There is no denying Hawke's nature, even when it gets her into trouble. Solas can not help but be protective of her, especially after the red lyrium incident. It is only when Dorian brings up a flaw to him that he realizes he can not object to her nature in this way. He is worried she will one day find the thing that bests her, and he will lose her to it, but if he has no faith in her, then he will lose her anyway. Dragons. It had to be dragons. With how accident prone she is, things happen that no one expects, and Iron Bull finds it more difficult to come up with lies to tell the Qun. The most unexpected thing, is that he has become complacent, believing that Skyhold was safe enough from Vael. It is not, but it is not his Alhasha that suffers.

Heads up, there's torture. Granted it's not really detailed, and I'm not good at describing it, but it's there.

Chapter 26

Dorian liked to think that he knew a great deal about how people operated, but that didn't always apply, and Solas seemed to fall into the unexpected category quite a lot for him. They'd made camp for the night, on their way to investigate Crestwood, and that had given Dorian time to study up on everyone. People watching was a strangely enjoyable hobby, and one you can drink to as you went about it. For the past several minutes, Solas has been chuckling to himself. Actually, he'd been doing that all day, but he'd not bothered to explain himself.

"Alright, what is it?" Dorian asked, when Solas came and sat by the fire with him. "You've been randomly chuckling all day. I know the dwarf calls you Chuckles, but this is getting ridiculous."

"It's just…it's about master Tethras. Alhasha told me what she did to him." Solas replied, with a knowing smile. "I doubt you or Iron Bull will have to do anything to add to his embarrassment."

"How bad is it?" Dorian asked, now morbidly curious.

"Not bad, in the grand scheme of things, but certainly mortifying for the dwarf." Solas responded, still grinning. "It seems she got the idea from you."

"Oh? This I have to hear." Dorian said, with a grin. "It's always good when I can add to my own amusement. Tell me, what did I say that gave her the idea for whatever it is she did?"

"Do you remember that chevalier we found in the Empress's room?" Solas asked, and Dorian instantly belts out laughing.

Dorian asked, still laughing. "She did that to him?"

"And left him alone…" Solas added, pausing for dramatic effect. "…in Seeker Pentagast's room."

"Damn, I owe that woman 10 sovereigns." Dorian chuckled. "That was, hands down, much better than the suggestions Bull or I gave her."

"What did they say they would be doing, anyway?" Solas asked. "She mentioned going on another mission with him while I was away."

"She didn't tell you?" Dorian asked, and then continued on. "I'm actually surprised she didn't. She's agreed to go dragon hunt-"

Solas had instantly stood up, and began pacing, ranting in elvhen. It was not a language that Dorian had been able to pick up during his time here. The man was worried about Hawke, Dorian could gather that much, but what Solas shouted as he paced back and forth was lost on him. Lavellan stumbled out of her tent a few moments later, bleary eyed, looking around wildly for whatever was suppose to be attacking camp, only to see Solas in full blown panic. She calmed down, strangely enough, and made her way over to the camp fire.

"Isenathan! Isenathan! La Vael air'tel aelyl o'ei'telsila. As isala pana i'isenathan!" Solas raged, at no one in particular.

"Did you have to go and tell him about the dragons?" Lavellan asked, keeping her voice low, when she got to Dorian. "I was asleep."

"This is good for him. It's better for him to get it out of his system now, than when he finds she's not back at Skyhold." Dorian reasoned, and she grumbled. He was right, but having ones sleep interrupted made for a grumpy disposition.

"Solas!" Lavellan growled, grabbing the mans attention. " As shor ea san. Mala, felas'dur, eil lasa em era."

"She-" Solas managed to say, before Lavellan cut him off.

"No, Solas. She. Will. Be. Fine." Lavellan stated, firmly. "Ema na din dhru in ash?"

"That's not…I didn't…" Solas stammered, her words cutting into him, and he seemed to deflate almost instantly. "Ir abelas, ma falon, na ane vol."

He sits down once again, and Lavellan heads back to her tent to sleep.

"Do you worry for Iron Bull like this?" Solas asked, trying to take subtle deep breaths to calm down.

"More often than I will ever tell him." Dorian admitted, with a smirk. "The same goes for her, you know. She worries for you more than she will ever tell you. That tends to be the way of it, wanting to share their burdens while trying to hide your own."

"That seems counter productive." Solas mused, and then sighed. "Dragons. Why did it have to be dragons?"

