The Building Blocks of Rebellion

As each day went by, Enya watched as the camp around Haven grew, populated by people come to help the Inquisition. Commander Cullen arrived the night of and his soldiers arrived from the valley the night Cassandra's missive had reached him. His soldiers were more than happy to leave the desolate valley the led to the Temple behind them. By the time Enya had woken the next morning, the ringing of swords filled the air. At first she had thought they were under attack but the lack of screams and breaking buildings brought her to her senses. She dressed and went outside to find the source of the sounds. Like the birds that called this mountainside village their home, she climbed atop the stone wall that surrounded it and watch the Inquisition's forces practice their fighting techniques in complex yet repetitive sparing. A man with a heavily furred collar and blonde hair wandered among them, occasionally stopping pairs and correcting their style.

The elf watched in fascination as this man worked with his troops. She pulled up a knee and rested and elbow on it. Her hair was loose, for she had not taken the time to tie or braid it before exiting her home. She brushed it from her face, time and again as the wind buffeted her on her perch. Enya watch for a long while, wondering if she might have the chance to spar with them or, because they knew her as the Herald of Andraste, they might be too afraid to wound her. Her hand burned again, releasing a pain the shot up her arm. She closed it tinto a first to keep most of the magic from seeping out conspicuously. After a few more minutes, she climbed down from the wall and returned to her quarters, exhausted from even that time in the cold.

The raven's Leliana had sent brought news by the second of support or request of the Inquisition. On the morning of that day, a woman, shorter in height, though still taller than Enya, arrived on horseback. Her skin was a soft bronze and her hair dark. She was dressed like a noble and rode on a white horse. As the elf watched from her spot above the gates, she saw the figure of Leliana run out of the city and move forward to take hold of the reins of this woman's horse. They appeared to have a brief argument before the woman in blue and gold dismounted. The two women embraced and then the well-dressed woman allowed Leliana to lead her horse as they walked close to each other, talking animatedly.

A messenger arrived at her door after she'd eaten her morning meal on the third day. The knock rang out and she rose from the table where she had been reading. Enya had fully intended to resume her perch on the wall but other opportunities presented themselves. She answered the door, curiosity dancing in her emerald eyes.

"My Herald," the woman at the door curtsied deeply as she opened it, "Lady Cassandra and Lady Nightingale have sent me to ask you join them in the Chantry's council room."

Enya nodded, "Thank you for letting me know."

"The Maker's blessings upon you, Herald of Andraste," the woman responded, curtsying again before she left.

The elf shut the door behind herself slowly, pressing it shut with her weight. She had questioned over the last few days what her role would be in the Inquisition. It was certain that she wouldn't be just another of the soldiers, nor was she of any status to be a scholar truly. She had certainly read much, but her expertise and skills were focused on tracking, hunting, nothing more than what she had needed to survive as a Dalish elf. Perhaps now she would find out.

Enya moved to the next room, donning her mercenary garb and slipping on her boots. She toyed with the idea of leaving her sword but thought better of it. If they needed to leave immediately from the council room, she would not want to delay their departure by leaving it behind. She strapped its harness to her back, relishing the weight of it and left her small home.

In the days that had passed, she grew used to the reverent gestures of Inquisition soldiers and Haven's inhabitants though it still spoke to her as a lie that she remained silent. Enya walked her eyes fixed determinedly ahead of herself with the exception of a small nod to Varric as she passed him outside his tent. He returned the gesture. As she approached the door to the Chantry building she noticed that on its front, someone had hung the eye and the sun, symbol of the Inquisition as a notice of the Chantry's moderate change in use.

Cassandra stood at the door, waiting for her, "Thank you for coming, Herald." She greeted.

Enya nodded, flexing her hand. The pain had never quite gone away after she had attempted to seal the rift. Though it no longer flared an spread, she still could feel it all the time, more the embers of a fire than the flames. She glanced down to it.

