Cassandra pinched her forehead with steepled fingers, resting her other hand on top of the table for support. It was only mid-afternoon, but she was already exhausted. In addition to her own duties, she had spent the morning receiving reports from Cullen's soldiers. She sympathized with his decision to stop taking lyrium, but it meant she had to take over some of his responsibilities.

She hadn't even been able to find time for lunch before the next setback would hit. Everyone in Skyhold seemed to have something for her to do, or something to complain to her about. Vivienne had requested a larger budget to assist in 'civilizing' the fortress. Cassandra had directed her to Josephine, but before she could get back to work, their diplomat had asked her to meet with an important Nevarran noble in residence. She had barely escaped in time. Even Solas had left his creepy underground study and ventured to the war room to complain to her about Cole... again.

"All I want is an hour. Just one hour with a practice dummy and no interruptions." She turned her eyes upward, staring plaintively at the ceiling. "Maker, is that too much to ask?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Cassandra. I've been asking for the same thing for the past several months, and my prayers haven't been answered yet."

Cassandra turned around, and a slight smile crossed her face as she noticed the Inquisitor standing in the doorway. Herah was the only member of the Inquisition with a to-do list that was even longer than hers. "Ah, Inquisitor. I'm glad you're here. I need to speak with you about the latest reports from Cullen's men."

Herah left the doorway and approached the war table. As she drew closer, Cassandra noticed a worry line creasing her forehead. "Shouldn't Cullen be telling me about this? Where is he? I haven't seen him at all today."

"He couldn't leave his study." Instinctively, Cassandra glanced towards the door to make sure no one else was nearby. She didn't want to make Cullen's private struggle public, although she was certain several people already suspected what was going on. "He wasn't feeling well earlier. Fever. Nausea. Chills. I stepped in on his behalf."

Herah's worried look mirrored her own. "Do you think I made the right decision, encouraging him to stop taking his lyrium? If he can't work... if it's making him that sick..."

"He can," Cassandra insisted. "I know him, Inquisitor. Cullen is strong enough to do what needs to be done. This is just an especially difficult day."

"I'll trust you on this. Maybe I can go check on him later? If he's feeling that bad, he could probably use a friendly face."

Herah made as if to turn around and leave, but Cassandra held up her hand. "Actually, I have something to discuss with you. The reports from Cullen's men were stranger than usual. One of the units in the Western Approach shared news of magical ruins near the central plateau."

"Magical ruins? Corypheus isn't going after them too, is he? Just yesterday, Morrigan told me his forces were focusing on the Arbor Wilds."

Cassandra's frown deepened at the mention of Morrigan's name. The mage had only arrived at Skyhold a couple of weeks prior, but she was already making herself at home. Cassandra couldn't even stroll through the gardens in the evenings anymore for fear of running into her and being forced into another unpleasant confrontation. On the other hand, perhaps she would just ignore me. Our dislike of each other mutual, and she doesn't seem the type to waste words on pointless conversation.

"I don't know if Corypheus has focused his attentions there or not," she said to Herah, "But Venatori mages have been spotted skulking around nearby. Maybe the site has attracted his interest."

"How important do you think it is?" Herah asked. "I'm sure these ruins are interesting, but we don't exactly have a lot of free time these days."

"I am no expert, but they certainly are different than most of what we've encountered thus far."

"What is different?" Cassandra's head turned as Morrigan swept into the war room. The witch had inserted herself into their councils from the moment she first arrived at Skyhold, just one among her many irritating presumptions. Another was the outfit she had taken to wearing, a ridiculous, loose-hanging top that practically forced everyone she met to look at her breasts.

"Oh, we were just discussing some strange ruins in the Western Approach that the Inquisition's troops came across," Herah told Morrigan. "Cassandra suggested taking a closer look."

Morrigan let out a small sigh. "Another diversion, Inquisitor? Need I remind you that Corypheus is preparing his move in the Arbor Wilds even as we speak? That is what we should be focused on."

"We're not ready yet," Herah replied. "We're still gathering our forces."

"Then perhaps you should tell your general to work harder," Morrigan remarked. "I've scarcely seen Cullen since we returned from the Winter Palace and he would not be the first former Templar I've met to be remiss in his duties."

