Disclaimer: Dragon Age is owned by Bioware and EA Games
Warning: There are major spoilers in the story from the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition and minor ones from the story written by Flamewing80 Dragon Age: Final Hour and the story by HerenyaHope: His Homecoming. You have been warned!
HenenyaHope: I am one of the writers working on this story. I write the characters from the present: Nimwen, Lori, Parsey, Sera, Dorian, and Iron Bull. This takes place one year before my fan-fiction His Homecoming. This is also technically an alternate universe from that story but with the same characters.
Flamewing80: I am the other writer on this story. I write the characters in the past: Solas, Felassan, Nysa, Etha, Aleron, and Atisha. This story takes place between two chapters in my main fan-fiction story, chapter 19 and 20, of Final Hour. Though, it diverges from Final Hour after that point. I will state the way I write Solas takes into account the fact he is twenty centuries (two thousand years) younger than he is in the game.
Both: We hope you enjoy this story. Follows, favs, and reviews are loved.
"Remind me again why I am coming with you guys?" asked Iron Bull.
Nimwen looked at Dorian. "I thought you told him," she said to the other mage.
"I did," replied the Altus. "He was just too busy not paying attention to me, as usual."
"I do pay attention to you," the Qunari insisted. "I sent that armor to Dagna to get the singes out just like you asked this morning."
"Darling, I asked you to do that last week."
"Anyway," Nimwen interrupted before this turned into a domestic scuffle. "Dorian and I have been researching further into the implications of spirit working connected to the remaining Fade weaknesses still throughout Thedas, in regard to necromantic and the neo-rift studies."
The warrior eyed the Inquisitor with the look of someone who was thoroughly confused.
Dorian sighed.
"Even though Coryphaeus has been defeated and the majority of the Fade rifts have been sealed, the Veil remains more fragile than before the Breach," the Tevinter began. "As a necromancer I deal heavily with spirits and Nimwen here as a Rift mage deals with Fade magic and spirits to a degree. There are some who are theorizing that the fragility of the Veil will affect casting that draws power from the Fade and how mages interact with spirits."
"Most are worried about stronger risks of possession," Nimwen continued on. "However," she added with an excited grin, "some are saying that, not only will there be new grounds in furthering better Rift-mage techniques, but improving on the new Fade conditions could mean that mages can more easily draw upon the Fade which will lesson mana and Lyrium needed to cast spells, increase magical endurance, and we can incorporate spirits even better into spells without corrupting them."
Dorian smirked, intellectual glee sparking in his eyes. "Just imagine all the possibilities, Nimwen," he said.
"I know!" the Dalish responded enthusiastically.
"That's all plain and good," Iron Bull cut in to the thrilled mages. "But you still didn't answer my question: why am I coming with you to the basement of the library?"
"Oh, sorry." Nimwen smiled sheepishly. "Well, you see Dorian said he remembered a tome describing the effects of Veil strength being archived down here, but it was up on one of the tallest shelves."
The Qunari raised a brow. "Wait, I'm coming down here to help you guys reach a book?"
"I told you earlier," Dorian deadpanned.
"What about those ladder things libraries have?"
Dorian scoffed. "That thing is older than Orlais and twice as unstable. I can barely extend it to the second shelf without fearing for my life."
"And you couldn't just, I don't know, use some magic to get the book down?"
The two mages spun around to stare at the warrior, jaws agape.
"Are you mad?" gasped Nimwen. "The tomes down here are both ancient and invaluable. We can't just magic them down. The damage it could cause!"
"Alright, alright," Iron Bull yielded, raising his hands in defeat. "I'll be your glorified ladder to get your precious book."
"Thank you," replied the two mages.
"Bookworms," Iron Bull grumbled to himself.
As the trio made it to the bottom of the stairs, Nimwen waved her hand and lit the torches lining the walls, casting the room in the blue glow of Veil-Fire.
"Okay, Dorian, do you remember where it was?" Nimwen asked as they scanned the shelves. The Tevinter man stroked his mustaches as he thought.
"I believe it was in the section next to the leftover tomes on Rivaini mage-"
"Hold on," Iron Bull whispered, his large arm pressing both mages against the shelf.
"Bull, what are you doing?" Dorian hissed.
"Listen, do you hear that?"
Amidst the silence, Nimwen and Dorian could pick up what the Qunari had heard: clicking followed by hushed voices.
"That sounds like it's coming from the vault," Nimwen said gravely.
"Let's go," said Dorian.
Even without their usual weapons the three of them were still capable fighters; Iron Bull pulled out a dagger he had hidden in his boot, and everyone knew that the most adept mages were still dangerous even without their staffs. As they rounded the corner that led to the vault, where the Inquisition housed important artifacts it collected that needed special protection.
