The sun began to set on a day full of back and forth bickering and contemplation. The gang had all returned from their trip to Val Royeaux that morning. Lea was still in her travel clothes, and she most likely smelled like sweat, horse, and campfire smoke. Her lower back was sore from riding, her feet hurt from standing at the war table and she only had some bread and cheese around lunch time. Yet, she needed some time to think everything over.

She found herself at the old dock across the frozen lake after collecting elfroot to replenish whatever potions they may have used on their last mission. She dropped the satchel on the wood and sat down letting her legs swing off the edge of the dock. She made an orb of light float just above her head so she could work on stripping the leftover stems from the leaves.

Lea looked up at the Breach. It left an eerie glow over everything, especially at night. She almost felt like a little girl going up to doors on Halloween night. Instead of a bag of candy, she had an herb that didn't even exist on Earth. She missed the convenience of her old home, but not much else. Indoor plumbing could only be found in Orzammar, and the dwarves had no intentions of spilling their engineering secrets to surfacers.

She still wasn't sure who's help she would need to fully close the hole in sky. Evelyn wanted to go with the Templars, Cullen agreed, but Leliana thinks that the mages would be more useful. Cassandra is on the fence, while Josephine worried over whether or not they had enough influence to gather any help. They were all leaving the final decision up to her. Even Evelyn felt unsure of the right choice, even with her leaning toward the Order.

Then, Leliana brought the disappearance of the Gray Wardens to her attention. That really concerned Lea. She hadn't heard from Rose in a while and should write Alistair about it. He might be able to shed some light on this, being a former warden himself. Although, Leliana was probably two steps ahead of Lea and most likely had an answer from him already.

She heard the crunching of snow coming from behind her. Looking over her shoulder she was surprised to see the Commander stepping onto the dock holding two mugs with steam rising from them in one hand and a covered basket in the other.

"Good evening, Commander. What brings you out here?"

"I thought I would try to return the favor of bringing you something to eat."

"I appreciate it, but you didn't have to go through the trouble. I know you're a busy person."

It was that moment that her stomach decided to rumble about its lack of sustenance. She felt her cheeks warm up over her own body making a fool of her.

"Apparently, my stomach isn't happy about me forgoing dinner," she giggled, as she took the mugs from Cullen so he could sit down.

Cullen chuckled at her comment as he settled the basket down in between them. Lea handed back one of the mugs. It smelled like spiced cider and it was the perfect drink for the cold of the Frostbacks.

"It isn't much. Just fresh, baked bread, cheese, and a couple of apples. They were serving the usual ram stew. Unfortunately, I don't have enough hands to hold two bowls, and two drinks," he said with a sheepish grin.

"This is fine. It beats the jerky, stale bread, and dried berries we usually have to eat on the road."

"How was the journey to Val Royeaux? The reports said there wasn't any danger, but…"

"But, you want to see how Evelyn did out in the field?"

"Yes."

"Well, she thankfully didn't see any violence. The roads were quiet. Which I'm assuming had something to do with Leliana's agents. Once we dealt with the utter failure that was the meeting with the clerics, we split up. Cassandra escorted Evelyn to Madam De Fer's Salon, while Varric, Solas, and I met with an elf named Sera who happens to be a Red Jenny. The four of us got into a scuffle with a noble who was also a mage. It was an interesting fight, considering some of his men didn't have breeches."

Cullen nearly spit out his cider at her retelling of the journey. He couldn't help but chuckle when she tried mimicking an Orlesian accent.

"Your Orlesian accent is horrible," he stated when he stopped laughing.

"I've spent the last 10 years in Ferelden."

"That's all the explanation I need."

They sat in companionable silence as they finished their meal. Lea was grateful for the warm cider. It warmed her up, whether it was from the actual warmth of the drink or the little bit of alcohol in it she wasn't sure.

"Would you mind telling me more about where you are from?"

Cullen's question caught her off guard. Her true identity has been kept hidden for so long that she never really has the chance to talk about Earth.

"That is…uh if you don't mind," Cullen added as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Of course, I don't mind. It's just not often I get to speak about my background," Lea responded with a reassuring smile.

"Earth, as I have said before doesn't have magic, but it still seemed more convenient. Electricity kept our homes and businesses running. It produced light with the flick of a switch, cooked our food without flame, and warmed our water as it filled our tubs."

She noticed how Cullen's eyebrows rose slightly, as he processed the information. She took his silence as confirmation to continue.

"We had devices that played music, that had been pre-recorded by musicians so people could listen to songs whenever we wanted. They started out as phonographs, then radios were invented, which progressed to handheld devices called compact disc players, and finally MP3 players. I miss that easy access to music the most."

Lea sighed; with her phone dead she had no access to the music stored on it.

"What age was Earth in?" Cullen asked, as he re-adjusted himself.

"We didn't have named ages like Thedas. It was just numbered years. It was the 21st century, the year was 2015 when I was transported here.

"Your home has only existed for 2015 years?"

"Oh no, much longer than that. That's just when Jesus Christ was born. He was a big deal. The largest religious group believes he was the son of God, while some other religions only believe he was one of God's prophets."

"What did you believe?"

"Now, you're asking the tough questions," Lea said smirking at him. "I'm not really religious. He was a great guy. I honestly didn't follow along enough to remember if he was even a real person. He spent his time helping lepers, prostitutes, and the poor."

"That's not too different from what you're doing here and now."

"That's a scary comparison, Commander. It doesn't help that Mother Giselle has already tried comparing me to Andraste."

"I guess in a way Andraste and your Jesus aren't that different."

"Not really. Now, to actually answer your question. I didn't believe either belief. This is pessimistic, but a lot of events in my life turned me away from the belief that a higher power was watching over us."

"I think that happens sometimes. It's unfortunate that some people go through things that make them have no faith." Cullen turned his gaze to the breach as he spoke.

"Yet, other people have their faith strengthened by terrible events," she said with a genuine, knowing smile.

"Yes, it does. Now, what do you say to getting out of the cold?"

"I'd say that's a good idea."

Varric was sitting by the fire that was lit in the middle of Haven, brainstorming for a new book to write. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He could barely make out the forms of Curly, and Herald Lea coming through the gates. Giggles floating on the wind and their direction changing toward her cabin had ideas running away in his head.

He may just have found some inspiration for his next novel.