Damn, you guys :D I got a TON of reviews. We all know why, too. Everyone loved seeing Zevran. I know a while back on Tumblr there was a 'Zevran does Skyhold' thing. I'd been world building for Charmer-verse, and always think about my trash crow baby too, and I'm glad you guys came along with me on that :)
First off, another big thank you to Lee Totem :) I need people to point out my errors -..-' I make so many and most of the time I don't even notice them. So thanks!
Judy ~ I know, right! :D
DarkDust27 ~ *points at you* ….yes. It'll be after we get to Skyhold, but yes. It's gonna happen.
Abbiebubble ~ Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic. You kinda struck on the million dollar question there. What will Amy do? Hm.. I mean, I have a pretty good idea :3
Gwen ~ Oh, I totally understand where you're coming from :| I often lament over the Mary Sue factor, which is the biggest reason why I don't enjoy Modern Girl in Thedas as much. I'm also trying to be…I suppose as focused on this as possible. I still read fanfics, but not as much because I'm trying to channel energy into writing :) lol. So, yeah. I get why you'd want to wait in the wings and see how this would develop. I'm glad you're liking it thus far, and I hope I don't disappoint.
Cbrstrshp ~ I'm so glad you liked it :D I was a little worried, cause I went reeeally off the beaten path with Zevran. But I kinda figured the Zevgirls would be happy as long as he was well loved :)
Ghostly guest ~ …yeah… like, what do you do? Zevran walks into the room and… welp, there go my knees…and my ovaries. I suppose I wasn't really using those :| But, you turn into a gibbering fangirl :3 Because it's Zevran!You just can't help yourself.
Dimwitch ~ Ehm…As a pessimist, I'm actually really surprised this has gotten as much attention as it has. Here, on Ao3 and otherwise. I mean, I'm not very well known for anything. So, having comments and reviews at all is fantastic :) I swear, it's so novel, sometimes I don't even know what to do with myself. I love having you guys around :D
Eurodox59 ~ You know, when it comes to Origins, I'll always love the game because it sparked my love for Thedas….but it'll always leave something to be desired. Especially with Inquisition and how amaze-balls it is with so much content and so many different facets of your companions and such. It's just fantastic. The character development… I feel like, they gave us blueprints, but largely…it's up to us to make our companions into people. We have to really headcanon that, because like you say, it's mostly stereotypes. The blushing English prude, the coquettish french girl, the horny Spaniard…and Morrigan :3 There's so much more to them than that, but you really have to delve for it. I… I felt like there are a million ways all of the characters can develop, but Zevran has the most potential because he's the most open to adapting. So, when I started thinking about where people were, and how the world was, I went waaaaay off the reservation with him. And I'm not unhappy at all. He found two people who he loved as people, and then sex was introduced :3 Put that to the Zevran in Origins, and he'd probably say that was crazy talk. I'm extraordinarily tempted to write a side fic just for when Zevran decided to stop running and settle, and then how his relationship with Isenam and Adhlea :3 Like…I'm gonna be working on this for a while, but I'm jotting down ideas for that too. Because, honestly, I'm 100% down with anything that gives Zev more love.
Mike3207 ~ There is a movie that I watched about a billion times when I was a toddler. And I got to watch it because my parents were of the oblivious belief that all cartoons were safe for children, so I got to hear James Earl Jones voice Ommadon the red wizards while he ranted about spreading his magic via the vices of man. Anyway, in the movie, it's about the world of fantasy and how the four wizards are noticing that their magic is waning, so they get together and the green wizard says it's because Man's belief in magic is waning during the dawning age of science. It gets convoluted and crazy, but the language of the cartoon is just out of this world, and I think that subconsciously that has always been in the back of my brain. Of course, when I got older, I realized that this movie was very loosely based on two completely different books. The movie, btws, is the Flight of Dragons. It's based on an informational book by the same name by Peter Dickinson, and the story draws largely (though not entirely) from George R. Dickson's The Dragon and The George Series. It's fantastic stuff, and even though it's super rare, I hunted it all down as soon as I had a job and ….anyway, that was super rambly and waaaaay off topic, but ..uh…yeah. If I were back home in Louisiana, I'd say that was all lagniappe, and be done with it. But, uh…long story even longer, yeah. You're totally right :)
AnneRee ~ Oh, don't I know about life happening :) I'm just glad you're back and doing ok. I worry about you guys when I don't hear from you. Then I feel like a creepy old weirdo o..o' Meh. Anyway, I tend to speak in a conglomeration of nerdy and obscure quotes, inside jokes, and song lyrics…and I'm afraid that I have bequeathed that to Amy. And I can't think of a better way to describe the workings of theoretical magic to a non-magic user than 'wibbly wobbly' :3 Hope you have time to sit and enjoy the new chapter!
