Author's note: Alright, in honor of the official announcement of Dragon Age: Inquisition, I just had to write a one-shot between my three favorite seekers. Of course I love Leliana, and I have a fondness for Cassandra as well. I have constructed my own version of the new protagonist, known as the Inquisitor. So far that is all that is known about the new hero, so everything else about Rhoslyn is my own. This will be marked as complete at the moment, but it will be continued as the release date for the game looms closer. When I get more information, I will be able to add more stuff. Though not much is present in this first part, this story will be a romance between Cassandra and the Inquisitor. Other pairings will include LelianaXF!Warden (Reyn Cousland) and MerrillXF!Hawke (Claire Hawke) Also, if anybody can guess where I got the title from this piece from, gets their own original character that will appear in later installments. Hint: It is after a line in a very popular video game series.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, Dragon Age 2, or Dragon Age: Inquisition. The only things I made up were the first names of the first two protagonists, and Rhoslyn Godavari.
The door to the interrogation room burst open, a tall, imposing woman exiting and closing it with a thud and a frustrated sigh. The woman ran a hand through short dark hair, golden eyes sliding shut in irritation, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Well the dwarf was no help. I got an interesting life story about the champion, but he has no clue where she might be. He tells outrageous stories, but I do believe his words to be true…at least on this." The interrogator was in the company of two other females, one of whom now addressed the Seeker. "That is better than nothing, I suppose. I wish we could have gotten a little more out of him though, like an idea where Hawke might be at." Cassandra, the dark-haired woman, spoke. "I did enquire on that; asked if there was any special place she may possibly have gone to. He honestly had no ideas. She had no more family to speak of, other than a younger sister by the name of Bethany, who is a member of the Grey Wardens. Now that the Blight is a distant memory, maybe she fled to Ferelden."
Leliana, the gorgeous red-headed companion who had spoken earlier, flinched noticeably at the Grey Warden bit. It was not a term she had fond memories of, at least not anymore. The third companion, known as the Inquisitor, noticed the pained movement. "Grey Wardens, hmmm? Ferelden's so called finest? Was not the Hero of Ferelden a member of this group?" Leliana nodded hesitantly, eyes downcast at the mention of her former lover. Cassandra glared at the young woman's tact. The girl was only two years younger than her, but apparently that made a lot of difference. She was sarcastic, crude, and wholly insensitive. And, worst of all, she was fucking gorgeous. "Y-yes, Reyn was, is, a Grey Warden. After she defeated the archdemon and ended the Blight, she became the Warden-Commander of Ferelden. She had been a newly joined recruit when Ostagar fell." "Truly? And you say this Bethany, Hawke's sister, is one of these…warriors? Should you not worry about the validity of her statements? I mean, you see what the oh so noble Hero did; why should we even try to track her down?"
Leliana narrowed her eyes, staring sharply at the white-haired woman. "What do you mean by 'oh so noble'? Nobody I have ever met is as noble and kind-hearted as Reyn Cousland is. She became a Warden amidst tragedies, falling left and right. Despite that, she persevered and saved Ferelden from being overtaken and destroyed." Rhoslyn, as the woman was named, merely stared lazily at the incensed Seeker across from her. "Noble? I suppose fleeing from your responsibilities and love are the new qualities signifying you as being of good intentions? She was the Hero, and the leader of the Grey Wardens; in leaving, she shirked her duties and made others, far less qualified, have to take up the reins. She has not been spotted in years. Another thing she has in common with Hawke; they both seem to enjoy running away when things get heated."
