An Adventure in Swords and Magic
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Iron Bull/OC
Action/Adventure/Hurt/Comfort/Romance
Chapter 14
Wake Me Up When September Ends

Wake Me Up When September Ends
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends.

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

The Fereldans named the region The Storm Coast, and in Claire's opinion it was very aptly named. No matter how long they walked through the wet terrain it never seemed to stop raining, echoes of thunder rumbling in the distance. She was slowly starting to realize that Thedas was a land that ranged from one extreme to the next, and it left her wondering if there was anything that could be considered normal here.
Claire gazed at the overcast sky above her and closed her eyes against the pattering rain against her face. She'd been soaked through hours ago, the cold making her shiver in her armor despite the heavy clothes she wore beneath. Her curls, once wild and unruly, were now tamed by the rain and by the braid she put it in to keep her hair from her face. Carelessly she swiped at her nose, red and runny, and silently hoped she wasn't going to catch a cold.

A hand on her arm jolted her out of her thoughts, and Claire turned to finding Ellana giving her a soft smile. She returned it with one in kind, and resumed following her party down the rain soaked road. At point once again was Cassandra, content to keep a watchful eye out for danger. Varric kept to the back with Solas, and the pair of them kept watch from the rear. Ellana and Claire stuck to the middle, along with the two newest members of the Inquisition.

The first, to Claire's left, an elf who walked defiantly in the rain without a cloak. She shivered and grumbled, arms crossed with a miserable look on her face. She was a strange one, this Sera. Her impossible to follow speeches notwithstanding, she had odd ways doing things. The first time she and Claire met was a perfect example.

'Just say what!'

The Herald cringed at the memory, having found the nobleman who wanted her dead after following the clues left by The Friends of Red Jenny. Sera had shown up quickly afterwards, dispatching the man and aiding in fending off the rest of the guards.

Who had been stripped of their pants...

'Get it? No breeches?'

But that's who Sera was, obnoxious laugh and all, and that was what her group got up to. Sure they took the odd job now and again, but their real goal was to pick on nobles. Especially the nobles who picked on their lesser.

And there was nothing Sera loved more than sticking it to the nobles.

Her newest and most favorite target was also the other recent addition to the Inquisition ranks, who walked gracefully to Claire's right. Madam Vivienne De Fer, Enchanter to the Imperial Court and woman Claire certainly didn't want to fuck with. She knew Madam de Fer's type, given an inch she'd absolutely walk all over Claire if she was allowed. She coveted power and prestige, demanded respect, and wielded authority like a blade.

She was powerful, beautiful, and dangerous.

It was inspiring in some ways, and terrifying in others. Vivienne was a mage, and Chantry law stated that no mage could use their power against another person. Yet, Vivienne had done so many times in Claire's presence, and in the presence of loyal Templars, and wasn't once reprimanded. She was untouchable and she knew it.

Which in turn meant that she cared very little for Sera and her opinion, and it only served to anger the elf further. It was quite the sight to watch the woman try and get a rise out of Vivienne only to be shot down coldly.

Thunder rumbled overhead, bringing Claire from her thoughts, "Do you know how much farther, Cassandra?"

"I'm afraid not," she called back, "This region isn't well mapped so we only have the directions given to us by Sister Leliana to go from."

Claire grumbled under her breath, sore and tired. They'd been travelling back to Haven with a caravan from Orlais when an Inquisition scout had intercepted them in a small village. With her she'd brought a sealed scroll from Leliana and a young man who'd been looking for Claire himself.

Cremissius Aclassi was the name he gave, and he had quite the offer for the Inquisitions Herald. A group of Tevinter Mercenaries were operating on the Coast of Fereldan, and his boss was offering the information free of charge. Cassandra took immediate interest and began to talk semantics with Cremissius while Claire opened the sealed letter.

Inside she found that Sister Leliana wanted them to hear out the Emissary from the Bull''s Chargers, and to help out Scout Harding who had been sent out to the region a few weeks prior. On top of that, regardless of what happened there, she also wanted Claire and her friends to follow the trail of a Grey Warden named Blackwall that had been sighted heading towards the Hinterlands.

So they took the detour, leaving the caravan to head to Haven while she and her party travelled to the coast in the north.

More and more seemed to be piling on her plate lately, her thoughts wandering to everyone who'd taken an interest in her since she'd talked down the Chantry Mother's. Vivienne had just been the first; as she attempted to leave the capital she'd been flagged down by a woman named Fiona. Claire knew the name well, having been paying attention to her lessons and to Ellana.

