Part 17

Together, they see the world. They go further than Killian has ever dreamed, leaving their home country to explore the surrounding worlds. They climb mountains, cross seas, wander caves and see everything.

He enjoys it most when they're sailing. The rocking of a ship relaxes him, calms him, and he sleeps with ease. Eventually, they pay for passage on a merchant ship and they traverse the coast for a year.

One night, when there's a furious storm, Emma and Killian lock down the hatches of their tiny cabin and come together, Emma's body pliant and warm against his as they move with each rock of the ship.

And when she's curled up at his side, his hand toying with the ends of her hair, he asks her to marry him.

He hadn't thought about it until then, had always been perfectly content with what they had - he still is - but the phrase comes to his mind and he needs to voice it.

She kisses him, tangles her tongue with his and presses into him, his arms wrapping around her waist, and then she pulls back and says no.

For a moment, he feels like he's drowning. He struggles to breath, suffocates, and then Emma takes his hand and moves it so he's holding the phylactery, and the furious beats of the vial bring him back. Emma runs her finger along his cheek, concern clear on her face even though she has to know what brought on his panic.

"I love you. I always will." she promises. "The only person that needs to know that is you. We're far from your family, and I have none of my own and I don't believe in the Maker enough to want a ceremony for only him."

"It would be for us." He murmurs, because there's part of him that wants to do things the way he was taught to, back with Liam at the Chantry. He wants the Maker to know that they've chosen each other. "You may not believe, but I do, Emma."

Emma frowns contemplatively, and then her thumb brushes across his bottom lip. "Do you know the vows?" she asks. "Because if you do, say them. The Maker will know, and we'll know. Besides, we dedicate ourselves to each other every night anyway."

It takes him a moment, but he remembers.

And ten minutes later, it may not be official, but he's made vows to her and to the Maker, and these vows he knows he will never break.

She's his wife in all ways that matter, and he's smiling so widely it hurts. She presses her smile to his, rolls to straddle his hips and lower herself onto him, and everything he's suffered through was worth it because it got him to this.

For a while, they consider finding a place to stay, somewhere they could settle. After a couple more years of wandering, they find a small village with an empty cottage and it becomes theirs. It's tiny, only two rooms, but it's more of a home than they've had in a very long time.

They find a routine easily, and it's nice. Emma makes poultices and potions for the villagers and they use the few coins she receives to buy clothes and food for the orphans that live in the Chantry, the way Milah had done for Killian decades earlier. Killian helps too, teaching the children how to read and write.

And when they're not doing that, when they're both free, they simply enjoy being with each other.

One of the boys at the Chantry sits outside and reads books when the sun is high, and it reminds Killian of Liam so one day, he talks to him.

His name is Henry, and he's alone. He likes to read the Chants and History books that he can find in the Chantry archives, but most of all he loves to learn.

Killian introduces him to Emma and she begins to teach the child how to make the poultices. Soon, Henry's spending every afternoon at their home. He talks a lot but it's nice to hear such optimistic views on the world, especially from a boy who has never had a reason to see the world any other way.

And Killian knows Emma is growing fond of the child, knows she loves him. Killian cares for Henry too.

So, although he's still uncertain if he can be the father Henry deserves, he asks Emma one evening if she wants this place to be their home, if she wants to stay here with him and with Henry. They've already lived in the same village for close to four years, so he assumes he knows her answer.

Emma pulls him towards her, wraps her arms around his waists and rests her head against his heart. "I don't want to stay here." she says quietly. "I can hear the song, Killian. It's faint and I can ignore it, but it's there. And it's going to get louder. I can't do that to Henry. I can't care for him and adopt him when I'm going to have to leave."

Killian feels his heart beating furiously in his chest, because if Emma can hear the Calling, she's running out of time. They're running out of time, and as happy as he's been, he still fears being without her and he's still utterly certain that he won't survive without her.

And it's hard to leave but they do, and Emma holds Henry close and tells him she's sorry but they can't be the family he deserves.

For days, Emma cries, and Killian holds her and tries to make her happy, tries to cheer her up, but he misses the child too, even if he understands perfectly why they had to go.

They never find another place to call home, but they enjoy their adventures together.

At least, he enjoys their adventures until days start where Emma's often distracted, when her eyes glaze over and she looks into the distance and even kisses and soft touches can't bring her back. He knows it's the song, that it's louder now, and he loses sleep because losing Emma the way he is is more painful than anything he's experienced before, and he knows pain.

He hates that she's being taken captive by something she can never escape, something he can't try to save her from.

And it's been fifteen years since he met her when Emma takes her staff in hand and tells him it's time for her last adventure.

Killian kisses her, and it's not their last kiss, not yet, because he won't let her last days be lonely.

He goes with her.

And that's the end! I hope you enjoyed this story - I've enjoyed writing it! I'm so thankful for all the reviews/favourites/alerts because back when I started writing and planning this, I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it work for people who didn't know the Dragon Age Universe and that it wouldn't work or people wouldn't want to read it. So it means a lot to hear you've enjoyed this story.

And a final thank you to my beta, BlackDragon733, who tried her hardest to think of a happy ending (but couldn't).