Notes:
Instead of focusing this story on my inquisitor, Stephen Trevelyan, I've chosen to tell the story of one of his companions, the Knight Enchanter Lenore. This fic will focus mostly on her exploits and contributions to the Inquisition, while weaving in details from the Inquisitor's journey in the background. This story takes place after the events at Haven as the Inquisition is just settling into Skyhold and will likely lead all the way up to the end of the game, and even beyond.
PS: It's been about five years or so since I've actually sat down to write a fanfic, and while I fear I'm slightly rusty, I'm excited to get back into it and I hope you enjoy my story! 3
PSS: Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, as this story is being posted without being proofread by a beta.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Skyhold
Fresh snow blanketed everything in sight creating a bright white wasteland as a small group of weary mages, many of whom were unaccustomed to traveling long distances, were attempting to make their way up a steep path to a lonely fortress tucked away in a hidden corner of the Frostback mountains; the ancient fortress holding the forces of the Inquisition.
This trek through the mountains would have been difficult for most anyone, but the snow covering the path ahead of them, burying sheets of thick ice, effectively hid the trail markers that were supposed to guide their journey. This presented quite a challenge; one that made it almost impossible for them to continue on to their destination on their own.
Thankfully, the group wasn't making this journey on their own, as they had been escorted all the way from Val Royeaux by two Inquisition agents. These same agents, an experience scout and a well-trained solider, had crossed this path countless times doing their duties before. They knew their way back the fortress by heart, and had volunteered to find the path for the group even with the challenges that the elements created before them. The mages currently all stood in a line along the path, waiting for their return.
At the front of the line, a charger with a shimmering coal-black coat stood proudly in the thick snow as he held his position. His rider, a human woman whose small stature seemed to make her stick out even more compared to the massive animal she rode atop, was adorned in the finest Orleasian armor; the armor of a warrior. The armor, and the layers of leather beneath it, did little to remove the chill from her bones as she shivered from the cold.
She gripped the reigns tightly as she kept her eyes trained the path in front of her. Her bear-hide cloak flickered behind her in the breeze and she reached up with one of her hands to pull the hood tighter over her pitch black hair. The rose-colored scarf wrapped securely around face shielded everything but her light green eyes from the cold, biting winds whipping around them.
"Knight-Enchanter!", a voice called out to the woman from farther up the trail a a pair of horses came into view. The grim looks on their faces upon their return didn't foster much hope that they had good news for her.
She pulled her scarf down around her neck, eyes darting from one to the other until she finally spoke.
"How bad is it, Fredrick?", the woman demanded from the scout closest to her.
"It's worse than we feared, Knight Enchanter.", Fredrick responded timidly, glancing over to his companion beside him for support.
"There are signs of a battle further ahead. Inquisition forces have tangled with the red templars along the pass before. They may still be out there."his companion, an elven woman by the name of Ioren, spoke, a hint of annoyance in her voice due to Fredrick's cowardice.
The panicked sounds of her fellow Circle mages behind her were a first concern, and she turned her steed in order to face them. "It will be alright. We have trained for this possibility.", she said encouragingly, trying to keep up their morale despite what they were facing.
"My lady, ", Edmond, one of the senior enchanters among the group, addressed the Knight-Enchanter directly. "We knew the risks when we decided to journey with you to join Lady Vivienne in helping the Inquisition restore order, but many of our brethren are exhausted. Our magic may not be of any use to defend ourselves against the Red Templars. "
The Knight-Enchanter's expression turned contemplative as she weighed the options in her mind. She knew that they needed to keep moving, as they could reach the fortress before night fall if they just kept moving. But, she also knew that pushing further in the condition that her chargers were in could risk the lives of those she had sworn to protect, and she was not sure she could take that risk.
"Fredrick. Ioren. Find a place to set up camp for the night. Preferably some place off the path and out of sight. We'll continue at first light.", The Knight-Enchanter commanded. Several audible sighs of relief her companions behind her reached her ears as she dismounted from her steed.
"Thank you, Lady Lenore.", Edmond said, bowing in respect to their leader.
