"I had hoped I'd be proven wrong. At least they're alive."

Laisa's delighted squeal erupted as she jumped out of her father's arms, running at full speed towards the woman by a campsite.

"Mamae!"

Moro bent on one knee, pulling Laisa into a crushing hold and burying her face in her hair. Placing a hard kiss to her forehead and checking her for any injuries. "I missed you mamae." The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, urging her to pick her up and hold her longer.

"I missed you too, I'm sorry I've been gone for so long." Solas watched from afar, touched yet saddened by the sight in front of him. The sight of his estranged love and their child together, pulled at something buried deep. The love and devotion shining in Moro's eyes left when they settled on him, replaced by caution, like she was waiting for an attack. Her attention was drawn back to her daughter. "Are you hurt Laisa?"

"I would never allow harm to come to our child Vhenan…" Moro did not spare him a glance but her eyes narrowed, catching sight of Ramia and softening again. Ramia ran to her mother's side. Moro tutted and scowled at the sight of Ramia, her hawk-like gaze not missing the tired state of her and the bandaged wounds.

"Such a shame how limited your protection is."
"Moro…"

"Be quiet. I have had to spend a large amount of time is shit company, all but Heir remains of my company, and I had a viper in my nest. Do not push my anger further by giving me excuses to the state of my daughter's state." Solas kept silent, nothing he said would be able to diffuse the tension and chose saying nothing at all.

"I'm sorry…" Moro turned to look at Ramia, squinting and wrinkling her nose. "The fault is mine." She smiled to reassure her. "You got yourself and Laisa here alive. You've done well." Ramia bit at her lip and nodded, still guilty and disappointed in herself.

"Where is Athras Solas?" Solas stood tall, hands clasped behind him as he regarded Moro. "Silence? Heir, find him. Then return to Lailani as we discussed." The elf clad in dalish armour and Andruil's vallaslin heeded her word. No one stopped the assassin from leaving as she disappeared through the trees. Solas cautiously approached, keeping a respectful distance.

"His death is unnecessary." Moro handed Laisa over to Ramia, regarding Solas with a casual indifference as she went to gather her things.
"Kill him? He endangered the lives of my children, handing them straight to the one person he was instructed not to. He will live, don't you worry about that. I can't teach him a lesson if he's dead."

"These last few years have made you cruel it seems."
"You would know all about being cruel wouldn't you?"

The sound of a clearing throat interrupted them. "Your argument is less than entertaining. Perhaps we should concentrate on the task at hand." Abelas stood before them both, impatient and levelling his gaze towards Solas. "We have wasted enough time Solas."

"You are right." Solas' turned to Ramia who still held Laisa in her arms, she clutched her tighter as she realised his intent. "I would rather not be forceful….Please, let me take her."
"No."
"Shocking." Abelas claimed, deadpan.
"Abelas!" Chided Solas, urging the sentinel not to agitate the situation. When he turned back, Moro was up close, anger and protective all in one. "Please Moro…"
"No, you will not take her from me!"
"She does not belong-"
"You don't get to decide that!"
"This would not even be happening if you had not kept her from me!"

His usual calm demeanour was replaced by his own anger and frustration. Which did nothing to calm the conflict.

"Oh so you could sneak her away as a babe? I didn't picture you as the kind of person to do that."

The argument escalated, neither Solas nor Moro relenting. Fen'an and Abelas stood further away, realising that getting involved would be futile. Fen'an pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why doesn't he just kill them and be done with it?" A long drawn out sigh was Abelas' only response, realising the young sentinel has attracted the anger of the other young woman within earshot. Laisa clung to Ramia's leg as she approached the young man.

"That is the third time you've made a threat on my life. I've had enough!" Abelas stepped towards Ramia, opening his mouth to object.
"Mind your own business!" Abelas went tight lipped and narrowed his eyes at the girl but opt for silence. Fen'an's anger spiked as well but was held back as Abelas placed a hand up to his chest.

"Do not anger her further."

From this distance Laisa couldn't properly hear what her parents were saying, and everyone else seemed to be too preoccupied, anger spreading like a plague between them all. Grumbling, she kicked at a few pebbles that laid around her until a strange noise echoed around her.

Laisa turned to the source, a small ball of light buzzing in her face. "Hello." She whispered. The wisp-like creature returned her greeting in its own strange language, an echoed lilt at the end of each noise it made. Whatever the wisp was it was eager for Laisa's attention and being so easily distracted, Laisa herself was more than happy to engage with it. The wisp flew away, bouncing up and down in the air. Wanting her to follow.

Laisa looked up at Ramia, unaware of what was happening. Laisa snuck off, following the wisp to the entrance of the temple. When she approached the entrance she paused hesitantly, a hand reached out to touch an invisible aura. Shrugging her head when the wisp urged her to follow, the ball of light danced around her and insisted again. Placing her hand against it again she was able to pass through.

"Laisa!" Ramia's cry of distress sent everyone turning towards the temple. Moro screamed Laisa's name running towards the entrance, panic welling up as Laisa moved further into the temple and disappearing into the darkness inside. Whatever barrier Laisa had moved pass did not extend the curtesy to Moro.

Solas caught up with Moro, panicked as he placed his hands against the invisible wall, eyes and magic searching frantically for what it was.

"Laisa! No no no…" Moro beat her hands against the barrier, she was no mage and she cursed it as she realised how useless she was in this situation. "Solas do something!" Solas nodded, a hand raised for her to step back as he charged energy into the barrier.

"That is a powerful ward. You will need a great deal of energy to break it down." Abelas rapped a knuckle against it. "Me, Fen'an and the girl will take it down."

"Yes. There is bound to be another entrance, the Inquisitor and I will find it." Moro was already sprinting around the corner of the temple entrance. "Moro! Damn it…" Solas was running after her. "Take down that barrier and find us inside." He yelled behind him to Abelas.

