"The Breach"

It had been months under Athras' tutelage until she was even allowed near a town. The elderly mage, unfortunately, had seen her mishap in the woods. The explosion she'd caused. It'd been a concern he was intent on addressing, which was apparently why he revealed himself so early.

But once she was able to control herself, to an extent, he was sure to make her do the runs for materials as much as possible. Which led Liz to believe he was simply being lazy. But she didn't complain. She was an introvert by nature, but she hadn't realized how much she craved being around other people.

Athras even entrusted her with his weird blue elk/moose thing that he called Rin. Or, rather, asked Rin to watch over Liz. The fact that the thing even seemed to nod it's head put the woman on edge. The animals in this world were certainly odd.

Liz's confused expression when he handed her a sack of coin was rather amusing. Athras didn't even flinch when he pulled out the difference pieces and explained what each one was and how much it represented. The white haired mage had gotten used to her questions, blaming it on her sheltered life from before. Even though Liz knew that he was curious about her past and where she came from, he never seemed to ask. Never pushed. Even when she gave him minimal details when explaining her home life.

Travel seemed to be a usual for Dalish elves, being the nomadic people they were. Which didn't surprise her, at all. In fact, she almost expected it. What with all of the similarities between their culture and her own. Not the same, obviously. But enough to give her a sense of familiarity.

So after the weather calmed down and the worst of winter passed, she was shown how to pack up and move on. Rin, she still didn't know where he hid the moose thing in the first place, seemed happy to oblige and tote the stuff around in a cart that he had stored away without much of a fuss.

Rin, for the most part, seemed to dislike Liz. Her first encounter with the beast was not the best. Though after a few months she seemed to simply tolerate the young woman. She had a feeling that was probably because Athras had scolded the beast for knocking Liz into the freezing wintery water. Which could have, no doubt, killed the small girl.

This led her to her current circumstance. She was kneeling before a girl, a grim look on Liz's face as she stared down at her.

"Miss…?" A watery voice from behind her, probably her mother.

The curtains were pulled in the aged shack. The floorboards creaked with every step, but it was a home to them. The fireplace in the back was lit, allowing warm light to wash across the girl's face as she lay in the worn cot. Motionless. The young mage sighed quietly and put away some of the equipment she'd brought.

Having someone die under her care was not a new concept. In fact, a lot of people died all of the time inside of the ambulance. Even so, it still felt as if a piece of her was taken away everytime it happened. Liz stared down at the still body of the young girl, blankets pulled against her chest. It looked as though she were sound asleep, peaceful.

'I could have done better. I'm sorry.' Liz thought to herself, before shaking her head minutely. No. That kind of thinking got her nowhere. She did the best she could.

Liz turned toward the crying woman and bowed her head silently.

Athras had taught her how to concentrate and control her abilities, sure. But she was also his apprentice. He was, afterall, a rather skilled mage. A healer, at that.

"Thank you for coming..." The man at the woman's side murmured, trying to hide his sadness. Athras had sent her over in his stead attempt to save the young girl, after getting a message via bird. He was, obviously, popular around these parts.

"Her passing was painless, I assure you." Liz reassured, getting a nod out of the man. She stood up and brushed her furs off before making her way toward the exit of the hut.

She'd learned her magic can stop a little bit of bleeding and heal small cuts and bruises. But that was all she was even capable of. What she excelled in, however, was her already known skills from Earth. So she honed her knowledge with the help of the elder, as much as she could.

It was just a normal day out in town. Days like this had become a norm this passed month. Him deeming her worthy of being around civilization without fear of her abilities surfacing and hurting others. Don't get her wrong, though. There were … incidents. Ones that she'd rather not think about.

Something in Liz's chest clenched, once again. But she pushed it away. She had work to do.

The young mage was quiet as she took the slushy path out of the small town. People didn't even look in her direction, as she'd been disguising herself as a hunter. Furs and leathers, a bow and quiver. For small acts of magic, using a staff was unnecessary anyway. Besides, she had the brass dagger she'd liberated off of that young man all that time ago.

What's the worst that could happen?

It was then that things turned sideways, a flash of green light enveloping the town. Liz let out a squeak and shielded her eyes, curling into a ball as the echoing screams of people surrounded her. Confusion rang through her.

"What—" The young mage was cut off as a wave of force hit her small body, sending her careening into the snow. That time she didn't squeak. She screamed. Fight or flight kicked in as her body flopped around, trying to find purchase on the fluff beneath her.

One second there was screaming from villagers around her, children crying. Then it all got drowned out-

'Boom!'

Liz's ears rang. That's all she could hear. She could have sworn she heard the shattering of glass from beside her.

Her theory was thus proven as bits of glass rained down on her shoulders and hair. Her eyes snapped up, trying to figure out what it was and how far she'd need to run. How quick.

Did a meteor hit? She knew, from videos back in her home world, that meteors would often cause that kind of shockwave. She'd seen trees near it get nearly flattened from impact.

But that wasn't it.

Her brown eyes dilated as she focused in on the ominous glow in the sky. The wind picked up around her, sending her short locks whipping into her face. Her face, which expressed complete and utter horror.

