Chapter 57: Peace and War
"So, your strapping young Templar passed your Mother's inspection, eh?"
Ana glared at Dorian, gut there was little heat in eyes, the Tevinter mage gave her a cheery smile in return. She and Cullen had been trying to keep what they…had private, but Skyhold was still an isolated fortress, people talked, and word of the Commander and Inquisitor was definitely juicy gossip.
She shook her head.
"Cullen did well," she replied, "He kept his manners but showed his courage where he needed to."
A hint of a fond smile played over her lips. Before Mother had left she had pulled her daughter into a hard hug, privately of course, the Inquisition was, after all, supposed to be her enemy now.
"Try to be safe, my dear," she cooed.
"I will Mother."
Aliza smiled.
"And if you must go into battle, keep your man close, he is strong, and will keep you safe."
She nodded pleased that the Matriarch of their family approved of her chosen match. Cullen was a good man. She was glad her mother could see that.
After that, it was over, with no further fanfare Aliza Trevelyan had left Skyhold. She left to return to the business of running her family while Ana was left to tend to the matter of her war. They would likely not speak again until this was all over, and that was sad.
The Inquisitor quirked her lip with amusement, Lady Aliza could be quite trickery when she wanted to be.
Her mother might have left, but it was clear that she did not intend to remain in the dark of her youngest daughter's activities, oh no. She still intended to keep an eye on her, and came up with an interesting way of doing that.
She left her second born behind.
Andreas had decided to stay.
Officially, Andreas was staying behind as a hostage, to make sure that Aliza made no sudden moves against the Inquisition in the Free Marches. The nobles back in Ostwick would believe that far more than any simple statement made by Lady Aliza. He would remain at Skyhold and be a well-cared for "Guest." Maxwell had also agreed to stay, joining his fellow mages in the war effort, and acting as bodyguard to Aliza's spare heir.
Unofficially, he was staying as her mother's spy, he would be able to fulfill his promises to the University of Orlais, while at the same time he would be able to watch her and make sure she was safe.
She had trusted few outside her circle of advisors with this plan, the fewer who knew, the safer it would be. Dorian, however, had deduced almost immediately what was going on. That was not surprising considering what she had heard about the intrigues of the Tevinter Imperium.
Plus, Dorian knew her; they had become quite close since their first meeting back in Redcliffe. He was both a good sounding board for her ideas, and had no shortage of ideas when it came to dealing with his countrymen. He…he was…
Ana frowned slightly.
He was her friend, but he was…hard to pin down, his motivations often confused her.
Dorian was…one of the more interesting members of her inner circle. They had flirted back and forth over the last few months, but nothing serious had ever come of it. Perhaps it was simply because they shared a noble background, and now found themselves on the border of pariah hood. She liked him, but it never went beyond anything other than friendship, he acted more like a brother than a possible romantic interest. Part of her was a bit surprised that he had not felt…well…hurt when the news got out about her and Cullen, given all their early flirting. She was grateful that he wasn't but…
It still made her a little curious.
He chuckled, drawing her back from her musings.
"You should not frown so much, Inquisitor, you will give yourself the most horrid frown lines."
He smirked with amusement.
"We would not want the herald of Andraste looking like some bulldog would we?"
She laughed and shook her head.
No, she certainly would not have wanted that.
IOI
The group was currently riding east, heading back into Ferelden; they were on their way to the village of Crestwood. Hawke had finally sent word that his warden friend was finally ready to meet. She had received a raven from Scout Harding mentioning trouble in the area; her people had not been able to find this warden and were running into problems of their own. This warden's unwillingness to show himself was nothing new, even in the Free Marches the wardens remained enigmatic. They did things with little explanation. This Stroud thought it was wiser to remain hidden it seemed, and had given no reason why, and Hawke had made no mention why this was so important.
The inquisitor sighed.
It seemed that they were about to find out.
They made their way down the mountain path Dorian, Solas, Blackwall, and her. She had thought that Sera would be joining them but the elf had apparently decided to leave ahead of them, choosing to journey with Cullen and his people. Ana had dispatched some of the Inquisition's soldiers to deal with a bit of Red Jenny business in the Orlesian village of Verchiel. Sera had told the Commander that she needed to arrange a pick up for her reward for this action, and her nearest drop point was near the Hinterlands where Cullen and his men would be.