The emotions on Leliana's face varied from fury to pain to an intense hurt warring with disbelief. Cassandra was not the warm and fuzzy, compassionate type. She was stern, unyielding, and dedicated to her job. But, she did have a certain soft spot for the former bard. The woman was like a sister to her, and she was fiercely protective. No way was she going to just stand here and let this upstart upset the gentle woman, who felt the sting of her Warden's betrayal just as strongly as she did when she first learned of the warrior's disappearance. The blue-eyed sweetheart had still not been able to move on, and probably never would. Golden eyes bore into the brilliant, emerald green pair before her. She stood up straighter, hoping to use the added height in order to intimidate Rhoslyn. But the tanned Inquisitor had already anticipated it, and just stared forward without flinching. "I am sure Cousland had a perfectly reasonable explanation for up and leaving; Leliana knows her far better than you and I, so who are we to judge?" Rhoslyn's brilliant green eyes looked almost luminous in the light. "Because, Miss Seeker, we have a job, a duty, to uphold. We are looking for both the Warden and Hawke, who have both conveniently disappeared at the most crucial times. Now we are at war, a war in which the two most prominent factions in all of Thedas are at each other's throats. And these Heroes….are nowhere to be found. Forgive me for being skeptical of their intentions. Pleasure should never be mixed with business; it never ends as it should." Leliana looked on the verge of tears; she quickly excused herself before they could fall. The older Seeker and the Hero of Orlais pierced Rhoslyn with her eyes. Rhoslyn Godavari was a twenty-year old, veritable terror. Her sarcastic and dark humor grated on the elder seeker's nerves. Cassandra had no idea why someone like Rhoslyn managed to synch the position of Inquisitor; a very high position indeed. Though, she had to admit Godavari was a fiend with a blade. She was a natural; she literally looked like she was dancing when in battle mode. He had no equal when her blade was involved.
"Must you be s insensitive? Leliana did not deserve that and you know it. How the hell the Divine actually chose you for the j I will never know." "Maybe because I, unlike you or Leliana, am not disillusioned by noble feelings. I deal out the truth with a side dish of reality. The fact of the matter is that if the Warden was not killed, she just abandoned Leliana. It may seem cruel, but that is how I see it." "How did you get to be so…dark? You are always looking at the absolute worst side of things, without giving anything or anyone a chance. As a disciple of the Divine, you-" "Oh, spare me the lecture, oh 'Right Hand of the Divine'. I cannot help that you cannot handle the truth. You want to know why I am so negative? Fine, I will tell you a story; one you know, but have obviously forgotten…just like everyone else. My father, Leonardo Godavari, was a chevalier; not like the men walking around these days. He would never stoop to the lows this new generation seems to be fond of doing. He was revered; loved. Myself and my mother were very lucky to have such a good man to come home to. But, alas, the world has a sense of humor. My father was killed in a skirmish; an arrow felled him. We lost all of his possessions, struggling to keep our home. My mother…was forced in prostitution just to make it through and keep food in our bellies. Ironically, the same men my father was friends with and fought beside bedded her. My mother was beautiful, and all the men had harbored secret feelings for her. These knights I had known, laughed with, now defiled my mother and handed her coin as payment for her 'services'. They tried to use me as well, but my mother always managed to turn the attention solely on her. So I made a promise to myself: I would train myself to fight, and follow in my father's footsteps. I would provide for my mother, and no chevalier would again touch her. So, I did. I trained for hours every day, making sure I was ready. It became an extension of my arm, and apparently I was a natural. The Divine happened to take notice of me, and the rest is, as they say, history."
