Chapter Text
She was growing tired, they hadn't been able to rest for a while and with how late it was getting the cold was settling in, making her bare fingers ache around the hilt of her blade. The fights just kept coming.
Maya swung her magic blade at the bandit in front of her, slashing the man right down the middle. He fell and a moment later another appeared at her right. She huffed out a shaky breath and prepared herself to keep going. Her arms were aching at this point but she lifted her staff blade and steeled herself.
Solas kept an eye on her from afar, slinging spells at the enemies and casting barriers where they were needed, but even he was getting slower by the minute. He cursed at his weakened state, he would not have been winded this quickly before the veil.
He could see Maya holding her own, he rarely needed to pay much attention to her. She was a powerhouse and often impressed Solas with her strength, her mastery of the blade and magic making her a force to be reckoned with.
A couple seconds was all it took however for things to go sideways. She was fine one second; he turned to cast a barrier on Dorian and when he looked back Maya was on the ground with an axe lifted above her, ready to strike.
"Vhenan!" He shot an ice blast off as quickly as he could towards the axeman. It missed, but gave Maya the opening, she swung her blade up and slashed the man across the face. Solas cast another barrier on her as soon as she was up.
The axeman cried out in pain, one hand covering his eyes and blood dripping down from underneath it. He backed away from Maya and turned towards Solas in anger. He didn't have the power to cast another barrier on himself immediately, it would take some time to replenish the magic and cast again.
Maya approached the axeman as he lifted his ax; not to swing but to throw. She realized this at the same time as Solas and rushed towards the axeman as fast she could to protect Solas, her breath coming out hard in the exertion.
Too late. The ax thrown in a hurry before Maya reached him. Her breathed hitched, watching it swing through the air towards her lover.
WHAM!
The ax hit him, pummel first, in the head. He collapsed, unconscious.
Maya got the final blow, slashing her blade across the man's neck in a raging fury. She left the man gasping for air on the ground as the blood came spilling out. She ran to Solas's side, dropping to her knees beside him and cradling his head, pressing her hand to the wound he was bleeding out of where the axe hit him. She cried out for him, hopelessly trying to gather her magic to heal what she could while Dorian and Cole finished off the rest of bandits. Her tears dropped onto his face, her magic weak but steady. He was breathing, that was the important part. She thanked the Creators for keeping him alive.
She managed to stop the bleeding when the other came over. "We need to get him back to Skyhold, the medics there will be able to do more than I can."
It had been three days since the incident.
Maya sat at his bedside in the Skyhold infirmary nearly the entire time while medics and mages came in to treat his wound and check his vitals. Several people came in to check on her, frequently. She knew she was ignoring her duties as the Inquisitor at this point but she couldn't bring herself to leave his side.
Josephine brought her blankets and a meal on the first night back at Skyhold. Her and Leliana were the ones that came the most. Josie would bring her tea and Leliana would urge her to stretch her legs and get some fresh air at the very least, which she largely ignored.
The chair she sat in left her aching in all sorts of places, a small price to pay to be at her lover's side. He looked so calm as he slept, the scar on his head now covered in bandages. His breathing seemed normal and the medics that checked on him said he should recover fine once he wakes, though they couldn't give her a timeline of when that would be.
She closed her eyes and attempted to make herself as comfortable as she could in the pitiful chair. She only let herself take short naps throughout the day, not wanting to miss when he did finally wake.
"Well now, so much for keeping an eye on him." Maya's head snapped up at the voice that entered the room. Dorian approached her with a gentle smile and slid into the chair on the opposite side of Solas's cot.
She didn't bother to sit herself back up. Dorian had also visited her here a few times in the last couple days just to keep her some company. Dorian would chat at her about the going-ons of Skyhold and she'd halfheartedly listen.
"Unfortunately, I do need to sleep sometimes." She cracked back. The words were lighthearted but her tone held no energy whatsoever. She was so tired.
Dorian chuckled. "Perhaps in your own bed though?"
She shook her head while looking at Solas's sleeping form. "Not yet."
"What if he doesn't wake up?"
"He will."
"What if he doesn't wake up soon?"
Maya looked back at the Tevinter man across from her, a look of concern clear on his face. She sighed and shifted in her seat to ease the discomfort. She didn't want to think about it, the possibility that it could be a long time before he woke, if he ever did. The wound had cut deep, fracturing his skull. The medics assured her he would be fine but that was only if he woke up at all.
