Exile
By Pyreite
Chapter 4 –A Last Meal
"Solas", replied Ellana, her voice devoid of warmth. She saw his smile waver, the corners of his mouth turn down. The spark of joy in his eyes dimmed at her cold reception. Ellana didn't believe the contrite expression on his face was genuine. Solas was too proud to see the wrong in anything he did, no matter how terrible the choice.
"Ma vhenan", he tried again, earnest in his desire to please her. He gestured to the delectable array of dishes on the table. The air was filled with the mouthwatering scents of roasted meats and vegetables. Ellana lifted her chin with a disdainful sniff irked by his presumptuousness. She wasn't a willing guest at his table.
"Are you hungry?"
Ellana considered the food, noticing that each platter was untouched. She saw an uncut leg of beef, a whole roasted swan stuffed with figs, and a side of venison. New season potatoes shared a platter with carrots, pumpkin, and onions. All piping hot and baked to a crisp. Bowls of apples, pears, and oranges sat amidst ramekins of ground salt and pepper.
Pitchers of water and wine, cups, and serving plates were at hand too.
It was a feast fit for a Queen.
Ellana didn't appreciate the fare or the conciliatory gesture behind it. She lost what appetite she had when Solas rose from his seat. He gestured to the place beside him, the chair was wooden with a high back. Its cushions were burgundy with padding as thick as her wrist. It looked comfortable if ostentatious as if Solas were trying to impress.
"Will you sit with me?", he asked with a hopefulness Ellana wanted to dash to pieces. "It has been too long since we have shared a meal together".
Ellana was outraged by his audacity. "Do you honestly expect me to sit and break bread with you?" she accused, sneering when his brows arched in surprise. Solas regarded her with the same sadness he'd had a hundred years ago in the glade outside Halamshiral. Ellana remembered the eluvian amidst the ruins of an ancient Keep. She also remembered the agony, the stench of burning flesh as he'd severed her arm at the elbow.
Solas swallowed with sudden nervousness. His gaze flitted from her to Mahariel. He was at her back, a staunch yet silent supporter. Ellana didn't see the way Mahariel smirked. She was focused on the god in the shape of a man that dared to change her routine.
"Did you expect me to be grateful when Mahariel commanded that I come here like a mabari called to heel?" accused Ellana. "I'm not your pet to be uncaged and paraded about to impress your followers!"
"That was not my intent", lamented Solas. "I want to spend time with you".
"Liar! I saw the way your guards looked at me! They think I'm your chattel! A wild Dalish bitch that warms your bed! Fen'Asha the Shewolf, consort of their liberator!"
"Vhenan".
"Don't call me that! I'm not your heart! What man in his right mind imprisons the woman he loves? You cut my wings and stuffed me inside a cage like a jewelled songbird!"
"It was necessary to keep you safe", explained Solas.
"Bullshit. You wanted a prisoner. You made sure to find yourself one that mattered. Who better than the famed Herald of Andraste?"
Abelas was appalled by her insolence. He was intent on defending Solas until Ellana turned on him. Three decades of pent-up frustration culminated in a scalding tirade.
"You were once Mythal's puppet! Now you're Solas' dog!" hissed Ellana. "Why would I speak to the hound over the Kennel Master?"
She dismissed him with a wave of her hand as if he were a lowly servant. She faced Solas again, snorting with contempt when his brows furrowed. The grey eyes beneath were hard and flinty. The barb of her insult had struck a nerve. She saw his jaw tense, the line of his mouth grim.
He was angry.
"Careful, vhenan".
The elven endearment infuriated Ellana.
"Or what? You'd sooner throw me back in my cage than beat me".
"You are my guest", corrected Solas with an immediacy that didn't surprise her at all. "You were given a room with suitable comforts not a dungeon cell with iron bars".
"Then why keep my room warded, guarded, and my door locked?" challenged Ellana. "A guest is afforded the freedom to come and go as they please. If I'm your guest. Why do I need an escort wherever I go? You implied that I wasn't a prisoner".
"As I have said. Some arrangements were necessary to ensure your safety".
"A lie. You didn't want me to escape".
Solas grimaced as if he'd tasted something sour. He didn't deny her accusation, though he was wise enough not to admit it aloud. To challenge her claim would be an admission of guilt. He was too proud to fall into that trap of his own volition. Solas said nothing, knowing that it was hopeless to argue with Ellana.
Abelas sought to contradict her claims. He stepped forward then froze when Solas intervened. The slow shake of his head was enough. Abelas acknowledged the command with an indignant nod. He'd not been given leave to speak on Solas' behalf.
It stung.
Abelas settled into a brooding observation of Solas' supposed consort. The pride in her bearing was unmistakable. She had nothing to her name save the clothes on her back and what few possessions she'd been allowed to keep. She was a prisoner of war, yet she'd retained her dignity. This wasn't the meek student that'd attended Solas' lessons in the ways of the Vir Thenerasan.
