Work Text:
Varric emerged from the Herald's tent, sighing heavily. "Kid says he's fine," he murmured, almost more to himself than the others. "He's not. I know that for certain, but he said he wants to be alone." He slumped onto a log pulled up to the fire.
The others exchanged glances. Therinfal had been a trial for all of them, but none more than Dinlaselan. Ever since they had departed the Redoubt his eyes had been clouded, forehead creased with turmoil, and he had refused to speak to anyone about what had transpired while he was under the spell of the Envy demon.
Cassandra's brows pulled down in concern. "Perhaps I should try—"
"I will speak to him," Solas interjected, standing and brushing off his leggings.
Varric pursed his lips. "Sure that's the best idea, Chuckles?"
Solas wasn't, but of the available options, his own intervention seemed the most promising. Cassandra and Varric were both passionate, emotional, and reactive people. As good as their intentions might have been, Solas was sure more high emotion was the last thing the Herald needed. "I am not," he admitted. "But I do believe it is worth attempting."
Varric nodded with a sigh. "I hope you can help. Kid is all tied up in knots."
Solas set a hand on Varric's shoulder, attempting to settle the man's obvious anxiety. "I will do what I can for him."
The tent's interior was dark, and it took a moment for Solas' eyes to adjust after the brightness of the fire outside. Dinlaselan's silhouette was just visible in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chest and head down. "I told you, Varric," he grumbled into his knees. "I'm not feeling like talking right now."
"So he said," Solas responded softly, tone carefully guarded. He summoned a small light to his hand, not bright enough to blind, only enough to chase back the gloom.
Dinlaselan lifted his head, blinking in the sudden illumination. "Solas? Why are you here?"
"You are troubled," Solas told him simply.
Frowning, the spidery marks of Falon'Din on his skin making the expression sharp, Dinlaselan averted his eyes. "I'm fine."
"May I sit?" Solas gestured to the ground beside the man and he shrugged noncommittally. Taking the movement as an indication of permission, Solas sat, crossing his legs under him. "Thank you."
Dinlaselan grunted.
Solas just looked at him for a moment, watching the way his chest expanded and contracted slightly too quickly, the stiffness in his posture, and how he refused to meet his eyes. "You don't appear to be fine," he pointed out.
"There was an envy demon rooting around in my brain, Solas. How am I supposed to feel?" Dinlaselan snapped, gesturing angrily. There was a tremor in the Herald's hands Solas hadn't been able to detect when they had been wrapped around his knees. He snatched them back, close to his chest as Solas noticed, attempting to disguise the shaking.
"I am not here to dictate how you should deal with the trauma you have experienced," Solas told him gently. "Only to advise you that you should deal with it."
Dinlaselan bit his lip, hugging his knees tightly again. Solas said nothing, waiting for the young man to decide how to continue their interaction. If the Herald truly wanted Solas to leave, he of course would, but experience made him suspect that this would not be the case. Tension built in the air, invisible yet suffocating, as Dinlaselan made his decision, slowly amassing the will to at last force words between tight lips:
"I don't want to become the man that thing showed me." He shivered. "I don't want to be an idol slowly corrupted to tyranny."
Solas sighed in recognition. This was a fear he knew. The fear that who you are will become swallowed up by what you are, even in your own mind. That you might become someone unrecognizable, and possibly a monster, without ever noticing the change.
"Do you know why the demon showed you that?" He asked.
Dinlaselan shook his head.
"It wanted to frighten you. Just as it could pull familiar faces and places from your mind, it plucked your fears," Solas explained.
Dinlaselan trembled, the tremor from his hands becoming strong enough to shake his whole body. "But it was so real…" he looked at his hands. "What if it was right?"
Solas, very gingerly, laid one hand against the man's back, hoping to soothe his frazzled nerves. "Your fear is what made it real, and also why I know it was wrong."
The younger man looked up at him, his red eyes glistening with unshed tears. "How do you know?"
"You saw the power you could have and turned away from it. Your fear of such a future means you will work against it with everything you have," Solas assured him.
Dinlaselan looked away again. "But what if I'm not strong enough?" His voice broke and the sound broke something in Solas.
"You are stronger than you think, Dinlaselan," he told him softly. "I have seen men crumble under less than you have already endured, men who thought they feared nothing laid bare by adversity. You have risen to every challenge that you have encountered, and I believe wholeheartedly that you shall continue to do so."
Sniffing quietly, Dinlaselan leaned into Solas, allowing him to drape his arm around his shoulder. "You really believe that." He sounded surprised.
"I would not say it if I did not," Solas confirmed.
Dinlaselan exhaled like he had been holding his breath. "Thank you," he murmured.
"You do not need to thank me for speaking the truth." Solas gave the man's shoulders a soft squeeze. "Do you wish to speak about what happened to you?"
Shaking his head, Dinlaselan relaxed slightly. "No, I don't think I do. Not yet."
Solas nodded. "Of course. If you ever wish to, remember that I am here for you, lethallin."
Dinlaselan looked at him and smiled, an almost infinitesimal upturn of his lips. "It was good of you to come. I feel… better, than before."
"I am pleased that I could be of assistance." Solas smiled back. "Do you still wish to be alone? I would not be offended if you preferred that I remove myself."
Considering, Dinlaselan looked down at his knees. "You could stay," he offered after a beat. "I don't mind you being here."
"Then I will remain for however long it is useful to you." Solas agreed with a nod.
Dinlaselan settled more comfortably against Solas' side, letting his eyes flutter closed. He seemed calm, the movements of his chest slowed and the shaking receded, his breathing returning to a resting pace. "Thank you, Solas."