Quick warning: some violence in this chapter. Also a bit angsty.
Preparations to seal the Breach were underway, and Haven was more active than ever. At least this is what Ellana assumed as she made her rounds. Gossip about her tripping was quickly forgotten as everyone was consumed once more about the Inquisition's purpose; the tension was easily palpable in the air. For a dream, like how Dorian theorized, it all felt so real. The Fade really was capable of anything, wasn't it?
Greeted by the afternoon sun, Ellana walked outside of the gates of Haven and observed Cullen and Cassandra training new recruits. To a corner far off near the main exit, she saw the trees shaking and heard muffled sounds of blasts. She exhaled heavily through her nose and went over. Ellana had full view but was still far enough that they wouldn't notice her immediately.
Vivienne, Solas, and Dorian were gathered and practicing offensive spells, along with a few defensive maneuvers with their staffs. She got there just in time to see Dorian fall as Vivienne swiped at the back of his heels with her staff, causing him to stumble and hit the ground.
"Now, now, Dorian, I've seen better maneuvering from you. Clear your head, Vint." Vivienne extended a hand to him. Dorian took it and immediately regained himself.
"Again," he replied to the both of them. Solas and Vivienne both began a steady stream of spells and offensive attacks with their staffs. Dorian alternated from deflecting them and using his own to defend himself. It all looked very impressive, albeit somewhat silly. There was a lot of twirling, and the silly factor played in when they waved their staffs.
Ellana realized that thought was probably unwarranted. But it just wasn't fair. Dorian got to experience being a mage, while she didn't. She could do none of it. Based on what she found in her lodging and talks with Iron Bull and Cassandra, she wielded smaller and lighter weapons – daggers and bows. She also seemed to be able to use a sword, but Cassandra laughed at her when Ellana mentioned it. So, daggers and bows it was. Much to great disappointment.
She let her mind wander over various theories. Supposing that this wasn't some sort of convoluted concoction of the Fade and that it was all real, how in the world could the Inquisitor hold magic in their palm of their hand if they weren't a mage? How was she not dead from the anchor? Ugh, nothing made sense. Although in the grand scheme of it all, nothing did. Once again, not fair. The best thing in this confusing mess was that she didn't have to drink blood, which created a whole different kind headache to understand.
Dorian was taking full advantage of the situation, though. He was able to cast and do a variety of spells, possibly including necromancy ones, although he hadn't the chance to try them yet. In all the situations they have found themselves over the past week, his acting was impeccable. When questioned by Leliana and Cullen about his sudden burst in the war room, Dorian smoothly played it off. Ellana on the other hand, fumbled much more. She sensed a slight hesitancy and worry from the others because of her sudden weird behavior, but none of that mattered. Tomorrow they would seal the Breach, and all would return to normal again.
They'd be back in Val Royeaux and traveling to the next promising location soon enough. The situation with the warring Divines and such didn't feel like such a big deal now.
Ellana turned away from the scene before her, ignoring curses flying from Dorian as he failed to block something and Solas chastising for it.
She made her way up the hill and through the gates of Haven. Ellana took a sharp turn to her right when a voice startled her.
"Herald! Was looking for you." Sera smiled and waved towards her.
"Ah, Sera. What is it you need me for?"
"It's just with everyone breaking off into groups practicing and training and whatnot for tomorrow, I thought we could train together."
"Varric and Iron Bull aren't free?"
"Varric and Bianca aren't the same as a real bow and arrow, you know? He also may be a teeny bit mad at me still for stealing Bianca that one time."
Ellana let out a chuckle. "All right. And Bull?"
"Too big."
Ellana lips pressed to a tight line. She had avoided using her weapons out of fear that she would be heavily scrutinized when people noticed her lack of skill, and Ellana would have no excuse for it. Thus, making the hesitancy some carried about her grow. That's the last thing she needed right now.
"I'll join you, Sera."
"Yes! Grab your things and meet me by the dummies." Sera ran off before even finishing her sentence.
Ellana finished the short walk to her cottage and entered it. She crossed to her table in the room, and on top of it sat her weapons belt, bow, and quiver. It would be easy enough to put it all on, right?
A bit of fumbling and the belt was snuggly wrapped around her waist. Now for the quiver. Ellana carefully placed the strap across her body. She tested out drawing an arrow out of it to ensure it was in a natural position. It seemed to be. Ellana then held the bow up with her left hand. Where did this go? On her back? Over a shoulder? She couldn't make up her mind, so she just decided to hold it. Assembled and ready, she went to meet Sera by the practice dummies, where Cullen and Cassandra would also be at. This was bound to go terribly.
