"Take me with you." The fae woman said. I looked at her, still confused. "Miss, what do you mean take you with me? take you where?" She grabbed me gently by the chin, and i flinched. "Um, miss?" i said hesitantly, unsure of what to do. "Emeril", she said, those eyes of hers still gazing into me. "My name is Emeril Three-Songs." i nodded, her hand still on my face. "Right, miss Emeril-" she squeezed my face gently. "Just Emeril." she cooed. "Y-yes.." i stammered. "Emeril, where do you want me to take you?" she pulled my face close to hers, and as she did so my eyes widened in shock as her flesh returned to it's normal smoothness, her height increased, and glowing channels of aura spread across her body in intricate patterns. From her back came forth six 'wings' of pure aura, each wing a perfect petal shape, iridescent blue and translucent, shimmering with aura. an altfae... highest of all fae. "Wherever you go." she replied, as she pulled me close and locked her lips with my own. "I go." she said. my brain sparked with confusion and mayhem as i frantically tried to calculate what could have possibly caused this outcome. "Quiet your thoughts." she purred, before pulling me in for another, deeper kiss. At this point i wasn't sure if i even cared what was happening, her lips were so soft and warm, maybe i could just- "What in the hell is going on??" Lucien's voice rang out in confusion and surprise. i was saved, thank god. my eyes flicked over to him and met his own. SAY SOMETHING i frantically tried telling him with just my eyes. Lucien face palmed for a moment, ignoring me being helplessly devoured all the while. Finally, he sighed and walked closer to us. "Excuse me, miss fae, but could you release my friend now? we have a job to complete." Emeril paused for a moment, as if coming out of a trance. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I got a little carried away." a little she says? she released me reluctantly, and i took the opportunity to straighten my clothes and wipe my mouth dry. Looking at emeril, i asked; "So, if i agree to let you come with me, will you return Varric's aura?" Lucien's eyes bugged. "Come with us? HER? w-what??" i shot lucien a warning glare, then looked back to emeril, awaiting her answer. to my surprise, her hand was already held out to me, the aura of Varric held within it. "Wherever you go, i go." She said. I took the aura from her, channeling it safely within my own. "I'll return this to Varric's body. Can you wait here for me to return?" i asked her. She looked me in the eyes again and said once more; "Wherever you go, i go." Sighing, i nodded, turned, and began walking towards the village as lucien stumbled after me, asking dozens of questions as i struggled to calculate how in the hell i was going to explain all of this this to Varric's family.
Thankfully, after a bit of convincing, Emeril reluctantly agreed to stay at the edge of the woods within eyesight of Varric's house, so long as i did not leave the range of her senses. I approached the threshold and knocked on the door, which was answered after a few moments by Tommen. "Sir solace!" He said, surprised. "I'm glad to see you're unharmed." mostly. i thought to myself. "Come in, come in." he continued. "make yourself at home. What news do you have of the skogsra?" Tiredly, i staggered in and plopped onto a wooden bench by the hearth. "Well," i said, "I was able to reason with the fae to return Varric's aura." Tommen's eyes lit up. "So he'll be alright now?" He asked. Before i could answer, the voice of Keera rang out from the loft. "Mr. Priest knight?? is that you?" She came sliding down the ladder from the loft and toddled over to her father and i as quick as her legs could carry her. "Is that true Mr. priest? big brother will be okay?" I nodded, and her and her father embraced and laughed, overjoyed. "However i do still need to reconnect his aura with the threads of fate." i said. Tommen's face became serious again. "Is that dangerous?" he asked. i shook my head. "Not for me at least. it will just take quite some time, at least a few hours." Tommen nodded. "Our house is your house, take as much time as you need to rest before or after you begin." I smiled and thanked him, then stood. "It's better to begin sooner than later, so i'll go ahead and get it done with." Tommen and Keera followed me as i entered the room, where maria had fallen asleep in her chair. As the door open, she started awake, then seeing me asked; "Sir priest, what of my son? did you succeed??" I smiled tiredly, "Yes ma'am, i'll be reconnecting his aura now. it may take me a few hours, but he'll be fine." Weeks of fatigue and worry instantly left her face as she began to cry. "Oh thank you sir, thank you so very much. thank you." Tommen held his wife and gently