This was the woman leading the rebel mages, and she was extending an invitation to Claire to come to Redcliffe to talk. As far as she was aware no had been let in the town since the failed Conclave, so this was definitely a big deal and one that interested Ellana greatly.

Yet, they had a few things to do before they could so much as discuss the idea of talking with rebel mages.

"Just admit it, Seeker," Varric teased from somewhere behind Claire, "We're lost!"

"Shut it, dwarf!" she snapped back irritably, taking the group through some dense underbrush. The leaves and twigs snapped under the heavy footsteps until they all broke through the foliage and spied familiar banners on a cliff in the distance. An audible sigh of relief swept through the lot of them, with Varric nudging Claire playfully in the thigh,

"See? She just needed a little encouragement."

Claire laughed, "Sure, Varric, but one of these days she's going to get you."

"Oh, I know it, Spitfire."

Their arrival was met with smiles just as miserable as their own, soldiers shivering in their own boots from the cold. While her party rested from the long journey Claire herself went to go find Scout Harding, who was overlooking a map of the region at a nearby table.

"Staying dry?"

Lace laughed, looking up at Claire as she leaned up against the table, "Oh, you know it. I'm glad to see you made it safe, Claire."

"Not without some trouble. So, the Storm Coast... What brings you all the way out here to this piece of miserable coast line?"

"Spymaster Leliana gave us the orders to come out here; she'd gotten a hold of reports about Grey Wardens in the area and wanted to see if we could track them down. No such luck so far. A group of bandits is operating on this coast, and under normal circumstances it wouldn't be a problem, but we're a small group and they know the terrain better than us. A small group of my scouts left to go negotiate with them..."

Lace paused, rubbing wearily at her eyes, the barest traces of a weary sigh leaving her, "But that was two days ago and they haven't come back yet..."

"Son of a bitch..." Claire muttered, "I'll see what we can do, do you know which way they headed off to?"

"There's a small outpost in the hills just west of here, but that's all we've managed to gather."

"Well that's step one, right? Also, have you noticed a mercenary company gather nearby? I was supposed to meet up with their Commander to discuss employment with them for the Inquisition?"

"Yeah! Their Lieutenant reported in a few hours ago and gave us the location of the Tevinter camp they're supposed to hit. We did some scouting ourselves, it's down a ways towards the beach. Small in size and numbers, so it shouldn't give you too much trouble."

"Fantastic, stay warm!"

They took a few moments to rest, everyone very weary from the long journey from Orlais. A quick meal huddled in the dry tents made nearly impossible to fight off the tiredness that was threatening to settle over them. Varric lost the battle after a long while, bone tired as he patted Claire gently on the arm,

"Sorry, Spitfire, I'm beat. Just lemme get a nap in and I'll be good to go afterwards."

Turning in after him was Vivienne, yawning as she took a tent all for herself that caused Sera to make a face at her retreating back. Claire rolled her eyes, wolfing down the warm stew that'd been made for the camp. Once they all had full bellies and were in somewhat good spirits they gathered their gear to meet with the Iron Bull's Mercenary Company.

"Qunari?" Claire whispered to Ellana, who walked close to her side, "Am I saying that right?"

Her friend nodded, "I would refrain from staring too much, just to be polite. Though I do not think he would find it odd if you do; not many people can say they've met an actual Qunari."

The decline from the cliff to the beach was fairly steep, the path slick from the heavy rain. More than once Claire almost slipped, and were it not for Ellana she'd taken a nasty tumble down.

"What do you mean 'actual Qunari'?"

"Well, from what I gathered, Qunari is both the name of the species that have horns, and also the name of those who follow their religion, the Qun."

"Oh, so you don't need the horns to be Qunari."

"Exactly! Though, anything beyond that I am not so well versed in. If he would allow me, I would love to ask the Iron Bull questions."

Claire chuckled at that, their path evening out as they finally came to the beach that met the vast, raging ocean, "Of course you would, you nerd."

Ellana cracked a smile, "You have said that to me before, what is a 'nerd'?"

"It means you're super smart, and that's really awesome."

A blush crept into Ellana's face at that, and her eyes quickly shot to the ground in embarrassment, "I do not know about smart, but I appreciate your kind words."

Claire gave her another smile and threw her arm around Ellana's shoulders, a feat made easy for the woman was just a tad shorter than her. They walked like so for a few short paces down the beach, keeping a watch out for the Iron Bull and his men.

