"They arrive daily from every settlement in the region. Skyhold is becoming a pilgrimage."

Ahnnie swept her gaze over the courtyard. Tents and makeshift shelters still crowded the edges, but as more of Skyhold was successfully cleared, any new ones that popped up were mostly gone within the week; new faces mingled alongside familiar ones and the courtyard buzzed with livelier chatter than before. "Indeed it is, Evelyn."

Shortly after the Trevelyans' arrival, more people began finding their way to Skyhold. They ranged from fresh-faced recruits hoping to make a difference, to Chantry Mothers from Ferelden and Orlais and even some rogue templars who'd decided to lend their blades to a different cause. Madame Vivienne's connections in particular were helpful in attaining the charity of generous nobles, especially regarding the labor plus equipment required for the ongoing work on Skyhold. The newcomers all had varied reasons for arriving, but Ahnnie understood the two main things that drew them to be thus:

The Inquisition, in sealing the Breach, proved itself to be a worthwhile force; and then the threat of Corypheus, with his Red Templar army and promise of destruction, was too great a threat for them to ignore.

Those two things combined brought them all together in such a manner as Ahnnie had not the chance to see even in her time on Earth. It was with a measure of pride and awe that she stood beside Evelyn now, witnessing firsthand one of the greatest miracles of sentient interaction that had, no doubt, accomplished many great deeds in the past and would continue to do so in the future –

Coming under a common cause.

Solas was right, Ahnnie thought. We can grow here. We are growing here.

Evelyn watched her expression with a smile and gestured for her to follow. "In that case, you will need someone who can help keep its growing stores organized. Someone with a good head for figures, a good memory, and an even better penchant for negotiating."

"Josephine?"

They shared a laugh. "Not quite," Evelyn said when she was done, "but close enough."

As they walked along the courtyard, Ahnnie became aware of a gentle pressure slinking lazily against her calf. She looked down and smiled at the grey tabby feline purring at her feet, yellow-green eyes blinking up at her like sparkling peridot. "Hey there, Silver," she cooed, and reached a hand down to rub the little head. Without a moment's notice, the cat suddenly leapt into her arms and forced her to cradle it, an arm on its bottom and another across its back, to keep it from falling. The peridot orbs were unapologetic; a demanding mew parted the white whiskers shortly after. Ahnnie laughed and scratched Silver's fluffy ears.

"Max was only one she ever did that to," Evelyn murmured. "I could always pet her, but never could I get her to demand affection from me."

Ahnnie knew not whether to feel uncomfortable or flattered by this revelation. It seemed that the more time she spent with Evelyn, the more the mage saw her missing brother in the Herald of Andraste. Silver's interactions with her, for one, or something she would say offhandedly, even down to the particular way she adjusted herself when sitting; it only seemed to reinforce the theory of parallels Solas had mentioned back in Haven. But Maxwell was, as ever, a touchy subject for the girl. "I can tell she was well cared for," Ahnnie remarked, changing the subject. "The Ostwick Circle must have loved her."

"Oh, she was our mascot," Evelyn laughed. "When it came down to her, both mages and templars could agree on something for once. We all raised her as a kitten, you know. She was supposed to catch mice, but I think she caught more treats than mice. She was so sad when Maxwell left for the Conclave..."

Luckily for Ahnnie, the Trevelyan went no further than that. Evelyn stopped them by a group of people inspecting goods beneath the direction of a yellow haired man. His back was turned to them, and so engrossed was he in his duty that he didn't notice their approach. When she got close enough, Evelyn reached out and tapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"Oh!" he started, whirling about with a frightened jump-step. His widened eyes settled as he recognized Evelyn. "Oh bells, it's you," he wheezed with a nervous cough.

Evelyn smiled. "Good morning to you too, Eustace. I don't suppose you've made the acquaintance of Lady Phạm yet?"

Eustace blinked, seemingly oblivious as to what Evelyn was driving at. Then he noticed the black haired girl standing beside her. "O-oh!" he stuttered. "Right, I apologize." Clearing his throat, he introduced himself as, "Morris. Ser Morris, I suppose. I am serving as quartermaster for Skyhold and its, um, arriving throngs. Stores are growing, as you can see." He gestured at the crates and wagons behind him. "And so long as we have fair coin to restock, you and yours will be well served." Another nervous cough.

It took Ahnnie a moment to realize that the coughs and throat-clearing were nervous tics. Studying Eustace's jumpy demeanor, she found that she could relate. I'd been the same way, not too long ago..."A pleasure to meet you, Ser Morris," she smiled. "You can just call me 'Ahnnie'." She shifted her grasp on Silver as she tilted her head in thought. "So, you know Evelyn?"

"Can't say we're thick as thieves," Evelyn confessed, "but he's a well-loved distant cousin of the Trevelyans." She hooked a chummy arm over Eustace's shoulder. "Go on, Ser Morris – tell the Herald of Andraste your qualifications."

Poor Eustace blinked confusedly at Evelyn, and then at Ahnnie. "My family has ties to several freehold militias," he began at last, "as well as cousins acting as officers in Ferelden and Orlais."

Evelyn tapped an impatient finger on his collarbone. "Your qualifications?"

"M-my family holds treaties with three new-money Tevinter houses, and a rare Orzammar contract with a Paragon namesake!"

"Oh, for Andraste's sake – Eustace, your qualifications!"

Eustace flinched beneath the volume of her voice so near his ear. "To be honest, Evelyn, that was my question!"

"Then why did you agree to come here?" she retorted. "Great Maker, why did I even waste my time introducing you to the Herald of Andraste?

The young man fidgeted beneath Evelyn's glare. Drawing in a deep breath, he blurted out, "I am the nexus of a dozen threads tied by others, designed to cast the widest and most appealing resource net. But! Or, I mean...because of that! I will rise to the occasion. Skyhold will want for nothing! I swear it! Aherm!"

