Vivienne does indeed end up becoming the next Divine. She chooses the name Victoria, and immediately re-instates the Circles. But these are like no Circles Thedas has seen before. Attendance is still mandatory, beginning with the child's first expression of magic. They are still required to stay in the Circle, learning from the senior Enchanter and their staff. Security is still provided by Templars, a Harrowing is still required for graduation. But this is where the similarities end. No longer a jail, the students are allowed - even encouraged! - to go home during all major holidays, family events and (for farmers) during the harvest season to help with the collection of foods. Once the mage has passed their Harrowing, they are allowed to leave, with the caveat that they show up at any Circle once every year to prove that they still retain their own minds and are not possessed. Divine Victoria initially faced a lot of objections to her new Circle set up, but those settled quickly as the number of mages in the Circles swelled. Parents were no longer frightened of losing their children, apostates no longer feared losing their freedom. The instances of possession and blood magic dropped dramatically, as mages no longer felt pressed to extremes.
Cullen works with the remaining Templars, helping each of them slowly worth their way through their lyrium addictions. It takes him the better part of twenty years, and fifteen percent of the Templars cannot handle the withdrawals and either begin using again, or take their own lives. But progress is made, and many Templars are freed from the control of the glowing blue liquid. New Templars are taught the techniques, but not offered lyrium. They are less effective this way, and so there are more Templars than ever in the Circles. But they are less jailors and more security for the rowdy young students who scamper through the halls. They are called upon often to use their ability to suppress magic when teenage hormones hold sway. But the only fear is of detention, not death.
Cassandra rebuilds the Seekers of Truth. This time with honesty and duty as the backbone of the society. As before, initiates are put through the Trial. But this time, they are fully aware that they are going to be made tranquil for a few brief moments. Once the Seekers are numerous enough, they begin to search for the tranquil. One person at a time, they reverse the cruelty done to these individuals. Therapy is in place, to help them adjust to the presence of emotion again. For the select few who had asked for their tranquility, they are left that way, since it was their desire. These individuals are given jobs in the therapist's clinic, and are well-treated.
Dorian, The Iron Bull, and the Chargers go to Tevinter. The Iron Bull and the Chargers act as Dorian's body guards as he changes Tevinter society from the inside. It takes him the rest of his life, but the second-happiest moment in his life is when the Council completely and formally abolishes slavery. He is an old man, his hair a snowy white, but he smiles with the vigor of a man in his twenties. His happiest moment? When The Iron Bull had finally agreed to marry him.
The Iron Bull spends his time in Tevinter defending Dorian and setting up a network of spies to help his lover gain much-needed information. It is through this network that he gains the information he needs to stop each and every assassination attempt on Dorian's life. Of which there are many. He may have been reluctant to marry Dorian, but only because of the political implications. He never regrets the decision.
Sera goes to Tevinter as well, though she never stays long in any one place. She brings the Red Jennies with her, and works as invaluable support to Dorian. She feeds him information about which slaver is cruel, which is kind. Which masters are well-liked by their slaves...and who secretly wants to abolish slavery.
Cole returns to the fade. But even so, he keeps a sharp eye on his friends, often stopping by to say hello. The only ones he does not visit is Solas and Ellana. Because they go see him.
Varric returns to Kirkwall. When he is not feverishly working to aid the reconstruction, he is writing his newest historical document: "The Inquisition: shit gets weird". He talks about Corypheus and the red lyrium. His pet dragon (though not the connection between the two) and the Breach. He even talks about the Inquisitor riding into battle upon the back of Fen'Harel. Solas is nothing but a mystic, his greatest strength his love for the Inquisitor. Ellana and Solas like it that way.
Fenris and Hawke return to Kirkwall as heroes once more. They move back into Hawke's home in High Town and work with Varric on the reconstruction. They have three children. A set of twins, a boy and girl, who are completely devoted to their older sister. All three of them are mages. Hawke personally takes them to the newly-created circle in Kirkwall, and welcomes them back each holiday with a lavish party. Fenris growls at anyone who looks wrongly at his children, and loves them with a fierce protectiveness.
Blackwall is knighted for his actions during the final battle by the King of Orlais. Newly noble, he immediately proposes to Josephine. She accepts, he takes her name.
Josephine marries Blackwall in on the most beautiful and quickly-planned weddings ever seen. Every detail is sublime, and it comes together in a single month. It is talked about for years. The only thing more impressive is the determination with which she raises the name of Montilyet once again.
The Warden returns from his travels around the world, and heads immediately for Skyhold and the Nightingale. His news is of the best sort: he has managed to free himself from the blight. He asks for her hand in marriage.
