Summary: (What-If Scenario) At Crestwood, instead of breaking Levellan's heart, Solas reveals the truth about himself, and things play out far differently for our Inquisitor and her mage. But, like most things, happy endings are rarely ever what they seem to be.

A/N: Okay, so long story short, I read on a DA Wiki that a romanced Solas intended to tell Levellan the truth about who/what he was and even give up his plans, but decided better of it and broke up with her instead.

Well... reading that got me thinking - the premise of what he could have done differently is an interesting one, and considering I'm still a long way from over my obsession with this pairing, what kind of person would I be if I didn't take a crack at it?

I'm not sure if something like this has been done on this site, but this is me not really caring.

Enjoy ;)

Disclaimer: The day my evil plan works out and I become the queen of the world is the day I call these characters my own... until then, Bioware and EA owns everything.

Definitions
(Love is...)

"Am I wrong?/For thinking out of the box from where I stay?
Am I wrong?/For saying that I choose another way?
I ain't tryna do what everybody else doing/Just 'cause everybody doing what they all do.
If one thing I know, I'll fall but I'll grow -
I'm walking down this road of mine, this road that I call home."

"So am I wrong?/For thinking that we can be something for real?
Now am I wrong?/For trying to reach the things that I can't see?"
- Nico & Vinz, 'Am I Wrong?' Lyrics

-Trust-

Arriving at the mouth of the cave, when he turned around, Solas felt himself smiling as he watched the Inquisitor tried to placate her hart. Seemingly intent on keeping her attention, the bluish-grey stag made odd bleating sounds as she stroked its face, clearly enjoying itself if the lazy look in its half-lidded eyes were any indication.

Feeling Solas's eyes on her, Levellan looked over her shoulder and gave him a fond, exasperated look but laughed when the animal nudged at her hands.

She laid her hand against its face, giving it a half-stern, half-amused look. The hart whined childishly but seemed to understand the intent behind the gesture, and with one final affectionate nuzzle, turned and rejoined Solas's horse nearby on its own.

As she walked up to him, Solas quirked an eyebrow. "I'm surprise he isn't coming along with us." He said dryly, holding out his hand.

Hunter green eyes lit up as she reached out and laced her fingers through his. "I doubt his antlers would fit." She said matter-of-factly. "Bruce will just have to settle with guarding the entrance."

He shook his head. "Nor can I believe you actually named him that."

Levellan shrugged. "He looked like a Bruce." She said nonchalantly, distracted momentarily when he then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingertips. "That aside... you never told me why we're out here."

He readjusted her hand in his grip and pressed another kiss against her pulse this time. "Didn't I?" he asked vaguely though she could feel a smile against the skin.

"You didn't, in fact. But I'll admit this much, you do have me curious."

"Good." He lowered their hands and squeezed. "Patience, ma Vhenan."

She made a mild humming sound in the back of her throat before she turned towards the cave entrance.

Solas then extended his other hand, turning it so that his palm was facing up and created a single tongue of blue fire to light the way forward, and with a gentle tug he lead her inside.

They walked in comfortable silence, the only sounds being the echo of the wind and the soft drip dripping above their heads.

Eventually, when they saw light up ahead, Solas cut off the flame in his hand. Levellan's breath caught, and that anxious knot in his chest he had since they left Skyhold coiled tighter when he saw the awed look on her face.

Still... ever composed, Solas didn't let his nerves show. "The Veil is thin here." He began steadily. "Can you feel it on your skin, tingling?"

She turned to him and tilted her head, lips tugging up at the corners as she looked at him with both amusement and curiosity.

There was a nervous flutter next to the knot in his chest before Solas reached up and cupped her cheek. "I... was trying to determine some way to show you what you mean to me."

Levellan must have noticed the slight waver in his voice as she squeezed his hand back briefly. When she spoke again, she kept her tone light, teasing. "I'm listening, and I can offer a few suggestions."

He appreciated the effort and smiled. "I'll keep that in mind." He said quietly, and then, more seriously, "...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."

