Holli smiled as she watched Cole. They were sitting in the grass, and he was sitting there with butterflies on him. Birds, butterflies, moths, ladybirds... She assumed it was because he was so gentle, and they knew he was a safe place. Or maybe his compassionate nature just attracted them; she didn't know. But she wished she had her phone to take pictures of this.
And he looked so at ease with them. He had a bright blue and green butterfly on his finger, and he extended his hand to her.
"Do you want to hold one?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"It'll fly away," she whispered back but held her hand out anyway.
She had held monarch butterflies before; her primary school had had swan plants, and they did a whole project on the life cycle of butterflies. She had been obsessed with them as a kid. And absolutely gutted she never really got to see any in the city. Even now she still thought they were pretty and could get lost watching them.
It took a little finagling, but she got the creature on her finger. She brought it close to her face, taking it in. She'd never seen one like it before where she had come from.
"It's so pretty," she whispered.
"Like you," Cole said simply, smiling at her.
She felt her cheeks heat up and tried not to grin like an idiot. "You know you're pretty cute too, right?"
His smile only widened slightly.
Sera blew a big raspberry, loud enough Holli was surprised the butterflies didn't scatter. Holli thought Sera might have been starting to feel like a bit of a third wheel.
"Do you want to hold one, Sera?" Cole asked, still keeping his voice soft and gentle.
"Why?"
"Because they're neat," Holli said.
She was no fan of bugs, but butterflies were the exception.
"No thanks, you two oddbirds can keep them. I prefer bees."
"Bees are pretty cool too," Holli mumbled. "Without bees there'd be a pretty bad food crisis and a wicked decline in biodiversity."
"They're just bees; all they do is make honey. And sting people," Sera laughed to herself.
"They're pollinators," Holli corrected her. "A lot of plants use bees to reproduce. What did you learn in school?"
"School? Do I look like I went to school?"
Right, school wasn't really a thing here. Parents taught their kids, and the wealthy hired tutors or whatever. And even then, a lot of it, from what she'd heard, was pretty religious based.
She still wasn't sure where she stood on religion here. Against it for the most part, but it seemed there might be some facts in it after their jaunt in the Fade in Adamant. That wasn't a time she liked thinking of, however, so she hadn't analysed it too much.
"Are there really no public schools here at all?"
"No. The Circles do provide an education to the mages, but there isn't much available for the common folk," Cassandra told them from her perch on a nearby rock.
She was sharpening her sword. They were back in the Hinterlands; they had been notified about a few more rifts that people had come across. So Hawke had taken a few of them out to go and close them and see how things were doing out here. He hadn't been part of the Inquisition when they had been here last.
It did seem like things had calmed down some at least. And when they had stopped at the Crossroads, she had seen some of the kids she'd played with all those months ago and had a bit of a catch-up. Some had moved on with their families, but a few remained. And now she was a healer, so she had spent quite a bit of time at the makeshift clinic healing all the injured and maimed.
Hawke rode up with Solas, Fenris, and Blackwall. The heavy footfalls of the horses nearby scattered the butterflies. About a dozen of them fluttered off, Cole and Holli watching them go.
"I see you've all been productive in our absence," Hawke noted.
"Extremely," Holli replied, standing up and dusting off her behind. "What's the go?"
"That doesn't even make sense," Hawke muttered. "There are a couple of rifts beyond the valley past here. Scout Harding has made camp not far; we'll meet up with her and get a better idea of what we're looking at."
They packed up, getting back onto their horses, and left the Crossroads. Holli hadn't been out this way too far; Redcliffe was as far as she had gone. The terrain became a lot less open and far more rocky. The horses had to slow to a walk to avoid injury, and they had to go single file when they entered a narrow chasm. When it opened out into a bit of a clearing, they found Harding and her people there, the camp set up around them.
"Inquisitor, Lady Herald," Harding greeted as they dismounted. "The chasm opens out into a vast valley; there's a rift in the centre and another just beyond it. But you're not going to have an easy time of it."
