For the first time since escaping Haven, I was able to change out of my armour. A servant brought me some new clothing. Looking over it, the tailoring was exquisite, trying to remember when I'd last worn anything like it. Dressing myself carefully, still as sore as the day I'd woken up in the mines below Haven, I made sure I was warm before stepping out into the courtyard. People and supplies were still flooding in. We'd only been there a day or so, but already, small improvements were being made. We had yet to convene a Council but I knew one would happen soon enough.

Over the next couple of weeks, we were not the only arrivals. Word had spread far and wide of what happened at Haven. Those seeking shelter were soon at our gates, pleading for safety. We accepted anyone and everyone. Rows of tents were placed around the courtyard. Mages tended to the injured and sick. Soldiers were sent out on routine patrols, watching the paths and starting work on access points into the fortress.

As for those at the centre, I'll admit we were probably licking our wounds. We were now rather isolated, perhaps hopeful Corypheus was unaware of where we were. We may have lost many of the mages in the Battle of Haven, as it was already being called, but we still had plenty of soldiers wearing Inquisition colours, and more soldiers were arriving every day. Many were worn out, having sought out our location, the first thing Leliana doing was sending out scouts and agents to inform those who needed to know our location.

Skyhold was a ruin when we arrived. The walls were formidable and looked strong, almost impregnable. They didn't need too much attention. But inside, most rooms were in dire need of refurbishment. We'd taken one look into the main hall and closed the doors for now. That was going to take a lot of work to fix up. I would have been happy with a tent, but I was billeted into one of the towers, where one of the few rooms that didn't require attention was located. I tried giving the room to others but no-one would listen.

Waking one morning, I dressed and walked outside into the courtyard. It was already a hive of activity, the numbers simply staggering. There appeared to be an impromptu council meeting, Cullen, Cassandra, Josephine, Leliana and Evelyn standing in a circle, then when they noticed me, they all departed except for Cassandra. Standing beside her, we continued to watch people come in through the gates. Already, supplies were coming in from both Ferelden and Orlais, our agents helping recruit others to the cause.

"They arrive daily from every settlement in the region. Skyhold is becoming a pilgrimage. If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One." She gestured for me to follow as we made our way around the courtyard, climbing the stairs to the upper courtyard. "We have the walls and numbers to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond the war we anticipated. But we now know what allowed us to stand against Corypheus, what drew him to us."

"Evelyn."

"Yes, but at the critical moment, you stepped forward to protect her, Uhtred. Stepped forward to protect us, and save us."

"I just did what was needed. Nothing more."

She smiled, and we continued on. "Your decisions let us heal the sky. Your determination brought us out of Haven." Climbing up the stairs to the grand hall, I wondered where this was all going. "You are that creature's rival because of what you did. And we know it. All of us."

At the top of the steps stood Leliana, an enormous broadsword resting in her palms. She met my eyes and smiled before stepping forward.

"The Inquisition requires a leader; the one who has already been leading it," Cassandra added.

I looked down below to see a crowd of people watching. I picked out those I knew. Cullen. Josephine. Evelyn. Blackwall. Solas. Inquisition soldiers were intermingled with the civilians. The survivors of Haven. The mages who nearly worshipped every step I walked. I met their eyes and saw hope. Expectation. Even… devotion.

"You," Cassandra said quietly.

I looked back at Leliana, her eyes bright and full of love, before glancing at Cassandra. "You do me a great honour, Cassandra, but what of…" I paused before adding, "I am not of this world. I am perhaps an even greater target then Evelyn. The Elder One wants her for the mark she possesses. The entire Templar Order wants me, and it appears they will now stop at nothing to ensure my death. And red lyrium is a major weakness. I'm not sure how even I'll manage to kill him."

"Evelyn is the Herald. She has been touched by Andraste. But she is not you, Uhtred Dragonborn. Times are changing. Perhaps this is what the Maker intended. He brought you here, not for the Blight, not for what happened in Kirkwall. He brought you here for this moment. The Inquisition. There would be no Inquisition without you. How it will serve, how you lead; that must be yours to decide."

