Hey, guys. So, I finally got this chapter done. I believe that I am going to do a chapter for each day that the Herald is unconscious. I figured I would be skipping too much introduction if I didn't describe how Irina met everyone and what happened while Ellana was out. Anyways, I hope you guys like it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Dragon Age.

Chapter Three: Not in Kansas Anymore

Irina was in shock and weak after her second display of magic. One of the soldiers now had to carry her back to Haven. He was instructed by Cassandra to take her to someone named Adan and she was not to leave until Cassandra came and got her.

Irina's vision was blurry but she could still see shapes of others helping more wounded. The last thing she remembers seeing clearly was Ellana trying to close the Breach. She wondered if she was successful. She had to have been, right? There was no more fighting. At least none that Irina could hear.

Finally, Irina could make out the shape of the gate leading into Haven. The gate was opened for the soldier and he was greeted by a strong male voice.

"You there." A man was pointing at the soldier and was making his way towards them. Irina still couldn't see clearly, all she could see was blonde hair and a big, red coat. She would bet anything that he was warm. "This is the mage prisoner, yes? Where were you headed?"

"Commander. Seeker Pentaghast ordered me to take her to the healer and not to let her leave with anyone but her, Ser." She could feel the man's gaze on her. It was a moment before the man said anything else.

"See to it that she is taken care of," he commanded the soldier.

"Ser." The soldier nodded. He took her to a cabin and laid her on one of the beds.

The man was there when they arrived made his way over to her. "What happened?" he asked the soldier.

"She cast a spell and saved the Herald's life."

"It's 'Herald' now is it?"

"She stopped the Breach from growing. That's what everyone is calling her now."

"And this one?" He walked to the other side of the room, examining a shelf. He grabbed a small vial and made his way back to Irina. Putting the vial to her lips he said, "Here, drink." When she opened her mouth to ask what it was, he poured the liquid down her throat.

"They haven't go-"

"Ugh, gross!" She exclaimed as she swallowed. She had her eyes clamped shut, trying to stop the liquid from coming back up, but when she opened them, her vision was clear again. She now got a closer look at the soldier that carried her here. He was kind of cute. But way too young for her. She was in her mid-twenties, this boy, this soldier, was probably only sixteen, maybe seventeen.

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He blushed and smiled back. "Not a problem, my lady." He stood up and bowed slightly, then walked towards the door. "I am to stand guard outside until Seeker Pentaghast comes to collect you." He bowed again and exited the cabin.

Seeker Pentaghast? That must be Cassandra. Irina looked at the man that gave her the medicine. "Thank you."

"Of course, thank the mage last." He snarled.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, I'm not even a healer. They just don't have anyone else that knows what they are doing. So, now, if you excuse me, I am sure that there are more soldiers that need more tending than potions."

"Wait!" She stopped him. "What did you give me?"

He sighed. "Forgive me. This is not what I pictured myself doing when I joined the Conclave. My name is Adan and I gave you a simple lyrium potion."

Irina raised her eyebrow in question.

He looked at her in shock. "What mage does not recognize a lyrium potion when she taste one much less sees one?"

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know what a lyrium potion is. I don't know what a lot of stuff is around here actually."

"Well, then I'm afraid I can't be of much use to you right now, I have more important matters to attend to." He left the cabin before she could question him any further.

Irina took this chance to scan the room. The first thing she noticed was that there was no electricity. The only lights were lit by torches hanging on the walls. The furniture was outdated. And there were vials and bottles of different color liquids on shelves all around the room. She wanted to get up and take a closer look, but she was still too weak. Whatever he gave her was not strong enough to give her all of her strength back, just some. So, she laid back and sit in silence waiting for Cassandra to come get her. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

War Room

Cassandra had called a meeting in the War room with Leliana, Cullen, and Josephine a few hours after they all returned from the Breach. The Chancellor tried to crash it but Cassandra had insisted that he did not need to be there for this meeting. They were not deciding the fate of the prisoners until the elf awoke. For now, she wanted to discuss the mage prisoner's strange behavior with her colleagues.

"The mage," she started, "there is something off about her. She claims that she has never heard of Haven or the Frostback Mountains and that she did not know about her magic."

"And do you believe her?" Josephine questioned.

"Yes." She replied without hesitation.

"Then what is this meeting for exactly?" Leliana asked.

Cassandra sighed. "We all know why the Rite of Tranquility was made, to prevent those who couldn't control their magic from harming the people and to prevent said mages from becoming abominations. This woman...she…she is not like any person I have ever met. The amount of kindness that she has shown me this one day that I have known her, is greater than any I have ever experienced."

Cullen cut in. "That does not matter, Cassandra. You know that. If this woman can't control her magic, she must be dealt with. She is not only a danger to everyone here, but she is also in danger of possession. Demons are probably probing her dreams as we speak."

"I do not think that she will fall to possession. She is different than others."

Cullen looked at her sternly. "You know what must be done."

"I don't know, Cullen." Leliana cut in. "Maybe we should talk to the woman and see what she thinks."

"What do you think she'll say?!" Cullen said furiously. It was obvious what she would say.

