The Inquisition as cold, battered, and low on moral. The loss of Haven was devastating. The soldiers huddled around small fires, the wind and snow blowing around them. Whenever the clouds parted, glittering stars could be seen. The Herald was tucked beneath piles of blankets, shivering and sick, having given everything for the people to escape, and it was not known if he would survive the night. The cold seeped into their very souls, freezing out hope.
But then he burst out of the tent, still swathed in furs and blankets, with a fire in his eyes and a set mouth. He brought warmth with him, dark eyes gleaming in the firelight. And the people took a knee at his presence, in awe over the Miracle that the Maker had provided that was the Herald. He opened his mouth and words of hope and encouragement spang forth, and the knowledge of a place to go and recover.
And the people prepared and packed as Solas pulled the Herald to one side to tell his knowledge of the Orb. In curiosity, he asked about this promised place.
"It's called Skyhold. You may have heard of it." The Herald's eyes sparked with laughter as Solas' jaw dropped in surprise, taken aback by the news. "It's pretty old, may have some mentions in the fade. It'll be a good place to recover."
"Oh!" The Herald exclaimed in surprise as they finally managed to push open the front door enough for him to poke his head through. He pulled it back quickly, and threw himself against the wooden monstrosity that was blocking the was. The gate swung open at last, revealing the overgrown keep before them.
The walls towered over them, braces arching overhead in a cathedral-style ceiling. Windows let dim light in on the far side, illuminating an object covered in a sheet. Dust floated down around them, disturbed by the door, and made Cullen sneeze.
"It's in very good condition, considering how long it has been since it has been occupied," Solas noted, shuffling in after the others. He craned his head up to look at the far-away ceiling and the half-ruined tapestries draped again the walls. There was no holes in the roof, though some of the supports looked like they would need replacing soon. A mouse skittered over Josephine's, making her jump and squeal.
"Where's the guardian?" The Herald, now Inquisitor, mused, leading the way further into the building. Cullen stayed close on his heels, hand on his sword. The Templar looked around warily, acting twitchy and paranoid. "It's supposed to be somewhere around here."
"There is no 'guardian' of Skyhold, that much I can promise you," Solas scoffed, though the flat look he received told him the response.
The Inquisitor turned his back to him, huffing. The warrior raised his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle that reverberated through the hall. "Here, Soggy!" He called after it, pitching his voice so it echoed against the stone walls. Everyone tensed, silent, while Solas just rolled his eyes.
There was a clattering from the right, making the elven mage immediately take back what he had said. The noise was loud- too loud for just a small animal that had nested in the keep. Sharp sounds of claws or hooves clicking against the hard floor came to them, and the sound of shattering a piece of rotted wood. A rasping noise of large scales or metal against stone accompanied it, sending shivers up and down everyone's back. Then, the world seemed to stop, the sound pausing.
"... What was that?" Cullen breathed after a minute, grip tight on his sword.
"That was Soggy," The Inquisitor whispered back as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And perhaps it was, except there shouldn't be anything 'guarding' Skyhold, especially not something named Soggy of all things! "Soggy," He called out again, "come out, come out, wherever you are! It's me!" The stupid, apparently crazy human took a step forwards, only to be stopped by a hand gripping his forearm. He turned to Liliana, looking confused. "...What?"
"Inquisitor, do you know what is in here with us?" The bard said lowly, tightening her grip.
"Well, sure," the man said blithely. "I've been here before loads of time. Nothing to worry about." He patted Liliana's hand and took a single step again. The spymaster let him go, but still looked worried. After a minute of everyone standing there awkwardly, the Inquisitor sighed. "I think he's not going to come out," he said, sounding forlorn.
There was no accidents while rebuilding the walls, much to the amazement of the workers. Good luck seemed to be blessed upon them as the men managed to avoid unstable rocks before they fell. Granted, the walls were in good repair besides the sign of a siege of some sort. Sometimes, they pulled odd objects out of the rubble- a glowing gem, a bent swords, a metal box of seeds, and once the half-crushed skull of griffon.
Some of the men swore that a benevolent spirit appeared, guiding them away from their deaths. Others claimed the Maker had blessed them, and yet a third group stated it was the odd magic in the keep.
Wilhelm watched, running his finger around the rim of his glass, as his companions made a ruckus. He chuckled at Sera's antics; at the way Iron Bull bluffed about, at the was Dorian was not so secretly eyeing the qunari; at the face Cassandra made when she was enraptured in a story Varric made, the way Vivienne leaned forwards slightly to express her opinion; the way Solas sat back with a lonely look but never joined them, and the way Cole floated around making sure everyone had enough food; at the way Blackwall seemed to be winning an eating contest all by his lonesome.
"This is nice," he said, taking a sip of his drink. Behind and above him, he heard the familiar rasp of Soggy. There was a pressure around his ankles as if something had wrapped around them, and the air turned cold. "Don't you think this is nice? Your keep is being repaired, I have some friends, the world is getting fixed. The perfect fairy-tale."
There was an disagreeing growl behind him, and Wilhelm frowned. The pressure at his ankles disappeared, and when he looked down all he saw was a slight condensation on the stone. He felt goosebumps at the sudden change of temperature, and took another drink. "Yeah, I didn't think so either," he grumbled, shadows covering his face. He absentmindedly tugged his sleeves in an automatic attempt to hide cuts that didn't exist anymore.