"Cole!"
Iron Bull tackled the saurian before it had a chance to strike again. He severed the tail and cut off the saurian's head in two clean, powerful blows. Trevelyan and Solas rushed to Marnie and Cole. Cole fumbled with the wound, his hands slipping in the blood. He felt Marnie's fingers tug gently through his hair. She knelt by his head, out of the way of Solas as he stood on Cole's other side to assess the damage. Trevelyan crouched by Marnie and took one of Cole's blood-slick hands in an iron grip.
"Will I die?" Cole asked. He didn't sound very afraid. To die would be an awful adventure.
"Just hold on, Cole," Trevelyan said. "We'll set you right again. Solas is already healing you."
Cole winced and shifted uncomfortably as the pain started to really set in. A powerful, throbbing pain radiated from the wound through his whole torso. The others had finished off the last saurian by now and were left anxiously supervising the scene before them. Only Lavender was calm. She seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal.
"How're you doing, kid?" Iron Bull asked. "You're looking awfully pale."
"There's blood," Cole obviously wasn't speaking for himself. "He's losing too much blood. I'm going to lose another one, flickering, fluttering, fading away..."
"Hey. Let's not focus on me here. I'm not the one with a hole in my chest."
"The Arisen had..." Cole trailed off and swallowed against a rancid taste of bile and blood rising in his throat. Marnie shushed him again. He stared at her.
"Solas," Trevelyan's voice was strained.
Solas knelt and placed his hand near the wound, letting a faint glow graze over the blood. Cole squirmed and clenched his teeth. The light began to dissipate.
"Is that the best you can do?" Marnie demanded.
"Well, I'm sorry it's not the anodyne you're accustomed to, Arisen!" Solas snapped.
Marnie just stared at him in disbelief. Mages on the mainland were useless. If he couldn't even heal, what merit did he have? Trevelyan was getting desperate, searching the group for anything that may be of use. Unfortunately, what few potions they'd brought had already been spent at Adamant. Marnie slammed a fist on the ground by Cole's head. She would not let this happen.
"Heal yourself," she ordered harshly.
Cole opened his eyes and looked at her uncertainly.
"Arisen..." Trevelyan started, but Marnie didn't give him a chance.
"Heal yourself!" Marnie grasped the front of Cole's jacket. "You're of the Fade, and you're in the Fade. Stop bleeding and fucking heal yourself."
Cole blinked. She'd never sworn at him before. Then, without any visible effort on Cole's part, the blood from Cole's wound stopped. He began feeling much better, actually. Grounded, solid, more real again, yet not exactly. His chest kind of tingled, but the sensation was almost pleasant compared to what he'd been feeling a moment ago. Cole sat up, pulled the edges of his jacket back, and looked at his chest. The wound disappeared, and moments later the blood followed. Cole looked back at the Arisen. Before he could speak, she wrapped him in a tight hug, pressing her face against his shoulder.
"Thank the Maker," she whispered. Thank the Maker it worked.
As she helped Cole to his feet, Trevelyan, Iron Bull, and Dorian moved in to fret over him in the most subtle way they could manage. Trevelyan looked for traces of the wound, Bull made sure Cole wasn't feeling lightheaded or dizzy. Solas almost smiled. He hadn't expected such a performance from Cole or the Arisen. The fact that the Arisen could compel Cole to draw from the Fade around him—not unlike the pawns, surely—was... interesting.
"Are you alright?" Dorian asked.
"I'm not going to die anymore," Cole replied.
"Ah, magnificent. I knew you had it in you." Dorian's voice lacked the usual confidence. Cole's brush with death had shaken all of them.
"Good. Now, what were you thinking?" the anger returned to Marnie's voice. "You were hurt bad enough as it is—what if the saurian had struck your head instead?"
"It didn't," Cole replied.
"But you could've died," Marnie insisted.
"So could you," Cole returned before anyone else could try to defend him. "I let it hit me so it wouldn't hit you. You're the Arisen, and I have to protect you, at least until Gale's back—"
"I'm not your Arisen!" Marnie shouted. "If I needed protection, you should've left it to Lavender. Don't you understand?"
