Edited: June 2024
10
Where could it be?
Talia's mind raced as she thought of the possibilities. Sera had alluded to the fact that the Templars were searching the Grand Cathedral for an important document, but it could have just been a coincidence. How would they have known of its existence? Could Justinia have revealed it to the Lord Seeker before the Templar Order splintered from the Chantry?
The dunmer scoured the rest of Justinia's belongings, hoping to find any more important information.
On the desk to one side were piles of documents, and upon closer inspection, she realized they were files on various people. Talia moved her magelight closer as she read the documents. They were listings of mages and templars that the Chantry felt needed to be watched closely. Upon further browsing, she came across various other names she recognized from the history books Anders, Wynne, Meredith, and finally, one that she had learned recently.
Name: Conall Selbrech
Current Post: Kirkwall
Previous post: Ostwick, Montsimmard
Several mages and templars alike have complained about Selbrech's attitude. He is described as recalcitrant, and extremely difficult to work with. One such example, Knight Commander Trevelyan cited, was when ordered to retrieve a mage who had run away from the Circle, Selbrech killed him instead, claiming that the boy was a blood mage. Both his companions for this quest agreed quickly, however, one of them, Montagne, caved when questioned and claimed that Selbrech simply wanted to kill the mage and had threatened them to keep them quiet. No evidence could be procured, however, and the case was dismissed. Despite this, Selbrech was transferred to Kirkwall upon the Knight Commander's insistence.
When asked why he has not yet been removed from the order, Knight-Commanders Trevelyan and Marteu both grudgingly stated that his skill in battle, sharp wit and vast intellect make him a valuable asset to the Templar Order. His attitude simply needed refining; nothing that Knight Commander Stannard cannot handle.
That was certainly a problem. An intelligent and cunning man was far more trouble than someone who was simply a skilled warrior. Perhaps Conall and Cullen had both been brothers-in-arms for a certain period of time, and resolved to discuss it with him when they returned to Haven. She stuffed the files inside the small pack she'd brought and swept around the room twice to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important. She ensured that the false panel was locked back in place and her footsteps erased from the dusty floor. Talia paused as she was about to leave the Cathedral. Since she was already there, she might as well make use of it.
It was hilariously easy to find Mother Hevara's rooms, and Talia slipped inside as she distracted the guard with a floating magelight conjured at the far end of the hallway. Hevara slept soundly for a woman who had been slandering the name of a "murderer", she noted.
Talia sighed. It would be so easy to get rid of the woman, but killing her would surely point all suspicions towards the Inquisition. Chastain's death was easier to manage, since his servants had covered for them. But the death of a Chantry official, just before negotiations with the Inquisition…there would be no question about it.
She puttered around Hevara's room, checking for anything that they could use for tomorrow's grand meeting. There weren't any documents laying around that could be used as blackmail material. Talia cast an unlocking spell on Hevara's safebox, and it opened without resistance. As she sorted through the papers, she saw that there was a file about the key members of the Inquisition, which included Talia, and her four advisers.
Talia smirked at her file, which was filled with such nonsense that she almost laughed out loud. Speculations included being a deformed elf, a demon summoned from the Fade, an abomination, and her personal favorite: a half-Elf, half-Qunari created by a blood mage.
Cassandra's and Josephine's files were relatively clean, and Talia wondered if the two had ever done anything remotely illegal in their lives. Leliana's was full of suspicions, but no concrete evidence could be provided that she was a bard, assassin, or spy. There was a short account, however, of her contributions during the Blight.
Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she started reading Cullen's file.
Name: Cullen Stanton Rutherford
Position: Commander of the Inquisition's Militia
Previous position: Knight-Captain of the Gallows, Kirkwall
Notes:
Rutherford was considered highly unstable after the Maleficar Uldred's betrayal of Kinloch Hold. He was among those who were unable to reach the Tower foyer after Knight-Commander Greagoir ordered the doors to be sealed. A testament either to his willpower or his luck, Rutherford was the sole survivor of the massacre. He remains curiously tight-lipped about the events, and it is speculated that he may have aided Uldred in his machinations, which was why he was spared and the others killed. One thing was apparent: Rutherford had developed a severe hatred for mages in general, and they believed him to be a threat to mages that may have fallen under his care—
Talia stopped reading and she put the document down in disgust. While she had seen that Cullen disliked mages, it was not difficult to see that he was a just and honorable man. He was professional in the way he handled things and he took his work very seriously.
