Chapter 2: Reunion
The soldiers scurrying along the battlements to get a peek at the fortress' newest arrivals would have almost been unnerving if it wasn't something Lenore was accustomed to. She was more worried for the mages in her charge, as even though they were as used to being under suspicion as any other mage in Thedas, they weren't accustomed to being outside their circle walls and weren't used to seeing that suspicion in person. But, her brethren had chosen to follow Lady Vivienne instead of rebelling when the circle's fell, and she could only hope their past, and continued, loyalty to the Chantry and to the people of Thedas would keep them from harm.
She lead Valéry to the stables, dismounting from the horse to hand his reigns to one of the stable hands nearby. "Take good care of him.", she told the boy gently, who couldn't be any older than thirteen. The boy nodded and scurried away to attend his duties.
"I must return to my duties, Knight-Enchanter. Excuse me.", Cullen said to her gruffly, disappearing with a scout on his heel before she could even reply to him. She could admire his tenacity and devotion to his position in the Inquisition, but, from where she was standing, the weight of that responsibility was almost too heavy on his shoulders, and that had been clear to her from the moment she met him. She hoped for his sake, and the sake of the Inquisition, that he would find a way to lay that burden down from time to time and simply be himself.
While she was watching Cullen depart into the sea of people rushing about their business, while she was lost in her thoughts, she caught sight of a couple of Inquisition solders approaching the nearby mages. Her charges were all huddled close together in a group near her, taking everything that Skyhold had to offer in. What caught her attention, however, wasn't the soldiers, but the Templar behind them that approached her directly.
"Lady Vivienne asked me to accompany your companions to their quarters, Knight-Enchanter.", the Templar informed her directly, which made Lenore relax slightly. Lenore knew that this move on Vivienne's part was as much for the comfort of her fellow mages as it was for the comfort of the ordinary people in Skyhold, and she wasn't surprised by it at all.
"What's your name?," Lenore questioned the Templar, which seemed to bring shock to those around her if the whispers around her were any indication. To see a mage speaking almost as an equal to a Templar was something that almost unheard of, but the Templar didn't seem fazed at all by such an action.
"Barris, my lady."
"See that they are well taken care of, Ser Barris.", she instructed him to which he slammed his closed fist against his armor in acknowledgment of her request before he beckoned the mages to follow him. She grasped Edmond, who had been standing near the back of the group, gently by the cloth of his robes and pulled him away from the group to speak to him.
"I'll join you after meeting with Lady Vivienne.", she told the man, who nodded, before he continued on with the rest of them as not to be left behind.
"Where is Lady Vivienne?", she asked Ioren, who had appeared by her side after the mages departure.
"She has set up a space on the balcony over looking the grand hall, my lady."
"Of course she has.", Lenore said, amused that her mentor hadn't changed at all since they had last spoke. She would, of course, have picked the spot where she could have a vantage point of everything that was going, both inside the castle and out; as it would have been the only place that she felt completely in control.
"Can you show me the way, Ioren?", she asked the scout, not wanting to keep Vivienne waiting for longer than possible. She was sure that she could have found the way there on her own, but as she was still unfamiliar with the fortress, she was sure to get to her destination much faster if she had someone show her the way.
"Yes, my lady.", she said, as she lead the way towards the stone staircase nearby. "I have to deliver my report to Sister Nightingale and it's on the way."
As she made her way through the grand hall to Lady Vivienne, the first thing she noticed was how chaotic in was, and how easily it was for her to blend in with the crowd. It was comforting, for once, to not feel like there were a million eyes watching her every move.
There were people scurrying about from one end of the hall to the other repair the centuries old fortress while others were intent on decorating it to make it feel more welcoming to the guests of the inquisition. The symbols of the Andrastian Chantry, as well as the symbol of the Inquisition itself, were decorated all over the hall, but the impressive symbols, if not rather plain compared to what she was accustomed to back in Val Royeaux, weren't what caught her attention.
On the wall over the nearby fireplace was a heraldry banner, one that she assumed belonged to the family of the Inquisitor, that gave her cause to pause. It was a depiction of the Trevelyan family crest, the rulers of Ostwick, decorated with the symbol of the Free Marches underneath. She hadn't been aware that the Inquisitor was a Marcher, let alone that he haled from the same ruling family from the where she was born, but it didn't come as that big of a surprise to her.
