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The Inquisitor and her advisors stood around the war table alongside Alistair and Hawke. Markers were set up around Adamant Fortress.
"It's going to be one hell of a siege, Inquisitor. Are you sure you want to be on the front lines for this?" Cullen kept his eyes on the setup on the table.
"I'm certain. I should be with the soldiers." Evelynn spoke.
"You are a great fighter, but you are no warrior."
"And you haven't fought a Grey Warden before." Alistair added on.
"I can do this! I have the mark, I know how to weaponize it. I can turn the tide." Her brows furrowed at the doubt she was given.
"Besides, you don't need to be a walking metal golem to handle yourself." Hawke defender her.
"Thank you Hawke."
"Not to side against you..." Josephine spoke up.
"What's your suggestion then?" Evelynn's tone was rightfully irritated.
The argument amongst the Inquisition came to a halt. Behind them the great doors to the war room creaked as the large wood swung open. Cullen and Alistair grasped their hilts and prepared for an ambush.
"Wait..." Evelynn held out her arm.
Alistair's eyes widened. "Those are Grey Warden colours."
From between the two doors pushed in an elf blessed with muscle. A sword larger than her mounted on her back. Her armour shined silver and blue. Her hair bright, vibrant and red, tied in a messy bun.
"Is that....?" Cullen's heartrate spiked at the familiar face. "Shit..." he muttered under his breath.
"Lyora...." Leliana gasped and cracked a small smile.
"The Hero of Ferelden...." The Inquisitor turned to an astonished smile.
The elf stood up and looked around at the people inhabiting the room. "Yes it's me. The Her-OOOO-..." A large belch silenced herself. She patted her chest with her fist a few times and a smaller burp let out.
"She's drunk..." Hawke giggled.
"Yes......how, charming..." Josephine squinted and tilted her head.
"Woo, apologies. I had a few tankards with that Qunari before I got here." Lyora stepped inside with a tipsy sway. She leant over and grasped the Inquisitor's hand kissing the back of it. "You're the Inquisitor I assume?"
"Yes, that would be correct." Evelynn felt flushed at the Ferelden's greeting.
Lyora dropped her hand and looked up at Leliana. “Lilly!” She bolted over arms fanned. “It is so good to see you again!”
Leliana braced for impact and gently returned the hug. “Yes, it’s so good to see you too Lyora...how have you been, and Zevran too? Are you two still together?”
The Hero leaned back. “Oh...Zevran’s dead…” She said with a deadpan voice.
“What!....I’m so sorry, what happened?” Leliana couldn’t believe the Antivan Crow finally met his end.
Lyora patted herself. “I was given this note.” Moments later she found it and unfolded the letter, handing it over to the nightingale.
My Love, I am dead.
Please keep it a secret for a while until I am able to unfake my death. - Zevran.
“Oh….that’s….” Leliana tried to act saddened by the news to cover up her reaction to the warden terribly holding this secret. “Tragic, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It happens you know?”
Alistair raised a brow at his friend. “You seem to be in heavy grievance?”
“Tell me about it, I can’t sleep anymore without him nearby. But anyways!” She circled around the table to embrace Alistair. “I haven’t seen you in a while, how have you been?”
He grunted upon feeling Lyora’s tight squeeze, breath escaped him for a moment. “Oh….I’m just fine really….on the run from other wardens.”
Lyora released him and allowed him to catch his breath. “So I’ve heard, that’s why I’m here!”
“You’re here to fight your own brethren?” Evelynn’s head turned in a curious tilt.
“Oh well no….I’m here cause I was sitting in my nice remote shack in the middle of a forest in eastern Ferelden when some fucking Venatori attacked me.” She drew her dagger from her belt and stabbed it harshly into the war table. “And the sodding fuckers. Killed. Barkspawn.” She shouted through her gritted teeth as she turned the blade. “I’m fucking pissed! And if those Warden shites who I fought with against darkspawn! Are siding with a god damn one that can speak common! Well count me into this fucking siege cause I’m about to kick my own fucking war-siblings’ asses!” Another dagger was drawn from her belt and stabbed into the table.
Josephine took two steps back away from the angry warden. Evelynn followed her in stepping back from the war table. Hawke’s grin grew.
“They…..killed your mabari hound?” Alistair’s whole body turned to Lyora, his eyes burned at the tragic news of the hound that couldn’t have been bested by any darkspawn.
“MY FUCKING HOUND!” The Hero grasped at Alistair’s armour and shook him violently. Fear instilled into her friend.
“Maker’s breath….Andraste help me…” Cullen whispered to himself.
