Chapter Five: The Inquisition, Reborn
Spiders. Why does it have to be spiders?
A slender, dark-haired specter laughed at her. Of course it has to be spiders. What did you expect, butterflies?
She didn't know how it started, but Vanessa simply found herself running again. Everything around her was dark, so she didn't even know where she was. Behind her, giant, big-bodied, and hairy spiders chased her everywhere, but somewhere, she could hear a baritone voice, a man's voice, that was so familiar to her.
Julian, help me!
Instead of an answer, Vanessa heard a soft sigh. Then she felt a caress on her cheek.
I wish I could.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vanessa woke up with a gasp. The first thing that registered in her waking mind was the smell of elfroot. She blinked a few times, but in front of her was not darkness but a wooden ceiling.
The memory of the dream was slowly fading away. It felt too real, as evidenced by the racing heartbeat she was trying to calm down. What was that about? she wondered. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of spiders, which were not even the small ones one can see hanging on rafters, but large ones, as if somebody put a spell on them that made them abnormally larger. She shuddered again.
But who is Julian? Julian? Who did that name belong to?
While still puzzling about who Julian was, Vanessa felt the warmth of a fur blanket atop of her, which made her slightly sweaty, and she peeled it off from her body and began to raise herself up from the bed.
Crockery shattering on the floor followed right after. She followed the direction of the broken crockery to find a teenaged elf shaking in fear, kneeling down and kowtowing towards her.
"I beg your forgiveness and your blessing, my lady," the boy said, his voice shaky with fear.
Vanessa sat up at the edge of the bed and looked questioningly at the boy who was still facedown on the ground. "For what? The broken plate?"
The boy raised his eyes at her, terrified, and scrambled to pick up the broken pieces.
"No, don't pick them up with your bare hands!" Vanessa rose up from the bed and quickly stopped the teen boy from picking up a sharp edged piece. "Get a broom, why don't you?"
"Y-Yes, my lady," he said nervously and scrambled out the door. He quickly returned with a broom and a pan and swept the shards up. "The Lady Cassandra would want to know you're awake now, my lady," the boy told her.
"Does she now?" Vanessa said lazily, as she sat at the edge of the bed, yawning widely. "Before you do that, can you fetch me a jug of water? I'm thirsty."
"Yes my lady." The boy quickly ran out of the room. In the silence that followed, Vanessa tried to make sense of what she was experiencing.
She was alive. To confirm, she pinched herself hard, and immediately yowled in pain. She wouldn't be feeling pain if she was still in the Fade, so she really was, happily, alive. If it wasn't for the weakness she could still feel in her limbs, she would have jumped up and down for joy.
She looked around. She was in a small cottage – Thank the Maker, not the dungeons again – that was sparsely adorned, but comfortable enough to live in. It stank of elfroot, though, so it might have been a healer's cottage, most likely.
The boy came back bringing not just a jug of water and a cup, but also some fruit. He set them reverently on her side table and cautiously walked backwards, all the time facing her.
"Thank you," Vanessa muttered as she poured herself a cup of water. She looked back at the boy, who was still looking at her in a fearful way. "Don't be afraid," she reassured him, then gulped down the water, which soothed her parched throat. Thank the Maker for small mercies. "Could you tell me what happened... where I am now?" She took a few grapes and popped them in her mouth.
"You are back at Haven, my lady," the boy replied, still keeping a respectful distance from her and nervously twisting his fingers every now and then. "They say the Breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand. It's what everyone's talked about for the last three days!"
I was out for three days? "So the threat is gone?" Vanessa asked, taking a fig this time.
"The Breach is still in the sky, but that's what they say," the boy said. "You saved us all, Herald of Andraste."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Herald of Andraste?"
The boy nodded. "Lady Cassandra said to send for you as soon as you wake. "At once," she said," he muttered, backing away nervously. Vanessa tried to call him back, to ask more questions, but he ran out of the room before she could say any more word.
Outside, she heard excited murmurs as the boy spread the news that Vanessa was awake. Great. Time to face the mob, I guess, Vanessa thought, resigned as she finished her fig. Apparently this would be the only food I'm going to have today.
