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[Colonelkillabee]

This isn't my first time writing, though it is my first time writing about Dragon Age. Feel free to read and tell me what you think If it turns out well enough, I plan on writing another one, this time more adventurous and relating to spirits of faith.

 

 

Word Count: 3093

 

Spoiler

 

Boom, boom, boom, echoed through the chamber of upper Skyhold. His eyes popping open in haste, his body bolting up from the fine silken sheets. A gift from the Orlesians, always overly extravagant. More loud pounding came before the Inquisitor realized someone was knocking at his door. Not just anyone of course. He'd grown accustomed to being summoned this way, despite who he was, and could recognize that knock from anywhere.

 

"Three, two, one..."

 

On the final count, the door flew open, breaking the locks in the process and revealing the fierce presence of an armored woman at the entrance.

 

"Cassandra," he said, smiling beneath his golden beard.

 

"Don't 'Cassandra' me. Why didn't you answer me when I knocked at your door?"

 

The Inquisitor looked down at her hand and noticed her sword was drawn. Her expression was much more threatening than any sword in one's hand.

 

"I was sleeping... what is that, the third lock you broke this week? The wood and metal don't come cheap you know. Maybe it would if they didn't go overboard on the quality. Not everything has to be top notch."

 

Cassandra sheathed her blade, stepping closer to him. Her expression was softer now. Relieved. "You are the Herald of Andraste. Assassins from Templars, mages, demons from the ones we keep here in our hold, no matter how closely your men watch them... It all holds a significant threat. And I will not allow complacency to put your life in danger." Cassandra seemed to only notice something now, herself. The Inquisitor's blade was drawn as well.

 

"Do you always sleep in the nude?" she asked, unable to hide her smirk.

 

Smiling himself, he said, "Well, I was thinking about you and hoped you might pay me a visit at night. Now that you're here..."

 

"Sorry, no time for that," she said, throwing clothes at him and hiding her reddening cheeks. "You have guests. Patients more like. Three dozen women and children who all made pilgrimages here to see the Herald of Andraste. It's urgent business that demands your attention."

 

"Alright alright," said the Inquisitor under the assault of the flying cloth, just before Cassandra yanked him out the room and to the courtyard.

 

"Hey hey, you two! Did you use any inspiration from the book I gave you, fair Seeker?"

 

"Not right now, Varric. I have no time for your antics!" She yelled, pushing past him through the wooden quarters of Skyhold. She didn't notice the Inquisitor's wink from behind.

 

Outside, they could already hear the pleading and yelling coming from the hold's gates. Women and their children all huddled up together as Cullen and a group of his soldiers tried to keep them back and contained. "Hold! We must quarantine you here until we know it is safe to allow you passage!"

 

"But my boy, he is sick! Dying! The Inquisitor can save us, if only you'd let us see him, I'm sure!"

 

"We cannot be sure of that. I am the acting Templar here in Skyhold, and I will not allow you to come inside until I am certain that-"

 

"Stand aside, Cullen! I will inquire for myself. That is what I'm here for, after all."

 

Gasps at the booming deep voice came from the women and children, hoping against all hope that this was the man who they'd sought all this time. Forgetting Cullen's presence as he stepped past his bowing head, their eyes settled on the other blonde man. This one in simple fitting tan officer garments, his moderate beard complementing his gaunt face, shrouded in his golden hair, the color of Andraste's light, herself. His blue eyes seemed to pierce them like ice as they gazed on him, a more dominating figure than anyone around, even without armor.

 

His face melted from an assertive glare to a kind smile. Yes, this was him. This was the Herald of Andraste.

 

"Let me have a look at you," he said to the fairly aged woman at the front. His smile left him now in place of concern upon his face. "I can sense dark magic over you remnant of that from the rifts. What happened?"

 

"Demon attacks, m'lord. We fled our villages after rifts releasing demons from them overtook us. Our husbands... they tried to defend us. But the rifts just kept releasing more and more. This green mist kept pouring from it, and the magic from it has tainted us somehow, made us weak and feeble. We only managed to get away because of the men in our town. Please. Our chantry lady told us that Andraste herself would come to heal our affliction if only you could lay your blessed hand upon our heads."

 

The Inquisitor listened tentatively, though he didn't seem happy with what they were asking. This Herald of Andraste thing bothered him greatly. But for them, and for Cassandra, he would play his role well. They needed it. And perhaps, he needed to believe it too. "You have come to seek my help, and I shall grant it. Come. Let me lay my hands on you and see if Andraste's will is with us. I will do my best, but I can't promise it will work."

 

"It will work, it will! You are her chosen!" said the woman, running up to him closer than Cassandra would have liked, for more reasons than the Inquisitor's mere safety.

 

Smiling as his arm went around her shoulder, he slowly placed his hand upon her head, glowing stronger as it got closer. He could see the green light reflecting from her eyes as she watched his hand's decent on her in awe. Light flickered and flew from his hand, filling her with whatever energy flowed from it. She lost the energy in her legs and would have fallen, but his strong arms held her.

 

"It's done. I sense no demonic presence within or around you any longer."

 

A cheer erupted from the crowd and some of the women tried grabbing at him in a frenzy before Cassandra stepped forward and said, "Enough! The Inquisitor will get to all of you soon, one at a time! Hands off!"

 

"It's fine, Cassandra," he said, hand finding her back as he stood next to her to calm her down. When his hand went lower, however, he soon found her hand on his head, though in her case, it was shaped as a fist. More gasps from the crowd came.

 

"Hey! You cannot hit the blessed Herald of Andraste!"

 

Used to her surprise swings, he turned and deflected the worst of it. "It's fine, don't worry. Now, if you'll all please do as the woman said, I'll come to meet with you all in person once you've had some food and rest. I'll get to you soon, I promise. Now..."

 

Cassandra had already walked off by the time he'd turn to speak with her. Sighing, he said to Cullen, "What a difficult woman to deal with."

 

Cullen said, "Yes, well. You like a challenge, am I right? There's your challenge. Personally, I'd have all I could handle with rifts, demons and Corypheus to deal with. But that's why I'm not the Inquisitor, heh. Have fun with that, friend."

 

Smiling, he said, "Speaking of everything I already have on my table, this sickness of theirs. That's something you yourself could have dispelled as a Templar, isn't it?"

 

Cullen gave a rare mischievous smile and said, "Perhaps, perhaps not, Trevelyan. But they wanted the Herald. How could I deny you to them? The more people that believe, the better, I say."

 

"And if it didn't work?"

 

Turning away, he said, "You heard what the woman said. Now, better attend to Pentaghast before she gets impatient."

 

The Herald took Cullen's advice and quickly ran off to find her. He went to the very spot that she always went to when she was upset about something. It was always either the practice dummy area, or by the window in the building opposite of the tavern. That's where they often ran off to for spending time together. Ever since he had the men continue their training in the courtyard. Some of the others began to complain about the sound of steel clanging against steel, but for he and Cassandra, the sound from the window as they watched in secret was calming. She'd close her eyes with him behind her, strong arms around her body as she let the sound relax her while his kisses sent shivers down her neck.

 

The thought made him warm in his gut, and he longed to be with her again. This blasted job of his always seemed to get in the way of that. Going there now, Trevelyan's stomach sank when he found her absent from their private spot. "Blast it. I was sure she'd be here. What is it with her, anyway?"

 

Giving up, he made his way back to his chambers, cursing the size of the place, as all the walking it took to get back to his room gave him plenty of time to torture himself over her. By the time he got back, his eyes raised at the sight of her standing at the ledge outside his room.

 

"Cassandra," he called from behind her.

 

Looking away from the frosted mountains, she said, "Don't 'Cassandra' me. Do not disrespect me in front of the men just because you've sheathed your sword in me once."

 

"Twice," he said with a smirk. Cassandra's face said she wasn't amused. As her head turned back, he said, "Disrespect you? Is that what you call public showing of affection?"

 

Sighing, she said, "It's... It's just hard for me. You are the Herald of Andraste. And I am a simple seeker..." shaking her head, she said, "It... feels wrong. And I cannot allow the soldiers to think I've gone..."

 

"What, weak? Is that what you think I've done? And if it feels so wrong, why are you here?"

 

Cassandra turned around fully to see him, though as her body faced him, her eyes glanced away. "It's just... I don't feel worthy of you. I've done terrible things as a Seeker that I thought was for the service of the Maker. But after reading that tome, I..."

 

"Listen here, Cassandra. I am just a man. And Herald or not, I know you are worthy of me, because I said you are. Andraste, the Maker, they have no say in that." He stepped closer to her now, and closer again until his body pressed against hers, her back at the stone rails keeping her from falling over. "I am but a man. A man with emotions... and desires."

 

Smiling now, she said nervously, "And I am but a woman with worries, self consciousness and self doubt. And...."

 

"And desires?" he said, smirking.

 

Returning the smirk, she said, "Maybe. But..."

 

"No buts." His hands went around her waist as he silenced her with his mouth. They began quickly stripping eachother, but when his hands traveled down her spine again, she pushed him away once more.

 

"No, stop."

 

"What's wrong now, Cassandra? Why do you resist giving what you've already gifted me?"

 

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm just stubborn. It's the warrior in me. I can't just submit without at least giving a good fight."

 

"You're saying you want me to fight for it?"

 

"No, that's not quite what I..."

 

The inquisitor seized her again, pushing her back on the stone. She had to wrap her hands around his neck for risk of falling, though his hands were firmly wrapped around her waist still. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyes panicked.

 

"You better hold on, Seeker."

 

"I will," was all she could say. He was in command. He always was. She let him kiss at her neck and fondle her finally, giving in to the uneasy feeling in her lower regions as his hands gripped her firm cheeks fiercely. She was slick since the minute that his hands were on her, and the cool mountain air hardened her nips, which he tugged at with his mouth while she still sat on the rails. His fingers traveled down and soon made their way within her. The sensation a foreign one to one who was so rarely touched in such a manner, even by herself. When his head traveled down to help with what his blessed hand was doing, the Seeker's will faded completely as her head rolled back to see the great mountain range.

 

His tongue trailed her strong powerful legs towards her dark center, licking at the glistening wetness coming from her trembling core. Oh how marvelous her legs looked, legs of a woman used to marching long distances in heavy attire. The benefits of bedding a soldier were many. The cold air stung his ears, a strong contrast from the feel of her warmth at his mouth. Even with the shriek of wind, he could hear her voice clearly in his ears as her strong hands gripped his head, working it and his mouth with her leg wrapped fiercely around his neck and back.

