Dragon Age
"The Relic"

Chapter Fifteen: The Attempt

Alistair had never been so angry in his entire life. He wasn't even sure what he was mad at, no actually, he knew precisely who he was mad at…Solas. He'd given the Inquisition a lot of support and leeway when it came to hunting for the mage over the years. He was bloody hard to find until he showed up in Vigil's Keep's kitchen. Lydia still wasn't the same after what happened. By the time anyone found them Nathaniel was dead and the Queen was unconscious. The Wardens conducted a search of Amaranthine, looking for whatever intruder attacked their Commander and killed their Constable. It wasn't until Lydia woke up that they learned it was the infamous Solas. Nathaniel was Lydia's closest friend and when Alistair told her that he was dead it crushed her. Velanna was understandably upset, heartbroken at first, then a simmering blonde rage monster. The prickly Elf had a temper and finding her love dead on the floor while she was sleeping in the Keep angered her beyond reason. Alistair managed to calm her erupting but he got the feeling that her patience was going to be even thinner than his what that moment.

Nathaniel's funeral was decidedly Fereldan and Alistair gave him full honors, it was a pyre fit for a King. It took Nathaniel nearly 20 years but he finally restored his family name. As a Grey Warden he was one of the greatest, he may have resisted his conscription at first but he embraced the role fully later. There was already talk of a monument being built in his honor at Vigil's Keep.

Alistair made it across Fereldan in record time with a full head of steam. His anger could be seen for miles and when he got to Skyhold he came in like a storm; unannounced, barging through everything and everyone, found the Inquisitor and began roaring.

"I want him found, Inquisitor, not 'soon', not 'tomorrow', now. Do you get it? Do I make myself clear, Inquisitor?" He sounded like a King…a very angry King and paced before her.

"Do not bark at me, Alistair, exactly what do think I've been trying to do all these years?" Alistair ceased pacing and closed the distance on her by a few steps.

He pointed a finger at her dressing her down like she was one of his subjects, she wasn't…she was independent, bowed to no nation and no king. She was the Inquisitor. "You find him and you kill him, Khrystabel, if you can't do that then I will, and if I have to do that I will pull all Fereldan support."

Losing Fereldan support wouldn't undo the Inquisition but it would sure as hell make things difficult. They'd enjoyed friendly borders and the free movement that came with that but if Alistair ejected them from Fereldan it would set them back in a huge way. She wasn't someone to push around no matter how irritated or angry he was. "Do not threaten me, Alistair," she snarled back her warning ringing clear but he cut her off sharply.

This was spiraling into a mess, Alistair was now being spiteful. "You will address me as Majesty, Inquisitor." Those were odd words coming from him, he hated when people called him that.

Khrys' eyes narrowed, she may have been mild mannered but she was no pushover. Solas was a sensitive subject for her, she knew she had to find him and didn't need any encouragement to do so. "I will address you however I please, I am not your subject. You wouldn't have a kingdom if it wasn't for me, so don't come in here and bark at me. You're angry, I understand that, I really do."

Alistair stepped closer to her but she didn't budge and held his stare. "I don't think you do!" he yelled back. "You still think you can save him! He can't be saved. He walked into Vigil's Keep, attacked my wife, killed three Wardens including Nathaniel Howe, and escaped with no one being the wiser. I know you still love him-…"

"Do not forget that I was his first victim," she snapped angrily, Solas took so much from her and broke her heart twice. "I will find him but he doesn't exactly make it easy, your wife couldn't even find him using his own blood."

That gave Alistair a moment of pause but he still wasn't satisfied. "I want him found, Inquisitor…now, last time I say it." There was venom in his tone; most people thought Alistair was a fool…a childish king but they couldn't be further from the truth. He may have been flippant, comical, and even a little dense at times but he was a powerful man and when he was pushed past his patience he was downright dangerous. She understood his threat but her silence was an acceptable response for him. He said his peace and set his terms, whether she accepted or heeded them, they were out there.


Dorian scratched his head as he reread his notes for the tenth time. When Nathaniel and company returned with the Relic he had the same reaction that any other mage had in the item's presence. He could feel the power thrumming off of it and the little voice in his head screamed for him not to touch it. That seemed to be the general consensus for every mage but Malcolm; he had a decidedly different reaction to it, a more drastic aversion to it. Duncan, Dinah, and Himmel gave it uncomfortable wary looks but still Nathaniel had carried it. He said that because of the constant noise in his head from the Calling he couldn't really tell the difference. It was intriguing really and it sparked a little bit of experimentation for Dorian, he brought in every person with a specialty, or that belonged to an arcane order of any type, just to see how wide the reactions were. Wardens felt a distinct sense of dread around it, minus those who were hearing the Calling and then it was obviously difficult to tell the difference, it made the Templars decidedly uncomfortable, every mage could sense its power but didn't want to touch it, Dwarves showed no reaction, neither did the mundane.

The archivist glared at the 'paper weight', as Cullen called it, and was still no closer to understanding what it was then when it was first brought to the them. Solas wanted it so it was important, he needed Cole…Cole was the one who first brought up anything about this thing. Fenris and he had found a ruin west of the Abyssal Rift in the Sea of Ash that contained that unique symbol. According to Fenris the spirit of compassion lost his mind for a few minutes babbling uncontrollably about a cataclysmic event, and then he took a rubbing of the symbol saying it was important. Dorian's problem now was Cole was not in Skyhold, he wasn't sure where he was…he might have been dispatched or simply vanished.

Dorian growled loudly in frustration. "Fasta vass! Where is Cole?" he cursed firmly throwing the journal down on the table next to the glossy dark red paper weight. He turned from it and ran both hands through his hair looking like he was ready to tear the shiny black mop clean out of his scalp.

As much as Malcolm didn't want anything to do with the mysterious arcane object he didn't want to leave it alone either. He wanted to figure this thing out as much as Dorian did so he volunteered to help research it. Normally, Dorian's assistant was Bree but Dorian, being the over protective father that he was, staunchly forbid her coming anywhere near it. Bree protested but Malcolm could understand Dorian's caution, no one knew what this thing was or what it could do, the collective consensus was that it was dangerous.

He looked up from the tome he was flipping through and could certainly say that he'd never seen Dorian so frustrated. The man was a great archivist; he could figure out most anything or find a good place to start, not this time. "Why don't you take a break," he suggested. "You've been glaring at that thing for what…most of the day?"

Dorian huffed and snatched a book of the shelf angrily flipping through the pages. "Longer than that." He grumbled back loud and clear, since it showed up he'd been pouring over it stopping only when his brain was so tired he couldn't read his own handwriting.

