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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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This is very cute! I love how it taps into Harding's feelings about not being special.

It's okay Harding, most of us feel like frauds!

Harding Week 2025 - Ficlet Series

Now for DAY SEVEN of @datvcompanionweeks’ #hardingweek2025! I really liked what I worked on for WIP Wednesday for this week, so for the first time I have cleaned up my WIP Wednesday and am using it for Day Seven!

A shoutout to @theunsinkablesappho, @hyperions-light, and the entire @datvcompanionweeks team for putting this week on!

Day Seven: Free Day

Lace watched as Mercar — Rook, Varric had called him, allegedly for obvious reasons — finished setting up his tent in the little corner of the Arbor Wilds they’d claimed for themselves for the night as they traveled south. His movements were precise when they made or broke down camp, it was like watching Commander Cullen when the Inquisition had been at Haven. Tent poles just so, and flaps straightened.

Maybe he’d been a soldier? Or maybe he was just very neat, like Ma. Not in his behavior or anything. He was pretty informal, which was lucky since he was stuck with her and Varric now. Neat in specific ways. Hygiene. Dress. Tents, apparently.

Whatever the reason, odd tent-flap-precision aside, he’d taken to following her and Varric around as they looked for Solas pretty well. Made it look easy.

She was almost envious.

It hadn’t been easy, for her. The Inquisition had been one thing. At first, she hadn’t been far from home. That was part of what had made her such a good scout, despite being a teenager. Lace hadn’t known much, but she’d known the Ferelden Hinterlands and Redcliffe near as well as anyone really could. People had been impressed, given her more work and more important jobs, because of it.

It had been wonderful; finally, being a surface dwarf from the farm had made her good at something. And lots of people had thought so! Not just Ma.

Still, nice as it had sometimes felt, it had been kind of…well…terrifying too. She hadn’t felt as prepared and as knowledgeable as everyone had seemed to think. Sure, she could map areas out, learn them quickly, track well; anyone could learn to do that, though. And what if she made a mistake?!

This was the Inquisition! Leliana was counting on her, the Inquisitor was too. Maker, the, well, the Maker was counting on her! Andraste, even!

Lace had spent four years waiting for someone to realize she had no idea what she was doing and was a fraud. Sure, she was perfectly good at some stuff, but it was nothing very special. She was just…her. And being surrounded by people — special, titled, larger than life people — made it real easy to expect to be caught out as a pretender any day.

It was still kind of surprising to her she hadn’t been, really, but when the Inquisitor had dissolved the Inquisition she’d been sent home with pay without incident.

And then the Inquisitor had shown up at Ma’s door. Asked her if she’d do one last mission for him: help Varric track down Solas.

Saying yes to the Inquisition the first time had been easy, she’d been defending Ferelden and serving the Maker, and it had lured her away from home only inch by inch. A druffalo following tall grass. Agreeing to leave home again, this time to go even farther, was tougher meat to chew. If she’d been asked by anyone else, even Varric himself, she probably would have turned the job down.

Maybe that was why the Inquisitor had come himself? Maybe he’d known? He always seemed to just…know stuff.

Of course, Lace knew, that could have been just Leliana. So the mystery might not be much of one at all.

“Thanks for catching the food,” Rook said, startling her out of her thoughts as he started cooking a fish on the fire for them all. She’d offered to make supper for them, but he’d insisted. So, not wanting to be rude or make him feel excluded, she’d accepted with a smile.

Luckily, he was an okay cook, even if he was a slightly boring one.

“I was happy to,” she assured him, over the sound of the crackling hearth and popping oils from the fish skin. “Stomachs don’t stop just because we’re tracking down Solas, right?”

“Right,” he agreed easily, a friendly and open smile on his face. He always seemed comfortable, never awkward or nervous. At least so far, though it had only been a few weeks.

Some people were just lucky, she guessed.

Before the momentary silence could turn weird, she asked, “Do you like to cook?”

He chuckled, and waved his hand in a non-committal way. “Not exactly? I mean, I’m okay enough at it. We won’t die or anything.”

Rook grinned and Lace wondered if she should be worried.

“But it’s the least I can do,” he continued, flipping the fish over. “I’m no expert scout, and even less an expert on ancient Elven gods, so I figure I should contribute what I can.”

Lace could sympathize with that. She always felt that way. “Well, we appreciate it.” She smirked a little, “Varric said the next time I give him a ham-and-jam slam that he’s chucking me in the pond.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Not sure how he thinks he’d get away with that unstabbed.”

