Chapter 4: Do You Understand That We Will Never Be The Same Again?
Now her hand is raised
A sword to pierce the sun
With iron shield she defends the faithful
Let chaos be undone
-Canticle of Victoria
Julius and Abigail
"You're alive!" He shouted, picking her up in a bear hug, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Not for long if you don't let her breathe, calm down, Cub." Varric suggested as he walked up to them, glad to see the girl was safe.
"Sweet Maker! I didn't hurt you a second ago, did I!?" Julius questioned, putting her down and shaking her around to look at her.
"No-no, I'm fine." Abigail smiled as she waved her hand, why was her brother so concerned? This was strange.
"Abigail's back!" Julius said excitedly, picking up Josephine at the waist and twirling in a circle, making the lady blush furiously while Abigail laughed.
"Andraste's tits, Hawke, was that really necessary?" Varric complained, shaking his head.
"Hawke?" Abigail, Julius, and Josephine all inquired looking at the red haired man, Julius still holding Josephine aloft.
"Ah... well, shit." Varric sighed.
"Ahem." Leliana vocalized, walking in and looking at Julius holding Josephine in the air.
"Oh, sorry." he said, blushing in embarrassment while setting her back down.
"Before you explain, you might as well wait for our other guest." Leliana continued, turning towards the door where in walked Cullen, followed by Cassandra and Alistair, who was holding a rag over his broken nose.
"My lord, King Alistair! We were not expecting you! I apologize for our lack of decorum!" Josephine exclaimed while bowing. Her eyes were wide with the terrifying realization of how under prepared they were for any nobility, let alone a king, to be visiting them at this time. They didn't even have the newest silks from Val Royeaux here yet! Or the Antivan spiced wine!
"No, no, my apologies for going along with his dumb idea. Just ignore that I'm here." Alistair refuted, pointing to Liam.
"Hey! We all agreed! I just happen to be the best at not getting caught. I figured we'd see how the defenses fared and have some fun with these guys here. Hey, no harm done, yeah?" Liam stated, the last bit a question to Josephine which she took to be some semblance of an apology for scaring her.
"Ah, of course not." Josephine respectfully replied, then went into a panic over the king's injured face, requesting the best healer to be brought immediately from amongst the mages.
"Anyhow, care to explain, brothers Hawke?" Leliana stated, she was amused at Josephine's fretting over Alistair, simply because she knew how much he hated being fretted over.
"Actually, I think you just summed it up right there, thanks." Liam dismissed.
"Okay, here it is, there were two sets of Hawke twins, myself and Liam, and Carver and Bethany. Yes, we do look alike. Though, I inherited the Hawke dark hair, while Liam has the red hair from the Amell side. No, we have no more siblings, though we do have a few cousins. And no, as far as most all of Kirkwall was concerned, there was one Champion of Kirkwall, those idiots couldn't even tell us apart. Actually, pretty much Cullen is the only one in Kirkwall who knows there are two of us. What started as a game, well, it became a careful ruse after everything that happened. Nobody bothered to wonder how there were so many conflicting stories about 'The Champion', they just blamed inaccurate storytelling by Varric, that and we were always really good at pretending to be one person. Truth is, we both had a hand in most all of it. Though, only I was involved with Merrill." Gaius smirked, Liam nodding in agreement.
"Hawke, must you always cause trouble?" Cullen inquired, pinching the bridge of his nose, he was sure to hear about this later from Cassandra at least, though it appeared that Leliana already knew.
"Cause trouble? I saved your Herald!" Liam rebuked, though he was just continuing to mess with Cullen.
"I- I thank you." Cullen said, his eyes looking anywhere but near Abigail, this Liam noticed.
"My dear girl!" Dorian exclaimed, walking into the room arms open wide since he had finally managed to figure out what was happening, to which Abigail cheerily exclaimed as she rushed over and hugged him, "Dorian! I didn't know you were here!"
"Sorry to interrupt, but since we are all here, let's go meet in the war room and discuss everything that has happened." Cassandra demanded, and although she had finally found Varric, some things were more important than her murdering the lying dwarf.
"Very well, do come have a bottle of wine with me later, we can catch up, I'll be in the library." Dorian suggested as he bid Abigail goodbye.
"I have a contact in the Grey Wardens who was investigating the Wardens' disappearance from Ferelden and Orlais, though it probably expands into the Free Marches as well. He was supposed to contact me with a meeting place within the next fortnight." Gaius began.