"You don't have to call me by any title, my old friend. Lenore will suffice.", she told him, reached over to place her hand on his shoulder, a soft smirk resting in the corners of her lips. As she pulled away from him, she grabbed hold of the reigns of her horse, Valéry. She lead the group off the path and into the line of trees nearby, following close behind the scouts.
The two scouts lead the group of ten mages into a cave cut into the mountain side that had often been used as a shelter for Inquisition agents unable to make it to the fortress before nightfall. It was snug fit, as the cave wasn't very big, but there was more than enough room for all the mages to huddle in front of the fire pit in the center to warm up.
Outside of the cave's entrance, Knight-Enchanter Lenore and the two scouts discussed what to do about what they had found on the trail. The scouts explained that there were remnants of what appeared to be a fierce battle scattered all across the trail. Weapons littered the ground, bodies were left where they fell in the snow, and the landscape decorated in the deep crimson hue of blood. From what they could tell, the Inquisition forces were surprised, and they never stood a chance.
"Should we look for survivors of the attack?", she questioned the scouts, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't further alarm the others.
"There won't be any if it was the red templars, my lady.", Ioren said, her face growing solemn.
"I can't accept that.", Lenore said, as she crossed back to her horse, still dressed with it's saddle and bridle. She mounted the horse with ease, as the scouts moved quickly to her side.
"My lady, we don't even know who it was that attacked them. And, even either way, you could be walking into a trap!", Fredrick said, trying to reason with the Knight-Enchanter.
"I know.", she replied softly and with conviction, and the two scouts could see there was nothing that they could say to change her mind. "Stay here. Keep my companions safe.", she commanded them, and rode off away from the cave and back to the road.
The Amaranthine Charger galloped forward up the steep incline through the snow, spurned on by his mistress even as darkness began to close in around them. As soon as she reached the top of the hill, the stench of the corpses permeated the air, and the sounds of wild animals feasting on the remains was the only sound she could hear.
Lenore dismounted from Valéry, holding her hand behind her as a sign for him to stay where he was. As she descended down the trail, she held her staff in front of her. Her staff was a relic passed down to her from the former Grand Enchanter of her circle. As the light from the cleansing rune illuminated the purple dragon at the top of the staff, and, in turn, the battlefield before her.
What she saw mirrored everything that she had been told and it rattled her to the core. But, even with her fear threatening to choke the life from her, she pushed forward in that hopes that someone had managed to survive the battle.
She glided along the snow, leaving a trail of ice behind her over the snow. She disappeared as her magic blended in with the fade itself to move her faster than physically possible. Her spell allowed her to be in one place and then in another in mere seconds, which kept the predators searching among the corpses for a meal off her scent long enough for her to conduct a search of her own.
She stopped as she found a half-buried helmet nestled into the snow. She bent down to pick up the object, dusting the snow from it. The helmet was in the shape of a lion, and it was unlike anything Lenore had ever seen before. It was beautiful, and well made, and rivaled even those worn by the Chevaliers back home. She turned the helmet over in her hands, as she scanned the area around her in search of it's owner.
She felt something grab hold of her ankle, and she gasped and jerked around towards her left prepared to fight. The light from her staff revealed a blonde-haired man, half buried in the snow and completely covered in blood. He was holding his sword defensively in one hand towards her while his shield laid nearby. There were corpses scattered on top of him, as a way of disguising his presence from anyone, or anything, that might wish him harm.
"I'm here to help.", she told him, confidently, trying to reassure him that she didn't want to hurt him. He seemed to realize that she wasn't his enemy, as his eyes landed on her staff in her hand, he released her from his grasp. He raised the index finger of his right hand to his lips, before motioning for her to come closer with his left.
She crouched down in front of him, checking for any visible injuries other than the gushing gash across his forehead. "What happened here?", she whispered to the man as she helped him crawl out from under the pile of corpses.
"Ambush.", was all the man managed to get out before a ragged cough interrupted him. A pained gasp escaped his lips as his hand shot to his abdomen. She moved her staff down further, and moved his hand to find an open wound. He needed medical attention, and that was something she could give him – even if it was the unconventional kind.
