It waved purple-yellow in the breeze, fanning out in light violet before blending inwards with summer gold. Frost glistened on its tips and tiny crevices like jewels of the conquered season. Snaking delicately from colorful head to rocky ground was a thin green stem, rooted in the earth by a delicate furl of leaves.

It was a flower.

Ahnnie bent down and plucked it from its domain, watching as it danced in the leisurely breeze between her fingers. Her breath almost caught in her throat.

"Spring is here," she whispered.

The realization was as sweet a relief as the little flower's scent. The road had been treacherous and winter, unkind. She'd lost track long ago of the days spent wandering through the mountains, negotiating rocky paths and narrow passes in pursuit of the mythical Skyhold – but if the appearance of this flower was anything to go by, they might be close.

The Inquisition had uprooted itself from the valley camp the moment Skyhold's viability was confirmed. Stories of an ancient Fereldan fortress in the Frostbacks vaguely correlating with the location and distance Solas disclosed was proof enough of its existence. If anyone distrusted it, they did not give voice to such thoughts. The promise of not only a more permanent but defensible shelter spurred them on, the siege of Haven being too close a memory for comfort. Camp was broken within a few hours and the journey begun on the cusp of noon.

But that was not to say no one suffered. It happened on the very first day of the journey, even before they started out – one by one, the majorly ill and wounded dropped like flies. The elderly and very young followed suit despite the Inquisition's best efforts to direct more rations and medicine their way. It was hardly unexpected, given their frailer state of body; but as the corpses and burial mounds piled up and their overall numbers diminished, Ahnnie's morale slowly plummeted with them. She would never forget the haunted wailing of one of the female refugees when her infant was found ice cold in his swaddling, and of how she later threw herself off a cliff when no one paid attention. Her widower stayed silent for days afterwards and vanished in the middle of the night when his grief presumably became too much.

So when Netta's fever broke out anew, Ahnnie was terrified. It chilled her to the very core whenever any of the children grew sick, but with Netta there had been a promise, an oath created by flames and crashing wood. The puppies, she noticed, were also growing thin. Stretched between her desire for the greater good of the many and concerns for the closer few, she found herself throwing her needs to the wind trying to appease both.

It was easy enough to do when supplies were fair and, regrettably, made more plentiful by the dwindling numbers – but as the dying trickled to a steadier pace and the majority of the weak killed off, the gnawing emptiness in Ahnnie's stomach grew worse. There were still hundreds in their company amongst whom the steadily decreasing supplies was increasingly being stretched thin. It did not help that the cold mountain climate forced her body to burn more calories than she could take in, either. The animals that traveled with them were occasionally slaughtered when hunting could provide no complement to their gruel, but soon they came to a breaking point. Any animal that grew the slightest bit weak was a prime choice for the day's supper. What little livestock they had brought with them were quickly gone; hungry eyes turned to the beasts of burden. When her Forder suddenly went lame, Ahnnie did not stop to ask for any second opinions.

"Just take him and roast him up," she told the army cooks.

Several of Dennet's horses suffered the same fate that night, so her supper was not likely to have been composed of the poor chestnut's meat. Even so, the sweet taste of horseflesh filled a void within her that she cried herself to sleep about later. Brontos, the burly rhino-like creatures the soldiers used as pack animals, were less of an option for the sheer amount of things they carried – losing one meant potentially losing its cargo as well – but they were easier on her conscience by virtue of having not been directly under her care. Food was becoming scarce for the animals anyway, she would tell herself. She drew the line at dogs, though. Many was the time she found herself defending the three puppies from being snatched. It came to such a point that she would not let them out of her sight. Herald or no, some grew disgruntled at this possessiveness and the way she snuck in morsels to feed the young dogs.

And who could blame them? They had themselves and their families to look after. Even Osbert was displeased with her for a spell, having intended to feed Pepper to Netta when the little girl made a slow but steady recovery. Only Netta seemed grateful for Ahnnie's insistence, as she showed by snuggling with the pups in her bedroll every night. Ahnnie would lay close by, attentive.

Within all this time she interacted little with her companions, even less with Cole. Everyone had their own thing going on and Ahnnie was about as useful to them as the average civilian. Jokes and banter had been exchanged at first, maybe some serious discussions with the Big Four; then it was silence as the journey wore on, and eventually irritation. Solas was the only one who still seemed to be himself, a fact that Ahnnie took comfort in. Even though he was mostly busy guiding them all to their destination and had little time to spend with her, every time she looked into his wise eyes steeled with purpose, she could tell herself that this journey would come to an end.

