#Caraenyl

[prplpnk]

Broken

A Merekai/Caraenyl Dragon Age AU Short

Summary: Once Champion of Kirkwall, now Inquisitor, Merekai Hawke looks for the mage that got away.

Rating: E

Word Count: 637

Merekai belongs to the amazing @farseerdri

Broken

 “Where is he?!” Merekai Hawke growled, his Anchor-marked left hand wrapped tightly around the templar’s neck. He held the man aloft, green eyes sharp and free hand ready to conjure up flames to further persuade the templar to cooperate. The Champion, now also titled Inquisitor, slightly squeezed his captive, glare growing darker. “Tell me!”

The templar in his grasp choked, frightened eyes gazing at Merekai’s companions, finding no friendly gazes among them. He pointed toward a staircase that spiraled up the make-shift Circle Tower the fool rogue templars had occupied. “H-H-He’s at the top!”

Merekai tossed the templar aside, barely acknowledging the clang of his armor as he hit the stone wall. It didn’t matter to the Inquisitor, only he mattered and Merekai was already darting up the stairs, jumping two or three steps at a time. Of all the places to end up….

A letter had been left behind for Merekai. He read it carefully, felt guilt build up in his gut, and immediately asked Leliana to track the mage who had sneaked away. Not that she wasn’t already on his trail… his false trail. The mage apparently did not want to be followed and it ended up being Merekai’s mabari hound, Korveris, who picked up the mage’s scent.

He was not worthless; true, Anders had figured out how to cure the werewolf curse from not only Merekai but also the werewolves still hiding out in the Brecilion Forest. It was only because he had done so much research and made so many different alchemical concoctions that Anders had been able to see what was missing, with him being an expert at healing magic. He was still wanted within the Inquisition.

Tracking the mage had lead Merekai and his party to a very small town at the foot of the Frostbacks; once abandoned it was now inhabited by rogue templars. They had hunted many mages and brought them to their “Circle,” where the lucky ones were imprisoned or killed. The unlucky ones….

Merekai quickened his pace, the stairs leading to a small landing and a single door. There was no padlock and the Inquisitor’s heart raced as he pushed open the door and crossed the threshold. The room was fairly small with a single bedroll in a corner beneath the only window, a bucket in another corner (which Merekai could only guess was the chamber pot), and a table with various flasks and instruments used with alchemy. A redheaded individual sat at the table, his pointed ears holding back his long hair.

The individual stood, back to the suddenly silent Inquisitor; Merekai’s mouth had gone dry. He’s alive, was all he could think even as the mage turned to face him. His mouth, usually smiling brightly, was now in a neutral line, freckled cheeks were pale like the rest of him instead of flushed with color; his eyes, once golden, always sparkling with emotion, were now a light brown… and empty. And upon his brow the sunburst marking of the Chantry.

Merekai felt ice grip his chest. No….

“Hello, Inquisitor,” he said, voice hollow and words devoid of any emotion, not the voice Merekai remembered. “There are no demons here; why have you come?”

For you… Merekai choked on the words, his strength bleeding from him as despair gripped his heart and he fell to his knees. His vision blurred as tears burned his eyes and he whispered, “Caraenyl.” The redhead did not react, merely stood there, staring with unfeeling eyes as the Inquisitor crumbled at his feet.

It was too late.

[prplpnk]

Within the Light

Merekai/Caraenyl

Caraenyl waits for someone to return to his life and Merekai... well, he’s just worried it’s too cold for that.

Genre: Fluff ‘n’ Stuff, minor Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T (Language)

Word Count: 2830

Merekai and Elithuin along with the backstory plot belong to @farseerdri (who is awesome, by-the-by) and used with permission. Idea from days 1 and 2 of @downwithwritersblock ‘s list of December Prompts

Within the Light

 The lamp post stood at the corner of Main and 15th. It stood tall and had intricate metalworking designs around the bulb and always got repainted black during the warm months. Even during the rare power outage, that lamp was always a beacon in the darkness; a marker for those seeking comfort from dark, lonely nights or storms. A respite from the chaotic way Main Street could flare up, especially during special events and holidays. The corner of Main and 15th was near the south end of the thoroughfare and most of the town’s traffic stayed north of quiet 15th Lane.

The night was cold, as was to be expected during the Snow Cycles, but Caraenyl didn’t let that bother him. He sat, completely bundled from head to toe in a thick coat, hand-knitted hat (which he had been very proud of, made with room for his large, cat-like ears and a big puff-ball atop the hat in a deep purple color) and gloves that matched and big, comfy boots. The bench he’d seated himself on sat beside the large lamp post, it’s natural glow comforting to the redhead as he waited.

Caraenyl had always liked this particular lamp post, his lamp post, he liked to say. Ever since moving to the little town almost fifteen years prior, the post seemed to be a part of the redhead’s life. It was the first recognizable landmark he memorized, telling him 15th Lane was right there. It helped him make his way home on late nights when he couldn’t sleep or guide him away from the constricting crowds.

It was where Caraenyl first met his love.

The thought made him bite the inside of his cheek, maybe a bit too harshly, and he inspected the wrapped package upon his lap again. It had to be perfect; the redhead probably spent way too much time and wrapping paper insuring the design matched up as he taped it on. He’d added a flashy bow and curled ribbons to give it some flare; Elithuin did like it when he went over-the-top for him. At least, before he….

Caraenyl shook his head and sat up a bit straighter, dark golden eyes scanning the mostly deserted Main Street in an attempt to distract himself. The Festival of Lights was in full swing; everything was decorated with fake, green pine boughs and lit with strings of lights, various colors flickering in store windows and along the street. It really was a pretty sight and the redhead smiled slightly.

Tonight saw most of Main deserted; it was the final night of the festival. Most were home with their families celebrating the age-old holiday. Only a couple small eateries were open, mostly serving those who had no place to go or who didn’t want to celebrate. Caraenyl was tempted to count himself as one of them.

No, he told himself, glancing down the empty street. I do have someone to celebrate with! He’s… he’s just late! He wiped at his cold nose, sniffling slightly. The redhead failed to remember just how late Elithuin was, even as the math slowly stacked up in his mind. He pushed it away and settled in onto the bench, nuzzling into the large scarf wrapped around his neck. Elithuin would be here, he was sure of it!

Snow started to lazily drift down from the dark sky, the flakes reflecting the lights and shimmering in the air. For a while, Caraenyl was content watching the snow flicker around him, remembering the few times this type of weather had made him smile. Touch had felt warmer, smiles were wider, and his love… was genuine.

He didn’t realize how long he’d been zoning out in the cold, until his gaze dropped to the gift upon his lap, now lightly covered in snow. A small shock of panic shot through the redhead as he carefully brushed the fresh powder off, hoping none had melted to ruin the paper. It would ruin the surprise!

About then he noticed a figure walking up to him. Caraenyl’s eyes darted up, a small gasp hitching in his throat as the silhouette was initially similar to…. It only took a moment for Caraenyl to see it wasn’t Elithuin, however, and he released a long breath and looked away. It’s still early… I can wait longer.

“Excuse me.” The person Caraenyl had mistaken for his old lover stopped before him. The redhead slowly turned his gaze at the stranger. The lamp’s light illuminated the snow already gathering on the tall wolven’s light coat and thick, dark gray fur. Glowing green eyes gazed down at Caraenyl with warmth and a flash of concern; if the redhead were honest, that expression made his heart flutter a little. Thankfully his pale, freckled cheeks were already flushed from the cold, so his blush wasn’t as noticeable.

