Chapter 1:
The Chosen of Andraste
Disclaimer: Solas and Thedas belong to Bioware and EA Games. I'm just borrowing them for a bit of fun.
Also, I have to thank the wonderful Neekadya, on Deviantart, for graciously letting me use her image as a cover for this story. It was her beautiful work of art that inspired this story. art/May-the-Dread-Wolf-never-hear-your-steps-558032934
The first time I saw her, she was being carried in by Leliana's scouts, one of whom nearly knocked me over in his haste to get to Cassandra.
"Lady Cassandra! Sister Nightingale! We've found someone!"
I watched as Cassandra and Leliana approached the scout, and knelt next to the unconcious elf. Her hand glowed a bright Fade green, and I realized she bared the mark I was intending to use, had my plan succeeded. Well, I thought, at least Corypheus' plan did not succeed as well.
"Where did you find her?" Cassandra asked, her thick accent lilting, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she looked at the elf.
"She came out from one of the rifts, my lady, from the Fade itself! There was a woman behind her, but she did not come through, only looked down at the elf as the rift closed!"
"She came through a rift?" Leliana said, increduously. The scout merely nodded.
"She survived the explosion, the only person to do so." Cassandra stood. "If she survived it, then perhaps she was responsible for it, or knows who was. She is our only suspect. Take her to the dungeons in the Chantry and tie her up. I want to know the instant she wakes. I'll need to question her."
"If I may, Lady Cassandra." I step up. "Her hand, it bears a mark that connects her to the Fade. I wish to study it, it may lead us to answers."
Cassandra considered my request, her eyes narrowing in plain distrust. She sighed, then relented. "Very well. You may go. If you learn anything, report it to me immediately." And she turned and walked away.
I followed the scouts as they took her to a dank, dark cellar and shackled her wrists. They then left and closed the door, though I was sure they were standing right outside.
It was then I was finally able to see her up close. She was clearly Dalish, the markings on her face marking her as such. Vallaslin, they called them, and in their foolishness and naïveté thought it honored the old gods. Hers were the markings of Mythal, spreading to cover the light skin of her forehead and just underneath her eyes in a dark forest green ink. For that reason alone, I reigned in my prejudices, because she, at least, had marked her faced willingly with the markings of the only one of the Evanuris that was worth honoring. Her hair was tied in a messy bun atop her head, but it was it's color that shocked me, for it was a pristine white that rivaled the snows of Haven.
I finally sat beside her on the hard ground and took her marked hand. The mark was permanent, and judging from the way she whimpered and stirred in her unconsciousness, it was painful. The release of magical energy from my orb had caused the Breach, but it had not been enough to kill the Magister, and with the mark on her hand, I had no way of entering the Fade to proceed with my plan.
"Apostate!" Cassandra's voice interrupted my thoughts. She strode into the room purposely, her eyes full of suspicion, with Leliana on her tail. "Well?" she asked, expectantly.
"Cassandra, I… I'm afraid I have been unable to uncover much. The mark on her hand is permanent, possibly a result from wondering physically in the Fade, and it causes her pain."
"Can it be used to seal the Breach?" Leliana asked patiently, her voice soft and as sweet as honey.
"It might be, her mark is intrinsically tied to the Breach, but unless she wakes, we will not find out."
"When will she wake?" Cassandra asked irritably.
"I am afraid I don't know. She might never wake up, if what the scouts say are true. I do not know what traumas her body and mind have received after traveling physically in the Fade. Such a feat should not be possible and it is a miracle in and of itself that she survived. But for all we know, it could have broken her mind and reduced her to a comatose state."
Cassandra growled and turned, walking around the cell like a caged dog. "Find a way, any way, to wake her up! She needs to be questioned and we need to see if she can close that Maker damned hole in the sky!" She unsheathed her sword with graceful speed, and brought its end to my neck. "Or so help me, I will have you executed as the apostate that you are."
"Cassandra!" Leliana interrupted, and pushed her sword hand down. Cassandra angrily sheathed her sword, and with a furious look at Leliana, turned and walked out.
Leliana looked at her walk away with a stern expression, and then turned to me. "I apologize, Solas. We appreciate all you've done so far. We would be eternally indebted to you if you would continue to help us."
"Of course, Sister Leliana." I answered. "The Breach is everyone's problem, and I shall continue aiding you until it is solved."
"Thank you. I will leave you to continue your examinations on the prisoner, then."
