Chapter Text
“Stop them!” Rylen shouted onto the pitch. The football flew past, chased by several teens jostling each other in an attempt to get to it first.
One of Ostwick’s strikers did, but Hobbes stole it and headed the opposite direction. The crowd screamed from the stands as Hobbes broke away toward the net.
“Take it home!”
The goalie crouched, waiting to see which direction Hobbes would go. He feinted left before going right. Time slowed as he pulled his leg back and kicked.
The ball soared to the back of the net and the crowd erupted in cheers once more.
The team ran onto the pitch and piled into Hobbes in celebration. Rylen shook hands with Ostwick’s coach and then corralled the players to shake hands with those from the other team. If he imparted one thing on them this season, it was that they would be good sports no matter the outcome of the match. When they were done, he let them loose to the crowd, and the teens immediately ran toward their family and friends in their excitement.
His eyes immediately sought out Effie. She stood clapping in the second row at the far edge of the stands. A couple guards nearby attempted to blend into the crowd, but he’d grown used to them by now, as had the other attendees. They’d been a regular occurrence at his matches for some years now.
He headed toward her, lifting her down to the grass before greeting her with a kiss.
“Congratulations, Coach,” she teased as she wrapped her arms around his waist and peered up at him.
He smiled down at her. If someone had told him when he first arrived in Kirkwall that he'd leave the military—and the Templars—to coach competitive football for kids from Kirkwall's Darktown and Lowtown neighborhoods, he’d have thought they were out of their mind. Yet here he was, more fulfilled than he had been in all his years in the military.
“I’ve a few things to wrap up before we go,” he told her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’ll wait for you in the car.”
It wasn’t more than fifteen minutes before he was sliding into the backseat next to her. She locked her phone and reached for his hand as he buckled himself in. “Ready?”
“At your service.” He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the back several times. The smile he elicited from her gave him the same joy inside he’d gotten every time since the day he'd met her.
The driver took one of the routes back to the palace, their caravan racing through near empty streets behind a silent police vehicle.
“How was your day?” he asked her.
Effie rolled her eyes. “The nobles are as obstinate as ever.”
He stared down at their intertwined hands before he ran his thumb over her knuckles as he considered what to say next. They hadn’t ever talked about life beyond Kirkwall, though they both knew it would happen someday. He took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Cullen called today.”
“Did he?” Effie asked, the surprise evident in her voice.
He nodded. “He offered me a job.”
“Oh?” When Rylen didn’t respond, Effie squeezed his hand. “Tell me more about it?”
“Divine Justinia is reforming the Inquisition. She called for a...they’re calling it a conclave for the opposing sides to meet and find some peace.”
“I saw that. Cullen plans to work with her?”
“With the Inquisition,” he confirmed, “He offered me a position as his second.”
Rylen held his breath as she held his gaze. He was happy here in Kirkwall, and he’d be happy to stay here the rest of life if that’s what she wanted, as long as he was by her side. It was a good job though, one that would be good to help rebuild his career now that the Templars were well and truly behind him.
“Where is this Inquisition?”
“Ferelden, for now. The conclave will be at the Temple.”
“I haven’t been to Ferelden in a decade,” she mused as she turned to gaze out the window. “I wonder how it’s changed.”
“Changed? Do you mean…”
She squeezed his hand again and she smiled back at him. “I’ve been president for almost four years. It’s time someone else took on the responsibility.”
He tugged her toward him, burying his free hand in her hair. “I’m the luckiest man in the world to have you, my love.”
“We both are.” She pressed her lips to the soft skin beneath his jaw and rested her head on his shoulder. No matter what came next, they would face it together.