Rook laughed. “Noted. Don’t piss off Harding.”

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4 #Rook Mercar

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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This is so beautiful. I love that they take turns making each other safe, and being soft for each other.

Harding Week 2025 - Day 7 - Free Day

Finished this just in time to post at the end of @datvcompanionweeks Harding week! Rook (Jericho Mercar) uses his Dreamer abilities to help Harding with her nightmares.

"Lace, are you alright? It's the middle of the night, and you look like you haven't slept at all." Jericho hadn't been sleeping much either — finding himself wandering the Lighthouse instead— and had quietly opened Lace's door to check on her, just to find her sitting under her canopy, wide awake, but exhausted. "Are you still having nightmares?"

She looked at him sleepily, and motioned for him to sit next to her. "There's always something chasing me. In my dreams. Even the dreams that start out okay…it eventually finds me." Her voice was quiet, tired and almost ashamed.

Jericho sat next to her, as close as he could without touching her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighed. "Yes…no. I don't know. I'm tired of being scared. I shouldn't be afraid to go to sleep." Her nose wrinkled in frustration.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I'm worried about you, Lace." He desperately wished he could reach out and take her hand. That he could offer her any comfort beyond words.

She sat quietly for a moment, deep in thought. "You're a Dreamer. How do you deal with bad dreams?"

"Well…in some cases, if I realize I'm dreaming, I can take control. Change things, so it's not so scary. Or wake myself up."

"Can you teach me to do that?"

"I can try… but it's not always possible." His brow furrowed, unsure he liked where this was going.

"Is there a way you could…I don’t know. Go inside my dream? Change it?" She blushed, embarrassed at her own question.

He hesitated before answering, reluctant to use his magic on her mind. "I can do something like that…help you, from within the Fade. Dreaming minds are stubborn though. It can be hard to convince someone that they're dreaming. That it's not real. But messing around in someone's dreams, in their mind… it feels wrong. Violating. I can't change things, or control your mind, and I wouldn't want to. All I can do is try to make you feel safe, and try to help you take control of the nightmare."

She nodded, her jaw set, her mind made up. "I want to try."

He sighed, but gave in to her request. "I'm going to create a safe place in your mind. Somewhere you can hide when something in your dreams is after you. And if you need me, I'll know, and I'll be there too. It will be sort of a link between our dreaming minds in the Fade." He reached out, just short of touching her temples. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded. "Is this going to hurt?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. I wouldn't want to do anything to cause you pain." He closed his eyes and focused, reaching into the Fade with his mind, finding a familiar thread and following it to her. Concentrating his will, he imagined a safe place for her, a door in her mind that would be there when needed, leading her to safety. He wove the strands of energy into shape, into her psyche, and then retreated.

She watched apprehensively as he opened his eyes and lowered his hands. "Did it work? I didn't feel anything."

"I think so. When you're having a nightmare, and you think you need a place to run or hide, a door should appear for you. You'll be safe there, and can work on taking control of the dream." He smiled, but there was concern behind it.

Lace's eyebrow arched. "Why do you look worried?"

Jericho sighed, apologetic. "Even with that in place, you might not realize that you're dreaming. That you need to go through the door. Or stay there. It’s not foolproof, and I don't want you to be disappointed."

She grinned at him. "It's alright. It's sweet that you're trying." She paused, her voice softening shyly. "Will you stay? At least until I fall asleep?"

"Of course, Lace. I'll be right here." He settled into her comfy chair as she settled down into her bedroll. "Sweet dreams." He found himself wishing he was laying next to her, arms wrapped around her, her head resting against his chest. With that image in mind, he began to doze off.

----

She was running for her life. Her heart pounding, breathing hard. A red figure, too fast to see, a blur in her vision, taunted her. Always just out of sight. Every arrow she aimed missed its mark. It fed on her fear. She ran. Ever further into the Deep Roads. But couldn't escape the feeling she was headed into a trap.

The darkness closed in around her, interrupted only by the occasional flash of red. An oppressive atmosphere of anger and pain enveloped her, threatening to suffocate her. She stumbled, and tried to catch her breath as she strained to look around her. "I need somewhere to hide."

The words had barely come out of her mouth before a door appeared in her peripheral vision. It flew open, and a gentle but firm hand pulled her through. "In here!"

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room as collapsed, exhausted, into the floor. Her back against a bookcase, keeping her face to the door, bow still ready beside her. Something sinister pounded against the door, but couldn't seem to find a way through. She exhaled in relief.