On her march to meet Sera, Ellana tried to come up with excuses as to why her form was bad. Well, not just bad, it would probably be terrible. Whatever, like she thought earlier, none of this mattered. If the Inquisition began to doubt their Herald, it wouldn't be her problem. Her and Dorian were on a one-way track to escaping this thing and returning to normal. This was a dream anyway, wasn't it? It didn't matter what happened here.
"Hey! Hurry up, now. I want to start shooting some arrows," Sera called from up ahead.
"It looks like you already were with or without me," Ellana replied.
"Yeah, yeah." Sera pulled a few arrows from her target dummy.
Ellana took her spot next to Sera and pulled an arrow from the quiver. She stared at the dummy several feet before her.
"What are you looking at? Shoot one!" Sera egged as she shot her own.
While inhaling deeply, Ellana mimicked what she saw Sera do. Aiming as well as she could, she let it fly. And fly it did until it nicked her target on the side and soon skidded to a stop in the dirt.
"A little off today, yeah? Must have a lot on your mind. I know you're the Herald and all, but just try to empty it. Tomorrow's the big day, not today."
"Tha–"
"Save it, Herald. Don't need that sappy stuff. Let's just practice."
She nodded and took another arrow in her hand, readied it, and let it go. The arrow landed in the dummy with a crunch.
After a couple of more tries, the movements and actions came natural to her, and her arrows kept hitting their mark. Everything around her slowly melded away as she poured her energy into it.
"There it is! You haven't lost it at all. Still not as good as me, but that's hardly your fault," Sera snickered.
Snapped from her trance, Ellana asked, "What do you mean?"
"They were starting to worry that along with you acting all strange, that you may not be in fighting condition."
So, people weren't just hesitant, they were suspicious of her. "What an odd notion. Of course, I can still fight." Ellana also flashed a smile to complete her bluff.
"I never doubted it, I've seen you in action out there."
Ellana spent some more time with Sera practicing and then they parted to freshen up before dinner. Since the Inquisition knew that tomorrow would be dangerous and held an unknown outcome, people were permitted to have a last celebration of sorts – within limits, that was. Josephine strictly monitored the alcohol that would be available tonight, not that she needed to. People were frightened as it was, Ellana doubted many would lose themselves in a stupor when everyone needed to be at their best in a few hours.
In her room, Ellana grabbed a clean rag and the bucket of water provided to her. There was no plumbing system in place here at Haven, and everything was manually done. As in, no showers. Not having a flushing toilet available at first was a struggle, but it wasn't actually that bad. What she missed most was a shower and bath. Well, Haven did have a small communal bathhouse, but Ellana wasn't about to go there. People stared at her so much here, she didn't want that when bathing.
She stripped a few pieces of her clothing and dipped the clean rag in the water. It was thankfully very warm, enchanted to stay that way for several hours. After she felt that she was as clean as she could possibly be, Ellana picked some clothes from her chest. A long-sleeved fitted tunic, pants, and knee-high black boots. What she usually wore, except entirely a dark grey.
A look to her window told her that she'd have to leave soon. Ellana eyed the weapons belt on her desk. This was supposed to be a minor celebration, right? She rummaged through her chest again and took a small sack out. Ellana had found it a few days ago but was too nervous to mess with anything inside it. There was a variety of cosmetics, creams, and oils. Nothing like what she had used before though. If she had a careful and light hand, it could possibly work.
When she was satisfied with her appearance, she decided to put the belt on and the other pieces of her armor – a deep red vest, a thick grey sash tied around the waist, and her burgundy leather gloves. She slid her daggers in their sheaths. Thinking the bow would be too much, she left the room without it. The faint smell of smoked food and the distant noise of chatter and music hit her as she stepped out.
She followed the people around her to the Singing Maiden. When she made it to the tavern, Ellana was impressed by the huge groups of people gathered both outside and inside of the building. Her lips curved up in amusement when she noticed people also took their places eating and drinking near Dorian's and Solas'.
"Why, by Andraste, you actually got all dressed up for us, huh?" She heard Varric's voice call to her from the left.
Ellana bowed dramatically and replied, "Through Andraste's will, I did."
