Chapter 21: Photograph
I miss that town
I miss their faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it
9:28 Kingsway; 9:31 Dragon
For the first time in months, Solona had been allowed a morning of complete leisure. She had managed to sleep well past the morning meal, broke her fast in solitude, and had manged only a minor brush with nausea. Sending prayers to Andraste that the morning sickness was finally beginning to pass, Solona also indulged in a single moment of vanity in front of the looking glass while she dressed.
Nearly three months along, she contemplated, running a hand across her still-flat belly. There was a tightness to it, however, that didn't stem from solid abdominal muscles. Soon, she mused to herself, there would be visible change. And with it, a wardrobe change.
Tears pooled, then fell, as Solona wished with all her heart to be able to share the news with her husband. A dozen letters had been written, and then tossed in the flames of her fireplace at the palace in Denerim. Cullen would find out eventually. News between the Circles traveled fast. But this beautiful announcement needed to come from her own hand, if not her own lips.
A knock at the door jolted Solona from her self-imposed misery, and she rushed to wrap the dressing gown around her nakedness. "One moment," she called out, and a familiar chuckle from the other side had her breathing out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Oh, child, look at you!" her former mentor exclaimed when she entered the room and wrapped Solona in a motherly embrace. "You have that glow we never got to see at the Tower."
"Hormones, Wynne. It's these damn hormones."
"Oh, stop talking like a healer and enjoy it," Wynne fussed, bathing Solona in her own magic for the barest of seconds. "You're healthy. The babe is healthy. You're going to be a mama!"
"Which makes you honorary grandmama," teased the younger mage, leading Wynne to the seating area where bread and fruit remained from breakfast.
"Tch. Of course it does. And I fully intend to be back from Cumberland for the birthing. Now catch me up, Missus Rutherford, before the Warden-Commander locks you away in meetings this afternoon."
Oh, it was such a weight lifted from her shoulders to spend an hour with her old friend and mentor! Solona didn't realize how much she actually missed life in the Circle until sitting down with Wynne to discuss all that had happened while she was away in Denerim. There had been a good deal of progress in the months since the Blight's end, and small changes made in the aftermath of Uldred's betrayal.
Before leaving, Wynne made her promise to visit. "With the baby, of course. Those stodgy old men in charge need to see what their scheming has brought us."
Doubting that the scheming was limited to the Knight-Commander and First Enchanter, Solona couldn't help but laugh as she bid Wynne a fond farewell. Not long after, Kayal and Alistair stood at the still-open door, knocking briefly on the frame to announce themselves.
"Is the scary old lady gone?" the Warden-Commander asked, though his tone gave away that he teased.
"You killed an Arch-demon, but Wynne is frightening?" Solona jested back.
"She was very thorough in her examination to find out how I managed to survive that bit of nastiness."
"Yes," she replied wistfully. "I imagine she was. So...about that?"
Alistair sighed and took a seat while Kayal shut and locked the door. Before his revelation the previous night, Solona hadn't seen the Warden since the party split during the battle in Denerim. The short time had not been kind. A nasty scar marred his jawline, breaking the scruffy beard that had grown out. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, likely from nightmares and lack of sleep. Alistair had also visibly lost weight, which was Solona's deepest concern for him.
"Morrigan," he said simply. "It has to be her."
It was possible, Solona thought, mind wandering while she contemplated out loud. "She had access to her mother's journals. And in her own way, loved Aidan enough to want to save him. She had no way to know that you would take the killing blow."
"Well, the king was clearly not surprised to find me alive. Believe me, we had words while he was here." Anger and betrayal flashed in Alistair's eyes, and Solona reached for his hand in comfort. He calmed, but only by a fraction. "The only thing he could tell me was that Morrigan was pregnant when she left, and that we weren't to pursue her."
"That was nearly five months ago. Morrigan could be anywhere by now."
"She's...gone," confessed the Warden. "Aidan and I both have people out looking for her, but the witch disappeared without a trace."
It was a lot to process. Morrigan had grown up learning different magic than what Solona had been taught in the Circle. Old magic. Blood magic. But still...
"The magic she cast, Alistair? It wasn't the same as what Uldred and his followers used at the Tower. Whatever Flemeth taught her was unlike anything I've seen or heard of. If those grimoirs are still at the cabin in the Wilds..."
"It's worth looking into. I'd ask if you wanted to help, but, ahh..."
Alistair flushed, and mimed patting a roundness on his own belly. This drew a laugh from the both of them, leaving Kayal by the window rolling his eyes.
"It's something in the water," Solona joked, remembering a brief conversation from the night before. "Oghren's wife is near her own time, now."
"Can you stay?" Alistair blurted out unexpectedly. It was not the response she was expecting. Blinking at his sudden change in demeanor, Solona simply waited for him to continue. "For a fortnight. Maybe two. Until after his child comes? I'll clear it with Aidan, and you can..."
"Alistair, shh," Solona interrupted, studying the desperate expression on her friend's hollowed face. "I'll stay."
"Thank you,"he replied more quietly, giving her hand a squeeze and rising from his chair. "And Solona? If you need to send anything to Kirkwall?"
Her interest was certainly piqued at his words, and attention leaning towards the stocked writing desk Alistair knocked on as he passed it on his way to the door.
"One of your contacts?" she guessed, and he gave a slight nod.
"Leaving soon, and plans to stop in the City of Chains on his way to Antiva."
Solona shook her head and a smile spread across her face. Why she hadn't considered using the dashing elven rogue herself was a mystery. Perhaps his loyalty to Aidan and Alistair had kept Zevran off her radar.
But it didn't matter that she hadn't before. The opportunity was now, and Solona saw no point of wasting another moment.
**Author's Note**
All will be explained in due time. Please read & respond to "Plot Bunnies" if you haven't yet already. My Inquisition tie-in will be making an appearance within a few chapters.
Chapter/lyric credit: "Photograph" by Nickelback