"We need a small group that will not add extra complications to an already complicated situation." Cassandra turned towards Ellana; "I know he will resist, however Dorian should not join you on this trip. His accent will only further emphasize that we are outsiders."

Ellana sighed and looked down at the War Table map; it was time to make a decision on who would travel to Cumberland. All of the Inquisition members had offered to join, which brought a round of grateful tears to Ellana's eyes. Unfortunately, Cassandra was right – they needed to move quickly and quietly to the Circle. It was difficult enough that Ellana would be travelling with them – a Dalish elf. She would stick out like a sore thumb.

She glanced over at Cullen and saw him intensely studying the map, reviewing their intended route for the hundredth time in his mind. He had planned almost every aspect of this trip, sacrificing many night's sleep in order to make sure they had back-up plans and contingencies in place for every imaginable mistake. How he didn't look completely exhausted at this point, she couldn't understand. Ellana was more than exhausted – she was drained, worn-out and felt fairly defeated; all of this before they even departed… it was not a promising sign.

"I don't know," Ellana rested her elbows on the edge of the table. She had yet another headache developing; they came so frequently these past few weeks that Ellana had begun to rival Cullen. "I can't make any decisions right now…" she began to lightly massage her temples with her fingers.

Cullen shifted closer to her and began rubbing her upper back; he knew all too well how incapacitating a bad headache could be. Cullen had been taking on quite a large portion of planning this trip to ease some of her workload, and was preparing to make the final decision on companions, if a scenario like this arose. "Alistair should join us. We have no reason to believe the Circles have stopped respecting Grey Wardens. Also, the Templar connection on our end will not hurt. Cassandra, your representation from the Seekers would also be supportive."

Ellana lifted her head towards Cassandra, "Wait – Cassandra, are you comfortable with coming?"

Cassandra's jaw tensed and Ellana noticed white in her knuckles as her grip on the War Table tightened, but she curtly nodded her head, "Yes. I will admit – I do not enjoy the idea of travelling back to my homeland… however, I agree with the Commander. I should be there. It will be fine."

Ellana gave her an appreciative smile. She knew the rest of their companions would be upset – especially Dorian – but she felt good about a team of Cullen, Cassandra and Alistair.

"Are you sure that you don't want to bring someone who can cast spells?" Josephine cut in.

Ellana gave her a confused look and was about to point at herself, when suddenly it dawned on her: Josephine was correct, they didn't have anyone in the party who could use magic. Her heart sank a little, she had almost forgotten for a moment…

"We'll only be like that for the journey there." Cullen pulled Ellana into a side hug. "We'll have our spell-caster on the way home." Ellana looked up the confident grin her gave her and lightly smiled back. He was much more optimistic than she was feeling through all of this.

A few hours later, the four of them were on the road and heading towards Val Royeaux – they would do a few days rest here to regroup and stock up on supplies before departing North for Nevarra. It would be several weeks before they arrived in Cumberland, so the group planned on frequent rests to allow the horses adequate recuperation time. Cassandra had secured a second horse to the reins of her primary steed, as an insurance plan in case one of the horses fell ill and they needed a spare. Ellana agreed that it was a smart consideration, however she greatly hoped they didn't encounter something like that. She had been spending a large amount of time in the stables recently, and had become quite fond of all the Inquisition horses. Some of the other members appeared to choose a different horse every time they departed, where Ellana had been faithful to her white Frostback Mountain from very beginning; she had named him Revas – as riding him in open fields and feeling the wind blow through her long hair gave her a feeling of freedom. She had names for most of the horses, actually. Cullen's, she had named Ghilani – hoping the steed would always guide him back to her after a long day's battle.

Ellana noticed Cullen and Alistair were starting to trail slightly behind her, yet didn't pay much attention; they probably wanted to discuss logistics of the trip once more.

Alistair gave Cullen an amused grin and lifted his head to signal he had something that he wished to discuss. Cullen slowed his horse and noticed Alistair do the same. "What?" Cullen called over, once they had dropped behind Ellana and Cassandra.

