Chapter 26: Proving

Solas stepped through the eluvian, entering Skyhold's cells with his beloved by his side. It felt strange to be back. The chill of the mountain air burned his lungs after living so long in the tropical forest surrounding Mercy's Rest. Together they ascended the stairs up to the courtyard. "I see you no longer hold prisoners down in the cells," he commented.

"The Inquisition is not what it once was. We don't have the authority to hold prisoners anymore. Most were returned to Orlais or Ferelden for the remainder of their sentences. Now it's, well, a little different," she said, opening up the door to the courtyard.

Solas froze.

The courtyard, which once held soldiers practicing marching orders or the injured seeking a healer, now was filled with the sound of laughing children. They ran around, kicking a ball back and forth. Others were playing a game that involved clapping in a circle while someone in the middle was blindfolded and spinning. A group of girls sat braiding flower chains together and giggling over some private joke. Many of the children were elven, but there were humans, Qunari, and a few dwarves as well. They ranged from small children that barely came to his knee to those that were nearly adults.

"How…?" he began, but his words failed him. This was not the Skyhold he remembered from before. "There are so many children," he said, more of a bewildered statement than a question.

Lavellan paused and looked around, as if she had not thought anything of it. To her, it was simply normal. "Oh, this is only some of the classes. Wait until mealtimes. It becomes a zoo. Come on, we'd best hurry. Dorian is waiting and you know how patient he is." She ushered him along when the leather ball bounced off the ground and rolled to his feet.

A small boy with pink cheeks and pointed pink ears ran forward, but stopped a few steps away when he noticed Solas, adorned in armor and a thick fur cloak. His eyes widened even more when he noticed the Inquisitor beside him. Quickly, he ducked his head in a little bobbing motion, eyes wide. "Lady Inquisitor," he breathed, still gasping for air. He then whirled around and waved to his friends. "Guys! It's her! She's back!"

The others gasped and murmured and a few of the braver ones ran forward. "Inquisitor! Do the shooting stars! Please, please, please!" one of the girls begged. A thick scar showed the spot on her cheek where she had been branded. Solas had seen the practice done in Tevinter and felt the familiar squirm of revulsion in his chest that someone had branded this child. And yet it did not stop her from smiling up at the Inquisitor with excitement as Lavellan grinned and cast a spell, sending sparkling balls of magic zooming around the courtyard. The children dashed off, trying to catch them, laughing all the while.

When Solas looked back at his partner she merely shrugged, wearing a small grin as they continued up the stairs to Skyhold's entrance.

"Why are there so many children here?" Solas asked.

"I told you we took in some of the slaves we freed in Tevinter," she reminded him.

"Yes, but… There are so many. When you said some, I imagined fewer than twenty. How many are here?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Josephine probably has the numbers. But since the forces dispersed, we had all this space and plenty of beds. And well, after the Crossroads, I remember seeing all those bunks for the people you took in and figured, why couldn't I do the same? So it started with a few refugees. Then Sara found some kids back in Denerim and brought them here. There were Zarrak's siblings too; the youngest of whom is only five. When the missions in Tevinter started, we brought the slaves we freed here. The ones with red lyrium poisoning are treated down at the watchtowers by the lake until they've recovered and quarantined. The adults have gone on to find work, either with us or somewhere else, but a few have stayed to help with the children. A few of them are parents too, which is nice. Sera jokes that we're more orphanage now than the Inquisition, but she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she always seems to be the one who 'happens' to find a new kid in need after every Red Jenny mission."

"How do you feed them all?"

"We secured the funding. Celine and Briala heard and promised to provide a regular sum after I sent them a letter. King Alistair was a bit more dubious when I sent the request. He did come in person to see it. Honestly, I like him much better than that Arl Teagan. He was very nice and pleasantly surprised apparently. One of the girls outside made him a flower crown and he got a little choked up and wore it around the rest of the day. It was very sweet. He sends a regular stipend to keep things running. Cassandra set up a charity fund for us as well. Thankfully it doesn't come with any major Chantry strings attached."

