Chapter Two

Beatrix woke up, staring dumbly at the ceiling for a few moments. Where was she? She remembered she'd been looking for her brother in Haven, but couldn't find him. Suddenly, she remembered everything else that had happened: Cassandra, Leliana, the Breach and the demons, especially that horrible Pride demon at the end – it all came back to her. But she was lying on a comfortable bed and not only had her injuries been tended to, she was also clean and dressed in a long white tunic and loose breaches. Was this what someone who wanted her taken to Val Royeaux for a trial did?

She didn't have time to think about how uncanny the whole situation was because a sound prompted her to turn her head and sit up in bed, her eyes falling on an elven girl who was staring at her, alarm written all over her face. The elf started apologizing profusely and Beatrix blinked a few times, taken aback by the elf's demeanor and reverence.

When she tried to explain that she already was awake, the girl fell to her knees and her forehead touched the ground.

So, is this some kind of weird shitty dream?

She immediately tried to get up and tell the poor girl that she had done nothing wrong, when she was surprised to hear the elf mutter that Lady Cassandra was waiting for her in the Chantry and ran off, slamming the door behind her.

She stared dumbly at the door, trying to make some sense of what she had witnessed so far, when she discovered to her horror that she needed to relieve herself. Desperately.

She stood and walked to the door, flinging it open. The cold mountain air rushed in making her situation a bit more uncomfortable. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw two rows of people, one on the left and the other on the right, each row led by a soldier, leaving her an empty path in the middle. Some of the villagers had their heads bowed and their hands clasped before them. And the ones that were looking at her were looking at her in reverence.

She took a step back into her cabin and slammed the door, shutting out the crazy scene before her. Glancing around the room, she desperately looked for a chamber pot. Instead, she spotted leather armor laid out on the only table in the room and she grabbed it, quickly dressing herself. Once she was done, she saw a small window at the back of the cabin and smiled to herself. She quickly walked to the window , opening it wide. She would have to pee just outside. She would never make it to a latrine in time.

As soon as she had relieved herself, she walked round to the back of another cabin, where she could get a better view of what was happening if she peeked around the side. Sure enough the rows of people were still there, waiting patiently for her to open the door again.

Shaking her head, she made her way back to her cabin, going back inside and sitting on the only chair in the room. Since she couldn't make sense of what was happening, she decided to open the door and walk to the Chantry, passing the people and ignoring what she was seeing if what she was seeing was real to begin with. Just as she stood up and faced the door with resolve, she heard a knock.

She reached the door in two steps and flung it open. Varric, the dwarf she had fought with, was standing there with a smile on his face.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed in one breath, keeping her voice down.

"I guessed the rows of worshippers were making you stay inside, Buttercup," the dwarf smiled up at her.

"You can see them too?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep. It isn't your imagination and you aren't crazy," Varric chuckled.

"But, why are they doing this?"

"Well, you did close that rift. That was a nasty one," Varric shrugged.

"They worship me because I closed a rift? That doesn't make any sense at all!"

Varric just grinned. "No shit! From murderer to worshipped icon! I can rescue you if you want. We can slip into the tavern and –"

"I can't drink now," she shook her head, then firmly closed the door behind her. "I have to meet Cassandra at the Chantry."

"Better you than me!" the dwarf said with a lopsided grin. "I'll be waiting near the tavern after you meet with her. I'm guessing you'll need a strong one then."

…

He groaned weakly, trying to understand where he was. He was lying on the snow and freezing, that much was true. If he did not make it to the trees, he knew he had a greater chance of dying.

Frozen to death below the mountain where the Temple of Sacred Ashes once stood.

He forced his body to turn, in spite of the heavy armor he was wearing. Each movement he made took so much effort…it took an eternity to get himself face down on the snow – to make crawling easier. Once he finally managed to turn himself around, he lay there panting for a while, unable to gather the strength he needed to continue.

He closed his eyes, grateful that the dreadful ringing in his ears had finally ceased. For the briefest of moments, he wished he had been killed in the explosion. It would have been better, instead of slowly freezing to death. He had been ordered by his Knight Captain to mingle with the crowds outside that were clamoring to get in. They were becoming agitated and it was necessary to post some of the templars in the area to avoid skirmishes.

None of this mattered, however. If he did not fight to stay alive, he would die anyway.

