Chapter 21: The Eagle Has Landed

Errol inspected herself in the mirror critically, her hands smoothing the front of her intricate dress. "I don't know, isn't it a bit… low cut?"

"I told you, we have to give them a little something to compensate for the rest of the neckline," Josephine said reassuringly, adjusting her own mask. "It's nothing they're not accustomed to, this is the highest of high fashion."

They were inside the special offsite quarters set up for them, with all of the honors and welcome required for a major player such as the Inquisition now was. Errol felt queasy just thinking about what lay ahead, and ran her hands compulsively down her stomach again, trying to breathe in the corset. The dress was beautifully made, all green threaded with gold, tight around her chest and waist before flowing out like a waterfall around her hips. It had a high neck that was open in the front and cut scandalously low, her cleavage on full display, with sheer draping sleeves that glittered slightly as she moved. Just at her collarbone hung a heavy golden chain with the sigil of the Inquisition. She wore a half-mask of golden filigree, and her hair was a artful mass on top of her head, strategically placed curls spilling from the pile. Her lips were painted a deep, lush red.

"It is a lovely dress. A shame it must have such a high neck, but it covers your scar nicely," Leliana said, appearing at her elbow and looking at Errol's figure in the mirror. Her dress was pale lilac, her mask delicate and birdlike, red hair for once uncovered. "Odd, though," she mused.

"What's odd?" Errol asked, stepping off the pedestal and into soft green slippers. At least they weren't making her wear heels.

"It's a grievous wound, one that would have nearly killed you and surely would have needed immediate medical and magical attention to survive. Yet none of your traveling companions have any recollection of you receiving such an injury. It's as if the scar simply appeared one day, along with your penchant for wearing high-necked vests and coats."

"Do you regularly go around asking how people got their injuries, or am I special?"

"Oh, you're certainly special." The tone of her voice made it clear it wasn't a compliment. "Perhaps we can discuss this more after the ball."

"Perhaps," Errol said as calmly as she could. "Isn't the bigger question how I'm supposed to fight in this corset?"

"With grace, Inquisitor," Josephine said. "The best we could do are the straps under your dress. You will have to be careful, and use your barriers wisely. Hopefully you will not see much combat tonight."

Errol laughed. "Well of course now it's bound to happen." She shifted, uncomfortable. "All right, let's get this show on the road."

She met with Gaspard in the garden and he escorted her in, arrogantly underdressed and unshaven for such an event, but she flattered him and giggled and he ate it up. She loved it when men thought she was stupid. It was always so much more gratifying when she pulled the rug out from under them.

She didn't meet with the rest of the team until they were in the anteroom, waiting to be called upon. Gaspard left her there with a bow and a kiss that lingered a moment too long on her knuckles, and when he walked away Errol turned to them and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to wash that hand for a long, long time when this is all done," she said, then paused, noticing that they were all staring at her. "What?"

Varric let out a low whistle, his mask square and hammered to look like stone, his red shirt silken but still unbuttoned to show off far too much chest hair. "So Sunshine cleans up nice. Who would have guessed it."

Josephine squealed girlishly. "It's all thanks to me and my wonderful Antivan tailor, here, twirl!" she said, holding up Errol's arm and forcing her to spin.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow under her white mask. "You won't wholly embarrass us," she said, sounding grudgingly impressed.

"Why Vivienne, was that… almost a compliment?" Errol teased, and Vivienne sniffed.

"Almost."

She finally turned to Cullen and Josephine squeaked again and gave her a little push. Errol approached him with trepidation. He looked very handsome in a simple mask and military uniform of navy blue, his sash a dark cream. His eyes were wide, and pink tinged what she could see of his cheeks as he stared at her.

"My lady," he finally said when he had regained speech, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. "You look wonderful." He looked like he wanted to say more but didn't, simply kissed her palm again and released her.

She looked around for the final member of their party. Solas was leaning against the wall, his hands behind his back, the only one of them not wearing a mask. He was dressed simply in tan and blue, looking very much like one of the palace's servants; he was even wearing shoes, which was a first for him.