"Yes." Cole was only saying it so she'd stop yelling at him. He didn't know why she was so angry at him for helping. She let other pawns die for her all the time. Why was this any different?
Marnie took a step back. "We're talking about this when we return to Skyhold."
She nodded Trevelyan forward. The Inquisitor thought better than to waste more time arguing with her about it, so he continued to lead the group down the path. This time, Cole stayed several feet behind Marnie.
.
As the group continued to move, the voice of the Nightmare carried in the rocks and the water around them.
"Perhaps I should be afraid, facing the most powerful members of the Inquisition."
Each of them heard something different. A taunt personally tailored to each person's greatest fear. The Iron Bull heard threats of being possessed by demons or the Nightmare itself. The others heard Bull mutter something about "I'd like to see you try." The Nightmare tried to entice Cole, saying they were so much alike and that the Nightmare could help Cole forget being afraid here. Cole merely shook his head and blocked out any likeness he saw or felt between him and the fear demon. Solas had a brusque conversation with the Nightmare in elvhen. For Dorian, the Nightmare mistook him for his father. Dorian refused to entertain the creature. The Nightmare told Sera that if she attacked it, it would know where she was. Sera just shook her head and cussed at the demon to get out of her head. Hawke heard that everything he'd ever done was pointless, that he couldn't save a city or his family, and nor could he strike down a god.
"Arisen."
Marnie raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe you're better off without Gale here. You repress so much of yourself to ensure he won't fail you, but once he represses you enough, you'll be cruel to him. Though who could blame the infallible Arisen for abusing a failing pawn?"
"Stop it," Marnie muttered. "Don't talk about that."
She couldn't stand the thought. She already regretted how she treated Cole.
.
Along the way, Marnie regarded several pawns and took on another. This time, she hired a man named Tate, who carried daggers. If they ran into any more demons with the likeness of the monsters of Gransys, the pawns would come in handy. Tate and Lavender looked at each other and exchanged a couple words about the oddity of finding demons in the Rift. Otherwise, they were quiet and didn't pay any mind to anyone.
The Fade was constantly changing, but with the Inquisitor focused solely on the Rift, they could navigate quite easily. Trevelyan didn't stop and investigate anything; time was of the essence, and they couldn't afford to get lost. They shouldn't get comfortable either, for each time they did, the Nightmare deployed a new tactic.
Marnie seemed to get over her anger at Cole, which stemmed from worry for him to begin with. She slowed to fall in step next to him, and Cole took her unspoken forgiveness like a lifeline. She'd make a point for a proper apology as soon as they got out of the Fade, but her regret was too strong to leave it totally alone for so long.
"Cole, I'm s—"
Marnie stiffened as a wide shadow flew across the ground before them. She looked skyward. Were those wing beats she heard?
"What was that?" Hawke asked.
A chorus of eerie laughs echoed through the ravine. The voices sounded almost human and distinctly female. Marnie recognized that laughter.
"Are those harpies? Here?" Tate asked.
"Ready yourself, Master," Lavender warned, drawing her bow.
From behind a pillar, a figure dropped and sailed in tight circles overhead. The creature looked to be a big bird; its wingspan had to be at least eight feet. But its topmost half resembled that of a woman. More harpies took flight from pillars and perches in the stone formations. The Inquisitor couldn't even count their numbers as they wheeled around—there had to be at least ten of them!
Fighting demons on the ground was a cakewalk compared to this. The advantage of being in the air served the harpies immeasurably. They were almost always out of reach of any attacks not delivered by bow or staff, and even then, their wheeling, random flight patterns made them an unpredictable target. Sera climbed atop one of the pillars bordering the path and fired arrow after arrow at the swarm of demons, cursing each time she missed. Solas and Dorian fired blasts of energy at the harpies. The spells were drawn to the demons and followed the harpies flawlessly until they struck, but even so, the spells had little effect.