Kuzi ~ Heeeee! Yeah :D A lot of really great things happened in this chapter. Great, great things. We got someone actually trying to help with Amy's…whatever. Magic, life force, entrapment…however. And I love that it's not Solas that's making the breakthroughs on this. Moreso, because I think once you get to the level of expert that Solas is, sometimes you forget how to look at things any other way except the way you usually do. And Siheta's like a breath of fresh air :) and I really wanted Leliana and Zevran to have a bar moment. Like…most of this was because very early on I wanted Leliana and Zev to share a drink. And then I started worldbuilding, and thinking about the possibilities of where everyone was, and then I HAD to have Zevran…because my crow trash baby needs all the love he can get. As for Amy and magic, technically she's been kind of doing magic… but it's been mostly empathy stuff that even she wasn't aware of. It's why Siheta's convinced that our world has magic but it's tied to our creativity and our art and inspirations, because she's noticed that when Amy sings…. People feel things. Unfortunately, she's untrained, and that…can be dangerous. So now, they just have to actually figure out how her magic works, and then dope out how to train her so she can use it… Eventually, I would like to see Amy as a magic user, but I don't think her brand of magic will work the way that Thedas normally views magic. I mean…she's either going to express her magic kinetically or ..she'll be a very different sort of bard :3
Damn. I talk too much. Let's get to the fic!
The wind was something that Amy could sometimes negotiate with…other days, it was always going to be a problem, and it was just better to keep Bax as close as possible.
The man simply projected heat. And it was obviously a conscious effort of some sort, as he did it at varying degrees.
There were some days, however, when the wind would change... The morning had seen wretched winds…but whatever the weather's problem was, it sorted itself out long before noon.
This morning she had kept herself very busy. She'd spoken with Mother Giselle and Flissa. Technically, Flissa and Adan had been working together so closely on this project that Amy didn't even need to consult Adan. Flissa would keep him appraised. It kept people out of his way, and he got to be more of an alchemist and less of a healer… Everyone won.
Mother Giselle reported that, including the 28 mages, the total number of their supporters was now at 48 volunteers (this number included Mother Giselle, Flissa, Adan, and Amy).
"Fan Tas Tic." Amy had said. Initially, she had reasoned that they could make do with whatever numbers they had. Since the initial estimate had only the 28 mages in play, she'd thought groups of two could bring refreshments to the 12 groups of soldiers… But that seemed very unfair.
Two people were going to bring 22 cups and two pitchers to a hardy group of soldiers? Putting herself in the place of the mages, she thought that may seem intimidating. At least, that's the feeling she gleaned from Bax, Macie, Elossa, and Siheta. But if four people did it… that'd be a little better. More balanced and less likely for the volunteers to feel overworked.
Flissa had also reported that she and Adan were fairly certain they had a winning mixture. They'd need a few people to help them taste test it… Amy was certain Mother Giselle's volunteers wouldn't mind helping with that.
She'd also spent some time asking Cullen if there was an emergency procedure in place for soldiers and civilians. He had gotten that far-off pensive look that quickly turned critical. As if he did have a plan, but he was suddenly re-evaluating it and finding flaws.
She'd told him only to keep it in mind, and maybe they could discuss that at a war table meeting.. Or in the tavern. Or something.
