Nothing. Pitch black darkness was all Sera could see as she stumbled forward. She held her hands out in front of her cautiously as she slowly moved through the darkness. She could feel her ears strain to pick up a sound, any sound, but none came. She suddenly faltered, stumbling forward. She rolled into the fall, tucking her shoulder in to meet the ground, but nothing came. Instead, she felt herself falling forward, plunging through the darkness. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

She suddenly jolted up in her bed, stifling the would-be scream left over from her nightmare. Her eyes darted around the room as she momentarily panicked, pitch black all she could see. But the images of her room quickly started to appear as her heartbeat calmed. She ran a few fingers through her short hair, allowing her muscles to relax.

"Jus' a dream," she told herself as she pressed her forehead against the window, looking out over Skyhold's courtyard, "No fricking Fade here."

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to think about that recent occurrence. How they had fallen into the Fade. The nothingness, the way that demon had spoken to her….she felt like she would have gone crazy. Well, if it hadn't been for the Inquisitor.

"Sera, it's ok," the Inquisitor had said, putting a steady hand on her shoulder. Sera had cringed from her at first, but allowed herself to relax a little. Well, until one of those rift thingies opened up, spewing out demons.

"Get back!" The Inquisitor had yelled as a Shade sulked its way towards them.

"Right," Sera had mumbled, leaping back and pulling out her bow in one swift movement. It took her a moment to steady her shaking hand as she let go an arrow. Not that the Inquisitor really needed it, as she had already slammed the Shade into the ground with that ridiculously giant axe.

Sera blinked, bringing herself back to the real world. She had to remind herself that this was, in fact, the real world, and that she was real and this tavern was real. She flopped back down on her make-shift bed with a huff, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to pull her back down again.

Sera woke up to the sounds of the tavern below her. The sun poured in through her giant windows and she instantly regretted opening her eyes. She rolled over in attempt to block out the light, only to fall on the floor. She groaned, propping herself up on one elbow.

"Stupid sun, what the he—" she started to mumble, only to hear a knock at her door. She quickly stumbled up on her feet, smoothing out her shirt.

"Yeah, who is it?" she said, fighting back a yawn as she moved to make room for whoever was about to come in. The door opened to reveal the Inquisitor, who gave her a smile as she moved into the room. The sight of her made Sera cringe slightly as fresh memories of the Fade sprung up in her mind. She spun around on heels, grasping her hands together. She felt hot and upset and she sunk her teeth into her lip as she tried to force the images away.

"Sera?" the Inquisitor asked, sounding somewhat confused, "About what happened in the Fade-"

She felt her anger bubble up inside of her at the mention of the Fade. She turned around the face the Inquisitor and without thinking, cocked her arm back and swung at her. She wasn't sure what she was thinking or expecting, but the Inquisitor was sharp enough to dodge it.

"Hey! What was that about?" The Inquisitor demanded, her eyebrows coming together in a concerned expression.

"Shut up and listen, yeah? Never again, you hear me?" Sera blurted out, "You in that place. I can't think about that shit. Friggin not-real nightmares. And I saw nothing. Nothing. They were…like little empty things. Like, there's nothing in the dark, no point." She could feel all the words flowing out of her like a stream, and she suddenly realized how stupid she sounded.

"Stupid, right? That shouldn't be scary like…like it was. I'd have taken spiders." Sera rambled, risking a glance at the Inquisitor. She was pleased to see the Inquisitor smiling at her, which gave Sera some relief. At least she wasn't crossed that she took a swing at her. That's what Sera liked about her, she understood. Wasn't snobby like most higher-ups.

"Like you! You're scared of spiders? All of them? Even little ones?" Sera continued on, allowing herself to grin sheepishly. The Inquisitor returned the grin and nodded.

"Pretty much all spiders, yes," the Inquisitor agreed. Sera let out a chuckle as she shook her head.

"That's no good. I mean, they're everywhere. I bet even right now, just crawling with those legs and hairy eyes," Sera said, then paused, "Sorry, that's probably not helping." She shook her head again, this time losing her grin.

"It's stupid to think about anyway. Everyone going on about imaginary stuff when real people die. Probably. Stroud, yeah? Lost a seriously moustache there. And in trade, busted-down bunch of Wardens. And they're always weird. Usually bad stuff happens first so you're glad when the hero shows up. But Wardens are the wrong way 'round. They're the good thing that means a bad thing is about to happen. Like in Denerim, when the Blight ended," Sera mumbled, a worried expression crossing her face.

