Dragon Age Imagines

Ch.3-Solas-Fluff/lil angst-The Storm

I didn't know about the storm until I felt the whole world shake. I was wandering the fade on my own, one of the first times I attempted to do so without Solas guiding me. Our group has stopped somewhere in the Emerald Graves under a grand tree and I wanted to see what memories might linger here. What of my people might remain in a place so tied to them and their history.

I'm sitting atop a wolf statue watching children play hide and seek around it, their smiles wide and laughter free, when the entire area seems to brighten for a moment. The da'len don't notice and continue their game while I push myself to my feet. A loud crash fills the air and I slip, falling backward and waking up in my tent with Solas's name on my lips.

The roar of rain is loud all around my tent and I'm thankful we put up the tarps in case of a storm. The tree we bedded under is also on a hill, so we should stay dry. That's not my worry, however. Light flashes again and I clap my hands over my ears as the thunder fills the air, vibrating my very bones. Tears born of petrifying fear fill my eyes as I curl up into a ball in the darkness waiting for the next wave. It comes mere seconds later and I'm not sure if I cry out or not, but the next time I look up, Solas stands just outside with one hand holding aside a tent flap and the other holding veilfire.

He murmurs my name, or at least his voice sounds like a murmur compared to the rush of rain outside. Concern bends his brows as he looks over my face, no doubt reading the terror there. I yelp as another crack of lightning rips through the air and I don't think as I snag his sweater and tug him into my small tent. I secure the fastenings again and it's only then that I realize I'm trembling.

"W-what w-were you thinking? Out t-there in all t-this?" My speech is staggered as the shaking spreads to the rest of my body. Solas serving as a distraction is the only reason I can speak at all. We settle onto our knees across from one another with his little fire still alight in his palm.

"I felt a disturbance in the fade coming from this direction. I thought you may have seen something that upset you." Worry coats his every word and part of me is soothed by that alone.

"N-no, it's not like t-that. I—" My grip tightens on his damp sweater as a particularly long roll of thunder rings out overhead and I try to squash the panic rising in my chest. Instinct is telling me to run, to tear through the brush and trees to get as far away from this place as possible.

Solas lifts a hand and eases one of mine from his shirt, head cocking as he examines my trembling. "You're afraid." My hand clenches into a fist to hide the shaking, but I nod. No point in denying it when it's practically written across my entire body. "I see. Come here." He opens his arms and my brows furrow, so he reaches out to gently guide me so his body is wrapped around me. My back is pressed to his chest, his legs bent around mine, his arm tucked tight against my stomach to keep me close, and his head lowered next to mine so he can speak directly into my ear. His other hand is kept hovering above our laps with the veilfire flickering softly, the light dancing with the shadows over the canvas tent.

"There. Is this better?" His voice drowns out the next clap of thunder and even though I flinch, I don't want to run as much. I nod, knowing he can feel the movement because of our closeness. My shivering calms with his warmth cocooning me and the security of his arm around my waist. Even if my hands continue to shake. "There is something poetic about having a forest-dweller afraid of storms. Have you not battled through many during your time with your clan?" A whisper of humor lingers in his voice and I know he's trying to distract me.

"It's not just the storm." I breathe, happy to hear my voice a touch steadier. Thunder rumbles and my hands grab on tight to his arm around me in a silent plea not to let go. "There was a terrible one when I was younger. My clan was moving from place to place in our aravel and there wasn't a place to stop on the mountain road, so we had to push on. It was pouring, the wind was pushing us to and fro, lightning was splitting the sky open, and thunder filled the air like some great beast's roar. Not to mention night was on its way." I take a sharp breath as the tent shakes and cling tighter to Solas. He loosens his grip a moment to grab my discarded blanket and drapes it over our legs before returning his arm to its place around me.