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Chapter Text

Ariane noticed the pain before anything else.  It burned through the veins trailing down her forearm and flared in the palm of her left hand. Then her other senses came flooding in.  A sharp green light emanating from her hand cut through the darkness around her. Her lungs felt raw from breathing so hard. Her ears were ringing.  But her mind kept going back to the pain in her hand. She forced herself to open her eyes. When she looked past the blinding green light, she could faintly see the pattern of the stone cold floor where she was kneeling.  She took a moment to catch her breath. She still didn’t know the origin of the pain or the green light, but surely Finn could help her figure this out.

When she lifted her hand to investigate the light, the sound of heavy chains drowned out the constant ringing in her ears.  It was then that Ariane realized that her wrists were bound with heavy iron manacles. Perhaps her mission to spy on the Conclave went even worse than she realized.

The Conclave.  Creators, she almost forgot about that.

She didn’t expect her clan to ever reach out to her again, especially since she had been travelling with a human for almost a decade.   They were tracked down years into their travels by a couple of messengers from her clan .  Their request to have her monitor the Conclave’s progress was supposed to be a simple job, but it was one that would prove to her clan that she hadn’t abandoned her people.  That was why she wanted Finn to stay behind. The job would have been much more simple with his assistance of course: he was a formal Circle Mage and it would have been easy to get him into the Conclave, but she needed to do this alone.  Ariane didn’t know if she was trying to prove a point to her clan, or to herself. All she knew was that she felt incredibly stupid. What good is pride if she didn’t have anyone to share it with?

The light in her palm flared out and a new wave of sharp pain exploded up her arm, nearly causing her to fall backwards.  The sudden flash of light illuminated the glimmering blades of swords - all pointed directly at her face. Ariane was so caught up in her own pain and regrets that she didn’t even notice them.

A heavy metal door swung open and Ariane could see the silhouette of a tall human woman marching towards her.  The dim light from the torches cast harsh shadows onto her angular features, but it wasn’t like she needed any help looking intimidating.  The woman had her sword drawn as she stopped in the center of the room. However, Ariane was more concerned with the insignia displayed on her breastplate: an eye with a bunch of tentacles coming out of it.  Ariane furrowed her brow as she tried to remember all of the human symbols she knew of. Was this a Templar symbol? Fenharel’s teeth, she hoped not. The more time she spent traveling with Finn, the more the Templar Order became more of an active threat in their daily lives.  There were a lot of close calls, but they were always able to slip away without being noticed.

That certainly wouldn’t be the case now.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now.”

The woman’s voice echoed throughout the dungeon, helped by a rough accent Ariane couldn’t identify.

Ariane turned her head to see another woman standing over her, as if she just emerged from she shadows.  Her head was covered by a deep purple hood, but the look of anger on her face was impossible to miss.

“The Conclave is destroyed,” the woman continued.  “Everyone who attended is dead.”

She stopped pacing around Ariane, her sharp eyes narrowing.

“Except for you.”

Ariane knew she had to say something, but she couldn’t find the words.  Everyone was dead? That couldn’t be right. Surely she wouldn’t have forgotten something like that.  All she could remember was arriving at the Conclave and then…

And then…

Nothing.  Trying to remember what happened was like staring at an unfinished puzzle and expecting the missing pieces to appear.

When Ariane didn’t respond, the woman reached down and grabbed her cuffed hands, causing the green light to flare up again.

“Explain this .”

“I…” Ariane stared at the light, trying to remember if it resembled anything she and Finn ever came across during their travels.

“...can’t,” she finished lamely.

“What do you mean you can’t?” the woman released Ariane’s hands by roughly pushing her away, knocking her onto the ground.

Ariane cried out as she hit the cold stone floor and for a moment the sudden pain from the impact distracting her from her hand.

“I don’t know what that is or how it got there,” Ariane’s words tumbled out of her mouth.  “But my friend - he might - maybe he could--”

“You’re lying!”  

She raised her hand to strike and Ariane braced herself, but the impact never came.  The woman in the purple hood stepped out of the shadows and held her back.

“We need her, Cassandra,” her voice barely broke above a whisper, but Ariane could recognize the hints of an Orlesian accent lacing her words.

The Orlesian knelt down and helped Ariane back into a sitting position.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear.  I’m innocent,” Ariane still couldn’t stop her words from jumbling together.

“Do you remember what happened?”  The Orlesian remained kneeling in front of Ariane, her voice deceptively gentle.  Ariane knew that she could be just as deadly as Cassandra if she needed to be - perhaps even moreso.

If she complied, would they be merciful enough to let her go free?  She doubted it, but her chances would be better than if she remained quiet.  Ariane took a deep breath, stilling her mind and distracting herself from the ever-present pain in her hand, as she forced herself to recall the events of the Conclave.

She could remember running - specifically running from something.  She couldn’t remember where she was or what was chasing her, but she could remember the fear that gave her the energy to keep going.  The only image she saw clearly was that of a woman reaching down to her. The woman herself appeared to be made of a brilliant golden light that masked any identifying features she might have had.  Ariane could remember reaching out for her hand and then...nothing.

Ariane tried to explain what she remembered to the two women, but it felt like she was trying to describe a nightmare that she had mostly forgotten.  Creators, they must have thought she was mad. At the mention of the woman bathed in light, the Orlesian’s eyes widened and even Cassandra’s intense expression was disrupted with shock.

“...and that’s all I can remember,” Ariane hung her head down, staring at her hands as they moved uncomfortably against the manacles.  Not much of a defence. She was going to hang for sure. “I’m sorry.”

Ariane’s fears only intensified when the two other woman didn’t respond instantly.  She looked up to see them both staring down at her, as if still processing what she had just said.

“A woman…”  the Orlesian spoke softly, as if she didn’t expect anyone else to hear her.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana,” Cassandra grabbed Ariane’s manacles, pulling her to her feet with the same amount of ease it would take someone to pick up a sack of laundry.  “I will take the prisoner to the rift.”

The Orlesian, Leliana, nodded and disappeared back into the shadows.

“Could you tell me what happened at the Conclave?”  Ariane wanted to shake the feeling back into her legs, but she figured that it would be better if she remained as still and complacent as possible - at least for now.

A loud clack bounced off the walls of the dungeon as Cassandra removed the manacles from Ariane’s wrists, only to shortly replace them with a length of tightly-bound rope.

Cassandra placed a strong hand on Ariane’s back and pushed her towards the door.

“It will be easier to show you,”

The heavy wooden doors were forced open and Ariane ducked her head to protect her eyes from the sudden invasion of light.  Compared to the musty dungeon she was previously in, the air outside felt cool and open with the occasional gentle breeze speckled with flakes of fresh snow.  In that sense, nothing had changed since Ariane first arrived at the Conclave, but she didn’t have to look up to know that something was different.

Her hand was pulsating now, as if there was something underneath her skin that was trying to burst out.  The moment she stepped outside, she could tell that the Veil was thinner here and her skin tingled from the amount of unstable magic buzzing through the air.

And then she looked up.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, but no amount of time could have prepared her for what she saw.  It looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced a deep wound into the sky, leaving behind a scar the same intense green as the light on her hand.  This was similar to something she had encountered before. Back when she visited the Circle of Magi for the first time, she did come across small tears in the Veil.  Apparently such occurrences could happen when enough magic was concentrated in one area.

Ariane couldn’t imagine the amount of magic it would take to create that tear in the sky.

“We call it The Breach - a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour,” Cassandra walked in front of her as Ariane kept staring up at the sky.  “It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.”

“An explosion can do that?”  Ariane didn’t mean to say that outloud, especially with the amount of awe that steeped into her tone.

Cassandra looked back at her with a disgusted expression,

“This one did.  And unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world.”

Ariane felt shame well up in her chest and she stared back down at her bound wrists.  Of course this entire situation was horrifying, but Ariane would be lying if she said she wasn’t fascinated.  How could she not be? This was bigger than anything she and Finn encountered over the ten years they’ve been researching together.  She wished she could have seen the look on his face when the Breach first formed in the sky. Assuming that he wasn't too engrossed in one of his tomes to pay attention.  Or what if he tried to follow her to the Conclave? That would mean...no. He wouldn’t do that. He probably thought she was dead. Creators, she needed to find him. At least to let him know that she’s okay.

Another sharp pain from the mark on her hand flared up and Ariane fell to her knees.  She couldn’t breathe. She could barely think. The pain was burning hot and freezing cold at the same time, coursing down her arm and tightening around her chest with each pulse of the Breach.  If she still had her swords and if her wrists still weren’t bound, it probably would have been less painful for her to just hack her entire arm off.

Ariane held her breath until the pain eventually subsided, and she let out a ragged exhale.

“Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads and it is killing you,” Cassandra knelt down in front of her.  Her voice was as intense as always, but Ariane could see a hint of sympathy on her face. Or perhaps pity. “It may be the key to stopping this but there isn’t much time.”

Ariane stared down at the mark, which was slowly branching across the palm of her hand like cracks forming on shattered glass.  It seemed like she didn’t have much of a choice. She could die as the world got swallowed by the Breach, or she could die trying to stop the world from getting swallowed by the Breach.  Either way, at least the pain in her hand would die with her.

“Just tell me what I need to do.”

After being away from her clan for so long, Ariane was used to receiving unpleasant stares from humans.  That didn’t make it any less infuriating. Cassandra kept a strong grip on the back of Ariane’s collar as she half-lead-half-dragged her past the crowds.  Some of the people who have gathered were yelling things at her. The usual insults - knife ear, rabbit, savage .  Nothing she hadn’t heard before.  But occasionally, she would hear them shout the word murderer .  Ariane wanted to believe that the people’s prejudice towards the Dalish was to blame for this behavior, but she had a feeling that their reasoning was a lot less simple.

“They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers,” Cassandra’s voice quaked slightly, but she kept a firm grip on her collar.  “It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead.”

The shouting died down the closer they got to the outer gate.  Instead of shouting, most of the people just silently stared at her with disgust presented plainly on their faces.  Ariane tried to keep her head down to avoid their hateful stares, but she couldn’t help but look up to see if Finn was somewhere in the crowds.  He was a human and he knew her better than anyone - he could vouch for her. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

Only when they were far enough away from the crowds did Cassandra stop remove Ariane’s bindings.

“There will be a trial,” Cassandra retrieved a small dagger from her belt and used it to cut the rope keeping Ariane’s wrists together.  “I can promise no more.”

“Just take me to the Breach,” Ariane flexed her wrists and tried to rub some of the numbness out of her hands.  “I’m ready.”

Ariane swore she saw the hint of a smile forming on Cassandra’s face.

“Not yet.  First we need to test your mark on something smaller.”

Two soldiers pulled open the heavy wooden gate, allowing Ariane to follow Cassandra into the valley.  There were only a few people outside of the settlement and fortunately none of them looked at Ariane with the same level of contempt that the other villagers did.  Perhaps because most of them were too busy fearing for their lives. A cluster of soldiers were posted behind a flimsy-looking barricade. Their swords were drawn, but as their expressions made it clear that they had little hope left.

“Maker, it’s the end of the world!”  One man shouted as he ran past them to take refuge on the other side of the gate.

Cassandra lead her past the burning wagons, the wounded soldiers, and the corpses with distinct demonic-looking slash marks maiming their bodies.  Ariane wondered if Cassandra was taking her down this path because it was the easiest way, or if she wanted her to see the true extent of the damage.  Whatever her intent was, Ariane couldn’t stop the guilt from clawing its way up her throat. She knew she was innocent, but did that matter? She barely knew where she was an hour ago and her testimony sounded like mindless rambling.  So many lives were lost. No one should have been able to survive this, and the fact that she did wasn’t making her case look any better.

“Do you know how I survived?”  Ariane was hesitant to start a conversation with Cassandra but her need for answers won out in the end.

“They said you… stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious,” Cassandra continued walking, focusing more on the path through the snow-covered path than the conversation at hand.

“Stepped out of a rift…” Ariane repeated to herself.  She could hardly believe it. If this was true, that would mean that she was physically in the Fade, right?  From what she could recall, such a feat hadn’t been performed in thousands of years. The ground beneath her feet suddenly felt a lot less solid.

The pulses from the Breach above grew more frequent as Ariane followed Cassandra across a stone bridge.  The meteors spewed forth by the Breach and crashing onto the earth below were able to prevent any further conversations Ariane and Cassandra could have had.  Ariane was grateful for this, until one of the meteors struck the bridge, sending the two women flying from the impact.

Ariane screamed as she tumbled onto onto the frozen riverbed below, just barely avoiding getting crushed by the bridge.  Her shoulders ached from the fall, but fortunately it didn’t feel like anything was broken. After taking a moment to catch her breath and check for any serious injuries, she managed to force herself to stand on the slippery icy surface.

Cassandra didn’t seem to take much of a hit from the fall, as she was already up and walking by the time Ariane was still struggling to her feet.

“We shouldn’t delay,” she grabbed Ariane’s shoulder again to help her up, or perhaps to ensure that she didn’t attempt to run.  “The longer we wait--”

The Breach flared up again, sending another meteor slamming into the frozen river.  The air around the impact began to distort, twisting into a vaguely humanoid shape made of inky shadows.

“Stay behind me,” Cassandra let go of Ariane’s shoulder and unsheathed her sword.

Ariane backed up against the ruins of the bridge, watching as Cassandra charged at the creature.  It was then when she realized how defenseless she felt without her swords. Apparently these shems expected her to close up the hole in the sky by herself, but they didn’t trust her enough to have her weapons.  At least they were only intercepted by one demon so far. If they kept moving quickly--

Another meteor crashed just a few feet from where Ariane stood, forming into a similar creature.  Ariane froze. Cassandra was too busy focusing on the other demon to notice the second one that had just formed.   

Ariane looked around, desperate to find anything she could use to defend herself.  Right when she was calculating how far she could throw one of the broken segments of the bridge, she noticed the body of a uniformed soldier lying dead under the rubble.  More importantly, she noticed the glimmering longsword that was still in his grasp.

Would this be disrespectful?  

Ariane only had a split second to ponder over the morality of the situation before the demon lunged at her.  She managed to jump away, but she lost her footing on the way down and slipped on the ice, skidding closer to the body.  

This had to be a sign from the Creators, so it must be okay.

While trying to avoid looking at the corpse’s face, Ariane managed to pull the sword from his hand.

“ Falon’Din enasal enaste ,” Ariane whispered, bowing her head.  She highly doubted that the soldier was Dalish, but she hoped that somewhere he appreciated the sentiment.

Planting her feet firmly on the ground, Ariane attempted to get a comfortable grip on the sword - which was certainly easier said than done.  Blessed Creators, did the humans pride themselves on crafting their weapons to be as unwieldy as possible? It felt like she was fighting her sword as well as her opponent.

Ariane’s first slash with the sword cleared past the demon and smashed into the frozen river.  The demon lashed out with one of its claws, but Ariane ducked down right before it would have struck her.  The second time she swung her sword, she managed to stab at the creature’s torso, causing it to release a pained screech.

Gritting her teeth, she continued to push the sword in deeper, her muscles working overtime to cooperate with the unfamiliar weapon.  The demon flailed as she twisted her sword further into its shadowy body. It gave one swing at her before crumbling to the ground in a pile of ash.

Ariane watched the remains of the demon continue to disintegrate as she regained control over her heavy breathing.  That took way longer than it should have. If only she had her usual weapons and if her wrists weren’t weak from having them bound for so long and if she wasn’t stressed about being a suspect for the murder of hundreds of people--

Ariane looked up to see Cassandra pointing her blade directly at her face.

“Drop your weapon.   Now. ”

While she was more than willing to part with the unwieldy sword, Cassandra’s suspicion almost made her want to hold onto it out of spite.

“What was I supposed to do?” Despite her words, she held the sword out to the side, fully prepared to drop it if she had to.  “That thing could have killed me!”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed, but at long last she sighed and sheathed her weapon.

“You’re right.  If it is true that you’re the only one who can put an end to this madness, then you will need to defend yourself.”

Cassandra turned around to continue walking towards the Breach.

“We don’t know what else we might face.”

Ariane didn’t have a place for her newfound sword, so she opted to just carry it in her hand as she followed Cassandra further into the mountains.  At least it did get plenty of use as the Breach continued to spew more demons out at them. The blade did become easier to manage when she got more use out of it, but it never felt natural.  She had used her two swords for so long that they were like a part of her. Ariane considered asking Cassandra if she could get her weapons back, but she figured that it probably wasn’t the best time for that.

The mark on Ariane’s hand seemed to grow more agitated.  It didn’t hurt as much as before, but it stung enough for her to wince.  Cassandra seemed to notice her reaction as well.

“We’re getting closer to the rift,” she stopped for a moment to glance back at her.

Ariane tried to see if blowing on the mark would get it to calm down.  It didn’t. After that failed experiment, she returned to following Cassandra up the hill.

As they got closer to the crest of the hill, the distinct sounds of combat clanged through the air.  Amidst the usual clashing of swords, Ariane could hear the sounds of spellcasting echo down the hill.  She felt hope swell in her chest as she picked up the pace after Cassandra, jumping over a stone wall and running towards the crumbling remains of an old ruins - the center of which was overrun with demons.

The main offensive force against the demon seemed to be swordsman, but there were archers posted on the upper levels of the ruins as well.  In addition to the soldiers, it appeared that two civilians were also making an effort against the threat. One was a man with a crossbow who was either an incredibly short human or an incredibly clean-shaven dwarf, The other, who appeared to behe source of the magic was apparently a tall elven man, his lack of vallaslin clued her in that he was probably one of those city elves.  She did feel disappointed for a moment, but she should have expected as such. The lack of terrified screaming should have clued her in that Finn wasn’t there.

Ariane didn’t have a lot of time to focus on the people around her because something else caught her attention.  

Just a few feet above the battle was another tear in the sky - like a smaller Breach.  The glowing green form twisted, as if the waking world and the Fade were tangling together.  It looked exactly like the Veil tears she saw back in the Circle.

Her hand tightened around her sword and she took a deep breath.

“Stay here,” she instructed Cassandra.  “I know what to do.”

Ariane only heard Cassandra let out a confused “what?!” before she was halfway to the Veil tear.  The moment she passed over the rubble, the city elf stopped and moved in front of her.  He held his hand out, but Ariane pushed him to the side and ran past him.

“Out of the way!”  she hollered, brandishing her sword.  In a clean strike, she brought down the blade through the Veil tear.

The green light rippled, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.

So that’s how it’s going to be.

Ariane slashed at the tear again.  And again. And again. Each time, her blade passed through like she was cutting through water - and all of her attempts were equally as effective.

“What are you doing?!”  the city elf yelled, stepping closer to her despite her frantic sword-swinging.

“Stay back!” she slashed again.  “I know what I’m doing!”

The mark flared up, causing the sword to fly out of her hands.  Before she could kneel down in pain, the city elf grabbed her wrist and held her marked hand to the Veil tear.  The burning in her hand grew even more intense as the tear grew brighter. She struggled to move her arm away, but it was held firmly in place.  The tear flared up one more time, the brightness so intense that Ariane had to close her eyes. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the sudden bursting of light shine through her eyelids.  Then, there was nothing.

Then the city elf let go of her wrist.  When she opened her eyes, the veil was gone.  Only the disintegrated remains of demons provided any clue that anything was wrong.

Ariane kept glancing back and forth between the mark on her hand and the place where the tear once was, trying to make sense of what had happened.

“What did you do?”

“ I did nothing,” the city elf responded with a bemused tone.  “The credit is yours.”

The mark on her hand wasn’t acting up as much as it was before, the pulsing green light was much more dull.

“Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand,” the city elf explained, no doubt sensing her confusion.  “I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach’s wake - and it seems I was correct.”

“But would it be powerful enough to close the Breach itself?” Cassandra stepped over the piles of rubble to join them.

“Possibly,” his lips tugged into a small smirk as he glanced back at Ariane.  “Although, perhaps the Breach might be susceptible being flailed at wildly with a sword.”

Ariane felt the tips of her ears burn hot from embarrassment and she ducked her head.

“It worked before…” she muttered under her breath.

“Come now, Chuckles.  Go easy on her,” the man with the crossbow, who certainly was a dwarf, playfully chided.  “At least the Seeker didn’t completely crush her spirits yet.”

The dwarf winked as Cassandra, who simply scowled in response.

“Varric Tethras,” the dwarf holstered his crossbow on his back while giving a small bow.  “Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, prisoner - like you.”

“I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine,” Cassandra crossed her arms.  “There is no longer anything keeping you here, Varric.”

“I don’t think there’s any running from this one, Seeker,” Varric looked around at the crumbling ruin.  “Might as well do the responsible thing and stick around, see how this plays out.”

“Absolutely not,” Cassandra bit back a much more biting remark and sighed, shaking her head.  “Your help is appreciated, Varric, but--”

“Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker?  Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore,” he smirked at her, apparently immune to Cassandra’s intimidating presence.  “You need me.”

Cassandra stormed off in a huff, not bothering to gratify him with a response.

“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions,” the city elf stepped closer to her.  “I’m pleased to see you still live.”

Varric laughed under his breath,

“He means, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.’”

The dwarf’s comment was clearly meant as a light-hearted joke, but Ariane was caught completely off guard.  In all of her years of exploring Thedas, wandering through ruins, and trying to understand Finn’s ramblings, she had never encountered anything like the mark.  From what she figured, nobody had encountered anything like it. Maybe Solas was a scholar? Although, he wasn’t dressed like any scholar she had ever seen. Really the only thing about his appearance that stood out was the wolf jaw necklace he wore just under his green outer jacket.  Ariane only noticed the necklace because she decided that she wanted one as well.

“You know about the mark?”  Ariane tried to keep the shock out of her voice when addressing Solas, but she couldn’t help it.  “But I thought nothing like this had been seen before.”

“And you would be correct.  However my travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade.”

Ariane had so many questions: what else did he know about the mark?  Where did he travel to that contained such knowledge? Would she be allowed to craft a similar wolf jaw necklace like his, or would that be weird?

She decided that there would be plenty of time for that after the immediate threat was taken care of.

“ Ma serannas, ” she nodded her head.  “Thank you for saving my life.”

Solas flinched like a dog that heard a whistle and he quickly turned away from her.

“Thank me if you manage to close the Breach without killing yourself in the process.”

The sudden darker tone of Solas’ voice was subtle, but noticeable enough for Ariane to pick up on it.  Did she do something to offend him? Whatever, she could brush up on her city elf etiquette if she survived the Breach.

“We need to get to the forward camp,” Cassandra was already making her way towards the outer perimeter of the ruin.

Solas followed Cassandra, stepping over the rubble that lead to the downhill path.

“Oh, uh, my name is Ariane!” she called out.  “I look forward to fighting alongside all of you!”

No response from either Cassandra nor Solas, but that didn’t surprise her.  Next to her, she heard Varric chuckle as he unholstered his crossbow.

“I think we’re all going to get along nicely.”

The snowy winds whistled past their faces as the group navigated down the hillside path.  Ariane was mostly focused on keeping her footing and trying to ignore the rapidly-increasing pain coming from the mark, but she couldn’t help but notice that Solas was staring at her through the corner of his eye.

“Is there a problem?”  Admittedly, she was a little quick to be confrontational, but how was she supposed to react to someone staring at her?

“I see that you are Dalish,” Solas eyed her curiously.  “Is there a reason why you are not travelling with your people?”

Ariane’s chest tightened, her body physically reacting to the guilt that coursed through her when she realized she barely thought about her clan since being released from the dungeon.  Creators, she thought about Finn more times than she thought about her clan.

She doesn’t want Solas to know any of this, so instead she muttered under her breath,

“What would you know about the Dalish?”

“A great deal,” his voice trailed off into a slight sigh.  “I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked for no greater reason than their superstition.”

Ariane stopped in her tracks.

“ Excuse me?”

“Really now?”  Varric chided. “I was just talking about how well we were all getting along.  Can’t you elves play nice until after we close the hole in the sky?”

“I cannot believe I am saying this, but Varric is right,” Cassandra’s voice came from much further down the hill.  “The Breach should remain our top priority.”

Varric chuckled,  “It was bound to happen eventually.”

“That means you too, dwarf.”

The pulses from the Breach only grew less spaced apart the closer they got to the camp.  The pain was excruciating, but Ariane was getting better at concealing her reactions.

“Shit, are you alright?”  Varric asked when she cringed after a particularly painful pulse.

“I’m fine,” she gritted through her teeth.  “It’s just the mark acting up.”

“My magic cannot stop the mark from growing further,” Solas spoke from further up the hill.  “For your sake, I suggest we hurry.”

Ariane’s fast walking increased into an all out sprint when she heard more fighting from the top of the path.  The sounds of demonic attacks were becoming far too familiar to her. With her sword in hand, she ran up the snow-covered steps.  Another rift in the Veil was glowing and twisting in the air, spewing out more demons that continued to overwhelm the only remaining soldier.

“They keep coming!”  The soldier shouted, barely dodging a swipe from one of the demon’s deadly arms.

There was no time to waste.  Ariane charged towards the battle and brought down her heavy sword onto one of the demons as hard as she could.  The ground shattered beneath her blade and the demon dissolved into nothing.

Before she could stop to catch her breath, the rift flared up, sending forth another demon.

“Seal the rift!”  Solas yelled, flinging another demon away with a push of his staff.  “Before more come through!”

Ariane dropped her sword so she could get away from the cluster of demons.  When she was a safe distance away from the combat, she crawled on top of a boulder and locked her eyes onto the Fade rift.  How did she even do this the first time? Was she supposed to stick her hand out and just wave at it? It felt so silly, surely--

The moment Ariane stuck her marked hand out, the rift flashed, sending all of the demons flying backwards.  Ariane didn’t get a chance to see the entire process when she closed the first rift, but this time she was able to watch in fascinated horror as the rift shuddered, then sucked into her hand like water flowing through a pipe.  The sight was so unsettling that Ariane barely noticed the burning pain that came with it.

Closing the rift left her exhausted, but fortunately she was able to catch her breath before stepping back onto the ground.

“The demons are gone,” Cassandra called towards the camp entrance.  “Open the gate!”

“Right away, Lady Cassandra!”

“Another rift closed,” Solas nodded in her direction.  “Well done.”

“Let’s hope it works on the big one,” Varric looked back at the Breach as he put away his crossbow.

“Oh, right,” Creators, she almost forgot about the Breach.  Just closing two small rifts was enough to leave her winded.  But she didn’t want the others to see that she was doubting her abilities.  They could find out she wasn’t ready when the Breach consumed her body and everything else with it.

The large wooden gate creaked open and the four rushed inside.  On the other side of the gate was a massive stone bridge that stretched over the width of the frozen river.  She did get a few nervous glances from some of the soldiers and civilians who occupied the camp, but fortunately she didn’t receive the same unfriendly welcome she got from the village.

The pain from the mark was only getting worse, seeping up her hand and branching across her entire forearm.  The feeling started out sharp, then burning, before fizzling out into numbness. Ariane grit her teeth and rubbed her arm in a desperate attempt to manage the pain.

“That doesn’t look like it’s getting any better,” Varric commented.  “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Closing the Breach is all that matters,” Ariane’s response was more to help coach herself through the pain, but her stomach twisted when she realized how rude she sounded.  “But thank you for your concern.”

“Aw, don’t mention it.  Happy to help.”

Leliana, the Orlesian from the dungeon, and an older human man dressed in crisp white Chantry robes were posted near the far edge of the camp behind a table.  The two appeared to be in a vicious argument that only became louder the closer they got. Ariane wanted to stop walking in order to avoid getting involved, but the others were walking in that direction so she had no choice but to follow.

“You are not in charge here, Chancellor,”

“Everyone who was in charge is dead now!  Thanks to that prisoner of yours!”

“But we must get the prisoner to the temple.  It could be the only way!”

“I think you have done quite enough!”