"How did the visit go with your sister?"

That's what he wanted to talk about? Cullen raised an eyebrow and gave him a strange look. "It was fine – good to see Mia and the boys."

"No," Alistair chuckled, "I meant between your sister and your – " he pointed a finger up towards Ellana.

"Oh," Cullen laughed, "Very well." He glanced ahead and found himself smiling as he watched her long blonde hair blowing furiously in the wind behind her, riding along on her horse. Cullen would catch subtle hints of lily and jasmine in the air, as her scent trailed behind her; he took in the smell and cherished it, accepting it as the next best thing to having her wrapped within his arms in a warm embrace.

"Well, isn't that nice. The sister approves." Alistair smirked, "Meeting the family – pretty big step! You know what often comes after that, yes?"

Cullen glared over at his friend. Unlike Mia, Alistair was very aware of Gaspard's demands for the assistance he would be providing them during this trip. Marriage was one of the last things that Cullen wanted to discuss right now.

"Oh, come on!" Alistair rolled his eyes, "You and I both know that won't be happening. You'll find a way out of it! So, put it aside for a moment; you must be thinking about it with her."

Cullen blushed; yes – he had been. A lot. He thought constantly of it, actually… and wished that he had made a move before Gaspard's visit. He was a little unsure of how she would react, however…

Alistair could pick up Cullen's hesitation and raised an eyebrow, "What's that look for?"

Cullen signed, "I'm not sure if she's interested in marriage." He saw Alistair start to laugh and so he clarified, "The Chantry's idea of marriage; I don't think it would mean anything to her. The Dalish – I believe they do something similar, but it's not marriage and it's certainly not swearing an oath to the Maker. I just… felt sort of uncomfortable asking her before I knew more about her thoughts on the matter, and then…"

"Another man swooped in." Alistair gave a regretful smile, "It's not going to happen, don't worry. I don't know how, but you'll find a way."

Cullen lightly nodded his head and forced a smile upon his face, "I certainly hope you are correct."

Meanwhile, Ellana took the boys' retreat as an opportunity to have a private chat with Cassandra – she was worried that the stubborn Seeker was withholding her true feelings about returning to Nevarra. "Are you sure you're doing okay, Cassandra?" she lightly called over.

Ellana watched as Cassandra dropped her guard and discomfort spread across the woman's face – Ellana always found Cassandra to be more open and willing to confide in her when it was just the two of them; she must have been programed to appear unbothered and in command around the Inquisition men and forces. "Maker," Cassandra looked over at Ellana, "I had not expected to be returning here anytime soon – possibly ever again."

Ellana nodded, "I imagine it must bring up a whole slew of feelings for you. How young were you when you left?"

Cassandra appeared lost in thought for a few moments. Ellana wondered if she had pushed it too far in bringing up the Seeker's childhood. Eventually, she heard a quite mumble; "Somewhat young; I was 15 at the time of my vigil to join the Seekers. I suppose that I had quite a few years as a child in Nevarra, however so much had happened that I… prefer not to relive those memories. I can hardly recall some of the details during my time there."

Ellana solemnly nodded. "I certainly never went through anything similar with my Clan, but I can understand how those memories have slipped away from you. I've been separated from my Clan for, what – a year, now? Some of the details: the smells of my Clan's evening meal wafting through the camp, the sound of our little ones laughing and shrieking with delight, the feeling of fresh summer grass between my toes – " Ellana looked down at her worn boots and chuckled, "I feel so distanced from those things, now. Each day, the memories slip farther away from my mind. Sometimes I question myself if that was ever truly my life. How quickly we seem to forget the things which now bring us pain upon remembering them."

Cassandra nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It is quite shocking, the places we find ourselves in life. Never would I have believed the Maker's plan for me…" her voice trailed off.

Ellana continued, absentmindedly staring off into the distance. "I used to wish that I hadn't left – that I could go back and stop my Keeper from sending me to the Conclave. I missed it – home, my camp. Even now, at times I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn't left."