Dorian struck with fire, and the harpy burst into flame and spiraled to the ground with a shriek.
"That's one way to do it," he noted as Hawke and Trevelyan rushed towards the fallen harpy to kill it before it recovered. They continued in this fashion to defeat the rest of the harpies.
"Watch out!" Marnie warned as one of the harpies swooped low through the group. The harpy lanced its talons into Iron Bull's shoulders and snapped at his neck. Iron Bull swung his greatsword in a wide arc, catching the harpy by its flailing wings and slamming it into the ground. From there, he drove the tip of the blade through the harpy's head with a shudder. Marnie ran up beside him.
"Did it bite you?" she demanded.
"No, we're good," Iron Bull replied, rubbing his neck and shoulder to check for wounds. Nothing, thankfully.
Last one. The only remaining harpy dove towards Sera, narrowly dodging the onslaught of arrows and grasping the girl's shoulders in razor-sharp talons. Sera felt the harpy lift her off the ground and carry her higher and higher up.
"Friggin' get off me!" Sera thrashed in the harpy's grasp, but her desire to be dropped faltered considerably when she looked down.
"Sera!" Trevelyan shouted.
"Shoot her down," Marnie ordered Lavender, who was already taking aim at the harpy. Marnie sheathed her daggers and bolted.
"Don't hit Sera," Iron Bull warned.
Sera didn't know where to look. Up at the wretched sky? Down at the ground? The harpy wasn't even an option. It was a hideous thing behind its seductive features. Sera kept her eyes shut as she felt the harpy continue to carry her. Then, the whistle of an arrow. The harpy stiffened with a cry as it was struck, then Sera felt the talons on her shoulders release—she was falling! What were they thinking, shooting the harpy down while they were still so high up?! Sera felt air rush past her, braced for the deadly impact. Below her, Marnie continued sprinting over the rocks, arms extended. She was almost there.
Marnie leapt to meet Sera, catching the girl securely in her arms and nearly toppling over from the sudden weight. Marnie slowed to a stop and set Sera on her feet. Sera pushed her away and patted down her arms and torso, making sure nothing was displaced or lost in the ordeal.
"Are you alright?" Marnie fretted. "Are you hurt? Sera."
"Stop fussing! I'm fine!" Sera hugged herself for a moment and sighed. "Thanks, yeah?"
"Sera!" Trevelyan called. After seeing she wasn't hurt, Trevelyan gave a sigh of relief. "It just carried you off, didn't it? I wasn't expecting that."
"You're lucky it was only her," Marnie said. "Some harpies can carry someone as big as Cullen."
"So these are more of your monsters?" Solas asked.
"Yes. These are my monsters."
"Well your monsters can bite it," Sera said, and nobody blamed her.
"I don't understand why we're all seeing the same thing," Solas shook his head. "Usually fear demons take form according to the individual mind. I thought we'd be seeing spiders, skeletons... things frightening yet known. I wonder why the Nightmare has chosen your mind specifically to draw from."
"It's easy to hear her," Cole replied. "Not loud, but not subtle either. It feels her here and takes what it wants."
"Great," Iron Bull grumbled. "Hey, Marnie, do me a favor and don't think about anything that scares you."
"What, like being alone?" Marnie proposed. "Outliving my loved ones? Watching my main pawn grow up to be a failure?"
"Yeah. Just keep thinking about shit like that, and we should be good."
"Thanks," Marnie said. "Ass."
.
They fought their way through little fears and found the Divine once again waiting for them in the path.
"The Nightmare is closer now," she warned. "It knows you seek escape. With each moment, it grows stronger."
"What is the Nightmare, exactly?" Trevelyan asked. "Solas says it's some kind of fear demon."
"It is not simply fear," the Divine replied. "It is the terror you cannot remember, the horror your mind erases to protect you. When old memories no longer make the veteran's hand's tremble, it is because the Nightmare has taken them. Most people avoid their fears. It is simple for the demon to steal the darkest fragments. They forget, and it feeds. Corypheus has helped it grow monstrous."
