"You appear troubled."

Ruya nodded to Solas. They walked together on their habitual sojourn around Skyhold. Normally, she had a dozen questions for him. Today she was trapped in her own thoughts. She rolled her head from side to side, trying to ease the tension in her shoulders. "When Cassandra asked me for help, it was just closing a breach. I thought..." She sighed. "I walked up that mountain thinking I was going to die. Then I woke up, and it turned out more was needed. We closed the Breach, and then..." She shook her head. "A year ago you and I were on the run, hiding from the templars. Apostates. Maker, look at us now." She leaned on a tree. "Distract me. Tell me of a memory you found in the Fade."

"I saw a dwarf emerge into the light of day and shield his eyes against the sun, the first time he had seen it. The tears were streaming from his eyes. I thought them from the blazing light until I saw the rock he held so tightly. Then he laid the rock down gently, and he left it as he walked away."

They walked together in silence for a few minutes more. "I've been dividing them. The good ones came to us. The bad ones went red." She sighed. "But that's not right either. Xaver was a good man. Family. We grew up together. Half the reason he became a templar was because of me. It could have just as easily gone the other way, couldn't it? If I'd have gone to Therinfal, instead of to Redcliffe?"

"You cannot blame yourself for the fate of the templars."

She sighed. "No. But I'm not entirely sure I can blame them, either. Underneath it all, we are just people. People make mistakes. I guess all we can really do is own them and try to do better." She leaned her head back, breathing in the cool mountain air.

#

Ruya sighed. There was no way around it. She was in real trouble here. And as much as she hated to admit it, there was really only one person who could help her.

#

"Good morning, darling." Vivienne greeted her warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a problem, and I need your help."

"Of course." Vivienne gestured for Ruya to join her on the balcony.

"We leave in three days for Halamshiral, to attend the Grand Masquerade. I'll be there as the representative for the Inquisition."

Vivienne nodded, and raised an eyebrow. "What is your concern?"

"Vivienne, I..." Ruya sighed. "I don't know how to dance."

Her eyes widened. "Oh dear." Vivienne nodded. "Come with me."

#

She was somewhat grateful Brehan and Cassandra had won the argument. The Inquisition would wear no masks. Ruya had been slightly worried Vivienne would argue, but the First Enchanter had actually supported Cassandra, abet for different reasons. As the only non-masked individuals, they would stand out for all to see. The formal attire Josephine and Leliana had chosen greatly resembled military uniforms rather than fancy dress.

There were few preparations left to make. She found herself drifting a bit as Josephine and Leliana continued talking, thinking of the lake and Cullen. She caught his eye a moment and he reddened slightly. He must have been thinking the same.

"We did intercept a message from Ambassador Briala, but we have yet to break the cipher." Leliana waved a piece of parchment.

Brehan took it from her, and looked it over. "Pull back from the ramparts, the dead are walking. Trouble enough without us." He started to hand the parchment back to Leliana.

Leliana narrowed her eyes at him. "You can read Briala's ciphers."

"She uses book ciphers referencing the Canticles of Shartan."

"Canticles of..." Leliana folded her arms and stared. "How involved are you?"

"With the elven rebellion?" He stared right back. "What do you think?"

"Maker..." Leliana jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "That's how she knew about Revered Mother Salvina. And the..." She jabbed him again. "You told her."

"Hey." Ruya stepped up to the table. "That's enough." Both of her spymasters went silent, glaring at each other. Josephine was looking back and forth between them. "Brehan, you know Briala?"

"Yes."

"Have you passed her any information regarding the Inquisition?"

His head came up sharply, and he actually looked insulted. "No. I've passed no information to her since entering your service."

"But you gave her information on -" Leliana started to say.

"Everything. Every scrap I had, I gave her." Brehan gestured sharply as he cut her off. "Along with three Warden weapon caches and my contacts among the Dalish and the settlement. I created the bloody cipher, of course I can read it. I -"

"I said enough." Ruya raised her voice. She leaned on the table, then sighed. "Brehan, Cassandra told me you'd been part of the Inquisition during its inception, but you left. She said she didn't blame you for walking away when you did, but she never told me why. What happened?"

"Halamshiral happened. But what did the Divine care if a few hundred elves were ground to dust beneath the wheels of the great game?"

"Brehan..." Leliana's voice was quiet.

"Halam sahlin. It's done. Thousands more will die if Corypheus isn't stopped." He squared his shoulders. "He needs Celene to die, so she must live. What do you need from me, Inquisitor?"

