"Where are you taking me?" Morrigan was extremely curious. First, she never had been to that side of Skyhold before, second, because the Inquisitor went for her personally in the middle of the night and asked her to accompany him.
Those two things combined were more than enough to grab someone's interest. She was no exception.
"You will see." It was his sole answer, never looking back at her. He kept awfully focused on the path ahead of them, blazing torch at hand while they navigated through the dark and cold stone corridors.
The witch then stopped on her tracks while irritatingly crossing her arms over her chest. There was no way he would keep dragging her around without saying the exact purpose or destination. "I'll ask again, where are you taking me?"
He spared a glance over his shoulder when her steps ceased, before finally turning to her. "We are almost there. See for yourself, it will be worth it!" His tone filled with a mixture of eagerness and annoyance.
Not one to easily give him, she merely narrowed her eyes at him. "I've made you a question, my lord. 'Tis enough that I had agreed with your little tour to the Free Marches without knowing the true purpose." The apostate stood defiantly.
It was his time to show some defiance, so John began walking to her, his eyes scanning her thoroughly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, during which she did not even flinch, he sighed. It was a lost battle after all.
"We are going to the Undercroft, the armory." He answered while resuming his walking.
She opted to accompany him, but the shapeshifter was far from convinced. Another doubt popped inside her mind. "Why at this time? Besides, the armory is at the courtyard."
"We are here." Trevelyan ignored her question, likely deeming it unnecessary since they arrived.
She pressed her lips into a thin line, showing hints of anger, but it was over as quick as it arrived when her quizzical eyes met a massive wooden door past him. Hammering noises coming from within the room, together with an occasional spark flying through the slits between the boards of the door.
As if noticing the exponential increase of her curiosity, he opened the door to reveal its contents.
Immediately afterwards he roared to one of the undercroft's inhabitants. "Harritt, what are you doing this time of the day?" While approaching the man in question and giving him a firm pat on the back.
"Final preparations to your equipment, your worship." He spoke, motioning to his tools in the meantime. "It is always like this whenever you are about to go on a trip."
They exchanged a few more sentences, but Morrigan payed them no mind. She was too busy being impressed by the inside of the chamber.
It was a big compartment, filled with state of the art tools and gadgets. Large tables stood side by side, each with a specific objective, ranging from producing potion to assembling armors and all equipped accordingly.
She was so distracted that she didn't even notice a small figure examining her.
"Hi there." A rather cheerful voice startled her. The apostate then quickly began seeking the source of it.
Of course, she would never guess that her eyes would need to look a little bit lower to find it.
A frustrated cough drew her focus to a place closer to the floor. "Oh, greetings." The mage said, finally seeing the dwarf that approached her. "I'm sorry, I was distracted."
"Nah, don't worry, I've spent my first month here doing the exact same thing. Too many cool stuff right? I'm Dagna by the way." She presented herself, offering her right hand and a large grim.
The shapeshifter eyed it for a moment, previous experiences with dwarves made her wary of the race, especially with their hygiene habits. However, that one seemed nice and clean enough. Therefore, she accepted the handshake with a small smile. "Morrigan."
"Tell me, Dagna, what is your purpose down here?" She questioned, resuming her sightseeing at the armory.
"I'm the Inquisition's arcanist, this is my working place, where I help craft enchanted weapons and masterworks." That surprisingly retort startled the witch even more than before. "Come again?"
"This is my working place, this are my hammers, my tables." The arcanist complied innocently, unware that her first words actually caused that reaction.
"You, an arcanist?" Morrigan was straightforward, no use being subtle, especially with her interest reaching its peak.
Dagna hesitated for a moment, slightly offended, probably finally reaching the same conclusion that her. "Well, yeah. I've been studying magic for my whole life."
"But you are a dwarf." Yes, the mage was definitely not subtle.
"You don't have to remind me of that." The dwarf pouted, even though it was only momentary, because soon afterwards she was back to her buoyant self. "I can't use magic, but I can still understand it. Like. I can tell that you are a mage, because there are many traces on your body that indicates you draw power from the Fade. You just need to look, and want to see and learn. And your robes kind of give it away." The last part was barely a whisper.
"Impressive." The apostate admitted. Dagna's determination, even with her own limitations, was a sign of strength that she admired greatly.
The arcanist beamed, hearing such words coming from a mage surely gave a boost to her pride. 'The Inquisition have some good folk working for them.' Morrigan thought, more fondly than usual, perhaps her time with the Inquisition was softening her a bit. "Can you show me your work?" She was genuinely interested.
