Rebellion

Ennaly slowly woke, finding herself in a comfortable warm place, curled up under a blanket in the crook of Solas' arm, her head on his chest. She remained there, listening to his heartbeat, before she stirred and opened her eyes.

Solas turned his head to look at her when she stirred. He had been looking out over de mountains, where the skies started to turn orange and pink.

"And she wakes," he said with a smile.

She slowly unfurled and stretched. "I don't know," she said lazily. "With a dream like that, I don't know if I want to be awake."

Solas leaned over to kiss her. With the sun rising, they didn't have a lot of time to get back without everybody knowing they were away. They got up and stretched. Solas folded the blanket away as Ennaly made last turn around the once-garden, remembering how it had looked like before. Solas held out his hand. "Hold on tight, vhenan."

With some apprehension from Ennaly, they passed through the waterfall and started their ascent back to Skyhold proper. When they landed on the battlements again, she suddenly felt awkward. She didn't want others to know what they'd been up to. There had already been rumours before about her and Dorian, because they spend so much time together, and she didn't really want to be judged now, either. People might even think she was involved with both. She didn't need any more negativity, not when the dreaded ball was getting so close.

Solas seemed to have noticed her changing demeanour.

"Well, Inquisitor, I suppose there are a multitude of duties awaiting you."

"Yeah. Josephine likes to school me in table manners at most meals. I'm growing a huge dislike for little spoons."

"Oh? I find myself to be rather fond of them," he said with a grin, looking down at her, before going away to his quarters.

The next days proved quite busy and Ennaly did not have much free time. The day after they returned from the once-garden, she went to Solas' rotunda and declared in an official manner that she wanted to request a nice painting for her personal quarters. Solas, in a similar official manner, said that he would be happy to answer the Inquisitor's request.

"A nice forest scenery in pinks and greens, I think," she said. "There aren't enough trees around and my chambers could use some more colour."

This gave Solas a good reason to gather his painting supplies and find his way to Ennaly's quarters. Most of it was even spent in silence, since she had to read or write reports or letters or study some information. Sometimes she'd read something out loud and they could have a good snicker at some of the things people were requesting or the pompous language, and every now and again something interesting passed. Occasionally they were interrupted by people bringing her things or requests to join at the war room for some discussions, so they didn't necessarily have the privacy to do whatever they wanted, but it was still nice to be together.

"Dear Inquisitor, it has not escaped my notice that a certain Elf finds his way to your chambers every afternoon?" Dorian asked her, voice low so they wouldn't be overheard. Ennaly was once again sitting on the pile of pillows in the corner of the library nook Dorian had claimed, a book in her hand. A Treaty on the Pagan and Heretical Customs of the Elven, was written on the cover. She wanted to know what exactly the Humans thought of the Dalish, to prepare herself for the ball. Some things were downright offensive, but there were interesting chapters to read, too.

"He's painting a scene on my walls. They were awfully grey," she replied, her interest mostly at a passage she was reading.

"Painting walls? Is that some sort of Elven euphemism?" Dorian asked, leaning over to push down the book she was holding, so he could grin broadly at her.

She looked up. "No. He's actually painting. You should come see sometimes."

"Really?" Dorian asked, looking crestfallen. "And you're like... both dressed and all?"

Ennaly was amused by his reactions. "Well... We're perfectly decent when we're awake."

Dorian leaned in closer, a gleeful expression on his face. "When you're awake? Meaning when you're not awake..."

It was true. When they were awake, they had always kept a certain distance. But every other night, when they were asleep... They had dwelled through different versions of Skyhold through time, and at some point, they always ended up in the largest bedroom, or sometimes on their way towards it.

"I'm not saying anything." She grinned. "And if you say anything, I swear I'll end you."

"Threats? By the Maker, I have something left to live for." He threw his arms in the air in joy.

Ennaly put her book aside. "You do know I cannot do all of this without you, right? All this research? Knowledge is power, and you are the driving force behind this." Dorian looked at her with a touched smile on his face. "If I ever can do something for you, just let me know."

Dorian smirked. "I might hold on to that. For now, please tell me more about how important I am."

She grinned. "After I've finished reading this section."

The painting in her chambers was slowly gaining form. It looked a bit like the fresco in the once-garden, but in the centre, there was a mountain with a waterfall that ended in a pond below. Still outlined, were a halla and a wolf, drinking from the pond.

