Cassandra groaned as something moved beneath her, jostling her back into the light. Light… The seeker opened her eyes, hesitant to accept what she saw. The Fade was gone, replaced by sunlight, by warmth and the seeker tipped her head back to breathe in the experience of such fully.

How?

The question pounded in her mind as familiar voices edged into her hearing; Varric's laughter, the rumble of the Qunari mercenary's reply, the Tevinter's dismissive tone. How did she get here? How did she escape the Fade? Slowly the fog of her thoughts faded as the puzzling pieces of recent events fit together in her mind...

Evelyn!

Cassandra jerked upright eyes darting, ears straining for a sign, any sign of the other woman's presence but none were forthcoming. Tentatively the warrior crawled towards the opening in the caravan wincing as a vice grip wrapped around her stomach and she fell over clenching at the rippling waves of cramping hunger.

"Stop the horses!"

Cassandra barely heard the command, flinching as the canvas shifted and white light blinded her. She felt a gentle touch against her head and another voice called for food and water. The seeker twitched away from the unwanted touch and turned to glare at the one who had the audacity to put the offending limb on her in the first place.

Dorian drew back at the flash of anger in the seeker's eyes and fought the smile that threatened to give his relief away. It had been 3 days since they had fallen from the Fade; 3 days of carefully monitoring the seeker's vitals, of forcing thin broth between parted lips in an effort to replace strength sapped by starvation. He glanced back at the other caravan, catching his fellow mage's ruminative look followed by the subtle shake of his head; it appeared the Inquisitor slumbered still.

"What has happened? Where is the Herald of Andraste?"

The choked voice surprised the mage and Dorian quickly shook his head. "Do not worry Cassandra, our Inquisitor is fine. She rests in the caravan to your left. We are safe, for now. You both needed time to heal, to recover your strength." He was not surprised when the seeker stirred, lifting her head to gave towards the outside world.

"Where are we? How long have I been unconc…"

Cassandra stopped as her mouth was filled with hard bread and she scowled at the unwelcome sight of Varric who only smirked back as she reached up to tear the food from her lips, halting her movement as her stomach protested loudly.

"You need to eat Seeker, you've lost so much weight we can hear you rattling around in your armor."

Cassandra frowned and defiantly took another bite of bread. She paused a moment to swallow, washing the stale flavor away with a gulp from the canteen that had been placed at her side as her mind filled in some of the blanks. Somehow they had found her, rescued her. The idea wounded her pride but she couldn't deny the sliver of gratitude that washed over her. Without their interference she, no doubt, would still be a prisoner in the Fade or worse dead. Unbidden a memory resurfaced, a memory of a dark dungeon, of cultured words and a familiar crooked smile; a smile that brought with it anger and a pang of worry. The warrior surged forward, a low growl escaping her lips as both Dorian and Varric moved to stop her.

"Cassandra please.."

"Seeker.."

"Do not touch me again or you will both regret it. You shall not keep me here. I have been a prisoner long enough."

She paused in her tirade to push past both men and stood on shaking legs as she eyed the second caravan. Cassandra forced herself forward, fighting the fatigue of her body as she took slow steps, her hand reaching for the thick canvas flap pulling it open to peer at the woman lying within.

Evelyn.

Cassandra felt her heart quicken and thrust down the swell of conflicting emotions that rose within her as she stared at the sleeping slender form. Dull red hair cascaded against the wooden floor of the cart as the Inquisitor twitched in sleep, small noises escaping parted lips.

"Her back was torn to shreds by the demon's talons. Solas and I patched what we could but she is far from healed. There is a fever that still persists… she drove herself beyond the point of exhaustion in her attempt to save you."

Cassandra turned towards the soft spoken words, her scowl faltering slightly as she fought the urge to go to the other woman. Instead she steadied her hand against the side of the cart and shook her head. "I never asked her to do this… I never would have…" Her voice hardened and the lines furrowing her forehead grew deeper. "She is the Inquisitor, her life is far more important than any of ours." The warrior paused and turned to glare at the Tevinter at her side, her hand curling into a fist as she turned towards the mage, rage pouring through her - propelling her to reach forward and grab at the white robe, her following words deadly and soft.

"Where is Leliana? Where is our spymaster?"

