Haven – Sisters

Samantha POV

"So, who is this Lucina girl, Cassandra?" It took her a couple of seconds to try to figure out why Bull would be asking. He hadn't met her yet.

"Samantha's sister," she answered. They were hiking, the last part of the journey back. "She adores her."

"Obviously." He fell silent for a bit. "That's a weakness."

"Hmm?"

"She's this shaken just by a mention she didn't know something. That's a weakness."

"Siblings are not-!"

"She doesn't have to be. But right now, she is. This Lucina is the weakness for your Herald. And don't think someone isn't going to exploit that." She refused to answer, but she did keep it in mind. She knew the pain of losing a sibling. She would not let Samantha or Lucina suffer it too, if she could help it. "It's damn cold."

"Wear a damn shirt."

I waved to the soldiers as we passed, but didn't stop as I made my way to the war room. Kost and Cassandra were at my side. Bull had decided to check in with the Chargers. Some agents ran ahead of us, likely to gather everyone. Honestly, I should probably have taken a break, but we needed to do this. I wanted to do this now before the pain knocked me out. I hated the Breach. I hated it so much.

"We need to rescue the mages from the Magister." Everyone gathered in the War Room. Deidre had blood on her hands, hastily scrubbed, hinting she'd been cleaning some meat. Lucina had herbs smeared in her hair; she must've been making potions. Cullen, Josephine, and Leliana were reading things. I guessed they were reports. "And we need to do it quickly."

"We don't have the manpower to take the castle," Cullen immediately pointed out. He looked annoyed as he set the report to the side. "Either we find another way or give up this nonsense and get templar help."

"Nonsense would be to go after the templars when the mages need help!"

"I agree," Leliana grumbled. She scowled, looking annoyed, her report dangling from her fingertips. "A tevinter magister controls Redclife, invites us to the castle to take, and some of us want to do nothing."

"Oh, not this again," Josephine groaned, shaking her head. She was actually scowling. "Leliana, please, you are not help-"

"Redclife Castle is one of the most defensible fortresses in Fereldan," Cullen growled, facing Leliana. "It has repelled thousands of assaults. I will not send the soldiers to die in a worthless battle." He glared. "If Samantha goes there, she will die, and takes the only hope of closing these rifts with her. I cannot accept that."

"And if we do not even try to meet Alexius, we lose the mages and leave a hostile foreign power on our doorstep!" Leliana snapped back. I had a headache. Everything was too tense. I couldn't breath. I… I wasn't back there. My mother was dead. I wasn't there. I was safe here. Right? Right.

"Forgetting all of that…!" Josephine cut in, voice strong. She was definitely glowering. I shook my head and tried to focus on my breathing. If I breathed slow and deep, I could calm down. I needed to calm down. "An 'Orlesian' Inquisition's army, and we are viewed as more Orelsian than Fereldan, marching into Fereldan would provoke a war. Another one." Oh. I hadn't… even thought about that…

"But the magister…!" Cassandra began. She was tense enough to shake. "We cannot leave him here!"

"He's outplayed us. Our hands are tied."

"It's not over until the last card is drawn," I snapped. Everything was too heavy. I couldn't breath. Maybe we should take a break. I needed a break. My mind was flashing back, dragging up memories. But, if we didn't decide this now…! "There must be something!"

"Might I speak?" Lucina's calm voice was barely heard. It took a couple of seconds for everyone to even realize she spoke. "I am simply curious," she murmured, tapping her cheek in thought. "Why do we not go to the templars?" What?! "It strikes me as odd that there is trouble with the mages now, and that someone would go to such lengths to attack Samantha. We should go and check in on the templars too, in case something is wrong there."

"The only thing wrong with the templars is their over-zealousness and poor leadership!" And here I was, yelling at Lucina, for no good reason. I was more like my mother than I ever wanted to admit. "They made their beds!"

