Brynn could tell that she was awake by the way everything hurt. Her shoulder ached sharply where it had been torn open, there was a migraine blossoming from the base of her skull, and her muscles all screamed in unison to let her know she ought to have limbered up before deciding to fight a demon army.

She didn't sit up so much as slide sideways off the bed and onto the floor. What aches and pains had been slightly dulled by her drowsiness were very much refreshed, complements of the wooden boards.

"Mfgh." She muttered into a gray wool rug. The room was spinning as she pushed herself upright. There was some comfort in it being indoors, instead of the mountain crater she'd expected to die in. Wasn't a cell either, so an all-around improvement.

But it wasn't a place she recognized, or the sterilized familiarity of a hospital. It was a small log cabin, a narrow fireplace crackling low with spent logs and a single candle on a table in the corner. That was almost the whole of it. Along the walls were a few shelves, herbs hanging up above the fire to dry- giving the room a vaguely spicy scent, and the bed she'd managed to fall out of. Judging by the rustic look of the furniture, it seemed like she was still in la la land.

The door opened, bringing a gust of fresh air, and a girl who couldn't have been much older than twenty. Pointed ears poked out from her low blonde bun, and intricate tattoos lined her face and overly wide eyes. Another strike against Brynn's desperate wish to return to normality.

She carried a pile of blankets with a basket of supplies stacked on top. So, focused on her task of sorting the items on the table, she had not yet noticed Brynn slumped against the bed.

"Morning," Brynn offered, her voice raspy and her breath horrifyingly stale. "Or maybe not. I don't have any idea what time it is I guess," she squinted toward the only window that spilled light into the room. There was light, and that's about as much as she could narrow it down.

The girl screamed, dropping half the items to the floor as she turned, her pale eyes searching for the source of the voice and finally finding it offering a grimaced smile from the floor. The look of shock was quickly replaced by horror and the girl dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to the ground as she started to ramble urgently.

"What- no, don't," Brynn grunted, she tried to hoist herself up to her feet, but given that was a bit too much, she settled for sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh, that didn't feel good." Brynn muttered, catching her breath. Still the girl didn't rise. "Hey. You gotta stop that-" Brynn reached out and disappointment followed the pain when she saw her hand was still decidedly green. "Please," Brynn said a little more urgently, and something in her tone did finally cause to girl lift her head from the floor. Looking at her cautiously.

"It's fine," Brynn tried her best to be reassuring, despite any and all movements causing shooting pain to travel through her. The girl did not look convinced. "Fine-ish." Brynn admitted. "Adjacent. I'll be fine. Please don't bow again."

The girl seemed skeptical, but didn't immediately flop to the floor either. Brynn was saved the effort of having to pantomime further by the door opening again.

Solas appeared, his shining dome of a head being immediately obvious as the sun bounced off it like a mirror. His narrow gaze barely registered surprise at the two of them, shutting the door behind him. The girl sprang to action, speaking in an apologetic tone and quickly gathering up the items she'd managed to knock to the floor.

"It is good to see you awake," he said with a thin smile as he approached Brynn, a plain robe folded over his arm. He took a moment to speak briefly with the girl, who nodded several times and darted back outside as though the cabin was on fire.

"Wish I could say it feels good," Brynn tried again to rise to her feet, but immediately thought better of it as she clutched her ribs, which felt like they might have been shattered.

"I'm afraid for now you'll have to settle for being alive. It was not so certain a thing after the Breach and there are only so many healing potions one can take before it becomes a toxin. Here, I thought you might be cold," he held the robe out for her. "I searched for you in the Fade but did not find you there." He said with a frown. "I worried your soul may have crossed beyond."

"The what?" she dragged a hand over her face, a fleeting glimpse of a library came to mind. And pea soup. She slowly unfolded to robe, trying to muffle the old lady noises she made as she stuffed her limbs into the sleeves. Someone had traded out her rags for a bit of an upgrade while she slept. Again. Someone needed to talk to these people about consent.

But instead of wearing a blood-soaked potato sack, it was now a clean, if not particularly modern, gray tunic and some leather trousers. She finally managed to stand, swaying slightly on her feet as she let the robe fall down her back. It was important she stay upright because she was pretty sure if she went down again, she was staying down.

"The Fade. The realm of spirits that lies beyond the Veil. It is also where many mortals spend their dreaming hours."

"Uh huh," Brynn noted the disappointment that twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Neato," She offered, but that didn't seem to help either.

"Perhaps your mind needed the rest and you were simply too deeply sleeping."

"That sounds about right," she looked toward the door where the girl had disappeared. "Is she okay? She was a little… odd when I woke up."

