Chapter 4

Questions

Went and rewrote the flashback here as what I originally wrote was meant to be a dream sequence, but it ended up being awkward and a flashback suited it better.

When it comes to Origins as to which one I chose, I chose them all as I liked the idea of what if the origin story plots happened at different times, so Duncan had a chance to visit all those areas and pick them all up? So you then have 7 original wardens. While they aren't fully featured in the story (only a couple), they all do play some importance here and there. I will say Brandil was my sole asshole choices option in the game, but his choices don't affect the game state of the world this story is around.

As you have also seen, I did this homage for the other Inquisitor options. They all were there, but only one survived the Conclave explosion.

And for Hawke? Just wait and see.

As you can see now, Quen was originally from Zathrian's clan that you helped in Origins. And as it's obviously known…well you all can put two and two together.

When it comes to how magic works in the Tera world, all of this is entirely made up and I was inspired by Dragon Age's Fade and have it like the Dream itself.

Thedas. The Brecilian Woods. 231 Dragon. Twelve years ago.

Keeper Zathrian's voice could be heard from outside the araval. Quen slowly sat up, trying to avoid reopening the wounds under the various bandages. His little sister, Riella, snuggled deeper in the blanket made of druffalo hide.

Pushing aside the tent flap, Quen looked over to where the Keeper was. Zathrian was addressing a large group of people, many of which wearing blue and silver armor with a griffon on their breastplates. The whispers from the other clan members nearby pointed out they were Grey Wardens.

Leaving his sister to sleep more, Quen left the tent to get a better look at the group as the head of the group, a female Shemlan woman, introduced them all.

Of the group of Shems, they went by Alistair, Ilena (the leader), Leliana, Morrigan, and Griff. Griff and Morrigan appeared to be mages, and the man was attempting to have a conversation with the grumpy woman. Alistair would sometimes chime in for Ilena as they talked to Keeper Zathrian.

The lone hornless Qunari with them was called Sten, a very tall and serious-looking fellow.

There were only two dwarves, Denev and Brandil. While the bald dwarf Denev seemed to be standing close to Leliana in what seemed to be a gossipy conversation, Brandil stood far away from the group itself, crossing his arms and scowling at himself, not even Sten wanted to stand by that dwarf.

For the elves, there were four of them but only one who bore Vallaslin, showing she was Dalish. The three city elf men (two of them tag-teaming in flirting at the shy mage one) were Zevran, Lance, and Ren (who was the mage whose face was absolutely beet red as the two rogues were close.).

The Dalish elf came forward to talk with Alistair and Ilena to introduce herself as Verandra Maharial, her presence calming Zathrian down of being apprehensive against the large group of non-elfs within the clan's territory. Quen noted how she had the Vallaslin of June on her face - just like his father had.

Verandra paused in her talking as she noticed Quen, finding herself staring at the injured elven boy.

"What happened to him?"

Present

"This is so much BULLSHIT!" Eruno yelled in frustration. She punched the stone wall of the cell. The guards stationed outside the bars fidgeted.

"Eruno. Behave." Eirai warned her younger sister sternly.

Eruno huffed, dropping down to the floor on her blanket in a cross-legged position with her arms crossed in annoyance.

Zyllian sat with her back against the wall, her steel mask taken away. She wrapped the flimsy blanket around her neck to cover the lower half of her face. Tucking her knees under her arms, her thin-leather gloved hands curled into fists. The Reaper felt exposed without her scythes and armor, but she did not put up a fuss like her younger sibling. She refused to show any weakness.

Eirai was beside Erune's sleeping form on the straw cot. The eldest sister continued to stroke the young Elin's hair as she slept. "We must be patient. Remember, we are foreigners in another world-it is best that we avoid instigating any kind of conflict."

The squirrel Elin let out a noise of frustration and fell flat on her back, her bushy tail knocking around the dust. After a few minutes passed, she tucked her head back up. "By the way, what happened to Lil' sis? She ok?"

"She's fine. She just used up all her mana that her body could hold." The Reaper's sudden voice startled the guards for a moment as they had barely heard the third Elin speak before. "She's recharging it through the Dream."

"But doesn't she usually just need a quick nap or a good night's sleep? She's been out of it since she helped the elf-guy deal with the Breach."

