Romantic Ideas
Cassandra, Varric and Ennaly found their way to Skyhold by the next dusk, relieved that they could remain in one place for a fortnight. After putting her gear away and washing up, Ennaly went to the library, in the hope of finding Dorian.
"Just where I left you!" she said, finding him in his chair with a book in his lap.
"It can't be! Our Inquisitor in the flesh!" he replied as he got up and pulled her in an excited hug, lifting her feet from the floor in the process.
They spend the rest of the evening together, discussing Dorian's research and Ennaly's adventures, Dorian on his chair and Ennaly on a cushion on the other side of the window. Before she went away, they had sent out requests for certain books, that had finally arrived. Dorian had an entire stack of books set aside with scraps of paper between the pages to mark sections he wanted to share with Ennaly. But barely one section in, she started to nod off to sleep and Dorian shooed her to her quarters to get rest.
It was odd to lay in the large bed in her large room again, all by herself, after several weeks on the roads. That last dream with Solas kept playing in her mind. Their encounters, let alone that last one, were one of the only things she kept to herself while narrating their adventures with Dorian.
Before the dream, she had wondered if she would ever see Solas again. It had made her fear the power on her hand, because what would happen the next time it acted up without Solas around to calm it down? But after the dream, she was certain of his return. The look he had given her when he kissed her hand was sharp in her memories when she drifted to a dreamless sleep.
The next day was mostly spent in the war room, where a surprise was awaiting Ennaly. She had gotten letters back from both her mother and her Keeper, and they were accompanied by a bracelet her mother had carved for her.
She considered the trinket. It was made of ironwood, she could tell. Her mother had spent years learning the craft. Ennaly remembered what she was thinking when dressed in her Dalish festival clothes opposite of Solas' fine tunic. Truth be told, weren't these Dalish crafts rooted in the same idea? Sure, the Dalish weren't able to weave lyrium, gems and metals together with silk into fabrics and they didn't have gold for jewellery. But these finely carved beads were still expertly created from the finest materials they could find, there was no denying that. The bracelet consisted of eighteen beads in total, nine carved to resemble the Gods in the Elven pantheon, with smaller beads in between carved to resemble flowers.
"It's so beautiful," Leliana said as she looked at it. "I found some raw ironwood on my travels with the Hero of Ferelden. Such a magnificent resource."
"You were lucky to stumble upon something like that," Ennaly replied with a smile.
Feeling more in tune with her Dalish roots, she closed the bracelet on her wrist, wondering if perhaps she could let her mother come here. She would be safe in Skyhold, and she could be of service with the many skills she possessed.
Her Keeper asked her for help with trouble they were experiencing. So, she made plans with her advisors to help out, and when that was done, they discussed her recent travels. In the end, they decided that Cullen would start preparing for the march to Adamant. They would leave the moment the ball was finished, which was two weeks to date. Ennaly spent the entire day locked in duties and studies, and when it was finally over, Josephine noted that tomorrow, they would do the dress fittings.
It had already turned dark and there was still no sign of Solas' return to Skyhold, so Ennaly went to find Dorian and dragged him outside. It was a clear night, the stars and the moon illuminating the stone walls of the castle. The nights had started to turn warmer, and even though they were still wearing their coats, it was rather comfortable.
They sat on the wall separating the lower and upper courtyard, feet dangling down.
"Why are we here?" Dorian asked.
"I told you," Ennaly replied. "The walls were closing in on me, I had to go outside."
"Aren't the gardens a better place to be outside?"
She didn't say anything.
"I know why we're here," Dorian said in a low voice, nodding in the direction of the gate. "He still hasn't come back."
Ennaly paused. "He said he would return today."
"Men say many things. Also, when did he say this, pray tell? From your story, he just ran off."
Ennaly shifted restlessly and pulled one knee to her chest. "We met in the Fade," she confessed.
"You met in the Fade?" Dorian repeated incredulously.
