"So, Inquisitor..."

"Oh, no."

Sera grins at me from across the table, the mischief in her voice and the obviation in mine drawing attention from the others-Dorian, Varric, and Blackwall-who have joined us for dinner in the grand hall. Nearly everyone had come, eaten their fill, and left by now, but the men were caught up in a conversation regarding swords, I'd arrived late, and Sera had just never left.

"You'll never guess what I saw-"

"Sera, I will break your bow across my knee if you keep speaking." I growl, hiding my face in my hands. I should have seen this coming. Kissing Cullen on the battlements, while mind blowing and thrilling, had ultimately been a very, very nug-brained thing to do. Only a few hours have passed, and already the staff has apparently smuggled word through the barracks and to Sera. No one else in my inner-circle seemed to be aware, as I'd avoided any scolding from Vivienne, or any prods from Varric, but Sera is evidently content to change that.

"Fine..." Sera sighs, leaning back in her chair and swilling her drink.

Varric squints at me, Blackwall shrugs, and Dorian moves to leave, all convinced that the moment - whatever it was about - has passed. I breathe a sigh of relief and reach for a roll.

"Caught her and t'Commander suckin' face on the walls this afternoon!"

I fling the roll at her as my cheeks flare pink. Blackwall nearly chokes on his ale as Dorian falls back in his chair, laughing, and Varric joins the mage once any shock has passed.

"I hope you weren't too attached to that damn bow." I hiss, face hidden once again.

"I knew it!" Varric barks, coughing, chuckling. "You-" he points at Dorian. "Owe me five sovereigns!"

"Actually," Blackwall leans forward. "I believe it is I who has won this bet."

Varric groans. "Shit, I had one more week, didn't I? Damn it, pay him." The dwarf pushes Dorian's sovereigns to the Warden, who grins and pockets them before patting my shoulder.

"You had a bet going." I state, voice muffled by fabric and wood. "I hate all of you."

"Forgive us, my Lady-"

"Oh, don't worry about her forgiveness! I got that covered, too!" Sera springs forward, pointing at Dorian. "For laughin', guess what I know about you an' a certain Qunari?"

"We know..." Varric and I raise our hands to stop her. "We were there."

Blackwall tilts his head to the side, and I look up at him from my arm-nest. "How do you feel about your eyesight?"

"I'm rather attached to it." He confesses.

I burrow away again. "Then don't ask."

Dorian runs a hand over his mouth, choosing to remain silent, which is ultimately a wise decision because Sera then turns her casual gaze to Blackwall, having forgotten the rest of us.

"So, you gonna squeeze up to her or not?"

Next to me, Blackwall freezes. On cue, Dorian and I pop up from our mortification lairs and Varric leans forward. Anything on the Warden warrants interest.

"What?" He asks, impassive as ever. "Squeeze up to who?"

"Lady Josie." Sera taunts. "I've seen you, doin' that knightly stuff."

"Maker, Sera..." Blackwall suddenly takes on the roll of 'annoyed older brother', fidgeting with his beard. "No! Stay out of it."

I laugh at him. "Alert the Wardens! He's shy!"

"What?" Sera asks. "You afraid you can't treat her right?"

"No," He insists against Varric and Dorian's laughter. "That's not-"

"I'll show you! Just need a peach-a ripe one. Cause if you do it right? Ripe." She winks at Blackwall. "Down there."

"I'm leaving." Dorian announces, snatching his wine glass and marching out of the hall before her vulgarity scars him. "Goodnight, all."

Varric and I only laugh harder.

Blackwall pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sera, please! No peaches, ripe or otherwise!"

"But I can't teach you bananas! That'd be like showing you swords." Now Sera leans forward, growing serious. "Oh, remember: do not use it like a sword."

"Maker..." Blackwall groans, slumping in his chair. "How do I make this stop?"

"Oh, shit..." Varric sighs, still grinning, pushing from the table and shoving Sera's shoulder. "Like this: Come on, Buttercup, you've done enough to the poor man."

