its where my demons hide

Asha was in one of her moods, where the positive and outgoing Asha was replaced with an angry ball of rage. Where all she could do was remember waking up to find her father dead, the news hitting her with the force of a dragon. The more she tried to impress her mother, the more it felt like it was an impossible feat. She tried getting herself an outside tutor to help with blood magic, but her mother didn't give her the reaction she was looking for, and now her mother was apparently dating again. Not that there was anything wrong with this Grainne woman, but for Asha, she was still mourning her dad's death. So she ran away, not without destination however, she decided to visit her mother's house in the wilds.

Upon getting there, it was relatively easy to use a spell to unlock the door. At first she just walked around the small hut, but eventually her teenage curiosity got the better of her and she started snooping around. Eventually finding the last thing in the world that Morrigan probably wanted her to find, a letter written to her, but hey it had her name on it, so could it really be snooping into someone else's things?

Reading this particular letter quickly sent Asha into a rage. Her mother had killed Loghain, against Lana's wishes even. Sure, supposedly it was what her dad had wanted, what he felt he'd deserved, penance blah blah, it was the right thing to do blah blah; it was what he wanted blah blah. She started throwing magic around like a bomb going off, quickly turning the little hut into a war zone. Eventually she was crying so hard she needed fresh air and went outside to sit on the steps, crying into her hands, angry at the world, more than pissed off at her mother.

Solas was on the hunt for Morrigan; he wanted the other half of Mythal. He already had one (well... Vela had it) and he needed the other. Everything he's done had been for Mythal. He cannot sit idly by and not get to see his long, lost... girlfriend felt wrong; she'd been much more than that. But maybe it felt wrong because she was sharing a body with his ex-girlfriend, whom he still loved.

Fuck, this was complicated.

As he approached the old hut in the Wilds, hands in his pocket, he was assaulted by the presence of extremely powerful, angry magic. And he slowed his gait, unsure of what he'd find.

It didn't feel like Flemeth. It didn't feel like Morrigan, either.

When he arrived, a girl was sobbing on the step. And he stayed quiet, searching with his magic to see if what he wanted was here.

And then he narrowed his eyes as he felt the almost-familiar magic of Mythal in the vicinity... but something was different. This was a more enraged Mythal.

And the girl in front of him carried her.

After another second of staring at the child, he moved to kneel at the bottom step. Hello. This isn't what he had expected; he'd wanted to deal with the Witch of the Wilds, not... whoever this girl was.

Normally if she weren't so upset, she would have heard someone approach, but as she was upset she didn't hear Solas until he was speaking to her. She looked up and immediately started trying to dry her eyes. She had no idea who this strange man was but she felt silly for being caught crying like she was, it wasn't even quiet crying, it was full on ugly crying. Something stirred inside of her, but she passed it off as being upset. 

H...hello... She stuttered, too upset to be afraid, but confused as to why the man was there. Maybe it was someone for her mother, but then why wouldn't he be looking for her in Amaranthine or Orlais, not here at the old hut. She didn't welcome the interruption, she wanted to continue to be upset about her dad, but now she was faced with having to talk to someone, rage flickered inside of her as she tried to quell it. What do you want? She asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.

It would seem that you have something that belongs to me. Solas was honest, as he studied the girl. The Witch that lives here was supposed to keep it safe for me. He explained, as if that was all the child needed to know.

I'll need it back.

She tipped her head curiously now, she still didn't trust the man, but she was curious as to what he was talking about, she wasn't sure she understood how she could have something that he needed, she was just a kid after all.

Are you talking about mom? She's not really here that much, she's usually in Amaranthine or Orlais with Kieran. Is what you're looking for in the hut? If it is it may be hard to find, I kind of made a mess of the place... His words were strange, something she had that belongs to him, but she didn't have anything on her, except what was in the hut, so what could it possibly be.

Is Morrigan your mother? Interesting, I was not aware she had a teenaged daughter. The last time he'd heard anything about the Mac Tir children, they'd had a toddler and a son.

No, no... What I am looking for is a spirit, a piece of a spirit. Though it appears that she's enraged. He mused quietly, studying the girl in front of him. You'll feel better if I take it, though.

