Chapter Fifty-Four: Partnerships

The conversation with my brother killed the tipsy feeling I'd been having from the few ales I'd consumed, and now I feel a little saddened, thinking about what lies ahead for us both. But I'm determined to enjoy the time I have with Varric. I return to Varric's side, and we head back to our room. " Our room", I love the sound of that. We put our things down and prepare for bed.

Varric looks at me. "You alright, Firefly? You've been quiet since we left the tavern."

"Just thinking. Oh, I decided I know what I want for my anything that you still owe me."

"Right," he chuckles, reclining in the bed. I join him happy, taking my favorite place next to him. "And what does my goddess of summer desire?"

"Before I found out about the dragon, I was going to ask you to reconsider letting me to go to the Deep Roads with you, but after Suledin Keep, I'm not looking to spend any more time around that red lyrium stuff than I have to."

"Smart girl, but you were getting to what you want," he reminds me.

I nod. "Will you tell me what Bianca wanted to talk about?" I look at him hopefully.

He pauses. "You mean you really weren't listening in?"

I shake my head emphatically. "No. I trust you, Varric. You asked for privacy. It was hard, but I wanted to respect that. If you'd rather not tell me, I understand, but I won't lie and say I don't want to know."

"So did she - want to know about you, that is. Oddly enough, I think you somehow made a good impression on her. I didn't think that was even possible."

"She wanted to talk about me. I kind of figured." I crawl under the covers with him and get comfortable.

"I would have told you that anyway. Shit, I was under the impression you already knew. So that doesn't count. I still owe you one," he says, hugging me a little closer.

"Hm, I'll have to think of something good, then."

He runs his fingers through my hair. "Let me know. Oh, I've been wondering something, about your life before you came here."

"I have a lot of history; it would take too long to tell it all," I laugh. "If there's something that you want to know, just ask."

"What did you do all day before you joined the Inquisition?"

"That's your question?" I ask. "Okay, well, you already know that I would watch the world of the mortals through the Watcher's Well, but a lot of my time was also spent caring for the generals and talking with them. We let most of them sleep right now, as we're still waiting out the Blights. Only one or two are awake at any time, but I make sure the others are secure, that their sleeping areas are kept clean."

"That's why you don't mind horses; I bet horse shit is nothing compared to a dragon."

I laugh. "It's not like that, really, they're more...frozen in time? Held stable through magic. But think about it, would you want to wake up covered in a hundred years worth of dust?"

"No, I suppose not. So that's what you did for the couple of days you were gone?"

"A little, but I was more taking care of Lucis. My brother is better, but he's still not himself."

Varric thinks for a minute. "You'll have a full charge on your ring when you get to the Storm Coast, right?"

"Yeah, but what are you getting at, Varric?"

"You're taking your brother, who you yourself admit is unstable. If it goes bad, grab Buttercup and the Warden and get your adorable ass out of there."

That makes me smile. "I like that you worry about me. Not that I want to worry you, stars, that came out wrong."

He chuckles. "I get it, Firefly, but if I can't be there to help, I like knowing you at least have an escape route."

"It's a lightning dragon, I'm confident I can handle this one. I'm more concerned about you. I know stopping Corypheus's red lyrium supply is important, but I don't trust Bianca. I think there's more to this than she's letting on."

He sighs. "You never know with Bianca, but I'll have three of the toughest fighters in the Inquisition with me. I'll be fine."

"Good point. Cassandra can be a bit scary at times."

"You're telling me."

"Oh, speaking of lightning dragons…"

He turns his head toward me with a chuckle. "I thought we were talking about the Seeker."

"I don't want to talk about her anymore," I laugh.

"Yeah, me neither," he admits with a small huff of air. "So dragons…"

"My favorite general was awake back home: Tempestas, the ancient dragon of lightning." I lean up to look at him. "You'd like her I think."

"What makes you say that?" His voice is getting softer, and I realize he's getting tired.

"We can talk about this another day, love. We should get some sleep. I'm just glad we're making the first part of the journey together."

"A few more nights of getting to hold you sounds great," he mutters. "I love you, Ferox." A gentle kiss presses against my forehead.

"Forever," I whisper.

I wake to the familiar scratching of Varric writing. I love that sound . I look over, and see that he's so engrossed again that he's forgotten to stoke the fire. I sit up, grabbing the extra blanket, and take it over to him.

"Silly writer, what would you do without me?" I ask.

"Pine away for the rest of my life, no doubt," he says without hesitation, not looking away, but reaching out his free hand for the blanket. "Can you get the fire, too? I didn't realize it was so cold in here."

"Sure, Love." A couple of pieces of wood, a tiny fire spell, and the room warms quickly.

"Thanks."

"What are you writing this time? More crime serials?" I ask, attempting to peek.

He covers the pages with his hands. "Oh no, no previews. You don't get to see this until it's finished."

"Oh really?" I tease, and rough up his hair. He sputters and I laugh at his expression. "Don't stay up too late, okay, Varric? This might be the last chance we have for decent sleep."

He looks up at me, his gentle smile cast in the contrasting lines of light and shadow, and the room suddenly feels even warmer. At his nod of agreement I pad back to the bed and gratefully return to the still-warm covers. I lay awake for a few minutes, listening to him return to his work before I drift off again.

