The Dread Wolf

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Solas arrived at these lands with nothing but his clothes and his staff, but as he spent the last five months with the Avvar he has come to own more than what he initially had.

The seamstress of the hold and the blacksmith worked together to make him an armor similar to the one he used to have when in Elvhenan.

He was touched by the gesture, he has talked to Gunnar about his armor only once, so he was more than shocked when the man gave him the armor. Did he really pay attention to the details enough to make an exact copy of the armor he described? Something within him warmed, he smiled fondly as he touched the fur that would go around his neck to his waist.

The fur was of a wolf and there were no wolves in the Frostback Basin, that reminds him of the day Gunnar disappeared for a week, Svarah Sun-Hair with a smug look on her face only told  him that the mage Avvar had gone to hunt. Now he understands why she was so smug about it, Gunnar had gone outside the Frostback Basin to hunt a gray wolf just for this.

It warmed his heart to know the man has gone so far just to make him happy, he has only used the armor a couple of times, he adored it of course, but he didn't want it being damaged so soon, Gunnar seemed to understand that and didn't feel offended when he barely used it.

Now though, he would need it, he packed the things he has earned in his stay at Stone-Bear Hold and wore his armor, Gunnar offered to carry his things since he was more built, it still baffled Solas that the mages of the hold were all so strong, usually mages didn't bother gaining muscle since they didn't wield heavy weapons.

They didn't pack too much though, when they get closer to Haven they can restock in Redcliffe soon anyways.

In their travel, Solas couldn't help but feel nervous and enraged. Who dared to use his orb to do such a thing? And how is he to help without giving away to these people off who he truly is? Though he doubts anyone would believe he is the infamous Dread Wolf.

Gunnar noticed his restlessness and occupied his thoughts with talks about the fade.

"You used to study ancient ruins?" The Avvar asked, truly interested.

"Yes, any building strong enough to withstand the rigors of time has history, every battlefield is steeped in death. Both attract spirits, they press against the Veil, weakening the barrier between our worlds. When I dream in such places I go deep into the Fade, I can find memories no other living being has ever seen" The elf says fondly.

"That's amazing, pretty one! Ah, I wish I was a dream walker, to see such things in the Fade, it must be wonderful" Gunnar says in awe, imagining how it must be to be able to walk in the land of dreams.

Solas almost stops in his tracks, he looks at the man with surprise then it turns into fondness, not many people liked when he talked about his walks in the Fade since he woke up, the Dalish especially thought it was dangerous and he did not have many good experiences talking about magic with others since it was frowned upon in this age.

"Thank you, my friend, it's not a common field of study, for obvious reason, not so flashy and throwing fire or lightning, the thrill of finding remnants of a thousand-year-old dream? I would not trade it for anything"

"Aye, I wouldn't either, pretty one, it sounds fascinating, I'm glad you have such ability to be able to walk in the land of dreams and learn so much from it" The mage Avvar smiles brightly at the elf.

Ah, there it was again, that strange feeling when the man smiles at him, though now was not time to worry about how he is feeling. He was glad that Gunnar distracted him from the breach so far. They walked a lot since their talks about the fade began.

They arrive at Redcliffe in one day, there they found many mages who were seeking refuge, it was already getting late in the day, so they decided to stay the night. Gunnar had brought some coins with him from the many trades with low landers.

Solas couldn't help but notice the people looking at them, he thought it was because he was an elf but...there were also elves looking at them, ah, it was because Gunnar was clearly an Avvar.

He heard the whispers very clearly.

"What is this savage doing here?"

"Is he forcing the poor elf to come with him?"

"The brute should leave, there is barely space for us all, much less for a savage"

His knuckles went white from clenching his fist so tightly around his staff in anger, he knew he was being hypocritical, he himself had called the Avvar savages, but now he knew better, they were kind people, people who received him in their hold with open arms. It enraged him that they had those thoughts towards them, especially towards Gunnar.

He didn't say anything but the bitter expression on his face says everything, Gunnar laid his hand on the elf's shoulder to get his attention.

Solas looked at the tall man with annoyance at the situation, the Avvar shook his head.

"Whatever you are hearing is not worth it" The man simply said, calm as usual.

The elf disagreed but he didn't want to make a scene or distress his friend.

They entered an inn, the Avvar easily ignoring the stares, the same couldn't be said about Solas who wanted to give them a piece of his mind but refrained from doing so.

Getting his coins he asked for two beds.

The Innkeeper gave him a false apologetic look. "There are so many people arriving today, I only have one room and one bed available at the moment"

Before Solas could say anything the Avvar chimed in. "We will take it"

"Of course, here is your key" The Innkeeper said, giving it to him. "Third room to the left in the second floor"

Solas paid for the room and followed the Avvar who was still receiving judging looks from everyone, at least the innkeeper kept her distaste at bay, business was business after all.