If the dwarf's smile was already big, after the question it reached a completely new level, almost illuminating the whole room.
She was about to commence a complete tour around her belongings when Dagna suddenly froze, her expression clearly showing that she had remembered something once forgotten.
"Come here." She grabbed her hand and darted towards a specific table while shouting. "Inquisitor! Inquisitor, I have something to show you!"
John was entertained with the testing of his new grappling chain, apparently made of dragon bone. However, her cries easily drew his attention, for the great annoyance of Harritt, apparently the blacksmith and the arcanist shared a comical rivalry down there.
"By all means Dagna, show me." The Herald stated, putting his new toy aside and walking in her direction, stopping right besides Morrigan. She had to confess that she was also tempted to see whatever it was.
The dwarf then picked up a greatsword from under the table, struggling with its enormous size compared to hers. After dropping it quite clumsily atop a table, she proceeded to explain her work. "I finished with your sword, Inquisitor, it is definitely one of the finest weapons ever crafted and the magic in it feels old and quite dangerous. Anyway, I made some enhancements and tinkering. You should try it out."
The apostate took the chance to examine the object, a curved greatsword, its grip beautifully adorned with gems and gold, its razor sharp blade could probably cut anything, but what really drew her attention was an elven word magically scribed at the side of it. 'Sulevin.' She was quite prolific at speaking elven, but the meaning of that particular word escaped her.
The young man picked it up effortlessly with a single hand, impressing both women. "Purpose." He murmured happily. "Ha, now that I can understand elven I finally discovered the meaning of this."
Suddenly a spark flow from the grip of the sword towards the blade, and in less than a second the whole of it was on fire, crackling and burning, but with no smoke, it was surely magical. "Woah, nice!" The Inquisitor spoke, not fazed by the heat emanating from his weapon and swinging it side to side to test its balance.
"Yeah, this part is mine. I enchanted the sword with an extremely powerful fire rune, it should help a lot." Dagna explained enthusiastically.
After a few more seconds of careless swinging a flaming sword inside a closed room, John finally put it away, but not before speaking with his arcanist. "This is amazing Dagna, thank you very much."
"No problem Inquisitor." She nodded to him. "Now I have a new shipment of runes that arrived this morning to study, I can't wait to use them! See ya." Soon she was across the room, opening crates after crates and pilling them high.
The blacksmith sighed, while walking towards a table besides her, resuming his work on an imposing red armor.
That left them both relatively alone in the corner.
"You can't even imagine how much shit I went through to get this sword here." John commenced and the apostate felt he was about to start a long story, but one that was surely interesting. Ancient elven lore was one of her favorites. "Come, I have something for you."
That left her a little saddened, but surely, there would be time to tell stories later, so she followed him to another section of the room, one that Morrigan did not see before.
Dozens of swords, shields, daggers, axes, bows and staffs neatly organized on a large wall, all of them shining and ready for use, but none simply created. She felt magic emitting from many of them, purpose and history. Those were not simple weapons, each one felt unique and especial, but more importantly, each felt extremely powerful. 'Quite a collection.' She wondered inside her mind.
"I've traveled a lot during the last few months, duty taking me to many amazing places. These are all the artifacts I've collected during those trips, many of them were really hard to get." The warrior explained while motioning to the wall.
The apostate scoffed while checking a particular staff. "I would never expect you to be a patron of historical artifacts. A hard man like you, fond of hitting things, an owner of an admirable collection."
A smile was his only answer for a few moments, while he followed her gaze. "It helps you know. Collecting them provided me with a hobby and learning from them gave me a distraction. Both I welcomed dearly while fighting to save this world."
"It seems we share an interest, my lord Inquisitor." She spoke gently, that man never ceased to impress her.
They kept an eye contact for a while. When Trevelyan finally spoke once more, it was to make another unexpected offer. "Well, take your pick."
"You are joking." The surprised witch of the wilds retorted quickly, not believing his good will to part with any of those ancient items.
His laughter made the others look at them for a moment, before resuming their respective works. "Really, it is one of the many benefits of being my companion. Free mighty weapons." He said, stepping aside and allowing her full view of the wall.
She rose an eyebrow while eyeing him quizzically, after satisfied with his genuine intentions, she allowed herself to enthusiastically examine each of those staffs.
The apostate did try to hide her happiness, but apparently, the sharp man saw through her deception. The big smile and the smug look that appeared on his face was quite telling.
She rolled her eyes with his antics, but decided to focus on the arsenal ahead of her. Yellow eyes scanning each staff, feeling, sensing. The magic flared vigorously around them, and that made her wonder if the Inquisitor would be aware of the true power those weapons held.
