Chapter Text

We arrive at the hold just as dinner is being served at Herald's Rest, our local tavern. The aroma of roasted meat, seasoned to perfection, makes its way to us as we enter the gates. Sweet music fills the air from the lips of Maryden, the tavern's bard. I'm sure the light-hearted laughter and hollering can be heard from any corner of Skyhold. My weary body aches for food and rest, and I can assume my comrades do as well. It might not be a horrible idea to end our day at the tavern.



"Would anyone like to join me at Herald's Rest for dinner?" I ask.



"I am quite famished. I suppose I am in the mood for a good roasted duck or chicken," says Dorian



"Sure, I could eat," Cassandra says



"I will stay with you while you eat," Cole graciously offered. Normally he is not one to socialize outside of what's necessary. Today has been odd, perhaps he wants to feel close to people for the time being. Plus, he does have something he wants to tell me later.



We drop our mounts off at the stable before heading up the stone steps to the landing where the tavern is. There are people - dwarves, humans, elves, even Iron Bull, our lone Qunari, loitering around the entrance enjoying each others' company. As we push through the crowd and through the door, we get the occasional greeting from a local or two.

Towards the back I spot a table with just enough seats for us, a perfect nook. It feels so nice to finally sit in the warmth. I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table and my head in my hands. I suppose it's bad table manners and luckily Vivienne isn't here to correct me. Cassandra leans back and folds her arms across her chest, sitting across from me.

A waiter comes and brings us all stout glasses of ale and tells us our dinner would be out shortly. We toast to our health and turn our attention to the performance of the bard.



"Ahh, such a sweet song!" shouts Dorian, not because he was overly enthused, but because it's that loud in the tavern tonight. As Maryden begins singing, the crowd is hushed. "Once We Were" is a sweet, tender song that truly pulls on the heartstrings, both with its lyrics and the melody Maryden sings. It's a favorite around Skyhold, a way of remembering where we came from, what it cost us, and where we are now.

"Once we were

In our peace

With our lives assured.

Once we were

Not afraid of the dark.

Once we sat in our kingdom

With hope and pride.

Once we ran through

The fields with great strides.

We held the Fade

And the demon's flight

So far from our children

And from our lives.

We held together

The fragile sky

To keep our way of life.

Once we raised

Up our chalice

In victory.

Once we sat

In the light of our dreams.

Once we were

In our homeland

With strength and might.

Once we were

Not afraid of the night.

We held the Fade

And the demon's flight

So far from our children

And from our lives.

We held together

The fragile sky

To keep our way of life."

I gaze into the lantern at the center of our table, the flames and song pulling me into a trance of remembrance: Remembrance of a time much sweeter and exhilarating than these. Fighting for victory over Corypheus gave me a purpose to living - and to dying. Solas gave me purpose for continuing on afterwards. I never imagined life would feel empty without an evil to fight. Now the evil is within my mind and my heart is nowhere to be found.



Dorian speaks, trying to fill the silence that lingered after the song faded out and into a new, "Remember that time when I was electrocuted by a pride demon? I don't. My brain is still quite fuzzy remembering what came after that."



"I do! I was worried you were never going to wake," I say.



"Darling, it'll take much more than a whip to kill me."



I laugh, without even meaning to. I think I even hear Cassandra let out a chuckle. It feels good to smile, so I let it linger. The music begins to pick up again, and the crowd was quite drunk by this point, I'm sure. People start dancing, rather attempting to dance, spilling their ale and bumbling about quite humorously. Their carefree behavior makes me want to join them. Maybe if I wasn't so tired, I tell myself.



I see the waiter balancing four plates up her arms through the drunken crowd, dodging bottles of wine and flailing elbows.

"Thank the Maker, that looks so delicious right now!" Cassandra sighed.



I can feel my mouth begin to salivate. My belly aches with hunger. She serves our food and we don't hesitate to consume it.



"I don't know if it's because I'm famished or what, but this is divine," mumbled Cassandra, between bites of potato, carrots and roasted chicken.



"Whoever is still hungry can have my plate," says Cole. Bless the server, she must not be familiar with Cole's nature. I'm not sure he can eat, I've never seen him ingest anything. He has a body in the sense that one cannot walk through him, but he can change his form, vanishing and reappearing at his will. Some people around Skyhold fear him because they don't understand him, or his abilities. I understand his nature doesn't make him a danger. He has a pure heart.



"Let's race. First one done gets the plate!" Dorian challenges us.



"Oh, you're on!" shouts Cassandra.



