AN: Sorry this took me longer than other updates, persona life got in the way. I've been busy and stressed recently. Hope you enjoy this; it's largely a dialogue chapter.
Eden didn't have the faintest clue what time it was when she awoke, and she had never been a morning person in the first place. She sat up on the bed and stared at nothing for several moments, waiting for her mind to come to terms with being awake.
Eventually, she did and moved to get dressed in proper clothes. She had been given a few sets of normal clothing, which, admittedly, was far less than she was used to. She wasn't going to complain, especially when she had had a suit of armour made for her. The blacksmith, Harrit, was his name, had apparently guessed her measurements and gotten them mostly right. Unfortunately, the first time she had tried it on was the only time she'd worn it since they hadn't been anywhere that required armour. Really, that hadn't been anywhere at all. The armour was sitting in the corner. If armour could look sad, she thought that's what it'd look like.
She recognised that it took some amount of time to organise an entire Inquisition, especially without Chantry support, but that didn't make the waiting any less infuriating.
She opened the door and was met with a guard in armour, facing her with a hand raised as though he were about to knock. He took a step back, startled, before realising he had a purpose for coming here. 'My Lady Herald,' He began, composing himself, 'Lady Leliana requests your presence in the Chantry meeting room.'
'Oh, finally, I'm sick of waiting,' She said, too tired to keep her thoughts inward, nor acknowledge the title by which he called her. She didn't know why she was tired, she hadn't stayed up nor had she done anything intensive. 'You're, um, dismissed. Thank you,' She finished awkwardly. Ordering people around had never been her thing. He saluted with his fist across his chest then walked away to go do soldierly things.
She headed towards the usual route towards the Chantry, ignoring the glances she got from the occasional villager, soldier, scout... anyone, really. She had gotten pretty good at that.
She opened the doors to the Chantry to find Cassandra waiting for her. Without a word, she began to walk alongside her, towards the door at the end.
'Does it trouble you?' Cassandra spoke up suddenly, and Eden frowned, looking over at her to notice her gaze drifting to her hand.
'The mark?' Cassandra nodded, and Eden sighed, 'It... I don't even know what to think about it. If it didn't have the wonderful ability to connect me to the giant hole in the sky, I probably wouldn't care.' They had stopped walking.
'We have need of it yet,' Cassandra said lightly, and Eden's frown deepened.
'So you've mentioned.'
'Your mark is no longer killing you, and the Breach is stable. Solas believes a second attempt should succeed if you have more power. Enough power to match that which opened the Breach in the first place. Not easy to come by,' Something about her tone of voice made Eden look up from her Mark.
'You sound like you've got an idea. I don't know if I'm going to like it.'
Cassandra smirked, 'We do.' She continued onward towards the meeting room, opening it to reveal Leliana, and two others she had yet to meet.
'This is Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition forces.' A handsome blond with some impressive armour, including a nice cloak, stood across from her. She mentally sighed at her first label of 'attractive' (Really, she was better than this).
'Such as they are,' Cullen began, 'We lost many in the valley, and I fear we'll lose more before this done.'
'Well maybe with that attitude,' She said lightly, hoping to crack a smile. She succeeded, if barely, the ghost of a smirk appearing on Cullen's lips.
'This is Josephine Montilyet, our chief ambassador, and negotiator.' To her right, a cheery looking Antivan woman holding a writing board, wearing a very elegant dress. Josephine beamed.
'Greetings, Lady Trevelyan,' Her voice had a pleasant lilt to it, not to mention her accent. Her choice of name made her grimace somewhat.
'Urgh, I'm still used to people calling my mother that. Just call me Eden, please,' She glanced to everyone else in the room, 'Same for the rest of you.'
Josephine smiled again and nodded. Clearly, the cheeriest of the bunch; Eden liked Josephine. 'You've already met Sister Leliana,' To her left.
'My position here requires a degree of...' The soft-spoken woman began.
