Work Text:
Weeding a million nightmares
I chanced one dream
It was in mint condition
In my sleep
Flying one kingfisher as I was lost
A mind paints a lovely landscape at the cost
Of lost actuality, or seeing what's real
Or dodging the problematic way you feel
*~Kingfisher by PHOX
It had been a long day in the Emerald Graves.
Between demons, red Templars, and the damned Freemen, Raven’s manna felt utterly depleted…not to mention any physical energy she’d managed to gather from sleeping on the hard ground the night before. Her short black hair clung to her scalp in a wet mass from either sweat or the sun storm they’d been caught in earlier, making her pointed ears even more pronounced. If the group came across any other nefarious entities on the way to camp, she was not above taking her staff and beating them over the head with it. It was about the only thing she had enough energy left to do. And since Varric Tethras was travelling with the troupe, she had no doubts it would turn into a colorful tale of how she somehow beat a rage demon over the head and back into the Fade like a Chantry sister scolding an errant child who snuck out of school.
Truth be told, Varric looked as tired as she felt. His pace had slowed considerably since their last fight. As they trudged uphill, she could hear more pronounced grunts and groans coming from the dwarf, as if he were trying to say “I’m too old for this shit” but couldn’t find the energy to do even that.
Of the four of them, The Iron Bull looked the most worn. He’d taken the brunt of the blows throughout the day and it showed in his shoulders, slumped in exhaustion. Every so often as they crested a hill heading towards camp he would let out a tired sigh, as if he wished the camp would simply materialize for them so they could stop with this walking bullshit. They’d covered most of the graves in the past two days and he’d more than had his fill of demons and exploding Templars.
As they came close to cresting the top of the hill, Raven hung back to adjust her boot straps, sneaking a glance at Solas as he passed. His gait remained mostly unchanged, though he’d taken his staff from his back for use as a walking stick after their last fight. When he looked back to ensure she was alright, she quickly averted her gaze, tugging a strap tighter on her boot before rejoining the group, her cheeks lightly flushed.
When they spotted yet another wolf statue, Bull suggested they take a moment to rest and they all agreed with muted groans of approval. Once they reached the statue, Raven clambered up onto its back to perch so she could keep an eye on their surroundings. Bull sat down and leaned against the wolf’s tail, stretching out his legs with a low groan. With a heavy sigh, Varric plopped down onto the soft grass, Solas sitting cross-legged beside him.
Several minutes passed in silence as the group relaxed, a sleepy haze falling over them in the wake of turmoil of the day. When a bird flew overhead, casting its shadow over the group as it passed between them and the sun, Bull grunted as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Hey, Solas –“
The elvhen male’s head lifted towards Bull, eyes slightly unfocused as if he’d been pulled from a deep train of thought. “Hmm?”
“-you ever do your Fade thing and pretend you can fly? Just flap your arms and zip around in there – maybe bang some hot Fade ladies?” Bull asked.
Raven blinked, the question blindsiding her with the mental image of Solas flapping his arms, flying about like some young boy in a Chantry tale who refused to grow up. A burst of laughter erupted from her chest and Solas snapped his head towards her with look that seemed to be equal parts surprise, curiosity, and…was that the barest hint of a smirk on his lips? She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, cutting off her laugh with a mirthful snort as Varric arched an eyebrow in her direction.
“Something you’d like to share with the class, birdie?” the dwarf asked, grinning. Raven shook her head, hand still over her mouth, and returned her attention to Solas if only to get the attention off of herself.
Solas recovered his neutral expression quickly enough, clearing his throat to answer. “No,” he answered firmly. “Such behavior attracts the attention of demons.”
…We shouldn’t. It isn’t right. Not even here.
Solas’ words from the Fade echoed in Raven’s mind and she lowered her gaze, looking towards the grass as a blush colored her cheeks. Things between the two of them had been…charged (if that was the right word for it) since their unintentional Fade rendezvous at Skyhold the night before they’d travelled here. In her mind, there had seemed to be no mistaking the barely constrained passion with which he’d kissed her, yet he had called the kiss “impulsive and ill-considered” before asking for time to consider things. The words had stung but she put on a brave face and obliged his request, distracting herself while they travelled with Varric’s stories and battles of wit with Bull.
Her talks with Solas remained pleasant enough when centered on neutral topics, though there was a touch of hesitation where there hadn’t been before. Every accidental touch was both awkward and electric, filling the space between them with a demanding tension. And from the knowing looks Varric and Bull had been giving her, it had apparently not gone unnoticed.
A groan of frustration from Bull snapped her from her musings and she turned to look at him as he folded his arms across his chest. “Demons shit up everything,” he groused, a scowl on his face.
“I’ll agree with you on that one,” Raven chuckled, hopping off of the statue and dusting off her pants. She could feel Solas’ gaze on her but ignored it, walking over to help Varric to his feet before the group pressed on for camp.
A couple of hours later, they managed to reach their camp and Raven nearly fell to her knees to kiss the ground in celebration. The group took turns bathing in the nearby stream, allowing Raven to go first since she was the only female, before settling in around the fireplace for dinner – Varric’s famous (or perhaps infamous) smoked ram stew.
As the conversation died down and people began to turn in for sleep, Raven sat up by the campfire, leaning against a log and reading through one of Varric’s crime serials. She was exhausted, certainly, and any other night she would have gone to sleep immediately. Tonight, however, she found herself trying to put off sleeping as long as possible. Though she did not claim the same familiarity with the Fade and magic as Solas had, it didn’t change the fact that being near rifts tended to give her vivid nightmares that haunted her well into the next day. She’d practically scared Bull to death when she’d woken him up with her screams the night before.
