When heavens roar
He screamed. Until there was no breath left in his lungs, Dorian screamed as the dragons toppled over and fall down the shattering ground, an agonizing screech tearing through the night. Strong hands held him back from going after them, barely keeping him contained and stable.
"I must go to him! What if-" he started but Cassandra cut him off with a scowl appearing on her blood covered face.
"Focus on your own duty, Dorian. Trevelyan is doing his part and we must do ours!" She was right of course but he had a nagging feeling of doom as the dragon stayed out of sight. In mere seconds an equally ear splitting shriek was heard. This time it was from their enemy, who had regained his posture before Lavellan could reach him. "He has done it. Corypheus' dragon is dead!" Cassandra exclaimed as the red energy from below gathered up and dispersed, leaving behind an agonized Corypheus.
Not only that Trevelyan's final assault had incapacitated the high dragon but the fluttering of his wings and creating a vast arcane tornado had sent Corypheus flying off and hitting on a sturdy castle wall. As his ready to use energy was gathering within his hands, when he was hit, the pure magic had exploded in on him, lowering his defences immensely.
They made full use of the opening this weakness provided for them. Lavellan dashed forth, flanking him. Cassandra and the Iron Bull swung their swords in every direction and Dorian joined them with twirling his staff, hitting its butt on the ground and creating a pathway of ice to capture Corypheus' feet and slow him down.
They continued with their relentless attacks. He was certain that Trevelyan was alright, probably too lazy to walk all the way up to the top clearing, simply waiting for them downstairs to finish up and join the rest of their companions. They were so close too, Corypheus' breath was hitching and his attacks were becoming more ragged as he constantly jumped between location, teleporting without stopping to rejuvenate his magic. They would win soon and Dorian would rush down the stairs and jump into Trevelyan's awaiting arms. He would wear a scowl asking why it took them so long to come down and claim that he could have done it faster while hugging him close. Cassandra would make disgusted noises behind him, Varric would take notes of their sappy reunion to use in his silly novels and they would laugh as they celebrate being alive and well. A miracle come true. A dream waiting to happen.
Dorian took a deep breath in, clearing his head of wistful thinking and casted a barrier over the rest of his party. He was about to send out a fiery bolt when Corypheus hauled up an orb, crackling with red energy and released an massive magic, effectively stunning him. His enemy swung down a blow just before them with flames emerging from his attack. Their shields and barriers held up but Dorian was already staggering on his spot. He hoped the rest fared better than he was doing.
Thankfully, they were. Cassandra bashed his chest with her shield when the ancient magister tried to dodge Bull's heavy sword and Lavellan took the opportunity to stab her dagger on his neck. A few arrows, unknown in origin, hit his chest. Corypheus' arms shot upwards and Dorian, standing far enough recognised his preparation for a brutal assault. He restored their barriers just in time as the orb crackled with excessive energy, overloading and releasing a wave of nightmarish pulse. Despite the barriers, they were knocked out of their feet, only Lavellan being able to get up quickly enough to counter the enemy.
His source of power failing, Corypheus yelled at the god's of the old "Not like this! I have walked the halls of the Golden City, crossed the ages..." He tried to futilely stabilise the orb's magic while Lavellan walked behind him, anchor glowing bright and fierce. "Dumat! Ancient Ones! I beseech you! If you exist- If you ever truly existed- aid me now!"
His plead wasn't convicted enough. As Lavellan extended her arm, the orb now tainted with a green energy as well as red, flew out of Corypheus' hand and stopped to hover above Lavellan's open palm. Oh, it could have gone so wrong at that moment. There were so many possibilities and so many ways Lavellan could have used the orb for her gain, corrupting it just as Corypheus once did. She held the infinite power within her grasp but she choose to the right thing instead.
A golden light shot out of the orb and reached the sky, connecting with the breach and draining last of Corypheus' magic along with it. She strode on with knowing steps, hand glimmering with revenge.
"You wanted into the Fade?" she asked wittily and then Corypheus was no more.