He buried his face a bit more into his scarf anyway as the wolven spoke. “I’m, uh, Merekai Korveris and I own the bakery over there,” he pointed with his clawed thumb over his shoulder toward a small shop named Lina’s Bakes across the street. “Working late tonight and… I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been out here for a while.”

“W-waiting for someone,” Caraenyl stuttered out, now realizing how cold he was, despite all the layers he’d put on.

Merekai’s expression softened further, his smile genuine, if giving off just a hint of shyness. “Well, would you like to wait inside? It’s warmer in there and I can get you some hot chocolate.”

The redhead wanted to jump headfirst into that offer, however the stubborn side of him hesitated. “That… sounds nice… but….” He glanced up at the lamp post and back down at the present in his lap.

A heavy, clawed hand fell onto his shoulder and those green eyes were gazing warmly at him. “No worries, you can get a clear view of the lamp post from there. I’ll even help you keep watch, promise.”

Warm building with a chance of a hot drink? Caraenyl really did want to stay beside the lamp, where they had first met, but he also couldn’t remember what it felt like to be warm anymore. He nodded his agreement and stiffly stood up, gift in his arms, and followed the wolven across the street and into the toasty bakery.

Merekai sat him down at a window-side booth and was true to his word; the redhead had a perfect view of the lamp post. He carefully placed the present beside him and huddled in his thick coat, a chill settled firmly around him. Caraenyl kept a look out for only a few minutes before the wolven returned, setting a large mug of hot chocolate (with cream on top!) upon the table and then a big bowl of steaming soup and one of those teeny loaves of bread fancy restaurants served.

The redhead’s jaw dropped and stomach growled the moment it was placed before him. His eyes shot to Merekai, who appeared extremely pleased with himself at Caraenyl’s reaction and simply winked before walking back behind the counter, fluffy tail slightly wagging.

The kyta’an’s own tail twitched at that, but his expression fell as he looked back at the food. It smelled so fucking good and he hadn’t eaten much that day… but he didn’t have any money.

Merekai soon returned with a bowl of his own and an even bigger mug of hot chocolate, sitting across from the redhead and immediately saw the mood change. The question in his eyes was all the redhead needed and he shook his head.

“I can’t aff-”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Caraenyl hesitated; had he heard that right? “But it’s only right I-”

“You are cold and hungry, right?” the wolven interrupted again. “Well… even if you weren’t, this is the season about taking care of each other, isn’t it? I’m decent at reading people and right now it seems to me what you need is a warm place, hot meal and good company.” A wide grin spread on his face. “Two outta three ain’t bad, right?”

The giggle that escaped Caraenyl’s mouth was a surprise even to him; he didn’t usually laugh this time of year. It seemed to be all the conformation the wolven needed, however, and pointed to the redhead’s soup. “Hurry before it gets cold.” A final smile and then Merekai was diving into his own soup.

Caraenyl followed suit, although the first spoonful nearly gave him an orgasm; the soup was even fucking better than it smelled. It was of the chicken variety and had delicious little dumpling-like things floating around the broth that brought even more flavor exploding over the redhead’s tongue. The hot chocolate was no different; so fucking good Caraenyl nearly burned his tongue drinking too much of it in one gulp. It all had to be hand-made, no one could buy boxed stuff and make it taste this fucking good.

The hot meal did the trick, though. The annoying chill had been subdued with awesome food and halfway into the bowl Caraenyl looked up to see the wolven gazing at him, an amused grin on his face. The redhead felt his cheeks burn; he had just scarfed down his food rudely, hadn’t he?

“Sorry,” he whispered. In an attempt to be more dignified, Caraenyl grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped his mouth before placing it upon his lap.

Merekai’s chuckle was a low rumble that warmed the kyta’an in a way he thought would forever remain cold. “There’s nobody to impress here, don’t worry,” the wolven reassured.

Caraenyl nodded, but took a slower pace as he continued eating, savoring the flavor. How the hell was he supposed to go back to instant noodles now?!

“Who’s the gift for?”

The question was half-expected, but even so the full spoon stopped halfway to Caraenyl’s lips and he glanced at the wrapped box. “…my boyfriend,” he responded, unable to hide the sadness in his tone.

“...ah.” The sound was short and quiet, but the redhead could’ve sworn he heard disappointment in it. “Is there a particular reason he’s not here with you celebrating the holiday?”

And here he was; Caraenyl was terrible at lying. It wasn’t something he shared much and even he didn’t understand most of what happened, but he couldn’t tell the truth because he honestly didn’t know himself. However, saying “I don’t know,” had only gotten him suspicious looks and friends being hurt because “he didn’t trust them enough to tell them.” That had never been the case… but when it comes to romantic scandals, people will believe what they want.

Those people had mostly been friends with Elithuin, anyway, and really the only reason why the redhead had known them was because he’d been dating Elithuin.

“Sorry if I hit a sore spot,” Merekai said suddenly, his gaze still gentle and warm, “you don’t have to answer.”

Caraenyl shook his head; although it did still hurt, it was because he missed Elithuin more than anything. And it had been… a while, maybe now…?

“He… left.” It was the only truth the redhead was certain of and they only way he could think to tell it was simply. “So I… wait for him to come back.” Caraenyl scooped more soup into his mouth. So far, it was helping to keep the sting of tears to be barely noticeable.

“How long have you been waiting?”

The exact number, down to the second, flashed within the redhead’s mind. He never could get that part of him to stop caring. Then again, he could never truly stop caring, which was probably why he didn’t really have any friends anymore. Why he couldn’t move on.

Taking a deep breath, Caraenyl spit out the inexact time, “Eight years,” and shoved more soup into his mouth. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

His ears flattened onto his head, almost invisible within his hair, as he waited for the inevitable “what”s and reprimands and told how pointless it was and how stupid he is.

…but it never came.

Caraenyl glanced at the wolven to find Merekai’s expression still soft, his green eyes staring somewhere over the redhead’s shoulder, glossed over with a bit of sadness. He then turned to look out the window a moment with a sigh, claws gently tapping on his emptied bowl, though it seemed like an absentminded action.

“That’s where you met him, right? Under the lamp post.”

The redhead blushed again, swirling what little remained of his soup around. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

The wolven merely shrugged with a sigh and turned his attention back to Caraenyl, offering him a sad smile. “It’s not a bad spot.”

Caraenyl smiled in return; Merekai had lost someone in his past, too. Most definitely not the way the redhead had, but he could easily recognize the mourning in his eyes. It was something Caraenyl had convinced himself not to do, not until he’d talked with Elithuin. A lot of good that’s done me.

They remained in mostly comfortable silence as they finished their meal. Caraenyl offered to help with dishes, but Merekai wouldn’t hear of it, even gave the kyta’an another hot chocolate to go and walked him back across the street.

The lamp post’s glow seemed even more comforting now as snow continued to fall silently around them.

Caraenyl gave the wolven one of his rare, genuine smiles. “Thank you so much for the food.”

“Not a problem,” Merekai said, his tone once again mostly light, although the redhead could now make out the sadness hiding beneath it. “Hey, if you ever wanna stake out this spot again, you are more than welcome to do so from inside the bakery.”

Caraenyl’s smile widened a bit. “I’d like that.”

There was a pause, both in action and words on Merekai’s part, and he cleared his throat. “Uhm, well, have a good night… er…”

It was then Caraenyl realized with horror that he’d never introduced himself properly. Fuck! Moron!

His face burned again as he bowed slightly. “I’m sorry! My name is Caraenyl!”

There was that chuckle again. “Then have a good night, Caraenyl,” the way his name rolled of his tongue… was it supposed to give the redhead goosebumps? “May your lights always shine in the darkness.”

That cheesy holiday saying somehow felt… honest coming from Merekai. It was nice.