"My point exactly," he heard Malcolm say and Dorian closed that book and repeated the process with another.

"I don't need a nanny, Malcolm, thank you," he replied curtly and Malcolm fell silent as he went back to his book.

An hour later Dorian had graduated from glaring at the object to pacing the Vault. Malcolm remained seated in the same spot still thumbing through the Dwarven tome; he tuned out the pacing and the fact that he was frustrated. When Dorian got like this he became as stubborn as a mule, no one could make him go to bed or take a break…it was the Tevinter pride in him, he was so frustrated that he couldn't figure it out. Malcolm had contemplated mentioning it to Khrys or Bree and would if Dorian didn't retire of his own accord soon.

"So you felt this before anyone else did?" Dorian asked breaking the long silence as he looked over the odd Relic with a critical eye.

Malcolm didn't move from his seated position at a table covered in books with his feet propped up on the edge. "Yep," he replied simply, he could still feel the power pulsing from it but he seemed to have grown accustomed to it and was no longer nauseated by it.

Dorian had already been through this with him but he was asking it again. "So when you did feel it what was it?"

It was the third time Dorian had asked him the same questions but he humored him. "Nauseating."

Dorian huffed but kept his frustration in check. "Enough with the one word answers, Malcolm, this is important," he scolded and Malcolm chuckled lowly at Dorian's irritation.

"Alright, alright," he replied getting off the chair and moving next to him, "at first I felt nauseated, I don't really have an explanation for that but the constant pulsing nearly gave me a headache."

The young man had described it as a lingering hangover…it didn't help Dorian much since he was the only one to report something different. "And you don't feel anything now?" It was more of a clarifying question.

Malcolm shrugged and shook his head. "No, I can still feel it but I think I just got used to it," he said and Dorian's brow furrowed as he looked from the young mage to the object.

"What makes you so special?" he asked like he was thinking out loud.

Malcolm scoffed. "Thanks, Dorian."

Dorian intended no offense with his comment, he was thinking out loud. "I didn't mean that," he began before realizing that Malcolm wasn't really offended. "I mean that you're the only one that seems to have had that type of reaction to this…thing."

"Nathaniel said it gave him a sense of dread, Himmel and Dinah too," he said and then thought a moment. "And Duncan said the same thing."

Dorian snorted, he remembered Nathaniel and Himmel telling him that when they were around the Relic. It gave them a sense of dread. He expected that if one Warden had the same feeling and the second did also it stood to reason that the rest would. "Well, I guess the question of whether or not that boy was born a Warden has been put to rest. All I know is that every fiber in me tells me not to touch it."

Malcolm nodded. "Yeah, us too…that's why Nathaniel carried it."

Dorian harrumphed still trying to piece it together, he'd spent days, weeks, trying to solve the puzzle of what this thing was and why Solas just marched into Vigil's Keep and killed Nathaniel to find it. "So the Templars say they're uneasy around it, Wardens feel dread, I can feel it just like any other powerful arcane object, the only people who don't seem to have a problem with it are the mundane and Dwarves," he leaned his hands on the table and dropped his head sighing heavily. "I don't fucking know," he added his tone fraught with defeat. "There's no writing, no books, no indications of whatever this thing is or was supposed to be. Usually you find something somewhere but there's nothing…just this tome unearthed in Seheron written in a language no one in Thedas has ever seen."

The tome he was referring to rested on the other end of the table, adorned with the same helix pattern that Malcolm had seen in the Deep Roads on the pedestal, and from the rubbing taken in the Sea of Ash. "Look, Dorian, why don't you go get some sleep. Get some food, sleep, rest…you've been going at this thing since it got here."

Dorian wanted to say no but the kid was right, he was exhausted and frustrated. "Alright," he nodded finally and Malcolm patting his shoulder with a friendly smile.

"It's not like it's going anywhere."

"Until Solas comes for it," he replied and kicked himself for daring the Maker to make it so.

"Then he's gonna have to figure out how to get around a whole bunch of blood wards to do so."

Dorian didn't want to tempt the Maker; Skyhold was as secure as it could be under the care of Thom. With the Relic there, if Solas wanted it so much, he would make an attempt for it. Skyhold needed to be prepared. "Don't tempt him…if anyone can it would be him."


Khrys had gone to her room after finally shooing the Fereldan King out of the Keep; Alistair had every right to be angry. He loved his wife more than anything else in the world except perhaps Duncan, to see her injured feet from her dead best friend must have scared the hell out of him. It was hard for her to be the person hunting the man she was madly in love with still to this day, but the trail of destruction he left in his wake was small but devastating.

"When is Cole due back?" Dorian asked and she flinched in surprise. She hadn't heard him come up the stairs. She also hadn't realized that she had a few tears streaking down her face, mourning the loss of yet another friend. She'd lost too many people and it all seemed to be tied to her, directly and indirectly responsible.

She had to think about the question he'd asked, it didn't register right away. "Umm…soon…should be back soon," she didn't really have a time frame for when the spirit would come back from his latest mission but normally he'd 'poof' in and give his update.

Dorian's brow furrowed at her tone. "I see the King has left," he commented moving toward her but she remained at the balcony edge with her back turned.

She sniffled and he didn't have to see her face to know that the movement of her hand was to wipe tears away. "Yeah…" she replied with a half snort. "I sent Michel and a company to escort him back to Redcliffe."

"Are you alright?"

She turned to him resigned in the fact that the brave face wasn't needed with him. "It's Nathaniel."

Dorian understood and gave her a sympathetic nod, admittedly, he didn't know Nathaniel half as well as he should but once you survive a plot of global destruction together you form a bond. "Yes…I heard. Are they sure it was Solas?"

Khrys nodded. "He didn't kill the Queen…he attacked her first but finished with Nathaniel," she said and he studied her. As tough as she came across she was actually quite sensitive, she hid it most of the time which was why she was alone in her room mourning the loss of a friend. "This is all my fault."

"No, no it's not. You didn't tell Solas to go and kill Nathaniel and attack the Queen," he corrected and she shook her head.

"It's my inept ability to catch one man that caused this," she countered. "Nathaniel had survived the Mother, the Architect, other Wardens hunting him, Adamant, the Fade…and it's my former lover, who I can't seem to catch that kills him, and for what? That bloody relic we have downstairs?"

"Don't do this to yourself…you can't save everyone and everyone is not your responsibility."