The second time I saw her, she was fully awake, a staff in hand, casting spell after spell until all the demons and shades had fallen. I ran toward her, and took her marked hand. "Quickly, before more come through!" I shouted, hoping she could hear me through the thunderous sound caused by so much fighting and being so close to the rift. I raised it toward the rift, and held it until it closed.
She looked at her hand, startled and amazed, and she finally looked at me with wide brown eyes. "What did you do?"
"I did nothing. The credit is yours."
"You mean this." She said, her gaze returning to the mark upon her hand.
"Whatever magic caused the Breach put that mark on your hand as well. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened at the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct." I explained.
"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself." Said Cassandra, walking to stand next to the elf.
"Possibly." I said, and turned to look at her prisoner. Then, I heard myself saying, "It seems you hold the key to our salvation." She looked me in the eye and smiled softly at me.
I introduced myself and accepted her thanks for, as Varric put it, "keeping that mark from killing her while she slept."
"Liahris." She said, offering a small smile. "Liahris Lavellan."
Liahris was not able to close the Breach, as the mark needed more magic and power, but she had managed to stop it from expanding. She had descended into oblivion immediately afterwards, while the soldiers and scouts cheered and dubbed her the Herald of Andraste.
I warned Cassandra that, due to physical exhaustion and her still not having fully recovered entirely from her miraculous trip to the Fade, she could easily be unconcious for days, which is why I was very surprised when she walked up to me, two days later, looking rested and fresh.
She immediately tried to engage me in conversation, asking me about the Fade, magical theories, and my opinions on elven culture. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised that she was not offended with my opinions on the Dalish, instead agreeing with me that there was a lot they did not know, but she still found merit in the fact that they tried.
Her visits soon became an every day occurrence, and I found myself looking forward to them. She had a curious mind, thirsty for knowledge, and listened attentively to all my stories, sometimes asking for more. I obliged, and everyday regaled her with tales of my travels in the Fade, the spirits I'd befriended, and the memories I'd seen.
She particularly liked the memory of the Battle of Ostagar, asking insistently if I had seen more of the Dalish twin sisters who would later become two of the Heroes of Ferelden. I apologized for disappointing her, confessing I had only seen the battle of Ostagar, and chuckled when she drew her lips into a disappointed pout. She then smiled and shrugged, promising to ask Cullen or Leliana more about them.
When she was tasked by the advisors to go on multiple quests, she always asked me along, and then would find time to talk when we made camp. It surprised me how easily she adapted to her role as the Herald, and even though she confided in me that she was uncomfortable with the title, she still rallied and inspired the troops, as she was fierce and unafraid in battle. We traveled all along the Hinterlands, closing rifts, making camps, and expanding the Inquisition's influence.
When Liahris received an invitation from Grand Enchanter Fiona to go to her and discuss the terms for an alliance, off to Redcliffe we went. We arrived to find it in the hands of a Tevinter Magister. When we infiltrated it, and in a moment of seconds I saw her and Dorian disappear, my heart stopped. The thought of having ruined this world and my plans to restore the ancient Empire clashed with a deep and unexpected sadness that surfaced from the thought of never seeing Liahris again, never hearing her laugh, or laughing myself when she prodded me for more stories.
And yet she returned a couple moments later, her eyes dark and anguished, her clothing tattered and blood soaked. They had been sent forward through time, into a reality where, two years from now, Corypheus succeeds in conquering southern Thedas, a reality in which the Inquisition had failed.
After we left Redcliffe, Liahris became distant, reclusive. When I questioned her, she shook her head and bade me not to remind her of what she had seen in that dark, horrible future, begged for me not to ask her this, to change the subject or drop it all together. I needed to know what troubled her, and insisted for her to tell me, to confide in me, for I was her friend and she could trust me. She closed her eyes and sighed, and began telling her tale.
"And you sacrificed yourself for me." She finished. "All of you did. You, Leliana, Cassandra, Varric…" she closed her eyes as if in pain. "None of you should have done it, but all of you did. No hesitation, no fear. And I… I never want to see you sacrifice yourself for me again. I could not bear it."
Whether that "you" was referring to the whole group or just myself, I could not say.
It was the night that Haven was attacked by Corypheus and his Red Templars that I finally understood what she meant. Watching Liahris go and face the blighted Magister alone, a ruse so the rest of the Inquisition could escape, was torturous. My chest grew tight and I could not breathe properly. I blindly followed Cullen, who was leading the evacuation, mind numb, trying to think of how we could go back, how we could rescue her.
