Commander,

The journey to the Storm Coast has proven most successful. The lead regarding the Chargers was in fact true, and we recently struck a deal with their leader who goes by the name 'Iron Bull'. Eva was reluctant at first, mostly out of fear, but accepted the Chargers as allies of the Inquisition. They should arrive in Haven not long after you receive this letter. Harding breached us on some missing scouts in the area, we have yet to encounter them but will continue to look.

Cassandra paused her writing when she heard shuffling outside her tent. A frown was lined on her lips as her focus went back to the report. She was never good with writing, but was convinced by Leliana to report their travels to keep them as updated as possible, especially since Commander and the Spymaster were held back in Haven by their duties. With an aggravated sigh she continued.

Eva has not made much progress with her fighting abilities. She wandered off she came across large spiders in a cave and now she refuses to near them. She has never seen a 'beast' as big as the spiders here, and it absolutely terrified her. She needs lessons on how to defend herself as soon as we return, and I believe she will do well under your instruction.
-Seeker Cassandra.

-

Was the sky damaged here as well? Was that why the sky cries with so much rain? From the moment they arrived it hadn't let up. She couldn't leave her tent without getting soaked to the bone. Unfortunately, that did not stop Cassandra from leading their small group. Harding, the second dwarf she has ever seen, claimed that the 'sea air' do the soul good. But all it managed to do was dampen her mood. This weather was something that she used to enjoy in her hold. Her clan would often find a cave to reside in and light a large fire for warmth. Eva would always be curled up at her mother's side, listening to hum a happy tune. A small frown tugged her lips as they moved forward. If she concentrated enough she could almost hear her song.

This moment, this exact moment was the always the worst for her. Everything in her life changed after the explosion. The ache in her heart always reminded her of everything and everyone she loved. Certain smells or sounds would often trigger these memories and it felt like as if she was being choked. Her heart would ache, lungs burning but unable to draw in any air. She was heavily grieving, and it woke another monster within in. Anger. I think the others know as well. Her frown deepened.

"Hey Turtle Dove."

Right on cue Eva looked over to Varric and forced out a small smile. "Why do you call me that?" She asked as she turned her attention on Varric and nearly stumbled over a rock that was beneath the sand. She was grateful they didn't try to climb up any hills. Cassandra insisted they stayed near the shoreline, in the event they run into supplies from the missing soldiers. They were unsuccessful.

"You mean turtle dove?" Varric asked as he rose a brow. No one had ever questioned his nicknames before. She was the first. "Ah, just a term of endearment. You grew on me, kid." The dwarf smirked when he heard Cassandra grunt with disapproval.

"Yes but why turtle dove?" Eva asked again.

"Your hair." Varric simply replied.

Eva stopped for a moment as the dwarf passed her. Confusion masked her features while she gingerly plucked up a lock of hair and began to examine it. "My hair? But my hair isn't a dove or a turtle." Eva mumbled while twirling the lock between her small fingers. A snort emitted from the dwarf while Solas politely chuckled from behind her.

"I believe he is trying to convey that it is your hair color that reminds him of such a name," Solas offered while a small smile.

Blinking, she looked back to the other elf before looking to her hair once more. She knew she had a usual hair color, and the only other person she saw with hair like her was her mother.

"Turtle dove is a type of bird you usually see around winter. Your hair is white like snow and it reminds me of winter. Turtle doves have white feathers as well, so I thought it befitting for you. Besides," Varric turned around to face her. He leaned forward while gently grabbing her cheek and gave it a little tug. "You're just so adorable! How could I not call you that?"

With a stunned expression she opened and closed her mouth as she tried to think of something to say. A small tint of pink made its way to her pale cheeks as she narrowed her eyes and smacked his hand away from her face. "So weird." She grumbled to herself before quickly moving forward to catch up with the Cassandra, who was now waiting impatiently for the three of them to follow along. Varric's laughter could be heard behind her and Eva suppressed the feeling to roll her eyes. Cassandra must've felt her embarrassment when Cassandra smirked at her briefly before turning and continuing their path.