"B..but..." Her voice sounded muffled, even to her. But her eyes, could they be deceiving her? She shrieked and scrambled up, taking off in the opposite direction. Feet dug into the show frantically, leaving the screaming behind. She ducked and weaved through trees and underbrush.

No.

Nonono. This couldn't be happening. Bombs didn't exist in this world, did they? They couldn't! Impossible!

The only thing that flew through her mind in that moment was, 'Bomb, bomb. It's a bomb. Run run.'

And by the time she was a fair distance from the village, her lungs burning from overexertion. Only then did she think to herself, if it were a bomb wouldn't she be dead? With how close it looked, the aftershock should have done more than simply knock her over and kill her hearing. Which, by the way, had returned during her scramble to safety.

It wasn't a bomb.

Then what could it be?

The young mage took in lungfuls of air, hands on her knees as she peered up through her messy hair. Her eyes remained fixated on the giant glowing line that seemed to shoot into the sky. It looked almost like a tornado of energy. Liz had no other way of describing it. On top of the fact that the green glow seemed to make something in her stomach churn.

It felt…. Familiar. She could feel it from where she was standing, despite how far away she knew she was.

It didn't take her long to realize that the explosion (it had been an explosion, right?) had taken place in the direction of where the Conclave was going to be held. Liz only knew that because not even a week prior, she'd been talking to Maxwell about it. He was being sent out there.

This prompted her to search the nearby villages and settlements for any survivors. There were many injured people, but it was nothing compared to the apparent damage it'd done. The deaths it'd caused. No one knew what it was or why it happened.

Gathering information wasn't her strong suit. Any kind of human interaction was far beyond anything she could do, as a matter of fact. So she stuck to sitting on branches near groups of people as a crow.

It'd taken her many months, to perfect this form. Athras had schooled her in the ways of shapeshifting.

Liz ruffled her black feathers upon remembering the first time she actually tried to shift. She'd been looking at a bird, trying to concentrate on how it looked and acted. But in the midst of her concentration, she'd had a random thought about Athras' cat form.

This didn't end well, as she'd inevitably transformed into some sick twisted version of a crow and cat. It was incredibly painful.

She chirped and stretched her wings, deciding that waiting two days for the information she needed was too much. She needed to actually go into the fray. Liz hopped forth, tossing her small body off the branch and spreading her wings. The mage took to the skies, feeling the crisp air whip through her feathers as she made her way toward the big glowing hole in the sky.

An ache settled in her chest as she made her way there. The very thought of losing Maxwell seemed to unsettle her, in some way. Even though she didn't know him much, though she should, part of her felt the distress and utter fear at the possibility of his death.

Maxwell, she knew, was probably dead. The people at the Conclave were dead. Why would he be any different?

The young man hadn't even answered her attempts with the Sending Stone.

As Liz neared the tear in the sky, she peered around with her superior sight as a crow. She could have sworn she saw smaller tears down below, but opted for ignoring them in favor of getting closer to her destination. But she saw what was coming out of them. What lurked around them.

Demons, she presumed. Tall spindly ones that stalked around it, hunched over and looking for it's next victim. The woman didn't even want to investigate or draw attention to herself, so she continued onward.

The rock in her stomach only seemed to get heavier as she came up over the hill and outcropping of trees to see the ruins of the Temple. Her wings locked up as she froze at the sight, her body gliding lower as she got closer.

There…. There was absolutely no way anyone could have survived that.

No way whatsoever.

Her heart beat against her chest as she finally regained control of her body. She saw the charred remnants of the people. Some crouched low, shielding their heads. Their eyes. Some were curled up on the ground.

'No...' She tried to say, 'Not again. No.'

Maxwell had been Erin's brother, hadn't he? Erin's brother was dead.

Dead.

She stayed a safe distance away as she circled the site, the green tornado of energy shooting into the ground below. Now that she was closer, it felt even more ominous. Something else in her stomach was telling her how wrong this was. How it wasn't supposed to be. This… this shouldn't even be happening.

Liz paid no heed to the small unit of soldiers that seemed to circle the tear below. She'd seen many people fighting on her way there, but it was futile. What could they do against demons? Athras told her of a time a demon possessed a mage and he almost decimated his village. There had been reports of worse. Demons were not to be trifled with.

Demons that still, even to this day, whispered promises and words into her ear. Demons that appeared in her dreams, trying to tempt her away and control her. She would not give in, though. Never. The thought of becoming an abomination and killing innocent people terrified her.

Her thoughts were violently interrupted when the tear in the sky rippled. The air around her seemed to wobble, causing her small body to fall. Her ears popped and she was sent careening toward the ground.

Liz flapped her wings, but it was in vain. It felt like her body was getting heavier. But it wasn't until she hit the snow and was sent flopping that she realized that she'd been forced into her human form.

"Here it comes!" A woman's voice called through the trees. Liz spit out snow and groaned from her spot on the ground. "Archers!"

She heard the distinct flip and whizzing of arrows, followed by a demonic growl.

By the sounds of it, it was close. Unluckily for her, she'd crash landed right near a battle. It didn't surprise her that she wasn't able to retain her crow form for that long, as she was still getting the hang of it. At least this time it had only been a force transform back into her humanoid form. It could have been worse.

Liz wanted to let out another groan, but bit the inside of her cheek to keep silent.