She felt helpless. It was her job to protect people, whether it be as the First of her clan or as the Inquisitor, and she had failed to do—no, worse, she had been the one to need protecting and Solas paid the price for it. She couldn't leave him after what he did to save her.
She started to speak and stopped when she heard a groan come from the cot in front of her. Both Maya and Dorian snapped their heads to look at Solas who's eyes were slowly opening.
Maya gasped and hopped off her chair with a wince and kneeled at his side. She grasped his hand in hers. "Solas?"
He blinked several times as he came to and then turned his head to the woman next to him. She smiled at him, soft and warm with tears in her eyes. He furrowed his brow.
"I am sorry, who are you?"
He spoke in elven, something she had always trouble grasping, which he knew. She understood the first part, ir abelas, but the rest was lost on her. "Solas, you don't have to apologize. If anything I should be the one saying sorry. You got hurt because of me."
She saw Dorian give her a scrutinous look out the corner of her eye at this but he said nothing, turning his attention back to Solas.
Solas shook his head in frustration, he understood what she had said but he didn't know how he knew the language. Her words still made little sense to him regardless.
"I do not know who you are, why are you apologizing to me?"
More elven, none of it she could parse. She huffed. "Solas, I don't know elven that well can you just speak trade please?"
He gave her a quizzical look then and turned to look at Dorian, confusion even more evident on his face as he eyed the other man up and down.
Dorian snorted. "Problem, Solas?"
A human? How was there a human here? Solas thought, he stared at the man in true bewilderment.
It was then Solas finally took in his surroundings. Nothing looked familiar, the architecture entirely foreign to him. "Where am I?" The words sounded wrong on his tongue, no lilt or song to them.
Dorian and Maya met each others' eyes just for a moment before giving their attention back to Solas. Maya's heart hammered in her chest. What is happening?
"You're in Skyhold, Solas. In the infirmary." She pushed herself up off her knees using the bed and sat back in the chair, she scooted it closer and leaned in, her hand returned to his.
He stared at their hands before slowly sliding his out from under hers and made an attempt to sit up. The woman quickly moved to help him and adjusted his pillows to make him more comfortable.
Solas lifted his hand and grazed it over the bandage on his head, wincing at the touch. Then slid his hand over the rest of his head. He frowned.
"Did someone shave my head?"
Elven again. Maya made an annoyed grunting sound and took in a deep breath. "We can't understand what you're saying, vhenan."
Solas whipped his head to look at her. "What did you just say?" He let out a long sigh before correcting himself. "Who are you?"
The silence in the room was deafening as they processed what had just been asked. Maya's breath stopped and the heartbeat in her ears pounded so loudly she worried it would burst. A lump formed in her throat and she couldn't speak.
Dorian noticed Maya freeze up entirely and spoke for her, his own heart racing. "That's Maya. The Inquisitor? Your lover?"
Solas's eyebrows shot up. "Lover? I don't have a lover." He looked between the two on either side of him trying to figure out what game they were playing with him. They both looked genuine however and Solas could not make sense of this. Could it be a dream? he thought only for a moment. It did not feel like a dream, in fact the space around him felt utterly devoid of any presence of the fade—stiflingly so.
With the exception of a small buzzing to his right, where his supposed lover sat. He eyed her curiously, trying to determine the source of it.
Maya shrunk into the chair as Solas looked her up and down, his gaze determined, not affectionate. It made Maya uncomfortable, more uncomfortable than she already was with the situation.
Dorian coughed to get Solas's attention. "Solas, what do you last remember?"
Maya wanted to cry, this couldn't be happening. No, no, no—
Solas hesitated, thinking, determining what to say. What was safe to say.
"I remember being at the Lighthouse." Not entirely untrue. He'd been in the crossroads with Felassan, having just left the Lighthouse, preparing for their next mission.
"The lighthouse? Which lighthouse?" Dorian asked.
Solas rolled his eyes. "Not any lighthouse, Vhen'Theneras."
Dorian nodded his head. "Right, right…and what is that?"
Solas huffed and leaned his head back against the pillow. "So, are you just completely inept or…?"
Dorian clicked his tongue and gave Solas an incredulous look. Maya thought he might be moments away from strangling the elven man if she didn't interject.
"Don't start Solas. We're just trying to understand what's going on." She heard Dorian grumble a Tevene curse under his breath.
Solas let out a low chuckle laced with annoyance. "As am I."
"Then help us help you."
The look on her face was sad, mournful, like she had lost something precious to her. He sighed in resignation.
"The Lighthouse is my base of operations."