Varric chuckled and crossed his arms, "You mean the Maker's?"
"I thought you followed Andraste's teachings? I'm confused." She frowned. Attempting a joke went wrong.
Varric waved a hand. "We do follow her, but not in that way. That's reserved for the Maker. We honor Andraste and worship the Maker."
"Complicated."
"So says a follower of the Elven pantheon?"
"I'd say so. Each god has their own jurisdictions, and Elgar'nan leads them. That's it."
Varric shook his head and gave her an amused look. "I'm gonna need a drink for this." He left her but promised that they would chat again later. He needed information to flesh her character out in his book about the Inquisition.
"Elgar'nan, hm?" Ellana heard Solas say behind her as she about to head inside the Singing Maiden.
"Didn't think you'd make it out, Solas."
"I wondered that myself, but it was worth it, ina'lan'ehn. You look ready to confront the Breach."
How to answer? What to answer? "I…am ready to face the Breach tomorrow."
A crowd was beginning to form, and he took a few steps away. Ellana followed him to a small clearing where thankfully snow didn't cover the ground. She was supposed to follow him, right? Or was that the end of the conversation?
"You had Cassandra worried about you," Solas commented.
"I assumed all of you were."
"Yes."
"I'm fine now, no need for anyone to worry. Flustered, that's all."
He shifted the weight on his feet. "Flustered was you a few minutes ago. The past week was not."
Warmth spread across the tips of her ears and traveled downward.
Solas learned forward somewhat. "And it's what you are now."
She spoke up, "I was scared. Frightened of all of it when I realized that it was time to close the Breach. Time for the anchor to be used – for me to be used." A half-truth and half-lie.
His face softened a tad. "You have been an unwavering Herald for them. I suppose we all succumb at some point to the weight of it all."
"I just needed to process it. Like I said, I'm ready."
"And I am sure that you will seal the Breach with the same grace you utilize while fighting."
It seemed that he was going to say something else when Sera, Dorian, and Iron Bull came sauntering toward them.
"Herald! We've been looking everywhere for you! Let's get some food!" Sera said with a smile on her face.
"Aw, come on, Sera. Maybe the two elves want some alone time," Iron Bull mockingly replied.
"Elven glory!" Sera replied, but then quickly added, "Ugh, no thank you."
Dorian held out a mug out to Ellana and made a motion for her to join them. She silently bid goodbye to Solas and followed them.
She took the mug from Dorian and asked, "Did you add even more belts?"
Snow drifted down as Ellana, Cassandra, Blackwall, and Solas traveled to the ruins that held the Breach with a long line of mages following them. No matter how hard she tried to be neutral or still, her hands either tugged at the hem of her vest or fidgeted on the hilts of her daggers.
"No matter what the Wardens do, they are always heading toward an unknown. The Calling," Blackwall rang in the silence. He continued, "It helps to know that no matter your fate, your life and work had meaning. It wasn't for nothing."
That was completely reassuring. Completely. "That helps, Blackwall. Thank you," Ellana replied, and Solas scoffed in return.
Ellana focused on taking steady breaths and not letting her heart speed up than on the increasing rubble cast off from the ruins around them. They were close. So close. Tingles of numbness spread up her fingertips and through her left arm; the anchor began to have a mind of its own, tendrils of magic curling and unfurling around her fingers.
And there it was. The most beautiful and most terrifying thing she had ever seen. It took her breath away. Ribbons and hues of green swirled around each other, creating different patterns. And through the tear in the sky, indistinguishable shapes and forms waded in and out of clarity.
"Mages! Focus past the Herald – let her will draw from you!" Solas yelled behind her.
Ellana balled her left hand in a fist and muttered a prayer to herself. She then raised her head and made sure strides towards the Breach. It was time for her and Dorian to wake up from this nightmare or dream, whatever it was. It was time for them to keep investigating and understand Tevinter's motives. To go home.
She raised her left hand with confidence and poured as much energy as she could. Electric-like cackles sounded and echoed around her, and her vision narrowed until all she saw was a sea of green.
A forceful blast occurred and knocked everyone off their feet. Blackwall, Solas, and Cassandra ran to the Herald as fast they could.
"Herald?" Solas asked tentatively.
The Herald clutched her chest and coughed a few times, clearing the debris that entered her mouth. She wiped at her face with a sleeve of her shirt and turned to her team.
"How? How!" she cried.