Ana and the others would be meeting up with Cullen's people before striking out north for Crestwood. She would see if Sera would join them then.
The Inquisitor smiled slightly.
Given the elf's…attitude, Cullen would be grateful to her for taking Sera off his hands. She did not exactly dislike Cullen, but he definitely got tired of hearing her calling him the Inquisition's jackboot.
"We should be wary,' she heard Blackwall say behind her; "These mountain paths would be an excellent place for an ambush."
Ana smiled at that, Leliana had thought the exact same thing; her scouts were swarming all over these peaks, watching for any sign of trouble.
Any Venatori trying to set up an ambush here would be in for a big surprise.
She had tried to speak with Blackwall about the wardens before they left, try to get his take on what was happening. She trusted the warden with her life, and he was clearly loyal to her, but he also kept his secrets, the matters of his order were still important to him, and she did not wish to pry.
If Corypheus had corrupted the wardens, they would need to deal with it. What dealing with it entailed, she could not say just yet. One thing was clear though.
Corypheus would be stopped.
Solas looked troubled. She glanced his way, but got only a weary smile from him. He looked troubled, like he was not sleeping well. She would try to talk to him about it later.
Solas also kept his secrets; he was not as bad as Blackwall, but…
She would see what she could do.
What good was being Inquisitor if she could not help her friends?
IOI
The group met up with Cullen's forces just outside the small Ferelden village of Honnleath. The town's folk were curious about them, but also quite friendly. It seemed that Cullen had grown up here; he had been a villager himself until he left at thirteen. His family still had friends here, and they were more than willing to help a fellow local.
The day the Inquisitor rode into their village was likely the most exciting thing to happen in Honnleath since the Blight. The smith had finally finished her new armor, Black and gold it was, with dragon hinted scales and markings. Harritt had been inspired by the fact that Ana had faced Corypheus' dragon alone, and had decide to pay homage to that.
Seeing her, in full armor, took Cullen's breath away, she looked like some warrior queen or goddess of old, beautiful and terrible at the same time. She greeted the village leaders politely and allowed herself to be led on a tour of the small village, it did not take very long of course, but protocol demanded that she remain polite.
On the surface, Honnleath was no different than any other small village the Inquisition passed through, but for Cullen it was something else, something more.
The Commander smiled to himself.
After all these years, after being away for so long, it…this place…it still felt like…home.
IOI
Honnleath had changed, he could not deny that. The sights and smells he remembered from his childhood were the same, but beyond that…
…it…it was different.
It felt…smaller somehow, it seemed so much bigger when he was a boy. The mage's tower was gone too, that was the most noticeable thing, that and the golem statue that had stood frozen in the square had disappeared, rumor had it was that the Hero of Ferelden had awoken the thing, and taken it with her, that it fought with her against the Archdemon, now it was said to be roaming free terrorizing the countryside.
If it was, it clearly had no intention of returning here.
He made his way down the streets, he had stopped briefly here and there, visiting those few villagers that had known his family, few recognized him at first, they remembered the Rutherford boy of course; the one who had left with the Templars. The few that did recognize him were as curious about him as he was about them.
He felt a twinge of melancholy as he made his way through the town square. It had been over fifteen years since he had last walked these paths. Part of him still expected to see Mia or one of his other siblings come running out to surprise him. It would not happen of course; his family now lived in South Reach. They had fled there during the Blight and had decided to stay.
The Commander shook his head.
He saw few familiar faces, so many had been lost during the Blight, either having moved on or gone missing. The Darkspawn had overwhelmed this place ten years ago, how many lives had been lost during those dark days?
The very thought made him shudder, made his mouth go dry.
There it was, that old hunger, waiting like a predator just outside his normal vision, like a wolf hiding near the tree line.
The hunger for a draft of lyrium, it never truly faded. It was always there, waiting to overtake him, and make the kill.
