The Revered Mother dropped like a sack of wheat as the templar shook his hand to get rid of the blood on his knuckles and stepped over the cowering woman to the Lord Seeker's side. Sehira didn't need to have second thoughts as she jumped up to the platform to help the sisters and brothers surrounding their leader.
"Stay still, Revered Mother. That man may have broken your nose."
Footsteps sounded behind Sehira from the Lord Seeker's direction, before a sharp growl stopped the help from coming as the steps meekly returned back. The regal command made her face scrunch up from habit, like with every snobby noble with such a voice. From Cassandra's report, Seeker Lucius was a decent man with honourable intentions, but that assumption had all but dried away from the presentation they were giving.
"I'm sure this pleases you greatly, Herald."
"If it did, would I be treating your wound?"
"Humph."
"I didn't think so."
The woman thankfully remained silent as Sehira checked for how much damage the asshole did. Luckily the nose wasn't broken but rather just hurt enough to be bleeding. It was probably just bruised quite mildly. Reaching into her coat's pocket she grabbed a small amount of emergency bandages and wiped the excess blood from her nostrils.
"Just keep the cloth at the bleeding point and it will stop over time."
The Revered Mother gave a quick nod and a quiet thank you to Sehira's retreating figure. Getting up she could see the Lord Seeker scowling dead set on her with a concerned looking templar by his side and a dirty looking man that bore the order's armour but none of the spirit.
"Lord Seeker."
Sehira tore her gaze from the man to see Cassandra approaching with apprehension rightly given. He chose that time to retreat down the steps of the platform with his head high and ignoring any passersby that scrambled back from his stride.
"Lord Seeker Lucius," Cassandra repeated with more strength while trailing behind him. "It's imperative that we speak with-"
"You will not address me." He almost snarled.
"Lord Seeker?"
"Creating a heretical movement, raising a puppet as the 'herald of Andraste', you should be ashamed!"
Sehira raised an eyebrow with little care for the bitter tone, one that was already wasted on her by the man-in-a-dress back at Haven. If all such leaders of the Seekers of Truth were like the pompous ass, it made her think on why Cassandra was a part of it. Sure, she may have began as a young, cocksure woman who was blind to all of the bullshit shown, but why stay after such displays? She sure as hell wouldn't have.
"What are you doing then?" Sehira asked. "Abandoning the chantry and leaving to begin a battle that will only cause more death? Abandoning good men and women that scramble in fear for help?"
"The templars are doing their divine given duty." He barked. "While you snivel and hide amongst blood mages and demons, ignoring their blight on the world, you only leap like ravenous dogs to snatch power from the chantry. You are too late to appeal to them. The only destiny that demands respect is mine!"
This was the man that led the order?
"You have shown me nothing, the Inquisition, less than nothing! Templars, Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection, we march!"
With that he spun on his heels with an army of templars following suit, leaving from Val Royeaux with a bang and a frightened empire in the aftermath. Already sullen looks from the surrounding merchants and horrified gasps from the masked men and women were let loose as the company were out of earshot.
"Charming fellow, isn't he?" Varric drily chimed.
Cassandra shook her head to the ground, thoughts running on her face. "Has the Lord Seeker gone mad!?"
"I don't know. But I'm not surprised about the bloody templars following him. They've got their heads stuck so far in the dirt, they would probably kill an innocent if ordered." Her voice dropped to a mutter. "They might as well have for abandoning the city." She looked up to the White Spire that stuck out in the distance, empty of mages, and now templars. It would probably continue being empty for some time, no matter if the circles return to full force.
"There must surely be others in the order who don't feel as he does." A tiny bit of doubt lingered in Cassandra's voice.
Sehira couldn't hide the unsure look on her face. "Maybe. I guess I just am speaking from personal thought."
"You do not like templars it seems."
"No Solas, I just don't like idiots. However it so happens that their order it filled to the brim with such people. Unfortunately."
To her surprise, Solas, the straight faced mage, laughed.
"I agree, though in far less colourful words."
