Morning dawned early, mere hours after the meeting at the war table had ended. Fenris paced back and forth within his guest room. To be so close to finally finding Hawke, but to be so far away at the same time, was driving him insane.
"We'll wait until sunrise," Evans had told him. "That way we'll have the necessary soldiers to ensure everyone's safety."
As the sun climbed slowly into the sky, its first rays peeking over the battlements into the courtyard, Fenris quietly left Skyhold just like he'd been instructed. But before he reached the path that wound down to the base of the mountain, he turned right onto a nearly invisible trail that led into the patch of woods that surrounded part of the hold. The trail led to a tiny little grove, barely the size of the tiny home that Fenris, Hawke, and Bethany had shared back in the Free Marches. Cullen, Cassandra, and Varric were already there, chatting quietly among themselves, along with two elves, four humans, and a Qunari. Behind him he could see a handful of Inquisition soldiers. One of the human companions, a young man with an over-sized hat, opened his mouth to say something as his eyes fell on Fenris. Evans shook her head tersely, stopping him.
The Inquisitor had changed into what Fenris assumed was her battle armor, a long leather coat and heavy boots. Her staff, strapped to her back, had a long and wickedly sharp blade at the end that somehow reminded him of Hawke's own staff. Evans gave him a wave when she saw him. Varric tried smiling at him, but it wilted under Fenris' cold stare.
"Alright," Evans said brightly, drawing everyone's attention. "Like we discussed at the war table, Leliana's agents located this grove where we can do this in relative safety. Cullen's soldiers will be guarding the path from the grove to the hold to both keep wandering people away from the rift, and to keep wandering demons away from the hold. And Josephine will handle any nobles or diplomats who may come calling while we're in the Fade. I'm going to take a small team, including Fenris here, into the rift and search for Hawke," the Inquisitor continued. "Outside the rift, Cullen will be with some of his best soldiers, helping keep any escaping demons contained."
Fenris didn't spare any time wondering who all these people were. "Are we going to get this over with or not?" he barked at the Inquisitor.
"Yeah boss, let's get going," the Qunari interjected. His massive horns swung from side to side as he cracked his neck, grinning. "I'm not going in there with you, but I'll sure as hell kick some demon ass for you."
"Are you sure this is wise?" one of the humans, a man with a bushy black beard, grunted from the back. "You barely escaped alive from the Fade the last time."
"This's gotta be one of the dumbest fricking ideas you've had yet, mate," one of the elves, a woman with a bow, piped up.
"Yes, let's get this started," Evans said. "Varric and Cassandra have both agreed to go back with me, but I'd ideally like one more person to go with us. Dorian, you were with us when we fell into the rift at Adamant, but if you'd rather stay in reality instead of going back, I'll understand."
"All due respect," the dark-skinned human replied haughtily, "but I'd rather shave off my mustache and wear plaid than go back into the Fade physically. I'll play backup for you, but I still think this whole misadventure is a terrible idea."
Evans nodded as if she'd expected this. "In that case, I'd ideally like you to accompany us, Solas. You know more about the Fade than anybody here."
One of the elves, the tall bald one, stepped forward. He had a staff too. Another mage, Fenris thought to himself. Is there no end to them?
"I'd be glad to accompany you," Solas replied. "I may be able to help pinpoint Hawke's location more quickly."
"Good, then we have our rescue party all sorted," Evans exclaimed. "Cullen, are your men ready?"
"As ready as they'll ever be," the commander said dryly. "Evans, I still don't like this," he added in an undertone. Fenris had to strain to hear him. "What if you get hurt? Who will stop Corypheus then?"
"I'll be fine, love," the Inquisitor replied. She planted a quick kiss upon Cullen's lips, then turned and faced the center of the clearing. "I won't be able to close the rift from inside the Fade," she said loudly, addressing everybody, "since we'll need an escape route. That means demons and spirits might be drawn through. Be vigilant. If I come back to find that someone let a rage demon loose in the hold, I'll have to crack some skulls together." She tossed a grin over her shoulder, but it lacked her normal humor. The Inquisitor was anxious, and it showed. "Okay, let's get started."
Fenris, Evans, Cassandra, Varric, and Solas stood near the center of the clearing. Everyone else arranged themselves in a circle around the edge of the clearing, weapons at the ready. Fenris drew his own sword, gripping the familiar leather-wrapped hilt tightly. The Inquisitor cracked her knuckles, glanced one last time at Cullen, then held her left hand out in front of her.
Her eyebrows drew together in concentration. Sparks of electricity jumped from fingertip to fingertip, and everyone tensed, ready for any demons that might come forth.
Nothing happened.
"Solas?" Evans said tersely.
"The Veil isn't particularly thin here," the elf supplied. "Perhaps your experience with sealing the rifts, rather than opening them, is what impedes you?"
"Any suggestions?" the Inquisitor threw over her shoulder.
Before Solas could do more than open his mouth, there was a sound like a crack of lightning and green light burst forth in the center of the grove. Fenris shielded his eyes for a second until the light dimmed. When he lowered his hand, a rip in the air hovered in front of him, bright green light pouring out of the space.
The soldiers and companions around the edges of the clearing let out exclamations of surprise, and gripped their weapons more tightly as they readied themselves. Evans whipped around, staring at Fenris intensely.
"Alright, elf," she shouted over the cries of the soldiers and the strange humming that emitted from the rift. "Now's your chance. Let's go get Hawke."
The elf nodded tightly, heart in his throat. The Inquisitor turned and stepped through the rift. Fenris followed her, and his surroundings vanished in a flash of bright green light.
The world spun around him, his surroundings jumbled into a chaotic blur. He was falling, rapidly approaching the ground, but before he could do more than open his mouth in surprise, he slowed to a halt a few feet away. He hovered in the air for a moment before gravity kicked in and he hit the ground with a thud, forcing the air from his lungs. Similar thuds around him told him that his companions had arrived too.
He sat up with a grunt, grateful that in the turmoil he hadn't accidentally impaled himself on his sword. Evans was already standing and brushing dust off her coat. "Apparently that's just what happens when you enter the fade," she remarked. "That same thing happened last time."
"Makes you wonder if that happened to Corypheus all those years ago," Varric added. "Just imagine Mr. I'm-Going-to-Breach-the-Golden-City falling flat on his face."
"Can we please just get moving?" Cassandra interrupted. "I do not wish to linger here any longer than absolutely necessary."
"Yes, as fascinating as this is, we should not linger," Solas agreed. "Best not to tempt fate to release something else as horrendous as the blight upon the world."
Fenris grunted in agreement. "Does this look like where you last saw her, Inquisitor?" he asked. He had been in the fade before himself once before, albeit not physically. He'd helped Hawke to save Feynriel, the elf-blooded human boy, from his own nightmares and to learn to control his unusual powers as a mage. The fade had then taken the shape of Templar hall, inside the Gallows at Kirkwall. Now, however, the fade looked completely different; the walls were sheer cliff faces of black rock, pools of dark water lay everywhere, and the entire place was cast in a green glow, making them all look ghastly pale.
Evans rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "It looks vaguely familiar, but it's the Fade. It could look like this because we want it to. Or, it could look like this because our desire to be near Hawke actually brought us closer to her."
"Here, imagination defines reality," Solas pointed out.
"Then let's imagine that Hawke's close by and that we find her quickly," Fenris grunted.