Chapter Text
“You’re certain this is the one?” Dorian asked for the third time.
Ellana paused rifling through her bag to throw a particularly withering look at him. Not that he noticed, too caught up in studying the gilded mirror before them. Or perhaps he was admiring his own reflection, but he usually didn’t look so glum for that. “Yes, I am certain.”
“And you’ll have no trouble getting us to and fro?” He peered closer at it, but still kept a healthy distance. He glanced down at her. “I’m particularly concerned with the ‘fro’ aspect.”
She huffed. “Dorian, if you don’t want to come with, you don’t have to.” She wobbled in her crouch, almost losing her balance as she stuck an arm out to catch herself, only to remember that the arm was no longer there. But Dorian was, and he steadied her with a reassuring grin.
“I never said that,” he interjected. “I merely wished to confirm that your key worked from both sides. And over such a large distance. I imagine our partners would be slightly perturbed if we never returned.”
“I think an eventful boat ride through dragon-infested waters would bring us home in no time.”
“That’s assuming this Fódlan is across the Amaranthine Ocean, which, might I point out, no one has ever successfully crossed.” She swatted him away. “Although, there is a theory of other realms entirely accessible through the eluvians. I was speaking with a mage in Qarinus who—”
“I don’t want to hear about who you were talking to in Qarinus unless it’s Bull,” she cut him off, and he huffed indignantly, pacing away to examine the eluvian again. “Besides, it’ll work, and you’ll be home in time for dinner.”
“Ah, dinner at Skyhold. How I’ve missed it,” he said wistfully, but in the Dorian way that she knew meant he wasn’t at all serious.
Finally satisfied with her supplies, she moved to Dorian’s side. Looking the strange mirror up and down, she took a breath. “Ready?”
His mustache twitched. “Not even remotely.”
She raised her bare hand toward the eluvian, and it flickered to life. The surface shimmered and danced like the surface of a lake. It gave off an enormous amount of power, the air around it rippling with the force of it.
He leaned into her. “And you’re certain this is the one?” His voice was barely above a whisper, but there was a rare uneasy edge to it.
“It feels the same as it did before. It’s different than the others,” she said, as awed as she had been the first time. Going through to the Crossroads felt different than going through to the Fade or to another part of Thedas. She had begun to get the feel for which would lead to each.
This eluvian was unique. The sensation, the difference, was fleeting. She could never grab hold of what set it apart, couldn’t put into words the tangible distinction. She just knew. If Dorian recognized it, he wasn’t in a sharing mood.
She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers in that childish way that made him roll his eyes and smile at the same time. This time he grasped it in a strong, clinging grip. It was such a phenomenon to see Dorian nervous; she would have to tell Bull when they returned.
Ellana took that first step forward and didn’t stop, Dorian right there with her the whole way. Passing through the eluvian was always a strange sensation; cold but somewhat smothering, dark but bright around the edges, both experienced and instantaneous.
And then they were on the other side.
“Well, this is underwhelming,” Dorian said, his voice echoing. “I was expecting a lavish party in welcome, adoring fans, a gilded statue of me carved by our dear Felix.”
Instead, they found themselves in a dank, dark corner. The eluvian shimmered faintly, casting a low glow in their immediate area. Not that it did much good, for all that they could see around the large carved stone rising up just a few feet in front of them. She could see a small opening between the smooth stone and the rough wall, and squeezed through it, waving her hand behind her to seal the eluvian. That was all they needed, another hapless person to wander through and cause chaos. They had barely survived Felix.
Ellana was relieved to see that the space beyond the crevice was much more open, and showed signs of habitation. For one thing, the smooth stone had been the pedestal of a giant statue of a cloaked person, perhaps an altar of sorts. Staring at it for too long left her with a strange foreboding feeling, so she turned away.