He was sure that if he had a vial of lyrium he could make it. The blue liquid would warm his body and give him the strength to get up and walk. At least until he found some sort of shelter. He didn't know how long it'd been since the explosion either. He had only regained consciousness a short while ago. But if his craving for lyrium and food were any indication, he had most certainly been here for at least a couple of days.

He grunted as he forced himself to start inching forward, grateful for the gauntlets he was wearing as the steel broke the surface of the snow. He moved slowly but surely, knowing that the tree he was hoping to reach was far off, and he started chanting to himself – if only to keep his mind off that fact. If he admitted defeat in any way he would die, and he did not want to die.

The effort of reaching the tree seemed endless, but through his exhaustion he could see its shadow getting closer. He was panting audibly now, little swirls of fog forming in the bitter cold, melting the ice crystals that were nearest to him. At last, after one deep groan, he lurched forward, his eyes shutting briefly only to open again and stare…

Not at a tree trunk, but at steel boots, inches away from his eyes. What? Where had he come from? Was he finally hallucinating on the brink of death?

The man dressed in templar armor helped him sit up and sat down himself so they were both at eye level. His eyes were red-rimmed and his complexion pale and sallow; his hair thinning. Without a word he handed him a vial with a smile.

"This will help you," the man said, speaking with a terrible accent. "Drink it all up!"

And Andras Trevelyan, ever the obedient templar, drank his first vial of red lyrium.

…

Beatrix stopped short before entering the room. It was not that she was gathering courage to enter, but the fact that the Chancellor and Cassandra were in a heated argument. She smiled as she listened, finally flinging the door open wide and marching into the room when they had fallen silent. The infuriating man turned his gaze at her and ordered the two templars stationed at the door to apprehend her. Cassandra ordered the templars to disregard his order and to leave them. They bowed their heads and left the room.

Beatrix grinned as she caught the cleric's eye. She was infinitely amused at the whole display before her. She noticed Leliana in the corner, readying herself to verbally assault the Chancellor herself. Beatrix continued to silently observe the exchange and a chuckle escaped her lips when Leliana openly accused the Chancellor of murdering the Divine himself. A few minutes later, Cassandra brought a heavy tome to the table.

"As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn," Cassandra stated assertively. "We will close the breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order. With or without your approval!"

The Chancellor's face was so red, Beatrix thought it would burst open like a ripe fruit. He turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"That was brilliant, ladies!" Beatrix clapped. "If this is why you called me here, I want to say I appreciate having something to laugh at!"

"No, that isn't why you're here," Cassandra responded. "We wanted to tell you about the Inquisition, and ask if you could help us."

"Help you how?" Beatrix asked curiously.

"This is the Divine's directive," Leliana said, pointing at the book on the table. "Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who would stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers and now, no Chantry support."

"But we have no choice," Cassandra continued, turning slightly to look at Beatrix. "We must act now. With you at our side."

"Ah," Beatrix said. "I see. The mark on my hand is the only thing that can close the Breach and the rifts after all."

"We need you to help us restore order," Cassandra offered as a reply.

"What was this Inquisition of old, exactly? Does it have something to do with how the Templar order began?" Beatrix asked.

"I see you've studied Chantry history," Cassandra smiled.

"I was sent to the University of Orlais to do just that," Beatrix smiled back. "Of course, my parents never knew I was also learning how to fight."

Leliana chuckled at this. She glanced at Cassandra, who was still smiling at Beatrix. Unexpectedly, Cassandra held out her hand.

"Help us."

The pleas for help and outstretched hand before Beatrix were gestures she would never have expected from someone like Cassandra. But after a few moments, she took her hand and shook it once, still smiling. Even though Cassandra was tough, she was honest, and this made Beatrix trust her.

"We'll have to let the Commander and the Ambassador know, so we can all meet here," Leliana said, moving away from the table.

"I'm hungry, though. If I don't eat, I doubt I will be able to contribute to anything," Beatrix said with a sigh. "Also, I would appreciate a chamber pot in my cabin."

Leliana chuckled. "I didn't know there wasn't one there. I'll tell Josephine about it."

"Josephine is our Ambassador. She's also been here since we got together to help protect the Divine," Cassandra explained. "I'll be off to talk to the Commander, so we can decide what must be done. Do you know where the inn is?"

Beatrix nodded, her stomach suddenly growling. This time both Cassandra and Leliana chuckled. "We'll meet you here in an hour, then," Leliana said.