"You'd be saying the same thing about undead, red templars, wyverns, giants, or dark spawn." Dorian pointed out. Solas huffed at that, but didn't deny it either.

Isenathan! Isenathan! La Vael air'tel aelyl o'ei'telsila. As isala pana i'isenathan!

Dragons! Dragons! Like Vael isn't enough of a problem. She wants fights with dragons!

As shor ea san. Mala, felas'dur, eil lasa em era

She will be fine. Now, calm down, and let me sleep

Ema na din dhru in ash?

Have you no faith in her?

Ir abelas, ma falon, na ane vol.

I'm sorry, my friend, you are right.

Hawke had felt his worry as if it had been her own, and cringed when she realized she'd forgotten to tell him about the dragon hunt. It wasn't like she needed his permission, but she'd not meant to exclude his feelings in this either. That would be about the time her infamous accident prone nature kicked in. She'd tried to send back feelings of calm, anything to let Solas know that he didn't need to worry. However, she stumbled because she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and fell down a rather large hole.

When she woke up, Hawke was still a little groggy. So it took her a minute to realize that she was looking up at where she'd fallen from, and that her very warm bed was gently moving up and down in a slow rhythmic pattern. Iron Bull was looking down at her with a mixture of awe and worry. So she was either the luckiest woman on the planet, or the craziest. Hawke herself expected it was a bit of both.

The Dragon hadn't woken up yet, but she could tell it was in the process of doing just that. Oh, this was bad, Hawke realized. Solas could read her emotions from where he was, just as she could his, and if he realized just what state she was in now…Strangely enough, concentrating on the dragon's breathing helped calm her down. If she could calm down, he wouldn't have to know she was resting her laurels on the back of a sleeping dragon.

"Hawke…Hawke, are you injured?" Iron Bull called down, keeping his voice low. She gave a thumbs up, not wanting to speed up the process of waking up the dragon, though she didn't see how else she was going to get out of this mess.

"Shit." Iron Bull grumbled, the sound barely echoing down to her. "Just hang on. We'll get you out!"

Solas showing up in a random location had become common place, but Iron Bull really wished that he could have held off on that just this once. Hawke wasn't in any immediate danger, at least not yet, and it wasn't going to stay like that for long. If he could keep Solas calm, they had a chance of getting her out of there alive. There was no way she was coming out of there riding on the back of a dragon…Actually, that sounded like a really great plan, and now Iron Bull really wanted to see that happen.

"Solas, what are you doing here?" Iron Bull asked, keeping his voice low.

"This usually only happens when Alhasha is in danger of some sort." Solas replied, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why is she not with you?"

"Hawke is fine…resting…fine." Iron Bull managed, hoping to bullshit his way out of this. "Go back to Crestwood, or wherever it is you actually are at the moment. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Then why do I feel…" Solas managed, closing his eyes as if to stave off something. "…light headed… dizzy…She is anxious…I will not ask again, Bull. Where is she?"

"Alright, alright, but promise you won't freak out." Iron Bull said, relenting. Solas didn't budge. "She fell down that hole over there…She's fine…as far as we can tell anyway,…but…she…well…landed on the back of a sleeping dragon."

All the colour drains from the elven man's face, only to be replaced with pure shock, as Solas asked. "How…How did that happen?"

"She just tripped. We weren't even supposed to stop here. Our goal was half a mile east…or so we thought." Iron Bull explained, cautious about the elf's reaction now. "Right now she's fine, but there's no way to move her."

Solas closed his eyes again, shaking his head, before sighing. "Only Alhasha can trip, and fall, only to land on a sleeping dragon. How-"

"I don't know how we're going to get her out, Solas, but we will get her out." Iron Bull insisted, rather emphatically.

"Chief!" Krem shouted, bringing their attention back to the present. "You're not going to believe this!"

They all watched as the dragon came into view, and backed up accordingly, but Solas and Iron Bull refused to move. This was a being of raw power, one the two respected for different reasons, but what shocked them most was not the dragon. Alhasha sat on the shoulders of a dragon, clinging on for dear life, caught somewhere between joy and fear. At first, the dragon paid them no heed, trying to throw the bothersome thing that was on its body. However, Alhasha was either too stubborn to be bucked off,…or she was stuck.

"Solas, that woman is amazing!" Iron Bull exclaimed, shocked and thrilled by the turn of events. "Do you see that?! Ohhh, this is going to be good!"

