Notes: Back again with another chapter :)

Still close to the story line with some added aspects. Our Commander and Herald meet again.
I've been enjoying writing this so much and there's some parts I'm soooo looking forward to when the time comes! Chapter 3 is already being written and should be up by next week at the latest.

Please leave a review of how you're enjoying this so far! Please be nice though x

Chapter 2:

Lara stirred slowly feeling discomfort in her limbs. Her eyes fluttered open a few times, not knowing where she was. She let her eyes adjust to the light and tried to assess her surroundings. No dungeons, so that was a good start. She was in a warm cabin equipped with a fireplace, bookshelves, a desk, and some animal furs hung on the wooden beams. She sat up and looked down at herself. She last remembered battling demons, closing rifts, Cassandra, Solas, and Varric. And a certain Commander she didn't like.

Someone bathed and dressed me. I hate to think who…

Did any of this really happen? Or was that a dream? I still don't recognize this cabin. The bedsheets are very nice though.

She got off the bed and found a mirror. Assessing her appearance, she stared back at herself unsure of what to make of herself. Her jet black hair had been twisted into a braid with a few loose strands surrounding her face. Her fair complexion seemed normal. Her piercing green eyes stared back at her and with an unwelcome twist in her stomach, she looked down at her left hand. The green glow was still there.

Great. Not a dream then.

She looked back at her reflection and heard the door open. Turning towards the door, a female elf walked in humming to herself carrying a box of items. She let out a gasp when she met Lara's gaze.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were awake, I swear!" The elf stammered, backing away.

"Am I not supposed to be awake? Why are you scared?" Lara looked at her confused.

"I said the wrong thing…." The elf started and then dropped to her knees, bowing.

"I beg your forgiveness. I am but a humble servant," The elf continued.

"It's alright, honestly. You don't have to bow before me…" Lara started.

"You saved us. The Breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand."

Lara looked down at her hand and noticed her hand looked and felt better. She was grateful at least for that.

"It's all anyone has talked about for the last three days…"

"Wait…three days? That's how long I've been out for?" Lara cut her off, eyes wide open.

"Lady Cassandra will want to know that you have awakened. She said at once!" The elf started walking towards the door.

"Where is she?" Lara started walking towards the elf.

"In the Chantry, with the Lord Chancellor. At once!" The elf opened the door and ran out abruptly.

How odd…

Lara looked back on the desk finding a note titled Patient Observations. There was a doctor here with her. Shouldn't Solas have been here? He cared for her in the dungeons. Unless something happened to him and she didn't realize. She skimmed the note:

Clammy. Shallow-breathing. Fast pulse.
Not responsive. Pupils dilated.

Mage says her "mark" is thrumming with unknown magic.

Wish we could station a templar here, just in case.

Assholes. Bring a templar in here, and I'll thrum them as well. Maybe cast them into the Void. What the hell happened to me though…

—-

Lara was still in Haven. The village, the mountains, the snow. The villagers were lined up outside her cabin, almost as if they were waiting for her to reappear. Whether it was out of care or curiosity, she did not know. She stared at them blankly, unsure of whether to walk down the path they made for her. Would they hit her, curse at her, or just stare at her as she made her way? Two soldiers stood there saluting her so hopefully this was a good sign. She slowly made her way through the path overhearing the whispers.

"That's her…the Herald of Andraste…"

"Hush! Don't disturb her,"

Excuse me? The Herald of what? What the hell is he talking about…

Lara made her way through, not making eye contact but listening to the chatter around her. She recognized the building she came out of when she was held prisoner and decided that must be the Chantry building. Letting out a sigh, she started making her way there hoping she wasn't going to be imprisoned again after this. Inside was empty but down the long corridor she could hear familiar voices. Hoping she wasn't walking into a trap she made her way towards the door at the end and opened it.

"Chain her! I want her prepared for travel to the Capitol for her trial!" The Chancellor started.

Seriously fuck this guy. This asshole represents the Chantry?

"Disregard that and leave us," Cassandra spoke to the two soldiers behind her that appeared out of nowhere. They saluted and left.

"How dare you…"

"I'm still a suspect then? Even though I tried to close the Breach and nearly killed myself for you people…" Lara interrupted.

"Yet you live! A convenient result," The Chancellor turned to her.

"Apologies. Next time I'll tell the Breach to kill me, shall we meet again," Lara bowed at him.

"That is enough. Someone was behind the explosion at the conclave. Someone most Holy did not expect. Perhaps they died, or they have allies who still live," Leliana approached them.

