Brady took a breath as he reached the doors of the Divine's main chamber. He pressed his hand against the cool door that creaked and echoed through the empty hall. He poked his head in and saw Cassandra at her grand mahogany desk. The towers of parchment and dusty books stacked on its surface only allowed the sight of her eyes and her righteous holy headwear.
He let himself in. "You asked for me?"
"Yes, Inquisitor," She raised her eyes to his. "Please take a seat."
He narrowed his eyes and took a seat in front of her desk, pushing a stack of books to the far side of the surface to expose Cassandra's entire face. She was expressionless as her eyes dug holes into Brady. He cocked his head and smiled, "Why the formality?"
She handed him a piece of parchment. He cocked an eyebrow and began to read:
Most Holy Divine Victoria,
It has come our attention that a controversial decision has been made on behalf of the Chantry.
Brady's face hardened. He clenched his jaw and continued:
The Inclusion of the former Inquisitor in the Chantry's ranks has sparked protests in our most faithful followers. The unrest has spread through many regions across Thedas. Before the situation becomes problematic, we request the removal of the party in question with a public denouncement to quell the flames.
Of course, your word will be final in this matter should you reject. However, we advise the consideration of our request and respectfully wish a quick decision to be issued.
The names of numerous Grand Clerics were scrawled at the bottom of the page and produced enough ink for the tan parchment to disappear underneath. Brady placed the letter back onto the desk and tilted his head back, dispelling a heavy cloud from his chest.
"Are you going to deny the request?" Brady said.
Cassandra swallowed and deflated against her chair. "This has been one of the toughest decisions I have made."
He scoffed. "After everything I've done-"
"Brady-"
"It's shit, and you know it!"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I must appease their wishes."
His jaw clenched. His icy blue eyes stared down the Divine. A flame ignited behind his eyes and burned until they became smoldering ash. "I can't believe this," he shook his head.
Cassandra leaned her elbows against the desk. The sleeves of her holy robe hung as she rested her head against her hands. "Do you know what the people are calling you?"
He waved her off. "I am well aware, thank you."
"The people are calling for an explanation- one I cannot provide without ruining our resistance against Solas," She paused. "You do not deserve this. You deserve none of it." She sighed. "You have one more burden to bare and it will be over."
"This has taken everything from me! I won't lose another damn thing," he snarled.
"You are being sent back to Ostwick with your family, and that is final." She decreed, her face stoic and carved from stone. "Templars are collecting your things from your quarters as we speak. There will be a caravan for you shortly."
His chair almost crashed to the floor when he stood. He towered over her with clenched teeth. "Anything else, Most Holy?"
Cassandra's face fell, "Brady…"
"Anything else?" He stabbed.
She shot up and approached him. Her hands rested on his shoulders. Her eyes reflected in his. "Brady, listen to me. I expect your anger, but I also expect you to understand."
He nodded.
"Leliana must stay," Her voice wavered. "She cannot have any ties to you any longer."
His top lip shook and curled. "No."
She gripped his shoulders. "Leliana is pivotal to our resistance. If you continue your relationship, the negativity will shift to her. If you convince her to leave- it will be detrimental to the world as we know it," She released her grip on his shoulders and took a step back. "Be angry, Brady. It is your Maker-given right. But if you will not do this for me, do it for her. She will be better because of it."
He stared through Cassandra. He felt like a sword thrusted through his body and twisted. When his refocused, he saw the truth in her eyes. He shook his head and groaned. He walked through the chamber doors and into the hallway. Two Templars followed behind him and flanked his sides. Their hands gripped their weapons.
"Is this really necessary?" Brady protested.
The Templar on his left spoke, "I apologize, ser. Knight-Commander's orders."
"You're a bloody hero in my book, Inquisitor. Damn what they've been saying about you. Nobody could have done what you did," The Templar on his right said.
"Do either of you know where Lady Leliana is?" Brady asked.
"In the rose garden, your worship- ah- ser." The left Templar confirmed.
Brady nodded and walked towards the garden. His head felt cloudy- his body stumbled through a fog that engulfed the world around him. They reached the glass framed doors that allowed the Orlesian sun to soak the hall. Brady asked the Templars for a moment of privacy- and after a short protest- they agreed.
Brady walked out to the garden. His eyes scanned for Leliana while he paced across the extravagant rows of rose bushes. They reached for the scarred, cloudless sky with their thorns reached for him.
