Inan'abelas // DAI; Solas

Revasan

"She lost herself in the trees, among the ever-changing leaves. She wept beneath the wild sky as stars told stories of ancient times. The flowers grew towards her light, the river called her name at night. She could not live an ordinary life with the mysteries of the universe hidden in her eyes."

-Christy Ann Martine

~~◇~~

The rain washed away the soot staining the youth of her face. It washed away the fear-induced lines, the worry, the blood from her back, all while revealing the extent of Falon'Din's reach across her skin. No one had seen it so vividly until now.

When they stopped along the path to allow their horses to rest, she stepped away from the group with the sole intent of relishing the weather. She allowed herself to fall to her knees with her hands cupped in front of her to gather the water. She scrubbed her face, her arms, her legs, shook her hair about her face as if she were a savage mabari. She felt overly... joyous.

But she hadn't expected the tears to start falling so soon.

However, she let them fall freely. She didn't hold them back, nor did she hold back the loud sobs that tore through her chest and her throat. She knew she would have gawkers staring strangely at her seizing form in the distance, but she did not care. Ashinne would savor the taste of her freedom for as long as the Gods would allow. It was almost hard to believe that they let her have longer than a few minutes. They granted her an hour of peace, and another hour of companionship.

"Lethallen," The word fell smoothly from his lips as he sat beside her, his face wearing an expression of concern as he looked upon her tear-stricken face.

She did not look at Solas at first. She stared straight ahead without any specfic thought or intention of ignoring the elf seated beside her. She was simply trying to keep the peace alive. When Ashinne finally spoke, her words were suprisingly selfless.

"I hope I didn't cause you or the others too much worry."

Solas leaned back a bit, taking a longer-than-necessary glance at the slowly healing gash across her lower back. It was a nasty thing to look at.

"Not too much. That wound will surely leave a scar, however."

"It's not like I don't have others already, Solas." She bit back, curling her hands into fists of self-consciousness. She hid them in the nooks between her calves and her thighs, her knees pressing even tighter into her chest. The elven man chuckled at her behavior.

"You never told anyone how you got them."

"I don't have to."

"What if I wished to know?"

"That's your problem, then."

Solas turned his head to stare ahead as she was, watching as drops of rain fell from the gaps in between leaves. He couldn't help sneaking a glance at her face every now and then, tracing the lines of her vallaslin with his eyes. In a way, the shapes and lines made her more beautiful, but their presence alone left a harsh scar upon his heart.

"I did something that I believed to be righteous, and in turn, it became a frightful tragedy."

Solas raised a brow as his eyes settled upon her face. It was turned just slightly in his direction, her emerald irises discreetly glancing at his own face as she waited for a response.

"That's being incredibly vague."

"Well," She moved her hands from their resting places as she pushed her thin, yet lean legs out in front of her and then pulled them back, crossing them gracefully. Her hands were left to rest in her lap, her eyes looking down at the scars that tainted her flesh. "It troubles me to talk about it."