If she was being perfectly honest, she hadn't ended the walk-about early because everything had been addressed and was running smoothly.
She'd ended it early because today was the day that Sam's crew came back, and she was anxious to see them. It may be childish, but she'd put herself right in the middle of neutral territory and was eagerly waiting for any sign of them… Like a child on Christmas eve. Also, everything was running smoothly enough.
With the exception of Siheta and Magpie, everyone else had gone off to their respective corners—Wystan with the soldiers and Macie, Bax, and Elossa with the mages.
"So, I saw you talking with that dangerously attractive Antivan yesterday." Magpie said, as if she were tattling on Amy.
Amy smirked. "Josephine not…that bad."
Magpie chuckled. "Oh, har-de-har." She droned. "I meant the elf with the wonderful tattoos."
"Hm." Amy said noncommittally. Magpie simply grinned at her, waiting for more. Amy huffed. "Leliana's friend."
"Like I said. Dangerous." Magpie's eyes were wide with surprise and just a touch of fear.
"Don't like?"
"Leliana? Of course, I do." She said as though she were reading the back of packing instructions. "She's amazing at what she does. Extremely efficient. Is she listening to us right now? Probably. I really love the lady Nightingale. She. Can. Do. No…..Wrong." Magpie's tone did not change, but her expression raced from cheerful, to nervous, and then to worried.
Amy chuckled softly. "She's good."
"Oh sure. Easy for you to say. You're safe because you were touched by Andraste." Magpie grumbled before her face slid into suspicion. "You were, right? Touched by Andraste or whatever?"
"Want me to show on doll?"
"Good one." Magpie relented. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've completely distracted me from talking about the handsome Antivan."
It still warmed Amy when she remembered her brief time with Zevran. And it was in a decidedly 'oh my sweet baby crow' way…not a 'my kingdom for a phallus' sort of way.
They'd managed to talk a bit more. She had gotten the chance to fuss over him while he went on and on about his daughter. Amy desperately wanted to see this baby, but she wasn't about to even suggest it. She knew that the Inquisitions path would be very dangerous, and the last thing she wanted to do was bring Zevran's family into the line of fire. She had given him tidbits of knowledge about which parts of the world would be the least safe and was grateful to learn that his home was in none of those areas.
She'd also managed to glean a few stories about his partners…and for the first time in a long time, she found herself envious of their relationship. Not just because Zevran seemed very loved up, but also because of how much the three seemed to talk to each other. The joke about communication being the most important part of a relationship wasn't actually that much of a joke. It just seemed so healthy. Not perfect, but…they were making it work.
"You've gone all doe-eyed and wistful." Magpie said, sounding just a touch concerned. "He didn't up and break your heart, did he?" there was a dangerous edge in her voice. A 'hunt him down and make him pay' edge, that Amy needed to deflect.
She laughed, one arm tight around her belly while the other covered her mouth. "Silly!" she said, glad to see that tension leave Magpie.
A grin tugged at the edge of her mouth. "Good." She said, letting that hang in the air between the before rushing out with, "Because I'd find him and fuck his shit up."
Amy could only laugh. "Peach." She giggled, swatting at Magpie's shoulder.
The women jumped when a lookout atop one of the larger boulders cried out, "HO! Party coming through the pass!"
They'd been so busy clucking and giggling at each other that they hadn't been paying attention tot he road. It was a long ways off, but there were definitely a group of people now visible at the farthest end of the road.
Amy could barely make out Sam, Cassandra, Solas, and Sera, and she assumed the large group that was behind them were Inquisition scouts and soldiers. She couldn't really tell because the distance made their armor nondescript.
"Walking." Amy grunted in disgust. "Take forever."
Magpie grinned. "You're certainly anxious to have them back." Amy only nodded.
"Now or never." This came from Siheta, whose eyes had gone large and round.
"…What?" Magpie asked.
Amy felt her entire body tense up as her eyes met Siheta's. "Get to her before he gets back." Siheta breathed, dread tinting her words. "It's now or never."