He found Leliana knelt down and tending to a wounded rose bush. She wore a loose white tunic with tan trousers and a pair of almond boots that came up to her calf. She leaned over, clipping withered roses. Her Andrastian charm chimed with the breeze.
"Leliana…" His voice escaped him with a short breath.
She looked up and smiled. "Ah, there you are!" Her voice rung across the garden like a sweet song.
She dusted her knees off and walked into his arms. She embraced him with a tight squeeze, pressing her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and sighed. Her familiar scent of candy floss flooded his senses. He breathed her in, resting his head atop of hers for a moment.
She pulled away and brought her ocean eyes up to his. Her brows knitted together. "Brady Trevelyan, what has gotten in to you?"
His head fell. He took her hand into his and exhaled. "Leliana... We- we have to talk."
She slipped her hand away, "About?" She stepped back. "What is going on?"
He paused and looked into the blue Orlesian sky. He bit down on his bottom lip and shook his head. She stood in front of him with eager eyes that flooded with worry. He could not bear to look at her. He glanced at the tangled rose bushes. He felt tangled in the branches, their thorns pricking against every inch of his skin, constricting and curling around his throat until he could not breathe.
"I can't- I can't…" Brady mumbled. "Maker, I can't do this."
"You're scaring me," Leliana murmured. "What is it?"
Brady forced his eyes on her. He mourned the soft angles of her face, her bright eyes on drowsy mornings, her voice and how sweet it sounded when she spoke about anything, the gentle curves of a smile against her lips and how they felt pressed against his. This was it. The image of her face wracked with worry and attempting to decode the thoughts in his head, burnt into his mind forever.
His face hardened to stone. "I can't do this anymore. You deserve to be with someone who you can be proud of, someone you can spend the rest of your life with knowing they can give you everything you've ever wanted," He took a sharp breath, dropping his eyes away from hers. "I used to think that I could do that for you. Things have changed. I am not the man you fell in love with- not anymore."
Leliana stiffened. Her eyes drooped. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying-," He looked to the sky, hoping the Maker himself would send a bolt of lightning and strike him down where he stood. He continued, "I'm saying it's over, Leliana. I am so sorry."
She nodded and brought her hand to her lips. He noticed the tears in her eyes began to well and her determination to not let a single tear fall in his presence. She took a breath and stared into his eyes. She choked out, "You are right, Brady. You are not the man I fell in love with."
He clenched his jaw and turned his eyes away from her.
She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. "The man I fell in love with would think of a better excuse than that," She said and turned her back on him.
"I'm going back home to Ostwick," He explained. "You won't have to see me anymore."
She knelt back down to the rose bush and wiped her nose with her hand. "Then what are you waiting for?"
He bowed his head and returned to the hall. The Templars waited for him by the glass doors. Brady did not speak a word. He allowed the Templars to lead him to his things that were stacked outside of his quarters. Upon the heap of luggage was a small, red velvet box. The Templars began to reach for his things, but he raised his hand, and they stood still. He reached for the box. It sat in the palm of his hand, delicate and bright. His thumb popped the box open, exposing the silverite band encrusted with shimmering diamonds that bloomed like a rose towards the sky. He made a fist around the box and slammed it shut, creating a rippled echo down the vacant hall.
"Ser Trevelyan, your caravan is here." A Templar informed Brady.
He sighed. "Very well, get me out of here."
Brady looked towards his unknown future as he exited the Grand Cathedral. He sighed. He felt his skin stretch itself thin, unable to shield him from the bitter reality of his true form. His mind raced, attempting to cope with the shattered identity he convinced himself was real. He was no longer a hero- no longer an inspiration or a symbol of faith. He was a nightmare people wished to forget; a mangled, walking memory of a sky asunder and the sins of man. He was sacrilege. He was unchosen.
Leliana stormed through the halls of the Grand Cathedral and rushed into her quarters. She stopped in the doorway and examined the open drawers that were picked apart and emptied. A gasp escaped as her chest tightened. She waded through the room and sat upon the bed. Her hand ran across the sheet. She focused on the softness of the satin that tickled her fingertips.
