Running. Running more. Arrows fly past her ears, causing a whinny to escape her throat. She runs through the freezing snow, zig-zagging in an attempt to dodge the arrows. She heard the sound of a bow releasing, then a body falling over. It was not her body.
"Hey…hey. You're alright." A hand brushed across her back as she panted. "Shhh. You're safe now." It was not the Elvhen that she normally heard. "I'll keep you safe."
Nethra opened her eyes. At least five layers of furs covered her body, causing her already-injured ribs to ache. She looked to her right, to see a familiar Commander sleeping soundly with his hand over hers.
"He has not left your side since they found you." Mother Giselle's Orlesian accent broke through Nethra's thoughts. "It seems you are not the only one who suffers from nightmares." Mother Giselle nodded over to the blond man, who was twitching and fidgeting in his sleep. "I shall inform Solas of your wake." And with that, the Chantry mother was gone.
Nethra sighed, laying back down and staring up at the roof of the canvas tent.
"No…Leave me…vile creature." Cullen mumbled as Nethra stared at him. His skin was pale and dewy, even with the frigid air. He grumbled, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "No…NO!" He shouted, causing the elf to jump. His eyes shot open, locking with hers. "Nethra?" Cullen's voice was hoarse as he panted slowly. "You're awake." He sighed loudly with a smile.
"As are you." She shot a small smile back.
"I brought you flowers," He nodded to the other side of her, "I know it's not your favourite, but supplies are limited." He joked.
Nethra gazed at the trio of mountain flowers. Her brow then wrinkled up in thought. "Wait, Cullen, does that mean the bouquet from before was from you…? No, that can't be right."
There was no way he could remember. He couldn't remember anything before Kirkwall – and they certainly were not on good enough terms then to be talking about flowers.
"There's something…" Cullen sighed, shaking his head, "I need to tell you." He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the words to say. "When I was-"
"Lethallin," The two turned their heads to the bald elf, who had clearly rushed over. "How are you feeling?" He spoke as he sat on Nethra's cot and placed a hand on her forehead. Nethra shot a look at Cullen that they could continue the conversation elsewhere. He nodded back.
"I'll go see how the morale is." Cullen mumbled before getting up and leaving.
Nethra sat up, Solas immediately jumping to help.
"You should not move too much. You have four broken ribs, a broken tibia, and hypothermia. You're lucky to be alive. What did you see?"
"I…He's still alive. The dragon flew off with him before the avalanche."
Solas looked down. "So the Elder One survives. We will be ready next time."
"What do you mean? Haven is rubble. We have nowhere to go…" Nethra went to tuck her hair behind her ear when she noticed there was less ear than normal. "Solas…" Her voice turned shaky. "What happened…"
"You had severe frostbite. The healers had to amputate…"
"Solas…" Her eyes were glossy and red.
"I am sorry. There was nothing they could do."
"It's the Creators isn't it? It's because they call me the Herald of Andraste. I betrayed them." Full-fledged tears streamed down her face, "I don't deserve to be a Dalish elf. I barely was one in the first place."
"The Creators aren't…" in control, he had wanted to say. He bit his tongue, knowing such a statement would not grant her any solace. "Nethra." He grabbed her arms gently, forcing her to look up at him through tear-soaked eyes. "You are not who you are by the shape of your ears – or even from what people call you. It is your actions – your relationships and the hope and love you spread unto others that you are judged on. I can assure you the townsfolk will not treat you any different-"
"You don't understand…" She spoke through sobs. "If you commit a heinous crime within my old clan, they cut your ears to look like this." She touched her disfigured ears. "I wouldn't be allowed to join them if I ever wanted to again."
Solas stayed silent. He did not know what to say. He was angry at the Dalish and their foolish traditions, for they were mostly made-up, having nothing to do with the true Elvhen 'gods'.
He felt a presence behind him.
"What makes you think that you will not be an exception?" Cullens voice sounded, causing Nethra to look up, "You have moved mountains, quite literally. You saved us from an apocalyptic future. You stopped a civil war. You buried the army of a self-claimed god. If they are not willing to take you back simply because of a simple body misshapenness that you had no control of, it is them who are not worthy." Her mouth closed as she studied the blond man. "I…" His voice grew quieter, "I would rather you not go back to them regardless. It may be a selfish reason, but I do not plan on having you out of my life just yet."
Nethra's face slowly grew pink. She blamed it on the nippy wind. Finally, her eyes shot down. "I…thank you." She whispered.
After a long night and a positive musical number, the refugees of Haven packed up and headed deeper into the Frostback Mountains. Nethra found herself on a horse that managed to be rescued from the attack. She was sore and fatigued, and her ribs were killing her, but they could no longer linger. The morning was brutal, will powerful winds and strong flurries surrounding the survivors. By the afternoon, the sun had come out and the people seemed to have their moods lifted. Solas informed the leaders of the Inquisition of a fortress in the mountains that was vacant and ready for someone to move in. With Solas at the front of the refugees, followed by Nethra, the townsfolk, mages, and soldiers from Haven, the survivors travelled through the harsh weather.
They climbed over a steep hill, revealing a monstrous fortress about four times the size of Haven. Nethra's jaw dropped. It was beautiful.
"The original owners called it Tarasyl'an Te'las, but I'm sure the people would rather refer to it as Skyhold." Solas spoke, as if reading her mind.
"It's incredible."
Nethra could hear gasps of awe as more people spotted the fortress. A few citizens even began running towards it.
