New sights, new people, new places every day, now this was an adventure!
Kyran flitted around Skyhold, grinning at the crows that followed in her wake as she stretched the wings of her eagle form. She lead them on a merry chase, dipping in and out of open windows, diving past unassuming workers, and frightening more than a few servants. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother appear on top of the mage tower.
Well, she thought as she sped toward him. It isn't a mage tower yet, but once I get my hands on it, it will be!
She flew straight toward the other elf, banking right at the last second to avoid crashing into him. He laughed as she and the crows surrounded him, and held out an arm for her to light on.
"Lets see just how good you've gotten Emm'asha. Ar'an vi!"
He threw her back into the air where she hung for a moment before spinning in midair and the two bolted for the edge of the roof. Cendres leaped off, embracing the empty air, and roll into his landing as he struck the ramparts below.
A few unsuspecting mages shrieked when the Inquisitor fell out of the sky next to them, but he just laughed, too focused on his sister hovering off to his left. The two blew down the ramparts, Cendres at full sprint with Kyran soaring beside him. Closed doors meant nothing, Kyran flung them open with a thought. Ah, the perks of being a mage.
The wind whistled in their ears and the sun shone in their eyes; it had been ages since their last race. In the forests, Cendres would have leaped through the trees, shouting taunts and throwing leaves as Kyran ducked under branches and screeched back at him. He was always more alive with her around. Making jokes, dancing, singing, playing; he was a child again in the presence of her vibrant light. Their friends in the clan would have taken bets on who would win and called out encouragement. Their Keeper would have laughed at their vivacity while Ceraes would have yelled at them to be more careful. This was home: this exhilaration, this shared insanity. To Kyran, the whole world seemed to glow brighter when they were together.
"INQUISITOR!"
Cassandra had spotted them from the ground when she noticed startled recruits diving out of their way above her.
"Inquisitor?! What in Andraste's name are you doing?!"
Cendres didn't hear her, his eyes fixed on the path ahead, a wild smile dancing on his lips.
"Leave it," Ceraes advised, appearing next to the seeker. "They always do this, just sit back and enjoy the show. I had to learn how a long time ago."
It didn't take long for a crowd to form, it really was a sight to see. It wasn't just a race, but a game. An intricate dance between the two of them.
Kryan would often dive at her brother's feet or his head, forcing him to either leap over her or roll out of her way. Sometimes Cendres would jump up to run along the battlements and she would weave in and out of the openings beneath his feet. Then he would jump over her and the two would twist midair as they passed by one another. Always graceful, never fumbling, it was quite the performance.
"I thought you were going to beat me this time!" Cendres shouted as they neared the end of their track. With that he surged forward, leaving Kyran several wingbeats behind. He cornered hard, leaping off the battlements to land on the roof of the stables and rolling down to the ground below.
When he came to a halt, he dusted off his trousers, then gave an exaggerated shrug as he turned around.
"Well, Emm'asha, looks like I win again, you'll have to try harder nex-"
"Oh please."
She was already there, seated on the ground in front of him.
"If you were any slower, I'd've grown old waiting for you."
Her green eyes sparkled as her brother's mouth fell open in surprise. But then he was laughing and she was laughing and the crowd that had gathered to watch them surged up to meet them.
Cole appeared next to Kyran, grinning, a look of awe in his eyes.
"Flying, spinning, dancing. A game made only for the two of them. Watch the sun and moon soar."
Kyran laughed and pulled him into a hug, "I'll teach it to you next time, Da'mi. Then you can soar with us."
"More likely you'll just break something."
The smile on Cendres' face soured as Solas stepped out of the crowd.
"A word, Inquisitor?"
"I already told you," Cendres growled. "I have nothing more to say on the matter. Go away and stop ruining my good mood."
"But you let them go without their fully understanding the-"
"Then you should have explained it to them!" Cendres rounded on the other elf, glaring. "You should have shared what you knew and made them understand, Solas!"
He crowded into the mage's space, his face dark and thunderous.
"But, nooooooo. 'They wouldn't have listened' you say. How do you know when you don't try?!"
"I have tried-" Solas drew himself up, trying to regain some ground.
"And then you stopped! You can never stop, Solas!" Cendres snarled. "You try and try and try again until things change! You don't give up halfway through and then complain about it! If you want something to change, FIGHT!"
When Solas said nothing in return, Cendres spun on his heel and stalked away.
An awkward silence fell over the courtyard until Cassandra finally broke the spell.
"Everyone back to your duties, we've spent enough time gawking for one day."
The crowd scattered, recruits went back to their training, mages to the library, even Cole disappeared. Finally only Kyran and Solas were left still staring at the spot where Cendres had once stood.
"You don't get on well with my brother, do you?" She ventured.
Solas snorted, not looking at her. "What was your first clue?"
"So," Kyran stood, dusting off her robes. "Wanna tell me what that was all about?"