"Get a message to Briala. I would like to meet with her. At the ball, here, at a place of her choosing, with my guarantee of safe passage. And any more information you can get me on these dead rising at the ramparts."

"Yes, Inquisitor."

#

"He wanted to tame the dragon, but instead he broke it."

Ruya reached out and ruffled Cole's hair as she seated herself next to him. "How are you doing, Cole?"

"It's good to spend time with you." He rested his head on her shoulder.

"I've heard about some oddities here in the keep. Was that you?"

"Yes. Maybe." He blinked. "What was it?"

She patted his hand. "Someone found a barrel full of misplaced daggers. Was that you?"

"They were safer there."

Voices, too faint to make out, drifted up from the tavern below. People laughing and talking. Sometimes arguing. "Safer than on someone's belt, where they could draw them in the heat of an argument?"

He nodded. "They would have been sad later."

"The peeled plums on the windowsills? It's attracting flies."

"Spiders need to eat."

And in the infirmary the other day... "And healers need something to treat infected wounds. Like spiderwebs."

"The plums are already dead. They don't mind helping."

She put her arm around his shoulder and gave him a quick hug. "Keep up the good work."

#

She found Brehan in his room, going over more notes. Ruya slid into the chair across from him. "Leliana, Cullen, and Josephine have told me of the players in this game. Tell me what you know of Gaspard."

"Gaspard's wife killed Celene's mother. Celene's father killed Gaspard's wife, and died doing so. To the wife, not to Gaspard. Gaspard's first solution to the unrest was to ask Celene to marry him. She refused. He began to work against her in earnest. He even attempted to conscript Wynne, but she eluded him. He manipulated Celene into..." He was silent for a moment. "Celene put Halamshiral to blade and fire. Gaspard's forces were waiting to ambush her after she finished. Thus the war stepped out of the shadows." He leaned back. "As for Gaspard himself, he is a chevalier. As with most, in their own twisted way they have a code of honor. If Gaspard gives his word, he will keep it, or at least the letter. Even if doing so puts him at a disadvantage."

"Your personal thoughts?"

"In the final trial at the academy, chevaliers are given blades. They go into the slums, after dark, and test these blades on the elves within. Every chevalier is a murderer, Inquisitor."

"Celene."

"A patron of the arts. Builder of universities. Even, for a time, something resembling at least a passing ally to the elves. At Briala's urging, at least. She and Gaspard are two sides to a coin, Inquisitor. Each is strong where the other is weak. Pity they are both too hungry to see that for themselves. They will rip each other apart before they work together."

"Briala."

"She was Celene's spymaster. Not as far-sighted as Leliana, but nearly as cunning. The longer the war plays out, the better it is for the elves in the long run. Eventually, one side or the other must turn to them for aid, and the elves will be bargaining from a position of power. Or so Briala believes."

"You disagree?"

"In Ferelden, it took an archdemon for elves and humans to start playing nice, and even then, there have been problems. If this world is to be improved, first it must be saved."

She nodded. "Why did you return to the Inquisition, Brehan?"

"Vir Adahlen. The way of the forest. Together, we are stronger than the one." He leaned back in his chair. "At the Temple of Sacred Ashes, I walked through fire without being touched by flames. I do not begin to know, Inquisitor. But Mythal guide me, I've seen too much not to believe."

After a moment, she nodded. "Alright, what else do you know about the players?"

#

Ruya promised herself that the next time the carriages stopped, she was going to make some changes to the seating arrangements. Which may or may not include tying various people to horses.

Vivienne was smiling at Solas. "You know, Solas, you do an excellent job of spellcasting without any concrete knowledge of technique."

Solas merely shrugged in response. "Your rigorous training lays a solid foundation, true. It also creates boundaries, limits, where none need exist."

"I do prefer to have boundaries between myself and the demons, my dear."

"Of course. You endured the Harrowing, where your Circle teaches you that all demons attempt to possess you."

"Not at all! Many of them simply want to kill you. I suppose you would claim otherwise."

"Why should I? You would not believe me. You have learned your lessons all too well."

On the other side of the carriage, Sera elbowed Cassandra. "What was she like? The Divine, I mean. Was she as pretty as her plates?"

"Pretty as her what?" Cassandra blinked.

