Daughter of Tethras

Disclaimer: Don't own Dragon Age

A/N: I want to let it be known that I have seen the videos of Trespasser (Can't play it since I don't have a PS4, and my PC is crap). I have already had the ending of this story planned out long before this DLC, so what you can expect that to mean is for this story-erase Trespasser from your mind, because that doesn't work for the direction I am taking this story in. Understand that if you can.

Chapter 30 (Strong and Adamant)

"So let me get this straight…" Varric looked over his shoulder. His chest expanded slowly. "Your entire clan is dead? Dasher was assassinated and the rest came after you while you were with Harding and Sandal?"

"Yes." Bianca folded her arms and looked over her shoulder. Nearly all of her companions, and her advisors, were walking behind them as they approached Adamant fortress. The army that followed was overwhelming, and no amount of preparation for what was to come seemed enough to prepare her for the assault on Adamant.

Varric scratched his head and slanted his eyes. "Harding I believe, but I'm still in shock over how Sandal could have even stood against an army of Carta." Bianca flashed a smile and listened to her father's proud chuckle. "Still, I'm not surprised an army of Carta couldn't stand against my daughter." Her smile faded and she shrugged.

"Well, it wasn't exactly like that." This wasn't the best time to discuss what happened to her while in the mountains. She wanted to tell him everything, including Lantos's involvement. It was strange, but she felt she needed to let it be known that the man was there.

Bianca looked at the fortress in the distance, and soon forgot her concerns. "While some things still confuse me, this really isn't the time or place to figure it all out." She ran her hand over her neck and let loose a weary sigh.

"We can discuss it another time, Bianca." Varric's smile was warm, and as soon as it appeared, her tense muscles began to relax. "I'm glad you're handling everything well."

"I'm taking everything the best I can. I'm not thrilled we're about to fight a bunch of wardens though…" These people were heroes, more to her than just the people that stopped the blight. "Grey Wardens saved my life-and well, everyone else too but, how can I fight them?"

Varric bowed his head a bit and raised his hand up to his chin. "Look at it this way…" His thumb slid gently over the curve of his chin. "They're under Corypheus's control. A tevinter magister is binding them and using their fears of the calling against them. You're here to stop them from making a terrible mistake, and by doing that, you're rescuing them."

Bianca looked over her shoulder, frowning at the other companions walking with them. Solas was the one that disliked the wardens the most, though she couldn't understand why.

Cassandra was upset with the Wardens as well, but she didn't voice her opinion of them nearly as much as Solas. Both of them seemed like they wouldn't mind putting the wardens six feet under for their crimes if they had the chance.

"I feel like if we manage to stop them, that it's not going to end there."

"Sure. People might turn to you to decide what to do with the Wardens next." Varric dropped his hand and turned his glance sideways at the others. "Some may want you to kick them out of Orlais, others may want you to give them another chance. At the end of the day, yes you have to do what you feel is best for Thedas and what you feel is right, but listen to your heart as well. If it comes down to you making a choice, nobody will truly fault you for listening to your heart."

"I hope you're right." Her hands balled up and her eyes narrowed onto the approaching fortress. "More drama isn't something I feel like dealing with. I just want this to all be over."

"I know you do."

Bianca relaxed her hands and looked up to the sky as she thought about Corypheus and the dragon he had with him. "You know. Bull wants to go dragon hunting." Varric coughed and beat a fist against his chest.

"Nope, not a chance. Absolutely not. I did not just get you back, almost lose you again to your mother, just to get you back again only to fight some giant dragon run another risk of losing you."

The fear was understandable in her eyes; she didn't want to lose him either, but the risk was already there no matter what they would do. "You know we run that risk every day with what we're doing now." She extended her hand to the fortress and Varric frowned. "Even right now, going up against an army of wardens and demons."

"I suppose." His shoulders fell and he shook his head slowly. "Corypheus has a dragon anyway, so Bull could be onto something there."

"Besides just thrill seeking?"

Varric laughed once and smirked as he looked back to the large Qunari. "Yeah. Maybe hunting dragons would be good practice. Still, it's dangerous. I've fought dragons in the past with Thane and the others, and they're nothing to take lightly. That high dragon we fought practically killed us on the spot, if it wasn't for Anders-"

"Anders? As in the crazy guy?" Her eyebrows shot up and Varric waved his hand in the air.

"It is the one time you'll hear me praise him. He was the healer among us, he'd take care of our wounds, so we dragged him along to kill the dragon. If it wasn't for him, we'd be in the belly of that damned thing like the rest of the people at the Bone Pit."

"Bone Pit?"

"A mine."

"Funny name for a mine…"

"That's what I thought."

"We're here," Cullen shouted from behind, "Everyone get in place." Bianca looked up at the battlements of the castle with a groan; the wardens had already spotted them.

She prayed not to see Oghren here, nor any of the other wardens that may have been with him during the fifth blight. It would be too much for her to deal with. "Dad?" Varric froze and turned his head, stammering just before flashing a smile. "What happens if we see Oghren here?"