-
Much to their dismay they had finally stumbled upon the missing troops, and there wasn't much to recover from them. They had been murdered, possibly even tortured to death. The sight of it made her stomach roll into knots as if she were going to be sick. It was then she realized she didn't handle the sight of blood very well. They managed to track down the bandits that captured their troops and seek out vengeance… Well Cassandra, Varric, and Solas got the vengeance. She was forced to stay behind a row of bushes and to remain out of sight. She thought she would be able to fight something at Coast, but everything they ran into was immensely larger than her and would have gained the advantage on the field… Or so Cassandra said.

Other than recruiting Iron Bull and trying to aid refugees, she felt completely useless to her group. Iron Bull. Now that was someone she would never be able to forget.She'd never seen anyone like Bull before and for that matter she'd never seen anyone with actual horns on their head, aside from demons of course. But he was nice enough to her and the group. Cassandra was the one to run the actual questions of their intentions of joining the Inquisition, but left it up to her to make the final say. Now that made no sense, but it was apparently her job to recruit people. And according to Varric, Cassandra was excellent with getting questions answered from strangers.

"Eva," Cassandra's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked up. Her eyes immediately widen at their location.

"I'm not going in that cave!" She snapped and immediately retreated behind Solas. There was a small chuckle that emitted from the older elf, something that very rarely happened and it seemed she was the only one that could produce his rare laughter.

"Ugh, there is nothing to be afraid of." Cassandra exclaimed with a long sigh. Eva could tell Cassandra was more impatient than usual. Or at least that was what Varric said. She knew getting back to Haven was the main priority now, and that they had been gone longer than they originally said they would be. She would see Cassandra hand letters to their recruits at camp, knowing full well they were going to Haven. Possibly updating her advisors of their status.

"Those creatures are bigger than me! It's bigger than all our bodies combined, actually!" Eva narrowed her eyes as she eyebrows drew together. She peaked around Solas's legs and looked into the darkened cave ahead. She couldn't see anything but she could hear that monstrous things crawling around inside "It has too many eyes and a big wiggly butt, and did you not notice it spitting stuff at us?!" She snapped as she hid behind Solas's legs once more, earning another chuckle from the observant elf.

"Spiders spit out poison, turtle dove." Varric chimed in.

Cassandra grunted with disapproval as she shot Varric a sideway glare. "Thank you, because getting her to go in there wasn't hard enough!" Cassandra moved ahead of the group and drew out her long sword while the large shield guarded her body. "I'll go in first and clear a path, does that make you feel better?" She asked before looking over her shoulder to the small girl. Eva bit her lower lip as she peaked around Solas once more. No, it didn't make her feel better. She didn't like the dark and certainly didn't like creatures that could easily eat her in one bite.

"No, not-ah!" Eva squeaked when a strong pair of hands gingerly gripped her hips as she was hoisted into the air. Solas had lifted her up into his arms and cradled her against his chest.

"Would it help if I hold you? I am rather tall after all, they can't reach you up here." The elf offered an amused smile, but after a moment of shock Eva nodded and wrapped her arms around him and shoved her face into the crook of his neck.

"I don't want to see them." She mumbled out with disapproval as Solas nodded towards the Seeker.

"Lead the way," Solas commented as he started behind Cassandra and Varric. They had charged in without warning and struck down anything in their path. Well, at least Cassandra did. Varric hung back behind the her and shot a few spiders here and there with his trusted cross bow. Eva felt her body tense when she heard the crawling of the spiders drawing near, but Solas rubbed her back reassuringly as Cassandra's war cry echoed in the dark. A few more moments passed before she could hear the waves of the ocean crashing along the shore again.

"It's safe now." Solas said softly as she lifted her gaze up once more and was greeted with the sight of their camp site. Relief instantly flooded her as she practically scrambled out of the elf's arms and towards the camp, Cassandra was already stationed near the fire as she began to clean her weapon free of blood and remnants of the spiders.