Ennaly gazed back at him. "You know how he can visit all those places, where he gets his stories from? Well, clearly, he can make people join him."
"Maker's balls, Ennaly, you meet in dreams?"
She shrugged and looked upwards to the stars. "He shows me around sometimes. You know, like ruins before they were ruins."
Dorian gaped at her, mouth slightly ajar. "And you think he just goes around showing that to anybody?"
"I don't know, do I," she stated. She had never really thought about that. It seemed unlikely, however. Was it even possible with a non-mage? It certainly couldn't be possible for a Dwarf.
"How was that, the first time?"
Ennaly looked down at her toes. "He tried to cheer me up by showing me Haven. I made your ice halla prance around. I thought he was a desire demon."
Dorian scoffed. "You're kidding."
She shrugged and let her leg dangle down again. "It was that night in the Dales. That's why I woke up angry."
Dorian looked at her again, sceptical. "A heat of the moment thing, isn't that how you called it? Andraste's eyebrows, you actually meet in dreams."
"They're not sexual."
"But you wish they were."
Ennaly gave him a push. Dorian laughed, shaking his head.
"We never actually did it, you know. That night..." She sighed, thinking of the memory. "That was just his hands." Something in her didn't want to admit to the magic he'd used.
Dorian grinned. "Maker's breath, I need to find myself a man who can make me do that with just his hands, too."
Ennaly smiled faintly. She remembered his hands on her body, and then the abrupt way he stopped her the moment she had wanted to undress him. "Perhaps he had some bad experiences. I certainly had." Her voice turned quiet.
Dorian looked at her compassionately. "That Elf, wasn't it? That Keeper? I'm sorry."
"Him, and some Humans. I let them, though."
"I'm sorry," he replied quietly, pulling her in a careful hug. "For that, and well... all the things Humans ever did to Elves."
At this moment, she could only feel apathy. "Oh well."
Dorian gave her arm a squeeze, and they both stared up at the skies, leaning against each other, as time passed by. The swirls of the Breach were visible in the distance, turning the night sky dark green.
"Your prince needs to hurry, before today turns into tomorrow," Dorian declared after several quiet minutes.
Ennaly stretched out her legs and regarded her toes again. "I really thought he'd return today. You should have seen him, in our last dream. He said he was thinking about me. The look he gave me... I really thought..." She exhaled deeply. "I don't know what he's thinking, really."
Dorian changed his voice to try and imitate Solas. It was only a barely passable attempt. "Oh no. I want to make mad passionate love to dear Ennaly, but she is the Inquisitor, thus I should not, woe is me. So, instead, I shall torture both of us by going on Fade adventures together, that will end magnificently. But I actually want to run my hands all over her scrawny Elven figure, like I did that one time I could not stop myself." Dorian grinned, switching back to his normal voice again. "That, and he's probably thinking about your butt."
Ennaly pushed Dorian again, who laughed out loud and almost dropped off the wall. "Watch who you're calling scrawny, I can't help it that you Humans are so wide."
"In for the kill, are you? You wound me. Wide, she says!"
Recovering from laughing together, the door of the Herald's Rest slammed open to reveal Bull.
"Speaking about wide," Ennaly grinned, looking behind her.
"Admiring the muscles?" Bull said, walking closer to them.
"Always, Bull, wouldn't dare to do otherwise," she said.
Grinning at her, Bull flexed his muscles and turned to Dorian. "And you, Vint?"
"Well..." Dorian blustered. "They're useful."
"Useful?" Bull laughed loudly. "I can show you several uses." Dorian raised his eyebrows towards him, making him grin wider. "What are you doing here, outside? I heard your laugh."
"We're just pointlessly waiting like a hopeless romantic," Dorian replied.
Raising an eyebrow, he looked at Ennaly. "Is this about our two Elves?"
She sighed defeatedly. "Can't we just stop discussing me altogether?"
"We could, but you're just too entertaining a subject," Dorian grinned.
