ã€ŠDawn of Beginningã€‹


 Chapter One

    In the state of Oregon, a young woman in her early twenties lives with her mother in a one story house. She has a part time job in retail as a sales associate which she was okay at, more or less. When the young woman wasn¡¯t working, she spent her time playing video games or reading books. Sirena is definitely an indoors person. It is the reason why her skin is very pale; she hardly gets any vitamin D due to lack of sun. She also likes to keep to herself. In her mind it means less pain to deal with from people.

    Since today was her day off from work, Sirena stared at the big screen television her mom bought before she got a divorce from her father. She held the PlayStation four dual shock controller in both her hands playing one of her favorite games: Dragon Age Inquisition. When she heard the soft purr of a car pull up into the driveway, she peeked over the windowsill and saw her mother¡¯s black 2015 Chevy Malibu pulling in. Sirena removed one of her hands from the controller she was playing with and waved to her mom. Her mother had just come home from work and she looked exhausted. Sirena stretched out her arm to open the white front door for her now only parent figure who wasn¡¯t much of a parent figure anymore, but more so a close friend; one that actually raised her. As soon as her mom entered the house, Sirena asked her questions since she was genuinely curious about her mother¡¯s day.

    ¡°How was your work day eomma (mom)?¡±

    ¡°It was alright; just a very busy day. What did you do all day?¡±

    ¡°Well you are sort of looking at it, though I did clean the nasty cat shit in the litter pan. Who would have thought a cat could have so much poo in his system?¡± Sirena said with semi disgust while her mother shook her head because of her use of language.

    ¡°He¡¯s a cat, what did you expect?¡±

    ¡°Not as much shit was what I was expecting.¡± Her mother let out sigh as she walked over to the dining room table to set her black purse and keys down. Sirena went back to her game, getting sucked into the battles and challenges. Her hearing picked up on her mother sitting on the love seat to watch the gameplay. With a soft little sigh, she saved the game and put the PS4 on rest so she could recharge the controller she was playing with. She looked over to her mother with a big grin on her face.

    ¡°Want to go do something? It beats being in the house all night long.¡± Sirena suggested to her mother while watching for her reaction.

    ¡°Actually we need to do some shopping.¡± Her mom said as she got up off the love seat like she was waiting for her daughter to stop playing her game. ¡°First we got to pay the bills then we¡¯ll head to Wal-Mart.¡± Sirena let out another sigh and looked down at what she was wearing which were her pajamas still. She ran down the hall and into her room on the left side. Grabbing a pair of blue old navy jeans and a blue shiny top with a cute floral design, she also put on cute little pumps that went with the outfit. As she walked out of her room, Sirena grabbed her black purse that looked designer but she didn¡¯t know if it was or wasn¡¯t nor did she really care as long as it went with her outfit which it did all the time since black goes with everything.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Sirena carefully walked down the hall to meet her mom by the door. As her mother, Marsha headed for the door that was open already while Sirena opened the screen door and held it open. Both the daughter and Marsha walked down the two steps past the walkway and headed straight for the shiny black car. Marsha remained on the driver¡¯s side which was on the left side and got in the car. Moving as quickly as she could in her platforms, the young woman walked to the passenger side which was on the right side of the car by American standards. She got in the car and put on her seat belt like she always did since safety was important; not to mention they would get a ticket if she didn¡¯t wear her seat belt.

    Marsha drove the car to the city¡¯s downtown to pay their bills as her daughter messed around with the radio, putting it on the Korean pop station in the satellite radio. The song that was playing was T-Ara¡¯s ¡°No.9¡± which was one of Sirena¡¯s favorite songs by the group. She sang with the words on key and was even doing an okay job at the pronunciation of the language even though it wasn¡¯t her first language. As soon as she saw her mother walk out of the building, she stopped singing with the song and leaned back against the black leather seat, acting like she was a little bored. After Marsha got back in the car, she put on her seat belt and backed out of the parking spot to drive to the nearest Wal-Mart.

    When they got to Wal-Mart, Marsha parked the car in a parking lot after finding one in the boonies which meant far away from the building where other cars did not park. Both women got out of the car and shut the door behind them. They then walked towards the store, while also being careful not to get run over and that was sometimes a difficult feat when other people were being stupid. When they made it in the building, Sirena grabbed a cart for her mother and her mother took the cart. They went through the store to pick some groceries by going through every isle to make sure they got everything they needed or wanted. Once they had everything, they walked over towards one of the checkout lines which were at the front of the store. When it was their turn to ring up, Sirena put the groceries on the counter top so the cashier could ring up the items by scanning them one at a time at a fairly quick pace. After the cashier was done scanning and bagging the items, Marsha paid for the groceries with cash while her daughter put the bags into the cart.

    Sirena grabbed the cart and pushed it to the car while her mother walked and fiddled with her purse. When they got to the car, the two women loaded the back seats with groceries they had purchased. After they were done with that, the twenty-three year old then took the cart and ran towards the cart return closest to her, pushing the cart into its place. When she saw the cart was where it was supposed to go, she ran back to the black car and got inside on the passenger side.

    It was dark out by the time they got back home. Sadly, it was too late to do anything else for the young woman. She had to work the next day, sadly. Opening the garage door, the mother then began to unload the car by taking the grocery bags out. The younger woman was then quickly helping her mother out by taking as much out as she possibly could and putting the groceries where they belong whether if it was in the fridge, freezer, and or the pantry.

    Sirena was thankful when all the groceries were put away in their places. She was tired yet she was wide awake. Walking to her bedroom, she thought to herself. ¡®I don¡¯t want to go to work tomorrow. People are freaking horrible. I really hate people at times¡­¡¯ When she got inside her bedroom, she quickly changed into her pajamas and went straight to bed while hoping the day will go fast for her.

 Chapter Two

    The morning Sirena woke up, she let out a soft groan while thinking to herself ¡®I don¡¯t want to work today¡¯. With a soft sigh, she swung her pale white legs off the bed and got up. Pulling out a pair of black skinny jeans, she put them on as well as her favorite neon pink corset with a pink and black lace overlay jacket which goes well with the store she worked in. After getting dressed, Sirena walked to the bathroom that she shared with the cat and brushed her teeth and styled her hair with spiral curls at the end of her silky blonde hair; that used to be brown before she had it professionally colored. When she looked into the mirror, blue-green eyes stared back at her. With a calculating look, she applied black eye liner to bring out her eyes more. Sirena wanted to look presentable even when she works in the evening. She hated to work in the evenings due to bratty teenagers and rude adults who sometimes come in.

    Leaving her shoes off for the time being, the young woman walked out to the living room and decided to watch some television while reading a book called <u>Blue Bloods</u> which is about a teenager who was born a vampire. The vampires are also known as fallen angels. Schyler, the main character, had a purpose in her life which was to save the other vampires/angels. Sirena had read the book series at least twice. It always made her imagine the feelings the main character goes through in the whole series.

    When Sirena looked at the clock, she realized it was lunch time so she got up off the couch and walked over towards the kitchen to make food since she could hear her stomach growl at her. The young woman grabbed something that would tie her over for a late dinner since she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat at 5 PM. She made some chicken nuggets and stir fry vegetables. As she was eating her lunch, she thought to herself. ¡®I have to get some Asian food later; I¡¯m craving it like crazy right now.¡¯ She pulled out her galaxy S5 which had a white case with pink cherry blossoms; she wanted to see if she had received any messages. When she saw the screen, she decided to send a text to her mother.

    ¡°Are you up for some Chinese tonight?¡± Sirena sent the text but had to wait a couple of minutes before she got a text back.

    ¡°Sure¡±

    ¡°Great! I¡¯m paying eommani (mother).¡± She laughed to herself since part of her message was in Korean. Though it was Romanization instead of Hangul (Korean text) since her phone couldn¡¯t text Hangul correctly.

    ¡°No, you are not going to pay.¡± Sirena laughed again at her mother¡¯s reaction to her comment about paying. It was something her and her mother often fought over; the bill.

    ¡°Oh, yes I am.¡± She responded back before putting her phone away while smirking. Sirena and her mother really had a strange relationship for a mother and daughter; they were like best friends. When Sirena looked at the clock, she let out a little sigh and walked back to her bedroom to get her purse. She walked into her room and saw her cute little black platforms that didn¡¯t make her too much taller. Though, getting a bit taller wouldn¡¯t hurt her since she was 5¡¯1. Sitting down on her bed, she grabbed her shoes and put them on her feet. She then got up off the bed; walked over to her black purse and looked inside it to make sure she had her keys and wallet. After checking her purse, she slung it onto her shoulder then walked out of her room, down the hallway and out into the living room again. She made her way to the front white door and opened it. Making sure the cat wasn¡¯t around her feet or anywhere near her, she then opened the screen door as quietly as she could and walked out while closing the front door behind her. As soon as the door was shut, she turned around and locked it so no intruder could get in. Sirena walked over to the blue/purple van which she was forced to drive on a daily basis because she couldn¡¯t afford to get another vehicle and she was also going to college. As soon as she was next to the vehicle, she unlocked it manually with the van key and opened the driver¡¯s side door. In America, and other selective few countries, had the steering wheel on the left side of the vehicle which was where Sirena was sitting. She put the key in the ignition, turned the key which started the van and placed her left foot on the break so she could put the vehicle in reverse. After she had backed out of the driveway completely, she pressed her foot on the break again and changed the reverse to drive then drove off.

    After driving a few blocks to get to the mall, Sirena parked her van in the mall parking lot outside of the J.C. Penny¡¯s store. She leaned her head back against the head rest of the vehicle for a moment before getting out and going to the retail store she was currently working at. With a deep calming breath, she opened the door and hopped out and shut the door behind her. Finally walking to the big building filled with stores on the inside. When she made it to the J.C. Penny¡¯s doors she noticed an elderly woman walking up towards the entrance so she opened a door and held it open for her.