"We encountered a Dalish clan on our last excursion. They had stumbled upon some ancient ruins and were taking up residence in them. They also started performing some of their rituals there. And yet, they were surprised when angry spirits appeared and attacked them."
"We set things right in the end, but it could have gone so much worse. They thought the ruins were simply haunted and resolved to move on, but they were not! The ritual had drawn the spirits there, they should have known! But your brother did not fully explain this to them, he just told them to keep their rituals out of ancient ruins. They ought to know better!"
"How?" Kyran asked, fixing him with an even gaze. "How could they have possibly known?"
"I've heard you say before that the Dalish don't really understand half the rituals they perform, they just go by the pieces of information they can find and make up the rest with assumptions. How could they possibly know what would happen based on misinterpreted misinformation?"
"They simply should not have done it! If you don't understand something, you should not attempt it!" Solas spun around to face her, looking exasperated.
"Shoulds are lovely things, aren't they?" Kyran cocked her head to one side. "So if I say something should be then it is?"
Kyran pointed to a horse in the stables.
"That horse should be a unicorn."
The horse looked up from it's hay lazily, but remained a horse.
"Hmm, that didn't work so well. How 'bout this?"
She pointed toward a dying soldier at the healer's tents.
"That man should live. Oh wait, he got stabbed in the lung, so that's not going to happen."
She threw her arms out wide.
"All children should listen to their parents. Spiders shouldn't be so creepy. Fire shouldn't be hot. The sky should be red."
Kryan looked up in mock surpise.
"It's still blue. Wierd."
Her green eyes fell to Solas' face.
"Gosh, you know, it's almost like just because something should be, that doesn't mean it is."
She let her arms fall back to her sides, giving the man a chastising look.
"My brother was right. If you want things to change, you have to change them. If you wanted them to stop doing that ritual, you should have explained why. My brother isn't a mage and he hasn't studied the Fade, only you could have made them understand. And, from what I gather, you didn't even try, you just left it up to Cendres. Well, that's what you get then."
Solas wouldn't look at her.
"Why do you hate the Dalish so much?"
"They know so little, and understand even less." He grumbled.
"Gee, I wonder why." Kyran muttered, shaking her head.
"Look, there are good Dalish and bad Dalish, just like there are good Humans and bad Humans. Our people-"
"They are not my people."
Kyran sighed, rubbing a hand over her face.
"Yes, they are. I don't know where everyone got the idea that Dalish elves and other elves are so different. Yes, the Dalish culture is different, but that's it, and I've met plenty of city elves who still follow Dalish tradition. Saying Dalish elves and other elves are a different people, is like saying pale humans and dark humans are a different people. Sure, they look different and they may have different beliefs and customs, but they're still the same people. They're still Humans, just like we're still Elvhen. We came from the same place, from the same ancestors, we are, in essence, the same. And we are different, but no so different. It'd be ignorant to say otherwise."
Solas glanced at her, then away again.
"Don't think I don't see you, by the way. You're always staring at my face when you think I'm not looking. Staring at my Vallaslin."
He was surprise, how had she known? He sighed, finally looking at her. She seemed frustrated and upset.
"I don't know what you see when you look at my face, probably just another pointless ritual, but I know what I see. I see all that was: Tired, old teachings that are failing us and need to be changed. I see my clan: Mostly selfish and full of people too ignorant and unwilling to change. I see my prison: A place where I was feared and ridiculed by many."
Solas coughed, a confused frown forming on his face.
Kryan pressed on, her eyes turning softer as a smile worked it's way across her lips.
"But I also I see my brother: The first face I can remember, smiling down at me and singing me to sleep when I was afraid. I see my sister: Her hand holding mine in a death grip as our Keeper etches these marks into our skin. I see all that can be: New thinking, enlightened viewpoints. A clan I met in my travels with a former city elf as their Keeper, and another with a former slave as their First. I see my clan: A few wonderful friends that stood with me against the hate and vitriol. I see my home and the people I love most in the world."
Solas stared at her in something almost like awe who was this woman? This wasn't the same goofy girl who zipped around Skyhold and brought home strange animals. This wasn't the same girl who poked fun at her siblings and started food fights in the tavern. This was someone entirely different. Someone wise and worldly. Someone who spoke with such passion that he was entranced.
"I don't know what you see when you look at my face. I don't know what other Dalish see when they look at my face. Frankly, I don't care. I don't care what these marks mean to anyone else, to me they mean home. They mean family. They mean that no matter how far apart we are, my brother and sister and I will always be together."
"Everything else is just noise."
XX
XX
(Author's Notes:
Emm'asha-My Girl
Ar'an vi!-Let's go! (Literally: We go)
Da'mi-Little blade
Hoo boy, that only took me forever.
I had the story rattling around in my head for quite a while but I wasn't sure how to execute it.
Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I also hope I wrote Solas properly, any feedback on how I can do better is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading =] )
