"You sent for me?"

Leliana looked up from her desk as Dellis cleared the last of the steps leading to the rookery. He had been surprised that Leliana asked to see him, although as Inquisitor perhaps he should have been surprised she did not confer with him more often.

"Yes," she nodded, not getting up from the desk. "There is something I must discuss with you."

"I don't suppose it has anything to do with your candidacy for Divine, does it?" Dellis asked, stepping toward where she sat. As he moved closer, he could see Leliana's hand resting gingerly on top of a letter.

"Ah, so you've heard," Leliana replied with a frown.

"I'm surprised Josephine didn't mention it to you," Dellis admitted, noting her change in expression. "I've known since before my trip to Lydes."

"Josephine likely did not comprehend the significance of such a discovery," Leliana mused, almost to herself. Dellis could feel his cheeks blush slightly as he realized that she had the news had upset him. After their conversation near Redcliffe, he knew he shouldn't have been surprised.

"We talked about it," Dellis told her with a shrug. "How do you feel about it?"

"I am not entirely certain," Leliana admitted. "The Chantry is in chaos. Whoever is called to become the next Divine will inherit a sinking ship."

"Honestly, either of you could steer it," Dellis replied.

"In vastly different directions," Leliana added with a weary sigh. "In any case, I did not ask you here to discuss Chantry politics."

"Is something wrong?" Dellis asked, taking a seat in the empty chair across from her.

"I received a message from Divine Justinia," Leliana explained, pushing the letter toward him.

Dellis looked down at the nearly perfect script inked upon the somewhat worn piece of parchment. The creases were deep, leading him to believe that the letter may have been somewhat aged. "She wrote wrote to you before she died?"

"A safeguard, in the event of the unthinkable," Leliana agreed with a weary nod. "I expect she did not believe an end would come so soon after writing it."

"You served her for years, didn't you?" Dellis asked. "Perhaps it wasn't soon."

"She had only been Divine for seven years," Leliana reminded him. "Divine Beatrix served over twenty years before her death."

"I guess time is relative," Dellis shrugged. "What does the it say? I haven't learned quite enough Orlesian to make out enough of the words."

"She wishes me to travel to the village of Valence," Leliana told him. "It is to the north of Skyhold, across the Waking Sea. We can take a vessel from Jader and reach it within a day or two."

"We?" Dellis repeated. "You're asking me to travel with you?"

"It is a task that would be unwise to attempt alone," Leliana explained. "As Inquisitor, your presence may ease the process."

"You mean you're bringing me to intimidate someone," Dellis corrected with a slight smile.

"Not in the way you might think," Leliana assured him. "I can intimidate with violence. You can intimidate to avoid it."

"Alright, I'm in," Dellis agreed with a nod. "When do we leave?"

Every time he travelled to Orlais, Dellis was reminded of how much he hated boats. The waters of the Waking Sea seemed far choppier than they should have been, and the light storm that had picked up halfway through their journey had only complicated matters. Thankfully Leliana had brought potions, else the voyage might have proved problematic.

"I hate sailing," Dellis grumbled to himself as they stepped off the dock. Despite being a part of the Orlesian Empire, the city was landlocked between Cumberland and Kirkwall. Its location between the two cities had resulted in much of the architecture and culture drawing from both Nevarra and the Free Marches.

"I will have my agents look into better remedies for the future," Leliana offered as they walked toward the Chantry.

"That's alright," Dellis assured her. "You know, while I was busy trying not to wretch in the hold, I had a thought regarding our trip to Redcliffe."

"Oh?" Leliana asked, turning toward him slightly. Her hood was up, so Dellis could not quite see enough of her face to judge her reaction.

"I understood when you suggested that having the Left and Right Hands of the Divine present for the negotiations would help ease the process," Dellis explained. "Right up until Arl Teagan was the most agreeable noble I've yet to meet."

Leliana was silent for a moment as they continued toward the now looming Chantry. "It has been many years since I last spoke with the Arl. I could not be certain how he might react."