    ¡°Thank you sweetie, we don¡¯t see much kindness like this every day anymore.¡± Sirena bowed her head and smiled softly. She¡¯s a shy type, but will also speak up for something that she thinks is right with a lot of cussing so, when a stranger speaks to her, she remains quiet unless she had to speak and, in this case, she didn¡¯t have to. The young woman definitely wasn¡¯t the type to hold back unless she was at work when she had to hold her tongue. Though, she did like to respond to people who thank her even if it is quiet.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She said quietly while walking behind the little ol¡¯ lady. The elderly woman then opened the door for Sirena with a smile. She had to chuckle softly.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sirena walked through the door way as the women held the door for her. She quickly walked through the store, to get to the main mall itself so she could get to her job quickly. The young woman hated feeling late, and always liked to arrive to her destination early even if she wanted to go or not; she had been like that since she was in middle school. If she felt like she was going to be late, she¡¯d feel like she was going to go in panic mode. Striding through the mall, she headed towards the store <u>Charlotte Russe</u> in a hurry.

    Finally walking into the retail store she works at, Sirena let herself relax just a tiny bit, but she always had her guard up. Sirena made her way to the back of the store where only employees were allowed to hang out in. She then put her expensive purse in a lock/cubby where it would be safe from people stealing contents from inside it. Before closing the locker though, she grabbed her phone and put it in her back pocket in case of an emergency. She then closed the door and put her own combination lock on the locker with a smirk as she thought ¡®ha think I¡¯m gonna trust you mother fuckers. Bah!¡¯

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    With a little nod of her head, Sirena walked out of the back room and rushed over to the register to clock herself in so she can start working. The young woman mentally prepared herself for the rudeness she was about to encounter again which gave her a headache by the end of the day. Looking over at the other employee who was working with her at the time, she leaned against the counter that the register sat on as well as accessories, Sirena then asked the other employee a question.

    ¡°Got any words of advice to give me?¡±

    ¡°Not really, just be your friendly happy self¡± Kristina advised. Sirena nodded her head and put a smile on her face to make herself seem more approachable to customers. ¡®Please let there be no rude people today¡¯ she begged to some unknown higher power, knowing that mostly likely she will need to deal with more crap from random people who she will hope to never see again. As soon as she made her thought, three girls who looked to be in their teens strutted into the store laughing loudly like they wanted attention. Sirena waited for a few minutes before going to help them look for an outfit or something they might like. When she thought she gave them enough time to browse, the young fake blonde adult walked up to the trio. One of them gave her a sneering look as she looked at Sirena.

    ¡°Hello, are you finding everything okay?¡± She asked, doing her job like a good employee should do.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯d be great if we were left alone until we ask for the help. You sales people are so annoying.¡± The leader of the high school clique said while the other two girls giggled uncontrollably. Turning her back to the trio, she rolled her eyes as she thought in her head ¡®she fucking sassed me!¡¯ while she continued to move onto another customer saying the same thing each time which got tiring after awhile. Accidentally going in the same area as the three girls, the stuck up brat threw a couple pair of jeans onto the floor.

    ¡°Oops, can you get those?¡± She said smirking at Sirena. Holding a sigh and an eye roll in, she picked up the jeans with her same ¡°happy¡± fake smile and picked up the jeans. She folded the jeans back up and placed them back on the table where they belonged. Sirena quickly moved away from the girls so they couldn¡¯t bother her anymore before she muttered under her breath so no one could hear her, ¡°this is why I need something more meaningful in my life; like the Inquisitor in Dragon Age. Sadly, that¡¯s a fantasy world not reality, though I wish it were real.¡± With a soft sigh, she went back to work organizing the clothes in the dressing rooms and getting the customers checked out. Sirena kept her eyes on the three girls due to not trusting them. From the way they acted, she thought they might steal from the store. When they walked out of the store, she let out a sigh of relief though she knew she would have to deal with more people like them since there were a lot of people who thought others were beneath them.

    Later in the evening when her shift was almost over, Sirena over heard a conversation between a parent and a daughter. From what it sounded like, the daughter didn¡¯t want to wear a top that was age appropriate for her. The young woman grabbed a strapless corset with a under shirt that she would think both the mother and daughter could agree on. She walked up to them and held it up.

    ¡°Sorry, I overheard your conversation and I thought that maybe I could help¡­¡± She said while still holding the corset up for them to examine. The mother smiled with approval and nodded her head.

    ¡°Yes, I do approve of that. What do you think hun?¡± The daughter nodded her head and smiled. The girl who looked like she was fifteen took the corset and under shirt and headed to the back where the dressing rooms were located. After the girl came out of the dressing room wearing the light blue corset and white top, her mother nodded her head in approval with much more enthusiasm than before. The young teenager beamed at her mother also loving the tops. The mother turned to Sirena who had helped them come to an agreement.

    ¡°Thank you for helping miss.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome. When she is ready, I can check you out at the register.¡± Sirena said before heading to the register. When she made it back to the checkout stand, she looked up from the counter and saw the mother and daughter walking towards the checkout line. In the mother¡¯s arms, there was a pile of clothes and in the pile, she noticed the tops that she found for them. She smiled softly to herself feeling accomplished for once while working at the store as a sales associate. Sirena wrung up the clothes and folded them neatly in the <u>Charlotte Russe</u> bag.

    ¡°The total comes up to 37.75.¡± She said giving the total to the adult. The mother gave the total in cash and the associate typed it in the register which made the money drawer ¡°ding¡± open. When it popped open, Sirena jumped back out of surprise every time. Since the money was exact, she didn¡¯t have to give change back; all that needed to be done was give the receipt to the woman. After the thin smooth paper printed out, Sirena handed the woman her receipt then checked the clock and came to a realization that it was time for her to clock out from working. She quickly punched in her password and took her time slip which showed how many hours she had worked.

    Happy to be finally off work, Sirena let her face completely relax and stopped smiling. It got to the point her cheeks were starting to feel the pain from the fake smile she had to wear all evening. Since the mall itself closed in an hour after she got off, she hurriedly walked through the mall again to get to the bigger store and through J.C. Penny¡¯s again to get outside to the parking lot. She made her way to her van, unlocked it then jumped in on the driver¡¯s side. Sirena drove home, going the speed limit that were posted every now and again by the streets. When she made it home, she saw her mom¡¯s car parked in the driveway so she pulled her van next to her mother¡¯s Malibu and put the vehicle in park. Sirena opened the van door and hopped out wanting to get out of the crappy vehicle. She closed the door behind her then walked to the house door. Entering her home, Sirena called out to her mom not feeling hungry at all but just really mentally exhausted.

    ¡°Hey mom I¡¯m really sorry, but I don¡¯t feel like going out to eat. I am super tired from work today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay; we can go some other time when you¡¯re feeling up to it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me¡± she replied back before heading to her room. As soon as she saw her bed, she set her purse down and ran towards her bed and plopped down on it quickly. It was then she had an idea. She wanted her life to change for the better. Getting up off her bed, the young woman pulled out candles and set them on the floor in their holders in a pentagram fashion. She then pulled a book off her bookshelf and looked through the contents before flipping to the page she wanted to be on. Sirena sat in the middle of the candles with the book in front of her. Luckily, she didn¡¯t have to reach far when she grabbed her lighter. She spoke an incantation as she lit the candles representing each element, before casting a spell.

    After she had cast a spell, she blew out the candles and set them back to where she had them. The college student didn¡¯t believe the spell she casted would do anything, but it was worth a try. At least to her it was. Sirena then plopped herself on her bed and immediately fell asleep. Little did she know, that the spell she cast did work, just not in the way she was expecting¡­

 Chapter Three

    Startled by feeling freezing cold and wet, Sirena sat up quickly gasping. She looked around at her surroundings and saw snow covering the ground as well as a stone bridge and rocky cliffs everywhere. Getting up off the ground, she touched her hair which was obviously damp from the snow. She pulled her hair back and took the hair band from her wrist and tied her hair into a ponytail to keep her blonde locks from going poufy as she mumbled to herself.

    ¡°What hell am I living in? Where the fuck am I? Last I knew, I collapsed on my bed friggin tired from bloody work after I tried doing spell that wouldn¡¯t work. How did I end up here? What the fuck!¡± Sirena kept talking to herself as she walked to and over the stone bridge. Eventually she started to carefully jog across in her pumps. Thinking to herself about the bridge since it seemed to go on. ¡®Holy hell this bridge goes on forever.¡¯ It took her about six minutes to cross the rest of the bridge that looked like it was made in the middle ages. Sirena went back into a walk while wrapping her arms tightly around herself trying to stay warm which was very hard to do since her clothes were wet and there was a slight wind while thinking she was going to get hypothermia. As soon as she saw civilization, she let out a sigh of relief and started running towards it until she saw the trebuchets which were used back in medieval times to launch stones to destroy walls and what not. Her run slowed down to a walk as she stared at the old machinery with fascination.

    ¡°Well I now know what era I¡¯m in, sort of¡­¡± Sirena mumbled to herself while still staring at the medieval weapon. She continued to walk on the now visible dirt path when she heard a sound of metal clashing against metal. The young woman was also able to feel people watching her which gave her a creeped out feeling as well as self-conscience. Making sure she doesn¡¯t have to look at anyone stares, she kept her gaze down, causing her to see her clothes, and she could see why she was getting stared at. She could feel her cheeks burning with heat as she kept her eyes on the ground while still keeping her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Peeking up, Sirena saw soldiers wearing medieval styled armor while sparring against each other which caused her eyes to widen in wonder. She then felt a pair of eyes that felt more distinct than the others. Her blue-green eyes scanned the area where she felt the strong stare was coming from. At that moment she had found him. A man with straight dirty blonde hair, pale skin like her own, and he was wearing armor with a red and gold clothing material over his silver armor. When she was close enough to see his eyes, they were what surprised her the most; his eyes were a golden brown color that reminded her of Edward Cullen from <u>Twilight</u>. She also felt like she had seen him before but didn¡¯t know where. Sirena knew he was glaring at her with distrust since she was different and she didn¡¯t blame him either. She lowered her gaze to the ground to avoid his intimidating stare. Since he was the only one to really make eye contact with her, she took a deep breath and finally walked up to him not at all feeling confident. When she realized that she was in front of him, she placed her small hands on the front of her legs and gave a quick little bow that most Asians give when they meet someone or when they are grateful, not to mention she wasn¡¯t wearing a dress. After standing up straight again, she looked up at his face and him raising one brow at her.

