Bard of Orlais
Author's notes: Hello guys, VI here. I have an update, I would continue with the Storm Coast thing with a bit more elaboration on the story for Leora before I go over to the past. I thank the reviewers and nlal who commented that the story had begun to be a bit too fast paced which I agree for recent chapters. As such I am doing my best to slow it down while giving a bit more story to help you ease up.
It's like lubricant…oops wait, scratch that example. Don't worry about it.
Disclaimer: Bioware owns my 200 hours but not my soul, you can't take it too easily.
Storm Coast
"Search the area they said, it is going to be easy they said…" Leora muttered darkly as she prodded a stick she had grabbed from the ground a few minutes earlier stabbing the pebbles and dirt that began to form a sinkhole due to the pressure, the rain stopping briefly to allow them to find shelter before it poured again the party of four taking refuge under a former campsite which had been abandoned to the elements, the rock arch that hung over their heads providing protection as the rain continued to pour with the occasional spray of water from a gust of rogue wind during which the dwarf had to hide behind one of the rock faces to prevent herself from getting wet, the woman turning to glance at how her companions were holding up.
Blackwall was held up in a small corner himself, the Warden giving the odd glance at the rain and to her and back to the ground like he was expecting something to happen, normally Leora would use the time to make a joke about his twitchy habits but the rain was dampening her spirits as well as the chances of finding these Grey Warden signs of presence in the area, the dwarf settled instead for kicking at the pebbles while cursing as another spray made its way to them. Solas seemed better, if you counted him putting up a barrier with several elemental traps a good way to spend your time in a cave…to be honest the woman found it rather excessive for him to indulge in the meticulous preparation of a campsite, it was weird. And deadly, Leora wasn't planning to die from rolling over one of these things in her sleep.
As for the Iron bull, well…
"You guys can just feel the refreshing spray on your face if you stand right here in the center. Come on, you should totally try it it makes you feel awake."
He was clearly enjoying himself standing tall in the face of the foul weather allowing spray after spray of water to hit his well-toned chest exposed save for the balloon pants he wore. All three members of the party simply groaned, save for Solas who was curled in the back nesting near the ward with his eyes closed and staff held close to his chest. The Qunari laughed at the three, his eyes flickering with amusement at their reaction to the foul weather as he looked over his shoulder at Blackwall who was still in deep thought.
"Hey, Beardy you should try out the rain, it's just water…or don't tell me Grey Wardens can't stand a small bit of rain on their griffon emblems?" Blackwall grunted at that, the man giving a short gruff laugh at his words the man stabbing his greatsword into the ground while he removed one of his gauntlets. "I just don't like standing in the rain is all, human nature and all that need for shelter you know."
"Is that so, the dwarves I can understand why they wouldn't be able to handle rain….probably think that the sky is attempting to drown them since they can't fly up! Uh, no offence boss," Bull noticed Leora at the last minute as the dwarf waved a hand at the tall fortress of a man giving a grin of her own. "Meh, no problems here, I had met dwarves from Orzammar who thought the sky would take them up and I just told them to chain their ankles to one big rock if they felt scared."
"Did they do it?" Iron Bull asked with a glint of excitement in his eye as Leora took the chance to nod her head, making her best 'Bull' impression while a cheeky grin spread across her face. "Oh shit, yeah."
"Hahaha, you took that from me and Sera back at the mire...that's a good one." Bull, surprisingly to Leora in the short time she knew him was a man who had sharp eyes…eye as well as his head despite people being terrified of a hulking mass of muscle who called himself by a moniker of destruction. The first time she met the Bull ironically was on this very same coast due to a message by his lieutenant leading her party to seek him out in the Coast, leading to some drinks which she readily enjoyed and then a business discussion before officially hiring him…although his affiliations were somewhat discomforting to several others. The man was Ben-Hassarath, a division in Qunari society that was responsible for integral parts of the Qunari society such as being a group of spies, infiltrators and even re-education, the word sent shivers down Leora's spine when she heard first hand from Bull what it meant for those who were new or submitted themselves to its effects. Much as she was disgusted by the Qun's way of spreading their non-religious belief of knowing one's role it did not comfort her knowing what would happen if such a life philosophy had the chance to take over Thedas...it made her life of forced crime look like a child crying over a broken toy, a poor euphemism for that situation. But so far as she was concerned, Iron Bull was not turning men and women in her division to the Qun yet, so she felt a little safer knowing he wasn't going to show up with a bunch of re-educators and use the Inquisition to further the teachings. She trusted him, and in return he did the same like a mutual agreement not to interfere in each other's lives so long as the job went smoothly for them they were good.