Jericho sat down beside her. "You're safe here, Lace." His voice was soft, comforting.

"How did you…? How did I get here? I was in the Deep Roads." The room had come into focus, and she quickly realized that she had ended up back in Jericho's room. In the Lighthouse.

"We're in your nightmare. Do you remember what we talked about? That I'd create a safe place for you?" His voice remained steady, a calm presence.

"Does that mean...are you really here? Or am I dreaming you?" The memory was slowly coming back to her as she registered his words, realizing that she was asleep.

"I'm here, Lace. Or at least, my mind is. And, hopefully, I can help you. With practice, you can learn to take control of these dreams. Make it go away. Or wake yourself up."

The enraged being pounded on the door again. Red flashed through the gaps. They both flinched. "Why can't you make it go away?" Lace looked at Jericho, pleading.

Jericho looked at her, sadly, silently wishing he could do more. "It's too wrapped up in your thoughts. It's part of you. It's not a demon… I can't banish it. Only you have power over it. But I can keep it from getting in here. Nothing can get through that door besides you and me. You're safe here, Lace. I won't let anything hurt you. Not even in a dream." He put his arm around her, pulling her close.

She settled into his embrace, but quickly realized that she was glowing, the lyrium pulsing through her veins. "Wait…how are we touching? How am I not hurting you?" She started to pull away.

Jericho kept hold of her, willing her to relax. "We're in the Fade. We're not physically touching, even though it feels real. You're not hurting me."

She stilled, and rested her head against his chest, letting him comfort her. The noise outside grew quieter as she calmed. "I feel safe with you here, Jericho."

Jericho sat for a moment, stunned, but pleased. "You do? I thought that maybe... now that you know everything about me… about my past... I was scared that you would be afraid of me."

Lace hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "At first… I thought I would be too… but then, I realized something. Maybe I didn't know about who you used to be… but since we met… I've always known the real you, haven't I? This has always been you."

He smiled, his corners of his eyes crinkling. "You have. I care about you, Lace. I never want to do anything to hurt you." He softly rubbed her shoulder, looking at her fondly.

Lace reached up and gently touched his face, looking deep into his eyes. "Can I kiss you?"

He nodded and leaned in, still holding her close, nearly melting into her touch as their lips met. Soft, slow, and sweet.

Reluctantly, they parted, and Jericho sighed as she settled back against his chest, Lace's head tucked under his chin. "Are you okay, Jer? Your heart is beating really fast."

He spoke quickly, almost breathless. "I'm just nervous. I thought I'd lost my chance with you, and I don't want to mess this up."

She softly stroked his face. "Why do you think you're going to mess this up?"

He closed his eyes at her touch. "Can we talk about this in the morning? For now… I just want hold you close and make sure you're not afraid."

It was then that she realized the pounding at the door had stopped. "Jericho, as long as you're here, I know I'll be alright." She took his hand and squeezed it. "I think it's gone away now. Did I make that happen? What do I do now?"

Jericho grinned at her proudly. "It seems like it goes away when you're calm. Now, you should be able to continue dreaming, or wake up. And you can always come back here if you need to."

"Will you be here?"

"If you want me to be. I'll always be here for you, Lace."

----

Jericho woke to see Lace sleeping soundly, a smile on her face and a faint blue glow surrounding her. He got up from his chair and knelt beside her, carefully pulling her blanket over her shoulders, and softly kissed her forehead. He felt himself get dosed with a small amount of lyrium, making him somehow even more tired, but he didn't care. With one more look at her, he went back to his own room.

—

He startled awake the next morning when the door creaked open.

Lace walked in, her voice cheery. "Good morning! Well, kind of. You've slept in pretty late actually." She giggled at the sight of his messy hair.

Jericho felt groggy. He groaned. "Ah…I guess the lyrium really knocked me out."

Lace's eyes widened in panic. "What!? I thought you said I couldn't hurt you in the Fade!"

"Oh! No, Lace. You didn't. I umm… when I woke up. I kissed your forehead. You were glowing. I shouldn't have… you just looked so peaceful." He blushed.

She blushed as well. "Oh, well… that's really sweet. It's hard to be mad at you for that." She attempted to look stern, but failed. "But you shouldn't do it again! Not until I get it under control."

Jericho chuckled at her expression. "I'll do my best." He paused for a moment, thoughtful. "How much of last night, your dream, do you remember?"

"Pretty much all of it I think… I didn't imagine… that was really you there, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "It was."