Farther into the cavernous space, candles were lit at intervals, and a warm glow showed on the wall that disappeared around the bend. Underground, but not trapped. She pulled up the hood of her cloak, hoping it and the shadows around them would be enough to hide her ears. There wasn’t much to be done about her vallaslin, unless she asked Leliana for that terrible caked-on makeup they wore in Orlais. They could stare all they wanted; she wore her markings with pride.
“So, Inquisitor,” Dorian mused, “Will the first inhabitants we meet be friendly, or shall I start preparing a healing spell for whoever swings first? You know how difficult they are for me to muster.”
She shook her head. “We can’t go into this expecting a fight. We just need to get Felix’s name out and hope for the best.”
“Assuming they even know him here. And assuming they won their little war. And—”
“That’s enough assuming,” she said quickly, pushing down her anxiety. She had hoped stepping through the mirror would be the most harrowing part of this journey, and she was starting to realize she hadn’t really paid much mind to the rest of it. Maybe she should have asked Cullen and Bull along after all.
Striding forward with all the confidence she could muster—at the moment, not much—she rounded the corner and found herself facing a sort of underground encampment. Towering scaffolding of supplies and crates stretched toward the endless gloom of the supposed ceiling above. Felix had called this place Abyss, if she remembered correctly. Seeing it in person, the name definitely fit.
This area was better lit, and there were people. She had known they wouldn’t be elves like her, but she couldn’t help but find herself a little disappointed that they all just looked like regular humans. Still, it was good to see life, and the small children running around and squealing tugged at her heart.
Walking through the area, she noticed too late the shadows that shifted into focus and back out, and the way the steady din of voices was fading away. Dorian hugged a little closer to her side, sharp gaze skirting back and forth, hand moving toward his staff.
He didn’t get far enough.
“Well now,” a voice drawled behind them, “What’s a pair like you doing in a place like this?”
She didn’t want to turn around, but she did. The owner of the voice was a man with striking lavender hair and matching eyes which watched her with the sly sharpness of a fox. The tilt of his mouth was almost friendly, but she had seen enough of such an expression to know it meant trouble. More figures slunk from the shadows to surround them on all sides, and Dorian shifted his weight beside her. She knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking it too; if they had to fight their way out, it would be messy. They had fought through worse, but that was usually with two other companions. Besides, she didn’t know where those children had gone, which made her nervous. So she didn’t draw her staff, and Dorian followed her lead.
“We’re looking for a friend,” she said calmly, carefully, keeping an eye on the shifting movement to her left. “Felix Fraldarius.”
“I didn’t know that Felix had friends,” the man smirked, and there were a few chuckles from the crowd. She had the chilling thought that she might have just said the wrong thing to the wrong person. He stepped closer, crossing his arms as he looked her up and down. He wasn’t much taller than her, she noted. “That still doesn’t answer why you’re in Abyss.”
“I’m afraid we got lost,” Dorian interjected, “Turned around a bit. If you could just point us in the right direction, we can all be on our merry way.” Ellana could hear the amount of willpower he was using to refrain from rolling his eyes.
“I have an even better idea,” he said, his face lighting up. He snapped his fingers as though he had received a revelation. “I’ll guide you there myself. I would love to hear the story of how you came to be such good friends with dear Felix.”
Before either of them could protest, the man was there at her side, offering his arm to her. They both looked down at the empty space where her arm should be, the stump hidden under a layer of cloth draped over that shoulder. When she looked up and met his gaze, there was an almost cruel edge to them; he had known, or at least suspected, what she was missing. He had made the move anyway. And he wanted her to know it.
“Oh, pardon me,” he murmured.
Her expression turned dangerous, but he took it all in stride, moving to her other side and looping her arm through his. He laughed like they were old friends and started walking. She glanced back at Dorian, grudging, but moving.