He wasn't looking at her, but when she turned their eyes met, and he nodded and straightened. "Now that we are all here, I will leave you before you're introduced," he said. At her quizzical look, he explained: "Servants don't get introduced."

Errol frowned. She still didn't like this. "Solas…"

He shook his head as he approached, then surprised her by also taking her hand, kissing the back of it. "Don't feel bad. It is simply a mask I am wearing tonight, as you are." He raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes. "And I am very good at wearing masks, Inquisitor."

Then he turned and left the room on silent feet.

Cullen took her arm as they waited; he would escort her out, but she would walk alone when she was introduced. "What was that all about?"

"He has issues," she said quietly, and Cullen frowned.

"Clearly."

The doors opened, and he squeezed her arm. "You're going to be fine. I'll wait for you after you meet with the Empress and we'll greet the room, as planned. Then you can make your excuses and—"

"Go snooping?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Precisely."

The man with the scroll cleared his throat, and Cullen reluctantly released her arm as Gaspard began to make his way down the stairs. "Now presenting," the man said loudly. "Grand Duke Gaspard De Chalons, and accompanying him Lady Inquisitor Kerr!"

Whispers erupted across the room as Errol appeared at the top of the stairs and dipped into a low curtsy. On the far end, Empress Celene did the same. Slowly, and praying that she wouldn't trip, Errol gathered her skirts and began to descend, her heart pounding in her throat as the eyes of the entire court were on her.

She held her head high and walked steadily across the room, just as Josephine had taught her. When she finally reached the landing just below the Empresses' she curtseyed again.

"Lady Inquisitor, we welcome you to the Winter Palace," Celene said. "Allow us to present our cousin, the Grand Duchess of Lydes, without whom this gathering would never have been possible." The Duchess dipped a curtsey while Celene continued to eye Errol with interest. "Your arrival at court is like a cool wind on a summer's day. Tell me, is it true what they say? Did you in fact cross over from another world?"

"The stories are true, Empress, but nothing in my world could rival the exquisite beauty that I see before me," Errol said smoothly, waited a beat, then grinned a little. "The palace, I mean. It's incredible."

Celene looked pleased. "I hope you are able take in some of its delights during your time here. And I hope, once the negotiations conclude, that we are able to speak more. I am interested to hear about your world. It sounds… fascinating."

"You need only say the word," Errol said, then curtseyed again and stepped to the side.

"That was wonderful," Leliana said when she found Errol on the dance floor. "I didn't expect you to pick up on the Game so fast." She sounded pleased with Errol for the first time in a long time.

"Everyone loves to be flirted with," Errol said, winking. "Especially someone whose jilted lover is here. I figured she might have a wounded ego that would need a little stroking."

"Who's stroking what now?" Cullen asked, coming up to her side.

Leliana actually laughed at that. She seemed different at court, more relaxed even though they were in the middle of the viper pit. "I'll leave you two to make the rounds, but don't take too much time. Come and see me when you've finished." Then she was gone, off to speak to some Duchess whose name Errol should have known but when she tried to remember she just became turned on.

Cullen took her arm. "You look amazing," he said quietly into her ear as he escorted her around the room. "That dress, Maker's breath. It looks incredible on but all I find myself wanting to do is take it off with my teeth."

"That would take some considerable effort," she said, smiling fakely at someone they passed. "It's more complicated than it looks."

"It will be worth it."

"Will be?"

"The night will come to an end, and you will need to get undressed…"

She turned into him on the pretext of searching for someone in the crowd. "You better keep those thoughts to yourself, Commander Rutherford," she breathed into his ear, "unless you want me to forgo the mission and drag you into an empty room."

"You know, someday we won't have missions," he said as she stepped away again, apparently not able to find whoever she was looking for.

"And then?" she asked, her lips barely moving.

He dipped his head close to the shell of her ear. "And then you'll be very, very sore." He straightened. "I'll see you upstairs, Inquisitor."

Then he bowed and left.

Errol closed her eyes, wishing she could massage her temples. The mission, right, the mission. Had to stop an assassination. Yes. That. She could do that.

She turned to the crowd. Time to find Leliana.

"I was beginning to think you were having too much fun dancing."