"Glad to hear."
A small grunt of annoyance quickly sounded as Cassandra stepped up though the two of them.
"Don't be so quick to discount the good templars have done."
"But, Seeker, that gets rid of the fun."
Cassandra let out a disgusted sigh as Varric just grinned away and Solas watched with a quirked eyebrow. Sehira sighed and began to prepare, to prepare for a long, long day.
And so it begins...
Val Royeaux. The grand city in the heart of Orlais. It was without a doubt allowed to hold that title, the pure white stonework and organised vegetation that sparsely grew upon the buildings shining in the light. Smells of sweet fruits and fish wafted through the air with only a hint of sewage and rubbish hiding beneath, the people oblivious to the simple pleasures of the city. The evening's sun was also very comfortable in the slight winds that washed through, making Sehira raise her coat's sleeves a bit to take in the stable warmth. It struck her skin with a soft tap across her arms, like the yellow in the sky was backing her steps.
But even though she knew she stood in a picture of beauty, she still longed for the open fields of Fereldan and the savoury tastes and smells. They just felt more, real. Bittersweet would be the word, to love the new places but still cling to those old memories. That didn't discount to the fact that the sprawling landscape took her breath away and would continue to do so, it just still left the bitter aftertaste of homesickness in her mouth.
And like most parts of Orlais, there were many threads beneath the surface. Only a half hour into exploring the city and already two leads for vastly different purposes were presented for the Inquisition; a salon held by a Madame De Fer and some tracks on a hidden and dangerous underground force that's coming after them. She would have been impressed if more information was given instead of a title and a few dirty red pieces of fabric.
She knew the salon would have to wait, more because of personal preference than the second lead being a danger to the public if true. But if Sehira knew what would happen on the way to the map's location, she would have been at the salon first with no complaints made.
The map leading to the 'baddie' was insufferably vague, even more so because of her lack of knowledge on the huge city. Moving through to each building and statue was grueling work and only after asking a dozen locals for directions they began to get some bearings. The heat earlier was all but gone as, with the wind picking up and forcing her sleeves back down while Varric gave a quick shiver in the cold. So of course Cassandra and Varric didn't waste any time to rile up each other when the comfortable silence reached their ears and the sun was retreating into the low horizon. Turning back to Solas with a cringe, she luckily found a sympathiser in the trip, with his slow, long breaths and sunken brow staring at the ground.
By the time the warehouse on the map came into view the moon was slowly coming out to the dull pink sky and thankfully the bickering had died down. Sehira heard the chimes of bells, the three strikes that signal the 'baddie' being in place. She couldn't be happier that they actually made it in time.
The tiny run down area was rather inconspicuous in the darkening passage as the small handful of passersby scrambled back to their homes. They held little more than a lingering glance to the peeling paint and chipping wood, looking rather strange compared to the perfect buildings surrounding. Sehira didn't buy it.
Opening the door was incredibly smooth that betrayed the snapping wood of the door, meaning the hinge was oiled quite recently, probably to make a quiet entrance. Sehira began to ready her muscles, just knowing there was some people in there that did not like intruders.
A snap in the shadows put her hairs on end as she jerked her hand to the hilt at her belt. Looking further in she could see crates scattered randomly around the courtyard while a balcony loomed over head, completely normal. Except for the men and women that moved around the area. And from the blood that was smeared across the floor and their sheathed weapons, they were not friendly.
"Varric, you take the corner in the shadows behind the crates. Solas, slowly spread some ice on the floor and be ready to withdraw it. Don't give me that look, it's not that hard. Cassandra, you wait with me."|
Sehira waited for the small patches of ice to smother the ground and the cold to make its way to the guards. She heard the soft footsteps of the dwarf move behind a crate in the corner and the telltale click of Bianca sliding out of her holster. Cassandra kept quiet in a half crouch, eyes analysing the field with a cold stillness in her muscles that could keep up for hours.
