Chapter Text
The good smell of food wakes her up.
She is still in Solas’ room, a heavy, dark fur draped over her to keep her warm. He is standing in front of his desk, stirring the soup he brought for her.
He is still wearing his torn shirt and pants, the armor forgotten on the floor, and for a moment it’s like everything is back to normal, like the old days at Skyhold.
But they are not in the ancient stronghold, she didn’t forget that. She looks at the unfamiliar room again, at the desk in front of the roaring fireplace, at the elven frescoes he has been recoloring and fixing…
… and smiles, because after all this is not so much different from Skyhold. It smells like him, like home, and the stuffed wolf she sewed for him stands proud and happy on the pile of documents on his desk.
“Ma vhenan.” Solas calls, smiling at her from above his shoulder. “Your food got cold. I made sure to make it appetizing again.”
She smiles in return and feels her face turn red.
“Thank you.”
His smile broadens and he brings the tray to the bed, placing it near her thigh. She sees the bowl of soup, fresh bread, a pitcher of water and a pastry coming straight from the Free Marches, one of her favorites.
She gasps, her face lightning up. She can’t remember the last time she ate one and she reaches out for it first.
Solas playfully swats her hand and whispers, leaning close to her face: “Leave the pastry for last, ma sa’lath. You will enjoy it more.”
“Aww!” She eyes it with longing, but the soup looks delicious too and after such a good rest - during which Solas finally stayed with her in her dreams and ran with her in a forest as a wolf -, she feels ravenous and would eat anything.
So she pretends to be annoyed - pouting at Solas for a moment -, then happily grabs the spoon, dips it in the dense soup, and raises it to sip it.
Only to gasp and grimace as soon as her right arm moves.
Solas immediately takes her hand and lowers her nightgown to check the gauzes on her arm. The wound hasn’t opened and the gauzes are still clean, but her skin burns and itches.
Even though he managed to remove the powerful toxin from her body, it was still a serious hit which weakened her greatly and her arm hasn’t recovered yet.
“Let me help you.” he says softly, almost a timid whisper, and she remembers again how much time has passed since they saw each other in the flesh. She thinks of all the times she sensed him in her dreams, of the gifts they exchanged over the months, of Enasalin’s help to ensure they could establish a new dialogue, of Solas’ pain and burden, of his loneliness over the millennia and the love they have for each other…
… and then tears fill her eyes, tears of sorrow, fatigue, relief and love all mixed together.
She sniffles, trying to hold them back, but Solas sees them and pales. He looks horrified and guilty, so, so guilty and he cups her cheek, stroking the space where her vallaslin used to be with his thumb. He is about to cry too and she doesn’t want that.
So she smiles, forces back her tears, and kisses the palm of his hand, saying softly:
“My love, I am here. I am finally here.”
He chokes on a sob, the same wail from before slipping through his chapped lips, and then he hides his face on her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly, refusing to let her go.
She takes a deep breath, heart fluttering in her chest. That’s what she wants, what she needs: to hold him and be held by him in return and never be apart from each other again.
“Ma vhenan.” Solas murmurs, his voice filled with tears muffled against her body. “Oh, ma vhenan!”
Her only hand caresses his bald head, slowly, remembering the movements she used when they cuddled like this in their room in the highest tower of Skyhold. There is a point, right on the nape of his neck, which made him relax and mumble contently.
She touches him there and his sobs punctually subside, until his breathing is heavy, but not interrupted by those wails she can’t bear to hear him make.
When he raises his head, he isn’t crying anymore - although his eyes are very red - and Scarlet smiles at him, giggling when he kisses her eyes and forehead and nose.
Then he kisses her mouth and she falls against his body, melting in his arms and finding respite and relief in them.
“Here.” he says, finally smiling as well. He takes the spoon, dips it into the still steaming soup and slowly lifts it. “I will feed you.”
They did this too during the time of the Inquisition, either when they caught a bad cold or were severely wounded and couldn’t eat by themselves.