"…Okay, I am done." Huh? "Shut up, Samantha." …Wha…? "This is now ridiculous. I held my tongue before, but I refuse to do so any longer!" She was yelling. I could only stare in shock. She had never… "There is trouble if we recruit the rebels. There is trouble if we recruit the templars. But more to the point, and something that everyone seems to be ignoring, is that this magister warped time to get to Samantha!" Lucina was gesturing sharply, emphasizing her words. "I am tired of listening to you all arguing around and around, being completely illogical and idiotic! I am even more tired of you all fighting the Mage-Templar war here in lower scale!" I… wait, did it seem that way? Was I..? I didn't think I was, but… "Magister Alexius, who is a powerful mage based on the papers I have read, wants Samantha. The only reason for this would be if he was working for the same person who opened the Breach!" …I… oh. I had gotten so focused on the present. I had forgotten… about the long term goal… "We cannot ignore the possibility that this enemy is working on recruiting the templars as well!" I…

"Lucina is right." Kost's words cracked through the sudden silence. He leaned forward, face stoic and calm. But his eyes blazed in quiet anger. "I cannot believe you all didn't even think to bring this up," he stated, bluntly, words biting and clipped. "Were you so focused in choosing one or the other? A fine way to honor the ideas of Divine Justinia, by continuing the mentalities that led to the Mage-Templar War." I had no reply. I honestly didn't. "Here is my proposal. Recruit both." What? "We cannot ignore Magister Alexius. But we cannot dismiss the idea that the templars are not in danger. Ignoring that possibility can lead to us having one of the strongest armies in Thedas bearing down on our doorstep." He glared. "Of course, we can dismiss this as 'pure speculation'. Certainly, some of our number did that when it was suggested the templars could help us." It didn't escape me that he leveled that glare at Leliana. I thought I saw her flinch. "So, we get both." Uh…

"We will need considerable influence to approach the templars." And there was Josephine, already scribbling on her board. "We can ally with the noblest houses of Orlais, and make them listen," she explained. She was already thinking on it. She was already coming up with a plan. I could only stare in shock. "The only trouble is how quickly we must move."

"We have Madame Vivienne," Lucina immediately pointed out. Her arms were crossed, and she was frowning in thought. I felt like I was trapped in a whirlwind. "We have her." This was true. "Varric has contacts all over as well. Maybe he knows some people who can pull strings." That could be true. "We also have the Trevelyan name. There are Trevelyans all over Thedas." That was definitely true. We even had relatives in Nevarra and the Imperium. "We use them. I'm sure we can get what's needed."

"And while you do that, I will assist with dealing with Magister Alexius," Kost said. His words still held a distinct growl to them. "As I said, at this point, it's far too dangerous to leave him alone. We will get both mages and templars as our allies, and we'll see how willing they are to go back to killing each other after working together." He bowed suddenly. "Excuse me. Before I truly lose my temper." Aha… ha…

"I shall leave with you, Kost. I wish to tell Madame Vivienne and Varric direcly that we shall need their aid." Without even pretending to wait for a protest, the two left, and I could only stare after them in shock. What just…?

"Anyone else think they should've said something sooner?" Deidre deadpanned. She drummed her fingers on the table, looking annoyed. "Clearly, this is something that they've been sitting on for a bit, yeah? Poor of them to not speak up. But I guess yelling at them for sitting on their asses and smiling while they were mentally screaming will have to wait." She looked at me. "Can't say I quite agree with their timing or wording, but I will third their message. There is merit to going after both."

"…Yes, there is," I whispered. I felt shaken. Lucina and I had never argued. Ever. We didn't because every time Mother yelled, someone would get hurt and… "So, I suppose we just… go with that plan for the templars…" I needed to lie down. I needed to get out of here and lie down. "What's the plan for Redcliffe?"

"We don't have one," Cullen reminded. I nearly groaned. "We had established our hands were tied."

"Right, we need another way inside." There had to be secret passages. It was a castle! They always had them!

