Angel heard a heated argument as soon as she awoke. She grunted in pain as she tried to sit upright, noting that it was Cullen, Josephine, and Leliana who were arguing.

"Angel, you're awake," Cassandra said, relief in her tone. She was sitting beside Angel's cot.

"Yes, and I'm beginning to regret that," Angel replied, rubbing her eyes. "How long have they been arguing?"

"A while," Cassandra answered in an almost amused tone.

"Ugh," Angel groaned. "Why are they even arguing?"

"Various reasons."

"Is it anything I could help with?"

"Even if it were, I wouldn't want you to. You should rest more," Cassandra paused, continuing almost hesitantly. "You did a good job, Angel."

"It honestly doesn't feel like that right now," Angel replied, rubbing the back of her neck. She resisted the urge to groan again. Everything hurt. "Mostly I'm just in pain."

"Which is why you should rest," Cassandra chided, before motioning to Edric, who was sleeping on a cot to her other side, and Angel noticed him for the first time. "From what he says, he would not have made it if it weren't for you."

"Yeah, well…" Angel trailed off, suddenly feeling bashful. "You know."

Cassandra grinned. "What you two accomplished is no small feat," she continued. "And what you did after that is no small feat, either. Many would have given up."

"I suppose I'm just stubborn."

"Resilient."

"Eh, same thing."

Cassandra's grin tuned into a full-blown smile, and Angel felt herself blushing for some reason. To try and hide it, she turned her head to the other side slightly.

"What's wrong?" Cassandra asked, apparently taking the gesture the wrong way.

"Nothing," Angel insisted, before a thought struck her. "Actually, Cassandra…"

When Angel failed to continue, Cassandra prompted her. "Yes?"

"You know that whole 'dark future' thing that Edric, Dorian and I went through?"

Cassandra only looked confused, probably not knowing where Angel was going with the conversation. "Yes," she said. "What about it?"

"Well… you got the general gist of it, right?"

"I read Edric's report, yes," Cassandra nodded. "You should have written one, too, by the way."

Angel rolled her eyes before continuing. "Well, the thing is…" she sighed. "I just—the thing is, you died for us. You, Varric, and Leliana. You all died," she said.

"I read that in the report, as well," Cassandra said with a nod.

"And, well, that you told me to tell you you something."

"And what was that?"

"You told me to tell you to… stop fighting so much?" Angel said, though it sounded more like a question. Cassandra only frowned, so Angel continued. "You said you'd know what I mean."

Cassandra's frown only stayed in place, and she was quiet for several long moments before she looked as if something had just dawned on her. "Oh. I… see," was all she said for a minute. "Anything else?"

"Well, uh… you also told me to tell you to take it easier on me," Angel said before adding a slight smirk.

Cassandra rolled her eyes at that, lightly back-handing Angel's arm. "I did not."

"Ow!" Angel cried out for dramatics, before letting out a light laugh. "You said you wouldn't believe me," she said, and Cassandra only sighed, albeit good-naturedly. "You also hugged me," she added matter-of-factly.

Cassandra laughed lightly, herself. "During all the chaos I somehow managed to find a moment to hug you," she deadpanned.

"There was some downtime," Angel joked. Her smile slowly disappeared. "You all really died for us," she said quietly.

"And we likely would again," Cassandra said.

"God, please no. Once was enough. Never again."

"I'm sorry you went through that," Cassandra said. "It can't have been easy."

"No," Angel said with a small, sardonic laugh. "I saw… you. I saw your body. I saw them kill Leliana," she shook her head. "Sorry. I shouldn't be talking about this."

"It's okay," Cassandra assured. "Sometimes it's good to talk."

Angel merely shrugged. "I don't really know what else to say. I just think about it a lot, I guess."

"Well, should you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I am."

"Thanks," Angel said after a moment, surprised by the offer.

"At any rate," Cassandra said. "You should get more rest."

As if on cue, Angel yawned. "I guess I should."

"I'll be here when you wake."

XX

The next time Angel woke up, it was to the sound of a heated argument again. And from the sound of it, it was still the same argument.

Angel grunted in pain as she sat up again.

"You should be resting," Mother Giselle said. She was sitting where Cassandra had been before.

"I've been resting," Angel said.

