"Inquisitor Lavellan has been informed that there is a person of interest being transported to Skyhold at this very moment," began Leliana. "A person who would likely cause a bit of an uproar among our allies if his station here were to be revealed."
Selise looked curiously back and forth from Leliana to Grand Enchanter Fiona. The two women seemed uncharacteristically uneasy. A picture flashed behind her eyes of a figure in a black hooded cloak, walking hurriedly across the Skyhold courtyard in the golden hour before sunset. He would be arriving that very night.
"We have been consulting about whom to assign as a sort of… Keeper," she continued in her musical Orlesian accent, "and we have settled upon you. You have served well over the years as one of my little birds, and the Grand Enchanter has been very impressed with your special gifts."
"Clairvoyance is not a trait that is common among even the most powerful mages," added Fiona. "Leliana and I agree that it, along with your Entropy specialization, could be useful in helping this man go undetected for as long as possible here. You will be tasked with assisting him any time he must leave his chambers so that you can help him elude notice. If there is any chance that he might be recognized, you have the freedom to intervene using non-lethal methods. We are hoping that your gift of sight can help him avoid any trouble, but your demonstrated ability with the Sleep and Misdirection spells should be invaluable in any… unexpected situations."
"I know it sounds like we aren't giving you a choice, but you are free to decline this assignment, if you have any reservations," added Leliana.
"Before I accept, may I ask who this man is?" asked Selise. Having spent the past two months at Skyhold without feeling any real agency or purpose, she was already sure she was going to accept the assignment, even if only to have a reason to fill her days again. But with all the secrecy around their meeting, she found herself moving beyond merely wanting to escape her pervading ennui, to feeling positively intrigued.
"You have heard of the apostate named Anders?" asked Leliana.
Selise involuntarily took in a sharp breath. Of course she'd heard of Anders. Every mage in Thedas had heard of Anders.
"Inquisitor Lavellan has decided that due to the controversy that continues to be associated with him, she will fore go the customary public judgment, and instead quietly conscript him into service for the Inquisition. He is one of the few people who have had dealings with Corypheus before the breach, and with his…. connection to the spirit world, he may be able to offer unparalleled insight that could be very important to our mission."
"However, reports indicate that Corypheus did exert a very strong effect on Anders' mind, so he will be kept far from any combat or situation which might put him within proximity to Corypheus himself. Which means that you too would sit out of any fighting."
Selise nodded. "And what about the spirit that possesses him? Justice?"
Fiona and Leliana looked at each other.
"If Justice presents as a threat to anyone within Skyhold at any point, he must be neutralized. By whatever means necessary," answered Leliana. "We are hopeful that your gifts can prevent that from becoming necessary. It was one of the main reasons we chose you."
"I accept," Selise said simply.
"I knew we could count on you," said Fiona with a pleased smile.
"You'll need to pack your things. You'll be taking the quarters that adjoin his," stated Leliana.
Selise nodded and stood.
"Obviously if any important or useful information comes to light at any point, we expect you to report it immediately," said Fiona.
"Understood Grand Enchanter."
Fiona led her down the stone stairs and through the lower floor of Skyhold.
"Few come down here, and those who do most likely will not venture beyond the front storage rooms. However there is a small kitchen down here, and we have had a washroom and a library installed.
"He will be staying indefinitely?" Selise asked.
"For a few months at least. It will be up to the Inquisitor to change his assignment beyond that. She most likely will want to meet with you at some point, and you will be reporting to myself and Leliana on a weekly basis."
Selise nodded.
"We do expect all your reports to remain unbiased, Selise. I know that goes without saying, but do try not to succumb to temptation or impropriety. This is an important post, and none of us can afford mistakes."
"Of course Grand Enchanter," answered Selise.
"I know I have no reason to doubt you dear girl, but that had to be said nonetheless. Now, there is Anders' quarters," she said gesturing to a door off to the right. "And here is yours," She opened a door immediately beside his to the left. It led to a spacious stone room with a small fireplace in the shared wall.
