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Chapter Text

An afternoon at the Hanged Man was full of rowdy drunks and bad smell, and Isabela entered the tavern fully expecting it to be that way. She sauntered over to a suite on the upper floor, gesturing to Nora along the way to bring her the usual drink.

After dodging a few unwanted hands, and giving one of the men a decent kick, Isabela arrived at Varric's suite, where three of her friends were gathered and playing cards.

As Isabela approached and took a seat next to Fenris, Varric declared a reshuffle for a new game that included "their wonderful pirate lady." Anders, who was sitting across from Fenris, heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Isabela suspected he was losing again. Poor thing.

As the new game began, Nora showed up with Isabela's drink. Isabela gave her a decent tip, aware of the nonsense Nora had to deal with when it came to the Hanged Man's other patrons.

Nora smiled in gratitude. As she was leaving, Varric had an idea.

"So, ever thought about how to get Aveline to join us? It would to be nice if she loosened up a bit."

The rest of the table didn't have any ideas. Aveline only ever visited to watch them play, or discuss their activites, or request someone do something about a problem she or her guardsmen couldn’t handle.

Isabela suspected Aveline didn't want to play cards because she didn't like the thought of losing coin, especially to those she suspected didn't play fair. A shame.

As for why Varric was so concerned, Isabela suspected it had less to do with Aveline and more to do with Hawke.

"Are you still salty that Aveline wouldn't give Dalia a chance to play with us?"

Varric grunted. "Yeah." He tossed a silver on the table. "She's been dragging Dalia out to do all sorts of work, which mostly consists of taking her on patrols. I can't see how that's necessary."

"She seems intent on making Dalia do the guards's work." Fenris said.

"Even though this all started when Dalia said the guardsmen weren't doing their work." Anders grumbled.

Everyone at the table took a moment to acknowledge how counterproductive that was.

"Anyway, I guess without Dalia, we'll have fewer people to play cards with for a while." Varric said.

"You could always bring Kitten, Sebastian, or the mabari." Isabela snickered at that last one.

Varric smiled good-naturedly. "Yeah. Though speaking of Daisy, I haven't seen her in a few days. Last I checked, she said she was busy studying something."

Anders made a face. "It's that mirror again, isn't it? Why did Dalia even bother assisting her with it?"

"She should have kept that tool, or handed it back to the Keeper." Fenris added. "It should not be in a blood mage's hands."

Isabela glared at both of them. "Oh, shut it, you two. How long are you going to go on about how much you don't trust her. Besides, that tool is Dalish. Are you Dalish? Do either of you know how to use it?"

Anders and Fenris looked positively chastised and with no comeback to offer. It didn’t seem like her words would put an end to their complaining forever, judging by their dissatisfied expressions, but Isabela thought it was nice not to hear any more complaints for the time being.

Varric snorted and failed to cover it with his fingers.

"Anyway, you guys still ready to finish this game? I think I got a good hand."

Isabela had an idea.

Merrill didn't deserve all the harsh words she got from Fenris and Anders, and if, by any chance, Kitten didn't like visiting the Hanged Man nearly as much as before because of these two, then Isabela was eager to get some payback.

"Oh, I think I have glorious hand." She eyed Fenris and Anders wickedly. "Do you boys think you have enough coin to lose?"

Ten years would be far too soon for Isabela to forget the way both men paled considerably. Varric chose not to hide his snicker. Isabela let out a laugh when both men nodded in acceptance of their fate.

Chapter Text

Once outside the Hanged Man, Isabela breathed in the air of Lowtown with a triumph grin on her face. The air was by no means pure, but Isabela wouldn't have it any other way.

She had a purse full of extra coins and she intended to spend it well. Given that she had earned most of that from getting back at a pair of boys who couldn't leave sweet Merrill to her own business, Isabela thought Merrill was the best person to spend the coin on.

On the way to the alienage, however, Isabela caught the smell of something sweet and glanced around until she spotted a stall selling cakes. It wasn’t the small, frilly cakes Orlesians were fond of, but average sized ones with drawings on them.

Sweet treats weren’t always cheap, and the ones that were weren’t usually good. Isabela spent most of the extra coin to buy Merrill a decent, round cake with a kitten’s face on it. The shopkeeper placed it in a box and handed it over.

When she entered the alienage, Isabela spotted several elves loitering around. The elves didn’t always like it when humans visited, since they usually came to cause trouble. The elves present seemed to make an exception for Isabela, and she almost thought that was ridiculous until an elven woman smiled and waved at her.