Mother Giselle only smiled kindly. "Then perhaps you should rest more."

"Oh, good. You're awake, too," Edric said from her other side. "I was starting to get bored."

Angel motioned to where the arguing was coming from, now noting that Cassandra was a part of it. "They're still at it?"

"Yep. It's been hours," Edric answered.

"They have that luxury, thanks to the two of you," Mother Giselle said.

"Maybe we could help," Edric said.

"I doubt another heated voice would do much good," Mother Giselle replied. "They struggle because of what we survivors witnessed. We saw our defenders stand… and fall. And now we have seen them return. The more our enemy is beyond us, the more miraculous your actions appear. And the more our trials seem ordained."

"This isn't ordained," Angel said, almost heatedly. "Corypheus is real. All of this is real. We can't match that with just hope."

Angel grunted as she stood. She was tired of listening. She walked a little ways away before noticing that the arguing had finally stopped, and that Leliana and Josephine were in their own space, while Cassandra and Cullen were in theirs. The camp had become almost eerily quiet.

She sighed.

Things weren't looking good. As far as she knew, they had nowhere to go. They were lucky that Corypheus hadn't even followed them that far. But how were they going to find somewhere to house all of the residents of Haven?

She suddenly heard someone singing behind her.

Shadows fall
And hope has fled
Steel your heart
The dawn will come

It was Mother Giselle, as she was walking up to Angel's side.

The night is long
And the path is dark
Look to the sky
For one days soon
The dawn will come

A second voice soon joined, and Angel looked over to see it belonged to Leliana.

Angel just tried to focus on the words they were singing.

The shepherds lost
And his home is far
Keep to the stars
The dawn will come

Confusedly, Angel looked around the camp when villagers and soldiers began singing as well, and she wasn't quite sure how to react. They began walking up to her, and she quickly looked behind her to see that they had gathered around Edric, too.

The song continued on, and villagers and soldiers began kneeling in front of her, bowing their heads. She looked around the camp, before her eyes settled on Cassandra, who wasn't singing, herself. Not that Angel minded. For Cassandra's part, she was sending her a proud smile, one that Angel managed to return with a small, awkward smile of her own.

Angel still wasn't sure what to do with herself, but luckily, the song didn't last much longer, and after they sang the last words, Mother Giselle spoke back up into the quiet night, speaking to Angel. "You are a sign of hope. That is more important than you realize."

Angel simply watched as she walked away. Still in shock, she didn't realize Solas walk up behind her. "A word?" he asked.

Angel followed him a little ways outside of the camp. "You're not going to start singing, too, are you?"

Solas grinned. "I'm afraid I don't know any songs worth singing," he said mirthfully, before becoming serious. "The orb that Coryphues carried – the power he used against you. It is elven. He used the orb to open the Breach, and unlocking it must have caused the explosion that destroyed the conclave. I don't understand how Corypheus survived… as well as I don't know how people will react once they find out the orb's origin."

Angel nodded in understanding. "Elves might be an easy target to blame," she said.

"Edric shared the same sentiment," Solas said. "But as I told him, there are steps we can take to prevent such a distraction. By attacking the Inquisition, Corypheus has changed it. Changed you, and Edric. Scout to the north," he continued. "Be their guide."

"Why?" Angel asked. "What's to the north?"

"There is a place," Solas answered. "That waits for a force to hold it."

"How do you know this?"

"I've… travelled a lot in my studies," Solas replied.

Angel nodded in understanding again. "Then we'll do as you say."

XX

After Angel and Edric had been rescued, Edric's leg healed quickly with the help of some healing potions, and after it had healed completely, they began scouting to the north, as Solas had told them.

Eventually they found a mighty fortress in the mountains.

"Skyhold," Solas called it.

"I have to admit, that's… pretty impressive," Angel said.

"It's perfect for the Inquisition," Edric said.

XX

After Edric had looked around Skyhold as best he could, he found himself back at the gates. Not too far away he could see the Inquisition's advisors as well as Cassandra and Angel, and Cassandra waved him over.

As he walked over, the advisors disbanded, and Edric got the distinct feeling that he was missing out on something.

Angel motioned to the gates where people and supplies kept pouring in. "More people are showing up every day," she said. "From every region, apparently."

