#there's a waterfall in the hinterlands and I was so delighted there was a chest behind

[tk-duveraun]

The Tower (Inverted) 9/?

Inquisition fic: Ancient Elf AU

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Notes: RIP my arms.

“Can you two be a little less weird?” Varric asked.

“What?” Cakara nearly fell off Vasili’s hart when she contorted to look at Varric. She only remained in place because he grabbed the back of her cloak - her own, finally - and held her in place.

“Would you focus? I’m not pulling you out of a bush again.”

“Yeah. Less of that. I only get so much suspension of disbelief and you two use up all of it with your backstories.” Varric put a hand on his chest as he narrated. “The traumatized warrior-guardian from a mysterious elven island-”

“I am not trauma-”

“You broke the ambassador’s mirror,” Vasili interrupted.

“And the half-elven, Tevinter magister with a heart of gold,” Varric finished, as if they hadn’t said anything.

“Heart for gold, more like,” Cakara said, elbowing Vasili.

“Oh, so you want to walk?”

Kirtida muffled her giggle with the back of her hand and struggled not to turn around watch their antics. Magic was pulsing through the Anchor and while the feeling had gotten stronger for the last bit, it was weakening again. They were riding in the wrong direction, but the trees were too thick to stray from the game track and change direction. Kir hoped they could swing back around without going too far off course. According to Leliana’s reports, there were only two rifts left in the Hinterlands and Kir wanted to…

Kir’s roan hart stopped with her thoughts. They hadn’t gone the wrong way. The rift was right in front of them. The resonance had weakened because someone else was sealing it. Two someones else. They were elves, but tall, like Vasili and Cakara. The woman had dark, auburn hair in a long braid and held a glowing sword up, tip pressed into the rift, as if soldering it shut. The man’s hair was black and stood straight up in springy twists as he held out his staff and added his own magic to the rift. Their armor was similar to each other, but wholly unfamiliar to Kir.

At least until Cakara leapt off Vasili’s hart and sprinted at them. They only just sealed the rift when Cakara jumped on the woman and enveloped her in a tight hug. “Elders! You didn’t say you were coming to the mainland!”

The woman laughed and passed Cakara over to the man, who spun her around as if she didn’t weigh a thing. She sheathed her sword. “We wanted to surprise you. And not listen to complaints that we were ‘too old’ to be travelling.”

The man tapped Cakara on the nose and kissed her cheek as if she were a child. Kirtida was baffled. The two elves barely looked older than Leliana with their unwrinkled skin and commanding presence, but after staring Kir could see just a hint of grey in their hair. Still, it seemed odd for them to be the esteemed Elders Cakara kept talking about. Kir’s father looked ages older than them. When she realized how rudely she’d been staring, Kir slid off her hart and jogged over to them.

With a small flask of Dalish mead from her sash, Kir held out her hands in greeting. “I am Kirtida Lavellan, Inquisitor. It’s good fortune that we met.”

The woman threw back her head in delighted laughter. “Lovely!” She offered a pink, spun-glass bottle with a thin liquid inside. “I am Aquila Meshurok; it is good fortune that we met.”

The man stepped up and touched Kir’s hands, as well. “And I’m her husband Juniper.” He winked. “Be careful with that; it’s very strong.”

“I will. That’s just… Dalish wine. Drink it warmed. It’s not much, but Cakara said it’s more about the gesture than anything and I don’t really have a lot of space to carry things-”

“It’s very courteous of you, Kirtida,” Juniper said. “We were on our way to Skyhold to offer our expertise when we came across this rift.”

“Not even Chuckles can close rifts and he’s the Fade expert,” Varric said.

Aquila and Juniper exchanged smiles before she answered. “We’ve been practicing magic a long time, but perhaps the middle of a copse of trees isn’t the best place to discuss it.”

“You can head directly up to the castle,” Kirtida said. “You’ve travelled so far already. We’ll return shortly, there’s just one more rift in this region I need to seal.”

“Not that one in the waterfall was it?” Juniper asked. “It was a bit trickier, but that’s because we hadn’t figured out the best way to sew up the Veil.”

“No one’s gonna believe this, either,” Varric muttered, patting himself down for something to write notes on.

“You really can seal the rifts… Can you teach our mages how to do it?”

The couple tilted their heads at identical angles and their mouths curved into the same expression, though Aquila quirked an eyebrow while Juniper made a helpless gesture with his hand. He spoke. “The prerequisite knowledge is too much, I think. And if not that, we don’t have the words in Trade to explain the technique.”

“Oh! That’s alright!” Cakara said. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her cloak swishing and swaying about. “Solas, the Chuckles Varric mentioned, he speaks Elvhen. Terrible accent, but good enough!”

“It’s probably bad because the stick is so far up his ass it’s obstructing his mouth,” Vasili drawled.

Aquila smirked. “I take it you’re Vasili, then?”

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

[yourlipbalm]

The Dread Wolf

Part One

Pairing:  Solas x Reader Lavellan

Word Count: 1989

 Warnings:  None

A/N:  This is the last incomplete part.  Oh, the feels.  Damn you, Solas.

