Ships that Sail - Yvette/Lyna

The Golden Hour

It took Yvette far too long to realise just how much Lyna had come to mean to her. She spent days scouring the colourful markets in Val Royeaux for the perfect gift for Lyna. She knew that wine and chocolate were sure fire ways to make her friend smile but Yvette was looking for some thing more.... personal. Something that clearly said, there's more here than just friendship.

So she trawled the streets, haggling the small vendors for information about where exactly that glistening gem came from, bartering with the large shop keeps to cut the price on the fine golden silk that would bring out the blue in Lyna's eyes. Yvette bustled around until eventually the sun began to set and the streets were set ablaze with the dying light. The golden hour in Val Roueaux was truly a sight to behold. That's when inspiration struck. A small thought grew into a plan grew into a reality as Yvette wove her way back to the inn. She would share her childhood with Lyna, show her the streets that she ran down, the cobble stones that split her knees, the sunset that illuminated so many of her fondest memories. 

Upon arriving at the door to the inn Yvette took a moment to compose herself. Her hands brushed delicately over her tunic and through her wind tangled hair, the repeated motion helped her to order her thoughts. It would take a few days for her to get everything arranged, to get the wine, the bread, the route planned out but it would work.

Three days later Yvette convinced Lyna to join her in looking for some fresh fruits and wines. They walked for hours, arms linked and joined at the hip. Yvette pointed to each fruit and recited the Orlesian name for them all, laughing when Lyna repeated them in a thick Ferelden accent. Eventually the duo made their way to the smaller back alleys of the glistening city and Yvette pulled them to a stop outside of a small building, no wider than the Iron Bull was tall, and opened her mouth to speak.

"This is where I grew up. It's not much but I have some of my happiest memories here." It went unsaid that Yvette was hoping to make more happy memories here tonight. Yvette took Lyna's hand and unlocked the door. It opened up into a beaten down hallway complete with yellowing family pictures on the walls.

"This one, right here, this one is of my parents and I. She had it painted after I did my first professional dance recital." A small, find smile wormed its way onto Yvette's face. She had given it her all that night, her feet were bruised for days afterwards but it was so worth it to see her mother and feather smile.

"You all look so happy." Lyna spoke plainly, but Yvette could tell that she was still taking the sight of the place in. It wasn't the glamorous chateau that many people thought that the Inquisitor had been raised in, nor was it in any way like the place she lived now.

"Anyway, this isn't the main attraction." Yvette grinned impishly at Lyna, catching the confused glint in the elf's eyes. "The real show is out the back."

"The real show?" Lyna echoed sceptically. "Makes it sound kind of ominous, don't you think?"

Yvette chuckled and lead Lyna through the rest of the house, weaving past the old baby pink pointe shoes strung up around the cracked bannister and the piles of books littered across the floor boards, before asking her to cover her eyes. "I promise I'm not going to do anything stupid I just want it to be a surprise."

Yvette left Lyna standing in front of the door blindfolded as she slipped outside to make the final preparations. She skipped around the small patio, placing a small foot on every cracked mosaic tile she could see on her way to the table. There, Yvette placed the strawberries she and Lyna had bought at the market next to the bowl of chocolate and she popped open the bottle of wine, pouring two generous glasses. The sun was about to light up the stone walls perfectly, so Yvette rushed back to the door and led Lyna outside.

"Ta da!" She chimed as she took Lyna's blindfold away from her eyes. In that moment, Yvette's pathetic excuse for a garden had never looked so beautiful. The white petaled flowers glowed gold in the dying light, the mosaic tiles threw up a kaleidoscope of colours, and yet with all the other beautiful things that glistened and gleamed in the garden, Yvette couldn't take her eyes off of Lyna. She looked positively radiant in this light. Her hair looked like it was weaved of molten bronze and her eyes glinted like sapphires. "It's a picnic, so we can watch the sunset." Yvette explained.

"You did all this, for me?" Lyna looked astonished. Her mouth fell into a perfect circle before the corners tugged up into her signature smile. "I love it."

And so as the sun set, Yvette and Lyna shared a bottle of wine, a punnet of strawberries, a bar of chocolate, and a few childhood secrets.

"No way!" Lyna exclaimed, slightly drunk and very happy.

"Yes way!" Yvette exclaimed back, sending the pair into a fit of giggles. As the laughter died down, Yvette noticed how close the two of them had gotten over the course of the evening. Lyna was so close that she could just reach out and brush the hair from her eyes, so Yvette did.

It was then that the two leaned together and shared the sweetest kiss that Yvette had ever shared with anybody. Their lips slid together in perfect union, like a dancer in time with the beat. The kiss, however sweet and fulfilling, was full of unsaid words and ignored emotion but it was perfect.