The temperature change took some getting used to. She had gotten used to the frigid cold air of the Frostback Mountains, but once they entered a more green shrouded landscape, she actually got quite hot. She had gotten so hot that her vision swam like she was in a heat wave and it was thanks to Varric's quick reflexes as a rogue that stopped her from kissing the ground.
Solas immediately cooled her using his ice magic to gradually lower her core body temperature and explained that the heating spell he had taught her to stay warm in the mountains had caused her a mild heat stroke. Another kiss from her Dread Wolf had her magic mimicking the cooling spell to counterbalance the heating spell. He promised to teach her a more advanced spell that included both elements before returning to Haven.
The Hinterlands was a lot more rocky than she remembered and she had to rely on the ancient elven mage that was her life mate to avoid accidentally walking off a hidden cliff. She was beginning to wonder if she could actually lead them at all, because she apparently had a poor sense of direction until she finally just gave up, trailing after the seeker of truth with a permanent scowl on her face.
Okay, she wasn't the most outdoorsy person, but this was just fucking ridiculous. She had tripped over at least a dozen rocks in the last half hour and lost her balance so many times that she was beginning to think something was wrong with her inner ears. Her mood did not improve as they pushed deeper into the area and she just flopped on the ground, sitting cross legged with her arms crossed as well.
Solas knelt in front of her and she refused to look at him. Her body was bruised and she was aching all over from running or falling into shit. Didn't help that her emotions were all over the place because of the bond and she was trying to keep a lid on it. She didn't want him to know just how bad it had gotten over the last few days. She let out a squawk of surprise as the elf lifted her onto his back with his staff situated under her butt for stability.
"Do not worry, vhenan. I will not let you fall. Simply relax and enjoy yourself." Her elven mate spoke, making her flush in embarrassment.
"Sorry for being such a burden, lethallin." She whispered, ducking her head to hide her face into his back.
"You are not a burden, my love." He replied while taking the lead for their party, "It is I that is causing you such discomfort and for that, I am deeply sorry."
"Shit, I was trying not to show it. Ir abelas, ma fen." She apologized, feeling terrible for not being able to hide her emotions better.
Solas sighed while shaking his head.
"There is no need to hide it, ma lath. There is no shame in relying on others, my little fox. You no longer have to carry the burden alone. I am here now and I'm not going anywhere without you." He replied firmly.
"And he's not the only one. I'm here too and I'll gladly help. You just have to let me." Anders commented, joining them near the front.
"It's the mating bond." She began, pausing a moment to figure out how to word it properly without painting Solas in a negative light, "It allows us to do a great many things like transferring magic to each other, but it also allows us to feel each other's emotions.
At least that's how it's supposed to work, but my amnesia has caused the bond to be a bit hampered. So right now, I'm feeling what Solas feels, but without any kind of filter or any way to control how much I get from him and I can't distinguish his feelings from mine most of the time. It's why I've been so grumpy and frustrated, feeling useless like I'm always failing.
He blames himself so much like he has failed me in some monumental way. Like me getting hurt at the Conclave and not remembering, it makes him feel helpless because he can't do anything about my lack of memories. He has to restrain himself so much because I don't know him and he doesn't want to hurt me by being too physically intimate.
I can feel all of that and more, then shove my own emotions in there with my weird, funky foresight thingy that I swear is just like a really fucked up intuition that does whatever it damn well pleases at any given time and I might as well be a fucking volcano waiting to erupt at any second.
Oh and then add in all the bullshit like people calling me knife ear or rabbit, like seriously people go find a dictionary and look up some better insults. Then there's the assholes that accuse me and Solas of stealing because the clothes he made himself were of a better quality than what even the finest of nobles could afford. Oh and of course, the fucking asshats that think that every person with pointed ears are fucking servants meant to serve there every whim and perverse desire."
"Vhenan…" Solas interjected, his tone hard from his rising anger.
"You're not allowed to petrify every idiot that barks orders at me or tries to feel me up and yes, this has happened quite a lot at Haven. You want to know the details then ask Josie and Leli. There's a reason why so few nobles don't remain in the village for an extended period of time. Most of them have their reputations thoroughly ruined and the financial standings utterly destroyed.
You fuck with the Herald of Andraste and you make life long enemies of our spymaster and our ambassador, two badass women that masterfully play the Great Game and they play to win. Though after what happened when I barbecued that guy, I'm going to show you the morons that are not taking no for an answer the next time we're in the Fade because my patience for stupidity has reached an all time low." She continued on and her Dread Wolf settled down a bit.
The conversation eventually lapsed into a comfortable silence. Perhaps attempting to keep her emotions bottled up had not been the best decision to make, but she was just so used to having to deal with everything herself. Back when she was living her human life in the modern age, she didn't have anyone she could go to for help. Anna lived in another state for the longest time before the two of them had finally managed to get a place of their own.
Before that though, Artz was always alone. She spent close to twenty nine years having to deal with all the curve balls that life kept throwing at her, rolling with the punches and trying to overcome two different kinds of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and insomnia. Her stress level had always been ridiculously high and her blood pressure reflected that. It was a miracle that she wasn't a basket case before coming to Thedas.
