Edited: June 2024

13

Talia stared at the map of Redcliffe as if it contained the answers to their dilemma. After Dorian's confession, the lot of them had holed up in their makeshift war room in the Chantry discussing his information, along with the surprising revelation that Varric apparently knew who this Corypheus was.

If it was the same man, and Varric vehemently denied that it was possible, he was one of the Tevinter mages who had set foot in Fade, and had inadvertently caused the First Blight. Talia had been disgruntled at the idea that the Chant of Light actually got something right for once.

What was more troubling was what he was capable of; Varric confirmed that he could influence the minds of Wardens and could command hordes of darkspawn. Talia and Leliana shared a meaningful look when this was revealed; this could be the reason the Grey Wardens had disappeared, but if they were working for Corypheus, did that mean the Dragonborn was also a part of it?

Sadly, Dorian knew next to nothing about Corypheus; if they were going to get the information, it would have be taken from Alexius himself. Talia noticed that Dorian was holding back something, not directly related to Corypheus, but about Alexius. She didn't know what it was, but she was going to pry it out of him later after resolving more pressing matters.

They were attempting to figure out a plan of action. Unfortunately, there were too many factors to be considered, and too few trusted people to get the job done. The fact of the matter was, she was needed in all three places: Redcliffe to deal with the Venatori, Haven to handle Conall and the Templars, and Denerim to discuss the situation with Ferelden's King.

"You can't be in three places at once," Cassandra said, and Talia resisted the urge to roll her eyes and give a scathing remark about her observation skills.

"I know," she said neutrally. "What we do need to know is to assess where I should be."

It was Josephine who spoke up first. "Securing your position as an ally of Ferelden is too valuable for you to be placed anywhere else. We can inform them of the development in Redcliffe, and help them drive out the Tevinters afterward."

"Alexius needs you specifically. I doubt the mages would be willing to negotiate for Felix's life unless the famed Herald of Andraste was there," Dorian pointed out.

"I think the Herald should stay in Haven. The templars will look for you when they arrive, and they will be upset that they were sent to negotiate the alliance only to find that you aren't here."

"I agree with the Commander." Cassandra nodded. "The templars are too dangerous to be allowed to dally around in Haven unsupervised."

"I think Talia should be with the team helping the mages. Gaining the support of the mages is important if we want a force that can defend Haven against the inevitable attack of the templars." Leliana crossed her arms. "But I think we can all agree that the decision is up to you, Herald."

All eyes turned to Talia, and she resisted the urge to sigh. Bull was right, even if nobody said she was the leader, they kept on forcing her into situations where she had to make decisions for the Inquisition.

"What do you think?" She turned to the others. Apart from Dorian and Varric, the Iron Bull, and Solas were both present in the meeting as well, and Leliana had given them a rundown of what happened. Talia wasn't so sure that they had to be included in the discussion, but the decision had been taken out of her hands.

Solas leaned back as he considered his answer. "There is a greater likelihood of success should the Herald accompany us to speak with the mages. If the templars have truly gone rogue and have sided with this Corypheus, securing their aid would be more valuable than attending luncheons with the King of Ferelden."

"I think the boss should go to Redcliffe," Bull grunted. "Not a lot we know about it, and seems more important than meeting with the King or doing damage control here."

"Varric?" she asked when the dwarf remained silent.

"Shit, I don't know, Rubes." He dragged a hand down his face. He looked terribly anxious, but she couldn't blame him. If she were in his place, and she'd just learned there a chance a dangerous man they'd killed was somehow still alive, she would have been in a horrible mood as well. "Maybe you should stay here. I can't believe I agree with Seeker on something, but she's right. They will look for you, and I don't want to know what they're gonna do if they don't find you here."

Talia tapped her lips in thought. It was true that she did need to handle Conall, since she was the least likely to mess that up, but getting the mages to agree to an alliance was more important. She just needed to figure out which of their people should go where.

Her crew looked at her expectantly, and she nodded decisively. "I'm going to Redcliffe."

Cassandra looked ready to argue, but she held back and acknowledged her decision. "Who will be coming with you?"

"We can decide that later, when we're establishing a plan to get in and stop the Venatori. Josephine," she said, and the woman looked up from her notes. "I'm sending you to speak to the King on the Inquisition's behalf. You're our ambassador, and I know you can handle it without my being there. I'll send a letter explaining the situation in addition to that. Hopefully it'll be enough not to offend him."