The next morning, I reluctantly leave the soft bed, and we wash up and get ready for our journey. I watch Varric dress, fastening up his trousers and pulling on his boots. Still shirtless, he looks over and notices me looking at him.

"What?" he asks, turning a hand upward to punctuate his question.

"Nothing, just enjoying the view." I grin, short-lived as he stalks toward me, his own wicked smile spreading across his face.

"Varric, we don't have time…" I protest, putting my hands out in front of me to warn him off.

"Too late, Firefly," he says, and tips me over onto the bed, kissing my neck, pinning me down with his weight. "You delectable minx." He chuckles against my skin before pulling away. "But you're right, we don't have the time." He extends his hand to help me back up.

I giggle, accepting it. I finish my own preparations, brushing and braiding my hair. I wrap the braids around my head losely, allowing several of the tendrils to fall and tickle the skin of my neck as Varric had just done minutes before. I'm wearing the black and gray armor, but my mood is far different from the day I had embraced the cold and gone numb. How far we've come, my love.

We pick up our bags, mostly packed before we had left for the tavern last night, and stuff the past few remaining things inside before going to meet the others. Knowing that two of my brothers are going on this trip is wonderful. I'm glad Lucis agreed. I wonder what Etiam is up to, though.

I don't have long to wonder, for as we pass Solas's room, I see Etiam conversing with the elven god. They were always been close, before . I pause at the bottom of the stairs, causing Varric to stop and look back at me. I nod my head toward them. His expression reads recognition, and with a small bow, he continues on without me.

"Good morning, you two," I call, stepping into Solas's quarters.

"Hello, Sister," Etiam greets me.

"Ferox," Solas says with a small nod.

"What are the two of you conspiring about?" I tease, but but I get only a wry smile from Solas.

"We were discussing a friend of mine," Solas explains.

"A spirit friend?" I clarify.

"Precisely. She has been captured by mages in the Exalted Plains, summoned against her will, I believe. I heard her cry as I slept. I appealed to Declan for assistance, but as you know, he is occupied elsewhere. Etiam has agreed to accompany me."

I look at my brother. His expression says very little, but I know it makes him happy to help spirits.

"I wish I could go with you, but I also have a mission," I sigh. "Hey wait, what about the Krem and the other Chargers? Bull won't be back for a few days yet, but I bet Declan would be willing to spare some, if not all of them."

"That is an excellent idea; I believe I will ask him before your departure," Solas replies, the hint of a smile gone almost as soon as it appears.

I turn to my brother again. "I'm glad you'll have something to occupy your time. I was worried you would become restless here without the three of us."

"I can endure without you," he says, a smile finally lighting up his all-too-serious face. "I'm just glad that Lucis will be with you. He seems to be improving."

I nod. "You two be careful, okay?"

We all walk together outside, and see them head toward where Declan is standing with Tenebris. With the five of us standing united with the Inquisition, defeating Corypheus should be easy. We just need to remove a few of his resources. Between the red lyrium and hopefully getting the Wardens away from him at Adamant, our victory is assured. I smile and whistle a little as I walk over to Varric, who is near our mounts.

"Pleasant chat?" he asks with a grin.

"Yep. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really happy my brothers are here. With them on our side, there's no way we can lose."

"Good to hear," Alistair comments as he joins us, his blue Warden armor shining in the morning sunlight.

"I like this act of rebellion," I state, gesturing to indicate his choice of wardrobe.

"Yeah," Varric adds. "It screams you kicked me out, but you can't keep me out."

"Oh good, and here I thought they might not get what I was going for," he replies, grinning, but then says in all seriousness, "It won't be the first time I've been one of the last couple of Wardens left in Ferelden. We managed well enough back then. We can do it again."

I look over at Warden Blackwall, who is talking with Cassandra. Good luck, I think, but just nod at him.

"Thanks for agreeing to be my babysitter," I say to Alistair.

"Well, technically I guess I would be babysitting the Archdemon, no that doesn't sound right."

"Babysitting an Archdemon...sounds like a great idea for a story. I gotta use that," Varric comments, thinking.

Alistair smiles. "I forgot what it was like to travel with you, Varric. How is Isabela, anyway?"

Varric coughs, looking away. "Right enough, I suppose. You know Isabela."

"Not as well as she would have liked. That woman is persistent."

"Wait. We're talking about Garrett's Isabela, right?" I ask. "She was hitting on you?"

"Firefly," Varric cautions. "I told you, we're not getting in the middle of their stuff. Besides, this was after she left him."

"Isabela was with the Champion?" Alistair exclaimed. "How in the blazes did I not know know that?" he asks, shaking his head and talking emphatically with his hands.

"Isabela hit on everything that moved. It didn't always mean anything," Varric says, sighing.

Etiam walks over. Our conversation dies out as I wait to see what he wants. "Yes, Etiam? What is it?"

"Thank you for your suggestion. Declan said the Chargers were already assigned to a mission, but he gave us some person named Sutherland and his crew. Says they should be of help and could use more experience in the field."

"I hope Solas's friend is okay," I tell him.

"As do I," he says, with a bow, and heads back to Solas.

Varric gives me a strange confused look, but before he can ask anything, Declan announces that we're ready to take off, and it's back on the road. I expect Varric to ask the question, but after a few minutes and he hasn't said anything, I realize magic must be at work here. How else could Solas still be in hiding? How is he doing this, anyway?