The storm had been raging on for two days now and the unending downpour splashed and whipped against the grey walls of Skyhold with ferocity even the Elder One could envy. Ellena sat in her bed and watched the rain drops splatter against the window of her small room and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Not that there was anything to complain about. She felt much better since Merrill had showed up and began her treatment. Even the terrible, bitter taste of the potions which she'd had to take every four hours was something Ellena could easily deal with. What made her sigh a second time was a lack of company.

To be more precise, the now recovering elf missed Cullen dearly. But it had seemed that a lot of things were happening around and the ex-templar was needed elsewhere. Actually Ellena remembered that this time his duties had sent him away with a small forward party to secure a hold for the Inquisition in a region called Emprise du Lion. Before his departure he had visited her once to reassure her that the trip would not take more than a week and that by the time of his return they'd spend some time alone together as he had hoped that Ellena would be fully healed.

Well the promised week was overdue three days ago and the overall mood of the large keep was that of an impending bad news and Ellena decided that sitting in her bed was not doing her any good. She had to at least get up and pass the time somehow to silence the worried, tiny voice in her head. The first step to her full recovery was now to go and make herself presentable again. After spending so many days and nights in bed and fighting the fever the elf felt that it was a high time for a good bath else when Cullen returns he might reconsider his idea about spending his private time in her company.

Thankfully the workers who poured into the fortress from all over the country had been more than efficient and quick in their repairs of the ancient buildings. Most of the roofs were now fixed and from the regular updates Ellena received from Merrill the amount of pots and jars used to battle the leaking had been substantially smaller than the previous week. This improvement left enough workforce with spare time which was now utilized by the Ambassador who insisted that they could not live in Skyhold without functioning bath house and so yesterday brought not only heavy strings of grey rain and raging winds but also the news about the bath being finished and to the joy of most of the women in the fortress a small appointed group of the mages managed to break through the lower layers of the mountain and opened free two hot springs which now merrily brought warm water for the use of bathing, cleaning and laundry.

And so with these thoughts in mind Ellena gathered what little clothes she's had and headed out through the inner corridors which winded up and down through the massive walls of Skyhold and led her deep down into now dark and silent bath house. Massive stone steps carved into the mountain itself by the powers of the mages and the local stonemasons led her into the cavern like room which served as a dressing room and was now silent, empty and mostly cold as the fire in the large fireplace at the opposite side of the wall was nothing more than a few flicking embers, most likely a remainder of someone who had previously visited the place to relax in the warmth of the hot spring water.

Ellena quickly crossed the room and layed her clothes into a neat pile on one of the makeshift, wooden benches and draped only in a towel tiptoed quickly over to the door leading into the spacious room which contained three pools carved into the stone floor itself. It took a bit of looking around before she could find the wooden switch which was connected to some strange contraption in the walls but soon enough a stream of hot water started to flow in through the wooden pipes and into the nearest pool. Ellena let out a small sigh of relief as the steam started to warm the spacious room up and soon enough she found herself submerged in the steamy bath up to her chin and lost in the thoughts while her whole body appreciated the relaxation.

The first and the most heavy thought on Ellena's mind was her place in all this. Since their settling down in Skyhold things have taken a bit more serious note, that much she could tell despite her illness, and because of it she mused that the time will soon come when she would have to go out into the world again and help out with the Rifts. That worried her, not because of the possible dangers but because she swore to herself during their fight in the Templar Stronghold that she would try to do her best. But so far there was no opportunity for that. One thing was certain, she needed someone who could teach her how to defend herself and possibly how to fight back, she strictly refused to be burden on these people anymore.

Yet who could she ask? Solas or any other mage were out of question, she had no talent for magical arts at all. Then there were Varric and Cassandra. Granted the dwarf did offer a help but somehow Ellena suspected that his help would mostly consist of learning how to shoot things from the distance. Even though Bianca was an impressive weapon Ellena's had a hard time imagining herself with a similar crossbow and shooting enemies in a rapid succession same as she's seen Varric do. Such fine arts and quick aiming was not really something she could excel at at all.

As for Cassandra, the Seeker was the front line fighter. Heavy built and strong and with the focus on serving as a living shield for her allies. That was actually the same for Blackwall. And certainly something Ellena knew would not serve her well. No matter how she twisted or turned it, her built and height were not meant for the front lines and heavy armours and shields.

With these thoughts in mind she slowly moved across the warm pool and found a tray of common soaps at the edge near one of the jars with the cold water. Who else could be there to train her? Certainly not Cullen, the Command of the Inquisition has proven time and again that he was too worried about her safety and should something happen to her during the training he would have never forgiven himself. Not to mention that Ellena had a nagging feeling that he would not quite approve of her sudden change of education.

A sudden noise from the other room brought her from her musings and just now did she realize just how noisy a group of people outside must have been. The voices bounced off the walls and it made it quite impossible for Ellena to guess just how many people had suddenly decided to visit the baths. And there was nowhere to run to now so the only logical thing she could think of was to move to the farthest side of the pool and hope for the water to hide her from nose down.