"All yours. Well, one of yours," I giggle.



Unsurprisingly, Cassandra won. The way she was shoveling food down her hatch is comparable to that of a Qunari - who are easily a foot taller than her and 100 pounds heavier. It was actually quite impressive, in a disturbing sense of the word. However, being the Divine leader she is, she offers to share the food with me and Dorian.



"Honestly, I can't finish all of this by myself. I barely finished my own plate," she says.



"No thank you Cassandra. I am brimful of food already," I graciously decline.



"I might take some of that chicken," says Dorian questionably. They begin to tear apart the remaining meat and separate it evenly amongst themselves.



"Aryel, do you want to come up to my loft for a moment so we can talk about...things?" Cole whispers to me.



"Of course, let's leave while they're still finishing their meal."



Cole can often be found on the third floor of the Herald's Rest, sort of like his "bedchamber". It's quieter up here, but cold. There's no hearth to make a fire. I suppose Cole wouldn't need one.



"I want to apologize, Aryel. I've been feeling so conflicted, like no matter what I do someone is going to get hurt. I can't help. I thought I could help everyone, but no matter what I do all I see is it ending in pain." Cole says. There is struggle in his voice, which I've never heard before. Confusion. Frustration. He's been sad and angry, but never defeated.



"Cole, I know you well. You've been my friend for years. You never want anyone to suffer. You don't have to apologize," I say, trying to comfort him.



"You're always so understanding. You're a true friend and that's why I must tell you -"



Cole's voice trails off, eyes glass over as if staring into the eyes of something truly frightening.



"Cole -" I start, but get cut off by angry bellows of the war horns. An attack on Skyhold? Who would be so stupid? My brows furrow with confusion, frustration, and fear. "Now, of all times..."



I shake my head and let out a sigh, preparing myself for whatever is out there. As I run down the stairs I see Sera poke her head out of her room, which is on the second floor of the tavern.



"What in Andraste's britches is goin’ on?!" She shouts.



"I haven't a clue. Come with us," I shout across the floor.



She pauses only to grab her bow and arrows and sprints after me and Cole. We catch Dorian and Cassandra on our way outside and they follow us, too. Outside, Iron Bull is standing tall amongst the crowd of people who have begun to linger.



"Bull!" I shout in his direction, "Come with us!"



"You got it, Boss!" He shouts back.



I have no idea where the rest of my companions are. Varric, Vivienne, and Blackwall are not accounted for, but I trust they'll find their way to us eventually. It's difficult pushing through the crowd of people as we make our way to Cullen, who's somewhere near the gates.



"Up ahead, slightly to the right!" Iron Bull shouts. He towers overhead, making a good scout amongst the crowd.



"Thanks, Bull!" I say, navigating with more confidence now that I have a set direction.



"Inquisitor! Over here!" I hear Cullen shout through the commotion. The crowd disperses as we make our way to Cullen and the guards, giving us ample room to do our jobs.



"What's going on?" I question Cullen.



"It's our looking towers.One of them has been attacked," Cullen tells us.



"By whom?"



"By what is a better question."



I squint my eyes, thinking, questioning. My stomach lurches. Please don't let it be Fen'Harel.



"There's a surviving guard who's in the infirmary tent a few meters behind you."



"May I speak with him?"



"You can try, he's shaken up quite badly."



I make my way towards the tent, telling my companions to stay put near the gates just in case whatever-it-is decides to attack our hold. By now the guards have done a good job controlling the crowd. They've made sure the civilians are staying put on the overlooking landing or back near the stables, making clear the flat where we keep the infirmary tents. I'm sure they don't want fear being loosed upon the people.



I reach the tent where the wounded surviving guard is and the nurse lets me in. He's laying on a mat with his leg wrapped up in a bandage. Blood is already beginning to soil it.



"What's his name?" I ask the nurse. She was a middle-aged woman with fair hair and a gentle smile.



She says, "This is Aimeric Herlemont. He was one of two guards watching the far north lookout tower."



We have 3 lookout towers in either direction, each spaced a click apart. That's 3 clicks up the main road from Skyhold.



"What happened to the other guard?"



"He - bloody fool!" shouts Aimeric, "He attacked the bloody beast - I told him not to!"



"Can you explain to me the events that lead to the attack?" I ask him.



"We saw glowing red eyes - not sure if there were two or six of 'em. The beast was hidin', watchin' us behind the treeline. Fyren got scared and drew his bow - pointed it right at the beast. It was too big, I didn't want to provoke it so we got to yellin’ and fightin’ and that's when Fyren loosed his arrow." Aimeric trails off into a whimper and shakes his head as if trying to shake the thought loose from his mind.