"Sera seemed rather interested in your female half of the Qunari...I wonder what she is really thinking about, but then again I don't want to know." Blackwall commented as he recalled her doggy call when Bull told her that the Qunari women were big and strong in their own way with intimidating features, 'fwoah' being the correct term for it.
"Fwoah kinda explains with the giggling bit what she is really desiring to see, Blackwall." Leora reminded causing the Warden to shake his head refusing to even meditate on that particular train of thought as he leaned deeper into the space in the rock arch as another shower sprayed onto Bull's chest the Qunari retreating back into the shelter over to his employer's snuggled nest.
"So, I've been thinking about this since I joined up…" Bull continued after a few moments of silence as Leora looked at the bulky man with her full attention as the warrior folded his arms still standing in the open space, "there've been many stories about you, I hear, about the Breach and its connection to you from the taverns and whispers around the camp whenever you walk by. Hell some of them even pray to you as you enter Haven like you are some deity to them or some sort…first time I saw it scared the shit out of me, figured you were leading a cult instead of some Chantry deserters after the explosion." Leora's face fell slightly, the expression catching Blackwall's eye who got up from his sitting position and made his way to the two leaving Solas to his sleep, the Warden not planning to interrupt the sleep the elf was having while Bull finished gesturing with a twirl of his index. "So care to share with us the details?"
"Seriously, you guys want to hear about that particular one? You know I could tell you so much more other interesting jobs than the one that got me commissioned in here." Leora asked as she rubbed her forehead in stress, the two men glancing at each other as Blackwall spoke next Bull being the patient man didn't bother to interrupt or stop him. "I too have heard only rumors but it was in Haven, and the beliefs of the Inquisition's people are…very fervent in believing you were called some kind of Herald. I don't say I believe it, but it is hard as I figure you would be…"
"Human, you thought the Herald was going to be a human instead of possibly being an elf or hell, it could have been a Qunari for all you knew before then." Leora said as the Iron Bull laughed at that mockingly. "True that, a Qunari Inquisitor…that would have been a waste of a good punchline if it was."
In another fanfic set of alternate universes, Inquisitor Adaars everywhere sneezed in unison.
"So what's the deal with all that Herald crap, people could have just called you Cadash or Leora if they were right in their mind to call you that. I mean sure you sealed the Breach for the time being, didn't even close it completely but still there should have been some realists who knew the real truth…" Iron Bull's words struck a chord with Leora the dwarf folding her hands together while she leaned back, the silence grating and awkward before she sighed.
"Whole story huh?" Seeing both men nod, Leora just shrugged at that. "Sure, why the fuck not…this whole Herald thing was getting a bit unreal for me and I was thinking of getting this off my chest."
"Now this is going to be one hell of a story." Bull spoke just as Leora began clearing her throat, her eyes looking up at the rocky ceiling. "I was just a runner for the Carta back then, you know doing all sorts of jobs that were cutthroat business and all, protecting caravans with attacks from rivals and outside groups, smuggling more lyrium out to sell at a bigger profit than legal businesses when the dwarves begin to cut back on supplies leaving Templars out to starve from addiction. I also had a mission when I was sent to a sleazy brothel somewhere to lure a target out with three other girls and a guy dressed as whores, funny thing was the target chose the man and spent the whole night wide awake with the poor man crying out how this was his first time…you should have heard the moans soon after." Blackwall nearly lost his nerve at that while Bull just laughed aloud, putting a hand to his face as the Warden coughed into his gauntlet clearly uncomfortable with what he was hearing.
"You should tell that at the Wicked Grace table sometime, I'm sure that Varric would be able to incorporate it into his books," Leora smiled at that as the idea began to sound very appealing the dwarf rubbing her palms together to keep herself warm under the armor which was beginning to make squelching noises. "I'll think on that, but where was I? Right, I was some runner doing minor chores, used to have in my previous branch a few girls in it but assignments took us separate ways. Anyways I was assigned to some sleaze whose name I forget, Dasher I think he was called and he used to try and slap my ass first chance he gets."
