Because it's right
"No," Ennaly said, looking at herself in the mirror. Really, the stays she could live with, as well as the silly amount of fabric around her waist and legs, and she could deal with the white colour, but these ridiculous heeled narrow-toed shoes, she could not.
"Try them," Josephine urged. "They really do finish the outfit."
So, she went to put the silk stockings on her legs, tied the garters below her knees to keep them from rolling down, and put her feet in the white shoes standing in front of her.
The woman looking back at her in the mirror was unfamiliar to her. The figure was clad in a white floor-length gown with long sleeves of a beautiful white velvet material with pieces of white fur at the cuff and too-low neckline. It was the last thing a Dalish Elf should wear.
Humans did all things opposite. With her Dalish outfit, the shape of her legs was always visible in the breeches and leg wrappings, while her chest was always covered, for protection, if anything else. But somewhere, humans had decided that for ladies, legs were scandalous but breasts could be put upon display, lifted higher than their natural position.
Her hair was brushed and down, soft curls falling to her waist, with just two braids at her temples connecting in the back to keep out of her face.
She tried to take a step. There was none of the normal grace in her steps, she could hardly remain upright. If the edge of the sofa hadn't been nearby to grip, she would have plummeted down.
"Not going to happen," Ennaly grunted as she kicked the shoes of. "I'll go for my own footwraps, you won't see my feet anyway under all this material. My toes need to be able to wiggle. I don't know how you can walk."
Josephine understood she had to concede. "Leliana will be devastated."
"About what?" the red-haired woman asked, just entering the room, followed by Cassandra, the left and right hand of the Divine together. Leliana was holding a large, wrapped object.
"Human shoes," Ennaly said, sitting down and wrapping her ankles and heels with straps of leather. The stays made it harder to bend over. "Can't do it."
"But they were such precious things," Leliana murmured as she saw the abandoned shoes on the floor.
"Are you ready?" Cassandra asked. There was sympathetic apprehension on her face. Out of all the women here, Cassandra also did not seem the type to appreciate dressing up.
Posturing is necessary, Solas had said. Well, wasn't that what she was doing here? She doubted if this was what he had in mind, but she might as well play along with the Humans.
She took a last glance at herself in the mirror. The white was supposed to symbolize the snow in Haven, the Avalanche that had enabled their escape, and the purity of mind of an Inquisitor, or so Leliana had proclaimed, but there was another thought gnawing at Ennaly's mind. With her honey-blonde locks loose like this, clad in a white gown, she was reminded of the paintings of Andraste that always hung in chantries. Sure, she had elven facial features and purple Vallaslin, but take those away and she roughly resembled her namesake.
Herald of Andraste. She assumed this was part of Leliana's plan too. She hoped it had the effect she intended and wouldn't let her get branded any more as heretic like she already was. Knowing now what Solas had said about the origin of the orb, Ennaly had gotten into the habit to thinking of Herald of Mythal, every time Andraste's name was uttered. Not that she'd have any chance of knowing which Elven God the orb belonged to, of course, but she felt a special connection to Mythal because of her Vallaslin.
"Ready," Ennaly said, as she turned to follow the three human women.
Soon, she'd be officially named Inquisitor.
It had been two weeks since they arrived at Skyhold. In the beginning, all they could do was clear rubble and clean to slowly make the place a new home. All hands were eager to help, and the fact that they had so many mages still with them, was a tremendous help. Leliana had sent out scouts to clear the path to open trade. It was only now that more people seemed to trickle in, seeking refuge with the castle, or seeing the destination as a pilgrimage. It could only house so many people, so the valley outside of the castle on both sides of the icy river was being turned into an encampment, mostly for the scouts and soldiers. Slowly by slowly they turned the castle in a grand hub of operations, the towers slowly gaining purpose. There was even a large forge available, which certainly would come in handy for outfitting the troops.
Ennaly had been busy all days and everywhere where she met new people, they seemed to be in awe of her of how she died but returned, how she had saved them at Haven. The story seemed to have grown with a life of their own, so much that she hardly recognized the truth in it. Uncertain at first of how to react, she'd managed to come up with a sort of semi-official nod of the head, paired with a moderately friendly yet dignified smile.
Then, Cassandra approached her and offered her the position of Inquisitor. And what could she do, really? It wasn't all false modesty, even if the Anchor on her hand was placed there in an accident, she had gained it and used it well. It had managed to close the Breach. It had been her to face off with Corypheus and survive, it would be foolish to deny it all. The modesty she could claim, was that she'd always had help by those surrounding her. Yet, she bore the Anchor on her hand, so she agreed.
Josephine somehow was able to conjure a halfway decent feast for the evening and commissioned this tailored outfit, which some seamstresses would have worked overtime on.
Well… This was it then. She and Cassandra followed Leliana, while Josephine walked in the other direction, where she could hear the crowd. When she walked up the stairs, she found joy in the sight of her toes, sticking out as she had to lift the heavy white skirts. There was still something Dalish about her.
She listened to Leliana and Cassandra as they were holding their speeches while she was scanning the crowds. Her eyes fell on her boys, as she'd like to consider them: Dorian, Bull, Varric, Solas, and now also the strange boy Cole, who had warned them in Haven.
