Ela Trevelyan is a possessed mage, an abomination to many, and a savior to others. When her younger brother, Aiden, emerges from the Fade with a strange mark on his hand she does her best to keep him safe and sane.
While Aiden learns what it means to be the Herald, she does her best to balance her duties; all while dealing with the stress and heart break that being the Inquisitor brings.
Can she keep Aiden safe from possession, Templars, and the Elder One? Or will she lose one of the few people she has ever cared for?
A drama filled slow burn following the Herald, the Inquisitor, and Kata Adaar as they try to navigate the new lives they have been forced into.
This is a long fic that I am rewriting and making major changes to. There are multi- povs and eventual smut. I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think!
1: To Serve a Mage
"How much farther?!" A young boy exclaimed. His amethyst eyes were locked on the older woman in front of him. A thick black braid hung down to her waist, swaying with every step. She wore a black fur lined cloak over leather armor, the silver hilt of a sword peeking beneath it.
"Calm down, we're almost there." The woman replied keeping her eyes on the line of people in front of her.
Mages and mercenaries were slowly making their way forward, their shoulders slouched and eyes weary. Her own mercenary band was currently dragging their feet through the snow behind her.
She let out a long sigh. They had traveled from the far side of Orlais to make it to the Conclave for this job and it was a relief to know that their journey would soon be coming to an end. The Templar-Mage war was good for business, but the dangers were numerous. Not to mention that it required them to travel all over Thedas.
The gold is worth it. She thought to herself, a shadow of a smile on her face.
Ahead of them, the Temple of Sacred Ashes stood proudly.
"Oi, Ela! Won't be much longer now!" A burly voice from behind declared. She recognized the voice as Bren, one of the warriors in her little band. He ran through the snow to catch up to her, a large grin on his thin face.
"Should find a decent spot to camp soon, get the tents up, and such." He said as he came to her side.
Ela nodded. "Look ahead for spots that aren't surrounded by trees. I want to see anyone that may be coming for us if things go south. Get Jorum to take note of any Templar camps within a mile." She gave him the orders in a hushed tone, weary of their fellow travelers. "If he can't find a decent spot ahead, head back towards that little village, Haven, and find camp there."
Bren dipped his bare head and took off to Jorum.
Ela threw a side-ways glance at the boy beside her. Her brother's piercing eyes were still locked on her. The cloak he wore, waved wildly in the wind, his small gloved hands the only thing holding it closed. He was just shy of fourteen and unusually scrawny. The only similarity between them was their caramel skin, thin noses, and unusual eye color; a light purple with flecks of deep blue. It made them an easy pair to spot. She hated it.
He trudged through the snow, struggling to keep up with her.
"You remember what I told you right, Aiden?" She asked fixing her eyes ahead.
His eyes narrowed slightly at her question. "Don't talk to anyone, stay away from the Templars, and, most importantly, don't get into mischief." He said with a small hint of disdain. "I'll be fine. We've avoided the Templars this long."
Ela grunted. "The Templars are not the only ones we should be wary of. Everyone is desperate these days, which makes them dangerous as well. And you don't have enough experience to properly defend yourself." She threw a grim smile at him. "So, humor me and be extra careful."
A moment of silence fell between them as they moved onward before Aiden spoke.
"Then you have to train me, just like you were." He declared with earnest. "I want to know how to swing a sword! I want to fade step! I want to fight just like you!" His voice grew louder with each sentence. Excitement shone in his eyes. "I'm ready for it I promise!"
"Shhh! I'll lose my element of surprise with all your yelling." Ela chided with a small smile. She placed a gloved hand on the silverite sword hanging from her hip. "If you manage to stay out of trouble, I'll get you a sword for practice."
Aiden smiled, his large cheeks making him look like the child he once was. Ela couldn't help but think of how quickly he was growing. Soon he would be taller than her. Within the past month he already had a rather surprising growth spurt which shot him up to her shoulder.
"But," she added quickly, her smile growing wider. "If you cause any problems, you'll keep up with your readings and I'll hear no more complaints. Only fair, right?"
With a frown, he nodded in agreement before grumbling a quiet 'only fair' in return.
Ela chuckled and slapped a hand on his back. "Glad we are in agreement. Now let's go see if Bren found a place for camp."
The Conclave was, as Ela expected, tense. The Mages and Templars glared at each other from across the aisle. Grand Clerics milled about, waiting for the others of their rank to arrive. They stood by their respective chairs sharing hushed words with one another as they looked over the gathered crowd with looks mixed with fear and disdain.
She stood in a far corner, back against the wall, surveying the clear division in the room. Ela frowned. They were supposed to be unarmed, and while many of them were, some of higher rank still had swords secured to their hips and staves in hand.
"Don't think they'll be holding hands any time soon." Bren joked as he joined her against the wall.
"I could have told you that." Ela replied, dryly. Removing herself from the wall, she took note of her men; two in every corner, and three by one of the mages that had hired them. "Everyone in position I take it?"
"Yes, one slight problem however." Bren said lowering his voice. "One of the mages who hired us, he is...uh delayed, well still at camp actually."