Her eyes softened. "As you are to me."

"Then what I must tell you..." He trailed off, only to catch himself before the words could leave his mouth.

Where could he possibly begin? The thought almost made him want to laugh. He knew what he wanted to say, just not how to encroach the subject, and not only that, but there was so much he wanted to share with her - so much more he wanted to tell her.

He wanted to give her the truth, she deserved it. He'd thought about it countless times before, how the scenario would play out, thought about all the possible outcomes. However, if there was one thing he'd come both to love and fear about Ellana Levellan was her tendency to surprise him... and not always in the best way.

Noticing his prolonged silence, Levellan looked at him with concern. "Solas?"

Briefly, he thought about telling her about the Vallaslin first... but reconsidered.

Then, the answer dawned on him and it took much not to just blink in astonishment at the pure simplicity of it.

He could show her.

Solas turned his head towards the pool and cliff face at the end of the area, narrowing his eyes contemplatively.

When he turned back to Levellan, he made up his mind.

"I must show you something."

"I... thought you were already." She said as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Solas, what is going on?"

"It's difficult to explain." He said quietly.

"What about this 'truth' you wanted to tell me?"

"You will have it, I promise. But before I do..." He tightened his grip on her hand, blue eyes intense, "Vhenan, do you trust me?"

She blinked at him for a moment before nodding. "Of course I do."

"Then come with me." He said and took a step back before leading her over to the water.

Solas let go of her hand before stepping up to the edge of the pool, and Levellan watched in stunned silence as he raised a makeshift walkway made out of stone leading up to the back.

Once he was close enough, he waved his hand and dispelled the magic he felt there - when he did, the illusion surrounding it gave way and revealed a tall mirror within the cliffs.

He heard her gasp behind him. "Is that...?" Levellan began.

Solas grimaced when he put his hand against eluvian only to have nothing happen at first.

Gritting his teeth, he focused on the surge of magic he felt coursing through his arm, pressing down harder until blue light erupted underneath his palm and spread out across the smooth, glassy surface.

When he turned back to her, Levellan was staring at him in shock and awe, an unspoken question in her eyes. Instead of answering her outright however, he held out his hand for her to take again.

Confused but undoubtedly curious now, she took a tentative step forward and took his hand. With a nod, she then allowed herself to be lead in as Solas took them through the mirror.

The path Solas had lead them on when they stepped through was broken, uneven and - like everything else in the Crossroads - looked like it hadn't been used in centuries.

It ran through the shattered remains of, as it looked to Levellan, what must have been a city once. A thin mist hung in the air obscuring the way forward, and while some of the surrounding buildings seemed entirely untouched, there were either entire chunks missing from others or were suspended in midair.

What really caught Levellan's interest, however, was the fact that the ruin itself wasn't entirely abandoned, as she would occasionally see spirits drifting in-between.

She half expected Solas to have stopped them over at some point so he could speak with one, but instead, her mage just seemed unusually tense, almost nervous.

They hadn't said a word to each other since they'd been there, and despite all the questions she wanted to ask, she resisted... for the time being.

Eventually, they reached a circular courtyard lined with a dozen or so more eluvians.

Although most of the mirrors were broken, there were a handful that weren't. Walking up to one of them, Solas spoke something under his breath before it lit up.

Before they went in, Levellan tugged at his hand and frowned when she saw the look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

He hesitated at first before speaking. "Nothing exactly, but in hindsight, I may not have thought this all the way through."

"That doesn't sound like you." She said, smiling slightly.

"No, it doesn't." He agreed and sighed. "I'm not entirely sure what you'll make of what I'm about to show you."

"I doubt it can be that bad, Solas."

He looked away. "That remains to be seen."

Her grip on his hand tightened. "Yes it does." She said taking a step closer to him. "But one thing's for certain, we're not turning back now."

The way she said it left no room for argument. "I suppose it is too late for that, isn't it?"

Levellan reached up to his face and turned it back to her, making him look at her. "You asked me earlier if I trusted you."