She would admit to herself that she had some serious issues with self worth and had a terrible time believing in herself, but that was what she had Anna for. She sobered at the thought of her sister. Thanks to Pride, she now knew that her sister was not only in Thedas, but was currently roaming the countryside of Tevinter with her favorite broody elf.
The problem was coming up with a reason good enough to convince the crossbow wielding storyteller that the Inquisition needed Anna and Fenris without tipping the dwarf off about who she really was. She was currently lying by omission or telling a sort of truth and letting others draw their own conclusions, but the last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself and by proxy, her beloved Fen'harel.
Varric was a crafty son of a bitch that had even successfully lied to the Seeker of truth about the current whereabouts of the Champion of Kirkwall, but there was something off about how he acted towards her. Right from the very beginning, he interacted with her like he knew that she was going to be there or at least suspected that she would be there. Unfortunately, she sucked at being able to read people though she was getting better at reading auras. Guess she'll just have to wait and see, maybe her Dread Wolf could do something.
Varric Tethras, proud citizen of the City of Chains and friend to the Champion of Kirkwall, was currently tromping through the wooded hills leading to the Crossroads in the Hinterlands. Why was he there…to assist a certain individual that he had promised another that he would find. Said person being an elven mage with silvery white hair and the bluest blue eyes he had ever seen.
She was the proclaimed Herald of Andraste and mate to their local Fade expert, Solas, but the Dwarven author knew that this particular elf was known by another name, Fen'harel. How did he know this? His good buddy, Amethyst that he fondly referred to as Angel, a nickname she herself had chosen though he had to admit that it suited her quite well. She was known in Kirkwall as the Angel of Mercy, a kind and gentle soul that helped as much as she could.
That was her public persona. In the shady underworld of Northern Thedas, she was known as the Angel of Death. She accompanied the one known throughout Tevinter and the Free Marches as the Blue Wraith, better known to his friends as Fenris. Although she possessed magic, she favored the more roguish talents of dual wielding and bowmanship. She preferred ranged combat, but she had to rely more on her blades while in the city due to the cramp quarters.
Angel was a woman from another world, a world without magic, where science and technology had replaced swords and shields. She had told him so many stories of this modern world, entrusting him with a wealth of knowledge that he honestly had no idea what to do with. The biggest secret had to do with a series of interactive games called Dragon Age and that was how he knew that the humble apostate he had nicknamed Chuckles was, in fact, an ancient elven mage known to the Dalish as the Dread Wolf.
Angel believed that since her sister was not the Hero of Ferelden that she would show up in Haven, either as the Herald of Andraste or the main protagonist of the installment that came after Inquisition. He and Fenris were the only ones that knew her sister's name and that name was Artz. When he had heard her name, he swore to stay by her side and protect her just as he promised Angel.
After spending a few weeks with her, he could see why her sister loved her so much, but also why she was so damn worried as well. Artz had self esteem the size of a grain of sand and honestly believed that nothing she did was even remotely noteworthy which royally ticked him off. The woman was so damn accommodating and welcoming that it was ridiculous. She genuinely enjoyed helping others and was so fucking happy when she made one of them laugh.
She was always more worried about everyone else that she actually forgot that she was a person with needs and wants too. On more than one occasion, she actually forgot to eat, going almost all day without food and commonly didn't realize that her stomach was growling because she was focusing solely on a particular task. He had taken to carrying around an assortment of cheeses and dried fruits so she could snack absent-mindedly. It was the only way he could get her to eat on a regular basis.
She had the most infectious personality, so warm and kind and open. She always made sure to listen, making certain that the person was always heard and offered advice once they were done ranting. She was thoughtful and surprisingly practical. She wasn't one for pomp and circumstance, having a rather deep dislike for nobility and royalty though she seemed to have a soft spot for Alistair Theirin, current monarch of the kingdom of Ferelden.
He assumed that her bias towards the man came from the fact that he was technically the first permanent companion to the main protagonist of Dragon Age Origins and was a possible romance option for a female Grey Warden. Artz straight up despised Orlais with a passion so intense that it was a miracle that the whole country was not engulfed in azure flames. She was not happy about how the Dales had been taken from the elves.
She bore no love for the Dalish either, sickened by their quite ludicrous superiority complex, and how they sought to preserve the vallaslin which were actually how the ancient mage kings bound their slaves. She was very vocal about how the Dread Wolf was actually the leader of a great rebellion and that he was the one responsible for the creation of the Veil, to stop the false gods called the Evanuris from destroying the world in ancient times.
She skirted the truth a bit by saying that her radical beliefs were why she was not part of any Dalish clan. The cover story she and Solas used was quite good. If you didn't have prior knowledge of either of them, then they had an airtight story that allowed them to tell the truth as much as possible with none being the wiser.
Unfortunately, not everything Angel had told him was true or at least what had happened in the game, Dragon Age Inquisition. Solas was not meant to be the Inquisitor, that role was reserved for the Herald of Andraste. Also, the ancient elf was not the Herald's mate in the game and later on, he was actually supposed to dump the poor girl and then disappear for two years, coming back only to stop a Qunari invasion and destroying her left arm to save her life before leaving again.
That was in no way a healthy relationship, but Artz was a sucker for guys with tragic backstories and though it broke her heart every time to romance them, she still did because she loved them. This not only applied to Solas but Fenris as well. According to Angel, the broody elf was meant to leave the Champion of Kirkwall after sleeping with him/her and wouldn't get back together until years later and not long before the Knight Commander went nuts and tried to slaughter every mage in the Gallows.