This was Fen'Asha, the Shewolf as vicious as she was beautiful.
Abelas was awed by her courage.
Ellana took a deep fortifying breath. It was trying to be in Solas' presence for any length of time. He was as vexing as he was terrifying. This was not the man she'd once loved. This was an ancient elven god masquerading as a mortal. A spirit of Pride in the guise of an elf.
He flinched when she asked Abelas a question.
"In all the time you've known him. Has Solas ever told you the truth?"
Abelas felt the weight of his master's gaze and that of her gaoler. Mahariel glowered when he hesitated to answer. Solas was less hostile when he bowed his head in acquiescence. Abelas couldn't quite believe what'd happened. He'd been granted permission to respond with absolute honesty.
"Not willingly. A god feigned or real has his secrets. Mythal was the same. You must understand, Ellana. Solas and I are products of a different time and generation".
"So you are", she agreed. "So am I. The Dalish at least had a sense of honour. Is that something you ancient cretins forgot when you entered Uthenera? I bet sleeping away the ages made you all insensitive pricks with hearts of stone".
"That is not true!" insisted Abelas.
"Isn't it?" countered Ellana. "When we first met you said I had the features of those who called themselves Elvhen. You implied that I was an invader, no better than the Red Templars that served Corypheus. I wore the same vallaslin as you did. I was a devotee of the same goddess, but you were adamant that I wasn't one of your people".
Abelas grimaced at the reminder of their first encounter. He'd thought her a shadow wearing vallaslin, more shemlen than elf even with her pointed ears. Her clothing, armour, and weapons had been as strange as her accent, manner, and guileless awe. Ellana had walked the halls, staring at the mosaics on the walls of Mythal's last bastion in Thedas. Her reverence of the All-Mother hadn't softened the insult of her ignorance.
Abelas had hated her on sight, but decades later he'd come to realise his error.
"You are more like the Elvhen now than you were before", he replied, hoping to mollify her lest Solas take umbrage. "You survived the breaking of the Veil. You can wield the same magic our forebears once did. You have the long life that we enjoyed too. Your accent is still strange, but you are learning what it means to be Elvhen".
"Thedas was flooded with magic", hissed Ellana. "I had to adapt or risk being possessed by a demon. I needed tutelage. Your master took it upon himself to instruct me, though I wish he'd found another tutor. You'd be a damned fool if you ever thought I enjoyed those lessons".
Ellana peered at each of them in turn, though her gaze lingered longest on Solas. She laid the blame for her losses at his feet. "You destroyed my life, stole my future, and built your world on the bones of my people. Their blood is on your hands. Are you satisfied?"
"Vhenan", implored Solas. "I am not proud of what I did, but I had little choice".
Her face hardened. "Are you satisfied?" She sniffed, scowling when his lips pressed into a thin grim line. He stared at her with those sad grey eyes. Solas knew when to pick his battles.
His silence incensed Ellana. There was no acknowledgement of his duplicity, no apology for breaking her heart. Solas lifted his chin with that famed haughtiness, though he said not a word to defend himself. Ellana exhaled a shuddering breath, the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
She blinked them away, determined that Solas wouldn't see her cry.
"No more games", she declared with a weariness that ran bone-deep. "I'm tired of being disappointed in you".
Mahariel thought it time to intervene. The spirit wearing the face of the Hero of Fereldan threw an arm across Ellana's shoulders. He drew her close, pressing his cheek against her temple. He made sure that Solas saw when she turned her face into his neck. Mahariel murmured soft words of concern.
"Are you all right, da'len?"
Solas was envious. Their casual exchange of touch proved one thing to him. The woman he loved trusted her gaoler more than she trusted him. It upset him when Mahariel made a show of comforting her. He patted her shoulder then ran his fingers through the silver curtain of her hair.
Solas was appeased when Ellana smacked his shoulder. It was worse when she pushed away from him. Solas saw her flustered face, the points of her ears as red as her cheeks. He frowned when her eyes went wide with incredulity. Solas was furious when she gasped, then gawked at him as if she'd realised he was watching.
She panicked then, recalling Abelas' warning. She stepped in front of Mahariel, throwing her arms wide as if to protect him. Ellana made a stand, looking Solas in the eye. She'd lost so much already. She was unwilling to lose anything else.
"Leave him alone!"
Ellana didn't consider Mahariel a friend. He'd been Solas' eyes and ears for almost three decades. Her gaoler as well as his spy. She should've hated him, yet Ellana remembered the moments of unexpected kindness. An apple pilfered from the kitchens.
A book concealed beneath his gambeson full of tales out of Arlathan.