'She's our spymaster.' Cassandra interjected with a note of amusement.
'Tactfully put.' Leliana sighed and shook her head, but with more fondness than annoyance.
Eden looked back out to the trio. 'Well, I... look forward to saving the world with you all.'
'I mentioned that you needed more power to close the Breach.'
'Which is why we should approach the rebel mages for help,' Leliana added, and she could feel the mood of the room shift.
'I still disagree,' Cullen said, clearly resuming an argument they'd had before. 'The Templars are a much better option.'
'The Mark needs power to close the Breach. With enough magic, it could-'
'It could kill us all,' Cullen interrupted, 'The Templars can suppress the Breach, weaken it so that we have a chance.'
'Pure speculation,' Leliana said stiffly.
'I was a Templar, I know what they're capable of.'
Leliana seemed about to retort before Josephine spoke up, 'It matters little because neither group will let us speak with them. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition,' She looked at Eden, pointing with her pen, 'and you, specifically.'
Eden 'hmph'd. 'That was quick.'
'Shouldn't they be arguing over who will become the next Divine?' Cullen said, a note of something akin to sarcasm in his voice. He clearly didn't have much love for the Chantry - though being a former Templar, she couldn't blame him.
Josephine shrugged, continuing, 'There are many who call you the Herald of Andraste,' Her nose involuntarily wrinkled at the title, 'it worries the Chantry. As such, they have declared it blasphemy, and we heretics for harbouring you.'
Eden crossed her arms, 'If only we could ignore them. I've already been doing that most of my life.'
'It limits our options,' Josephine spoke before more bickering could continue, 'We can approach neither the mages or templars.'
'They can see the blazing green hole in the sky, right? Or are we just crazy?'
'Oh, they think the Breach is a threat,' Cullen said, 'They just don't think we can stop it.'
'There is a stepping stone,' Leliana spoke up, 'A Chantry Mother by the name of Giselle has requested to speak with you. She isn't far, and she knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable.'
Eden frowned, 'She's a part of the Chantry, and I'm a heretic. Why would she help me?'
'Perhaps she's one of the reasonable Chantry members.' Leliana responded, sounding amused, 'You'll find her in the Hinterlands, near Redcliffe. She's helping wounded refugees.'
'While you're there, it couldn't hurt to look for opportunities to expand our influence.' Cullen said.
'We need agents in the field to extend our reach. You are in the best position to recruit them,' Josephine added.
'Oh, yes. Anyone want me to get food while I'm at it? Maybe take a trip to Orlais and get some decor?' She said dryly and was rewarded with equally dry looks. 'I'll be right on it, don't worry.'
'I will be going with you to the Hinterlands, as well as a contingent of soldiers.' Cassandra said matter-of-factly, and Eden frowned.
'That seems too conspicuous. Won't the soldiers be needed elsewhere? As in, won't we have some sort of camp they need to maintain? And jobs for them to be doing?'
'Well, yes, but, right now, your safety is our priority. Without you, the main goal of the Inquisition is... unachievable.' Cassandra responded.
'But we can achieve my safety without wasting resources,' Eden argued, 'What if we bring Solas and Varric? And Atlas?' She seemed to add as an afterthought, though she purposefully said the names of the others first to avoid suspicion. Suspicion of what, she wasn't sure, as there was literally nothing to hide.
Cullen interjected, 'Solas and Varric have proven themselves, but this... Atlas? We don't know him. He was found at the Temple, around the time we found you.' He then seemed to remember something, adding quickly, 'In any case, I support Cassandra. We can find the soldiers for this.'
'But we don't need to. And what ulterior motives could Atlas possibly have? He saved my life at the rift, you know. And I seem to remember you found him fighting the demons, not conjuring them. You said it yourself, the Inquisition has already lost too many soldiers. We don't need to throw more away. We can use them elsewhere. Send them recruiting, or something.' Eden found herself speaking her mind, looking to all four of those present as she did.