One of these afternoons, Ennaly and Solas were sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, enjoying a little break. It was quite warm and Ennaly had her sleeves rolled up.

"You have a new trinket," Solas noticed. The bracelet her mother had made was visible on her wrist. It was usually tucked under the sleeve of her tunic, out of sight.

"It's one of the things my mother sent me," she replied, lifting her hand to give Solas a better view of the beads. "She carved them."

"She is skilled indeed." His fingers ran over the beads to inspect them.

"They represent the nine of our pantheon."

Solas seemed to tense a bit. "Nine?"

"Yes, there are nine gods, you dummy," Ennaly smiled.

"I am just surprised to see this here," Solas said, his fingers stopping on the bead that was carved to depict wolf head.

"Says the man who wears a wolf jaw around his neck," she teased.

"I am not Dalish. And you honour wolves such as the companions of the Emerald Knights. We have passed their statues. I merely thought you did not look favourably to..." He rolled the bead around between his fingers before letting it go. "Him."

"We don't, but he's still kin to the others, isn't he?" She stirred and shifted to sit on her knees next to Solas so she could face him. "I never told you this, but..."

There was expectant apprehension on his face.

"You remember Haven. After I faced Corypheus, I was thrown into a mineshaft. I genuinely thought I'd die there. I had a dream. In that dream, there was a large white wolf that approached me. It... nudged me awake. I just thought it a dream, but, if I think about it, it was more than just a dream. Like, when you show me around, my dreams feel more real. I had never experienced that before you showed it to me. And I can tell you, that dream with the wolf, it was like that."

Solas stared at her, an intense, thoughtful look on this face, but he didn't say anything.

"If that wolf hadn't been there, if it hadn't awakened me, I might not be sitting here, now," she continued.

Solas extended his hand and touched her cheek. "You don't know that. You are strong. You might have woken up by yourself."

"But that would have been later, and the camp might have already moved on." She grew more agitated. "I would have frozen to death in the blizzard, fallen down in the snow to die. And well, a wolf in my dreams... He is the only one of the gods not being locked away, is he?"

Solas pulled his hand back and leaned back on the sofa, increasing the distance between them. He looked at her with a heavy expression. Perhaps he thought her silly for this.

"What do you think it was, then?"

He looked thoughtful. "You were very hurt, that night. Are you sure you remember it correctly?"

She considered his frown. "I'm very certain." She smiled and reached out to grab his hand. "Don't be afraid for me. Perhaps the gods can feel this power on my hand somehow. They might have plans. Perhaps that why he appeared in that dream." Her voice turned to a whisper.

Solas regarded her keenly. "Does that thought scare you?"

Ennaly contemplated those words. "It should, shouldn't it?"

"It does not scare you, then?" He looked taken aback.

"My mind tells me I should be, but my heart doesn't, not really. It's the opposite of my fear of spiders, I suppose." She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. "That wolf in my dream wasn't aggressive at all. I remember it howling. It was a very primal howl, but not from rage. If I need to give it an emotion, it'd be desperation. It does make me feel... uneasy, but not scared. He might have killed me there and then, but didn't. I wish I knew what I meant."

She shifted again. "Dorian and I have been doing some research. Dorian mostly focusses on Corypheus, but I want to know more about our history and our gods."

She raised her right hand, where the bracelet was. "One of these nine is responsible for whatever power I have here..." She lowered her right hand and lifted her left one, where the Anchor was slowly pulsing with light and energy. "And I want to know which. You said those orbs channelled powers from our gods, and I know they themselves didn't place this on my hand... I know there might be more important topics to research, like Corypheus, but for my own sake, I want to know whose power I carry, wouldn't you?"

Solas regarded her almost impassively. "And has your research given you any insights?"

"No." She sighed. "I doubt I ever will get a definitive answer, not without studying the orb itself, or a personal sign from the gods... But it is interesting to read different perspectives. There are a lot more resources available when you can request books, instead of having to rely on your Keeper's knowledge. Some texts are terrible, but some are actually quite interesting, it would surprise you."

A sparkle entered her eyes. "So, about him... The Dread Wolf. Yesterday, I read an interesting passage. It debated linguistics and proposed that Fen'Harel is the god of rebellion rather than the god of deception. The text goes on to suggest that he might have a more nuanced motivation for sealing away the other Gods rather than mere love for trickery."

Solas looked almost shocked. Ennaly was proud of herself, there were finally some things that she knew and could tell him about, instead of the other way around.

