Barris jumped the wooden barrier, reaching Dal in three paces. Fresh streams of blood flowed from her nose, mouth, and ears while purple bruises of gloved imprints formed around her neck. With two fingers pressed against her neck, he sighed in relief sensing a weak pulse beneath. Hearing a sword unsheathed behind him, Barris turned to find a bloodied Lysette standing, sword outstretched, with two other Templar also directing their swords toward him and Dal.

"Stand down! What are you doing?" Barris commanded, but they remained unmoved.

"Knight-Captain, she's an apostate, ser. An unharrowed mage, she not allowed to roam through Skyhold!" Lysette grimaced out. She pointed to the side of her blackened armor, small tendrils of smoke curling off the scorched metal. "She struck me with lightning, ser. You witnessed it. She attacked a Templar, she must await the Inquisitor's judgment."

Barris stood up to his full height, unsheathing his sword as he pointed it at the three Templar. "You will not touch her, and she is going nowhere other than to a healer. STAND DOWN. THAT IS AN ORDER!" His voice echoed off the courtyard as people turned to discover the source of the commotion happening in the training yard. The two Orlesian Templar beside Lysette stepped forward with their swords still outstretched.

Barris' voice was low and threatening, "No one will put their hands on her. Her name is Idalya Mahariel, the Hero of Ferelden, vanquisher of the Archdemon, savior of the Blight," The faces on all three Templar fell as they stared at the still limp body of the elf that bled out in the surrounding dirt. "I order you to stand down."

Something moved behind the Templar, but he didn't focus on it. In a concise movement, the three Templar were struck in the back of their heads and they collapsed to the ground, their bodies limp. Barris' eyes met Blackwall's as the Warden moved forward to check on Idalya.

"Better get the girl to a healer. I'll take care of your buddies here until they come to. I'm certain their Commander will have choice words for them after all this. Go quick! Make sure the warden is fine." Blackwall urged.

Barris scooped Idalya off the ground into his arms and moved as quick as his legs allowed towards the main hall of Skyhold. For such an intimidating woman, Barris found himself confused at how small she was in his arms. She'd curled up like a child as he cleared the steps and aimed for the doorway to the rotunda. Exiting into the hallway, he came into Solas' work area. The mage painting on his massive murals.

Turning at the commotion, he saw Idalya in Barris' arms and jumped down from his scaffolding mumbling the word no, repeatedly. The mage swiped his pile of books off the desk and motioned for Barris to place her down on the table, to analyze the extent of her injuries.

"What happened? How could this happen…" Solas' hands glowed a vibrant green as he pressed them against her abdomen and chest sensing her injuries.

"She was smited, ser."

His eyes narrowed as he stared down the Templar. "Smited? She's not a mage." Solas projected his discomfort as he examined her body.

Sure that they were alone, Barris leaned forward forwards Solas and spoke under his breath, "She was sparring with a Templar as practice for Red Templar… she attacked the Templar with lightning and the Templar smited her in defense."

Solas' face was a war of emotions as he processed the Templar's words. With a sigh, he placed his hands on Idalya's chest and Barris sensed the rising of his magic as the green swirls penetrated through her tunic into her body. Her breaths became shallower, quickening as her body arched to his magic. A whimper escaped her perfect pink lips and Barris stepped forward in concern but halted as Solas shot him a sideways glare from where he worked.

Her body slid back down to the desk as the mage's magic wore down. In a more relaxed position than before, she looked asleep other than the streams of dried blood streaking her face, the marks on her neck already lessening from Solas' outpouring of healing.

Stepping away from the desk Solas stumbled, before receiving help to a chair to recover. Barris' eyes drifted back to the sleeping elf on the desk. Now that she was safe it was indecent to be standing over her. If he found her beautiful awake, it was nothing compared to her beauty as she relaxed, the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders.

He chided himself for thinking thoughts like that about the Hero. Barris swore to protect the weakest of those who needed help and this girl was the epitome of those who needed his protection. As beautiful and vibrant as Dal might be, she needed his help. She needed everyone's help if she was to succeed.