The trio crouched behind the corner, listening to the clicks of what sounded most definitely like picks on a lock.
The three companions stared at each other in disbelief. Who would be so stupid as to try and rob the Inquisition's most powerful artifacts? The answer to that lay just around the corner, and they wasted no time in finding out. They jumped out ready to take out the robber, but were met by an unexpected sight entirely.
"What is going on?" demanded Nimwen.
With a nervous smile and picks still in the key-hole, Sera smiled nervously at the Inquisitor. "I-I can explain?"
"Hi, mama," Lori greeted her mother cheerfully, unaware of the awkward tension now in the air.
Sera was crouched in front of the door, lock picks in the key-hole, with her hands wrapped around Lori's smaller ones with the clear intent of showing the child how to maneuver the picks inside the lock. The third in the group of wannabe thieves stared at Dorian and Iron Bull with nervous brown eyes.
"H-h-hi, p-papa, d-daddy."
"Sera, what in Andraste's name are you doing with my son?" Dorian demanded as the little half-qunari ran into his arms.
"Hey, look see here, you're all acting like I'm doin' something bad," Sera said to the trio.
"Sera, you're teaching my daughter how to break into secure rooms," Nimwen glared at the other elf.
"Mama, look! Aunt Sera said I almost got it!" the two-year-old said proudly as she toddled over to her mother.
"Hey, see here, I was in the kitchen catching them stealing cookies first so there's that."
"So you're first response to seeing them stealing food is to bump them up to grand larceny?" Dorian asked incredulously.
"W-well, no! Okay so they wouldn't go to sleep, yeah, so I tried being all bed-time story lady and told them 'bout the time I broke into this nobleman's vault in less than two minutes and she" - the rogue pointed to Lori - "didn't believe me, so, you know, I had to prove that I could."
"You had to prove yourself to a two year-old and four year old?" the Iron Bull repeated.
"Well, yeah. So, I showed them how I picked the lock to Cullen's office-"
"You broke into Cullen's office?!" Nimwen gasped.
"-And then Lori wanted to learn so ya know I was gonna her show how to do it, so I showed her what to do, then we went to a bunch of different doors picking the locks, and then I thought she needed a challenge. So, I brought them down here, like what else was I supposed to do?"
"What else was she supposed to do?!" Dorian said in disbelief as he threw his hands up in the air.
Nimwen pinched her brow and breathed out through her nose. "Sera, there is so much wrong I don't even know where to begin."
"Hey, while you're complaining, they love me. Don't ya, little Inky?" Sera asked Lori.
"I love ya, aunt Sera," the yellow haired girl beamed.
"Papa, daddy, I was coerthed I thwear," Parsey insisted, the boy's lisp growing thicker with his nervousness.
"Liar," Lori pouted at him.
"Enough, you both are still in big trouble,"
"Hey, Inquisitor lay off them a little. If it makes you feel better, little Inky managed to break into the maid's closet in five minutes."
Before Nimwen could accurately describe how no, that didn't make her feel better, there was a commotion coming from inside the vault. Nimwen glared at the archer.
"Sera," she growled warningly.
"Hey, that isn't me," Sera refuted.
There was another noise, louder this time, which made the Dalish woman glare more at the rogue.
"I swear that isn't me," Sera insisted further.
When the Inquisitor realized that Sera wasn't the cause of it, she became on edge. "Sera, Dorian, you guys come with me," said Nimwen. "Bull, stay with the kids."
"Why should I-"
"Do you really think I'm leaving them with Sera?"
"Hey!" Sera interjected.
Iron Bull grumbled, but he nodded and accepted Lori when Nimwen placed the child in his arms.
With a wave of her palm Nimwen, lifted the ward sealing the vault, and as the large door creaked open. She, Sera, and Dorian crept inside. The inside of the vault was filled near to the brim (with tomes, weapons, jewels, and relics aplenty collected over the few years of the Inquisition's run. Standing in the middle of this room of riches was a figure clad in black, looming over what was once a closed glass case.
"Stop right there," Nimwen warned, ice crackling in her fist.
The black clad thief turned around, face concealed by a mask. Fast as a Dracolisk the thief lunged for the rope that led to a hole in the ceiling.
"Stop!" the Inquisitor shouted. As the others leapt for the thief, Nimwen shot a bolt of ice at the hole, sealing up the thief's escape route. Sera pulled a knife from her side and threw it at the thief, who evaded the blade with a backflip off the rope.
"Be careful, Dorian," Nimwen told the Altus, afraid of his fire magic in the small space full of valuables.
