Inquisition's "Bad Future" and its Relationship to Solas' POV
please do not add hate to this post, bring up the art book, or bring up the books/comics. thank you!
if you decide to recruit the mages to help seal the breach, then the inquisitor and dorian will be plunged into a "bad future", going forward a year
there is no way to proceed without "resetting" the timeline, without putting it back to the moment that they were flung into the future. but during the bad future, leliana says - accurately - that while dorian and the inquisitor see this almost as a bad dream, a thing to be undone, that it was real. their hurt was real. their joy was real. they existed in that year
and we as players are made complicit in erasing the entirety of that existence
this puts us in solas' position! this shows us his fundamental perspective!
he woke a year before the events of inquisiton, to a world that he, too, felt needed to be "reset". like the inquisitor and dorian, he saw the current state of the world as an intolerable deviation from what should be, and was willing to sacrifice people - as the inquisitor and dorian did - in order to put it back on the right path
granted, the world was in great peril in this bad future. the inquisition itself was destroyed. maybe many of those in southern ferelden would have welcomed the chance to have this all "undone"...
but what of those beyond? somewhere, a child was born in that year, and then erased. not killed, to be remembered, but fully erased from the course of history, made into something that never existed. somewhere in the world, someone did something that meant a great deal to them or to others in that year: again, that action was erased. they cannot be remembered, it cannot be remembered, it is gone
so, did the world need to be reset? i mean... that was probably the safest bet, if you want the world itself/the cultures as a whole/the people as a whole to have the best chance of survival
which, again, is kinda solas' thing. he's not out here just mercilessly killing for its own sake. he openly resents having to kill anybody, even enemies, although resenting it has certainly not stayed his hand
solas thought it would be necessary, which is something i've talked about before:
Solas and Veilfall: Why it Was Necessary... Until it Wasn't
Solas and Veilfall; Not a Hero, Not a Selfish Monster
"People are always dying. It is what they do." (contains an analysis of this bad future timeline as well!)
and what he was doing was necessary - perhaps not all of it (was tearing down the veil necessary or desired? it's unclear!) - but certainly dealing with the evanuris was necessary. even flemythal, who discouraged him from tearing down the veil, admitted that dealing with the "gods" was a necessary action. even the veilguard believe that what solas did in the time of arlathan was just and right
in the bad magic future, we are solas. we are waking to a world rendered horrible, a miserable experience compared to that which we knew. but, really, what all do we see? redcliffe castle. we hear about more, but it's just hearsay. in-game, it clearly doesn't take more than a day to erase that year in its entirety
what if the corruption was contained? what if there was an effort being mounted against it, one which might have been successful? what if all that remained of ferelden and orlais had joined forces? what if the dwarves had regained their ancestral magic somehow? what if spirits freely interacted with the world outside of this area of prime corruption?
hell, put all that aside: what if the corruption was false? what if everything we experience in that bad future was the work of a demon, or of alexius himself? what if having the inquisitor and dorian "undo" what he had done was his final effort to save felix? what if he created a horrific showpiece that presented a nightmare as reality and forced them to change it back?
is any of that likely? probably not! but the thing is: the inquisitor and dorian do not and cannot know
just as solas did not and could not know... in the beginning!