"Vhenan-"

"Please, let me finish." She said firmly. "I told you that I did, and I meant it. But right now, I need you to trust me too."

"I do." He said sincerely.

She pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Good. Then there's nothing to worry about."

Something in his eyes turned sad, and then, softly, "...You could be wrong about that."

"I could be," she allowed, "but we won't know until we find out for ourselves, will we?"

-Truth-

Levellan was temporarily blinded by the daylight that greeted her when they stepped out again. Squinting, she held her arm in front of her eyes until they adjusted to the harsh light. Once they did and she lowered her arm again, she was astonished when she saw where they were.

From where they were, she could see a lush valley surrounded by mountains, and moreover, buildings by the lake below.

"This is..." She looked around herself before turning her head back to Solas. "We're not even in Fereldan anymore, are we?"

He shook his head before gently tugging at her hand. "Come, there is more to see further ahead."

Levellan went along eagerly as he then lead her to another mirror nearby. It took them a relatively short distance away, and when they stepped out, a bridge leading to a large building that lay in front of them.

"Creators above, look at that..." she said. "It's completely untouched."

"The mountains surrounding this valley are impassable," Solas answered. "The only way to access it would be through the eluvians."

She nodded, accepting the explanation. "That would explain it... But, now that we're on the subject - you knew, didn't you? About the mirrors." she said, looking at him directly. "Even before Morrigan told us about them."

At the mention of the other woman, he scoffed. "They are a part of our people's history. I would imagine I could tell you more about them than what the witch thinks she knows."

Levellan tilted her head slightly. "You could have shared. It might have saved us some trouble."

"I had no reason to then, but I do now." He said, squeezing her hands.

She smiled. "Well then, in that case, I suppose it's better late than never. But this place... what was it for?"

"You'll see." He promised.

Much to Levellan's growing frustration, Solas said little else as he took her to a different part of the fortress. She was tempted to do what she did to her twin brother when they were children and just pin him to the ground and keep him there until he stopped being mysterious.

As she let her eyes roam over his body, however, she had to bite down on her lower lip to keep herself from grinning like a fool, liking the idea the more she thought about it. Solas might have been taller than Mahanon was, but she was confident she could take him... and if not on the first go, she would definitely have fun trying.

Her shameless ogling was interrupted when they reached the top of the staircase they were on and Solas made them stop walking. Looking up, Levellan was startled when she saw a group of spirits standing guard up ahead.

She hesitated, noticing their weapons until Solas smiled at her encouragingly and walked up to the tallest of the spirits and apparent leader.

Upon seeing him approaching, instead of attacking, an excited babble broke out among the them.

Lowering their weapons, when Solas was close enough they suddenly fell quiet, and much to Levellan's surprise, the flaking spirits bowed while the leader greeted him enthusiastically in what she could only guess was Ancient Elven.

"Friends or yours?" she surmised.

Solas nodded before looking at the leader and spoke in a low, smooth voice. Although she couldn't make out most of what they were saying, she got the gist of it when she heard her own name and the spirit turned and observed her with interest.

Without warning, it shocked her by laughing, its tone almost teasing when it spoke to Solas again.

Solas, for his part, just rolled his eyes and then, turned back to her. "Ma Vhenan, this is Samahl, champion and one of the protectors of this place for centuries beyond count." He introduced.

Levellan smiled at it. "It's a pleasure."

The warrior sprit, Samahl, chuckled quietly before surprising her yet again by speaking in a clear, slightly accented voice, "I assure you the pleasure is mine. Andaran atish'an. It is good to see a new face after all this time. We had long thought this place to be forgotten - I am glad we were wrong." It said and bowed at her. "Dread Wolf's blessing to you, my lady."

She blinked, caught off guard. "I... Pardon?"

Perhaps noticing her sudden change in posture, Samahl looked at Solas curiously - at the sight of the pointed look it got back, it straightened up. "Ah... I see." It said, looking back at Levellan. "You do not yet know the truth, do you?"