 

She thought she actually fell over for a second as he lifted her away toward his bed, still straddling his shoulders. Throwing her on her stomach and parting her legs, she could feel him parting her within, her body as stubborn as she had been earlier. But as always, her stubbornness was no match for his command, and she soon felt him budding deep. 

 

When he first had at her, she panicked. She did not like this feeling of vulnerability that he brought, and yet she could not go without it for long. It was the same now as he jutted within her, her cheeks clapping at his pelvis, taking away her senses with each movement. She was beginning to lose herself again and panic from the overwhelming feeling moving throughout her limbs, and for a while, she could have sworn that she was feeling the power that he commanded with his hand going through her.

 

"Stop, stop this," she said. She wanted him to do anything but stop, and he knew it. Instead, he grabbed at the short dark hair of her head and moved deep, forcing out the buried vulnerability that she fought so hard to hide. But like anything, she could not keep it from him long. Her moans and pants turned to yells and screams as she quaked and quivered around his skin, and the burning at her center had radiated through her, wetting his new silk sheets in her sweat and quaking center as she collapsed beneath him.

 

"I'm not done yet," he said in her ear in his deep commanding voice. She knew it, because she could still feel him through her very center.

 

"Good. I want more, but... I can't move my legs."

 

Grinning, he flipped her over and laid next to her, helping her climb over him as they kissed. He was strong, and moved them both in his gyrating before she eventually took the reins. Rocking back and forth, her arms pinning him down, she looked at him with the same ferocity that she had earlier. "I saw how you held that woman."

 

Finding it hard to speak, he fought out the words, "It was... just showmanship. You're not mad are you?"

 

"Hmph," was all she answered with, riding him harder, as if in revenge for what he'd made her feel not too long ago. "You're mine. As long as you know that, I'm fine. Now.. no more words."

 

He was happy to comply, as he couldn't speak much anyway with her tightening herself on him with those powerful legs of hers. Sitting atop him crouched, she rubbed her hands along his chest, sighing and crying out again as he did the same. The whole bed shook violently beneath her, and soon the Inquisitor called her name as he squished her shaking ass between his brutish hands. "Cassandra... by the Maker...."

 

"Don't Cassandra me," she said, smirking. "And don't mention him. If he or the most holy could see me now, I... I don't care anymore!" she yelled. Falling to her back, she let him take her once more, riding against his thrusts, grinding against his pelvis until they both let themselves go over the edge like they almost did at his window. She heard his hard grunts in his ear and felt the comforting warmth of his seed pouring from deep within her. Both of them wet and dirty together, laying in their perspiration, limbs tangled.

 

After a while, her breath returned, but she still laid there under him, indecent and soiled. And feeling all the better for it.

 

"Does this still feel wrong, Seeker?"

 

Smiling, she said low, almost like a whisper. "Yes. But... I realize that maybe that's partly why I love it so much. The holy Herald of Andraste, hot beneath my body... succumbing to the wiles of my womb. I get to do what all those other women only dream about." Looking up into his piercing icy eyes, she ran a finger over his scar. Likely from a lesser man who was jealous of them, and sought to remove it in battle. "I only allow this because I know you care. I feel it. But then, you make everyone feel that way. Even the mages after you'd conscripted them. That is nothing short of amazing, love."

 

"I do care, Cassandra. About them... about you. You were always at my side, from the beginning. That's why this doesn't feel wrong for me. It feels natural."

 

"In the beginning, I was your interrogator. And if not for Leliana, I'd have been your torturer."

 

"In other words, nothing's changed," he said.

 

"Oh shut up," she said, smiling as she punched his chest.

 

"Heh, see what I mean? Don't be so hard on yourself. I need you, Cassandra."

 

"Yes, Inquisitor."

 

"Say my name, woman. My real name."

 

Wrapping her hand with his, the green glow shining between their embrace, she whispered it in his ear, then said, "My love."

 

"Oh Maker, where do you get your lines, from Varric?"

 

Cassandra's face turned so red, he thought she might have a stroke. Seeing a peering eye and streak of blonde hair between the crack from the broken door, she yelled "Go away, Sera, before I have your head on a pike above the battlements!"

 

"Na ha!" was all they heard, followed with the sound of the elf beating feet before Cassandra broke the door open in the opposite direction.

 

 

For Reviews if you'd prefer to share thoughts elsewhere:

 

https://www.fanficti...ins-of-a-Seeker

[Colonelkillabee]

Seeking the Departed Seeker

 

Word count: 6,156

 

Spoiler

 

"Oh Heeeerald...."

 

"Maker, spare me please...."

 

"Sorry, no Maker. Just you, me and the cards like ye promised. Andraste's got somethin on keepin promises, right?" asked Sera, tossing her deck of cards from hand to hand.

 

"She does, but no offense to my fair lady, she did leave her husband for a god. So there's obviously some wiggle room in there." Looking around the courtyard as his blonde hair collected snowflakes like flies in a web, he said, "Where's Cassandra?"

 

Smirking that childish suggestive smirk that she always used, Sera said, "I dunno, probly wonderin where you are, or hiding from the cold. Why, lookin to..."

 

"Sera..."

 

"Is that blushing? Are you blushing? Ha, the big bad Inquisitor, slayer of would be gods can't handle a little tawdry talk? Come on, I got to see you outside of your skivvies! That practically makes us family, right? Brother and sister or something. Parents make them bathe together, right? Strange."

 

Sighing, Trevelyan said, "Okay look, if I play the game with you, will you help me look for Cassandra? She wasn't there this morning and I haven't been able t-,"

 

"Ooh, so you two already..."

 

"Blasted elf, would you just!"

 

"Alright alright, come on then," she said, giggling as she skipped off to a nearby table. Shaking his head, Trevelyan followed mumbling under his breath, the steam rising from his mouth being a clear indication of it.

 

As she sat, she said, “So rosy cheeks is being made Divine. Never would’ve gathered her for the snooty hoity toity type.”

 

“She’s not,” said Trevelyan. “She won’t be like that. And Rosy Cheeks?”

 

Smirking again with a flush of red in her own cheeks, Sera said, “Well those lads take a vow of celimany right? How’s that gonna work?”

 

“It’s celibacy,” he said as Sera dealt him his hand. Serpent of Sadness, two Angels, of Truth and Charity, then a Knight of Sacrifice.

 

“Well whateva. How’s the Herald going to get off with the Divine if she has to make that oath? Ooh, will you do it in secret?”

 

Sighing, he ignored the question and said, “Just give me another card.”

 

Sera did as she was told, then did the same. Her child-like demeanor did her no favors. “Good hand, I take it,” he said.

 

“Maybe…” said Sera, though her smile sank some at the expression of their illustrious leader. “I take it that’s why you’re looking to find her. Spend as much time with her. Before…”

 

“Angel of Death, game over. Show your hand.”

 

“Aww, already? Care for another go?”

 

“No, show your hand.”

 

“Damn it,” she said, dropping the cards she was just about to sneak into her hand.

 

“One pairing, huh? Too bad. Three Angels. Truth, Charity, Fortitude. I win.”

 

“Damn it, you drew all Angel cards? You even got the Angel of Death to end the game before…”

 

“Before you could cheat like you do in every game? I know. What can I say? Andraste watches over me. Now, help me find Cassandra.”

 

Sera said, “No need to go lookin for her, silly. Just ask Cole. I saw her talking to him this morning. He’ll know, and he can track her for you with that weird demony freaky mind thing he does. Right?”

 

“You’re right, thank you Sera. And thanks for the game.” Trevelyan ran off in a hurry towards the kitchen, knowing full well that’s where he’d be. Sera didn’t notice that one of the cards in the game was missing, but that’s because there was one card extra. One that the Herald slipped back in his sleeve, with the depiction of a winged woman in black and a skull in her hands. She didn't notice the smirk he was sporting as he left either.

 

***

 

“GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN, FIEND!”

 

“FORGET! FORGET!”

 

“I’m going to forget my foot in your ass unless you quit stealing my FOOD!”

 

As the Herald stepped inside, cautiously at all the ruckus, a potato came flying towards his head, only barely missing before crashing into the wall behind him.

 

“Maker’s breath was that a potato or a stone? What the HELL’s going on?”

 

“This FREAK came into my kitchen and just started taking all my meats! Hams, sausages, drumlegs. And what happened to my cheese?”

 

Cole stood up from behind a table, flour and rice covering his strange helmet. “I forgot he couldn’t forget me. I just wanted the meats for a friend. They’re sad, and I thought the meats would help. Sera says people like to eat when they’re sad.”

 

“Oh, well that was very thoughtful of you. What about the cheese?”

 

“I… ate the cheese.”

 

“You WHAT? That’s all the mountain cheese I had left! All there is now is that stinky Orlesian cheese!”

 

Cole said, “Actually…”

 

“Ahhhh!” yelled the cook.

 

“Quiet! If that’s all the cheese you have on hand, then you’re not doing your job, cook, because you’re supposed to make sure we’re always well stocked. Go borrow some of the plainer cheese from the soldier’s rations and give us a moment.”

 

“R-right. As you wish, Inquisitor…” The cook bowed his head and did as he was told, but made sure to cut Cole a murderous glance on his way out.

 

Jumping at the sound of the slammed door, Trevelyan’s hand rested at his head before saying, “Cole, I thought you didn’t even eat food.”

 

“I don’t really have to, but Varric got me to try it. I like it. Would you like some ham?”

 

“Actually, I-”

“Please. Take it.”

 

“What about your friend?”

 

Cole gave a rare smile and said, “They’re fine. Take it.”

 

Trevelyan hesitated, but he couldn’t resist for long at the smell of freshly smoked ham and sausage. Smiling, he said, “Thank you Cole. Now…” After taking seat and a few large bites of the ham, he choked the offering down, then said, “I need your help. Sera told me that you were talking with Cassandra this morning. That true? Where is she?”

 

Cole backed up a bit, frowning beneath the hanging leather of his helmet. “I… can’t.”

 

Practically inhaling the sausage now, Trevelyan stopped eating momentarily and said, “You can’t? What do you mean you can’t? This is important to me, boy.”

 

“She made me promise not to tell.”

 

Trevelyan dropped the food then, standing up so quickly that the chair fell back. “Promised not to tell? Cole, I’m not kidding. Tell me where she is, NOW. You want to help people, right? Help me.”