"It's terrifying enough to think that this power does originate from a god... But well, in the one-in-nine chance that the orb was his..." she continued thoughtfully. "It doesn't sound as scary to be branded with the power of the god of rebellion as it would be the god of betrayal, right? Because isn't that what we're doing, the Inquisition? We're rebelling against the chantry, we're rebelling against the skies, and we're rebelling against Corypheus? We have an alliance with the rebel mages, it would be –"

Before she could continue, Solas had sat upright, pulled her closer, and kissed her passionately. He leaned back and pulled her with him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she asked playfully, sprawled on his chest, looking at the unguarded look of appreciation on Solas' face. They'd never really kissed like this when they were awake.

"You talk with such passion about your research. A spark grows in your eyes. How can I resist you, vhenan?"

"You resisted me for an awfully long time," she said coyly as Solas pulled her back for a kiss.

"And now I no longer have to," he said, when they heard a noise at the door. "Or..."

They parted and Ennaly could just make out a mischievous grin before she felt a spark of magic and Solas had Fade-stepped himself away, dropping her down to the sofa while he appeared on the platform above her bed, where his painting supplies were.

Ennaly straightened her tunic and took a few deep breaths – courtesy of her magic training – and emerged from the sofa just in time to see Josephine appearing at the top of the stairs, panting under the strain of a large stack of books and papers.

Ennaly hurried over and took some of the stack to alleviate the weight on the ambassador.

"Thank you, Inquisitor," she said gratefully. "My apologies, I could not knock with carrying all of this."

"No worries, Josephine," Ennaly said as they both put down the stack on the desk.

"Good afternoon, ambassador," Solas said in his soft voice.

Josephine clearly startled at this and turned around. "Good - good afternoon, Solas." She seemed to have a difficulty in finding a word to address him, since he had no title to use. Ennaly enjoyed seeing Josephine lose a little composure over something like this.

"I have requested Solas to paint a nice mural," she explained. "I thought there was a lack of trees around here."

"It is quite beautiful," Josephine said, looking up at the half-finished work.

"Thank you, ambassador," Solas replied.

"I have a father and sister who paint. The style might be different, but I wish my sister was able to finish something like that." Josephine sighed and turned towards Ennaly. "I brought some new reports to read. And we have the conclusions on the nobles, the information you requested..."

She trailed off a bit, clearly uncertain how she should continue. Ennaly saw her glance up to Solas. She understood. Suddenly the ambassador was outnumbered by Elves, with information on what other Humans would think of them, most of those ideas not all too positive. She felt pity for the ambassador. She was young, younger than the others, younger than she was, and she did so much, always putting others first.

"Yes," Ennaly finished, wanting to remove this stress from the younger woman. "I wanted to know what their opinion was of Elves, before I had to face them and find out myself."

Solas looked down at the two of them, his paintbrush stopped in mid-air.

"Yes," Josephine said, a little disheartened. "I am sorry or the strain this puts on you. Both of you."

Ennaly looked up towards Solas, who had now fully turned around. She had never really discussed the conversation she had with Leliana and Josephine with him. It was a bit awkward to discuss how your feminine wiles could help sway some nobles, indulge in their perverted fantasies, with your... What was Solas, really? Her lover?

"I am not worried," Solas replied. "All I have to do is stand aside and observe. Will you be alright, Ennaly?"

He used her name, not her title, so she knew this was a personal question, not an organizational one. She wondered if Josephine would understand the glances they exchanged here.

"I can prance around on a dancefloor well enough," she said. "I think all my lessons have had their influence, too. If I know whom best to avoid, I'll be fine."

It would take them two full days on horseback to reach Halamshiral. There was quite a large group, Ennaly and the five of her usual travel companions, the three advisors, and a group of soldiers and attendants. They spend their night on the road at an inn, where Ennaly shared a room with Cassandra.

They would arrive the night before the ball at the Halamshiral estate of Comtesse Helene, where they were invited to stay the night before and after the ball. The estate was situated in the High Quarter, which was surrounded by the Elven slums. The slums that were burned down by the current Empress, only a year earlier, to try and quell the Elven rebellion.

Nothing quite prepared Ennaly for having to travel through it. A lot was burned down, the rubble long since cleared away or reused, leaving desolation in its place. Grouped together, new structures erupted in places. She saw figures huddling together in silence as they passed on their horses, a large group.