Evelyn finally released him from her grasp and threw her hands up in exasperation. "There! That wasn't so hard to say, now was it? Although you could've added your resourceful genius to the mix – that one time Father's flour supplier mixed up orders and delivered months late, for one. You managed to stretch the remaining flour by adjusting bread recipes and won us a better contract. And what you did for Rob's trip to Haven, when we brought along an excess of meat by mistake – you got us extra salt at a superb bargain last minute, which cut down considerably on our excess waste once we reached the Imperial Highway. In short," Evelyn huffed, turning to Ahnnie, "he may not act very competent and it may seem at first that he's got nothing but connections going for him. But I've seen what he can do, and I believe in him."

"But then..." Ahnnie frowned confusedly at Evelyn. "What are his qualifications?"

"Hmm? Oh! Right. He was being groomed for the role of main negotiator of his family's trade deals, but he's worked with ours several times in the past. And then we all heard of Skyhold. Little hero-boy couldn't turn down the invitation to be part of something bigger," Evelyn added cheekily.

Eustace's face burned in what could only be embarrassment. "If you are quite finished."

"Of course," Ahnnie nodded. "Sorry for interrupting your work. And thanks, for your swear. It means a lot."

The Inquisition's new quartermaster reddened now for a different reason. "Y-you're most welcome, Lady Phạm. Aherm."

Evelyn shook her head as she and Ahnnie moved away. "And that's the very man who arranged our first wave of supplies. Can you imagine?"

Ahnnie looked back at Eustace and then down at the clean new tunic she wore. She was instantly conscious of the fullness in her belly and the soft feel of freshly washed hair against her cheeks. "I can imagine," said she with a satisfactory sigh.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise that the next topic of conversation was Varric's books. Ahnnie had recently started reading Hard in Hightown again and was nearing the last few chapters. She had also dabbed a bit in Darktown's Deal and was eyeing Swords and Shields as the next possible read. Though she had more leisurely time than before, there was only so much she could cram between the duties of her current schedule; even now this little walk of theirs would soon come to an end, and then Ahnnie would be required somewhere by the cleaning crews or the Big Four.

"Say, Evelyn," she began before she could forget, "I wrote to you about Cole; did you get that letter?"

The Trevelyan pursed her lips in thought before nodding. "Yes, I did. Thank you for reminding me. Now, this...Cole...you say he takes on the form of a human?"

"He looks and feels human. Like, he's solid and can bleed."

"And he was in your mind, when Envy tried to take your body?"

"Yes..." Ahnnie had left out the details of Cole's corrupted future, however.

Evelyn frowned. "I'd hate to tell you this, Ahnnie, but...demons and spirits don't usually appear in complete human form. The only ones who can do so – or at least appear to do so – are desire demons. And I'm not sure if you're aware, but desire demons rank highly on the Brahm's Scale. The higher the rank, the more powerful and dangerous."

Ahnnie's eyes widened in shock. What!? But before she could ask for clarification, a big shadow suddenly fell over her. She guessed correctly as she looked up to meet its owner. "Commander Cullen," she greeted amiably. "Do you need me for something?" I hope he didn't hear what Evelyn was talking about. Did he hear it? He doesn't look like he did...

But the way the Commander regarded Evelyn seemed, to Ahnnie, an indicator of having heard some of the words. She only hoped he didn't make the connection to Cole, though it wasn't clear if he still remembered the ragged young man. "Seeker Cassandra would like to have a word with the Herald," the Commander said at last. "She's by the stairs to the upper courtyard."

Evelyn opened her mouth to say something, but took it back a moment later with a fleeting glance at the Commander. "I'll see you later, then," she said to Ahnnie. "I've got to run off and see what Rob might need me for."

"In that case, Lady Trevelyan, I've a matter I'd like to discuss with your brother," Cullen interjected. "If you know where he is..."

"Oh, yes," Evelyn nodded, and turned aside to lead the Commander away. "Just over this way." She sent a brief glance at Ahnnie over her shoulder, but whipped it away when she caught the girl staring, and disappeared thereafter down the courtyard with Cullen.

Ahnnie wondered at the strange behavior, but released Silver and nodded anyway. "How bad could it be?" she pondered aloud, taking Evelyn's unease to mean Cassandra's words would not be pleasant.

She arrived to find the Seeker in murmured conversation with Josephine. The ambassador perked up at the girl's approach and nodded at Cassandra before also dispersing on her own way. "I see you have been busy with Lady Evelyn Trevelyan this morning," Cassandra remarked once they were alone, hands folded behind her back.

"We were just taking a walk," Ahnnie explained. "Mostly to talk about Skyhold's growing population."

The Seeker's sharp eyes surveyed the lower courtyard before she gestured for Ahnnie to follow up the stairs. "If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One," she began. "We have the walls and numbers to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond the war we anticipated."

Ahnnie shook her head dryly as they mounted the steps. "No kidding. I thought the Breach was impossible enough...even for a magical world, Corypheus was a giant plot twist."

"But we now know what allowed you to stand against him, what drew him to you," Cassandra pointed out.

So this is about Corypheus? Ahnnie wondered as they reached the landing at the upper courtyard. She stopped to look down at her scarred hand, its glow subdued in the bright morning light. "He came for this," she murmured, "and now that he can't use it, he wants me dead."

Cassandra studied the green mark as well with an indiscernible expression. "The Anchor has power, but it's not why you're still standing here." She then led the girl up another flight of stairs, this one leading to the entrance of Skyhold's main hall. "Your cooperation and determination let us heal the sky. You could have chosen to take advantage of that moment to leave us all to our fate, but you didn't. You are the creature's rival because of what you did. And we know it. All of us." She paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing, "The Inquisition requires a leader..."

