A/N: I was planning to have a chapter out every week if I could, but I got smacked with the worst flu I have ever had in my life. Full body aches, a swollen sore throat, coughing up shit that made me scream from sheer terror. No shit, I was afraid it was a chunk of my sinuses or throat and nearly called 911. I finally feeling a little better. I managed to edit and reread this chapter. Enjoy, this is eight pages long.

Miike Snow - My Trigger

Imagine Dragons - Demons

Lorde - Team

Four Non Blondes - What's Up

Fatboy Slim - Demons

Kongos - Hey I don't know.

Chapter 4:

Waking up was painful. Stiffness everywhere. I felt kind of like that time I tried working out until exhaustion. Like my ass was kicked by something large, mean and nasty. Repeatedly.

I distinctly remembered the fight with the pride demon and I didn't actually get hit by the demon itself. Oh it swung at me, and then someone else would draw its ire and I would go back to fighting the shades and trying to close the damn hole in the sky. The straw filled, burlap mattress didn't help matters. I lay there quietly, listening to the world and waiting for my body to be okay with getting up.

The door opened. The elven woman hummed in a low, somewhat pleasant tone. Funny. I never noticed she was humming in the game.

Time to get up.

Grunting in pain, I pushed up just as the elven woman dropped the box she was holding on the floor. She looked at me the way a startled deer does a car that just stopped short of making smashed venison on the highway. "Oh!" She stared at me with big eyes for a second, then managed. "I didn't know you were awake, I swear!"

I tried to smile, I did, but I think it came off as a cross between a glare and a wry twist of the lips. "You're good, no problem." Oh, ugh, sitting up, there was the problem. My chest and back hurt like a son of a bitch.

She fell to her knees. "I beg your forgiveness and your blessing. I am but a humble servant."

Oh hell. "Ah, hey, no bowing to me. I put my boots on one foot at a time, just like you."

She looked up, then around like she was waiting for someone to correct me.

"Up,"I motioned from my propped up position. "Then talk."

Slowly, as if uncertain that she should have been standing, the elven woman got up. "You're back in Haven, my lady. They say you saved us. The breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand. It's all anyone has talked about for the last three days!"

I let out a long, slow breath and flop back on the pillows. "Thank the effing lord."

"I'm sure Lady Cassandra will want to know you've wakened. She said 'at once'!"

I waved one hand at her. "Feel free to tell her. I'm going to sit here and be a human sized ball of pain for a bit."

Once she was gone, off to tell Cassandra, Cullen, Leliana and the rest of Haven that I was among the living again, I eased myself back up and slid into a sitting position. Oh god. Wow. Everything hurt. My thighs felt like I'd run a 15k, my core was finally feeling all of that twisting and turning from fighting, my right arm felt like a solid piece of lead and my left arm. Jesus, forget my left arm. There are no words to explain the heavy exhaustion and residual bone deep soreness radiating from my left arm.

Every single bone and muscle in my body screamed no! as I got up and began stretching. I could only imagine how bad it would have been if I hadn't gone to the gym regularly. Arms up, touch the sky, legs at shoulder width, bend and touch the floor. Touch the left foot, touch the right foot, touch the floor again. Back up, head straight, tilt neck left, tilt neck right. Left arm, the sorest of all, across the chest stretching out to the right. Right arm, across the chest stretching to the left.

I went through each stretch a couple of times before my body started to feel okay again. It hurt less to breathe when I finally went in search of my clothing. Someone had put me in the Inquisitor's lounge wear and while they were comfortable, they weren't all that warm. No way I was walking outside without some kind of armor or my clothing and thermals.

In the chest on the ground next to the desk by the window, I found armor. Nothing fancy, generic scale and leather armor with straps for resizing. The colors were dark greens, dark browns and some soft fur in cream on the inside of a brown coat. Armor got fancier in Inquisition. Ah, there were my clothes sitting folded under the armor. Someone cleaned them of the blood, and patched the holes. I grabbed the thermals and pulled them on first, then, with my muscles protesting I pulled on some of the armor and fastened everything into place. My boots didn't really go with the ensemble, but I'd have to deal with it for the time being. At least until I could get to a cobbler and get better boots. The jacket, duster-esque in appearance, went on last, the fur warm and inviting.

Now I could brave the cold, snow dusted landscape outside.

For a good few seconds I stood a step or two from the door, working up the courage to get myself to open it. I reached out, grabbed the handle and took a deep breath. I know what happens in game, but really living it is a whole different story. With another roll of my neck and shoulders I opened the front door.

Standing on the front step to the cabin I woke up in, with all these soldier saluting me was kind of mind shatteringly surreal. Spine straight, head up and body aching, I walked down the line of men and women with their fists over their chests in salute to me.

Nearby two women stage whispered about me being the Herald of Andraste.

I made the trek from the cabin to the chantry, with people saluting me and talking about me, calling out a blessing or thank you to me. Other people were coming to see now, as word was spreading. I kept walking. Up the steps to the next level by the tents, then down that walk way to the next small set of stairs. Up those stairs to the walkway toward the chantry. From the top of the stairs I saw the sisters and brothers of the chantry were already deep in conversation. As I drew near the talking quieted down. Then someone asked the Maker to watch over me. The other called me the Herald and told me to go in peace.