“And you as well, Merekai.” Why did Caraenyl’s still sound cheesy then?! It was his turn to awkwardly clear his throat and with a quick, “Bye!” he turned on his heal and headed down 15th Lane, face burning.

He stopped several steps later and looked behind him, watching as the wolven went back into his shop and began cleaning up. The lamp post flickered and for a moment, the only light Caraenyl could see was that of the bakery, of Merekai within, and he felt something in his heart lighten.

It was only for a split moment; the lamp’s bulb probably needed replacing soon and yet….

Caraenyl smiled behind his scarf, adjusted the package under his right arm again and held the hot cocoa in his left hand close as he continued down the snowy sidewalk to home, silently thanking the lamp post for showing him the way once more.

[prplpnk]

Blanket

A KaiCara short

Merekai’s late coming home from a trip. Caraenyl misses him.

Genre: Fluff ‘n’ Stuff

Rating: T (Suggested Smexins, Language)

Word Count: 1,333

Merekai belongs to @farseerdri and is used with permission

 Caraenyl was pouting, he could always feel it. The only word used to describe his pouts was heavy; his lips drawn in a sharp frown, pulling his round cheeks down, his brow tight over his eyes in a scowl, and large ears drooped upon his head. He didn’t want to be pouting, knew there was no point to it, but couldn’t help the expression no matter how he tried.

It was just so stupid! Caraenyl had been single before, for a long time in fact, and had gotten along just fine being alone. It’s not the ‘alone’ part that’s bothering me.

The redheaded kyta’an once again parted the heated blanket to let some of the living room’s cooler air take away the heat surrounding him. Usually, when he’d been on his own, a heated blanket was all he needed to keep himself cozy, curled up on the couch knitting or watching television or reading and would ensure he’d be snug and warm as he slept.

Now, however, Caraenyl only felt… disgusted with his once favorite way to keep warm. The heat it emanated was harsh, no matter the setting the kyta’an set it at, reminding him of flames upon a grill. A searing heat that would give food the outward appearance of being cooked, but be raw and cold in the middle.

He had gotten spoiled.

Ever since Caraenyl had started dating and living with his boyfriend, he found himself not needing the heating devices at all, so long as Merekai was around. The large wolven was more than happy to accommodate his shorter redhead whenever he wanted to snuggle, which was most of the time. The heat that radiated off Merekai was gentle, for Caraenyl truly didn’t know how else to describe it. It was always comforting to the redhead, helping to calm him at his lowest, and there was nothing like pressing himself against the wolven’s thickly furred chest, nuzzling against the muscles and breathing Merekai’s scent deeply, letting his boyfriend’s strong, reassuring heartbeat slowly lull Caraenyl into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The kyta’an sighed sadly, his pout lightening only slightly. He missed his Merekai. The wolven had been at a business convention all week, was supposed to be home that day in fact, but unexpected bad weather had delayed Merekai’s travel and he wasn’t sure when he’d return exactly.

Caraenyl tipped to his left, plopping into a fetal position upon the couch beneath his once beloved heated blanket, dark golden eyes barely registering the show he’d put on the television in an attempt to keep his mind occupied. He couldn’t really focus on anything, even knitting hadn’t gotten anywhere. The kyta’an tried his best to get cozy beneath the blanket and huffed out another sigh, this one more annoyed. When will he be here?

Time ticked by, Caraenyl dazing on the couch as his show played. He couldn’t tell how long it’d been when the front door to the house opened, but his immediate thought wasn’t that of his boyfriend. No need to get his hopes up about that.

However, his ears perked up at the sound and he listened. If it were Luuk’tan, he would have called out his presence before closing the door and Neffren usually hums the last song he heard in the car.

There was a couple sounds Caraenyl recognized as feet upon the doormat, a heavy clack as the door was closed, light clinking from keys being placed upon a hook beside the coats and a deep, growly sigh that the kyta’an recognized in an instant.

KAI!

Forgetting the blanket he was wrapped in, Caraenyl jumped off the couch, only to tumble into a roll as the cloth caught his legs. A couple swift kicks removed the blanket, which was immediately forgotten as the kyta’an dashed down the hall into the foyer. His face lifted into a bright smile when he saw his beloved wolven still standing by the front door, barely halfway out of his snow-covered jacket, and he couldn’t help himself.

Caraenyl ran toward Merekai, jumping up and vaulting off a little decorative table that sat against the wall, flying toward his boyfriend. The wolven noticed the flying redhead at the last moment, barely keeping his balance when Caraenyl glomped, wrapping his arms around Merekai’s fur-covered neck, burying his face within the thick mane, legs hooking around his boyfriend’s waist.

Merekai had to take a step back, obviously not prepared for such a thing, but only a moment later chuckled and embraced his redhead.

The kyta’an took a slow, deep breath, inhaling Merekai’s scent as if it were a rare treasure he’d never have again. The wolven smelled of pine and snow and it brought so much comfort to Caraenyl. His clawed hands combed through warm, soft fur and Caraenyl sighed happily; finally his beloved was home.

“I missed you, too.” Merekai’s voice made the kyta’an’s ears twitch pleasantly. Talking on the phone truly was not the same as hearing him in person.

It wasn’t until the wolven chuckled again Caraenyl suddenly realized exactly what he’d done. Heat filled his freckled cheeks as he quickly released Merekai and took a step back from him, trying to hide his embarrassment behind red bangs.

Had he truly just run and jumped onto Merekai like that? Like he was desperate to touch, smell, hear him again? Truthfully, Caraenyl was, but it had only been five fucking days! Way to make yourself look like the clingy type, dumbass!

Caraenyl’s tail twitched at his humiliation and annoyance with himself as he tried to recover. “Wel-welcome home!” He looked up through his bangs and blushed further at the amusement gleaming in his boyfriend’s glowing green eyes. Attempting to put the incident behind him, the kyta’an asked, “How was your trip?”

Merekai’s toothy smile made Caraenyl blush a bit more; he always did find it extremely attractive when the wolven smiled like that.

“It’s alright, Cara,” Merekai reassured, cupping the redhead’s face, being mindful of his claws. “I may not have been expecting it, but that was the best welcome home greeting I’ve ever gotten.” He leaned down, gave a small lick to Caraenyl’s temple, then nuzzled the kyta’an’s head, which Caraenyl automatically reciprocated. Merekai's strong arms wrapped around Caraenyl and pulled him into a tight, warm embrace as the wolven whispered, “Thank you.”

The kyta’an’s face was warmer than ever as he mumbled, “An-anytime,” into his boyfriend’s chest, not feeling quite as foolish anymore.

“Tonight I’ll show you just how much I missed you,” Merekai added, his voice dropping to that sexy octave that always made the redhead shiver.

Caraenyl paused, needing a moment to think properly as those words put all kinds of naughty thoughts and images within his mind. His cheeks felt as if they were on fire as he muttered, “We… could go to bed now….”

Merekai laughed, a deep yet lighthearted sound that had the kyta’an smiling. His boyfriend pulled away from the hug and put his hand around Caraenyl’s waist, guiding him to the kitchen. “Help me make some dinner first, I’m starving.”

Caraenyl giggled and nodded, the heated blanket remaining forgotten upon the living room floor.

[prplpnk]

Sweet Tea: The Store

A Merekai/Caraenyl Short

Caraenyl has a tiny problem.

Rating: T (Language)

Word Count: 778

Merekai belongs to the awesome @farseerdri

Sweet Tea: The Store

Living within the wolven-run Territories was great. The people were nice, governments fair, and housing affordable. Caraenyl could hardly find anything bad to say about his time in a small town just outside a lush forest, except for maybe one teeny thing.