At least Broody would actually come back, but Chuckles, in the game, was a fucking ass. The current version of the ancient elf was not acting like the man Angel said he would be and he wasn't entirely sure why, but he supposed that they would get the story soon enough. Blondie was not wrong when he said he was up to something.
Shortly after the Inquisition was born, Varric used the sending stone gifted to him by the magical rogue. He filled her in on what was going on and to say she was stunned was an understatement. All it took to convince the elven warrior was Artz is in Haven. They agreed that it would be best to meet outside of the Frostback Mountains and he suggested the Hinterlands, figuring that Artz needed all the help she could get with trying to stabilize the region.
He wasn't sure exactly where they would meet up and wasn't willing to risk using the sending stone while on the trip. He wanted it to be a surprise and he knew how much it would mean to both Angel and Starshine. Oh he couldn't wait to see how Broody would react to their Herald of Andraste. He pretty much knew that Artz was going to pounce on him and snog him senseless the moment she lays eyes on the broody elf.
Cresting yet another hill, they finally found the camp where their scouts were. Artz, who had been riding on Anders's back for the last couple of hours to give Solas a break, finally returned to walking with them, even taking the lead. She figured that it would not do the Inquisition any favors for her to be seen using her companions like her personal mounts, but she did thank both men for putting up with her, the men in question both rolling their eyes in fond exasperation.
Now that she could see where she was going and seemed to be in a more familiar landscape, she was easily able to make the trek though she did stumble a few times over some hidden roots. It was so cute how she would pause for a second to glare at both the root and her feet like she couldn't decide whether or not to be pissed off that she tripped or pissed that the obstacle existed to start with.
They finally arrived at their camp and were approached by a rather lovely looking dwarf. Word on the grape vine was that she was the best damn scout in the whole of Southern Thedas and incredibly trust worthy to boot.
"The Herald of Andraste! Inquisitor! I've heard the stories, everyone has. We know what you did at the Breach. I also know that you're the most progressive Dalish elf in all of Thedas, my lady, and it's an honor to serve." The Dwarven scout commenter, earning a smile from the Herald.
"Inquisition Scout Lace Harding, the honor is mine and thank you for your assistance." Starshine replied, shocking the scout for a moment.
"Maker's breath, those rumors about you knowing things, well I just thought they were rumors. I honestly don't know what to say to that." The scout admitted, taking a second to collect her thoughts.
"Harding, huh? Ever been to Kirkwall's Hightown?" He asked, making the Herald snort.
"Can't say I have. Why?" Scout Harding asked, confused.
"You'd be Harding in…oh, never mind." Varric started but left it hanging.
The seeker of truth let out a sound of disgust while Starshine actually laughed. Meanwhile both Chuckles and Blondie just sighed, having spent time with him and decided not to comment on his bad puns. Still, it had the desired effect of cheering up little Miss Starshine which was kind of the point. She had been all sorts of grumpy, broody, frustrated, and hitting some all time lows.
Her emotions were all over the place and he wasn't surprised. She had been going through a lot shit lately. She woke up in Thedas as an elf, has magic, the funky mark on her hand, the weird foresight thing, the enigma of Solas, the chaos from the shit storm that was Haven, the Breach, the sudden introduction of a certain spirit healer, the mystery of Angel, the responsibilities of being a holy figure, the intentional deep frying of an asshole that tried to rape her, the constant headache from all the racial slurs and being accused of being a thief… well, shit, how was she still fucking sane?
"It's a play on words, Lace. He's referring to a series of books called Hard in Hightown. They're actually quite a good read, one that I highly suggest along with anything else written by Varric Tethras. Anyways, we should get down to business. What's going on in the area?" The Herald explained with a slight giggle.
"We came to secure horses from Redcliffe's old horsemaster. I grew up here, and people always said the Dennet's herds were the strongest and fastest this side of the Frostbacks. But with the mage-templar fighting getting worse, we couldn't get to Dennet. Maker only knows if he's even still alive.
Mother Giselle's at the crossroads helping refugees and the wounded. Our latest reports say that the war's spread there, too. Corporal Vale and our men are doing what they can to help protect the people, but they won't be able to hold out very long. There's also a report of a group of three rogues, a warrior, and a mage trying to minimize the overall conflict between the mages and the templars. We're not sure what their angle is, but it might be worth checking out. Last sighting was on the King's Road." The scout reported before walking away.
Interesting, very interesting. This was yet another thing that didn't line up with what Angel had told him about the game. Though he wouldn't be surprised if she had something to do with it. Ever since the attack in Blondie's clinic that nearly killed Anders, Fenris and Angel, all of them had a pretty strong dislike of templars which was saying a lot for Broody. That day had been a real eye opener for the elven warrior, realizing that corruption was not limited to just mages and in fact, ran more rampant amongst the Templar ranks.
Fenris was always a difficult man to read on the best of days, but after what happened with Justice and then the clinic right afterwards, he was different. He had become fiercely protective of the spirit healer, even more so than he was of Angel. He had a feeling that it was caused by seeing the look of absolute horror and heartbreak on Anders's face after the mage's magic nearly killed the broody elf.
