A look at what the meet the Inquisitor scene might look like, when the Inquisitor is your brother. For @rookfest!
"Alwyn!" Her sisters arms were around her before Alwyn had a chance to say anything. She blinked, before wrapping her arms around Alea in return, burying her head in her sisters shoulder and blinking away tears. Creators, it had been so long. They'd gone from see each other every single day as children to barely seeing each other once a year now. She missed those days.
"Let the poor girl breath, Alea," her brother Alras' voice broke in, although he still wrapped his one arm around her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
When Veilguard comes out I'm probably gonna do my solavellan play through first (even tho Alea is not my inquisitor in either of my canon world states her brother is but it's fine lmao) so now I'm trying to figure out like, where her brain is gonna be at cause like
It's been 10 years since she last saw Solas. Does she want to kill him? Make out with him? Both? (it's both lmao)
But I also think, after all that time her anger and betrayal has been tempered. She doesn't have the fuel anymore to keep going at this. She's just... tired.
Like I think she'll give Solas another chance to redeem himself but after that, she's probably just done. It's everyone else's problem now. They can deal with it. She wasted 10-12ish years on this bullshit. She's ready to move on.
Day 6 of @dalish-appreciation-week Focusing on my Lavellan twins per-Inquisition when they get their vallaslin!
cross posted on ao3!
Featuring: Alea Lavellan and Alras Lavellan
Alea gently rubbed a salve over her brother's new vallaslin, taking care not to press too hard. She was sure it still smarted. Hers certainly did.
They were in the back of one of the aravels, taking a moment to themselves. They’d both sat well for their vallaslin, now it was time to take care of them while they healed.
Alras scrunched up his nose, making a pained noise a moment later. “What’s in this stuff anyway?”
“Dunno. Rylla said it would help.” Alea took a sniff of the salve. “Smells nice. Elfroot, probably.”
“It’s always elfroot,” Alras said with a sigh. “Almost done?”
“It would go faster if you stopped complaining.”
“I was quiet the entire time it was being done, I can complain now.”
That was fair enough, Alea supposed. They had both had them done earlier that day, him first as the elder twin (if only by 10 or so minutes) and then her. Independently, they had both decided on Mythal's design, in a dark green color. They hadn’t spoken about it to each other so they couldn’t influence it, but apparently that didn’t matter. It wasn’t the first time they had done something like this and probably wouldn’t be the last.
“There, all set.” She handed him the salve. “My turn to complain.”
“You complain more than I do,” Alras said with a laugh.
Alea made a face at him, which turned into a grimace of pain. “Creators hurry up.”
“I’m working on it!”
They sat silently for a moment, before Alea spoke again. “What made you choose Mythal?”
Alras finished rubbing the salve on her face, setting it off to the side while he contemplated his answer. “It just… felt right, I guess. Ya know?”
Alea smiled. “Yeah.” Something about Mythal had just… called to her. She couldn’t explain more than that. “I think they expected us to pick something else.”
“I got that feeling as well. Falon’Din and Dirthamen for twins? Who do they think we are?” Alras shook his head. “Although Andruil might have worked for you.”
“Maybe. But how will people know we’re twins if we don’t get the same vallaslin?”
“Almost the same, you mean,” Alras interjected, sticking his tongue out at her. “You had to get the chin piece didn’t you?”
“You know I’m always looking for ways to one up you.”
“Trying to be better than your big brother?”
“You’re barely older than me,” Alea pointed out.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you look up to me,” Alras said with amusement.
“I don’t even do that literally,” Alea deadpanned.
“True enough.” Alras swung an arm over her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. “Shall we head back outside? Revel in our new adultness? Tell Alwyn she has to do everything we say cause we’re adults now?”
Alea laughed. “She’s 13, I don’t think she’ll fall for that.”
Back for @dalish-appreciation-week day 5! This does actually start focusing on travel and then quickly stops being about travel because of who I am as a person lol
Cross posted on ao3!
