Gently falling to his knees, Dorian leaned over his lover, picking him up and holding him close to his chest as if the Inquisitor was a newborn made of fragile glass that would break under the slightest pressure. Lavellan's expression was calm, a small cut on his cheek slowly pooled in the deeper segments with droplets of crimson blood contrasting against the elf's pale complexion. The Tevinter fell panic rising in his chest and a lump developing in his throat, he began to check his amatus for a pulse or heartbeat, finding no traces of life within his lover with his shaky hands. He never shook he was the very definition of confidence and emotional stability, he couldn't remember a time where he felt so weak and useless. Images from his memory flickered through his mind, his elven lover smiling, his eyes shining brightly, his laughter echoing in his ears from one of Dorian's petty insults. Kai's passion when he defended him from those who tried to beat him down like Mother Giselle and his father. Tears welled up to a point that they obscured his vision, as the memory of Kai sitting out there gazing up at the stars with such wonder set itself firmly in his mind. A tear fell, running down the mage's cheek and dripping off of his chin onto Kai's face. Kai's voice echoed in his mind, 'I would love to see those stars up close you know; I bet they're even more beautiful up close.' Holding Kai closer to him, Dorian took a sharp intake of air, inhaling his lover's scent, hiding his face into his amatus' neck. At some point in this agonising eternity, everyone else had caught up and were now solemnly around the grieving mage. Their heads were bowed in respect for the fallen. Some were also crying silently, not just for the loss of their Inquisitor but for everyone else who was sacrificed in the cause and in the relief that it was all over. For now they were safe again for now anyways.
"Why is everyone so upset..? Vhenan?" It was so softly spoken that Dorian believed that he had imagined it, with the amount of grief he felt it was highly likely.
"I'm not dead you dipstick." Kai grumbled a bit louder, Dorian opened his eyes to examine his lover again, Kai's eyes were barely open, slits at best. There was no way he could see the grieving crowd like that so he must have been relying on his sensitive hearing. Closing his eyes again, though it barely made a difference since they weren't really that open to begin with, Kai exhaled deeply and winced as he felt his vhenan change his position. To the Herald's surprise, Dorian made no witty remarks, nor did he sigh with relief or laugh, but rather dragged his lover into a tighter embrace and cry, for a man with incredibly high control over his emotions he seemed broken. Lavellan felt a pang of guilt and sympathy, Dorian had put up with so much, living with the constant fear of Kai dying at any moment every single day. Kai was flooded with frustration, he had tried to show he was alive as soon as he had come around which had occurred when Dorian had first moved him, but he failed through lack of strength, all he could do was lie there and let Dorian get himself all worked up. With all the strength he could muster he whispered in the altus' ear,
"I won't ever leave you again, I love you Dorian more than anything."
The mage sniffled, "I really hate you sometimes, making me feel like this. Humiliating myself in front of all these people."
The mood of the crowd was mixed but word was spreading fast across the Inquisition, 'The Herald lives.' Cassandra finally approached with the three advisers, suggesting that they returned to Skyhold. All the way to the Inquisitor's chambers, Dorian had refused to let anyone carry his lover, he ignored his aching body, ignoring just how bone tired he truly was. He was not going to lose him again, which he used as his argument every time someone tried to persuade him. Though many concerned with Dorian's physical and emotional state, deep down they knew that their Herald was in the safest hands possible.