"Son of a …" The young mage hissed silently as she sat up, feeling her limbs for any breaks. She'd been just above the trees, how was she not dead? She could have very well landed on her neck or fractured her spinal cord.

Through the sounds of whizzing arrows and ripping of flesh, likely from melee weapons, Liz found her way into a seated position. Just when her thoughts were beginning to turn sour at the situation, that Erin's brother was likely dead and her actions were in vain. A voice called out from the trees.

An enraged yell, to be exact. The sound itself caused the young mage's eyes to widen. Recognition gripped her insides. Was it…?

A memory of her first encounter in that world bubbled forth. She remembered when Maxwell had tackled the man trying to grab her. He had tried to protect her. The woman stood up and hobbled her way into the treeline, careful to be quiet. The last thing she needed was one of those… demons attacking her.

Close quarters was not one of her specialties.

The brunette huffed as she peered over the edge and through the rubble of the temple. In the middle of it all, the whirling vortex of green energy shot into the sky. It danced ominously, setting the surrounding area in an angry greenish glow. The color itself gave the young mage anxiety, as it reminded her of her less than pleasant dreams.

Then she saw the source of the voice.

Liz knew it was him. The way he fought felt familiar to her, the sight a relief. The young woman pulled out her bow and aimed it at the large creature he was fighting against. The young Trevelyan swiped at it's feet with his sword, only to immediately hold up his shield to block an incoming attack from a spindly looking demon at his right.

The green demon screeched and went in for another swipe, only to be cleaved in half by a sword from behind it. A woman with short hair and a pissed off look on her face turned, her eyes fixated on the spiky giant of a demon in front of them.

From the looks of it, a small unit had accompanied them. Archers lined the rubble and fired at the tall creature. It had to have been close to 15 feet tall. It let out a deep chuckle and held it's clawed hands out, lightning dancing between it's fingertips. Similar to what Liz did when she was practicing her control of electricity.

Then the large demon smiled, it's razor sharp teeth gleaming in the light as it whipped it's arm to the side. This sent a shower of sparks,

'Thwap!'

A whip formed out of pure electric energy. The demon sent it toward the small group of people at it's feet, sending a couple of them flying back. Liz had to wince as she saw a spurt of blood from one of the soldiers as he hit the ground a small distance away.

She didn't have to focus to realize he'd been severed in half.

The young mage had been in this world for a short time, but she didn't think she'd ever get used to the amount of death that seemed to come with living here.

Liz let her arrow fly into the battlefield, ignoring the yells from a man below. Probably a commanding officer. The young woman assisted the archers the best she could throughout the battle. Thankfully the frontliners below took most of the damage. None of the demons could even make their way up toward the ones above.

Just as she was about to run out of arrows, the large demon fell to it's knees with a rumble. A rumble that made the small woman stagger. Maxwell's hand shot out with purpose, fingers splayed toward the breach in the sky. A green rope of energy connected between the two, causing the air around them to pulsate and crackle. Liz felt her ears twitch at the disturbance.

It was like one of those horrifying moments where she just… couldn't take her eyes off of it.

What was he doing? What was going on? The last time she checked, Maxwell hadn't been a mage. Because he would have been in the same situation as she had been. Stuck in a Circle Tower somewhere.

Even from where she was standing, she could see the pain flaring on his features as his arm shook. Then he pulled his hand back, like yanking thread. The tornado of energy snapped shut, before stabilizing.

"What..." What had she just witnessed?

Cheers could be heard from the men and women around her. But her gaze was fixated on her brother—Maxwell. No. He was not her brother. Technically. He collapsed, body going completely limp in the dirty snow below.

"Maxwell!" Liz called, not even thinking as she hopped over the debilitated railing and onto the rubble covered ground below. She stumbled as he sprinted in the direction of her fallen brother. "Max!"

"Who—who are you? State your business!"

She ignored the woman's voice in favor of checking the elder Trevelyan's vitals. Her hands moving with purpose, familiarity. Only to have her body yanked back as a group of medics crowded Maxwell.

"What are you doing here?" A woman demanded, hand firmly grasping the young mage's shoulder. Liz snapped her eyes in her direction and glared.

"Don't touch me." She yanked her shoulder away from the woman. She opened her mouth to speak, expression shifting to a snarl—

"What will you do with him now, Seeker?" A dwarf asked from behind her, causing her to turn her attention to him.

"That is something we will discuss upon our return to Haven, dwarf." She motioned toward a small group of scouts, "You, keep an eye on this girl."

She followed the group back. She assumed it was back toward this town they spoke of, Haven. A couple of scouts flanked her, not once allowing her out of their sights. As they traveled further and further away from the carnage, the snow from the darkened clouds above seemed to pick up. The huge snowflakes accumulated atop armor and hair. She stared up at the sky, almost entranced by the way they fluttered down and landed on her furs. Her hair. Her eyelashes. It wasn't long until she was approached by a blonde man in shiny armor. He coughed, getting Liz's attention.

She turned her gaze off of the sky and examined this man. Curiosity seemed to shine in his honey colored eyes, an eyebrow raised. A thin coat of the white substance seemed to have collected atop the fur draped over his pauldrons.