"A bit nicer than the one you had in the mage's tower, isn't it? Wait until you see the library. It is small, but full of many rare volumes." Fiona informed her with a pleased smile.
"So, settle in. Anders should be arriving in an hour or so."
"No, they won't be here until later. Just before sunset." Selise told her.
"Oh," she answered. Fiona was used to Selise by now and barely blinked an eye. "Well, more time for you to get comfortable then."
Selise closed the door behind Fiona and turned back to appraise her new quarters more closely. The room's two windows were carved out of Skyhold's outermost wall and they looked straight down into the glacial valleys of the Frostbacks. She shivered with the realization that this thin piling of stone and glass was all that stood between her and an unfathomably long drop onto hard ice. The room was well appointed with a much larger bed than the small cot she had back in Skyhold's mage tower, as well as a table and two chairs, and scattering of lanterns.
She put her small pile of clothing away and settled her books onto the one bookshelf that stood in the corner of the room. When the mages were recruited into Inquisition service, they were only given a couple hour's notice to gather their things, and so Selise had only brought along a small bag of belongings. But the truth was, she was grateful to rid herself of any remaining ties to her former life.
She wondered if Fiona and Leliana would still have chosen her for the position if they'd known that four years earlier, after Anders blew up the Chantry, she found herself slightly infatuated with the now legendary mage. The secret about how her father and brother had come to die in the inferno of her childhood home remained unknown to all, and even from across the Waking sea, she felt a kinship with the man who took matters into his own hands in so similar a manner as she had. She was only saving herself from the men who would try to kill her, while he was trying to force change for all mages everywhere. It wasn't exactly the same, but something about his story had affected her profoundly.
She had only seen his likeness in paintings, and read and reread the numerous books published about the Kirkwall rebellion, including the resulting fight between knight Commander Meredith and Enchanter Orsino. She had only been twenty years old then, but she wished she'd had the luck to be born in Kirkwall so she could fight at their side. A foolish wish according to the rest of the Circle. Varric Tethras, the author of the definitive account of the events at Kirkwall was there at Skyhold, but she had never spoken to him. She would be just another fan among thousands as far as he was concerned, and she had no interest in pressing upon him her unsolicited admiration. But she watched him in awe, knowing that he was there, that he knew the Champion, Anders and all the others. They were her heroes, as much as she might have had any. Cullen too, had served under Knight Commander Meredith but eventually fought against her. When she learned about the people she would living amongst at Skyhold, she realized with excitement that she was joining something very important. Even if there had been no breach, these people were out to change the world. If she couldn't have been in Kirkwall, she was glad to be here, even as only a tiny cog in a giant wheel.
The year after the Chantry blew up was when she had been enlisted by the Nightingale, to serve as a pair of eyes and hands in one of the most volatile parts of Ferelden. Selise's clairvoyance had won her a renown of her own among the Lake Calenhad Circle, and even though she wasn't proficient with Destructive magic in general, she had found a number of creative uses for her peculiarly strong talent in Entropy.
She felt the flutter of nerves at Anders' impending arrival, but also a little bit of dread. He would probably assume that she was a another silly girl with a couple weird talents, even though she was now 24 and had years of working outside the Circle under her belt. She wasn't a girl at all, really. Or even a woman, or at least she didn't feel like one. She was a weapon. A hunter, a killer and a diviner of secrets. She expected nothing more than to perform her duties for him with the same ruthless efficiency that she had come to be known for while working for the Nightingale.
He had to be in his thirties by now. She told herself that everything she had probably heard about him was wrong, and she was going to put it all out of her mind. She would come to know the man who was there before her, not the character in the books that she had revered.
She stepped in front of the mirror that hung by itself on a stone wall.
Her black hair was swept back into a messy ponytail, and her pale skin and light gray eyes remained clear. She wasn't sure why they bothered giving her a mirror, as she had no time or interest in prettying herself up or trying to embellish her plain features for the sake of attractiveness. But there it was. And there she was. She shrugged, and picked up her book, and left the room.