He shook his head. He tried to push such thoughts, back. They usually heralded another bad spell, and he had no time to endure such pain right now.
He returned to camp, thinking of another herald, he had had an ulterior motive for stopping here, and he had been grateful that the Lady Ana had chosen to stop here.
He wanted to speak with her… see her.
Seeing her would make it easier to endure his latest bad spell, when it came.
He returned to the Inquisition camp. The Inquisitor's tent was impossible to notice, guards maintained watch, but also tried to keep their distance, not wanting their leader to feel crowded.
He made his way towards the entrance, but paused when he heard voices; it seemed that the Lady had company.
"So you do consider yourself religious?" he heard her say.
"Do I believe in the Maker, yes," he heard her guest reply. The sound made Cullen grind his teeth. It was him, the Tevinter, the mage…
Dorian.
"It is the chantry that I do not believe in," he heard the mage continue, "I have no desire to sit in some building and listen to some mother hen blather on about how I should live my life, but as for the Maker, yes, I do believe. I cannot accept that everything I have seen is all coincidence, that there is no one looking out for us. As for the evidence of his concern, I have no need to look farther than you."
"Me?"
"You remember what we saw in the future. Had you not been here, Corypheus would likely be victorious right now. Cassandra is not wrong in what she has said about you. You are what we needed when we needed it."
He heard the mage chuckle.
"I may not believe in the chantry, my dear," he said, "But I do believe in you."
Cullen rolled his eyes.
Maker give me strength, he thought.
"Dorian," he heard Ana giggle.
Cullen clenched his fists in anger.
"Inquisitor?" he called out, "May I speak with you?"
There was a brief pause, a pregnant pause.
"Um…yes…Cullen please, please come in."
The flap to her tent opened, Dorian stepped out, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
"Commander Cullen," he said jovially, "Fancy meeting you here!"
It was all that Cullen could do to keep from punching him.
"Good evening, Ser mage," he said coldly.
If the Tevinter noticed his tone, he chose to ignore it.
"Good evening," the mage said slipping back out into the camp.
Cullen did not watch him go, he felt the serpent of anger wrapping tight around his heart.
He…he did not like the mage. He did not like how he flattered Ana, and stayed so close to her side.
He took a deep breath, not wishing to concern her, he entered the tent.
Ana had changed out of her armor, she was dressed simply, a light shirt and leggings.
He could still see a hint of the blush on her cheeks from the mage's comment.
It did little to help his mood.
The Inquisitor glanced up from her paperwork, her smile faltered when she saw his face, the rigidness of his posture.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Cullen took another deep breath.
Was he okay? Yes. No. Maybe. He wanted to punch the mage, and…and…
He really wanted a draft of lyrium.
"It…it has been a long day," he sighed, managing a weak smile.
She rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around him. He rested his head on her shoulder. The simple act of affection did much for his mood. He leaned in closer, enjoying the smell of her hair.
Maker…how he wanted this, how he needed this!
He was not sure how long they stood there, he just needed it, needed it to stay strong.
He needed to stay strong for the Inquisition.
He needed to stay strong for her.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked.
"I wanted to show you something," he murmured.
She pulled away from him.
"Is there danger?" she said flatly.
He saw her starting to slip into her battle mode, the Inquisitor coming to the forefront.
"No," he said quickly, "It…it is just something I wanted to show you, it is not about business, just…well…it is something you should see for yourself."
Cullen smiled slightly.
She returned it.
"Okay," she said, "Lead the way."
He smiled and took her hand.
They slipped out of the tent with barely anyone noticing. Ana waved off her guards, she did not wish them to follow too close behind them.
That pleased Cullen.
That Ana felt safe in his company that was good.
That was everything.
IOI
He brought her to a small lake, not far from the village of Honnleath.
Ana glanced at the small dock, the silver water shimmering in the moonlight, in the distance she heard the gentle cry of an owl.
She looked at Cullen; he had seemed so, cold to her when he had first entered her tent. It had killed all playful thoughts she had had about the two of them being alone in her tent. He seemed to relax now that they were away from camp, away from the bustle of the war, not that she blamed him, this…this place.
