"Herald, Your Worship, please listen to reason," a woman pleaded loudly, her harsh accented voice cutting through the fuzziness in Raven's mind. She remained still, her eyes closed as she listened. "You don't know what the prisoner is capable of. None of us do."
"Then we should at least find out, Cassandra." a man replied. His voice was much more relaxed than the woman he was speaking with.
"You read the reports! She took down and dislocated the shoulder of one of Leliana's agents, not to mention that strange knife she was carrying, and those bags they gathered." The woman didn't go into detail of what was in her bags, which Raven supposed could be a good thing; either they had yet to go through them or they found nothing worth mentioning which was doubtful with all the technology she knew the bags contained . Orlais, the woman named Melissa had said. That couldn't be right. That was Dragon Age. She'd spent hundreds of hours, completed dozens of playthroughs, discussed Thedas politics and cultures with her friends enough over tea and pastries to know better. This make believe method acting shit was really starting to get old.
"Yes, Cassandra, I read the reports and they also stated that Deeks made the first move with his dagger in hand. You even heard the other agent speak to Leliana about it. Therefore, I want to talk to her." Raven liked how the man was more logical than Cassandra. She highly doubted it was the same woman, but in the game Cassandra was always rash and quick to judge.
"She could be a spy. All I'm suggesting is you shouldn't do it alone," Cassandra explained as Raven heard footsteps coming toward her. She had to restrain from opening her eyes and keep her breathing in a slow, steady rhythm. There was a sigh from above her.
"Alright, when she wakes I'll have her escorted to the war room. I want Bull there as well." She knew it was the Herald who spoke from above her. That voice with the almost easy going tone belonged to the man who replied to Cassandra when she'd addressed him as such. Raven had no time to control her actions as she felt his hand against her leg. Her eyes shot open, searching for the source only to still when they landed on him. With messy black hair, green eyes, and stubble along his jaw, she knew him, but that wasn't possible. Christopher Trevelyan was her most recent mage playthrough with Cassandra as his love interest. Raven's heart jumped into overtime and she tried to look away as he stared down at her.
"And it seems like the prisoner is awake. I'll call for one of the guards," Cassandra said and then her footsteps faded into the distance.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked once the Seeker-if she really was a Seeker-was gone. "Melissa took great care of your head and leg. She said your name was Raven, right?" He asked and smiled when she nodded.
"Raven O'Hara," she answered him and suddenly noticed that his hand was still on her leg. Despite how handsome he was, she didn't like it. He seemed to notice when her eyes went to his arm then back to his face. He pulled his hand away with a quick apology.
"Before Cassandra comes back with the guard to escort you to the Chantry, is there anything you want to tell me?" He asked. The silence that followed his question lingered and as Raven lay there still strapped to the cot, unmoving, he took the time to look her over. She was small and thin and her long hair was tangled, but he had to give Melissa credit: not only did she heal any injuries, but also seemed to clean off the remaining blood. Her clothes were what raised question in his eyes, as well as everyone who saw her. Black pants that were skin tight, but seemed to stretch, black boots unlike any fashion he had ever seen, what he could only imagine as a purple undershirt that was also skin tight and only had lacey straps to hold it up exposing her collarbone, arms, and part of her back. A black cloth jacket had been removed when she was brought in and everyone-not only him-was astounded to see the colorful markings and tattoos that decorated her pale skin.
"I didn't attack that man," she finally answered and her voice brought his attention back to her green eyes. "I wanted to leave, to find out how I'd gotten here, but the two men showed up as I was getting my bags and wanted me to go with them. I refused and one attacked. His moves were easy enough to block and I grabbed his arm to keep him from attacking me with that small dagger again. It only dislocated when I fell, after another man shot me; although, I'd be lying if I said it didn't give some sick satisfaction after he'd attacked me," Raven explained. She didn't want to talk, but knew it would be in her best interest for whatever came next. Her eyes never left the man who was called the 'Herald of Andraste,' though she still didn't believe the title. Her mind was still trying to figure out how he looked exactly like her mage Inquisitor. It was best to play along in any case. He looked as if he were about to speak when a man wearing plate armor came in and announced himself. They were all quiet as he came forward, respectfully brushing past the man she'd been talking with to cut the ropes holding her to the bed. As they waited for her to stand, the man had to stop the soldier from drawing his sword. When she stood, she raised her arms to stretch and noticed her wrist and leg didn't hurt anymore before proceeding to quickly work out her still sore muscles. Her neck, shoulders, and back cracked and she honestly felt better by the time she was done. Thankfully her arms weren't tied behind her back again. Instead, he bound them in front of her in a tie she easily knew how to get out of. The humor in the 'Herald's' eyes didn't go unnoticed and she had to give him a small smile. Poor bastard, she thought and with them both behind her, watching her every move, she left the building only to be greeted by another soldier. He insisted that she follow him, but once her eyes took in their surroundings she had to stop. There was no way, Raven thought, no fucking way.
