When Lavellan did not walk into their hastily made camp after five hours, Cassandra was the first volunteer to join Cullen's troops in the search party. Solas was the second. Sera was a close third but was shot down right away when Cassandra pointed out that her twisted ankle would only slow them down.

"Prepare a tent for her," Cassandra ordered when Sera finally finished cursing them for being right. "She's sure to be quite cold when we bring her in."

Sera agreed with a scowl and the search party set out into the bitter cold.

The search took less than an hour but it was one of the longer

"There!" Cullen cried out, pointing at the rise of the hill just ahead of them. Cassandra squinted against the wind and saw a dark lump against the pure white of the snow. It could be mistaken for a rock, if it weren't for the bright glint of gold and the yellow of Lavellan's hair. Cassandra hurried forward, no longer bothered by the way she sank through the snow as she ran to the unmoving form in the snow.

Lavellan was lying in a fetal position in the snow, the hand with the mark tucked in her opposite armpit in an attempt to keep it warm. Her face was gray and slack, eyes closed and full lips half open.

"She's dead," Cassandra said, horror coloring her tone. She felt the stirrings of both panic and grief. She had only known Lavellan for a few months, it was true, but those months had seen them together almost every day, laughing and fighting side by side. That was to say nothing of Lavellan's endless flirting, which Cassandra had always pretended to ignore or barely tolerate while she relished the attention in secret. So to see her unmoving in the snow was a harsh slap to the face.

Solas came up beside her. "When it comes to the cold, no one is dead until they are warm and dead." He knelt by Lavellan in the snow and shucked off one glove, pressing his fingers to the side of her neck in search of a pulse. He ignored Cassandra when she knelt beside him. After a moment he nodded. "She is alive, but only just. We need to get her out of the cold, and soon."

Cassandra was quick to sit Lavellan up and with Cullen's help she was soon in Cassandra's arms.

Solas took his discarded glove and carefully slipped Lavellan's bare left hand into it. "She needs it more than I," he said at Cassandra's questioning expression. He then took off his outer robe and helped tuck it around Lavellan, careful to cover her head from the harsh wind. "I've got magic to keep me warm."

"Why can't you simply use your magic to warm her like you do yourself?"

"In this state, if we warm her too quickly it could actually cause her to die. She has to be warmed gradually. Healing magic will not make her warm, I would have to use elemental magic and that would be too drastic a change."

Cassandra wasn't sure she completely understood, but she was a warrior, not a healer or a mage and she left the knowing up to Solas.

The march back to camp was tense and swift, silent outside of the howling wind. Cassandra kept her focus straight ahead of her, placing her feet in the imprints left by Cullen's heavy boots. Under normal circumstances, she would ignore the discomfort of wet socks, but as it was a distraction from the disturbing grey tint of Lavellan's lips (the only part of her that she could see under the cloak) she let the desire for dry feet dominate her thoughts. By the time they reached camp Cassandra and most of the others were shivering violently and her feet were prickling. The heat of the many camp fires had cleared the snow from the ground, turning it just muddy enough to suck at their boots as they slogged in.

Sera, Leliana, and Mother Giselle were waiting for them and directed them to a tent that had been set up close to the largest fire. Cassandra carried her in but continued to hold her at Solas's direction.

"We need to warm some blankets." He rounded on Sera as he leaned his staff against the tent wall. "Sera, see to that. Also put some large stones in the fire. Put them under the furs to warm them further."

Sera opened her mouth to argue, Cassandra was sure, her dislike of Solas well known, but Solas pulled his cloak off of Lavellan, revealing her to the others. The sight of her friend seemed to have an effect. Sera's mouth clicked shut and she scampered from the tent, presumably to do as Solas bid.

"You need to get that armor off of her," the Mother Giselle ordered. "Do you know if she's wounded?"

"She doesn't appear to be," Cassandra said.

"We might be able to get some warm broth in her if we're careful. I'll be right back."

The others helped Cassandra shift Lavellan until her feet were on the ground and Cassandra was holding her up under the arms. While it was an uncomfortable position, especially considering that Lavellan was limp and unresponsive, it was the easiest way to get her armor off quickly.

Once the leather and iron had been discarded they were faced with the task of somehow getting Lavellan's chainmail off. They worked out a solution that had Solas pulling it as far up as it would go, Leliana reaching underneath the mail to hold Lavellan up, and Cassandra pulling it over her head as she was the tallest. Lavellan did not wear a gambeson under her armor, instead opting for a simple tunic and fitted trousers.

Sera and Mother Giselle came in and Solas turned away from Leliana's further undressing of Lavellan to help Sera set up a warm bed. Mother Giselle took Solas's place and they soon had Lavellan nude and wrapped tightly in one of the warm blankets. Cassandra scooped her up again and placed her on the pile of fire warmed blankets and furs, careful not to lay her directly on the hot rocks that lined the edges underneath. Mother Giselle knelt beside the bed quickly and brought the bowl of broth she had returned with to Lavellan's lips. It required a little coaxing (Sera pinched Lavellan's nose after two fumbled attempts by Mother Giselle to get Lavellan's mouth open), but half of the broth ended up in the right place before a weak cough from Lavellan stopped them.

"That's encouraging," she told them. "She's responding a little and she already doesn't feel as chilled."

"What else can be done?" Cassandra asked. She resisted the urge to grab her sword. It was a nervous gesture and a useless one; she didn't want to show weakness in front of the others. She could admit to herself that she was scared for Lavellan and not only because she was necessary to their cause. Lavellan's friendship meant a great deal to her, she would hate to lose it. Her heart hurt at the very thought, in a way that it had not for a long time.

