XIX: The Inquisitor Reborn
By attacking the Inquisition, Corypheus has changed it…
Approximately a week passed since the fall of Haven and the Inquisition, although weary, marched through the Frostback Mountains with Solas as their guide and Kassandra as their inspiration. Those who were wounded and sick either recovered the night of Haven's fall, or they perished not long after. Those who remained were the survivors, and they were determined to find a new home.
Kassandra walked towards the front, guiding her mount by a bridal fashioned from rope and a steady hand. Her eyes, keen, watched the horizon for the arrival of Skyhold—their desired sanctuary. The mountain nights had been cold and rough, but she would survive. Her boots crunched through the snow she walked over and she glanced behind on occasion to see all the faces of the Inquisition. All those people depended on her.
"I know everyone and their mother has asked this likely, but how are you holding up?" Varric questioned, suddenly next to her when she was alone moments before. Kassandra faced him, seeing as the road ahead was straightforward and devoid of any dangers. Her eyes sported signs of exhaustion, but Kassandra would never complain aloud. She fiddled with the coat she borrowed from one of Leliana's agents, the same one who lent her some extra clothes while guiding her mount along through the snow.
"I am holding on," Kassandra exhaled exasperatedly, and she squared back her shoulders as if to prove she was more than fine. To Varric, she need prove nothing; he trusted Kassandra. "Everything has fallen to shit, and there are so many questions I have still unanswered, but I cannot worry about myself right now. There are so many people counting on me, and they are my primary focus."
"Heh." A chuckle escaped Varric and Kassandra was puzzled by such a reaction.
"What is it?" Kassandra tilted her head in confusion, wondering what was going on in that mind of his. Throughout their time at Haven, Kassandra considered Varric one of her closest companions and even to the level of friends. By that addition, she learned how to read him well for all his attempts to be unreadable.
"Do you know about Gabriella Hawke, the-"
"-The Champion of Kirkwall? I would have to be a hermit to be unaware of her journey." Kassandra interjected, curious as to what brought on the change of topic. Kassandra knew of the Champion and many of the details that were shared through Varric's novel, Tale of the Champion. However, Kassandra was confident that there were some creative liberties within the pages of the book, mostly related to the sordid flirtations between Gabriella Hawke and Sebastian Vael of Starkhaven.
"You remind me of her a little. Anyways, I thought you could use a friend in your corner. After everything that happened and all the responsibility thrust upon your shoulders, I thought I should remind you that I have a prime bottle of wine and can likely find somewhere for us to hide from responsibility." Varric cheekily suggested, which made Kassandra laugh, before heading down the line and Kassandra found herself mulling over his words as they continued to march. Kassandra took in the thinning snow beneath her feet and knew that the crest of the current hill they were on was fast approaching. She led the Inquisition up the steep incline, and once she reached the peak, she stared out across the vast expanse of snow-capped mountains… until she spotted the grey stone fortress right within her reach.
"There it is!" Kassandra breathed out, and a smile stretched across her face, restoring some much-needed warmth to her cold body. Her exclamation echoed down the line and the refugees began to animatedly chatter. Hope found the Inquisition's new home. With renewed energy, Kassandra glanced around for the most direct route and noticed the narrow road that hugged against the mountain but was not the safest. Knowing that, Kassandra signaled to her companions of an idea and for them to wait as she attempted the path. She sidled along the road while she left no space between her and the mountain to minimize any danger. Kassandra focused her eyes ahead, on Skyhold beckoning her, and heard a few boots following behind her.
Kassandra nimbly crossed the few feet standing between her plunging to her freezing death and the soft gathering of snow that would lead to the bridge entering Skyhold. Taking a breath, Kassandra leaped onto solid ground, and the moment her feet reached the snow, she took off sprinting. Skyhold grew closer and closer with each breath, and soon, Kassandra stood before the gates and stared up at the massive fortress.
This… was home.
Hours later, all those who survived the first night after Haven's fall were securely within Skyhold's imposing stone walls. The supplies brought from Haven were promptly sorted with Josephine deciding the layout of Skyhold and Cullen barking orders to all who were listening.
Not content with watching from the sidelines, Kassandra had been among the first to start clearing the courtyard of debris and sorting supplies away. People seemed keen to work with her and Kassandra found herself busy with meeting her people while preparing Skyhold for habitation. Setting the materials down, Kassandra glanced up and spotted Cullen, Cassandra, Josephine, and Leliana speaking together in a huddle. She contemplatively wondered what they were discussing, and a small pang in her chest echoed when she realized that she was the only one not there. However, Kassandra was not the type to interject herself into matters that might not involve her. She was the Herald of Andraste, but everyone else held a crucial role as a leader of the Inquisition. As if they felt her eyes on them, the four turned to face her and Cassandra waved her over. Kassandra, surprised, brushed her hands along her trousers as she walked to them. The others, except for Cassandra, dispersed with the intent to attend to their various duties.