Josephine inclined her head. "Of course, Herald." And she scribbled away on her vellum.

"Bull."

"Yeah boss?"

"I want the Chargers to escort Josephine to Denerim. I don't want her getting harmed, and I know our enemies will try to send assassins after us. And I want you there with her, Varric."

"What?" He seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts. "Why?"

"Out of all of us, save for Leliana, you're the only one who's met the King of Ferelden. And I think you're the best back-up Josephine could get." She'd seen Varric's persuasion prowess before, and she knew he'd be able to help her.

Varric looked disgruntled, but didn't argue with her.

"As much as I would like to come," Leliana said. "I believe it best for me and Cullen to stay here in Haven. It would look too suspicious to the Templars if all of us were away from Haven. You as well, Cassandra."

"What? No!"

"Cassandra, be reasonable," Leliana said patiently. "Apart from the fact that the templars will look for both Hands of the Divine, the mages will likely react negatively to your presence."

At Cassandra's severe glare, Talia mediated between the two. "Let's discuss it later. Bull, I want you here at Haven. Put your Ben-Hassrath skills to work. I want you to report anything and everything to Leliana."

"You got it, boss." He gave her an informal salute.

"Conall Selbrech and his party will be arriving in Haven soon, at a guess sometime in the next five days. Lady Vivienne will be arriving earlier, I want her apprised of what's happening and how it's going to be dealt with. She will be bringing mages with her; try and shelter them from Conall as much as you can."

"Of course, Herald." Leliana said.

"As for the entire business in Redcliffe," Talia turned her head towards Dorian. "Please supply us with everything you know."

Dorian stood from his chair gracefully, a move Talia was certain he'd spent practicing in his youth. "As I've said earlier, the Venatori entered the Hinterlands about a month ago, and had only seized control of Redcliffe perhaps a week ago. Alexius and his partner, another Altus named Druella Cassius, along with initially around thirty Venatori, spoke to the Arl and the Grand Enchanter about letting Tevinter aid them."

"I'm surprised Arl Teagan even allowed them into Redcliffe," Josephine frowned.

"They didn't really ask," Dorian commented flippantly. "But moving on, even though the Grand Enchanter refused the deal, a great many mages were swayed. After being oppressed, they found the idea of being free incredibly welcome."

"Oppressed?" Cullen bristled at the insult. "The templars were only doing their duty. They were treated well—,"

"Which was why they rebelled, I'm sure," Dorian retorted smoothly.

"What happened next?" Talia interjected before the two could speak any further.

"Some of the mages that had defected to the Venatori tried to kidnap the Grand Enchanter. They caught all of them by surprise, and they killed some of the other loyal southern mages. Felix, the noble idiot that he was, saved the Grand Enchanter, and was rewarded by being held captive as they sealed the castle. Druella gave the ultimatum that they will be laying siege to the castle and kill anyone who doesn't turn to them. Alexius is trying to stall her since Felix is still there. Obviously, it's going nowhere, since he got in touch with me and all but begged me to take this letter to you." He brushed imaginary dust from his robes, and Talia knew now that he did it when he felt uncomfortable. "He spent a lot of time and resources tracking me down. He was lucky I was already in the Hinterlands in the first place."

"Does Alexius have any mages that are loyal to him and not the Venatori?"

Dorian twirled his moustache thoughtfully. "A few, I suppose. But not too many."

"A few is enough. What about the state of entry?"

"My scouts have reported that the gates to Redcliffe are sealed," Leliana said. "They're trying to hide the presence of the Tevinters by controlling whom to let in and not."

"And whom exactly do they let in and not?" Cullen asked.

"Those carting in food and other supplies. Other than that, nobody else."

Talia rubbed her chin as a plan slowly started to form in her mind. "Say we could get someone past the gates, how would they get into and out of the castle?"

"There's a passage," Leliana remembered. "It leads from the windmills in the village down to the castle dungeons. You have a plan?"

"Not really. If we could get someone past the gates, they could get into the castle, speak with Fiona and smuggle Felix out."

Cullen looked over the map of Redcliffe. "We could send some of our men, not all of them, but a sizeable number to surprise them with an attack at the north and south gates. Our infiltrator, whoever that would be, should be able to open the gates and let them in.

The idea had merit. "The guards near the entrance have to be distracted by something...something big and loud."

"If Alexius is serious about this, we can send him a message, dropped by our infiltrator. He can ensure that at a certain time, the guards will be gone, allowing someone with enough skill to scale the walls and open the gate in the north, while the initial infiltrator opens the gate in the south," Cullen continued.