"Does it still trouble you?" The human warrior asked.

Realizing Cassandra must have noticed her fussing, Enya shook her head, "I can manage," she replied, "I just wish I knew from where it came."

"Your actions at the Breach have given us time to find out," The warrior replied, "And, given enough power, Solas has told me that he believes you may yet be able to close the Breach. Power enough to equal that of the person who created it."

"Would we risk making the Breach worse with that much power?" Enya responded.

"Solas seems to feel that it is the only way we could even make the attempt. If it makes it worse, so be it. At least we will have tried to save this world" Cassandra intoned, "But that is for another time. Come, I haven't called you here to talk of "ifs." There are some people you must meet."

Cassandra proceeded down the hall and, after a moment, Enya followed, staring again at her hand. Could she handle more power than she already possessed? The council room door opened to reveal Leliana, the nobly dressed woman who had arrived the day before, and then blonde haired military commander they called Cullen. Enya glanced around at them all as she entered behind Cassandra, standing tall. She approached the table, door to her back and stared at the map laid out before her. There were little pins in places all over its surface and dots demarking cities and towns, lines between ranges of note. It covered parts of the Free Marches, Orlais and Ferelden.

"I present to you, Commander Cullen. He is the leader of the Iquisition's forces."

Cullen bowed his head to her in greeting, "Those that are left. We lost many in the assault on the Breach, and of those that lived, there were some that left ranks when they discovered they would be fighting for a rebellion."

"Not nearly as many as you think Commander," Leliana interjected, "Your men have great faith and loyalty toward you."

He turned to her, "Thank you, Lady Nightingale." Leliana nodded in acknowledgement.

"And this is our ambassador, Josphine Montilyet from Antiva,"

The woman dressed in silks turned to her, "Andaran Atish'an, Mistress Lavellan."

Enya's eyebrows climbed toward her hairline as she widened her eyes, "You speak the People's tongue?"

"Only if you wish me to greet you or thank you, Milady," Josephine replied.

Enya smiled at her honesty.

"You've already met Sister Leliana. She is our Spymaster." Cassandra informed.

"You are always so delicate with your words, Lady Cassandra." Leliana quipped dryly.

Enya looked to the, "It is a pleasure to meet you all."

Josephine gave a small smile and Cullen a nod, just as before. Leliana merely shifted her attention to Cassandra.

"We spoke briefly of the power that Solas believes your mark requires to properly close the Breach, which means that we are stuck with the difficult task of approaching the rebel mages for their aid." Cassandra explained.

With a terse gesture, Cullen disagree, "Respectfully, Lady Cassandra, the Templars are a better chance for aid."

"We need power, Commander, more than any Templar could acquire from Lyrium." The seeker argued.

"The Templars would only need to power to suppress the Breach's magic." Cullen's hand grasped hi sword firmly, "I was once a Templar. I've seen the effect too much power can have on a mage. Pouring the amount of power you and that elven apostate suggest into that mark is dangerous. It is a risk we should not be willing to take. I am surprised that, as a Seeker, you are comfortable with this plan."

Leliana stepped in, "What you suggest has no support, Commander. We have seen the mark work to close the Breach, at least partially. There is nothing to say that increasing the power beyond that of one individual is not the key."

"That much power could make it worse." He replied.

"As could tampering with it in ways that we have not seen have any affect." The spymaster swept a strand of red hair from her face, "Any way we look at this Commander, we are playing with fire. I'd rather try to quell it with water than with oil."

"Achieving a rapport with either order will be difficult regardless," Josephine commented, "The Chantry is unwilling to regard the Inquisition as a legitimate order and has denounced those associated with it." She glanced at Enya out of the corner of her eye, "And you by name."

Enya tightened a hand into a fist, looking away, "They still blame me for the Conclave, for the Divine's death."

