Well, hello my lovely readers! If you happen to follow me on this site and that's why you've found yourself here, then you know it's been 3 (!) years since I updated my other story. I know, I know, you don't have to tell me. "Why are you posting a new story when you were this close to finishing the last one?!" Well, to be honest, the Zelda story is so dear and close to my heart that I don't want to add to it unless my heart is 100% in it. Which it isn't. Don't worry! I do plan on finishing that story, but not now. Not until I can really do it justice.

Which brings me to this. So this story kinda came about because of a question my husband asked me. I'm a diehard Solas/Lavellan fan and we recently blew the dust off our old copy of Inquisition to start new play throughs. And he asked me, "Why would your Dalish elf be into this guy who hates on their culture so much? What's your thought process here?" So I did as any writer does: I started fleshing my head cannon out by writing. Before I knew it, I was a week in with 35,000 words and somewhere around 12 chapters... Guys, I haven't been this enthusiastic about my writing in a long time. A really long time. At first, it started as something of a guilty pleasure, getting to develop my character and her relationship with those around her outside of the (hilarious) banter in game. But the story has really held me and I'm still going strong. I had no plans to post it really. But why keep this to myself? I'm a writer! That's what this site is for!

Well, onto the disclaimers, etc. I (obviously) don't own any of the characters. That honor goes to Bioware and their amazing writing team. This will be very true to canon, as I've pulled a lot of the dialogue from the game itself. (Can I take a moment to say how freaking hard it is trying to find appropriate dialogue for your character in a game like this?! I can't tell you how many different walkthroughs I've had to sift through to find the right combination of choices, race, class, etc. Ugh, don't underestimate how big of a task that is...)

This will be a fairly...what's the term they're using now? Slow burn? I do follow the storyline closely - adding my own twists, dialogue, and stuff to flesh out the characters of course - so it takes a bit to get into the flow. I do skip over a lot, though. Otherwise this story would be an ungodly length and I'd be burnt out before I had a chance to finish.

Also, quickly going to say, NO SMUT IN THIS B****! Honestly, it just doesn't float my boat at all, so if you've come here looking for smutty, blah, blah, blah, sex scenes, this won't be the story for you :(

This story does assume you have a very basic understanding of the lore of the DA universe. I will be posting small footnotes at the bottom of each chapter though with things like elven translations and brief reminders of what things are, like the Fade and the different gods. I'll be pulling those directly from the DA Wiki page, which is excellent at citing their sources so it's my go-to as well for these kinds of things.

And, last but not least, FREAKING SPOILER WARNING! I mean, that should be obvious. If you don't know what happens, the truth of...certain things...I suggest not venturing too deep into Dragon Age articles to keep from, well, spoiling the ending XD

As of right now, the plan is to post a chapter twice a week: Mondays and Fridays. At least until I've caught up to where I'm currently at in the writing.

I guess, on with the show!

1 - Chains

I wake in chains. The pain is what wakes me initially. It flashes through my hand, setting my blood aflame. I open my eyes and cringe against the brightness. The green light dancing across my left palm is what lets me see the heavy iron I feel clapped around my wrists.

Four shemlen (1) guards stand around me, swords all pointed in my direction.

My heart hammers hard against my chest. I don't have a single memory of how I got here. I barely remember leaving my clan to spy on the Conclave. Now here I am, their prisoner.

Will they torture me? Will their men take and defile me, as they have done to my flat-ear (2) sisters? Dread Wolf, no. Please, no.

A door opens at the far end of the room. I look up in time to see two shemlen women enter. They separate from each other as they near, one standing behind me. The other, a masculine woman who reeks of authority, kneels in front of me. Her dark eyes narrow.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."

It feels like a punch in the gut. My stomach drops deep into my feet. Everyone at the Conclave...dead?

I do not trust my voice to remain as calm as I make my eyes. I merely watch as she stands and paces in front of me. When I don't answer, she groans in frustration and grabs the metal hanging from my wrist.

"Explain this!" she yells.

My hand sears again, the green light flashing across it as if emphasizing her anger. I wince against the pain. "I…can't," I stammer.

"What do you mean, you can't?"

It takes all my will to keep my voice steady this time. "I don't know what that is or how it got there."

"You're lying!"

The woman moves toward me, quick on her feet. I get one fleeting glance at the jagged scar running the length of her jaw before I flinch away from her raised hand.

The blow doesn't come. I hear the woman behind me move.

"We need her, Cassandra."

This one's voice is soft and delicate. I take a quick peek at her, see a flash of shoulder-length red hair poking out from under a deep hood. Then she moves out of my sight, behind me once more.

"Whatever you think I did, I'm innocent." My voice is strong, defiant. My eyes harden as I look at the woman called Cassandra.

