If she ever made it out of this alive, Varric was going to kill her. Although to be fair, it wasn't her fault everything went completely to shit. It was just her fault that she was there in the first place. Maker, if Solea survived this nonsense with the Breach, and Varric's anger, her parents were sure to be next in the line of things trying to kill her. She was so screwed.
Varric's eyes were glinting with that look that said he was holding back a tide of words. Not normal for him, to hold back, but the reason for his reticence was also glaring at her. The Seeker's face was full of a mix of suspicion and anger as she glared between Solea and Varric. Cassandra wasn't sure what was going on, nothing new for anyone today, but she had clearly understood that something unsaid was passing between dwarf and elf.
Solea definitely deserved some of the Seeker's ire; she hadn't been very nice to her when they'd first met. Not that she cared, Solea wasn't exactly the Seeker's biggest fan, considering her kidnapping of Varric was the only reason she was here. The only person she cared about here was him; everyone else was just obstacles in her way. Plus, her first meeting with the Seeker hadn't exactly been in the best of circumstances.
Waking up with cold iron shackles latched around her wrists in a musty prison cell had sent Solea straight into a panic, her mind spiraling away from logic at the restriction. Memories surged. It was too similar to before. Heart racing, eyes darting, only a lifetime of practice at controlling her facial expressions, and the realization that it wasn't templars surrounding her, had kept her from losing control. That would not end well for anyone.
She'd kept her head bent and eyes shut resolutely until she caught her breath and was assured that her eyes weren't glowing. Solea thanked all the gods that she was still in the clothes she'd worn to the Conclave and that they were intact enough to keep her covered. The lack of templars told her they didn't know she was a mage and as Casandra began to interrogate her, Solea knew her life depended on that, along with everything else, remaining a secret. They already blamed her enough.
The events that passed after that were mostly a blur of changing scenery, an ocean of new faces, most of them condemning, and a startling sharp pain pulsing in her hand. The frigid iron snaking around her hands kept her on edge and reduced her ability to respond to the snarky comments of her self-defense mechanism. That part at least she could blame on Varric, the dwarf had always been a bad influence on her people skills. Of course, her father could take a fair share of that blame too.
Her biting wit didn't do anything to endear her to her captor, and it wasn't until she'd immediately volunteered to help at the first suggestion that the mark on her hand might be the solution that she'd made any progress. Cassandra's sharp eyes had softened around the edges slightly, clearly approving of her willingness to help, regardless of her remaining questions and suspicions. She'd even relented to remove the shackles and Solea had thrown them away with no small amount of relief. Breathing deeply and feeling her heart calm for the first time since she'd woken as she ignored the Seeker's curious look.
The curiosity had only grown as they'd fought their way up the mountain, Solea's expert use of the two daggers she'd discovered in the rubble drawing the woman's surprise. Dispatching demons was cathartic in a way for Solea's growing sense of unease, although she didn't appreciate the sensation of being appraised and evaluated with every move she made.
She was as unsure of Cassandra as the Seeker was of her. She wasn't a templar but there was a similar aura about her, and it sent terror spiking down her spine. It kept her muscles tense and she made sure to keep the Seeker in her sights at all times. She wasn't going to trust her just because she'd taken the handcuffs off. They could just as easily be put back on. As soon as she was done helping, Solea would take her first opportunity to escape.
The Seeker's constant surprise at her skill felt a little insulting, she got that she was young but why people always assumed that meant she didn't know how to fight never ceased to amaze her. It was a dangerous world out there, if you couldn't fight than you would die. Solea wished that she could use the full breath of her power. If Cassandra thought what she was doing now was impressive, she had another thing coming.
When they'd finally crested a rise in the path, they were greeted by a crackling green rift and a surrounding skirmish of demons and soldiers. The moment she spotted the familiar gleam of golden hair and heard the snapping melody of Bianca's rapid firing, she'd almost burst into tears and run straight into a demon in her haste to reach him.
Months of worry and searching, wondering what was happening to him and he was finally here. Varric was okay. Only the screeching call of a wraith had interrupted her from sprinting to him right then. She'd waded into the battle with a vengeance, wielding her blades with a fury and slashing through demons as she moved swiftly through the battlefield.
The moment all the demons lay dead, a strange bald elf gripped her left hand and aimed it at the small tear in the sky. The slowly growing pain had suddenly peaked, and she'd felt an instinctual pull connecting the magic in her palm to that in the sky. Giving in, she'd used her own magic to foster the bond, sending energy along it and manifesting a physical pulsing green link between hand and rift.
A sound like a small Gaatlok explosion boomed out, and the rift was sealed in a burst of green tendrils that quickly disappeared. Solea withheld a grimace at the resulting throb, shaking her hand lightly as she clenched her eyes shut. A deep breath, she was still in control. Now was not the time to light up.
"Flicker?" Varric's open disbelief drew her attention to his approach.
"Uncle Varric!" Relief at seeing him alive and unharmed flooded her and she threw herself into his arms desperately. He immediately embraced her. Despite being bigger than him, she fit comfortably into the hug. For a moment, her worries eased and the knot of anxiety that had been steadily building in the pit of her stomach unraveled. Here at least, she knew she was safe. She happily inhaled the comforting leathery scent of his coat.
"Uncle?" Cassandra's utter incredulity startled Solea into laughter as she felt the woman's eyes darting back and forth between her and Varric. Comparing Solea's raven black hair to his golden locks, her piercing blue eyes to his warm hazel, her clearly elvish features to his dwarvish.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Varric drew back and like gathering storm clouds anger built in his eyes. "You shouldn't be here. How did you- What- Why-" He was at a loss for words, another rarity for him and Solea had to bite back a smile at the thought. Varric caught her amusement though.
"Dammit, this is serious, Solea. You shouldn't be anywhere near here!" He looked frantic. "Do your parents even know you're here?"
Solea tensed, it was never good when Varric used her actual name. She was careful to betray nothing in her face. It was pointless though, Varric knew her far too well for her to ever successfully lie to him. Before she could even attempt to, he sighed heavily and leaned back against the crumbling remnants of a pillar, running his hands tiredly down his face.
"Shit kid, they're going to kill me." Varric seemed to want to say a lot more but his eyes darted over to where Cassandra was listening earnestly to their conversation and he remained quiet. He did shoot her a pointed glare that said they would be having a conversation later, in private.
"I came here to save you!" Solea explained desperately, wanting him to understand. "I wasn't about to let you be captured and tortured without at least trying to rescue you." She shot a nasty glare over at the Seeker, who recoiled from the blazing fury in her gaze. Solea smirked, pleased by her reaction, before turning back to Varric.
"Regardless, it doesn't matter now." She held up her hand, and the glowing mark that blemished her palm. "I can't leave now. I'm the only one that can help fix this. I have to do this."
Varric's shoulders dropped and she could see the fight leave him as he mumbled. "Dammit. This Hero complex thing has got to be genetic."