"That was not nice." I grumbled out as I sat up in the fade, surrounded once again by the same group of winding trees the last time I was here. They looked far more spread out through, dotted and in groupings. Beyond them were stretches of dirt paths and broken buildings. I looked at myself as this time I was wearing my ridiculous white robe. I scowled as I stumbled around and then found a path. "Couldn't you have at least met up with me here? Stupid egg."

The fade is a weird place. I've been here over a dozen times and most of them were pleasant. That first demon encounter will forever haunt me but thankfully it hasn't repeated. Most of the time when I realized it was the fade, I was already waking up. Other rarer times I'd get to explore. But these moments in the fade with Solas were…odd.

"Hey! Solas! Yeah, I know you're probably watching me!" I shouted out, my voice echoing around me. "…like the creep you are." I muttered under my breath as I wound up at a clearing in the fade forest. There was a single large statue of a wolf. A tribute to the Dread Wolf if I recall from the game correctly. There was several plants I recognized nearby, but they weren't real. Or were they? Was this a memory?

"You know a fair bit of elven history." Solas stepped into the clearing, hands folded behind him. He looked every bit the scholar when he took that pose, even as he walked into the clearing. "Even what the Dalish do not know." His eyes turned to the statue, accusatorially. His gaze returned to me sharply, eyes intense.

I didn't like this. I wasn't as familiar with the fade as he was. I couldn't have been more out of my element with the elf. So I did the only sensible thing, I tried to distract him. "What did you do with my body?"

He chuckled darkly at me before a smirk stretched across his features. "Is it your body?"

"What?!" I gaped at him. Did he still think I was a spirit? Did he… oh lord. Did he think I was possessing someone?! "Listen here, Solas, I'm not a spirit, much less one of mercy. That is honestly just a nickname. Good lord I should just go by Mercedez…" I said exasperated as I flailed my arms angrily.

He started at my outburst. I didn't like being forcibly made to sleep and entering the fade. I'd like to keep my visits to this side of the veil to as little of a number as possible. Yeah it could be fun, reliving memories but… like I said, keep it to a minimum. Also that desire demon encounter made me wary of the place. And now I was wary because of Solas.

Who knows what he'll drag out of me here?

"Now." I marched up to the elf, mustering up all my courage. "What did you do to my body! Last thing I remember you were practically oozing magic and then I was sleepy, when I rarely get sleepy that early!" I growled up at him. It was unfair he was taller than me, even if by an inch and a half.

Solas took a step back, his eyes narrowed in confusion and his hand rose again. The fade reacted and rather than flinch, I stayed still. He looked so lost.

A few seconds later, the rest of his haughty expression and poise fell. "Your beloved took possession of your body upon my alerting him of your exhausted nature."

"My… beloved?" I squinted at him. "Oh Alon…he's not… we're not. No. Not anymore." I coughed and looked everywhere but at Solas. The silence was impregnable as I looked around the clearing. I was still pretty livid at the elf, but what the hell could I do?

I peeked at him as he kept checking things, his hand raised briefly and then he was shaking his head. So long as he didn't attack me in the fade, I should be fine. Right? Please let me be right.

"You say you are not a spirit, yet your magic says otherwise." Solas speaks up.

Come again. I turned to him wildly at the revelation.

"What are you?" He steps toward me.

Red flags were popping up everywhere just then.

"Come again?"

Gray eyes pierced through me, like they could read everything about me. It was worrisome and breathtaking. It took a weight off my shoulders like I didn't have to explain anything but then he frowned.

"I find I've never come across a creature such as yourself. To all my senses you are a spirit, here in the fade. But then when awake you appear and feel completely human. Even your energy, your mana, your connection to the fade… is dampened." His voice wavered as he got closer, too close for my taste.

I gulped as he stopped right in front of me. Woah there homeboy, take a step back out of my personal space. I stepped back away from him instead.

"You are not possessed. And yet you say you are not a spirit. What are you?"

I didn't answer him. I couldn't answer him. I didn't know the answer myself so I simply turned away from him and leaned against the wolf statue. "Well… there goes that plan. And here I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about my abilities and maybe how I got here, but if you can't even tell what I am… shit." I looked at him.

