A Precarious Campaign
By: Ganaganah
Chapter 1: Journey to the Breach
The Inquisition ensemble had only been home from the ball for a day when news reached Skyhold that a new rift had been discovered about an hour west of Halamshiral. Of course there were other important things to do, but given the newness of the Inquisition's alliance with Empress Celine, inquisitor Eka Lavellen decided that this breach should be the top priority for her team. After a brief meeting with her advisors, it was decided that Cullen and some of his soldiers would be dispatched to the Hinterlands to help squelch the last of the templar/mage rebellion in the area and to recruit anybody who he thought would fit the Inquisition. Iron Bull and his chargers stayed back at Skyhold to keep order in case anything happened in Cullen's absence. A separate team of Blackwall, Sera, Cole, and Varric would set out for the same area as Cullen to clear out what remained of the red lyrium deposits.
After having less than a full day's respite, Eka set out with her chosen team of Cassandra, Dorian, and Solas. Having just returned from pretty much the same location, the evening spent at Halamshiral was still fresh on everybody's mind. As is the usual case, Dorian was the first to break the silence. "That night at Halamshiral has got to be one the best moments in my entire life. With all of the murder, betrayal, deception, and sex that was in the air, you somehow saw all of the angles, watched as they set themselves up like dominoes, and just at the right moment, a simple flick of your little finger and they all crumbled, the entire Orlesian empire bending to your will. It was marvelous, and I must admit that I could barely contain myself upon witnessing the whole thing. I also might add that you looked absolutely stunning in that dress, honey. It was like you owned the place."
Upon hearing these compliments, Eka smiled and said thank you to her friends as a blush appeared on her face that was made more noticeable by the chill of the brisk winter air. Eka was used to attention resulting from the eerie green glow emanating from her left hand but not the sort of attention that she had received at the ball.
She remembered feeling quite uncomfortable and out of her element because everything she did was under the gaze of so many prying eyes. "I honestly would not have been able to do anything without Josephine's instruction," Eka responded. "She spent hours teaching me every nuance, and I was terrified that I would give the wrong hand motion and accidentally start a feud with some noble family for hundreds of years or some other terrible calamity. I guess I got really lucky at Halamshiral," she said with a smile. "You get lucky often enough for it not to be coincidence," responded Cassandra bluntly.
Solas remained quiet - a huge grin and blank stare on his face. He was mesmerized in thought, reflecting on that night out on the balcony under the glimmer of the stars. She truly was a beautiful sight to behold, his vhenan, but it wasn't just that red silk dress wrapped around her limber body, or her deep blue eyes, wells in which he felt he could be lost for eternity. While he no doubt found her beautiful physically, there was something about her extraordinarily rare spirit that made his heart flutter. She had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a natural aptitude for magic that would have almost rivaled his own, given the time to develop.
No matter how hard he fought against it, he could not resist his feelings for her. How could he? It was as if she was put into this world just for him, and against impossible odds they had somehow crossed paths. He could spend several lifetimes looking and not find another woman who could garner his attention in the meaningful way that she had. His time with her was limited, and he knew it, but to deny true love was a crime against nature. He acknowledged that he was just too weak to resist the full force of nature itself and surrendered himself to his feelings. If only he had a lifetime to spend with her. If only he hadn't made so many mistakes in the past. If only...
"That grin is priceless. I think he might be drooling, perhaps thinking erotic thoughts about sexy fade ladies or maybe present company," Dorian laughed, forcing a gulty Solas from his daydream. Eka blushed and quickly looked away, pretending not to hear any of it as Solas shot a menacing look over in the direction of Dorian, who was pretty amused with himself at catching Solas with that vacant expression and smile on his face.
"I'm sorry Dorian. I cannot hear you over that menacingly loud outfit," Solas responded. "Speaking of which, I love that you make us a walking target for bandits and other miscreants wherever we go. It is like we are all wearing signs that say, 'come rob us. We have lots of money to spend on ridiculous things.'" Seemingly without effort, Dorian quickly retorted with, "This coming from Sir Hobo Rags. When they see you with us, they probably assume that the Inquisition keeps slaves." "Tell me again the story about how you tripped over your own robes and electrocuted yourself two weeks ago," countered Solas with a chuckle. "I tripped over a rock," Dorian said defensively, retaliating with, "Vivienne told me that you managed to set yourself on fire. Care to share that story?"
Solas didn't respond, and for a minute or two Dorian was fine with having the last word. He looked over at Solas, who was looking quite content at having derailed the conversation. Dorian immediately recognized that look and glanced back towards Solas, the smug grin returning to his face. "So what were you drooling over, Solas?" "I was not drooling," sneered Solas. "Oh come on. I know that look, and you were thinking of something glorious." Dorian gave him a quick wink that nobody else could have noticed. "It is not a topic for discussion," responded Solas, who completely failed to hide the slight blush over his cheeks. Dorian laughed as he said, "You're obviously blushing in embarrassment, which confirms my original point about sexy ladies. "Dorian. Shut. Up," replied a very irritated Solas.
This aggressive banter happened far too often between these two, and Cassandra had had enough. "How about both of you shut up and stop arguing like petulant children. I'd like to have one trip without the two of you arguing about wasted magical energy, clothes, slaves, or drooling ladies." "We weren't talking about drooling ladies. We were talking about Solas drooling over ladies," snickered Dorian. Solas looked at Dorian with an assailing grimace. "You just never know when to shut your..." Solas didn't get the opportunity to finish his comment before he was cut off.
"ENOUGH! Both of you! I don't care," blared Cassandra back at the men, who both realized that they were acting rather childish. It was the first time they had heard such an intimidating and authoritative tone from Cassandra, and it was enough to quiet them both for the next two hours. Cassandra and Eka, riding in front of the two mages, began an interesting conversation about dragon slaying, seekers, and Cassandra's rather large family without further interruption.