Inan'abelas // DAI; Solas

The Keeper

"We are all broken,

that's how the light gets in." 

-Ernest Hemingway

~~◇~~

Solas had told Ashinne that a group of Dalish elves had made an appearance at Skyhold, and Ashinne could only wonder what a group of Dalish would want from this place. She sat alone in her room, waiting impatiently for Solas to return. She traced the polished lines of wood on the table with her finger, liking the feel of its smooth surface against her skin. She could fall asleep again, out of boredom. Without the ability to see, trying to find worthwhile entertainment was fruitless. She could only read if Solas read to her, and could only find herself being able to sleep if he was lying there with her. She couldn't draw or paint unless she wished to only create meaningless scribbles, and she feared walking from her room to chat with her friends because if she wished to talk to anyone other than the Madame de Fer, there were a hellish number of stairwells awaiting her.

She decided to stay put for now, resting her weary head upon her arms as she waited for the old, creaky sound that indicated that the door to her room was opening. It felt like hours before it finally opened, her eyes growing heavier with each passing minute. She barely heard the soft steps he was taking as his bare feet met the cold stone floors, the sound completely disappearing as he walked over the rug. She felt a hand brush itself over her hair and smooth over the roundness of her head, and she felt his cool breath on her face as he kneeled to her level.

"If you wish to sleep, vhenan, you should at least sleep in the bed," he chuckled, causing her to open her eyes fully. She shook her head.

"No, I don't want to sleep. I just got bored while waiting for you," she replied. "There isn't much to do without vision."

She could tell when he was smiling. She could hear it in his voice when he talked. That much, at least, was becoming easier. Reading others' expressions.

"I've been hearing that Varric has been wishing to speak with you. Says he misses seeing you on your way to the rotunda every morning. You could have gone and chatted with him?"

She snorted, "And risk falling down the steps or running into some old wall that cannot risk being bumped into lest it crumble upon me? I think not, Solas."

"You make a fair point," he said, returning the same cocky smile she had given him, despite her not being able to see it.

The laughter shared between them was merry and full of heart. He had missed this side of her, the one that often startled him upon entering the rotunda or that acted giddy every time rain fell upon Skyhold. He missed hearing her giggly laughter, the way her hair convulsed around her shoulders as she did so, the sparkling sheen over her viridescent eyes, the tinge of pink that coated her cheeks whenever she smiled for more than a minute.

He put his hand over hers, grasping it and gently pulling her to her feet.

"Come, there are some who wish to see you in the courtyard."

Her smile suddenly fell, her brows scrunching together in confusion. What was he hiding?

"Who?" she asked, standing up from her chair but refusing to move forward from it.

She felt Solas' other hand catch hold of the one that still lingered freely by her side, and felt his breath on her face again as he pressed his lips against her forehead once.

"I don't wish to hide anything from you, but I do not think you will want to go if I tell you," he told her, his voice smooth and easy.

Her brows angled in ire, her eyes narrowing in an attempt to understand his reasoning.