The mage studied the swaying figure and threw up a hand of caution to the dwarf who had slowly shifted to the Seeker's side. He felt the hand at his throat tighten, warning bells went off loudly in his head as light hazel eyes darkened quickly and he felt a sudden dip in the magical energy that flowed through his body. The feeling persisted for the scarcest of moments before fading and Dorian watched as the dark haired seeker fell to her knees, a muttered curse escaping in panted breaths. The hand clawing at his throat loosened, sliding down his chest to rest against the hard ground.

"I am sorry. I should not have done that."

The mumbled words were hard to make out and Dorian watched wearily as the warrior stood shakily once more, dark eyes betraying the exhaustion even an infamous stubborn streak could not hide. It was hard to imagine this woman standing, much less attempting an attack in her condition, which was almost as bad as the Inquisitor. During his examination he could feel the slackness in the seeker's muscles, the prominent ridges and bumps of jutting bones and see the pale, slightly jaundiced appearance of normally dusky colored skin. All of which bespoke of prolonged starvation. The mage shook off the apology and extended his arm to the seeker. "Think nothing of it Cassandra but I must insist that you rest now. You have undergone a horrible ordeal and your health has suffered greatly for it. I am sure our Inquisitor would agree."

Cassandra shook away the tremors that agitated her arm and placed it on the mage's even as she ignored the kind words. She turned towards the Inquisitor's cart and jerked her body towards it, her tone a rough rasp spilling over chapped lips. "I will rest Dorian once the Inquisitor is awake. There is much that has happened, much that she needs to be made aware of. I should never have left her side nor will I do so again. Move my things to her cart, I will help care for her until we reach Skyhold."

Dorian studied the hard angles of the older woman's face, the stern set of her jaw made it apparent that no amount of arguing would sway her from her decision and so he acquiesced and ordered the scout accompanying them to do as the seeker bade. He waited patiently as the men and women gently shuffled their leader to the side, distributing the supplies among the other carts. The mage watched Cassandra watching the sleeping Inquisitor and felt a slight smile tug at his lips. It was almost endearing to see the naked concern on that normally scowling face. Feeling cavalier he offered the seeker his hand once more, almost smiling at the answering huff of annoyance; the seeker's infamous stubborn streak manifesting itself as the warrior struggled into the cart, being careful to avoid disturbing the sleeping rogue. He caught the pointed look and nodded, smirking slightly as he pulled the flaps of canvas closed, softly instructing the scouts to allow to allow the two women their privacy. He looked up as a shadow fell over him and watched as the Iron Bull made a crude gesture with his massive hands smiling smugly. The Tevinter scowled and shook his head, "Not bloody likely. The Inquisitor's injuries are still healing and the Seeker can barely stand."

The qunari shrugged and chuckled, "So they take it slowly. Should we warn the scouts away just in case? Stop and make camp?"

Dorian shook his head, his eyes rolling as he shot the bulky warrior a reproving look. "No. We continue forward. As weak as our seeker is right now I still do not want to deal with her wrath if we delay the journey back to Skyhold." He watched as the qunari shrugged once more before tossing the massive war axe across broad shoulders and ordered the party forward.

Leliana paced the breadth of the war room, hands crossed behind her back as she pondered the reports that had recently poured in. She had kneeled earlier in thanks to the Maker when she read through Dorian's assurance that both Cassandra and the Inquisitor were safe; after the loss of Justinia the spymaster was not sure if her spirit could take the loss of another so close to her so soon. Though she and the Hero of Orlais had certainly not gotten along at first, being thrust together by Justinia and traversing the whole of Thedas had endeared the cross woman to her. She had come to value that brash honesty and steadfast faith the seeker was so well known for. Leliana allowed the ghost of a smile to touch her lips for a moment as she recalled their first meeting; the young warrior's distrustful scowl and dismissive manner contrasting greatly with Leliana's own easy going deceptive nature. She had wondered how Cassandra would compare to Elissa; both were warriors, both had been named hero and both, it seemed, detested the title and all the acclaim that came with it. Within minutes of that meeting, Leliana had deduced that the similarities between the two women stopped there. Where Elissa was sweet, Cassandra was abrasive; where Elissa resisted command the seeker wore it as easily as her ever present armor.