He fed her many times, since she was reckless in battle, but not sturdy enough to win the fights with just a few bruises. But she remembers clearly all the times she fed him too, those days when he was too weak due to bloodloss to even move his head or fever made him dizzy and sleepy.
They fed each other even when they were perfectly fine. It was a domestic, sweet way to play, eat, and be together and Scarlet’s face always got so red and she couldn’t stop laughing, especially when Solas grinned in that roguish, boyish way and…
She missed those days. She has thought about that happiness every hour, every minute, every second in the past, long months and now the chance to finally have them again has appeared, offered by the sacrifice of that poor agent.
“I missed this.” Solas says, as if he read her mind. His smile is gentle, touched, and his eyes are kind and filled with warmth. He reminds her of the beautiful wolf statues in the Emerald Graves and she wonders how she never noticed how similar they were.
Even the ears are the same.
She giggles and Solas blinks, blushes, and instantly starts looking for whatever stupid thing he did.
He apologizes, carefully studies the spoon and her face, thinking he hit her with it - it happened in the past -, then he looks at the bowl and the tray, but finds nothing out of the ordinary.
Scarlet giggles again as his face gets beetle red and she kisses him, taking him by surprise so much that this time the spoon really bumps against her jaw, leaving an orange spot of soup on it.
“I missed this too.” she says as they break the kiss. “I missed you, ma sa’lath.”
Solas’ eyes are half-closed and his mouth is still open, lips glistening. He sniffles, nuzzles her nose, steals another kiss, then takes another spoonful of soup.
“And I missed you. Terribly. Tremendously.” He chuckles. “Now eat, my love, before we start crying again. You are terribly gaunt and weak and I won’t allow that.”
She sighs, accepts the spoonful, but shakes her head. Despite the taste being so nice, she doesn’t let it distract her.
“Solas, you need to eat too. You didn’t take care of yourself either.”
“Hush. You first.” He presses the spoon, full again, against her mouth and smiles with his eyebrows raised. “It won’t enter from your nose, vhenan.”
She snorts and opens her mouth, letting the warm, rich liquid invade it. She recognizes the sweet taste of squash, but also elfroot and spindleweed, the same herbs Enasalin put in the dishes he prepared for her.
She feels a pang of guilt and regret, but she knows Solas would get worried if he saw her being sad again. Furthermore, she knows he is hurting for the agent too and she doesn’t want to make this moment heavy and bitter.
It’s special, beautiful, and Enasalin fought hard to make it happen. Seeing them be sad instead of finally happy and celebrating is the last thing he would want to see.
However, they owe him much and she cannot wait until tomorrow to thank him. She has to do it today, before the day ends, before the blood on his corpse completely dries and his skin becomes white.
Solas looks completely relaxed, finally content, so she decides to wait until she has finished eating before asking him to see Enasalin’s body.
It’s like they never stayed apart in the first place, like there has been no two years gap between them. The gifts they exchanged surely helped, but there is no awkwardness, no hesitation in the way they interact with each other: they joke, play, kiss, smile and laugh with each other just like they always did during the time of the Inquisition.
Much has changed around them, but they stayed the same and Scarlet’s hope is like a flame, burning high and strong in her, unquenchable like the one mentioned in that verse of the Chant of Light that stuck in her mind.
“Good.” Solas smiles, nodding, once the bowl is empty. He tears the bread for her, but she convinces him to eat half of it with her. It takes some minutes, but in the end he relents and they eat it together.
He brings the light brown, crispy pieces to her mouth, grinning when she playfully nips at his fingertips, then eats his own, always staring at her.
They talk about nice, small things. They start with the gifts they sent each other and the ones Solas wasn’t able to deliver after hiding again out of fear. He shows them to her, carefully placed inside a chest, but they agree to see them the next day, since it’s already dark outside.
Then the topic moves to Scarlet’s new base and the view she could see from her windows.
“How are the others?” Solas suddenly asks and her eyes get even bigger. She wasn’t expecting that question and she has done her best to avoid mentioning their respective organizations and their old companions, not wanting to appear too insisting or insensitive.
