Doom Upon All The World

Chapter 9: Arrival

They were lucky enough that their friends had not started arriving when the knock came at the door. It was not anyone they were expecting. It was a young Elven man from the village. Though they had coin enough to last them a life time, Maeve and Solas often felt lost without work to busy themselves with. Maeve would stay home and take care of Nicolynn and Mythalus, managing the house and such. Solas had a small clinic in the village. It was an old rundown place when they found it. He decided to fix it up and started a place of healing there. He was somewhat of a healer and an herbalist but he tried not to get attached to it. Solas didn't like to be in the village much. The way the Elves bent to the will of humans disturbed him.

Solas knew what the Elves could do, knew what they were capable of. He was raised in a time and place where Elvhen were superior, mightier than other races. They lived longer, were healthier, better fighters, had stronger connections to the Fade, were more beautiful. To see them slump to such a low status, to see them excelling at such poverty made him shudder. He had his duty; he did his best. The world is as it is and he could not change it any further without causing more harm. The young man explained that his sister had been hurt in a hunting accident and they couldn't get the bleeding to stop. They had coin to pay him but Solas would not take it. He swiftly grabbed his coat and kissed Maeve on the forehead, leaving with the young man.

Maeve knew Solas was in no immediate danger going with him but she worried nonetheless everytime he left her side. She shut the door behind them, watching out the window as they went. Solas was a good person, a determined man, and an incredible healer. He felt he had a responsibility to fix things when he could. But he was a God. Technically he wasn't supposed to interfere. He was supposed to leave the Elves to their own devices. Getting involved changes and corrupts the course of history.

Solas often wondered if he did the right thing. He enjoyed his life. He loved his life, loved his wife, loved his children, their home. Everything. These were miracles he never thought would find him. Still he felt that he was doing something wrong. He wanted this, he chose this. To be with Maeve, to build their life made him extraordinarily happy. There were nights though that he would come to their room late after returning from the clinic with a strung look on his face, tired and confused. She would usually already be in bed, lying there reading, waiting for him to come home. He'd lay down beside her or on rare occasions, when it was really bad, he would crawl into the bed, his face coming to rest against her stomach, his arms wrapping around her middle, and just hold her tightly.

She would be able to feel his breathing against her clothes as he fell asleep like that. It was a soothing yet unsettling sound. He was a mess inside at times like those. His life before this, before her held one purpose. He was the Dread Wolf, his life dedicated to watching over the Elves, to helping them and setting their line straight. Now here he was, living his life while the Elves still struggled even after all of their hard work. She understood and many times she even told him to go because she could not bear to see him so broken, to feel the shattered pieces of him piercing her heart. But where would he go? He had no goal for the time. There was nothing he could do. Even if there was he would not leave her side for such a thing. Doing things like this, helping people, fixing little things along the way helped him. She watched as he left, leaving faint footprints in the thin layer of snow. She hated seeing him going when she knew the condition he'd return in.

He returned not an hour later with a smile on his face. It was an odd sight to see someone so happy whilst wearing blood soaked clothing. He entered the house and went to their room, kissing her briefly on his way past. He shirked off his coat and hung it on its hook before waking down the hall out of view. She went to the stairs. "Mythalus, Nicolynn! Make sure everything upstairs is in order before they get here." She shouted up at the children before following Solas down the hall. "Is something the matter, Emma-lath?" Maeve asked curiously. She couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as she walked in. He'd been in the middle of redressing. His hands were at the hem of his trousers, pulling them up. She stepped towards him and took the ties in her hands, fiddling with them.