This is a fun chapter full of fillery goodness. Have a lovely weekend to everyone celebrating Christmas. Think of this as an early gift from me to you. See you at the bottom and enjoy! =D

Chapter 22

It had taken a little bit less than a week for The Inquisition to make its way back to Skyhold and those that had ventured into the fade spent most of it in uneasy sleep. A realm of nightmares tended to leave scars only meant to witness in vivid night terrors. More than once Solas heard the mocking voice of the demon, claiming that the twins would be the beginning of the end of his plans. Each time he'd wake with a gasp, search around camp and see Ellana curled tightly in her bedroll, face drawn and tired even in sleep. The anchor would flare occasionally and more than once Solas thought about ending her life right then and there, but that would be giving into the demon's taunting.

Solas honestly felt bad for Sera, who seemed to be taking the entire ordeal the worst, even with Solas' lack of sleep he felt that he was in a mentally better place than the young elf. The archer was jumpy and had obviously had a lot of trouble sleeping, whatever the demon had told her in her sleep was effecting her worse than everyone else. Ellana had asked Solas for sleep aids that she could slip into Sera's food or drink just to get her rest.

Ellana had been sleeping nearly the entire trip back. It was like she had been drained of all of her energy and Solas figured that the draining of the mark is what had her so tired. She had also mentioned that occasionally Ven would steal some of her energy when he was low on mana. If that was the case, Solas was going to have words with Ven when he returned to Skyhold because it was beginning to seem like he used his sister a lot when it came to his magical experiments.

They arrived at Skyhold tired, sun burned, and ready for a few weeks' worth of rest. Even Ellana was getting a few days off from official work to heal from her injuries. She wasn't going to be able to get anything done with her hand still burned.

Solas spent the next evening in his room and then the next up to the library to look for Ven, who could usually be seen on the opposite side to Dorian. Ven was easy to spot, with his thick foreign braids tied at the top of his head, a large tome on his lap, mage fire caught in a jar for light, as he sat cross legged on the stone-cold floor of the library.

Solas sighed and made his way over to the young elf, who, when Solas shadowed his tome looked up.

Ven blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting. "Solas? What's going on? Do you need me for something?" He looked tired and worn, his grey eyes a little bloodshot, more than likely from strain due to reading these tomes in dim lighting.

"I'd like to talk about what happened in the fade."

The elf fidgeted a bit with his hands, this was a new side of Ven that Solas hadn't really seen. He looked nervous. "Do you?"

"Do you realize that you almost killed Ellana?" Solas hissed, making sure that no one could hear them. Solas didn't need this getting around Skyhold.

Ven sucked in a breath. He honestly seemed shocked. Was this news to him? "What?"

"Ellana didn't tell you of the extensive damage you did when you forced your conscious self through her mark?"

He shook his head and bit his lip. He suddenly looked upset and a little hurt and much more his age than normal. When the arrogant smirk was off his face he appeared a boy fresh out of his teens. "I had no idea. She didn't say anything. Cole was just so scared, and he said I could help. So, I did. I didn't know that it would hurt her…"

"Yes, well you should have checked on her! She's been in Skyhold for over a day now."

"As you know, my sister is always on the move. I haven't been able to catch her. I'd been hoping if I sat in here long enough she'd come to say hi to her Altus over there." Ven replied gesturing to Dorian, who waved when he realized they were looking at him. Ven gave a small friendly wave back before turning his attention back to Solas.

Honestly, Ven's plan was solid. There was a great chance that Ellana would come to gossip and catch up with Dorian. She usually did after long stints away from the fortress. "You need to be more careful with your magic, Ven. You're powerful and with that comes responsibilities."

"That's rich coming from you," Ven muttered before grabbing his tome and making his way over to Dorian, ending their conversation. Solas didn't stop him, paralyzed at Ven's accusation. The other elf didn't so much as look at him, instead he flopped onto Dorian's lap and reopened his tome, much to the Tevinter mage's, shock and Solas' mute horror.

So, instead of bothering to continue talking to Ven he decided to hunt Ellana down. He needed to figure out why she was keeping her health from her brother, but she proved elusive. He eventually caught Ellana eating cookies with Sera on the Tavern roof. He'd seen them do this once or twice before. Each time they'd nibble on a cookie and end up spitting most of it out.

A waste, but they seemed to enjoy it.

Solas waited for them to finish on the bench under the Tavern. He could hear bits and pieces of what they were talking about.

"They're better this time."

"Actually edible, yea?"

"I told you chocolate chips were better than raisins," Ellana replied through what Solas assume was a mouth full of cookie.

"And you were right. How's the arm? Still all crispy?" As eloquent as always Sera.

Ellana gave a rather undignified snort. "It's still a bit stiff, but it's getting better."

"Speaking of stiff, how's Sir dark, brooding and glowy doing knowing you took a tumble into the fade again?"

Were they talking about Fenris?