After a few moments, Leliana said, 'She is right. But so is Cullen; Atlas is an unknown. I sense you will try and bring him anyway, but I will be keeping an eye on him.'
'That... is fair,' She had expected some sort of argument and was ready to retort, before processing what she said. She had no idea what this particular Spymaster meant when she said 'keeping an eye on him', though. 'When do we leave?' She said to Cassandra.
'We'll begin our journey today. I'll send someone to alert the other three. The journey should only take a few days, so be ready to make camp.'
Eden nodded once and looked to the others, noticing no one speak for a few moments. 'Is this... where we do some sort of cheer or do we all kind of... leave?'
There was more silence, as they collectively shared glances, began to smirk, and shake their heads. Cassandra left, and Leliana followed. 'What?' She said, confused. Cullen left soon after, leaving Josephine. 'No, seriously, is that... are we just leaving, then? No more words?' Even Josephine just walked out with little more than an entertained smile. She was left alone in the meeting room. 'Well, they certainly need to work on communication.' She said with a hmph, then left to go gather her things for travel.
...
It had taken a few more hours to rouse the other three and for them to prepare for travel, but by some fortunate happenstance, she had woken up quite early in the morning, so that still had much of the day left to begin their travel. Cassandra had yet to show up, for some reason. They were given horses (Varric was given a pony, which he did nothing but shake his head and sigh at before getting on), which awaited them outside Haven's gates, and all had little trouble - except for Atlas, who for some reason was having difficulties with his mount.
He was a few feet away from it, both hands held up disarmingly, but the horse had some kind of crazy eyes, looking at Atlas as though he were about to kill him.
'Does this normally happen to you?' Varric said, obviously finding this quite funny.
'I can try and calm it with a spell, if you like,' Even Solas, who was normally quite stoic, had a visible smirk on his face, looking on.
'No, I've got this perfectly under control,' Atlas said stubbornly, slowly taking another step forward. The horse seemed to snort, if horses could do that, and he stopped and glared at it. Eden wished she could go and help him, but she wasn't exactly a horse whisperer. She had had training and some riding experience, but beyond that, she had expected a traveler like Atlas to be far better at this.
'Do they have horses where you're from?' She said, half to mess with him and half out of actual curiosity.
He looked to Eden quickly at that, 'No. No, we do not.' He didn't seem proud of the fact, 'Islands, and all that. We've never had a need for them. We usually just... walked.'
'Where are you from?' Varric pitched in, also interested. It appeared Atlas hadn't explained his origins too much.
'An island, or series of islands, far off the coast of Rivain and Antiva.' By now, he had managed to edge his way closer to the horse, who surprisingly had not moved that much, though still appeared to be eyeing him.
They all watched silently as she quickly put a foot in the stirrup, pulling himself up and onto the saddle, and nearly falling off the other side, gripping the reins and causing the horse to veer to the right before he fixed his balance. This resulted in the others laughing (or in Solas' case, exhaling sharply through his nose and shaking his head, a smile on his face).
'Should we have gotten you a pony, too?' Came the accented voice of Cassandra, walking up from the gates.
'I am perfectly capable of riding this horse, thank you.' He straightened his posture in an attempt to appear dignified, which likely normally would have worked, were he not constantly looking down and about, obviously nervous about his current predicament.
'We can always switch, if you like,' Varric added.
Atlas muttered something under his breath, but didn't seem to really be angry. Just a little annoyed, perhaps. Inwardly, Eden thought the teasing was a good indicator. At least their little group got along. Humor was going to be sorely needed.
'Where were you, Cassandra?' Eden turned to the aforementioned Seeker.
Cassandra, who was mounting her horse, answered, 'I was reading over the most recent reports from our scouts in the Hinterlands to see if they found anything new. It seems the area Mother Giselle and the refugees are in seems to be where much of the fighting is concentrated.'