"Do you remember what happened?" the woman behind me asks. "How this began?"

I have to try to remember. I know this deep within my being. If I don't, they will kill me. I take a deep breath, letting my eyes flutter closed as I try to pull memories from the fog in my mind.

A dark void. Swirling green mist. Red eyes. A bright light in the darkness.

"I remember running. Things were chasing me. And then…a woman?"

"A woman?"

I open my eyes, turning toward the soft-spoken shemlen. "She reached out to me, but then…"

Cassandra and the other woman exchange a quick glance. I have enough dealings with man to understand the hesitation in their gazes.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana," Cassandra instructs. "I will take her to the rift."

Rift?

The one called Leliana walks out of the room with a grace rare for a human.

Cassandra stalks toward me and I gasp, readying myself for another attack. But she reaches down and starts to undo the chains around my wrists.

"What did happen?" I hear myself ask.

Cassandra grabs a rope from the floor and uses it to bind my hands together in front of me. She then looks at me with dark eyes full of sadness.

"It will be easier to show you."

She grabs me by my elbow, pulling me from the ground. My heart races once again. I have no choice but to follow her.

The stark difference between the dark cell and the brightness outside burns my vision. I flinch against it, throwing my hand up to cover my face.

At first, I think the green light I see beyond my fingers comes from the strange mark across my hand. My mouth goes dry as I look up and see the light stretching across the entire sky. My eyes follow the flashes of green darting across the clouds to where it all gathers in a vortex off in the distance. Chunks of mountain and rubble float aimlessly in the air directly in the middle. Green lights pulse like corrupted lightning, converging inside the storm.

My mouth drops.

"We call it the Breach," Cassandra says. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

My body is so numb I cannot tell how fast or slow my heart beats. My hands tremble. "An explosion can do that?"

"This one did. Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

I shake my head in disbelief.

Suddenly, the air cracks. Green light waves outward from the Breach. Then my body heaves forward as pain shoots through my being. My hand glows a bright green, the same green as the Breach stretching out before me. I don't even realize I've collapsed until I feel the stones digging into my knees.

"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads…and it is killing you."

I clench my hands into fists, my mouth running dry.

"It may be the key to stopping this but there isn't much time."

I rein in my fear. "It may be the key? To doing what?"

"Closing the Breach. Whether that's possible is something we shall discover shortly. It is our only chance, however." She looks down at me, sneering slightly. "And yours."

I scowl back at her. "You still think I did this? To myself?"

"Not intentionally. Something clearly went wrong."

"And if I'm not responsible?"

"Someone is, and you are our only suspect."

I clench my jaw.

"You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way."

"So I don't really have a choice about this."

Her ebony brows pull together. "None of us has a choice."

I growl under my breath and look away from her.

She pulls me to my feet, holding me by the elbow. She pushes me slightly ahead of her as she veers toward the crowd gathered just a few feet away.

The people standing all turn to look at me as we pass. They sneer at me, yell, throw their fists. My stomach drops as I turn away from them, looking toward the ground.

"They have decided your guilt," Cassandra says. "They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry."

The title stirs something in my memories. From what my Keeper had told me, the Divine was the one putting on the Conclave.

"The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead."

How would I feel, waking to find my Keeper and most of my clan killed?

A gate is opened for us.

"We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the Breach is sealed."

I hear the gate close behind us. Curiosity has me glance over my shoulder at the two soldiers standing guard just behind us. When I look back, Cassandra stands before me with a dagger glinting in her hand.

My throat tightens, my body constricting.

"There will be a trial. I can promise no more."

I back away as the dagger slashes toward me. But my ropes merely fall to the ground at my feet. I look down at my freed hands in confusion. She's…letting me go?

"Come. It is not far."

I decide that I would feel sadness. Anger. A need for revenge.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, curiosity tainting my voice.

"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach."

Cassandra pulls ahead, the mere glance over her shoulder telling me to follow. I nod to myself and do as she wishes.

Death and destruction litter the bridge. Bodies lay in the snow. Men sit rocking in fear behind small wooden barriers. Some pray to their gods. We cross and Cassandra stops in front of the guards at the end.

"Open the gate!" she yells. "We are headed into the valley!"

We keep moving, passing more bodies, more people praying. We crest a small hill.

Pain shoots through my hand once more. I scream in agony, grasping my wrist as I twist to the ground. Then it's gone, fast as it had come.

Cassandra leans down and pulls me up. "The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face."

I'm panting in pain. I close my eyes and pull myself together. "How did I survive the blast?"

"They said you…stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you'll see soon enough."

We continue forward. I keep ahold of my wrist, rubbing my thumb into my palm. I shake it, part of me hoping that the mark will fall away with enough force.

We come to another bridge. Bodies litter this one as well. A wagon burns in the chaos.

