That You May Always Remember Me

Chapter 4

"the Wolf Lady"

"Thank you," Alistair said after a few minutes of walking in silence with the Inquisitor. "I guess I didn't know what to expect and this is all…" He sighed and leaned against the stone walls of the garrison to look over Skyhold.

Viola took the spot beside him. "I know people don't like spirits, but honestly they're not all bad."

"It's not that. Not exactly." He watched the members of the Inquisition mill about below him as the merchants hawked their wares. They seemed so small from this height.

"It's hard," Viola began quietly, gaze placed squarely on the tower across the fortress. "When someone you care about suddenly isn't there anymore."

"It's even worse when they show up again, and just when you think you've finally moved on." He chuckled, but it sounded hollow. "It knew it wasn't Elissa. The entire time I knew it, but I guess I was still hoping that whatever explanation I found might mean…" He shook his head. "It's not important."

Viola was a compassionate woman, but rarely showed it in her face. As a Dalish elf she had learned a long time ago never to appear weak, especially to shems, but something about Alistair touched her. Maybe it was the hint of desperation in his voice or the aroma of loneliness that followed him around, or maybe it was the fact that his loss reminded her so much of her own. The crushed hope that someone you once loved might return was a familiar feeling to her. The only difference was that Elissa died while saving the world, but Solas left out of choice. "It'll all be behind you soon," she said, burying the pain and steeling her face once more. "I'll send the spirit back and you can go on like nothing ever happened."

"Thank you," Alistair mumbled, clearly struggling to think of anything else to say.

Viola shrugged. "It's what I do."

He looked back at her, a crooked smile forming on his face. "It's what she would have done too. I'm glad there's still someone like that in the world: always willing to help."

"Are you comparing me to the Hero of Fereldan?" Viola took a step back and grabbed at her chest in mock shock. "From what I've heard that is the highest praise the King could give! Surely, I'm not worthy!"

Alistair's grin stretched as he turned back to watching the ground far below him. "Don't push it." He lifted himself off the wall and began walking once again, the Inquisitor quickly falling in step beside him. "Maybe I should just leave now. You don't need my help and I have to admit I'd rather not be too close when you tear a hold in the sky."

Viola opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a voice calling from behind them. Cole raced across the garrison, thin limbs flailing and one hand keeping his hat from flying off his head. "Wait! There's more!" He approached them, panting but desperately trying to form sounds. "Go… We have to go!"

"Go where?" the Inquisitor demanded. "Take a breath and explain yourself, Cole. Just like we practiced."

The boy shook his head and continued to heave. "Tumbling, toppling, too bright to see… Sadness here. Pain to fix. Problems to relieve. It's all she could do."

"Cole!" He fell to the floor and pushed his head between his knees. After inhaling and exhaling deeply a few times, his breath became quiet, but when he looked up at the very confused pair before him the concern in his face hadn't lessened. Viola knelt in front of him and spoke calmly, "Words. That's all we need."

"I don't know how to use the words!" he lashed out at her, slamming a fist onto the stone floor. "I'm not like her anymore. Or she's not like me. Or I'm not like you."

"This is about Elissa?" Alistair chimed in, squatting down to be on the level of the other two. "I mean, the spirit? Did she say something to you?"

"Yes," Cole answered exasperatedly. "But I could barely understand it. And I can't make words for it. I just know we have to go! It's important!"

Alistair returned to a standing position and sighed. "It's just some strange spirit thing. You already said you can't understand her, and we can't understand you, so why should we…?"

Viola stood as well. "We can have horses ready within the hour. Do you know where she wants us to go?" Cole remained on the floor but nodded. "Then we'll leave as soon as possible."

Alistair's eyes widened. "What are you doing? You're going to let that thing lead us into the unknown?"

"She led you here."

"That's different! I…" Alistair rubbed his mouth and felt that his cheeks were a very unkingly shade of red. "I came to find answers."

"And clearly there are more to be found." Viola crossed her arms and stared at Alistair defiantly. "You were just saying that you wished there were more to this story, and now there is! Don't you want to see this through to the end?" She eyed him closely. "Or are you afraid of what you'll find?"

Alistair lowered his hand from his face as a chill went through his core at the thought. He stared back at the elf, bitterness mixing with heartache in his amber eyes. "I'm afraid of what I won't find."

Viola looked down, not wanting him to see that he had maneuvered past her shields yet again, but he could still hear her clearly as she said, "It's worse to not even look."