The sounds of sword fighting came up from somewhere over the ridge, causing concerned glances to exchange between the lot of them. Weapons and shields were quickly drawn, all of them rushing towards the noise in an effort to help. In the end, however, their aid was unnecessary. The Iron Bull's Chargers, identified by the sigils on their armor, cut down the last of the Tevinter mercenaries. Their approach was of course noted, but no one seemed to worried as they glanced at the Inquisition emblems decorating their gear.

"Your Worship!" The Chargers' lieutenant approached, bloody and slightly bruised, and gave her a short dip of his head, "I'm glad you could make it."

It's good to see you, Cremissius," Replied Claire, dropping her hood so they could see each other better, "I'm sorry we didn't get here in time to help. I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Don't worry about it, Your Grace," the young man replied with a wave of his hand. Claire's attention cut to movement on her right, glancing at her party that had broken off to help the rest of Charger's.

"So your commander, The Iron Bull, wanted to speak to me, right? Where is he?"

Cremissius' eyes flicked up over Claire's shoulders, prompting the young herald to spin on her heel. She instantly came face to chest with an impossibly tall man, her eyes travelling up and up to take him in. Scars of every kind littered his body, from chest to neck to face . He wore a proud and cocky grin as he stared down at her, seemingly amused at Claire's own astonishment.

His single eye flicked away from Claire to his lieutenant, "Krem, how'd we do?"

"Five wounded, no dead, chief."

"Now that is what I like to hear. Have the throat cutters finish up, then break out the casks."

They watched as Cremissius walked away with a nod, everyone celebrating a hard won victory. Claire shook her head as Sera joined in, helping the Charger's break open their booze and helping herself to a good portion of it. Eventually though, her attention once again strayed to the massive Qunari towering at her side.

She gave him a quick side eyed glance, to which he noticed with a laugh, "Would it help if I sit?"

"A little bit." She admitted, earning her another laugh as the Iron Bull strode over to a decent sized boulder and made himself comfortable. Even then he was still huge, his broad shoulders hunched over as he rested his arms on his knees.

"So Herald of Andraste, I've heard rumors about you."

"All the terrible ones, I assume. Did you hear the one where I devour the hearts of innocent children?"

The Iron Bull laughed at Claire's sarcasm, a laugh that she couldn't quite resist with one of her own "Yeah, I did. I thought that one was funny. This your first time meeting a Qunari?" She nodded sheepishly, earning her a cheeky grin, "Well I'll make sure your first time is as painless as possible."

A blush crept up into her face at that, followed closely by an embarrassed sputter. Thankfully, before the Iron Bull could tease her some more, Krem came back with his report,

"Throat cutters are all done, Chief!"

Already? Check again. I don't want any of those Tevinter bastards getting away. No offense, Krem." He smirked, to which his lieutenant shook his head and smiled,

"None taken. At least a bastard knows who his mother was. Puts him one up on you Qunari, eh?" He snickered as he walked away. Bull turned back to her and pointed to the bodies, a cheerfulness still glittering in the eye that wasn't covered by the ornate patch.

"So this is our handy work, we're expensive but worth it."

Claire nodded, "Just how expensive? The Inquisition isn't exactly swimming in gold right now."

"Personally? Nothing. Your Inquisitions' ambassador would take of the payments, all you really need to know is that we're definitely worth it."

Claire crossed her arms and nodded, "I'm not an expert, but Seeker Cassandra seems pleased."

"But what about you? You're the Herald after all." She couldn't stop the irritation from flaring up in her chest and leaving her in the form of an agitated snort. His eye narrowed on her at that, "You don't like that?"

"People have a tendency to ignore the individuals behind the title. Just because I'm 'The Herald of Andraste' doesn't mean I'm at all qualified to lead or to make snap judgements. And for the sake of honesty here, I'm absolutely not qualified. That's why I defer to the Seekers judgement, because I trust her opinion on matters like this more than I trust my own. The Inquisition can't afford for me to fuck up, we're already teetering on a dangerous ledge."

The Iron Bull nodded, lost in quiet thought for a moment or two. "Say you had to give an opinion anyway, what would it be? Hypothetically, of course."

Claire looked out over to the group of men and women celebrating on the beach. Sera was well on her way to getting sloshed, downing one stein after another as they all sang bawdy bar songs. Save for the Seeker, Solas, and Ellana of course who all stood to the side to watch in amusement.

"Your men get along, and that means they all work really well together in a fight. They hold their own pretty decently, I mean five wounded and no dead speaks volumes in itself. And they trust you, and your lieutenant, to know what you're doing. All in all, a pretty capable bunch."