Most wolven averaged over six feet tall; with that average came downsides to being a mere five-foot, six-and-a-half-inches (five-eleven if one counted Caraenyl’s cat-like ears!). Like shopping.

Caraenyl gazed longingly at the box of teabags sitting just out of his reach on a high shelf. His favorite kind, he was out, but the box had been moved up a few shelves and, even standing on his tip-toes, the redhead could not reach his tea. He didn’t dare climb the shelves; with his luck, Caraenyl would end up breaking the shelves and make a huge mess and have to apologize and embarrass himself. This grocery store usually had step stools in every isle in case someone height-challenged needed a boost, but a quick glance informed the redhead that the stool for that isle was missing. Most likely grabbed for a quick use in another isle and never returned.

He sighed, staring up at the box again. It looked like he was going to have to find a worker and ask for help in retrieving his tea, though he was hesitant. What if someone else grabbed that box before he got back? Was it the last one they had in stock? What if asking for help just led to him saying something stupid or doing something dumb and he made the worker feel uncomfortable enough that he gets banned from the store? Caraenyl couldn’t have that! This was the only grocery store in the area that sold his tea!

The redhead scowled, internally slapping himself. Stop over-thinking this! Go ask for help, idiot! He stared for a few more minutes, silently willing for the box to come down on its own. Introverted as he was, Caraenyl didn’t feel he was very good at socializing. He was pretty good at procrastinating, though. This was probably the only instance where procrastinating worked.

A hand appeared on Caraenyl’s right, easily reaching the box of tea and lowering it down for the redhead to grab. He looked over to see a tall, extremely handsome human standing beside the kyta’an with a gentle smile framed by a well-trimmed goatee. Green eyes almost sparkled as they gazed down at Caraenyl and the kyta’an could feel his cheeks begin to warm.

“Ya looked like ya wanted it.” The stranger’s voice was low, calm and had a light accent, instantly soothing and Caraenyl’s ears flicked at the sound. Caraenyl was hardly an expert in human languages, but he had studied some of them and this one was familiar… Irate? No. He knew it started with an I… had something to do with clovers? Whatever it was, the redhead knew he liked it.

“Still with me, lad?” he asked, lightly shaking the box before Caraenyl’s face.

The kyta’an jumped a bit, his star-struck brain desperately trying to catch up with the very kind act this handsome and sex-TALL human had done for him. His hands were slightly shaking as he took the box of tea with a nod. “Yeah, I… wanted it,” the words tumbled from his mouth clumsily and they weren’t exactly what he meant, but his brain just refused to keep up.

“There ya go, then.” The stranger gave Caraenyl a gentle pat on the shoulder before whisking past him; he was halfway down the isle before the redhead realized he didn’t even thank the man.

Acting before thought was apparently how he did things now, as he suddenly turned toward the stranger’s retreating back and yelled, “Thank you!” The man threw an amused smile and small wave over his shoulder as he vanished around the corner of the isle

Heat filled Caraenyl’s freckled cheeks as he realized he probably was just the teeniest bit too loud; people were peeking at the end of the isle, some of them looking annoyed. Putting the box of tea in his basket, the redhead turned on his heel and marched down the other way, hoping to give this embarrassing situation a very wide birth. A wolven lady giggled as he passed and he felt his cheeks burn. Maybe being banned from the store wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[prplpnk]

Yarn that Binds

Merekai/Caraenyl

Merekai had quite the surprise when Caraenyl moved in.

Genre: Fluff ‘n’ Stuff

Rating: T (Language, Death Mention)

Word Count: 1293

Merekai belongs to the awesome @farseerdri -- based on the Day 4 prompt from @downwithwritersblock list: How many sweaters do you even need?

Yarn that Binds

 “You can’t keep them all!”

“I made them! They’re like my children!”

Merekai held back is growl of frustration as his short, red-haired, too-cute-for-his-own-good boyfriend held a pile of his hand-knitted sweaters close to his chest. Those sweaters were a drop in the bucket compared to the full collection, which was scattered about Merekai’s suddenly very small bedroom in no less than twenty large storage bins.

He ran a hand through his black hair, trying is best not to shout and keep his more bestial side at bay. Caraenyl didn’t deserve that, no matter how stubborn he was being in the moment.

Merekai had left his boyfriend for an hour, telling him to thin his collection so it could fit in the house they now shared. After the time passed, however, Caraenyl had merely removed most of the projects from the first bin and placed them into the “keep” pile, and left the “donate” bin completely empty.

The house had been built by Merekai himself, many years ago for the family he’d had then, and by no means would anyone consider it small. Merekai was a fairly large individual, standing well over six feet tall and with a broad build to match, he made sure he’d be comfortable in his own house.

He never realized his boyfriend was a pack rat when it came to his knitting projects. Not that they weren’t good; Caraenyl’s knitted garments were better quality than most from major retailers, and he could pump them out pretty fast, too. But this wasn’t a storage facility. Sure, a few bins Merekai could accept and see the use for, but the hoard that Caraenyl had? It needed to be trimmed down; he didn’t want the walls of the house to become lined with bins, causing not only a fire hazard but an avalanche threat as well. How embarrassing would it be to be smothered to death by a mountain of sweaters?

“Even parents know when it’s time to let their children leave the nest, Cara,” the taller man tried, keeping his tone soft.

Caraenyl only shook his head and held onto the sweaters tighter. “But these don’t need to leave, Kai! Please, I’ll keep them out of the way, I promise!”

“Where?” Merekai asked, his frustration starting to leak into his voice. “The musty basement? Stuffy attic? Dump money into a random storage shed five miles away you’ll only visit to stuff more of your projects into? You want to keep all this,” he swung his arms around, indicating the entire collection, “just to have it rot?!”

The movement was slight, but Merekai very easily caught it; Caraenyl’s bottom lip twitched and the taller man saw the sheen of unshed tears within his boyfriend’s large, dark golden eyes.

Merekai sighed, his irritation immediately cooled at the sight of his boyfriend. This means so much to him….

He kneeled before the bed, where Caraenyl sat with his legs crossed, knowing he could be intimidating without trying. Now at least he was at eye-level with the redhead. “Is there… more to it?”

Caraenyl looked away for a few moments, sniffing and taking a couple deep breaths. Merekai waited patiently as his boyfriend composed himself.

“My uhm… my dad,” the redhead began softly, “he loved that I knitted. Growing up, I didn’t get along that great with my siblings, so I picked up knitting. Made everyone in the family sweaters and socks and gloves and hats… but no one really liked them. Except for Dad.” Caraenyl smiled a little. “Every holiday or birthday, Dad looked forward to opening my present the most. He loved every sweater and hat and socks… my siblings hated that, but I was glad I could make him happy.” The smile slid from his lips and he nuzzled into the sweaters. “And… then Dad got sick. He was in the hospital for over a year and a nursing home until his death…. He passed away a few days before his birthday. He never saw the final sweater I-” The redhead choked on a sob and Merekai immediately placed himself on the bed and wrapped his arms around Caraenyl to hold him close.

Death was never easy to deal with, Merekai knew that all too well.

Caraenyl cried for a minute or two before looking up at Merekai, a slight blush on his freckled cheeks. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Merekai shook his head. “Don’t be.” He gently wiped the tears away with his thumb and gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile, but after hearing that, the taller man had an idea why Caraenyl couldn’t let his projects go. “So you keep all these things around… because you want to give them to your dad?”

Dark golden eyes widened as they gazed up at Merekai, surprise flashing within. Caraenyl then looked away, his brow furrowed and expression intense for a few minutes.

“Shit.”