She blushed again, her voice growing quieter. "It was really nice… can we…? Can we do that again, somehow. Even if I'm not having a nightmare? Since we can't touch, I mean."

Jericho sighed. "I was worried you would ask. I know it's nice to be able to touch in the Fade. I just… I still want to take things slow. I want as much of our time together as possible to be real… not a dream. No matter how vivid, or lucid. I know that, for now, it's the only way we can safely touch. But I don't want us to get stuck that way. To rely on this… it will end up hurting us both if we're not careful." He looked into her eyes, pleading with her to understand.

She nodded, slightly disappointed, but understanding. "I can see what you mean… and you sound like you've been hurt by this before."

He took a breath. "I have. What I said last night, about not wanting to mess this up. This is what I meant. Being with someone in the Fade… it's complicated. There was someone, when I was in the Circle. She wanted to move too fast. She convinced me to be with her in the Fade, in her dream, but it wasn't what I wanted. I ended things after… it hurt us both. I don't want to make that mistake with you. I want to be with you, for real, when you've got things under control, and when I'm ready. But, I don't want you to be disappointed either. I'm terrified of messing this up." His words had spilled out quickly, leaving him out of breath, near panicked.

Lace gazed at him steadily, reassuringly. "Jer, I don't want you to feel rushed. We can go as slow as you need to. I don't mind. Just, don't be afraid to be open with me about it. I'll understand."

Jericho let out a relieved breath. "Thank you. But, Lace… listen. Despite that, any time you're having a nightmare, I'm here, alright? Whenever you need. And I'll hold you as long as you want me to."

She smiled. "I know. And I'm grateful for that. For you." She started to walk back toward the door, but turned back around. "I do want to know… next time. Could I kiss you again?"

"Lace, you don't need permission for that." He grinned at her, happily. You could kiss me right now and I'd happily take suffering through a drunken stupor for the next few hours. I think about kissing you all the time."

She giggled. "Good to know! But no more sneaking real kisses for now. I mean it!"

She blew him a kiss as she walked out the door, leaving him flushed with happiness, and suddenly feeling like the luckiest man in Thedas.

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4 #Rook Mercar

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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Oh. My. God.

I love this. I was laughing so hard from beginning to end. Poor Harding! I'm with her though, I would not have slept a wink!

Harding Week 2025 -- Free Day

Here I am, skating in on the last day of Harding Week -- whew! I started noodling on this weeks ago but couldn't get both brain and time together at the same time until this weekend. Enjoy, and thanks to @datvcompanionweeks for hosting!

Bump in the Night

996 words. No warnings (unless "creepy" needs a warning?).

Lace was familiar with all the sounds of the night. She even knew how those sounds differed from place to place. The night birds of Orlais were not the same as those of Arlathan. The soft song of creek and stream that usually lulled her to sleep here in Ferelden were replaced in the Hissing Wastes by the dry susurration of wind-driven sand.

At the moment, though, she rather wished for silence. The watery chuckle of the brook below their campsite might be drowning out other sounds. A sneaking slither, perhaps. A foot dragging in the dust. The creak of joints.

She curled a little more tightly into her blanket.

She could hear Emmrich’s muffled snores well enough; that sound, at least, was a comfort. Their tents were only a few paces apart, his looking palatial next to her simple scout’s pitch. She pictured him lying there with his too-many pillows, a stack of books beside his cot like a nightstand. He had even brought an umbrella. She scoffed. The man was ridiculous.

And so was that story he’d told over the campfire. Ridiculous. No one believed that sort of thing. Least of all Lace Harding. There had been long years when she’d slept under the stars more nights than she’d slept under a roof, and she’d never yet been taken by a... by a... what had he called it?

A bone-collector.

She shivered. It had been stupid to ask a necromancer for a ghost story in the first place. But he’d looked so uncomfortable perched on his little stool, shifting positions every five minutes trying to keep the smoke out of his eyes and slapping at the mosquitos that buzzed around his perfectly-groomed head.

She’d told him sitting around the campfire was tradition. That it was half the fun of camping with friends. That the smell of woodsmoke would wash out in the laundry when they got back to the Lighthouse.

And then, idiot that she was, she’d asked for a story. A ghost story.

And he’d told one, hadn’t he? Told it cheerfully, as if he didn’t know ghost stories should be solemnly intoned like a dirge, not chirped like a robin at sunrise. She could still hear his voice in her mind.

“Many spirits hunger for a body, but most are content to wait their turn. Some may try to take matters into their own hands, but few are strong enough to have any effect upon the living. The bone-collector is one of those latter.”