Sadly, there were no other documents that they could use. However, Talia grinned as she spotted coin purses filled to the brim, there were other things she could take.
After all, she was a thief.
Sera was waiting outside as she exited the Cathedral. And Talia debated whether or not to show herself, but finally decided to speak with the elf. She took off her Ring of Khajiiti and exited the shadows loudly enough that Sera had heard her.
"Been busy eh?" The elf smirked at her as she looked at Talia's bag, which was filled with documents and Hevara's money. "Everyone thinks you're a goody-good, but thank fuck you know your fun! It's great, innit? The very leader of the Inquisi-thingy stealing from the Chantry!"
"They're assholes and don't need this much money. Don't share it around though, it might ruin my reputation."
Sera snorted at her joke. Her new ally seemed easy enough to please, though Talia knew they would be at odds with each other some time or another. Sera didn't seem like the time to appreciate politics, and the elf was as anti-nobility as they came. Still, Talia appreciated her help, as well as all of Chastain's servants. She tossed one of the purses in Sera's direction and the blonde caught it easily.
Her eyes widened comically as she looked at the contents. "Wha—you gotta be shitting me! There's like a whole buncha Royals in here!"
"And now you know where all the donations to the Chantry actually go," Talia smiled.
"I don't need your charity you arse!" Sera growled at her.
There was indeed, a lot of money in each of the bags she stole from Hevara. While the Inquisition needed funds, it would not hurt to share it with those who had passed on the information and aided them. Life as a servant was difficult, and Talia knew they would likely be offended at being given such an amount. However, she knew they would need that money.
"Chastain's servants and Friends gave us important intel that we couldn't have come across without your help." She said seriously. "This isn't charity; this is payment for a job well done. You and they deserve this and much more."
Sera was quiet for once as she stared at the bag, before breaking into a huge grin, approval and understanding lighting up her eyes. "I like your style, Herald-thingy, even if you are a bit elfy!"
Whatever that meant. "Make sure all of them gain a fair share. Give them my thanks, won't you?"
Talia turned away from the elf and started walking back to her inn. "I'll see you at Haven in a few weeks' time, Sera."
Leliana was waiting in her room as Talia climbed back in. The bard quickly drew a knife when she heard a sound, but sheathed it upon realizing it was Talia. She poured a glass of wine for her that the dunmer drank gratefully.
"How goes your stroll?" Leliana asked her as Talia dropped onto the seat in front of her.
"Eventful." Talia raked a hand through her hair. "I think we need Cassandra in here as well."
Leliana raised an eyebrow in askance.
"The situation is dire," she admitted. "As much as I don't want to tell people about my other skills, I'm afraid it can't be helped. Josephine and Cullen will both be told as well, when we return."
Thankfully, Leliana didn't question her any further, and simply left to call on Cassandra. Talia stuffed Hevara's money into her larger pack and placed all the documents she recovered on the table.
The Seeker looked tired but otherwise alert, as she and Leliana strode into her room.
"Cassandra," Talia nodded. "I'm sorry for waking you up so early."
Cassandra waved away her concern and took a seat, narrowing her eyes at Talia's armor and the documents on the table.
"As you have undoubtedly realized, I went out tonight following a lead sent to us anonymously. I had…decided not to inform you because I knew that you would have prevented me from leaving. But the lead was crucial, and I knew I needed to be the one to see if there was any truth to it."
Talia paused and let it sink in. Cassandra looked visibly upset that the dunmer had left the inn without informing her.
"And our agents could not have done this instead?" She finally asked.
Talia handed her Sera's note and explained what occurred in the plaza. "This note was meant for me alone, and I believe that she would not have shown if someone else had arrived."
"And you managed to sneak into this Chastain's house without alerting any guards?"