He would have loved to celebrate but without the magic to hold the castle in place, the walls started to crumble down, rocks plunging from above and threatening to squash them, making their victory a short lived one. Dorian's eyes searched franticly for the stairs and as he ran towards them, all he could think of was to reach Trevelyan before he lost him to a piece of falling rock.
...
There was a nasty taste lingering in his mouth, a mixture of his own and the beast's blood leaking from his parted lips and the smell of iron and charcoal filling his lungs. Trevelyan coughed. An agonising sound ripped out of his throat and he spit out dead leathery skin, dirtying the front of his armour, crimson colour disappearing on the black fabric.
He was dimly aware that he was lying on the castle grounds, a dissipating dark energy surrounding him. The remnants of the red lyrium dragon were scattering away slowly, leaving away nothing, not even bones but a feeling of dread pooling in Trevelyan's stomach.
The day, or night, he couldn't even tell the difference anymore, was still covered under darkness, only the green light from the breach illuminating the sky. On the platform far above, an occasional red glow shone, spreading like wings and disappearing in seconds. The hovering ground shook occasionally and more pieces of rocks fell down on the edges. He guessed that the fight raged on, with or without him. He lifted his left hand, the only one that he could feel. The anchor was reacting to the large tear, its tingling predominant among his otherwise numb limps.
Purposelessly, his arm fell back down. The rest was up to Lavellan and her trustees, he had done his part, unyielding and until his own muscles gave up on him. He had fought with every fibre in his body, consequences be damned. He had won and now, victorious he rested on the trembling castle.
He was so tired.
He closed his eyes, trying to visualize what this part of the castle was like before it fell into ruins. He imagine it to be a garden, which one could reach following arched gateways and long corridors. An inner garden where colourful flowers and rare herbs grew just like in Skyhold. His illusion shattered there and he wondered then if he would ever see Skyhold again. The only place that ever felt like home. Regardless of which room he had or what people called him, Herald or Inquisitor, it didn't matter. The Ostwick Tower had been a joke and he didn't recall enough of Trevelyan home state from before. The people he considered family weren't there either. He had grown so much in Skyhold and he had become who he was while devising plans with Leliana, taking etiquette lessons from Josephine or even learning to strategise while playing chess with Cullen. He had owed them so much. To all of them, and not just the advisors. He was indebted to them just for showing him what a real home, with a loving and caring family felt like.
Skyhold was the only true home he ever had and maybe, considering the state he was in, the only one he would ever get to have.
A shame really. There was so much more left to do. So many rifts remained opened, people never stopped needing help and now with the battle coming to an end, there would be renovations and rebuilding across the cities; A redistribution of hope was much required. There was still so much more he could do.
Black spots played within his vision as he forced his eyes open. Refusing to give in, his stubborn side flaring once more. He wanted to see Dorian, to touch him, to have him nurse Trevelyan back to health with his expert magic and talented hands while he complained how the Herald was so gifted with getting injured. He wished to hear Dorian call out to him, to hold him, to only be there. He wa-
The earth shook and a tremor passed through his injured back. He gritted his teeth but an agonized cry had already slipped past his lips. Unaware of the footsteps echoing around him, Trevelyan focused on regulating his breathing. He reopened his eyes only to see a familiar figure appearing at the top of the stairs. With an air of nonchalance Solas walked as the noises from above continued on, relentlessly. He tilted his head for a second, listening closely and Trevelyan took the occasion to call out to the elf.
"Solas, oh never mind me. I'm just lying over here... in pain..." he started, not really able to finish the sentence without getting more blood on his shirt. Shame, he had really liked that silk armour.
Solas' head snapped towards him, eyes widening as his gaze took in Trevelyan's poor condition. Whatever was on his mind, it was gone in an instant and as he ran towards the lying man, Trevelyan was touched to see the panic emerging on that naturally stoic face.
He probably should have been more worried about his state in correspondence with Solas' reaction.