"Although I commend your bravery for assisting us in battle, why were you all the way out here?" The man spoke. The commanding officer, she recognized.

"I was … searching for my brother." She spoke, carefully scanning her surroundings. A habit she'd developed since her arrival. "I knew he was at the Conclave. I knew he was probably dead. But I needed to see it for myself."

The blonde Commander nodded, as if understanding.

Liz continued to follow the group of soldiers and scouts. Who all seemed to take orders from the loud woman and the blonde man with a fluffy pelt on his shoulders. Seeker Cassandra and Commander Cullen, as she'd come to put a name on them.

Cassandra seemed suspicious of Liz's intentions and thus kept her under watchful eye during their trek. The Commander had other things to do, but had seemed concerned with Maxwell's welfare at least. So Liz appreciated that.

Her feet crunched through the thin layer of crust atop the snow, puffs of air floated in front of her face as they came down a hill and toward a walled off town. Maxwell, among many others, was being transported via makeshift stretcher. The town was surrounded by a wall, made of rather large wooden stakes. The arched stone entrance towered above, dwarfing the otherworlder. It made her feel smaller than she was. As they arrived, many of the wounded were taken into medical tents outside. Orders were being called and people were rushing about, giving space when needed.

Not knowing what else to do, the young mage tried to follow the men that carried Max. The small group was carrying his stretcher into a small hut, of sorts. Occasionally he would cringe and let out a grunt, sweat forming on his brow. The young man looked a little worse for the wear.

The young mage fidgeted and tried to walk through the door, but was stopped. The Seeker held out her arm and shook her head, "They do not need any distractions."

Liz knew this. Liz was, afterall, a healer herself. Athras had taught her much. Not to mention the valuable knowledge she had from her home world. The woman opened her mouth to object but was promptly glared at by the warrior.

"I can offer assistance." She prodded as the door shut, leaving the two outside in the cold. Soldiers and scouts were milling about, talking about their success. Despite the death and injuries caused, they were happy.

"Follow me." Was her curt answer, brown eyes boring down into Liz's. The two stared at one another, both with frowns marring their faces. The Seeker was much taller than Liz, which made it seem almost comical. The mage crossed her arms.

"Why? I would be of more use in there, helping … my brother." Liz hesitated, almost unsure of whether or not to call him as such. Cassandra seemed to pick up on this. She squinted down at the young woman in suspicion.

"We do not know if what you say is true. You're going to have to come with me, I have a few questions. And if your story proves to be true, I will tell you what is wrong with your brother."

Liz knew that they were just being cautious, but it still irritated her. With a hesitant nod, she followed the tall woman as she led her deeper into the town. They passed some tents and came up upon a large building. A church of some sort, she assumed. Or, what did they call them here? She was sure she knew, but couldn't seem to place the word for the life of her.

The large wooden door was opened and as soon as they entered, the cool wind was gone. The temperature was much better inside of the building, that was for sure. A worn carpet was laid out in the large entrance, which was literally just a long hallway with doors and pillars on each end. Cassandra lead her toward the back, before she took a left and walked into a room.

Liz couldn't help but notice the people leaving as they entered. They nodded at the Seeker but paid Liz no mind as they exited. Book shelves lined the walls of the room and in the center sat a desk, filled with papers and more books. Behind the desk, a woman. She was engrossed in her work when Cassandra spoke up.

"Were you able to dig up any information on Maxwell, Josephine?" The warrior's voice seemed to knock the woman out of her thoughts as she blinked and looked up at the two in the doorway. Her big brown eyes locked on Liz for a moment before answering Cassandra.

"Oh! Yes, of course. It seems that what Maxwell has said is, indeed, true. The Trevelyans maintain a relationship with my family, so it was not difficult to inquire about some information on his family." The woman nodded. Her accent seemed oddly familiar, though Liz couldn't put her finger on it. Josephine brushed a strand of her wavy black hair out of her face, "If you'd like, you can take a look at my findings in this briefing."

From the sounds of these people, they all had different kinds of accents. Most of which she couldn't really place. Liz was from a remote area back on Earth, afterall. Not that it would have mattered in this world. Places like Europe or America didn't even exist here.

The Seeker took the paper and glanced through it. It took a few moments. Liz stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what to do. It seemed even Josephine didn't know what to say, as she kept peering in her direction but made no move to talk. Cassandra looked up from the paper and inspected Liz.

"It says here that his sister is a mage." Her tone sounded guarded, "And that she was sent off to a Circle Tower in Orlais during one of their vacations. She was supposed to be transferred to the Free Marches, but was not heard from since then."

Wasn't she supposed to go to Ferelden? Or, perhaps Ferelden was in the route to the Free Marches. Liz hadn't gotten to study the maps extensively, so she wasn't entirely sure.

Liz swallowed nervously, hoping to whatever deity watched over this world that they didn't have information from Orlais about her stay there. They were two separate countries, she knew. So hopefully they didn't know about her escape and … murders.

"Yes." Was all that Liz could say, unsure of how much information to release. She could lie, but then she had a feeling that the Seeker would likely run her in circles and find out the truth anyway. The young mage fidgeted even more, her small calloused hands playing with the ends of her long lock of hair. "I am certain it gives a physical descriptor, no? I am who I say I am. Once Maxwell wakes up-"

"You escaped, didn't you." It was a statement that made her stomach drop. The Seeker's expression turned sour as she handed the papers back to the woman behind the desk.

