Who: Merrill and Bethany Hawke What: Trying on dresses and sharing secrets! Where: Frodo's house When: Saturday Rating: G Status: Complete
The past few days had been a whirlwind for Merrill and Frodo.. More than that, really, the past few weeks! They were trying to get things ready for the wedding, and there had been doctors visits to make, as well. Merrill was forgetting things left and right. She had checklists for the wedding, which helped, but things were still slipping through the cracks.
After Merrill had invited Bethany over, she realized that she’d needed to ask the other woman over, anyway, to take care of some wedding things, too.
Bethany came by, wondering what had Merrill so excited. Though generally, many things made Merrill excited so there was a large list to narrow down. Still, it was good to see her happy, and that they'd gotten through the blood magic thing. That had been more levels of terrifying than Bethany had been willing to admit. She still wasn't willing to admit it.
And since Merrill of all people managed to snag a man, maybe she had some tips!
The butler was the first to greet Bethany at the door, but Merrill wasn’t far behind. “Bethy!” she smiled brightly, practically pulling the girl inside. “Your dress came in! Will you try it on? See if it fits?”
A garment bag was hanging on the coatrack.
Bethany wrapped her arms around Merrill, hugging her tight, "My dress? What dress, Merrill? Not that I'd say no to a dress, mind."
Merrill squeaked when Bethany hugged her so tightly. Her breasts were more tender, lately, and she hoped Bethany wouldn't notice how much bigger they'd gotten. Not before Merrill had a chance to tell her.
"Your dress for the wedding!" Merrill said, reaching for the bag. "I thought.. Didn't I ask you to be my bridesmaid?" Merrill could've sworn she did. "Oh, goodness."
Really, sometimes it was a wonder that Frodo and Merrill had made it this far without walking into traffic.
“Bethy, will you be my bridesmaid? Please?” It was short notice, now--the wedding was only a week away! But at least Merrill already had the dress for her.
"You might have! It's been so hectic lately for both of us that we might have forgotten!" Bethany laughed, her face flushing as she gave Merrill some space, "Really? I would have thought you'd ask my sister..."
Marian was the hero of the family, after all. Bethany was just the little sister who died became a grey warden. Maybe there were some..unresolved feelings there.
Still, she was touched, "I'd love to, though."
"Hawke is my maid of honor. I'm sure I asked her!" They'd gone shopping for dresses together. "She helped me pick out this dress for you." She handed the dress to Bethany. "Try it! If it doesn't fit, we can have it tailored. I think we still have time."
"I'll show you where you can change." She led Bethany to one of the guest rooms. "Oh! Do you want to see the dress I'm wearing?"
"Good!" Bethany said. She took the dress, smoothing her hand over the fabric. She liked the feel of it, and the color was gorgeous. It certainly suited a Dalish wedding, at any rate, "Yes I would love to!"
She wondered if that would be green or if Merrill would have gone with more traditional. It was sometimes hard to tell with the elf.
Merrill went to the closet of the guest room. She'd tucked her dress in the closet here so that Frodo wouldn't accidentally see it. It was a bit superstitious, but it wasn't as though it would be a particularly long wait.
"I'll need you to help lace me up," Merrill said. "I'd ask Carson, but I think he's tired of me trying it on so often!" She stepped into the bathroom. "Tell me when you're ready," she told Bethany before closing the door so they could each have privacy.
It was the kind of superstition that Bethany would agree to. The last thing they needed was for Frodo to see the dress ahead of time. It was bad luck! She laughed at Merrill's enthusiasm, and quickly stripped down to pull the green dress on. She stood in front of the mirror a moment, trying to decide between hair up and hair down.
She really ought to bring a date.
"Merrill? I'm ready!"
When Merrill came back into the room, she was holding up the front of her gown, the back still partially open.
"Oh, I love that on you!" Merrill said, admiring Bethany. "It looks like it fits well! How does it feel?"
A gasp escaped Bethany's throat, "That's beautiful! Merrill, you look like a princess!"
She came over to help Merrill get laced up, "It fits perfectly. I don't think I'll need any changes. Now the question is should my hair be up or down?" She brushed her hands along Merrill's shoulders, "Yours needs to be up, definitely."
Merrill smiled, absolutely glowing. She smoothed down the front of the dress, looking down at the gold accents. "Thank you. It is, isn't it? I love it."