"I know, dear," Dorian said.
The thief jumped towards the Tevinter, brandishing a dagger. Dorian smirked and dodged the swipe, and sent a small burst of flames at the assailant. The thief went into a splits and dodged the fire. Instead it nearly hit Sera, who dodged it just in time.
"Watch it!" she snapped.
Nimwen tried to freeze the floor to trip up the thief, but he jumped onto a table before the ice could reach him.
"By the Dread Wolf," she cursed to herself.
This thief was like a jumping frog, dodging every one of their attacks. Something glinting caught Nimwen's gaze, and her eyes widened.
"He has Alexiuss' time amulet!" the Dalish mage cried out.
Sure enough hanging out of the thief's pocket was the charm on the dead Magister's amulet.
"Fasta Vaas!" Dorian cursed.
By sheer luck Sera managed to nail the thief in the leg with one of her daggers and he went down with a strangled cry. Nimwen leapt towards him and went for the amulet. She grabbed it but the thief grabbed on as well.
"Let go!" she yelled as they fought for the amulet.
"Not on your life, bitch!"
"Why do you want this? You can't even use it!"
Though his face was covered, Nimwen could practically sense the smirk on his face.
"Oh, really?"
Nimwen's eyes widened when she felt the power emanating from the amulet, and with a growing humming noise the amulet began to glow.
"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.
The elven woman continued to struggle with the thief, but the human male had more strength than her, and was proving a challenge. The fight ended when Sera came up and roundhouse kicked the thief in the head.
"Finally," the archer sighed as the thief collapse to the ground, unconscious.
"Dorian, he activated it," Nimwen said in a panic.
"Give it to me," the Altus commanded the other mage. The Dalish elf handed him the amulet and waited while he worked on it.
"What in Andraste's name?" Dorian whispered in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sera asked him.
"It-it's not working. I can't cancel the activation." As he spoke the amulet continued to grow brighter and the thrumming grew louder.
"What's going on in here?"
"Bull, I told you to stay with the kids," Nimwen told the approaching Qunari.
"They're still outside, I heard all the-" The warrior's eye widened when he spotted the glowing amulet.
"Shit isn't that from…?"
"I can't deactivate it!" Dorian cried, panic in his usually confident voice.
"Mama?"
Nimwen's dread increased when she saw the two small faces poking from around the vault entrance.
"You were told to stay back!" the Dalish woman yelled.
"What's that, mama?"
"Nimwen, get them out of here!" Dorian cried.
"Lorien, Parsnip get out-!"
It was too late. Before the last of her words could even leave her lips, the room was swallowed up in a wave of green light, and the six souls were swept up in the sinister magics of the amulet, and sent to both fates and places unknown.
*~ The Past ~*
Solas stretched out in the grass. The clouds drifted overhead in lazy patterns. The cool breeze smelled damp, more of salt and sea air than anything else. Rain would soon follow if the winds didn't change direction. For now the weather held as a beautiful day, one perfect for hunting. Which was what two of their number were doing right then.
The soft sound of wood hitting wood drifted over the grasses to Solas. A shocked shout sounded, followed by a body striking the hard earth. Solas sat up to see an elven woman standing over a human. Her wooden sword was pointed at his throat.
"Better, Aleron," she spoke in light tones as her icy, blue eyes shimmered with laughter. A smile spread across her face.
"Better?" The human rubbed his head. "I still landed on my head," he complained.
Both of their faces held intricate tattoos. The human's vallaslin pointed to the fact he was a former slave to a master who followed Falon'Din. While the woman wore vallaslin of Fen'Harel. The difference between them was she was one of Solas' sentinels and not his slave.
"Couldn't you ease up a bit, Etha?" Aleron asked as he stood and dusted off his clothes. This did nothing to help. The clothes he wore were little better than rags. "This is my first time trying to fight with a weapon."
Etha laughed. "You get a short break, but you need to learn. Or you'll be dead the next battle!" She grinned at him before she looked around. "Atisha!"
Solas stood. His sharp gaze looking around the trampled grasses of their campsite for the small girl.
"Atisha!" Etha dropped the wooden sword.
"Calm down, Etha," Solas told her. He looked across the small fire pit to the woman. "I'll find her and bring her back."
Etha looked at him, fear wild in her gaze.
Before she could utter a protest, Solas started forward. He shifted into a massive, white wolf. The half jaw of a wolf he always wore, bumped against his chest. The only item to stay with him even in this form. He bent his head sniffed, drawing in the girl's scent. He looked up. The scent moved out across the plains. His ears twitched. It was the same direction the other two had left in when they'd gone to hunt.