Leliana is rumored to have married the Warden, but no one knows for sure - she keeps her secrets close to her chest. All that is known is that he arrives and speaks to her, the two of them go to the Inquisitor, and then are never seen again. One hopes that they are happy.
Morrigan and Kieran work on the eluvians as promised. For five long years she works diligently, with nary a complaint. Then, she and her son disappear into the crossroads one day, and are never seen again.
The Inquisition stays in place for many more years, supporting those made homeless by the war with Corypheus. It also provides money and supplies for the construction of Enlia'sileal. But it slowly loses power as all the members of the inner circle leave for their own personal adventures. After twenty years, the Inquisition is a defunct congregation of a few dozen individuals, and is formally disbanded.
Feynriel leaves the Inquisition immediately after the final battle. He goes to the Dalish clans that saw Fen'Harel, and speaks to them. For months, he travels from clan to clan, telling his tale. How he interrupted Fen'Harel with his lover in the fade, but was not punished. How Fen'Harel treated him with kindness, trained him in his abilities as a Dream Walker. And most especially how Fen'Harel had come to his aid, when he'd been captured. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Dalish come to believe.
Ellana stays with the Inquisition at first. But slowly her attention shifts to Enlia'sileal, and it is this inattention that allows the Inquisition to crumble. She is not concerned. Once the Inquisition is gone, she moves to Enlia'sileal, and oversees its construction. It is the work of several lifetimes to build the city - cities - into the culture of freedom and equality that she wants. But she has the time to spare, now.
Fen'Harel stays with the Inquisition for the first five years. But once Morrigan disappears, he leaves to complete her unfinished work. He returns to Ellana as often as he can, but there are thousands of eluvians to be repaired. By the time she has moved to Enlia'sileal, he has completed his mission. By this point, most of the Dalish have come to the city as well, and he is greeted by the people with a cautious welcome.
Enlia'sileal is completed within twenty years, but it takes many more for the society to settle down. It is ruled jointly by Ellana and Fen'Harel for most of that time. But they slowly lay down their burdens, allowing others to take them up. The transfer of power takes a dozen years, and it is done without any upset. Once free of their burdens, the couple disappears quietly into the night. They are missed, but the society is strong without them.
The couple approached the city with hoods down and heads held high. It had been a long time since they'd been here, and they looked around with eager eyes to see what had become of the place.
It had changed dramatically - and only for the better.
The trees they had planted so many years ago were behemoths now, bearing the weight of a city in their branches. What had once been dirt paths between them was now fine cobblestone roads, swept clean by magic and muscle. And the elves that had crept into its walls in the night now strode through with pride a mantle across their shoulders.
The dominant race was that of the elves, though there was no shortage of human and dwarven citizens. Even the qunari had a presence - and one that grew as the tal-vashoth gave up their marauding ways to begin again in the City of Wisdom. Trees spiraled into the sky, ramps like crystal twining around their trunks.
They came to the base of the largest, and passed through a checkpoint protected by gentle but sharp-eyed guards who gave directions as easily as they broke up an argument between two merchants. The squabblers were both denied entrance, much to the delight of the couple.
They passed through the archway and began the long trek up the spiral staircase, heckled by merchants in stalls nearly the whole way. The ones at the bottom were the essence of tourist traps, selling samples of branches and leaves, promising good health from teas brewed from the bark. But as they ascended, the merchants became more sophisticated, more cunning; their wares no longer made up of souvenirs, but more useful items like bolts of cloth or potions for rejuvenation.
The couple ignored them all, content to wander up the path hand-in-hand, sharing small smiles of joy at the things they saw.
They came to the top, shared a quiet whisper, and turned together to explore the city. An urchin, bright-eyed and well-fed, approached them with a hopeful look. "You need a guide, messers? I'll take you around the whole city for five gold, and not just to the well-known places, either! I know all the spots the locals eat, small cafes where you can find the best live music, I even know a back-entrance to the gardens of Fen'Harel - you can get in for free!"
The woman threw her head back, laugher bright as birdsong upon the air. "Those are some bold claims for one so young!" she said with a smile. "For five gold you had better deliver!"
The man huffed, but it was a sound full of love, and he dug deft fingers into the pouch stitched into his belt. "Three gold now," he told the child, dropping them - one, two, three - into the boy's eager hands. "The last two when you return us here, safe from the guards in the garden."
The coins disappeared before the couple could blink. "You have a deal, messer!"
The couple shared an amused glance, then followed in the boys wake, his happy chatter washing over them. He was quite the tour guide after all, knowledgeable about the origin of this building or that fountain, spouting off names and histories with practiced ease. They followed, absorbing it all, shoulders bumping playfully together.
"...and this is where the Great Wolf and his mate the goddess Lavellan fell in love!"