"I'm sure you'll love the place Beth. And truth be told you could use a bit of a down time."

The first voices filtered through the echoes and carried over a lightly amused tone underlined with a small laughter.

"I am still not sure about this." Another voice replied and this time Ellena could distinctly hear the light accent of Merrill's speech.

"No one will be down there. I made sure about it." The first voice broke the silence again and was followed by a third also unfamiliar one.

"Lets just be done with this. The Commander mentioned the council meeting in one hour after all and he was rather adamant about you Hawke to be there."

That peaked Ellena's interest. Could it be that she had missed Cullen's return? Well wouldn't that be a typical turn of events if after being so worried he'd arrived the moment she stepped into the bath house?

"Fine, fine sis. And here I thought we might try the bubble soap which Josephine gave us the other day."

As the voice grew louder Ellena awkwardly shifted in the water and in a rather quick burst of paniced thoughts about either running away somehow or at least announcing her presence almost slipped and disappeared under the water surface. Both options were rendered useless the moment the trio entered the bath with glowing lanterns in hands which easily filled the room with enough light to immediately reveal her location.

"Now, what have we here?" The woman which the previous conversation identified as Hawke stepped forward with a playful smile on her face and raised her dark eyebrows slightly.

"I..I apologize Madam, I had no idea the place was reserved." Ellena stuttered slightly and defensively wrapped her arms around her chest.

"Ah, hello Ellena." Merrill cheerfully waved from behind Hawke and pushed herself to the front.

"No worries. There is enough room for all of us." The last woman entered the room and Ellena noticed that there was some resemblance between her and Hawke. Probably the eyes.

"Bethany is right. No need to fuss about it. And here I forgot the manners again. I am Mariann Hawke and this is my sister Bethany. And Merrill you know." Hawke smiled in a kind way and without further delay tossed her towel aside and walked into the water pool.

Again the casual ways with which others addressed her and behaved around her made Ellena happy and confused at the same time. Although each day her confidence grew stronger.

"Pardon me...but I have overheard you talk about the Commander and the council meeting? Does it mean that he is back?" the tevinter elf forced her voice to sound at least partially confident and prayed that the small trembles were not audible too much.

"Ah yes. The Emprise du Lion party has just returned perhaps half an hour ago. They confirmed that the Red Templars have numerous bases there. And do not worry, the Commander is unharmed." Hawke grinned at Ellena knowingly and motioned for her sister and Merrill to join them in the bath.

"I wonder what this meeting is about. It sounded rather urgent." Bethany mused out loud and soon joined the two other women in the pool on the side from Hawke with a relaxed sigh.

"Well Varric wouldn't tell me. But he was running around grinning like mad so I suppose it is something important and probably also something which will in some way screw up with any plans I might have had for the future. You know him." The older Hawke sister shifted slightly in the water and reached out for the soap cakes on the side of the pool.

Meanwhile Ellena noticed that Merrill seemed rather hesitant to join them as the dark haired elven woman stood slightly awkward at the side of the pool still covered in a fluffy white towel.

"So Ellena I've heard a great deal about your mark and your miraculous escape from Haven, why don't you tell us the whole story?" Hawke interrupted the silence and waved Merrill closer to sit down at the side of the bath.

"Well...there is really not much to say Madam. I am not even sure what has really happened." Ellena replied rather nervously and kept her eyes at the small waves which marred the water surface.

"First of all drop the Madam, call me Hawke or Mariann like everyone else." Hawke smiled and moved across the water closer to the elf to casually put her arm around her shoulders in an almost sisterly manner. "And second, I am sure that you can tell us what has happened in Haven, I mean Cullen doesn't know and you were the only one there, come on. Don't force Merrill to go all puppy eyed on you, there is no resisting to that." Mariann chuckled happily.

Perhaps it was the easy going attitude the famous Champion of Kirkwall has had around her but Ellena suddenly felt quite relaxed in her new company and so without further convincing started to recount all that she could remember. How she woke up in Haven with the strange mark with only a faintest of memories about running from something and towards a woman made out of the pure light. It felt good when she noticed that all six eyes were glued to her every word and surprisingly Hawke has proven to be the best audience. She gasped at the right moments, when Ellena told them about their first journey towards the Breach. She also got all worked up when the story shifted to the events at the Terinfall Redoubt. But when was the time to tell them about the last moments in Haven and Leliana Ellena could not bring herself to do it. Instead she made some more or less vague retelling of her encounter with the Elder One and could feel the shiver creeping up her spine at those horrible memories. Luckily Bethany was the one to remember time and reminded everyone that their leisure time was almost up.

"Thank you for the story Ellena." Bethany said with a smile before she hurried for her clothes into the other room followed quickly by Merrill who stuttered her own thanks still a bit wide eyed from the story.