"I'll be here," Beatrix grinned. She turned and headed out of the room, straight to the inn. She remembered Varric wanted her to have a drink with him, but right now she was so hungry she decided to have that drink much, much later.

It wouldn't do to get drunk when things were finally starting to look up, right? It wouldn't do at all.

…

Cullen dismissed his soldiers from training as he head off towards his cabin in order to wash up and get ready for the meeting in the Chantry. He was not looking forward to this meeting. When he'd first met the Herald, he had been rude to her and this was bothering him immensely.

He didn't know why he had said what he said to her, but he knew it was the wrong thing to say the very first moment the words had slipped out of his mouth, even before her reply. He only hoped he hadn't ruined things completely between them. They would be working together after all.

Shaking his head slightly, he opened the door to his cabin and strode inside, heading directly to his wash basin and a large bucket of very cold water.

He stripped himself of his coat first and then his armor, wetting a wash cloth he had next to the basin. Grabbing a bar of lemon-scented soap, he proceeded to scrub himself clean, finally dumping the entire bucket of icy water over himself. He shivered slightly and then dried himself off with a towel, as he worked on his hair in front of a mirror next to the basin. His movements were automatic and he paid little attention to them, letting his mind wander instead.

And wander it did. Without meaning to, he found himself reliving the moment at the top of the mountain. The moment when he had first laid eyes on the Herald.

The first time he laid eyes on her, she had leapt out of the shadows to kill a shade that was assaulting one of his soldiers mercilessly. From that moment on, he continued observing her, twisting around as he fought so that she was in his line of sight at all times.

She danced around the field gracefully, almost without effort. He also noticed she fought with a lopsided smile on her face, always out of the reach of the demons. It was plain to see that she was good at what she did, and that she was enjoying herself immensely.

When the green beam had shot out of her palm and latched onto the rift, he had blinked against the bright light and continued to stare at her beautiful face. For she was beautiful – very, very beautiful. When she had yelled out her final curse at the demons, he only felt more attracted to her, even though she was covered in demon ichor and grime.

Cullen blinked back at his reflection in the mirror, willing himself to focus on his hair, taking his time in taming the wild curls. He scowled at his body now, for he was sporting the same erection he had when he had first spotted the Herald at the top of the mountain. It was highly improper and wouldn't do to behave like a teenager bent on having sex with the first female he encountered.

It wouldn't do at all.

…

Beatrix Anna Trevelyan had always prided herself in being able to hold her liquor well. It was one of the first things she had mastered successfully – fighting with daggers the second. It was also extremely satisfying. So when she first realized that she was getting drunk, it had been quite a surprise to put it mildly.

In truth, it was not entirely her fault. She had been blindsided by Varric, who had been inside the bloody inn instead of outside like he told her. Still, she managed to have a whole bowl of stew before finishing the bottle of Antivan brandy that Varric had brought with him, listening attentively to everything he was telling her.

"So, Buttercup," Varric said as he reached for the now empty bottle of brandy, "what about you? I know you're a Marcher, I recognize the accent." He frowned slightly when he shook the bottle and saw the brandy was all gone.

"Yesh," she slurred, "from Osh-Ost-Osswickkk."

Varric's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "You're actually related to the Trevelyans in Ostwick? I've heard of them. You breed horses and grow vineyards that produce one of the best wines in the Free Marches, right?"

Beatrix nodded her head and nearly fell off her seat. Varric quickly stood up, and moved to her side to hold her steady.

"Just a guess, Buttercup, but I think you've had too much to drink."

"You hafffff beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful chesss 'air," Beatrix grinned. Then, without warning, she pitched forward, her head falling on the table with a loud thud as she passed out.

"Well, that's gonna hurt," Varric muttered to himself.

…

Cassandra marched into the tavern, huffing angrily to herself. Her eyes swept over Flissa, the barkeeper, who flinched visibly. Before she could approach and talk to her, however, she spotted Varric at a table in the far end of the room. Slumped right next to him, her head on the table, was Beatrix.

Shaking her head furiously, she advanced on Varric, her eyes shooting daggers at him. By the time she reached him, he was already holding up his palms in a defensive gesture.

"Whatever you think I did, you're wrong, Seeker," he said calmly, a hint of fear in his wide eyes.

"We've been looking all over for her! There is a meeting in the Chantry she is over two hours late for!" Cassandra shouted at him, her nostrils flaring.

