Convincing The Family
Inquisitor Trevelyan couldn't help the nervousness that seeped into her smile as Garret Hawke approached from the stairs of the ramparts, and enveloped her in a tight bear hug.
"Inquisitor!" He yelled, squeezing the smaller woman like a ragdoll and mussing her hair up with his gloved hand. "Good to see you in one piece friend."
"Oh- yes! One piece, kind of, important with the human body and all it's... functions." Natalie stepped back once she was released, and fixed her hair. Not that it lasted long, the wind was blowing it in every direction possible anyways. "Nice to see you too, Champion." She smirked at him.
Hawke feigned annoyance. "It's Hawke."
"Fine, then it's Natalie. Deal?"
Hawke pondered the offer for a moment, brushing his fingers over his facial hair.
"Deal."
Natalie grinned, resting her right arm on the stone barrier of Skyhold's walls. The former Champion of Kirkwall's visit had been anticipated by herself and her inner circle for a few weeks now. Everyone loved Hawke, even Dorian liked his witty sense of humor. Sera was particularly fond of his distate towards the Chantry and 'Noble tits' as Sera called them.
But now the plated man, carrying his greatsword around on his back like it was made of air, was standing before her and she felt like an outcast in her own fortress. Her hand were clamy, and the rest of her body felt like it was in a cold sweat. It was a delicate matter, doing what she was about to. After all, Garret was one of the most protective older brother's in all of Thedas, if not the most.
How exactly was she going to tell him that she, the woman with one of the most dangerous occupations in the world at the moment, was dating his little sister?
"Garret!" Bethany's voice came loud and clear, rousing Natalie from her thoughts. The mage ran up the stairs and up to her brother, then hugged him tightly.
"Bethany." Garret smiled, and closed his eyes as he hugged his sister. Which he did a considerable amount less roughly than he did the Inquisitor.
"How have you been? Is the inquisition as exciting as you hoped?" He questioned, still holding his sibling in a tight embrace.
"More than I hoped. Much more." Bethany spared a glance to Natalie as she spoke, with a smile that made the Inquisitor's heart melt just a little more for the other mage.
"And not all good excitement I heard. That Western Approach incident Varric wrote to me about..." The man leaned back and looked at Bethany's forehead, brushing her hair back as he searched for a wound, or scar, his brow tightly knit.
Bethany moved his hands away. "You need not worry brother, the healers were marvelous." She looked to Natalie. "Besides, the Inquisitor needs to speak with you. I'm sure she will be far more interesting than a no longer existent injury."
"Oh?" Garret finally released his sister and turned to Natalie. "Well don't keep me waiting Inquisitor! I'm not a patient man." He smiled, expecting some great tale of a dragon's defeat, or the Inquisition's latest triumph.
"Oh is... right! Right. So Garret." She began, taking her arm off the stone wall and tilting her head up so she could look him in the eye. "I um. Bethany. We, I mean to say her and I-"
"Bethany." Garret interrupted to babling mage as he turned to his sister, with a knowing grin plastered on his face. "Would you mind giving the Inquisitor and I a moment alone?"
"Hmmm." Bethany eyed him suspiciously. "Alright, but don't you dare ruin even a hair on her head. I happen to adore each and every one."
"You have my word." Garret grinned and turned his gaze to the Inquisitor as Bethany decended the stairs. She spared a look back at Natalie and winked before dissapearing.
And Natalie just watched in unexpressed horror as her safety net for upsetting Garret left her.
"I hope you're doing more than just sleeping with her, Inquisitor." Garret began subtle as ever, walking back to the spot he favoured on the stone platform. The view that reminded him so much of his balconey in Hightown.
"What? No, Garret it's not like that!" She exclaimed. "I-"
"Let me tell you a story Inquisitor." He interrupted again, planting his hands on the stone ledge as he leaned down. The imposing man glanced over his shoulder at Natalie. "No need to keep such distance between us. We are friends, are we not?" He quirked an eyebrow at her expectantly.
