Chapter Text
Solas looked at the elf woman worriedly. He didn't know how to cure her, or if a cure was even possible. Even if he knew, she was a hard one to tend to. She had adamantly refused to eat or drink anything that was offered to her. Even a water skin was pushed away as it was a flask of poison, by the woman, who frantically said "Tel'dera'em" DON'T TOUCH ME, "Banal", "NO" and "min'dianas!' "STOP THIS" in elvhen. Her agitation only stopped when he spoke elvhen to her, calling her dear one and asking her tenderly to calm down "eas atish'in, dahlen". She slept now, a fitful restless sleep obviously filled with nightmares. He wondered what those were but he didn't dare enter the fade here with Cassandra breathing down his neck.
Malie's hand pulsated and burned with pain. Her brain could not remember how that pain started so it latched to the last traumatic experience it did remember: Her time at the Architect's lab, when she was 10. They came to her camp in the night, how they got past the elven sentry's sharp eyes no one knew. All Malie remembered was waking up in a stone cell, deep underground. The smell of moldy rot and taint was unmistakable, it was a darkspawn lair. Yet she and her clan mates were still alive. It was so dark even her elven eyes could see little more than their silhouettes. A ghoul unlocked her cell and grabbed her cellmate's face with it's filthy grubby claws, pushing a dark liquid in his mouth. Tulan pushed it away only to have another ghoul hold his head while the first ghoul pried his lips and mouth open, pouring the liquid inside it. Tulan fought to spit it off but the ghouls only let go after they were sure he had drank the foul liquid. After that Tulan tried in vain to purge it but it was no use. Soon he started convulsing and his skin went deadly pale, with spidery black taint marks appearing all over his face. Like an corrupted valasslin, the sacred blood writing tattoos the elves of her tribe wore on their face, this new taint markings started making symbols on Tulan's face. But this writing was alien and evil, and obviously painful making his handsome face contorted with pain while he whimpered. Tulan was dead within the hour. An agonizing hour where Malie tried to get free from her shackles to do something to help Tulan, or at least hold him so he wouldn't die alone on a cell floor. She bashed her shackled hands against the stone and tried to wrestle free, with all her 10 year old strength, fruitlessly. She yelled his name and begged for help still bashing her hands against the stone as strongly as she could, to break her shackles. Her hands hurt so much but she couldn't stop, she wouldn't let a clan mate die without even seeing a friendly face.
Solas ears perked. The mark on the elf woman's hand was pulsating again and the poor thing was bashing it against the floor, as if trying to make the mark and her shackles break off from her hands. She mumbled a few words in evident distress. He cast an ice spell to try to cool down her bloodied hands and went closer to her. The guard on the cell came closer to them. "I'm just trying to avoid that she hurts herself. A dead prisoner will do you no good" said Solas wearily and the guard motioned him to go ahead and approach the woman. Solas held her gently, whispering elven in her ears "Dahlen", "Ma Isala Hamin Lethalan", "you need to rest dear one", while casting healing spells on her hand where the mark glowed and pulsated. He spent about an hour holding her, tenderly talking elven in her ears until she finally calmed down and collapsed into slumber. Solas looked at her delicate face, so pale now, and saw that her eyes were wet with tears. What was she dreaming ? Did she have any idea of what happened ?
On her dream Malie gave up on trying to break her shackles. Tulan was dead and her hand hurt with a dull ache now. The ghouls were forcing other prisoners to drink the foul liquid, killing more. Malie shuddered with the memory of seeing her clans mates die. Later she found out that the ones who died were the lucky ones. The ones who survived suffered a fate worse than death: they were turned into ghouls. She found it out by seeing Seranni alive but not Seranni anymore. Somehow she had survived the foul liquid's poison but now her beautiful skin was ashen and riddled with taint growth. Seranni's eyes were dark and large and she seemed to be able to see perfectly fine in the dark of their dungeon cell. "Lethalan, are you well ?" she said in a guttural voice. Malie nodded, too surprised to say anything, tears running down her face at seeing her best friend in that state.