Their rooms were at the end of a long narrow hallway at the furthest reaches of the lower floor, and after she stepped out of her door, she followed that hall past Anders' door and around one corner and then another, before finally she reached the two rooms set up as a kitchen and washroom. But the library was on the other side of entire floor, located just next to the door that led to the stairs up to the Great Hall. If they were to run into people anywhere down here, it would be the library, especially once it was discovered by her fellow mages, and word spread about the rare books there. The library was a single small room that was crossed quickly in less than ten steps. But the shelves ran high up, all the way to the ceiling, and were filled with ancient tomes with titles completely unfamiliar to her. She looked forward to spending a fair bit of time there.
She grabbed the book she was currently halfway through, and made her way up to the courtyard of Skyhold, squinting against the bright sun as she crossed the grass to sit under her favorite tree. It was the vantage point from which her vision of Anders' entrance came. She would be sitting right there when he finally crossed the threshold into her life.
Before she opened her book she felt the presence of the spirit from the tavern.
"He comes, a face from your future and past, but not yet your present. She waits but doesn't, the pictures telling her when."
"Hello Cole," she said.
"Closer and closer, heavy with old pain, split in half and aching. His purpose is new but the same, and he may not find safety here. You will help him?"
"I will complete my duties," she answered. "He will be safe, if I have anything to say about it."
"You will help him," he said again, this time a statement and not a question. Without seeing him sit, he suddenly appeared in the grass beside her. He'd been drawn to her since the day she walked into Skyhold, undoubtedly attracted by her gift of sight, and Selise found herself enjoying his company most of the time. Sometimes for all he could see, he couldn't quite tell when she wanted to be alone.
"A keeper like a mother, hiding a child in her apron."
Selise snorted gently. Not quite a mother, she thought.
"I don't wear aprons," she informed him.
"It is nice having another here who can see without looking."
"You have said that before," she said.
"And. It is."
"Cole, what do you think of the bald elf mage?" she asked him.
"Solas has a wall in his mind. But sometimes a window opens."
"He looks at me funny sometimes."
"A look that makes him laugh?" he asked.
"No, not that kind of funny. Like he knows… something. But I can't seem to glean anything from him."
"The bald mage is full of knowing. Knowing is not always funny."
"But he is not also a seer? Like us?"
"Not a seer, but he does see."
"Hm," she said and opened her book.
The golden hour fell, and she put her book down to watch the gate to Skyhold open. A minute passed. Two minutes. Then the gate creaked and lifted slowly, and several of the Commander's soldiers streamed in, removing their helmets and breathing the relieved sighs of homecoming. And then he was there, black cloak flowing, hood hiding his face. There were soldiers at his sides and his rear, guiding him up the path, and no one else in the courtyard looked up to see him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The trip to Skyhold was grueling, and Anders didn't remember ever being as cold in his life as during those days traversing through the snowy peaks of the Frostbacks. But when Skyhold finally came into view, it almost took his breath away. It really was a stone fortress perched right at the edge of the sky, and it seemed utterly untouchable. As they crossed the long bridge to the gate he felt the ancient magic that resonated up through the stones, providing its walls and inhabitants with an extra layer of protection. As impressive as the approach was, when the gate opened to reveal green grass and flowering trees he found himself breathless yet again, and was almost sad that he would be leaving it so soon. Once he found what he was looking for within these walls, he would have to make yet another fly-by-night escape, and make his own way back to Denerim. If only he had the time to relax here for a while first, he thought wistfully. Maybe the prize he sought wouldn't be so easy to find, and he would be forced to wait. Forced to take some time. That might not be so bad, he thought, but he had already been waiting for too many years. And now that he was hearing the quiet song of the Calling, he knew his time truly was limited.
