153429 réponses à ce sujet

[Tamyn]

Spoiler

Nah, according to the preview that happens after Solas helps you close that first rift. More likely the apostate is an envoy from the mages at redcliffe.

 

Spoiler

Okay, it's just that he doesn't mention Solas at all in that scene otherwise. I wondered why random apostates would be wandering around a place of mass carnage and Seeker troops.

[Uirebhiril]

Some Solas/Cole and Blackwall/Cole bantering in this video. It didn't seem particularly spoilery, but I've taken to ignoring most quest info on the screen just to be sure.

 

Going to edit to add there's nothing that seems obviously spoilery. They may be talking about stuff that is spoilerish, but without context we can remain blissfully ignorant of what it is.

 

[jellobell]

Spoiler

Okay, it's just that he doesn't mention Solas at all in that scene otherwise. I wondered why random apostates would be wandering around a place of mass carnage and Seeker troops.

Spoiler

Yeah, it doesn't mention Solas, but they did say it's the first rift you close and Solas is the one who teaches the Inquisitor how to close rifts. Therefore, it was probably that scene.

[mindoirs]

Conversation for that video goes:

 

Spoiler

Cole: He wants a woman, why?
Solas: When they possess people, they often indulge in feelings they have never before experienced.
Cole: But it changes. It is blank, black, blunted from being. It never wanted before.
Solas: Have you felt no interest in women since you came to the veil?
Cole: No.

[KingTony]

Loving all three voice actors there.

[jellobell]

There's also some Cass/Solas banter in part 1 at around 2:20.

 

 

Spoiler

While fighting a group of Templars

 

Cass:Hold! We are not Apostates!

 

Solas: I do not think they care, Seeker.

 

 

[Uirebhiril]

Loving all three voice actors there.

 

I really like Cole's voice. It sounds just like I imagined it when reading Asunder.

 

I don't know if Blackwall makes a habit of making fun of Cole, but he and I will be having a talk if so.

[Ajna]

Omg what Solas says after fighting and defeating some of the Templars. Something along the lines of: "It must have been a long time since these renegade templars faced a mage with any talent."

Shots fired!

Also, one of Solas's comments in a video reveals that he is not happy with the mages that are going all trigger happy everywhere. He actually says basically that "mages who use magic so irresponsibly are no better than animals". I swear he gets better and better the more he talks.

And then in one video, spoilers in case people want to be totally surprised by even minor sidequest stuff...

Spoiler

The Inquisitor takes on a quest to investigate why wolves in the area are going nuts and they figure out that a demon is controlling the pack. They defeat the demon and Cassandra comments that now the wolves won't be bothering the residents anymore. And then Solas says (paraphrased) "I'm sure the wolves are happy to be free of the demon's hold as well."

I just found that so cute! Solas being all sympathetic with the wildlife.

Just that part in spoiler tags is enough to tell me that he and my Lavellan are made for each other....I'm so happy! Creators..I think he might be my DA:I Alistair... I..didn't want that! There are more people to romance! *shakes fist*

[jellobell]

I really like Cole's voice. It sounds just like I imagined it when reading Asunder.

 

I don't know if Blackwall makes a habit of making fun of Cole, but he and I will be having a talk if so.

Aw, I don't think Blackwall's making fun of him. Here's one of their banters from a different video:

 

Spoiler

Blackwall: You know, Cole, you're not so bad. But I'll never get used to the things that come out of your mouth.

Cole: There was once a man who had bees coming out of his mouth.

Blackwall: A perfect example.

 

Overall Blackwall just seems kinda bemused by Cole. I think my party's going to be Solas/Blackwall/Cole, so it's good to see that he likes him.

[Roxy]

Spoiler

Blackwall: Hey Cole,say something interesting.

 

Cole: Something interesting.

 

 

   

[Exile Isan]

Just that part in spoiler tags is enough to tell me that he and my Lavellan are made for each other....I'm so happy! Creators..I think he might be my DA:I Alistair... I..didn't want that! There are more people to romance! *shakes fist*

More and more I think this is going to happen to me again, too. *shakes fist with Ajna* It happened to me with both Alistair and Fenris. Although, I'm proud of myself I finally romanced Isabela!

