It had been a few months since Gale and Samuel had returned to Skyhold from Denerim and things were a bit rocky, but otherwise manageable.

Samuel would take Gale hunting in their free time whenever she needed to refill her bottle of blood, then he would mix in his own to help sustain her a bit longer. It seemed that she needed to feed every eight or nine days and on the the days she didn't need blood, she was able to eat regular food. Which was helpful in keeping her secret.

Samuel began to learn more about Numerius as the demon spoke to Gale- which also helped him figure out what she would be capable of given Numerius' nature. The more he learned about the demon, the more he realized that he wasn't even really a demon at all but rather a misunderstood spirit. If he ever had questions, he would turn to Solas and try to be as nonchalant about his questions as possible. Thankfully, Solas didn't seem to notice- if he had, he didn't seem to care- and was more than happy to share his knowledge about spirits and demons and the Fade.

Over that time, too, Samuel and Gale grew closer. They spent much of their time together, more so because Gale was afraid to be around too many people without him but also because Samuel had promised to stand by her through the whole ordeal. Or so they thought in the beginning.

In the course of time since they had first left Skyhold together, Samuel and Gale had gone from barely tolerating each other to making the effort to learn more about each other and become at least acquaintances. Then between when they had left Ravensden and braved the storm to when they reached Denerim and all hell broke loose for Gale, they had come to know each other well enough to where they could consider the other their friend.

After Gale had lost her father and the bakery, she was distant and tepid, kept to herself as she tried to grieve her losses alone. She barely interacted with Samuel, just sort of went through the motions. And she never meant to be like that; she was grateful that he was trying to support her and do what he could to help her cope, but she just couldn't find a way to convey those feelings to him. Then Numerius' previous host attacked her and Numerius was pulled into her when the host died, and she was unconscious for a few days before waking to a near insatiable hunger.

She had feared hurting anyone, especially Samuel, so she had tried to run away to protect them. But then Samuel came after her and gave her his blood, somehow knowing that that was exactly what she needed. She had tried to refuse, but she was grateful that he forced her to take his blood- even if it were through her first kiss ever.

Once she was stable and they had the chance to leave the others behind and try to get back home to Skyhold, they took it and did their best to avoid people. Samuel helped Gale out along that part of the journey, teaching her how to hunt and keeping her safe while also keeping an eye on her in case things started going south.

And since they had reached Skyhold, it would seem like everything was falling into place for them for the most part. Each time they went hunting, Samuel was surprised at how much Gale was improving and how quickly she was adapting to her condition. It seemed more and more every day that she and Numerius were more or less the same person, rather than the two separate entities that they actually were. It was a very symbiotic relationship, Numerius only ever emerging when Gale was in grave danger and could lose her life. And that had only happened once since their return to Skyhold.

"Gale, be careful!"

Samuel watched as Gale tried to duck underneath the bear's giant paw as it swept towards her. He tried to circle around the other side of the bear, taking his sword and slicing into its legs. The bear roared in pain, but it spun and threw Samuel back.

"Sam!" Gale ran to catch him as he flew back, somehow reaching him just in time. She set him down and looked up at the bear, her eyes widening when she saw that it was almost upon them. She wrapped herself protectively around Sam, prepared to shield him from the attack.

"Gale!" Samuel looked up at Gale as the bear reared back and prepared to strike, but then he fell silent when he noticed that her eyes had changed color. They were no longer the pale sandy color he knew, but instead were a crimson red. 'Gale?'

"Fools..." Gale said, her tone of voice changing slightly. She stood and faced the bear, smirking. "This is what has been giving you so much trouble? This creature is pathetic!"

Samuel sat up as he watched Gale launch herself at the bear, his eyes wide as she took her blade and slashed through the bear's chest- using her blade as leverage as she slid down its back and landed lightly on the ground behind it.

The bear roared in defiance of the attack, then gurgled before slumping over and crashing heavily to the ground.

Samuel got to his feet, stunned at what he had just witnessed, and looked from the bear to Gale as she cleaned her blade. He noticed a change in her demeanor, going from her usual kind hearted, well mannered nature to one that was much more somber and serious.

"You're the demon..."

Gale looked up at him as she sheathed her blade. "I am Galeria." She took Gale's bottle, bringing it to the largest wound on the bear and waiting patiently for it to fill with its blood. "You two were reckless and Gale was put into danger. If I had not taken over, you both would be dead."

Samuel's grip tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword and his eyes narrowed. Galeria noticed this and she rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Do not worry, Samuel, I will give her back control here in a moment." She filled the bottle mostly to the top, then turned towards Samuel and held the bottle out to him. "Here, you should give her what you can."

Samuel took the bottle, not sure what to make of Galeria.

"There's something different about you, Samuel." Gale said, looking at him curiously. "Whatever it is, it makes your blood special. Your blood is more than capable of sustaining our hunger." She raised a hand when Samuel made to reply. "I know that she does not wish to feed on people, be it their blood or their mana. But just know that your blood will always be her saving grace."

Samuel watched as the crimson red faded and the pale, sandy color returned- Gale's demeanor reverting back to its usual nature.

"Sam? What happened?"

Samuel's first question was answered as Gale asked him that. "That bear nearly killed us and Galeria took over. She saved us."

Gale's face went pale as a sheet and her eyes widened. "She... what..?"

Samuel offered her a reassuring smile and handed her the now full bottle. "Don't worry, she gave back control when she was finished lecturing me."

Gale hesitantly took the bottle from him. "She lectured you..?"

"Ya, just about being more careful and something about my blood being special."

Gale sighed and turned away. "She told you about that, huh..?"

"I know how you feel about feeding off of people, Gale, and I am more than willing to mix my blood in with the animal blood if it means keeping your hunger in check." He turned her back around. "Besides, you only ever need to feed every eight or nine days, so it gives me plenty of time to heal."

Gale looked up at him, worried. "Still though... the thought of you hurting yourself for my sake..."

Samuel pulled her into a hug, holding her closely. "It's alright and will always be alright. Don't worry so much, Gale."

Since then, Samuel always made sure that they were extra careful- especially knowing how much it bothered Gale that Galeria took over. He would spend any free time he had with her, training in the woods near Skyhold where they could have some privacy, and worked with her on perfecting her combat skills. And Gale was grateful for that. She found herself looking forward to it as much as Samuel was. It helped her to focus and she did enjoy the look of defeat on Samuel's face whenever she won a sparring match.

As the days turned to weeks, then into months, things with the Inquisition in general were getting more intense. Gale and Samuel stayed out of it mostly, not wanting to get involved too much with the politics of it all. They were just glad that everyone was more concerned with finding Corypheus and stopping his demon army than anything else really, which was a relief to them both given Gale's situation.

But things weren't going to stay like that forever and Gale knew it would only be a matter of time before the Inquisition found out about Galeria. And she was more worried about what they would do to Samuel than anything else.