"Shall I fetch us some drinks?" Bulls offered. "Or just join me inside."
Dorian glanced behind him to the tavern, and looked back at Ennaly again. "Someone has to keep our sad Elf here company outside while she pines away."
"Nah, I should probably go back to my quarters," Ennaly replied. "You can have a drink if you want to. I have a long day ahead tomorrow. And the day after, really." She yawned and wanted to climb off the wall, when a sudden sound made all three turn and look down to the lower courtyard.
The sound of hoofbeats echoed off the wooden drawbridge, then off the metal of the grating, before it turned to a soft clatter on the cobblestones. A lone rider appeared from the entrance, the figure familiar to all.
Ennaly's heart skipped a beat. "You've returned," she called out, her voice soft and hopeful, yet still carrying to the lower courtyard in the quiet night-time.
The figure paused its horse, looked up, and under the hood, Solas locked eyes with Ennaly. That familiar warm feeling spread out across her chest again. "Yes," he said, his voice a similar soft quality. "I said I would." He smiled and kept her gaze for a few seconds before he turned his horse to the stables.
"Who's pining for whom, now?" Dorian whispered in Ennaly's ear, who gave him one final shove in return.
They both climbed off the wall and Dorian followed Bull inside. Ennaly wanted to turn around, when she saw Bull smacking his hand on Dorian's posterior, making him jump up.
"Did you just…?" Dorian asked indignantly, looking up at the tall man.
Bull raised his hands as if to say he wasn't guilty. "Must have been the wind," he grinned. "Just me and you again then, mage boy."
"I might actually regret this," Dorian replied meekly before he shut the tavern door behind him.
Ennaly smiled to herself as she could see that Dorian actually had a blush on his face. Did something happen between those while she was away, or was she just witnessing the start of something new?
Skyhold had so many stairs, and when Ennaly had finally found her way near the stables, Solas was already busy untying the straps of his pack.
"Solas," she stated, a little out of breath from descending all the stairs rather too quickly. "How was your journey?"
"Ennaly," he replied with a smile. "I was required to make a detour to avoid combat I had no desire for. Because of that, it was rather uneventful, though longer than anticipated. I said I would return in two days." He looked up at the moon and stars. "I think I just made it."
"You did," she agreed.
A somewhat awkward silence fell between them. Before any of them could say anything more, two young stable hands got closer, calling out surprised Inquisitor's and Your Worship's. Ennaly had to brace herself from physically cringing at being addressed like that, especially in the presence of Solas. Giving the care of the horse over to them, Solas and Ennaly exited the stables. It was then that she noticed how many people there were actually still up and about in the lower courtyard, even at this late hour. Her long white coat made her recognisable even in the darkness, and many eyes pointed their way.
"You must be exhausted after your travels," she said.
Solas glanced down at her. "I would be lying if I said a rest was unwelcome."
"I've had a long day too, though in a different way," Ennaly noted quietly. "Sleep would do us well. We can catch up later."
Solas smiled. "We will. Sweet dreams, Milady Inquisitor." His smile turned a little wicked before he hoisted his pack on his shoulder and turned around to find his way to his quarters, leaving Ennaly behind with a warm, fluttering feeling in her chest.
She really had to get a grip. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and readied herself for all the steps she had to take before reaching her bed. As she started, Dorian's words entered her mind. At least all this walking gave a nicely formed butt.
It wasn't until the evening of the next day that she got a chance to speak to Solas again.
As Josephine had already mentioned, her dress had to be fitted. Josephine and Leliana both joined her, together with a team of seamstresses. Ennaly thought that the spymaster couldn't help herself this indulgence, for she loved fashion too much.
"We've taken some liberties on the design, but we are confident that they match your tastes," Josephine mentioned when the seamstresses were busy getting the dress out of a chest. Ennaly would be lying if she said she didn't dread it. She hadn't seen Solas' sketches at all and didn't know what kind of liberties they had taken on it. The low-cut white gown was still sharp in her mind, and if it was something like that, she would protest.
