A/N: Do you guys like my music choices? Just wondering. I love the songs that I'm picking, obviously. Also, I love writing Hawke~ He's my little buttercup C: I have a surprise for you guys in this chapter. Be excited!
The trip from Halamshiral back to Skyhold took a week. Mina had slept through most of it, and was extremely happy to be back on familiar ground. It was late afternoon when they walked through the gates. Mina groaned with happiness, her stomach was empty, and she did not want to eat what they had packed for the journey back.
She ran for the kitchen and grabbed all of the fresh produce in sight. She wanted a salad with all the trimmings! Dorian had followed her to the kitchen, curious to see what she was doing.
"Since when do you eat like a rabbit?" he asked with a disdainful look.
"Since Orlesian food is awful and I feel the need to cleanse my body of it," Mina said with a grin.
Dorian picked through the bowl with his eyes. One of the kitchen maids had chopped the veggies and fruits up for her. They were making a dressing to go on top of it, per Mina's instructions. Her mouth watered just looking at it.
"I thought you hated carrots. Ohm yuck! Radishes!" he cried dramatically.
Mina rolled her eyes and shrugged, "I do hate carrots, but right now, I need food, and this is food. That ham they served at the Winter Palace… not food!"
Dorian chuckled, "That, I agree with. It tasted of despair."
Mina took the bottle of white liquid from the kitchen maid and quickly walked out to the main hall. It annoyed her that the only two ways to get there were across the entire courtyard or up a bunch of stairs and the lower, creepier parts of Skyhold. Dorian accompanied her, chatting about the ball.
Josephine was at the bottom of the stairs talking with a Chantry mother. Mina snorted and tried to keep walking. She caught the tail end of what they were talking about.
"—they are both important people in the Inquisition. Sister Leliana is very busy at the moment, and Seeker Cassandra is helping Commander Cullen train the new recruits."
The Mother pushed past Josephine and planted herself in front of Mina.
"Lady Inquisitor, surely you can see the importance of calling them back to Val Royeaux. They are among the candidates to be the new Divine. We need a new Divine as soon as possible," she pleaded like a petulant child.
Mina straightened herself up, looked between her Ambassador and the Chantry Mother. Honestly, she hated the Chantry. They hadn't done a damned thing for the people, and now they wanted to band wagon on the Inquisition. They had disapproved of everything the Inquisition had done until recently. Mina narrowed her eyes at the Mother, "I believe you were told no, Revered Mother. Know that I stand by my Ambassador's decisions."
Leaving both women in shock, she stomped up to the hall and claimed a table. Dorian howled with laughter the whole time. He found it absolutely amusing how little tolerance Mina had for the Chantry. She ate her salad with gusto, bouncing in her seat the whole time. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.
"Ugh! I'm still hungry. Do we have any roast nug… or honey?" she wondered aloud.
Dorian raised his eyebrows at her, "If I didn't know any better I would swear you didn't eat the entire time we were in Orlais."
Mina smiled sheepishly and took a drink of the water she'd grabbed on her way out of the kitchen.
"I mean… I didn't eat that much while I was there. And I hate the dried bread and rations we bring on long trips."
Blackwall appeared out of nowhere and came right to her defense, "I agree. The garbage rations we have are some of the worst I've had. While I traveled around Ferelden, I at least hunted my own food."
Dorian made a horrified face and put his hands in front of him defensively.
"That is just disgusting! I don't want to see my food being skinned! Southerners are barbaric!"
The dashing mage turned on his heel and fled the room.
Blackwall and Mina both laughed.
"You know, Duckie, you're right about Orlais. Their food is odd. I never liked it much myself," he said taking a seat beside her.
Mina tilted her head and smiled at him, "'Duckie?'"
Blackwall coughed, clearly embarrassed and tried to explain himself, "You uh… you look like an angry little duckling to me. You're out there trying to be fierce and protect everyone. I can't help but to see a little duckling quacking at some misbehaving cats. You look like a little girl with a wooden sword."
Mina giggled and hugged him. That was her Beardy 'dad'.
"Good to know some people don't take me so seriously all the time!"