"Abelas never said anything in his reports about this."

"Why would he? He didn't know the Inquisition before like you did. He asked once and I told him we took in refugees and that was the end of it," she replied simply.

"How have things been going with the new security detail? I take it you are relieved to see Abelas less?"

She frowned. "I don't care to have a security detail at all. It's a waste of time to have Hamin and Elgar following me around and stand beside doorways all day long. But at least Abelas is happier, I take it?"

"That is difficult to say," was all Solas said in response as they crossed the throne room.

"Ah, there she is, my favorite southern mage," Dorian said with a charming smile, a bag slung over his back. When his gaze fell to Solas, something in his eye changed and there was no friendliness there for him. "And the Dread Wolf himself. I see your fashion sense has improved. Though I suppose now your lies have been exposed, there's no longer a need to dress like an apostate hobo."

Solas returned his barely-concealed scowl.

"Hang on, I'm your favorite southern mage? Do you have someone else you like better in the north?" Lavellan frowned, crossing her arms.

"Of course not. But I'm from the north, so it really isn't fair."

"You know we both live in the north now, right?"

"And yet here we are in the south, freezing our whiskers off. Come, let us head out. The sooner I can prop my feet up by the fire, the better." Dorian pulled up his hood and the three set out, heading towards the main entrance.

"Where are you planning to perform the ritual?" Solas asked as they headed down the stairs.

"On the other side of the ridge, near the Broken Watchtower. That way, if anything happens, we won't explode all of Skyhold like what happened at the Conclave. You recall that, don't you? When the Divine was killed, along with most of the leaders for the mages and the templars because you let the Venatori and Corypheus find your orb in the first place?" Dorian said in disdain. "In case you failed to notice, we have lots of little children running around Skyhold, so we're going to do it where no one would get hurt. Even if there was an explosion that resulted in an avalanche, there's nothing but rocks and trees on that side of the mountain anyway."

"Corypheus was the one who caused the explosion. Not I."

"Oh yes, you simply watched from a safe distance, hoping to take it back after all the innocent bystanders were dead."

"I had no way of knowing what would happen, nor could I have prevented it."

"Perhaps we'll just have to call that a difference of opinion," Dorian sneered.

"You believe you would have fared better? Could you have predicted what Corypheus would have done had you been there in my stead? Would you have been able to stop it? Or is it that you, another magister from Tevinter, knew precisely what he was capable of?"

"Oh stop it, you two," Lavellan grumbled, pulling her cloak tighter around herself as they saddled the horses.

Solas helped her onto her horse, worried that in her condition she should not be riding such a beast. "Vhenan, are you certain-?"

"-Yes. I am coming along. It is my spellwork here. And besides, I'm sure it will be perfectly safe. I have my two best mages with me. I trust that the two of you will be able to handle anything we encounter before we reach our destination. Assuming you don't kill each other before we get there."

"Don't worry, you're perfectly safe with me, Inquisitor," Dorian said, patting his horse on the side of its neck. "I wouldn't leave you behind with serious injuries like he would."

"Oh, give it a rest," she groaned, urging her horse towards the front gate.

"I did no such thing. I stopped the anchor from killing her," Solas hissed, though a mixture of guilt and shame pooled with the anger in his stomach.

"That's right. You turned her arm to stone and walked away. So how could you have really known? I mean, you weren't there when we found her, collapsed from her internal bleeding. Turns out, when one gets dragged into the air and thrown around like a rag doll, it causes some additional injuries. Way to check that, by the way. Have you ever performed a field amputation? I don't recommend it. I found it rather sickening myself, listening to her screams as I held her down and the ax chopped off her arm. I still hear it in my nightmares." A shudder ran down his spine. "How she managed to forgive you, I will never know."

For a moment, Solas's stomach roiled at the images he saw in his head. He recalled the taste of blood in his mouth from the dream of the Dread Wolf's attack, ripping her arm from her body with his teeth. Swallowing back the taste of bile, he raised his chin. "Thank you, Dorian. For saving her."