Khrys composed herself and sighed, she didn't want to talk about this anymore, however correct Dorian was, she didn't see it that way. She took each failure to heart and when it came to Solas she felt responsible. "So…why do you need Cole?" she asked changing the subject.

Dorian thought about pressing her further but allowed her to change the subject. Khrys would blame herself no matter what he said to her, Michel would get her to talk more about it once he returned from Redcliffe so for now he left it alone. "Well, everyone that's come in contact with the Relic reports different…feelings or symptoms, so far the most unique is Malcolm but I don't know why. Cole is a spirit…and he was the one who turned us on to this thing in the first place."

Khrys gave him a single nod, Dorian was smart…he knew what he was doing…he was the best archivist she'd ever met and she knew that most of what the Inquisition had done couldn't have been done without the rebel magister. "As soon as he gets back I'll send him to you."

Dorian nodded but didn't leave. "Khrys…I told Malcolm I'd pass this on, he has a really bad feeling about that thing to the point the he doesn't want to touch it. He's had the strongest reaction out of all of us… there's some sort of connection he has with it so I think we should heed his caution and be very careful around that thing."

"Dwarves and the mundane have shown no reaction?" she asked and he grunted a nod. "No one is to touch it. If it needs to be moved let Dagna do it."

Dorian was already doing that and nodded. He took a moment and observed her; she looked run down…more so than usual. After Solas removed the anchor it weakened her greatly, given the fact that the mark nearly killed her it was to be expected. She was still a powerful mage but now had a great disadvantage. "You should rest, Khrys, are you feeling alright?"

"I'll survive," she responded but it did nothing to set him at ease.

He let out a single soft laugh. "That doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

"Dorian," she warned letting him know that she was now annoyed with him being a mother hen.

"Alright," he relented grudgingly and stepped up to her kissing her on her forehead. "Goodnight, My Dear."


The air of Skyhold had changed; there was something new, something dangerous that shifted the Keep from proud sorrow to powerful terror. Cole felt it as soon as he entered, he'd never felt something so distressing in his life. As distressing as it was he couldn't help but be drawn to it, there was terror connected to it, a terror that he'd felt only one place before. The Sea of Ash.

He stood before it in the Vault struck with the overwhelming fear he'd felt in that ruin. It sang to him, not like the beautiful tune of lyrium but a harsher warrior's chant, it felt like destruction. This was unlike any magic he'd felt before and it terrified him. "Chaos. Death. Destruction. So many died. In a blink. In a flash, a deafening sound that took them all. All dead because of one man's arrogance," Cole muttered as he descended into his uncontrollable ability.

Malcolm, Dorian, Bree, Fenris, and Khrys looked on, no one said anything, rather they just watched and listened. Fenris had seen this before but not as controlled, he heard much of the same in the Sea of Ash, it weirded him out then and it weirded him out now.

"Power. Pulsing. Pounding. Thrumming. Power building until there could be no more and then… boom…all that remained was ash," he continued there was sorrow in his voice and the unmistakable tone of fear.

The spirit quieted and he gave the object a sorrowful look. "Everyone died," he said quietly. "The ash is their grave," he began to weep, he couldn't help it, the catastrophe caused by this foci was beyond anything anyone could imagine. The Temple of Sacred Ashes was minor compared to what this thing caused.

His prolonged silence made the group with him look at each other unsure about what they were hearing. It was obvious the Relic was dangerous but to know that it could have caused the current state of the wasteland was alarming. "Cole?" Khrys spoke her gentle voice was always soothing to Cole but it cut through like glass and he flinched. "What is this thing?"

"The answer," he answered his voice sorrowful.

Malcolm's brow furrowed as did Dorian's but they remained silent allowing Khrys to speak to the spirit of compassion. The cryptic response even earned a confused look from Bree but she too said nothing, just listened.

"To what?" Khrys continued.

"What Solas wants, what he needs, this will end it all…good or ill," he replied and felt the uncomfortable shift of the people in the room. They should be scared…Solas will destroy us all with this. He reached out to touch its glassy surface and heard Dorian caution him but touched it anyway. He hand tingled at the touch, running up his hand until his while body tingled…he'd never felt anything like this. It was unnerving and exhilarating, the terror built in him as the emotions crashed together. Imagines flashing across his eyes, a great tower, a Spire of red surrounded by a red desert, the wasteland now covered in ash. A great flash blinded him and erupted in all directions and suddenly the Spire of red was gone as ash rained down…only the Relic remained. Cole screamed in anguish and recoiled from it and backing away swiftly running to the shelf behind him terrified of what he'd seen.

He slid down to the floor wrapping himself into a tight ball like a child who'd seen something horrifying. He rocked back and forth hugging his knees to his chest. "So much death. They all died in a flash."

Bree leapt to his side with wide eyed concern, Cole was exceedingly deadly but his gifts rendered him childlike when faced with something that was truly horrible. She did her best to calm him but he was still in a panic. "Cole. Cole, it's alright, you're safe."

"None of us are safe," Cole replied. "Why did he do it? He turned it on but never turned it off. Why did he do it?"

"Shhh, Cole," Khrys cooed and knelt down beside him, "it's alright."

Cole shook his head. They don't understand. They can't understand. "Malcolm, I want to leave." Malcolm could protect him, he could protect them all…he was the only one who could.

Dorian and Fenris looked at each other and then to Malcolm but he was just as confused at being singled out. He shrugged as it sounded like Cole was asking for him to protect him like a parent would a scared child. Cole got to his feet slowly but didn't look at the Relic; he kept his eyes down and didn't look at anyone else either. He felt Malcolm's hand touch his left shoulder. The powerful protector; healer and destroyer, he was the one.

"Come on," he said softly and Cole looked at him with an intensity that made the mage blink. He said nothing and scurried out of the Vault with Malcolm behind him.

With Cole and Malcolm gone Dorian spoke to break the silence. "Well, that was enlightening," he commented and Khrys scoffed.

"I hope you got what you needed because I don't think we're going to get Cole anywhere near this thing again," she said as Bree drew closer to the item but didn't touch it. It pulled to her, its great magic was obvious.

"What did he mean 'why did he do it? He turned it on but never turned it off.'?" She asked and Dorian put a hand on her left arm, a gentle order to move away from it. She obeyed.

"He said the same thing in the ruin," Fenris answered. "That place smelled of death, long past but the land was steeped in it. Whatever catastrophe happened, a lot of people died all at once." The elf was obviously uncomfortable around the Relic, a foci of unimaginable power that had all the mages, spirits, and members of arcane orders unnerved by it.

