Leliana regarded the elf in the middle of the room. The way her head lolled to her chest, the sporadic rise and fall of her breathing, her hands bound tightly. She focused on the details. The facts. It was that or focus on the different ways to kill the prisoner based on the rumors being whispered.
The entirety of the Conclave was destroyed. Every living being present was now dead. Except for this woman. A very simple, elven woman.
This elf had long, brown hair; shaved back on the sides. Some of it was slightly dreaded but Leliana couldn't decide if it was meant to be that way or it was a result of the explosion, or her time in the fade. Maker knows what goes on there. Her head dipped down to her chest forced her hair to fall across her face.
Leliana could only make out half of her vallaslin because of the hair but if Leliana's memory served her it was one of the variations of Mythal. Several thin branches shot out from the base that jutted from the tip of her nose. The branches framed her eyes, covered her forehead as inked roots grew from her chin. The former bard's days spent with the Dalish during the Blight was a long time ago but much of the information came readily when called upon. The First of that clan was welcoming of humans and was excited when Leliana showed interest in their culture.
It would have to be a sick joke that an elf with the markings of Mythal, the Dalish god of protection, would be to blame for the downfall of the Chantry. Leliana would laugh if she wasn't so focused on keeping her emotions in check. Which reminded her, she was supposed to be focusing on the young woman in front of her. Not the destruction of Leliana's life.
And she did seem young. Much younger than Leliana's initial observation when the guards hauled her unconscious body in. If Leliana had to guess she would place the elf in her early 20s. Her face was free of wrinkles, the only marks were her vallaslin and a prominent scar jutting down from her right eye that curved with her high cheekbones. The bard's mind ran away from her with tales of how the scar got its home.
Cassandra barreling through the door pulled her out of the blissful distraction but she only kept walking past her towards the guard barracks to bark orders at some undeserving soldier. Leliana let her eyes follow the seeker but shifted once more to the elf when the barrack's door closed.
Her hand sparked green every few minutes which caused it to jump. It was an odd sight. Leliana was used to mages and Templars with magic but Solas had assured Cassandra that this elf had no magic. So if not magic, what?
A particularly large shock of green roused the elf. Her eyes fluttered open then locked onto her hand. She twisted it around, back and forth, to observe it. Leliana wondered what the sensation must feel like but another shock of green and a pained gasp told her enough.
Even in pain, Leliana had to admit the elf was beautiful; now that she could get a decent look at her face. She had a sharp chin and slender jaw, high cheekbones where two dark eyes sat nestled in thick eyelashes. They appeared green but Leliana couldn't decide if it was an effect of the mark's light or their actual color. The elf had a slim nose that was the trail for her vallaslin to connect to her chin. Her ears were long, big for any Dalish but, like all her features, they were slim. The only full thing about this elf were her pink lips. And even that was based on comparison.
Leliana's attention was demanded by Cassandra as the woman cleared her throat. She motioned the bard to follow her outside. Leliana in turn motioned the guards to attention. The scrap of swords drawn and a shiver followed her out.
"The guards do not know what to make of the elf. They blame her but they are saying the figure behind her was Andraste."
Her voice held a dangerous edge. This side of Cassandra was shown once before, a long time ago. The outcome was not pleasant for anyone involved. Leliana knew she would have to monitor this interrogation so as not to lose their only connection to what happened to the Most Holy.
"Maybe so. All we can do is ask, Cassandra, but you need to calm down. She is no use to us if you kill her."
Cassandra grunted as she shoved past Leliana, who followed with a frustrated sigh.
The elf's head jerked up as the door opened. She schooled her features into indifference, maybe a little anger but Leliana saw the fear that was there seconds before. The hair on the back of Leliana's neck stood with the sound of metal on metal snaking through the room as the guards sheathed their swords. No matter how many years she was in this life, she would never get used to the sound.
The elf met Leliana's eyes as the left hand walked closer. Leliana could now confirm the deep green in her eyes and also the apprehension mixing with the color. This woman was Dalish and, through her anger, Leliana needed to remember that their people were stubborn and didn't trust easily, that intimidation wouldn't be the best tactic.
Before she could get out that suggestion, Cassandra had already circled the elf and leaned down over her shoulder.
"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." She straightened, "The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead." Cassandra continued circling. As she came side by side with Leliana she turned to finish, "Except for you."
As the seeker spoke, Leliana had studied the elf for a reaction. Slowly her face dropped the indifference. Leliana saw the shock seep in, followed by confusion and what could have been survivor's guilt but as Cassandra finished, all Leliana saw was stubborn anger. The elf didn't answer. She glared up at the two women. This only enraged Cassandra more.
