Aftermath

"Thank you, but we shall not need any help," Solas said, as they were back at the Comtesse's mansion and guided to their chambers. The two Elven servants that helped Ennaly before, trailed them and stared at Solas with big eyes. Unsure what to do, they glanced at Ennaly for confirmation.

"I think we should be fine. Thank you," Ennaly provided.

The youngest of the two held back a big grin. "A hot bath will be waiting for you in the room, milady, and uh... milord. If – if you need anything, we'll be right at the end of the hallway."

"Thank you," Ennaly said again, and watched as the girls gave her a curtsy and turned around with a giggle. From the corner of her eye, she saw a large, black-suited and horned shadow following Dorian to his room. She smiled to herself as she closed the door.

"Milord?" she repeated, turning to Solas.

He tilted his head slightly and smiled. "A title means nothing to me. But I see it amuses you."

"Oh, don't blame me, milord," she said with a mock pout as she dropped down on the sofa. "You know what you did this evening. And don't say it was all me, because that exit was on you."

Solas sat down next to her. "I did it for the Elves."

Ennaly leaned her head on his shoulders. "I know. Thank you. I wouldn't have had the guts without you."

They sat together in comfortable silence, when Ennaly leaned her head back to face the ceiling and sighed dramatically, awaiting fatigue to settle in. "I expected to be exhausted, but I'm too tired to be tired. I feel like I have never been so awake. Are you?"

"We have had two very different evenings, vhenan. Yours seemed a lot more exhausting than mine."

"You fought as well," Ennaly said. "But I guess you didn't dance. Kind of a shame this is ruined." She held out her leg to show the rips in the silk, but instead of the ruined dress, Solas' eyes darted from the ribbons that crisscrossed her calf to the bare upper thigh. All Ennaly saw, was the caked dirt and dried blood from the wound. "Right. I should probably clean myself."

And all of a sudden, a shyness settled within her, and she dropped her leg. After all the chaos and double-layered messages of the evening, they were together in this room, and everybody knew now that they were… involved. But they had never been naked together, not here, in the waking world. And suddenly it felt very different from the Fade, where everything was easier, less restrained.

Solas leaned his head back and gestured behind him to the large painted screen. "I heard there was a bath waiting for you," he said.

Just a little nervous, Ennaly looked at him. "Don't… don't you want to join?"

Smiling, Solas reached out a hand and gently trailed the back of two fingers over her jaw. "Only if you want me to. I can wait."

The touch was comforting, and it slowly dissolved Ennaly's shyness. Feeling daring, she rolled over and sat astride on Solas' lap, one leg on either side of him. She smiled coyly, glad that she could see his face again without the obstruction of the mask.

He acted innocent. "Does this mean you want me to fetch the maids? That might prove to be a challenging task to perform, since you just prevented me from moving."

Ennaly tutted. "Last time I checked, you had hands. Very nice ones, if my memory serves me well. I think they can help me undress splendidly." Solas raised his eyebrows as Ennaly grabbed his hands and looked at them. She placed hers with a flat palm against his and observed happily how much larger his were. Satisfied, she laced her fingers through his. The light of the Anchor showed between their intertwined fingers, making it impossible to see from which palm it originated. Ennaly smiled. "The Anchor could almost be yours, see?" She let magic surge through it as she lowered her voice. "Can you feel it?"

Breath held, Solas jerked his hand back in a quick move, almost as if the power burned him.

Startled, Ennaly leaned back. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She held her left hand raised awkwardly, as if it was alien to her.

"No, no," Solas said in a soothing tone as he took her hand and kissed the back. "It did not hurt, but I would rather you did not do that deliberately."

"I'm sorry," she repeated again, suddenly shy.

He smiled reassuringly and stroked her back, when his smile turned wicked. "I think I might have misjudged the situation."

"What?" Ennaly asked confused, as Solas wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I do not think you are preventing me from moving at all." He braced, took a deep breath, and rose to his feet, taking her with him. With a small laugh of relief that he wasn't reconsidering her, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You just reminded me of the fact that I have not danced once this ball, while you claimed you have danced enough," he continued as he made a turn around the room, dancing them around.

