Author's Note: This chapter's name is a play on both of the themes in this section. It's hard coming up with chapter titles that don't make me want to cringe, ugh. Enjoy!

Chapter Six:

Spirit Ward

x

Valora was not prepared for what happened after Solas' attempted attack. She was poised with her hands up in front of her chest, guarding herself from the blow. The shard of ice bolted straight for her, faster than she could have escaped it. But just when it should have pierced through her trembling hands and punctured her panicked heart, the shot veered in a different direction. The shard ricocheted a mere inch from her palms and shot up into the sky, as if a thin wall of defense was shielding her from the oncoming attack. She let out a cry of shock as she felt the pressure against her spirit's barrier, but soon realized the missile had not touched her. She watched, amazed, as the bolt of frost fled away from her, ascending up to the heavens.

Solas struck his staff into the snow with finality, his face twisted in what resembled fury. "I knew something was odd about you, but I didn't know you were smuggling a spirit," he spat, shaking his head in disapproval. "Do you know the first thing about spirits? Do you understand the responsibility you have brought upon yourself? You must always be on your guard, lest that spirit turn into something destructive, and you with it!"

Solas was angry; that much was clear to Valora. With every syllable he stressed, her pointed ears twitched in discomfort. She growled in annoyance, puffing up to retaliate as he finished his rant. "I did it to save my life! I would have died otherwise! Do you honestly think I am foolish enough to trust just any spirit on a whim? And what was that act? You could have killed me with that mad spell flinging!" Valora roared at him. If anyone was to blame for anything, it was Solas! How could he have damn near killed her based on just a funny feeling?

Solas stomped toward her, his eyes flashing. "It is not 'spell flinging'! And I knew it would not kill you. I could sense something within you, I just needed to know it was not a demon. I now have my answer, and you will calm yourself before you get yourself hurt!"

That sounded like a threat to Valora, but when her palms started to heat up, she realized her anger had brought her hands to a blazing red flame. Eyes alight with panic, she threw herself to the ground and shoved her palms into the snow. This seemed to amuse Solas, as he forgot about his rage for a moment to chuckle at her. She glared up at him.

"How do you know for sure that it is a spirit?" Valora asked in a sharp tone, too stubborn to give up her threatening demeanor even as she was crouched non-menacingly, hands awkwardly buried in the snow.

"If it was, in fact, a demon, the 'spell flinging' I did would have rebounded onto me. Demons will want revenge for an attempt on their . . . lives, so to speak. Pure spirits will only attempt to shelter their host without provoking hostility. That it did not intend to hurt anyone was a clear indication of protection, not vengeance."

"So, if it had been a demon, your spell would have rebounded onto you and turned you into a bald elf ice kabob?"

Solas glowered, his jaw clenching in irritation. "Essentially."

"And you were willing to take that chance just to see if I was an abomination. Couldn't you have just asked me nicely?" Valora then rose from snow, wiping her drenched hands on her robes, and gave Solas a scornful smirk.

"Ah, I had not thought of that. Of course, if you were possessed by a malevolent spirit, you would be quite thrilled to answer all of my questions truthfully, wouldn't you?" Solas returned the girl's satirical grin, one eyebrow raising in mock-curiosity. It seemed Valora wasn't the only one with a smart mouth.

She frowned. "Fine. Point taken." Valora turned to march back to Skyhold, leaving her dropped staff on the frosty ground for Solas to deal with. Before she could get three irate stomps through the snow, Valora felt a rough grip on her arm. She gasped as the hand pulled her back and twisted her around to face the tall elf once again. Her temper flared, eyes narrowing heatedly.

"What? Want an apology? I can go look for one if you can't be bothered," Valora offered sarcastically, a cold bite in her voice. Solas shook his head and let his shoulders drop, releasing her arm with a weary sigh.

"I am sorry for my disrespect. It was unnecessary. I am just worried about your predicament. Not all spirits remain the way they are when you meet them," he said, breathing another sigh. "It is easy for a spirit to become corrupted, even by their own emotions. What they see on this earth may be a gateway for them to realize a more sinister purpose." Solas paused for a moment, considering. "Do you know what spirit you met?"