Something moved outside the tent.

She froze, listening, but whatever it was moved off further into the woods. She sighed at herself. She was acting like a fool. Even so, she tucked her legs up deeper into her bedroll, edging as far as she could from the opening of the tent flap.

It started with the feet, he’d said.

“The creature begins at the toes, delicately extracting the phalanges one by one. The metatarsals follow, and then the tarsals. It tumbles those in its maw like misshapen dice before moving on to the long bones of the limb. There is no pain, I’m told, but it wouldn’t matter. Even if the victim were to wake at that point, they’d have no recourse. Can you imagine? All that boneless flesh where once were feet and legs. They could hardly run away.”

A little squeak escaped her throat and she scolded herself. She wasn’t a child, to be scared of the things that go bump in the night. She was Scout Lace Harding, and she’d fought darkspawn and battled demons and even stood her ground against gods. She wasn’t about to lose a night of sleep to a spooky story told by a man who brought a shaving kit into the woods.

Her resolve lasted perhaps ten minutes.

“Emmrich,” she hissed into the darkness. Waiting for a response, she felt the quiet stretch like a bowstring. She was about to call out again when she heard the man shift on his cot.

“Harding?” His voice was gravelly with sleep.

“Are you awake?”

“I believe so.” Emmrich cleared his throat. “Is something amiss?”

She sighed in relief and rolled onto her side so she could face in the direction of his tent.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just...” What in Thedas was she supposed to tell him? She felt a flush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. “I was just... wondering. About... well... about that thing. The one in the story. With the bones and all.”

“Yes?” Emmrich sounded puzzled, even through the walls of canvas between them.

Lace screwed her eyes shut and grimaced. “It’s... it isn’t real, right? It’s just a story. Make believe.”

There was a pause. “Oh my dear Harding. I didn’t mean to frighten you. No, you need not be concerned about the bone-collector.”

Lace put her arm over her eyes and exhaled. “Thank the Maker,” she muttered.

“Not here, at any rate.”

She froze. “What do you mean, not here?”

“Well, they’re only known in Nevarra.” He hesitated. “Though there are rumors from the Arbor Wilds--”

“Emmrich!”

“Oh come now, Harding. The Frostbacks are surely a sufficient barrier between us and the Wilds.”

She pulled the blanket over her head. “So they can’t cross mountains?”

“Well, that hasn’t really been thoroughly researched, but--”

“Just. Say. They can’t,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Ah. I see. Well... yes, then. I feel quite certain there are no bone-collectors on this side of the Frostbacks.”

She sighed and poked her head back out of her blankets. The night was no less dark than it had been a few minutes ago, but it was a familiar Fereldan darkness. The chatter of water over rock was a lullaby once more, and the sway of the tent flap at her feet was nothing more than the breeze.

“Thank you, Emmrich,” she murmured, just loudly enough to carry across the space between their tents.

“Sleep well, my dear.”

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4 #Emmrich Volkarin

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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I love this! After reading about their happy home life, it's nice to see how it all came together in the end for them!

Thank you for this.

Harding Week 2025 - Day 7

Day 7 prompt: Free Day. Thank you so much to @datvcompanionweeks for organizing Harding Week. It was awesome and I've see so many awesome fan works this week.

How Lace and Rook's plans for their future changed (also on AO3)

They’d talked several times over the past year and a half about what they’d do after they finished mapping the Crossroads with the Veil Jumpers. The abstract idea of building a cottage in Fereldan had been at the top of their list. Lace liked the idea of settling somewhere near her mother. She and Rook would get some goats and have a small garden, selling milk and cheese from the goats to support themselves in a nice, quiet future.

They’d decided to visit their friends in Northern Thedas before they moved south. They intended to visit in the future, of course, and their friends would likely visit them, but as the world recovered from the Sixth Blight and everyone became busy with their own lives, Lace knew it was likely they would see their friends less than they might want. It was a part of life. The same thing had happened to an extent when the Inquisition had disbanded.

So they’d visited Treviso for a couple of weeks, staying at Villa Dellamorte despite Caterina’s misgivings about the friends her grandson had made during the Blight. Illario, who Lucanis at Rook’s suggested had granted ‘mercy’ had spent the past two years trying to recover the relationship he and his cousin had when they were children, before Caterina had begun pitting them against each other.