But she needn't have feared. A beautiful creation of white, purple and gold emerged from the box, diaphanous and Elven looking.
"It's gorgeous," Ennaly said surprised, running her hand over the material. It was soft and silky, consisting of two layers. The underlayer was made of a white watery silk, finely embroidered with white silk thread to depict a forest scape with trees and flowers and even two hallas. Over that, was a layer of slashed purple, in the exact shade to match her eyes. The fabric was finely gathered at the neckline to a golden filigree medallion, which fastened like a necklace. It left the back, shoulders, and arms bare.
The seamstresses helped her get dressed. It was somewhat more revealing at the sides than she might have hoped, but at least the high neckline hid her cleavage and Vallaslin. That was a relief, because it meant that when she danced with taller people, they didn't have a view straight down to her navel.
The seamstresses measured the size of a filigree belt that would hold the fabric together from under her breasts to her waist, from where the skirts flared out. They also had to measure the scale of ceremonial pauldrons that would be placed on her shoulders, and then bracelets and anklets. All would be made from gold, decorated with small amethysts to match the purple. It would be finished by elbow-length gloves with the dual purpose of providing decency - one could not be expected to dance with bare hands - and covering up the glow of her Anchor.
It was a whole world different from her Dalish festival clothes, but it would look beautiful spinning around on a dancefloor.
"From the different sketches we got, we decided to go with this one," Leliana said, handing Ennaly the sketches. There were three sheets of paper, all depicting a different figure. The sketches consisted of simple lines, just a little bit abstract, but distinct enough to understand the structure. In all of the sketches, the figure was posed mid-dance, arms arced to show detail in the dress. The figure in the sketches was undoubtedly her. The shape of the face, with just a few simple lines for the eyes and nose, resembled her.
Out of the three different designs, this current one, with the bare back, had the most amount of skin showing, even though it was most modest from the front. Ennaly was fine with it. She didn't mind showing her back, which would mostly be covered with her hair anyway.
"They really look like you," Josephine remarked. "If only my sister had this level of skill in her drawing."
Ennaly did her best not to look at Leliana, because she could just imagine the pleased look on the woman's face if she did. But truth be told, as she was observing herself in the mirror, a fabric sash taking the place of the filigree belt, she did feel Elven, and she did feel good. The seamstresses finished their measurements and carefully packed the dress to take it with them. Ennaly thanked them for their skilled work before they left, leaving Ennaly to wonder how expensive this gown must be.
"We're glad to get sponsored by Comtesse Helene, one our allies, for the expense," Josephine explained, then sighed. She gestured for Ennaly to sit down in one of the chairs at the table. "There is... something you should probably know. There are certain nobles, like the Comtesse, who find the history of the Elves rather... romantic and esoteric. They like to collect Elven artefacts as a hobby. And you, a Dalish rather than a city Elf... The Dalish are both romanticized and... vilified in tales. I thought you should be aware of this before you get surprised by possible attention you could gather at the ball."
Ennaly stared at the woman. It wasn't exactly news to her, since she'd been called savage more than once in Human cities, and had already been quite aware of how some men lust after Elven women. Memories of a barn flashed before her eyes and she swallowed to get it away. Apathy or not, sometimes it hit her harder. "So you're saying the nobles will have one of three opinions on me? They will either think I am a heretic, a savage, or some exotic symbol of history?"
The two women looked at her with apologetic expressions. "Sadly, yes," Josephine said quietly. "But don't forget that we do have legitimate allies as well, who respect us and respect you."
"And it will lean into the romantic ideas rather than the vilified ideas to be dressed like this..." Ennaly concluded, suddenly understanding the bigger picture. "And it would fit better than trying to dress Human, because that's an image I cannot fulfil anyway..."
"I am sorry," Leliana said softly. "If you prefer us to change anything, do let us know."
She stared at the two Human women. Sure, they might sympathise with her, but they would never understand how it was to be regarded as something less, yet objectified as something more at the same time.