Amy felt herself breathing, deep and even. Felt her muscles tense, her stance lock as she carefully turned to survey the field. She slowly stepped to the edge of the road that separated the mages and neutral space from the field…
Of the many ways that she could defend herself, she knew she was probably most vulnerable to a ranged attack. She wanted to be close to the line of soldiers… to mix in with them a bit, yes, but also to better react to whatever was coming.
She began a slow pace as she glared at the field, drawing a touch of inspiration from Darth Maul (arguably one of the best things to come out of the Phantom Menace).
If they were coming for her right now…she wanted them to feel her seethe.
And then, in a moment when she was still, and the cold was very nearly the only thing she felt, four men in the closest group crouched all as one and leapt from the line towards her.
Spatial awareness was a thing that Amy was very keen on. She knew how much space she would have to draw away, and she knew that it exceeded the space in which they had to make their move.
She immediately began flipping backward, getting a few good turns before planting her feet in a solid stance and screaming as shrilly as she could, bearing her teeth and letting her muscles strain and her eyes bulge. It was a presentation of course. An answer to a threat, equally threatening.
It did its job as well; the men halted for a half second, clearly reevaluating their decisions. This allowed Amy a chance to evaluate them.
That noise, the one that sounded like a sledgehammer on metal, erupted. Siheta let loose a stone fist that sailed into one of the bigger men, heavily armored. Not that it did him much good. The enormous bolder collided with his chest and sent him flailing back. The bigger they are…
"That one's mine." Siheta called out, eyeing the fallen figure as she began to round the group of men.
"What the—"
Magpie's words died as Amy dashed forward, leaping up and wrapping her legs around one of the other men. She sat astride his shoulder, her legs coiled down his chest tightly. He was also heavily armed…but he lacked a helmet.
She reeled back, arching her back backward (which threw him slightly off balance, he was having to compensate as it was to stay upright) before she tensed the muscles of her belly and reeled herself in, jabbing her elbow down against the crown of his skull. She straightened her legs, so that when he crumbled, her feet were planted on the ground. In fact, if the man were not firmly gripped by her thighs, he would have folded like a cheap suit.
That left the final two. Both of them wore leather armor with chain mail beneath.
One of them was very hesitant…as Amy examined him, she could see 'I really don't want to do this' all over his face. She wondered if it was because they'd dropped half of them, or if perhaps he had other reasons for his reservations.
Magpie suddenly materialized, in a move that Amy had seen so many times in the game, it was nearly surreal. It had to be the Shadow Strike. One second she wasn't there, and then she was leaping up right next to him, using her own momentum to knock him off his feet.
Amy blinked at that before looking back to the last man. "Dance?" she practically whispered.
The other man lunged forward. Amy had taken note of the daggers in his hands and made sure to dodge away from him neatly. It was almost like a dance, and though he may be the one attacking, he was not the one leading.
There is a moment when you can see the attack coming, and the opponent actually leaves themselves open. Normally, seeing the attack would give a fighter the chance to defend….but Amy came from another school of thought.
This was to attack before your opponent attacks, while he is gearing up to attack you. He had been raging at her a while, and that took time and precious energy. She struck out once, when he was reeling back to strike her, landing a kick on his main shoulder.
Though it was with the heel of her foot, it wasn't a full strike. But it would still agitate the muscle… and one more hit would dislocate that shoulder. There was a marked difference in his range of motion, and it was obviously hurting him to lift that arm now.
Then out of nowhere, Cullen shield bashed him. He went flying across the road like a stone skipping across a smooth lake before embedding himself in some fluffy powder.
"Gah'dammn." Amy murmured, partially in appreciation and partially in sympathy for that poor bastard.
Amy took short stock of the situation. The man she'd first attacked was out. Just… out. Still. So was the man Siheta was looming over. Magpie had planted herself on her quarry's chest and held a dagger to his throat. He held both of his hands up in surrender, high above his head. And the man that Cullen had dispatched was not moving.
"Is anyone hurt?" Cullen asked, still crouched, his shield and sword ready.
"Except them?" Magpie growled, not getting up from the man she'd sequestered.
