The sunless lands had an odd effect on Soora. While she was awake, the well consumed her every thought but when she was asleep, she'd never felt so calm and at peace. Solas massages her temples every night, even when she knew he was too tired to do so, he did. Flemeth was cautious, taking Soora's companions out with her to scout the Sunless Lands while testing to see who could be the traitor. Morrigan and Solas stayed behind with Soora in case something happened or someone showed up. Flemeth assured Solas and Soora that they were not followed from the Korcari Wilds to this hidden camp, and with no disturbances so far; they believed her.
"Still no idea where Andruil is hiding?" Soora walked out of her tent, hearing Flemeth and the others return from another day of scouting the lands.
"Well," Bull fell onto the ground in front of the fire, leaning back on a log, "We've narrowed down a couple paths leading to a temple or...something a few miles in."
"The Sunless Lands are hard to navigate," Flemeth mumbled, glaring down at Bull, "There is no light here, not even the moon can shine past all the fog and tree's."
"So what's the plan than, hmm?" Sera stumbled out in between a couple tall bushes, a petrified and annoyed look on her face, "I'm not willing to shoot my arrows into the darkness! It's not like these things are unlimited!"
Sera pulled out an arrow and waved it around for good measure, "I only have fifty of these! Fifty!"
"Sera's right," Soora scratched her cheek, "We need a plan."
"Our priority should be finding this Andruil," Morrigan came up behind Soora, her arms crossed as she stood next to her, "We haven't even found any proof that she is here. What if she has moved on?"
"She hasn't." Solas came out of a patch of tree's on the other side of the clearing, he held an arrow, "Andruil just attacked me...or warned me."
"How do you know that's Andruil's?" Dorian grunted as he sat down next to Bull, clutching onto his shoulder that had a fresh cut on it.
"What happened?" Soora exclaimed, walking over to Dorian.
"A branch cut my," Dorian mumbled, "It isn't-"
"Let me look at it." Soora moved over to him, kneeling down.
"How do you know it's Andruil?" Dorian asked again, looking at Solas as Soora tended to his wound.
"She uses the same arrows as centuries ago. Plus, she marked this one with a lovely 'I will kill you' note." Solas twirled the arrow between his fingers as he walked towards everyone.
Soora shut her eyes, turning away from Dorian's wound to clutch her head. The voices from the well were like static, scrambling around in her mind.
Keep...away...danger...ou…t...now...Andruil…control...
Soora cursed in elven before standing up, "T-Take care of Dorian...I'll be back." Soora held onto her head as she walked back to her tent, the voices getting louder as she neared Solas, than slowly fading as she drew away from him. She ignored the concerned faces as she crawled into her tent, making sure the flaps closed before laying, face down, on her pillow. Soora didn't know how long she had laid there until the voices started screaming at her.
"Leave me alone!" Soora cried, clutching onto her head. She curled into a ball, her knees pressed against the ground and her forehead leaning against her bed mat. "Go away! Stop yelling!"
"Is there nothing we can do?" Cassandra stared at the fire as Soora started screaming again.
"No," Flemeth was standing a ways away, her arms crossed. "Soora knew there would be a price with the well-"
"This is not the price." Solas hissed, standing up, "You can stop the voices from doing this – you've done it before!"
"And I will not do it again." Flemeth stared Solas down as he stood in front of her. "Soora will have to get use to the voices. She knew the price when drinking from the Well, you should have stopped her if you were so concerned."
Something in Solas snapped, a low growl coming from his throat, his eyes changing to the glowing blue wolf eyes.
"Do not do this here, Fen'Harel." Flemeth's voice changed to Mythal's, her eyes switching to deep violet, slit pupils as she leaned down to Solas' height, "She knew the price – you knew the price. I can not help any longer. I am truly sorry."
Solas stopped growling, pushing past Flemeth towards Soora's tent. The camp site went silent after Solas entered the tent, Varric staring dumbfounded at the two Gods.
"Did...Did he just growl? Like a freakin' wolf?" Varric shook his head, "I'm getting too old for this shit."
"Vhenan?" Solas murmured, sliding into the tent next to Soora. She whimpered, clutching onto her head, "I...I shouldn't have drunken from the Well."
Solas frowned and pulled Soora to lay on his chest as she cried, "No, vhenan...you shouldn't have."
