A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I vanished for a week. I was moving into our new home and so literally had no Internet or computer set up. But now I am back!

Thirty-Six

The Arlathvhen (Part Two): Naseral

Unlike clan Ghilath, Rosa's birth clan had only sent a small group to accompany their Keeper to the Arlathvhen. A decade previous Rosa had been part of it, attending the gathering with her mother and actually sat with the full assembly of Keepers. She'd been still a girl then, one of the youngest there, but she still remembered the sigils of the clans her mother's group had stayed with. Clans within an area tended to know one another loosely, sometimes sending runners in dire times or with warnings of bandits and slavers. So Rosa knew that Naseral would camp near Boranehn and Sabrae—although the latter had left Ferelden some time ago.

The forest was crowded with elves in every direction, but after only a few minutes she'd spotted the worn banner for Boranehn, so distinctive against the others. Most of the clans used animals in their sigils, but Boranehn bucked tradition with a black banner and a white bow embroidered onto it. This time Boranehn had settled in a little depression amongst some boulders outside of the clearing. Their banner lay over one of the larger boulders, lopsided and wrinkled from being folded for ten years in the Keeper's aravel. Still, it was as enormous and oversized as Rosa remembered.

As Rosa led Solas and Sera closer to the depression she saw another banner mounted beside a smaller boulder near the depression and grinned with recognition. Naseral's sigil was of a green owl against a yellow banner and the sight of it made Rosa's heart swell in her chest. As she circled round to get a better view down the slope of the depression and into the cave-like hollow created by the meeting of boulders, Rosa saw a familiar little girl sitting at the base of a large rock, head nodding with sleep.

"Lihari!" Rosa shouted and started stomping toward the girl as she sat upright, eyes wide with shock. "Look at you, napping in the shade! Neglecting your studies."

Lihari gaped up at her and then scrambled in a panic to her feet. "Rosa!" she said, gasping. "Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me," Rosa told her with mock-offense, though she quickly switched to delight as she took in how tall Lihari was growing. "Though I barely recognized you. Look how big you've gotten! But still so lazy." She clucked her tongue and smirked at how the girl blushed and fidgeted nervously. "It's great to see you. Where is the Keeper?"

"Out with Boranehn's Keeper," Lihari said, eyes darting timidly between Rosa and the two barefaced elves behind her. She made a face, bemused. "Aren't you two old to be barefaced?" she asked. "Where are your vallaslin?"

"We are not Dalish," Solas said, sounding stiff.

"Piss on that," Sera grumbled. "Demon rubbish."

Lihari cringed as if they'd scolded her and Rosa sighed, shaking her head with regret at her playful greeting of the child that'd set this encounter off on the wrong foot. She'd hoped to cajole Lihari into being a better student as when Rosa had last checked in with her mother in drreams the Keeper had told her Lihari was not as good a learner as she should be. But Lihari seemed more fragile than Rosa knew she had been at this girl's age. Even a playful chastisement seemed too heavy for her.

"All right," she said, nodding to herself. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I'll make sure I tell the Keeper you were practicing hard and reading the old texts."

"You will?" Lihari asked, smiling suddenly. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Rosa told her, grinning. "On one condition."

The little girl's face fell and she fidgeted anxiously. "Okay?"

Rosa dropped to her knees to be more on the girl's level and lowered her voice as she said, "You have to watch over my friends here. They're not Dalish and they might get lost around all of the clans. They need your help while I go find the Keeper. Can you keep them company while I'm away?"

Lihari sucked in a breath, puffing out her little cheeks. She let it out in one loud puff and then nodded vigorously, though her eyes still looked intimidated as she glanced over Rosa's shoulder at Solas and Sera. "I'll do it, Rosa. I promise."

"Good," Rosa said and patted Lihari's shoulder a moment before rising to her feet again. Turning round, she faced Sera and Solas. "Lihari here is going to keep you two out of trouble while I find this clan's Keeper."

"This Lavellan?" Sera asked, waving a hand at the banner of the owl.

"No," Rosa admitted. "This is clan Naseral. The clan I was born into."

"Who's she?" Sera asked, pointing rudely at Lihari. "You have a little sister?"

"No," Rosa said, shaking her head. "Lihari is the Keeper's apprentice." Hesitating a moment, she decided to elaborate further at Sera's distrusting look. "The Keeper is my mother. I just want to chat with her before I find my clan."

"Can't keep all this elfy-elf shite straight," Sera complained, frowning down at the ground.

Rosa rolled her eyes. "Look Sera, just be nice. I'll be right back, I promise."

"Heard that before," Sera bit out.

Glancing to Solas, Rosa saw he too looked tense and uncomfortable, shifting his weight from side to side and gazing at the boulders and the banners and everywhere but at Lihari. Rosa wondered how much experience he had with children and then shook herself, remembering he'd been a general in Elvhenan and had lived a solitary life by his own admission. He had said he was also a teacher, but perhaps his students had been older than Lihari.

They were all so tense. If only…

Seized with an idea, Rosa turned around to Lihari and asked, "Did the Keeper bring some supplies with her?"

Lihari nodded. "Yeah. She brought wolf pelts and halla skins and iron bark and obsidian and—"

"Did she bring some of the special cider?" Rosa asked, smiling wide.

Lihari nodded again. "Yeah. She says I can't drink it. I'm not old enough yet." She scowled, as though she vehemently disagreed but knew better than to voice it.

"Good," Rosa said. "Then why don't you give Sera a little of the cider? I know she'll like it."

Lihari blinked and shook her head. "But Keeper says that's for the celebration tonight."

"I know, but it's only one bottle." She leaned down a little and lowered her voice. "We want to show Sera how nice we are, right?"

