AN: This chapter takes place in the Fade.

When Ellana looked around, she found herself in a beautiful marble room with a big pool in the center. It was the most wonderfully colored dream she had ever had. She examined herself, feeling a bit cold, and she found she was dressed in a thin silken gown, creamy-white and falling to her feet. There was nothing under it, Ellana realized, blushing lightly. She turned around to see Solas watching her. Did he know about her state of undress, or did he make it intentionally? She was not sure about his powers in the Fade. Even the thought of asking him that brought the red color on her cheeks and his knowing smile only proved her assumptions.

Solas' dressing matched hers, though his bathing gown was grey and shorter, allowing her the view of his long calves. She made herself stop staring at him.

"Where are we?" She asked, watching his calm face, and feeling that her troubles were fading away in the Fade.

"It is an ancient bathhouse." Solas explained. "We turned out to arrive in the cold water pool room. Come, let's find the hot water pools, you're shivering."

And they walked, hand in hand, through the finely ornate corridors and halls, the floor mosaics smooth and cool under their bare feet. Many times Ellana was sure she heard footsteps, or a muffled speech, or saw some slender figure far away, but when the elves came closer, they always found themselves alone. Those were the memories, Solas explained.

Sometimes Ellana was unable to go further, captivated by the view. The ceiling was impossibly high and the decorations would shame Halamshiral itself.

"So that's what Arlathan was like, utterly gorgeous." She muttered thoughtfully. "Only for the nobles, of course. You know what," she said louder, addressing her companion, "strangely, when people imagine the past, they always portray themselves as nobles, because nobles leave more history." She paused, focusing her eyes on Solas' face, as he was all attention. "I wonder, what would be my life like in Arlathan, would I be high or low?"

Solas tried to keep himself from telling her too much. The answer was written on her face, almost literally written in blood. But he just couldn't imagine her as a slave.

"No matter how low might you be born, you would be raised to stay amongst the mightiest." He proclaimed passionately, the admiration rising in his voice. "For your strong will and perceptive wisdom are the treasures in any time." Solas eyed her lovingly. "Vhenan." He added with a kind smile.

His words, his confidence in her brought her more comfort than she could expect. Her heart, the one he called her after, set a new pace, heading into the anticipated future.

A teasing smirk, the one she was madly in love with, appeared on his lips.

"And even now, you stand among your betters, and your shine is not at all diminished." Solas said, puzzling her even more.

Following his gaze, Ellana looked around, and studied the mosaics on the walls more thoroughly. There were so many of them in the bathhouse, she stopped noticing them some time ago. And there she stood, realizing she was now surrounded by all elven pantheon gods, watching her gravely from the walls.

How could she not see them before? How could she be so negligent, so damnably inattentive to her gods, her Creators? It was true, they did not pay much attention to her either, but now she was in Arlathan, when the gods were still present and powerful... The shame and fear rushed through her mind, as she dropped to her knees out of her own volition, tearing her hand free from his grip.

"Athim'ena, hella'hrenen, na'enansalas." She whispered hotly, only daring to look at Mythal at the end of the phrase, but addressing all of the Creators.

Solas laughed heartily. "Don't be afraid, vhenan, they are not here." He offered her a hand, bringing her up to stand near to him. "It is only a memory."

Ellana still felt ashamed, but now by her inappropriate religious display, and in front of a man who despised her gods.

"Why do they have the gods images in a bathhouse?!" She wondered in an irritated tone.

Solas arched an eyebrow, and replied as if explaining the obvious: "You forget that in Arlathan those gods walked among the people, and all the places like this one could be visited by one of them. Imagine them not seeing a proper dedication..." He laughed softly again.

"I'm not comfortable here, let's go somewhere else." Ellana complained.

"It is not my favorite company either." Solas agreed, and they continued their walking.

Passing the main entrance hall, the one with pantheon mosaics, they entered the opposite part of the bathhouse. Hot water pools were situated there, and the air was warm, humid, and not completely transparent.

The elves came up to one of the pools, not a deep one, and sat down on delicately carved wooden bench with so tiny legs, one could easily not notice at all. The absence of bench's legs only meant one thing - the legs of the seated person were supposed to rest in the water. So that was the way they sat down, her on his right, him on her left.

Ellana was so comfortable she had never been before. The misty air made the luxurious room look magical, all the lights mixing into an ethereal shine that was everywhere at once. She scanned the walls, but noticed no images there - only floral ornaments covered the surface. Relaxing finally, Ellana put her weight on her hands behind her back and stared into the ceiling. And there, there was some large, magnificent mosaic, depicting some Elvhen ritual. Many elves, young men and women were dancing, casting some unknown magic around one mighty tree, covered with new leaves and white blossoms.

"What is it there, on the ceiling?" She asked, her voice filled with admiration.

Solas looked up, following her. "It is Adahlen'halamera. A spring rite." He told her, the elven words singing on his tongue.