Errol snorted and leaned against the wall, a potted plant between them so it wouldn't look as if they were speaking. "I haven't had a single dance. It's been all espionage and backstabbing."

"Ah, I love court intrigue," Solas said wistfully, sipping a glass of wine. "The heady blend of power, danger, and sex that permeates these events. It's intoxicating."

Something about the way he said that made her flush; she was glad there was a plant between them. "I, ah — have you seen anything useful?"

"Not as much as I would have liked," he admitted. "The servants know I'm not one of them, but I'm still nearly invisible to the nobles. The elves are all doubly suspicious of intruders - it seems they're all working for Briala. She has massive influence here. But more interesting is the name on everyone's lips is Duchess Florianne. She apparently put in many a favor to make this night happen, burning through whatever was owed her, be it blackmail, payback, or gifts, to help her cousin arrange the peace talks, leaving herself with precious little power in the eyes of any noble."

"Why would she deplete herself like that?" Errol murmured. "Unless…"

"Exactly. I doubt it's for love of her cousin, or her brother." He sipped his drink. Errol eyed it, and he caught her gaze and shrugged.

"I've done all I can, and the wine is excellent."

Errol tried to peer at him without looking obvious. "You're acting oddly. Does wearing shoes bother you that much?"

He made a noise in the back of his throat. "I'm going to ignore that. What else have you discovered?"

She briefly outlined her meeting with Morrigan and the brief skirmish before she spoke with Briala. "People are being killed already," she said. "This whole thing will blow up soon."

He sighed and poured the last of his drink into the potted plant. "Pity." Then: "What did you think of the famed Morrigan?"

"She gave me the shivers. Like her eyes see too much." Errol unconsciously pulled up the collar of her dress. "That reminds me, Leliana is asking questions about your mark. Why no one remembers my being injured. That sort of thing."

He sighed again. "The magic is old and weak. She should not have been able to keep it in her mind long enough to even investigate it. But it will do its job. It will grow stronger. In time, she will find herself forgetting about it more and more. I would not worry. I doubt she'll speak of it to you again."

"Right," Errol said, nodding. "Okay, it's go time. I think it's best you stay near me. I have a feeling shit's about to go down."

"Eloquent as always." He chuckled softly as he followed her out of the room. "Inquisitor, at this point, I don't think you could get rid of me if you tried."

After the dance with Florianne, Errol was sure she was a part of it. And also that shit was definitely going to go down. Still, she had to follow up on Florianne's tip, trap or not.

"The eagle has landed," she said to Varric as she passed him. He looked confused.

"What?"

She huffed. "We talked about this… oh come on, it's time!"

Understanding dawned as he walked with her. "Ohhhh, yeah. I was drunk for that conversation, remember?"

"God damnnit Varric you ruin everything," she muttered, motioning for Vivienne and Solas. "No wait, Vivienne ruins everything. Don't repeat that."

"Won't."

They made their way to the drop location where their weapons had been stashed. Errol reached for the belts under her dress and gathered the material up at multiple locations, looping and bustling so that it now reached her thighs, until she hit the back.

"Here, allow me."

Errol jerked in surprise to see Solas kneel at her side, take the final belt, and sweep up her dress, his fingers trailing along the back of her thigh as he did so, causing a shiver to run up her spine. She swallowed and looked around, but Vivienne was busy removing her ridiculous headdress and Varric was calibrating Bianca.

"There," he said, tightening the strap and standing. "Perhaps not the most modest, but you'll be able to move easily."

She tried to smile as she pulled on a pair of boots. "That's what the shorts underneath are for."

"Ah," he said, then reached toward her. She stood stock still, not sure what was happening, but he merely unknotted the silken string around her head. "You forgot to remove your mask."

"… thanks," Errol said, putting it aside, and she could have sworn he smirked, but when she looked again his face was solemn. "Okay, everyone ready? Let's just hope it's not a rift."

"It's a rift. God DAMNIT."

"Oh, Inquisitor," Florianne said, feigning surprised. "I'm so pleased that you could finally join us. I was starting to worry that you weren't going to walk into the trap I'd taken so much trouble to set up, and I'd hate to disappoint Corypheus."

