Author's note:

I do not claim ownership of Dragon Age or any of its characters. This is not intended for monetary gain.

The Lady's First Trial – II

~..*..~

A Shade shrieked as it fell, an arrow protruding from between its glowing eyes. Gloved hands adjusted an elaborate crossbow, loading in one arrow as more monsters emerged from the small rift. Varric, a blonde rogue dwarf cast his eyes on his next target.

He fired, hitting a green, glowing Wraith that got too close to him.

He watched as it fell and disintegrated, his smirk disappearing as the rift glowed and more demons poured out of it. The spirits wasted no time and engaged the soldiers fighting to hold the hill, killing two before moving on to their next victims.

"Shit, they won't stop coming," he muttered under his breath.

Another Wraith set its sights on him, concentrating green energy within its claws and flinging it in his direction. Varric's red and gold coat moved around him as he ducked and ran, the ball of green flames hitting the crumbling wall of rock behind him.

Everything just seemed to be glowing; it was starting to piss him off. He loaded another bolt and risked a glance towards an elf fighting nearby. He yelled over the loud wails and the sounds of battle, "Any luck closing that thing, Solas?"

"No, Varric!" the bald man shouted back, "My magic still does not work—just as when you asked two minutes ago!"

The dwarf then watched as Solas silently worded another spell, producing a ball of fire in his hand. His tan wool tunic swayed as he whirled around, hurling the flame at the enemy behind him.

He then proceeded to cast a barrier upon the soldiers in the area, in an attempt to protect them from the sharp claws swinging at them.

Varric mumbled something about 'wrong place at the wrong time' as a Shade glided through the snow towards him, bearing its fangs and readying its talons. He turned and unloaded a high-powered bolt upon his attacker's head before watching as it collapsed before it could get too close.

"Solas!"

Both men looked up to see the women running towards them.

~..*..~

"Quickly! Before more come through!" Solas shouted in alarm.

Elnora didn't have time to ask questions, for he had already taken hold of her wrist to raise her hand up to the rift. The green glow of her mark erupted once more. A chain of energy connected with what looked like lime crystals surrounding the tear to the other world.

The power of the scar created stress fractures in the glass, making it crack and shrink around the fissure. Warmth spread through her arm, but the pain was bearable compared to past outbursts.

The rift shrank until it exploded, disappearing and taking the demons with it. The soldiers still standing cheered around them despite the exhaustion reflected on their sullied faces.

Solas slowly let her go and Elnora stared down at her open palm as the sparks died down, a puzzled look on her delicate features.

"What did you do?" she whispered in disbelief.

"I did nothing," the mage responded with a small smile, gesturing to her, "You, on the other hand."

"I…closed that thing?" she uttered, opening and closing her hand, "How?"

"What opened the Breach must have also put that mark upon you," Solas responded, holding on to his wooden staff. She could clearly see that the man was wise beyond his years.

He continued, "So I theorized that your mark could close all rifts that formed from the creation of the Breach, and it appears that I was correct."

"Which means it could also close the Breach itself," Cassandra added expectantly.

"Perhaps," Solas said to Cassandra before bowing his head to Elnora, "It looks like you hold the key to our salvation."

His words felt heavy to her. She had somehow managed to put herself at the center of perhaps the most destructive event Thedas had ever witnessed, and these strangers were telling her that she was their only hope.

"Good!" someone said from behind her, drawing her attention from Solas down to a dwarf with an interesting looking crossbow, "I thought we would be ass deep in demons forever!"

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "And you are…"

"My name's Varric Tethras. I'm a Business man, storyteller and occasionally—" she saw him wink at Cassandra, "—unwelcomed tag along."

Elnora noticed the disgusted look upon Cassandra's face, mildly amused by the situation.

She regarded the dwarf with a curious look, "Are you with the Chantry? Or…"

A chuckle reached her ears, and she gazed naively at Solas as he spoke, "Was that a serious question?"

Varric adjusted his gloves, and she inwardly wondered how it was possible for him to withstand the cold with an open coat and a bare chest, "You could say I'm a prisoner, just like you, Sweet Pea."

She blinked at the name.

"Uh my name is Elnora Trevelyan of Ostwick," Elnora said with a polite smile, "Its good to meet you."

"You may change your mind in time," Solas threw in with a small chuckle.

"Aww come now," Varric waved off his words, "I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Chuckles."

"Absolutely not," Cassandra stepped in, approaching the dwarf with a scowl, "Your help is appreciated Varric, but—"

"Have you been in the valley lately Seeker?" He said with a cocky smile, "Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."