Cassandra bristled at the insult, both on behalf of Cullen and herself. "I regret that everything isn't to your satisfaction, Lady Morrigan. Perhaps Commander Cullen has better things to do than stroll in the gardens and insult the work of others. And at any rate, this is important. There could be significant magical power in these ruins, which I would hardly deem a waste of time."

That seemed to pique Morrigan's interest. Her cat-like eyes lit up, and the smile on her face could only be described as hungry. "Magical power? Of what type?"

"We're not entirely sure," Cassandra told her, albeit a little reluctantly. She didn't like admitting to gaps in her knowledge, especially to someone who was likely to exploit them. "Just that it's old, and that the Venatori seem to be interested." She studied the expression on Morrigan's face with a considerable amount of caution. The eagerness there made her extremely uncomfortable. "But if it's your expert opinion that the situation with Corypheus is too urgent to wait for the rest of our troops to assemble, we can head for the Arbor Wilds instead."

If Morrigan was annoyed by her sarcasm, it did not show on her face. The only hint that she disapproved was a slight twitch of her full lips as her smile faltered. "Actually, I'm inclined to agree with you, as unlikely as that might seem. If there is something of significant power in these ruins, Corypheus cannot be allowed to get his hands on it. Since we cannot move against him until the Inquisition's forces are ready, investigating the source of this power might be a worthwhile use of our time."

Cassandra gave Morrigan a hard stare, but became distracted when Herah cleared her throat. "Since we seem to have a rare point of agreement between you two, I guess I should get started organizing our trip."

"That would be wise," Morrigan said. "And if you don't object, Inquisitor, I would like to accompany you there myself."

"I thought you prefered to remain in the castle and make rude comments while others did the real work?" Cassandra snapped. A part of her knew it was unprofessional, but the witch had a way of getting under her skin that even Varric was hard-pressed to match.

"This is far more interesting than your usual excursions to deal with brigands and barbarians," Morrigan told her, her voice dripping with condescension. "I have greater expertise with ancient magics than anyone else here. You may have need of me."

"Sure," Herah agreed. "I'd like to get a look at you in action anyway."

Cassandra opened her mouth to object, but Morrigan beat her to it. "Then it's decided. Inform me when you and your party are ready to leave Skyhold, and I will accompany you. With luck, we can use whatever we find in these ruins to our benefit."

That statement only added to Cassandra's unease. Morrigan had changed her mind too easily. Perhaps she wanted to claim whatever had Corypheus and the Venatori were interested in for herself, or maybe she had an even stranger purpose. Either way, she resolved to keep whatever they found in the ruins well out of Morrigan's grasp. "I insist on accompanying you as well, Inquisitor." Her eyes left Herah and slid back over to Morrigan. "The best way to handle evil mages is with a swift sword."

Herah's head shook softly in disapproval, warning her to be polite, but eventually, she nodded. "Fair enough, Cassandra. You were the one who first took the reports. But if you and Morrigan are both coming, I expect you to get along. Can you work together without the constant passive aggressive remarks?"

"I wouldn't call threatening to skewer me with a sword passive, but yes," Morrigan answered. "I have a great deal of experience tolerating the presence of fools on expeditions like this. You may remember that Alistair was also one of the Hero of Ferelden's companions. Compared with him, Lady Pentaghast's company is almost enjoyable."

Cassandra pushed away from the table, fists clenched at her sides. She had been willing to tolerate Morrigan's rudeness, her pride, and even her overly-revealing outfit, but listening to her belittle Alistair was too much. "Alistair was a greater person than you could ever be, for all your ambitions. He sacrificed his life for us! I won't hear you speak that way about him, whatever your grievances with me."

Instead of matching her anger, Morrigan seemed almost subdued. A look of surprise crossed her face, and… was that a flash of pity she showed? Sadness? Cassandra had her doubts, but her next words seemed to confirm it. "I wasn't told of that. You might not believe it, but I am... sorry… to hear of his death."

Silence stretched between them for several moments. Cassandra gave up trying to get a read on Morrigan's emotions. The mage's brief flash of humanity had vanished as quickly as it appeared, and she still wasn't certain of what she had seen. "I accept your apology," she said at last. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should go and prepare our supplies. We should leave soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow morning. We'll want to deal with these ruins quickly, before Corypheus's forces finish converging on the Wilds."