guided her out to the common room, letting me know to ask him if i needed anything. Closing the door behind him, i walked over to Varric, who was yet even still staring blankly into space, and laid my hand upon his head. Closing my eyes, i opened my minds eye and let the tapestry unfold to the fullest i could see it. The pain of so much information flooding my psyche was like the worst hangover i'd ever had, but i endured. Following the filaments of thread to their source, i found the stagnant lines once again, and coaxing his aura from it's hidden cache in my own, I began to gently weave each filament back to it's corresponding thread of fate. Manipulating the tapestry like this was only possible for priests of the all-maker or the fae. I'd thought about asking Emeril to do it, but i didnt think her meeting his family would be a good idea. She could probably have it done within minutes or even seconds, especially with her being an Altfae. But as a simple mortal priest, the process took me several hours. The first light of dawn was beginning to break before i finally finished. exhausted, and with a headache to rival even the unluckiest of drunkards, i stumbled out into the common room where Varric's family were anxiously waiting. "Sir priest, is varric-?" I nodded. "He'll be fine, just give him a few days to orient himself. Separation from the body can be surreal or even traumatic." At once Maria and Keera were smothering me in hugs and thanking me profusely as Tommen frantically tried to calm them and Lucien snored obliviously in a corner. At last once they had calmed and gone to bed, i stumbled out into the early dawn twilight and made my way to the tree line, Where Emeril appeared like a ghost at my side. "Welcome back." She whispered in my ear. "Agh!" i jumped, surprised. She giggled mischievously. "That's what you get for making me wait so long." i shook my head. "Sorry, i had to finish fixing the situation and settle everything. But i've been wanting to speak with you about earlier Emeril." she floated her body in the air slowly around me. "Oh, want to continue where we left off perhaps?" She teased. I shook my head. "No, thank you. Actually i have no idea why you k..k-kissed me like that." i blushed. "Your change in behavior is a complete one eighty, and i'm very confused as to why you changed. Will you please explain to me, seriously, what's going on?" I was firm but gentle. I wasn't angry with the fae, i spoke the truth. I simply had zero idea where her change in behavior had come from. She sighed then floated in front of me, so her face was directly in front of mine. Looking into my eyes again, she explained; "When i stared into you solace, i realized something." I asked her; "And that is?" sighing wistfully, she continued; "I had been tearing myself apart over losing a simple stone. And yet before my eyes came a soul that shone like the brightest diamond i'd ever seen. I had thought Varric's soul was beautiful, But yours was so much different. So intricate, full of color, form, and complexity. I had never known true beauty, until i saw your soul." Simple stone, diamond... so that's what she meant last night. "Emeril, i won't pretend to understand how the fae see the world, I do know you see it much differently from mortals, But I'm flawed and imperfect just like anyone else." Emeril clucked her tongue at me. "kintsukuroi." she said. "flaws are beautiful too, Perfection is something even the celestials don't possess." I sighed, not sure how to get through to a being with an entirely different grasp on emotion. "Emeril, i'm not a fae. I can't return your feelings instantly, let alone with the strength you have behind them. I don't want to hurt your feelings by mistake, or by leading you on." She looked into my eyes again, and the familiar feeling of being read like a book returned. "Solace." She said, a serious tone finally in her voice. "You don't need to understand me, because i understand you. Completely." I was about to protest when she put her finger on my lips. "Shhhh, now." She said. "I'm not asking you to love me back right now. I already learned my lesson last time, i'm no fool. All i asked is that you let me come with you. i know your heart will synchronize with mine in time. Simply spend time with me as a companion. You'll see i'm right." she finished with a wink. I thought about her words for a moment, then asked; "So, just let you tag along and treat you like a companion? that's all you want?" She smiled. "Yes. that, and this." Before i could react, she stole another kiss from me, before gliding off towards the wood shed where our belongings were. Flabbergasted, i sat there contemplating my existence until the gryphlings began crowing. "Those...were my first kisses." I mourned to no one in particular.