"It's because we're in a different world, and the only thing that links ours to this one is the Fade rift. It takes more effort to be able to reach the Dream from here. Hence why she's taking so long," Zyllian murmured. "I can feel her presence there and her body still needs time to regain her mana."

"Because we are so far away from our world, we must be careful in using our willpower sparingly." Eirai spoke. Zyllian nodded in acknowledgement. The four would have to rely more on their physical strength.

The three heard the sound of the main door of the cellar opening. They watched the guards salute as the two women from earlier come in, followed by a man with curly blonde hair and a thick fur coat over part of his armor and the bald elf with the short, stocky man.

Leaping to her feet, Eruno grabbed at the bars and scowled at the one the redhead had referred to as Cassandra before the Elins had been detained. "So what's the big idea?! We've been waiting here for a day now!"

Cassandra glared. "I would hold my tongue if I were you."

"Oh yeah?!" Eruno pointed back. "You better have some explanation as to WHY you arrested us-especially AFTER I saved your ass back there!" Sneering, she continued. "You should be fucking grateful that my sisters and I came to help!"

Eirai rose and put her hand on her second youngest sister's shoulder, telling her to back off.

The curly-blonde haired man looked at the four Elins. "So, these are the mysterious girls that claimed they are from another world?"

"As we told you, Curly," the short man spoke. "Popped out of the Breach."

'Curly' moved closer to the cell, taking a closer look at their animal features. "Such strange ears and horns... are they demons?" Eruno snorted.

"I had never seen a demon take on such a strange form before, and I do not sense any Fade magic from them," the bald elf answered. "My wards in this room would entrap them anyway if they did try anything." He thought aloud.

Eruno swerved on her foot with her arms crossed. "It'd be appreciated if all of you would just talk to us instead of discussing amongst yourselves about us as if we weren't here. We aren't animals. And of course you wouldn't sense 'Fade' magic because our Willpower and magic is different from yours."

"What do you mean?" The elf blinked in curiosity.

Eruno grinned. "You put down wards, right?" She gestured her head to the side. "They don't seem to be working - my sisters can still access the Dream and we can still do this:" A spark of red spiraling energy flickered around her index finger.

"What?!" Cassandra, the blonde-haired man, and the guards immediately grabbed their swords. The elf and shorter man staggered back in shock. "How are you able to still cast magic?! What kind of mages are you?"

Eruno rolled her eyes. "We're not mages. At least, the three of us." She jerked her thumb at Erune. "Lil' sis is a Priestess, so she is able to use magic in greater amounts, at least in terms of healing and holy spells."

"A mage is a mage. Even if they are a healer, they can still be a threat-such as you."

Eruno's tail flicked in annoyance as she glared back. "I told you, we're NOT mages."

"Eruno." Eirai hissed. She looked at the others outside the cell. "My apologies for my younger sister's behavior. She is still young and brash at times."

"Are you the leader?" The hooded woman asked.

"In a sense, yes. I am the eldest of my sisters." She crossed her arms. "Your apprehensiveness is understandable, and it is probably best that we explain our part and hear your side of the story as well."

"Very well." The woman nodded in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you should start first."

"As I had said before, we are Elins from the world Arborea…"

xoxoxo

The sound of a door opening roused Quen from his sleep. As he sat upright, he heard a squeak of surprise-followed by a box crashing to the floor. Looking over from the bed he was on, he saw an elven girl with her eyes widened.

"I, I didn't know you were awake! I swear!" She stammered.

He cocked his head curiously and opened his mouth to speak. "It's fine. I-" The elf girl collapsed to her knees into a groveling position. Quen was taken aback.

"I beg for your forgiveness and blessing. I am but a humble servant." Quen was definitely awake at this point, getting out of bed quickly as the other elf continued. "You are in Haven my Lord. As well as the strange four girls."

"Hold on," the elven girl flinched. "Why are you calling me 'Lord'"? And what about those four girls?"

She looked back at Quen. "They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing. Just like the Mark on your hand."

Quen lifted the sleeve of his clothes to look at his arm. The green scar on his palm had quieted down, still slightly throbbing and shining, but to a much lesser extent than before. His nerves and veins no longer bulged under the skin; the spider-like markings were gone.

"One of the girls, the blue-haired one, helped you," the elven girl spoke. "The two of you have been out of it this entire time. The people of Haven have been talking about you two for the past three days."