    ¡°Hello, um, I would like to speak to someone who is in charge; if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Sirena said meekly as he placed one of his hand hands on the hilt of his sword and his other hand on his hip not at all giving her an answer. ¡°Or not¡­ Sorry to have bothered you.¡± She gave him a bow again then turned her back to him and started to walk away with her arms wrapped around herself again.

    ¡°Wait!¡± He called out to her while he thought to himself not really sure why he isn¡¯t letting her go on her way. ¡®What in the Maker¡¯s breath am I doing? Though I feel bad if I don¡¯t do anything, she looks like she is freezing from the way she is holding herself.¡¯ Sirena turned slowly to face him with a neutral look on her face as she looked at him.

    ¡°Ne (yes)?¡± The American spoke in Korean and from the look on his face he didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. With a soft sigh, she spoke in English since it was that language he understood.  ¡°Yes?¡± She usually liked speaking in Korean when it fits her personality.

    ¡°We don¡¯t really have anyone in charge at the moment, but I can take you to the war room so you can meet the other advisors.¡± He said with a lot of kindness instead of cruelty like she thought he would. But it was still clear that he in no way thought that she was up to any good. Sirena nodded her head and stayed where she stood so he could lead her. The man turned to one of his agents and gave him an order.

    ¡°Tell Leliana, Josephine, and the Herald of Andraste to go to the war room.¡± The agent nodded his head and ran past the young American. She noticed the man taking off his red cape that seemed to be made for the winter to keep warm. Her head tilted to the side a bit then saw him walking towards her. Squinting her blue-green eyes at him, he slowed his steps so she would know he meant no harm to her. She had trouble trusting people she did not know, as most people should, she had no idea what his true intentions might or could be if he had any. When he finally got close to her, he draped his cape over her shoulders to keep her from get any colder than she already was. With surprise, her eyes slightly widened.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said gratefully while pulling the material more tightly around her since she was freezing.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Please, follow me, otherwise you might get lost.¡± The man said as he began to walk where the agent went. Since there was a large wooden door, the military man pulled it open and held it for Sirena. She bowed her head to him then walked past him through the door that led to an area with shacks for houses and merchants. At first, Sirena thought the man was intimidating but now she thought he was nice under the harsh looks and very handsome. With those thoughts, a little smile crept up on her pale pink lips even after the gentleman walked up beside her. When he caught up with her and moved in front of her; she followed him up some stairs on a path that wasn¡¯t covered by the snow.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    They walked up to and through a church like building that had window stained glasses when it finally hit her; she now knew where she was at. ¡®Holy fucking hell, I¡¯m in the Inquisition. How the hell did I get here? How the fug is this even possible?¡¯ Sirena thought to herself as she looked up at the man now seeing why she felt like she knew him; he was Commander Cullen. When they made it to the dark wood double doors to the war room, the handsome man opened the door for her yet again.

    ¡°Thank you again.¡± She said quietly only for him to hear. She heard a soft chuckle come from him as he looked down at her.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He motioned with his hand towards the room as if he was saying ¡°after you.¡± Sirena walked into the room and saw three people waiting at the table. The man who escorted the young woman, walked past her towards the other side of the table so he was facing the doors. The women who she assumed to be the Herald of Andraste and Cassandra turned around to face her since the black haired and olive skin woman and the woman with red hair and pale skin were already staring at her which caused Sirena¡¯s face to flush red from being in the spotlight, most stared at her with distrust and she had a feeling that since she wasn¡¯t from there that they would throw her in some dungeon. Her face paled slightly and her breathing quickened as a bunch of scenarios played in her head. Seeing her distress, the Herald of Andraste walked up to Sirena and slip her arms around her in a hug while whispering in her ear so only she could hear.

    ¡°My name is Evelyn and I¡¯m going to introduce you as my cousin and I¡¯ll also try to help you fit in since your style is very unique. I will need to know your name.This is the best option since when word got out they wanted to throw you in the dungeon and interrogate you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Sirena Laurelet¡± She introduced herself in a whisper to Evelyn while they pulled apart. Just from hearing what Evelyn had told her made her want to high tail out of that place. She hadn¡¯t done anything wrong!

    ¡°Everyone this is my cousin Sirena Laurelet.¡± Evelyn brought her ¡°cousin¡± closer to the war table so everyone could get a better look at her. ¡°Sirena this is Josephine the ambassador¡± She started with the woman with black hair and olive skin then went on to introduce Sirena to the other two people. ¡°This is Cullen, the Inquisition¡¯s Commander and the one at the end is Leliana who is the spymaster. The one standing next to me is Cassandra, she¡¯s a seeker.¡± The young woman gave an Asian bow to everyone after she was introduced to them. Then it finally snapped in her brain. ¡®Wait¡­ Cousin!? So, I go from suspect to cousin!? What did I get myself into?¡¯ Mentally Sirena was having a sort of breakdown, one she hoped wasn¡¯t showing.

    ¡°It is nice to meet you all.¡±

    ¡°It is nice to meet you too, Sirena¡± Josephine said in her Orlesian accent that sounded French to the American. Leliana looked at her skeptically while the handsome man who she knew to be Cullen watched in amusement especially since she was wearing his cape. He also noticed that she had wrapped it tightly around herself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take her to my room and help her get comfortable.¡± Evelyn said while steering Sirena out of the war room. The other three people stayed behind to talk about the mysterious cousin that came out of nowhere, now wondering what to do with her.

    ¡°Well, she is adorable¡­¡± said Josephine. ¡°I think the bowing added to the cuteness.¡±

    ¡°There is something odd about her, like she doesn¡¯t really belong here or isn¡¯t from here at all. I don¡¯t trust her, perhaps we should keep a close eye on her.¡± The spymaster said about Sirena with skeptism. ¡°Cullen?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s very different, but maybe that¡¯s a good thing. Though, I don¡¯t think we should be judging her quite yet since we don¡¯t know her. At the same time, it is odd how she came from out of nowhere¡­¡± It was clear he was playing devil¡¯s advocate. Both females nodded their heads in agreement with Cullen before all three of them left the room to go back to what they were doing before Cullen had summoned them.

    Evelyn took Sirena to the place she was staying at in Haven and gave her a fresh pair of clothes with under garments. The American carefully took Cullen¡¯s cape off of herself and changed out of her clothes to get into dry clothes finally. She was now wearing a dark a little past the knees dress with a matching cape to keep her warm even though the dress had long sleeves. Surprisingly, the dress fit her nicely, she also wore dark brown boots that would keep her feet warm but also went with the dress for the most part.

    ¡°I want to thank you for the clothes and the save back there Evelyn.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome; you can also help yourself to anything in here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I should give Cullen his cape back. He is probably getting cold because of me.¡± Evelyn laughed a little and nodded her head in approval as Sirena folded Cullen¡¯s thick cape with the fur part on top, she then walked out of the shack/room into the cold. She quickly walked towards the area where the army was training. When she finally made it to the large wooden door, someone opened it for her which she bowed her head in gratitude like a noblewoman. Looking forward, she saw Cullen and her steps became even more fast. Sirena saw him talking to one of his agents again so she remained quiet and waited. After the agent left, Cullen looked up with a soft smile when he saw his cape folded neatly.

    ¡°Kamsahamnida (thank you) for letting me borrow your cape.¡± She said with a smile while offering it to him.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I noticed something¡­ You must really love speaking in a different language.¡± Cullen said while taking his cape out of her arms and putting it back on himself as he continued to look at her.

    ¡°Ne! I do. Though sadly, I¡¯m still learning the language.¡± Sirena said while staring into his eyes before looking around at the other soldiers training. Out of a whim from watching the other men she asked him a question. ¡°I was wondering since you seem to put these men into shape, could teach me how to wield a sword in a fight and help with my aim in archery?¡± Stunned and flattered by her question, Cullen smiled gently at her.

    ¡°I would be honored to teach you.¡± She was probably going to regret asking him.

 Chapter Four

    Cullen continued to smile at the stranger to their land. He was no longer glaring at her anymore, this much he knew for a fact. Looking her over, he noticed the curves of her body for the first time. He saw that her chest was a decent size, bigger than most women¡¯s since others seemed flat chested or close to it, she also had a tiny waist and big hips which caused heat to rise up at the back of his neck. He had a past of having inappropriate infatuation with a mage when he was younger. Not knowing this young woman¡¯s background it made him feel a little uneasy but at the same time she was mysterious.

    ¡°We can start with your archery lessons tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°How early in the morning are we talking about?¡± Sirena asked in her soft soprano voice, though her voice wasn¡¯t shrill or annoying. It sounded young and beautiful to his ears which made him thankful that it was cold out since it kept the blushing at bay.

    ¡°At sun rise.¡± She winced a little from hearing the time.

    ¡°You might need someone to wake me up then. I have a hard time getting up super early.¡± Cullen chuckled softly at her suggestion. ¡°You think I¡¯m joking, but I¡¯m really not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll personally come wake you up.¡± He chuckled again enjoying his time with her thus far while thinking to himself, obviously amused. ¡®She¡¯s funny but she has to be bluffing.¡¯

    ¡°Then I feel bad for you, I¡¯ve heard what I do and I guess it isn¡¯t pretty.¡± Sirena replied to him finally.

    ¡°What do you do?¡± He asked curiously with a raised brow.

    ¡°I guess you will find out, won¡¯t you?¡± She replied flirtatiously not even meaning to flirt, it just happened. Cullen watched her turn her back to him and walk away. He let out a soft laugh then went back to training his soldiers, even sparring with them.

    Back in the cabin that Sirena shared with Evelyn, she walked over to her bed and saw her so called ¡°cousin¡± at her desk writing.

    ¡°What are you writing about and to whom?¡± The American woman asked Evelyn curiously.