Ioren lead her close to a table near the fireplace where a blonde-haired male dwarf , with more chest hair on a man than she had ever seen, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment . He caught her interest, only because of a vague familiarity in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't quite place, but she didn't stop to speak with him. From where she was standing, he didn't even seem aware of her existence in the first place as he was buried deep in his work.
In the next room, a round rotunda with murals covering the far wall that depicted the Inquisition's exploits thus far, she found an elf working on the finishing touches of one of the murals. It seemed to depict the battle at Haven, and the Inquisitor's heroic survival. The bald elf seemed to become aware of her presence the moment she entered the room, as much as she was of him simply by the pull of his magic, but he said nothing to her and went back to his task.
Upon ascending the stairs, Lenore was greeted by the sight of a library that wrapped it's way around the second floor, which pleased her greatly. It was the first thing that she had seen in the fortress that reminded her of the circle where she grew up. She wanted to stop and peruse the shelves to see if any hidden treasures rested upon them, but she knew that there would plenty of time for that later.
As she followed after Ioren, she caught sight of a slender man with dark features sitting in a chair with his head buried in a book close to her. The most noticeable thing about him physically was just how well groomed he was; right down to the prominent mustache that seemed to be his most treasured asset. Of course, what drew her eyes to him was an almost eerily familiar pull of magic; one that reminded her greatly of Lady Vivienne.
As they walked through the library, they eventually stopped in front of an wooden door. "Lady Vivienne is through there, my lady.", Ioren instructed, as she opened the door to reveal an alcove, from which Lenore could see part of the upstairs balcony and the grand hall below it.
"Thank you for all your help, Ioren.", Lenore said sincerely, as the elf bowed to her in response.
"Just doing my duty, my lady. I'll take my leave now. Sister Nightingale doesn't like to be kept waiting.", the elf replied as she jutted her thumb back towards a staircase that wasn't very far off. She could hear the sounds of ravens constantly cawing from the floor above them, and even though she hadn't seen the top floor of the rotunda, it seemed as fitting place as any for the spymaster of the inquisition to set up her base of operations.
"Then it wouldn't be wise to do so for much longer. I can find my way from here.", Lenore said in agreement, a small smirk decorating her features as she watched the woman scurry off to deliver her report.
Lenore ascended the small staircase that lead up to a small area before leading out to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. As she moved into the indoor balcony that overlooked the hall below, there was no doubt in her mind that Vivienne owned this space, and had set about to give it as many touches of home as she possibly could.
The furniture was familiar and inviting; especially the tall wooden chairs and the couch decorated with white and gold leather upholstery with gold trim that she knew had come from her room in the Circle. The lion's head, the proud symbol of Orlais, carved into the top of the legs of a nearby side-table, was the most welcoming sight of them all, and Lenore stopped next to it in order to run her fingers over the carving as she had done many times before.
The massive windows lined with stained glass that allowed the light to stream into the balcony was situated around the entrance into the outside balcony. The steel doors were swung open to reveal an entrance to the outside, and Lenore could see Vivienne standing there proudly overseeing the courtyard below with her back turned towards her.
"It's good to see you again, my dear.", Vivienne said before Lenore could even open her mouth to speak, as she turned from the balcony to join her former apprentice.
"You as well, my lady.", Lenore said, as she bowed respectfully to her mentor.
She felt Vivienne's hand upon her shoulder as she tucked the other under Lenore's chin to bring her up to face her.
"There's no need for that, darling. Bowing should be reserved for queens or priests and I am neither to you.", she said, with the faintest hint of a smile decorating the edge of her lips.
"Yet.", Lenore emphasized teasingly, which brought an even wider smile to Vivienne's lips and a chuckle followed suit.
"It's good to see that you haven't changed since we last spoke.", Vivienne replied as she brushed past her and took a seat upon the couch. "Though, darling, you could have changed into something more comfortable than your armor, and cleaned yourself up, before you came to meet with me. ", she teased in return, forcing Lenore to realize for the first time that she was still clad in her armor.