"I-I ah..." Liz was at a loss of words. She spent so much time avoiding people and civilization, only to be caught because of some sense of duty. Of this attachment she felt for a man she shouldn't even really know.

This had been a mistake.

The Seeker looked behind Liz and motioned toward her small frame, "Cuff her."

"I didn't come here with ill-will." Liz snapped, flinching away from the armored men as they walked toward her. "I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"You are an escaped Circle Mage." Seemed to be the only thing that needed to be said. "For the time being, you are to be detained until we figure out what to do with you."

"I don't want to go back. I'm not going back."

"That is not for you to say."

"You can't—you won't! I-" Liz wriggled around, but felt the familiar sensation of the suppressing cuffs as they were slapped on her wrists. "Please don't do this. I just want to help my brother. I didn't come here to hurt anyone!"

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as she was pulled away and out of the office. She did, however, note the saddened look in Josephine's eyes.

She wouldn't look sad if she knew how she escaped and what she did. The memories of the time in the White Spire's library filtered forth, reminding her of why mages were looked at the way they were in this world. The memory itself seemed to sap away any strength she had to fight back or run away as she was lead down some stairs and into the darkness that she knew was a dungeon.

A familiar smell met her nose as the damp stone glinted with the torchlight, revealing a room full of cells. No windows. No light. The lone torch near the door was hardly enough as she stumbled into a cell. The metal door creaked shut with a 'click!' before she was left alone.

Again.

This had been a mistake. She didn't even know why she felt such a strong impulse to make sure Maxwell was safe. He was Erin's brother, but he wasn't hers. She wasn't Erin. She was just an imposter. Someone with her face, her body, her name. But she was most certainly not Erin where it counted.

Liz sat on the bedroll and buried her face in her knees, curling into herself.

"I shouldn't have come here…" She said to herself, voice bouncing off of the walls of the empty room.

The young woman was down there for days, maybe. Or maybe it'd simply been hours. It certainly felt like a couple of days. It was hard to tell with how dark it was.

It was very hard to find people in this world that didn't have some level of distrust for mages (Though she couldn't blame them). Elves, too. Double so for the elf mages. She shook her head as she stared off into the darkness of the dungeon.

The only time they made an exception, she came to know, was when the mage was a healer. Although, even then, they weren't treated much differently. Better than regular mages, sure. But still the same.

Eventually they'd come down there to get her. She simply thought it was the routine meal of bread and water, but when the man in armor didn't have a tray she tilted her head.

"You're going to come with me." He stated in a gruff tone from underneath his helmet. Liz nodded and stood up, knees wobbling. The cuffs were itchy on her wrists as she was led out of the cell and back through the hallway. The light pierced into her eyes as she exited the building.

The woman was taken through the small town. Were they going to let her go? Were there templars waiting for her at the entrance? She was going to go back to the Circle Tower, wasn't she?

The thought itself made her stomach turn. She would do whatever was in her power to escape, she knew.

But when she was led through the gate, she saw the familiar form of Erin's brother. Maxwell Trevelyan. It looked as though he had been conversing with the Commander, only to pause when the blonde motioned in Liz's direction. Max turned, his eyes lighting up with happiness.

The elder Trevelyan was short, as well. Short for a man, that is. He jogged over in his full plate, metal clinking. Liz opened her mouth to greet him, but was instead pulled into a bear hug. The young mage froze and felt her feet as they were lifted off of the ground.

Normally, hugs seemed to deter her. But this hug felt different, aside from the fact that she was pressed against hard metal. That didn't seem to matter, though. It made her feel safe.

"I thought I'd never see you again." He spoke as he squeezed her tighter.

Warmth enveloped her chest, causing her to tear up. This. She needed this. Something inside of her seemed to crack, forcing her to hold back tears. The hug reminded her of how she felt when Elise would hug her. The same feeling. Comfort. Home.

Erin's feelings toward her brother were the same as Liz's feelings toward her sister. Erin and Liz had that in common, at least.

"I thought you were dead." Was the only thing she could say into his chestpiece.

They sat there for what felt like minutes, before Maxwell began to shake. Liz, having now gotten a hold of her emotions, put her hands against his chest and tried to pull away.

"You're…. you're kind of squishing me." She informed, trying not to make things awkward.

"S-S-Sorry. Sorry." He pulled away, only to have his hands go to his face. He wiped away the tears that had been falling down his cheeks. "C-Can someone take those cuffs off of her, please."

Liz couldn't help but notice the Commander was pointedly looking away. Cassandra, who had been standing near a training dummy, had a small smile on her face. It was barely there, but she saw it. Only for it to disappear once she realized Liz was staring. The otherworlder sighed as the guard that escorted her unlocked the cuffs. She rubbed her wrists idly as she peered back over at her brother.

Maxwell pulled his hands away from his face and stared down at Liz, only to fall into another fit of sobs. He placed his hand on top of her head and gave it a little ruffle, "I-I'm glad you're alright. I'm glad you're okay."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? I thought you died! Everyone at the Conclave..." Liz stopped herself there and huffed.