The two stopped the moment Ariane and Cassandra approached their station.  The man looked at Ariane with a disgusted expression she was used to seeing from humans, while Leliana looked more relieved than anything.

“It’s good that you made it,” Leliana turned back to the man.  “Chancellor Roderick, this is--”

“I know who she is,” he cut her off.  “And I hope that you, Seeker, are taking this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution.”

“I will do no such thing,” Cassandra crossed her arms.  “What matters is that we get the prisoner to the Temple of Sacred Ashes.”

“That is the last place where we should send the prisoner!”  The Chancellor rubbed his temples. “For all we know, this could be part of her plan!  The fact that you’re allowing her to wander around freely with a weapon is truly outstanding, Seeker.”

“The Breach will affect me just as much as anyone!”  Ariane found herself saying, despite her previous wish to not get involved.  “And I am the only one who can seal it.”

“We wouldn’t even be in this mess if it weren’t for you!”

Cassandra huffed under her breath and she stepped in front of Ariane, slamming her hands on the desk.

“I was not asking for permission.  This chaos must end before it is too late, and the prisoner must be alive for that to happen.”

“So,” The Chancellor furrowed his brow.  “ You believe she is innocent.”

“What I believe is irrelevant.  Whatever justice must be carried out can be dealt with when the immediate threat is taken care of.”

The Chancellor narrowed his eyes at Ariane, who shuffled further behind Cassandra.

“Our position is hopeless, Seeker,” his stern voice softened with desperation.  “Enough lives have been lost today. Call the retreat before it is too late.”

“Absolutely not,” Cassandra’s composure never wavered.  “I have faith in the prisoner’s ability to end this.”

The Chancellor looked as if he wanted to argue back again, but Leliana stepped in before he could speak.

“If you wish to find a safer route to the Temple, my forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountain path.”

“We can’t afford to take any unnecessary risks,” Cassandra’s eyes briefly darted up towards the mountains.  “If the Breach isn’t taken care of soon--”

The mark flared up, even worse than before.  Ariane didn’t have time to bite back her cries as she collapsed to her knees.  Through her blurred vision, she could see the vague forms of people crowding around her.

“Give her some space!”  Solas sounded like he was speaking through thick glass.  The gentle glow of healing magic danced around his fingers until the intense agony faded into a dull discomfort.

Ariane took a moment to catch her breath, briefly pressing her sweaty forehead against the cold snow-dusted floor, before forcing herself to sit up.  Everyone was looking down at her with worried faces. Even the Chancellor looked slightly concerned for her well-being.

“I think we should go with the quicker route,” Ariane rasped.

The Temple of Sacred Ashes was one of those human ruins Finn always wanted to visit.  Even after the Chantry renovated it up and it became a “holy tourist trap” (Finn’s words), he always planned on travelling there one day.  Not for any religious purpose, but out of hope that some of the temple’s original features were preserved. Personally, Ariane never had any interest in such subjects.  But Finn helped her uncover so much Elvhen history that she figured it would only be fair if she helped him research parts of his culture. Besides, he always looked so overjoyed when he was studying ancient artifacts and writing systems.  That alone would have made it worth her while.

This was not how Ariane expected to visit the temple.  The temple, or what remained of it, was just a smouldering shell of its former self.  Ariane tried to divert her eyes from the charred corpses, their arms shielding their faces from the blast.  Preserved in their fear forever. Nothing identifiable about them other than the poses they died in.

Ariane’s feet scraped through the rubble, covering her boots in a thin layer of soot.  Her mark wasn’t acting up at the moment, but she was still very much aware of its presence.  The mark caused this destruction, which means that she also caused it.  She knew in her heart that she would never do something like this, she also knew what this must look like to everyone else.  She couldn’t deny the tragedy now. She knew she was innocent, but that wouldn’t matter to the bodies plastered to the wall by the blast.  This story was over - and she knew her place in it.

A Dalish elf destroying a sacred Andretian location with some form of unknown magic.  She knew how the Chantry was going to frame this.

“Lady Cassandra,” a voice called out to them before they could head deeper into the temple.  A human man with tousled blond hair made his way towards them with the gait of an experienced warrior.  Though he was covered in blood, the amount of embellishments on his armor made it clear that he was a man of remarkable status.  “I had my men stationed around the Breach. As of now, we have yet to see any new signs of demons.”

“Excellent work, Knight Commander,” Cassandra gave a curt nod.

Ariane’s entire body tensed up.  She knew what “Knight Commander” meant - that was a Templar rank.  While she wasn’t a mage, she travelled with one long enough that the Templar Order became just as much of a threat to her.  She wasn’t with Finn at the moment, but out of instinct she found herself scanning her surroundings for the best escape route the moment the man’s rank was specified.

She was never the best at concealing her facial expressions and the Templar gave her an odd look.

“I take it you’re the prisoner,” It was unclear if the Templar was assessing the situation or if this was an attempt at small-talk.

“Ariane.”

“Right,” he cleared his throat and addressed Cassandra again.  “We will make sure that the Temple path is clear. Maker watch over you.”

“And to you, Commander.”

The Templar moved to turn away, but he looked over his shoulder at Ariane.

“I hope they’re right about you.”

“Uh,” Ariane didn’t know what he meant by this, but she naturally assumed that it was an insult.  “I don’t.”

As they headed deeper into the Temple, the glow from the Breach seeped through the rubble, flooding the ruin in an eerie green light.  The mark felt like it was going to burst from her hand. Ariane clenched her fist, causing needle-sharp vibrations to shoot up her arm.

You’re almost there, she reassured herself.   You just have to get to the Breach and then--

Oh.

Ariane knew that the Breach was big, but being directly in front of it was an entirely different feeling.  Or, being directly below it. Miles above the temple was a column of green light, twisting and distorting around itself.  Never before had the Veil felt so thin to her. It was as if there was only a thin sheet of glass shielding her from the Fade, and at any point it could shatter beneath her.

“So all I have to do it close it, like the other rifts?”

“Theoretically,”  Solas clarified.

“And that’s assuming we can get you up there,” Varric shielded his eyes with his hand as he stared up at the Breach.

Just when Ariane was thinking about the logistics of having Cassandra throw her towards the Breach, Leliana hurried into the Temple with a squad of soldiers behind her.

“You made it, thank the Maker,” Leliana addressed Cassandra, but it was clear that her eyes were focused on the Breach behind her.

“Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple,” Cassandra stood up straight with her hands clasped firmly behind her back.  “We’re ready to end this.”

Leliana nodded, signaling to her soldiers with a series of intricate hand gestures before disappearing deeper into the ruin.

Ariane took a deep breath and turned to face the Breach again.  Staring up at it was like looking directly into the sun. There was so much raw power emanating throughout the ruined temple.  It was impossible to believe that she alone had the power to destroy it.

“Are you ready?”  Cassandra spoke like a commander, but there was a hint of unease in her voice.

Ariane exhaled sharply through her teeth and closed her eyes.

“I’m ready.”

The four stepped carefully down the winding path that lead to the Breach.  The mark on Ariane’s hand continued to pulsate as the energy from the Breach crackled around them.  As she got closer to the Breach, a deep male voice echoed in her mind.

“Now is the hour of our victory,” The voice was distorted which made it sound like it was speaking to her from far away, but she felt the voice rattle in her mind as if he was right behind her. “Bring forth the sacrifice.”

“You’re hearing this too, right?” Varric spoke hesitantly.

“The Veil is thin here,” Solas responded.  “It is most likely that what we are hearing is whoever created the Breach.”

“Oh, good,” Varric didn’t sound terribly encouraged.  “Glad to hear that I’m not going completely crazy.”

The green from the Breach was disorienting, but the deep red glow of something growing out of the walls cut through the intensity.  Ariane furrowed her brows and leaned down to get a closer look. The red glow was coming from a cluster of crystals that were spreading from the ruined temple wall and onto the floor below.  Ariane had never seen anything like them before, but they seemed to burn with the same energy that her mark did.

“Whoa, what are you going?” Varric grabbed her arm before she could reach out to touch one of the crystals.  “That’s red lyrium !”

“What does it do?”  The crystals did give off the same power she sensed from normal lyrium before, but this felt different.  Hungrier. “Is this some kind of corrupted lyrium?”

“How about we focus on one otherworldly evil thing before we try to tackle another otherworldly evil thing?”

The glow was captivating, but Ariane managed to tear her attention from the lyrium and continued making her way down to the Breach.

When standing on the lower level of the temple, the Breach blocked out the entire sky.  Ariane’s mark was flashing at random intervals now, causing her entire arm to jolt.

“Keep the sacrifice still,” The voice from before echoed within her mind.  Through the glowing tendrils of the Breach, Ariane could see the vague forms of shadows flickering around them.  Spirits? No, Ariane had seen spirits before. These felt less...real.

“Someone, help me!”  Another voice, this time belonging to a woman.  Ariane didn’t recognize the voice, but Cassandra’s face went white.

“Most Holy...” Cassandra trailed off, her voice much softer than Ariane ever heard from her.

The Breach flashed, the air swelled around them, the mark burned hotter.

And then, Ariane remembered.

At least, that’s the only way she could describe it.  The images she saw weren’t literally in front of her, but rather they played out in the back of her mind.  She saw herself running. There was a ghostly figure cloaked in shadows standing before an old woman in white Chantry robes.  The woman was caged by tendrils of glowing red energy and most of the life was drained from her face, but she looked towards Ariane with a level of sincerity that was clear even in this hazy vision.

“Run while you can!” her voice cried out.   “Warn them!”

“We have an intruder,” The shadowy figure turned towards Ariane, his glowing red eyes cutting through the darkness.   “Slay the elf.”

After that, Ariane couldn’t remember anything else.  Like a long-forgotten childhood memory, certain bits and pieces could be found, but the larger context was lost forever.

Even though she was disoriented from the vision, she could still feel Cassandra’s intense stare.

“You were there - in that vision!”  Cassandra marched closer to Ariane. “Who was that attacking the Divine?  What else do you know? You must remember something!”

“I don’t know!”  Ariane snapped, both from the constant questions and the stress crashing down.  “I don’t even know what those visions were!”

“Echoes of what happened here,” Solas stepped forward with an explanation that Ariane would have liked to hear earlier.  “The Fade bleeds into this place.”

Ariane huffed her breath and tried to rub the last remaining echoes from the Fade out of her eyes.

“I only hope that doesn’t happen again while I’m trying to close the Breach.”

“Hmm,” Solas stared back up at the sky.  “It appears that the rift is closed, but it is still unstable.  I believe that if you use the mark to open the rift, it can be sealed properly.”

“Wait, so you…” Ariane began slowly.  “ Want me to open the rift?”

“So it may be sealed, yes.”

“But wouldn’t that attract demons?”

“Most likely, but this is the only way.”

“We’re already ass-deep in demons as it is,” Varric pulled his crossbow from his back.  “I’m sure this isn’t anything we can’t handle.”

“We’ve come this far, we musn’t back down now,” Cassandra unsheathed her sword and turned her attention to the rows of archers and soldiers positioned around the perimeter of the Breach.  “The prisoner is opening the rift! Stand ready!”

Ariane inhaled slowly and extended her marked hand up towards the Breach.  She thought that she wasn’t close enough, but the effect was immediate. The mark burned and pulsated, the twisting sensation matching the movements of the Breach.  

The rift grew brighter and brighter until it burst.  Ariane was thrown backwards, barely avoiding smashing her head against the hard temple floor.  She coughed, spitting the dust and ash out of her mouth as she forced herself to her feet.

There was hardly any time for her to catch her breath.  The creature that stepped out of the rift was nothing like the demons she fought before.  The demon towered over everyone in both height and presence. Its form looking like it was carved from of the scorched ruins of the temple.  From where she stood, Ariane could not see the creature’s face. But she could make out the shape of twisted horns on the top of its head, silhouetted by the Breach.

“Oh,” Varric muttered.  “Shit.”

“Now!”  Cassandra raised her sword.

The soldiers positioned at the banisters began firing their bows at the demon.  Each arrow that pelted the creature barely made a dent in its armored skin. It let out a furious roar and swiped one of its mighty clawed arms at the soldiers, causing a couple to fall to the temple grounds below.

“Seal the rift!”  Cassandra ordered as she charged towards the demon.

Ariane ducked behind a pile of rubble so she could best plan her next act.  The slashing of swords, the pelting of arrows and bolts, the blasts of spells - they all seemed to just be angering the demon more.  At least the demon only seemed to rely on close-ranged combat and brute force. If she could just find a way to get it away from the rift--

The rubble on the ground rattled as another roar echoed through the temple.  The demon lifted its hand and a massive column of purple energy blasted at the soldiers.  The attack sent Ariane flying back as well. Her back hit the floor. The wind was knocked out of her chest.  There was no time to strategize.

Ariane picked up her sword and ran.  Arrows and bolts buzzed past her ears.  The creature was big and powerful, but also slow.  Her main priority was to get behind it.

The demon was too busy with the other attackers to notice Ariane.  She skidded to a stop when she got behind its left leg. Her fists tightened around the hilt of her sword and she plunged the blade in as hard as she could.  Despite using all of her strength, the tip of the blade barely dipped into the creature’s tough flesh. But the demon noticed.

The creature thrashed, sending more soldiers flying from its violent movements.  Ariane’s blood went cold when she saw the demon raise its hand towards Cassandra.

“No!”  Ariane dropped her sword and raced over to her.

Ariane tackled Cassandra to the ground.  Another blast of purple energy shot over her head not even a second later.

“Are you okay?”  Ariane quickly got off of her, taking a brief moment to catch her breath.

“I’m fine,” Cassandra sat up, brushing some of the debris off of her armor.  “But we are all expendable. Focus on the Breach.”

Ariane wanted to argue, but Cassandra ran back into the battle before she could get a word out.  She stood up, raised her marked hand towards the sky, and...

Nothing.  The mark flared up a little bit, but it was as if the rift was just out of her grasp.

The demon was still directly below the Breach, as was her only weapon.

Dread Wolf take me, I’m going to have to get closer.

Ariane took a deep breath and steeled herself.  If the Breach or the demon didn’t kill her, the Chantry certainly would.  If she had to go, she might as well go doing something legendary. Stupid, but legendary.

One of the archers fired a particularly well-aimed shot at one of the demon’s beady eyes.  Another angry roar sounded through the temple, but this time it lowered its massive head.

Ariane took the opportunity to charge.

The demon didn’t have time to lift its head before Ariane planted her foot on the front of its face, which she used as leverage to fling herself into the air.  She managed to land on the creature’s back and held on to its horns before it could throw her off.

Apparently the demon didn’t care for having Ariane on its back.  It slammed itself against the walls of the temple in an attempt to shake her off.  Ariane couldn’t allow herself to focus on the pain of being crushed between a stone wall and a demon.  She used her grip on the horns to pull herself further up onto its back.

“O Falon'Din, Lethanavir ; guide my feet, calm my soul,” she whispered as she let go of the creature’s horns.  “Lead me to my rest.”

Ariane stood up and raised her marked hand.  The Breach flared. The demon stopped its violent thrashing.  The mark burned but she kept her arm raised. Blinding green light exploded around her.  The demon let out a pained roar and flung Ariane off of its back.

“O Falon'Din, Falon'Din, Falon'Din,” Ariane repeated as she flew through the air, less of a prayer and more like panicked rambling.  She could no longer see anything past the ocean of green light.

She didn’t remember landing.  She didn’t remember seeing the temple again.  But she did remember seeing the ghostly form of the old woman she saw in her vision - only for a moment.

She also remembered the last words that echoed through her mind.

“Guide my feet, calm my soul.  Lead me to my rest.”

Chapter Text

Ariane didn’t remember when she woke up, but she remembered when she faded back into consciousness.  The wood ceiling spun above her, the swirling patterns becoming more disorenting the longer she stared at them.  

Eventually, the spinning stopped and her mind became clear.  She was in a bed - a real bed, not the bedrolls or sleeping bags she was used to.  Her sheets and pillows were silk (at least, what she assumed to be silk) and adorned with gold embroidery.  The pillows were so soft that it was difficult for her to move her head to get a better look at her surroundings.

The cabin she was in was much nicer than the places she usually crashed at.  The walls were lined with shelves stuffed with old books and assorted trinkets.  Most of the trinkets were small wooden mabari statues, so she knew she was still in Ferelden.  A fireplace crackled beside her, making the unfamiliar room feel like a home. The cabin smelled like a barn, but a really cozy barn.

From where she was laying, Ariane couldn’t see the door but she heard it open.  A young city elf woman stepped into the room, her thin arms wrapped around a large wooden crate.  When she saw Ariane, she gasped and dropped the crate with a crash.

“Oh!  I, uh--”  She fiddled with her short brown hair.  “I didn’t know you were awake.”

Ariane tried to sit up, but a sharp pain erupted in her ribcage and she flopped back down on the bed.  At least the mark didn’t hurt anymore - she barely felt it at all. But it felt like the rest of her body was making up for it.

“I should get the healer!”  The young woman scurried away, nearly tripping over the fallen crate in the process.  “He’ll be pleased to see you’re up.”

“Wait, what--” Ariane called out hoarsely, but the door slammed shut.

A pained groan hissed through her clenched teeth as she tried to prop herself up against the headboard.  A sheet of parchment on her bedside table that caught her attention. At first, Ariane thought she couldn’t make out the words written down because her vision was still blurry.  Then she realized that it was because the words were impossible to make out. The handwriting wasn’t bad, but everything was tiny and squished together in order to save as much space on the page as possible.  Misspelled words were crossed out and the correct spelling was crammed above it in even tinier writing. There were notes sprawling down the margin. Even though she couldn’t read anything, she could still see the liberal use of underlining and circling words.

Ariane’s heart skipped a beat when she recognized the writing style.

“Ariane?”

Her mind was so preoccupied that she didn’t hear the door open.  Finn stood in the doorway, a bundle of loose parchment held tightly against his chest.  His red hair was disheveled and unkempt around his gaunt face. Even from across the room she could see the dark circles that formed around his eyes, but he still smiled widely when he saw her.

“You’re awake,” he carelessly abandoned the paperwork on a nearby table before rushing to her bedside.

Ariane sat up abruptly without thinking, resulting in another sharp twinge of pain from her ribs.

“You should probably take it easy,” he placed a hand on her upper arm, gently trying to push her back down.  “There’s only so much my healing magic can do.”

Ariane threw her arms over his shoulders, causing him to let out a surprised sound that could only be described as a squeak.  She was still in pain, but she didn’t care. With everything scary and unfamiliar happening around her, it felt good to be around someone who was always a constant in her life.

“I thought you were dead,” she pressed her face into his shoulder.

“ Me? ” Finn laughed.  “I’m not the one who was in the temple during the explosion.”

“I was afraid that you might have followed me to the temple anyway.”

“Well, rushing into danger when I don’t need to isn’t exactly my style,”  He held her, gently avoiding setting off her injuries. “And you needed to do this for your clan.”

Ariane’s eyes stung when she closed them.  How was she going to report this back to her clan?  How would she even begin to explain what had happened?  That’s assuming her captors would even let her walk away alive.  Finn was an apostate, so it wasn’t like he would be any safer.

“When I heard about the Conclave,” Finn’s voice shook.  “I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that you were just...gone.  I should have been there with you.”

“Then you probably would have died with everyone else,” she remained pressed against him.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” he sighed.  “I saw the damage at the temple for myself. It’s remarkable that anyone made it out of there alive.”

Ariane pulled back slightly.

“Wait, you were at the temple?  When?”

“After the explosion,” he lowered his head.

“I thought you said running into danger wasn’t your style.”

“I said ‘when I don’t need to’, but if something had happened to you...” his voice trailed off.  “There was still a part of me that had hope, so I needed to make sure. Didn’t last long up there.  On account of being attacked by a demon and all.”

Finn spoke like it was no big deal, but Ariane jolted back in shock.

“A demon attacked you?!  Are you okay?”

“It was quite a battle, but I’ve fought worse,” his attempt at sounding stoic was failed by the smile that was slowly forming on his face.  “It did give me a scar though.”

“A scar?”  Ariane tilted her head to the side.  “Can I see?”

Finn looked over his shoulder for a moment, then pulled down the collar of his shirt just below his clavicle.

It was barely a scratch.

“Oh, wow,” Ariane used the same tone of voice she used to use with the young apprentice hunters.  “A mighty warrior.”

Finn pulled his collar back up.

“I thought it was cool,” he mumbled, but his tone was betrayed by the small smile that was still on his face.  “We can’t all be expert fighters like you.”

Ariane tried to wave his comment off, but she felt her ears turn red.

“I’m a warrior, but I wouldn’t call myself an ‘expert’.”

“That’s not what I heard,” He sat down on the bed next to her.  “Seeker Cassandra said that Varric tends to exaggerate, but did you really do a backflip off of a pride demon’s head?”

“I didn’t do a backflip,” Ariane laughed as she played with the tangled ends of her hair.  “Well, I might have, but not on purpose. That’s just how I fell when the demon threw me off of it.”

Finn stared at her.

“You’re amazing.”

“Oh, come on,” Ariane hid her face behind her hair.  “It was stupid. I almost died!”

“But you didn’t.  In fact, you’ve ‘almost died’ more times than most people get to!  Surviving the explosion, that mark on your hand, fighting the demon,” he shook his head.  “I mean, you have to admit, that’s quite impressive.”

“Okay, fine.  You’re right, I’m incredible,”  Ariane yawned and leaned her head back against the headboard.  “Where are we?”

“Haven.  It’s a village that provides shelter for those who came to visit the Temple of Sacred Ashes,” Finn paused.  “Or, I guess it used to do that.”

“And have they been treating you well?  Since you’re an, uh…”

Ariane stopped herself.  Even after Finn left the Circle of Magi, he never felt comfortable with the word “apostate”, even though that’s what he was to his people.

“...a mage?”

“Well,” Finn rubbed the back of his neck.  “I know that there are people who are suspicious of me, but no one has said or done anything.  Maybe since I know how to heal, they think they have a use for me.”

“Oh, okay,” Ariane sighed in relief.  “Thank you for taking care of me, by the way.”

“I only did the basic healing,”  Finn waved his hand. “You’ve met Solas, right?  He’s the one who kept that mark from killing you.  Really, you should be thanking him.”

“Maybe I’ll thank him when I see him,” Ariane crossed her arms.  “But he’s not here right now, so I’m thanking you.”

“Oh,” he ran his fingers through his hair.  “Um, you’re welcome.”

Ariane looked down at the mark.  It did look better. The light was contained to the palm of her hand and no longer branched down her forearm.  The pulsing stopped too, making it easier to get a better look at it. The mark looked like a deep gash well, a deep gash that was glowing green.  She tried to poke it. Touching the mark didn’t hurt, but she could feel the magic emanating off of her skin.

She must have made a face because Finn suddenly looked concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Poke it,” Ariane held up the mark.

“Uh, okay…”  Finn gently touched the mark with his finger.

“Can you feel that?”

“Huh,” Finn furrowed his brow.  “Even though it stopped growing, I can still sense the immense amount of power coming from the mark.”

“Is this what it’s like being a mage?”

“Um, I’m not sure.  I never had an explosion place some kind of mysterious otherworldly thing on my hand,” he kept his eyes focused on the mark.  “But whatever it is, it’s clear that it contains more power than I’ve ever seen in any mage.”

“Oh,” Ariane turned her hand over so she wouldn’t have to look at the mark any longer.  “That’s comforting.”

Finn smiled, “But I trust this power with you more than anyone else.”

“That makes one of us,” Ariane sighed and tried to push herself off of the bed.  

Finn stood to help her to her feet.  Her vision swam and she had to lean against him as she waited for the dizziness to wear off.

“Take it slow, okay?”  Finn slowly stepped away from her once he was sure she could stand on her own.  “Can I get you anything?”

Ariane shook her head, placing one hand on the cabin wall to steady herself.

“I’m fine.  I just need to get my bearings.”

What she really needed more than anything was some fresh air.  She didn’t know if she could make it to the door, but there was a window that was a lot closer.

“How long was I asleep?”  Ariane began to make her way towards the window, keeping her hands against the wall to ensure that she wouldn’t lose her balance.

“Three days.”

Ariane stumbled, nearly collapsing to the floor.

“ Three days ?  Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?”

“We didn’t know if you would be waking up,” Finn’s voice cracked the way it always did when he was flustered - even after ten years.  “The Breach is powerful and there was a high chance that just the act of closing it would have killed you.  The fact that it didn’t is a miracle, but you needed time to recover.”

Ariane was bothered that Finn referred to the Breach in the present tense, but she chose not to think too much of it.

“At least it’s over,” she resumed moving towards the window.  “Now all we have to do is get out of here and move on with our lives.  After I check in with my clan, of course.”

“Uh, I don’t think we’ll be able to do that…”

Ariane threw the shutters open and inhaled the crisp cool air that came flowing on, only to choke on it when she looked up at the sky.

The Breach.

It was still there.

“ Fenedhis !”  Ariane exclaimed before coughing violently.  “I thought I closed it!”

“You stabilized it,” Finn stood close to Ariane as she continuing muttering curses under her breath.  “The Breach and the mark stopped growing because of you - you saved us. This was a victory.”

“But I’m still a suspect!”  Ariane sat on the windowsill and tucked her head between her knees.  “Closing the Breach could have saved me from getting executed, but I couldn’t even do that!”

Even though her head was down, for a moment she could still feel Finn’s hand hovering over her back before he quickly moved it away.

“Well, then they have to keep you alive so you can try again, right?”

Ariane looked up, her tangled brown hair falling in front of her face.  How could Finn not be panicking right now? He panicked about everything.  One time, he nearly had an anxiety attack after watching her fold the upper corner of a page to save her place in a book.  The book was a cheap collection of dirty poetry, but Finn acted like she took the original copy of the Chant of Light and tore it in half.

But here they were talking about her probably imminent execution, and Finn didn’t seem bothered at all.  He stood in front of her staring down at the floor as he picked at the frayed ends of his sleeves. Ariane did think he seemed antsy, but no more than usual.

“Oh!”  Finn turned on his heels and rushed to the crate that was still sitting in the middle of the room.  “A present for you, hopefully something that will make you feel better.”

Ariane stepped towards Finn curiously as he wrestled with the latches on the crate for a moment.  She knelt down next to him and peered over his shoulder. The crate opened and nestled in a bed of straw was her armor, her longbow, a tight bundle of cloth, and two swords resting in their leather sheaths.

“My things!”  Ariane shrieked.  She couldn’t contain herself.  She threw her arms around Finn, knocking him to the floor.  “Thank you!”

Finn laughed breathlessly as he made no effort to push her off of him.  “This wasn’t really my doing. The Seeker allowed for your possessions to be returned to you.”

Ariane sat back up and pulled the swords out of the crate.  Creators, even the feeling of the hilt in her hand almost brought tears to her eyes.  After all of this Chantry nonsense, it felt amazing to have a Dalish weapon in her hands again.  The sheaths were crafted by her mother. Girl’s Best Friend was the first sword her father bestowed upon her when she became a true hunter.   Rain of Petals was passed down to her from a long line of renowned Dalish hunters (who hopefully wouldn’t mind that she didn’t like the original name: Rain of Blood ).  They were more than swords.  This was her people, her culture.  She was so far away from her clan, but as long as she had these swords it was like she was always fighting for them.  Her swords were an extension of her people.

A single tear trickled down her cheek and landed on GBF’s sheath.

“Hey,” Finn placed a hand on her shoulder.  “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Wiping away the first tear for some reason triggered more to start forming in her eyes.  “I’m fine.”

What started as a few stray tears quickly turned to her openly sobbing on the floor of the cabin.  It was like everything that happened those three days ago was finally crashing down on her. She had her swords and she had Finn, but the Veil was still torn and she was going to be at the mercy of the Chantry.  If the humans there didn’t like her, that would be it. Rain of Petals would never see another pair of hands.