Isabela waved back, and quietly admitted to herself that she probably did visit Merrill a lot to gain that amount of trust. Not that it was such a bad thing, Isabela liked visiting Merrill.

When Isabela opened the door to Merrill's house, she was half-expecting, and not surprised to see, Merrill bent over a big tome on her desk. The Dalish elf startled at the sight of her and knocked her chair over as she stood in a panic.

Okay, maybe Isabela needed to learn to knock on doors nowadays. She had friends she could visit, no need to keep up the habit of 'breaking in' or something similar.

"Calm down, Kitten, I'm just here for a visit." Isabela soothed as the door closed.

Merrill stopped trying to grab for a broom. As always, her house was in good condition and as always, she kept doubting that.

"Um, nice to see you today, Isabela." Merrill stuttered, as she carefully picked up her chair. "I hope you're feeling well today. I haven’t visited the Hanged Man recently to check up on you.”

Isabela beamed. Merrill was always caring about other people. It was a wonder Anders and Fenris didn't realize this; or they did and just didn’t care. Either way, Isabela was very touched by Merrill’s concern, even though Merrill was the one whom clearly needed worrying over.

The pirate brought the box out from under her arm and held it out for Merrill to see. Merrill blinked at it, visibly confused.

"Cake, for my one and only Kitten."

The pun only made sense when Merrill took the box, opened it, and saw a cat staring right back at her. Or a picture of a cat. Same thing. The elf giggled and her own pair of green eyes seemed to sparkle with delight.

"Thank you, Isabela. You really shouldn't have...but, oh, thank you!"

Merrill moved to place the box on the couch, which had been a gift from Hawke. It was probably the most luxurious thing in the whole house, red cushions and all, and Isabela moved to sit on it.

Isabela noticed Merrill hesitate a bit, eyes drifting away from the cake to her bedroom, where that strange mirror stood. It was worrying that such a thing took up so much of Merrill’s attention, and while Isabela tried her best to understand, in the end, she could only hope Merrill was able to keep herself from danger.

She was a smart girl. A gentle girl. At times, though, she needed help, and Isabela was here to cheer her up and keep her company.

“Come on, Kitten,” Isabela urged. “Come sit next to me and enjoy this cake.”

“What?” It took a moment for Isabela’s words to register. “Oh! The cake, of course.”

The box came with a plastic knife and spoons, which Isabela thought handy. Merrill considered grabbing a few bowls, but Isabela didn’t want her wandering off and losing track of things. Isabela suggested they just eat it straight from the box.

Merrill giggled at the idea and took the first bite. Her expression was akin to someone who was experiencing ecstasy. Once she took a bite, Isabela could understand why.

“I haven’t had something this sweet before,” Merrill exclaimed. “The Dalish don’t usually have sweets. It’s so nice you bought this for me.”

Merrill’s smile was radiant. Isabela tried not to swallow a mouthful of cake the wrong way. Honestly, if she could make Merrill smile like that, she would buy her a cake at least once a month, if she wanted.

If she couldn’t afford it, Isabela could always ask Hawke for some coin.

“You, Varric and Dalia are the only ones who buy me gifts nowadays. Back with my clan...” Merrill’s expression turned sorrowful and Isabela resisted the urge to interrupt. She wanted to hear what she had to say. “The Keeper sometimes got me gifts if I did really well in my studies, but that was rare. It was usually Da’Renan or Tamlen who got me things.”

Ah, yes. Da’Renan, the mighty Hero of Ferelden. Isabela had the pleasure of meeting him years ago. It was quite a shock to learn he was from the same clan as Merrill. She suspected Da'Renan missed her greatly.

“...Now that they’re gone...”

Merrill looked to be on the verge of tears, the memory of loss spoiling such a good moment for her. Isabela thought about what she should do. When she took note of the bit of cream on the elf’s face, she had an idea.

Isabela swiped a bit of the cake and dragged a line over Merrill’s nose. The elf looked completely confused and Isabela couldn’t resist the urge to laugh.

“Oh, Isabela! There’s cake on my face.”

“There’s cake on your cheek, sweetness.” Isabela swiped a bit more and applied it to Merrill’s other cheek.

The sorrow was quickly replaced with excitement. Without missing a beat, Merrill applied some cream to Isabela’s face, dragging a delicate finger along her nose.

“Oh my,” Isabela sighed dramatically while Merrill laughed.