'Fighting?' Eden asked her, but it was Solas who answered.
'Between the Templars and the Mages. When the explosion causing the Breach destroyed the Chantry, all chance for peace, however brief, went with it. Both sides accuse the other of being responsible, and though not all believe it, they still fight each other to the bitter end. Often not caring about collateral damage.' Solas was a font of knowledge, it seemed.
She looked to Cassandra, who just nodded, 'We should expect trouble once we arrive, and possibly on the way there.'
'Well, I say we should get moving instead of sitting here.' Atlas said, which was a practical sentiment, but it was likely more due to him and his horse having an uneasy relationship that could result in him being thrown off at any given moment than any lasting pragmatism.
Varric chuckled, and the rest of them were similarly amused, but there were no objections. They set off at a moderate pace, surprisingly silent for the first bit of the journey, though that only lasted a short time.
'So how long have you been in Thedas, Sandy?' Varric said, looking over to Atlas.
Atlas frowned and pulled a face when he realised Varric was speaking to him, 'Sorry, Sandy?' He didn't seem particularly offended, more surprised and amused.
'You know, 'cause of your hair. It looks like sand.' Varric explained as though this made perfect sense. It almost did, Eden thought. His hair was a similar colour.
Atlas frowned, looking up at his own hair as though he had forgotten what colour it was. He hm'd, then shrugged. 'I suppose so, yes.'
Varric smirked, shaking his head, but continued, 'You didn't answer my question.'
'Oh, well... about a year, I believe. After I arrived, I very quickly journeyed inland. Eventually, I found a friend in a city called...' He went silent on his horse, trotting along steadily, and when Eden looked over, she found him frowning and looking at nothing.
'Did you forget the name of the city?' She said jokingly, though she was slightly concerned by his sudden silence.
'No, it was Markham,' He responded immediately without looking. He paused for a few more moments before continuing, 'I found a friend there, who I stayed with. His name is Lethiel. I told him I was going to the Conclave... I should write him a letter. I hope he's alright.' He seemed to be talking to himself as opposed to anyone else.
'I don't know that it was ever answered, but why were you at the Conclave?' Cassandra spoke over her shoulder from the front of their little horse convoy.
Atlas looked up then, 'Oh, well, admittedly, I wasn't supposed to be there.' Cassandra didn't stop, but she did shoot a glance at him over her shoulder. Unperturbed, he went on, 'I hadn't actually made it in. I had just crossed a hill and was looking at the Temple for the first time when... it exploded.'
Cassandra made an indistinct noise of acknowledgment, more of a grunt, and Varric quickly went on to fill in the silence and change the subject, 'If your people don't use horses, what do they use?'
'I told you. We walk. Or use boats.' He said, 'if we have to go another island, that is,' He added quickly after a pause.
'I must admit, I've never heard of your home,' Solas spoke up, the first he'd spoken since the start of their journey.
'Nobody seems to have. It's not too surprising. My people are solitary. We don't trade often, nor do we contact other people.' If Eden didn't know better, she'd say Atlas was uncomfortable. He spoke oddly, pausing in between each sentence, then speaking quickly. He had mentioned some sort of civil war though, so if that were true she couldn't blame him. It was a bit odd, though. He obviously came from a small country, if you could call it that, and since it had never been found somehow by anyone else on Thedas, it had to have been pretty small.
Silence persisted, leaving her to her thoughts. She had no idea why she was suddenly suspicious when just a few days ago she had been, quite shallowly, attracted to his face (admittedly, she still was, but had had little else to focus on that was even remotely pleasant. She had not yet resorted to drinking in the local tavern). Still, she got the inkling that maybe Atlas wasn't being entirely truthful. The probability of an isolationist island country that no one had heard of existing off the coasts of Rivain was... probably quite low. Still, he had been quite helpful during the closing of the rift around the Temple. And he had offered to teach her swordplay - which she still wasn't sure what to think about. She had taken a liking to fighting a long time ago, and so she had learned quite a bit in her time practicing and then being taught by an actual tutor. She had little to no actual experience, however, her first real fight being against a demon just a few days ago.
