Varric looked down into his beer, contemplating what his friend had just confessed to him in the quietest corner of the tavern. He rolled the stein of beer between his hands, watching the surface of it swirl and distort the reflection of the tavern's rafters. Between the confession of her tribe and the fight with the advisors, Varric had a lot to think about.

"Damn, Beautiful, that's quite a story." He said after awhile, looking up to find her face that was searching for his reaction.

"You're not mad?" Saliah asked. Saliah was worried that she would upset all of her friends as badly as she had upset Cassandra. She needed them, and she needed them not to resent her for her secrecy.

"Mad? Shit, no." Varric chuckled. "Saliah, if I were to get mad every time someone felt they could finally confess something to me, I would spend my life pissed off." He leaned over and covered her hand with his, "thanks for trusting me with this." He squeezed her hand and she smiled. "I assume this is not for public consumption?"

"No, not at all." Saliah breathed, dropping her voice "I can't afford to have my tribe, especially our magic users, tangled up in this… whatever this is."

"Fair enough. My lips are sealed." He took his hand away to grab his stein and take another swig of beer. "You sure about the mages, though? I mean, I agree with you, but…"

"Yes. I trust Solas, and I'm sure he's right." Saliah nodded her head; her tone was weary of the topic. Varric dropped it. For a beat, they both drank deeply from their steins.

"Oh, have you seen the big Qunari over by the blacksmith?" Saliah asked, changing the subject. "I meant to go over and see what his story is."

"Yeah, I went over and said hello after you and the Seeker went to your meeting." Varric replied. "His name is The Iron Bull. Apparently, he's the head of some mercenary group called 'Bull's Chargers.'"

"Cute." Saliah smiled.

"Yeah, although I don't know that I would make that comment to him." Varric rubbed his hand against his stubbly cheek. "They're quite a group: some elves, humans, even a surface dwarf is in their ranks. I guess my kind is all the rage to have in a Company." He face broke into an overly dashing smile as he puffed his chest out, with his hands on his hips.

Saliah laughed at his antics. "I'll keep that in mind."

"He said he wanted to talk to the Herald directly to offer his services. He was pretty pissed that no one would really give him the time of day until I talked to him. I guess no one has told you until now?" Varric asked.

"No, but I'll take this as my cue." Saliah took one last slurp of her beer, finishing the serving. "Thanks for the chat, Varric."

"Anytime, Beautiful."

Saliah left the tavern and made her way to the blacksmith's. As she walked through town, she marveled at how the late afternoon sun made the snow turn a bright shade of orange. It is lovely here, isn't it, she thought to herself as she walked.

As she approached the camp by the blacksmith's, she surveyed the group, looking for the Qunari. It wasn't hard to find him. Sitting with his back against the outer wall of Haven, he was intently listening to something a younger human man was saying to him. He was, in a word, huge. He may have been the biggest person Saliah had ever encountered, and she realized she still hadn't seen him stand. With a silver plated eyepatch over his left eye, The Iron Bull had a demanding presence. It was primal, but something about how he held his chin with his hand showed her that he was not a beast. This was someone trained and educated. Maybe not the way she was educated, but learned nonetheless. Saliah gathered her hair over her shoulder, blew the air out of her lungs, and closed in the band of people.

"I'm looking for the Iron Bull. I was told he was looking for me." Saliah said casually as she approached.

"So, you're the Herald I take it." The huge man said as he stood; his Company members stood to greet her as well. Saliah was now certain she had never met anyone as enormous as this Qunari. Come to think of it, she was quite sure she had never actually met a Qunari in her life.

"That's what they call me. I presume you're the Iron Bull." Saliah smiled as she responded. As she sized him up, it took everything in her not gawk. He was easily seven feet tall, with shoulders that seemed about as wide. Crowning his head was a huge set of horns that looked to be as thick as her head. His body was seemingly carved from granite; there wasn't a poorly toned muscle on him. It was particularly apparent since the man wore no shirt and only a strange pauldron-like piece of armor that covered a portion of his sculpted pectoral muscles. A wide belt cinched his waste and held up colorful flowing pants. His face was riddled with hairline scars and a surprisingly thin beard. Equally surprising was his blue-grey eye—not only in color, but in how…approachable it made him. While commanding and intimidating, the Iron Bull seemed equally laid-back and friendly. I suppose you can be when you're his size, Saliah thought to herself.

