Now introducing Zinnia Hawke, the dual-wielding Champion of Kirkwall and paramour of a brooding ex-slave elven warrior! Enjoy as she shows up briefly to not really help much, but, hey, maybe there's a new lead! Meanwhile, Ash continues to give this leadership thing a shot.
Ashiril's mind was elsewhere that morning as the advisors gave their reports around the war table. Some renown here, an amulet there, the latest news from an agent in Val Royeaux, a letter from King Alistair… Wait. Ash perked up at that.
"The King of Ferelden wrote us?"
"Indeed," Leliana offered the parchment to the curious elf. Ash scanned the document, snorting with amusement.
"Ah, yes. The handsome blonde fellow who kicked us out of Redcliffe. Well, that's gracious of him," she handed the letter back.
"Don't let the Hero hear you say that," the spymaster murmured beneath her breath.
"Say what?"
"Leliana knows both the King and the Hero of Ferelden personally," Josephine offered. "She traveled with them during the blight. And she is just joking."
Ash was impressed.
"Well, of course you'd have an intimidating past I know nothing about."
"The matter remains, shall we lend aid against these Venatori?" the spymaster continued. Ash nodded.
"Of course. Leliana, do you have a suggestion?"
"I have just the agent in mind," the redhead bestowed a deadly smile that sent a shudder through Ash. She did her job well.
"So… excellent. Good then," she rubbed her hands together. "Cullen and Josephine, you have things in order for now as well, I believe?"
"Inquisitor," Cullen bowed in acknowledgment.
"Of course," the Antivan didn't even look up from her notes.
"Then if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment," Ash bowed and left. The three advisors exchanged knowing glances.
"Has Cassandra really not put that one together yet?" Cullen asked.
"Soon enough," Leliana said.
Ash padded quietly through the great hall, catching snippets of gossip as she went. Her eyes darted to the table at which Varric normally sat. He was missing. She pressed her lips together, hoping she wasn't very late for the meeting.
The dwarf had been abnormally skittish about this entire arrangement. Something to do with Cassandra, and how she would "wring his neck" if she found out, or so he maintained. Ash didn't like keeping the her in the dark. She enjoyed the warrior's company, and it was unsettling to keep secrets from any of her inner circle. But juggling desires was part of her new skillset as Inquisitor. May as well start honing those skills now, among friends who might be more inclined to forgive her glaring mistakes.
She knew some stories of this Champion. She knew the trials Kirkwall had undergone. It had been a battleground for a Qunari invasion at one point, that the Champion spearheaded defeating. More importantly, it was the catalyst for the mage rebellion, after an apostate destroyed a huge Chantry building, taking many lives in the process. Anders. Varric had known him. Cullen had known him. Ash forgot how strangely small their circle was sometimes.
Varric had seen so many things before this breach ever threatened them all. The greatest threat Ash had faced before this had been werewolves. No easy thing, but comparatively, it paled.
Ash blinked against the bright and cloudless sky as she climbed the ramparts to their meeting point. Birds called out overhead. It was beautiful out today. Her eyes darted around the bustling crowds below, searching for a familiar widow's peak and beard among the many faces. Wherever Blackwall was hiding, she would have to root him out later.
Ash crossed to another small set of stairs leading down and saw Varric waiting. Next to him stood a tall, handsome woman clad in red and silver gear of metal and leather. Two long, jagged daggers were fixed in scabbards to her muscular back. The woman turned as Ash approached.
She had a shock of messy black hair that swept across her brow. Thick black eyebrows offset piercing, bright green eyes that regarded the elven warrior with a measured appraisal. A gash of dark red ink splashed across the bridge of her aquiline nose. Thick dark lips twisted up at one corner in a neutral greeting.
"Inquisitor," Varric began introductions. His voice rang with some pride. "Meet Zinnia Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall."
"Though I don't use that title much, anymore," the Champion added in a sultry voice.
"Hawke," Varric motioned warmly to Ash, "the Inquisitor. I figured you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus. You and I did fight him, after all."
"Unsuccessfully, it would seem," Hawke remarked. The woman raised an eyebrow at Ash. The elf might normally be offended at such a silent appraisal, but Hawke had an easy air about her. She leaned against the battlement and gazed out over Skyhold.
"I understand you've already dropped half a mountain on the bastard. I'm unconvinced I can top that. Considering I already tried to kill him once."