And it would all be worth it.

Skyhold was finally sighted a few days after the discovery of the flower. The great fortress sat high on a peak amidst the other mountains like an island in a sea of air. It was accessible via a large bridge spanning a chasm and lay so still and powerful in the weak spring morning, that everyone almost feared it was inhabited by hostiles who would attack the moment they came close. The lack of banners stayed their imaginations and the weary travelers crossed the bridge full of hope.

Yet they weren't entirely wrong about it being inhabited; the inhabitants just weren't hostile. It was clear the moment they crossed into the main courtyard that the fortress teemed with wildlife. Ground dwelling birds such as pheasants, quails, and partridges flourished in the unkempt brambles and bushes, along with hares and rabbits. Then in the trees, peering ponderously at the intruders, were wide-eyed squirrels guarding their stores. Within the fortress itself, mice and rats made their nests in the nooks and crannies of the keep and long-neglected furniture.

It was evident that they would all eat well that night. It was also evident that Skyhold had been left to nature for a very long time. While it stood mostly intact, many areas were in need of repair and rubble had to be cleared; thick layers of dust coated almost every inside surface and animal excreta was everywhere. If the Inquisition were to claim it as a new stronghold, they had much work to do.

The first official order of business that Ahnnie saw being implemented was the training of Leliana's ravens to recognize Skyhold as their new home. "I sent a quick message to the Hinterlands about Haven's fall before we evacuated from the Chantry," the spymaster explained in the gloom of a makeshift rookery, "but the sooner I can get word out of our new situation to our other allies, the better. I fear there are still refugees and recruits traveling up the mountains thinking to reach Haven."

Such was the regrettable state of communications in Thedas. It had been roughly a month since the Inquisition made its exodus, but Ahnnie knew to give news at least another month to fully sink in, more so in rural places than urban. If things were this slow in a world with magic, she could only imagine the confusion armies from Earth's past faced when such things happened to them.

Luckily, the new season eliminated for now the exigency of survival. Hunting and gathering parties brought in a steadier if not better stream of nourishment, and any wild animals left hiding in Skyhold were soon roasting over campfires or drying out as jerky. Medicine was still scarce, but at least it wasn't dwindling. In the meantime Ahnnie helped with the cleaning and repair efforts. The work was as exhaustive as the expanse of the fortress, especially with the limited resources they had at hand to perform it. There was so much to Skyhold she knew she hadn't seen – rooms and sections and even entire floors blocked off or deemed too hazardous to enter. Yet though they had been at it for what seemed like days, progress felt minimal. It was not so much a sense of curiosity that ate at her nerves as it was frustration at the labor lying ahead of them all.

Ahnnie sighed as she collapsed on the stairway connecting the upper courtyard with the lower one. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her limbs ached with weariness. Her stomach rumbled hopelessly, but she knew the next meal would not be coming for several hours; not if she wanted to conserve the Inquisition's supplies, such as they were. I've got thirty minutes on this break. More like thirty seconds! Sweet Maker, I hope night comes soon...

"Are you all right?" an innocent voice asked her, and a tiny body pressed up against hers a second later.

Ahnnie put on a smile. "I'm fine, Netta."

The little girl lay her head against the older one's arm. Pepper, now a tad too big to be held in Netta's arms, tried to wheedle his way into her lap but she only pat him absentmindedly. "You don't look all right. Are you sick?"

"No, no...I'm not sick..." Ahnnie wiped some dirt off her cheek and gave a sniff. "Just a bit tired."

"So am I."

Ahnnie looked over at the light brown head. "Do you feel warm?" she asked, and felt the child's forehead in worry.

"Not so much," answered Netta. "Nala says I am getting stronger every day."

"That's good to hear," Ahnnie smiled, and withdrew her hand when she found the temperature satisfactory. Nothing too concerning, she concluded.

Netta hummed in agreement as she started playing with Pepper's floppy ears. "I wish you weren't so busy," she mused at last. "Then we could play together like we used to. Charley thinks up of the funniest games, and Maiden is very smart. She always outwits him in the end. Pepper doesn't care much, but he really likes the mud. I don't really like it when he tries to get me in the mud, but if you like mud too, you would have a lot of fun."

Ahnnie felt an amused smile tug at her lips. "Okay, I'll remember that for next time. What about your friends, though? You could play with them when I'm not there. Weren't you close with two other girls...Clara and...Jan...Janie?"

"Clara and Janet are gone, and no one else wants to talk with me," Netta sighed.

"Oh." And just like that, her smile flipped upside-down. Crap. I...I didn't think her friends had been..."I'm so sorry, Netta," she apologized. "I didn't realize. So none of the other children want to play with you?"

"No. They're all too busy or sad or tired to play."

Ahnnie bit down on her lower lip. She'd been so wrapped up in work that she'd forgotten this was a trying time for children especially. They never asked for a war to be brought upon them, or for the Veil to be torn open and their homes destroyed...Children always seemed to be caught in the middle no matter what happened, and then forced to grow up with the consequences. Damn it all. Why does the stupid world have to work that way?

Netta sniffed. "I miss Clara and Janet. And I miss Lady. I even miss it when the stupid boys made fun of me." She sniffed again. "I miss Mama..."

Pepper whined as Netta stopped petting him, and the two noises together tore another hole in Ahnnie's heart. I miss Lady and Flissa too. Most of all, I miss Haven. The thought elicited pressure in her eyes, but she quickly fought it down with a swallow. She couldn't cry now – she had to be strong. Netta was looking up to her; above the other people the child could have sought for comfort and the other things she could have done to cope, she chose to confide in Ahnnie instead. And she couldn't be disappointed.

Luckily for her, a surefire distraction was close at hand. "My...nose...it's so big!"

Netta's sniffing stopped and she looked up at Ahnnie in surprise. "What?"

"Yeah," Ahnnie nodded, "just look at it...it's huge! See?" She put two fingers on either side of her nostrils and then squeezed them together. "Like, even if I smoosh it like this, it's still half the width of my lips," she droned in a tinny, congested voice.

A giggle shook in Netta's breath. "I-it's not that big," the little girl protested. "Just really...round."

Ahnnie let go of her nose and mock-rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, but have you actually seen the size of this honker? It could crush foes in battle! No, I bet if I really concentrated hard enough, I could've blown away the Breach with just a single sneeze!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Netta burst into a hearty fit of laughter. Ahnnie couldn't help but fall prey to the contagious mirth a moment later and found the resulting dopamine burst to be sorely needed. As she imagined using her schnozzle in actual battle, she laughed even harder. An excited Pepper pranced and waved his tail wildly in response, more desperate than ever to grab their attention.

His intrusive licks got them to slow down, but the laughter still lived in their throats as choppy breaths and sighs. Ahnnie was the first to recover and cleared her throat before she spoke. "I know you're feeling sad and lonely right now," she began, "and that's nothing wrong. I feel the same way too. But you're not alone, and I'm not alone, because we've still got each other. Right?"

Netta coughed. "Right," she echoed.

"So...we'll be sad, but it won't last forever and we'll never be lonely. One day, we will look back at the people we miss and smile as we think of them. In the meantime..." Ahnnie cupped the child's hands together in hers. "We should also remember we're not the only ones. Those kids you talked about, who were sad? Did you try talking to them at all?"

Netta shook her head.

"Maybe you could cheer them up," Ahnnie suggested. "You never know. Sometimes a sad person is just waiting for someone to talk to them. You may feel nervous at first, but if you open up with, say...asking after them, doing nice things, or even jokes, then you might find it easier. And when that person starts to feel happy, you'll feel happy too."

The little girl tilted her head in thought. "I think jokes work the best," she decided. "Laughing made me feel much happier."

"That's great! You know how to do this already!"

Her small face beamed in delight at the praise. "Oh, but I won't make fun of your nose, I promise!" Netta hurriedly vowed, now clutching Ahnnie's hands as if it were she who had been doing the comforting instead.

"Oh–" Ahnnie laughed again. "Oh no, Netta, it's okay – you can go ahead and do that. See, I think it's important to be able to laugh at yourself. It makes you feel more comfortable in your own skin."

"But if I make fun of your nose and you're not there to hear it, then it won't be you laughing at yourself but others laughing at you."

Ahnnie raised her eyebrows in surprise. Now that is some Josephine-level speech analysis. "That's a very valid point," she agreed a moment later. "But in general, learning to laugh at yourself helps make you a happier person. And if you're a happier person, you'll be better at making others happy."

