"Whatever else, Solas was one of us. I won't leave him for Viddasala."

Her companions nodded fiercely in response. As one, they walked to the mirror.

#

She felt the power in her hand, and tried to suppress it. "It's going to..." Shit. "Everyone back." Energy burst from her. Her friends didn't quite get clear in time. Blackwall landed on Iron Bull, and Dorian landed on Sera. Cassandra rolled to her feet and immediately came to Ruya's side.

Ruya let Cassandra pick her up. The energy was still burning, still rising. She re-channeled it, forcing it into a healing spell and let it pulse forth again. The bruises on her companions began to fade.

Sera came to her side, a series of curses emerging from her. She touched Ruya's arm gently. "Hated his 'too-smart-for-you' pity before the whole agent-of-Fenny business. He better help. We're owed."

#

Viddasala saw them. "You will not leave here, Inqusitor. Antaam, ebrashok adim."

The massive saarebas gathered power to him as he leaped to attack. Ruya only just managed to get a barrier up in time to save them from the first volley.

Maker. They'd fought dragons that hit with less force. Again and again she had to channel energy through the mark, both to keep her companions on their feet and to keep herself from exploding. Maker, she couldn't focus. Couldn't think. Couldn't keep the spirit blade and the barrier both up. She focused on defense, keeping her companion's safe.

Blackwall buried his blade in the thing's arm and yanked back. It pulled the saarebas off balance for a precious second. Cassandra and Iron Bull hit it with everything they had.

It fell.

#

Ruya stepped through the mirror. It immediately went dark behind her. She touched it, but it did not respond. The others could not follow. She turned, and gasped. Stone Qunari, frozen in the act of battle, dotted the landscape. A voice drifted through the air. "Ebasit kata. Itwa-ost." The language was unfamiliar. But the voice she knew. She'd heard it often enough. Solas.

"Maraas kata." And Viddasala.

She quickened her pace. Her friend was in trouble.

#

"Your forces have failed. Leave now, and tell the Qunari to trouble me no further." Solas seemed completely unconcerned by the armed Viddasala standing only a few feet from him. Ruya blinked. He was wearing armor. Armor styled similarly to what Abelas had worn. He turned his back on Viddasala.

Viddasala made a disgusted noise and hefted her spear. Before Ruya could cry out a warning, the Viddasala petrified in place. How... "Solas."

He turned towards her just as fire shot up her hand once more. She cried out. Something flashed in his eyes, and then her hand went numb. He walked towards her. "That should give us more time." He tilted his head at her. "I suspect you have questions."

Maker. That might just be the understatement of the year. He was her mentor, and he... "The Qunari were trying to kill you. I wanted to get here first." Clearly, he hadn't been in any danger at all.

"I know. They sought an agent of Fen'Harel." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I am no one's agent but my own. I fear the truth is much simpler, and much worse, than the Qunari believe."

No. No, no, no, no. "You're Fen'Harel."

"I was Solas first. 'Fen'Harel' came later..." He shrugged. "An insult I took as a badge of pride. The Dread Wolf inspired hope in my friends and fear in my enemies..." His eyes met hers. "Not unlike 'Inquisitor', I suppose. You also know the burden of a title that all but replaces your name."

It was all wrong. It had to be. The mosaics at the Crossroads... "The Dalish legends about the 'evil trickster god' are wrong. I saw the truth in the Crossroads."

"You saw another story, written in desperation to give me more credit than I ever deserved."

"You were a hero, Solas." Both then. And now. He'd fought at their side, saved them. Closed the Breach with them. Maker, in that dark future, he'd died for her.

"I sought to set my people free from slavery to would-be gods. I broke the chains of all who wished to join me. The false gods called me Fen'Harel, and when they finally went too far, I formed the Veil and banished them forever. Thus I freed the elven people and, in so doing, destroyed their world."

She started to reach out a hand, to place it on her friend's shoulder. And pulled it back. "You love the Fade. Why would you create the Veil to hide it all away?"

"Because every alternative was worse."

"Meaning?"

"Had I not created the Veil, the Evanuris would have destroyed the entire world."

Ruya slowly nodded. "You banished the false gods - you didn't kill them?"

"You met Mythal, did you not? The first of my people do not die so easily. The Evanuris are banished forever, paying the ultimate price for their misdeeds."

"You said the elven gods went too far. What did they do that made you move against them?"

"They killed Mythal." His laughter was bitter. "A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment."

This time, she did reach her hand out to him, laying it on his arm. He put his own hand atop it. "I thought Mythal was one of the Evanuris."

"She was the best of them. She cared for her people. She protected them. She was a voice of reason. And in their lust for power, they killed her."

"How did creating the Veil destroy the world?"

