Chapter 15!

Let's head to Adamant, shall we? And the Fade, of course!

Disclaimer: still not mine!

-o-

Chapter 15 - I'm Not Going to Let You Fall

Adamant was just as chaotic as she had expected, perhaps even more so.

She had very mixed feelings about the mages. There would be mage casualties, definitely, but at least everyone had been ordered to knock out as many of them as possible, and not kill them.

Hermione couldn't use Imperio to break the binding. It drained her too much, and she had to save her strength for the Fade, but it felt so wrong to let them die.

The Nightmare is more important, she thought. They will all be released from the binding then.

It was still sad, though.

-o-

Hermione was terrified as she watched the Grey Warden commander cast her spell, and the pretend-Archdemon fell.

She was terrified, because they were about to fall down into certain death. If something went wrong, it would be certain death.

Not for Hermione, though. She could fly, after all.

For the rest, however? Certain death.

They bridge collapsed, and Hermione saw the expression of pure terror on Solas' face as they began falling.

Hermione had been holding on to a rock, which meant she was falling face up to the sky, and Solas was almost directly over her, ten feet away, or so.

And she just couldn't handle watching the expression of utter fear as he stared at the ground closing in.

She went into flight-mode, so to speak, and adjusted her position so she was right underneath Solas. His eyes widened, and she opened her arms like she was about to embrace him.

Well, it's sort of an embrace, she thought as she slowed down her fall, and a moment later, Solas hit her. The impact was hard, but she wrapped her arms around him, and he clung to her, desperately.

"It's going to be alright, love," she said in his ear as the black smoke surrounded them, and she turned them to the side so she could see the ground, and then let them fall. If everything went pear-shaped, she would stop just before they hit the ground, just as she had practiced a million times before. "I'm not about to let you die, Lethallin."

The Inquisitor opened a rift, and they all tumbled down, into it, but Hermione was a bit surprised to see that the ground was still quite the distance away.

What if it's different? Hermione thought. What if they die after all, because of the distance?

"Hold on tight, love," she said as she slowed down the fall, stopping mid-air, and flicked her wand. "Arresto Momentum!"

She watched with satisfaction as everyone's fall slowed down to a crawl, and they headed towards the ground in a speed that would definitely not kill anyone.

"We're not going to suddenly fall," she said while still keeping an eye on the rest of the group. She had just realised that Solas was shaking slightly - perhaps not too strange, considering how they were hovering in mid-air, and a fall would be quite lethal. "I just need to watch in case something goes wrong, and it's easier when we're not moving. I'm not going to let you fall."

"I believe you, Lethallan," Solas said in a shaky voice, "but that was a rather unpleasant experience."

"I can't disagree with you on that," she said, tightening her arm around his waist and their entangled legs. "It was rather terrifying, in fact."

Solas chuckled shakily. "Aptly put, Hermione."

When everyone was in a safe, non-lethal distance from the ground, Hermione turned in the air so their feet pointed toward the ground, wrapped both arms around Solas' waist, and slowly descended.

He was still shaking, and she turned her head to look at him. Although shaky, he was looking at her with such softness in his eyes, and it caught her off-guard.

"Thank you, Lethallan," he said, ever so softly, and her breath caught in her throat. "You rescue me…again."

Hermione was not aware that she had rescued him at any point before, and this was not really a rescue either. "We weren't actually dying, you know. And I…haven't saved you before either."

"There are many ways to save someone, ma'enansal."

Her eyes widened, and her mind just paused for a moment, repeating his endearment for her. He had just called her 'My gift', or 'My blessing'.

She wanted to ask him what he meant when her mind began working again, but just then their feet touched the ground, and she remembered where they were.

"How lovely," she murmured as the black, swirly smoke cleared up around them, "we're in the Fade."

They let go of each other, and Hermione was amused to see Solas' eyes glitter with intrigue as he began taking in their surroundings. She then turned to their companions, but froze when she found five people staring at her.

"That was some rescue," Dorian eventually said, breathlessly, but then he apparently remembered that he was supposed to be unimpressed by Hermione's displays of magic. "Oh," he continued in a much more flippant tone of voice. "I mean – that was completely unnecessary, honestly. It's not like we were dying, we already knew that."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smirked. "Indeed. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"Who are you?" Stroud said, staring at Hermione. "What are you?"

Oh, that's right, she thought, looking at Stroud and Hawke's shocked expressions, they don't really know about me.

Hawke and Stroud had been told that they wouldn't be dying, even if it would seem that way when they fell, and about what they would face in the Fade. Some of it, at least.

They had, however, not been told all the details about Hermione.

Well, shit, she thought, and sighed. "The answer to both questions is; it's a long story. And when we get out of here, preferably without anyone dying, you can hear all about it. For now though, we have more pressing issues that needs our attention."

Dorian gave Hermione an amused smile before turning to Hawke and Stroud. "I strongly suggest you listen to whatever she says, though."

"And by strongly suggest," Trevelyan said, "he means; listen to her. Do whatever she says. Do not question it."

Hawke and Stroud looked at Hermione with puzzled expressions, and Hermione sighed. "If you listen to me, we will all get out of here in one piece. Hopefully. Don't ask how I know. It's a long story. A story that is too long to explain now. When we get out of here in one piece, I'll tell you."

Both Hawke and Stroud nodded, and then Hawke cocked her head, gazing curiously at Hermione. "Varric said something similar, and that's good enough for me."

Hermione sighed in relief. "Thank you," she said before gesturing at their surroundings. "Now, we are in the Fade, physically in the Fade, and this place is controlled by a Fear demon – he/it is what's controlling the Warden mages – and we need to defeat it. We will face it before we get out of here, one regular-sized demon – Aspect of the Nightmare – and a monster approximately the size of your house in Kirkwall, Hawke. Hopefully we will not be forced to fight the house-sized monster, but I am not certain. I will tell you along the way what we are about to face, and hopefully I will be correct."

"You have been correct in everything thus far, Lethallan."

Hermione gave Solas a smile. "Let's hope that continues. Now, there are some demons over there," she said, pointing in the general direction of the demons, "and then we will meet Divine Justinia. Or her soul, her memory, or something similar. She never quite reveals what exactly she is."

Hawke opened her mouth, but then shook her head. "Long story, tell us later, was that it? I can accept that. Now, demons and the Divine. That is…insane. Let's go."

Hermione laughed as they began moving towards the demons.