Dragon Age Inquisition: In a Hopeless Place

Chapter Twenty-Six

It wasn't so long after Miklo left Cole to tend to the wounded that she began to roam around the large courtyards. The Inquisition had only just arrived at Skyhold hours before and yet so many plans have been made and were well on their way to being carried out. Miklo was just fixing to head over to the tavern Flissa had already managed to claim as her own when she caught sight of Sera pacing underneath the awning of a medium sized tent. Deciding to check in with her, she made her way over.

"Hey Sera." Miklo greeted as the other elf caught sight of her approaching.

Sera merely nodded then spoke, "So Inquisitor, it is Inquisitor now right? Remember that war we talked about stopping? Full of little baddies I can stick with little arrows…" Sera suddenly glowered and darted forward to smack Miklo upside her head. "That's not a frigging Archdemon is it? Andraste what did I step in?"

"Ow." Miklo muttered as she looked back at Sera with a frown, more confused by the hit than hurt. "Okay I get it, you're upset. Yes a twisted Tevinter magister and his overgrown pet lizard was a great surprise but-"

Sera cut her off, "No a surprise would be, 'oh I stepped in dog shite' No one says, 'oh, a magister god monster, I'm surprised.' Impossible things aren't surprises."

"The ancient thing trying to kill us seemed pretty possible." Miklo pointed out, relieved when Sera's glower lessened.

Sera shook her head, "Don't get me started, oh, wait too late, right? A magister who cracked the 'Black City'. It's a hazy dream right? I mean, if it's real real, then the seat of the maker? Real thing. A seat needs a butt, so the Maker? Real thing. Fairy stories about the start and end of the world? Real things. It's too far, innit? I just want to plug the Skyhold rubbish so I can go play." She finished with a whine.

Miklo nodded, relatively unfazed by a typical rant from the odd elf. "That's fair, keep calling it nonsense, it will keep us all grounded."

"Oh I can do that. Sure could use a few more people shouting 'No.'" Sera agreed. "We fight, the bad things go away, everyone calms down, and everything goes back to normal. A nice, well-paid normal." She muttered that last part.

Miklo grinned, feeling playful, "You know you should be careful, you're actually starting to sound less like a crazy person."

Sera laughed, "I know, scary innit? So bring em on! But first, food." She moved to Miklo's side and grabbed the other girl's wrist, "I'm starving and your buying."

"What? Why do I have to buy it?" Miklo whined in protest but didn't make any move to pull away from Sera.

Sera pulled Miklo along as they made their way towards the Tavern, "Because you're the Inquisitor, you're probably loaded now right? So you're buying lunch." Miklo merely sighed as she walked behind the other rogue. They just reached the Tavern door when she spotted Cassandra near a few training dummies in the corner of the courtyard. "Actually Sera, I need to check in on someone. I'll catch up with you later?"

Sera frowned and turned to see the puppy love look Sera had only seen Miklo direct at one person before. Following her gaze, she caught sight of Cassandra near the new designated training area and smirked, "Fine, ditch me to play your little ball of sunshine, I get ya." When the other elf didn't react, Sera rolled her eyes, "Mushball!" She roughly shoved Miklo away from her and entered the tavern.

Miklo shot Sera's retreating back an annoyed look before she made her way over to Cassandra. She smiled as she approached the warrior, "Hi, are you doing alright?"

Cassandra shot her a quick glance but continued to strike at the training dummy, "Have you met this friend of Varric's, Miklo?"

Miklo shook her head, "Nope not yet. Why?"

"It had better not be who I think it is. I will ring that little bastard's neck." Cassandra replied.

Miklo was surprised by her ferocity, "Who do you think it is?"

Cassandra straightened up and sheathed her sword as she turned to face Miklo, "Someone Varric claimed he could not contact. Someone the Inquisition – indeed all of Thedas desperately needed. I reserve judgment until I know for certain. No need to have that rogue screaming 'prosecution' yet again."