Two days later, Mina headed off to the Western Approach with Stroud, Hawke, Sera, Solas, and Blackwall. It took them all of two weeks to get to the dry, forsaken desert. Its canyons and rocky outcroppings fascinated Mina, but the heat alone was enough to keep her away, not to mention all the highly dangerous wildlife. She'd checked in with Scout Harding who agreed that it was probably the most inhospitable place in Thedas. No wonder the old Tevinters made a ritual tower all the way out there. No one would see the horrible crap they were doing. They spent a week there, cleaning up the Venatori and fighting a dragon… Mina regretted not bringing Bull along. He would be so upset he didn't get to join them. They almost died fighting it about two dozen times, but after an hour of wearing it down, they'd finally vanquished the damned thing!
Mina stood atop it whooping and howling in victory. She thrust her staff in the air and swung her hips from side to side.
"No dragon can take on the Inquisition! Hah! Take that you overgrown lizard! Thought you could get the best of us. The snack bites back!" she cheered.
Sera joined her in a victory dance while the men watched them in dismay.
"Mina, Sera, get down before you attract varghest or quillbacks!" hollered Blackwall.
Mina and Sera shared a look before jumping down.
"I'm going to mark this on my map. I want to take back as much of this dragon as I can. I heard it makes for awesome armor! Plus, Bull would be heartbroken if he didn't get a souvenir. I'll let him keep a claw or something," Mina said looking over their kill.
They continued through the sandy expanse towards where Stroud had told them the ritual tower was. It took another two hours to get there. Mina could see some shapes moving from across the stone bridge. One of them was facing the others and speaking. She could hear his voice, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.
"Alright, I can see at least ten people standing over there not including the one talking. Cover each other. Don't do anything too stupid. No offense Blackwall, Stroud, but I've heard Wardens are a bitch to fight. We need to be giving it our best otherwise someone will end up hurt. Ok?" she asked with a deadly serious face.
Everyone nodded. Blackwall chuckled at her and glanced over at Stroud. It was strange they'd never met. Stroud had heard of Blackwall though. It had probably been because they usually operated in different countries.
Mina took a breath and scanned the area. There were no archers guarding the bridge. They weren't expecting anyone. Or they were and it was a trap. Either way, they were going to get some answers.
"I'll take point. Stroud to my left, Hawke right. Sera, behind Stroud. Solas, behind Hawke. Blackwall, you cover the rear just in case."
They assumed their formation and trotted over the bridge to the tower.
There was a well-dressed man waiting for them along with some Wardens… with demons? The well-dressed man carried a staff, obviously a mage, and smiled as if he was devilishly proud of himself.
"Ah, Lady Inquisitor. How good of you to join us. And, you brought the traitor, Stroud with you too. Beautiful and kind," he said with a voice that made Mina want to knock his teeth out. He had a face that reminded her of some kind of vermin.
"Stroud is not a traitor, sir. And, flattery will get you nowhere with me. I am Gelsomina of Clan Lavellan, Inquisitor of the new Inquisition. May I ask your name?" she asked holding her head higher. She hardened her eyes and flattened her lips. She would find answers and figure out why the Wardens were staring at her blankly. And why they had demons with them that weren't attacking.
"I am Lord Erimond of Vyrantium, Magister of Tevinter," he said bowing.
"And a member of the Venatori," Mina sneered. The magister laughed humorlessly and nodded.
"I am of great importance to Corypheus, actually! And, all I am doing is helping the Wardens stop the Blight… But, there is one catch; they become slaves to my master!"
Stroud tensed up behind her and Blackwall almost growled. As if to make his point even better, he commanded the Wardens to raise their hands and then put them back down. They did so without the slightest bit of resistance. Her mind flashed to Bethany who was now a Warden. She dearly hoped the sweet girl was not a pawn of this terrible game. She'd ask Hawke about it later on.
"Enough talking, Erimond! You need to die," Mina snapped.
"Rude. Wardens, attack!" he yelled.
Mina groaned in frustration. These were good people and great warriors. They were defenders against a horrible thing and she was being forced to fight them. She pushed a few of them away and spotted the cowardly Erimond trying to run away. Mina would have none of that, she thrusted herself forward with a bit of magic and reached out for him, her anger seething up. She was still hurting from the loss of her people. She was hurting from the loss of her sister, and she was still angry about Haven. Somehow, she felt that all of it was the fault of the Venatori and Corypheus. Whether that was fact or just because they were in front of her, she did not know. She didn't really care. She barred her teeth and kept willing her body forward.