"We might know something about their disappearance." Abigail added, then gave the floor to Alistair, who was still sporting a rag over his nose, he had refused to wait for a healer before starting the meeting.
"Uh, yes. Well, um, this isn't proven, but they may be hearing the Calling." He stated shyly.
"The Calling!? All of them!? How can you be sure?" Leliana gasped, she knew the severity of that even if the others didn't.
"Well, um, I started hearing it? And it is getting worse with every passing day... But, it could just be me, who knows?" Alistair stated, not wanting to look Leliana in the eyes, she had moved her hand to her mouth on hearing it from her friend. Leliana's reaction caused worry in Cassandra and Josephine.
"Maker! Tell me they haven't all gone to the Deep Roads!" Cullen demanded, slamming his fist on the table.
"How should we know? Alistair's not active in the Wardens anymore!" Liam defended. Josephine cringed at him using King Alistair's name so casually and without his proper title.
"We also have those other matters." Julius stated, changing the discussion, and looking at Abigail and the advisers. "Have we figured out anything more?"
"That is, well..." Josephine began to say something, but glanced at Alistair and stopped.
"Oh, go ahead. King Alistair is hardly vested in The Game." Cassandra huffed impatiently, and Leliana nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, Empress Celene is in negotiations to host a peace meeting at a ball at the Winter Palace, her cousin grand duchess Florianne De Chalons is going to host the affair, hoping to bring an end to the civil war between her brother and cousin." Josephine continued.
"This will be the perfect opportunity for Corypheus to have his pawns assassinate her." Leliana added bluntly.
"Assassinate Empress Celene! How do you know this!?" Alistair gaped removing his hand from his face to reveal his rather gruesome nose which he quickly jumped to cover again as Josephine gulped in disgust.
"I saw it in the future." Abigail replied nonchalantly.
"A demon told me." Julius dismissed. Alistair stared at the two in disbelief for a moment before he told everyone else to continue with their planning, apparently this was a thing that happened often. Just how much had the Heralds been through?
"As for the demon army, we still have no leads, but we are monitoring the lyrium trade and the movement of Tevinter slavers and their slaves for use in blood magic." Cullen stated bitterly, a bit frustrated he didn't have more information on that. Alistair looked around the room and seeing that no one was bothered by that information decided not to question it. Demon armies usually caused deep alarm in people, but nobody in here was alarmed at all, except him, apparently.
"We do however have some insight on Samson's whereabouts. We are in the process of intercepting red lyrium shipments through the Dales and hope to trace his steps further from there, though the civil war is hampering our efforts." Cullen continued.
"I will continue working on getting an invitation to the Winter Palace, perhaps it would be best to await contact from Hawke's Grey Warden associate? And assess the situation with the Grey Wardens as we try to secure more information on all the other affairs?" Josephine suggested.
"Yes, I agree. But for now, rest. And Maker, Alistair, would you please go see the healer!" Leliana decreed, making Josephine nervous as she ordered the King of Ferelden around like a mother to her child.
"Oh, wait, before I forget..." Liam began, sounding bored as he approached Gaius, then punching him squarely in the face yelled, "That's for keeping me in the dark! I ought to punch you again for Merrill, you bastard!" Everyone but Cullen stared with wide eyes at the display, Cullen sounded annoyed as he ordered, "Go start trouble somewhere else!"
Alistair
"Ah! Yes, here she is, Enchanter Fiona, she will be able to heal you, your majesty." Josephine invited, leading Alistair over to the Elven enchanter, who realizing who it was that she was being asked to heal was wide eyed in shock.
"Oh, yes, we've met." Alistair said, sitting down in a chair provided by Josephine, while Fiona continued to stare at the floor.
"Oh yes, forgive my thoughtlessness, you met in Redcliffe. I shall arrange for Julius to escort you, but you shall have to forgive me, I have some duties to attend to currently. In the meantime, I leave you in Enchanter Fiona's hands." Josephine bowed as she excused herself so she could have a mild panic attack in the next room trying to arrange a room for a king to stay in at Skyhold, let alone the two Hawke brothers.
"So, um, are they treating you well, here in the Inquisition?" Alistair asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Your majesty, the magic works best if you don't talk." Fiona politely rebuked, not wanting to engage with Alistair.
