Eleanor emerged from her room feeling like a new person. She was wearing one of the outfits Sophia had left for her; a beautiful yet simple linen robe the color of the sky just before the stars begin show; so dark blue, it was almost black. In the bathing room there had been some simple cosmetic items, and Eleanor was filled with girlish glee to paint her face again. She had outlined her eyes with a soft dark pencil and rubbed a dark violet pigment into her lips. She glanced up at her reflection in the tarnished mirror and for a few breaths, she was back in Kirkwall, getting ready to go to the Hanged Man...
She shook the thoughts from her mind. She could not, would not, dwell in the past. Ignoring the feelings of dread that crept into her stomach every time she thought of Kirkwall, Eleanor quietly opened the door to the main hall of the Chantry and looked back, intending to instruct Rook to stay put, but he was motionless, deep in sleep. She closed the door softly. Though the Chantry was not being used for its normal purpose at present, she still felt a reverence for the building and it felt wrong to make noise and disrupt the peace.
Apparently there were those who disagreed, because the front doors opened loudly and slammed shut. She glared up, intent on giving a stare to make the offending party feel guilty, when she saw Sophia, who had the telltale grin of having enjoyed a second glass of ale with Varric. She skipped over to Eleanor and whistled.
"Look at you! You look so relaxed!" She linked her arm through Eleanor's and led her through a door right next to her bedroom.
"I'm relieved you showed up; I realized I had no idea where the War Room was not thirty seconds ago."
"Well, it's right here," Sophia snickered, leading Eleanor through a large set of doors at the end of the hall, barely ten feet from her bedroom. The door creaked as it opened, causing the three people inside to look up from a large table in the center of the room. Eleanor observed, guessing this would be the "inner circle" Sophia had told her about. There was a woman with a thin linen hood standing with her arms crossed and her brows furled. She had soft ginger hair and a warm, yet calculating gaze. Next to her stood a woman with shining olive skin and dark, curly hair. She must be Antivan, Eleanor thought to herself. She stood tall and carried herself with a confidence Eleanor envied. She smiled and her face softened, making her seem more approachable. Lastly, at the end of the table, stood Cullen. When Eleanor glanced at him their eyes met and she felt her skin tingle slightly again. He smiled at her and looked down at the table, focusing intently on the map spread across it and trying to ignore the fact that his ears were burning.
"Finally, Sophia," the red-headed woman at the far end of the table mocked playfully. "I was starting to think we would have to move our meeting to the tavern." Sophia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"As if you would have had to be asked twice, Leliana," she retorted. "Anyways, Eleanor needed time to...well, she needed to go..."
"Time to make myself presentable, I would assume my cousin is trying to say," Eleanor chimed in. "Traveling left me quite worn." Sophia nodded in agreement.
"You're the one who said it," she giggled. "So let's get the introductions out of the way shall we? Eleanor this is Leliana, our spymaster." she gestured to the woman at the end. Leliana gave a small wave and a bright smile.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Eleanor. We have heard much about you. And, if I may be casual...I love your robe. That color is gorgeous!"
"Oh, thank you," Eleanor grinned. "Sophia picked it out for me."
"Yes, yes, I have great taste," Sophia beamed, waving off the compliment. "Next, this is Josephine, our ambassador. She works tirelessly to make everyone happy." Josephine bowed and when she spoke, her heavy Antivan accent confirmed Eleanor's suspicion.
"I am so pleased to finally meet you, Eleanor. Sophia has been excited for you to join us. I'm so glad that my—er, our letter, was received without complication."
"Ah, I assumed that Sophia had gotten someone to write that letter for her," Eleanor giggled. "It was far too formal for her."
"Yes, as ambassador I felt it was only polite to ensure that our correspondence with you was well-mannered."
"Josie! My version wasn't that bad, surely!" Sophia stomped her foot with mock indignation, but she was laughing. Josephine looked at Sophia and they shared a smile that made Eleanor feel as if she were suddenly intruding. Sophia then waved her hand in Cullen's direction.
"And you remember Cullen, because he was the one who yelled at you earlier." Josephine and Leliana gasped.
"Oh Cullen, you didn't!" Leliana scolded him. He hid his face behind one of his palms in shame.
"Cullen this is not the kind of behavior we can have you displaying!" Josephine chimed in. "The Herald's cousin of all people! Can you imagine if she were a noble here from whom we were trying to get assistance? Really..."
"Alright, I've apologized, I'm sorry," Cullen groaned. "Either way, Eleanor, I'm glad to formally meet you. I'm glad you had the opportunity to rest, you look very...refreshed." Sophia snorted quietly and nudged Leliana who cleared her throat.
"It's really alright," Eleanor said quickly.
"Tell them about you," Sophia suggested. Eleanor's eyes widened.
"Um, well, okay. I was an apostate living in Kirkwall before all of this happened. I used to volunteer in Anders' clinic, but for the most part I stayed in Lowtown and didn't ruffle any feathers."
"That's where I recognized you from," Cullen interrupted quietly. She turned to face him and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Beg pardon?"
"Yes," he continued. "I knew it. Because you stayed out of trouble you never would've had to meet me but I was working directly under, well, Knight-Commander Meredith. It was my job to...know who the apostates were. Even the quiet ones." Eleanor's nostrils flared and she clenched her fist. Her entire body tensed, as if in preparation to fight.