Speechless at that point, when she didn't reply Solas stepped in and addressed the spirit again in Elven. Samahl nodded and just like that, it and the others dispersed and faded away like a mirage.

Levellan looked at him questioningly. "What was he talking about, Solas?"

"That is one of the things I must tell you." He began steadily. "...I assume you know about the Dread Wolf?"

She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Of course. Fen'Harel. He's the god of deception in my people's myths. In the stories, he's said to have locked away the gods of good and evil." She said, saying it like she was repeating it from someone else. She then frowned, perplexed. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"A great deal... considering this valley is his."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "What?" she said sharply. "But he's- Why would you bring me here? Why would you..."

"Because there's more to this place than you realize."

The look in his eyes made Levellan's heart race until the realization dawned on her and she stilled.

"You know something." It wasn't a question.

He nodded. "I do."

She frowned. "But you won't just tell me?"

"You would not believe me if I did - not without proof."

Levellan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when the words failed her, she sighed.

"...Am I going to like this?" she asked with resignation.

"Perhaps not, but, Vhenan, I need you to understand..." There was a quiet plea in his voice, and despite whatever apprehension she may have felt, she relented.

Steeling her nerves, she nodded once.

"Then show me."

So he did.

He showed her the murals - every one of them - and in a matter of hours, he'd disproven everything she'd thought she knew yet again.

All this, without telling her what he knew.

Her reaction in that time ranged from angry confusion to shock - some times, she would swear under her breath or shake her head in disbelief, but mostly, she just stayed quiet and seemed to withdraw deeper into herself.

By the time he took her to the temple on the lake, Levellan was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she barely noticed where they were until Solas squeezed her hand.

He smiled slightly as faraway green eyes blinked back at him in confusion.

When she looked up, a small gasp escaped her as she took in the high, vaulted ceiling and the gilded walls, all intact... if just dusty.

She let go of Solas's hand just then, and he watched on quietly as she walked down the vast hall to take it all in.

That anxious knot from earlier coiled painfully in his chest, but despite it, he allowed himself to admire the sight she made in the fading light of the setting sun as it poured in through the windows.

When she reached the centre of the hall, she lingered by the gilded mural of the wolf for a moment before going on further.

Solas followed after her, his heart growing a little heavier with every step.

He found her standing in front of the painted mural at the end and quietly went over to her side.

Some of the tension left her shoulders as she leaned against him, and when he put his arms around her shoulders, she let her head rest in the crook of his neck.

"The Vallaslin - it's not what we think it is, is it?"

"No." He said quietly.

Her voice was quiet, "Oh..." She reached up to her cheek and traced the dark green line there.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to upset you." he said, holding her tighter.

"I know you didn't." She sighed again before turning around and put her arms around his waist. "Thank you." She murmured. "I didn't expect this, any of it, but I'm grateful."

He reached up and cupped her cheek, and she surprised him when she smiled slightly and leaned into his touch.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly, genuinely curious.

She laid her hand over his and lowered it from her face, lacing their fingers together once more. "Nothing much, I just wonder how I'm going to put all this into a letter."

"You would tell your clan?" he asked, gauging her expression carefully.

"I'd have to eventually, won't I?"

"...They wouldn't believe you." He said quietly.

"I know."

"Would that stop you?"

"No it wouldn't." She said, smiling sadly. "I want to tell them, I just don't know how I'm going to face my Keeper and tell her our gods were glorified, elven versions of Tevinter magisters. She would run me off."

From her tone alone and the way she said it, he could tell she was serious. "You're under no obligation."

"Of course I have an obligation." she said, stepping out of his embrace. "Solas, they're my people, my family. This changes so much - I can't leave them in the dark."

"And if they resent you for telling them?"

She raised her head boldly. "Then let them resent me. We've held on to what remained for so long, and that's kept us back from so much. We could be so much more than we are, and if I can make even one person believe that, isn't that worth the consequences?"