Lihari appeared doubtful but she shot Sera a look over Rosa's shoulder and then nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I know where she keeps it." She wrinkled her nose then. "What about him?"

Rosa turned and grinned at Solas. "Well, that is Solas. He's a mage. And he used to be a teacher."

"Inquisitor," Solas said tightly, using her title as a protest.

"He did?" Sera asked, snickering. "Droopy ears? Probably just put the kiddies to sleep."

Solas shot her a venomous glare but said nothing.

"I'm sure there's a lot you can show Lihari. Tell her about fighting Corypheus or…" She shrugged. "Tell her a legend. I'll only be gone a few minutes."

Solas sighed. "Very well."

"Excellent," Rosa said and then turned to Lihari again. "All right. Go get that cider for Sera and then Solas will be your teacher while I'm away. He's a very skilled mage, so please show him respect."

Lihari stared at Solas a moment, her doubt palpable. It was probably his lack of vallaslin that made her hesitate, but she trusted Rosa and eventually nodded. "Okay." She spun about on her heel and darted into the dark of the overhang created by the boulders. Rosa could see furs and crates inside.

Satisfied Lihari would watch over her "flat-ear" companions, Rosa set off back to the clearing to try and find her mother.

Tillahnenn. The name echoed in Tal's head as he walked about the clearing and then the forest of the gathering grounds, searching for a banner he had never seen with his waking eyes. He wouldn't have much time before Rosa would likely return to him and if she found him missing from Ghilath's hearth she'd be alarmed. Tal couldn't afford that.

He'd borrowed a cloak from his mother before leaving her, claiming he needed to go for a walk to get some air. She'd let him go, of course, though he hadn't missed the pain in her eyes. He hated himself for leaving her like that, but there was nothing else to do. As good as it was to see that she was still alive and healthy—even if she now shared the furs with a monster—Tal hadn't come to the Arlathvhen for a chance to change minds and hearts or even just to reunite with those he loved.

He had a mission.

But when he saw the familiar sigil of a brown fish on a blue background, Tal couldn't help but stop mid-step as his heart ached. That was clan Manaria's symbol, hung from a maple tree's broad low branch at the end of the clearing. There was no sign of an aravel, but he could see a campfire with a thin plume of smoke drifting from it and a man lay beside it, dozing.

Heat leapt to Tal's cheeks and he hunkered low in the hood. It was somewhat conspicuous to waltz around in a hood at the Arlathvhen, but Felassan had done it often enough. Chances were high a lot of the elves here would see Tal and assume he was Felassan. Would any of them except his mother be upset to learn the old roguish mage was dead?

Well, another kind soul like Nola probably would. And likely Sammael too.

Later, he promised himself, staring at the fish. Later. Right now he owed it to his blood to find Tillahnenn clan of Crestwood.

He found them a few minutes later inside the forest. They had brought three aravels, meaning most of their clan had made the journey over the Frostbacks to come here. They didn't bother with a banner and instead had sails on the aravels marked with their sigil: the red head of an embrium flower against a yellow background. There were several campfires and numerous elves wandering about. A hearth keeper was skinning hares caught by hunters, prepping for supper. A few young girls were grinding grain to make flour. A child not much older than a toddler was squealing as his father chased him between the aravels, laughing gleefully.

Tal spotted the Keeper—or possibly the First—standing beside one of the fires and chatting with a warrior. Tal lingered far enough away to remain unobtrusive, but close enough that occasionally he caught snippets of conversation. He picked at his nails, trying to appear nonchalant as he observed the food prep, but he knew that already the men and women here would have taken note of him and wondered at his purpose. Trade was common during the Arlathvhen, but most strangers would approach open and smiling, not hooded and cautious.

Still, Tal had a bag of Ferelden coins in a pouch at his waist that these elves might agree to trade for. Just…not what he wanted. The Crown would be in the Keeper's control and hidden inside one of the aravels. It would definitely not be for sale.

Tal would have to steal it, creeping into the aravel tonight while the clan was off guard, celebrating. That, or he could risk approaching them and invoking vir sulevanan, a ritual that allowed any Dalish to claim a possession or artifact of a clan. Because, technically, the Crown did not belong to Tillahnenn clan any more than it belonged to any single elf. It was Elvhen. It belonged to anyone born with pointed ears in the eyes of the Dalish. Of course, only Dalish could invoke that rite. If Sera or Solas were to try the clan would laugh in their faces. Even with Tal they'd almost certainly refuse. They owed him nothing. He was a stranger and, although Dalish, the rite was usually used by former members of a clan to reclaim an aravel or a halla or a favorite knife they'd been forced to leave behind.

Ancient artifacts were something else entirely. The clan would cling to it tooth and nail until it was time to trade it to another clan for safekeeping.

Tal frowned to himself, puffing out a breath. If only he could be honest and have this clan believe him that in fact the Crown belonged to him and Rosa more than it ever did them or any other member of the Dalish. It was part of his heritage, if the Formless One was to be believed. But he knew better than to entertain that thought for more than an instant. Felassan had been known as a heretic for far less and Tal could easily follow in his footsteps.

"Can I help you?" a female voice asked then.

Tal flinched and turned to see a teenaged girl a few paces away through the underbrush. She had a wary expression, intrigued but cautious. She wore Keeper robes, a sure sign she was the First or Second to Tillahnenn. She'd probably approached him because she could see his robes peeking out beneath his cloak and the staff on his back made it obvious he was a mage.

Facing her, Tal plastered a smile over his face. "Actually, yes. Yes you can." He motioned at the aravels. "I've heard of your clan. You live around Crestwood, right?"

