So once more Talyn and her companions explored the forbidden shadows of the castle, sneaking around palace guards and picking locks in order to get to the Royal Wing. There was nothing amiss in the dimly lit halls. There was not a thing out of place, the beds were still made, the fireplaces were empty, and the floors shone under the dimly burning torches.
There was something off, Talyn could feel it. And from the looks on everyone else's faces, they felt it as well.
They searched every room but found nothing. So, they went to the last pair of doors that had to have led out to the garden.
Talyn went to open it, but it wouldn't budge.
"Damn it, it's barred from the other side." She said.
"There has to be another way around." Cassandra stated. "A secret door maybe."
"Cole," Solas spoke to the spirit, "do you think you could look for another entrance to the garden?"
Cole looked to Solas with his glazed over eyes, shook his head yes, and disappeared.
"How does he do that?!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Is he a mage?!"
Talyn hid her smile. She had almost forgotten that Cassandra didn't know his secret.
"I have no idea." Solas replied innocently, but he shared an amused look with Talyn.
They waited for a few minutes for him to return.
When he did, he spoke dreamily, "I found a hidden path in one of the bedrooms."
"Good job, Cole." Talyn praised him.
He led them to a bookcase inside of the bedrooms. He reached over and pulled down a book with pink binding, and she heard her a click. Then there was the sound of stone scraping against stone as a hidden door swung open in the middle of the wall.
"This is strange." Cassandra said.
"Yes, it is." Solas agreed.
Talyn led them down the hallway, which had another set of doors at the end. They stopped in front of the doors, Solas standing next to her.
"Be careful guys, this could be a trap." She said to them.
They pushed the doors open.
And found twenty arrows pointed at them. A green sliver hung in the air between them, illuminating the wilting flowers and twisted trees shedding their red and orange leaves. Talyn heard the doors behind them slam shut.
"Inquisitor! I'm so glad you could join us, I wasn't sure if you were going to make it." Florianne's smug voice rang through the air.
Talyn looked up to the second story deck of the garden and saw the smirking bitch leaning against the railing, resting her head in the palms of her hands.
"You are such a challenge to read, I wasn't certain you'd taken my bait."
Talyn felt the Anchor flare up, the emerald light growing stronger in reaction to the improperly closed rift.
"I had a feeling you were mixed up in this, Florianne." She should have known. Why didn't she just follow what her instincts had been telling her all along? She just walked everyone right into a trap.
"What did Corypheus promise you in return of murdering your cousin and framing your brother?"
Florianne threw her hands up to the sky and laughed. "Power, Inquisitor! What else would grab my attention so? The Elder One had promised me riches and power beyond my imagination once he takes the Black Throne."
She changed the subject. "It was so kind of you to walk so willingly into my trap. I was so tired of your meddling. Corypheus said the Empress must die tonight, and I would hate to disappoint him. He will be most appreciative when he hears that I killed you as well."
A sound rang out, like a crack of thunder, and the rift before them opened. Demons oozed out of it like pus from an infected wound.
Talyn looked back up at the deck, but Florianne was gone.
The men who were pointing arrows at them fired, but Solas managed to throw up shields around them before they were hit.
"We have to hurry!" Talyn shouted, throwing one of her daggers at a shade. It hit the demon in the middle of the forehead, and it went down.
The garden was ablaze with Solas' power. Flames shot from his hands, engulfing the armored men that were running at them with swords in their hands. Their agonized screams was enhanced by the growls and roars of the inhuman creatures pouring from the emerald portal.
Talyn started running to the rift. She was down to one dagger, but she made good use of it. She left behind her a trail of bodies with sliced necks and gaping holes in their chests.
She was burning up, the Solas' fire was starting to eat up the dead leaves on the ground and make its way up the trees. Demons kept getting caught in the blaze, their skin bubbling and bursting at the intensity.
"Talyn!" Solas shouted.
Talyn turned just in time to see one of the men about to shove his sword through her. She dodged and drove her dagger into his neck. She tanked it out within a heartbeat and continued with her mission.
Cassandra and Cole were running on either side of her, keeping as many of their enemies off of her as they could. She skidded to a stop in front of the rift and held out her hand, feeling the familiar tugging of the Anchor. With a gesture she had closed, and the pain in her palm resided.
With the rift closed, it was easy to pick off the stragglers. Solas quickly put out the flames with another spell once the last demon had been taken care of.
"We have to save the Empress." Talyn said before taking off.
They raced back to the ballroom, having to stop and fight off small groups of Venatori on their way there.
Cullen met them as they entered the ballroom. He looked shocked at the condition they were all in. Demon and human blood covered Talyn, and her beautiful midnight dress had little tears all over it.
"What happened?" He asked worriedly. "Are you hurt?"
"Wait here while I speak to the Grand Duchess." Talyn told them all.
"What?" Cullen was confused. "There's no time, the Empress is going to start her speech-"
"It's Florianne, Cullen." Cassandra interrupted him. "She's Corypheus' agent."
Cullen was instantly alert. "I'll gather the men."