Talia shared a look with Leliana, and Cassandra noticed. "And again this is something that Leliana knows that you believe I did not need to know about." The Seeker's jaw was clenched, and Talia was certain she was preventing herself from lashing out at them.
"Cassandra," Talia began in her most soothing tone, but this seemed to infuriate the raven-haired woman even more.
Cassandra brought her fist down at the table. "By the Maker, Talia! I know that you do not trust me. It is quite evident, believe me. However, I cannot abide by this! You do not need to bare your soul to me, but you cannot think that you can simply be content to withhold information that could be crucial to the Inquisition! You do not have to think of me as your friend, but at least accord me with the respect that I deserve!"
Beneath the righteous indignation, Talia could see that the Seeker was hurt—hurt that Talia had lied and withheld information. She felt a stab of guilt that would not go away no matter how much she tried to brush it aside. She was growing soft. These things shouldn't even matter to her. Sithis forbid she actually get attached to these people.
Talia's lips thinned in displeasure at this realization, and she folded her arms across her chest. "And did you ever stop to wonder why I called for you so early in the morning? Because I believe this information should be shared to you and to all the key members of the Inquisition."
The expression in Cassandra's eyes didn't change, but she nodded stiffly.
Leliana, thankfully steered the conversation back to more important matters. "What did you discover?"
Talia explained what had transpired, the discussion between Chastain and Conall, the Templar's disturbing countenance.
"You tortured him?" Cassandra asked, eyes flashing in judgment.
Talia stiffened at Cassandra's tone. "I questioned him," she said coolly. "And my methods are none of your concern."
"He mentioned an Elder One?" Leliana intervened once more, and both Talia and Cassandra turned to look at her. "It's not a title I've ever heard."
"Conall had mentioned that the Elder One was the new leader of the templars. Could it be this Lord Seeker Lucius?"
Cassandra waved her hand. "No. The Lord Seeker is not so vainglorious that he would allow people to refer to him as the Elder One. I know him, he is a good man."
"Obviously not, if he truly is connected to the death of the Divine."
"Whoever this Elder One is, he is likely responsible for the Breach," Leliana pointed out.
"And that means the templars had been in league with him since the beginning," Talia said, and Leliana gave a solemn nod.
Cassandra looked momentarily lost as she looked down, but the fire in her eyes returned in a flash.
"How could they? To betray the most Holy in such a manner. And kidnapping the seekers and templars?" she shook her head in disgust. "When I see the Lord Seeker, he will have much to answer for."
"While we are fairly certain that the templars are connected to the Elder One, we cannot accuse the Lord Seeker to his face. Not only would we look like complete fools, but we would be alerting the Enemy to the fact that we are on to them."
"One of his benefactors has been murdered," Cassandra bit out. "I would assume he has already been alerted."
"Chastain had many enemies, and he was not so popular with his servants either," Talia snapped. "There could have been many reasons for someone to kill him. The templars may suspect that we were behind it, but they will never know. Accusing the Lord Seeker on the other hand—"
"And so we should simply allow him to continue these atrocities?" Cassandra interrupted with a growl.
Talia gritted her teeth. Sweet Night Mother, it was like pulling teeth. The lack of sleep, the stress and the frustration with her situation were already getting to Talia. Tempers were already fraying, and if Cassandra didn't back down, Talia was sure they would come to blows.
"For now, we cannot do anything about the Lord Seeker, but what we can do is find out more about them through the traitor." Leliana grimaced. "Korrim, I can't believe it. Did he think we wouldn't find out? I'll have one of our agents interrogate him and have him killed quickly. We were friends once."
"That won't be necessary," Talia said coolly, and Leliana looked up at her in surprise. "Have him detained. I will take care of him personally."
Cassandra gave her a sharp look, but Talia didn't change her stony expression.
"To put it simply, I do not, and never will tolerate or show mercy to traitors." Talia explained in a hard voice.
Traitors had no place in the world. She thought of sick, twisted Bellamont, who'd infiltrated the Family and had her kill each member of the Black Hand. He was the reason Lucien was dead, murdered and tortured in the most gruesome manner. Korrim had been a trusted agent of Leliana's, and he'd been feeding information to the Enemy all along.