Just a few days. So much had happened in just a few days. A holy temple exploded. A hole appeared in the sky. She had started to befriend an elven mage, a dwarven author with a huge crossbow, and a mysterious human who may or may not be what he said he was. Not to mention her joining the leadership of the Inquisition, a group whose last incarnation predated the Chantry. She hadn't even told her parents or her siblings. They may even think she was dead, just like Atlas' friend. She should also send a letter, sometime.
'Solas,' She said suddenly, rousing herself from her thoughts.
'Yes?' He looked over from his position to the right and ahead of her.
'Why haven't you taken a side in the Rebellion?' She was trying to fill the silence, but it was also something she'd been curious about.
'You mean why haven't I joined my fellow mages in taking up arms against the oppressive templars?' He said with some degree of patronization, though presumably not directed towards her. She nodded. 'I was an apostate before the rebellions. I wouldn't wish this war on anyone, but even so, I hold no love for the Chantry Circles. There is no benefit in allying myself with them for an ultimately pointless conflict. My place is here.'
'It is a pity more mages do not share your ideals.' Cassandra said, which was true enough.
'Well, it's not as though they can escape the conflict,' Atlas said, 'If they tried to give up, it seems like all the templars would do is either imprison them or kill them. I suspect the opposite is true as well. War is often like that.' There was a bout of silence.
'And here I thought this was going to be a cheery horse ride.' Varric said.
...
In an unspoken agreement, they hadn't discussed the conflicts from then on, electing instead making small talk at various points throughout the ride. Varric often related anecdotes to them, and occasionally Solas would mention a location nearby with an interesting past, things that he had seen while dreaming in the Fade, which Eden and Atlas found fascinating. be
'What is the Fade?' Atlas asked curiously. By now they had been riding for several hours, and the sun would be down the horizon sometime soon.
Solas looked over, raising a brow, 'Are you asking for my interpretation of it, or do you really not know?'
'What you believe it is,' Atlas clarified.
'From a more literal standpoint, the Fade is a metaphysical realm from which all magic stems. It is connected to our world, but also separated that which we call the Veil. Spirits and demons alike dwell there. Because of the Veil, no sentient beings have physically set foot in the Fade, but all creatures, except for dwarves, visit it in dreams. Unlike them, however, I remember what I see there. It's a very complicated place.'
'Why do dwarves not visit the Fade while dreaming?' Atlas asked.
'Because we don't dream.' Varric spoke up, continuing, 'Dwarves don't have a full connection to the Fade, which is apparently something to do with living underground next to lyrium over thousands of years.
'Do you have mages amongst your people, Atlas?' Solas turned the 'tables of curiosity', as it were, on Atlas.
'What? Oh, yes, a few. They're not that common, though, because we've a much smaller population.'
'We should make camp,' Cassandra interrupted, and find a spot nearby to rest.'
'Oh, finally, my legs are starting to chafe. I've never ridden a horse for this long.' Eden said earnestly.
'Didn't you ride to the Conclave?' Atlas said.
'I rode in a carriage. I'm the Bann's daughter, after all.' She said, not sure how to feel about her own statement. She didn't want to come off as snobbish, as that was exactly what she despised in nobility.
Atlas pursed his lips but said nothing. Cassandra led them to the nearby treeline, further in until they were suitably far from the road and in a suitably open spot to make camp. They all got off their horses, unloading whatever supplies they had taken and unrolling their tents to be put up. Atlas declared he was going off to find some wood for a fire, and Cassandra set about making a stone circle in which to start the aforementioned fire.
'Have any of you ever even gone camping?' Eden asked in the middle of pitching her tent.
'Never willingly. Can't say I'm too fond of voluntarily going without a warm bed. Don't know how you stand it, Chuckles.'
