Author's notes:
This is my first inquisition fanfiction, and I finally got enough courage to write about Sollavelan, my favorite ship. I hope you like it.
Please, consider that in this story, Lavellan is a warrior and I used the standard name given by the game: Ellana. Also, I came up with the general concept of the story with the song Linger by the Cranberries, although it's no necessarily an ost or a songfic, but the melody could set the mood.
Enjoy!
Before
Chaos, destruction, uncertainty and fear was what the breach in the veil caused, not only in Thedas, but the rest of the world as well, along with its inhabitants. The world had never faced such catastrophe before, which is saying a lot in a realty where the blight, demons and wars are constant worries.
It seemed that it actually was the end of the world, and in the middle of all confusion, Ellana Lavellan was surprised, while fighting for her life along with Cassandra, by a hand firmly holding her wrist.
"Quickly, before more come through!" with an urgent voice, an elf that she had never seen before took her hand, pointing it towards the rift above them. Everything happened so fast, that the only thing Ellana remembers from that moment, was the tickling in her hand when she closed the rift. That and the elf's gaze: Solas, whose eyes conveyed peace and certainty.
She was confused; how could she had closed the rift when she was no mage?
Solas' theory turned out to be quite convincing and his kind attitude towards Ellana transmitted her trust. That was the exact moment when her interest towards the apostate began, and without knowing it, she had the same effect on him.
In retrospective, it's possible that the inquisitor romanticized the memories of their first meeting, but she is still pretty sure that, the moment their eyes met, her heart beat faster.
At first, Solas was rather private and wary with everyone around him, including Ellana, but slowly, the mage got a pleasant surprise when he found out she was genuinely interested in what he had to say, his experiences in the fade, his dreams and elven ancient history, and without noticing, he began to see her differently.
In many occasions he caught himself looking at her, when his eyes lingered more than necessary on her expression when she spoke or thought carefully about something; her hair moving while she fought or the wind made it dance exquisitely, or even her figure when she walked in front of him during expeditions, and when she casually passed by his post in Haven, heading to talk with Dorian, smoothly wiggling her hips, so attractive in his eyes. Sometimes he felt rather disappointed when he realized he was not the one she was coming to see… at last at first.
Lavellan tried to be as discreet as possible, deliberately avoiding looking at Solas when he walked around Haven, or during a mission in Redcliff or Creestwood, but when she spoke with him, it was impossible to not notice the freckles on his nose or the was his eyes lightened when he talked about the veil, not to mention his smile, which she unconsciously imitated when she saw it, doing her best efforts to not let her eyes linger too much on his lips.
And all those glances didn't go unnoticed by Varric, who as a good writer, took note of all those longing gazes, full of desire and flirt, despite their best efforts to not being so obvious with their persisting eyes, always on each other.
For Solas, Ellana Lavellan was a thought that used to slip into his mind during the most inconvenient times: before falling asleep, while he was taking a hike or even traveling in the fade, imagining that maybe someday he could show her those places he visited during his dreams, ruins that told wonderful stories of the past, images lost in time, which could get a different meaning with her company.
On the other hand, she constantly thought about new and interesting questions for him, so she could listen to his voice and tales, wondering what could be interesting for him or a way to get his attention; a small distraction in the middle of all that was happening in Thedas.
Later came the innocent and accidental touches, when one of them passed next to the other too close during a hike in the woods and their hands brushed for an instant that lingered too much, or when one of them needed a potion and their fingers briefly met, both elves trying to make the moment last for as long as they could, until one afternoon after closing a rift with particularly violent and vicious demons, Solas ended up hurt. Being at least a day away from the next village, without enough healing items and him being the only mage in the party, everyone had to tend to their wounds without the help of magic.
Once the camp was set, Cassandra and Varric took care of their own wounds on their legs and arms, while Ellana took care of Solas, who apparently had a deep cut on his back. At first, she was worried about how bad the wound could be, but when the mage took off his tunic and shirt, she immediately wanted to run her fingertips along his back. With slow movements, she cleaned the injury and when it stopped bleeding, she made sure to apply an ointment that could inhibit the pain, her fingers softly touching the mage's skin, feeling the warmth on his back, which she though was the result of the wound and the pain he was feeling. Nevertheless, the truth was different. Solas shivered very time the other elf's fingers softly touched his shoulder and upper back, forgetting about the pain for a moment and enjoying her touch, careful and delicate.
He was sure his blush showed on his face and ears, and was silently grateful their companions were rather busy patching up their own wounds and cuts. He wished the contact with the girl continued longer. Solas enjoyed every chill and goose bump he felt, keeping it in his memory forever, while she tried to make the moment last for as long as she could, her fingers lingering on his back.
One night, it was Ellana's turn to watch over the camp, while the rest of the party slept, but the presence of the elven apostate remained until very late hours, next to her and the fire. He didn't take his turn to sleep, exchanging it for the chance to enjoy the girl's company. And then he thought he was unnecessarily lingering there, with her. A luxury he could enjoy once in a while, appeasing his fears of loneliness.