Although, maybe not. I do want to romance Cullen, too. So maybe there's hope for me yet!

[scintilla]

 

I really like Cole's voice. It sounds just like I imagined it when reading Asunder.

 

I don't know if Blackwall makes a habit of making fun of Cole, but he and I will be having a talk if so. 

 

I love Cole's voice, it really suits him. 

 

It seemed more friendly teasing than making fun of to me?

[DragonRacer]

Just that part in spoiler tags is enough to tell me that he and my Lavellan are made for each other....I'm so happy! Creators..I think he might be my DA:I Alistair... I..didn't want that! There are more people to romance! *shakes fist*

 

See, and for this reason I am glad he's actually as LI-gated as he is. As long as subsequent playthroughs are not female elves, it will be 100 times easier to not fall into the "romance him again" trap that I did with Alistair and Anders. Damn them both.

[RebbyWriter]

See, and for this reason I am glad he's actually as LI-gated as he is. As long as subsequent playthroughs are not female elves, it will be 100 times easier to not fall into the "romance him again" trap that I did with Alistair and Anders. Damn them both.

Lol. I was just coming in to say this.

[Roxy]

Dragon Age ‏@dragonage

Our new Choice & Consequence video debuts in one hour! #DAI #MyInquisition

 

Less than an hour!  

[Belnt]

Finally a video where you can hear the banter. And it has Solas. Perfect combo? hell yes. 

   (haha I'm also always late  )

[Ellana Lavellan]

Aw, I don't think Blackwall's making fun of him. Here's one of their banters from a different video:

 

Spoiler

Blackwall: You know, Cole, you're not so bad. But I'll never get used to the things that come out of your mouth.

Cole: There was once a man who had bees coming out of his mouth.

Blackwall: A perfect example.

 

Overall Blackwall just seems kinda bemused by Cole. I think my party's going to be Solas/Blackwall/Cole, so it's good to see that he likes him.

 

Do you have a link to that video? That banter is so adorable, gosh I want to just give Cole the biggest hug. He is such a cutie. 

 

 

I haven't posted on here in forever...so hello again. I've been here the whole time...I just kinda forget to post and wind up liking everything instead.  

 

It's so tempting to go and watch the videos that show the beginning with Solas because I want to hear his voice and see how we meet him, but I will stay strong and wait until the game comes out! It's only two weeks. I can do this 

I love all these videos with banter from him and banter from Cole though, they make my day 

[Dracarys]

Here, I did this for Solas Appreciation Day on tumblr and it's totally been my headcanon for like months now, so I finally just wrote it out. LOOK AT MY DERPY HEADCANON YOU GUYS. I used the prompt: If Solas gave your Inquisitor a gift, what would it be?

 

Spoiler

She sits on the stone steps of the keep, trying to rub the knots out of her neck.  It’s been a very long day in a string of very long days, and as the sky softens into peach and pink above her, she can think of little but peeling off her armor and finding a soft place to lie very, very still.

 

“Inquisitor?”

 

His voice, as warm and soft as the featherbed she longs for, pulls her from her thoughts.  Despite her weariness, her mouth curves into a smile.  She has come to count on his presence, the calm, quiet steadiness of it, though she doubts he knows. His eyes, the blue of the sky at morning, meet her own.  She sees his concern, wishes she had the nerve to ask whether it means he shares what she has begun to feel for him, and brushes it aside.  It isn’t the right time. It never seems to be.

 

“Yes, Solas?  What is it?”

 

He tilts his head slightly to one side, assessing her. She can never escape the certainty that he sees more than any of them, and certainly more than she wants him to. The Herald is meant to be more than a skinny mortal elf whose body aches sometimes right down to her very bones. Who would follow her if they knew just how much she doubted herself? But he shows no pity, no disgust. There is only a curious sense of hesitation. From the confident elven apostate, this is new. Her brow creases.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No. No, not at all.”  He stands just out of reach, long and lean and sharp-featured.  She has seen him on the battlefield, knows how quickly he can move, whirling his staff with a deadly grace that even a seasoned rogue like herself can envy. Now, though, he is utterly still, coiled tension waiting…for what?