    ¡°About you being my cousin to my family so that will mean a portrait will need to be painted of you so it gets hung up on a wall in my family¡¯s home. I will also need to teach you how to be a proper noblewoman.¡±

    ¡°If I must¡­¡± The Herald of Andraste turned around in her seat to look at younger girl with a soft smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but yes, you must. I hired a painter from Ostwick for tomorrow so I will need you in the war room in the afternoon. You will need to sit straight with your shoulders rolled back so please practice your posture. Posture is everything, well one of many things.¡± Sirena immediately straightened her back and rolled her shoulders back as well as making her head straight while nodding her head in understanding. Evelyn chuckled softly. ¡°Perfect! Oh! I¡¯m also getting a dress made for you as well for the portrait and any occasion you may want to wear it.¡± She couldn¡¯t help her jaw from dropping in surprise. Evelyn had been far too kind to her and she didn¡¯t understand why. She was an outsider; someone who didn¡¯t belong there.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how grateful I am for the help you¡¯re giving me through this. It means a lot.¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯re very grateful.¡± She smiled softly at her new younger cousin, trying to make her feel like a legit family member of the Trevelyan familytrr. ¡°You will now also have a family connection which is a very good thing.¡± Evelyn¡¯s eyes squint slightly as she thought a little before asking a question to Sirena. ¡°Would you like to tell me about your family name, Laurelet?¡± Sirena placed her hands on her lap as she looked down trying to put her thoughts into words.

    ¡°It is an old noble English name back in the fifteen hundreds. It is basically an extinct name in the nobility now, sadly.¡± She said while shrugging her shoulders that said ¡®what can you do?¡¯ ¡°May, I ask¡­ Why are you doing this for? You don¡¯t even know me.¡± The logic in her brain was curious. If she was the others, she¡¯d have thrown herself in the dungeons for an interrogation.

    ¡°I found myself in the dungeons only to get interrogated by Cassandra and Leliana, I didn¡¯t want the same to happen to an innocent. Anyway, you can bring the name back, maybe not where you¡¯re from, but here, you can. It isn¡¯t impossible especially with the help of Josephine.¡± The Herald of Andraste smiled encouragingly to the new addition to her family. She got up off her chair and walked out of the cabin with her message in her hand.

    Finally, alone, Sirena sat on her bed leaning against the wooden wall staring into nothing while thinking to herself. She can see Thedas will be her home for a while since she didn¡¯t know how to get back to where she truly belonged. ¡®It can¡¯t be too bad to live in this world, can it? It dangerous, yes, but not that bad¡­ I just need to learn how to fit in.¡¯ She thought to herself as her eyes slightly closed. The poor girl was already missing her mother and other family she had. They were always there for her and now she had to rely on herself and Evelyn who had basically adopted her into her family. But why exactly was a portrait needed? Remembering the information she gained from reading books, she knew it was a way to see who were all family. Most if not all noble and royal families had them. Hearing a knock on the cabin¡¯s door, she jumped slightly from the sound and climbed off the bed. She walked to the door and slightly opened it to see Cullen on the other side. Her head tilted slightly in confusion and looked past him at the sky.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Well I know it¡¯s not morning yet¡­¡± He let out a little chuckle from her witty comment. ¡°Um, did you need anything?¡± She asked a bit shyly, remembering her horrible flirting skills.

    ¡°No, but we are needed in the war room so I thought I¡¯d come get you on the way.¡± He watched her closely noticed her posture had changed into a noblewoman¡¯s within two hours. Sirena noticed him eyeing her as subtly as he could, but it wasn¡¯t subtle enough since she had noticed.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m just transforming into a lame proper lady¡­ Blech.¡± She made a disgust look on her face. In America, she was used to the slouch. With her cloak still on, she walked out into the cold. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Sirena walked side by side with Cullen as it snowed lightly in the open sky. ¡°So I heard you are an ex-Templar¡­¡± She said as she looked up at him through her thick lashes. Though, she hadn¡¯t heard anything. It was what she knew about him already. She just wanted to start a conversation.

    ¡°Indeed, I am an ex-Templar. After the devastation that happened in Kirkwall, I left the order and joined the Inquisition at Cassandra¡¯s request.¡± Sirena nodded her head to show that she was listening to his background story that he told.

    ¡°What did becoming a Templar entail? Were there vows that had to be made?¡±

    ¡°It took a lot of training, I had joined the order when I was thirteen and to answer your other question, yes, there are vows Templars have to make.¡± As they were walking and talking, he looked down at her wondering why she was interested in his past. ¡°We vowed to protect the people and mages alike and abide by the Chantry.¡± She assumed the Chantry was their version of a church or something or other.

    ¡°Does that include celibacy?¡± Sirena asked curiously, she didn¡¯t really know anything about Templars and what they have to do.

    ¡°Templars are allowed to get married with permission from the Chantry.¡± Cullen answered eyeing her a bit.

    ¡°What about you?¡± She asked as her cheeks blushed red from the heat rising to her face.

    ¡°I¡­Uh¡­Maker¡¯s breath, can we talk about something else?¡± He asked while rubbing the back of his neck getting all flustered while his cheeks turned a bright pink. She nodded her head while biting her lower lip, avoiding eye contact for the time being. Cullen turned his gaze to look back down at her and saw her cheeks were red which to him made her look adorable. ¡°Were you part of any Chantry vocation?¡± He asked her curiously. Sirena shook her head from left to right.

    ¡°No, I spent my time in school, college, and work.¡± His eyes widened in surprise. He had never heard of a noblewoman working unless it was for the chantry. Or the ladies got high education instead. To say the least, he was impressed with her; she had gained some respect from him. Before they both knew it, they were in front of the doors to the war room.

    ¡°Looks like we made it.¡± Cullen said quietly to Sirena.

    ¡°Indeed it does¡­¡± He held the door open for here yet again. Keeping her posture straight, she muttered under her breath ¡°fuck the proper posture.¡± Cullen let out a little laugh due to her comment, it was clear that he didn¡¯t like nobles all that much. After shutting the door behind him, he quickly walked behind the table and stood in his usual spot, holding the hilt of his sword with his left hand. Sirena walked up next to Evelyn and across from the Commander. When everyone seemed settled in their places, Evelyn took a deep breath to make her announcement.

    ¡°The day after tomorrow, I will be going out to the Hinterlands to help the refugees and hopefully get more recruits for the army.¡±

    ¡°Will your cousin, Lady Sirena, be going with you?¡± Leliana asked while eyeing the youngest person at the table. The Herald of Andraste turned her head to look at her cousin to see her opinion. Sirena shook her head knowing full well that she can¡¯t fight yet and knew she would be a liability instead of an asset at that point.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass this time.¡± She smiled softly then looked up at Cullen and noticed he was watching her. They made eye contact for a split second before she lowered her gaze to look at the table. Josephine watched the two with amusement before making a comment.

    ¡°This will be an opportune time for the Inquisition to rally people to our cause as well.¡± Evelyn nodded her head to what Josephine said since it was true. They could really start making allies amongst people and the best way for that was to get better known among the people.

    ¡°Herald, the army could use horses as well so I suggest going to the horse master Dennet, who is in Redcliffe field.¡± Cullen added while looking to his clipboard.

    ¡°Alright, does anyone want to say anything else?¡± Evelyn asked while looking around at every person who stood around the war table. Everyone shook their heads in response to her question and set their clipboards down, well everyone but Sirena and Evelyn since they didn¡¯t have clipboards. ¡°Meeting adjourned then.¡± The Herald of Andraste walked out in a hurried stride. Leliana looked at the Herald¡¯s cousin then looked at Cullen with a small smirk.

    ¡°How old are you, Lady Sirena?¡± The American eyes widened in surprise over the fact that Leliana was talking to her directly instead of demanding on how she got there or about the Divine. All she knew was that the red head was not to be trifled with. The woman knew how to use a dagger and could kill her easily which made her all that more scared of her. Though, she did respect the used to be bard.

    ¡°I¡¯m twenty-three, why do you ask?¡± Both the spymaster and the ambassador looked over at Cullen who had a controlled poker face look on his face and snickered at him.

    ¡°I was just curious is all; you look younger than you actually are so I had to ask.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, like I haven¡¯t heard that one before.¡± Sirena said while rolling her eyes. One could tell she was being sarcastic. Not to mention she was trying to play it cool so that she didn¡¯t show her fear. Leliana then raised a brow at her before asking another question.

    ¡°And your family name?¡±

    ¡°It is Laurelet, an old noble family name.¡± The American explained before stepping away from the table. If you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡± She removed herself from the war room to go back to the cabin where she was staying with her ¡°cousin¡± to get some rest. Cullen stayed behind with Leliana and Josephine, watching Sirena leave the room.

    ¡°I see someone can¡¯t take his eyes off our new young friend.¡± Josephine joked while the spymaster smirked while remaining silent. The Commander scratched the back of his neck while trying to hide his discomfort from getting caught. But it wasn¡¯t what the two thought, he was just curious about her.

    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, but I too, need to head out.¡± The girls laughed as he retreated quickly from the room.

    ¡°Five silvers say Sirena and Cullen get together.¡± Josephine said, making a bet with Leliana.

    ¡°You¡¯re on.¡± Both women finally left the war room with amused smirks on their faces.

 Chapter Five

    The Herald of Andraste woke up from her sleep and got ready for her day. As she walked out of the cabin, she saw Commander Cullen walking towards her.

    ¡°Good morning, Commander.¡± Evelyn greeted him while hiding the letter to her family behind her back.

    ¡°Good morning, Herald.¡± He said while eyeing her hands which were behind her back getting a little suspicious of what she was holding and hiding apparently.

    ¡°What brings you here this early in the morning?¡± Evelyn asked since not many get up real early in the morning. Luckily she made sure she wore thick fur since there was a slight cold breeze.

    ¡°I need to get Lady Sirena. She asked me to train her in archery and swordsmanship.¡± Evelyn¡¯s blue eyes widened before she slapped her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head to the Commander.

