Running On Empty: What's A Maul?
The second time I woke up, I knew I was crazy. I could pick up the faint sounds of a breeze and wood creaking, a door opening, and the crack of a fire somewhere to my left, warming my side. I swallowed and inhaled deeply to stave back the tears that threatened to overcome me. I wasn't home. I couldn't hear the sounds of my city, of ambulances crying as they barreled down the street or of people shouting as they ran after a late bus. No scream of sirens, no hollers from my neighbors, this wasn't even my bed. I wasn't home. I swallowed again and choked a bit on my exhale. Something fell and scattered across the floor, I bolted upright and blinked, spying a tiny creature by the entrance.
No, it was another elf, their ears pointed like Solas and their feet bare as they walked. I struggled to find my voice, but the little elf dropped to the floor and trembled. "I apologize!" They shrieked, their trembling stronger. "I didn't mean to wake you!"
"N-no, hey, wait, it's fine -" But the elf tucked their head down nearly in between their knees and shook hard enough to spasm on the floor. With a turn, I brought my legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand, but the elf squeaked and I stayed frozen, unwilling to scare the little thing even further.
"I beg your forgiveness and your blessing." The elf remained on the floor. "I am but a humble servant." I winced and fisted the blankets in my hands, my jaw clenched. The elf picked themselves up from the floor and their knees knocked together as their hands twisted tightly together. "You're back in Haven, my lady. They s-say you made the Breach stop growing, just like the mark on your hand."
Haven? Oh, right, the place where I had been kept prisoner, that's what they must mean. I looked around again, the cabin they had me in was much improved from the dank and damp cell they had kept me locked up within. There was a faint glow from my left hand and I raised it, seeing that my palm still was split across the middle, but the glow was faint and the pulse wasn't terrible. It beat in time with my heart, soft and slow from sleep. A sigh escaped me, I was relieved that the pain had subsided.
"It's all anyone has talked about for the last three days." The elf backed up toward the door as I startled, a sharp look thrown up. Three days? I looked at my hand again, wondering if it had been the cause of it. "Lady Cassandra ordered that you were not to be disturbed."
"And wh-where is she?" My voice cracked. Thirst scratched at my throat, but I couldn't see anything for water, no pitchers or water-skins. It would have to wait.
"In the Chantry." The elf informed and took a lengthy step toward the door. "She asked that she be informed of your awakening at once." Their hand was on the knob and they tripped at the door. "At once, she said!" Another, longer sigh came up and my hand pinched the bridge of my nose. I had just woken up and it was already a long day. Outside the cabin was a rush of commotion, people chattering loudly and a herd of them must have been outside my door.
Another sigh. I counted to five and then stood on shaky knees. They were waiting for me. God, the idea that these people would possibly treat me like the elf did made my stomach revolt under my lungs. The bile kept at bay with a hard swallow, I checked over myself. No visible wounds from what I could see, aside from the mark on my hand. I could feel a few bruises and aching bones, but nothing that I didn't expect from my sudden marathon three days before. It was a bit strange, that kind of trauma should have left some kind of mark. Best not to look a gifted horse in the mouth, then.
There was a rack in the far corner of the cabin and I walked to it. It held a set of heavy armor, shined and sturdy looking. They're not expecting me to wear this, right? My clothes, my riding clothes, were gone. I could see patches of them at the end of my bed, but when I walked over to them and unfolded them, I knew they were not to be. My jacket was shredded viciously, claw marks that tore through the leather, my pants had been patched up, but the mismatching leathers made it look uncomfortable. Nothing remained of my shirt or my underwear.
What the hell am I wearing? My hands came up to my chest instinctively. A flush crossed my face as I realized that my breasts had been bound with cloth and with a quick inspection of my lower body, I was wearing a makeshift type of... well, shift. My eyes closed tightly and I counted again. They mean well, I know that, but Christ would it hurt to keep some personal space? Hopefully it had only been whatever doctor they had that patched me up. Doesn't explain the armor, though. The metal looked pristine and the leather than was under it felt smooth and cool.