The girl nodded. "Yes." She edged closer, tucking her hands behind her back. Curiosity had won out over caution. "What have you heard about us?" she asked, buying into his bait.

"Only that you have the finest elixirs and…" He smacked his lips and clucked his tongue as he hummed playfully. "The single best mind-bending mushrooms around. All those caves around Crestwood with the deep mushrooms and whatnot."

The girl grinned. "You heard right." Pointing at his head, she asked, "But what's with the cloak and hood? You hiding round ears?"

Fearlessly, Tal yanked it down to let her see his pointed ears. "Did you want to run a finger over my vallaslin to check if that's real?" he teased.

The girl smirked. "Maybe." She shrugged. "You're weird. Who are you? What clan are you?"

"I'm between clans right now. My old clan isn't too fond of me, so that's why I wear the hood. I don't want anyone picking a fight with me. This is supposed to be a happy time." He offered her his most genuine, charming smile. "My name's Eolas."

The girl nodded and then thrust out her hand. "I'm Lytha. Second to clan Tillahnenn."

"Well," Tal said, grinning. "Lytha. A pleasure to meet you." He clasped her hand in his and shook. "How about you show me that stock of mushrooms? I have good Ferelden coin your clan can use with the shems. I feel like being blitzed tonight. Might help me make some friends with another clan."

"Probably will," she agreed, giggling. "I'll take you to the Keeper."

Rosa's meeting with her mother wasn't going the way she'd envisioned it.

"Why wouldn't it work?" she asked, growing increasingly exasperated. "Just because you say it won't? Or because you already know you won't stand up for what you know is true?" Biting her tongue a moment, she glowered her frustration and the old resentment she still felt toward her mother for letting Felassan be ousted from the last Arlathvhen at the older woman. "Why won't you stand up for the truth?" she bit out.

Her mother, Halesta, narrowed her dark blue eyes critically. "Because I have no desire to see the Keepers banish my only child the way they did Ivun."

"They're fools if they do," Rosa snarled and lifted her left hand, palm outward. "I have what lenalin never did. Proof. And power. The magic of our people can still run so strong. It can tear apart the world when used incorrectly. But when it's used right…" She shook her head, letting out a breathy chuckle. "I've done things no one dared dream of, mamae. Elgar'nan's fiery asshole, I'm fighting a Darkspawn Magister!"

"Yes," Halesta said, jaw clenching. "In the name of the shemlen's goddess."

"Who cares that the shems think?" Rosa retorted with a slash of her hand. "Let them think I fell from heaven holy. Let them think I puke rainbows and fart diamonds if it will help our people. Why do we care? We know the truth that it wasn't their goddess but our ancestors who gave me this." She waved her marked hand again.

Halesta's brow furrowed and something unpleasant clouded her blue eyes. "No," she said slowly, lips pinching together with disapproval. "Your Elvhen lover's misplaced artifact gave you that."

Rosa scoffed, spinning around and crossing her arms over her chest. Glowering down at the trampled grass underfoot, she huffed with irritation as she drummed her fingers on her chainmail. Why was it speaking to her mother could reduce her to acting like a sullen teenager despite the fact she had been a grown woman living far from Halesta for years now?

A cool breeze ruffled at the loose strands of hair poking out of her sloppy bun and halla bleated from the field nearby. A few aravels were scattered at the edge of this clearing and Rosa spotted hunters in scout mail moving to and fro. This was where Boranehn had left their aravels, padlocked and with a few scouts as sentries. Rosa had found Halesta with the other clan's Keeper, helping to haul supplies back to the main field where the gathering would take place and where much of the trading occurred.

She'd been surprised to find Halesta seemed…intimate somehow in her interactions with clan Boranehn's First—a man only about a decade older than Rosa. Halesta was his senior by about the same amount. Halesta had sent Boranehn's Keeper and First away at Rosa's request and had been all smiles upon first meeting her, but everything since then had gone downhill. First Halesta frowned with disapproval when she learned Rosa had brought outsiders to the Arlathvhen. Then she had immediately insisted Rosa mustn't bring forward anything new and revolutionary to the other Keepers.

"Ivun was the son of Mythal," Halesta murmured softly. The underlying note of bemusement was what made Rosa turn round again to stare at her mother, eyes narrowed. "And yet he did not wake with such a powerful artifact."

"Solas was a general," Rosa explained, not correcting her mother's mistaken understanding of Felassan's lineage. Felassan had always been reserved about the truth. "Lenalin was a pampered noble."

She'd told her mother everything that'd transpired since the Conclave and even before that in long dream conversations where she sought comfort from Halesta when she'd been mourning the loss of her unborn child and then struggling with the weight of the Inquisition and Solas' return later. Halesta had always counseled caution and suspicion. She had warned Rosa to resist her own desires and to hold herself back. She'd said Solas would hurt her again if she let him get too close.

Rosa had never been very good at listening to her mother.

Halesta frowned. Her expression made it clear she didn't believe that explanation even as she said, "So he was."

"What are you getting at, mamae?" Rosa asked tartly.

Halesta shook her head. "Nothing." At Rosa's disbelieving glare she let out a short breath. "Only that your lover was entrusted with…or obtained a relic so powerful it tore open the very sky."

"Yes," Rosa growled. "When used by a monster."

Halesta's blue eyes narrowed. "A sword may be used to kill innocents, beasts, and villains alike, but the task is always the same; is it not?" She was silent a second and then spoke again somberly. "Death."