"Do tell me more!" Ellana pleaded. She couldn't take her eyes off the masterpiece, even though it was not very clearly seen.

"All right." Her companion agreed. "Just let me make myself more comfortable." And to her surprise, Solas lay down on the bench they were sitting on, resting his head on her lap. He was now facing the discussed mosaic, and began telling her the tales of the past in his quiet, narrative tone. Soon she grew accustomed to the warm weight of his head, and the muscles in her thighs relaxed, offering him softer support.

"Each spring, as the leaves began showing, this rite took place. Its meaning lay in waking new life. As the legend states, Elgar'nan was born to the sun and earth, so women wore black clothes to represent the earth, and men wore golden ones to represent the sun. They cast their magic, and combined together, it gave the life energy to the Tree, marking the arrival of new season. And the Tree bloomed, and it was a guardian and a keeper of all the plants." Solas paused, taking a breath. Then he looked up at the girl who was too much enthralled to say anything.

"Do you know what was the Tree called, vhenan?" Solas asked kindly.

Ellana glanced at him, and suddenly the answer dawned upon her. "Vhenadahl." The one she heard city elves were keeping, and here was the original.

"Exactly." He confirmed with a smile, obviously very pleased with her answer. "They were the great trees, and they lived much longer than usual trees. Once a vhenadahl died, another one was planted, and that symbolized a grand renewal."

Ellana felt that child's pride filling her when she knew she answered correctly. The feeling was so forgotten to her, she was simply overwhelmed with that silly happiness running through her. Until he continued talking.

"So you see, there is a time and a place to plant trees. It can't be your answer to everything." He added, grinning wickedly, obviously referring to Dalish tree planting traditions.

Ellana frowned, but she could not bring herself to anger, all things Dalish so far away and unimportant to her at the moment.

"And your answer to everything is mockery." She retorted, returning her gaze to the beautiful vhenadahl.

"I could agree with you," Solas reasoned lightly, looking at his interwoven fingers lying on his belly. Unexpectedly, she did truly see his nature. "But wouldn't that spoil your point?" He mused with a small chuckle. She could sense his grin without looking at him.

"So much we had forgotten, but we still look the same." Ellana commented. She had never seen the images of ancient elves before. "That girl on the left, she looks just like me."

Solas only huffed skeptically. There were not much details depicted, and the steam was clouding the view.

"Look, her ears are just like mine!" Ellana exclaimed. "And no matter how many times you say the ear shape is not important, I believe you do prefer the pointy ones." She teased him, trailing her fingertips over one of his elegant ears.

Solas smiled, pleased by her caring touch.

"It is not the only pointy thing about you that I like." He replied, the mirth lighting in his eyes and coloring his voice. Gracefully, he propped himself up, leaning on his right hand that he had placed to the right of her legs. Lowering his head, Solas moved the hem of her robe aside with his other hand, only a little, only to bare her skinny knee. Then he pressed his lips to it in a slow kiss, and he seemed to enjoy it as much as if he kissed her on the lips. Ellana was shocked by his unexpected move. He had never even touched her body, he had only given her the looks before. And now, now...

He didn't take his lips away as he moved them further up her thigh. "The softer parts of you are equally dear to me." He murmured against her skin, just before kissing her again. Ellana shivered as she felt him press his teeth into her flesh, gently grazing her.

She inhaled the air, desperately, her mind drifting away. "Are you the one into biting, vhenan'lin?" She asked him, unable to suppress her curiosity. It was not the first time she had felt his teeth on her.

Solas chuckled, his breath caressing her skin. Abruptly he got up to sit next to her as before, their closeness gone, and only his hip remained tightly pressed to her one.

He grinned widely, amused with her question. "Wouldn't you like to find that out, vhenan?" He said quietly, his mocking tone trying her patience.

"One thing I've already found out together with you. I like 'vhenan'." Ellana replied, his question bringing up the memory of their talk at Caer Bronach. She regretted that he stopped the kissing, but she liked the opportunity to talk to him.

"Oh." He said. "Vhenan." He repeated once more, now deliberately, with the most seducing intonation she had ever heard from him. The sound was filling her like a moonlight entered the darkest corners of the forest, steadily and surely.

"Ma vhenan. Ma lathan. Ma sa'lath." He continued in his melodic elven, never leaving his eyes from hers. He enjoyed the effect of his voice on her, as she stared at him, eyes widened, cheeks red.

He was doing it again, that invading stare thing, Ellana thought. Like in the Fade, like on her balcony, like in the Crestwood. She managed to regain some self-control, setting her eyes on his lips, as he spoke, evading his piercing gaze. Even if she loved it when he spoke elven, but she really missed the way he was moments ago - passionate, and loving, and teasing, and normal. She wanted the man, not that powerful creature that could bend her will with a look.

It was simple - break the eye contact, break the spell, improvise. With a clever thought flashing through her mind, Ellana jumped down into the water, tugging him after by his hand. The pool was only waist-deep, but the splashes were enough to wet their faces and upper bodies. She laughed heartily at his expression - a perfect mix of confusion, fury, and admiration.