I nodded in understanding, before I looked back at Leliana. Taking the hilt of the sword, I gently took it from her palms and held it close, inspecting the blade. It was exquisite. The work of the hilt alone was beautiful. A master craftsman must have spent hours designing it.

I turned towards the crowd, sensing their expectations of wanting to hear me speak. "I know I am not of your world, but from this moment onwards, I am now one of you. This Inquisition will be about sending a greater message. We have an enemy and we have to stand together against him, and once we do that, we will defeat him. Chaos has reigned for months across this land, affecting our homes and our loved ones. All of us have experienced a sense of loss. Order must be restored. And Corypheus must be defeated. We will do what is right. This Inquisition will fight for all of us."

"Wherever you lead us," Cassandra stated, before she stepped forward to the edge. "Have our people been told?" she called out.

"They have. And soon, the world!" Josephine called back.

"Commander, will they follow?"

Cullen turned back to the assembled soldiers and civilians. "Inquisition, will you follow?" The roar returned was deafening. "Will you fight?" The roar was even louder. "Will we triumph?" The roar that followed would have been her from Val Royeaux to Denerim. "Your leader. The Inquisitor!" he cried, the cheers seeming to go on for hours.

Once it died down enough, I turned to Cassandra and Leliana. "Looks like we have some work to do. Bring forth the Council. It's time to get started."

The last time I had been with Leliana was back in Haven. The night I was made Inquisitor, there was a knock at the door. Opening it, I was expecting Leliana. Instead, I saw Evelyn. Stepping aside and gesturing, she walked in as I closed the door. She sat down on the bed, looking a little nervous, so I sat down next to her.

"Big day," I said with at least a little humour.

"I didn't want it, Uhtred. I wasn't their first choice anyway, but they did ask me my thoughts considering who I am. I didn't want it. The Inquisition needs you, Uhtred." She turned to me and grabbed my hands. "What you did in Haven, saving them… saving me… I could never…" She burst into tears, so I immediately wrapped an arm around her. "When I saw… Why?"

I turned her so I could hug her properly, her arms barely long enough to go around me. "I was a worthy sacrifice to make sure all of this continued. Sometimes, the one must save the many. It seemed like the right time to make the sacrifice."

"They all believe now, you know that, right? You might not be one of us, a believer in Andraste or the Maker, but they don't care. They believe the Maker sent you to us." She paused before adding quietly, "Because I definitely do. I will thank Him every day going forward."

"No pressure then."

"Cassandra was right. You've been leading this from day one. I have the mark, and I can do what I need to do, but you're a veteran of the Fifth Blight, you were involved in so many events in Kirkwall, and you've done nothing but shape and lead this Inquisition since you arrived. You were not only born to save your world, Uhtred, you were born to save ours. Your gods sent you here for a reason. It is to save all of us too." She hugged me tighter. "And I will follow wherever you lead us."

I leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Well, I'll keep my promise about keeping you safe then."

"You can't do that if you're dead," she whispered.

"Sorry. It just seemed…"

"I know. You're here now. That's what matters."

She didn't stay much longer, giving her a cuddle before she disappeared. I barely had five minutes before there was another knock at the door. This time it was Leliana. When she gently pushed me back, shut the door and turned the lock, I definitely would have had a look in my eyes. When she started to disrobe without a word, I followed her example. I was obviously taking too long, as she was naked quite quickly, helping me take my things off, and when she dropped to her knees…

I groaned as she took my length. Running a hand through her hair, she constantly looked up as she practically made love to me with her mouth. I had to use all the tricks I could remember to simply hold back my orgasm. She was certainly eager to get me off as quickly as possible, her head soon bobbing up and down quickly.

"Gods, Leliana," I hissed. She didn't say or anything, or stop, still looking up at me with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. I had to roll my head back and stop looking. Just the look in her eyes was enough to bring me to the brink.

I just about warned her in time I was going to cum. I remembered the blowjobs she'd given me in Haven. This one was even better, my knees almost buckling as I definitely groaned loudly. I was probably making so much noise, I wondered if anyone was going to come knocking, asking what was going on.