Caraenyl never swore out of the blue like that and hearing the innocent-looking redhead curse almost made Merekai laugh. The redhead just said bad words so cutely, he couldn’t help it sometimes. Merekai did hold back in this instance, however, and he gently rubbed Caraenyl’s back.

“I didn’t know your father,” Merekai stated, keeping his tone soft, “but do you think he’d want you to keep these projects around? They brought such happiness to him; I think he’d want you to share that with others, don’t you?”

The redhead’s smile was small, but still reached his eyes. “Thank you Kai, but….” He glanced around the room before landing upon Merekai with large, dark golden eyes. “All of it? Right now?”

That face… that pleading tone…. Fuck.

Merekai sighed, most definitely not in defeat, in relief. Yeah, relief that his boyfriend was finally listening to him and that puppy-face had nothing to do with it. Nothing.

“Well… how about this,” the taller man suggested, “why not give some away on your stream?” Caraenyl had been able to make a living strictly on knitting through streaming his progress while he worked. It was moderately successful, at least enough for him to live off of and pay for more yarn, and he’d built a decent community of it. “And maybe put some of the more intricate pieces up for charity auction? I guess I can deal with the bins for a little while as you thin it out.”

Caraenyl’s smile brightened considerably. He dropped the sweaters still in his grasp to instead wrap his arms around Merekai’s neck in a grateful hug and gave him a quick kiss. “Thank you Kai!”

Merekai could only smile in return; there was the bubbly Caraenyl he loved. He helped his boyfriend move the bins into the redhead’s computer room and promised to help when he’d do the giveaways and auctions. As Merekai went downstairs to start supper, he absolutely did not think that Caraenyl had him wrapped around his finger.

Not at all, even as Merekai smiled; like it was a bad thing.

[prplpnk]

Letters

The battle against the Legion carries on. Caraenyl, who has been safely holed up at the Hall of the Guardian, only wants one thing.

This took me way too long to write lol. Please enjoy! <3

 My Dearest Kai,

 I hope this letter finds you doing well. Congratulations on being named Shadowblade, we have to celebrate that when you have the time. You must be very busy, with all this nonsense I hear coming from the Broken Shore; it feels like ages since you last wrote me, but I more than understand that you have very little time to yourself these days.

The Tirisgarde are keeping me busy with research; I’ve lost count of all the books I’ve read about Felo’melorn, but at least the fictional ones were a nice break from the monotony of facts and speculation.

This might not be possible to answer, but do you know when you’ll be able to meet up again in Dalaran? It’s alright if you can’t plan too far ahead, with keeping a strong presence on the Broken Shore, coming to the aid of people when packs of Legion randomly invade, plus setting up raids on the strongest Legion holds. I wish I could be there with you, fighting by your side, but nobody will give me permission! Archmage Hikoto says I’m not ready and that I’m most needed in the Hall, but I don’t really buy that.

Hardly a moment goes by when I don’t think of you. Please, please stay safe and don’t do anything too reckless or I’ll write El and Luu and ask them to drag you away.

I love and miss you, very much.

 All My Heart,

Caraenyl

After letting the ink dry, Caraenyl carefully folded up the painfully short letter, placed his love’s name upon it, and fed it into the magical portal upon the mailbox within the Hall of the Guardian, his home for nearly the last year. He sighed, hoping Kai wouldn’t be disappointed with how short it was.

Cara had been writing to Kai at least once a week since he’d been stuck in the Hall, a floating mage tower above Dalaran. At first, it was easy enough to fill up two or three pages, but of course back then had also included updates to his health and the wonders of being in such a magically-charged place; something the mage hadn’t experienced in years.

Now, with the charm warn off, his body fully healed, and his mundane job, Cara seemed to have very little to write to his fiancé about.

The mage sighed and made his way up to the sleeping quarters. It was getting late; most of the apprentices and those who maintained the Hall were getting ready for sleep, while others readied for the night shift.

Caraenyl’s bed was small and cold, sitting in a large room with many other similar beds, most already filled with softly snoring mages. Cara got beneath the covers, not bothering to change into nightclothes as they were never warm enough. Curling up tight, he knew it would be another night with little sleep. The large fire floating in the center of the room gave off a gentle glow, but little to no heat and the mage could never get warm enough.

He drifted off only to be awoken a couple hours later by a severe chill down his spine. Cara was freezing and he got up, keeping his blankets wrapped around him, walking towards the glowing fire. He almost thrust his hands directly into the flames, but it still took several seconds for him to feel the heat against his skin. The mage placed his slightly warm hands upon his face, a feeble attempt at transferring the heat.

Several minutes of this only managed to wake him up instead of really warming him and he groaned quietly in defeat. Tossing the blankets back onto the self-making bed, Caraenyl grabbed his long cloak and headed through the nearly empty halls to the portal that lead to the city.

Dalaran was only slightly warmer than the Hall, but still floated very high up; Cara was convinced it kept the chill from Northrend. The city was fairly quiet, the lanterns giving off a warming glow as towers stretched into the starry sky. Most of the shops were closed, save for blacksmiths and armorers; adventurers darted in and out of those buildings despite the late hour. The mage slowly walked the streets, letting his mind wander. He found it difficult to not think about Merekai and Elithuin, his dear lovers. It had been some time since he’d seen either of them; the Legion was keeping everyone on the front lines busy, including all of Cara’s friends.

Caraenyl sighed heavily, plopping down upon a bench near the bank on the Horde side of the city. He felt so useless; he’d been healed for many months now, but he still wasn’t allowed down into the Broken Isles.

It had been a mistake, poor judgement on his part. Cara had been so excited to actually defeat the Legion when they first returned to Azeroth (they were the ultimate force behind the destruction of Silvermoon, thus the true killers of his family) that he didn’t wait for the others. He had ventured into Val’sharah to first assist the druids with driving out the new kind of Nightmare that was poisoning the land. The Nightmare, as the mage found out, was vicious and unrelenting. Caraenyl had barely been able to get away from some kind of swamp creature and had been severely hurt in the process.

Twisted ankle, broken ribs, fractured wrist, broken arm, slight concussion, black eye and a myriad of bruises, bumps and lacerations; the healers at Dalaran were sure to point out every injury to Kai and El, who had both rushed to the mage’s side upon receiving the news. Neither looked happy and Cara couldn’t blame them. He promised to not do that again and to rest.

With Caraenyl not being in any condition to fight, the leader of the Tirisgarde suggested he help Edirah, the Tirisgarde Researcher, with looking into the full history of Felo’melorn. Cara found he didn’t have much choice and agreed, sitting at a table surrounded with books day after day. The mage quickly found that, while he did enjoy reading, doing research was extremely boring.

During the last year, Cara found himself certain of two things. One, Edirah was keeping most of the good books for herself and passing on the second-grade to crap books about the legendary weapon to Caraenyl; and two, Archmage Hikoto, leader of the Tirisgarde, had been asked by Kai and El to keep him safe.

The mage felt more than ready to be out on the field, killing demons and helping to destroy the Legion, all beside his lovers. All his requests to do so, however, had been denied.

He hugged his knees upon the bench; what he wanted more than killing demons was to just be with the men he loved again. He missed them so much; at least they’d see each other more on the front lines and could sleep together in tents between battles. Cara wanted to feel their warmth beside him again as he slept.

“Feeling sorry for yourself, are you?”

The mage jumped a little at the voice, looking up to see an undead woman walking up to him. She wore dark leather, her head hooded and face covered with a mask. Caraenyl could only make out the eerily dark sockets where her eyes should have been and he swallowed nervously. “E-excuse me?”

“You’re Caraenyl,” she stated flatly, standing beside the bench.

