This takes place after the fall of Corypheus. Spoilers: end game + Solas/Inquisitor pairing. Rated T mainly for paranoia (my own not the characters'). Bioware owns Dragon Age. One shot
After the fight Hyde was exhausted she nearly collapsed but after downing a left over elfroot potion the dizziness was forestalled. She had approached Solas just as the dust was settling, he was mourning over the broken artifact. He told her he still loved her, then he left. The rest was a whirl of lights, motion, and sounds. She couldn't think as she stripped off her bloodied armor, her motions were mechanical as she wiped off the blood and dirt. She dressed in clean clothes and made her way to Josephine's party. She applied her mask carefully doing her best to lock away her forlorn expression and practice a light mischievous grin.
She made a grand entrance throwing open the large door of the great hall with her inner circle in tow to the applause of everyone. The nobles greeted her and tittered excitedly, she was a good host. She spoke to the nobles and her friends. Dorian was the first to notice the hollowness of her smile and the dullness of her eyes. His own expression of excitement faltered, but he recovered rapidly. He loudly proclaimed, "Inquisitor, my darling!" he pulled her into a scandalously tight hug and whispered smiling into her ear, "He was a fool to leave, and would have to be even more of one to stay away. We will find him and make him explain." The last bit came out in a growl. He kissed her cheek much to the surprise of the surrounding nobility and she gave him a wicked grin though it barely reached her eyes. He winked at her and she sauntered off saucily. Varric was the next to notice, he met her eyes and his face fell. After they exchanged pleasantries he mumbled a curse about broody elves and a grave expression settled over his face. Hyde ghosted him a smile, "I'll talk to you later Varric." Cole was the last one she spoke to she knew it would be difficult so she put it off but it only took a moment for the spirit's eyes to meet hers and fill with pain and betrayal. Her mask shattered and all pretenses of happiness fell away. "No, no, no. Don't go. The tinge of pink on the tips of his ears. Seeing the pain in his eyes. Regret. He's gone. He said he didn't want to go but he did. Now I am alone. The smell of mint and honey. Flowing water. His eyes in moonlight." His eyes now had tears in them, "Do you want to forget? I can make it go away." His eyes implored her to consent. She felt her head shaking before she knew it. "No! never." Cole looked confused, "It's all I have left. The pain is good." His own words puzzled him, but he fell silent. Hyde gave him a gentle smile and touched his hand, "Do you see?" He shook his head but remained silent. "Maybe I will explain it later but right now I need sleep". With that she dismissed herself and climbed the stairs to her chamber. Once at the top she fell into bed she felt drained like she had been wrung and there was not a drop of her left. The health potion's heady effects were now wearing off and she felt the ache of her bruised ribs, that damned dragon had slapped her hard at least once. Her shoulder ached and she suspected that was from it being dislocated. She closed her eyes to the damnable misery of it all. The physical pain seemed to lessen the rent in her soul. She held on to what she could the pain and with no effort at all she slipped into the fade.
In the fade she walked the familiar beaches near Kirkwall in the Free Marches. She made her way up the wounded coast tossing rocks into the water and solemnly climbing Sundermount as she always did when she visited this part of the fade. Upon reaching the ancient grave yard at the top she found a Giant black wolf with a few to many eyes. Far from fleeing, her face broke into a genuine smile. "Fen'Harel, I was hoping to find you here!" she ran to the giant animal and buried herself in his soft fur there she broke sobbing into his fur. She curled into his side, growling about Solas and snuggled up to the huge animal. She was still taking gasping breaths when the wolf's nose pushed at her knee. She met his multifaceted gaze unflinchingly. A voice came from the beast. She heard it not with her ears but with her heart and mind, "Ir abbalas mi vhenan." She went rigid her whole body deadly still. She rose slowly and took a few steps back, the wolf's form shimmered in smoky iridescence and out of the fog the shape of a well-built male elf stood. His eyes were now avoiding hers. His glabrous head hung in shame.
"You!" she was unable to keep the awe and fury from her voice. "You left me. What the hell is this? You walked away. What is this supposed to mean, taking the form of my friend." She closed the distance between them and slapped him hard across the face.