Needing to sit back on my bed, Leliana stayed on her knees, simply looking up at me with nothing but love and devotion in her eyes. I simply caressed her cheek, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Okay, what did I do to deserve that?"

"You came back."

Gently pushing me back, I knew exactly what she wanted as I shuffled myself backwards so my body was on the bed. She stood up and straddled my body, leaning down to kiss me as I ran my hands up and down her back, giving her arse the occasional squeeze as well. I could feel the heat of her sex at my groin and it was of no surprise that I started to rise to the occasion quickly. I might be older but the body still worked as it should. The day I didn't get hard for her would be the day to take me to a cliff and push me off it.

Watching her slide down my length, she moaned, I groaned, and all felt right with the world again. She didn't move for a couple of minutes, just sitting there with a grin on her face that suggested she was rather content with life at that moment. I lay back and just took in her body. Still as beautiful as the first time I'd seen her naked. She opened her eyes and saw me looking, glad to see she was confident as ever.

"I think you just got harder still, Uhtred."

"I love what I see."

She leaned down to kiss me. "I love what's inside me. Now, you just lie there because it's been three years since I've had you this way."

Watching her ride me in such a manner would never get old. She was my goddess. The little sounds she made, the light moans, the way her body moved, the feeling of her as I was inside her, the softness of her skin as I ran my hands up and down her body, her taste as I kissed her wherever my lips could reach. And she blew me for a reason, making sure I lasted longer, because she rode me for what felt like an hour, and I didn't even bother counting how many times she enjoyed an orgasm. All I know is that by the end, her hair was plastered to her forehead, her cheeks were as red as I'd ever seen them, the mixture of lust and love in her eyes near enough sent me over the edge, and she kissed me in such manner that I simply grabbed her, rolled her onto her back, and finished two minutes later.

Resting on my forearms, her legs wrapped tightly around me, we both started to laugh. "Okay, maybe we should have done that back in Haven," she said with a giggle, "Maker's breath, it was good."

"Just good?"

"Can't go giving you too many compliments, Uhtred. Not yet anyway. You'll just have to work harder for a better grade than 'good'." I gave her a gentle thrust, which made her grin. "Not tonight. You don't have to move yet though."

"Enjoying the feeling?"

"Are you not?" I gave her another gentle thrust. "That answers that question then."

Though I think we both could have carried on, our appetites for one another was at least partially sated for now. After a quick clean-up, we snuggled under the covers, Leliana moulding her body into mine. I certainly enjoyed the feeling of her entire naked body resting against mine, and she knew it. "I'm going to get poked half the night and in the morning."

"Probably. Definitely in the morning."

"Good. We'll make love then get up for breakfast."

"I could have something… No…"

Leliana laughed, knowing exactly what I was going to say. "You can always do that first. I'll never say no to that."

I'm not sure what time we woke during the night, but it definitely wasn't dawn. We must have woken at the same time, and I wasted little time heading down her body, spreading her legs, and buried my face. My only objective was to make her cum constantly until she was begging me to fuck her. Once she did that, begging me through the moans, the only description to describe what we did next was that we fucked. Leliana, Sister Nightingale, Left Hand of the Divine, was royally fucked by Uhtred Dragonborn, Veteran of the Fight Blight, Defender of the Magi, and now the new Inquisitor. I'm not sure how long we fucked for, but we definitely got everything out of our system that second time. I'm sure we probably woke up half of Skyhold with our antics.

Gods, it was the best sex I think we'd ever enjoyed. By the time we were done, Leliana needing to get off me as her legs were jelly and she was complaining about a sore groin, we lay back sucking in deep breaths, covered in sweat, the sheets strewn everywhere, and I figured I'd be out of action for a few hours. I don't think anything she could have done would have worked to get me up again.

We slept at least a couple of hours before a servant knocked on the door. I had noticed they were even more nervous around me than before, almost tripping over themselves to keep me happy. Once the servant was dismissed, I asked Leliana to have someone gather them all so I could talk to them. She figured out why rather easily and said she'd ensure I could speak to them as soon as possible. Though we would have liked to remain in bed all morning, we eventually rose and dressed, no-one even looking as she walked out of my bedroom in front of me. The new reality was that Leliana and I were in love, were definitely in an intimate relationship, but it would not be at the expense of the Inquisition.

