I gave you guys an extra long chapter this week. Originally, it was supposed to be two different ones, but I figured I put my Hinterlands chapters together. So, now you guys get a chapter that's almost 3k words long. Enjoy!

It was four weeks into their journey and Solas had noticed that every morning, Ellana would go out and hunt for the group before sunrise. At first he thought that it was the Seeker that was going out of her way to get food for "The Herald", but when he approached her about it she had grumbled something about Ellana getting it.

So, he tried to catch her in the act more than once, but the woman was near silent. It was almost impossible to track her or even know what time she got up. Her hunting time seemed to be slightly different each morning. It was as if she knew he was trying to follow her into the forest.

Had he done something to offend her? Solas thought back and wondered if he made any rash comments about Dalish lifestyle and couldn't remember one he made recently…at least in her presence.

But, this time he had woken up before her and was ready by the forest's edge when she nearly silently passed. Ellana was looking back towards the camp a smirk gracing her tin lips when she knew all was quiet. She easily started to weave her way towards the forest, missing twigs and leaves that would give away her position. To someone lesser trained, they would have missed her, but to someone with hundreds of years of experience under his belt, this youngling didn't stand a chance.

"Good morning, da'len."

The rogue jumped, her body coming into view. Her dark hood was thrown of her heard, her bow slung over her shoulders and her primary draggers secured at her waist. She threw him a dirty look as she sulked up to him before a mischievous glint came into her eyes. "Good morning, hahren. Are you coming to hunt with me this morning?"

No, no he wasn't. By the glint in her eyes he knew she was teasing him, challenging him to take the bait. Had she planned his little trap? Peek his curiosity and get him to go hunting with her? It was one he hadn't quite anticipated if that were the case.

She wiggled a throwing knife in his face before he plucked it out of her waiting hand. He'd play her game.

Solas knew he was going to regret this in a few hours. He was sorely out of practice with throwing knives and hunting in general. Living in Haven was making him softer than he'd like when it came to catching his own food.

"Is there a reason that you want a barefaced mage hunting with you?" Solas challenged, waiting for her reply. Dearly hoping that she gave him something to work with, the woman truly enjoyed leaving him in the dark with her plans.

"You've mentioned that you've slept in ancient ruins before. I know you'd need to hunt for your own food eventually. I want to see you at work. Two pairs of eyes are better than one when looking for food. Try not to slow me down," she responded with a wink before darting off, her boot-clad feet making no noise on the dew-covered grass.

Solas followed at a more sedate, but just a silent pace. He was not going to be the one to scare what they were hunting.

It didn't take long before they made a game out of it with some kind of misguided point system. They'd gain points through tracking and stalking, but none it made too much sense since they tended to lose a trail before picking up a new one. There wasn't really a winner or a loser per-say, but it made the morning pass more quickly.

As much as he enjoyed hiding his more animalistic nature, the true "Dread Wolf" when he was with Ellana it just tended to surface. She played games with him, something that those of his time were to terrified to do and that those of this time would not even think of suggesting to a stuffy mage like him. Ellana was different. She was used to mages being physically fit, clan life was hard and something that everyone participated in. She saw through a few facades that Solas had erected to keep those in Haven thinking he was weak. So, when no one was watching she'd push him and hope he'd rise to her challenge.

So, here he was, running though the forest, morning dew between his toes, dagger in hand, slinking behind trees, tracking prey. Ellana usually brought small game back to camp, there was no need for large animals when they usually caught something for dinner. Eventually, they spotted a pair of rabbits. Ellana was taking aim with her bow and Solas taking aim with a knife. He could always use a spell on the knife, but Ellana would take that as cheating and it could also ruin the meat. They would each get one chance to secure their kill. Solas flicked his wrists the moment Ellana's bow fired. Both weapons hit their marks. His was slightly messier than hers. At one point in his life he could have killed that animal by just fade stepping to it, but he could not reimagine the land the way that he wanted to now.

She whistled at his accuracy. He turned towards Ellana, her braid was coming undone and her eyes were a little wild, but she was grinning ear to ear. "I'm impressed, hahren. That was a nice shot. You would have made one hell of a Dalish hunter if you weren't a mage."