"Oh, sorry. ...oh, sorry I said that too... My bad, I'll just shut up now. ….sorry.." Alistair apologized, making the situation ridiculous enough Fiona had to smile.
"But, in response to your question, yes, we are treated as equals, something I did not expect from an organization picking up the pieces for the Chantry. Even with the Templars in the Inquisition, we are accepted and respected. It is all we could ask for." Fiona replied, as she finished healing.
"Wow, good as new! Thank you." Alistair smiled his gratitude as he rubbed his nose. Fiona quickly excused herself after she was done with the healing, but as she left, Alistair called back, "I'm glad you're happy here!"
Fiona entered the library quickly but he could see the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, which puzzled Dorian. What puzzled him more was that he wasn't sure whether they were tears of sadness or happiness.
Hawke
"You knew where they were this whole time! You knew there were two of them! You lying little bastard!" Cassandra screamed her frustration at Varric.
"Yes! And I'd lie a thousand times over to keep you people away from them! You people have done enough!" Varric rebuked, just as fervently as Cassandra.
"People died! The Most Holy died! If Hawke had been there-!" Cassandra was interrupted by Varric's counter, "He'd probably be dead too! Just leave them alone! They've lost enough!" Cassandra grabbed the dwarf, and raised her fist to punch him, but her hand was caught firmly before she could land the blow.
"Varric, we can fight our own battles." Liam stated firmly, still gripping Cassandra's hand. Cassandra eased her grip on Varric's shirt and let him go, walking away slowly, he said,"I hope you know what you are doing, Hawke."
"Why didn't you come forth!? You knew we were looking for you!" Cassandra questioned frustratedly.
"We knew there were talks about an Exalted March too. Protecting the innocent in Kirkwall had always been our goal, and you wanted us to threaten that? We already had the Starkhaven brat at our throat, but sure, we should have invited the whole Chantry, right? Your Chantry had already failed enough in that city." Gaius dismissed from the corner where he had been standing.
"I-I don't know." Cassandra confessed, she realized it wouldn't have made sense for them to go seeking the Chantry after all that had happened, still, Divine Justinia's death was too raw a wound.
"You're a woman of strong conviction, I like you," Liam stated boldly, making Cassandra blush slightly at the boldness of it, but he followed sinisterly with, "But don't ever threaten my friend again." Then both he and Gaius left, meeting up with Varric outside.
"Varric! You never told me how beautiful the Seeker was!" Liam accosted.
"Are you drunk or just crazy, Hawke?" Varric inquired in return, now very afraid for his friend's safety. Gaius merely laughed in response.
Abigail
"Yes, your brother was quite despondent while you were missing. Well, we could hardly blame him, almost everyone thought you were dead, I'm sure he thought so too to some degree." Dorian said, his wine starting to loosen his tongue.
"Oh, I'm sure he wasn't too terribly upset... I mean, I'm not saying he's a heartless monster, but I'm sure he would have been fine. We aren't close. I don't really think he likes me at all. Nobody else does in our family, magic isn't something a Chantry family really likes, I guess." Abigail spoke with the voice of someone who is pretending not to be upset by something. Dorian noticed this, but he also noticed how Abigail seemed oblivious to the fact her brother did truly care for her well being, as a brother should. He was beginning to sense that maybe the honorable Trevelyan family harbored secrets like everyone else. He would have to look into that, but for now, he decided to change the subject.
"Well then, should I tell you about how miserable the Commander was while you were away? Oh, the piteous faces he made, the despondent shadow in his eyes, truly, I cannot imagine anyone is happier than he is that you are back." Dorian glanced over at Abigail sipping her tea with a red flush on her cheeks as he spoke, which only egged him on.
"Yes, you wouldn't believe how dour he was, he even spoke of you in his sleep. Oh, the things he said-" Dorian continued until Abigail choked on her tea.
"I-I-I should be going. I should rest. I need rest." Abigail flustered, trying to escape Dorian's voice.
"Farewell, then, dear. Do sleep in your own room, though, the Commander's room is to the right!" Dorian called after her, delighting in her embarrassment, but he was telling some truth as well, Cullen had been rather upset, but even he couldn't say for sure the exact reason why, Cullen was hard to read, always guarded, so very Templar in his nature.
Julius and Alistair
"So, you're the king of Ferelden?" Julius questioned, his tone more dismissive than it should have been.