"Yeah, that's me. The horns usually give it away." He motioned up to his head. "Have a seat, Herald. Drinks are coming." The Bull smiled and motioned for her to sit next to him. His smile was disarmingly pleasant, as though he had no idea how intimidating he seemed (or did and just didn't care).

"Drinks? We could go to the tavern if you'd like." Saliah pointed in the direction from where she had just come.

The Bull bellowed a good-natured laugh. "Herald, what we're drinking you won't find in that tea room of yours." He motioned for her to sit again.

Saliah cocked her eyebrow. So it's that kind of Company, she thought as she smiled. "Fair enough." She said as she walked over and sat between the Qunari giant and the fresh-faced young man he to whom he was previously speaking. Saliah saw the surface dwarf Varric had mentioned and a human approach, rolling a keg of what she imagined was the liquor they'd be drinking.

"Ah, good! Hurry up—I'm thirsty." The Bull called out to his men. Turning to Saliah, he motioned to the man sitting next to her. "This is Cremissius Aclassi, my lieutenant and second-in-command. He's a 'vint, but he's alright."

"Better a 'vint than a half-cow bastard." The lieutenant shot back with a whisper of a wry smile on his lips. Turning to Saliah, he offered his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Herald." His tone was off, but Saliah couldn't really put her finger on why.

"Saliah Trevelyan. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cremissius." Saliah said shaking his hand.

"You can call me Krem, my lady Herald. My name's a hell of a mouthful, to be honest." He offered with a reserved smile.

Now that she was looking him square in the face, Saliah realized that this was no man: his features were too soft and the line in his neck was feminine. Despite his expensive-looking heavy armor and masculine posture, this was a woman, living as a man. Saliah had heard of folk like this over the years, people who lived as the opposite gender, saying that they had been born in the wrong body. She had never really been able to grasp the concept, but realized that it was probably because she knew she was unequivocally a woman. In her time with the tribe, she came to know tribe mates who preferred the company of the same sex, and it seemed as natural to her as her attraction to men. She had also encountered this in her father's world in Ostwick, but it was much more salacious to live that way there. A controversy she always thought was stupid and myopic. But, she had never encountered anyone who lived as the opposite gender in person. And now that she meeting one for the first time, she realized that she didn't care how Cremissius lived his life, only that he lived it in truth. At that moment, she also realized that she didn't know if she should say that she had figured it out. She decided against it.

"Krem it is, then." Saliah smiled as she responded, shaking his hand. Looking at both Krem and the Bull, Saliah started her business. "I understand you and your Company have come looking to work with the Inquisition."

"We've heard about the work you've been doing in the region. Thought we could lend a hand. The Chargers are an excellent Company; you won't find a better-trained group. We're worth the price." The Bull's tone was full of pride for his subordinates. Saliah saw that he loved these men and women. "And, I'm sure the Inquisition can afford us." He chuckled.

Saliah decided that she really liked this man's cockiness, but she still had to understand what was at stake. "Are you really that good? That's big talk for no show." She asked, her tone only slightly mocking.

"The Chargers are an excellent Company." The Bull repeated, his tone taking a protective growl.

Just then, the two who brought the liquor passed out small steins of it to the group. Saliah sniffed her mug once she received it. It smelled like paint thinner. The Iron Bull silently motioned his glass to her and drank all of it at once. He quickly accepted another stein from the dwarf. She realized he was issuing her a challenge. Apparently, negotiations included whether or not she could keep her liquor. She took a deep swig of the strong spirit and held back the gagging burn.

"And how much would this cost me, exactly?" She replied, half gasping and half coughing.

Her reaction to the drink sent the Bull into a loud guffaw. He slapped her playfully on the back, causing her to choke a little. Andraste's ass, he's strong! Saliah thought, realizing that this man might be able to take her down quite easily if she wasn't careful. The sheer force of his clap on her back was still humming on her shoulder blade.