During their visit it was Illario who informed them almost gleefully that his cousin had stood up to Caterina a number of times over the past few years, making his own decisions as First Talon rather than doing things the way Caterina wanted him to. It was also a treat, Illario told them, to watch when Neve came to visit Lucanis. Lucanis steadfastly refused any of his grandmother’s suggestions for a suitable wife and remained with Neve, planning to marry her even if they did have to spend a fair amount of time apart because of their own commitments. Illario himself had begun courting a lovely young member of the Mourn Watch he’d met during the Siege of Minrathous. Lace had been initially skeptical about his change of heart, but came to the conclusion that whatever had happened the night Lucanis had confronted him and since had actually changed the man.

They visited Bellara and Davrin in Arlathan after that. Rook had shocked many when he’d suggested the griffons become guardians of Arlathan rather than rejoin the Grey Wardens, but Lace understood exactly why he’d made that decision.

He trusted Evka and Antoine explicitly, but he pointed out that there’d been more than one First Warden during the history of their order that ended up making bad decisions. And there’d been so many secrets their order kept from the ordinary wardens that even just during the past twenty years had led to disaster.

Most of the surviving Wardens understood. They visited the griffons in Arlathan when they could, and seeing the griffons settle into a new role gave many of the surviving Wardens hope that there might be a different path for them someday as well.

They’d visited Minrathous and stayed with Neve, watching as she helped the surviving Shadow Dragons quietly help new Archon Dorian Pavus. They’d run a few missions with the Shadows themselves during their visit, and both Lace and Rook expressed their willingness to help in the future if something particularly big came up. Neve and Lace enjoyed fried fish from Halos’s stand, and Halos had skewers and fried vegetables for Rook, cooked in separate oil of course. Rook had told Lace firmly he had no issue with her eating meat in their shared home, he just asked that the meat be cooked separately. Still, more often than not now she simply got a meat dish when they were out somewhere or visiting friends and most of the food they made at home were vegetarian.

When they’d visited Nevarra they’d stayed in Nevarra city rather than the Grand Necropolis. Harding didn’t mind visiting the grand Necropolis, but she found herself a little more comfortable in the city itself. Rook didn’t mind since he’d never been a member of the Mourn Watch, and Emmrich had been happy to show them around the city and his favorite restaurants as well as some safer parts of the Necropolis they hadn’t seen during their time fighting the Evanuris.

The last stop on their tour was Rivain, and that was where their future plans ended up changing drastically.

Lace and Rook were staying with Taash in their mother’s home. The house was full of memories for Taash, and they both noticed that Taash seemed lonely. Taash spent their days with the Lords of Fortune, who’d returned to business as usual after the end of the Sixth Blight and the Antaam had been defeated. They’d catch Taash looking around the house occasionally, as if they were reliving memories of when Shathan had been alive.

Lace was fairly certain that she and Rook were two of the only people Taash allowed themselves to be vulnerable around.

“You know I didn’t have the most conventional family growing up,” Rook remarked as they got ready for bed one evening. “Grier wasn’t actually my uncle, but after my parents passed he and his partner were the ones that took me in. I had a whole collection of uncles and aunts that I wasn’t actually related to by blood in any way.”

Lace arched a brow at him. “Yeah. Sometimes friends become more like family. That was kind of the way it felt in the Lighthouse. And you know if Lucanis and Neve had any kids, they’ll probably call us aunt and uncle.”

“Right. Found family,” Rook nodded and smiled a little wistfully. “I miss the Lighthouse sometimes, having everyone nearby. It’s just not realistic anymore since everyone has their own lives.”

Lace considered him thoughtfully. “Most of our friends do, but Taash, at least, might not mind more company. We could always ask them to come south with us. I know Ma wouldn’t mind.” Rook tilted his head. “I certainly wouldn’t mind, if you and Ma wouldn’t. We’d just need to ask them.”

Thus the first change to their plan had occurred, and they’d asked Taash the following day what they thought about staying with Rook and Lace when they finally got their home built. Taash had debated it for all of a few minutes before they nodded and said, “Yeah, sounds good.”

The second change occurred when Lace had written to her Ma about the idea, Kari Harding had made the decision on her own to come north to meet this friend of her daughter and son-in-law. When she’d arrived in Rivain, Kari had taken one look at Taash and immediately began to mother them. They’d been a little startled at first, but knowing Kari was Harding’s mother, they’d let her mother them.

The third change to their plan was the biggest surprise to Rook and Lace.

Lace had begun feeling off a few weeks after her mother’s arrival in Rivain. It started with nausea and fatigue. Rook began worrying when the symptoms didn’t pass after two weeks. It had been another week when Lace began to suspect the cause of her illness, but she also wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not.