"I swear to you I didn't know about the meeting," Varric said. "I didn't even know she drank all the brandy either! I was just talking to her, hoping to have a couple of drinks so she could relax – never knew she was relaxing that much!"

"Ugh!" Cassandra retorted, her disgust evident.

"I can wake her up for you if you want me to," Varric offered.

"I'll do that! You've done enough," Cassandra growled at the dwarf.

Varric stood up shaking his head and left the inn without a backward glance.

"Flissa!" Cassandra yelled at the barkeeper.

"Yes?" Flissa started nervously.

"I'll need some coffee, cold water and an elfroot potion!"

"Yes, mum! Right away!"

…

An hour later, both Cassandra and Beatrix were walking down the corridor in the Chantry that led to the room where they had their meetings. Beatrix was feeling like a ton of bricks had suddenly taken hold of her brain. The pain that came with the bricks was awful as well.

It was a headache that superseded all other headaches, proud and unyielding.

Cassandra had given her some mint leaves for her to chew on, but every time she chewed a wave of nausea would wash over her. She was sure that she would end up vomiting all over the table in the meeting room if she kept on chewing, so when Cassandra wasn't looking, she spit the chewed leaves out and noticed with horror that they landed on the hat of one of the priestesses who was chanting softly in front of a statue of Andraste. At the same moment, her mark sparked and she stopped walking for a moment, only to hold it up and stare at it angrily.

She wanted the damn thing gone, truth be told. Since she knew that it was impossible, she felt annoyed at the thing. It was almost like the mark had taken up a life all on its own. Something not very encouraging at all.

"Does it hurt?" Cassandra cut through her thoughts.

"If it didn't close the Breach, what good is it?" Beatrix muttered between clenched teeth.

"You did everything we asked of you. Solas believes that more power is needed for the Breach. The same kind of power that opened it," Cassandra replied.

"Now that's a thought!" Beatrix responded quickly. "Same kind of power! It wouldn't bring death and chaos and destruction along with it! Not at all!"

"And people say I'm a pessimist," Cassandra chuckled as they advanced towards the door.

Flinging the door open, Cassandra went in, followed by Beatrix. Her eyes fell on the person who was standing directly across from her, in front of the large table that now had a rather large map spread out on top of it.

Golden eyes stared back at her, filled with some kind of light that caused her eyes to widen slightly. Her eyes dropped down to his perfect nose and soft lips, and on a scar on the right corner of his mouth that begged to be kissed. He really was handsome. Shame he was such an arrogant prick who must have the girls stringing after him, at his beck and call –

Her thoughts were cut short by Cassandra, who was formally introducing the people in the room. Giving her mind a shake she quickly nodded her head at Leliana, and managed to remain calm while schooling her face and eyes to utter blankness when she regarded him – Cullen, the Commander of the Inquisition forces.

"It was only for a moment on the field, but I'm glad you made it out alive, my Lady." His accent was Fereldan and his voice made her start thinking about all the improper thoughts she could ever think of in her entire life. Since she was starting to blush and felt herself panic and losing control, she opened her mouth and what came out of it left everyone in the room stunned for a few moments.

"Ah, yes! You're the prick who said I was too much trouble. I remember you well, you arrogant bastard!"

…

Cullen felt as crestfallen as he looked. Leliana was staring at Beatrix and him, her eyes quickly darting from one to the other. Cassandra's mouth was agape with shock and Josephine, the other person in the room – Cassandra hadn't had the chance to introduce her as the Ambassador yet – was looking at Beatrix with a little fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Beatrix said contritely as her gaze moved from the dark-haired mystery lady, to Leliana and Cassandra. "That was disrespectful to you ladies. I have a bloody headache and I'm not thinking very clearly at the moment."

She didn't even spare a glance at Cullen. It was clear she wasn't sorry for what she'd said to him. It was also very clear that she believed what she had said. To her, Cullen was just an arrogant prick.

Cullen cleared his throat, and grasped the pommel of his sword a little too tightly. Beatrix went on to gaze at the Ambassador standing beside him, nodding and smiling dazzlingly at her. A sharp intake of breath coming from Cullen was heard throughout the room. He blushed when he noticed the others had heard him. Her beautiful smile had surprised him – and he felt both dazzled and excited by it. He clenched the pommel of his sword even more tightly and ground his teeth, willing his face to adopt a relaxed expression. Instead, he found himself scowling.