As they crested the stairs to a joint landing just below the hall's entrance, Ahnnie caught sight of Leliana with her head bowed over a ceremonial broadsword laid horizontally in her hands. She wondered why the spymaster would be doing such a thing until Cassandra uttered the single word, "You."

Ahnnie looked from Cassandra to Leliana in confusion. As the realization began dawning upon her, a sursurrus of voices echoed from below and she craned her head to the side to see people gathering in the lower courtyard, their eyes upturned on the three women above. She spied several of the companions amongst them – Solas, Blackwall, Dorian, the Iron Bull, Sera...a short turn later, she recognized Commander Cullen and Lady Josephine, along with a beaming Evelyn and Eustace. Netta suddenly became visible above the many heads as Osbert hefted the child onto his thick shoulders.

Ahnnie drew back and shook her head at Cassandra in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what...? Take advantage of what moment?"

"Solas told us all," Cassandra explained. "The Breach was your only chance to return home. I am sorry I ever doubted you...the more I think on what he said, the more it makes sense now. The strange things you carried with you, your appearance, your mannerisms and writings – yes, I read your journal," she admitted when Ahnnie frowned, "but only during the time you spent with Sister Magdelene – all these things about you are so different from here. I cannot begin to imagine the enormity of the sacrifice you have made. These people all have their lives because of you...they will follow."

Ahnnie's frown deepened as she looked back towards the crowd at Solas' bald head. What sacrifice? I didn't make any sacrifice! Because if she remembered correctly, there was no feasible way for her to have entered the Breach. How could Cassandra construe that to mean she willingly chose not to? Unless...Hahren, what did you tell her?

"I will not lie," Cassandra went on, snapping her focus back on the Seeker. "Handing this power to anyone is troubling, but I have to believe this is meant to be. For without you, there would be no Inquisition." The Seeker gestured at the sword in Leliana's hands, and the spymaster came forward to proffer it to the girl. It blazed in the sun with a burnished coppery hue, the rain guard an angry dragon's head and the crossguard its outstretched wings while a coiling tail made up the hilt. "Take it," she said, "and raise it for the people to see."

Ahnnie stared at the dragon's eyes, little beveled ellipses carved artistically into the metal. She wondered for what sort of purpose Solas would help manipulate such an event. "Still," she remarked, "this is all so...random. You should have chosen someone more...I dunno...like you?"

"Is it really?" Cassandra countered. "What these people need now is not someone whom they feel beyond reach. The advisors and I have seen how they regard you. To them, you are a reminder that heroes come in every shape and form. Even when they disagree with you, you feel real – and that reality is more comforting now than any claims of legend." Her sharp eyes softened a tad, and her voice grew gentle. "Though you may not believe in yourself, Ahnnie Phạm, know that all of Skyhold believes in you."

The sincerity in the Seeker's voice touched Ahnnie tenderly. And now, her introduction to Eustace suddenly made more sense. She took a moment to digest the new events as she pondered the dragon sword again, this time with a different light in her eyes. "Corypheus intends to rule over everyone as a god," the girl murmured. "He must be stopped..." She finally reached out and wrapped a hand around the scaly hilt, her gaze flicking upwards at Cassandra as she did so. "But that's the only reason why I'm taking this up."

"So be it," Cassandra nodded.

The Seeker took a step backwards as Ahnnie hefted the broadsword into both hands. She stumbled at first from the unexpected weight, but regained her balance a second later and held the sword upright.

Assured of the girl's grip, Cassandra strode over to the edge of the landing. "Have our people been told?" she cried down at the crowd.

"They have," Josephine yelled back, exotic voice ringing, "and soon, the world!"

"Commander," Cassandra called out next, "will they follow?"

Cullen turned around to face the gathered people. "Inquisition, will you follow?" he asked of them.

Their resounding cheers rose above the courtyard in a deafening chorus. For every following question the Commander posed to them, the people shouted their assent louder and louder:

"Will you fight?"

"Yah!"

"Will we triumph?"

"Yah!"

"Your leader, your Herald–" Cullen unsheathed his sword as he spun back around, blade held high in Ahnnie's direction. "Your Inquisitor!"

The final round of cheers was the loudest of them all.

Skyhold's main hall was much neater than when she'd originally laid eyes on it. Ahnnie traced the length of the hall to the dais at the end, remembering the dusty and filthy mess it had once been. Broken stone and wood used to lay clattered about the place like a half-finished renovation, and ugly-colored stains that she feared would be permanent had smeared the old stones most distastefully. Now everything was as pristine as could be and just lacked tapestries, a regal carpet, some braziers, and a throne to make it complete.

But Ahnnie was not here to help plan its décor. "This way to the undercroft," Cassandra announced as she led Ahnnie to a door on the right of the dais; the three advisors followed close behind, and when they came through, it was to stand in what appeared to be a cavernous space hidden beneath the shimmering curtain of a great waterfall. The floor was manmade, consisting of familiar cobbled patterns leading with stairs on three sides to a lower tier before ending at a balcony several feet away from the falling water.

A forge burned brightly in a corner of the cave, followed by various crafting tables placed throughout. Ahnnie couldn't guess much at what they were used for; they seemed to be workstations for assembling different pieces, but pieces of what? The oddities strewn about puzzled her greatly. The best she had been able to hint at was a table for armor crafting.

"Ah, Lady Cassandra," Harritt saluted as he came forward.

The Seeker nodded back in acknowledgement. "Where is the arcanist?"