 

“I’ve brought you something,” he finally says.  “A small thing. When I came across it earlier, it occurred to me that you, of all people, might enjoy it. But…perhaps you’ll find it a burden. These have been difficult days.”

 

“For us all,” she says gently. She refuses to have her burden spoken of as though it is somehow heavier than her companions’, when the thankless task of keeping her alive so often falls to them. But he has pricked her curiosity, a welcome distraction from her aches and pains. “A gift?” She smiles, nose wrinkling with pleasure. “What have you brought me? I don’t even remember the last time someone gave me a gift! Let me see!” She hops to her feet as though fresh from a good rest, surprising him into a rare laugh. His eyes meet hers, and for just a moment she thinks she sees her own heart reflected back at her. Then he’s looking away, his high cheekbones stained lightly pink.

 

“Whenever we’re in the woods, you never fail to mention—“

 

The fur at his collar moves, separating itself from him, yawning and stretching as it blinks its shining black eyes. She stops, startled.  “What in the world?”

When its enormous ears stand up, she begins to laugh, understanding at last what he’s brought her. The hard knot of tension between her shoulders melts away, replaced by something warm and welcome that floods every part of her being.

 

“A fennec!” She makes a delighted sound that has the little creature blinking uncertainly at her. Solas laughs again, cheeks even pinker. She has never seen him quite like this. She hopes it isn’t the only time she will. He reaches up to unwind the little creature from his neck, and it melts at his touch, allowing him to cradle it in his arms like a babe. She moves in to hover, wanting desperately to hold it herself, unsure of whether she should try. Solas strokes it beneath its chin, and it wiggles its paws in the air, clearly enamored of him. She reaches out, lightly stroking the fur on its chest, its ears. It wriggles beneath her touch, seeming to enjoy it. She looks up, into oceanic blue. He’s been watching her, tiny lines at the corners of eyes wrinkled with pleasure.

 

“He refused to let me alone on my walk. I’ve little to entertain such a busy creature, but you…you’re a bit like him, I think. Small and clever and—”

 

“Not furry, I hope,” she interjects, flattered enough that her own cheeks begin to burn.

 

“No,” he says, the word as soft as his smile.  “I’ve been calling him Wisp. He’s as fast and silent as a Fade spirit, and just as difficult to get rid of when he wants to be. But if you’ve another name—”

 

“No, Wisp is perfect,” she says, and means it. Gently, Solas eases the little creature into her arms, and then her hands are full of warm, soft fur, a steady heartbeat, a single, small life that means more to her than she could have imagined. The fennec has had enough of being babied, clambering up onto her shoulder as though it has known and trusted her all its life. She does not know what magic this is, or if it’s magic at all…but in her happiness, she is hard pressed to care. When it licks at her cheek with its tiny tongue, she laughs, reaching up to stroke between its ears.

 

“It’s the perfect gift. Really,” she says. “I love him.”

 

As she stays close to Solas, she finally sees the way he glances at her, sweet and uncertain as they fuss over her new companion. And she wonders for the first time whether those three words might come to mean a great deal more to her, and to him, until they become something wild and wonderful and new, big enough to wrap around them both.

 

In my head, my characters are always just a few steps away from going full-on Disney princess. And that's okay.

[Roxy]

There's a little banter between Blackwall and Cole at about 8:39 in here.

Spoiler

Looks like they get along for the most part. From what we know of Blackwall I really can't see him being too hard on Cole.

 

 

^^^^^^^

 

Saw it in this video on Cole's thread I don't think they are in the ones we have in this thread...not sure. 

 

 

Do you have a link to that video? That banter is so adorable, gosh I want to just give Cole the biggest hug. He is such a cutie. 

 

 

I haven't posted on here in forever...so hello again. I've been here the whole time...I just kinda forget to post and wind up liking everything instead.  

 

It's so tempting to go and watch the videos that show the beginning with Solas because I want to hear his voice and see how we meet him, but I will stay strong and wait until the game comes out! It's only two weeks. I can do this 

I love all these videos with banter from him and banter from Cole though, they make my day 

 

Actually none of the videos (as far as I've seen) show us first meeting Solas it just shows how he helps us at the rift/after we meet him. 

 

Also Hello good to see you back. 