Truly it was a miracle the two of them got along as well as they did. The former bard enumerated on the memory as well as others that had been made as the two of them had been dragged from corner to corner of the continent under Justinia's orders. Leliana sighed as she pushed away the bright notes of such thoughts in order to concentrate on the darkness of her earlier musings. The second report the Tevinter had sent was of a more disturbing note; Adamant abandoned, countless wardens lying dead with signs of ritualistic sacrifices having been made. How the group of them had ended up near the fortress was beyond the Spymaster, there were gaping holes in the mage's account; holes she was anxious to have filled as soon as the group made it back to the keep. The report, though disturbing in it's own right was not what had her pacing the floor of the war room in the dead of night. Leliana paused and reached to pick up one of three blood splattered journals that had been delivered by Ritts just hours earlier, her eyes scanning over the contents once more.

Nubulis, day 13

Commander Clarel has ordered us to continue our research though I hardly see the point. The Calling is growing stronger each day; the song… it calls to me… calls to my brothers and sisters in arms. The song is sweet and it makes me long for home and yet we all know no home awaits us. We all hear it; from the seasoned to the newly initiated. The older wardens are concerned… as am I… I thought there was more time…

The spymaster flipped the pages, her normally smooth brow furrowing deeply; more entries made in a similar note the last sending a cold chill down the former Left Hand's spine.

Molioris, day 8

I can feel the corruption setting in. The Commander believes that the only way to combat this is to try and end the Blights for all time. There is a mage here, a blood mage who claims to know a way but I am not so sure. We have written to our Ferelden brother's who confirm that they too are experiencing the Calling… the search for former Commander Cousland along with the cure she has been seeking has been abandoned and the fortress is in a state of madness. Already there is talk of an alliance with the Venatori, of creating a demon army large enough to enter the Deep Roads and kill the old Gods and all of the darkspawn. If this is what must be done then I shall do it but Maker… is there no other way...

Leliana closed the journal and laid it back on the rough oak of the table. She fought back the violent urge to sweep her hand across it's surface and send the various operation markers flying. Her Warden's face flashed in her mind as a wave of longing shook her to the core. How many months had it been since she had seen that sweet face, tasted shared passion on plush lips? Truthfully it had been years, but the spymaster could still feel the ghost of those last touches on on the rare occasion she allowed herself sleep. Still… even though the years had melted away, they had always communicated but how many months had it been since their last correspondence…4… 5? Six her mind whispered as the spymaster closed her eyes, willing away the thought that something might have happened to her love. No. She refused to entertain that idea. Surely if they were forever parted her heart would have known; surely the Maker would not be so cruel. But he can be… the events at the Conclave proved it… they proved that no matter how dutifully one believes, no matter how much one gives, no matter how much is done in His name… it will never be enough... and Elissa had not a tenth of Justinia's steady faith. Surely if Justinia could be struck down so easily... Leliana shook her head and resumed her pacing. No, Elissa was still alive she was sure of it or at least that was the mantra that drummed behind the spymaster's temples until the first rays of dawn indicated a new day and the pragmatic woman tucked away her cares to focus on the tasks at hand, trying her best to patiently await the return of Cassandra and the Inquisitor.

Cassandra studied the delicate features of the woman whose indomitable will had captured her heart. The seeker shook her head in abject awe. To think that she was in love with a woman and not just any woman but the leader of the Inquisition, an Inquisition she, herself, had begun… such a thing would never have crossed her mind but now… such a thing was a reality… one she hesitated to admit that she drew much comfort in knowing. Slowly the warrior reached out and covered the other woman's hand keeping her touch light so as not to wake the wounded rogue. Evelyn had defied reason, risking her own life to save Cassandra's even though the seeker had demanded such a sacrifice never be made. The sheer romanticism of the effort was not lost on the seeker but the truth of it stung all the same. She was not used to being the one who was saved and she felt out of her element in knowing how to respond to so selfless an act. She felt the hand beneath her own twitch and pulled back, startled when heavy lashes parted to reveal familiar green eyes.

"Seeker…"

Cassandra immediately shook her head, her voice raw with choked relief as she rushed to stop the rogue from speaking. "Save your strength Inquisitor. I am fine. You are the one that has everyone worried now."

Evelyn blinked slowly and refocused her gaze on the welcome sight of the warrior at her side and then scowled at the use of the title she was still unaccustomed to answering. The rogue swallowed thickly, closing her eyes as she mumbled, "that's not my name."