"Herald? What is it?" Blackwall asked, stepping forward.
"I'm still here." Her teeth clenched and grinded together as sobs crawled their way up her throat.
"You did it and you're still here. It's sealed. Congratulations, Herald," Cassandra told her with a light smile and pat on the shoulder, misunderstanding Ellana's words.
Blackwall and Solas looked pleased, and the mages that accompanied them were hugging each other and excitedly chattering.
Ellana calmed herself and let the others take the lead back to Haven. As they got closer to returning, the singing and cheering became louder and clearer. The people of Haven were celebrating, as they should be.
A flurry of people came by one after the other to congratulate Ellana's heroic and selfless efforts. It all went by so fast and in a blur, faces of people she recognized and didn't. She felt as if she were floating through nothing and simply existing.
"It's closed! I never doubted you for a second, Herald," Dorian cheered. Her inner circle began to appear around her.
"You sure you're all right now, Dorian? That was quite the tumble you just took," Vivienne remarked after Dorian spoke.
"Sparkler, I never thought I'd see you drop in the middle of a sentence, but here we are," Varric added.
This broke Ellana's haze, and she anxiously questioned, "You fell? What do you mean?"
"It was just from the nervousness of it all, I assure you. Seeing the Breach being sealed was quite the moment."
Ellana covered her eyes with a hand for a few seconds, brows knitted. "I don't know what to do next. This was our best option, Dorian."
The group exchanged curious glances. "Do you mean joining the Inquisition? Of course, it was the best option. Due to you, this Vint joined your exclusive club."
That wasn't the Dorian she knew, it couldn't be. That was too strange of a reply. If he returned…then who was this?
Before she could think any further, the warning bells tolled overhead, and Cullen came rushing through telling everyone to prepare for a fight. Everyone dispersed in a flurry while Ellana didn't move. A blond, shaggy-haired young man soon arrived at the gates and alerted of templars and someone named Samson.
The snow began to fall again as a person yelled, "We need to man the trebuchets! Herald!"
Ropes tightened against the trebuchets as soldiers prepared them. Clashing of metal and screams grew closer and closer to Haven's gate.
"Herald! The Inquisition needs you! We need to fight and keep them back, Haven is no fortress," Cullen desperately told her.
"Commander!" A soldier screamed, and Cullen left for them.
Although her mind told her she needed to be in the action, that she needed to fight to protect herself, she couldn't move. All around her she saw people fighting for themselves, for the Inquisition. The mages alternated between defensive shields and barriers to offensive attacks, both physical and magical. The warriors not only used their shields and weapons with ease, but utilized body weight as well, often making opponents lose balance. Varric and Sera stuck to the shadows, letting their arrows fly without being seen.
A slash caught her right arm, deep enough to slice through the leather armor and break skin. Ellana hissed in pain and stumbled back. The frenzied templar rushed at her again, their figure towering over her.
Without thinking, in natural and fluid movements, she took hold of her daggers and ran forward. She felt a momentary resistance as the blades met thick fabric and eventually skin before they sank to the guards. Feeling the Templar beginning to claw at her in anguish, Ellana withdrew the blades and ducked away out of reach.
She watched as the templar clutched at his sides where there was no metal armor, blood spilling. Ellana tilted her head down and saw the templar's warm blood creep up her sleeves. She wiped her daggers in the dirt, needing the blood to be off of them.
The snap of a trebuchet being fired ricocheted in her ears.
"Confusion. Hurt. Disbelief," she heard a voice say. It was the young man from the gate. She recognized that face from somewhere.
"I don't want to, but we have to. We all have to. He's mad you took his mages."
"Wh-what?"
"Fighting. Killing." The firing of another loaded trebuchet sounded off, and the ground quaked in foreign response.
A roaring tore through the sky, and a beast flew across it. A dragon.
Ellana took ahold of her daggers and straightened herself, and Cole left satisfied that she would be able to fend for herself but stayed close enough to aid her if anything.
Cullen came running back. "Close the gates! We need to gather at the chantry. It's the only thing here that holds a chance against that…that thing."
Her team gathered around her. Cullen continued, "The townspeople will need help if they are to survive this." Fire from the dragon burned ahead of them.
Ellana took the lead and jogged along the dirt path toward the chantry. When the group came across templars, her inner circle took care of it, and she forged on. The others who stayed behind to fight quickly caught back up.
She winced as smoke hit her nose. But it wasn't the smoke – it was the overbearing smell of burning flesh.