He heard a chuckle on his right and discovered Leliana hiding her smile behind a gloved hand.

A real scowl appeared on his face.

She had a question for them all, which had puzzled her from the moment she had awaken in her cabin in the morning. She'd heard some of the villagers call her 'Herald' but hadn't the foggiest idea what they meant by it. She kept it to herself, however, waiting for the right moment to ask. Right now she was listening to Cassandra and Leliana discussing their situation with the Chantry.

"The Chantry has declared that they want nothing to do with us or the Inquisition," Leliana said. "They are claiming you are a heretic and murderer."

"Word travels fast, doesn't it?" Beatrix commented dryly.

"This is Chancellor Roderick's doing," Cassandra commented, shaking her head.

"Wonderful," Beatrix muttered sarcastically, but loud enough to be heard by them all.

"The problem is that people are calling you the Herald of Andraste," Josephine said. "Therefore, we're heretics for supporting you."

"Just how am I the 'Herald of Andraste'? I've been meaning to ask you that since I heard it this morning. The villagers were standing in two lines outside my cabin, leaving me a path in the center to get to the Chantry. I thought I was going crazy and seeing things!"

Cassandra smiled, while Leliana and Josephine chuckled. Cullen grinned, but she didn't even look at him.

Cullen wanted to speak anyway. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction in knowing that her attitude was bothering him. He was going to work with her whether she liked it or not, so…

"That's quite the title, isn't it?" he commented with a smile. "How do you feel about it?"

A few moments of silence as Cullen shifted uncomfortably – then her reply.

"Let's see…how do you think I should feel, oh Mighty Commander?" Beatrix nearly hissed at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she spoke. "I've almost been killed by fade rifts and demons three days ago, woken up in a cabin that doesn't even have a chamber pot, opened the door to find people lining up like I'm some kind of god, and I have a mark that is really painful, but is the only thing that helped me avoid a trial and a certain execution. I feel. Just. Peachy. Oh, and on top of that, people are calling me the Herald of Andraste. How would you feel? Peachy as well?"

She gave him a sardonic smile that didn't reach her eyes. Cullen felt himself blush and frowned. "I'm sorry for what I said to you on the top of the mountain. I truly am. But we're going to be working together and – "

"We should get along, you mean?" Beatrix said sweetly. "There is nothing I would dislike more, oh Mighty Commander."

The red on Cullen's face got deeper, and his eyes flashed angrily. But before things got really bad, Leliana interrupted.

"People saw you when you stepped out of that rift, when you first appeared. They say a woman was behind you. They think it was Andraste."

"Ah, I see," Beatrix said. A wave of nausea overtook her and she hoped this stupid meeting wouldn't last too long. Her headache was also becoming unbearable.

"There is something you can do!" Leliana said pointing at the map to draw her attention to it. "There is a Revered Mother in the Hinterlands, tending to the wounded from the mage-templar war. She's asked to talk to you about the situation in the Chantry. It seems she wants to help us."

"I'll go there first thing tomorrow morning with you Cassandra," she said. "Do you think Varric and Solas would mind if they accompanied us?"

"I don't think so, but I'll let them know just in case," Cassandra replied.

Another wave of nausea hit Beatrix and this time she swayed a little. Cullen made a move towards her, as if to hold her steady, but she backed away. She was sweating and felt really cold.

"We'll also have this map engraved on the table," Josephine added. "It will be easier to refer to places indefinitely without having to draw it over and over again."

"That's a good idea, Lady Ambassador," Cullen said quietly.

"If that's all? I really would like to go to the apothecary. Not feeling well," Beatrix mumbled.

"Yes, of course," Cassandra said. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, that won't be necessary, thanks," Beatrix replied with a weak smile. She said goodbye and turned around, fighting against the nausea yet again, when she felt a hand on her elbow.

"I really am sorry, you know," Cullen said softly as Cassandra and Josephine made their way to the door.

"Not now, Commander!" Beatrix said between clenched teeth.

"But – "

Cullen couldn't finish saying what he was going to say. At that precise moment, Beatrix lurched forward and vomited all over his chestplate, right down to his boots. He looked down at himself in dismay, and back up at her. She was as pale as a ghost and a gasp escaped her lips as she turned and ran out of the room, leaving the three advisors and Cassandra behind.

…