There was no telling how much time had passed before a hand on her shoulder startled her and she jumped, turning her head to see a pair of steel blue eyes staring back at her. Solas had partially knelt against the log she was leaning on and she had been so engrossed in her book she hadn’t even noticed.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she whispered as she placed her bookmark back into the tome, snapping it shut with a pointed glare in his direction.
A soft chuckle was her response as he sat on the log, facing the opposite direction though his head was still inclined towards her. “I expected you would have been asleep by now,” he remarked casually, looking out over the forest behind them.
Raven looked back at the cover of her book and shrugged. “I lost track of time. And with the guards constantly stoking the fire, I’m not even sure how long I’ve been out here,” she admitted with a chuckle. It wasn't a lie exactly. No need to tell him she was avoiding sleep. “What are you doing still awake? No interesting stories in the Fade to ferret out of this place?” she teased lightly, leaning her head back against the log to look up at him.
Solas seemed to consider the question for a moment as he looked down at her, the weight of something unspoken in his gaze. “I find my attention inexplicably drawn from the Fade tonight. I took a brief walk to clear my mind,” he replied, shifting his gaze back to the forest that sprawled out around their campsite.
Raven frowned, wondering if she should follow the statement further or let it go. Biting her lip, she redirected her gaze towards the campfire, watching the fire stir in the gentle breeze. Perhaps there was no harm in asking. “Oh. Did it help?” she asked as casually as she could manage.
Solas gave a thoughtful hum that wasn’t quite an answer before the corner of his lips tilted in a grin. “It brought to mind a question, actually,” he replied, looking back down at her. His eyes reflected the light of the campfire but held a spark of mischief that made her heart skip a few beats. “What, pray tell, was so amusing about the question Iron Bull posed earlier this afternoon?”
Raven could feel the blush on her face growing and could only hope the darkness that was creeping into the waning fire helped to cover it. “Oh. That. Well…you know me…I find humor in almost anything…” she fumbled, giving a dry chuckle as she looked back up at him with a helpless shrug.
Solas half-laughed on a sharp exhale through his nose, looking back at her with an expression which said he was all-too familiar with this aspect of her personality. “That is not quite an answer,” he pointed out.
Shifting in her seat, Raven fidgeted with the pages of her book as if she would find an answer inside of it. When Solas cleared his throat as if to prod her, she looked up with a shy grin. “Oh, come on – even you have to admit the mental image of you flapping your arms and zipping around that Bull painted was hysterical,” she pointed out, her grin spreading
A grin tugged at Solas’ lips and he chuckled lightly. “He does have a rather eloquent way of stating things,” he joked, shaking his head.
When silence stretched between them again, Raven closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the log as Solas looked out over the forest. The silence was a comfortable one at least, the tension between them muted by the exhaustion of the day.
Listening to the crickets and various sounds coming from the forest, Raven gave a soft sigh as she felt her body finally begin to relax and exhaustion from the day slowly overtook her. Sleep had not yet fully taken her when she felt long, nimble fingers slide gently into the strands of her hair. The touch was tentative, almost uncertain even in its simplicity, but it sent delightful shivers cascading down her spine nonetheless. His nails barely scratched the skin of her scalp and she let out a soft sigh of contentment as she tilted her head and leaned it against his thigh.
The strokes of his fingers faltered for a moment, as if he were acclimating to the touch of her against his skin. After a moment, she could feel the barest sensation of his fingertip outlining the edge of her ear and had to fight the blush that crept up her neck, threatening to turn her face scarlet as pleasurable sensations danced down her spine.
The moments passed in silence – his touch gentle in her hair, almost explorative against her ear and neck – until she began to teeter towards the edge of unconsciousness. In her sleepy stupor, she could hear him speaking but couldn’t quite focus on the words. She gave a hum of assent, hoping that would appease him enough to continue. When he withdrew his hand, she gave a sleepy whimper of protest only to feel strong arms lifting her a moment later. He was…carrying her to bed?
The light of the fire faded against her eyelids and she felt the cloth of her tent flap brush against her bare arms as she was placed against a bedroll, a sheet lightly draped over her before being tucked against her with gentle care. When Solas turned to leave, she felt fear settle like ice in the pit of her stomach as images from her previous nightmare flashed through her mind. Instinctively she reached towards him, catching his wrist in her grasp as he turned to leave.
“…Stay with me?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
There was a slight pause, the question hanging in the air like an ax over her head. She’d barely had time to think through her question before it fought its way past her lips. Now she wondered if she should have said anything at all. Opening her eyes more fully, she saw Solas’ form silhouetted against the open tent flap, his hand paused in pushing the flap aside, body half turned towards her.
A sigh broke the stillness then without a word, he was gone. The ax swung downward as rejection blossomed heavy like red lyrium in her chest. She couldn’t say she was surprised, exactly, though that didn’t dull the pain. When would she learn to just –
Her eyes widened in disbelief as the tent flap opened again and Solas walked in, carrying a bedroll which he laid beside hers before fastening the tent flaps together. Slipping between the bedroll and a sheet, he turned onto his side and drew her against him so that her back rested against his chest.
His arms felt strong and safe as they wrapped around her like a magic barrier. His breath was warm against her ear as she felt waves of soothing magic wash over her, like the tide washing over the sands of a beach. He was…placing a ward?
“Ame eth i’em,” he whispered, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Raven smiled, tucking herself against him with a contented sigh. “Ma serannas... On nydha, Solas.”
“On nydha, eanban…”