Holli threw up her hands, erecting the shield as arrows pelted it. She could feel the damage it took but poured more magic into it to keep it full strength. She fired off a bolt of water, strong enough to knock Sera from her perch without doing too much damage to her.
Vivienne unleashed a storm of ice around her, and all Holli could do was try to shield herself from it. The paralysing cold the other mage conjured nearly threw her back in a panic as flashes of that icy cave after Haven came to mind, mixed with the dark snowy streets from her childhood near-death experience. But if there was one thing she had learned, it was how to push it back down.
"Focus, Holli," Solas called. "This isn't just about casting spells. It's about thinking in the heat of battle. Reacting quickly and using your magic effectively."
She was reluctant to use spells that could hurt anyone, though. And these were people she liked, so that added to the reluctance.
Holli poured more magic into her shield, completely overpowering it before expanding it in a quick and forceful burst. It knocked Vivienne and Varric off their feet, and she called out vines from the ground to restrain them.
She dived to the side when a bolt of lightning shot towards her, feeling the heat of it against her skin as it just missed her. She had forgotten about Dorian. Scrambling to get up, she felt someone grab her ponytail, holding her still as a blade came to rest at her throat.
"You need to work on your situational awareness," Blackwall said from behind her.
Fuck, she had forgotten about him too.
He let her go, and she stood up, dusting herself off.
"You need to be aware of every enemy you've entered into combat with and be aware of where they are at all times," he told her. "Being a mage, they'll want to knock you out of the fight early; they will try and flank you or take you out with range."
Holli nodded with a disappointed sigh, and he patted her shoulder.
"But you're improving," he added. "It won't happen overnight."
"We can leave it here for today," Solas told them.
It had just been accepted that he was in charge of her training, and they did tend to defer to him regarding it. Though there was the odd disagreement or challenging comment from Vivienne and Dorian.
Solas joined her as she started to make her way inside while the others wandered off.
"I've never seen you do that with the vines before," he noted.
"I've been trying to work on plant magic. It was mostly so I could grow the herbs and stuff for the infirmary quicker. Which I have been."
She gave him a proud smile and a thumbs up. With what she had figured out, she had increased their rate of growth exponentially. But using magic had lowered their quality and efficacy. So at the moment it was a balancing act, but she was working on how to grow them without altering them so much.
But in a fight, when all she needed were some strong vines, she didn't have to worry about that, so it made it easier.
She had been talking with Dagna; the woman knew how to enchant. Holli wished she could learn, but apparently it was too dangerous for anyone but dwarves and tranquil. Holli was hoping that between her and Dagna, they could enchant planters and pots to make them grow quicker. She theorised an enchanted pot would expose the plant to less magic than her casting on it directly.
Dagna was curious to see if it would work as well. She mostly enchanted weapons and armour, but her interests were far broader, and she was always open to new ideas.
Holli wished she'd known about Dagna sooner. She was awesome to talk to, and she truly had a unique perspective on magic.
"Blackwall is right, Holli," he said. "You are improving."
"I just... I don't get how you guys keep track of everything in a fight. It just looks like chaos to me."
"Experience has been the greatest teacher in that regard. You start to see an order to the chaos."
They walked in silence for a moment while she debated asking him a question she'd been meaning to for a while. But it just never felt like the right time. She was starting to think there would never be a right time; she might as well just plough ahead with it.
"Solas, can I ask you a favour?"
"Of course," he replied, surprised she would be so hesitant about it.
"Will you teach me elven? I mean, if I'm allowed. If it's something only elves are supposed to know, then... But I've been trying to find books that could teach me, but no luck. And Sera doesn't know the language. I didn't want to bother you with it—"
"Holli, anything you need of me, if I can, I will. Never doubt that. Yes, I can teach you Elven. Better than any book you'll find on the subject. And no, it isn't only for elves. Besides, you're elf-blooded; you're just as entitled to the knowledge as anyone."
Since coming back from the Fade after... everything, what happened in Adamant was rarely mentioned. Especially what really happened. Some days she could even forget that part of it entirely—Riluan and his connection to her. It felt jarring to have Solas mention it so casually given how earth-shaking it had been for her.
"I just, I already take up a lot of your time with training and lessons, and talking to you about magic and the Fade... I don't want you to feel obligated to say yes. You're still grieving, and you have your own work to do, and you might just be too nice to say no..."
"I will always encourage your pursuit of knowledge, and I am happy to teach you Elven." She would be the first person to ever think him too nice to do or say anything. "Would you be amenable to starting after dinner perhaps?"
"Yes," she beamed. "I'll meet you in the rotunda after then? Or would the library be better?"
"The rotunda is fine."
"Awesome, thank you, Solas. I need to get to the infirmary, but I'll see you later."
She jogged off, giving him a wave before disappearing inside the castle. He smiled after her for a moment before it died, a sigh taking its place. She was right; he was still grieving. But the distraction teaching her Elven would provide would help him. He was glad she asked to learn the language; perhaps it would even foster a connection to Riluan. The man found Solas quite often in the Fade for updates on his daughter.