Scared that he might drop her, she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulder, clinging for dear life. "Sure, you're tall and strong. Show-off," she said with teased displeasure.

"Complaints, milady?"

Ennaly giggled loudly as Solas spun around, but she quickly shut her mouth, not wanting her voice to carry over to the other rooms.

"Imagine what the others will be thinking if they hear their Inquisitor having fun," Solas noted, kissing her before he gently lowered her to her feet in the dressing area of the room. Smiling appreciatively, he eyed her up and down. "Now, how does this dress work?"

She shrugged. "It's already torn beyond repair anyway, unless I let Morrigan recast her spell every hour."

"Hmmm," Solas mused and walked around her. "All this gold is certainly salvageable." Tenderly, he tucked her dangling curls over her shoulder and out of the way. With her back bare, he let his fingers gingerly glide down her spine.

Oh, so that was how he was going to do it? Ennaly thought as she closed her eyes. Arriving at the filigree belt, he untied it and laid it to the side, and trailed slowly back up her spine again to her shoulders, where he removed the pauldrons. Tenderly and slowly, Solas' fingers found their way over her body, untying ribbons and unhooking ornaments, gently teasing her skin when travelling from item to item. Warm lips trailed kisses in the wake of the caresses, sparkling like lightning on her bare skin even in the absence of magic. A pile of gold and ribbons slowly grew on the nearby dresser as Solas removed her jewellery.

Ennaly held her breath as Solas' fingers unclasped the fastening of the dress in her neck. The dress fell down and pooled at her feet, letting the humid air flow against her bare skin. She was naked now, apart from the ribbons on her lower leg. Solas let his hand softly glide down from the nape of her neck, next to her spine, and over her bottom. She stifled a gasp as his fingers grazed the inside of her thigh and slid down towards the ribbons tied under her knee.

Even as she gasped, renewed shyness overtook her. Why did it? They had done all sorts of things in the Fade, things that made her blush by thinking about them. But here, there was no perfect surroundings, no layer of diffusion from the Fade. These were their actual bodies, complete in their imperfections.

But he had seen her before, hadn't he? He'd seen everything outside of the Fade, more than once. She'd even daringly showed him her naked backside, that night in the Dales. Yet none of those moments had quite the tension, or anticipation, like this.

And Solas had been nothing but caring since they returned here, hadn't he? He finished removing the ribbons and his fingers glided back up her leg. Without thinking too much about it, Ennaly turned around.

Still kneeled, Solas looked up at her with hunger and affection. Ennaly smiled and closed her eyes once more, surrendering herself to the sensation of his touch. He trailed over her hips and a single finger traced the lines on her lower belly towards her left hip.

Ennaly's eyes flared open. Her left hip held her burn scar, contorting the edges of the Vallaslin. At her sudden movement, Solas looked up to her.

But Ennaly's body tensed up and she stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I apologise," he said, concerned at her discomfort.

"No," she replied, not quite meeting his eye. She covered the scar with her hand, and it was a perfect fit. "It – it doesn't hurt. It's five years old. It is… I did it to myself."

In a fit of anger, she had wanted the damned lines gone after she realised they could never fulfil their promise, but it had hurt too much to burn her own skin.

"It is okay," he said soothingly, still kneeled on the ground. "If you are not comfortable, you do not have to –"

"You know, right?" she asked, as a sudden image formed in her mind. She and Solas stood in a windy flower-filled meadow, laughter in the air, as two small children ran towards them. She swallowed it away. Wonderful as that was, she couldn't lie to Solas. He might have forgotten.

"I can't... I cannot..." she tried. "Solas? You know, don't you? I told you. I can't... I can never give... I'm not able to..."

Solas glanced back at her hip, then at her face again, and he finally seemed to understand what she was trying to say. Hurriedly, he got to his feet. "Ennaly, I know. You have to know that I love you for you, not for whatever your body might or might not be able to do."

Gently, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest. She sniffled a laugh and looked up. She almost believed him. "Are you sure?"

He looked down and wiped her tears away with a thumb. "I have never been more sure of anything."