"Damn it," Varric cursed. They arrived too late to help the people trapped.
When they reached the chantry, Chancellor Roderick held himself against the door and saw them inside. Cole explained that Roderick tried to defend against a templar, and it gave him fatal wounds.
Ellana learned through them that the Elder One wanted to kill her, the Herald, and he was willing to crush anything in his path to gain access to her.
She faced Cullen, "Then it's decided. I'll keep his attention while as many as possible take the route the Chancellor mentioned. Sera, Vivienne, and Varric. With me." Ellana walked out of the chantry knowing they were behind her. They had to make it to the other trebuchet, the only thing that would make a large enough distraction.
Without too much of a hitch, they were able to wind the trebuchet and position it. Before Ellana could get suspicious of the sudden stillness around them, a dragon swept down and knocked her away from the others, spewing fire.
"Go!" She hoped they heard her. Ellana clutched her side as a figure emerged from the fire. It was a mangle of a person – grey hardened flesh surrounded it, marred by scars and texture. Red, pulsing stones jutted out of its face and hung off its body. Arms were grotesquely long, and fingers were elongated claws. The thing's face was the only thing recognizably human, in the fact that there were eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
"Oh, Creators," Ellana whispered to herself. Those giant spiders she read about in Leliana's paperwork were starting to look really nice now. She felt the dragon's hot breath sweeping to her with each exhale.
"Your Creators? I have seen the throne of the Gods, and it was empty. Exalt the Elder One, the will that is Corypheus." It stepped closer to her.
"You don't have to do this."
"You went meddling in forces beyond your ken and stole what was mine." He lifted her several feet off the ground by her left arm.
"Take it, then!" Ellana struggled to say as Corypheus activated the anchor, making fresh, undiluted pain reverberate through her.
The Elder One threw her against the base of the trebuchet and cursed, "The anchor cannot be removed. You've spoilt it." His dragon hissed and flapped its wings.
Corypheus mumbled more stuff she didn't pay any attention to as she struggled to manage pain.
"…you must die," he menacingly threatened. That she heard. In the only luck that she had, he managed to throw her near the trebuchet's lever.
In the distance, an arrow of fire appeared. If anything was a signal, it was that one. Everyone must have made their way through the tunnels, meaning it was safe for her to fire at the mountains behind Haven.
With all the strength she could muster in her injured body, she kicked the lever and it fired. In fury, Corypheus launched at her. Ellana narrowly avoided his hands by jerking backwards, but not without a claw scratching across her cheek before she lost balance.
Clutching tightly at her sides, Ellana awoke to the sound of dripping. As she stood herself up, she felt some shifting inside of her body. Something was definitely broken. Most likely multiple things.
These must have been the tunnels they had taken. Arches were imbedded in the ceiling of the cavern. She followed them, not knowing whether it was the right direction or not. Not that she had a choice, it was a one-way trek and everything behind her was collapsed in.
Ellana covered her mouth as she coughed. Her hand was covered in red, a mixture of her blood and the templar she killed. She folded her arms to her chest, hands out of sight. It suddenly felt so cold.
"A dream. All a dream," she chanted to herself like a mantra.
"A dream?" a wispy wraith asked her. Multiple figures surrounded her.
"Look at her, all lost."
"Quite lost."
"What a poor thing."
Ellana screamed and shot her left hand at them, allowing energy to surge all around her. The wraiths were then gone, done away by the anchor.
Minutes went by, possibly hours until she saw the exit of the tunnel. Both a blessing and a curse. It was an exit all right, but there was also a violent blizzard outside.
"Fenedhis lasa," she muttered to herself at the exit. She could try and wait out the storm, but there were two cons to that idea. She could succumb to her injuries during that time, and it could also allow the others to venture farther from her.
Into the storm it was.
In the blinding white around her, Ellana lost track of how far she walked. All she could recognize was the fact that she felt so tired, and that the coolness of the snow felt nice against her body.
"There, it's her!"
"Thank the Maker."
"Bickering will get us nowhere. We will just keep moving forward," Ellana told the advisors and Cassandra.
"Herald, if I may, that is a dangerous risk to take. We do not have the stores for extended travel," Josephine replied.
"We also can't just stay stagnant out here in the cold. A good portion of the people are not prepared to endure conditions like this."
So involved in the conversation, no one saw Solas appear. He intruded, "I know of a place where the Inquisition can take root."