Cassandra kept her focus on the small elf beside her, feeling regretful that she hadn't considered this before… how heavy the burden of separating from her Clan must be on the Inquisitor. It wasn't something that Ellana spoke of often and she had seemed to acclimate almost instantly to the Inquisition; it was easy to forget that only a year ago, she had been living with her nomadic clan and unaccustomed to human interaction.

Ellana warmly smiled at her, "It's the people who cause me not to regret it – leaving, that is. All of you." She chuckled, "You all make me feel like I'm part of a new Clan. I still miss where I'm from, but this feels like my new home. I guess what I mean to say is that it's okay to have confused feelings about where you're from or where you are now… I focus on the people with me, and that's what sort of gets me through something when I'm feeling ungrounded or unfocused. If you're having a hard time when we return to Nevarra, focus on us." Ellana pointed back to Cullen and Alistair, "those two idiots back there and me. You've got us." She grinned, "You could probably do better, but you could also do much worse." She started laughing.

Cassandra joined in on the laughter before recovering herself. "Thank you, my friend."

"Anytime." Ellana gave Cassandra a warm smile and thought the conversation was over; she was a little startled when Cassandra quietly spoke a few moments later.

"Do you recall the first time we met during the events at the Conclave?"

"Yes," Ellana chuckled, "How could I not? You were ready to do away with me."

Cassandra quietly glanced down at her hands, gathering her next few words. "I am sorry for how harshly I treated you that day."

Ellana raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Cassandra, no need. You and I have discussed that day long ago, it is all well – my friend."

"No," Cassandra continued, "I… never told you why I was so angry with you in that moment. At the Conclave, I lost someone who was very important to me."

"I know you and the Divine were very close, Cassandra. I understand."

"Someone other than the Divine." Cassandra mumbled, "There was a…man."

Ellana's eyes widened and she attempted to conceal her surprise; she certainly had not been expecting this.

"He was a friend – a close friend from long ago… for a while, we were more than friends… but… duty and obligation pulled us apart from one another. He was at the Conclave when the attacks…" her voice quietly trailed off.

"Cassandra, I am so sorry." Ellana gave her a sympathetic look, "Why hadn't you mentioned this before? You must have wanted to talk – "

"It was difficult to explain." She cut in, "We hadn't spoken for a few years before the Conclave and… I always wondered if, at some point in life, we would find each other again…"

Ellana lowered her eyes; she didn't know what to say. Cassandra was always holding in her pain for fear of burdening others. It was heartbreaking to know that one of her closest friends had been going through something so difficult – and she hadn't the faintest idea.

"His name was Galyan – he was a mage, actually." Cassandra fondly smiled and laughed at Ellana's raised eyebrows. "I know," she continued, "it was… it was quite the story, how we met. Perhaps another time… that is why it warms my heart to see you and the Commander together – it is nice to see that some are able to overcome the obstacles thrown their way."

Ellana sadly smiled, "Let's hope so…"

"You will." Cassandra nodded.

Later that evening, the sun was starting to set and Cassandra had urged for them to carry-on for another hour before setting Camp. Ellana noticed a speck in the distance grow larger in size as they progressed – eventually, it was clear that a person stood before them on the path. Cullen placed a hand on his sword's hilt and rode in front of Ellana's horse in hesitation. They were all greatly relieved to find it was simply a dwarven merchant selling dried fruits and collected nuts.

Ellana excitedly jumped off her horse and ran over to the merchant – Cullen had packed plenty of supplies for their trip, however he had failed to consider favorable foods and took the direction of basic nourishment in packing. The idea of snacking on dried fruits was an absolute delight to Ellana! She strode over to the Dwarf and drew out her coin purse, engaging him in a friendly conversation about the path ahead and where he had gathered the fruit.

"Them markings," the merchant pointed towards Ellana's face, "they mean something special?"

