Kara
The veil parted before her. Like pressing through hard glass. One moment she was standing in some other-world, the next in a cozy sitting room, fire burning brightly in the corner. Richly upholstered but more in a merchant prince flair then an actual prince. The perfect blend of simple taste, yet with a refined pallet. Somehow it looked practical to her.
"Ah Kara! Your Inquisitorialness!"
Kara looked around to see Varric walking over to her, as fast as his little legs could carry him. He looked up at her, his face beaming. She looked down at him, moving the brim of her hat out of the way, and smiled in her turn.
"Varric, it is good to see you."
"Ah, don't mention it. You it is good to see you." Varric said waving his hand in front of her face dismissively. "It has been a long time. You have been very distant. Not even coming to visit your good friend. In fact you aren't here for me at all."
Kara smiled sheepishly. "I have been busy Varric."
"Yes, changing the world…corrupted Darkspawn or not…must be very trying. Managing all those politicians all the time must be so difficult, though I suppose you could always…"
"Ahem." Dorian cleared his throat loudly as he entered the room.
"Ah Sparkler, always ruining my fun." Varric teased to the elder mage.
"Ah Varric, always most needed when he is least wanted."
Varric laughed, and then the two other members of the party joined him. "And Horns and Buttercup too. All dressed up in armor and with your usual customary weapons. You know if you come upon your mother during tea time dressed like that she'll never forgive you."
"Well, I'm used to her ire by now." Kara quipped, trying to keep the sting of bitterness out of her voice.
Varric, since leaving the Inquisition, had become an agent in Kirkwall. In addition to his other philanthropic and commercial enterprises he had quietly rebuilt his network of contacts and agents throughout the Free Marches. Quietly flowing information back and forth to him, and the Inquisition.
It came with his own stipend, his own Eluvian, and all he had to do was write the occasional report. Plus, even though it was his network, Briala was ultimately responsible for the entire operation which left him guilt free, and at liberty to get as close to his agents as his conscience demanded.
The Inquisition got out of the bargain was an information source in another far flung country. This would be the third such country the Inquisition had an active network in. And while it was smaller than even its Fereleden counterpart, and less aggressive then the Orlesian, it was still active.
Learning, growing, watching mainly. The Inquisition needed information if they were to do their main job.
Inquire.
"So," Varric clapped his hands together, "will you be staying? Drinks? Food? Anything?"
Kara smiled apologetically. "No, I'm sorry, but we really should be going. The faster I meet my mom the sooner I can get back to work."
Varric sighed.
"But I promise I'll spend some time with you back when I come through Kirkwall again."
Varric smiled.
"Are the horses saddled?" Iron Bull asked.
Varric nodded. "Yes, supplies, money from the Inquisition's coffer, and the horses are saddled. A great big…uh…manly horse for you."
Bull snorted.
"We'll be back." Kara promised, before stepping outside the door, taking a traveling cloak off the peg as she went.
The Kirkwall night was cool, not as cold as it was in the middle of the Frostbacks, but cool nonetheless. Her cloak grasped her shoulders hugging her form, keeping her warm, but also keeping her armor hidden from view.
It served much the same effect for Dorian but there was no hiding any of the Iron Bull's features.
Yeah, an Elf, two humans, and a Qunari traveling through the backwoods…it could only be the Inquisition. Kara frowned, yet she didn't have much of an option.
She, Dorian, Sera, and Bull all mounted their mounts, it was obvious whose belonged to who, and set out in a light canter into the night.
Soon they were beyond the gates of Kirkwall. Soon the sun was rising over the countryside. Soon they were traveling through a brightly lit countryside. Setting a pleasant, easy pace, taking their first meal on horseback.
"You know despite Skyhold always being so…open. It always feels good to get out on the countryside. Either on horseback…or walking…traveling. It doesn't matter."
"And soon you'll be trading it all for a nice, dusty, ambassadorial suite or some such nonsense." Kara teased.