"Skyhold is becoming a pilgrimage," Cassandra added. "Come, follow me."

Edric only looked on confusedly for a moment, glancing at Angel, who was just wearing an irritating grin. She merely motioned for him to follow Cassandra as she had asked.

"If word has reached these people," Cassandra continued, leading him away. "It will have reached Corypheus. We have the means to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond what we anticipated. But now we know what allowed you to stand against him, and what drew him to you."

"The mark, you mean," Edric said.

"Angel said the same thing," Cassandra said, almost rolling her eyes. "And the anchor has power, but it's not why you're still standing here. The same could be said of both of you. Your decisions let us heal the sky. Your determination brought us out of Haven," she said, and began leading him up the staircase to the throne room. "You are his rival because of what you did. And we know it—all of us."

Edric was surprised to see Leliana in the middle of the staircase, holding a massive sword in offering. He looked on confusedly once more, turning to Angel for a second. She was just still grinning. He looked down into the courtyard to see people gathering around and looking up at them.

"The Inquisition requires a leader," Cassandra continued. "The one who has already been leading it. You."

Edric's eyes grew wide. "Me?" He asked. "Are you serious? What about Angel—she's just as culpable."

"Way to make it sound like we did something wrong," Angel said. "And we already talked about it. Technically, you'll be the Inquisitor and I'll be your Right Hand, I guess… but mostly we're still equals."

"You're assuming I want the title," Edric said. "Why can't you be the Inquisitor and I'll be your Right Hand?"

Angel snorted. "It just makes more sense."

Edric only grunted. He wasn't sure if he liked this, but at the same time he knew that the Inquisition needed a leader.

He sighed. "Then I… I don't know what to say."

"Say that you won't make me regret this," Cassandra said.

"Well, if you're not sure, then why do it?"

"Because I believe that this was meant to be. That without you, or Angel, there would be no Inquisition."

Edric was thoughtful for a moment, before he finally picked up the sword that Leliana had been offering. He studied it before he continued. "Corypheus will never let us live in peace," he said. "He made that clear. If he truly intends to rule over us all… he must be stopped."

"Wherever you lead us," Cassandra said, before looking down at the people who had gathered in the courtyard. "Have our people been told?" She shouted down.

"They have," Josephine answered from down below. "And soon, the world."

"Commander, will they follow?"

"Inquisition!" Cullen shouted to the group, riling them up. "Will you follow?" The question was answered by a flurry of shouts of approval. "Your leader, you're Herald… your Inquisitor!"

The crowd only kept going, and he looked down to see Josephine cheering on with the rest. He smiled at that.

XX

The Inquisitor and his advisors, as well as Angel, opened the massive door to the main throne room.

Inside was only ruin, with holes in the walls and ceiling, and rubble all over the floor.

"Where do we start?" Angel asked.

"Someone out there must know something about Corypheus," Edric said.

"Most people don't even believe he exists," Cullen said.

"We do have an advantage, though," Leliana added. "We know what he plans to do next. In that future you experienced, Empress Celene was assassinated."

"Imagine the chaos it would cause… with his army…"

"An army of demons, don't forget that part," Angel helpfully added.

"Corypheus would be able to conquer all of southern Thedas, god or no god."

Edric sighed. "Which is why I was saying we must find someone who knows something about him."

"Uh, actually…" they heard Varric say from the door. "I might know someone who can help with that," his usual grin in place. "Everyone acting all inspirational jogged my memory, and I sent a letter to an old friend. He's crossed paths with Corypheus before, and may know more about what's he's doing. He can help."

"Okay," Angel said. "Is he here?"

Varric suddenly looked hesistant. "Well, parading around might cause a bit of a fuss," he said. "It might be better to meet privately."

Angel caught Josephine and Leliana sharing a look, and Leliana was almost smirking.

"Well, then," Josephine said in a small sigh as Varric walked away. "We stand ready on both fronts."

"I do know one thing, if Varric brought who I think he has, Cassandra is going to kill him," Leliana said, and she was most definitely smirking.

A/N: Sorry, I know this chapter is somewhat short, and probably quick-paced. I'm going to upload the next chapter in the next couple of days. Thanks for reading! :)