The grounded guards lazed on the creaky crates, completely oblivious to the approaching ice that slipped on the stonework. They just silently chatted with fluttering eyes or were asleep completely. The ice didn't reach the archers above, as they just shook their heads at the carelessness of their lower half. Sehira looked to Varric and gave the signal. 'Take the archers, quietly'. Quick thunks and gurgles were followed and had taken out four of them before an alert scream woke the rest up and started the battle. Sehira kept still and waited for them to start running towards them, to slip on the thin sheen of ice that sparkled ever so slightly.
"There they are! It's her!"
"Ah! They've iced the ground!"
"They got Cesi!"
"Idiots! It's gone! Get up!"
With the ice gone, she charged into the fray. Cassandra ran to the archers rushing for their weapons while Sehira went for the warriors in the middle of the field, with no cover. Varric took two more kills as they scrambled to right themselves from the withdrawn ice and then it was all over when Sehira's sword was drawn.
The blade dove through their armour with such ease, all four of them were dead on the ground with little more than a small struggle left in their poses. Running up the staircase to the remaining archers was just as fruitless when she saw Cassandra driving her sword through the chest of a nasty looking woman with a recently broken bow. With everyone dead, Sehira sheathed her dripping sword and attached the shield onto her belt, shaking the blood off her gloves and boots with a firm flick.
Before she could move to the doorway leading further in, a quick glimmer caught her eye as she passed some of the fallen men. Looking back to it she caught herself choking back a gasp. She recognised that symbol underneath the crimson. The small metal patch of iron that swung lazily off the man's belt from a loose bolt. With the three coins, dripping to the ground.
Are they just back to haunt me? Is this the Maker's idea of a sick joke?
Sehira breathed out a small curse before turning to Varric crouching beside her. "Mercenaries."
"How'd you figure?"
She ripped off the stained symbol, the slick blood making the metal extra slippery. "Look at that crest. It's the Red Coppers. I've seen these bastards before, not very talented but they're like rabbits. Never running out of fresh blood. I wonder who thought hiring these people would be a good choice."
"Heh. I guess this guy didn't do his research."
Sehira chucked the wet mess to the side and shook the surprise out of her thoughts, hearing the clank of metal rolling down the stone steps as she made her way to the door. Muffled shouts and flashes of orange surfaced from the door's hinges, but silence quickly snuffed out the sounds and left the blue wood dull in its cracking colour.
She decided against trying to sneak past this problem as the very probable angry threat was behind the door. And she wanted some answers for whatever was happening in there.
Opening the smooth door and seeing a twiggy man at the other side, not attacking, was a good start to her plan. Just a second before he threw a fist full of fire to her face.
Sehira didn't have time to raise her shield so she rolled to the side, getting it out as she crouched to the ground to avoid another shot. The heat sindged her neck and scorched the wall behind her while a surprised sound came from the attacker.
"The Herald of Andraste!" The thick accent exclaimed. "How how much did your Inquisition have to expend to discover me? It must have been immeasurable!"
So it was going to be one of these sorts…
"Maker take me now… we don't even know who you are! Don't flatter yourself." Sehira groaned.
"What?! No, I'm too important to be an accident! You-"
A quick thud brought his attention away. Sehira snapped to the sound and saw an elf woman with a bow at the ready, pointing to the masked Orlesian.
"Just say, what."
He made a dismissive pose, like he was bored with the very real threat directed to his stupid face.
"What is the-"
Thunk. Gurgle. Thud.
Sehira blinked back her surprise. He was dead. On the ground. It only happened in one second, with no dancing around the problem. It was incredibly refreshing.
"Ew!"
Sehira looked back to the elf that was moving towards the corpse, looking for the arrow that split his throat. She was slightly humming as she dusted some dry blood off her face, like it was completely normal to do so.
"Squishy one, but you heard me right?" She suddenly said, turning from the body. "'Just say what'? Rich tits always try for more than they deserve."
She kneeled over and shoved his face to the side, finding the arrow deeply entangled in the nerves of his throat.