Ellana was hoping to conceal the fact that the Inquisitor was travelling and therefore missing from Skyhold, so she lightly laughed and lied to the dwarf. "No, just a poor decision from my adolescence."

He gave her a strange look, "Sounds an awful lot like this pack of elves my brother ran into in the Free Matches the other week. They had strange markings like that on their face – he wrote all 'bout it in his letter, hadn't seen nothing like that before."

Ellana's stomach jerked – he must have been speaking of her Clan. Her heart sank a little; how she wished to ask this man more about his brother's encounter – maybe find out information on if they were faring well – but she couldn't draw any attention to the fact that she was Dalish and risk outing herself as the Inquisitor. She sadly nodded and faked disinterest.

Luckily, the Dwarf continued: "My brother says the southern part of the Free Marches are nice this time of year, thinking I may head up there myself."

"The southern?" Ellana raised an eyebrow, "Do you mean the north?"

"I said the southern, didn't I?" the Dwarf grunted, "If I meant the north, I'd say the north."

"Really…" Ellana was confused, "he saw them in the south part of the Free Marches? Did he mention anything about the Dalish… or Clan Lavellan?" She couldn't help herself – she needed to know.

"Yeah," the Dwarf pointed towards her, "Those words sound familiar. Took forever for them to trust him – he was just looking for some trade."

Ellana's eyes widened. "Thank you very much for the fruit!" She threw down more than enough coin and excitedly ran back to join the rest of her group.

"Can we continue on?" Cassandra urged.

"I have news!" Ellana excitedly shouted as she climbed back onto her horse. She glanced over at Cullen – he probably wasn't going to like this… "There is a detour we'll have to make before the Circle."

She was correct; Cullen furrowed his brow and gave her a confused look.

"My Clan! They're in the southern region of the Free Marches right now. I have no idea why they've moved down so far, but it would only add a day or two onto the trip. I can track them down – we can stop by for a visit!"

Cassandra, Cullen and Alistair gave her hesitant looks. "Ellana… why don't we do this after the Circle?" Cullen gently suggested, "I know it's only two days but it's urgent that we get you the Litany as soon as possible. We can visit your Clan afterwards…"

"Cullen – " Ellana cut in, "that's if I survive the Circle!" She ignored his attempt to quiet her, "I mean it. We're walking into this place and I'm considered to be an apostate mage who is partly possessed by a demon from practicing blood magic! I'm hopeful that I'll be walking back out of there but can we be realistic in the fact that there's a tiny chance I may not?"

No one said anything and so she proceeded, "I want to see my Clan one more time – incase something does happen… I need to see them. We will be so close! It's a miracle they've travelled down to the south and that we'll be practically right beside them. I agree, our business in the Circle is urgent; but I am telling you that I need to do this." She stared at Cullen, anxiously awaiting his response – she knew it was him that she had to convince, not Cassandra or Alistair.

As soon as Cullen sighed, Ellana knew she had won. "Thank you!" She excitedly shrieked, "I can't believe I'll be seeing them again! Cullen – you can meet them!"

"Let's continue," Cassandra urged and the four of them quickly resumed their journey. Ellana was happily throwing back dried fruit and bopping her head around as she hummed one of her Clan's melodies.

Alistair looked over at Cullen and chuckled, "You wanted to conduct some Dalish research on marriage – looks like you'll have your chance, straight from the source. Excited to meet the family?" he grinned.

Cullen muttered, "Very funny..." He was actually feeling particularly nervous about the idea of meeting Ellana's Clan. How would they react to the two of them? Cullen had a feeling that Clan Lavellan would be far less pleased about the relationship than Mia Rutherford…

Finding out that Galyan was at the Conclave is so heartbreaking! It makes me want to play as a male mage & romance Cassandra. I really love her personality and how guarded she is at the beginning of the game, before slowly warming to the Inquisitor. She always ends up being one of my character's closest friends :D I'll be including a few more one-on-one conversations between her & Ellana over this arc. I love their friendship!