All rage cool immediately from Lyora. She turned around and gazed at Cullen. “Oh my sodding apologies. I forgot to finish my introductions. CULLEN!” She stood beside him, arm wrapped around his back.
He anxiously sighed at what was about to come.
“How long has it been? Too long? What are you pushing forty now?” She had a jesterly grin on her face.
“Yes...I’m nearing forty years of age.”
“And look at you! You’re still a fine stand for that set of armour you wear.”
The commander covered his face as Josephine and Leliana giggled behind him.
Lyora looked over his shoulder. “Oh hello. I’m sorry you had to see my outburst, allow me to introduce myself.” She stood upright and at attention then proceeded to bow. “Lyora Tabris, Hero of Ferelden.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lyora.” Josephine reacted with a nervous smile, the elf’s boisterous personality and unexpected arrival gave her an uncertainty of how to feel in the current situation.
“And you-” Lyora turned to the final person. “The Champion of Kirkwall.”
The two of them both gazed at each other as if they were both commoners and the other one was a celebrity. The two legends reached out their hands and gave a strong embrace.
“I love your work, the way you took on the Arishok and fought a templar made of red lyrium…” Lyora’s smile shined brightly at Hawke.
“And I do adore your tale of taking on hordes of monstrous men, ending a civil war, and slaying a black dragon.” Hawke’s grin was wide enough to cause her to squint.
“Look at us!” Lyora had one hand pointed at the Champion of Kirkwall and the other one pointed at the Inquisitor.
Evelynn smiled in surprise. She wasn’t expecting to be grouped into the same status as the other two, especially her saviour from when the Blight had occurred.
“The three, biggest, badasses in all of Thedas, joined together under one common goal.” She looked over at the Inquisitor. “Honey, I can guarantee you with us two under your banner there’s absolutely no one in existence capable of stopping you. And look!” She turned around and faced Alistair and Leliana. “We’re getting the band back together for another ride…..and Cullen you can be a part of this one too!”
The commander stepped back a bit not wanting to hang close to Lyora.
“Hang on, Inquisitor, if I may….may I use your garden for the night?” Lyora spun on her heel towards Evelynn.
“Sure….how did you know we have a garden?”
“I met up with your crew and took a walk and gander around your place before I came storming in here! I do adore that Bull fella you got there. I tried to fight him but he was busy drinking with his rag-tag group of misfits. It reminds me of us Alistair.”
“Yes...good times…..good…..times.” Alistair replied dully.
“Anyways, thanks! You should swing by when night falls!” Her hands clasped together, fingers interlocking.
“I’ll be sure to, thanks for the invitation….to my own…..garden.”
A massive bonfire lit up the garden area that night. Evelynn walked right through the door and fire shined in her eyes. “What is going on here!”
“Don’t worry Inquisitor! It’s safe!” Lyora shouted from a tree stump behind the blaze.
The inquisitor entered the garden area and took a seat on the stool beside the Hero. Alistair, Hawke, Varric, and Leliana all sat around gazing at the roaring element.
“This was, this was what we looked forward to at the end of the night.” Lyora picked up a log and lodged it into the fire.
“It’s quite nice, even if the situation wasn’t.” Alistair hugged his knees while he sat on the grass.
The elf looked at the inquisitor. “When the Blight started, we had no home to turn back to. Either because it was taken from us, or we’d die in our homes if we didn’t stay out to keep the darkspawn at bay.” She picked up an adjacent stick and moved the kindle around with it. “After a long day of running into assassins by that bastard Loghain, encountering even more darkspawn, getting pulled through dirt and blood, fighting dwarven cartels, werewolves, demons, mages, templars, being put in the fade by a fucking sloth demon, trying to navigate the waters of human politcs--”
“I think she gets the point, Lyora.” Leliana sat in the same position as Alistair, enjoying the warmth of a nostalgia fire against her skin.
“Right….the world was against us, really, really tried it’s best to kill us. At the end of the day,” She picked up another log and threw it into bonfire. “A large, warm, fire, in a nice area away from trouble, being surrounded by the family you bonded with through the trouble this Blight had caused, it was all we needed to keep pressing on. To not give up. Sure this fucking situation was bad, cause that would mean when we wake up we gotta do the whole thing all over again and there’s no telling for certain we would succeed or eventually perish and let all of Ferelden die out. BUT! I’m just trying to say...the fire is a symbol to me….it’s one of the only good, rare, memories I have in my life. It’s been around eleven years since I’ve seen all of you,” She waved her stick at Leliana and Alistair. “I wanted one more moment, just for old time’s sakes.”
