And now with an added drabble, just in case you weren’t sad enough already.
“I suspect you have questions.”
Solas didn’t turn at the footsteps, he had been several
steps ahead of the Inquisitor throughout the entire chase through the eluvians.
He had given himself time to stop and steel his heart for what he knew he must
do, for the final goodbye he knew must be said.
“She did.”
At the unexpected sound of Cole’s voice, Solas turned in
place. There, sure enough, was the spirit in the form of a young boy. A young
boy standing before him, holding a limp body in his arms.
“Always searching, hoping.” Cole stepped forward slightly, “’What
did I do wrong?’”
Solas’ mouth was dry, he felt as if all the air in the world
had been taken from him all at once. He looked from the dried blood on Ashae’s
mouth to the deep red bandage covering the stump of her left arm, and down to
her lifeless legs shifting with every movement of Cole’s steps.
“’Why did he leave?’”
‘No, she can’t be.’
“’Is he okay?’”
‘She can’t be. She was
supposed to come and find me. She was going to be okay.’
His eyes burned and he blinked rapidly, swallowing hard to
stop the bile he felt rising in his throat as Cole knelt down to gently place
the body of the Inquisitor on the ground.
“’He’ll save me from the mark, just like before.’”
There was no stopping the tears now, not when Solas wanted
nothing more than to shout and scream at the world, at everything that had
taken Ashae away from him. At himself, who had caused yet another life to be lost.
“’Ma vhenan. Ma sa’lath. He loves me.’” Cole’s voice was
barely more than a whisper as he gently ran his hand on Ashae’s face, smoothing
out the lines of pain that must have been left during her final breaths.
“’He loves me. He’ll save me.’”
Solas took a step closer, and then another, splashing
through the water until he reached her side. Cole leaned back on his heels,
making way for Solas as the mage kneeled and pulled the Inquisitor’s body into his
arms. He buried his head in her hair, her neck, her chest, begging all spirits,
gods, anyone who would listen to bring her back. Under the blood and sweat, and
through the sobs racking his body until his breath came out in gasps, he could
smell the familiar scent of her hair and her skin that was cool to his touch.
All the things he was going to say, all the words he had
carefully arranged in his head to explain to Ashae why they couldn’t be
together and what he had to do. They were all gone. Everything was gone. It had
all been taken from him. He had again lost everything.
But this time he had lost even more. He had lost his heart.