"How you got here?" One eyebrow rose. "It is as you said I put you to-"

"No… not here in the fade. I meant here. In this world. Thedas…" I took a breath and decided I may as well. No one else was here besides us. "I'm not from Thedas. I'm from another realm, or world I guess." I explained to him. His eyes narrowed in thought.

"Another world?"

I went to nod but felt something pulling, grasping at me. "Uh…what's happening?" I looked up Solas who realized it as well and he went to grab me.


I woke up in a bleary and groggy state. I don't know what had pulled me from the fade but a slight shake next to me had me focusing my vision on the body next to mine. Or rather, I was in their arms; in Alon's arms. I knew it was his because his scent, the feel of him against me was familiar and as I became more aware I could feel the slight panic rise up. Alon was shaking. And by the small gasps that he tried to hide, he was crying. Disregarding the interrupted fade interaction, I wrapped my arms around my ex-lover and he halted, body tense until I shushed him softly.

I held him against me, his head tucked under my chin before he began to relax and he shook less but he was crying still. His sobs muffled by my tunic.

Loss is a terrible thing and even if I hated Emeric, Alon had looked up to him, seen the man as a father figure. I couldn't just ignore his feelings on the matter. "Shh… he's not in pain anymore. He's returned to the Maker's side." Were all the words of comfort I could utter as the ginger clutched at me like a child.

His sobbing grew quiet after a while. I don't know how long but enough that the last dredges of sleep were chased away and I realized I had been put to bed with my robe still on. It was uncomfortable but I stayed still. My fingers running through Alon's hair, humming a tune that sent pangs of longing through me. It reminded me of home, of my sister.

I blinked away my own tears as daylight was filtering through the tent. I pulled away from Alon slowly and eyed his sleeping face. He looked every bit the young man that he was. I could just imagine him being barely a teenager, having just lost his mother and been recruited right into the Blades. Into a cult.

"Morning." He grumbled against my bosom, nuzzling closer. His hands slipped to my hips. I knew what he was trying to do, I could feel him smiling and his hips grinding against me softly.

"Good morning. I have to thank you for putting me to bed, however… had you undressed me, I may have been more susceptible to what your hands are doing." I smirked as he groaned at his lack of foresight. That didn't stop him from trying to stick his hands under my tunic but I was climbing out of bed before he even managed to get anywhere close to skin. Instead I let my hair down and stripped out of my robe, tunic and trousers quickly as I heard him grumble and begin sitting up in bed.

"One more fuck for the last time?" I said brazenly as I turned around naked as the day I was born in front of him. His eyes darkened as he drank me in.

"Are you sure?" His arms were flexing, veins bulging under the strain of restraint, but I smiled and nodded. There was one second as I watched his adam's apple bob as he gulped once and then I barely caught myself against him the moment he yanked me back to him. His mouth on mine, hungry with unbridled lust. His hands hot against me.

From zero to a hundred, I giggled to myself.

Once done, Alon looked even more relaxed. His eyes weren't puffy from his cry and his shoulders were relaxed. His hair was mussed and his lips were red and there was a dark bruise on his neck where I had to bite down to hold my scream in. He couldn't look more thoroughly satisfied, even if you gave him a lit cigarette.

There's an image. I pulled my hand from my abdomen, the magic subsiding.

"I'm sending Frail and Brig with you." Alon sighed out as he watched me dressed.

"What?" I buttoned up my tunic over a fresh breast band. I'd giving myself a quick wash down with the bucket. "Did they wish to join the Inquisition?"

"No." Alon stretched his arms, a few cracks and pops sounded as he stood. "I'd feel more comfortable with you going if there was also someone you're familiar with. I would go but I wish to retain Javon and Emeric's legacy, though we are loyal to the Herald, that doesn't mean we discontinue how we run things, we merely have a common goal with the Inquisition now. So we will work with their scouts."

"Huh." I chewed my lip as I pulled on trousers that were more like tights and then didn't tuck in my long tunic. The tunic belongs to Alon actually, before I stole it for my use. It hung low so I tied a vest over it and then slid my scout's jacket on. "I suppose having Frail and Brig will be nice. I'd have liked to take one of the dogs though." I peeked at Alon, hoping I could use my feminine wiles to convince him.

"One of the dogs will be going with you, actually." Alon dressed himself slowly, his fingers deliberately going slower on the laces to his trousers. I hummed appreciatively. I still found him alluring, but I doubt he could handle me being far away. So whatever we had been, had to stop.