Instead of her own hand reaching out towards him, a shadowy figure darted out before her and yanked his body to the ground. It looked like a knight, but it was incorporeal and kept shifting in and out of focus. Behind the helmet, bright, pale blue eyes shone. They were looking right at Mina. Erimond took advantage of the knight's distraction and wriggled his way out of its vice grip. He ran off into the wasteland that was the Western Approach. Ignoring the skirmish behind her, Mina scuttled closer to the ghostly form.
"Ceras?" she whispered with tears in her eyes.
The form seemed to visibly relax, but… it faded away before Mina could confirm what her eyes and heart were telling her. Her mind was screaming otherwise. The struggle between the three threw her into a panic, causing her breathing to become labored and short. Mina fell to her knees, gripping her head in her hands. Her eyes were wild and wide. Wind whipped around her; an effect of uncontrolled magic. The stone around her began to shake and crumble.
'I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't. That wasn't Ceras. No. Nonononononono. I can't breathe. This cannot be happening. Corypheus has taken almost everything from me. He'll take all my friends. He'll take Garrett. He's going to win.'
Her thoughts raged about as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't control anything at that moment. She didn't know how to stop the magic from raging around her, nor could she stop the terrible wailing coming from her mouth.
Her tattoo screamed on her back. It burned like it had when she and Ceras had used it.
She put her forehead to the ground and beat the stones with her fists like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It was impossible to catch her breath or stop from crying.
She felt a small presence beside her. "This magic stuff is really scary, yeah? Well… you've got to get back in charge of it so we can keep showin' them baddies their own arses! You can do it. You're the Quizzy," Sera said putting a hand on Mina's shoulder.
She felt someone else kneel before her and rest a hand on the back on her head, soothingly.
"Inquisitor… Herald… Mina. You are stronger than you think. Let the calm wash over you, lethallin. You are not lost to us yet. And not for a long time still." Solas.
Another to the right of her put his strong arm around her. Blackwall didn't have to say much, "You are part of our family, Duckie."
Stroud stood above her smiling gently as she slowly raised her head. Hawke picked her up and held her in his arms like she was a treasure to be protected. He was the only one among them that had known Ceras. He was the only one who seemed to really know what had shattered her almost completely. But, even after that blatant show of weakness, the mighty Inquisitor—the beaten and battered Inquisitor—could still rely on her friends to help her.
They headed back to the forward camp once Mina had composed herself enough to walk on her own. She still held Hawke's hand and was under the ever watchful gaze of Blackwall. Unbeknownst to Mina, two other pairs of watchful eyes were upon her. Those of the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel, and those of the God of Secrets, Dirthamen.
They arrived back at Skyhold two weeks later, much to the joy of everyone. Right away, a War Council was held to discuss the findings in the Western Approach. Stroud told them that he felt that Erimond was heading towards an old Warden Fortress called Adamant. It was well fortified thanks to its Tevinter origins, and would be a great challenge to them, should they wish to lay siege to it. Hawke and Cullen agreed that if left unchecked, the Wardens would be completely consumed by the demons and willingly hand themselves over to Corypheus. He was a bit angry towards Stroud for the Wardens' foolishness. Mina calmed that storm right away. Stroud had rejected the idea. He had no part in the plans, nor had he encouraged his brothers and sisters to take part in them either. Warden Stroud had done his part in helping the Inquisition. There was no need to be angry with him or blame him for anything.
Before they finished deciding if they were to attack Adamant or not, there came a knock on the great door to the War Room. A messenger of Leliana's opened the door and bowed apologetically.
"I am very sorry to disturb your meeting. There is… a strange matter to which the Lady Inquisitor and her Advisors must see. Lady Nightingale, you were asked for by name," he informed them with a worried look. Mina exchanged a glance with her spymaster and exited to the great hall.
Mina lead her advisors towards the small steps that lead to her throne, spotting a man in a cloak, an annoyed looking Elf woman, and a knight in full battle armor. A strange trio to arrive at Skyhold together. Two Mabari hounds stood at the entrance of the hall. One was black and the other was a red-brown color with white paws. Amazing animals. Mina wanted one, but never found the time to actually get one.