Finn wrapped his arms around her and she sagged against him, tucking her head under his chin.

“So, uh,” Finn only spoke long after her sobs turned into gentle snivelling.  “I have another present for you. A real one this time.”

Ariane watched him through stinging eyes as he pulled away from her to sort through one of the shelves.

“Should be here somewhere...ah, there!”

Finn sat back down on the floor next to her, with a jar of pickles in his hands.

“I wrote a letter to mother asking her to send the kind you liked,” he handed the jar to her.  “They finally arrived yesterday.”

So soon after crying, Ariane’s laugh trembled.  Still, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she turned the jar around in her hands.

“I don't know what to say,” she popped the lid open.  “Thank you.”

“I figured you could use a pick-me-up after everything that has conspired,” Finn shrugged, but smiled.

Ariane pulled a pickle out of the jar and practically shoved the entire thing into her mouth.  The only thing keeping her from crying again was her refusal to cry over a pickle so soon after crying over her people.  It was a serious test of willpower.

“What do we do now?”  Ariane asked between bites.

“The Seeker, Cassandra, asked me to get you after you were well enough.  There's still the matter of the Breach that needs to be addressed. It doesn't seem like we will be able to leave any time soon, but people's attitudes towards you have changed.  They say you're the…” Finn stopped. “Did you finish the whole jar?”

Ariane felt her face heat up as she glanced down at the now-empty jar in her lap.

“Uh, I haven't eaten in three days.”

“Huh, I guess that doing a backflip off of a demon is now the second most impressive thing you've ever done.”

“In yielding, find resilience; in pliancy, find strength,” Ariane recited before downing the entire jar of pickle juice.

“That’s certainly an interesting way to apply Vir Bor'Assan ,” Finn trailed off before shrugging.  “But you’re the Dalish one, so you know best.”

Ariane placed the completely empty jar on top of the crate and stood up.

“So, Cassandra wanted to see me?”

“Oh, yeah.  She’s in the Chantry,” Finn cleared his throat.  “You probably shouldn’t keep her waiting. She’s...intense.”

“Trust me, I know,” Ariane sighed as she dragged herself to the door.  “If I don’t return, assume I burst into flames the second I stepped foot in the Chantry.”

“You should probably know that...” Finn paused.  “Actually, I’ll let you see it for yourself.”

“Uh, okay.”

Ariane slapped her face a few times in an attempt to mask the fact that she had previously been crying, then she opened the door.

There were people everywhere.  Soldiers, civilians, everyone was standing on either side of the pathway that connected the cabin to the heart of the village.  Their fists pressed firmly against their chests in that salute she’d seen humans do a few times before. When Ariane opened the door, they all stood up straighter - all those eyes locked with hers.

Ariane squawked and slammed the door shut.  Meanwhile, Finn was still standing in the center of the cabin, doubled over laughing.

“Who are all of those people?!”  Ariane ducked down to avoid being spotted through the window.

“They’re still out there?”  Finn’s voice was breathless after laughing.  “Huh, talk about commitment.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because I thought your reaction would be funny,” he grinned at her.  “And I was right.”

“Florian Phinean Horton Aldwin Esmond!”

“You are so close to getting my name right.  Maybe someday you’ll get there.”

“Why are you not taking this seriously?!”  Ariane brought her knees to her chest and tugged at the ends of her hair.  “In some human societies, prisoners will get executed in the middle of of the day - and people will just watch like it’s some kind of public spectacle!”

All humor drained from Finn’s face when he realized how genuinely scared she was.

“No, no, no,” he knelt down in front of her.  “That’s not what this is at all.”

“I’m still a suspect,” Ariane muttered behind the shroud of her hair that covered her face.

“To some, maybe,” Finn admitted.  “But when the Breach first appeared, everyone was terrified.  This unknown phenomenon was expanding at an alarming rate to the point where it was believed that it would swallow the whole world.  But then, you showed up and put everyone’s mind at ease. You saved us.”

Ariane leaned her head back against the door,

“I didn’t blow up the Conclave.”

“Of course you didn’t.  I know that.”

“But not everyone does.”

“I promise, nothing is going to happen to you.  But if I’m wrong,” Finn glanced to the side, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.  “Then I’ll leave Haven with you. No questions asked.”

“You might want to get packing then,” she gave a ragged sigh and repeatedly thunked the back of her head against the door.  “I’m not looking forward to whatever this meeting is.”

Finn smiled at her,

“You’ve faced down a pride demon and a varterral.  You can handle Seeker Cassandra.”

“You have met Cassandra, right?”

The last time Ariane walked past a row of humans, they were all jeering and yelling slurs at her.  This time, the ones that weren’t staring at her in awe were bowing their heads in respect. At least, she assumed it might be respect.  At least the jeers were easy to interpret.

It wasn’t until she made her way past the main bulk of the crowd when she heard them start whispering to each other.  She couldn’t make out what anyone was saying, but the level of rigid formality made her stomach twist into knots. It reminded her of the time she visited the Circle of Magi in Ferelden.  Everyone was so quiet and so on edge. Just creepy.

Ariane’s vision was shifting between different stages of blurriness when she finally made it to the Chantry doors.  Why did she think she could make such a long trek down a hill after being in bed for three days? The soldiers standing near the Chantry saluted her when she walked past.  Even after seeing the crowd of people before, seeing such a gesture from a bunch of human soldiers caught her even more off guard. She didn’t know how to respond properly, so she just waved.

The soldiers opened the doors and Ariane felt like she was kicked in the face with the heavy scent of incense.  The heavy doors shut behind her blocking any traces of sunlight from seeping in, quite ironic considering the amount of sun banners decorating the walls.  The soft thudding of Ariane’s boots echoed throughout the otherwise silent chamber. It didn’t surprise her that many people would feel at peace in a place like this.  Even Finn, an escaped Circle mage who never came off as being that religious to her, always seemed a bit more calm whenever he visited such places of worship.

But Ariane didn’t feel at ease.  She felt like she was willingly walking into another prison.  The nauseating amount of incense certainly didn’t help settle her nerves.

The gut-wrenching silence was broken by the muffled sounds of vicious arguing coming from behind a door on the other side of the room.  Ariane took a deep breath of the stuffy air. Was she really going to allow her fate to be decided by a bunch of humans? Did she really have a choice?

Either way, it would probably be best if she came on her own volition instead of having one of them come and drag her there.  She sighed and opened the door.

The arguing came to an abrupt halt the moment Ariane stepped into the room.  Cassandra, Leliana, and Roderick - the Chancellor from the forward camp - were standing around a table and their eyes were all locked on her.

“You’re here,” Leliana’s voice was soft as always and her face was still partially hidden by the deep purple hood she wore.  “I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

Ariane wanted to thank her, but the Chancellor stepped forward before she was able to.

“And I hope you’re ready to take responsibility for your crimes!”  he turned his attention to the hall. “Guards! I want this prisoner taken to the capital for trial!”

“Ignore him,” Cassandra crossed her arms.  “And close the door behind you.”

Ariane did so, leaving herself trapped alone in the room with the three humans.  Cassandra did defend Ariane in front of the Chancellor before, but she wasn’t sure how long she could keep relying on that.

“The prisoner failed, Seeker,” Roderick turned back to Cassandra.  “For all we know, this could be all part of her plan - and you are leading us right into it.”

“The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat,” Cassandra spoke through clenched teeth.  “I will not ignore it.”

“And we need Ariane alive if we are to make any progress,” Leliana added.

“Does that mean I’m no longer a suspect?”  Ariane tried to stop herself from feeling too optimistic.

“It means no such thing,” Roderick glared at her.  “If she was truly not behind the explosion, I suggest that we question that mage the was travelling with.”

“We did question him, Chancellor,” Cassandra’s voice was stern.

“But not as a suspect!  Did he not attend the same Circle as that apostate who sparked the Kirkwall Rebellion?  I'm seeing some similarities.”

Ariane felt her stomach drop.

“Finn is a suspect?”  The idea of Finn being a dangerous criminal was so ridiculous it was almost funny, but not at the moment.  If they honestly thought that about him...

“No, he is not,” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at Roderick.  “The Chancellor is grasping at straws.”

“You sure are putting a lot of faith into this Dalish elf and her apostate companion,” Roderick sneered.  “If only you put that same level of faith into your duties.”

“We do not believe that Finn is any threat,” Leliana stepped in before Cassandra could lash out at the Chancellor.  “I had my agents go through all of his notes and found nothing that could incriminate him. He was also quite eager to offer aid to those stranded in Haven and he did seem genuinely horrified by the destruction.”

“And you’re sure he wasn’t just disappointed that his plan had failed?”

“No, Finn gets that way about historical landmarks,” Ariane clarified.

“And I heard the voices at the temple,” Cassandra’s voice was commanding as always, but there was a hint of vulnerability behind her words.  “Most Holy called out to her for help.”

“You are asking me to take a lot on faith, Seeker.”

“Good,” Cassandra glared back at the Chancellor.  “You claim to have a lot of it.”

“So her survival, that...thing on her hand, her connection with an apostate,” Roderick crossed his arms.  “You want me to believe that this is all a coincidence?”

“What you believe does not matter to me,” Cassandra looked back at Ariane.  “But I believe that the Maker sent her to us for a reason.”

Cassandra stepped away from the table, leaving Ariane to process what she had just said.

At first, Ariane didn’t think much of what the Seeker said and assumed that she was using the word “Maker” in the loose way a lot of humans did.  But the way everyone was looking at her made her suspect that Cassandra’s words were meant to be taken a little more literally than she was comfortable with.  A pit started to form in her stomach.

“I don’t know if I’m the kind of person you want for this job,” Ariane had to fight the urge to start walking backwards towards the door.

“It’s not who you are, it’s what you’ve been given,” Leliana responded.  “The Breach remains and your mark is the only hope of closing it.”

“That is not for you to decide,” the Chancellor spoke with a harsh voice.

Cassandra returned to the table and slammed a heavy book down on the table.  Ariane jumped from the impact, honestly surprised that the table didn’t break underneath it.

“You know what this is, Chancellor?”  Cassandra threatened. “A writ from the Divine, granting us authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn.”

“You can’t be serious!  I won’t allow it!”

“We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order,” Cassandra violently marched towards Roderick, jabbing her finger at him as she did so.  “With or without your approval.”

Chancellor Roderick held Cassandra’s authoritative glare for a moment before turning his attention back to Ariane.  His face was red with fury, the shade nearly matching the details on his robe. Ariane waited for whatever biting response he was cooking up, but it never came.  He turned his back to Cassandra, hurrying out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Ariane had her eyes fixed on the book.  The rough leather cover was embossed with the same eye symbol that adorned Cassandra’s armor.

“This is the Divine’s directive,” Leliana explained.  “Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos.”

“Oh,” Ariane’s body went cold.  She had no idea what Inquisition of old meant.  Honestly, she was hoping that Cassandra’s stunt with the book was a bluff to get the Chancellor to leave.  “This is official.”

“Not yet,” Leliana bowed her head.  “We aren’t ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support.”

“But this is the only way.  We must act now before it is to late,” Cassandra locked eyes with Ariane.  “With you at our side.”

Ariane would have been less shocked if Cassandra punched her in the stomach.  She stood there dumbfounded, unable to process what the seeker just said to her.

“Just to clarify,” Ariane began slowly.  “You want me at your side…”

“That is what we ask,” Leliana nodded.

“And not as your prisoner.”

“We need you if we are to restore order,” Cassandra spoke.  “And I would prefer it if you fought alongside us as an equal.”

Cassandra held her hand out.

“Help us fix this before it is too late.”

The idea of no longer being a prisoner was tempting, but something else was gnawing at Ariane’s mind.  Something that was preventing her from accepting Cassandra’s offer.

“What about Finn?”

“Finn will also be an agent of the Inquisition, but only if you agree to join us,” Cassandra’s hand never wavered.

“And, I’m sure my agents can find use for Finn’s expertise,”  Leliana added.

The offer felt impossible to refuse.  Not only was she not going to be executed, but they were offering her and Finn a life free from hiding from Templars.  Finn could finally have the (comparatively) comfortable life she knew he missed. It was too good to be true.

“What’s the catch?”

Leliana smiled,

“You have to close the Breach.”

“Oh.”

“While you are viewed as a hero by some, there are others who are still convinced of your guilt,” Cassandra reminded her.  “The Inquisition can only protect you if you are with us.”

Ariane stared at Cassandra’s hand and took a deep breath.

“The Breach affects us all.  I cannot just walk away now.”

“Let’s see...ah!  Here it is.”

Finn joined Ariane on the floor who was sitting in front of the fireplace while she was eating a bowl of potato soup.  He pushed aside his own bowl, which had been abandoned for so long that a skin was starting to form at the top, and in its place he set down the heavy tome he was combing through.

“The first Inquisition was formed during the chaos left by the First Blight and the fall of the Tevinter Imperium.  The people who made up the first Inquisition banded together to restore order in a world gone mad,” Finn paused as he read over the tiny text.  “Of course, they sometimes did this by hunting down anyone who could be considered a blood mage, a cultist, or a heretic, but I guess it’s the thought that counts…?”

“Oh,” Ariane scooped more of her soup from her wooden bowl.  “So they’re Templars.”

“It’s funny you should say that,” Finn flipped through the pages.  “When the Nevarran Accord was signed in 120 Divine, the Inquisition split off and became the Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order.”

Ariane was only mildly interested in the history of the Inquisition when she first asked Finn.  While she did figure that it wouldn’t hurt if she knew some of the basics, she mostly asked due to how happy Finn looked whenever he got to show off his academic prowess.  But now that she knew the truth, suddenly her potato soup wasn’t sitting so well.

“Hey,” Finn gently closed the book.  “Are you okay?”

Ariane shook her head, her fingers tightening around the bowl.

“I don’t want to be an arm of the Chantry,” she glanced down at the mark on her hand.  “Literally.”

“That was the Inquisition of old,” he gave her a reassuring smile.  “You will make it different.”

“I don’t know,” she sighed.  “I’ve been away from my clan for so long, and now I’m joining some Chantry thing.  I can only imagine what they’ve been saying about me. ‘Flat Ear’ would probably be the kindest.”

Finn was quiet for an awfully long time, his eyes focused intensely on the crackling fire.

“Do you regret it?”  He fidgeted with his hands.  “Travelling away from your clan, I mean.”

Guilt shot through Ariane’s entire body.

“No, no!  Of course not!” She couldn’t risk hesitating for a second.  “Besides, it’s not like you didn’t sacrifice anything to come with me.”

“Ah, yes.  You took me away from a life of being controlled by Templars before eventually getting caught in the crossfire of the Mage Rebellion,” he smirked at her.  “How dare you.”

“Come on,” Ariane rolled her eyes, but she still couldn’t help but smile.  “You and I both know that you weren’t exactly at home living out in nature.”

“It...took some getting used to,” Finn flushed.  “I was young when we set out on our own. I’m better now.”

“Really?”  Her smile morphed into a teasing grin.  “What about last week’s rabbit incident?”

“Okay, in my defense,”  he held his hand up. “Anything with teeth would terrify you if it crawled into your bedroll when you were trying to sleep.”

“It was noon.”

“So?”  Finn shrugged.  “I prefer a late start.”

Ariane watched the flames dance in the fireplace for a moment before she turned her attention back to Finn.

“Finn?”

“Hmm?”  At least he was finally taking care of his soup, even though it had to be freezing cold by that point.  He set the bowl aside when she addressed him. “Is everything okay?”

She must have not done a good job masking her nervous tone.  Was she nervous? Creators, she didn’t even know anymore. She looked back at Finn.  The glow from the fireplace turned his brown eyes into a bright shade of amber that glistened with the movements of the flames.  Human eyes didn’t usually react that way to light, but it wasn’t like she got a lot of close looks. She remembered how worn he looked when she saw him that morning, but now he looked better - a lot better.  Being around Finn usually helped calm her nerves, but this was different. She still felt nervous, but a different kind of nervous. A kind she was okay with.

“I never regretted it,” she spoke quietly.  “Not for a moment.”

“Oh,” he went red again, all the way down to his neck.  “Thank you. That’s reassuring to hear.”

“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” she smiled at him.  “Who else would tell me the entire unabridged story about how the Templar Order came to be?”

“You,” Finn’s brows furrowed in confusion.  “You really want to hear about that?”

“Well, I need something to fall to sleep to.”

Finn laughed and she couldn’t help but join in.

“Are you sure?  It’s fascinating.”

“Hmm, I’ll take your word for it,” Ariane glanced over her shoulder at the bed.  “And I’ll take the floor tonight.”

“What?”  Finn shook his head.  “You don’t have to do that.  I’ve gotten quite used to sleeping on the floor.”

“Yes, but I’ve been hogging the bed for three days.”

“You know how late I work, just use the bed.”

Ariane sagged her shoulders in defeat.

“Fine, but you better wake me up when you’re done working so I can move to the floor.”

“I promise.”

Ariane almost forgot what it was like to wake up feeling well-rested.  The gentle rays of sunlight seeping through the cabin shutters allowed her to wake up naturally.  She craned her head up from the mountain of pillows it was buried in and realized that she was still in bed.  From across the room she saw Finn at his desk, fast asleep on his pile of books and notes.

“Really, Finn?”  She rolled onto her back and sighed.  “You promised .”

She hopped out of bed and stepped towards his desk as quietly as she could.  Gently, she slid the pen from his hand and set it down near his pile of notebooks.  Fortunately there was no ink seepage anywhere, but she couldn’t be too careful - especially around his notes.

“Finn?”  She whispered, not wanting to wake him but just trying to gauge how asleep he was.

Other than his gentle breathing, he didn’t respond.

Ariane placed her hands on his shoulders and managed to pry his face from the open tome.  Then she looped one of her arms under his knees and the other wrapped around his waist and lifted him off of his chair.  Finn wasn’t heavy at all, only his long limbs provided any sort of challenge when carrying him.

Finn remained fast asleep the entire time Ariane carried him to the other side of the cabin, which didn’t surprise her at all.  He could probably sleep through the Blight. Honestly, it wouldn’t shock her if she found out he fell asleep during the explosion at the Conclave.

She eased him down on the bed before pulling one of the blankets over him.  Finn was always either anxious about something or concentrating deeply on his studies.  It was rare to see him in a state where he looked entirely calm and peaceful.

Are you watching him sleep?!  She chastised herself.   Stop that!

Ariane spun around on her heels and hurried out of the cabin.  The crisp dawn air soothed her nerves the moment she stepped through the door.  There were only a few people outside at the moment, which Ariane didn’t understand at all.  Sunrise in Haven was beautiful. The orange and pink glow drowned out the green from the Breach.  The air was the perfect temperature to be comfortable without turning the snow on the ground into slush.  A gentle breeze carried the smell of the evergreen forests that surrounded the small village. It rejuvenated her instantly.

She explored the grounds of the sleepy village for a moment until more people started to wake up.  Ariane still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to act around the inhabitants of Haven, so she kept to exploring the outer perimeter of the settlement.  While walking along the outer wall, she saw someone sitting in the distance with his back turned towards her.

“Solas?”  She stepped carefully towards him.  From the light dusting of snow that gathered on his shoulders, Ariane assumed that he had been sitting outside like this for a while.  She tried calling his name again. Still nothing. Creators, and she thought Finn was a heavy sleeper.

When she got closer, Ariane noticed the small magical artifacts on the ground.  She instantly recognized them as wards. Sometimes Finn would set them up whenever he was feeling unsure about where they chose to set up camp.  They were incredibly useful out in the wilds, but in Haven? What use could they possibly have?

Ariane nudged one with her foot, not enough to disrupt it.  When nothing happened, Ariane quickly grew bored and proceeded to leave the area, figuring it would be best if she came back at a later time.

“What do you need?”

She jumped when she heard his voice.  Turning around, she saw Solas standing near the wall, eyeing her suspiciously.

“Oh, ir abelas , I didn’t mean to wake you,” she stared down at the deactivated wards lying in the snow.  “I only wanted to thank you for healing my mark.”

Solas was silent for an awfully long amount of time as he stared at her.  Ariane couldn’t tell if he was carefully crafting his response, observing her, or if he was simply groggy from just being woken up.

“It was no trouble.  I take it your recovery has been going smoothly?”

Ariane examined the mark on her hand.  It was getting to the point where she would sometimes forget that it existed, so that had to be a good sign.

“It has.  Thank you.”

Another wave of silence.  It took a while for Ariane to realize the source of her discomfort.  The last time she spoke with Solas was during the hike up to the forward camp.  It wasn’t a long exchange, but it still left an awful taste in her mouth.

Her true feelings must have appeared on her face because Solas took notice.

“Something is troubling you.”  

It wasn't a question.

Ariane sighed and stared down at her feet as she tried to string together her words as carefully as possible.

“What you said the other day, about the Dalish,” she started slowly before abandoning that idea and deciding to jump right to the point.  “I didn’t appreciate that.”

Solas raised his eyebrows, but other than that he hardly reacted.

“What was it that you did not appreciate?”

Ariane didn’t know what she wanted from him.  An apology maybe? It didn’t even have to be sincere.  A simple “whoops-a-daisy” would have sufficed. She was not in the mood for a debate, but she didn’t feel like she could walk away with her pride still intact.

“You referred to my people as being superstitious.”

“Is that incorrect?”

“Very much so,” Ariane was having a difficult time matching Solas’ composure.  “I do not know what the human cities taught you about my people, but you can’t possibly know more than me who lived it .”

Solas frowned,

“You assume I’m of the alienages?”

Ariane felt her face go hot as the fire inside of her died down.

“I mean, you don’t, um…”  she gestured around her face.  “You don’t have vallaslin.”

“So because of this, I must be from the alienages?”

“I don’t know.  Okay, what kind of elf are you then?”

“Perhaps the world is not as simple as you perceive it to be.”

“Ugh, by the Dread Wolf,” she muttered under her breath.  “Fine. I got you wrong, but you also got me and my people wrong.  We're even.”

“But did I?”  He sounded much more amused than he did before.  “From what I have gathered, my perception of you has been correct.”

“Oh yeah?”  Ariane crossed her arms.  “Do tell. What is your perception of me?”

“You are Dalish, and proudly so.  However, you are not like most of your people,” He stepped backwards to sit on the edge of the cobblestone wall.  “In all my travels, I have seen very few instances of a Dalish elf abandoning tradition to wander off with a human.  You were pursuing something that you would not be able to find if you were to remain with your clan.”

Ariane’s mouth went dry.

“I did not abandon tradition.”

“You may not see it as so, but this does not happen often.”

Ariane locked eyes with him.

“Perhaps the world is not as simple as you perceive it to be.”

She swore she saw him smirk.

“You misunderstand.  I think it is admirable that you were willing to take such a risk.  The Dalish are often set in their ways, too preoccupied chasing stories and scraps of a lost history.”

“Everything I’ve done was for my clan.  I’ve uncovered pieces of my people’s history that no one else has touched before,” her voice trembled.  “I encountered one of the legendary varterral. I’ve seen an eluvian with my own eyes.”

This was the first time Ariane ever saw Solas look caught off guard.  She had to admit, she did feel satisfied knowing that she finally knew more about something than he did.

“Eluvian means ‘seeing glass’ or ‘mirror’ in the old tongue,” she didn’t want to sound conceited, but...who was she kidding, of course she did.  “The ancient elves would use them for long distance travel or communication.”

“Is that so?” he mused.  “And you found such an artifact with your people?”

Ariane stopped.  Her face felt hot.

“No...I was with Finn...and the Hero of Ferelden…”

“And why were you seeking out such an artifact?”

“Morrigan,” she muttered under her breath, the fire she was feeling before was now long gone.  “She was looking for one of the mirrors.”

“Finn and I have only spoken briefly, but he is a remarkable scholar.  You were lucky to have found him when you did,” his gaze briefly drifted up towards the Breach.  “Not everyone is adept to wander alone.”

Creators, she felt so stupid.  Finn probably told him all about their first adventure.

“Finn is…” Ariane nodded, tugging at the frayed ends of her sleeves.  “...he’s good.”

Solas chuckled,

“Well said,” he stepped off of the wall.  “Cassandra wanted to speak to you in the Chantry when you have a moment.”

“Oh,” Now she certainly wasn’t in the mood to start this Inquisition business.  “Uh, thank you.”

Even as more people in Haven began to start their day, the Chantry remained eerily quiet.  Aside from the hushed whispers coming from the Chantry sisters, the only sound came from Ariane and Cassandra’s footsteps as they made their way through the long hallway.  Ariane couldn’t help but examine her mark as they walked. It was no longer causing her any pain. But without the flashes of magical green light, the mark looked a little bit gross.  A gash of green sliced along her palm - not exactly a pretty sight.

“Does it trouble you?”  Cassandra’s voice broke the dense silence.  “The mark.”

Ariane stopped walking for a moment.  She doubted Cassandra wanted to hear “it doesn’t hurt, but it’s gross” as a response.

“I thought it would be enough to close the Breach,” she sighed and let her hand fall by her side.  “What if it won’t work?”

Cassandra’s expression softened.

“You did everything we asked of you,” She continued walking, gesturing for Ariane to follow.  “What’s important is that your mark is now stable, as is the Breach. You’ve given us time, and Solas believes that a second attempt might succeed.”

Ariane chewed at her lower lip, deciding that it would probably be best if she didn’t tell Cassandra about the encounter she had with Solas earlier that morning.  Hopefully she didn’t burn that bridge completely.

Cassandra opened the door to the room at the end of the hallway.  Leliana stood in the room along with two other humans: Cullen, the Templar she met in the valley, and a young woman dressed in jewels and fine silks.

“You’ve met Commander Cullen,” Cassandra spoke to Ariane.  “Leader of the Inquisition’s forces.”

“It was only for a moment on the field,” Cullen nodded.  “I’m pleased you survived.”

“This is lady Josephine Montilyet,” Cassandra continued, addressing the human woman.  “Our ambassador and chief diplomat.”

“ Andaran Atish'an ,” Josephine smiled.

“You speak Elven?” Ariane couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face.  Of course, this meant that she would have to be careful to watch what she said around her, but still.  The fact that a human--

“You just heard the entirety of it, I’m afraid,” she laughed softly.

“Oh,” Ariane tried to force down any disappointment she was feeling.  “Well, you have a better understanding than most humans.”

“And of course you know Sister Leliana,” Cassandra motioned towards her, who was standing in the corner of the room with her head still concealed by that purple hood.

“My position here involves a degree of--”

“She is our spymaster,” Cassandra cut her off.

“Yes,” Leliana folded her arms behind her back.  “Tactfully put, Cassandra.”

Ariane became painfully unaware that she didn’t have an impressive title to match the others in the room.  More than that, she noticed that Leliana was staring at her much more intensely than the others were. Was this a spymaster thing?  She already met Leliana and she never acted like this around her. She was probably just overthinking it.

“So,” Ariane shifted back and forth on her heels.  “You believe that we can try again?”

“Solas predicted that with enough power, your mark will be able to seal the Breach for good,” Cassandra stepped forward, placing her hands on the large map of Thedas that was displayed open on the table.

“Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help,” Leliana suggested.

“I still disagree,”  Cullen turned to the spymaster.  “The Templars would be better suited to handle this.”

Cassandra sighed,

“Ariane’s mark needs power, Commander.  With enough magic--”

“We have no way of knowing how her mark and the Breach would react to such power,” he rubbed his forehead.  “Templars are trained to fight dangerous magic. They could weaken the Breach--”

“You have no way of knowing this for certain,”  Leliana interjected. “The stakes are far too high to follow speculations.”

“I was a Templar,” Cullen’s tone darkened.  “I know what they’re capable of.”

“Please, there is no need to argue,” Josephine picked up a writing tablet off of the table behind her and began flipping through some of the paperwork.  “Especially since neither group will even talk to us now.”