Cara glared a bit in suspicion. “How do you know my name?”

“I’m a member of the Uncrowned; Shadowblade Korveris talks about you all the time.”

The mage’s ears perked up. “You know Kai?”

“A little,” the rogue said, rolling her shoulders, “though I feel I know you more. The Shadowblade worries for you and that’s why I’m here.”

Sitting up, Cara smiled. “Kai sent you!”

“No, the stubborn fool doesn’t know I went looking for you. Doesn’t know a lot of things, that one.”

Confusion swirled around the mage’s head. “Well… you found me. What do you want?”

“You’re turning the Shadowblade into a tight knot of worry; he’s sending half of the Uncrowned to watch you when he should be sending them to spy on the Legion.”

“Why would—”

“Because of your letters!” the rogue snapped, her slightly hoarse voice sounding even more grated. “Every letter you send mentions how you want to go to the front lines in this war, but the Shadowblade knows you’re not ready and is fearful you’ll do something stupid.”

Caraenyl scowled, standing before the slightly shorter undead. “It’s been a year! A year of taking it easy, reading books, doing boring research; I am ready to fight!”

The rogue simply looked at him for a moment, Cara still not sure if eyes filled her dark, creepy sockets, before quickly striking. Her left foot swung out, scooping the mage’s right foot out from underneath him and he fell back, his right leg locking at the knee harshly, making him cry out as he hit the cold walkway. Pain shot from his knee and he reached down to gently rub at it, stiff muscles screaming at the touch.

“That injury is older,” the undead stated, crouching beside Caraenyl, “and it seems it never healed properly.”

The mage hissed, adding a bit of ice to his knee and choosing not to comment. It was an old injury, one incurred while invading Draenor. His right leg had pretty much gotten mangled while destroying the Dark Portal; once proper portals had been set up back to Azeroth, Cara had been escorted back home while his loves continued the fight against the Iron Horde. His leg took the longest to heal, but even then he had been warned that it might not ever be the same. The muscles healed too tightly around his knee and while Cara learned to walk without a limp, sudden movements that put too much weight or pulled the muscles taught across his knee would cause severe pain.

‘This time was supposed to be different….’ Caraenyl shook his head as the pain ebbed. “You got me with a cheap shot, I can handle myself.”

“Like you did in Val’sharah?”

The mage tried not to flinch as he sat up, slowly rubbing his knee. “I’ve admitted that was my fault. I should have waited for Kai and El to join me there.”

“You shouldn’t have gone at all!”

Cara glared at the rogue, starting to get annoyed. “If Kai had been there—”

“Then he’d been the one hurt, covering for you!”

“I wouldn’t let that happen!”

“How could you stop it? You couldn’t keep yourself from getting hurt, let alone protecting anyone else!”

Caraenyl’s hands curled into fists. “I nearly lost Kai on Draenor… I will never let that happen again.”

“He nearly lost you on Draenor! That’s why he’s keeping you away from battle now!” The rogue sighed, her next words soft. “He’s already gone through the loss of people he loves; Shadowblade Korveris doesn’t need to go through that again.”

Cara’s expression softened and he looked away, remembering Kai had been married many years ago and lost his wife to disease and childbirth, his child died only a couple years later due to a heart problem. That’s when he’d moved to Gilneas, abandoning the farmhouse he had.

Silence fell between them as Cara remembered his fiancé’s expression every time his past family was brought up, the sadness in his eyes and that spark of fear the mage could never understand. Maybe he did now. It was for him; looking back, the mage realized that fear was about losing another love. Caraenyl couldn’t blame him, he still had similar fears of Kai leaving him, although not as strongly as he once did.

Maybe… maybe the mage was being a bit selfish, wanting to fight beside Kai despite his knee. This undead rogue was right, he really was in no condition to fight properly and hold his own without putting those around him at a greater risk, too.

Caraenyl nodded softly in understanding; the rogue helping him to his feet. Her hands felt colder than his as she held them, again looking right at the mage’s face. “I hope the next letter the Shadowblade gets will ease his worries.”

Cara smiled a little and gently squeezed her hands in response, nodding again. His voice felt tight, his heart knowing what he should say to Kai but still not fully wanting to.

“The last thing I have to tell you is this: If you get yourself killed and put Korveris through that trauma again I will personally ask the Dark Lady to raise you as undead so I can kick your ass myself.”

The mage felt the blood drain from his face at the threat and he swallowed his fear to settle uneasily in his gut. “U-understood!”

The rogue stared for another moment before releasing his hands and walking away, cloak billowing behind her.

Caraenyl watched her back, confused for a moment before it fully dawned on him who he’d been talking to and he called out, “Avalina?!”

The undead woman stopped, looking over her shoulder. “That’s your only warning,” she stated and continued on the path, soon disappearing around a corner.

Cara stared after her, frozen in shock. Had that been Kai’s late wife? Would a member of the Uncrowned be worried or upset enough with how Merekai was behaving to come find the mage and talk to him about it? Cara had a feeling the person he’d talk to was in fact Avalina Korveris, but really had no way to prove it. Not that he really wanted to run to Kai and tell him; if that was Avalina, she would have told him, right? And if she didn’t, there was a reason for it and Cara realized it wasn’t his place to say anything. How happy would Kai be, anyway, knowing that his late wife was one of the walking dead?

Shaking off that revelation, Caraenyl returned to the Hall of the Guardian and climbed back into his small, cold bed. He no longer had any urge to sleep, but his still-sore knee needed to be put up for a few hours. He kept it iced as he stared out a nearby window, thinking about the next letter. It would have some finality to it and he wondered how his fiancé would handle it.

Several hours passed, sunlight was just starting to peer through the window. Cara’s knee felt better, but he was still careful as he made his way down to the desk he’d been occupying for the last year. He got out a fresh piece of parchment, ink, and his favorite quill and started to write.

 My Dearest Kai,

 I know I wrote you only yesterday, but there is something we need to talk about.

First, I’m sorry for the selfish way I’ve been lately. I guess you’ve always known that my right leg didn’t heal properly and I am no longer valuable in a serious fight. I see that now and I’m sorry to worry you. I no longer want to fight with you, not if it means I could be the reason behind injuries or loss of life. I was being stubborn.

Which brings me to my question; would you like me to go back to our home in the Hinterlands? I’ve learned the portal spell to Dalaran quite well by now so it wouldn’t be a problem to bounce back and forth to see each other whenever you get the time.

It’ll be hard being so far away from everything, but I’d rather be waiting for you to return safely than you constantly worried about my safety.

I love you, Kai. I look forward to your next letter.

 All My Heart,

Caraenyl

 The mage sighed, once again waiting for the ink to dry before folding the letter, addressing it to Merekai, and placing it into the portal upon the mailbox in the Hall. A small smile graced his lips when he returned to his desk.

Cara would wait; soon they could have their wedding and be together forever.

[prplpnk]

A (fairly) short KaiCara fic.

Enjoy :)

[prplpnk]

Arrival

A short Dragon Age: Inquisition blurb.

Arrival

Haven was smaller than Merekai had expected. He had never traveled too far out of the Frostback Basin, preferring to stay close to his home of Stone-Bear Hold, but most stories he had heard of lowlander’s settlements were…just more. More houses, more land, more people. Haven, he found, was uncomfortably small; only a handful of solid buildings stood around the large chantry in the center. Yet it still housed the growing army of the Inquisition, although most of those particular people stayed in tents that spanned a large area just east of the town proper.