"I guess... I can try." Spoken only to myself; I removed the armor from the stand and left it on the desk nearby. There was no way I was going to get that all on by myself. I would need help with the straps and the clasps, so that would have to wait. The leather under-armor I could do. A smile touched my lips, I could see that whoever had made the leather did their best to replicate the leather I wore for riding my motorcycle. Tears came to my eyes when I could feel hard material, probably bone or thin metal, inlayed along the back and chest like my protective gear for crashes. My hand came up to my mouth and I froze, tears coming down my face.
Why? I wondered. Who would go to such lengths to make sure what I wore was comfortable? I slipped into the armor, pulling it across my body and over my legs and the tears were just as strong. It fit perfectly, better than anything I could have bought back home, and a shudder ran through my limbs, gratitude nearly overwhelming. I was bundled up tightly in the armor, it made my back straighten and my shoulders square off. I stretched my arms over my head and then bent down to touch my toes. I could move freely in this and it was amazing.
The outside world waiting for me and there was no more delaying it. With a grimace, I headed toward the door and took a cautious step out. Most times I felt good when I knew I was right, but this time, watching as the people lined up like I was some kind of parade, made my throat constrict and no amount of counting eased it. Now or never, as my brother would say, and so it was now. My feet carried me down the pathway past the guards that stood in a salute, their arms across their chests, and the people filed behind them. With all other ways blocked, I made my way up a set of steps and past more cottages and cabins. Tents lined the snow covered ground and fires were weakly burning in the daylight.
My eyes burned from the snow glare, but I couldn't look up. Their whispers echoed in my ears, herald, savior, hero and it took clenching my abdomen tight to keep the vomit from rocketing up my throat. I wasn't any of those things, didn't they know that? Weren't they told? Solas, Cassandra, and Varric had been the ones to brave the Breach; I had only been along for the ride, for the simple fact that I was a key carried by those more capable of these heroics. A swallow worked its way down my throat and I lifted my head as the 'Chantry' came into view. Priests and priestesses of the same robes as Chancellor Roderick lined the walkway. I could hear their muttering and it was worse than the civilians.
Heretic.
Yeah. That one was a bit harder to chew than the rest. My left hand tightened and I growled as I stomped my way forward and shoved past the giant, wood doors of their church. I wasn't a heretic, but I suppose that name was more often tossed around by the faithful than the actual usurper. I hoped Cassandra would figure this mess out, I wasn't ready for this, I couldn't deal with these people and their fantasies.
Inside of the cathedral was warm and dark, lit only by candles that were splattered along the way. I shuddered at the temperature change and walked forward. More doors led off to other places, but I could hear the Chancellor's voice come from down the hall from a room at the end of the church. That's where I wanted to be, and so I hurried. The door flew open toward me and I walked in, two guards stood attention, their eyes flicked to me as I stumbled through. I wasn't even inside more than a step before Chancellor Roderick was at my throat.
"Chain her!" He barked. "I want her restrained and taken to the capital to face trial for the murder of the late Divine Justinia."
"Are we on with that again?" I snapped with a few steps toward their table. Books were thrown over it, a map here and there, but nothing looked familiar to me. A glare was thrown my way by the Chancellor as the guards made no move to follow his orders.
"Disregard that, and leave us." Cassandra growled. The guards saluted once more in their strange way and left, closing the door behind them.
"You walk a dangerous path, Seeker." Roderick hissed, his glare turned to her. Leliana and Cassandra approached the table fully, their faces set in neutral scowls that spoke much of their impatience with the Chancellor.
"The breach is still a threat, Chancellor, and I do not mean to ignore it." Cassandra answered. I brought my hands up to the table and leaned on it, the mark pulsed against the faded parchment under my hand and the Chancellor's eyes found it for a second or more. He turned up to Cassandra, his mouth set in a harsh line.
"I can't believe you're still on about me being a suspect." I muttered. "Why would I go about doing all of this, on the off chance I could, maybe, survive?"
Roderick shot me a dark look. "You most certainly are still a suspect until decided by the new Divine."
"That sounds a lot like guilty until proven innocent." I pushed away from the table and crossed my arms, a snarl on my lips. "Is that how it works here?"
"It does not." Cassandra interrupted, her eyes hot and sharp. "She is no longer our suspect." The Chancellor appeared ready to bite back, but Leliana held up her gloved hand and moved close to Cassandra's side, a united front against the disapproving priest.