"That's what they tell me when I wake up every morning." Alistair sassed back.
"You're not half bad, you know, for nobility. In fact, you remind me of someone..." Julius corrected, not sounding as haughty this time, though he still couldn't quite pin down who the king reminded him of.
"Not so bad yourself? Also, I was raised as a stable boy, so I have very little experience looking down on people and not being able to care for myself. That's what happens when a father abandons his bastard son, apparently." Alistair shrugged, even with all he had learned, he was still a bit bothered by his past.
"Wish mine had abandoned me." Julius casually remarked a not so casual statement. "Anyhow, over this way is the library, we could go be bored with books for an hour, or we could go see Bull and his boys living it up in the tavern, whichever you'd prefer."
"Oh, that's not a weighted statement. You do realize, I don't need a guide, right? I know your lady ambassador put you up to it, but seriously-" Alistair started, but then ducked quickly, a pie missing his face just barely.
"You weren't supposed to move!" a blonde elf wearing a mustard stained shirt shrieked as she ran away waving her two finger salute.
"Ah, that's Sera. I was more supposed to be a guard than a guide, and that is why Lady Montilyet suggested I entertain you." Julius remarked, unfazed by Sera's antics.
"To the tavern then?" Alistair agreed.
Abigail
Abigail sat in the rafters looking down into the tavern below watching the Hawke brothers and the king of Ferelden sing "Andraste's Mabari" as they clinked their mugs of beer together with Iron Bull and his Chargers. Julius was passed out over the bar, drink still firmly clutched in his hand. They had been drinking and telling tales of Kirkwall and Ferelden much to the delight of everyone in the tavern, including Varric who quietly smirked as he sipped his drink in the corner. Abigail smiled, her brother was so good at talking to people, he could fit in anywhere he went, even though he seemed surly and angry all the time. She was more reserved. It was hard to talk to people, hard not to make a fool out of herself, hard to not feel like her every breath was being judged and measured. She loved every one of their friends, but she really only talked to Dorian and Varric. Cassandra scared her, she was too much like a Templar. Sera was fun, but she seemed to get annoyed by Abigail's niceness. Iron Bull was always surrounded by people, so many people. Solas spoke as though he was angry at her sometimes, she was afraid she had done something to offend him. She knew Vivienne hated her, they didn't have the same thoughts on Templars and mages. Warden Blackwall didn't seem to like talking much, he always said very little, and she felt like it would be annoying to try to talk to someone who didn't want to talk. Varric was easy to talk to, even though you knew he was never telling the full truth. And Dorian and her had been best friends since witnessing the distorted future together at Redcliffe castle.
"Leaves in the wind, seasons changing, spring after the winter. Rain in a drought. Washing away sadness." Cole spoke abruptly, but strangely, he didn't startle her. That was who she hadn't thought of yet, though she hadn't had much time to talk with him since a lot of things happened right after Cole came back to Haven with Julius.
"Hi, Cole. I'm glad you stayed." She said, smiling. "I'm also glad everyone is happy again too."
"How do you know they are? Everyone?" Cole questioned.
"Oh, well, I meant who you were talking about. It seemed like you were saying people were happy." Abigail fretted, had she misunderstood?
"A brief reprieve, drowns out the voice, but it always shouts louder in the quiet darkness of the night. Sing and dance, then Kirkwall burned, Carver stayed in the Deep Roads too, it always ends, the happiness always ends. Keep her away, keep her safe. If she is near me, she'll get hurt, Mother, Bethany, Carver, Liam. All get hurt. Keep them away, especially the little one. Too bright, but he is sad. The past like darkness covering the light, how do I help?" Cole spoke, but Abigail couldn't be sure who he was talking about though she did guess it was multiple people. She did understand that there was plenty of inner turmoil though, so she sort of understood what Cole was trying to convey.
"The voices in the tower hurt him, but your voice helps. It drowns out the other voices, some from the tower, some from the Templars. It helps, but always distant. What did I do wrong?" Cole said, looking her in the eyes. She wasn't sure who he was talking about again, but she was happy she was helping someone.
"Thank you, Cole. I'm going to go for a walk, okay?" Abigail stated, as she stood, the tavern below was beginning to clear out as everyone was leaving for the comfort of bed. Cole didn't reply, he just stared intently at the rooms below.