"Hold still,", Lenore instructed him, closing her eyes as she stood. As she was casting her spell, she called forth spirits from the fade to heal him. Her fingers seemed to dance as they waved in practice motion, as she recited the incantation from memory under her breath. She felt the energy pouring forth through as the spell finished, green lights sparkling in a circle around the pair. She opened her eyes to see his wounds had completely healed themselves and left no trace of their existence.
When she was finished, there was recognition in his eyes, as if he had seen such talents preformed before."Knight-Enchanter.", he said in acknowledgment of what she was, though she wasn't sure if it was admiration or disdain she heard in his voice. She didn't answer him, regardless, offering her hand to him instead.
"Can you stand?", Lenore asked him, even as he ignored her extended hand to rise on his own. She stood close to him even as he did, as she wasn't sure that he hadn't regained the energy to remain standing for long. He picked up the lion helmet from it's place on the ground from where she dropped it before, and put it back onto his head. He retrieved his shield once he was finished, which bore the familiar Templar crest upon it.
"You're a Templar?", she asked accusingly as she pointed her staff towards him defensively as if she expected an attack at any moment.
"Was.", he corrected with great annoyance, as if it was a question that he had answered far too many times in recent memory. "It's too much to explain right now. You'll just have to trust me.".
She studied him cautiously for several more moments, trying to determine whether or not this whole thing was a trap, before she relented and lowered her weapon. She hadn't seen any signs of the red-lyrium taint decorating his skin, and she saw no reason to not to take him at his word. That didn't mean, however, that she wouldn't be cautious of her new companion and his motivations.
"Are there other survivors?", he asked her, and he took her solemn expression as her reply. He closed his eyes, and his lips began to move silently. She could only imagine that he was praying for the souls of the deceased, and she said nothing to break his prayer to the Maker for his companions.
"We have to get back. Bring men to help burn the dead.", the man told her when he was finished, insistent on this decision as he tried to walk off in the opposite direction. She rushed after him, placing a hand on his shoulder in hopes of stalling him.
"Not tonight. It's too dark and we don't know if they're still out there or not.", she whispered to him as she removed her hand. "There's a cave back in the other direction where my companions are waiting for me. We should return there until dawn."
He seemed to hear truth in her words, even if she knew that it wasn't what he wanted, and motioned for her to lead on. She nodded and turned to make her way back towards Valéry at the top of the hill. If she were alone, she might have used her magic to cloak herself or race back as she had before, but she felt it was best if they stayed close.
She halted as a black wolf crossed her path in front of her, and seemed to notice them approaching. The wolf bared it's teeth as it stalked closer to them. She had never seen a wolf act in such a way, but she had heard reports of demons taking control of such creatures before. With the Fade rifts in almost every corner of Thedas, it seemed probable that this was what she was facing now.
As the wolf lunged at the pair, and drew forth her spirit blade. The blade made contact with the wolves abdomen, injuring it while forcing it away from her. The wolf rose to it's feet again, and to keep it from trying again, she hurled a flash of fire from her staff in it's direction. The fire spooked the wolf, and it ran off away from them; losing interest in the pair.
"Come on.", Lenore said to her companion over her shoulder, breaking into a sprint as she raced the rest of the way up the hill. The spirit energies she had called forth had revitalized them both, but it was pure adrenaline that drove them forward.
As soon as they reached the top of the hill, she mounted Valéry with ease, and offered her hand to the man to help him up. He took the offered hand, and slid onto the horse behind her. She pulled the reigns on Valéry, and the horse took off back in the direction of the cave and away from the scene..
Fredrick and Ioren were waiting for them back at the cave entrance, and were visibly relieved by Lenore's return. The fires from the caves had been extinguished, and she could hear the snoring from the cave. It relieved Lenore to know that her charges had been kept safe in her absence, but she hadn't expected any different from Fredrick and Ioren.
"We were afraid you weren't coming back, my lady.", Ioren greeted her, bowing to Lenore as Lenore busied herself with removing the heavy saddle from Valéry's back.
"Commander!", Fredrick shouted to her male companion in surprise, who proceeded to wave off the scout.
"You found the Commander, Knight-Enchanter?", Ioren asked, the surprise in her voice as unmistakable as Fredrick's. It was unlikely that either scout expected their commander to be among the men ambushed in the pass, and that, if they had any clue, they would have searched for him harder.