"Sera will be our infiltrator. She's a nobody, and she'll blend in easily," Talia said. Yes, even though Sera had a huge mouth and loud voice, she knew how to get into places quietly. "As for the second one, it has to be me."

Cullen gave her a shrewd look. "You have experience?"

"Oh yes, quite a lot," came the bitter remark from Cassandra.

"This is irrelevant, but what Cassandra is trying to say is that I am thief." She looked all of them in the eyes coolly. "Will this be a problem?" Her tone was unmistakable, and she could see that Cullen, born with a soldier's instincts, stood straighter.

"Nope, I'm good," Bull said quickly, while Solas merely inclined his head. Dorian looked at her in interest but shook his head.

"Cullen?" she prompted when he didn't say anything.

The Commander gritted his teeth, but said, "We'll revisit this later, for now, let's focus on what's to come."

When no one else spoke, Talia continued. "After I get in, I think it would be best for me to get Felix out before we open the gates to launch the assault." She turned to the map and traced the roads with a finger. "We can have one of our agents pick up Felix here, by the small side gate just before we launch our assault."

"Hey boss, I'd like to suggest something."

Talia looked up to see that Bull had leaned forward in his seat. "Go ahead, Bull."

"You should get Cassandra to escort the Vint out of Redcliffe." He jerked his head towards the Seeker, and Talia saw that even the woman was surprised at Bull's suggestion.

"Why's that?"

"Eh, no offense to the Altus over there," he said, and Talia saw that Dorian was immediately offended. "But we don't know anything about this Felix, Alexius or even him." He chucked his thumb in the Tevinter's direction. "Cassandra has the ability to at least drain him of his magic, if he decides to try anything funny."

"Felix is quite possibly the only respectable member of Tevinter society," Dorian hissed. "He's more likely to hug you than attack you. He's harmless. Besides..." He picked at his clothes. "He's sick."

Talia's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Sick?"

Dorian sighed. "It's the reason Alexius joined the Venatori. He never really had any interest in promoting 'Tevinter Supremacy'," he scoffed. "But that changed when Felix and his mother was attacked by darkspawn. Felix survived, Livia didn't."

"So Felix is Tainted?" There was a hint of sympathy in Josephine's eyes.

"Yes, and The Elder One has suppressed it for now. Alexius believes that if he furthers Corypheus' plans, he will cure the Taint in Felix."

That almost confirmed it—the only known cure to the Taint was joining the Grey Wardens. If they were under Corypheus' banner, then he could have used it to bargain with Alexius.

"Felix already knows there's no cure for the Taint," Dorian continued. "But Alexius is stubborn. Felix is his only son, the heir to his seat in the Magisterium, and he will go to whatever lengths to save him."

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed his proclamation.

"All the same, I do agree with Bull. Cassandra should be the one to escort Felix." She raised a hand to forestall Dorian's argument. "For his safety as well. I'm certain that there are a lot of angry Venatori, and Felix will be a target since he was seen aiding the Grand Enchanter."

"Of course." Dorian's tone was still belligerent, but he held his tongue.

"For the forces, we'd need a good mix of mages and soldiers." She turned to Cullen. "I want you and Leliana to handpick whoever we need for this entire business to work. I understand we have a number of mages; it would be best to bring whoever's here in Haven to this mission. If only to get them away from Conall when they get here."

"We'll handle it, Herald. I'll include others who've had templar training as well. They may come in handy eventually."

"I want Solas to be in charge of the mages," she turned to the elf, who inclined his head in acknowledgment. "You've been handling their training, am I correct?"

"Yes, their mastery has grown when they found themselves free of the templar threat."

Talia had a feeling he was throwing a jibe at Cullen and Cassandra, though he'd masterfully done it with an expressionless face.

"Work with Cullen and Leliana in selecting whom to bring on this mission."

"Very well, Herald."

"Perhaps now is a good time to take a break?" Josephine suggested. "After all, we've missed dinner, I can have someone bring some food and we can continue discussing strategy afterward."

Talia didn't say anything, but she threw Josephine a grateful look. Though they didn't speak often, Talia had the impression that Josephine was a very kind woman, albeit one who knew that she needed to cross lines to get the job done.

"Talia, may I speak with you?" Leliana approached her when they started clearing out the table. Talia looked around the room to see if any of them needed something from her before nodding and stepping out of the room with the Spymaster. They strode into Josephine's office and closed the door behind them, with Talia casting a muffle spell before talking.