"You're the Spymaster, Leliana," Dellis reminded her. "I'm certain your reports painted a lovely picture of how the Arl might have changed over the years. Or, as it turns out, might not have changed. You knew I could handle it without you."

Leliana stopped walking, looking up at Dellis from beneath her hood. "Yes, I knew you would not need our support to win the Arl's favor."

"Then why insist on coming?" Dellis asked curiously. Even as Spymaster, Leliana could not hide the blush that rose to her cheeks.

"It was... personal," she finally admitted.

"It was the Warden, wasn't it?" Dellis asked, crossing his arms with a satisfied smile. "Is that why you suddenly disappeared during supper?"

"I received a letter from him, asking to me to meet him in Redcliffe," Leliana confirmed as she once again began to walk toward the Chantry, Dellis close on her heels. "I worried, should the others discover his presence in Ferelden, that they might demand he join the Inquisition."

"So you came up with an excuse," Dellis nodded. "It makes sense."

"He was the one who gave me the missive from Dorothea," Leliana continued. "She must have given it to him years ago, after the Fifth Blight. He said he had been trying to reach me since discovering her death, and did not wish to entrust such a document to a courier."

"Dorothea...?" Dellis repeated. The momentary confusion on Leliana's face quickly melted away.

"My apologies, I had not even realized I said it," she replied. "Before becoming Divine, Justinia was Revered Mother Dorothea of the Valence Chantry. I first met Dorothea several years before she was elected as the replacement for Divine Beatrix."

"So I take it your relationship with her was more personal than Cassandra's?" Dellis asked.

"Perhaps at the beginning," Leliana agreed. "Do not discount the effect Justinia had on her, however. They may not have known each other as long, but their connection was just as deep."

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the Chantry doors. Unlike the rest of the village, the Chantry was disctingly Orlesian, both inside and out. As soon as they entered, a smile grew on Leliana's face. "It is just as I remember it."

"Was it this empty in your memories?" Dellis asked, noting that the Chantry seemed almost abandoned. "It's mid day. Shouldn't there be people here?"

"It's too early for the Chant, but it is strange to be this deserted," Leliana agreed, narrowing her eyes as she moved toward the heart of the building.

As Leliana reached the end of the nave, one of the sisters appeared from around a corner. "Leliana? Is that you?"

"Sister Natalie," Leliana greeted her warmly. "What are you doing in Valence? I thought you were serving in Val Royeaux."

"I have been here since Justinia died," Natalie explained, her features dour as she moved forward to embrace her friend. Leliana wrapped her arms around the sister, making a point to catch Dellis's eye. A slow nod of her head told him to be on guard. "Being here reminds me of her. It is almost as if she is still with us."

"Inquisitor, this is Natalie," Leliana explained as they broke their embrace. "She has been a trusted friend for many years."

"Wait, you brought the Inquisitor here?" Natalie asked, seeming slightly startled. "My lord, forgive me for not recognizing you earlier."

"It's a refreshing change of pace," he told her with a smile. He could tell that her surprised reaction had been one of dismay, not confusion.

"I am here looking for something," Leliana explained. "Justinia left something for me. I had hoped you might know where it is."

"Oh, really?" Natalie asked, her eyes brightening. "What is it?"

"I don't know, but we'll find it," Leliana replied. "I'm sure Justinia left clues in her letter that will lead us to it."

The three walked deeper into the Chantry, with Leliana nose deep in Justinia's letter. "That missive was fairly cryptic, as I recall," Dellis commented. "Didn't she says something about faith springing from a barren branch?"

"Something like that," Leliana responded, barely looking up. "Natalie, do they still sing verses from the Benedictions every Friday? That canticle was Justinia's favorite."

"Yes, of course," Natalie replied, following closely behind her. "We'd never give up the traditions of our most beloved Divine."

"Wait, a barren branch..." Dellis nearly whispered as his eyes fell on the artwork adorning each of the walls. He walked toward the one of the paintings on the north side of the hall, his gaze locked on a depiction of a rose branch.