"No!" Dorian snarled, jabbing his finger in a threatening manner. "You don't get to thank me for that. I didn't do it for you. She is my friend. I did it for her. Not you. You are the reason she nearly died. Remember, it was your orb that nearly killed her." Yanking on his reins, he urged his horse after her, glaring at Solas in disgust.

The ride along the mountain switchbacks was tense and quiet for the most part. Dorian snuck in his jabs at Solas when Lavellan was out of earshot, but he stayed close to her as they neared the Broken Watchtower. This time of year, the sun had melted away most of the snow packed around the ruined structure.

"I've always wondered what happened to manage to break it apart like that," Dorian commented, examining the scattered bits of stone poking out from the snow. The tower looked as if an enormous knight had taken a blade to it and slashed it at a diagonal angle. Cut like butter, the tower's top had fallen over before shattering in part. Though amazingly, a round section made for a small tunnel, still perfectly intact.

"Giant with a rock?" Lavellan offered. "Or maybe a dragon who had too much to drink one night and crashed into the tower on his way home?"

"Quite possible," Dorian mused, stroking his beard as he considered the rubble. "What do you think, Inquisitor? Should we try it on the snow? Or do it inside on the floor?"

She raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Inside is probably best. We are civilized, are we not?"

They crossed through the open doorway. With a few spells, they removed the snow until their feet rested on solid stone.

"Ah, it seems someone left a few things behind," Dorian said, levitating a bucket, a stool with only two remaining legs, and a couple of rusted iron tankards out of the way.

Once the space was cleared of debris and snow, they set to work, painting the diagram on the floor and placing various magical objects and ingredients around for the spell.

Solas observed and followed his partner's instructions, painting the symbols according to the sheet she handed him in the places she pointed out. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "There would have been much more groaning if I was the one bending over to paint."

"Of course, vhenan," he said, gently lowering the jars of paint back into the bag.

"Now all that's left is the final piece," she said, swallowing nervously as she removed the orb from her pocket and levitated it into the center of the containment circle.

"And you're certain the containment circle will hold?" Solas asked pointedly, eyeing Dorian's diagram with care.

"If you mean, will anything blow up, then the answer is: probably not. Besides, I've done the calculations a hundred times over. This will work," Dorian said, though his arrogance did not inspire confidence in Solas.

"Perhaps you should wait outside, ma vhenan," he suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous. I helped Dorian with this and these are my spells we're enhancing. I'm staying."

"Just in case," Dorian said, throwing up his hands and erecting a barrier spell around them.

Then they began to perform the spell. The diagram and the symbols on the ground began to glow with a bright, blue light. Tingling ripples from the Fade pulled down towards the orb as it began to spin, slowly at first and then faster and faster. Magical energy sparked and rippled like a lightning storm within the containment field, but it held. Everything seemed to go smoothly until the stone floor beneath the orb cracked and bits of dust kicked up as the flagstones began to disintegrate.

Solas pulled Lavellan behind him protectively as another loud crack split the floor.

"Just a little longer!" she cried out, holding her hands up as she reinforced the containment spell with her own magic. Dorian dropped to one knee as he held the time spell in place.

Then all at once, the orb stopped spinning and came to a halt. Ripples of magical energy pulsed from it like a beating heart. Dorian's arms collapsed down at his sides like lead weights. Lavellan staggered back and Solas put a supportive arm around her to keep her upright. Wiping the sweat from their brows, they examined the floating orb, curious to see if their spells had worked.

"Well? Did we manage it? All I can see is a bunch of sand in a hole." Dorian checked around the rest of the area for further damage.

"Can you not sense the change? It feels… powerful," Solas said, stepping closer.

Lavellan hardly dared to breathe as she too inspected the orb. "It does," she whispered, feeling the vibrations of energy in the air. "Well? Shall we give it a test?" She looked at Solas for reassurance. "Do you think you're strong enough to handle it safely?"

