Chapter 3: What Happened?
"I'll gather some firewood," Eka volunteered as they reached the camp. She didn't really feel like socializing and wanted the time to be alone with her thoughts. Solas knew that something was amiss with Eka but decided to let her be. Instead he asked Dorian to help him set up the tents while Cassandra began removing her heavy armor. As they assembled the tents, Dorian took advantage of the moment to make what he thought was going to be light conversation with Solas. "Did you see what happened back there?" "What do you mean," replied Solas, not sure if Dorian had witnessed the whole event. "I mean that big ugly demon appeared behind you, and before we got halfway through shouting a warning, Eka was suddenly there, in the blink of an eye. I've never seen anything like it. I thought you were going to die. I'm glad you didn't by the way, for what it's worth. Did you teach her that move?" "No," replied Solas. "I do not know what happened back there, but I do intend to find out."
"Well when you do, please let me know. I am beginning to wonder if our sweet little Eka has been sneaking off to Alexius in the middle of the night for lessons in time magic," Dorian stated. Solas said nothing in response but began to think unsettling thoughts about the notion. Alexius was Dorian's instructor after all, and Dorian would likely be the first to pick up on it, especially given that he and Eka were so close. Could she have somehow learned time magic? When and where would she have had the opportunity? The thought was unnerving, as he knew that she and Dorian had experienced first-hand the dangers of tampering with time. Would she be so foolish? In any case, Solas decided that Eka would have to answer his questions regarding what had happened, and they would need ample time and privacy to sort it out.
Sensing Solas' distress, Dorian desperately wanted to change the subject, even if it incited another argument. "We are only going to set up three tents," Solas suddenly announced. Dorian bit his bottom lip in delight and looked at Solas, barely able to contain his grin. "Sooo does this mean that you're planning to make love like normal people tonight? You know... without the weird fade stuff?" "Absolutely not," said Solas, whose sneering eyes immediately shot daggers back in the direction of Dorian's gaze. "It's getting quite late, and Eka has a lot to explain, so it doesn't quite make sense to put up another tent now, does it," Said Solas irritably. "And I thought you were going to reward her with a night of passion for saving your life, not that you would know much on the subject," Dorian said, trying to provoke him.
The elf suddenly walked away from the camp, leaving a puzzled and now worried Dorian to assemble the last tent on his own. The time magic was the focus of Solas' thoughts. No matter how much he pored over the details in his brain, he could not come up with any other likely culprit, and it filled him with dread and agitation. He desperately needed to know, but he was also afraid of the answer.
As Dorian finished the last tent, his eyes shifted to Eka, who was returning with the firewood, the blank stare still on her face. He suddenly felt bad for his friend. Her impending meeting with Solas would not likely be a pleasant one, and it pained him to see her in any state of discomfort. After all, she was his best friend and had helped him through some of the most turbulent and painful parts of his past. From the first day they met, he had taken a liking to her.
She was genuinely kind-hearted and accepting, and she didn't seem to care that he was from Tevinter, a country that had destroyed her ancestors and used her people as slaves for more than a millennium. Her brilliant command of magic made her frightening and deadly, but most people would never see this side of her because she never flaunted it. He admired her and loved her in the way that one would love a sibling or a revered hero, and he decided that if Solas ended up hurting her that night, there would be hell to pay.
When she returned and placed the wood for the fire, Eka noticed that there were only three tents set up. This was a first, and she began to wonder if they had somehow forgotten one of the tents. Surely Solas wouldn't have arranged for them to share their space on purpose. Their affection for each other was no secret to their companions, but they also didn't go out of their way to make it that obvious out of respect for everyone else. On any other night, the sight would have excited her and set her heart aflame, but not tonight. Tonight she was in pain, both physical and mental.
Her gaze strayed back to Cassandra, who was patiently waiting for Eka to finish arranging the wood and light the fire. There was less than thirty minutes of daylight left, and Cassandra had many cuts, bumps, and bruises that needed mending. Eka walked over and grabbed the bag of medicines and passed them to Cassandra with a quiet nod. There was no time to hunt for food, so they had to make do with the rest of the druffalo jerky, mixed vegetables, and apples that they had brought from Skyhold. Eka wasn't really hungry anyways, the invasive thoughts still preoccupying her mind. She grabbed a few carrot sticks and an apple from her bag and sat down quietly across from Cassandra, the warm fire between them.
As Solas began to rub healing balms over Cassandra's bruised and battered legs and arms, she occasionally shifted in pain, exhaling short grunts under her breath. Cassandra always tried to remain strong in the eyes of her companions and did not want to make Solas the least bit uncomfortable while working on her. The woman's ability to withstand so much physical trauma was mind-blowing, as she had saved their lives on so many occasions. Everybody knew too well the sacrifices she made for them during battles, especially the most recent one, and they all loved and respected her for it.
It was fortunate that Solas was so proficient with healing magic. Eka had learned how to use healing magic but did not have the sort of precision that Solas possessed resulting from years spent mastering both focus and control. She knew that it would take at least an hour for Solas to finish healing Cassandra, and she opted to quietly spend her time in her head, wondering how she had managed to perform her feat on the battlefield on her first attempt, reworking the moment in her brain until Dorian interrupted. "Is that all you're going to eat tonight?" Eka took one last bite out of her apple and responded with a slow "yesss" and then asked him if everything was still in the right place after the fight. Dorian responded that he was fine, and the four of them made small talk for the next thirty minutes or so. Dorian purposely avoided talking about the breach.
