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Evelyn did return to Cullen but not fully - at least not at first. Calling on her resourcefulness and will in spite of ever increasing pain, she successfully thwarted the Qunari and was even able to confront Solas. Her meeting with the Dread Wolf did not go well. Solas shared his plans to destroy the world and rebuild the Elvhen empire. After listening to Solas and his twisted rationalizations, Evelyn had found herself at the ancient elf’s mercy as the mark’s magic raged uncontrollably. Solas took the anchor’s power from her and walked away with a pithy “Live well while time remains,” while she watched in agony and horror as her lower left arm disintegrated before her eyes.
Although the mark and the threat to her health it caused were gone, Evelyn was more fragile than ever. The woman who had boundless energy and rarely slept more than four hours a night stayed in bed all day - sleeping or staring off into the distance with hollow eyes. She barely ate - even when presented with cakes and pastries that she would have once greedily devoured. Normally obsessed with cleanliness and order, Evelyn had to be cajoled and chided into bathing.
Cullen felt powerless and angry as he struggled to connect with Evelyn. He recognized that she had suffered enormous losses - not only of her arm but her faith in people. Solas’ betrayal had gutted her as had the discovery that people that she thought served the Inquisition had in reality been working for him or the Qunari. Even the elven servant, Shana, that had been with Evelyn since Haven ended up being in league with Solas. Shana had disappeared shortly after Evelyn returned, and a search of her belongings revealed that she had kept extensive notes for the Dread Wolf on Evelyn’s thoughts and behaviors. She must have felt guilty for her actions because she also left a letter addressed to Evelyn apologizing for all that had occurred and her part in it. The note seemed to only make Evelyn more bitter. “Solas was sorry for what he had done and what he is planning to do. Does that change anything?” she’d snapped before tossing the letter into the fire.
It didn’t help that the Exalted Council continued to meet in her absence. At first, there was an outpouring of support for Evelyn and the Inquisition, but soon the discussions turned ugly as the Qunari threat faded and other countries sought to capitalize on her and the Inquisition’s perceived weakness. Evelyn’s mental state as well as her fitness to lead in light of her injuries were called into question. More nations joined Ferelden and Orlais in their calls for the Inquisition to disband or be reorganized under Chantry control.
Josephine presented Evelyn with these developments hoping to spark the hot temper that the ambassador had once tried so hard to tame. Evelyn listened carefully to Josephine’s pronouncements, shrugged, and went back to sleep without saying a word. Other friends tried to reach her as well. Varric regaled her with stories while Cassandra held her hand, Sera brought cookies and threatened to punch her if she didn’t get up, and Dorian brought in the latest in lady’s fashions which he had Iron Bull model. Evelyn was polite but detached with them. Only Leliana managed to get the faintest of smiles out of Evelyn when she carried in a bundle of young nugs and offered to let Evelyn have one as a pet. Evelyn declined saying she didn’t need or want any more responsibilities.
The healers expressed their concern over Evelyn’s depression to Cullen. They tried various herbal tonics and kept the room flooded with sunlight, but there was little change in her demeanor. Evelyn had to want to be helped, and it appeared she didn’t. She told Cullen that she was just too tired. When she said that she was tired of fighting, tired of betrayal, tired of … everything, Cullen grew worried that he might lose her to whatever it was she saw when she stared blankly ahead of her. He temporarily handed over leadership of the Inquisition’s forces to Knight Captain Rylen to stay at Evelyn’s side and fight for her when she didn’t have the strength to do it herself.
Evelyn didn’t make his job easy. For weeks, he had to plead and prod to get her to eat, get bathed, get dressed, and get out of bed, but he did it - every day. He would only relent once Evelyn had done those things and walked around the palace grounds three times with him. She would protest and say that she needed to rest, but he demanded otherwise - going so far as to lift her out of bed and dress her himself on particularly bad days.