The hotheaded woman darted down to grab the elf's wrist, jerking it up then throwing it back at the elf. As she did it sputtered green.
"Explain this."
Their prisoner looked down at her own hand. The mask was gone. Leliana saw the confusion and fear that was followed by the stuttered admission of no explanation.
Cassandra was much less observant of people's emotional or social ques. She missed that the elf was becoming compliant, that she wanted to help or at least to explain herself. That the elf was scared. The admission only seemed to fuel an already present anger.
"What do you mean you can't?!"
Leliana started her own circle. Her feet moving her slightly faster than the seeker. She knew what was bound to come next. She knew she needed to be closer to Cassandra to stop it as subtly as possible so there was no shift in command.
"I don't know what that is, or how it got there." The elf rushed to answer, panic joining her emotions.
"You're lying!"
Cassandra grabbed the elf by her shoulders then her dominant hand reached for the hilt of her sword. Leliana moved quickly. She grabbed Cassandra and pushed her backwards. When the seeker's eyes met Leliana's they were fire and anger but she complied with the warning. Leliana turned as the elf spoke, her voice without any hint of the fear from before.
"What happens now?"
"Do you remember what happened? How this began?" Leliana's questions ran together and she had to cut off a third to actually get an answer at all. The elf avoided her eyes as she answered.
"I remember running. Things were chasing me, and then…a woman?"
Green eyes found Leliana's with her question. The elf seemed unsure and the fear was back. Leliana met Cassandra's pointed stare. The seeker raised an eyebrow as if to say 'see? It is true.'
"A woman?"
The elf slowly nodded her head. "She reached out to me, but then…"
Cassandra cut her off. It didn't seem as though she was going to continue anyways. Cassandra issued her orders and Leliana quickly complied. There was a plan forming in Cassandra's head, the cogs turning were visible if you knew what to look for like Leliana did. "I will take her to the rift" Cassandra announced. And there it was.
Leliana spared the elf a lingering look over her shoulder as she left the barracks. Her slight shoulders sank. She looked broken and tired.
The forward camp was little else than tables and tents set up on a bridge. The gateway between the Temple of Sacred Ashes and Haven. Leliana looked out over what she could see of the land while Chancellor Roderick droned on, quite passionately, about how the elf needed to be 'put down.' It was all Leliana could do to not put the man down herself. Her modest upbringing in Orlais made this a sensitive argument. Not to mention the hospitality she was shown from the Dalish during the Blight. Was their First corrupt? Yes. Was his Second and the rest of the clan privy to his deception or anything less than amiable? No. They were good people. They deserve respect. Something Roderick was denying them. Leliana subtly bit the inside of her lip as another derogatory term landed on her ears.
Guards yelling and the creak of giant hinges brought Leliana's focus from the surrounding area to the front of camp. A silent sigh of relief from the left hand accompanied the incoming party.
"Here they come." Leliana announced. She watched as a wave of disapproval sunk down Roderick's face as his eyes lingered on the free elf. "You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is "
"I know who she is." The man spat, cutting Leliana off. He continued, in an overextended pompous tone, "As grand chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."
Leliana watched the elf. She knew this was coming. She needed to know how the elf would react when faced with outright prejudice. The small woman's eyebrows raised but her mouth became hard. She held herself a little taller and a hand found its way to the hilt of her daggers, the ones Leliana didn't notice until now. The elf said nothing, but Cassandra did. A scoff left the dark haired woman.
"'Order me?' You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"
"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"
Leliana stepped in as the two more passionate believers heated.
"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know." She aimed to be as polite as possible in hopes to distinguish the fire Cassandra was stoking.
Roderick rolled his eyes and let out a scoff of his own. His hands came up to frame what he was about to say, as if he were talking to children.
"Justinia is dead! We must reelect a replacement, and obey her orders on the matter!"
Their new friend decided to speak up then. Leliana had to suppress a groan and a chuckle.
"So none of you are actually in charge here?" She asked in a bored yet berating tone. The fire that was dwindling into a smolder now flared to life in the chancellor.
"You killed everyone who was in charge!" He yelled, an accusatory finger flung in the elf's direction. Cassandra moved into his line of sight of the elf. Leliana noted this for discussion later. Something seemed to change from her previous aversion to the woman.
"Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."
"We can stop this before it's too late."
"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple. Even with all your soldiers."