"Fine..."

Blackwall remains slumped until Varric and Sera have exited the hall, then slowly opens one eye to look at me, half-pleading.

I raise my hands, leaning back. "No worries, Warden. You secret is safe with me."

He sighs, seeming satisfied with this. "I would grant you the same, Lady Lavellan, but I fear the staff has already done more damage than I ever could."

"Yes, well..." I shrug. "I believe Cullen is the one who will be vexed, not I."

Blackwall nods. "He is a good man. Whatever force has drawn you together is strong indeed."

"There's an insult in there somewhere..." I mumble, rising from the table. Taking a bread roll for later, I stop just behind Blackwall's chair, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sera was right, wasn't she?"

"What?"

"Are you worried you can't treat her right?" When the blush returns to his cheeks, I laugh. "And I don't mean in bed, Warden."

Blackwall sighs, tugging at his beard in frustration before giving the slightest nod. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes."

I shrug. "It always is."

"Please, don't get involved."

"I won't. Not directly, anyway." Blackwall frowns, and I laugh. "I have more subtlety and finesse than Sera, ena. Don't worry."

Finally, Blackwall looks up. "What did you call me?"

"Ena."

"And it means?"

"Nothing of great import. Maybe I'll tell you one day." I squeeze his shoulder then release, calling back "Goodnight, Warden!" before disappearing into the library tower. Solas nods at me as I pass to the stairwell, taking the steps two-at-a-time to the rookery. Even by the moon, ravens still come and go, cawing, shaking cages in their need to fly, perching free on the railing. I carefully skirt around a particularly perceptive bird, its head tilted in an inquisitive, protective manner.

"Herald." Leliana greets me as I join her at her altar to Andraste. She rises from her knees, calm, cool, and collected as always. "Good evening."

"Evening, Lel. I was wondering if you had found the speech I asked for?"

"It was uncovered not a moment ago." With graceful steps she crosses to her desk. I lean against the railing as the Spymaster shuffles through papers before offering a rolled-up scroll to me.

"Thank-you." I smile, reaching for it. With a smirk, she holds on when I try to pull the scroll from her grasp. My brow raises. "Something you need, Lel?"

She smiles teasingly. "Our Commander is a good man."

"Maker, not you too."

"No, not me." Leliana's grin widens as she releases the paper and returns to her altar. "Although I thought otherwise for a time, perhaps this will be beneficial to the Inquisition after all."

"A moral boost?" I frown when she gives a minute shrug.. "I see what you mean, but I'm not doing this solely for the Inquisition."

"Good. I just wanted to hear that from you." With that, she kneels back at the altar, bowing her head. "Sleep well, Inquisitor."

"And you, Leliana."

I leave the Spymaster to her birds, unrolling the scroll and making my way to the library. Dorian hardly glances up from his book when I appear. Moonlight shines through his little window, falling across the comfortable nook and the over-sized chair the mage insisted on having when we first set up the library.

"Need something, Holls?" He asks over the worn pages. "Or are you here to continue Sera's rampage of mortification?"

"No," I laugh, shaking my head. "She's done enough to both of us today. Just lock the door next time, and maybe poor Cullen will be able to look you in the eye again soon."

"Perhaps." Dorian smirks slightly. "Have you considered that maybe our incident this evening inspired him to boldness?"

I scoff. "Even if it did - which it didn't - I wouldn't be thanking you."

He laughs, lowering his book for only a second. "As it should be. Now, what did you need?"

"Where have you hidden the 'W's?"

"Third shelf, starts on the fourth row down." He gestures at the shelf next to me, and I kneel. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm doing some research."

"On?"

"Ena."

Dorian peeks up again, arching a brow. "En-what?"

