The Wolf and the Halla

Skyhold

The battle at Haven had left her wounded. Not physically, but rather her pride had been hurt. Corypheus had came to Haven and killed so many. Even with the Inquisition army there. Even with her and her companions, they were overrun and Haven was inevitably lost.

It wasn't all a loss though. As much as her pride was bruised, she had stabbed a knife into Corypheus' ego. She had spoiled his plans. That gave them time, but also gave her a little of that stolen pride back.

Adani had always been very prideful. She took a lot of pride in her Clan. She took a lot of pride in herself and the Dalish. She was a proud person, confident. Confidence and pride can be flaws though. They sometimes lead to rash decisions made on the basis of ego instead of facts or logic.

Solas had led them to a castle in the mountains after the fall at Haven. He had told her to take the credit for finding it. It would help morale.

Before the journey though, at a small camp he had said something that troubled her. As she hiked into the mountains she thought of it. He had said the orb Corypheus had was elven in origin.

How had this ancient tevinter magister got this powerful artifact. It was powerful enough to cause all of this. What elf, aside from a God themselves, could wield such power. And she didn't believe one of her Gods would just hand over such an artifact to him, knowing he would wreak havoc. Not even Fen'Harel would betray the world like that.

She finally grew tired of thinking of it. She would not know the answers to that for a long time. Instead of thinking of her loss, she began to let her mind wonder to Solas, walking right to the left of her.

How were his feet not cold? He wasn't wearing any shoes. He walked in the deep snow with ease, however, and never once acted effected by his bare feet. He must use a small warming spell or something, she thought.

Then her mind wandered to other places. She thought about his eyes. A harsh blue, deep and thoughtful, curious and guarded. She thought of how smooth his skin appeared and the strong line of his jaw. The small scar above his eye and the dimple in his chin. His soft lips, holding a tender smile. A smile she wanted to cover with her own lips.

Most of all she liked his pointy ears. They fit on his head just right. They were proportionate and had a nice tilt. No ends that drooped outward. Not too big. They were the sign of good genes, she thought. As odd as it sounded she thought they were one of his best features. Though the others were good, she very much enjoyed looking at his ears.

She thought all these things silently to herself as they had trekked on towards Skyhold. They had been flirting a little before the fall of Haven. Since she had not had time. But then she wanted to. She looked over at him and smiled. He squinted his eyes a little and tilted his head curiously. She winked at him and was satisfied to see a little color come to his cheeks. He tried to hide it. But didn't try to hide the soft smile he gave in return.

She wanted more. Though she didn't want to come on too strong. So instead she just slowly tried to move closer to him, hopefully unnoticed, and maybe he would flirt with her. She moved an inch or two at a time until she was satisfied with the small length between their bodies.

She felt his hand brush her arm. Her heart pounded, she tried to quiet it, sure that he would hear her fumbling heart. She pretended outwardly that she didn't notice.

He smiled a little. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand. He looked back at the group following them. They were occupied watching where they put their feet.

She was close enough now that Solas could touch her and no one would see. Their coats would hide any action from public eye. So he reached out, and this time he caught her hand. He held it snuggly in his own. His heart pounding he snuck a glance at Adani. She looked at him also, flushed. She smiled.

She didn't know how long they held hands like that, but it seemed like a long time. Her heart fluttered around in her chest like a butterfly in a jar. Beating against its entrapment. He eventually released her hand to climb atop a rock and point to a castle. Skyhold. He smiled. A big smile. And she returned it.

"Skyhold." He said, still looking into her green eyes.