DA:I | Simply Solavellan: A Timeline ✔️

Marry Me, Vhenan

[Soundtrack: Winter's Tale by BrunuhVille]

The snow was really coming down outside. I listened to the wind whistle through the window frame of my quarters. I could feel the unbearable draft. I stacked the papers neatly on my desk and got up to throw another log onto the fire. I frowned when I saw the small stack of logs next to my fireplace; I only had three left.

I placed another log in the fire and stoked it with the poker.

There was a light knock on my door down the stairs. I raised an eyebrow in question, knowing that the hour was growing late. Surely Josephine didn't have a late-night lesson for me to study on Antivan cuisine or something ridiculous like that.

I was too cold to be bothered to walk down and answer it. "Enter!" I called.

The door faintly creaked as it was opened. I heard it close and the soft footsteps of bare feet walking up the stairs. It was Solas.

A faint smile played at my lips as our eyes instantly met when he reached the top of the stairs. I looked away as rosebushes bloomed on my cheeks.

"You're here late," I noted, then added playfully, "What does the mighty Fen'Harel require of me?" 

His grin faded a little as I poked fun at him. I had been giving him a hard time about his god status since he had returned -- against his will -- to Skyhold.

"Vhenan, you should know it's not wise of you to tease an ancient god."

"If I were anyone else, I'd say you were right."

He smirked. "Apologies for my intrusion so late at night. Were you busy?"

"Of course not." I motioned to the stack of papers on my desk. "Just filling out reports on the, uh... recent battle."

"I see." He pursed his lips. "I am... regretful, to say the least, about that battle."

"If you had just let me help you, none of that would have happened."

I turned my attention to the fire and warmed my hands. My mind was far off now. That battle was gruesome. There were so many sides fighting against each other. I saw elves fighting blindly for a cause they didn't understand, Kunari killing both sides, and the Inquisition desperately trying to hold it together. There was so much bloodshed, so many lives lost. It wasn't avoidable at that point.

But I understood on the elves' part. After centuries of being enslaved and mistreated and extorted, The Dread Wolf appears with a promise to return what was taken from them so long ago. A revolution was at their fingertips. Why wouldn't they take the opportunity to return to a time when elves were the superior race?

Solas's warm hand touched my shoulder and moved softly down my arm. His fingers rested in the crook of my elbow.

"That is something I had hoped to discuss with you," he muttered.

"What?"

"Vhenan, it killed me to leave you, but I was trying to do what was best for my people. During that battle, when you were about to die at the hands of a Kunari soldier, is when I realized something. That 'my people' were no longer my people. After nearly a thousand years, my people had changed so much, and the memory of what once was is long gone. And I was willing to do what that Kunari was willing to do -- kill you for a misguided cause. I was disgusted with myself, so it was only fitting that I threw myself between you and the blow."

I watched the fire dance across the burning log in silence as he continued.

"And you are correct. If I had just let you help me find a better solution, it all would have been avoided. That is why I have decided that I would rather ask for your council before acting so rash."

I shook my head. "You don't have to do that; you're your own person. I just expect you to think about the welfare of everyone, not just elves. It feels... extremely racist of you. Not to mention the fact that you never once took into consideration all that I stood for as the Inquisitor. I protect all of Thedas, fenor. All of it..."

He placed his hands behind his back and watched the fire with me. A few moments of silence and the sound of crackling from the burning wood passed between us.

"I love you, Annessa. More than anything."

His sudden confession had me snapping my head in his direction, but he never took his eyes off the fire. I tried to read his face; he looked almost worried.

"Is everything all right?"

He turned to me, and I faced him. We stood toe to toe, and as usual, he almost towered over me.

"Do you still believe in Dalish custom?" he asked.

"I suppose some things from my clan still linger with me. Why do you ask?"

"In Dalish clans, those who have come of age choose a mate with whom to 'bond' with for life."

"That's true. My mother and father were bonded." I could feel my palms starting to get clammy. I was afraid to ask, "What is this about?"

"Marriage," he stated as his voice shook. "I speak of marriage, Annessa."

As my eyes widened, Solas reached into the left pocket of his cotton pants and pulled out a single ring.

"Solas."

"I feel that our bond is strong, vhenan. I am forever grateful to you. I find myself incapable of continuing life without you. Sathan, ea ma falon'saota."

I could feel my face getting hot, but there were no words for my happiness. I nearly cried out with joy. "Ar dir'vhen'an ara'lan to ma."

He sighed in relief and smiled a genuinely happy smile. He took me in a tight hug and buried his face in my hair.

"You act as though I thought about saying 'no,' fenor." I giggled.

He pulled away to look at me. "There's always that chance."

I wiped my tears from my eyes. "You know, Dalish custom also states that a young man must prove himself as a hunter or provider in order to be worthy of marriage," I teased.

"Allow me to point out why the Dalish are wrong again, ma vhenan," he said, waving a finger in my face with a smirk. "I am not a young man, first and foremost. Secondly, I believe I have proven myself multiple times as I have fought by your side throughout the Inquisition's time."

"Okay, eolasa'ga, how shall we sanctify this marriage?"

"I am an elven god; it doesn't get more sanctified." He took my right hand and slipped the ring on my ring finger. "I hope you like it. It is made of elderwood and moonstone; I could not think of a better pairing for you."

"It's beautiful, fenor. I need to get you one now."

He chuckled. "If you wish."

"I do. I'll get a beautiful ring for you."

He sighed with a bright smile. "Are you happy?"

"I am." I leaned up to kiss him, both of us still smiling from ear to pointed ear.

He deepened the kiss and pulled me closer to him by my hips. I wrapped my arms around his neck to crash our lips together in a flurry of sudden passion. I walked backward and led him toward the bed with me. He followed, still greedily tasting my lips.

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Translations:

"Sathan, ea ma falon'saota."
[Please, be my wife/bride. (falon'saota is interchangeable for husband since "falon" = close friend, and "saota" = marriage; can be spelled falon'saote for masculinity, signifying husband, but "saota" (marriage) is a femanine noun)]

"Ar dir'vhen'an ara'lan to ma."
[I promise myself to you.]

"eolasa'ga"
[Know-it-all. (Literal translation: "eolasa" = to know/to understand, "ga" = all)]