Solas waited for her to catch up. "The humans have not raised one of our people so high for ages beyond counting. Her faith is hard-won, Lethallan, worthy of pride… save one detail. The threat Corypheus wields… The orb he carried… It is ours. Corypheus used the orb to open the Breach. Unlocking it must have caused the explosion that destroyed the conclave. We must find out how he survived… and we must prepare for their reaction, when they learn the orb is of our people."
"What are you saying, Solas? You think they will blame all elves for it? This all happened because Corypheus abused its purpose – well, I'm assuming he did."
"Faith tends to make martyrs of its champions." There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Whatever the case, that trust cannot grow in the wilderness. You will need every advantage. This is a place where the Inquisition can grow. Where you can grow." Solas softly kicked his horse to begin moving again. Nethra followed.
They arrived in silence. Nethra was too distracted by the beauty of the hold. Even as it was crumbling and filled with rubble, it stood tall and mighty. It was a force to be reckoned with. She watched as the four leaders of the Inquisition gathered by the healing tents. They were whispering to each other. Cullen was looking at Nethra the entire time. He opened his mouth to speak to Cassandra, who nodded and walked over to meet the freckled elf.
"We have received several ravens informing us of new settlements making their journeys here. Skyhold will become a pilgrimage." Cassandra was walking with her hands behind her back. She beckoned Nethra to follow her back up the steps. "If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One. We have the walls and numbers to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond the war we anticipated." They walked under an archway, revealing a large courtyard. "But we now know what allowed you to stand against Corypheus, what drew him to you." Cassandra stopped and faced Nethra.
The freckled elf stared at her glowing hand. "He came for this. Now that it's useless to him, he wants me dead. That's it."
"The Anchor has power, but it's not why you're still standing here." Cassandra lead her under the archway and to the left. "Your decisions let us heal the sky. Your determination brought us out of Haven. You are that creature's rival because of what you did. And we know it. All of us."
They walked up more stairs. Nethra hesitated as she saw Leliana step forward with a large sword in her hands. "The Inquisition requires a leader: the one who has already been leading it. Nethra looked down to the lower courtyard. More villagers were pouring in, staring at her. She spotted Josephine, looking up with a sweet smile. Cullen stood beside the ambassador, with a strong expression. "That leader is you."
Nethra turned back around, staring a Cassandra with a shocked expression.
"But… I'm an elf. Are you sure there won't be an uprising…or something?"
"I would be terrified handing this power to anyone, but I believe it is the only way." Cassandra spoke with a small smile. "They'll follow you. To them, being an elf shows how far you've risen, how it must have been by Andraste's hand."
Tell that to Solas, Nethra thought. Cassandra's hand pointed to the sword Leliana was holding.
"What it means to you, how you lead us: that is for you alone to determine."
Nethra stared at the sword. A golden dragon wrapped around the haft of the sword, while the blade gleamed in the sun. Nethra picked it up.
"I will lead us against Corypheus, and I will be an ambassador. I am an elf standing for Thedas. The Inquisition is for all."
"Wherever you lead us." Cassandra replied. The Nevarran woman walked to the edge of the platform, staring down at the crowd. "Have our people been told?" She shouted.
"They have." Josephine replied, "And soon the world."
"Commander, will they follow?" Cassandra asked.
The blond man turned to the crowd. "Inquisition! Will you follow?" The people cheered. "Will you fight?" They cheered louder. "Will we triumph?" They shouted some more. "Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!" He unsheathed his sword and pointed it to Nethra as the townsfolk rallied.
Nethra thrusted her own sword into the air. It was heavy, and had her arms shaking, but she refused to ruin the moment.
After the cheers died down, Nethra, Josephine, Leliana, and Cullen walked into the main building of the keep. The large room was decorated with scrap wood, broken furniture, and rubble. Curtains hanged soiled and torn.
"So this is where it begins." Cullen mumbled from behind Nethra.
"It began in the courtyard. This is where we turn that promise into action." Leliana spoke softly.
"But what do we do?" Josephine asked. "We know nothing about this Corypheus except that he wanted your mark."
Nethra turned to the three leaders.
"Do we know what we're doing? What if he attacks again?"
"After what you did with one trebuchet, direct attack does not seem like this best option." Cullen almost chuckled. "Skyhold will be able to withstand any attack if it comes to it."
"We do have one advantage: we know what Corypheus intends to do next." Leliana's eyes were sly. "In that strange future you experienced, Empress Celene had been assassinated."
"Imagine the chaos her death would cause." Josephine chimed in. "With his army…"
"An army he'll bolster with a massive force of demons, or so the future tells us."
"Corypheus could conquer the entire south of Thedas, god or no god."
Leliana sighed. "I'd feel better if we knew more about what we were dealing with."
"I know someone who can help with that." A familiar voice announced from the entryway. The group turned to see Varric standing cross-armed with his signature smirk plastered across his face. He walked toward them. "Everyone acting all inspirational jogged my memory, so I sent a message to an old friend. She's crossed paths with Corypheus before, and may know more about what he's doing. She can help."
Nethra hesitated. "Varric…is it-"
"It's a friend. That's all you need to know." He winked.
"Well, I'm always looking for new allies. Introduce me." She smiled. Varric paused and looked around.
"Parading around might cause a fuss. It's better for you to meet privately. On the battlements."
"Oh- okay." Nethra smiled giddily. She knew exactly whom he was talking about. Varric gave her a nod and left.
"Well, then." Josephine started. "We stand ready to move on both of these concerns."
"On your order, Ne-Inquisitor." Cullen stuttered.
"I know one thing," Leliana smirked. "If Varric has brought who I think he has, Cassandra is going to kill him."
The last chapter was super short so I decided to post this one early. Happy (almost) Easter! PLEEasSSE REVIEW I APPRECIATE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND AM ALSO VERY LONELY