"Think you can handle it da'len?" Fen'an smirked at Ramia as he cracked his wrists, scoffing at her use of a staff. Ramia walked past him, but not before bashing her shoulder into his to knock him off balance.

"Play nice Fen'an, the Dread Wolf's child is in danger. Time is of the essence."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where's that fucking entrance?!" Moro was ripping at vines, hand desperately searching for any sort of clue to a hidden door, anything that would get them inside. Solas tried to grab her arm but she jerked away from his hold, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes.

"We will find her Moro-"

Moro cried out in frustration. "She can't be left alone Solas!" His name came out in a sob. So much time spent apart only for her to be taken away again, all the many horrible outcomes that could occur playing in her head. Moro's hands buried inside her hair and clutched at her scalp. She did not pull away this time when Solas put his hands on her shoulders, his forehead pressed to hers as he spoke to her in a hushed and soft tone.

"We will find her. But you must remain calm." Moro let out another sobbing breath as she tried to control herself. "I swear we will find her. Alive." He lifted his hands to cup her face, forcing her to look at him. It had been so long since they had been this close, face to face without the help of the fade. The anger and tension was still there but so was something else, something netiher of them were ready to address.

"She's sensitive Solas, she could attract anything in there."
"I know…Her behaviour is…interesting, to say the least. We will find her." Moro wiped the tears from her eyes as Solas pulled away.
"What do you know about this temple Solas? Do not keep anything from me." Solas twisting his head to gaze up at the large ruin.
"Do you not know? I'd assume you would know something, considering you were after it as well." Moro followed behind him.

"I know it is dedicated June." Her eyes fixed on nothing in particular, gaze darting to Solas and back. "The voices…Told me." Even during the time of the Inquisition, after Moro had drank from the Well of Sorrows it was an unspoken subject between them. The fight that ensued back in Skyhold told them both that neither would relent their opinion on the subject. Solas had been incredibly worried, when she turned to look at him it was clear he still was. "There's an artefact in that temple, what it is however I don't know." Moro glared at Solas. "But that is not going to help us get inside is it?"

"No, it won't. Let's see…" Solas' hand grazed across one of the walls. "If I was a mediocre inventor with a colossal ego…Where would I put my secret entrance?"
"Weren't too fond of June were you?" Solas curled his lips, "Not particularly." He claimed under his breath as his eyes came upon a small buried device, pushing vines and dead branches from his view. "Here we are. This should only take a moment." Moro paced back and forth as Solas channelled small concentrated currents of electricity into the device.

"What is it?" Solas quirked his lips, silently pleased her casual curiosity for elvhen wonders lost to time had not waned over the years. He turned slightly, inviting her closer to observe him. "It's a lock of some kind yes? We can get in with this?" He hummed a yes to her, concentrating harder to get the last bits of the mechanics solved.

The lock made a clicking sound before breaking into pieces. June's temple was old, a hidden door should have opened, but instead the secret entrance collapsed in itself. Only dust and rubble remained. Moro tried to rush ahead but was held back, a protective hold against her.

"We must be careful." With a wave of his hand Solas illuminated the room, scones now alight by veilfire aligned down the narrow corridor. "June enjoyed weaving magic and metals to do his bidding when slaves weren't enough. This temple will be crawling with his constructs."

"Then we should warn the others."
"Abelas is aware." Moro disregarded his assurances, replacing her prosthetic. The new one with a dagger at its end. Another dagger was pulled from its sheath by her hip, Solas stared at her arm with something between guilt and unease. Moro followed his line of sight.

"What?" It was said calmly, with a bite of malice to her tone.

Solas shied away, a hushed "nothing" Uttered. "Let us press on".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A gush of force stumbles Ramia and Fen'an as they break open the barrier, Abelas being more prepared stood his ground, the hood of his robes flying back. "Finally." Abelas grumbles, pulling back up his good and heading inside the temple with Ramia fast behind him. Before Fen'an can join them, the ward re-emerged, keeping him out.

"Oh no." Sarcasm dripped from Ramia's tone, unable to keep a satisfied smirk off her face as she leaned against the barrier, hip cocked out. Abelas drew Fen'an's attention to him before he could get riled up.

"Who was left behind at the other camp?"
"Drynne wasn't too far from it, we had a run in with slavers. Although I doubt they were much trouble for her." Abelas nodded, it would be too much of a waste of time and energy to try open the barrier again. While he wasn't too pleased with the company, it would be easier to navigate as two-man team.

"Meet back with Drynne, inform her of the situation. The Inquisitor still has Heir and her other agents. We cannot have them let to their own devices." Fen'an obeyed, bidding Abelas farewell and heading back out into the forest.

Ramia stood rigid, her stance defensive. Abelas could feel her drawing on her mana, surmising that she probably was doing it instinctually. He cursed his luck, while he spared no liking for Moro, the women was silent, preferring to give him the cold shoulder than speak to him when she could help it. Her daughter it seemed, after their first exchange of words would prove to be a pain in his….well, she'd be difficult. He wasn't looking forward to traversing June's temple with her.

"Well then? Which way?" Ramia gestured to the fork in the path, two archways opening to dimly lit hallways.
"Oh? You actually intend to listen and take my advice do you?" Ramia rolled her eyes, shoving the sentinel forward to lead the way.
"I'm difficult, not stupid. Hurry up!"

Abelas grumbled elvhen under his breath, taking the left entrance. The only way out was to move forward and while it had been some time, this was not Abelas' first time to this temple. Grander and more opulent it once was when he last set foot within its halls.

"Stay close girl, or do not. Either way it is dangerous to wonder. The priests may be gone, but we are hardly alone."