Little by little, Evelyn started to improve. The first thing to return was her appetite. Cullen was overjoyed when she reached across the table one night and stole a fritter off his plate. When her temper began to flare again, Cullen considered it another victory although he would have preferred a less volatile emotion to have surfaced. A week or so later her sense of humor began to reemerge - drier and more sarcastic than before but still sharp and observant. Cullen was elated because her pointed jokes brought with them the return of her smile. Then one day Cullen got back from a morning run to find that Evelyn had gotten up and gotten ready on her own. Her hair was neatly brushed, her dress was crisply ironed, and her smile was dazzling as she greeted him with a hug and the suggestion that they take Graham on an outing.
The next day she said that she wanted to speak with the Council. She marched into their meeting - perfectly poised and elegantly turned out - carrying the writ that had authorized the formation of the Inquisition. In eloquent and biting words, she told the delegates that the Inquisition would be disbanding and wished them well in trying to manage their problems without its assistance. Having spoken her peace, she beamed before dropping the gigantic writ in front of the dais and strutted out of the meeting without so much as a glance backward.
From that point onward, Evelyn made steady gains as she adjusted to and compensated for the loss of her arm. Circle mages relied heavily on staves for spell casting, but Avvar mages did not. After contacting the clan she had built ties with at Stone Bear Hold, their augur sent one of his apprentices to teach “Inquisitor First Thaw” how to wield magic without a staff. Always a quick study, Evelyn made fast strides toward regaining her elemental and healing abilities. As he managed the wind down of Inquisition forces, Cullen would step out from his office at Skyhold and watch Evelyn practice. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it seemed as if her fires burned brighter and her electrical attacks leapt further.
Regaining her Knight Enchanter skills proved more difficult for Evelyn who had wielded her spirit sword in her left hand. At first, she tried a prosthesis Dagna fashioned but found it was too clunky. Commander Helaine stayed on with Evelyn while the Inquisition disbanded - retraining her to use her right hand instead. Cullen then took over coaching Evelyn although he wondered if Evelyn at times pretended to be unsure about her form, so he would wrap his arms about her to demonstrate a technique - not that he minded in the least.
Evelyn took little from Skyhold with her when she left - just her alchemical reagents, seeds from her garden, and the mosaic tiles she had painstakingly collected during her travels. The rest was sold with the majority of the proceeds being used to provide for injured veterans and the families of Inquisition soldiers killed in the line of duty. Less than four years after its founding, the Inquisition had ceased to exist or so it seemed on the surface. In truth, the Inquisition hadn’t ended but had instead been transformed - to a leaner and more shadowy organization with one goal - to stop Solas at all costs.
After visiting Cullen’s family in South Reach, Cullen and Evelyn moved to Kirkwall to be with Graham. Although others might have found the arrangement odd, sharing a home with Norah, Jason, and Graham worked well for everyone concerned. Evelyn and Cullen had grown accustomed to living communally in the Circles and didn’t mind what others might have felt intrusive. Norah and Jason enjoyed living rent free in a safer part of town than they could have otherwise afforded, and Graham got to be with both of his parents. The fact that their mansion rivaled a small castle in size meant that it wasn’t hard for everyone to find their own niche - even as Norah and Jason expanded their family.
While secretly masterminding the recruitment and training of individuals to counter Solas’ plans, Evelyn and Cullen stayed busy in the public eye. Seeing a desperate need unmet, Evelyn reopened Anders’ clinic in the Dark Town slums. She also led a beautification effort throughout Kirkwall - planting flowers and herbs in every available nook and cranny. The city once known for calamity began to gain recognition for its gardens instead. Cullen was never far from Evelyn’s side - triaging patients at the clinic or building flower boxes for her gardens.
They had been living in Kirkwall for nearly two years when Evelyn presented Cullen with an unusual gift on Satinalia -a rectangular piece of white cloth. “Thank you,” he said politely after opening the neatly wrapped package. He puzzled over the cloth for some time before turning to Evelyn and asking, “What is it?”
“Something that will see a lot of use in a few months,” she’d answered before breaking into a grin that stretched from ear to ear. “It’s a burp cloth. I’m pregnant.”