"The well...It keeps screaming at me...about Andruil but all the voices are so loud and changing, I can't tell what they are saying." Soora clutched onto Solas' shirt, her face laid in between his shoulder and his neck. Solas rubbed Soora's back, "Tell me the words, maybe I can help."
NO.
Soora screamed, jumping out of Solas' arms and clutching her head, "Make it stop!" Soora looked up at Solas' tears falling from her face, "Please...make it stop…" Solas sat up, moving a hand towards her.
GET AWAY FROM HIM!
Soora screamed again, banging her forehead against the ground, "Stop!"
"Soora!" Solas quickly restrained her, "Help! Cassandra!"
Morrigan sat in the tent with Soora, keeping her sedated as everyone figured out a plan in front of the camp fire.
"She can not stay here, Solas," Cassandra placed a hand on his shoulder, "Something is happening here that she can not control. She will hurt herself is she says."
"You are correct. You shall leave with Soora," Solas sighed, looking up at Flemeth, "We will find Andruil but Soora is not staying here any longer."
"You do not get that opti-"
"The hell I don't!" Solas stood up, the fire in the middle of the camp flaring up as he spoke, "Andruil is our problem – me and you. Not theirs, not hers."
"She needs to be here." Flemeth placed a hand on her hip, unimpressed.
"No-"
"Yes." Flemeth glared at Solas, "She needs to be here. What will you choose Solas, I wonder. The life you can have-"
"Don't." Solas snarled.
"-Or the life you want." Flemeth's smirk only grew as she saw the fire die down in front of Solas.
"You know I'm right, Dread Wolf. Don't keep up this charade." Flemeth moved around the fire, walking behind Solas. "She needs to be here."
Soora shouldn't have to do this, Solas shut his eyes. "It is her decision. If she wishes to go, she can go. I will not make that choice for her and neither will you." Solas turned around to glare at Flemeth, "I've trusted you for centuries – but right now, I don't trust you at all."
Soora moaned, slowly forcing her eyes to open. Her fingers twitched as she forced herself to sit up. Her vision was blurry, she felt exhausted and her head was pounding.
No voices at least.
Soora rubbed her eyes and held a hand out, illuminating the tent with a fire ball in her palm. She was alone, she didn't know whether to be comforted by that or not.
"Solas?" Soora groaned and shut her hand, crawling out of the tent. She shakily stood up, leaning forwards and placing a hand on the floor until she balanced herself. She rubbed her eyes and looked towards the fire in the middle of the camp. Solas sat alone, playing with the arrow Andruil had shot towards him.
"You're awake," Solas mumbled, turned his head towards her as she sat down next to him.
"Barely," Soora leaned her elbows against her knees and scratched the back of her head through her hair, "How long have I been out?"
"Five days." Solas turned back towards the fire, the arrows continuously twirling through his fingers.
"N-No...Seriously?" Soora's voice cracked.
"You've woken up a couple times before but the Well..." Solas furrowed his brows, a frown on his face, "I'm giving you an option, Soora. You can leave, all of you. Head back to Skyhold and don't look back."
"Solas?" Soora tilted her head and looked at him, "W-Why-"
"Your mind...it will not be able to handle moving further into the Sunless Lands. The Well is trying to keep you alive, Soora. You need to listen to it and leave." Solas refused to look at Soora as she moved into his view.
"I don't want to leave."
"You could die." Solas looked down at the arrow, holding it in place between his fingers. "I...You can not die."
"And I won't." Soora murmured, moving closer to Solas. She placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "I love you and I am at your side no matter what. I can control this. I know I can. I just need to meditate more and...maybe I could drink tea? It helps you, yes?"
Solas couldn't help but smile, "Tea might work but do not expect to kiss me afterwards."
"I bet I can make you like tea," Soora giggled, laying her forehead against Solas', "I made you love me."
"You made me love you?"
"In Arlathan," Soora whispered and mimicked his voice, "You are amazing, Soora. I could never not love you."
Solas chuckled, "I never said that and I definitely do not sound like that."
"Yeah, sure," Soora scoffed and moved back next to Solas, "How do you know it's Andruil's arrow?"
Solas twirled the arrow in his fingers before running his thumb over a sentence carved into the wood, "The writing."