An instinctive low growl escaped him, but it soon faded as he saw her face it now had tear streaks and her eyes were filled with pain and betrayal. He hung his head, "I had to leave. I cannot stay with the inquisition I have things I need to fix. I have to restore what I took, to repair the damage that my magic wrought. I am responsible for all of this. How could I stay? I need to find a way to fix it and I don't want you to be hurt when I do."
She let out a ferocious snarl and stepped even closer her eyes flashing dangerously and she whispered in a seething tone, "Solas, I am not a child. I will not have you make decisions for me. You are not my boss and I don't answer to you even if were the Dread Wolf himself."
Solas blinked and averted his gaze at her last phrase biting the inside of his cheek. Hyde, let out a small gasp and for a brief second her anger was replaced with an expression of understanding. This however only seemed to redouble her wrath and she set her jaw.
He took a shaky breath. "I thought I could leave. It would be better if I had simply left and not come here. I didn't realize how much I needed you. I am not trying to protect you, you need none of those pretenses of chivalry. I need to bring back the creators, to restore the elvhen. That is why I left and why I can't involve you in this. Not because you cannot take it but because where I need to go you cannot follow and you are my greatest weakness. Yes, my return was selfish, even if it just in the fade, but I had to tell you to give you a choice." He paused as he watched her features she was still upset but the anger seemed to have shifted. "Continuing to see you in the fade is still a danger but I am willing to meet you as often as you like where ever you can think of to meet." He stopped because her expression had changed again. His shoulders hunched and he looked away. "That is if you want to even…" She was mere inches away and she leaned up catching his mouth with hers.
He could feel the spark of her magic still sparking with anger, but there was still something else something primal and ferocious. She broke the short kiss and she glared at him. "Don't you dare think this means that talk is over or that you are completely forgiven." With that she wrapped her arms around him and nestled into his chest.
"So you are Fen'Harel, and when you said your magic I am guessing you mean the orb?" She posed this question gravely after a long silence. Her voice made him jump. Her face broke in to a mischievous grin a thought occurring to her "You are trying to tell me that Corypheus stole your ball? You poor puppy."
Solas gave her a very unamused look breaking away. "Of course you would look at it that way." She snickered, but he continued turning serous, "When I woke I couldn't wield it. I was weak and no match for him alone. He took it. I joined the search as a mage to find it and restore order."
"And you didn't think that maybe including the fact that you are, Oh a god would help? Or maybe that the orb belonged to you." Her words were lightened by her expression but still held an edge.
He fixed her with an irritated expression "Pray tell, generous inquisitor, what would you have done? If I had introduced myself as what your people know as the traitor god Fen'Harel and that the bad guy was wielding the power of a god, my power to be precise?" it was her turn to look sheepish. She nodded in ascent and momentarily fell silent.
They were now situated among the stones overlooking the wounded coast and the slopes of Sundermount. "But still Solas, you could have told me, I have been meeting you in the fade for how long now as a wolf? Did you think I would run and hide? You think me disloyal or worse a coward?"
He smiled down at her, "No but I was worried that it would bother you. That it would end us."
Her eyes narrowed and the altar flame burned brighter behind them, "So instead you ended us, instead of giving me the choice you made it for me and still chose not to tell me." She fixed him with an unwavering gaze and took a deep breath stilling herself, "Dread Wolf, you have already taken me, just don't leave me again." She felt him shiver with her words; it was an odd oath but the only one that made sense.
It took him a moment to be able to speak again. "I will not, I cannot." He saw the last bit of anger leave her with his words. "I have come to realize the impossibility of that." His gaze broke from hers and he looked abashed. "It seems that I underestimated my own need, you have changed my world unlike anyone I have ever known."
It was now Hyde's turn to look smug. She let out her own growl now it was low and coy, "You need me." Her violet eyes sparked with mischief and she pushed in close to him. Even in the fade his scent made her hum happily, he smelled of tallow, sealing wax and parchment. She smiled and kissed him again, this time slowly more open. His response was quick and caused her to gasp in surprise. He pulled her body to his, pushing into the kiss she felt his passion burn hot until he pulled away.
He cleared his throat shyly with an abashed smile gracing his lips and pink tinging the tips of his ears. "It's nearly morning and you need to wake soon. I will be here as soon as possible tonight." He gave her a gentle smile and mimicking their first meeting in the fade he leaned in close and whispered, "wake up!"