Rosa rolled her eyes. "The orb isn't as simple as a sword. It's not meant to tear open the sky. But the fact that it can be used that way is all the more reason why I am working with Solas to get it back from the Darkspawn Magister," Rosa snapped. "And all the more reason why the People should be trying to use this chance to our advantage. The shems will be in our debt. If we—"

"But what will the relic be used for when you have reclaimed it?" Halesta challenged. At Rosa's hesitation—her mother's question left her head spinning with sudden fear—Halesta arched an eyebrow. "Will you give it over to Solas for safekeeping without even knowing its purpose? Has love robbed you of all sense? Ivun lusted after nothing but old relics and tombs and trinkets. Solas is the same. If he is anything like Ivun he will leave you the moment he has the relic again."

"No," Rosa said, shaking her head vehemently. "No. He's trying to set things right by getting the orb back from Corypheus and then…" She faltered, frowning as she bit her tongue to keep from mentioning the Formless One and the other demons.

"And then?" Halesta pressed, edging closer with a smugly knowing look. "You don't know, do you?"

"I do," Rosa protested, glaring. "I just can't tell you. I won't tell you."

Halesta's lips twisted down. She sucked in a breath as her eyes drifted away to stare at something unseeingly beyond Rosa's shoulder. "Did he place these foolish notions in your head about rallying the People to fight with your Inquisition in the hopes of winning new land and respect?"

"No," Rosa snarled. "This is my idea. Solas knows people like you would sit back and deny the truth, even knowing better. He knows what lenalin went through."

Halesta's blue eyes snapped back to Rosa. "Then he is wiser than I thought." Rosa scowled and opened her mouth with a sharp retort, ready to storm off, but her mother beat her to it by asking, "You haven't told him what you plan to do, have you?"

Rosa shut her mouth and jerked her head away, averting her eyes. That was all the answer Halesta needed, however, as she clucked her tongue with disapproval. "You hope to corner him, do you? You take after me a little too much, I should think."

Glowering up at the dappled sunlight peeking through the green canopy overhead, Rosa groaned. "Seriously, mamae. Solas and Ivun are not the same man."

"They are cut of the same cloth," Halesta said in a dismissive tone. "Just as a black wolf and a gray wolf are both still wolves. You can't trust them with the halla."

"That is the stupidest metaphor," Rosa grumbled, kicking at a clod of dirt poking up out of the grass. "Solas is not a wolf and I am not a halla. We're people." She shot her mother a bitter glare. "And so was Ivun. He wasn't some monster. You don't know."

Halesta's brow furrowed. "I know enough, da'len. I know he did not care that he broke my heart when he left our clan. I know that he wouldn't have stayed even had he known I carried you. I know that he did not save you from possession as I had hoped he would when I banished you."

"And I know you banished me," Rosa spat, only to grimace and take a step back from her mother, hands curling into fists at her side. She sometimes struggled with resentment toward her mother for banishing her. Rosa had saved the clan from slavers by fusing with Rogathe and Halesta's solution had been to make her outcast. Logically Rosa had always understood why her mother did it, yet she couldn't help that thorn of pain in her side that wondered at how calm her life would be if she had never left the clan.

Halesta's expression warped with pain. "You know I had no choice, Rosa. I had to protect the clan. I had no way of knowing what would happen. The spirit could have become a demon at any time."

"I know," Rosa admitted, glaring. "But that's because I know why you did what you did." She edged closer to her mother and dropped her volume. "What if I told you lenalin didn't have a choice about leaving? What if I told you he served Mythal herself and didn't dare risk defying her because he knew he'd pay for it with his life?"

The older woman's somber gaze searched over Rosa, gradually changing from righteous anger and frustration to astonishment. "That…would make a great deal of sense." Halesta's features darkened with something that was both anger and sadness. "I would believe it. He always said the Creators were not as we remember them in our tales." She shook her head, smiling grimly. "I always thought he had some greater purpose. But if it was all for her…"

"He wasn't free to live the way he wanted," Rosa explained, swallowing hard at the sudden pain in her throat. "He was—"

"A slave?" Halesta finished for her, arching one brow and pinching her lips together.

Rosa nodded. "Yeah."

Halesta sucked in a breath, seeming to stiffen. "Then he has been released now. He's free."

"Because she killed him," Rosa hissed.

Halesta's look was wary. "Are you certain?"

Rosa hesitated, trying to remember Rogathe's exact words. "Rogathe melded with him before he died. I think he knew he was going to be killed. When I saw Rogathe it told me he had died when he dared think on his own. So…he did something against her wishes or refused to do something she demanded of him."

Halesta closed her eyes and sighed as she nodded. "Unfortunately we have only the spirit's words."

Bristling on instinct, Rosa immediately leapt to her old friend's defense. "Rogathe is—" She cut herself off, frowning at the spurt of pain that cut through her chest. "It was trustworthy. Everything it said would have been the truth."

"At least as it understood it from Ivun," Halesta reminded her with a solemn look.

Rosa huffed with frustration. She and her mother had never seen eye to eye on Rogathe. Pushing that topic to the side, Rosa crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at the older woman. "Never mind, mamae. I didn't come to talk about Ivun. I came here to see if you'd support me. If I can get enough Keepers to stand up and listen to me and to Solas then—"

"But you have not asked your lover if he will stand up for you in the meeting," Halesta reminded her in an infuriatingly smug tone. "How do you know he will agree to what you're considering? You are being impulsive, da'len."

Rosa rolled her eyes in irritation. Whenever her mother called her da'len it meant she had become the removed Keeper, the elder who had ultimate authority just because. She wasn't really listening. Rosa had ignored Halesta using the term earlier with her but now it grated on her skin like gritty sand. How many times had her mother lectured her and tacked that term on there? How many times had she warned Rogathe was a dangerous thing, untrustworthy, sent by a father who was absent and uncaring and cold? The spirit would be little better. How many times had she counseled her teenage daughter to control her desires and emotions around men? How often had she insisted that Ivun was a liar and any ancient wisdom he dispensed would be poison even if it was true?

