"How's the fit?" Josephine called from across the room, her voice barely audible since Ellana was in the bathroom. Josephine had flown down from Orlais with Dorian when news spread at the Grand Cathedral.
"It seems to be okay," she replied.
"Well, step out if you're dressed. I need to see."
Ellana tugged the bottom of her black pencil skirt and patted her tucked in blouse for good measure. She grimaced at her reflection – this outfit was so formal. Pretty but formal. She stepped out of the bathroom and turned to Josephine sitting in a chair at a corner of Ellana's hotel room.
"Perfect!" Josephine exclaimed while giving Ellana a pair of black heels to put on.
"Is this all really necessary?" she asked as she stuffed her feet in the heels.
"Absolutely. You will be meeting with Gereon Alexius tomorrow afternoon, a man whose research and connections are wildly known throughout Tevinter. He is also closely connected to Tevinter's government, which includes their chantry. He's worked for his position and influence within the country. So, yes, this is all necessary.
"It is also the reason the meeting is taking place in Redcliffe Village. It is a more neutral ground than meeting in Val Royeaux, which is direct territory of Empress Celene and Divine Justinia."
Ellana tapped the ball of her left foot and waited before admitting, "I'm nervous, Josephine."
Josephine stood from the hotel room chair and went to Ellana. "Are you not First for Clan Lavellan?"
"It's…complicated."
"Something Merrill would know all too well. Anyway, you should be nervous, I'd say it'd be odd if you weren't. This is an important moment, Ellana."
"And it has to be me?" Ellana knew she sounded childish, but she had to ask even though the answer was painfully obvious.
Josephine lifted Ellana's left hand. "It must be you. This foreign magic gives us leverage in situations such as these. And who knows what it may lead us to find, hm?"
She let go of her hand and gave Ellana's shoulder a light tap. "Where is that woman that braved the tunnels beneath Val Royeaux?"
Ellana felt her jitters ebb. "It's different when she's about to be a proxy between two nations."
"You make it sound worse than it is, just remember to review and bring the folder I gave you. Now, I must be off; I need to see how the outfits fit on the others. Make sure to not wrinkle your clothes!" Josephine told her as she left the room.
Ellana took off the heels, moved them to the side, and proceeded to change her clothes. After she was changed and the clothing for tomorrow was hung up, she sat in the chair Josephine was in moments before.
Why was she so nervous? Like Josephine had said, where was that woman without fear? How infuriating. Ellana closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
Despite the fuss over her outfit, Josephine let Ellana do her own makeup as long as it wasn't too flashy. As she tilted her head up and tightlined her upper eyelids, Ellana contemplated how low-key the whole affair was. She knew that this was done for a specific reason, but it still felt slightly bizarre. She was about to talk to, possibly interrogate, someone directly in contact with the Black Divine, yet they were all just going to sit in a hotel conference room. That's it.
She blinked at her reflection and turned her head left and right to ensure the eyeliner was similar enough. Ellana did her lips with a muted color that didn't stand out too much and left the bathroom to put on the heels.
She halted after she had one shoe on. Did Josephine tell to wear sheer pantyhose with the skirt? Did Josephine even give her pantyhose? Shit. How did she forget already? The nerves were already getting to her. Ellana grunted and decided to forego it. She already had the skirt on and the blouse tucked in, putting on those sheer pantyhose would require too much maneuvering, and she was already cutting it close with time. Josephine would be a bit disappointed at the lack of tights but would be highly agitated by her arriving late. Ellana had no excuse, she only had to go a few floors below.
Ellana took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. Josie would be there to help facilitate in case she sounded like a complete idiot. Dorian, Solas, and Iron Bull would also be there, and they were all good at speaking. Well, Dorian was at least. Solas and Iron Bull could be a bit rough around the edges at times. Varric would more helpful as well if he were here. Ellana laughed to herself at the thought of Sera being here for this; it would have made everything much more entertaining.
Ellana ran to the bathroom and took one more look at herself before leaving, she looked like one of those business or legal elves in a television drama.
She grabbed her phone and left the room to the elevators. No one was waiting near them, so she called for one and entered when the doors opened. She clicked the floor she needed to go to, the doors opened sooner than she wanted at the new floor. Ellana exited the elevator and stood in the long hallway. Which conference room was it? And why were there so many of them? Conference room three, yes, that had to be it. Worst case scenario, she'd check each room and was bound to find the right one eventually.