"For what?"
"For the rebellion."
"What rebellion?"
Solas gave her a curious look. Did this woman truly not know? He eyed the vallaslin on her cheeks, Mythal's. He supposed she could've been kept in the dark somehow, would it be wise to tell her the truth then? Perhaps he'd test the waters first.
"What is it you do?"
"I'm sorry?"
"In Mythal's service, what is it you do?" He gestured at her vallaslin.
Maya blinked, unsure of what he was referring to. "The vallaslin? They're to honor the gods."
Solas scoffed. "Ah, yes, the gods. Is that what they tell you?"
Maya squinted at him. "Careful how you speak, Solas."
He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Why? Will your gods strike me down for speaking ill of them?"
Maya pulled back from him, shocked. She knew he didn't like the Dalish but he'd never talked so disrespectfully before, not to her face anyways.
She opened her mouth to retort but Dorian butted in. "What year is it Solas?"
Solas looked at Dorian like he'd grown three heads before letting out a long sigh. "Fourth millennium, 29th year."
"Fourth millennium from what?"
Solas resisted the urge to run his hands down his face by taking another deep breath in and out. "Since the founding of Arlathan."
Maya took a sharp breath in. All studies have estimated the founding of Arlathan to be around 9000 years ago. Her heart skipped a beat at what this would mean. For Solas to not only have lived 5000 years ago, but also for that to be what he last remembers. She looked at Dorian who stared back her clearly sharing the same thought.
She stood up from her chair and nodded at Dorian to follow her. "We'll be right back Solas, don't get up please."
He grumbled at her but rested his head back on the pillow. Maya picked up her pace to get out of the infirmary with Dorian at her heel.
In the hall outside, Maya looked around for any listening ears. Dorian spoke up before she had the chance to first. "Did you know he was an ancient elf?"
Maya shook her head. "Not a clue. I knew there was something," she paused to think of the right word to use "different about him, but not that. It makes a lot of sense though now that I think about it."
She wrung her hands together in an attempt to stop herself from shaking.
Solas is an ancient elf. An ancient elf who has now lost five millennia worth of memories, apparently. Oh, she wanted to cry. A small whimper bubbled in her throat but she swallowed it back down before it overtook her. She would have to go back in there and now tell him this. She was truly and utterly terrified.
Dorian placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed his thumb against it affectionately. "What do you want to do Maya?"
She took a few moments to focus on getting air in her lungs, she placed her hand over his on her shoulder and squeezed it. "He needs to be told what's happened to him. Can I ask you to find Cole? He might help, him and Solas are—were—close.
Dorian nodded and pulled his hand away. "Are you sure you don't want me in there with you?"
"I would if I'm honest, but I think it would only make things harder."
"I'll find Cole and send him here." Dorian stepped away to make his leave and Maya turned back to the door, mentally prepared herself and walked back into the infirmary.
Solas was still sitting up in the cot she left him in, however he was currently pulling on some light magic from the fade, fiddling with it between his fingers. He stopped when he noticed Maya re-enter the room. "What is this barrier around this place? It seems to suppress magic."
Maya tilted her head to the side in confusion as she approached and sat back in the unpleasant chair. "Barrier? There's no active barrier here?"
Solas scoffed. "Do not lie to me, I can feel it. It's oppressive."
Maya sighed. "Solas I truly do not know what you're referring to. It has always been like this."
He mumbled some elven words in a low voice and tested his magic again. Light teal sparks danced around his fingers. "See this? It should not be this color, it is changed by being pulled through the barrier."
Realization dawned on her then. "Wait, do you mean the veil?"
"Veil? What is this veil?"
Oh this was bad. This was going to be so much harder than she estimated. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath to collect herself. When she opened her eyes Solas was looking at her quizzically.
"Solas, what I'm going to tell you may be hard to hear." She paused to place her hand over his again. He didn't pull away this time, thankfully, but glanced at their hands with a curious look.
With a shaky voice she spoke. "Your head injury…I think it may have been worse than anyone thought. I believe you've lost some memory…a lot of memory actually."
He stared at her with an intense look, she couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. She continued,
"The year is 9:41 Dragon. That's the ninth age since the foundation of the chantry, or just over 900 years. Before the chantry was the ancient age…." She paused. "It's estimated the founding of Arlathan was nearly 8000 years before the chantry."
He stared at her while her words sunk in. If what she was saying was true….