"No one is to enter this Vault unless it's Dagna, Dorian, or I," Khrys ordered and gave a pointed look at her daughter who, for once, didn't argue this time.

"And Malcolm," Dorian added and Khrys canted her head slightly at him then nodded, deferring to his judgment.

"Guards on the Vault, round the clock, Templars and Dwarves, no mages," Templars could counter magic though none had encountered an arcane object such as this and Dwarves seemed to be immune. Seemed like a good set up so she went with it until something else presented itself.


Khrys enjoyed the silence of her chambers; the only noise came from the popping crackle of the fire in the hearth. She spent her evenings as she usually did, reading private correspondence or a book at her desk. This time it was letters, a long winded letter from Gaspard, she giggled at the idea that Jean-Fredric was spending a great deal of time waiting for the next letter from Bree. Dorian may have wanted to hang himself with the pairing but Khrys was actually pleased with it. Gaspard may have treated it like a political match but Khrys could see that Jean and Bree had a genuine connection, only time would tell if it was real or not. While Jean was waiting for letters from Bree, Bree was anxiously awaiting the same from him. The whole thing made her giggle.

She remembered similar feelings when she first met Lathan; he was a dashing hunter that made her laugh. It was fun as they went back of a forth courting each other. Lathan was kind and quiet but sensitive. He was a romantic and quite often Khrys missed the point that made it all the more cute and funny. Her mind came back from her memories from so long ago; Lathan's down fall was his emotions. While she survived the miscarriage of her first child he never did. He went to a dark place and never came back. She found him dead…a scene that haunted her still. Khrys blinked and returned to the letter in her hand.

She never saw the figure that covered her mouth, she smelled the familiar scent of leather and sweat and screamed into the hand when a very sharp knife pinned her right hand to the desk top the letter from Orlais she had been reading. The man's hand was large and covered nearly half her face, even pinched her nose to the point she through he might suffocate her. Her mind told her she could still breathe but if his hand shifted from this painful grip she just might not.

The knife stuck in her hand was painful, every little movement hurt as he attacker used it to subdue her. He must have known she was a mage, a mage with one hand, take away the hands and it's very difficult for a mage to cast. She cursed herself for being so vulnerable now. There was something else though…she tried to summon magic but nothing came…a strange and unfortunately familiar feeling crept up her arm like a spreading illness…magebane. This was no accident; he knew she was a mage.

He pressed the blade into her hand harder hearing it creak into the wood below. "Not so untouchable now, are you, Inquisitor?" his words were a hiss into her left ear, a taunt. How the hell did he get in here? "Cry out and you die," he promised, his accent sounded Tevinter, a less refined version of Dorian's and gruffer than Fenris.

He was going to kill her anyway so she wasn't going down easily and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of baying like a wounded baby. Someone would be along if she couldn't figure out how to get out of this. Michel was gone and would be for a few days, it was possible Bree would be along but that terrified her thinking her daughter would be placed in danger. She needed Fenris or one of her Templars…if they we're already dead. "Then kill me!" she spat back with a vicious snarl against the hand that had a painful handful of her hair. "But you'll never make it out of here alive."

The attacker mused arrogantly. "I got in," he replied and felt her hair get yanked to punctuate the fact that she was in real trouble. He slammed her face into the desk with dizzying force and she felt blood pour from her nose as he did it a second time. This time she was able to turn her head to her right and cheek hit first, pain exploded through her face, and then a third time, this time he split her lip. He was enjoying this…if he was an assassin he missed the point.

Khrys heard the faint sound of voices down the steps one of them was exactly who she needed. Fenris. Fenris would kill this man…simple as that. "Fenris!" she shouted and her attacker slammed her head to the desk for the fourth time so hard she nearly blacked out.

Fenris had been walking up the steps with Bree, chatting about various things when he Khrys' voice echoed off the stone. Her tone was urgent, something was wrong; he pushed past Bree and shot up the step using a grand total of four along the way. He heard her yelp in pain as something hit the desk, hard, his focused narrowed as he crested the top of the steps seeing Khrys being assaulted by some unknown hooded man in roguish armor.

The rage ignited within him, there was a knife staking Khrys' right hand to the desk, he could smell the blood that was pooling on the desk and draining down her face. He didn't question or even think, he barely heard Bree yell for her mom behind him as his body flashed with lyrium. The Elf fazed ethereal and covered the distance in the blink of an eye appearing next to the hooded rogue sending his fazed right fist through the left side of his head.

Khrys felt her attacker release her hair and knife then gurgle a disgusting sound, blood and gore splattered onto the ground and all over her and the desk. She heard the body crumple to the floor with a thud and then a few seconds of silence before she could see Fenris. It took a few moments for the aura to disappear but it did when he looked down at her, a singular look of total rage on his face.

"Mom!" she heard Bree exclaim as the girl sprinted to her mother as Fenris' gore soaked right hand poised to pull the knife out of her hand.

"Hold still," he coached and pulled the knife in a quick, clean motion. She winced but didn't make a sound. She withdrew her hand the moment it was free and cradled it to her chest, Khrys shot to her feet wanting to get as far away from her attacker as possible. Fenris didn't screw around; the man's head was a blood heap of bone and gray.

"Get the guards," Fenris ordered Bree and she scurried out swiftly, Khrys swayed as the world spun and the pain in her head throbbed. "Are you alright?" he asked and was at her side in an instant steadying her as Bree vanished down the stairs calling for her Templar guards. He examined her face; it was a mess, blood stained her hair and had streamed down her face from her nose and split lip onto her night gown. Bruises were already starting to form on the side of her face and forehead and more blood was dripping off her hand and onto the floor. He snatched a cloth from the wash basin and offered to wrap her hand.

"Yeah," she answered quietly as he wrapped her hand tightly, to her credit she wasn't trembling… she was rock solid still. Shocked. She cursed herself for being so weak now, so vulnerable, and easy to subdue. The once powerful Necromancer and Fire Mage who'd taken down dragons, demons, and Corypheus himself was surprised and subdued by a rogue with a knife. "Thank you," she said locking her icy blue eyes with his green ones. She was sincere, more than sincere, he saved her life…she was certain of that.

This was why he was here, when he first started with the Inquisition his job was mainly to protect her. He nominated himself for the job when he stopped an assassination attempt on Khrys by the Antivan Crows, since then he protected her. "You have no need to thank me," he assured and glowered at the bloody remains of her attacker.