[Ellana Lavellan]

Here, I did this for Solas Appreciation Day on tumblr and it's totally been my headcanon for like months now, so I finally just wrote it out. LOOK AT MY DERPY HEADCANON YOU GUYS. I used the prompt: If Solas gave your Inquisitor a gift, what would it be?

 

Spoiler

She sits on the stone steps of the keep, trying to rub the knots out of her neck.  It’s been a very long day in a string of very long days, and as the sky softens into peach and pink above her, she can think of little but peeling off her armor and finding a soft place to lie very, very still.

 

“Inquisitor?”

 

His voice, as warm and soft as the featherbed she longs for, pulls her from her thoughts.  Despite her weariness, her mouth curves into a smile.  She has come to count on his presence, the calm, quiet steadiness of it, though she doubts he knows. His eyes, the blue of the sky at morning, meet her own.  She sees his concern, wishes she had the nerve to ask whether it means he shares what she has begun to feel for him, and brushes it aside.  It isn’t the right time. It never seems to be.

 

“Yes, Solas?  What is it?”

 

He tilts his head slightly to one side, assessing her. She can never escape the certainty that he sees more than any of them, and certainly more than she wants him to. The Herald is meant to be more than a skinny mortal elf whose body aches sometimes right down to her very bones. Who would follow her if they knew just how much she doubted herself? But he shows no pity, no disgust. There is only a curious sense of hesitation. From the confident elven apostate, this is new. Her brow creases.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No. No, not at all.”  He stands just out of reach, long and lean and sharp-featured.  She has seen him on the battlefield, knows how quickly he can move, whirling his staff with a deadly grace that even a seasoned rogue like herself can envy. Now, though, he is utterly still, coiled tension waiting…for what?

 

“I’ve brought you something,” he finally says.  “A small thing. When I came across it earlier, it occurred to me that you, of all people, might enjoy it. But…perhaps you’ll find it a burden. These have been difficult days.”

 

“For us all,” she says gently. She refuses to have her burden spoken of as though it is somehow heavier than her companions’, when the thankless task of keeping her alive so often falls to them. But he has pricked her curiosity, a welcome distraction from her aches and pains. “A gift?” She smiles, nose wrinkling with pleasure. “What have you brought me? I don’t even remember the last time someone gave me a gift! Let me see!” She hops to her feet as though fresh from a good rest, surprising him into a rare laugh. His eyes meet hers, and for just a moment she thinks she sees her own heart reflected back at her. Then he’s looking away, his high cheekbones stained lightly pink.

 

“Whenever we’re in the woods, you never fail to mention—“

 

fur at his collar moves, separating itself from him, yawning and stretching as it blinks its shining black eyes. She stops, startled.  “What in the world?”

When its enormous ears stand up, she begins to laugh, understanding at last what he’s brought her. The hard knot of tension between her shoulders melts away, replaced by something warm and welcome that floods every part of her being.

 

“A fennec!” She makes a delighted sound that has the little creature blinking uncertainly at her. Solas laughs again, cheeks even pinker. She has never seen him quite like this. She hopes it isn’t the only time she will. He reaches up to unwind the little creature from his neck, and it melts at his touch, allowing him to cradle it in his arms like a babe. She moves in to hover, wanting desperately to hold it herself, unsure of whether she should try. Solas strokes it beneath its chin, and it wiggles its paws in the air, clearly enamored of him. She reaches out, lightly stroking the fur on its chest, its ears. It wriggles beneath her touch, seeming to enjoy it. She looks up, into oceanic blue. He’s been watching her, tiny lines at the corners of eyes wrinkled with pleasure.

 

“He refused to let me alone on my walk. I’ve little to entertain such a busy creature, but you…you’re a bit like him, I think. Small and clever and—”

 

“Not furry, I hope,” she interjects, flattered enough that her own cheeks begin to burn.