The seeker felt her lips quirk at the familiar argument, her cheeks flush as a memory surfaced of exactly when and how the Inquisitor had achieved her goal in making the warrior use her given name. The tiny flickering flames that softened the world around them, the heavy blankets that provided a warmth that steadily grew more and more unnecessary by the unexpectedness of the Inquisitor's passionate embrace… Cassandra scowled, quickly berating herself for the train of her thoughts. Maker preserve her, she sounded almost as hopeless as one of Varric's novels. She flicked her eyes to the rogue to find the younger woman staring at her expectantly. Cassandra made a show of rolling her eyes and huffing before giving in to the other woman's unspoken demand. "Fine I suppose I can give you at least that Evelyn."

The rogue chuckled softly and flashed the stern warrior what she hoped was a cheeky grin. "That's a start Cassandra. As soon as these blasted wounds heal we can talk about what else you can give me."

The seeker rolled her eyes once more at the flirtatious response enjoying the way her given name rolled off her fellow noble's tongue, her own lips parting in a surprising huff of laughter. "It is good to know that some things never change." She started to shift away, to find the food and water she had requested be left in case the Herald awoke but a warm hand on her's stopped the motion and Cassandra found herself trapped in Evelyn's piercing gaze.

"I am glad I - we, weren't too late…"

The seeker pressed a single finger to the Inquisitor's lips, stilling them as those soft words brought with them ample unwanted flashbacks reminding Cassandra that the two of them had much to discuss, the least of which was the Inquisitor's own father. Seeing the unspoken question in those green eyes, the seeker supplied a partial answer as she moved her hand away.

"The fault lies with me and me alone. I should not have left the party behind at Caer Oswin; I should not have allowed my anger and concern to cloud my better judgement. I should not have allowed myself to be taunted and tricked into such foolish actions. My instructors were forever telling me I was too brash and I proved them right, yet again."

She paused and turned away, her eyes closing in recrimination, self-loathing washing over her, tinting every word. "I put you and everyone else in danger with these actions". Just like Galyan. Her mind whispered slyly, echoing Byron's accusation to her in Lucius's slimy voice and the seeker grimaced, wondering when the sharpness of that nightmarish memory would fade. She felt a calloused hand caress her cheek as well as a sharp grunt of pain that made her turn swiftly to look at the woman lying next to her. Cassandra felt the electric tingle of energy against her skin for a brief moment before the mark on the Inquisitor's hand flashed and sizzled, filling the wagon with green light. The seeker scowled, noticing not for the first time the hiss of pain that accompanied that flash of green light. She paused to voice her concern, pausing only as a more troubling thought rose in her mind; the mark only acted like this when they were close to a rift. Hurriedly the warrior struggled to her feet, pulling open the flap of canvas to look around, a shout of alarm resting at the edge of her lips should she have witnessed any concern among the accompanying troops. Instead of scurrying scouts or the rush of armed companions the seeker was met with curious glances and respectful nods. Cassandra growled slightly at her own foolishness and let the heavy material fall as she stumbled back to a seated position.

Evelyn watched the scene curiously. She had never seen the normally graceful warrior so jumpy or so clumsy. A frown tinged her lips and she studied that familiar form, noting the sharpness in areas that had once been gently sloped, the fitted tunic leaving little to the imagination. The Free Marcher frowned and waited till the seeker had seated herself before pushing forward with the question that had started to gnaw at her mind.

"I want to know what happened at Caer Oswin."

The seeker cut her eyes towards the redhead and shook her head slowly before turning away, her head tipping up as she tugged a drink from the canteen Dorian had given her. She felt a hand on her forearm and slid away from the warmth of that touch, her brow furrowing.

"No. What happened at the fortress; how I was captured and how I ended up in the Fade is a story I will only tell once and it is one that the Council should hear as well."

Evelyn tensed at the gruffness of her lover's voice, pushing down the ache of wanting to offer comfort but knowing such gestures would be refused. Instead she steeled her voice, carefully measuring out her next words.

"Answer me one thing then Cassandra; did they hurt you?"

Cassandra turned towards the young woman, searching those familiar green depths as she looked past the carefully structured question to the unvoiced other's that burned in the intensity of the Inquisitor's gaze. The seeker shook her head, her answer tumbling from her in a rush to calm that wave of anger she could feel building in the lithe body beside her. "No, they did not touch me. The worst I endured beyond captivity was a condition of my own making."