"Oh!" The blacksmith wiped his dirty hands onto his smock and looked about the undercroft. "Dagna!" he shouted. "Where're you? Inquisition's here, for the–"

"Coming!" a cheery, youthful voice returned, and Ahnnie thought at first that it was a child jogging out to them from one of the worktables. As she learned with Harding, though, the auburn haired young woman before her was no child; she was a dwarf. "Hello, there," she greeted Ahnnie with a little wave.

"Our new arcanist," Cassandra introduced at last.

"Dagna, Arcanist Dagna," the dwarf supplied with a brief bow. "It's an honor, Inquisitor." Her bright eyes then flitted over to Ahnnie's left hand, attracted by the dim green light. "Is that it? The hand-Anchor-mark? It's pretty!" she gushed.

Ahnnie blinked in surprise. "Oh, thanks..." No one had ever called the Anchor 'pretty' before.

"The Breach was pretty too, in a...'destroy everything', sort of way," Dagna giggled. She stopped, however, as she noticed the unamused faces of the spymaster, Seeker, and Commander behind Ahnnie. "But I digress. So – I guess you'll be wanting to see it now?"

"See what now?"

"Oh, the – didn't they tell you?" Dagna gestured confusedly at the Big Four.

"Your new glaive," Leliana clarified when Ahnnie turned to them. "We were aware you had lost your old one back at Haven, so we'd commissioned a new one in its stead."

Ahnnie nodded, understanding now. "That's great," she commented. "Yeah, I would like to see it, if you don't mind."

Upon that word, Dagna ran back excitedly to the worktable she'd been occupied at and returned to them with a shining new glaive-guisarme in hand. "Harritt and I made it together," she boasted. "Well, he made the weapon, but I was the one who added that extra 'zing', so it's not just any glaive. It's better; stronger! Your old one got crushed by a dragon? Well, tough luck with this one!"

The weapon before her was as beautiful as it was deadly. The shaft, made of a rich, dark wood, was polished to a sheen and etched with pretty patterns along the two common handholds known to polearm fighters. It was one of these handholds that Ahnnie grabbed now as she stared in awe at the gleaming crescent blade and sharp hook, decorated with whirling patterns welded in the metal, and the rather embellished flame-shaped bladed end–

"Gyaaahwaaahwhaaat!?" came the unceremonious scream as a blast of fire suddenly erupted from the glaive's head. Dagna let out a cry of shock as well and almost dropped the flaming weapon; everyone else jumped a little at the sudden light and noise. As Ahnnie yanked her hand away, canceling the flames, Dagna breathed out a nervous chuckle.

"S-sorry about that," she wheezed, trying to stifle her laughter. "I was going to tell you that it's...it's enchanted."

Ahnnie stared shell-shocked at the new glaive before regaining the presence of mind to reach for it again. "So it...does that when I press...here?" She brushed a cautious finger along what was now a glowing pattern in the wood.

Dagna cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. Well, first of all, I inscribed lyrium runes to enhance its durability. Right...there," she pointed near the head. "Those're passive, always activated even when you don't touch it, so now you've got a weapon that doesn't break as easily. And then you've got the fire runes on the handholds! All you gotta do is just hold 'em like so, and clench." She performed a demonstration, resulting in twin bursts of flame that erupted from both head and bladed end. "Harritt made sure to choose a more fire-resistant type of metal," she explained, "plus I tinkered a bit with some fire resistance inscriptions for the shaft. It's all in there, not to worry; the only thing you're manually in charge of is the fire. And if it goes iffy for any reason whatsoever, just bring it back to me and I'll fix it right up!"

"Wait...lyrium runes?" Ahnnie asked, suddenly apprehensive.

"How else would the enchantments work?" Dagna laughed. "It's not raw lyrium, though. Now that stuff is bad. I work with refined lyrium; once it's been constituted into liquid or powder, it's pretty much safe for anybody to handle. Here, you can handle it now!"

Dagna passed the weapon over to her and Ahnnie took it tentatively into her hands. She slowly traced its length, feeling the smooth wood and carved grooves of the inscribed runes along the shaft; she enclosed the upper handhold cautiously, but seeing no fire, relaxed her grip and swung it about in a few practice movements. Then she brought it down and gave a deliberate clench. Fire spat from the crescent head and blew away into nothing when she released the rune.

"I get it now," the girl nodded. "I just shouldn't have grasped it so forcefully...this is pretty neat, Dagna. You too, Harritt," she nodded as well at the blacksmith. "I'm honored you both made this for me. Thanks!"

The dwarven Arcanist beamed up at her with pride. "Anytime, Inquisitor." Harritt on the other hand turned away sheepishly, hiding his bashfulness behind a sudden interest in a speck on his smock.

"Corporal Hargrave will assist you in learning techniques to handle its new properties," Cassandra told Ahnnie. "It was not our original plan to have it enchanted, but Arcanist Dagna wanted a chance to prove her skills."

"So you enchant things?" Ahnnie asked Dagna curiously.

The dwarf pursed her lips in thought. "Well...it's more like this. I was born to the smith caste in Orzammar," Dagna explained, "but you've a man for that already, and a good one. I'm here because of my passion for magic. I can't actually do magic because I'm a dwarf, but that also means no risk of possession. Safer than a mage!" she winked. "Magical study, magical theory, magical enchantment, and through it, the manipulation of masterworks; I studied it all with an objective eye. No secrets, no fears. That lets me apply principles like no other. So think of me like a magic crafter; bring me what you want made, and I'll make sure it goes just right."

Ahnnie smiled. "All right. I'll remember that."

"Arcanist Dagna has great skill and a reputation for humbling first enchanters in both Andrastian and Imperial Circles," Josephine mused as the five of them exited the undercroft. Ahnnie's new glaive gleamed behind her back, now attached to her person by a complimentary leather strap from Dagna and Harritt. "Two assassination attempts and at least one explosion made landholders reluctant to allow her passage through their territory...but with a bit of effort, we were able to bring her here from Tantervale."