"Of course, it was—"

Blank.

Her mind was completely shrouded by her spirit's luminous cloud. But what spirit was it? She paused, causing Solas to cock an eyebrow at her in mild confusion. She rubbed her temple through her hood, as if the act would help restore any memories that the spirit was concealing from her.

"I—I can't remember," she murmured tensely. Why can't I remember? Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at Solas, eyes wandering for any answer he might provide.

He scowled. Not at Valora, but at what he knew was the spirit's doing. This spirit did not want Solas to know anything about it, and that definitely was not a good sign. It may already be corrupted, he thought. He silently beckoned her over to sit alongside him on the snow. He knew he needed to explain everything to her before that spirit decided to go further with its control of the girl's mind.

Their magic training lesson had instead transformed into a lesson on spirits. Solas discussed the characteristics and behaviors of spirits before and after they possess a body. He taught her anything she needed to know about each spirits' temperaments, how to keep them in check if they ever become restless. He had a great deal of knowledge, and Valora was more than happy to listen. The spirit stirred within her as she acquired new understanding, coming to life at the young elf's new wisdom. Something told Valora that this spirit wasn't just overjoyed at learning, but it was also something about this man. She realized that every time she neared him, the spirit would make itself known in some way. Whether clouding her mind or urging her to get uncomfortably closer to him, she knew these things were not her own impulses. As much as she tried calming the spirit with soothing thoughts, the being just would not back down. The spirit was acting out of line, and desired something that Solas had.

Valora would not tell him, however. She was afraid he would condemn her or inform the Inquisition to lock her up. How would he react to knowing that she could not control the spirit's hold on her? He had already blown a fuse just uncovering the truth about her and this spirit. So she just listened to him ramble on about spirits and the fade until the lowering sun was halfway behind the mountains.

Her head was pounding, trying futilely to remember what she had forgotten as she trekked back to Skyhold. Solas insisted he had errands to run before returning to Skyhold, and so Valora traveled alone with nothing but the soft glow of her new staff. It was no issue to her, but she couldn't shake the paranoia slowly creeping up on her as the sun retreated behind the mountains, casting shadows on the world. She kept getting the feeling she was being watched, but each time she shone her new staff's light around her, she saw nothing. The sun was setting quickly, and the sky was running out of light to guide her way. She walked faster to her destination, feeling perturbed at the idea of being alone in a land obscured by darkness. She could hear distant rustles in the snow, more than likely made by small animals trying to find a warm place to rest. Her imagination offered her mind no such comfort, however, and instead began to conjure images that made her tremble uneasily.

She didn't remember the journey from Skyhold to the training grounds being so far-off, and the longer she walked, the more anxious she became. She was becoming frightened by every small noise made around her, jumping at the sounds of the monsters her mind had created. She rotated her staff from left to right as she trudged through the snow, giving as much light to her environment as possible. The landmarks she saw became more and more unfamiliar as Valora strode, and she started doubting her sense of direction.

Am I lost? Oh, Andraste tell me I'm not lost. She frantically tried to remember her way back to the Inquisition's headquarters, but try as she might, she had completely forgotten. All of the surroundings began to look exactly the same: trees and snow. Spinning around in panic, Valora realized that she couldn't remember which way she had even come from. The cold started to bite at her then, her robes offering little protection against the strengthening icy winds. The elf stopped in her tracks, shivering in the snow for a few unbearably long seconds, the glow of the orb on her staff slowly subsiding. No! She felt it getting harder to breathe, the air around her thinning, leaving her with barely enough to take in. Her breaths became erratic as she was left in the dark, undeniably lost.

She shouted for help numerous times, but her voice was drowned out by the whipping winds of the coming storm. Valora attempted to light the staff once more, but she was out of focus, in shock with frantic breaths stabbing at her lungs. She could see her vision blur, even through the darkness, and felt her legs feebly wavering. I'm going to die. I'm going to freeze, and then I'm going to die out here. Alone. Hot tears formed in her panic-stricken eyes. She didn't want to die. If she died, her sister would die with her.

All over again.