A fast-moving pair of footsteps caught his attention, his hand gripping the pommel of his sword as the door from the main hall busted open into the rotunda and Leliana came running through it to Idalya's side. She dropped to one knee and placed her forehead against the Hero's.

Barris stood straighter and stepped back from the desk unsure how to handle the spilling emotion from the Spymaster. Squaring his shoulders, he directed his line of sight towards the enormous paintings now covering the walls of the rotunda and tried to block out the soft whispers the Spymaster spoke into the Hero's ear as she smoothed her silver hair. The minutes lasted for hours until Leliana stood and was once more the Nightingale.

"Solas, please… dear Maker, please tell me…"

"She will be fine," Solas interrupted from his chair, "I don't know what happened, but I know you and Fiona are dabbling in magic you don't understand!" His voice escalated in volume as he stared her down.

Leliana's eyes darted to Barris standing away from the commotion.

"What is he doing here?" She asked, suspicious of his role. "Did he do this?" Her hand motioned towards Idalya.

The elf rolled his eyes. "No, he's the one that saved her, and I assume he's here because he's worried she'll attack someone else, Spymaster."

Leliana huffed out a breath of air as she removed a handkerchief from her pocket and cleared the blood from her friend's face.

"That's ridiculous. She wouldn't harm any-"

"She summoned lightning on a Templar!" Solas' fist pounded the arm of the chair as he stood to face the Spymaster. "A warrior with no discernible mana summoned lightening then was injured to the point of death by a smite. Whatever you have done has bent the rules of magic to their breaking point. If you keep me in the dark, I can't help you and I can't help her! I drained all of my mana to heal the internal damage she sustained… damage she shouldn't be able to!"

As the two argued, the crackle of Solas' magic filled the room as his anger grew towards the Spymaster. His purpose for bringing Dal here wasn't to suppress the magic of the elf, but if he needed to protect one of the Inquisition's advisers, he would do it with no hesitation. Taking a step forward, he reached out his non-sword arm towards the mage, pulling the lyrium in his system to the front. At the first pull of lyrium, Solas turned towards him and hung his head down, releasing a groan. The magic in the room dissipated as the mage ran his hands over his face and swore in Elven as Barris lowered his arm.

"First the Hero is smited outside, then I'm almost silenced in my home. The more things change, the more they stay the same." He turned to Leliana. "You can both leave now, Spymaster, I need you to send couriers to bring a healer's cot to the room, so I can make her more comfortable. She'll have plenty more hours to rest and I need to continue my work. I'll have a messenger fetch you when she has awoken."

Leliana shook her head and stormed out up the stairway heading to her ravens. Leaving the mage and Templar alone with the Hero.

"And I need you to head to Commander Cullen and inform him about what has happened. I sense there will be damage control he must complete with your Templar before the night is through."

Barris bowed and made his way to the exit to the Commander's tower when the elf spoke once more.

"Oh, and Ser Barris?" Barris turned to face him. The mage held his hands linked behind his back as he made his way toward the Templar with deliberate footsteps. When he was face to face with Barris, he stopped to analyze him.

"Thank you for protecting the Hero. Without your quick response, she would have perished in the custody of the Templar when they apprehended her." Barris nodded in acknowledgment as Solas continued, "Evelyn might have chosen to work with the Templar and bring you into the Inquisition as equals, but if you ever threaten me again in my home, not even your Maker can protect you when I get my hands on you."

Barris' entire body tightened at the mage's words. This was no idle threat.

"Understood." His voice rasped out as he refused to drop his eyes from the mage's.

"Would you leave that part out of your discussion with the Commander? He's jumpier around mages than you are, and I'd hate for him to single out mages as being dangerous because I take the Templar doing their jobs personally." Solas regarded him for a moment with an eyebrow uplifted. "You keep my secret," he motioned towards Idalya's sleeping form, "and I'll keep yours."

Barris rolled his eyes and continued out to the Commanders tower with heavy footsteps as he heard Solas' quiet chuckles echo through the silent rotunda as the wooden door closed behind him.