"Most likely anything to save her life, but I agree with Leliana. I would like to meet this girl before we decide her fate." Josephine stated.

"I will go get her then." Cassandra turned and left the war room praying that Irina would give them the same impression she gave her. She has only known the woman for barely even a day and she feels that making her tranquil is the wrong thing to do.

Cabin

She hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but she knew that she was no longer on the bed that she fell asleep on. She could feel the smooth leather of the couch on her legs. She could hear the club music.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the club where her sister's birthday was held. She had just turned twenty-one and was so excited to be drinking age. Not that her age stopped her anyways.

She must have fallen asleep at the club. Strange place to fall asleep.

"Irina!" someone shrieked excitedly. "Come on. There are fireworks!" Her birthday was also on New Year's Eve. Maya grabbed her hand and drug her out of the club. When they were outside, sure enough there were fireworks. But Irina had noticed that no one else was outside either.

"Maya, where is everyone?"

"Oh, they all left for the beach. Should've had my party there, right?" Something was wrong. This was the same night that the Breach appeared. There is no way that she dreamt that. It was so real.

She looked around to see if she could spot anyone else, but she failed. Everything except for the buildings closest to them were blurred. Why did it look like this?

"So, are you ready to head home?" She jerked her gaze to her sister. She never wanted to go home. Even if she wasn't doing anything. She never did. There were too many memories in their house.

"Why?" Was her reply.

"Well, there's nothing else to do. Why not just head off?" Still holding Irina's hand, she tried to drag her off again.

"No." She said. This was not sister. "I'm not going anywhere with you. This isn't right. Where is everyone?"

The woman in front of her suddenly sneered. Then, she was replaced with a woman, barely clothed and horns protruding from her head.

"Well, aren't you a clever little thing?" Irina knew this had to be another demon, but how was it doing this.

"Who are you and how are we here?"

The demon narrowed its eyes at her and gave a devious grin. "Oh, my dear. You have no idea what is happening do you. I knew when I found you that you were different from the rest. I feel it." What is she talking about? "Oh, you have no idea. You may have gotten away from me this time but what about the next? Or what about the others that will try? You are going to be a prize to capture. Just wait. More will come."

Just like that a cloud of smoke engulfed her and she was gone. Irina's eyes got heavy and they slowly shut.

She jolted awake with a gasp. She examined the room around her and found that she was back in the freezing cold cabin. Her vision was once again clear. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her body. What was that? She had never experienced a dream so real before. Except for the blurriness, it all looked normal. She needed answers for everything now.

She stood up and was reaching for the large door handle when the door was pushed open from the other side. She managed to evade being hit by the door just in time.

"Going somewhere?" It was Cassandra. Finally!

"I was just going to ask the soldier if he would take me to you." Hopefully she would believe her and not think that she was going to try escaping.

"Well, here I am." She stated. "Come. There are some people who would like to speak with you."

As they made their way to the war room, people stopped what they were doing to stare at Irina. This made her really uncomfortable.

"Cassandra, why is everyone staring?"

"Ellana, the elf, saved our lives by slowing down the Breach. It is no longer growing." She stopped and faced Irina. "The magic that you cast to save her life was just like any other mage's, but it was also ten times stronger than any other mage's spell."

Irina tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean stronger? How?"

"The demon that you killed was barely wounded. It would have taken ten mages to take it down with the same spell that you cast. But it made you weak. Adan's potion should have replenished you completely, but you are still having trouble standing." She did feel a little wobbly. "And I don't know how. I can promise that we will do everything we can to find out."

"So, why are they staring, again?"

"They are scared of you, but you also saved their heroes life."

"Oh, so they're trying to figure out whether to fear me or whether I am a hero?"

She nodded and continued walking.

They entered the biggest building there and made their way all the way to the end of the entry hall, where Cassandra held open the door for her.

When she entered the room, there were three others in there looking her over. Leliana, another beautiful woman, and a very good-looking man. Jeez, where did all of these beautiful people come from? It kind of made her uncomfortable. She did not view herself as pretty.

"Irina, meet Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and diplomatic advisor; Commander Cullen, head of the armed forces; and I believe you already met Leliana, our spymaster."

"Very subtle, Cassandra."

Cassandra faced Irina. "We have been discussing how to deal with your situation. First, we need more information. We need to know everything."

"I don't know where to start. I honestly don't even know where I am. Where are the Frostback Mountains?"

They all watched her for moment as if trying to determine whether she was joking or if she was telling the truth.

Cullen smoothed his hands on the table in front of him. "Do you recognize this?" He asked her. She walked closer to the table and realized he was referring to a map on the table. She examined it closely, and could feel her heartbeat grow faster the longer she look at it. One side of the map said Empire of Orlais and Nevarra. The other said the Kingdom of Fereldan and the Free Marches. Where was she? Definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Cullen pointed to a section close to the bottom of the map. "This is where we are."

She shook her head. "I don't know what any of this is." She turned her gaze to the people in the room. "I don't know any place on this map, I don't know anything about magic and I definitely know nothing about elves." She was starting to freak out now. Before, she believed that she would be able to get home and find her sister. Now, not so much. This map didn't even have Florida on it. It didn't even have North America on it. She could feel the tingling in her hand again and looked down. It was sparking.