 

“No,” he says, the word as soft as his smile.  “I’ve been calling him Wisp. He’s as fast and silent as a Fade spirit, and just as difficult to get rid of when he wants to be. But if you’ve another name—”

 

“No, Wisp is perfect,” she says, and means it. Gently, Solas eases the little creature into her arms, and then her hands are full of warm, soft fur, a steady heartbeat, a single, small life that means more to her than she could have imagined. The fennec has had enough of being babied, clambering up onto her shoulder as though it has known and trusted her all its life. She does not know what magic this is, or if it’s magic at all…but in her happiness, she is hard pressed to care. When it licks at her cheek with its tiny tongue, she laughs, reaching up to stroke between its ears.

 

“It’s the perfect gift. Really,” she says. “I love him.”

 

As she stays close to Solas, she finally sees the way he glances at her, sweet and uncertain as they fuss over her new companion. And she wonders for the first time whether those three words might come to mean a great deal more to her, and to him, until they become something wild and wonderful and new, big enough to wrap around them both.

 

In my head, my characters are always just a few steps away from going full-on Disney princess. And that's okay.

 

This is like the most adorable thing....ever....omg. That was soooooo cute!!!!  I was like squealing as I read it....sorry....anyway. That was perfect. 

^^^^^^^

 

Saw it in this video on Cole's thread I don't think they are in the ones we have in this thread...not sure. 

 

 

 

Actually none of the videos (as far as I've seen) show us first meeting Solas it just shows how he helps us at the rift/after we meet him. 

 

Also Hello good to see you back. 

Thanks

 

And I thought I saw a video that said it was like the first five hours recorded or something, but maybe not. I'm just trying to avoid the videos that show parts of the beginning anyway, so that I don't ruin it for myself.

And thanks, hello to you too. 

[Tevinter Rose]

David Hulegaard ‏@HulegaardBooks

New #DAI video in 25 mins. Minor spoilers, so heads up. You'll also get to see the Inquisitor be a jerk. Play your way. I don't judge.

 

AssQuisitor time lol.  

[Roxy]

 

Thanks

 

And I thought I saw a video that said it was like the first five hours recorded or something, but maybe not. I'm just trying to avoid the videos that show parts of the beginning anyway, so that I don't ruin it for myself.

And thanks, hello to you too. 

 

Oh that was just an interview it really wasn't 5 hours of the game. The 60 minute one though I watched it a bit and they pretty much skip some parts especially first meeting Solas. 

 

 

@Dracarys That was so Adorable. 

[Ellana Lavellan]

Oh that was just an interview it really wasn't 5 hours of the game. The 60 minute one though I watched it a bit and they pretty much skip some parts especially first meeting Solas. 

 

 

@Dracarys That was so Adorable. 

Oh, yeah that was it oops, the 60 minute one  I just kinda assumed they would literally show the first hour, so I avoided it.

 

 

And since it's Solas Appreciation Day....here's a short little thing I wrote awhile ago....I guess lol I didn't even know there was an appreciation day. 

Spoiler

   He found himself in the back corner of the library. He’d found himself there often in the last month. After the second day, the attendant made sure that the corner stayed untouched. It was a small nook that she had put together. A comfortable seat was situated against the windowsill, and a small table littered with tomes was crammed in between the seat and an adjacent bookshelf that afforded the corner a bit of privacy.

  

   One of her cloaks was resting on the windowsill. She had kept it there in case she got cold whilst she read. He gathered up the soft fabric in his hands as he gazed listlessly out the window, not really seeing anything. The forest green cloak had matched her eyes; it had been one of her favorites. It still smelled of her; a mix of daylilies, elfroot, and the almost-imperceptible scent of magic that was so uniquely her. The longer he stayed and held her cloak, the fainter the smell became, but he couldn’t seem to stay away.

  

   This was her favorite place in Skyhold. She had spent hours cooped up in this corner sitting crisscross with her back to the wall and her nose in a book. When she wasn’t reading, she had gazed out the window and watched the goings-on of the castle or written some new story. Sometimes it seemed as if she had lost herself in some other world only to reemerge hours later with a lost look in her eyes.

 

   He remembered that look well; a few times when he had ventured to her corner he had found her with that look on her face. She seemed so sad in those moments, so lonely, “Lathbora Viran” she had said. He knew what it meant, but he didn’t know what it was that she longed for. She never told him and he had never asked. He wished he had; he would never have the chance now. She was gone. The cloak slipped from his fingers as tears filled his eyes. He hardly heard the faint clink of the clasp as it hit the stone floor.