"My friend," he started and his concerned frown deepened upon seeing Trevelyan's sheepish smile. "I have observed the battle of the two dragons. When you both vanished from the skies, I had assumed that you had won and reverted back to your human form. I was not expecting to find you so-"
"Happy?" Trevelyan supplied for him "Pleased? I did win after all"
"Broken" Solas deadpanned and Trevelyan winced. He never had any tact, ever... "Here" the elf added and pulled out a red potion from his pouch. He was about to hand over the vial but after considering the Trevelyan's motionlessness, Solas lifted Trevelyan's head instead. As he tipped the bottle over his lips, a warmth spread within Trevelyan, suddenly world starting to make more sense.
An appreciative sound made it out of the mage's mouth as his wounded skin began patching itself. The relief of feeling Solas' fingers below his skull was almost like a blessing. When Solas threw away the vial and took out a second one, Trevelyan was able to hold it on his own.
"Help me sit up?" he asked shortly, not yet trusting his throat. With the elven mage's help he crawled backwards and managed to lean his head above a broken column, his back and shoulders resting more comfortably.
"You have no other wounds that need healing. Why are you not able to get up?" Solas questioned, it was more to himself than to Trevelyan but the man still shrugged in response. "Perhaps, the sudden shift in energy stimulation strained your body, burning of whatever reserves it had with the enforcement of ancient magic. You could be simply over exhausted."
When he tried to answer, a red light, brighter than ever before shone across the sky. A golden beam shot out from above them soon enough and hit the breach, swirling it to closure. The energy in the area shifted, Trevelyan's body reacting to it in an instant, the blue of the elven marking flashing urgently.
"Or, I am finished with my duty" Trevelyan replied and as his body convulsed with sudden spasms, rendering him breathless for a minute before he could continue "and Mythal is taking back what she once offered."
"What makes you say that?" Solas asked with both a curious and intrigued voice. Trevelyan smiled gently, observing the sky as the final green glow dissipated. A contentment filled his very being at knowing that the Inquisitor and her team had succeeded in finishing off Corypheus.
"It is finally over" Trevelyan whispered and turned back to Solas "When I asked the ancient ones, why I existed when all others had to perish, they had explained that I was not meant to disappear at that time. That as long as my bond remained attached to them, I was able to control Mythal's power. I was meant to finish what I started no matter the cost. I was a mistake turned asset. Now, Corypheus is dealt with and the breach is closed, so my duty is done. I no longer have a reason to be."
"Those ancients also said that you were to protect the wisdom of ancients. Your assumption carries no more basis than a misinterpretation of their words"
"Then why do the markings hurt still?" Trevelyan inquired, his voice restrained. "Why do I feel like I am wasting away?"
The elf opened his mouth to respond but as if it has lost all its magic, the castle started descending down, causing them to levitate ever so slightly. Rocks started breaking apart and falling off the edges, one landing frighteningly close to Trevelyan's unmoving feet. Solas was quick to cast a barrier over them both and he kept them safe by doing so. He leaned over the man while Trevelyan screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the oncoming end. But his worries were for anything as whatever stray piece of stone or earth was thrown their way, the strong shield swatted them away, protecting Trevelyan and Solas, both.
Once the tremors stopped, they relaxed and Solas moved away from his position above the Herald whose glow hadn't fainted at all. The concentrated magic around them shifted, pulling something deep within Trevelyan and he had to bite his lips to muffle to the cry in his throat. His markings burned without turning crimson but with the full ferocity of that first time he drank from the Well and everything spiralled downwards...
"What is happening, Solas?" he asked, tired and afraid and so very hurt. His skin was ablaze, his throat dry. He could do nothing but lift a hand and catch Solas by the forearm.
"You are burning inside out" the elf remarked and he genuinely appeared terrified for a second before regaining his composure "It must be because of the breach and the sudden energy shift but I don't understand. If I had more time-"
"Tsion! Solas" a voice ringed through the vast emptiness and both men turned towards the upper stairs to see Dorian, running towards them with a determined face. As he skimmed to a stop by their side, Dorian didn't lose to cradle Trevelyan's hand and his worried gazed travelled between them. "What is this? What is happening?"
"I don't know yet" Solas admitted with an annoyed glare and Trevelyan felt the palm holding his hand to tighten. He didn't dare look Dorian in the eyes as he swallowed difficultly. "I need to speak with someone, be patient" He said abruptly and left to join with the Inquisitor and the rest of the companions as everyone, one by one began to gather in the middle of the clearing.
