HELLO EVERYONE! I apologize. No excuses. These delays will happen, but I will finish this! This is really short, but I am writing it at work because I am determined to get something to you all since it has been so long. I am also trying to REALLY decide where I want our dear Solas to go with this story. I have theories, but having too many builds a killer writers block. Ugh.

Enjoy!

O.o.O.o.O

Melana stared into his stormy eyes trying to process the words he had just spoken. Two earthshattering confessions from him in one day was almost more than she could handle. Part of her was waiting for him to laugh and tell her that there was no way he would ever unleash such powerful beings on the world she had just saved. However, the longer she stared at him in silence, the quieter that voice became. After what felt like hours, but was merely a handful of seconds, she decided that she was done sitting in his lap. Pushing herself up and to her feet, she walked a few paces away, her back was all she would give him.

"Vhenan... Please speak to me."

His voice was shaky, Melana could hear the fear in each slowly spoken word. He feared her reaction to his words. And he should.

"I never pegged you for an imbecile, Solas."

"Pardon...?"

Finally whirling back around to face him, Melana found him standing and staring at her with his calm walls back in place. Let him appear calm all he wanted. She knew that she loved this man, but she refused to see the world destroyed for his pride.

"What is your mind says that this is right decision? Fenedhis! I want to see the People restored to their former glory as much as the next Elf, but to free them? To place the Gods back upon a Thedas that they have not tread upon in millennia? I want to see the elves restored, not annihilated."

Watching him open his mouth to give her what she was sure was a great counterargument, Melana quickly raised her hand cutting him off. He was persuasive, but he would not change her mind on this foolishness.

"No! You will listen! So help me, Solas, you are not seeing this in the larger picture! You have yet to tell me why you imprisoned them all in the first place, but your little hints along our journey have not been reassuring me of their flawless character. Sure, it may have been an extreme action made by a much younger and brasher you, but... Solas, the People need guidance and aid. They do not need rampaging Elven gods either seeking vengeance on all who stood free while they lay trapped or starting a war to eradicate the races that filled the void left by Elvhenan."

The last few words of her rant echoed through the room as the following silence rang with Melana's ragged breaths. She had not intended on yelling at him, but she had apparently underestimated her passion for the topic. All her life with her clan, she had been taught of the wonders of the Gods, the great city of Arlathan and how the Dalish sought to rebuild it. However, her time since coming into a position of authority, after seeing what comes with great power, had taught her that nothing was pure, there was always a Game.

"I will stop you, Fen'Harel. I am no immortal God, but I will not let you destroy everything in this foolish quest of yours. You almost did already."

Her last sentence seemed to smack against him like a whip. She watched the emotions play over his face. Shock, guilt, anger, and then a steely, cold glint glazed over his eyes. Taking a step forward, he stared down at her, seeming to tower over her much smaller frame.

"I will do as I must, Inquisitor. You are correct. You are not immortal. You do not truly know how much the People have lost because of my decision. And I will right it, even if it means fighting you. Know that it is not my wish to be at odds with you."

For several moments, they stood rigid and unyielding. The Inquistor, steadfast in protecting all the peoples of Thedas, not just her own. The Rebel God, seeking to repair a world that no longer existed. Melana wanted in her heart to back down, to stop this horrid fighting with the man that she loved. But the stakes were too high, too many innocent lives depended on her getting him to see reason before everything fell apart.

"I do not wish to stand at odds with you either, Solas. But this cannot be the course of action you take."

"It is the only course I may take."

Throwing up her hands, Melana groaned and broke eye contact by rolling them up towards the high ceiling above her. There was no reasoning with him and she did not know what to say to make him even begin to listen. Exhaustion finally began to weigh her down as the long night of battling off his power washed over her all at once. Hanging her head in seeming defeat, she tried for the only thing her mind could think of. To stall.

"Fine. But you will not start this now. I only ask that you wait, and we talk over this plan of yours later. I have spent the better part of two days dealing with you and protecting Skyhold from your little power tantrum. I need to rest and we should talk more when we are both in better states of mind. Agreed?"

Solas' eyes softened for just a moment before his calm mask fell back in place. "Very well. But do not think talking my plan over with you will sway me. I care deeply for you, but this is my purpose and I will see it done."

"Great. My purpose is sleep. You get the couch."