"What did you need?"

"What exactly did you do to Korrim?" Leliana's eyes were like ice shards, and Talia raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why do you assume I did anything to him?"

The woman's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. "Since you never asked me about Korrim again, I'd assumed you'd decided to leave the matter to me. I've tried questioning him, but he's never given up information, until today."

"Oh? What information did he give?"

"Talia," Leliana said sharply, and all pretenses of innocence fled Talia's face.

"I didn't harm him physically, but I know of other ways to break a man," she admitted.

Leliana sighed. "You didn't have to go behind my back. He was yours to deal with."

"I...didn't want any others to know how proficient I am at torture," Talia said. "People talk, and it would be detrimental to the Herald of Andraste persona we've been projecting to the masses." It was not the whole truth, but Talia didn't know how to say that she'd wanted to do something she was used to doing. Sneaking around and torturing someone for information had brought Talia a sense of peace and normalcy, as ridiculous and morbid as it sounded. "I admit I shouldn't have done so. I apologize." She did a lot more of that lately, apologizing, and it was strange in and of itself.

"I—it's all right." Leliana was clearly taken aback by her apology.

"So," Talia said briskly to dispel the awkwardness. "What did he have to say?"

"He told us what information he told the Templars, the number of people we have, the location of all our camps, alliances we've made so far, important agents we've recruited. Thankfully, he knows nothing about you or the circumstances which brought you here. However, I highly doubt that Corypheus doesn't already know. He must know something happened, since it was Lavellan who interrupted the ritual, but you who emerged from the rift."

Talia felt a pang of guilt as she remembered that she had yet to tell them that she knew what happened in the Fade. She'd been saved by Justinia, and Talia knew just how much the Divine had meant to both Leliana and Cassandra.

"What else?"

"They're looking for a defector. Knight-Commander Trevelyan from the Ostwick Circle and his templars had denounced their ideals, and they've been on the hunt ever since. I'm assuming Trevelyan has important information and they want him silenced before relevant parties find him."

Talia nodded. "Have some of your agents look into Trevelyan. If he can be persuaded to join us, I'm sure Cullen would be thrilled to have more templars in the Inquisition."

"Already on it, Talia."

"I..." Talia hesitated, then sighed. "I want Korrim freed."

"What?" Leliana asked in surprise. "He's a traitor. I would think he'd be given no less than a quick execution."

"Book him and his family a transport out of Ferelden. After what I did to him, I doubt he'd even think of betraying us again, and the templars will be looking for him."

Leliana cocked her head to the side as she observed the dunmer. "I thought you didn't tolerate betrayal."

"I don't," Talia simply said, but offered no other explanation. She thought of the image she'd projected into the man's mind and the screams that accompanied him. Those would stick with him for the rest of his life, killing him now would be a mercy. A small part of her that she didn't want to acknowledge simply didn't think it would be right to deprive his daughter of a loving father. Killing people had never really bothered her, but orphaning children sometimes led to disastrous consequences. She shook her head as the contents of Bellamont's journal filled her mind.

Once dinner was over, they ironed out the details of their plan. It was not perfect, but it seemed the only one that was viable at the moment. Sera had seemed ecstatic at the idea of infiltrating Redcliffe, so much so that she'd whooped in joy when they informed her of her role. It was clear that Bull wanted to be where the action was, but Talia didn't trust him. They would learn a lot of valuable information in this mission, and the less reported to this Ben-Hassrath, the better. Solas was his usual quiet self, though Talia noticed he seemed to be giving her inscrutable looks.

After their meeting, Talia joined Josephine in her office and went over the letter they were going to send to King Alistair. It was frustrating that she couldn't write anything in their language, but at least Josephine was willing to help her with it. By the time they were done, Talia's head was pounding, and she felt wearier than ever. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

When she woke, she was in the hospice at Cloud Ruler Temple, dutifully laying still as Martin Septim tended to her wounds.

"You should really be more careful," Martin chided her lightly as he wiped the blood off her.

The dunmer rolled her eyes. "If I did, I wouldn't have been there, closing the gate at Kvatch,"

Martin stilled at her words, and she mentally berated herself. Kvatch was still a rather sore topic for him, who had never felt more helpless at that moment.

"I'm sorry," she offered. "I often find that my mouth is disconnected from my mind."

Martin sighed as he finished healing her cuts, and sat down on the side of the bed. "Apology accepted," he said. "I simply wish I could have done more."