"Do we ever?" Hawke asked. "What's the problem?"
"A dragon has claimed it," she replied simply.
"Oh fuck me," Hawke sighed.
"I'm probably about to ask something super dumb," Holli began. "But can we just talk to it?"
They looked at her like she was insane or stupid; either way, she was offended.
"Why in the Maker's name would we talk to it?"
"Convince it to leave? I guess it's not a talking dragon then..." She trailed off, regretting asking.
"Do you have talking dragons where you come from?" Hawke asked.
"We don't have dragons at all. But we have... stories about dragons. And some of them talk."
Paarthurnax came to mind. The only experience with dragons she'd had here was Corypheus's one, and that was corrupted and under his control. Of course it wouldn't be able to talk.
"Look, I'm still figuring out the baseline for normal in this place," she muttered.
"Really? You've been here awhile," Hawke pointed out. "And I've seen you know far more obscure information than whether or not dragons can talk."
"I was also hoping it could talk," she admitted, glaring at the rocky cliff face nearby.
"Why?"
"Maybe it would let me ride it," she shrugged.
"You're scared of horses, but you'd ride a dragon?" Hawke asked sceptically.
"A talking dragon. Maybe I wouldn't be so scared of the horse if it were sapient."
She was a little more comfortable on Sunchaser now, but she was still very aware of how easily the thing could kill her just because it got a fright and bolted.
"If it was sapient, it would be capable of lying to you," Hawke pointed out. "It could let you ride it and then just eat you anyway."
"Then I'd build trust and befriend it first so it wouldn't want to eat me."
"Enough," Cassandra huffed in exasperation. "This conversation is pointless. Dragons cannot talk, and under no circumstances should you try to ride one."
"It would be pretty cool though," Holli pouted.
"Oh, I'm not arguing that," Hawke said. "You know there are some mages who can shapeshift into dragons?"
"But you'd just be riding a mage, not a real dragon. Not sure that would be as cool."
"Maker's breath," Cassandra uttered. "Are we dealing with these rifts or not?"
"Yes," Hawke practically yelped the word at her growing frustration. "Yes, we are. All right, plan of attack."
Holli sidled up to Solas. "Hey, Solas," she whispered.
He looked at her questioningly.
"Can you shapeshift?"
"Shapeshifting is incredibly advanced magic," he told her hesitantly.
That didn't really answer her question.
"Holli, pay attention," Hawke chided.
She stiffened up, refocusing on what Hawke was saying. She supposed it was a bit important. Were they really going to fight a fucking dragon?
When they stepped into the valley minutes later, and she took in the utter destruction – burning trees, plumes of smoke obstructing the sun, torn-up earth – the question still bounced around her skull. Were they really going to fight a dragon!?
They could see it; the massive winged beast was annihilating the demons coming through the rift. They hadn't expected that.
"All right, alteration to the plan. Holli, your priority is closing that rift. I don't want to be fighting both demons and a dragon. Cassandra, Solas, and Cole help her with that. The rest of us will try and keep the dragon off you. And for the love of all that is holy, Holli, do not get too injured. We're going to need you to fix us up; I doubt we're coming out of this unscathed."
Holli nodded. "Just a little injured then."
He shot her a look, and she just grinned in response. He wasn't the only one to shoot her that withering stare either. Even Cole didn't look too happy with her joke.
"Stay sharp," Hawke muttered. "We'll go in first; once we have the dragon distracted, finish whatever demons are left, then join us with the dragon."
The others nodded. Holli and her three protectors stayed back while the others cautiously made their way towards the dragon. They didn't want to attract its attention too early, and if it killed all the demons first, that would help them. Sera and Dorian fired off arrows and spells when they were close enough, drawing the creatures' notice.
"All right, let's go," Cassandra said, leading the way.
They kept low and quick as they ran towards the rift. The dragon had killed the demons, so more started to come through. When they spawned in, Holli engaged the rift, pulling them back through it and sealing it in one quick motion.