"Agreed," Herah said, seemingly relieved that their argument had ended so quickly. "Take the rest of the evening to prepare, and I'll see the two of you early tomorrow. And Cassandra? Please check in with Josephine before you go. She was looking for you earlier."

Cassandra did her best to hide her disappointment. "Of course, Inquisitor. Goodbye." With a smile for Herah and a stiff, subtle nod in Morrigan's direction, she exited the war room and stepped out into the hall. Unfortunately, leaving Morrigan's presence did little to soothe her turbulent emotions. She wasn't even entirely sure of the reason. The cruel comments about Alistair had bothered her, but they weren't the only source of her anger.

It doesn't matter why she upsets me, Cassandra told herself as she headed for Josephine's desk. I don't have to like her. I only have to keep her alive long enough for her to help us. Then, she won't be my problem anymore.

Herah let out a long sigh as she settled into her chair at the Herald's Rest. The room was filled with happy people, drinking and singing, and she hoped being there would take her mind off of her troubles. "Give me a Ferelden stout," she told the tavern keeper, putting her aching feet up on a nearby bench, "And keep them coming until I tell you otherwise."

"Long day, Inky?"

She turned her head in time to see Sera vault down the staircase and land a few feet away from her, wearing the little crooked smile that Herah found so charming.

"You don't know the half of it. Vivienne was fighting with Dorian over the color of the throne room drapes, Cole kept stealing Solus' books for reasons he still won't explain, and I had to look over a pile of new threats from Leliana's agents. Plus, I had to pack for this expedition I'm off on tomorrow."

"Heading where, then?" Sera cocked her head, the motion emphasizing the line of her long neck. She was often heedless of her own sex appeal, but Herah found that only increased it. There was some natural and unaffected about Sera that definitely rubbed her the right way.

"Oh, just these weird ruins in the Western Approach," Herah told her. "There's supposed to be some kind of strange magic going on there, so I figured you wouldn't be interested in coming along."

Sera's aversion to magic had been obvious to her since they first met. Nor did it exactly come as a surprise. Herah hadn't grown up under the Qun, but she knew that if she had, she would've been condemned to a life in chains simply for possessing her talents. Even in the rest of Thedas, mages were often detested, and a qunari sorceress was an especially fearful sight to many of the people she came across. Still, it was one thing to frighten some Ferelden peasant and another to provoke that reaction in someone she cared about. Every time Sera pulled back because of something Herah couldn't control or change, it hurt her.

"The worst part," she added, "Is that Morrigan and Cassandra are going to be with me, so they'll probably be bickering all the way to Orlais and back."

Sera scrunched up her face, giving Herah a disapproving look. "Both of them? Why's that?"

"Morrigan wanted to take a look at whatever ancient artifacts we found, and then Cassandra insisted on coming along as well, though she didn't exactly say why."

"That so? Guess I'm coming too then," Sera declared.

Herah's heart swelled a little at the demand. She knew Sera didn't exactly want to go on this trip, and the fact that she was insisting on doing so anyway felt important. It was clear that she reciprocated Herah's feelings. The eager glances, the dirty jokes, and especially those delicious stolen kisses all made that fact abundantly clear. What she didn't know was whether that attraction would be enough to overcome Sera's fears. If only she could find some way to break through the shell of mistrust and prove that she was more than just her magic...

"If you want," she told Sera, trying not to seem too eager, "I'd love to have you with me. I mean, I was going to bring Varric, but he's been complaining about needing more time to finish up his next book anyway."

"Heh, gives Cassandra something to read when she gets back," Sera quipped.

Herah laughed along with her. The reminder that Cassandra loved not just Varric's books, but the cheesiest and dirtiest of them, never failed to bring a smile to her lips. "True enough. What about you, though? What makes you want to come along on this little trip?"

"Gonna be weird magic there, yeah? And Morrigan. Don't trust her around that shit. Or around you. Gotta keep an eye open."

Herah tried to sound cheerful when she said, "Well, it'll be good to have to have you watching my back," but inwardly, she cringed. Apparently, the only reason Sera wanted to come along with her was because she trusted another mage even less.