She went to the dresser to find other, thicker clothes to wear other than the sleeping clothes she was in. Thankfully there were shirts, pants and a coat, which she quickly took out and put on. Looking around, she spotted a mirror and a hairbrush, and sat down in front of the mirror to take a moment to think about the bizarre things that have happened to her so far.
She still looked herself, thankfully enough. No uncommon bruises, or, Maker forbid, scars marred her narrow face. Her almond-shaped, blue-green eyes stared back at her, brows furrowed, a little bit intensely for her liking, but of course she was willing herself to gather courage to face the Seeker. However, under her straight, aquiline nose, her inheritance from her mother, her bow-shaped lips quivered. Vanessa exhaled a long sigh. No, who was she kidding, really? She looks terrified, not confident as she would like to be.
She picked up the hairbrush and slowly brushed her thick reddish-brown tresses. After taming the unruly curls, she tied it up in a high ponytail with a piece of ribbon she found in the drawer. She had just finished when there was a knock on the door.
"My lady," a man's voice said outside her door, "I am here to escort you to the Chantry, where Seeker Pentaghast awaits."
"I'll be right out," Vanessa called out. She put down the brush and exhaled slowly. I'll be okay, she chanted in her head, over and over, as she stood and walked out the door.
Vanessa braced herself for hostility, but to her surprise, there were none. Instead, the people who saw her fell on their knees and reverently bowed to her, and soldiers stood in attention and touched their right fists to their chest.
"The Herald of Andraste," she heard them murmur, and when she happened to look at a few villagers, they hastily looked down on the ground.
"Please, rise, all of you," Vanessa said, and went forward to pull up an old woman. The woman grasped her arms tightly and with tears in her eyes, she said, "You saved us all. Thank you."
"I..." Vanessa was struck speechless at the reverence in the villagers' eyes, the gratefulness, the hope that they saw when they looked at her. The soldier escorting her nodded at the old woman, gently prying Vanessa's arm from the woman's grasp, and nudging her to continue walking. The other soldiers formed a loose barrier and lined her path towards the Chantry.
"Why are they calling me the Herald of Andraste?" Vanessa asked her escort as they walked.
"Word spread about the woman who was seen behind you when you came out of the Fade," the soldier answered. "The people believe that it was Andraste delivering you, sending you to us to save us."
"But I..." Vanessa trailed off as she didn't exactly know how to respond to that. From being a criminal to a deity. What is going on with your life, Vanessa Marie Trevelyan? She spotted Varric beside a campfire and some tents, but before she could wave her hand to him, she had already moved out of his sight. She breathed a sigh of relief that he was all right, and hoped that Solas and Sparrow was as well.
She looked up at the sky. The Breach still hung over their heads, but at least it wasn't spewing out rocks and demons anymore. At least I've done something right. She looked down on the mark that was faintly glowing on her palm. She felt Solas' now familiar brand of magic in the invisible wards on it. Whatever this thing is, at least it had done something right.
In no time, they reached the Chantry. With a slight nod, the soldiers guarding the doors opened them and allowed them in. A few Chantry brothers and sisters were there, and all murmurs stopped as soon as they saw her. The looks on their faces were the complete opposite of what she saw in the villagers, however; disdain was clearly etched on their brows as their glares followed her as she walked towards the inner room of the Chantry. Vanessa sighed. Of course you won't have it all. Oddly enough, their hostile stares reassured her somewhat. At least in their eyes, I remain human. Pity it's a despised human.
Near the door of the inner room, however, she could hear raised, angry voices emanating from the room.
"What do you think you're doing here, Seeker?" That was Chancellor Roderick, if she wasn't mistaken.
"I am trying to do some good, Chancellor," Cassandra's dry tones were easily distinguished.
"What's good is to have the prisoner sent to Val Royeaux, where she will await trial for the death of the Divine!"
"You will have the person responsible for stabilizing the Breach rot in a cell jail for an indefinite amount of time? I think not."
"She is a criminal!"
"She stabilized the Breach, and soon, she will close it as well."