The guard coughed loudly and Solas had to let go of the prisoner. He had been cradling her like a child, wiping the tears of her face with a clean cloth. But now Cassandra came fuming into the cell. "What are you doing ? Is she going to live or not ? Can she tell us what happened ? Can she help us ?" she barked at Solas. "Patience Seeker, no one has survived a physical journey to the fade for the past 5,000 years. I hardly know how she is still alive" answered Solas. "Hardly know ? Does this mean you have a theory ?" asked Cassandra. "Why yes Seeker and I would be glad to discuss this theory if you have the intent to hear it, instead of yelling at me" Solas answered causing Cassandra to grunt in disgust. "Ugh! Speak before I drag it out of you" said Cassandra growling. Unphased by her threat Solas continued calmly: "The green mark on her hand seems tied to the fade breach somehow. I imagine it protected her when the explosion created the rifts and the breach. It might even be able to control them somehow".
"Control them ? So she caused all this ? We have physical evidence she is tied to the explosion then!" said Cassandra. Solas sighed "Seeker please listen to my entire report before jumping to conclusions. The green mark on the prisoner's hand is killing her. Every time the breach grows so does the power of the mark in her hand and her entire body gets consumed by it. She won't be able to withstand it for much longer. Is a miracle she has withstood it until now. She couldn't possibly have done that to herself. This was an accident". Cassandra grunted again, frustrated. "So you say but I have yet to see evidence that you are even healing the prisoner. She seems worse today!" she added. "Yes Seeker and is no wonder. She has not had a drop of water to drink since her accident, let alone any nourishment. She won't accept anything. I need those supplies I asked you. Urgently if you want her to live another day. Not even an elf can survive more than 3 days without water and it has been 2 days since we found her" said Solas firmly.
"You shall have then within the hour. Our alchemist is preparing your concoctions as we speak" said Cassandra glaring at Solas.
"Then please call me when you have something for me to heal the patient with. Healing spells can not cure lack of water or food" said Solas leaving the cell.
Cassandra snorted in disgust. "Come here guardsman, let's see if we can not resolve this lack of water ourselves" she said and ordered the guardsman to fetch her a water skin. "Hold her head" said Cassandra to the man when he came back with the water. Cassandra tried gently at first, then a bit more forcefully to get the prisoner to open her mouth but the elf wouldn't budge. "It's for your own good" said Cassandra as she forcefully pried the elven prisoner's mouth open, then poured water into it.
Malie woke up pinned down between two ghouls, one holding her head and one pawing her mouth to open it and pour stuff into it, just as they had done to Tulan. She tried to wrestle herself free but they were too strong and she was very weak. The liquid burned going down her mouth and throat and she felt like she had eaten broken glass when it hit her stomach. She retched and retched, her body unable to keep the foul liquid down. Her throat was on agony but she couldn't stop purging the foul thing. Luckily the ghouls had stopped holding her because if she was still pinned down she might have drowned, her body in spasms violently trying to get rid of that thing they forced down her throat. She couldn't stop retching and coughing it out of her. But no matter how much she tried, the blasted thing was still inside her, like thousands of needles on her stomach and acid fire on her throat and mouth. She was pretty sure she would be dead within the hour like Tulan. But unlike their ignoring of Tulan, the ghouls seemed to be worried about her dying. One of them picked her up and ran with her out of the cell as she fainted from the pain...
As soon as the entire skin of water reached the prisoner's stomach the prisoner retched, unable to keep it down after almost two days without water. Cassandra and the guard let go of the elven woman who by now convulsed on the floor, purging herself of the water they had just forced down her throat. It was obvious the prisoner was violently ill so Cassandra ran out the door with her, seeking for Solas while yelling at the guard. "Bring the damn alchemist here WITH the items Solas has asked for, even if you have to bring the man by force!"
When she found Solas, Cassandra didn't even need to say anything to him, the prisoner's face, unconscious in Cassandra's arms was deadly pale. Something was very wrong. Running to the cell he growled furiously "What have you done Seeker ?" at Cassandra. "Nothing.. We just tried to give her water.." said Cassandra. "How much water ?" asked Solas rushing to put the elven woman on a cot in the cell. "Err.. one skin, that one" said Cassandra gesturing to the discarded skin. "Did it ever occur to you that someone who has not had a drink in days can not handle that much water ?!?" shouted Solas furiously. "Seriously Seeker, I wonder if anyone in this Chantry of yours have an ounce of common sense. You could have killed her!" said Solas in a very angry voice. Cassandra frowned. For the first time she felt danger coming from Solas. If she wasn't trying to get this mad mage to heal the prisoner she would have raised her sword. Her hand went all the way to the sword hilt but she just held it there looking at Solas.
