Author's Note: Oh, the end of a story line…so bittersweet. Evelyn's speech is the same as Sten's speech when he's caged in Lothering- translation on wikia if you're interested . Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this- I know it got a little hairy, but I hope I didn't disappoint!

Evelyn Entertains a Proposal

Evelyn stood on her balcony, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. The spring air had a nip in it, but she barely noticed. She was always cold, now. She didn't even care if she ever got warm again. The cold fit better with the aching emptiness that gnawed at her core.

She heard the door opened but didn't bother to look who it was. "Brr! Colder than a nug's ass in here…" Varric, of course. He had been the most faithful of friends, barely ever leaving her alone even though she had not given him any encouragement at all. Cole was almost as obsessively present as Varric and Cassandra made an effort, along with her mother and Callum of course, but it was too hard on the others. Krem was having his own struggles with grief, Blackwall vowed that he would hear her scream in his head until the end of his days, and Dorian was too racked with guilt to be of much help to anyone. For the rest…it was nearly impossible to see the shell the Inquisitor had been reduced to, compared with the blithe and brilliant woman she had been.

"We're all set up, my lady." My Lady, not Bright Eyes or even Inquisitor now. "Just waiting on you." He was pleased to see her looking better than she had since this whole nightmare began. She was dressed in supple drakeskin armor chased with viridian. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, but it was carefully brushed. It shone a darker red than normal against the dark green of her armor. She was still too pale, her eyes still dull with pain, but it was a start. Varric offered her the book he held in his hands and to his surprise, she took it from him. "Ready?"

Evelyn nodded and followed him out. Callum, Dorian and Cassandra were waiting on the landing. They formed a group around her, a bulwark against staring eyes as they stepped down into the great hall. The room was packed, but everyone immediately hushed as Varric stepped in front of the Inquisitor's throne.

"You all know why we're here," He addressed the crowd. "One of our own has fallen. The Iron Bull; staunch protector, mighty warrior…" Varric smiled as a memory flitted through his mind. "The worst damn spy I've ever met…or maybe the best, I never could figure it out." He paused as a laugh rippled through the room. "Either way, he was a great man and we're here to honor him." He motioned to Krem, who was standing in the front row. He and the core of the Bull's Chargers- Rocky, Stitches, Skinner, Dalish and Grim- hefted an ax between them and laid it out on the dais.

It was a massive piece, made of dawnstone and silverite and set with a masterwork demon slaying rune. Evelyn had given it to him as a gift but he had never used it, preferring instead to hang it on the wall of his quarters and admire it. He was unnaturally attracted to dawnstone- the remembrance of that tiny detail sent an almost unbearable dart of pain through Evelyn's chest. "Ataash varin kata," Krem said, his voice shaking. "Asit tal-eb. So long, you big horned idiot. Horns up."

The rest of the Chargers came forward, one by one touching the ax with their fingertips and murmuring a goodbye, always ending with the same phrase, "Horns up."

When they were done, Evelyn stepped forward and opened the book she held. The Maker only knew where Dorian had managed to get a copy of the Qunari Prayers for The Dead at such short notice, but it lay in her hands as a testament of his resourcefulness. "Shok ebasit hissra." She read, her voice carrying to the far corners of the room. "Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra. Anaan…" She knew the next line, but it caught in her throat, choking her. Anaan esaam Qun- Victory is in the Qun. But it was wrong for him, all wrong. Victory for The Iron Bull was here, at Skyhold, surrounded by people who admired and loved him. The Qun could just dissolve in the Void as far as she was concerned. She tried again to say the line, but just as she started the doors to the hall opened.

"Kadan, we have got to work on your pronunciation."

The book fell out of Evelyn's hands with a heavy thud that could easily be heard in the suddenly silent room. "You…you…"

Him. All seven feet plus of pure, heavy muscle, grinning widely and dragging a dragon's skull behind him. The tip of his right horn had broken off, he had a few more scars across his wide chest, and his pants were ripped and filthy but there was no doubt it was The Iron Bull. Warmth flooded Evelyn's veins like a lava flow and suddenly, she was furious.

"You bastard!" She flung herself at him, pounding every inch of him that she could reach. "You complete…utter…bastard!"