He glanced quickly around the courtyard, wanting to stop to take in the people and market tables that were nestled among the grass, but the soldiers at his side and rear kept their pace, not allowing him to slow. There were tents and wooden structures positioned throughout the expansive grounds, and somehow even surrounded by immeasurable fathoms of rocks and ice, the trees were alive with the song of birds. The few people he saw did not look up at the procession of soldiers; it was probably a sight that occurred with boring regularity, but there was one pair of eyes watching him closely, knowingly. A dark haired girl sitting before a closed book in the shade of a tree, with eyes so light and intense he felt a small jolt of a curious reaction somewhere deep inside. Maybe it was her wild nest of dark hair which for a brief moment, reminded him vaguely of the woman he had loved for a short time, years ago.
He ascended the stairs and entered the Great Hall, which was warmed by the burning fires placed at even intervals along the pathway. He cast his eyes about, looking for the eye in front of the chantry star symbol that would identify the Seeker, but instead he saw a small bald elf watching him closely with an unreadable expression, and heard the low raspy voice that made him smile despite himself. The rumors were true, Varric was here. Before he could lay his eyes upon his old friend, he was turned into a doorway that led to a long crumbling corridor. A solider knocked on the massive wooden doors that towered over his head, and it creaked open, held in place by a petite girl with short red hair.
"I remember you," he said softly.
He was brought forward to a large table surrounded by four other people, including the Seeker.
"Knight Commander Cullen," he said with a nod. Cullen looked bulkier, but also… looser somehow than the Templar that had been stationed in the Gallows in Kirkwall for all those years.
"It's just Commander now," Cullen said gruffly, and he shifted impatiently on his feet, his brows drawn. He seemed decidedly unhappy. Of course he would be, Anders figured, he was faced with the man who blew up his Chantry.
The Seeker was an attractive woman, if a bit severe in demeanor. Her armor was heavily dented and battle worn, but she greeted him pleasantly enough, introducing herself as Cassandra. Her handshake was as firm as any man's, but her skin was softer. First order of business would be to find out everything possible about her, particularly where within this fortress she might elect to store her valuable items.
"Anders, this is Inquisitor Lavellan," Leliana said as a slender elf with short, platinum blond hair approached and held out her hand to greet him. Her hand glowed green and Anders felt the energy radiating off the marking. It seemed to be a vortex of some kind, and was connected to the Fade. The closer she got, the more the Veil felt as inconstant and changeable as a thin slip of water.
Somewhere deep down, Justice stirred.
"Forgive me Inquisitor, but I don't think I should touch that… mark on your hand," he said as he felt the anxiety rising in his chest. This would be the worst possible time for Justice to emerge.
"Oh. Of course. It's fine," she said and lowered her hand.
"Anyway, I am Ellana, welcome to Skyhold and the Inquisition. As you know we have chosen to skip the whole public judgmenty bit in order to prevent riots within a few of our allied states, but this is not a vacation for you. You are here to serve the Inquisition, with your knowledge of Corypheus and whatever else we may ask, until we.. until I have decided that you have made sufficient reparations," she stated, looking hard at him with piercing green eyes. "You have been assigned a Keeper, to help you remain undetected here at Skyhold, as well as to report on your activities. I have yet to meet this girl myself, but I am told she comes with an unusually helpful skill set for your particular situation. Grand Enchanter Fiona will be bringing her in any moment now and to explain how this is going to work. If you cause us any problems Anders, I am told this girl should be able to subdue you."
"This girl is a Templar?" he asked. He expected to be under guard, but to simply be followed around by a girl? He was almost insulted.
"She is a fellow mage in fact. But if you would prefer to be assigned a Templar, that could be arranged," the Inquisitor responded.
"Nope. No thank you," he said, biting his tongue.
The large door creaked open again, and two small women with black hair approached. One he recognized as Grand Enchanter Fiona, and the other… was the girl from the courtyard. She carried herself easily, with a smooth confidence that was not ostentatious. Her pale skin was the color of alabaster, and she had disobedient black hair that was threatening to break free of its binding. When the girl's strange light grey eyes met his, he felt that little jolt in his gut again. She did have some similarities to Hawke, he noticed, but there was something very different about her too. She was slightly taller, he noticed. Her nose was longer and more elegant, eyebrows thicker and more angled. And he didn't know if he'd ever before seen eyes such a light shade of grey that they were practically silver.