When we finally reached the tree line, I watched as Leliana knocked an arrow in her bow and Dorian summoned a small flame to light the tip. Moments after it had flown in the night sky, the last trebuchet was fired, crashing into the mountain and causing a massive landslide, burying Corypheus' army, Haven, and Liahris. We saw as the archdemon took to the skies with his master on his back, and then there was nothing left to do now but walk.
We journeyed deeper and deeper into the mountains, until we found a suitable spot to make camp. As the soldiers and pilgrims began to set up tents and start fires, Cullen, Cassandra, and Leliana began constructing a plan to go back, to find Liahris.
"I shall go with you." I said, "If she still lives, she will probably need healing."
As we made our way back, I could not help but hope she still lived, still breathed. My mind was warring with my heart, for it argued that she shouldn't be alive, that no one could survive such an endeavor, that the most we could hope for was to find her corpse and lay her to rest. Until finally…
"There, it's her!" Cullen saw her first, and when I looked in the direction he pointed, I saw her collapse in the snow, exhausted. Her ivory hair was dirty and matted with blood, she was bleeding from an ugly gash on her forehead, her leathers torn and barely hanging on to her, but she lived. She was wounded, but intact, whole, nonetheless. Cullen carried her and brought her to me. I let my magic wash over her, healing the cut on her forehead, her broken ribs and forearm, and a stab wound on her lower abdomen. She had lost an incredible amount of blood, so much so I did not know how she was still alive, so I commanded my magic to accelerate her blood cell production. Those were the most critical injuries, now she just needed to rest.
We took her back to camp, and I stayed with her until Mother Giselle dismissed me. "You need rest as well." She told me. "You have done all you can for her. Now you must regain your strength." I went to my tent and slept, only to wake a couple hours later to the sound of a sweet and hopeful melody. I walked out and watched from afar how the Inquisition bowed before her, praising her with their song, while she stood there, wide eyed and disbelieving, and above all, incredibly humbled.
It was then I realized that Liahris, and the Inquisition, was the only force in Thedas who might stand a chance against Corypheus. It would be by their side that I would mend my mistakes before continuing with my plan. Only, they could not do it in the snowed mountains, they needed a place to use as their military base, their headquarters, a place strong enough to be able to withstand any attack, and only one place came to mind. Tarasyl'an Te'las. Yes, this would be my gift to them, to her. If there was anybody worthy of reclaiming Tarasyl'an Te'las, it was Liahris Lavellan.
I walked up to her the moment the crowd finished its hymn. "A word?" And I walked, not looking back to see if she followed, knowing she would. I walked to a spot far enough away from camp, where there was no risk in being overheard, yet close enough someone had decided to place a brazier there anyway. I waved my hand and lit it, blue flames roaring to life beneath my palm. "The humans have not raised one of our people so high for ages beyond counting." I began. "Her faith is hard won, lethallin, worthy of pride… save one detail. The threat Corypheus wields? The orb he carries? It is ours. Corypheus used the orb to open the Breach. Unlocking it must have caused the explosion that destroyed the Conclave. We must find out how he survived… and we must prepare for their reaction when they learn the orb is from our people."
Her mind ever curious, I was not surprised when the first thing she says is, "All right, what is it and how do you know about it?"
I chuckled before answering her. "Such things were Foci, said to channel the power from our gods. Some were dedicated to specific members of our pantheon. All that remains are references in ruins, and faint visions of memory in the Fade. Echoes of a dead Empire. But however Corypheus came into it, the orb is elven, and with it, he threatens the heart of human faith."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Honestly? Their blame won't matter if we can't get out of this wilderness."
"That is the immediate problem… and it offers a solution that may secure your place in their hearts. You saved them at Haven, perhaps you can again. By attacking the Inquisition, Corypheus has changed it, changed you. Scout to the north, be their guide. There is a place that waits for a force to hold it. There is a place where the Inquisition can build… grow…"
"Will you show me?"
"Of course, lethallin. Be ready to depart at dawn."
The next morning, we walked. I watched as she scouted north, just like I'd told her. Liahris led her people all throughout the mountains, and when she was getting close, only then did I walk beside her, guiding her from the side, without taking attention from her, for it was she who needed to be credited for finding the fortress. Finally we reached the top of a peak and watched as her eyes grew wide and her breath hitched in surprise.
"Skyhold."