"You should come with us by the way. I am sure that Cullen would be more than glad to see you and after all you have the mark. I think it will do you good to be in the front seats for a while, so to speak." Hawke smiled and upon leaving the pool wrapped herself in the towel. "We are meeting at the great hall, please meet us there and no worries if anyone objects I will tell them that you have my personal invitation."

"Uhm..Hawke?" Ellena suddenly called out her voice trembled slightly in nervousness.

"Mhm?" Was a quick answer as Mariann quickly ran her fingers through her short cut dark hair to shake out the water droplets.

"I was just thinking...I have heard stories about you and well...if it wouldn't be too much trouble, do you think that you could...show me how to fight with a sword like you do?" Ellena almost gasped at her own daring confidence but it was too late now to take her words back.

"No problem. I'll get Fenris to help us out too. He is even better with a sword than I am. Don't worry Ellena, if you need training we will make sure that you can keep the enemies away from yourself." Hawke grinned with a cheerful wink and hurried out to catch up with Merrill and Bethany.


Then minutes later Ellena found herself standing slightly uncomfortable at the nearest fireplace in the Great hall with a mug of ale in one hand and an apple tart in the other both curtesy of Varric's who was currently entertaining her as well as Solas and Fenris with a tale of one of his many exploits in the past. This one apparently entailed a rather long and intricate story about a turnip merchant, an adventurer and a hundred liter barrel of milk.

The noise from the outside brought in a tell tale sign that the inhabitants of Skyhold were slowly gathering for some sort of ceremony and Ellena could feel the mood thick with some sort of expectations. Yet no one seemed to know for sure what was about to happen or they were not keen on sharing the details and the Inquisition's Council was no where to be found same as both Hawke sisters who were also suspiciously absent.

"Dears I do apologize for interrupting such an intricate story but Lady Ambassador had just informed me that we are all expected outside at the steps." The silky voice of Madame de Fer interrupted Varric's story in its glorious finale and the dwarf gave the Royal Enchantress one narrow look before he waved at his friends with a sigh and a shrug.

Skyhold's courtyard was packed with every inhabitant standing in lines below the large stone steps. Before them stood Cullen in his full armour, his hair slightly tousled with wind and as Ellena noticed his cheeks were gruff with a slight stubble apparently his journey to Emprise du Lion left no spare time for taking care of that. But she admitted to herself that the slightly disheveled look of the ex-templar was more than becoming him.

The whole group which left the Great Hall silently gathered at the steps and Ellena had a good vantage point to oversee both the gathering and now the arriving Inquisition's Council. Cassandra looked quite happy, probably the happiest as far as Ellena could judge and behind her slowly followed Leliana who carried a very large and very old looking sword half wrapped in a white cloth. To her right walked now very thoughtfully looking Hawke and the small group was closed by Lady Montyliet and Bethany at the back.

"The Inquisition requires a leader. The one who has already been leading and has proven many times her reliability in politics and battles alike." Cassandra's voice suddenly pierced the thick silence which hung around the courtyard and she stepped forward with Hawke following her. "You." The Seeker turned towards the Champion of Kirkwall with a burning gaze of her eyes and slightly bowed her head in recognition.

"You were there when this all started in Kirkwall. You have helped to shape the fate of all Thedas and we turn to you in our hour of need to ask you for leadership." Cassandra continued her speech and meanwhile Ellena could hear growing murmurs from the crowd below. But murmurs and whispers of excitement rather than discontent. At least that much was clear. "Will you accept?"

"Corypheus will never let us live in peace. We have seen this before and we can see this now. He intends to be a God and he must be stopped. But I cannot do this alone." Hawke suddenly beckoned with her hand towards the group at the steps and someone nudged Ellena slightly forward. She stumbled a bit before she looked around confused but saw reassuring smiles from her friends and the crowd below as well as Hawke's outstretched hand towards her.

"This woman has been given the Mark to give us all hope and a fighting chance. She has been chosen by Andraste herself to help us in our direst need." Hawke continued her speech but at the same time made sure that Ellena now stood next to her and gave her a small nod of encouragement. "She stood up against many dangers and ensured that the skies which have been torn apart are now whole again. I am asking you all, will you follow the Inquisition?"

The last words were shouted loudly across the whole courtyard and the crowd below erupted in a loud mass of cheers and cries for battle. The only person present who did not share the collective joy was Leliana who stood as if hit by lightning, her hand still grasping the enormous sword, her knuckles turning white.

"Inquisition will you follow? Will you fight?" Cullen's voice suddenly rose above the loud cheering and Ellena could see the bright flash of his unsheathed sword as he gloriously lifted it towards the skies the crowd behind him exploding in cries of agreement. "Your leader and your Herald, the Inquisitors!"

Ellena let out a small gasp of surprise as the whole situation dawned on her but it was too late. Cassandra took the sword from Leliana and offered it to Hawke who wrapped her fingers over the elf's small hand and with a surprising strength rose their both arms to the skies with the gleaming sword pointing upwards and reflecting a sudden ray of golden evening sun. And Ellena's whole world drowned in a cacophony of cheers and joyous cries all around them.