Anders had deliberately rendered himself powerless to remove the spirit of Justice and protect the elven warrior. He had been there when Angel told the elf just how tore up the spirit healer was and that she was going to stay in the clinic until he could get his magic back to protect himself. Fenris had looked legitimately shocked that Anders would willingly strip himself of all magic, albeit briefly, just to protect him. Shit like that changes a man.
It had taken all of his strength to get down to Dark Town. Varric did shadow him as did Isabella to make certain he had made it okay. By the time they realized something was wrong, the elven warrior had killed all the potential enemies, helped Anders, and was checking on the magical rogue before they could even make it inside the room.
Broody had not been in the best of shapes either. The pain from his brands had still not faded and he was about to collapse from acute exhaustion, but he had refused to leave and nearly chopped off the pirate's head for even suggesting that he leave the currently powerless spirit mage. Yeah, he still didn't get the sudden fixation on Blondie. Something had happened inside that elf's head, but damned if he knew exactly what though.
After filling a few requisitions, Starshine led them down the steep cliffs and located a small chest, quickly requipping the contents before sliding down to the main path. She requipped an iron deposit and some random pieces of Elfroot. She was pretty damn proficient and didn't waste time. Then again, she had gotten a lot of practice while in the snowy hills and forests of the Frostback Mountains.
Making it to the Crossroads, they encountered the Inquisition soldiers that Scout Harding had told them about and they were fighting both the mages and the templars. They had tried to talk to them, to get them to stand down, but it was like they had gone completely mad, driven insane from the constant battles. There had been no saving them and the look of intense sorrow on Starshine's face as she glanced around the blood stained battleground was enough to break the heart of any man.
The elven Inquisitor directed Corporal Vale and his men to secure the immediate area and set up patrols while putting out any fires before shifting his attention to his mate that actually glared at him. She pointed towards the wounded and pinned him with a look that said Heal first then worry about me. Fortunately, Blondie did not need a reminder of priorities and had already jumped in to help, using his spirit healing magic to patch up the worst of them.
The crossbow wielding storyteller watched from afar as the Herald of Andraste spoke to the chantry mother. He took that moment to pull out the sending stone since the seeker was preoccupied with Corporal Vale and the other Inquisition soldiers.
"Heya Weaver, what's the word?" The familiar voice of his friend came through the glowing stone.
"Word has it that there is a group on the King's Road trying to help out. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?" He answered in a knowing tone.
The voice from the stone chuckled good-naturedly.
"Perhaps. I take it you're at the Crossroads then." She surmised.
"She looks like she wants to punch Mother Giselle." He commented, watching the Herald glare at the dark-skinned woman.
"I am not surprised. She's not a big fan of the chantry." The voice responded, then there was a brief pause, "Shit, gotta rocket, Weaver. Templars inbound."
The sending stone went dark and he tucked it back into his shirt. He pulled a small dagger from his coat and turned around, brandishing the dagger towards the supposed threat, only to come face to face with the Inquisitor. The smug bastard was smiling in a way that made his heart hurt. There was so much pain and sorrow in the elf's eyes but also hope and relief. He pocketed the knife while trying to comprehend what exactly the elven mage was feeling.
"Ma serannas, Varric." Solas stated, the gratitude ringing in every syllable.
He knew from Daisy that ma serannas was elven for thank you or my thanks. What was Chuckles thanking him for?
"What are you thanking me for exactly, Chuckles?" He asked, still confused.
"It would be difficult to explain, but the short version is that I have been searching for someone for a long time and have been unable to find them, but thanks to you, I have and I am quite relieved. It has been a long time since I last heard her voice. I did not realize just how much I had truly missed her until now." The Inquisitor answered, looking like he was about to shed tears.
Before the dwarf had a chance to respond, the Herald of Andraste came racing towards them. She latched onto Solas and hugged him close, whispering in elven. The elven mage returned the hug, a smile caught between happiness and sorrow adorning his face.
"Ir abelas, ma vhenan. I did not mean to make you worry. I am alright, just remembering something from long ago." The bald elf spoke, mostly in the common tongue.
Artz rattled off a bit more in elven while pulling back to look at her mate, searching his eyes for something. He smiled at her before kissing her gently. He kept it brief then asked her about her conversation with the chantry mother and she filled them in. Yeah, she really didn't like the chantry. Oh she got along great with Cassandra and Leliana, but the chantry as a whole was nothing but hypocrisy to her and practically pushed people into being racist.
That's not to say that the chantry served no purpose, but in her eyes, it was in desperate need of a massive overhaul. She was also an advocate for mage freedom and not because she, Solas, and Anders were mages, but that she believed if you tell someone long enough that they are monsters then that was what they would become. She was not afraid of the Fade, because spirits only became demons based on what people brought into the Fade with them.
She, herself, had befriended many demons, but because she did not see them as demons, they reverted back to their original states as spirits and the former demons were happy to be themselves once more. It was people that created the demons, their fear and ignorance warping the Fade into a place of nightmares and terror.
Then came her opinion on templars and overall she thought the idea of the entire order was a fucking insult to all sentient life. Forcing your warriors and rogues to ingest a highly addictive substance that will ultimately shorten your lifespan and kill you if you stop taking it was wrong on so many levels. It was a glorified leash to keep them in line.
