May The Dread Wolf Take You

Chapter Twenty: Alone pt.1

     When they woke the next morning, side by side in their tent, Maeve and Solas were perfectly content with staying there. She liked the way it felt safe to let herself be uncautious when she was with him. He gave her a sense of security she'd never felt anywhere else, not even with her clan. "There is so much I want to show you today." He whispered to her in the early morning. They were facing each other. She was curled up next to his chest and his chin rested gently atop her head. 

     She wasn't sure what they were doing here. When they stopped for the night, he told her it held a significance to the creation of the veil but he wouldn't explain any more than that. He was being strange and cryptic. She wondered if it was a surprise, if he was trying to trick her into some romantic trip but upon seeing his face when they arrived, she turned away from the idea.

     He looked sad and nostalgic when he gazed over the open plains and snowy mountains. He had undeniably been here before but she couldn't determine why it made him feel the way it did. She wasn't even sure how he felt about it. "What is this place, Solas?" She asked curiously. In truth she was becoming frustrated. Her lack of knowledge prevented her from figuring it out. 

      "Literally speaking, this is Emprise de Lion and that was a pointless question. But in the sense that you are asking, this is, was, a town once. A very long time ago, this would have been the place that marked the outskirts of an Elvhen village." He told her. She listened intently. "It holds a deep significance in relation to the Fade. You'll feel it when we enter the city. The Veil is so thin there, it's as if you can almost see through it." Solas continued. 

     She was anxious and he could sense her impatience growing. He loved that about her. She was so willing and wanting to learn and obtain new knowledge all the time. It enthralled him. She would gladly listen to him talk about the Fade and the Veil, the gods, Elvhen lore, anything all day, if she got something, some information out of it, she was happy to listen. He'd never experienced anyone so tolerable of his lectures. The things that excited him, excited her too and he loved it. 

    "You are growing impatient, Vhenan." He mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She giggled a little and twirled the string to the jaw bone necklace around her finger. "How can you tell?" She asked sarcastically. "Did you sleep well?" Solas asked in response knowing that they'd be getting ready to leave soon. "I always do when you're near. You don't even have to be close, just in the room and I feel safer, less alone."Maeve uttered in a hushed tone. "You will never be alone again." He promised with a smile though she could not see it from where she lay.

      She could hear it though. His voice sounded different when he smiled as he spoke. It was lighter as if he put less effort into it. "We should get ready. We have a long day ahead of us." He sat up and immediately the cold got in, under the blanket. It touched Maeve's skin and she shuddered. The sudden breeze on her was startling.

     "Your leg needs re-bandaging." He pointed out. With a sigh, she stood and removed her pants. Her legs prickled with cold as she allowed him to redress the wound. When he was done he looked up at her with a smile. "It's looking much better. How does it feel?" He asked. There was fire on his fingers. Beneath the surface of his fingertips that rested against her thigh, she could feel the faint flame as he warmed her skin. "Better than usual." She said, cupping his face in her hands. They got dressed and set off down the trail. They left the horses at camp, seeing as how the village was only a little ways away. 

      The hike was a little more strenuous than she'd been expecting. Her leg burned slightly with a stinging pain but she wouldn't let Solas see. When they came to the top of a hill and looked down over a snowy valley, Maeve was startled. From a distance the sight was gorgeous but this close anyone could see the horror that was there.