"Yes, the rose bush in Lothering," Leliana breathed, rushing up next to him to examine the art. "She remembered..."

Dellis grasped the frame on either side and lifted it up from its hook on the wall, gently placing it on the floor. Behind the painting was what looked like a switch set deep into the stone. "Well, I thought that only happened in stories," Dellis muttered as Leliana pushed past him. A clicking noise could be heard as she pulled the switch.

"Come, let us look for more" Leliana suggested, once again returning her attention to the letter. This time Dellis could see her eyes flit toward Natalie. Leliana already knew what she was looking for. "You know, sometimes I stare up at the breach. It's terrifying, but beautiful in its way."

"It is beautiful," Natalie agreed.

"Have you seen it by sunrise?" Leliana asked, glancing up at the other woman.

Natalie nodded with a weak smile. "When the sun rises through it, it splits into what looks like a thousand suns, like a broken mirror."

Dellis frowned. He had spent enough time in Orlais to know that what she described was impossible in that part of the continent. He realized what Leliana was doing. She was talking the sister into a corner, letter her incriminate herself, and Natalie had no idea it was even happening. He reminded himself internally to never cross the Spymaster.

"It's glorious, isn't it?" Dellis added. He briefly made eye contact with Leliana, the two quietly sharing a knowing glance.

"There," Leliana announced, pointing toward the wall. "'Above all, that strength lives in an open heart.' The painting of Hessarian and Andraste."

"Well, that one's quite literal," Dellis commented, moving to take the painting off the wall. "And morbid."

"Driving his sword through Andraste's heart was an act of mercy," Leliana reminded him.

"It's still a bit macabre," Dellis told her, setting the painting down on the floor next to them. With a click, the second switch was thrown. "How many of these do you think there are?"

"I'm not sure," Leliana admitted. "Hmm, 'that light has no fear of darkness.'"

"How often does the Chantry redecorate?" Dellis asked, looking around the small room for anything that might lead them to the next clue.

"Rarely, if at all," Leliana returned. "Why?"

"I was just thinking that if anyone had swapped out these paintings, we'd have had quite the challenge on our hands," he replied with a shrug. Suddenly his eyes fell upon a small area rug, emblazoned with the burning sun that served as the Chantry's logo. "Call me crazy, but..."

Dellis frowned as he lifted up the rug, revealing nothing beneath. He was about set it back down when a firm hand stopped him. "Wait," Leliana ordered, pulling a dagger from a hidden sheath within her armor. She carefully ran her hand along the rough dark stone, pausing before bringing the blade to bear. She wedged it into what had been an almost imperceptible crack in the stone, carefully prying a chunk loose.

With Dellis's help, Leliana pulled the piece of stone out and set it on the floor next to them. In the newly-formed opening was another switch. As Leliana pulled it, Dellis could hear a loud grinding sound as a door behind them opened, revealing a small box atop an ornate table. Dellis slowly moved toward the the table. He hadn't realized Leliana wasn't following until he heard her slam Natalie in the pedestal behind them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Leliana snarled, raising the blade to the sister's throat.

"Leliana, wait!" Dellis shouted, nearly tripping over the rug in his haste to reach them. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm protecting us," Leliana explained, not taking her eyes off her quarry. "They never sing the Benedictions here on Fridays, Natalie. Something so simple, and you got it so wrong. I wanted to believe, but you were lying from the start."

Dellis couldn't see Leliana's face from his position behind her, but he could hear the anger in her voice. Justinia had been betrayed again, even months after her death. The insult was one she could not bear. The room was eerily quiet, beyond the heavy breathing of the traitorous Chantry sister. Natalie's eyes were wide enough to show her fear, but he could tell her resolve was strong.

"Keep that pretty mouth shut if you must, dear," Leliana told her as Natalie remained silent. "You've already told me everything I need to know. The prickleweed burs on your hem, talking about the sun rising through the Breach. It all points to a single place: Morelle in the Dales. Grand Cleric Victoire's bastion. She sent you, didn't she? Victoire was always an opportunist."'