She took the sword Leliana offered her, which was mercifully lighter than it looked, being only ceremonial.
"We'll do it because it's right! The Inquisition will fight for all of us!" she exclaimed.
"Wherever you lead us," Cassandra responded, turning to face the crowd below. "Have our people been told?"
"They have!" Josephine responded from among the crowd. "And soon, the world!"
"Commander, will they follow?" Cassandra asked.
Cullen walked out in front of the troops, encouraging them. "Inquisition! Will you follow? Will you fight? Will we triumph?" He drew and raised his sword. Ennaly raised the ceremonial sword in response. "Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!"
And the entire crowd of people cheered and clapped, for her, a Dalish Elf and a mage, and they were cheering for her.
"And there she is, our lady Inquisitor!" Varric proclaimed, after she had managed to walk down the stairs, not trip on her hem, and pass the crowd who all wanted to congratulate her. There they were, her boys, cheering for her.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sure if it's actually a nightmare," she said.
"Well, you do look delightfully fashionable," Dorian replied. "Look at you, all dressed up!"
"Please don't, everyone already does."
"That's just because you're the Inquisitor now," Dorian said with compassion.
Being somewhat shielded from the crowd by Bull's large chest, she tugged at the neckline, trying to raise it up. The dress was made in a rush and wasn't fitting perfectly because of it, but one thing the seamstresses hadn't realized was that she was shorter than most people around, certainly shorter than Josephine or Leliana, and as a result, everyone looked down at her, at what she felt was right in her cleavage. She almost wished she would have endured the silly shoes, just to gain a few inches.
"Why is Human fashion so weird? You don't want to know the ridiculous things I'm wearing under here," Ennaly gritted, leaning over towards Dorian. "My boobs are all in the wrong place."
"That is where they are supposed to be, dear, that's fashionable."
"If they were supposed to be there, my body would have placed them there!"
When she looked up, her eyes crossed Solas' eyes. She immediately turned away. The memory of the near-kiss and the silent rejection in the mountains was still fresh in her mind. She couldn't quite place the appraising look he gave her now. If he wasn't interested, why give her this attention? Or was it simply the stupid gown? She hadn't thought he'd be the type of man to be affected by that.
Cole appeared next to her, holding a length of clean purple material.
"You don't like the staring eyes, not when you feel so far from yourself," he stated. "But you do like purple." He handed her a purple scarf. She had no idea where he had gotten in from, but she took it gratefully.
"Cole, you are the best, thank you," she said, folding the scarf in a triangle, wrapping it around her neck, and tucking the ends in the neckline, covering herself.
"I am glad to help," Cole said.
The rest of the evening was spent in celebration. The food was good, and Ennaly managed to eat without spilling on the white gown. Now that she wasn't as self-conscience, she could enjoy herself a lot more. Usually, the dinners were more in a come-and-go style, since people were busy and had different schedules, but this time, they had a large feast with everyone together, or as many as could fit inside the great hall, with an extension in their courtyard. Ennaly was seated in the place of honour, Leliana and Cassandra on one side, Cullen and Josephine on the other.
Music was played, stories were told, the company was good. She would do well to relax a little, because now Skyhold was in a better shape, and they had straightened out the positions within the Inquisition, soon they would be planning their next steps and it would be all business.
In the two weeks following the ceremony, Inquisitor Ennaly Lavellan did not have a lot of time to spare. Befitting her new title, she was given the large room in the highest tower, with the many, many steps to lead up but with a magnificent view over the snowy mountains.
It wasn't perfect, though. She missed the forest, the serenity of a canopy of leaves overhead. She also finally understood the concept of a castle. It was another one of those things where Humans did everything opposite. In the Dalish camp of her youth, the living area was always busy, people around everywhere, but all were familiar faces. If you desired solitude, you had but step out of the camp boundaries, and there would be nobody around, in sight or ear.
But in the castle, it was the other way around. There were people everywhere, too many to all be familiar, new faces every day, and the only place you could get solitude, was at the top of the largest tower with a grand view of the surrounding mountains.
She was given a new, beautiful, long, white dragon skin coat for traveling, but it still remained unused. The clothing that was used often were the more formal outfits, though none of those quite as Human as the silly white dress that was now stuffed at the back of her wardrobe, vowed never to be touched again.
Which did pose a problem. In several weeks, a grand Ball was hosted, where Josephine tried to arrange an invitation to. They were for peace talks for the civil was, so the Empress would be there and every person of import. It would be perfect for assassins to strike and perform what she and Dorian had overheard in the cursed future they'd witnessed at Redcliffe.
And to prepare, Josephine had ordered dance lessons and etiquette training, the former of which Ennaly didn't mind too much, the latter of which she despised. But, Josephine and Leliana pressed the importance on her, so she'd comply. Cullen, who had to endure the trainings too, seemed to despise both, so at least she had an ally during lessons on which spoon was meant for which dish and what the proper way was to address a Duke.