She couldn't tell what the man looked like, or the knight either, for they had their helmet on. The Elven woman, however had jet black hair and piercing brown eyes. She glared at the man beside her a moment before looking at Mina respectfully.
Mina cleared her throat, hushing the whispers of her many guests, and getting everyone's attention at once.
"Welcome to Skyhold. I offer you food and drink, and rest if you so need it. I am Inquisitor Mina Lavellan. May I ask who you are and what I can do for you?" she said loudly for all to hear. She'd brushed up on her speaking skills with Josie a few times so that she sounded more eloquent when welcoming guests. The nobles were especially grouchy if they weren't welcomed properly.
The man took his hood off and grinned at the group of people before him. Almost everyone gasped. Apparently they knew who he was. Mina was at a loss… she hadn't the foggiest idea. He had hay blond hair and beautiful green eyes like trees deep in the woods. He was tall and very muscular, with a good scruff on his face.
He took a few steps forward and put his fist over his heart, bowing his head, "Forgive me for coming unannounced. I did not want to make a fuss."
Mina realized he was not talking to her, but to Leliana. Was this who she thought it was?
"Lady Inquisitor, I apologize to you as well. Warden Commander Pantheras Cousland at your service. To my left is my fellow Warden, Elena. To my right is a fellow traveler… I do not know her name, but she shared camp with us a week and fought off demons with us. She is a friend so far as I'm concerned."
Mina almost collapsed. The Hero of Ferelden was standing right in front of her. This was amazing! He was a legend in her eyes. She'd read the actual book about him in the Haven library, but it didn't describe him well enough. It did him no justice. He was much more rugged and intimidating than the book had said! He was much, much more ripped too. Mina couldn't believe how much he looked like a Viking. It was weird, but not in a bad way.
"Er… Welcome Warden Commander, Warden Elena, and honorable knight," Mina walked down to them along with Leliana and welcomed them personally.
Pantheras held his smile and asked Mina quietly, "Might I have a moment of your time? If you wish your advisors to join us, that would be fine. I couldn't help but spy the Champion of Kirkwall among your companions as well. He might want to hear what I have to say as well."
"Of course. Join us in the War room. We were just discussing something," Mina said tilting her head.
They all filed back into the War room along with Elena, Pantheras and the two Mabari who stayed at his side. The knight stayed behind, silently watching them. Mina sensed no ill-will from them, so she let it go for the moment.
Once in the War room, Leliana attack-hugged the Warden, scolding him for not sending a letter very often or announcing his arrival ahead of time.
"Leli, you know exactly why I couldn't do that. If I did, she would have found out somehow and left. I need to meet my son," he said.
Mina raised an eyebrow and looked over to Hawke who watched the Hero with awe. Mina giggled. He was like a child meeting someone they idolized. Warden Cousland was a pretty big deal though.
Before she could filter her words, her mouth spat out, "Leliana, you never told me how flipping huge he was! He looks like a fucking Viking!" She clapped her hands over her mouth and looked down in embarrassment.
Pantheras and Leliana laughed a moment. "What is a Viking?" Pantheras asked.
"Uh… well… it's a race of people that are known for their skill in battle. They're ginormous, and have a style to the likeness of yourself. It's uh… It's a long story," she stammered.
Pantheras nodded, amused, and looked at their maps.
"Heh. Maker's foot! It seems as if you were already planning something at Adamant Fortress anyway."
"What do you mean, Pan?" asked Leliana.
Mina couldn't hide the smirk on her face. His cursing was terrible... And she noticed Leliana seemed to relax a little around the Warden. She was closer to him than Mina had ever seen her get to anyone else. Their shoulders almost brushed. There was definitely something there for her old companion.
"It would seem that the Wardens are all hearing the Calling at the same time. All of my Wardens from Vigil's Keep have gone missing, save for Elena and myself. King Alistair remains unaffected thus far. Warden Stroud, I assume you have heard this?"
Stroud nodded.
"Elena has told me that she has the strong urge to go to Adamant Fortress. I, myself, have heard clear instructions telling me to head there and seek out Clarel, the Warden Commander of Orlais. As far as I had known, this is not at all how the Calling is supposed to work. I'll not go into the details, but we need to get into that fortress as soon as possible. I fear for all of the Wardens out there," he explained.