Cullen snorted in amusement. "If that's what Leliana calls 'a bit of effort', then I'm a Mabari's uncle."

"Much better than sending over a full retinue of soldiers, at any rate," Leliana retorted. "But now, to the war room; shall we?"

Ahnnie perked up at that, excited to see which corner of Skyhold they'd chosen for the war room. Before anyone could say anything, however, a flustered Inquisition soldier cut in between them to tell Cassandra something. She whispered in the Seeker's ear while throwing uncertain glances at Ahnnie and the advisors, and the more she spoke, the more Cassandra frowned. "I cannot come with you at the moment," she told them at last. "There is something I must look into. I shall join you there at a later time."

"Very well, then," Josephine said, and led them across the hall; Ahnnie glanced back at Cassandra once over her shoulder, wondering briefly what had perturbed the Seeker so.

"So this is where it begins."

Cullen's voice echoed against the stones in an almost hushed reverence as the advisors and newly named Inquisitor stepped into the new war room. It was a spacious chamber with a vaulted ceiling, illuminated along a wall by tall bow windows from which fresh sunlight spilled through. A curling chandelier lay dormant above their heads and a large table made from a polished tree slab sat before the windows, dappled in the shadows of the criss-crossed grilles.

"It began in the courtyard," Leliana interjected. "This is where we turn that promise into action."

The four of them stopped before the table, upon which was spread the familiar map of Thedas that detailed Orlais, Ferelden, and most of the Free Marches. Little dust motes floated in the golden light before settling on the worn parchment, disappearing against the contours of wrinkles and dark ink. Ahnnie fought back the temptation to blow them off as she stared down at the map.

"But what do we do?" Lady Josephine asked. "We know nothing about Corypheus except that he wanted Lady Ahnnie's mark."

Silence enveloped them for a while, in which Ahnnie could feel the three advisor's eyes on her back. She fished through her mind for something to say, something to be useful and appropriate in her new role. "Corypheus mentioned 'championing withered Tevinter'," she said at last, "Does going against him mean waging war with the Imperium?"

"I get the feeling we're dealing with extremists, not the vanguard of a true invasion," Cullen pointed out.

"Tevinter is not the Imperium of a thousand years ago," Josephine added. "What Corypheus yearns to restore no longer exists...though they would shed no tears if the South fell to chaos, I'm certain."

Oh, that's right, Ahnnie remembered. Her comparisons of the Roman Empire now shifted more towards the Byzantine era – still, these extremists can do damage, especially with someone like Corypheus around. "Okay, then," she nodded. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong...it sounds like Corypheus wants to enter the Black City in order to become a god. Is that plausible?"

Leliana's delicate features hardened. "He's willing to tear this world apart to reach the next. It won't matter if he's wrong."

"What if he's not wrong?" Cullen asked hypothetically. "If he finds some other way into the Fade?"

"Then he gains the power he seeks to unleash catastrophe on us all."

Ahnnie pursed her lips in consternation. "That dragon of his," she remembered. "What is it Cole said it was...an archdemon? What is that?"

"Archdemons are the Old Gods tainted by darkspawn," Leliana explained grimly. "The presence of another one now would mean the beginning of another Blight."

Josephine tilted her head in thought. "We've seen no darkspawn other than Corypheus himself," she pointed out. "Perhaps it's not an archdemon at all, but something different?"

"Maybe it's just a dragon?" Ahnnie suggested, but then remembered that if Corypheus was considered a darkspawn, then he would have tainted the dragon into an Archdemon. "Never mind, that was a stupid question..."

"Whatever it is, it's dangerous," Cullen concluded tersely. "Commanding such a creature gives Corypheus an advantage we can't ignore."

Ahnnie's brows furrowed in frustration. "Someone out there must know something about him," she insisted desperately. "Something we can use to gain an advantage with."

The Commander shook his head. "Unless they saw him on the field, most will not believe he even exists. I doubt anyone has ever really known enough about him to help us."

"But we do have one advantage," Leliana put in. "We know what Corypheus intends to do next. In that strange future you experienced, Empress Celene had been assassinated. Such plans had also been discovered in the Seeker headquarters. And then he found a way into your world, incorporating its technology into his arsenal..."

"I believe sealing the Breach took care of that second plan," Ahnnie said. "Which leaves Empress Celene's assassination for now, at least until Corypheus finds some other way back into the Fade."

Josephine's dark eyes seemed to broil with misgiving. "Imagine the chaos her death would cause," the ambassador murmured. "With his army..."

"An army he'll bolster with a massive force of demons," Cullen added, "or so the future tells us. Otherworldly technology would not even be required."

The Antivan ambassador's voice trembled in foreboding as she shook her head. "Corypheus could conquer the entire south of Thedas, god or no god."

Ahnnie sighed and planted her weight on both hands against the edge of the war table. Of course, how could she forget the demon army part? Already less than an hour into her new Inquisitorship, and she was stressing out. "Ugh!" she half-groaned, half-spat. "I'd feel better if we knew more about what we're dealing with..."

"I know someone who can help with that," a smoky voice cut in from behind them.

They whirled their heads around to the war room entrance, where they found Varric leaning nonchalantly against the doorway. "What?" the dwarf asked. "You left the door open. You can't not expect eavesdropping when you leave the door open."

Ahnnie couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Don't leave us hanging," she said to Varric, gesturing him inside. "If you know such a someone, it'd be much appreciated."

Varric grinned back as he strode into the war room. "Everyone acting all inspirational jogged my memory, so I sent a message to an old friend. He's crossed paths with Corypheus before, and may know more about what he's doing. He can help."

If she didn't check herself, her jaw would have dropped straight to the floor. All this guessing and deducing and dreading, and a friend of Varric's is the one who knows something!? "What? Really? Who?" she demanded in rapidfire succession.

Varric cringed at the volume of her voice and looked about, as if for fear of being overheard. "Parading around might cause a fuss," he answered her in lowered tones, and stepped closer until he was within murmuring distance. "It's better for you to meet privately. On the battlements."

This sudden secrecy caused Cullen to cross his arms and Leliana to exchange a curious glance with Josephine. Ahnnie couldn't help but frown as well, noting how un-Varric like this shifty behavior was.

"Trust me, it's complicated," the dwarf sighed as he shook his head. "I'll let you know when my friend gets here. In the meantime..." He pointed to his closed mouth and tapped it with a stubby index finger before turning away and exiting the war room. They watched his squat figure recede down the corridor and into the antechamber where Josephine's new office also happened to be located, before it disappeared around the doorway into the main hall.

"Well, then," Josephine blinked after a while. "We stand ready to move on both these concerns."

"On your orders, Inquisitor," Commander Cullen nodded, albeit uneasily. "If you trust this friend of his, we will not complain."

"Well..." Ahnnie fidgeted. "I suppose I do. I trust Varric, after all..."

Leliana's tone, on the other hand, was grave. "If this person is who I think it is, Cassandra is going to kill him."

Ahnnie was shown to yet another new room in Skyhold shortly after the war room. Its door was situated in the upper left corner of the main hall, directly across the dais from the undercroft. A wooden walkway overlooking a corridor under construction served as the antechamber, and after going up a flight of stone steps, she found herself standing in a bedchamber five times the size of her old cabin in Haven. She stood staring at the queen-sized bed, the upholstered couch, the imposing wooden desk and armchair for what seemed like an eternity. A regal fireplace lay against the wall opposite the bed, flanked by a pair of double paned doors leading out to a magnificent balcony that commanded a stunning view of the Frostback mountains. As if that weren't enough, a spacious loft overlooked everything, accessible via a staircase through an open archway in the wall behind the bed.

"This is my room?" she asked incredulously.

"Is it to your liking, Inquisitor?" the soldier beside her asked.

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. "Are you kidding me?" Ahnnie asked back. "I love it!"

The soldier smiled in relief. "Then I shall leave your belongings here, if it pleases you."

"Oh, sure, anywhere!"

The Inquisition soldier laid a small bag of clothes and the two books by Varric onto the desk. They served as the entirety of her possessions for now, but she couldn't care less. She was too busy fawning over the room, taking in the vaulted ceiling above, the soft comfyness of the bed, the closet space right next to it – a moment later she was admiring the craftsmanship of the desk and the empty shelves behind, waiting to be filled. She ran up to the loft and enjoyed a bird's-eye view of her new room before running back down to put her things away in a large dresser by the bed. And finally, with a look of awe on her face, she walked out to the balcony and drank in the vast mountain scenery before her.

"I could get used to this," she murmured to herself as she leaned against the balustrade. Though the room was largely bare of decorations for now, it shined to Ahnnie like the luxury of a five-star hotel. "Perhaps becoming Inquisitor wasn't so bad..."

A rap on one of the paned doors reminded her that she wasn't alone. "Inquisitor?" the soldier inquired. "I apologize, but word's just come in that you're required in the courtyard by Seeker Cassandra." Another Inquisition soldier's head peeked at her from inside the room, and Ahnnie released her grip on the balustrade with a reluctant sigh.

What is it about this time? she wondered as she followed the second soldier out. I hope it's not another surprise...the Inquisitor thing had been spontaneous enough. She hoped it would be something more routine this time around, so she was confused and then reticent when she found the Seeker in a heated discussion with Madame Vivienne, Solas, and Evelyn; a heated discussion about...

"Inquisitor," Cassandra cut off as she saw Ahnnie approaching, "I wondered at first if Cole was a perhaps mage, given his unusual abilities." Her sharp eyes narrowed. "Now I realize he is not."

Ahnnie slowed to a stop by the circle they had formed and studied the faces of the four gathered. What she found was not very pleasant. After dismissing the soldier who had escorted her, she asked, "Did Cole do something?"

Madame Vivienne immediately pounced on the new discussion, voice dripping with displeasure. "That thing is not a puppy you can make into a pet," she spat. "It has no business here."

"Wouldn't you say the same of an apostate?" Solas countered; though his voice was largely controlled, there was no missing its undercurrent of vexation.

Vivienne certainly didn't and shot him an icy sidelong glance in response. "An apostate, at the very least, has a measure of predictability," she retorted.

"You never told us about him being present in your mind during Envy's attempted possession," Cassandra then reproached Ahnnie. "A fact you felt quite comfortable sharing with Lady Trevelyan months after the fact."

Ahnnie looked confusedly at Evelyn, who shook her head in earnest. "I didn't tell her about it," the mage insisted. "Rather, it was..."

The arguing four turned their heads around to look at something behind Evelyn, which Ahnnie discovered a moment later to be Cole himself. The young man sat cross-legged on the ground, waving his hands about in play with Maiden. Ahnnie stared at him incomprehensibly for a few seconds before turning back to the others. "Just what, exactly, is going on?" she asked them slowly.

Vivienne gave a disdainful sniff at the sight of Cole. "It wants to join the Inquisition."

Ahnnie immediately frowned at the Madame. "Cole is a 'he'."

"A demon masquerading as a 'he'," the Court Enchanter corrected. "For that is what it is; a demon."

"If you prefer," Solas interposed, "although the truth is somewhat more complex than that."

"And what is the truth, pray tell?" asked Vivienne with a cross of her arms.

Ahnnie turned helplessly to Evelyn yet again. "Is he a demon?"

The Trevelyan shook her head, a confused frown etched on her features. "No...at least, not that I could sense. But that also might be indicative of a particularly powerful demon..."

"My thoughts exactly," Cassandra agreed.

Ahnnie's heart sank with every affirmation from each of the three women. She had hoped the truth would not be as drastic as they claimed. It confused her that someone – or something? – as benevolent as Cole seemed could be...well, a powerful demon.

"He can cause people to forget him, or even fail entirely to notice him," Solas then said, recapturing Ahnnie's attention. "These are not the abilities of a mage; and since there is no definitive proof of him being a demon, it would seem that Cole is a spirit."

"But this violates everything we know about the Fade," Cassandra argued.

Solas nodded sagely. "So it does."

Madame Vivienne shook her head exasperatedly at the elf and insisted, almost demanded Ahnnie to, "Tell that thing it is not welcome here. I shudder to think of what the Inquisition is coming to, if it allows a demon to skulk about its ranks."

Ahnnie's breath caught in her throat. Was that a threat of withdrawal from the Imperial Court Enchanter of Orlais? If so, the stakes were higher than she previously thought. But to appease the disgruntled Enchanter went against her conscience. "Cole helped save me from Envy," she argued. "Without him, I wouldn't have had the strength to think of good memories like Solas told me to. And then he warned us about Corypheus at Haven, an action that saved a lot of lives! Without Cole, we probably wouldn't even be here in the first place!"

"And what will its help cost?" Madame Vivienne challenged. "How many lives will this demon later claim?"

"I'm sorry, Ahnnie," Evelyn apologized as the distraught girl looked over to her. "I...I have to agree. Never have I seen anything like this before, and..."

Only Solas seemed to be her beacon of light in this troubling moment. "Contrary to what you all believe, his nature is not so easily defined," he contended.

"Speak plainly, Solas," Cassandra requested. "What are we dealing with?"

"Demons normally enter this world by possessing something," he explained. "In their true form, they look bizarre, monstrous. Cole, however, appears as a young human male."

"Is it possession?" the Seeker asked.

Evelyn shook her head in defeat. "If it is, it is the most expertly done possession I have ever seen."

"No," Solas negated. "He has possessed nothing and no one, and yet he appears human in all respects. Cole is unique, Inquisitor," he remarked to Ahnnie. "More than that, he wishes to help. I suggest you allow him to do so."

A tight noise escaped the Madame's mouth. "Do not delude her further, hedge mage," she snapped. "She is already misinformed enough. Demons either possess something from this world or are summoned and bound; they almost never look like someone you'd mistake for a person."

Solas made a sharp inhalation as he faced Vivienne. "Normally you would be correct," he huffed, "but Cole has willfully manifested in human form without possessing anyone."

"Did I say he was possessing anyone?" she countered. "You forget desire demons, which have the ability to manipulate the perceptions of their victims." She turned back towards Ahnnie, dark eyes smoldering. "If you have any concern for the safety of the people here, Inquisitor, you would tell this demon to leave."

Three points for demon, one point for spirit. Ahnnie now felt unsure about where her opinion would fall. She trusted Solas and his observations of the Fade, but to say that the expertise of a Seeker, spirit mage, and Imperial Court Enchanter were dismissible in comparison would be a lie. Her resolve faltered as she considered Vivienne's words in particular. If Cole really is a demon seeking to claim more lives, then we're in more danger than I thought...but if he's not, and I just heartlessly turn him away...the thought of his sad blue eyes assaulting her made her wince. She shook her head in frustration. "Let me talk to him," she said at last. "I'll...see what he has to say for himself."

She couldn't have upset Vivienne more if she tried. "Such words have been the demise of many a mage," the Madame warned. "I beg you to remember that, Inquisitor, in your dealings with that...thing."

That last remark weighed heavily on Ahnnie as she trudged away from the three mages and Seeker over to Cole. Why is she talking to me like that? she thought. It's not as if I've given him the green light yet. I just said I was going to talk to him, for goodness' sake. Her frown lightened. But it's not as if I'm going to deny it to him either, aren't I? she added with a sigh. I...

"...don't know what I'm doing, what I'm going to do," Cole finished for her, and settled his hands down to his sides, much to Maiden's disappointment. The brim of his hat spun around and his sad eyes touched hers a moment later. "I don't want to disappoint or hurt anyone. I just became Inquisitor today."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Ahnnie heaved through yet another sigh. "I guess you know why I'm here then. Let's...walk while we talk. I don't really want to be close to them at the moment."

They strolled side-by-side through the tents in the courtyard, Maiden padding merrily after them. For a while, Ahnnie said nothing; she half-hoped she wouldn't have to, that it would all blow away a moment later. But she knew that was not how things should be dealt with. God knows it never worked for me. She huffed away a stray strand of hair and turned to Cole with the deliberateness of a doomed prisoner, not quite daring to meet his eyes. "So, Cole...you want to join the Inquisiton...how did you, um, go about proclaiming that?"

"You always talk with the Seeker Lady," he began. "And she's always directing things, commanding more than even the big Commander."

"She's Cassandra, and he's Cullen," Ahnnie supplied.

Cole nodded thoughtfully. "So I showed her how I could help. When she still wasn't sure, I told her about how I helped you before."

"Oh, god..." Ahnnie cupped her face in her hands before sliding them upward against her skin in consternation. "You did what? Never mind, don't answer that," she interrupted. "I'm going to guess that Vivienne, Solas, and Evelyn were one of the first people she thought of telling."

"Solas was actually with me," Cole admitted. "He said he wanted to be there too when he saw what I was going to do."

If she was curious about Cole's nature before, she was downright baffled now, filled with more questions than answers. "I don't suppose you can tell me what you exactly are?" Ahnnie asked. "Everyone's got all these opinions, but now that I think of it, you haven't really said anything."