"It makes people forget the worst parts of their fears," Trevelyan reiterated. "It almost sounds like the Nightmare is helping people, or that it could."
"Perhaps it was, once," the Divine allowed. "But now it helps no one but Corypheus. By his hand, it creates more fear and grows even stronger. In any case, robbing people of their fears is never a kindness. At best, it is a mistake born of compassion. Without fear and pain and failure, we cannot learn, and we cannot grow. As you cannot grow until you recover all that was taken from you."
The Inquisitor looked ahead, where another glowing point was guarded by three demons.
"Let's go," Trevelyan said to the others.
However, once they stepped forward, the three demons began to change form. The three of them conjoined, enveloped by green light. Their silhouettes began to merge and transmogrify, growing in size and shifting shape until they were completely unrecognizable. When the light faded and its new form was revealed in its entirety, they saw a completely new monster. The creature now looked like a giant lion with a goat perched on its back and a large, writhing snake for a tail.
Trevelyan didn't even have to ask. He and the others turned to Marnie.
"'Tis a chimera!" Lavender drew her bow.
"And what, pray tell, is that, Arisen?" Dorian asked.
Marnie gestured for Tate and Lavender to charge the chimera on their own. They complied, distracting the chimera long enough to give the Arisen a chance to tell the others what to do.
"Alright," Marnie started. "We need to kill each head. The snake spews poison, and the goat casts spells. Don't let it kick you, don't let it maul you, and stay out of range of the goat's spells—they'll kill you instantly. I'll target the tail first. When it reels, see if you can kill the goat's head."
"Lovely," Dorian said.
They did exactly as Marnie said. Marnie scaled the goat's leg and climbed halfway up the snake's body to cut it in half there. While she was working on that, the others attacked the beast's legs, frequently dodging its lunges and spells. They made do with distracting it and just staying alive until Marnie could get through the snake. The chimera, like many things, was vulnerable to fire an ice, so Solas and Dorian cast as many offensive spells as they could whilst staying well out of reach. Trevelyan, Hawke, and Iron Bull were doing their best to keep the lion's head occupied on the opposite side of the clearing, but even with its back turned, the chimera was a threat. The snake tail lashed out at the mages. Dorian and Solas stumbled back a few steps, their spells interrupted. Marnie adjusted her grip and dug one blade into the snake's neck.
The snake whipped back with a hiss. The chimera turned on its heel in several tight circles in an attempt to shake Marnie off. Marnie dug her toes into the snake's hide and kept working. Finally, the skin of the snake gave, and Marnie severed the tail completely with a few slices. The decapitated snake still flailed on the ground. Iron Bull and Stroud rushed to hack it to pieces before it could bite someone.
The others were focused on the rest of the chimera. Without a tail, the beast stumbled for a moment before teetering on its side. The lion and goat heads made their respective cries, and the limbs flailed uncontrollably. It was as if the remaining heads were struggling to gain control of the body. The quarrel gave the chimera's opponents a mountain of opportunity. Spells burned and froze, arrows flew and embedded into the beast's soft underbelly. Blades slashed and hacked.
The goats head fell backwards with an unholy bleat. Its eyes rolled back and its tongue hung from a slack jaw. It was dead, and the lion's head followed swiftly after. Marnie made sure to look in its eyes. The chimeras of Gransys were true animals, even if they were beastly predators. The light leaving the lion's eyes would betray fear, regret, pain. But the eyes of this demon couldn't conjure an imitation of the emotion. The eyes were blank and empty until they rolled back into the lion's skull.
The body twitched for a few moments before it began to disintegrate. Trevelyan looked among the group. They were all a bloody mess by now, but no one was hurt. Trevelyan approached the glowing memory and held his pulsating hand to it.
"Is everyone ready?" Trevelyan asked. The others gave them nods of affirmation. Trevelyan felt the Anchor pulse.