There is time and Solas doesn’t need to be pestered with pleas and stubborn requests to listen to what they discovered. He needs respite, love, and comfort and Scarlet is here to provide them all.
But he looks interested and curious and that fuels the hope in her heart, so she answers with a bright smile: “They are fine. Everyone is busy with their own business, but we always find time to write to each other.” She gets flustered and plays with the bread crumbs left on the tray.
“They miss you and hope you are well too.” she adds and Solas’ smile is small, but sincerely touched and even a bit surprised.
He doesn’t say anything else about it, but the smile lingers on his lips as he takes the pastry and moves it near her mouth.
She shakes her head and makes him put it back on the tray before tearing it in half, just like they did with the bread.
“Vhenan.” he sighs fondly, but she presses herself against him again and giggles, her lips on his cheek, and he can’t refuse.
With another sigh that doesn’t sound resigned or annoyed at all, he accepts his half of the pastry and rests his hand on the small of her back, helping her eat and watching her with that intense, tender gaze that makes her blush like when they still weren’t together and just flirted smoothly - and awkwardly - with each other.
“You are like an old married couple.” Dorian commented with an amused smirk after their first anniversary.
Dorian!
“Solas! Solas, the crystal!” she exclaims, making him jump out of his skin. She frantically looks around, looking for her locket, for the only way she has to reassure Dorian and the others.
She is sure her absence from her base has been noticed by now. Leliana is most likely searching for her and Scarlet has no doubts in mind that she contacted and warned their old companions.
Her expert agents will find the traces she and Enasalin left while pursued by the Venatori. They will discover the elven ruins where Enasalin was killed, they will see the blood and think of the worst.
All her friends and soldiers will fall into despair or, worse, directly face the most dangerous leaders of the Venatori to find her.
There will be chaos and many lives will be lost. She can’t stay here, wounded but safe and lovingly pampered by the love of her life, while her friends and loyal agents believe she is dead or subjected to terrible torture.
“Solas, I had a locket, a special crystal, around my neck. I use it to communicate with Dorian and…”
“I know.” He is smiling again, a soft, somewhat melancholic expression. He gently frees her and himself from their mutual embrace and gets up, moving to his desk. There, he retrieves her locket from behind a huge book and another pile of papers.
He brings it to her and she delicately takes it, letting out a relieved sigh when she sees it didn’t break during the assault of the Venatori. It still shimmers and hums cheerfully and she raises her golden eyes to look at Solas, a plea in them.
“May I call him?” she asks as he sits next to her again. “They probably know I left the base and if they already found those ruins and the blood…” She sighs, shaking her head, then babbles: “Leliana is in constant communication with him and the others, they might…!”
“Of course.” Solas gently interrupts her. He nods at the crystal and his sad smile fades away, until only that quiet sorrow remains in his eyes. “What will you tell him?”
Is this what he is worried about? He fears that she will lie because she is ashamed of being with him and doesn’t want anyone to know she is in his base? Or does he fear what she thinks about her condition, her status here?
“Solas.” she calls, her voice a dumbfounded whisper. She leaves the locket on the bed to cup his cheek and he immediately leans into her palm, watching her with those sad, tearful eyes.
“Solas, my heart.” She kisses him and he breathes out a long, shaky sigh that ghosts over her mouth. “I will tell him the truth. That you and Enasalin saved me.” She smiles and dries his eye with her thumb. “And that I am so, so happy to finally be here with you.”
He makes a happy sound and two pink dots tint his cheeks, spreading the color up to his ears, but he looks down at the locket with twitching lips and worried blue-gray eyes.
“They won’t understand.” he says. “They will tell you to leave.”
Scarlet blinks. Then laughter bubbles in her chest, reaches her throat, and leaves it accompanied by an embarrassing snort which quickly turns into a fit of giggles.
“Oh, Solas!” She throws her arm around his neck, ignoring the pain and eliciting a breathless grunt from him. She kisses his face until he finally - finally - relaxes again and accepts to be pampered just like he pampered her.