The soldier knocked on the door, and the arguments stopped. "Lady Trevelyan is here, Seeker," the soldier announced in a loud voice.
"Come in," Cassandra called out, and the soldier opened the door for Vanessa. She nodded gratefully at the soldier, and got a reassuring smile in return. The soldier turned on his heel and left Vanessa, who exhaled and went in the room.
The sun filtered through the windows of the room, throwing into focus the three people in the room. Cassandra stood behind a large table, with Leliana slightly behind her. At a side stood Chancellor Roderick, who rubbed his hands together and then imperiously thrust a finger at Vanessa's direction.
"Seize her," he commanded, looking at the two soldiers who stood in attention near the doorway. "I want her chained and ready to travel to Val Royeaux, to face execution."
"Belay that," Cassandra quickly retorted as the two soldiers made a move to take Vanessa. "Leave us." The two soldiers clicked their heels together and marched off, closing the doors behind them.
"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker," Chancellor Roderick said ominously as he narrowed his eyes in barely controlled anger at Cassandra. "I suggest you remember your duty."
"My duty is to serve the principles on which the Chantry is founded, Chancellor. As is yours," Cassandra replied sharply. "Can't you see? The world is in chaos still. The Breach is stable, but it is a threat. I will not ignore it."
"She should still be taken to Val Royeaux immediately, to be tried by whomever becomes Divine!" Chancellor Roderick gesticulated wildly.
Cassandra, however, remained calm. "I do not believe she is guilty."
Vanessa bristled at the Chancellor's outburst, however. "I'm still a suspect?" she asked incredulously. "After what we did? After everything that happened?"
Chancellor Roderick glared at her. "You failed," he spat out. "The Breach is still in the sky. For all we know, you intended it this way."
Vanessa curled her hands into tight fists. "I almost died closing that thing!"
"And yet you live," the Chancellor sneered. "A convenient result, insofar as you are concerned."
"Have a care, Chancellor," Cassandra cut in before Vanessa could utter another angry word. "The Breach is not the only threat we face." She leveled a sharp gaze at the Chancellor, who remained unfazed in haughty disdain.
Leliana stepped forward, her eyes glinting beneath the hood she wore on her head. "Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect." Her voice, though bearing the fancy lilt of an Orlesian, was nevertheless menacing enough to turn the Chancellor's gaze on her next. "Perhaps they died with the others... or they have allies that yet live."
Chancellor Roderick's eyes widened in disbelief. "I am a suspect?"
Leliana did not bat an eyelash. "You... and many others."
Chancellor Roderick threw a nasty glance at Vanessa. "But not the prisoner."
"If you were also there in the Temple, you would know why," Cassandra said derisively. "We heard the voices that issued from that rift. The Divine called to her for help."
"So her survival, that thing on her hand – that was all a coincidence?" Chancellor Roderick remained stubborn.
"Providence," Cassandra said, the one word conveying her hope. Her eyes fell on Vanessa, and in her eyes, Vanessa caught a glimpse of emotion the usually hardened Seeker rarely expressed. "The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour. We lost everything. Then out of nowhere, she came." She turned to Chancellor Roderick, features turning business-like once more. "She stays with us."
Leliana stood straighter beside Cassandra. "The Breach remains, and her mark is still our only hope of closing it."
"This is … that is not for you to decide," the Chancellor sputtered, daunted by the united front that the Hands of the Divine posed.
With an irritated huff, Cassandra turned to the shelves behind them and brought out a heavy book. She threw it onto the table, where it made a loud thud. "Do you know what that is, Chancellor?" she said firmly, pointing at the book. Chancellor Roderick followed her finger, and was visibly startled at the Divine's seal on it. He looked up again with panicked eyes at Cassandra, who nodded in confirmation. "A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act. This was one of the last acts of Divine Justinia, her last injunction for us."