It was conference room three to her relief. She approached the group of Josephine, Dorian, and Iron Bull standing in a corner of the room. Solas was tinkering with a projector and computer to set up some sort of live feed to Val Royeaux.
"Ellana…" Josephine groaned.
"I know, the tights. I'm sorry, Josephine, I forgot!"
"No, it's not that." Josephine held the hand holding her own debriefing folder. Ellana looked down and saw that Iron Bull and Dorian were holding theirs as well.
"Oh."
"'Oh' is right," Josephine said with a sigh as she handed Ellana her own and continued, "you'll need it more than me, take it."
Ellana nodded and took the folder. What a stupid thing to do, leaving her paperwork in her room. Traversing through the wilderness and encountering strange happenings were fine, yet a simple meeting was apparently confounding for her.
A well-dressed man older man suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
"I suppose it is time to make introductions," the man said as he approached them. He looked haggard and weathered, which contrasted against his nice but lightly worn suit. A similar woman in age and a younger man accompanied him.
"You must be the fabled woman who sneaked through the catacombs. I am Gereon Alexius, and to my right is Fiona, my assistant, and Felix, my son, to my left."
Ellana stepped forward and as she began to reply, Alexius said, "And this must be the hand." Without asking, he clutched her left hand with his own, observing the green scar on the palm.
"Ah…yes, it is." She slowly slid her hand away and continued, "I'm Ellana Lavellan."
"Do you know how it works?"
"My hand? No." It was clear that the man could care less about introductions, he just wanted to see her hand and begin questioning. Josephine realized this and took the opportunity.
"It was nice of you to make your introduction, Alexius. May we take our seats in preparation to begin?" Josephine phrased this as a suggestion, but it was more of a command as she guided them all to the long glossed wooden table. Solas had already taken his seat and was prepared to start the live video call.
Soon enough he made a few clicks and taps on the laptop's keyboard, and Cassandra, Leliana, and Cullen were being projected. They were sitting at a table similar to theirs, although the room contained the familiar decorations placed at the Divine's.
Josephine smiled and began the meeting, "We're all here to discuss the discovery and usage of Elven artifacts found here in the Hinterlands. Now, it has been brought to us that you and your team have acquired and taken several of them."
Alexius cleared his throat before responding, "Is that a crime? They looked as though they hadn't been touched in years – centuries. Why am I not able to take them for my own research?"
Everyone looked at the screen as Cassandra replied, "But it is not for your own research, is it?"
Alexius eyebrows lowered. "Why must you automatically assume it is not for my own research? I have published my reports and written books throughout the years from my findings and examinations."
"Oh, stop it, Alexius! I translated your notes, and you clearly mention the Black Divine!" Dorian said, voice rising toward the end.
For a slight moment, hurt crossed Alexius' face. "I should have known you would. But that does not change anything, I am doing all of this for my research and for Tevinter."
Before Dorian could get his reply in, Josephine mediated, "We were speaking about the artifacts. Do you have a specific reason for removing them, Alexius?"
"As I said before, they'd been abandoned. It is inconvenient to travel to a rural location each time to study them. This is vital information that is meant to be shared and not hoarded."
Ellana saw Solas' jaw tighten before he turned and stated, "Those artifacts can't be moved so easily. They are fragile."
A spark lit in Alexius' eyes. "Yes, it was very difficult to remove them, but we managed."
"How did you do it?" Solas accused rather than asked.
"I will tell you that I have what you need to unlock the one you found hidden away at that witch's grove."
"You're the person who altered it?"
"Yes. Although, I'll only give it to you under certain conditions." Alexius glanced at Ellana.
As Solas' temper began to rise, Felix began to cough rather strongly, his back shaking with each cough. Alexius immediately turned to his son and held him as he rid out the coughs. Ellana could smell the blood that came up inside of Felix's mouth even though it did not show on his lips.
"Fiona will meet with you and tell all the details later," Alexius said in a rush as he left the room with Felix and Fiona. Dorian started to follow them in worry for Felix, but Alexius rebuffed him. The room sat in silence, including those on the video call.
"Well, this was a complete a complete waste of time," Dorian commented a few minutes later. Soon after his phone beeped. "Oh, it's from Felix. It says he'd like to meet with us tonight."