Out on the wall, she stretched her arms above her head as she twirled around and began to walk backwards. She still couldn't believe how massive this castle was, and it belonged to the Inquisition now! Still, she missed the small houses of Haven, behind these walls, she could only think about the Circle, which made her shudder. Walking along backwards, she spun again and bumped straight into a Templar, who dropped the papers he had been carrying. Abigail immediately froze, she was terrified of the Templars. She had walked this way on purpose, the Templars had a tower to themselves on the far side of the fortress and she had hoped not to see one tonight.
"You could say 'Excuse me'! You ran into me." The Templar huffed, but Abigail just looked to the side at the ground, trying not to say anything or cry.
"Really? You aren't going to apologize? You mages have been so stuck up since the rebellion. Well, guess what? We are all in the same boat now, so you can show some respect." The Templar demanded as he stood, towering over her, and as he got closer to her, she flinched, a tear escaping her eye.
"That's enough! That is the Herald of Andraste, you show respect!" Cullen interrupted with an angry voice.
"The Herald? Ah-ah, M-my apologies, I meant no disrespect." The Templar bowed as he realized his mistake.
"Go back to your barracks. We will decide your punishment later." Cullen ordered gruffly, as he hit the man upside the head, Abigail was still stiff and she did not soften until the Templar was out of view.
"Are you hurt?" Cullen questioned, then seeing the tear streak on her face had wished he'd hit the man harder.
"Oh, um, I'm fine." She replied, trying unsuccessfully to wipe away the tear before he noticed.
"We can transfer him somewhere else. Do you know him?" Cullen asked, he knew she had been at the Ostwick Circle but was not sure what all had gone on there between her and the Templars. By all accounts, the Ostwick Circle was not terrible, and her noble status should have made it easier for her there as well.
"Oh, no, I just bumped into him tonight. I was rude. You don't need to punish him. I'm fine." She stated, not looking Cullen in the eyes.
"We need to transfer some of the Templars to Orlais anyway, so it is no trouble." Cullen said, raising his hand to touch her shoulder in comfort, but seeing her flinch when his hand got close, he put it back down to his side. "Ah, well, I should go."
"I'm sorry. I'm just a bit dazed tonight. Sorry to have worried you." Abigail stated, she hadn't meant to flinch, in fact, she really wanted a hug, but even though Cullen was softer than most Templars, he still carried himself the same way as them, which brought up bad memories and thoughts, she couldn't help it, though she was trying.
"Well, I'm glad you're back." He replied, smiling, then catching himself, he blushed and suggested she get some rest before retreating to his tower. He did send for the recruit to be transferred to Orlais the next morning after he thoroughly instructed the Templar on proper respect and etiquette.
Abigail
Haunting voices murmured unintelligible songs from the dark corners, as the screams of men, women, and children filled the air. She held a torch in her hand, but the darkness started to devour everything around her, the houses, the land, and the people. She could hear the tortured screams of thousands as she ran from the darkness, soon though, it was before her and all around, creeping closer and closer, as the whispers became louder along with a scream, a pained scream from a man being tortured by the horrid song. She still couldn't understand the words, but the song was as loud as a person shouting in her ear and it continued to grow as the darkness consumed everything. Now all was dark, she had only her torch for light, in the distance she could see a faint flicker in the darkness. She called out to the tiny light, asking if anyone was there with her, but the deafening noise blocked out her voice. As the darkness started to ensnare her legs, she tried to force her way to the light. She could see it was a tiny flame now, just a faint glimmer, and that someone was holding it. Falling, her hand that held the torch outstretched before her, she could see it was Alistair who held the little flame, his body almost enveloped in the darkness.
She bolted awake, her breathing labored still at the vivid dream. She could almost still hear the screams, no wait, there it was again. Someone was screaming. She grabbed her robe and proceeded out into the dark hallways with a small candle providing her light. She was in the guest wing of the fortress, her permanent room had not been established yet, poor Josephine was in a flurry trying to get everything set up for them. Coming to the door the intermittent shouts came from, she realized it was Alistair shouting out, just like her dream. Maybe she had seen him in the Fade? Or seen his dream? She would have to consult Solas about the dreams, he knew more of walking in the Fade than she did. Opening the door, she saw that he was indeed still asleep, but he was twitching, shouting, and becoming entangled in his covers. She decided waking him from his night terror might be the best idea, and she really didn't know what to do otherwise either. She sat her light down on the bedside table and placed her hand tentatively on his shoulder which was clammy, he was in a cold sweat from his nightmare. She attempted to wake him saying, "Your majesty, King Alistair, you're having a nightmare..."