"Well, then that settles it. You'll lead us there, Solas. We leave as soon as possible, please alert everyone, Cassandra. I want to take advantage of the daylight and the warmer weather," Ellana ended the debate between them all.
She waited until Solas was left on his own before she told him, "I'd like to speak to you. Privately." Ellana wordlessly went to the very edges of the camp. Far enough to not be heard, but also close enough to monitor.
"What is it you'd like to speak about, Herald?"
"How do you know of a place to go?"
"I've seen it during my travels in th–"
"The Fade. It's always the Fade."
Solas' face downturned at her cutting him off. "I prefer to be in the Fade, as I discover more there than I could awake."
"Anyway, you asked me before about the meeting with Corypheus. What of it?"
"Did he have anything with him?"
"Besides the dragon?"
Solas huffed. "No. An object that is…that can interact with magic."
She scanned her memory and eyed him warily. "Yes."
"That would be an ancient elvhen artifact – a foci capable of harnessing magic. They are based around the power of the pantheon and each one has their own. Corypheus is relying on the power the orb may contain."
Ellana kicked some snow. "Another history lesson one learns in the Fade?"
"No, Tevene academic scrolls."
"Funny." Although she didn't know if he was telling the truth. "I actually wanted to ask you about something else."
"What would that be?" Solas was visibly more relaxed.
"Like before, please humor me."
"I'll do the best that I can."
"Can the Fade alter consciousness?"
"Ah, well…that is a simple question that would have a complicated answer."
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "What about alternate realities?"
"Herald, I do not know what you are asking me."
"Do you think that the Fade can serve as a connection of possible alternate realities, and that these realities may possibly occur simultaneously?"
Solas was surprised by such a question. "I–I am not entirely sure. The Fade is possible of many things and can bring life to where there is none. It can bridge emotions, memories, and societies together. This does not answer your question, though."
"It answers enough, I think."
"Before I forget to ask, how is your cheek?"
Ellana grazed her hand underneath her left cheekbone, where a nasty twisted scar traveled across her cheek to her jaw. "Doesn't hurt. Although, I'd assume it's because everything hurts more."
He took a tentative step forward and traced the scar slowly with his right hand, magic glowing from it. It was a pleasant sensation as he did so.
"Herald! We're almost ready to set out!" Cullen yelled at them. She saw him waving his arm in the air at her. Solas jumped back.
"The Inquisition, ever efficient," Solas grumbled under his breath.
Ellana gave him an entertained glance and went to Cullen.
The Inquisition was nearly packed, as Cullen had stated. When everyone was ready, Solas took the lead. The trip took two days, shorter than expected but longer than Ellana wanted. Eventually, stone peeked from the sides of the mountains, and when they got closer, formed a beautifully hidden fortress.
"It's amazing," Ellana said in wonder.
"This will be where the Inquisition marks its place," Josephine added.
"Well, shit. I never thought the Inquisition would be this lucky," Varric muttered.
"Luck well deserved," Vivienne replied.
When they reached the bridge to the fortress' entrance, Ellana told the Inquisition while standing on a sizable rock, "I want everyone to wait here. Dorian, Blackwall, and Cassandra will accompany me on a quick sweep of the fortress. Once we do the check, you will be allowed to settle in."
With that, the four of them began their way across the bridge.
"Dorian, would you be able to create a barrier to walk on in case a portion of the bridge were to collapse?" Cassandra asked with shaky confidence.
"Bold of you to assume that the bridge isn't already being held together by magic."
"Dorian! Cassandra, we'll be fine," Ellana said. Blackwall snorted and placed a hand on the pommel of his sword.
They made it to the entrance, and the air was oddly warm despite them being so high up. Ellana took a step through and entered Skyhold, and as she did, she felt her blood run cold and saw everything darken.
Author Note: Hello! A few things. As always, credit to FenxShiral! "Ina'lan'ehn" means "beautiful, pretty, attractive". I'm not necessarily sure if the word can be used on it's own, but I assume it's possible? haha.
The line "And I am sure that you will seal the Breach with the same grace you utilize while fighting," was inspired by Solas' dialogue in the game when he flirts with a rogue Inquisitor :). This line also can sound like a sarcastic insult which I find pretty funny. Up to you and how you imagine your Inquisitor!
I also think that this is my favorite chapter so far. I can't imagine going through what Ellana did!