"Oh, I don't know," Ash shrugged and moved next to the rogue. "You did save a city from a horde of rampaging Qunari. That's got to count for something."
"Depends. Do you happen to have a horde of rampaging Qunari on hand?"
"There's a Qunari. He's almost a horde all by himself," Ash admitted, "but he's on our side."
Hawke spread her fingers wide.
"So, then. Where does that leave us?"
"Well," Ash hadn't quite known how to prepare for this. What did she expect? "You've fought Corypheus before, correct?"
"Fought and killed," Hawke straightened and turned her steady, unblinking gaze on Ash. "He had a hold on a group of Grey Wardens at the time, somehow."
A cloud settled on Ash's thoughts.
"So that could be happening again. With the disappeared Wardens." And it could happen to Blackwall. Ash didn't like the sound of that at all.
"It would reason so," Hawke nodded.
"Could we free them?"
"It's possible," the woman was hesitant, "but we need to know more first."
"Go on."
"I've got a friend in the Wardens," Hawke began. Ash recalled Varric's story from the other night, of the Wardens that had saved Hawke's mage sister from certain death. Stroud. Hawke had not heard from him since his last message expressing concern over corruption in the Warden ranks. Ominous.
"Did Stroud disappear with the other Wardens?" Varric asked what Ash was thinking.
"No," Hawke was firm. "He told me he'd be hiding in a smuggler's cave near Crestwood." Ash felt her stomach sink a little. Crestwood. Rain, and more rain. She'd had enough of that while rescuing the soldiers from the Fallow Mire.
"Then that leaves an obvious course of action," Ash decided. The human rogue nodded.
"I'm glad you agree. Corypheus is my responsibility." The elf blinked in surprise at that. "I thought I'd killed him before. No. I know I did. I'm not sure why he's back, but… I will correct that."
Huh. That seems personal.
"The more the merrier," Ash offered cheerfully. Hawke looked from her to Varric. The dwarf shrugged.
"She's not wrong. Well. Except maybe in Blondie's case."
"If we're done here, is there a place I can restock before I head to Crestwood?" Hawke asked. Varric nodded, and the three of them moved to the stairs and headed toward the tavern.
"So, where's Broody?" Varric asked Hawke. Ash looked back to watch the Champion smile and shake her head.
"You know Fenris would get himself killed trying to protect me. I decided not to give him the chance."
"Huh," the dwarf was surprised. "Then you just… left?" The Champion shrugged, but offered no details. Varric barked a laugh. "Well, that's not going to go over well. I hope he doesn't track you down while I'm within a mile's radius."
"Please don't remind me," she groaned. "I'm still not sure how I'm going to deal with that fallout. Die beforehand, I suppose." Ash's brow crinkled curiously.
"What are you talking about?"
Varric jerked a thumb in Hawke's direction.
"This bright one decided the best way to deal with her overprotective significant other - who, by the way, is a serious swordsman and one of those scary breeds of unpredictable - was to apparently leave in the dead of night without so much as a word," he chuckled in disbelief. Hawke's eyes widened defensively.
"I never said it was without a word! Or at night. Stop embellishing," she protested.
"Whatever. Eggshells, if you see an angry white-haired elf named Fenris with lyrium tattoos anywhere near Skyhold, first, you let me know. Second, run," Varric advised. Ash blinked rapidly.
"Lyrium tattoos?" she repeated.
"He's not that bad," Hawke grumbled. Varric fell back a step behind the Champion and mouthed emphatically to Ash that he was, indeed, very much that bad.
They helped Hawke stock up on a few things before wishing her well and promising to meet soon in Crestwood. Varric waited till his old friend had disappeared beyond the other side of Skyhold's bridge, then turned to Ash.
"There's a start for you," he said.
"Thank you for the introduction, Varric," Ash knew he was protective of his friend. "Hopefully it will lead to answers."
"No kidding," the dwarf snorted. "Alright, I've got a few things to take care of. Let me know if you think of anything else you want to know."
She nodded and watched him go. Ash mulled over the meeting. At the least, they had a lead for answers. So… about where they started the day. She snorted.
She was walking back to the main hall when she heard a distant clamor and crash. Her brow furrowed. Ash followed the commotion to a largely unused room and heard shouts echoing from overhead.