Eden frowned, 'Chuckles?'
At this, Solas sighed, 'He is referring to me. And I prefer being closer to nature. I do not stay in one place long enough to have any single home.'
'Your loss,' Varric said, ironically, with a chuckle, 'What about you, Seeker?'
'I must admit that I am more of a mind with Solas. Nature is peaceful, and a welcome distraction from my other duties. I do not get enough chances to spend time in places like this.'
'Well, I for one prefer taverns and the nightlife to campfires and the animal life. Much more lively. You're all boring. Except you, Eden. I don't know about you yet.' Varric pointed a finger and spoke conspiratorially.
Eden paused from her tent assembling to place a hand on her chest in mock offense. 'Do I not even get a nickname?'
'Oh, you give it time, I'll find something that fits you, Twinkle Toes. No, that's not right...' Towards the end, he trailed off and looked away, as though he were saying it to himself instead of any of them. Cassandra, for some reason, groaned at this, which Eden took as verification of Varric's statement. The two seemed to have a history of some sort, but considering they weren't giving each other the cold shoulder (she thought it may have been impossible for someone to simply 'ignore' Varric) it must not be too bad.
Atlas returned shortly thereafter, carrying a bundle of wood of varying sizes in his arms. Seeing the stone circle set up, he more or less dumped the entire bundle inside of it, before going to his horse to retrieve his pack.
'We need to decide who will take first watch. We may not have encountered trouble so far, but I do not wish to leave things to chance.' Cassandra said, which made a fair amount of sense. Bandits were a fair concern, as were rogue templars and mages stumbling upon their encampment.
'I can set up wards that will deter those who get to close to our camp. I use them often while dreaming in ruins.' Solas said.
'I can keep watch. I'm not too tired anyway.' Atlas said in the midst of setting up a bedroll. No tent, Eden noticed, which was odd.
'That is not necessary,' Cassandra said quickly, perhaps too much so, 'I will keep watch, since I proposed the plan.' That seemed reasonable enough, but Eden also remembered their conversation in the meeting room back in Haven. Cassandra didn't trust Atlas, which Eden had no room to judge, considering she herself had her own doubts, despite defending his coming along to the other leaders of the Inquisition.
'You don't trust me,' Atlas said. He didn't seem offended, it was instead as though he were making an observation. His expression also seemed to be one of interest, if she had to name it.
Everyone was silent for a few moments, before Cassandra sighed, 'No, I do not.'
Before she could continue, Atlas responded, 'I don't blame you. Nor would I blame the rest of you if you didn't,' He looked to them all, gaze seeming to linger on Eden's for a moment - or perhaps that was her imagination. 'What if you and I both keep watch? After they all fall asleep, you can question me to your heart's content. Even if I lie, which I assue you'll assume I am, you could still get some valuable insight.' The other three's attentions turned back to Cassandra.
She seemed to stare at him, jaw hardening (if that were possible) and one could practically see her thinking. 'Very well,' She finally said, 'We will see what happens.' Atlas nodded once, smiling appreciably and going back to his bedroll.
'I hope you know the rest of us aren't going to be able to sleep. Well, not me at least. I'd love to see someone else get interrogated by the Seeker for a change.' Cassandra groaned.
...
Atlas
True to his word, Varric had not actually gone to sleep. He went into his small tent, but both Cassandra and he knew that he wasn't sleeping. He suspected that Eden and perhaps Solas (though he also wouldn't be surprised if the elf wasn't all that bothered) weren't asleep. It was only when Cassandra snapped into the awkward silence that she would not be the one to carry them if they fell asleep on their horse they he heard shuffling inside the tents.
They waited several more minutes, Atlas doing his best to remain enigmatic and unbothered about his upcoming interrogation, though in truth he had thought over several answers to possible questions in an attempt to preempt them.