"Let me guess: Kill your cousin and brother, I'll let you rule the world?" Errol asked dryly. Florianne looked taken aback.

"Well… yes. I'm glad you catch on so quickly."

"You know he tells that to every one of his lackeys, right? You're not special. He'll probably kill you when he's tired of you."

Florianne bristled. "He would never abandon one of his faithful! He has a place for me."

"Yeah, under his boot," Varric muttered.

"I will be a Queen," she continued. "And when he's claimed this world he will move on to yours, little Inquisitor, taking what he wants, subduing your weak-willed people. They will be like chattel to our new God, and we the exalted will never have to lift a finger again."

"Man, lady, you have really got a boner for slavery if you need to invade another reality for it," Errol snapped. "Are you secretly Tevinter?"

"Subdue her but don't kill her," Florianne said with a wave of her hand. "The master needs to examine her if he's ever going to find a way to her world. Kill the rest." She smiled at Errol. "You'll be the only one of your Inquisition left to see our victory, and you'll see it bound and gagged. Won't that be fun? Ah, but I'm late. It's almost time for my dear cousin to meet her unfortunate end. We'll chat later." She turned and swept out.

"I am so gonna burn that bitch," Errol muttered, narrowly avoiding a slew of arrows as she threw up a barrier.

"We do need to address your preoccupation with burning things," Solas said, taking down the archers with Rift magic. Varric snorted as he aimed Bianca.

"Yeah, what he said. Maybe hold back the burninating this time."

"Did Dorian teach you that word?" she snapped, sending lightning sizzling onto a demon that had just appeared.

"I like it. Rolls off the tongue."

"Will you please stop bantering and close the rift, my dear?" Vivienne asked as she expertly cast an ice spell. "I'm finding this fight tiresome and we don't want to arrive too late because you thought you were being funny."

Errol sighed and held up her palm. "Thanks for reminding me why I don't take you anywhere."

"You're welcome, dear. And don't forget to take the straps off of your dress. You can't reenter the court with your thighs showing like a common tavern wench."

The fights were over, and the night was saved. Errol had managed to finagle the best possible outcome - Florianne was in chains, Gaspard was going to be executed, and Celene and Briala were reunited as lovers. All in all, a good night and a lot of blood to be cleaned off of the tiles.

She sighed and put her head in her hands. It was crushingly hot inside, the nobles increasingly inebriated and rowdy as they celebrated the victory. She just wanted to go back to Skyhold and sleep for days, but she remembered that soon Morrigan would be there too, asking more questions and staring at her with her creepy golden eyes.

"I've been looking for you. What are you doing out here?"

Errol closed her eyes and relaxed as Cullen's arms wrapped around her. "Mmm, just getting some air. Tonight was ridiculous, on many levels."

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm glad it's over. I know it's foolish but I was worried about you."

She laughed. "It wasn't foolish. It's just that we're in so many life-or-death situations it's become blasé. Oh, you stopped an Empress from being assassinated? Must be Thursday."

"Now you're starting to sound like Dorian."

She shuddered. "You're right, the sarcasm, it's catching."

The band inside began to play a waltz as the air around them turned from black to deep blue. "It's almost morning," he said softly. "The ball will be over when the sun rises."

"Hopefully we'll be in bed by then."

"Hopefully." He stepped away, taking her hand with him. "But while I have the chance, may I have this dance, my lady?"

She grinned. "Will we be stepping on each other's feet?"

"Most likely, though you did dance rather well with Florianne earlier if I recall."

"You're bound to be better than that." She let him take her in his arms as they swayed to the music. Above them, the stars began to wink out as the sky lightened.

"Are you very tired?" he asked, spinning her around.

"That depends on what you have in mind."

"I think I already mentioned it," he said, nuzzling his nose into the curls piled on top of her head, the ones that hadn't already spilled out during the night's activities.

"Something about you taking my dress off with your teeth?" she murmured.

"That sounds about right."

Errol smiled coyly. "I think I can muster the energy."

"Minx," he said as the song ended. He bowed and kissed her hand. "It's nearly light. If my lady is ready, I'll see her safely to her chambers."

She took his arm as they walked back inside. "Oh, your lady is very ready, Commander."

It was a good night, all in all.