"Ena." Snatching a deep blue volume from its cave, I dust it off and sit with my back to the bookcase, unrolling the scroll Leliana gave me. "It's nothing of great import. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

"Huh." He tilts his head further past his book, reading the spine of my own. "Weisshaupt: 890TE-9:30 Dragon. My, my; that was quick. Taking an interest in Wardens now, rather than dashing Commanders?"

"Never." I smile, opening to the back of the book.

Dorian scoffs, then returns to his book. "And you once said that blond, stuttering and handsome wasn't your thing."

I ignore him, instead thumbing through the thin pages of Weisshaupt until I find an entry titled Weisshaupt & the Fifth Blight. Smoothing the paper from Leliana on my leg, I begin to read the speech until I find one very tiny, insignificant note scrawled across the bottom.

'-A speech given by Warden Constable Blackwall at Weisshaupt regarding the Fifth Blight'

I then skip over to the book to confirm that yes, Blackwall was at Weisshaupt during the Fifth Blight. More words still litter the page, but I can't focus on them, a single conversation blurring my thoughts.

/*/

"Where were you during the Blight, Warden?"

"I was in Ferelden, on my own like always. Quietly killed my fair share of darkspawn, too."

/*/

Someone has to be wrong; either the speech, or Blackwall.

Truth be told, I had always suspected something was amiss with the lone Warden, but had simply never dug into it. Blackwall was a vague man when it came to his past, and Maker forbid I be the one to chastise him for it. Everyone in the Inquisition has secrets, it seems.

"Find what you need?" Dorian asks, and I realize I've been staring at the opposite wall for a good five minutes, lost in my own thoughts. When I snap-to, he chuckles. "Or were you fantasizing about our dear commander?"

"I was thinking, that's all." I answer, standing and replacing the book on its shelf. "Didn't find anything I could use, anyway."

"Huh..." Dorian narrows his brown gaze at me, but seems to let it go. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's that?" Leaning against the bookshelf, I can see straight out Dorian's window to the ground below. Moonlight soaks the courtyard as a few recruits finish up their training for the day. I can't see him, but I know Cullen must to be down there somewhere, directing the exercise, voice barking orders and correcting missteps with a gentle yet firm hand. At that thought, I smile to myself.

Dorian clears his throat, not to recapture my attention, but in a manner of fidgeting as he flips a page in his book. "We leave for the Winter Palace in five days. Have you thought about who you might bring to Halamshiral?"

"I'm leaving a bit earlier with Vivienne, I'm afraid. Some small bit of business she asked me to look into with her." I wave dismissive hand, unwilling to incur Vivienne's wrath over a mere white wyvern heart. "But I have considered it, yes. Josephine managed to procure some invitations for the Inquisition, meaning my advisers will all go under one, Cassandra will be there on some technicality as the Right Hand of Justinia, and Vivienne was already invited whether or not we were. That leaves enough to bring three of my inner circle." My gaze softens. "Why? Feeling the need to be back amongst the nobility again, hm?"

Finally, Dorian sets his book down and really laughs, as if the notion is so preposterous that he can't consider anything else. "I have no stake in it one way or another."

"Good, because you're going." I push off the shelf and make my way to the stairs. "Think you can get along with Blackwall and Varric for a few weeks?"

"Don't I always?"

I roll my eyes, bidding goodbye with a wave of my hand.

"Seriously though...Hollyn?"

I stop on the third stair, tilting my head over my shoulder to see Dorian standing in his alcove now, arms crossed and looking directly - seriously - at me. I wait.

"Thank-you."

And suddenly Dorian looks less witty and pompous, and more honest and handsome, standing there amongst his books in the moonlight. It's obvious this isn't completely comfortable for him, the way he shifts, but he tried, and that's what shocks me.

So, I merely smile, nod, then continue down the stairs.

A/N: First off, I made the connection between Blackwall and something suspicious during my first playthrough, when I encountered this speech some time after arriving at Skyhold, during a loading screen with a random codex entry. I don't know which one it was, but it's there, so Hollyn being suspicious is entirely possible. So there.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far!