It wasn’t the most sensible way to handle a cake, Isabela knew, though it made Merrill smile and laugh and that was important.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Merrill exclaimed.

Merrill applied some cream above Isabela's mouth carefully. When she leaned back to admire her work, she had a big grin on her face. To free Isabela of her confusion, Merrill said, "Now you look like a manly pirate, like the ones in the stories."

Isabela snorted. She now had a mustache made of cream. Well, she's had worse disguises. "Aye. I also look more manly than Varric."

The elf could barely contain her laughter as she replied, "You need some chest hair for that."

"And you need more cream to look like a decent first mate to manly me."

Merrill's eyes gleamed like someone accepting a challenge. The two women proceeded to apply at least half of the cake onto each other, from their faces to necks and along their arms. Both of them were reduced a sweet, creamy mess, and neither of them minded it at all. Not for the time being, at least.

So long as she could ensure Merrill was having a good time, Isabela was happy to indulge her.

Chapter Text

The two women finished the cake in short order. What was left in the box was eaten sensibly, while what was left on them needed to be cleaned off.

Isabela, though, hadn't fought off the temptation to swipe a piece from Merrill and lick it off with her tongue. As usual, Merrill chose to imitate her, and while the elf did look flustered, they both burst into laughter afterwards. In Isabela's experience, such a gesture could be considered flirting. She didn't know if Merrill interpreted that way, and for a moment, Isabela realized she would be fine with Merrill taking it as something more than mere fun.

She cared for Merrill really deeply, didn't she? Days upon days, week after week and more of visiting Merrill had done little to convince her of this, yet in only one visit, Isabela had come to the conclusion that Merrill was special to her. It was shocking, and Isabela felt the urge to make a beeline for the door because things had become complicated...

At the same time, however, Isabela also realized she didn't want to leave. She was happy here, pleasing Merrill with a game and some cake. If she did manage to leave, Merrill might stopped feeling happy. Isabela's entire reason for being here was to fix that, wasn't it?

The pirate sighed as the realization of what her life had become sunk in.

Since they still looked (mostly) like a pair of white, delicious cream monsters, Merrill offered to fetch a towel. When Merrill mentioned it was the bedroom, though, Isabela intervened.

"Let me fetch it, Kitten. You can," She grabbed the spoons. "wash these."

Merrill didn't suspect anything. "Okay. I'll clean the knife too and keep them all for later."

As Merrill walked off toward the washroom, Isabela walked into the bedroom. She took note of the mirror, standing ominously in the corner. Whatever it was or whatever it was meant to do, Isabela didn't know, except for the fact that it was no ordinary mirror.

Merrill's clan had turned on her for keeping it around. The sheer amount of hostility they gave off when Merrill led Hawke, Isabela and Varric to Sundermount was discomforting, to say the least. Keeper Marethari had tried to convince Merrill to return to the clan, and in doing so, she admitted to having spread rumors of what corrupting effect the mirror 'no doubt' had on Merrill.

It was a difficult experience for Merrill. Not only was there hostility, but Merrill also lost four close friends to some ancient monster, a real ancient monster, and when she returned to Kirkwall, the rest of the companions were nearly as hostile toward as her as her clan was. Only Hawke's fierce defense of Merrill kept everyone in line. No doubt this contributed to why Merrill rarely showed up at their gatherings in the Hanged Man nowadays.

Isabela sighed. Fools, the lot of them.

"Isabela?"

Isabela whirled around in surprise. By the door, Merrill stood, still covered in cream but with a look of concern on her face. Her eyes darted between Isabela and the mirror, and the pirate cursed inwardly at herself. She had meant to keep these two separated.

She looked for the towel, saw it lying precariously on a table, grabbed it, and made to walk back to the couch. She barely noticed the way Merrill stood fixed on the spot, eyes on the mirror, until she had walked past Merrill and heard her whisper, "I miss him."

Isabela stopped and turned around. Merrill had her back to her, but it was clear she was staring at the mirror. There was a strong desire to grab Merrill's arm and yank her toward the couch, away from this object that had changed her life so utterly, and not in a good way. However, there was an air of melancholy about Merrill that made Isabela hesitate, long enough for the elf to explain her words.

"I miss Tamlen," Merrill said quietly. "we loved each other. Me, him and Da'Renan. The three of us were deeply in love."

Isabela blinked. Oh, she wasn't expecting that.