He knew she was teasing him. He might have hit his mark, but the meat wouldn't be as good since he didn't hit quite the right organs.

"I'm a little out of practice, but, as you can see, I can hunt just fine, da'len."

She rolled her eyes. "I never said you couldn't. Help me carry our kills back. If we hurry we can still make it before Cassandra wakes up. She likes fresh cooked meat for breakfast."

Solas decided to ask a question that had been bothering him since he had started this journey with this group.

"Is there a reason that you are on such good terms with the Seeker? She did try to kill you after all."

Ellana shrugged. "She never actually tried to kill me. She was scared, but the second I helped her, she let me go. I wasn't an elf to her, but a person that could assist her in saving a lot of people," she explained and then sent him a small smile, "we also share a tent every night. There was no way I wanted to be on the bad side of a woman who could kill me in my sleep," She replied and then tapped her chin, a familiar mischievous grin gracing her face. "Also, she hates that I hunt in the mornings. Reminds her I'm a Dalish savage with her "Makers mark" on my hand."

There was no use arguing with that logic. While Solas still found Cassandra to be problematic in her views on mages, Ellana wasn't a mage and thus didn't have the Seeker sending her disapproving glances all the time, just most of it. He had also seen the Seeker literally wrestle a large bear into submission with her bare hands. She was not the kind of woman you wanted angry with you.

Their adventure in the Hinterlands never seemed to end. They had been running errands for the crossroad and Horse Master Dennet before heading back to Haven and it had taken weeks to accomplish. At least now, the group was making its way back, but with added refugees, clerics and agents.

Solas wasn't sure if he wanted to admire Mother Giselle or throw her from a tower. The woman was helping refugees, which, of course was admirable, but every time she spoke to Ellana, the elf would be rubbing her temples muttering something about Andrastians and their obsession with conversion. Religious conversion was not something that Solas had really ever had to deal with before. There had been plenty of people forced to worship those of the Elven Pantheon in his time, but it was an enforced practice more than anything else. Before he created the veil he himself had been worshiped like a god. It was strange thinking about how much had changed.

Mother Giselle seemed to be constantly trying to turn Ellana from her multiple god worshiping ways. From what Solas had heard the reverend mother was trying to convince her it would be better for her image to be Andrastian. Ellana tended to just ignore her and curse in the "creators" names. And, while Solas didn't approve of The Elven Pantheon as gods, he preferred Ellana continued to be herself than change for the human masses, much to the reverend mother's immense disappointment.

The Chantry Mother really enjoyed corning all the members of the Inquisition as they were traveling back to Haven from the Hinterlands. It wasn't until they were partway back that Mother Giselle cornered Solas.

She had planned her time of attack well.

It had been a lovely evening, the weather hadn't been too hot or too cold. As a collective group they had killed in the single digits and they hadn't needed to go hunting. It was a nice change of pace. The people were happy and therefore Ellana, Varric, Cassandra and Solas received a break for once. That was until Mother Giselle had moved from talking to Cassandra in hushed tones to coming to Solas' small area of camp. Most of the soldiers kept away from him due to his magic or stayed clear of him because he was an elf.

Mother Giselle was another person entirely and when he noticed her making her way towards him, he looked desperately for Ellana or Varric hoping that they could get him away from her, but neither were around. Solas wondered if Mother Giselle had planned it this way.

She was Orlesian, she had to have planned this.

Clever human.

She stood over his seated form. "You must be the apostate elf, Solas. Cassandra has told me little about you." The woman made no move to sit next to him or treat him as an equal it seemed. If that was how she was going to play…

Solas' lip curled towards a snarl, but he kept his voice deceptively calm. "That is because the Seeker knows nothing about me, nor does she care to. She only sees a future abomination in me."

"The Maker created magic to serve men, Solas. Cassandra fears that without proper guidance you will be lost. It is a wonder that the Herald hasn't strayed far with her…gods… and her lack of willingness to see Andraste and the Maker as the true path to enlightenment."

