Solas looked up at the moons, unable to sleep, while Fen'lath lay next to him, swathed in dreams and moonlight. Their time in Halamshiral had seen his network in Orlais expand, and even better, he had wrenched the Eluvians from Briala's grip. All but one, to which he had not yet figured out the key.
Yet that was not what kept him awake.
He rolled onto his side, pulling Fen to his chest and burying his nose in her hair. Solas reveled in the feel of her in his arms, the warmth radiating from her, the soft sounds of her breathing proving she was very much alive.
She stirred a little, "Mmm, s'it time to go?"
"No, vhenan. Go back to sleep."
Fen lifted an arm, scrubbing at her face, murmuring, "Not going back to sleep unless you are, too. S'a long day tomorrow."
"Not for us. I am to ride with you in the carriage, remember?"
A Fade-green eye cracked open and shot an annoyed glare at him. "I don't see why I have to ride in a carriage. I'm not some wilting Orlesian flower."
"You were poisoned, ma'theneras, and have not yet recovered all of your strength. We cannot risk you falling off of Stormhart and setting your recovery back."
Solas smiled as Fen let out a disgusted noise that the Lady Seeker would be proud of.
"Fine. I'll just annoy you by asking every question I can think of."
He chuckled, "When have I ever been annoyed by your questions?"
"Well, never." She made another disgusted noise, and squished her face into the pillow before snuggling closer against him. Her voice went soft, "I'm glad we're leaving, though. All the sneaking around and pretending that I actually like the Orlesians and their awful Game…"
"I know, vhenan."
Something in his voice must have tipped her off, as she rolled over and searched his face. "Hey, are you all right?"
"We almost lost you. I almost lost you. Without you and the Anchor, this world would be lost, as would I. Losing you would..."
As he had on a different balcony, the thought of losing Fen overwhelming him again, Solas pulled her to him and kissed her desperately. If Leliana's agents hadn't gotten wind of the plot first… If his agent hadn't signaled him to alert him that Fen had been poisoned by the hairpin instead of with wine…
His world would have collapsed in an instant, and the nobles would have burned, Inquisition be damned.
"Vhenan, it's all right. I'm here with you, and I'm not going anywhere." Fen pulled back and held his face in her hands. "I'm here, I'm alive. Tomorrow we're going back home, and with the help of Celene's army, we're going to stop Corypheus. Together."
Tears he didn't dare shed burned behind his eyes. The determination written on her face and absolute belief in their victory was a beautiful thing. Even the Fade, with all its wonders and beauty, could not compare to the woman in his arms.
He contemplated her face in the moonlight, long enough that she ran her thumbs on his cheekbones and asked shyly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I have said before that you have a rare and marvelous spirit. I am counting my blessings that our paths were brought together, because my world would be much darker without you."
"I don't know what I would do, or would have done, if I didn't have you." She tilted her head up to his, brushed her lips with his own. He felt her heartbeat speed up against his chest.
They had indulged their desire for each other before she fell asleep, yet he could feel it rising once again, hot as flame.
He could afford a little more time with his waking dream before sleep and the Fade claimed him, perhaps.