Renna's teeth were chattering, her red hair was plastered to her face, and her pale skin had grown even paler in the hours that she had been on the Storm Coast. Her violet tattoos stood out starkly against the whiteness of her skin. Wind whipped her hair and clothes about while the rain was a constant, freezing downpour. For once, it was Cassandra that was laughing at her. She glared, trying to hold her teeth together.
"I hate this place." she muttered. Cassandra hooted with laughter.
"You act as though you have never been in the rain before." the Seeker said. Renna scowled.
"Rain where I'm from is warm." she chattered. Cassandra chuckled.
"Let's go find this 'Iron Bull' then." she decided. Renna nodded eagerly. She wanted to find this man and get as far away from the Storm Coast as possible. They headed down to the rocky beach, where they soon heard the sounds of fighting. Renna drew her daggers and rushed in, attacking the Tevinters with all of her anger at the cold weather. She gasped when she saw a massive Qunari wading into the fight, bellowing out orders and swinging around a giant axe.
"That must be Iron Bull." she said to herself. The fight ended quickly with the aid of Bull's Chargers, and soon Renna stood face to face with the huge Qunari. He looked her over approvingly, and she had the sudden memory that she was a woman and he was a man, albeit a very different-looking one. She blushed slightly, bringing color to her cold cheeks for the first time all day.
"Krem! How'd we do?" he asked loudly.
"Five or six wounded, chief. No dead." the man she had met in Haven recounted. Iron Bull nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of Renna. He muttered something to himself, and she thought she heard the words "red-head".
"That's what I like to hear. Let the throat cutters finish up, then break out the casks!" he cheered. "So, you're with the Inquisition, huh? Glad you could make it. Come on, have a seat. Drinks are coming." he said. Renna blinked. He was already the strangest Qunari she had ever met, and that was saying something. His horns were huge, and he had an eye-patch over one eye. His massive torso was bare and covered with scars. He was certainly impressive.
"Iron Bull, I presume?" she asked. He grinned.
"Yeah, the horns usually give it away." he said before leading her over to a rock and sitting on it. "I assume you remember Cremisius Aclassi, my lieutenant." he said, gesturing to the man from Haven. She nodded.
"Good to see you again. Throat cutters are done, chief." he said. Bull raised an eyebrow.
"Already? Have them check again, I don't want any of those Tevinter bastards getting away. No offense, Krem." he said wryly. The man shrugged.
"None taken. At least a bastard knows who his mother was. Puts him one up on you Qunari, anyway." he said, leaving them alone. Iron Bull chuckled to himself before focusing on Renna once more.
"So, you've seen us fight. We're expensive, but we're worth it. Besides, I'm sure the Inquisition could afford us anyway." he said, all business. She nodded.
"The Chargers seem like an excellent company." she agreed. Bull grinned.
"They are, but you're not just getting the boys, you're getting me. You need a front-line bodyguard, I'm your man. Whatever it is- demons, dragons, the bigger the better." he said, standing again as if to show off how large he was. Renna didn't even reach his chest from where she stood, and she was not a short woman. "And there's one other thing. Might be useful, might piss you off." he added. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Ever hear of the Ben-Hassrath?" he asked. She nodded.
"I know a bit." she told him. He nodded.
"Good. They handle information, loyalty, security, all of it. Spies, basically. Or, well...we're spies." he said. She bit the inside of her cheek. She did not know how her advisors would take having a Qunari spy in their holdings. He didn't seem to notice her concern. "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. But I also get reports from the Ben-Hassrath agents all over Orlais. You sign me on, I'll share my reports with your people." he revealed. She closed her eyes for a moment. She could practically feel Cassandra trembling with anger, but Renna knew that they needed people for their army if they were ever going to seal the Breach.
"All right, you're in." she finally agreed. He smiled.
"Excellent." he said.
"Are you mad?" Cassandra exclaimed. Renna turned to her.
"Cass, we need all the help we can get. He is willing to share what he knows, and he came to us openly. That is a good sign." she pointed out. The woman ran a hand through her short black hair.
"I suppose you're right, but I still don't like this." she grumbled. Renna chuckled.
"Krem! Tell the men to finish drinking on the road. The Chargers just got hired." Bull said proudly. Krem groaned.
"What about the casks, chief? We just opened them up! With axes!" he cried.
"Find some way to seal them! You're Tevinter, right? Try blood magic!" Bull suggested. Renna giggled. "We'll meet you back in Haven." he said before rejoining his men. Renna watched them leave before turning back to her companions.
"Is there more to do here? Or can we get out of this place?" she asked. Cassandra was still scowling about the whole situation.
"Scout Harding was saying something about bandits attacking Inquisition soldiers. Perhaps we could investigate?" Solas suggested.
Four hours later, Renna stood over the body of the bandit leader, blood and water dripping from her daggers, her chest heaving. The "Blades of Hessarian", as they were called, stood around their group, awe plain on their faces. Varric let out a low whistle. The Herald of Andraste looked absolutely terrifying. Her red hair was soaking wet and stuck to places on her face. Her violet eyes glared at the people around her, the color emphasized by her series of tattoos, even as her weapons dripped with the blood of their leader. The dwarf looked around, and he knew that once again, their Herald had won over a new group of people. He smiled fondly.
She was a grown woman, but there was something about her that made him want to protect her. She had a certain childlike wonder for things in the world. Honestly, she reminded him of Daisy, but less naive. She was different from the slender elf that had encouraged his more "paternal" tendencies years ago in that she could take care of herself. Freckles was scared, he could see that easily, but she wasn't collapsing beneath the weight of her responsibility like Daisy did. He shook his head. He had failed Merrill, he knew that, and he couldn't allow himself to fail Renna too.
"You are our leader now." he heard one of the bandits saying. As one, they all fell to their knees and lowered their heads to Freckles. She looked extremely uncomfortable for a brief moment before her commanding mask fell in place.
"You will send representatives to Haven to speak with Commander Cullen. He will have work for you." she said in a soft tone that still somehow demanded everyone's attention. She really was great at the whole "noble" thing. The bandits...well, former bandits, he supposed...were rushing around to do her bidding. Varric chuckled quietly.
"She should just be in charge of everything." he quipped to himself. To his surprise, Seeker was nodding thoughtfully.
"Perhaps." she said under her breath. Varric arched an eyebrow. The Seeker scared the ever living shit out of him, but she cared about Freckles too. She clearly saw the benefits to having her as a leader. Varric tried not to stare at her too long. He was afraid that if the Seeker really looked at him, she'd see that he was lying about the whole Hawke thing. Freckles turned back to them and shot him a grin.
"It's too damn cold out here." Varric said, noticing that her lips look a little blue. She nodded, and, with a sigh, he shrugged off his coat and tossed it over her shoulders. She smiled gratefully at him.
"Let's get somewhere dry." she shivered. He nodded. He wouldn't let her down.