 

Cole worked his hands as he lowered his head, turning away from him. “Cold, tired, but sure. Sure that he must have finally decided to speak after so many ages of silence. I must go, find the answer that I seek in my prayers. An answer to what I should do.”

 

“Not this again, Cole, speak clearly! What’s going on?”

 

Before he could elaborate, the door behind him flew open, smacking the fallen chair aside in a clatter. “Boss! Come on, quick!”

 

Turning, the Herald said, “Maker, please! I’m busy here! What do you want, Bull?”

 

“I need a sparring partner and Cass isn’t around. Come on already, I need to hit something, now!”

 

“I’m looking for Cassandra now too. Cole knows where she is and he’s speaking all cryptic again.”

 

“Cole!” yelled Bull.

 

“She’s there!” said Cole, not liking all the yelling and attention on him.

 

“There where?” yelled Trevelyan.

 

“I’ll show you. It may take a day’s journey on horse to catch up with her. I think she may need our help, anyway,” said Cole.

 

Trevelyan’s nostrils flared as his brow wrinkled. “First Blackwall, then Solas, and now this. When will people learn that I can actually HELP them? Lets go. Fetch Varric too and meet me by the main gate.”

 

After he left, Cole followed behind him and said, “I think you’ll get to hit something very soon, Iron Bull.”

“I don’t know if I should be happy or worried… Ahh, who am I kidding, hehehe. Should be fun.”

 

***

 

“This… is not… fun…”

 

“Tell me about it,” said Varric to Bull. The group found themselves back in the woods near the Fallow Mire, shivering in the cold from the rain in the cool night, bodies glistening under the pale moonlight.

 

Spitting rainwater that seeped over his lips from his moustache, the inquisitor said, “You could have told me we’d be coming back here, Cole. We would have brought cloaks or something…”

 

“At least you’re wearing a leather coat already, boss," said Bull.

 

“Aren’t you used to walking around like that yet? That’s how we found you, after all,” said Varric.

 

“I was in higher spirits then, having killed something recently. Would you like to help me with that? Hehe, just kidding dwarf.”

 

“It’s not much further,” said Cole, noticeably unbothered by the rain thanks to his strange helmet. “Just follow the trail.”

 

“What trail is that?” Trevelyan asked.

 

“The trail in the veil of course. It’s considerably weaker, here. The weaker it gets, the closer we get to Cassandra.”

 

“Cole, I’m not kidding, tell me something right now. I’m not liking the sound of any of this.”

 

“It’s simple, really. The Seeker said that she was looking for an old friend. But I don’t think she was telling the truth.”

 

“About looking for her friend?” asked Trevelyan, running his hands through his beard to get the water out in vain.

 

“No, about them being friends. They've never met. Not really.”

 

“Sorry to cut in, but you said something about a trail? We could always just follow that,” said Varric.

 

Following the direction Bianca was pointing, the Inquisitor spotted what he was looking at rather quickly. “Blood” he said, and soon after, bodies.

 

The group ran towards the barren sea of dead trees and fallen leaves, soon finding that the bodies were wearing the familiar spiky attire of their most recent enemy.

 

“Venatori? They’re still around? I guess they didn’t hear the news of their god’s death?” said Iron Bull.

 

“These ones over here don’t have any blood on them. Strange,” said Varric. “Both mages too.”

 

“I bet Cassandra was here! She’d kill them with her Seeker abilities!” said Trevelyan. “There’s not a trail of blood or anything though from here. Don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

 

“Good of course, I would think,” said Varric, snickering a bit. “But it would be nice to have something to follow her with though. The kid’s little veil sensing thing is decent, but who knows how far away we are from her. Too vague.”

 

“Cole? Can you give us something more? We-,” Just as Trevelyan was speaking, the four of them heard shouting and the clash of metal in the distance, which all of them ran to immediately to find the source.

 

A crackle of lightning lit up the night, followed by the sound of something solid smacking into a man’s armor, which was soon accompanied by the screams of the victim. By the time the Inquisitor cleared the treeline, he could see a group of eight Venatori attacking one of the gigantic Avvar men and his appropriately

sized warhammer, already coated in blood.

 

“The large one attacked the Seeker. These Tevinter actually saved her,” said Cole.

 

“Saved her? Really? Why?”

 

“I don’t know,” said Cole.

 

“Probably to keep her prisoner, boss. No mercy. Can I get the big one?”

 

“No, Bull. He’s mine. Here’s the plan…”

 

***

 

“Come and taste my hammer!” yelled the barbarian as he charged another Venatori. The Tevinter warrior raised his shield, only to have the hammer smash his arm and knock himself in the head. He crumbled quickly in his immediate death, in time to dodge the lightning arc that his fellow cultist intended on sending through him to strike their foe.

 

The attack still hit its mark, temporarily paralyzing the massive man, but not before the hammer was sent flying in his direction, breaking his neck upon impact. He wasn’t dead yet, but he wished he was.

 

As he ran to reclaim his weapon, the Avvar barbarian recoiled as a bolt buried itself straight into his hand flesh. Crying out, teeth clenched, his head spun around in a rage looking for the assailant.

 

“Ah ah,” said Varric, before shooting again, this time a grappling hook that caught the back of his neck.

 

The Inquisitor caught the attention of the other nearby Venatori with his battle cry, which was met with spouts of flame that ceased their advances on the face of his shield. Before another assault came, a dark figure hurtled over him in the night, and all the Venatori could see was his large horned form with the moon at his back, just before cleaving through their necks. Iron Bull’s laugh sent chills up the spine of the lone cultist, who dropped his daggers and tried running away.

 

However, something caught his foot, causing him to land face first in the dirt, knocking his helmet off.

 

He didn’t just fall though. Now he was being dragged. When he turned, he could see the glare of the angered Inquisitor pulling his body towards him with a chain wrapped around his foot. The Venatori tried scrambling away, but before he knew it, Trevelyan’s boot was at his chest, and all he could see was the blue of his eyes amongst the shadow of night.

 

“Where is the Seeker?”

 

“She’s there, North, just up ahead, I swear. Mercy!”

 

“Before when you thought you were serving a god, you Venatori never would have begged for your life. And now that he is dead, so too is your courage.”

Shaking his head, he said, “The Herald of Andraste has deemed you unworthy of the Maker’s Mercy. Begone.” With that, Trevelyan’s gauntleted hand grasped the Venatori’s head tight as his left hand began to glow. The man thought he was having a headache at first, but the pain grew, and soon his eyes, nostrils and mouth cast out the green light of the anchor upon Trevelyan’s hand. His screams were unholy, a thing so harsh that it could crack stone. And before too long, nothing remained where his head once was. It now belonged to the fade.

 

Meanwhile, Iron Bull was cleaving through two of the three remaining Venatori with his claymore, one of them noticing the lost eye and trying to strike at him from that side after sidestepping Iron Bull’s blade.

 

Iron Bull knew what was coming however, letting him think he was vulnerable, only to find themselves walking right into Bull’s next attack, which hit the man’s armor so hard, Bull could hear the crunch of his collar bone and ribs before the man collapsed.

 

Bull didn’t notice the second man brandishing daggers, but just as the man leaped at Bull’s huge exposed wall of muscle that he called a back, a skinny hand suddenly appeared before his face, sending him falling to the ground on his knees.

 

Cole stood over him, dagger at his temple just before burying it deep. The last man’s weapon meanwhile was knocked from his hands, and in a desperate attempt to gain advantage, the Venatori leaped for Iron Bull’s horns, only to catch one in his ribs deep before being lifted over Bull’s head. “Thanks, kid.”

 

“Guys? a little help here?” called Varric, trying hard not to lose Bianca to the angry Avvar yanking at the chain around his neck. Just when Varric thought he’d lose his grip, another chain went around with a noose and tightened so hard, he could see the Avvar’s eyes bulge.

 

“Pull!” yelled Trevelyan, and pull they did. The large barbarian man died slow, and with the sound of his bones being crushed going together with the ringing of the chains like the consonance of death.

 

Finally, the chains were free of their captive. Bloodied, but free as they slid from his open neck hole, head rolling to the grass and settling in a crimsoned puddle beneath deep green lilies. The body remained crouched on both knees where he fell as he suffocated to death as he was being decapitated. Iron Bull offered to make a bet with Cole as to which would get him first, one that Cole chose not to take.

 

“And that’s that,” said the inquisitor, spitting on his corpse. “Anyone alive?”

 

“Hnnhhh!”

 

“Caught one, boss,” said Iron Bull, pointing at the groaning man still caught on his horn above him.

 

“This one still breathes as well,” said Cole. “Where first I had rage, now I only have pain. Had pain. Now it is gone. Now I wish it to return, for now I only feel numb. Numb and cold. And soon I will feel nothing. Let me feel pain, so that I will know I am alive. Our living god is dead. There is only silence from here on.”

 

“If it’s pain he wants, then give it to him,” said the Inquisitor. “I already know where Cassandra is.”

 

“Allow me,” said Bull, throwing his man atop the Venatori on the ground. He was the same man that caught the Avvar’s hammer with his head and broke his neck. But he’d feel pain only once more, as Iron Bull thrust his sword through the mouth of the first one, going through the back of his head and into the last one’s mouth next. The blood dripped from his ally’s open wound as the blade was birthed, pouring the head’s contents slow. He could only watch, but not for very long as red clouded his vision. Then he waited for the pain that he asked for. Once to confirm life, but now simply to die.

 

“Haha, brings a new meaning to double-,”

 

“Don’t!” Yelled Varric. “Oh please, don’t say it.”

 

“What?”

 

“Come on, Bull,” said the Inquisitor, shaking his head.

 

“What?”

 

“He seems disturbed,” said Cole. “You are gross.”

 

“Wait, you think I’m gross?”

 

“I didn’t say that.”

 

“He thinked it though. Thinks it.”

 

“Cole, stop doing that!”

 

“Varric, you don’t think I’m gross, do you? With your books, you understand me, right?”

 

“I’m not involved. I’d like to keep it that way.”

 

“That’s enough, Cassandra is nearby!” Trevelyan yelled. The four of them took off, not at all sure what to expect next as they dove deeper into the woods beyond the clearing they’d just fought in. Varric was starting to lag behind after a while, cursing his short legs.

 

“Remind me why we decided to leave the horses back at camp?”
 