"He found me.", she replied to them a small smile formed on her lips as she stared back at the commander. He reached up to rub the back of his neck, what Lenore could only assume was a nervous tick, before clearing his throat to abate any awkwardness he felt.
"At any rate, there are things we must discuss," the commander told Fredrick, as he motioned for Ioren to join them. He lead the two out of Lenore's earshot, and away from the cave closer to where they had both set up their camp for the night, which didn't surprise Lenore in the slightest.
Lenore didn't take offense to his secrecy, as she assumed they had Inquisition business to discuss that, at this moment in time, didn't concern her. It also could have been that the good commander didn't trust her, which she also wasn't offended by if that was the case either. She still wasn't sure she completely trusted him either, but that could be said of most anyone belonging to the Inquisition. She, along with the rest of the world, still had their doubts about what exactly it was they wanted to accomplish, and it was that secrecy that unnerved her the most.
She patted Valéry's back when she was finished, letting the horse wander off to join the others and find a place to sleep. Lenore made her way over to the fire that the scouts had been sitting around upon their arrival, unrolling her bedroll near it.
She sat about removing the heavy breastplate, gloves and boots from her body, piling it next to her staff on the ground near her satchel. She pulled the cloak she wore tighter around herself as she crawled into the bedroll. She stared into the fire in front of her, watching the flames dance before her eyes. Over an hour passed before she scummed to her exhaustion, the crackling of the fire soothing her to sleep.
True to her word, Lenore and her mage companions, as well as their Inquisition escorts, departed from the caves at first light. The frenzied madness of preparing the mounts for travel, as well as shoveling down a quick breakfast, left no time for much else.
It had been decided that while the pass they were planning on taking was the direct route, they would not be taking that path to the fortress. It was deemed to great a risk for the mages, as the likelihood demons would be drawn to the area increased the longer the bodies were left to decay on the road. Fredrick had been sent on ahead to the fortress to gather men to prepare the pyres, and to announce their impending arrival.
Lenore rode beside the Commander, whose name she had learned was Cullen Rutherford, at the front of the line. Her mage brethren trailing close behind on their mounts and Lenore couldn't help but notice that their spirits had vastly improved from the night before. Ioren took up the rear of the line on her Red Hart, prepared to defend the mages with her bow if it was called for.
Lenore and Cullen spent most of the ride in silence, as both were more concerned with watching for any sign of trouble than getting to know one another. But, as they neared closer to the fortress, the commander chose to break his silence and address her directly.
"Knight-Enchanter."
"Yes, Commander?", she answered without removing her eyes from the broken path through the forest in front of them.
"Where are you from? I can't quite place your accent.", he admitted, which caused her to chuckle lightly in response. This was a question that she had received often in her lifetime, and she wasn't in the least bit surprised upon hearing it now.
"Do you have a guess?"
"If I had to guess, judging from your armor, I'd say Orleasian, but you don't sound Orleasian."
"Free Marches, originally. I was born in the circle at Ostwick, but I was raised in Montsimmard in Orlais.", she told him, as she glanced over in his direction to ask a question of her own.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because sometimes, when you speak, you almost sound..."
"Ferelden?", she asked, cutting him off before he could even finish his statement.
"Quite.", he agreed, a hint of irritation peppering his voice over having been cut off.
"My mother was Ferelden. I must have picked it up from her.", she offered, shrugging her shoulders. She urged Valéry forward as an attempt on ending the conversation before he could press her further.
But, as the fortress finally broke into view as she emerged from the tree line, everything else she could have been thinking was effectively wiped from her mind. The towering fortress was more than she could have ever imagined, and yet, somehow, it's walls seemed more inviting than intimidating. The inquisition standards at the entrance confirmed what she already knew – they had made it to safety at long last.
"Welcome to Skyhold, Knight Enchanter.", Cullen said beside her, before he took off to lead the way across the long bridge that lead to the entrance of the keep. Tears dripped down Lenore's cheeks, landing on the metal of her breastplate as she breathed a sigh of relief. She sniffed, pushing down her remaining emotions, as she followed after the commander to her, and her fellow mage's, new home.