Mahariel had spoiled her whilst being under constant scrutiny himself. A dangerous pastime while being in the Dread Wolf's employ. Ellana hoped that she hadn't gotten him into trouble. She didn't want Mahariel to suffer because of something she'd done. She was worried when she saw that Solas' eyes were narrowed, his black brows furrowing.
Ellana thought that she was the object of his frustrations. It made sense that he was angry after all she'd said. Except Solas wasn't glowering at her, but at someone behind her. Ellana turned around, gaping in astonishment when she saw who'd provoked him.
Mahariel winked at her. She blushed when he lifted a hand. He waved at her with a besotted smile, cheeks dimpling. Ellana was startled when she heard an exasperated sigh. She glanced beyond Mahariel to the sentinel elf in gilded armour.
Abelas ran a gauntleted hand down his face, golden eyes rolling. "Fenedhis lasa", he grumbled. Ellana shrugged her shoulders, unsure if she was to blame for Solas' lack of self-control. Abelas noticed when she didn't move, nodding to the table laden with food. A brisk shake of her had made his lip curl.
He was indignant, jabbing a gauntleted finger at her then at the table.
Solas was too absorbed in his staring contest with Mahariel to notice.
But someone else did.
Ellana was indecisive when Cole appeared by Abelas' elbow. He looked from her to the irate sentinel, demanding that she take a seat at Solas' table. Ellana was astounded when Cole encouraged her to comply. His words were few, but far from reassuring.
"Sit and eat. You'll need your strength for what's to come".
Abelas was ignorant of their interaction. He couldn't see or hear Cole. He was too furious to care if Ellana was uncomfortable with the situation. He was intent on this ridiculousness ending while Solas could save face. Mythal had never acted so undignified at social gatherings.
Abelas was aggrieved by Solas' lack of composure. To be jealous of another person was shameful for a member of the elven pantheon. He was the equal of a god not an infatuated boy a century passed puberty. He didn't care when Solas heard the irritation in his voice. Everything stopped when he made a statement.
"Pardon, my lord. But Fen'Asha has reconsidered. She will dine with you".
Ellana's eyes were wide with fright. She tried to spit an excuse when Abelas went for the kill. He growled at her through gritted teeth. It was less of a smile and more of a snarl.
"He is waiting".
Ellana was alarmed when Solas called to her. The endearment rolling off his tongue like liquid honey. He was as surprised as she was by the sudden change of heart. He pulled the chair beside him out for her, gesturing to it with a flick of his fingers. The endearment didn't rattle her as much as the way he told the truth.
"Vhenan. I know you have not eaten since last night. You will be hungry. I have had some of your favourite dishes prepared. It would be wise to eat before you go".
"You're planning to keep your promise?" asked Ellana.
Solas was hurt by her presumptuousness. "I know it chafes to have you here under my care. I would see you happy. Even if it means that you are far away from me".
"I don't believe you".
"I know. I do not deserve the kindness, but I hope you will indulge me. I would share one last meal with you. Abelas said you had changed your mind".
Ellana gave the sentinel a dirty look as she moved towards the table. She grabbed Mahariel's hand on the way much to Solas' annoyance. She ignored their host when she pulled out a chair for him. She didn't give Solas a chance to argue. If she had to share a meal with him than she would do so on her own terms.
"If I have to sit and eat with you. So does he".
Mahariel smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Fine by me".
Solas agreed albeit grudgingly. "As you wish, vhenan".
Mahariel had slung her bow and quiver across the back of his chair. The harness hung below the seat, inches above the floor. It swung back and forth in time with Mahariel's restless kicking of the table's legs. Ellana's plate jumped on the tabletop, it's porcelain rim knocking into her cup for the umpteenth time. She bit her lip, trying to stop the smile making her cheeks dimple.
Mahariel was being an absolute brat. He was bored out of his mind, even if his plate was empty. A spirit didn't need to eat, so he was amusing himself in other ways. Ellana noticed how tightly Solas gripped his cup. His knuckles were white with the strain, his fingers near denting the metal.
He was furious. Ellana saw the tightness around his eyes, the coldness in his gaze. He neither smiled nor grimaced. He hadn't eaten either. A glance at his plate revealed that it was empty.
Ellana eyed her own plate, still untouched. The food steamed on platters though no one had helped themselves. She was hesitant to serve herself, still distrustful of the fare Solas had prepared. She doubted he was above using a sedative or some nefarious spell to render her unconscious. Her thoughts took a dark turn when Mahariel called her name.
"You're glaring at your plate, Ellana".
"Better the plate than you", she replied with such sourness that Solas flinched. Ellana arched an eyebrow when he tried to cover his reaction by reaching for the nearest pitcher. The one filled with wine she judged from the cloying stink of it. Fruity with a hint of honey, though Ellana outright refused when Solas offered to fill her cup. "I'd prefer water".