Before long her chambers were teeming with a flurry of people; Cullen, Charter, Thom, Dorian, Malcolm, just to name a few. Malcolm was the last to arrive and calmly walked up the steps into the commotion, it was like someone kicked a beehive. It was late; no one was going to sleep tonight, not until they figured out how this happened.

He could smell the blood in the room and saw the body of the assassin by the desk. Khrys' clothes had blood on them, and so did her face, but her injuries appear to have been healed by a mage already. He was sorry he didn't arrive sooner.

Malcolm examined the bustling chamber wondering the same thing everyone else was wondering: how did the assassin get in? There was only one way into Khrys' chambers and unless her two Templars were asleep on their feet they would have seen the assassin walk right by them.

He could hear the Templars being dressed down by Cullen and Thom and sympathized with Gerard and Declan. There was no way an assassin could have gotten past them. These may have been new Templars compared to the ones that had guarded Khrys since Haven but they took their work seriously. They protected Khrys from outsiders and from herself. Lysette was present as well, hissing at Cullen and Thom for the accusation that they let someone past them. It was an argument that was carrying but no one had actually done anything to stop it.

Gerard and Declan were adamant that no one entered after the Inquisitor retired for the evening and so far Malcolm was inclined to believe them. Cullen and Thom, however, wanted the responsible party yesterday. Cullen took the Inquisitor's safety seriously and Thom couldn't ignore the repercussions if this was his fault. He was in charge of Skyhold's security. One thing they knew for sure was that Michel was going to be pissed when he heard about this.

Malcolm tuned out the bulk of the harsh words and concentrated on what he was looking for, slipping back into the training he'd gone through in the Wilds. Zevran taught him pretty much everything he knew and Cole did the rest. Zevran's training was what stuck with him the most. 'If I were an assassin…' was initially a game Zevran taught him as a kid, the older he got the more he realized what the former Crow was doing, it wasn't a game but an invaluable tool.

He passed what was left of the 'would be' assassin ignoring the gruesome sight; Fenris was an efficient bodyguard. Dorian was crouched over the lifeless body looking like he was examining him for clue to his identity. From what Malcolm could observe, the assassin was in fine leather armor, plain in shades of dark brown and black. He noticed his boots, finely crafted and they reminded him of boots Dorian wore. Tevinter? Next he noticed the blade that still had blood on it tossed onto the desk. He stepped to it and quietly picked it up. He felt it before he touched it…Magebane. The blade was coated in Magebane so he handled it carefully. It reminded him of Bree's knife, the one Fenris had given her for her birthday, its style and craftsmanship screamed Tevinter although this one seemed to be made of serpentstone and not silverite like hers. He put it back down and regarded the dead assassin again, had Fenris not killed him on sight Cole could have gotten everything they wanted out of him but what was done was done and Malcolm moved on.

Besides the door, the only other way in were the terraces and he stepped out onto the one to the right of the room. It's true they were open and exposed but unless you were a bird or had thrill seeking issues it wasn't much of an access point. Still, it made sense; the determined and experienced could make it work. He thought of how he would gain access without walking through the door past two highly trained Templars…the terrace was it. This terrace faced the mountain side; it had another terrace directly below it and then the sheer drop off to the Frostbacks below that. He made a face and then a cold wind slapped him as he leaned over to look. He grunted to himself and moved on to the other terrace. This one faced the keep and dropped down onto the battlements, much easier than a free climb up a mountain.

There were no ropes, no chains, no hooks, not even a scuff, nothing that stood out as suspicious but unless the assassin had wings he had to have climbed up. Malcolm leaned over the edge as far as he dared and allowed a smile; that assassin may have been doomed from the start but at least he was inventive. He turned and went back in observing the room. Fenris still looked angry, glaring at everything, he didn't blame him. Bree looked as solid as she ever was but he knew her well enough to know that she was deeply concerned for her mother. Dorian, surprisingly, was silent and investigating the body…he must have come to the same conclusion he had; he was from Tevinter, which didn't bode well. Khrys was pale and looked tired but actively engaged in conversation with Charter, he attributed her lack of color to the magebane. The stuff was nasty; he'd never forget his encounter with it.

"I know how he got in," he announced his tone soft but raised enough that most everyone in the room could hear. The room went silent as all eyes suddenly fell on the lad.

"What?" Thom demanded, his tone harsh but not hostile, his serious but professional tone, and stepping closer to him. The gruff man wasn't threatening him just alarmed that the fortress had been breached for the first time in a long time.

"I know how he got in and it wasn't through the door," he repeated though aiming the last part to the Templars was a slight nod. This wasn't their fault and he wanted them to know that. As much as his father warned him and went on and on about how horrible Templars were they'd never done anything to him, and these two were good men. Gerard and Declan returned his nod silently thanking him for backing them up.

Cullen and Thom looked at each other and then back to Malcolm who'd gained a very attentive audience, even Khrys had come forward. Malcolm looked down at her hand now healed by another before he got there. "How?" Cullen asked and Malcolm gestured for them to follow.

"The terrace?" Thom questioned disbelieving. "No one could come up this way…not without a rope or hook or…"

Malcolm interrupted him with a small sigh. "And there are none," he said simply.

Khrys scoffed, this couldn't be this hard to figure out. He had to come from somewhere. "Well, he didn't fly in," she added, Skyhold was impenetrable to anyone but a damn dragon.

Malcolm snorted with a half-smile. "That's true, but it's the way I would have come," he replied and was met with the reaction he expected. They all saw him as young and untested when the truth was very different. Sure he was young but he'd spent the majority of his life learning to hide in plain sight.

Khrys' and Dorian's brows furrowed and Fenris looked impatient, Bree cocked her head, Cullen was silent and Thom scoffed. "You and your vast experience?" he mocked.

Cullen felt like the young man was onto something; he wouldn't put on this show if he hadn't, and held up a hand to silence Thom. "What are you getting at, Malcolm?"

Malcolm jumped up onto the ledge and turned to face them. This was going to be better just to show them…literally and he cackled inside, he did like to show off and this was one of those moments. "I said there were no ropes, chains, or hooks…" he backed off the ledge.

The group suffered a collective heart attack as shocked gasps, short screams, and people barking his name in fear all came at once. Cullen was the first to the ledge and a heartbeat later the rest were all peering over hoping not to see a splattered mess on the battlements, a smile spread across his face as he looked down to see Malcolm dangling from his right hand on bolt driven into the wall where the terrace's architecture curved. Cullen was impressed, so very impressed; Malcolm was an impressive young man and proving to be an invaluable investment for the Inquisition. "Find out where he came from," he ordered and Malcolm nodded looking for the next bolt to drop to.