'Are you really from a place called the Erithan Isles?' Cassandra spoke suddenly, but softly, still not trusting those in their tents. They (he) had found fallen pieces of logs too thick to be used for a fire and brought them over so those on watch would have a place to sit. Her seat was only a few feet to his left, which, from a tactical standpoint, they should've been facing opposite directions, but he also didn't suspect an attack anytime soon.
He looked up suddenly from the embers of the campfire, thinking on his answer again for several seconds. 'No,' He answered finally, and by the release of tension in her shoulders, he could tell that she wouldn't have believed him if he said otherwise. 'It's called Erithan,' he continued, eliciting a frown, 'and it's not on Thedas, which wasn't a lie. It just happens not to be a collection of islands.'
'Where is it then?' She leaned forward.
'I won't say,' Cassandra started to retort, her features already forming into an angry frown, before he interrupted her with a raised hand, 'Please. This is a matter of personal significance. I did leave my homeland for a reason, and before you ask, no, it was not because I was a criminal or anything of the sort. Besides, where I'm from doesn't hold much significance. I'm no long-lost noble, crimelord, or any other person of importance.' All was true, except the very last part. But then, 'importance' was a rather relative term, which meant he was lying and wanted to justify it to himself. Well, he continued in his thoughts, I have a perfectly suitable justification; no one would believe me if I told them. They'd probably dismiss me outright.
Cassandra half-stared, half-glared at him for several moments before nodding once and leaning back a bit, 'Very well. I suppose you are right, it doesn't matter in the end,' Atlas contained his relief, 'Now for my next question,' His relief escaped containment and was no more, 'What is your purpose in the Inquisition? There are many who would see us disbanded and destroyed, even in our current state.'
A much simpler question, for there were no lies involved, 'I wish to help. In any way possible. I have many skills the Inquisition would find valuable, not the least of which is with my sword. Anyone who does not see the Breach as a threat is blind, and any who wish to dismiss help like the Inquisition are foolish.' He was referring to the Chantry, for they were truly inept. He had limited experience of this world, but what he had seen had proven the Chantry's history true. Not that propaganda they tried to paint as the truth, but that which was found everywhere else except where the Chantry paraded it.
Again she observed him with a keen eye before responding, 'I want to believe you. I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now, and I expect you to prove yourself in days to come.' He inclined his head to show his acknowledgment.
'Thank you.' She nodded in turn.
'Is your name really Atlas?' It was a reasonable question, but he wasn't entirely sure she wasn't just asking it out of curiosity.
'Yes. Atlas Svorosi is my full name.'
'Really? No middle names, or anything?' She seemed both surprised and a tad embarrassed, though he didn't know why. He had heard of some having more than a personal name and a family name, though he didn't feel the need for one.
'No, why do you ask?' It was his turn to lean forward with interest.
'No reason.' She deflected quickly, looking away, 'Anyway, I am the one asking you questions. Is it true you asked to train the Herald in sword fighting?'
Atlas shook his head, ignoring her strange attention to these 'middle names', 'I asked the Hera- I mean, I asked Eden if she would like a teacher. She agreed. We have not yet gotten a chance to actually teach her anything, considering we've been on horseback most of the time.'
'What makes you qualified to teach her?' She sounded suspicious if nothing else. He hadn't actually done any true fighting with or around any of them, aside from demons, who were no real challenge of skill, just of not getting your face clawed off.
His first instinct was to make a sarcastic remark about how he had gotten a degree in sword-ology, but he thought that wouldn't help his case at all. So he answered truthfully, if vaguely, 'I have experience.' It was not a lie in the least, though he couldn't tell her that he had more 'experience' in years than the combined age of everyone at their campsite. 'I've been taught by several swordmasters.' Also true.
'On Erithan?' She asked with a note of sarcasm and disbelief.
'Yes. On Erithan.' He didn't bother to try and defend himself from her sarcasm. She was justified in her skepticism.