It was Haven. Bigger, with more houses and people, but it was Haven without a doubt. She looked around and saw the top of the Chantry building, heard the distant sound of metal clanging together, talking, shouting, and could smell horses and the blacksmith's forge. The sky was green and she could see the giant tear. Her stomach turned in an unpleasant way; Forget reenactments, it had to be a dream. Why wouldn't she wake up? It was cold and she felt goosebumps break out on her skin. Someone touched her shoulders and she spun around to come in contact with a chest covered in cloth and leather. Looking up, she saw the Herald stared down at her, surprised.
"Your coat," he said suddenly, "The thing you were wearing. You seemed cold, so I put it over your shoulders." Raven stared up at him and after a few seconds mumbled a thank you before turning around again. The other guard in plate armor guided her along the snow covered path to the Chantry and Raven had to stop and stare again. It was big, much bigger than she imagined it being. She continued on when she felt the strange looks from those around her.
It was warm in the building and much darker than she'd always pictured. Raven observed the laid stone work and the candles as she was guided to the war room. She passed the woman she knew to be Mother Giselle and was shocked when the woman smiled and nodded at her.
Entering the rather large room at the end of the hall, she was greeted by Cassandra and the woman looked exactly like she did in the game Raven knew so well, down to the very scar on her face. The Iron Bull was against the wall toward the back, the gaze with his remaining eye almost as menacing as his height, size, and horns. Hell, he was down right terrifying and Raven was quick to look away. The advisors were there as well: Leliana with her red hair showing from her dark hood, Cullen with his wavy blond hair and furry mantle, and Josephine looking absolutely beautiful with her golden ruffles. They stood on the other side of the table that displayed maps of Ferelden and Orlais. She could see markers displaying the Inquisitions current objectives as she was seated in a wooden chair across from them. The 'Herald' took his place next to Josephine and the door closed. The soldiers must have been staying as well, she thought, surprised that they felt additional security was required since she had no intentions of doing anything stupid and lashing out. Especially with Iron Bull joining them.
They were silent as they looked at the young woman seated across from them. Leliana took note of her long hair and the tattoos on her skin wondering who had done them and if any provided information on her origin. Her height was what astounded Cullen; it wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen someone so small manage to get the upper hand on someone twice their size, but that was mostly from his past with Mages. Josephine looked into the girl's eyes; such curiosity. All were surprised when she looked spoke to Leliana.
"I apologize for hurting one of your agents." Although she did her best to appear strong, she was nearly petrified. The spymaster continued to stare at her. "I didn't attack him. I tried to leave, but they wouldn't let me. I meant no harm."
"What is your name?" The other redhead finally asked, moving around the war table and closer to the girl.
"Raven Alexander O'Hara." Raven answered.
"Your middle name is Alexander?" Cassandra suddenly asked. Raven looked over to the woman and nodded.
"It is. I was my mother's first child and she wanted to honor her own father, my grandfather, since he died about six months before I was born." Her explanation earned a nod from the woman. Her eyes moved back to Leliana who was now mere feet away. Raven noticed how her hand rested on the hilt of one of the daggers she kept.
"Where are you from?" Leliana asked. Raven was silent; how could she possibly answer that without sounding insane? If everything around her was real, she knew they wouldn't believe her. Unfortunately, Cassandra took her silence the worst.
"She must be a spy!" The woman exclaimed. "She could be a spy from Tevinter." The disgusted sound from Raven at Cassandra's words made them all focus on her instead of the Seeker. I'm gonna be so dead for this, Raven thought. There was no way she would get out alive if she kept silent.
"Tevinter is awful. Why would I and how could I possibly work for them?" She asked earning a loud snort from Iron Bull as he chuckled and a smirk from Cullen, Josephine, and the Herald who still had yet to properly introduce himself. Even Leliana had an amused expression. Cassandra didn't find it, at all, funny.
"You know of Tevinter?" It was Josephine that asked the question and Raven felt herself shrug, her sweatshirt falling to the floor exposing more of her arms.