Cassandra let out a disgruntled huff, walking away with a gesture of frustration.

"My name is Solas," the elf offered a welcoming smile, "I'm pleased to see you still live."

"What he means to say is 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept," Varric elaborated.

Elnora's eyebrows rose up, "How do you know about the mark?"

"Solas is an apostate, well versed in such matters," Cassandra said from behind her.

Elnora glanced at the Seeker with slight surprise.

She still remembered the Sermon of Justinia the 2nd. Her words told of ancient times when mages from the Tavinter Imperium—the oldest empire in Thedas—used their magic to enslave the world.

Andraste, chosen bride of the Maker, set out to vanquish the mages and free the people from their cruelty. Along with her mortal husband, she raised armies to fight the Tavinter forces. Every battle was won, as the Maker himself helped with fires and floods, famines and earthquakes.

Their victories were short-lived.

Jealous of the Maker, her earthly husband later betrayed her and in exchange for land and power, he turned her over to the Tavinter Archon.

Andraste was later burned at the stake for her actions against the Imperium. The Archon later softened upon hearing her wails of pain, and drew his blade to give her a quick end. Upon witnessing the death of his beloved, the Maker became enraged.

He took Andraste to his side and turned away from his children once more. Now she sits beside the Maker, forever begging for him to take pity on his children as they rule over all creation.

From this, the Chantry was born along with the Templar Order, with Andraste's teachings as the foundations of their faith. They later created the Circles of Magi, towers where mages are locked in, kept apart from the rest of the world to protect others from their powers.

Apostates were mages who were on the run, away from the Circles. The Chantry's knights, the Templars, were in charge of hunting them down to either bring them to the towers or kill them if they resisted.

The mages rebelled against the Chantry two years ago, and with the Circles gone, they were all considered apostates by the Templars. The war between them has been raging ever since.

Cassandra spoke evenly at the lady's brief pause, "I know of your family's relations with the Chantry, but we must set aside our ideals for the time being."

"I have no problem with that," Elnora responded with a sincere smile towards Solas, "Regardless of my family's ties to the Templars or the Chantry, I'm still my own person,"

She then turned to the Seeker, "Besides, I don't think my opinion matters right now—since I'm still your prisoner."

Cassandra nodded sternly.

"Despite individual believes, having lived outside of a Circle has given me a great deal of knowledge others do not posses," Solas interjected calmly, "I have learned much about the Fade during my travels, which will serve as an advantage in our current predicament."

His attention then drifted to the Seeker, "Cassandra, you should know: Your prisoner is no mage, and for that matter, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."

"Understood," Cassandra gestured to the path behind them, "We should make haste to the Forward Camp. We will move on to the Temple Ruins from there and attempt to seal the Breach."

Everyone followed the Seeker down the road to the frozen river bellow.

~..*..~

As they traveled further through the frozen trails, more demons were ejected by the Breach, hindering their progress.

Elnora blocked a particularly strong hit delivered by a Shade, her feet sliding over the snow. She sidestepped then, evading another slash.

When the demon missed, the slippery ground took away its balance, providing her with an opening. She swung her shield, using her weight to intensify the impact.

She hit the demon square upon its front, making it fall and slide over its back on ice. Her sword then found its way into its chest and the demon cried out in pain as it disintegrated.

A bolt then hit a Wraith that had managed to slider quietly behind her; she turned her head just in time to see it fall. Her eyes moved up to Varric, who waved at her from his perch upon a snow-covered hill.

Another wail was heard soon after. Elnora glanced towards the source, watching as another Shade fell, this time by Cassandra's bloodied blade.

The shifting movement of yet another Shade made young woman whirl around with her blade raised, but before she could slash at it a wall of flames erupted before her. She relaxed as the demon fell in a heap of burning flames.

Solas jumped off a fallen tree trunk that overlooked their proxy battlefield, twirling his staff around as smoke swirled around it.

"We must keep moving!" Cassandra shouted at the group.

Elnora nodded, put away her weapons and jogged towards the Seeker.

Upon reaching the Forward Camp, the group spotted yet another rift, wide open and releasing more demons into the mortal world. Soldiers outside the gates fought relentlessly, while others lay dead at their feet.

Elnora stepped in quickly, trying to close it as soon as possible, but just as she raised her hand a Wisp interrupted her. She ducked as green fire flew over her head, barely missing her chocolate locks.