This time, the vision showed Trevelyan and the Divine crawling up an almost vertical wall while fears in the form of spiders skittered close behind them. Trevelyan and the Divine made for a Rift lying just ahead. Trevelyan recognized this.
"This is the Breach back in Haven. This is how we... how I escaped."
The Divine stood at the top of the ledge, extending a hand over the edge to help Trevelyan up.
"The demon!" she cried.
They were both on level ground now, running to the Rift. Trevelyan calls to her over his shoulder.
"Keep running!"
Her scream makes him skid to a stop. He turned. She was being taken over by the spiders, pulled away from Trevelyan and the Breach. But they were so close! Trevelyan reached for her, returning the gesture she'd just given him, but she refused. The Divine looked him in the eye, completely lucid.
"Go," she ordered.
She pushed herself away, sailing far away into the Fade. Trevelyan watched her go. There was no way he could recover her now. At least he wouldn't let her sacrifice be made in vain. Trevelyan fled into the Rift.
They all knew the story from there. Recovering from the vision was easier this time. The Inquisitor turned to the Divine that had been assisting them during their nightmarish walk through the Fade.
"It was you," his voice was quiet.
The Divine looked at him. She seemed a little unsure of what to do with herself. Had the Fade affected her this way? Or has she always been such. Trevelyan's confidence in her credulity shook once more, but now the matter of his faith was shaken by something far more imperative.
"They thought it was Andraste sending me from the Fade, but it was the Divine behind me," he said. "And then you... she died."
The thing claiming to be the Divine was as unsettling as ever. She was standing too straight with her head angled down. The stature reminded Trevelyan of a helmet or mask hanging from a pole. She wasn't human now, if she ever was to begin with. She was one with the Fade. How had he been so uncertain before?
"Yes," she finally said.
"So this creature is simply a spirit," Stroud said.
"I think we all knew that was the case, Warden," Hawke returned.
The spirit's expression was unreadable. "I am sorry if I disappoint you."
Hawke gave her an apologetic look, but before he could gauge whether she was offended or not, the Divine burst into bright amber light. In her true form, the spirit was a glowing, floating outline of a human body, devoid of flesh or skin yet recognizable by the silhouette of the Divine's head piece.
Trevelyan said, "The only thing that's important right now is getting out of the Fade. Whatever you are, you've helped us so far."
"What we do know is that the mortal Divine perished at the temple," Hawke said. "Thanks to the Grey Wardens."
"As I said," Stroud glared at him. "The Grey Wardens responsible for that crime were under the control of Corypheus. We can discuss this further once we return to Adamant."
"Yes, Adamant, where the Inquisition faces an army of demons raised by the Wardens."
"How dare you judge us! You tore Kirkwall apart and started the mage rebellion!"
Hawke stepped so close that their chests nearly touched. "To protect innocent mages, not madmen drunk on blood magic! Even without the influence of Corypheus, the Wardens go too far. They need to be checked."
"Agreed," Solas chipped in. "The Wardens may once have served a greater good, but they are far too dangerous now."
"Don't know that we can pass judgment on the only folks who know how to stop Blights," Iron Bull cautioned.
"Sweet Maker," Trevelyan snapped. "Could the both of you please shut up? We can argue once we've escaped from the giant fear demon."
Stroud and Hawke turned to the Inquisitor. Before they could argue, a trail of spiders crawled into the clearing.
"The Nightmare has found us," the Divine spirit said.
Hawke and Stroud looked at each other, agreed to settle for now, and joined the Inquisition once more.
"Form up," Hawke said. "I'm with you."
Marnie and Dorian sent cascades of fire into the fray of arachnids. What creatures weren't burned retreated, chased by arrows and spells. After that, the group moved quickly forward. The Nightmare was obviously getting frustrated at this point.
"Do you think you can fight me?" it demanded. "I am your every fear come to life! I am the veiled hand of Corypheus himself! The demon army you fear? I command it. They are bound all through me!"
"Ah," the Divine spirit said. "So if we banish you, we banish the demons? Thank you, Your Every Fear Come to Life."