That was why she completely supported the Commander of the Inquisition's forces. This was when he learned that Curly was no longer taking Lyrium and Starshine begged him not to say anything to the Commander about it. She just wanted him to know in case he needed some help in the future and he was more than happy to keep it a secret. Just add it to the list of the ones he was already keeping.
After their conversation, Artz decided to get things rolling. She spoke to a hunter about the food they had brought and although it helped, she still wanted to go hunt some rams to augment their food supplies. She then spoke to an elf that was worried about his wife. She grabbed Anders and asked him to take a look at the woman. Turns out the breathing problems she had was something called asthma and Blondie was able to whip up a few things to help her, though they did promise to tell their son about it and hopefully get him to come back home for a while.
There was a female mage that wanted nothing to do with the war or the rebel mages and refused to speak to them further. Artz said that once they found a dead Templar with a phylactery that they would speak to her again because she was a possible agent that could be recruited. They headed over to speak to a soldier named Whittle and handed over all the pelts they had brought with them and Artz promised to look for some caches of supplies to further help the people at the Crossroads.
Starshine then informed of a smuggler named Tanner that was operating out of Redcliffe as a chantry sister. Then there was a very special ram that was going to need to be sent home, take some blood lotus to a lake for a spirit of Valor, walk three times around a column and fight off a walking corpse, return a treasure past the forest villa and fight a rage demon, and holy fucking shit. How did she manage to keep all this shit straight in her head?
There was apparently more, but she thought that this was enough to start with and that she would fill them in later. Cassandra returned from speaking to Corporal Vale and debriefed them about everything that was occurring with the mages and the templars. Afterwards, they set out towards the hills near the Inquisition camp. Solas stopped them briefly to discuss something with Artz, who started grinning.
She swiped her hand down and swiped at the air a few times before tapping something. There was a flash of light around the Inquisitor and when it faded, the elf's clothes had changed. He was now sporting a wickedly cool set of armor. It was predominantly gold and a fur pelt draped over a shoulder and attached to the belt. There were buckles attacking the metal pieces to the shoulders, arms, and torso and hot damn, he made it look good.
Artz called his god armor and he could see why. He had actually seen a sketch of this armor that Angel had painstakingly drawn to show him what Solas would look like in the Trespasser DLC of Dragon Age Inquisition and it really did suit him. There was a flash around Artz and her clothes changed as well. Deep red coat that hung past the knees, black skin tight bodice, fitted black leggings, black boots that stopped just below the knee, and runic writing that shimmered across all of it, making her look almost ethereal.
This armor was made from the skin of a high dragon and the runic writing was done in the blood of a high dragon. It was warded, enchanted, and was completely decked out in magic that it would take twenty templars using a constant stream of smiles two days before they could break through all the defenses. He wondered briefly why they hadn't worn their better armors before now, but then remembered how often Starshine had been accused of being a thief in just her normal clothes.
After they had changed, the group continued onwards. It took about two hours to hunt down enough rams to appease the Herald of Andraste. They sent the fruits of labor back with some of the scouts that had followed them for that very purpose. One scout still remained and that was so they could send that one back to tell Whittle about any caches they found.
During their trek through this area of the Hinterlands, they closed several rifts and gathered demonic body parts. They also visited a woman that had been trapped in her house by a rift and learned that the rogue templars killed her husband and took the promise ring she had given him. Artz promised to bring it back and he had to hold back at sigh. The likelihood of finding a single ring was statistically impossible. Oh why did he bother?
She actually bloody found the thing, along with the body of a dead woman. She took the note from her before setting the body ablaze. When the fire died down, she gathered most of the ashes and placed them in a simple urn, requipping it once done. They found several caches and marked them on a map of the local area. They set up a camp location to send along with the scout once they found the rest of the caches.
Then there was Ritts, the Inquisition scout that managed to charm an apostate out of her pants during a damn war. She got lucky that they had headed in this direction first because they were able to save her lover and Artz recruited them both to help make contacts and form their own little spy network. The two happily agreed and went on their way. After that was a cult worshipping the Breach, and after sealing the rift within the walls of their little fortress, they recruited Anais to spread word of the Inquisition which would definitely help their ambassador in the long run.
Andraste's flaming knickers, this woman was a fucking task master. Within the first day, she had successfully taken care of all the basic needs of the Crossroads, managed to purify some red lyrium back into regular lyrium which she ran away from post haste, found all the caches, delivered the ashes of the woman they had found and recruited her lover to the Inquisition, informed the son of the elf with breathing problems about his mother and his parents' request for him to come for a while.
She also located the phylactery of the mage that had refused to converse with them further, returned the promise ring to the widowed elf, reported to the other scout that Ritts was alright, returned the phylactery to the mage and successfully recruited her as an agent of the Inquisition, spoke again to the hunter and to Whittle, and stopped to fill a few more requisitions.
Artz had gathered every herb and mineral that they had come across. She also solved something called an astrarium and then there was the thing with the skull on a post that you had to look through which led to some freaky looking shards that whispered when you got near them. There were also the strange square pieces of some kind of mural, though he had no clue why they were dispersed in the most random locations. Ugh, again he asks…how did she keep all this information straight in her head? How did she remember it all?