"Don't call me that," Rosa growled. "I'm a grown woman. I am not your student anymore. I lead an Inquisition that numbers in the thousands. Bigger than any clan I could lead as Keeper. I am qualified to do this, mamae. I could rally the People. We could—"

"The People are scattered and divided," Halesta interrupted, her expression saddened. "Some clans would join you, yes. Others would not. Most would not."

"If enough agree they'll override the others," Rosa insisted, even as she felt her cheeks flush with heat as she sensed the truth in her mother's argument. Keepers like the one in charge of Ghilath would never agree to join her simply out of pride.

"You saw how this turns out," Halesta told her in a hushed voice. "You saw what happened when Ivun tried to sway them just to join together enough to recover an eluvian and its key at the last Arlathvhen. He succeeded only in making himself unwelcome here. You would do the same. Worse, the man you've brought to our gathering is not one of the People."

Rosa choked on her bitter laugh. "Solas is Elvhen. He's more one of us than we are."

Halesta shook her head. "They will not believe."

"Then how do I convince them, mamae, since you're so sure you know how this will go down?" Rose demanded, glaring out her challenge.

Halesta sighed. "I suspect nothing short of one of the Creators appearing would move them. They will only join if they are assured victory through the divine. Even then there will be those who will refuse. We do not live this way because we like it, da'len. We live this way because it will ensure we survive. Elves in the alienages will be killed or bred with humans until they are no more. In the wilds, in clans, we survive with our culture as intact as we can keep it and our blood stays pure." She chewed her lips a moment, eyes skimming over her daughter. "You know this."

"I know we used to be more," Rosa grumbled sullenly. "I know we could be more again." She clenched her jaw and glared at her mother with the sudden heat of defiance as another thought sprang into her mind. "The Creators were nothing more than very powerful mages. Ivun told you that."

Halesta shook her head, lips puckering as though she'd tasted something incredibly sour. "It does not matter what they were. They—"

"It does matter. Because there aren't gods, mamae. We make them into gods with our stories. The shemlen make me divine every step of the way, even when I deny it. They think I am touched by their prophetess, by their Maker. What if…" She sucked in a quick breath, her thoughts flitting wildly through her head, trying to calculate. "What if I told the Keepers the truth. What if I told them what lenalin was? What I am?"

Her mother blanched and cringed back a step. "No, child. No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Rosa insisted. Edging closer again and reaching for her mother's forearm as though to keep her from retreating again. "With Solas at my side and the Anchor I carry I can prove it. I can make them believe I'm divine. The humans have already imagined me to be theirs and I hate it. Why can't I be the same for my people?"

"You are as mad as your father," Halesta whispered, her eyes wide with a touch of fear.

It was that fear that made Rosa let go of her mother and withdraw, looking away. "Maybe I am, yeah. But traveling with Solas and seeing what I've seen…losing lenalin and Rogathe and facing down Darkspawn Magisters…" She let out a shuddering breath. "We are not doing enough, mamae. We are losing our way and this world with it. How long until we are nothing but memory? Solas and Ivun woke now, in recent history, and maybe it was meant to be that way. Maybe we're meant to rise again…"

"Certainly," Halesta murmured, frowning thoughtfully. "We are meant to rise again—once the shemlen have run themselves into the earth. Until then, we endure. Never to break, never to submit."

"Trees that do not bend do break, mamae. They break and then they die and the flexible saplings take their place." She stared at her mother, stiffening her spine and squaring her shoulders. "I have the Creators' blood in me. This all has to be happening for a reason." Fingering her left palm, she traced the line of it where the Anchor lay and felt her stomach tighten even as determination hardened her. She had to try to save her people, didn't she? Solas wouldn't do it without some prodding, but…

Halesta sighed again, shaking her head in consternation. "Please, reconsider this. Mingle with the clans tonight. Listen to them. Talk to your lover. If you find after tonight that you believe they are ready for your message…" She bit her lip. "Then I will come forward to vouch for you and for Ivun, that I believe your story." She thrust out her hand, as though they were two Keepers making some agreement.

In a way, Rosa supposed they were.

Smiling tightly, she clasped her mother's palm with her left one, squeezing tightly. "Agreed."

It was sunset before disaster struck Solas.

Everything had gone stunningly well taking on the timid Lihari as a student for an hour or so. Solas had focused on guiding her to reshape her barrier with some rudimentary success. But then Rosa had returned with her mother, clan Naseral's Keeper, and the First and Keeper of an allied clan who shared their camping site at the boulders and the cave beneath them. After some tense introductions—and awkwardness as the Keeper from clan Boranehn realized Sera had consumed most of their alcoholic cider and was now snoring in the back of the cave—Solas had volunteered to aid them in some simple manual labor.

The clans had aravels some distance away on the other side of the clearing where they stored most of their trade goods. They needed to cart everything from there to the cave. They'd left Lihari to hold their stake on the site so no other clans took it while they were away, but Rosa's arrival had delayed their timetable. Solas volunteered to help out of a desire to prove himself useful and polite, even as internally he wanted to snarl back at Boranehn's Keeper with disdain for the other man's unearned pompous arrogance. Bickering and fighting with the people who would feed and shelter them over the next two days seemed foolish.

