Spiders, of all the things that had to happen to me, I had to be chased by spiders. I've got to wake up, this has got to be a dream. How do I get out of here? Wait, there…that woman is beaconing to me. That way, I need to go that way. Climb Lethabelas, climb. The light, the spiders hate, no they fear that light.

I awoke laying against a cold stone floor. My head was throbbing but my ears picked up the shuffling of three, maybe four pairs of armored feet and I knew I was surrounded. I opened my eyes and sat up, realizing for the first time that I was shackled. And then pain erupted from my left hand as the room was lit with an eerie green glow. I cried out and at the same time the door to the room was slammed open and two women came walking in.

One of the women, a red head, hung back slightly, allowing the other, a brunette, to take lead. "Tell us why would shouldn't just kill you," she demanded. They wouldn't kill me just for sneaking into this Conclave. What happened? Whatever you do, don't speak. "The Conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead, except you."

"I had nothing to do with it," I snapped. Smooth one Leth, real smooth. "Then explain this," the brunette said, raising my arm up to my face. It crackled with the green glow from earlier, but the pain that came with it wasn't as bad. "I can't," I muttered. "What do you mean you can't?" the brunette demanded, releasing my arm with a hard thrust. I took another look at my hand, still glowing. "I…I don't know what that is or how it got there! I don't know where I am," I cried out keeping a hold on my fears but just barely.

"And why should we believe you? You lie!" the brunette said and started to grab the front of my cloak as though to hit me. The red head stepped in her way. "We need her Cassandra," she said as she gently pushed the brunette out of the way. She waited just long enough to make sure the brunette, Cassandra, wouldn't make another lunge for me before turning to interrogate me herself. "Do you remember anything?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I admitted to spying on the Conclave, to sneaking around the camps and listening in, to trying to gather the intel that my Keeper had hoped to gain. There was a pause where I realized that I was missing something, but I couldn't figure out what. So I skipped to what I remembered next, the spiders and the light and the woman.

It was only then that both Cassandra and Leliana (as I discovered was the red heads name) decided on the plan. Leliana was to go ahead to the forward camp, while Cassandra would follow behind with me. I stumbled behind Cassandra through a dimly lit hallway, up some stairs, and out into the blinding light out outside.

I blinked trying to get my eyes to adjust, not just because it was bright, but because the entire sky was glowing with the same green light that burst from my hand. Not only was the sky green, but there was what appeared to be a rip in the sky. Just as I was about to ask, the sky crackled and at the same time my hand exploded with so much pain that I dropped to the ground.

Cassandra had explained to me that every time the Breach, as they were calling the rip in the sky, expanded so did the mark on my hand. When I realized she was still accusing me of being behind this I just about lost it. Instead, I fixed her with what I hoped was a reassuring look and told her I would do whatever I could to help. She took me at my word and was slightly nicer on the way out the front gate.

We had had a minor accident further on when the bridge we were crossing was suddenly destroyed by one of the falling…rocks, meteors, orbs…whatever they were that was falling from the Breach. We had to battle a few Shades, which I was surprised when Cassandra agreed to allow me to keep the two daggers that I had scrounged from the wreckage, as well as a couple of wraiths.

After about ten minutes of traveling, not counting the times we were fighting, we finally made it to a smaller rift. This one was not nearly as high up as the Breach, but it was never the less just as disheartening as demon after demon seemed to pour out of it. This time, however, Cassandra and I weren't fighting alone.

A dwarf and an elven mage were already fighting multiple demons by the time we got there. With the four of us fighting, we quickly dispatched the recent group of Shades that had poured through. I had just pulled my blades out of a Shade when the elf rushed up and grabbed ahold of my wrist.

"Quickly, before more come through," he shouted and raised my hand towards the rift. I have no doubt that I would have collapsed had he not been standing there holding me up as the light from my hand surged and responded to the rift. It lasted less than a minute, but once it was done the rift was no more and there was only a slight tingling to my hand.

There was some discussion at this point as to the connection between my mark and the breach. Cassandra and the elf were the ones who talked really. I was more in shock over what had happened to make any comment. "So it could close the Breach. It could be the key to our salvation," Cassandra said with such force that it pulled me from my thoughts.

"Good to hear," came a drawl from the dwarf. "Here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons for the rest of our lives." He finished "putting away" his crossbow and finally came to stand next to us. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and, occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." At his last words he gave Cassandra a wink to which she responded with a disgusted scoff.

"Are you with the Chantry?" I asked, confused as to the connection between him and Cassandra. The elf let out a laugh which for some reason sent a chill down my back. "Was that a serious question?" he said, the chuckle still coloring his voice. Varric must have sensed my embarrassment and replied something about being a prisoner like me, to which Cassandra adamantly denied.

"Yet here I am," he replied. I quickly attempted to change topic as it seemed Cassandra would argue with Varric more. "Nice crossbow," I said truthfully admiring it. Apparently Varric had named it Bianca, and upon mentioning that she will be great company in the valley, it led to another argument with Cassandra.

"My name is Solas," the elf said sliding a bit closer to me. "I'm glad to see you still live." I raised an eyebrow, but before I could question what he meant Varric spoke up, apparently having won his argument with Cassandra. "He means he kept the mark from killing you while you slept." Solas actually appeared to be slightly embarrassed by this assessment.

Cassandra explained that Solas was an apostate – "Technically all mages are apostates, now," said Solas – and that he had come voluntarily to help with the Breach. Once introductions were made, and more info given about my mark, the group of us headed off to the forward camp to meet up with Leliana. "Well," Varric said as we started off, "Bianca's excited."