"…Actually, I know a way," Leliana murmured. She was frowning in thought. "A secret passage, hidden in the windmill. We used it during the Blight." Oh? Oh, that's right. The Heroes of the Blight had saved Redcliffe from… something I couldn't remember right now. "A small group can go through easily."

"We're dealing with a magister," Cullen countered. This time, though, everything was nice and calm. "In the Circles, one couldn't ever sneak around without the First Enchanter knowing. I've no doubts he's got something similar."

"Yes, so we need a distraction. Perhaps the envoy Alexius wants so badly?" …Was I to be bait, then? Was I to have no say in that?!

"Keep attention on Samantha while we disable the defenses…" Cullen nodded, crossing his arms. "It's a gamble, but… its one we might actually win." Yep, this was being decided without my input.

"Of course you will!" …Wait, I knew this voice. "You will have my help." I turned as the doors opened and I watched Dorian waltz in like he owned the place. "Hello again," he greeted, bowing to me. It didn't escape me that both Cullen and Leliana had reached for knives. "I met Kost on the way. He directed me here. Seemed rather annoyed by something." Ahaha… ha… "Dorian Pavus, my good sir and madams." He smiled charmingly. "Your spies will never get past Alexius's magic without my help. You don't know the spells he'll use."

"I assume they will be spells that are uncommon outside Tevinter?" I asked softly. He nodded. "Very well. Leliana, I will vouch for him. Let him lead your agents through."

"Then you are certain you want to do this?" Cullen asked. I blinked slowly, not quite sure what he was getting at. "This plan puts you in the most danger. We can't, in good conscience, order you to do that." Oh. I was getting a choice. And, despite my earlier mental protest, I was way too tired, and pained, to deal with this.

"Let's do it." I sighed. "Who's coming with me? I know Kost and Dorian are."

"I would recommend Blackwall, Solas, Varric, and Bull," Leliana noted. I just nodded, not even questioning. "Deidre, do you mind going with Lucina to the templars? I am assuming she will be going directly, at least."

"Yeah, not a problem," Deidre replied. She stretched her arms above her head. "Now, how about we break up for further discussion later? Samantha's being too stubborn to admit she's about to fall asleep on her feet." I was not! "Or faint!" I…wasn't… I was just falling into a bad mental place, that area of my head clawed out by my mother…

"Of course." Leliana smiled softly at me. I tried to smile back, but I had to focus more on not shaking. My mother was dead. There wouldn't be… "Go rest. Dorian, if I can borrow you?"

I didn't even bother protesting. I waved and mumbled some form of goodbye and went to… to find someone to tell me where I was sleeping, because I hadn't stayed one full night here since I first tried to close the Breach.

I hated everything.

"Ugh…" I groaned, rolling over. I couldn't sleep. Despite being absolute exhausted, I couldn't sleep. My head was a mess. I was in horrendous pain, the worst since I attempted to close the Breach. Did Madame de Fer's pain medicine have a sleeping component? Could I just knock myself out?

A gentle knock drew me out of my thoughts. I made some noise of acknowledgement, and it opened to reveal Lucina. "I brought you some tea," she explained, holding up a mug. I pushed myself up and waved her inside. She carefully shut the door behind her before sitting on my bed next to me. "Here." The mug was comfortably warm, and I smiled as I sipped. It had milk and honey in it. "It has passion flower and turmeric in it." Hmm? "Passion flower is good for exhaustion, and tumeric is good for pain." Oh, Lucina…

"Many thanks." I sipped it slowly, smiling. "Did you serious wake up in the middle of the night to make me tea?"

"Well, I was heading to bed and then decided to do so." What was she doing up so late? Was she checking on soldiers? "You never sleep well when there are arguments." …No. I never did. It was a carry-over from my childhood. I had always been so scared after hearing arguments. I had hidden under my bed, in my closet, hoping beyond hopes that Mother wouldn't come in and scream. She always screamed at me. "You have also been horribly exhausted, and I was certain you were in pain."