“They weren’t ideal for going through woods when we had to do some tracking and clue searching,” yelled Bull.

 

“Oh, well that sure turned out to be a good idea. We never would have seen all the blood and armored bodies if we hadn’t left the horses behind…”

 

“It’s not much further,” Cole added. “The veil’s,”

 

“I know I know. Very weak, which means we’re ‘close’. You’ve been saying that for the last five minutes.”

 

“There! Up ahead! I see a light!” yelled Trevelyan.

 

“Finally!” said Varric through his heavy panting. Pulling Bianca from his back, he took a look in the distance as the others stopped suddenly.

 

“What is that?”

 

“Is that…”

 

“I don’t think I can hit that…” said Bull. “Hey, there!”

 

“Cassandra!”

 

Turning only briefly in surprise, the Seeker that they’d ironically been seeking turned her attention back to what she was doing. Killing more Venatori, which she’d clearly gotten rather efficient at. Ignoring the bright glow that settled itself above them like a miniature sun, Cassandra waited just as the mages began to cast their spells, then with a bellowing cry, released a shockwave of energy that knocked them back. The Inquisitor and the others were knocked back as well momentarily, but it was the mages that were in danger. Like a lioness, she leaped for her prey, her expression more shocking than any mage’s spell.

 

Already covered in splatters of blood, the Seeker once more letted theirs, as they laid. Never to rise again.

 

Trevelyan came up behind her and was greeted with a fierce squeeze as she fell into his arms wearily. “I knew you would come. Took your sweet time, though.” The Herald allowed himself to laugh finally, now that she was safe in his arms, though he couldn’t really tell if she was injured or not with all the blood coating her. He stole a kiss from her anyway though, not caring about anything but being close to the woman he admired so deeply.

 

A few moments went by with the clicks and smacks of their lips, before Trevelyan finally broke the silence.

 

“What is this? Why didn’t you just ask me to come? And why tell Cole not to tell me where you went if you expected me?”

 

Turning their heads slowly together towards the light above them, Cassandra said, “It’s… a long story. I needed to do this on my own. But I knew you'd find me somehow. Cole's bad at keeping secrets anyway.”

 

Cole came up behind them with Varric and Iron Bull, saying, “And you're very good at keeping them, Seeker. It’s a spirit of faith. The same spirit of faith that the Seekers used to wake her mind. The Venatori somehow found it, then used it to call to her. As a trap.”

 

“But how? What was the point? How did they even know about the Seeker ritual?” asked Trevelyan.

 

“The Seekers under Corypheus might have given this information up to him. In which case, it’s very possible that the Venatori knew of it from them. They’ve betrayed me, the Seekers, Thedas and themselves. I am only glad that they no longer can continue to do so.”

 

Trevelyan’s eyes were still transfixed on the spirit before them, as Cassandra rested on his shoulders. “It looks like the form the Divine took,” he said. “But it can’t be her… who is it? Cole?”

 

“I… don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know? You can’t just read her like always?” asked Cassandra.

 

“No, I can. It’s just that she doesn’t remember… she is very old.”

 

“I wouldn’t let her hear you say that,” said Varric. “Not with the way she’s staring us down. Can we go home now? Seeker?”

 

Trevelyan interrupted and said, “Cole said that you were seeking an answer. The answer to what?”

 

Cassandra’s smile from being near him again faded almost instantly. “Lets get… home… first. Varric is right. Then we will talk.”

 

“We spar first, Seeker. Then you two can talk.”

 

“I’ve seen your ‘sparring’ matches, Bull… I think you just like Cassandra hitting you,” said Trevelyan, snickering beneath his beard. “Sorry, but Cass and I will be busy when we get back.”

 

“Quit rubbing it in, I know what busy means, boss.”

 

“Good! Then you all know not to disturb me while I’m in my chambers, right?”

 

“Hmph, I still say we should decide things over a drinking contest.”

 

“Only because you know you’d win.”

 

“Exactly,” said Bull.

 

“Do I not get a say in any of this? There will be no contests over me. That suggests that both contestants are of equal standing to my desires.”

 

“You’re right, there’s no comparing to the Iron Bull.”

 

“That’s not what… oh forget it, I asked for none of this,” said Cassandra, laughing it off with the others as they made their way back to Skyhold.

 

***

 

“Ahhh, finally!” proclaimed the Inquisitor, as he collapsed on his bed, the aches of travel melting away almost instantly. He soon found Cassandra with him, falling over his back and shrouding him in her safe warmth.

 

“It feels good to be home again,” she agreed. “But you smell like a marsh. Come here.”

 

“Oh, I just closed my eyes… can’t we just sleep?”

 

“If that’s what you want…” said Cassandra, just before the sounds of splashing water caught his attention. Turning over, Trevelyan saw Cassandra’s clothes on the floor, trailing towards a very large wooden basin meant to be used for a bath. Eyes wide with delight at what Cassandra was suggesting, he said, “How the hell did they even get this up here?”

 

“I made Iron Bull fetch it for me,” said Cassandra, sporting a mischievous smile.

 

Laughing, he said, “You made Iron Bull fetch our bath? That’s… evil.”

 

“Is it? I call it retribution for all those terrible jokes he makes us suffer through. He was very interested in the bath, that’s for certain. He could surely use one himself.”

 

“He’ll have to get his own,” said Trevelyan as he began to shed clothing. Cassandra watched with very tentative eyes, trailing down his hairy barrel chest, just as the pants made their way to the floor. Her eyes widened as her smile deepened, but just a tad. Can’t appear too eager, now.

 

As he made his way in, Cassandra scooted towards him and sat in his lap as they both sank a bit deeper into the warm waters before resting their eyes. “We should do this every night,” he said.

 

“Heh, if we do, we’ll have to do so on the bottom level, I think.”

 

He thought to say that the others might catch an eye full, but then remembered…

 

“You still haven’t told me about this answer you were looking for.”

 

Sighing, she said, “I know.”

 

At a whisper now, he said, “Well?”

 

Cass hadn’t said anything. Choosing instead to drift away in sleep a moment as she tried imprinting this memory with them together forever into her brain. The feel of the warm waters, his flesh hot at her back… the feel of his manhood floating up and brushing her thighs beneath her. She especially liked that part.

 

Playing at it with her hands now, her eyes cracked open as she watched him. She could feel him hardening more and more at her touch. She teased him, rocking back and forth in his lap as the waters splashed. He was enjoying the view very much, and she had the proof of that firmly within her grasp.

 

“You know what answer… I heard the whispers. They were familiar to me. I did not think they could be demonic, Seekers can’t be possessed. I thought they were the Maker’s. But then I knew it wasn’t. I could feel it. Solas before he departed told me once that it’s possible for the spirit of faith that touched my mind to maintain a connection if it wished. I wanted to see it again, see if I could find any of the maker within such a being. And then maybe he could tell me what to do.”

 

“You mean about becoming Divine.”

 

Turning fully to look into his eyes, she said, “Yes.”

 

“I thought you were already decided,” he said, eyes looking down from hers as he spoke. He didn’t want to think of the day she’d leave him while they still had time, but it was inevitable.

 

“It was. It is, I guess. You just make it so hard to leave. Lets not think on it now, please. I’m sorry that I left. I was just…” Looking for an excuse to stay. Ask me to stay…

 

“It’s fine, Cass. Lets not worry, like you said. You’ll be a great Divine, and we’ll still be together somehow. I promise.”

 

Cassandra’s eyes started to moisten at that. She knew the fool loved her too much to keep her to himself and hold her back. And she was too afraid to ask him to. Too compelled to do her duty to the Maker.

 

But tonight, she would do her duty by him. Seizing his mouth, her eyes shut fiercely to keep the tears at bay. Her hand worked their way through the hairs of his chest, up and down before finding his slicked manhood once more. She took her time, enjoying the feeling of his **** in her hand as his tongue invaded her mouth. Soon, she could feel her body aching for him in her pelvis, and it wasn’t very long before she was straddled over him, engulfing the entirety of his ****, sighing and gasping sharply for each inch he crept into her. By the time she was seated, he could feel himself budding into her fully, and it wasn’t long before the soon to be Divine was wetting more than the floors with her riding.

 

Half the tub’s water was on the stone by now, but neither of them cared. Trevelyan’s eyes were stuck with hers as she gyrated over him, using him for her pleasure as she watched him groan beneath her with lust laden eyes.

 

He tried gripping her ass, but she was so slick and wet everywhere. Still, he was determined, and soon he stood with her grasping his neck, legs locked around him as his hands gripped her firm cheeks. Pinning her to door, he took control of things, thrusting and thrusting, then thrusting some more with the power of his strong legs at his disposal. The door shook and rattled, and she quaked and prattled, thrilled and even slightly afraid of the intensity of which he took her.

 

Then, without warning he dropped to his knees, and suddenly the sensation of his tongue was on her. In her. Through her. She just about lost her senses as his hand ran up her stomach, his face buried between her legs. He groaned inside her as her leg rubbed his back, rubbing at his open willing lips bathing in the scent of her groin.

 

"Stand." she commanded, and he obeyed. As he rose, her head ducked. Tongue trailing down his stomach before her lips pushed down over his meat between them. She watched his stomach suck in intensely as she went about her task, letting him watch her pleasure herself as her head bobbed slow, then quicker and quicker. She took breaks to lick and kiss at him before taking him in again, letting him feel her mouth vibrate from her groans while her fingers tickled him from under.

 

He couldn't take anymore and soon he was near. Hand on her head to assist her motions, he plucked himself from her mouth and slammed her against the door once more, grunting as their bodies ground against one another. His pelvis slapping against her round ass as they stood.

 

When she couldn’t control herself and let her voice carry, he turned her and entered her once more, silencing her cries with his mouth as she clenched around him, tightening and quivering over his skin deep within her as she came into her climax, radiating through every fiber of muscle she had.

 

When it has his turn to come, there would be no silencing him. His cries carried out like a warhorn announcing the successful invasion of an enemy hold.

 

Sucking at his ear as he came, she continued groaning into them, smiling at the feeling of his seed dripping from the bottom of her ass. Their juices mingling and falling freely over his sack and tickling his hairs.

 

As he sucked and kissed at her wet neck, tongue sliding up her slow, tasting the water on her skin, she echoed the same thought that she had throughout their joining.

 

Ask me to stay. Please. Ask me to stay and I will remain by your side…

 

“Cassandra…”

 

“Yes, love?”

