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Leliana was poring over her reports when she heard the familiar click of talons on her windowsill. She turned to the window, expecting one of her ravens. She froze. Mere feet away, at her window sat a creature like none she had seen before. It appeared to have been a bird at one point, but now there was nothing left but white bones wrapped in blue light. It hopped forward and dropped a letter onto the windowsill. Leliana reached for her dagger, fearing a demon had entered Skyhold.
The bird nudged the letter toward her.
“I am not touching that,” Leliana told the creature gravely.
The creature tilted its head and cawed in what the spymaster swore was reproach before taking off. She examined the letter carefully, noting the high quality vellum and the intricate, almost foreboding pattern of the wax seal. Leliana stood, grabbed a pair of fireplace tongues, and gingerly poked and prodded letter, trying to trigger any possible traps attached to it. After a good half hour and finding nothing, she decided someone more experienced should take a look at it.
She brought it to Enchanter Fiona, looking a bit silly walking through Skyhold holding a letter with a pair of tongues. She found the Grand Enchanter in the office she obtained when the mages allied with the Inquisition. She was speaking with Dagna when Leliana knocked on the open door. “Enchanter Fiona?
“Yes?”
“I would like to speak with you in private,” the spymaster stated.
Fiona nodded. “Thank you for your time Mistress Dagna.” When the dwarf arcanist was out of hearing range, Leliana presented the letter.
“I want you to examine this letter.”
The grand enchanter stared at her. “Is there a reason you’re holding it with tongues?”
“The bird who gave it to me was very…strange. I need to know if it is cursed,” Leliana huffed.
“Ah, of course.” Fiona plucked the letter from Leliana’s grasp, turning it around in her hands. “It doesn't feel like any sort of magic is attached to it, malicious or otherwise.” She traced a finger over the seal, frowning. “Though the seal might. Let me see…” Both women held their breath as Fiona dug a nail under the wax seal, carefully prying it from the paper. But nothing happened. The mage unfolded the vellum and looked over the greeting. “Odd, this is addressed to the Inquisitor.”
Leliana peeked over her shoulder. Sure enough, in block print it specifically addressed the Inquisitor.
“Thank you for indulging in my concerns. I’m sorry to have taken up your time.” Leliana left quickly after that, a little embarrassed and concerned over the contents of the letter.
At the war table meeting that evening Leliana presented the letter and told the group of how it came into her possession.
“How interesting.” Josephine jotted the story down. “You said the bird was skin and bones?”
Leliana clarified. “There was no skin at all, just bones and light.”
“And there were no enchantments on the letter?” asked Cullen.
The spymaster shook her head. “None.”
“Clearly someone wanted to send a message.” Asaara grinned at her own joke. “Might as well read it.” The vashoth mage began to read it aloud to the party. “A boon, should choose to accept. Let it be known that not all in the North bear ill will. Not all in the North fear allegiance or shame. Not all in the North are bound by convention. Not all in the North stop at the shore. Send many, for the construction will only bind to you. Signed, We Who Are.” Asaara paused. “This is terribly cryptic.”
Cassandra scoffed. “A boon you say? Why don’t they come themselves? This could be a trap.”
“The creature who delivered the letter appeared to have been made by magic. We should be cautious. It may be a Venatori trap,” the spymaster suggested.
Asaara frowned, knitting her brows. “But why send a letter? They didn’t when they attacked Haven.”
“We cannot be sure,” Josephine replied. “If they are our allies it would be rude of us to decline their offer. Any aid would be beneficial to our cause.”
Cullen rubbed his chin in thought. “But what do they mean by construction? Is it a weapon of some sort?” the commander asked.
Leliana frowned. “We won’t know until we investigate.”
After weighing their options all of them agreed that it was best to accept the offer. Asaara addressed the group. “Seeing as the letter says to send many, I suggest we send troops. Cullen, send a small party of soldiers to this site. I trust they will be able to handle it.”
“Agreed.”
A small party was formed and marched out the next day, headed to a site in the Free Marches. As the party faded to specks on the road, the letter passed from their minds as they turned their gazes to the more pressing matter of the Corypheus.
The subject of the letter didn’t arrive until a few weeks later when Asaara was meeting with Josephine and a particularly difficult Orlesian noble. He had insisted on meeting the Inquisitor but refused to believe an “ox-woman” could be the Herald. Josephine tried to calm the Count down, but to little avail.
“Count Duket-”
The Count interrupted the ambassador, red in the face behind his mask. “If you think I will stand for this slight, you are…”
Noise from outside drew Asaara’s attention away from the shouting Orlesian. Glancing out the window, she saw several troops struggling with something in the courtyard. She could not fully see due to the glare of the bright noon sun, but whatever it was it glowed! Her heart leapt to her throat. Demons? She grabbed her staff and raced down the stairs.
Not demons, not here, not in Skyhold.
“Asaara!” Josephine called out.
“Insult upon insult! When the Empress hears of this! I demand you-”
Count Duket followed after Asaara, Josephine not far behind as she tried to calm the man down. The Inquisition needed the Count’s support to expand their influence and this meeting was plummeting downhill quickly. Asaara reached the courtyard with the Count and Josephine in tow. She found Leliana and called out to her.
“Why are you just standing there? What’s going on?”
Leliana groaned, a hand at her temple.
“The troops just returned from the Free Marches. Apparently the gift was another one of those creatures.”
“What creature-”
A high-pitched whinny interrupted her, and Asaara turned to see a…horse? The creature had the familiar shape of a horse, but she could see right through it. Like Leliana’s description of the bird, it was a skeleton wrapped in solid blue light. The creature stamped nervously at the ground, the soldiers trying to subdue it with ropes.
“What manner of demon is that?” squawked the Count, pale as a sheet.
“None like I’ve seen.” Asaara breathed. She ignored him and weaved through the crowd, leaving both Count Duket and Josephine behind. She drew closer, transfixed by its macabre beauty. Asaara could feel the air grow thick with static as she came to the edge of the crowd. The ropes snapped as the beast reared, ears pinned back and eyes rolling. One of the soldiers was pulled forward, straight in front of the blue horse. Fearing for the man’s life, she ran forward, putting herself between him and the beast. She raised her hands, filled with storm magic, at the creature. The beast stopped short, as if by some silent command. It leaned forward, sniffing at the magic in her hands. The familiar feeling of lightning tickled the palm of her hands as stray spark arched from the construct to Asaara. It nuzzled her hand, whickering softly. Asaara smiled, scratching it on the nose.
“Hello there. You’re not scary at all, are you?”
It snorted, shaking its mane.
“You must be tired, how does going to the stables sound?”
The blue beast shook his head up and down as if it could understand her.
“You’re a clever boy.” Asaara continued to talk to the creature as she led it towards the stables, too enamored with the construct to notice the crowd staring on in awe. Josephine sighed, somehow both surprised and not by the turn of events. She turned to the Count.
“I am afraid the Inquisitor will be indisposed for some time. Would it be possible for us to postpone our meeting for now?” she asked.
Count Duket nodded, staring at both the Inquisitor and the construct. “Of co-course,” he stuttered. “At the Herald’s leisure.”
When the Count returned to Halamshiral, he told the tale of what he had witnessed to anyone who would listen to him. It spread like wildfire through the Orlesian court. Some said the Herald had made a contract with a demon, others said Andraste herself granted Lady Asaara command over the sky. The news brought an outpouring of support from the nobles and even more so from the small folk.
If the Herald could tame nature itself, what couldn’t she do?
Asaara found the story rather amusing and told it the construct, now named Blue. It whickered softly. She’d like to think Blue found it funny too.