Suddenly, one particular crackle on the Fade attracted her gaze slightly to the left.
There, atop a quite modest pedestal, stood an impressive weapon, three silver dragons' heads, twisting around each other to form the shape of a staff.
"This is new. Didn't have time to catalogue and study it properly." He explained from her side, likely seeing her interest in that one.
She kept a fixed look on it for a while, before inquiring about it. "How you stumbled upon such a weapon?"
John paused for a moment, recalling the chain of events that led him to it. "Actually, it was a gift, and you were present!" He finished with a surprised snort.
Morrigan turned to face him, bearing a confused expression while trying to remember anything.
"Back at the Temple of Mythal, Calpernia gave it to me after I revealed Corypheus' true plan." His words were enough to refresh her memories.
"I was not present when you confronted her." She explained and he chuckled when realizing his mistake. "Yeah, you were too busy touring around the Temple as a raven."
Her jaw clenched, how he dared to diminish her aid as a mere tour. "I was pursuing a potential threat to the Well of Sorrows!" Her tone was fierce, anger building slowly inside her.
"Sure, but you did miss a dangerous portion of the battle." The Herald explained, and there was something about his intonation that seemed to ridicule her.
She took a step towards him while placing an accusing finger on his chest. "What are you implying? That I was trying to flee. My sole purpose was to spare the Well from any harm that might had come to it, if you cannot see that, then 'tis your problem." Morrigan replied angrily, turning away from him and the staff, getting ready to leave the room.
"We arrived there at the same time. All I am saying is that, in the end, it didn't made the slightest differen-." His voice was serene and intense, nevertheless, it was still cut short by hers. "This discussion is over. I will not have you question the integrity of my intentions back at the Temple."
As quick as she interrupted him, the mage left, not looking behind and only guessing the look on everyone's face. Although, at the back of her mind, she wondered if she had overreacted.
'Of course not.' She thought, her pride getting the best of her once more.
Another chilly day atop the mountains. That was the usual prospect for the day at Skyhold. The castle was surely comfortable, but the cold would be ever present there. Actually, Morrigan was already getting used to it. It did not disturb her nearly as much as once did.
Therefore, while she walked atop the fortress' battlements, the only thing that was fazing her was the probable satisfaction on John's face when he finally spotted her.
Surely, after last night events, he would never expect her to still accompany him to the Free Marches, but the apostate was not one to take her compromises for granted, and so, there she was. The morning barely starting while she headed towards the rendezvous point atop the main gate.
She spared a glance to the foot of the mountain. The sun was emerging from within the massive camp besides the frozen river. It impressed her how it shrunk ever since Corypheus demise, but only a fool would challenge the Inquisition, even when many of their followers left after the fight was over. Their strength still gave pause to nations, but more importantly, the hand that guided it was now more powerful than ever, and his power would only grow.
Perhaps a chance to bask on his glory was not such a bad idea after all.
Her wondering ceased when a glimpse of red caught her focus, Trevelyan's armor. The shapeshifter never really understood why such a flashy color, although she did remember him saying something about scaring his enemies. Vanity was her best guess.
He was engaged in a casual talk with the mage from Qarinus, Dorian Pavus, his style was overly extravagant, but his skill was unquestionable, as his resolve in changing his country.
Then it was time to Varric emerge from a staircase nearby, soon followed by Cole. The dwarf always posed like a know it all, it annoyed her sometimes, but his kindness and goodwill were always there. The spirit boy was a tricky fellow, she always doubted that something like him could even exist, and there he was, fighting side by side with the Inquisitor, constantly helping everyone.
They all put some duffle bags on the floor, no doubt their supplies for the long trip ahead. For some reason that simple motion sent goose bumps through her body. The witch hated to admit, but she was excited with their adventure, it had been too long since she last traveled like that.
The last few steps in the group's direction were quick ones and just as she reached them, his eyes immediately met hers. Morrigan saw surprise in them, although not as much as she expected. However, what really aroused her curiosity was the glint of happiness accompanying it. The young man was clearly glad she came.
"Now we have the famous Witch of the Wilds alongside us, such a pleasant company, I hope you enjoy troubles and hardships, those two kind of follow us around." Dorian was the first to speak to her amidst a smirk, if it was frustration or just his own way of speaking, she was not sure.
Suddenly, Cole rose in front of her, almost like a shadow, deep eyes looking straight at her soul. When he opened his mouth to talk she feared what he would say. "Can you transform into a bird again?"
The apostate did not have the time to answer, both due to her bewilderment with such an unforeseen request and to a loud sigh echoing from beside her, drawing her attention once more.
