Dorian's cheery voice can be heard from the halls beyond my room, chattering away to himself. I swear, he must talk simply to hear himself speak sometimes. "Ah hah, there is my sweet patient. Obediently staying in bed as I told her I see…" he says with a sly smile. "How are you feeling today Inquisitor? Any more dreams about fucking Solas?"
I cough at his words, "What? I haven't had such dreams Dorian. Where did you hear that?"
"Why, from you of course my dear Inquisitor. You speak in your sleep when your heavily dosed, and might I add quiet descriptively." He adds with a wink.
My face must be as red as a tomato, because he simply smiles wider and continues. "Don't be shy. I was the only lucky soul here to listen to your tales of debauchery. Though, with such detailed ideas I cannot help but wonder if maybe someone's been lying to me about sleeping with Mr. melancholy". He wags his finger at me pretending to be disapproving.
"Oh Dorian, don't be so…" "Accurate?" he adds before I could finish my sentence. "Before you say anything, remember that I was with you on those long …cold journeys with him. I saw how close you two got."
I frown, and look away from his eyes in embarrassment, "No, we never. He remained distant on our journeys, but emotionally I feel we were as close as you describe. Last night, I could have sworn he was here with me. He was so upset, so disappointed that I left him while he slept."
"Well, you're looking surprisingly well today, but sadly he was not here. I was in your room for most of the night, and had people checking on you every few hours in the morning. If he had been here I'm sure he would have enjoyed your ideas, perhaps took part in some when you awoke". He lifts my covers abruptly, and stares at my body.
"Um, excuse me? I'm sort of half naked Dorian. Are you sure it's not incredibly rude of you to be staring? I say as I try to pull the sheets over my body, but he manages to keep them off and says "Don't be silly my Dalish sweet. There's nothing here I haven't seen this week, and nothing I'm interested in. You know my flavor of choice." He takes a small knife out of his sleeve and pricks my leg lightly. I jump at the feeling, but remain relatively unbothered by it." What the hell Dorian?" I say as blood drips easily from the wound. "Remark-" he tries to say before a burst of energy assaults him, pushing him across the room.
"Makers tits, what was that?" Dorian says as he steadies himself "I was almost thrown off the bed!"
"I don't know what that was. I've never seen it happen before. Do you think it had something to do with the runes on my arm?" I say confused.
He walks back over to me, a little more cautiously then before.
"Look at that. The wound I just made has all but healed. I noticed a magical aura around you when you came through the eluvian, but I assumed it was an after effect of being resurrected. However, the aura has only gotten stronger over the passed week. Can I play a hunch? It's wild and crazy but that's just the sort of thing I'm into." He says smiling, before taking off into the hallway.
"I guess so?" I say to no one. As he leaves, I pull off the covers and move over to my dresser. Moving is not easy, but it's so much easier then it has been for the last few days. I pick out some comfortable clothing, and managed to make it to the balcony, before hearing Dorian enter the room again.
"And where is my little bird flying off to now? I thought we were going to try my hunch?"
"I just wanted to get some fre-" he cuts me off again.
"Here hold this, and think of something emotionally strong for you. Solas trying to destroy the world could be a good example." He says quickly before handing me some strange glass object.
I look at him skeptically, but after some time I hold it in my hands, and close my eyes. I think of the time when Solas first let his words of affection slip. "I felt the whole world move"..
He looks off into the sky, focusing on the rift above us.
"I did, I told myself: one more attempt to seal the rifts. I tried and failed. No ordinary magic would affect them. I watched the rifts expand and grow, resigned myself to flee, and then…It seems you hold the key to our salvation. You had sealed it with a gesture…and right then, I felt the whole world change."
"Felt the whole world change?" I say with a soft smile.
"A figure of speech" he adds.
"I'm aware of the metaphor. I'm more interested in "felt"."
"You change…everything." He says smiling.
"Sweet talker." I say before turning his face to mine, and kissing his lips hungrily. I pull away for a moment, only to be pulled back for a deeper, more physical kiss. He pulls away again after a few moments. He stares into my eyes and kisses me again…
"Now look at that." Dorian says in awe.
"What? What's happening?" I ask curious, but worried that if I open my eyes, whatever is happening will stop.
"Open your eyes. You'll have but a moment." He says before I open my eyes and look down to the glass object.
The prism-like object now has a beautiful red rose inside of it. It has fresh dew on its vibrant red pedals. As I gaze down at it, it begins to disappear. I look up to Dorian.
"You chose a loving memory I see. It must have meant a lot to you, to be so vivid." He adds as he takes the prism from me.
"This thing here is, a method that some magisters used to determine if a pupil had any magical talent. What you did just there is impossible. You weren't a mage before now were you? You know, hiding it away somehow?
"What are you talking about? I'm not a mage, or haven't you noticed? I carry a large sword around on my back, not a staff Dorian."
"Well, just so you know. You are now. If you want proof, why don't you try focusing on a particularly agitating memory while looking at…that chair." He says with a smirk.
"What will this prove? That I'm gullible, or that you're jokes can be cruel?" I do as he says regardless of its plausibility. Closing my eyes, I think of the most agitating memory I could come up with…
"Rhaah…"I shout, and I clench my hands tightly at the thought. "…Dorian, this is stupid I…" I open my eyes, and look at the chair. Its splintered pieces are spread across the room, and Dorian is staring with his mouth open wide. "Is that how you greet your courters too? Seems a bit presumptuous doesn't it?" I say with a smile.
"Do you see what you just did? Look at that chair! There's nothing left of it!" Dorian says his arms waving in the air.
"Oh yes, of course. I must have done that. It couldn't have been you playing a trick on me. How long do you plan on keeping this up? Is there anyone else in on this trick?" I walk over to him and poke him in the chest.
"It was all you Inquisitor. I swear on my life." he places his hand across his chest. "You need to train your powers quickly. If you seriously have that much raw power, you could be a danger to yourself and others. But you know it's not all bad, if we can get this under control it could be a big game changer in our plans."
"What plans? We broke his mirrors. His people are few. His mind isn't focused and we still have the anchor." I add as I put my boots onto my feet.
"I'm sorry to tell you this Inquisitor, but he's repairing the eluvians as we speak. At the rate he's going they could all be working in less then a month…where do you think you're going?" He rushes after me as I walk out into the hallway and into the main hall of Skyhold.
"I haven't finished. Just because I failed does not mean I've given up. We will continue to try until we can no longer. If he manages to break down the Veil, we're all dead…and I'm going to see Morrigan because I don't think she would mess with me the way you do."
People whisper as I pass by. "Is that the Inquisitor?", "Where has she been all this time?", "What…is she wearing?" Exactly what you'd expect from a gossip filled court. Morrigan is out in the courtyard. I see her and wave. "Morrigan, I need you to tell Dorian that I'm not a mage. He's trying to play tricks on me again." I say as I approach her.
"I cannot Inquisitor. I felt it the moment you came out of the eluvian. You were changed. Twas why I was so surprised when you came through. It made no sense and yet, there you were. I was wondering when he would bring it up." She tilts her head to the side, "Are those your sleeping clothes?"