It was silent after that. The Divine forged the path ahead, and the Inquisition trailed hurriedly after her. The Divine led them up a steep incline leading to the Rift.
"You must get through the Rift, Inquisitor," she said. "Get through and then slam it closed with all your strength. That will banish the army of demons... and exile this cursed creature to the farthest reaches of the Fade."
"The Rift!" Hawke called as it came into view. "We're almost there!"
They reached a wide platform. The Rift stood ahead at the top of another incline. They were almost close enough to touch it. They just had to get past the Nightmare. The demon was even larger than any of them had anticipated, and it took the form of a large, hideous spider. Accompanying the spider was a tall humanoid figure in long robes with a spider for a head.
The Divine floated in front of Trevelyan for a moment.
"If you would, please tell Leliana..." She floated upwards towards the spider-faced demon. "I am sorry, I failed you, too."
Bolts of lightening pulsed from her ethereal form, stunning the demon and sending it tumbling to the ground for a moment. What was left of the Divine spirit's body burst into bright orange magma. She disappeared completely, and the Inquisition felt that she would no longer be with them in any capacity.
The humanoid demon struggled to stand again. The aspect of the Nightmare was the only thing standing between the Inquisition and freedom, and they'd all be damned if they let it stop them.
"Go!" Trevelyan shouted. They could strike before the demon recovered.
They all moved in. The archers and mages remained at the borders of the platform, keeping the demon cornered. The others did their best to bring it down. The hideous creature was repulsive to look at and unbearable to touch even with a blade. Still, they tried. The demon towered over the others. Each time it bowed to take a swipe at the group, they couldn't help but recoil. Then as soon as it was given an opening, the demon would dart away.
The Nightmare watched the battle with amusement clear in its tone.
"You are nothing. I grow fat on your fear."
"We can't waste our energy chasing it!" Trevelyan barked. "Marnie, can you scale it?"
"I can't. Those robes are too slippery."
He didn't question if she'd tried. He ordered the others to take positions around the platform to see if they could reach the demon faster as it moved. When this strategy worked well, the demon began to move through the Fade itself, teleporting whenever it got the chance.
Each time the demon teleported, Cole wasn't far behind it. He stayed on its tail, stayed behind it, pulled back when he needed too, and his daggers always knew where to go. As they all drove the demon and inflicted gash upon crippling wound, the voice of the Nightmare turned from growling to shouting.
"You cannot stand against me! You will die in agony!"
Trevelyan almost scoffed. Iron Bull swung his sword in a wide slash into the back of the demon's knees. As the demon fell forward, Trevelyan circled around it. He felt like retching, but he simply viewed this as a task that must be done. A gruesome, disgusting, sick-making task.
The demon looked up at Trevelyan, its spider legs writhing in a way that made his skin crawl. Trevelyan plunged his sword straight through the demon's face. The demon went limp.
The way was clear.
"Go!" Trevelyan shouted, pulling his sword out of the dead demon's skull. "Everybody get to the Rift!"
They all ran for the Rift. The pawns prioritized getting Marnie out safely, and she didn't fight it. She couldn't imagine being stranded in this Fade. One by one, each of them reached the Rift and jumped through. The Inquisitor, Stroud, and Hawke were almost there when the spider returned. It forced its way between the people and the Rift, pushing them back with a snarl.
"We need to clear a path!" Stroud shouted.
"Go!" Hawke volunteered. "I'll cover you."
"No! You were right," Stroud admitted. "The Grey Wardens caused this. A Warden must—"
"A Warden must help them rebuild!" Hawke cut him off. "That's your job. Corypheus is mine."
They seemed to be at an impasse. Hawke and Stroud looked expectantly at the Inquisitor—he was the world's savior now, so it wasn't like he could sacrifice himself. But the hard decision was left up to him.
"Stroud," Trevelyan turned to the Warden.
Stroud nodded gratefully. "Inquisitor, it has been an honor." He turned and charged at the beast. "For the Wardens!"
