Work Text:
“Damnit, Avi.” The mage threw yet another artifact onto the top of his desk. Magic that once lay below the surface flickering before fading away. Another attempt, another failure. How long had it been? Months? Months since Rook and her team ended the siege of Minrathous. Months since Avise joined Solas in some stupid… elven… prison in the Fade. Dorian should have been busy, and he was, as the new Archon for Tevinter. Rebuilding of the city had been progressing surprisingly well.
He struggled however. Before whenever he felt overwhelmed or in need of support, she was there. Just on the other end of the necklace he had given her during the Exalted Council. And she did the same for him. They were in constant contact over the decade after she disbanded the Inquisition. They never went more than a few days without speaking. Now months without a single word. The sending crystal quiet, taunting the man as it lay cold and dormant in his hand. The remainder of the Inquisition did not fair much better. Cullen looked defeated after she left. Cassandra put on a brave face, pretending she understood the Inquisitor’s actions but no one really did. Dorian knew better. The amount of pressure Avise had been under since the Breach was something she felt the weight of every waking moment - and many of the sleeping ones - despite how easily she hid it.
Avise was tired of being a figure, he knew that. He was not surprised she leapt at the chance to help Solas redeem himself. He just wished she had said goodbye, or they found a way to communicate while she was there. Josephine had spun the story to appeal to the masses, a daring end for their beloved Inquisitor. To heal the world from the very depths of the Fade, just as the Herald of Andraste was meant to do.
The eluvian in his chambers rippled to life behind him, the familiar presence of his amatus stepping through. Yet another thing the mage could thank his friend for. Not only the eluvian so Dorian could keep in contact with his qunari rebel but for pushing the two of them together to begin with.
“Kadan, you have to sleep sometime. It’s only fun when it’s me keeping you up.” The qunari’s gruff voice created a laugh to bubble from Dorian, the mage was at his wits end. There had to be a way to contact her. They were supposed to be healing the Veil, healing the blight from the inside. That was what Rook said right? What was taking them so long? Okay, maybe he did need to sleep.
Dorian sighed out, “Fine. Fine. You’re right.” The large qunari settled in bed with him once he was able to drag himself from the desk. Various broken elven artifacts scattered over the surface. If he could figure out time travel for Maker’s sake, he was going to figure this out too.
────•✦•────
Dorian stood in the Fade in his dreams. It was particularly good memory from his time in the Inquisition. Avise had been coerced into participating in some pranks around Skyhold by their delightful - if not deranged - elven rogue. Sera wanted to distract the Inquisitor from her broken heart and Dorian found himself roped into their nonsense. He pretended like he was above such things but Sera’s childishness always drew out that broken child in him that never got the chance to be just… a kid.
Sera, Avise and Dorian were crouched on the third floor of the Herald’s Rest. Avise herself was giggling quietly, a little buzzed from the drinks they plied her with before deciding to participate in whatever plan Sera had. The rogue somehow convincing them that they needed to crawl across the battlements towards Cullen’s office. Cullen was always a particularly easy target and Dorian remembered at the time he had been pushing Avise to move on from the apostate for someone who was going to treat her like a Queen.
In the end that did not turn out well, but Cullen was steadfast next to Avise to the very end. So his regrets were minimal. Even if their love affair did not last longer than a few months. It did give her the opportunity to experience more at the very least, and if the sounds that came from the Commander’s quarters on certain evenings were any indication, it certainly alleviated some stress for the small elven Inquisitor.
At the edges of Dorian’s vision there was a ripple in the Fade. An echo of magic that felt wholly familiar. Like a song that once sang so very close to him. It was odd, that wasn’t part of this memory. He blinked, feeling a strong pull at the center of his being before he found himself somewhere completely new. Green grass below his feet. Warm, golden light surrounding him. Dorian stood in a small hallway made of cream stone, gold etching in the stonework in intricate botanical designs. Where was he?
A familiar voice, in a not so familiar language piped up from behind him, “Vin! Vhenan, britha!” The mage turned to see Avise standing there, with the largest smile on her face and tears in her eyes. If she smiled any wider it might split her face open. The small elven woman dashed to Dorian and leaped into his arms, Dorian stumbling in shock. Was he dead? Was this a dream?
Dorian glanced past the woman who clung to him tightly to see Solas with his arms folded across his chest leaning against what looked to be a desk, a small quirk of a smile on his lips. The mages’ mouth hung open and he felt Avise’s hands grasp his cheeks to pull his gaze down to her, “Dorian! This is real, I promise.” A bubbling laughter escaped her. Dorian knew both Solas and Avise would be what most would call Dreamers but he thought they were locked in some dark and angry prison? This was certainly not dark nor angsty, and she was almost glowing with delight.
Avise’s eyes searched his face, the smile never leaving her lips, “Say something, you look like you’re about to faint.” Dorian decided to just go with it, his arms now wrapping around the small elf in response, “Sorry, this is all new to me. You know, my best friend ignoring me for months just to kidnap me in my own dreams. You know how it is.” He did what he did best, deflect his confusion and mixed emotions with sarcasm and jokes. Avise scoffed, releasing him finally from her own hug, “I know, Dorian. I am so sorry. I’ve been chipping away at the edges of this prison to make an opening large enough that we could reach out to you. I am just so glad it worked.”