They decided that it would be best to put off tracking down the rogue mages and templars until the next day which meant that his surprise for her would also have to wait, but that was alright. One more night wasn't going to matter much. They decided to use the camp near the lake so they could do thing with the blood lotus and gather some more herbs and materials before heading down to the King's Road. After today, he desperately needed some sleep. He hadn't been this worn out since traveling with the Champion of Kirkwall.
Solas was content as he watched his heart dance around with some wisps in the Fade. It had been a very long day, but an extremely productive one. He had wanted to take her to the King's Road immediately since he now knew that someone very important was waiting for them, but alas, his vhenan was both head strong and determined to do things a certain way and the needs of the people at the Crossroads came first in her mind.
"Hello, Lethallin." A familiar voice spoke to him.
He turned his head to see his old friend, Wisdom, in the guide of a female elven mage. She sat next to him, a perplexed expression on her face. This was the first time in this lifetime that he had been within her presence so she was undoubtedly confused by what she was sensing from him.
"You are not the Solas that awoke from Uthenera a year ago yet I sense you are him…just older, much older." She commented after a moment.
"Forgive me for not seeking you out sooner, but my first priority was the well being of ma vhenan. Much has happened, old friend, so much that to share a fraction of it with you would take several thousands of years. The short version is that I have loved hundreds of thousands of lifetimes in a vain attempt to save the world myself and failing. I am not what this world needs, but she is." He began, nodding towards the woman that was his heart,
"She is everything I could never be and so much more. She was originally human, a human I had fallen in love with, and I left her. I carried out my plans, destroyed the Veil and the Evanuris, and it meant absolutely nothing. The elves became tyrants and monsters that put even the mage kings to shame. She was reborn into that world as a slave and she and her sister became the Dread Wolves. They became Fen'harel and led a rebellion against their former masters and won, only to be murdered like Mythal.
Servants of Mythal had spent millennia researching a spell that could displace my past self with my future self. I have used it almost a million times and failed every time. That is how I know that I am not what the world needs. Nor do I need to do anything for the world. My only purpose now is to make that woman happy, to keep her safe, and to give her the tools she needs to reshape the world and make a better future."
Wisdom was silent for several moments and he could feel the radical shifts in her aura before it finally settled.
"Would you be so kind as to introduce us, lethallin? I would like very much to get to know the woman that has so completely enraptured your entire being." She requested.
He smiled slightly before calling out to his little snow fox. She trotted over to them, her face full of curiosity.
"Vhenan, this is one of the friends I told you about. This is Wisdom. My friend, this is my life mate, Artz Lanaria." He introduced, expecting some sort of squeal of delight from his heart but that did not occur.
Her face became sad, her eyes filling with tears and he belatedly realized why. Of course she would know what would happen to Wisdom in the Exalted Plains.
"Vhenan, there is no need to worry. This is one of the things I changed. The mages from the Gallows no longer possess any such knowledge that could harm her or any other spirits. She is safe." He reassured, making her cry tears of relief.
She launched herself at him and gave him a crushing hug. He whispered words of assurance in elven, letting her get her emotions back under control. It was easier for her to deal with her deeper emotions while in the Fade, mainly due to the spirits that came to feed off of them. She shone like a star, so bright and beautiful, but when negative emotions overwhelmed her she shined too bright which was why the spirits volunteered to help manage them.
"Hello, Wisdom. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about the emotional outburst. I just know a lot of things about a probable future and in it, you were summoned by stupid mages that wanted a spirit to fight off bandits. It would have corrupted your song and turned you into a demon of pride and I had no idea how to save you which is why I got so upset. Ir abelas." Artz apologized, once she had calmed down.
"It is quite alright, da'len. The fact that you cared enough to want to save me at all speaks well of your character." Wisdom replied which he knew was not the right thing to say to his heart.
"It has nothing to do with my character, Wisdom, and of course I cared! Why wouldn't I? Just because you possess a different form than me does not make you any less a sentient being! Saving you from ignorant fools that believe whatever they read in a book is the right thing to do because you deserve to live just like anybody else!" She shouted passionately.
She recoiled a bit from her outburst, shrinking into his embrace from where she was sitting on his lap. She mumbled out an apology and he stroked her back in a soothing manner. Wisdom let out a tinkling laugh that clearly confused his vhenan.
"Oh lethallin, I can see why you fell for her. She is a rare and powerful spirit, one that cannot be denied. To resist would be futile. I approve." The spirit of wisdom commented, her tone light and happy.
Solas smiled, his own happiness radiating from him. His heart felt the shift and looked up at him, her eyes searching. He kissed her lips, receiving a hum of approval from the snowy haired woman in his arms. She smiled at him after he broke the kiss, her aura filling with joy which sent the nearby spirits into a tizzy. They started swarming the area to bask in the warmth of her positive emotions. His heart let out a delighted laugh when one of the wisps buried itself into her chest and she hugged the little ball of light.
More spirits migrated to the area some he did not recognize meaning that this was their first time there. When she felt more positive emotions like joy, love and excitement, spirits would flock to her in mass, demons too but they always reverted back to spirits if they didn't leave within the first five minutes. Wisdom was right when she said that it would be futile to resist, because nothing was stronger than Artz's will. She would change the world one heart at a time.
The next morning had been a bit eventful, starting with the disappearance of the Herald of Andraste. No one could find her and they hunted the surrounding area for her. They noticed that all the herbs and mineral deposits in the area were gone. They headed up towards the lake and the bowl where they were supposed to put the blood lotus was floating in the lake upside down. Then they were startled by a brightly colored ram running in the direction of Redcliffe village.