'She... helped me…?' Quen thought to himself. "But what about my trial? And who are those girls?"

"I…it is not my place..." The elf girl hesitated, wringing her hands together. "Lady Cassandra would want to know that you've wakened. She said 'At once'."

"Where do I find her?" Quen shuffled around the room to find his belongings. His armor and boots were on the dresser beside the bed, alongside with his knapsack. He checked to make sure all of his things were there, especially the small object wrapped up in cloth at the bottom of the bag.

The other elf quickly gathered the contents from the crate she had dropped earlier. "At the Chantry." She stood up, cradling the crate close. "With the Lord Chancellor. 'At once', she said." Immediately, the elven girl shoved open the cabin door and was gone.

Quen continued to stand there for a moment, taking it all in with a deep breath.

He was alive. Alive.

The Breach had been stopped - and he survived it.

Whispering a silent prayer to the Creators, he sat down on the bed to put on his boots.

xoxoxo

Somewhere around the same time Quen had awoken, Erune's eyes fluttered open. Zyllian noticed and went by her younger sister's side, stroking her hair. Erune purred, her cat ears twitching underneath Zyllian's fingertips.

"Zyllian…" She smiled gently at her older sister. It was rare for Zyllian to show such affection to her sisters, so Erune never took these moments for granted.

Zyllian retracted her hand, standing up. There were a few guards stationed at the stairs that lead into the room of prison cells. Although the four were no longer locked inside one of the cells and given free roam of the room itself, the guards still kept a close eye on them. Eruno was doing handstands and push-ups while Eirai meditated in the corner of the room.

Erune then perked her head up. "The elven boy...is he alright?" Zyllian paused at the unlocked cell door.

"He's been out of it, just as you have. But he's fine." One of the guards had left to inform the others about the fourth Elin finally being awake.

'Oh... thank goodness…' Erune sighed with relief, clutching the blanket close to her chest. As she rose from the straw bed, Eirai got up to fill her little sister in on the events and details of what had happened while she was asleep.

xoxoxo

On his way to Haven's Chantry, Quen was surprised to see the people saluting at his presence, considering the fact that they had given him looks of disdain three days ago.

Glancing back at the sky, he could see the Breach was still there, the clouds that swirled around it still glowing green.

As he stepped into the Chantry, Quen could hear the voices of Roderick arguing with Cassandra and Leliana. The guard stationed by the door knocked and opened it to let Quen in.

The Grand Chancellor had both his hands on the wooden table, his face in what Quen assumed was a permanent scowl at this point. Leliana and Cassandra were on the other side of the table, Cassandra holding a thick book in her arms.

The moment Roderick saw Quen, the man attempted to instruct the guards to take Quen away in chains for trial, though Cassandra immediately then told the guards to disregard such actions and to fetch the others. Nodding, the guards closed the door behind them. A heavy air of silence followed soon after for a few moments.

Roderick glared back at Cassandra. "You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." He spat.

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

Quen swore under his breath. He had hoped to close the rip in the sky, but it looked like whatever he did was not enough. It had already taken a lot out of him to stop the Breach from growing and he did not do it alone. "I did what I could to close the Breach, and it almost killed me." He said.

"Yet you live," Roderick grumbled. "A convenient result."

"You were not there, Chancellor." Leliana stepped in. "He was doing everything he could, and the Breach was going to kill him before he could try to close it. If it were not for the aid of that 'Elin', he may have been dead. And then we would have had nothing left to close the Breach."

"Elin?" Quen asked.

"The four girls who appeared from the Breach rift. Their kind are called Elins." Cassandra said. Someone then knocked on the door and she told them to enter.

The four Elins came the room. The blue-haired cat girl smiled an air of relief when her eyes made contact with Quen's, her hands clasped together in delight. It was still bizarre for Quen to see the girls with animal ears and tails that actually moved. Roderick wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight of the four.

The rabbit Elin stepped forward to Quen, her right hand in a fist above her breast. "Greetings. We are the Fae sisters. I am Eirai Fae and this is my twin sister, Zyllian Fae." She gestured at the white-haired Elin with the demonic horns. Zyllian watched Quen closely with sharp eyes.

The squirrel Elin grinned, jerking her thumb at herself. "I'm their younger sister, Eruno Fae! And this is my twin sister…" She put her arm around the cat Elin, who fidgeted nervously.