Cassandra and the Bull approached them, Cassandra looking stricken but both them reading the grimness of the situation. "Why must I always find you half unconscious, lying inappropriately and out of place?"
"Half my charm, you see" Trevelyan joked "How else can I leave a half as good impression on you?" Cassandra scoffed but a tiny smile graced her lips. His eyes wondered to the Iron Bull who stood more impassive than he had ever seen him "So, Bull, it turns out my pair of horns are much more impressive than yours. What do you think, hm?"
"As if borrowed horns could ever beat the real deal. Let's see you use them against me and we'll decide who's the boss, Trev"
"Rain check on that" he answered, casting his eyes downwards where a crusted trail of crimson flowed across his torso and down on to the ground. He had stopped bleeding a while ago but now he felt like his insides were pulling and his marks shone through his armour, a calm blue contrasting the vicious red.
"And the sky is healed, healthy... whole. There's just that left to remember. Yet..." Cole appeared over his shoulder, voice gloomy instead of stoic as if the words he spoke hurt him physically "yet, the night is covered with a blue tinge. It burns hot in his veins but there is relief beyond the skies. A final farewell is all it would take for the final rest. Is my time in this world up? Am I dying now that the skies has healed?" With the tip of his hat bowed low his hand rested on Trevelyan shoulder, solid and real.
"Amatus?" In response to Dorian's restless voice, Trevelyan ultimately gathered his courage to look up without breaking down completely. What was it that Varric once said in their first meeting? " The regret of inaction haunts you forever and more" He had been right, Trevelyan had to try for Dorian's sake. So he pushed back the pain and focused on Dorian's mesmerizing grey eyes; they were so full of hope and worry that Trevelyan wanted to weep but that wouldn't do...
So he smiled for Dorian. He smiled for all the times they had been together and for all the times they would miss. Just a small, gentle curl of lips was all he could manage but it was enough to convey his love through. His hand squeezed Dorian's even if that was all he could do.
Whatever he saw in Trevelyan's gaze Dorian was unhappy. He shook his head, unbelievably while repeating a single word. "No" he said with an incredulous scowl. "No!" he exclaimed with a feverish cry. "No..." he wept with tears in his eyes and Trevelyan's heart broke into little pieces. Cole's presence vanished but his warmth lingered on allowing Trevelyan to gather his wits.
"It's going to be alright" the mage replied, his thumb soothing over the soft skin of his hand.
"You always say that" Dorian cupped the side of his face, gently rubbing at his temple, fingers combing through his hair. Their foreheads touched and he inhaled the musky scent, eyes never leaving one and other.
"I've just received this gift from an unknown admirer before we left Skyhold." Dorian said with a tremble in his voice. His hand holding Trevelyan's face disappeared under his armour's collar and he pulled out the Pavus birthright which had been draped over his neck "Was it your doing by any chance?"
"I wouldn't know. Our spymaster is the one dealing with dangerous objects of interest."
"As I thought" the young mage replied with a sad smile and he leaned in, his lips chastely touching Trevelyan. He felt warm blood and ash on his tongue, a taste of death and fire lingered behind as he pulled back with a tired sigh. Despite trying so very hard to continue watching his beloved one, Trevelyan's eyelids soon began to fall. "Don't, Amatus, please don't. Just hold on a bit longer. Whatever Solas has thought of, he should be returning with answers shortly. So just stay with me."
Trevelyan forced himself to awaken, to not to follow the sweet promise of a painless sleep. His body laid limp, his gaze was unfocused and his words slurred but he managed to hoarse out a respond "The saddest goodbyes are the ones you've failed to voice. So allow me to say this my love, for this time it is a goodbye"
"You are mistaking me for another dashing Altus again, Amatus." Dorian interrupted, trying to keep light hearted. It was hard to believe it himself as the tears didn't stop flowing "Nobody here is leaving."
"Dorian" Trevelyan called out, his vision growing darker by the second "I love you. Even if time's pass, you move on and I become no more than a distant memory in your heart, just remember that I love you. Just that is enough."