Featuring: Alea Lavellan and Solas
For the Dalish, traveling was as natural as breathing. It was just what they did. Clan Lavellan in particular made a loop around the Free Marches every year, always arriving at the same places at roughly the same time. As a child, Alea had desperately wished they could change things up, explore new places, see new things. As she got older, she understood why they couldn’t. They had plotted out the safest route, away from the most dangerous of city states, along a path that was relatively safe for them. Still, she had wished just once to go off the beaten path. Even if doing so meant danger.
Now, with the inquisition, she was seeing new places all the time. Alea had reveled in it at first, but as the months grew on, she began to miss the normalcy and predictability of her life in Clan Lavellan. Even though she knew they were no longer following the same paths they had her whole childhood as well.
Alras becoming the “herald of andraste” had seen to that.
She didn’t blame her brother, it wasn’t like he had chosen this, but it had turned all their lives upside down. For better or worse.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight.”
Solas’ voice cut through her thoughts, and Alea blinked, tearing her gaze away from the campfire to look at him. They were the last two still up, which surprised her. She would have thought he’d be deep in the fade by now.
“Just thinking.” She gave him a wry smile. “When we traveled with my Clan, it was the same places, year after year, and I always wanted to see somewhere new and exciting. Now that I’m doing that, I miss the comfort of seeing the same places every year. Is that weird?”
Solas chuckled. “No. I believe that’s perfectly normal.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been described as perfectly normal before.” She moved closer, letting her head rest on Solas’ shoulder, his arm slipping around her in return. “Do you ever get home sick?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted quietly. “It is… an odd feeling when you know you cannot return.”
“Yeah. I get that.” Although Alea technically could go back home, she didn’t think she would. It wasn’t a life she could be happy living anymore, even if she did miss it sometimes.
They sat together silently for a while, watching the flames from the campfire steadily dim, causing the shadows to deepen around them.
“Maybe we can make our own home,” Alea said. “Together.”
Solas didn’t answer right away, looking deep in thought when she glanced up at him. Eventually, he spoke. “I think I would enjoy that.”
A bright smile blossomed over her face, transforming into a mischievous grin in an instant. “We could start tonight in my tent?”
Solas chuckled. “Not tonight. I believe the fade is calling for me.”
Alea rolled her eyes, but didn’t push. “Go, then. I’ll take care of the fire.”
He tilted her head up, giving her a soft kiss. “Goodnight, vhenan.”
“Goodnight, Solas.” She watched him retreat to his tent, smiling softly. As much as she missed her clan, she knew this was where she was meant to be. Here, with her siblings, and with him.
Just a smol au where Solas actually tells Alea he’s Fen’Harel during their Crestwood date.
Crossposted on ao3 under the same name!
It was a surprisingly lovely night in Crestwood.
It wasn’t where Alea had expected Solas to take her, but she could hardly complain. They walked hand in hand, enjoying each other’s company, and she felt… peaceful. Which was strange for her, in all honesty, but a good strange.
Solas was the one who eventually broke the silence. Talking about the veil, naturally. She didn’t mind. It was one of his quirks.
“The veil is thin here. Can you feel it on your skin, tingling?” They paused in their movement, and his hand came up to cup her face gently. She leaned into it, smiling. He gave her a small smile in return. “I was trying to determine some way to show you what you mean to me.”
His hand fell back to his side, and she frowned, if only for a moment, before a cheeky grin spread over her face. “I’m listening. And I can offer a few suggestions.”
“I shall bear that in mind,” he said with a chuckle, before growing serious again. “For now, the best gift I can offer is… the truth. You are unique. In all Thedas, I never expected to find someone who could draw my attention from the Fade. You have become important to me. More important than I could have imagined.”
Alea felt like she was glowing, her heart filled with warmth and light. Never, in all her years, had she thought someone could make her feel like this. “I feel the same.”
“Then what I must tell you… the truth…”
Solas paused, and she frowned, reaching out to take his hands in hers. “Solas? What is it?”
“This is… harder than I expected.”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me. I… promise not to get too mad. Certainly not mad enough to walk away.” She knew promising not to get mad at all was a nigh impossible task, depending on what he wanted to say. But she doubted there was anything that could make her stop loving him.
One of his hands came back up to cup her cheek, thumb running gently over her cheekbone. Over her vallaslin. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the elven gods?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Okay I lied, if you start telling me about my own beliefs I will actually walk out of here.”