When they entered the room, Solas looked around it and glared at the bed like it had personally offended him, the room was so small that there was no space for one of them to sleep on the floor.

"At least the bed is big enough for two people" Gunnar says as if he could tell what the elf was thinking.

Solas' thoughts came to a halt, what? Looking at the Avvar he tried to keep a calm facade. They were going to share a bed? ... yes of course, it only made sense, he had shared a bed with other people before, so why was this making him nervous right now?

Gunnar was the first to lie on the bed and pat the bed while wiggling his eyebrows at Solas who couldn't help but snort quietly. The good thing was that it was very cold so sleeping together would give them some body heat.

The Avvar fell asleep rather quickly while it took him longer than usual to fall asleep that night, he won't admit that sharing a bed with the man made him restless.

Finally falling asleep he entered the fade in search for his friend.

Wisdom received him with a smile on her face. 

"Greetings, my friend" 

"Hello, my friend," He replied tiredly.

"Someone got your orb...he wishes to enter the Fade at will, but before he could bond the anchor to him, two people interrupted the ritual" She explained knowing he would ask about it. "They have the anchor, my friend, it's slowly killing them"

Of course more people got caught in the middle of this mess.

"The culprit still lives", she said after a beat.

"Impossible! None should live after using the orb!" He uttered in distress.

"Yet he lives"

Solas breathed for a moment while holding his head in his hands.

He looked back up at wisdom, unshed tears in his eyes: "What can I do, ma falon? This shouldn't have happened but I don't know-"

A frustrated noise escaped his throat and he rubbed his face.

"Be calm, Pride. You will find a way to make this right."

Solas exhaled.

"Let's hope so. Or else the veil will fall before I've fully prepared. And then the world will be truly doomed."

His thoughts wandered to Gunnar with his strong hands and kind smile.

In only a whisper his mouth escapes: "And the people will be doomed alongside it."

(He couldn't admit it yet, but somewhere, somewhen, the members of a certain Avvar hold have become something else than shadows in his mind.)

A determined expression settled on Solas' face.

"We will continue the journey towards the breach tomorrow and then-", he sighed, "let's just hope the ones with the marks can still be helped." 

It wouldn't do if his power were to disappear into nothingness.

There could also be a chance to find the one who's done this, once he and Gunnar arrived at Haven, some sort of clues had to have been left behind.

Maybe he could integrate himself with the ones in power there? Establish himself as a healer? He had to think more on this but for now-

"Thank you Wisdom. I formed a plan on how to proceed onward."

Solas inclined his head, already feeling himself wake up.

"Don't ignore what's right in front of you, falon", Wisdom said quietly.

And then he blinked awake with small sunbeams making their way through the window and onto his face.

See what is right in front of him…

He shook his head. He needed to focus on the day, not on some cryptic advice from his spirit friend.

Solas moved to stand up but as soon as he did so he heard grumbling behind him and a strong grip pulling him towards the other person.

His body froze up for a second but soon he realized just who was holding him pressed against themself.

He felt his face heat up and he tried to softly push Gunnar's arm from around his waist, but he just grumbles again and actually trapped one of Solas' arms against his body.

(Somewhere in the back of his mind, the part that is starved for positive touch, was relishing the feeling of a warm body against his own and strong arms holding him safely.)

Solas wiggled in Gunnar's embrace and tried to shimmy carefully out of it but he stopped with wide eyes as he felt something press against his back.

Oh.

Oh!

His face heated up even more than it did before and his ears twitched slightly.

This was a rather… compromising position he found himself in.

Of course it's only natural and with the times he had to share a bed back in Arlathan not that uncommon to wake up to but still.

It's different.

Solas renewed his efforts to get out of the bed but he couldn't help but wonder how it could be that Gunnar still hadn't woken up, since normally it's himself who rests until midday.

The elf froze again as Gunnar moved behind him as if he was waking up.

He groaned: "Pretty one, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night…"

Solas couldn't help the snort that escaped him.

"The sun is already up Gunnar", he murmured softly, "We have to get going."

He felt Gunnar stop moving for a second, probably to let Solas' comment register in his mind before promptly darting up.

Ah.

Seemed like he just had realized their position as well.

Forgetting his own earlier embarrassment Solas set on a teasing smile and turned to his red-faced friend.

He blinked innocently: "Are you really so excited to get on the road again, Gunnar?"

Gunnar in turn sputtered for a moment before apparently getting a hold of himself again, pretending like nothing was wrong.