had his initial plan succeeded, he would have been as willing as the inquisitor and dorian to take that step. as confident that, even with the costs, it was right, it was just, it was necessary
i'm pretty sure more people do the mage route than the templar route. but whatever the analytics may say, certainly many people have done the mage route and have played through this entire narrative, up to and including erasing it and then continuing on with the game
and, narratively, it prepares us for solas' announcement. and it draws a comparison between the inquisitor and dorian and solas himself
and the thing is... the inquisitor and dorian remember that. as two individuals opposed to solas in some manner in canon, they also have to carry forward the knowledge that, in somewhat similar circumstances, they made the choice that solas tried to make. it is entirely likely that they bury this awareness, that they cover it, that they try to forget... but their actions remain, and the unknown cost remains, even though it has been erased
it's the end. the way solas strokes their hand. the way he begs them to stand down, to let it happen
it's the way he is so, so desperate to not kill them
and, well. most of u probably know my feelings re: the canonicity of supplementary materials (books, comics, etc.), so as with all that supplementary canon i hold this in a kinda... quantum state of true-and-false simultaneously, but... felassan
solas and felassan were so close
and solas kills him
so, rook. why does he not kill rook? it would be so easy
but there's an element of this that cannot, in my opinion, be overstated. to disregard its impact is to miss a huge amount of solas' emotional state in this game: rook means so much to solas
rook is his ONLY connection to the outside world for the entire time he's imprisoned. for a game that is about hope in so many ways, rook is notably solas' only hope - and it is a brutal kind of hope, using them, manipulating them. but it is still worth pointing out that, for solas, while he is existing in the regret prison, rook is his symbol of hope
as well as his hope, rook is his only connection to reality, his only reprieve from regret and memory. when rook is not talking to him, he's being drowned in his deepest regrets again and again and again. relentlessly. because he is brutal, when he feels he needs to be. thus, the prison would be brutal, unyielding, and exacting
now, ppl talk about solas in that prison as though it did nothing for him. but i don't think that's true at all. i think it's a factor - one of many - that allows him to set aside his long-standing goals (other crucial factors include: the inquisitor; rook; varric; mythal; and a significant change in circumstances with all the evanuris now dead)
he has always been steeped in his regrets, we know that. but he has also set them aside. whether the murals were a way to bury his regrets, to imbue them in art and apart from himself, to feel them less, is iirc implied but still uncertain, bc dragon age as a series has long been predicated on narrative uncertainty. but either way, he is able to avoid dwelling on his regrets overmuch - whether through ridding himself of them, or through focusing on action, goals, etc.
but in the prison, he cannot avoid them. and upon his escape, i think he does not want another regret. he cannot avoid the weight of them any longer, and they are heavy
he does not want to kill rook, because he does not want to regret killing rook. is this selfish? of course! a part of it IS about him wanting to spare his own feelings. but another part is that he knows that rook is a person, and he's never wanted to kill anybody...
he also does not want to regret tearing down the veil. he does not want to regret the deaths that will follow. he also does not want to cause death: both these things can exist simultaneously
but that is viewing rook in a sort of... abstract, generalized way. while that is an aspect - rook is a person; solas does not want to kill people; ergo, solas does not want to kill rook - it is more important to consider the relationship between solas and rook
solas is suffering in that prison. rook's visits are, would have to be, bright spots amidst that suffering. to me, this is just basic: repeatedly, solas' only relief comes in the form of rook's visits. they're complex in their own way, of course, but it is the only interaction he gets outside of his own worst memories being replayed endlessly
so, in the end, solas is being confronted by the inquisitor, mythal, and rook, all of whom are asking him to stop
confronted by mortality. by immortality
confronted by people he has misled, used, manipulated
and he is seen by them. all of them see him
-a shared moment of understanding; seeing completely, and being wholly seen.
Memory of a Duet (codex)
while the above is about mythal - the codex entry is shown with her tarot card, after all - it also points to a deep desire of solas'. he wants to be seen. to be known. and to be accepted
mythal knows who he was, and much of who he is
the inquisitor knows who he pretended to be, but i think there was significant truth in that pretense: it was who he wanted to be, who he could have been. it was a mask, yes, but not a complete falsehood by any means
and rook knows him from his regrets, from his actions, and from the way others speak about him. knows him from varric's accounts as they traveled together to stop solas. knows him from the inquisitor's accounts. knows what he is willing to do, how far he is willing to go, because he does so with rook
to have these three see him, know him, and accept him...? to have them ask him to stop, to tell him that everything can still be forgiven...?
it must have felt so surreal. i am sure part of his time in the regret prison was each of them calling him a monster. saying they wished they'd never met him. telling him to his face that he ruined everything, ruined them
that is the fear
and this is the reality
and i just... i cannot imagine what all is going through his mind. it's little wonder he breaks down
god i just love him so fucking much. but, to speak on the solrook of it all... he does care about rook. i don't think there's any real room for interpretation on that. if he didn't, he'd have killed them. he's killed other people who he cares for (note: i'm not necessarily arguing that he cares more about rook than he did about felassan - i don't want to compare relationships like that - but i think it is fair to say that he has changed since that time)
and rook is the one who has the final choice. the one who can choose to return the dagger to the god of lies. the one who can show such utter vulnerability and, yes, hope, their own hope, their hope for solas, in that final moment
it's hard to imagine him not falling at least a little in love right then. he may not be aware of it at the time, but seriously, that's so profound, that's so formative, that's so shaping. and he has always loved those who shape the world and who shape him
please do not add hate to this post, bring up the art book, or bring up the books/comics. thank you!