"Vhenan", he pleaded. "It is a simple summer wine. I am sure you would enjoy it".
Ellana laid a hand atop her empty cup. "No", she stated – adamant. "You asked that I dine with you not drink myself blind".
Solas acknowledged her refusal with stiff formality. "As you wish. Water it is". He gave the pitcher of wine a last wistful look before he reached for the water. A hand browned by the sun grabbed the pitcher's handle.
"I've told you that she doesn't like wine", said Mahariel. He nudged Ellana's shoulder, nodding to her cup. "Are you thirsty, da'len?" He winked at Solas when she lifted her hand away. He tipped the pitcher, filling her cup with a gurgling trickle of water.
Ellana tensed when she felt the heat of Solas' gaze. She peered at him from under her lashes. She was unsurprised that he wasn't looking at her at all. He was focused on Mahariel. She groaned, eyes rolling.
"Would you two like some time alone? I can leave if you want to kiss and make up".
"That will not be necessary", replied Solas.
"You could've fooled me", countered Ellana. "I was locked in box with stone walls for nigh on thirty years. For all I know you two were sharing a bed, along with Abelas, and the rest of the sentinel elves. I don't care about your sexual proclivities Solas. Just don't involve me in them".
Mahariel snickered, grinning from ear to ear. The corner of his mouth curving upward. He smirked in pleasure when their host blushed. Solas tried to save face though his cheeks were red.
"I have not taken a lover since the fall of Arlathan".
Ellana shrugged her shoulders with a nonchalance that exasperated him. "I don't care. So why tell me?"
He gave her a look of such misery that even Mahariel felt sorry for him. "Ar lath ma". His words rang hollow. Solas didn't receive the response he'd wanted. Ellana gazed at him with contempt, the depth of her outrage reflected in the callousness of her words. Solas returned her scrutiny with his characteristic stubbornness.
"Is that another lie?"
"Never", replied Solas with a certainty that impressed Mahariel. "I have lied about many things, but never that. I have loved you since we shared that first kiss in the Fade. I love you still despite all that has transpired since the day you surrendered Skyhold. I love your spirit, your feistiness and that indomitable will that I could not bring to heel".
"Is that supposed to be a confession?"
"I will always love you", he insisted.
Ellana didn't believe him. "If that's true then send me away", she told him. "Right now". She gestured to the table set with myriad dishes, to the cups, and still empty plates. "Stop this façade of a banquet and exile me".
Mahariel pretended to sip from his cup, the rim pressed to his lips. He looked over the top of it to Solas, gauging his reaction. It'd been a bold move to remind their host of the promise he'd made but had yet to fulfil. The question of Solas' honour made Abelas twitchy. The sentinel's hand was on the hilt of the sword strapped to the belt at his waist.
A single look and he was ready to react with violence if need be.
Solas knew it too. He didn't rise to Ellana's baiting. He did meet his guard's eye and shake his head. Abelas frowned, but let his hand fall away from his weapon. His nod of obedience offended Mahariel.
"Oh, look", he sneered. "The hound obeying his master's wishes. I'm ever so impressed". He slipped a hand beneath the table, fingers curling around Ellana's thigh. She went still at his touch, though he felt the muscles coiling beneath her skin.
Mahariel couldn't help but smile when Ellana kicked him. He beamed at Solas, eyebrows waggling. The palm of his hand crept up her thigh, the pads of his fingers stroking the velvety fabric of her breeches. His hand went still when Ellana's nails bit into his wrist with a vengeance. She was close to wriggling in her seat like an eel.
Solas sensed something was amiss.
"Vhenan?"
"It's nothing", replied Ellana, her cheeks flushing. She grabbed her cup, bringing it to her lips to drink a mouthful of water. She swallowed whilst trying to pry Mahariel's hand loose. His fingers were inches from her crotch. She stiffened when he squeezed her thigh again.
He relented when he saw the angle of her cup. The rim wasn't quite against the bow of her lower-lip. It was angled towards him as if she intended to douse him with its contents. His green eyes glinted with amusement. He was quick to right her grip before she could let the cup slip from her fingers.
"Careful", he teased, catching her hand.
Solas saw the moment their fingers touched. His eyes narrowed in suspicion when Mahariel pushed the cup back into Ellana's palm. He arched an eyebrow when Solas stared.
"What? I was helping Ellana not to spill her water".
"How kind of you".
Mahariel smiled. "I've always been a caring person".
Ellana snorted, rolling her eyes. She was wary when Solas arched an eyebrow. He was fixated on the thick fingers clasping her cup. They weren't her own, but belonged to Mahariel. He was baiting the wolf in their midst.