"Wow, I take it you slapped him first?" Bull said as if going against the wishes of your superior in power was the wisest thing to do while Blackwall was muttering something under his breath, but the tense grip on the sword hilt was saying enough while Leora shook her head recalling the bearded menace in her life. "No, he was protected and I was a runner, he tried to court me like how dwarves usually do it: kill anything that looked at me funny or lustfully, thought that would get me to accept his good side if he even had any."
"So what did you do?" Blackwall spoke next, his tension releasing a little as Leora placed a hand under her chin in thought as she recalled the various times the man tried to lean on a post acting like the tough leader, the sight was one which Leora took great pleasure in sniggering at, however the man took it as a compliment and tried to show his face more often, prompting her to groan after a few days. "I don't know, I just avoided him…look he was like a sick puppy in love with a mix of lusting for my body, he wouldn't even touch me until I said so which was good for me, I teased him a little and that made him satisfied. Then he got drunk one night and tried to take me for himself during a celebration, no one stopped him from trying."
"What?" Blackwall's voice growled out as the man stood up his hand drawing his sword a little while a dark shadow was cast over his face, the dwarf holding up her hands while Bull looked on completely stunned at his companion's adverse reaction. "Wait, it's okay he didn't manage to land a single hand on me and I was sober at the time, so I just did what any woman could do…I kinda beat him up for trying."
"Kind of beat him?" Bull asked doubtfully with a raised brow while Blackwall sheathed his short draw, the man sitting back down on the rocks muttering about lost honor and respect. Leora winced at the memory a little as she recalled the event and the details before she gave a doubtful look herself folding her arms. "Well, I actually smashed his head on the bar table, poured wine on him and he enjoyed it tried to put his hand in my pants and so I used my grappling chain to swing him into a nearby table starting up a fist fight between three guys at said table who already had issues with each other before I swung him towards me and kicked him in the balls." Iron Bull whistled at the list of things she did, the Qunari beginning to be impressed by her action while Blackwall nearly gagged his eyes threatening to burst out of its sockets, Solas unbeknownst to the others was cracking a smile as his ears twitched the Bull responding with a shake of his head out of respect.
"Damn, you really roughed him up good."
"Uh-huh, didn't recall what happened though…good thing too I was preparing to flee but the man was too deep in lust if anything else to realize I wasn't interested. He gave me another job, a smaller one as he didn't want me to die so quickly so he could try it again…sober, this time."
"Damn criminal…if he were to come near you again I would absolutely cut him in half no hesitation." Blackwall spoke venomously while Bull nodded in agreement, Solas on the other hand didn't say anything as he silently heard the rest of the story.
"Well, the job was meant to be a real simple one, no killing and just negotiation with both sides of the conflict me heading the discussions for both ends by using my wits and my sharpened mind. That was what was supposed to happen, but I got sidetracked from my mission when I was done with the deal for the Templars as the Conclave was in session. Calling my men to rest until the talks were over, I took the opportunity to sneak out and get a look of this Conclave I heard so much about from those who were invested in politics of the kingdoms, and it was by far one of the most elaborate and interesting debates I've ever seen. Banners of Ferelden and Orlais, the Chantry flying over them while lines of staves were gleaming with magic followed by shiny men in armor marching towards the Temple of Sacred Ashes, each one tolerating the other's presence you could literally sense the tension." Leora spoke with fascination as she recalled the various colors, the temple with its intricate structures within…all of it incredible eliciting a smile from Leora before her face fell as she recalled what happened next.
"The talks began with the mages and the Templars arguing about what was best for themselves, each side tossing their philosophies and duties while the Divine and her Chantry sisters being the only wall of reason that stopped them from going at each other's throats. You should have seen Divine Justinia, she deflected accusations and handled negotiations well and it all seemed like a truce was beginning to see some form or another…then the explosion happened."
"Wait, wait, you were at the heart of the big explosion of green stuff at the Temple right in the middle of the epicenter of that big tall headache in the sky?" Bull asked as Leora nodded in some confusion at his point before the Qunari whistled again. "Shit, that must have been terrifying…and worrying."