The three Chantry officials debated their route to the temple. Leliana was in favor for the mountain pass. She had lost many soldiers there and half hoped that if Cassandra took it she would find them. More than her worry, the pass was the safest. Soldiers could charge as a distraction as the party sneaks through. There would be causalities but if this elf can close the rift then it'd be worth it. Leliana would charge with them, lead them even, if it meant the rift would close. But Cassandra did not leave it up to her. Surprisingly, she left it up to the elf. The same elf who almost missed the question as her hand flared green with the pulsing rift in the sky. Leliana observed how her face contorted with pain.
"You're asking me what I think?"
"You have the mark." Solas offered as Varric chuckled, at the marked elf's reaction or Solas's unhelpful comment Leliana wasn't sure.
"You are the one we must keep alive, and since we can't agree on our own…"
The answer came quick, sure. Varric grinned in approval as Cassandra's scowl was barely concealed. Leliana kept her own approval hidden. Her eyes met those of the prisoner and held.
"Leliana," Cassandra began. The left hand was jolted out of the staring contest. "Bring everyone left to the valley. Everyone."
As they separated, Roderick issued his last threat.
"On your head be the consequences, Seeker."
Leliana bit her lip again and took the effort to keep her feet moving. Her and Cassandra may not always agree or have much in common but the women have worked together for years now. She respected the seeker, cared for her; if anyone else had uttered the threat they would have a dagger at their throat. Instead Leliana bottled that anger to unleash on the demons they were sure to meet in the valley.
The path to the valley was littered with bodies. Human, dwarf, elf, and demon. Leliana wished she could keep her eyes trained ahead but knew that a detailed report of the battle would be much more useful. She didn't sleep enough for the sight to plague her dreams anyway.
After explaining the plan to Cullen, Leliana waited at the back of the company with a handful of her scouts. 'Everyone left' meant that Haven would be temporarily unguarded. They needed to be sure that all immediate danger was taken care of.
The breach in the sky pulsed, jerking her attention away from the scene in front of her. Leliana scanned the field once again and saw Cullen striding towards her.
"Leliana, you need to go. I'll stay back with a small guard; I don't feel comfortable leaving Haven. We don't understand this breach enough to trust these people will be safe. The way that thing keeps flashing is unsettling." His quick command and sure tone left no room for argument. Truth be told, Leliana was getting antsy waiting as she was. She gave the man a quick nod and addressed her own guard before setting off.
The temple wasn't far from their position and the pace Leliana forced her company into was break neck. She knew they wasted too much time. It was time well wasted to protect Haven but if she was too late…one village was not worth all of Thedas.
The sight of what was left of the Conclave stopped the left hand in her tracks. She heard someone behind her empty their stomachs. Leliana closed her eyes to collect herself, allowing the smell to hit her unhindered. Luckily she didn't have anything in her stomach to fear losing.
The Temple of Scared Ashes was no more than broken walls and scorched earth. The bodies that were left didn't even look human except for the pain still obvious in what was left of them. And all that was left was bone and muscle, few had teeth visible from their mouths still stretched in screams. Once again Leliana forced herself to note every detail around her. This would find its way into whatever little sleep she found. As she turned the corner into the heart of the temple she saw Cassandra and her party.
"You're here. Thank the Maker."
The elf cast a sidelong glance at Leliana before focusing back on the rift. The left hand had little time to register this as Cassandra issued her orders. With a nod and a glance of her own at the elf over Cassandra's shoulder, Leliana turned back to her company then made her way into position.
Leliana froze as she readied her bow. The voice that was ringing through the temple she never thought she would hear again. That was Divine Justinia. She whipped around to find the source. Then she heard the elf. Her eyes dropped to the center of the temple as the elf's hand flared to life. Blue eyes didn't linger long as the sky erupted in light, not the green they have come to expect but a vison of some sort. It showed the Divine being held, the elf rushing in. Then a shadow with a voice. It sent not a shiver but, something extremely more uncomfortable that the Orlesian couldn't explain. It was deep, gravelly, and old. Not the old and wise or old and condescending that came with age but the old that stretched through history.
Leliana watched in rapt horror at her mentor's final minutes before the image burned out.
Her eyes darted back down to Cassandra. Leliana could hear the seeker's shouted questions, the same ones she had. The elf's answer was lost in the distance but the two women stood in a face off, the tension visible. They both turned toward Solas. Again, Leliana was left without answers as she watched them.
