It felt odd, sitting this one out.
Fleeing from the base of the Frostbacks in their aborted attempt to find and perhaps rescue Varric, after seeing the horrendous tear in the sky, Marian and Fenris had made for Starkhaven without stopping. Maureva was with them, and their baby's safety overrode any instinct to stay and fight the demons that vomited out of the rifts to attack people.
Once their precious girl was safe in Starkhaven, Marian grew restless with the itch to go back and help, until Fenris had pointed out that this wasn't her fight. She was so used to being in the thick of everything, even with the necessity of laying low, that she felt like she had to fling herself in with abandon.
He had a point though. They didn't have to solve this one, their duty lay in staying safe in their holding with their daughter. Varric had written her about the so-called Herald of Andraste. The Dalish elf woman had things firmly in hand, and Marian lacked the mark in her palm that would truly make a difference. Besides, Sister Leliana and that Seeker were with the fledgeling Inquisition, and she needed to stay safely away from them. Maker only knew what Knight-Commander Cullen had told them about her.
As she sat with her daughter in her lap, a children's book about a fantastical cat spread open so she could guide Maureva's finger under the word 'cat' every time it came up in the story, she tried to keep up a facade of calm. Her stomach twisted at the lack of news. Everyone had heard about the fall of Haven, and there had been no word from Varric since. Had she doomed one of her best friends to die by staying here with her daughter and husband?
Marian looked up with a tight smile when Fenris came in. His eyes lit up, taking in Maureva bouncing in her lap and yelling, "Cat!"
He swung the little girl into the air, growling and kissing her all over her face as she shrieked in delight. After setting Maureva on the ground, Fenris reached into his armor and pulled out a folded packet of parchment.
"This arrived for you, Marian, from the dwarf."
She felt her whole body sag with relief as she reached to take the packet from him. Varric was alive, then, Fenris didn't let go right away, and Marian gave him a confused look.
"Whatever he says, please don't go."
"I don't think he needs me, if they survived Haven and the Herald lives, what's one washed-up Champion from a Marcher city going to do?"
"Just-" He ran his hand through his silver-white hair. "I know you. This isn't your fight, Marian. Please."
She tugged the packet again, and he let go. As she cracked the wax seal and started unfolding the parchment, she said quietly, "I know that, Fenris. I'm happy here with you and Maureva. There's almost nothing that he could-"
Fenris watched Marian's face go white as she glanced down at Varric's writing.
"Marian?"
"Fenris, take Maureva to Orana, please."
"What does the dwarf say?"
"Please, just-"
"I want to know what he's written, Marian."
Eyes huge, she looked up at him, "This is my fault."
"You had nothing to do with whatever's going on down south."
She shook her head, inky, short curls and waves flicking against her cheeks.
"Orana! Please, come take Maureva!" Fenris shouted, not taking his eyes off his wife.
He knelt in front of her, watching her eyes flick over the parchment and listening as her breathing sped up.
"Marian."
"This is my fault, all my fault,"she gasped out, dropping the papers into her lap and pushing her hands against her mouth to hold in a sob.
Fenris snatched the top page, eyes drawn to one name that made a cold shock twist his stomach and radiate out into his limbs.
Corypheus.
Corypheus is alive somehow, Tumbles. Alive with a fucking archdemon, and he killed the Divine. The Inquisitor needs you down here, I need you down here, to help us make sense of this whole bloody, Blighted mess.
Looking up from the page, he saw the look in Marian's eyes, and he knew that she wouldn't let him go with her this time. Everything in him screamed at the wrongness of it, but Maureva…
"I have to go, Fenris. I'm sorry."