"Hey, give me a break alright? I haven't seen my little sibling in months and this is the reunion I get?" He crossed his arms and looked down at her, eyes squinting. It was then that Liz realized she was also crossing her arms and squinting at him. He wasn't mad, she knew. He was mocking her. How dare he!

Their reunion was interrupted when they heard yelling in the distance.

"Who is that? It is not one of ours." Cassandra informed from her place beside the siblings. Liz looked in the direction of the bridge, only to see two forms making their way down the path.

"Didja see what that fuckin' thing did? We would be dead if it wasn't fer me!"

"B-B-But..."

"No, listen." The shorter woman, who was a dwarf from the looks of it, was cut off when Cassandra approached the two.

"Are you refugees?"

"There are demons falling from the sky!" The dwarf shrieked, "I had to impale a couple but they kept appearin' outta nowhere!"

"J-Jade please..." The elf at her side spoke softly, her hands held up as if to console her. The elf's eyes were a pale grey, her silver hair fell passed her shoulders and framed her tattooed face. Or, rather, a Mythal vallaslin if she remembered correctly. Out of all of the time spent in this world, Liz didn't even know it was possible for elves to be chubby. But this one proved that theory wrong. "I'm sorry, but… we kind of need a place to sleep and..."

"Yeah!" Jade pulled something out of her backpack, as if she'd been waiting for this moment, and held out a spindly arm for all to see. "I even have dinner, want some?"

Liz's gaze flicked between the two groups. The chubby elf looked mortified at Jade's offering. Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose and didn't seem to even know what to say. Maxwell? Well, Max seemed to have a good pokerface. A blank look and a forced smile.

Because this … Jade was holding a demon's arm out and calling it dinner.

"Who…. Who are you again?"

"S-Serana. Serana Lavellan, Ma'am." She bowed, hands folded in front of her. She seemed to turn pink under the attention. Even some of the soldiers that had been training had stopped to peek at the commotion.

"Yeah!" The dwarf grinned, "The Conclave blew up! Did you see that shit? I was there but-"

"J-Jade..."

"You were there?" Cassandra sounded almost accusatory as she took a threatening step forward. The dwarf looked unfazed and Serana got flustered.

"No! N-No, we were supposed to be but-" The elf's face turns red, out of embarrassment. "Oh no... Mamae is going to be so angry with me. Nnnooo." Her voice trailed off as she covered her face.

"We got a little distracted." The dwarf finished. Serana peeked up from her hands, her bright grey eyes locking with the dwarf's green ones. The dwarf, for the most part, seemed unperturbed. The two stared at one another for a few moments before she sighed, "Alright alright. I got drunk. Miss Lavellan kept me from fighting the innkeeper."

Cassandra stared down at the dwarf in disbelief while Maxwell appeared as though he didn't know how to react. Though Liz could have sworn she saw his eyebrow twitch.

"Oh, right. I'm Jade, by the way. Jade Cadash! At your service, my Herald. I have heard a many of things about you on my way here. Some good. Some bad. Mostly good, but let us forget I just said that. They were all good things, I assure you."

She was loud and a bad liar.

The silence seemed to drag on as the group stared at one another. Liz finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "I'll be in the healer's tents if you need me."

She gave Maxwell a nod and retreated from the scene.

Liz knew already that her time in Haven would be hard. Just being around people was hard. At least, for her. The woman much preferred the silence of the shack with Athras and found herself feeling almost homesick. Her time spent there tugging at her mind as she cleaned up the apothecary's hut.

The apothecary, Adan, was a rather grumpy old man. Grumpy old men were not a new occurrence for this young woman. Even so, he seemed less than pleased when he returned, only to find a strange woman treating his patients.

This left the two at odds for a few days. But evidently the chubby elven woman, Serana, was able to act as some sort of buffer between the two. Liz had always been taught to respect her elders, but it was getting difficult with this particular man.

"It's about time I get some help around here." Adan griped as he grabbed a poultice from one of the shelves. One that Liz knew was used almost like some sort of antibiotic on steroids. Even with Athras' help, she didn't understand much of how things worked. She couldn't set aside her pride enough to ask questions.

The young woman simply sighed at his obvious jab. He kept her under immense scrutiny since her arrival. She knew, however, that it was not because she was a mage. As the elf was also a mage. A Dalish one, at that. Serana skittered between the two, as if to block their vision.

"T-Thank you, I just want to help in whatever way I can." Her voice was soft, stuttery. "Mamae taught me much. I-I could even show you some things, if you'd like."

Liz blinked as she set a book on the, now dust-free, shelf. She looked over at the elf curiously, "I thought Dalish teachings were restricted to only the Dalish."

That's what Athras had said, anyway. Granted, he taught her many things because of her apprentice status. But even she was not allowed to know certain things. Which she understood. The same thing happened with her own culture.

"W-Well. Yes..." Serana fidgeted, her fingers picking at her nails. Her pale grey gaze was locked on the floor. Adan grunted from his position on the other side of the hut and went back to his work. His dismissive behavior caused the elf to look almost disheartened. Liz, for the first time in a long long time, felt bad.

Liz let out a short breath of air out of her nose.