"Do you mean I am a suspect?" The Chancellor looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Yes. You and many others," Leliana responded calmly.

"But not the prisoner?"

"I heard the voices in the Temple. The Divine called to her for help. The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour," Cassandra responded.

"Hang on. I appreciate that you all have changed your mind about me but I am not a Chosen One nor do I claim to be. I wanted to prove my innocence and then be on my way," Lara looked at them stunned. She was in too deep now and needed to get out.

"I was wrong about you but I will not pretend, however, that you were not exactly what we needed when we needed it," Cassandra answered.

She turned to one of the shelves in what looked like a large study and grabbed a large book. Lara noticed the large table in front of them with a map. Cassandra slammed the book down on the table, glaring at the Chancellor.

"You know what this is, don't you? A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn," Cassandra started walking towards the Chancellor as if to intimidate him. "We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order. With or without your help," She finished, inching closer towards him.

The Inquisition? What am I getting into here…I can't get out of this. Not with this still on my hand. They need me because of this…fantastic…curse whoever put this shit on my hand.

The Chancellor glared back and with a huff, he stormed out of the room.

"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, we lack numbers, and we have no Chantry support," Leliana carried on as if nothing happened.

"But we need to act now with you at our side," Cassandra finished looking at her like she didn't have an option.

"And if I refuse?" Lara remained stern but inside she was conflicted. This mark was killing her, they said. This mark ties her to the problem at hand threatening the world. How would this make her look if she left the world to be destroyed? Where would she even go? As much as she hated to admit, she needed these people in order to survive.

"You can go, if you wish. However, some still find you guilty. The Inquisition can only protect you if you are with us. You cannot pretend this hasn't changed you," Leliana answered, still calm.

Lara let out a sigh and cursed internally. The redhead had a point. She was changed. She felt like a new person and she may even have a purpose after all. They found her and took her in when they could've killed her. These people are all she has at the moment. She had to swallow her pride of being independent, figuring things out on her own. This was something she needed help with as much as it killed her.

"Fuck it. Count me in. Based on my hand, it seems I can't escape this even if I tried," Lara scowled, angry at the fact that she was forced into staying even though she could still leave. Weighing the options, leaving wasn't going to look good.

She wanted to curse the smiles off of Cassandra and Leliana's faces.

—-

The Inquisition symbol surrounded Haven. Lara learned that the Commander she disliked is the Commander of the Inquisition forces, much to her dismay. This meant she would be in contact with him. A part of her was curious to know more about him and was unsure why. She couldn't shrug off the feeling so made a plan to see if she could dig anything up about him besides his name.

Lara figured if she was going to be in this mess, she may as well get to know the town and the people in it. She spoke with the quartermaster, the blacksmith, and excitedly visited the apothecary when she learned from Solas that there is one. She loved creating potions and elixirs and was happy to find any ingredients needed. Adan was a bit rough around the edges especially since he was reluctantly put in a nursing position as he called it. Lara liked his attitude. It was someone she can be sarcastic with without worry.

During the evenings, she went on walks with Solas. The elf was fascinating to say the least. Not the usual company Lara kept but nothing was usual about her life lately. He spoke so eloquently and was so knowledgeable she couldn't stop asking him questions. They spoke of all things related to the Fade, his studies, his travels, and the Breach. The evening walks were calming and she found herself trusting Solas. He agreed to even mentor her and teach her how to manage and use her magic. She hated this feeling of not knowing what she was capable of. Almost like she lost some memory of who she was and where she came from ever since that mark appeared on her hand. Solas assured her it will come in time.

Day by day, she was settling in. Until Cassandra summoned her for their first meeting in the War Room. Knots formed in her stomach. She felt like everyone was looking up to her and depending on her. She wasn't a leader. She did everything on her own. People just weighed her down. Too many emotions, attachments. Too much to lose. Now she was forced to collaborate and she knew there were going to be clashes. Especially with a certain Commander she still needed to learn more about. Unfortunately, there he stood in the room with her other leaders.

"As I mentioned to you, your mark needs more power to close the Breach for good which means we must approach the rebel mages for help," Cassandra started the meeting.

"I still disagree. The templars could serve just as well," The Commander spoke.

Fuck! How did I not realize? Please don't tell me he's a Templar. Oh, we are definitely not going to get along.

Cassandra sighed, "We need power, Cullen. Enough magic put into that mark…"

"Might destroy us all. Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so –" Cullen argued.

"Pure speculation," Leliana chimed in.