in the beginning:
solas, in arlathan, seeks to free the slaves. he tries to convince the evanuris with words and with letters. when that fails, he begins a rebellion. given what we see in the memories, this rebellion appears to have started with the cultivation of close interpersonal dynamics
rook seeks to stop solas' ritual. varric tries to convince him with words. when that fails, varric attacks and solas kills him. when the ritual is disrupted, when the evanuris are freed, rook begins… what is, essentially, a rebellion. this rebellion is based around the cultivation of close interpersonal dynamics
in the end:
solas, in arlathan, realizes that the evanuris are seeking the full power of the blight and reaches out to mythal. when she confronts them, they kill her. solas imprisons them
"They killed Mythal. (Chuckles.) A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment."
note: in this situation, I truly don't think there was any viable alternative. the evanuris were already blighted and empowered by their dragon thralls; impossible to kill, too far gone to save, too corrupted to sway, although he tried, countless times
rook, in minrathous, chooses what to do with the dagger. essentially, they free him or imprison him, specifically in a prison that is designed to torment its prisoners—something rook is intimately aware of, having been trapped in that prison
parallels:
while veilguard is, of course, its own unique narrative, it also allows us to follow in solas' thematic footsteps. the situation has changed—pointedly, he is now the enemy, but there are many other changes as well—but the underlying structure remains similar. an attempt to sway peacefully. failing that, the start of a rebellion; the beginnings of which are strongly idealistic and oriented towards people, the latter stages of which are far more rooted in practicality than morality. at the end of that, the opportunity to imprison the enemy
rook is different than solas. and solas is different from the other evanuris. but solas in the beginning was different than he was in the end. and rook is traveling that same path. the more brutal choices they must make, the more they must weigh life and death, the more they travel the path that so damaged solas, the more they become willing to use his exact same methods
noting the inquisitor : dread wolf parallels:
worth mentioning, although not the main point of this meta, is how these two also have substantial parallels. the title that usurps their true name and identity; the ascension to something akin to/related to divinity; and the bad magic future timeline in DAI that so directly parallels what solas' awakening to the modern world would have been like (discussed in more detail here!), one which the inquisitor resets, erasing everything that happened in that year; not out of malice for the people currently alive, but because of a conviction that this was the only option
conclusions:
through the narrative of both inquisition and veilguard, we as players essentially walk solas' entire path. we walk the dinan'shiral… and we don't know until the end that we are walking it!
the inquisitor resetting the timeline feels justified, inevitable, right… which is exactly how solas felt and feels about his ritual, except he, unlike the inquisitor, lives in the modern era for long enough to recognize that it has its own inherent value
rook begins a rebellion against the tyranny of the evanuris—exactly as solas did, so long ago—and can end that rebellion the same way he did: with punitive justice. rook can walk solas' path to the point of, in many ways, becoming him… or rook can step free of his path at the last. can offer the dagger. offer their trust. offer their faith. they can be vulnerable
it's not the safest option. it is not the wisest. it is not the most guaranteed. and that is where they can diverge from solas' path; not by being foolish or naive, but by choosing to re-embody the emphasis on people
and solas is a person. rook sees that, just like solas eventually learned to see modern people as people
Stopping Solas' Ritual: The Necessity of Mythal, the Inquisitor, and Rook
Solas was so dedicated to his course. But Mythal, the Inquisitor, and Rook were the keys to turning him from that course, each for their own reason and because of their unique dynamic with Solas.
Mythal:
With Mythal, they love each other. She says, explicitly, in-game, that she still loves him. and so much of what he is doing, he is doing for her - but it is, notably and importantly, not something she wants. This is one of multiple ways his grief, guilt, and regret are coloring his perception. Because he feels at fault for her death. Her first death, I mean, at the hands of the Evanuris; he obviously is responsible for Flemythal's death/"death" .
And I am not adding this as a justification, but as a fact; a death that Flemythal 100% permitted. She had all the power in that moment. I think this is an important part of their overall dynamic that can sometimes get glossed over; he killed her, and that is horrible, but she could have stopped him so easily and chose not to. To me, this reads as an obvious inversion of his taking form being so traumatic and harmful to who/what he was, a sort of death of Wisdom, but he did it for her; and she let him kill her for her power, and she did it for him.
The Inquisitor:
Now, the Inquisitor. They are a direct victim of Solas', and he knows it, even if for a long time they do not. And they are a victim in a unique way... what he did to them - unintentional, but still caused by him, as was the case with Mythal's first death - was not to kill or destroy them, but to force them to take on the burden of leadership. This is a pain he knows deeply. He knows how it wears on a person. He knows how leaders are transformed into something both more and less than what and who they really are. He knows what it is to be seen as a figurehead, to be worshipped, to be associated with godhood/seen as part of gods.