Her voice had become more passionate while the light in her eyes was like fire, bright with her sudden resolve.

She was breathtaking.

Seeing the look he gave her, Levellan came back to herself a little, but before she could say anything else, however, Solas closed the space between them and kissed her. Though she was clearly taken by surprise at first, she responded willingly enough and wrapped her arms around his neck when she felt his hands on at her waist.

Solas didn't notice he had backed them into the wall until he heard a soft gasp and felt the cool surface of the mural underneath his hand.

When the need for air became too desperate and he eventually broke the kiss, the space between their bodies was nonexistent as they stood chest to chest, heart beating wildly against frantic heart, their foreheads pressed together.

Levellan looked at him, dazed and breathless, "What... what was that for?"

"That," he said, not recognizing his voice, "was in case I never get the chance to kiss you again."

She blinked owlishly. "What are you talking about? After that performance, you're definitely kissing me again."

He pulled away, feeling bereft as he did. "You may not feel that way in a moment..."

Blinking several times, Levellan caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned her head, she was startled when she saw Samahl, accompanied with a small army of spirits behind it, standing at the bottom of the stairs, filling the entire hall.

The warrior spirit started clapping ironically, "Forgive the interruption, my friend," it said, its amusement obvious as it dropped its hands and then swept into a courteous bow, "but we've spread word of your return. As you can imagine, most of us were eager to see you. It's been, well, let's just say it's been a while."

Solas nodded back curtly before stepping away from Levellan and turned towards the gathering throng.

Like one, when he stood at the top most step and faced them, the spirits all knelt down in a show of respect.

Behind him, "Solas...?"

When he turned back to her, Levellan was looking at him questioningly, the uncertainty obvious on her face.

His smile back didn't reach his eyes.

"There may be one more thing I need to tell you..."

-Acceptance-

The silence was oppressive and awkward, and hung over their heads like a storm cloud.

Unwilling (or unable) to speak, Levellan was staring ahead without actually seeing anything, and was quietly wondering to herself how her life had gotten so very, very complicated.

She was amazed when she found she could use her voice at all.

"So... you're the Dread Wolf."

They both were sitting on the steps outside of the Sanctuary as night fell over the Valley. When she turned her head, Solas met her stare with a look of quiet desperation and a concerned frown.

His answer was terse, to the point. "Yes."

Levellan swallowed thickly, her facade of calm very nearly slipping when he made to reach for her hand, and while she didn't pull back or flinch, she stiffened at the familiar, gentle touch.

This didn't go unnoticed, and Solas looked away pulling his hand back as he did.

Levellan was equal parts grateful and heartbroken because of it.

"Are you...?" she began uncertainly. "I mean, I know what the murals said, but, are you like Flemeth, or...?"

He shook his head. "No. I was Solas first - 'Fen'Harel' came later." He then frowned. "But, regardless of what name I go by, I... I am still me, Vhenan."

She shut her eyes and inhaled sharply through her nose. "And yet, you're not." She whispered.

"Would you have believed me if I told you outright who- what I was?" he asked.

He had her there.

"That depends - what exactly are you?"

"It is just as the murals you saw say - I am no god, nor have I ever claimed to be one." He then sighed heavily. "However, you remember I told Blackwall that I was a soldier once?" When she nodded, he went on, "Though the truth may be more complicated than that, I did not lie. I was a soldier and I fought in a war against those who would enslave my people."

"The Evanuris."

"Yes."

"...Exactly how long ago was this?"

"It... was a much different Age."

There was a tense pause as Levellan processed this.

"Why are you telling me all this? Why now? Just... why, Solas?"

His stare was intense when she looked up and met his eyes. "You know why."*

The way he said it made her heart stutter and Levellan had to look away when she found she couldn't think clearly.

Then, softly, "Where do we go from here?"

There was resignation in his voice. "That is your decision."

She frowned. "Why are you giving me all the power in this?"

Solas surprised her by smiling slightly. "Because the power has always been yours."

"...Would you stop me if I left?"