It's complicated, she responded to his question about her being Morrigan's daughter, she didn't even completely understand it, and she'd had nearly three years to wrap her head around it all and still didn't understand it. One minute she'd been a three-year-old then the veil was torn down and she was dying, suddenly she has some weird shard thing and she's in a coma for a year where she magically ages like twelve years. Then he started talking about the spirit, the one inside her, and anger flashed again.

I don't think my mom would want me talking to you about this, I don't know you. What if you're one of her enemies, she's not exactly warm and cuddly when it comes to having friends. She was prepared to fight if she had to, so far she wasn't comfortable with how things were going.

Solas studied the girl. The spirit is called Mythal. He explained easily, She lived with your grandmother—Flemeth, for a very, very long time. It must be confusing.

He wasn't surprised she seemed uncomfortable. Your mother was to keep Mythal safe for me, though he had not expected to return. And technically, he'd promised Flemeth that she could pass the godhood on to Morrigan and Mythal would stay in their family.

Obviously, something went wrong.

My name is Solas, he added, as if that wouldn't spark more fear in the girl. He wasn't sure if she knew his name.

Mythal, yes that was familiar, when she first woke up from the coma Morrigan had explained a lot to her, but everything had been so overwhelming at the time that she'd really only paid attention to perhaps a third of what Morrigan had said. The shard had saved her life, because when the veil torn everything had gone so horribly wrong. She was about to say something, as she carefully considered each of Solas's words, and then he introduced himself by name. Another vaguely familiar name, hadn't it been his fault the veil had gone down in the first place, did that mean he was to blame why she was now a seventeen year old teenager instead of a four year old toddler.

Solas? You're the reason I became sick, the reason I needed the shard, I would have died without it. If you're here to take it, what if it kills me to do so? I'm not exactly keen on dying, even if I am still pissed off at my mother for killing father. The anger she had for her mother still oozed out of every bit of Asha, the rage building up within, echoing as the shard magnified her rage.

Solas listened to the girl, brows furrowing. And then it hit him; she was one of the underage mages, who had reacted violently to the Veil's removal, and the surplus of mana. Oh, is that what's happened to you? He hummed, nodding as she voiced her concerns.

What if you and I trade? I can summon another spirit for you. Perhaps my friend Peace? This piece of Mythal... it's corrupted, struggling. She'll only bring you down with her. He stated, quietly.

A pause. I can help this piece of Mythal, keep her safe. And my friend Peace can help you. Deal? All that I ask is, you tell your grandmother that Mythal is safe. Because he and Flemeth were old friends; old enough so that he cared to let her know.

Asha was trying to wrap her head around everything that Solas was saying. Part of her felt like it would be foolish to trust him, but another part of her felt like his words made sense. If the shard was corrupted, was it why she felt angry all the time? Would a spirit help her more now than the shard was helping her? What if he was only saying that to get the shard? Did he really care whether she lived or died? She considered her words carefully as her mount, her bear, walked around from the back of the house and sat down at her feet, eyeing Solas with a combination of curiosity and warning.

If you can swap with me for a spirit of peace, I think we can come to an agreement, but first I want you to swear on the life of Mythal that you are telling me the truth. She figured if he wanted the shard of Mythal, then Mythal must be important to him, so maybe swearing on her would ensure that he was telling the truth. It was silly really, but deep down, she was really like a seven-year-old in the body of a seventeen-year-old, so in her mind, swearing on something important just made sense.

Solas regarded the child with a smile, nodding. I swear on Mythal, that I am being truthful. Once she accepted his sworn statement, he'd reach for her hand, to clasp an amulet in it. This holds Peace, and will hold Mythal. The ritual was carefully spoken, though it almost sounded like a song with the way his voice lilted in Ancient Elvhen. It was one of many ways to perform such a swap.

The amulet in the girl's hand would flash white, first. And seconds pass as it flashed red, and grew hot to the touch. Before she could drop it though, he'd cup his hand around it. Reclaim it, place the filled amulet around his neck. Peace will take care of you, Asha'bellanar. Flemeth had been proud of her daughter, and of the grandchildren. Asha would feel a warmth settle over herself, and much of her rage and aggression would fade quickly into nonexistence.

After it was over, Asha felt a tremendous surge of relief and contentment, or rather peace. She was still angry at her mother, but she was better able to see the bigger picture, to not jump to conclusions about it all, to give her mother a chance. She just needed to talk to her. Ignoring Solas who was clearly already leaving, Asha got on her bear and headed back home.