Seeing Cassandra's shift into combat stance made Solas get a hold of himself and say a bit more calmly: "You could have killed her but you did not". "Could have ? That means she will live ?" said Cassandra relieved, her hand leaving the sword hilt. "For now at least. For how long I can't tell you since your alchemist..." said Solas as the alchemist was thrown unceremoniously on the dungeon floor by a guard carrying some flasks. "Found him Seeker and convinced him to drop his other commitments and finish the apostates' job" said the guard glaring at the alchemist. "Here is what you asked mr Solas" the guard added giving Solas the flasks.
"Right on the nick of time, another hour and the patient would be dead... Now leave me to my work" growled Solas gesturing for Cassandra to leave. "I.. You.. Oh very well, just cure this woman" said Cassandra dragging the guard out of the cell and closing the door, forgetting a very frightened alchemist who sat prostrated on the cell floor. "You.. Help me move her bed near this table" said Solas to the alchemist. "Now give me the flasks one by one and help me uncap them when I tell you so" said Solas as he started casting a very old spell to transfer the liquid from the flasks to a bowl of pure green energy on the air. He then grabbed his knife and made a cut on the top of the prisoner's hand, where a bead of blood started to trickle out. "Blood Magic!" yelled the alchemist aghast. "Not exactly, no. Why, would your precious Chantry object if I had to use blood magic to save the prisoner ?" said Solas while enveloping the prisoner's hand and the bead of blood in a green energy and very carefully making the bowl of energy with the flasks contents come closer to the cut hand.
"How is this not Blood Magic ?!" said the alchemist suspiciously. "Solas sighed impatiently "Do you see any blood coming OUT of her ? The magic you call Blood Magic consumes blood. This magic you are witnessing is not doing that. Look at the bowl. It's contents are being used, not the blood" he added. The alchemist shifted nervously "Then.. Are you putting the stuff in that bowl INTO her blood ?" he asked. "Very well done. There is hope for you after all. That is precisely what I'm doing. she needs liquids. I'm giving them to her in a way her body won't reject it. That is why I needed you to boil pure spring water and mix in some salts for me" answered Solas. The alchemist eyed him suspiciously "I've never seen or heard of any magic like it, where did you learn that ?" he asked. "I.. I have seen it done in the fade.. It is very ancient magic. And very difficult to control.. If you excuse me I need to concentrate now" said Solas ending the conversation. He spent most of the night tending to the spell then collapsed on the floor exhausted, joining the alchemist in uncomfortable slumber in the cell's hard stone floor.
Exhausted, Solas woke up mid morning, and immediately looked at the elven woman sleeping peacefully. His saline solution IV spell had worked, in spite of the barbaric conditions he had had to improvise for it. The prisoner's lips didn't look dry and cracked any longer. They looked lush and full. Her previously dry and listless skin was not pale with sickness anymore. In fact, her beautiful skin glowed making her valaslin tattoo show prominently on her forehead. She had Mythal's markings, a beautiful tree. Solas sighed. At least the prisoner had chosen Mythal of all the other elven deities she was the only one worthy of respect. And friendship. He traced the markings on the prisoner's skin, marveling at how soft her skin felt now. Her mouth, no longer contorted with pain had a pretty curve upwards making she look like she smiled often. He traced her lips with his index finger gently. She was beautiful, he couldn't avoid having noticed that before but now that she looked healthier he realized she was not just beautiful but possessed delicate and elegant features that would not be out of place in the richest houses of Arlathan. She would look stunning at an Arlathan ball, with velvet robes and jewelry. Even here with blood stained clothes and simple Dalish markings she looked stunning. Solas brought his index finger to his mouth after caressing her lips. What would kissing her lips feel ?
Solas sighed, disgusted at himself. He had been asleep for way too long if a simple elven beauty was able to get him to daydream like a young man. Getting a hold of himself he called the guard and gave him instructions to find Leliana and get someone to get the prisoner in clean clothes. She could wake up at any time now and she would feel much better in a clean set of clothes. Alas, she did not wake up. After two days Solas decided he could not wait any longer. Cassandra could imprison him at any minute. He needed to get into the temple and look for his orb, before it got misplaced. He had to go try closing the rifts one more time, then go retrieve his orb. With the orb he could close the breach, he was reasonably sure of it. But getting to the temple alone would not be easy. Perhaps he would be able to convince Varric and some others to join him at least for part of the way. He left a message for Cassandra to meet him midway with the prisoner, if she woke up, and grabbed Varric and some soldiers to go up the hill. One way or the other he would reach the temple today.