As far as most people knew, Wardens were infertile, a side effect of the blight in their blood from when they underwent the Joining. Rook knew of some Wardens who’d adopted children, but none one who’d had any biological children of their own. So when Lace went to her Ma with her symptoms and the fact that she’d missed her monthly twice already, her Ma immediately suspected, but she’d suggested they speak to one of the healers among the Lords just to be sure.

When Lace informed Rook upon his and Taash’s return from helping one of the Lords on a mission that she was pregnant with their child, he’d looked poleaxed. Between him being a Warden and the fact that they weren’t even the same species, he hadn’t thought it was possible.

After the first few minutes of initial shock, he’d looked at her tentatively and asked her what she wanted to do about the pregnancy. It was her body, and he’d be led by her wishes in the matter.

After that, they’d revealed in the quiet joy that they were going to be parents. Taash had suggested they stay at Shathan’s how for now, since they’d yet to build their own home.

Kari Harding had been the one who suggested they simply settle in Rivain. “I can see you, Rook, and Taash feel at home here, Lace,” Kari told her daughter. “And after so many years in Ferelden, I'm not opposed to moving, particularly to a place as lovely as this.”

Taash had been the one to rally the Lords of Fortune to help build their new home, since they were going to need more room than Shathan’s cottage could provide.

With the help of the Lords, the house, built just a few miles from Shathan’s home, had been completed a few weeks before Garrett Thorne’s birth.

The squawling dwarven infant was born within a week of his family moving into their new home. Lace gave birth surrounded by her Ma, her husband, and part of their found family. Emmrich had done the honors of delivering the infant and placing him in his proud mother’s arms.

Taash considered Garrett gravely as he mother fed him for the first time. “Huh, he’s kinda small.”

Rook had chuckled softly. “He just takes after his Mama,” he replied where he sat beside Lace, his arm around his wife’s waist as he gazed lovingly down at his wife and son.

“Yeah,” Taash had nodded, their expression turning thoughtful. “Good lungs though.”

“Why don’t we give the new parents a little time,” Kari suggested. “Taash, can you and Strife put something together for dinner please?”

Emmrich smiled at the new family and took his leave after ensuring mother and son were healthy, with Taash and Kari following.

As their son fell asleep in her arms, Lace looked up at her husband and the bemused look in his eyes. “What is it?” she asked.

Rook kissed her softly and gently touched their son’s head of red hair. “Just thinking, that this is something I never expected to have. Before the mission to find Solas, before all of it? I figured I’d spend my life fighting darkspawn then go off into the deep roads after twenty some odd years and die fighting. I never thought I’d see the end of the blight in my lifetime, or that I’d have a family.” He smiled. “And I have you to thank for so much of it, Lace-love.”

“It’s kind of like the end of one of Varric’s books, isn’t it?” Lace asked, her smile a little bittersweet.

“Yes,” Rook reflected. “It is. I think he’d be happy for us, though.”

“Yes,” Lace agreed. “He would.”

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4 #Rook Thorne #Ma Harding #Taash

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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These drawings are adorable! Love how you've interpreted the prompts here and incorporated so many different elements into them to tell little mini stories through them! Love the colors you've used, too! Thank you so much for sharing <3

DATV — Lace Harding Week 2025

Pen artworks for #HardingWeek2025 organised by @datvcompanionweeks! 🎨 ✦ Day 1 — Traveling✨ All aboard Jasper (Calico's brother)'s ship, to overseas adventures!⛵ ✦ Day 2 — Inquisition✨ Just two sapphic couples playing Wicked Grace (or trying to. Calico never understood how to play lmao and Sera is once again cheating!) ✦ Day 3 — Family✨ Visiting Lace mother's farm for a family reunion post-Veilguard! feat. Calico's brother, Jasper, and his partner, Taash <3 AKA a bunch of dwarves & tall pookie ✦ Day 4 — Ancestors✨ The Scout with the heart of a Titan, the Orzammar ex-Shaper explorer and Kal-Sharok dwarves, uniting their knowledge to learn more about their ancestors together! ✦ Day 5 — Cooking✨ Little soup made with the things they found while scouting that day hehe~ ✦ Day6 — Scouting✨ Mixing their scouting experience to Harding's beautiful embroidery work, they both made a new map of Arlathan forest for the Veil Jumpers, since the Fade anomalies probably calmed down♥ ✦ Day 7 — Free Day✨ Their morning routine AKA braiding each other's hair & snuggling in whatever they used as a bed (grass? tree roots? a sleeping bag? an actual bed? anything works haha) ✦ #DragonAge #DATV #DragonAgeTheVeilguard #LousticArt #LaceHarding #CalicoAldwir #Hardrook #Rook #Durra #Stalgard #JasperLaidirAldwir #Taash #SulevinLavellan #Sera #Seravellan

#scout harding #harding/rook #hardingweek2025 #datvcompanionweeks #datv

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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Oh, these shots are so intense! Love how you pulled out the red and gold in them—especially the comparison of the blight in D'Meta's Crossing and the red lyrium veins in Isana Negat. (Also, Harding's poor face :c ) Thank you for sharing!