 

Stay with me. “I… love you.”

 

Her legs were still spread wide for him, and she was still being parted by his **** inside her. At that moment, she had never felt so vulnerable. She couldn’t help it then when she began to cry uncontrollably with her arms around his neck. But when he pulled back to look into her weeping eyes, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of tears in his.

 

Wiping the tears from her eyes did nothing. They just kept coming. Even as they continued kissing long into the night, for they knew not when they’d get the chance to do so again.

 

***

 

Dead whispers. Was this what it sounded like for him? I wonder.

 

That was the thought going through his mind… Dead whispers, the sweet memories of her voice that were nothing but voices in his head, absent of the woman they belonged to.

 

Cassandra. Was gone.

 

Trevelyan hadn’t left his chambers for a couple days now, told the others he needed some vacation time. Truth was, he didn’t know when he’d leave at the time. The only thing that remained of her was the smell of her scent in his sheets. When he slept, it was enough to make him dream of her. But then, he woke up this morning to find that Josephine had come to tend to him personally. No doubt feeling the need to help her friend. One of the ways she did that was by replacing his old sheets with new ones. Blasted girl.

Even still, the tears came. Hot like rage demons crawling down his cheeks.

A knock came from the door so strong, so suddenly that for a moment, his heart skipped a beat, thinking it was Cassandra getting ready to knock down his door.

 

“It’s open, come in!” He said, clearly excited. That excitement betrayed him when Bull’s horns came poking in. Now not only was he depressed, but now he felt stupid as well.

 

“Boss, what’s this about Cassandra leaving? Where is she? We going on a hunt to find her or what?”

Andraste’s Ass. “No Bull. Not this time.”

 

“Why the hell not? What happened?”

 

Trevelyan didn’t say anything for a moment, then closed his eyes. “She’s going to be Divine, Bull.”

 

“What? You’re serious? Ha, I thought that was a joke when Red told me. Wait, you really are serious? And you’re just going to let her?”

 

Trevelyan laughed at that. “Let her? I couldn’t keep her from doing anything and you know it.”

 

“Bullshit. I’m the Iron Bull. I know Bull ****. That, boss, is bullshit.”

 

“Watch your tone, Bull. This is what she wanted.”

 

“No it isn’t, you stupid son of a ******!” Before Trevelyan knew what was going on, he was being lifted almost as easily as he’d lifted Cassandra on their last night together.

 

“This isn’t what you want Boss. This isn’t what she wants. She wants you, we all see it. You can’t let the chantry have her.”

 

“Bull?”

 

“Yea? Ack!” Bull took a step back and released the Herald, rubbing his bloodied head, though the blood wasn’t actually his.

 

With crimson trickling down his face, the Inquisitor said, “Don’t EVER do that again.”
 

“Tougher than I thought. With you being such a ****** and everything.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You heard me, Boss! You can’t let yourselves be miserable.”

 

“Well what the hell am I supposed to do? She’s already gone anyway!”

 

“She’s not Divine yet! Grab your balls, and face the Chantry, then take those old bags by the horns! Act like a qunari!”

 

“It’s not that simple, Bull.”

 

“You mean to tell me after traveling through time, fighting through the fade, killing countless demons and a creature that was almost a god, you can’t handle a bunch of old women in robes? Come ON!”

 

That got the Herald’s attention. “I’m afraid of no one.”

 

“Then take. What’s. Yours.”

 

“...We still need a Divine.”

 

“They can pick. Someone. Else. It’s not our responsibility,” said Bull.

 

“...Cassandra may feel better though if we have a viable second option.”

 

“Then how about Red?” asked Bull.

 

He thought about it, then said, “N...no. No no. Cassandra made it clear she didn’t see her as fit for the Sunburst throne…. I know. Bull, pack your stuff. We’ve got a coronation to crash.”

 

“NOW you’re talking! Yes! What’s the plan?”

 

“Grab Vivienne and Dorian, and tell them we’re taking a little trip to Val Royeaux!”

 

 

On Fanfiction.net

 

https://www.fanficti...Departed-Seeker

[Obvious_Shining]

Thank you! Very well written, i love it! The details are beautiful, a really enjoyable read!

[Colonelkillabee]

Anything for a fellow Cassandra fan Merry Christmas and I'm glad you liked it.

[Kinsz]

This isn't my first time writing, though it is my first time writing about Dragon Age. Feel free to read and tell me what you think If it turns out well enough, I plan on writing another one, this time more adventurous and relating to spirits of faith.

 

 

Word Count: 3093

 

Spoiler

 

Boom, boom, boom, echoed through the chamber of upper Skyhold. His eyes popping open in haste, his body bolting up from the fine silken sheets. A gift from the Orlesians, always overly extravagant. More loud pounding came before the Inquisitor realized someone was knocking at his door. Not just anyone of course. He'd grown accustomed to being summoned this way, despite who he was, and could recognize that knock from anywhere.

 

"Three, two, one..."

 

On the final count, the door flew open, breaking the locks in the process and revealing the fierce presence of an armored woman at the entrance.

 

"Cassandra," he said, smiling beneath his golden beard.

 

"Don't 'Cassandra' me. Why didn't you answer me when I knocked at your door?"

 

The Inquisitor looked down at her hand and noticed her sword was drawn. Her expression was much more threatening than any sword in one's hand.

 

"I was sleeping... what is that, the third lock you broke this week? The wood and metal don't come cheap you know. Maybe it would if they didn't go overboard on the quality. Not everything has to be top notch."

 

Cassandra sheathed her blade, stepping closer to him. Her expression was softer now. Relieved. "You are the Herald of Andraste. Assassins from Templars, mages, demons from the ones we keep here in our hold, no matter how closely your men watch them... It all holds a significant threat. And I will not allow complacency to put your life in danger." Cassandra seemed to only notice something now, herself. The Inquisitor's blade was drawn as well.

 

"Do you always sleep in the nude?" she asked, unable to hide her smirk.

 

Smiling himself, he said, "Well, I was thinking about you and hoped you might pay me a visit at night. Now that you're here..."

 

"Sorry, no time for that," she said, throwing clothes at him and hiding her reddening cheeks. "You have guests. Patients more like. Three dozen women and children who all made pilgrimages here to see the Herald of Andraste. It's urgent business that demands your attention."

 

"Alright alright," said the Inquisitor under the assault of the flying cloth, just before Cassandra yanked him out the room and to the courtyard.

 

"Hey hey, you two! Did you use any inspiration from the book I gave you, fair Seeker?"

 

"Not right now, Varric. I have no time for your antics!" She yelled, pushing past him through the wooden quarters of Skyhold. She didn't notice the Inquisitor's wink from behind.

 

Outside, they could already hear the pleading and yelling coming from the hold's gates. Women and their children all huddled up together as Cullen and a group of his soldiers tried to keep them back and contained. "Hold! We must quarantine you here until we know it is safe to allow you passage!"

 

"But my boy, he is sick! Dying! The Inquisitor can save us, if only you'd let us see him, I'm sure!"

 

"We cannot be sure of that. I am the acting Templar here in Skyhold, and I will not allow you to come inside until I am certain that-"

 

"Stand aside, Cullen! I will inquire for myself. That is what I'm here for, after all."

 

Gasps at the booming deep voice came from the women and children, hoping against all hope that this was the man who they'd sought all this time. Forgetting Cullen's presence as he stepped past his bowing head, their eyes settled on the other blonde man. This one in simple fitting tan officer garments, his moderate beard complementing his gaunt face, shrouded in his golden hair, the color of Andraste's light, herself. His blue eyes seemed to pierce them like ice as they gazed on him, a more dominating figure than anyone around, even without armor.

 

His face melted from an assertive glare to a kind smile. Yes, this was him. This was the Herald of Andraste.

 

"Let me have a look at you," he said to the fairly aged woman at the front. His smile left him now in place of concern upon his face. "I can sense dark magic over you remnant of that from the rifts. What happened?"

 

"Demon attacks, m'lord. We fled our villages after rifts releasing demons from them overtook us. Our husbands... they tried to defend us. But the rifts just kept releasing more and more. This green mist kept pouring from it, and the magic from it has tainted us somehow, made us weak and feeble. We only managed to get away because of the men in our town. Please. Our chantry lady told us that Andraste herself would come to heal our affliction if only you could lay your blessed hand upon our heads."

 

The Inquisitor listened tentatively, though he didn't seem happy with what they were asking. This Herald of Andraste thing bothered him greatly. But for them, and for Cassandra, he would play his role well. They needed it. And perhaps, he needed to believe it too. "You have come to seek my help, and I shall grant it. Come. Let me lay my hands on you and see if Andraste's will is with us. I will do my best, but I can't promise it will work."

 

"It will work, it will! You are her chosen!" said the woman, running up to him closer than Cassandra would have liked, for more reasons than the Inquisitor's mere safety.

 

Smiling as his arm went around her shoulder, he slowly placed his hand upon her head, glowing stronger as it got closer. He could see the green light reflecting from her eyes as she watched his hand's decent on her in awe. Light flickered and flew from his hand, filling her with whatever energy flowed from it. She lost the energy in her legs and would have fallen, but his strong arms held her.

 

"It's done. I sense no demonic presence within or around you any longer."

 

A cheer erupted from the crowd and some of the women tried grabbing at him in a frenzy before Cassandra stepped forward and said, "Enough! The Inquisitor will get to all of you soon, one at a time! Hands off!"

 

"It's fine, Cassandra," he said, hand finding her back as he stood next to her to calm her down. When his hand went lower, however, he soon found her hand on his head, though in her case, it was shaped as a fist. More gasps from the crowd came.

 

"Hey! You cannot hit the blessed Herald of Andraste!"

 

Used to her surprise swings, he turned and deflected the worst of it. "It's fine, don't worry. Now, if you'll all please do as the woman said, I'll come to meet with you all in person once you've had some food and rest. I'll get to you soon, I promise. Now..."

 

Cassandra had already walked off by the time he'd turn to speak with her. Sighing, he said to Cullen, "What a difficult woman to deal with."

 

Cullen said, "Yes, well. You like a challenge, am I right? There's your challenge. Personally, I'd have all I could handle with rifts, demons and Corypheus to deal with. But that's why I'm not the Inquisitor, heh. Have fun with that, friend."

 

Smiling, he said, "Speaking of everything I already have on my table, this sickness of theirs. That's something you yourself could have dispelled as a Templar, isn't it?"