Cassandra rushed towards the evil spirit, slashing at it and drawing its attention away from her. Solas and Varric kept their distance, but began to engage the other demons in the area, aiding the soldiers and shifting the heat off them.

"We will take care of the demons!" Cassandra shouted, "Close the rift, quickly!"

"Got it!" Elnora gave her a quick nod and focused on her task. She lifted her hand up, the now familiar sting of the mark shacking her arm. She grunted lightly as the rift began to shrink, tearing up and cracking before it exploded, pulling the remaining demons into it.

She lowered her arm, opening and closing her fingers as she waited for the uncomfortable feeling to ebb away.

"Very good," Solas said as he approached her, the top of his staff glimmering with now dimming magic, "You seem to be getting the hang of it."

Cassandra neared the tower to the Forward Camp, sheathing her sword, "The rift is closed! Open the gates!"

The wooden doors opened, revealing another bridge littered with tents and supply boxes. The Breach was closer now, shooting more demons down towards the ground. She could hear the distinct sound of swords and armor as the fighting went on around the area.

They began to cross the overpass, Elnora following the Seeker towards the familiar form of Leliana. The hooded woman appeared to be locked in a heated discussion with a Chantry man.

"We cannot do this any more!" the cleric protested, his stubbed and wrinkled face distorted in anger, "Staying here will only cost us more lives!"

The redhead turned her unconcerned eyes from the priest to Cassandra, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "You made it!"

She then turned an annoyed stare to the priest, "Chancellor Roderick, this is—"

"I know who she is," he interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand, "The one responsible for all this!"

He directed his vexed eyes to Cassandra, "Seeker, as the Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I order you to chain this prisoner and take her to Val Royeaux to face execution!"

"Order me?" Cassandra scowled at the clergyman, lifting her chin up in defiance, "You are a glorified clerk! You have no authority over me!"

"How dare you?!" he shot back, slamming his hand upon the wooden table before him, "You impudent thug! You are supposed to serve the Chantry!"

"We served the Most Holy, Chancellor," Leliana intervened, her silky voice edged with irritation at the man's choice of words.

"Justinia is dead, Sister Leliana," Roderick glared at the Spymaster, "If we are to bring order back to the Chantry, we must leave here and choose a new Divine."

Elnora and the others quietly listened to their arguments. Her eyes looked up at the swirling green vortex among the clouds, narrowing at the Chancellors suggestions.

The mark over her hand burned and she curled her fingers into a fist at the sensation.

"Sound the retreat Seeker," Roderick sighed, shaking his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "We must flee this place if we are to save those who remain."

"Is the Breach not a more pressing issue?" Elnora intervened, her voice catching the attention of those present around her, "We can't leave it as it is. There will be no Chantry and no Thedas left to save if it continues to spread."

"I agree," Cassandra dipped her head firmly at her, and glanced to Leliana, "This girl's mark may be able to seal it. It is our only hope."

The Spymaster pointed a gloved finger towards a slope at the far side of the mountain, "We can use our soldiers as a distraction while you use the shortest path up to the Temple."

"Too dangerous," Cassandra shook her head, "We lost contact with an entire squad on that path."

She paused and eyed the mountain, "We can use our soldiers and launch a sustained attack up to the Temple ruins, through the main entrance. That would ensure we reach the Breach with the least danger to the prisoner."

Elnora watched as Cassandra turned to her, crossing her arms over her armored chest, "What do you think? Which path should we choose?"

"You're asking for my opinion?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You have the mark," Solas said behind her.

"You are obviously well trained with the sword, so you must know how much you can handle at once," Cassandra explained calmly, "We need you alive to close the Breach, so you must make a decision."

Elnora appeared pensive, lips pressed together in concentration as she mauled things over. She anxiously looked down at the scar currently eating away at her hand.

"Alright," her confident gaze then met Cassandra's, "I won't live long enough for your trial if we don't act now, so I say we charge."

"Understood," Cassandra nodded in acknowledgement and then shifted sharp eyes to the Spymaster, "Leliana, gather everyone to help us reach the Temple. Everyone."

As the group began to walk past the Chancellor, he sent a dark look towards Cassandra, "The consequences shall be upon your head, Seeker."

Cassandra kept moving forward with her head held high, ignoring the man's venomous words.

Elnora turned her eyes away from her and up at the broken sky churning above, walking ahead of her companions. She could feel the fear begin to grip tightly at her heart, but she held it down stubbornly. If she were to die today, then she would do it on her own terms.