 

   He could only remember her in his arms. He had held her to his chest, praying to anyone that would listen: the Creators, the Maker, the Old Gods, and even Andraste. He had known it was useless, but he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Her eyes wouldn’t open and her breath was so faint that her chest hardly moved. Then all of the sudden she had been looking up at him. He had seen it in her eyes then; she knew that her fight was over. She hadn’t looked afraid; instead she had looked peaceful, content even, like she was ready for what was to come. She had whispered goodbye -- “Dareth Shiral” in her tongue -- and then…and then he had closed her eyes. The green had faded, and he knew she was no longer there in his arms. He was alone again.

 

It isn't very happy....I can never think of sweet, happy scenes to write about....maybe I should work on that. 

[Dracarys]

Oh, yeah that was it oops, the 60 minute one  I just kinda assumed they would literally show the first hour, so I avoided it.

 

 

And since it's Solas Appreciation Day....here's a short little thing I wrote awhile ago....I guess lol I didn't even know there was an appreciation day. 

Spoiler

   He found himself in the back corner of the library. He’d found himself there often in the last month. After the second day, the attendant made sure that the corner stayed untouched. It was a small nook that she had put together. A comfortable seat was situated against the windowsill, and a small table littered with tomes was crammed in between the seat and an adjacent bookshelf that afforded the corner a bit of privacy.

  

   One of her cloaks was resting on the windowsill. She had kept it there in case she got cold whilst she read. He gathered up the soft fabric in his hands as he gazed listlessly out the window, not really seeing anything. The forest green cloak had matched her eyes; it had been one of her favorites. It still smelled of her; a mix of daylilies, elfroot, and the almost-imperceptible scent of magic that was so uniquely her. The longer he stayed and held her cloak, the fainter the smell became, but he couldn’t seem to stay away.

  

   This was her favorite place in Skyhold. She had spent hours cooped up in this corner sitting crisscross with her back to the wall and her nose in a book. When she wasn’t reading, she had gazed out the window and watched the goings-on of the castle or written some new story. Sometimes it seemed as if she had lost herself in some other world only to reemerge hours later with a lost look in her eyes.

 

   He remembered that look well; a few times when he had ventured to her corner he had found her with that look on her face. She seemed so sad in those moments, so lonely, “Lathbora Viran” she had said. He knew what it meant, but he didn’t know what it was that she longed for. She never told him and he had never asked. He wished he had; he would never have the chance now. She was gone. The cloak slipped from his fingers as tears filled his eyes. He hardly heard the faint clink of the clasp as it hit the stone floor.

 

   He could only remember her in his arms. He had held her to his chest, praying to anyone that would listen: the Creators, the Maker, the Old Gods, and even Andraste. He had known it was useless, but he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Her eyes wouldn’t open and her breath was so faint that her chest hardly moved. Then all of the sudden she had been looking up at him. He had seen it in her eyes then; she knew that her fight was over. She hadn’t looked afraid; instead she had looked peaceful, content even, like she was ready for what was to come. She had whispered goodbye -- “Dareth Shiral” in her tongue -- and then…and then he had closed her eyes. The green had faded, and he knew she was no longer there in his arms. He was alone again.

 

It isn't very happy....I can never think of sweet, happy scenes to write about....maybe I should work on that. 

 

omg it's so good but WHYYYYYYY? *curls up in the corner to cry*

[DragonRacer]

Here, I did this for Solas Appreciation Day on tumblr and it's totally been my headcanon for like months now, so I finally just wrote it out. LOOK AT MY DERPY HEADCANON YOU GUYS. I used the prompt: If Solas gave your Inquisitor a gift, what would it be?

 

Spoiler

She sits on the stone steps of the keep, trying to rub the knots out of her neck.  It’s been a very long day in a string of very long days, and as the sky softens into peach and pink above her, she can think of little but peeling off her armor and finding a soft place to lie very, very still.

 

“Inquisitor?”

