Mia and the group are still in Crestwood. After a short stop at the Keep they set out to meet with Hawke and his warden friend. They tangle with angry druffalo, Red Templars and vicious wyvern. Most of the events Cara expected, but she should know by now to expect the unexpected.

Edit: 5-24-16 Switched from First person POV to Third person POV.

They returned to the Keep to restock before meeting with Hawke. Cara grabbed her spare coat and clean clothes, then slipped into one of the unoccupied rooms of the Keep to change. When she stepped out, Solas was standing guard.

"Was there a line of peeping Tom's I needed protection from?" The room was in a quiet area of the Keep, well away from prying eyes. It was endearing and comical how he would get overprotective of her after an injury.

"I wanted to make sure your strength had returned." The heat in his eyes said otherwise. Reaching for his hand she laced her fingers with his. He curled his arm up and pressed their hands to his chest, then his lips brushed over her knuckles. "Two weeks is but a blink of an eye, but it seemed an eternity."

Immortal elves were the poster children for patients. It was a world where a play lasted weeks, and a single date up to a month.

"I've missed you, too." Her words seemed woefully inadequate compared to his. "We shouldn't linger; Mia might send someone looking for us."

"The Inquisitor asked us to meet at the main entrance at the top of the hour, if we choose to join her. We have a moment to ourselves."

She looked over her shoulder at the room she had just left. There wasn't enough time for such things, or was there? A flush of heat spread from her chest to her ears at his chuckle.

"Tempting, but I don't intend to rush this."

His kiss showed how tempting the idea was. His lips claimed hers possessively, promising and demanding. His hand on her ass pressed her against him, stirring her desire. She would go up in flames if he continued, but would die if he stopped.

"Eeeeewwww." Sera made a gagging noise.

"Go away, Sera, before I give you something to watch." Cara was not going to be embarrassed by her childishness. Had she not come looking, they would have had privacy.

She dashed off, her voice rang out as she made her way back toward the group.

Solas pulled her close again, this time to kiss her temple and press his nose into her hair. Cara slipped her arms around him and held him close, listening to the staccato rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear. Since his confession earlier, he'd found every excuse for them to touch, even an innocent brush against her as they walked.

"I suppose we must go meet Mia. I need to restock my potions first." It was tempting to let her meet Hawke and Loghain without them. "I'm interested in meeting Loghain. I've read a great deal about him."

The area around Crestwood wasn't as vast as others, so they left the horses at the Keep. Sera stayed behind, as did Dorian and Maxwell. This made a party of two rogues, two mages, and two warriors. Far more than was needed to make their way to the Cave.

"Leliana sent word of your success in Denerim. Does this mean you will take on more missions for her in the future?" Cassandra asked Cara.

"The success of the mission was more the work of Zevran and Alistair. They handled the fighting, I was simply the bait." Solas' hand tensed around hers. He'd not been pleased with the role she'd had to play.

"She will expect you to be available for future missions. Leliana has a knack for finding the right people for the right job," Mia said.

"While I won't exclude all future missions, I will only take those I'm confident I can handle. Knowing who was on my team was the only reason I accepted."

"I met Zevran once, with Hawke," Varric began. "He's quite interesting. So when is he coming to Skyhold?"

"Did he mention he would?" Cara didn't remember anything specific. Though Zevran was now one of her own agents.

"The two of you made quite the pair of assassins. I imagine there will be future missions together."

If Varric was trying to get a rise out of Solas it wasn't working. He was confident no other could take his place. There was only one elf in Thedas who might turn her head, but the chance of running into him was slim to none.

They did run into a few of the highwaymen who had abandoned the Keep, and found Charter's missing scout. In all the excitement she'd forgotten how easily it was to set off the druffalo, and they ended up angering two of them. Those damn things are harder to bring down than a great bear! Iron Bull was charged more times than she could count. How he had only a broken wrist and a few cuts she will never understand? Most of them had a few bruises, and limped into the last camp.

With Bull now grounded, Solas had stayed behind to heal his wrist.

"Hawke and his warden friend should be just up ahead," Varric said.

"Hawke, you didn't stick around long enough to meet Cara." Varric introduced him.

Cara had expected Garrett Hawke, but it was the man who stepped out of the shadow who caused her to freeze.

She would not fan girl. She would not. But damn it was hard to not stand there mouth agape as he sauntered forward.

"Cara, Fenris."

"A mage? Varric said you used daggers and a bow."

"Varric?" He'd written to Fenris about her?

"What? I may have left out a minor detail. You don't fight with just magic often. Besides, you're the nicest person I know, I tend to forget you like to fry your enemies with lightning."

"I thought I was the nicest mage you knew?" Hawke said.

