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O.o.O.o.O

Trees whispered gently in the slight breeze while the fennecs and other small animals of the forest began a new day. As they scampered about, searching for food and avoiding the larger predators, there was a tangled ruin that none ventured into. Stones and blocks of various shapes and sizes were scattered among the tree trunks as if a great wind had toppled them over. Many of them had ancient words and pictures carved painstakingly into them, but time had long since worn them beyond comprehension. In the middle of this untouched place, a thin tendril of smoke rose to tangle in the canopy high above.

Solas sighed as he awoke from his slumber among the lost ruins. The wards had done well as his camp was undisturbed; however, his mind was not so easily guarded. He had searched for this place as he had passed nearby. An ages old memory had whispered to him that something had once stood here that was once of great importance to the People. Upon arriving, he had found that the great outpost had long since be destroyed and not even a single wall stood fully intact. With night approaching, Solas had decided that if he could not search for answers in the physical, he would instead dream here to find his answers in the Fade.

Dragging his hands down his face as he remembered what he had found, Solas wondered if he was simply cursed to fail at all his endeavors. Within the Fade, he had seen the rise and fall of this place. However, as he was looking for what ever power this place had once held, his subconscious had decided that it did not want to focus on this task any longer. The Fade, sensing this need, had brought him to another dreamscape, far far away.

O.o.O.o.O

Solas looked around in surprise at the sudden change of his surroundings. He was still within a forest, but this one was only vaguely familiar to him. Curious what had dragged him to this new place, he began to wander around to find answers. Here, peace was not as absolute as his former location. The birds were much quieter in their song and the smaller creatures had already hidden in their burrows as if something dangerous was nearby.

Through the trees, Solas heard the sound of echoed voices as well as the tell-tale noises of setting up a larger camp. Intrigued, he moved forward until he could peer at the camp through the cover of the underbrush. Though this was in the Fade and in no real danger of being "caught", he did not want to disturb any spirits or dreamers that might see him. As he scanned the figures unpacking their tents and building a fire, he realized he had stumbled upon a Dalish camp. Their aravels were a bit travel-worn but in good repair. A young male elf was helping the halla handler with positioning them strategically around the perimeter. A pair of female elves were setting up a decent size fire pit in the center of it all. Giggles and whispered words drifted to him from them, something about another female of the group.

Still in the dark on what importance was to be found here, Solas looked around the camp for the leader of this fairly large band of Dalish. There. To his right, closer than he had realized, stood a elderly Keeper and what appeared to be her First. Though he could only see the back of the smaller, cloaked figure, the staff gave away their rank within the group. They stood well outside the rest of the camp, almost within the treeline. Moving with a quiet grace few knew he possessed, Solas brought himself closer to the pair. Surely this had to be what he was meant to find.

"...ut the humans will be very wary of you, da'len. You must be careful. No amount of information is worth your life."

The cloaked figure shifted as if uncomfortable with the sentiment. Solas continued to move around them to try to see and hear them better. Just as he was about to bring the front of the First into view, a voice froze him mid-step. No...

"I know the dangers, Keeper. But we cannot remain like our brethren and ignore the humans. You taught me that and your wisdom has brought much prosperity to our clan. This gathering is of great importance and will shape the course of the future. We need to know what happens. I have the most experience being around humans, their mannerisms, their dress. I will be fine and I will return to you as soon as I have the answers we seek."

Solas sat down heavily on the spongy moss beneath him. This was no ancient memory. He had stumbled into HER mind, HER dreams. Based on what he had heard, this must have happened just before she had left for that fateful meeting at the Conclave. Cursing his mind for seeking her out, Solas brought himself back to his feet, but his distracted thoughts stunted his grace and a loud snap announced his presence to the world.

"Who goes there?!"

Feeling trapped and unable to escape to waking as he was not controlling this dream, Solas remained hidden as quiet as the deepest void. Directly over his head a snap of lightning flew by and hit the tree behind him. Clamping down his jaw, he fought against the urge to jump. If she saw him here in her dream, she would recognize him as real. She was a sharp, intelligent mage and knew the Fade well. Second in knowledge probably only to him.