Summary:  Reader Lavellan and party reach Lothering and meets another familiar face.

               The journey back to the stronghold took many weeks. My clan was camped in the northern part of the Hinterlands, near Redcliffe.  I departed from the clan, this time on my own volition.  Keeper Deshanna did not object, except only to say on the morning of my voyage with a sympathetic farewell.

               “Do not dwell in dreams, da’len.  Life is precious when it is lived.”

               Her words were bittersweet, and I tried following them as the days brought us closer to the Imperial Highway.  In Leliana’s small group, there was only six people, including me.  We carried light provisions and made ample progress across the forest.

               On the edge of the Highway one night, Leliana mustered the courage to ask me about my left hand or what was left of it.  I had pinned the excess velveteen of my sleeve close to the stump so that it did not hinder my movement.  She observed it sadly as we sat around the campfire.

               “Does it feel awkward much?”

               “It is strange, yes.  I have had to learn different ways to do things one-handed,” I answered, fretfully.  “Menial tasks can still be done, but there is something I can no longer do without the use of both my hands.”

               Leliana tilted her head as if calculating in her mind what it is.  When she could not come to a conclusion, she questioned, curious.

               “What is that?”

               “I cannot use a bow anymore,” I sighed, missing the feel of wood underneath my fingertips.  The longing of precision shots and the singing of arrows was all just a distant memory now.  Leliana lowered her eyes, the dancing shadows created by the campfire stole across her cheeks.

               “Maker’s breath, Y/N.  I’m sorry,” she said, but then brightened.  “Have you tried wielding a dagger?”

               “Yes, clumsily so.  I am no good at it,” I confessed, but she grinned.

               “I could teach you, if you are willing?”

               I considered her offer and asked myself what I had to lose? Gaining another talent was achievable and I certainly was not disabled.  I possibly could use another weapon and a dagger seemed fitting.

               “I accept, under one condition,” I conveyed as she listened raptly.  “You do not laugh when I do poorly.”

               “Agreed,” Leliana acknowledged and smiled encouragingly. The potential for new training excited me and kept me occupied for the rest of the night.  As the embers died down to mere stirrings of ash and the others stretched out on their bedrolls to fall into the silken land of dreams, I reclined staring up into the starry sky.  Peeking behind the tall tendrils of branches glittered stars that sparkled like diamonds upon the blanket of the world.

               I blinked gazing at the brilliance of perfection that dotted the sky and suddenly heard the churning of water.  Sitting up, I realized I was back in the cove.  The waterfall splashed into the intrinsic pool to my right serenely.  The moss and grass underneath my body was supple and soft much like a feather bed.

               A flash of garments at the entrance to the cave drew my attention.  Walking into the transcendent light was Solas.  I bolted upright, quickened by his presence.  He gazed in my direction and continued to walk toward me.  This has never happened before.  He always stopped at the mouth of the cave.  Solas strode toward me, his gait graceful and majestic.  Stopping inches before me, I watched with delight as his lips curled into a handsome smile.  My heart burst with affection at how close we were.

               “Solas…”

               I raised my hand to touch him, but my arm would not move.  My body was frozen as if some unseen force held me at bay.  Disappointment ripped at my chest as I stared hurtfully at him.

               “You cannot keep me away forever!  I will find you…even if I die trying!” I exclaimed, already feeling the tears rolling down my cheeks.  His smile dissolved into a grimace as pain flashed across his smooth features.  The blaze of white hot light in his eyes burned brighter and then exploded, blotting everything out in a blinding flash of luminescence.

               I screamed his name, snapping awake with a shudder.  The other bodies around me stirred, but fell silent.  Rolling onto my side, I wept deeply.  The sheets underneath my head was soon soaked with the moisture of my tears.

               “You took my heart, my body, and my soul.  Why did you not take my life as well?” I whispered in fractured sobs, begging the stillness around me.  Of course, no one answered my plea.  It was always silence that reigned and it will continue to be.

               “There is someone who is expecting us,” Leliana informed as we entered into the small village of Lothering.  Walking the streets of where quaint homes stood, I followed my companions as Leliana led us toward a two story building.  A sign etched in the wood read Dane’s Refuge.  Harding and the other three scouts stayed outside as Leliana and I entered the tavern.  I noticed recognition formed on her face.  She moved about the place as if having been here before.  Small tables and straight backed chairs were grouped together in clusters across the first floor.  The barkeep was busy serving patrons and wiping mugs with a cotton towel.

               We headed up the rickety stairs to the second level and knocked on the second door to the left.  A moment passed and then the door swung open to reveal a tall man with blonde hair, amber eyes, fair skin, and a scar above his upper lip.

               “Leliana!” he exclaimed, grinning.  His brown gaze met mine and his face softened.  Nodding respectfully, he greeted me kindly.

               “Y/N.”