Though, the gentle approach didn't seem to work, and after trying to wake him for a few minutes unsuccessfully, she did her best impersonation of Liam, shouting, "Wake up, Alistair! It isn't real!"
Alistair suddenly opened his eyes and returned to consciousness, asking "Where...?"
"You're in Skyhold. You were having a nightmare." Abigail explained, rubbing his shoulder gently in a comforting manner.
"Oh, Maker, I woke you, didn't I? I'm sorry." Alistair said, rising to a seated position, his covers sliding to reveal his bare chest and arms. Abigail was embarrassed, and turned away slightly to avoid looking at him. She was a clever, but very innocent girl, as Dorian would put it.
"It's no trouble, I had just woken up from a bad dream too." She piped up, shifting uncomfortably. "But not bad, like I was gonna get possessed! Nothing like that!"
"Well, that's good to know." Alistair laughed, he was the only person who had Templar training that she could talk to so easily, maybe it was the time they had spent together journeying to Skyhold, or maybe it was that he seemed more sympathetic to mages than every other one she had met.
"What were you dreaming about?" She inquired, curious about whether it was the same as her dream or not.
"Just another Warden dream, mostly about death and darkspawn. Sorry for the shouting, I'm guessing it was my shouting that woke you. That happens sometimes." Alistair stated, rubbing the back of his neck, he was still slightly upset he'd bothered her.
"Oh. Does it hurt?" She asked, looking at his face again, then added, "Oh, your nose is bleeding again."
"Ah!" He exclaimed, grabbing his nose, then he reached over to grab a cloth from the bedside table drawer and held it under his nose.
"Well, no, not really. It is hard to explain. The tainted blood gives every Warden strength, but we can also feel it coursing through our veins, it doesn't hurt, but it doesn't not hurt either...?" Alistair tried tell Abigail, but couldn't find a way.
"Like you can feel it and sometimes it almost feels like a burning or pulsing?" Abigail questioned as she looked at her marked hand.
"Sort of. It kind of just feels like, well, like a darkness clawing away at you constantly, that's the tainted blood. The taint is always fighting to take over, the evil within, and so I guess you could say we live in a constant battle, trying to resist, for lack of a better explanation. Though lately, I mostly feel like a rock has been dropped on my head." Alistair elaborated more, but it was still a vague concept mostly.
"That may be partly due to all those drinks you had." Abigail teased, to which Alistair nodded his head in agreement.
"Well, I will try not to wake you any more tonight." Alistair said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing, he offered his hand to her to help her up. Abigail took his offered hand, and stood. Alistair walked her to the door and bid her goodnight, shutting the door before he realized he'd only been wearing some slinky silken sleeping pants the entire time. His hand hit his face as he realized that was why she was trying not to look at him the entire time. Poor girl.
Julius
Somehow, he was back at Haven, but there was no one else there, save Solas who just happened to be walking through and saw him, raising an eyebrow as he saw him.
"Solas! Where is everyone?" Julius asked, which drew a curious look from Solas.
"You don't know?" Solas replied, still examining the entire situation.
"No, I don't." Julius remarked, talking down to the elf.
"Just where do you think we are?" Solas inquired, trying to get as much information as possible.
"Haven?" Julius replied incredulously. Solas was usually so quick witted, this idiotic line of questioning was beneath him.
"I'm actually amazed we are having this conversation at all. I'm surprised that the mark has granted you this ability, you aren't even a mage." Solas mused, mostly to himself, but Julius did eventually catch on.
"Wait... are you saying this is the Fade?" Julius began looking all around, he had expected to see demons or something.
"Yes, I was trying to reach out and dream with the spirits here in the fortress, but I was drawn here instead. How fascinating. Has this happened before?" Solas responded.
"Well, I did have a strange dream before, it was after Haven fell. And I saw wisps, they led me here, to find Skyhold, but those were different, I could only watch, I couldn't speak or anything like now." Julius replied, he had actually been meaning to talk with Solas about it.
"Intriguing. We should discuss your dreams again soon. Your connection with the Fade seems very strong, perhaps the spirits will have more to show you in the future." Solas seemed pleased with the new information he was discovering.