“How bad is it?”  Cullen asked.

“Nothing we wouldn't be able to recover from, but it won’t be easy,” Josephine twirled a quill between her fingers as she looked over her paperwork.  “The Chantry has officially denounced the Inquisition - and Ariane, specifically.”

Ariane was starting to space out, but she was thrown back into reality when everyone’s eyes suddenly locked on her.

“The Breach affects everyone, right?”  Ariane tugged at her hair. “Do we really need the Chantry’s approval to act?”

“Sadly, the Chantry’s denouncement will make it difficult for us to win favors from any powerful allies,” she shook her head.  “Some are calling you - a Dalish elf - the 'Herald of Andraste.’ That frightens the Chantry.”

Ariane went cold.  Even while Josephine continued to speak with Cullen and Leliana, Ariane was unable to process anything they were saying.   Herald of Andraste .  No, that was wrong.  She knew in her heart and her gut and her soul that this was wrong.  

When Josephine said “some” were referring to her as such, what did that mean?  Ten people? One hundred people? One thousand? How many people was Ariane going to have to personally correct?  How many people were going to have their hopes shattered when they realized that she couldn’t be the holy figure they wanted?

“...I think we should ask Ariane,” Cassandra’s voice gradually broke through her inner thoughts.

They were staring at her again.  One of them must have asked her a question, but she didn’t hear it.  She needed to say something, so she said the only thing that was running through her mind at the moment.

“Why would anyone say that I am the ‘Herald of Andraste’?”

“People saw what you did at the temple, how you stopped the Breach from growing,” Cassandra explained.  “They also believe that it was Andraste who helped guide you out of the Fade.”

“For better or for worse, everyone is talking about you,” Leliana smiled.  “This title might end up being our most powerful weapon within the Inquisition’s arsenal.”

“But it’s not true!”  Ariane couldn’t restrain herself.  “They have no way of knowing if that woman was Andraste!”

“I’m sure the Chantry would be relieved to hear you say that,” Cullen sighed.

“But people are desperate for a sign of hope,” Leliana looked back at Ariane.  “And to some, you’re that sign.”

“Or a symbol of society’s downfall,” Josephine added.

“Regardless, there is power in such symbols,” Leliana traced her fingers absentmindedly along the edges of the map.  “Provided that you use them effectively.”

“The people trust the Chantry,” Cullen crossed his arms.  “Symbols won’t do us any good if everyone believes we are heretics.”

Leliana was quiet in thought for a moment before she stood up straighter.

“There is something you can do. A Chantry Cleric by the name Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you.  Her assistance could be invaluable.”

The pit that was forming in Ariane’s gut grew deeper.

“You want me, ‘the Dalish Heretic’, to speak with a Chantry Cleric?”

Leliana smiled slightly.

“I understand she is a reasonable sort. Perhaps she doesn’t agree with her sisters?”

“This might only make things worse,” Ariane muttered.

“As of now, we are not in a position where we can deny these sorts of invitations,” Josephine carefully set her tablet back down.

“Can we do something about this ‘Herald of Andraste’ thing first?”

“I know that having such a title bestowed upon you may not be ideal,” Cassandra turned to her.  “But right now, it’s the only reason people are listening to the Inquisition.”

Ariane’s throat went dry and she stared down at her feet.

“You’re right,” she sighed.  “I’ll try to get used to it.”

“ Herald of Andraste?! ”

Ariane was pacing furiously around the cabin, yanking at her hair as she did so.

Meanwhile, Finn was sitting at his desk, paying way more attention to Ariane’s ranting than the open notebook in front of him.

“Why would anyone look at me and think ‘let’s call her the Herald of Andraste’?!  I have the symbol of June tattooed on my face! If I’m to be the herald of anybody, shouldn’t I be his?”

She stopped pacing when Finn didn’t say anything.

“Do you have any thoughts on this?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Finn looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.  “This is just a lot to process.”

“How do you think I feel?”

“No, you’re right.  It’s just…” he sighed sadly as he looked down at his notes.  “We don’t know who that woman in the Fade was. Maybe it was, I mean...what if there’s a chance that she was Andraste?”

“Blessed Creators, not you too,” Ariane collapsed face-first onto the bed.

“But it could be her, right?  We shouldn’t discount any possibilities.”

“Yeah, except for the possibility of someone listening to me.”

“Oh,” Finn went silent for a moment.  “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”  Ariane rolled onto her side so she was facing the wall.

“No, I shouldn’t have said that,” his notebook made a soft thud as he closed it.

“People are going to expect me to be ‘Andraste’s chosen’, or whatever, and I don’t think I can be that,” she mumbled into her pillow.  “You’re the only person who I trust right now and I don’t want to lose you to this...myth.”

Finn moved across the cabin so he could sit at the foot of the bed.

“If you say you’re not Andraste’s chosen, then I believe you,” he stared down at his hands.  “But there are people who are looking for a symbol of hope in these frightening times.”

“I don’t want to be a symbol, Finn,” Ariane rolled onto her back, her eyes widening when a thought suddenly occurred to her.  “My clan is going to hear about this.”

“How do you think they will react?”  Finn’s voice softened.

“How do you think?”  Ariane sighed and stumbled off of the bed, resuming her pacing in front of the fireplace.  “First I venture away from my clan, now I’m being referred to as some kind of shem prophet.”

She stopped pacing for a moment.

“Prophet and herald mean the same thing, right?”

“More or less.”

Ariane’s pacing lead her to the crate containing her equipment.  She reached inside, pushing past her armor and weapons, and pulled out the small bundle of cloth.  Unwrapping the cloth revealed an intricately-carved wooden ring and an amulet crafted from halla horn hanging from a simple chain.   She moved in front of the fireplace and sat down on the floor. Tears began to well in her eyes when she held the two pieces of jewelry that glistened in the orange light of the fire.  

The surface of the amulet had a dragon carved onto it - the symbol of Mythal.  Her mother gave it to her before she set out to look for Morrigan. It was supposed to protect her.  Ariane remembered how much she kept insisting that she didn’t need protection, but her mother would not allow her to leave without the amulet.  How could she have been that foolish? It wasn’t about her mother doubting her ability to take care of herself, it was about legacy. Her mother wore that amulet, and her mother wore that amulet.  That amulet was passed down from generations of Dalish warrior women and now it was resting in her hand.

The wooden ring was given to Ariane by Solan, her clan’s Keeper, before she left on her mission.  She was so young back then. She only just completed her apprenticeship, but Solan must have seen potential in her.  Being sent out to retrieve a stolen artifact was not an insignificant task. She remembered the tear-filled goodbyes from the other people in her clan as she prepared to leave.  That was the first time she was ever away from her people. She could not have predicted where this mission would lead her. She wondered how her younger self would think of her choosing to call a human Circle mage the closest friend she ever had.

Finn sat down next to her.  His presence helped ground her, but her hands still shook as she held the jewelry.

“I’m not the Herald of Andraste,” she whimpered, trying to keep her tears from flowing.  “I’m not.”

“I know you’re not.”  His response was reassuring, but she didn’t know if she was even speaking to him.  She just needed to say those words, and she needed the universe to hear.

She was Ariane of the clan Sarahel, daughter of Feylen and Elonna.  She ventured far from her clan to return what was stolen from them. She faced down a varterral, she uncovered a lost eluvian, she stepped out of the Fade.  She was a skilled hunter, a fierce warrior, a lover of pickles - and she was not the Herald of Andraste.

Finn placed a hand on her shoulder and she leaned against him, clenching her fist tightly around the amulet.

“Do you want me to be the Herald of Andraste?” her voice was barely above a whisper.  “Does it give you hope?”

“You survived so much, maybe someone is protecting you,” his hand felt warm and comforting on her shoulder.  “But that doesn’t mean it has to be Andraste.”

Ariane closed her eyes and smiled.

“I’ll take the floor this time.”

“What?”  Finn shook his head.  “No, I really don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

“You slept at the desk last night,” Ariane rolled her eyes.  “You were supposed to wake me.”

“Sorry, forgot about that.”

“And now as a punishment, you get to sleep in the comfortable bed instead on the hardwood floor.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

There was something almost comforting about sleeping on the ground again.  Lying there in her bedroll, it was almost enough for her to forget about the Inquisition.  If she focused, she could hear past the cabin walls to the gentle whistling of the wind through the evergreen trees.

“Ariane?”

She glanced up at Finn who was reclining back on the bed.

“Yes?”

He smiled at her,

“This bed is very comfortable.”

“See?  I told you,”  she grinned back.

Ariane rolled onto her side.  Her mother’s amulet was still in her hand.  She was clenching it so hard that the symbol of Mythal left an imprint on her right palm.

She smiled as she traced the imprint with her thumb.

Soon, this would be the mark Thedas would know her for.

Chapter Text

Ariane stood in front of the full-length mirror that was leaning against the wall in the corner of the cabin.  It was a welcome change being back in her armor again, but something was off. She was certain that she didn’t look different.  To the outside observer, she probably just looked like any other Dalish warrior. But something felt out of place. Maybe the events of the past week were weighing down on her.  Maybe the mark on her hand was changing the way she carried herself. Maybe it was the fact that she had to prepare to meet with a Chantry Cleric on behalf of the Inquisition.

“The others are ready to set off for the Hinterlands whenever you are,” Finn walked into the room, keeping his head down until he knew she was done changing into her armor.

“Okay, I’m almost ready,” she tied her long auburn hair back into a loose braid and grabbed her pack from the floor.  Her amulet of Mythal was still hanging around her neck. She traced her finger along its smooth surface before tucking it into the front of her armor.

“It’s going to be strange not having you around,”  Finn sat down behind his desk. “Are you nervous? This is a pretty big step for the Inquisition.”

“I am,” she admitted.  “There’s so much at stake.  If she doesn’t like me, that’s bad for the Inquisition and the world.  But I don’t want to bow down before the Chantry just for the sake of securing an alliance…”

She trailed off, twisting her Keeper’s ring around her finger as she stared down at the floor.

“Hey, uh,” she hesitated.  “Do you want to come with me?”

“I’ll get my stuff.”

Finn stood up from behind his desk, but stopped when there was a soft knock at the door.

“Were you expecting anyone?”

“No...” Ariane stepped towards the door and pushed it open.

Leliana stood in the doorway, her purple hood dusted with small flecks of snow.  Although she smiled at Ariane, there was a certain coldness behind her expression.

“I hate to impose right before your meeting with Mother Giselle, but there is something important I must discuss with you,” she glanced over Ariane’s shoulder.  “May I come in?”

“Uh,” It wasn’t like Leliana gave her much of a choice.  “Okay.”

Ariane stepped to the side, allowing Leliana to enter the cabin.

“Should I leave?”  Finn was already making his way to the door, but Leliana stopped him.

“That won’t be necessary.  This concerns you too.”

Finn looked over at Ariane, the anxiety clear as day on his face.  It wasn’t like she was doing a good job concealing her facial expressions either.  Ariane couldn’t believe that she used to be more worried about angering Cassandra. There was something much more sinister about Leliana being in their cabin.

Ariane sat down next to Finn on the bed while Leliana hovered around his desk.  She glanced down at his notes for a moment, but it didn’t seem like she was actively engaging with them.  At least they weren’t being searched.

“So,” Ariane picked at the wool blanket she was sitting on, desperate to have something to do with her hands.  “Any progress on stopping this whole ‘Herald of Andraste’ thing?”

Leliana kept humming lightly to herself as she mused around Finn’s desk.  This time she seemed more intent on finding something.

“What do you have on your desk?” Ariane whispered to Finn, desperately hoping that Leliana’s hood would make it difficult to hear her.

“Just old tomes and notes from our travels,” he whispered back.  “But I was already searched and questioned.”

“I had you questioned about the attack on the Conclave,” Leliana spoke up, causing Ariane and Finn to freeze.  “What I wanted to speak with you about now was not relevant to that investigation. And I did not want to question you on behalf of the Chantry or the Inquisition.”

“Okay,”  That didn’t do much to reassure her.  “Then what are you questioning us on behalf of?”

Leliana pulled down her hood, revealing her chin-length red hair that was shockingly bright compared to her otherwise dark wardrobe.

“Myself, of course,” she leaned against the edge of Finn’s desk.  “I wanted to speak with you about the Hero of Ferelden.”

Ariane felt less on edge, but it wasn’t enough to ease her nerves.  She remembered her travels with the warden fondly: she did a great service for her clan, she rediscovered more lost knowledge about her people, she met Finn.  Really, the warden himself was more of an afterthought compared to everything else that came from that journey. Even though it had been almost a decade, both Ariane and Finn would jump at the opportunity to recount the story about how they faced down a varterral.

Neither of them were jumping now.  It was clear that Leliana didn’t drop by to hear them recount the tales of their great battles.

“We don’t know what happened to him,” Ariane stared down at the scuffed-up wooden floor.  “I’m sorry we can’t be of more help.”

“The two of you were the last people to ever see him,” Leliana folded her hands neatly in front of her.  “Any information or answers you may have would be of great use.”

For what?  Ariane almost asked, but thankfully Finn stepped in before she could get the words out.

“He isn’t dead, but we don’t know where he went,” Finn bowed his head.  “I’m sorry.”

Leliana’s pleasant smile never wavered as she reached for one of Finn’s notebooks.  Finn tensed up, but he didn’t object.

“I read your notes on your journey, Finn, and I noticed that your recounts stop right before the two of you parted ways with him,” she nodded at Ariane.  “I hoped that Ariane would provide me with the missing details.”

“I didn’t leave that part out on purpose,”  Finn mumbled, mostly to himself. “I ran out of paper.”

“The warden walked into an eluvian,” Ariane crossed her arms.  “We waited for him, but he never came out. So we left.”

“An eluvian?”  Leliana raised her eyebrows.

“The mirror,” Finn kept his head down, clearly restraining himself from going too deep into scholar-mode.  “I wrote about it in my notes. It’s an ancient Elven artifact that was mostly used for long-distance travel and communication.”

“I was instructed by my clan to chase down the witch, Morrigan, who stole an ancient text of ours,”  Even after all these years, the bitterness never left her voice. “The warden was tracking Morrigan down too, but we had...different motivations.”

“I was just there for the learning experience,” Finn added with a nervous laugh.

“My clan’s book mentioned eluvians, so we figured they would be the key to finding Morrigan,” Ariane shrugged.  “But the magic surrounding them is largely a mystery, so I don’t know where she is now or what she wanted the mirror for in the first place.”

“Hmm,” Leliana thought for a moment.  “If Morrigan was somehow able to unlock the eluvian’s power…”

“There was no ‘somehow’,” Ariane mumbled.  “She stole the answer from my people.”

“Then there’s no telling where either of them could be,” Leliana continued without acknowledging Ariane’s comment.  Her voice trailed off and she stared out the window, her expression looking uncharacteristically lost.

Ariane and Finn glanced at each other, neither of them sure if Leliana got what she wanted.  Neither of them were able to give her a satisfying answer, but it wasn’t like they had any reason to withhold information from her.

“I will have my agents continue to look into this,” Leliana finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of cold silence.

“Are we in trouble?”  Finn blurted out, the anxiety of the situation finally getting to him.

Ariane cringed, but fortunately Leliana just smiled.

“Not at all.  You did everything I asked of you,” Leliana stepped away from the desk and strode towards the door.  “I will eagerly await the results of your meeting with Mother Giselle.”

Ariane and Finn both waited until the cabin door closed before they sighed of relief.

“Maker, I thought we were going to be suspects for his disappearance,” Finn leaned forward and rubbed his forehead.  “‘You were the last people to ever see him’, I mean, that sounds like she suspected us of something, right?”

“We told her the truth.  That’s all what matters,” she looked over at Finn.  “Although, you need to relax. We don’t want to be interrogated by the spymaster again.”

“Sorry,” he tugged at his collar.  “I just don’t act well under pressure.”

“Creators, how did you handle the interrogation after the Conclave?”

“Surprisingly well,”  Finn laughed. “I mean, I broke down only ten seconds into the questioning, but I guess that was enough for them to realize that I was not the type of person who would commit such an atrocity.  It worked out well enough, I suppose.”

A pang of guilt shot through Ariane’s mind, leaving her body feeling cold.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke softly.  “I should have been there with you.”

“Having you there would have made everything better,” he smiled.  “But I’m not helpless. I know how to handle myself.”

“Is that so?”  Ariane crossed her arms and smirked.  “How long would you have lasted outdoors if it weren’t for me?”

“How long would it have taken you to find the eluvian if it weren’t for me?”

“Hmm,” Ariane frowned.  “Okay, that’s fair.”

Finn looked towards the door and sighed,

“We should probably begin travelling to the Hinterlands now.”

Ariane groaned and flopped backwards on the bed.

“This meeting is too important to miss,” Finn hopped off of the bed and held his hand out to her.  “Come on, we get to go outside. There will be dirt. I know you love dirt.”

“I don’t love dirt,” Ariane laughed.

She took his hand and he pulled her off the bed.  As much as she was dreading this meeting, she desperately needed a change of scenery.  Besides, Finn was going to be there too. And he did always have a way of making things better.

The journey from Haven to the Hinterlands was enough to breathe an extra rush of life back into Ariane.  The quiet village was cute and cozy, but she longed for the freedom that only being out in nature could provide.  Just being under that open sky (minus the Breach parts) gave Ariane a sense of belonging that she had dearly missed.

The Hinterlands itself was beautiful with its seemingly endless expanse of green meadows speckled with bright wildflowers, glistening waterfalls, and patches of forests whose leaves were just starting to turn red with the changing season.

They set up camp near one of the cliffs overlooking a river.  Ariane realized that it had been forever since she last slept outside under the stars.  It had also been a while since the last time she traveled with a group of people, although this was much different than the days she spent with her clan.  Cassandra and Finn were there, of course. Solas chose to join her due to there being an Elven artifact in the area that he wanted to look into (Finn became much more enthusiastic about the journey after hearing that).  Ariane honestly didn’t know why Varric was joining them as well, but he was full of entertaining stories that made the long trip a lot less boring.

“...I shit you not, the giant statues started coming to life in the middle of the Gallows courtyard.”

“I heard about that, but I always thought it was some sort of metaphor,” Finn tightened a blanket around his shoulders as he moved closer to the campfire.  “You’re saying you saw that with your own eyes? Literally?”

“Truthfully, I wish I hadn’t,” Varric suddenly sounded much more serious, and not for any dramatic storytelling purposes.  “The effects of red lyrium are weird and evil.”

“But if the effects were to be studied in a controlled environment--”

“No.”

“But--”

“Finn, you’re a smart guy,” Varric sighed and poked at the dying fire with a stick.  “You don’t want to get tangled up in this.”

Finn fell quiet after that, and resorted to just scratching away in his notebook.

Ariane looked around, desperate to find a conversation starter that could cut through the awkward silence that wafted over the group.  Eventually her gaze fell upon Varric’s crossbow. She had seen plenty of crossbows during her travels in human cities, but none were quite like his.  For one, the weapon was huge - more like a miniature ballista than a normal-sized crossbow. The glossy red cedar wood was adorned with brass embellishments that shone under the light of the dwindling fire.  Even though they were at camp and there didn’t appear to be any threats in the area, Varric still kept a protective arm over his weapon.

“You didn’t tell us where you got your crossbow.”

Varric chuckled,

“Bianca?  That’s a story for another time.”

Ariane tilted her head to the side.

“Is that the name of your crossbow, or…”

“Of course!  A perfect weapon deserves a perfect name,” he smiled at his crossbow in a way Ariane wasn’t used to seeing people smile at their weapons.  “Like you, Ariane. You’re a warrior, surely you’ve given worthy names to your blades.”

Ariane perked up immediately,

“This one is Rain of Petals,” she smiled proudly as she pulled one of the mighty swords from its sheath.  “And this one is Girl’s Best Friend.”

“See, I knew you were a woman of fine taste,” Varric looked over at Finn.  “How about you, Scribbles. Does your staff have a name?”

Finn looked up from his notebook.

“...Scribbles?  That name isn’t permanent, right?”

“Unless you give me reason to change it.”

Finn frowned and glanced at his staff which was leaning against the rest of their supplies.

“Vera.”

“Vera,” Varric raised his eyebrows.  “I’m sensing a story.”

“There isn’t one really,” Finn shrugged and continued writing.  “A lot of apprentices were giving names to their staves and I thought Vera sounded nice, so...yeah.”

Varric obviously wasn’t satisfied with this answer so he turned his attention back to Ariane.

“I don’t have an interesting story behind my swords’ names either,” Ariane admitted before he could ask anything.  “My father told me that I should treat my sword like a best friend, so that’s where that one got its name. My other sword used to be called Rain of Blood, but I changed it because that sounded...gross.”

“There's nothing wrong with the straightforward approach.”

“You’re going to tell us about Bianca now, right?”  Finn stopped writing for a moment.

Varric shook his head,

“As I said, that’s a story for a different day.  Preferably never.”

“What?!”  Ariane exclaimed.  “Now I really want to know!”

“You can’t just ask us about this without answering yourself!” Finn huddled closer to the campfire.

“Sorry, kids.  A promise is a promise.”

Varric looked over his shoulder at Solas, who was sitting alone a few feet away from the camp and hardly took notice in their conversation.  Honestly, Ariane forgot he was even there.

“Come on, Chuckles.  You seem like the kind of man who would name his weapon something interesting.”

“The thought has never occurred to me,” Solas replied plainly.

“How about Sticky?”  Finn suggested.

“Oh, Sticky is very good,” Varric gestured back at Solas who continued to ignore him.  “Come on, it will defy expectations.”

Ariane shrugged,

“Or you could do the lazy thing and name it after a girl.”

“Hey,” Finn and Varric both sounded offended.

Cassandra returned at long last with a bundle of wood tucked under her arms which she used to reinvigorate the dying fire.

“Oh thank the Maker,” Finn rubbed his hands near the crackling flames in a desperate attempt to keep warm.

“And I appreciate the help,” Cassandra crossed her arms and sat down.

“Come now, Seeker,” Varric grinned at her.  “We were just getting to know each other.”

“What did you name your sword?”  Ariane asked.

“My sword doesn’t have a name,” Cassandra returned her attention to the campfire.

“Hey, if you treat your sword right, she’ll treat you right too.”

“My sword treats me just fine, Varric,” Cassandra spoke sternly.  “And my sword is not a ‘she’. It’s a sword.”

“Everyone’s a critic.”

Ariane sat near the edge of the cliff, watching the rolling fields gently sway in the soft night air.  Even though they were miles from the Breach, its presence could still be seen in the faint eerie glow that seeped across the country side.  However, it was surprisingly easy to look past that detail. The night provided Ariane with a serene silence that she dearly missed. Haven could be peaceful too, but there was always some kind of noise.  People bustling around outside, soldiers training in the yard, supply carts being unloaded. Even at night, there was always something. But the Hinterlands provided a stillness that one could only experience in nature.

“You’re not in your tent,” Cassandra’s voice cut through the silence.

Ariane shrugged, keeping her stare focused in front of her.

“I thought I should keep watch.”

Cassandra sighed and sat down next to her.

“You’re meeting with Mother Giselle tomorrow and you will need to be well rested.”

Ariane stared down at her hands.  She almost forgot about that meeting.  It seemed like a silly thing to get so anxious about, but she still didn’t know how she was going to approach the situation.

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Cassandra spoke, sensing her unease.  “From what we’ve heard, Mother Giselle is a good woman and you should be able to reason with her.”

Ariane found herself frantically twisting her Keeper’s ring around her finger.

“That’s not what I’m nervous about.”

A new silence formed between them, but one that was much less calming.  Ariane could tell Cassandra didn’t want to pry, which she appreciated because she wasn’t planning on explaining herself.  But still, something else was gnawing on the back of her mind.

“You don’t really think I was chosen by Andraste, do you?”

For a moment, Cassandra seemed taken aback by the question.

“I believe that the Maker must have sent you to us for a reason.”

“Even if I’m Dalish?”

Cassandra furrowed her brow as she stared out over the open fields.

“You’re quick to discount the chance that you were sent here by the Maker, but that idea is giving hope to lots of people.”

“You didn’t even consider the idea that perhaps one of my gods guided me here,” Ariane tried to keep her voice as level as possible as she played with her ring.  “Like you, I am also a person of faith. This is important to me.”

Once again, Cassandra was silent.  Ariane hated that she felt guilty. She had no reason to feel such a way.  With all of the Chantry stuff that had been shoved down her throat, she could have been a lot meaner.  But still, Cassandra was just as lost as her or anyone else during these confusing times. Also, she didn’t want to stir up more conflict between herself and one of the few people who defended her.

“But I don’t blame you,” Ariane punctuated her words with a shrug.  “If my people found you after the Conclave, we’d probably call you the Herald of Mythal, or something.”

Cassandra smirked,

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, probably not.”

Cassandra’s smirk morphed into a smile and she shook her head.

“I don’t wish to argue with you, Ariane.  You are a remarkable warrior and regardless of what force sent you here, I believe you can do great things for the Inquisition.”

Ariane felt her ears turn hot,

“Yeah, uh,” she tugged at her hair.  “You too.”

“But you really should get some rest.”

Ariane pulled up the flap to her tent.  Finn was bundled up in a massive cocoon of blankets as he wrote in his notebook.  The inside of the tent was bathed in a gentle blue glow from a minor light spell Finn used to help him see.

“You’re back?” he looked up from his notes.  “I thought you were going to keep watch.”

“I need to get some rest before the meeting,” Ariane flopped down on the floor of the tent which was blanket-less due to Finn hoarding them all.  She smirked up at him. “That enough blankets for you?”

Finn glanced to the side sheepishly,

“It’s so cold…”

Ariane chuckled and rolled onto her back.

“Well, unless you think you’re going to freeze to death, I’d appreciate at least one of them.”

“Oh, of course,”  Finn unwound one of the blankets from his nest and draped it over her.  “Sorry.”

“S’okay,” Ariane mumbled sleepily as she nestled deeper into the blanket.

Finn returned to writing his notes and Ariane couldn’t help but watch him.  But that was okay, right? He was the only source of movement in the area so it would be natural that her attention would be drawn to him.  The fact that he was easy to stare at didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean anything at all, she noticed all of the little moments -like how Finn would sometimes smile to himself as he wrote, or how he would tap his pen against the edge of the notebook when he was thinking of the right word, or how sometimes he would brush his hair out of his eyes and get little smears of ink on his face.  Of course she noticed all of these things - she’d been noticing them for years. With all of the chaos that was spiraling around her, the little things that made Finn, well, Finn provided her with much-needed comfort.  In the same way that being out in nature made her feel at peace, just being next to Finn and watching him write made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

But that doesn’t mean it meant anything.

Ariane was thrown out of her rambling thoughts when Finn stopped writing and looked over at her.

“Sorry, should I deactivate the spell?”

The glowing orb of blue light was still floating around Finn’s notebook.

Ariane shook her head,

“No, it’s fine.  You’re working.”

“Well, it’s not really work - just recounting today’s events.  I can do it tomorrow,” he smiled and closed the notebook. “You need your rest.”

The spell was deactivated and the tent was filled with darkness - the sort of thick darkness that could only be found out in nature.  Ariane missed this too, but she couldn’t help but focus on other things.

She had been travelling with Finn for eight years.  They’ve shared a tent before. There were actually few remaining boundaries between them.  But for the first time, she could feel how close he was to her. Although he was on the other side of the tent, his gentle breathing felt like it was right in her ear.  She couldn’t tune out his presence, and she didn’t want to.

People were expecting her to be many things: an agent of the Inquisition, the Herald of Andraste, a Dalish heretic.  But Finn never expected Ariane to be anything but...Ariane. And at the same time, Ariane could always expect Finn to be the accepting, fussy, bookish, amazingly-intelligent mage she was lucky to be travelling with.

Ariane smiled into her blanket as she slowly drifted away to sleep.