"No." And from his tone alone, she knew he wouldn't.

"Just like that?"

"I brought you here to tell you the truth, and I did - if you asked me to take you back to Skyhold, I will, and I will not blame you if you never speak to me again."

For not the first time in that hour, she felt off-kilter - off-kilter and vaguely nauseous.

He was actually leaving it all to her - she knew if she stood up right there and then and walked away, he would let her. But at the same time, knowing this made her uncomfortable and frustrated.

She ran her hands over her face, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms as she sat forward, hunched over and groaned. "You're an ass."

This got her a small smile. "I suspect I've been called worse." he admitted.

She snorted delicately as she let her hands drop to her side and looked up again.

Looking up at the night sky, she closed her eyes when she felt a mild breeze against her skin - exhaling softly, when she opened her eyes, she turned back to look at him again.

Solas had been watching her carefully, the apprehensive edge obvious despite his usual veneer of calm.

For a long while, all the two of them did was stare back at each other quietly until Levellan forced herself to look away again.

She happened to looked down when she noticed that their hands were close enough to touch.

The urge to take it in hers eventually won out over her common sense telling her to stand up and leave. Slowly, tentatively, she extended her smallest finger and, very lightly, nudged it against the side of his hand.

There was a gentle nudge back before he brushed his knuckles over hers and eventually covered her hand, tracing feather-light patterns over her skin

Her lips quirked up at the corners, and for a brief moment, she thought she saw his do the same.

They sat like that in the dark for several minutes until a random thought made her hand go still and her back stiffen.

"...As a child, I've heard stories," she began slowly, counting her words, "About the Dread Wolf."

His shoulders visibly tensed but he didn't interrupt her.

"There weren't a lot of them that went into detail, but in the few that did, they always depict him... you, in a certain way."

Solas looked at her wearily. "Where are you going with this?"

"Are they true? Is the... Wolf real?" she asked, "Or is that just another thing the Dalish got wrong?"

There was a tense moment between them - his entire posture was rigid, tense, and even without saying a thing, Levellan had her answer.

She wetted her lips nervously, and, faintly, "Ah..."

"The Wolf was a guise to strike fear into the heart of my enemies, but more, it is a part of myself... So, yes, it is real." Solas said stiffly through a clenched jaw. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I want you to show it to me."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Solas's head snapped up and his eyes widened. He was stunned speechless until a dent formed between his brows as he looked at her uncertainly.

"Why?" he asked again and frowned when he noticed her hands shaking. "Why would want to? Vhenan, you're trembling."

"I know, but I don't want a reason to be afraid of you."

Solas pulled his hand back and stood up abruptly, turning his back on her.

"Do you know what you're asking?"

She got onto her feet as well and walked up to stand next to him. "Maybe I don't, but I've been told horror stories about you all my life. I've been taught to fear you, and until you prove me wrong, I'm not going to know better. So please, show me."

Even in the limited light, the uneasiness was obvious on his face when he gave her a sidelong look. "...Are you sure?"

"You wanted me to understand, Solas. I'm going to try and do that."

"It is enough that you would do just that, my love." He said softly, straightening up reluctantly as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "You may want to step back."

Levellan let out a shaky breath and nodded before backing away.

When she was far enough, she watched as Solas closed his eyes and tilted his face up - the next minute, without warning, a strange light suddenly enveloped around him.

The change was gradual, but even as she saw it happening right in front of her eyes, there was a part of her that couldn't believe it was happening.

Pale, smooth skin was replaced with thick fur the colour of a dark, starless night as a violent shiver and tremor wracked his body - limbs snapping and changing their shape, hands and bare feet transforming into something else entirely.

It was his face, however, that went through the most radical change. Sharp features became unrecognizable, shifting and stretching as mouth and nose became a snout and ears drew back even further.

Then, the Wolf grew.

Standing on hind legs, he - it - towered over her before massive paws touched down with audible, heavy thud. When the Wolf turned its huge head towards her, Levellan felt every hair on her body stand up on end as three pairs of fiery red eyes opened and looked right at her.