The honesty in his eyes gained a touch of sorrow again, but it convinced her, and the tension left her body. "I love you," she murmured, tip-toeing to kiss him. He kissed her back, short and gentle, but so very honest. "You make me feel safe."

They stood in a tight embrace for a prolonged moment, clutched together. It took a while before a new thought formed in Ennaly's mind. Was Solas comforting her? Or was she comforting Solas?

Perhaps it was both, and she was glad that she could offer it to him, even if he never voiced his hidden pains. She remained there, arms around his shoulders and head on his chest, until he gently unfurled himself. "Let's get you cleaned, alright?" he whispered. "I want to inspect that wound and see if everything healed like it should."

Ennaly nodded as Solas turned to the dresser. There were several washbowls of water and a stack of small cloths for cleaning. Wetting one of them, he started to rub at the caked dirt and blood on her leg, slowly revealing perfectly healing skin. Satisfied, he started to work on her hair next, and a mountain of pins grew next to the stack of cloth, a mixture of functional and decorative ones.

"It's unfair how clothed you still are," she said when he was done with her hair.

"You could have done something about that earlier," he replied. Smiling, Ennaly kissed him and started to blindly work on the golden buttons of his shirt. Leaning back, she beamed appreciatively and shrugged the shirt off. Entranced by his body, she let her fingers glide over the muscles of his arms. But when she followed his hip lines to the top of his breeches, he took a shallow intake of breath, and took her hands in his.

"How about you clean that make-up off your face?" he asked as he looked into her eyes. "I miss seeing your freckles. I can reheat the water in the meantime."

Sensing some discomfort, Ennaly smiled and turned around to take a clean cloth and washbowl to clean her face. The white cloth slowly turned the colour of her own skin as her features stared back again from the mirror, the freckles on her nose and cheeks, the scar over her eye, and the purple Vallaslin. Her skin turned pink from the friction of the cloth, but it felt good to gaze in the mirror and see herself again. It was only after their absence that Ennaly realised again how the Vallaslin on her cheekbones was casting an ever-present warming hue to her vision. Perhaps that had been part of the reason the Winter Palace had felt so cold to her.

She turned around and found Solas with his back to her, fully undressed, rummaging through flasks of scented oils on one of the nearby surfaces. She quietly appreciated her view and she stepped closer. Solas sensed her approach and turned around, a glass bottle in hand. Ennaly sniffed it, decided that she didn't like the cloying sweetness of the oil within, and scrunched up her face. "I don't know what that is, but I don't want it."

"Not my favourite either," Solas replied, corked the bottle, and placed it back on the table.

Smiling, she snaked her arms up Solas' shoulders and leaned against him. "I can't wait to get out of this tub," she murmured, glancing towards the star-encrusted canopy bed.

Solas smiled faintly, but took her hands and leaned away. "No," he said, his voice clear and calm.

"No?" Ennaly repeated, surprised at his reaction. He just spent quite a lot of time teasing her skin, but he seemed to dislike being touched anywhere below his navel.

"I hardly think this a suitable place for such activities," he said casually with a lazy smile.

But his prolonged touching had certainly awakened her desire, and she leaned closer again. "It's a bedroom. It's a perfectly suitable place," she murmured.

Under her touch, he took another large, steeling intake of breath. "No," he said again. "Certainly, there are more imaginative places if we wait a little longer. Besides, your fatigue will likely set in any time."

Ennaly paused her touching and glanced up at him, her lips just slightly parted. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she would never press anything upon him that he didn't want.

Solas chuckled softly as he glanced back at her, cupped her face, and leaned closer. But instead of kissing her lips, he brought his mouth to her ear. His gentle exhale brought shivers down her spine. "You know there are many other acts I am capable of, if you are impatient."

Ennaly took a deep breath, and hated how much she wanted him to touch her. "I am, ma'arlath," she breathed in his ear, feeling her heart rate increasing in anticipation.

His responding chuckle made her knees weak as he gently nipped at her ear. "Choose a scent and join me in the tub, then, vhenan," he said.