"We appear to be unharmed." Siheta murmured. "Shouldn't speak so soon, I suppose, but …their attack appears to have petered out."
Amy couldn't relax yet, and it had very little to do with adrenaline. It was in the lack of cold, and the prickling sensation as the hairs on her body stood up.
She looked up to see the horses had drawn closer. They were very nearly home now, trotting instead of walking. Perhaps they had sensed something was happening as well.
Amy thought of their attack and wondered at what Siheta had said. 'Now or Never'? Why was it important to have her dispatched before Sam returned? Did they think they could possibly survive such an attack? Would they have attacked Sam immediately afterward? What was the thinking?
"Biz are." Amy grunted. She half turned, facing the coming party.
And her breath squeaked out of her half a second later as something pierced her side…or her back or…the pain was radiating out of her left side and down her back.
"Crossbow!" Cullen roared, but Amy was focusing on standing at the moment.
Standing and breathing, because she wasn't sure if she could manage anything else.
With her left hand, she reached along her side, gritting her teeth so she wouldn't whimper as she traced the area of intrusion.
That sledgehammer that signaled a stone fist echoed in her ears.
"Get him! I want him brought here! Do not let him get away!"
Amy was only vaguely aware of Cullen's barked orders as she felt the protrusion of an arrow…it had hit her at an odd angle, because she'd been turning.
If she hadn't been… she would shudder to think of where it would've struck, but that sort of movement would've probably hurt.
As it was, it wasn't entirely embedded in her skin. She could feel the edge of the arrowhead just beside her under-layer and the thick seam of her breastband.
"Amy?" That was Magpie's voice. She sounded so soft and sweet in comparison to what Amy was used to. "Hey, you're ok. We'll just, uh…we'll get you somewhere to—Holy fuck!"
Amy had gripped the shaft of the arrow just near the arrowhead with her right hand(the most limited) and with her left hand(which had the most range), broke off the long length of the shaft.
She took made a deep, grunting noise, clenching her teeth and panting unevenly. She would hold her deep breaths and they would sob out of her clenched teeth.
"Daahh!" Magpie half wailed in panic. "Why the fuck would you DO that!" The frazzled elf wrung her hands, one reaching towards Amy's shoulder, glancing there before drawing back. It was like she wanted to help, to comfort Amy somehow, but was afraid that touching her would only cause more pain.
"S'fine." Amy grunted, still unable to do more than stand there.
"It is not fine!"
Amy let her right arm relax. She couldn't look at her hand now because it was shaking…and covered in blood. The adrenaline was definitely ebbing, replaced with a different type of panic that she needed to quell.
"Amy, you should sing." Siheta was saying.
"What!" Magpie chirped, shrill and shocked.
"Sing and think about the bleeding stopping. Try to focus on that."
Amy closed her eyes. She took a deep, settling breath, reminding herself of the body's functions. Of the necessity of blood to clot, and the process of applying pressure, and how to stop a wound from being critical.
"You'll remember me…" she began softly. "When the west wind moves… upon the fields of barley." She began, still shaky but resilient enough. She may never be the strongest, but she would always be resilient enough. "You'll forget the sun… in his …jealous sky." She took a deep breath. " As we walk in fields of gold."
There was a sensation so out of place, almost as though the tension in her neck were relaxing. It seeped downward as she remembered how to breathe.
"So, she took her love…. For to gaze awhile…upon the fields of barley." She was breathing properly now, and her voice sounded stronger, more like her. "In his arms she fell, as her hair came down… among the fields of gold."
"What is going on here? Why haven't you two moved her yet?" This came from Wystan, who was approaching with his weapon and shield out along with a few other veterans and a couple of their mage friends. Amy could only hear them, their heavy armor rattled fiercely.
"And exactly whose throat am I slitting for this?" This came from a single-minded Sam as he and Solas dismounted their horses nearby. Cassandra quickly followed suite.
"Amy is resistant to healing, but she might be able to help herself." Siheta said.
"Oh?" Solas was now shifting his gaze between Siheta and Amy with equal fascination.
