"Urgh, my head."

She really needed to throw up somewhere. And to get a warmer blanket. And a better bed, one that didn't threaten to break her back. Or at least one that didn't break her back anymore than it was already.

Everything was hurting. It was freezing cold. The smell of her dirty armour was fresh on the other side of the room.

But she was alive. Heart beating and everything.

Suddenly a stir in her stomach came up. Sehira sharply turned to the side to hurl off the side, when her head was yanked back to the wood — "Shit!" — and the bile coming up in her throat was swallowed as fast as possible. Sehira let her hands wander behind her head, feeling the patterned horns on her head dug into the cot and a harsh headache starting to fully take shape.

"Maker, kill me now." She mumbled with a curse.

Staring at the ceiling, memories started unfurling with crisp clarity. The Pride Demon, the Breach, nearly getting her arm yanked off. The lingering pain in her shoulder could confirm the last thought. So, where was she? Not the ruins that she last saw, but a rickety shack with snow falling through a few holes in the top and a small candle weakly burning its wick to ash.

Sehira gave a pull from the wood to get her horns out, rolling her head side to side and back to forward to loosen the grip. Every few seconds she had to stop, get a quick breath and continue, completely aware of the tiny amount of strength she had left and the ache of everything, everywhere.

One last pull sent her head shooting forward with small wood chunks flying out. A spark of pain quickly shook her head and her vision became blurry and crooked. She hissed at the sudden feeling that was coming back, leaning over until it went away and slowly moving her legs off the edge of the cot to the stinging cold ground.

The fiery welts and blisters that formed from the battle cooled from the frost travelling up her feet, the patchy socks doing little to nothing when protecting against winter weather. Her shoulder ached as the familiar pain pointed to dislocation.

Almost instinctively, she pulled the limp arm into the socket with gritted teeth and shoved in in with a large crack. Moving the limb was still stiff and sore, but better than flopping against her side doing more damage to the joint.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sehira snapped her head from her arm to the squeaky sound coming from the door, to see a trembling elf with a small box in her hands and a look like she was caught pinching goods. The box quickly dropped as she tried to scramble through the door, instead tripping over a discarded stool and landing on her rear end.

"Please have mercy m'lady. I am but a humble servant!"

"It's alright, you can calm down." Sehira said, trying to keep her voice steady as the shock from the sudden noise passed.

"Lady Cassandra would want to know you've wakened. She said at once!"

"Uhh, where is she?"

"In the chantry. At once she said!"

The elf quickly shot back up as she jumped over the chair and tumbled back outside, ignoring Sehira's thanks or confused look.

Well, no time like the now.

Gently moving her legs up, she stood on wobbly feet while holding the rim of the end table. Getting steady, she quickly walked to the darkest corner of the room and hurled whatever was still in her stomach. Her throat burned as the bile came back up and she ignored the dizzy feeling coming to her head, trying to get rid of the sickness she felt in her body. She knew it was the thing on her hand, but the thought of maybe getting rid of it, that it was just something that could go away over time was enough hope she needed for the day.

Sehira gathered the casual clothes that sat by the table in the middle of the room and quickly dressed before the cold stiffened her muscles any more than they had. The grey, buttoned tunic and breeches were just about the ugliest thing she had ever seen, the 'pyjamas' looking like they were a last minute resort for her horns so she wouldn't destroy the clothing. They were rather comfortable though, so with a pair of gloves and some heavy boots added she slightly limped after the girl, keeping her arm secure without banging it on her side or the small amount of furniture around her.

The last thing Sehira expected was the large gathering around the tiny shack and the silence that smothered the crowd to a dead quiet.

A cough. Shuffling of feet. The sniff of a shivering man.

She kept her hand on the door's handle, standing still. Not believing the sight. Not understanding it.

She slowly walked down the steps, passing the guards with heads bowed and passing the scratchy looking people, talking about the strange Qunari that saved them all. 'The Herald of Andraste' circled like a flock of vultures, swooping down for any news to feed the suspicions and the myths, information on herself and the personal life that was now the public's.

Sehira's skin itched as she made her way to the largest building in the forsaken 'town' they were in, covered in chantry cloth that shouted 'look how important I am' to her head. Sehira never though she would end up going into one of these buildings that towered over every town she passed, but after the last day, or week, or…

Either way, she really couldn't have been surprised by this outcome after the shit that has been pulled over her head already.

Entering the hall was surreal as all sound and most of the cold evaporated to the intense calm of the towering room with wisps of incense snaking around the pillars. Nothing but the muffled argument at the end of the walk penetrated the silence and the scattered chantry sisters praying for salvation and hope were just another part of the atmosphere.

Sehira's hardened leather made small smacks against the carpets as the heated debate separated only by a slab of a door began to rise, the chancellor's snappy tone and Cassandra's sharp voice lunging at each other like rabid dogs. The word 'qunari' tore through the loud discussion and thankfully Cassandra defended the man's bitter talk.

Sehira didn't bother to put an ear to the door, instead entering with a chin held high in defiance.

Cassandra and Chancellor Rodrick we the only ones talking as Leliana stood to the side, obviously tired of the pursuing argument. The two of them went silent as the chancellor's red, puffy face whipped to the door and sneered when he saw Sehira entering the room.

"Chain her!" He ordered the guards manning the door. "I want her prepared for travel to the capital for trial."

