Heather rolled an iron rod through her fingers. It was a trick she had learned from her older brother. Roll it through each finger, then back across the hand, continue. It really helped build her hand strength, as well as dexterity. He probably meant it as a training with a sword, like he did. Doubt he meant for her to use it to pick locks. And pockets. The occasional sweetroll.

Now though, she could spin one in each hand. Well...actually, she could always do that. She used either hand as well as the other. Sometimes at the same time. Her brother was so pissed.

And, literally, right now, she was doing it while laying down. On a bench. With her head on a sexy Antivan lap. Which was covered in silk. Soooo comfortable…..

"Are you listening?" Josephine asked suddenly.

"What? Yes! Of course!" Heather had not, in fact been listening. "You were talking about the House of Repose and the whole bit with the banning of your shipping to Orlais…."

Josephine was quite. He face was perfectly neutral as she looked down at Heather's overly grinning face. Then she frowned.

"No, in fact, I was not," Josie's face was irritated. "I had moved on to asking if you thought your family would be visiting this spring of summer."

Heather's face blanched. "Eh...Sorry Josie, my mind wanders. Can't stay on one topic for that long," Heather sighed as she spun the rods one final time before catching them in her hands. "I try. I really do. I swear! It's always been a problem for me. Well, that and I can be kinda oblivious."

A wry grin spread over her face as she crossed her legs at the ankles. "This one time, I was visiting Aunt Lucille's, and I went into the house, walked right up her, kissed her on the cheek. The first thing she does is ask me 'Did you like the new entry hall?'"

Josie raised an eyebrow.

"I just looked at her and went, 'what entry hall'?" Heather rolled her eyes. "Like, I literally went through brand new oak doors, and walked through a sixty foot entry hall that hadn't existed the last time I had visited her."

It was kinda clear that Josie was trying to keep a straight face. She was trying to be angry.

"Sixty feet, Josie. Sixty feet."

The antivan was beginning to vibrate.

"Of white marble."

"Hah ha!" Josie finally cracked. She began laughing so hard she bent over, nearly smothering Heather with her breasts. Not that Heather minded that particular death….

"Andraste...oh...Maker…." Josie slowly regained control of herself and slowly sat up. She was dabbing at her eyes with a small white handkerchief that had a pair of sparrows embroidered on it. Poorly. Really, the only reason Heather knew they were sparrows, and not some kind of exotic new, brightly colored darkspawn was that she was the one that embroidered them.

A warm smile crossed Heather's face as she saw it. She reached up and wrapped her finger into Josie's, pulling the hand down for her to kiss. "You are my favorite," she told her ambasador. "My absolute favorite."

"And you are mine," Josie leaned forward again, but this time pressed a light kiss to Heather's forehead. "But you are not changing the subject. I was asking if you thought your family would be visiting for your birthday, midsummer."

Heather froze for a moment. She blinked a couple times, then frowned. "Josie….how old do you think I am?"

The question clearly caught the antivan by surprise. Which is a thing that, normally, Heather quite enjoyed doing. But this time….

"You are twenty-five. You are third in line to inherit from your parents. Your birthday is Ferventis sixteenth. Your favorite color is gold," Josie cocked her head slightly as a concerned look began to form on her face. "I mean, I know you are a couple years younger than me, but...why?"

Swallowing, Heather let out a long breath before shaking her head. "You at least know my name, right?"

"Heather...this isn't funny anymore," Josie had shot right past concerned into mild fear. "Did...did I say something wrong? I...I'm sorry, I…"

Holding up a hand, Heather forestalled Josie before she could really get going. "Josie. My second sister was born on Ferventis sixteenth. Nine-seventeen."

Josie just blinked for a moment, uncomprehending.

With a roll of her eyes, Heather sighed again. "I was born Eluviesta eleventh. Nine-twenty three."

There was another pair of blinks. Then, a slow creeping look of horror crossed Josie's face, right before she leapt to her feet, and dropped Heather's head right onto the marble bench. Heather, who then rolled straight off the bench with a *whooph*, nearly knocking the breath out of herself and half curling into a ball.

"YOU'RE EIGHTEEN?!" Josie almost screamed. Okay, did, in fact scream. "Eighteen?! You...what?"

"Thanks, Josie. Thanks a lot…." Heather groaned as she sat up, and put her back to the bench. She was still rubbing the back of her head. "Now, why are you yelling? You're the one who thought I was my sister. I should be bloody livid!"

