"On dhea," a warm voice said as Andra's eyes slowly opened. Being so deep in the Temple, she was not greeted with sunlight but rather the warm glow of a lit torch. To her side, Solas sat, stoking a fire and cooking a small meal for the two of them. Briefly, she wondered if it was okay for him to do that, here in the Temple.

She sat up, stretching out her stiff muscles from sleeping on the floor, then scooted closer to the fire next to Solas. It might have been early spring outside, but the chills of winter still swam through the temple, biting at all living things.

"Sleep well?" Solas asked.

Andra studied him for a moment, watching as the flames washed over his features, casting him in a warm glow. Something was different now. Andra felt as if everything in her life finally made just a little bit more sense. "I slept alright," she said as she hugged her knees to her chest, staring at the mural of Fen'Harel over the fire on the opposite wall. "Thank you." A smile touch at the corners of his mouth.

He handed her a bowl of soup that smelled divine, despite their simple provisions. Andra took it gratefully, reveling in the warmth that seeped into her hands. She crossed her legs in front of her as she took her first taste. The potage trickled down her throat, igniting her body until she could feel the heat in all of her extremities, pushing out the cold that had nipped at her.

"I wonder," Andra began, staring at the thick liquid in her bowl as she stirred it with her spoon, "if I'll ever know who my parents really were… Or if I'll ever find anything out about where they came from." She took another bite to settle her jostling nerves—there were so many questions that she had, but so few answers at her fingertips.

"You very well may find out everything you wish to know, one day," Solas said as he settled down himself and began eating from his own bowl.

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"How about, you just do whatever makes you the most happy. If that means spending the rest of your life looking for answers, so be it."

Andra mulled this over as she finished her food. She didn't want to devote her entire life to just figuring out her own past. That wasn't what living was about. If everything just led to dead ends, she knew she could let go. She wouldn't let this consume her. After all, what she was really searching for was who her parents were. The Ashihari had taken her in when she was four, and for all intents and purposes, that was the life she lived. The only life she had known despite the lies told to her. Perhaps not born into it, but she was raised in it. And even if she felt alienated right now, what else could she call herself except Dalish?

"Being with you makes me happy," She had said it without any thought, a reflex. By the time the words were out, it was too late to reconsider. Her face immediately flushed and she turned away from the older elf in embarrassment.

Solas chuckled at her, feeling both amused by her reaction to her own words, and also warmed by the confession.

"Ir abelas…" Andra stuttered out, afraid to turn around and face her friend.

She heard the soft clatter of Solas putting his bowl down, then, "Don't be, I appreciate the sentiment." Andra turned around slowly, cautiously meeting his blue gaze. "And anyway, it was much tamer than what you said to me last night." Confusion shrouded the girl's eyes, she didn't know what he was referring to.

Solas grinned, there was a knowing in his eyes, something that made Andra feel wary.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

He tilted his head at her. His smirk consumed his face but there was a softness in his blue eyes as he looked upon his companion. "I believe it was… 'Ma'vhen'an'ara."

Andra's cheeks flared and she quickly turned around once more, sitting with her back to him. "There's no way I said that to you!"

"You were tired, you said it when you told me good night."

"Obviously I was delirious with sleep!"

Solas sat forward, all his attention devoted to her. "I am not then?" The amusement was still in his voice, but there was something else there now, too.

Without offering an answer, Andra stood and began rolling up her blanket. "We should probably be on our way. I don't think there's anything left for me here." She tied the blanket into her backpack and then swung the straps onto each shoulder, moving them around a bit so that they wouldn't bite into her collarbone.

"Ma nuvenin." Solas followed suit, packing his own things and putting out their fire. He also used a bit of magic to disperse the fire pit, sending the whole thing into the air where it burst into ashes and disappeared as it fell back to the ground—looking as akin to the dust that had already been collecting.

"Where shall we head to now?"

For a brief moment, Andra was shocked, "You'll stay with me?"

"I never had any intention of leaving you alone, from the moment I removed your Vallaslin."

"But you did leave me."

"You did not see me around, but I was there," Solas reassured, "We were only apart for barely even a day."

"I know…" Andra shifted her weight from one foot to another, "I'm just worried that… we'll have another fight, or something similar, and I'll never see you again."

Solas sighed, "It might have seemed like it, even for myself, but I didn't plan on ever walking out of your life." It was his turn to look slightly uncomfortable with the topic. He had never been very good at conveying these kinds of emotions into the right words. Or maybe it was just that he didn't like laying himself bare.

He stepped towards the blonde elf, barely a couple inches between them. For what felt like a long moment, blue eyes locked with silver. Solas, eventually, raised a hand and brushed the back of his fingers against Andra's cheek. His smile was soft and his expression gentle. Andra felt as though the world didn't exist when he looked at her like that. In this proximity, she took note of how he smelled—like the forest during rain. It reminded her of the years she had grown up with the Dalish. All those days exploring when she wasn't supposed to. Andra held back the urge to hum as she had the desire to press her body to his, to melt in his arms. His face was so close to hers…

With a faint hiss, the torch died, and the duo was plunged into a deep darkness. Andra was startled at the sudden loss of sight and Solas quickly moved away from her to light the Veilfire on the other side of the room. He picked up the torch from its mount before turning back to his companion.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go."

Andra nodded but said nothing, her heart was pounding in her chest—a ravenous animal that demanded to be let out. She was thankful for the sudden distraction, realizing she had almost built up the courage to kiss Solas, which no doubt would of ended in him rejecting her. He cared about her, she knew, but it surely wasn't as deep as her own affections. There was no way he harbored any true romantic feelings. Never, in all their time knowing each other, had their relationship ever hinted at that direction.

At least, Andra never noticed if it had.

"Let's return to the Inquisition," Andra stated after a moment of silence, walking at Solas' side as they made their way out of the Temple.

"You want to go back? Ahnsul?" He didn't turn his head to look at her, but Andra was still keenly aware of his closeness.

"Not to rejoin. With the Breach closed, that would be pointless. I'm no good at politics and would only get in the way. But I want to clear the air with everyone about you. I… I know our friends probably gave you a hard time, about our fight. About me leaving…"

Solas scoffed, and he did turn to look at her this time. "That's putting it mildly. Sera, was the worst of them all. She made my life a living hell."

Andra seemed to shrink a bit, she knew that Sera's actions were her fault, she had asked for Solas to be humiliated—humbled had been her exact words.

"I'm so sorry…"

Solas sighed, "I'm sure anyone could argue that I had it all coming."

"All of that business is my fault, though," Andra said as she turned her head to the side, shying away. "I… Right after our fight, I left a letter for Sera in her room. I asked her to… I asked…"

"I know," Solas interrupted, "And thank you for the apology."

"It was a childish thing to do but—"

"I had angered you. There was probably a much more tactful way I could have handled things. Though, your stubbornness should be recorded as legendary." He smiled at Andra when she finally looked at him.

"I'm just grateful we're here now," She confessed. "Everything I'm finding out about myself, it's all thanks to you. If nothing else, you've opened my eyes to a world that was so much bigger than my little Dalish clan."


ELVHEN USED:

On dhea: "Good morning"

Ir abelas: "I'm sorry"

'Ma'vhen'an'ara: "My heart's desire"

Ma nuvenin: "As you wish"

Ahnsul?: "Why?"