"Aimeric, what happened next? Can you tell me?"



He sighed. "Okay. The beast laughed, I swear it laughed, then it attacked Fyren. As if by magic Fyren was lit with flames. I was trapped in the tower as he wailed for help, wailin’ until he passed. The beast watched the whole time. Eventually the tower caught the flames too. Fyren was layin’ atop the hatch and I had to jump out to keep from burnin’ myself. That's how I hurt my leg. Bone sticking straight out... At first I feared the beast would eat me, but he seemed too clever to do it - he just.... he just walked right up to me, staring. He - he was..." Aimeric trailed off again, still terrified from the attack.



"Aimeric, that was brave of you. You were right not to attack. Can you tell me more about this 'beast'?"



"He was a wolf the size of a friggin' horse, Inquisitor. A bloody wolf - the size of a horse! I swear it!" He is shouting now, I'm sure someone is likely to hear him. That's not good. We don't need these rumors spreading.



"Shhh, Aimeric, it's alright. It's okay. You're safe," I look straight into his eyes. They're full of tears and he's shaking. Bless him, he couldn't have been more than 18 years old. I cannot keep torturing this young man with questions anymore. "You can rest now," I tell him as I turn to leave.



Instinctively I look to my companions who are waiting near the tent. I notice Blackwall, Varric and Vivienne have joined the crew. They look like they've heard the whole conversation. Everyone looks solemn and concerned, but they do not voice their worries to me. I look back at the hill where the citizens were standing before, and they are still standing in wait. Whispers begin to rise from them.



"Aimeric is alright and there's no need to fear. Please go about your evening," I tell the crowd. Eventually they begin to disperse.



"What in the world was he talking about?" asks Varric.



I look to Cassandra, Dorian and Cole. "I believe The Dread Wolf is back. Dorian, Cassandra, Cole and I saw signs of it earlier today, but now we have our confirmation."



"Should we be worried?"



"I honestly don't know. You all are dismissed. I have no further instructions as of yet. For now, we gather as much information as possible."



Cole lingers longer than the rest.



"Right. Cole, can we talk tomorrow? I have to discuss things with Cullen. Plus, it's getting late. I need my rest."



"As you wish," he speaks with sadness. With that, he walks towards the tent where Aimeric is. Cole's going to help his pain.



Cullen and I make our way to each other, stopping just a couple feet apart.



"Inquisitor, what's your command?" He asks me. He's heard, too, and I'm sure he's concerned.



"For now, we wait. The Dalish have history with Fen'Harel. His intentions aren't always clear. Dread Wolf was attacked first today, one could argue he was defending himself. After all, he did spare Aimeric. Currently, our priority is to keep the people calm. For now, no one is to go out of the hold alone. Only large parties may leave. Absolutely no one is to go out past dark. And absolutely no one is to engage the beast."



"Affirmative, I'll make sure my men get the message."



"We should call a war council for the morning. For now, I must get some rest. I'm about to faint with exhaustion."



"Let me assist you to your chamber, you don't look well."



I give him a blank stare, my mind is fading fast. I must lie down soon, so I don't resist the assistance.



"I just meant, you look tired. Of course you look fine as ever. Not that you needed to hear that," Cullen nervously stuttered.



"Cullen, it's fine. I'm sure I do look like a mess - I've been riding and killing demons all day. I'm sure I look like a wild beast," I joke, hoping to lessen the tension. I never could tell if there was something more between us. At times, he gets flustered around me, as he is now. His cheeks turn a soft shade of pink and with his free hand he scratches the back of his head. In the other my arm is linked as he guides me up the steps into the castle.



"You could never," he said with a dreamy smile.



I smile back, but with nothing more than the intent of friendship. I enjoy Cullen's company, but not in a romantic way. We have a deep level of mutual respect, but we never seemed to fall into anything deeper than that, at least on my end. Solas and I connect on every level. Perfectly complimenting each other. He's ma vehnan. Cullen never will be, nor anyone else.



We reach the steps to my chamber and I give his arm a gentle squeeze. "Thanks for making sure I made it to my room, Cullen. You're a good friend," I say.



He places his muscular hand on my shoulder for a moment and looks into my eyes, "Yes, of course. Anything for you, my friend."



"Goodnight," I smile back at him and drudgingly drag my legs up the steps to my chamber. I don't bother changing, I just strip my clothes off in a trail to my bed. My head hits the pillow and I'm out.