A silence fell on the room as the thought of the Divine crossed all of their minds. Vanessa personally thought she was simply a figurehead for a degrading Chantry, and thus had never met the Divine, never had any personal contact with her, unlike Cassandra and Leliana, and apparently Chancellor Roderick as well, but from how they pensively looked at the Divine's last words, she was struck by how much the Divine meant to them. She must be an impressive woman to have gained the respect and affection of these two formidable people, Vanessa thought, looking at the Seeker and the Nightingale.
"We intend to follow those injunctions," Cassandra stated, a determined glint in her eyes. "As of today, I declare the Inquisition reborn. We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order, with or without your approval."
With each word, she moved towards the Chancellor, and when she got near him, she poked his chest to emphasize the last words. He flailed at her strength, and at the end of her speech, he grunted irritably and left them, slamming the door behind him.
Vanessa watched him go. "That won't be the last we see of him," she muttered.
Cassandra gave a shadow of a smile. "No, it won't." She motioned Vanessa to come closer, which she did.
Leliana glanced at the book on the table. "This is the Divine's directive: rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos." She sighed. "We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."
Cassandra nodded. "But we have no choice. We must act now. With you at our side." She raised a hand in friendship towards her.
Vanessa raised an inquiring eyebrow at Cassandra, but nevertheless took her hand. "I'll do all I can, Seeker." They shook hands warmly, both grinning at each other.
Leliana looked on with a satisfied smile. "We have work to do."
"The Commander and Lady Montilyet are outside, Seeker," the soldier announced from beyond the closed door of the Chantry.
"Send them in," Cassandra replied, and the door opened. She went around the table to greet the newcomers, while Vanessa turned to face them.
"May I present Commander Cullen Rutherford, leader of the Inquisition forces," Cassandra pointed to the armored man, who gave a small bow in acknowledgement. "You've met him—"
"—in the Temple grounds," finished Vanessa, repressing her eyeroll at Cassandra. As if anybody would not remember him! His blonde hair, his brown eyes, his upright posture... From what she read about King Alistair, this man here would have been comparable to him. She returned his bow.
"Such as there are. We lost a lot of good soldiers in the valley," Cullen said sadly, "I fear we could lose a lot more."
"You did the best you could, Commander," Vanessa said consolingly.
Cullen smiled. "This must be too much to take in, Herald. How do you feel about the title?"
Vanessa sighed. "Could have been worse," she replied.
Cullen chuckled. "That it can."
Cassandra turned Vanessa's attention to the dark-skinned woman beside Cullen, who a brightly colored silk dress (Complete understatement, thought Vanessa, as she eyed the full sleeves and skirt she wore, inwardly sighing at her own simple and borrowed clothing). "This is Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and chief diplomat."
"Trevelyan, is it?" Lady Josephine eagerly asked. "I remember Lady Lucille's soirees well. I wonder that we haven't met."
"I was sent to the Circle when I was just a child," Vanessa answered, smiling at the strange accent Lady Josephine had. "I simply missed Great Aunt's invitations."
Josephine nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, nevertheless," she said.
"And this is Leliana," Cassandra pointed to the spymaster, who mostly kept to the shadows, hood hiding most of her brilliantly red hair.
Leliana stepped forward. "My position requires a certain degree of—"
"She is our spymaster," Cassandra bluntly said, which almost made Vanessa laugh out loud. As it was, she hid a choking laugh behind a cough, and looking at Cullen and Josephine's faces, they shared her mirth.
"Yes, tactfully put, Cassandra," Leliana said irritably, shaking her head.
"I heard Roderick ranting outside as we came in," Cullen said. "It hasn't gone well with him then?"
Cassandra shook her head. "As was expected."
"But that definitely is an indication of what we will expect when we declare the rebirth of the Inquisition, that institution which established the Templar Order and the Seekers of Truth," Josephine said, audibly sighing at her apprehension of the apparent scandal this knowledge would cause.
"We have to do this," Cassandra firmly said. "It was the Divine's last wish, and we shall see it through."
"No doubt," Leliana affirmed. "We were tasked to put chaos into order, and we shall do that, in the memory of Justinia." All of them fell silent again, feeling the presence of the Divine among them.
Vanessa, feeling out of place at the circle of people who had personally attended to the Divine, fidgeted uncomfortably. Cassandra noticed, and took her hands in hers.