"We need to get back to Haven as soon as possible. We'll rest here for the night, then leave tomorrow at dawn. I advise everyone to get some sleep." Eva didn't need convincing as she quickly entered her tent. She stripped herself free of the wet clothing, which was all thanks to none stop rain of this blasted place, and changed into her jammies. Which was really only a long white tunic that reached below her knees. She didn't understand how Cassandra could sleep in her armor… Wasn't she uncomfortable with all that gear on? Plus she was just as drenched as she was, so she was damp WITH heavy gear on. No, it didn't sound nice at all. Once Eva was settled she popped her head out of her tent flap and spotted Solas near the fire.

"Solas! Can you tell me more stories of your adventures? Her voice held excitement while waving him over. Solas was a nice distraction when she wasn't sleepy. Most nights she would clunk out as soon as her head hit the bedroll, but lately she was fascinated with his recent tales in the fade. She never knew anyone to converse with spirits, not even anyone in her clan had done such a thing. They often forbade it in fear of being a monster, but she didn't know much about that. Her mother wielded the magic in their family, not her.

"I would be happy to share them" Solas said. She moved aside for him as he ducked his way in. It was obvious she was not coming out of her tent to fire, which was only constantly burning because of his magic. It had been this way for the last few nights now but he didn't mind. Normally people thought his tales to be uninteresting or morally wrong, but not Eva. She was fascinated with the idea of becoming friends with spirits. Her mind was not completely tainted with the idea that all spirits were bad, which gave him headway to give her a different output on the entire subject.

"Where were we in our previous discussion?" He asked as he settled near her bedroll. With a small flick of his wrist a small flame formed in the palm of his hand. Another thing he provided was warmth before she had to rely on her body heat to keep her warm through the chilled nights.

"The battlefields!" She exclaimed. Solas was slightly taken back when she did not retreat to her bedroll as she had done every night since their storytelling. Instead, she climbed into his lap and adjusted herself so her legs hung over his knee as her right side was pressed against his chest. The sudden contact caught him off guard as he blinked a few times. It had been a long time since Solas felt like he had a companion to relate to, to trust. He was also not the best with children, finding them annoying and mostly a nuisance. But here he was, with an elven child who was truly fascinated with his tales of the fade and wanting to learn more about spirits. He was beginning to enjoy her company, and dare he say was thinking of her as a friend? Regardless of young she was, this opportunity to teach did not come to him often, especially with other elves he encountered. They were set in their ways, their knowledge dangerously inaccurate. Any attempt to enlighten them had led to hostile environments.

"Has your clan's Keeper educated you about the elven gods?" His curiosity got the best of him. Eva blinked with surprise before a serious expression grew on her features. After a moment, she hummed and shook her head. "Do you know of dread wolf?" He pressed further.

"Oh yes!" Eva exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "Keeper said he was the god of deception. We had a shrine for him, but it wasn't ever included with the others." Her hands then parted and rested on her lap. "I left some flowers out for him though…"

That caught his attention. Solas looked down to her as he brought the small flame to rest in front of them. "Why did you leave his shrine flowers if he is a god of deception and lies?" He almost wanted to kick himself for asking such a foolish question, but had to admit he was curious to see what the child's logic of the matter was.

"It looked lonely," Eva mumbled a bit, embarrassment in her tone as she looked up to Solas. "The other shrines had meats, flowers, and small trinkets offered to them but no one ever did anything for his shrine. I know he wasn't viewed as a good god, but he was still a god right? He had to have done something good to become a god."

Eva paused for a moment when she felt her heart clench in her chest. "That's… What momma told me at least... Everyone didn't like her answer." Solas could hear the sadness her in voice and unbeknownst to Eva his heart broke for her. Another elf fallen, and by his own doing. To watch this girl, live her life on her own without her mother. There would be developments and questions only a mother could answer. Hopefully the Cassandra, Leliana, or Josephine would be able to guide her in that awkward stage of life. And if it was one thing he could relate to it would be the girls loneliness. That was something he was an expert in, besides his vast knowledge of the People and the fade.