Josie had begun pacing back and forth, quickly, her hands rubbed together for a moment. "No..it's fine.." She began to wave her hands at her sides as her pacing increased. "I...don't...I mean…." Finally, her hands clasped behind her back. "How...no…"

"Dammit...JOSIE!" Heather finally snapped. "Will you just stop? What has you so flipped out? I seriously am kinda pissed about being confused with my sister, but frigging stop and talk to me!"

Nearly jumping out of her skin when Heather yelled, josie froze in place and stared for a moment. Her mouth moved for a moment, but no sound came out.

"You know what?" Heather growled as she stood abruptly. "Forget it. I don't care. Do whatever you frigging want."

Hands coming to her mouth, Josie just stood and stared as Heather turned her back and walked out of the garden. And the moment she was out of sight, hot tears began to run down her face.

"Well…." an acerbic voice said from behind her as Morrigan walked over and leaned against one of the ivy trellises. "You really messed that one up."

That Evening

"Part of me is glad you and Dorian came down to the bar to slum it with us, but you are going a bit hard, aren't you?" Bull raised his eyebrow as Heather snorted and poured another shot before slamming it down. "Not that...Yeah, I got nothing."

Heather shot the qunari a dark look as she picked up the bottle. She then looked at the glass. Then at the bottle. Then she shrugged and just took a long pull directly.

"She's have a bit of a...issue with out dear ambassador," Dorian sighed as he watched his best friend do her level best to drink every drop of alcohol in the bar by herself. "From what I was able to gather from Heather's near incoherent ramblings...well. Actually, I didn't get anything from that. I actually had to go ask around. The guards mentioned that fight and how apparently, Josephine had been under the impression that Heather was actually her older sister, Emily."

"Huh," Bull looked down at Heather, where she sat. Her thin, black eyebrows settled into a straight line as she stared straight ahead at the wall behind the bar. The bartender, Cabot, was actually ducking under her gaze as he moved behind the bar itself, serving drinks. "That would be a bit...grating."

"Gets better!" Dorian held up a finger. "Josephine apparently was freaking out about our Inquisitor being eighteen, and not the twenty-five that she had thought originally."

Heather's mouth was almost making an upside down 'U' now.

"Not really the kind of mistake that I would have expected from Josie," Bull half shrugged. "I get why you're upset though. Not sure drinking your way out is the best id- But, what do I know!" Bull smiled weakly as Heather turned her murderous gaze to him.

Luckily, however, Bull was saved from certain doom by a crashing sound behind them, followed by rough curses.

The trio looked back almost in unison, to see a couple of rough looking Orleasions harassing Maryden. They even made some crude comments that were probably anatomically improbable.

"We know them?" Heather asked.

"They are some traders that came in today," Bull shook his head. "Been asshats here all day."

"So, they aren't important?" Heather asked.

"Absolutely not," Dorian grinned over at Bull who grinned back.

"Frigging wonderful!" With a twist of her upper torso, she let her empty bottle fly.

The Next Day

"Andraste, Bride of the Maker, Blessed be thee….Please...let me die…." Heather groaned as her mind slowly came to consciousness. At least it was dark. And cool. Nicely cool. Smelled a bit though…. "Did I drop another mountain on myself?"

"Ah, she's awake!" a voice from the darkest pits called out, making the throbbing pain in her head even worse.

Groaning, Heather forced herself over onto her side and cracked one eye, to stare, blearily, at the world. And at the smirking young trevinter man in the corner. "Where are we, Krem?"

"Dungeons," the mercenary shook his head. "Cassandra, Blackwall and Cullen kinda ganged up on you, me and the Chief, after we cleared the bar."

"Eh? Cleared the bar?" Heather wanted to raise her eyebrow. It was kinda a signature thing for her. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if she could move her face. Honestly, she wasn't sure she had a face.

Krem's smirk turned into a full blown grin. "Well, you started a bar fight when some Olreasian merchants started harassing Maryden. So, Bull jumped in with you. Felt it was my Maker given duty to back you guys up."

"Feels like we lost…." Heather groaned again as she forced herself into a sitting position. "Cassandra had us drug down here to cool off? Where's Bull?"

"Oh, the Chief is a few cells down. He's still out. After we ran out of people to fight, we...sort of barricaded ourselves in the bar and went back to drinking," Krem shrugged sheepishly. "Got a wicked headache my own self, though I didn't get into it nearly as bad as you two did."

"Hn," Heather grunted as she looked down at her stained and ripped shirt. She was pretty sure a few of the stains were wine. AZ few were certainly blood. And...mustard? Her knuckles hurt, but the bar fight explained that. Also explained why her face and ribs also hurt. "Anything else happen?"