Dorian didn't have a good reply to her words.
"I never liked the outdoors much." Bull opined suddenly.
Kara whirled on him to see him glaring around the country side suspiciously.
"So much space, for an attack…mind you I do not think I like city life that much. Too many places to hide and set ambushes."
"I'm with the horns," Sera snorted suddenly, "There is just so much….space…in this….space." She said in awe.
Kara smiled, keeping her body with the sway of her horse. "I would've thought you would be used to all this space by now." She teased.
"Pbbt! Still spent most of my life in nice quiet cities. Yes, there you can hide. Out here, you are so…naked."
Dorian laughed heartily.
They traveled across the countryside of the Free Marches. The journey lasting roughly five days. Taking in all the pleasures and joys of travelers on the road. For it was rare the Inquisition could just travel anywhere without having some crisis, or battle, or local event spewing.
This was effectively a vacation.
And Kara took the opportunity to get to know her people. As much as she could anyways given that they had spent much of the last three years engaged in war with one various ancient evil or another.
But of course the opportunity to relax even presented their relationship with a new light. They had their moments, but maybe none quite so long as this.
They stayed at the inns, watching the roaring fires and eating freshly cooked meals along with the finest in local ales and meads. Stopped at the local towns, where sometimes they were treated like heroes. After all the legend of the Inquisition had spread far and wide. And they set up camp when neither option was available. And dipping into the supplies that they had been provided with.
One of them found them under a tree in a small clearing. From there they could see the city of Ostwick, its outskirts twinkling at them.
Her hat was at one side, letting the wind tickle her hair, and she was poking at the meat that was twirling around in the fire. She had never been able to master the fine art of cooking.
She felt, more then heard a subtle shift in the grass, and looked up to see Dorian towering over her crouching form.
"What do you think will happen tomorrow?" He asked.
"Pardon?" Her brow furrowed.
"Tomorrow we should enter the city of Ostwick, by the evening we should be at the estate of your family. What do you think will happen?"
Her gaze shifted to the city in question and narrowed. "I don't know." She admitted.
He chuckled. "Going home isn't easy is it? To parents who despise you, and frankly, you don't care much for them either. Even in the belief that maybe things can be better. After all, I think that is what I am looking forward to least about spending any time in Tevinter. Being in the same country with my father."
Kara sniffed, and looked at him. "You know I do feel slightly guilty about what happened between the two of you. Like it was…my fault. Maybe he was trying to actually repair things between you two, and I just…gave up. I did not feel it was my place to push you into doing something you did not want to do. I believe in freedom after all."
Dorian chuckled, bitterly. "It was not your fault. He was just doing what he usually did. But…well…my appointment to Tevinter is necessary, it could do the world a lot of good."
Kara sighed, "But that is part of the problem. This isn't necessary. I am wasting my time. Wasting the Inquisition's time, using our resources, the money of a far off spy network which is struggling for funds and importance. This is an indulgence. To satisfy my own curiosity, a vain hope that maybe things will get better in the end between the two of us."
Dorian stayed silent for that.
Kara gave up on her cooking instead staring deeply into the fire. Getting lost in thought. Lost in the flames.
She started as Dorian's hand grasped her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Whatever else happens, give her a chance. It may go better then what happened with us."
Kara nodded, then gulped. She moved to her cot and tried to get some sleep.
And finally she stood at the foot of her estate. The outer realm of the estate. By the stables. Feelings of guilt and discomfort spiking through her arms and gut.
She stood rooted to the spot. Looking at the main house itself, for the longest time. How long? She did not know.
"Come on Kara," Bull whispered in her ear making her jump, "this is what we came for."
She nodded before proceeding. Opening the door through the fence and leading the way through.
"Something is wrong," She muttered suddenly.
"What?" Sera asked. "It's the middle of the night and we are approaching a spooky manner. What is right about this?"
