They headed down and out to the garden, she hoped Morrigan had not left yet and was pleased to see the mages sitting there talking to her son helping him study.
"Morrigan!" Lavellan called out hopping over benches and small walls she could not be bothered walking around.
"Inquisitor," the witch said and asked her son to continue studying while she talked to the Inquisitor.
They walked off a bit and Lavellan took a breath before explaining what was on her mind;
"I think Solas have erased Coles mind. Made him forcefully forget something that he did not want me to know,"
"Well, well," Morrigan answered eyeing Cole with a curious stare "Trying to hide from us are we, Solas? But what is so terrible he would not dare for his Inquistor to find out?"
"I don't know," Lavellan muttered "But I intend to find out. I want your help to find him. I will have answers,"
Morrigan looked amused and cocked her head to the side eyeing the Inquisitor for a moment and then slowly said;
"I have other plans, Inquisitor. Keiran and I were about to leave, but this is intriguing and I might be able to at least set you on a path that can help,"
"Please," Lavellan mumbled feeling her heart sink when s he heard the news "I need your help. You are the one expert on elven lore that can match Solas, and I think he might be trying to find another of those orbs Corypheus had,"
Morrigan frowned and looked startled for a moment.
"Why would he do that? It is very likely there is no other such orb, and what would he do with that? Why the secrecy?"
"I..." Lavellan kicked the stone wall a bit and gritted her teeth "I think he might plan to use it. For what I do not know, but I can not allow him to put the world in danger. Not again,"
"Again?" Morrigans voice was growing wary
"I... he talked in riddles, the last time I saw him. The more I think of it, the more I get the feeling he was at fault for Corypheus getting that orb, or something like that. All the things he said, the things he knew... It does not make sense, Morrigan. Or am I going mad? Varric say I might just be unable to handle the world being safe again, and try to invent a danger which is not real,"
"People cling to the notion of safety, especially when just granted it," Morrigan scoffed "They would dismiss even a possible threat as folly just to keep that notion. Your thoughts are worthy of inquiry. And I am glad to see that rosy veil falling from your eyes about your elven friend, even though I am sure it hurts,"
"It does," Lavellan admitted and sighed "But... there are too many questions. I need Josy to send for my clan. The Keeper Deshanna knows far more then me about elven rituals, I will need her guidance,"
"And you miss them," Cole said and she nodded
"I do,"
"And what assistance would you want from me, Lavellan?" Morrigan asked "My son and I have plans,"
"I would be grateful if you could collaborate with my keeper, between the two of you I believe we have the greatest knowledge of the elvhenan in the whole of Thedas,"
"I am flattered," the witch said with a wry smile "And this sounds worth my time. Are you planning on getting my Mother involved? Or is she the one steering you down this path?"
Lavellan hesitated, and bit her lip for a moment. She had not even reflected over Mythals influence yet. It had been awfully quiet since the battle with Corypheus.
"There have been no input from what I can tell since the battle," she answered and pulled a worried hand through her hair "What was your plan before I interrupted with mine?"
"We have places to be, things to do," Morrigan mysteriously answered and Lavellan rolled her eyes, making Morrigan laugh "It would not effect you, nor your Inquisition. But I keep it to myself if I may. Not all between these walls are friends of mine. But I can start out helping you by taking a look at the boy and this allegedly erased memory,"
"Thank you," Lavellan said and left to ask Josy to send an escort and a message to her clan that she wished them to come.
She was a bit worried about seeing them again, so much had happened in the last year. It felt like they had been apart for a lifetime, and she felt unsure about how they would react to it all. Everybody here only new her as the Inquisitor, or their idiotic claim for her to be the Herald of Andraste. Her clan new her for who she was before. It was not the same person any more.
"It will take weeks, if not months for your clan to arrive, Inquisitor," Josephine noted as she sealed the order for one of her runners and clamped it together with Lavellans letter to her clan "There is much we need to do in the meanwhile, what do you wish this Inquisition to be now? Our main objective has been achieved, after all. So we will need a new purpose,"
"I don't know" Lavellan groaned "I am... I don't know, Josy. Maybe we should just... keep people safe for now? Close rifts, be a stabilizing force in the aftermath of the chaos? I never wanted to play Queen of the world or some holy person running around to govern. I want shems to stop being pricks, I want my people to be able to live in peace and I want to have time to recover what I can from my peoples history,"
"Always the Dalish, huh?" Dorian mused from the doorway "You could be the most powerful person in Thedas,"
"She already is," Josy corrected while making a note on her clipboard,
"You are the most powerful person in Thedas, and you want to go out in the woods looking for ruins and mouldy books?"