The Breach pulses again. This time, the crash in the air is too close. Something falls from the sky in a great roar of sound, colliding into the bridge just steps in front of where I stand.

The ground quakes and then disappears altogether.

For just a small moment, my body floats. And then I plummet toward the ground. Everything falls toward the frozen river below. The ice is thick, holding despite the tons of weight barreling into it. My body seizes in pain as I hit the frozen water, landing square on my back.

I moan and push myself up. Cassandra yells and my heart drops as I see the green light erupting from the ground in front of her. A Shade demon materializes, flailing its arms in the air as it lunges at her.

I shuffle backwards as another bubbling green light oozes out of the ice just in front of me. My heart races as I look around frantically, knowing that I need to arm myself with something, anything, before I'm overcome.

A staff sits atop the rubble of what was once the bridge.

I grab it, turning just in time to see another Shade appear just as I knew it would. I push at my mana, feeling it pulse as bolts of lightning stab at the demon. I swing the staff, my mana shooting out of the end like bullets, pelting the demon and pushing it back. I hold out my hand, push with my mind. The blast sends it reeling backwards and it shrinks, disappearing in a flash of smoke.

My breathing slows, my heart still thrumming in my chest. "It's over."

Cassandra barrels over to me, her sword aimed directly at my throat.

"Drop your weapon. Now."

My mana pulses again. "A demon attacked me," I say slowly, careful with the tone of my voice. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You don't need to fight."

"Are you saying it won't happen again?"

She hesitates.

"Do you really think I need a staff to be dangerous?" My palms flash.

Cassandra's eyes narrow. "You're right. You don't need a staff, but you should have one." When she sheathes her sword, I lower my staff. "I cannot protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless." She eyes me as I hook the staff to my belt. "I should remember you did not attempt to run." She reaches into her pack and pulls out a couple bottles of potion. "Take these. Maker knows what we will face."

I place them in the small pack on my hip. I then look around, behind us toward the collapsed bridge. As far as I can see, we're the only people here. "Where are all your soldiers?"

"At the forward camp, or fighting. We are on our own, for now."

Demons attempt to stop us as we follow the frozen river. Cassandra is a formidable woman, taking them down with little effort. I have no experience fighting demons myself, so I concentrate on keeping her safe from the demons that try to flank her.

The farther we go, the more I realize I can hear shouting in the distance; the sounds of battle.

"We're getting close to the rift," Cassandra says. "You can hear the fighting."

"Who's fighting?" The soldiers she mentioned? The woman named Leliana from earlier?

"You'll see soon enough. We must help them."

There is no way forward. A building stands half destroyed, ceiling gone and walls half crumbled to the ground. We can hear them just on the other side. I heave myself over the remnants of the wall, pull myself inside.

Above a group of people, a sparkling green light hovers, pulsing like the mark on my hand.

Cassandra and I join the fray, pushing back the demons that pour from the green light. My mana flows, bending to my will, striking them down until they turn to dust.

When the last one finally falls, one of the men we'd helped rushes toward me.

"Quickly, before more come through!"

The man grabs my hand and holds it up to the rift.

Power surges through me as the mark on my hand joins with the shimmering light. My entire being vibrates as the man forces my hand to push against the energy flowing into me. I grit my teeth as the mark pulses, pushing the pain into my body.

And then it's over. The rift is gone in an explosion that ripples through the air just above us.

I look up at the man, taking him in for the first time.

He's a flat-ear. His bare face and clothing scream of one who spends more time with humans than elves.

"What did you do?"

"I did nothing. The credit is yours."

He is the first elf I have seen since leaving to spy on the Conclave. Flat-ear or no, I feel slight comfort knowing I am not the only one of my people here in the middle of these humans.

"I closed that thing? How?"

The flat-ear leans against his staff. "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake — and it seems I was correct." He smiles in a smug way, inclining his shining head.

"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself," Cassandra says.

"Possibly," the flat-ear says. He looks at me again, tilting his head. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know!" Another man steps forward. I take a deep breath as I look down at the dwarf. I have never met one of the Children of the Stone before. He is smaller than I, though not by much. The most striking thing is the large quantities of hair protruding from his chest. "Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." The dwarf nods at me. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." He turns to Cassandra and winks.

Cassandra rolls her eyes and scoffs.

I glance back and forth between Varric and the flat-ear. "Are you with the Chantry, or…?"

The flat-ear chuckles. "Was that a serious question?"

I look at him and frown.

"Technically," Varric says, drawing my attention, "I'm a prisoner, just like you."

"I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine," Cassandra says defiantly. "Clearly that is no longer necessary."

"Yet, here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events."

My mouth hangs open just slightly as I listen to their banter. I can't think of anything to say. Then I note the crossbow slung across Varric's back. It's large, almost as large as the man who wields it.