"Pardon me?" the woman asked, interrupting the boy for the first time.
He turned towards the couple, eager to expound. "The Great Wolf, Fen'Harel, and his wife the goddess Lavellan fell in love here, or so the stories say."
"Is that so?" The man asked, voice carefully neutral. With just a touch of amusement.
"Yes," the urchin nodded eagerly. "She was mortal once, building the land here for the People. But so great was her grace and beauty, that she drew the Great Wolf from the Beyond. She called to him, and he came. She reached out her hand to him, and he touched her with his magic. He loved her instantly, you see, and gave her some of his immortality, so that she might live by his side forever."
"What a wonderful thing to have done, for the woman he loved," the man said, putting his arm around the woman's waist and pulled her into his side in a move so natural he might have done it a million times. "She must have been a unique soul to have drawn his attention from the fade."
"She was!" the urchin chirped, unconcerned with the way the woman's face was slowly turning red. "She was a queen, in the days before the elves earned their freedom, ruling over a group of humans and dwarves who saw how special she was and made her their ruler."
"My, my. How extraordinary she was," the man said, nuzzling his nose against the woman's cheek before dropping a light kiss upon the skin there.
"Yes, I'm sure Lavellan was a very remarkable person," the woman said, pulling away from the man and clearing her throat awkwardly.
He watched her go with a mischievous smirk, and she threw him a nasty look - but it lacked any sort of heat.
"Where's our next stop?" she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
"Shall we go to the gardens?" the man asked, offering his hand to the woman.
"The gardens," she said, taking his hand with a smile.
The boy leapt forward, leading the couple away, resuming his tour of the city.
The boy was really very good, sneaking them through a gap in the defensive wall around the garden.
"Mmm, terrible workmanship," the woman said, pausing on the makeshift threshold to inspect the mortar between the stonework.
"Come now, vhenan," the man chided gently. "We don't want to get the lad in trouble, do we?"
The woman started guiltily, then strode quickly to meet up with man and youth who were waiting for her several feet away.
"Sorry, sorry," she said, with a guilty smile. "I guess I got more into architecture than I thought."
"Better you than me," the man laughed, "you know I have no head for it."
"No, you never have!" she chuckled.
They were inside the gardens proper, and there was an absolutely stunning variety of flowers and shrubs on display. Here and there, dotted about to provide interest and shade, great trees rose from the grass, the walkways curving gracefully around them. Beyond, the immense branches of the anelio tree hovered above it all.
"It really is amazing what they've managed to do," the woman murmured to the man as they walked leisurely arm-in-arm.
"My dream," the man agreed, his eyes sparkling with joy.
It had taken so much longer than he'd ever expected. Thousands and thousands of years. But this was finally the world he had expected to wake to that very first time. They had done this half a dozen times, now. Sleeping when they tired of the world, then waking to see the world with new eyes.
"Over here!"
The couple turned and saw the urchin waving to them from the shadowed insides of one of the small houses dotted around the garden. They approached him at a slow amble, teasing him with their slow pace. He scowled, and gestured for them to move faster.
When they finally came close enough, he spoke to them in an excited whisper, "look what I found!"
He turned and pointed behind him. When the couple saw what had excited him so, the breath caught in their throats.
"At last!" the woman said, fairly sparking with excitement. "I didn't think it still existed!"
She released her hold on her companion and danced forward, almost pressing up against the glass in eagerness. Before her, behind a rope barrier and encased in a cube of charmed glass, was the staff of the Inquisitor. The woman who had earned the love of a god and been raised to divinity.
It was hers.
The man let out a satisfied grunt, and the woman turned to look for him. He wasn't where she'd left him, and she ended up tilting to the side to peer around the edge of the glass to see him where he stood studying something.
"Did you see these?" he asked her without turning around. "They're here, too."
The woman abandoned the staff and trotted up to the man. Before him, inside their own rope/glass enclosure, was six wooden orbs, each with intricate designs carved into their surface.
"Ooh," the woman cooed, stroking the glass appreciatively.
They shared a look of impish glee.
"Shall we?" the man asked, not bothering to hide his grin.
"Lets!"
They turned as one to face the staff. The man stepped forward, and the woman put her hands on his shoulders. Bracing him, and offering him her support. One hand came up, and he curled his fingers, as if grasping something. Then he made a wrenching, twisting motion, and the glass shattered. There was an invisible barrier that protected them from the shards, and they all fell harmlessly to the floor.
The boy yelped in alarm.
"It's okay," the woman soothed. "I'm just taking it back."