"Blah, blah, blah!" She yanked the barb from the flesh, getting more blood on her outfit. "Obey me, arrow in my face!"
She quickly stashed the shoddy thing in her quiver and tried to smudge the crimson off her leather with little success. She just shrugged and turned to Sehira with a little grin.
"So you followed the well enough, glad to see you're-
The woman went silent for a bit, looking Sehira up and down with a little dumbfounded expression before having a small giggle again, only it was more an awkward laugh, like she was caught doing something she shouldn't.
"Wow. You're well fit." She cleared her throat and threw her eyes darting to the ground for a second, before looking back up. Sehira could have sworn she saw some colour in her cheeks. "I mean, I h-heard about your kind, seems different."
"I mean it's all good, innit. The important thing is you glow. You're the Herald thingy."
The name once again shook her back, but she swallowed it down underneath the questions bubbling up.
"Can you just tell me what the hell is going on? Getting led on by some red fabric isn't really the best way to convey that."
"No idea, my people just said that the Inquisition should look into it." She quickly spared a glance to the mutilated corpse by her back, her expression completely neutral to the body. "I didn't know this idiot from manners."
"I'm Sera this is cover, get 'round it. Some more of poncy face's buddies coming." She stifled a giggle as she sputtered the last bit. "They've got no breeches!"
Sehira could only raise an eyebrow before a shot of ice flashed by and a snarl from some two hander by the gates in the shadows. Cassandra moved to the other staircase going upwards while Solas raised a barrier around them all. Varric shot anything moving from the edges of Sehira as she rushed to match the two hander.
And they were very definitely missing their breeches.
She gave a small laugh as the bulky man, armed with a giant sword and plated armour blushed at his missing pants, going tomato red in only a few seconds, the embarrassment worse than the underprotection. Luckily the embarrassment made him an easier target as he didn't move around much in case his knickers went down as well. A quick roll to his side and a stab through the ribs let him down as she leapt up to the retreating archer by her side.
Before she could strike, an arrow magically appeared in his shoulder and neck. He shuddered and fell face first into the ground, blood pooling around his head. She ignored the shock that suddenly came up and went for the next opponent.
It went like that for little more than a minute, the small force unskilled and stupid, trying to take an enemy much larger than themselves. Add to that the mysterious 'Sera' with her bow and unknown agenda that took out her fare share of targets and they didn't stand a chance. In the end, less than a quarter of them ran off vowing revenge. Sehira would have taken that threat to heart if the man didn't have his bits swinging in the breeze. He was even in front of the moon in a menacing silhouette... with his bits swinging in the breeze.
Add to that, they're the Red Coppers. They couldn't get revenge even if there were a thousand of them.
The elf woman must have been thinking the same thing as she laughed at his retreating figure, giggling and pointing with a giant grin plastered on her face.
"That was a good tip, no breeches!"
"So, Herald of Andraste, hmm. Real strange one. I'd like to join."
"Alright, slow down a bit. Who are you people?"
"I'm not people, but I get it. It's like this. I sent you that note to look for hidden stuff by my friends. The Friends of Red Jenny, that's me."
"Ah, ok. Yeah that makes more sense. You're offering some good rep with the little people, that right?"
"Yeah! You're good, normal people look stupid at the simple things, even after I say it to them. So, you need people or not? I just wanna get everything back to normal."
"Ok, if you can carry your weight, you're in."
"Yes! Get in good with the people before you're too big to like!"
A Red Jenny joining a large, religious and political organisation. That was something Sehira never would have predicted in a thousand years, and that meant this 'Sera' was not just there because it was a 'strange one'. Still, Sera was a fun person so far. Or at least her way of dealing with people was straightforward. She could work with that. Although that was still in question for the rest of the Inquisition, and poor Josephine.
Arriving back at Haven was a rather strange return. Rather than meet with the chantry 'leaders', they met with the massive force of templars abandoning the city and were approached by the leader of the mage rebellion with talk of an alliance. And they left with two more people accompanying them; the elegant mage, Vivienne and the fun-loving archer, Sera. Add to that The Iron Bull and the Bull's Chargers that had offered help as soon as she made it to the chantry for a quick chat with Josephine about one particular person joining.