It was late evening before Tal reappeared, grinning as he carried a steaming pot. His Keeper had kicked him out but he'd brought food his mother had prepared. Clan Boranehn's Keeper and First seemed perfectly happy to accept the food Tal presented and so they settled down inside the cave at the hearth to eat. The Keepers would soon leave for the first of two great meetings, communing to share knowledge and take a census.

That was how Solas found himself seated at the hearth with Rosa at one side and Tal on the other, sipping at watered down Ferelden ale one of the two clans had obtained somehow—probably through theft and raids of human villages—and eating more of Enasa's hearty cooking. This stew had a rich taste with venison, turnips, and mushrooms. Solas focused on eating rather than conversation, hoping to fade into the background as he listened to Boranehn's Keeper, Rosa, and Keeper Halesta, Rosa's mother, jabber together.

"So," said clan Boranehn's First, by the name of Fravun, to Rosa with a playful smirk. "You've changed a lot since I last saw you." He was a man of about thirty and somewhat reminiscent of Felassan in his prime with Mythal's vallaslin to complement his pale skin and hair and dark eyes. He seemed charismatic as well, comfortable despite the frequent awkwardness of their current situation.

"I was twelve the last time you saw me," Rosa reminded him between bites. She was smiling at him, as if this were an old joke between them. Solas focused on chewing and swallowing, pushing aside the faint pang of irritation twisting inside. It was hardly fair to this other man, who he had known scarcely more than two hours and shared nothing more than an introductory greeting with, to automatically dislike him. Still…

"She's a lot more talkative than last time," the Boranehn Keeper, named Elan, added with a grunt. "I liked you better when you were a quiet elfling."

Rosa laughed. "I liked you better when you had more hair and fewer wrinkles."

Elan grunted again and then, as Fravun and Halesta both snickered, let out a full-throated laugh. "I take it back," Fravun said, grinning. "You haven't changed, Rosa."

"And you," Elan said then, snapping his fingers as he pointed at Tal. The younger man lifted his head and shot the Keeper a speculative and mildly annoyed look. The old man narrowed his eyes, as though struggling to place Tal. Finally he snorted. "Weren't you the lad the Firsts hogtied the last Arlathvhen?"

Everyone—except young Lihari, who merely looked confused in her place at Halest'as side—tensed at the topic and Solas lowered his bowl to watch the proceedings. He had heard this tale before and understood it was the moment Rosa said she had first met her younger brother. He saw Rosa was scowling with disapproval at his side while Halesta and Fravun were both occupied by their meals as though deaf to this discussion.

"I was," Tal said stiffly. And then, in the blink of an eye, all tension melted from him. He grinned and reached for his cup of ale again, lifting it in a little toast. "Here's to past grudges. May they never die."

As he drank sloppily the others chuckled, unsure whether Tal was being sarcastic in bitterness or facetiously jesting. Solas saw Rosa lay a hand on her brother's shoulder and squeeze. He wondered if Fravun had been one of the Firsts to abuse Tal until a second later the other man answered that question.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Tal. If I'd been there I would have put a stop to that, Mythal have mercy." He shook his head, seeming genuinely distressed on Tal's behalf.

But Tal only shrugged. "No worries. Water off the halla's back."

"Why aren't you eating?" Lihari asked, grinning goofily at Tal. Of everyone present he was the closest to her in age and, judging from the way she gazed at him while they ate, she'd taken a shining to him.

Tal glanced at her and a flicker of something crossed his features, but was gone before Solas could read it. Then Tal shrugged. "I ate with my mamae in clan Ghilath. She sent the rest of it as a gift—and an apology because she knows the Keeper is an ass."

Lihari gawked at that, apparently shocked at how blank Tal discussed another Keeper. She started shoveling more stew into her mouth.

"It's growing late," Halesta said, sitting more upright to try and see over the rise of the slope leading out from under the cave beneath the boulders. "We should prepare for the meeting."

Elan nodded to her. "Agreed, falon. I will work with Fravun to gather our items." He looked to Rosa and Tal and then, tentatively, to Solas. "Perhaps you will help should we need it?" he asked, arching one gray, grizzled brow.

Solas waited, watching Rosa and expecting her to agree. Tal appeared to do the same. Contrary to their expectations she shook her head. "I'm sorry, hahren, I really need to find my actual clan before the meeting to let my Keeper know I am here." Her expression warped with sheepishness. "I was in such a hurry to rejoin mamae that I have neglected my duty."

Elan clucked his tongue. "Shame. But I understand. I'm sure Lihari will help us—and we have several hunters and warriors at the aravels."

"I am sure I can cover for clan Naseral," Fravun supplied. He seemed to puff himself up as he glanced toward Halesta. She was at his side, sitting quite close. Something seemed…intimate about the way she looked at him. It seemed that Rosa's mother had moved on from Felassan and not let his jilting of her hold her back. Solas bit at the corners of his lips to keep from smiling but found he could not quite keep the expression from escaping. He felt suddenly flushed warm and drew in a deep breath, trying to dispel the strangely strong emotion.

"I can help, too," Tal said. "If Rosa and Solas are going to be sleeping with clan Lavellan then I don't really want to burden them with three guests. I could stay here and help."

"Good," Elan said with a nod of approval. "Well, let's get to work and see what that lazy flat-ear archer back there left for us to trade as far as cider. The celebrations will be nothing without alcohol for all!"

As Fravun and Elan rose from the hearth the old man wavered on his feet and Fravun caught him. "Are you all right, hahren?"

Elan shook his head, as though dizzy. "Just stood up too fast, I think." He patted Fravun, smiling affectionately at him. "Ma serannas."

His accent was all wrong. "Your pronunciation is incorrect," Solas blurted and then blinked, startled and alarmed at how that had just…slipped out.