He understood Holli's reticence to know him. She blamed him for everything, understandably. Riluan had been in a difficult position; Holli was his daughter. There was nothing he wouldn't do.
But the amount of deaths it took to save her. Holli would wear that for the rest of her life. Which could quite possibly be eternal if Riluan was right.
-
Holli was relieved Solas had agreed to teach her, but truly she hoped he wasn't doing it because he just couldn't say no.
"Hello, Holli."
Cole appeared beside her, just walking with her.
"Hey, Cole," she greeted with a smile, taking his hand and walking closer to him, shoulder to shoulder. "What have you been up to today?"
She hadn't seen him yet today, and it was going to be over soon.
"Helping," he replied, his gaze drifting to the garden they were passing where Krem was in deep conversation with Maryden.
"Ah. Well done. They look happy."
Krem leaned in towards Maryden, whispering something in her ear, which made her smile. Well, they looked sickeningly sweet together.
Seeing Krem reminded her she needed to get back to trying to open a rift with her mark. She should be devoting more time to that.
They moved past the gardens, Holli catching sight of Lady Morrigan. She had made her home in one of the empty rooms just off of the garden. She had some kind of mirror in there, but Holli didn't know why it was so special. She hadn't had anything to do with Morrigan since she got here, and the woman kept mostly to herself. Holli knew she and Hawke spoke now and again, and he had passed on some of what their conversations entailed.
Hawke had also informed her they would be travelling to the Dales. Hawke had been there already—before Halamshiral, something to do with the civil war that had been going on. No one wanted Holli out there while that was going on. But there were plenty of rifts she needed to close, and things had settled a bit since everything was resolved in Halamshiral. That didn't mean it was without dangers. But Hawke would be there, along with some of the inner circle, to protect her. Hawke still had a few tasks out there he needed to see to.
So Holli needed to pack for that trip, but first she had a few things to do in the infirmary since she'd be away for so long.
"You're coming with us to the Dales, right?" She asked Cole.
"Of course. It will be dangerous there."
He did seem to have taken on quite a protective role pretty much since he'd joined the Inquisition. And given how deadly and perceptive he was, he really did make her feel safe.
"Where are you going now?" He asked.
"Infirmary. A few things to do before we leave."
"Can I help?"
"Not really," she told him. "But thanks for asking."
They reached the infirmary door, and she rose up on her tippy toes, brushing a very brief kiss on his cheek.
"I'll catch up with you later," she said.
She didn't linger to see his reaction before disappearing into the infirmary, worried she might have made him uncomfortable. Maybe she should have asked permission first? But that seemed so awkward. But consent was key.
Ugh, she would talk to him about it later. For now, get over the cringe and get to work.
-
"Ah, young love," Dorian sighed, smirking over at Cole, who was standing in the hallway, his fingers touching the place Holli had kissed him.
They had all seen the newfound closeness between the pair. And they weren't exactly trying to hide it. Cole was especially obvious, always watching her, a look of pure adoration in his eyes. It had been remarked upon by some and the subject of outright gossip for others.
"Does that make yours and the Iron Bull's old love?"
Dorian looked up at Bull beside him, positively aghast. Bull laughed it off; Dorian found it a little harder to find the humour.
"I can't tell if you're being smart or if that was a genuine question," Dorian said, casting a narrow-eyed stare at the boy.
Cole could be difficult to read and didn't seem the type for smart-assery. But some of the things he said would certainly have fallen into that category if they'd been said by someone like Holli or Sera.
"She looks happy," Bull noted.
"Mostly," Cole said, his own joy dropping as he stared at the closed door of the infirmary. "Sadness bubbles to the surface sometimes. Stomp it down, don't think about it, no dark moments. Everything is fine." Cole looked up at them then. "I don't know how to make it go away."
Bull hadn't been in the Fade for Adamant and all she'd learnt that day, and Dorian hadn't told him. But Dorian vividly recalled the look on her face the moment Riluan shattered her world and obliterated her hope—of getting home, of having a reason to. She had seemed to bounce back rather quickly; he'd just assumed she was incredibly resilient and that Solas, Varric, and Cole had helped her through it.
But it was true she'd had darker shadows under her eyes, and she'd lost a bit of weight since Adamant. She was already too skinny to begin with.
From the sounds of it, everything she was feeling was just festering. By burying it, all she had done was plant a rotten seed that was ulcerating beneath the surface.
"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Dorian suggested.
He nodded. "Everything is fine."
No surprises there. Holli had been through a lot. Some of it she had been forced to face—like her being trapped in a world not her own. Developing magic. Being expected to close the sky. It was a lot, especially for one so young and new to the world.
"I'll try talking to her," Dorian said.
He had all the information. And she had opened up to him about where her intense dislike of the cold had come from. Perhaps he could get her to open up about some of this other baggage she was carrying. Of course it wouldn't be with Josephine, as last time had. And they would probably not be drinking either, although he wouldn't completely rule it out just yet. Perhaps a word to Solas and Varric was in order as well.