Eka had never used her entire reserve of magical power before and felt as if her energy had been sapped from her. Had she stayed there much longer, her muscles would likely refuse to move. Additionally, she could barely pay attention to the conversation, so she announced her goodnight and then proceeded to her tent unusually early. When Solas had finished tending Cassandra's wounds about thirty minutes later, he added some wood to the fire and stoked it one last time before excusing himself, leaving Cassandra and Dorian to chat. They both wondered about the two elves in the tent but kept their thoughts to themselves, instead opting for a conversation regarding the differences between Orlesian and Tevinter nobility.
"Still awake, vhenan," Solas questioned as he entered the tent. "Yes, lethallin," replied Eka as she stared up at Solas, who took off his outer robes and slowly sat down next to her, a concerned look on his face. As Eka sat up to face him, he wrapped his right arm slowly around her back and waist and took a deep breath. "Vhenan, I really need you to tell me what happened back there at the breach. I know that you were too far away from me to fade step, and there were lots of trees between us, yet you suddenly appeared as if," he stopped himself short, not wanting to give away his thoughts regarding her possible involvement with time magic. As he looked at her sternly, she turned away from him, trying to figure out the best way to tell him. She didn't even fully comprehend how she had done it and didn't know how she was going to explain it. Then her mind shifted to that instant when she was frozen in terror at the thought of his imminent death.
She had been fighting that dreadful sinking feeling all evening with every fiber of her being, and she couldn't do it in any longer. Her eyes began to well up with tears as she succumbed to her feelings. Solas had seen her turn away from him and misinterpreted it as a sign of guilt or deception. Determined to know what had happened, he cupped both of his hands over each side of Eka's face and forced her head around to face him, not expecting to see two bright blue eyes filled to the brim with tears.
He sat there stunned with his hands still on her face and instantly wished that he had been more gentle. Through all of the trials she had been through, Solas had never once seen her cry. She hadn't cried when she was in excruciating pain from the anchor back when he was trying to figure out a way to keep it from killing her, she hadn't cried when Cassandra accused her of murdering all those people at the conclave and subsequently threatened to kill her, or when they lost so many lives at Haven, or when she and Dorian described the grim and ominous alternate future at Redcliffe.
"You were going to die," Eka whimpered softly as the tears began to run down her face in larger volume. "I saw it from more than fifty yards away and felt the world shatter. I closed my eyes and focused on your exact location, and when I opened them, I was right where I wanted to be. I somehow combined my spirit cloak and fade step together, which allowed me to pass through all of the trees. I had been thinking about the idea for the past few weeks because it might be useful for gaining access to locked doors and high places, but I wasn't sure if it would ever really work outside of my head. I had no idea that I could travel that far and honestly don't know how I did it. I'm not sorry," she finally cried, believing that Solas was mad at her. She continued to weep, her cold tears running down the length of her face and splattering across the fabric of her nightshirt.
Solas quickly pulled his tiny inquisitor into his warm embrace and laid her down against his shoulder, her head facing his. As she wept into his chest, he gently wiped away tears with his fingers as he painfully frowned. "Ir abelas, ma vhenan" "I'm so very sorry, my heart," he shuddered apologetically. His voice continued to quiver. "I was careless and should not have ventured so far from the group. It was all my fault." As her tears began to subside, Solas felt awful. She had never tried to hide anything from him. Instead she had risked her own life by trying unknown magic in order to save him. He regretted that he had ever doubted her.
He had taken for granted how much he really meant to her and remembered all too well when Eka was missing and thought to be dead during the fall of Haven. He recalled how horrible he felt as his his heart wrenched in despair, his stomach contorted into knots, and his mind raced looking for answers to questions he couldn't formulate. Cullen had punched him in the face, nearly knocking him unconscious in order to physically restrain him from running blindly out into the snowstorm in a desperate attempt to find her that night. As he remembered the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, it occurred to him that he should have recognized that vacant stare that she had worn. He might as well have been looking into a mirror.
"Ma'arlath ma vhenan." "I love you, my heart," he whispered into her ear as he carefully planted a kiss on her forehead and then her soft lips, still wet and salty from her tears. As she slowly returned his kiss, he shifted his weight and wrapped his leg around her thighs, holding her close. He knew from their experiences in the fade that this was the position in which she felt the most safe and loved.
Perhaps Dorian was right about taking it to the next level, which he had carefully avoided until now for fear that he never be able to let go of her. He realized that he was already past the point of no return. It would likely break him if and when he ever had to leave her, and he knew it. He hoped against all odds that it would never come to that, even though deep down he knew the likelihood.
As Eka went to kiss him, he cupped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in closer for a deep kiss. His tongue breached her lips and gently grasped hers, and she fervently returned the motion, their tongues dancing together in an elaborate symphony of tastes and desires. Finally out of breath, Solas broke away. He was so hungry and ready to give himself fully to her. He passionately kissed her ears, stopping briefly to suck on her lobes, which sent chills down her spine. As he made his way slowly down her neck, she pulled away. They both wanted what came next, but she was shaken up, exhausted, and her body ached. She looked into his beautiful blue-gray eyes and said, "Please, vhenan. Will you just hold me close tonight?" Solas responded with, "Ma nuvenin." "As you wish."
Solas watched her intently, tracing the vallaslin on her face and brushing her short brown hair behind her ears with his hands. He heard a few deep breaths and then nothing as her breathing became shallow and rhythmic, almost as if she had stopped breathing altogether. She looked so tiny and fragile curled up in his arms, that same smile on her face that he had come to adore. It had taken her less than five minutes to fall asleep. She had been completely exhausted and desperately needed to rest. Her brilliant and desperate actions that day had left him awestruck and even more deeply in love with her. He would not seek her in the fade tonight. Instead he would stay awake for the next several hours watching over her as she slept in his protective grasp, an adoring smile on his face. He loved her more than anything else in the world and wanted nothing more than to linger in that moment, holding onto her forever.