"Again soon? Why not now?" Julius questioned, a slightly annoyed look on his face.
"Because now, you should.." Solas began and then finished which resulted in the intended effect, "WAKE UP."
Julius shot awake, wincing from the light pouring in through the windows in his room made worse by his pounding head. He couldn't even remember going to bed last night, he guessed he had Iron Bull or one of the Chargers to thank for that, though, maybe it was Blackwall. A knock on his door informed him he was needed, and the messenger on the other side of the door confirmed it instructing him that the advisers had sent for him. He got dressed in his blue silken shirt and grey leather pants as quickly as anyone still hung over from the previous night could, and down the stairway he descended. He was met by Abigail, who was also dressed nicely.
"Any guesses on what is going on?" He asked confidently.
"I have no idea. I know Josephine asked me to choose between a few outfits, and I chose this one, she just told me to get dressed and head down to meet them at the entrance." Abigail shrugged, then yawned, it was obvious she was still tired.
"Must be meeting nobles then." He surmised incorrectly.
Getting to the entrance, they saw Josephine and Leliana, who both approved their looks. Leliana and Josephine both gushed over Abigail's white gloves and matching boots, and her silken shirt of crimson that was well matched with her brown vest. Julius rolled his eyes in boredom until finally the women stopped their doting. Josephine walked ahead of them out front while Leliana instructed them to use their best posture and to follow her out the entrance to the stair steps. There they met Cassandra as well, who had a single sword held in her hand.
"More flock to Skyhold everyday, it has become a pilgrimage. Our enemies, the Elder One, he has no doubt heard of us now, but here, we have the numbers and the strength to defend against his armies. We now know why he was drawn to the both of you, and the power in the marks. But you are both more than the mark on your hand. Julius, you redeemed the Templars and saved them from the destruction of their own making. And you, Abigail, you saved the mages from selling themselves to demons in the name of freedom. You each ended the Mage-Templar war and restored peace to Thedas. The Inquisition needs leaders, the ones who have already been leading it." Cassandra stated, catching both Julius and Abigail off guard as she held the sword out to them. The people and soldiers gathered at the bottom of the stairway all listened with baited breath to see what would happen. Julius stuck his foot in his mouth first.
"I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to be The Herald!" He burst, drawing worried looks from the onlookers.
"The Maker does not ask, he calls those he needs to action. I have seen it before, in Ferelden, in Kirkwall, and now here. The Maker did not abandon you at Haven, he will not abandon you now." Leliana spoke powerfully, and the crowd again was instilled with wonder.
"We would be honored to accept." Abigail placed her hand on the sword first, saying, "We will defend the faithful, and we will defeat Corypheus." Julius took hold of the handle with her, resolved to stay if she was, and both raised it above their heads reciting together, "Though all before me is shadow, Yet shall the Maker be my guide."
"Have our people been told!?" Cassandra shouted.
"They have! And soon the world!" Josephine shouted in reply.
"Commander, will they follow!?" Cassandra again shouted.
"Inquisition, will you follow? Will you fight? Will we triumph!?" Cullen rallied, each question being responded to with cheers of affirmation.
"Inquisition, your leaders, your Heralds, your Inquisitors!" Cullen announced, turning to face them and pointing with his drawn sword. The crowd erupted into uncontrollable cheers, even Josephine joined in with the cheering, much to her own embarrassment. Now they were the Inquisitors leading the Inquisition with a formal title and rank, and now was the time for action.
A/N: Woot! Inquisitors! And we are going to start to see the budding romances of our Inquisitors, as well, as start to explore their pasts. Oh, and yeah, I liked the concept of 2 separate people being "Hawke" the inspiration actually came from the Princess Bride, but having 2 identical twin brothers just made more sense to the story than "The Dread Pirate Robert" idea (random people just taking over a name). I started laying the ground work for other reveals to come already, small little hints, placed here and there. So, next chapter we will see some interesting character development for our Inquisitors, stay tuned! (Oh, and I'll say this now, there are some ideas which are cannon that I, er, disagree with, obviously, so I will try to convey in the story what I change, though it shouldn't be too much, though obviously having 2 Inquisitors and 2 Hawkes is a substantial change, so, there is that. Yeah, I will likely add a bit of head-cannon explanation when I see fit in a future Author's note, like everyone's ages and ect. That's important.)