He took a small towel and tied it around his waist as Ennaly chose an oil scented with lilac and sandalwood, scents that brought her away from this place and let her think about nature in springtime. She poured a shot into the water that Solas reheated with magic. They both entered the tub, Solas beckoning Ennaly to sit against him.

"This must be the best place in the world," Ennaly said contently as she relaxed against Solas, the warm water soothing her sore muscles from the dancing, Solas' softly rising chest against her back.

He chuckled. "This bathtub? Certainly, you would consider a natural spring a superior place. Have you grown fond of houses this soon, Dalish First?"

Ennaly scoffed. "I don't care about this mansion. This is the best place because you are here, with me, and I don't currently have to think about anything else. No pressure, no politics."

Another soft chuckle. "If it is about you and me, then surely you can imagine a better location. Where do you want to go, later?" His fingers caressed her under the water and he gently let his magic tingle her skin, tender, like soft kisses.

Ennaly smiled and let the feeling wash over her. If she truly had a choice in where she could be right now... After all the grandeur of the Palace and this mansion, she craved simplicity. "Somewhere in nature, I think," she replied, relaxing in the moment.

"Where in nature?" Solas asked, trailing his fingers over her arms.

Ennaly gasped at his touch and had a hard time finding a reply. Solas didn't stop, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Answer me, vhenan. How will I know where to bring you if you do not describe it?"

But he surged more magic into her skin, and Ennaly could hardly envision anything with that distraction, let alone find the breath to answer. Inspired by the scents of the steam slowly filling the room, an image of a forest appeared in her mind, in springtime with mixed trees, spring flowers in bloom and a little stream running down an elevation. While asking her to describe details like the colours of the flowers, it became increasingly more difficult for her to answer anything, most of her replies reduced to soft moans and gasps.

"Alright," Solas murmured softly as he had a sharp image in his mind. "Any other wishes?"

A new image entered Ennaly's mind, and she had to use all her focus to answer. Oh, Solas would hate it, but he did ask. "Yes," she breathed, a smile forming on her lips. "I want you to wear two things."

"Just two things?"

Her smile was fully formed now, even though he couldn't see it. "Simple brown breeches... and a Keeper's coat."

The reaction was instant, like she had expected. Solas paused his touch and held his breath. "You are devious, milady Inquisitor."

"You asked, I answered," she replied with a grin, satisfied by his reaction, but dissatisfied that the magic stopped teasing her. It had been feeling so good.

"I shall see what I can do," he said, before he shot a strong surge through her body, making Ennaly stifle mid-moan in fear others would hear her. "And do you want to wear a Keeper's coat too?"

"No," Ennaly gasped, arching her back, not yet wanting to give in to the growing tease. "There is only one Keeper in a clan."

Solas chuckled. "What an interesting view into your mind, vhenan. So I take it you want me in control?"

"Yes." It was almost a moan. "Aren't you always?"

"I am," Solas replied with confidence. And with his next surge, he drove Ennaly over her edge. He kissed her shoulder while she bit back silent gasps, her body quivering against him.

Once the sensation had slowly mellowed away, an immediate fatigue overtook Ennaly. She could have fallen asleep right then and there in the tub, but Solas helped her clean, wash her hair, and helped her dry her afterwards. Not long after, they fell asleep under the embroidered starry canopy of the large velvet bed.

Ennaly opened her eyes to find herself in a forest clearing exactly as she had described. It was a beautiful place, the chirping of small birds and flying insects humming in the skies. A small creek trickled down from the hilly landscape, reflecting the diffused sunlight and creating a small rainbow above the water's surface. Scattered between the trees were a multitude of flowers, pink, purple and white, but the centre of the clearing was mostly soft grass. It was pleasant on her bare feet.

She turned around with a smile to find Solas standing nearby, leaning on a gnarled wooden staff and wearing nothing more than brown breeches and a green Keeper's coat over a bare chest. He had added his wolven amulet, and Ennaly thought it looked good against his bare chest. Grinning, she walked closer. "Green suits you," she said.

She lifted her arms to play with the leather cord and realised that whatever she was wearing had sleeves long enough to fall over her hands. Confused, she looked down and saw that she was clad in nothing more than Solas' sweater, the collar so wide it fell down one shoulder.