Harding Appreciation Week, Day 7 - Free Day > D'meta's Crossing and Isana Negat

#lace harding #scout harding #hardingweek2025 #datv screenshots #datvcompanionweeks

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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Oh this is so pretty! And it suits the work and Harding so well!

'Now hounds of love are hunting, I've always been a coward, And I don't know what's good for me...'

Lace Harding | Mabari of Love

My piece for @datvcompanionweeks' Harding Week 2025.

Full credit to @circesoracle for the idea. She also wrote this fantastic fic and made a Harding playlist (which yes features Hounds of Love) so you should definitely go check those out too!

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4

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datvcompanionweeks · 4 days ago

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Oh these all feel so authentic! But I fell out at the cheese dialogue. Way to get her going, Taash!

DATV Companion Week - Lace Harding - Day 7

Many thanks to the mods of @datvcompanionweeks for hosting and being so welcoming and supportive as always! It's been another great week, I can't believe it's over already.

For the free day I decided to shake things up a bit and write a bit of banter between the companions and Lace, inspired by the prompts from this week! <3

Bellara: The guardians of the Veil? No… too long. Champions of Fade! Neah. Doesn’t ring right…

Harding: Bellara? What are you doing?

B: Oh!? Oh, no no no. I was thinking out loud? I was thinking out loud. I’m sorry, don’t worry about it.

H: Let me guess it’s for your serial?

B: Well, maybe? I thought writing was hard but finding a good title? I don’t think I can come up with anything good!

B: Nobody will want to read my stories if they don’t have a good title.

H: Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.

***

Davrin: So, an Inquisition Scout Lace Harding. Aren’t you a bit far from home?

Harding: Uh, well Inquisition doesn’t really work like it used to. So I’m just Lace now.

D: But all that’s happened is still with you.

H: *laughs* I guess so! There’s always going to be a part of me that’s the Inquisition Scout.

***

Harding: Uhm, Emmrich? Have you ever needed to… I don’t know, rethink something you believed in?

Emmrich: Ah, but of course! The nature of learning, and teaching for that matter, is to be willing and able to change your mind and expand your knowledge.

H: Not–not exactly what I meant. But thank you.

H:I liked that part about being willing to change my mind.

***

Lucanis: Lace? You mentioned that you became a scout because the Inquisition was looking for people willing to do the job?

Harding: Yes! Well, mostly. I wanted to get out of the village. Try to fix things. Do something good, you know.

L: Yes, of course. I just don’t understand why the Inquisition needed to find scouts among the common folk? Don’t you have a guild for that?

H: A… Scouting Guild? *laughs* This is certainly not how things work in Ferelden.

***

Neve: So, you do seem to know just about half of Thedas.

Harding: Me? *laughs* Of course not. Just a couple people here and there.

N: A couple? You helped Varric find me. You pointed us at Evka and Antoine. Already knew Strife and the Veil Jumpers.

N: Do I have to mention it turns out that your name helped us get that meeting with the Crows a lot more than mine?

H: Was the current Divine not part of the Inquisition inner circle?

H: Stop it! You make it sound weird.

N: *chuckles* I just think you should give yourself more credit than you do.

***

Taash: Harding? I heard that people in Ferelden think Satina is made out of cheese.

Harding: W-What?

T: You know. The Moon. Made out of cheese.

T: Made sense to me. Booze is from Ferelden and he loves cheese.

H: What kind of a name is… Ugh, you have to introduce us when we’re in the Hall.

H: *quieter to herself* Made out of cheese. Actually, what is the Moon made of?

#HardingWeek2025 #Lace Harding #Harding #Scout Lace Harding #Scout Harding #Dragon Age #The Veilguard #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #DATV #DAV #DA4 #Taash #Lucanis Dellamorte #Neve Gallus #Bellara Lutare #Emmrich Volkarin #Davrin

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