"No, you're just the craziest mage I know," Varric replied.

A minor detail? To Fenris, magic was no minor detail. Varric wasn't going to fess up as to why Fenris was here. Cara shouldn't have been surprised, she'd known the dwarf was up to something.

While Hawke and Mia talked, Cara found herself under the intense gaze of a broody elf. She wanted to ask what else Varric had said about her, and why Fenris was even there. He was the last person she should have met in all of Thedas.

Cassandra began arguing with Varric again, about hiding Hawke from her. They had wanted his help. The Divine had hoped his influence at the Conclave would have eased the negotiations, but Hawke had supported the Mage Rebellion.

"Enough, you two," Cara said. Both stopped short. Mia and Hawke had gone to the back of the cave. "You've already had this argument. He protected his friend. He's apologized to Mia, it's time to put it behind you both."

Cassandra sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "You're right, of course. But I didn't explain why Hawke was needed."

"Interrogating me wasn't the best way to get on my good side," Varric said.

"Varric, aside from stabbing a knife through a book, Cassandra caused you no harm. Cassandra, would Hawke have been a better leader than Mia?"

"Perhaps not, and perhaps he would have died in the explosion as well. I'm sorry Varric, the loss at Haven is still difficult coming so soon after the Divine's death."

"Haven was difficult for us all." Cara had moved between the two.

"You were the reason we got out of there with so few casualties. Forgive me for thinking you were a Venatori spy. You have proven where your loyalty is, and the Inquisition is lucky to have you serve."

"I stay because it is the right thing to do. It is the same reason Varric stays. Corypheus must be stopped."

"Corypheus? He's dead, I struck the killing blow myself. How is this possible?" Fenris had been content to just listen until Corypheus was mentioned.

"Corypheus has figured out how to cheat death. We don't know how, it's why Mia and Hawke are meeting with Loghain," Varric said

"Fenedhis."

"Yeah."

Cassandra and Varric moved off to discuss their truce again. Though she knew they would still find something to spat about. Cara smirked thinking about the sexual tension between them.

"The Seeker rattles the dwarf like no one before." Fenris seemed to sense the same thing.

"He has the same effect on her, though she will never admit it." Cara grew nervous under his scrutiny. She'd never enjoyed being the center of attention, and to be singled out by him for study triggered her social anxiety. Footsteps in the cave alerted them Mia had returned, and with her Hawke and Loghain.

Loghain stopped short when he saw Cara. His expression went from wide-eyed to furrowed brow. "You…"

"Loghain, this is Cara," Mia offered.

"That explains why I don't sense the taint in you. For a moment I thought she had done it."

"It's a reaction I get a lot, especially around the Hero's old friends. It's good to meet you, Loghain."

"Loghain and I will head toward the Western Approach." Hawke turned to Fenris. "We are going fast and quiet, avoiding Venatori camps to find the wardens."

Fenris snorted. "They should be wiped off the face of Thedas, not left to do more harm."

"This is a stealth mission, if you wish to fight, stay with the Inquisition, we'll meet up again later."

Cara expected Fenris to leave with Hawke, him staying longer wasn't something she was prepared to deal with.

Especially when his eyes rested on her. "I will stay, for now."

"Welcome aboard, Fenris." Mia drew everyone's attention. "Before we return to Crestwood I need to check on someone named Judith, her farm should be nearby."

"A wyvern is causing trouble?" Mia asked.

Cara knew what the rest of the day would include. There were still a few hours until nightfall, they had time. But she wasn't looking forward to fighting Red Templars.

"I think it's in the same place Charter mentioned the Red Templar sightings." Luckily she had received the report earlier, and Cara didn't have to give away how she knew something before anyone else again. Explaining Haven was difficult enough, but at least she had Redcliffe to use as an excuse.

Mia asked Judith to get a message to Solas and Iron Bull since both would worry if they didn't return soon. She was more than happy too in exchange for us taking care of her pest problem.

Cara stopped at the astrarium. "You want to try this one?" she asked.

Mia shook her head. "No way, I'm no good at these. You get the ones here figured out, there are two in the Storm Coast to solve.

Cara stepped up and quickly went through the pattern, triggering the light leading to the last one. It was near the wyvern den, and Red Templars.

Fenris stared at the contraption. "What does it do?"

"When all three puzzles are complete, a secret vault is opened. Within is usually a weapons cache or something of great value."

"It's like a treasure hunt without having to enter the Deep Roads," Varric said.

They left the farm and headed toward the ravine. Solas and Iron Bull caught up with them.

"That was quick, I didn't realize Judith had left yet," Cara said.

"Solas saw the light trail from the astrarium, we figured you'd head this way rather than return to camp, so here we are."

