#or is she now more of an oc
A Dragon Age 2 Fic by Morta Mahariel, A Wyrd Sister of Thedas
Thank you to all the wonderful people who made Dragon 4ge Day so fantastic this year! Your work was truly inspiring! I hope folks enjoy this oneshot.
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A warm breeze carrying the scent of salt and waves, driftwood and seagrass tickled at the edges of Mercy’s awareness. Her skin felt all a tingle, like the last traces of a healing spell were ebbing from her body. The thought brought with it a smile and a sense of peace. She didn’t have to move. There was nowhere to be. There was no one to save. The frantic life they had left behind seemed a distant memory in the moment that was now.
She opened her eyes to see a tousled blonde head of hair within reach of her outstretched hand. The longest strands, normally tightly restrained, had staged a rebellion to cascade over the face of the man sleeping next to her on the blanket. Her smile widened into a giggle as she stretched to murmur a breath away from his ear, “Your skin has turned a rather worrisome shade of red too, Anders.”
Without moving a muscle, other than the quirk at the edge of his mouth, the mage cast a healing spell, its blue waves of magic flowing like water over his skin leaving a tawny shade in its wake. Mercy rose onto one elbow, her gaze teasing over his almost bare form. Mmm, half-naked Anders, she mused dreamily. Rivaini swim clothes are…nice.
“Better?” Anders asked, his lips stretched into a cheeky smirk as his half-lidded amber eyes followed her admiration.
Heat that had nothing to do with the sun flamed Mercy’s cheeks. For the Maker’s sake! You would think I would stop blushing at his flirting eventually!! “At least you won’t look like a lobster when we get back to town,” she managed with a wink before settling back onto the blanket. “You could take it easier on me next time. I would like to see if a bit more sun could drown out the freckles.”
“But I like your freckles, Freckles!” the mage protested, bracing his head with his hand to stare down at her. “In fact, I think the sun has kissed you at least a hundred more times while you were sleeping. Look! I’m certain that this is a new freckle! And this one. And here, here, and here!”
Mercy rolled her eyes and laughed as his finger danced across her face, eventually booping the end of her nose. She pushed herself off of her stomach again to circumvent his teasing. Sleep had settled into her frame and she stretched languidly to push the last of it from her limbs. One arm came to rest just above her eyes, shading her from the rays of sunlight that were glinting like diamonds on the nameless stretch of white sand nestled against Rialto Bay. The sea was clear as glass and a shade of jeweled azure that made every other day she had spent back on the Wounded Coast diminish to a dull grey in her memory.
“And here.” A shiver danced over her skin as Anders’ fingers flited feather light across her back. He paused at a part of skin etched with a design in white where a Rivaini artist has turned scars into works of beauty. As silly as it might seem, the tattoos made her feel like she owned her skin again, turning dark memories of the time when she and Anders had been separated into talismans to strengthen her resolve on the path they had chosen.
A world where we are free…
Mercy felt Anders lips press against the brand, his hands tightening around her waist with emotion. “It’s so…good to be here with you. I’m happy here. On this beach. With you, Love.”
She turned to look at the man she loved, cupping his face with her hands. “Me too,” she breathed in the heartbeat before his lips found hers.
Mercy leaned back into his waiting arms, settling like a cat in his lap, his body warming her more than a lifetime in the sun. The sun would set, its light disappearing, but there was no darkness that they couldn’t face. Together.
