With Me Always: A Dragon Age Tale (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Chapter 26

Haylie barely had time to gaze upon her new child before unconsciousness swallowed her.
She opened her eyes to find herself in that all too familiar place, the glen.
Fireflies flitted about and wind whistled through the leaves of the nearby trees. It should be peaceful, but instead Haylie was filled with a sickening feeling deep in her stomach.
"What have you done?" Spoke a familiar voice. The words were cold, yet defeated. Haylie turned and faced the voice to find Solas, his face hard and cold. He looked a broken man.
"Your potion didn't work." Haylie said dully.
"Oh I'm fully aware, as soon as the child was born I felt it, a shift in the air. Like a biting breeze before a deadly storm." Solas said angrily.
"She's just a child you bastard! Our child! Have you forgotten that?!" Haylie snapped.
"You deceived me, Ma harel lasa! You should've come to me as soon as you discovered my potion failed!" yelled Solas.
"And what?! Have you kill us both?! I made a mistake drinking that potion and I wasn't about to suffer through that again! Not for you, not for anyone!" Haylie said, tears welling in her eyes.
"You've doomed us all! Do you have any idea of the consequences of the decision you've made?!" Solas asked.
"I will not have you lecture me on consequences Dread Wolf! You left us, do you have any idea the suffering I've endured these past months?! Alone!" Haylie yelled, her voice shaking.
"I tried to help you! You are so stubborn! Why can you not listen to reason?!" Solas argued.
"Well what would you have me do? Smother her in her crib?! Would that make you happy Solas?!" Haylie replied, this time getting in Solas's face.
"Well you've certainly left little other option haven't you?!" Solas fumed.
"You fucking bastard!" Haylie cursed, lunging at Solas. He quickly grabbed ahold of her wrists, stopping her attempt at slapping him. Suddenly his focus shifted from her to something beyond.  A look of astonishment fell over his face and his grip on Haylie loosened.
Haylie turned to look at what had caught the eye of the Dread Wolf; There, standing a few feet in the distance was a small elvhen child of about five years old, with familiar brown eyes.
"Mirianna? What's going on?" Haylie asked, confused.
"Mirianna?" Solas uttered.
"Our daughter. I suppose walking in the fade as a newborn didn't seem practical to her." Haylie responded.
"She-I...I do not understand." Solas uttered in disbelief.
Solas dropped to his knees, his hands shaking.
"Hello Da'len..." Solas said softly, there was great pain in his voice.
The little elf approached, unafraid and wrapped her arms around her father. Slowly, he returned the gesture, tears pouring from his eyes. "I-I am a fool Vhenan. I have made an unforgivable error of judgement. Forgive me Vhenan." Solas spoke softly. A thousand thoughts rushing through his mind. "This cannot be. This can not possibly be the child I read about. She cannot..." he argued with himself.
"A half god child, powerful beyond compare. Yet...impossibly good...benevolent of spirit."Solas whispered to himself.
"You-you are so like your mother Da'len. How can this be?" Solas asked, astonished.
"Well what did you expect? An Archdemon?" Haylie snapped.
"I...I suppose I didn't know what to expect, I had expected a malevolent force; Violent, immensely powerful yet lacking any control. Not this, this child is intertwined with the fade like nothing I've ever seen. Even the ancient elves could not boast such a connection." Solas replied.
The child grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. A radiant glow emitted from her hands.
"Her power...it comes from us. From the very heart of the Elvhen. It's as if her very presence stirs awake the long dormant connection between elves and the fade." Solas said, astonished.
"The prophesy...I did not anticipate..." Solas struggled with his words, trying to understand the revelation he had just made.
"The end of the elvhen as we know them. Elvhen new and old." Solas declared.
"I don't know what you mean, Solas." Haylie spoke, her anger now turning to confusion.
"She is not here to destroy the elves, she is here to bring forth an era of New Elvhen." Solas spoke gleefully.
"New Elvhen?" Haylie asked skeptically.
"Her connection to the fade is not direct, she draws it from within us! Awakening it, and as she grows, as her abilities spread...I believe she can safely bridge the gap between Elvhen and the fade,without damaging the veil." Solas explained.
"So, the Elvhen can prosper again...Without taking the rest of the world down with it." Haylie reasoned.
"Yes. Yes I believe they can." Solas breathed, looking down at Mirianna hopefully.