“No,” he said with a soft laugh. “Not this time. Although there is much you should know on that front.”
She gave him a look. “Solas.”
“Apologies.” He cleared his throat nervously. “Fen’Harel, in particular, is who I wanted to speak about.”
Alea raised an eyebrow. “Fen’Harel? He’s… not particularly well liked.” He was the one who locked the rest of the gods away, after all. Didn’t really endear him to the elven people.
“I know.”
“What about Fen’Harel, then?”
“...he’s me.”
Alea took an automatic step back, staring at him. The look on his face suggested he was being entirely serious, and he generally wasn’t one to play pranks regardless but… “Bullshit.”
Solas sighed. “I know how it looks-”
A scowl spread over her face. “It looks like you’re mocking me.”
“No!” He made as if to move towards her, but thought better of it, staying where he was and staring at her with a pleading expression. “I would never.”
She stared at him a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. This was so absurd he had to be lying to her. And yet… “Let's say I believe you, then. What are you doing here?”
“The orb Corypheus has. It’s mine.”
Her brow furrowed. “So you gave him this ancient elven orb to do what, exactly?”
“Exactly what he did. I hadn’t expected an ancient Tevinter magister to have effectively unlocked immortality.”
“So it’s your fault all those people died, then?”
“...yes.” Solas had the good grace to at least look upset about it. “It wasn’t a perfect plan, by any stretch. But I was still too weak to unlock it myself, when I awoke.”
“Awoke?”
“Creating the veil was no small task.”
“Wait, wait, you created the veil?” This was getting more absurd by the minute. Alea had no idea if she should believe him or not. Solas had never given her a reason not to trust him but… this was stretching it thin. “Why?”
“That part your stories got right. I created the veil to lock the rest of the Evanuris away.”
“Evanuris?”
“Your gods.”
Alea felt like her head might explode. “And why did you do that?”
“They would have destroyed this world, and everything in it. They had to be stopped.”
“This is… this is a lot to take in, you understand that, yes?” Honestly, she felt like she might pass out. If he was Fen’Harel and what he was saying was true… where exactly did that leave her and her beliefs? Everything she learned as a child was, what, wrong? Had they really gotten everything wrong about their culture?
“I do.” He was watching her, face unreadable for the moment.
She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, before staring back at him. Solas seemed completely sincere. And it made a lot of the little things that didn’t add up suddenly make sense. Like she had finally found a missing puzzle piece and could now see the big picture.
But it was also just absolutely insane, right? That she was just casually in love with a man who happened to be the Dread wolf? What were the odds of that?
She took another deep breath. “So why tell me now? Why tell me at all?” It’s not like any of them would have guessed who he was. If he had never said anything, she certainly never would have known.
To her surprise, he let out a small laugh. “Contrary to popular belief, lying is not a part of my nature. I prefer not to, unless I have no other choice. And you-” Solas’ face softened. “I meant what I said. You are unique in all of Thedas. You burn more brightly than anyone I have ever met, then and now. There were many times I wanted to show you who I was. But I didn’t know what you would think of me.”
Alea felt her own features soften. Maybe this was totally insane but… she trusted him. He spoke with complete sincerity, and had laid himself bare in front of her. That had to count for something.
“...there is a lot more that we need to talk about. You know that, right? Like… a lot, a lot.”
“I do.” He watched her hesitantly, and she smiled, stepping back towards him and reaching for his hand. Their fingers locked together, interlacing like they were meant for each other.
“Okay. I still need to process all this but… I believe you.”
A look of relief spread over his face, and his free hand came up to cup her cheek, his head moving so their foreheads pressed together. “Ar lath ma, vhenan.”
If you ask Leliana in inquisition she says she could teach you how to be a bard so now I’m thinking about her teaching my Alea Lavellan how to survive and thrive in the Orlesian court lmao
teaching her how to temper her anger into a fine point, to keep it hidden until she needs it. how to play up the “uwu innocent elf girl” angle so no one sees her as a threat until it’s too late. how to get information without threatening, but through ego stroking and sympathizing instead
Alea would hate it until she realized how much of it edge it gives her and then she loves it lmao
Alright listen up this is not a happy story, this is angst with possible character death (I’m not like explicit if they’re dead or not personally I say no but I understand it could still be upsetting for people) so read at your own risk.
cross posted on ao3 under the same username!