Ellana laughed, cookie crumbs raining from above.

"He's fine. Worried over my injuries. I had to stop him from going after Ven for causing them, but otherwise he'd just as broody as ever," she replied with a content sigh at the end. Solas resisted the urge to gag, Sera didn't.

"How do you stand it? I mean, I bet the light show is interesting and all, but he's just so…ugh."

"He's got his finer points. Once he lets himself relax a bit he tends to be less, broody and a bit more fun. I quite enjoy his dry humor."

"Bleck, you would, you weirdy. Don't get how you enjoy pointy bits."

"I enjoy all bits, thank you very much, Sera."

The archer cackled.

How mature…Solas thought with an eye roll.

He would question her another time. Occasionally, Ellana needed time to herself or with certain members of her Inner Circle to feel normal. Sera or Dorian tended to be her go to options and since Sera had been in the fade with them, Solas supposed that she was the optimal choice. He stood from the bench and made his way back to his room, at least he had a new idea for a fresco.

The Inquisition's Inner Circle had mandatory dancing lessons for the coming ball at the Winter Palace in the Ambassador's office. They were coming to the Ambassador in groups. From most troubling to only slightly problematic. There was a stuffy looking Orleasian woman with her willowy male assistant teaching them. While Solas knew that they all needed to know how dance, he didn't know that the Ambassador was going to attempt to teach them six different styles, all varying in rhythm.

Of course, Vivienne, Dorian, Leliana, and the Ambassador herself were experts at high society dancing and were only here as a courtesy, or at least in Dorian's case, he was there for a good laugh. Varric had bets going for who was going to kill whom by the end of lesson.

Solas had attended many different balls back in Arlathan. He knew the dance forms that Orlesians had based their own off of and after seeing the different movements the instructor had shown them, they hadn't changed all that much. This was all a review for him, but it was entertaining to watch The Iron Bull charge around the room and Cassandra struggling not to lead and stepping on the toes of the instructor. They hadn't even gotten the chance to pull Ellana around the room yet. She was watching from a distance, a smile on her face when Sera attempted to show the instructor what dances she knew. Solas swore the woman almost had a heart attack on the spot.

It wasn't long before Solas made his way over to her and extended a hand. "Would you care to dance?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, she was teasing him, her eyes twinkling, "What kind of dance? The woman has shown us at least six this afternoon."

"A waltz?"

"Seems simple enough. Don't step on my toes," she told him with a wink, knowing full well he was trained to dance. One did not live as long as he had without picking up a few skills and Ellana at least suspected that.

"So confident. Have you danced before, da'len?"

She nodded, much to Solas' surprise. "Yes, and I had a wonderful instructor at the time."

"Let's show these humans how two savages dance?"

The wicked grin he got in response was more than enough for Solas to begin gliding across the room with Ellana. It was obvious that she had danced before, but it wasn't something that she practiced often. While she was a little clumsy at first, she quickly fixed her mistakes and even let him give her a little twirl. She genuinely laughed as they started to move across the room and past Bull, who had been told to stop as the Instructor moved to sit down with her swollen feet.

They moved past the Ambassador who gave them both surprised looks, especially when Solas ended by dipping her in front Leliana. "Do I really need that much practice, Josie?" She asked from the dip. She looked utterly ridiculous, but it fit her.

The Ambassador rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you are going to need to learn more than just a waltz, Inquisitor. You also need to learn to dance without those that aren't Elves so you can learn how to dance with different partners, not even taking into consideration when we get your dress, you're going to need to practice in that for at least a few hours."

Ellana sighed as Solas pulled her back up. "The clothing should be here soon. That's what Ven said anyway."

"My dear, you should really have let me handle the wardrobe. It is my specialty," Vivienne commented from her position against the far wall.

"They hardly know how to dress an elf outside of servants clothing. I wasn't going to let them dress me in clothing that would make me look like an elf playing human. I am going to look like an Elf that belongs in high society."

"My dear, Elves have never been a part of high society."

Solas scoffed, looking very much like the hurt noble he tried to hide. "The ancient Elves were more cultured than the richest of humans of this time. You tend to forget, Vivienne, where many of your circles highest magic techniques, dances, and technology come from."

She sniffed, turning her nose up and walking away. Solas smirked, squaring his shoulders, that felt too good.

"Your ancient elf is showing, hahren." Ellana whispered into his left ear, causing him to jump. When had she walked over?

There was a wide grin on her face as he turned to face her, his eyebrow raised questioningly at her expression. "Was it now?"

He hadn't thought it was possible for her shit eating smirk to become any larger until her smile was all teeth keeping her voice low, "I could almost see the ancient regalia on your form as your ordered around your underlings."

How did she know he was in charge of anything in ancient times? He felt that he hadn't given too much away when talking with her. For all accounts he could have been a part of the lower class. "I had servants?" Solas looked around the room to see if anyone was paying attention to the two of them, but they had all gone back to attempting to figure out how to dance.