On the plus side, they did indeed seem to be moving up. Not that that told them much of anything, but the surface had always been preferable for Ellana. Eventually, they came to a nondescript door, and she prayed to any god listening that it might be a way out of the endless labyrinth of tunnels. Her prayers were answered—somewhat—in the form a decrepit storeroom. The lavender haired man led them onward, though all of his companions remained behind. Ellana frowned; either he didn’t figure them for a threat, or he had more friends waiting outside. Or he was confident in the saber at his side.
But no one joined them as they continued an upward climb, eventually reaching brighter, more decorated hallways. The first person they came across was a scuttling servant, making the rounds with mop and bucket in hand. She didn’t say anything or look askance, just nodded to the three of them and continued on her way. This was clearly a fortress, a castle of some kind, and an old one at that. Rich threaded banners lined the halls, stained glass windows scattered rainbows on the floor and promised brilliant sunlight.
Their first step outside—through what was clearly a servant’s entrance, no less—was blinding. Ellana and Dorian stopped to blink away their clouded vision while the man watched with an amused expression, seemingly unaffected.
“Come on, we’re almost there.”
“I’m not certain what I expected,” Dorian said to her in a low voice, “But I thought it would be more…different.”
She nodded her agreement, trying to take everything in. She might have fooled herself she was still in Thedas. The structures didn’t look quite right, but they still had four walls and roof, just as hers did. They were ancient, she could tell, but not the same ancient as Skyhold or Din’an Hanin. Maybe they felt off because they weren’t her ancient ruins; they weren’t ruins at all. It was alien and familiar all at once.
Where they were now seemed to be a kind of promenade, with a long narrow sidewalk leading along a separate building with many doors and windows. There were more people milling about, and she was surprised to see that many of them were scarcely more than children. They were all dressed in similar uniforms, but seemed to vary in age. Then it dawned on her: Felix said he had attended a military academy in his late teen years. The monastery of Fódlan’s religion also housed a school for sponsored children. Later, it had been a headquarters for their war. With the way everyone was milling about, and the presence of children, that had to mean the war was over, right?
The man led them to another large building at the end of the walkway, and she had the brief flashing panic that they would be going underground again. But as he pushed the door open, more sunlight streamed from the other side.
The sounds of battle reached her ears, and her hand twitched toward her staff before she realized that they had stepped into some kind of training ground. Seeing the large courtyard, open to the sky, reminded her of the garden in Skyhold. This space was all stone, from the worn tiles beneath her feet to the sweeping stone arches surrounding the central area. There were archery targets in the shaded alcoves, as well as straw dummies and weapon racks. Cullen would have felt right at home here. There were other people milling about, students and adults alike. At the moment, all of their attention was trained on the current fight.
Ellana broke into a wide grin when she finally caught sight of the fighter closest to them. His back was to her, but she would know that unruly crop of indigo hair anywhere. Besides, she had fought enough alongside him on the battlefield to know his movements like she knew her own breath; there was no one that moved quite as fluidly as Felix. His attacks were precise, brutal as she had ever seen them, but his opponent seemed to handle them in stride. If anything the woman sparring against him appeared to guess his actions before he did. They were evenly matched. This could go on for hours; she had seen the like from Cullen and Cassandra, until one of them gave up and started to fight dirty. She enjoyed watching that part.
The opponents came together in a flurry of blows and then backed off. In the lull, the purple haired man appeared between them, somehow without her, Dorian, or either of them noticing. A risky move, she thought, considering they fought with steel swords. “Well done, we’ll call this one a tie. Though I would give it to the Professor for style.” He winked at the woman, and she just raised a curious brow at him, rising from her defensive stance.
“Stand aside, Yuri,” Felix growled him, his sword angling toward the man.
Yuri smirked, unimpressed. He turned his attention back toward Ellana and Dorian. “And here I brought you company.”
It seemed like every eye in the room turned toward them, but all Ellana noticed was Felix turning, his face still folded in a scowl. He looked at her a moment, then recognition flashed like lightning. The sword dropped with a clatter.
“Inquisitor?” he gaped.