Miklo opened her mouth to speak when a voice called to her from above. Frowning in confusion, Miklo looked up to see Varric leaning over the ridge of the ramparts, "Come on, my friend is ready to meet you."

Miklo exchanged a look with Cassandra, "Well I guess we'll find out soon enough. May I come visit you again soon?"

Cassandra softened and gave her a small smile, "Of course. You do not have to ask." She turned back to continue sparring with the dummy while Miklo beamed happily and trotted up a nearby set of stairs to go meet Varric.

As Miklo neared one of the towers she spotted Varric standing across from a rather tall human. "Varric?" She called out as she reached them. She took in the sight of the human, long black hair pulled back in a tail that reached his shoulders, piercing dark blue eyes, and a long yet muscular frame. There was a mahogany colored staff strapped to his back. A mage.

Varric turned to face Miklo and grinned, "Ah there you are, Inquisitor, meet Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall." Ah the Champion of Kirkwall…Varric has mentioned him in one of his stories before.

The dark haired man responded, "Though I don't use that title anymore." His voice was gruff and sounded weary.

Varric continued as if Hawke hadn't said anything, "Hawke, the Inquisitor. I figured you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus. You and I did fight him after all."

Hawke's eyes met Miklo's, "You've already dropped half a mountain on the bastard. I'm sure anything I can tell you pales in comparison."

Miklo stepped closer, "I don't know about that, a little birdie told me you saved a city from a horde of rampaging Qunari and now that I've seen what one could do up close, I know that is quite a feat."

Hawke shrugged, "I don't see how that really applies…or is there a horde of rampaging Qunari I don't know about."

Miklo grinned, "Well there's a Qunari, he could almost qualify as a horde on his own but luckily he's a friend."

"So then, what can I tell you?" Hawke asked as he leaned against the tower.

Miklo replied, "Varric says you've faced Corypheus before."

Hawke nodded, "Fought and killed, the Grey Wardens were holding him and he somehow used his connection to the darkspawn to influence them."

Varric piped in, "Corypheus got into their heads. Messed with their minds. Turned them against each other."

"If the Wardens have disappeared, they could have fallen under his control again." Hawke finished.

Miklo sighed, "Great so he has the Venatori, the red templars, and now possibly the grey wardens? Really great." Just when I think things can't possibly get any worse…

Hawke read Miklo's body language and responded, "I didn't come this far just to give you bad news. I've got a friend in the Wardens. He was investigating something unrelated for me. His name is Stroud. The last time we spoke, he was worried about corruption in the Warden ranks, since then, nothing."

"Corypheus would certainly qualify as corruption in the ranks. Did your friend disappear with them?" Varric asked his old friend.

Hawke shook his head, "No, he told me he would be hiding in an old smuggler's cave near Crestwood." He glanced back at the young elf and took a moment to study the young girl. She looked to be about his age when the blight first wiped out Lothering, she was quite pretty and he was somewhat saddened to see there were dark shadows creeping into her eyes. He remembered what Varric had told him about her moments before.

She's a good kid, she's been through a lot. That explosion at the conclave destroyed the rest of her family, and then she got pulled into this mess with the breach and Corypheus. I watched her face down Corypheus and his archdemon alone, and she even brought down a mountain Hawke…Don't let her appearance fool you, she may look like a typical pretty girl, but she's resourceful and resilient. Trust me, she's good."

Hawke was broken out of his thoughts when Miklo answered him, "Okay, I'll take whatever lead I can get at the moment."

Hawke nodded, "Good, I'll do whatever I can to help…Corypheus is my responsibility. I thought I'd killed him before. This time, I'll make sure of it." He growled.

"Together we will find a way." Miklo responded with determination as she held her hand out to Hawke. The human gazed at it for a moment before he took it into his own larger hand. Miklo grinned and shook his hand briefly, she opened her mouth to speak when-

"Hey Boss! Come here!" Miklo let go of Hawke's hand a looked over the ledge of the rampart to see Iron Bull standing there with an expectant look on his face. His eye looked over to see Varric and Hawke standing beside her and he raised an eyebrow, "Kinda buff for your taste isn't he boss? What would Cass say?"