Over breakfast, I suggested we convene a council, the first proper one since I'd taken charge. We'd had meetings ever since, but simply couldn't agree on anything as we lacked information. But it was now simply time to head out and prove the Inquisition was still around, and more importantly, a force to be reckoned with. There were still those in high places that didn't take us seriously. We knew Corypheus still had plans. From the future Dorian, Evelyn and I had experienced, we knew Orlais was threatened. Overtures had been made towards the Orlesian throne but, as yet, we'd heard nothing back. Letters had been sent to Denerim but, so far, Aedan wasn't willing to stick his neck out just yet. The Free Marches were willing to send assistance, with the Herald being one of their own, but they worried about the Imperium at the same time.

For the moment, the Inquisition was on its own.

After breakfast, I was sitting with Josephine, Cassandra and Leliana, going over everything I would need to know about being Inquisitor, and I'll admit to be slightly overawed by it all, when there was a knock at the door by one of the servants. "Lord Inquisitor?"

"Aye?"

"There is an elven gentleman here to see you."

"Okay. Did they give a name?"

"He said his name was Gawen, lord."

I felt the smile immediately form as I stood up and practically rushed out of Josephine's office. I could see that he'd been stopped outside at the gates, so I rushed down. He seemed pleased to see me as I took his hand and pulled him forward to embrace him. "I never thought…"

"It's good to see you well, lord."

"Uhtred, Gawen. Please…"

He stood back and bowed slightly. "I have already been told the good news, lord. It would be unbecoming. You are the Inquisitor. To call you anything else…"

I offered my hand again, taking his in two of mine. "What brings you here? It's a long way from the Free Marches."

"I've been making my way here since learning the Dragonborn was in Haven. Once I learned the Inquisition had made it here, I had to come and find you. I wish to serve you again as your personal steward, if you'd…"

"Yes. Absolutely." I gestured to the main hall. "Please, come this way. I'll introduce you around. Show you your quarters." As I escorted him, I asked, "How long has it taken you to get here?"

"No more than a couple of weeks. I took the ship from Kirkwall to Amaranthine, then I walked here."

"And what have you been doing since I left?"

"You gave me more than enough money to survive once Lady Hawke disappeared. Before you ask, lord, I don't know where she went. She said it was better that we didn't know."

A crowd was at the top of the stairs, no doubt everyone wondering what I'd gone running out of the hall for. I cleared my throat. "Inquisition, this is Gawen. He was one of my servants in Kirkwall. More importantly, he is my friend. Gawen, meet the Inquisition."

He bowed towards them. "Delighted to meet you all."

"And his position will be?" Josephine asked.

"I have requested to be the Inquisitor's personal steward, if that is agreeable to everyone. I know the Inquisitor will insist he can look after himself, but after all that he has done for me, done for us, I merely wish to help in any small way that I can."

"I don't think anyone will argue with that, Gawen," Leliana said, "Welcome to Skyhold."

"Thank you, Lady Leliana." She seemed surprised by the fact he remembered her. He simply smiled. "I remember you. The Inquisitor spoke of you at length, particularly of his love for you, and the fact he missed you greatly the entire time he was in Kirkwall."

Everyone just looked at me. I'm fairly sure I blushed. Clearing my throat, I said, "Yes, well, um, I was going to show you around…"

"Nonsense. You have work to do with Josephine and Leliana. I will show him around," Cassandra insisted.

"Hang on, who's in…"

"Gawen, if you'd kindly follow me, I can show you your quarters and give you the rundown of everything here. If you've worked for the Inquisitor before, then you know what he's like at least."

"He doesn't ask for much, Lady…"

"I'm Cassandra. We'll make a better introduction soon. But he has work to do, as do all the others who came gawking." Cassandra clapped her hands. "Away with you lot."

Everyone split apart as I followed Josephine and Leliana back to the former's office, though Leliana did stop me for a moment and laid one hell of a kiss on my lips. "I missed you too," she whispered before turning and walking into the office. I watched her walk for a second before following her inside.