Merekai helped the two Avvar warriors accompanying him put up their tents near a recently hired-on mercenary company calling themselves the Bull’s Chargers. They were very friendly and had asked Merekai of his origins; he couldn’t blame them since he was a qunari, born to “tal vashoth” he had learned, but orphaned when he was very young. Some Stone-Bear Hold hunters had found him, hiding in a chest among a destroyed caravan and took him in.

He answered what questions he could and agreed to share drinks at the small Haven tavern, although his pale-green eyes searched the people around them.

It wasn’t until nearly sunset when Merekai saw the redhead he had come for entering the gates, his pale, freckled face standing out even against the snowy backdrop of the mountains.

“Kai!” The elf’s voice was filled with surprise and he ran up to Merekai with a bright smile almost making his dark golden eyes glow. “I didn’t know you were coming here!”

Kai smirked and held out a folded piece of paper with a broken wax seal. “How could I not after hearing that you got tossed through time.”

Caraenyl, the one lowlanders were calling their Herald of Andraste, flinched and a light blush began to spread on his speckled cheeks. “It wasn’t that bad. I’m fine, really.”

“I’ll make sure you stay that way,” Kai replied, tucking the letter back into his pack; he definitely didn’t keep it there so it’d be easy to grab and read at any moment.

Caraenyl’s face lit up even as he feigned a (way too adorable) pout. “I don’t need to be looked after like a child.”

Merekai smiled. “I know you have people watching out for you, all mighty Herald of Andraste, but someone needs to look out for Caraenyl and I’m fairly certain you forget to do that.”

Caraenyl’s fake pout melted away to something else--adoration?--but it was gone too fast, replaced with a deep blush as he looked away. “Th-thank you,” he muttered.

Stop being cute. Merekai then noticed the robes the redhead was wearing and an eyebrow rose in curiosity. “That armor… isn’t it in the style of… oh what are they called? Wardens?”

Caraenyl’s smile returned as he nodded, spinning a bit to show off the look, and he did look surprising good in the armor. It hugged his slender form in a way that made Merekai want to wrap his arms around him and warm Caraenyl up; couldn’t have been very warm. However….

“What’s with the pink?” Along the sides of the chest had been dyed a bright pink and Caraenyl looked down a moment and shrugged. “Iron Bull suggested it, to cover up the bloodstains.”

Merekai scowled. “…bloodstains?”

The redhead nodded. “There was this Warden mage in the Fallow Mire who was summoning demons, we killed her and her blood seeped into her gear. This thing had a huge splotch of blood all across here.” He indicated with his hands an area all along the left side of the armor. “I couldn’t wash it all out, so Bull said I should dye it and it worked! You can’t even see the stain now!”

Merekai frowned. Taking prizes off a defeated foe wasn’t surprising or unexpected, but usually useful items; weapons, unused potions or grenades or materials to make new armor and weapons, but the literal armor they died in? “Unsanitary,” he mumbled, starting off back toward his tent. What good is the armor that someone actually died in, anyway?

“What?” the “Herald” said, snow crunching beneath his feet as he struggled to catch up with the qunari’s much larger stride. “Hey Kai, wait up!”

Smiling to himself, Merekai continued on his way, grateful he had decided to come to the small lowland town even if it mostly was that he wanted to see Caraenyl again. The hole in the sky would be healed and the chaos would pass, so long as he could be at Caraenyl’s side.

[prplpnk]

Kintsugi

A Merekai/Caraenyl Dragon Age AU - Sequel to Broken

Summary: Finding a cure for Tranquility is not easy.

Rating: T (Angsty)

Word Count: 2010

Merekai belongs to the awesome @farseerdri

Kintsugi

 “How much longer will this take?” Merekai’s tone was sharper than he intended, impatience growing with every moment.

Cassandra Pentaghast crossed her arms and scowled, her own patience wearing thin. “I don’t know, Inquisitor. It could take several years; I’ve already told you the process of reversing those made Tranquil is still being researched. The process used on Seekers might not be enough for those who had this forced upon them and there’s only a few people I trust with the task.”

Hawke growled in frustration. He knew the Seeker was doing the best she could with what she had and did want to help. What did not help was the current situation. “What about summoning a spirit?”

Cassandra scoffed, “It’s not a simple task. The spirit must be pure, coaxed across the Veil to touch Caraenyl’s mind. The Seekers used specially trained mages, priests and templars to perform the ritual that summoned our spirits and most of them are probably dead, thanks to Lord Seeker Lucius.”

Merekai ran an irritated hand through his thick, dark hair. Had he not been cured of the werewolf curse, he doubted he’d be standing before the warrior as a human. Of course, at the moment, it made him quite ill-suited to summon anything without hurting or corrupting it. For the first time since defeating Corypheus, the Inquisitor hated Solas for his mysterious and sudden departure; his wisdom and knowledge of spirits were now sorely missed.

The Seeker sighed, her expression softening slightly as she spoke, “I know you want this for Caraenyl, we all know what he means to you, that’s why I’m telling you finding the right way to reverse Tranquility will take time.” She reached out, placing a gentle hand on Merekai’s arm. “It has only been a few weeks. You will not like it, but I suggest distancing yourself from him until we are closer to a cure.”

Merekai glared at Cassandra, green eyes sharp. “I will not abandon him!”

The warrior matched his expression, one of the few people not the least bit intimidated by him at his fiercest. “I’m not saying that, but being around him is not helping anyone, least of all you. You think us blind? You are suffering, Inquisitor, and tormenting yourself by spending every spare moment with Caraenyl will not heal any wounds.”

Hawke continued to glare, ignoring the truth ringing within her words. “I will not leave him.”

Cassandra threw her arms up in defeat and turned away in disgust. “Stubborn fool,” fell from her lips as she marched from the War Room, nearly kicking open the door as she departed, no doubt on her way to dismantle several training dummies.

Merekai was in a similar state and knew of the perfect place outside Skyhold to burn and shock defenseless snowmen. That was his intent, until he stepped out of the War Room.

Caraenyl stood just beyond the doors, waiting as Merekai had asked him to. His eyes were still dull, cheeks too pale, and sunburst scar barely hidden behind deep red bangs. The Inquisitor’s rage instantly melted and the irritation saddled to the back of his mind and he smiled sadly. Those empty brown eyes stared at him, waiting for a command, and suddenly Merekai felt trapped; like the walls were closing in around him. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”

“Very well.” The utter lack of emotion in the redhead’s voice still hurt.

Merekai breathed through the tears that threatened as he lead the now tranquil elf to the garden, hoping the peacefulness of it would ease his cracked heart.

He was silently grateful to find the garden mostly empty; Caraenyl followed quietly behind him as Merekai slowly strolled the grounds. Not surprisingly, it did little to comfort the Inquisitor.

The last few weeks had been… trying, to say the least. On top of responding to letters and meeting with various Lords and Ladies of Thedas for congratulations and thanks for defeating Corypheus, Merekai tried to reverse what those bastard templars had done to Caraenyl. He already knew it wouldn’t help, he didn’t need his companions telling him that, but he also knew he had to try.

Everything failed. Delicious, home-cooked food, beautiful music, softest silks in gorgeous colors, words of affection; they all meant nothing to someone who could no longer appreciate them. On the surface, Caraenyl understood the Inquisitor was doing it all for him, but denied that any of it was necessary. He would be more useful to him, and the Inquisition as a whole, working with alchemy.

Merekai told the elf he needed him by his side.

That only lead Caraenyl asking, with his emotionless voice, if the Inquisitor wanted him to “perform sexual acts” if it would help. Hawke was quick to turn the elf down. But Caraenyl could tell he was upset, even if he could no longer feel that way himself, and told Merekai more than once to not be sad; he was better off now that his emotions weren’t in the way.

Merekai hated hearing him say that.