"If it were that simple, we would face little opposition," She stepped closer to the table, laying the board she held in her hand down on it. Some wax dripped from the red candle onto the map, "People across Thedas have begun to refer to you as the 'Herald of Andraste.' The knowledge of the woman the soldiers saw behind you before the rift sealed is commonly known now. The people have chosen to believe that it was Andraste herself that escorted you through the Fade and back to the living."

"I would be lying if I didn't say it would be easier were you human. The clerics have found it easier to cause people to question this tale because you are Dalish." Josephine lowered her eyes to a paper pinned to her writing board, "What is more, they are calling it heresy and anyone who falls in with the Inquisition has been labelled a heretic. People are less likely to throw their support with us when it could cause their own religious leaders to renounce their devotion to the Maker."

Enya's fist had grown more tightly closed but now she released it and looked around the table, "Are we in danger here? Does my presence make it more likely that you will be attacked?"

"The chantry have no fighting force. Only their words," Cullen answered lightly, his words tinged with and edge of derision toward the Chantry.

"Words have more power than you realize, Commander," Josephine cautioned.

Leliana commented with a wry smile, "If they did not, you would have little use for me. That is why we have done little to stop the tales of 'The Herald of Andraste' from spreading."

Enya's eyes darted to her, "It is unnerving to think that you might encourage a lie."

Leliana's eyebrows rose in surprise, "And how do you know it is a lie?" she strode around the table, passing behind Cassandra, "You bear a mark on your hand that has the power to seal rifts into the Fade. You survived the explosion that destroy the Temple of Sacred Ashes, you alone. You have stopped the Breach from spreading and you escorted from the Fade by the figure of a woman whose face you cannot remember." She stopped in front of Enya and looked down at her, "You cannot offer me proof that you are or are not chosen by Andraste herself to save us in this dark hour. The people believe this tale because they need something, someone to hope for."

Enya stared back for a moment and then nodded to the other woman. Leliana returned to her spot and then said, "We may not have any sway with the Mages or Templars but one of my Scouts has informed me that there is a Mother Giselle, a Chantry mother that wishes to speak with the Herald. She might be swayed to be sympathetic to our cause."

"Having some Chantry support would be invaluable. If we have an opportunity with her, then we should make use of it." Josephine advised, meeting eyes with Leliana across the table.

Cassandra uncrossed her arms and lean forward on the table examining the map, "Where can we find this Mother Giselle?"

"She's in the Hinterlands at a place they call the crossroads," she gestured to a section of the map, "Ordinarily, I would say that you should go as soon as possible, but the fighting between the mages and Templars is out of control there. The Templars have been ordered back but some of them have refused and the mages are too paranoid of the actions of others. When the Templars refused to the leave the Mages saw it as a threat." She paced a couple steps, "My scouts say that fighting hasn't stopped for days. I don't want to risk you, Herald or the people that will accompany you, therefore it is my recommendation that I have my head scouts investigate the area for possible threats and establish a camp from which you might have access to Inquisition forces should the need arise."

"Agreed. There are too few of us to risk even one of our lives foolishly." Cassandra turned to Enya, "Will you meet with Mother Giselle and hear what she wishes to say?"

Enya stared at the map. The Hinterlands were not far and clearly this was something very important or these members of the Inquisition would not have asked. She had the slight suspicion that in a way this was a test; they wanted to see what she was capable of beyond closing the rifts.

Looking up she declared, "I will hear her out."

The elf observed as the ghost of a smile crossed each of the Inquisition leaders' faces and knew her assumption of this task had been correct. They wanted to see what she would do for them.

"Good!" Leliana stepped away from the table, "I will send word to scout Harding."

She left and Enya quickly followed suit along with Josephine. Cullen and Cassandra remained. The elf looked back over her shoulder at them both, trying to gauge her opinion of Cullen. The two poured over the maps on the table, making grand gestures at the lands laid out before them. She shook her head and turned back to the great vestibule of the Chantry, following its great arched ceiling out into the cold and the snow.