Ellana knew why. "Fenedhis!" she spat. "I'm not a scrap of meat you two can fight over!" She rounded on Mahariel with a snarl. "Keep your hands to yourself or be prepared to lose them!"
He smirked and lifted his hands away from her. Solas saw his left hand rise from under the table, the right releasing Ellana's cup. Mahariel wiggled his fingers, eyebrows waggling when Solas sucked in an angry breath. Ellana set her cup down on the tabletop, the water sloshing inside but not spilling. She was quick to round on Solas too.
"And you!" she growled. "I don't want to be here! I only came because Mahariel told me that you would break your promise if I didn't! He's the reason I'm here, Solas! I won't pretend that we're friends after you've kept me under lock and key for twenty-seven years!"
Solas frowned, exhaling a weary breath. "I know, vhenan".
"Then why?" hissed Ellana as she gestured to the table laden with food. "I don't want to eat with you. I don't want to spend time with you. I don't want to see you at all. Don't you know how painful this is for me?"
"I do".
"Then why do you insist on torturing me?" she demanded. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. It was difficult for her to sit at his table. It was worse to realise that the banquet was a reflection of the last meal they'd shared in Skyhold.
It'd been a mixture of roasted meats and vegetables scrounged from the kitchen in Skyhold. Ellana had invited Solas into her quarters to eat hours before they'd been due to leave for the Arbor Wilds. The food had been served on a wooden platter without plates, forks, or knives. The Dalish had used their fingers to eat not cutlery. Ellana had tore into the roast beef and potatoes with relish.
Solas had frowned as if he were offended, then chuckled when she'd offered him the platter. It'd been a meal shared with a friend, full of laughter and pleasant conversation. It was a far cry from the tense stand-off three decades later in Solas' dining hall. His idea of breaking a thirty-year fast was a tug-of-war between foes. Ellana didn't believe a word he said when he replied in earnest.
"I wished to part with you on good terms. Alas, I was remiss in my judgement. You are quite correct. This is not the way I wanted to spend our last hours together. That being said, I would still ask this of you, Ellana".
She glared at him, still enraged and upset. "Why?"
Solas was sombre. "You are the love of my life. I may never see you again".
"You have no right to make demands of me!"
"I know, vhenan. But I still expect you to do me this kindness. It is a last meal for us both. You will endure it for me. Or you will be my guest for another year".
"Bastard!" she cursed. "I hate you!"
"I know, but my love for you will never change. Will you deign to eat with me?"
Ellana's lower-lip wobbled, the tears slipping down her cheeks. She wept in futility, angry and betrayed when Solas flicked his fingers. He cut into the leg of beef with a flash of blue-white fire, carving it from the bone with a spell. Ellana was miserable when he offered her the first few slices like a right and proper host. When she recoiled as if the meat were poisoned, Solas leaned over with a fork in hand to heap them onto her plate.
"I can have you escorted you back to your room".
Mahariel bumped Ellana's shoulder, then whispered in her ear. "It is a small sacrifice to guarantee your freedom. I know it is excruciating to accommodate him. But is your pride worth another year being imprisoned? It would be wise to eat and reserve your strength for the day to come".
To him it might have seemed a small thing to share a meal with Solas. But to Ellana sitting at the table of the man that'd murdered thousands was agony. Mahariel joined in, serving her from his side of the table. Her face was wet, her gaze accusing when he heaped steaming potatoes and carrots onto her plate. She knocked the salt aside, followed by the pepper when he dared to reach for them.
There were trails of white and brown powder on the table, then the muffled clatter of porcelain on the floor. The rugs cushioned the fall, preventing the breaking of the tableware. Solas was wary when Ellana eyed the fork in his hand. A twist of her wrist and she might have wrenched it from his grasp. He was mindful to keep it out of her reach.
"That would be most unwise, vhenan. If you try to harm me. I will have you chained to your chair and force-fed".
Ellana sniffed, thrusting out her lower-lip in a petulant pout. She would have stabbed him given the chance, though she thought better of it after that warning. She'd noticed the lack of any other cutlery on the table. There were no more forks, knives, or any other sharp implements. Mahariel had taken her knives, bow, and the quiver full of arrows.
Her weapons hung from the back of his chair, though the knives were still on his belt. It should've been easy to draw one without him knowing, but when she tried he captured her fingers. A hard bone-cracking squeeze made Ellana reconsider. She was seething when Mahariel reached across the table to pluck a slice of beef from her plate. He offered it to her, the juices dripping from his fingers.
"Are you hungry? If you won't touch the food yourself. I'd be glad to help".
Ellana opened her mouth with the taste of salt and sorrow on her lips. The meat smelt delicious, though she didn't enjoy a bite of it when Mahariel fed her by hand. Solas watched, seething with envy whilst she chewed and swallowed. Ellana opened her mouth like a baby-bird. Mahariel fed her a small roasted carrot, then a potato.