“Stop!” Alea raises her bow, aiming an arrow squarely at Solas’ back. That he’s alone here is a surprise, but it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is she’s found him in these ancient ruins, before it’s too late. Before he tears down the veil.
He does indeed stop, turning to face her, a sad smile on his lips. “Vhenan. I was wondering if you would find me.”
“We don’t have to do this, Solas.” She emphatically does not want to do this. She doesn’t even know if she can kill him, since he’s some sort of god. But she will try, if he refuses to give up this foolish game. “We can walk away, right now.”
“I wish we could.” He turns back to the ruin behind him, and now she can’t move. “I’m sorry, vhenan. This is how it has to be.”
“It isn’t!” She struggles briefly against his magic, but it holds her tight. “Let me go!”
“I can’t let you interrupt.” Solas steps towards the circle of pillars in the courtyard. Now overgrown with grass and other plant life, but still thrumming with power. “This is where I erected the veil. And where it will come back down.”
Tears well up in her eyes, and Alea tries desperately to blink them away. “Solas, you can’t bring back the world that was! Even if you bring down the veil!”
His shoulders tense briefly, before relaxing again. “I know. I can’t bring back Arlathan. But I can make this world better than it is. Make it better for everyone.”
“Except for everyone who dies when you do this!” She grits her teeth, willing herself to move, even though she knows it’s pointless. “Is that worth it?”
“Many people died when I did it the first time,” Solas answers, glancing back at her. “Sometimes, for a better world, sacrifice is needed.”
Even though she loves him, in this moment, she’s disgusted by him. “It’s cowardice to only sacrifice others and not yourself.”
He stops, turning fully to face her again, expression unreadable. “Is that truly what you think of me?”
She doesn’t bother to hide her disgust. “Do you truly not care for the lives of the people you’re sacrificing?”
“Of course I care!” Solas’ face tightens, and his magic loosens it’s hold on her. Just a little bit. “I do not make this sacrifice lightly. I would not make it at all if I had the choice!”
“You do have a choice!” Alea snarls. “You can choose not to destroy this world! I know it’s not as good as the one you remember, but it’s what we have.”
“I would give you a better world! Why wouldn’t you want that?”
“It’s not worth it! You can’t decide for everyone what’s best for them!” She tries to lower her bow, tries to plead with him one last time. “Please, vhenan, forget this. We can make this world a better place. Together.”
Solas just shakes his head. “I’m sorry, ma vhenan. This is how it has to be.” He turns away from her again, beginning to place runes around the circle. She continues to desperately struggle against his magic, but it’s no use. He gave her an inch, and then nothing more.
Tears finally spill over, falling down her cheeks, and the ache of a broken heart blossoms in her chest. “Solas. Please.”
He continues his work, ignoring her, and her heart shatters.
Despite her best efforts, a sob escapes her. Everything threatens to overwhelm her, and there’s nothing she can do about it. She can’t even hide her face.
Solas glances over at her finally, looking uncertain. The next moment her bow and arrows are gone, and she’s free. She drops to her knees, hiding her face in her hands.
Footsteps approach, and then gentle hands cup her face, lifting it out of her hands, which fall to her lap. Solas’ face reflects hers, sadness etched in every line. “Vhenan. I’m sorry things could not be different.”
“Me too,” she whispers softly. And shoves her knife in between his ribs and into his heart.
Surprise and pain flit across his face, and he stares at her. “Alea…?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, tears streaming down her face. He crumples forward and she catches him, cradling him to her chest. “I’m so sorry.”
Solas reaches up, cupping her cheek. “No. Ar lath ma, vhenan. Ir abelas.”
“What?” She stares at him in disbelief, dread filling her. He was sorry? Sorry for what?
He frowns, struggling to form words, his hand slipping away from her. “I didn’t… want it to be your burden.”
In horror she watches as his blood curls upwards, towards the magic of the runes. The pillars pulse brightly, sending a beacon into the sky. There’s nothing she can do as the veil begins to dissipate around them, destroying the only world she’s ever known.