He has to watch someone struggle with the exact same things he struggled with. and there is a parallel here, too; where Mythal asked him to come, asked him to take form, because she needed his help, and how that destroyed him (because i do agree that it did destroy him), he is now in something very like that position, watching the Inquisitor be destroyed in a way - because they, too, are destroyed in a way, although they certainly fare better than Solas did - and knowing the whole time it is because of him...
He has to watch someone be twisted by his actions. And especially if he loves them - platonically or romantically - then he is in Mythal's position. She had to watch him twisting and know that it was because of her; he has to watch the Inquisitor twisting and know that it is because of him.
Rook:
And then Rook. Rook is no less important in this! And although I 100% love solrook, that's not why i'm saying this. It is Rook's specific narrative role that matters so much, and the way they interrelate with Solas on multiple levels.
For one thing, Solas and Rook are connected by Varric. They both care deeply about him. Solas tried to deter Varric, but he could have killed Varric at any point. And Solas knows about Rook, although that is neither surprising nor entirely relevant at first. Rook is just a factor he has to be aware of.
And Rook distracted him during the height of the ritual, yes. But I have seen other people - I would mention them here if i could remember their urls and will add them in later if i can find the posts again - point out that Rook's disruption was likely not what destroyed the ritual; rather, it was Solas stabbing Varric, a dwarf, with the lyrium dagger. I agree with this view, although it did not click with me until i read it. But it makes sense - the lyrium dagger is fundamentally derived from the Titans, who have an integral relationship with the dwarves, as we see when Harding touches the dagger. And blood/blood magic is a theme in Dragon Age in general, and I would argue, in Veilguard in particular. No, we can't play as a blood mage this time, and we don't see it as often, but the entire nature of the dagger is rooted in blood magic, as is Solas' connection to Rook. Blood magic is a narrative underpinning of Veilguard.
Okay I got a little sidetracked there. Point is: Solas knew about Rook, knew about some of their tactics, but I think Rook surprising him and disrupting the ritual was not actually what caused it to fail. It was that scuffle he had with Varric and stabbing him that caused it to fail. Solas was regaining control of the ritual before that moment. But the interaction between the dagger - Titan blood - and Varric - a dwarf - caused something to happen to the ritual. Caused it to fail, or shift. Whether through what is more or less a "mechanical" disruption or something more like the Titans themselves impacting it through that connection/reconnection is uncertain, and while interesting, not relevant for this meta.
So, Rook and Solas are connected initially, before they even meet, through Varric. Varric believes in both of them. He recruits Rook to stop Solas, but not to kill him. He does not recruit Rook as a murderer or a god-killer. At the time of Varric's mission, killing a god - or "god," really - was not anywhere on the agenda.
Then Solas is connected to Rook - and only to Rook - through the blood magic ritual (more thematic blood magic!). Solas is at this time sealed away in a prison that feeds on regret, his personal greatest weakness. It is undeniable that he is suffering immensely there. And Rook is his only chance of escape, yes, absolutely; but they are also his only connection to the world outside this replay of his regrets. To the real world, to any real world, even a world that he struggles to see as being as real as what he used to know.
The thing is... I find it literally impossible to believe that Solas, in this situation, does not come to care for Rook. He is utterly isolated, haunted by memory and regret, and Rook is the only disruption to that. Rook's appearances would coincide with moments of relative peace, of a return to something resembling normalcy.
All the same, he uses Rook. He does his best to build up their regrets, their despair, so that he can switch them. This is absolutely brutal. Is it believable? Yes, I think so. Solas thought himself necessary - with cause, I might add, as he is at that point the only one who has ever faced Elgar'nan, who truly knows how powerful his adversary is, although he, of course, could not defeat Elgar'nan alone... and that is another primary theme of Veilguard!
Regardless, while it is entirely possible that he would have tried to switch places with Rook just to gain his own freedom, especially tormented as he would have been in that prison and the things people do when they are pushed to the brink, it was inevitable that he would try, and try as hard as he possibly could, to find a way out because he thought he was the lynchpin in saving the world. In saving any version of the world. Solas continues to be the man for whom the ends justify the means. He does not try to be brutal, but he will be brutal if he feels it necessary.
And of course, Varric. Varric's memory. However you interpret the mechanics behind this, the fact is that Solas refused to let Rook understand that Varric was dead. Dead by Solas' own hand.
