The ones who came to help

Trevelyan thanked whatever was out there for his resistance to cold weather, and to even colder dungeon cells. Last time he woke up bound and on his knees, with Cassandra begrudgingly looking down at him, had been the beginning of a nightmare. All of a sudden vast amount of people loved him and even more hated him just because of a mark he had acquired by mistake. That's what Corypheus had told him as well. That he was a mistake. Perhaps the world was now fixing it. Fixing him and putting a better Inquisitor who was better than him. Maybe the well of Sorrows had seen what a piece of work he was and the combined powers of all ancient elves had concluded that he in fact was not commendable enough to be the leader. They had judged and found him unworthy. With all the insistent denial of his powers, he taught he would have been happier to have the responsibility lifted from his shoulders but he felt more empty than relieved.

Whoever this Levallen person was, it was clear that they were cherished here, as the Inquisitor. Well he couldn't think of any Inquisitor to be booed away before dealing with the threat anyway. And now they had two of them. Two Inquisitors and two marks. They should rejoice for they could close the rifts twice as fast now. Of course that's assuming that he was ever let out of this darkest corner of Skyhold.

If they did let him out then he would be happy to help out. The doom upon the world was present regardless and he had gotten used to it. Running around all day, doing paper work, flirting with Dorian... doing more things with Dorian... doing even more unmentionable and naughty things with Dorian and smirking at Mother Giselle's knowing look. Dorian was there and he was safe so maybe he could seduce him all over again. Especially after their time together he knew how to make the young man tick and it would be delicious to see him melt again.

Maybe staying here and starting over wouldn't be so bad. If anything he was an optimist when it came to the matters with Dorian. Trevelyan's hands went to his neck, in search of the old necklace, he had received from him. It was quite the surprise when Dorian had handed him his birthright amulet and told him to wear it as a good luck charm for the time being. If he were to die wearing it, he had threatened Trevelyan with bringing him back to life so that he could kill him again. That was right before their departure for the temple and he had assured the young necromancer with a fierce kiss that they would return together alive.

How badly he had been mistaken! He didn't even have any words to explain his frustration yet he found comfort upon touching the metal amulet piece. It was safely hidden beneath his light armour. They hadn't even bother freeing him off the blasted armour which was probably a plus considering the stone he slept on.

He let out a frustrated growl and remembered Varric telling him how unlucky he had been in this whole ordeal. The dwarf had been more right than he cared to believe but here he was, alone, abandoned and freezing his ass off. He could almost hear a divine being laughing at his misery; it was probably Mythal.

He tugged the locks and hit the walls with them, hoping the locks would break. He could try to create a rift and escape to the Fade but he wasn't suicidal yet. Also it wouldn't win him any loyalties with the Inquisition if he opened a rift beneath Skyhold. It might earn him Cassandra's very sharp sword in his chest though. He hit the wall beside him with an unrelenting force, magic at his fingertips. When nothing happened he raised his hands to repeat the action but was interrupted when an amused chuckle raised from the centre of the room.

Out in the opening, with light from the flames flickering on his face and with the most confident posture he had ever seen someone to have, stood the man he had longed to see. As if the sun itself was shining within the dungeons, Trevelyan could feel his blood to begin boiling and his lips to stretch into a smile. He found himself sitting up and then slowly raising up.

"Dorian" he said softly. Softer than he had ever sounded before, afraid to spook him away or worse awaken from his dream. The young man didn't reply back to him and a sense of dread filled his heart. With shaky hands he reached out for Dorian only to be pulled back when the chain around his ankle strained. He hadn't even realized that he had been chained to the wall.

"The seeker was through with securing you. It was perfectly reasonable to chain you up like a mad dog to prevent your inevitable escape attempt. Unless of course you decided to use your mark, assuming it has the same abilities as Lavellan's. She either didn't think of that possibility, highly unlikely, or more likely she was aware that we didn't have any sort of magical chain to stop you so she decided to please the ignorant eyes of the nobility with putting the ever so pointless chains on you. I am sorry. Am I speaking too quickly for you? You are pulling that face, you southerners like to put on when you can't keep up with an intelligent conversation."