"Valya?" Solas glanced back toward the door. "She is fine. I assume she was merely a bit overwhelmed by being in the service of the Herald of Andraste." He smirked like he'd made some joke.

"That someone I should know?"

"I should hope so, considering it's you," his smile widened. "You've earned quite a name for yourself given your origins as a suspected murderer."

"I'm pretty sure I told you my name was Brynn," she shifted gingerly, testing the limits of the pain in her body. The violent shock of waking up to it was fading now, and while she didn't feel in great shape, she also didn't quite feel like collapsing into a sobbing heap.

"You did make that introduction. But you also appear to be the sole survivor of the destruction at the conclave, delivered by Andraste herself. And while you did not close the Breach, you did stop it from consuming all of Thedas. There are some soldiers claiming to have witnessed you slay a pride demon single-handedly. Given that, I'm not sure you can blame the people for giving you a title with such pageantry."

"Who the fuck is Andraste?"

"The Bride of the Maker himself, of course," his amusement faded slightly. "Are you unfamiliar with the Chant of Light? Or the Chantry?"

"How about we assume," Brynn took a deep breath to avoid raising her voice. Mostly because it would make her headache worse. "That I am unfamiliar with everything and everyone until further notice."

"Very well," he made another disapproving sound. "The Chantry is the dominant religious order in these parts. They're based on the writings of Andraste, a prophet of the Maker- whom they worship as a god."

"Oh good, it's a cult," she muttered.

"Perhaps. And yet, here you are. If the people of Haven see our victory as one of divine intervention, I see no reason currently to try and dissuade them of that. The events themselves, your survival among them, have certainly been miraculous." He admitted.

"I'm not sure I'd call any of this miraculous." She rolled her eyes. Miraculous would have been her waking up and telling everyone at work about the absolutely bonkers dream she'd had. "How long was I out?" a quick investigation of her shoulder revealed there was no longer a raw bleeding wound, but fresh pink scars over some purple bruising.

"A few days. The healers have done what they can for your wounds, and the potions will continue to work their way through your system. There should be little residual scarring when you are recovered."

"Seriously?" she shot him a dubious look. "What kind of super juice did you give me?"

"The… usual sort," he frowned, clearly having lost some of the translation. "Anyway, if you're able, I am sure the council wishes to discuss the matter more fully."

"There's a council?" she wasn't really in the mood to do anything other than crawl back into the bed.

"Things have been in motion while you slept. If it is of any consolation, I believe the council is a downgrade from the tribunal they had originally planned when you fell out of the Breach."

"Yay," Brynn said with little enthusiasm.

"Come, before they forget your miraculous acts." He brought her some oversized boots that had been placed near the door.

"This'll be fun," she knelt again and with herculean effort managed to put them on without crying like a baby. A personal best. "But I will absolutely fake a heart attack if they bring out the chains again."

"Let's hope it does not come to that," he offered a slim smile and pushed open the door for her.

Brynn had to stagger her steps a little shorter before she got the hang of legs again. The light outside was blinding and her eyes struggled to adjust.

They were at the base of the mountains, the ground coated in fresh snow. Up above, the green tear in the sky was still visible, but he was right, it seemed to be subdued from how she'd seen it last. Certainly not good, but also not the apocalyptic force of nature that made her ill.

Her breath came out in small clouds as they walked; she could feel the cold, but in an absent sort of way which seemed odd. Perhaps the robe was warmer than she thought. Or perhaps that was just another confirmation of this being a hallucination.

As soon as they left the cluster of cabins, she knew they'd made a mistake. The village wasn't overly crowded, but it was certainly lively. Until she came into view. That was when they started to stare, and when there were bigger groups, they began to murmur.

She tucked her glowing hand away in her sleeve, but it was far too late for that. Everyone there seemed to know exactly who she was. She focused intently on the back of Solas' egg like skull and didn't dare look away until they had entered a large church and closed the door behind them.

That had been… unpleasant. Unfortunately, things inside weren't much better. There were only a few women clad in red and white robes, knelt in prayer in front of small alters at the side of the room. But the one who met her gaze shot her a look that was far colder than the lake she'd plunged into days before.

Brynn hurried her steps to keep up with Solas as he opened a door at the far end of the church and followed him inside.

Four people huddled over a map that had been rolled open across the only piece of furniture in the poorly lit room. They all looked up sharply as Solas closed the door behind them and Brynn felt a cold sweat break across her skin. Waking up had been a mistake.

She recognized Leliana and Cassandra, and while Cassandra's face looked no less stern, she did look less inclined to run Brynn through with her sword. A third woman held a clipboard, balancing a flickering candle above her page of notes. She gave a polite smile as she put her quill down for a moment, her purple and gold gown outclassing everyone in the room easily. The last was a blond soldier, wearing some kind of fur coat covered by a full suit of armor because he evidently was just as paranoid as Cassandra. Other than the woman who had smiled, they all stared at her with equal measures of skepticism.