"Will you stay with me, will you be my love, among the fields of barley?" Amy sang out, the pain ebbing away leaving only the sensation of tightness. It was obvious she would have a limited range of motion. "We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold."
Amy gripped the shaft near the arrowhead tightly in her left hand and then yanked, hard. It took a few seconds to pant, and clench her hands, but for the most part (other than the sharp pain radiating through her once again), she was…. Alright.
Elossa was nearby, Amy knew that much. She had to be, because Amy could hear Elossa humming the tune.
Elossa's voice was so strong. Amy always likened it to Christina Agulera's or maybe Shakira's. It was impossible to mistake even when she was singing in a group. Whereas Siheta's voice was so breathy soft and sweet, it always reminded Amy of a mother's lullaby. In fact, when Siheta would sing with her, Amy found herself trying to lower her own volume so that she could hear Siheta more.
"I never made promises lightly, and there have been some that I've broken…but I swear, in the days still left… We'll walk in fields of gold. We'll walk in fields… of gold." She could finally roll her shoulders back. They had been hunched for the duration of this.
"The bleeding's stopped…" Bax was saying this, his voice clinical yet still a touch of amazement tinted his words.
"Many years have passed…since those summer days… among the fields of barley,an" Amy let her face tilt up, almost imagining herself soaking up sunlight like a flower. "See our children run as the sun goes down…among the fields of gold. Among the fields of gold…" She took a steadying breathing. "When we walked…in fields of gold."
"It seems you were correct…" Solas was saying as he rounded Amy's back. The fact that he was not only so close, but also very mobile as he circled her, made Amy's eyes pop open. "While she is not entirely healed, the wound is not fatal, and does not bleed."
"Smarts like a mother." Amy half grunted half whimpered.
While singing, she had felt a strange sense of focus… something that made her feel complete and whole again. Now that she was no longer singing, she felt like she'd just woken up, and had been iapub fight the night before. All tight and sore, but at least she'd survived the night.
"Well…if you can joke about it." Wystan said, his shoulders slumping. It was then that Amy realized he had been very concerned, and that concern was melting with the relief that she was alright.
About five men dragged another to be bound with the group that had attacked them. That was… probably three more than necessary as he was pretty beaten up, but they all looked very pissed, and Amy knew that it was better for them to have at least some direction for that emotion.
"Does someone want to tell me what's going on here?" Sam was still livid, gripping his daggers and obviously out for blood.
"Subversion." Siheta said. "These men were planning on assassinating Amy and you, eventually."
"Oh really." Sam practically growled.
"Cullen?" Cassandra asked.
"I had been made aware of a plot against Amy, but they had yet to make a move." Cullen said, his anger simmering. "Amy has always had permission to defend herself as she sees fit… The only way we could hope to catch them is if they revealed themselves."
"Worked." Amy noted, her chin jutting towards the group of five men.
Cullen let out a pent up breath. "One way or another."
He always choose to bottle those feelings, and now he was closing ranks so that the only emotion you could read was channeled anger. He was probably blaming himself somehow, because Cullen did self-flagellation so well.
Amy turned to the men. "Whom do you serve?" She asked, steady as she could. The one that Magpie had bagged was an obvious stand-out from the others. He looked… repentant. The others were grimly tight-lipped. "Elder One?"
She searched their faces as they all met her eyes. All of them. They all looked up at her, and she read complete ignorance in all of them.
"What?" the guilty one said, shifting when his mates glared at him.
"Elder One. One who killed the divine and made breach." Now there was shock where ignorance had been. "You serve him?" she remained firm, because innocence could be faked.
"What? No! No we—"
"Shut up, she's just trying to get you to talk."
"No! I don't serve the monster that did this! Do you?" Guilty party said, glaring at his teammates while gesturing towards the breech.
"We serve the chantry." The man who'd spoken growled back at him.
And Amy felt herself relaxing, breath easing out of her now. "Good." She murmured. "That's…good." She said with a nod.
"Right. Not that it'll matter." Sam said, and Amy tried to ease herself into his field of vision.
"Sam…." She said softly.