Leliana's voice caught their attention, "Go, meet with him. He may have important information but be discreet." Everyone agreed.
Cullen also added, "I'm going to have Redcliffe Village's templar division alerted. Don't hesitate to contact them. Along with being discreet, be safe." He glanced in Ellana's direction and gave a nod.
And with that, Cassandra hung up the call. While the others huddled and spoke about their next steps, Ellana quietly processed the whole meeting. A meeting in which she hadn't the opportunity to speak up in as it all went so fast.
Ellana broke their chatter, "It's obvious that he wants the exchange to somehow be mutually beneficial."
Dorian scoffed, "Mutually beneficial in the sense that Tevinter has the upper hand."
Iron Bull added his own comment, "He's lying through his teeth, we can all agree on that. I doubt anything that Felix or Fiona tell us will be the entire truth."
"I am quite curious about what that meeting will be about," Dorian said.
Josephine stood. "Just remember to try an avoid another war with Tevinter. Try not to start that chain of events, and let us keep this as neutral as possible, all right?"
That meeting with Felix was informative. Very informative. Felix was sick with something unknown that ate him slowly from the inside, causing him to cough and spit bile. In a desperate attempt to save his son, Alexius was providing research information to the Black Divine for various experimental treatments for his son. The other missing artifacts were already in Tevinter to the disappointment of Solas, and Morrigan when she was informed. All the pieces fell into place, now it was just the outcome to expect.
Ellana scrolled through different essays on hypotheses of Tevene magic rituals that Dorian had emailed her. It was late into the night and she should sleep, but it was fascinating to see how those customs and rituals compared throughout Thedas. A few of practices in Tevinter overlapped with Elvhen ones. Did they share information or even make contact with one another? Did Tevinter just take from the Elvhen rituals? The timelines were all fuzzy and made it difficult to discern the true sequence of events.
She slid off the bed when a knock on her hotel room door required attention. On the other side of the door was Solas, the scene reminded her of when he showed up at her shop that night. How long ago was that? It felt like ages.
"I thought I'd check on you."
"Check on me?" She stepped to the side to allow him entrance in the room.
"Yes. On how your hand is."
Ellana shut the door after he came in. "It's hasn't been bothering me. Surprising, actually. Although, it's only been a few days."
He simply met her eyes, and she suddenly became conscious of herself. Her light clothing was appropriate for sleeping and staying in but not necessarily appropriate for company. No, she stood her ground. Clothing was clothing. For Creators' sake, he'd probably seen more when he treated her with the doctors.
She crossed the room and opened the minifridge it had. The good thing about being somewhat sponsored by the government was that she had to pay for nothing in the hotel.
"Would you like one?" she asked him while showing a bottle of blood she pulled out.
"No, thank you."
She shrugged as she closed the fridge and opened the bottle. After she took a sip, not one large enough to produce a rush, she commented, "You know, I've never seen you have any blood. Even when Sera and I had some, you never did." Ellana sat on her bed and shut the laptop lid.
"Is there a purpose to that statement?" He leaned against the wall across from her.
"Just an observation. Is there a reason for that?"
"Always with the questions."
"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Her tone fell and she turned her head away. "It's frustrating to not know what is happening around you. To you." Ellana lifted her head at the end of her sentence and noticed a mild flinch travel across his features but as quick as it happened, it was gone.
"Fresh blood. That's the reason I don't drink blood with others," he changed the subject.
"What, why? This is plenty fresh. How would you get blood fresher than what's packaged and sold?"
"I have friends who provide me a few blood bags from hospitals every so often."
Her face paled. "Solas, that's illegal. Highly. You don't have to drink that, there are other ways."
"Are you offering, then?"
"Fine. Yes." She agreed more on the fact that him drinking from blood bags irritated her. There was a system in place for a reason, and he skirted around it. The majority of blood that elves drank were from various other mammals; it also ensured that more of the animal was used and not discarded. Human blood was meant to be reserved for medical uses only, especially because it was able to be used across all races, whereas qunari blood and elf blood were not.
He chuckled. "You do realize you alone wouldn't be enough, especially with that hand of yours consistently taking from you. Then, you would need mine, a dreadful cycle that would be."
Ellana stubbornly retaliated, "If this keeps you from consuming another bag for a while, then it would be worth it."