Malcolm grunted with effort as he dropped from one bolt to the next. The bolts fired into the wall of the tower must have penetrated deep as they had no issues supporting his weight. That told him that an enormous crossbow must have planted them there. The last bolt was a good eight feet off the ground so Malcolm dropped the last few feet, confusion evident on his face. "Why plant the first one so high?" he asked out loud to himself. He examined the wall and didn't see evidence of one that didn't plant but there was a boot scuff about waist high causing his furrowed brow to deepen. He looked up at the first bolt and leapt for it missing the bolt from a standing leap.

He harrumphed and moved on checking the ground and moving in the trajectory of the bolts, they had to come from somewhere and the crossbow that fired them would need to be huge.

"Malcolm," he heard Bree call and he turned to track the voice. "Wait up." He waited and looked at her with an indifferent expression. "Shouldn't you wait until morning? Better light?" she asked and he shrugged, the moon was full so he could see fine with the light beaming off the snow.

"I can see fine," he replied, he always could see in the black, just like his mother. "What are you doing down here?"

"I want to help," she answered honestly. "Someone just tried to kill my mom." Her tone was sincere and he couldn't blame her, if someone had tried, and nearly succeeded, to kill his mother he'd be on the front line too.

Malcolm gave her a nod, Bree was fine company and he didn't mind having her around, she could fight and her training as a Knight-Enchanter was coming along quite well. "You didn't want to follow me down?" he asked gesturing to his method of getting to where he was.

She scoffed at his playful snipe. "Dad wouldn't let me," she said and he chuckled before turning from her to resume his tracking. "Alright, come on."

Malcolm didn't say much as he scoured for clues, Bree didn't expect him to be chatty, he was always focused and when tasked with something that confounded him he was even quieter…that was how you knew he was perplexed. It was obvious they were looking for the unusual, tracks, ropes, hooks, anything out of place.

"What are you looking for?" she asked as Malcolm rifled through sacks and barrels that were normally used for staging a storage. So far he had found nothing and that bothered him.

"A big ass crossbow," he answered and turned to look behind him, keeping as straight a trajectory as he could on the tower. "Any bolt that big and sunk that deep would need to come from a huge crossbow, he didn't have one on him so unless he tossed it over the side he had to have stashed it."

Bree understood now and nodded. "And if he tossed it over the side?"

Malcolm sighed and put the top back on a barrel. "Then I guess I get to go down and find it." That alone would be nearly impossible.

"How do you think he got in?" she asked as she checked a barrel but found nothing but a stash of daggers and arrows.

Malcolm didn't know yet, he'd been thinking about it…obviously the assassin climbed the tower to get to her but Skyhold was crawling with guards. "I don't know. I know he had enough freedom to shoot over a dozen bolts into the side of the tower, stash the crossbow, and then climb it without raising an alarm."

"On a night with a full moon," Bree added and Malcolm nodded.

"Exactly," he replied.

"Or he tossed it," she reminded and he shrugged at that.

"Either way…he still had an enormous amount of freedom." That was the most trouble part of all this, you couldn't got 2 minutes in Skyhold without finding a guard, especially on the battlements. Solas' threat was too great and Thom took no chances. Do we have a traitor? They moved on checking corners, stairs, and the supply caches.

"Mal," Bree called in a slightly raised voice and he came over see what she had found. She had the top of a barrel off and inside was a truly massive crossbow. The biggest hand held one you could find that didn't require extraordinary measures to use it.

It was awkwardly stuffed into the barrel and had snapped the shafts of several arrows beneath it. Malcolm reached in and removed it feeling its weight. "That's a Siege Bow...," he commented examining it, to make it worse, it had the mark of the Inquisition on it. "One of ours..." This was odd, the siege bows were supposed to be locked away in the armory not stashed in a barrel on the ramparts.

"This isn't supposed to be here," Bree said voicing what he was thinking.

"Yeah, no kidding…siege bows are for a siege or to unconventionally gain access, you can't just lug one around Skyhold," he agreed as she rifled around through the barrel to see if anything else was in there. Nothing. Just what was supposed to be in there, some short bows and arrows, most of which had been broken by the weight of the crossbow hastily stored on top of them.

"We should tell the Commander," she said and Malcolm whole heartedly agreed. You couldn't just walk up and take a siege bow, they were locked in the armory and guarded round the clock, no one just needed a crossbow like this, there was no need.


It was the middle of the night and still no one had slept, no one was going to sleep either, Cullen had cleared the Inquisitor's chambers, the body removed and maids began cleaning. Khrys would stay in another room in the keep tonight until her chambers were cleaned. She needed to rest. Magebane had lasting effects on mages until it was out of their system. Magic couldn't heal that, no one could pry Fenris from his post as her bodyguard now and her guard was doubled. A bit late for that but she didn't argue with Cullen when he ordered it. Two more Templars were added to her detail for the time being and Gerard and Declan relieved by Lysette. Khrys rescinded the order, she trusted them and they happily remained at their post.

If there was one person who really needed to sleep it was Cullen, he wasn't as young as he used to be and with his Lyrium withdrawal rearing its ugly head again he was quite unpleasant to be around when he was irritated but the Commander refused to retire for the evening until he got to the bottom of what went wrong and who screwed up.

Thom was just as irritated but was growing more and more irritated with Cullen barking at him. He was short tempered right now and Thom knew that. He'd listened to him for hours and he could understand his frustration, Skyhold had enjoyed years of security under Thom's watch, only one breach since he was given control of the Guard. Ordinarily, most people would chalk it up to bad luck or something to that regard but this was too damn close. They almost lost their Inquisitor. He wanted to know what happened as much as Cullen.

Thom stood quietly in front of the Commander's desk as he scribbled out orders and the door to Thom's right opened. It was Malcolm with Bree.

"Commander," Malcolm called balancing the heavy crossbow on his right shoulder.

Cullen looked up from his hasty writing and canted his head at Malcolm carrying what looked like a siege bow. "Malcolm?" he said dropping the quill and giving him his full attention. What had he found?

The mage dropped the bow on Cullen's desk with a heavy thud. "We found that where it shouldn't have been."

Cullen blinked to the crossbow now occupying a huge portion of his desk top. "A siege bow?"

Malcolm nodded, to him that was obvious. "More than capable of sinking those bolts into the side of the tower."

Thom examined the crossbow and looked to Cullen. "It's one of ours."