Miklo's eyes widened as she took in the implication of his words and blushed slightly. She leaned over the ledge, "Shut your face Bull! Gosh, I'll be right there!" She scowled at the smirk Bull gave her and turned to see Varric and Hawke looking back at her in faint amusement. "Uh…"

"I take it that is the Qunari you were talking about?" Hawke asked, his lips twitching tellingly.

Miklo cleared her throat, "Yeah…I'm gonna go and see what he wants." She started to make her way towards the stairs when she turned to look back at Hawke. "It was nice meeting you…and thank you Hawke, thank you for helping us." She gave him a small smile before she bounded down the stairs.

Varric and Hawke watched as the little elf girl darted towards the Qunari and smacked his arm. Iron Bull merely laughed and wrapped an arm around Miklo's neck, pulling her towards him and then playfully rubbing his fist onto her head. Hawke smirked and then glanced at Varric out of the corner of his eye when the dwarf chuckled at the display. "So that's your new leader eh?"

Varric chuckled once more, "Yeah, a bit of a goofball but she's tough little critter." Hawke hummed and looked back down to see the said little critter had managed to wiggle out of the Qunari's hold.

Miklo shoved herself away from Iron Bull and scowled up at him after she had glanced around to make sure no one had seen that display. "Was that necessary? Say that any louder Bull!"

Iron Bull chuckled, "Nah just wanted your attention and that was what popped into my head first." At Miklo's annoyed pout he laughed again, "Besides I owe you one after that stunt you pulled at Haven." When Miklo's expression turned sheepish, he nodded, "Yeah that's what I thought. Almost got my head ripped off by your girlfriend."

Miklo gasped and glanced around before smacking his arm, "Cassandra's not my girlfriend!"

Iron Bull smirked, "I didn't say it was Cassandra." He watched in amusement as Miklo's own words caught up with her and she blushed heavily. Deciding to give the girl a break, he quickly changed the subject. "So, you're the Inquisitor now huh? Well if you've got a second there's something I want to show you, Inquisitor."

Her blush faded away and was replaced by a look of curiosity, "I have time now Bull."

Iron Bull grinned and tossed a bundle of clothes at her, "Here put this on over your clothes and then follow me, I'll show you." Miklo shot him a mystified look but silently complied, pulling on a rather worn looking mercenary tunic that fell a little below her knees and a pair of brown greaves. Once she finished, Iron Bull pulled the hood over her head and nodded in approval before leading her to a small part of the courtyard where the soldiers were set up.

"Why am I wearing this?" Miklo asked.

"You'll see." He replied, "Come on, it will be worth your time I promise." He led her over to two soldiers sitting at a small table. As they approached, the soldiers look up. "Evening, Iron Bull. My merc band just joined up."

One soldier, the male, spoke up, "Tanner, I'm from Jader, well near Jader."

The female soldier spoke next, "Mira, I was Guard-captain for Lady Pendell. Signed on after shit blew up at the conclave…Share a drink." She pushed a pitcher of ale towards them. "Who's your friend?" She nodded towards Miklo.

Miklo moved to speak when Iron Bull answered, "This is Grim, she doesn't talk much." Miklo shot him a confused glance but decided to follow his lead and merely grunted in greeting. Iron Bull passed her a mug of ale and then drank deeply from his own before he asked, "So, you ready to kill some demons or Venatori…or whatever that Corypheus asshole is?"

Mira shook her head, "This isn't just about killing. We're helping the Inquisitor save the world and build the next empire."

Miklo raised an eyebrow, building an empire? Am I doing that? She shrugged and took a drink of ale, grimacing at the strong taste.

Iron Bull grunted, "Well as long as I get paid, I'm happy. That's why I signed up." He shot Miklo a glance and she merely grunted in agreement.

