(Inspired by this incredible piece of fan art- post/105528871412/i-bet-solas-knows-a-lot-about-old-elvhen)
No where else in the world do the stars burn as brightly as they do in the desert sky.
It is a vision, truly.
Though not nearly as magnificent as the vision before me.
I quietly watch her as she assists Cole with cleaning his blood-stained daggers while we rest in camp overnight.
She does not notice at first, but then her eyes meet mine, and I feel that familiar yet inexplicable elation whenever I see her smile.
She finishes wiping the dagger and carefully gives it back to Cole, before making her way towards where I sat.
"What are you up to?" she asks, sitting down and snuggling in against me.
"Nothing of particular importance," I reply softly, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. I close my eyes as I inhale deeply, taking in her wonderful scent.
We sit in silence for a few moments, my fingers gently stroking her untied hair.
"It's a beautiful night," I murmur, looking back up at the brilliantly speckled night sky.
"It is," she responds sleepily.
I sit up, an idea abruptly presenting itself to me. She quickly follows suit, a little surprised by my sudden movement.
"Is something wrong?" she asks.
I smile at her and stand up, extending my hand out for her to take.
"Come with me," I tell her.
She takes my hand hesitantly and stands up, a curious smile spreading across her lips.
She allows me to lead her away from the camp to a nearby, hidden area behind a large rock. I sit and lie down on the soft, moonlit sand, gently pulling her down beside me. She lightly rests her head on my chest, not questioning a thing.
"Look," I tell her, pointing up at the sky. "You see that cluster of starts up there?"
"Yes."
"It is a constellation," I explain softly. "Fenrir."
"Fenrir?" she repeats. "As in, a wolf?"
"Yes. White Wolf, to be precise."
She remains silent as she ponders the sky.
"Is it in anyway related to Fen'Harel?" she asks. "Or is it part of Tevinter folklore?"
I tense, but only for a moment.
"I cannot be sure," I respond. "There are a few who claim that the Imperium deliberately supplanted older constellation names of our people, which would make the alignment with Fen'Harel a logical possibility. Others claim a much older Neromenian tale of a wolf escaping hunters by fleeing into the sky, but the legend's veracity has never been proved."
"Hmmm," she replies thoughtfully as she continues to observe the stars.
I look down at her, struck by the way her skin is illuminated under the desert moonlight.
How the starts are so brilliantly reflected in her eyes.
"It's beautiful," she murmurs.
I smile at her, at the way she is completely taken by the sight before her.
"You are beautiful, vhenan," I whisper into her ear.
She shivers against me and tears her gaze away from the sky to my eyes instead. She smiles before touching her lips to mine and kissing me, softly and tenderly.
We make love, right there under the brilliant desert night, illuminated by the stars above us.
Hidden from everyone.
Everyone but Fenrir.