He was still laughing when he replied "it wouldn't cost you anything, Herald, unless you're buying drinks later." He motioned his glass to her. "Your Ambassador… what's her name, Josephine? We'd go through her and get the payments set up. The gold would take care of itself. Don't you worry about that. All you need to worry about is that we're worth it." He chuckled, looked at his stein and took another deep swig of the caustic liquor.

"And what do I get for your pay?" Saliah asked in a hardened tone, holding the Bull's gaze as she took a deceptively small swig.

"You're not just getting the boys." The Bull replied, leaning in to Saliah. "You're getting me. You need a front line bodyguard, I'm your man. Whatever it is, demons, dragons… the bigger the better." He leaned back against Haven's outer wall, utterly cocksure of his and his team's ability.

Saliah looked at her drink. The warmth of the liquor was radiating throughout her body. She felt it go to her head just a bit, but forced herself to keep her wits about her. Looking at the well-armored and well-outfitted troupe, she was pretty sure that the Iron Bull was telling her the truth. But, and maybe it was this booze talking, she felt like she needed to test to see if the purchase was worth it. She took another small swig of the drink and considered the offer. She saw that the whole troupe was looking at her. Looking to her side, she saw the Bull boring his one eye into her, awaiting her response.

"Well," she said, leaning over herself and rolling the stein between her hands "I have to tell you, Iron Bull. If I am going to apply the Inquisition's coffers to the Charger's employment, I think I am going to need a demonstration of your team's worth."

"That's fair." The Bull shrugged and nodded his head in agreement. "How do you want to do this? Me and three of my guys against your best-trained troops?"

Saliah looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "No."

"Then what?"

"You against me." Saliah said as a matter of fact.

The Bull's response was surprisingly stoic; Saliah admitted to herself that she expected him to laugh in her face. "You want to fight me, one-on-one?" He asked, not changing his lean against the outer wall.

"That's what I said and those are the terms."

"I admit I've heard rumor that the Herald is a fighter. Although, I don't know much beyond that; most of the word about you is that you're holy." The Bull sat up, leaning into Saliah.

"Well, I suppose you're going to find out." Saliah leaned back into him. She felt her fight start to rise within her core. Her fingers tingled at the idea of taking on such a mountain of a man.

"Alright then, Herald. Where and when?" The Bull asked. Saliah was quite taken with the fact that there was no mockery in his tone. Quite the opposite, it continued to be pleasant and even. He had been issued a challenge, and he took it at face value—part of this contract's negotiation. He didn't care that she was a woman, or that he outsized her at least two-fold. She appreciated it greatly and it increased her desire to take this person head-on.

"Give me a few minutes to get my weapon and I will meet you in the training area." Saliah replied calmly stating the terms of their engagement.

"I beat you and we're hired, right?" The Bull clarified the terms.

"You and I go for a few rounds with no armor and I see if you're as good as you say. No winners or loosers." Saliah replied.

"Call it 15 minutes?" He asked.

"Very well, then." Saliah replied.

With that, she stood and nodded her head to the rest of the Chargers in departure, making a point not to look back and to ignore them. She quickly made her way back to her cabin. On her way there, she grabbed two big handfuls of snow. Once inside, she ran and put the snow into her washbasin and poured water into it. She quickly took off her tunic and breast strap and splashed the ice-cold water on her, careful to avoid her breeches. The water jarred appropriately, shocking any sense of drunkenness out of her. Eyeing her maul in the corner, Saliah walked over and grabbed it as she quickly dressed herself. Taking it by its holder, she strapped it to her back.

This will be good. He's twice my size. She thought to herself as she walked back out into the snowy town. Her fight was bubbling up to the surface, quickening her pace as she made her way to the training area. As she walked, she began to pull her hair into a topknot.

"The Herald is going to fight that Qunari!" Cullen heard someone say from across the way. He looked up from a report he was reading and saw many of the recruits hurrying over to one of the training rings. The runner who had brought him the missive seemed eager to be dismissed.

"My money's on the Herald!" He saw Saliah's standard-bearer say as he ran by. The boy had led them on most of their expeditions since she had joined the Inquisition. "I've seen her take down demons that were twice his size. And on fire!"