Cole went quiet, and when she looked closely at him, she could see his eyes grow distant. "I used to think I was a ghost," he murmured after a while. "I didn't know. I made mistakes...but I made friends, too. Then a templar proved I wasn't real. I lost my friends. I lost everything. I learned to be more like what I am; it made me different, but stronger. I can feel more. I can help."

Her heart went out to the bedraggled young man, having had lost everything herself twice over now. But his response cleared nothing up. It rather discouraged her that Cole himself didn't even know what he was. And I'd hoped a spirit mage, of all mages, would know, but...

With a frown, she reached out while he wasn't paying attention and pinched him on the upper arm. The young man yelped like a startled cat and flinched away to rub the stinging skin vigorously. "You're not a ghost," she said before he could make a reproach. "That would have just gone through you if you were one. Or at least, that's what I was brought up to believe. Ugh, sorry," she apologized, scratching the back of her neck, "not the best thing to have done. I just...I don't know. If it were up to me alone, I'd let you stay to help."

"Yes, helping," Cole nodded. "I help the hurt, the helpless, there's someone..."

He drifted away of his own accord towards some unknown spot. Ahnnie followed trailed by an excited Maiden, relieved that he put the pinching episode so easily behind him yet curious as to what drew his attention. It was a haggard-looking young woman tending to an injured soldier, face completely sapped of energy and liveliness. It was easy to tell that she had been throwing herself wholeheartedly into her tasks. A Chantry sister approached her slowly from behind...

"Eyes rough, jangling armor hurts my ears," Cole recited. "Back aching, fingers too clumsy for knots. Wind cool like Aunt Eloise's pond. Lips scalded as I sip, warmth blossoms, first kiss in the barn, what was his name?" His voice, moving fast yet dreamlike in a harried dancer's grace, made her think of poetry jams. "Tin jangle as the blood spills, Pierre's wrapped body on the wagon to the Chantry, five more minutes, my fault..."

The young woman noticed the Chantry sister and they exchanged words for a bit. The Chantry sister departed shortly afterward and the young woman turned away with her face in her hands. Ahnnie opened her mouth to say something to Cole as they came close, but found that he had disappeared.

He blinked himself instead over to the young woman, startling her with his sudden address. "It's okay. Nothing you did mattered."

"What?" she gasped as she whirled around. "Who are you?"

"They lie there, and sometimes they die, just like Pierre," he went on. "You can't save them."

"I don't...I don't know who you are," the young woman stuttered, backing away from him.

Cole shook his head. "Wait, that didn't work," he mumbled. "Let me try that again. You'll forget me in a minute." He cleared his throat and came closer to the young woman, eyes boring purposefully into hers. She drew back a step, but did not turn away. "You can't save all of them."

"What?"

"Like Pierre getting sick after you snuck out to Aunt Eloise's pond. You want it to be your fault, so there's a reason and it's not so frightening. But there's no reason," Cole said, shaking his head. "Pierre just got sick. The soldier was never going to live; it wasn't your fault. None of it was, and you have to accept that, to forgive yourself."

He seemed to have touched a chord within her, as her awed face showed. But just as his words were beginning to sink in, he raised his hand and made her forget.

It was a strange thing to watch. The magic that emitted from Cole's palm was a dark, smoky grey, punctuated by silvery tendrils of light. It flashed for about three seconds or so before he put his hand back down by his side. Where Ahnnie would have expected the young woman to scream about strange magic, she simply stood blinking for a while before moving along as if nothing ever happened.

"Better," Cole whispered.

Ahnnie stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. "So you just help people and then make them forget about it?" she blurted. She wondered if this was also how Cole displayed his abilities earlier. No wonder Cassandra got pissed...

He nodded. "It's better to help and then be gone. If I stay, it can be frightening." When he saw her apprehensive look, he sighed. "It's not how a person would do it...but it helped. That's what matters."

Ahnnie wondered what he meant by "frightening", but her mind returned to more pressing matters. "So if I told you to go away," she began, "would you make me forget? Would you make the others forget?"

"If no one wants me around, there'd no reason for them to remember me," he replied. Then he paused. "Are you going to send me away?"

She inwardly cursed herself for allowing herself to feel that conflict about him yet again. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, "I..."

Cole looked down at the ground for a moment, hiding his face beneath the wide brim of his hat, and then back up at her. "I understand," he gulped. "It will be just a minute."

Huh? What is he..."Wh-whoa!" Faster than she'd expected, Ahnnie grabbed hold of Cole's upcoming wrist just as he was about to raise it to her face. "You didn't let me finish...feeling," she spluttered. "I was going to say – and feel, I suppose – that I'm sorry if you know about me being torn between keeping or booting you. I don't want you to feel unwanted; at the same time, I don't want to make a mistake...but from what I've seen, you're not frightening at all. I don't see the harm in having you around."

His widened eyes looked almost frightened beneath his shaggy bangs. "You don't?"

"I don't," she repeated, smiling. "I mean, no one knows what you exactly are, and there's probably more to all this than strictly demon-spirit classifications. I know it's going to be a real pain in the ass convincing Vivienne and Cassandra," she sighed. "But I'll think of something, I guess."

Cole still didn't seem to wholly believe the positive turn of events, but at the very least he appeared to have made a more optimistic rebound. "And I'll see if I can find some way to help," he added, voice hopeful.

"Then we have a deal." Ahnnie let go of his wrist and held out her hand. When he grew confused, she gestured for him to hold it. She clasped his clammy palm a moment later and they shook hands on it like two businesspeople; Maiden barked at the pair as they did so and attacked Cole's shoe, causing Ahnnie to laugh.

The urge to solidify the promise had been spontaneous, but the intent was not – and Maker willing, this would be the only tough decision she'd have to make in her new career.