Cassandra's eyes widened. She remembered hearing about Leonardo's death. He had been sorely missed, but she had not given his daughter much thought at all. That was around the time she had her own problems to deal with, when she became the Hero of Orlais. She could feel guilt building in her stomach; she had not known of Rhoslyn's unfortunate past. No wonder she acts the way she does…what could that do to such a young, impressionable girl? "No doubt you are feeling pity and guilt right now; after all, you had no clue of what happened to me that drove me to being the Inquisitor. Neither you nor Leliana ever inquired. Too busy with your own worldly problems. Being a hero takes a lot out of you, huh? Maybe you can charm our dear friend; I hear she has a thing for heroes…" Scratch that; no more guilt to be had here. "You…you bitch. I am sorry for what has happened to you, truly I am, and I regret never getting to really know you. But you cannot treat people like this. We have done nothing to earn your dislike; why must you force it upon us?" Something flashed in emerald eyes. "I dislike you because you are the same as those chevaliers; you walk around all important, talking about heroic deeds and saving the world, but have you truly earned either of your titles? Sure you can swing a sword. Would you like a medal? Meanwhile, people like my mother are being bullied around by the so called best knights in the world. Being a knight, or an Orlesian, is an honorable undertaking. However, I see no honor; nothing but empty words and false assurances. People like you do not know what it is to live without comforts, afraid of the night. You were of royalty; born into it from the time you were but a babe. And Leliana was a damn traitor. Oh, I know, it was supposed to be that mentor of hers…a betrayal, right? But the fact of the matter is she was a damn bard, fucking her mentor and killing nobles. I fail to see how anyone is inspired by her, or why the Warden would get entangled like that. Everyone has a hidden agenda, I see."
The Right Hand of the Divine was speechless. The passion with which Rhoslyn said her speech…it was the like of which she had never laid eyes on. There was so much anger and resentment in her…it was so thick as for her to be drowned in. Rhoslyn was the same height as her, and her tanned body was toned and sharp like her beloved blade. Her short white-hair was tousled in its usual mess, and her expressive green eyes…well, Cassandra could look into them all day. A strange feeling bubbled up in her stomach, flooding her system and warming up her entire body. This feeling, this warmth, made her decidedly uncomfortable. But, regardless of these unfortunate reactions to the girl, Cassandra could not abide the snide comments directed towards her friend. "Everybody has a past, Godavari, just like yourself. Leli made mistakes; she is human. I will not hold it against her, and neither should you. Otherwise, you are going to be a very lonely woman. "Rhoslyn met gold eyes, showing more emotion and feeling than the Seeker had ever been privy to. " Sometimes people are meant to be alone. Love…is not made for everyone." With those words, Rhoslyn turned on her heel and walked off. Cassandra stared at the armored back until it turned out of sight.
Rhoslyn kept walking until she came to a secluded area, outside in the courtyard. She took a deep breath, enjoying the fragrant smells assaulting her nose. It wasn't Orlais, but the air here was not as bad as people led on. If she was truthful though, she was a bit homesick. This was only the second time she had ever been out of Orlais, and the first time it was only for a couple of days. She missed seeing Val Royeaux, tall and serene and the picture of home. Rhoslyn dearly missed her mother, although the woman was not the same as she used to be, when her father was still alive. Her forced lifestyle after her husband's death had broken young Madeline Godavari's former spirit. No longer was she the most beautiful woman in all of Orlais, nor was she full of bright smiles and calm demeanor. Her wit was non-existent; sadly, Madeline was a shell of her former self. Regardless though, Rhoslyn loved her mother. She was the only family she had left, as there were no siblings.
The white-headed woman sighed, running a hand through the short locks. She felt a little bad; she truly did not hate Leliana, although her words begged to differ. The woman had been nothing but kind to her, and was quite lovely. But the tragedy of her past had changed the young Inquisitor. Her heroes had proven fake, showing their true colors when they had their fill of her mother while she was in earshot. No, heroes were false. No longer would she believe in anyone other than herself. The former bard was nice, but her love for the savior of Ferelden was unfounded. The Warden had left her, just like all the other supposed heroes of the world. Tales were just that; tales, fiction. She was not really trying to be cruel, just teach Leliana the truth of the world they lived in. But of course, she and Cassandra had both interpreted her advice as meanness. Nobody really understood her, not since her father passed away. Oh well, it is not important. Love is meaningless, and intangible. Your duty is the only thing that is real in an otherwise fake world. Friends…they are disposable. Not needed; out of sight, out of mind. Focus on the goal: finding the Warden-Commander, and Hawke. Dissipate the war, and make peace with the factions. Save the world from itself. The world does not need another hero, oh no. Thedas needs an Inquisitor.