"You can't fight with that wrist, Bull. You and Solas can return to the Keep," Mia replied.

Cara bit her lip at the look both men gave Mia.

"I'll return to the Keep, but if you think Solas is going to let Cara fight without him, you're losing it, Boss."

Fenris stiffened near the Qunari.

"Bull, this is Fenris. He's a friend of Varric and is joining the Inquisition," Mia offered.

"Iron Bull is the leader of a mercenary band called the Bull's Chargers," Varric said.

Fenris said, "that isn't very reassuring."

"Tevinter right? We have a common enemy in the Venatori, let's focus on that."

"Fair enough." Fenris didn't look relieved, but he had accepted the Qunari as one of his fighting companions for now.

Solas watched the elf with rapt curiosity. Cara imagined the markings on his skin raised a number of questions.

Before they moved on, wolves entered the ravine behind them and attacked. Fenris leapt into action, his markings glowing as he flew through the air, flanking the pack and cutting them down. Cara whirled and struck out with her daggers, thankful Remus wasn't there. The undead weren't the only creatures affected by the rifts in the area.

Fenris curled his lips into a smirk when their eyes met. Cara wiped her daggers on a downed wolf and slipped them back into their sheaths.

"The dwarf didn't exaggerate your skill. I'm surprised."

"Violet is full of surprises," Varric said.

"Bull, you okay?" Cara asked. He was holding his wrist. "You look a little grayer than usual."

Sweat beaded on his brow. Solas took his hand and sent healing magic over it. "This needs to be reset. I will return to the Keep with The Iron Bull."

"I'll be fine, Solas. I'll remember my barriers and everything."

"You think it funny now," he said.

"Shush. I'll be fine. Besides, if it gets too dangerous, I'll hide behind the scary elf."

Fenris snorted and everyone else laughed. Except for Solas. He pulled her close and kissed her. "Stay safe, vhenan."

Their group turned up the hill, while Solas and Bull returned to the Keep. Red lyrium grew from the landscape as they went up the hill. The Red Templars had camped in the midst of the elven ruins.

"What does Corypheus want with elven artifacts?" Mia asked as they searched the dead looking for information.

"He's a Tevinter Magister. All magic and knowledge they have, they stole from the elves," Cara said. "You've stolen the Mark, taken the mages and sealed the Breach. Not to mention his defeat in Haven. He needs something to give him an edge over you and the Inquisition."

"The mage is correct. Elven artifacts are worth a great deal in Tevinter. Most lead to more and more powerful magic," Fenris said.

The notes found confirmed they sought something.

"The wyvern den is through that cave. Is everyone ready?" Mia readied her daggers and moved forward.

Cassandra followed behind her, then Varric. Cara moved to follow Varric, but Fenris gripped her arm.

"Stay behind me. Wyvern are far more dangerous than a small pack of wolves."

"I'm flattered you trust me to watch your back," Cara teased.

His lips twitched as he fought a grin.

With two warriors and two rogues, Cara stayed back and cast barriers. Even still they were nearly overrun by the smaller wyvern.

"How about a storm, Violet?"

"You got it, Varric. Just stay out of the water everyone."

She raised her hand and called the electrical storm. A smaller one than when they fought the bears. She had learned to control it, build it only where she wanted it, and it wouldn't tax her mana here where the Veil was thin. The younger wyverns retreated into the water where Varric shot them with arrows. They still spit poison and between an unblocked swipe of a claw and poison spat into the wound, Fenris was the first one down. Cara ran to stand over him and cast a barrier over them both, one hand still in the air calling lightning, forcing the wyvern to retreat.

She held a hand out to him and he pulled himself to his feet. "Stay behind me, Fenris," she smirked at him. "Wyvern are more dangerous than a small pack of wolves."

Cassandra and Mia danced around the largest wyvern, while Varric and Cara picked off the younger ones. Then they focused the fight on the leader, finally bringing her down.

Cara turned to Fenris. "Alright, elf, off with your chest plate. Let me see how bad it is."

"It's just a scratch, the poison is wearing off."

"No. It's just making everything numb and makes you think you aren't as injured as you thought. The poison will prevent your blood from clotting and you will bleed out." Cara asked the others, "is anyone else injured?"

Cassandra stepped forward. "I am, but I believe his injury is the greater need."

While Fenris removed his breastplate, Cara looked at Cassandra's forearm. She handed her a piece of spliced elfroot. "Place this over the cut, then wash it. It will neutralize any poison in 5 minutes. Then drink this." She handed her the potion and turned back to Fenris and her breath caught in her throat. His pecs and abs were well defined from years of fighting, all of his muscles accented by the lyrium marks. He was a fine looking man.