"Calm down." Leliana stepped towards her.

"No!" Irina exclaimed and Cullen hand his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Please. I don't want to hurt you."

"How did you not know you were a mage? I thought that they developed their magic at a younger age." Josephine questioned.

"They do." Cullen told her. "There is no way that she didn't know of it." He was still eyeing her. It wasn't a glare but it wasn't a sympathetic look either.

"Look, I don't what happened. One second I was standing in an alley trapped by demons. Then I see a mirror and the next thing I know I wake up tied and chained in a dungeon."

"A mirror? Did you touch it?" Leliana asked her. She looked shocked by the mention of it.

"I don't know. Maybe. I remember reaching for it, but I must've gotten attacked from behind because I woke up here." She was calming down. Her hand wasn't sparking anymore.

"What is it Leliana?" Josephine asked curiously.

"I have heard of an elven artifact that resembles the description of a mirror. The Hero of Ferelden mentioned it. It was how she became infected with the Blight, the reason she had to become a warden."

"There is one person I know who can tell us about this, I will get him." Cassandra left without another word and Irina was left with the others who were still suspicious.

She glanced around the room as they stood in silence. She wondered if it was as uncomfortable for them as it was for her. They were just staring at her for what seemed like an eternity.

"That is a lovely dress," Leliana said as she came closely to Irina to get a better look.

"Uh, thank you." She blushed.

Leliana nodded. "Of course. Maybe we can get you into something a little…warmer after this is taken care of."

Irina sighed with relief and gave her a small smile. Warmth, she thought. "That would very much appreciated."

Just as she said this, Cassandra entered the room with Solas right behind her.

"Irina, I believe you have met Solas."

"Nice to see you again, Solas." Irina greeted.

Solas bowed his head slightly and greeted her.

"Cassandra tells me that you have been in contact with an Eluvian. Do you remember where it you found it?"

"I'm sorry, a what?" She asked in confusion.

"An eluvian. The mirror."

"Oh. All I remember is running from the demons, hitting a dead end, and then this thing just so happened to be at the end and it was not showing a reflection. When I went to wipe away the dust I was attacked from behind and that is the last I remember."

"Where were you?" Solas continued with his questioning.

"Somewhere that is definitely not on this map." She gestured towards the map and ran her fingers across it hoping to spot Florida on there this time. She looked up when he didn't ask her anything else and realized that they were all expecting more of an answer.

"Florida."

"I beg your pardon, My Lady. But there is no such place. Maybe coming in contact with the eluvian has caused her to lose some of her memories."

She chuckled slightly. More in aggravation than anything. "No, I remember where I was perfect well, thank you. I was in Florida being chased by demons, where I had no magic, and where I just so happened to run into the stupid mirror and woke up in the freezing cold definitely not dressed for snow." She finished her rant and had to catch her breath.

Eyebrows scrunched together, Solas asked another question. "You did not have magic?" She shook her head.

He looked at the rest of the people who were quietly listening. "I have heard that the eluvians can connect other worlds to the veil, but I have never heard of it happening before now." He glanced at Irina before looking back at the others. "I believe she may just be telling the truth."

"Are you sure? You know what could happen if you're wrong." Cullen directed at him.

"Perhaps, Solas, since she seems to be unaware of many things here, you could take some time to teach her." Leliana suggested.

"Wait. We haven't even decided what we were going to do about her uncontrolled magic."

"And you suggest that we not even give her a chance to control it, Commander?" Josephine asked.

"No. But I do suggest that a Templar be assigned to her until she learns to control it. If she learns to control it."

Cassandra cut in. "I agree, but I fear some mages may give her the wrong impression about them. It may cause her magic to become even more uncontrollable due to fear."

"If we are to give her a chance I suggest that Solas help her with her magic and perhaps, for wider range of abilities, we find two other mages to also help. On their own times, of course. I can see if I can find one of the more agreeable Templars to assign to her."

"I can teach her how to control her magic and I can teach her elven history and perhaps some human history, but I do suggest that you find another human to teach her that." Solas decided.

Irina was taking in everything they were saying. That was fast. They weren't even going to ask her what she wanted to do, were they? She watched as they continued deciding what they were to do with her and who was doing what. Finally, when they came to a decision, Cassandra turned to her.

"Does this sound affable to you?"

"I guess. I mean, I don't really have a choice, do I? I have nowhere else to go."

After they made a few more arrangements, the meeting had ended.

It was getting dark out now, so she didn't have time to learn anything else today. Leliana led her towards a cabin not far from the one that she was in before. She was offered some clothes and food and was told that she would be followed everywhere she went until she could control her magic. Great, just what she needs. When she was finished eating, she laid down in the bed that was given to her. A Templar was stationed outside till morning where she would meet another, who would then lead her to Solas. For now, she was supposed to be sleeping, but thanks to her dream earlier, that was not going to happen.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. I decided that I wanted her to be able to easily tell that she was in the Fade, so I choose to make it like it is on the games, kind of blurry and odd. Once again, sorry for the wait.