Stroud sliced one of the Nightmare's legs clean off. The Nightmare shrieked and followed him. While the demon's attention was taken, Hawke and Trevelyan ran to the Rift. Trevelyan only looked back once to see Stroud still fending off the Nightmare as bravely as before. Then Hawke pulled Trevelyan through the Rift.
When the Inquisitor emerged from the Rift, Wardens, Inquisition soldiers, and demons were still in the middle of heated battle. Trevelyan spun around and raised his mark to the Rift. It sealed with a burst, and the demons disappeared with it. The people that remained cheered in celebration of the Inquisitor's efforts and success.
"She was right," Hawke said. "Without the Nightmare to control them, the mages are free, and Corypheus loses his demon army. Though as far as they're all concerned, the Inquisition broke the spell with the blessing of the Maker."
Trevelyan almost forgot that. "Once they understand what really happened..."
"Honestly, after all the death they've seen," Hawke's gaze wandered among the group. "Perhaps it would be better to let them believe the legend."
Trevelyan considered it. An Inquisition officer joined the Inquisitor on the platform.
"Inquisitor," he saluted. "The archdemon flew off as soon as you disappeared. The Venatori magister is unconscious but alive. Cullen thought you might wish to deal with him yourself. As for the Wardens, those who weren't corrupted helped us fight the demons."
A Warden officer, high in rank as denoted by his armor and winged helm, saluted the Inquisitor.
"We stand ready to help make up for Clarel's... tragic mistake," the Warden said. "Where is Stroud?"
Hawke avoided returning the Warden's look. Trevelyan explained. It had been his decision, after all. It was his responsibility to bear.
"Warden Stroud died striking a blow against a servant of the Blight," Trevelyan said. "We will honor his sacrifice and remember how he exemplified the ideals of the Grey Wardens. Even as Corypheus and his servants tried to destroy all of you from within."
"Inquisitor," the Warden asked. "We have no one left of any significant ranks. What do we do now?"
Hawke looked at the Inquisitor. Trevelyan deliberated. Without Stroud to help repair the damages done to the Wardens and guide them in a more sound direction, enlisting the Wardens for help was too risky. They were vulnerable to Corypheus yet, and a danger if they ever repeated these mistakes. On the other hand, a harsh exile may be necessary, but that's an opportunity untaken, and good people punished for a mistake that wasn't entirely their fault.
"The unfortunate truth is that you're still vulnerable to Corypheus," Trevelyan said it as gently as he could. "Without Stroud to guide you, it's too risky to enlist the Wardens into any kind of action against him. Regroup, gather your bearings, decide on new leaders and implement defensive measures against another attack like this before doing anything else. Only then may you return to your work. In the meantime, I'm sure the Wardens of Weisshaupt would appreciate any information you can give them about your experience."
"So we are... banished, Inquisitor?" the Warden asked.
Trevelyan frowned, but nodded. "I'm afraid so, for now."
When the Warden was dismissed, Hawke spoke up.
"I'll go with them to Weisshaupt. Good luck, Inquisitor. It's been an honor. And... take care of Varric for me."
"I will," Trevelyan nodded. They shook hands, a firm shake with subtle smirks on their faces, before Hawke turned to leave with the Warden. Trevelyan looked at the Inquisition officer again.
"Where's Gale?" he asked. "He didn't make it to the Fade with us. Is he alright?"
"He's fine, Inquisitor. We found him on the battlements," the messenger replied. "He's with the Commander by the front gates."
"Thank you," Trevelyan nodded and turned to Marnie.
The Arisen stood from where she sat between her two support pawns. She was clearly eager to get back to him, so the Inquisitor led the others back through the fort promptly. After the demons expired, all battle ceased. Now all that was left were soldiers injured and recovering, Warden soldiers consoling disoriented Warden mages. It was an off-putting and far cry from what the fortress looked like even fifteen minutes before.