"I would be interested, if you would not mind teaching me." She turned around and went back to putting the books away. She did, however, notice the way the elf's eyes seemed to brighten at the prospect. At the idea that someone was interested in her teachings. Her culture, perhaps.

The young woman figured she needed a refresher course. Athras would be rather disappointed if she forgot, anyhow.

The three made a good team, despite the dynamics. The otherworlder shared a small house with Maxwell near the gate. Another bed had been put in there to accommodate. But to say she was entirely accepted by his little entourage would be a lie. Cassandra was still wary about Liz. There was also a beautiful redheaded woman with a hood that seemed to size her up everytime she was around. Almost like she was trying to pick her apart from the seams.

She had yet to get approached, though. She assumed this was because of Maxwell's protective behavior.

They needed the young man's cooperation, afterall. Especially since the thing on his hand seemed to be the only way they could close the tears in the air. Which she'd come to learn were called rifts. Green tears that seemed to emit some sort of aura. Something that, to her, made her feel unnerved.

They dragged Maxwell around, she noticed. 'Maxwell, do this. Maxwell do that.'

It was unending. He was off sauntering around in the wilderness and trying to stop wars. Gathering allies. One of said allies being with a Grey Warden. Which, as she'd learned, were the people that fought against the darkspawn during the Blights.

He was doing all of this and he was barely hitting his twenties. He was still young. Younger than her, that is. Erin's body may have been barely 18, but mentally Liz was probably a couple years his elder.

They were both too young for this, she realized.

He was supposed to return that day, having been out in the Storm Coast for almost a week. Liz busied herself, intent on talking to the man and letting him know she was going to leave.

'Don't get me wrong, staying here was nice. But I am needed elsewhere.' Liz's hands paused as she was wrapping a man's arm. He lay on a cot, unconscious. 'No...no. That sounds almost like a lie.'

The young woman glared intensely at the man in front of her, deep in thought. Besides that, she had to search for that damned beast. Rin. They'd been separated during the explosion. She, too, probably wished to return to Athras at some point.

"Doesn't the blood scare you?" A voice startled her out of her musings, causing her to drop the bandage. She whirled around, seeing a silhouette in the tent flap.

"No." She answered blandly, recognizing the shape as her brother. Or, rather, Erin's brother.

"I remember when you were younger, you were so scared of blood that you'd rather stay inside. First time scraping your knee and you acted like it was the end of the world." Maxwell chuckled quietly as he entered. He grunted as he took a seat near the entrance, his amber gaze looking up at his sister. "It wasn't even that bad."

Liz stared, unsure of how to respond. Even with the memories that she sometimes dreamt about, such a small incident never even popped up.

"I guess I grew used to it." The woman turned back and finished wrapping the patient's arm, ignoring the way her stomach turned. She walked over and began to wash her hands in the basin, little clouds of pink dyed the clear water. She flicked her hands and wiped them against her tunic. "I needed to talk to you."

"Me too." He paused and scrunched his eyebrows, "Well, I needed to talk to you. Not me. That would be just weird."

"It's okay to talk to yourself. It's when you begin answering is when it becomes a problem." Liz repeated her grandmother's saying, a small smirk appearing on her freckled face.

"Erin..." He warned as he stood up. Liz held up her hands in the universal 'surrender' gesture. He sighed as they made their way out of the tent.

The evening sky was alight with orange and red hues. The crisp air hit her nose, causing the hairs to freeze. Liz's feet sloshed through the dirt and snow as they made their way out the front gate. Guards paid them no heed as people were milling about, likely getting done with their daily duties.

"I need your help." He spoke before she could even say what she wanted to say, "Eventually there will need to be a decision made. Either I'm going to have to ask for help from the mages or the templars."

Liz blinked, taking in the small bit of information. She knew that there had been a Mage/Templar War going on. It was why the Conclave was being held in the first place. She didn't know much about this world, but she didn't live under a rock.

"So, the Almighty Herald of Andraste needs my help." It slipped out of her mouth before she could stifle it. The snarky remark hadn't been her intent. She'd been trying to keep a reign on her comments, afraid of appearing un-Erinlike.

Maxwell snorted and elbowed the girl in the side, "Quit it. This is serious."

"Apologies." She bowed her head and looked off at the setting sun.

He, evidently, was dead set on her staying. As if the thought that she would want to leave didn't even cross his mind. And maybe that's how Erin was. Though Liz lived as Erin, she barely knew how to be Erin. Even as of that day.

"I'm not sure when, but I know eventually they are going to be asking me for my opinion. They are too split on what to do." The young man's brows scrunched as he rubbed his beard.

"If I'm to be honest, I don't trust either side. Templars even less so, for obvious reasons." Liz shared, "I want to be unbiased, but I think asking me for help on your decision is probably not the best idea as of right now."

They were quiet for some time, simply staring at the people in Haven as they passed by doing their own thing. Occasionally a child would giggle and run by, followed by others chasing after him. The young mage looked up at her brother, seeing how confused he looked. But that wasn't all. It was the complete and utter lost look in his eyes that caused her to pause.

Her brown gaze slipped off of his and she stared at the snow guiltily. Here he was, trying to help with the tear in the sky. And there she was, trying to find a way to run away from it all.