"Erune. Erune Fae." She spoke with a quiet voice. "Thank the Gods that you are alright."

"These four are from another world called Arborea," Leliana said. "It appears that the Breach and Rifts have appeared in their world-acting as a link between ours. They have been sent by their head organization, The Federation, in means of finding a way to aid in closing the Rifts."

"A likely story,." Roderick interjected. "How do you not know if they are demons? Especially that one!" He pointed at Zyllian specifically. Zyllian ignored his accusations.

"We are actually the opposite of demons." Eirai stated. "Our kind are originally Spirits of Nature given a physical form. Why we have animal features reflects nature itself."

Such information was quite a surprise for Quen. How this 'Elin' said such things nonchalantly, as if she was used to explaining this. Perhaps what she said was true? Already their appearances were proof enough that they were odd. Such ideas of other worlds and species were never thought up so casually.

"Spirits? Hah! You may call yourselves that, but we all know you can easily become demons."

Eruno stormed into Roderick's personal bubble, the small Elin glaring up at the man as if he was little of a threat to her. "For YOUR world probably. Have you NOT been listening? Are your ears old? We're from a different world, so things work differently there."

Roderick started back, raising his finger as if to scold an adolescent. "Listen, child-!" Eruno batted his hand away.

"I'm 36 years old, you Senile Old Geezer!"

Roderick was taken aback, both by the insult and the Elin's age. "W, what?! But you look just like a child!" The others, sans the Elins, raised their eyes in surprise.

Eirai sighed with annoyance while Zyllian grabbed Eruno by the shoulder and tugged her back. "That is another thing about our kind," Eirai continued from before. "Our bodies do not physically age."

Throwing his hands in the air, Roderick sputtered. "Well, even if they aren't demons from our world-who's not to say they aren't here to attack us?"

"Because, Chancellor," Cassandra hissed. "They surrendered to us willingly when we first arrested them. Their reason for being here also leads to our other pressing issue. The Breach is not the only threat we face."

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect." Leliana stated.

"Whoever it was, they are probably also the cause of the Rifts being formed." Eirai added.

Leliana nodded at the Elin. "Indeed. We both have the same agenda as to finding out who. They may have died with the others at the Conclave-or have allies who yet live." With her last words, she glared at the Grand Chancellor.

Roderick flinched. "I am a suspect?"

"You. And many others."

"But NOT the prisoner. Nor these things." He pointed at both Quen and the Fae sisters. Eruno stuck her tongue out at him.

"The Divine called to him for help at the Temple. And then there is the woman we all saw who was also there when the Elins appeared." Cassandra said.

"So, his survival from the Temple's destruction, that THING on his hand, those girls-All a coincidence?" Roderick continued to question.

"Providence." Cassandra walked around the table to look at Quen in the eyes. "The Maker sent him to us in our darkest hour. And he aided the Elins' journey to our world to help Quen."

Eirai raised a brow in curiosity while Eruno snickered to herself. "Heh, are we considered 'Saviors' for a Chosen One now?" She giggled, nudging Erune.

Quen immediately decided to interject. "But I am not a Chosen One! Wouldn't it also be considered blasphemy, considering I believe in the elven Creators while you are hailing me as a Chosen for the Chantry?"

Cassandra looked at him sympathetically. "Even so, no one can deny what they saw when you first appeared after the explosion AND after the Elins arrived. The woman from the Rift... everyone has been saying she could only have been Andraste herself."

"Nevertheless," Leliana said. "The Breach remains, and your Mark is still our only hope of closing it."

"This is not for you to decide," Roderick protested.

Cassandra then slammed the thick book she had held in her hands on the table. The metal cover of the book had the insignia of an eye inside a sun. As she placed her hand on it, she looked at Roderick. "You know what this is, Chancellor." Straightening her back, she carefully looked around the room. "A writ from The Divine, granting us the authority to act.

As of this moment, I hereby declare the Inquisition to be reborn."

She then moved towards Roderick. The man stepped backwards, intimidated by the woman's looming presence. "We will close the Breach. We will find those responsible. And we will restore order. With or without your approval."

Roderick glared back at the Seeker. He then shook his head in disbelief before storming out of the room. The door slammed behind him, the wooden frame shuddering. "So… Inquisition?" Eruno piped up, grimacing. "What's all that?"