"There is one way to see," he said, reaching out to pick it up. It came to him as if summoned, levitating in his hand, pulsing with blue light.

Cupping it in his hands, he closed his eyes and held it up, releasing some of the power that had accumulated within it. Lavellan jumped back as the hole in the floor and all the sand reformed into solid stone beneath their feet. At the same time, the rocks and pieces of broken wall filled the gaping holes in the walls. A shadow loomed overhead and the tower's top rose and reformed above them, blocking out the light from the sun. Stone ground back into place and then the air was still once more. The glow around the orb faded and they all stared in wonder at the watchtower around them.

"My… Well… That is something," Dorian said, stroking his beard as he placed a hand on the solid wall that now stood where only open air was a moment ago. Then he turned to Lavellan, beaming. "Practically perfect, I would say." He propped his hands on his hips, looking quite pleased with himself.

"I can't believe it," she said softly, touching the floor with her foot where the hole filled with sand had been.

"That is one for the history books," Dorian said proudly, clapping his hands together and pulling Lavellan in for a hug.

"Oof! Dorian, please," she laughed, coughing a bit as she pulled back to catch her breath. "You know how hard it is to breathe up here with the baby. You don't have to crush me."

"If your partner was not standing here glaring daggers at me, I would spin you around in circles and kiss you, I'm so happy. All of that research and it finally paid off! What a success! I'm definitely putting this in my memoirs. Dorian Pavus: Master of Time. What do you think?" he grinned.

"I think you are incredible," she praised, before turning to Solas. "And you can use it! See, it worked. You can use the orb now, instead of the idol."

He stepped close to her, taking her hand in his and looking into those eyes, brimming with hope and grateful relief. "Yes, ma vhenan. Because of you."

Dorian cleared his throat rather loudly and interjected. "Yes, and because of me. The Tevinter magister who didn't blow up the mountainside or try to kill anyone. Let's not forget to give credit where it is due," he drawled, crossing his arms.

Lavellan shook her head at him. "My, my Dorian. That ego of yours takes as much maintenance as your mustache."

He smiled at her, wiggling said mustache. "Yes, but isn't it worth it?"

"Without a doubt. And, now the orb can help. If we can mend the weaknesses in the Veil, then instead of it tearing apart and releasing demons upon the world, we can try to mend it, bringing the world back to the way it used to be without causing undo destruction." She turned back to Solas and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. "It will all be alright," she whispered into his chest, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders.

"Was the blindfold really necessary? I'm already quite clumsy. My belly throws off my sense of balance anyhow," she murmured, gripping his hands as Solas led her into what she thought was a cave, based on the echo of her voice. "Oh no, there aren't spiders down here, are there?" she asked, suddenly shaking her arms and body as if she could feel them crawling on her.

"There are no spiders. Just a little longer. Turn to your right and take a few more steps," Solas said, encouraging her.

"If I trip, you had better catch me."

"You won't trip. But I will always be there to catch you. I promise."

He led her forward a few more steps and then they turned to the left and emerged into a small cove. The sound of water cascading down over rocks into a pool could be heard somewhere nearby. With a wave of his hand, Solas filled the clearing with balls of light, hovering around the stone walls like small suns. Gently, he untied the blindfold, kissing her ears and making her giggle. "Alright. You can open your eyes now."

She did, but when she looked around at where they were her smile vanished. This place was familiar to her, to them both. She stared at the pool and the three waterfalls, feeling her heart drop like a stone into her stomach. This was where he had brought her before; when he broke off their relationship and took away her vallaslin. She turned back to him, the hot sting of tears burning in her eyes. "Why would you-You're not-?" Her throat closed on her, unable to get the words out.

Solas saw her expression and shook his head, touching her cheek. "No, ma vhenan. It is not like last time we were here. I wanted to make up for what happened… before." He took her hands in his, recalling with a sharp ache the pain of walking away from her. He hadn't wanted to do it. He had wanted to tell her the truth. All of it. But he didn't. It would've been wrong of him. "The Veil is thin here. Can you feel it?"