"Our sources show that the true culprit of the explosion and the death of the Divine were the efforts of someone the Divine did not expect." It must have been the voices, as crazy as that was. Cassandra and Solas had both been with me when we took on the Breach and heard the faded echoes of their Divine as she struggled for her life. Her voice, and mine. I wondered what made them take my side, when the evidence pointed to my presence. I wouldn't argue it, not now.
"And her?" The Chancellor pointed to me. "No one expected her there!"
"Again, the power required to split open the Fade and unleash this unfortunate circumstance upon us could not be brought into being by a single person, lest of all a person of no magical abilities or accomplices." Leliana bowed her head to me, apparently I was to be offended by the statement, but I only blinked and accepted the wayward apology. My mouth twisted a bit; unfortunate circumstance was putting it extremely lightly.
"Are you saying -"
"They may have died in the blast, or have allies that yet live and will carry out the rest of the plan." Leliana accused, her eyes narrowed on the Chancellor.
He rolled under his robes. "So I am a suspect? But not the prisoner?"
"I heard the voices in the Temple." Cassandra broke her silence, her voice heavy and calm. Her armor clinked as she faced the Chancellor; he recoiled from her approach. "I heard the Divine call out to the prisoner for help. She is innocent. She had been there, by fate or chance, and did what she could the help. As she did, when she awoke." Her eyes met mine and I quietly nodded my head. Right, no mention of the fact that I had refused at first. Thank you, Cassandra.
"So her survival, her mark - it's all just coincidence?" The Chancellor challenged.
"Providence." Cassandra corrected. I reeled at the word, it was most definitely not what I would have used. "The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour."
"You realize," I broke in gently, my voice small, "that I'm just... just me. Right?"
"I have not forgotten what you are." Cassandra acquiesced with a nod of her head. "But there is no denying that you are what we needed, when we needed it." My jaw clenched because I wanted to argue that point, too, but I couldn't think of a solid thing to say. With my appearance a mystery to me as much as it was to them, Cassandra's word held more weight than any pleas I had to the contrary. She walked away from the table and our eyes turned to Leliana.
"The Breach remains." Her eyes turned to me, for once gentle and soft with the frown on her lips. "Your mark is the only way we have of dealing with it." Suddenly, a book came from the darkness of the candles' shadow and smacked the table harshly. I jumped in my skin and the dust from the table settled over the parchments. All eyes rose from the book to Cassandra; her face was hard and narrowed on the Chancellor.
"You know what this is, Chancellor?" It sounded like a question, but Cassandra continued regardless of the Chancellor's reply. "It is a writ from the Divine, granting us the power to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn." Cassandra snaked around the table toward the priest and he stepped back as she stalked forward, her eyes trained on his face. Even I knew better than to test a viper with its fangs at the ready and hastily abandoned my place by the table.
"We will close the Breach, we will find and prosecute those responsible, and we will do it with or without your approval." She had managed to get right into his face, her armored gloves glinting in the candle light with a promise. The Chancellor remained quiet for a beat and his eyes flickered from Cassandra to me, to Leliana and then back again. I swallowed and kept my back straight. Now was not the time to bow to the whims of a bloodthirsty priest. Finally, after a long minute, the Chancellor sighed and left us in the room. Cassandra exhaled roughly and rubbed her hand at the back of her head.
"This was the Divine's directive: Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who would stand against the chaos." Leliana spoke as if to gain my confidence, but there wasn't much to be had anymore. Cassandra came to the head of the table and inhaled as if to speak, but I held up my hand to stop her. This had gone on long enough without a single word of my predicament and I couldn't let them continue with the lie.
"I'm no hero." They blinked at me, surprised. I continued with a swallow. "This mark on my hand - this isn't providence or the Maker's will or whatever you want to call it. W-we need to talk about this before you send me off to war for a religion I don't even know, lest of all practice."
"You arrival was a curious one." Leliana answered after a beat, her arms folded behind her back. "I have many questions, I was hoping now we could get them answered."
"As do I," Cassandra added softly. She looked at me with a curious frown to her lips and then her gaze shifted and fell down to the book in front of her. I felt something twist in my gut because I knew what she wanted; she wanted me to jump right into the fray and pull us together, but I wasn't about to throw myself into a fight that wasn't mine. Not yet, anyway.