She forgot to think, she forgot to breathe. There was nothing but bone-deep fear and the frantic sound of her heart thundering in her ears, and yet, she was frozen, caught underneath the Wolf's burning stare.

She wasn't sure how long she stood like that, but when the need for air finally became too great, her breath came out in short, shallow pants.

The Wolf, for its part stood still as a statue as kept its stare locked with hers.

Although her every instinct and impulse was damn near screaming at her to run, Levellan couldn't find it in herself to look away.

There was something in the Wolf's posture that stopped her from giving into the temptation and backing away. Though easily the size of a great bear, it kept its head low and its ears flat against the side of its head as it tried to make itself look less intimidating.

And then there was the way it was looking at her...

Despite their fierce colour, the Wolf's eyes held the same calmness she always found whenever looking into Solas's blue ones. And much like her mage's, they were just as expressive as she could see a range of different emotions there - concern, curiosity, apprehension, hope, but most of all, love.

And, just like that (although, not quite - not yet), she wasn't so afraid anymore.

Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out with a still-trembling hand and touched the side of its face, surprised by the softness she felt underneath her fingertips.

No matter what, she reminded herself as she used her other hand and stroked it along its jaw, for all intent and purpose, this was still Solas.

"This is really you, isn't it...?" she asked, voicing her thoughts out loud.

There was a gentle pressure against her hand, and Levellan was astonished when the Wolf leaned into her touch, making a low rumbling sound in the back of its throat as three pairs of red eyes looked at her through half-shut lids.

Strange and tense as it may have been, it was an unbearably tender moment... one that ended far too soon once sense returned and the reality of the situation finally came crashing back down on her.

Pulling her hands back carefully, Levellan stepped away. When her legs stopped working all of a sudden, she simply sank down on the steps, breathing heavily as she bent her head and gripped at the shorter curls at her nape.**

She hadn't noticed Solas change back until she felt his hand on her shoulder and looked up to see him kneeling in front of her with a worried expression on his face.

"I think it's time we go back now." She said, her voice a little above a whisper.

"Ma Vhenan-" he started, but was cut off when Levellan laid her hand over his mouth and shushed him.

"It's okay..." She said softly. "Take me back."

She felt him frowning underneath her hand, and although unhappy about it, Solas let the matter drop.

Getting on his feet, when Levellan held out her hand for him to help her onto her feet again, he did so without hesitation.

~TO BE CONTINUED~

End Note: I actually have most of the next chapter written out - I had planned to combine it and make a super-long chapter... but rethought it. This seems a little more manageable, and I'll be able to rethink one or two things in the next chapter.

I'm aware the beginning may be a little lame (or, I think so anyway), but this is a 'What If' fic, so I hope I'll be excused... and that most of you have reached this point. Still, I have an ending in mind, and I can promise you the best is still to come - it'll be awesome.

It's also worth noting that I made Solas a little weaker so to speak since he doesn't have Flemeth's divinity yet - in the game, he does that only at the very end anyway. Oh, and in case you were wondering about the name I gave to the guardian spirit at the fortress, according to the DA Wiki, 'Samahl' means 'laughter' in elven.

Right, now, on to what the (*) mean:

* I didn't make Levellan ask everything she could have - there is a reason for me doing that.

** I'll defend Levellan's reaction to Solas's Wolf by posing a question to you all: Realistically, if you found out that the monster you thought was living in your closet as a kid was REAL and, moreover, that he was your boyfriend, wouldn't you be just a tad bit freaked out as well? In my mind, the Dalish would paint Fen'Harel as some Bogey Man they tell stories about to scare their children into eating all their vegetables and not staying out past nightfall.

So! More to come - I sincerely hope any of you reading this liked it :) PMs and Reviews are appreciated in equal measure. Flames - pfft, whatever you say, isn't nearly as bad as what I think about my work myself, so bring them on.

Until next time,
GoddessofDawn out