She sighed through gritted teeth as the guards unsurely shuffled to her side, looking to Cassandra before they made a move they regretted. Cassandra gave a short breath as she gave a gesture to leave the room with little patience held in her face.

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." He spat.

"Same with you, Chancellor." Sehira retorted, speaking in a calm, 'matter-of-fact' voice. "She was the one that saved thousands of lives on that mountain, while you tried to shove the only hope of victory under the rug."

"Because you could have made it worse! You killed the Divine, and yet you lecture me!"

"Enough!" Cassandra roared.

The chancellor took his cue and quieted to a painless glare in Sehira's direction, something she ignored with little effort.

"The Breach is closed, is it not? Or am I still being sent to the chopping block by our favourite man-in-a-dress?

"The Breach is stable, but not sealed." Cassandra said. "And you are not being sent off to your execution, not after what you have done. For now the people are safe, but for however long, we do not know."

"What we do know however," Leliana piped in. "Is that there are much more likely suspects to the for the explosion of the conclave. Most likely someone most holy did not expect." Leliana cast a stare to the Chancellor.

Roderick exclaimed, turning his furious gaze to Leliana. "I, AM A SUSPECT?"

"You, and many others!"

"But not this, qunari savage!"

"Hey!" Sehira snapped. "I have a name, I'm not some crazed mercenary!"

"Enough!" Cassandra shouted. She gave small sigh of frustration as Roderick glared at her with shaking anger, something that looked strange with the chantry robes hanging heavy on his frame.

"I heard the voice in the temple." Cassandra calmly said. "The divine called to her for help."

"So her survival and that thing on her hand is all just a coincidence?" The chancellor retorted.

"Providence. The Maker sent her in our darkest hour."

It took a few seconds for Sehira to comprehend that statement. She was sent by the maker? No, that's impossible.

"Woah, woah, woah. You must be joking." Sehira looked at the two that had their shit together, shocked when their faces were silent but agreeing with that conclusion. "No no no, I was only at the wrong place in the wrong time, nothing looking down on us would think I was anything more than that."

"Whatever you think, I will not pretend you weren't exactly what we needed, when we needed it."

"The breach remains, and your mark is still our only hope of closing it." Leliana said as Cassandra left her side to the shadows of the room. "It-

"That is not for you to decide." The chancellor spoke with gritted teeth.

A smack on the table beside her made Sehira jump as Cassandra looked over to the man in robes.

"You know what this is, Chancellor." She said, pointing to the book she dumped down, eerily staring up at her with the singular eye and sword against the leather and metal.

"A writ from Divine Justinia, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn." Cassandra moved away from the table as she stalked to the retreating Chancellor. "We will close the breach, find those responsible and restore order, with or without your approval!"

Roderick tried to keep a stony expression, but from Sehira's personal experience with Cassandra's gaze when she is pissed off, she could tell he was already thinking about launching himself through the door.

He instead left with a weak, last-second sneer and slammed the door shut so it reopened to his march out of the chantry, ignoring the sisters watching his retreat in shock.

Sehira closed the door softly as Cassandra sighed a shaky breath and leaned against the wall.

She looks exhausted. She must have been dealing with Roderick for some time.

"We aren't ready." Leliana breathed out. "We have no leader, no numbers, and now, no chantry support!"

"But we must act now." Cassandra looked up to Sehira. "With you at our side."

Suddenly she wished she stayed in that small shack for a little longer. She rubbed her face as she looked up to the ceiling, concentrated on the cracking stone and wood to calm down from this proposal.

"I guess I'm already dead if I don't accept. Alright, I'm in.


Sehira wiped sweat away from her shoulders as the blacksmith's forge licked her back with its comfortable heat. She leaned down to inspect the sword in her hands, checking for any chips left forgotten from the whetstone. Only a small amount of jagged pieces were left and small enough to not be an issue.

The iron and leather grip sat snuggly in her palm and the blade was smooth to the touch. Running her finger across the edge showed the sword was in good quality as she wrapped the finger in a small cloth to stop the bleeding and wiped the blood off the sword with the snow around her.

Sehira stood up and swung the weapon around, testing the weight and speed. It moved in a blur and felt as light as a feather, exactly what she was going for. She could see from the corner of her eye the blacksmith eyeing the craftsmanship with an upturned brow, only ending up giving a small scowl and returning to his own designs.

Finishing the sword, Sehira now had her set as she picked up the shield at her feet and shifted to a battle stance in her new armour. The armour in question was as simple as she could make it, with an iron breastplate,
leather by each shoulder and knee while everything left was covered up with a light chainmail. Hardened druffalo hide made up the gloves and some of the boots, keeping the left over iron as some great kicking power on the tips of her feet. All of this was hidden by her large leather coat that was left at haven before the Conclave explosion.

Sehira sunk back to her seat and took in the coat, its feeing, smell, anything. All of it reminded her of home, Bruche and Nayrie with Ash nipping at her heels, and life before it got complicated with magic, conspiracies and demons. Sehira thanked the maker for the small miracle of finding some treasured pieces, like the coat or her mother's pendant. Even that damned lute.

She still remembered Cassandra with that small frown, sympathy written all over. Knowing that was it, all that was left in Sehira's old life. She was still numb to it all, just expecting the shock to fully kick in any moment.

Waiting until she finally broke.

...


Chapter 3, said and done! Please do comment something if you like it or if you don't, I can take some criticism. Constructive criticism, pls don't be meanies. Have a good day/night/? and may you always have bacon at your side! :)