Leliana smiled at the young Elin before looking back at the book. "An old Chantry Order from long ago. This was the Divine's Directive should the Conclave fail: Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos." Her smile then fell. "We aren't ready, though. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

"But we have no choice: We must act now." Cassandra then looked at Quen. "With you at our side." She then nodded to the Fae sisters. "And the Fae Sisters, if you wish."

"Why do you need my permission for them to join you?" Quen asked, finally having a moment to speak.

"Because," Leliana replied. "These girls have an interest in you particularly."

"You can close the Rifts." Eirai pointed out. "And that is very important for our own mission. It is necessary to work together. However, it is best to have your permission, since you are the one we were looking for."

"In the end, it is up to you." The women in the room all looked at Quen. The elf suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable being put at the center of attention. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he thought it all over.

Once again, he was put on the spot - at least the world wasn't ending this time. He had made his choice before he went to the Breach. He wanted to help the people. And seeing as he was the only solution, he had agreed. He had made his choice before and it was his decision even now.

He looked back at the others, more confident now. "If your Inquisition's goal is to try to restore order from all of this chaos…" Cassandra smiled and held out her hand to him. Quen took it, shaking in agreement. "Then I'll do whatever I can." As the two withdrew, he turned to Eirai, holding his hand out to the Elin. "And I would be grateful to have you and your sisters alongside me."

Eirai shook his hand. "It'll be a great pleasure to work with you." She smiled

xoxoxo

"Sis, why didn't you mention anything about the God who helped us?" Eruno whispered to Eirai as the four settled into the cabin that was provided to them. The previous occupant of the place was one of the unfortunate victims from the destruction of the Conclave. She hadn't wanted to discuss it in the open environment of the Chantry cells.

"Remember what the 'God' told us?" Zyllian said. "She wanted to stay out of the people's affairs. Besides, these people take to their Gods on another level. They do not appear to them unless it's seen as a divine intervention. Such as with Quen." She set her small pack on the table in the room. "The people seem to think the glowing being who helped him-and us is their Prophet, Andraste, and being in her presence has 'blessed' us. It is better to play along with such notions for the time being, since we don't really know who that spirit really was." As soon as she found her mask amongst her belongings, she put it on her face.

"Poor Quen though…" Erune murmured. "It must be strange for him to be hailed as the Herald for a religion he does not practice."

"Even so, we cannot do anything about it. We are foreigners." Eirai sighed. "We are here to help Quen and find out who is behind all of this. Once it is over, we can return home."

"How exactly?" Eruno asked, sitting down on the bed, her tail swishing around. "How are we going back?"

"Princess Rida told me that the God who helped us get here would come to us when it is time. Be it in secret or out in the open, we will see." Eirai said as she undid the bun in her hair, allowing her long magenta braid fall to her waist. "For now, we must wait and see how this 'Inquisition' turns out."

Later that night, most of Haven had gone to sleep, few still up doing preparations to form the Inquisition. Varric sat outside his tent by a campfire.

The merchant dwarf was in the midst of recording the recent events that had occurred in his journal. If he planned to make a novel out of it like the one about his friend Hawke, he doubted it would even be considered a historic novel based on its content.

Sure, the Champion of Kirkwall's book had some exaggerated passages, but they were meant to play up the heroics of his companions (and himself, of course). But giant holes in the sky which connected to the Fade and four girls who came from another world? Varric mentally shook his head in frustration. This shit was just too weird.

"May I join you?" Varric looked up from the embers of the fire at the rabbit Elin named Eirai, who approached, carrying her bag. He nodded and watched as she dusted away some fresh snow on one of the logs and settled down on the hard bark. Eirai took a notebook with ripped pages out from the bag; alongside with a quill and ink bottle. The final item she withdrew was a short stone cylinder that was made up of a series of discs stacked together. Alongside each disc had segments that had markings unrecognizable to Varric. Opening the notebook, she began to write by the firelight, lifting up her head now and then to examine the Breach in the sky on the mountain.

"So…" Varric began, the Elin pausing in her writing. "What brings you out here instead of being with your siblings?"

The Elin looked at the dwarf. "I did not want to disturb them as they rested. As for what I am doing, I am writing a report for my superiors from my world. We do not know if letters can be sent back and forth so far, but I hope it will be successful. I am currently detailing what happened to the Breach here."