Alistair’s nose felt salty as he begin to get emotional, he could almost hide it aside from the fact that Leliana noticed but kept it secret.
Hawke felt the sentimentality as well and laid her head on Varric’s shoulder.
“If only we could fully get the band back together.” She said leaning on her stick like a cane. “Shale, Wynne, Oghren, Sten…..”
“The Blight took away a lot from us…..but it’s also given us so much…” Hawke spoke softly.
Lyora turned her head. “Where were you when the Blight took place?”
“I was running, with my mother, my brother, and my sister. We almost made it until, we encountered an ogre.”
“Blighted bastards, I’m sorry.” Alistair gave his condolences.
“My sister thought she could take him, and in turn gave her life so that we could go on.”
Varric gently clutched the Champion’s hand for comfort.
“What about you Inquisitor? You don’t have to share if you’re uncomfortable, this is all just grave curiosity on my part.” Lyora’s tone shifted tonight. When she first arrived, she was loud, fiery, passionate. Now her voice spoke low, coarse, and somber.
“You were born in the Free Marches, correct? You weren’t there--? Varric was interrupted by Evelynn.
“Actually Varric, years before the Blight, I had a falling out with my family. My father and I bickered a lot so he sent me to my uncle’s in hope that farmwork would straighten me out. Then the Blight happened.”
Everyone perked up and looked at the Inquisitor.
“That’s rough, trying to survive family and darkspawn?” Varric condoled.
“You lost your uncle?” Lyora threw the stick into the bonfire.
“Not only my uncle. I met a friend there, we were close, real close. I actually think….I might’ve been sweet on her.”
Hawke pulled herself up from Varric and gently rubbed Evelynn’s back in sympathy.
“I stayed over her house one night, and then I woke up to screaming and the smell of fire.” Evelynn stared off into the roaring red as she left the current scenario and reentered the harrowing memory.
“How did you get away?” Lyora sat closer to her.
Evelynn’s gaze didn’t move from the bonfire in front of her. “It was you….my friend, her parents, all being devoured by the darkspawn. When they looked up and came for me, you rammed through the door with your companions and slaughtered them. I didn’t stay, I leapt out the window as soon as a distraction came.”
The Hero fell silent upon hearing the Inquisitor's tale.
“There would be no inquisitor, no inquisition, had you not shown up.” Evelynn looked upto the elf.
Lyora’s hand landed on her shoulder. “I am terribly sorry for your loss, I wish I had arrived sooner.”
“What about you? What had the Blight taken from you?”
“Nothing….”
Evelynn’s eyes widened in shock. “Nothing?”
“Everything I had, was already taken from me.” Lyora looked over into the fire.
“I’m very sorry to hear that.” Evelynn’s tone lowered.
“If I may, what happened?” Varric asked.
“I was conscripted a week before the Blight occurred. I was at the mercy of men. Death or conscription. Either way I was seeing a lot of death…”
Evelynn faced down towards the grass. No matter how difficult life was made for her, she always had known, elves’ carried more woe than her.
“I lived in Denerim, it was my wedding day. All was merry and fun, until a pack of dogs, noble dogs arrived. They kidnapped me, my friends, tortured us, killed us. When I broke out of the estate, bloodied and furious it was time to answer for my “crimes”. The guards wanted me arrested, that was when Duncan stepped in and conscripted me.” She looked up at Evelynn.
She looked back at the elf speechless. Apologies would be weightless.
“I hadn’t held a drop of bloody respect for a human until I met those two over there.” She pointed at Alistair and Leliana. “And now, I hear about the Champion’s tale and all she did for Fenris and Merrill. And I hear about this Inquisition, you’re amassing a force of heroes regardless of background. You give me hope about the future. I sure would’ve loved to be born into the age of acceptance, but it makes my heart lighter knowing that there is an effort out there towards it.” Lyora turned with her back leaning against Evelynn’s arm.
“There’s more than just keeping demons in the veil to do. I’ve always felt that Thedas also needed saving from itself.” The inquisitor chimed.
“And it does me proud knowing that it wasn’t a mistake saving this place from darkspawn masses.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head down while lying alongside Evelynn. “If you don’t mind, it’s been a long trip today. I’m going to catch some shut-eye.”
“Take all the rest you need, Lyora.”
Eventually they all dropped one by one. Hawke had fallen asleep in Varric’s lap. Varric laid back on the grass facing the night sky. Evelynn leaned onto Lyora and the two stood each other up while they slept. Alistair and Leliana were eventually brought blankets by inquisition servants to distribute amongst the others who were already asleep.