Oh, how he wished to show her the true power of a god…

Solas curled his hands around his staff, trying to hide his apparent anger. "Ellana does not remember what happened at the Conclave. Varric, The Seeker and the Spymaster have mostly spread what the people claim to have happened. Ellana has never claimed to chosen by Andraste. I highly doubt that she is going to change for you and I would rather die than convert to your religion," he sneered turning from the reverend mother, hoping that she would leave him in peace.

He could tell that his abhorrence to her didn't deter her in the slightest. If anything it seemed to strengthen her resolve.

"Now, I understand that elves, much like yourself, believe in your creators…you should know that they aren't real. The Maker is the only true God in the world. What you believe are simply stories-" she began, but Solas interrupted her by standing abruptly. Stories they may be, but at least they were based on real elves. Her Maker hadn't even been a conceivable thought up until a few hundred years ago.

"You assume much about me, Mother Giselle. I have no inclination to believe in any form of god or gods."

Before she could respond a voice called out to her from the crowd of humans by the fire on the other side of camp. She gave Solas a pointed look before she moved to appease the people. Moments later Ellana appears out of nowhere. It seemed like she had used some of her invisibility powered and with the shit-eating grin on her face, Solas assumed she was up to something. Though, she had no weapons on her person, so it had nothing to do with hunting or killing something.

"Did you like my distraction?" She asked innocently, batting her eyelashes, not fooling him for a second. She sat down next to him with a graceless thump that would have made the Ambassador have a heart attack.

Solas raised an eyebrow, remembering the voice that called out to the monstrous mother. "That was you?"

She rolled her eyes, a teasing smile tugging at her lips, hands behind her back. She was the picture of ease. "Of course. She's been driving me to contemplate murder with the way she talked about my clan and our…primitive and savage belief system. I can only image what she said to you."

"Something similar actually."

Ellana made a guttural noise in the back of her throat that would have made Cassandra proud. "Can I command Cullen to lock her up somewhere? Do I have that kind of power?"

At least she wanted to use her power as a The Herald for true good. Ellana was a true hero of the people.

Solas chuckled. "I feel like Cullen would find that quite blasphemous."

"Would he? Ugh, but what if I locked her up and no one, but me, knew where she was?"

"That's kidnapping, da'len."

"You're such a killjoy, Solas. Let me dream."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Watching the fire flicker and burn in the evening light. It seemed that she was waiting for him to speak. He noticed that she did that a lot. She'd get him laughing and then wait for him to start the next bout of conversation. He always wondered what she was expecting him to share with her.

"Thank you, for getting her away from me."

The light in her eyes dimmed a bit, he supposed that wasn't quite the right thing to say, but as soon as the disappointment was there, it was gone. If he hadn't caught her doing it once or twice before he would have missed it this time. "It was no problem. She's a pain, but the Inquisition as a whole needs her," she then motioned between the two of them, "but we don't. So, if she ever bothers you, you are more than welcome to use me as an excuse to get away."

Solas grinned thinking of the rumors that would start if they started that. "Don't start something you can't keep up with, da'len. What if you aren't at Haven when she corners me?"

"Well, then say Varric needs you. It isn't difficult to name people you know and claiming that they need your help, ser fade-expert. As long as it isn't Cassandra, who would sell you out, you're fine. It's what friends do for each other."

So, they had finally reached the level of friendship. There was a warm feeling in his chest, Solas didn't remember the last time he had made a friend that wasn't a spirit.

"I'll keep that in mind."

That warm feeling turned to ice when he remembered it was his fault her caring spirit was going to most likely die before the year was out.

I hope that I'm capturing Solas' personality correctly. XD He is one of the most introspective characters that I've written. Ironically, the character that I'm not writing a POV in, Ellana, is my favorite character to write. She's a lot more playful than the cannon Inquisitor. Fun fact, this story was originally supposed to be just a series of one shots and only five chapters long and around 20-30 pages max. One hundred pages later and I realize that I can't write short stories.

Thank you for the kind reviews, they really make my day. =)

See you next week,

~Animerocker