Talia gave him a sharp look as she sat up. "Kvatch was not your fault. Stop beating yourself over it."

"The daedra—"

"Would have killed more people if you hadn't been there to heal them."

"They attacked Kvatch because they were looking for me!" He exclaimed angrily. "Do not pretend it was otherwise just to spare my feelings."

Talia pursed her lips. "It's true that they were looking for you, but how many gates have been opened? Kvatch was the first, but it would have been attacked eventually even if you weren't there. There is no point in thinking of what-ifs."

Martin's shoulders slumped. "I cannot help but regret what happened."

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "If you intend to harbor your imagined guilt for the rest of your life, then there's nothing I can do about it. But harness it into something; learn how to wield your sword properly, or study more destruction magic so you can defend yourself and others."

Another sigh escaped his lips, but this one in acceptance. "You're right, as usual. Wallowing in self-pity would help no one." He smiled at her. "What would I do without you?"

"I'm sure you'll find some other priestess of Mara to whom you can unburden yourself," she teased. Though they both knew she was quite obviously not a priestess, no matter how she had first presented herself, Martin never called her out on the lie.

"Of course, but where else could I find a priestess who would willingly brave Oblivion for me?"

Talia sobered. "Every Blade here would give up their life for you in an instant, Martin."

The twinkling in his eyes dimmed. "I would not ask any of you to do so," he murmured.

She shrugged as she looked down and fiddled with the hem of the pillowcase. "These things are not asked for, but willingly given."

A warm hand caught her chin and raised it so that her red eyes met blue ones.

"What do you plan to do when this is all over?"

"Go back to Bravil, serve my Lady," she said. It would be impossible to stay with the Blades after Martin was crowned emperor. She was a Silencer, Lucien's Silencer to be more specific. He may allow her to tarry around when the fate of Nirn was on the line, but afterwards? Never.

"You said all of Blades would give their lives for me. Would you?"

"Of course," she replied with no hesitation. Her life was not hers to give, but she would deal with the consequences in the future.

"Then, will you stay?" he murmured.

"What?" she asked dumbly. Talia was suddenly aware of Martin's hand, which had gone from holding her chin to tracing the paint on her cheek.

"Would you give up your life as an assassin to stay by my side?"

Talia's heart leapt to her throat. Was he truly asking…?

"Martin, I cannot stay, you know this. You are the Emperor, and I am…me. Besides, I…I already belong to another."

Martin leaned forward until they were a hair's breadth away, and growled, "You are mine." And he captured her lips in a searing kiss, stealing her breath.

For one blissful moment, there was nothing but her, Martin, and yes she would definitely stay.

But something was wrong, Martin's hands were too rough, his grip too forceful. Apart from that, Martin had certainly never kissed her—not until that fateful day in the Temple of One.

Talia pushed the figure away, and like in the past, the image flickered. Talia could she a female figure, scantily-clad, her skin purple and eyes hooded in unmistakable lust. The dunmer growled and pushed the demon away, certain now that she was in the Fade.

"Oh but Talia," the demon still spoke in Martin's voice. "I can give you everything you've ever wanted. If you'd only just accept—,"

"Sithis take you," Talia hissed. She had no idea how to vanquish a demon in the Fade, but a number of well-placed ice spikes should suffice. Before she could attack, a look of fear crossed the demon's face, and without warning, green flames enveloped her, and she disappeared with a keening wail.

Talia whirled around, and was met with an elf. He was wearing armor made out of gold, tarnished, as if it had gone through many battles. Half of his face was covered with a wolf mask, and Talia could only see the soft smirk that was gracing the man's face.

"What are you?" he asked in a soft voice. Talia recognized it as the one that woke her up during the nightmare with Lukas, and her eyes immediately narrowed.

"I would ask the same of you."

Her answer seemed to amuse the elf. "You may call me the Dread Wolf, if you please."

"The Dread Wolf?" Talia said in a flat voice that should tell him exactly what she thought of such a ridiculous name. "Is it because of the mask?"

The elf grinned, and it struck Talia that his smile did seem very wolf-like. "Perhaps I wear the mask because it represents who I am."

"You've been invading my dreams." Talia decided to get to the heart of the matter. The elf cocked his head to the side. "I've heard your voice calling out."

"Interesting," he said. "I would have thought that you wouldn't remember those instances."

