a/n- Well, I think I have enough stored away that I might not have to take a break. There is a lot that I've added here, simply because the game takes a lot of condensing what would have happened over several days into a few hours, which I found great for gameplay value, but not so wonderful for storytelling. SO here we are. Also, I have 252 views now and still no reviews. I hate to be that author, but I would really love one, just one, to make my heart feel a little bit happier. On that note, please enjoy this next installment.
Who Expects An Inquisition
Her eyes opened and she was surprised to find herself in a brightly lit room. A bowed wooden ceiling caught and reflected the soft light of a fire that crackled quietly at her side. Enya blinked a few times and flexed her hand. The pain was still there. Did that mean she was alive? She glanced around, taking noticed of the windows to the outside where a rich green pine tree stood and to the furs that hung on the wall. A bookcase was there as well and a writing desk in the corner. She lay on well-made bed cushioned by a mattress that she suspected was made of feathers and not straw like those to which she was accustomed.
In the corner, there say a caged raven. It let off a gentle churling sound every once in a while and the birds outside were singing. All of this, she concluded, meant that she was alive. The bird cocked his head and let out a loud caw under her inquisitive gaze. An elf with short, puffy hair walked into the room carrying a box. Enya turned to look at her, blinking her green eyes. The elf let out a cry and dropped the crate before her.
"I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't know you were awake," she seemed to struggle to find her words, as though frightened.
"It's alright," Enya responded slowly as she pulled herself up from the bed, "You haven't disturbed."
"If I could have your forgiveness it would lighten my heart," the elf replied, "I am not worthy or your presence."
The servant dropped to the ground in a deep bow and Enya's confusion at this response forced her to question her assessment that she was, indeed, still living.
"I only just…" she trailed off, unsure what to say in response to the other elf's words.
"My lady, you saved us. You stopped the Breach from growing any larger," The elf commented, still not looking up from the ground, "Your tale has made it all over Haven in the three days you have slept."
Enya jolted to attention, "Three days?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. I know no more information to tell you," the servant slowly rose from the ground, "When they brought you here Lady Cassandra informed us that we were to find her at once if you were to awaken or…" She closed her mouth quickly, turning for the door.
"Where…" Enya began but she was cut off as the other elf said.
"I must tell her the news," She pulled the door open and ran out it.
Enya sighed. So she hadn't been the only one to think those moments her last. She wondered how close she had come to slipping into the Beyond. Her hand pulsed, glowing brightly and spreading a dull ache through her arm again. If she'd sealed the Breach, why was it still glowing as it did?
She rose from the bed and crossed to the writing desk on which sat a note scribbled in practiced script. It described her condition when they had brought into what she presumed was her healer's care. He didn't seem concerned about her condition, beyond the magic of her mark. Sighing, she laid the paper on the desk, wonder vaguely why Solas had not healed her as he had done before during the battle as clearly he had looked in. Then again, perhaps he was unable to because of the cause of her sleep.
Enya turned and rooted through the box the elf had dropped. There were a few sprigs of elfroot in it. Perhaps they had been supplying her with to stave off a fever. She picked them up and laid them on the desk as she searched for her rudimentary armor and put it on. She slipped the elfroot into the pocket with the restorative potions Cassandra had given her and took on last breath before moving toward the door.
It swung open with a gentle push, and the elf stepped outside. On the threshold, Enya stopped as she spotted the lines of soldiers standing before her, right fist clenched over their hearts. She drew a quick breath, overwhelmed by this silent pledge. Snow fell gently over the scene as she took several, slow hesitant steps forward. She could not decide what to make of this display other than to be awed by it.
As Enya moved forward, she could only assume that their organized line directed her on her path to whomever she was meant to meet and so she followed it, heading from the small cabin in which she had woken, through the white and brown paths up toward the stone Chantry.
"That's her, that's the Herald of Andraste," Enya heard someone whisper to their companion as she past.
She nearly stopped dead in her tracks at the title. They thought that she was somehow chosenn. Her mind spiraled inward on itself. An elf the chosen of one of their Gods. She pushed it aside, glancing skyward as she heard someone comment on the Breach and her task. There is was, in the sky, still glowing and rotating, a vortex into a bent world, hovering over the mountains. A rush of disappointment hit Enya as she saw it, but she pushed it away. She might not have closed it completely, but she had made a greater difference than anyone else had.
The doors of the Chantry were heavy and huge, easily her height again. She pushed them open and entered. It was mostly silent inside, but for the echoing of and argument from the door at the end. Enya heard Cassandra's voice and was stunned to hear the woman advocate for a stay of trial on her behalf. She entered the antechamber.
"Guards, put her in chains," Chancellor Roderick stepped forward as the door swung open.
Cassandra let out a derisive sound of irritation and responded, "Ignore that. Guards, leave us."