"I was a templar. I know what they're capable of," Cullen sounded exhausted.

Was a templar?

"And how exactly are they going to suppress it? Wave their swords at it?" Lara glared at him, her blood boiling. Cullen looked back at her, narrowing his eyes. Clearly she hit a sore spot. Good.

"Unfortunately, neither mages or templars will speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition and you, specifically," Josephine looked over at her.

"Well, that didn't take long."

"Chancellor Roderick's doing. No doubt," Cassandra answered.

"Some are calling you – a mage – the Herald of Andraste. That frightens them. They have declared it blasphemy and we, heretics, for harboring you. Thus, this limits our options," Josephine continued.

"That's quite a title. How do you feel about that?" Cullen was still looking at her, almost smirking.

Surely he's trying to provoke me.

Lara looked back at him annoyed but took this time to look at him properly. His blonde hair seemed more well-kept now. Golden honey eyes stared back at her, accompanied with light dark circles under his eyes. She detected a scent of elderflower and something else she couldn't quite name. He shaved since last she saw him and noticed a scar trailing upwards from his upper lip. Lara couldn't look away from him and internally cursed herself for staring for too long.

"It's…a little unsettling," Lara tore her gaze away not knowing if she was answering his question or explaining how she felt in this moment.

"People are desperate for a sign of hope. For some, you are that sign," Leliana looked at her and Lara hoped the spymaster didn't catch her staring at the Commander, "There is something you can do. A Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you. She is not far, and knows those involved far better than I. Her help may be invaluable."

"It's a start. It can't hurt I suppose," Lara shrugged wanting to get out of Cullen's presence.

"Excellent. You will find her tending to the wounded in the Hinterlands near Redcliffe."

"Try to recruit more agents while you are there and expand our influence. We need the support from beyond Haven," Josephine added.

Lara nodded at them and made her way out of the War Room, needing some fresh air and to be away from the Commander she can't seem to stop staring at.

—-

She was grateful to be traveling to Redcliffe even if she was heading into a mage and templar fight. It gave her time away from the Commander. She couldn't deny he was attractive. She cursed herself when she looked at him for too long but she noticed him looking back. She wasn't going to give it any thought. He is, or was, a Templar. Either way he's the enemy. Her loyalty will always be with the mages.

She took Solas, Varric, and Cassandra with her on the journey although the bickering between the dwarf and the warrior was amusing and only confirmed the sexual tension to Lara. Solas, however, was less amused with their bickering. Lara kept reading the report over from Scout Harding. Apparently the fighting between the mages and the templars was worse than they thought. The mages are attacking anything that moves and the templars aren't following orders.

That's all we need. Templars left to their own devices.

They are protecting Mother Giselle but she will not leave the refugees behind unless they are guaranteed safety. Lara really couldn't blame her for that. She had no idea how she was going to clear things up with the mages and templars and get them out of the area. Her loyalty is with the mages but wouldn't that stir shit up for the templars? Especially since one of her advisors is pro-templar? She was going to make some enemies along the way. Cullen is requesting to speak to a Master Dennet in order to get better horses for the Inquisition. She almost wanted to write back a letter saying no just to spite him. Instead, she decided she'll do it for Scout Hardings sake.

"You're going to have to learn to control your impulses better," Solas spoke as if he could read her mind.

"I'm abiding by the orders as I've been given. Who says otherwise?" Lara looked back at him trying not to smirk while putting the parchment away.

"I am aware you do not favor the Commander. To go against his commands as your advisor would not be wise," Solas continued.

Lara sighed. "Stop being so good, Solas. I want to rebel against a templar. I know I can't but let me enjoy thinking about it at least."

The elf chuckled. "He is an ex-templar. He left the Order. He may not be all that bad."

"How? You don't just stop being one. You don't leave," Lara looked at him confused.

"Perhaps you should speak to him. It will be his story to tell, not mine."

Lara looked away. She was definitely not going to speak to him. She couldn't stand being in the same room with him nor did she want any more opportunities to look at him any closer than she already had. All the fight in her left when they approached Redcliffe and Scout Harding gave them a report in person. Lara was indeed walking into a battlefield and had no idea where to even start. She was just glad that Solas was here to calm her and help her keep a cool head. She was now a Herald or some shit so she needed to start acting like one. She needed to be someone people looked up to and respected. She needed to be their hope even though she wanted to scream and piss everyone off. Her rebellious side would not be welcome as a Herald.

Chapter 3 coming soon! Any feedback welcome :)