"I wish...we could enjoy things like you and I did today." Merrill had a sad smile on her face when she turned to look at Isabela. The sadness nearly broke Isabela's heart.

"You wish they were here with you." It was obvious.

"I do." Merrill glanced at the mirror, looking at it as if caught in a memory. "I couldn't save Tamlen and I haven't seen Da'Renan in years. It's like they're both gone and it's in some way my fault."

How, Isabela wondered. No one ever mentioned Merrill being guilty for the loss of two clansmen. Hawke made an off-hand comment once that the mirror was involved in the disappearance of a friend and perhaps, Da'Renan, or rather Tamlen, was said friend.

Realization nearly dawned on Isabela the second time that day when Merrill interrupted her thoughts, saying, "The mirror was behind it. My loss of them. I'm trying to find out how or why. If only..." Isabela heard a sob. "If only I knew how. For all my training, I can't figure out how this thing works."

"Kitten..."

"It's supposed to do something, not just stand there! It was behind Tamlen's disappearance. I might have cleansed it and made it safe but...even if the mirror couldn't explain what became of Tamlen, or how Da'Renan got sick, at least getting it to work would restore a piece of my people's history."

Tears were flowing freely down Merrill's cheeks now, Isabela realized with alarm. She had rarely heard Merrill so angry and it brought out the urge within to comfort Merrill. As the elf stood shaking and her tears hit to floor, Isabela moved to stand right behind Merrill and embrace her.

"Kitten," The pirate sighed. "I know very little about what happened, about what this thing does and what became of Tamlen," she tightened her arms a bit. "but I do know that you're not guilty of what happened to them. I met Da'Renan and I know he'd never blame you for anything."

He was a kind person, she remembered. Of course, there were many things she remembered about him but most importantly, that he was kind. Even as they rolled around in bed with Zevran aboard her ship, Da'Renan always made sure this pirate he barely knew was okay and was truly enjoying herself. An attentive lover and no doubt, an attentive friend, the Warden was.

Merrill made no attempt to refute that and to Isabela's delight, her shaking seemed to reduce.

"If you need anything, anything at all, know that I'm here for you." The sincerity in her voice surprised even herself, though she did not retract her statement; it was the truth.

"Oh, Isabela..." Merrill stared at the mirror for a moment longer, not moving or shaking or outright sobbing. Isabela held onto her, and waited with baited breath for Merrill to say more. "I know you'll always be here for me, just like they were." Isabela titled her head and saw a smile on the elf's face. It wasn't the happy smile from earlier, but one that reminded Isabela of nights when she thought about her crew.

On those nights, Isabela would sing a toast to them, to the bygone days they shared, and smile.

It was a smile of acceptance, of letting go and being thankful for the happiness she once shared with others. For Merrill to wear that smile...

Suddenly, Merrill twisted herself around so she was facing Isabela and still trapped within her arms. There was still cream all over her, and Isabela belatedly remembered the towel, dropped to the floor in favor of hugging the elf. She didn't really want to let go just to grab the towel.

When Merrill leaned onto her toes and forward, Isabela simply accepted it.

The kiss was merely a gentle press of lips. A tender thing. When Merrill pulled back, too soon perhaps, Isabela noticed her eyes were wet. She brushed a thumb under one green eye and came back with a wet thumb and some cream on her palm. It was hardly a concern.

Merrill asked, "Did that bother you?"

No, not at all. The only thing that bothered Isabela was the kiss was too short. "No, Kitten," she whispered as she leaned forward. "Anything for you, just like I said."

A happy laugh was cut off when they lips met. This time, Isabela made sure the kiss was deep. She immediately tasted sweetness on the elf's tongue, the taste of cake still lingering.

Isabela could feel Merrill melt into her, their bodies pressed closely. As Isabela kept her arms locked around Merrill, Merrill wrapped her own arms around the pirate.

"I really like you, Isabela," Merrill said, a tad breathless.

"I like you too, sweetness."

The words were followed by another deep kiss.

Perhaps there was no hope in regaining lost friends. If they were gone, one could only keep them in their hearts and remember the good moments they shared. If one was lucky, they could find someone new to keep them company. Isabela had discovered today that she was willing to be that new someone for Merrill.

She doubted it would be easy for her to love someone, but with this brave and pretty and lonely Dalish mage by her side, Isabela thought she could do anything.

With their foreheads pressed together and both smiling, rather giddily, Isabela promised she would be Merrill's.

That would be the pirate's gift to her.