"Where do you want me to start?" My voice trembled a bit, a wave of nausea and overwhelming heat taking residence in my throat. Leliana and Cassandra shared a look before Leliana nodded her head and stepped away from the table. My body went stiff as fear laced my bones, but she didn't come for me. She went around me and to the door, murmuring something to a guard that stood outside of it.
"What is she doing?" I asked Cassandra, worried that I had already ruined my chances.
"Your circumstances are peculiar." Cassandra explained quietly. Her gaze came away from the table and leveled with mine. "You are, for all that we know, a messenger of the Maker, sent in the name of Andraste."
"Those mean nothing to me." I hastily corrected. I winced as she did, ashamed that I attacked her faith so tactlessly, but I feared her idea of a hero would make her deaf to any explanations I gave her. I needed her to understand, I needed both of them to understand that this life wasn't meant for me nor was I prepared to handle it.
"Even so." Leliana soothed us. "We must decide what image we are to portray of you now. Whether you are or are not the Herald of Andraste will be left to the people, we cannot stop the rumors now that they spread." She paused with a glance at the door. "We are your allies, Jaime. We do not intend to throw you to the wolves and have your torn to pieces."
"I would appreciate that, yeah." I deadpanned. A small smile tugged on Leliana's lips and soon the door behind me opened. Startled, I turned to find Solas and the Commander entering the room, followed soon by another woman I didn't recognize. With a blink, I was momentarily blinded by her clothes, gold and gilded and puffed in certain places. She looked every inch the aristocrat she must have been, if I were to guess. With a stiff lip, I turned to Leliana, waiting.
"You mentioned before that you weren't from here." She started gently. "We here need to know the full story so that we know how best to protect you and this Inquisition." She smiled and then turned to the ones that had entered. "You remember Solas. With his magical expertise we may have a solution to this."
"I will make no promises that they will be what we want." Solas replied with a sigh and came to stand next to me. There was a moment of unknown terror that took my breath, but I relented and relaxed next to him, offering him a smile in thanks. He was a friend, if that, but certainly not an enemy. Leliana nodded her head and all I could do was shrug. I knew better than to expect a single man, or elf, to send me home.
"This is Commander Cullen Rutherford, he will be heading the Inquisition's forces." Leliana gestured to him with a gentle hand and the Commander bowed his head, his hands resting on the pommel of his sword. He looked exhausted, he must have been as the last three days were probably chaotic with disorganization after the Breach was shut. "And here, we have Lady Josephine Montilyet, she is our ambassador and representation." The lady in gold gave me a winning smile and curtsied in a way I hadn't seen outside of old black and white movies. I cleared my throat and bowed to her slightly, unsure of what my response should have been.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, under better circumstances." I murmured. Weak smiles fluttered around the room and Leliana waited a beat before she continued, her eyes focused on me, searching and assessing.
Leliana nodded, but Cassandra huffed, "To introduce myself fully, I am Cassandra Pentagast, and this is Sister Leliana, our spymaster."
"Tactful, Cassandra." Leliana's nose flared briefly. There was a heavy pause and when no one spoke, Leliana turned her attention back to me.
"What we do know of you is that you appeared after the destruction of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. The reports say that you stumbled out from a rift in the Fade, with a woman behind you. You were unconscious. May we assume that this is correct?" Leliana looked around the room and then back to me, but there were no objections. She nodded her head. "You are no mage, as stated by Solas, and seem to have no affiliation with any groups that had representation at the Temple. We assume this is also correct?"
"Under who's word?" The Commander interrupted quietly, his gaze cast down for a moment, his feet shifted.
"Just mine, I think." I answered honestly. Copper eyes turned up to me and I felt my face flush again, but I didn't duck my gaze away this time. I shifted on my feet. "Wh-when I came through, o-or when I woke up, this was all I saw. I don't remember being in the Temple, I don't remember anyone with me. I woke up and I was in iron."
"The state and make of her clothes also suggests she's not someone of this region, or anywhere nearby." Solas spoke up from my side, his arms also behind his back. He looked me over, perhaps noticing my new set of leather, but didn't mention it. "They were of a material similar to leather that we have here, but a style and... skill that we don't currently possess."