"Aye, of course, it's very important to help people, pretty one."

His eyes seemed to avoid Solas' gaze, darting around the room and the elf smirks internally.

Just glad to have gotten his own… parts under control already he jumped out of bed, seeing the Avvar startle in the corner of his eyes.

He suppressed a small laugh and turned around with effortless seeming ease.

"Come on then, my friend, we need to prepare to leave."

Gunnar was still visibly blushing but at least he could look him in the face now.

"Yes. Prepare. For leaving. Of course, pretty one. That's what I wanted to do right this moment."

It was such fun, teasing his friend.

But he should probably also prepare. It was his suggestion after all.

Solas turned away from the Avvar again and started doing some stretches before bending down and gathering up the armor he had put there the previous night.

After putting every piece on he turned back to his friend only to see him not having moved at all.

Apparently the other man realized he should have started moving as well and scrambled to put his own armor together and pack up his bag.

The elf raised an eyebrow.

'What's that all about…?'

He shrugged internally and simply strapped on his bag, waiting for Gunnar to finish up.

Once he was ready, they went downstairs and left, not bothering to say goodbye to the rude innkeeper from the day before.

"We should stock up on some potions", Solas told Gunnar as they walked around the marketplace.

Normally he'd make the potions himself, his own are more effective than the ones created by those shadows afterall, but they didn't have the time for that.

If he were entirely honest, him not knowing the herbs nowadays as well as he did to his time may also have been a factor.

The Avvar simply nodded as an answer and they went to hunt down a potion supplier.

After a while they found one, not with the help of the locals though, who'd mostly either scurry out of their way or blatantly ignore any questions for directions they may utter.

It made Solas' blood boil .

How dare they look down on him and his friend!

Gunnar noticed the anger in his eyes and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

Solas took a deep breath and let some of his anger escape in the exhale.

His own hand reached up to pat Gunnar's to signal him that he's mostly fine now.

Gunnar squeezed his shoulder before letting go again.

They haggled with the potion seller who openly tried to rip them off, probably because Gunnar is an Avvar and he is an elf.

And if that weren't enough to anger him again the muttered "Fuckin' savages" upon them taking their leave certainly was.

Solas prides himself on his control but in this moment he threw all of that out of the window and twirled around with his eyes aflame.

He started stalking up to the shopkeeper again before a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"It isn't worth it, pretty one", Gunnar murmured right next to his face.

"Isn't worth it!?" Solas whisper-shouted and turned to look the Avvar directly in the face, "He insulted you!"

"Yes friend, he did. But it's as expected from the lowlanders."

Solas breathed heavily, not wanting to yell at his friend.

"It may be expected, Gunnar, but it isn't right."

He took Gunnar's hand from his arm and held it.

"You shouldn't have to expect hearing… That ", he sighed,softly stroking the back of the Avvar's hand.

"While I am happy to know you're ready to commit murder for me, friend, I must insist that you don't get arrested", Gunnar laughed quietly, trying to break the tension.

He continued more seriously: "They're going to need a mage as skilled as you at the Conclave."

The '' I need you' goes unspoken but Solas could hear it clearly.

He hadn't really noticed how close they've gotten…

With a cough Solas moved back and let go of Gunnar's hand.

He puts on a calm facade and laughs quietly: "Yes, it would be rather unfortunate if I got arrested wouldn't it?"

'...Not that they could truly hold me', he thinks.

The elf elects to ignore whatever may or may have not been happening between the two of them before and started walking again.

"Come on, my friend, we should get some fruits while we're here."

And so they were off again to collect the rest of the items they needed.

Soon after they left for the road.

Solas really should have expected the questioning that came from Gunnar when they'd already been several hours on the road.

"Pretty one…", he started, "you are an expert of the world of dreams, aye? Do you… do you know anything more about the tear in our Lady's side? Please, I want to understand."

The Avvar looked up at the sky with a lost expression and it made something in Solas' chest twinge painfully.

It was his fault his friend was so overwhelmed.

Swallowing, he looked away from Gunnar. He couldn't tell him everything but he owed him at least an answer, didn't he?

"I- I suppose I can… speculate? What has happened."

Solas really shouldn't sound so unsure about this.

He cleared his throat.

"My guess is that someone forcefully ripped a hole into the veil between this world and the fade. On purpose. I don't know what kind of power could do this-", liar liar liar, "-but it had to have been an immense one."

He hoped this would be enough for his friend. 

Gunnar seemed to contemplate his words before finding them without fault.

The elf sneakily wiped away little beads of sweat, he hadn't even noticed had gathered.

Despite being an immortal elf, he's going to turn gray from all the close calls with his friend anyways.