He paused, giving her a chance to quench her thirst.
Ellana reached for her cup, draining a quarter of it before she set it down on the table. She looked unhappily at the food, but didn't protest when Mahariel resumed his task. She opened her mouth again. More meat, carrots, and another potato followed. Ellana ate without relish, barely tasting the food she swallowed.
It was a mechanical act as if she were a doll wound by a metal cog. Mahariel fed her morsel after morsel while eating nothing himself. Breakfast concluded an hour later when Ellana's plate and cup were empty. Her belly was full, though her dignity was in tatters.
Solas had been too perturbed by her lingering bitterness to eat himself. He'd watched her bite, chew, and swallow what Mahariel had put in her mouth. He'd been jealous at first, even pitying but that'd soon turned to shame. Ellana had wept in silence through it all, eating as she'd been commanded too. Solas had often wished that she wasn't so bloody stubborn.
"So it is done", he stated, discomforted by the thought of what was to come. "Shall we adjourn until this afternoon?" He tensed when Ellana looked at him in misery. Her eyes were moist, red-rimmed and puffy, her cheeks still wet and glistening.
"You dare to ask that after making me suffer through this indignity?"
"Ir abelas, vhenan", apologised Solas. "You have more than earned your release. Come. Let us go to the eluvian. I will set you free".
Ellana took a deep fortifying breath, her eyes closing with palpable relief. She wiped the tears from her face, tensing when he pushed his chair back. She'd sat next to him throughout the meal, enduring his presence with fortitude. She'd not once said a bad word against him, though she'd only eaten from Mahariel's hand. The trust between them was fragile, an alliance borne out of necessity.
"It's about bloody time", complained Mahariel. "That was beyond cruel even for you".
"I did not ask for your opinion", groused Solas.
"That doesn't make what I've said any less true".
Solas saw how Ellana looked to her gaoler for comfort. How she relaxed when he nodded then borrowed her cup. Mahariel refilled it then washed the fingers of the hand he fed her with. He winked, smiled, and laid that hand still-wet upon her shoulder. He spoke to her in a gentle voice.
"I'm sorry for what was asked of you, Ellana. I know it wasn't easy, but you've persevered. Now it's time to claim your reward. Come, let's make one last trip together. Solas will keep his word".
He paused, a black eyebrow arching. "Won't you?"
Solas rose from his seat. "I will". He offered Ellana his hand. "If my beloved would walk beside me one last time. I will take her to the eluvian".
It was another ploy to buy himself time, though Ellana's patience had worn thin. She slapped his hand aside, whilst Mahariel pushed his seat back. He got to his feet before Ellana did. He moved behind her chair, waiting as she gripped the cushioned edge. Together they eased it back from under the table.
Mahariel offered his own hand to Ellana. She took it without hesitation, gloved fingers gripping his bare ones. She accepted his help, rising from her seat to stand beside him. She glowered at Solas, lip curling with indignation. She turned away, the silver wave of her hair rippling like water.
"A moment, da'len", said Mahariel. "We mustn't forget these".
He led her a few feet from Solas, urging her to stop as he reached over the back of his chair. The leather harness bearing her bow and quiver hung there like a prize. He lifted it clear then offered it to her in consolation. He waited when she turned around, presenting her back to him in an act of trust. She swept the curtain of her hair aside when Mahariel lay the leather strap over her shoulder.
She shrugged it on as if it were a piece of clothing.
He slowed when he heard the clink of metal as Ellana threaded the buckle. The harness pulled taut, the weight of the bow, and quiver settling against her back. She rolled her shoulders, making herself more comfortable. Mahariel didn't unbuckle the belt he'd borrowed after one look at Abelas. The sentinel was bristling with agitation.
Ellana turned around, rolling her eyes. Abelas was scowling fit to set his face aflame. She fell in step beside Mahariel, wary when Solas hesitated to lead them onward. She was fuming over the meal she'd been forced to share with him. The urge to draw her bow and knock an arrow made her hands shake.
Solas saw the murderous glint in her eye, though she didn't have a chance to attack him. Mahariel intervened, capturing her gloved left-hand. The prosthetic concealed by the long leather sleeve was hard beneath his fingers. He stepped forward, shielding her from Solas. Ellana resented the interference, resisting when he tugged her forward.
"Garas ma, da'len".
She relented when she spied an old and dear friend at Solas' elbow. Cole smiled, nodding, and gestured for her to follow Mahariel. Solas grew suspicious the instant he saw her look not at him but off to the side. He turned expecting to see something. His brows furrowed when he found nothing but empty air.
Cole had disappeared.
"Strange", he muttered. "Come".