"You?" It was less of a question and more of an accusation. Leliana and Josephine shared a worried glance. Eleanor had a flashback to the mages she'd known, getting frantic when the violence had become more commonplace, of Anders becoming more and more paranoid and unstable, his life being threatened more often. However, she then remembered the news after Meredith had been defeated. That at last minute, her second in command had taken up arms against her and fought alongside the apostates, including Hawke, to take her down. Her voice was shaking slightly when she spoke again.
"I know what you did for Hawke and her allies. We all have a tainted past somewhere; I can't really hold yours against you. In the end, you...chose the right side, it seems." There was a collective sigh of relief and Cullen exhaled loudly.
"Thank you. If it means anything, I am not a templar anymore." she nodded curtly, and looked to Sophia to change the subject. Her hands continued to shake and she clasped them behind her back, hoping her discomfort was not too obvious.
"So, speaking of mages and templars, I'd like to bring Eleanor with me to Val Royeaux. She probably won't be a main part of my combat party but until my magic stabilizes a bit more I'd like to have her nearby."
"That's a sound idea," Josephine agreed. "Have you been to Val Royeaux before?" she asked Eleanor, who shook her head.
"I've never had reason to, but I hear it's beautiful."
"And the shopping there is magnificent," Leliana offered.
"Right, so the main reason for me calling this meeting was just for you guys to meet Eleanor. Now that's done, does anyone have any other business they need me for?" she glanced up at them. The three advisors shook their heads. "Great, then you're all dismissed. Well, Josie, I actually had a few things I wanted to chat with you about. Eleanor, I'll meet you back at the tavern?"
"Sounds great," Eleanor gave a knowing smirk. Leliana brushed past her quickly, muttering about her crows, and Cullen held the door open for her as she stepped out. The sun was beginning to set and the Chantry began to darken slowly. Eleanor lingered in the hall, watching the sky change through one of the windows. Her conversation with Cullen had made her feel nostalgic, and she knew that a chat with Varric would perk her back up. She turned to leave and noticed Cullen was still standing in the hall, also entranced by the sky. She paused, wanting to say something, but the moment seemed almost sacred to him and she did not want to spoil it. She walked out quickly, careful not to let the door slam and interrupt his thoughts.
She found her way to the tavern easily, and Varric was in the same spot in which she'd left him. She smiled and plopped down across from him.
"Snowflake! You're looking a lot more put-together if you don't mind me saying," he chortled. He signaled the waitress to bring them two beers. "How was the meeting?"
"Awkward," she admitted. "Did you know that the commander is Cullen from-"
"Yeah," he nodded. The waitress returned quickly with two mugs and Varric held his hand out when Eleanor moved to pay her. "I have a tab, don't worry about it. I got this round." Eleanor raised her mug towards him and toasted before taking a long drink.
"Is nobody else slightly wary of him? Cullen, I mean? How's he handling the fact that Sophia is a mage?"
"Nah, Curly's a good guy," Varric shook his head. "He's seen a lot of shit, but he really pulled through for Hawke at the end in Kirkwall. If it hadn't been for him..." he trailed off. He was a few drinks ahead of her and his words were slurring.
"If you vouch for him, I'll trust you." Eleanor said slowly. "I guess."
"That and the Seeker thinks that there's no one better for his job. If she thought he was ready, then he's ready."
"Seeker?"
"Oh, right. Cassandra Pentaghast, arrested me after what happened in Kirkwall. For questioning. When she and Leliana began carrying out the Divine's wish to form the Inquisition, Cassandra recruited him after seeing his work in Kirkwall. He helped restore the order to the templars there."
"I'll believe that when I see it," Eleanor rolled her eyes. Varric nodded and raised his glass.
"You think you'll ever go back?" he asked her. "It's the first thing I'm gonna do after this shit is done."
"Hmm, I honestly hadn't thought about it." she bit her lip and pondered. What would she do after this was done? She frowned. "I don't know, I do miss the Hanged Man." Varric laughed loudly and slammed his hand on the table.
"You miss that dump? I didn't think anyone missed that place. I was pretty sure we all just ended up there out of circumstance, and stayed out of habit." Eleanor rolled her eyes and took a swig of beer.
"That's a fair point," she conceded. "But it was always warm and inviting. I just miss Kirkwall before everything. It was home for a long time."
"Aye," the dwarf nodded. "Well she's a survivor, that city. If you ever want to go back when this is done, you know she'll still be standing. Hell, you can even come stay with me! We'll go get sloshed at the Hanged Man and hustle some people in Wicked Grace. Hey, speaking of which..." he pulled out his deck of cards. "You up for a game?"
"Always," she agreed enthusiastically.
"I hope you weren't about to start that without me!" Sophia's voice rang out as she waltzed into the tavern, her cheeks rosy.
"Ahhhh, is your romantic rendezvous over so soon?" Eleanor elbowed her playfully. Sophia hissed.
"Hush! No, there's no-I mean, we're just friends."
"Who, you and Ruffles?" Varric snickered. "Yeah, okay, sure." Sophia groaned and put her head on the table.
"Just deal the cards, Varric," she complained. Eleanor eyed her cousin, looking amused. She thought of Kirkwall, her old home. Haven wasn't quite home, but it would do for now.