oh no

That was the last sunrise I ever saw. Perhaps the kindest thing the dark gift has given me. // It was the last time I saw my brother. It was the last time I saw the sun. It was the only time I ever felt free.

♱ Nosferatu (2024) dir. Robert Eggers ♱

+ bonus

It’s been an entire decade.

Give me solavellan not meeting each other as elvhen apostate and dalish hostage but as the Dread Wolf and the Inquisitor.

Give me solavellan meeting each other again on the other sides of their own apotheosis, free of pretense and masks.

Give me, “Is he still the man who hates tea, the curious man who wonders at the mundane beauties of life, the gentle man who supported a grieving spirit, the silly man who set his own coattails on fire, the loving man who called me his heart?”

Give me, “Is she still woman who surprised me at every turn, the strong woman who faced a would-be god so that others would be spared, the cunning woman who made an entire empire dance to her tune, the compassionate woman who would go out of her way to help the hurting, the open-minded woman who hadn’t scorned an outside view, the loving woman who vowed time and time again to protect me, the woman who changed everything?”

He sees right away how much the revelation about the origins of the blood writing has hurt Lavellan. And if Lavellan pushes back on the idea of removing them, he drops it immediately. He never forces the issue.

But it's still such a sudden decision for Lavellan to make, after such a painful revelation. And what if they do end up regretting it? What's going to happen if they return to their clan, or try to make contact with another if Clan Lavellan has been lost? How will they begin to explain this to their fellow Dalish elves (keeping in mind that they don't yet know who Solas is)?

"I met a lone elven apostate, and it turns out he's a Dreamer, and he told me that one of our most sacred traditions is actually a mark of slavery. And I believed him. And I let him remove my vallaslin."

I think the decision might be easier for Lavellan whose clan is still alive and well, if they know they still have a home and a family to return to. For a Lavellan who has lost everything, their home, their family and friends, who has probably had to fight to maintain their identity and their beliefs in the Inquisition even if they've also made friends and found community--the choice is heartwrenching.

In taking the vallaslin, Solas takes from Lavellan the most obvious sign of Dalish identity, community, culture, and tradition. And then he breaks up with them. Lavellan can't even say "I've lost everything but at least I have you."

Every time I see gifs or videos of that scene, of Solas gently saying, "Ar lasa mala revas," literally I give you your freedom, it just breaks my heart, because I know he means it. I know he wants to give them that.