"I've never had any personal experiences with blood Mages, but Slavery kind of rubs me the wrong way," she answered. "Thank you for taking care of my cat. The healer that tended to me said you were the one watching him." It never hurt to be kind and Raven watched as Josephine smiled, looking almost flustered.
"He's a very sweet cat." She answered and Raven nodded in agreement.
"So if you're not going to tell us where you're from, then why are you here?" Cullen asked. Raven knew she had to tell them before she lost all resolve. Her father's training had always told her that secrecy was best, but the circumstances were different. The men and women in the room made no move to hurt her; if they wanted to, they could've already. Leliana with her daggers or the bow and quiver of arrows on her back, Iron Bull with anything, Cullen or the soldiers behind her with their swords, or even the Herald with his staff. He was a Mage. Just like she'd created him to be. Thought she created, anyway.
"It's not like I want to be. I was in an accident some place completely different from here. If you need proof, there's a small green pouch in the mostly blue and gray bag. In there are my identification cards, our currency, and even a library card." She explained as Cullen took the bag she'd mentioned, put it on the war table, and used the zipper to open it with a questioning look. They didn't have zippers, did they? She nodded when he pulled out her green wallet and watched as he opened it. Inside, Raven knew there to be her drivers license, state ID, Military ID, Library card, a few business cards for the artists responsible for her tattoos, and pictures of her with her father and kittens, then another of her mother before she'd died. Leliana moved away from her and to the table where she grabbed one of the dollar bills and her drivers license.
"What are these?" She asked.
"The paper you have is our form of money. The other thing is my license showing who I am. My name, birthday, and address. It even has my picture," she explained. "I'm from a completely different place. I don't know how I got here. I was run off the road by someone and fell from a cliff. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in the snow with my cat on my stomach, cold, and my two bags ten feet away from me. I was picking up my bags to try and find some place I could get help when your agents approached me."
"You're lying!" Cassandra exclaimed. "These things mean nothing. You expect us to believe that you came from somewhere you claim we've never heard of and that you don't know how you got here?" Raven glared at the Seeker.
"Believe what you want. I'm telling the truth," she replied. "I'm not a spy. I mean no one harm. You think you're confused with my showing up out of the goddamn blue? Remember that I'm the one experiencing it."
"What else is in her bags?" Cassandra asked ignoring Raven's reply. She was searching for additional proof. Cullen looked at her before he started emptying her bag, messing up the beautiful organization they'd once had. Ten minutes later the first bag was emptied of its contents: twelve shirts, four pairs of leggings, three pairs of jeans, five pairs of cotton pants, fifteen pairs of socks and underwear, six bras, a pair of pajama shorts, and her hygiene products. Raven explained what something was when they asked questions and, thankfully, Cullen laid everything out flat and piled it onto the table.
Her second bag, however, raised nothing but questions when the first things Cullen pulled out were her cell phone, kindle, large pink headphones, a speaker, solar powered charger, and two cell phone batteries.
From her wooden seat and hands still bound, Raven cringed at the sudden cacophony of noise from Cassandra, Josephine, and Cullen. It took ten minutes for the noise to wane. With patience and careful words, Raven did her best to explain the devices at hand. She explained the cell phone first, giving Leliana instructions on how to turn it on. Once they seemed satisfied there was nothing harmful on the device, it was shut off with Ravens instructions on how to do so and set in a separate pile. Next was the kindle and she explained that she loved to read and learn new things, anything from philosophy and religion, to crafts, learning different languages, and even the occasional romance. She explained the devices only ability is to contain the books she'd put on it so she could read them any time she wanted. Then it was also shut off and put in the same pile as the phone. Soon followed by the headphones, batteries, speaker, and power charger.
The photo album her best friend had given her before she left to return home was next and Raven's chest felt heavy as pictures of her father, mother, friends, and pets were pulled out and she had to explain who each person was to her. She even explained what a car was, since it was in the background of one of the pictures. She let out a sigh of relief as Leliana took over with the album, careful to put the pictures back the way they were. Next were her notebooks and her pouch of pens. Cassandra took one of the notebooks and from the slight blush that appeared three pages in, Raven knew which story she was reading. After two hours of going through her pictures and stories, she knew they were even more confused. She was feeling vulnerable and wanted to leave because, little to their knowledge, in the hours they spent going through her things they knew more about her than some of her closest friends and family back home.
"We're going to give the items in your second bag to one of our own for further examination," Leliana explained once the bags contents were put back. Raven nodded, her technology not extremely high on her priority list.