Tanner replied, "I just couldn't spend my whole life on a farm. Needed to live a little, you know?" Iron Bull and Miklo nodded in understanding.

Iron Bull looked at Mira, "What about you, Mira? Why'd you join up? I thought you were serving some noble."

Mira shook her head, "I saw what happened at Haven. The Inquisitor staring down that monster and his Archdemon…I don't sing the Chant of Light as much as I should, but you can't see something like that and not believe. I want to make a difference, I want to help the Inquisitor stop that monster no matter what."

Iron Bull chuckled, "I'm surprised such a puny little elf could match up against an archdemon and walk away fully intact." He smirked as he felt Miklo's glare from under her hood.

"She may be small but I watched her get as many people as she could to safety before the Archdemon attacked." Tanner replied. Taking a swig out of his mug he continued, "She seems like a good sort. I've never met an elf that bothered to concern herself with human lives before."

Mira nodded, "She did her best to protect the rest of us, so we owe her our best."

Iron Bull grinned and then stood up, "Well, Grim and I should find our tents." He patted Miklo's shoulder and she stood up to follow him. "Thanks for the drink."

Miklo bowed her head politely to the two soldiers, "Ma serannas, dareth shiral ma falon\'en." She followed Iron Bull back to the main courtyard and as he turned to face her, she narrowed her eyes, "Puny little elf eh?"

Iron Bull smirked before his expression became serious, "I know every soldier under my command. You don't have that option but a few faces might help. You're respected, that's important."

Miklo nodded, "I wondered how the soldiers felt following me after what happened at the Conclave, and then Haven and to actually hear it…"

Iron Bull nodded, "It's hard to be just an idea sometimes. That's all you are to most of them. It's why you could stand right in front of them without being recognized. You've got a good army coming along. Remember that, no matter what comes next." He gave her a hearty thump on the back before he took his leave.

Miklo looked back at the soldiers and gave a soft smile, "I hope I don't disappoint." Deciding to go back up to the ramparts for some peace and quiet she saw Cassandra storming towards the tavern, murder in her eyes. "Uh oh." Miklo muttered and quickly followed after the warrior. As she reached the door to the tavern, she saw Cassandra had Varric by the arm and was yanking him up the stairs. Miklo quickly darted up after them in time for Cassandra to shove Varric against a railing.

"You knew where Hawke was all along!" Cassandra growled. Miklo froze in shock, never having heard that kind of tone from the amber eyed woman before, not even when she had thought Miklo was responsible for what happened at the conclave.

Varric shoved her away from him, "You're damned right I did!"

"You conniving little shit!" Cassandra swung at him and he was quick to duck under her swing and scurry away from her.

"You kidnapped me! You interrogated me! What did you expect?" Varric exclaimed as he ducked away from her again.

Miklo finally broke from her shock and stepped forward, "Hey stop it! Both of you!"

Cassandra whipped around in her direction, her face filled with betrayal, "You're taking his side?"

Wounded by that look, Miklo shook her head, "No I'm not taking anyone's side until I hear what the hell is going on."

Cassandra sighed as she began to pace, "We needed someone to lead this Inquisition. First, Leliana and I searched for the Hero of Ferelden, but she had vanished. Then we looked for Hawke, but he was gone too. We thought it all connected, but no." Her gaze locked onto Varric, "It was just you. You kept him from us."

"The Inquisition has a leader!" Varric gestured towards Miklo. The elf couldn't help but feel hurt. She wasn't the hero of Ferelden nor was she the great champion of Kirkwall but she was doing her best. Why isn't it enough Miklo thought.

Cassandra's voice broke through Miklo's self-depreciating thoughts, "Hawke would have been at the conclave! If anyone could have saved Most Holy…"

Miklo gently interrupted the warrior, "Cassandra, Varric couldn't have known-"

"Exactly!" Varric barked out.