"No, this is fine," she sighed. "And I appreciate your honesty. I guess it doesn't surprise me. I have been objectified more than I wish when I met Humans while I was still with my clan."
She understood why this design was chosen, the bare skin on her back and shoulders would certainly be enticing, and much different than the skin Human ladies put upon display. It almost made her ill.
But she wasn't in the same vulnerable position she was in when trading with her clan. Besides, how bad could it get in a public setting? There would be hundreds of people around on a ball, and the Inquisition held some esteem in Orlais, little or not. And the people that truly hated her, would hate her regardless of her dress.
"I am sorry you had to endure that," Leliana replied sympathetically.
Ennaly took a deep, resolute breath. "At least it has taught me how to deal with this. I know when to bat my eyelashes and when to hide. I've needed to know for half my life. Please let me know in which of these groups you expect certain nobles to be, so I can study that and change my behaviour accordingly."
"We shall prepare a list, and we shall help you every step of the way," Josephine replied, resolution in her voice, too. "We know you have skills on the dance floor. That is what we ask of you: impress them with your expertise and show them the sophistication they would not expect. With how well you are doing with your nobility lessons, we think you have it under control."
"Don't forget the effect you will have on the Elves in the palace," Leliana added. "The world has not seen an Elf dressed like you in a few ages."
That was a truth. Halamshiral, once promised to the Elves, would, at last, know another Elf that would be allowed on the dancefloor. She only hoped the effect on the palace Elves would be positive.
"In what category do you think Grand Duke Gaspard falls?" Ennaly said, remembering their benefactor.
Josephine and Leliana shared a look. "He despises the Game," Leliana answered. "I think he will enjoy shocking the court with you on his arm when he makes an entrance. He hopes the Empress will take it as a personal offence. Not that she would act on it, but she would understand the symbolism involved. There were rumours that she once had an... Elven lover. A female servant. She will also be invited to the peace talks, in the hope to gain the Elves' alliance."
"Great," Ennaly said sarcastically. It seemed one supposed monarch was going to dangle her like bait in front of the other supposed monarch, and all she could do was simply endure it and prevent the assassination from happening. If not, the twisted future she witnessed in Redcliffe might still come to pass. No pressure.
She let it all sink in, before she couldn't suppress a derisive laugh. "Varric's new book is going to sell very well after this."
A soft touch on her arm pulled her out of her thoughts as she was on her way to her quarters to retreat after the long day. She had a lesson in table manners again during dinner and Leliana helped her with her nobility lessons. Her hair was still partly braided, leftover from the different designs that were tried to determine the best. Startled, she turned on her heels to find Solas looking at her. She had been so exhausted that she had walked past him without noticing him.
"Do you have a moment?" he asked.
"Of course," she said after she recovered from her startle.
He must have seen the tiredness in her eyes. "Busy day?"
"You don't want to know," she sighed. "I do have to thank you, though. Those sketches were really beautiful. The gown is going to be gorgeous."
"I am glad to have been of help." He smiled. "Say, do you have a free evening anytime soon?"
Ennaly paused, thinking. "Good question."
"Preferably when it is still light outside."
"Oh." She ran her schedule through her tired mind. "In three days, I believe."
Solas locked eyes with her. "Well then, keep that evening free. There is something I want to show you. But it will take light and a little time to reach it."
"Is it outside Skyhold?" Ennaly asked in puzzlement. "Is it dangerous? Do we need to ask others to come?"
Solas chuckled at her many questions. "It is not dangerous. I want to show this just to you, Ennaly. And it is not exactly outside of Skyhold." A mischievous grin grew on his lips.
Her heart skipped a beat. "You're making me curious now. Do I need anything?"
"Wear something warm and comfortable. I will take care of the rest."
She looked at him. She was too exhausted to make anything of the expression on his face, but she could feel excitement flaring up in her chest.
"Alright," she said with a smile of her own.