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Ever since waking after the first attempt to close the breach, all Cersei wanted was to have a moment of peace. All morning she had people coming to her praising her. She hadn’t even succeeded, were these people that desperate? Or did they truly believe her to be the Herald?
After leaving Josephine's office, she made her way to Varric. She enjoyed his company. He was lively, even given the general situation of the world possibly coming to an end. With everyone running around like hens with their heads cut off, or complaining about the fighting between mages and templars, his stories were a welcome distraction. Rounding the corner, she was disappointed to see no sign of the dwarf. Cassandra must be continuing to question him.
The sound of swords clashing and distant yelling could be heard from beyond the gates.
Through the large open doors she could see the recruits training with each other. The commander observed and coached his men quite well, she thought, especially for a one man show. Something about the man reminded her of home. He was no nobility, to her knowledge, nor was he a Marcher, but something about him made her smile. She knew little of the man, but was under the impression that he was a skilled warrior, to have been asked to become the commander of an army, as small as it may be. She could tell he took pride in his work, and gave his all, just from the little she'd seen him in his duty.
“Planning on going down there to show those boys how it’s done?” asked a voice from behind.
Jumping at the sudden realization someone had been watching her, she turned to tisk the intruder, her face softened a bit seeing Varric leaning against the wall ever so casually, as if he’d been there all along. “No, just... Observing the troops. I doubt I’d be any good at teaching them anything, anyway. The commander seems to have things under control.”
He scoffed, “I’ve seen your work with a sword. Don’t discredit abilities, Locks.”
She smiled at that. It had been a long while since anyone applauded her work with weapons. Her mother and father saw it as a waste of time for a young lady like herself. Her brother, the middle child, was the only one who showed enthusiasm for it. However that quickly faded from her life once he joined the Templars. He’d encourage her through his letters, but it wasn’t the same as it had been in the past. Her oldest brother told her it was a waste of time, that she should be learning things from their mother, how become a wife, and hold appearances during balls and public affairs.
“Go on, show ‘em what you’ve got. People need to see your capable of handling yourself if shit gets ugly. Which will probably happen sooner or later. So far, the only ones who've seen what you can do is our small party. Show the people you’re more than just a woman blessed by the Maker. ” Varric urged and she nodded as she strode toward the gates.
‘Come on. It’s no big deal. You can hold your own. Max would be disappointed if you backed down now.’ she pep talked herself as she closed in on the small camp of men. A few turned to welcome her. She greeted them as she past, heading for Cullen. “Excuse me, mind if I join?” she asked by tapping his shoulder.
The commander turned, and took a double take of the woman beside him, “Ah, by all means, Herald.” he answered questionably and nodded to a nearby recruit. Not long after, she was ‘kicking ass, and taking names’, as Varric pointed out to Cassandra. The men were cheering her on and taking their turns. They seemed to be learning a bit also. The first one had decided to go easy on her, ending up with bruises and a busted lip. Cullen was pleased with the results, and took note of the Heralds abilities with a sword. He’d assumed she was a daggers kind of woman, with her small frame and agility, but was pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise.
Varric had stopped Cassandra from interrupting, stating simply “She needs this. They all do.” But the seeker couldn’t wait any longer. More important matters, such as actually closing the breach, needed to be tended to. Shoving field reports under her arm, she straightened her back and marched down to where the commander and herald stood. “Ahem..Commander, Herald.. Your presence is needed in the war room.” She swiftly turned and disappeared through the gates.
“Nice work, I wasn’t aware you used a sword.”
Cersei smiled, more to herself than anything, “Thank you, it is my prefered weapon.. Next to daggers.” She spoke softly before following after Casandra.
He laughed to himself and smirked, a bit pleased. ‘Knew it.'