Solas led them from the dining hall with Abelas on their heels. The sentinel didn't trust Ellana or her escort when they were armed. He alone stood between them and the bearer of Mythal's soul. Solas allowed only him inside his sanctuary. The rest of his guards weren't acolytes of Mythal, or trustworthy enough not to cut his throat.
The trip was shorter than Ellana expected. Solas didn't take a bewildering run through long corridors that meandered left and right. Instead he took a straight path from the dining hall into the chamber beyond. Ellana knew it was warded the moment Solas crossed the threshold of a large archway. Mahariel led her through by the hand.
Her skin prickled with unease, the hairs rising on the back of her neck.
Magic didn't have a smell, but it did have a presence. There was a heaviness on the air, like thunder before a storm. She'd never been allowed inside this room before. It was empty of decoration, the walls, floors, and ceiling were bare stone. She saw shades of grey broken by swirls of elven runes carved into intricate patterns.
None were familiar, though some glyphs sparked with an ominous crackle.
Mahariel guided her around them, careful not to linger near any of the wards. "Touch nothing", he warned. "This isn't ordinary magic. It's old, volatile, and capable of crippling instead of killing. A rather nasty trap if you're caught".
Solas overheard him. "Precautions are necessary".
"Unsurprising. You are the the liberator of the elves of Thedas. Plenty of shems want to see you swinging from the gallows. I bet a few elves do too. No wonder you're paranoid".
"Caution is not paranoia".
"Then why do you need a thousand years worth of protection spells on an old abandoned fortress?"
Solas didn't like his line of thought. "Venavis".
"Not paranoid my arse", retorted Mahariel. "Sometimes, you're a lousy liar".
Ellana stayed close, wary lest Solas change his mind. Breakfast lay heavy in her gut, a stark reminder that Solas had given her the courtesy of a last meal. She hoped it wasn't poisoned or filled with a sedative though she didn't feel sick or sleepy. Her head was full of morose thoughts until Solas brought them to a stone dais. Atop it was an archway filled with black glass that glittered like obsidian.
"Here we are", he told them. "Although at present it is inactive".
"Why?" demanded Mahariel. "You said that you would send Ellana away if she breakfasted with you. She has. You cannot go back on your word. Activate the eluvian".
Ellana tensed the moment Solas glanced her way. His grey eyes were stormy and full of sadness. She saw a glint of reluctance there too. She was afraid when he shook his head as if to deny her, though she was startled when he replied. His voice was tight as he struggled to say what she needed to hear.
"I cannot. Only Ellana knows the passphrase. It is what I told her when I took her vallaslin. Do you remember what I said, vhenan?"
She nodded, recalling that moment in Crestwood so many years ago.
Solas smiled. "Go to the eluvian. Speak the phrase. The way will open. You will be free".
Mahariel couldn't quite believe what he'd heard. He stared at Solas, expecting some kind of deception. Ellana moved around him, her gloved left hand still grasped in his right. His fingers were tight on her prosthetic wrist. The ball joint beneath the black leather rolled with a whir of mechanical gears.
Ellana took a step towards Solas, stumbling when Mahariel refused to let her go. She righted herself then faced her gaoler with astonishment. Wasn't this what he'd wanted? She gaped when she saw Mahariel's face. He was indecisive when he looked at her with sudden regret.
"You cannot leave me here alone".
Ellana was perturbed by the slow shake of his head. Solas watched the exchange, neither interfering nor saying a word. He watched, impassive when Mahariel refused to comply. Ellana gasped, jostling her wrist to shake him off. His grip was like iron.
"Mahariel! Let me go!"
His reply was calm. "You can't go alone. You need protection, guidance".
"I'll be fine!"
Mahariel tried to reason with her. "You could die out there".
"Better on another world than in this one!" spat Ellana. "I hate it here! I hate you! I hate Solas! If you won't let me leave than kill me!"
He recoiled as if she'd struck him, paling when the weight of her words sunk in. It was horrible to think that she preferred to die than to live. His resolve crumbled, his fingers slipping. He howled when Ellana elbowed him in the ribs. She wrenched her arm free, bolting the instant Mahariel doubled over. She ran for the dais, rushing passed Solas as she scrambled up the stairs.
"Farewell, vhenan", he whispered when she reached the eluvian. It hurt to witness her desperation, to see the raw hope on her face. She lacked provisions, but she didn't care a wit. It was a chance to escape while the door of her cage was open.
Ellana Lavellan would leave on her own two feet or inside a wooden box.
She reached the eluvian, chest heaving as she shouted the passphrase. "Ar lasa mala revas!"
"Wait!" roared Mahariel when the mirror turned from black to silver-white. The eluvian activated in a swirl of blue to reveal an open sky, a grassy meadow, and mounds of rubble. Ellana leapt through it without once looking back. She was gone in the blink of an eye, gliding through the eluvian as if it were a pool of water. Mahariel didn't think about the consequences.
