Solas closed his eyes as he rested his head on his rucksack. The feel of relief that washed over him as he entered the Fade was welcoming. He hadn't travelled alone since the opening of the breach; he never thought he'd miss the constant banter of the Inquisitor's companions, and occasional explosion coming from the undercroft due to Dagna's 'innocent' experiments. The memory stung like the hundreds of bees Sera would somehow trap in jars.

The gentle prickling of magic cloaked his body as he travelled silently through a memory he hadn't seen before. Trees taller than dragons towered over him, and small mammals scurried around him on the moist ground. A light mist hung around the forest, clinging to the elf's clothes and skin. Somewhere close he could hear the bubbling of a stream, a scream, and the laughter of a child. He followed the sounds out of curiosity, but what he found made him understand the saying 'curiosity killed that cat', or in his case - wolf.

A small Dalish boy was in fits of laughter. He looked the age of nine or so, with auburn hair and freckles sprinkled over his dimpled cheeks. Strapped to his hip was a small knife in the shape of a tooth. In front of him, with her back turned on the stream and on Solas, was a Dalish hunter who angrily slung her bow over her shoulders. Solas could only see that the huntress had the same auburn hair as the boy.

"By the Dread Wolf!" She snarled, "Ar tu na'din!*"

"You should have seen your face!" The boy finally said, coughing away the last of his giggles.

"I was hunting, Alyan!" The huntress fumed. "Do you realise what you've just done? I now have to spend another hour tracking the stupid beast down again."

She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, and turned to the stream. She sat down, cupped her hands in the water, and splashed it over her face. Solas could now see her, and his heart dropped to his stomach. It was her, but younger. Maybe fifteen? Sixteen? Her face was newly marked. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail; instead of one side of her head shaved, feathers were braided into her hair for decoration.

The boy, Alyan, shuffled over, and sat down next to her.

"Ir abelas, da'assan*..." He mumbled, resting his chin on his knees. She sighed, and ruffled his hair.

"It's fine, da'mi*."

As the two elves got up, they started to fade away. Solas walked to where they were once standing. This was her memory, he thought. That must mean she's -

"He was my brother," a voice he remembered so well said. A voice that can strike the fear into the gods, but can turn as soft as freshly bloomed petals. It was a voice he often heard in moments of silence.

He turned and whispered, "Ayala."

"Aneth'ara, ma sa'lath*."

She walked towards him, and caressed his face. Her eyes, the colour of autumn leaves, studied his face. They lingered on his his own eyes. His heart ached at seeing her. Even in the Fade she smelt of cinnamon and honeysuckle. Before he could control himself, his hands found her waist. He pulled her closer as her lips found his.

It was wrong.

It was selfish.

I have to stop.

And yet, he didn't. Not until she pulled away. Ayala Lavellan smiled at him sadly. Solas touched her face, no longer marked by her clansmen. Her own hands gripped the furs that cloaked the elf.

"This is...a cruel dream," she murmured, her bottom lip quivering. "And yet I can't help but want it more."

"Ir abelas, ma vhenan*." He whispered kissing her forehead. "I truly am."

She halfheartedly chuckled. "You say that every night."

Solas realised that she thought he was part of her dream; a figment of her imagination. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her he was really there...but he knew better.

"Ma'arlath*..." Lavellan said, stepping away from him. He let his hands fall to his side, and watched a tear roll down her cheek. She watched him struggle to not take her in his arms again. She cocked her head, noticing the difference in the man that stood in front of her; her usual Solas that visited her each night never reacted to her leaving. Her heart thudded like a drum as she realised what he truly was. Solas watched her straighten her posture; tears rapidly fell from her eyes.

"I think it's time for both of us to..." The Inquisitor quirked a small smile, "...wake up."

And he did.

"Ar tu na'din!" - 'I will kill you!'

"Ir abelas, da'assan..." - 'I'm sorry, little arrow...'

"It's fine, da'mi." - 'It's fine, little blade.'

"Aneth'ara, ma sa'lath," - 'Hello, my one love,'

"Ir abelas, ma vhenan." - 'I'm sorry, my heart.'

"Ma'arlath..." - 'I love you...'