It had been several weeks since the Haven refugees had made Skyhold their new home. Nethra had moved in to her glamourous quarters at the top of the western tower, and her advisors and companions found rooms to call their own.
She had found herself in Solas' level of the rookery more often than not in the middle of the night. He hung a quilt over her shoulders before lighting a fire under his kettle. She studied the blanket in silence.
"This is beautiful, Solas." She stated, staring at the different patterns. "Did you make this?"
He nodded silently, digging through his cupboards.
"They're all elven inspired images, right? The dragon for Mythal, the owl for Falon'din…wait. Why are there wolves?" She asked slowly.
"Some Dalish beliefs are simply superstition."
"So you mean to say that the Dread Wolf is not dreadful at all?" Nethra chuckled, "That's hard to believe."
"There are many things that are hard to believe, but true nonetheless."
Nethra stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher his alternate meaning. She sighed, turning her attention back to the quilt.
"Oh! A halla." She smiled, but the grin immediately faltered as she remembered why she was there. She had just woken up from a feverish dream where the halla almost died.
"The dreams are becoming more frequent." Solas stated as he handed Nethra a small cup of herbal tea.
"I just wish there was a way to understand why this is happening." She mumbled, clinging to the quilt. The bald elf stared at her for a moment before turning around to shuffle through his possessions. He pulled out a book titled Elven Magic and the History of Elves.
"Are you familiar with the story of Ghilan'nain?" Solas muttered, flipping through the book.
"Yes. She's the Halla mother. She was-"
"Blinded and bound by a hunter after she cursed him. Later on, Andruil turned her into a halla. Sound familiar?"
Nethra stared at him. That was why she couldn't see in her dreams.
"The question is how did this connection come to be?" Solas stopped at a page in his book. He placed it in front of Nethra. The chapter was titled Connections Between the Gods and the People. "It is an extremely rare case, but there have been records of an elven god sharing a body with an elven soul. Do you have any memories of finding an ancient relic or burial place of elven origin?"
"I…no. I don't have a lot of memories of my life before the Circle."
"Perhaps that is where we should begin exploring." The bald elf sat across from her, staring into her green eyes.
Nethra had just returned from her trip to Crestwood, and was soaking the mud and blood off of her skin in a warm bath, looking out her tall windows to admire the Frostbacks. Her only complaint so far of the hold was the increase of her vivid dreams. Solas suggested that the strong presence of ancient elven magic may have something to do with it. The elven history book he showed her from a month ago lay on her loveseat by the stairs.
Solas had suggested that perhaps Nethra shared a soul with the ancient elven goddess Ghilan'nain. It was a possibility, but for it to happen, Nethra had to come in contact with something involving the goddess, which is where their conclusion faltered. Nethra had no memory of any such event. However, due to their new resources, Leliana managed to fine Nethra's old clan allowing her to send her keeper a message inquiring about any events similar to the ones Solas described.
Nethra sank down into the warm water. The serving soldiers added scented oils and pigments into the water, filling her room with a fresh, grassy smell.
Her door opened loudly, followed by heavy footsteps. "Inquisitor, welcome back. Leliana has asked me to deliver some papers to you. They're nothing much, just some things to fill out regarding your adventures at Crest- oh, Maker!" Cullen dropped his papers immediately after spotting the small elf in her bathtub. "My apologies, Neth-er-Inquisitor, I-I..," He shielded his red face.
"Cullen, it's okay, the water is dyed. You can't see anything." Nethra called out to the stammering man behind her. "Do naked women really bother you that much, Commander? I'd have thought you've seen plenty of naked bodies in the Templar barracks back in Kirkwall."
"I-I-It's not…"
"Just leave the papers on the loveseat." Nethra chuckled at his stammers.
"I…yes." He shuffled behind her, then quickly shambled down her stairs and shut the door.
Nethra heard a loud thump, followed by an echo of something along the lines of "Oh, sweet Maker's breath". She sank lower into the water, submerging herself fully.
Cullen couldn't bring himself to look at the Inquisitor for the rest of the day. Even while in a meeting at the war table, he avoided any and all forms of contact with her. Josephine and Leliana exchanged looks between each other, practically screaming that they knew something happened, but they did not pry. He was sure that Leliana would find out sooner or later. The day was nearing an end as the sun slowly set over the mountains, turning the sky black and deeming Cullen unable to read his paperwork. He decided to go for a walk among the battlements to decompress his mind for the night.
His heavy steps echoed through the courtyard as he let his mind wander.
I'd have thought you've seen plenty of naked bodies in the Templar barracks. Nethra's words resounded in his mind over and over again. In truth, Cullen probably did change with women in the Templar quarters, but he never thought anything of it. To him, they were just his fellow peers - his family away from home. Nethra, however…
He stared at the tower where the elven inquisitor resided. When the room was first revealed to her, she lectured him for three hours on how they could have found a better use for their funds than to decorate her quarters with lavish furniture. She was on such a roll that Cullen didn't have the heart to tell her it was Josephine's doing and not his own. Growing up in the Circle Tower made the two of them quite accustomed to small, humble sleeping spaces – a bed and a night table were all they had during their earlier years. Anything more seemed unnecessary. He smiled at the memory of her flushed and angry face, screaming that she would rather eat a live nug than share the same furniture as a snobby Orlesian nobleman.
A glimpse of movement coming from the tower caught his eye. The Inquisitor appeared, leaning over her balcony. Although the sun had left, her white nightgown seemed to glimmer from all the way up there. It was as if she was glowing. For the first time since the bathtub incident, he looked at her. Well, if he was being honest, it was more of a stare.
Almost immediately, the elf's head turned to catch his eye. Even from such a far distance, she could spot the commander. The elf waved her arm in silence. Cullen waved back. He felt his face heat up at the memory of her in the tub. She tied her hair up for her bath, revealing her delicate neck and toned shoulders. Her knees poked out of the pink water as well. He felt his heart begin to beat faster.
"Andraste's bosom, Cullen. Keep yourself together." He mumbled to himself before turning to walk back to his quarters. He began to feel dizzy as he reached his door. It was going to be another bad night.
This was just a filler/fluff(?) chapter. Thank you to Leale and Popo on the Go for the comments! They helped me release this chapter :) My life is pretty crappy right now so it's nice to have this outlet. Favourite/ follow if you're liking the story so far and feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions!