Despite everything, Jacquelyn had to admire the area inside the walls surrounding Suledin Keep. It looked almost ancient, and in places it was quite chaotic. The trees had no leaves on them, standing like skeletal hands with snow adorning their branches, and the stone walls were falling down in places. The statues around the place appeared to be Elvhen in origin, standing guard over the scene. Jacquelyn found herself absently wondering how old they were, even though she had hardly any interest in Suledin Keep's origins. A small thought that Solas would likely have been interested in the area came into her head, only to leave it again a moment later as a shiver ran through her body. The only thing that would be able to make this expedition any better was if it wasn't so darn cold. She wished her armour was warmer, but kept trudging forward. They reached one of the openings in the wall and stopped, feeling her heart drop.

"First we find the remains of a red lyrium infected giant," she muttered, "now we have to fight one? We have not even had time to consider the best way to do so." She didn't particularly like their chances here. Ideally they would have had more time to consider their options, but time was certainly not on their side. It was unlikely that Imshael hadn't been alerted of their impending arrival by now, and Jacquelyn was certain that it would be planning how best to welcome them.

"Sometimes the best way out is through," Cassandra replied, sword already in hand. Jacquelyn looked at the Seeker, seeing the grim determination in her eyes. She silently drew her own sword, hearing magic crackling behind her and knowing that Vivienne was preparing to cast her magic at their enemies. Maker knew where Cole was, but Jacquelyn would have to continue trusting that the boy-spirit would have their backs.

"Vivienne," she made sure her voice was void of fear, only holding a hard note of command as she spoke, "we will keep the templars away from you. I want you to concentrate your attacks on that giant. We need it to be brought down as quickly as you can manage."

"Of course."

Jacquelyn found herself wishing that they had Varric, Sera, or one of the other mages with them as well. Having more people who were capable of ranged fighting would have been advantageous in this situation, but they would cope. If she was going to waste time on wishing for things that would make her life easier, she may as well wish that the giant wasn't there at all. And she may as well wish that the templars weren't a problem, and that Imshael was nothing but a little mouse. Sadly, the world did not work like that. She took in a deep breath as the templars and giant began rushing at the small group of Inquisition members, raised her sword and shield, shifting herself into a more defensive position, and readied for another fight.

An echo sounded through the frozen air as the giant collapsed on the ground before them. Cassandra and Jacquelyn breathing heavily as they stepped back to regard its lifeless body, swords hanging by their sides. Blood dripped from the tip of their swords, just a few more specks on the already crimson ground. Cole reappeared nearby as he finished off the last of the templars, and the last of Vivienne's ice faded into nothingness as she stepped forward. Giant, crystal blue shards of ice were crackling in the giant's body, the sun glinting off them as water dripped from their tips, and Jacquelyn once again felt herself slightly in awe of the power that mages had. Awe… and fear. She hated that she was afraid of them, even with her templar abilities growing with her prolonged lyrium exposure and experience wielding the powers that it gave her. She didn't like that mages weren't under anyone's control anymore, even if she did somewhat trust Vivienne. At the end of the day, Madame de Fer was still a mage, and Jacquelyn could never bring herself to fully trust a mage. Even one who condemned what had occurred at Kirkwall.

"Is everyone all right?" Jacquelyn asked, cleaning her sword on a patch of snow before once more sheathing it, looking around at her companions, taking her time to check each one for any injuries. Cassandra nodded, shrugging her shield into a secure position on her back, sword already returned to its spot at her side.

"Yes," Cole said, and Vivienne seemed to be rather pointedly ignoring him as she nodded her own affirmations at being in one piece. Somehow, despite having to fight off that giant, all of them had escaped without much more than ringing ears and a few bruises. Jacquelyn could feel that she would be longing for a hot bath by the end of the day, and she did not look forward to the aching bones and muscles she knew she would soon experience.

"Does anyone have any ideas as to how much further we must go before we reach Imshael?" Jacquelyn asked as they continued on their way.

"I don't believe it's too much further until we reach the keep itself," Cassandra assured her. "The biggest threat is if they have any more infected giants between us and our destination."

"I imagine that facing Imshael shall not be pleasant, even if we have not been worn out by facing multiple foes, and potentially more giants," the Inquisitor muttered. "Perhaps we should take the time to think of a new tactic for how to reach our goal."

"Do you have any suggestions, darling? I'm sure we're all ears."

A sigh escaped Jacquelyn and she ran a hand down her face, doing her best to rub some warmth into it before cupping her hands and breathing into them, hiding her exasperation as an attempt to warm up as they continued to trudge through the snow.

"Unfortunately, no," she admitted, frowning as she continued to think. All they could do was keep walking, and hope that they wouldn't have too many more enemies to face before they reached Imshael.

"At least we have a tactic for bringing the giants down. The red templars are proving to be no more difficult than usual."

Jacquelyn was glad that Cassandra was there to be a voice of reason. She was grateful that the older woman was there to keep her grounded, to keep her mind where it mattered. Not on slim odds, but on fighting through the situation to the other side.

"Yes, thank you for leaving me with the hard job," Vivienne shot a too-sweet smile to Cassandra, receiving a glare in response. Jacquelyn bit her tongue to suppress an exasperated sigh.

"We can help," Cole said, quietly mumbling something incomprehensible to himself before speaking up again. "If we aim for their ankles and knees. If they can't stand or walk, then they won't be as much of a threat."

The Inquisitor looked around at him, contemplating his words briefly, then nodded. It made sense. If the opportunity to maim the giants arose, then Jacquelyn, Cole, and Cassandra would do so. Vivienne would have to remain the primary giant killer, though. As they rounded the corner, Jacquelyn saw that they would get their chance to put their new tactic to the test.