He held a hand out to her in greeting, "Hello, I am told we will be spending a bit of time together."
She took his hand and gave a little squeeze.
"Selise. Pleased to meet you," she said simply.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Back in her quarters, Selise stared out the window into the blue expanse of sky. Anders looked very much like she had always imagined him: an average sized man with deeply set, reddish brown eyes, a long slender nose and a stubbled chin and jaw. His hair was longer than it was in all the book illustrations, and worn loose, not back in that little pony tail. The ends had been bleached blond by probably the same sun that had given his skin its golden tan. If Selise was the type of girl who noticed when a man was attractive, she would have thought so about Anders.
But she wasn't, she reminded herself. Men were simply a distraction.
It was hard to reconcile the polite, low profile man with the stories about Kirkwall, but she could feel a deep well of disturbance in him. Some of that might have been Justice, some perhaps the inevitable damage done by a hard life fighting and running. She felt a quiet sympathy for him, but reminded herself sternly that regardless of her own personal opinions, she was expected to act without any trace of bias.
A vision flooded her mind. He was about to come retrieve her for a quick tour of Skyhold. But it wasn't a good time for that. It was just after dinner time, and the Hall and courtyard would still be full of people. She left the window and opened the door in time to see him standing on the other side, hand raised in an unexecuted knock.
"Night time would be better," she told him.
"Oh… uh, well you don't waste any time do you?" he said, his cheeks growing pink.
"For a tour of Skyhold. There might be a few places I can take you, but the Hall is busy right now. It would be best to wait until the sun is down for the full tour."
"Right. Yes, there it is. That's what they were talking about, right?" he said, "I have never met a clairvoyant before," he gave her a sheepish smile.
"Is it always going to be like this? Do I even need to bother speaking?"
"It is not always like this. It just happened to be this time," she said.
"Fascinating. Well, uh, okay then. We wait until night. Only a few more hours for that, right?" he stammered, and then cleared his throat. "Sooooo would you like to join me for a cup of tea then?"
Selise thought a moment and then nodded, and stepped quietly out the door.
He led her to his quarters and since his back was turned to her she took the opportunity to inspect him closely. He had removed the hooded cloak and now wore a simple black robe with brown cotton breeches and leather boots. His wavy hair hung down to just below his shoulders and he had a thick, shiny scar stretching around the base of the left side of his neck. Whatever had caused that would have been a killing blow, but had clearly been healed very quickly with magic.
His quarters were just as sparsely appointed as her own, and he gestured to one of the chairs at the small table in the corner of the room. She couldn't help but notice that he kept flashing quick, cautious looks at her, and she got the impression that if she wasn't looking back, he would have been studying her closely as well. Of course he would be curious about her. People always were once they learned about her gifts.
He hung a kettle over the glowing coals in his fireplace and opened a small cupboard to find two mugs.
"So they say you are also gifted in Entropy," he began. "I am a healer you know. That means we are opposites. Or some might even say complements."
"Oh?" Selise asked. She was trying not to stare at him, but she kept finding her eyes back on his face. The drawings she had seen had not done him justice. She forced her eyes down to her hands and made them stay there.
"Yes, Creation spells give and enhance life. Entropy drains it. I suppose it's fitting that they would assign an Entropic to me," he mused. "We are black and white, you and I. Light and dark. I am the light of course," he laughed. "Though many would argue otherwise. You would be the dark. It's a little ironic, isn't it?"
Selise cocked her head and considered this.
"Have you drained many lives Selise? Are you a killer?" he asked casually.
"I have killed far fewer than you have, even accounting for those you've saved," she answered.
"You can't know that. I'll have you know that I have saved a great deal of people. It's what I do," he informed her matter of factly.