Cullen did need that cloth - several in fact - as twin girls arrived later that year. Leli and Cassie were every bit as lively and demanding as the two women after whom they were named. Cassandra visited Evelyn and Cullen as often as her Seeker duties allowed - ostensibly to check on her namesake but also to see Varric. Varric and Cassandra never wed, but they acted like an “old married couple” nonetheless. Evelyn once quipped to Cullen that she had never seen two people so capable of aggravating and adoring each other in equal measure. He pointed out that the same could be said of Bull and Dorian, and Evelyn had to concede his point.
Sera flitted in and out of Evelyn and Cullen’s life. They kept a room ready for the unpredictable elf who would show up unannounced and bearing cookies. In the years following the Inquisition’s disbanding, nobles would complain that the Red Jenny’s seemed more focused and effective. Evelyn would smile to herself as she heard those grievances. She always did enjoy planning and pranks, and providing Sera with guidance seemed more like fun than work.
Evelyn kept in near constant contact with Dorian via a sending crystal he had given her that she wore around her neck. Cullen chuckled whenever he’d hear Evelyn describing different outfits to Dorian and asking for his opinion on what to wear. Evelyn’s silly questions and inane chatter kept Dorian grounded as he struggled to build an alliance of reform minded magisters as Tevinter faced increasing pressure from Qunari attacks. When requested, she also gave him her take on the difficulties he faced - although more often he simply sought her advice on whether to pair a particular entree with red or white wine.
Bull continued to lead the Chargers, and the raucous group would come to visit Evelyn and Cullen whenever one of their jobs took them within two day’s ride of Kirkwall. Krem sent regular packages to Leli and Cassie - outfitting them in ruffled dresses and rugged rompers that he had designed and sewn himself. When Cassie’s magic manifested at age five, Dalish proudly taught her to declare “I’m not a mage.” and gave her a crystal tipped bow similar to the one she carried.
Evelyn saw Blackwall and Vivienne less often than the other members of her inner circle. Blackwall, who now went by his real name Thom Ranier, had dedicated himself to reaching out to the desperate and demoralized. He traveled Thedas speaking with prisoners and criminals providing them with hope that they, too, could turn their lives around. Vivienne largely steered clear of Evelyn as she tried to rebuild the Circles and consolidate her power. Still the haughty enchanter would make an annual appearance at Evelyn’s name day celebration - to see and be seen and to get a few digs in on the Inquisitor.
Shortly after the Exalted Council ended, Cole disappeared after telling Evelyn that he was needed elsewhere. His cryptic words hinted that he would find Solas and provide him with the conscience it seemed the elf had lost in his efforts to make up for his mistakes. Cole’s leaving worried Evelyn. The sweet spirit had once been corrupted against his purpose with terrible results - would exposure to Solas’ hubris cause the same?
Josephine returned to Antiva and transformed her family’s modest shipping business into a mercantile empire. While people marveled at the Montilyet’s return to prominence, Evelyn quietly thanked her former ambassador whose ships carried not only wares for sale but weapons and people engaged in the secret war against the Dread Wolf and his followers.
Leliana in her roll as Divine Victoria gently guided the Chantry through its largest changes since Drakkon founded it some eight hundred years earlier. Mages were no longer rounded up and placed in Circles. Their magic was heralded as a blessing rather than a curse, and they were encouraged to study with the College of Enchanters. Leliana opened the doors of the Chantry to elves, vashoth, and dwarves, and there were many conversions to Andrastianism as a result. Knowing that she had reached the limits of people’s tolerance, she stopped short of allowing men into the priesthood. In her off time, Leliana bred nugs - creating many fashionable varieties that Orleasians flocked to purchase. Little did they know that her designer nug sales helped fund the efforts against Solas.
Evelyn had once told Solas that she would do anything to protect her people, and she meant it. She hoped to be able to convince the elf that the world was worth saving, but she had steeled herself to the eventuality that she might have to kill the man she had once considered a friend and mentor if he couldn’t be swayed. As she groomed people to take the battle for Thedas to Fen’Harel, Evelyn prayed that Solas would see the arrogance of his plans and turn from them. In the meantime, she took his directive to “live well” to heart - loving her family and friends without reservation and refusing to build any more emotional walls that might keep the hurt in and those she cared about out.