Soooo... This wasn't supposed to happen today. Haha! I hadn't planned on posting another update just yet, but.. yeah. Woke up at 4:30am, wandered around the internet and decided that I wanted to hear more of Solas/Lavellan (and there are some really great fanfics out there)... But my muse rebelled and said that it wanted to see more of MY Solas/Lavellan. (Side note, people pace a lot when they are 'arguing', in my experiences.)

So, don't hate on me if it takes me a little bit to get the next update to you. This is just a special treat from my rebellious muse. She has spent too much time with our dear Fen'Harel it seems... *sigh*

(Also, I'm not sure if it will be THIS chapter as I am typing it as I go, but this is rated M for a reason. Just saying. Warning you now.)

Enjoy! :)

O.o.O.o.O

"You do not know what you ask, vhenan. Not all of what the Dalish remember is completely wrong. You should hate me, despise me for what I am."

Stubborn man. Melana knew his fears, remembered his tombstone in the Nightmare they had shared. Yet, even as she offered him acceptance, Solas continued to try and push her away. Part of her acknowledged that if he truly told her what he had done, it would be a hard truth to take. All legends had a grain of truth after all, no matter how small. His very demeanor screamed his guilt and shame to her.

"No Solas, I do not know exactly what I am asking for. That is the entire point. You say I should hate you, yet you stand here drowning in the shame of some secret mistake. That does not make you a monster. It makes you a person."

A loud bang and one of his newly familiar snarls echoed through the room. As Melana looked up, she saw that Solas had turned away from her and instead had both fists on either side of the Orb, looking down at it.

"A god is not allowed to just be a person, vhenan. Albeit, I have said it once before that the 'gods' are far from divine, but my choices held power. I was brash and prideful and thought I knew what was best for the world." He turned back to her then, the largest piece of the Orb cradled in his palm. "One choice, one whim. That was all it took to destroy everything I had helped to create. My brothers and sisters, both light and dark, were gone and the People suffered. Their prayers unheard and their homes destroyed by the corruption I had hoped to spare them from. And me, their last god, asleep with a smug smile on my face as I was sure my decision was beyond reproach."

Solas' voice trailed off as he finally spoke his shame to her. He was not telling her what actually happened, or why he did it, but it was something she was sure he had never shared with another soul. Melana could only imagine the rest of his story. Awakening from Uthenera, sure of the good you had done, to find the People made mortal, servants or slaves. Then she remembered one of their first conversations, or arguments better yet. He had commented on her Dalish origin and as she defended her heritage, he had spoken of being driven out and called a liar. That was his greeting by his own people. Steeling her determination further, Melana stood from the bed and walked back to where he was silently running his fingertips over the broken artifact. She wrapped her own slender fingers of both hands around his own, holding the piece along with him. Looking up into his blank stare, a small, hopefully reassuring, smile shined through to him.

"I forgive you, Fen'Harel."

O.o.O.o.O

I forgive you... Over and over, those words repeated themselves through Solas' mind. Ever since he had set out with his duty to fix his disastrous actions, he had never once expected forgiveness. From anyone, let alone one of the People. Since his awakening, he had found them to be a close-minded and arrogant breed. Despite his anger and their willful ignorance, he could not help but place more blame on himself. If it had not been for his decision, they would not be in such a state. They hated his image, twisted his history beyond even his worst, and when the time came, the People would turn on him. Even if he succeeded and righting the world, it would be a thankless task. Fen'Harel would always be the Dread Wolf to them. But this Dalish woman... Raised amidst the worst of the stories of him, trained to be a Keeper against his tricks, she forgave him.

"You... you do not even know what I did, vhenan. Only parts of the truth."

Soft, warm fingertips placed themselves softly over his speaking lips. Solas' eyes roamed over her still smiling face, and he could see no signs of deceit. Only sincerity and love looked back at him. It rocked him to his core and humbled his very being. Moving her hand from his lips to cup his jaw, this unbelievable goddess continued to speak.

"All of us have a past, ma lath. I am honored that you have shared at least part of what happened to you, but it changes nothing now. You are not this pride that you castigate yourself for. I fell in love with the man I see before me now. Kind, strong, and though you may not see it, full of hope. You could have left us to rot, to lose our world to Corypheus. But you stayed and have been working tirelessly to save everyone you could. Starting with me in that dungeon, a silly Dalish mage girl. The past canno... should not be changed. All we can do is move forward and do what is best for our world as it stands."

"How can you be so calm about hearing who I am? I am unworthy of this kindness."

Her once gentle fingers moved from his jaw to tug harshly on his ear. His face screwed up in surprised pain as she began to laugh.

"You think me kind? Let's see if you say that again if you try to hide from me again. I already owe you quite a bit more than that slap earlier for your little stunt." He opened his mouth to interrupt her, to reiterate that him doing this alone was necessary, only to have his ear tweaked once more. "Don't you dare, Wolf. We are in this together. This is the Pride you must let go of. You do not hunt alone any longer. And if you run? I will follow you to the halls of the Black City or the depths of the most darkspawn infested thaig if that is what it takes to find you again."

In the back of his mind, Solas finally felt his Wolf peacefully settle against the restraints he had placed after taking back control. Though just another facet of himself, not another being entirely, he had long since restrained those baser instincts. Logic and rational thought were what he lived his life by now. But, for the first time since his awakening, he felt that part of him fully relax. Those instincts were telling him to trust her, that she was different and that he was tired of being alone. Even in the times of Arlathan, Fen'Harel had been shunned for his ties to the Dark Ones, not Forgotten as they were now. He was too wild, too primal to truly fit in with the Elvhen and those of his family that they held in such high regard.

Wrapping his free arm around his love, Solas felt the last of his restraint crumble. He still did not wish to see her hurt, as he was sure she would be if she followed him. However, he knew he could not stop her from following. And he was so tired of fighting against the pull he felt towards this tiny mortal. Lowering his face to rest against the crown of her head, Solas pulled her flush against her and breathed in the fresh scent of her short hair. Warmth spread through his chest and followed up and around his shoulders and neck where she then wrapped her arms. He felt tension melt away from her as it did him. This is where he belonged. Here, in her arms, was where the ancient god found some measure of peace.

"Ar lath ma, vhenan."