Cole moved slowly, standing beside the Herald he looked into her misted eyes, his own searching deep for something, a latch; a key; a door; an entrance. Solas stood back and observed, his inner rage bubbling at the mere inkling of what Envy might be doing to her inside her mind, and with his face too, what if she never trusted him again? He shook off his concerns and approached as the younger man gestured to him.
"I can get us in... But it will be tricky... Dangerous... It might go wrong..." the blond said slowly, his eyes never leaving Artemis'.
"I am willing to take the risk, she cannot be left in there to suffer."
"Mm, I think so too..." he muttered, taking a long breath before he reached up and rested a hand on Solas's forehead, and one on the forehead of the Herald, "Take a deep breath... Don't trust your eyes..."
"Do it." the Elf murmured, inhaling as he was told.
The sensation of being pulled underwater flooded his every sense, the urge to gasp for breath and surface gripping him as his legs grew weak and heavy, his ears filling with a dull muted sound like water gushing in and muffling nature's orchestra; his heart hammered against his ribs, his blood pumping faster and harder with the need to continue thrusting oxygen around his body. His limbs grew weak, almost like they were detached from his body and despite the urge to gasp in another great breath he was completely paralysed, he couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't breathe.
Solas had never experienced such sensations in his life, his journeys into the Fade had on occasion been uncomfortable but this was on a completely fresh level beyond his comprehension. When he thought it could get no worse, a voice trickled into his mind like blood from a paper cut.
"Stop fighting... Fighting makes it harder... You need to relax... Accept what you are feeling..." it was Cole's voice, as clear as daylight in his mind, it became his anchor, he reached out for the voice, reaching through the haze of water before a blinding light shone through even his closed lids.
A gasp left the Elf as he staggered, stumbling into a stone pillar and coughing hard, expecting to be drenched and spewing water but instead he was utterly dry and nothing by air left his lips, taking a moment to gather is bearings Solas slowly raised his head, finding himself in a woodland scene, a frown meeting his gaze before he saw Cole up ahead.
"Where are we?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse as he stalked over.
The blond looked somewhat confused as he appraised their surroundings, "Mm... We must be a little off... I was sure I had found where and when she needed help... Maybe Envy set up a block to stop me..." he fiddled restlessly with the brim of his large hat.
"What do you mean?"
"Its like a clock that is working too fast, its arms are spinning around without a pause... I have to reach in and grab them at the right second, the right minute... But its hard, you can't quite see it clearly, like looking through glass or smoke... If you go at the wrong time you could end up in a completely different memory... And then that wouldn't be very helpful at all!" he huffed a little in frustration, "I was sure... I know I had the right time... I had the right one... Envy must have sensed us coming, made the arms spin faster... Just to throw us off a little... But he's busy with the Herald... So he can't use too much power..."
Solas observed the young man curiously, mostly understanding his explanation but confused as to the nature of the spirit in front of him, "Is there a way to get to the Herald?"
"Oh yes." he nodded, "Find a way around Envy... A way he cannot see... Like rabbits burrowing a new den so the fox can't catch them... This way..."
With no alternative, he followed the blond through the woods, meandering through the velvety green mist which hazed around their knees like a mysterious cape, once or twice Solas believed he saw the red-headed elven Herald dancing between the trees, but when he tried to look properly she was gone. He recalled what Cole had said about not trusting his eyes, but it was incredibly hard to imagine that all of this was inside one woman's head.
"Are we in her memories?" he asked as they passed a magnificent elven ruin recaptured by nature's grasp of leaves and vines.
"Yes, but no too... Like an imprint of a memory shaped by opinion and desire... False memory..."
"So these are places she has visited, but warped to her own sanctuary?"
"That... Sounds right..." he nodded slightly, touching the thick moss on the wall as they passed, "It seems real, feels real, but its like a dream... Not everything is right..."
"She told me she missed the forests, when she was with her clan that is where they would dwell most of the time..." he looked up at the vast green canopy above their heads, "It makes sense she would return here in her thoughts. A small piece of heaven in a world gone mad."
"Shh!" Cole appeared in his face and cupped a hand over his mouth, "Do not say the 'm' word here! Not with Envy so close... he's contained to her most recent thoughts, most recent memories, but letting him in would be bad, open too many doors and they can't be shut again!" he was looking around like he expected insanity to sweep down upon them, "Envy and Fear are friends, when they work together they drive people to... Extremes..." he whispered, "Don't let them in, no no no, don't let them in."
Solas was startled at first, but came to understand his reasoning quickly, he too glanced around, resting a hand on Cole's shoulder, "Very well, we should hurry then. We don't want to linger too long."
"Yes... Yes, yes, don't linger. Leaves too many footprints where there should not be any." he nodded eagerly and scuttled off again, leaving Solas to follow.
The daylight faded faster than in the real world, and as the sun set the stars illuminated the ever darkening sky, a thousand tiny promises guiding them with starlight, and moonlight, showing them new paths, new thoughts and new memories.
The pair came to a stop at the bank of a large lake, surrounded by fresh rich earth; green crisp grass; and walls off flower shrouded bushes. The lake was black in the night but the pale light of the celestial stars illuminated each ripple, each tiny quiver of water giving way to tendrils of pure white light.
The elven man felt an aura of peace and tranquillity blanket him, like a warm robe falling over his shoulders to settle him into an armchair by a fire. Even in the Fade he had never encountered such a feeling. There was something unexpectedly beautiful about walking the memories of another, walking in the ready made paths of another soul, another spirit.
From the corner of his eye he thought he saw Lavellan again, waist deep in the water with her back to them, her auburn hair much longer than it was currently. She was performing some ancient Dalish rite, praise to the old gods to welcome her into adulthood. He recognised the rite well, it was performed the night before receiving Vallaslin when a maturing Elf would meditate to the old gods, hoping to be found worthy of adulthood.
"Bare-faced, embarrassed, not yet a woman but no longer a child..." Cole said softly, apparently he too could see her this time, "Nervous, scared of the pain, wanting to impress, make proud..."
"Shame on the Dalish for imposing such rules on their young, to make them ponder the meaning of adulthood... Vallaslin does not make you an adult..." Solas shook his head and turned away slowly, "Let us move on."
"Angry, shame, disappointment... You understand what they do not but you have not shared it, cannot share it..."
"Stop." Solas warned once, silencing Cole as they began walking again.
The imagine of her ritual was burned into his mind, unshakable and unforgettable, he wondered what her face would have looked like without the Vallaslin, what she would look like now without it. He scolded himself for such impulsive thoughts, for truly what she looked like was none of his business, though he looked back only once in time to see her lithe figure fade into mist.
Their path grew steep as they continued through the night, using gnarled roots and branches to help them climb.