"Shouldn't. He's with his family these days, according to Leliana." Her heart swelled up with relief. "Just like Leliana's lover shouldn't be here either. Wherever David is…"

"So the chances of running into any wardens we know personally?"

"Besides that guy?" Varric gestured his thumb at Blackwall and shrugged. "I'd say pretty slim." There was also Stroud, here to help try and save the wardens from the corruption. "You know if Oghren were here, he'd be on our side. King Alistair too."

"It is good to see wardens that aren't listening to that fake calling…"

"It does make me wonder if some are just simply stronger than others, or smarter." Varric removed his crossbow and furrowed his brow. "I'd say smarter. After all, for every warden to hear the calling at the same time, you have to think some of them are going to realize that can't be possible."

The initial fight was a race against time; a struggle to reach Warden Commander Clarel before it was too late. They managed to gain the support of the Warden warriors, but just as they started to turn the tide, Erimond summoned Corypheus's dragon.

It was then the Wardens realized they'd been tricked. Clarel chased after Erimond, and Bianca ran after her. Varric, Solas and Cassandra were quick on her heels, and just behind them ran Thane and Warden Stroud.

At the last minute, Erimond escaped and Clarel gave her life to try and kill the dragon chasing after all of them. It crashed into the castle floor and brought everyone down with it.

She lost consciousness momentarily during the fall, but when she came to she came to, the group had fallen into a strange land with greenish skies and murky water. The last thing she remembered was opening a rift before hitting the ground, but she didn't recall passing through.

Her father started to mutter and she looked at him with curiosity. "Oh hell." Varric's lips pulled apart to reveal clenched teeth, and his muscles were rigid. Solas began laughing and chattering about the location they were in-the fade. "Of course." Varric rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You enjoy it here…"

"It's the fade," Solas replied, "We're walking physically in the fade. What's not to marvel about this experience?"

"We better find a way out of here…" Varric unfolded his arms and mumbled under his breath. "I swear when all this is over, I'm taking my daughter and we're getting off this insane continent."

"We've been here before," Thane replied, "Just not like this." Bianca wanted to ask what he was referring to, but it didn't seem all that pivotal for the moment. "Bianca. They say you walked out of the fade back at Haven, was it like this?"

"I'm not entirely sure." She stepped forward, her eyes darted about swiftly as the hair on her neck started to stand. "There's not much I remember about what happened. I do remember Lantos was there, but that's it."

"Well." Cassandra scratched her head and narrowed her eyes. "That's reassuring." Her tone bore a hint of sarcasm, and a sneer spread across the woman's already stern face. "We already knew Lantos was there, but it's still curious just what his involvement was. Do you remember if he pushed you into that room or something?"

"He was yelling something at me, but that's all I actually do remember."

"Asshole," Varric said with a disgusted snort. "Come, let's just find a way out of here."

They didn't get far before discovering Divine Justinia waiting for them. Bianca approached her with suspicion, as she'd been told by Solas once before that the fade was a tricky and treacherous place. While this woman could be Justinia herself, there was still a chance she was a spirit or worse still-a demon.

While the woman provided no answers as to what she was, she did explain in great detail about the demon that ruled the domain they were in; a fear demon that fed on the fears of humanity which provided a demon army for Corypheus. The only way to escape the fade was to defeat the nightmare and regain the memories that had been taken from her at Haven.

As they did this, she grew more unsettled and on edge. Every fear that she had, every panicked thought that raced through her mind was clear as day here in this mysterious place, and she didn't like it.

More so she hated being vulnerable and exposed. There were bits of her life that she had yet to tell Varric or the others, bits that she wanted to keep inside at all costs.

Halfway through, she was sweating and trying her best to keep the others from noticing her discomfort. When the demon began to speak, her heart nearly burst and she almost took off running, but held her ground knowing that her father and the others were there for her. As they were standing strong, so would she.

"Ah you are ripe with fear." The demon's voice taunted her, and the air grew cold as she ran ahead of the group. She sought to end this as quickly as possible, and the only way to do that was to plunge her blade deep into the heart of this thing. "How long shall you run? How often will you cower, anticipating rescue from those that surround you."

Bianca's teeth ground together and she hissed through the slits between her teeth. "Shut up." Her hand tightened around the holster of her blade as she listened to the rich laughter that echoed through the air.

"A hero who doesn't know how to be one. You who are nothing, you who remains a small and insignificant little speck on a continent that the world will never know the existence of. Who will you be to Thedas? Who will you be to the world? Nothing, nobody."

"Shut up!"

"Abused by those who should have loved you, beaten and molested by those who you sought shelter in."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the others to see if they were listening, but their focused gazes were in front of her and they were unresponsive. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the demon was in her head now.