"…Gathering information is never a bad thing. It may help with coming to a decision." She offered quietly.

"Thank you." He lets out a breathy laugh, "I think I mostly just needed someone to talk to without them looking at me and calling me 'Herald'. I mean, I have a name you know."

He pouted and Liz smirked.

"I hear you're headed off to Val Royeaux soon. Is there anything you needed me to do while you were gone?" She offered, almost hesitantly. Any thoughts of leaving having disappeared from her mind after the guilt she felt just moments ago. Her hands came up and she fidgeted with the fur lining of her armor.

"You have enough on your shoulders at the healer's hut." He shook his head.

"Your friends don't really seem to like me, anyway." He looked at her oddly, "The redheaded one stares at me like I'm a piece of meat and Cassandra looks like she wants to chop me in half. Let's not get into the mistrustful glances. I mean, I know I'm a mage and all … but."

"They're not allowed to hurt you." He spoke with an edge to his tone that she'd never heard before. "It was my only condition for cooperation with the Inquisition." A chuckle, "Even though I would have helped them anyway."

"Even if they kept me imprisoned or hurt me?"

"They wouldn't have." He sounded so confident. He turned away from her and walked away from the healing tents. Liz followed, curiously.

They slowly ambled through Haven, the traffic having lessened as the sun made it's descent from the skies. With only the occasional guard that walked by, it was silent.

"I appreciate what you're doing for these people, Erin." He spoke, puffs of white air floating in front of his face as he did. The crisp air filling her nostrils as she listened to Maxwell speak, "I won't ask where you learned to stay calm under those circumstances."

She paused to think for a bit, before realizing he was referring to her fast reactions to some of the fatal injuries that the soldiers sometimes had. Liz had gained some respect from Adan for her efforts in stabilizing his patients in his absence. Although with much reluctance. The old man still didn't seem to like her.

Or maybe that was just how he was.

"I had a mentor." She answered, though not the whole truth. She did, but it wasn't where she learned that particular set of skills. Magic is what she learned from Athras.

"We might need you on some missions. Having a medic along with us will ensure our safety." He nods, "Besides, I can protect you."

Liz scoffed.

"I can protect myself."

That didn't seem like the right answer. The older Trevelyan looked saddened, for whatever reason. She opened her mouth to apologize, feeling bad again. But she didn't get the opportunity to. In her haste to keep up with Maxwell, she'd failed to notice the person in front of her as she collided with them.

"Unf!" She grunted, stumbling back. Steadying herself, Liz looked up. And up. And up. A tall man stood in front of her. She wasn't sure if his skin was grey because of the darkened sky or if it was just like that. But-

Horns. He had horns. Horns that kind of looked like ones that should be on a Texas Longhorn. A bull. The tall man looked down at her and waved with his big meaty hand.

'What the fuck is that?' Liz asked herself as her brown eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her gaze went from the man's stomach to his face, then right to his horns. She stumbled back again, barely able to catch her balance.

The man standing beside the huge grey one looked almost irritated.

"That has a name, boy." The brunette glared at Liz, arms crossed across his chestplate.

"U-Uh… oh." She hadn't realize she spoke aloud. Maxwell looked almost mortified.

"Erin." He hissed quietly, his hand thwapping her on the shoulder. "This is The Iron Bull, the leader of the Chargers. The reason I went to the Storm Coast?"

"A-Allies, yes. Sorry. How do you have horns? People can have horns, here?" The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to bury herself in the dirt. She might as well have dug her own grave.

"You know, coming from a noble family, you'd think you would know what a Qunari was." The big man, Iron Bull, spoke. His lone eye peered down at the short woman, who was almost dwarfed due to his sheer size. She swallowed thickly, opting for not answering at all.

"Qunari, people that govern the islands of Par Vollen and Seheron. It was covered in our private courses, Erin!" Maxwell rattled off, as if trying to remind her. His hands gestured violently, face turning red. The young man was obviously flustered at her social misstep.

"I apologize." She coughed out, still unable to take her eyes off of his horns. "I've just never seen—Jesus you're big—a Q-Qun-"

"Qunari." Maxwell offered helpfully, voice high pitched and squeaky.

"It's alright, I get that a lot." The man smirked and she could have sworn she saw a twinkle in his grey eye.

"Ugh. Gross, Chief. Keep it in your pants." The young man beside him spoke up, bumping him in the side. The Qunari simply chuckled. Liz's eyes widened even more, if at all. Now it was her turn to turn red.

"Aw, but she's kinda cute ain't she? So little, like a dwarf." The large man let out a bellowing laugh, "Hey, Boss. You never mentioned you had a sister."

"She—oh." The brunette seemed to fumble before offering his hand, "Apologies, I didn't know you were the Herald's sister. The name's Krem."

Liz took his, hesitantly. Her arm flopped as he shook her hand.

"Maker help me." Maxwell muttered from behind her.

Sometimes in her dreams she will hear the distressed voice of Erin "P-please... My brother."

"What?"

"Brother. Bro-" it was cut off, voice echoing in the deep depths of the darkness.

"Keep him safe" the whisper hissed right next to her ear and Liz couldn't help but yell. She felt her body as it flew into a seated position, eyes wild and body shaking from a cold sweat.