"You did not specify your desired attire," Solas said with a mischievous smile. "So I had to improvise. It suits you, vhenan."

"You devious man," Ennaly replied with a grin as she pulled up the sleeves. Her hands now free, she pulled on the collar of the Keeper's coat to draw Solas closer for a kiss. "This is a really beautiful place. Is this a real location somewhere or did you just create it?"

"In the Fade, I can create what I wish," Solas commented as he materialized a flower in his hand and presented it to Ennaly. As she reached to take it, she halted suddenly. The flower was familiar. He had given her one just like it before, yet it wasn't a flower she had ever seen anywhere else.

What had it been? He might just give you flowers in return. They had been near a statue of Fen'Harel and she had wanted a sign from the God, when Solas offered her this flower. A sudden panic fell over Ennaly and she extended her aura, hard and fast, almost like a mind blast. It startled Solas and he took a step back in surprise, but resisted the force.

"Sorry," Ennaly said in a low voice. "I had to make sure it was you." The aura meeting hers told her that it was.

"Afraid I was a demon?" Solas asked as he tucked the flower behind her ear and kissed her.

"No," Ennaly replied, before she laughed at her silly idea. "I thought you might be Fen'Harel."

Solas' eyes flashed open. "Fen'Harel?"

"I thought for a moment… After all that talk with Briala… But don't worry, I know it's you, ma'arlath." She arched her head upwards, longing for his embrace and kiss.

Solas leaned in and pulled her closer, one hand at her waist and one at her neck. It was an active hold, a strong one, with a controlled tension in his muscles. It was just the right amount of pressure to feel safe, but not be hurt. "Yes, vhenan, it is me," he whispered, eyes both closed and breath mingling, before he kissed her.

It was hungrier than she had expected, but she surrendered herself to his grasp. "I'm yours," she murmured between kisses.

The words encouraged Solas, and he let his hands glide down over her bottom, squeeze, and grabbed the sweater to pull over her head. His hand went down to her breast, teasing her as he kissed her ear, trailing down to her neck. Ennaly couldn't suppress a moan as he sank down his teeth.

"You are eager," she managed to say through the ripples of pleasure it sent down her spine.

Solas parted just briefly enough to talk. "You have had starters, my heart, but I have been without."

"That was at your own insistence," she reminded her, but her hands found the laces of his breeches. He didn't mind her touch, not here, and he moaned against her lips. "You could have had dessert by now."

"I am aware," he said in a low voice. "Yet fortunately, I am patient. Good things come to those that wait."

"Good things?" Ennaly murmured as she let Solas lower her to the ground, conjuring a blanket underneath them. It was exciting how Solas behaved in the Fade, and he much more comfortable he was with himself. Ennaly herself was a lot more confident here, as well. This wasn't their first time together, but there was so much more to explore, to find out how Solas reacted to different touches, to different behaviour.

Solas parted their fiery kiss to rise, wanting to take his coat off. Coyly, Ennaly grabbed the collar and prevented him from moving away. "The coat stays on," she said with an indulgent smile.

"Does it?" he replied as he leaned in again, took her hands and pinned them above her head. "I thought I was in control."

Ennaly giggled and turned her face aside to avoid a kiss. "I think we have a paradox here. You are in control and thus you could take it off. Yet, you are only in control as long as you wear it. What will it be, my love?"

Solas leaned back, but held a grip on her arms, and cocked his head to the side. From her position, it appeared as if he was wearing a crown of leaves. "Still playing the Game, I see?"

"Plotting, scheming, and tricking," Ennaly declared. "Fen'Harel has a bad influence over me."

"Bad, you say?" he replied with a devious glimmer in his eyes, before he kissed her neck again. It was slow, sensual and teasing, giving her what she wanted, but not quickly enough. Burst of magic spread over her skin and her body arched against him, wanting more. But he was persuading her to give in, she knew, but it wouldn't help. Tonight, after their victory in the Palace, she found that she wanted a little control after all. There were many more future nights where he could be in full control again.