               “Cullen, it is good to see you,” I welcomed and shook his proffered hand.  He looked healthier from the last time I saw him.  Withdrawing his usage of lyrium had indeed taken its toll on him during the last days of the Inquisition.  He had fought valiantly to withstand the urge of taking it and now as he gazed at me with that friendly grin, I could not help but see the vigorous erubescent flush that stained his cheeks.

               “He has agreed to return to Skyhold with us,” Leliana briefed.  “I thought it a good idea to have his expertise albeit that we no longer have the military forces of old.”

               “If what Leliana’s spies says is true, then we must act quickly.  There is only room for haste if the eluvian is active,” Cullen answered, nodding.  I glared at him surprised.

               “Eluvian?” I inquired.  My reaction to his words seemed to confuse him because he glanced at Leliana.

               “You did not tell her?”

               “Tell me what?” I demanded and looked from one to the other.  Leliana pressed her lips together as if she was caught doing something wrong.

               “The eluvian that Morrigan used all those years ago, the one that we thought had been destroyed when Skyhold was left empty has somehow mysteriously appeared,” she clarified, quickly.

               “Eluvians can only be activated with a keystone, a powerful one,” I interjected, firmly.  “No one has that kind of power.”

               Leliana did not seem to be deterred, because she continued on gesturing with her hands.

               “You are correct.  It must be someone who has knowledge of this kind of magic.  Someone who can control it as easily as casting a spell.  The possibility of it being Solas is more likely than some other entity.  Was it not him that is now the Guardian?” she insisted.  The prospect of him opening a portal into Skyhold was somehow both terrifying and hopeful.  Staring at me hard, Leliana forged ahead.

               “If he means to unleash chaos upon the world, unlocking eluvians would be one way of doing it.  If a keystone is required to open it, would it not be also used to close it?”

               “That is possible, but we don’t even know what the keystone is?” Cullen pointed out, readily.  My eyes grew wide as it suddenly dawned on me.

               “The jaw bone…” I said, softly.  Leliana smiled as if she knew this all along.

               “Solas always wore it.  It would make sense,” she confirmed, nodding.  My forehead creased in confusion as I looked at both of them, not yet ready to believe.

               “Why would it have just been left there?” I wanted to know.

               “That is what we have to figure out,” Leliana urged and Cullen agreed with a nod.  Despite the anxious look on their faces and the confidence in their eyes, I did not believe that the bone would have been left there so conveniently.  Deep inside, I had an inkling that something was awry.

               Dawn approached and we set out north across the Bannorn with Lake Calenhad to our left.  The lush grasslands that belonged to the banns were opulent with tall blades of billowing meadows dotted with few trees and many wildflowers.

               Stopping upon one of these vast fields of viridian a few days later, our little group decided to make camp.  It was late afternoon to early evening when the sun was just about to dip underneath the horizon.  Faint shadows that marked the oncoming night were already sneaking up around us as I walked a little ways from everyone.  Taking out the dawnstone dagger that Leliana had given me, I proceeded to practice my inadequate skills.

               The weapon felt foreign and clumsy in my inexperienced hands.  Arcing the blade in a circle and thrusting it forward, it seemed to me was terribly awkward. I did not notice that I had an audience, until I spotted Cullen watching me inquisitively.

               “Maneuver your wrist more.  It will give you additional control,” he instructed when he saw me looking at him.  I knit my brows together in concentration and swung the blade in a motion which I thought was appropriate.  This must have been incorrect, because Cullen came over and grasped my forearm.  With his other hand, he positioned my fingers so that my grip was closer to the quillon and against the cross guard.

               “Daggers are stealth weapons and should be used for quick and unsuspecting kills.  When you hold it like this, the weight of the dagger is centered in the palm of your hand which gives it better balance and more precise cuts,” Cullen said and smiled encouragingly.  I glanced at him gratefully and nodded in acknowledgement.

               “You’re right.  I can feel the difference,” I answered, handling the blade.

               “Think of it as an extension of your hand. Without it, would make it difficult to strike at the enemy,” he coached and realized his callous mistake at once. Stepping away, Cullen lowered his eyes in shame.

               “I am sorry.  I did not mean to say…that about your hand,” he swallowed, astonished at his insensitive remark.  “I meant…!”

               “Cullen, I know what you meant.  I do not take offense,” I assured him, but he did not seem persuaded because he opened his mouth to say something else only to be interrupted by Harding.  She informed us that dinner was nearly complete.

               “Alright!” I called to her and turned back to smile graciously at Cullen.  “Do not worry about me, I will be fine,” I urged as we walked back to the others.  I had been trying to convince myself of this dauntless reality, that all would be well.  There had been countless times before where I faced certain death and survived again.  This is just another obstacle in the tapestry of my journey, of my life.  I overcame those problems with the help of my companions.

               And Solas.

               I could not have done all that I did without every morning waking up groggy-eyed to peer at his peaceful face or going to bed each night listening to his symphonic voice explaining how wondrous the Fade was. Duty and responsibility of the Inquisition was my top priority, but Solas…he made it all worth fighting for.