"Ow, Evelyn! Stop it, ow!"

He finally trapped her in a bear hug, her arms crushed against his chest. Evelyn struggled against him, fuming. "How dare you?! How dare you go and die and come back like nothing happened?!"

"Obviously not dead here, kadan…bruised now, but not dead."

"Krem saw the Ravager…saw you fall…he said…"

"Hey, look here. Look at me." Bull commanded. Evelyn raised her eyes to his. "I told you, no dragon's ever gonna kill me. There she is," He jerked his head over to the skull, "and here I am and I don't care if I have to fight demons, swim icy rivers, or share a bed with Dorian- I am never leaving you again. You hear me?"

She nodded. His expression softened as he watched tears well up in her blue eyes. Bull tried to remember if he had ever seen her cry before and came up blank. But Evelyn was definitely crying now; great, racking sobs that shook her whole body- all the tears that she had been too empty to shed when she thought him dead. There was nothing to do but pull her close, run his hand along her beautiful hair, and murmur reassurances in her ear. Then out of nowhere, her sobs turned to laughter. "What's the joke, kadan?" He asked, confused.

"Only you…would be late…to your own funeral."

It was like a dam had broken. Suddenly everyone was cheering, laughing, gathering around Bull and pounding his back, shaking his hand, asking questions. The dragon's skull was looked over and admired. "How the hell did you get it all the way back here from Emprise by yourself, chief?" Krem asked incredulously.

"Brute strength." He replied. "And a cart. Maybe a couple horses. But mostly brute strength."

"Why didn't you just bring a few scales or something?" Evelyn asked. "It would have been easier to carry…"

"Well, see, you got the necklace thing a little wrong." Bull told her with a grin. "If it's between an officer and someone of lower rank, the officer gives it. But if it's between a man and a woman, the man gives it first."

"So you brought me a whole head?"

"I thought you'd want to choose your own tooth," Bull shrugged. "Besides….I wanted to make sure you got the point. And it'll look great on our wall next to my ax. Now," He raised his voice. "Since we obviously don't need a funeral anymore, what say we have a wedding instead?"

The hall instantly went quiet. "Uh, Bull…?" Varric was the first one to break the silence. "There's something we need to tell you…"

"Yes," Dorian interrupted smoothly. "We'd like to say that it's about damn time…you overgrown lummox. " The Iron Bull just grinned at him and the two men shook hands.

"Sparkler, have you lost your mind? He's talking about marrying your wife!"

"Former wife." Dorian corrected. "We got it annulled the next day so the Inquisitor could go after this suicidal idiot, but then…well, we never did get the chance to tell anyone except Blackwall."

"You were going to come after me?" Bull asked Evelyn. She shrugged, forcing her voice to be nonchalant.

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Well, then, what do you say? Marry me?"

"Bull," Evelyn looked up at him, her expression more than a little worried. "You don't have to do this. Honestly, I'm just glad you're alive…there's no need…"

"Oh no, you're not getting out of it that easy! There's no way I'm getting upstaged by a Vint."

Dorian rolled his eyes, "I heard that…"

"But…there's no priest here…" That wasn't strictly true, but what Evelyn meant was that there was no self-respecting Chantry priest that would marry a Qunari and a human without weeks and weeks of counseling and prayer. Bull knew exactly what she was saying, and it didn't faze him in the slightest.

"You're telling me that Divine Victoria here," He waved his hand at a stunned Cassandra. "...can't perform a wedding ceremony on the fly?"

"Me?! But…"

"Will you, Cassandra?" There was no possible way Cassandra could have said no to the luminous, pleading look the Inquisitor was turning on her at almost blinding intensity. She sighed heavily.

"Kneel down, you irreverent bastard, so I can bless you and we can get you married before the Inquisitor does something thoroughly ridiculous like announce her engagement to Sera."

"I'm game!" Came the familiar cockney accent from the back of the room.

Laughter was the best way to start a wedding. Bull and Evelyn both knelt in front of Cassandra, and she extended her hand over them with a smile still playing across her lips. "Blessings of the Maker, and of Andraste his bride, be upon you…"

.:*:.