But that doesn’t mean this meant anything.

Even if he did always make things better.

The gentle light from the rising sun was a pleasant wake up call, but Ariane still felt groggy.  She sat up and removed strands of her hair that found their way into her mouth while she was sleeping.  The meeting was today, but it might as well be a battle considering how much her nerves were acting up.

Finn was still fast asleep in his corner of the tent, curled up in his hoard of blankets - including hers, which he somehow acquired during the night.  She crawled over to him and lightly shook his shoulder.

“Finn?  Come on, wake up.”

He stirred then looked up at her with sleepy half-lidded eyes, his hair was sticking up around his head like he had just been electrocuted.  At least his bed head was cute. Cute in a funny way, not like...whatever. Her mind was just acting up due to anxiety over the meeting.

After a few seconds, Finn let his head drop again and returned to sleep.

“Finn!”  She shook his shoulder harder.  “Finn, if you make me talk to a Chantry Cleric by myself, I will never forgive you.”

“Alright, alright,” he murmured, his voice muffled by the blankets.  “I’ll get up.”

Finn pushed himself up into a sitting position and then he just sat there staring blankly ahead, as if taking time to process being conscious again.

“I know I’m making a big deal about nothing, but I still don’t know how I’m supposed to act during this meeting,” Ariane faced away from Finn so she could change back into her armor.  “Even though people think I’m the herald or whatever, I don’t know why I have to be the one to talk to the cleric.  I think that someone like Cassandra or Leliana would be a better choice for the ‘face’ of the Inquisition.  All I need is for someone to point me towards a Veil tear so I can close it. I don’t need to get involved in all of these shem politics.  Uh, no offence.”

Ariane looked over her shoulder, only to see Finn facedown on the floor again.

“Finn!”

“Huh?”  He looked up, even less awake this time.  “You’ll do great. They’re going to love you.”

“Blessed Creators,” Ariane shook her head.  “You’re unbelievable.”

Finn finally started acting like a real person again after he drank three cups of extra strong tea.  The fact that Solas invited them to help him search for that Elven artifact before the meeting certainly helped too.

“I believe I sense one of the artifacts of my people nearby,” Solas lead them down an old cobblestone path which had faded into the forest floor.

Ariane couldn’t help but be annoyed that Solas would keep saying “my people” rather than “our people”, but she didn’t want to stir more conflict between them.  Besides, it wasn’t like she sensed anything. Maybe she had to be a mage for that.

She looked over at Finn who was too busy furiously writing in his notebook to be paying attention.

As they stepped further down the path, the amount of stone ruins in the area gradually increased.  Nothing extravagant - just the scattered remains of a few small walls and broken pillars. That didn’t prevent Finn from ensuring that they stopped for a moment so he could document everything.

It didn’t take long for Ariane to realize that they weren’t alone during this little history adventure.  Further up the hill, she could just make out the vague form of a woman standing near the entrance of a large crumbling ruin.  When they got closer, Ariane’s face lit up when she saw that the woman was one of her people. Her green armor was oddly bright compared to her worn-down surroundings.  The staff she held was out and prepared for combat, but she lowered it when she saw Ariane approach.

“ Andaran Atish’an .  I did not expect to see another of Dalish blood here,” she bowed her head at Ariane.  “My name is Mihris, of clan Virnehn.”

“ Enastesha, ” Ariane smiled.  “I am Ariane, of clan Sarahel.”

Mihris’ polite smile faded when she noticed Finn and Solas standing behind her.

“You travel with interesting company.”

“Oh,” she laughed.  “This is Finn. I know he’s a human, but he’s a brilliant scholar and he has been able to help me uncover so much of our history.  He’s a dear friend of mine. Also that’s Solas.”

Mihris considered the two carefully,

“If you say they are to be trusted, then I believe you,” she leaned against her staff.  “There is an artifact of our people which I believe can help us measure the Veil. Can you help me reach it?”

Our people , now that’s what Ariane wanted to hear.

“Yes!”  She responded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, and began following Mihris into the ruin before Solas or Finn could say anything.

The entrance to the ruin was blocked by a pile of rubble which Ariane began painstakingly digging through, until Solas sighed and used his magic to remove the obstacle.

“Thank you for joining me,” Mihris kicked away some of the remaining pieces of rubble.  “There has been a lot of demonic activity in the area and I did not think I could do this on my own.”

“Are you doing this on behalf of your clan?”  Ariane was eager to engage in a conversation with another one of the Dalish, but a pang of guilt coursed through her when Mihris lowered her head sadly.

“My clan was slaughtered by a demon,” she closed her eyes and tightened her grip around her staff.  “I was the only survivor.”

“ Ir abelas, ” Ariane whispered, both her shame and her sorrow prevented her from speaking any louder.

“Vhallan, lethallan.  Sadly, my story isn’t that uncommon nowadays, not with the Fade rifts that have been appearing” Mihris sighed.  “Is this why you chose to travel with one of the city elves and a sh...I mean, a human?”

“No, uh,” Ariane looked down in shame.  “No, my clan is still here.”

She didn’t need to look up to feel Mihris’ judgmentful gaze, or perhaps she was projecting that onto herself.  Regardless, she continued to follow Mihris into the ruin in silence.

The pathway lead to a large stone chamber filled with broken pottery, crumbling statues, and overgrown tree roots.  Ariane had to tread carefully to avoid slipping on the mossy floor as she explored the room.

“Maker’s breath,” Finn gasped.  He dropped to his knees, retrieved a piece of charcoal from his pack, and began creating a stone rubbing of the inscriptions on the wall.

“That is an odd shem…” Mihris muttered.

“Yes, but he’s my odd shem,” Ariane kept walking towards the far edge of the chamber where she found something that caught her eye.  

The object was shaped like a globe and unlike the other contents in the room, it looked to be in strangely-good condition.  It looked sort of like a tool Finn has once bought to help him with his scrying magic (which turned out to be a complete rip off).  Even though she hadn’t seen anything like it before, Ariane couldn’t ignore the fact that she felt a certain connection to it.

“Solas,” she called out, her eyes still locked on the object.  “Is this the artifact you were looking for?”

Solas joined her by her side.

“Yes, this is it.”

Ariane reached out and grazed her fingers along the cold metal surface.  At least, she expected the artifact to be cold. But when she touched it, the artifact felt strangely alive, like it was reaching out to touch her just as she was.  There was a tightening in her chest and the artifact grew hotter as it buzzed, until it sparked with a brilliant green light.

“Excellent,” Solas watched as the green lights whipped around the artifact.  “The Veil will be stronger here now.”

Finn nearly dropped his notes as he scrambled over to the artifact.

“Is this some type of ward?”  He leaned in close to the artifact, perhaps a little too close for Ariane not to be concerned for his safety.  “How does it work exactly?”

“Another time, Finn.”

Finn was clearly disappointed with Solas’ lack of an answer but he returned to scribbling away in his notebook.

Ariane looked up from the artifact to see Mihris walking out of the chamber.

“Mihris, wait!”  She rushed after her.

Mihris stopped near the mouth of the chamber.

“The artifact has been activated, the path here is now safe,” Mihris spoke softly as she continued walking.  “Our work ends here.”

“So you’re just going to leave?”  Ariane had to will herself not to sound too emotional, but it was difficult.  Mihris was the first Dalish elf she had been able to speak with in years, and the idea of her just leaving…

“I hope to find another clan that will take me in,” Mihris stopped.  “Are you to return to your own people now?”

Ariane bit her lip and stared down at the ground.

“No, I’m working for the Inquisition now,” A feeling of hope began to rise in her chest.  “You could join us! It’s a little too Chantry-ish for my taste, but we are working to close the Breach and it would be nice to have another Dalish elf there.”

Mihris frowned,

“How many Dalish are there?”

“Uh,” Ariane played with her rings.  “Just me.”

Mihris sighed and closed her eyes,

“I think our journeys are leading us down different paths.”

“Oh, okay,” Ariane lowered her head.  “Well if you change your mind, you are always welcome with us.”

Ariane didn’t know if she had the authority to make these decisions, but she figured that it didn’t matter.

Mihris smiled,

“ Dar'eth Shiral ,” she turned to leave the chamber.  “May you find your true path again.”

“Oh,” Ariane looked down at her feet.  “Okay.”

Ariane walked back to the camp in a daze.  She probably would have gotten lost if Solas and Finn weren’t there to guide her.  By the time they returned, Varric and Cassandra were already pulling up camp.

“See, Seeker?”  Varric looked up at her.  “I told you they weren’t far.”

“Where were you?”  Cassandra slung a heavy bag of supplies over her shoulder.

“The fault is mine,” Solas stepped forward.  “I had hoped to uncover an artifact that would help strengthen the Veil.  I should have given you notice before we left.”

Cassandra sighed,

“It’s fine.  Mother Giselle is at the crossroads.  You shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Ariane was certainly not in the right frame of mind to go through with this meeting, but she knew now more than ever that this was something that she needed to do.  The Inquisition needed more power to close the Breach, and the Inquisition needed alliances to gain such power. The longer she wasted time, more clans like Mihris’ were falling victim to demon attacks.  She had to act as an arm of the Chantry, but doing so would allow her to reach her own arm out to her people. There was no room for ego. This was the only way.

This didn’t stop her nerves from acting up when she finally made her way to the crossroads.  The break in the path was primarily occupied by wounded refugees and Inquisition scouts, but standing among them was a woman wearing the crisp red and white robes of the Chantry.  Cassandra was off speaking with the scouts and Finn was recruited to help put his healing magic to use, so Ariane was on her own.

Ariane took a deep breath, stepped closer to the woman in Chantry robes, and cleared her throat.

“Uh, Mother Giselle?”

The woman looked up from the wounded soldier she was tending to.

“You must be the one they’re calling the Herald of Andraste,” Mother Giselle spoke kindly with a thick Orlesian accent.

“Not through any choice of mine,” Ariane shook her head and laughed nervously.

She expected Mother Giselle to get cross with her, but instead she smiled warmly,

“I do not claim to know the Maker’s intentions, but we seldom have much to say in our fate.”

Mother Giselle gestured for Ariane to follow her and she complied, walking with her along the shady pathway of orange-topped trees.

“I know of the Chantry’s denouncement, and I’m familiar with those behind it,” she folded her arms behind her back.  “There are those who are simply terrified, and there are others who are using that fear to increase their chances of becoming the new Divine.”

“But what do you believe?”

“With no Divine, we are each left to our own conscience,” Mother Giselle stopped and stared out over the bustling activity of the crossroads.  “And mine tells me that this is the only way to restore peace.”

“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Ariane slumped her shoulders.  “Whether they’re genuinely afraid of me or not, those people want me out of the picture.”

Mother Giselle smiled,

“Then you must go to them.”

“You want me to what ?  Ariane stopped.  “But they want me dead.”

“You are no longer alone.  They cannot imprison or attack you,” she reassured her.  “All you need to do is convince the remaining clerics that you are no demon to be feared.”

“You make it sound simple.”

“Let me put it this way: you needn’t convince them all.  You just need enough of them to doubt .  Their power lies in their unified voice,” she looked back at Ariane, her expression was difficult to interpret.  “I do not know if you’ve been touched by fate or sent to help us, but I have hope. Right now, hope is something we value above all else.  That is how you will guide the people to your cause.”

Ariane bowed her head, taking a moment to process her words.

Mother Giselle was quiet as well, staring out over the settlement until she finally spoke up again.

“I will go to Haven and provide Sister Leliana the names of those in the Chantry who would be amenable to a gathering,” she turned to return to her work with the refugees.  “It is not much, but I will do whatever I can.”

Ariane waited until Mother Giselle was out of sight before she slumped down against one of the trees and rubbed her forehead.

Her first important move on behalf of the Inquisition was complete.  It should have felt like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders, but she knew it was far too early to feel any sense of relief.

She fished her amulet of Mythal out from the front of her armor and held it tightly against her chest.  The amulet’s smooth surface felt strange against the mark on her hand. Each time she became aware of her mark, she was reminded of the Breach.  It still loomed above them, and had stopped growing, but it wasn’t a reassuring stillness. It was like the stillness of an arrow being carefully aimed at its target.  Ariane knew if she didn’t act fast, some force was going to cause it to let go.

Ariane crouched behind a cluster of boulders, watching as a large ram grazed in the nearby clearing.  She had her longbow ready. Everything about her positioning was perfect. All she needed to do was take the shot and--

“Ariane!”

Cassandra’s voice caused the ram to look up before darting away.  Ariane cursed and threw her bow to the ground.

“ Fenedhis!   I almost had him!”

“The Clerics are meeting in Val Royeaux,” Cassandra stepped towards her, soon to be joined by Solas and Varric.  “It is important that we get there soon.”

“You saw the refugees at the crossroads,” Ariane picked her bow back up.  “They need whatever resources they can get.”

“I agree,” Solas folded his hands.  “But we can only restore order here by securing an alliance.”

Ariane hoisted her bow over her shoulder.

“Fine.  But can I just hunt one ram?  It won’t take long. I’m a really efficient hunter.”

She pleaded with Cassandra with the same tone she used to use with her mother when she wanted more time to play in the dirt.  And just like that, it worked like a charm.

Cassandra sighed,

“One ram.”

“Thank you!”  Ariane leapt over the boulders without a second thought.

Of course Ariane wanted to help gather food and supplies for the refugees.  The Mage-Templar war hit the Hinterlands hard and resources were scarce. But there was something deeper, after all this talk about fate and heralds and the Inquisition, Ariane wanted to do the one thing she knew she was good at: hunting.

Ariane was trained by the best from a very young age to become one of her clan’s most gifted hunters.  It was as natural to her as breathing. The Breach didn’t make sense. The Chantry didn’t make sense. Where she fit among her people didn’t make sense. But hunting? It was the only thing that made sense, and she needed to feel in control one last time before she threw herself at the mercy of the Chantry Clerics.

Ariane ran swiftly in the direction where she saw the ram dart off.  No sign of the creature. She frowned, kneeling down to get a closer look at the sun-cooked grass where the ram’s hooves left little indents.  Ariane smiled to herself and followed them.

The tracks lead to the edge of the meadow that dipped downwards into a shallow cave.  Ariane readied her weapon, stepped forward, but then came to an abrupt halt. Her blood went cold.  Her breath caught in her throat.

“No, no!” she turned around, running as fast as she could towards their camp, her voice cracking as she shouted.  “Varric!”

“Oh, shit,” Varric rubbed his brow.  “This is exactly what I was afraid of.”

The cave was alive and buzzing with glowing tendrils of red lyrium.  Even though Varric ensured that they all remained a safe distance away, Ariane could still feel the power emanating from the crystals.

“Whoa,” Finn’s eyes widened.  “That’s a lot.”

“Yeah, and it only took a tiny amount to destroy an entire city,” Varric took a step back.  “I knew that the lyrium at the temple couldn’t have been an isolated incident, but I didn’t want to believe it was true.”

Ariane jumped when she saw movement near the red lyrium, but she relaxed slightly when she saw it was only the ram.

“Oh no,” she clapped her hands and made light clicking noises with her tongue.  “Come here, ram. Come on. Get away from the evil rocks.”

The ram didn’t appear to be swayed by her impeccable diplomacy skills.  He stared back at her with glossy black eyes as he began licking one of the crystals.

“This isn’t going to be good,” Varric muttered under his breath.

“The ram isn’t going to turn evil,” she looked over at him.  “Is he?”

The ram immediately dropped dead.

Finn shuffled back.

“I’m having second thoughts about studying this stuff.”

“At least Scribbles came to his senses.  That's one good thing to come from this,” Varric sighed and turned to leave the area.  “Be careful, okay?”

“But is there something we can do?”  It was hard for Ariane to take her eyes off of the glowing cave entrance.  “I mean, we can’t just leave.”

“The best course of action against the red stuff is to leave it alone,” Varric continued walking.  “Maybe the Inquisition can help take care of this, but right now it’s best that we keep our distance.”

Ariane was armed with two swords and a longbow, but she felt like she might as well have been holding nothing.  Another enemy she couldn’t understand and couldn’t be defeated with a sword. She was supposed to be a symbol of hope, but Ariane felt that she had more in danger with that ram, running from one source of danger only to run directly into another.

The ram could have run in any other direction, he didn’t have to go towards the red lyrium.  But Ariane had only one path in front of her and she had no choice but to run forwards.

She would have to face the Breach again.

Chapter Text

Ariane had travelled through many human cities before, but nothing could have prepared her for Val Royeaux.  The entire city glimmered as if every square inch was polished to a sparkling finish, enhanced by the numerous gold lion statues which shone brighter than the sun.  Ariane knew that no city could be this clean and ornate without its own disturbing secrets, but she couldn’t help herself from staring at her surroundings in awe. Everything about Val Royeaux from the decor, to the grandeur, to the smell all made Ariane feel that she did not belong there.  She was used to feeling out of place in human cities, usually due to her Dalish heritage and the giant swords she always carried. But Val Royeaux seemed to have a way of bringing out the little things. Suddenly, her hair looked more unkempt and her skin felt rougher. The little details Ariane never worried about before now felt like they were painting a target on her back the second she stepped past those glossy marble gates.

Or perhaps it was because she was about to meet with the Chantry Clerics.

Cassandra also looked to be weary with the amount of grandiose closing in around them, or maybe Ariane was just hoping that someone else felt the same level of unease that she did.  Both Varric and Finn seemed to be comfortable with this environment and Solas, like always, was good at keeping his true emotions guarded.

They were just about to cross the threshold into the main square when a young Inquisition scout came running towards them in a panic.

“This can’t be good,” Varric muttered.

“My Lady Herald,” the scout bowed her head as she knelt before them.

“You’re one of Leliana’s people,” Cassandra spoke.  “Tell me, have the Chantry Mothers arrived?”

The scout nodded, keeping her head down.

“They await you, but…” she hesitated.  “...so do a great many Templars.”

“Templars?”  Finn’s voice was small.  Whatever comfort he was exhibiting before was now gone.

“The people think that the Templars will protect them from…” the scout glanced to the side.  “...from the Inquisition.”

“Chancellor Roderick’s doing, no doubt,” Cassandra sighed and shook her head.  “Report back to Haven. Someone will need to inform Leliana if we are...delayed.”

“Right away, Lady Cassandra,” the scout saluted before hurring off.

“So, um…” Finn rubbed the back of his neck.  “The Templars…”

“You and Solas are both protected by the Inquisition,” Cassandra explained.  “The Templars here have no power over you.”

“Alright,”  Finn nodded, but he didn’t sound reassured.

Ariane moved closer to him as they stepped into the main square.  She wished she knew that the Templars were involved so she could have warned Finn ahead of time.  At least when they encountered Templars out in the wild, Ariane was able to fight them off. She had a feeling that wouldn’t be an option during this meeting.

“Hey,” she whispered.  “Are you okay?”

Finn looked back at her and loosened his hand around his staff, which he was gripping so hard his knuckles were turning white.

“I’m fine,” he forced a small smile.  “Thank you.”

The main area of the marketplace was as beautiful as the front gate, but almost entirely deserted.  A few finely-dressed merchants were peddling their wares behind large stands, but few people were actually out buying them.  Ariane was curious about why the marketplace was seemingly abandoned, but her questions were soon answered when she turned the corner.

A huge crowd was gathered near the outskirts of the plaza, listening to a woman dressed in white Chantry robes.

“Together, we mourn our Divine,” her voice rang out through the marketplace.  “Her naive and beautiful heart silenced by treachery!”

Ariane was content to stand away from the commotion, but Cassandra ‘encouraged’  her to push her way through the crowd until she was standing right in front of the Chantry Mother, who immediately locked eyes with her.

“You wonder what will become of her murderer,” she continued to address the crowd, but she never stopped glaring at Ariane.  “Well, wonder no more!”

Suddenly, everyone in the crowd was staring at her.  Never before had Ariane felt so much hatred focused towards her at once.  She felt sick to her stomach. It almost made her appreciate the people who viewed her as a hero to be worshiped.

“This heretic claims to rise where our beloved Divine Justinia fell!” the mother’s speech was matched perfectly to the intense stares being thrown in Ariane’s direction.  “We say this is a false prophet! The Maker would send no elf in our hour of need!”

“I never claimed anything!”  Ariane’s voice escaped before she could take a moment to think clearly.  “I was not sent here by Andraste or the Maker! All I want is to close the Breach before it is too late!”

“It is already too late,” the Chantry Mother stepped back, allowing a squad of fully-armored Templars to march onto the platform.

“Oh, Maker…” Finn whispered before trying to disappear further into the crowd.

“The Templars have returned to the Chantry!” she beamed proudly as she allowed the Templars to step in front of her.  “They will face this Inquisition , and the people will be safe once more!”

Ariane’s stomach tied itself into knots as she could do nothing but watch the Templars storm the area.  Even without the support of the Chantry, the Order was never any less dangerous. She heard the way Finn, who was always comfortable in the Circle, would talk about living in fear under the Templar’s iron gaze.  She remembered the ferocity that only one Templar showed when she fought against him to protect her Keeper. The Chantry already denounced her and the Inquisition. If they were truly joining forces with the Templar Order again…

One of the Templars reeled back, striking the Chantry Mother on the back of the head.  Gasps rang out through the crowd as she collapsed to the ground. The squad’s leader, or at least who Ariane assumed was the leader given ornate armor, simply stood back and observed the chaos with an amused expression on his face.  Ariane looked to Cassandra in the hopes of getting some answers, but the Seeker looked to be just as confused as she was - if not moreso.

“Lord Seeker Lucius,” Cassandra regained her composure as she stepped out of the crowd to address the man.  “It’s imperative that we speak with--”

“You will not address me,” he didn’t even look at Cassandra as he stepped off of the platform, soon followed by his soldiers.

Cassandra stopped,

“Lord Seeker?”

“Creating a heretical movement, raising up a puppet as Andraste’s prophet?  You should be ashamed,” his voice was bitter, but powerful. “You should all be ashamed!”

Despite the Lord Seeker no longer standing on the platform, he spoke with the same fire the Chantry Mother used just moments ago.  Ariane’s heart dropped as she felt his words having an effect on the crowd around her. She hoped that Cassandra would be quick to defend herself like she did in the past, but it was clear that this Lord Seeker was no Chancellor Roderick.

“The Templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages!”  Lord Seeker Lucius continued, the entire crowd was facing him at this point. “You are the ones who have failed!”

“All we wish is to--”  Cassandra tried to get a word in.

“You who’d leash our righteous swords with doubt and fear!” he cut her off.  “If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late.”

“Then why are you here?!”  Ariane stepped in front of Cassandra, who was too stunned to respond on her own.  “Did you just come here to make speeches?!”

“I came to see the dreaded Inquisition with my own two eyes,” he sneered.  “And I must say, I’m not impressed.”

“We didn’t form the Inquisition to impress you!”

“Ariane…” Cassandra warned in a low voice.

The Lord Seeker narrowed his eyes at her and Ariane was suddenly reminded of the sheer number of Templars that surrounded her.

“The Templars deserve independence from the Chantry and your pathetic excuse of an Inquisition!  We will stand alone against the Void,” the Lord Seeker turned to leave. “Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection!  We march!”

The Templars followed after the Lord Seeker in an orderly fashion, leaving nothing but a confused gossiping crowd behind them.  It wasn’t until the Templars were out of eyesight when Ariane heard Finn let out a sigh of relief.

“Charming fellow, isn’t he?”  Varric muttered.

“Has Lord Seeker Lucius gone mad?”  Cassandra still looked as dumbfounded as ever.

“How well do you know him?”  Ariane wasn’t looking forward to having to face against the entire Templar Order, but that’s not to say that she wasn’t willing to do so if it came to that.  But she knew that whatever this Lord Seeker would throw at her would be far different from the few rogue Templars she fought in the forest.

“This is very bizarre,” Cassandra shook her head.  “The Lord Seeker was always a decent man - never given to ambition and grandstanding.  I find it difficult to believe that recent events would have changed him this much.”

“Well, it looks like the Templars are no longer an option,” Finn said under his breath.  “Guess we’ll have to approach the mages, such a pity…”

“I wouldn’t write them off so quickly, Finn,” Cassandra frowned at him.  “There must be those in the Order who see what he’s become.”

The crowd was dwindling now that the main source of excitement was gone.  The Chantry Mother from before was being helped off the platform by a couple of clerics.  Ariane wondered if she should say something to her, but she figured that it would be for the best if she just kept her head down and pretended that nothing was happening.

“Either way,” Cassandra spoke.  “We should return to Haven to inform the others.”

“Are we leaving already?”  Ariane tugged at her hair.

Cassandra looked back at her,

“Our business in Val Royeaux is done.”

“I know, but…”  Ariane looked down at her feet.  “There are some things I need to take care of…”

“Things?”

“Yes, uh, important Inquisition things.”

Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her, causing her pitiful attempt at lying to crumble instantly.

Ariane sighed in defeat.

“Fine,” she lowered her head.  “I want to go shopping.”

“ That’s the important Inquisition business you needed to ‘take care of’?”

“Well, I mean…” she rocked back and forth on her heels.  “It has been a while since I’ve been in a human market this big, and I would like to be able to look around.  Could use some new clothes, some updated maps, I also wouldn’t mind just looking at the swords...”

Ariane’s words grew quieter as she could feel Cassandra’s stare burning into her.

“...I like swords…” she finally finished weakly.

At long last, she heard Cassandra sigh.

“Fine.  At least we made contact with the Clerics today.”

“If it’s permissible,” Finn cut in.  “I would like to stay here as well. Val Royeaux is home to some of the best libraries in Thedas and I’ve been wanting to see them for myself.”

Cassandra rubbed her forehead.

“We’ll meet you back at Haven.  Don’t take too long.”

Turns out that not taking too long would be more difficult than Ariane thought, considering how many shops were packed into the Val Royeaux marketplace.  Ariane dragged Finn to just about every armory in sight so she could admire the swords being sold. The shops did feature some beautiful and ornate blades, but nothing that would make her give up her current weapons.

To thank him for his patience, Ariane thought it would only be fair to let Finn loose in as many bookstores as they could find - but not before she checked out one of the fancy hat shops.

“Andraste’s Grace,” Finn muttered to himself as he stared at one of the hats proudly displayed near the front of the shop.  “This feather is as long as my arm.”

Ariane placed a wide-brimmed seafoam green hat on her head, that fell over her eyes due to the sheer weight of the ribbons, pearls, and fake flowers adorning the top.

“What do you think, Finn?” she posed in front of a mirror while trying her best to mimic an Orlesian accent.  “Do I look like a beautiful Orlesian noblewoman?”

“You look…” Finn forced back a laugh.  “...something. Are you sure that hat is really your style?”

Ariane shrugged, her shoulders nearly touching the massive hat’s brim as she did so.

“I’m the face of the Inquisition now.  Maybe Inquisitor Ariane wears hats.”

She removed the hat from her head and examined the price listed near the original stand.

“Oh…” she placed the hat back.  “Maybe my hat phase will have to wait.”

“Such a shame.”

“But your family is nobility, right?”  Ariane looked over her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t exactly call magistrates ‘nobility’...” he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled.  “Besides, they’re probably going to go broke funding your pickle addiction.”

The foot traffic inside the hat shop steadily increased and Ariane couldn’t ignore the feeling that she was being stared at.  This shouldn’t have surprised her. She was an elf with tattoos on her face and two giant swords on her back. Now she was an elf with tattoos on her face, two giant swords on her back, and some otherworldly magical mark on her hand.  Of course people would stare.

But these stares weren’t the same.  Actually, these stares were all too familiar.

“What is that doing here?”  The words were whispered, but they were loud enough for Ariane to hear.

“Perhaps it’s someone’s pet.”