Again, this is extremely brutal.
All of Them:
Mythal represents his past, of course, and their shared past. She represents the well (see what I did there?) of deep knowledge, the one who has seen what and who Solas was and what and who he became. He is, in many ways, her victim; and she is, in many ways, his victim.
The Inquisitor is one of his victims, someone who he unintentionally forced to play the same role that so damaged him.
And Rook is another victim; and unlike the Inquisitor, he has has comparatively little good interactions with Rook, although their understanding of him is contextualized by their relationship with Varric, their correspondence with the Inquisitor, witnessing his regrets, and their conversation with Mythal and Morrigan.
He is... forgiven might not be the right word for everyone. But three people he has deeply hurt - and in Mythal's case, has been hurt by, because the situation they were in was always an impossible one - trusting him to do the right thing... I think that was what was needed.
They all knew him. Parts of him. Mythal knew Wisdom; the Inquisitor knew Solas; Rook knew the Dread Wolf. And their respective and combined knowledge allowed them to trust him, even after everything.
Mythal releasing him from her service - which I need to clarify, I do not interpret as a literal "releasing him from her binding," but more of a "you do not have to continue to fight for me and for what we had and what we were and what we worked towards; it is the past, and you can move on."
The Inquisitor saying that they will forgive him for everything, for lying to them, if he stops now.
And Rook handing him the dagger after everything...
Varric asked if Solas was trying to convince him or convince himself. At the end of Trespasser, Solas told the Inquisitor some part of what he was doing and left them alive. He had them travel through his history, to see, know, and understand him. This was not necessary, and in fact, posed a considerable risk to his plans. He also helped the Inquisitor stem the Qunari invasion. Had he let it happen, the Inquisition would have been drawn into a state of war and he would have likely had a much easier time fulfilling his purpose. But he did not want everyone to suffer... he wanted them to live as well and as freely as they could until the end.
But also, he did want to be stopped. He always wanted to be stopped. He just couldn't bring himself to stop, the tally too high already. Sunk cost, yes, but such uniquely horrible sunk costs. And then three people who numbered amongst the horrible things he had done in pursuit of his goal trusting him to stop.
And Varric. Of course, Varric. He played a role here, too. He played such an integral role. He may not have been standing in that group at the end, but he was how they all got there. He was the beginning of the end - and a good end. The kind of story he never really got to write.
usual caveat that this is not @ anyone - i care about people who have expressed frustration with this, and i am not using this space to criticize any individual 💖
however, this is in response to generalized hatred towards solavellan shippers/the ship itself in fandom spaces
The short version is: I think the narrative emphasis on a solavellan worldstate makes perfect sense.
In DAI, all romances get closure. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this point, as I haven't gone through and fully done all of them, but all those I have done certainly have closure at the end. I'm including Trespasser as part of the DAI narrative arc, for clarity, but a lot of the relationships had a sense of closure even without the DLC.
Solavellan is the obvious, major exception.
Now, is Veilguard for Solavellan shippers? No! It is its own game, a narrative continuity of a series that has been going on for a long time. But Solas is a key character in both DAI - though we don't realize just how key for most of the game - and DAVG.
Solas being a key character means, by extension, Solavellan is a key romance. Note that I am not saying it is the "canon" romance. But Solavellan has ties to the overall narrative of both DAI and DAVG in a way no other DAI canon ship does. It's not necessary to the narrative of DAVG or the conclusion of the game, but it does play a significant role. As such, of course they paid more attention to it.
And what I said earlier, about closure? The only way for the Solavellan ship to gain closure is through concluding Solas' narrative arc - so it could not be achieved in DAI, only DAVG. For the original Solavellan shippers when the game was new, they've been waiting ten years - I think they're allowed a little excitement and satisfaction.
Now, would it have been nice for them to pay as much attention to the other romances the Inquisitor could have? Of course! I also imagine they wanted to. But game dev in general is a nightmare industry and this particular game went through so many hurdles. So I really can't blame them for focusing on developing the Inquisitor romance that had the most potential bearing on the plot of this game, and kind of losing the others.
None of this is to say that complaints about that are wrong or should not be made; rather, this post is directed at people who are angry at/blaming (somehow???) Solavellan shippers for the state of the game.
Similarly, it makes sense to me how Solavellan dominates the Solas shipping field. I'm a multishipper at heart and I love writing rarepairs with him, but honestly, every ship with him that isn't with a female Lavellan is a rarepair. And this is natural! It's about that lack of closure. People had a canon romance with their canon Inquisitor and they didn't get any closure on that relationship for ten years, of course they're going to be prevalent in fandom.