Even though the chantry folks were probably still terrified of a qunari Herald of Andraste, Sehira still considered it a victory. With two strong leads for help against the Breach, she had more than she expected.
Only, who would they go to? The templars, or the mages?
Sehira pondered that while she met with The Iron Bull, while searching the Storm Coast for Inquisition forces, while just smelling the salty sea air and enjoying the cold water that stung her skin. And she was stuck with what was the most logical and what she wanted.
She didn't want to approach either side at the end of the day, as both sides have the same problem of having too many idiots in the same room. But magic? Mages getting near the Breach, the doorway to demons? No matter how many people say mages don't consort with demons, no matter how many kind people she meets bearing magic, no matter how much she wants to trust these people, that small, tiny, nagging suspicion will always be in her mind, like an insect buzzing by her ear.
But they have offered talks, offered a chance of alliances to stop this beast of a disaster. The templars are on the opposite end, not willing to separate themselves from killing the very people that want to help. Siding with the templars would be a longer process and would maybe not even work, so it was either a personal discomfort on her part or more time the Breach spits out demons onto Thedas.
Mages.
Templars.
...
"The templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-"
"Pure speculation."
"You two, calm down." Sehira said. "Both sides are equally helpful. I think it's just a matter of who will be more willing to help."
"That is true." Josephine piped up.
Sehira took a quick sigh, a small hesitation before letting the words tumble out of her mouth.
...
"So I think we should go to the mages."
"I-"
"Commander, they have offered to actually talk. The Lord Seeker has done the opposite of that. I have no doubt there are good people in the order, people that want to help, but right now the leader of the mage rebellion has extended a chance of help. We need help and we can't wait any longer for that help to come."
"I... do see some reason with that plan." Cassandra reluctantly said, obviously not agreeing to full.
He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a little sigh. Sehira really did sympathise with Cullen, being pushed out of his comfort zone with such a violent shove. But they needed to look at this logically, even if personal issues were being thrown out the window.
"Alright, Herald."
"Leliana, send some of your people to meet up with the Grand Enchanter and get established. I'll be there soon after." Sehira gave a short nod, a 'we're all done, you can go now' to each of them with a stiff neck and drooping eyes.
Sehira took a moment to lean over the war table and rub the exhaustion out of her eyes, hearing the small, quick footsteps of Josephine and the long strides of Cullen and Cassandra. Looking back up nearly made Sehira jump out of her skin, as Leliana still stood with her arms tucked behind her back, looking straight at her.
"A word?"
"Uh, sure. Go ahead."
"My spies have picked up the location of a warden travelling the Hinterlands, goes by the name of Blackwall. If you pass his way, it would do well to figure out if he knows about his missing brothers and sisters."
"Just the one? Are you sure?"
Leliana gave a small nod. After the investigation in the Storm Coast, looking at the journal entries of one such warden and their search for a rogue brother, it was troubling to find no one at the end of the trail. She tried to keep optimistic about finding at least a single warden when they could have had none, but it was still disheartening that such a huge order was gone with little left.
"Ok, I'll try to find him. Let's hope he knows something about this mess. Thank you."
With that Leliana left with almost silent footsteps and tiny metallic clinks of her boots, letting Sehira have some silence in the empty war room.
She dropped into a spare chair almost instantly, savouring the release of her muscles and the time to think in the relative silence of the chantry. Exhausting couldn't even begin to describe the scope of what they were planning to fix, the simple life of travelling and mercenary jobs becoming sweet ideals to work towards rather than to live. Working with the mage rebellion after the ordeal they had helped put to southern Thedas with the templars and the natural fear of such things would be the tipping point in the destruction of the Breach, even with the support they were given by some vying powers. And securing such decisions tore apart her already sleepless nights.