Solas and Cassandra looked at her while she bounced up and down, laughing. Her practice with Krem and the others was really paying off.
"I did it!"
Cole scooped her into a quick hug before pulling back and planting a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Now we have to kill a dragon."
Right, the dragon. Too bad she couldn't just suck the dragon into a rift. Hmm... No, too risky to attempt that right now. That would be incredibly stupid.
"Come on," Cassandra barked, running towards the others.
"I didn't know you could do that," Solas said from where he jogged beside her.
"I've been practising with rifts," she grinned, still riding the high of success and that Cole had been the one to initiate a kiss, brief as it was. She was feeling positively giddy.
It died quickly when they got closer to the dragon. It was massive. How were they supposed to kill it?
With a screech that rattled the stones, it lunged forward, a tidal wave of flame spewing from its mouth. Hawke and Fenris dove from its path while Blackwall raised his shield. The heat was unbearable, but he held firm.
Back on his feet, Hawke's steps pounded the ground, carrying him toward the beast.
From where she stood, well out of distance of the dragon, Holli erected a shimmering barrier around Blackwall to protect him from the flames.
Solas, standing at her side, his brow furrowed in concentration, summoned the biting cold of winter, encasing the dragon's massive wings with ice.
The dragon recoiled, its wings stiffening as the chill from Solas's spell slowed its movements. But the creature was far from finished. With a deafening roar, it beat its wings with incredible force, sending shockwaves through the battlefield and cracking the ice off.
"Steady!" Cassandra shouted, her sword cleaving through the air as she surged forward to strike at the dragon's hind leg. The dragon snarled, lashing out with a clawed paw.
But Hawke was there, meeting the dragon's claw with his own blade in a staggering crash. He swung his sword, slashing at the creature's side, leaving a long gash in its scales.
Sera, crouched behind a pillar of stone, nocked an arrow in her bow with quiet precision. She observed the dragon's movements, waiting for the perfect moment. She had been trying to shred its wings, her arrows leaving holes in the membrane.
Holli still couldn't entirely believe they were fighting a dragon. She was being struck with one of those 'how did my life come to this?' moments as she watched the others fight, the surreality nearly distracting her from the battle entirely.
From the dragon's other side, Dorian's fingers crackled with energy as he channelled lightning. The jagged arcs of electricity crackled through the air, striking the dragon and the nearby trees, adding to the fire. The dragon howled in pain as the electricity coursed through its body, stunning it momentarily. It snapped her back to the present.
With his massive sword in hand, Fenris charged, his lyrium tattoos glowing. He darted beneath the dragon's swinging tail, closing the distance with incredible speed. His first strike cut deep into the dragon's underbelly. Blood splattered across the ground as the dragon screeched, thrashing in an attempt to shake off its attackers.
The dragon was faltering, but it whipped its tail around, aiming for Fenris. He sidestepped with grace, rolling away just in time to avoid the crushing blow. His second strike came even faster, and he plunged his sword deep into the dragon's side.
"We have it!" Cassandra shouted. "Now, finish it!"
The dragon's movements were slow now; Holli felt sorry for it as she watched it.
Cole dashed forward, his daggers gleaming as he slid under the creature. His blades cut through the dragon's belly, tearing it open. The creature let out one final, echoing scream before it collapsed, the ground shaking beneath its weight as it crumpled to the floor, Cole rolling to his feet, barely missing being crushed.
"We did it…" Blackwall panted, lowering his shield, the weight of the battle settling over him.
They really had. They'd killed a dragon. And she did not feel good about it.
"Bull is going to be sorry he missed this," Dorian muttered. "Have any of its teeth fallen out? I need one."
"Why do you need one?" Holli asked. "Is it for something weird?"
"Oh, you have no idea," he drawled but made no effort to explain further.
"Any injuries?" Holli asked. She watched as a few of them raised their hands. "Cool," she breathed out, talking more to herself than anyone else. "Let's do it."