Ellana Lavellan was pissed, not only did she and her brother awake in shackles, they also didn't remember a thing about what happened after infiltrating the Conclave, but everyone accused them of opening a breach in the sky and exploding the Conclave.

Both of them were angry, though she was more vocal about it than her brother, she was in so much pain, it hurt her whole body. They were both forced to go to the temple to try closing the breach.

On their way she and Mahanon had to guess how to use their marks to close the small rifts, it was multiple attempts later that they got it right and it still wasn't enough to close the breach. They fell unconscious after calming the big rift in the sky.

She woke up bawling, screaming and arching her back as jolts of pain went through her body, her brother whimpering at the bed at her side clutching his right marked hand as the agony consumed him.

The screams alerted the people outside who opened the door to find both elves convulsing on the floor, they called for a healer to come and help them but they didn't have anyone apt to do the job, none of the mages in Haven were very good at healing and those who did couldn’t get the mark under control.

Lucky for the two mages, a long haired elf and an Avvar had arrived hours ago, offering their help to the Inquisition.

Varric hearing about the commotion went after these two who were still being questioned about their motivations to be here.

He entered the room bursting the door open, making the Seeker glare at him.

"And what do you think you are doing, dwarf!?"

"Good to see you too, Seeker, but we need a healer, the Heralds are having a hard time right now, they may die if we don't do something!"

At that the spymaster and warrior take away the shackles from the prisoners who quickly left the room to attend to the Heralds. Whispers followed them as the elf and Avvar ran towards the cabin the Heralds were currently in where a lot of people were still gathered in front of the door in despair.

"Make way! We brought the healers!" Varric exclaimed, making everyone part away.

Gunnar went to help Mahanon while Solas focused on Ellana, the Avvar being a spirit healer managed to lessen the pain quickly, the long haired elf subtly drained a bit of the magic from the mark making it less hard for her to bear the mark. He did the same with the male elf after Gunnar healed his wounds and calmed him down.

Solas feels the guilt eating him away, these two were in so much pain because of his orb, he should have gone after it the moment he awoke from Uthenera, no matter that he was tired and weak.

The Heralds finally stopped screaming when both healers were done, the two of them falling unconscious once again from exhaustion.

"Give them time to rest, they will live" Solas said, putting up his calm facade.

The Seeker hesitantly put down her sword, Leliana seems more amicable after the two mages helped to heal the Heralds of Andraste.

"What do you know of the mark?" The red-head asks, not taking her eyes from Solas.

"Nothing, for now, if you give me permission I could study it, I'm what you could all expert on the Fade" 

"I see, you could find a way to close the breach officially"

"If I'm given enough time to study it? Certainly"

"Leliana, you can not be thinking of leaving this apostate with the Heralds!" Cassandra exclaims, glaring at the elf.

"Every mage now is an apostate" Solas replies simply.

"He is right'' Leliane agrees. "We tried to close the breach without someone to help study the marks and we failed, maybe this time with help it may work" She tries to rationalize with the Seeker, who reluctantly agrees.

"They are to be watched at all times" Pentaghast says through gritted teeth.

"C'mon Seeker, they are here to help, if they wanted us all dead they could have killed the kids instead of healing them" Varric says, crossing his arms.

The dark-haired woman turns to glare at the dwarf. "What are you still doing here!?" 

"What? I'm here to help of course, you need all the help you need, you are in not place to refuse help, Seeker" He winked at her knowing she wouldn't attack him for being annoying when the spymaster was watching.

"Ugh!" She turns and storms off.

"I can watch them if you want, lady Nightingale" He offers her with a smirk. “I’m sure that if they do anything Bianca and I can take care of it” He caresses his crossbow which has Gunnar arching his brows curiously.

Leliana hides a coy smile. "As you say master Tethras" She then leaves the trio along with the unconscious Heralds.

The blond dwarf gives the two healers an apologetic look. "Sorry you two got interrogated just by offering help, things have been...tense"

"I understand, with what happened it only makes sense for them to be wary" Solas says like he didn't care, though he was very annoyed that he was treated with accusations when he just came here to help.

Varric eyed the Avvar at his side curiously. "Say, I don't know much about the Avvar, but I never heard of an Avvar elf"

"Aye, we accept everyone in our hold, but most elves are not interested in joining, the pretty one has been staying in my hold to recover"

The dwarf's eyes practically shined upon hearing this, sensing a good story there, he looked at the long haired elf with a coy smile. "Pretty one, uh?" 

Solas has to hold a deep sigh at that, of course the dwarf would focus on that part.

He feels tired just by thinking about what the dwarf will ask them.