"Trespasser. I know you are there. Continue to hide from me and I will not miss the second time."

Melana knew she was dreaming. When she had fallen into her bed after a long day at the war table dealing out missions, she knew she could not avoid the dreams forever. However, she had been surprised to instead find herself reliving the memory of leaving her clan for her trip to the Conclave meeting. As the conversation with her Keeper ended, something happened in the dream that did not happen in truth. In reality, she had stood at the treeline praying to the Gods to protect her clan while she was gone then had headed back to say her goodbyes. Instead, an foreign entity had intruded upon her dream. Knowing the danger of demons, she reacted immediately. The intruder had still not revealed them self.

Lowering her staff slightly, Melana shot her lighting forth once more. This time it hit the underbrush she knew the creature to be hiding in. Instead of frying what ever it was, it instead hit a barrier. The rebound brought the magical signature of the caster flowing over her senses. Reeling back a step, Melana fought to compose herself as her staff fell to the ground.

Knowing he was found out, Solas stood slowly from the bushes. He knew this was terrible idea, that she NEEDED a clean break as much as he did. He had a mission to accomplish and he refused to drag her into the middle of it. This was a disaster. As her shadowed eyes focused on his, her knees gave out and her cloak fell back to reveal her full face to him. He was not ready to see that look of anguish as he had that day he had freed her from her vallaslin. Since she was now outside her memory, her face looked as it did in the present, clear of those cursed markings. But that wasn't what drew him forward a step, his ancient instincts demanding he aid the one it saw as his mate, his heart. His only love was shattered by his presence, Solas could see it written in the blank stare and streams of tears down her face.

"Why... No. You can't be here. It must be a trick..."

Melana could feel it was really him, but she did not want to believe he would hurt her like this. Sure, he had shattered her heart and left her without so much as a goodbye. But this was cruel. To spy on her dreams and to be HERE. It wasn't right.

Taking another step forward followed by another, despite knowing that he was merely damning himself further, Solas brought himself to stand a few feet from her kneeling form. She stared at the ground, unable to meet his eyes again.

"I taught you too well, Vhenan. I had no intention of coming here and I had hoped you would not sense me here."

"Don't call me that, Harellan."

Solas recoiled at her words. Surely she could not know, could she? No. He had never revealed himself to her. Relaxing slightly, he knelt down before her, his resolve cracking.

"I am not lying to you. You are my heart, now until the end of eternity."

Melana felt something in her harden at his words and she finally brought her eyes back up to meet his once more. There he was, looking at her with that calm, knowing expression he had always thrown her way. But she saw the mask for what it was. He was hiding something from her and she would not take his lies any longer.

"One cannot live without their heart, Harellan." She spat the word at him once more, relishing the flinch he gave in response. "Trust me, for I have tried. You are nothing but a liar and a thief. But I will find out your secrets, mark me now. I have the Orb you so relished and I will find out why it mattered, why you used me to get it. For that is all you did, Harellan. You wanted your precious ancient power and I was the only thing that could stop Corypheus and get it for you."

Rage coursed through Solas' veins. "Do not judge what you have no understanding of."

"Then enlighten me, Harellan"

Something in Solas snapped at her mocking words. Grabbing her shoulder's roughly, he brought his lips to cover hers. Her surprised gasp allowed him further passage as he angled his head and plundered her mouth while she remained in shock. His instincts howled in elation in feeling and tasting her once more and he could not find it in himself to stop. That is, until a very angry fist connected with the left side of this jaw. Rocking back onto his heels, Solas stared at the panting, raging, beautiful woman before him.

"How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!"

"I dare because no matter how much you feel I deceived you, I care for you. But we cannot be together any longer." Standing once more, Solas walked away a few steps before speaking once more. "My sincerest apologies, Inquisitor. I should not have allowed my actions to get so out of hand."

Feeling his physical body finally begin to wake, Solas forced himself from her dream and back into the real world.