I was hard at work… well, perhaps not hard at work, but I had a pile of paperwork on my desk that I was trying to get through. I was slowly beginning to understand that, although I would spend a lot of time in the field, when I was back at Skyhold, a lot of my time was going to be paperwork. Some of it from people willing to support us, whether it was financially or otherwise. Other letters were from diplomats. Some were from nobles. Others were simply comments of support in our endeavour. There were also those from our detractors. I asked Josephine not to throw those out. We could learn something even from those who claimed to not support, even hate for what we stood for.

Engrossed as I was, it took Gawen to clear his throat loudly to gain my attention. Glancing up at him, he looked concerned for a moment before remembering what I was like. I certainly wasn't going to shout at him. "There's a problem, lord."

"There's always another problem, Gawen. You'll learn that very quickly during your time here. What is it this time?"

"In the courtyard, lord. We appear to have a visitor. Strange lad. Lady Cassandra, Lady Vivienne and Solas are currently in an argument about his presence. I don't foresee it getting violent or confrontational, but I thought you may wish to intervene in the matter."

"Thank you, Gawen. I'll head out immediately."

He bowed his head and disappeared as I put the letter aside, grabbed my coat, as I was finding Skyhold to be even colder than Haven, and headed outside. Varric was playing cards at the long table with some others, nodding my way as I walked past. Heading down the stairs, people were coming and going from the tavern, soldiers were gathered around in groups, relaxing before heading out again. Further down, I could see the three people indicated, and also the lad Gawen was talking about. The same young man who had come to Haven. He'd basically disappeared after it, no-one having seen him since.

"This thing is not a strange puppy you can make into a pet. It has no business being here," Vivienne insisted. I'm fairly sure I'd missed most of the conversation.

"Wouldn't you say the same of an apostate?" Solas retorted. I knew for a fact the two didn't see eye to eye regarding anything magic. Vivienne just returned a look of utter disdain, not rising to the bait. For now.

Cassandra noticed my approach. "Inquisitor…"

"I really hate it when you call me that, Cass."

She smiled when I called her that. Josephine practically giggled every time I called her 'Josie'. Evelyn was now 'Evie', which she simply adored. "Inquisitor," she stated again, putting as much emphasis into it as possible, "I wondered if Cole was perhaps a mage, given his unusual abilities."

"He can cause people to forget him, or even fail entirely to notice him," Solas added, "These are not the abilities of a mage. It seems that Cole is a spirit."

I glanced at Cole nearby, crouched down, doing I don't know what. He seemed harmless. "A spirit? You mean the opposite of a demon?"

"It is a demon," Vivienne stated, the vehemence in her tone a slight surprise.

Solas shrugged. "If you prefer, although the truth is somewhat more complex."

I glanced at Cole again. "Well, he seems pretty harmless to me though I can see what Solas means about his abilities. I haven't seen him since Haven. But what I do know is that he came to warn us. He helped save a lot of lives."

"And what will its help cost?" Vivienne asked, "How many lives will this demon later claim?"

Solas shook his head slightly. "In fact, his nature is not so easily defined."

I was starting to realise Solas knew a hell of a lot about this, though that was because Evelyn spent more time talking to him than me. Being a fellow mage, the fact they conversed all the time made sense. I spent my time with warriors. Cassandra just groaned in frustration. "Speak plainly, Solas. What are we dealing with?"

"Demons normally enter this world by possessing something. In their true form, they look bizarre, monstrous."

"But you claim Cole looks like a young man. Is it possession?" Cassandra wondered. The way she asked made me think she couldn't see him.

"No. He has possessed nothing and no-one, and yet he appeared human in all respects." Solas turned to me, no doubt now to plead his case. "Cole is unique, Inquisitor. More than that, he wishes to help. I suggest you allow him to do so."

I looked around the three of them. I knew what Vivienne thought. Solas was keen to keep him. Cassandra met my eyes and shrugged. "It's your decision… Inquisitor." She said that with such a smug look on her face…

Looking back to where he'd been sitting, he'd disappeared. We looked around and I saw him nearby, standing by one of the fires that burned constantly, providing heat and light for the refugees that came and went. Approaching him carefully, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I'd barely spoken to him while in Haven, with all the madness that was taking place.