"Umm...Nope!" Krem cleared his throat and looked around. "That's about it."

"Mmm," Heather narrowed her eyes as she glared. "What aren't you telling me?"

"He isn't mentioning how you spent half the night alternating between crying and yelling about Josephine," Leilianna's lilting voice echoed, thoroughly amused. "Wish I had some way of recording that."

With agonizing slowness, mostly due to the pain in her neck, Heather looked over at her spymaster. "Have you come to kill me, or set me free?"

"Heh, at this point they might be the same thing," Leiliana stepped up to the bars and leaned on them. "I also thought you might want his back."

In the bard's hand was what appeared to be a thick, finely braided rope that was black as pitch. In fact, it looked almost like a long tail of braided hair. Long...black...braided...hair….

Heather's eyes shot wide as her hand went straight to her head. Her fingers ran through the mess of tangles, mixed with straw, probably some dried blood, and….it was way too short. It was Sera short.

"Well…..crap," Heather's eyes welled up as she sat sniffling.

Two Months Later

"Just go talk to her, Josephine," Leilianna sighed as the ambassador for the Inquisition paced her rookery. "You're going to worry my birds bald at this rate."

"I don't care about your birds!" Josie growled. "I've tried talking to her. She just ignores me."

"She doesn't ignore you," Leilianna frowned slightly. "She talks to you all the time."

Josie stopped pacing and stomped to Leilianna. "Only for work. In the war room. Or when she comes by to pick up the paperwork I need filled out, or signed. When I introduce her to people. That kind of things, she talks to me. But she only refers to me as 'Ambassador' or "Miss Montilyet'. The moment I try to talk about something that isn't work related she ignores me and walks away!"

"Well, at least you have the time when you go through the papers together. I'm sur-"

"She does it all on her own now!" Josie threw up her hands and collapsed into one of the chairs. Opposite Leiliana. "All this time she had me going through the papers with her, Having to explain it to her, all of it! She never needed me to do it!"

Leiliana sighed. "I was afraid that the case. She's been more...brutal?"

"What?" Josie looked up concerned. "What's wrong?"

"From reports, she is...well...more brutal. She is taking fewer prisoners, she's being more aggressive in general. She has been making more use of my people's….services."

"Maker," Josie dropped her head into her hands as her elbows landed on the table. "That explains the complaints I've been receiving...Oh Leiliana….What did I do?"

Leaning over, Leiliana dropped a hand on her friend's back, rubbing lightly. "I don't know, Josie. I really don't. You did make a bit of a large mistake, but it was only a mistake. She is the one taking it too far."

"No," Josie sniffed. "No, I did exactly the wrong thing. She...she even told me once about how she hated Ostwick. How she was always being compared to her sisters. They told her she wasn't as pretty as Emily, or as smart as Violet, not as good a fighter as Tyne. Leiliana...Her father had actually forgotten her name at one point!"

"Oh," Leiliana blinked in shock. "I...see."

"Then I make my...what I did. And she was upset, but….I was so...I don't know...frantic? Shocked? I panicked," Josie began to shake with her sobbing. "She was trying...to talk...but I wouldn't listen. That's when she stormed off."

"Josie," Leiliana drew her friend into a hug, rocking the woman as Josie clung to her shirt. "Josie...I'll help you. We can fix this."

"It all started because I wanted to know if we could get her family to come visit!" Josie wailed. "I...I wanted to have a birthday surprise for her!"

Looking down for a moment, Leiliana gave Josie a short squeeze before easing her back. "Josie, look at me...When is her birthday?"

"Eleventh of Eluviesta," Josie sniffed, her red rimmed eyes looking up at Leiliana.

Nodding absently, Leiliana bit her lip and looked at her birds. "So...we have just under two months."

"I...yes?" Josie frowned, confused. "What...what are you thinking?"

Leiliana smiled and stroked Josie's face. "Well, I happen to know where the Hero of Ferelden is at the moment. And that just happens to be in the Marches. I will have him go to Ostwick and talk to the Trevelyan family. If they leave within the week, they should be able to make it by the eleventh."

"There is no way!" Josie shook her head. "You won't be able to get a message to him in time!"

With a grin Leiliana raised her eyebrows. "My love is a man of no small talent with magic. Do you really think I wouldn't be able to contact him if I needed him?"

Hesitantly, a smile smile appeared on Josie's face. "Do..do you think it will work?"

"I...don't know for sure, Josie," Leilana patted her on the shoulder for a moment. "But, if nothing else, we can give her a decent birthday."