"That is part of it." Kara said, her eyes raking over the side of her mansion. "But no guards. No bellboy. No servants, no one to announce us. Sure it's the middle of the night but it's not that late. And….no lights. Something is very wrong."
She felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck. The familiar sense of danger coming in through her. Not again. She pleaded with the universe.
"Come on," She whispered, moving into a slight half crouch, and patting the Long Bow on her back reassuringly.
Stepping up to the door she hesitated once more. Not out of guilt, but out of a sense of fear. I wonder what I'll find in there.
But without much ado she opened the door and with a shove from her shoulder burst through into the main foyer.
The room was dark. Only a couple of torches illuminating the room. Casting long shadows. Plenty of places to hide.
They moved into the next room, to find it in a similar place of lighting. The two stair wells moving up to its second story.
Still, no one to greet them.
Kara looked around for a bit. Waiting.
She did not have to wait long as a couple of orbs launched themselves from the top floor and shattered on the floor before them. Green gas emitted from them, and Kara felt her mouth and throat burn.
Bull, Sera, and Dorian started coughing behind her. She felt her vision whirl. Felt Bull fall behind her first, and launched herself into a back flip, disappearing as she went, and bringing her bow to hand.
"Where did she go?" A male voice shouted as several armed men stepped into the room.
From their dress and weapons they look like mercenaries.
She looked around, taking them all in there were about seven of them in total. At least until we can discover anymore involved in the ambush. She tip toed around them as best she could.
Her stealth held as she expected it to. Making her way up the stairs though, to gain the high ground, she struck.
Driving her knife through one of the merc's collarbone he gasped in abject shock and gurgled.
The illusion she crafted for herself was dispelled by the movement, drawing the attention of several of the floor bound compatriots of the man she had just killed.
Pressing her advantage though she used the merc as a shield, before drawing the bow off her shoulder, while simultaneously throwing her knife at the second man on the balcony. It struck him flat in the chest driving him back with a grunt and a gasp.
She fitted two arrows to her string. And fired, point blank it was not a difficult shot, this time the man yelped. Kara flicked her wrist and the man gasped with a groan before falling back.
Crossbow bolts whizzed by her and she dodged aside before fading back into stealth.
The people below her, fanned out and gestured with their crossbows.
Kara almost laughed at the display.
But instead she adopted a mocking, taunting tone.
"So you thought taking out my companions was enough to stop me? You thought my companions what…carried me?"
Her voice boomed and echoed down the halls, in the tightly confined room. The men winced and gestured around.
She picked a target out, a sort of tall man with a raging wild beard, black hair, beady blue eyes. Nocked an arrow, and fired.
The arrow struck him true in the center of the chest, literally extracting the pound of proverbial flesh from one of his most vital organs.
Before the rest of the mercenary band could react, first looking in shock to see the falling corpse, and then staring back up at the balcony, she had already disappeared back into the shadows.
She leapt lightly to the first floor, her body a blur as she loosed another arrow, a perfect head shot, the shaft embedded about halfway up into his head.
A fifth man fell to a slash from her dagger and an arrow at point blank range to the head.
"There is nothing more dangerous than a rogue when she is alone, and when she does not have to worry about anyone else."
"And it makes her more vulnerable." One of the men hissed back at her.
She whirred around, still bathed in the comforting illusion her stealth provided.
Yet the sight before her made her blood boil, her hands freeze, both in horror and puzzlement.
Bull's body was now upright, yet his head was drooped, and his eyes was closed. Yet she suddenly saw the point of a serrated knife pressing up against his flesh.
"Continue fighting, and the Qunari dies."
Kara knew she could probably take the shot, knew that she could sneak around and engage the enemy. Knew that she could easily kill him.
Yet it was the Bull.
And in her hesitation, however brief, her stealth field failed her. The final member of the merc band hit her over the head with the blunt end of his crossbow. Plunging her into darkness.