Leliana spoke first, and while some of it was unintelligible, Brynn did recognize enough to understand that she was trying to say she was glad Brynn was awake.

"She speaks…" Brynn looked doubtfully at Solas. "English?"

"Leliana studied Alamarri texts while she served the Divine. While she is literate in the language, it will take her some time to be able to speak and understand it fluently. I will do my best to help expedite matters," Solas cast a glance toward Leliana. "The council thought it best if there was another person able to communicate with you." His tone indicated that there might have been some distrust between the council and Solas, but his face gave little away.

"Oh, well. Thanks for the effort," she offered Leliana a smile who gave a polite nod in return. She wasn't entirely ungrateful, but unless one of them could explain to her exactly how to wake up at home in her bed, she suspected it didn't really matter if they were able to communicate. "Are we doing something? Or…?"

Solas gave her a short nod and conversed with those around the table for a moment before returning his attention toward her.

"What is it you last remember?"

"Uh. I remember having a pretty shit day where I woke up in chains. That day ended with me being a gallon of blood lighter and getting in a shouting match with a very mean dinosaur."

"Hmm," Solas frowned, glancing at Leliana who also seemed to be struggling. "I believe we all have a general understanding of the attempt to close the Breach. But before that. The conclave?"

"I'm not sure I remember what you told me the conclave was,"

"It was the peace meeting between the Circle of Magi and the Templar Order. It was led by Divine Justinia, of whom you were seen with in the Fade vision on the mountain."

"Oh," Brynn shrugged. That did sound passingly familiar, and she did remember her face up in the green clouds because it had been incredibly unnerving. "Yeah, I don't have any idea why I would have been there. I'm a baker at Pinos Altos? Peace treaties are a bit above my pay grade."

"Pinos Altos? Is that in Ferelden? Or Orlais perhaps?"

"It's a… bougie restaurant in New Mexico," she frowned. She got the feeling none of the locations he could rattle off would sound remotely familiar. Maybe Hogwarts or Rivendell. But not for the right reasons.

He turned to Leliana and the others to discuss, and she noted Solas grew slightly agitated at Leliana's line of questioning. Leliana finally turned to her instead.

"Which Circle?" was the best she could piece together.

"Uh. I'm not sure I understand what she's asking." She glanced at Solas who had a stern look.

"She wishes to know under which Circle of Magi you completed your studies. For your magic abilities." He added.

"My magic what?" Brynn snorted, but she noted none of the other people in the room seemed amused. "I uh. Went to Central Community College. But that was for culinary arts. Not, you know, the care of magical creatures or transfiguration." Her attempts to lighten the mood did not appear to be working. Solas' jaw tightened as he slowly turned his attention back to Leliana.

She spoke a single word before Solas could say anything and everyone around the table became tense. Brynn noted Cassandra's hand moved from the table to her belt where her sword hilt waited. The other soldier, too, had straightened. Solas made an effort at some explaining, but it didn't appear to do much good.

"Okay, what the hell is this about? Is this an Ivy league crowd only or something? I mean, money has always been a little tight, so the community college was really the only option-"

Solas sighed, "The council has concerns that you are a self-taught mage. Or an apostate as they are more commonly referred."

"If we're still on this whole wizard thing, I can assure you I'm not-" she waved her hands around for emphasis. "I'm not some kind of Hermione type," she could tell she was losing Solas and the hand movements were making the others nervous. "I don't do magic."

"You did not cause the ice shards on the mountain?" Solas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Brynn snorted. "That came out of the stick. Which… is weird. But at this point everything here is so… put it on the pile. Besides, the mountain snapped that thing in two, so I don't even have it anymore." She again hoped some of her levity might bring down the hostility in the room. She didn't get the impression it was working.

"Magic does not come from a staff. It comes from the wielder. The staff concentrates the power, but someone who is not a mage cannot simply pick up a staff and cause it to function in such a way."

"Eh. Agree to disagree."

"Perhaps it is possible your anchor has had some effect to give you new abilities," he nodded toward the hand Brynn still had tucked away in her sleeve.

"I… guess I can't really argue with that," she withdrew it slowly, staring at the sickly way her palm glowed from within. "I don't suppose you guys came up with a plan to get rid of this thing while I was napping?" she looked up hopefully but Solas merely looked surprised.

"Are you so eager to be rid of it? It's an effective tool against the newly created rifts that seem to be plaguing the surrounding area. Certainly its removal warrants investigation, but the primary concern now is sealing the tears in the veil."