"The Inquisition has turned Thedas away from the true Chantry," Natalie accused, the sweat dripping down her temple betraying the confidence in her eyes. "It must stopped."

"Stop us?" Leliana laughed. "You must be joking."

"Mother Victoire is well loved by many," Natalie explained. "The Inquisition has more enemies than you know."

"And Victoire thinks she can ally with them?" Dellis asked. "We've dealt with troublesome clerics before."

"Kill me then," Natalie taunted. "I'm not afraid to die for my beliefs. At least I still know what I believe."

"Let her go, Leliana," Dellis urged after a moment.

"The grand cleric-"

"She's no greater threat to us than the other clerics we've dealt with," Dellis reminded her. "We've seen worse and prevailed."

Leliana glanced at Dellis over her shoulder for a brief moment before returning her attention to Natalie. She lowered the dagger and stepped backward toward him. "Go. Tell Victoire that she has a choice, and that the Inquisition is coming."

Natalie hesitated a moment, looking back and forth between the two. "I would recommend you leave, before she changes her mind," Dellis suggested. "As Inquisitor, I can only be so persuasive."

Dellis could hear Leliana breathe a sigh of relief as Natalie fled the Chantry. Without a word, she turned toward the hidden room and approached the small box. She lifted it gingerly off the table, quickly blowing the dust off of the lid before opening it. From behind her, Dellis could see her shoulders fall. "It's... it's empty."

"Empty?" Dellis asked, leaning over her shoulder. "How is that possible?"

"We came all this way for nothing," Leliana growled, her grip on the box tightening.

"Look, there," Dellis told her, pointing toward the inside of the lid. "There's an engraving."

"It says 'The Left Hand should lay down her burden'," Leliana read softly. "She... she's releasing me."

"She apologized in the Fade," Dellis told her. "She said she failed you. This must be what she meant."

"Perhaps that spirit was not just a spirit after all," Leliana added, her eyes still locked on the small box. "All this time, Justinia carried the fear that she was using me, just as Marjolaine had before her. But her games were trifles. Justinia gambled with the fate of nations."

"She needed you," Dellis realized. "No one else could have done what you did. I'm sure it wasn't the same, and it's not who you are anymore."

"Perhaps you're right," Leliana replied, setting the box back on the table.

"Take it," Dellis suggested. "To remind you."

Without a word, Leliana scooped up the box and placed it in her pack. They quickly departed the Chantry, heading back toward the docks. Dellis mentally prepared himself for what sure to be a challenging trip back across the Waking Sea, both because of the waves and his wayward Spymaster.

"You know," Leliana began as they approached the docks. "The Benedictions really were her favorite."

"You know, had you not stopped me, I would've killed Natalie with no regrets," Leliana announced, more than halfway into their journey from Jader back to Skyhold.

"I don't believe that," Dellis replied. "Varric once told me that the best Spymasters can separate their feelings from their agents. That they can view them as resources, rather than people. But I think that level of care makes you stronger, not weaker."

Leliana laughed lightly from atop her horse as it walked along the wooded path toward the mountains. "Cassandra once told me that our agents were not tools to be discarded. Justinia taught me compassion, but she also caused me to lose much of it."

"She seemed to feel rather guilty about it, judging from the letter and my experience in the Fade," Dellis reminded her. "Perhaps she regretted doing what was necessary at the time."

"Someone had to," Leliana agreed. "But I am more than what Justinia made me, and she knew it. I know now that I shouldn't ignore my heart. Mercy is not always a weakness, and I have you to thank for realizing that."

"I'm just loud and obnoxious and butt in where I'm not welcome," Dellis told her with a grin. "I'm glad I could help, though."

Leliana's reply was interrupted when both horses abruptly stopped. "They're spooked."

"By what?" Dellis asked, swinging his leg over the saddle and hopping down to the ground. He pulled his bow out of the sheath strapped to the horse, just in case. He had just enough time to duck before an arrow whizzed past where his head had just been. He quickly grabbed his quivern just moments before the horse broke off toward the tree line.