"A lot happened in Denerim. What do you remember?" the Inquisitor asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"People talked a lot about this one Warden," Sera said, shrugging, "There was a big fight, and they died, or, I don't know, maybe they didn't?"

"The Hero of Fereldan? You forgot the Hero of Fereldan?" the Inquisitor asked, smiling in disbelief.

"That was ages ago. Ten years," Sera said, waving her hand about, "I was playing with painted boxes and burying stuff I stole. I remember more people cringing about magic than the Blight. Wardens were an excuse for your stuff to go missing," Sera murmured, glancing out the window, "Blackwall's nice, though. Different from the Adamant ones. Need more like him."

A horn sounded in the distance and the Inquisitor's head jerked towards the door. Sera turned her head slightly to glance at her, feeling a slight pang in her heart. She just shook her head and smiled slightly.

"Important big person stuff to do, yeah?" Sera asked, turning back to the window, "I understand." The Inquisitor gave a quick nod as she moved towards the door.

"I'll talk to you later, Sera," The Inquisitor said, still smiling as she left. The smile had long since disappeared from Sera's face as mumbled a goodbye. As the door closed behind the Inquisitor, Sera slumped down on her make-shift bed and sighed. She felt uneasy with the Inquisitor gone, like she wasn't safe.

"Must be that friggin' Fade junk," she grumbled, propping her feet up, "Yeah, stupid Fade."

Sera leaned on the railing of the tavern just outside her tiny corner room. She was silent for once, observing the people below her. Each person sat by themselves, cradling the alcohol that was being served that day.

"No good," she said, shaking her head and making a face, "This place is downright depressing. " She barely noticed the Inquisitor walking up the stairs to meet her. When she did, Sera's face burst in a giant grin.

"Hey!" Sera exclaimed, waving her over. The Inquisitor leaned up against the railing, raising an eyebrow but smiling back. Sera motioned down to the tavern floor before looking back at the Inquisitor.

"You got a problem, see? Tavern full of people, but everyone is drinking alone. They're all up their own ass about the Inquisition," Sera said, crossing her arms, "I can't have fun with everyone whinging. They'll fall on their own swords before Coryphinus can push them." A thoughtful look crossed her face as she paused for a second.

"I'm thinking pranks," Sera said slowly, drawing out the words as she thought, "Just you and me. Messing around in peoples stuff. You know, to start." Sera glanced at the Inquisitor, trying to read her face.

"But I'm the Inquisitor. You know, their leader? Should I really be doing this?" the Inquisitor questioned, and for a moment Sera was afraid that she was going to turn her down. Sera shrugged and leaned against the railing, eyeing the people below her.

"That's just it, though. You're the leader, they'll never suspect you!" Sera responded, trying not to lose her enthusiasm, "What, titles are only for getting away with bad stuff. So come on, let's have some fun!"

"Lead the way, then," the Inquisitor said, causing Sera to push off from the railing and face her. The Inquisitor was grinning back at her, nodding towards the stairs.

"What, really?" Sera replied, trying not to act so surprised.

"Really," the Inquisitor said, "Or were you just pulling my leg? Because if you were I'll be rather disappointed." A giggle escaped Sera's lips as quickly turned to the stairs.

"I knew you were different! C'mon, let's go!" Sera exclaimed, grabbing the Inquisitor's sleeve and pulling her down the stairs.

Sera found herself at the tavern bar later that night, sitting next to the Inquisitor. They were both slightly out of breath, as they had just run all the way here from the main hall when Solas had almost caught them in the act. She nodded to the bartender, who brought them both an ale.

"That was fun! And Inquisitor of the people! Still remembering you're one of them," Sera said, holding up the cup, "if all they got was the Herald stuff, the serious bit, you'd start to sound pretty scary. That works, but not for long."

"Whatever it takes," the Inquisitor replied, holding her cup up, too, and clinking them together, "Hell, I'll start throwing pies if that is what it takes to get people inspired." Sera let out a laugh and took a sip of her ale before setting it back down again.

"Pies are great!" Sera exclaimed, "And Coryphenus would never do that! Good thing for you, innit? Because from the bottom, everyone up sort of seems the same." Sera leaned back in her chair, eyeing the Inquisitor. She had hair that reached her shoulder and waved slightly, like a copper hillside. Her eyes were like a clear sky, bright and calm and the deepest shade of blue. She had a nice body, strong from years of swinging around her giant swords or axes. The only thing that couldn't be considered beautiful on her was a nasty scar on her left eyebrow. A result of a tavern fight, the Inquisitor had once told her. Sera blinked and brought herself back to the real world, picking up her cup again.