"What do you want?" Talia demanded. This was uncharted territory. She had no idea how to deal with the Fade, she'd never been connected to it. Dreaming here was obviously very different from dreaming in Nirn, if the elf could traipse around in her mind.

"I?" He started pacing. "I simply wish to understand. And perhaps...to help you along the way."

"Help me?"

The elf gestured forward. "Walk with me." And without checking if Talia was following, he strode ahead. Cursing silently, Talia dogged his footsteps.

Slowly, the world around her changed and shifted from the hospice into a beautiful temple, with tall ivory spires that stretched out to kiss the sky. The floor they'd been walking on changed into a long stone bridge, and underneath it, a clear river that flowed south and cascaded into beautiful waterfalls. Impossibly large trees cradled the structure they were on, and crystalline branches shimmered in the starlight. Talia stopped and admired the view for a moment.

"Beautiful is it not?" the Dread Wolf's voice said from her right.

She glanced at him and saw that the red eyes she could see from the slits on the mask looked pensive and nostalgic.

"Where is this?"

"This is Arlathan, or Arlathan as it was." His smile faded, and he pushed himself away from the edge of the bridge and continued walking. Talia allowed herself to walk beside him, but she never let her guard down. She didn't know who this elf was or what his agenda was.

"The Elves of Thedas have been oppressed for too long, and I wish to empower them. Restore the Elvhen back to their former glory," he said, and Talia threw him a sidelong glance.

"And what, pray tell, does this have to do with me?"

The elf paused in his steps and turned to her. "Everything."

Talia suppressed a shiver at how ominously he said it. The Dread Wolf reached out slowly and took her left hand. He flipped it so that her palm faced upward, and when he touched the green mark, it glowed and flared. Talia retracted her hand and gave him a warning look.

"My apologies," he said. "This magic is of Elvhen make."

"Elvhen?" Talia glanced down at her hand. It would make sense; the magic was old, since nobody seemed to understand just exactly what it was.

"Do you know what your mark does?" When Talia said nothing, he continued. "It is called the Anchor, because it is something that grants you the ability not just to close tears in the Veil, but to open fade rifts as well. This," he gestured to her hand. "Is the only known way to enter the Fade physically. Corypheus sought this so that he may enter the Fade, and take the Maker's throne so to speak."

"How did you know about Corypheus?" Talia said sharply.

"I know a great many things, Talia Indoril."

This elf was dangerous, he knew quite a lot, and remained a mystery. What was worse was that she could not escape him. He would haunt her dreams if he wished, and she would have to look for a way to block this strange connection to the Fade. Seeing how warily she watched him, the Dread Wolf smiled at her.

"I know you don't trust me, how could you when we've barely just met?"

"And you invade my privacy by integrating yourself in my dreams," she deadpanned.

He flashed his teeth in a grin. "There is that. But I would like to give you something, a token of good faith."

Talia looked at him skeptically, and merely smiled in response. He waved his hand and a glowing map of Thedas appeared in front of them.

"I know you've been dealing with the templars, and Haven isn't an ideal location for your base of operations." He straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands behind him, a gesture Talia was certain she'd seen before. "In the Frostback Mountains, near the Dales, there is an abandoned elven fortress. It is called Tarasyl'an Te'las, or Skyhold in King's Tongue. Its stones are imbued with a protective magic. It will be a perfectly defensible place to set up the Inquisition."

Talia narrowed her eyes at him. "What is your game?"

He gave her another infuriating smile. "Perhaps you can figure out later after you wake up."

Talia woke with a jolt, and she dispelled the magic in her fingers as she ascertained her location. She was in Haven, in her cabin, where she had fallen asleep. She opened the door and asked one of the guards to call for Solas, probably the only one who could make sense of the situation.

She couldn't remember much about this Dread Wolf, and she was sure it was something he'd done in the Fade. But she remembered his words. Restoring Elves to their former glory. The Anchor. Skyhold.

When Solas arrived, he looked alert, and his face was concerned when Talia waved him in.

"Is everything all right, Herald?" he asked.

Talia hesitated. What was she going to say, that a man had come to her in her dreams and told her about her mark and an abandoned fortress in the North?

Solas waited patiently, and Talia sighed, running a hand through her hair before speaking.

"Have you ever heard of a place called Skyhold?"

Solas answering smile was so familiar, and Talia couldn't place just where she'd seen it before.

A/N: Sorry for the late upload! There was a surge in the number of shoots I had to do this holiday season, it's crazy! Anyway, thanks to those who're still reading! You guys are the best.

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