There had never been such a celebration at Skyhold, and there probably never would be again. They had put in a huge stock of alcohol and fine Orlesian food for Bull's memorial- those being the two things he loved the most besides battle and dragons. It was absolutely no trouble to find people willing to play their fiddles, drums or flutes for the enjoyment of the massive group crowding the grounds. The tavern and great hall alone couldn't hold all of the revelers, so they spilled out into the courtyard; dancing, talking, eating and laughing until the sounds of merriment echoed and reechoed down the valley.

Bull and Evelyn had disappeared for a little while right after the ceremony but it wasn't long before they were back. Bull was freshly scrubbed and dressed in the formal uniform he had worn at Halamshiral. Evelyn too had changed into a deep green gown that she had worn to the celebration the night they had defeated Corypheus for good. She normally avoided the color- it turned her hair from auburn to a very decided red- but Bull, not surprisingly, loved it.

He watched her as she twirled with Cole, both of them laughing for the sheer joy of the music. It seemed as though she had danced with every man in Skyhold, and a few of the women too, but she never ended the dance with the same person- Bull was always stealing her away. "It's good to see her laugh again. Or do anything, for that matter. "

Bull looked down at Varric, "It was bad?"

"Oh." Varric put a hand to his heart and closed his eyes. "SO bad. You have no idea. She just…shut down. It was horrible. So," Varric shot an elbow into his side. "Don't screw it up, Tiny."

"Not planning on it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go steal my wife."

Varric chuckled, "And don't we just love those two little words…my wife?" Bull just waved a dismissive hand at him before sweeping Evelyn into his arms and spinning her in a breathless circle.

The end of the night found them on Bull's bench at the back of the Tavern, surveying the celebration that was still going strong around them. Evelyn sat on Bull's lap, head on his chest and her bare feet swinging- the very picture of languid content. "So," Bull nodded up to the second level where Callum and Dorian were laughing over a bottle of Tevinter brandy. "Fill me in. What's going on here?"

"I won't even speculate. I don't want to curse it."

"But it's something?"

"It's something, and hopefully more."

"Good. I thought I was going to have to get mad again when I saw them kiss earlier…Cal really does look weirdly like you."

"Wait…what…kiss?!"

"That reminds me…"Bull looked down with a wicked gleam in his eye. "I haven't gotten a proper kiss yet. And no, that Chantry peck doesn't count."

In reply, Evelyn slipped off his lap and tugged his hand, pulling him toward the door that led outside to the side of the stables where they always used to go for a little privacy…but their spot was already taken. Evelyn clapped her hands over Bull's mouth, effectively silencing him, just barely managing not to squeal in delight herself. The couple, pressed up against the wall and kissing so passionately that it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began…was Varric and Cassandra.

By some miracle of the Maker, they managed to not alert Cass or Varric to their presence. The second they were safely back the way they had come, Bull let loose with a peal of laughter that almost shook the dust from the roof beams. He swept Evelyn- who was also laughing so hard she could barely breathe- around the room in a crazy, careening spin. "Oh, Kadan, I can't WAIT to burn his ass! This…is…amazing!"

Evelyn agreed wholeheartedly, albeit for different reasons. "I can't believe they stole our spot." She mock-pouted.

"Oh, don't worry." The wicked gleam was back. "I like my plan B better anyway."

"What's plan…ah!" Evelyn squealed as Bull hoisted her over his shoulder. The cheers as he carried her past everyone were nearly deafening. She struggled, commanded him to put her down, it was hard to take her seriously when she was giggling the whole time. When Bull reached his planned destination, Cullen-who had steadfastly refused to go anywhere near the tavern and was guarding Evelyn's quarters from curious partygoers- opened the door for them with a flourish.

"Thanks, Commander." Bull almost got to the stairs before he turned back. "Oh, do me a favor and tell Leliana and Josephine to clear the Inquisitor's calendar for the next few days. She'll need the rest after tonight." Cullen just barely managed not to laugh as Evelyn immediately flushed a stunning shade of crimson.

"My pleasure. Or, actually…hers, I suppose."

Evelyn's jaw dropped as The Iron Bull roared with laughter. Cullen reached across with a satisfied grin and closed the door on the Inquisitor and her husband.