Cullen's irritation was growing, not only had someone infiltrated the Keep but that person may have figured out how to liberate a siege bow from a guarded armory. That was extremely troubling. "Inventory the armory and question the guards, all of them, on duty and off…and send word to Redcliffe, get Michel back here now and stress to him that this Inquisitor is fine," Cullen ordered, as of now he and Thom were at odds, Thom was a good Captain and Skyhold was very secure under his eye so it begged the question of who dropped the ball and let an assassin into the Keep.

Thom could see where Cullen was going with that and eyed him carefully. "Cullen, these are my men, I handpicked them and I trained them myself…you'll have no traitors in my ranks."

Cullen wanted to believe him, he really did. "Prove it," he growled and Thom bit his tongue, he didn't bother to argue or question Cullen's order and left the office without another word. Cullen's eyes moved to Malcolm and Bree, he didn't wonder why Bree was with him; they had been inseparable since they were 8 years old. "What else did you find?"

Malcolm shrugged with a hint of respect for the ill-fated assassin. "Very little actually…he was a very good infiltrator, the only reason we found that was because it probably wasn't very logistically friendly to return it after the bolts were set."

Cullen sighed with tired irritation. "Keep looking…report to me if you find anything," he ordered and Malcom nodded.

"You should sleep, Cullen," Bree said and Cullen longed for his bed and the embrace of his wife, "you're no good to us worn out." He said nothing and just gave her a small nod as she and Malcolm left.


The sun had come up over the mountains and Malcolm and Bree searched the castle backwards, forwards, and upside down. The result was exactly nothing. Not one damn thing. The only thing that still puzzled Malcolm was the high bolt.

He returned to the base of the tower and looked up at the first bolt. This had been bugging him all night, why set the first one so high up you couldn't jump to it? He looked up at it and sighed heavily with a furrowed brow. A single scuff mark on the wall didn't make for much evidence.

"What's up?" Bree asked moving up beside him and looked up at the bolt he was practically glaring at.

"Why would he set the first one so high?" he said out loud and Bree glanced at it then looked at Malcolm.

"Really?" she asked and he looked confused by her tone.

He knew that tone, she knew something he didn't. What had he missed? "What?"

Bree rarely got the chance to show him up; Malcolm had always been a natural at most everything; fighting, learning, survival, even his mage talents came as naturally to him as breathing. The smile on her face made Malcolm's brow furrow more as she passed him her staff. "Observe," she said simply and backed as far from the wall as possible before dashing toward it at a full sprint. She blew past him and reached the wall at full speed before leaping for the bolt pushing off the wall with one foot. Bree almost didn't make it; she was considerably shorter than the assassin but managed to get a hold on the bolt.

Malcolm's head canted to the left. Am I really that dense? "Now why didn't I think of that?" he commented with a dissatisfied huff loud enough for her to hear him and casually made his way closer.

Bree dangled for a moment chuckling and looked down at him. "Because you don't know everything, your greatness."

"Yeah, yeah, come here," he grumbled and practically caught her as she dropped from it and into his arms.


Skyhold was locked down completely, no one left and the only ones allowed in were vetted and questioned. Mostly the people returning were agents that had been recalled. Michel had returned 3 days after the attempt on Khrys' life. He got the message from Skyhold and double timed it back to the Keep. He stormed through Skyhold with a fury he hadn't felt in a very long time. Hearing that there had been an attempt on her life while he was escorting Alistair made him feel like he'd failed again at protecting someone he cared for.

"Khrystabel!" he called sprinting up the stairs, no mean feat while in full armor. "Khrys!"

"Michel." She breathed a sigh of relief and ran to him.

Michel had been terrified for the entire ride back, an assassin made it into Skyhold and very nearly killed her…and where was he? He was off in Redcliffe escorting the Fereldan King away from the Inquisitor. He could have stopped it before he hurt her. He embraced her tightly and felt some of fear disappear. "Oh, love, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She replied before kissed her cupping her face like he'd never let her go again.

"I'm sorry, my love, I should have returned sooner." He said and she took his left hand.

"I'm okay, Vhenan, Fenris was there." She told him as Michel examined her, he'd been told she was injured but he saw nothing…the Mage's must have healed her injuries.

"Then I shall pay him immensely to thank him for that." He replied.

"Did Alistair get away okay?" she asked changing the subject. Michel blinked to her trying to reassure him that she was fine.

"He was silent the whole time," Michel replied. "sullen more like. What happened here?"

"We're still figuring that out." She said and turned from him. Michel noticed the stain on the floor where some of the blood had pooled. His blood boiled. The anger he's always felt that was carefully kept in check threatened to surface. It sickened him to think that she was nearly lost to an assassin when he was in Redcliffe. "We suspect one of Thom's guards, Ross…they're still interrogating him."

"Ross? The Redcliffe boy? That can't be." He commented with the same floored tone the rest of them had when Cole deduced he was lying. He was Thom's star pupil and the trust Thom placed him was substantial.

"Apparently it can." She replied and Michel's brow fell, he could see betrayal she felt. The idea that one of her own trusted guards betrayed her and allowed an assassin into the Keep crushed her. She'd done so well over the years and Skyhold was the most secure Fortress' in all of Thedas.

"Khrys, I promise, I will not allow this to happen to you again. Not ever. Not as long as I draw breath." It sounded more like an Oath one that made her smile. She knew Michel wouldn't have made a difference there but it warmed her heart to know he cared so much.


Bull scowled at the gate guard on his way into Skyhold, he'd been stopped by a guard who clearly had no idea who he was, he was just doing his job so at first Bull was fine with following the procedure…then it became far more irritating. Thankfully, a guard who knew him took over and let the Qunari merc inside. Bull didn't blame the guards for being cautious, he'd heard all about what happened and was here with information, information that Khrys really wasn't going to like.

He trotted up the steps finding the Inquisitor in the War Room with Dorian, Fenris, Michel and Cullen. He gave Dorian a mere passing once over, whatever was between them or ever could have been between them ended in Starkhaven. Dorian's face was a mix of apprehension and irritation, he knew why Bull would be there but wasn't necessarily happy about it.

"Bull," Khrys began almost surprised to see him in Skyhold. Bull could come and go as he pleased, he was a trusted member of Khrys' inner circle and even after all these years he still had Ben-Hassrath contacts. Qunari spies were the best spies that Khrys had ever seen or used.

Bull looked her up and down; he was glad she was okay; the rumors he heard were a strong indicator of how close she came to being assassinated. "You okay, Boss?" he asked and she nodded.