"Red templars!" Leliana shouted, readying her own bow. A pack of soldiers appeared from the trees, weapons ready. Dellis loosed arrow after arrow, targeted the weak sections of their armor as best he could. The two archers were able to drop several of the templars before they could get into melee range, but eventually Dellis had to move. He ducked as one of the templars approached, barely avoiding the blow of the incoming sword. Dellis lashed out with the bow itself, striking the templar in the back of the knee and causing him to tumble backward into the dirt. Dellis pulled a dagger out of his boot and drove it into the man's neck.

As he rose to his feet, Dellis's eyes fell on what their soldiers had less than amusingly dubbed a horror. A horror was a templar so fully corrupted that huge red lyrium growths had erupted from its back and arms, and the templar's form was so mutated as to longer even resemble a human. In fact, they looked more like demons than men.

Dellis threw himself toward the ground below as the horror reached out a spindly arm. He felt a sting on his cheek and arm as he just barely avoided being peppered with red lyrium projectiles. Any slower and he might have looked like a pin cushion.

"To the trees!" Leliana bellowed, waving Dellis toward the stand just next to the road. He clambered to his feet and sprinted toward the relative safety of the tree line. Calling upon the skills he had learned from Kawyn, he shimmied up the trunk of one of the trees until he reached a sturdy limb, high enough to afford relative safety, but strong enough to easily hold his weight. He quickly picked off a few of the archers while Leliana dealt with the horror, affording them both a moment to breathe.

"Are you alright?" Dellis called out, seeing Leliana perched similarly in the boughs of a nearby oak.

"I'll live," she assured him. "Are you injured?"

"Just a scratch," Dellis replied, reaching back for another arrow. He stopped suddenly, his fingers lingering on the fletching, as his eyes widened at the sight before him. "What is that?"

"What is that?" Leliana repeated, her voice filled with far more concern than he had ever heard before.

The branches shook as the figure of a lumbering red templar appeared deep within the forest. Dellis felt his breath catch in his throat as the figure became clear. If a horror was a full corrupted red templar, then he couldn't imagine how much red lyrium a monstrosity such as this would require to create. It appeared to be nothing more than a mass of red lyrium with arms and legs, measuring more than twice the height of a man. He could barely make out a face, twisted in agony as it shuffled through the foliage toward them.

They had made a grave error. As the two watched the creature in awe, its momentum increased, until finally it reached the the tree where Dellis had taken refuge. The creature simply plowed into the trunk with the full force of its body, nearly throwing Dellis out of the canopy right then and there. With a loud crack and a howl of agony from the termplar, Dellis realized the trunk had snapped at the base.

Dellis had no time to dread his eventual plummet to the ground below. As the tree collided with its neighbor, he could no longer maintain his perch. He had not climbed up far enough that he was in true danger, but it felt as though he struck each and every branch of the neighboring tree on the way down.

With a loud groan, Dellis pushed himself up off the forest floor. He was reminded of his situation as an enraged howl ripped through the underbrush. Dellis sprung to his feet quicker than his body should have allowed, just in time to avoid the templar's massive hammer-like fist as it embedded itself into the dirt beside him. The ground shook from the impact.

Arrows aren't going to do anything to this beast, Dellis thought to himself in a near panic. For all intents and purposes, the create was nothing but a giant crystal of red lyrium with a head and legs. The head. Realizing the monster's weakness, Dellis wasted no time in lining up a shot as it shambled toward him. He loosed the arrow and watched it fly toward the templar's helmet. The beast recoiled in pain as the arrow wedged itself in its eye socket.

The blow had nothing but anger the creature. Dellis backed away slowly as it regained its composure, continuing to advance on his position. This gave Leliana the opening she had been waiting for. She launched herself out of the canopy, direct onto the creature's back. It howled angrily as it tried to dislodge her, but the same mutation that gave it its power left it almost humorously unable to reach her. With sword in hand, Leliana pulled the blade around the monster's neck, quickly relieving it of its head. It toppled to the ground in a heap of red lyrium, sending Leliana sprawling onto her back.