"That's…a nice crossbow you have there," I stammer.

Varric looks over his shoulder, his eyes soft. "Ah, isn's she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together."

I can't stop myself from smiling. "You named your crossbow Bianca?"

"Of course. And she'll be great company in the valley."

Do all dwarfs name their weapons?

"It's good to meet you, Varric," I say.

The flat-ear chuckles again under his breath. "You may reconsider that stance, in time."

"Aww," Varric moans. "I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Solas."

Solas? As in pride (3)? I look back at the flat-ear in wonder. He does hold himself as one who holds much of it; chin high and shoulders back. Is it his name? Or merely an observation?

Cassandra, who had been staring at the Breach off in the distance with brows furrowed, seems to process what Varric had said. "Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated Varric, but…"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker (4)? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." He smirks, head tilted off to the side, showing straight and white teeth. His nose looks like it has been broken one too many times to heal properly.

Cassandra groans.

The flat-ear steps forward as Cassandra backs away. "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I'm pleased to see you still live."

It is his name, then.

"He means," Varric adds, "'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"

I look back at the flat-ear, my mind wandering to an image of him hovering over me in that dark cell. "You seem to know a great deal about this." I hold up my marked hand.

Cassandra comes back. "Like you, Solas is an apostate (5)."

"Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra." The flat-ear then turns back to me. "My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade (6), far beyond the experience of any Circle (7) mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin."

He studies the Fade? Our Keeper always warned us gifted with magic about the dangers of becoming too close to the Fade. There were too many temptations, too many demons waiting to possess an unsuspecting host. There were not many of us with magical talent, but even one rouge mage in a clan could spell devastation quite easily.

"And what will you do once this is all over?" I ask.

"One hopes that those in power will remember who helped, and who did not." He looks at Cassandra, who avoids his stare.

I incline my head. "Then…I guess I owe you my thanks."

"Thank me if we manage to close the Breach without killing you in the process."

My heart speeds its rhythm. The thought of it killing me hadn't even crossed my mind. "Well, since everyone else has been introduced, I am Ariella Lavellan."

At this, I see the first sign of…something in the flat-ear's gaze. His eyes narrow slightly as they travel over Mythal's (8) vallaslin (9) branching out around my eyes. He has no vallaslin of his own, his face marked only by a small scar above his brow and one cutting vertically down the middle of his chin. But then the look is gone, so quickly I can't help but think I imagined it.

"Cassandra," he says, "you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have ever seen." He nods toward me without looking away from her. "Your prisoner is a mage, but I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."

Cassandra huffs. "Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly."

"Well…Bianca's excited," Varric adds.

It is only then I remember there had been more than these two men warring against the rift. I look down, my heart heavy as I look upon the other men's corpses.

We travel, battling demons as they drop from the sky. The addition of Varric and Solas proves to be useful. Varric wields Bianca like a true pro, and the flat-ear… His magic is a slight bit careless, as if it has never been properly refined. His wards are much more efficient than mine, however, so I concentrate on bringing lightning to strike down the demons.

The mark flares once again. I manage to stay on my feet this time but cannot stop the sharp inhale of air sucked through my teeth.

"Shit," Varric grunts. "Are you all right?"

"We must hurry," the flat-ear says, "before the mark consumes her."

"So…" Varric clears his throat. "Are you innocent?"

I look back at him. "I don't remember what happened."

He laughs a deep, booming laugh. "That'll get you every time. Should have spun a story."

"That's what you would have done," Cassandra sighs.

He pulls his reddish-blond hair back into a ponytail. "It's more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution."

I say nothing. In a better time, I may have found his words funny. But now, they just make my stomach fall to my feet.

There is another shining rift glaring down at us from the top of a large hill. I look down at the mark on my hand, nodding as I throw my shoulders back and charge toward it.

(1) shemlen - name elves use for the human race. Literal translation is "quick children"

(2) flat-ear - a term used for those of the elvish race who either live among humans or do not follow the old elvish ways. Basically an insult saying they are not "one of the people"

(3) Solas - elven for "pride"

(4) Seeker - refers to the "Seekers of Truth;" an organization that acts like a secret police for the Chantry; they keep an eye on the dealings of the Templar Order

(5) apostate - an "illegal" mage not under supervision of the Chantry

(6) Fade - the spiritual realm; the world of spirits and demons. Separated from the physical world by the "Veil"

(7) Circle - organization responsible for training mages within Thedas; traditionally governed and monitored by the Chantry with the help of the Templar Order

(8) Mythal - the elven goddess of love; the All-Mother and Protector

(9) vallaslin - elvish for "blood writing." Facial tattoos that the Dalish wear displaying their preferred god; helps differentiate a "true" Dalish elf from those who live like humans