"No, I refuse it. You will not give up now... Amatus" Dorian stuttered, his head leaning in one last time, sharing the same air. Trevelyan's breathing was slowing down and Dorian felt panic raising in his throat. His shoulders tensed and Dorian could see the exact moment the light began to leave his eyes. Only then he had the courage to whisper with the final breath exchanged between them.
"I love you, too, Amatus"
...
Cole was afraid. The air was filled with eerie silence, with only one man's sobs echoing in the vast clearing. A clearing which once had flowers of every colours and scents of immense sweetness; a garden where carnations of every variation bloomed once, prideful and endearing. Now, the garden smelled of belladonnas, and the night remained as quiet as the dead.
He heard nothing. Nothing but Dorian's silent agony burning as hot as the midday's summer, blinding every other sense, even the Fade itself with its brightness. No one else, not Lavellan's nor Cassandra's or anyone else's voices reached him; all shadowed by the mage's cry.
And that scared him. To listen such hurt and be unable to help, as the limp body on the ground drew his last breath and his markings fainted away like they never existed at all. To hear the cry for help echo in minds more than one but be useless in offering any sort of comfort. His own hurting just as bad, mimicking the whimpers in his heart, crying with injustice of which that has been done and requesting for help that wouldn't come.
Cole had never wanted to forget another moment as badly as he wanted to erase this instant before. For once he regretted ever being human instead of just a spirit; yet he cherished it for he was there with his friends and even if he couldn't make them forget, Cole could still ease their pain. Just as Lavellan and Trevelyan thought him, he could still help.
Different from the way he usually did, Cole reached out with his hands instead of his words to touch the shivering shoulder before him, lifting Dorian's tear stained face away from Trevelyan's chest. He wrapped his arms around the broken man, imitating the action he had seen when Trevelyan had hugged Dorian during their times of distress but the sincerity behind the action remained genuine. Dorian made a surprised noise but readily he accepted the kindness and buried his face into Cole's jacket. Cole felt the ever so slight diminishing sense of dread and loneliness immediately. The other voices returned, tuned down but there, at the edge of his of version of reality.
Then something threatened that balance of voices and an energy ripped through the very fabric of their world. Dorian and the rest of the Inquisition were oblivious to it, but the decrease in temperature was evident to him. The Fade itself opened on a plane different than the one his friends stood on yet its rippling effect reached his ears, tugging at the essence of his very being.
An old woman stood before Trevelyan's body and breathless Cole observed as Trevelyan's spirit, vivid and dazzling, materialized in that plane of existence.
Cole wished Dorian could have seen it.
...
Dying was one of the more displeasing things Trevelyan had done in his all too short life. It was excruciating and depressing. Yet, after the moment he heard Dorian's beautiful words, he didn't mind letting the darkness claim him. The infinite silence finally lulled him into a deep slumber.
He was surprised when he regained some of his senses then. His hearing and sight returned as he took in the pastel colours of the Fade and his magic reached out to the boundless magic within it. He was floating, like the spirit of the Divine, he was hovering above the green grass and below the blue skies both expanding endlessly. This was his afterlife, free of all boundaries and no limitations. He liked it.
Everything felt real, this time around. He didn't have a physical body forcefully entering the Fade but he had integrated with it and he became a part of it. He saw the world as it was. With its yellow, blue and white bolts of energy bundles drifting across, the Fade was as peaceful as he always wanted it to be.
But the illusion was soon shattered as a figure emerged from thin air, shaping itself into a solid and a very real body of the last person Trevelyan ever wanted to see. Standing before him, so out of place with her armour and human flesh, Flemeth was observing his reaction with mild curiosity.
"Seriously?" Trevelyan sneered at the old woman "I died and instead of being embraced in the Maker's bosom or whatever it is that was supposed to happen, I get you?"
"I thought you didn't believe in the Maker" Flemeth laughed, throwing her horned hair back.
"I don't but that's beside the point"
"What is the point then?"
"I am fairly certain, you are not the point. You can't be!" Trevelyan snapped "Hasn't our bond disintegrated since, you know, I died?"