"I think that is the biggest understatement of the entire event. What happened back then set all of this into motion," Blackwall spoke up as he clenched his gauntleted hand looking at Leora with a glance of determination. "Whoever is behind this tragedy has a lot of lives to answer for as well as threatening Thedas."
"They will be stopped, I just don't know what happens after the Breach is sealed." Leora spoke wearily as she placed her hands on her kneecaps, the woman letting some of her feelings slip. "To be honest I am not sure we may find who would be responsible, shit I am doubtful we can find them…there are so many suspects but mages seem to be at the heart of the accusations. Sure the Fade is involved with demons in it, that is confirmed but sometimes I wonder if this involves a lot more than just mages and someone else is pulling the strings?"
"We may not know, not now anyways but we should take this one step at a time." Blackwall confidently stated while Bull huffed in agreement the Qunari warrior flexing his arm. "At least you take us to places interesting than the usual nobility or armies I've been in, the fights have been good for my workout. If you can provide me some more, well you may just have an extensive partner for a good long while."
"Glad to hear it," Leora smirked just like the Bull who was eyeing her with a sense of respect while Blackwall nodded in affirmative telling her he would stick to the end of this, the Warden gesturing with a hand to her when the moment had passed after a few seconds of silence. "So that story…what happened next?"
"I woke up in the Fade next." Now that detail raised some eyebrows, the two warriors had heard the ramblings of the people back in Haven about how she had walked out of a rift in the Fade with a woman behind her, some relating her to Andraste since there was no one else they could attribute it to. "I had to admit being a dwarf who has never stepped into the Fade at all due to our magic resistant talents preventing us from certain death this was the most terrifying experience that I could ever dream about…if I could still dream after all this by the end. Anyways, I was lost and confused when suddenly a male voice spoke to me."
"A man spoke to you? Do you mean that the person behind you was actually-?"
"No, I don't think it was the Maker…he sounded too human, less caring, he was more like helping me preserve my life I think with his words. But strangely enough I felt compelled to follow them to the end and see what could happen since I felt creatures spying on me, and I remembered being chased." Leora shivered as the temperature suddenly dipped, the origin wasn't from the cold itself as the rain paused for the moment allowing a bit of sunshine to pierce through the clouds. Blackwall and Bull leaned forward their eager ears hearing the story reaching its climax as they were hearing the most important detail from the dwarf who then spoke with some degree of confusion as she sorted out her thoughts.
"Then came the best part, I was shown…memories of the same man who called to me. It was about a locket and how it reminded him of his mother, the man was arguing with his father about being molded and told what to do and say his whole life…then a slap from the father, and everything went dark before I recall the woman in bright light reaching out for me. But I still didn't know what that whole memory thing before that meant."
"Perhaps I could help with that," the three companions stared as Solas walked towards them with a hand over his staff leaning onto the iron stick the elf looking at Leora with a glance of intrigue. "You were most likely confronted by a spirit of guidance, the way you described him seemed to fit the description as spirits of guidance are rather neutral spirits, they are not benevolent nor are they evil like the demons who had either a purpose that was twisted by summoning or their intent changed. You said they lacked the care for whether you stayed on the path was however a strange occurrence, in my travels in the Fade while I dream these spirits are usually helpful and determined to show you the path unlike the one you have described, perhaps out of personality. The spirit allowed you to glimpse into one of its memories, a feat normally impossible to achieve unless a great deal of trust is shared between you and the spirit in order for you to access its memories or if you bound it in a binding spell commanding it to."
"But Leora is no mage, last time I checked. And dwarves aren't exactly the dreaming type." Bull pointed out as Solas nodded, the man looking to Leora while continuing his explanation. "That is indeed true, if she were a mage there leaves the possibility but that would be pointless, she was confused…she couldn't have been able to orient herself properly if she was physically sent into the Fade."
"I walked fine though." Leora pointed out as Solas folded an arm. "True, but you should have felt yourself like you were going to be split into two…being physically trapped in the Fade harms your body, staying longer in that plane of existence would cause a conflict eventually tearing you apart." Leora winced at that detail, she was glad she wasn't involved in that mess for too long the elf mage continued settling by the rock face. "There is one good explanation for it, the Breach must have sucked you in and while you should have died in there you emerged with a mark across your hand to close rifts. Sounds rather divine don't you think?"