Elan glared at him and then laughed derisively. "A flat-ear telling me how to speak my language! Ha!" He waved a hand dismissively at Solas and then spun around to head for the crates and other supplies they'd laid up at one end of the cave. Sera was snoring a few feet away, wrapped in some bear furs that likely belonged to one of the other elves.

"We should go help them," Halesta said, aiming the words at both Tal and Lihari. Then she got to her feet and Lihari started to do the same—only to stumble and land hard on her rump. Her foot shot out and knocked over her bowl of stew, sending it splattering over the cave floor.

Lihari yelped and then flushed brilliant red. "I'm sorry, hahren. I don't know what happened! The room is spinning,"

Halesta blinked down at the child a moment and then lowered her hand to help her up. "Maybe you should sit down, da'len. Rest." She looked to Solas then, eyes narrowing. "Did you overwork her? Did she experience mana burnout?"

"No," Solas answered immediately, scowling with offense. "I am no novice who would overwork his student or needlessly stress her." His heart beat suddenly too fast when he realized she could possibly question him and his experience. Did she know the truth about him? Had Rosa told her?

"That's fine," she said, lifting a palm as though she expected him to lecture on. Tugging Lihari's hand, she guided the little girl away from the fire, speaking to her in a quiet and concerned tone. Tal shot to his feet and moved to help, taking Lihari's other hand, like a father trying to protect his daughter.

Rosa sighed and leaned close to Solas to whisper, "I think Tal's avoiding clan Manaria."

"I would agree with that interpretation," Solas said even as he found himself distracted with the scent of her skin. Her sweat was as good as an aphrodisiac. Her neck had a smooth, elegant shape as she met his eye. Her ears, her lips, her eyes…they were all…divine. Delicious. He felt heat wash over him and settle low, in his belly. He tried to push the sensation away, unsure how far the arousal had gone and if it would become obvious what was on his mind when he got to his feet. Yet, oddly, the horror of this situation was dull and distant. He knew he was blushing but it was…difficult to care.

"We should go find clan Lavellan," Rosa suggested and blinked in a strange way. Her eyes had a glaze over them, as though too moist. Her brow furrowed an instant and then she stood up. She shook her head and then started for the slope leading out of the cave.

Solas hurried to do the same—only for the world to jerk sideways. He staggered off to the left and his hand shot out on instinct, drawing mana to use spirit magic as raw force. Pushing himself straight with the little green wave of energy created a boom that echoed loud from the chamber. Everyone yelped or gasped with alarm. Solas heard the crackle and buzz as the mages instantly threw barriers over themselves and each other.

"Elgar'nan's fire!" Fravun exclaimed. The others echoed similar sentiments.

Even Sera sat up in her corner, kicking and thrashing at the bear furs. "The fuck was that? Arrows! Need arrows!"

"Apologies," Solas said, heart pounding and red faced with humiliation. How could he have been so sloppy? "I…appear to have consumed too much ale."

"It was strong stuff," Tal said as he dispelled his own barrier. "I think we all imbibed a little too much." He winced and made a gesture at his head, as if dizzy.

"Yes," Halesta agreed, though her tone sounded doubtful. "That must be what's affecting Lihari too."

"Who the fuck are you?" Sera demanded, jabbing a finger at Halesta, Fravun, and Elan.

"I'll calm her down," Tal promised, motioning at Rosa and Solas. "Get going or you'll never reach clan Lavellan before they're gone to the meeting."

Rosa trotted down the slope on surprisingly steady feet and snatched Solas' hand, hauling him up and out of the cave. To his shame, Solas found his feet were clumsy. His gait was awkward and uneven. He was either stumbling as he tried not to collide with Rosa or falling behind enough that her hand tugged on him sharply.

The sky was golden with the nearing sunset. Oranges and pinks already highlighted the clouds. The colors reminded Solas painfully of the Fade and the Crossroads. The sky had once held those colors so vibrantly it was enough to make grown men and women weep at its beauty. He felt his own eyes stinging and gnashed his teeth in frustration. Had the ale really been that strong? It hadn't tasted strong. Perhaps it was contaminated with something?

Rosa led him through the trees. Leaf litter and pine needles and twigs crunched underfoot. Water trickled somewhere nearby and Solas faintly remembered there was a river they'd crossed to reach this place. Were they crossing again? His sense of place was scrambled and unclear. Which way did the sun set now? Had Elgar'nan reversed its course again? How had that tale been forgotten?

Rosa stopped when they'd reached a sharp uphill slope. Jagged rocks and lichen-covered boulders stuck out here and there. A few brave and unlucky saplings grew in the dirt that had collected over some of the stones as the hillside gradually eroded away. The river was little more than a stream, but here it trickled down in a loud patter over the rocks, creating a waterfall.

"I had my first kiss here," Rosa said suddenly and laughed.

Solas frowned. What were they doing here again? Why had they left the hearth? He tensed as she turned round and he saw the pale ink of her vallaslin. Dirthamen. He took a step back at the sight, mind reeling. She was not a slave for she was thinking and speaking, reliving some memory. She was dressed in armor, meaning she could fight. She must be one of Dirthamen's disciples. Or one of his daughters, perhaps? She had come to spy on him, to control him, to…

He blinked hard, then rubbed at his eyes. When he opened them he saw Rosa and remembered Dirthamen was no more. But her vallaslin seemed to glow like moonlight and they twisted like worms. He recoiled, lifting his palms up as if to ward her off for a moment, but he forced himself to relax when she didn't press forward or attack. Instead she merely stared at him with glazed eyes, smiling as she relived some memory. What had she said? Something abut a kiss…

"He was a First from another clan," she went on, raising her voice to be heard above the pattering waterfall. "I thought he was so handsome. He was a few years older than me and in the evening before the first meeting of elders I let him take me here and he kissed me." Her cheeks were rosy, her lips plump like juicy strawberries. "He told me this was the lover's waterfall because it makes enough noise coming over the rocks that it hides the sound of lovemaking."