"Lantos couldn't keep you safe, but took his stress out on you. Your father couldn't save you from your own mother, much less save himself. Your friends cannot protect you. Now your heroes, the ones you call the Grey Wardens threaten the country, betraying all. What makes you think you can rescue them? What makes you think you can rescue anyone. You should have died at childbirth."

It was toying with her, trying to make her scream out and alarm the others. It knew she didn't want them knowing the deeper fears. If it continued to taunt her in the way that it was, those fears would not take long to fester and become known.

Ignoring the voice was difficult, but she pressed on without further response, so the demon turned its attention onto the others. They were less receptive, and quick to bite back.

It was not long before she recovered the memories of what happened to her at Haven. Lantos had tried to follow her inside, but the door wound up closing behind her. Grey Wardens under Corypheus's spell had been holding the Divine while Corypheus prepared to sacrifice her in an attempt to force open the fade.

Her entrance interrupted them, and the object he was holding was the very thing that gave her the mark. It was no act of god, it was just an accident, but none of that mattered to her anymore.

While she hated the anchor and wished it was gone, facts were she had it and there was nothing she could do about it.

"My Carta clan is gone," she whispered while making her approach to the cave where the nightmare demon awaited her. "They can't hurt me anymore-Lantos of all people made sure of that…" She breathed in deep, then released a stuttering breath. "This anchor is stuck on my hand, and nothing is going to change that. My father is at my side, and until I'm finished here, nothing you say matters."

She stood at the steps and stared at the humanoid creature with six arms stretching from its back. The demon roared out and turned its eyes into hers. "I know your desire to escape Thedas…" He extended his arm and Bianca narrowed her eyes. "But who can say whether you will live long enough to leave this land? Why would you even want to, aren't you afraid of what is out there?"

Cassandra let out a gasp of astonishment and inquired about this sudden wish, but Bianca raised up her hand and stayed focused on the demon in front of her. "What does it matter? Nothing outside these lands could possibly be as bad, as hellish, as demon-infested as Thedas itself."

"There is nothing more fearsome than the fear of the unknown."

"And there's nothing more fearsome than isolating yourself because you're too afraid of the things you don't understand." She raised her axe and pointed it towards the creature. "If I thought Thedas was bad enough before encountering you, after seeing you, I realize how naïve I must have been."

"Then leave."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because my father and I decided…before we take up his friend's offer, we're going to rid Thedas of Corypheus and his corruption." Her brow furrowed and her lips curved into a deadly smirk. "And we're starting first with rescuing the Wardens. They won't be destroyed, and the next blight that Thedas falls under will not destroy this continent."

"Wait," Solas began, "You're going to save the Wardens rather than send them away? I thought we agreed wardens were bad."

"Wardens saved my life, Solas. I can't ignore that. They stopped the blight and kept all of Thedas from sinking by the influence of Darkspawn. I cannot ignore that."

Varric laughed once and aimed his crossbow at the demon. "That's my girl. Let's end this." He fired a bolt that landed square in the demon's chest. The creature reared back its head and flinched as a painful cry echoed into the air.

"You will pay dearly for that."

"Bring it on, bastard."

The fight that followed was a fierce and intense battle, and one which Bianca had to maneuver herself quickly in order to avoid being slashed by his six claws. Eventually she managed to leap up behind it and swing her blade down the creature's spine, severing it in the center and killing the demon.

Before they could leave from the rift at Adamant, they were faced with a giant spider demon. It had pus oozing from pores that littered its rough brown skin, and long fangs that could tear them to shreds.

For all the fighting going on between Thane and Stroud, they managed to come to an agreement where Stroud acknowledged that the wardens were indeed responsible for this mess, and he gave his life bravely to let the others escape.

As Varric predicted, upon reaching the other side, Bianca was faced with a tough decision on whether or not to let the Grey Wardens ally with the Inquisition and rebuild, or to banish them from Orlais.

They were susceptible to corruption and had fallen to Corypheus twice now, once when her father and Thane defeated Corypheus and now. Deep in her heart, she thought back to the group that rescued her from the deep roads and ended the blights past, and she could not bring herself to make the Wardens leave.

Looking into her father's eyes, she saw a glimmer of pride that filled her heart. "Rebuild and ally with us," she said to the Wardens. If she and her father truly planned to leave with Isabella and Thane in the future, someone was going to have to make sure Thedas didn't fall to chaos the next time magic began a blight, and only the Wardens knew how to save the country.

Cassandra and Solas both shook their heads, but said very little in the way of voicing their disdain. Varric simply smiled, knowing she'd taken his advice and followed what she thought was the right decision.

"I won't be the reason Thedas loses the one thing protecting it from future Blights."

The title should imply more than just the name of the fortress. Really this should show the growth of Bianca as she is getting stronger both physically and mentally. You see the fear demon could not talk her down, and she made the decision she thought was best though many disagree. That said, what are your thoughts right now, and your observations? I'm sure by now, also, you've realized there's more to that theory that had been mentioned than just being mentioned, it is getting used.