He pulled away from her hand, and turned to face her. "You saw the remains of Vir Dirthara. The library was intrinsically tied to the Fade, and the Veil destroyed it. There were countless other marvels, all dependent on the presence of the Fade, all destroyed. The elven legends of immortality? All true. It was not the arrival of humans that caused them to begin aging. It was me. The Veil took everything from the elves, even themselves." He turned away again, staring out over the ruins of the city below them.

She stepped to his side. "That's the past. What about the future?"

"I lay in dark and dreaming sleep while countless wars and ages passed. I woke still weak a year before I joined you. My people fell for what I did to strike the Evanuris down, but still some hope remains for restoration. I will save the elven people, even if it means this world must die."

Her fists clenched, and her blood went cold. "Solas, whatever you want, this world dying is not the answer."

Solas turned away from her as he spoke. "Not a good answer, no. Sometimes terrible choices are all that remain. It is my fight. You should be more concerned about the Inquisition. Your Inquisition." Right now, she was concerned about him. She stepped forward, making him face her. He did not meet her eyes. "In stopping the Dragon's Breath, you have prevented an invasion by Qunari forces. With luck, they will return their focus to Tevinter. That should give you a few years of relative peace."

"The Qunari said the Inquisition was unknowingly working for agents of Fen'Harel." She wasn't about to let him change the subject.

"I gave no orders."

No. Merely guided. Stood at her side. Taught her. Trained her. Her wise mentor and trusted adviser. Her fucking friend. "You led us to Skyhold."

"Corypheus should have died unlocking my orb. When he survived, my plans were thrown into chaos. When you survived, I saw the Inquisition as the best hope this world had of stopping him. And you needed a home. Hence, Skyhold."

He'd used her so casually. "You gave your orb to Corypheus?" She'd known that already, but she hadn't expected him to admit it.

"Not directly. My agents allowed the Venatori to locate it. The orb had built up magical energy while I lay unconscious for a millennia. I was not powerful enough to open it. The plan was for Corypheus to unlock it, and for the resulting explosion to kill him. Then I would claim the orb. I did not foresee a Tevinter Magister having learned the secret of effective immortality."

"What would have happened if Corypheus had died and you'd recovered your orb?"

"I would have entered the Fade, using the mark you now bear. Then I would have torn down the Veil. As this world burned in the raw chaos, I would have restored the world of my time..." He looked down. "The world of the elves."

"If you destroyed the Veil, wouldn't the false gods be freed?"

"I had plans."

Because his plans had all worked out so perfectly thus far. "I never thought of you as someone who would do that, Solas."

He looked away from her. "Thank you." He shook his hand. "You must understand. I awoke in a world where the Veil had blocked most people's conscious connection to the Fade. It was like walking through a world of Tranquil."

Fury. Her fists clenched again. "We aren't even people to you?"

"Not at first." He met her eyes. "You showed me that I was wrong..." He sighed. "Again. That does not make what must come next any easier."

There was... She sighed, and forced the anger away. It left only pain behind. There had to be some way to reach him. "Whatever your reasons, we couldn't have defeated Corypheus without you."

"Your doubts are misplaced. Everything you accomplished, you earned."

Tears tried to escape her eyes. "There's still the matter of the Anchor. It's getting worse."

He looked away from her. "Yes. I'm sorry. And we are almost out of time." Pain shot up her hand again, and she fell to her knees. He came to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder. "The mark will eventually kill you. Drawing you here gave me the chance to save you..." He knelt beside her. "At least for now."

She put her hand on top of his, and looked up at him. "You don't need to destroy this world. I'll prove it to you."

Solas stood. "I would treasure the chance to be wrong once again, my friend." He held out his hand. "Take my hand."

She put her marked hand in his. Numbness spread through her palm as her hand began to petrify and slowly fade away. As it vanished, he bowed to her. "Live well, while time remains."

And then he was gone.

#

She strode into the Exalted Council. Voices were arguing. They no longer mattered. Josephine turned towards her. "Inquisitor?"

Ruya outstretched her remaining hand, holding the writ. "You all know what this is. A writ from Divine Justinia authorizing the formation of the Inquisition. We pledged to close the Breach, find those responsible, and restore order. With or without anyone's approval. I'm proud to say we accomplished that goal. We will honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in defense of what we stood for..." She held the writ above her head. "And still stand for. Because our work is not done. Where we led in war, we will now serve in peace. The Inquisition will act as Divine Victoria's personal honor guard. Answering directly to her, we will transition from a military force into a peacekeeping organization. My own adventuring days may be done, but the Inquisition - and its mission - will continue."

#

Farewells were said. Some, she'd see again. Others... there would likely be only letters. A journey ended.

Another began.