 

His voice, as warm and soft as the featherbed she longs for, pulls her from her thoughts.  Despite her weariness, her mouth curves into a smile.  She has come to count on his presence, the calm, quiet steadiness of it, though she doubts he knows. His eyes, the blue of the sky at morning, meet her own.  She sees his concern, wishes she had the nerve to ask whether it means he shares what she has begun to feel for him, and brushes it aside.  It isn’t the right time. It never seems to be.

 

“Yes, Solas?  What is it?”

 

He tilts his head slightly to one side, assessing her. She can never escape the certainty that he sees more than any of them, and certainly more than she wants him to. The Herald is meant to be more than a skinny mortal elf whose body aches sometimes right down to her very bones. Who would follow her if they knew just how much she doubted herself? But he shows no pity, no disgust. There is only a curious sense of hesitation. From the confident elven apostate, this is new. Her brow creases.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No. No, not at all.”  He stands just out of reach, long and lean and sharp-featured.  She has seen him on the battlefield, knows how quickly he can move, whirling his staff with a deadly grace that even a seasoned rogue like herself can envy. Now, though, he is utterly still, coiled tension waiting…for what?

 

“I’ve brought you something,” he finally says.  “A small thing. When I came across it earlier, it occurred to me that you, of all people, might enjoy it. But…perhaps you’ll find it a burden. These have been difficult days.”

 

“For us all,” she says gently. She refuses to have her burden spoken of as though it is somehow heavier than her companions’, when the thankless task of keeping her alive so often falls to them. But he has pricked her curiosity, a welcome distraction from her aches and pains. “A gift?” She smiles, nose wrinkling with pleasure. “What have you brought me? I don’t even remember the last time someone gave me a gift! Let me see!” She hops to her feet as though fresh from a good rest, surprising him into a rare laugh. His eyes meet hers, and for just a moment she thinks she sees her own heart reflected back at her. Then he’s looking away, his high cheekbones stained lightly pink.

 

“Whenever we’re in the woods, you never fail to mention—“

 

fur at his collar moves, separating itself from him, yawning and stretching as it blinks its shining black eyes. She stops, startled.  “What in the world?”

When its enormous ears stand up, she begins to laugh, understanding at last what he’s brought her. The hard knot of tension between her shoulders melts away, replaced by something warm and welcome that floods every part of her being.

 

“A fennec!” She makes a delighted sound that has the little creature blinking uncertainly at her. Solas laughs again, cheeks even pinker. She has never seen him quite like this. She hopes it isn’t the only time she will. He reaches up to unwind the little creature from his neck, and it melts at his touch, allowing him to cradle it in his arms like a babe. She moves in to hover, wanting desperately to hold it herself, unsure of whether she should try. Solas strokes it beneath its chin, and it wiggles its paws in the air, clearly enamored of him. She reaches out, lightly stroking the fur on its chest, its ears. It wriggles beneath her touch, seeming to enjoy it. She looks up, into oceanic blue. He’s been watching her, tiny lines at the corners of eyes wrinkled with pleasure.

 

“He refused to let me alone on my walk. I’ve little to entertain such a busy creature, but you…you’re a bit like him, I think. Small and clever and—”

 

“Not furry, I hope,” she interjects, flattered enough that her own cheeks begin to burn.

 

“No,” he says, the word as soft as his smile.  “I’ve been calling him Wisp. He’s as fast and silent as a Fade spirit, and just as difficult to get rid of when he wants to be. But if you’ve another name—”

 

“No, Wisp is perfect,” she says, and means it. Gently, Solas eases the little creature into her arms, and then her hands are full of warm, soft fur, a steady heartbeat, a single, small life that means more to her than she could have imagined. The fennec has had enough of being babied, clambering up onto her shoulder as though it has known and trusted her all its life. She does not know what magic this is, or if it’s magic at all…but in her happiness, she is hard pressed to care. When it licks at her cheek with its tiny tongue, she laughs, reaching up to stroke between its ears.

 

“It’s the perfect gift. Really,” she says. “I love him.”

 

As she stays close to Solas, she finally sees the way he glances at her, sweet and uncertain as they fuss over her new companion. And she wonders for the first time whether those three words might come to mean a great deal more to her, and to him, until they become something wild and wonderful and new, big enough to wrap around them both.

 

In my head, my characters are always just a few steps away from going full-on Disney princess. And that's okay.

 

*dies*