Chapter Text
“Almost there.” The memory of Cassandra’s voice echoed in her head.
“Almost there” my ass.
It had taken them days to travel secretively through the wooded area of the mountains and to the Hinterlands. They rarely stopped to rest, and did not sleep much when nighttime arrived. When the sun ducked behind the shortest peaks of the mountain, they simply continued to tread forward, weaving through the forest of giant evergreens in the darkness. It smelled like home. Ava appreciated that, but she was so far away from home, the thought made her stomach curl. She couldn’t stop pondering how she would return home, where the Eluvian that brought her here is located, and if she could even survive long enough to find a way home.
Of course she was super pumped to be in Thedas. How incredible was it that she was in her favorite video game? People would kill for this opportunity, but there was something… off about this little adventure she was on. Nothing was going according to the game, she had already been stabbed once, and the anchor felt strange. She felt strange. She could feel the anchor pulsing through her body, like blood flowing through her veins. She could sense when things were nearby even if they were not tied to the anchor or fade. She felt every organism around her as if she was a part of her surroundings. It was like she could feel the life force of everything around her. Sometimes this sense would compel her to make physical contact with things around her. She often compulsively touched plants, trees, and the ground around her when the others weren’t looking.
At times, Ava even felt as though she was not actually present, it was a reoccurring sense of déjà vu. Solas would occasionally have to snap her out of a staring trance, which he would follow up with a million questions about what was happening while she was in the trance. “I don’t know. Nothing?” She’d always say. It was true. She didn’t feel or see anything out of the ordinary when she began to stare off into space. “I’m sorry.” She’d always end with.
The dreams she was having didn’t help matters. Ava continued to enter the fade almost immediately when her head hit the ground to rest, every time. She didn’t know how to control it, or the nightmares. They had ranged from her falling into utter darkness, her family turning into monsters and attempting to devour her, or her companions turning on each other and killing her. The dreams always seemed normal, at least they started off that way. Slowly, they morphed into something horrific created by the fade. She longed to experience what Solas had when he entered the fade. The way he described it during her Dragon Age: Inquisition playthroughs sounded incredible, even euphoric. Somehow, she managed to successfully keep her fade experience a secret from Solas, although she was almost certain he still searched for her each time they rested. He always had a quizzical expression on his face when they woke to continue their travels.
She felt like Harry Potter when he finds out he’s a parseltongue and realizes it’s an unusual talent for a wizard, but unlike Harry, she immediately knew what she felt was not normal. Ava knew for a fact that mages of Thedas are not supposed to feel as she did or walk through the fade as she had been. Something was not right. There was no denying.
Cassandra halted which tore Ava from her thoughts. Confused, Ava patiently waited for Cassandra’s instruction. This was a rare moment indeed. The Seeker had allowed them to take another short break, mainly due to the fact that they needed to scout out the path ahead.
“Do you mind?” Cassandra sympathetically asked Varric.
The rogue let out a soft sigh. Not out of frustration, but of exhaustion. Varric began to make his way ahead of the group.
They often did this to prevent any unintentional brawls with animals, bandits, or even rifts. There was no need to seek out more fights than absolutely necessary at this point. Ava’s health was still not the best, and they were all reaching their limit when it came to stamina and endurance.
Luckily, Solas’ healing magic was effective, and with each passing day, Ava regained more and more strength. Although, that didn’t stop her from collapsing at the base of a tree as everyone but Varric, began to rest.
Directly across from her, a few yards away, Solas looked at her with a hint of concern. Ava immediately dismissed the look, as she was frankly getting tired of seeing it. She was not some porcelain doll that was about to shatter if touched. She understood how important the anchor was as well as its wielder, but she was not weak, and didn’t want to be thought of as such.
Ava leaned forward to take off her pack, as it was lodged between her and the tree. It was a simple pack made of a light brown leather of some sort. Two small pockets accompanied the main compartment on the front, each adorned with a decorative floral pattern etched into the leather. As she yanked it forward the main clasp came undone, revealing what it contained.
“No fucking way.” Ava whispered to herself.
Why didn’t I look in this pack sooner?
Staring back at Ava was armor. Nothing too flashy, but protective and sturdy.
She pulled out a heavy leather, light brown vest, ornamented with shiny silver buttons down the left side. Underneath the vest laid a large belt with a knife, some sort of book, storage pockets, and what she assumed to be a vial of lyrium. Enchanter armor, she recalled from the game.
Solas began to laugh. It was the best sound she had heard in a long time. It was much better than any laugh the Bioware team had presented in the game. This was a real, genuine, lighthearted, laugh. And it was marvelous.
As much as the laugh made her breathless, he was laughing at her stupidity.
“Oh shut it solar panel.” Ava remarked at the elf, a smirk crept onto her face.
He put a hand on his stomach in attempt to subside the laughter, but it wasn’t working. He hadn’t understood her turn of phrase, but he knew it was meant to be a sarcastic jest at his name.
“It seems the exhaustion is catching up to you Solas.” Cassandra stated, attempting to hide a smile.
Still slightly chuckling Solas interjected, “You’re telling me that you have just now decided to open your pack, and inside there is armor that could potentially save your life that you haven’t been using.”
“Hop off Solas.” Ava said defensively.
Solas and Cassandra looked at her, confused. “Hop off what?” He questioned.
“My dick.” Ava answered simply.
Cassandra’s eyes got wide, and a blush flooded her cheeks while Solas’ laughter only escalated. Normally, he wouldn’t laugh at such an obscene phrase, but, as Cassandra had pointed out, the exhaustion was getting to him. It was getting to them all.
Hearing him still laughing brought a smile to Ava’s face, and she began chuckling at her own idiocy.
Cassandra attempted to interrupt their laughter, “These… phrases you keep using. Are they common where you are from?” She asked trying to hide her tone of embarrassment.
Ava began folding the vest and gently placed it beside her on the ground. She began to do the same with the belt as she answered the Seeker, “Yes, but things like that are generally only said with friends or in informal settings.”
She continued to look through the pack. Curious now to find what else it contained. The other two, also curious to see what was in contained, silently watched. Inside she found her belongings that she arrived in Thedas with. First she pulled out her moose sweater, and it somehow still smelled like home. Ava put it to her face and inhaled every last bit of the smell. Tears welled in her eyes as she carefully set it aside to continue her search. Her jeans and boots, a hair tie, more lyrium vials, first-aid wrappings, a journal of some sort, and another knife. As she reached the bottom her eyes widened. She was staring back at herself through the reflective surface of her iPhone.