"So if I'm a happier person making others happy, will I become the happiest person?" Netta asked.

Ahnnie couldn't help but grin. "Yes. Yes, you would."

The little girl tapped thoughtfully on the stone step with her foot. "That sounds very nice. I should like to try it out soon. Could you play with me right now, though? I promise to do what you say after you play with me. I'll get Charley and Maiden too. Please?"

"Ah..." Ahnnie sighed. The disrepair of Skyhold entangled her yet again; not to mention she didn't feel like playing at all. "I'm sorry, Netta, I can't–"

"But I could."

Both girls turned their heads around to find Cole squatting on the stairs just one step above them. Pepper, confused, let out a little yip before descending upon Cole's shoes for a thorough scent investigation. The young man looked down at the puppy with curious eyes. He reached out to poke the fluffy straw-colored fur and his finger was assaulted by licks almost instantly.

"Really?" Ahnnie asked. How long has he been there? Pepper didn't even notice him...Did he listen to the whole thing? That would have been rather embarrassing, if true. At least for a certain part. Waving the thought away, she turned to the little girl. After all, this was her playtime. "What do you think, Netta?"

Netta blinked and crept closer to Ahnnie. "Who is he?"

"He's a friend of mine," Ahnnie assured her. "He's very nice."

"He looks...scary."

Cole flinched. "I don't want to scare you, I promise," he insisted, but wasn't quite so successful, for Netta now clung onto her arm.

It's the eyes, Ahnnie thought, and his pale skin, plus the way his hair hangs down in his face...which is also kind of sunken-looking...So she could understand why Netta might have her concerns. At the same time, Cole's hurt expression elicited a twinge of pity. "Why don't you try playing with him just a little bit?" Ahnnie suggested. "If you don't like him, you don't have to play with him any further." When the little girl still seemed undecided, Ahnnie added, "Let's introduce him to Charley and Maiden since he's met Pepper. Here, I'll come with you. I've still got some time left."

Netta jumped to her feet at that. "Ooh, Charley and Maiden would be happy to see him! They love making new friends, even if they're ugly."

Now it was Ahnnie's turn to flinch. "U-um, sure...but, Netta, I don't think that's such a nice thing to say..."

The three of them walked down the steps and into the collection of tents in the lower courtyard. Even without Netta guiding them Ahnnie would have known where the tent she shared with Osbert was located. She let Netta run ahead with Pepper before turning apologetically to Cole. "I hope you don't mind...it's just...kids sometimes, you know. When they're that young, they say the first thing that comes to mind and don't really think about the consequences."

"I don't mind," Cole assured her. "I only want to help."

Ahnnie smiled. "That's very sweet of you."

They stopped before the tent and waited for Netta to call out the other two puppies. It did not take long; the little girl's voice combined with Pepper's barks summoned the pointy-eared pair within the span of a few seconds. As the pups spent some time tackling Netta excitedly to the ground, Cole took the opportunity to dig through his pockets for something. "Here," he said a moment later, and held up a fist over her hand.

"Oh?" Ahnnie opened her palm and watched as a handful of plump red berries fell into it. She recognized them as wintergreen, one of the few edible winter fruits she had learned to find while digging through the snow.

"Night won't come soon enough and you'll have to get back to work," Cole explained. "It's all I could find, but I hope it helps."

Whether he had plucked these from the stash of a hunting-gathering party or rifled through the thinning snow to harvest them himself, the berries were a welcome sight that she knew would become a more-than-welcome snack. "Thank you," she breathed, smiling even wider.

As she plopped the berries into her mouth two at a time and savored the sweet, sweet spice bursting across her tongue, Ahnnie thought she could see Cole's thin lips curving in a tiny smile back.

"Convoy approaching!"

The basket of weeds tumbled out of Ahnnie's arms as the announcement rang across the upper courtyard. The civilians around her froze in their work as well, puzzled looks etched onto their features. Her heart rate spiked as a hand instinctively went to the sword on her belt and her legs pumped across the courtyard, down the stairs, and past the settlement of tents before crashing to a stop by the gatehouse.

The immediate area was alive with the buzzing murmurs of gathering soldiers, agents, and curious civilians. Ahnnie strained to see what the gate and the bridge looked like above their heads but failed miserably no thanks to her height. "What's going on?" she demanded of the nearest soldier, impatient.