"A wise woman your mother was." Solas commented thoughtfully as he felt nod her head in agreement. "So, the battlefields is where we left off, yes?" That seemed to lift her spirts as Eva looked up to him with eagerness in her eyes

"Yes." She hummed.

The next hour of the evening was spent telling tales of fallen warriors and kings of the fade. He intentionally left out any gore and blood, knowing full well the impact it would have on her. Eva had asked numerous questions about the race and the origins of the fallen warriors, and what had feuded their passion for battle. Solas was impressed that she could conjure such questions for her age but he happily sated her curiosity.
Two hours had gone by when he felt her body slump against him. Her heart beat and breath were even. It had never taken this long for her to fall asleep, which meant she must've been truly entertained. It was a much needed distraction. The others and he had noticed her gloom attitude since coming to the Coast. The flame in his palm diminished as he gingerly shifted Eva from his lap and into her bedroll. Gingerly, he brushed a few strands of hair from her face before securing the blanket over her small form. If not for her current situation he could easily mistake her current appearance for that of peace. With a low sigh he turned, leaving the girl to her dreams.

"She has taken a liking to you, chuckles." Solas was met Varric's gaze while he polished Bianca clean.

"Perhaps a bit."

"A bit?" Varric asked. "I've ever only see her interact like that with curly. Trust me, kid likes you. Can't see why she wouldn't." He added sarcastically which made Solas click his teeth in response.

-

Cassandra grunted for what seemed like the tenth time in a minute. They were hardly making progress back to Haven. For only being on the road a day and they had run into a multitude of issues such as bandits, more rifts that were surrounded by demons, and now they were down one horse. Cassandra shifted uncomfortably when she felt her midsection tighten with pressure. Eva sat rigidly behind her for half the afternoon now, and she thought the girls grip around her couldn't get any stronger. She was wrong. Unbeknownst to everyone Eva had a fear of horses. It wasn't like they had any reason to question her relationship to the animal. Cassandra would often spot her down at the stables every other day, offering the mares fruit of some kind. However, when they departed from the Coast Harding provided one extra mount for the group. Eva tried to get the horse to start in a trot to catch up with the others, but it only resulted with her being bucked off and thrown into the air. After that she refused to ride the horse.

Cassandra sighed lowly at the memory. Eva suffered a few injuries and the bruising would set in later, Solas did all he could to help take most of the pain away. After that she offered to walk back to Haven instead. Cassandra was grateful that Solas was around to talk to her. He had been able to coax her into riding with one of them. What blew her mind the most is when Eva picked to ride with her. Something about being 'in control' all the time so the horses would more likely listen to her? It made Varric snort with amusement.

"You doing alright back there?" Her thick accent broke the silence and she thought she felt Eva tremble slightly when she nodded her answer. Poor thing must be terrified. "Just a few more miles and we'll take a break."

"Sounds delightful, Seeker." Varric chimed in happily as he set the pace with her horse. She knew he was only riding near them to comfort Eva. As much as Varric annoyed her, he did make a damn good story teller. I should ask him about Swords and Shields… She could feel her cheeks flare up at the random thought as she forced her view forwards to the dirt road ahead.

"So I said to the guy-. Seeker, dare I say you are blushing?" Varric grinned.

"What? I am not! Do not make such silly accusations!" She snapped back at the dwarf. She felt vibration from behind her as Eva laughed at the two of them.

"Oh come now. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Tell me, was it my charming voice luring you into such bliss?" He was more or less taunting her for the sake of Eva and she knew it. It was the first time they heard her laugh all day, besides… He owed the her a few shots, anyways. Though she would never admit it.

"Ugh." She snorted out while shaking her head. Suddenly her horse came to a halt as she led them off to the side of the road. The others followed. Cassandra was first to dismount but before she could reach for Eva, Solas had already had her lifted into the air as he set her gently on the ground. It was odd watching the two of them together. It seems this trip had brought the two elves closer together in friendship. She hardly acted this way towards anyone save for Cullen. Solas had taken hold of the reins of the horse with one hand while he held onto Eva's hand with the other. They made their way to a small stream that was just up ahead so that the mare could drink.