It did seem loud enough for that and, in spite of the fact he couldn't stop seeing her vallaslin squirming on her face, Solas nodded. The idea of sharing pleasure with her seemed entirely doable. Even if she was a spy. "It is an apt name." It was…somewhat difficult to talk and he noticed with irritation that his voice was slurred. Rosa's was too, but it was also husky and that seemed appropriate enough.

"And then the next day, after the Keepers banished lenalin from the Arlathvhen, he sent me to find Tal. I had to keep him safe. But when I found him a bunch of Firsts had hogtied him. They were throwing halla dung at him and they'd be beating him next." Her features twisted in a scowl. "And the boy I'd kissed was one of them."

"Did you kill him?" Solas asked.

Rosa frowned at him. "No, of course not." She shook her head and then swayed, unsteady on her feet. Her hand shot out and caught one of the slick rocks next to the waterfall. "Fenedhis," she cursed, staring down at the ground. "This can't be the ale. There's no way…"

Groaning, Rosa straightened again and rubbed at her eyes with her dry hand. "I wanted to talk," she muttered. "But I'm…I'm having trouble remembering what about. Something about gods and my mark and my mother and the Inquisition and you and…"

"There are no gods," Solas growled. He knew that much and would make sure she knew it too. "Your god is nothing more than a man born with great power."

Rosa frowned at him. "I know. I…" She shook her head, wobbling again with the motion and laying a hand over the stone nearby. She left it there rather than pull it away even after she'd stabilized. Drawing in a deep breath, Rosa continued. "I wanted to take you to the meeting of elders. I want to tell them who you are."

Solas recoiled, cursing. "Fenedhis." What did she know? How had she learned the truth? Had Rogathe told her before it sacrificed itself? "No," he said, the word breathy and desperate. "No, no, no."

Rosa's stare was suddenly pained—but also frustrated. "Why not? They will respect you once we convince them. If we tell them that it was your orb—a relic from our ancestors with our magic in it—that tore the sky apart they'll realize the power—"

"No," Solas interrupted lips curling with revulsion. "No. You are wrong."

She stopped again and Solas could see her eyes in the golden sunset streaking through the trees, lighting her in dappled sunshine and dark. She was so beautiful and he was hurting her. She knew the truth and hadn't run from him, but she was mad if she thought telling the Dalish the truth would accomplish anything. They would never follow the Dread Wolf.

"Why wouldn't it work?" she asked, frowning. She blinked, wrinkling her nose and groaning. Her eyes rolled about for a moment. "Creators….I can barely think…what the fuck was wrong with that ale?"

"The enchantment was skilled indeed if it passed the arcane taster's inspection," Solas told her. Yes. That must be it. One of the Evanuris had found a way to enchant the meal or the drink in such a way that the taster hadn't—"

"What are you talking about?" Rosa asked and then laughed sharply. "Arcane taster?" She held up a hand then in a gesture that was probably to stop him saying anything, but Solas tensed, taking a step backward. Instinct made him reach for mana, ready to defend himself. But Rosa didn't attack and instead said, "I got off topic. I-I want to take you to the Keepers. I want you to help me convince them we can be more if we fight Corypheus publically. We can be like Shartan." She broke off and made a noise halfway like a laugh and halfway like a whimper. "I can be like Shartan."

That name was familiar but…Solas couldn't place it. Still, best not to let on. "How…" He cut himself off, scowling. His thoughts were thick and bleary. Memories mixed like paints on a canvas running together. He couldn't keep it straight and he knew it. This was a dangerous conversation sober and inebriated he had zero chance of escape. "Perhaps…" he hedged, grimacing. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation when we are both of sound mind."

She stared at him, breathing hard for several long seconds before she nodded. "Yeah." And then she reached for his hand, grabbing it in her own. Solas managed not to flinch at the sudden motion and didn't resist as she pulled him close for a kiss. As the taste of her washed over him, triggering a deeper memory that couldn't be dulled by inebriation, Solas sighed and relaxed. He was safe. Rosa was no spy or assassin. She was his lover, his heart.

When he returned her kiss with gusto, hands wandering wildly over her, Rosa moaned. Solas started backing her into some stones beside the waterfall that were far enough away that they were dry and covered in plush grass. Rosa let herself be directed that way and together they fell to the grass, limbs already entwined.

Next chapter:

The Keeper frowned again and Tal rushed to make the introductions. "Nola, meet my friend Sera. She's part of the Inquisition and she likes women. Only women."

Nola blinked at this introduction and the others behind her shifted or snorted with varying reactions. Sera glowered at him. "Yeah? What of it? You tryna get me with her, Treeface?" She wrinkled her nose with disgust. "Yeah? No." She slurped on the cider loudly.

Well, I am back! Next chapter is an interlude told exclusively from Tal's point of view. That scamp, Tal. As you can see, he will finally run across Nola, his pseudo-fiancee.

Thank you for your review, Frogbutton! The trickster in these chapters may surprise you! But yes, poor Enasa. I wanted to display that horrible defeated abusive behavior pattern that settles into people when they've been trapped like she has long term and just given up. ANd many thanks for the good vibes! I am much better now!

Can anyone figure out WTH is up with Solas and Rosa suddenly being inebriated? *evil cackling* Next chapter and the one after that should hopefully prove unexpected!