Dellis offered a hand to help her up. "Looks like the rest fled."

"Thank the Maker for that," Leliana breathed as she let him help her to her feet. "Are you wounded?"

"Nothing serious," Dellis promised, looking down at his now tattered jacket. "I'm sure I look worse than I feel."

"Are you sure nothing's broken?" Leliana asked with a frown. "You took quite the fall."

"I'm fine," he confirmed, futilely scanning the tree line. "So much for the horses."

"We can make it on foot," Leliana assured him.

"I know, but it'll take twice as long," Dellis complained. "And the horses had our water."

"Come now, did you not spend time with the Dalish?" Leliana asked with a grin. "I am certain you will survive a few hours in the wilderness."

"As long as no more of those behemoths attack us, I suppose we'll be fine."

Dellis worried he might simply collapse as he passed through the now open gate into Skyhold. Though he put on a strong face for Leliana, he felt as though he'd fallen off the mountain rather than just out of a tree. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and he was bleeding from any number of cuts he'd received from the branches of the tree. He knew better than to think Leliana hadn't noticed, but at the very least she had said nothing.

"Inquisitor, are you injured?" the gate guard asked in dismay as she approached them. "I'll fetch the mages."

"I'm fine," Dellis assured her with a wave of his hand. "Nothing a good poultice can't fix."

"Dellis!" Cassandra shouted from the stairs.

"Maker preserve me," he muttered to himself as she approached. "Have you just been sitting there waiting for us?"

"Your jacket is in tatters," Cassandra commented, ignoring him as she surveyed the sad remains of his clothing. "You look as if you walked through a thorn bush."

"Close enough," Leliana told her. "We were ambushed by red templars on our way back from Jader. The horses were lost."

"I sort of fell out of a tree," Dellis added, shrugging slightly with a bashful look on his face.

"We were attacked by a horror, and some new form of red templar," Leliana added. "They seemed most interested in Dellis."

"Are those wounds from red lyrium?" Cassandra asked in concern, staring almost uncomfortably at the gash on Dellis's face.

"I'm fine," he assured her. He swatted her hand as she moved to inspect the wound. "I said I'm fine. Stop doting."

"You could have red lyrium poisoning," she reminded him sternly.

"He has shown no signs of infection," Leliana assured her. She glanced briefly at Dellis, then returned her attention to Cassandra. "I apologize, but I must return to my agents. This unexpected delay has already cost far too much time."

Dellis grinned after her as Leliana retreated, knowing exactly why she had left. He turned toward the gate guard. "You can return to your post."

"Yes, Your Worship," she said with a nod. Dellis reached into his pack as the man disappeared into the guard tower.

"Maker, all I want right now is a long, hot bath," Dellis muttered, reaching into his satchel.

"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked with a frown. He pulled his hand out of the bag, producing a small bouquet of purple flowers. "What are these...?"

"They're flowers," Dellis chuckled. "Irises, to be precise. I'm told you shouldn't be allergic to these."

Cassandra stared at the bouquet for a moment before looking up at him. Dellis couldn't quite read her expression, which meant she wasn't angry. "Leliana helped you with this?"

"She answered truthfully, I hope, when I asked her if they'd make you break out in hives," he replied with a grin. "If that constitutes help, then I suppose she helped."

Cassandra glanced at the flowers once more, then sighed deeply. "You know I can not accept them."

"I know you won't," Dellis amended. "And you know full well that it won't stop me."

Cassandra finally sighed in defeat. "Come, you should see Solas about your injuries."

Dellis placed the flowers back into his pack, quietly following her toward the keep. He accepted her refusal for the moment, but by the time the sun rose the next morning, Cassandra would find a carefully placed crown of purple flowers on her reading desk, next to a book of Nevarran poetry. Dellis was a stubborn man, and he had absolutely no intention of giving up the fight just yet.