"What does it say?" Soora leaned her head on Solas' shoulder, linking her arms over his.
"You...should not know." Solas leaned his cheek on the top of her head, twirling the arrow again.
"Is it something about us?"
"No."
"You?"
"No."
"...Me?"
Solas did not answer, just kept twirling the arrow. Soora took that as a silent confirmation. She closed her eyes, listening to Solas breathe.
"We're never going to enjoy our quarters together," Soora mumbled, opening her eyes to stare at the fire, "Will we?"
"We did enjoy our quarters for a while."
"Not long enough," Soora pouted, "I thought after I came back, defeated Corypheus, we could just...relax."
"We could never relax," Solas mumbled, looking down at the arrow, "Whether or not Andruil was still alive...I could not relax. Soora, after this I..." Solas went silent, shutting his eyes tight.
"Solas?"
"...Never mind. We will discuss this after everything."
Soora hummed in confirmation, stifling in a yawn.
"Go back to bed," Solas murmured, placing a kiss atop her head, "I will join you soon."
"Before I leave, what is the plan for tomorrow? Are we heading further into the lands?" Soora moved away from Solas, getting ready to leave.
"Yes. We found a way to the Temple Bull mentioned a couple days ago. We can get there and set wards to keep away Falon'Din and anyone else who isn't welcome."
"Does Flemeth think it will lead us closer to Andruil?" Soora furrowed her brows.
Solas nodded, "She seems to think so."
Soora pressed her lips together and looked around the camp, making sure no one was out of their tent. She whispered, leaning closer to Solas, "Does Flemeth know who is spying yet?"
Solas shook his head, "I have a hard time believing someone is spying. With what we have all been through with you, vhenan...Are we sure Falon'Din and Andruil have someone spying?"
"He told me to start pushing people away," Soora pulled her knees up to her chest and bit her thumb, "That they will know more than just my title if I didn't hand over you and Flemeth."
Solas sighed, twirling the arrow through his fingers, "Something is wrong."
"You feel it too." Soora leaned back against the log, "We have to figure out what Falon'Din meant-Wait, you said Falon'Din told someone to follow us...What if one of his other siblings is following us? Like June or Sylaise."
Solas shook his head, "I do not think they are with Andruil and Falon'Din."
Soora eye'd Solas cautiously, "Why not? Why wouldn't they be?"
"June and Sylaise have a strained relationship with Andruil and Falon'Din...but Dirthamen. Maybe." Solas pursed his lips in thought. Soora looked down at the fire, her mind swimming with questions. She rubbed her temple, feeling the well starting to awaken.
"I-I need to go back to sleep." Soora uttered, leaving Solas alone.
Flemeth had marked the path to the temple with bright colored cloth, tying it to certain broken off branches and tree's. Flemeth was in front of everyone, holding up a torch lit with Veil fire. Morrigan held a torch as well as Solas and Dorian. Bull, Cassandra, Sera and Varric walked with their weapons ready. Soora stood in the middle of the group, Solas standing in front of her. He let her grab onto the back of his shirt when the well started to scream again. Her vision was starting to blur, the voices were becoming unbearable. She was starting to question her own sanity, Solas told her she could leave. Why the hell didn't she.
"I must really love this fucker." Soora groaned, placing her head in her hand as she clutched onto Solas' shirt.
Solas raised an eyebrow and looked at her over his shoulder, "Mm?"
"Nothing." Soora mumbled, shaking her head.
"Another half mile and we will arrive." Flemeth called from the front. Soora clutched onto her head, biting her lip.
Almost there. She repeated over and over to herself. Soora held in her scream as the voices pushed against her skull. Solas stopped walking, turning around and pressing his palm against Soora's forehead. Soora's eyes widened in shock from the odd feeling. Solas' palm pushed a mix of cold and healing magic into her, causing a much needed release for Soora.
"Thank you." Soora breathed out once Solas took away his palm.
"You can still leave, Vhenan." Solas frowned.
"Not a chance." Soora quickly pecked Solas' lips before they caught up with the others.
They came across the temple almost an hour later. Sera and Cassandra scouted around the large temple as Varric worked on picking the lock. Cassandra and Sera gave the all clear as Varric finished picking the lock. Flemeth and Morrigan pushed the large doors open, Soora gaping at what stood inside.