    ¡°She is still sleeping at the moment. Could you perhaps stop training before noon? I will need her for about three to four hours.¡±

    ¡°Sure, after you¡¯re done doing what you need to do, you can send her back to the training grounds.¡± Evelyn nodded her head then walked off towards the chantry. Her feet crunched into the snow, which made her notice how quiet Haven was at that time of day since it was too early for people to be up. As soon as she made it to the chantry, she walked into the room where the statue of Andraste stood and where incense sat at the foot of the statue. She made her way to the statue and kneeled down lighting the incense then went into payer before sending the letter to her family.

    Cullen quietly walked into the cabin where Sirena lay asleep in her bed. He moved over to her to her side and sat down on the edge. With a soft smile, he moved her silky blonde wavy hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear. ¡®She looks so beautiful and at peace.¡¯ He thought before chastising himself for his thoughts. ¡®Maker¡¯s breath! What am I thinking? She¡¯s a noble woman, related to the Herald and to top it all off, she is twenty-three and I am thirty years old¡­¡¯ Cullen placed a leather gloved hand on Sirena¡¯s shoulder and shook her gently trying to wake her up. In response of him shaking her, she pulled the blanket around herself more tightly. He continued to shake her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

    ¡°Sirena, it¡¯s time to wake up for your training.¡± Noticing she wasn¡¯t waking up, he pulled off her blankets from her hoping the cool breeze would get her up. She pulled the blankets back on herself in her sleep.

    ¡°No, momma, I don¡¯t work today. It¡¯s my day off.¡± The American rolled onto her other side while clutching onto the blankets. A smirk grew on Cullen¡¯s face from amusement before he shook her a bit harder to jolt her awake, then he finally muttered to himself.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t kidding when she said she was hard to wake up in the mornings; but what did she mean when she gave me a warning?¡± He wondered quietly taking the blankets off of her again. As soon as he took the blankets off of her, she balled her hands into fists and took a swing at him. Not at all expecting it, he got punched in the side though it was protected by his armor. ¡°Now I know what the warning meant.¡± Sirena woke up abruptly while clutching her hand to her chest in pain.

    ¡°Ow! Why does my hand fucking hurt?¡± She asked herself before realizing Cullen was sitting next to her. ¡°Jesus fuck!¡± With her heart pounding, she jumped away from him from getting startled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you but you did tell me to wake you up.¡± With a glare, she listened to his explanation and nodded her head. He had a point she did tell him. But it still didn¡¯t, explain why her hand hurt, though, she did suspect why.

    ¡°What about my hand? Why does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°Yes, about that¡­ You punched my side which is protected by my armor.¡± She looked over at his armor and her eyes squinted more at him though, it was her fault for punching it in the first place.

    ¡°Stupid armor.¡± Sirena muttered quietly to herself pissed at the fact she did something in her sleep. She knew she was bad, but she didn¡¯t know it was that bad.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave so you can get dressed.¡± Cullen got up off her bed and walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind him so he could give the American her privacy. Quickly getting off her bed, she grabbed a pair of black leggings to go with her black dress that she wore the day before. After putting her cloak on over her shoulder and tying it at the base of her neck in the front. She put on some black winter boots that had fur on the inside. Sirena then pulled her hair up into a pony tail to keep it out of her face as she trained with the Commander; it was better to think ahead after all. Walking out of the cabin, she saw Cullen standing outside by the door in the cold, waiting for her. She felt guilty for making him wait out in the cold as well as for hitting him.

    ¡°Hey, sorry to keep you waiting for so long; I¡¯m also sorry for uh¡­ hitting you.¡± The older man who was the commander raised a brow up as he listened while looking at the dwarf who was sitting across from where they were standing.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine; you did give me a warning beforehand. I also didn¡¯t mind waiting for you.¡± The American looked at him with her brows furrowed from what he said as the dwarf looked over at Cullen and laughed slightly. ¡°Have you met anyone besides myself and the other advisors?¡± Sirena shook her head slowly to his question.

    ¡°No¡­¡± She answered as she looked up at him.

    ¡°Follow me; I¡¯ll introduce you to someone.¡± Cullen led the short blonde woman over to a bonfire where a man who was shorter than her sat. The dwarf looked up at the two with an amused smirk on his face. ¡°Varric this is Sirena, the Herald¡¯s cousin. Sirena, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Varric Tethras.¡± He interrupted his friend. ¡°Rogue, story teller, and occasionally annoying tag along.¡± The young woman grinned from ear to ear finally ecstatic to meet someone who was shorter than she was. She was happy at the fact that she is no longer the shortest person for once. ¡°And now she is grinning like an idiot. It¡¯s because of my awesome chest hair, isn¡¯t it?¡± Varric said jokingly as he looked at Sirena who was even younger than he was. Cullen shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. At the same time the American got a look of confusion on her face.

    ¡°Um, what?¡± She asked baffled from Varric¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Well you see blondie, that¡¯s your new nickname now; you were grinning like an idiot before.¡± Her eyes widened from shock due to her manners or lack of.

    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry! I was smiling due to the thoughts in my head.¡± She explained. Cullen looked down at her with curiosity. He also noticed her biting her lower lip which was enticing to him so, he ended up looking in a random direction. Varric, with his observation skills, caught him staring at her again and chuckled softly. The ex-Templar looked over at the dwarf, hearing his soft laughter and noticed he got caught which causes him to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°What were you thinking about blondie?¡± Varric asked Sirena with a smirk. She raised a brow at him wondering if he was challenging her or not. Shrugging her shoulders in a way that said ¡®okay he asked for it¡¯ sort of way.

    ¡°If you really want to know¡­¡± She said half asked half stated. Then she saw Varric nodding his head like he was eagerly waiting for something good. ¡°I was thinking over the fact that I¡¯m taller than someone for once so, if we are using nicknames then yours is shortie.¡± Sirena smirked at the dwarf like she won a victory of words. Though, she was trained on how to troll once upon a time, but, she doesn¡¯t really do it anymore.

    ¡°Touch¨¦ blondie, touch¨¦.¡±  Cullen shook his head at their banter. There was definitely going to be more sarcasm and jokes. Possibly more pranks as well especially from Varric since he now has a new tag along from what it seemed. He then interrupted them before they could say anything else.

    ¡°I better get her to a bow and some arrows. She has some training to do.¡±

    ¡°You two have fun.¡± Varric said with a hint of laughter in his voice. As soon as Cullen led Sirena ear shot away from Varric, the dwarf spoke softly. ¡°There is definitely something going on with Curly and I don¡¯t even think he realizes it. Can¡¯t wait to see how things play out. Perhaps I can write about the Inquisition in my new book!¡± He said as he watches the two walk away.

    Cullen took Sirena to the training area where he has the Inquisition soldiers¡¯ practice at. It was the most open area in Haven that he knew about. They walked over toward the weapon rack and he grabbed a bow that he thought would fit her due to her size.

    ¡°Try this one.¡± He said gently as he held out the bow to her. She took the bow and tested its weight by lifting it up and down like she was doing curls with her left arm. With her right hand she pulled the bow¡¯s string like she was going to shoot off an arrow. She nodded her head with assent.

    ¡°This is perfect, thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome; some of the dwarves practice with it since it¡¯s the smallest bow.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± She said grudgingly since she knew she was short. Almost as short as the dwarf she just met. Sirena didn¡¯t hate dwarves by any means, but she hated being small since she was always the shortest person in her class, her height was five foot and one inches tall after all. She grabbed a quiver full of arrows and placed them on her back by throwing the strap over and across her body. Looking around the training area, Sirena found a few dummies but didn¡¯t know which ones were meant for archery. Noticing her confusion, Cullen steered his new trainee to a target. She looked up at him and smiled at him gratefully even though, she was embarrassed cause she thought she looked like an idiot. Sirena grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back and knocked it to the bow. She stood sideways with her left shoulder facing the target while her feet were shoulder width apart.

    ¡°You have very good posture.¡± Cullen said approvingly. Sirena smiled again from his compliment. At least she knew she was standing correctly even though she was taught back in her Girl Scout days. ¡°Now try to aim at the target.¡± She raised the bow up while the arrow was knocked. She pulled back on the string and held it close to her face. Aiming for the target, or at least she thought she was, Sirena let the string go causing the arrow to fly past the target itself. Her face turned beet red from embarrassment of missing the target completely that she kept herself from looking up at the one teaching her. Cullen had been studying everything she had done wrong which wasn¡¯t a whole lot. Her posture and the way she held the bow were correct; it was her aim that was terrible. ¡®No wonder she wanted my help with her training.¡¯ He had thought to himself while rubbing the back of his neck as he thought of what to say to her.

    ¡°Your stance is perfect, but your aim¡­ Well I can see why you asked for help.¡± Sirena turned a darker red as she bit down on her lower lip. At least she got some approval. It was better than nothing.

    ¡°I know my aim is horrible.¡± She replied softly which made him wonder if he had heard her at all.

    ¡°Feel the wind and anticipate where your arrow is going to hit.¡± Sirena nodded her head and readied her bow again. This time she was going to try and work with the wind and lowered the bow a bit. Glancing up at Cullen, she saw him give a slight nod to her. Taking a deep breath and letting it out. She let the arrow fly, this time hitting the target but not the bullseye.

    ¡°That was a lot better, big improvement. Keep trying to make adjustments.¡± Cullen said as he heard his soldiers finally coming out in the open to train. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, just keep practicing.¡± Silently nodded her head again as she continued to train with the bow.

    The Commander walked over to his second in command and best friend, Rylen Starkhaven. They knew each other from their days in the Order as Templars. He nodded to his friend in acknowledgment while observing the soldiers who were now training themselves.

    ¡°I see you are training the Herald¡¯s cousin. Trying to get close to her?¡± Rylen asked with a little humor. Cullen pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head again. It seems there was going to be a pattern for him that day.

    ¡°Maker¡¯s Breath! That would be inappropriate since she is at least ten years younger than me and the fact she is the Herald¡¯s cousin.¡± Rylen let out a little laugh at his friend¡¯s expense.