"But let's not get this off on the wrong foot," he flashed her a wry smile.
"So anyway, how do you feel about this? Your assignment?" he asked, turning to retrieve the kettle and steep some leaves.
"I don't need to feel anything about it. I am just doing my duty," she answered.
"Oh come on. You don't really believe that, do you? Clearly you know about the things I have done. That rarely inspires apathy, especially among my fellow mages."
"Yes, obviously I do know about the things you've done."
"And?"
"And?" she asked.
He sighed, and sat down to slide a mug across the table.
"Thank you," she said.
"Is it because you see things about people that you don't want to? Is that why you've got this gruff thing going on? Is this just some sort of protective shell? Or is this the entropic darkness tainting your soul?" he joked.
Selise took a sip and finally met his gaze again. He had one eyebrow slightly raised, and was searching deep into her eyes. She fought back a small smile from her own lips.
"Well don't worry. I'll crack that shell eventually," he smiled and took a sip of his own tea.
"Do you not feel guilt for what you did?" she asked, instantly squelching the lighthearted mood. She was suddenly struck with a sharp ache in her chest that sucked out her breath. These must have been Anders' emotions, as they were not her own, she realized.
"Of course I do," he said, his smile fading, "If I believed there was any other way to affect real change, I would have taken it. But there was no peaceful option left. Something had to happen. I don't expect people to understand that. But I do regret the unnecessary loss of life."
Selise nodded, and she swallowed heavily as she tried to push his emotions out of her, erecting a spiritual barrier to close her off to receiving too much from him. It wasn't often that she took on someone else's feelings, and it rarely hit her so quickly or strongly. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly "I do understand," She tried to shake out the image in her mind of her home engulfed in flames.
"Do you?" he asked, staring down into his mug.
"I do understand the need to take some matters into your own hands. And in your case it made you a bit of a pariah," she said.
Anders snorted, "that's an understatement. Well, good, I guess. At least that's something. Certainly better than the extremes of hatred or emulation that I usually seem to encounter."
He looked up into her face again, and the intense scrutiny of his eyes made her itch to look away. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so nervous in someone's company. But this was Anders. She shouldn't have expected to remain completely unaffected.
"I have never seen eyes that shade of grey before," he said eventually.
"They were my mothers," she said. "I mean, you know, I got them from her."
"Did you get the gift of sight from her too?" he asked.
Selise nodded.
"Is it difficult? Do you have any control over the things you see?"
She shook her head. "I have no control. It can be difficult, but I don't know any other way of living."
"Right," he whispered, "I suppose you wouldn't."
"So can you tell what people are thinking? What they…. Intend to do?" he asked, his eyes turning wary.
"I see events that are already in motion. Not ideas or plans. Those are always too changeable, until they become action."
He nodded, "that makes sense."
But he had plans, she realized. She couldn't tell what they were, but he had them.
"You have an agenda here don't you?" she asked. "I find it hard to believe the notoriously slippery apostate of all the tales was just genuinely caught off guard. You allowed your capture this time, didn't you?"
Anders laughed softly, "Oh dear. You are not going to make this easy for me, are you?"
"Make what easy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I guess you'll just have to wait until my plans become action, won't you? And then you can see for yourself."
"You're awfully bold to assume I will keep quiet. Especially so soon after we have first met."
"Am I? Ah well. I can assure you I do not plan to hurt anyone. Quite the opposite actually. And I will assist the Inquisition to the best of my ability," he took another sip of his tea.
"Besides, I want to be friends. I assume you will report on all my activities, so I will just have to do my best to convince you of my very real desire for atonement, won't I?"
Selise sat back in her chair and looked at him openly. In a roundabout way, he was calling her bluff.
"Did they really think it was a good idea to assign someone so pretty to me?" he asked then. "And putting our quarters so close together? It's like they're daring us to fall in love."
Selise couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that.
"Oh, she finally smiles!" he said.
"They trusted me with this because they know me," she said.
"But clearly they don't know me. I can be very charming."