Chapter 81: Homecoming

"Make way! Make way for the Inquisitor! Make Way!"

Ana rode through the gates of Skyhold. She sighed heavily as the exhaustion of the open road still tried to claim her. It had been long journey, a hard journey, but at last she could finally let out at least a small sigh of relief.

The Emerald Graves were secure…for now.

She was grateful to finally slip off her horse and hand the reins to one of the stable boys. She paused for a minute to take in the changes that had occurred here in Skyhold since she had been gone.

She was pleased to see no more wounded in tents and blankets over in the far corner. Before she had left she had petitioned Josephine to help set up a clinic here, so that the wounded could receive far better treatment than they had previously. Both mages and surgeons now toiled to keep the Inquisition wounded both comfortable and on the road to recovery.

She could see the walled off area where they had discussed putting the clinic. She fully intended to go see it later, once she had had a chance to touch base with the war council.

There was much to tell, everything she had learned in the Emerald Graves now pointed to the Emprise du lion, everything they had discovered in the graves suggested that the Red Templars had been sending their caravans of slaves into that area.

Ana's eyes narrowed.

The time had come to shut that operation down.

Why did the Red Templars need so many slaves there? She could think of only one possible explanation, they had likely found the source of the Red Templar's lyrium, and if they had…

The chance to deal a crushing blow to Samson and Corypheus was almost too good to pass up.

Cullen would be pleased. He had been hoping for some time to find a way to strike directly at Samson. The fall of Haven still weighed heavily on the Commander's mind.

She was more than happy to help her love remove at least some of that weight.

It needs to be done, she thought.

The sooner they defanged the Red Templars the better. The monsters were the most visible symbol of the Elder One's power.

Break them, and the rest of the Venatori would not be far behind.

She felt her fingers curl into angry fists.

Once they had rearmed and resupplied.

She would be back on the road again.

She made her way up the steps to the keep; word had already been sent ahead of her coming so she was not surprised to bump into Ambassador Montilyet, the woman spoke quickly enlightening Ana on all recent happenings here in Skyhold. Josephine was very excited; she had been making inquiries in how to deal with her problem with the House of Riposte. She had a line on a few possible favors that would no doubt make things easier to get the assassins off her back.

Ana promised to aid her at the earliest convenience, she did not like the thought of the Inquisition's ambassador having a death mark on her back.

The inquisitor pursed her lips.

She also wished to speak with the war council as a whole. Some of things she had discovered in the Graves needed to be discussed in private. They did not deal with Corypheus…but…

They still needed to be dealt with.

First among them was what she had learned in the tomb of the Emerald Knights.

Ana sighed.

Word would also have to be sent to the Dalish clan living in the Exalted Plains. It was their kinsmen that the Venatori had slaughtered. The Keeper deserved to know what had happened, and that the murderers had been dealt with, but that was not all.

She would also need to tell them what they learned in the deepest corner of the ancient structure.

The Inquisitor shook her head.

She found herself thinking back to when she was a girl, and her tutor's history lessons. She had heard often of the Dalish Kingdom's invasion of the Orlesian village of Red Crossing, how it ignited the Exalted March of the Dales. According to the official version, the elves had invaded because they were looking either to raid the area or expand their territory. The elves, according to what she had heard from the various scouts and soldiers that served under her, believed that the elven kingdom was provoked into that attack…

As it turned out, there were grains of truth in both stories, but neither was what really happened.

Solas had not been surprised by what they had learned.

History Ana, he had told her, is not what actually happened it is truth filtered through the eyes of both the victors and the vanquished. No one wishes to admit they were at fault, even if they were.

The elven apostate's ears twitched.

In time those stories replace all that happened, he shook his head, it is sad that so much is lost, because none now live that remember those days and bear witness.

She had not really understood what he was saying at the time, but after the Graves, she finally did.

Red Crossing had been the mother of all misunderstandings. The elves had attacked the village, believing that one of their own had betrayed them. The knight in question, as it turned out had not turned his back, instead, he had fallen in love with a local girl, and wanted to be with her.

Tragedy piled upon tragedy, and in the end…it destroyed a world.

In the violence that had followed both had died, setting off a series of events that the elves, in their pride, would not seek to apologize or offer penance for.

The Orlesians had likely long been looking for an excuse to deal with the Dalish kingdom, and in that moment they had been given it. The exalted march that followed allowed them to open the way to expand south into Ferelden, not to mention seize the lands granted by Andraste so long ago.

Ana pursed her lips.

There had been no innocent victims here only the ambitions and pride of two peoples too stubborn to try and reach concord. In the end, it had let to the destruction of the elven kingdom, and the truth had been lost in the flames.

Now the Inquisition had it, and they needed to decide what to do with it.

The Inquisitor thought it best to release this knowledge to both parties. The elves deserved to know the truth, just as the Orlesian scholars needed to finally here what provoked their empires attack on the elven kingdom. It would not change the result of what had happened, but…it would at least get people talking, debating.

Ana sighed.

Too many had seen the elves as evil heathen for too long, just as they saw the knights of the Exalted March as justified heroes. The truth was nowhere near black and white, only shades of gray.

