"Oh Maker."

For miles, Elissa had approached the Frostback Mountains, and in the distance loomed a huge, swirling cloud. It glowed green, and even from the shores of Lake Calenhad, Elissa had been able to see it. Debris occasionally spewed from within, though it was only noticeable now that she was almost at the peak.

Her horse danced nervously to the side. She patted his neck, whispering soothing words, and urged him on.

When she had first come this way, the snow had been knee-deep, and they had been on foot, with no idea of where they were going save the rumors they had scrounged up. Now it was the middle of summer in Ferelden. The snow dusting was light around the foothills, barely above ankle height on her. She had made much better time.

And if that mass of a cloud what was waiting for her, she was glad it didn't take as long as it had during the Blight.

The higher she climbed, the more and more apparent usage of the trail became. Wagon wheels had recently carved tracks in the mud, with occasional footprints from man and horse alike dotting the way. Elissa had known that Haven would become a religious icon for the Chantry, a well-travelled and well-known place for worshippers and priests alike to come speak with the Maker.

The tracks were far too heavy for that. Something else was drawing people to Haven.

As she neared the crest of the mountain path, she could hear the familiar sound of metal on metal, of sword meeting sword. It was so loud she swore an army was being trained. A cacophony of voices reached her ears. Shouting, screaming, everything. It reminded her of Weisshaupt, of the army she had amassed in Redcliffe. While the garrison in Weisshaupt was small, plenty of Anders and scholars roamed the halls, making such a commotion it was hard to sleep.

Elissa clicked her heels and the horse moved into a trot. She was eager to see the town again. She hadn't missed it, not by a long shot, but it sounded busy, and she was curious.

And that curiosity did not disappoint. What was once a small village secluded in the mountain forest was now a bustling town, guarded by a ten-foot-high wall and surrounded by a surprising number of tents. Between her and the gate was a field of armored men and women, battering each other and training dummies alike with dulled swords. On their chests, the same symbol on the wax was emblazoned. Banners hung from the wall, displaying the crest.

She threw her hood back as the sun hit her, warming her chilled skin. The light felt good on her ears; they were freezing.

Fascinated, Elissa swung her leg over the saddle and dropped onto the ground. Her boots stuck in the mud for a brief moment, but she tore them free and approached the sparring soldiers. She would have to go past to get into the town. The gates were open and people, commoners and soldiers alike, were passing through freely. A pair of guards were stationed on each side, proudly holding themselves at attention. The four of them seemed like the only calm part of Haven.

A quick tug of the reins and her horse followed her through. She tried to be quick, inconspicuous, but she was still in Ferelden, and few families other than hers could boast such starkly blonde hair. It was a defining feature, one Fergus had managed to somehow avoid, much to her dismay.

The sounds of fighting were slowly dwindling as the soldiers stopped to stare at her. They had either not seen a Grey Warden in a long time, or they recognized her. And while she hoped it was the former, she knew it was likely them recognizing her. Her reception in Highever had been much the same; stunned silence, followed almost immediately by cheering and screaming.

She briefly considered returning her family shield and sword to Fergus. After all, they were his by birthright, but when she had last offered, he had turned them down, saying she had more than earned them. Now she just wanted to be rid of them. All they did was attract attention to her, attention she already got more than enough of from her Warden uniform.

As she walked, Elissa was aware of a tall man shadowing her from within the ranks. He looked familiar, held himself with an obvious air of authority. He was confident in himself. His armor was far different from the other soldiers, marking him as an officer or a general, and he wore a fur robe. Sandy hair that was slicked back oh so carefully, intense eyes.

Realization dawned on her and she stopped in her tracks, as did he.

"Cullen?"

His hard expression wavered for a brief second, allowing a small smile to tug at his lips and the new scar that lingered there. He shoved through the men he looked to be training, forcing his way to her side.

"It's been quite a while," he said, falling in beside her. He looked back towards one of his men, dressed in finer clothes, and nodded. The soldier immediately started barking orders, yelling at them to stop staring and to get back to work. Most of them were reluctant to.

She nodded her head in agreement, then gestured to the sky. "What the hell is that?"

He hesitated before motioning for her to follow him. Cullen led her towards the stables and she passed her horse off to one of the boys excitedly running around. "It's a long story."

Elissa snorted. "Oh, I can only imagine."

"It might be better suited for tonight," he added, leading her through the gates. They were greeted by a crowd of people meandering about, the majority of whom were tripping over each other to speak with merchants lined along the wall. A few stopped what they were doing to look at them, but before more could, Elissa tugged her hood back up. "We have a party returning this evening. I'm sure you'd be interested in speaking with them."

"Very well."

They ascended a staircase Elissa didn't remember being there before, up towards the central part of the town. This area was somewhat familiar, but Haven had long been altered. None of the homes were the same. Before, Haven had been a small cluster of houses along the path to the temple. Now it was its own separate entity.

They climbed another level. Here was the Chantry, and out of all the things, this was the same. It had been repaired, but it was still nestled between some trees, surrounded by the same shrubs. Elissa almost stopped to stare herself, but Cullen was taller than she, and was taking longer strides. She had to hurry to match his pace.

"So what is this?" she asked. "This...group?"

He led her to the Chantry, bracing his hands on both doors before throwing them open. "This is the Inquisition."

"And what's the Inquisition?" she asked. Now that they were safely inside, the town felt much quieter, and she flicked her hood back, grateful.

"A..." He paused, unsure of how to explain. "An arm of the Chantry, to an extent. When Divine Justinia was killed—"

She cut him off, freezing. "The Divine is dead?"