"Agreed." Lady Montilyet added. "That state of fashion is not found in any current markets or vendors. No one makes that style, not even in Val Royeaux." The Commander pondered it for a bit and then accepted it with a nod of his head. He had seen me in my biking leathers when I first appeared on the mountain to help with the rifts, so he couldn't ignore that.
"Then who are you, my lady?" Lady Montilyet questioned; her eyes turned to me, her face concerned.
"I... My name is Jaime Wyatt." I paused, looking back to Cassandra. Her gaze remained steady and I felt encouraged. I cleared my throat and nodded to the rest of them. "I really don't know what else to say. I-I was born in - " I hesitated. How was I to explain Earth? The continents? What of the United States? Say nothing of the state that I originated from, but even so, it was a mountain of information to process. I floundered.
"... Breathe, my lady." Solas murmured next to me. I inhaled sharply upon realization that I had stopped. A swallow forced itself down my throat and I looked to him. He held my gaze for a small moment, his head tilted and his eyes assessed me. He probably thought I was crazy, as did I. With another swallow, I cleared my throat after and reached for parchment.
Leliana and Lady Montilyet were quick to produce both parchment and quill when it dawned on them what I was attempting. I stared at the quill for a moment with a brief look up at the Lady Montilyet and then Leliana, my voice gentle and ashamed. "I... I don't know how to use this." The Lady in Gold stuttered in response, her eyes widening for a second.
"Excuse me?" Lady Montilyet hiccupped.
I grimaced and shook my head, turning the quill in my fingers. "We don't have these were I'm from, we have... been able to manufacture charcoal into thin wood and sharpen it as need be to write. Or we also managed to make a quill that holds the ink within it and doesn't blot." Christ, I never thought I would have to explain pencils and pens to anyone. Solas cleared his throat and I looked back at him with worry.
"Here." He stated gently. He took the quill and placed it correctly in my hands, bending my fingers as needed. Then he drew the inkwell near and took my wrist to dip it into the pot, running off the excess, and then slowly setting it to the parchment. "Press firmly when you bring it down, light as you pull up, and careful not to puncture the parchment, the quill is sharpened, as well." I watched as he led my hand through the simplest of curves and swirls, teaching me the motions. I withdrew my hand and attempted my name.
"Your family name is quite strange." Solas murmured over my shoulder. Cassandra and Lady Montilyet gently leaned over as well and took note. I supposed some of their lettering rules were a bit different. I blinked as I stared at my handwriting and then groaned quietly to myself. I would have to learn how to read if their rules and grammar were different. For now, though, it appeared that they could, in fact, read my atrocious scribbling.
"Well." I breathed, and started to draw. This, maybe, I could do. "Our map looks a bit like this." I started at Alaska and moved over the rough border of Canada before dropping it down to North and South America. They were sloppy borders, and it was unfair to draw it in the oblong shape of the map as it was restricted by satellites and our own imaging, but I wasn't going to explain that to them, ever. Still, I did the best I could, separating the landmasses with the appropriate ponds. It was a long twenty minutes or so as they watched, all of the company now drawn in and leaning over the table as I worked.
"We're pretty big." I stated finally, startling only Lady Montilyet. "This one alone as fifty... states? Sovereign powers? Within it, and all governed by one massive, overseeing government. I lived in one of them. One of the states. These other countries are all run separately by their own customs and cultures, their own heads of power. Kind of like here, I guess." My eyes came up to Leliana, but she was studying the crude map, curious and thirsty for information. Even Solas seemed to ignore me in favor of drawing his fingers over my hasty drawing.
"This isn't Thedas, clearly." Commander Cullen sighed. "Maker, what was dropped into our laps..."
"H-how old are you, my lady?" Lady Montilyet probed with a light word, her board snatched up into her hands to jot down my information. I was scared of what to tell her, frozen in thought. How much of what I knew was dangerous? It wasn't like I was shot back in time (unless our history classes lied to us) and it wasn't like any of the knowledge that I had (limited as it was) would harm any timeline or future I had been living.