Solas doesn't think he's ever seen a more perfect representation of what Alhasha is than this. Lightning splits the air, and fire surrounds as sparks of bright blue lyrium singe the air. Alhasha laughs even as he can sense her fear, and Solas does not know whether to be afraid, angry, in awe, or worried out of his damned mind. She's wearing the biggest wolfish grin he's ever seen on her, her hair dancing wildly about her. The dragon itself is fascinating, an impressive display of raw power, and were his nas'falon not trapped on it somehow, Solas might have been tempted to study it further…maybe even enjoy the fight as Iron Bull tended to do.

"Leanashal alhasha." Solas murmured, when he caught another moment to breathe. "Gaelashal salhasine."

Gloriously wild – Absolutely insane

Then, as he watched the dragon take flight, his mind stopped working altogether. He could hear Iron Bull trying to get him to calm down, but it sounded so far away, as if he were hearing through water. He heard her screams, not of fear, but of joy, and slowly came back to himself. Something was wrong though, a pull on his mind. Someone was trying to call him back to himself, and he only had so much time left.

"Iron Bull, I can not stay." Solas said, not taking his eyes off of where Alhasha and the dragon were in the sky. "Lavellan is calling me back to myself. Something is wrong in Crestwood."

Being in the sky was a lot different than she thought it would be. Then again, she wasn't the one in charge of flying. The dragon's wingspan was impressive, and she was very thankful that its horns were pointed outward instead of back at her. Somehow, she'd been able to hold on to at least one of the horns while the thing tried to buck her off, and its neck was just short enough that it could not reach back to bite her, though she was worried about the spikes along its jawline. Seeing Solas there was not surprising, but she could only imagine the fight they would have when she got back to Skyhold.

When the two landed, Hawke realized why she hadn't been bucked off yet. The dragon wanted her gone, but its scales were absorbing her. She'd become kind of glued to the creature, so much so that part of her legs were sinking into it. That's when she began to panic, punching the damned thing with fire wrapped fists, trying to fry its brains. Solas was gone, called back she assumed, so she did not know if it was his panic she was even feeling or her own.

"LET ME GO!" Hawke shouted, her voice filled with worry and panic, even as she pounded her fists into the dragon's skull. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO NOW!"

Iron Bull could only watch as Hawke pounded on the dragon's skull, all manner of magical means being used. It seemed particularly weak against lightning, and so it was no surprise when her magic fixated on it. Each time Hawke slammed her fist down, a bolt of lightning came down and struck its skull, and she screamed all the while, her eyes shining a bright light as she did so. The more panicked she became, the more fiercely she pounded with her fists, and the more powerful the lightning became, until finally a bolt of lightning split the dragon's skull open. That sent the dragon slumping over till it fell down in an unceremonious heap, and gave up the last of its life.

She continued pounding on the skull, demanding to be let go, sending bolts of lightning through it. The air around them was practically charged with electricity. He knew that if they couldn't calm her down, the sheer power she was wielding in her panic could kill them. So when Solas showed up again, Iron Bull wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was when Solas saw her like that, and moved to go to her.

"Solas, don't!" Iron Bull warned, seeing that the elf was headed straight for her.

Of course, his words were ignored. Solas made his way to the woman in question without hesitation. With each strike on lightning, the others kept having to move a step back. As her hand came down, Solas struck out, and grabbed the other one, pulling her to him. In an instant, Hawke was on the ground again, the lightning struck them both, and Solas pulled Hawke into an embrace.

When the lightning bolt struck, it was absorbed by something unseen, and the area was bathed in light. All around them, a mix of bright blue and light green tendrils danced around them. Though it was only for the briefest of moments, the outline of two wolves could be seen in the tendrils above them, offering comfort to each other. It was the single most powerful magical display he'd ever seen, and he'd just gotten through fighting a dragon. As the lights faded, Solas was comforting Hawke could just as the wolves had been.

Iron Bull hoped that for their sake they had a good explanation for that. A display like that demanded answers, and the Qun would disavow him if he couldn't come up with something good to cover this up with. If not, Solas had just all but announced that he was Fen'Harel to the Qun, and that was not something Iron Bull wanted to see happen, and Hawke?…He didn't even know what she was now. As much as the two butted heads on how they viewed spirits, the two men had struck up a friendship, and he viewed Hawke as a friend as well. He did not want to tell the Qun what he knew.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Hawke cried, still panicking, as if her eyes didn't understand the change in environment.