All of the remarks were hushed, but they were all Ariane could hear.  They clouded her head and tied her stomach into knots. She was a warrior.  She should do something, but she couldn’t. It didn’t matter if she was the best hunter in her clan, the sole survivor of the Conclave explosion, or even if she was the so-called “Herald of Andraste”.  She was still an elf in a fancy Orlesian hat shop.

She saw Finn react as well and all she could do was hope that he wouldn’t confront them.  The last thing she wanted was for this moment to last longer than it needed to. Thankfully, that was not Finn’s style.

He turned to her,

“I wouldn’t mind going to the bookstore now.  Perhaps we’ll find a hat shop that sells less-ugly merchandise on the way there.”

Ariane smiled, both at his words and the shocked glances from onlookers when they saw him speak to her.

“I’d like that.”

The second she stepped through the doors of Val Royeaux’s largest bookstore, Ariane was worried she wouldn’t be able to get Finn to leave.  The walls spiraled upwards, lined with shelves that were packed with more books than Ariane had ever seen in her life. The sheer number of books reminded her of the inside of the Circle tower, but the bookstore was much more open with comfortable sitting areas next to the large windows.  After selecting a few books that looked mildly interesting, Ariane chose to sit down while Finn continued to wander around in awe.

“Maker’s breath, they have it!” Finn gasped before rushing back to Ariane with a heavy tome in his arms.  “ The Shape of the Fade by Enchanter Ephineas Aserathan!”

Ariane tilted her head to the side,

“I thought you already had that one.”

“Yes, but this edition contains an updated introduction by Enchanter Mirdromel.  You know how those two are,” he flipped through some of the pages carefully. “The drama is going to be fantastic.”

Ariane didn’t know what he was talking about, but he seemed to be happy so she smiled and nodded.

Finn looked to the small stack of books she arranged on the table in front of her.

“Did you find anything interesting?”

“Uh…”  Ariane felt her face flush when she realized that the book on the top of the pile was a romance novel titled Dreams of Desire: Passion Behind the Circle’s Walls .  She swiped the book away.  “Not really.”

Finn sat down across from her and began reading.  It was amazing how natural he looked in an environment like this.  Even though he was just sitting down and reading, he seemed much more confident and comfortable than he ever did out in the wilderness.  The Circle truly was the best environment for him, but Ariane didn’t at all feel guilty for pulling him out of there.

“It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been able to relax like this,” he briefly glanced up from his book.

“It has,” although Ariane wouldn’t have considered herself to be relaxed .  “How’s the scholarly drama?”

“Oh,” Finn’s eyes lit up.  “It’s brilliant. Enchanter Mirdromel actually said ‘In essence, Enchanter Aserathan is correct’.  Maker, that’s scathing!”

It didn’t sound all that scathing to Ariane, but maybe it was different in the world of passive aggressive scholars.

Ariane picked up a collection of Orlesian nursery rhymes to mindlessly flip through as she resisted the urge to start reading that romance novel.  Finn continued reading as well, but something was off. Whenever he started reading a new book, he would finish the entire thing in an extraordinarily short period of time.  Of course then he would go back and reread it carefully so he could take more detailed notes. But this time, the gentle sound of him flipping the pages came much less frequent and over time he seemed less engaged with whatever he was reading.  Finn only ever got this way when there was something on his mind.

“Listen, uh,” Finn was still staring down at his book, but Ariane’s suspicions were confirmed.  “About the incident in the hat shop...”

Ariane tensed up,

“It’s okay,” she spoke quickly.  “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I just wanted to make sure that you were okay,” he rubbed the back of his neck.  “I can’t believe people would say things like that.”

“I can.”

“You’re right,”  Finn hesitated. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Ariane shrugged and gave a small smile.  “You’re alright for a shem.”

“Really?”  Finn beamed as if she just gave him a dazzling compliment.  “Thank you.”

“You’re the only one who’s keeping me sane during all this Inquisition nonsense,” Ariane set her book down.  “Just don’t start calling me the Herald of Andraste, or whatever.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” his expression suddenly dropped.  “We should probably head back to Haven soon.”

Ariane slumped her shoulders.  He was right, as usual. But she wanted to prolong this moment where she felt like a real person.  Not some prophet, not the face of a heretical movement, but just a person sitting in a bookstore. She closed her eyes, allowing herself a few seconds to soak in the stillness of this mundane moment.

“Okay,” she opened her eyes and stood up.  “Let’s go.”

Ariane had to help Finn carry most of his books out of the store, but she didn’t mind.  What she did mind was the fact that he was able to spend a lot of coin on books, but apparently that hat she tried on was “too expensive” and “hideous”.  Ariane couldn’t tell if she was determined to get that hat because she genuinely liked it, or if she only wanted it out of spite.

She was standing near the front entrance waiting for Finn to finish paying when she heard someone approach her.

“Excuse me, you are the Herald of Andraste, are you not?”

Ariane didn’t know who she expected to see when she turned to face the man, but she did not expect to see a human man dressed in incredibly clean mage robes.  A human man dressed in incredibly clean Circle mage robes.

Finn must have noticed as well, because he quickly ducked behind one of the bookshelves to avoid being spotted.

“Some say that I am, I guess,” Ariane chose to not draw any attention towards Finn.  “Can I help you?”

“I’m just here to deliver an invitation to you and your Inquisition.”

The mage produced a pearl white envelope from his bag, sealed with an elegant wax seal.  It wasn’t until Ariane held this ridiculously fancy envelope in her hands that she realized how dirty her hands were in comparison.  She wondered if Finn would object to her trying out one of those Orlesian spas she heard so much about.

The mage left shortly and Finn was able to come out of hiding.

“He wasn’t a Templar,” Ariane commented.  “You weren’t going to be taken back to the Circle.”

“Hey, you never know,” he followed her out of the bookstore.  “What does the invitation say?”

Ariane set her pile of books down next to a fountain, causing Finn to panic and quickly move them to a safer location.  After tearing through the wax seal, she fished out a neatly folded letter written in beautiful sweeping script.

“Hm, let’s see... you are cordially invited to attend my salon held at the ...uh,” she furrowed her brow.  “ ...chat-ee-ah-oo …?”

“Chateau.”

“... of Duke... uh, sorry.  There’s a lot of Orlesian names here.”

“Do you want me to take a look at it?”

“Go ahead,” she handed the letter off to Finn.

Finn started to read through the invitation, but his eyes widened when he got to the end.

“Maker’s breath,” he gasped.

“What?”  she peered over his shoulder at the letter.

“This invitation is from Vivienne de Fer!  First Enchanter of Montsimmard! The Enchanter to the Imperial Court!” he pointed at the name and the numerous titled detailed at the bottom of the invitation.

“Is that good?”

“Good?  Andraste’s Grace, this is amazing!” Finn exclaimed.  “Not only would she be an incredibly valuable political ally, but she’s a brilliant mage and scholar.  I believe she was one of the few Circle mages who didn’t take part in the rebellion. But I highly recommend reading her work about modern applications of alchemy.  It’s truly fascinating! I mean, so much chaos has erupted around the mage community. The fact that one could remain so respectable...”

Finn stopped and cleared his throat.

“I mean, it would be madness not to accept her invitation.  It’s an honor she’s reaching out to us at all.”

“Hmm,” Ariane thought for a moment.  “So you think I should meet with her?”

“I will buy you any ugly hats you want if you do so.”

“Is that so?”  The corner of Ariane’s mouth tugged upwards into a smirk.  “I’ll take you up on that.”

“We should probably run this by the ambassador first,” Finn handed the invitation back to Ariane.  “I imagine the Inquisition would not appreciate us forming alliances without-”

Finn was cut off when an arrow whizzed past their heads, not close enough to hit them but just enough to make the Ariane tense up.

Ariane pushed Finn down to safety before unsheathing her blades.  The attacker must have come from the rooftops, but she didn’t see anyone.  A second attack was inevitable and she had to be prepared.

“Ariane?” Finn was kneeling down next to the arrow, which was lodged into the trunk of one of the small neatly trimmed trees which circled the market.  “I don’t think you should have your swords out in the Summer Bazaar.”

It was true that people were staring at her, some were even running off in fear, but it wasn’t like this was any different to the usual Val Royeaux welcome she received.

“Also, there’s something here,” Finn yanked the arrow out of the tree.  Sure enough, a thin roll of paper was tied around the arrow’s wooden shaft.  “A note?”

Ariane lowered her weapons, but she didn't let her guard down completely.  For all she knew, the paper could have been a means to distract them. She kept her eyes open for any signs of trouble as Finn unrolled the message.

Finn furrowed his brow as he read through the message.

“Is it bad?”

“No, well, not really,” he at least seemed to be more relaxed.  “Whoever sent this said that they want to help.”

“Let me see,” Ariane sheathed her swords and stood on her toes so she could peer over Finn’s shoulder.  Compared to Vivienne’s invitation, the note’s writing was rather simple in both language and handwriting.  Ariane didn’t mind. At least she could actually read it.

People say you’re special.  I want to help, and I can bring everyone.

There’s a baddie in Val Royeaux.  I hear he wants to hurt you. Have a search for red things in the upper market, the docks, and ‘round the cafe, and maybe you’ll meet him first.  Bring swords.

“....signed, Friends of Red Jenny,” Ariane stared at the name written at the end of the message.  “Do you know who they are?”

“I can’t say that I do,” Finn kept staring at the note.  “Should we even follow their instructions? For all we know, this could be a trap.”

“That’s what worries me too,” Ariane frowned.  “But if someone wants us dead, I’d rather track him down first than sit around and wait until he finds us.”

“Okay, that’s a fair point,” Finn took a moment to look around at the town square.  “It looks like the cafe is closest. You want to start there?”

“Ready when you are.”

When Ariane heard the word “cafe”, she expected so see one of those small quaint eateries she’d seen before in human cities.  She had no idea why she was expecting to see anything small or quaint in Val Royeaux.

The cafe’s dining room had no doors, but rather two large archways that allowed the natural sunlight to pour into the open space, catching on the gold leaf embellishments that adorned the marble walls.  The dining room itself had the volume of a small chapel. A few clusters of patrons sat at the beautiful wood dining tables, but their chatter came to an abrupt halt when Ariane and Finn approached.

“Welcome, monsieur,” The host looked as if he was trying to maintain a certain level of professionalism, but the trace of hesitation in his voice betrayed that.  “Will your…”

Ariane could practically see the string of less-than-favorable words flashing through the host’s eyes as he examined her.

“...guest...be joining us this afternoon?”

“Yes, she will,” Finn carried himself with the same level of self-assuredness that he had when discussing his studies.

“Hm,” he kept his eyes locked on Ariane as he stepped away from the host station.  “Right this way.”

Ariane and Finn were seated near the far edge of the dining hall.  The glossy table was tiny and Finn was sitting directly across from her, so she had no choice but to look at him.  She had no idea why this occurred to her - it wasn’t like she wasn’t used to his presence by now. But as she tried to decipher the menu, she couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.  The lavish decor, the gentle plucked music floating through the air, the waiters filling their glasses with white wine, the uncomfortable stares from the other patrons…

“It probably looks like we’re on a date,” Ariane spoke without thinking, only to feel her heart stop when she realized what she had just said.  She stared down at the menu, hoping that her joke wouldn’t be taken badly.

“Oh, I suppose it does,” Finn laughed nervously.  “That would explain the stares we’ve been getting.”

“You noticed too?”

“Hard not to,” he shrugged.  “It’s probably scandalous seeing the supposed Herald of Andraste with some mage.”

“I think it’s because you’re a human and I’m an elf…”

“Oh,” Finn rubbed the back of his neck.  “That makes more sense.”

Ariane smiled,

“But thank you for saying ‘supposed’.”

“Anytime,” Finn smiled back and raised his wine glass.  “To the Inquisition?”

Ariane raised her glass as well,

“To the Inquisition.”

They both took a sip of their wine, but Ariane immediately cringed from the taste.  She managed to avoid spitting it out, but the bitterness caught her off guard. Granted, it wasn’t like she had much experience with wine before, but wasn’t it supposed to taste good?   Her mouth tasted like she just drank from her canteen after forgetting to clean it for a few days.

Finn didn’t bother to hide his snickering as he watched her react to the taste.

She set her wine glass back down, which she barely made a dent in.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head and smiled as he took another sip.

“You’re better at this than me.”

“In the Circle, you have to learn to like drinking at some point.  Not like there’s much else to do there. After a while, it does become pleasant,” he looked back at her.  “But I hope I can offer more than alcohol tolerance and linguistics trivia.”

The wine must have been stronger than Ariane thought, because she felt her face suddenly heat up.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have traveled with you for almost ten years if that was all you had going for you.”

“Maker, has it really been that long?”  Finn laughed. “Surprised you’ve stuck around for all this time.”

“What was I supposed to do, leave you to fend for yourself in the wilderness?  Or worse: the Circle?”

“Hey, the Circle wasn’t that bad.”

“You were in no hurry to go back.”

“Point taken,”  Finn took another drink from his wine.  “But to get back to the matter at hand, I haven’t seen anything red lately.  Have you?”

Ariane looked around the interior of the cafe, but nothing jumped out at her.  The dining room, like most of Val Royeaux, was entirely made up of brilliant blue, polished marble, and glittering gold.  Anything that was red should have stuck out, so it shouldn’t have been too difficult. But Ariane was coming up empty.

Until she looked up.

“What if we ordered something red?”  Finn looked through the menu. “Red wine...red meat…”

“Finn?

“Maybe it’s a code?”

“Finn.”

Finn stopped,

“What is it?”

Ariane pointed to the ceiling.  

Tied around one of the marble fixtures adorning the ceiling was a plain red handkerchief.

“Oh,” Finn’s face drooped when he noticed it.  “I was hoping it was a code.”

“At least we found what we’re looking for.”

“Right,” he tilted his head as he kept staring up at the handkerchief.  “Should we alert the staff? Maybe we should wait until nightfall to grab it.  No, that would take to long. I might have a spell that could help us, although I worry that would cause a scene.  What if-”

Ariane was already preparing to climb one of the marble pillars before Finn noticed she left the table.

“Ariane!”  Finn whispered frantically.  “What are you doing?!”

The emerald green vines growing around the pillar made it easier for Ariane to climb to the top of the archway.  Any conversations from the other patrons below her came to an abrupt stop. It didn't take long for Ariane to climb up the pillar to the top of the rafters.  When she got closer, she could see a small piece of parchment that was poking out from the red cloth.

Wrapping her arm around one of the marble fixtures, Ariane used her free hand to reach out to grab the handkerchief, which came loose with only a simple tug.  In a swift movement, she was able to grab the parchment before it fell to the floor. She only had a few seconds to get a close look, but it was obvious that the parchment was a report of some kind.  An additional message was written on the back in bright red paint.

Ariane scurried back down the pillar and descended to the ground gracefully with the red handkerchief in hand.

“Ta-da…” Ariane gave a little half-hearted curtsey, trying her best to ease the nerves of the stunned Orlesians who were staring at her.

She looked over at her table expecting so see Finn, but he wasn't there.  Instead, he was standing near the entrance to the cafe, engaged in what looked to be a rather heated discussion with the host.  Eventually, Finn sagged his shoulders in defeat and left the restaurant. From across the room, the host locked eyes with her and gestured for her to leave as well.

“I wish we could have stayed for dessert,” Ariane grumbled to herself.

“Well, you should have thought about that before you started climbing the walls,” Finn continued walking as he examined the report.

“Did you find anything?”  She looked over his shoulder.  The information on the report just looked like a jumbled mess of tiny Orlesian writing organized into rows and columns.  This was the stuff Finn was more than capable of navigating.

“I can't speak much Orlesian, so it's hard to make sense of this data,” he flipped the report over to the side with the red paint where a message was written in Common.  “ ‘Thank you for helping Good Lady Keris.  Saw those who asked about the Herald enter third passage.  Did not stay to see them exit.’ ”

“Any idea what that means?”

“Not a clue.  Perhaps this will make sense when we find the other red items.”

“Right,” Ariane unfolded the note from earlier.  “Should we investigate the docks next?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Ariane thought she was done having her breath taken away by Val Royeaux, but she was proven wrong when she stepped out onto the docks.  After spending most of the day overwhelmed by the ornate Orlesian buildings, being able to look out over the expanse of the Waking Sea helped put her overstimulated mind at ease.  Under the afternoon sun, the surface of the water glistened brighter than any of the jewels of Val Royeaux.

She rested her elbows against the marble railing and stared out over the sea, watching the cargo ships bob along the peaceful waters.  Finn joined her and any urgency she felt towards the task at hand faded away. It took a lot of self-control to not start laughing again.  She thought having lunch in a nice restaurant with him was ridiculous, but there they were walking along the sea together. The moment she realized she could vaguely feel his shoulder against hers, that was the only thing that occupied her mind.  Creators, he was standing really close to her. Did he notice? He had to, right?

Any illusion of atmosphere was killed by the smell wafting from the docks.  Barrels and buckets stuffed to the brim with rotting fish parts were stashed near the end of the walkway.  At first their presence was easy to ignore, but a sudden breeze that came through made sure that the entire docks were bathed in the smell.  Ariane was used to living in nature, including all of the unfavorable features of it, but even this made her gag and cover her nose and mouth behind her hand.  She could only imagine how Finn was handling it.

“Let’s get this over with,” Finn spoke in a choked voice.

The two spread out across the docks in search of anything red.  Ariane knelt down between a couple of crates and checked underneath one of the discarded fishing nets.  Nothing. She was tempted to go searching through the crates, but she didn’t want to get kicked out of another place.

“...Ariane?”  Finn’s voice was hesitant and shaky, like the voice of someone who was about to get mauled by a bear.

Ariane looked up to see Finn standing near one of the barrels, which had a swipe of red paint applied to its otherwise plain wood surface.

“Oh no,” Ariane stepped over to him.  The barrel was closed, but that didn’t stop the putrid smell of decomposing fish from seeping out.

“I guess we found it,” Finn covered his mouth and nose with the collar of his shirt.

“One of us will have to reach in there,” she looked up at him expectantly.

“...what?”

“You’re going to do it, right?”

Finn paled,

“You want me to stick my hand in there?”

“Why not?  Finders keepers,” she shrugged.  “Besides, I had to climb up a wall to get the first one.  It’s only fair.”

“No one asked you to do that, Ariane!”

“Okay, how about this,” Ariane folded her hands.  “You grab this one, and I’ll do whatever horrible things required to get the third item.”

Finn rubbed his temples, mulling over the situation in his head.

To encourage him, Ariane began softly chanting,

“Touch the fish.  Touch the fish. Touch the fish.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Finn sighed.  “But you owe me.”

Keeping his hand firmly clasped over his mouth and nose, Finn reached out and opened the barrel, revealing a slimy mass of gray fish gunk.  If the smell was putrid before, it was eye-watering now. Finn rolled his sleeve up past his elbow, closed his eyes, and plunged his hand into the barrel.

“Ew, I can’t believe you’re touching the fish!”  Ariane laughed.

“This is the worst thing you ever made me do.”

After a few seconds of rooting around, Finn pulled out something that was bundled up in another red handkerchief which was coated in a thin layer of brown slime, as was Finn’s arm.

“Two down!”  Ariane quickly slammed the barrel lid back into place.

“Ariane,” Finn held his gross arm out over the railing to keep it as far away from his face as possible.  “I need you to go to the market and buy me some soap.”

“Why?  You’re fine.  Besides, you’re already named after a fish part - it fits!”

Finn reached out with his fish arm to poke her nose, but she jumped back and shrieked.

“Ew!  What was that for?”

“You said it was no big deal,” Finn smirked and tried to poke her again.

“Okay, okay!”  Ariane held her hands up in surrender.  “I’ll buy you your soap.”

“Thank you,” Using his clean hand, Finn reached into his bag and dug a couple silvers out of his coin purse.

Ariane stared at the coins in her hand and Finn sighed,

“It’s not enough to buy the hat.”

Val Royeaux already smelled like a perfume shop was set on fire, so finding a store that specifically sold soap proved to be more challenging than Ariane expected.  Eventually, she did manage to find a small shop that was hidden away towards the far edge of the plaza. The rows of shelves were crammed with so many different bars of soap, that it was impossible to figure out what they smelled like without her holding the individual bars up to her nose.

She was fully aware that the shopkeeper and some of the other customers were staring at her, but Ariane was beyond caring at that point.  She could hear them whispering to each other, probably something like “why is that Elven savage smelling our fancy soap?”

Whatever they were saying, it didn’t matter.  All that mattered was that she needed to find the right kind of soap so her friend could stop smelling like he climbed out of a whale’s stomach.

Ariane picked up a light purple colored bar and smelled it.  No, too floral for Finn. Even though Finn wasn’t one for going outside, he did seem to have this forest-y scent about him, that combined with old books and-

She cringed.

By the Dread Wolf, why do I know what he smells like?

Ariane grabbed a vaguely herbal-scented bar of soap from one of the shelves and hurried over to the counter to pay.

The shopkeeper was still staring at her oddly, but he refrained from commenting as Ariane dropped the silver coins on the counter.  From behind her, she could still hear two women whispering to each other in frantic Orlesian. Creators, she hated being in human cities alone.  At least having Finn around made her feel less vulnerable.

Ariane was prepared to leave with her purchase when one of the finely-dressed women stopped her,

“Excuse me?”

Normally, Ariane would have hurried out of the store, but the unexpected softness of the woman’s voice caused her to freeze in place.

“By any chance, are you the one they are calling the ‘Herald of Andraste’?”

“Uh,” Ariane fiddled with the paper bag in her hands.  “Some say that I am, yes.”

Both of the women sighed in relief,

“Oh, thank the Maker.  I didn’t want to come off as rude.  It’s just, I’m not used to addressing your kind and I didn’t want to assume-”

“What she means to say is,” the other woman cut in.  “Is that we are grateful for what your Inquisition is doing.”

And Ariane thought she was caught off guard before,

“Wait, are you serious?”

“But of course!  No one is doing anything about this chaos.  The Chantry would rather fight among themselves than focus on what is important!”

“Also the tales of the Inquisition have been quite fascinating.”

Ariane wanted to keep her face as stoic as possible, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

“Oh,” she laughed nervously.  “Thank you.”

“We should be thanking you,” the first woman twisted her various rings around her gloved fingers as she spoke.  “I’m sorry, I did not mean to bother you.”

“No, no!  You’re not bothering me,” Ariane exclaimed.  “It’s just, I’ve heard so many people denounce the Inquisition, I didn’t expect…”

“Your Inquisition is the only one fighting back,” the second woman smiled.  “Just seeing that gives us hope that the world is not coming to an end.”

Ariane felt a pang of anxiety rush through her, although she didn’t know if the source was from hearing the expectations others were placing on her, or just from the phrase “your Inquisition”.

“Well, uh, thank you,” Ariane smiled and nodded.  “We’ll do our best.”

The bar of soap was reduced to a tiny sliver by the time they got the fish stench off of Finn’s arm and the handkerchief.  It turned out that the handkerchief was wrapped around a small bronze key and another note that was scribbled hastily on a torn sheet of parchment.

“ ‘Key lifted from drunk swearing about Herald.  Don’t know what door. I’m out, my debt is paid’ ,” Finn read out loud as they walked away from the docks.  “I hope the third message makes more sense.”

“At least the pieces are starting to come together,” Ariane reached into her bag to make sure the report was still there.  “We’re getting closer to something.”

“Specifically, we’re getting closer to you having to retrieve the last item,” Finn grinned.

Ariane sighed,

“Fine.  A deal’s a deal,” she paused.  “You know, you could have used your staff to dig through the barrel.”

Finn stopped to stare at Vera, then cursed under his breath.

Ariane followed Finn up the stairs to the topmost level of the marketplace.  The sun was starting to set, causing the marble buildings to look gold under the dimming sunlight.  It was a beautiful sight, of course, but Ariane couldn’t stop to appreciate her surroundings. Once it got dark, it would be much harder for them to find the third red handkerchief.

“Remember,” Finn kept smiling at her.  “No matter what, you have to get the last item.”

“I told you I’ll do it.”

“What if it’s something really bad?  Like...what if it’s covered in spiders, or something?”

The thought did send a chill running up her spine, but she shook it off.

The two searched every corner of the upper market until they reached a balcony overlooking the sea.  They stopped in their tracks the moment they saw a red handkerchief tied around the marble railing.

“That can’t be it,” Finn muttered under his breath.

Ariane stepped cautiously towards the handkerchief as she reached for one of her swords.  She nudged the fabric with the tip of her blade. Nothing. No spiders, no angry hornets, no demons.

“Looks safe to me.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Ariane unwound the handkerchief from the railing and another slip of parchment dropped onto the balcony floor.  When she picked it up, she saw what appeared to be some kind of fancy official document. Most of the paper was torn, but a snippet of the original writing was still in tact.

“...and we are to obey well.  We meet at three bells to discuss how best to serve the new way.”

And scribbled below,

“Herald go at time.  Praise Andrast.”

“That has the be the worst handwriting I’ve ever seen,” Finn mused as he read the message over Ariane’s shoulder.

“I was hoping that everything would make sense after we got all three items,” Ariane sighed.

“We have a key now, but I don’t see how it relates…” Finn trailed off and his eyes widened.

“What?”  Ariane watched as he dropped to his knees and began fishing through his bag.

Finn unfolded the first report from the cafe.

“Look,” he pointed to the row of numbers listed in one of the columns.  “They’re coordinates.”

“Coordinates?”  Ariane knelt down next to him.

Finn pulled a Ferelden-Orlesian map out of his bag which he unfolded and spread out on the floor.  Fortunately since it was getting late, there were much less people wandering around the market place so they weren’t getting in anyone’s way.

“Let’s see…” Finn read over the report before tracing his finger along the surface of the map.  “The first entry listed shows Haven and the second entry leads to the Hinterlands - the crossroads specifically.”

“Wait,” Ariane paused.  “Is this report tracking our movements?”

“I think it would be more accurate to say that it’s tracking your movements,” Finn tapped the report.  “Right here. This entry shows the day we arrived at the Hinterlands and the day we returned to Haven.”

“I really don’t like this,” she leaned in closer to get a better look at the report.  “What about the third entry? It’s the only one that’s underlined.”

“Well, the coordinates lead here - Val Royeaux, and sure enough that’s today’s date right there,”  Finn furrowed his brow. “Which is odd, because the date at the top said that this report was last updated over a week ago.”

“Someone knew we were coming,” Ariane muttered under her breath.

“I think we have bigger things to worry about,” he pointed to the end of the third entry where the words tombée de la nuit were written, underlined multiple times.  “Something was meant to happen the night we arrived in Val Royeaux.”

“The message we got from the arrow said that someone in the city was planning on hurting me,”  Ariane felt her body go cold. “Do you think that’s when they plan on striking?”

“I don’t want to say for certain, but we should be careful,” Finn’s voice shook slightly.  “Oh Maker…”

“But we don’t have to stay in Val Royeaux.  What if we went back to Haven?”

“Considering how well they’ve been tracking you, I don’t think Haven is a safe option right now,” Finn rubbed his forehead.

The beautiful city of Val Royeaux suddenly felt a lot less safe.  Ariane let her eyes wander over the report, first as a way to distract herself from the dread that was growing inside of her, but then she noticed a pattern.

“Wait, look,” she pointed out a few of the entries.  “After tracking us, someone is reporting back to this location.”

“You’re right,” Finn took a moment to examine the map closely.  Eventually, he stopped and encircled the northwest corner of Val Royeaux with his finger.  “The coordinates are specifically for this region of the city, I think.”

“That’s a pretty big area.”

“Well…”  he looked back at the other items they’ve collected.  “We have a key. If we find whatever door it opens, that should be a sign that we found the right place.”

“At least that’s something,” Ariane took a deep breath.  “We should get going. It’s going to get dark soon.”

Finn gathered his things and stood up.  

“So all we have to do is find whoever has been tracking you and confront him?”

“Then kill him.”

“Right,” Finn rubbed the back of his neck.  “I was trying to avoid thinking about that.”