Trevelyan, having become self conscious, realized that he had been staring at Dorian with his mouth gaping open. He quickly regained his senses and let go of the breath he had been holding. "My apologies. I was overthrown with your visit."

"I assumed you would be expecting me. After calling my name while both unconscious and conscious" he retorted "You put me in quiet the position. And here I am, haven't even heard of your name before."

That final sentence hurt more than any injury he had ever sustained before. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. He needed a minute to gather his thoughts and not fall on his knees and beg Dorian to remember him, to remember them.

"Now, I am not above a bit of worship. If I have ever charmed you out of your wits, I understand. But it is difficult to imagine I would forget a handsome face such as yours. Had we met when we were younger? Perhaps you had visited Tevinter during a summer?"

"I was a circle mage. Travelling wasn't exactly an option" Trevelyan answered finally. It hurt hearing Dorian speak like nothing had happened between them and he really needed him to shut up before he blurted out how much he loved him. Knowing Dorian, such a declaration would only serve to drive him away. This Dorian was not the one ready to hear those words. And by the heavens, if he was stuck in this place, whenever or wherever it was, he wasn't going to scare Dorian away before even properly meeting him.

"Solas had mentioned that. Among other things..."

"Did he sent you to gather information?" snapped Trevelyan. he hadn't meant to do so but it hurt to stare at those precious grey eyes and receive no warmth from them in return. "Sweet talk me into revealing the truth?"

"Is it working?" At least he was still brutally honest.

"Yes, it always does." Dorian made an unreadable face at that but didn't pursue the subject. "What else did Solas mention?"

"He said that you could be the victim of another time magic gone wrong. That you come from the future and using your superior mark you punched a hole through the time itself and fall into a different past than your own."

"How can I go back in time to a different past? What, do I not exist in this world? Did I die at the conclave and someone else took hold of the anchor? Was Alexius' theory right?"

"So you have met Alexius?"

"Yes, that's how we met." and what a glorious sight that was. With Dorian in his prime element, destroying demons and cheekily flirting with Trevelyan the moment they laid their eyes on each other..."In the Chantry, right before Redcliff and the time travel. We were thrown into a year in the future but Alexius had tried to erase us." Dorian remained silent at that. Fidgeting in his place, he appeared to be contemplating the possibilities as well.

"Tell me of this time travel" Dorian demanded. Trevelyan realized that he was looking a reason to believe his words, to check if he was an imposter or an agent sent by the enemy. It was in his best interest to tell the tale to it truest and be approved by Dorian. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to convince anyone about who he really was. So he strained his throat and told Dorian of their time in Redcliff. He carefully avoided praising young man or how charming and smart he had been during the ordeal and how he had been entranced by him in those few hours they had known each other. The praising had became a habit on his tongue after that ordeal as Trevelyan enjoyed seeing the faint blush adorning Dorian's cheeks while they would shamelessly flirt in the library or on the road to close some rifts or during dinners. Oh, how he wanted to do that now. Close the distance between them. Grab his neck and devour his lips while holding his naked shoulder with his dear life. How badly did he want to rake his hands through Dorian's soft hair and feel his moustache burn his lips. When their bodies pressed together and as Trevelyan's hands possessively roamed and explored his body, feeling it grow hot and hard under his touch; to see the same desire burn in those beautiful eyes, that feeling of being wanted and wanting him in return had been what kept him alive all these months.

And now the same eyes bored into him with a distrust and an unbelieving scowl. "I had travelled through time with Lavellan only." That name again... Trevelyan was already sick of hearing it and he hadn't even meet whoever this Lavellan was. Wait, was that person with Dorian, as he had been with him? What if they were together. No, he shouted in his head, do not think of that!

"For you to know of it in such detail... Kaffas! Wait here, I need to have a word with a certain elf" said Dorian, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

"Right... I'll wait here." He gritted out and then yelled after Dorian who has been almost flying out of the dungeon. "Send Varric if he has time. I have a glorious fucking story to blow his mind off!"

...

Varric didn't show up, much to Trevelyan's dismay. Perhaps he shouldn't have used a phrasing including blowing things up. He knew that the hair-free dwarf had a nasty history with shits blowing up. Quite literally.