Varric took out a bottle of wine he lifted from the tavern's storage earlier, along with two mugs, pouring himself a drink and one for Eirai. "Not every day you meet a completely different kind of people."

Eirai smirked back as she took the offered mug to her. "Likewise, you are a dwarf and my world does not have people like you. The only similar species I'd say you look like is the Popori race-but you have human faces and much, much less hair." She then eyed his hairy chest from his robes. "Not that you don't have any hair, of course."

"Popori?" Varric raised a brow as he took a sip of the wine.

"Small, humanoid animal people."

Varric sniggered into his drink. "What a thing to be compared to. Rosy, you wound me."

"Rosy?"

"Your nickname. Solas is Chuckles, Cullen is Curly, and Quen is Frosty. It's a habit of mine."

"And what prompted such a label for me?"

"Your hair color reminds me of roses."

Eirai let out a laugh, taking a drink of her wine. It tasted like some of the other ales during her travels around Arborea. "And do my sisters have nicknames as well?"

Varric grinned. "Of course, I decided to go for a plant theme for you gals." He took a moment to laugh to himself. "Fitting, since you did say you're Nature Spirits. Anyway, your youngest sister is dubbed 'Blueberry' and Eruno I call 'Apples'."

"Apples?"

"Her cheeks when she smiles."

Eirai was bemused by Varric at this point. "And Zyllian?"

Varric brought his hand to his chin in thought for a moment. "Sweet Pea." He concluded.

"Now I wouldn't have thought you'd think of her as 'sweet'."

The dwarf shrugged. "It makes an ironic nickname at the least."

The Elin chuckled in her mug, finishing her drink. The two went back to their writings for a while. Once Eirai had signed her letter, she ripped the inked pages from her notebook, rolling them up together. She then unscrewed the top of the cylinder from earlier and placed the rolled-up parchment inside the tube. The individual discs with the markings were then turned until there was a specific sequence of them between the two arrows on either end of the cylinder.

Placing her hands on either side of the tube, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The sequence of runes in the line began to glow for a few seconds. Once the runes stopped glowing, Eirai put the tube back into her bag with a grateful smile.

Varric offered to pour her another drink, which she accepted. "Now what was that, if I may ask?"

"A portable mailing device. It's the fastest way to send reports to my colleagues. All one has to do is input a little of their Willpower to activate it."

"Willpower?"

"A sub-form of magic. Everyone from Arborea is born with it. My archery skills in battle, for example, involve a great use of it." She demonstrated by forming a solid rod of light in her hand that morphed into an arrow.

"I was meaning to ask about that too." Varric took a swig of his drink. "Your arrows were made of the light stuff, so that is…?"

"My Willpower, yes. Including the bowstring itself. Archers first learn to use a bow and arrow naturally before attempting to form a bowstring and projectile. Hence why I reach behind my back as if to draw one from a quiver. A personal habit which can be very useful if one's Willpower is not strong enough in a certain situation and one must resort to using actual arrows." The Elin then sighed as she diminished the projectile from her hands. "Which is a dilemma for my sisters and me right now, actually. Being here away from our world is very limiting to our abilities. I can still form my own bowstring for my bow, but I may have to rely on arrows made by the blacksmith here."

Varric shrugged. "Well, sometimes things happen and you find yourself in a situation where you have to make do with what you have"

Eirai smirked. "Wise words to live by." She then proceeded to change the subject. "By the way, your crossbow was very interesting. May I have a look at it?"

"Bianca? Sorry Rosy, she's one of a kind, so I'm kind of touchy about others touching her."

"You named your crossbow Bianca?" She laughed.

"Yep. My pride and joy."

The two continued to talk by the firelight, sharing small stories with one another.

xoxoxo

"Come on, get up! You've been lying there for five minutes!" A boy's voice huffed.

"Let her be, Pilt! It takes her some time to fully materialize in the Dream." A girl's stern voice scolded back.

Erune's eyes opened slowly. She was lying in a meadow of grass and daisies. Looking up at the light blue sky, she spotted a few shapes amongst the clouds.

Carefully sitting upright, she looked over at Kiecey, the young elven girl with soft golden hair, who was continuing to reprimand Pilt, the human boy, ignoring his friend.