I pushed open the doors and there it was. The old Haven chantry. It was much brighter than the last time I was here. Quite a feat since there were no windows through out. Lit torches were against every pillar, dozens upon dozens of candles lit and clustered around on the floor. It felt almost cozy.

For a windowless brick building that used to be a cultist lair that is.

Last time I was here, in this room, there was a center stage with blood stains on it. There was a madman of a religious leader. This was after we discovered the bodies of the Redcliffe knights and the shopkeeper decided to attack us instead of making a run for it.

The sound of Roderick's voice reached me around ten feet from the door. "Have you gone completely mad? She should be taken to Val Royeaux immediately, to be tried by whomever becomes Divine."

Cassandra's voice came next. "I do not believe she is guilty."

"The prisoner failed, Seeker. The Breach is still in the sky. For all you know, she intended it this way."

Again Cassandra spoke sounding adamant. "I do not believe that."

At least someone had faith in me.

"That is not for you to decide. Your duty is to serve the Chantry." Returned sounding all the more pissed off at her refusal to follow orders.

"My duty is to serve the principles on which the Chantry was founded, Chancellor." Cassandra returned with irritation. "As is yours."

Guess that would be my cue. I pushed open the door and walked in. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Chain her." Roderick ordered the two templars standing by the inside of the doorway. "I want her prepared for travel to the capital for trial."

The two templars began to move.

"Disregard that, and leave us." Cassandra ordered them.

The two templars saluted her, and left.

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." Roderick warned her, still looking very much irritated.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine," I said to Roderick.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me.

"The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it." Cassandra continued.

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect. Perhaps they died with the others - or have allies who yet live." Leliana seemed to make it a point to look directly at Chancellor Roderick when she said it.

"I am a suspect?" His incredulous tone spoke volumes about his astonishment with her conclusions.

"You, and many others."She concluded.

"But not the prisoner."

"Elyria," I told him, "my name, is Elyria. E, L, Y, R, I, A. If you keep calling me 'the prisoner' I'm going to…" I actually couldn't think of anything so I went with, "sing the song that doesn't until you beg me to just put you out of your misery."

Leliana wrinkled her nose. "No one deserves that."

"Remember when I did it to those guys who kept hitting on you at that bar in Denerim?"

"Yes," her expression softened a little, "and then I could not stop humming it for nearly a week."

"Real ear worm, isn't it?"

"Elyria," Cassandra said to Roderick, "has done much for this country, and for many people that are willing to personally attest to her innocence. I saw the Divine call to for help and Elyria walk into a fight barely armed, willing to fight for the Divine's salvation."

"So her survival, that thing on her hand - all a coincidence?"

"Divine providence. The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour. Much as he has before."

I put my hands up, "Woah, I am not a hero. Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed." I'm wearing brown, a browncoat quote fits. "Trust me, it's right there in the dictionary next to the 'chosen one' always gets martyred."

"No matter what you are, or what you believe, you are exactly what we needed when we needed it." Cassandra assured me before going over to a table by the wall.

"The Breach remains and your mark is our only hope of closing it."

"This is not for you to decide." Roderick told them with some finality.

Cassandra returned with a big book, the inquisition book. I recognized the symbol on the front of it. "Do you know what this is, Chancellor? A writ from the Divine, granting us authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn."

Damn. I never really let that sink in before. The whole thing is Divine Justinia's directive. Either she was seriously prolific with hands of steel at her age, or she had a small army of people working on this at her behest. That was one book you did not want thrown at you. FedEx probably would have charged extra to ship that thing.

While I was marveling at the reality that the elderly Divine quite possibly had written that entire book, Cassandra had begun forcing Roderick to back up with power pokes. "We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order with or without your approval."

He shook his head, throwing up his hands and backing off to leave.

"This is the Divine's directive: Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now, no Chantry support." Leliana touched the heavy looking book with what looked like a mix of sorrow and reverence.

"Like we haven't done that before." I said, grabbing the book off the table and thumbing through the pages. Even the pages were heavy weight, with bold script in a steady hand. "We've built an army from nothing before. We've walked from one end of Ferelden to the next picking up stragglers along the way. We can do it again."

"We have no choice." Cassandra added. "We must act now. With you at our side." She turned to me fully, "help us fix this before it's too late."

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" I asked.

A little bit of the tension left her shoulders. "I do not know."

"I'm known for joining fights like this. You," interrogated, "spoke to Varric, he might be prone to embellishment, and the occasional omission, but he's usually not wrong."

"Then it is settled." Leliana said with an air of finality. "The Inquisition is reborn."

Cue title sequence I guess?

By the time I left the Chantry, Leliana and Cassandra were already in full Inquisition mode. I left it to them to start things up. Cassandra asked me to meet her around noon bell to speak to me about war room decisions and to fully meet all of the 'advisors.' With the couple of hours I had between when I left and when I had to be back, I decided to check on an old friend.

