They had only expected for her to be gone for a few days, but Cassandra's first report informed them that their trip to the Hinterlands was to be extended.

The Inquisition's forces had secured the Crossroads, and the Herald had been able to meet with Mother Gisele. The Revered Mother had encouraged her to travel to Val Royeaux, to face the Grand Clerics in person, but first implored her to assist the refugees of the war as best she could. Cassandra noted the wisdom of Mother Gisele's counsel, as well as the Herald's willingness to heed it. The Hinterlands were in complete disarray, and the Herald and Cassandra agreed that assisting the refugees was not only the right thing to do, but was also beneficial for the Inquisition. Cassandra made particular note of the Herald's increasing dedication to restoring order in the area, as well as the surprising and gradual emergence of a quiet, resolute leadership she had not expected from the younger woman.

A few more days passed before the Herald sent her own report to the Commander.

She had helped find food and blankets for the refugees, and had contacted the Master of Horses from Redcliffe, though he refused to help outfit the Inquisition with horses until the area was more secure. She asked Cullen to send some forces to the area to help build watchtowers; she had marked the places with cairns and also enclosed a small sketched map with their locations marked for him. She informed him of the presence of many rifts in the area, but also that she had been closing every one that she came across as they moved through the area. As Cassandra had, she noted that there was fierce fighting between the mages and Templars, and that many innocents were getting caught up in-between the two sides. He noticed a shaky quality to the handwriting of these lines, and he wondered at the Herald's ability to write it so factually though the lines shook as though she was distressed by what was happening. She ended the report with a postscript thanking him again for the dagger. She had yet to have to use it to defend herself, but it was making the task of collecting much needed healing herbs easier. He smiled and reread her report once more, and he paused to appreciate the way she signed it simply 'Evelyn' rather than Herald or Lady Trevelyan, before he took his plans for the watchtowers to Leliana and Josephine.

He spent the next week training more recruits, including new ones that had come to join the Inquisition from the Hinterlands. The presence of the Inquisition as a stabilizing force in the area had encouraged many able-bodied people to make the journey to Haven to lend their support. He overheard some of these newcomers speaking of the mage with the glowing fist who had saved their children, their families, had thrown a shimmering barrier up to protect them just in time from the swing of a sword, giving them a chance to escape certain death. The reverence and gratitude he heard spreading throughout the village filled him with pride. Sending the Herald had been the right move. Her decision to stay had been an even better one.

He received a private report from Cassandra a week later, who again asserted that while a strength and leadership was emerging in the Herald, she also seemed to be struggling with the violence they had encountered from the first moment they had arrived in the area. The Seeker remarked that the Herald appeared to have difficulty when their opponents were people rather than demons or beasts. She told him that the Herald often hesitated to do more than protect her allies with barriers or healing magic, until she was finally forced to use her lightning in self-defense when attacked directly.

While Cassandra admitted it was understandable that the younger woman was inexperienced with combat, she worried that her caution would make things more difficult in the end. She confessed she had caught the Herald up in the middle of the night, crying silently in front of the fire after a particularly bad battle. They had been surrounded, almost overwhelmed, and in desperation the Herald had created a powerful maelstrom, surrounding and containing the rebel mages as if in an electrical cage, lightning striking them continuously as they all screamed in agony as they died. She had saved her party's life, all of them walking away from the battle with injuries that were easily healed with poultices and rest. But Evelyn had walked from the field to their camp, wide-eyed and staring straight ahead as if she could still hear the screams. They had only a few more urgent tasks to accomplish, but Cassandra admitted she was trying to encourage the Herald to return to Haven sooner rather than later. The Seeker was worried about her.

Cullen finished reading the report and leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Getting used to battle wasn't easy, and honestly it never truly became a painless experience. He knew, too, that the fact that their opponents were mages and Templars couldn't have made things easier on the Herald at all. No doubt she found herself wondering if she knew them, or recognized herself in them. She could even have been among them, if things had gone differently. Cassandra was right to be worried, and Cullen found himself grateful that she had confided her concerns to him. He stood and stretched, mulling over Cassandra's report and wondering if there was any way he may be able to help.