Her feet were already moving before he even finished the word. Pushing her hood back and beaming up at him, she stuck out her hand. “Hello, Felix.”
He was still clearly reeling as he grasped her arm tightly, and almost lost his balance as she pulled him into a tight hug. It took him several long moments of tension before he wrapped his other arm around her. “What are you doing here?”
She pulled back, still grinning as Dorian sidled up to them, clapping Felix on the shoulder. “Well, we were in the neighborhood and thought, ‘why, it has been some time since we’ve seen our dear companion Felix, perhaps we should pay him a visit.’ And here we are.”
“Good to see you haven’t changed, Dorian,” Felix grumbled, but there was amusement in his eyes.
“Why would I need to change my perfect self?”
“But really,” he said, a line forming between his brows as he crossed his arms. “Why are you here? Is something wrong in Thedas?”
Dorian snorted. “Something is always wrong in Thedas.”
Ellana ignored him. “We’re fine. I’ve been curious to see if the eluvian still works, and we finally had a reprieve, so Dorian and I thought we would try it. And I wanted to make certain you were alright,” she finished sheepishly.
He looked between them, confused. “You did this because you were curious and you missed me?”
They both shrugged and nodded.
“You really haven’t changed,” Felix scoffed, but it came out more as a laugh.
“You’ve been to our world, it’s only fair,” she grinned.
“Hi, can the rest of us join the party?” Yuri said, coming up to them with a hand on his hip.
“Don’t you have some shadows to go lurk in?” Felix bit out, but it lacked much heat.
“That can wait,” he said. “I will admit I’m disappointed that you actually know them. I was looking forward to a fight.”
Felix glanced at Ellana, annoyance sharp in his expression. “Sorry for the rough welcome.”
She shrugged. “I’ve faced worse in Orlais. If making cruel digs about my lack of an arm is the worst thing that happened to me, I’ll count it as a success.”
“He did what?”
She wished she hadn’t said anything as Felix turned the full force of his fury on Yuri, who didn’t look so much as ruffled.
“I was just getting a read on them. She didn’t even punch me for it,” Yuri smirked.
“Believe me, I wanted to,” she muttered sourly.
“Besides, how was I supposed to know she was your esteemed Inquisitor?”
“You didn’t have to—”
“Enough, both of you,” a new voice said, its commanding tone cutting clear through the din. The green-haired woman Felix had been sparring with stepped forward, her arms crossed. She fixed the two men with stern, but strangely calm, looks, daring them defy her. Yuri held up his hands in surrender, and Felix scowled and stalked a few steps away, retrieving his sword and stowing it roughly on the rack.
She turned her attention to Ellana and Dorian. Her gaze fixed momentarily on the Inquisitor’s ears, her head canting to the side. A question was forming in her eyes, but she seemed to let it go. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry about them. I’m Professor Byleth Eisner.” She stuck out her hand, eyes bright and expectant.
Ellana took it. “Inquisitor Ellana Lavellan, and this is my companion Magister Dorian Pavus.”
“We’ve heard a great deal about you, Professor,” Dorian said, shaking her hand. “Our dear Felix rather admired you.”
A small smile came to the woman’s lips. “And I’ve heard about you as well. Thank you for keeping him alive while he was with you. I know personally that can be a challenge.”
Ellana laughed. “With that temper of his, indeed.”
“Will you both quit?” Felix growled, and they all laughed at that.
“So,” Ellana said, “Care to give us the grand tour? It’s only fair.”
He hesitated, looking back at the people assembled in the courtyard. “I—”
“I’ll teach your lessons for you this afternoon,” the Professor offered.
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask,” she shrugged. A tiny smile tugged at her lips. “I should be able to handle it.”
“I owe you one.”
“Or two or three,” she said, waving her hand. She nodded to Ellana and Dorian. “It was nice to meet you. I look forward to speaking with you soon.”
“Likewise.” Ellana bobbed her head, then turned to Felix with a grin. “Where will we go first?”