She couldn't even imagine how it must be for Cullen with his troops, Josephine with her politics and Leliana with her hidden forces. She already knew how it was commanding a company, but not an entire army, and politics and spies never really clicked when she lived off the land. She was out of her element, and yet she was asked about her opinion in these earth shattering choices.
She couldn't even read properly, and yet her voice somehow held weight with these people.
Leliana, of course, found out about the 'reading issue' so each report was with big letters and simple words when possible. It made her feel like a child, and yet truly humbled at the extent they were going to for her own sake.
Sehira gave another short breath, kicking off the chair and making her way out of the chantry. The moons were already slashing the night sky and the tavern seemed ever more rowdy in the distance. She fancied a drink, a very big drink, to help sleep come. So she descended to the loud, bitter smelling spectacle that was taking place. It wasn't exactly crowded but more filled with the loudest of Haven that could be as obnoxious as five people.
And she really wasn't surprised to see Varric at the head of it.
There he was, a mug in one hand and his other emphasizing his loud words, surrounded by plenty a drunk soldier or sister who listened intently for a single word to come out of his mouth. It was almost as if their eyes were sparkling with awe. She passed his table with a small smile at his endearing audience and got herself some ale, making sure to listen out for Varric's story.
"The Darkspawn mass surged on the King's army, leaving our young Carver in a state of panic when reaching his family. But the Champion was prepared, smart and clever as she tossed him a pack and sent him to her sister and mother."
Sehira spat out the ale she nearly swallowed at hearing 'the Champion' come from the storyteller. No one spared a glance as she rushed to the table with eager eyes.
"You knew the Champion? Hawke?!"
Varric's smirk was all she needed to pull a chair at the side and listen to the extravagant tales, and to ignore the people that moved to the side for the larger than life, Herald. She just wanted to hear a story, not to give them a speech and pat them on the head.
"The Champion was always thinking fast, an apostate has to to survive. And the Darkspawn knew that, so they chased her down so they could take her for their own!"
Gasps sounded at Varric's 'menacing' tone, not knowing he lived for those faces. Sehira played along, although she couldn't hide the crinkles at her eyes or the small giggles under her hand. He spared a quick wink to her direction as he continued on.
Continued to talk about her white curls and olive skin, her height that was second to her baby brother, her first name; Lilian, the love she had for her family and friends.
He let himself be somber for the lose of a sister, heading to Kirkwall on a rickety boat with a hating family.
He embellished the Deep Roads expedition, the lyrium idol and the rock wraith and a certain dragon they met.
The Qunari Invasion. Templars. Mages. Some random night in the Hanged Man.
Sehira wasn't sure if it was the ale talking, but sometimes it sounded like Varric was the one in awe of the Champion instead of the other way round.
At the end of the tale, the drunk soldiers and sisters left with a crash and wobble, leaving the tavern worse for wear and leaving Sehira and Varric alone in silence. Sehira still had her grin on her face, mostly because she knew she had caught another lie in his story.
"You still know where she is."
"You wound me, Freckles. Why would I have any reason of lying to you?"
She scoffed, taking another swig of ale. It was disgustingly warm but she needed to be extra drunk for the moment rather than the mild buzzing she already had.
"You have so much loyalty for her, it's sweet. I don't expect you to tell me, because I have no right and I'm probably overstepping my limits. But that's what alcohol is for, to make me regret my words and to make people around me uncomfortable. You and her, her and you…" She wiggled her eyebrows with the stupid grin still on her face. Varric didn't miss a beat however, smiling right through her with a small chuckle.
"You're incredibly drunk right now. It would be funny for those men to see their Herald tits up, but tonight is not that night."
Sehira had to rest her head against the table as the buzzing in her head was getting worse.
"You didn't say no."
She saw Varric begin to leave but she couldn't care a less, only mumbling a slurred 'thank you' with slack lips. She was just mentally preparing for the hell of a hangover she would get tomorrow. And maybe waking up with her horns stuck in the wood again.
Great way to end the day, at the mercy of whoever sees me first in the morning… meh.