No, she would not tolerate such betrayal.
"Understood." Leliana nodded though it was clear that she disagreed.
Cassandra examined the documents that Talia had placed on the table. "Where did you get these files?" She demanded as she skimmed through them. "Did Chastain have these?"
Talia shared another look with Leliana that Cassandra thankfully missed. There was resignation in Leliana's eyes as Talia started to explain.
"I was looking for a file that the Divine had about Savith Stormcrown," Talia admitted and Cassandra looked up in confusion.
Leliana hesitated briefly before speaking. "Upon becoming Left Hand, the Divine asked me to tell her everything I knew about Savith…and I told her everything."
"Everything? Including her true heritage and where she comes from?"
"Yes, everything. Under the promise that she would never impart this information with anyone else."
The "even you", wasn't verbalized, but all of them heard it anyway.
Cassandra was quiet for a moment before speaking in a strangled tone. "Simply another thing I could not be trusted with," she said bitterly, continuing before Leliana or Talia could interrupt. "Where is the file now?"
Leliana looked at Talia, and she paled at the dunmer's grimace.
"When I arrived at the location, it was obvious that the room had been searched. And the file was no longer in the safebox. Sera had told me that the Templars were looking for some 'important documents' in the Grand Cathedral. It's much too related to be a coincidence."
"How could they have learned of its existence?" Leliana closed her eyes briefly. "If it has fallen into the hands of this Elder One…"
The bard left the sentence hanging, but they all knew that this had extremely negative implications.
"I did, however, recover those," Talia continued, nodding to the file in Cassandra's hand. "A list of templars and mages that the Divine or the Chantry believed needed to be watched closely. I noticed that Conall's name was on the list."
"I've met Conall," Cassandra said. "Very briefly, on one of my visits to Montsimmard. He was guarding the main gate. He did not seem…disagreeable. And I do know he was one of the templars present during the fight with Meredith in Kirkwall."
Talia tapped her lips. "Do you know where he went after that?"
"Cullen would likely know more, as he was Knight-Captain in Kirkwall. Maybe he can shed light on this strange development." Leliana pointed out.
"And what of these files?" Cassandra picked up the other bundle of vellum. If possible, her scowl deepened at its contents. "Are these information about us?"
"I took those from Mother Hevara's rooms," as she received another suspicious glance from Cassandra, Talia retorted, "I did not harm the Revered Mother. I simply took these while she was asleep."
"It seems to me that you have much experience with these types of things," Cassandra said dangerously. and Talia straightened her back at the accusation in her tone.
Perhaps it was her overwrought nerves, but Talia replied belligerently. "Of course I do."
A brief silence.
"You're a thief." Cassandra said incredulously.
"Excellent deduction, Cassandra," Talia set her jaw. She was not ashamed of what she was, but their knowing would cause unnecessary tension and conflict.
Case in point, what was happening now.
Cassandra exploded, and Talia was glad for the fact that she'd had the foresight to cast a muffling spell before they started speaking.
"So all this time, we've been housing a criminal?! We have defended you from everybody who has sought to discredit your name and here I find out that you—you—"
"That I what?" Talia replied icily. "That I am a thief? That I steal for a living? That your moral righteousness is so narrow you cannot even see that simply being a criminal does not make me an enemy of the Inquisition?"
"That you lied! Again! What was all that nonsense about being a mercenary then? Sweet Maker." Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to reign in her anger. "I cannot believe I actually believed you."
Talia laughed without humor. "And this is the exact reason I lied about it in the first place. You would have had me executed if you knew I was a criminal." Sithis, if this was the reaction to her telling them she was a thief, she didn't want to know how they would react to finding out she was an assassin.
"I am not such a person that I would sentence you to death for a crime you didn't commit!"
"Who's the liar now?" Talia said cruelly, and that seemed to be the end of Cassandra's patience.