The two then noticed Erune was awake and helped her to her feet. "Finally," Pilt grinned. "The others have been waiting for you!" He tugged her along, Kiecey following while shaking her head. A smile was across her face.

Erune was led to a grove of tall trees that stretched up towards the sky. She continued to follow the two children through the lush orchard until the three of them reached a pile of boulders surrounding a pool. An Amani boy sat atop one of the boulders, dangling his legs over the edge of the rock. A young Popori child was swimming in the water while a little human girl collected flowers that surrounded the pool.

Pilt called over to grab the attention of the three. The girl dropped her bouquet and ran over to hug Erune, her brownish blonde hair bouncing past her shoulders.

"You're here!" Anya beamed. "It's been so long!"

Erune smiled back. "I'm so sorry, Anya. There has been much going on in the waking world."

"Well," Jerdan stood up on the boulder, his scaled hands on his hips. "We have plenty of time for you to tell us all what has been happening."

"But big sis Ruru was going to teach us some new songs!" Niyum protested as he rose from the pool, shaking the water from his tanned fur. "She promised she would the next time she came to see us!"

Erune brought up her hands. "One thing at a time, everyone." She said gently. Smoothing out the bottom of her dress, she sat down on the grass. Jerdan scrabbled down the boulder to join the other children, who all gathered to sit around Erune. "It would be best," she began. "If I explained what has been happening first…"

As Erune wove her tale, the five children looked on with wide eyes and fascination. She told them of her sisters entering the Breach and walking through the Fade; exiting into another world and helping fight against various monsters to Erune helping the elven boy Quen close the large Rift for the time being; to the creation of the Inquisition. When she finished, Jerdan and Pilt began to ask the Elin questions about the new world. Kiecey even threw in some praise of her own to their Elin friend. Erune flushed, embarrassed by the attention.

Anya placed her hand on Erune's. "Eru," she said. "You should have more confidence in yourself. You've been working so hard."

"Anya... thank you." Erune smiled back at her friends. "I try…" She then perked her head up. "Now, what song would you guys like to learn?"

"Hmm…how about a lullaby?" Kiecey thought aloud. Erune nodded, taking a deep breath to begin her song.

xoxoxo

Quen tossed and turned on the mattress, sweat on his face as it contorted in pain amidst the nightmare he was having. The Mark on his hand flashed violently, its light flickering across the walls of the cabin. Green lines crawled up his arm like before after the Conclave. Frost began to form around his fingertips while the candle by his bedside sputtered to life and then blinked out before relighting itself again.

His mind was trapped, unable to escape the monstrosities that lingered there and chased him. Memories he wished not to relive.

In his nightmare, he let out a cry for help.

xoxoxo

Erune paused in her singing, her cat ears twitching. "What's wrong?" Jerdan asked.

"I, I don't…I thought I heard someone in pain. But…" Her brow furrowed. "It doesn't seem like it's around here in this realm…" She rose to her feet. "The voice…it sounds like…his voice…"

"Erune." Kiecey stood up with the rest of the other children, each of them looking at her. "You have to go to him. It's the only way to help him."

"But how?" The Elin asked the elven child.

"The first thing you have to do is Wake Up."

Erune jolted awake. Eruno was drooling onto the pillow with her large tail wrapped around the both of them; Zyllian was cuddling Eruno's tail while tucked into the blankets. Their eldest sister was missing from the room.

Untangling herself from the blankets and her twin sister's tail, she quietly slipped on her shoes and walked across the wooden floor to the door, opening it and stepping outside into the snow covered by the night sky.

xoxoxo

Varric paused in what he was saying to Eirai, something catching his eye. "Hey Rosy,"

"Hm?"

"Any idea why Blueberry would be out at this hour?" Eirai followed his hand to where he was pointing. She watched Erune sneak across the grounds of Haven towards one of the other houses, away from the cabin she and her sisters were staying in. The older Elin huffed. She collected her belongings and bid the dwarf a goodnight as she left to follow after her youngest sister.

She found her sister enter one of the small cabins. As Erune opened the door, a bright green light filled the doorway that then dimmed as the little Elin closed the door behind her. Eirai quickly went up to the house and yanked the door open, shielding her eyes from the bright light. This time also mixed with a soft blue.