He craves affection and touch - her affection and touch: that much is clear from the way he smiles and takes all the kisses she gives him without a moment of hesitation. He snorts and bites his lips as she tickles him with her lips and his hands dig into her nightgown, even lifting it up.
He refuses to be separated from her and she is glad for it, because she wouldn’t let him go, not even if a Titan stepped into the room or if the Maker Himself told her to do it.
“You silly wolf.” she laughs, more breathless than ever. She kisses the tip of his nose and Solas, face flushed red, stares at her, dumbstruck and chest heaving.
“They rooted for us all this time.” she explains, her grin leaving room to more giggles. “Dorian was so angry when you didn’t come into my dreams anymore! Leliana even suggested me the right attire for our first meeting after so much time. Blackwall wrote you countless letters, but doesn’t know where to send them.”
She gasps, unable to believe she forgot about the most important thing and that he never found it out.
“Varric! Varric wrote a book about us!” Her smile softens and her calloused fingertips trace the freckles on Solas’ face. He looks more stunned than ever. “It ends well. It’s called The Wolf’s Bride.”
A moment of silence, then all that Solas is capable to say is a murmured, disbelieving, tiny:
“Fenedhis.”
And something lively and young, that part of Scarlet that she never got rid of, but momentarily let emerge less to focus all her energies on finding and saving Solas, erupts and rushes through her like a flow of colored water, tinting and painting her soul with those same vivid colours she had as Inquisitor and illuminating everyone and everything that surrounds her in return.
“No, silly.” she giggles, kissing Solas’ nose again. “The Wolf’s Bride. Fenedhis is what you have between your legs.”
Solas’ eyes widen almost comically, then he splutters and laughs with her; he even throws his head back and shuts his eyes, his arms tightening around her as they laugh and laugh, filling the room with the sound of their giggles and howls.
It was a simple joke, but it has broken every wall Solas erected around himself during the past months. He is back to his normal, usual self, the elven apostate who chuckle-snorted, who always had hot chocolate smeared above his upper lip, who got mad at long-dead scholars for writing stupid things about the Fade and directly grumbled at their books, while touching her hair and kissing her cheek in bed.
Scarlet presses her lips on every inch of his face until he laughs with his pressed on hers, tears of mirth streaming down their cheeks. And they feel they are finally complete and whole again.
It takes them a while to regain their breath, but once they do it, their smiles don’t go away and Solas soothes the pain on her arm with dimples on his face while Scarlet seizes the chance to kiss the top of his head too.
“Better?” he asks and after she has nodded and kissed him again, he adds lovingly: “Then call our Tevinter friend. He and the others must be quite worried.”
But Dorian doesn’t answer and images of the brave human attacking every Venatori suspect he can think of fill Scarlet’s mind. She can see him kicking down doors and destroying walls in the attempt to find and save her, but despite his incredible talent as a mage, it’s dangerous and risky and her anxiety returns.
Solas tries to comfort her, a hand rubbing her back and his mouth on her hair.
“Maybe he is sleeping.” he says. “Leliana’s message might not have reached him yet.”
“Let’s hope so.” she sighs, closing the locket and placing it on the tray. Her eyes fall on the pasty they still haven’t finished eating, so, to avoid ruining the mood and letting that bittersweet melancholy enter Solas’ eyes again, she offers it to him with a new, bright smile.
After the last bite, he asks her if she would like to go for a walk before going to sleep.
“This place is old and many rooms cannot be used yet. Most of the mosaics have fallen and many frescoes have almost faded away. ” he says, sounding almost nervous, ashamed. He is even fidgeting and avoiding her eyes, looking at their hands on the bed.
Then he abruptly raises his head and exclaims, sounding enthusiastic:
“But the view is beautiful! There is a nice terrace from where the fields and hills are visible. And the sky is…”
“Solas.” She takes his hand and squeezes it, rubbing her thumb on his chapped knuckles. She smiles. “Ma vhenan. I’d love to.”