Josie threw herself on Leiliana, hugging her close. "Thank you...thank you…."

Dawn on the Eleventh of Eluviesta

"And secure those into the wagons!" Heather called out. "I don't want a repeat of last time! Losing half the tents on the path home is ridiculous! Besides….I just got mine the way I like it."

"Really, Boss?" Bull chuckled. "You're worried about the tents?"

"Eh," Heather chuckled as she wrapped the back of her knuckles on Bull's chest. "I mostly just like yelling at people."

"And that's why the common rabble like me more that you," Dorian smirked as he leaned backwards at her.

"In your dreams, Dorian," Heather rolled her eyes. "I'm going down to the river to wash up. I am still all sticky from that malifecar yesterday. Want to come?"

Dorian looked at Heather with a horrified expression. "Good gods, no!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his groin. "That water is running right off the mountain! Michelle would shrink right up inside!"

Heather blinked for a moment. "Michelle?"

"What? It's a perfectly lovely name," Dorian raised his chin, as if daring her to disagree.

"Yeah, not even," Heather shook her head before turning back to the camp as a whole. "What about you guys? Krem, Solas, Sera?"

Solas looked up with a small smile and shook his head. "I think I am agree with Dorian on this one. Though...not so much with the naming."

Krem shook his head with a laugh and nodded, "Yeah, I'm in your Worship. Not exactly at my best either."

"Sure!" Sera shrugged. "Kinda like the cold baths, yeah? You get that whole tingly thing going when you put on warm clothes after."

Later

"Andraste's tits, Krem!" Heather's went wide as she looked at him.

Krem looked up with a frown as he soaped up. "What?"

"I didn't even know that was a definable muscle!" Heather's fists planted on her hips. "Seriously. How did you even get it to do that?"

"Oh!" Krem laughed as he looked down at himself. "Dunno. Keeping up with Bull, probably."

"You ain't too bad yourself, luv," Sera grinned as she finished toweling down on the river's edge.

With a roguish grin, Heather stood tall and flexed her, actually rather thin, arms. But, at least she had good definition.

"Ha ha!" Sera stuck out her tongue. Then, her face went a serious as she shared a look with Krem.

"Ah...shit," Heather sighed as she plopped herself down on a small, flat rock. "What are you asshats going to do?"

Well," Krem cleared his throat. "We're friends, right?"

"I don't even know why you are asking me that," Heather raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you are probably my closest friends. Plus Dorian."

"We...umm..," Sera bit her lip for a moment. "Well, why did you decide not to grow your hair back out?"

Heather frowned for a moment. "Really? I...just didn't want to grow it back," she shrugged. "There is this weird little tradition...thing. When a major life change happens, a woman signifies the change by cutting their hair. Kinda like casting off who they used to be and embracing who they have become. Sort of like that."

The river was quiet for a long moment, except for the flowing of the water. But the stillness was broken as Krem strode up to the shore and took a towel himself.

"Heather…" Krem said finally. And that caught the woman in questions attention. Krem almost never used her name. It had become a kind of running joke. "You know we are talking about Josephine."

"Uh," Heather growled as she slapped a hand over her eyes. "I knew what you meant. I didn't want to talk about it. So I was trying to deflect."

Sera giggled as she dressed. "Sorry, not happening."

"What about orders?" Heather's brow turned into a frown.

This time it was Krem who shook his head. "Nope."

"Fuck….Maybe I'll just drown myself…."

"Don't think so, Boss," Bull butted in as he stepped down to join Sera and Krem. Behind him, Dorian crossed his arms. And even Solas looked concerned.

Heather looked back at the small gathering of Party Members. Her Inner Circle. Her Friends. And she glowered darkly. Slowly, she stood up, facing the group. The Mark on her left hand sparked as the hand clenched into a fist.

Then, a look of girlish horror erupted on her face as her hands went to cover her breasts and groin. "Yaah!" she said, in a loud falsetto. "Now I can never be a bride!"

Then, she slipped. "Wut…." Heather's eyes went wide as she tumbled over backwards, the current actually catching her and dragging her downstream.

Her party. Her inner circle. Her friends. Their eyes all shot wide at almost the same moment as they all scrambled into action.

Downstream

"Thanks, Cassandra," Heather coughed roughly. Her throat was sore from choking on the river water. The mug of hot, mulled wine she sipped on helped a lot. As did the fire she sat before. "Now I know you're my only real friend."

"Ugh," Cassandra rolled her eyes as she made her trademark disgusted noise. "Don't get your hopes up yet, Heather. I'm going to talk to you as well. I just thought ambushing you while bathing was a stupid idea."