"You there, Selven!" Cullen called out to his personal runner. The boy was running by, but stopped and came to him. "What is this that the Herald is going to fight a Qunari?"

"Yes, my lord. They say the Lady Herald has said that if the Iron Bull can best her in sparring that she will hire his mercenary group." Selven said breathlessly.

"Maker's Breath." Cullen said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "And where is this occurring?"

"In the lower training ring, my Lord." Selven was nearly dancing in place in his hurry to be dismissed.

"Alright, then. Away with you." Cullen waved him away. Selven looked to him gratefully and scampered away.

She's mad. He thought to himself as he walked down to the field his assistant described. She's mad and reckless… Taking on a Qunari his size? Just how does she… as he was mentally chiding her, Cullen realized that he had never actually seen Saliah fight. Sure, he had seen her, Blackwall, and Cassandra train; but he had never actually seen her in an all-out fight. Given her reputed prowess, Cullen tsk'd his tongue at himself for doubting her and continued on his way to the ring. I must learn to trust her if I am going to work with her, he reminded himself. His protectiveness for her pulled at him, but he pushed it down and made his way through the growing crowd at the ring.

Once he had pushed his way to the front row, he found himself with Varric, Cassandra, Blackwall, and Sera. He nodded in salutation to all of them and saw that they all had bemused looks on their faces.

"This guy is going to get his ass handed to him, Curly. You're in for a show." Varric clapped his hand on Cullen's lower shoulder blade. "Get him good, Sal!" He called to his friend.

"Indeed, I don't think this Qunari thug knows what he's in for." Cassandra said dryly, pointedly studying her friend's opponent.

"Yeh! Get on it, your holy white-haired'ness!" Sera whooped to the center of the ring.

Blackwall simply chuckled at all of their commentary, his arms crossed as he looked on.

Looking to the center of the ring Cullen saw Saliah, with her maul strapped to her back and lacking any armor. He noticed her hair was in the same topknot he saw when he first met her. It made her facial tattoo and scar much more noticeable. He realized that it made her altogether intimidating to behold. Her face was not the usual soft and lovely one by which he had become so enrapt. The woman before him was pure warrior, her eyes steely and her jaw clenching. Her stature was balanced, ready to spring into action at any moment, despite her crossed arms and cocked shoulders. She was studying her opponent. He was beginning to understand what she meant by how the battle changed her. He had never been so taken with her, and he chided himself more for having doubted her in the first place.

Across from her he saw the huge, bare-chested Qunari with a similarly sized maul. Saliah's ability to handle her own maul became crystalline to Cullen just then, seeing the mountain of a Qunari handle a weapon of similar size. The Iron Bull was the opposite of her stillness. He bounced his weight between his legs, slapping the maul into his left hand effortlessly. His eye was fixed on Saliah and nothing else. Behind him Cullen saw what he imagined was the Bull's own Company, similarly whooping and hollering their support for their leader. Cullen let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"You just going to stand there, Herald?" The Bull called out, goading his opponent.

"You just going to stand there and talk, Bull?" Saliah replied, a growl on her voice that Cullen had never heard.

Goaded, the Qunari charged Saliah with his head down, roaring the whole way across the ring. Saliah, seeing the approach, simply slid to the side and gave the Bull the full length of the ring. The choruses of laughter were deafening as the Bull missed her completely. He rounded back and grunted. Her reply was to dance back and curtsey mockingly at him, her head fully bowed.

Cullen sucked his breath when the Bull took the opportunity to connect his knee to her jaw as her head was in full bow. The hit sent his Lady flying across the ring, sprawling her back against the ground. The crowd fell silent, save for the Bull's supporters. Cullen saw her followers ready to jump in, as did she. Saliah waved them off as she got up.

"Yeah, I deserved that." She said as she stood up, spitting blood and wiggling her jaw. Looking at the Bull again, she hoisted her maul forth from its holder and held it.

"You're awfully little to be carrying that." The Bull called out mockingly.

"Come over here and find out just how little I am." Saliah shouted back.

The pair circled one another, weapons drawn. Saliah was first to move this time. She was much faster than the Qunari. She twirled and ran to him and caught him by surprise, thrusting the head of her maul into his abdomen. The move knocked the Bull's wind from him and pushed him back, and for a moment he was caught. Saliah spat blood on the ground in front of him and readied another blow. The Qunari dropped and rolled out of the way, and then stood, almost in the same motion, 5 feet away.

