My wishful hopes for my Lavellan and Solas reuniting in DA4? *Sighs*

He could see the faint gleam of the rune set at the base of her prosthetic arm just below her elbow. His fault, his responsibility that he unwittingly bestowed upon this unsuspecting soul.

This beautiful soul, so hardened and deceived before he'd come upon her. She was a smoldering fire waiting to escape its confines. Always running, yet fearing the flight.

She had trusted him. She had confided her fears.

And he had lied to her from the beginning. Trying to resist her spirit, her life, her essence, but it became him. Her questions, her interest, the wisdom she'd shown him not since he'd travelled the fade.

She became his reason to let himself live outside the fade. And he had betrayed her. He had caused her pain; was still causing her pain, yet she was standing there, her eyes still pleading with him to give up this cause.

But he had started all this. He had destroyed so much trying to bring life to those who were beneath the Evanuris, subservient to the false gods, and he had seen too much defiled to let it keep continuing.

He had to make it right, but this woman… She made him question everything, she made him fear being alone more than he had ever feared it before. She still had faith in him, hope that he would give up his plans.

He couldn't. It was too late. Too late for him.

"Don't hang your head so low, Dread Wolf. You might have me believe you regret your choice to walk the path of sorrow and death." His eyes had sunk low; he couldn't look her in the eyes. "It's not too late," she read his thoughts, her left arm had risen, her gloved, prosthetic fingers reaching up to touch his cheek. There was no life in that hand, but he felt its presence, felt her touch as she cupped his cheek. He felt the soft warmth of the rune coursing through the tendrils of the pieces that made up her arm.

What wonders magic could produce. But he did this. He took that away from her. He had handed her yet another challenge, another notch on the list of things that hadn't broken this woman yet. His heart ached, his body burned, his soul wanted to intertwine with hers and stay wrapped up within her forever.

"Solas," her voice was soft, full of pain, full of want for him to walk away with her. Her other hand touched the side of his face. He still resisted the want to look at her face. If he did, he just might leave with her. Leave to wander the ends of Thedas with her. Would that be such a bad choice? He could feel those hues burning into him, her will forced upon him to bring his eyes to hers. There was turmoil within him. He tried to mask his deep breaths through his nose.

"Solas," She pleaded softly again. What he'd give to hear his name ghosting from her lips the way it did before. The way she'd say his name when she trusted him, loved him, the sigh of it as they'd made love. He would give everything to lift this burden, but he couldn't. Why wouldn't he?

He looked up, his hands gripping her wrists, feeling the difference between the real joint and the false one. It was a mistake to look at her; he'd become lost within her. "Vhenan," He whispered, aching at the pain it caused her to hear him call her that. She still thought he didn't mean it. He meant it every time. She was his heart, his reason to live, to breathe, to make the world right, but he could not let her see what would become of him.

But did he have to? There may yet be time to walk away; to not stain her perception of him any further.

Her eyes, those eyes, those deep blue eyes blended with flecks of violet still looked at him to change his mind. She could change everything with that look. She had so many times before, had delayed his departure, and absorbed him into her world.

He couldn't. He could not cause her pain any longer. It was over, over as soon as his lips swept in to capture hers so sweetly so softly. To feel her kiss him back set his world alight with her fire. That uniqueness; her love unlike any he'd felt before. He would not regret this. He would regret having caused her pain. But he could walk away.

He could make the world right by making her happy.