She stepped forward, around her husband, and reached out with her left hand. Purple energy flared into existence, warning her off. Green magic sparked from her hand in response, and her hand seemed to vanish into the flair of energy. It reappeared next to the staff, disembodied but still moving. It clasped the staff, which accepted her touch where it had rejected all others, and she pulled. The hand - and staff - vanished into a wall of green light, only to reappear at the end of her arm, properly joined without hint of scar.
"How did you…?" the boy asked in a hushed whisper.
The man turned just his head towards the urchin, and drooped one eyelid at him in a slow, sly wink. "Magic."
The urchin scoffed at the obvious answer, but before he could demand an explanation, a dwarf in formal robes of the Great Wolf came barreling out from beyond a curtained doorway. He stumbled to a halt, his eyes wide in panic as he took in the scene before him. Then he turned to look at the man and woman, a slow realization dawning in his eyes.
"M-my lord, my lady!" the dwarf stuttered, falling into an awkward bow. "I am sentinal Darig, if it pleases you."
"No, no!" the woman said, moving towards him and urging him upright with a hand on his shoulder. "No need for all that. I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I just wanted this back," she gestured, rather sheepishly, with the hand that held the staff.
"It is yours!" Darig assured her. "It has always been yours. B-but…" he stuttered, wringing his hands. Then he paused, took a deep breath, and visibly got a hold of himself. "Forgive me. It is just very exciting. I never thought I would live to see the two of you in the flesh!" His eyes grew wide. "Oh! There is so much to do! I must arrange an announcement, your quarters must be prepared - we've kept them clean, of course, but they do get musty without use...and the faithful must be made aware of where to come offer their prayers. We have longed for your return these last thousand years - you will make all your followers very happy!
The man and woman stared at him awkwardly. Then the woman slung the staff onto her back in a move so smooth it required no thought.
"We're only visiting," she told the sentinel.
"You...will not stay?" the dwarf asked, crestfallen.
The gods shared a look.
"We have no desire to rule, or answer prayers from the faithful. We are not even truly gods, just powerful mages…" the man said, but knew even as he spoke that they would not listen. He sighed. It was always this way. He never had managed to discover what Dirthamen had done to remove the immortality from the people, nor what it was about the Anchor that gave it back to Ellana. After so many thousands of years, after entering and leaving uthenara so often...was it any wonder they were gods once more?
"We will not stay here," the woman said. "We have only just awoken and do not yet know this new world."
The dwarf nodded, bowing before his gods, even as he was obviously unhappy with their decree. The divine beings turned to go, but were interrupted by the sentinel once more.
"Please," he said, "may we have some favor? The People have waited for you for so long...is there nothing with which I might prove your return?"
Lavellan smiled. "Why don't you give it to him?" she asked her husband-god.
Fen'Harel paused for the briefest of moments, then turned back towards the sentinel. "This is the orb of dreams," he told the dwarf, placing an intricately carved wooden orb into the man's hands.
The sentinel gasped and cradled it gently, casting a glance over his shoulder at the six lined up behind him.
Fen'Harel smirked. "Did you think I could not make another?"
Ellana and Solas stepped from the gardens, trying their hardest to look like regal beings and not the giggling adolescents they felt like.
"I can't believe we did that!" she choked out a gasp when she could hold it in no longer. "And it worked!"
"I told you it would," Solas said smugly.
Ellana huffed. "Yes, yes, all right. The wards were ridiculously easy to break. I thought for sure they would have strengthened them after all this time."
Solas pulled her close with one arm around her waist. "Why would they improve upon the wards laid down by the gods?" He swept his free arm out across the city glittering before them, ignoring the way she rolled her eyes at his words.. "Shall we explore this new world before us?" he asked his wife.
The look she gave him was wicked, and made his heart race.
"I don't know. Is the Wolf worthy of walking at the side of his goddess?" she teased.
She pulled away, dancing backwards, laughing at him as she kept one step ahead of his grasping fingers.
He growled playfully, took a swipe and missed, both of them laughing freely.
"Come, Wolf," Ellana taunted, crooking two fingers of a hand at him. "Catch me if you can!"
She turned and took of running, slipping through the crowd, leaving behind a trail of laughter. Solas paused for the space of a few heartbeats, giving her a lead before following behind.
"Run, my heart," he whispered into the breeze, knowing it would reach her ears no matter where she went. "For the Wolf is at your heels, and he has your scent."
fin
Author's Note: Well. It has been a true pleasure. Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, left a kudos, or recommended my little story online. It was lots of fun to write, and I am so very pleased at how well it has been received. There will likely not be anymore to this story. Hopefully the epilogue will have left you satisfied. Don't forget to read the next chapter! It's not part of the formal story, just scenes that were cut for various reasons. Not all are 'canon' for this story.
Thank you all for joining me on this journey. It's been a blast. Ta ta for now!
Exia