Chapter One

"In the time I spent in the hinterlands, I collected 12 of the shards I spied, got the horse master, investigated the cult, fed and warmed the refugees, persuaded several mages and common folk into being our agents and destroyed a handful of red lryium spots. If you have nothing more for me to do right at this moment I'd like to rest and figure out which group is better suited to help us close the breach," Aisalyn said brushing her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I see no urgent need for you. Enjoy your break," Josephine said looking over her lists.

Aisalyn left the war room and headed back to her room. Changing out of her armor and setting her daggers on the table. Taking up a thick coat and a pair of books, one on Templars and the other on mages she went down to the stable near the frozen lake so she could sit with Jolly the Bog Unicorn. She couldn't believe no one wanted him. Sure he was a little startling to look at but he was so loving to her and Aisalyn adored him the moment she saw him.

Growing up in a noble house devoted to the chantry, Aisalyn felt as if she needed a less rose tinted look at the Templar's and she needed a less propagandized view of mages. That is if she was to make the right choice for the Inquisition. Her biases didn't matter in the eyes of a common good. And though she would rather be out in the hinterlands solving more problems this was the important choice at hand. So she sat, back against a small cliff and butt on the fence with Jolly grazing or poking his nose into her chin length hair when he wanted her to give him attention.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

Aisalyn looked up or rather tried but the need Jolly had for attention made it difficult. She saw the short, stocky dwarf she'd seen when she first tried to close the breach. He had his arms crossed and his lips formed a half smile as the Bog Unicorn sniffed her hair and made it a challenge for her to look at him.

"Multitasking, and I'm not alone," she said extending her arm up and out to point at the Bog Unicorn, "I have Jolly."

"So he finally found a home?"

"Yup, he stays with me even if Dennet doesn't like him. I think we met once, Varric right?"

"That's right, and you are Aisalyn."

"Yup, and if you call me the Herald of Andraste I will smack you," she said, "I'm just an agent. Nothing more."

"I'll just call you Lyn."

"I can live with that," she said smiling a little.

"So what are you doing out here?"

"I'm reading about the Templar's then I'll start on the mages. That is if Jolly will let me," she replied scratching behind his ear, "then after that I'll go meet Fiona in Redcliffe. At least she'll tell me her terms and that couldn't hurt."

"You will need a team to go with you."

"I go quicker alone. Easier to slip past bandits and that means less illusion powder to make me invisible. Hate the stuff it makes me dizzy. Besides less people out in the field lowers the risk of more death meaning more help here, needs of the many and all that."

"Well whether you like it or not, I'm going with you."

"What? No," she said looking up.

"You aren't going alone."

"I have since the beginning why would I start now. Cassandra and Solas need you here," Aisalyn said lowering the book.

"Because things are getting real. You need a team who can have your back the whole time."

"It's because I have this bloody mark isn't it?"

"You have a target on your back too. And we are your friends. We want to help you."

"You aren't going to back down, are you?"

"No."

She groaned.

"Sorry, you are going to have to deal with it."

"I don't need help," she muttered.

"Yes. You do you just don't want to ask for it. You can't do this by yourself."

"You told me to run at the first chance. Because of the mark I can't do that. So I work and my ethic is quite extreme. Jolly can't even keep up sometimes. I can't imagine any one of you being able to do the same. Especially the warriors, heavy armor and weapons. Mages draw attention. Not just the staffs but the robes, the smugness, the fact that Solas won't fucking wear shoes..."

"You need to accept the fact that there are people who want to help you."

"This will be a huge waste of your time," she reassured him, "hours upon days of following my ass as I do tedious quests to get words."

Varric shook his head, "Is that what you think this is about? Lyn I came to the Inquisition to help. All of us here came to help and if you think that you can just run off on your own and get killed you are wrong. Deal with it," Varric huffed as he got annoyed as he turned and walked away.

To be honest she felt a little bad but not enough to get up and go after him. In fact she didn't want to see him. So she agreed in her head to go in the dead of night without telling anyone...no she'd leave a note. With a nod she went back to reading until it was dark. She said goodnight to Jolly and went back to her room. Writing to her family and eventually seeing the fires go out. This made her leap up and get her armor on. Tip toeing to the stable to get Jolly.

"Nice try Kid."

"Andraste's tit!" She jumped hissing at him, "don't fucking do that!"

Standing behind her was Varric, Vivienne, and Bull.

"How did you know?"

Varric and Bull just smiled "We had an inkling. When are you going to learn that you need a team?"

"But I don't," she said, "If you die then it's my fault."

"And if you die where will we be? Screwed."

She groaned, "You act like I'm not capable of protecting myself."

"And you act all high and mighty sometimes because you think you are too good for help," Varric said in a smug manner. He knew she wasn't' high and mighty he just wanted to push her buttons.

She got close to him, looking down at him, "do you want me to get to your level or do you want a box? Cause I want you to say that to my face."

"Now now kids, no fighting." Bull joked

They both shot Bull a look.

"We have a job to do," Vivienne groaned

"I had a job to do," she mumbled to herself.

"We are all in this and apart of this whether you like it or not."

"Yeah yeah yeah," she said and mounted Jolly heading towards the Hinterlands.

"Look at us. A team."

Aisalyn rolled her eyes and continued on to the small Outskirts town then up to Redcliffe. Being undead Jolly galloped most of the way. This caused Bull and Varric to zip passed her when she stopped to buy some fabric. Varric thought she did this on purpose to watch them fumble to a stop then turn around. The smirk on her face when she looked at him told him he was right.

"I swear..."

"I told you," she said packing up the gold fabric in her bag and getting back up on Jolly.

"We still aren't leaving you alone."

"If you say so," she grinned urging Jolly into a gallop again.

Bull muttered a curse in his native tongue, "What beef do you have with that girl?"

"I dont."