    ¡°So you do like her¡­¡± He stated with a smirk on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re an ass.¡±

    ¡°And you are in denial my friend.¡± Cullen shook his head at his friend again not going to give him anymore fuel.

    ¡°Watch the soldiers and correct them when they need it.¡± He commanded his friend.

    ¡°Yes, Commander, go help your little lady love.¡± Rylen continued to butt jokes at him.

    ¡°Ugh! I don¡¯t even know her!¡± Cullen then walked away from his second in command and headed back to Sirena while thinking to himself ¡®first Leliana and Josephine, then Varric, and now it¡¯s Rylen. What is it with them picking on me today?¡± Trying to clear his thoughts, he watched the young woman continue to practice with her archery. He couldn¡¯t help but think over what the four people had said to him. He hardly knew the woman to even really like her. She was beautiful, sure, but that was all he knew. When he watched the young woman, he noticed her archery skills had improved quite a lot.

    As soon as she hit her target in the middle for the first time, she let out a soft squeal in excitement. Taking deep calming breaths, Sirena made herself calm down. She didn¡¯t want to get over excited in front of those who she didn¡¯t know, however she did keep a smile tilted up on her soft pale lips.

    ¡°Congratulations, you finally hit your target.¡± Cullen said with a smile from seeing her get enthusiastic.

    ¡°Yes, because you helped me. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do that otherwise.¡± She said gratefully. Really, she had tried and tried and was never able to succeed. He truly did help her whether he knew it or not.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°It is though.¡± Sirena said as she turned around to look at him while her blue-green eyes sparkled from the happiness she was feeling.

    ¡°Go ahead and keep practicing, try using other targets to challenge yourself when you feel ready.¡± Her head bobbed up and down in a nod yet again at his suggestion the success was hard for her to contain.

    ¡°Will do, Commander.¡± The American said with a little grin while doing a tiny salute. She quickly went back to hitting targets, finally getting used to each adjustment she had to make to hit the targets. The Commander watched her with admiration before looking over his shoulder to see his soldiers. Some were sparring again while the others were hitting the wooden dummies with their iron or steel swords. Checking back to look at Sirena, he saw her hitting the bullseye each time now. He was very impressed with her progress if only the farmers could as fast as she did. His gaze then went up to the sky and noticed how bright it was getting. Cullen looked over at the sun dial to check the time. Rubbing the back of his neck, he walked up to the young woman.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry; you¡¯re running a bit late. Your cousin wants you in the war room.¡± Sirena eyes widened in shock. She forgot all about the portrait that she was supposed to model for. ¡°I can take the bow and quiver from you.¡± He held his gloved hand out for the equipment she was holding. With responsibility, she shook her head and went back to the targets to pull out the arrows. After pulling out each arrow, she placed them in the quiver where they belonged then carried the bow and quiver back to the weapon rack where they belong.

 Chapter Six

    After her prayers Evelyn went to the war room. She grabbed a chair and set it in front of the window stained glass. With a smile and a little nod of her head, she walked out of the room and through the Chantry to get outside. Hearing people call her the ¡°Herald¡± like she was some person to be revered made her feel uncomfortable. She didn¡¯t want this and she wouldn¡¯t want to wish it on others. The good thing out of the situation was the fact she got a new family member (even though she was only doing it to protect the girl) and new acquaintances.

    The Herald made her way past all the cabins and huts and out the wooden gate. As she looked ahead, she saw the soldiers working but didn¡¯t see the commander anywhere in sight. From what Evelyn knew when she last saw him working, he stood outside the training area so he was able to watch the Inquisition army. She looked down at her left hand to see the green glow that appeared on her hand the night the Temple of Sacred Ashes blew up. With a soft sigh, Evelyn continued to make her way to the blacksmith, walking on the dirt path. When she finally made it to the blacksmith, he beamed at her.

    ¡°Herald¡± he said with a small bow. ¡°A package that you ordered came in earlier this morning for you.¡± The blacksmith handed the box over to her. Once she was holding the box in her arms, she realized it felt light to her. She gave the man money for the package he gave her since she ordered it through him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome; if you need anything else, please stop by anytime.¡± He offered to the Herald since he knew she would be coming to him for high quality armor all the time.

    ¡°I will.¡± She said with a small smile. The Herald walked away carrying the box that held Sirena¡¯s dress inside it. When she walked towards the training grounds, Evelyn saw Cullen standing behind her cousin at the archery targets. For a moment she watched the fake cousin shoot arrows at the target with a lot of concentration either that she was trying to remain focused. She smiled softly with pride while thinking to herself ¡°maybe this was why she wanted to stay behind, so she could learn how to fight before going out anywhere with the others and I.¡±

    Evelyn then made her way through Haven¡¯s village, walking past the buildings again. She ascended the small steps leading to the Chantry; seeing Leliana in her tent bent over her table reading a document. Looking at the chantry door, she noticed the door was already open. The Herald walked through and into the building that echoes. It also had candles lit everywhere for light. She walked straight ahead past the whispering people who looked over at her again, this time there were more people since it was late morning. When she stood outside Josephine¡¯s door, she kicked it gently due to her hands being full.

    From inside the office, Josephine nodded her head to the elven researcher who was in the room with her. The elf woman opened the door to let the person in. Evelyn walked in while looking around the room. There were two tables in the right side next to the stone wall; towards the middle of the room was Josephine¡¯s mahogany desk where she herself sat currently.

    ¡°Good morning, Herald.¡± Josephine said after she glanced up at Evelyn from her paper work.

    ¡°Good morning, I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯m borrowing the war room for the afternoon. A painter will be arriving to paint a portrait of Sirena for my family since they don¡¯t have a recent picture of her.¡± She explained to the ambassador with a straight face which she was trained to do for years as a noble.

    ¡°She is a pretty young woman¡­¡± Josephine said with a small smile as she thought about Cullen fancying Sirena, she wanted to win that bet. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all if you use the war room. In fact the stained glass window would make a beautiful background.¡± Evelyn nodded her head and smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.¡±

    ¡°When the painter arrives, I will show him where to go!¡± The olive skinned woman said with excitement while bouncing in her seat. ¡°Can I also help with her hair and make-up?¡± She asked while looking at the woman with natural blonde wavy hair and piercing blue eyes.

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I also have a question.¡± Josephine said all business like now.

    ¡°What¡¯s the question, Ambassador?¡± Asked the Herald of Andraste, taking the hint that it was now business.

    ¡°Who are you going to take with you to the Hinterlands?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Varric, Solas, and Cassandra. I would have taken Sirena, but it seems she is busy for the time being.¡± Evelyn couldn¡¯t tell anyone that the random stranger was learning how to fight since most nobles were trained for that as well as other things. The ambassador nodded her head in understanding.

    ¡°Alright, also what time do you want me to help?¡± She asked in her Orlesian accent.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come and get you; it seems everyone is running a bit late.¡± Josephine laughed and nodded her before going back to the pile of work on her desk. Evelyn walked out of the room and immediately went into the war room which was a few steps away from Josephine¡¯s office. She set the box on the table away from the two maps: Fereldon and Orlais then waited for her cousin to arrive.

    In the meantime, Sirena walked towards the cabin that she shared with the Herald. When she was across from the bon fire, the young woman saw Varric who she had met earlier that morning and gave him a little wave. The dwarf waved back to her before she went inside. Her eyes scanned around the little room looking for anything new.

    ¡°Shit!¡± She mumbled to herself while hurrying out of the cabin. When she made it back outside, she shut the door behind her and made her way past the other buildings as she felt her feet crunch into the snow.

    Noticing the Chantry door was ajar, she walked past the doors and into the building that looks like a church in her opinion. Her hearing picked up on a lot of whisperings that was going on. She also met a couple of stares as she quickly made her way to the war room. ¡®Why is it called a war room? One would think it would be called a council room instead¡­ If I know my medieval terminology¡¯ Sirena thought to herself as she finally reached the door where she was supposed to meet Evelyn Trevelyan.

    Opening the door just a crack, she peeked inside and saw a box on the war table where the advisers help her ¡°cousin¡±. She also noticed her cousin pacing around the table. Quietly, she opened the door fully, stepping into the room.

    ¡°Oh good, you finally made it. You do know you were running late right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Sorry about that; I got caught up with the archery lessons with the Commander.¡± Sirena explained sheepishly as her cheeks turned into a soft pink color. Evelyn slid the box over to the girl with a smile.

    ¡°Put the dress on then take a seat; Josephine wants to do your hair and make-up.¡± The Herald watched the woman¡¯s facial expression and with surprise, she saw none. She only saw the movement of her head bobbing up and down. Also with a shock, Evelyn realized that Sirena really could pass off as her cousin since they have similarities.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Okay, but can you either get out or look away while I put it on?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Evelyn turned around and left the room while shutting the door behind her while thinking to herself ¡°that girl must be a prude.¡±

    After Evelyn left the room, the twenty-three-year-old walked to the table and placed her small pale hands on the lid of the box. Lifting the lid up and setting it aside, the young blonde woman took the dress out to look at it briefly before setting it down on the table. She got undressed as quickly as she could then put on her new dress that her cousin had bought her then the robe that went on over it. Her eyes wide, she felt the fabric which felt like thin silk in her fingers. The dress itself was very beautiful in a sky shade of blue with gold trimming. It was also floor length with hidden flower designs. The two colors together complimented her pale skin. There were even head pieces that went with the¡­ hanfu? The more she looked at what she was wearing the more it seemed like she was wearing an ancient Chinese hanfu. Did they even have this sort of fashion or was she just that special that she got her own style?

    Her eyes looked down into the box again and saw a gold sash that goes around her waist and gets tied by a sky-blue chiffon belt that matched the rest of her dress. She put the gold sash around her waist first before securely tying it with the blue material. It was tight enough to the point that it showed how tiny her waist was. Walking over towards the door, she opened it slowly to see Evelyn standing right outside it.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Sirena announced to her cousin.