She woke with a start still wearing her clothes from the night before her body was stiff and ached. But now that her heart no longer ached her physical pains bothered her more. When she rose her head was thundering and it made her dizzy. She reached to her bedside table and got a glass of water. After a few sips the pain ebbed. She smiled, Solas his came back to her, his absence in skyhold though daunting was less pressing. Walking to the fire place she stumbled upon a little statuette of a wolf unlike the Dalish statues that she had seen before it was made of onyx and ruby so finely crafted that she could barely believe it had been carved. It was the dread wolf under it was a sheet of paper with only one word inscribed, Vahennen. A smile eager and joyous graced her features. Placing the figure on the bedside table she smoothed herself over in the mirror.
She had to work to make the world better for now their paths would meet again in time. She had to take the stairs slow or she would fall Hyde's elvhen grace only took her so far when she was injured. She opened the door to the great hall and made her way to the war room. When she opened the door she heard yelling. "This is unacceptable! We need to find him! Did you see her at the banquet? I will kill…" Hyde coughed from the door and Dorian froze. He was leaning over Josephine's desk clearly livid. Liliana stood by the fire and Varric was looking through the maps on the desk. Josephine looked worried and slightly frightened by Dorian's outburst.
Hyde stood swaying slightly in the door way with a sardonic smile on her face. She cooed at Dorian, "Oh Dorian, I get all tingly when you get all protective like that." She gave him her old coy smile and winked. She looked around to see the whole room staring at her shocked and confused. She snorted a laugh. "We have things to do, there is a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done. Corypheus is gone but the destruction he caused has not gone away."
Dorian turned towards her and looked into her eyes. "Darling, we can find him, drag him back, you can…" Hyde gave him a look, and just as she was about to speak a voice from behind them chimed in, "He's not gone. Not really. he flushes when we kiss. Burning. A low growl. Makes my stomach quake. Just wait a few hours and it will be fine. Pink ears. Happy, Jumping, skipping. I need to help. Help him and them and us. Make the world better. He will be back if I do. My D-"
"Cole, that is enough. Thank you. I will come speak to you later." She gave the spirit a bright smile, he nodded and faded.
The room was quiet as Hyde stepped from the door closing it behind. "We need to find the pieces of this world and begin putting it back together. Leliana I am supporting you to become the new Divine. We need to cement allies regardless of nation if we have any hope of rebuilding Thedas better." Leliana nodded ascent.
When she paused Dorian spoke up, "What happened that I don't know?" The mage was concerned for her. She didn't need to be Cole to see that. Even so she quipped, "I imagine a lot of things love, but alas this must remain a mystery for now. You knowing would only be dangerous, and don't try asking Cole he knows of the importance. Just know I am fine now." The Dalish lilt stuck to her words as they usually did when she was trying to make a point, and the room stayed quiet. She proceeded to book another three missions and immediately set out to find Cole.
At the top of the Tavern Cole sat. He muttered about wolves being scary and dangerous. When the inquisitor approached he met her eyes with reluctance. "Why are you pleased with the wolf?"
Hyde cracked a huge grin. "Oh Cole if only it was that simple."
"Running fighting. Lions in heart and name. Templars looking for a heart to run through. Help me. Demons kept at bay. The beach used to bleed. Now throwing stones. And building sand forts. I dream. He is there. He is Him. Ears pink. Fire magic. Passion. Love. Lust. Noble cause. Arlathan. It was his?"
Cole's eyes met hers in shock he didn't say anything and continued to read silently.
It only took him a moment to start whispering again though. "Dread Wolf. A wolf and his ball. Mistakes. His regret. He needs to fix it. The breach was only the beginning. He came back. Only in my dreams. It's enough. He needs me. I will stand." The spirit broke off and closed his eyes breathing heavily. "So much feeling do you never get tired?"
Hyde's face broke into a grin. "Never… Cole now you know only the three of us do… I knew I could not keep it from you, but do you know the danger. Not everyone has your forgiveness or compassion. I will try to keep it from my surface thoughts for you but they will ask about what happened. Dorian and Varric especially, take care with what you say about it. It could hurt them." Cole's eyes grew wide and he nodded emphatically.
She hugged him, "Thank you Cole… I am glad I didn't forget."