"We expect refugees from all over Thedas to arrive daily once word of your heroism spreads. Some have already arrived recently; they come from every settlement known. Skyhold will become a pilgrimage." Cassandra shared with Kassandra, and the latter nodded, impressed by the outcome. Corypheus dealt a strong blow at Haven, but she was beginning to think that she dealt an equal one in return. Following Cassandra's movements, the two began to walk away from the bustle of survivors setting up and making Skyhold accommodating for the Inquisition. " If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One. We have the walls and numbers to put up a fight here, but the threat is far beyond the war we anticipated. But we now know what allowed you to stand against Corypheus, what drew him to you."
"He seemed unimpressed by the belief that Andraste chose me …it is something else entirely." Kassandra mused aloud, and Cassandra nodded in agreement. Her first instinct was to laud her devout faith and the blessing Andraste bestowed her, but something did not sit right within Kassandra's heart. Her dedication to fighting and her defiance, when faced with seemingly impossible odds, angered Corypheus. Could it be that which drew him as an adversary, beyond the power she allegedly stole?
"Your decisions let us heal the sky. Your determination brought us out of Haven. You are that creature's rival because of what you did, not the mark on your hand, and we know it. All of us." Cassandra declared as the two women looped into the central courtyard, a level above the entrance. Kassandra's pace trailed behind Cassandra as they ascended the stairs again and she noticed Leliana awaiting them with a sword resting flat on her palms. A sly grin threatened to break through when meeting Kassandra's eyes, but she remained motionless and firm. "The Inquisition requires a leader: the one who has already been leading it," Cassandra revealed as Leliana stepped forward with the sword and Kassandra realized that they meant her.
She glanced out the corner of her vision to see the gathered crowd with hopeful eyes, about to witness the crowning of their leader and their hope—a woman who was the same. It was their eyes that solidified the call on Kassandra's heart: a life of service to the Maker and all his children and the restoration of justice to Thedas. Kassandra stepped forward and accepted the sword into her hands, hearing the crowd hush with unbridled anticipation.
"I stand before you, a noble daughter and a servant to the Light. I vow to be a beacon of hope to those within these walls and those who have yet to be reached by our influence. Corypheus could never destroy that he could never understand: the hope that comes in walking the Maker's path. I am a daughter of the Maker and I will restore justice to these lands!" Kassandra proclaimed in a voice loud enough to ring out over the crowd, firm but graceful. Those in the group stared in awe of their hero and at that moment, no one could disbelieve that the Maker's hand touched her life.
"Have our people been told?" Cassandra asked, glancing down at Josephine and Cullen who were in the sea of people.
"They have—and soon, the world!" Josephine announced to the crowd, who seemed pleased by that response. They believed in Kassandra, and soon, the world would follow.
"Commander, will they follow?" Cassandra turned her attention to Cullen, knowing he knew his men and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the cause. Would they rally with Kassandra at the helm?
"Inquisition, will you follow? Will you fight? Will we triumph?" Cullen questioned, and each question was punctuated by steadily growing cheers from the crowd, stirring faith into Kassandra. Their initial numbers were small, but she knew she stared out at a loyal army. Cullen unsheathed his sword from his belt and raised it into the sky with a vociferous roar echoing from behind him as he turned to face Kassandra, "Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!"
Kassandra, in response, thrust her sword into the sky to the cries of her people. She closed her eyes and exhaled, knowing the war had just begun. She lowered the sword cautiously and her eyes diverted from the crowd as a whole and connected with one person in particular: Cullen. He nodded at her from the group of people, a gesture of faith and recognition from him to her. She was the Inquisitor, leader of this righteous force, and he was her Commander—at her beck and call. She waited for him and Josephine to join her, Cassandra, and Leliana on the stairs. The five began their ascent up to the main building at the final flight of steps standing before a set of double doors.
"A new chapter begins," Kassandra whispered as she, with some additional help from Cullen, pushed open the double doors to reveal a grand hall in disarray. Broken furnishings and shattered glass decorate the empty, lifeless room. Although there was quite the mess, the ghost of memories, teeming with long-forgotten glory, linger.
"So, this is where it begins." Cullen murmured as he spun around and surveyed the room, which was littered with debris and coated in a thin layer of dust. Ages had gone by since the last inhabitants, and some cleaning was long overdue. Luckily, his men were eagerly on the to-do tasks the moment they reached Skyhold.
"It began in the courtyard. This is where we turn that promise into action." Leliana declared, sounding quite inspirational for Leliana.
"But what do we do? We know nothing about this Corypheus except that he wanted your mark." Josephine nervously reminded, glancing over at Kassandra to see she was ahead of them and showed no response to her comment.
"We don't worry about Corypheus now." "We begin with building a fortress that will ease our people's minds so they can sleep at night. We use our resources to investigate and start spreading our reach across Thedas. Most importantly, we will not cower and bide our time thinking about what Corypheus is instead of working to stop him. It is time for nations and people to see the Inquisition for what we are: their only hope." Kassandra remarked as she stepped onto the dais filled with debris and stared up at the stained-glass window where the sunlight trickled through and into the hall. This was once a place of greatness and Kassandra knew she would make it great once more.