In a flash, she stood from her seat, drawing her sword. Talia leapt to her feet and flicked a dagger to her hand, watching the Seeker for any sign that she was going to attack. Cassandra was shaking with anger, and the two glared at each other for a long moment before Leliana slowly came between them, clasping their hands with her own and pushing them downwards.
Cassandra took a deep shuddering breath, reigning in her anger. She sheathed her sword, turned stiffly and stormed out of Talia's room. Leliana gave her a reproving look, but didn't say anything else as she sheathed her daggers.
Talia closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself. "I could have handled that a bit more tactfully," she admitted.
"Cassandra is distraught, but she will come around," she heard Leliana say. "You do not have to worry about betrayal from her; she is one of the most honest people there are."
Talia heard a chair scrape the floor and she opened her eyes to see Leliana standing over her with a sombre expression.
"I'll have some of my agents cross check the information in these files. Figuring out the templars' movement will be a top priority, as is figuring out who this Elder One is." She nodded before gathering the documents on the table and moving towards the door.
"Will you be telling her?" Talia asked, just before Leliana exited. They both knew whom she was referring to.
"I don't know how I'd tell her if I can't even find her. But if I do, I don't imagine it will end well," Leliana exhaled heavily. "Good night, Herald."
The moment Talia was alone, all the stiffness seeped out of her, leaving her bone tired. Everything was so complicated, and she was foolish to have thought that her masks and lies were good enough to fool everybody. It seemed her skills in that department have deteriorated over the years.
Or she was truly starting to care about these people.
She didn't know which was worse.
They arrived just as Hevara started her speech.
"Good people of Val Royeaux! Together, we mourn our Divine. Her naïve and beautiful heart, silenced…by treachery!"
"Divine Justinia is not naïve," Cassandra muttered as they weaved through the crowd. The setting in the plaza reminded Talia of a public execution, perhaps the only things missing were the gallows. She walked through the throng of people, flanked by Leliana and Cassandra. The Seeker and she had yet to speak about their spat, but both were professional enough to put aside their differences and focus on the meeting with Hevara. The dreamless sleep had done much to cool Talia's temper and allowed her to plaster a smile on her face as they made her way to where the Chantry clerics were standing. The crowd parted to make way for her, either with disgust or reverence, Talia did not know, or care.
"You wonder at what will become of her murderer. Behold the so-called Herald of Andraste!" Mother Hevara sneered as they approached. She and the rest of the chantry officials were standing on a raised platform, subtly trying to assert authority.
Talia kept the polite smile on her face as they stopped just before the stage.
"We have yet to be introduced formally, Revered Mother." Talia raised a hand to her chest and gave a small bow. "Talia Indoril, at your service. And my companions, Sister Leliana and Cassandra Pentaghast, Left and Right Hands of the Divine." Both followed suit and gave a small bow.
"I admit," the dunmer continued. "When we discussed the possibility of meeting and collaborating to close the Breach, I never imagined it to be such a public endeavor. Unless of course, you have decided to start recruiting for our cause, and in such a case, I cannot thank you enough."
Hevara grew purple at the insult, perhaps not expecting Talia to simply state that they'd been in communication with the Chantry.
"How dare you stroll around here after what you've done?" Hevara spat.
Talia blinked at her and allowed a touch of incredulity to seep into her tone. "Surely being a little late to our meeting, which I must say has definitely had a change of venue, could hardly warrant such hostility from you, Revered Mother."
"You are nothing but a heretic! Using the name of our Lady to continue with your blasphemy! It is despicable! And we demand that you desist immediately!"
More than half of the crowd roared and agreed with Hevara, shouting for Talia's blood. At the corner of her eye, the dunmer saw Cassandra clench her jaw, hand hovering at the pommel of her sword. If the Revered Mother thought that she had the upper hand by turning their meeting into a spectacle, she had another thing coming.
The crowd continued jeering as Talia climbed the stairs up to the platform. She stopped a few steps away from Hevara, who was spluttering at her audacity.