    ¡°Okay, let me get Josephine.¡± Sirena nodded her head then went back towards the table and looked over things on the maps trying to understand them. It was a way to pass the time away. Evelyn walked the few steps it took to get to the ambassador Josephine¡¯s office. She grabbed the door handle and turned it, opening the door. The Herald stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. When the black haired olive skinned woman looked up at the Herald, a grin crossed her pretty features.

    ¡°She¡¯s ready?¡±

    ¡°She is indeed ready for the make-over.¡±

    ¡°Oh good, just let me grab my make-up bag.¡± Josephine got up and went into the room attached to the office to grab her bag. Once she grabbed her make-up bag, Josephine walked over to the door where Evelyn stood with her arms folded. ¡°I have what I need.¡±

    Evelyn smirked then walked back to the war room, noticing the door was still open. Both women walked into the room and looked at the girl wearing the robe which they considered exotic. They smiled with approval to each other before making their way towards the girl. Noticing the bag in Josephine¡¯s hand; the young woman wearing the light blue and gold gown walked over to the only chair in the room and sat down on it, knowing the drill since she had gone to formals when she was in high school. Josephine made her way towards the short blonde then set her bag on the table and pulled out a hair brush, hair tie, and her make-up.

    ¡°You will look not only different from the rest of us, but magnificent as well.¡± She said to Sirena as she got started on her hair by pulling out her ponytail then brushing the hair, getting the tangles out. The young woman¡¯s hair had a bit pinned up at the back of her head towards the top and on the side next to it, more hair was pinned up while the rest of her hair, fell down her back close to the top of her spine. Then Josephine placed the hair ornaments in her hair that had blue lapis lazuli in the middle of the metal flowers.

    Feeling good about Sirena¡¯s hair, Josephine then applied make-up to her face; giving a natural look but with a bit more color in the lips and cheeks. She also applied a tiny bit of eye liner to bring out her blue-green eyes more. Josephine backed away to where Evelyn stood to see her work.

    ¡°Oh! Wow!¡± She gushed from her own work. Even the Herald¡¯s eyes widened from the ambassador¡¯s work.

    ¡°You did a very nice job Josephine.¡± The Herald complimented with the sound of awe in her voice.

    ¡°I will see if the painter has finally arrived.¡± The ambassador said trying to get into business mode while still staring at her work. Blinking a bit while grinning, she turned to leave and almost got out the door before Evelyn spoke.

    ¡°Thank you, Josephine for helping with this.¡± She said gratefully.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, I had fun helping. It was a good break from all the paper work I have to do.¡± Josephine said while looking back at the woman in blue again.

    ¡°Kamsahamnida (thank you)¡± Sirena said then repeated in English so they could understand. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± She bowed her head to the ambassador with respect even while her head felt heavy. Josephine bowed her head back before leaving the room to head back to her office. Once Josephine was gone, Evelyn turned back to her cousin to look at her again.

    ¡°You do look fantastic. I wonder what the Commander would think¡­¡± She smiled in amusement as Sirena looked at her with surprise to the point even her cheeks blushed a shade of light pink.

    ¡°Mueot (what)?¡± The young lady asked as her eyes blinked a couple of times. The Herald looked at Sirena with confusion. Knowing full well that Evelyn didn¡¯t understand the language she was speaking, she ended up smirking before switching to English. ¡°What?¡± It was Evelyn¡¯s turn to blink at the girl who knew exactly what she did.

    ¡°I saw you practice archery today. You look at him with adoration.¡±

    ¡°I hardly know Cul¡­ The Commander, plus he probably hasn¡¯t even noticed me like that.¡± Evelyn shrugged her shoulders with a small knowing smile. Sirena got up off the chair and walked around the room while fidgeting with her hands.

    After a few minutes, the painter was let into the war room carrying an easel and other materials that he needed. He waved his hand towards the chair in front of the window stained glass. Sirena looked at Evelyn with confusion written all over her face while thinking to herself ¡®what the fuck is up with that guy? It¡¯s like he has a stick up his ass.¡¯

    The Herald pointed at her then at the chair. Sirena nodded her head in understanding and walked over to the seat and sat down on it again. Making her back straight and rolling her shoulders back, she felt like she was royalty sitting like that. It was also uncomfortable for her. She waited for the painter to set up his things with as much patience that she had which was very little. After everything was set up, the American smiled softly and sat still as the man from Ostwick painted the portrait of her on his canvas. She was able to hear the paint strokes due to the room being so quiet; quiet enough to hear a pin drop. With her face starting to hurt from the smile, she hoped that she wouldn¡¯t have to sit still for a few hours. As an hour passed, she thought to herself ¡®my ass is starting to go numb¡­¡¯ Sirena adjusted herself a bit trying to get rid of the numbness.

    ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t Move!¡± The painter yelled at her in frustration. She rolled her eyes quickly in response. ¡®That man needs to calm his tits¡¯ she thought as she looked over at Evelyn. The older cousin looked up from the painting and smiled at the younger woman.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming along nicely. You¡¯ll love it; just sit still for a few more hours.¡± Evelyn advised. The Herald noted that the young lady was doing well to the point she was impressed. It also made her wonder if she had to do something like that where she was from. With a deep sigh, Sirena went back to looking at the painter and sitting still while making a comment.

    ¡°My butt is so numb right now that I can¡¯t feel it.¡±

    ¡°I said don¡¯t move! Moving your lips is still moving!¡± The painter scowled at her.

    ¡°Eh deez nutz.¡± Feeling like she had won some small argument from her last words, she continued to smile while on the inside she was laughing.

    After a few more hours had passed, the painter finally finished the portrait. Evelyn motioned for Sirena to join her at the canvas with an excited smile. Happy to just get up period, the Laurelet girl walked over to her cousin and looked at the painting. Her blue-green eyes grew wide as she stared at it.

    ¡°Is that truly me?¡± The Ostwick man rolled his eyes at her question which she paid no mind to. She really did look different. More so than she did during homecomings and her prom. The young woman then looked between the portrait and Evelyn. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it¡­ I actually look like I could be related to the Herald of Andraste¡­¡¯ Sirena thought to herself as she continued to stare.

    ¡°Yes, it is you. Very beautiful, no?¡± The painter asked with a hint of arrogance in his tone about the job he had done. The American rolled her eyes wanting to so badly say something to him, but she thought it was best to keep her mouth shut. Heaven knows it was a bad idea to offend someone in a place she didn¡¯t know, even though, in a way, she did know it; but nobody else knew that.

    ¡°Yes, it is very beautiful. Can you please deliver this to my family in Ostwick once it dries?¡± The Free Marches man bowed at Evelyn¡¯s request. ¡°Can you also take this letter to them as well?¡± She held out the letter that was addressed to her family to him.

    ¡°Of course, my lady, I will gladly deliver these items to your family.¡± He bowed again and took the letter out of her hand and stuffed it into his coat pocket.

    After the portrait dried, the painter packed his materials up including the portrait. Evelyn paid the man one-hundred gold pieces and sent him on his way to her family. Discreetly as possible, Sirena even gave him the finger as he walked away for being a jerk.

 Chapter Seven

    Early the next morning, Evelyn buckled on her armor quietly to keep from waking up Sirena. As soon as she got all her armor on, she walked out of the cabin and shut the door behind her. Her steps crunched into the snow as she quickly made her way towards the big wooden doors that led to the training area. That was the agreed upon spot for everyone to meet up at.

    When she got to the gate, a grin spread across her features as she looked at her companions who looked tired as hell. Varric looked like he was dragging on his feet, his eyes half closed.

    ¡°Who is ready to help some people in need?¡± Evelyn asked enthusiastically. Cassandra, who was pale and had short black hair, let out a sigh but also grinned a bit due to seeing the dwarf with the massive chest hair being miserable since he was tired and most likely cold as well. The seeker was quite used to waking up early for drills.

    ¡°We should get going; the sooner the better.¡± She said with a thick Nevarrian accent. Varric grunted softly at what the warrior said. The tall bald lanky elf named Solas, remained silent.

    The Herald led the way out of Haven even over and across the stone bridges and past the raised metal gate. Evelyn remembered the bridge and gate quite clearly. She was brought through there as a prisoner originally since the seeker and spymaster thought she was the one who blew up the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Sadly, she couldn¡¯t remember what happened there, every time she tried to remember, her head would start to hurt in a splitting headache. Shaking her head slightly to get rid of the images from her head, she continued to make her way out of Haven.

    ¡°We really do need horses. This is going to take at least three or four days on our feet.¡± Varric complained while adjusting his crossbow, Bianca, on his back.

    ¡°It just means more camping time. It will be fun.¡± Solas let out a little chuckle from Evelyn¡¯s response.

    ¡°It is always best to enjoy the times before and after battle.¡± The elf said with serious wisdom like he knew more than he was letting on.

    After more than a half the day passed, Evelyn and her companions had to set up camp since it was getting late and they had to rest somewhere. A fire was built to make food and keep them warm due to the cool chill in the air. They ate their food in silence as they were in thought, wondering what they were going to see in the Hinterlands when someone finally spoke up.

    ¡°I wonder what damage there is in the Hinterlands¡­¡± Evelyn asked before she took a bite of her ham sandwich.

    ¡°It could be anything or anyone at this point.¡± Cassandra answered as she stoked the fire, already finished her food. The other two companions remained silent.

    It took five days to get to the Hinterlands which looked very green. There was elfroot everywhere as well as trees and grass. It was a lot nicer than seeing a bunch of snow everywhere. One could even hear the birds sing. Varric was off by a day in his predictions of when they would make it into the Fereldon territory. By the time they made it to the Inquisition camp, it was midday. A woman dwarf with brown hair pulled up into a pony tail walked up to the Herald.

    ¡°Holy Andraste! I¡¯ve heard of the stories, everyone has. We know what you did at the breach. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, my lady.¡± The scout gave her a little bow. ¡°Inquisition Scout Harding, at your service. I will¡­ All of us here will do whatever we can to help.¡± Harding introduced herself with respect and formality.