You wouldn't be able to handle being far.

I bit my cheek before asking, "Which dog? Is it Duchess? Please let me take Duchess." I've missed her terribly and would welcome my favorite pooch. Plus I'm sure it would impress the Fereldens to have a mabari at my heels, even if she wasn't imprinted to me.

"No. Though I know you wanted her, we won't be able to part with her. Instead… what did you call her? Slipper. Yes. She seems to have imprinted with the Qunari." Alon explained.

"What… wait wait. Since when?" I gaped. "And which Qunari? There are two Qunari here now…"

Alon chuckled at my expense. "I wouldn't refer to the Herald as Qunari. As I understand he is what they call a Vashoth, or so he explained."

Herald... then that means.

"SLIPPER IMPRINTED WITH BULL?" I exclaimed loudly.

I was out of the tent faster than you could say Vashedan.

"Mercy… maker woman, how you manage to have all this energy after our tryst… He's named her Iron Dog." Alon called after me, huffing as he gave up on keeping up with my hurried footsteps. He wasn't even fully dressed.

Iron Dog! I groaned, picturing Slipper in a metal flying suit of fire engine red and gold with a tiny arc reactor on her chest. I groaned even more, picturing Bull outfitted like that. No. This… no!

My feet carried me toward my old cabin. A deep set frown on my face as I raised my fist to knock but the door opened and Varric froze as he spotted me.

"Mercy-"

"Where's Bull?" I quipped, bristling. Varric took a step back.

"With the chargers, at their camp…hey wait." Varric said but I was already sprinting out of the main encampment and out a bit toward where the Charger camp had been set up. I passed Gideon and Anna, but I paid them little mind.

My footsteps slowed until I stood next to Krem and Kost who were watching Bull wrestle on the ground with Slipper. Grunts and laughs sounded around us, teasingly to me. Krem turned to me and grinned that familiar flirtatious grin. "Chief loves Irondog, says you did a good job training her."

I glowered at Krem and he whistled before taking a step away.

"I want a mabari to imprint on me…" Kost whined and looked down at me. Empathy, pure empathy radiated from me as his bottom lip quivered.

It's not fair. I wanted to stamp my feet like a petulant child. "You and me both, Kost." I sighed, annoyed at Bull.


REVIEW RESPONSES:

SleepiPanda: Yes. Adaar is VERY cute. He's also very handsome/hot. I have pictures up on my Ao3 version. I'm not sure if there is a way to link pictures in the story on . If all else fails, there will be links in my profile to pictures I took of my heavily cosmetic modded Inqy Adaar.

Atsirk Enoh: I will almost always certainly involve Varric's chest hair of manliness. That is just a standard!

Poppet0: Merrill is actually someone I pulled a lot of inspiration from but also from some real life persons I know who would act exactly like Kost does. Mercy may, eventually joke about that one day. But it will probably be after the "reveal" and when she gets to know if she's safe or not in Haven.

Mercy has played Skyrim. But she is mostly terrified of Thedas dragons right now. So I doubt she'll try to "shout" at them anytime soon. Maybe with a wyvern or a dragonling or drake. We'll see. Also you're more than welcome to Inbox me. I welcome private messages!

Ripper1337: So many puppies are in store for this fic. Mabari EVERYWHERE! This is Ferelden afterall.

Guest: You'll be plenty surprised to see a little Kost/Mercy fluff in upcoming chapters. But I won't spoil anything else.

5 Coloured Walker: Thanks for the catch there. Sadly, no. Kost wasn't dropped into Thedas. He's born true blue Thedosians. Much as that would be funny to write, someone waking up in a Qunari body on Thedas. Hmmm. I might actually take that up as a side project.

GreaterGoodIreland; He's technically a civilian. He was still a mercenary, but he's just not overly fond of killing. Violence in the name of defending yourself is fine, but killing, he's rather pass.

Rj: I wish i could update more often too. Time constraints + Motivations + IRL Obligations... it tends to build up. But I'm back and I'm very happy you enjoyed the story.

Jamie: I tell myself something similar! "You shouldn't have posted this until it was completely written!" But then I sigh because I know I wouldn't have been motivated enough to finish a fanfic without some outside motivation.

SrgtHamy, Merk, and po: I will try to get to a weekly or twice monthly update schedule.