Everywhere I walked soldiers still gave me a salute and a nod, but the bowing had pretty much stopped. Thank god. As I was passing the tents on the second level, I heard my name.

Varric poked his head out of his tent, "There you are."

"And there you are. I wasn't sure which one of these might be yours. How banged up were you after that fight?"

He scoffed, "Have you ever known me to complain about my wounds?"

"No, which is why I always ask." I looked off to the side at the tavern. "They serving anything good to eat in there? I don't think I've eaten anything for the better part of a week."

"Good?" He said as we walked, "define 'good'."

"Edible with a little flavor?"

"That's not good, but the food is passable. Not that gray Ferelden slop Cheesy used to make. How was the meeting with the Seeker?"

"She practically threw Chancellor Roderick out on his ass. You guys discover pasta yet?"

"That flour and eggs thing you made that time for Wintersend?" He made a face as he said it.

"Listen you didn't like it but Merrill gobbled it up like she'd never eaten before. Sandal had seconds!"

"Sandal eats seconds of everything."

"Lies, that red cabbage concoction Leandra claimed was a delicacy was foul nastiness." I pushed open the door to the tavern. In the corner the minstrel played a soft melody that I did not recognize. "Sandal had a spoonful and no more. I ended up making him hot chocolate and a chocolate chip muffins."

"I'll tell her you said so."
I stopped mid-step. "What do you mean you will tell her?"

"I'll write her and tell her you said so."

"She...she's alive?"

"And well." It was his turn to pause. "I know that look. That's the look you get when you know something and you're not sure if you should say anything."

"Serial killer was kidnapping and killing women, then taking body parts from the women to make a necromantic doll," I chose my words carefully as we sat down. "He would have taken her on a day she went to see Gamlen about, three or four years ago."

"Nothing like that ever happened."

"Never?"

"No."

I sat back in the chair and stared at him for a good minute. How? How had that not happened? I meant to talk to Hawke about it, but I'd left Thedas before I ever had the chance. How big were the ripples I created?

I left the tavern with a full belly, and kind of buzzed from the mug of mulled apple cider the tavern wench gave me. Definitely not non-alcoholic. The warm burn of it spread through my veins making the cold just a slight bit less cold as I made my way over to the alchemist's cabin. The sun had risen a bit giving the snow a solid white glare. Sunglasses. I knew I forgot something when I was prepping for the trip back.

Speaking of the sun reflecting off things.

"Solas," I called, spotting his bald head from the path up to the steps.

He wasn't necessarily just hanging out in front of what I had always assumed was his cabin. He was, of course, standing outside of it. Though, to me at least, he looked as if he was contemplating the Breach in the distance. Knowing what I knew about it and him, he probably was.

"The Chosen of Andraste," his said, then inclined his head just the slightest bit to me. "Blessed hero sent to save us all."

I laughed a little as I climbed the stairs to meet him. "When they tell stories about me it will be me riding in on a snow white charger, my hair flying in the wind with a mighty war cry slaying demons with every strike of a great sword blessed by Andraste herself."

"I would have suggested a gryphon," he went through his typical line, "but sadly they are extinct. Joke as you will, posturing is necessary."

"Isn't it always though?"

He gave me the briefest flash of teeth in what I can only assume as an attempt at a smile. Then he went the handful of feet to the top of the stairs and began telling me about his 'deep' journeys into the battlefields and war torn landscapes of Thedas.

"Every great war has its heroes," he concluded, "I'm just curious what kind you'll be."

I shook my head and with a tired laugh I told him. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Cassandra earlier. I am not a hero. Heroes are the people who get other people killed. I am," a lunatic for coming back here, "just another player on the stage of life."

"Stage of life," he mimicked. "Interesting that you would refer to yourself as such."

I shrugged, "Aren't we all?"

"Perhaps."

I looked toward the area between his cabin and the alchemist's. There was where we were supposed to meet. Right by the pile of wood. "Solas, have you seen a woman around here? She would be wearing clothing similar to what I was when you first met me. Jeans, heavy sweater with a thick looking black coat. Her hair would have been dark, almost black with some silver in it. About this tall," I measured to where Emma's head reached on me. "Carrying a few heavy looking bags around maybe."

His brow furrowed for a moment, thinking about it I guess. Then, "I have not. Should I see her, would you prefer I refer her to the chantry or your cabin? Or perhaps to the guards?"

"To my cabin, if you don't mind. She's a friend of mine."

"A friend of the Herald of Andraste, a powerful claim."

I winced. That title was going to get on my last damn nerve. "Of Elyria Duke."

He nodded. "Of course. Should I see her."

Distantly the ringing of bells indicated the time. "Alright, twelve bells, I have to go meet Cassandra about a hole in the sky."

He inclined his head once more. "For now let us hope either the mages or the templars have the power to seal the Breach."

I still feel like crap so I'm going to lie down and watch the new episode of Callisto 6 with a hot cup of peppermint tea.

Leave me some love, please. I've had a rough week.