"But I want to know what you think Solas, none of that Maker bullshit they teach in the Chantry I want some truth and real answers to why I have this glowing mark of death on my hand." Leora bitterly said as Solas didn't flinch from his position, the dwarf recalling Cassandra's words when she first introduced her to the Breach. Apparently during that time she had experienced pain on another level, and according to the Seeker the mark was corresponding to the Breach which was damaging her, possibly killing her...not a good start to a mission of choice, but she had followed out of desperation for a cure if she closed the Breach but failed. The 'herald' thing came after, but even then the mark which was said to slowly eat away at her was beginning to be a bittersweet poison, on one hand she was playing a hand in the game of politics and misunderstandings alongside people willing to kill them, while on the other she was facing an unknown lifespan. Give or take, Leora felt as though she was being thrust upon it without much choice.
"Personally, I would say I am uncertain…there are many possibilities for your ability to seal rifts, but this is a topic I cannot attach a theory to. However, the people need a sense of hope and you were the one who managed to stop the Breach from growing…that is what you should be focusing on."
"Yeah, sure, we should all ignore the other circumstances like the woman behind me or that man…that is such a great idea." Leora spat out sarcastically before she glanced in apology at the normally snarky elf. "Sorry, the whole issue with the Breach, being the stupid Herald of Andraste, a deity I don't even worship while people around me keep chanting that title is grating on my nerves. I can't do anything about it, to make it worse people believe it and Cassandra as well as Josephine all harbor secret hopes that I am behind my back…it's nerve-wrecking." Solas shrugged at that, the elf shaking his head at the actions of the humans he saw everyday who would bow their heads at the arrival of the Herald while prayers are showered in the privacy of the village, the man placing a hand on Leora's shoulder.
"Humans are fickle creatures indeed," Blackwall shot a glare at that while Bull said nothing. "But what defines them and makes them a race that stands out among us isn't their physical appearance or being vulnerable to any sort of harm whether physical or the Fade, it is their determination and drive by faith that wins them the day. In a battle the brave cry of a commander with speeches of holding fast rather than talking about the weather brings more spirit than just simply marching in and fighting without a good word." Solas advised as the elven mage turned his back to them walking towards the same spot which he had been sleeping on before turning back to see the dwarf.
"But that is just my opinion on the matter, the word of an elf is not so easily trusted here than it did centuries ago…hopefully that can all change." Solas left the three alone, the next few hours were spent resting by the rest of the group each one to their own devices while Leora decided to move away from the camp site once she saw that all three men were sleeping soundly, the dwarf not wanting to disturb them from their sleep as she decided to head up the path near the small rocky plain up ahead where the officer had pointed out to be the spot. Leora kept her movements stealthily as possible, the woman making her way past the barrier towards her destination before a single hand clamped onto her shoulder nearly frightening her as she came face to face with Solas who held a finger to his lips.
"Barriers can sense when someone leaves, I was just watching to see if you would try something reckless," the elven mage replied as he released his grip on her Leora about to say something when she noticed the man was already dressed in his traveling gear the bag slung over his back prompting her to raise a brow.
"You're coming along?"
"Why not, I do so adore the idea of sneaking away from my campsite when it is perfectly unsafe for my health."
"Okay, now you are just being plain old mean…" Leora groaned lightly to which Solas chuckled with folded arms at her accusation smiling playfully. "I apologize almighty Lady Herald Cadash, I did not mean to suggest that you were thinking of being reckless to jump at the nearest objective without someone to watch your back." Leora was about to say something else before the last words made her smile deviously, the dwarf giving off a cheeky slightly seductive smile at the elf the mage feeling a bit confused at her actions as her hand found its way to her hip.
"Oh? So you like to watch my back? Didn't take you for that person, Solas…all that mystery of the elf dreamer in the forests just makes me tingle with excitement," Leora said teasingly as Solas simply shook his head at her antics, chuckling with a thin smile as he turned his head to the side. "Very much so, I figured it might be enticing…alas it is not really succeeding."
"You tease."
"I do my best, Lady Herald Cadash." The elf said as he walked ahead, smirking as Leora growled before catching up to him the duo making their way to the rocks.
End
Author's notes: This chapter focuses more on her story, briefly about what she did and I wanted to show some synergy between some of the members.
Anyways, the past will turn up soon and it will be a full arc. I hope this has helped clarify some questions.
Have a good one,
VI