She smiled warmly at the giant Qunari, for as big and fierce as he looked Bull was a softie. "They came close…but I'm fine." She glanced at Fenris, who hadn't left her side in days. He was a silent every present sentry glaring at everything. He let his guard down once and would never do it again.

"Too bloody close," Cullen added, he looked much better than he had over the past few days. He finally slept and Birch had given him a new mixture of herbs to try, it seemed to be working better so he felt better. He was still just as irritable though but that had nothing to do with his pain.

"I've got some information you might want to hear," Bull said getting to the point, "some Ben-Hassrath contacts that still talk to me say that the order came from Tevinter. Don't know from who or why beyond 'they want you dead'."

There was an uncomfortable silence that passed between the four of them and Bull eyed them, they knew already. "Well, that tracks," Khrys said with a sigh and finally met his eyes. "One of the guards was bought by Tevinter."

"Thom must be spitting glass," Bull commented knowing how serious Thom took his duty and the trust he had in his men. "Who?"

Cullen answered that, his expression mixed. No one was prepared for Thom's star pupil to be a traitor. "Ross."

The Qunari blinked, shocked. "Bullshit! Why?"

Khrys scoffed and huffed. "If you believe him…Tevinter men threatened to kill his family if he didn't spy and let the assassin into the Keep."

"I believe him," Fenris said simply. Fenris had a better understanding of Tevinter cruelty than anyone else in Skyhold. He'd seen it before, to get what they wanted they were incredibly cruel, they kidnapped, they raped, they murdered, they tortured…somewhere Ross' family was in grave danger if they weren't dead already but his words fell on deaf ears to Khrys. She didn't believe him.

Khrys half turned to him, her expression that of a sneer. "Well, I don't," she hissed, it wasn't often they disagreed but when they did it was associated with something like this. Either she was merciful when she shouldn't be or too harsh when she should be merciful.

Even Cole had felt the fear in the night watch Lieutenant, Fenris didn't understand why Khrys didn't believe him. "Thom asked you to show him mercy, Khrys, you should heed that," he added his tone firm in his conviction and Bull studied Fenris for a moment.

Like Khrys, Cullen had the same belief. "He is a traitor and should be treated like any other," Cullen stated and Bull got the feeling that this argument had gone in circles a few times. Traitors were executed in Skyhold, Inquisition traitors especially. Khrys took that personally and Bull didn't blame her.

Michel agreed with Fenris. "Ross wouldn't just betray the Inquisition."

Khrys huffed. "Obviously he did, and he will pay for it."

"There is more going on here, Khrys, don't judge him so quickly." Michel argued firmly, Fenris and Khrys disagreeing wasn't usual though it happened on occasion but Michel and Khrys at odds was nearly unheard of.

Dorian looked at the ceiling in annoyance. Here we go again. "Could we not go into this again, please?" Dorian said silencing the debate; he'd heard it twice already. It was the first time in a long time anyone had heard Thom raise his voice at the Inquisitor. He wanted to find a rock to crawl under after listening to Ross' reasoning. His countrymen were that cruel and he wasn't proud of that.

"What does Tevinter hope to gain?" she asked, the question was directed at Bull.

Bull cackled slightly not sure if that was a serious question. "Your death, are you kidding? Destabilize Orlais, Gaspard loses his most powerful ally, Fereldan loses its neutral party between them and Orlais, Sebastian loses his religious figure and an ally. Like it or not, Boss, you're at the center of it all."

That only brought up another question, a big one. "Why? They're already squabbling over Seheron in the north why pick a fight with Orlais and the Inquisition to the south?"

The Qunari shrugged. "Vints aren't too bright, Boss," Bull said plainly.

Dorian was mildly offended, Bull had called him worse. "Thanks for that," he grouched and Bull almost smiled.

"Any evidence to the contrary?" Bull asked him and it felt like the old game again. Dorian's returning smile was sardonic and conveyed one thing: Fuck you.

Khrys chuckled softly. "Boys, please," she said and they silenced.

"If this is a grand scheme plot we need to know what it is," Cullen chimed in helping to move this along. "We need more information to get to the bottom of this and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Dorian made a spur of the moment decision but it was the only one that came to mind. The only one that might get them what they need. "Then I will go to Tevinter," Dorian said and Khrys blinked with surprise.

"What?" she questioned.

Dorian sighed; he had mixed feelings about returning home, a pool of sharks would be safer. "We need to find out who is behind this and stop them before they plunge western Thedas into war," he reasoned and Khrys shook her head.

"Oh no you're not," she replied, did he really expect her to let him? Was he mad? "They just tried to kill me in Skyhold imagine what could happen in Tevinter."

Dorian shrugged with a smile. "I survived Tevinter my entire life, Khrys, I'll be fine," he told her trying and failing to reassure her.

She straightened, over her dead body was he going to Tevinter after what just took place. "You're not going, Dorian."

Dorian sighed again and allowed a half smile; she always tried to protect him, but he wasn't going to let them hurt her again. "I have to Khrys, we're a conniving bunch and the best place to find out who's trying to sabotage the two greatest powers in Thedas is to go to the source."

"He's right, Boss, I'll go with him," Bull said and Dorian's brow twisted as he glared at the Qunari. He neither wanted nor needed Bull to come along.

"I'll be damned if you are," he hissed in reply.

If she couldn't talk Dorian out of it then she was going to allow it on her terms. Her love for Dorian was different than that for Michel and Solas but he was still the father of her child and her best friend. "No, Dorian, Bull's right," she interjected; Bull was the best option to send to protect Dorian. Michel was a Champion, he served for years as a bodyguard but she'd never send him to Tevinter. Fenris would have been her choice but sending him anywhere near the Imperium was still a dangerous idea…one that she never wanted to risk, "who better than a Qunari Merc as your bodyguard."

Given their very strained relationship Dorian wasn't so sure he wanted Bull guarding him. "Only if he guards it," Dorian scoffed and Bull grumbled.

Bull sighed heavily in annoyance, Dorian always managed to annoy the fuck out of him. "What happened between us ended in Starkhaven." The silence that followed that statement was awkward as Cullen and Fenris looked at each other both with a mixed awkward and embarrassed expression on their faces. Relationships were private and the whole world didn't need to know when one ended badly between two people who still had to work together.

Dorian wasn't sure how he felt about that reply, he could think of one person who would do better than Bull but getting Balian to him would have been nearly impossible. He relented, Khrys would never let him go alone and frankly he'd be a fool to go alone into the Magisterium when they knew he was Inquisition. "Fine."