"Twenty-six." I finally answered through the thickness of my throat. Lady Montilyet nodded and came around the table to me; Solas moved swiftly out of the way and left me open to her approach. Once a bastard, always a bastard it seemed. My shoulders squared up and my hands tightened at my sides, nearly snapping the quill that I held.
"Are you married? Children? How does family hierarchy work in your culture?" Lady Montilyet fired off once she was close.
Leliana chuckled. "Josie. Give her some space to breathe, no?"
"Oh. Oh, yes, my sincerest apologies. I am merely curious, and as they will begin to look to the Herald for her word, I must know what I can of you, my lady." Montilyet curtsied slightly. "It was meant in no offense, but if you are, as you say, from another world... the implications are -"
"No." Solas and Leliana were suddenly sharp to attention. Montilyet reeled back and so did I, alarmed by their quick interference. Solas came close once more and (as before) placed himself between me and another, this time Montilyet as his target. Leliana remained where she was, but her hands were now folded before her, crossed over her armored chest. Cassandra and Cullen waited, quiet through all of this.
"Josie." Leliana spoke softly into the silence. "We may take down her information, just so that she is not lost amongst the unknown, but we must take great care that her story does not get out." Leliana know turned to me and her eyes darkened for a moment, sorrowed, but it was gone in a flash. I may have imagined it. "As for you, my lady... We shall have to figure out a life for you, here." She and Solas shared a look, heavy and discussing, but she spoke to me. "I am sorry to say that, in this case, honesty may not be in our best interest."
"I'm a horrible liar." I stated immediately. "I couldn't lie to save my life, even telling the truth, no one would believe me." I gestured lamely to Cassandra. There was a moment before a sudden flush came over her face and she turned away with a huff, arms crossed defiantly.
"I will have something for you." Leliana murmured with a bow of her head. "We will... treat you as one does an orphan. There are, unfortunately, plenty in this world. It would not be so hard to excuse your lack of papers or documentation up until now."
"Twenty six years is a lot to answer for, Lady Nightingale." Solas replied quietly. There was a dead silence amongst us. We stared at empty spaces for a long moment, no one willing to speak up about my predicament; and what a hell of a predicament it was. I could understand where Leliana was coming from, in this world, perhaps I could skirt away like some random orphan that was lost or unclaimed, and then released into the world when I became capable. A frown took my face the more I thought about it, it could work, actually.
"Let's do that," I said into the blankness. Several sets of eyes looked at me. How long had we been quiet? "It'll explain my lack of any technical skill with a weapon or a quill or anything." I laughed a bit bitterly. "It'll explain why I can't read as well, if your language is a bit different, and it'll explain why I don't have any sophistication. I can at least tell a fork from a spoon, Lady Montilyet, don't panic!" I laughed as horror flooded Montilyet's face. I was quick to calm her before turning back to Leliana. "It'll help. It won't be hard to play dumb."
"We shan't treat you as such, my lady." Leliana reassured me. "It seems, if I were to guess, that your knowledge of certain things may far surpass our own, but in the basics, we shall lead you."
"But what of the people?" Lady Montilyet returned with a huff. "A Herald with no education, no upbringing?"
"Andraste, in the eyes of many, was a barbarian and a wife to a leader of uncivilized people." Cassandra answered readily. "She led her people into the Light of the Maker with no more than the weapon in her hand and her troupe amassed behind her. I believe here, the same standard could apply."
"Of the people, for the people." I muttered and refused to roll my eyes at the bit of cryptic knowledge that arose.
"Then we'll start there." Commander Cullen announced to the quiet room. "I will have to see that you are trained, though. I cannot have you running about as Herald and not even know how to swing a sword."
"Hammer." Cassandra, Solas, and myself all answered at once. The commander blinked at us and a giggle worked its way up my throat at the sight. I cleared my throat (again) and smiled at him. "I seem to do better with a hammer, and I would like to keep it that way, less likely to accidently cut myself because I missed my sheath or whatever."
"Seconded." Solas chirruped from behind me. I looked at him askance, but he gave me an owlish blink. I sighed.
"Very well." The commander groused. "A hammer or a maul, then, fitted for you. I'll see that Harritt gets on it as soon as possible."
"The hell is a maul?" I asked, wide eyed and confused.
"This is going to be a long day." Lady Montilyet sighed.
She wasn't wrong.