"That's quite the bold offer for someone who needs my own. I also did not take you to be quite so passionate about this."
Condescendence from him, again. "Thank you for dropping by, Solas," she replied in a clipping manner.
"Goodnight Ellana," he walked and stopped at the door before finishing, "and I'll keep your offer in mind. Sleep well." With that, he left.
She fell asleep soon after, though nightmares plagued her as residuals of her irritation.
Fiona had met with them and arranged the terms of their exchange and explained that Alexius wanted to meet up on neutral ground. It was settled that they would all gather at Witchwood where the artifact originally was instead of moving it. Leliana already had small teams of her people to secure the area, so this was already turned more in their favor instead of Alexius'.
Under the cover of night, Ellana, Iron Bull, Solas, and Dorian waited in front of the vine coated grotto; Dorian paced around in irregular patterns while the others just stood still.
"I'm missing something. Something!" Dorian muttered to himself.
"Why would you think that?" Ellana questioned.
"It's just that…this all feels too easy. He's to bring the key for the artifact in exchange to observe you unlock it. And then what? He returns to Tevinter and reports his findings? Hardly enough incentive for the Black Divine to continue to provide treatments for Felix."
Ellana replied, "Maybe he's just that desperate, Dorian."
"No…yes, I imagine he is that desperate. But I still feel unsettled. I translated all of the cipher, but perhaps there was more that I may have missed. Something crucial."
The faraway crunching of boots quieted the team as they waited. Alexius, Fiona, and Felix soon emerged from the shadows. Alexius had a grimace etched on his face, while Felix looked particularly gaunt and Fiona unreadable.
"And I assume the artifact is still inside?" Alexius asked rhetorically as he passed the group and entered the grotto first. Everyone followed him. In the days since it was discovered by Solas, the small cave now had a few lights to ensure the area wasn't entirely dark.
The elven artifact had been moved from the hidden groove and placed at the center of the room.
"Shall we get along with this, then?" Alexius stood impatiently. He took out a round stone that looked to be a deep aquamarine almost similar to the energy from her palm, which now began to lightly tingle.
"How did you alter it?" Solas asked, eyes narrowing.
"I wouldn't say we altered it, but simply trapped it's latent energy inside of this amulet." Alexius flipped the stone side to side in his hand. "We weren't unable to unlock or do anything with it, but we were able to do this with the help of Fiona."
At that statement, Ellana suppressed a gasp of surprise. Alexius openly admitted that Fiona tampered with its magic, which meant that she could do what Solas did, or at least some version of it. Solas' reply broke her thoughts before she could think of any further on the subject.
"Why? You are unable to do nothing with the artifact, the amulet would be useless!" Solas' tone rose at the end of the exclamation.
"For this. To ensure that we'd be here to observe how powerful that woman's hand is. Without this amulet you would be able to do nothing, as you noticed."
Ellana interrupted, "That woman is ready to get this over with."
Alexius' frown deepened as he positioned the stone in the opening carved at the top. Alexius, his son, and Fiona took several steps back. Ellana went forward and noticed that Solas followed her.
"I'll be fine."
Solas gave her a disapproving look that wasn't too different from his usual face but stopped in his place. She continued on until she was in front of the intricately carved elven object. As Ellana made contact with her left hand on it, there was a shuffle of footsteps and yelling behind her that was muffled by the swooshing of newly activated magic. A hand reached and yanked at her right arm.
"Herald? Herald!"
"Maybe she's not accustomed to that yet. Lavellan!"
"Look, she's stirring."
Before Ellana opened her sluggish eyes, the strong smell of manure and earth flooded her nose first. She winced from this as she blinked.
"What's with the gaping maw? D'you see Andraste herself?" A man that looked exactly like Varric asked. He was dressed in what seemed to be a red low-cut tunic with pants made of a similar fabric. He had something strapped across his back, but it was difficult to tell what it was.
"Oh, stop it Varric. Herald, are you hurt? You simply dropped down as we were walking to the chantry." A woman resembling Cassandra said. She was dressed in chainmail that had an embossed chest plate; the armor jingled as she moved.
"I think it finally hit her that she has to fix that hole in the sky," Varric sardonically stated. Cassandra rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Who are you?" she horrifyingly asked the two kneeling in front of her.