"Yes! Yes we are. Best friends even. Best of... yes, friends." She fade stepped to his side, then stood there stiffly.
Hawke chuckled, then looked back to Skyhold. "Indeed." He took a breath of the crisp mountain air, before he began his tale.
"When Bethany and I were younger, it was a few months before her fifteenth year, Carver decided he was going to sneak into a bar in town and drink with some boys a handful of years older than him."
"It was an hour after he left the house before one of the younger village boys came to our door and told us he'd seen Carver enter the pub. Father was sick, and mother was tending to him, so I went to drag my idiot brother home. But Bethany was having none of my going alone. So we both went, found Carver puking in an alley." Hawke scoffed at the memory, smiling to himself.
"Carver...such a foolish man he would've become. Anyways, we found him and started to lead him home when this huge – and when I say huge I mean this man was both taller and bulkier than myself – man decides to take a swing at me."
Natalie snickers. "And you beat the shit out of him?"
"Oh no. He gave me a bloodly nose, countless bruises and two black eyes before I even landed a punch. I was not much of a fighter in my youth."
Natalie frowned. "Then what happened?"
"Bethany happened. She picked up a wooden beam from the mud and whacked it on the back of the man's head. The thing snapped in half!" Hawke chuckled. "But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. He dropped like a sack of bricks. Meanwhile, little Bethany stood there with the broken piece of wood in her hand. Her expression Natalie, it was something between heroic and scared out of her skin."
"Ah, I know that look. You had the same one with those spiders in the fade." She smirked at him, and pushed the man's shoulder lightly.
Hawke laughed again, turning his face to regard Natalie. "Hush you, they were huge. And furry. Things with eight legs should not be furry."
"Right right. Suuure. Whatever makes you feel better about that squeal."
"It was -not- a squeal! It was a war cry!"
"I don't believe you."
"Fine. It was a squeal. A manly squeal." Hawke grinned. "But anyway, my point for telling you that story is, I know my baby sister can take care of herself. I like to say I kept her safe while we were in Kirkwall, but it really was her keeping my hide intact. Now what I want to know, is if you think you can put her before all of this."
Natalie looked at the man, confusion evident on her face.
"All of what?"
Garrent extended is gloved hand, waving it infront of them. It drew Natalie's eyes to the magnificence that was Skyhold, the grand stone structures, the loyal followers of the Inquisitions banners. "Oh, that?"
"Yes, that."
Natalie frowned, and looked at Garret. "I swear I thought you knew me well enough you wouldn't have to ask Hawke." She smiled, any uneasy nerves relaxing at that moment. "All of this-" She repeated. "All of it is going to end someday. Within my lifetime, hopefully. What I feel for Bethany, for the life of my I hope, won't. Garrest she's-" Natalie paused.
"Well. I'd go on a twenty minute speech about how amazing she is, but that wouldn't do her justice. She's perfect." Natalie spotted Cullen and Josephine chatting in the courtyard, likely discussing some stratigic move for the Inquisition.
"And I'll be honest. I'm still young and have dreams of glory- but fame and fortune don't keep you warm at night. Although I -do- want to build a legacy, to inspire some sort of direction in the uncertain time we have the pleasure of living in, I will not throw away the most precious spark of light in my life. Not for anything. Inquisition or otherwise."
Garret watched Natalie for a time, as a comfortable silence fell over them. Both of them pondering the Inquisitor's words.
Said peaceful silence was then interrupted by Bethany squealing and running up to Natalie, latching onto her with an hug. Later Bethany would confess that Isabella had taught her a thing or two about eavesdropping on conversation, but in the moment-
Garret snickered to himself as Bethany professed her own love for the Inquisitor in usual Bethany style, babbling almost incoherently all the key words in her thoughts. And Natalie, responding in kind, but managing to be more composed. If only slightly.
"Well. If either of you are listening, you have my blessing."