I just don't understand the deep frustration/outright hate at times for Solavellan as a ship or for Solavellan shippers. It's weird. Their - our - presence, even dominance, in fandom spaces has an obvious reason. You're allowed to not like it! To be disappointed or annoyed or whatever. I have no problem with that. But there are always people taking it too far.
Blaming a specific group of shippers in fandom spaces for the outcome of a videogame made by a big industry sure is a choice.
i've had this thought floating around and i can't pin it down in my head so maybe writing it out will work who knows!!!!
solas = the past
lavellan = the present
mythal = the future
in terms of what they represent narratively and also what they're the most attached to
and ofc i'm sitting here like "well okay but-" bc yes ofc solas is attached to/associated with the past, but he's also working towards a future - but the future is a (partial) replication of the past
and ofc mythal is working for the present rn too. but while solas does have a long view, mythal's long view is immense. and she's been out and about for much longer too! in the world, shaping it. but idk, i don't think she's trying to make it a shape. solas is, but mythal? she's just trying to steer it in a better direction. better according to her, her experience, but with the emphasis seemingly on survival and continuation
and lavellan, by contrast, is - as a narrative role, and this is in fact true of any inquisitor - deeply rooted in the present. they have to be. the world - their world, the world they know, knew - is coming apart, literally at the seams. the sky has a fucking hole in it. the surreal terror of that would be immense.
usual caveat i gotta add when it's not explicit otherwise but i love solas i love mythal i love lavellan i love solythal i love solavellan none of this is in conflict okay 💖
i'm still on about solas and mythal being immortal together while those they care about - and hosts, in mythal's case - are not
i'm especially thinking about it with nessa/daw/solas, where nessa/solas have a daughter, revas
nessa will die, eventually. as will daw. as will revas, for that matter. but he gets to see them through their lives, all of them. he gets to watch his daughter grow up, and possibly have children of her own, who he might get to watch grow up, and so on
or perhaps revas does not have children. it isn't important that she does
but what is important is that after every single death, solas seeks out mythal. and they sit, and they talk. about life. about the changes in the world. about death. after nessa's death, mythal encourages him to talk about her. to tell her everything, exactly the way he wants to say it; to tell her of their meeting, their rocky beginnings, the way she pursued him. of the ways she frustrated and challenged him
she is not, in this moment, his counsel, but his confidante. she listens and she hears. and he recounts it in full; at times he cries, at times he's angry, at times he's laughing, they're both laughing, deeply charmed by some aspect of nessa and solas' history together
mythal is his friend. she is there for him when he needs her
when daw dies, the same thing. when revas dies... that's probably the hardest for him, but that's also what mythal understands best, in a way. through flemeth
and he discusses all his important connections with her, not just lovers and child/children. friends that he has made, and friends he will make. because... he's going to live. he will meet new people, and he will come to care for them. he will be with them until they are gone, and he will endure after, as he always has and always will
but when he endures, he seeks out mythal
he has other children. it does not happen with everyone, but it does happen. perhaps he has a whole lineage he can watch grow, perhaps not. he meets new people. finds new friends. new loves. life continues, and he continues with it
and he is there for mythal in exactly the same way. when morrigan ages, when mythal seeks another host, and when mythal - the woman who was held in flemeth, who was flemythal, and then who was morrithal, hosted by morrigan - mourns her daughter-host, he will be there for her. in the same way she helps him mourn each of his losses, he helps her mourn hers. and he helps her new host acclimate to the weight of her; and, very likely, to the loss of her previous host, as it seems to be unusual that the new host has no relationship to the prior host
perhaps kieran will be next. perhaps someone else entirely, someone else morrigan/morrithal meets. whoever it is, solas will be there to help mythal and the new host mourn the old
and when someone who is not the host but in their life passes, solas will be there for them just the same. when leliana dies, they will each mourn her
their relationship is one strewn throughout the centuries, the millennia. they ebb and flow, but always draw together in their grief, an anchor... and the only one who truly, truly understands what it is to live with these myriad, endless losses. what it means to choose to care for people knowing they are fleeting, compared to you. what it means to leave yourself vulnerable, horribly vulnerable, to endless grief... but also to such joys, such beauty, such wonder. to value that which frightens you
they understand. they understand perfectly. and so, they are endless. persistent. they comfort, they counsel, they confide. they meet in times of need, whatever form the need takes. they are immortal in a world of mortality