Ariane and Finn wandered around northwestern Val Royeaux, trying in vain to use the key on any locked doors they could find.  Each failed attempt only made Ariane more frustrated, but the looming nightfall and the hit on her life prevented her from wanting to give up and return to Haven.

She stopped in front of a large iron gate, behind which was a small secluded courtyard.  Val Royeaux was a shade of murky blue without the sun to illuminate it. Ariane steadied her breathing, approached the gate, and pulled the key out of her pocket.  She forced the key into the lock and turned it, the audible click piercing through the eerie silence cloaking the empty streets. Despite her efforts to be as quiet as possible, the heavy gate still groaned when she pushed it open just wide enough for her and Finn to slip inside.

Ariane’s light footsteps could faintly be heard through the otherwise quiet courtyard.  The windows overlooking the enclosure were dark and shut tight. If anything went wrong, nobody would be around to know.

There were voices up ahead.  Without thinking, she grabbed Finn and pulled him down behind a stack of crates.  Fortunately, Finn refrained from making a sound. Ariane peered over the top of the crate to assess the situation.

Two armed men were posted at the far corner of the courtyard.  While they did look prepared for combat, the casual tone of their conversation reassured Ariane that they had not noticed her yet.  She tried to listen closely to what they were saying, but she was unable to since they were speaking in rapid-fire Orlesian.

“Hey,” she whispered down to Finn.  “You speak Orlesian, right?

“Barely,” he whispered back.

“But you’re a linguist.”

“That’s not what a linguist does.”

Ariane huffed and returned to monitoring the two Orlesians.  Behind them was a large blue door which they appeared to be guarding, although not closely.  Stacks of crates and barrels were formed around the perimeter of the courtyard. Not the ideal cover, but it was better than nothing.

When the two Orlesians turned away from the door, Ariane tugged at Finn’s sleeve to guide his attention towards one of the stacks.  He nodded.

After waiting for a few more seconds, Ariane held her breath and darted out from behind her hiding place, and ducked down behind a row of crates closer to the door before she could be noticed.  Finn followed shortly and knelt down next to her. She repeated this pattern a few more times until she managed to work her way to the door.

While the two of them did manage to slip past the guards, their entrance wasn’t as smooth as Ariane would have hoped.  The moment they stepped through the door, Ariane had to duck her head to avoid getting blasted by a small fireball.

Ariane looked up to see a well-dressed man wearing a golden mask covering the top half of his face.

“Well, well, well,” he chided, the remaining wisps of the spell dancing around his gloved fingers.  “You are the one they are calling ‘The Herald of Andraste’.”

“Who are you and what do you want with the Inquisition?!”

“Don’t pretend that you do not know who I am,” the man stood up straighter as he paced before them, seemingly not in a rush to attack them.  “Your ‘Inquisition’, your claims of divinity. Whatever powerplay you’re attempting is downright pitiful.”

“Oh, so you’re someone else who has a problem with me?”  Ariane reached for her swords. “Get in line.”

“Ariane…” Finn spoke anxiously.

The man chuckled,

“I see even Val Royeaux couldn’t teach you how to be civilized.  You may prefer to fight like dogs, however…”

As if appearing out of nowhere, the two guards from the courtyard grabbed them, pinning their arms behind their backs.

“...I prefer to fight like a noble.”

Ariane squirmed, desperate to get away from her captor.  Meanwhile, Finn stood as still and pale as a corpse. Her squirming came to an abrupt stop when the guard unsheathed his sword and pressed the blade up to her throat.

“Aria-!” Finn’s voice was cut off the moment his captor did the same thing.

“To think that I will be the one to take down the heretical ‘Herald of Andraste’,” he laughed as he paced back and forth in front of them.  “No one would ever suspect it!”

We don’t even know who you are!  Is what Ariane wanted to say, but speaking her mind was proving to be difficult when she had a sword to her neck.

The man stared at them for a moment, his mask concealing everything except the smug smile on his face.

“We’ve stalled long enough.  End this now.”

Ariane squeezed her eyes shut.  Something whizzed past her ear, followed by the sound of a sword clattering to the ground.  When she dared herself to open her eyes, she turned around to see both guards collapsed on the floor - each with an arrow plunged deep in their throats.

From the far side of the room, a young woman stepped into the light.  She was a city elf with short choppy blonde hair. Her torn patchwork clothing was nothing like the usual high-end fashion of Val Royeaux.  She held a longbow in her hands which she aimed at the masked man with the same level of finesse and ease Ariane had seen wielded by Dalish hunters.

“Just say ‘what!’”  Her Ferelden accent was youthful, but stern as she pulled the bowstring back.

“What are you-” he barely got a word out before he collapsed to the floor with an arrow lodged in the eyehole of his mask.

“Ugh!” The elven archer cringed, stepping over to the man’s body.  “But you heard me, right? ‘Just say what ’.  Rich tits always try for more than they deserve.”

“You-!”  Finn struggled with his words as he tried to catch his breath.  “You killed him!”

“What?  He your friend or something?”  She knelt down and yanked the arrow out of the noble’s head with an audible squishing noise.  “Whoops.”

“No, I don’t know him, but he was a noble, right?”  Finn’s face was still pale. “He could have been somebody important!”

“Finn…”

“Well, he’s nobody now.  If only you cared about the other two.  Which reminds me,” she held her hand out.  

It took both of them a while to realize that she was gesturing towards the arrows still stuck in the two guards’ chests.

“Oh…” Finn winced as he tried to bring himself to grab one of the arrows.

Ariane sighed impatiently before yanking the two bloodied arrows out and handing them to the archer.

“Glad to see you followed the notes well enough,” she cleaned the arrows off on her pants leg before tucking them back into her quiver.  “So, which one of you is the Herald thingy?”

“That would be me, I suppose.  My name is Ariane of clan Sarahel,” she extended her hand.  “ Ma serannas - thank you for helping us.”

“Oh, great,” her expression soured.  “Well, at least you’re glowy.”

“Uh,” Ariane lowered her hand.  “Thanks?”

“Name’s Sera.  This is cover,” she kicked a nearby crate before ducking behind it.  “Get ‘round it.”

“Cover?”  Ariane reached for her swords.  “Why?”

“For the reinforcements, of course,” Sera grinned as she prepared her longbow.  “Don’t worry, someone tipped me their equipment shed.”

“Why would they attack us if they have no weapons?”  Finn lowered himself behind one of the barriers.

Sera snorted,

“Weapons?”

Sure enough, in a matter of seconds the courtyard was flooded with armored mercenaries.  Well, mostly-armored mercenaries. To Ariane’s amusement and horror, the mercenaries wore nothing but their smallclothes from the waist down.  Since engaging in combat while covering oneself is rather difficult, it didn’t take long for them to be taken down. Although, Ariane had a feeling that the idea of running into battle pantsless would plague her nightmares that night.

“Friends really came through with that tip, yeah?”  Sera giggled to herself as she gathered up her arrows.  “No breeches!”

“You had access to their equipment,” Finn stepped around the bodies, taking extra care not to look at them.  “And you didn’t take their weapons? Why?!”

“Because, no breeches,” Sera remarked, as if the answer was obvious.  “It was too good.”

“It was pretty funny,” Ariane admitted.

“So,” Sera grinned widely and twirled an arrow around between her fingers before slipping it into her quiver.  “Which one of you touched the fish?”

Finn hung his head sighed in defeat, slowly raising his hand.

Sera laughed again,

“Ew, yeah that was a lot grosser than I thought.  Here, how about I pay you back?” Sera jumped on top of one of the piles of crates and reached behind it, pulling out a large burlap sack.  “If you ever need a new pair of breeches, I got plenty right here. If not, I’m sure you got merchants who buy this pish, yeah? Gotta be worth something.”

“Uh,” Finn shook his head.  “No thank you. You can keep the breeches.”

“Fine,” Sera shrugged and hauled the bag over her shoulder.  “Suit yourself.”

“But you were the one who left the note, right?”  Ariane asked. “How did you know this man?”

“Know him?”  Sera plopped down and sat on one of the crates.  “I don’t know this idiot for manners. My people just said he might be trouble for the Inquisition.”

“Your people?”  Ariane couldn’t help but feel hope swell in her chest.  “Elves?”

“No, you know, my people ,”  Sera’s smile twitched.  “The Friends of Red Jenny, from the note - that’s me.  Well, I mean, I’m only one.”

“So you’re the face of this organization?”

“I’m nobody’s face but my own,” Sera set the bag of pants down so she could play with her hands as she spoke.  “Look, it’s like this. The Friends of Red Jenny, we’re just a name - an idea. No ranks, no titles, none of that shit.  It’s just a way for little people to stick it to nobles they hate.”

“But you can’t just kill nobles like this!”  Finn interjected. “If he really was a problem, we should have spoken with the ambassador first.  There are consequences for killing powerful people.”

“There are consequences for killing any people,” Sera snapped.  “Just because he wears tighter breeches doesn’t give him a free pass to be a piss-bag.”

“You’re right, but I just meant,” Finn rubbed his forehead.  “If he has powerful allies-”

“I have arrows.”

“What if he has a lot of powerful allies?”

“I have a lot of arrows.”

Finn looked to Ariane for support, but she just shrugged.

“She does have a lot of arrows.”

“Anyway, ‘Herald of Andraste’,” Sera swung her legs over the side of the crate and jumped back down to the floor.  “You’re a strange one. I’d like to join.”

“You,” Ariane was taken aback.  “You want to join the Inquisition?”

“Yeah, the Inquisition’s the only one trying to plug up this sky-hole thingy - and you probably need people for that,” Sera paused.  “I mean, to help with plugging the sky hole, not actually plugging the hole with people.”

“Understood.”

“But I can help supply whatever you need: people, information, arrows in bad people’s faces, whatever it takes to get everything back to normal.  That’s all I want. That’s all everyone wants,” she rocked back and forth on her heels as she stared at Ariane.  “So is this a yes, or are you the type to say ‘no’ to free help?”

“Of course!”  Ariane responded without thinking.  “I mean, yes, the Inquisition would welcome your help.”

“Wait, are you sure-” Finn tried to speak up.

“Yes!  Get in good before you’re too big to like,” Sera picked the bag of pants up off the floor and swung it over her shoulder.  “That’ll keep your breeches where they should be.”

“Would you like us to escort you back to Haven?”  Ariane asked.

“Nah, it’s all good,” Sera started scaling the wall.  “See you around, Herald. This will be grand!”

Ariane and Finn watched as Sera gave a little salute before disappearing over the side of the building.

“I’m not questioning her abilities or anything,” Finn said at long last.  “But are you sure you should be recruiting people without informing the rest of the Inquisition?”

“I’ll just say that Andraste told me to do it,” Ariane shrugged.

“I’m sure the Chantry would love that,” Finn chuckled.

Ariane sighed and sat down on one of the crates,

“I just don’t want the Inquisition to get too focused on politics or religion - that’s the reason why no one else has been making an effort against the Breach,” Ariane stared down at her hands.  “And you heard what Sera said. They’re just people who want to make things normal again. Whatever this Inquisition is, it should be a force that could give people the opportunity to make a difference.”

“You’re right,” Finn sat down next to her.  “I’m just worried about you coming under fire.”

“I’ve been under fire from the very beginning,” she laughed.  “But I appreciate your concern.”

“Hey, if you’re not going to worry about yourself, somebody’s got to.”

“You have enough worries to fill the Deep Roads.”

“We all have to bring something to the table.”

The two of them were quiet for a moment.  Ariane smiled down at her hands.

“Something happened today,” she spoke hesitantly.  “At the soap shop.”

“Something happened?”  Finn sounded worried. “Are you okay?”

“No, I mean…” she struggled to find the words.  “It was...good. These two women told me that they appreciate what the Inquisition is trying to do.”

“So,” Finn trailed off.  “That’s a good thing, right?”

“I don’t know,” Ariane slumped her shoulders.  “I remember Leliana and ambassador Montilyet talking about how me being considered the Herald of Andraste gave people hope, but to actually hear it first-hand…”

She shook her head.

“I don't know how I'm supposed to feel.  On one hand, it's a welcome change to hear humans speak about a Dalish elf in such high regard, but that means if I mess up, my people will look bad as well.”

“The Inquisition is putting a lot of pressure on you,” Finn agreed.  “But you could never make your people, or anyone, look bad.”

“I know it's stupid to care so much about what a bunch of humans think about me, but if I'm going to be held up as some kind of ‘chosen one’, then I want them to see that the Dalish are people who can be respected just like anyone else,” she sighed and hung her head.  “I guess it doesn't matter. The Warden was Dalish too and it's not like anything improved after him.”

Finn was silent for an awfully long time, which worried Ariane at first until she felt his hand on her shoulder.  The touch was hesitant, but the gentleness did help to ease her nerves.

“There is no one else in Thedas who I would trust with the power and responsibility you wield,” he spoke at last.  “And if the rest of the world doesn’t feel the same way, that’s their problem. All you can do is focus on what’s happening right now.”

Ariane’s face grew hot, but she laughed a little.

“ You’re telling me not to worry?”

“It’s something I need to work on too,” he smiled.  “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

She looked back down at her feet, pushing all thoughts of the Inquisition out of her mind and only focusing on what was happening now.  Despite the previous assassination attempt, it was a beautiful night. Most of Val Royeaux disappeared into the deep blue shadows with only the occasional slivers of moonlight highlighting the cityscape.  The cool air was still and quiet - a welcome change to the noise and bustle of the market during the day. Finn’s hand on her shoulder seemed firmer now and he felt closer. Even though she was sitting in some back alley in Val Royeaux, having him next to her made her feel safe.

“I’m okay,” she smiled down at the ground.  “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do much, but you’re welcome.”

“You’re still here, and that is all I can ask for,”  Ariane’s smile faded. “We should go back to Haven soon.”

The two walked to the outer gates of Val Royeaux in silence, mostly because they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves, but also because neither of them had anything to say.  It wasn’t like Ariane minded. After all the years of travelling together, she grew to appreciate these quiet moments between them.

They were just about past the gate when a woman’s hushed voice broke through the silence.

“Excuse me, might I have a moment of your time?”

An older woman shrouded in a deep blue cloak stepped out of the shadows.  Even though most of her head was concealed by her hood, her features were clearly elven.  The way she seemed to appear out of nowhere did trouble Ariane, but she didn’t seem hostile.

“Are you the fabled Herald of Andraste?”

Ariane was just about sick of answering this question by this point, but she nodded.

“Some say I am, but I prefer to be called Ariane.”

She examined the city elf’s face for any type of reaction, but she remained stoic.

“I am Fiona, Grand Enchanter of the Circle of Magi.”

“Gr-Grand Enchanter Fiona?!”  Finn stammered, his eyes wide as he took a step back.  “I didn’t expect, I mean it’s an honor, I…”

He cleared his throat and gave a quick bow.

“Finn Aldebrant, formerly of Kinloch Hold,” he kept his gaze lowered as he spoke to her.  “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Finn’s reaction did amuse Ariane, but it was also a relief to know that this stranger was someone they could trust.  Hopefully.

“I heard about your encounter with the Templars,” Fiona kept her attention focused on Ariane.  “If it’s help with the Breach you seek, perhaps my people would be a wiser option.”

“The Rebel Mages,” Finn said in awe, mostly to himself.

“Wait,” Ariane was taken aback.  “Are you saying that the mages are seeking us out?”

“We are willing to discuss such matters with the Inquisition, at least,” she looked around to make sure nobody else was listening in.  “But we shouldn’t speak here. Consider this an invitation to Redcliffe and meet with the mages. This alliance could help us both.”

“You honor us with this invitation, Grand Enchanter Fiona,” Finn still sounded like he couldn’t believe what was happening.

Ariane simply nodded,

“We’ll be there.  Thank you, Grand Enchanter.”

“ Au Revoir , my lady herald.”

The Grand Enchanter disappeared into the shadows.

Finn waited until they knew she was long-gone before he finally exhaled.

“I can’t believe I actually got to meet-” he shook his head.  “How was I? Did I seem natural?”

“You used the word ‘honor’ about a million times.  But other than that, yes.”

“I thought we would have to seek out the Rebel Mages, but if they’re actually coming to us first,” he looked back at her.  “You know what this means, right?”

“We don’t have to seek the Templars’ aid?”

“Well, that’s also a perk,” Finn shrugged.  “But the Chantry’s denouncement of us isn’t deterring people from seeking our help.  It’s like what Sera said: people just want the world to be normal again. And just the very fact that we were invited to meet with the Rebel Mages...”

“You sound like you admire them,” Ariane commented.  “Would you ever consider joining them?”

“Can you really imagine me as a rebel mage?”  he laughed. “No, I just can’t help but respect their cause.  And they are lead by the Grand Enchanter, who is a brilliant mage.  I wish I was better versed at reading Orlesian so I could study all of her work, but the few translations I’ve read have been insightful.  There was this one--”

Finn stopped,

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble.”

“No,” Ariane smiled.  “I like your rambling.”

“That’s a relief,” he rubbed the back of his neck.  “I’m surprised you haven’t gotten sick of me yet.”

“I could never get sick of you, Finn.”

“For what it’s worth,” he began slowly.  “No matter what happens with the Inquisition, I’ve really enjoyed travelling with you.”

“Would you say,” she nudged him with her elbow.  “It’s been an honor ?”

Finn laughed, his face reddening,

“Shut up.”

Ariane grinned as she stared at the star-lit sky above them.

“How are we supposed to get back to Haven?”

Chapter Text

“What happens if she doesn’t like us?”

Ariane looked over to Finn, who was sitting next to her in the carriage that was taking them to the Ghislain Estate.

“People aren’t always going to like us,” Ariane tried to reassure him.  “We just have to try our best and hope this all pays off.”

Ariane couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t at least a little nervous with meeting the Enchanter to the Imperial Court of Orlais.  She tried to cover up this fact to avoid making Finn even more stressed than he already was. It was a miracle they weren’t running late, considering how many times Finn had to delay their travels to make sure his appearance was in order.  Not that she was the one to judge. Ariane tried to do her hair in the same type of bun she usually saw Ambassador Montilyet wear, but her efforts were slowly unraveling into a sloppy braid. She didn’t have any time to fix it, so she could only hope that it looked fashionably-sloppy, and not sloppy-sloppy.

The carriage pulled up to the estate.  Nobles dressed in the finest Orlesian fashion mingled around the lush gardens, but it was clear that most of the activity was occuring inside.  Fortunately, none of the other guests paid them any mind as they stepped out of the carriage.

“Are you ready?”  Finn sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than anything.

“A meeting with nobles,” Ariane shrugged her shoulders.  “I’ll have to get used to this eventually.”

“And if this meeting goes well, we’ll hopefully have the favor of the Imperial Court.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Well,” Finn trailed off.  “I suppose we won’t be invited to any more fancy Orlesian parties.”

“Oh, so win-win?”

Finn smiled,

“We should at least try,”  he nervously fidgeted with the collar of his jacket.  “Do I look okay? I don’t want to go in there and make a fool of myself.”

He did look good, but Ariane wasn’t going to say it like that.  The long brown coat he wore certainly wasn’t as flashy compared to what the other nobles were wearing, but the occasional velvet embellishments around the collar made it look more formal than what he usually wore around Haven.  Most human noble fashion looked ridiculous to Ariane, so she was glad that Finn decided to go more understated.

“You look…”  she frowned as she looked him up and down.  “You just need…”

Ariane reached out and ruffled his hair, which was neatly combed down behind his ears.

“Hey!”  Finn protested.  “I spent a lot of time on that.”

“Exactly.  It looks like you care too much,” Ariane finished her ruffling and instead moved on to push some of the hair out of his eyes.  “Besides, it looks better this way. More natural.”

“Really?”  He ran his fingers through his hair.  “Well, hopefully they won’t notice me.  You’re the main event after all.”

“Don’t phrase it like that!”  Ariane laughed. “Now you’re making me feel nervous.”

“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about your looks,” Finn cleared his throat.  “You look nice, is what I mean. Very sophisticated.”

“You think so?”  She felt her face heat up as she tried to shove some stray strands of hair back into her braid.  “I tried to replicate the ambassador's hairstyle.”

Finn furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side.

“I suppose I can kind of see it.”

“I have no idea how she does this every day,” Ariane pushed a rogue hairpin back into her hair, cringing as she accidentally impaled her scalp in the process.  “It’s impossible. She must have people around just for hair.”

“If you’d like, I can try to fix it.”

“Be my guest.”

Finn stepped behind her and started tucking her hair back into place.  He was gentle, almost frustratingly so. She remembered how her mother would yank at her hair to try to comb the twigs and tangles out of it.  Not that it ever lasted. The moment she was able to escape her mother’s grasp, she was right back to rolling around in the dirt.

“Oh, Da’len,” her mother would sigh,   “If your hair had any more sticks or leaves in it, the birds would start laying their eggs in it.”

“There we go,” Finn muttered as he carefully pushed the last pin in,  “That should do it.”

Ariane caught a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby fountain.  Finn had pulled the rest of her hair back into the bun, showing more of her face.  Her eyes and lips were painted with a light coat of makeup, which was barely visible to anyone else, but to her it made her feel...honestly, she didn’t know.  Part of her felt giddy - like she was playing dress up for an evening. Her vallaslin was still on display, even more so now that her hair was pulled out of the way.  She was still unmistakingly Dalish. Still, she wondered if her mother would even recognize her without her swords and her tangled hair not falling in front of her eyes.

“It looks good,” she lightly patted the back of her hairstyle.  “Thank you.”

Finn smiled at her,

“Shall we go in?”

“Oh, right,” she tore her attention away from her reflection and grabbed Finn by the sleeve of his jacket.  She finally understood what the term “fashionably late” meant.

Ariane held her breath as she and Finn stepped into the estate.  She hoped that they could slip into the crowd unnoticed, but that clearly was not going to be an option for them.

“Lady Sarahel and Lord Aldebrant on behalf of the Inquisition,” a man reading from a scroll near the door announced over the scattered sounds of conversations from the other guests.

“At least they didn’t use my full name,” Finn whispered to Ariane.

“There probably wasn’t enough room on the scroll.”

Finn smirked and nudged her with his elbow.

The estate’s entrance room was beautiful in a way that looked difficult to live in.  There was barely any furniture in sight, but the guests seemed content with standing as they carried out their polite conversations.  The gowns and suits the people wore gleamed in the moonlight as bright as the polished marble beneath their feet.

Not only was Ariane the most underdressed person there, but she was one of the few people who was not wearing a mask.  Some masks only covered the top half of the face, but most of the guests had their whole faces concealed. Ariane imagined that the anxiety she was experiencing was bleeding out onto her face, so maybe a mask would help.

“Hey,” Finn looked at her concerned.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m…”  Ariane stopped when she noticed the food displayed on a long table near the far wall.  “I’m probably just a bit hungry. Is that food available for everyone?”

“Those are the hors d'oeuvres, so I think so.”

Ariane just stared blankly at him.

“The food,” he rubbed the back of his neck.  “It’s an assortment of small portions of food served before the main meal.”

“You could have just said that,” Ariane muttered under her breath.

Ariane lead Finn over to the table so she could get a closer look at the spread.  Finely-polished silver platters were covered with a wide variety of delicately thin cuts of meat, cheeses, and crispy slices of golden bread.  Considering what she heard about Orlesian cheese, Ariane appreciated her hosts for choosing more mild-scented cheeses for the display.

“Finn!”  Ariane gasped.  “They have tiny pickles!”

“You look like you’re relaxing already,” Finn laughed.  “So should I get you a plate, or-”

Ariane grabbed a handful of pickles.

“I guess that’s one way to make an impression…” he handed her a small plate so she could drop her treasure onto it.

“You seem to know what you’re doing,” Ariane said before popping a few more pickles into her mouth.  “Do you have a past with fancy Orlesian parties that you haven’t told me about?”

“Hardly.  My family isn’t nobility, but they still had wealth and status.  I was dragged to a few events like this before the Circle,” Finn shrugged.  “I know the Orlesian court has their ‘Game’, but as long as you don’t jump on the sofas or break anything, you should be fine.  Remaining unnoticed is the best way to make it through these gatherings and the only way to make it out without any new enemies.”

“Hmm,” Ariane’s shoulders sagged,  “Remaining unnoticed is going to be difficult when the court enchanter invited me here.”

“That’s...a good point.  Maybe next time you go to get more pickles, you should use a fork.”

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the catering table and gasped again.

“Look!”  She picked up one of the forks, which was barely larger than her pinky finger.  “They have tiny forks too!”

Finn laughed,

“So, you’re finally warming up to Orlesian parties?”

“Hey, I’ll gladly sell my loyalty in exchange for a couple hundred jars of these guys,” Ariane used her fork to skewer a bunch of pickles.

The other side of the table was lined with rows of tall, slender glasses filled with a slightly-bubbling clear liquid.  Finn plucked two of the glasses from the table and handed one to Ariane.

“To new alliances?”  He lifted his own glass.

Ariane stared into her glass before sniffing the liquid curiously.

“Is this more wine?”

“It’s champagne,” Finn explained.  “It’s sweeter and lighter than wine - you might like it.”

Ariane shrugged,

“To new alliances.”

She clinked her glass to his then took a tiny sip, only to immediately recoil.  Apparently Finn had a much different definition of “sweeter” and “lighter” than she did.  Not only was the taste not much better than the wine, but it seemed to fizz up her nose in a way that burned.

“No,” Ariane coughed then dumped the rest of her champagne into Finn’s glass.  “Not for me.”

Just before Ariane could return to demolishing the pickle tray, she was approached by two masked women.

“My lady herald,” one of the women spoke, her silvery voice oddly familiar.  “It is an honor to see you again!”

“We met briefly at the soap shop in Val Royeaux,” the other woman clarified.  “I don’t know if you remember us.”

Both of the women were wearing shimmering porcelain masks which covered their entire faces, so it would have been impossible for Ariane to recall who they were.  But she figured it would be best to smile and nod.

“How wonderful!”  The first woman grabbed Ariane’s upper arm and began leading her away from the food table.  “Please, there are so many people I must introduce you to!”

“Oh!”  Ariane yelped in surprise.  “Lead on, I suppose.”

Ariane liked to believe that she knew how to handle herself in formal ceremonies.  When her clan celebrated her completing her apprenticeship, Ariane was able to suppress her excitement and behave like the proper Dalish hunter she was expected to be.  

But that was a much different party compared to this one. Of course, she wasn’t the cause for this celebration - she was just a conversation starter.

Ariane spent most of the evening being passed around to different groups of chattering nobles, each with their own set of totally unique and definitely not tiresome questions.  Most of their inquiries were about whether she was actually the Herald of Andraste or not (and apparently “or not” was the incorrect answer), but there were also some lovely questions about her Dalish heritage peppered into the bunch.

“No, my clan has never performed a human sacrifice.”

“Are you sure?” A nobleman asked.  “Because I read a study that said it’s a common practice.”

“Yeah…” Ariane’s voice trailed off.  “I’m pretty sure.”

Ariane looked over at Finn for support, who was still standing near the food where she left him.  Being around other humans certainly helped her appreciate him more.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go,” Ariane turned back to her new admirers.  “I can’t be out of the moonlight for too long - it’s a Dalish thing.”

None of them seemed to question her excuse, so she was able to return to Finn without any trouble.

“Make any new friends?”  Finn grinned at her.

She leaned against the wall near one of the windows and crossed her arms.

“Thank you.”

Finn furrowed his brow.

“Uh, for what?”

“For not being like most shems.”

“Oh,” he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.  “You’re welcome, I guess.”

“Marquis!”  The first woman masked woman exclaimed, turning her attention to a masked nobleman who was making his way down the grand staircase.  “You are just in time! The Herald of Andraste is here - on behalf of the Inquisition!”

“The Inquisition?”  The Marquis scoffed.  “Please tell me you all aren’t falling victim to this deception.”