Her laughter echoing across the room, the elven girl hit the water with her both hands to let it splash all over him. As she heard him groan in impatience, and muttering some elven curse unknown to her, Ellana decided to run away, as the thought of him chasing her was strangely so attractive and arousing.

Solas was shocked, to say the least. She had been completely at his will, a moment ago, but she escaped, and that damned water... The sight of her turning her back to him to evade the rage that she deserved inflamed his veins. The chase, the hunt, how long ago he had felt that sweet need to reach, to catch, to pursue.

In a couple of his long strides his was on her, as she turned around, reaching the pool's wall. Solas crushed into her, intending to never let her escape again. His hands grabbed her arms, pressing them to her sides.

He finally smiled, and that smile sent shivers down her spine. Yet his eyes glittered with amusement, and she felt reassured.

"Nowhere to run?" He whispered and his lips were hot on her ear. "Ma asha'harel." He accused her passionately, and placed a hard kiss just below her ear.

Ellana struggled for air, her chest slammed between him and the wall.

"Ma vhen'harel." She retorted defiantly, raising her head. Solas released her slightly, and straightened his back to look at her, taken aback with her words. Almost correct. Oh, how close she was, oh, how close he was.

He leaned in, nuzzling her neck again, and whispered against his better judgment.

"Emma tel'vhen, emma fen."

"Ma fen'harel." She corrected herself absent-mindedly.

The pride and victory roared in his mind and his heart. He drank in the marvelous sight before him - the most beautiful woman caught in his embrace, his true name on her lips. But, she hadn't yet realized it. He just couldn't let that be.

"Is it a blasphemy that I hear?" He purred, almost innocently.

Ellana gasped. "And to choose the one god that can actually hear me..." She whispered. The one she was told to fear since her childhood.

'Oh, he heard you, vhenan, don't you doubt.' Solas thought wickedly. Her worshipping the pantheon was surely the best subject to make fun of, that much he had learned.

"So what do you think he would do to you if he heard you?" Solas asked, smooth as hell.

He let his hands roam over her body, his touch and wet silk mixing into the maddening caressing sensations. It made it difficult to answer him, but she forced her mind to think.

Ellana narrowed her eyes. He was teasing her again, like with those mosaics of the pantheon. Surely, the Dread Wolf couldn't hear her. She was only dreaming, after all.

She would not entertain him with her weakness again.

"Actually," she began, her voice so clear and confident that Solas' hands stopped at her waist, and he looked at her enlightened face. "I think, he would be utterly amused hearing me saying his name in such... situation." She stated and set a daring stare on his face.

And he was. Amused, and stricken, and speechless. She was mocking him back, she was not afraid. That was what he loved about her. That defiant look on her face was his undoing.

He pressed into her anew.

"If you're so smart," he growled, burying his face in her shoulder, "why won't you indulge him once more?"

And with his last words he moved the floating cloth of their robes away, reaching down with one hand to urge her legs apart, and all at once she felt his burning flesh against her needing one.

She was going insane with desperate want of him.

"Fen'harel take me!" She exhaled impatiently.

And he did.

When Ellana opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the grass in the ruins. Solas was already up, as he walked around, setting his wards off.

"How was your dream?" He asked lightly as he noticed her moving and getting up.

"Wet, if know what I mean." She muttered, her cheeks turning pink.

Solas laughed, as he offered her a hand. "Come, we can still make it to the camp before sunset."

And they left the ruins to walk their way to the Inquisition camp.

"When you said you'd help me to relax, I couldn't imagine that. I thought your way of relaxation would be more like reading a book." Ellana told him as they measured the Plains with their steps.

"I will keep that in mind. Next time I will offer you one." Solas replied politely, smirking at her.

"What? No! You give me a book, I crush it over your egg-head!" She protested jokingly.

Solas stopped and watched her, arching an eyebrow.

"Egg-head? And here I thought my haircut was giving me a humbled look." He feigned a wounded expression.

"Humbled? Ha! Nothing is humble about you!" She argued hotly.

Solas smiled at her spiteful behavior. The unwelcome sadness crawled its way into his eyes as he watched her lovingly.

Ellana noticed that look. It resembled a parent smiling at the child at play, knowing it would be over so soon.

"What is wrong, vhenan'lin?" She wondered sympathetically.

Solas sighed. "Ar lath ma." To him, that was the answer.

AN: I did it! I gave them happiness! Such a nice feeling.
Translations:
Athim'ena, hella'hrenen, na'enansalas - humble I appear, noble lords, grant me your favor
Adahlen'halamera - the end of trees' sleep
Ma asha'harel - my tricking woman
Ma vhen'harel - my tricking man (here I take the liberty of 'vhen' also meaning one man, one of the People)
Emma tel'vhen, emma fen - I'm not a man, I'm a wolf