Once her lacing was done, she turned back to look at Bethany, trying to imagine her hair. "It's so lovely either way. Maybe half up? With some curls pinned back, or a little braid?"
"I think I like the curls idea. I have no idea who I'd bring as a date, but I'd want to look almost as pretty as you will!"
It didn't do to outdo the bride on her wedding day after all. Not that Bethany thought she ever could. She fingers some of the gold accents, "So beautiful.."
"You will, I'm sure! And it would be nice if you had someone there to admire you." She hmm'd thoughtfully. It had been a while since she and Bethy had spent much time together! She wasn't up to date on her friend's lovelife, and she felt a little guilty for not knowing more.
"What about that man with the wolves?" she asked.
"Well he just came out of a relationship, and he has..emotional issues," Bethany explained, not wanting to delve into the details about Graham's fears of his own heartlessness. Not that she believed it for a moment.
"I don't want to be pushy. Like I was waiting to jump him at the first sign or anything."
"Oh," Merrill said, nodding. "Maybe you can just ask him to go as a friend? Let him take things slowly, but not so slowly that he forgets about you." She shrugged. "I'm not sure my advice is any good. I didn't even realize that Frodo was just getting out of a relationship when we met."
"Well, I'll send him a message! He might be interested, even as a friend," Bethany replied, nervously. "I'm sure you get this a lot, but how did you end up seeing him? He's twice your age."
Merrill smiled. "I hope so. He seemed nice when I met him." Merrill shrugged when Bethany asked the question. "Well, we ran into eachother by accident, and he saved me from drowning. I suppose something just.. sparked. He's handsome and kind, and we have a great deal in common! He came with me to museums, and we went to Disneyland--He doesn't seem old!"
"So he's a kid at heart. And it's the heart that matters! It's a lot better than all those arranged marriages you might see with an old man and young girl in Kirkwall or something!" Her eyes twinkled, "Sparks don't hurt either."
Merrill smiled, nodding. "Sparks are good. My parents had one of those arranged marriages, though. They're wonderful together. Maybe that's part of why it works, too. My father is much older than my mother. It just doesn't seem strange to me." she shrugged. She knew it seemed strange to a lot of other people, but Merrill didn't mind.
Bethany nodded her head, "My father swept my mother off her feet in both worlds. Eloping the whole nine yards. They are..were...madly in love."
Merrill could be oblivious at times, but she caught that hitch in Bethany's speech. She reached for her friend's hand, giving it a squeeze. "I think that's lovely. To be so in love.. Well, I think that's the best any of us can hope for, don't you?" Her voice was a little softer, and she gave Bethany a warm smile.
"Yeah. I'm glad they had so many years together." She wished they could have had more, but there was nothing that could be done now. She squeezed Merrill's hand together, "And I wish for many years of happiness with you. No blood magic, right?"
"No blood magic," Merrill promised. She hadn't used any magic since then. She'd been too nervous to use it since the night Bethany had needed to patch her up, and she was even more paranoid now. The blood magic Merrill used sacrificed her on health to bolster her power. But now, it wasn't just her blood that the magic would draw from. She was absolutely unwilling to take that risk.
"Bethany, there's something else I want to tell you."
"Yes?" Bethany adjusted Merrill's dress a little distractedly. No blood magic was a good thing, it meant it was less likely that demons might show up here. Or the fade. Or worse.
It was a little silly, them standing around in formal gowns, in this house, just having a conversation. For a moment, Merrill felt like she was in a scene from Pride and Prejudice, or Downton Abbey. She felt like she should be addressing her friend as Lady Bethany!
"Frodo and I are having a baby," Merrill said, her tone excited and a little hushed.
Well, Bethany was nobility on her mother's side. She'd always wanted to be addressed as "Lady Bethany." It was a bitter disappointment that she'd never gotten to live in the family mansion.
Lady Bethany started, and then stared at Merrill, "Really? For real? Oh Maker congratulations!"
Merrill was grinning from ear to ear. She nodded vigorously. "Really! Thank you. We're so happy!" She hugged her friend again, relieved to be able to share her news, now!
"We just had the first ultrasound. I have the picture in the other room! I have to change first, though." She couldn't wander around the house in her gown and chance Frodo seeing her.
Merrill disappeared into the bathroom to change back into her clothes.