Ela groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't I know sooner?" She asked, irritation clear in her voice.
"Made a big fuss about wanting to be escorted by the boss himself, or not paying the full amount." Bren continued. Another groan escaped her. "I told him I could just drag him here, but he put up one of those fancy barriers. Kata stayed with the others and sent me to see what your orders are."
"I'll take care of it." She turned to leave, but stopped, turning back to him. "Aiden is in a back room with the redhead mage we picked up, Marisha, I think her name is, and Thorn. I didn't want to leave him alone in the cold. If you see him out here-"
Bren cut her off, shooing her with his hand. "I know the drill, boss. Send his little ass back to safety." He chuckled. "I doubt he'll get out under Thorn's watch though."
"Thank you."
Ela smiled and, giving him a curt nod, turned toward the exit. Making her way through the growing mass she noticed the uneasy looks of the mages. How they twisted their hands and spoke in soft voices; how they gripped their staffs till their knuckles were white. She bit her lower lip and sent a small prayer to the Maker that nothing would occur while she was away.
Arriving outside, she began to take off at a light trot towards their camp. They had found a nice small patch to pitch their tents closer to Haven. It would take her a while to get there and back, but she was sure that they would not start anytime soon. Shivering as the cold air set into her bones, she cursed herself for leaving her cloak with Aiden. The leather armor did little to stop the biting winds.
She made a mental to note to share a few choice words with the mage. The men she had assigned to him were perfectly capable of protecting him. She had even assigned her lieutenant, Kata, to escort him.
Who does this man think he is? Making me come fetch him like his own personal servant. She grew hot with anger at the thought. I am a Trevelyan, not so…No I was. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. She had left that life behind ages ago. No longer was she Lady Trevelyan of Ostwick. Now she was just Ela, Captain of the Bloody Suns Mercenary group. Nothing more and nothing less.
She made her way down the path shivering and hoping their next job would be somewhere warm.
As the camp came into view so did four of her men. They were gathered around a small tent that glowed an iridescent blue. The tallest of the group, a dark grey skinned Qunari, turned as she approached. He had his arms crossed and a look of disdain set on his hard face. His horns curved backward and stark white hair fell to his back.
"He has refused to come out," the Qunari stated. "I can remove him forcefully, if you wish it." He turned to her, his red eyes searching for approval.
Ela placed a hand on his arm. "I can handle this, Kata."
"So glad ya came when ya did." A petite elf said standing from her seat. She had short red hair and her face was covered in the vallaslin of Mythal. A black twisted staff was strapped to her back.
"I was sure Lilith, or the brute would just decide to drag em out before ya got here" Evsa continued. "He hasn't said a word since he put that barrier up. Think you can pull em out of there?"
"Of course, she can!" Raul, a stout dwarf, answered for her. He was busy wiping one of his daggers down, and looked up at them from his seat. A black braided beard hung from his chin.
"Ey, you wanna get a bet started?" Evsa asked.
Ela ignored them. Listening to them bicker while sober was liable to give her a headache. Having to come all the way down the mountain had already caused a dull pulse to form in her forehead. She nibbled at the corner of her lip in irritation as she approached the tent.
"Hey, Kyi right? Your savior is here to deliver you to the Conclave," she said mockingly, a crooked smile on her face. Planting her hands on her hips, she waited for a response.
None came.
She drummed her fingers against her hips. Her irritation was growing and she struggled to keep her temper under wraps. There would be no gold if she rendered the mage unconscious and dragged him to the Conclave.
Stifling a frustrated groan, she cleared her throat. Kata was at her side in an instant with a hand placed on the hilt of his sword.
"Saarebas, come out. You waste our time with games no longer," he declared in a booming voice that echoed around them.
No reply.
Her hands fell from her hips. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand. Something was wrong, she could feel it in every bone.
"Lilith, get rid of this barrier." Ela ordered sternly. The tall woman nodded in response and with a quick flick of her wrist sent a barrage of fire that quickly extinguished the blue shimmer.
Raul pulled his other dagger from his back, abandoning his cleaning. With an approving nod from Ela, he approached the tent and ripped the flap back.
Only an empty bedroll greeted them.
"Oh, shite." Evsa murmured to herself.
"Oh, shite is right!" growled Ela. Her eyebrows knitted together and she could feel the pulse in her head grow stronger. "How do you lose one man in a tent?! I can't beli-"
A deafening boom cut her off. Twisting around, Ela looked toward the noise only to be blinded by a wicked green light. A blast of wind knocked her backwards and the only thing that stopped her tumble was Kata's large hand planted firmly on her back. Snow flew upward into the air whipping into her face and hair violently.
As quickly as it begun, it was over. The wind and light subsided and after a few moments the ringing in her ears dissipated. The pressure of Kata's hand on her back lightened. Around her, her men grunted and cursed, brushing snow off of themselves.
Brushing the snow from her face, she opened her eyes, turned towards the direction of the blast and found the Temple gone and a giant green tear in the sky.
Her heart seemed to stop beating and her throat grew tight all in a single instant. Opening her mouth, she was barely able to speak. Her voice came out in a near inaudible whisper.
"Aiden."