She paused at the searching look and continued even as she pulled the small satchel of travel staples towards her, digging into its contents as her stomach reminded her once again of the torture she had put it through. "After I had learned what was done to one of my fellow seekers, I could not trust what little food was provided; I would not risk the contamination of my body so I fasted, focused and fed on the words of the Maker and conserved my strength when I could.." The seeker closed her eyes as she bit into the overripe fruit she had found within the bag, her body shuddering as it eagerly accepted the offering of food.

Evelyn nodded at the admission; it was so like Cassandra to put herself through abject hell for the sake of an idea. The Inquisitor flicked her gaze back to the sight of her seeker watching in rapt fascination, her eyes growing wide, as a trail of fruit juice escaped those parted lips and slipped slowly over the seeker's angled jawline and down the column of her neck to disappear into her leather underarmor. The Inquisitor swallowed as her mind shifted, her mouth suddenly dry as she longed to follow that bold path, to taste the sweetness of the fruit on her seeker's lips and claim her prize anew. The rogue felt her body twitch in a warm flash of desire and winced slightly as fire reignited across her back. She reached behind her feeling the thick bandages that had been wrapped around her back and grimaced as the memory of how her injuries had occurred rushed back to her. It was her own fault really and the noble could have groaned at the irony of the situation she found herself in. She had won; she had defied the wishes of her council, she had saved the woman she loved, escaped the damned Fade and landed a striking blow to the dark magister's grand plan but all her own plans for celebrating so magnificent a victory had come to a grinding halt. The irony of it made the rogue chuckle softly before flashing the seeker a warm smile as she thrust her hand forward and plucked the half eaten fruit from Cassandra's hand, ignoring the snort of protest. Evelyn bit down on the soft flesh and let an indecent moan bubble from her throat, her eyes darting to catch the familiar flush that colored the seeker's cheeks; satisfaction warmed her in knowing she was not the only one that longed for a more physical reunion. To her horror a clear sharp voice called out from somewhere outside the moving wagon.

"Keep it down in there, the soldiers can hear you."

The warning was immediately followed by a deep familiar snicker. "Aw Mage Boy let the two of them catch up. They'll have to wrap it up soon anyways, might as well let them have their fun."

"Don't call me "mage boy" you beast of burden!"

Evelyn felt her own cheeks burn at the thread of the loud conversation and caught the indignant look her seeker tossed towards the sound before hazel eyes met gr and the Free Marcher could not stop the laughter that leapt to her lips. It felt like ages since she had laughed and she was surprised to see the seeker's shoulders shaking slightly though no sound escaped those thinly pressed lips. Still smiling, the rogue offered Cassandra back her fruit and hummed as her fingertips tingled from the gentle brush of the seeker's hand.

"They know then."

Evelyn quirked an eyebrow at the low murmured statement and shrugged slightly. "It seems our secret was not so secret after all. Although I do appreciate the lot of them trying to humor us in thinking that it was." The rogue paused and felt her smile falter slightly. "Does that bother you… that they know?"

Cassandra pursed her lips, pausing to take another large bite of the rapidly disappearing fruit. Carefully she weighed the question in her own mind as she slowly chewed, swallowing before answering. "It bothers me only in that it has painted a target on us both and that you would so foolishly risk your life for mine -" The seeker paused at the huff of indignation that sounded to her left and gave the rogue a pointed stare. They'd had this argument once before; the argument that the Inquisitor's life and survival must come before all else - for who else in Thedas could close the rifts that threatened to tear apart the skies once more. Taking the last bite of fruit the seeker continued, her voice softening slightly, "But it is good that they know."

The admission surprised her. Evelyn had not expected the seeker to say as much, especially given how hard the other woman had fought to keep their relationship a private affair. She started to say something but paused as a heavy bag fell into her lap.

"Eat Evelyn. From what I heard the Iron Bull say earlier I gather we are not far from the keep. The others will want a full report on all that has occurred and I think you will need your strength."

The rogue flashed the dark haired woman a slight smirk before digging through the bag, her hand closing around a stale loaf of bread and dried meat. "But seeker… you should know better than anyone that strength and stamina are not necessarily the same thing; and it's the latter of the two that will see me through the intensity of my council's questioning."

Cassandra felt her cheeks flush again at the mischievous glint that twinkled in the Inquisitor's eyes as she caught the wink at the end of the suggestive statement. Shaking her head the seeker grunted in mock disgust as she too pulled more foodstuffs from the bag of supplies and joined the other woman in silent camaraderie. There would be plenty of time to talk again after they reached Skyhold.