He lowered his voice, stepping closer so the brothers and sisters couldn't hear him. "I don't know where you've been or what you've been doing, Warden, but there is much going on here. The mages and the templars have rebelled against the Chantry. The temple up the mountain was blown up during a meeting between all three parties, orchestrated by Justinia herself. No one knows who was responsible. We know very little about what occured up there. All I can tell you is that cloud is a tear in the Veil and we have no idea how to close it."

"That is an extremely dumbed down explanation of events."

That voice.

Soft, but firm. Clearly spoken. And very distinctly Orlesian.

Elissa turned. Less than ten feet away, Leliana was standing, accompanied by a darker-skinned woman in gold and black clothing. Leliana was wearing a set of chainmail, strapped securely in place by a dagger belt, with a hood thrown up over her head.

"I should've suspected you were behind this," Cullen said.

Somewhere far away, the two had a conversation, but all Elissa could focus on was her. It had been years since she had even spoken to Leliana, much less seen her. No one had known where Elissa had gone; only Alistair had a vague idea, but he sent his letters to Weisshaupt at Elissa's orders. She had spent much of her time in the surrounding villages, the Deep Roads, and very little at the Warden fortress.

But here she was, looking the exact same as Elissa remembered her. The same short red hair, same cool blue eyes, same smile. She was still speaking to Cullen, but Elissa could see a smile tugging at her lips. They were holding eye contact from the moment she had first spoke. Elissa couldn't bring herself to look anywhere else.

Her feet carried her forward out of their own conviction. The next thing she knew, there was no space between them. Elissa pulled her into the tightest embrace she could, burying her face in the soft leather protecting Leliana's shoulders. For a brief moment, the hug wasn't returned, but when it was, Elissa felt like she was going to melt. It was just as fierce, just as desperate. They stayed like that for what wasn't nearly enough time for either of them.

When Leliana went to pull away, Elissa let her. She stepped away, looking her over, and smiled so hugely she thought her face would tear.

"I missed you, too," Leliana said, smirking.

Cullen cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway...?"

Leliana's expression quickly turned serious. "Yes." She jerked her head towards a door at the end of the hall, where Cullen and the other woman were headed. Elissa followed with Leliana, who shut the door firmly behind them.

In the center of the room was a large map. It displayed Ferelden and Orlais, and part of the Free Marches. Elissa recognized its purpose immediately by the figures placed about the locations. Multiple were placed around Ferelden, with far fewer in Orlais.

"What do you know?" Leliana asked.

"About what?"

"Anything. You've been gone for almost six years, Elissa."

She looked around the room. All three of the Inquisition's leaders were regarding her heavily. "I don't know. Not much. Should I know something?"

They all nodded, though it was Cullen that spoke. "Kirkwall was ripped to pieces by an explosion at its Chantry. One mage started a war."

"Are they dead?" Elissa asked.

Leliana hesitated, then shook her head. "Do you remember Anders? The mage you told me about?"

"The one I recruited in Amaranthine?"

"He was the mage that destroyed Kirkwall," Cullen said. "A lot was wrong within the city, but the treatment of mages wasn't as severe as it could've—"

"You and I both know that's a lie," Leliana snapped.

Cullen's face reddened. "Were we supposed to allow the mages free roam yet again? You saw what happened at Lake Calenhad!"

"You were treating them like animals! If I remember correctly, you raided the Champion's home while he was in the Deep Roads just to take his sister!"

He looked away, swallowing. "We did what we had to do."

Elissa looked between them, then to the darker-skinned woman. She had yet to speak, but by the expression on her face, this argument wasn't new. "It doesn't matter now," Elissa said, trying to defuse the situation. "What's done is done. We can't change it."

"She's right." She was Antivan? "We can't change the past. All we can do is focus on what's happening now, and how best to close the Breach."

Cullen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fair enough." Leliana didn't say anything, but she crossed her arms and walked further around the table, towards the Antivan.

"So, Elissa," she continued, "if I may call you that—"

"It's fine," she answered quickly, eager to get through the introductions and into whatever task she was sure they would ask of her. "You are...?"

"Josephine." Elissa nodded, committing the name to memory. "What are you doing back in Ferelden? Leliana told us you were beyond contact."

"I was. Only the Wardens knew how to find me," Elissa said. "I was, uh, quite a ways away." Leliana raised an eyebrow, still silent, but it was an obvious question. "I left a good friend in my place and went north to Weisshaupt. He..." Her voice caught in her throat as concern for Alistair again flooded her, but she swallowed it down.

"Alistair?" Leliana asked.

Elissa nodded. "I had him sending me reports every month or two. All seemed well until four months ago." She produced the letter from her pack at her hip and passed it to Cullen. "I haven't heard from him since then. I left as soon as I got that."

"Four months ago?" Josephine frowned as Leliana handed it to her. "That was before the temple was attacked."

"The Wardens have been missing longer than I feared."

"What do you mean?" Elissa demanded. "How do they just go missing?"

Leliana shook her head. "I don't know. I've tried contacting Alistair. I've tried Nathaniel at Amaranthine. I even sent a message to Clarel in Orlais, but I haven't gotten any answers. Aside from Blackwall, you're the first Grey Warden we've seen."

She leaned forward, bending over the map. Amaranthine wasn't far from Highever, just less than a week's ride. Gwaren and the Wilds, the only other places she had ordered outposts be built, were weeks away.

"Did you send a messenger to Gwaren?"

"Yes."

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"If you didn't parade yourself around in that armor, I wouldn't have even known you'd landed in Highever."

Elissa scoffed. "I don't parade myself around. I'm proud of what I am."

"As you should be," Josephine said. "You've done much for Ferelden and for the Grey Wardens." She looked to her fellow leaders, both of whom nodded. "Though, I fear we might need to ask for your assistance."

"I'm not retired," Elissa said sarcastically. "If something's going on, I'm yours. And when we find my Wardens, consider us allies."