"I have the sweetest sister." I smiled warmly, but it faltered when I saw how she fidgeted. "What's wrong?"

"W-well…" She hesitated before blurting, "I'm sorry." …Did she spike my tea again or something? "Earlier, in the war room, I… I snapped. I'm sorry." Oh. That.

"It's fine." I waved it off. "You got frustrated because it seemed like none of us were concentrating on the 'right' thing." I wouldn't deny I was still reeling a bit. But, we could talk about that later, hopefully with Michalis and Jakob nearby to help keep things calm.

"…Yes…" She sighed, drooping. "I am so sorry. It did not help that when you mentioned the templars… well, I thought of Michalis and Jakob…" Mmm, they'd be fine. They always were. But she was always a fretter. "Ah, I need to apologize to the others too."

"Deidre is ready to kick both of your asses for sitting on your thoughts, by the way. I'm warning Kost in the morning." I looked at her. "Why not mention something sooner? I… heard in Redcliffe about how you didn't like the rebellion."

"No, I don't. But I… I can't talk about it." She was drooping more and more. "Please don't make me?"

"Of course not." I stroked her hair gently, like how Father would when we had a nightmare. It was all I could think of. "But, still, why not say something sooner? You've clearly been thinking about it."

"…I did not think I would be heard." Her voice was tiny. "I am just your little sister. I am just a poor excuse for a healer." Lucina… "I do not even know why they insist I am there."

"…I think it's because Cassandra thought you had a different view." I flopped onto my back, staring at the ceiling. "Leliana is a spymaster, Cullen is a soldier-templar, Josephine is a diplomat. All four have different ways of thinking. But you are a mage. You are a Circle mage, and you approach magic from a logical viewpoint. You are also a healer, and a good one." I prodded her cheek, laughing as she squeaked. "That gives you two unique viewpoints. Deidre is Dalish, and she doesn't believe in the Chantry. She's snappy and mean, but no one can deny she has an upbringing completely different from the rest of us." But I still hadn't forgiven her 'princess' comment. "Kost is a mercenary. He might be a mage too, but he defines himself as a mercenary. Until the Chargers joined in, there had been no one else with his viewpoint." Honestly, there probably still wasn't. "He's a qunari mercenary, who had never been part of the Qun." Bull still was. "Cassandra is the currently leader, if unofficially, of the Inquisition. She's purposely making a council where different views are brought up. And you proved her right today."

"I could have done it better. Instead, I simply snapped like a child."

"Then do so next time." I rolled onto my stomach and playfully tugged her sleeve. "Hey, you and I haven't had any sister time. I don't know about you, but I need it."

"…I think I need it too." She smiled warmly. "Let me go fetch a change of clothes. I can stay the night here, yeah?"

"Of course." It would be like before, when she was in the Circle. We would stay up late gossiping and laughing, bothering the servants. "However long I manage to stay awake. You didn't spike my tea, right?"

."No, I didn't this time." She giggled and ducked under the pillow I threw. "I shall be right back!"

"Okay!" Still, she paused in the doorway. "I love you, Samantha."

"I love you too, my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister."

"You're still my favorite." She laughed, and I joined in. Yes, I needed this so bad. "See you soon."

Author's Note: Tada~ Like I did in Champion's Tale with Bethany and Carver, I will be doing both the mage and templar routes. I do this for a single reason: I think it is wasted potential and, frankly, stupid that you couldn't. Yes, yes, replay value, but still. Mages and templars! Let's continue to pick sides, and doom one side to annihilation! (This is speaking from a writing perspective, not a character. The characters don't necessarily know what's to come. I'm calling it a poor writing decision.)
Also, not gonna lie, I love Leliana, but I did find it stupid and horribly biased on Leliana's part to dismiss the templars' aid because of 'pure speculation' when it was also just 'pure speculation' that throwing more magic at the Mark and Breach wouldn't just blow them up. Kost was perfect for calling her out.

Next Chapter – Champions of the Just with Lucina