"Lath'in, dian. Na ane eth. Na ane reva." Solas said, trying to get her to look into his eyes as he attempted to calm her down. "Ra tel nua na mala."

Love, stop. You are safe. You are free – It can not hurt you now

"Ra shyr'tel rea! Ra shyr'tel rea, Solas!" Hawke insisted, her eyes wide in panic still. "Ra…Ra shor veral em sule ra'len…vilal'em…Ar tel lasa ra!"

It wouldn't let go! It wouldn't let go, Solas! - It…It was taking me into itself…absorbing me…I couldn't let it!

She was stopped from continuing her panic filled rambling by Solas, who had taken to stealing a kiss. Though Iron Bull doubted the elf would ever admit to being scared, seeing Hawke on that dragon had rattled him. It wasn't something one saw every day, and Solas was already very protective of her. Even Iron Bull knew how encompassing the bonds of True Kindred Souls were. Though Hawke could very well take care of herself, and Solas knew that, worry was not always reasonable and had a habit of rearing its head whenever the woman got caught up in something.

"Na ane eth, Lath'in." Solas said, as if he needed to reaffirm it for himself, before stealing another kiss. "Seeing you on that dragon…(kiss)…We are going to have words later…(kiss)…Important words…(kiss)…about safety…(kiss)…and the wildness that you are…(kiss)…and how incredibly palasha I found it all…(kiss)…ara salhasine…(kiss)…alhasha…(kiss)…tel'dhru'gonathe…(kiss)…ir'ina'lan'ehn…(kiss)…lath'in…"

You are safe, Love – sexy – my crazy…wild…incredible…gorgeous…love…

"You two can catch up later." Iron Bull said, serious, and the two started as if they had forgotten anyone else was there. Each kiss had seemed to calm her down until Solas hadn't just stealing them, she had been returning them, and Iron Bull had no desire to see what those two looked like naked. "Solas, I need an explanation, something I can tell the people back home. Give me something plausible, so they'll think I'm not hiding more than any other Ben-hassrath. I saw the two of you absorb a lightning bolt, and wolves appeared above you in that spirit tendril stuff. I need something that can explain that away."

Solas looked lost in thought for a moment, looking like he had barely able to pull himself from the obvious plan he'd had to steal as many kisses from Hawke as he could, before replying. "Alhasha and I are Fenin, something akin to shape-shifters, but the wolf is the only form we can take. Where I specialize in Fade magic, and Alhasha is my nas'falon, it would be reasonable to assume that she too has an affinity for the Fade apart from myself. Therefore, the wolves within us would be easy to see where the Veil is weakest. As for the lightning bolt, the shield absorbed the magic of it, allowing it to return safely to its source. How was that?"

"That could work." Iron Bull replied, and decided to leave them there to sort themselves out.

"I am glad you are safe, Lath'in." Solas said, turning his attentions back to her. "You are the only one I have ever met that can trip and fall onto a dragon. Why does master Tethras not tell stories like those?"

"I don't think it would make for very a very good story if the hero trips into action." She joked, laughing a bit, still filled with nerves. "So…about those words we're suppose to have later?…"

"As much as it worried me, I have never seen anything quite as chaotic and wildly beautiful as that, Alhasha." Solas admitted, very much wishing they were more alone than they were. "The way you looked…alhasha eil reva…it was…syl'veral…pal'sorol…"

wild and free…breathtaking…thrilling

"Thrilling, you say?" Alhasha asked, looking glad for the distraction from her panic.

"Oh, yes, Lath'in." Solas replied, grinning a wolfish smile to rival her own. "There will be many words had about that."

"Promise?" She asked, baiting him with that grin of hers, leaning up for a kiss, one he could not deny her.

"You two do know I'm still here, right?" Krem asked, more than a little amused. The two turned to see him looking only slightly uncomfortable, and a touch embarrassed. "Chief told me to stay to make sure you two didn't get 'carried away'. I imagine he plans on us leaving soon."

"I should be getting back."Solas conceded, returning his attentions to Alhasha. "We are returning to Skyhold soon. Something about what happened in Crestwood troubles me. Warden Stroud suspects that the Grey Wardens are being corrupted by Coryphius. If this is so, it may lead to the demon armies Lavellan spoke of."

"Where did he say he was looking into?" Alhasha asked, instantly.