"What are you going to do with me?" She asked Leliana. The woman looked at her, but didn't speak. Silence always meant the worst and Raven looked down. She didn't want to die, she still had so much she needed to do, to see, and to learn. Telling them what she really knew about their world was the last thing she wanted to do, but maybe it would buy her time. God - or the Maker, she supposed - knew it would help them and even save lives, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to open up that can of worms.
"Boss, if I may?" She didn't look up, she didn't need to. She knew it was Iron Bull speaking. He had been quiet the entire time, watching her as she spoke and answered all the questions they'd asked to the best of her ability. Nothing was said, but she knew he was moving away from the wall and closing in on her. Suddenly he was down in her line of sight. Her eyes widened and with the force her body gave as she jerked back in surprise, the chair almost fell backward. The sound of a sword being unsheathed filled the room and with quick reflexes Iron Bull caught the chair and steadied the small girl before she could fall. He was so close to her that she was forced to look at him; terror filled her eyes, but her body was stilled now and bracing. She was strong and honest, like he was, and he would tell the Boss later of the respect she had earned from him for being such. In all his years in the Ben-Hassrath, he knew a liar when he saw one and despite her far off stories, explanations, and devices, she was being truthful. Most men would lie or say nothing at all, which always earned hard results. Her green eyes didn't follow him as he straightened, towering over her. He looked towards the important people in the room and nodded with a small smile. It was Boss that spoke up—after all he had the final say whether they liked it or not. Everyone watched in silence as he moved to the table and started putting her clothes back in her bag.
"You'll be watched for now and help where you can. In the morning you'll report to Cullen, Leliana, Cassandra, or I and we'll instruct you." Raven's eyes shot up to the Harald's as he spoke, not believing what she heard. They weren't going to kill her? Her shoulders sagged in relief and she tried to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. They were allowing her to stay, giving her a chance instead of casting her out or killing her.
"You can't be serious! She could kill us!" Cassandra yelled and Raven flinched as a result, not sure if them not knowing all that she was capable of was the best choice. She would have to make it work, though. Bull laughed.
"I'll be putting her in a tent near me and the Chargers. Between us and Cullen's soldiers I doubt she could do much." She looked at Iron Bull willingly for the first time to see that he was looking at her. He knew, she thought. He knew she was capable of more than she was letting on or else he'd place her inside the gate with the Herald and most of the civilians. Bull reached out and took her bag of clothing as one of the soldiers came from behind her and cut the ropes that were supposed to bind her hands. Bull saw that, too, that it was tied incorrectly and she could've gotten free at any time. He waited for her once he reached the door and she wasted no time standing up, grabbing her cover from the ground and putting it on, and following him from the Chantry. It was dark and the village was almost quiet with is people asleep. They were quiet until they reached the gate and she seemed surprised when he stopped and turned to look at her. Fuck, she was small. He loved her red hair, though.
"He wouldn't have let you die," Bull said and she looked up at him. Her head cocked to the side as if she didn't understand what he was saying. "You did what you had to do with the guy who lunged at you, but from what I can tell you don't hurt anyone unless you need to." Her eyes widened and she nodded, visibly relaxing.
"I don't like hurting people. My father says it's wise to know how to, though." Raven replied and took her time assessing Iron Bull. He was so much bigger than she'd ever thought, standing at least two feet and some inches taller than her before his horns even began. She eyed the scars he wore with pride and admired the armor he was wearing. It almost looked like obsidian.
"Well, that makes your father a very wise man," he replied and watched her as she nodded and followed alongside him. He readjusted her bag in his hand and showed her to her tent. He'd placed her within five paces of Stitches, Krem, and Dalish. Cullen's soldiers were seated about one hundred yards away. He didn't say a word as he gave her back her bag, but stopped her as she entered the tent.
"Thank you for helping me. You say he wouldn't have let me die, but I know your opinion carries a lot of weight," she said before he could speak. Nice words and sentiments weren't his thing, but he smiled down at her anyway and with a quick look around to see that no one was paying attention, he reached into his harness and pulled out her black and purple knife and held it out to her.
"Don't make me regret giving this back to you," he said quietly as she took the small blade and clutched it to her chest like a child would a teddy bear. "See you in the morning."
Raven watched him walk away without another word to her. She kept the knife to her chest, scared she'd never see it again. Her father had given it to her when she was sixteen and with excellent care over the years it was damn near perfect. He glanced back at her as he entered his own tent and she looked down, embarrassed that he'd caught her still looking at him.