Solas finally spoke, his voice was much of the same as Dorian knew him in Inquisition. It appeared being locked in the Fade with Avise suited him, not that Dorian had any doubts about that. He knew the elven woman brought the best out in the man somehow. As much as he hated to admit it, they really did belong together, “Every moment free she worked tirelessly to reach you. I am pleased to see it was successful.” Dorian gave him a forced smile. The man hurt Avise for ten years, it was hard to forgive him so easily after all that but he would try. For her.
“I see your fashion hasn’t improved, Solas.” The elf glanced down at his clothing, it was not so different than how Solas dressed during the Inquisition. It held a little more color at least. Avise snorted air through her nose, “Behave.” Clicking her tongue behind her teeth as she walked past him, “Let me show you - we only have this little haven of the Fade in the light but it is improving each day.” Dorian felt the woman grab him by the hand and drag him out the door, leaving Solas to trail behind them slowly. The mage glanced back once to see Solas’ eyes watching Avise’s every movement with pure adoration in his gaze. He did not even try to hide how smitten he was with her like he had before. Every emotion sitting plainly on Solas’ face. It was surreal to witness.
Dorian was pulled around a corner, through another archway and then stood at the very edge of a floating platform in the Fade. Where they were was covered in light and gold. The magic felt light, beautiful and calming. Wisps floated around them them along with just fragments of magic, it felt much like it did when Avise dragged him through the Crossroads years earlier - though without the painful ending he hoped.
In the distance he saw the darkness. Areas bathed in shadow. Like all color, joy had been pulled from the stones. The pain sitting at the very edge of the light. Avise let go of his hand, gesturing to the scene in front of them, “Dorian, welcome to the Black City. Well… what formerly was the Black City, now it is more of a Partially Black But More Gold Each Day City.” Dorian glanced over at her, looking incredulous. “Hold on. You’re saying I’m standing in the middle of what was the Black City. Throwing a Tevinter Magister back in here might not be the best idea.” He knew that it wasn’t the same, not even close. Dorian did not stand there physically in the Fade, but he had to say some sort of joke to push down the reeling sensation in his mind.
Solas’ voice drifted over from the archway behind him, “Avise is to thank. Her presence has healed much of the city. Among many other things.” The fondness in the apostate’s tone would normally have made the mage want to gag with the sweetness but since it was directed at Avise herself… he’d let it slide.
Avise turned quickly to look up at Dorian, pulling his hands into hers. She beamed up at him, the elven woman clearly thriving living in the Fade. “With the hole in the prison we were able to dig out, I believe I found a way to modify the enchantments on the Sending Crystals to work. Then I can bother you any time, day or night. In the Fade or not.” Dorian pulled the woman into a hug, a soft chuckle escaping her lips, “Is that a yes, you want to try it?” The mage nodded quickly, “Yes. Bull has said I have been insufferable without being able to talk to my friend.” Both Solas and Avise chuckled, Solas chiming in, “I would never say Avise is insufferable but she has been… quite adamant at finding a way to contact you.”
The elf wiggled from his grasp, “I can feel that you are close to waking up… so let’s go over this quickly. If it does work, I do have a request. I would like you to gather the remainder of the Inquisition - I’d like to talk to them and thank them. Everyone who is left and is willing to speak to me, of course. I would not blame certain people for feeling as if I abandoned them or is uncomfortable with the concept.” Ah. Cullen and Sera respectively. He understood her concerns. Dorian kissed the woman on the forehead, “Deal. Show me these plans.”
────•✦•────
Dorian stood in the center of his office, with a strange assortment of friends surrounding him, the sending crystal open on the top of his desk. He did not really explain why he called them there, feeling it was better for Avise to explain herself. That and he did not want to listen to any complaints from certain members who felt particularly abandoned by Avise’s absence. Bull placed his hand on Dorian’s shoulder for comfort before they began. “As many of you know, I have been researching ways to reach out to Avise in the Fade, unfortunately my own attempts failed -” before he could continue, Sera groaned, “Then why bring us all here?” Her arms flailing up slightly into the air in exasperation. As if one cue, Avise’s voice floated through the locket, “Sera - let Dorian finish!” Everyone in the room settled, a strangled laugh coming from Sera in particular.
The mage hummed to himself happily, not wanting to contemplate how pleased he was with being in contact with Avise again. Between the dream and fixing the sending crystal, he cooked up some additional modifications. A few seconds later, a shimmering apparition appeared, a ghost-like silhouette of the Inquisitor forming on top of his desk. Avise sat at the edge of the desk, one leg crossed over the other. She wore very traditional looking elvhen wear and was smiling broadly.
The remainder of the Inquisition was unsure of what to do with the Avise that sat in front of them, he guessed. It was not like she could hug them. Before anything could be said, Avise launched into her apologies, folding her hands together in her lap. She sighed, “I asked Dorian to bring you all together so I could apologize for how I left… I know it hurt some of you much more than others. That I would turn my back on Thedas but I knew that I could leave it behind and it would be taken care of by those who stood with me for the past decade or more. The people who loved me as much as I loved them.” She sighed, glancing over to Dorian and he nodded slowly, keep going. “I could give a list of reasons why I left and it would do nothing to make amends for disappearing and leaving you all behind. So what I will say is that I love you all, so very much. I think of you every day here. I am sorry, truly sorry for those of you I have hurt. Whether through my actions before I left…” A small glance in Cullen’s direction. “And those who I left the world on their shoulders alone after. It was an absolute honour to stand with you all in the Inquisition, and I will never forget any one of you who stand in this room for as long as I live. Ma serannas.”