"There is an old fortress in the Western Approach. He seems to think they have gone there." He said, before he looked to Krem, who seemed to get the hint that maybe he needed to leave for a bit, and then back to Alhasha.

"Lath'in." He said, more quietly. "There is something I need to discuss with you once you get back to Skyhold. Please, as soon as you can, make your way back. I will be waiting."

By the time that they got back to Skyhold, Hawke was in a right state. The man had told her he had something to discuss with her…Was that the same thing as the 'We need to talk' speech? How in the Void was she suppose to know this stuff? So when Solas pulled her into a hidden alcove, only to push her up against a wall and kiss her breathless, Hawke was a bit taken aback.

"You said…" Hawke managed to get out, before he was kissing her again. Damn, he was good at this. "Solas, you said …" Really, this was getting out of hand. "Solas, you said we needed to talk!" That finally got him to pause, hearing the seriousness in her voice. "I've been worried you didn't want me anymore! Give me a minute to catch up!" That last part was said with a joking demeanor.

"You thought…?" Solas said, pausing for a moment, as if going over the memory in his mind again. "Why?"

"Because you all but said 'we need to talk' and then you left!" Hawke hissed, a bit embarrassed about it all, knowing that she was blushing now. Iron Bull had insisted that wasn't what it'd meant, but she'd let her imagination get out of hand.

"I…I had not realized…" He said, looking a bit surprised, before adding. "I was a bit more focused on all those words we were going to have about you, and that dragon, and what that did…theslol palasha…than what I said after…I had just…Your eyes, Lath'in, shown like…You truly are now…"

fucking sexy

In that instant, Hawke understood. Her eyes had shown like that of the Evanuris, not a flash of it, but steady enough so that it was unmistakable what she had become…to those who knew what to look for. When she nodded in understanding, Solas rested his forehead against her own. He'd come close to losing that control again, and that would not do where they could be discovered. It took a little while before either trusted themselves to speak.

"Lady Morrigan is having something brought to Skyhold from the Winter Palace. Though I do not know how, she has come into possession of an uncorrupted functional El'u'vian." Solas stated, back to his aloof nature, though there was something intimate about the way he spoke to her. "When it gets here, there is something I want to show you. I think it could be what we need, and there are places I wish to share with you."

There was that word again, we, and it made Hawke smile to hear it. She nodded her silent agreement, because they really didn't know where another assassin would pop up. Solas took this as his cue to begin a trail of kisses that lead from her lips to her jawline to him nibbling on her neck, knowing she couldn't stop the little sounds she made when he did that, though she did try. There were people around milling about their day, and she didn't want to get caught there. Solas just concentrated on making little places along her neck, alternating between nibbling and suckling each place he made.

"Vishante Kaffas!" Fenris shouted, causing Solas to drop his head to one of Hawke's shoulders and shake with silent laughter. "She hasn't even been back 5 minutes!"

It had taken many months to figure out the quick way to that hard to find room of hers. It had taken a few more to figure out how to get in without either of them knowing he'd been there. The failed attempts could be blamed on servants bringing food, things neither would think to question. He'd been here for so long now, that even if they could smell him, they would not recognize him as an intruder. This had to be perfect, and if the rumours were true, nothing else would do.

In the Fade…

Solas put his hand to his neck, having felt something prick him, a look of confusion crossing his features. He knew in an instant that something was wrong in the waking world. It was only a matter of time before Alhasha picked up on it too. She looked so happy with her family. Because he knew that this was not something everyone could indulge in, he did not want to alert her to what was wrong, but he should have known she'd pick up on it faster than he wanted.

"Out with it. Your eyebrows have that dip to them again. Something's wrong." Alhasha said, walking up to him, stealing a small kiss. He could not resist taking over the kiss, putting more into it as he was worried it would be his last, and she sensed that too. "Solas? What's wrong?"

"I am…uncertain, Alhasha. I think someone…I think someone may have entered the room." Solas said, shaking his head. Fenedhis! It was getting harder to think. "It is not impossible, and they may have…"

"Then I have to get back!" Alhasha insisted, instantly alarmed. "What if something happens to you?"

"It…already has, Lath'in." He revealed, knowing she would feel it soon. He could not keep the effects of the link away from her forever. "I have been…drugged…Possibly taken…I do not know. Do not wake up yet…It is dangerous, Lath'in, please…"

He knew what he was asking was unfair. She was caught between wanting to save him, and wanting to trust that he knew what he was doing. Staying here would save her, at least he hoped it would. Her waking up to a hostage situation in progress? He was not about to take that risk, whether it angered her or not.