After that, both fighters became a flurry of movement and momentum. Cullen watched them parry with one another, their weapons' shafts criss-crossing against each other, the knocks becoming increasingly hard to hear as the crowd roared. Alternately they would heave their maul at the other's body, sometimes connecting with a shoulder, sometimes only hitting air. One hit from the Qunari seemed to connect with Saliah, but she moved with the hit and used its momentum to gracefully dance and swirl out of the man's way. Her fast, half dance/half fight style frustrated her opponent. His direct and stronger way clearly concerned her, shown by the way she would avoid his hits. Cullen saw that this fight was very evenly matched, despite the size and style difference. Both opponents were incredibly well-trained.

This really is a show, Cullen thought, smiling and leaning against the fence. His smile dropped when a hit from the Bull connected with Saliah's back, sending her sprawling face down about 15 feet away. She didn't move. The Bull, certain in his triumph, held his maul over his head and yelled to the raucous crowd.

Cullen watched Saliah rouse, and in one motion was running at her opponent's back. Before the Bull knew what hit him, she plunged the head of her maul into the ground and used its shaft to pole-vault herself onto his shoulders. With her groin in the back of his neck, she wrapped her legs around his shoulders and hooked her ankles behind his armpits, her abdomen still perpendicular to the ground. The next thing Cullen knew, Saliah hoisted her maul over herself and the Bull. With her maul now plunged in front of them both, Saliah used the leverage and her own weight to hoist the Bull over her and the maul, flinging the huge man over herself impossibly in the strangest somersault Cullen had ever seen. Letting go of her maul, Saliah screamed barbarically as she snapped the Bull over her head and slammed him and her self into the ground. The speed and momentum of the movement moved both bodies through the air in the blink of an eye.

The Iron Bull landed, blasting all of the air from his lungs with Saliah's thighs pressing against his neck. He tried to get up, but Saliah pulled up and tightened her grip around his shoulders and upper back, causing him to growl in pain. Her lower body strength was pulling his shoulders back so much that the angle made Cullen cringe. Curled up around his head, between his horns, Cullen saw her face, twisted into a furious scowl, sit inches from the Bull's. They bellowed at one another incoherently. Cullen found himself oddly jealous of the Bull's current position. Both fighters were berserkers, caught in a moment of pure wild instinct. There was a sort of intimacy there, and he hated it.

"We're done." Saliah rumbled, at once disentangling herself from her opponent.

The two sat in the middle of the ring, unaware of the roar of cheers that surrounded them. After collecting herself, Cullen watched as Saliah stood up and pulled her hair out from the topknot. She walked over to her maul and picked it up, popping it back onto her back. At the same time, he watched the Bull get up and get out of fight mode in a similar fashion. Meeting again in the middle of the ring, the two clasped arms and smiled at each other. It was clear there were no hard feelings between the brawlers.

"What a fight! She's something, eh Curly?" Varric exclaimed.

"Truly. Is that how she always fights?" Cullen asked, still looking at her.

"She doesn't always do acrobatics, but yes. This is a good example of her on the field." Cassandra jumped in. She smiled when she saw how Cullen looked at her friend. "She turns it on and off in a way I've never seen."

"It's remarkable." Cullen breathed to no one in particular as the smallest smile wrinkled the scar on his lip. Realizing he had an audience, Cullen suddenly stiffened and cleared his throat. "It's uh…" he cleared his throat again, "we're lucky to have such a fighter on the front line." He finished without making eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

Seeing that the crowd wasn't dispersing, Cullen took the opportunity to break the conversation with his friends. "Alright! Everyone get back to your duties! There's nothing left to see." He bellowed out to the crowd. His troops, seeing their Commander, immediately hurried away from the training ring. He turned to leave and looked over his shoulder at Saliah. She was laughing and comparing notes with her new found mercenary. He caught her eye, and she excitedly waved him over. Without thinking on it, he went into the ring.