“Oh!” He clears his throat and returns the smile. “Wonderful, then. Let me…”
“But before visiting the base, could we please go see Enasalin?” His hand is still sticky after the pastry he cut and brought to her mouth, but she doesn’t mind at all. “I want… I want to thank him now.”
Solas nods with an understanding smile and helps her get up. He babbles something about go taking new clothes for her somewhere in the base, but she stops him and says that the wolf fur on the bed will be more than enough to cover and shield her from the chilly evening air.
“The nightgown is light.” he retorts, frowning, but she takes the fur and drapes it over herself, letting it flow behind her like a mantle. She sticks out her tongue at him.
“See?” she laughs. “It’s perfect!” She looks down at her chest and punctually blushes. “Uh… I… I just need something to close it here.”
Solas chuckles and uses a pin taken from his desk to secure the front of the fur mantle in place, so nobody will catch a glimpse of her candid nightgown underneath it. Scarlet thanks him with a kiss on his chin that momentarily confuses him, until she reminds him he is the one who needs to get dressed now.
She helps him put his armor back on and, after ensuring the fur is adequately covering her, Solas takes her hand, kisses it, and opens the door.
Two armored agents fall on the floor at their feet. They scramble to get up again, but they face Solas’ glare with admirable courage, straightening their backs and clearing their throats as if nothing unusual happened.
“Good evening, sir.” they say in unison. Their eyes move to Scarlet and they stare at her for a millisecond, before focusing back on Solas.
“Good evening, my lady.” they add and she slightly bows her head, replying: “Good evening.”
They are probably city elves, since they have no vallaslin on their faces, which are also much different from the ones of the elven Sentinels of the Temple of Mythal. Enasalin told her Abelas and his men were here and she knows how to recognize them.
These young men betray easily their emotions and there is a sort of look and vibe to them that leads her to think they are still not used to all this.
“Mh.” Solas’ mouth moves funnily as he hums. It looks like a smile, but one might also think he is grimacing. “Is everything alright?” He raises an eyebrow. “Heard or saw anything interesting while guarding the door?”
“Nothing, sir.” the blond agent quickly responds. His companion, slightly shorter than him and dark-haired, adds: “Absolutely nothing. Everything is alright.”
That smile-grimace again, then Solas nods and motions them to move so that he and Scarlet can go out. The agents immediately move from their way and Solas closes the door before addressing them again:
“We shall come back soon. If anyone ask for us, tell them we are in the little courtyard.”
“Of course, sir.” the blond elf says, but the dark-haired one frowns.
“The little courtyard, sir?” he repeats and Solas blinks, taken aback.
“Exactly. Is something bothering you, son?” This time he smiles for real and his tone is kind as he continues: “If that is so, please speak up.”
“Well…” the elf with black hair tilts his head, while his friend stares at him as if he has gone mad. “It’s just that there is a corpse there and my Pa always said you don’t bring a girl to a place where corpses, piss, or Chantry people are. It’s not romantic.” He looks at his friend, who looks like he wants to run or impale himself on his spear. “Right, lethallin?”
Scarlet giggles. Solas blinks twice, very slowly. The blond elf babbles something unintelligible while his companion patiently waits.
Then Solas’ solemn face falls and he smiles again, a sheepish little thing that shocks even the laid-back dark-haired elf.
“That is true.” he admits. “Your father was a wise man.”
Then Scarlet intervenes and as soon as she speaks, the two agents straighten up again, stiff like statues.
“I asked Solas to go there. I want to pay homage to Enasalin before tomorrow.”
Hearing the name of their friends makes the agents look down in sorrow, but they instantly look back at Scarlet as she softly continues: “I want to thank him before the day ends. But…” She turns to Solas and smiles, entwining her fingers with his and saying: “I am sure Solas will show me that beautiful terrace he mentioned, later. Right, vhenan?”
His smile is so sweet the agents nearly step back in shock.
“Of course, vhenan.”
His gaze changes when he turns back to the other elves, but there is still a certain softness in his eyes that makes them stare at him without shame.