Both of the tall men at the door stood at attention and bowed their heads as they excited. Enya watched this interplay before turning back to the three people gathered around the table.
"Your choices are dangerous, Seeker," Roderick spat at her his tone rife with anger and embarrassment.
"As are yours, Chancellor. Even with the Breach stable, we would be fools to consider the threat ended," Cassandra fixed him with a pointed gaze, "I refuse to send our best chance at survival away for a pointless trial."
"Pointless?" Roderick responded pacing away from the table, "Are we to stop sending people to Val Royeux simply because they bear strange and convenient markings."
Enya drew into herself a bit, straightening as his thinly veiled accusation landed. She turned to him, speaking up for herself, "I nearly died to seal the Breach."
"Yet here you are, standing before me. As I have said, convenient." Roderick replied, "And last I checked the Breach has remained."
"But it has stopped spreading," Cassandra interjected stepping closer to him, "Chancellor, your paranoia where this issue is concerned does you a disservice."
Roderick's face had grown red as blood rushed to it in anger.
Leliana stepped forward, "And the Breach is not all we should be concerned about." She approached as well, "There is the matter of whomever caused the explosion at the Chantry as well. Whomever is responsible has access to great power. We cannot be certain they will not strike again." She leaned toward him as she said these word.
The implication hung in the air for a few moments before the ruddy color that had leaked into Rodericks cheeks darkened even further. Enya took a step back, knowing he would not linger in the room for much longer under such scrutiny from these women.
"You accuse me?" he responded slowly, "But you believe she is innocent?! The elf who walked out of the Fade at the center of an explosion that destroyed the Temple of Sacred Ashes?"
"I saw the memory of what happened there, Chancellor." Cassandra stepped even closer, "The Divine called for her help."
He snorted, "And you think this a coincidence?"
"Providence," the Woman responded with finality, "In our most desperate hour, the Maker gave us her."
Enya looked to Cassandra and then to Leliana. Both seemed to hold strong conviction in this belief that she was somehow chosen. Roderick alone, seemed unconvinced. Him and herself, that was.
"I'm no chosen one, Cassandra," It was the first time se dared use Cassandra's name.
Cassandra fixed her with a stern gaze, "And why are you so certain you cannot be?"
Enya stared at her with open surprise, "I am and elf, a Dalish elf. My only salvation is that I do not also have the burden of being a mage."
"The Maker cares not for your faith. Who he chooses is his decision alone," Cassandra replied, "It matters not that you do not believe in him."
"And you really think that I…" she trailed off.
From where she stood she watch Cassandra move away toward a table near the back of the room. The woman stood over it for a moment, her hands outstretched over something. She picked the object up, turning back to them.
"The Breach is still a present threat," Leliana responded softly stepping toward her, "and your mark is the only thing that has had any affect," she paused, "Yes, I do."
Enya drew in a deep breath absorbing this woman's faith in her. She had learned from a young age that she was not to trust humans, the Shemlan as they were called, were evil, dangers and would take advantage of her lowered social status. Here she stood now and they were raising her higher than themselves.
"You haven't the power to make these decisions, Seeker," Roderick declared fixing his eyes on the woman who stood next to him.
Cassandra slammed a book down on the table with both hands, eyes blazing. Enya stared at the metal sun on the cover, the symbol of the Maker and of the Chantry. It seemed and old book.
"This gives us the power," She stated, finger pressed into the books cover, "A writ from the Most Holy, calling for the reformation of the Inquisition of old. We have the authority to act outside of the structure of the Chantry."
The warrior stepped up to him. Enya noted that she was taller and the effect of Cassandra's closeness meant that Roderick had to look to meet her gaze. It was a clever tactic.
"We do not need your approval. The Breach will be closed, this chaos between the mages and the Templars will be brought to an end. You cannot stand in our way," She poked him in the chest.
Roderick seemed to know that he had lost and respect he might have once had from the room's occupants. His eyes darted from person to person and then he left with a haughty puff of breath. Enya stared at the door until it closed before looking down at her feet and then back up at Cassandra and Leliana. The former still stood by the wall eyes boring into the stone before spinning back to the table. Leliana stepped forward and ran a hand over the book before her, caressing its spine before lifting it.
"It was the wish of the Most Holy that the Inquisiton be reborn," Leliana gripped the book between her hands tightly, "Our numbers are small and we have lost the support of the Chantry but our cause is strong. We must stand against the chaos," she laid the book gently back on the table and looked up, directly at Enya, "If we do not, no one will."
Cassandra too squared her position to focus on her former prisoner, "Will you stand with us?"
Enya looked from one to the other pondering how quickly the tides of her fate had changed. One moment, she was certain she would not live, the next the very people who would have so recently signed her death warrant were asking for her help.
"If you truly intend to restore order," Enya said and she was pleased to hear the strength and confidence she felt in the steadiness of her words.
The corner of Cassandra's mouth quirked upward triumphantly. She proffered a hand.