He would have been alright with anyone visiting him, honestly. Except for Leliana. If she showed up, he would probably open a rift faster than she could narrow her deadly gaze at him and jump through to Fade without a seconds thought. Wherever he ended was guaranteed to be safer than being alone in a dungeon with her.

He had to wait a long while before anyone bothered to check up on him. He even feared ending up as the real Cole had who had been left to starve to death. The thought chilled his blood and he shivered with the prospect of dying alone, forgotten and afraid. No, the inquisition was many things but ignorant, it was not. He knew the mark ensured him some security or at least some usefulness. From the look on his face Dorian appear to be fascinated by his story as well and despite the anger and the sadness was overwhelming, Trevelyan loved Dorian with every fibre in his body. He loved and missed him. His only consolidation was seeing him safe and relatively unchanged from his time with him. That meant that his love also had suffered at the hands of the same asshole of a father. Still he had to find small comforts or he would definitely lose his mind.

He didn't know exactly when but soon after calming his anger down and tiring himself with struggling with the locks on his wrists, he fell asleep and with this divine bad luck he found himself in the Fade. Of all the places considered, Fade wasn't such a bad choice but of course he wasn't alone.

"Solas" he inquired as a thin figure at the corner of his eye strode towards him. It felt odd to be there with someone else, least of all with Solas. The time worked differently in the Fade and he found his perception slightly more focused than the usual foggy awareness of a dream.

"You have both noticed an existence and identified it in a matter of minutes. I am impressed." the elf said. Trevelyan didn't mention that the Fade was no longer an anonym place to him.

"Well, there is only one person I know who can walk into someone's dream with such ease." He waited until he was facing Solas before continuing bitterly "After your discussion with my advisors, is this the conclusion you came to? To smoulder me in my dreams? Am I ever going to wake up, Solas?"

"I had no such intention, Lord Trevelyan. I wouldn't attack you while you laid in such a vulnerable position"

"I know, Solas. So what is the verdict then? Shall I expect a knife to the back once I wake up or perhaps Leliana prefers a more public event?"

"I was not expecting you to be so grim. Is the Inquisition in your time an unforgiving force?"

"No" Even to his own ears Trevelyan sounded like a broken child. "Why are you here then? For a stroll?"

"Cole found me" Solas explained while moving towards an unknown destination. The shapes around them began to take form and Trevelyan recognised the inner garden of Ostwick circle. "He pleaded in your behalf to sent someone to company you. He sounded so afraid, so unlike a spirit but his fear of you ending up as the real Cole was more than genuine enough to convince me."

"I do appreciate it. Relay my sincerest thanks to him."

"You can do so yourself. He mentioned he would look after you." They walked in a peaceful silence for a while as the shapes around them changed their forms. Trevelyan looked amazed at how clear his memories took form with just having Solas by his side and was even more surprised to come across his first room back in the Trevelyan Mansion. It had been so long since he last saw it but his small bed and soft velveteen bed sheets and even his toy bear, Normy, his mother had made for him was present in the room. A pang of pain hit his heart at the thought of this scene having never existed in this world, that there never was a Tsion Trevelyan, the third child of the Trevelyan household. No Tsion, no room, no Normy... Perhaps he had no place in this world. Perhaps he did not belong. Corypheus' words rang in his head 'you were a mistake'.

The scene around them sizzled and the scenery took a bloody shape. The broken courtyard of Haven appeared. A dragon soared in the sky and the barracks caught fire. Screams accompanied the crackling of the fires and blood covered the snowy pathways. A trebuchet stood amidst the falling trees and a courtyard filled with corpses of red templars and inquisition soldiers alike.

Trevelyan stood where he was, frozen by fear. The cold and the afterwards of the avalanche, the fear of never making it out alive after his face down with the Old Magister made him tremble to the core. The image followed on and even Solas seemed transfixed on the memory. the earth shook and the him in the memory told his companions to move and get out of the way. Then the dragon shook them apart and suddenly he was alone and Corypheus was approaching him, crossing a fire wall like it was a mere nuisance. He remembered thinking how offended Dorian would be to see that and then he recalled being relieved that he wasn't there to risk dying.