Grinning, Bethany took the opportunity to change, herself. Merrill was going to have a baby! She didn't think it could happen to a better, more adorable woman. Loud enough for Merrill to hear, she said, "You know, we should start an effort to get Marian married and knocked up!"
Merrill laughed, stepping out of the bathroom once she was dressed. Hopefully Bethany was finished, because she hadn't waited for the okay this time. It probably took her a little longer than her friend, since she'd taken advantage of the toilet while she was in there.
"That's hard to imagine! But it would be sweet, wouldn't it?" She could imagine her child playing with little Hawke children.
Merrill hung up her dress in the closet, next to another dress she was keeping secret from Frodo. "Look, do you want to see my Halloween costume?" She gestured to a white, lace-up dress, blue scarves, and very, very tall boots. "Do you recognize it?" she asked, grinning.
Bethany had finished, not that she'd mind all that much if Merrill saw anything. It wasn't like she didn't have anything that Merrill wasn't already blessed with!
"It would be adorable. After the panic attack and the freak out."
Bethany peered at the costume, then gasped, "Bela!" The dirty minded pirate captain that she had an unreasonable crush on.
Everyone had a crush on Isabela, didn't they? Merrill certainly did! Merrill was excited to dress as her friend, and hoped--though she knew it was a little silly--that by some coincidence, Isabela might stop by a Halloween party and see it. Merrill grinned. "I'm excited."
It was hard not to crush on Isabela. There was something about the Riviani that just drew one to her. She'd be Bethany's one exception.
"You have a lot to be excited about, Merrill. Wedding and babies and the second best costume in the world!"
Bethany grinned. She thought her costume was better.
Merrill laughed, nodding. She certainly had a lot of wonderful things happening! It was overwhelming, but in a lovely sort of way. On the one hand, it was all happening so fast, but on the other, she could hardly wait! Maybe the timing was perfect.
"Second best?" Merrill hadn't been trying to compete, but now she was curious.
"Mm, yes! Have you ever read Varric's steampunk airship books? I'm dressing up as one of the characters! Very intricate, lots of detail, and a corset that Isabela would die for." Bethany grinned.
"Oh! I bet it's beautiful!" Merrill grinned. "Does he know yet? That would be a wonderful surprise!"
Merrill closed the closet and gestured for Bethany to follow her to the kitchen.
"Oh yes! He's going as a character from the same book too. I suggested it, and he challenged me to wear something from it too."
Bethany tilted her head, "I wish I'd thought of Isabela though." She laughed.
"Oh, matching costumes! That's exciting. I think Frodo is wearing a pirate costume, too," she said, smiling. Not a pirate from their world, really, but it would be cute.
Merrill went over to the windowseat she'd covered with pillows, blankets and magazines. It had become Merrill’s nesting spot during the daylight hours. She opened a small wooden box and pulled out the sonogram picture to show Bethany.
Nesting pregnant women were adorable, Bethany decided, and Merrill especially so. She tried to imagine Frodo in a pirate outfit and started to giggle. Walking over, she took at look at the picture, "Too soon to tell if it's a girl or boy, right?"
Merrill nodded. "We don't know yet. We'd be happy with either." Merrill smiled, looking down at the picture. "Eventually, I think I'd like to have one of each." Maybe more!
"Any name ideas?" She asked, tracing a finger on the sonogram.
"Oh, I don't know!" The wedding planning had been taking so much time, she and Frodo hadn't really talked about it. Merrill blushed. "Maybe one. We haven't talked about it yet. But if it's a girl, maybe Marian."
"Oh, I think you might actually make her cry," Bethany said. "And that would be a better than than 'Hawke Baggins.'" Everyone seemed to call Marian Hawke in the dreams. It was odd, yet it wasn't.
Merrill still called her 'Hawke', but she didn't intend to name a baby that! Hawke was Hawke. "Oh, promise you won't tell!" Merrill said, reaching to take Bethany's hands. She really was sounding like a character from Pride and Prejudice, even though she was back in her jeans now.
"Oh! Your secret is safe with me," Bethany replied, a huge grin still on her face. She squeezed Merrill's hands, "I won't tell a soul! No matter how wonderful it would be to tease her."
Merrill laughed. "Thank you! Oh, Bethy, I'm glad you came." She reached over to give her friend a hug.
Bethany wrapped her arms around Merrill, hugging her lightly and a little gingerly, “I’m glad I came too.”