Alistair bemoaned the situations he had found himself in recently. Elissa was back, but now she wasn't, but she was comforting, but she brought back memories, but she was a spirit the whole time, but she wanted him to go to some mystery location and do Maker knows what! But there was a reason he'd come this far and Viola seemed to know it: He still couldn't let Elissa go and if there was even a shred of a chance… "Lead the way."

OOOOOOOOOO

Cole led the Inquisitor and the King of Fereldan to a small town in the south of Orlais. All of Alistair's dealings with the nation to the west were diplomatic and dealt solely with the nobility, so he was caught slightly off guard to see the true heart of the Orlesian Empire: farmers, crafters, and laborers who wore no masks except a thin layer of dirt and sweat. 'Gironde' was the town's name as he learned from the stablemaster where they paid to keep their horses. It was a quaint and cold place, situated on the edge of a large forest that served as the source of the village's income, judging by the impressively large lumber mill that loomed nearby. The people here were also clearly unaccustomed to visitors as every eye immediately and indiscreetly fell on the trio.

"Where is she?" Viola asked Cole, getting straight to business.

He looked out into the dark cluster of fir trees and pointed. "She fell through somewhere out there. Plunging, lunging, losing senses…" He opened his eyes and shook his head. "If we find the Rift, we'll find her."

"So she just wanted to go back the way she came?" Alistair asked, still uncomfortable with the pretense of this entire expedition.

Viola didn't pay him any attention, though, and approached a grey-haired man selling fur-lined leather gloves and boots. "Excuse me," she started as politely as she could muster. "Have you heard anything about a hole in the sky? It would most likely have demons pouring out of it."

The man laughed heartily. "Heard of it? Those demons have nearly driven this town to bankruptcy! We can't get into the forest for timber and I can't hunt!"

She folded her arms confidently. "Then it's a good thing we're here to get rid of them."

The man's eyes lit up but his posture remained skeptical. "If you can do that, I'll give you my best pair of boots for free."

Viola smiled. "And I would certainly appreciate that, but first I need to know where the Rift is."

"It's about a mile south of the town. Trust me, you can't miss it."

She scrunched her nose. "Only a mile? I'm surprised the town hasn't been attacked yet."

"That's because of the Wolf Lady," a voice came from behind the leather merchant. The young man stood from his tanning rack and spoke excitedly. "She keeps us safe."

"Wolf Lady?" This was the first time Alistair felt the need to chime in as he stepped closer.

"It's a silly name the children have come up with," the older man explained dismissively. "She's just a hunter that's passed through the area recently, but for some reason she's become something of a legend among the young'uns."

"Because she's more than just a hunter," the other man defended as if they'd had this argument many times before. He turned toward the strangers, eager to explain. "She saved me once! I was about to snag a gorgeous caramel-colored nug when this giant fiery blob came out of nowhere. I thought I was done for but then she jumped out of the trees and took the thing down with only two blows!" He turned to the older man smugly. "If you'd seen her in action you'd understand."

"That story didn't even have wolves in it!"

"We'll keep an eye out for her." Viola nodded to the two, who continued their argument seamlessly as the group left, their course having been set.

The woods were thick, but they followed the path made by the lumber worker's heavy steps over the countless years. Twigs and dried leaves crunched under Alistair's boot as he marveled at the towering firs around him. Though the trees were still and silent, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. He shuddered at the thought of what manner of creature it might be: a bear, a wildcat, or maybe even a demon. It had been a long time since he ran headfirst into danger. He was younger then, not to mention a few pounds lighter, and he worried that his skills might fail him, but there was no turning back now.

After a while of wandering through the wood Alistair stooped at a small creek. Tasting the clear water he found it refreshing and remained a few moments longer to watch as it slowly etched its way through the forest floor while he rubbed down his face and neck. He felt the air grow cooler and opened his eyes to find that a shadow had fallen over him. His gaze rose slowly until falling squarely on the image of Elissa, who towered over him, blocking out the sun. He squinted at her. She looked the same as the last time he saw her in Skyhold, though her clothes were a bit more ragged and her expression was filled with more emotion. He wondered if the trip out here had taken a toll on her or if such a thing was even possible for a spirit. Then she did something that caused him to nearly fall on his ass.

"Why are you here?"

She spoke! And that throaty, lustful voice sent flashes across his mind: arguing with merchants, threatening Darkspawn, sobbing in the middle of the night after a particularly bad dream. Suddenly he was examining her face more thoroughly. It didn't shimmer like before. His mouth fell open at the realization that he was staring at the living, breathing Elissa Cousland, but he failed to answer her question quickly enough and soon found his neck dangerously close to the edge of her sword.