It must have been terrifying for the city Elves to see all these richly dressed people passing by. With the ball tomorrow, there was quite a lot of traffic going up to the High Quarter. She'd never seen Elves dressed as poorly as these, living like they were.

They had likely never seen a Dalish Elf before, tattooed as she was. What did they think of her? Traitors, like Anarel regarded her, for having such a Human title as Herald of Andraste, and being in mostly Human company? Or would they think of her as a Herald of change?

They turned a corner. A young Elf girl ran around, jumping up and down in some kind of enjoyment, before she saw the group approaching. The girl froze. A father wearing a dirty apron came running towards the child, taking her by the shoulders and pressing her close.

"It's an Elf, papa," she heard the girl say, looking at her. "Is she Deelish? Her face has lines. I want lines too, papa!"

"It's Dalish. And hush, sweetie," the father said. The little girl looked up at her with such admiration in her eyes, like she was some sort of fabled hero arrived in the flesh. Worst of all, she looked at her with hope.

Ennaly's gaze crossed the father's before she passed the pair. He looked at her oddly. He had some of the admiration his daughter seemed to hold, but fear also, which turned to a frown.

Only when it rolled down, did Ennaly notice the large tear on her face. She felt ill. Trying to hide it from everybody else, she wiped her tears on her sleeve. Cullen, riding next to her, seemed to notice and she could see the sympathetic look on his face. Not wanting pity, she faced away.

Where once the Elves were granted a new beginning, a new home, they were crushed time and time again. She was one of the lucky ones, being born in freedom, even if her heritage bore the name of this place. The Dales, a promise lost.

Crossing the large gates to the High Quarter was terrible. The stark contrast of the districts was too much. She didn't seem to be the only one affected by what they witnessed. Focussing on her breath, Ennaly quietly rode her horse until they were at the stables of the Comtesse's mansion.

Having dismounted her horse, she quietly slipped into a dark quiet corner of the stable, where saddles and bridles were kept. It smelled like leather, polish, and metal. She knew in a few minutes she had to greet this comtesse and act all polite. She wiped away the new tears at her cheeks and focussed on her breathing.

When she opened her eyes again, Solas had appeared at her side. She was glad to see him.

"Gods, the injustice," she muttered. "That was possibly the most terrible thing I have ever witnessed. That little girl, that was heart breaking, did you see her? She looked at me with hope, like I was some sort of saviour."

"You did save us all, though," Solas said softly, reaching out a hand to wipe away a stray tear. "But I agree, it was quite terrible."

She wanted him to hold her, but they weren't alone here, any moment someone could walk in, so she remained standing. If someone saw them now, they would understand they were just two Elves discussing whatever they had just witnessed.

"I think it affected everybody," she said. "We were all so quiet."

"Not to the same level as it affects you," Solas replied, his hand still on her cheek. "To see your people –"

"Our people. You're an Elf too, Solas."

Some kind of intensity passed over him as he straightened up, stroking her hair before he pulled his hand away. "No matter whose people they are, it remains an injustice. To see them left to their fate while the Human nobles lounge in gilded houses like these, food to spare..."

She stared at him. He was serious, she saw, it did affect him. She sighed.

"It could have been us, given a slightly different fate. I knew what happened here, but to see it like that... I have never seen anyone living like that..."

"I know, nobody should have to endure this."

She didn't care if somebody would see them. She leaned closer and let her head rest on Solas' chest.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," she said, her eyes closed. "I'm sure they're going to give me some fancy big room, but I can't bear to be alone. Please, if you can join somehow..."

Solas leaned over to her to kiss her forehead. "You want me to sneak around at night, without being seen, to spend the night at the Inquisitor's side, and presumably leave in the morning before anyone notices where I was?"

Ennaly looked up to him. "Well, not if you say it like that."

His face was serious, but even so, mischief shone through. "No, I think this place can use a bit of successful Elven rebellion, wouldn't you say?"

She looked up and kissed him. He seemed to want to lean in, but she parted. It was just in time as Leliana crossed the corner.

"Inquisitor," she said with a little bow of her head. She looked up, and Ennaly could swear she looked gleeful from her to Solas, before her face turned serious again. "And Solas. I am sorry for what we just had to witness. Please take a few moments, but I would urge you not to take too long. The Comtesse is ready to receive us."

Of course, as she expected, Leliana knew exactly what was going on.

Author's Note: I really wished the game spent more time discussing the events in the Masked Empire in the entire Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts quest, especially regarding Celene's action.