He turned his gaze up to the blue sky for a moment, inhaling deeply, then looking over at the elf not a few feet away. His expression still neutral, eyes empty. Cassandra was right. Merekai was only torturing himself with this.

His heart ached even as he acknowledged it. A cure would come, but it did need to be done right, otherwise his precious elf might end up being possessed or worse, killed. He would need to be patient… and not be around Caraenyl until then.

Merekai bit his tongue, holding back tears, and closed the distance between him and Caraenyl. Gently, he grasped the elf’s left hand in his right, threading his fingers through Caraenyl’s lax grip. He leaned down, their foreheads almost touching, and closed his eyes.

The Inquisitor would give himself this single moment, one of being close to the elf he loved. He began humming a little tune softly, the song that had played when they went to Halamshiral and he and Caraenyl shared a dance. After the Empress was safe, of course. He could still see the elf’s hesitant expression; Caraenyl didn’t know how to dance and Merekai was more than happy to teach him a simple waltz. Caraenyl blushed the whole time, even the tips if his ears had turned red, and Merekai remembered thinking how cute he looked. They’d almost had their first kiss there, but Josephine had unknowingly interrupted the moment, which scared Caraenyl off.

He would never forget it.

Opening his eyes, the cute image of the elf blushing and golden eyes darting away from his in embarrassment faded. Caraenyl stood still, pale, not at all bothered by the Inquisitor being in his personal space. Not the Caraenyl he knew.

Merekai reached up and carefully traced a freckled cheek with his free hand, wishing to again see them fill with color. One day… soon. He leaned down further and placed a single, gentle kiss upon the elf’s other cheek with a whisper, “I love you.” With great effort, the Inquisitor turned, intent on stepping away.

 ~ ~ ~

 Caraenyl… felt something. There were words, but it was inadequate to describe them as such, since he did not hear them. Don’t go; whispers clawing at him from far, far away, muffled, muzzled, straining for him to listen, to understand. His grip on the Inquisitor’s hand tightened very slightly, more like a twitch, as he stood frozen, locked in place by something he couldn’t comprehend.

A new voice, not quite as distant, but much more articulate asked, “What do you want?”

Want? Caraenyl did not understand. He no longer had a need for wants; there was only being useful, working for those more important than him, for the betterment of everyone. Wanting… was unnecessary and clogged the mind with useless thoughts, leading to… unpleasant feelings.

“What does your heart want?” the voice asked instead, sounding closer.

Again, he did not understand what was being asked of him, however he felt his fingers grip the hand still holding his tightly.

“That will do.”

Caraenyl’s body jolted as a strange pressure began building around his mind, pushing inward. It was by no means painful and felt mostly external, but it kept building until the seconds around him slowed and his eyes widened as he saw a wispy, humanoid figure standing before him. It’s arms were outstretched toward his head and in the short time the elf’s mind supplied the word “spirit,” it appeared to lean forward, closing in on Caraenyl’s face.

“Be free,” it whispered.

A very slight bite of pain on his forehead and suddenly everything rushed around him. Like someone had opened floodgates. The scent of flowers hit him first and how much he enjoyed the smell. His eyes darted around, amazed at all the colors surrounding him, how beautiful they all were; birds chirped happily within the trees and the sound was so pretty. He could feel again and in the back of his mind he could once again hear the murmurs from the Well of Sorrows, although he could’ve sworn there was a very brief yell of relief and happiness within the voices once he recognized them.

The spirit had vanished, leaving a bright and colorful world in its wake. Caraenyl’s golden eyes fell upon the Inquisitor standing only a few feet away, his eyes wide as he stared at the elf.

“Caraenyl?” his voice was quiet, hesitant. Not something Caraenyl was used to hearing from the famous Champion of Kirkwall.

The elf started to smile, wanted to say reassuring words to the man who had not left his side, who worried and fretted during the last few weeks. But then Caraenyl remembered what he did over those few weeks and his expression turned to horror; he really, truly had offered to perform sexual acts! He felt his face burn in embarrassment, but when he tried to hide within his hands, he realized his left hand was still intertwined with the Inquisitor’s right and his blush crept up to his ears.

“Oh! Uh, Kai, is this okay?” he heard himself squeak.

Suddenly the elf found himself scooped up by the tall Hawke, strong arms wrapped tightly around him as he was pressed against Merekai’s firm chest.

“Caraenyl! You’re you!”

The pure relief in those words made Caraenyl realize he felt the exact same and tears stung his eyes, but he didn’t have the will to stop them. Feeling again was the best thing ever.

They stood in the garden, shedding tears of joy for several minutes. Caraenyl smiled up at the Inquisitor when he pulled back slightly and was shocked again when lips were then covering his own.

Tears came to his eyes again as he leaned into the kiss. It felt so amazingly good to have emotions, even if his love for Merekai was neglected for so long. This was so much better.

As they continued to hold each other, Caraenyl shouted a sincere, heart-filled Thank You in his mind, hoping the spirit who helped him would hear it. He never realized how good it was to be happy.

In the back of his mind, the Well of Sorrows whispered, in a voice that was familiar, “You are welcome.”

[prplpnk]

Cold

A wee, little short for @art-by-g just because. :) No read more line since it’s under 400 words lol.

Caraenyl was sooo cold. The blankets upon his bed couldn't seem to contain what little body heat he had and he shivered beneath them. Sleep wouldn't come no matter how he tried and he came to a conclusion he just knew he'd regret.

Gathering what little courage he had, Cara rose from his bed, wrapped in a single blanket, and silently made his way from his bedroom to the master bedroom upstairs. There was only one source of heat that would be enough to rid him of his chill.

Carefully, the redhead tiptoed to the closed bedroom door and reached up to gently knock on the door as high up as he could. He crouched next to the wall, waiting as he heard the person inside get up from the sound. Cara counted the moments with his heartbeats, the one inside the room slowly reaching the door.

As soon as the door opened, Cara darted inside, dodging around the occupant's legs and heading straight toward the large bed. Ditching his flimsy covering, the redhead leapt up, landing perfectly onto the middle of the bed and quickly wrapping himself with the still-warm blankets.

Cara snuggled into the warmth, savoring the few moments before the bed's owner was to kick him out.

He heard what sounded like a chuckle, then footsteps came toward the bed. Cara readied himself for the inevitable pull out of the nice, warm space and an escort back to his own bedroom. The redhead was surprised when, instead of being pulled out, the blankets lifted and weight dipped the mattress behind him and an arm wrapped around his waist.

Heat radiated from the wolven at his back, who cuddled up close. "You could've just asked," Kai whispered before settling in with a sigh.

Cara blushed beneath the covers, completely shocked that he hadn't been kicked out. He took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his racing heart. It took a while, but Cara eventually let the warmth surrounding him ease him into a deep, restful sleep.

[prplpnk]

Fate

Summary: In a world that hates him, Caraenyl wishes to find a way within it.

Chapter 1: What Was

It was considered a “deformity,” the cat-like ears and tail Caraenyl had been born with. At first, his family simply tried to hide his differences; he could only wear hooded sweatshirts or knitted hats and kept his tail in his pants alongside a leg, which made sitting awkward. For a time it worked and Cara never complained about having to do so. As far as anyone outside his immediate family knew, he was a normal elf who had crooked ears. Caraenyl was content despite never being able to have friends over to his house or going to theirs.

This time was short-lived, however, as he would come to accept much later on that he had made a serious misjudgment when a child that forced his parents to pull him out of the school he was going to. From then on Cara was home schooled and kept inside, away from prying eyes and questions that could very easily ruin the extremely prominent family name that his mother had worked exceptionally hard for.

Interested in more? Read it here! :D