"That means demons. Stand ready!" Cassandra called out. Leliana ignored the angry confusion and raised her bow, signaling to those around her to do the same. A motion of the right hand's head brought Leliana down from her perch. The left hand motioned to a few of her warriors to step in closer as well. Then they all watched the small elf step up to the pulsating rift. The green that immediately found the elf twitched manically as if trying to escape to anything around it.
Then it did. It shot green at the small woman then blasted out across the ruined temple. A pride demon emerged from the light. Leliana spared the elf a passing glance to assess the damage. Nothing more than a pained expression as she drew her daggers. Demons began to pour out of the rift. Shades of every kind.
Then arrows were flying and swords were slashing, stabbing, swinging in any manner that would ensure victory.
After every demon she cut down, the elf would turn back to the rift. When the wisps of green that bled from it tightened into what looked to be emeralds she would step up to dissolve it once more. And each time Leliana would move to protect her. The elf was defenseless when the rift leeched onto her. The pain on her face clear.
"Every time the rift is disrupted the demons stop."
Leliana turned toward the comment given through gritted teeth after what must have been the third disruption. The elf was rising from a single knee with her hand glowing green. It was a sight that sent the former bard's mind spinning with new tales. But, she pushed those to the back as she turned towards the battle. It was true. The demons seemed to be frozen.
The elf didn't wait for a comment. She dashed back into the fray with a snarl. Leliana watched the woman fight as her bow followed in the bloody wake, shooting arrows at anything still moving. The elf was deadly. She seemed to glide from demon to demon. The red that followed was an accent to her deadly dance. It was beautiful in a way only a warrior would appreciate.
It was almost mesmerizing to watch her fight. Shocking too. Most shocking being her strength. The speed was impressive but expected of a Dalish hunter. The strength would make even Cullen jealous. She cut through demons in single strokes, blocked claws with what looked to be little effort, and ran them through with ease. Her daggers catching the green light as they sailed through the air.
Then, the pride demon fell. Too many soldiers were attacking to know which single blow was the final.
Leliana watched the elf trudge back towards her. Their eyes met before the woman slipped behind Leliana. There was a gasp then the unmistakable buzz of the rift. Leliana turned to watch. The glowing arm of light that shot out to meet the elf's hand was duller but the pain on her face showed that it had only doubled in strength. It held on longer, pushing the elf's hand back. She met the force with her own and shoved back.
The gem now looked like molten emerald before it imploded into the sky. They had seconds to watch as it fizzled upward before a bright light flooded from the breach. Leliana threw her arm up to cover her eyes. When it was gone and they could focus again, her eyes found the elf's unconscious body on the ground; her hand still throbbing green.
Cassandra stood stuck, staring at what was left of the rift. Green tendrils that drifted as if the wind blew through it. Only there was no wind. Leliana waited for the right hand to take charge. When that didn't happen she took in the woman's body language. The sword and shield she favored hung limply in her hands, her eyes were out of focus, and her lips were drawn in a firm line. The loss of the Divine was firmly setting in for Cassandra. Or the emotional overload of the day was taking effect. Whatever it was, Cassandra would not be taking charge.
"You there, get the elf up and back to Haven. She is to be treated with the same care you would Seeker Pentaghast or myself." Leliana waited as the soldiers gently picked the elf up onto their shields before addressing the next task. "The demon carcasses need to be burned and the bodies of those at the Conclave need to be put to rest. Either burial or pyre. The decision is up to you but it will not be the same fire that the demons are burned in. Show them respect.
"Cassandra." Leliana waited for the woman to respond. Seconds ticked by before she slowly turned. "You need to get back to Haven as well. Take Varric and Solas with you. Roderick will be waiting. He never listens to me but you intimidate him enough to stall for time."
The seeker nodded. The fire that always lit up her eyes was still there but dim. Leliana added, softer, "Give him something that will put him off until tomorrow. Even he will understand the need to rest. Send Varric after him. Whatever it takes but you need rest, Cassandra."
Another nod before the dark haired woman headed out of the temple. Varric, who was close enough to overhear, sent Leliana a knowing look then followed.
"I would like to stay and study the rift." Solas spoke up from behind Leliana. "I will stay out of your soldiers' way and even help with the Conclave causalities but I believe we could learn much from this site."
"Very well." Leliana ran a hand down her face. The day had been long. "My in-command will know to give you any assistance you may need and I will also let him know of your offer to help. A small guard will be made available to you if you wish to stay overnight. Use it or don't, that is up to you."
Another nod from a companion and Leliana moved for her scouts. She placed McCown in charge, issued commands, then struck her own path back to Haven. A longer, less traveled path that allowed the former left hand plenty of privacy to mourn her beloved Divine.