Talyn saw the Florianne and made her way over to her. The people she passed gawked at her appearance and spoke to each other in panicked whispers.
"We owe the court one more show, Your Grace." Talyn said loudly.
Florianne turned around, the corners of her mouth curved down into a frown. Talyn could see her eyes dart behind her mask, looking for exits.
"Inquisitor." She responded calmly.
Talyn smirked. "We have the eyes of the whole court on us, Your Grace. Remember to smile. This is your party, after all. You wouldn't want them to think you lost control."
She ascended the steps, and Florianne started to back away.
"Who would not be delighted to speak with you, Inquisitor?" Florianne spoke with a nervous tilt to her voice.
Talyn didn't stop walking until she was toe to toe with Florianne. "I seem to recall you saying, "All I need is to keep you out of the ballroom long enough to strike.""
There were several gasps and cries.
Talyn tilted her head to the side, a satisfied grin slowly rising on her lips, and continued to say, "when your archers failed to kill me in the Royal Garden, I was afraid that you wouldn't save me this last dance."
Talyn looked up to the second , whose face was set in stone. Her hard grey eyes were narrowed, and focused entirely on Talyn.
Talyn circled Florianne with her hands behind her back, "you were so close to getting you wanted, Lady Florianne. You probably would have succeeded, if it wasn't for my meddling. My, you even framed your own brother for the killing of a noble."
Gaspard shook his head in shame.
"It was such a brilliant plan. Celene, Gaspard, the Council of Heralds… all your enemies underneath one roof.
Florianne burst with laughter. "This is very entertaining, but you do not imagine that anyone believes these wild stories? I am the Grand Duchess, after all."
"That will be a matter for the judge to decide, Cousin." Empress Celene told her in a stone cold voice.
She turned to her brother, desperation seeping into her eyes. "Gaspard? You can't believe this surely, I am your sister! You know I would never-"
"Save it, Florianne." Gaspard dismissed her and walked away.
Two guards stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Florianne. She struggled to get free of their grips, loud sobs tearing through her chest.
Talyn said, "You lost this fight ages ago, Your Grace. You were just the last one to know."
"Gaspard! Gaspard, don't do this!" She cried out while they dragged her away.
Then the night continued as if nothing happened. The music played, the drinks were poured, and everyone danced in celebration of the thwarted assassination, and the new alliance between the Empire and the Inquisition, which Celine had pledged to in front of the whole court a few moments after Florianne was dragged away.
Talyn slipped away from the party and went out into the courtyard with a glass of champagne in her hand. She kicked off her shoes and stuck her feet in the fountain, splashing the water around while she sipped on her champagne.
She felt a drop of rain land on top of her head. When she looked up, she saw that black rain clouds had covered the moon. She laughed when the rain started to pour, soaking her hair and dress in seconds. It washed away the evidence of the battles she had fought today.
"Having fun?" Solas asked her. He was standing in the fountain with her, a teasing grin on his face.
She smiled back at him and lifted her face to the sky. "I love the way it feels on my skin." She had to shout over the rain that pounded into the earth.
Solas walked over to her and took her hands. "Dance with me."
When Talyn looked at his face again, his eyes were glowing the way they did in the Fade. Those liquid silver orbs stared at her with such love and adoration it made Talyn's heart flutter in her ribcage.
"Always." She replied.
The two of them danced in the fountain, with the pitter patter of the rain as their music. Talyn had never felt this light before, not in the waking world. Her tattoos shone with her joy, illuminating the water all around them. They never took their eyes off of each other, even when Solas stopped their dancing.
Then he crushed his lips to hers.
Talyn was stunned for a second, but then she melted into his arms. Her arms went around his neck, and one of his hands slid up her back into her hair. He lightly nipped at her lower lip, and she parted them. his tongue invaded her mouth, and growl rumbled in his chest. Talyn jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, and he pressed her against the statue in the middle of the fountain. The cold stone bit her skin through the sheer, wet material of her dress.
Solas moved from her mouth to her neck, giving her a chance to catch her breath. He left little kisses on her collarbone, and a moan slipped from her lips when he lightly bit her skin. She shivered when his hands ran up her legs, underneath her dress.
"Solas," she breathed, "not here."
"Why not?" Solas purred against her skin.
"Because we're in Empress Celine's fountain."
He laughed softly and lifted his head to stare into her eyes.
"You and I are the only people in this world who matter."
Warmth pooled between her legs at his words, and her voice trembled with need. "Let's go back to the inn."
Screw this party. Talyn just wanted to be with Solas.
Solas adjusted his grip on her and swiftly carried her out of the fountain. "Your wish is my command, ma vhenan."
YES. Solas and Talyn are finally together, and I FINISHED THE GOD DAMN WINTER PALACE. When I started this particular part of the story I had no idea how long and grueling of a process it was going to be. To be honest, I thought that this was going to be pretty easy and fun to write, since it was a ball and all. But it has left me with nothing but months of miserable writers block and I am SO GLAD that I pushed through it lol. The next upcoming chapters should take less time to write. I so hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter! Let me know how you think of the story so far!
C.J.