As her eyes adjusted, she lowered her arm. Erune was sitting on the floor beside Quen's bed, holding his left arm. The Mark on the elf's arm was flaring up again, acting like before when he was trying to close the Breach. His body spasmed on the bed, Erune quickly trying to whisper soothing words as the soft blue glow of her healing magic flowed from her hands.

"Erune? What are you doing?" The young Elin jumped at her older sister's voice, turning her head.

"I... I heard him cry out for help... he's hurting again…" Erune whispered with a worried look on her face.

Eirai nodded and let her little sister continue in her work. Quen let out a gasp of pain as the Mark reacted with Erune's healing magic. The young Elin kept calm, letting a small hum dance from her lips. The humming eventually turned into a song. Eirai listened closely to the melody. It had been a song that Princess Rida had taught her sister some time ago.

The song was an ancient lullaby hymn amongst the Gods of old. Some say it originated from the Titans who created their world. Whatever it was, it was in an ancient, long forgotten language

As Erune continued to sing, the blue light began to soothe the Mark, its green light dimming.

xoxoxo

Kiecey hummed the song Erune had taught them before she left. The young elf danced around in the grass, her stocking and shoes put to the side as she let her toes dig into the soft dirt.

Anya watched her friend as she wove a flower chain. "You really like that song, huh?" Kiecey nodded, smiling. She continued to dance, wrapping her arms around herself, occasionally resting them over her stomach. She looked up at the blue sky dotted with clouds and butterflies and smiled.

xoxoxo

Quen fell back in the dirt, the monsters drawing near. As he scrambled backwards, his back hit the remains of a broken wall. His eyes widened in fear. The moans of the disembodied creatures grew closer and closer.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Quen looked around, the monsters beginning to disperse into dust. A faint song could be heard. The tune was familiar, filling Quen with a sense of warmth and hope.

He remembered his mother humming a lullaby like this once to him when he was a child, holding him beside his father.

As his eyes closed in content, the dream world around him began to fade.

Quen woke with a start, the nightmares receding. He felt hands on his left arm. As he looked down, he saw Erune resting her head on the edge of his bed.

"She fell asleep. It was a lot of strain on her." He snapped his head up to see Eirai in the doorway, walking over to him. "Your Mark... was being erratic. You were obviously in pain physically and from the looks of it," she observed him closely. "Mentally."

"Why is she...?"

"I… I do not know... she said she heard you call for help and then came here." She was then silent, waiting for Quen to answer.

"It... It was a nightmare…" Quen finally said. He looked back at Erune. "Did she help me again?"

"Yes. She used her healing magic, and it seems your Mark has calmed down again." Eirai furrowed her brow as she brought her hand to her chin in thought. "I do not understand what is happening and why."

"I have a theory…" The two turned back to the door, seeing Solas standing in the doorway. He held up his hands in surrender. "Apologies. I felt an increase in the Mark's magic and thus came to investigate. But it thankfully seems to no longer be an issue."

"What do you mean?" Eirai asked.

"The Mark is related to the Breach, which connects to your world and ours. Such is that it must be a strain on the Mark itself. Not only does Quen have to close the Rifts here, he is subsequently closing the Rifts in your world. There is an imbalance of power and that partially may have to do with the fact that Quen is not a mage. If he could wield magic, perhaps he would be able to handle the pressure of the Mark on his own.

I had tried using my own magic to help him, but it was repelled. Somehow…" the apostate mage gestured at Erune. "Her magic acts as a boost, supporting the magic from your world in the Mark...very fascinating...it would be in my best interest if I could study this further in the future, if I may."

Eirai sneered. "That is for her to decide." She then knelt to help pick up Erune. "Anyway, I should take her back."

"Wait." Quen sat up. "Is it...is it alright if she stays here?" He got up, looking for extra blankets and pillows in the room. "I do not want another experience of that again, so…"

"That would be wise," Solas said. "Her presence seems to alleviate the symptoms of the Mark."

The elder Elin looked at the two of them before sighing in defeat. "Very well." She then helped tuck Erune in the makeshift bed on the floor beside Quen's bed.

Solas and Eirai then bade Quen a goodnight before closing the door of the cabin. Quen looked over the edge of the bed, down at Erune's sleeping face.

She reminded him so much of his sister when she was young. He reached out to pet Erune's hair before falling asleep himself.

That morning when Quen woke up, he found the Elin snuggled by his side on the bed, holding his left hand.