"Death is just the marking for another phase coming to an end in our lives, boy. You need not be upset about it." Trevelyan's spiritual eye twitched. If he had been corporal, he definitely would have sent a fireball or two in Flemeth's direction. "He is right, you know"
"Who is right?" Trevelyan inquired because really, he had nothing to do but float around for an eternity, might as well listen what the old hag had to say.
"That paramour of yours, of course" she said and sighed as if Trevelyan was intentionally being too obtuse just to piss her off. "It is not yet your time to leave them behind"
"In case you haven't notice it, Flemeth, or Mythal, it's a tad bit late for that. I am dead and we are in Fade. How did I die anyway? I had no mortal wounds and what, my heart sort of just stopped?"
"You are not yet dead, silly boy" she laughed heartily, causing hope to flicker to blossom in Trevelyan's chest. He didn't let it show on his face but his ethereal chest heaved with expectation "But whatever gave you the idea that consuming a gallon of dragon blood was good for your mortal, human body?"
"I didn't mean to." He stuttered, embarrassed with the sudden revelations of his own stupidity "I was too busy with biting its head off instead of worrying about what I swallowed."
"Blocking the blood flow, healing the wounds and preventing from poison leaving your body... that silly wolf!" Flemeth contemplated on her own. Trevelyan eyed her carefully. "Anyhow, consider yourself lucky. I didn't come here only to bash you with your daftness."
"You have come to bust me out?" Trevelyan asked with anticipation. He was unable to contain his excited voice any longer "How do you plan to do that when my body is poisoned, again... I have been getting poisoned an awfully lot these few months."
"You are bound to me and as such my magic flows in your veins. You are my charge after all. My marking on your skin are not for show, you know. They have been working to cleanse and heal your blood all the while you have been lamenting on your bitter end. If only you had thought to listen to the voices of the ancients, you would have known."
"That's..." speechless, Trevelyan observed the Fade with a puzzled frown "How am I in the Fade then?"
"You are a mage, are you not? Death is not the only time you get to enter the Fade. Thank your friend that he thought of putting you into a coma like state to keep away the pain as your blood was purified. It's because of your own false assumption that caused you to confuse life and death."
"Oh, Solas... He must have given me a potion to comatose me and you used that weakened state to pull me here"
"Yes, at last the Herald catches up." Flemeth laughed again, enjoying this moment far too much "Your blood should be clean now. Off you go then. Back to your world and to your precious little friends."
Trevelyan felt the tugging of the real world as his limps regained their sensation along with the aches and bruises in his body. His consciousness flickered within both realms and in a split second, his ethereal form had vanished from the Fade leaving behind nothing but a putrid odour in his wake.
"Go on then, silly boy," Flemeth whispered after his departure "If faith is kind to us both, we shall meet again."
...
Cole didn't know how long had passed since he saw Trevelyan's eyes shut close. He didn't know but the stiff back beneath his fingers continued to tremble for far too long after that. So many people were around them now and he saw someone getting ready to reach out to them. Before they could do that, Dorian slowly regained his composure on his own and gave Cole an appreciative smile before the broken man faced Trevelyan once more. Cole wondered if it was time to mention the vision of Mythal and the spirit of Trevelyan he had seen. What if Trevelyan wanted to surprise Dorian once again?
He tilted his head and decided that no, it was too cruel. He reached out a hand and squeezed the young mage's arm.
"Lost but not gone, as opposed to gone but not lost" he murmured. Dorian's face jerked towards him, swollen eyes narrowing dangerously. Cole gulp down soundly and focused on Trevelyan instead. "A divine hand reaches out through the Fade. Guiding and protecting. Leading and embracing. She has shown him the way now all he has to do is to follow the strings back to... us"
"Cole? What are you saying?" asked Lavellan as she approached them.
"You are going to make a bit more sense, kid or this is just too cruel right now" Varric whispered softly and Cole was surprised to hear so many feelings shifting from despair to anger. He hadn't even noticed the existence of the rest of the Companions up until that moment.
He opened his mouth to speak but someone else beat him to it. A sudden flare of blue and a sharp intake of breath scared even him as Trevelyan's chest grew in size while dragging in a much crucial breath. Dorian jumped backwards, falling on Cole.