"Please, Lath'in, just stay…stay with me here…" Solas pleaded, anything to keep her from waking up.

"You are in so much trouble when I find you." She threatened, though there was no anger in her words. She let him pull her into his arms, and then she whispered into his ear. "I was rather looking forward to all those words we were going to have."

"I will endeavor to make it up to you once we are out of this." Solas replied, trying to keep his voice light, but he could tell something was wrong again. "Alhasha? What-?"

She was gone before he could blink, her voice ringing in his ears, as she called out to him.

He realized, before he had even woken up, that it was not her that had left the Fade. It had been him. Weak did not describe how he felt. There was no word for the depth of helplessness in him now. There was a certain disjointed feeling that came with whatever this was.

That's when he knew. Magebane. He'd been dosed with magebane, something that had never happened to him before. Alhasha fought through this stuff? She was right about the walking through rapids feeling. This felt like he was drowning, like he could not even find the surface of where he was.

This place, where was he? The rocking…a boat perhaps? He'd been chained up by his wrists together above his head, with his feet barely on the floor. Immediately, he is glad he told Alhasha to stay in the Fade. She may be able to fight off a dragon, but he did not want her to see what was about to happen to him.

"It is good to see you awake, my fine elven friend. I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up." Came an all too familiar voice from somewhere nearby.

Solas looked to his left, narrowing his eyes as he fought through the haze the magebane had put on his mind. Zevran looked to be in the same situation as him, maybe without the drugs in his system, or just different drugs, but badly beaten. Somehow, that antivan assassin had managed to keep his humour through that. Solas just snorted at the man, and closed his eyes. Everything in the room felt like it was spinning.

"I thought you were an assassin." Solas offered, in way of greeting, sarcastically.

"I thought you were a god." Zevran chuckled, jovially. "Funny how we both ended up in the same place, no?"

"Who has us, and are there others?" Solas asked, after a while.

"I am uncertain if there are others…" Zevran explained, with shaky breath. "As for who has us…"

"It is good that you are awake." A new voice came. Vael, Solas realized, walked towards them both. "Pity I could not have had Hawke grabbed as well, but no matter."

"Where is she? What have you done with her?!" Solas growled, straining to remain clearheaded through the fog the magebane put his head in.

"I was told she looked absolutely peaceful sleeping next to you." Vael stated, not answering his question just yet. "Don't worry about her. When she realizes where you are, she will come for you. What you should be worried about is what I'm going to do to you. If I have to cut you open to find out how to free her, I'll do it."

Despite this, Solas was relieved. Alhasha had been left alone, meaning that she was safe for the time being. Whatever happened to him, she was safe. He could keep the connection at bay if it meant she wouldn't have to suffer what was about to happen to him. Vael's eyes looked like they promised retribution.

"How strange that you have scars like her lyrium lines." Vael said, observantly, looking up at Solas's bare arms where the sleeves had fallen down. "I wonder…How did you get them?"

"That is no concern of yours." Solas scoffed, only to be punched in the ribs for his trouble. The more he refused to answer, the more painful the punches became, until he was fairly certain the man had cracked a few of his ribs in the process.

"Now, care to answer the question?" Vael asked, nonchalantly.

"I took…her pain." Solas rasped, through difficult breaths, giving the barest bit of information he could. Without warning, Vael's fist connected with his jaw, and went back to punching his ribs until Zevran interrupted him.

"Why are we here?" Zevran demanded, surprising Vael into stopping.

"He is here because he has stolen what is mine!" Vael snapped, pointing to Solas.

"Hawke was never yours, Sebastian." Zevran chuckled, only to be punched for his troubles too.

"And you! Your here because you turned down my offer." Vael snarled. "I can't exactly have news of this getting out before I am prepared for it. All you had to do was stay with them, report what you saw, and bring them to me. I would have made you rich beyond your foolish dreams, but you couldn't even do that right. I see no reason for Hawke to speak so highly of you."

"Hawke is my friend." Zevran chuckled, darkly, unfazed by Vael's outburst. "Did you really think I would betray her to you?"

"Friends…" Sebastian scoffed, in disbelief. "Loyalty and friendship can be bought with coin. I have many friends now."

Zevran just leveled him with a look, even chained up as he was, and replied darkly. "I don't."