 

Cullen gave a rare mischievous smile and said, "Perhaps, perhaps not, Trevelyan. But they wanted the Herald. How could I deny you to them? The more people that believe, the better, I say."

 

"And if it didn't work?"

 

Turning away, he said, "You heard what the woman said. Now, better attend to Pentaghast before she gets impatient."

 

The Herald took Cullen's advice and quickly ran off to find her. He went to the very spot that she always went to when she was upset about something. It was always either the practice dummy area, or by the window in the building opposite of the tavern. That's where they often ran off to for spending time together. Ever since he had the men continue their training in the courtyard. Some of the others began to complain about the sound of steel clanging against steel, but for he and Cassandra, the sound from the window as they watched in secret was calming. She'd close her eyes with him behind her, strong arms around her body as she let the sound relax her while his kisses sent shivers down her neck.

 

The thought made him warm in his gut, and he longed to be with her again. This blasted job of his always seemed to get in the way of that. Going there now, Trevelyan's stomach sank when he found her absent from their private spot. "Blast it. I was sure she'd be here. What is it with her, anyway?"

 

Giving up, he made his way back to his chambers, cursing the size of the place, as all the walking it took to get back to his room gave him plenty of time to torture himself over her. By the time he got back, his eyes raised at the sight of her standing at the ledge outside his room.

 

"Cassandra," he called from behind her.

 

Looking away from the frosted mountains, she said, "Don't 'Cassandra' me. Do not disrespect me in front of the men just because you've sheathed your sword in me once."

 

"Twice," he said with a smirk. Cassandra's face said she wasn't amused. As her head turned back, he said, "Disrespect you? Is that what you call public showing of affection?"

 

Sighing, she said, "It's... It's just hard for me. You are the Herald of Andraste. And I am a simple seeker..." shaking her head, she said, "It... feels wrong. And I cannot allow the soldiers to think I've gone..."

 

"What, weak? Is that what you think I've done? And if it feels so wrong, why are you here?"

 

Cassandra turned around fully to see him, though as her body faced him, her eyes glanced away. "It's just... I don't feel worthy of you. I've done terrible things as a Seeker that I thought was for the service of the Maker. But after reading that tome, I..."

 

"Listen here, Cassandra. I am just a man. And Herald or not, I know you are worthy of me, because I said you are. Andraste, the Maker, they have no say in that." He stepped closer to her now, and closer again until his body pressed against hers, her back at the stone rails keeping her from falling over. "I am but a man. A man with emotions... and desires."

 

Smiling now, she said nervously, "And I am but a woman with worries, self consciousness and self doubt. And...."

 

"And desires?" he said, smirking.

 

Returning the smirk, she said, "Maybe. But..."

 

"No buts." His hands went around her waist as he silenced her with his mouth. They began quickly stripping eachother, but when his hands traveled down her spine again, she pushed him away once more.

 

"No, stop."

 

"What's wrong now, Cassandra? Why do you resist giving what you've already gifted me?"

 

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm just stubborn. It's the warrior in me. I can't just submit without at least giving a good fight."

 

"You're saying you want me to fight for it?"

 

"No, that's not quite what I..."

 

The inquisitor seized her again, pushing her back on the stone. She had to wrap her hands around his neck for risk of falling, though his hands were firmly wrapped around her waist still. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyes panicked.

 

"You better hold on, Seeker."

 

"I will," was all she could say. He was in command. He always was. She let him kiss at her neck and fondle her finally, giving in to the uneasy feeling in her lower regions as his hands gripped her firm cheeks fiercely. She was slick since the minute that his hands were on her, and the cool mountain air hardened her nips, which he tugged at with his mouth while she still sat on the rails. His fingers traveled down and soon made their way within her. The sensation a foreign one to one who was so rarely touched in such a manner, even by herself. When his head traveled down to help with what his blessed hand was doing, the Seeker's will faded completely as her head rolled back to see the great mountain range.

 

His tongue trailed her strong powerful legs towards her dark center, licking at the glistening wetness coming from her trembling core. Oh how marvelous her legs looked, legs of a woman used to marching long distances in heavy attire. The benefits of bedding a soldier were many. The cold air stung his ears, a strong contrast from the feel of her warmth at his mouth. Even with the shriek of wind, he could hear her voice clearly in his ears as her strong hands gripped his head, working it and his mouth with her leg wrapped fiercely around his neck and back.

 

She thought she actually fell over for a second as he lifted her away toward his bed, still straddling his shoulders. Throwing her on her stomach and parting her legs, she could feel him parting her within, her body as stubborn as she had been earlier. But as always, her stubbornness was no match for his command, and she soon felt him budding deep. 

 

When he first had at her, she panicked. She did not like this feeling of vulnerability that he brought, and yet she could not go without it for long. It was the same now as he jutted within her, her cheeks clapping at his pelvis, taking away her senses with each movement. She was beginning to lose herself again and panic from the overwhelming feeling moving throughout her limbs, and for a while, she could have sworn that she was feeling the power that he commanded with his hand going through her.

 

"Stop, stop this," she said. She wanted him to do anything but stop, and he knew it. Instead, he grabbed at the short dark hair of her head and moved deep, forcing out the buried vulnerability that she fought so hard to hide. But like anything, she could not keep it from him long. Her moans and pants turned to yells and screams as she quaked and quivered around his skin, and the burning at her center had radiated through her, wetting his new silk sheets in her sweat and quaking center as she collapsed beneath him.

 

"I'm not done yet," he said in her ear in his deep commanding voice. She knew it, because she could still feel him through her very center.

 

"Good. I want more, but... I can't move my legs."

 

Grinning, he flipped her over and laid next to her, helping her climb over him as they kissed. He was strong, and moved them both in his gyrating before she eventually took the reins. Rocking back and forth, her arms pinning him down, she looked at him with the same ferocity that she had earlier. "I saw how you held that woman."

 

Finding it hard to speak, he fought out the words, "It was... just showmanship. You're not mad are you?"

 

"Hmph," was all she answered with, riding him harder, as if in revenge for what he'd made her feel not too long ago. "You're mine. As long as you know that, I'm fine. Now.. no more words."

 

He was happy to comply, as he couldn't speak much anyway with her tightening herself on him with those powerful legs of hers. Sitting atop him crouched, she rubbed her hands along his chest, sighing and crying out again as he did the same. The whole bed shook violently beneath her, and soon the Inquisitor called her name as he squished her shaking ass between his brutish hands. "Cassandra... by the Maker...."

 

"Don't Cassandra me," she said, smirking. "And don't mention him. If he or the most holy could see me now, I... I don't care anymore!" she yelled. Falling to her back, she let him take her once more, riding against his thrusts, grinding against his pelvis until they both let themselves go over the edge like they almost did at his window. She heard his hard grunts in his ear and felt the comforting warmth of his seed pouring from deep within her. Both of them wet and dirty together, laying in their perspiration, limbs tangled.

 

After a while, her breath returned, but she still laid there under him, indecent and soiled. And feeling all the better for it.

 

"Does this still feel wrong, Seeker?"

 

Smiling, she said low, almost like a whisper. "Yes. But... I realize that maybe that's partly why I love it so much. The holy Herald of Andraste, hot beneath my body... succumbing to the wiles of my womb. I get to do what all those other women only dream about." Looking up into his piercing icy eyes, she ran a finger over his scar. Likely from a lesser man who was jealous of them, and sought to remove it in battle. "I only allow this because I know you care. I feel it. But then, you make everyone feel that way. Even the mages after you'd conscripted them. That is nothing short of amazing, love."

 

"I do care, Cassandra. About them... about you. You were always at my side, from the beginning. That's why this doesn't feel wrong for me. It feels natural."

 

"In the beginning, I was your interrogator. And if not for Leliana, I'd have been your torturer."

 

"In other words, nothing's changed," he said.

 

"Oh shut up," she said, smiling as she punched his chest.

 

"Heh, see what I mean? Don't be so hard on yourself. I need you, Cassandra."

 

"Yes, Inquisitor."

 

"Say my name, woman. My real name."

 

Wrapping her hand with his, the green glow shining between their embrace, she whispered it in his ear, then said, "My love."

 

"Oh Maker, where do you get your lines, from Varric?"

 

Cassandra's face turned so red, he thought she might have a stroke. Seeing a peering eye and streak of blonde hair between the crack from the broken door, she yelled "Go away, Sera, before I have your head on a pike above the battlements!"

 

"Na ha!" was all they heard, followed with the sound of the elf beating feet before Cassandra broke the door open in the opposite direction.

 

 

For Reviews if you'd prefer to share thoughts elsewhere:

 

https://www.fanficti...ins-of-a-Seeker

Brilliant haha i can definitely see Cass acting like that.

 

Disappointed that you failed to mention the part when one of those people mistook your Inquisitor for Bartrand though :-)

[Colonelkillabee]

Brilliant haha i can definitely see Cass acting like that.

 

Disappointed that you failed to mention the part when one of those people mistook your Inquisitor for Bartrand though :-)

I unfortunately wrote this much before that happened in our thread, but maybe in my next story

[Colonelkillabee]

Also, if anyone has ideas for something involving Cass, almost like a request, then I might write that out as well. No promises though, but there's a gross gross shortage of Cass fanfic out there! Gotta represent.

[Colonelkillabee]

The Rift Between Us

 

Word Count: 4,625

 

Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanficti...Rift-Between-Us

 

Spoiler

"Boss. Boss! Wake up!"

 

"Nnnh, go awaaay..."

 

"I said wake up!"

 

Before the Inquisitor could protest further, the Qunari did the one thing that he told him not to do. Pick him up like a child.

 

As the ox-man toted him out from his tent, Trevelyan said, "I'm gonna saw these horns off your head in your sleep!" He elbowed Iron Bull in his temple a few times before poking him in his good eye, which finally did the trick. On his feet again, he said, "What the hell is all this about?"

 

"Aw, is it over? I was content to keep watching, but I thought I was the only one that gets lifted by big strong types around here?" Of course, that was Dorian, poking a curious finely sculpted head from out of his tent.

 

"Next time, Dory. Promise."

 

"Sorry to cut in, lovebirds. But what the hell is wrong with you?"

 

"I want a sparring partner of course."

 

Trevelyan looked at him incredulously. "At this time of night? I'd rather get my rest, I'll be dealing with old chantry ladies all day tomorrow..."

 

"Which is why you need to work out your aggression now, boss. Trust me."