"Yeah," Varric smirked. "Going to make a great story though."

"Maker's breath," Heather huffed. "Why can't you people just leave it alone? I am quite happy being miserable."

"No, you're not," Cassandra sat down, across the fire from her. "You are, indeed, miserable. But you are also slipping down a dark path. You're letting your anger eat you up."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Heather rolled her eyes. "All of you. What makes you think any of you have any right to question me!" She nearly spat by the end, the edge in her voice curling up.

"We are your friends," Solas countered with a gentle smile. "Your unbalanced feeling are why you are having trouble closing the Rifts."

"Right," Sera knelt beside Heather and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm all for sticking it to the Big wankers. But you are going too far sometimes. I've seen Jennys that have gone that way. It doesn't end well. For anybody."

Heather stared into the fire for a moment before jumping to her feet with a snarl. Her hand reared back, as she was going to throw her mug into the fire. But Blackwall caught her arm.

"Lass," his eyes were kind. Warm. They held their own pain. But still. There he was. "You did things for all of us. Things you didn't have to do. Hell. You took me back after what I...well. You took me back. Let us help you."

"She wants the help. It's there. Like a monster inside. It screeches and claws in its cage. The edges...are bloody and raw," Cole stood in front on her.

"No…" Heather's eyes widened as she shook her head as the tears formed. "Don't…"

But the young man placed a hand on her chest, right over her heart. " 'They don't love me', it says. 'I'm nothing', 'Useless', 'Worthless'. It cuts at itself. She doesn't want it, but she has to keep it close. It's all she has. It was kept away for a time. She kept it away. Maybe...maybe I am worth it. Maybe there is something I can do. Maybe...maybe somebody will love me."

"Why?" Heather finally collapsed. "Why? She KNEW. She knew. She was the only one who looked. Who didn't want anything. She just...she…" She broke. Her body heaved with the tears. With everything she had held back.

Cassandra moved first. Dropping to her knees, she gather the weeping girl into her arms.

Then Krem knelt. His hand lightly touched her shoulder.

Dorian was behind her, his hand on her back.

Sera, at her side.

Varric.

Soals.

Cole.

Bull's giant hand dropped onto her head, nearly covering it.

Heather was silent for a long moment. Then she giggled. The giggle grew to a laugh.

She had friends who loved her. And...there was a woman who she loved.

Then, with a deep sigh, that was really more of a sniff, Heather nodded. "You bastards win. I'll talk to her. And I hate you."

There was a laughter.

"Thank you."

That Afternoon

"What the shit?" Heather stopped just inside the main gate. Her jaw was open and her eyes, still red and a bit swollen from that morning, wide as possible. Slowly, she looked around the central courtyard.

Colored pennons were strung between the buildings. A pole was driven into the center of the yard, and was wrapped with long multi colored ribbons.

Tables lined the edges, all laden with foods. Barrels of wine, and casks of ale. Meats. Pastries. All her favorite foods were laid out.

The people of the hold all stood there, in the center. They were clustered around the pole. They all wore their best clothes. Their festive clothes. And...they were all smiling.

In the front and center of the group were her family. Her entire family. Or it seemed that way. Her father and mother were flanked by her eldest sister, Violet, and her older brother Tyne. Her sister Emily. Even her aunt Lucille. They were all there and smiled at her.

And in front of them, was Josephine. The calm antivan woman. Her dedicated, unflappable Ambassador. She stood in the front and looked terrified. She rocked lightly from foot to foot. Her hands trembled even as they held a plate of her favorite sweetrolls.

Then Leiliana gave Josie a little push.

"I…," Josie cleared her throat as she walked to Heather. "Welcome home, Inquisitor. We wanted to do something to tell you how much we appreciate what you do. What you mean to us. You are more than a symbol for the people of Skyhold. You are our Leader. But, more importantly, you are our friend. So…" Jose looked over her shoulder as Leiliana gave a little thumbs up. "So...I Love You. I Love You so much. I…" Tears began to form in Josie's eyes as she finally smiled. "Happy Birthday, My Love."

Heather blinked a few times, then reached out, taking the plate from Josie. She looked at it for a moment and nodded slightly, then turned and thrust the plate into Dorian's hands as she stepped forward and wrapped Josie if a hug.

Her arms wrapped around Josie. They pulled her tight and lifted her up. They spun her around before dropping her back to the ground and letting go.

Heather dropped her forehead to Josie's as she smiled. "I Love You."

Then, they kissed.