"It was fun chasing you, Inquisitor. Nice view," Sera said, and she could have sworn she saw the Inquisitor blush. She didn't have time to examine her face, however, as their lovely ambassador burst in through the door, dripping wet.

"You!" Josephine yelled, stomping over to them, the anger apparent on her face. The Antivan glanced between the pair as they jumped up from their stools.

"Oh frig! You did it!" Sera yelled, dashing past the lady ambassador and up the stairs. A trail of laughter followed her as she left the guilty looking Inquisitor with Josephine.

Sera sat on the top of the tavern, overlooking Skyhold. Up here it was calm, almost like the Breach had never happened. And as far as she had been concerned, the faster they fixed the giant bleeding hole in the sky the better. As of right now, she wasn't so sure. Without the Breach, she never would have met the Inquisitor…

Sera remembered tales from her youth, grand stories about noble knights saving princesses and all that stuff. The Inquisitor wasn't exactly a knight, and she certainly wasn't some princess. But one thing that did match was the feeling Sera got when she looked at the warrior. When they laughed together or pulled pranks, Sera couldn't push down that weird, fuzzy feeling she felt inside of herself. After a few days in denial and yesterday spent talking with some Inquisition rogues, Sera decided that she was in fact in love with the Herald of Andraste. Now the only thing she could do was to tell her beloved Inquisitor how she felt. Sera had, in fact, decided that she would two and half hours ago, yet she was still on this roof.

The sun had reached the middle of the sky and came down harshly on the elf. She could feel her ears start to grow hot with a mixture of her own thoughts and the hot sun. She could fell the first droplets of sweat coming on, so she finally decided it was best to face her fears. She instead tried to focus on her excitement as she slipped back in the tavern and headed down the many flights of stairs.

"Who am I kidding, me and the Inquisitor are perfect together," Sera mumbled under her breath as she exited the tavern, "She's fun-loving, witty, and amazing, just like me." Despite this, she still felt uncertain. What if she didn't return her feelings? What if she hated her? What if she banned her from the Inquisition? She swallowed hard, pushing those thoughts down, replacing those fears with thoughts of the Inquisitor. She soon found herself at the Inquisitor's door, pacing back and forth. After a few moments to compose herself.

"Inquisitor!" Sera shouted, finally bursting into the room. She glanced around the spacious room to find it devoid of all people. She let out a sigh as she examined the empty room. After a few moments she decided it best for her to leave lest someone find her snooping through the Inquisitor's belongings. She headed down the stairs to the great hall. She walked up to the first important looking person and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey. Yeah, you. D'you know where the Inquisitor is?" Sera asked, watching as the man eyed her almost suspiciously.

"The Inquisitor? I'm afraid she left on official business to Val Royeaux," he replied curtly, giving her a tiny nod. Sera crossed her arms defiantly, shaking her head.

"She left? No way. She would have told me," Sera replied.

"You don't have to believe me," the soldier retorted, "But I know. The Inquisitor went to duel someone on behalf of Lady Montilyet an hour or two ago."

"Josie?" Sera responded, somewhat confused, "Well why didn't she tell me then?" The soldier simply shrugged, turning his back on her. Sera let out a disgruntled huff as she turned towards the ambassador's office. If the Inquisitor was fighting for Josephine, she was bound to know more about it. She didn't bother knocking as she pushed open the door to her office, peering inside. Luckily she wasn't in a meeting with some stuffy noble. Instead, she was shuffling some papers around on her desk with a pained expression. When she saw Sera she set the papers down and stood up, giving her a small smile.

"Sera, is there something I could help you with?" Josephine asked. While she sounded somewhat sincere, her words were somewhat strained. Even with her smile there seemed to be something wrong.

"Oh, ah, yeah. What's up with the Inquisitor, huh? Why'd she leave in such a big hurry to do that duel thing in Val Royeaux for you?" Sera questioned, flopping down in the chair in front of her desk. As soon as the words had left her mouth Josephine's eyes widened and a deep frown settled in on her face.

"She what?" Josephine exclaimed, moving out from behind the desk, "T-that, that, that idiot! I told her not to, she could get hurt!"

"What? Hurt?" Sera asked, suddenly more alert, "What d'you mean she could be hurt?" But the ambassador was already gone out the door in the flash, leaving behind a worried and confused Sera.