"A convoy's been sighted in the mountain pass by one of the hunting-gathering parties, my lady," the soldier replied. "They are due to cross the bridge any minute now."

She let out a hiss of frustration. Crap! Has Corypheus caught up to us? Was it stupid to have sent out those ravens? Even though Solas had assured her that the Elder One wouldn't be able to touch them here, her heart pounded harder at the thought of another attack. We can't withstand another one! We just made it through the winter...

"Lady Herald, are you all right?" the soldier inquired worriedly.

She whipped her head over to him. "What banner is it under?" she snapped. "Is there even any? And how large is it? Are there any of our people left out on that pass? We should get them back here as soon as possible!"

The soldier's mouth froze in silent protest before he spluttered in embarrassment, "My lady, you're mistaken...I do not believe this convoy means us any harm, not unless House Trevelyan had intentions of invading us."

Ahnnie froze. "House Trevel...?"

"Yes, Lady Herald. House Trevelyan of Ostwick. I-I apologize for scaring you; I should have told you sooner..."

She barely heard the words uttered beyond "Ostwick". Instead, she swiveled her frozen gaze towards the gates, paralyzed with shock and disbelief as the clip-clop of horses began to echo from the bridge. Eventually, it came close enough to reach beneath the raised portcullis. While every instinct told her to draw her sword and fight, the people around Ahnnie parted to make way as a forest green banner bearing the image of a horse head with a long, flowing mane floated through the courtyard.

Cassandra and Cullen descended upon the scene almost immediately. They met the head of the illustrious convoy as he reined in his dark mount and addressed him after he swung himself off the saddle.

"Lord Robert Trevelyan," Commander Cullen nodded. "It is a surprise to see you here at Skyhold."

"We had not been expecting visitors," Cassandra added, "much less nobility."

"I could not help but assemble my family's resources to bring aid once news of Haven's fall reached the Free Marches," the lord nodded back.

"Aid?" Cassandra echoed.

A familiar voice piped up from the procession behind Lord Robert, sweet and lilting in the crisp mountain air. "The wagons behind us are loaded with food, clothing, medicine, weapons, tools...just about everything a displaced people would need to start their lives anew."

Ahnnie's breath froze in the middle of her throat and her hand fell away from her sword's hilt. "Evelyn!" she cried, and pushed herself through the crowd to catch a sight of her first ever penpal. There she stood at the head of a group of wagons, dressed in deep green traveling clothes of a nobler cut than the last time they'd met and a beautifully carved staff tipped with blue crystal in hand.

The brunette's eyes brightened up with joy. "Ahnnie!" she cried back, and rushed up to encircle the girl in a tight hug.

Ahnnie felt the air squeeze from her ribs beneath the mage's unexpected strength. She couldn't help but smile and raise her arms to return the hug...but as she leaned in close, as she felt the soft neatness of Evelyn's tunic and sniffed the faint scent of something floral in her hair, she stopped and pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Evelyn asked, confused.

Ahnnie rubbed her arm and gave the mage an apologetic smile. "I'm covered in sweat and dirt from work, plus I haven't had a bath since we...uh, left Haven. I haven't changed out of these clothes, either..." The only difference from the night of the siege, she realized, was the absence of the armor.

"That's no problem!" Evelyn laughed. "Come, look here!" She grabbed hold of the girl's wrist and pulled her towards the wagons. Pointing excitedly at one as though at a festival attraction, she said, "This has all the clothes you could ever need and extra fabric to make more. Then there is soap in the medicine wagon right there, and we've got brushes and nail files somewhere, oh, I don't know, but we've got them. And if you're hungry, there's plenty of bread and meat to go around. I know the Ostwick Chantry sent along pickled goods..."

Ahnnie swallowed. "Bread?" she rasped, her mouth already watering.

"Bread!" Evelyn repeated happily. "And enough of its ingredients to go about making more!" They came to a stop at yet another wagon, and Evelyn pulled back the tarp with a mischievous smile. "Physical needs are not the only ones we came to fulfill. I'm sure you'll appreciate having one of these handy for the creation of what can only be the greatest library to come..." She grabbed the nearest book and the cover of Darktown's Deal, volume one, was pushed into Ahnnie's hands a moment later. Its author? Varric Tethras.