"Master," Etha started.
Solas looked at her.
"Bring her back safely."
Solas bowed his head before he turned and raced off in the direction Atisha had gone off in. Her scent was faint enough to show she had left some time ago. It wasn't so faint that she could have gotten more than a mile at most. That was even taking into account the short attention span of a young child.
The scent lead well into the wild parts of the grasslands. Soon the soft sound of laughter drifted to Solas' ears. A small breath escaped him. Solas shifted back into his elven form. From this height the girl could be seen playing by a small rock.
She reached up towards a butterfly. "I wanna play with you," she giggled as she jumped after it. "Stay, please." Her soft, dust covered, black hair flashed in the light of the sun.
"Da'len." Solas strode towards her.
Atisha stopped racing after the butterfly and blinked towards Solas. "Hahren!" Her face lit up in a board smile. The vallaslin twisted around her lips with the smile.
The sight of the vallaslin made Solas pause. His heart twisted when he looked at the little girl. It was a reminder of a darker moment in his past. A moment when he had bought into the fact he was god, when none of them had ever been gods. It was a reminder that this child was eternally bound to him as a sentinel. A decision made for her on her birth. After all, her mother was from the oldest family who had served the god Fen'Harel and her father had also been a sentinel.
The girl bumped into his legs and wrapped her arms around him. "I wanna help with the hunt, hahren." She blinked up at him with wide, innocent, blue eyes.
Solas smiled at the girl. He knelt down before her and placed his hand on her head. "That was very thoughtful of you, da'len, but you should have told one of us where you were going."
The girl's face fell. "Ir abelas, hahren, I just wanna help, that all." Her eyes grew wider and she stuck out her lower lip in a small pout.
A breath escaped Solas. Children, what was one to do with them? Then he smiled. "Very well, da'len, you can help me hunt something."
"Really?!" She whooped. "What we going to hunt, hahren?" Her eyes were bright with joy.
"You will need to be very quiet," he told her, "and hold to my fur as tight as you can, understood?"
Atisha tilted her head in confusion. "Fur?" At once the confusion melted into a smile. "Eh!" She nodded. "I can, hahren."
"Good. Remember to hold tight." He shifted back into the wolf and crouched down.
The girl clambered onto his back and took two good fistfuls of his thick fur. Once certain she was holding tight, Solas straightened. A stifled laugh fled the girl. His ears flicked at the sound but he didn't otherwise react to it.
Solas padded forward. His large paws made little sound against the dry earth. There was a soft scent of fennec around him. Fresh enough of a scent that Solas suspected it was still close.
"Hahren," Atisha's voice made Solas look up.
Sure enough the scent of the fennec was coming from ahead. The girl must have spotted it from her perch on his back.
Careful to keep them down wind, Solas moved forward through the thick grass. In this landscape, his fur would stand out. He had to rely on stealth, the wind, and his speed. The grass parted with little noise. The girl wiggled on his back but she remained silent. Each step made the beat of her racing heart pulse through her into Solas' spin.
As the grass cleared, Solas' eyes locked onto the fennec. The small fox-like creature paused in its foraging and looked up. Massive, long ears twitched as it wiggled its nose.
Solas shot forward.
Atisha screamed in delight.
The fennec panicked and shot forward. Solas pressed himself forward, faster and faster. His paws skimmed the ground. He pushed off. His massive paws slammed down near the fennec. His maw parted. Blood filled his mouth as his powerful jaws snapped the small animal's neck.
"Yay!" Atisha shouted from his back.
Her laughter filled his ears and made his heart swell with warmth towards the small girl. A happy rumble started from his chest and grew. He was glad Atisha was happy from the hunt.
He padded forwards once more. The fennec dangled from his jaws and Atisha clung to his back. Though fennec didn't have a lot meat, it would still give them part of one meal. It wouldn't feed all of them, but it would help add to what the others would've caught.
Solas hadn't moved far from where he'd killed the fennec when a blinding flash of light filled the air. A whine escaped him. He closed his eyes tight against the light and felt as Atisha buried her face in the thick fur around his neck.
Several loud thuds filled the air. When the light died away, Solas straightened and stared at the scene before him. Several people had landed in the grass.
"Hahren?" Atisha wiggled forward until her small hands here the top of his head. Her bare feet pressed into his back. "Hahren, who they?"
Elven phrases used:
Da'len – Little child
Hahren – Elder
Ir abelas – I'm sorry
Tevene (Tevinter Imperium) phrases:
Fasta Vaas – swear word
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
FW: Poof, things happened!
HH: Hey guys I hope you enjoyed our crossover and stay tuned for more shenanigans!