"Well, since your people so kindly ruined our cities and enslaved us, that is all we have left," the Inquisitor replied with a dry less then amused voice "We can act as a force of justice and stability without agreeing on theology. But I won't be the Herald. If it causes problems, then I'm sorry but I can not do that,"
"I understand," Josephine sighed "Well, the Queen of Fereldan still wants to hold a feast to our honour. It will be a good place for you to talk about what the future holds for the Inquisition. I will accompany you, as well as Commander Cullen,"
"...fine..." she muttered with such discontent that Dorian couldn't help but laugh;
"Oh it is like watching Josy hold council with a three year old. Such delight. Maybe a cup of tea for the Inquistor? I just came by to offer my invitation to Lady Montilyet,"
"I hate tea," she mumbled "And I have to look a few things up, go through old mouldy books you know,"
"You and Solas were such a good match. Too bad he couldn't value it and you as he should have," Dorian sighed "Hating tea, loving old ruins and mouldy books, elven,"
Josephine glanced between them, clearly worried about how Dorians jest would be received. Lavellan just rolled her eyes and left the room, heading down to the old study and her bottle collection.
Few ventured down there, and she had not had time to go through the books in that old study yet. Maybe something of worth could be found in the shelves. She could hear Josy scold Dorian for bringing up Solas and sighed deeply. Everybody was so nice... She wished they would stop fussing about her, and just let that whole Andraste thing go.
She was the vessle of one God, her own God. An elven God. Was that so hard for them to accept? Shems...
She started on the bottom right of the bookshelves and sorted all the books into three different piles;
Useless, in need of repair, and good condition.
It was a good meditative chore for her. It let her fingers be busy while her mind could ponder different ideas while casually flipping through the books. She could hear someone approach but didn't care to look up. Nobody here was shy enough to not address her no matter what she was doing.
"Are you okay, Sparky?"
It was Varric. She sighed and threw a book into the useless pile, pages falling out as it hit the floor next to the rest of the books.
"I just want them to get it out of their heads that I am the Herald of Andraste," she answered flipping through the next book "And I want to know what Solas is up to,"
"Cole said you thought Solas had erased parts of his memory. Remember what I said about making up problems when there are none?"
"I remember,"
"Well... I am glad that you are up and walking, sorting books and making plans rather then dragging me off to kill dragons but... Maybe this is just you not being able to handle that he left? I know he was important to you, and that things didn't end on a good note but... Maybe you should just not do anything that has to do with him for a while?"
"That would force me to leave Skyhold, not close rifts and probably be unconscious for a good while," she replied with a dry voice "Everything reminds me of him. You remind me of him. And this is.. yes I am angry for how he ended things. That he was a coward and left, that he is keeping secrets from me and that I was such a fool that I let him become this important to me. That probably influences my thoughts of him acting suspiciously. It does not, however, make my suspicions invalid. And if they are just mad thoughts, then there will be no substance for them when I've investigated, and I'll know. For sure. So everything is fine,"
"... It sounds like madness to me, but hell... have at it," Varric sighed and turn to leave
"Oh Varric, one more thing. I found a very... well read... copy of Swords and Shields here... Do you want it?"
"Keep it. It might do you good to read some smut," he said with a chuckle and she smiled back at him,
"Thank you, for caring. I am glad you do. Don't stop question what I do, it will make it easier to realize if I'm just mad," she said and he nodded
"I will. And I hope you are. I don't think being right about this will make you or any of us any happier,"
"No..." she sighed "No it won't. But I have to know,"
"I know," he mumbled "And we will be here, helping you. Keeping you sane,"
"Good, now, go have tea with Dorian. I would hate to have him come down here complaining about me keeping you from your social functions,"
Varric just nodded and left her alone with the books.