CHAPTER 13: Meeting Lucius Corin
There was a lull in their conversation as they approached the gates of the Bazaar. There an Inquisition scout greeted them and informed them that the Reverend Mother there was sewing a mob together to stand against the Inquisition. But when she mentioned Templars, Yasmin's face lit up, darkly. "Oh? And they think they can stop us?"
"I'm not sure, Your Worship," the scout replied.
Cassandra gave Yasmin a wary glance before addressing the scout. "Send a raven to Leliana in Haven, inform them of this. They should know we will likely be delayed, though I'm not particularly fearing for our safety."
"Are we not worried about the Templars?" Varric asked nervously.
Yasmin turned and gave him a dark grin that unsettled the rest of the party as well, "Oh, they won't be a problem for me."
"Don't start a bloodbath," Cassandra almost pleaded as they neared the gathering crowd of people.
Yasmin shrugged and said, "I won't if they don't start it," rolling her eyes while she said it. Cassandra let out an aggravated noise, but by then, the preachy reverend mother on the stage had noticed them. Lysette quickly muffled the giggle that threatened to break forth.
Varric and Solas broke off from the two Seekers. Varric, for a tactical position if things got ugly. Solas accompanied him because, "This is already hard enough without adding an apostate to the mix. Chantry folk are not known for their understanding, or mercy. Besides, if there are Templars lurking about, you should stay out of range of their powers," Varric and Solas nodded their assent and adjusted their crossbow and staff respectively before heading up to the first balcony.
"If you look for Most Holy's murderer, search no further," her voice was shrill and full of contempt. The Cleric on the makeshift stage was whipping up the mob with an expert touch. There was a young Templar standing behind her off to the side. His features were contorted in clear discomfort at the proceedings. Yasmin caught his eye, but he quickly looked down and away.
"How far the Chantry has fallen," Lysette murmured softly so only Cassandra and Yasmin could hear. The Herald rolled her eyes at Lysette's wilful ignorance of the Chantry's true face, but she had more important things to do than lecture the woman.
Yasmin glanced at the pissed off expression adorning Cassandra's face before responding to the enraged cleric, "We came her to talk. If it has escaped your notice, the Breach is the greatest threat Thedas faces right now. The Inquisition is trying to close it, and we would very much like some allies in helping to save our world."
"The Lady Andraste would never send a heretic such as you to be her Herald. Look! The Templars have returned to the Chantry, and will see that you pay for your crimes!"
Yasmin let out a gasp as she saw a man she hadn't laid eyes on in over ten years, Lord Seeker Lucius Corin. "What is he doing here?" Yasmin whispered to Cassandra. The older Seeker just shook her head in confusion.
The Lord Seeker was leading about a dozen Templars. Tellingly, Lucius' armour was not his normal Seeker regalia, but the armour of a Templar Knight-Commander. Yasmin pointed this out quietly to Lysette and Cassandra, neither of whom offered an answer. Cassandra's scowl deepened though.
The archer-looking man following Lucius laid out the cleric with his fist. The young Templar apparently still aligned with the Chantry, who had been silent this whole time let out a cry of surprise, along with most of the assembled crowd.
"What kind of knight punches a defenceless old woman?" Yasmin shouted at him, mostly for the crowd's benefit. Internally, she was jealous she wasn't the one who swung that fist.
"The kind who knows her place is beneath mine," Lucius growled before descending the stairs and walking off.
"That was a little rapey wasn't it?" Yasmin asked her two companions loudly enough for some of the nobles nearby to hear her.
"Still yourself, she is beneath us," the man who punched the cleric said as the young Templar not with the new ones moved to aid the elderly cleric.
"Well she is now you knocked her to the ground, you piece of shit," Yasmin said.
The archer turned angrily to the Herald, but Cassandra shouted, "Lord Seeker! What is the meaning of this?"
"You will not address me," Lucius responded without even turning to acknowledge his fellow Seeker and former subordinate.
Cassandra moved to follow Lucius, but Yasmin spotted weakness and pounced on it by grabbing the younger Templar's arm. "I'm a Seeker of Truth and so is she, my name is Yasmin. This is not how we are supposed to conduct ourselves. Is he the man you want to be following right now?"
The young Templar couldn't be much older than Lysette, he looked so conflicted, "My name is Delrin Barris. Are you truly the Herald?" Yasmin saw the desperation in his eyes. She knew he didn't want to follow Lucius, but he felt compelled to.
"Whether or not I'm the Herald of Andraste shouldn't factor in to who you follow. I was once told 'you are who you follow,'" Yasmin paused as she glanced over to Lucius and Cassandra's row. "If you choose to follow that monster, then there's nothing further to be said. But know that there is another option that would at the very least be supported by the late Divine's Right and Left hands. Is that," Yasmin gestured to the bleeding cleric whimpering into the wood of the stage, "The kind of knight you want to become?"
Yasmin watched as the war for this young man's allegiance warred on his face. She figured she had done what she could, and watched him slowly walk to stand next to one of the Templars and Lysette swore under her breath.
"We failed no one when we set out to purge the mages, the only destiny that deserves respect here is mine!" Lucius said.
"But what if she is Andraste's Herald?" Delrin spoke up desperately.
"We all must know our duty. Yours is to not question," the archer who punched the cleric silenced him rudely.
"Did you come here to just make speeches? Are you willing to gamble with the fate of Thedas rather than work with the Inquisition to heal the sky?" Yasmin asked Lucius with a surprisingly level voice.
Lucius looked over her briefly and laughed, "You are a heretic, and you have raised her up. I expected better from a Seeker of Truth, Pentaghast," he said before he addressed his troops, "Templars with me, we march!"
Yasmin's eyes widened at his last words and grabbed Cassandra, "He didn't recognize me Cassie! Something is wrong with him."
Cassandra looked from the retreating Templars back to Yasmin, "Do you think it's merely been to long for him to recognize you?"
"He would definitely remember me, especially since he was there during my situation. Would you forget such a thing? The man I knew was certainly no simpleton," Yasmin hissed quietly.
"I do not know what is going on, but this whole situation sets my teeth on edge. Most Holy would be disgusted if she could see the state of things now," Cassandra lamented.
"Perhaps not all is lost," Lysette spoke up quietly from behind them. The two Seekers turned towards the former Templar and saw as she pointed to something off to the side.
It was Delrin. He had stayed. Yasmin walked up to him with a beaming smile, "You came to your senses!"
"I…yes. I suppose I have," Delrin said as he watched the last of his now former compatriots march across the bridge.
"Well that was informative," Varric said as he and Solas walked up to them.
"I wouldn't lose hope yet, there must be some of the order that don't agree with the Lord Seeker," Cassandra said. "You, young man, you're one such Templar are you not?"
Delrin looked distinctly uncomfortable as he was analysed by their entire party, "I. I don't think I'm one of them anymore Seeker. I'm sure you're right, but the Lord Seeker holds much power over the order since the war started. We didn't have anyone else to lead us, and I don't know how many would oppose him directly."
Yasmin nodded, "A fair assessment. But we should be getting back to Haven. The Templars' hostility and obvious hatred for the Chantry changes little in the scheme of things. We need to close the Breach by any means necessary."
Yasmin heard a whistle and dodged to her left and drew her sword. But it was unnecessary. She looked at where the arrow had landed and concluded it wasn't meant to be a kill shot, and she may have overreacted. "What the hell?" she muttered as she read the attached message. "Who the fuck are the Friends of Red Jenny?"