"Haven. So many soldiers fought to protect the pilgrims so they could escape." His voice was different to what I expected. It was soft, almost melodic, with a depth of feeling I was unused to hearing. "Choking fear, can't think from the medicine but the cuts wrack me with every heartbeat. Hot white pain, everything burns. I can't… I can't… I'm going to… I'm dying, I'm…"

He then gestured to a soldier nearby. I hadn't even noticed him, nor had any of the mages or doctors.

"Dead," Cole whispered. It was obvious who he had been describing. I could only look back at Cole, knowing my eyes were wide in disbelief. Whatever gifts this boy contained…

"Are you feeling their pain?" I asked. I had a million other questions, but I really wasn't sure what to ask. I looked around for Solas, as he would know what to ask, but he'd disappeared.

"It's louder this close, with so many of them."

I looked around and could see what he was talking about. It was a field hospital. Tents full of the sick and the dying. Nurses and mages were doing what they could, but I'd learned over the years that even magic had its limitations. People died, no matter what you tried to do to save them. "Would you like to go somewhere more comfortable?"

"Yes. But here is where I can help."

He strode forward, past the fire, towards where another one of our soldiers was lying on the ground. Her face deathly pale. She didn't look long for this world. "Every breath slower. Like lying in a warm bath. Sliding away. Smell of my daughter's hair when I kiss her goodnight." I stood beside him and looked down to see her head roll to the side. "Gone."

I crouched down to close her eyes, whispering a quick prayer to the gods, catching the eye of a nearby medic, gesturing what had happened. As they approached, I followed Cole again. It was starting to grow disconcerting. Was this boy bringing only death to Skyhold? "Cracked brown pain, dry, scraping. Thirsty." I watched Cole walk to grab a canteen, walking back to a nearby soldier, clearly carrying wounds. "Here." The soldier thanked Cole for the drink, clearly needing refreshment, sucking down the cold water in a great gulps. He glanced back at me. "It's all right. She won't remember me."

"So you're using your powers to help people?" I asked. That much I could understand, at least. But how he was reading their thoughts and feelings was well outside my knowledge.

"Yes," he replied simply, before he added, "I used to think I was a ghost. I didn't know. I made mistakes… But I made friends too. Then a templar proved I wasn't real. I lost my friends. I lost everything. I learned how to be more like what I am. It made me different, but stronger. I can feel more. I can help."

He seemed harmless enough. I had no idea of any other abilities, if he could help out on the field, but if he could help those who were hurting, who were suffering, and if Solas could figure out more about him, then perhaps he'd be worth keeping around. I'm sure others would probably have a fit knowing a spirit was hanging around, but if they couldn't see him… "If you're willing to help, Cole, then you may remain with the Inquisition. I don't know what you are, but you certainly have a gift."

"Yes, helping. I help the hurt, the helpless." He paused, looking around. "There's someone…" He walked away, towards another soldier lying on the ground. I followed Cole, and only did I grow concerned when he took a dagger from his belt. "Hurts… it hurts… it hurts… someone make it stop hurting… Maker please…" Cole lowered his head before looking at me. I couldn't see his eyes under the wide brim of his hat. "The healers have done all they can. It will take him hours to die. Every moment will be agony. He wants mercy. Help."

"Too far, Cole. You say he has hours to die. Who knows what could happen between then and that moment he takes his final breath? It is not for us to decide."

"His body is failing," he stated bluntly.

"But could recover. You would be amazed at how resilient the human body can be, how it can rebound from even the worst of injuries. Yes, he is in pain, but you simply don't know what could happen. The worst thing we could do is give up on him now. There is mercy in ending it now, but there is also mercy in giving him a chance at life."

Whether Cole understood what I meant or not, I wasn't sure, but he put the dagger away immediately and nodded. "I want to stay," he stated.

"And you can. We are here to help people, just not like that."