She could. It tingled, as if the very air around them was alive with magic.

"I brought you here before because I wanted to tell you the truth then. The whole truth. About me and what I must do. But I could not. I see now that I should have trusted you. I should have known you came into my life for a reason. And I am glad for every moment that we have shared. I never thought that someone like you could exist in this world. You have made it possible with the orb to mend what was. That is why I have brought you here. To mend what I broke and to strengthen the Veil."

He pulled the orb from his pocket and held it up towards the sky. The orb glowed with soft, pale blue light. Pearls of light streamed into the air, like snowflakes falling in reverse as they formed into a brilliant cloud of magical mist overhead.

She felt the vibrations in the air shift and change, like a musician tuning their instrument to find the perfect note. It was beautiful to watch, rippling with magic and glimmering with a vibrancy she felt in her fingertips.

When it was done, the night sky rippled with gorgeous green and pink curtains of light that slowly faded away.

"In my time, when the world was whole, those lights danced in the sky every night. Beautiful, with a magic all their own," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her belly. "And thanks to you, it may do so again."

"How many places will need to be repaired?" she asked.

"Many. With the eluvians at my disposal, I can travel to many places, but they do not all lead to everywhere I must go. I will be gone for some time. I will have to be away from you for at least a month if I am to reach them all."

"A month? Solas…" she put her hand on his, biting her lip. "That's only a couple weeks before the baby is due."

"I know," he whispered, feeling the strain in his throat. "But I must. If all goes well, it will be better for you and the baby."

"Is it really worth removing the Veil so soon just for us?" she asked, shaking her head. "If we are not ready, we have no idea what the Evanuris will do and-"

"-The Evanuris will be too weak in the beginning. They will be disorganized. There will not be enough strength between them to wreck the havoc they caused before. Besides, I have plans for them. But ma vhenan, you are worth every sacrifice. We are capable of restoring the world to the way it was because of you. Thousands of lives will be saved. Because you are the most brilliant woman I have ever known." Lifting her chin, he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her until she pulled away, breathless.

She gazed into his eyes, missing him already. Feeling foolish, she dug her nails into his shirt and hung her head. It was only a month, she told herself. Only a month and then he would be back and then a little after that the baby would come. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered softly into his chest like admitting a secret.

"And I will miss you, ma vhenan," he said, capturing her lips again in a passionate kiss. His hands threaded through her hair as his tongue teased her.

She returned his passion, snaking her left arm down his side while her real hand smoothed its way up to cup his head.

He moved her hair aside, bending down to kiss and suck her neck, breathing in the luscious scent of orange blossom wafting from her hair. "Ma vhenan," he whispered against her neck, sending tingling shivers down her spine.

His fingers trailed up her sides and before she knew what was happening, he had undone the buttons of her shirt and slid it off, leaving her exposed to the night air. She could feel his wanting growing stronger, could sense all the ways he wished to touch her, to take her in passion. But she felt something else too; guilt and fear. Being in this place drew forth memories for him as well. Memories of what he had wanted to tell her here before and how devastated he felt when he broke her heart. He wanted to make it up to her, to erase the terrible history of this place and begin again, to atone for the sins of his past.

"I want you, ma vhenan," he whispered into her ear. His hands, chilled from the cool night air, caused her skin to prickle with goosebumps as they slid over her belly and up to her breasts. The wind picked up and she huddled closer to him, shivering as she sought out his warmth.

Solas noticed her shivers and drew her closer, wrapping his cloak around her to stave off the chill.

Taking advantage of their closeness, she unbuttoned his shirt. Once bared, she ran her hand over his chest, warming it with a bit of her own magic. The feeling of his taut, muscular torso sent a thrill through her core. "What do you want?" she whispered, looking up at him from under her lashes with a coy grin.

She killed him with that look. That alone, that minxy grin of hers, threw fuel on the fire within. "Touch me," he replied.