"What in the Maker's name?"
"You nug humping bastard!"
Varric, Sera and the Iron Bull cursed at varying degrees while Lavellan, Blackwall and Vivienne stood frozen on their spots. It took them a second to start reading their weapons against a potential demon attack. Cassandra on the other hand, approached the man whose eyes were fluttering open and grasped his collar with a harsh motion.
A pained gasp left Trevelyan's grasp but he managed to awaken fully, shoving back at Cassandra's shoulders. When his try was proven to be futile, he sent a crooked smile at her "We really should stop meeting like this"
"It is him." Cassandra grumbled but Trevelyan was sure that he witnessed a dried trail of tears across her cheek. "Thank the Maker" He was going to retort but the hands on his collar was lost and Trevelyan lost his balance in the lack of a support. He didn't fell on the column though, instead soft hands were cradling him close and even in his baffled state he could tell apart the familiar warmth of Dorian surrounding him.
"How on- Maker, what in the Fade's name was that?" Dorian mumbled on, his hands roaming all over Trevelyan's face and torso, feeling and hearing the blood pumping in his veins. The ragged breaths giving him a reason to smile once again.
"You complaining?"
"Maker, no." Dorian bawled and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Trevelyan's neck. "You scared me to death."
"I am sorry, love. I'll explain once we are safely back in Skyhold, I promise" Trevelyan replied and straightened his back, properly sitting up to embrace Dorian. His body protested with a dull ache but it didn't prevent him from raking through the soft locks tenderly, kissing the exposed nape. He sighed deeply as the others began shifting around them, finally letting themselves to marvel in their victory. Smiling and congratulating each other.
"You are alive, I am alive... It's a miracle" Dorian laughed and Trevelyan pulled backwards ever so slightly to capture Dorian's lips with a hard, crushing kiss. Keeping him close, Trevelyan poured his heart into it and was rewarded with the similarly intense response.
"Because of you, Trevelyan" Lavellan started as she sheathed her swords "I sometimes forget which one of us is supposed to be the miracle maker. Now, if you are good enough to ravish your lover, then you are good enough walk back."
"Can you stand up, or do I get to carry you back?" the Iron Bull asked smirking. There was a joke he was missing but he ignored it for sanity's sake.
"My legs have almost returned back to normal. Just help me up and I'll be good enough to walk." The Iron Bull hauled him up before he even finished his sentence and Trevelyan found purchase on Dorian's shoulder. "Shall we?" Content faces turned to him, nodding and smiling with affection. Blackwall and Vivienne headed the group back to their camp after sending a warm smile towards his way. Dorian helped him walk and when they passed the middle way he heard Varric's curious voice.
"Where is Chuckles?" the dwarf asked as his eyes scanned the area for the elf.
"He was unhappy that I broke the orb so he is probably brooding somewhere." Lavellan said with a shrug. Sera walked over to Trevelyan's side to grab his free arm in the mean time when he and Dorian staggered behind.
"Are you undead, now?" she inquired with a mischievous smile "Because I can think of a few pranks to cheer you up with"
"He is not" Dorian protested as they started walking again after the Iron Bull and Cassandra "And whatever you have planned which involves an undead is not going to happen. Not on this necromancers watch."
"Ah, match made by the Maker" she giggled then "The undead and the necromancer!"
"I am not going to fall to your level of joking, Sera." Dorian huffed, making Trevelyan snicker between them and with a tug at both his friends Trevelyan got them to move forth.
At the very edge of the group, Cole stood with his chin up and a hand on his heart. He radiated an aura of contentment and joy as the group moved onwards with their backs straight and chests puffed.
"What do we do now, Inquisitor?" Cassandra's proud sound reached his ears.
"We go back to Skyhold" was the firm reply which filled Cole with great happiness, making him want to reach out to his friends, give them the bliss they so much deserved.
"Lost but not gone" Cole repeated again with a small smile. "Because they will keep finding you. No more anger. No more resentment. You open your heart to the skies and in return it is protected, not crashed. You are free of your chains now, so fly. We will always be here for you to come back to."