"Varric's books?" Ahnnie whispered in disbelief.

"Damn near bought out the whole bookstore of them!" boasted Evelyn. "Of course, there are other kinds too, mostly Robert's selections, and some blank books in case you're into logging, recording, or diary keeping, even. Then we've got plenty more parchment, wax, and ink for all your official correspondence needs..." She paused, her face blanching in mortification. "Wh-why, Ahnnie! Whatever is the matter?"

Ahnnie sniffed and wiped at her watery eye. "I'm sorry," she gulped. "This is all...you didn't have to..."

"Of course we had to!" Evelyn insisted. "How could we just ignore you when Haven was wiped off the map, right after the sealing of the Breach no less? It would be madness not to!"

A nervous chuckle shook her breath. "O-of course," Ahnnie nodded, "it's just...sorry, I said that out of habit..." Then she looked down at the book in her hands, and the memory of opening up a paper-wrapped package in the Singing Maiden flashed by her eyes. Like a kid on Christmas day. "I lost it," she murmured. "The book you sent me...it was on the bed in my cabin when I went to..."

Evelyn settled a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There's plenty more of it in the wagon," she assured her. "All the copies you could ever want."

Ahnnie's lower lip trembled. "I lost my pajamas too, and that...that stupid-looking orthopaedic shoe...and then the chopsticks Blackwall made for me, and..." She gulped. "Everything I wrote in that journal. All my drawings and writings that I...I used to remind myself of Earth." She tried to stop herself by biting down on her lower lip, but the tears raced on anyway. "I lost everything that night, except for the clothes on my back and a useless bag of coins!" Which, in a fit of wild frustration, she had tossed down the mountain when the pangs of extreme hunger began to take hold of her mind.

Evelyn drew her closer. "Oh, Ahnnie...everything's going to be all right. Just let it out, now. Hold nothing back."

The words worked like a magic key, unlocking the gates to the pent up emotions that had swarmed and battered about for release; only now did Ahnnie realize just how much she'd been holding in since the start of these new troubles. She hugged Darktown's Deal to her chest and openly wept into Evelyn's shoulder, making no effort to stifle the volume of her cries and sniffs. "I was just starting to be comfortable in Thedas," she sobbed. "Everything was going so well...I was proud of myself for once in my life, and then...and then...! It all came down like a fucking huge slap to the face!"

"I know, I know," Evelyn crooned, stroking her fingers through the matted black hair. "Life's unfair like that."

The mage stood still as she continued to embrace the crying girl, whose grief butchered words by this point into incomprehensible splutters. The spectacle drew quite an amount of attention from the people around them, both of Trevelyan and Inquisition employ. As they recognized the Herald of Andraste sobbing in Lady Evelyn's arms, they grew quiet, remembering that the fabled conquerer of the Breach was but a mortal being like the rest of them, and had been just as battered by the winds of fate as had the most common civilian.

While she was thus occupied, Lord Robert made the order for the wagons to pull further into the courtyard as the rear of the convoy was coming up the bridge. He also waved his men to help unload the goods into the waiting arms of a very grateful Inquisition. Ahnnie's sobs began to subside at this point and she stood awhile with Evelyn to clear the rest of it out of her system before getting back to work.

Optimism swelled in her breast for the first time in what seemed a long time as she joined in the distribution of the much-needed supplies; but alongside that optimism lived a dark and seething thought. A seed had been planted as she had cried the sadness out of her heart, a seed born from the ashes of Haven and the heat of a new determination simply summed into four words:

Corypheus...you will pay!

A/N: When I updated previously there was a glitch that hindered the sending of story alert emails to both authors and followers. If any of you follow this fic, I have PM'd you. I am SO sorry about that & thank you all for still sticking with me!

And then if you're curious about how I envision Ahnnie, I base her looks off of my cousin. I posted some art on the Ao3 version along with source pics of my cuz that I was planning to link to on my profile here, but the site won't let the links work for some reason. So you're going to have to bear with me if you want to see them. Now listen carefully; your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to:

1) Google "The Otherworlder Ao3"

2) Click the first link.

3) Click on the third story, Exodus.

4) Go to the latest chapter (chapter 4) and scroll all the way down until you see =Author's Note=. And then voila.

My cousin gave me permission to use and show her pics, and is also ok with the whole 'big nose' thing. She's cool like that :P.