"I have never claimed to be a divine being, nor will I ever." She spoke in a clear voice, and the crowd immediately hushed. No matter whose side they were on, Talia was correct in her assessment that they still wanted to hear whatever the Herald of Andraste had to say. "By some miracle, I've been Maker-blessed with the ability to close these Fade Rifts. Does that make me divine?" she scoffed self-deprecatingly. "Certainly not! Simply that a task has been bestowed unto me—to us. Our purpose is clear: seal the Breach and end the madness that has overcome this world." She paused for effect, looking as many people in the eye as she could. "Restore peace and order to Thedas!"
"That's right!" A man from the crowd spoke up. "I spoke to the Herald yesterday! Bless you Herald! She's the most down to earth person I ever met!"
"She's a demon!" The woman across him hissed. "She will trick you with her wily ways! She killed the Divine, she did!"
"She did not!" Talia almost smirked as she recognized some of Chastain's servants in the crowd. "She's Maker-sent! She's here to close the hole in the sky! She wouldn't do that if she killed the Divine!"
The crowd tittered with excitement, and Talia could see them being swayed. She suppressed the urge to give Hevara a smug smile.
"What of you, Revered Mother?" Talia turned to Hevara, and the crowd fell silent once more. "Why do you seek to counteract the Inquisition's cause? Surely we have the same goals?" She spread her arms in the universal 'please see reason' gesture.
Hevara's splotchy face pulled into an even more disgusted expression.
"We do not ally ourselves with murderers and heretics!" she snapped. "The chantry will restore peace to Thedas! But we need a new Divine after you killed our Most Holy!"
The crowd was already split, Talia could see. Some of the Chantry's supporters grew confused and uncertain, and it was that doubt that would be the Chantry's undoing.
"I never killed Divine Justinia." Her pronouncement rang in the plaza as the crowd quieted to listen to her. "Did it never occur to you that I am with both the Left and Right Hands of the Divine? They formed the Inquisition under Divine Justinia's instructions. I understand that my word is not enough, at least trust the two whose allegiance to the Divine has never wavered, who serves her even now that she has passed." She gestured to the two. Leliana had a serious expression, but Talia could see that her eyes were twinkling with amusement.
"They should have called off this entire business and followed whomever is elected Divine! Your Inquisition is nothing but an organization desperate to grab power while the Chantry is at its weakest!"
Talia opened her mouth to speak, but Cassandra beat her to it. It seemed the Seeker had grown tired of Hevara's posturing.
"And yet," she said in a hard voice. "In such a short time, the Inquisition has done more for the people of the Hinterlands than the Chantry has."
Hevara took a deep breath and straightened, shaking with what Talia assumed to be righteous indignation.
"You are traitors to the Chantry! Traitors to Andraste—"
Marching could be heard from the east gate, and Talia turned towards it and caught a glimpse of heavily armed men. She kept her face expressionless as the crowd parted, making way for the Templars to enter. A grey-haired man led them whose expression seemed to be set in stone, and Talia assumed that this was the Lord Seeker Lucius. Strangely, Talia noted, Conall was nowhere to be found. Was he undercover? Or did he work for a different group of templars?
Their appearance was bad news, especially after her discovery last night. Were they here to kill her? Detain her? Bring her to this Elder One? Well, Talia thought as she saw Cassandra tighten her grip on her sword, and Leliana, hands hidden in her cloak, no doubt fingering knives. They were in for the fight of their life.
"See how the Templars have returned to the Chantry!" Hevara exclaimed excitedly as the Lord Seeker, Conall, and another templar climbed the platform. The other chantry clerics behind her looked incredibly anxious. Perhaps they didn't share Hevara's belief in the templars.
Talia didn't remove her eyes from them even as they passed her, and approached Hevara. She almost snorted in disbelief as the Lord Seeker knocked Hevara out with one swift blow to the head. The other templar jerked forward as if to aid the Revered Mother, but Lucius stopped him with a sharp look.
"Still yourself; she is beneath us." The Lord Seeker's voice was firm. Cold grey eyes swept the crowd, his expression impassive.
When the Lord Seeker said nothing, Talia spoke up. "May I ask your business here, sir? Apart from beating up old ladies, that is." She added the last bit, sounding properly indignant about their treatment of Hevara. In truth, if they were not enemies, Talia would likely have given the Lord Seeker a pat on the back for what he did.