"Should we?" Cassandra asked aloud but saw Varric already answering with a shake of the head.

"No I think chuckles is trying to prove a point here." When she looked back to the two Eva was held in Solas' arms as they stood just in front of the mare. Eva timidly stretched her hand outward, pausing just before she touched the snout. It looked as if Solas muttered something encouraging to Eva as she began to close the space between her and the mare. Gingerly she brushed her finger tips along the top of its snout, the mare gently nudged her back with its nose and for a moment she froze. Another whisper of encouragement and continued to pet the mare. She was timid in her movements but when the animal showed no aggressiveness towards her, she grew more confident in her strokes as she began to explore the horses' side. Solas was speaking again but they couldn't quite hear what he was saying. Whatever he said it had Eva giggling in response.

Cassandra smirked. "You're right. We'll get our chance."

"I'm sorry, can I have that in writing? Did you say I am right?" He gleeful asked while shooting her a brilliant smile.

"Ugh. Shut up, Varric."

-

Cassandra sighed when the gates of Haven came into her view. Thank the Maker. She had never been so happy to see their base camp. Even if it meant more work for her to do, she welcomed it. Aside from Varric being the annoying thorn in her side, Eva was making little progress in her comfortableness with riding on a horse. There was also the matter of her learning to fight. Commander Cullen would oversee her training since he had the most experience, at least with training someone. What it came down to was what she was best at. Was she a good shot with an arrow and trainable with a bow? Would she be better off with a two handed weapon and be able to block shots as well as serve them? Or would your standard sword and shield work better for her balance and size? This was not a question she looked forward to seeing answered. It meant bashing the girl about more than once so she would learn to block a blow. And if that didn't work, she would have to learn a different skill set with other painful results.

A frown tugged at her lips as she tightened her grip on the reigns. She remember her training days weren't fun. A lot of the time the session would end early because she took on a serious wound or was knocked completely unconscious. But how else would the Herald learn? You can only do so much with directional before you have to apply the practice. Despite the injuries, this is a lesson well learned that will undoubtedly save her life one day. Her own mentors taught her that.

"Herald, do you have any knowledge of combat?" She casted a side glance for a moment before turning her attention back to the road. They were nearing the gates.

"I've never fought before, no… I saw my mother in battle though?" Eva tightened her grip a little when the pace increased.

"Wasn't she a mage?"

"Mhm…" She mumbled, her tone dropping a bit. She didn't like discussing her mother. It was just a few weeks ago that she had to put her to rest, any memories now or then just soured her mood significantly. But she had only ever seen her mother fight. Their clan usually avoided scuffles with other people unless attacked directly.

"After some rest you will need to learn offense and defense in battle. It will not be easy and it will not be enjoyable. You will be lucky to walk away with just a bruise on most days."

"Way to be positive, Seeker." Sarcasm was clearly in Varric's tone. Cassandra all but rolled her eyes as she grunted in his direction.

"I will not lie to the Herald, Varric." She said his name as if she had poison in her mouth. "The Herald needs to know the truth. This is going to be a rough training, especially with the Commander. He will push her to the brink before he allows her to rest."

An audible sigh slipped past her lips as Eva pressed her forehead against Cassandra's back. "Oh, now I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks Cassandra."

Varric snorted. He was so proud of his turtle dove in moments like this. She used to be such a timid thing, but now she is showing him and everyone else her personality. The true Eva behind the mask. He enjoyed that about people, but most importantly he enjoyed Eva leaning and applying his sarcastic nature. It only annoyed the Seeker that much more to have Eva using sarcasm, the rest was simply his company.

"Open the gates! The Herald has returned!" A guard yelled from their post.

Slowly the gates opened enough for the three horses to move through. "Welcome back Herald. Your presence is required in the War Room. You as well Seeker Cassandra." The guard said with a small bow before manning the gates once more.

Cassandra and Eva groaned with misery in unison.