His heart skipped a beat. He didn't want to believe what she was telling him but something about these strange circumstances he found himself in now made it hard to tell himself she was lying. How could it be that he could have lost so much time. What happened to the rebellion? Where was Felassan? Where was Mythal?
He felt himself struggle to form words, his mind racing through all the possibilities. The woman—his supposed lover, he reminded himself—watched him expectantly, waiting for him to react.
But all he could do was stare, not quite at her but into oblivion. His eyes entirely unfocused as he retreated into his mind.
And then he felt it. He sensed the buzzing earlier but this time he could feel it pulsing on his hand where the woman's was placed on top of it. His attention diverted to it, something about it felt familiar.
He lifted her hand up, surprising her, and inspected it. "What is this magic?"
"Oh! Ah, that's the anchor. It came from an ancient—an old elven artifact that I picked up trying to prevent someone else from using it. It allows me to open and closes rifts in the veil." Maya attempted to pull her hand away but Solas pulled it closer to himself, fixated on analyzing it.
"An artifact? This comes from a foci that the evanuris wield."
"Yes, that is why you told me before."
He hummed in response and then spoke again a few moments later, turning his head to face her. "I believe I may know who's foci it is, did I tell you that before?"
She shook her head. If he had known before why did he not mention as much? Is it possible he just didn't remember after so long or was not sharing the information intentional?
He hummed again. "You said you were preventing someone else from using it, who was this and how did they acquire it?"
"His name is Corypheus, it may be difficult to explain just who he is exactly but I can try in a bit. We're not sure how he got his hands on it however, we just know he wants to use it for nefarious purposes." She tried again to pull her hand away and Solas, seemingly coming to realization of what he'd done, let her go this time.
"I apologize, that was rude of me. I find it very interesting that you have managed to wield the anchor without injury to yourself."
She giggled a little at that. "Well, only because of you. I was unconscious for days after it happened and you helped to stabilize it."
"Ah." He looked away, scoping out the room again maybe, or just distracting himself, she wasn't sure.
"Solas?" He turned his head back to give her his attention. "Are you alright? I know this is a lot to take it."
"Hmm." Was he alright? Certainly not. He had so many questions, so much to consider. He needed to find Felassan or someone he knew at the very least who could make more sense of this. Not that he thought Maya wouldn't answer his questions but it seemed as though her knowledge had some interesting gaps.
She was his lover though, apparently. She called him vhenan, that held a lot of weight and now here he was unable to remember her at all. She must be putting on quite the brave face for him right now. He took her in, the warm brown skin that flushed at her cheeks naturally, right where the vallaslin sat. Her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, a bit mussed up from what he assumed was the time she spent at his bedside. Dark circles evident under her bright purple eyes. She was attractive, certainly. He could see himself delighting in her touch.
"If I may inquire, how long has it been since you took form?"
Maya breathed out a short laugh. "I'm sorry, what? What does that mean Solas?"
He arched his brow. "When did you take physical form?"
She blanked. What in the world was he talking about? Physical form? Could he mean her birth? Is that how ancient elves referred to it as? "Uh, I was born 25 years ago."
"Born? Like a human?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes…wait, what do you mean then if not that?"
Solas's eyes widened and he looked her up and down, measuring her somehow, his mouth slightly agape.
She cleared her throat and shifted in the chair. "Is…is that not your experience?"
Solas promptly shut his jaw with a click of his teeth. He was silent then, lost in some thought she couldn't even begin to guess. She gave him a few quiet moments when it was clear he wouldn't say anything before interrupting.
"Maybe I should let you rest some more. I'll have someone come to check on your condition in a bit. We can talk more tomorrow." She stood up from the chair and turned to leave until Solas grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him.
"Maya is your name, yes?"
She nodded. "Well, it's Myathem, but I go by Maya for short."
"A lovely name." He left go of her wrist then. "There is much I'd like to discuss with you, if you are able. It seems there is a lot I have to catch up with."
She smiled at him. "Of course, Solas."
She left then, trying to hold back her tears. It stunned her how little she actually knew about her own lover, how much he hid from her. Would she have ever learned this much had the injury not occurred? The thought scared her and she tried to shake it from her mind. She needed to inform her advisors first that Solas was awake and decide how much she could share with them. Tomorrow, she would try to get as much out of him as she could and go from there.
Cole sat outside the infirmary by himself as though he was waiting for someone or something. She caught his eye and gave him a light smile. "He might need a friend."
Cole nodded and then suddenly he was gone. She took a deep breath to collect herself. Tomorrow, then.