I left Cole alone, hoping he understood what I meant, but if Solas was right, I might forget all about him and he might even disappear. Well, as far as I understood it all anyway. I'd probably have to speak to Solas about him to gain a better understanding of just what his abilities were. No point asking anyone to keep an eye on him if he had the ability to make people not see him.

Heading back into the main hall, I didn't really feel like heading back to my desk and the mountain of paperwork so I decided a couple of minutes in privacy with a certain someone would help before I got back into it. Heading upstairs, I passed by Dorian and Fiona, surprised they were actually talking to one another, before taking the next flight of stairs to the top, where Leliana had made herself comfortable.

I was surprised to see Cullen up there, and it appeared the conversation was private so I politely stayed back, before he turned to leave. "Inquisitor," he stated with a nod of the head.

Leliana looked at me, and she seemed terribly upset, holding up a small tube. "The names of those we lost," she said softly. She turned away, moving away to her desk. "You must blame me for this."

I gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into my embrace. "How could you say such a thing?" I whispered, feeling her fingers dig into her back as she tried to control everything inside.

Resting her head against my chest, she said, "I keep wondering if I couldn't have done something different. When the first of my lookouts went missing, I pulled the rest back, awaiting more information. If they'd stayed in the field, they could've bought us more time. I was afraid to lose my agents, and instead we lost Haven. And I almost lost you."

I lowered her hood and gently stroked her hair, making her look up. "You care for your people, Leliana. That's a good thing."

"Is it?" she asked softly, "My people know their duty. They know the risks." She rested her head against my chest again. "They understand that the Inquisition may call upon them to give their lives."

"No-one is expendable in this, Leliana." She looked up, ready to argue. "No-one. Not you. Not your agents. Not our scouts. Not even our soldiers out in the field. Every life matters. Your instincts were right."

"Can we afford such sentimentality? What if Corypheus…"

"We are better than him." I leaned down to kiss her softly before pulling back. "And you are definitely better than him."

"You believe in me?"

"Always have, never stopped, and I'll continue to until the end of all this." I kissed her again before letting her go. "Better?"

"Yes. You always help."

"Good."

I turned around, ready to leave when she asked, "What about you?"

Turning back, I asked, "What about me?"

"Are you expendable in all of this?" I took a step forward, watching her face. "You chose to stay back in Haven, Uhtred. You were ready to die to save us. If my knowledge of the word is correct…"

"No, there was a difference. I was making a sacrifice, Leliana. Myself for all of you."

She stepped forward towards me, resting her hands on my chest. "You're not expendable either, Uhtred. You don't need to die just to save us all. Get that thought out of your head, that you need to sacrifice yourself time and again. I don't want to see another Haven. I can't. I need to know that you're coming back to me. If I were to lose you too…"

I wrapped my arms tightly around and kissed her, feeling her arms go back around me. We kissed for a long time, certainly long enough that we eventually need to break apart so we could breathe normally. I think we both looked rather flushed after it. "Not going anywhere," I whispered, "I remember something about retirement at a certain villa by the water. I'm not missing out on that. We've been apart longer than we've been together. I plan on rectifying that shortly."

"You know, sometimes I have to ask the Maker what I did to deserve you, Uhtred Dragonborn."

"I often ask my gods the same thing about you. I must have done something to please them."

"Don't work too late tonight." I raised my eyebrows. "I would come down right now, but I have work to do, as do you. So, after dinner, we should… adjourn to our bedroom." I smiled when she said 'our bedroom' as she'd already moved all her things in. I even let her choose which side of the bed she wanted, though it didn't matter, as we always ended up cuddling together in the middle. She turned me around and patted my bum. "So off with you now, Inquisitor. Important work still needs to be done."

"Yes, ma'am. See you at dinner."

"If you behave yourself, I might even whip out the old leathers soon."

I raised my hands to the ceiling. "Yes! The gods are wonderful and do listen to my prayers."

The sound of her laughter certainly echoed down the tower, earning curious looks from Dorian and Fiona when I walked on by, whistling a tune. I wasn't going to tell them why I was suddenly in a happy mood.

A/N – So I'm sure it might be obvious to some, but the intention is to soften Leliana quite quickly.