"Bull, I present you to the Commander of the Inquisition's Army, Ser Cullen Rutherford." Saliah motioned from the Bull to Cullen. She moved closer to Cullen when she motioned to him, not noticing what she was doing.

"Well met, Commander." The Bull offered his maw of a hand.

"Well met, indeed." Cullen replied, shaking the mountain's hand. "You are quite a fighter, Iron Bull."

"Not quite enough! Did you see that move?!" The Bull laughed as he motioned the somersault with his hands. Then he clapped Saliah on the shoulder. "That's a hell of an abdomen!"

Saliah shrugged, waved her hand and laughed humbly. "So, I'll talk to Josephine and have her assistants set up payment for the Chargers." Saliah turned to Cullen, "Commander, I am going to employ the Chargers. I think they will serve as an excellent addition to the cause." Saliah's eyes were bright with excitement.

"I think that could work well. We can discuss their specific assignments at the next meeting." Cullen replied.

"Glad to work with you both." The Bull said pleasantly. "There's one more thing that I should mention. Might be useful, might piss you off."

"Oh? What's that?" Saliah replied.

"Ever hear of the Ben Hassrath?" Bull asked them both.

As Saliah shook her head, Cullen replied "They are the equivalent of the Qunari's guard and city watch, yes?"

"I'd say they're closer to spies, but yeah that's them. Or, well, that's us I should say." The Bull said nonchalantly. Cullen's face hardened as the Bull continued. "The Ben Hassrath are concerned about the breach. Magic out of control like that could cause trouble everywhere. I've been ordered to join the Inquisition, get close to the people in charge, and send reports on what's happening. I also get reports on what's happening from other Ben Hassrath agents all over Orlais. You sign me on and I'll share them with your people."

"Wait, you're a spy?" Saliah said incredulously.

"Yeah."

"And you just told us?" Saliah continued.

"Look, whatever happened at that Conclave was bad. That breach needs to get closed. So, whatever I am, I'm on your side." The Bull's eye was fixed on Cullen as he finished his statement.

Cullen's eyes narrowed. "You could have still hidden what you are… why are you telling us?"

"Hide this from a group called the Inquistion?" The Bull chuckled. "I'd have been tipped sooner or later. Better you hear it right up front from me."

"What would you send in these reports of yours?" Cullen asked.

"Enough to keep my superiors happy; nothing that would compromise your operations. The Qunari want to know if they need to launch an invasion to keep the whole damn world from falling apart. You let me send some word of what you're doing and it'll set their minds at ease. It'll be good for everyone." The Bull said.

Cullen looked to Saliah, his face stone. Wordlessly, he motioned to her for her thoughts. She looked back at him for a moment.

Saliah looked from the Commander to the Iron Bull and stepped close to him. "You run those reports past Leliana before sending them. Do not send anything that she doesn't approve."

"I can agree to that." The Bull replied amicably.

Cullen saw Saliah's face become intense and solemn. Keeping the Bull in her gaze she dropped her voice and continued. "If this turns out to be a trick, Bull, I will end you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He replied to her with the same intensity.

"Good! Then we agree." She said. "I'll go and let Josephine and Leliana know." Saliah nodded her head to both of them and left. Cullen knew the suddenness of her departure was due to the Bull's admission. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts.

Glancing down to the Commander the Bull smiled. "She's a hell of a woman."

"Indeed." Cullen replied quietly, watching her leave.

Crossing his arms, the Bull smiled wider. "I don't blame you."

"I beg your pardon?" Cullen looked up at him.

"Oh come on, Commander. I mean, sure, I'm a trained spy." The Bull laughed out loud. "But you don't have to be to see how much you care for her. And I've been around the two of you for 15 minutes."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, Iron Bull." Cullen was very annoyed at this creature's sudden familiarity with him.

"Yeah, sure." The Bull pulled his arms over his head and stretched. "First, it's The Iron Bull. Or, just Bull." He finished his stretch and started to walk away, "and second: for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure she feels the same. You don't need two eyes to see that." The Bull stopped his walk, picked up his maul and casually heaved it to his shoulder. Without looking back, he walked back across the training area to his Company's encampment.

Cullen tried to wipe the grin off of his face as he turned to go back to his duties. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep a straight face for the better part of the next hour.