Took his laundry home every weekend to his mother for washing.

Had a kitchen in-dorm but didn’t use it to avoid dish duty.

Left apple cores on the table to molder for days.

Washed dishes but couldn’t seem to notice when said dishes still had dried sauce on them.

Literally fall asleep on the couch when all female members of the family are cooking.

Some of these are an exboyfriend, and some are my father. Others I knew less well.

But the blame is not all on parenting. A huge part of this is the confident expectation women will pick up the slack if you just never learn.

I suppose when you don't have a big family or a lot of guests at any one time it's possible to take turns being the "host" and doing everything, which is what I grew up with. I find it really weird now as an "outsider" coming into a big family how, as soon as one person can't cope with being host, all the visiting women are obligated to be the ones to help.

It's awkward. With the inlaws, all the other spouses are male, so none of the other spouses go to help out in the kitchen either. I'm not really sure what's expected of me, or what they think of me for not playing into this and rather staying sitting with Graham, who I actually know and have interests in common with, and want to spend time with.

* Flag Collection *