Varric left after a few days, claiming he was going to bring back a surprise. Whatever that would be, Cassandra seemed angry in advance. That wasn't as surprising, seeing how those two always seemed to get on each other's back.
Soon, Ennaly longed to get out there again, if just to escape from the lessons, the crowded castle, the visiting nobles wanting her attention... They'd received a letter with an offer of trade from a certain Fairbanks, information in exchange to help, and he was situated in the Dales. Well, that was the perfect excuse to get out again.
Time to request her companions to join her. It had been a few days since she had time to properly talk with any. She started in the direction of the rotunda, which would be on the way for both Solas and Dorian. The moment she opened the door behind the tables which Varric normally occupied, she faltered in her steps.
Solas was sitting on the scaffold, surrounded by his paints. Next to his image of the creation of the Breach, he was working on a new one, which was almost done. In the centre was a larger-than-life image of a woman in a white dress, one hand outstretched to the side, with green lines in the palm. Still outlined were rays of light emerging from the mark. The other hand held a sword upwards with the Inquisition's eye on the hilt. The face was slightly tilted upwards, still without features, and long strands of hair were framing the face, fanning out around the figure. On the head, slender Elven ears were peeking through the strands of hair.
It was somewhat abstract, sure, but it was very clearly her.
"So that is why you were looking," Ennaly said in wonder before she realized she spoke out loud. The details were a perfect match which how she had looked like on the day she was declared Inquisitor.
Solas looked behind him, downwards, upon her words. "Hello," he said.
"I mean," Ennaly quickly added, feeling embarrassed for having said that out loud. "I though it unlikely that you had developed a sudden appreciation for Human fashion."
"I needed a reference, I thought it unlikely you would want to wear it again and come pose here," Solas smiled and finished painting the strand of hair he was working on, before the paint dried. Ennaly took in the full effect. It was only now that she noticed toes peeking out from the hemline. At least he'd given her that.
"You're right about that. It's really beautiful, Solas," she said, stepping closer to the fresco. "You even managed to get the colours perfect." Her skin tone and hair tone matched the paint that was already dry perfectly. Did he have such a good memory of her that he could match it so well? There was something intimate about the painting, his hands had created the gentle curve from her breasts to her waist to her hip. She could imagine his fingers tracing those lines on her body, and quickly shook away that thought.
"Thank you," Solas said. "This the next chapter in the Inquisition's story, after all, it should depict the Inquisitor herself."
"It's odd to see yourself depicted like this," Ennaly continued, still in wonder. "It makes me seem so much more grandstanding than I feel. It's good to feel tall for once."
Solas looked down to her from high up on his scaffold and chuckled.
"Yeah yeah, look down on me, very funny," she joked. "But at least I can look up at myself now. You're a good artist, Solas."
"Thank you. And I am glad you like it," Solas continued, amused. He had put his paintbrush down and kept an expectant look on Ennaly.
Ennaly was considering this painting, and everything that Solas told her from his journeys in the Fade. Certainly, she shouldn't...
"Is there something on your mind?" he asked.
"Well..." she started. "In some weeks, there's the ball with the peace talks we have to attend, and I've had enough of Human fashion. I just wonder what the ancient Elves would have worn to such events. You've seen a lot on your journeys in the Fade. Have you ever seen what the Elves used to wear in the times of Arlathan?"
Solas stared at her for a few moments with a conflicted look on his face, before there was a shimmer in the Veil, and he Fade-stepped to stand next to her.
"In the times of Arlathan, Elven nobles would dress themselves in gossamer silks and fine velvets woven with lyrium, crystals and metals. The magic in the air would reflect like stars upon the surface. Sadly, no weaver today can attempt those lost arts."
There was something mournful in his tone. It was sad, was it not? The loss of all that had been and was now lost. Ennaly tried to image the effect and it conjured beautiful images. "I wish I could have seen that," she said softly. "Well... if not the fabrics, perhaps the shapes? It certainly would make me feel better than Human garb. Unless it was very scandalous or weird, that doesn't seem like the best idea."
"I do not consider it scandalous or weird," Solas commented.
"Good," Ennaly replied. "Well... If... If you have time, perhaps you could sketch something?"
It took Solas a second before he answered. "I shall see what I can do."
"Thank you," she said with a smile, before she remembered why she actually came down here. "Right, I came down here to ask you to join me to the Dales, leaving tomorrow," she said. "There's some problem with larger rifts around, and someone requested our help, a Fairbanks? I'm asking Dorian and Bull too."
"I think I should be able to finish this today," Solas said. "And it would be good to get out there again."
"Make sure you pack your things before tomorrow, then." Ennaly couldn't suppress the awe she felt in the destination. "The Dales. I've never been. It's exciting, isn't it?"
Author's Note: The next four chapters are going to be an emotional rollercoaster for poor Ennaly. I'm also not sure about the rating system, I thought I could keep this rated T, but I do think I'll have to up it to M from the next chapters, just to be sure.
I might also re-write the first two chapters, I wasn't too happy with them, but needed an introduction to land at Chapter 3 (Your Words), which is actually where I started to write. I might might shorten and merge them together. In the next chapters we'll be getting to the Real Stuff!