They proceeded further along and it was Anders that noticed the scorch marks first. They followed the trail to a waterfall and behind the waterfall appeared to be some sort of small cave. They continued on and ran across several crispy bodies of dwarves. Varric knelt down to examine them.
"Looks like they're Carta. What has Starshine gotten herself into now?" The storyteller mused aloud.
"Most likely she was ambushed while in the hills near the lake." Solas commented before pushing further into the cave.
They found the remains of a wooden wall with a door blown off its hinges.
"The Herald's work, no doubt. Why would she continue without coming to retrieve us?" Cassandra surmised.
"If I am correct, then this would be the entrance to Vallamar, a trading post for the dwarves before the Deep Roads fell during the First Blight." The Inquisitor postulated while removing his staff from his back.
They ran deeper into ancient Dwarven ruins and found more fallen Carta agents. The remnants of drakestone were scattered here and there but no actual deposits.
"Artz probably picked the place clean. She's nothing if not thorough." The spirit mage pointed out.
"Meaning that she takes everything that's not nailed down, eh Blondie?" The author joked as they pressed onwards.
When they stumbled across the corpses of darkspawn, they knew why she was in such a hurry.
"Ma vhenan would undoubtedly wish to stem the flow of darkspawn as quickly as possible. The threat to the area was too much to risk any possible delay." Solas concluded.
They soon found where the darkspawn were coming from, but they were already breaking through the wooden beams she had used to cover the hole. Solas and Anders worked together to create a rock slide to properly seal it.
"There, that should hold them for now." The elven mage stated.
"But where is the Herald?" The seeker questioned, concern in her voice.
There was a muted explosion, echoing through the expanse.
"I think we have our answer, Seeker." Varric commented as they made their way in the direction of the muted booms.
They found a room filled with the bodies of the remaining Carta members, finding some notes from where they had been spying on the Inquisition's activities in the area. There was another boom on the opposite side of a heavy vault looking door. The mages took to turning the gears on either side to release the mechanism locking the door. It swung open to reveal the Herald of Andraste fighting off a small hoard of darkspawn.
She raised a flaming shield as an ogre attempted to smash its full weight down upon her. It recoiled away while howling in pain from the burn wounds caused by her shield. The shield exploded outwards with a boom and incinerated another group of darkspawn. The seeker of truth charged in with a shield bash then drawing her sword to attack. The ranged fighters entered battle as well, but there seemed to be no end to the foul creatures.
The Herald ran behind some debris to dodge another ogre, only to fall into a hole filled with darkspawn. They had been coming up through the damn hole in the floor. There was no way she could fight them off. Her body shined with a bright, electric blue light and the light expanded outwards, destroying everything it touched. She collapsed soon afterwards and was brought back to the vault room by Solas. Anders used his remaining magical energy to use the debris within the vault to seal up the hole, preventing any further problems.
"Vhenan, can you hear me?" The bald elf asked, holding her face in his hands.
"Ma fen…ir abelas, there wasn't time. If I had waited, the whole area would have been overrun. Ir abelas, ma vhenan." She whispered, her head lulling in exhaustion.
Her eyes glanced around the room and he understood what she wanted. He ordered the others to gather anything of value and to bring it to her. Once they had done so, he held her arm up and she clenched her fist to scan the items and requip them. She began to fall over so he just lifted her into his arms and gestured towards the opposite door with only one gear to turn. The seeker turned the gear and the door swung open to reveal that they were near the bridge that led to the entrance of the trading post.
They left Vallamar as quickly as possible and returned to the outside world. Once past the waterfall, they made quick time back to the lake side camp. Solas saw to his mate while Lady Cassandra sent off a raven to Haven, warning of the outbreak of darkspawn and to keep eyes on the area in case of a resurgence.
"Solas…" Artz began, quietly.
He knew that she was feeling quite weary from using that unknown power of hers, a power that he could not fully explain or even begin to identify. It was unlike any kind of magic he had ever witnessed before. Why…why was this lifetime turning out to be so different from all the previous ones…what changed?
"Yes, my heart." He responded, going to her side immediately.
"Did you give me the power to see things before they happen?" She asked.
"No, I simply magnified the natural talents you already possessed. Though it is possible that aside from your probability mapping that you may have had some precognitive ability as well. I admit to not being specific enough in that regard. I was running out of power by then and simply started making generalized changes." He admitted, running his hand through her hair in a soothing manner.
"When I was human, I used to have dreams about random moments then months later, they would happen. It freaked me out so much that I just sort of blocked it out. I guess your spell brought it back out. I wasn't going to go into Vallamar just yet. I was gonna get the key from the forest villa then return, but then I saw the darkspawn and there wasn't time.
I knew it was dangerous, but if I didn't act, the Hinterlands would have been overrun in less than two days. They would have been slowed down by the rebel mages at first, but then they would start turning the women into brood mothers and even the dragon wouldn't have been able to stop them. They would have infected it and we would have a miniature Blight on our hands. I couldn't let that happen." She revealed, her eyes showing just how haunted she felt right then.