 

"Well, I'm up now and I can't go back to sleep, so you might as well give it a go, Herald. Maybe it can work something else out too..."

 

The Herald ran a hand through his long blonde hair the way he always did when he was bashful. "What are you insinuating exactly? That I can't go a night or two without being with Cassandra? That's ridiculous. We're not animals, we can control ourselves."

 

Iron Bull cleared his throat and said, "Oho really? Sera painted a very different picture to us..."

 

"I'm going to hang that elf up by her ears... ugh. Listen, Cass and I aren't like that. We're more than that. We're..."

 

He paused, unable to put in words what he was trying to convey. How do you tell another that you feel like your soul is laid bare when you stare into her eyes? That every word she speaks is like the smell of honey in the breeze. He certainly couldn't tell them that the last time they made love, when he was already spent and his **** gone limp, that he stayed there nuzzling her nose and the scar on her wet tear covered cheek, because it was the feeling of ultimate nearness that he loved the most about being with her, rather than the ecstasy she brought him. Though that part was certainly a plus.

 

His mind went back to the tears now, and how he matched hers. The taste of salt between sorrowful kisses. She was the only woman that he ever let see him so weak. Not that he had much of a choice. Even now with his mission to reclaim her before the chantry sank their talons in her hide for good, he couldn't help but feel as though it was fruitless. And that their last night together was truly their last.

 

"Nevermind. You said you wished to spar, so lets spar. Will Vivienne be bothered with all the noise?"

 

"Who, that ******?"

 

"Hey, Bull, she'll hear you!" said Dorian in harsh whispers.

 

"She can't hear me, she's got the inside of her tent covered in silence wards. Said she couldn't handle my snoring. Whatever."

 

"I can hear everything you're saying, and I think a good spar will do the Herald some good. Do have fun, my dear. Try not to kill him before I get the chance." None of them were certain she was joking.

 

"Told you," said Dorian.

 

"Ooh, uh, I knew she could hear, I was kidding..."

 

"We gonna stand around chattering like housewives or are we going to do this? No weapons, just fists." Trevelyan yanked his shirt off and cast it aside in the grass, dancing on the balls of his feet, ready to go.

 

Iron Bull laughed and said, "You sure? Just fists? Maybe you should put your armor on f-"

 

Trevelyan cut him off with a swift jab before dancing away. "You won't be able to touch me."

 

Iron-Bull lost his grin. "If that's how you want it. Remember, I'm not Cassandra."

 

"I'll be sure to tell her you said that after I kick your ass. I'm sure she'll want her turn too," said Trevelyan.

 

"More than enough Bull to go around," said Dorian, smirking from the sidelines.

 

The Herald was committed to do what he promised, but even this failed to get his mind off of that fiery Seeker. Especially when Bull referenced a day that lead to one of his favorite moments with her.

 

It was on a night just like this one. Cool, dry. The sky clear, minus the clouds that surrounded the scar from the breach, that is. And Cassandra, Cassandra was in his face as usual, making sure he stayed in shape, with her boot as the hammer and chisel.

 

"Is that all you can do? Maybe you should try being a mage with that mark, swordplay just isn't your thing," she taunted.

 

"My sword's already pierced you before, so my sword play must not be so bad after all," said Trevelyan, laughing before dodging an upper cut that took off an inch of his hair. Cassandra caught his fist in her gut, but returned the attack with a smack from her shield. The Herald managed to boot her away before she could follow up, however.

 

Now it was her turn to laugh. "Haha, Cullen was saying you could use a haircut. A little off the top never hurt anyone."

 

"I agree," he said, snickering as he pointed his sword. Cassandra looked up for a split second against her will, the idea of losing any of the little hair she had not at all ideal. She figured he was tricking her of course, but that split second was enough to close in and catch her off guard. She blocked the first blow, then the second from his shield. Arms locked, Trevelyan assaulted her scarred cheek and her lips with his before dashing away to avoid her headbutt.

 

"Hahaha, now. You missed me, but I already kissed thee... so what do I get now instead?"

 

"Grrrah!" Cassandra suddenly switched hands, holding her sword on the left and her shield on the right, a seamless transition for one who was ambidextrous like her.

 

Trevelyan was amused, though he had to admit it was considerably harder fighting her like this, as the sweat of his brow soon attested to. He made a jab for her chest, but Cassandra easily slapped it aside now that her sword was on the same side as his. After following up with a smack to his face with her shield, and as his blade flew from his hand, Cassandra closed in with a grin on her face. The Herald did the only thing he could.

 

Dropping to the ground on his back, Trevelyan kicked hard at her front leg, knocking her off balance immediately while the momentum made her drop on top of him. They rolled around for a while until her shield was beneath them and the Inquisitor had her pinned. She still had her sword, but before she could lift it, his fade touched hand had her pinned as well. It was over.

 

"I win," said the Herald, smiling down at her with those same blue eyes, brighter than any of the stars that illuminated the night sky behind him.

 

Grabbing his coat's red collar with her free hand, she said, "I'm not so sure," smiling mischievously as she pulled him down where her lips could reach him.

Iron Bull and Solas were still asleep at camp, so she knew she could have her way with him. She knew what was on his mind from the motions in his hips, which she encouraged with her own. Before she knew it, she had his belt unfastened, but when his hands moved to do the same for her, she put a hand to his chest and said,

 

"Wait. Stop."

 

"This again?" he said, grinning down at her before moving close once more.

 

"No, I mean it this time. This... isn't how I want this. I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."

 

Sitting up, he played it off and said, "Well, nothing yet. Heh, don't worry. I understand."

 

Cassandra smiled before scooting close, laying her head on his shoulder before closing her eyes. "I'm just not used to all of this. We're like a couple of irresponsible teenagers."

 

"Like those kids back at the dam in Crestwood?"

 

"Hmph, yes. Exactly like that. You should have been more stern with them, Trev."

 

He turned towards her as his head rested on hers, running his left finger over her cheek. "Come now, I know you understand the attraction to danger. We're warriors after all, are we not?"

 

Smiling softly at his touch, she opened her right eye slightly, peering into the mark on his palm. "Yes. I get it," she said. "You yourself are a dangerous man. Even before this thing was placed on your hand. Am I right?"

 

"What makes you say that?" he asked, running a hand through his blonde hair...

 

Running her hand over his face this time, she said, "The scar over your eye. How did you get it?"

 

The Herald touched it briefly, exhaling in relief and said, "This? I don't remember exactly, to be honest. It must have happened in the fade after the conclave. It wasn't there before. Maybe from one of those spiders..."

 

Cassandra's eyes widened like those of owls in rare shock. "Did you really? How appropriate, then."

 

"How so?"

 

"It reminds me of the Breach," she said. "The scar in the sky it left with the Breach at its center. How... convenient. That a man like you happened to wander where you did, then emerging with a scar like that. How can anyone doubt. The Maker has marked you in many more ways than this one. Surely you see that."

 

"I see lots of things," he said after a pause. "I see that the beautiful woman who imprisoned and briefly interrogated me soon became my adviser, lover and friend, for instance. That is the handiwork of the Maker that I have come to know and love."

 

"You are... too much," she said, closing her eyes again as her cheeks reddened. "Do you truly find me beautiful? Not many have told me that before. I know I what I am. That I seem... rough."

 

"Of course I do. That scar can't hide your radiant skin, or those adorable expressions you make."

 

"This again? I am not adorable. Stop telling Varric that you think I'm adorable. He... looks at me different now."

 

Laughing, he said, "But you ARE adorable! The way you bite your lower lip when you're really angry, or that little knot between your brow when you frown. The little half smiles you make."

 

"Auck, enough already," she said, showing that same little half smile he just mentioned.

 

"How did you get that scar, anyway?" he asked, granting her mercy from his compliments momentarily.

 

Sighing, she said, "It depends on who you ask. Some will tell you I got it from the dragon I fought, directly from its own claw as I shielded the Divine from its onslaught. Sometimes, I think it best to let them think what they want."

 

"Heh, I agree. I admit, I too would like to imagine you got it from a dragon, Pentaghast."

 

"And I like to imagine that you got yours from some jealous bandit who wanted your eyes. They are so beautiful, you know."

 

"I do," he said, smirking. That got a disgusted scoff from Cassandra, and a laugh from him. "I love when you do that."

 

"I bet you love when I hit you as well," she said.

 

"But of course. It's exciting."

 

"I'll be sure to remember not to stop, then," she said as she took his hand into hers.

 

Watching her expression as the light from his anchor reflected in her eyes, he said, "Does it frighten you, Cassandra? I see the way you look at it sometimes. The way you look at me, when using it."

 

"Sometimes, yes," She admitted. "How can I not?"

 

"But weren't you with a mage before? Surely you're used to things like this on some level."

 

"You are no mage, love. And I was only with him briefly, and a long time ago."

 

Biting his lip, Trevelyan said, "And you don't miss him? Not even a little? I... heard that mages... you know. Have some interesting tricks..."

 

Turning to him with blushed cheeks again, she almost couldn't control her laughter. "Are you jealous? And asking me about... No, no, no. It was nothing so fancy... it was all rather... formal."

 

"Mm, sorry to hear that," he said, smirking to himself.

 

"Oh I'm sure you are, heh. Hey... wait a minute, why did you smile when you said that? Were you asking me this from experience?"

 

"What are you asking exactly?" said Trevelyan, running his hand through his hair again.

 

"You were with a mage too, weren't you? I knew it! You always run your hand through your hair when you're nervous!"

 

"Cassandra, it was a long time ago, I promise. Back when my parents first tried throwing Templar life on me. I was the youngest, and that was the fate of many bastards and those not first born in the Trevelyan family. Meanwhile I met a girl in Ostwick, an apostate. I saw her working magic to start a fire in secret. She caught me staring, but she wasn't afraid. I promised not to tell... then we talked. Eventually did more than talk and... Anyway, long story short, my family eventually found out after following me. I helped her escape, and told them I would never become a templar... and they never forgave me for it. We shared one night together. Nothing exotic."

 

She wasn't sure if she believed him, but she kissed him for saying this anyway. "I am sorry."

 

"Don't be. Like I said, it happened a long time ago. Before Fiona, the magisters and Redcliffe," he said, reminding her of the conscription. "So don't think I regret anything."

 

Another pause came between them, and for a time the two simply sat beneath the fringe to enjoy eachother's company, Trevelyan kept thinking about her words on his mark however, wishing that she wouldn't be so intimidated by it. Though how could he wish that on her when at times, even he was afraid? Especially him.