The both of them observed the exchange and Corypheus calling him a mistake. A word which echoed in the Fade. The memory then sassed the old magister and sent the last load on the trebuchet flying off into the mountains. As the mountains came down on them the Fade took pity on Trevelyan and the scene returned to a serene mixture of white and green blurred images.

"There is no mistake then" he heard Solas say once his heartbeat returned to normal "Even if the memory could be falsified, your reaction to it was genuine. You are an Inquisitor of Thedas. Not ours but perhaps you were a possibility."

"You once said to me" started Trevelyan "that in the Fade you could sometimes see things that has happened as well as things that could have happened. Do you think that's what I am; a what-could-have-been?"

"Yes"

"Thanks, you are a real poultice to my wounds"

"Would you have preferred me to lie?"

"No" answered Trevelyan "But you could have some tact. Learn from Cole, cover your harsh truths with pretty words"

"Pretty words doesn't change the meaning of the content"

"But it makes me feel better" Solas chuckled at that and it was both comforting and worrying. "Well now that you confirmed me to be a real deal, what is your advice going to be?"

"You still do not trust me"

"I trust my Solas and his judgement. Although a little bit better advice on the Well of Sorrows would have been appreciated..." Trevelyan corrected "You on the other hand is a mystery to me as much as I am a mystery to you."

"True. You are rather different than our Inquisitor but it is relieving to see you oppose our enemy with the same ferocity as she had done."

"The inquisitor is a she then?" Knowing that somehow did wonders for his morale as his mind drifted off to his beloved one. He knew nothing could have happen between the Inquisitor and Dorian.

"Is it a problem?"

"Not at all" Trevelyan said with a cheeky grin.

"I can see that" commented Solas as he eyed the new memory forming around them. It took Trevelyan a second to recognise the secluded corner of the library where he and Dorian was currently all over each other.

"It's time the wake up then!" yelled the embarrassed man, trying to get Solas' gaze away from their intimate moment because he knew what followed that particular make out session.

"Of course" replied Solas, and the bastard was definitely smirking before he disappeared and Trevelyan woke with a start in his not so empty cell.

"That was close..." he mumbled to himself.

"What was close?" asked a worried voice and Cole emerged from the shadows. He felt a indescribable joy to see his spirit friend and smiled at him accordingly.

Cole took a clean wet cloth and cleaned his sweat from his forehead as he waited patiently for his answer. "Nothing of importance" he waved the spirit off but was glad for not being alone anymore.

"I am glad that you are happy with me. Did Solas help you?"

"Yes, he did, Cole. We actually helped each other. Thank you for sending him."

"You're welcome" He sent him an appreciative smile and soon drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

It was early in the morning when he woke up next to a fulfilling breakfast and a smiling Cole who undid the locks on his wrists. Finally free of his upper chains Trevelyan gulped down the breakfast while Cole was digging into his own with uncertainty.

"You are eating!" he exclaimed and startled the young spirit.

"Yes, I have started to crave for food. It is an odd sensation but Varric says it makes me more human and that it stops the singing in my stomach."

"I see. You have became more human" Trevelyan was taken aback with it. In his time he had favoured for Cole to be more spirit than human and deferred to Solas' judgement on the matter. Perhaps this Inquisitor took a different approach. "Well, you look happy"

"I am happy because I am helping you. And you are content, relieved to be free of your destiny. Was it that bad that even though you have come to different time and left behind all those you cared for, you are still glad to be?"

"Hey, I got to meet you all so no matter how bad it gets at least I can say that. I am a little sad though and a bit angry."

"You lost your friends and then they found you again. You are more than a bit angry but you keep it within your heart, shield it from the sun and cover it with empty thoughts so that I won't reach it."

"I fail at it, apparently" Trevelyan gritted as he took a sip of his water.

"No, you are doing wonderfully. I can barely understand your turmoil. Sorry. Varric said I shouldn't interfere with such shielded hearts where words cut deeper than blades and open wounds that can't be mended by hands."

"It's alright, kid" Trevelyan said with a crooked impersonation of the dwarf. "It's good to see that you have gained such common sense. It should help you a great deal in your quest to help others."

"Yes, it does. Thank you for saying that"