Lucius turned his cold eyes to her, and Talia stared back, unafraid. The Lord Seeker seemed to think that he could intimidate her, and that was such a laughable idea.
"We are here," the Lord Seeker said slowly. "Because we wished to meet the Herald of Andraste in person."
"Talia Indoril." Talia bowed slightly, but did not break eye contact with him.
"Lord Seeker Lucius Corin, leader of the Templar Order," he offered, and he paced around the platform slowly. "We've heard many things about you, Herald of Andraste."
"The stories are greatly exaggerated, I'm sure," Talia replied lightly.
"We have heard that this…Inquisition seeks to close the Breach and restore stability to Thedas, or is this an exaggeration as well?" He was mocking her now, and from Cassandra's bemused expression, Talia would assume that this was not how he usually acted.
"That is our top priority, but not our only goal, Lord Seeker," Talia said clearly, and she too, started to amble slowly. It was a dance, a deadly game. To anyone else, it would appear as if the two were simply pacing around the platform. But Talia recognized it for what it was.
They were circling each other, assessing weaknesses, but while their blades were sheathed, both of their tongues were sharp enough to harm the other with the right words.
"Our ultimate goal is peace, but peace can never be achieved if the Divine's murderer is on the loose, terrorizing Thedas." Talia watched the Lord Seeker closely, for any reaction. "Once this monster has been executed, only then can Thedas begin its recovery."
"Then our goals are the same." There was a strange gleam in the Lord Seeker's eyes.
"Indeed?" Talia said, for lack of anything else to say. She didn't expect Lucius to agree, especially after they learned of the templars' involvement through Conall. "The Inquisition has been attempting to contact you for some time, but the issue of the Breach has always been brushed aside in favor of crushing the rebel mages. Sadly, even Templars in the Hinterlands had resolutely fought against us despite our asking them to join in our endeavor."
"The Templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages. But we have seen that there is a bigger threat that terrorizes our world."
"Enlighten me then, Lord Seeker. What steps do you plan to take in order to close the Breach?"
"That is why we are here, Herald of Andraste." There was a subtle hint of mocking in his tone, but Talia paid no mind to it. Lucius paused in his pacing and Talia stopped as well.
He smiled, and Talia thought it was more terrible than his cold expression.
"We wish to propose an alliance—the Templars will provide the needed assistance, and together, we will close this Breach and end that which threatens our world!"
At his words, the crowd cheered loudly, but Talia did not hear it. She kept her eyes locked on the Lord Seeker's; she was utterly speechless at his masterful move.
The Inquisition had no reason to decline the alliance—they were in need of help, and the templars were giving it willingly. If they turned the Order down, the templars would confirm that the Inquisition knew of their involvement with the Elder One. Antagonizing them would lead them to retaliate swiftly and brutally.
But if they accepted the alliance, the templars would infiltrate their base, and learn more about Inquisition secrets. They could study every flaw, every weakness in the organization. It would be impossible to plan with them hovering around Haven.
Lucius bowed his head mockingly and his eyes clearly said it all.
"Your move, Herald of Andraste."
A/N: Thanks so much for all the favorites and follows! I'm extremely happy that you are taking the time out to read this fanfic.
Replies to reviews:
Ardiana Keeper: There are wary individuals, but she tries to be approachable in public. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy her character.
Questioner: Haha thanks! I write this as a way to relax, so don't worry about it ;)
Sacchin: A part of her is kinda crazy, but I do agree she's not all out mad. Thanks for your support!
BROvolone: He'll be coming around in the next few chapters! Worry not xD
Buggy300: Thanks! Though she and Cassandra are now at odds, I'm certain they can fix their relationship. Talia just needs to be more truthful, and more trusting.
Onitsu Blackfeather: I'm actually planning to write one after Of Fade Rifts and Oblivion Gates :) thanks! I'm glad you like her.
Irbi: Thanks so much! I appreciate it! There might be romance with Cullen, but yeah, definitely not Talia. :P