 

"Psst. Still awake?"

 

"I am..." she said warily. "What's going through that head of yours?"

 

"Oh nothing. Just wondering if you want to do something stupid and irresponsible like those kids from Crestwood."

 

"I... hey, wait!" She yelled, as he pulled her along through a nearby forest. Giggling like a young girl the entire way, she let herself be carried along by the man who held her fate in his hands. Ignoring that they'd left their weapons behind momentarily. That only seemed all the more foolish when they finally reached their destination.

 

Eyes wide again, Cassandra said, "Maker's Bride, what has gotten into you, fool? That is a rift!"

 

"Shhh, don't worry, we're not close enough for it to bother us," he said. "We'll stay right here behind these trees so we can watch from afar. Look at it. Isn't it beautiful when it's not spewing demons at us?"

 

"I... suppose..." she said, giggling again when she felt his mouth at her neck from behind her. She jumped at the feeling of his hand at her hips. The mark burst in a sudden surge of energy that sent shivers up her spine. "So that's what it feels like," she said in a whisper, still very much enjoying his kisses at her neck.

 

"That's what it feels like. Solas told me that it reacts like this any time the fade is especially thin. It feels like an earthquake radiating from the palm of my hands. It gave me an idea. Do you trust me, Pentaghast?"

 

Eyes still on the green glow before her, and with the shivers up her back paralyzing her, she wrapped an arm around his head and said, "I do."

 

"Good."

 

As she continued to watch, Trevelyan quickly stripped them both of their armor, something he'd gotten very proficient at doing for her, then quickly seized her from behind once more. Hands running up and down her shirt, he squeezed and kneaded her breasts, savoring the sound of her moans as he did, and the feeling of her whole body jerking at the feeling of his mark reverberating through her.

 

He pulled at her earlobes with his lips as his fade touched hand slid slowly down to her loins. His fingers traced over the little bridge between her legs, patting playfully at the chubby mound of flesh he could feel puffed up between his fingers. He gave them a little playful squeeze, and then the mark came to life once more, causing her legs to buckle. She had both hands behind her and around his neck now, holding on for dear life as his fingers taunted her, twisting at her through the fabric and rubbing at her nub until the moistness was thick to the touch.

 

He could feel the wetness at the back of his hand from her cloth as his fingers crept down beneath her undergarments like a spider over her skin. Slowly, the couple crept a little closer towards the rift, until the light coming from his hand was constant. His fingers played at her nub once more, and the feeling vibrating through them made her unable to concentrate on anything but the burning in her core that begged for him to prod her further like the blade of mercy that ended Andraste's life.

 

And finally, she too was granted this mercy as his fingers slowly slid between her with the sounds of her wet skin being parted by them. The reaction was almost instant. The feeling awoke something in her she'd never felt so keenly before, and soon she could not see the rift, only blinding white light as her pleasure caused her to grunt and moan loudly into the night. She ground her backside against him hard as his fingers went knuckle deep. Soon, there was no feeling in her legs left, and the Seeker dropped to her knees on the forest floor.

 

Across from this rift, the two were too busy to notice that a figure with a staff was looking right at them, with eyes so wide they threatened to pop. Or at least, they were wide for him. With red cheeks now of his own, the figure watched briefly and said, "The key, is he... he wouldn't! Ma inan.." before shuffling off in the opposite direction, not looking back.

 

"Oh Maker, take me..." she said as she laid there, oblivious to any spying eyes, and spreading her own rift between them for deeper excavation. His pants dropped beneath his ankles, and he toyed with her some more. He wriggled a single finger through her before budding at her secret skin with his head before finally slipping past the squish of her inner flesh.

 

Both their breaths caught at the same time, and the Herald said her name in her ear as he stretched himself over her back. His hand reached around and found her nub again as he moved deeper within. Now he too could feel the vibrations that invaded her wet thick center. It made the hairs at his sack tingle with energy, and brought heat throughout his every fiber. Between this and his thickness between her legs, the shudders from satisfaction came quick, as did he not long after, both with the sight of the rift in their eyes.

 

Pulling himself out slow as she turned to her back, he watched tentatively as he leaked out from her, running his fingers over it all as he cleaned them in her coarse hairs. Smiling up at him, she grabbed his hand, sucking at his fingers until they were completely clean. Pulling him close so that his greater weight was felt all around her like a heavy and warm blanket, she said, "You better not fail, Trevelyan. Do you understand? You better not let that... freak take you from me."

 

"Nothing will take you from me, Seeker. I promise."

 

"Good. Because after that, I don't think I can ever be satisfied with another man," she said, laughing with no inhibition. "That... I don't know what that was. Other worldly."

 

Kissing at her scarred cheeks before staring into her eyes, he said, "I told you. Danger. I just wanted you to remember something good when you look at my mark. I can't stand seeing you fearful of me, even if it is only a little."

 

"Your mark isn't you. I could never be afraid of you. Only for you. Because I love you. So promise me again. That you won't let anything get between us."

Before his lips found hers once more, he made that promise easily, not knowing that it was a promise that he almost couldn't keep.

"LET... GO!" Yelled Iron Bull at the top of his lungs, oblivious to the inner thoughts of the Herald as he gripped the Qunari's horns white knuckle tight.

 

"I don't think so, big guy, hahah! Hey Dorian, is this what it means to ride the Bull?"

 

"That's not funny!" Bull yelled as he thrashed around, unable to remove the Inquisitor from his back.

 

"Ehem... ehem!" said a man suddenly, trying to gain the attention of the... odd group of individuals before him. In a thick Orlesian accent, the man said, "Excuse me, but are you with the Inquisition?"

 

Finally letting go of Bull, the Herald said, "Aye, that we are. And who's asking?"

 

"And are you the Inquisitor?" the man asked again.

 

"Again... aye," said Trevelyan, showing the man his hand. He couldn't see beneath the man's yellow and black mask, but his eyes were completely transfixed on his mark.

 

"That... is unfortunate for you. Kill them all!" Suddenly, arrows were shot at the group from behind the Orlesian man, but Vivienne burst from the tent in a dash before shrouding them all in her protective wards.

 

"We should have expected this deary," said the mage as a group of Templars came charging at them to overtake the camp.

 

"I didn't even know anyone knew we were coming! But no matter, they will die. All of them."

 

"Oh that's good. Of all the ways I expected to die, being killed by the hands of Templars was not high on my list. They're not even red Templars."

 

The Inquisitor threw his coat and chainmail on while Dorian and Vivienne kept the Templars at bay. Dorian erected an electrical field, trapping and paralyzing two armored men while forcing the others to go around. Vivienne cut down the first three that went around and got too close with a blade of magic so bright, it seemed to contain the sun that withheld day from them. Their wounds offered no blood, as the magic itself was so intense, it burned the flesh shut as it passed through it. This didn't help any of them as they fell to pieces at her feet, however.

 

When sword and shield was in hand, the Inquisitor jumped before them both, holding back the men long enough for Bull to jump between them and cause chaos with his great blade. Ignoring the cuts, Iron Bull easily put the soldiers into disarray, and once the formation was broken, they were picked off, thanks to Bull and Trevelyan keeping them out of reach of the mages with their Templar magic.

 

"Didn't forget about me, did you?" came a voice from behind Vivienne. Turning, they saw the same man with the black and yellow mask with a dagger at her neck.

 

"Back! Back I say! I know you intend to make her Divine! A mage!"

 

"Don't make any sudden moves. Wouldn't want to do anything stupid, now would we? Again, I should say," said Dorian.

 

"You keep your mouth shut, or the ****** dies right here and now!" said the man, though it was obvious that he was planning this anyway. Why he chose to take her hostage though, the Herald wasn't sure. "Kill the Inquisitor, then I let her live."

 

"Ah, so that's why you didn't just kill her outright. That's not happening," said Iron Bull. "You'll just kill her anyway."

 

"Don't do as I say and she dies right now!"

 

"Just kill him already," said Vivienne. "I'll be fine."

 

"No! No you will not, I swear it! I will not allow a mage to be Divine, so long as I draw breath!"

 

Trevelyan had a twinkle in his eye suddenly when he realized why Vivienne said what she did. The man didn't notice the turquoise spell glowing in her hand...

 

"As long as you draw breath? Well then lets do something about that," he said, lifting his glowing pulsating hand and pointing straight at the assassin. "Now!" He yelled, just as a rift appeared at the Orlesian's back. Vivienne immediately cast a barrier spell, protecting her from his cut as she broke from his grasp. Before he knew what happened, the Inquisitor was already there, booting his ass into the void of the fade. He screamed the entire way down, but his screams were cut off as the Inquisitor sealed the rift for good.

 

"Ha! I would have preferred we killed him, but that works as well. No clean up," said Bull.

 

"Yes yes, it was a neat trick, but now we're only left with questions," said Vivienne. "We should have kept him alive and questioned him first to see who else in the Chantry is out to kill me."

 

"Wait, weren't you the one that said we should just kill him?" asked Dorian.

 

"Well, yes, but I was the distraught party in all this, was I not?"

 

"Seemed pretty calm to me," said Bull. "In any case, she's right. We have no plan and we're going in blind. There could be a lot more assassins out to kill us if they already know our intention. Probably more spies in Skyhold."

 

"You're wrong, Bull, we do have a plan. We've got men in Val Royeaux, and we have people loyal to us. We're going to rally my soldiers, storm the city, and march right into the heart of the Stormburst throne. We're going to find Cassandra, convince her to put Vivienne on the throne, and I'll do it, even if it means tearing down every last wall of the city, piece by piece. Lets show the Chantry what happens when they anger the Herald of Andraste."

 

Author's note: I recommend looking up the video "Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (HD Lyric Video)" on Youtube. You'll understand when you read the lyrics.

 

edit: Since this isn't FFnet, I can just post it, lol:

 

[Colonelkillabee]

Take Pride:

 

Word Count: 5238

 

Fanfiction Link: https://www.fanficti...86/1/Take-Pride

 

There's also relevant info in these stories though you can just read the summary if you wish:

 

Spoiler

Background (summary): https://www.fanficti...background-post

 

Fire and Ice: https://www.fanficti.../1/Fire-and-Ice

 

No Bloodshed: https://www.fanficti.../1/No-Bloodshed

 

Art for this is on my profile, by RoyalRel.