Something flickered in the Iron Bull's eye when she looked back to him. Something akin to impressed almost, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. She looked back over to her friends, noticing now that Cassandra was looking right at her. For a moment silent words passed the two of them culminating in a single nod from Claire that was returned with one in kind.

"If you're really serious about the offer Iron Bull, then I'm glad to welcome you aboard. As of right now, the Inquisition could use all the help we can get."

"Perfect!" He stood to his full towering height once again, "I'll get the boys packed and ready to head to Haven on their own."

"You're not going with?"

The massive Qunari shrugged, turning to make his way back to the group; his strides were even so Claire could match his pace, "I'm a simple man, and I like to be where the action is. Now you? I can tell you're going places where there's going to be a lot of it. So, I want in; besides I have a feeling you're gonna need a frontline bodyguard."

Claire couldn't help the dry laugh that escaped her mouth, "I don't think you realize how much stress you'll take off Ellana's shoulders with that."

"Oh! One more thing, not sure you know what it means, but you at least deserve to know." They came to a full stop, the Iron Bull turning to her, "You ever hear of the Ben-Hassrath?"

Claire shook her head, "I'm not really familiar with your culture, so no."

"That's not surprising; think of it as an order within the Qunari priesthood. They handle information, loyalty, security. The works."

Claire frowned as a confused look passed over her face, "Your priesthood is a network of spies?" She questioned slowly, and when he didn't answer her realization hit her hard, "You're a spy?!"

"The Ben-Hassrath are concerned about the Breach, magic running wild tends to get their horns tied into knots. Under their orders I'm supposed to join, and get close to your superiors so I can send back information."

"You're a spy." Stated Claire dumbly, Bull shrugged,

"Yeah, I also get reports back from my superiors, and I'd be more than willing to share it with your advisors."

"Yeah, call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure the whole spy thing means you're not supposed to tell anyone."

The Iron Bull chuckled, "Even if I didn't tell you right off, I'd been found out sooner or later. Do you really think I could keep that information hidden from something named The Inquisition? Besides, you said it yourself, you need people that you can trust."

His statement gave her pause for thought, to which she conceded to his point,

"Okay, so what are you going to tell your superiors?"

There was a thoughtful nod, "Nothing too big, just enough to satisfy them. I'll run everything by your Spymaster, Leliana, first."

"You know about her?"

He pretended to be hurt, "Hey, I like to think I'm a decent spy; I've done my research. It's how I know your name is Claire, and also how I knew to send Krem towards Orlais to find you."

"Well, okay then; getting a little personal there, Iron Bull." She teased, to which the Qunari answered with a laugh and a quick wink,

"What can I say? I've got a thing for redheads."

Heat pooled into her cheeks at his cocky grin and The Iron Bull left her sputtering as he went to address his men. She fought to regain her composure, clearing her throat before turning to talk to her friends as well. Or at least the ones who weren't falling over drunk, which was everyone but Sera.

"Well that didn't take long," Claire commented as she looked down at the completely fucked up elf sprawled out at Cassandra's feet, "She's going to be okay, right?"

"Nothing a little sleep won't cure," Cassandra muttered disapprovingly, arms crossed like a chastising mother, "We should take her back to camp at the very least. Everything went well with the Commander?"

"Yeah, he's going to get his men packed and ready to head out to Haven before he joins us. Says he wants to be part of the action out here."

"I am thankful we have another set of eyes watching out for you, Claire." Ellana chimed in, a passing wave of relief washing over her. Solas chuckled at her side,

"I think we all are."

"Ha ha, you guys are hilarious..." Claire grinned with a roll of her eyes, bending down so she could haul Sera to her feet and support the elf's weight on her own shoulder, "Come on, Sera, let's get you to a bedroll.

Sera mumbled incoherently, stumbling along to Claire's own slow pace, making what should have been a fifteen minute walk into an absolute chore. It didn't help that every word that came out of Sera's mouth sent Claire into fits of exasperated giggling.

"I likes your freckles," Sera pointed out, halfway up the steep incline towards the cliff side camp, "Its likes you gots angry red stars all over your face."

"Thanks Sera," Claire replied, "I like your ears, I think they're neat."

"No one's ever said they likes my ears before," She slurred happily, "Yous good people, Claire."

Thankfully, Cassandra came to her rescue and the pair of them managed to get Sera to the cliff camp and into a dry tent. After making sure she was snoring soundly, Claire regrouped with the rest of her team.

The Iron Bull and his Charges had just arrived, bringing some much needed warmth and cheeriness with them. They were making themselves comfortable as Claire approached their covered campfire.