Standing on her toes, she kissed him, running her fingers down his chest, past his navel, down to the laces of his breeches. Slowly, she pulled at the laces before slipping her hand in to cup his throbbing cock. Her wooden hand caught his wrist and she brought his finger to her mouth, wrapping her lips around it and dancing her tongue along it in a teasing manner as she stroked him.

His breath hitched and then a moan rumbled in his chest as her fingers circled the head of his cock. But that coy look in her eyes, watching him lose himself in the pleasure of her touch, drove him wild with longing. He cupped her ass and massaged her breast, and all the while his cock throbbed, aching to be joined with her. Grabbing her wrist, he stilled her hand and removed it from his pants. No, it was too fast. He needed to slow things down. He wanted her to feel good, to think of this night fondly while he was away. Tucking himself back into his pants, he then removed his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders to keep her warm. Then he led her to a nearby log and began to remove the last of her clothing. "Sit," he offered, gesturing to the moss-covered log.

She did, huddling beneath the cloak as the wind picked up.

With a spell, Solas warmed the area around them. Spreading apart the cloak to reveal her naked skin, he kissed her neck and then knelt to kiss her breasts, nipples, all the way down her belly where he parted her legs and kissed her more intimately. The need within him grew stronger as he tasted her, longing for more. But first, he wanted to give her her pleasure. He eased into the motions he knew she enjoyed, teasing with his tongue slowly, carefully; watching her body and listening to her moans. He felt her ache, craving more as he built up the pace, but instead of increasing the speed, he slowed.

A dull whimper of longing came from her throat. And so it went, as he carefully built up her pleasure by small increments until she couldn't bear the longing any more. "Please, Solas, please," she begged him, arching her back and panting for breath. "Please, I want more, I want-" Her words were cut off by a shuddering cry as he brought her to her peak, cresting over into realms of ecstasy as she threw her head back.

Solas slowed the movements, savoring the last taste of her pleasure on his tongue. After a moment of catching her breath, she gazed down at him, her eyes still clouded by bliss. Then she was kneeling before him too, kissing him passionately. With surprising strength she pushed his chest until he fell back to the ground. A laugh escaped him at the unexpected nature of the action, but then her hand pulled his length from his breeches and she lowered her lips to take him into her mouth. The moment her tongue passed over him, he groaned in desire, not wanting her to stop. It didn't matter in that moment that roots and small stones were digging into his back. The scent of wet leaves made the moment feel all the more real.

Pulling her up to kiss him, he carefully flattened out the cloak and rolled so that both of them were on their sides, facing each other. He kissed her, long and slow, smoothing his hand over her skin. "I want you, vhenan. I want to be inside you," he begged, kissing down along her neck.

She could not deny she wanted him as well. She rolled onto her side, away from him as he continued to kiss her neck, guiding his hands over her breasts and down her body. He slipped his hand along her side and then down between her legs. She moaned, parting them to give him better access. "I am yours, vhenan," she said, reaching behind to stroke him.

He groaned and moved closer to her, slipping between her legs to glide along the wetness waiting there for him.

Reaching down, she guided his length into her entrance.

Pulling her closer and massaging her breast, he began to thrust. Every stroke only increased his longing, especially as his beloved moaned with every one.

"You feel so good," she whispered, fighting for breath as he drove himself into her, hitting just the right spots. When his hand slipped down to touch her, she lost herself in the rise of sensation and cried out his name as a second wave of pleasure crashed down upon her. Solas quickened his pace. Gripping her hip tightly in hand as he plunged into her one final time, spilling his seed as he cried out in passion.

Lying in their blissful state, Solas pulled the cloak around them both, holding her there in his arms against the chill of the night, cocooned in the warm embrace of one another, unwilling to let go. Their fingers threaded together, holding on with a desperation they dared not speak aloud. Silently, they prayed that the next month would come and go quickly, without incident. But already the ache of separation gnawed at them both.

"Solas?" she whispered. "You'll come back to me, right?"

"Yes, vhenan," he promised, brushing aside her hair to kiss her neck and then her cheek. "I promise. I will come back."