"I didn't want to keep you waiting.", Lenore said, as a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"No matter. There will be time for that later.", Vivienne said, as she motioned to one of the chairs across from her. "Have a seat. Tell me about your journey. You look absolutely exhausted.", she said as she reached over to the side table next to her to retrieve the bottle of wine sitting upon it.
"It was exhausting.", Lenore admitted as she settled into one of the chairs comfortably. "Longest journey of my life, but we made it in one piece. No casualties and only minor injuries."
"I knew I could count on you, my dear.", Vivienne said with praise, as she handed Lenore the glass of wine that she had poured for her.
The two of them went on conversing on various topics, from the civil war that Lenore had been in the thick of until she had been called away to things that would need to be taken care of to make their fellow mages more comfortable in their tower.
Just as she had been handed her second glass of wine by her mentor, Lenore felt that she could no longer ignore the pressing feeling in the back of her mind that her mentor was keeping something from her.
"Lady Vivienne.", Lenore began, as she stared down into the goblet that she was holding.
"Yes, my dear?", Vivienne asked, staring at her intently and Lenore almost convinced herself that Vivienne knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.
"I just...don't understand why you sent for me specifically to join you here.", she admitted as she reached over to place the still full glass of wine on the table.
"Isn't it obvious?", Vivienne asked incredulously, as she took another sip of her wine.
"Frankly...no. It's not.", Lenore said, licking her lips as she scooted closer in her chair. "Any one of the others could have lead the way from Val Royeaux. Some of them are even more capable mages than I am, and yet, you sent for me. Why?"
"Because, there is no one else I know I can trust more than you.", Vivienne said, pointedly, as she sat her own glass down on the table beside Lenore's.
Vivienne reached with her hands to Lenore, taking her apprentice's hands in her own.
"And...because I know that you have something to offer the Inquisition that I cannot.", she continued, as confusion etched across Lenore's face.
"What do you mean?", she questioned her mentor, who shook her head in response.
"Not now, darling. It will all be come clear in time.", Vivienne assured, as she rose to her feet. "For now, I'll show you to your quarters, and you can wash the road from your skin.", she said, as she began to lead Lenore off the balcony and over towards the door that lead into the library.
They both came to a stop, however, as they was a commotion coming from the hall below them.
"Oh.", Vivienne said, as she drew them both closer to the edge of the balcony overlooking the hall. "Looks the Inquisitor has scheduled some pre-dinner entertainment for us.", she stated with amusement dripping from her voice.
Lenore stared down into the hall, and she could see someone seated upon the massive Andrastian throne at the very end beneath the stained glass windows bearing the inquisition's symbol. She couldn't make out their face, but she had no doubt in her mind that this was the Inquisitor – the man that had survived the blast at the conclave and the avalanche at Haven and lived to tell about it. He was seated with his fingers templed in his lap, with his right leg resting over his left.
Standing a short distance away from the throne that he was seated upon, stood a man dressed in Templar armor, with Inquisitions soldiers holding him on either side. It was then that Lenore spotted Cullen standing to his left a few steps below the throne, speaking to the Inquisitor.
"And this is a surprise.", Vivienne said as she leaned forward on the balcony, which drew Lenore's attention to her. "The commander is proceeding over the sentencing. Must be that fool knight-captain they captured at Therinfal Redoubt , if he has asked to take over for Josephine."
Lenore forced her eyes back to what was going on below. She could barely make out the voices of the proceedings from where she was standing, but she gathered enough to know that the prisoner had been given to the templars for further judgment.
"Excellent.", Vivienne said as she pulled away from the balcony. "That is one thing that can be said about Lord Trevelyan.", Vivienne said as she began to walk down the step towards the door with Lenore close behind. "He knows when to take matters into his own hands and when to pass the responsibility to someone better suited for the task. It will serve him well in the days to come."
Lenore contemplated her mentor's words, as well her words from before, and she felt that she was beginning to see a clearer picture of what her mentor had in mind. She still didn't quite know why she had been brought to Skyhold, but it was clear to her that it had been with a purpose – one that Vivienne believed that Lenore was in a position to fill for the Inquisition and for their cause.