"So what's the plan?" The Iron Bull asked after taking a quick once over on his men, sure that everything was in order. Eyes quickly turned to her; Claire sighed,

"Scout Harding says that they came out here in search of Grey Wardens, but her scouts are being harassed by bandits. Couple of her men went out two days ago to try and negotiate with them, but they haven't returned."

"That's not a good sign at all," Cassandra muttered, "I fear Leliana's obsession with finding Grey Wardens is going to get someone killed."

"Why do you say obsessed, Seeker?" Ellana spoke up from the makeshift bench at Claire's side.

"Do not misunderstand me, she has good reason to be. Nearly every important faction in Thedas had an emissary or two at the Conclave. Mages, Templars, powerful noble families. Yet, no Grey Wardens were reported to have attended, nor have any been seen since."

"So they're being implicated in the Divine's murder." Claire concluded, earning her a nod from the Seeker, "Well, shit."

"All the more reason to take care of these bandits then." Solas chimed in wisely, "The sooner the better, I say. Have you decided on how, Claire?"

"Expect the worst, but hope they listen to reason?"

"Claire," There it was again, the disapproving sigh that Cassandra always gave when she didn't agree with something she said, "While I admire your willingness to seek out peaceful solutions, I don't believe it will be applicable in this situation."

"I'm not going to resort to violence on the outright," She shot back, "We're better than that."

"We may have no choice," Chastised the Seeker, "I understand why you are unwilling to take such drastic measures, but we cannot afford such weakness when other's lives are in jeopardy."

There was an awkward silence, everyone quickly averting their eyes. She felt herself go red in the face, not at all appreciative for being called out in public, "If you understood half as well as you say you do, then we wouldn't be having this argument. My mind is made up, Seeker. If you don't agree with it, you're more than welcome to stay here."

Fed up with Cassandra, she broke away from the group with an irritated scoff. She felt their eyes watch her leave camp, heading down the decline towards the beach and away from all of them.

"Was that necessary?!" She heard Ellana chide hotly, "The least you could have done was take her to the side instead of embarrassing her!"

She didn't stay long enough to hear what came next, the rocks and pebbles crunching beneath her feet. The rain was still falling, a constant pitter patter against the hood that covered her head. The terrain evened out to the beach eventually, and she didn't stop moving until she came to the edge of the water.

She stood there for a long while, eyes watching the back and forth movement of the waves, trying to not to think about what was to come and of the Seeker's words. It could very well come to kill or be killed, and she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. Wasn't it enough that she was willing to be diplomatic? Why did violence have to come first?

Claire shifted on her feet slightly, taking the tiniest of steps forward towards the raging ocean. It crashed upon the shore violently, water cascading inland until it just barely swept over her feet. She found herself mesmerized by the pull, and closed her eyes.

If she concentrated hard enough, it was almost like she was back home on Earth.

Unbidden, memories from long past came bubbling back up to the surface. Echoes of laughter as she played in the ocean waves with her mother, bright summer days enjoyed on the beaches of Long Island. She could almost push away the metallic scent of lightening in the air in favor of the home. A deep ache thudded in her chest at these memories and more and more she felt herself get lost in them.

Thinking about summer days on the beach made her think about her mother. It made guilt wash over her, thinking about Sally sitting at home waiting for Claire to come back. She couldn't help wondering how long had passed there; here in Thedas it had been about two months, but back home?

Hours, days, years?

The thought made her feel worse.

"Claire?"

The young Herald jumped a mile out of her skin, and turned to find Ellana approaching carefully from behind her. Clear blue eyes stared at her in concern, and only then did she look down and realize she'd stepped further into the ocean than she'd intended.

It was well past her ankles, the deep pull calling to her to step further and further in. Almost as if it could take her home. With a deep breath, Claire carefully stepped back, taking care not to slip on the surface underneath. Once she was back safely away from the ocean's reach did she relax.

"I don't know what came over me…" Claire admitted, "For a minute there I guess I was just…"

"Back home." Ellana finished, nodding sagely, "Claire, I am sure the Seeker did not mean to be so callous with you."

"Then why isn't she here telling me herself?" Claire muttered dryly.

"Because I asked her not to. I felt that an apology would be too hollow right now."

The young herald shrugged but said nothing in response to it. They stood there for a long time, listening to the raging ocean above the sounds of the rain and thunder. Or at least until Claire uttered a single, desperate sentence,

"I really hope these bandits listen..."

"Me too, Claire. Me too."

A/N: These next few chapters will come out pretty quickly as I've had them written out for some time now, and have been editing them. Thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews. Your support means the world to me!

PathlessSpore