She dug in her herb pack for more elfroot, but only found seeds.

"Fenedhis!" She dropped the seeds on the ground and held her hand out over them.

"It's rather deep. I can stitch it, but it will take ten days to two weeks to fully heal, or I can heal it with magic."

Fenris arched an eyebrow. "You would give me a choice?"

"I give everyone a choice, unless their life depends on healing magic or they can't respond."

"She's better than Anders, she's been learning everything she can from the healers," Varric told him.

"How is it you still have mana left? Any other mage would need lyrium now, or resort to blood magic." Fenris was clearly surprised. Cara knew he was well acquainted with mages and their limits.

"The veil is thin here. It is an ancient elven site, once it was a place of celebration and life. Spirits are drawn to such places, and it's far easier to tap into the Fade. I can cast spells for hours before tiring." She hoped he bought her lie, but the skeptical look he gave her, made her think he didn't quite believe. Since meeting Mythal in the Fade her mana pool had grown, spells had more power and were cast easily. "So which is it, stitches or magic?"

"Stitches, since it's not fatal," he said.

"Alright, but you are out of commission for ten days, one week at least before they come out. If you tear them by fighting or exercise, I will resort to magic if I have to heal it a second time." Iron Bull preferred stitches, so Cara kept plenty of needles and thread to bind any wounds. "Second question, visible scar or minimal scarring?" Bull also liked his scars to look worse than the wound so he could brag.

"I don't require scars to prove my skill."

She nodded. "This will go faster if you lie down."

"I prefer to sit."

Cara sighed and pointed to a fallen log. She could kneel beside it and stitch his side without cramping her back too much. Thanks to Cole she had a surplus of spider webs, soft wisps used to prevent infection, and threads which could be used to stitch deep wounds. These came in handy when a wound required multiple layers of stitches and would dissolve away in a week.

Fenris bent to watch her, his warm breath fluttered against her ear and cheek. He was too stiff, he'd stretched his arm up over his head pulling the skin taut, too tight to stitch properly. Their noses nearly touched when she looked up at him.

Fighting the flush of heat up her neck at the intense look in his eyes, she said, "please, relax your shoulder a bit. If you can't hold it without support, place your arm on mine."

He lowered his arm, dropping the shoulder, but didn't touch her. Pinching the wound together she began to stitch the innermost part of the cut. The elfroot and poison had made the area numb - she doubted he felt anything until he flinched when her knuckles brushed along a rib.

"Sorry, has the elfroot worn off? I can apply more."

He cleared his throat, but his voice was still low when he spoke. "It is nothing."

Cara returned to the stitches, closing the outer skin. After tying off the end of the last stitch she called a flare of fire to burn the end. Then pulled gauze from her pack. His arm rested gently on her shoulder while she wrapped the strip of linen around his torso, holding the bandage in place. He flinched each time her fingers brushed along his ribs.

"Don't tell me the mighty Fenris is ticklish?"

The tips of his ears turned dark, as did his cheeks. "Hardly. A warrior can't afford such a weakness."

"It's not a weakness, it's a part of being normal. I have ticklish feet." Cara tucked the end of the strip into the layers. "All done. The bandage should be changed daily, or immediately if it begins to bleed again." She moved to stand, and forgot her hair had come loose, stepping on it, she lost her balance and tumbled toward him. His reflexes were as fast as her own. His hands were on her waist, hers were on his shoulders, stopped inches from falling against him. Cara pushed up, and pulled her hair out of the way. "Sorry. Maybe I should finally cut my hair."

"You would regret cutting it if you did." His hands lingered on her waist.

"You're right. I hadn't anticipated fighting when we left camp or I would have braided it." She stepped back out of his grip.

He moved to the water's edge and washed some of the blood from his armor, and hands. He'd carried his armor with him, and she tried to focus on gathering her herbs and gear, rather than the muscles in his back and arms. Cara quickly twisted her hair back up and shouldered her pack and bow. Having him around would complicate matters. She wasn't the type to give into to physical temptation, and thankfully Fenris wasn't the casual sex type either.

Before they left the grotto, she handed him a healing potion. "This will speed up the healing. Just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's fully healed."

"You have my thanks."

"Not pulling the stitches out will be thanks enough. It's a lot harder to stitch a jagged wound than a smooth cut." The less time she had to spend looking at his magnificent chest the better. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh as they met up with the others outside the cave. There is waiting and enjoying the anticipation, a slow burn heightens the senses and can lead to some amazing sex. Or it can leave a person ready to jump anyone they find attractive. If something didn't change between Solas and her soon, Cara feared the latter was inevitable.

Thanks for sticking with me. I'd love to hear your thoughts so far.