"You'll need me, yeah? Don't want to fall through another hole in the world and land back in the Fade. Right?" Sera gave an awkward laugh, but it wasn't enough to hide her nervousness. Her hands twisted together, and she sucked on the inside of her cheek, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Herah's first instinct was to reach out. Before their trip to the Fade, she had rarely seen Sera afraid. Excitable, energetic, occasionally even manic, but never filled with the stiff energy that only came with fear. Now, it seemed as though it followed Sera like a shadow. It broke her heart to think that she had been part of the cause. "Sera." She stood up from her chair and stepped closer, moving slowly to make sure her presence would be welcome. "If I had known what would happen at Adamant Fortress, I never would have taken you..."

"No." Sera's eyes narrowed to slits, and she folded her arms over her chest. Stubborn anger replaced the fear, but Herah could sense that it was still there underneath, a frozen stream covered by the hard ice of her eyes. "Had to be me there. Couldn't be Solas watching your back, could it? Egghead was starin' about, looking all slack-jawed at the monsters like he wanted to be their friend. And Cassandra. 'Maker this, Maker that, Maker, why am I here?' Andraste can't save you from that many teeth. Had to be me, Inky. No one else saw it like it was. No one... except you?"

The question was hesitant, almost shy, a complete contrast with the brash way Sera usually held herself. Herah reached out, cupping one of Sera's shoulders beneath her large hand. "What do you mean, no one except me?"

"I mean..." Sera's eyes darted to the side, and she sighed, shaking her head. "Dunno what I mean. But you were scared too, right? You didn't come out of there all hunky-dory. Pretending everything was normal... it hasn't left you, has it? The teeth. The nothing. The... the emptiness that wants to eat you up inside. Like they haven't left me."

As hard as she tried, Herah couldn't summon a response. She still wasn't sure whether Sera was just afraid of the Fade, or of her as well, but at least in that moment, she seemed open to comfort. More than open. She seemed to need it desperately. Carefully, so she wouldn't overstep a line, she removed her hand from Sera's shoulder and opened her arms for a hug.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when her guess proved right. Sera flew into her embrace, knocking hard into her chest and wrapping her arms in a tight circle. Herah hadn't known a tiny elf could hug so tight, but she didn't mind the slight discomfort. It felt good to have Sera close again. It felt good to be the source of her comfort instead of her fear. This was the way it should have been all along.

"Sorry," Sera sniffed. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but Herah couldn't make out any tears trying to sneak through. The only sign of her distress was her shuddering breaths. "It was just... I was just..."

"This won't be like the Fade," she said, stroking down the middle of Sera's back. "Promise. From what Cassandra's told me, it's just another mission. We go in, find whatever strange artifact the Venatori are after, and smash it to bits."

At last, Sera opened her eyes. A broad, uneven smile stretched across her face. "Good plan. You toss it up, I'll split it with a few arrows. Unless it's stone or something. Then we might need fireballs."

Hearing Sera joke about her powers lifted some of the weight from Herah's chest. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe there was still a chance for her to prove that she wasn't the same as the things that haunted Sera's nightmares. Since they were still in each other's arms, she figured her chances had to at least be better than she had feared. "We'll both shoot it. Fair?"

Sera stepped back, although their hands stroked together as they parted. "Fair. So... packing, yeah? And you said Cassandra's going with you."

Herah nodded, turning suspicious. "She is. Why?"

"Just thinking..." A mischievous smile crossed Sera's face, and an evil glint replaced the fear in her eyes. "Thinking about what sorts of fun things I could slip into her pack while she isn't looking. It'd be good, right? She reaches in tomorrow, looking for her rations or some water, and ends up pulling out bees. 'Cause bees… always hilarious."

She fought down her urge to laugh at the thought, but a smile still turned the sides of her mouth slightly upward. "It probably would be, but let's show some restraint just this once. Cassandra's already going to be in a bad mood from dealing with Morrigan. Let's not make it worse."

Sera gave her a disappointed little pout but when she turned to leave, she still favored Herah with an enthusiastic, "See you tomorrow, Inky," and the Inquisitor smiled at her departing back. Maybe this trip wasn't going to be so bad after all.