"They tried to kill you." He murmured, unyielding. "Whoever it was that sent them, it doesn't change the fact that they attacked you. That has to be dealt with."
"I know.. But.." Amy tried to figure out a way to put into words what she was thinking. Everything was so jumbled. "These men… they are men. Like ours. They are sons, brothers, uncles, fathers." She clenched her teeth. She needed to get the words out. "They have every right…to their fears, and to answer them. To pro-tekt..them selves. They are….eee sin shully…who we are fighting..for."
"Amy." Sam growled, his head tipped down. He didn't want to glare at her, but he was honestly a little angry that she wouldn't just let this happen the way it could so easily happen.
"I'm with Sam on this one, if anyone's asking." This came from Bull, and Magpie was nodding as well. "Why you always gotta defend the ones who attack you, anyway?"
"I am not.. Not saying, 'don't judge them'… I'm saying… Don't judge in anger."
"I've always found anger to be a wellspring of fuel, myself." Sam was still glaring daggers at the huddle of bound men.
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Amy recited. "Thedas…suffers…enough. And they are part of Thedas."
"That's enough." Solas said. "Amy, what will happen will happen, and you will have to make peace with that." He said, approaching her uninjured side and attempting to take her arm. "Right now, we need to make certain that you are well. Considering your past behavior, I believe you would not want to experience an adrenaline crash here on the field in front of everyone."
By 'everyone', Amy assumed he meant all of the men and women on the field…. Right.
Amy took a shuddering breath, closed her eyes, and nodded. Solas was…right. She needed to let the process happen and try to not get in the way…at least, as much as that was possible.
It was more comforting when she realized she wasn't the only one leaving with Solas. Because if it had just been her and Solas…that would've probably made her uneasy.
"Where are we going, anyway?" This came from Magpie.
"The tavern." Solas said. "If we went to the chantry, everyone would trip over themselves. I doubt Amy would want the fuss."
Amy nodded.
"…Well, at least there'll be alcohol." Magpie half grumbled.
"Small wonders." Solas murmured.
"I have her." This came from Cassandra of all people. She seemed relatively insistent on lacing Amy's right arm around her waist, to help support her.
This was good, as Cassandra's presence had Amy feeling as though she could be knocked over by a feather. It also freed up Solas so that he could open the door to the Tavern and see about clearing off a table for her to sit on.
If anyone were to ask Amy about her relationship with Cassandra, she would respond with 'What relationship?'. It was enough to know that their first conversation, in which Amy had epic-failed to convey the danger the Seekers were in, had left Amy feeling like an errant child.
Amy knew, of course she knew, that Cassandra hadn't meant anything malicious by it. But her words had been received so poorly, and Cassandra had made her feel so…so… so stupid…. Amy had always hurried away from Cassandra after that. She just…she didn't want to be in the way. Not till she was capable of better communication.
…Which…she still wasn't good at. Knowing that made her very self-conscious around Cassandra.
Amy managed to hoist herself onto one of the tables. Solas was looking around, searching for something.
"I shall return momentarily." He murmured before leaving.
Magpie pointed at herself. "Should…Should I be doing something?" She asked a little nervous.
"Let everyone know."
"Got it! I can be a runner!" she clapped loudly before darting out of the opposite door.
A second passes before Cassandra asks the question that has been rotating in her mind as she stared at the exit Magpie took. "Exactly what do you expect her to tell…and to whom?"
Amy shrugged and then winced. "Important thing… she needs busy."
Cassandra huffed a laugh. Better than a disgusted noise, at least. "You are…very intuitive." She announces. "I wanted to thank you."
"Whatever for?" the phrase sounds so like her mother, that Amy nearly wilts at the subtle reminder. She can blame it on being shot, right?
Cassandra smiles, and Amy is reminded of how nice Cassandra could be. "Samuel has conveyed to me…what you have said concerning the Seekers. Also, that you told him to defy Leliana in telling me."
"Dammit, Sammy." Amy grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Coulda taken credit."