“Well, then. We will see you later.”
The agents bow their heads and watch them walk away until they are far from their sight. Then the blond elf hits his companion’s leg with his spear, earning himself a punch on the arm and some muttered curses.
- - - -
Scarlet and Solas pass through a garden in a large courtyard and she notices the glowing eyes of many other elves, hidden in the shadows or standing between the archways of the second floor of the base.
She recognizes the golden glinting of the Sentinels’ armor, sees different shades and types of vallaslin, catches glimpses of curious stare and scarred hands near columns and open doors.
Whispers reach her ears, but they are too low to be audible. They don’t sound menacing or aggressive, though, and she believes some of those agents even smile at her from afar.
Solas holds tightly her hand and leads her through the large courtyard, then through a small passage between two different buildings, then finally into another garden.
The architecture is elven and she sees old mosaics on the walls whose golden tiles have fallen or turned brown. Broken statues lie on the ground and many frescoes are still difficult to see, their colors faded away or completely modified by the effects of time and weather.
But there is also beauty in the countless flowers growing among the rich grass; the broken statues - all representing Fen’Harel - are still gilded and colorful plants grow near them too.
There are lanterns hanging from the archways which provide warm light and entertainment to the small moths. Playful fireflies complete the mosaics, filling the missing parts with their delicate golden flight, and the frescoes can still tell their story with grace and elegance under the light of the moon and the one cast by the lanterns.
It feels like home.
“Do you like it?” Solas asks, his voice a sweet whisper near her ear. “We… we haven’t had much time to fix everything yet.”
“It’s beautiful!” Scarlet whispers in awe, then she turns to him and smiles. “It’s so much beautiful, Solas.”
He grins, happy, kisses her hand and then they enter the smaller courtyard. There is a tall, florid tree at the center of it and no lanterns have been lit: the only source of light comes from the moon, whose rays illuminate the white cloth laying under the tree, surrounded by flowers and burning incense pots.
They are gifts for Enasalin brought by his friends and Scarlet kneels near his corpse, soon followed by Solas. She slowly removes the white cloth from the agent’s face and gasps.
The blood has been washed away, but it’s still visible in some points. There are cuts and wounds on his face and neck, joining the old scar on his cheek, and he looks so, so much older. His olive skin is already changing color, but slower than she expected, probably thanks to a spell cast by Solas.
His expression isn’t pained, but nearly serene. It almost looks like there is a smile on his chapped lips and tears fill Scarlet’s eyes as she passes her hand over his brow. He is cold, but that faint smile is warm and she hopes he found peace in whatever lies after death.
Next to her, Solas is quiet, his gaze as sad as hers as he observes the dead body of his agent.
She glances down at the flowers people brought for Enasalin, then spots the others growing wildly near the tree. She gets up and picks some, then returns to Solas’ side and shows them to him.
“Help me, please?” she asks and he looks first at the flowers, then at her and his own smile - that sweet, kind smile she loves so much - blooms on his face as he nods.
Together, they make a flower crown: Solas entwines the stems of the flowers together while she chooses the combination of colors and helps him with the measurements.
They work in silence, sometimes interrupted only by their soft tones as they decide together how to proceed.
After not many minutes, the flower crown is ready and they delicately rests it upon Enasalin’s head, its colorfulness joining the dark hues of his brown hair.
“Thank you, Enasalin.” Scarlet murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss on his forehead. Solas waits for her to be back at his side, then leans over and kisses the agent’s brow as well, whispering: “Ma serannas, lethallin.”
Now that she knows who the Creators really were, she can’t use the prayers her clan taught her and she wonders how the funeral will be held tomorrow. However, even though she doesn’t have any sacred words to use, she can still use the ones coming from her heart, sure Enasalin would have appreciated them even more.
“Walk in the light, friend. Run free in the golden fields of the Beyond.” she says as she and Solas pull the white cloth back on his face. “Run victorious.”
And under the moonlight, the flowers around Enasalin’s head look like a sculpture, a gilded crown to mark his success.