Seeing what must be an enormous castle waiting for them in the distance boosted the Inquisition's morale considerably. Even so, several members of the small council caught up to Solas to express their concerns when the left side of the cliff face gave way to reveal a much narrower mountain path. The slimness of the road not only slowed down the procession as their people filtered into much thinner queues, but it was leading them steadily downwards, where the long stone bridge leading into the castle was perched much higher, over a partially frozen river fed by a waterfall embedded in the mountain's west.
Solas assured them that there was a cable lift in the valley that could draw them up, although the lift mechanism itself may have frozen over in its long-term neglect. Further concerns were also voiced about this singular option to approach- while it would make an enemy attack by an army virtually impossible, it would also negate the option to flee in the same way they were able to flee Haven. After a brief, heated argument, it was decided that this was a technicality to be worked on later. For now, all that mattered was getting everyone into Skyhold.
Miraculously (as many in the crowd declared), the cable lift was still functional, allowing for about ten people at a time, while everyone else in the valley took the opportunity to put down their supplies and take a brief respite while they waited their turn. The Herald went up first, along with Solas, Fae, Josephine, and several uninjured soldiers. Their role was two-fold; first, to give everyone else the courage to take the precarious-looking cable lift ride by seeing the Herald of Andraste do it first, and second, to begin scoping out the area (and checking for any inhabitants who might already call the place home, in case Solas was misinformed about its abandonment.)
It wasn't until they began crossing the bridge that Fae could appreciate the sheer size of Skyhold. The bridge alone was wide enough for two wagons to travel abreast, with room to spare. The giant gates at the end of the bridge were already wide open, as if to welcome the new visitors. Passing through these gates led them into a breathtakingly large lower courtyard, with a wide set of steps leading up to an upper courtyard. The main structures of this upper courtyard included one or two tall but dilapidated stone buildings, separate from the main castle, along with several sets of stairs along the stone walls leading to various areas of the battlements, some of which had gaping holes. Whether these due to battle wounds or collapse over time, it was hard to be sure. Most importantly, there was a staircase leading into the castle's central building, the main keep of the fortress.
The great hall in the keep was a mess, as was the rest of the building, Fae suspected. There were piles of rubble and debris everywhere, and at the very back of the room, sunlight poured in from shattered stained-glass window-panes.
"Ah!" Josephine clapped her hands together gleefully. "This will be perfect for a throne-room."
"Lady Montilyet," one of the soldiers said hesitantly. "If you would allow me and the boys some time to double-check that its safe in here…"
"Oh! Of course, I am getting ahead of myself. We shall leave you to it, captain."
It took some time for the Inquisition to begin settling into Skyhold. For the first few days, everyone slept in tents in the upper or lower courtyard while the few among them with any knowledge of architectural stability assessed all the accessible areas of Skyhold for safe use. There was also the matter of clearing rooms full of debris to make room for beds that were still to be built, and there was other furniture to be built or purchased as well; desks, tables, chairs, as well as torch sconces to replace those which had fallen, broken or missing from where light was needed. The building allocated as the Inquisition's tavern was one of the first to undergo serious repairs, with the reasoning that after the ordeal they had all just been through, morale was of utmost importance.
Then there was the main keep, the stables, the gaps in the battlements; the list went on seemingly without end. The population of Skyhold had also grown over the past few weeks. Word had got out about the destruction of Haven and the events that led to it, and it brought many to Skyhold, with Leliana sending directions by raven upon request. Some were volunteers wanting to join the Inquisition, and some were the loved ones of those who'd been at Haven, arriving in the hope that at best they would be reunited, or at worst, confirm their fate. Housing all these new arrivals was still technically possible; every day, another room would be discovered, or a hidden hallway, or another staircase leading to more rooms. But beds and tents remained in high demand, while barracks were gradually added, and various Inquisition members claimed their own quarters in some corner or other.
As two of a limited number of resident mages with any healing ability, Fae and Ellethir occupied a tent within the small tent city that remained in the lower courtyard, housing the injured and healers alike. Josephine protested about maintaining the Herald's dignity, but the latter put her foot down, and Leliana managed to convince their chief diplomat that it was good for the Herald to be seen helping out.
Fae was busying herself with cutting bandages one morning, when one of Leliana's agents approached her. "Sister Nightingale says it's time," he whispered, and she nodded.
"Gather everyone in the upper courtyard, there's going to be an announcement. Not you, you're not allowed to move that shoulder," she sighed exasperatedly as her current patient attempted in vain to sit up. "We'll be back soon."
Fae arrived with the growing crowd in time to hear the end of Cassandra's speech, faint as it was from where the Seeker, the Herald and Leliana stood on the platform between the two sets of stairs leading to the main keep.
"The Inquisition requires a leader: the one who has already been leading it," Cassandra said assuredly.
Ellethir did not echo that confidence. "You trust this to an elf? An elven mage? Are you quite sure you know what you're doing?"
"I would be terrified handing this power to anyone, but I believe it is the only way," Cassandra admitted, but her expression remained determined. "They'll follow you. To them, being an elf shows how far you've risen, how it must have been by Andraste's hand. The same goes for your being a mage. I will not pretend no one will object, but times are changing. There would be no Inquisition without you."
Leliana stepped forward, presenting an intricately-designed ceremonial sword. Ellethir accepted it reluctantly (Fae was surprised she could even wield it, given the sword looked heavy enough to sink a boat), and bit her lip. As Ellethir looked at the sword in her hand, her expression hardened.
"Corypheus will never let me live in peace," she said lowly. "He made that clear. He intends to be a god, to rule over us all. So he must be stopped. We will stop him, together."
That was good enough for Cassandra. "Have our people been told?" she called out loudly to the lower courtyard.
"They have!" Josephine called back. "And soon, the world."
"Commander," Cassandra called. "Will they follow?"
Cullen paced in front of the crowd. "Inquisition! Will you follow?"
The crowd cheered in response. "Will you fight?" He yelled, and the cheering grew louder. "Will we triumph?" He drew and raised his sword towards Ellethir. "Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!"
Ellethir thrust the sword towards the sky, and the crowd went wild, cheering and whooping and applauding thunderously. Josephine let out a definitively unladylike cheer, surprising even herself, and Fae grinned, taking it as a challenge to cheer even louder, for which the ambassador was secretly grateful.
A/N: Hello again and happy new year :) It's been a little while but the next few chapters are on their way, stay tuned!