"You are the key in this, Herald," Cassandra said. "We will need your help, your support to accomplish this task."
Vanessa looked at all the expectant faces turned towards her. "I.." she cleared her throat once to unblock the emotion that started to fill it. "I gave my word that I will do my best, and I will." She smiled. "Besides, I'm the only one who has this, right?" She raised her marked hand and waved it playfully.
Cullen barked a laugh, Josephine hid her chuckles behind a dainty hand, and a corner of Leliana's mouth turned up, her eyes brightening. Cassandra smiled at her. "Of course," she said. She motioned all of them to take up seats around the table, which Vanessa now noticed was littered with papers. Cassandra took a seat at her right, while Josephine and Leliana took seats infront of her. Cullen smiled as he took the seat at her left. Vanessa pretended to look down at the papers in front of her to at least attempt to cover the blush that she felt was slowly creeping up her face. Wrong move, Vanessa! she admonished herself.
"What is our plan, anyway?" Vanessa asked as soon as she scolded herself into calming down and meeting the eyes of those who were in the room with her.
"While you were recovering, Solas had talked to us about the possibility of closing the Breach once and for all," Cassandra began, businesslike as always. "Even if you are a mage, the magic you carry is not enough for something as large scale as that. Given that you almost died in the attempt, we dare not risk it a second time."
Vanessa sighed. "So what is it good for then?" she asked miserably. "If it didn't close the Breach, what am I going to use it for?"
"The smaller ones," Leliana answered. "Reports are coming in of smaller, but no less dangerous, rifts that have opened in various places, such as the Hinterlands, the Western Approach, and the Exalted Plains. We intend to extend our help to these regions, which will aid us in getting recognition from the right places."
"Which is what we're going to need if we want to ask help from either the templars or the mages," Josephine said.
"The templars and the mages?" Vanessa asked.
Leliana nodded. "They are the only ones who could provide the amount of magical energy we are going to need for the Breach. We need the same amount of power that opened it in the first place." She turned to Cullen. "Which is why I still think we have to go after the mages."
"And I still disagree," Cullen countered, brow furrowing. "The templars can serve just as well."
"We need a lot of magic to pour into that Mark—" Leliana began, but Cullen moved forward in his seat.
"That amount of magic might destroy us all!" Cullen said. "Templars can suppress the magic in the Breach, weaken it—"
"Pure speculation," Leliana said dismissively. Cullen shot her an annoyed look.
"I was a templar," Cullen said darkly. "I know what they are capable of."
Impulsively, Vanessa gave a startled look at him. Cullen caught her look. Before he could say anything however, Josephine chimed in. "Unfortunately, neither party will speak to us yet. Looking at how Chancellor Roderick reacted to your declaration, Cassandra, it is very likely that the Chantry will denounce the Inquisition before it can even begin. The focal point might be even you, specifically," pointing at Vanessa.
"Because they will think I killed the Divine," Vanessa said tonelessly. "That won't take them long."
"The rumors that you are delivered by Andraste from the Fade is interesting, however," Leliana added.
"So we're not going to stop that view from spreading?" Cassandra asked.
Josephine shrugged. "It might be an advantage for us, especially any Andrastian allies that we might have."
"We have to keep people talking about you if we want allies," Leliana agreed.
"Basing from what the people of Haven is saying about you, even if we don't get the noble allies our Lady Ambassador is hoping for, you will have the common people behind you," Cullen said.
"The Herald of Andraste, a symbol of hope for many, common folk and noble ones alike," Cassandra, surprisingly, beamed at Vanessa.
Vanessa looked again at the expectant faces of the people with her. "I'm... I'm not the Herald of anything!" Vanessa burst out. "I'm just... just someone..."
"Whatever you've been in the past, that wouldn't matter anymore," Leliana said. "Once you take on the mantle of Herald of Andraste, everything else fades."
"And you won't be alone," Cassandra said. "We will be here, supporting you, no matter what happens."
A/N: A big thanks to those who read, reviewed, followed or favorited this work of mine!
Read and review, please!