Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable characters. I simply borrow them for my amusement
Chapter 31
Bull,
As you no doubt realized, I, CJ, am not the one writing this. Dorian's been kind enough to write while I dictate to him. I hurt my hand in the last battle pretty decently, but don't worry. I'll be fine. Just can't write at the moment. So, updates. I know it's been almost three weeks since I sent my last letter. I apologize for that. I didn't mean to go so long in between letters. Things just kind of spiraled out of control. No doubt you, Cullen, Talon, and Leliana will be receiving reports from the various people involved, so I'll keep it brief in my letter. Long story short, we cleared out the mine, with minor trouble. The Red Templars had been kidnapping the townspeople from Sahrnia, a local village, and forcing them to work in the mine. We, along with some of the Inquisition, put a stop to that and pushed the Red Templars back to a keep. Suledin Keep, to be exact. Whole lot of trouble in there. Cullen's trained his people well though. It was a fight (red lyrium infected giants, to put a little perspective on it), but the Inquisition won in the end. The surviving Templars-who weren't infected with lyrium- have been taken prisoner and are being questioned. There was an explosion, and they think Blatt was caught in it. The soldiers haven't recovered his remains yet.
Keep an eye on Tommy,
CJ
Iron Bull,
CJ doesn't know I'm adding this to her letter. She'd probably skin me alive if she did, but you deserve to know. She was injured a lot worse that she let on. While it's true that her hand is injured, a demon stabbed through it in an attempt to stop her from killing it (which didn't work), that's not her only injury. What she doesn't want you to know, made Krem swear not to tell you, was that she got a face-full of liquid red lyrium. A new trick by those bastards. I dislike Templars to begin with, but I pity any who have been forced to consume the deadly lyrium. Around her eyes was hit the most heavily. Either by luck or the Maker's intervention, none of the shards actually pierced her eyes. If they'd had, a very different message would be being sent. As it stands, we did the best we could and removed all that was visible, healing as we went. But the damage from the liquid was bad enough. CJ's blind. I'm sorry to put it so bluntly, but I don't know how else to say it. We, the fellow Inquisition mages and I, are hopeful that as the trauma to her eyes caused by the liquid heals, she'll regain her sight, but we don't know. None of the captives can answer our questions, or they choose not to. I don't know which. I will keep a close eye on her condition and do my best to ensure she doesn't do anything to worsen her eyes. What I'm asking of you is to remain at Skyhold. Protect the boy. CJ's mind rests easier when she knows you're with him. Like I said, you deserved to know, and CJ would never tell you. The stubborn idiot.
Dorian
Kadan,
Cullen's got a lead on where Samson has been. Some place called Dumat. I'll be going with him and Boss to check it out. See if we can't find a way to break through his lyrium armor. You and I are going to have a very long talk about keeping secrets from me when we both get back to Skyhold. A very long talk. You can't keep secrets from a former Ben-Hassrath. We'll be moving quickly. I will write when I can, or I will see you at Skyhold. Listen to the mages and obey their orders.
Bull
The Iron Bull,
In CJ's words, you are not the boss of me. I will make sure she follows Ser Dorian's instructions. There was no sign of the Qunari Blatt in the rubble. But when we left, the Inquisition soldiers were still looking. Good luck with your quest.
Cole
Take good care of her, Kid.
CJ was not in a good mood. It had been three weeks since she'd been injured at the Keep, and her eyesight still hadn't returned. They were making steady progress towards Skyhold, but CJ didn't think they were moving fast enough. There had still been no sign of Blatt's body. He'd gotten away again. She cursed silently, wishing she could see.
"Stop playing with the bandages!" Dorian's voice sounded out sharply, and CJ dropped her hand, which had been toying with the bandages wrapped firmly around her head, keeping her eyes and the surrounding area clean and covered.
"My eye itches." She retorted.
"That means it's healing." Dorian exclaimed. "Leave it alone! You're a worse patient than a child!"
She stuck her tongue out in response, as if to prove she wasn't a child.
Varric snickered somewhere to her left.
"Real mature, Fighter."