He pulled her into his arms and held her close. She snuggled into him, breathing in his scent to calm herself. She was so brave, paying for yet another miscalculation on his part. He hadn't known of her latent precognitive ability or he would have been more specific about what abilities were amplified, but perhaps this mistake was more beneficial than he believed because had she not seen the potential devastation caused by the darkspawn then Thedas would have experienced another Blight, smaller in nature, yes, but still holding lasting consequences had it occurred.
It did not change the fact that she possessed yet another burden to bear, one of his own making. Why did he keep hurting her? Was he truly incapable of being with her without causing her pain? He would never leave her like he had in the first timeline. He would not break her heart like that again, the pain was too much to bear. This was the last time for him and would selfishly stay by her side this time. He would do all in his power to make her happy which meant getting her to the one person she needed most, her sister.
Thanks to the crossbow wielding storyteller, he now knew that her sister was here in the Hinterlands, more specifically in the area of the King's Road or somewhere near it. Hearing the voice of his heart's truest believer once more had made his own heart ache in ways he had not expected. He loved Artz, but apparently one lifetime was all it took to have part of his heart stolen by her sister. He was not so arrogant to believe that he could have them both again.
Just having her in his life once more after such a long time, it would be absolutely wonderful. Anna was a joy to be around and when she sparked her sister's imagination, it was truly something to experience. The two going back and forth, trading ideas and molding stories that wove together so intricately and complexly that even he had not been able to fully comprehend all the twists and turns. The stories of the Blood Guard still made his head spin.
He was curious about how this version of Anna would be different from the one he knew. After all, the Anna he knew had been raised as a slave for her whole life. This Anna was bound to be quite different, yet he knew that some things would never change, her love for Artz being one of them. He noticed that his heart had fallen asleep in his arms and he decided that a nap was in order. He managed to move them in such a way as to not disturb her gentle slumber but get into a more comfortable sleeping arrangement.
Artz Lanaria once again found herself in the Fade. She always seemed to fall asleep in her mate's arms, not that she was complaining. When she was a human living in the modern age, she had a terrible time going to sleep and staying asleep. Her hyperactive brain refused to slow down and stay slowed down so she could get an adequate number of hours of sleep. She was always sleep deprived and learned how to function on lesser amounts of sleep, though she was told that it was not in any way healthy.
There was something incredibly calming about the elven mage that had nothing to do with the mating bond and everything to do with him. He always smelled like she was cracking a new book while sitting in a pine forest. It was an odd scent for a person to have, but it combined two of her favorite scent profiles, books and pine. There was, of course, the natural musk scent that typically accompanied the male species, but blended perfectly with the other two scents and made a scent that was entirely Solas.
Her thoughts lately always seem to revolve around the ancient elf. His fictional counterpart already possessed a tortured soul, but the Solas that was her mate was beyond tortured, beyond broken. The closest thing she could use to describe him was shattered, but even then, that word barely scratched the surface of all the things he had gone through, everything that be suffered and stupidly all for her.
She still wasn't sure how to feel about that, to know that someone she loved even while fictional had suffered so much and all because he had loved her. She couldn't really fathom the why of it all. Could love really make someone, anyone live almost a million lives just to save someone they love and build a better future?
"I do believe the answer to that question is yes." A familiar voice stated.
She turned to discover that she was in Skyhold, the rotunda specifically. The owner of the voice was Solas yet her senses told her that it wasn't her life mate.
"Pride." She spoke softly, realizing who he really was.
"Clever girl. I hope you don't mind me using Skyhold as the backdrop. It required less magical energy to reflect that which already exists in Thedas and allows me to remain longer." Pride responded, smiling at her.
"You said the answer was yes, but how would you know? You're not the Solas of my Thedas." She questioned, reverting to the original topic.
"That is indeed true, however I have seen something quite similar. Not exactly, per se, and perhaps more painful than simply reliving the same series of events. The example of self sacrifice for the sake of saving their loved ones… the Star Child." He revealed, making her feel like an idiot for a moment.
Of course, if anyone was the motherfucking poster child of self sacrifice then it was the Lady of the Blood Guard. She lived throughout the ages, the millennia, the eons, the rise and fall of countless kingdoms, and witnessing the passing of time and all its effects and all for the idiots that had loved her in the future, wanting so desperately to meet them in the past and bring everything full circle.
"Stop that." Pride stated suddenly, making her look at him in confusion.
"Stop what?" She asked.
"Stop comparing yourself to another version of yourself. No matter what universe you're in, you're still you. Completely impossible and maddening you that knows how to press all of my buttons by simply breathing. It doesn't seem to matter which version of you I converse with, you're all the same, just as confounding as ever." Pride ranted throwing his hands up in frustration.
"Sorry…I think." She replied hesitantly, unsure of what else to say at the moment.
He fade stepped in front of her and brought her into his arms, their faces close together.
"Never apologize for being you, for you are enough, too much sometimes, but certainly enough for me." He spoke softly, looking directly into her eyes.
She could see it, just how much Pride loved her even though she wasn't the Artz that he originally fell for, he still loved her anyways. It was nice to know that even in another universe that Solas could not only be saved, but also find the love that had long since been denied to him. She smiled at him, her body glowing slightly in a soft blue light.
"Why do I always seem to be glowing?" She asked, not really expecting an answer.
"What do stars do… shine." Pride answered, smirking at the stunned look on her face.