"Maker's breath…"
Cullen looked around at the castle… the one Solas had called Skyhold. It was a little battered and crumbling, but the walls were strong and thick, and he could see that the place was practically impregnable by normal means.
But then again, their circumstances are not particularly 'normal'.
He approached Cassandra, Josephine and Leliana, who were in the middle of the castle courtyard, talking under hushed tones. He looked around for Alex, but he couldn't see her, so he immediately assumed the woman was resting. As he came forward, he could see Leliana and Josephine smiling brightly, and Cassandra looking pleased. The Ambassador nodded to him, "Commander Cullen, there is something we would like to discuss with you."
"Oh? Something to discuss with me? Looking at you all, you look like you're up to something… mischievous." He said, smirking at the two, smiling women, who tittered loudly that Cassandra rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted noise.
"We have been deciding something, and we thought that we'd need your input." Leliana said, still smiling, "We've decided… to make Lady Trevelyan our Inquisitor."
Cullen blinked in surprise, seeing the others nod. But soon he felt himself smile, "Of course, I agree to that whole-heartedly."
"Then you have no objections to this decision?" Cassandra asked as she crossed her arms on her chest.
"None whatsoever." He said, putting his hands on his sword pommel, "She has the Mark, and she saved us in Haven. From her performance so far and from the way she led her team during her adventures, she has shown herself as a capable leader. I would be confident that she would lead our Inquisition to glory."
"To be honest, we thought you'd be… against the idea." Josephine said, looking at him, "You were a templar, after all… and with the Mage-Templar War…"
"Lady Trevelyan might be a mage, but that does not mean she would be like the others." He said, "I was there when the Circle of Ferelden fell, and I was there when the Kirkwall's Chantry exploded. I've seen the worse a mage could be. But Lady Trevelyan would be not like that. At least, I hope she doesn't."
The women silenced for a bit, before Leliana started giggling, "Another mage… another Amell… standing in the chaos, determined to save the innocents." She smiled up at Cullen, "I guess magic and heroism must run in the family, no?"
He smiled, before turning around to the sound of an opening door, only to see Alex going down the stairs, wearing brown boots and tan leather breeches and shirt, with her hair tied back into a ponytail. As Cassandra mentioned to her, he smiled to Leliana and nodded to her, "I guess it does."
Alex went towards Cassandra, and Leliana went off as Cullen and Josephine started heading to the people, who were starting to gather around them. "I wish I could find a way to send a message to Warden Solona. She would be proud of her sister, I think."
Cullen coughed, trying to sound casual, "Leliana still can't find her?"
The Ambassador shook her head, "We've exhausted all our connections trying to find her, Commander. But it seems that she has faded off. Her trail ended in the Tevinter Imperium, as it seems that she was researching something there. I am sorry."
He sighed, looking up at the tall stairs that led to the main castle of Skyhold, seeing Alex and Cassandra walking up to it. "It's alright, Lady Ambassador. I wasn't… looking for her. But I wanted to give her a message."
Josephine looked up at him, confused, but she turned her attention back to the stairs, where Leliana had just given Alex a sword. Cullen's heart felt like it was bursting… of some strange emotion, as he looked at her, her face registering the surprise she must have felt. They could see them talking, before Cassandra turned her gaze towards Josephine and she shouted, "Have they been told?!"
Josephine smiled widely, watching Alex as she looked determined down at the sword, "They have! And soon, the world!"
"Commander, will they follow?!"
He smiled before turning towards his soldiers, "Inquisition! Will you follow?!"
His men cheered so heartily that he couldn't help but grin in triumph. Even his soldiers loved her, so ready to fight for her. "Will you fight?!"
A resounding cheer exploded from his men again, and he unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards Alex, who was looking at him in awe at the reverberating yells of the army and their commander. She looked down at him, and he smiled up at her, "Your Herald… your leader… your Inquisitor!"
The bellows of the people of Skyhold almost shook the walls as they cheered for their new Inquisitor, and from beside him, he could even hear Josephine cheering, before she caught herself and stopped with a blush. He stared up at Alex, who was holding her new sword aloft, looking determined and resolved. The wind blew the red tendrils that framed her face, and her green eyes flashed. She smiled at him, and he instantly knew that even though she looked like her sister, she was not Solona Amell.
She was Inquisitor Alexandra Trevelyan, the Herald of Andraste, a mage of the Ostwick Circle and leader of the Inquisition's Armies.