"It…it is beautiful," she said staring out across the lake.
Cullen nodded.
"I used to come here often," he said softly, "I loved my siblings, but that did not mean that I did not want to get away from them every now and then."
Ana chuckled at that admission.
"Growing up around Lizzy and Andy, I understand believe me."
Cullen laughed slightly.
"Sometimes, when things were at their worst in Kirkwall, I thought of this place. I came back here in mind. I missed it, I missed it so much."
She gave him a knowing look.
"You needed to get away. We all need to find some way to lay down our burdens."
She felt his left hand drift into hers; she welcomed the rough calloused feel of his touch. In his right he held something, a small silver coin. He smiled fondly at it.
"What is that?" she asked.
He chuckled.
"Before I went away, my sister gave me this," he said, "It was just something she had had in her pocket at the time. She said it would bring me luck."
The Commander shook his head.
"We are not supposed to bring anything of our old lives into the order with us." He confessed, "Our faith is supposed to sustain us. I…I probably should have thrown it away, but I couldn't. After everything that has happened, perhaps…perhaps it did bring me luck."
She looked at the coin. She did not blame him for holding onto his sister's gift. In dark places, it was good to have something to remind you of what you were fighting for.
"Luck runs out," she said softly, "Faith is better, it sustains you keeps you strong."
"Yes it does," he agrees, "But that does not diminish its value does it?"
She shook her head.
Cullen sighed.
"You are always travelling into danger," he murmured, "You will have to face so much more before we are done."
He rubbed the coin between his thumb and forefinger.
"I will do my best to keep you safe, but there are times that we will not be together."
He placed the coin into her hand.
"I would like you to carry this," he said warmly, "A little luck could not hurt where you will be going."
She blushed at his offer.
"Cullen…I…"
"Please Ana," he purred, "Take it; I will feel better knowing that you have it."
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, she found herself in his arms.
She did not resist.
"If…if that is what you want," she murmured softly.
He leaned in, their noses touching.
"It is not the only thing I want," he said.
"I…um…ooh."
He leaned in and kissed her deeply.
She groaned as his hands ran down her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck. The coin held tight in her grip.
She would not part with it, this piece of him.
Soon they would part, he had his business, and she had to deal with Crestwood, but not now…
…not now.
They stayed for a moment in this place of peace, kissing and holding each other. All thoughts of violence, mages, and war fled from their minds.
This moment was for them…
…and it would likely never come again.
IOI
A few days later, Ana found herself riding up the road into Crestwood, it was dark. A heavy splattering rain fell on them. Sera bitched mightily about the weather, but had chosen to come along anyway.
Ana focused on the path ahead of them, she tried to keep to the road, occasionally her hand going to the coin in her belt.
She smiled slightly.
Cullen.
It had been nice to get away from duty for a few minutes, their time by the lake had been…nice.
They had not been intimate of course, not there, not with their soldiers so close, it had left them both a little frustrated, but it was for the best.
Their time would come… eventually.
The mark on her hand flared. She felt that old tingle of fade rifts nearby, yet it seemed stronger somehow, more urgent.
They rode into the Inquisition camp.
Scout Harding was there waiting for her, as she always was. The look on the dwarf's face put her on edge almost immediately.
"Thank the Maker you made it through, Your Worship," she said, "We have not been able to reach the spot that Ser Hawke mentioned yet, the village of Crestwood is under siege."
Ana frowned.
"The situation must be bad, if you are worried, Lace," she said.
Harding shook her head.
"See for yourself, Your worship."
Harding directed her to a hill overlooking a great lake, Ana could make out a dam in the distance, and the lights of a village that could only be Crestwood, but…
She gasped.
"Oh!"
The whole center of the lake glowed with the eerie light of the fade, it lit up the water like a rising sun, and in that light, and she could see shapes shambling out of the water, shambling in a very familiar way.
She almost shuddered.
Undead, she realized, more undead.
Her fingers went to Cullen's coin, a good luck charm he had said.
She tightened her fingers on its smooth surface.
Let's hope you have a little luck left in you, she thought grimly.
We're going to need it.