"You're damned right, I did!" Varric barked out defiantly.
"You conniving little shit!" came Cassandra's angry retort. More sounds of furniture breaking. Ash picked up speed.
"You kidnapped and interrogated me!" Varric ran around a table for cover as Ash arrived, standing midway between them. "What did you expect?!"
"Both of you, enough!" Ash snapped. They turned, breathing heavy from adrenaline.
After a beat, Cassandra sneered accusations at Varric, at how his lies cost them Hawke, and perhaps Most Holy herself. If he had only led them to Hawke, then maybe…
"It's not Varric's fault," Ash said, firmly, but gently.
"I was protecting my friend," Varric wasn't backing down.
Cassandra shook her head angrily.
"Even after the Conclave, even when we needed help desperately, you kept her hidden. You liar. You snake."
"Well, she's here now," Varric snapped back.
"You don't care what you've done," she hissed. "You care only for yourself. That much is clear."
"Stop this. This will help no one," Ash demanded. Her heart was pounding.
"Hah!" Varric shot. The elf turned her glower on him.
"And you better not be keeping anything else from us," she threatened. His triumphant smirk faded. He dropped his eyes.
"I understand."
Cassandra turned her back and moved a few steps away. She seemed calmer now, but tense. Ash and Varric exchanged looks. The elf motioned with her chin toward the door. Varric scowled, sighed, and nodded. He started to leave, paused, and turned back. His voice was firm, but quavered slightly with some strong emotion.
"You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the temple, she'd be dead too." He turned and left without another sound.
Ash approached Cassandra slowly. She stood quietly next to the warrior in silence for a few moments. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this. Two people she had come to consider as friends, so full of rage at each other. And for good reason.
"I am such a fool," the warrior sighed. "I believed him. Every word of his story… His fiction. If I could have just made him understand, then maybe…" She shook her head. Her powerful shoulders slumped low. She was more deflated than Ash had ever seen her. "But I didn't. I just fought him."
Ash sat down across from her. What to say?
"Well… we go with our strengths." Ash winced.
Cassandra looked up into her friend's face. She was calmer now.
"I should have been more careful. Smarter," she held Ash's eyes with a clear certainty. "I don't deserve to be here."
The elf snorted. Cassandra's eyebrows quirked upwards in mild surprise.
"Have you looked at our group lately? We're all fools here," Ash leaned back, folded her hands on her lap, and shrugged.
The human didn't even try to suppress a snort of laughter.
"And I am supposed to feel better, then?"
"More at home, maybe."
Cassandra sighed, reached out, and clasped the elf's hand with hers.
"I want you to know, I have no regrets. Things seem to have… worked out in a way I did not expect," she stood. "Perhaps I should take that as a lesson that I know next to nothing." Ash stood with her and gently clasped the woman's hand in return.
"You know enough. I'd trust you to stand in front of a dragon any day."
The woman laughed ruefully.
Ash took a step closer.
"I mean it," her voice held no room for compromise, "We would not be here, if not for you. No one deserves to be here more."
Ash found Varric a short time later, brooding warily in his usual spot. She eased his concerns that Cassandra wasn't planning to murder him… at least not over this, not today. Then, to her surprise, the dwarf apologized. For keeping Hawke from them, for withholding so much. Ash listened and nodded. She understood. She didn't say so, but erring on the side of distrust, opting to hide loved ones rather than risk them for an unfamiliar cause… Ash doubted she would have acted much differently.
After that mess was cleaned up as much as it could be, Ash walked the grounds. She made small talk with the people and surveyed their progress. She needed to stay more in touch. She needed to show her people, the people risking their lives for their cause, that she cared, that she was paying attention. That even if they had differences, she was present.
Maybe it wouldn't matter for some things, but it was a start. By dusk, her feet were aching and her mouth was dry. She made her way to the tavern and smiled to see the friendly faces of Cullen, Iron Bull, and a few soldiers already settled in.
Ash ordered an ale and took a seat next to the Commander, who seemed mildly surprised that she had joined him.
"Good evening, Inquisitor," he offered. "Another long day?"
"Is there any other kind?" she smirked. Ash paused, bit her lip, and cocked her head to one side. "Um, Cullen? Commander. Cullen."
"Hm?" he responded, mid-swig from his tankard.
"What can you tell me about Fenris?"