She was starting to see that the world was by no means that simple. It was messy. It was complicated.

Wasn't it better that everyone knew the truth?

She dismissed Ambassador Montilyet, asking that she summon the war council in two hours. Ana wanted to get cleaned up a bit after her time on the road, as she made her way up the stairs to her private chambers she found herself thinking.

What was it that Corypheus wanted so badly that his servants were striking at every elven ruin they could find?

What was so bloody important that the Venatori were murdering people over old elven ruins?

Was the Elder One seeking more elvish power? He already had his orb, were their more such items out there?

It was a frightening thought that one.

He wanted to enter the fade, and from there enter the golden city directly.

That was an event that they could not allow.

She sighed heavily as she entered her room. She was pleased to see that her desk had not been touched. It might look chaotic to some people but she knew exactly where everything she needed was.

She also noted that several new parchments had been delivered, reports from Leliana's people. She gave them a brief perusal. At the war council she would see what the spymaster had on the Emprise Du Lion.

Hopefully they would be able to pin down the location of the Red Templar's main Red lyrium mine. If it was in the Emprise, it would likely be heavily guarded.

The Inquisition would need to come in force, then they…

There was a knock at the door.

Ana sighed.

She would have liked to have had a bath and some food before the next problem came her way…

Oh well, nothing she could do about it now.

"Yes," she called out.

"Forgive the interruption, Your Worship," one of the servants called out, but Commander Cullen was asking after you."

There was a brief pause.

"He was wondering if you would join him in his office."

Ana pursed her lips, a hint of a smile started to appear. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest.

The Inquisitor smiled.

So, Cullen wanted to see her?

Wasn't that interesting?

"Inform the commander I will be there shortly," she replied.

"As you wish, Your Worship."

She heard the sound of boots retreating down the stairs.

Ana began to change out of her armor.

The least she could do was try to look her best for him, or at least not like she had just gotten back after days and days on the road.

Cullen was a pragmatist, he likely would not have cared if she did come straight down, but she…she was not above her old noble sensibilities.

It never hurt to look a little nice, not when one was speaking with ones chosen partner.

She slipped behind the changing curtain, eager to go down, but at the same time trying to not appear…too eager.

She had a few things to tell the Commander, and perhaps.

…Show him a bit more.

IOI

Cullen tried to remain focused on his work.

He had heard Ana had returned from the Graves, but had chosen not to go and meet her.

During their brief time together as a couple, he learned to gage her moods, or at least he hoped that he did.

Ana would not want to be assaulted as soon as she stepped through the doors of Skyhold. She would no doubt want to take some time to rest and recover her composure before their next meeting.

So he had given her what she wanted, or at least, he thought he had.

The Commander frowned.

"Perhaps he had misjudged this decision, perhaps she would be annoyed by his choice to stay away? The insecurities of his youth tried to rise up and cripple him.

He did his best to hold them at bay.

He had read the initial reports from Ana's actions in the Graves. The discovery of the Red Templar's smuggling network was a good start in crippling it.

The commander frowned.

He still remembered Samson from Kirkwall, how he was banished from the order, how he ended begging for lyrium on the streets of Lowtown. At the time, Cullen had been beyond sympathy; perhaps if things had been different, Samson would not be standing with the Red Templars today.

He shook his head.

Cullen was no stranger to the pull of the dust. So far, he had managed to resist it, but…

The hunger never went fully away, and it likely never would.

He licked his lips. He was trying very hard not to think about the foul stuff.

He had made Ana a promise. She thought him strong enough to resist, and he would not disappoint her.

He would not give her reason to think their…relationship a mistake.

He loved her.

He needed her.

He swallowed hard.

One day he hoped to have the strength to tell her that.

There was a knock at the door.

"Yes," he called out.

"Cullen?"

He smiled.

She was here.

"Come in, Inquisitor," he said, "We have much to discuss."

The door opened. Ana stepped inside, dressed simply in a plain blue tunic and trousers.

He smiled.

She did not need gold or fine silk to look beautiful, not to him.

She had a natural beauty all her own.

She closed and locked the door behind her.

He rose from his desk to greet her.

"I have read the reports from the Graves," he said, "that, and what we have learned from the scouts confirms that…MMMPHF!"

He had not gotten to finish.

Ana had all but leapt into his arms. Her mouth finding his…

She kissed him hungrily, urgently.

His heart pounded and his blood raced.

He could certainly think of worse greetings.

"Hi," she gasped breathlessly, breaking the kiss only for a moment to speak these words.

"Hello there," he smirked, taking her face in his hands gently kissing her once, twice, three times on the lips."

Her blue eyes sparkled, as she pushed him back against the desk.

"How much time do we have?" he inquired panting.

"A good hour at least," she replied, letting her fingers slide beneath his breast plate, undoing the straps.

"Not a lot of time," he growled, sliding his hands over her body, making her whimper softly with his gentle caress."

True," she moaned, "We…um…we should not waste a mo…OH!...moment then."

He grinned.

"I don't intend to," he purred.

She wrapped herself around him, even as he carried her towards the ladder, the one leading up to his bed.

An hour was not a long time, but it would be enough.

They would just have to make the best of it.

And…they did.