Cullen spoke up, "It has been decided then. We will begin making preparations to attack Adamant. We'll need detailed information, siege equipment at the ready, and our soldiers ready for battle."
"Not only is Adamant going to be hard to crack, but we're fighting many skilled people. Plus demons. This is going to be a hard won battle," Hawke added gravely.
"Champion Hawke, I wanted you to know that I've met your sister, Bethany. She has a kind heart and is a wonderful Warden. I sincerely hope she is not at Adamant," Pantheras said. Mina put a hand on Garrett's shoulder as a look of pain crossed his face.
"Thank you, Warden Commander… If she is, I will save her. I will not fight my little sister," he said in a deadly serious voice. Mina couldn't help but shiver. His tone wasn't one she'd heard often. He only got that way when shit was about to go down.
All of a sudden, Mina felt very sick and weak. Her knees wobbled, and she leaned heavily on the wooden table.
"Inquisitor, are you well?" asked Cullen, voice thick with worry.
Mina looked up and smiled weakly, "Sure thing, Commander. I think I'm just worn out from the—"
She ran over to an empty flower vase and puked. It was like all of a sudden her body wanted to shut down. Something was very wrong. "Ugh… I'm s-sorry everyone. I don't know where that came from. I f-feel…" She paused again to wretch some more. Josephine called off the rest of the meeting until Mina felt better. Hawke helped her back to her room and sent for a healer. Who came in surprised Mina. Morrigan was the one who walked in; not the surgeon or another of the mage healers. If Mina was correct, Morrigan had been great at healing. She was the one, along with Flemmeth, who had kept the Hero and Alistair alive after Ostagar.
"Morrigan, thank you for coming. I am a little surprised to see you, though," Mina greeted the witch with a smile.
Morrigan smiled back a bit stiffly and felt Mina's head, "It would seem that the healers around here have their hands full. It is the least I could do since I am now a part of this Inquisition. I might as well help." She paused and felt Mina's heartbeat then her stomach. Hawke stood by with a worried expression. He was fidgeting like a restless child.
'He's making this seem worse than it is. I'm fine, just a bit tired. Morrigan will tell him,' she thought with a smirk.
Morrigan's eyes widened for a split second. The Elf wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not.
"Champion Hawke, may I have a moment alone with the Inquisitor? It will not take very long," Morrigan said with a forced smile.
Hawke narrowed his eyes and nodded before exiting the room reluctantly. Mina was starting to get worried after they'd sat there a good while and the dark haired woman remained silent.
"Are you alright, Morrigan?"
"Not really, but that is not of concern right this second."
"You're upset about Pantheras aren't you?"
Morrigan winced and stiffened her shoulders, "I am. He was clever not to have sent word ahead of time. I suppose he should see his son, though. You are avoiding asking me. Why?"
"I'm… worried from your reaction. I didn't know you to be one that spooked easily."
The witch let out a small laugh and looked out towards the balcony. Her eyes seemed far away; calculating.
"That is true even if you know me not. We have spoken but a few times and they have been very brief. You speak as though you know more about me."
"I, uh… I read the book about the Hero of Ferelden and his companions," Mina said a little panicked. She didn't know if she could explain that she knew—at least somewhat—of what Morrigan had gone through with Pantheras. Of course, there could've been multiple outcomes, but the basic story had been the same. Morrigan gazed at Mina like she didn't believe that.
"You're not telling me the whole truth, Inquisitor. No matter… I have something very important to tell you. I am not sure of how you will react."
Mina took a deep breath and gripped her blanket tightly. A million things went through her mind. She was dying of some disease. Her mark was eating her again. She had a curse on her from some random mage. She'd been poisoned in Orlais. But, it was none of those. Mina didn't process what the mage said until she repeated it.
"Lady Mina… are you alright? I um… Tis not you bad. You are not sick. You are pregnant. Who is the father?"
Mina's chest tightened with fear. She couldn't raise a child. She didn't know how to be a mother! This was a really fucking bad time to have a child anyway! Her mind finally caught up to Morrigan's question. The father?
"Garrett… I-I don't know how to tell him," Mina whispered, still in shock. How would he even react to such a thing? She was loathe to find out.
Mina Lavellan was pregnant.