“Deception?”  She was taken aback.  “But the Inquisition is going to heal the sky!”

“Please, now that the title of Divine is up for grabs, everyone suddenly knows how to solve all of Thedas’ problems,” he turned his head towards Finn and Ariane.  “And I’m sure the involvement of a disgraced Seeker and an abject Chantry sister is all just a coincidence.”

The entire room was staring at her.  Suddenly that handful of pickles Ariane devoured wasn’t sitting right.

“Surely, the man of the hour can speak for himself,” the Marquis strode towards Finn.  “Tell me, Herald , how your little power-grab is going to save us all.”

“Uh…” Finn froze up, his eyes briefly darting over to Ariane.  “I’m not, I mean, I don’t…”

“ This is who we should be answering to?” the Marquis addressed the crowd as he pointed to Finn.  “A pathetic young man who can’t even string two sentences together? If you need any further proof that your Herald is nothing more than a puppet controlled by the Inquisition’s political outcasts-”

“Don’t talk to him like that!”  Ariane slapped the Marquis’ hand away.

The Marquis’ eyes narrowed from behind his metal mask.

“I see the Herald can’t keep his own servants in order.”

“She’s not a servant,”  Finn cut in before Ariane could yell something that would definitely prevent them from ever getting invited to another formal event again.  “And I’m not the Herald of Andraste. Ariane is the only one who can seal the rifts in the Fade, and I suggest you treat her with some respect.”

Ariane felt her heart begin to beat faster at hearing Finn defend her, but the feeling was interrupted when the Marquis turned his attention towards her.

“So you’re the one who claims to be Andraste’s chosen? A Dalish elf? ” he scoffed.  “Your organization must have been truly desperate.”

“I can close the rifts and I did walk out of the Fade, but I am not the Herald of Andraste,” Ariane tried to maintain her composure, but the Marquis’ insufferable tone and the crowd of whispering onlookers made that incredibly difficult.  “My goal was never to make any claims to holiness, I just want to set things right.”

“She admits it!”  The Marquis called to the crowd, whose interest was gradually morphing into visible discomfort.  “You admit that your Inquisition is a means for you to grab power.”

“What?!”  Ariane was so surprised, her voice came out as a squawk.  “I never said that!”

“Stop putting words in her mouth!”  Finn stepped forward.

“If you wish to clear your Inquisition’s name,” the Marquis barely paid Finn any attention.  “Then you would prove you’re a woman of honor and answer the charges.”

The Marquis took a step back and unsheathed his rapier, eliciting a number of gasps from the other guests.

“I told you I should have brought my swords,” Ariane whispered frantically to Finn.

“In my defense,” he whispered back.  “I didn’t expect something like this to happen.”

“What shall it be, Herald ,” the Marquis taunted.  “If you don’t step outside, you are admitting that your Inquisition is just-”

The Marquis stopped talking and his rapier clattered to the smooth marble floor as a thin layer of enchanted frost crept up his body, holding him in place.

Ariane’s eyes widened as she turned to Finn.

“Did you…”

“No,” he looked equally stunned.  “That wasn’t me.”

“Then…” Ariane looked back at the Marquis, then up at the figure standing at the top of the grand staircase.

A woman dressed in sleek, glimmering eveningwear stood poised near the bannister.  Her presence was striking enough even without her headdress, which was in the shape of two horns. The top half of her face was concealed behind a silver mask, but everything from her outfit to her posture made it clear that she was not hiding behind it.

“The court enchanter,” Finn whispered, audibly stunned.

“My dear Marquis,” her voice, accompanied by a surprising lack of Orlesian accent, wasn’t loud by any means, but everyone else in the estate fell silent the moment she began speaking.  “You are a guest in my house and I would expect you to behave properly.”

“Madame Vivienne!”  It was unclear whether or not the Marquis’ choked voice was coming from his embarrassment, or the frost spell that was still sneaking its way up his throat.  “I-I beg you for your forgiveness.”

“It’s not my forgiveness you should be begging for,” The court enchanter leisurely made her way down the stairs as the other guests scrambled to clear a path.  

She stopped in front of Ariane and despite the air of prestige around her, Ariane swore there was almost a look of sympathy behind her masked eyes.

“My lady, you’re the wounded party in this unfortunate affair,” Vivienne never broke eye contact with Ariane as she reached out to grab the Marquis’ jaw.  “What would you have me do with this foolish, foolish man?”

“Oh,”  Ariane didn’t think she could be more caught off guard, but the question certainly did the trick.  “You can let him go.”

“By the grace of Andraste, you have your life, my dear,” With a simple snap of her fingers, the court enchanter released him from her icy prison.  “Do remember to thank my guest for deciding to spare your life - after giving her an apology, of course. It’s the very least you can do after your humiliating display.”

The Marquis coughed and took a moment to get his bearings before muttering something under his breath.

“What was that, my dear?”  Vivienne prompted. “You were so eager to prove how much of a strong, boisterous man you were before, and now you choose to be timid?  If you wish to hold onto the last sliver of dignity you have left, I suggest you present yourself properly.”

Even with the mask covering his eyes, Ariane could feel the Marquis’ glare burning into her.

“I sincerely apologize, Herald of Andraste,” The phrase alone seemed to feel like pulling teeth to him, but he seemed to recognize that it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the court enchanter.  “...for my disgraceful behavior this evening.”

“My, such wonderful manners,” Vivienne nodded approvingly.  “Run along, my dear. And do remember to pick your toys up off my floor.”

The Marquis scrambled to pick his rapier back up before darting from the main hall.

“I’m delighted you could attend this little gathering,” she turned to Ariane, but stopped when she noticed Finn.

“Lady Vivienne,” Finn bowed deeply as he spoke in a frantic voice.  “Finn Aldebrant, formerly of Kinloch Hold. It is an honor to meet you.  Your dissertation about the history involving the Circle and the first Knight-Enchanters was absolutely brilliant.”

Vivienne seemed to consider Finn for a moment before turning her attention back to Ariane.

“My dear, when writing my invitation, I don’t remember giving you permission to bring a plus one,” she paused.  “Although he is a darling, so I will allow it.”

“Oh,” Finn’s face flushed.  “Thank you, Lady Vivienne.”

“But it is imperative that I meet with Lady Sarahel alone,” Vivienne motioned for Ariane to follow her.  “I abhor discussing business in front of company.”

“Of course,” Finn gave a reassuring look to Ariane before ducking out of the way.  

Ariane’s nerves were far from settled, but Finn obviously held a lot of respect for the court enchanter, so she had to be better than most Orlesian nobles.

Vivienne lead Ariane down one of the wide hallways.  Brilliant light from the moon was streaming in through the grand windows, illuminating the court enchanter’s shimmering silver evening wear.  The end of the hallway was nowhere in sight, even after they’ve been walking for a few minutes. Ariane was having a difficult time remembering that this estate was somebody’s home.  She was pretty sure she could have housed her entire clan in the entrance room alone.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly,” Vivienne stopped near one of the windows overlooking the lush emerald gardens.  “I am Vivienne, First Enchanter of Montsimmard and Enchantress to the Imperial Court.”

Ariane bowed her head politely,

“It’s good to finally meet you.  I am Ariane, of clan Sarahel,” she paused.  “That Marquis isn’t going to be a problem, is he?”

Vivienne’s smile was oddly warm beneath her cold silver mask.

“This was not the first time Alphonse’s actions humiliated him and brought shame to his family,” she spoke nonchalantly.  “Most lately, the Marquis will be disowned for his unfortunate behavior this evening.”

“Oh,” Ariane certainly didn’t feel sorry for him, but a pit in her stomach formed regardless.  If word got out that she caused something like this…

“You need not worry, my dear,” Vivienne seemed to notice the shift in her tone.  “Alphonse decided his fate when he insulted and threatened an unarmed guest in my home.  But I did not send for you so we could discuss something as trivial as a vicomtesse’s disgraced nephew.”

“Right,” Ariane nodded and sighed in relief.  “Let’s talk business.”

The court enchanter nodded,

“As you can imagine, the Chantry is in shambles following the unfortunate death of Divine Justinia.  Right now, it seems like only the Inquisition is actually making an effort to restore order in Thedas,” she explained.  “As the leader of the last loyal mages of Thedas, I feel it is only right that I lend my assistance to your cause.”

“Loyal mages?  You mean…” Ariane stopped so she could choose her words as carefully as possible.  “...the Circle, right?”

“But of course,” Fortunately Vivienne only seemed to be slightly amused by her response.  “Mages require an environment where they can safely master their talents. Sealing the Breach will do little good to restore order if we have untrained mages running wild with no such environment to return to.”

It was a serious test on Ariane’s willpower to continue her political strategy of smiling and nodding.  She had her issues with the Circle, of course. In fact, she firmly believed that Finn was the only good thing to ever come out of that institution.  Even before she visited the tower in Ferelden, she knew that the Circle locked mages up and taught them to live in fear of their abilities. Even nearly a decade later, she could still see the Circle’s influence on Finn and how he carried his magic.  She only spent a couple hours at most in the Circle tower and could already feel herself wanting to rip her own hair out from being cooped up for so long. The idea of being locked in there for her entire life was unthinkable. Not to mention, all of the remnants of ancient Elvhen tomes and artifacts that were snatched up and hoarded by the Circle.  So it was safe to say that Ariane was not thrilled at the idea of bringing the Circle back.

However, there was something about the way Vivienne carried herself.  Ariane didn’t know if it was because they were in her home, or the way she handled the Marquis, or all the buildup Finn gave her, but Ariane couldn’t fight the feeling that she wanted to be on Vivienne’s good side.  Not out of pure intimidation, although that might have been a factor, but she wanted her approval and she had no idea why.

But Ariane did know one thing: if Vivienne somehow had the ability to get people to work against their own beliefs, Ariane would much prefer it if she was on her side.

“Well, the Inquisition would be lucky to have you,” she paused.  “Does this mean you will be sending a representative to Haven?”

“Ordinarily, I would be happy to serve as liaison to the court, but these are not ordinary times,” Vivienne gazed out of the window.  “The Divine is dead, the Veil has been torn, and there is a hole in the sky. I cannot, in good conscious, sit idly by when I have the power to make a difference.  It is the duty of every mage to serve the people of Thedas in these chaotic times, so I will be joining the Inquisition directly. If you would have me, of course.”

Ariane was at a loss for words.  As she looked around at the beautiful hallway she was standing in, she couldn’t help but think about how different it was to the rustic nature of Haven.  For a Dalish elf, it was relatively effortless for her to get used to it, but an Orlesian first enchanter?

“Are you really willing to give up all of this?”

Vivienne smiled,

“I’m not giving anything up, darling.  However, I know for a fact that I would be giving up a lot more if I didn’t do my part to help restore order.”

Creators, she was serious.  Ariane still wouldn’t have expected a powerful and wealthy human to leave a life of luxury for her cause.  Ever since the meeting in Val Royeaux, she assumed the best she could get was listening to people voice their support from the sidelines.  Ariane knew that if she were the waste the opportunity to gain Vivienne as an ally, she wouldn’t hear the end of it from Finn.

“All right, Lady Vivienne,” she bowed slightly, which was probably overdoing it.  “Welcome aboard.”

Ariane and Vivienne went to return to Finn, only to find that he abandoned the main dance floor in favor for one of the various sitting rooms.  Yes, there were multiple sitting rooms. Ariane wondered how long it took for Vivienne to stop getting lost in her own home.

Finn was sitting away from most of the activities in the party, engrossed in a book.  When he noticed Ariane and Finn enter the room, he immediately scrambled to his feet.

“Enchanter Vivienne,” he quickly shoved the book back into its place on the shelf.  “I am so sorry. I don’t have this edition and I just wanted to, I mean, I’m sorry -”

Vivienne simply held her hand up.

“You may keep it.  And let me know if you find any other books that are of interest to you.  I will bring them with me to Haven.”

“You mean…”  Finn looked at Ariane for confirmation.

Ariane nodded,

“Vivienne will be assisting the Inquisition personally.”

“Maker’s breath, you actually…” he cut himself off and turned back to Vivienne.  “I look forward to working with you.”

“Great things are happening, my dear,” Vivienne moved to the bookshelf so she could adjust the book Finn was reading.  “I can promise you that.”

If Vivienne had trouble adjusting to Haven, she did a good job at covering it up.  Not that she changed her behavior at all, although it was kind of amusing seeing her sitting next to a bale of hay while dressed in Orlesian formal attire.

Ariane wished she could have at least an ounce of her confidence, especially since she had to sit through another Inquisition meeting.  Apparently, Ariane couldn’t just be the face (or hand, rather) of the Inquisition - she was expected to actually take part in making important decisions.

Even as she tried to unwind in Haven’s tavern, the arguments from the earlier meeting were still ringing in her head.  Fortunately, Finn was more than happy to handle keeping a conversation up with Vivienne.

“...I’ve never been one for combat myself, but the history of the knight enchanters is just so fascinating,” Finn shrugged as he smiled down into his glass of ale.  “Kinloch Hold had some excellent resources about the subject, but I can’t imagine there was much salvaged from the tower.”

“We can’t even imagine how much knowledge has been lost after the Circles collapsed, to be picked apart by barbarians and scavengers.  It’s shameful, really,” Vivienne shook her head. “But if you truly wish to learn more about the knight enchanters, I would be more than happy to teach you a thing or two.”

“It would be nice to learn a few new things, to be honest that’s what I miss most about the Circle.”

“Speaking of which, there is something I am curious about, my dear,” Vivienne turned her attention to Ariane, who was mostly paying attention to the swirling wood grain pattern of the table.  “As you will no doubt have a role in shaping it, what future do you see for the mages of Thedas?”

Not exactly the casual post-meeting conversation Ariane was hoping for.

“I don’t have a role in anything,” Ariane shrugged.  “Leliana, Josephine, Cullen, and Cassandra are the ones who are in charge of the important decisions.  I just close the rifts.”

“I’m not discounting the work of your associates, but it is naive to believe that your actions within the Inquisition won’t be noticed by history.”

Ariane slumped her shoulders and drummed the palms of her hands against the table.

“I know that this is just wishful thinking, but I think mages deserve freedom like anyone else.  No one should have to be locked up for the abilities they were born with.”

The energy at the table went stiff with tension and Ariane realized she probably should have done a better job at reading the room.

“I see...” Vivienne let the last word trail off and float in the air for a moment.  “You are right: that is wishful thinking.”

“You asked me what I thought, and I told you,” Ariane crossed her arms.  “And I stand by it. The Circle didn’t work.”

“Normally I would be disappointed, but I've heard this sentiment before,” Vivienne pursed her lips.  “However, I’m curious to know what you think would be a better system for the mages.”

“You act like the Circle is the only solution.  My people have been taking care of their mages for centuries.”

“And do you propose that the Dalish should house all the mages of Thedas?”

Ariane felt her whole face, from her nose to the tips of her ears, grow hot from frustration and embarrassment.

“No, but I just…” she cringed when she heard how fragmented her voice was coming out.  “Locking mages up and treating them like criminals is wrong. Right? It’s wrong.”

“Again, a lovely sentiment, but nothing is that simple,” Vivienne turned her attention to Finn, who looked like he wanted to sink into a bottomless pit.  “My dear, if you don’t mind, I’m curious to know what occurred when you first developed your magic.”

“Oh, I suppose...but it’s not very interesting,” Finn’s voice grew quieter as he kept his gaze lowered.  “I think I was about eleven at the time. I remember having these horrible nightmares for months on end. Sometimes that’s a sign that a child is a mage, but my parents didn’t want to believe it.  It became difficult to ignore when I woke up one morning with my entire room covered in ice.”

Finn finally looked up from his glass when nobody said anything.

“I mean, nobody got hurt.  But I was taken to the Circle a few days later.”

“That is how mages come into being,” Vivienne spoke.  “Children wake up in the smoldering remains of their homes after having a nightmare.  Normal childish tantrums turn into violent tragedies.. As a mage, the darkest part of your heart has a will of its own and we spend our entire lives learning to control it.”

“Nobody got hurt,” Finn repeated.

“Would you rather these people be left unsupervised?  Or left at the mercy of angry mobs with pitchforks and torches?”

Ariane gripped the edge of the table.  What was she supposed to say? Obviously she didn’t want that, but she found that it was getting more and more difficult for her to maintain her composure.

“Of course not!  But that doesn’t mean the Circle wasn’t corrupt!”

“Finn and I are the only two Circle mages at this table,” Vivienne remained as cool and collected as ever.  “Only we have the firsthand experience required to discuss what it was like living in this institution.”

Ariane and Vivienne both looked at Finn, who by this point was sinking further and further under the table the longer the argument progressed.

“I mean, the Circle did have its problems,” Finn spoke up hesitantly.  “But I still appreciate my time in Kinloch Hold. I’m definitely more comfortable venturing into the wilds now, but I miss having a stable place where I can just sit down and read without fearing for my life.  Maybe after everything here settles down...I don’t know. Maybe we should rebuild the Circle..?”

Finn’s remarks hit Ariane like a punch in the gut.  She assumed that Finn wouldn’t be one to speak out against the court enchanter, but what his words made her stomach burn with frustration.  Frustration, and guilt. Had Finn really been feeling that way this entire time? She brought him along to visit so many of her sister clans, but other than the brief stop at his parents’ house, how many human cities did he take her to?  He agreed to keep traveling with her, but was she really keeping him from the life he truly wanted?

“Ariane?”  Finn’s voice sounded concerned, but that somehow only made her feel worse.

“I need to step outside,” she muttered under her breath before standing up from the table.  Not the most dignified way to end the argument, but Ariane knew she wouldn’t be able to win any debate against the court enchanter feeling as heated as she did.

Ariane’s boots stomped through the shallow layer of snow that dusted over the grounds of Haven.  She was angry, but her anger was slowly being gnawed away by embarrassment. Creators, she was acting childish.  She still stood by everything she believed, but why couldn’t she articulate it better?

She slumped down on a boulder near the outskirts of the training grounds and watched as the Inquisition soldiers practiced their sword techniques on the rows of straw dummies.  That’s just what she needed to cool down, but she was still way too heated. The last thing she wanted the soldiers to believe was that she was some kind of crazy elf who couldn’t keep her emotions in check.

“Ariane?”

She turned her attention away from the training grounds to see Finn standing beside her.

“Is this a bad time?”  he asked. “I can leave you alone if you’d prefer.  I just wanted to make sure everything’s okay.”

Ariane sagged her shoulders and shook her head.

“I’m fine.  I just wish you didn’t have to see me make a fool of myself like that.”

Finn sat down next to her on the boulder and she scooted to the side to give him more space.

“Do you…” he trailed off, his voice hesitant.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know, it’s just,” she wound her hair around her fingers as she struggled to find a way to piece her words together in a tactful manner.  Eventually, she gave up. “I loathe the Circle, okay? I always have. I heard what Vivienne said and I know that the system has a purpose, but I just…”

Ariane sighed and pressed her forehead against her open palms.

“That’s…” Finn actually sounded taken aback.  “That’s what this was about?”

“I know it sounds trivial, but it isn’t to me.  The Circle took away so much from my people. I was at the tower.  All of those elven texts and artifacts were taken from the ancient elves or Dalish clans.”

“I think the Circle was just putting them in safe keeping…”

“That’s not how safe keeping works!”  She hated that she was raising her voice at Finn, but something in her snapped.  “If I broke into the royal palace and stole the queen’s crown, I don’t think the guards would let me go if I told them I was just planning on holding onto it!”

Finn was silent for a moment before he bowed his head.

“You’re right.  I’m sorry I didn’t think that through.”

“And that’s not even mentioning how many of our mages were taken to the Circle, or how many times my clan has been attacked by Templars, or you…” she stopped when she realized how long she’d been going on.

“What?”  Finn prompted.  “What about me?”

“It’s just…” Ariane rubbed her forehead.  “I hate the idea of you being locked up in that tower forever.  You’re a genuinely kind, intelligent, and talented mage and I can’t stand the thought of you living in a system that teaches you to be afraid of yourself.”

“Oh,” he sounded even more stunned than before.  “That’s, um, that’s very nice of you to say.”

“I’ve seen you become so much more strong and confident ever since you left the Circle.  Like at Vivienne’s party, when you stood up for me against the Marquis. The Finn I met nine years ago in the Circle library never would have done that.”

“Don’t be so sure,” he smiled at her.  “When we first met, I was critiquing you and the Hero of Ferelden for your handling of ancient tomes.”

Ariane couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay, you have a point.  At least the artifacts of my people were in safe hands as long as you were there,” her smile slowly began to fade.  “But would you really want to go back to a system like that?”

“Ariane…” Finn looked down at his hands.  “It’s like what Enchanter Vivienne said. When I first discovered my magic, I was scared.  There were no other mages in my family. If my parents tried to hide me as an apostate, it would have ruined their reputation if I was discovered.  The Circle was my only option.”

“But that doesn’t mean it should be,” Ariane protested.  “Wasn’t it difficult living under the Circle?”

Finn seemed to think for a moment before shrugging,

“Not really?  For all its faults, I owe a lot to the Circle.  They offered me a safe place to study, I discovered my love of linguistics, I was spared a life of having to become a magistrate like my father, and I met you,” he smiled at her.  “Can’t forget about that.”

Ariane scoffed,

“And then I helped you escape the Circle.

“Okay, I never really escaped the Circle.  I just…” Finn trailed off as he looked for the right words.  “...never came back.”

“I still can’t believe they didn’t come after you.”

“Eh, it wasn’t like the Circle lost anyone important,” Finn shrugged.  “Besides, it’s easy for me to forget the hardships people have faced in regards to the Circle.  I was a Circle mage, but a Circle mage who was the son of two wealthy and powerful humans, so my time in the Circle was relatively peaceful.  I’m sure I’d be telling a different story if my roots were different.”

“Oh, okay,” Ariane sighed of relief.  “I still hate the Circle, but I’m glad you were never hurt.”

“When I say I want the Circle rebuilt, I only want some kind of system where mages can study their abilities in peace, maybe something modeled off of the University of Orlais.  Like a center of learning run by the mages themselves,” Finn shook his head and smiled. “Enchanter Vivienne would probably say this is just wishful thinking too.”

Ariane smiled back at him,

“Well if anyone can do it, I believe you can.”

“You really think so?”  He raised his eyebrows. “This is all just hypothetical.”

“I’d say it’s about as likely as me saving the world from the Breach.”

Finn laughed,

“I don’t know if you have a lot of confidence in me, or such little confidence in yourself.”

“Can it be both?”

“You’ll do great, okay?  We just made some major steps forward in the Inquisition.”

“Except I made a complete fool of myself in front of Vivienne,” Ariane buried her face in her hands.  “I feel like such an idiot.”

“No, you didn’t,” he hovered his hand over her shoulder for a moment before letting it fall back down at his side.  “Everyone was just exhausted and things got a little tense. It happens.”

“But what if she thinks I’m not capable enough to be involved in the Inquisition?”

“I’m sure she doesn’t think that,” Finn reassured her.  “But if so, well, you’re the one who can seal the rifts and you got here first.  I don’t think it’s her call.”

“Still, I feel bad,” Ariane slumped her shoulders.  “I don’t want her to have a bad impression of the Inquisition because of me.  If I ruined this alliance, I doubt I’d ever hear the end of it from the ambassador.  Or from you.”

“You know what, that’s fair,” he grinned.  “At least wait until after I get her to peer review some of my work before you piss her off too much.”

Ariane stood up and brushed some of the snow off of her armor.

“I’m going to go talk to her.  Maybe I’ll be able to explain myself better now that things have cooled off.”

Finn nodded,

“Okay, good luck.”

Ariane took a deep breath before knocking on Vivienne’s door.  Each prolonged second between her knock and Vivienne’s polite voice inviting her inside felt like an eternity.  Even after she was invited inside, it took a lot of willpower for her to finally open the door and step inside.

In the short time she had been at Haven, the court enchanter certainly did a good job sprucing up her cabin room.  Silk curtains were hung from the otherwise bare walls, glossy cherry wood bookshelves were filled with more books and scrolls than Ariane could count, and she even somehow managed to get rid of the constant stench of barnyard animals wafting around Haven.

Vivienne was reclined back on her straw bed as if it were a chaise lounge.  When she noticed Ariane enter, she sat up and tucked a silk ribbon into the book she was reading before setting it aside.

“You’re welcome to take a seat, my dear.”

Ariane didn’t realize she was waiting for Vivienne’s permission.  She nodded stiffly and sat down in one of the chairs Vivienne must have brought over from Orlais, which was way too comfortable for the conversation she was preparing herself to get into.

“I’m here because…”

Ariane choked.  Her pride got in the way.  Why was she doing this again?  She was in the right! Her fingers twisted together in her lap.  She had to remember Finn. That’s why she was doing this. Ariane inhaled deeply and tried again.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior in the tavern earlier,” she kept her gaze lowered towards the cabin floor.  “You didn’t see me at my best. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me - or my people.”

Vivienne was silent for what felt like forever.

“Your apology is appreciated, my dear,” her expression was impossible to read.  “I’ll admit, I was too quick to antagonize you. And for that, I would also like to apologize.”

Her response caught Ariane off guard.  She was waiting for the sort of haughty response she had come to expect from wealthy Orlesians.  At least some passive aggression. This was not how she expected this interaction to go.

“Oh, well…thank you,”  Ariane tugged at her hair.  “I still have my issues with the Circle, but I don’t know the system the same way you and Finn do.  I made a fool of myself earlier.”

“No, a true fool wouldn’t admit that he doesn’t know something,” Vivienne paused.  “Speaking of which, I also have to admit that I don’t know much about how the Dalish elves treat mages and I didn’t consider your perspective.”

“I guess we both had problems with that,” Ariane laughed and shook her head.  “I’m not even a mage or a scholar. I’m just a Dalish hunter who closes Fade rifts sometimes.”

“You are wiser than you give yourself credit for, Ariane.  And you are more important to the future of Thedas than you would like to admit,” Vivienne stood up and walked over to one of the shelves lining her walls.  “Before I forget, I have something for you.”

Ariane watched curiously as the court enchanter pushed past tomes and various trinkets to get to something stashed away towards the back of the shelf.

“Finn told me that you were quite fond of these,”  Vivienne held a jar out to her, and it took Ariane a moment to realize that it was a jar of tiny pickles.  “So I had some sent over.”

“Oh, thank you,” she took the jar wish nervous hands.  “I wish I had something to give you in return.”

“That won’t be necessary, my dear,” she smiled warmly at her.  “But if you insist, I wouldn’t mind learning more about the Dalish mages.”

Ariane laughed nervously,

“Finn could probably do a better job than me.”

“Finn is a remarkable mage and scholar,” she agreed.  “But I respect your perspective on the matter more.”

“Creators, you’ll break his heart if he finds out you said this.”

Vivienne gave a small laugh,

“The young man does speak highly of you.  You’re fortunate to have him around.”

Ariane smiled and shrugged.

“He speaks highly of you too.”

“Of course he does.  Who wouldn’t?”

Ariane managed to hold off on eating the jar of pickles until she got back to her cabin.

Finn looked up from his notes and grinned when she entered the room.

“So I’m guessing it went well?”

“You told her I like pickles?”  Ariane couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice as she spoke.

“Well, she wanted to know why all of the pickles being served at her party disappeared so fast.”

Ariane moved across the room so she could lightly bop him on the head.

“What?  It’s the truth,” he rubbed the back of his head.  “Still, I’m glad you two were able to put your differences aside.”

“I didn’t put them aside,” Ariane clarified.  “I still stand by everything I believe about the Circle, but I also stand by you.  And if you stand by Vivienne, then I’ll stand by her too.”

“Ariane,” Finn sounded like he was at a loss for words.

“I still hate the Circle.”

“I know, Ariane,” he smiled at her.  “I know.”