Ch.2 horns of change

Cassandra

Cassandra guided the prisoner who turned out to be her soulmate through the village, she stole another glance at the strange Qunari woman who stood tall and proud as if challenging the world. The woman had dark silver skin that bore no blemish at all, her white as snow hair was bound in a simple braid that started at her crown and reached the base of neck. Her horns swept back in a gentle sidewise S reaching skyward at the tips with a second small and shorter horn just under the main ones following the same path, the most striking thing in Cassandra's mind was her bright yellow eyes. After cutting the ropes binding her wrists as they passed through the gates to head into the valley Cassandra stopped them and turned to her.

"Do you have a name?" The large woman turned to look down at her as the qunari stood at six five.

{Yes.} She said in Qunlat, Cassandra was lucky that she understood as Cassandra only had a basic grasp of the language, having learned it to understand the words on her collar bone.

{What is it?} She responded in the same tongue and the woman looked mildly surprised.

{I am call Asaaranda Adaar.} She said in a deep smooth voice before turning and walking down the path. Cassandra knew that her first name meant thunderstorm and she could not help but wonder if it fit her.

As they crossed the bridge a bolt from the breach struck the bridge shattering it and hurling them to the frozen river below. She saw a demon start to form in front of them so she drew her weapon and shield before calling to her soulmate.

"Demon stay behind me!" She moved to fight the demon and failed to notice the second demon forming behind her.

She focused on the demon in front of her until she hear a loud crash of thunder come from behind her and she spared a glance and saw Asaaranda rising from the charred remains of a shade. Cassandra barely had time to see this before adaar turned into a bolt of purple lighting crashing with the same thunderous noise as before into the demon she had been fighting, the demon fell under the force of being hit by the qunari mage.

Cassandra was shocked she had never seen magic used like that in such a primal fashion, she raise her sword and shield at the woman. Soulmate or not she could still be the one who killed the most holy.

"Stay back!" She ordered when the woman turned, Asaaranda just laughed at her.

{Foolish bas, why would I hurt my soulmate. I may not like being paired with you but fate does not care, so you are safe from me.}

"Did you kill the divine?" She asked not yet lowering her weapons, Asaar shook her horned head.

{I may not know what happened to cause all this but she was my employer so she and hers were safe from be unless I was attack by them and then it would be until I was safe again that I fought.} She explained as if it was obvious.

"Very well I believe you." Cassandra said not sure why she believe this woman but she had only been honest with them so far and even protected her without being asked so what if she was rude given all that was happening Cassandra understood not liked but understood.

Asaaranda picked up a simple sword and dagger before working their sheathes on to her right hip through the ropes of her Saarebas armor, the armor was complete when they found her expect for the chains besides the ones that held the breast plate shut were missing, even a plain red mask had covered her face along with red paint covering her body in the pattern of the qun. Cassandra watched how well she moved with the weapons on her hip as if they were a part of her and that alone told Cassandra that this woman knew her weapons and knew them well. They moved on to head for the forward camp in silence.

Asaaranda

Asaaranda moved up the hill when she hear the seeker bas call out. "We are getting closer, you can hear the fighting."

{Who is fighting?} She called back.

She bared this woman no ill will she was her soulmate which she could only hope that meant when this was over she would not be killed out of hand.

"You'll see." Was all the seeker said and adaar growled she hated responses like that reminding her too much of her days in chains under the qun.

They reached the top and what they saw made Asaaranda pause to plan instead of rushing as most would. It was like a grand melee at the Bas events but she saw at least a single mage and a dwarf, that's crossbow looked very familiar, planning her moves she drew her weapons then wrapped lighting around her along with the weapons before leaping at the demon about to hit the dwarf form behind.

VARRIC

Ass deep in demons again, he thought Kirkwall had been the last place he would ever be ass deep in demons. He was reloading Bianca when a thunderous crash and a bright flash of light stirred old memories of that night so long ago when the qunari attacked his home. Turning he caught a glimpse of a ghost from his past as the lighting wrapped woman bolted away to crush another demon, 'it can't be!' he thought he was crazy but any doubt he had was erased when the fallen soldiers around him rose again to take up arms again while wreathed in black smoky power.

'Well shit! It is a small world after all, Hawke is never going to believe this!' he thought as he fired into a demon that had been about to flank Asaaranda. The demon faltered for a moment which was all the qunari needed to turn and lop the demons head clean off with the sword in her left hand.

Cassandra

The fighting was easier than it would have been had adaar not been flying around the battle field like a demon wrapped in lighting and wherever she landed any fall bodies started rising for a few moment before falling again after claiming another demon.

"Quickly! Before more come through!" The apostate who called himself Solas yelled before grabbing asaaranda's wrist and thrusting it into the rift. Light writhed up and down the woman's arm as she screamed in rage and pain as she was forced to her knees in pain and that made Cassandra wince in sympathy for the woman as she screamed before the rift sealed with a loud cracking pop.

When Solas approached the woman having stepped back after trapping her there with the mark Asaaranda stood up.

"It seems I was right Agha-" Solas was cut off as Asaaranda wrapped her hands around his throat lifting him into the air clearly trying to choke him to death as he flailed wildly face growing redder.

Cassandra was tempted to let her kill him for not even checking if she was alright before starting to talk about something else, but Cassandra knew that they needed him alive for now.

{Katoh Asaaranda we need him alive for now!} She cried in Qunlat hoping that would stop the woman, the woman looked at her seeming to be searching for something that she must have found as she dropped the elf before stalking to her side.

{I will work with you but know this I am not you slave. I chose my own path.}

{Understood.} The woman nodded before moving to her side to stand at a version of military at ease.

"Shit sparks your still as scary as always!" Varric called and Cassandra whirled to glare at the annoying little dwarf.

"And just how do you know the prisoner?" she growled because if the dwarf was involved with this she would enjoy stringing him up for all the times he annoyed her on the way here.

"Relax seeker no need to get staby, I met sparks in Kirkwall when the qunari attacked we freed her and she fought beside us and traveled with Hawke awhile!" Varric explained and Asaaranda just nodded along with Varric's story.

"Very well dwarf now we must get to the forward camp." She growled and after arguing with the dwarf on if he was going with them they left for the camp.