"Oh," Brynn nodded. She supposed that made sense. It wasn't especially encouraging though. She clenched her fist, but the glow was still evident between her fingers, so she tucked it away into her sleeve again. "Right."

"Given your inexperience with magic, and your unfamiliarity with your surroundings. Am I to understand that you do not believe you were involved with the ritual that opened the Breach and killed those at the conclave?"

"What?" she scowled. "Jesus, no. Is that why those two look so stab happy? They think I did it?" she jerked her chin in Cassandra's direction.

"Ah," Solas glanced back at her, Cassandra's eyes twitching suspiciously at Brynn's look. "I am not sure any of the council truly believe you were the catalyst. However, you are the only potential witness. And there are some who are always a little wary of apostates. But," he turned to smile at her. "You are in good company. I myself am considered an apostate."

"Oh, so they want to kill us both."

"Precisely."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let them do that," Solas gave a peculiar look, as though he were touched by the sentiment. "I'd have no one to talk to," she shrugged.

Solas chuckled, "I will do my best to bring Leliana up to speed, should anything happen to me. I'm certain with a bit of study in the Fade I might also be able to teach you some of the trade tongue."

Brynn frowned, that sounded familiar too, pieces of that dream fluttered through her brain like confetti through her fingers. "Yeah-" she was interrupted by her stomach grumbling loudly.

Leliana spoke up first, turning to Brynn. She understood a few broken bits about hunger and food.

"Yes, I think that is wise," Solas nodded. "The Council has the answers it seeks," he gave her a reproaching look. She didn't think it especially fair that they seemed to be blaming her for the quality of her answers, but she wasn't really in a position to argue with them. "Now might be a good time to get you fed, and then likely back to your quarters for further rest."

"That sounds great, thank you," she nodded to Leliana, having no idea if those particular words were in her lexicon just yet. She made a special effort to smile at the woman who'd been taking her meticulous notes and she resisted sticking her tongue out at Cassandra, which felt incredibly generous.

"Yikes," she waited until Solas closed the door behind them and they were several paces from the room. "They're sure a serious crowd."

"These are dire times, there is much to be concerned about."

"Believe me, I'm concerned," mostly with getting home. Or waking up. Or whatever it was that would transport her back to a place where things were normal. And she wasn't suspected of murdering an old lady and a temple full of people with wizard lightning or whatever the hell had caused that green hole in the sky. "Should I know those other two?"

"Ambassador Josephine has just recently arrived. With the formation of the Inquisition, Seeker Cassandra felt it would be prudent to have someone well-versed in navigating the political pitfalls that come with great upheavals. I suspect she will be needed now more than ever. Especially since the Chantry has now proclaimed us all heretics for claiming you as the Herald of Andraste."

"Well, see now. That's what you get for announcing I'm the second coming of Jesus-" Solas gave her a confused frown. "Er, of this Andraste lady. That was a bad idea all around."

"None on the council have announced anything. All that is commonly known is that you were found among the remains of the temple, delivered by a figure of light who resembled a woman. The soldiers that found you believed it to be a vision of Andraste herself. You even speak the ancient dialect of her people. It is difficult to dissuade anyone of such connections when extraordinary events have occurred."

"You could have put me in a wig,"

"I believe the anchor more of less would defeat the purpose of that," Solas said chidingly.

"Yeah. Well. Now the Chantry hates you guys."

"No," he shook his head, leading them down away from the church. Brynn kept her arms crossed, tucking away the glowing hand. There were still plenty who stared. "The Chantry hates you. They merely believe the rest of us to be misguided blasphemers."

"Oh, that's alright then." She snorted. They walked past a cluster of soldiers running through drills, their dull practice blades ringing as they struck metal. A few stopped to stare with that same awe-struck look of the villagers. One glowered, which wasn't as refreshing a change as Brynn had hoped.

As they walked past the greasy looking fellow with his unflattering mustache, he leaned over and spit on the ground. Not directly at them, but close enough the message was clear. His sparring partner elbowed him hard in the gut and he dropped his murderous glare.

"There are some within our ranks who may look less favorably upon you. Commander Cullen leads the bulk of our soldiers now. Many among them were once templars," he only hesitated a moment before he saw her roll her eyes at yet another unfamiliar term. "They are a military branch of the Chantry. Their main objective is controlling the mages in the Circle. They're also keen to hunt down apostates," Solas said dryly. "They have been waging war against the mages ever since the rebellion in Kirkwall."

"What kind of rebellion?"

"An apostate mage blew up the city Chantry, along with half of the city itself."

"Jesus, does everything in this place end up exploding?"

"We live in tumultuous times."