He rushed passed Solas, running up the steps of the dais. He threw himself through the eluvian, following Ellana into exile. He too had nothing but the clothes on his back and the knives belted to his waist. The eluvian gurgled, spitting out both elves on the opposite side. Solas' cheeks dimpled when he climbed the dais, taking the same path at his leisure.
He looked into the eluvian, spying Ellana and Mahariel rolling on the ground.
Fighting.
He wasn't the least bit jealous when Ellana clouted her assailant on the ear. He was even less sympathetic when she kneed him in the balls. Mahariel might have been more spirit than elf, but he still felt pain. Solas was pleased when he yowled like a neutered tom-cat. Ellana tried to scramble away when he rolled onto his back, face purpling like a bruised plum.
Abelas climbed the steps of the dais. He stopped beside Solas, grimacing when he saw Mahariel crumpled over. He moved forward with two satchels clutched in his hands. He tossed both through the eluvian uncaring of their trajectory. Mahariel grunted then fell backward when the satchels struck him in the chest.
"Was that necessary?" asked Solas with concern.
Abelas snorted. "You did not like him any more than I did".
"It was still petty".
"He will live, I am sure".
Solas rolled his eyes when Abelas gestured to the Eluvian. "Let this be an end of your obsession with Ellana Lavellan. Close the cage door. Let her go free. You must focus on what is to come not what could have been".
"I know", said Solas. "I did not think it would be this difficult. I would have had her stay with me. It is where she belongs, though that is not what she wanted. How am I to take comfort in the knowledge that she is with him now?"
He pointed to the creature in the shape of an elven man glaring at the eluvian. Mahariel saw them conversing on the far side as readily as they could see him. He was splay-legged in the dirt, rumpled, and angry. Ellana stood beyond him, wide-eyed with incredulity when she spied the satchels in his lap. She too gazed back through the still open eluvian.
It was a two-way passage from their world into another far beyond Thedas. A place where their ancestors had travelled to millennia before in a time long passed. Solas had no memory of it, though another knew that foreign world all too well. He eyed Mahariel through the eluvian glad yet loathe to be rid of him. Solas snorted when Mahariel put a finger under his eyelid, pulling the skin down as he poked his tongue out.
"Close the bloody eluvian!" he barked. "We're not coming back!"
"Fenedhis. He can be so childish", complained Abelas. "Though that is unsurprising. He did learn his bad manners from you".
Solas closed the eluvian with a wave of his hand. The rippling blue-white glass turned black. Inactive. Ellana's exile was complete. She was in a place so far away from Thedas that Solas couldn't provide aid if he'd wanted too.
"Enough", he reproved. "It is done".
"So it is", agreed Abelas. "I still do not understand why you waited so long to send her away. You should have rid yourself of her thirty years ago. It was dangerous bringing her to the fortress. It was even more foolish to invite that wolf inside your walls".
"They are bonded. He knew she was here", countered Solas. "If I had not parleyed with him. He would have reduced the fortress to rubble, slaughtering thousands in his wake. Ellana was and still is his only concern".
Abelas knew it was true. Mahariel had ever been her shadow in and around the fortress. He'd not let anyone, even Solas within a foot of her without supervision. His guardianship had been constant, though Ellana had thought he was one of Solas' agents. Abelas wondered if she'd appreciate being tied to the most malicious spirit in elven history.
"I am surprised that you let her go without contest".
"If I had not than he would have turned on us", admitted Solas. "Ellana wanted to be free. I had to agree to her exile or risk censure. Fen'Harel does not forgive those that seek to steal from him. Ellana recovered my foci before I did".
"So he gave her his mark", concluded Abelas. "Thereby claiming her first".
"Yes, though she never understood the significance of bearing the Anchor. It was more than a key to the Fade. It was Fen'Harel's leash and collar. She could have reshaped Thedas by using him as a bludgeon. But it is not in her nature to lure and deceive, to manipulate and destroy".
"It is in his nature".
"It was", corrected Solas. "Ellana has changed him, though she knows not how or why. The spirit of conquest I found in the Fade is no more. In marking Ellana, in watching over her during her time in the Inquisition. He came to love with her as I did".
Abelas was sceptical. "What are you implying?"
"Fen'Harel has become a spirit of protection. He will still kill for Ellana given the chance, but he will not revel in the slaughter as he once did. What she finds precious. He does too. Although he would still wreak havoc to keep her safe".
"You said he had changed".
"He is still a wild and unpredictable spirit of destruction. Leashed or not", explained Solas. "That does not make him any less dangerous. That he loves Ellana is a shift in focus not a change in nature. His purpose is not war, but to preserve her life by any means necessary".