After returning to Skyhold after almost three weeks away—two weeks of that spent riding—Elanna hardly wanted to get out of her feather bed. Her aching muscles had complained even as she tried to roll over onto her side. In the end, it was her rumbling stomach and a desire for something to eat that drew her stiffly out of bed.
Having eaten and bathed, Elanna wandered Skyhold. She had missed it and the certainty it represented. Somehow, when she had not been looking, it really had become home for her; the home she would always come back to. Without thinking about it, her feet carried her to the atrium that had been Solas' favorite haunt. The bright colors of his frescoes drew her in and comforted. Slowly spinning in a circle, she took them in. He had done this for her, recounting her deeds, but it was still unfinished. She sighed. Just as their relationship felt unfinished.
A clatter and a snorting giggle snapped her attention back to reality. She looked up at the scaffolding that remained against the recently finished wall. Sera's garish red shirt and plaid pants stood out against the subdued colors of the mural depicting the Temple of Mythal. "Sera!" Elanna exclaimed, more forcefully than she meant, "What are you doing?"
Sera snickered again, seeming pleased to have an audience below. "Solas forgot to add a face," she explained gleefully, "It doesn't look nothin' like that Abelas-what's-his-face. I gave him a frown and angry eyes. Much better, yeah?" Sera shifted away from her work to give Elanna a better view. She continued, "I figure this other guy could use a good moustache or somethin'…"
Elanna stepped back to see what Sera had done, practically quaking with dread. A crude frowning face had been painted over Solas' subdued portrait of one of the elven sentinels. Hot, angry tears stung her eyes. "Sera! How could you?" Elanna shrieked. Above, messenger birds cawed in alarm while other conversation in the tower fell silent.
"It's funny!" Sera retorted, offended that Elanna could not see the humor in it, "Come on, fun-ny."
"No, Sera, it's not," Elanna snapped, fighting to keep her voice from cracking in a sob.
"Geeze," Sera scowled, swinging her legs over the edge of the scaffolding to look directly down at Elanna. "Andraste's tits, what's your deal? Oh, right. Solas did this all, right? And you and Solas had that elfy thing goin' on."
"And you just defaced the only thing he left for me," Elanna shot back, on the verge of tears.
"And it's been, what?" Sera retorted, "Two months since he up and left you? Without saying goodbye? Yeah, sure, that's love. Right. Move on! He friggin' left you! For whatever mysterious-fade-elf-thing he does."
Elanna let her head fall. There was no holding back the tears any more. She clenched her fists tightly as her shoulders trembled.
"Maker's balls. Shite. I made the Inquisitor cry," Sera mumbled irritably, "I thought it would be funny, make her laugh and get over stupid, gloomy elf-pants."
"Well, it wasn't funny," Cullen said sharply from the doorway to the ramparts.
Both Sera and Elanna looked abruptly towards him.
"How long've…" Sera started, startled, "Fine, whatever. No moustache for the other guy." She dropped her brush with a rattle onto the scaffolding then jumped down to the floor. Over her shoulder, she added as she left, "That Solas was a real asshole, you know, leavin' you like that."
Elanna remained in the middle of the circular room, fists clenched and trembling with silenced tears.
Cullen crossed the floor towards her and put a comforting hand on her drooping shoulder. "Elanna, are you—" he started gently.
"I'm fine," she sniffed, lying, and turned away from him, "I'm just fine."
"I—" Cullen stammered as she drew away.
Hiding her face from all those who might witness the shame of her tears, Elanna hurried back to her quarters as quickly as she could. When she finally reached the top of the stairs she breathlessly threw herself onto her bed and cried.
