#zevran x warden
Day 2 of ZevWarden Week 2021: Gifts
I wrote a fic before where Zevran surprised Nelka by turning the earring he gave her into a wedding ring. Now, it’s her turn to repay the favor.
“Whatareyou up to, mi amor?”
Zevran’s tone was lilting and teasing, but his eyes betrayed a more serious concern as to Nelka’s whereabouts.
“I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to sneak off without you noticing,” she joked.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I know.”
With that, Zevran let out a heavy sigh and turned to fully face Nelka. He took her hands into his own and examined her features, looking for some clue, some explanation as to why she had been disappearing and darting off on her own.
“Nellie, if… if something is wrong, if I’ve done something wrong, please tell me. You keep leaving when you think I won’t notice, but I donotice; I notice every time.”
Nelka tugged a hand free so that she could gently caress his face, and he pressed his cheek into her touch.
“Fine,” she eventually acquiesced. “You don’t make things easy, you know that?”
He chuckled. “I’ve been told that before, yes.”
Nelka pulled a small, cloth bag from her belt and poured the contents into her palm so that she could then hand them to Zevran. He glanced over the two objects, then stared up at her with confusion.
“I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not finished yet, but you hadto go ahead and be nosy,” she teased. She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before explaining, “It’s supposed to be a ring. It will be a ring, eventually. You gave me your earring, and then you turned it into a ring for me when you asked me to marry you. I never had anything that meaningful that I could give to you, and I was so busy with Warden business that I didn’t get the chance to get you a decent ring before.”
“The ring you got me is fine.”
“Yeah, it’s fine, but it’s not good. And I found this gemstone in a shop… It matches your eyes. I saw it and I knew that I wanted to make something for you with it. We’ve been married almost five years, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give you a proper ring, something important, something that shows how much you mean to me.”
Zevran stared at the unfinished ring and detached gemstone in his hand, then over at Nelka. “I don’t know what to say.”
She let out a faint chuckle and smiled. “I was going to get some sort of engraving on the band, but I hadn’t decided on anything yet. So at least the surprise hasn’t been completelyruined.”
He handed back the pieces so that she could put them back in her belt, then stepped over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her head to his chest where she could feel the tension fade from him.
“I’m sorry for interrogating you like that,” he said some time later, after slightly releasing his hold.
“It’s alright. I mean, I’m glad you noticed I was missing, in a way, even if I was trying to be stealthy about it.” Nelka giggled. “What, did you think I was having an affair?”
“No! I trust you, mi amor. And I know that if you did want to have some extramarital fun, you would let me in on it,” Zevran teased. Despite his words, they had never known anyone else besides each other since he gave her that earring, several years ago. “I don’t know what I thought was happening, but… I was just worried.”
Nelka leaned back into him and nuzzled her head against his chest. “I just wanted to surprise you. I’m sorry to have made you worry.”
“If you want, I can still act surprised when you show me the finished ring,” he offered, and Nelka laughed.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
“For what it’s worth, my dear Nellie… Every day with you is a gift.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “And every day with you is a surprise.”
“A good surprise?”
She smirked. “Most of the time.”
Day 1 of ZevWarden week 2021: Homesickness
An unintended sigh escaped Nelka’s lips as the foliage above fully concealed the sky.
“Are you alright over there?” Zevran asked, glancing at Nelka.
They’d been on the road for weeks, searching for a cure to the Taint. Nelka had wanted to go alone, to let Zevran remain in Antiva to finish up any lingering Crows, but – naturally – he insisted on coming along. Though she would be lying if she said she wasn’t grateful for the company.
“Yeah,” she replied. She stared at the tree-cover above for a moment, and then continued, “I’ve been on the surface for years, but I still feel better when I can’t see the sky. When there’s some kind of ceiling above me.”
Zevran took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry, I still won’t let the sky gobble you up.” His tone was joking, but he never dismissed Nelka’s fear.
“Is it strange that I miss Dust Town sometimes? It was a horrible, horrible place, but…”
“It was home.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not strange at all,” Zevran said. Their hands remained clasped between them, and neither gave any indication of letting go. “I still miss Antiva. It is full of many good memories and many bad memories, but it’s always going to be a home for me. I do hope I get the chance to show it to you someday, without assassins stalking us the whole time,” he added, a smile on his lips.
“I hope so too.”
“If you do want to go back to Orzammar, I’m sure we can make some sort of arrangement. It’s not as if they can turn away the dwarf who defeated the Blight, no?”
“I’m sure some of them would find a way.” Nelka rolled her eyes, and the brand on her cheek seemed to burn a little bit as she thought on it. “Thanks, but I don’t think I really want to go back. I hear from my sister often enough, and she’s all that’s left for me in Orzammar. Thinking about Dust Town, about tons of stone above my head… It’s as if I feel nostalgia for good times I never had there.”
Zevran nodded. “I understand. But once we fix the Taint, if you change your mind…”
She held onto his hand a little tighter. “I think I’d rather you show me Antiva.”
“We’ll have plenty of time.”
Nelka glanced up at him and smiled. “For what it’s worth, Zevran, as much as I miss living underground sometimes, my home is wherever you are.”
He stopped dead in his tracks, tugging Nelka toward him with their clasped hands until he could hold her tight and press a long, slow kiss to her lips. He kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek, showing no sign of continuing on their trek any time soon.
“I feel the same,” he breathed. “Nellie, you aremy home. You gave me a chance so long ago to choose what I truly want, without answering to anyone else, and every choice has led me to you, over and over again.”
A few tears started to form in Nelka’s eyes at his confession. Damn, she was going soft; she never used to cry, but Zevran had a way of tearing down her walls with a few words or a gentle touch.
“I love you,” was all she could manage to say.
“I love you too, mi amor. And no matter how far apart our travels may take us, I will always come home to you.”
