[A/N:] Adamant Fortress looks freakin' sweet. I can't wait to bust in the doors and claim that place! Then I'm gonna put up my banners that'll look like giant popsicles and sit on my pre-order dragon throne xp


The heat was getting unbearable. The servants had all but ripped the windows open and the light breeze streaming through the stronghold was easing everyone's tension a little, though it wasn't exactly refreshing either.
When Cassandra entered the war room, she spotted Leliana, Josephine and the Inquisitor all hunched over a set of papers. Josephine was animatedly pointing out several important things to the kossith woman, gesturing with her hands to emphasize her words.

Leliana stood beside them in silence, arms crossed as she listened. The Inquisitor herself had one hand on the table, supporting her while she thought. Her expression was grim and focused, just like it had been the first time Cassandra saw her in Laric's offices.

The Seeker joined them at the table. "We have already established several solid contracts with merchants from Orzammar, so we should have no problem maintaining our silverite supplies. However, we need to secure the highland routes for our trade partners from Cumberland and Nevarra," Josephine explained and glanced up at Cassandra in silent greet. The Inquisitor didn't acknowledge her at all.
Leliana nodded enthusiastically, "That's right. The front soldiers are well-equipped, but if we don't want my men to end up with arrows in their chests, we need this drakeskin leather." Lady Montilyet nodded, "Yes. We can't afford to break off that contact."

The kossith warrior seemed to ponder that information as her burning violet eyes glided over the maps spread before her and thought about the most efficient way to solve this problem. The other three women stood by passively.
Finally, she straightened and pointed to the Imperial Highway leading from Cumberland along the Waking Sea towards Orlais. "Then we will have to purge that road. It's the fastest route to our forges in the Nahashin Marshes."

Josephine chewed on her lip, "Are you sure? The Grand Duke's forces still have a strong hold on Montfort and I haven't heard any news from Val Royeaux. The city must still be under siege." Leliana chimed in, obviously sharing her old friend's concerns, "Would it be wise to cross paths with Gaspard just yet?" She leant forward, mentioning at the Waking Sea. "We could always ship the supplies across to Amaranthine and transport them on Fereldan land. That would be much safer—"

"But also much slower, and more expensive." All eyes turned to Cassandra, who had taken a step forward as well. She held Josephine's and Leliana's gazes before settling on the one that would eventually make the decision, "Our men are ready to engage the Grand Duke in battle. With Val Royeaux fighting him on the front, he will be too occupied to watch his back." She made a pause, "We can win and drive him back."

The Inquisitor held her gaze, thinking. "…We would also be winning more support from the Empress and her sympathizers this way." There was this strange gleam of appreciation in her eyes, and Cassandra much rather concentrated on that than the disapproving frown on Josephine's face. She could understand her; Josephine was, after all, trying to avoid mass murder for the most part. Thus, she wasn't all that friendly with Cullen either.
The Inquisitor nodded curtly, "Then it is settled. Josephine, tell Cullen to gather out forces. Leliana, I will need your men to ride forward and learn of the current situation. We will meet with them in one week in Val Foret and plan our attack."

"Inquisitor," Josephine bit farewell and made her way to the barracks. Leliana followed her out of the room. That left Cassandra alone with the kossith woman. She decided she would wait until she was addressed, folding her hands behind her back and studying the maps.

A soundly exhale — not enough to be a sigh, but not enough to go unnoticeable either — commanded her attention. "I appreciate your opinion, Cassandra. You have good intuition," she said matter-of-factly and placed several small wooden figurines on the Imperial Highway towards Val Foret, marking their destination.
"Thank you, Inquisitor." The Inquisitor looked up sharply, holding Cassandra's gaze, before dropping it again. "You may call me by my name. It is not like we are foreigners." The Seeker didn't give anything away but a slight smirk, "I know. But I figured the qunari referred to each other by status, not by given name."

There was a strange expression in said kossith's eyes, but eventually she managed to return that grin. "Have you been studying their customs?" Cassandra shook her head, "No. And though you're not one of them, sometimes I find it quite fitting."

The warrior nodded. "I am surprised you deliberately make the distinction between kossith and qunari. I had assumed most humans would not acknowledge the difference between race and religion." Cassandra allowed herself to smack her lips, "Well, I am not like most humans." This time, the Inquisitor smiled, "True."

"Josephine was the first one to recognizing me as kossith. She is a very sophisticated woman, receptive to the functions and subtleties of this world." The Seeker wasn't sure what to make of that statement. "You sound almost fond of her." The kossith shrugged and joined her side, leaning against the table. Sensing the permission to be informal, Cassandra followed her example.

"I like her. She knows what needs to be done and does not shy away from doing it. She is…" she searched for the right expression, "…an iron fist beneath a velvet glove." The woman threw Cassandra a sideways glance to gauge if that made any sense to her, and the Seeker nodded. As she pondered this, she found it was actually a very fitting description of Lady Montilyet, and maybe the exact reason why she got along with her so well.

"She is a lot like you. Dedicated, hard working… You are both women of action, though your fields of expertise may differ." She leant back, "And while the sword is a mighty weapon in this war, it is the pen she wields that makes the great forces in this world turn their attention on us. I could not have asked for a better advisor."

Cassandra scrutinized her from the side, reading in the stoic curve of her face how strongly she believed in these words. She pursed her lips; it was astonishing how well this kossith warrior could read people and how fitting her impressions of them were. She wondered what the woman's impression of her was.

The Inquisitor, as if reading her mind, exhaled in a sharp laugh and pushed herself from the table. She gave Cassandra a small wave and walked away. It took her a while, but by the end of the day Cassandra stopped mid-walk in the hallways of Adamant Fortress, the meaning behind the woman's words finally sinking in.

For all her straightforward words and the impressive display of muscle, the kossith had a surprisingly keen eye for the unapparent. Her choice of words was illusive and meaningful, but also incredibly close to the nature of what she was describing. Which meant…

Cassandra bristled, straightened, and strode to the conference room with her head held high and a pink hue on her cheeks.


[A/N:] Apparently it's canon that Cassandra's a hopeless romantic. Which is cute, but shit since the Lady!Inquisitor can't be her knight in shining armor. I know, I'm not gonna get off that horse's back ;-) (Also, if I get to own that horse in the game, its name shall be LadyRainicorn.)