"Don't worry about it, okay? You get used to the weirdness in a few days." Varric's voice was as deep as she remembered. "I don't know what our illustrious leader said to have you on board, but welcome anyway."
"So, everyone's here, good, now let us head to the stables." The Inquisitor commanded, earning a nod from everyone, including her.
At first, he led the way, but after a few moments, he slowed his pace. His older companions eventually went ahead of him, all already knowing the procedures that preceded an expedition.
The apostate was the last one of the party and when she finally reached him, the young warrior resumed his normal rate of speed.
"I wasn't expecting you to show up." He explained, and she jeered in return, ever so defensive. "I am not one to take my commitments lightly, if I said I would follow you, I will."
He rose his hands with her aggressive behavior, laughing heartedly in the meantime. Then, John murmured a thank you, before adding slightly irritated. "But you didn't allow me to finish last night."
Her silence was enough proof that she was actually listening whatever he had to say. "I was worried, after you left in pursuit, everything went to chaos, Guardians and Venatori almost brought the Temple down over our heads. I feared what could happen to you alone."
There was sincerity in his words, it was enough to left her somewhat speechless. That man was always so forthcoming with her, why? Moreover, what was he to her? Honestly, he was merely a mean to an end, a tool that would prevent Corypheus from destroying the world, her world. However, that was before, when everything started. Maybe it was getting a bit more complicated than that now.
Those troublesome thoughts brought something new to her heart, guilt. Indeed, they were getting closer, they spent most of the final days of the campaign against Corypheus together, planning, even fighting. Then he asked her to follow him. Trainings came, afternoons isolated from the rest of the world, only both of them. She even found his eagerness and clumsiness endearing sometimes. On top of that, Morrigan always respected him, in spite of his decisions that went against hers, which were not few.
Still, she decided not to linger on those questions.
It all happened within a heartbeat, for her at least. They were almost reaching their destination by the time she realized the silence and his intensive gaze.
The witch was quick to dismiss his concern, but was not fully able to disguise her affliction with the situation. "You need not worry about me. I have lived most of my life on my own, 'twas no challenge and will never be.
His expression showed his doubt about her answer, but regardless of that, he changed the subject, for her great delight. "Anyway, I don't think you are properly equipped for our journey." The warrior stated, his eyes examining her revealing robes and the rather small bundle of belongings she was carrying. Then, he looked at his own heavy armor and thick great bear cloak, not to mention the 22 pounds bag.
"This is not my first adventure, Inquisitor. Besides, I've come and gone from Skyhold more than once." She retorted, her lighter side mocking him, while placing her things besides one of the horses that awaited them.
The nobleman sighed with her stubbornness and without a word, removed his cloak and placed it on her shoulders.
Before she could protest, however, a set of strong hands grabbed her waist and hoisted her high enough to place her on the saddle.
Her cheeks quickly reddened with the unnecessary show John just pulled. He simply laughed and in the meantime secured her bundle to the right side of the horse.
After satisfied, he went for his one and with a simple and fluid movement, he was atop of the creature, regardless of his heavy armor.
One Inquisition soldier brought his greatsword and his personalized helmet. She recognized it from the marching at the Arbor Wilds, a Free Marches helmet, tinted with bloodstone. The Herald equipped both of them and was ready to leave, as were his companions.
"To the Storm Coast!" He ordered, and even muffled by the helmet, his voice was loud and clear.
With that, they were of, starting the long descent of the Frostbacks.
After a few minutes, the shapeshifter looked behind. Skyhold decreasing in size while she wondered quite hungrily what awaited them.
A/N: I am so sorry! I don't even know where to start my apology. I was away, then I returned and was writing in my free time, which is not much. But I also decided to finish the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, so it kept me busy, then The Descent came and soon after I finished it, the Trespasser came! (Yes, bioware is quite successful in extorting my hard earned money). I won't give spoilers about any of them now, but they messed up many of my post-game headcannons! But they also gave me many, many, many ideas! And I'm far from beeing a good author that can organize his ideas properly, so, everything came rushing inside my head, I couldn't decide anything! I started to get ahead of myself, think about sequels, time-skips, one-shots, before even writing the next chapter, it also interefered with my other fiction. Total Chaos. Anyway, it is not a proper excuse. I'm sorry, I'm slowly getting my shit together and hopefully I'll be able to write normally again soon. I don't know about this chapter, I enjoyed it and also think it is not quite good. I just hope you will like it! Give me your opinion! Sorry for the A/N, but you deserved an explanation.