A number of soldiers and scouts were gathered just outside the fortress, and Cullen and Gale were among them. Gale's gaze wandered from the group. As soon as he saw Marnie, he broke away from the commander's side. Cullen tried to grab his arm, but then he saw Trevelyan's group. He relaxed. Trevelyan hadn't considered Cullen would self-impose the hands-filling job of ensuring Gale's safety during their trip through the Fade, but his efforts were nonetheless very much appreciated.
"Master!" Gale ran to Marnie and clutched her arms so tightly he was afraid he'd bruise her. He just couldn't let go for some reason, not until he got a good look at her. Lavender and Tate looked taken aback at first, but resumed their neutral expressions once more either because they figured it wasn't their business or that this was just how Gale was allowed to act towards his Arisen.
"I'm alright!" Marnie reciprocated his grasp, albeit more gently. "We're all alright."
"I'm relieved to see you safe," Gale sighed. He slowly released her and resumed his place beside her among his fellow pawns.
"You may thank Cole for that," Marnie said. Cole straightened up, surprised that she was praising him for something she'd scolded him for in the beginning. Marnie gave him a sheepish look, the returned her attention to Gale. "He'd sustained some injuries, so I was hoping you'd look him over tonight."
"Of course," Gale nodded, then went over to Cole immediately to fret over him. Cole gave Marnie an amused look. Marnie only smiled carefully at him.
When Trevelyan joined Cullen, the commander was still watching Gale and running his fingers through his hair.
"Inquisitor," Cullen sighed. "Thank the Maker. We were worried when we found Gale alone."
"Was he alright?"
"Of course. Nothing ever seems to trouble the boy. Why would this be any different?"
"How are our troops?"
"We've taken a loss, but with us acting on the defensive, we're better off than we could be," Cullen replied. "It was well worth it. We interrupted the ritual in time and defeated the demon army. For now."
Trevelyan gave him a look as if to sarcastically thank him for the optimism, but right now he didn't have the energy to do much more than that. Cullen caught on at once.
"There's an Inquisition camp about a mile east of here," he gestured to the moonlit horizon. "You and the others can rest there tonight. I imagine you're all exhausted."
"Thank you, Cullen," Trevelyan smiled.
.
The Inquisitor brought the others to the campsite, where they could all clean up, eat, and rest after their long trip in the Fade. When they reached the camp, the pawns immediately began assisting around the camp, moving effortlessly among the officers and injured, fetching supplies, helping set up more beds, even taking over tending the fire and distributing rations. They seemed to do anything and everything without tire, but they were hardly noticed by the people around them. Had he any energy at that point, the Inquisitor might've had an interest in watching them a while.
"Maybe we should get some of those in Skyhold," Dorian mused with a yawn.
Gale ushered him to one of the empty tents. He trusted Cole to take care of his Arisen for a few moments. A few of them stayed up for some food, but for the most part, the night had exhausted them to the brink of total collapse. In the end, the only remainders were Marnie, Cole, and the pawns. Marnie sat by the fire with Cole lying next to her with his head and hands resting on her thigh.
"Marnie," Trevelyan called over his shoulder before he turned in. Marnie gave him a questioning and lucid look. How could she still be sitting up at this hour? "Get some sleep soon. We'll head for Skyhold in the morning."
"Yes, Inquisitor," Marnie nodded. "Sleep well."
"You as well."
Marnie watched the flap of his tent flutter shut before looking at the fire again. She looked down at Cole. He'd been still for some time now, and his breathing was slow. His eyes remained glued to the fire, unblinking.
"Do you truly never sleep, Cole?" she asked.
"Not usually..." Cole admitted, then stifled a yawn.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said. "I was so worried you'd gotten yourself killed for me."
"You were scared," Cole immediately defended her. "You didn't mean to hurt me. You never meant it when you hurt Gale either."
Marnie couldn't help but be skeptical. True, he might've easily forgiven anyone for similar behavior. However, the reverence was still there—was he being so kind to her simply because she was the Arisen? Her argument with Solas recurred to her in that moment.
He can't have you without corrupting what he truly is.
What ever was she going to do about that?