'Hmph,' She intoned, shaking her head, 'How do I know you weren't lying to me this entire time and still plan on killing all of us in our sleep?'
He was a bit offended before she realised she was a bit right. Only a bit. 'Well, putting aside the fact that I risked my life staying with your Inquisition in the first place, not to mention the answer to how I even got into your company,' Through incredible violence and more self-risk was the answer, 'you don't. But then, you trust Solas the elven apostate who could be a spy for the Mages, or a dangerous free agent. You trust Varric, who, from what I gather, you captured at some point and interrogated him in less friendly terms than you are to me now. I won't mention Eden because she doesn't really have a choice.'
Cassandra frowned (she was doing that quite a lot, it was almost her normal expression that this point), 'Why do your arguments have to make sense? This would be much simpler if I could just condemn you. Instead I have to have faith.'
Atlas pursed his lips and nodded in an expression he immediately recognised as one he had picked up from Lethiel. This revelation distracted him for a moment before he turned back to the present. 'Well, at least you've got morals. A bit of faith is never a good thing. Well...' He amended, tilted his head as he did, 'usually. You were - are - the right hand of the Divine, I'm sure you've had to have plenty of faith in your life.' She scowled in response and shook her head, and he continued, 'Anyway, you're welcome to go to sleep now.'
She looked back at him, eyes narrowed in scrutiny, 'I'm not so sure I should.' She sounded as though she were waiting for him to argue.
'Suit yourself,' He shrugged and crossed his arms, looking back to the fire, 'I didn't plan on sleeping in the first place.' This was true. He could probably go the full three-day trip without sleeping, though he probably would have to once they reached their destination in the Hinterlands. Not to mention the fact that he didn't sleep well, and recent events wouldn't help much.
'Why?' Her tone again shifted to curiosity in place of skepticism.
'I'm not tired. I don't need to sleep. I'm content with keeping watch all night,' He said matter-of-factly, 'You can go to sleep at any time, I won't kill you. Promise.' He smiled devilishly at the end of it, also hopefully conveying the joke.
'Hmph,' She grunted, 'We'll see.' Atlas shrugged again and retreated to his own thoughts, savoring the relative solitude as he was satisfied that Cassandra would ask no more questions.
Once he stopped focusing on anything in particular, like his previous conversations, time passed quickly for him. He couldn't say anything for how it felt for Cassandra, for he had no idea how much time had passed. The moon appeared to be in its darkest phase. His world had two moons, he remembered fondly, and he had been quite confused on his first night, noticing only a single crescent in the sky. Some amount of time later, Cassandra, after some apparent hesitation, stood and walked over to her tent, laying her sword beside her and taking off her breastplate, the only armour she had kept on when they had made camp. He assumed that she had fallen asleep sometime later, as she stopped moving except for the occasional twitch. In the silence filled only with the sounds of the forest and the crackle of the fire, he found some solace in ignoring the chaos amidst his thoughts and instead reveled in the luxury of the night.
It should go without saying that I hope you all like the chapter. I don't know how much you guys like dialogue vs action, but then, the last part of this dialogue is rather important. The first several parts are the beginning of friendships forming, being set up by friendly banter, and me seeing how I can write the characters.
I expect to include more traveling chapters like this, not necessarily on the trip from Haven to Hinterlands, and not every trip they make will have a chapter devoted to it, as that'd just get tedious. But every now and then I think it'd be fun to get an insight to what they all talk about, especially as they become closer to each other. Those chapters might be shorter when they do come, even though this one was long (longer than the last two, actually, but the first is still the longest so far).
Which also brings up a point; how do you readers feel about long chapters? Is it something you like, or do you prefer shorter ones that you can blaze through and get into the next one when you feel like it? I write these all at once because I feel like it'd be odd not doing it all at once; it's kind of connected, but then I could also just as well try and split it into two parts. If you've got no opinion that's fine too.
I think that's about it for now.
Cheers,
exci