"Her plates with her portrait on. They sold them in the shops down in Val Royaux. You'd see them on walls a lot. Cost a bundle and you couldn't even eat off them. Well, part of them. The yellowy-brown paint's poisonous. Had to keep your mash off her eyes."

Cassandra stared. "They put Most Holy's portrait on plates?"

#

She patted the horse before climbing into the saddle. Four hours in the carriage was apparently her limit. A glance over her shoulder revealed Solas had also left the carriage, and was apparently planning on walking rather than continue sitting in a carriage with Vivienne and Sera. Ruya shrugged, and then offered him a hand up to ride behind her.

Both Blackwall and Cullen kept their own horses near her. Blackwall shrugged. "Val Royeaux, huh? I remember the first time I visited it, some thirty years ago. The market was not half as large without the garish statues and far fewer stands selling those ridiculous frilly little cakes."

Behind her, Solas replied. "The Val Royeaux market was once nothing but tents of oils, leather, and mud. Filled with ragged humans selling strings of beads made of bone."

Blackwall glanced over his shoulder. "You saw this in the Fade?"

"Yes. I left that memory quickly. The smell..." She could feel him give a slight shudder.

"Must have been ages ago."

"Oh yes, it's much better now. I enjoy the frilly cakes."

#

The house they were using was fairly large. When she asked Josephine which noble had loaned it to them, Ruya was surprised to learn that technically, the house belonged to none other than Varric. Though this was apparently the first time the man had ever set foot within.

Ruya was somewhat delighted to learn that the house had an Antivan style bathhouse. She shamelessly abused her authority as Inquisitor to ban all the menfolk from the vicinity. With Vivienne's aid, they got the water to steaming quickly. Cassandra sighed happily, while Sera just sort of let herself float in the pool. "We need one of these at Skyhold," Josephine said as she relaxed languidly.

"Make it happen, Ambassador." Ruya closed her eyes and let the heat of the water creep into her bones.

Sera splashed at Vivienne. "I sent a box of rabbit raisins to some Lord What's-his-tits in your name."

"That explains the letter of gratitude. They were, by all accounts, delicious."

"Ewww! Ew, ewww!"

"You underestimate both the fragility of his holdings, and the severity of tribute demanded of him in the past." Vivienne lay her head back, relaxing into the bath. "Perhaps he was grateful it was not a stew made of some lesser cousin."

"That's lies, right? Must be lies."

#

Cassandra was about to go to her room when she saw the Inquisitor dash down the stairs, run across the hall, and throw herself into the arms of the large man who had just entered the foyer. Leliana smiled widely, and gestured. "Her brother. The Trevelyans received an invitation, and accepted. It also allows us to get a few more of our soldiers in."

She nodded, and started to walk downstairs to offer her greetings. The man was built solidly, and carried a sword in a well-worn scabbard. This would be the eldest one then. He bowed. "You would be Lady Seeker Cassandra. My sister has told me much. A pleasure to finally get the chance to meet you."

Ruya linked her arm to her brother's. "Cassandra, this is my brother Otwin."

She blinked. This one was the scholar? "A pleasure to meet you. Josephine tells me your assistance has been invaluable."

"The cause is worthy, even if my favorite sister were not involved."

#

"That man you were just hugging has a Tevinter accent." Otwin glared down at Ruya, but he was having too much trouble not smiling for it to have any weight.

"Dorian." Ruya grinned up at her brother.

"Do I need to break his knees or anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're closer to his type than I am."

He blinked. "Oh." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Then who are you mooning over?"

"I'm not mooning."

"You were humming."

"I haven't seen my brother in ages. Of course I'm in a good mood."

"That's a different hum." She balled up her fist and punched him in the side. He winced. "Dammit, who taught you to throw a punch?"

"The big guy with the horns."

"Do I need to break his knees?"

"Let Varric know if you plan to try. He'll make sure everyone gets their bets in."

"You're going to bet on me, right?" He gave her a suspicious look. "Right?"

"I've missed you. You're coming back to Skyhold with us?"

"I wish I could. Sadly, your ambassador is keeping me rather busy. I may be heading back to help her with Vael, in Starkhaven. He's rumbling about Kirkwall. Still."

"Do I need to break her knees?"

"First you'd have to point her out to me."

#

"The political situation in Halamshiral hangs by a thread. The empress fears our presence could sever it. The grand duke is only too happy to have us at the ball as his guests, so our invitation comes from him. Whether we act as his allies, or upset the balance of power, he gains an opportunity... if not a clear advantage."