Cassandra is still smiling, but it's tempered with wry humor. "Indeed. For all his claims of being a scoundrel, he's remarkably straightforward." A part of her expression turned wistful… it was around the eyes. "He cannot abide willful wrongdoing."
"Noble Rogue." Amy grunts in affectionate disgust.
Amy was staring at the Seeker. Still in full armor, though without her weapons. Not that she needed them. The evaluation continued to her countenance. Gauging what could be told and what couldn't. Wondering if… if it were possible…
"Cass." She murmurs, gaining Cassandra's attention. "Must listen. Listen to all I say, or hear none."
Cassandra swallows. "If this concerns the Seekers—"
"No. But still. Must listen." Cassandra's expression became grim, and she gave a single nod. "Varric."
"What has the dwarf said now?"
"Not what's said. What isn't." Cassandra's eyes narrowed at this. "Varric knows. Know how to reach Hawke." The Seeker's eyes widened in fury, and Amy reached out, a vice-like hold snatching the Cassandra's wrist. Firm, without pain, and yet unyielding. "Listen."
Cassandra puffed a few livid breaths into her lungs before nodding.
"Would not matter." This gets her another glare, but she leans closer to Cassandra instead of away. "First, the feeling. Think of all Hawke went through. Every trial. Every struggle." Amy clenches her back teeth, but is gratified to see some of Cassandra's ire fade slightly. "Now. Put… Anthony…in Hawke's place."
Cassandra's eyes rounded in sorrow. She blinked rapidly as they watered and looked away.
"After that… all that… Would you put… Sam's buhhr-den… on him?"
Cassandra met Amy's gaze, her own eyes tinted slightly pink. She tilted her head down, nodding her understanding.
"Now. Logic." Amy said softly, her own voice cracking from strain and the emotion of the topic. "Think. By mir-acles. Varric writes Hawke. Wait for rehh…re sponse. Ahhs…Ass oome. One comes." She panted lightly, licking her chapped lips and biting her cheek. "How long?" she shrugs. "Weeks?"
Cassandra nods. "Possibly."
"Given some var…varey… ables. Hawke may not…join. May. But…even if he …does. Greater time. Time away, not here." Amy shrugs. "You would have… arrived…no sooner. Later, per…haps. Conclave would still…" Amy stops because Cassandra is nodding.
"Then I … I am to accept that the Maker wanted this to happen? That He…" She swallows.
"Faith." Amy replied with a weary nod.
Cassandra meets her gaze again and she has to remember.
She knows the words, and she absolutely must remember them The right ones. Because the Seeker is and always will be seeking something… And Amy has to use the right words to remind her that she's had what she needed for her faith all along.
You never needed the feather to fly, Dumbo.
Amy practically hums the words as she remembers them. "For there is no darkness in the Maker's Light, and Nothing…"
"…And nothing that He has wrought shall be lost." Cassandra murmurs, her tone lightening as she completes the stanza.
"You are not alone." Amy recites with a smile.
"Even as I stumble on the path with my eyes closed… yet I see the Light is here." Cassandra's smile was only slightly dampened by her sadness now.
Somehow….Though she still wasn't that good at communicating… Somehow. Amy's message, the truth she'd managed to deliver, had managed to garner a small amount of hope.
Of all the things a Seeker could find, hope was definitely on the list of necessities.
In spite of all the darkness, or perhaps because of it, the world was still bright.
And then Solas returned, in what could be viewed as.. A tizzy.
"I apologize. Adan and Flissa were quite distraught when they learned the news. They wanted me to explain. Luckily, your friends arrived to take my place…" He looked between them. "Am I interrupting something."
"No." Cassandra said softly and not without kindness.
"Sorted." Amy announces with a nod. "Now… 'bout this." She said pointing to her back.
And finally, there was busy work to focus on.
*deep sigh* I did say... that things were going to start happening rapidly.
Though the next chapter is probably going to be a bit of a break. Just because... damn. After all this shit, they're going to need a ...I'm just gonna be over here in my cubby hole, guys...*scurries away*
Yeah...I'm just gonna be over here in my cubby hole, guys...*scurries away*