She rolled her eyes fondly at his paranoia. "Of course, you can't do much of anything mundane on your own without making a mess of it. Screams nobility."

His cheeks colored a bit at the comment, thinking back to his first attempts at sewing, mending, cooking, and pitching a tent. He'd embarrassed himself something awful, but he had swallowed his pride and figured out how to do it with some help. It was scary how close to the truth she was. Though, he was treated as a god for a very long time, far above mere nobility.

It was then that Hawke pushed in the door to Ambassador's room open and Fenris tumbled in glaring at the woman. "Lady Montilyet, I found another dancer for you. I assume that you are taking him to Winter Palace?"

The Ambassador's eyes widened, a hand over her mouth, "I completely forgot to invite you, Ser Fenris," she turned her eyes to the Orleasian instructor who was looking at the warrior disdainfully from his bare feet all the way to the visible brand on his forehead.

"I don't have time to teach another savage, Josephine. I've done all I can for now with what you've given me. Next time, I will just be working with the Inquisitor! If I decide to come back at all!" The woman said, looking much like Vivienne before storming out of the room, the clicking of her heels echoing in the room. Everyone shared a look, Bull and Sera trying to contain their laughter.

"Was is something I said?" Hawke asked, bewildered as she watched the instructor stomp into the main hall.

The Ambassador slumped against her desk and Sera, Bull and Varric all slipped out of the room, pulling Cole with them and whispering conspiratorially. That instructor was never coming back to Skyhold once they were through with her. "I suppose I'll need to look for a different instructor," she said with a defeated sigh, before turning back to what was left of the class, "well, for now, just watch, Fenris."

The soft sound of Leliana playing a lute filled the room and the dancing picked back up. Solas saw Fenris' brows furrow, watch what the others were doing. Solas wondered if Fenris had even seen nobility dancing before. From what he had learned of him, Fenris had been a slave to a vicious Magister, one that Dorian had commended him for killing.

It wasn't long before Fenris walked over to Ellana and held out a hand to her with an exaggerated bow. It seemed he knew some proper protocol after all. She gave him a coy smile, "Are you asking me to dance, ser?"

"Don't ruin this. I'm only asking once," he warned teasingly. She put her left hand in his, causing both her mark and his brands flare with the contact before he pulled her into a slightly more advanced version of the dance that was taught this afternoon. She laughed as he spun and guided her across the room with a bored and practiced ease. The Ambassador's mouth was open with a lack of a decorum rarely seen.

Dorian and Hawke moved to join Solas on the side of the room, watching as Ellana just enjoyed herself dancing. "Champion, where in Thedas did he learn to dance like that?" Dorian asked, mustache twitching.

Hawke grimaced. "Tevinter. While he is free now, he wasn't always that way. Danarius forced him to learn to dance for the various events he took him to. From what he'd told me, Danarius showed him off like a dog and all dogs need tricks, but I'm just glad that he's taking joy in something he learned, besides ripping people's hearts out."

Dorian spluttered and Solas choked. "I had heard about that. I thought the rumors exaggerated."

"Nope." Hawke replied with a pop at the end. "Those rumors are completely true. One thing that Varric's bloody books didn't lie about."

It was odd seeing her be playful with someone else. While Ellana was typically kind to others, she wasn't playful with most. Solas, Dorian and occasionally Sera were the only ones that got to see this side of the Inquisitor.

When the music ended the two elves bowed, as the custom before Cassandra, Cullen and Leliana all politely clapped. Hawke gave lewd whistle and Dorian just sported a knowing grin that caused Ellana to roll her eyes. The Ambassador was rendered speechless. "I think I broke Josie," Ellana mumbled, breaking away from Fenris to check on her friend, who snapped out of her trance and pounced on them.

"Why didn't you tell me that Ser Fenris could dance? He could have helped instruct everyone!"

"Well, I didn't want to force him to dance if he didn't want to. He'd also have needed to put up with Vivienne for hours. I didn't want her heart being torn out."

"Please, he'd reach in and there would be nothing to pull out." Dorian sneered, causing Hawke to let out a rather loud chuckle.

Cassandra glared at him and Dorian held up his hands, "tell me I'm wrong!" The seeker said nothing. "See there is no argument. The woman's a nightmare."

"Well, now that we've finished discussing Vivienne's lack of heart. I need look over some paper work. I enjoyed dancing with my two favorite wolves. I'll see you both later." Ellana said with a wink before exiting the room with an exaggerated flourish.

Solas' blood ran cold. There it was again. The wolf comment…was this just something she affiliated with him…He really needed to approach her, but he was honestly a little worried to hear her answer.

I edited too much stuff these past two days. I put up another fanfic on Fridays and that chapter was 5,500 words long while this one was 3,300. That's just too much writing in my opinion. Regardless, everything is slowly coming together!

Thank you for all the reviews, follows and alerts! They mean a lot!

See you all next week,

Animerocker