"I can't—" she managed to choke out, shaking her head from side to side. She let her staff fall from her quivering fingers, a gut-wrenching sob causing her to double over. Her denial was fading; she was yielding to her fate. The weight of the world seemed to press down on her, threatening to swallow her down into the depths of darkness within her own mind. She could feel the air fading, along with every sense she possessed. She was giving herself up to the void in her mind as it called for her to relent. The black pit inside her began humming haunting melodies in her mind, drowning out her consciousness.

Garas, falon. Give in to me . . . Valora helplessly dropped to her knees in the freezing snow.

"Yes, you can," a kind, familiar voice reassured. Her mind returned to itself in an instant, and she could feel the void's disappointment. The world seemed to come to a stand-still, all except for a pair of delicate hands that secured themselves around hers. Suddenly Valora was lifted up off of her knees and onto her feet, shaking unsteadily. She felt the warmth of his hands leave hers as she stood, causing her to feel a sharp sense of abandonment.

"No!" She threw herself at her rescuer, hands grasping blindly for any part of him she could feel in the dark. Finding him, she clung desperately to the front of the rough patchwork leathers he wore, afraid he might fade away if she didn't hold tightly enough. She rested her head on his firm chest, trying to block out every other sense except for the feel of him; the feel of a protector. The man froze, initially confounded by the sensation of her cold fingers flexing against his clothes and her soft cheek as it pressed against his chest. It took only seconds before he started feeling the extent of her despair, evident in the way she clutched onto him. She needed him. With this comprehension, he raised his arms and wrapped her up in them with conviction. His arms were strong, but she could feel the deep concern in their grip as they encircled her completely. But her panic did not relent, squeezing at her heart until she whimpered in anguish. He pulled her closer, one hand stroking her back in rhythmic movements while he brushed his fingers through her hair with the other. The girl's violent shivers were becoming easier as he continued his motions, soothing her shocked nerves. She raised to the tips her toes and nestled her face into the warm, bare flesh of his neck, sighing into the smooth skin and indulging in the warmth of the body that held her so closely. The feeling was slowly returning to her cold, numb body. She didn't remember ever being more relieved than she did in that moment; but then again, she didn't remember much at all.

"Thank you . . . Cole," she breathed jaggedly. He could hear the relief in her voice as she spoke, feel her icy lips trembling against his exposed collarbone. Every breath she took snaked along his neck, and he could feel it in his bones. He could feel the desperate need she had for him, and it sent a swarm of butterflies into his stomach. She released her death grip on the fronts of his leathers to curl her arms around his neck, closing any distance between her and his comforting heat. She pressed her body against his and felt his chest rise and fall with each deep, steady breath. She tried to follow suit, calming her fitful breathing until it matched his own. He tightened his hold protectively, resting his cheek against her frost-covered hair. In his arms, Valora felt a minor liberation from all of her sorrows that usually plagued her thoughts. She would have been content to stay like this for hours, at ease and safe.

The icy winds whipped around them, covering them with a soft layer of snow. But Valora felt none of it, only the warmth that was radiating from Cole as he sheltered her from the storm. He let her remain in his arms for as long as she needed, both staying silent through their momentous embrace. Once she regained her focus, she parted from him—if entirely reluctantly—and grasped for her staff. She willed it alight, and the first sight she saw was a frost-covered Cole, staring at her with a look of great concern. She watched his expression change once he saw the staff's mild glow on her face. His apprehensive appearance faded as it was replaced with something soft. Something she couldn't quite place. He slowly extended a hand toward Valora, offering her to take hold. She obliged, placing her palm in his, and allowed him to guide her back to Skyhold.

Author's Note: Omg, thank you for your review Angelic Ink. I honestly wasn't sure that last chapter would live up to how I wanted it to be, but I'm super happy that you liked it and will continue to read it. (: & I hope you liked this chapter!
And thank you Al'Chan24, I love that you mentioned particular things you like about this story! It made me smile like an idiot. I'm so so so glad you're liking it, and I hope you'll keep on liking it. (:
Your reviews give me life~

If some of you haven't, please follow/fave if you like the story; I need all the motivation I can get haha. And if you already have followed/faved, thank you. I don't know you, but I love you.

Also, if you were wondering, "Garas, falon" means "come, friend" in Elvish.