Cassandra moved closer to Miklo, "Varric is a liar, Inquisitor. A snake. Even after the conclave, when we needed Hawke most, Varric kept him secret."

Varric scowled, "He's with us now. We're on the same side."

Cassandra scoffed, "We all know whose side you're on, Varric. It will never be the Inquisition's."

"Cassandra, attacking Varric now won't solve anything." Miklo gently chastised her.

"Exactly." Varric exclaimed and Miklo instantly turned to face him with a frown on her face.

"And you better not pull this again Varric; we are supposed to be working together. You can't be withholding information from us like this." Miklo replied.

Varric sighed, "I understand."

Cassandra turned and walked to the stair railing, leaning against it, "I must not think of what could have been, we have so much at stake." She sighed and shook her head, "Go Varric, just go."

Varric glanced over at Miklo and then turned to leave. As he reached the stairs he paused, "You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the temple, he'd be dead too. You people have done enough to him." He made his way down the stairs, not that Miklo noticed as her eyes were only on Cassandra.

Cassandra's voice was soft, "I…believed him. He spun his story for me, and I swallowed it. If I'd just explained what was at stake…if I'd just made him understand…" She stood up and moved to sit down on a nearby chair. "But I didn't, did I? I didn't explain why we needed Hawke." Miklo moved closer to Cassandra and kneeled down in front of her. "I am such a fool."

Cassandra looked up and Miklo was startled by the amount of self-loathing she saw in her eyes. The elf reached out and gently took Cassandra's hands into her own, "What if you hadn't believed him and you tracked Hawke down?"

Cassandra looked down at their hands and sighed, "Honestly, Hawke might not even have agreed to become Inquisitor…He supported the mage rebellion, after all…He wouldn't have trusted me for a second…"Cassandra found herself lightly squeezing Miklo's hands, feeling a small sense of comfort in the action.

Miklo gave her a soft smile and shook her head, "Look I know that I was everybody's last choice. The lesser option but-"

Cassandra's eyes widened and she looked up to meet Miklo's, "You know I didn't mean it like that, you know that Miklo." She squeezed the girl's hand a little tighter to convey her sincerity.

Miklo shook her head, "But you're not wrong. You said it, the Hero of Ferelden was your first choice. Hawke was your next option. They are both heroes…me? I was a nobody." Miklo couldn't help the self-depreciating tone.

"No you were not!" Cassandra replied sharply, "You were not a nobody! The Maker sent you to us for a reason. Varric may have been right, Hawke could have died at the Conclave but you didn't." She looked down, her expression one of shame. "You are not a nobody and I am sorry if I made you feel as such."

Miklo softened and lightly rubbed her thumbs along the back of Cassandra's hand, "I understand why Varric hid Hawke away, and I would do the same if it were any of you were in Hawke's position, but I also understand where you were coming from. You had Thedas' best interest in mind, you were desperate to find a hero to help lead the Inquisition. I understand and I would do the same if I was in your shoes. It's okay."

Big green eyes stared up into deep amber with sure honesty and affection, Cassandra's heart fluttered curiously, "You are too good for this world." She sighed and let go of Miklo's hands, "I should have been careful. I should have been smarter. I don't deserve to be here."

Miklo allowed the warrior to pull her hands away but remained close, "Have you looked at our Inquisition Cassandra? Have you seen all the weirdoes we have picked up these last few weeks?" She grinned, unable to help herself, "You're just as much of a weirdo as the rest of us."

Cassandra let out a choked laugh, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Miklo shrugged, "Eh more at home maybe."

Cassandra exhaled heavily, "I want you to know, I have no regrets. Maybe if we'd found Hawke or the Hero of Ferelden, the Maker wouldn't have needed to send you, but he did." At Miklo's curious head tilt, Cassandra added, "I don't know what's to come, but…you're more than I could have hoped for."

A/N: I am still alive! Never fear! As always much love to all those who are still with me on this weirdass ride.

Ma serannas, dareth shiral ma falon\'en = My thanks, Safe journey my friends