Her mind jumped to Brady's body entangled in hers as his warmth electrified the sheets. She remembered the way his lips pouted as he slept and the way his chest rose steadily as her head rested upon him, watching the Orlesian sun flood the room in the early hours of the morning.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind raced through reasons why Brady left her alone with the world on the brink of falling apart, and she came up with nothing. She believed they were perfect, even though Thedas rested its future on their shoulders once again. Whatever thrown at them, they were in it together. Their strength could overcome any obstacle, or she believed.
She knew him better than anyone. Brady was not the type of man to give up on anything so easily. Something was wrong or something went wrong, she reasoned. Though, love was always her blind spot. She could never see Marjolaine's true nature, nor her intentions.
No, Leliana thought, He is nothing like her.
A knock on the ajar door creaked it open.
"Leliana?" Cullen murmured. His eyes scanned the room, "Maker, were you robbed by a lay sister?"
"He left."
"What-?"
"Brady… he's gone."
"Gone?" Cullen's forehead wrinkled. "Why was I not informed?" He examined the empty drawers and sighed. He sat next to Leliana on the bed and stared at the threshold. He glanced over to Leliana. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine."
She scoffed and stood up. She turned to Cullen, her face blank as she crossed her arms. "Do you come with orders?"
"Leliana…" Cullen rose from the bed.
She stiffened and craned her nose, "Orders, Commander?" Her eyes dropped to the floor. "If you have none, I wish to be alone."
He sighed as his shoulders deflated. "The divine sent for us. It sounded important."
"Very well," Leliana faced the door. "Maybe she has an explanation for me."
Leliana rushed out of the room and down the intersecting hallways. Cullen struggled behind her. Leliana reached the throne room and swung the heavy doors wide open. She approached the Divine perched on the sunburst throne. Cullen broke into a jog and stood by Leliana's side.
"Leliana," Cassandra greeted, "And Cullen. Thank you for your haste."
Leliana scowled and crossed her arms, "Why did Brady leave the Grand Cathedral?"
Cassandra shifted in her seat. She looked at the Templars flanking the room and nodded. "Leave us," she commanded.
Cullen watched the Templars file out and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"He wouldn't just leave our cause," Leliana continued.
Cassandra fell against her throne, "He left willingly."
Leliana rolled her eyes, "Please, Cassandra. Do not lie to me."
"I'm with Leliana," Cullen spoke up. "What's going on?"
Cassandra knotted her fingers on her lap. "He had dismiss himself from the chantry for his own safety," Cassandra craned her neck, "And for yours."
Leliana's arms fell to her side. "Forgive me, but that is ridiculous."
"For his own safety?" Cullen questioned. "Brady can handle himself in a fight, I can vouch for that."
Cassandra scrunched her brows, "Can he fight public opinion?"
"What?" Cullen said.
Cassandra took a deep breath, "The people are afraid of him," She straightened. "It is near impossible not to hear what the faithful have been saying."
Leliana stepped forward, "So you cast him out?" she argued.
Cullen shook his head, "This is… wrong. Cassandra, he's our friend."
Cassandra's face dropped. A frown emerged. "I do not have the luxury of friendship in my position." Her eyes beamed at Leliana, "You of all people should understand that."
Leliana scoffed, "The world is a lonely place without friends, even for the Divine."
"We have issues larger than this," Cassandra evaded. "So if you wish to continue our mission against Solas, then I'll tell you our next step." She settled in her seat. "If not, I cannot force you to stay."
Leliana thought for a moment; her eyes prodded Cassandra's stoic expression. Leliana shook her head. "What is it?"
"I cannot disclose this unless you are completely invested," Cassandra warned.
Leliana nodded, "I will complete your task, Cassandra." Her eyes hardened on The Divine. "When it's completed, consider it my resignation."
Leliana exited, leaving Cassandra with a lingering protest on her tongue. Cullen called her name as she proceeded down the hall.
"What?" Leliana stressed.
He approached with haste and hushed his voice. "Don't you think you're being too rash?"
Leliana's lips pressed into a thin line. She avoided his gaze.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and captured her eyes. "When we chose this path, we chose to be something bigger than ourselves. We chose to protect the faithful, despite what we wanted for ourselves."
She exhaled, "My whole life I have had to put something else in front of myself. When is it enough?"
Cullen slipped his hand off her shoulder. "All we have in the end is our choices. We must learn to accept them… or spend the rest of our lives regretting them."
"I am choosing, Cullen," Leliana declared. "I'm choosing- for once- myself."