"You will need to strip down as well," Solas responded, interrupting Cassandra's spiraling negativity and drawing her startled gaze, and despite his innocent tone Cassandra felt that he was looking for a reaction from her.

"What." It was decidedly not a question.

Solas looked entirely too pleased with himself when he explained, "Body heat is the best we can do for her at the moment. Sera and I are too bony to be of much use, and I can't imagine that Lavellan would be too pleased to wake up next to me naked at all, no matter the circumstance." At this, Cassandra thought she could hear a trace of bitterness in his voice, but resolved to ignore it. "That leaves you."

"He's right," Leliana agreed, not bothering to hide her smirk. "Though you should be able to keep your smalls on."

For a moment, Cassandra envied Solas's ability to control flames if he wished. She very much desired to set Leliana on fire, especially after Sera started giggling. Leliana knew very well that Cassandra didn't wear smalls, and so did Sera and Solas due to an unfortunate slip of the tongue a week ago while they had been trudging back to Haven. (It wasn't something she was shy about, but Leliana's incessant teasing wasn't easy to bear.)

"They are correct," Mother Giselle interjected when Cassandra did not respond immediately. "Body heat would be helpful."

Drawing herself up to her full height, Cassandra bit out, "fine," and began to shuck her armor.

Solas retreated quickly with Mother Giselle following him out soon after. When Leliana and Sera made no moves to leave, even after Cassandra had fully removed her armor and gambeson and was left standing in just her undershirt and trousers, she stopped undressing and faced them with her hands on her hips.

"Do you mind?"

Leliana arched and eyebrow. "Not at all. Please continue."

Sera covered her mouth with her hand but her giggles were still easily heard.

Cassandra pointed at the tent entrance, her eyes sharp as stone. Sera scampered out, grinning like a loon and still laughing, but Leliana was less easily ordered about.

"Don't you want help getting tucked in?" Leliana didn't bother to cover her smile.

"This is a serious matter, Leliana."

Cassandra's tone booked no argument. "I know, I know. I simply couldn't resist. You make it so easy to tease. I'll leave you to it then. Take good care of her, we have need of her yet."

"Of course."

While she was a devout Andrastrian, Cassandra wasn't a fool or a child. She knew what the others had been implying with their snickers and glances. Even Solas had hinted at it, something that made Cassandra shiver with mild disgust. Somehow, that assumption coming from a man was even worse than from her fellow women.

There was nothing sexual about the situation at all, and it was that assumption from the others that made her uncomfortable, not the thought of holding Lavellan close while nude. Their attitude was baffling to her but it was also a hindrance. The realization of it had caused her to doubt her own motives.

With a disgusted grunt at the thought, she finished stripping and folded her clothes neatly, still stalling. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly comfortable to stand around naked in the Frostbacks, even inside a tent with a fire roaring just outside.

Lavellan had been set up on the side of the tent closest to the fire outside, and only the very top of her head was visible under the pile of blankets and furs she had been swaddled in.

She slipped under the blankets as quickly as possible in an attempt to keep any of the warmth from dissipating. The rocks had held the heat of the fire well but when her skin first came into contact with Lavellan she flinched. Lavellan was still too cold to even shiver. Cassandra pulled Lavellan in close, until their bodies were pressed tightly together, and wrapped her arms around Lavellan's back. Lavellan's head ended up under Cassandra's chin, her steady breaths warming Cassandra's neck and making her heart speed up. She forced herself to relax and close her eyes. In an effort to fall asleep, she thought about her favorite romance series and pictured the characters in her mind. She imagined how their story would eventually continue, how she would have it continue if she was writing it.

Cassandra dozed occasionally, too scared for Lavellan's life to fall asleep fully. She woke every time Lavellan breathed differently or twitched against her and when her eyes would find Lavellan's slack expression her chest would ache. She'd always been warm natured as well and found it difficult to be comfortable under so many heavy blankets. Lavellan, as a contrast, was cold natured, or at least it seemed as such as long as Cassandra had known her. She became chilled at the slightest strong breeze and huddled close to the campfire at night. Thinking on it, Cassandra was actually surprised that Lavellan had made it so far in the bitter cold. Her strength was inspiring.

She had just fallen back into a fitful doze, sometime in the early morning hours, when she was woken abruptly again.

"Cass." It was more of a hiss than a spoken word, but it roused Cassandra as quickly as if it had been a gong ringing. Her eyes snapped open and she was meet with the reassuring sight of Lavellan's open eyes. She pulled Lavellan closer in reflex, uncaring for their nakedness in the wake of her relief. Surely it was indicative that Lavellan would be fine? Cassandra wasn't sure, but she was too stunned and still muddled from her nap to call for Mother Giselle right away.

Lavellan's eyes, half-lidded and dark blue in the low light of the tent, were fixed on her face. Cassandra flinched when one small hand drifted up from where it had been curled between them and warm fingers gently brushed the edge of her jaw. Lavellan hummed, the sound seeming to reverberate in her chest, before her eyes slipped closed again and her muscles went slack. Her hand slid down to Cassandra's neck and rested there. Cassandra could feel her blood thrumming under the pressure and had to take several deep breaths before she could calm her racing heart.

This elf is going to be the death of me.

She pressed a gentle kiss, barely a ghost of pressure, on Lavellan's tattooed forehead and lay back, slipping back into an easier sleep.