What Secrets Await

Chapter 31: Jardin de Rêverie

"Maeva?"

Oh, right, the vallaslin. Words failing her, she nodded eagerly and smiled.

He returned her smile. " Lethallin, we meet again."

"Eranan, lethallin ... Sorry, I forgot I was wearing the vallaslin . It's just paint, for my role as Dalish handmaiden to Lady Lavellan." She went to smudge it with then relented. She liked how it looked. She hoped he did, too.

They approached until their bare toes almost touched, never leaving each other's gaze. Her memory didn't do him justice; he was far more handsome in the flesh.

Should we hug? We'd departed on a kiss. Should we kiss?

They looked over each other's faces fondly, smiling dumbly. He seemed to be as tongue-tied as her.

"You're actually here! I didn't think it'd happen!" she burst.

"I said I would try. You doubted me?" he teased.

"No! I'm just... surprised! A good surprise, of course!"

"Indeed, and here I am," he fumbled. "Ah, shall we stay here, or...?" He looked around the stairwell.

"Probably not. Somewhere else would be nice. I have about an hour. Do you need to be anywhere soon?"

"No, I finished my work already. I'm all yours," he grinned. The way his mouth stretched his lips was mesmerizing. Maeva could not control the blush that flooded her cheeks. "I think I saw a good area when I came this way earlier." He gestured over his shoulder at another doorway.

"I'll follow, "she said, nodding automatically. I'll follow you absolutely anywhere right now .

He led them from the stairwell through the main rooms of the ornate villa. There was no one else around. She watched him walk ahead of her. He wore a simple but elegant tunic and robe, cinched at the waist in similar fashion to her current garb. His usual satchel swayed with his steps. She remembered him having a staff before, which was missing now. Come to think of it, the only weapons she'd seen tonight at the ball were ceremonial and decorative. Even the fancy little dagger she wore at her hip.

He seemed to know his way around the villa they moved through. "Are you staying here?" she asked.

"In this villa? No, Varric just told me to come here to meet you. It's empty and I explored a bit while waiting for him earlier."

"How do you know Varric?"

"Through business," he answered simply, slowing down as he approached a large open window. She meant to ask more but he stopped and gestured at the opening. "This way."

Eranan stepped over the windowsill gracefully, thanks to his long legs. Maeva leaned out and looked around. He now stood on a small inner-corner balcony, shadowed by the tall buildings around them. He turned toward her and extended his hand. This didn't seem like a great place to reacquaint each other, but she accepted and clambered across as daintily as possible.

The so-called balcony was barely large enough to hold a few people. Beyond the edge was a narrow space between buildings. Many windows easily looked out on them.

"Up here," he said lightly. One wall of the corner held a wide trellis of ascending vines and flowers. With one hand and foot lodged into the structure, he turned to her with a roguish grin. Her heart fluttered again as his smile. "Surely the roofs offer a better view."

The buildings of the Winter Palace were mostly two stories high and impressively tall. Housing high-arched ceilings and cavernous spaces, the outer walls rose toward the sky. The actual roofs were of mansard style, angling steeply before cutting into a flat space on top. Their smooth, light blue tiles reflected the glow of the colorful sky.