"Stuff it, dwarf." She bit out.
"Take it easy, Fighter." That was Krem, from in front of her. "And stop scowling at me."
"You don't know if I'm scowling." She muttered darkly.
"You are, though." Cole chimed in. "You wish we were moving faster. But Tommy is safe. Blackwall said he's been attached to his side every waking moment. Blatt's description was spread through Skyhold even before we left. If he's alive and heading there, he won't enter unnoticed."
CJ didn't reply. She knew that, but it still drove her insane. She needed to catch the bastard!
"Just be patient, CJ." Dorian said, his voice gentler. "You can't force yourself to heal. We don't know if your eyesight will,"
"It will return." She cut him off fiercely.
"We don't know when," Varric emphasized the word. "it will return. But running yourself ragged will not help the process. You know this."
Again, CJ didn't answer. There was nothing to say.
"We'll keep moving for another hour," Krem announced, having taken over as temporary leader while CJ was incapacitated. "And then set up camp for the night. We're getting close. A couple more days, and we'll be home."
A couple more days, and then CJ would be able to hold her boys in her arms. She needed that. She really did.
As she was no use setting up camp, CJ just plopped herself on the ground so she wasn't in the way. Unfortunately, this uselessness didn't do much to improve CJ's mood. Heavy footsteps caught her attention. Over the past three weeks, she'd gotten accustomed to listening for her companions' footsteps, and was able to recognize them by their tread. This was none of her small group. Much too heavy for even Krem, decked out in his metal armor. She tensed, her hand grasping a dagger firmly. Then the wind picked up for a moment, carrying a scent to her.
"I don't like being snuck up on." She exclaimed, keeping her voice even, though she was both excited and relieved that he was there. "One of these times, you'll get a dagger thrown at you, The Iron Bull."
He laughed as he sat beside her.
"It's worth the risk, Kadan." He answered. CJ turned her head towards him, wishing she could see him. She'd missed him these past months. "You've changed your look."
"I told you I could blend." CJ said.
"Short hair's a good look on you." He ruffled the two-inch-long hair on her head. "Not sure about the color though. How'd you get it so dark?"
"I'm not sure. Dorian's work, mostly. I just sat still while he did what he wanted."
"I like your natural color better. Brings out your eyes."
She turned away at that, but Bull just put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
"I thought you guys were already back at Skyhold. Who's watching Tommy?"
"Talon's with him pretty much every minute of the day. And if not him, then Cullen or Blackwall. The kid's never alone. No one will get to him, Kadan. He's safe. Let's worry about you for now, huh?"
"Don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."
"Yeah, so blind and one-handed is fine, is it? Good to know."
"I am fine." She exclaimed. "How was Dumat?"
"I don't want to talk about Dumat. I want to talk about you."
"What about me?"
"You lied to me."
"No I didn't." She retorted. "I can't write. That wasn't a lie."
"You said you couldn't write because of your hand."
"That's true."
"You omitted the part about your eyes."
"Not a lie. Just an omission. Who squealed anyways?"
"A better question would be 'who squealed first', Kadan. And that would be Dorian. Scout Harding sent the news the same day, but I read Dorian's letter first. Then I got letters from Varric and Cole the next day, telling me. Krem the day after. My own man was the last one to cave. I don't know if I should feel proud or betrayed."
"Probably a mixture of both." He laughed, shifting her against him. He radiated warmth and security. She's missed him. A lot.
"I've missed you, Kadan." His voice lowered as CJ leaned into him. She was all of a sudden exhausted. "Next time you go on a manhunt, I'm going with. No matter what. Understood?"
"You got it." She murmured, stifling a yawn. "With me, next time."
He laughed, the sound rumbling beneath CJ's ear. "How's this for a reunion, Kadan? You're practically falling asleep on me!"
"'M tired." She retorted. "'Nd you're warm."
"Sleep," He said, amusement clear in his tone. "I've got you. We'll finish our talk later."
"Bull," She was close to falling asleep. "'M glad you're here."
"Sleep, Kadan." He repeated. "I'll watch over you."
And CJ fell asleep.