"It is what we intend." She affirmed.
"Then I will do what I can to ensure the strength of your order," Enya grasped hands with the other woman and shook.
Cassandra gave her a solid nod of acknowledgement, releasing her hand. She backed away, a smile on her face for the first time since the explosion of the Conclave. The elf let out a long breath as the realization of true freedom sunk in as well as a new sense of purpose. No longer was she simply visiting a place to spy for her clan or to scout prey in the woods for the more experience hunters to fell.
"With the Herald of Andraste on our side, we should gain considerable support." Leliana commented with a smile, "I must send my people so rumors to spread." She walked around the table, "I'll take my leave."
She was out the door just as Enya started to wonder what she meant by rumors. The elf shifted in the momentary silence. After such an important conversation anything else that might be said seemed trivial by comparison. Cassandra moved to the table where she had recovered the book. The warrior drew a quill from an inkwell and scratched something onto a piece of paper. Then she turned and handed it to Enya.
"With such a momentous decision, there is bound to be retaliation," She voiced.
Enya watched as she paced to a corner where there stood rolls of some sort of parchment or hide.
"People will attack?" Enya asked, her eyebrows knitting together slightly.
"Not in a true sense, no," Cassandra commented as she unrolled one of the parchments to reveal a map, "But people will feel insulted by our decision. Those too self-righteous to realize the error of their ways will act similarly to our esteemed Chancellor," her tone was acidic, "It will be difficult to prove to all of Thedas that we are not simply another Rebellion."
Enya flinched as she stabbed a small knife into the corner of the map and the table.
"Leliana's ravens will help, but we must also be strong." She looked up after stabbing another corner of the map, "That includes you."
"Me?" Enya replied, slightly indignant at the implication.
"That letter there is for Commander Cullen to tell him to bring his men from the valley to Haven. They are too vulnerable in the open as they are. He will understand this." She stabbed another corner, "You should rest. Regain your strength. We have a long and difficult path to walk and you even more so. Best you gather your strength now than regret the loss of it later. Post that letter on your way."
Enya nodded her head, taking that as her cue to leave. As she closed the door she her the sharp thwack of the fourth knife as it plunged into the final corner of the map. The door clinked shut behind her and she was again alone.
There were few people in the chantry, unlike the last time she had been there, but the town was as busy as it had been the last time she had walked this path. This time, instead of hatred, people's expressions were filled with awe. Occasionally they would dip their heads in greeting somewhere between a nod of respect and a bow of reverence. Enya felt guilt creep into her. They thought she was there by divine intervention, that she was chosen to aid them. She could not see it. Even passing one person as they bless her under the Maker's name seemed and unforgivable lie but she stayed silent, moving instead ahead to the tent in which she had spotted Leliana.
"Herald," Leliana greeted upon her approach, "I would have thought you had retired by now."
"I've slept for the last three days," Enya replied, "I think I have laid around enough."
Leliana laughed, "You say that, but you might be surprised how thankful you are for sleep in a proper bed when you no longer have access to one."
Enya shook her head, "I've slept on a straw mattress or the forest floor for most of my life. Sleep is sleep no matter where I get it," she looked down at the letter in her hand as she watch the red-haired woman tie a small missive to the leg of a raven, "Lady Cassandra asked me to post this, a missive for Commander Cullen."
"Oh, never you worry. I have many letters to post myself. It would just be another letter I must tie to a raven's leg. I will post this for you."
"Thank you," Enya held out the paper to her and the added, "I'd best be going."
She made it a few paces before the woman called after her, "You do not know the torment you have been through. You may have slept for three days, but you were healing from great mental and physical strain. Trust me when I say that you should rest. Your body will need it."
Enya did not respond but the words echoed through her mind, sticking with her as she wandered around the upper level of Haven such that, as she completed her last circuit she found that she truly did feel quite weary. She felt a chill creep through her as the wind blew, throwing a dusting of snow into the air over the railing of the stairs that she descended. It swirled around her, catching in her jet black hair, flecks of white. She shivered and stared around again before moving off to the small house where she had woken. She could only assume that the intention was for her to stay there. No other plan was mentioned.
Before she climbed down the last set of stairs, she spotted Varric by a campfire and paused in her step. The dwarf seemed no to have noticed her. If she truly wanted, she could get away without incident and hurt no one. Then again, she didn't even know if the dwarf that she'd spent barely more than an hour with would really have been hurt by her decision not to stop and speak with him. Enya smiled as he ladelled soup into a bowl, spilling some on his boot and then made some, undoubtedly crass comment to the two soldier sitting on the log opposite him. She shook her head as another wave of exhaustion washed over her and turned away, heading instead for the calming warmth of a fire and the softness of the feather bed. It was true what she had said to Leliana, sleep was sleep, but sometimes a comfortable surface was a welcome convenience.