    ¡°Scout Harding, huh?¡± Varric said with amusement. ¡°Ever been to Kirkwall¡¯s Hightown?¡± He asked with a smile on his face.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have. Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be harding in a¡­ No.¡± he said with a little laugh. ¡°Never mind.¡± Cassandra glared at the male dwarf.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± She said with disgust while shaking her head. The seeker was getting sick of all the jokes he told. Nothing was ever really serious with him. Evelyn ignored the two as she looked at Scout Harding with a soft smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± She said formally to the Scout.

    ¡°We should get to business.¡± Harding said walking a little distance away from the Heralds companions so she could talk without interruption. ¡°The situation is pretty¡­ dire. We came to secure horses from Redcliffe¡¯s old horse master. I grew up here, and people always said Dennet¡¯s herds were the strongest and the fastest, the side of the frostbacks, bit with the mage and Templar fighting getting worse, we couldn¡¯t get to Dennet. Maker only knows if he¡¯s still alive. Mother Giselle is at the crossroads helping the refugees and the wounded. Our latest reports say that the war spread there too.¡± Harding paused and finally let herself breathe before she continued to give Evelyn the reports she received. ¡°Corporal Vale and our men are doing what they can to protect the people, but they won¡¯t be able to hold out very long. You best get going, no time to lose.¡± Harding said before she walked away from the Herald. Varric was close enough to hear everything despite them moving and he shook his head. With a sigh, Evelyn made her way down the hill which had a path of dirt for her and her companions to walk on. She walked with her little group for a couple of miles  when they all saw nothing but destruction, carts were tipped over and broken and the houses abandoned and burning with fire.

    Out of the corner of her eyes, Evelyn saw movement as well as a shine. She turned her head and saw a Templar running towards their direction. Cassandra pulled her shield out from the straps on her back while also unsheathing her steel sword. The Templar continued to run towards them with his sword and shield out, making it full aware that he didn¡¯t want to talk; he wanted to fight whoever was going to end up in his path. Making her choice, the warrior started to run towards the Templar. As she ran at him, three more men in armor came out of hiding to attack the Inquisition group.

    Cassandra bashed into the Templar, making him fall on his back on the ground. Dropping both his shield and sword from the shock of getting bashed into, the man was weaponless. Taking her chance, the seeker held her sword up then lowered it down onto his and through his stomach, stabbing him causing the warm thick crimson red liquid to splatter on her face and armor. As she killed the Templar, Varric pulled out Bianca and shot arrows at the archer who was aiming for the Herald. Since Evelyn was a rogue, she pulled out her duo daggers and also ran towards the archer, doing a flip on the ground to avoid getting hit by one of his arrows. His armor was the lightest since he was a distance fighter; the rogue slashed her dagger into his side and turned to face him after her flip and stabbed him in the back with her other dagger. All the while, Solas created a barrier around Cassandra and the Herald since they were melee fighters. Together, the companions brought down the last Templar in the group. Arrows were sticking out of him; he was glowing slightly from the magicka that was used; there were also slash and stab wounds on the man. After he had fallen, the companions all looked at each other.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I suspect the mages or apostates to be nearby since we were just attacked by the Templars¡­¡± Evelyn said as she looked over the corpses. ¡°The mage and Templar war seems to have gotten worse¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t properly be called a war any longer. It is a free-for-all. Mages against Templars against everyone.¡± Cassandra responded to their leader¡¯s statement. The mage elf shook his head with disappointment.

    ¡°The mages and Templars have chosen a poor location for working out their differences.¡± Varric snorted at Solas¡¯s sarcastic remark in a sort of agreement.

    ¡°We should keep going.¡± The Herald said while putting her blades back in their scabbards before she continued to walk north towards the crossroads. Her companions followed suit, putting away their weapons and continued their trek behind Evelyn. They passed by more destroyed carts with unopened sacks. After walking another couple of miles, they saw some flashes of red and blue as well as green. With a sigh, Evelyn pulled out her daggers, they were still far away enough to not be seen by the mages.

    ¡°Be prepared for more battle this time with mages. Varric since you¡¯re an archer, take the high ground. Cassandra will go in first and I¡¯ll flank. Solas, put a barrier around us, also attack them when you can with your spells.¡± Everyone acknowledged their part in the battle plan before they went to their assigned places. Varric climbed on a broken tower and pulled out his crossbow and waited while the bald elf also found high ground as well since he knew he¡¯d be at an advantage from a distance.

    Cassandra ran at a mage while holding her shield to block any attacks as Evelyn went around towards the same mage. When the two got close to her, a big blue circle encompasses both the warrior and the duo dagger rogue. Cassandra bashed into the mage, and then Evelyn stabbed the mage with both daggers in the woman¡¯s stomach as blood sprayed on hers and her companion¡¯s faces. Varric and Solas attacked the other two mages.

    One mage had a bunch of arrows sticking out his body; Cassandra pummeled him to death with her shield while Evelyn went for the last mage and slit her throat causing the blood to spray everywhere. Varric and Solas climbed down from their spots.

    ¡°Such an irresponsible use of magic¡± Solas said with a sigh as he walked up to the two women. ¡°The mages here are little more than animals.¡±

    ¡°It really is¡­¡± The Herald said as she wiped the blood off her blades before sheathing them again. ¡°We need to get to the crossroads to talk to Mother Giselle.¡± Everyone was in an agreement and made their way again to the area where the refugees went to for safety.

    The little group made it to the Crossroads without another hitch. It looked like a small town, with merchants selling goods, huts where people live in, as well as the needs. Looking around the area, one of the companions tapped Evelyn on the shoulder and pointed out a woman who seemed to be helping a person who was wounded. Varric looked around as well seeing many people hurt and bandaged.

    ¡°Mages and Templars and innocent people caught in the middle. Some things just never change.¡± He mumbled with a shake of his head. Everyone¡¯s faces showed the same thought but did not voice their opinions like Varric did. Taking a deep breath, Evelyn walked up the older woman.

    ¡°Are you Mother Giselle?¡± She asked behind the woman. The woman with her hair up in a tight bun looked up at the Herald with no surprise on her face, like she was expecting her.

    ¡°Yes, I am Mother Giselle. You must be the Herald of Andraste.¡± Evelyn nodded her head. ¡°The question is do you believe?¡± The woman in her mid-twenties eyes widened from the randomness of the question that was suddenly asked out of nowhere. At least that¡¯s what she thought.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to believe. All I know is that I got a green mark on my hand that glows and sparks when there is a rift. Also people say they saw Andraste pushed me out of the fade.¡± The mother nodded her head slowly, knowing the story and what people said fairly well.

    ¡°The people look up to you Herald, they need a leader and it seems they chose you.¡± The mother said as she glanced at Evelyn¡¯s companions¡¯ direction. The Herald sighed softly not at all ready to hear the news so she decided to change the subject and get the attention off herself.

    ¡°What brings you away from the Chantry, Mother?¡±

    ¡°The refugees come here to get away from the mage and Templar war and some came wounded so I am doing all I can to help the people in need.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of helping¡­I was told you wanted to speak with me¡­¡± Evelyn said while trying to get Giselle to get to the point of her wanting to see her.

    ¡°Ah yes, I know of the Chantry¡¯s denouncement. I¡¯m familiar with those behind it.¡± Giselle said as she walked away from prying ears. The Herald followed her so she was able to listen to her without interruption. ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you; some of them are grand standing or trying to increase their chances of becoming the new Divine. Some are simply terrified. So many good people sensely taken from us.¡± Evelyn frowned slightly as she heard the last statement from the older woman.

    ¡°It was indeed a tragedy; one I wished never happened.¡±

    ¡°With no Divine, we are all left to our own conscience and mine tells me this¡­ Go to them; convince the remaining clerics that you are no demon to be feared. They heard only frightful tales of you. Give them something else to believe.¡± Mother Giselle said passionately and with conviction in her thick Orlesian accent. There was hope sparkling in her eyes as she looked at the Herald of Andraste.

    ¡°You want me to appeal to them?¡± Evelyn asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°If I thought you were incapable, I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it.¡± The mother said with a mischievous smile on her face.

    ¡°Will they even listen to me?¡±

    ¡°Let me put it this way¡­ You needn¡¯t convince them all; just need some doubt. The power is the unified voice, take that from them and you¡¯ll receive the time you need.¡± Mother Giselle said, explaining the plan to Evelyn to help her.

    ¡°It¡¯s good of you to do this.¡± The Herald said gratefully to the mother.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve been touched by fate or sent to help us, but, I hope; hope is what we need now. The people will listen to your rallying call as they will listen to no other.¡± Evelyn stiffened a bit as she listened to Giselle while thinking to herself ¡°she stated as much earlier¡­¡± She let the woman continue to talk as the attention was put back on her. ¡°You could build the Inquisition into a force that will deliver us or destroy us. I will go to Haven and provide Sister Liliana the names of those in the Chantry who will be mineable in the gathering. It is not much, but I will do whatever I can.¡± The woman said with determination before she walked away. The Herald watched the woman leave with a dumbfounded expression as she muttered to herself.

    ¡°Well that was unexpected¡­¡± Evelyn walked back over to her companions who looked over at her curiously, wonder what Giselle had to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that this was no social visit.¡± Varric said trying to lighten the mood which caused Cassandra to roll her eyes.

    ¡°No, she gave us a task to do, which should be discussed with the advisors.¡± Evelyn stated with a serious expression on her face. As she sighed, she spoke again. ¡°Let¡¯s go find the horse master Dennet, shall we?¡±

 Chapter Eight

    Back in Haven, Sirena woke up by herself way early in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and stretched before looking around the room drowsily wondering where she was for a hot minute. After swinging her legs off the uncomfortable bed, she looked around for a clean outfit to wear for the day. Wearing the same dress more than a day, made her feel really disgusting. It seriously had to get cleaned. Knowing full well that Evelyn and Varric were at the Hinterlands, she borrowed her ¡°cousin¡¯s¡± other clothes. Sirena grabbed a pair of dark breeches while scrunching her nose as she mumbled to herself at the same time looking at the pants. ¡°These are so not my style¡­ Maybe I can get away with wearing my skinny jeans today¡­¡± She quickly folded the breeches back up and placed them back in Evelyn¡¯s drawer. Still in her night gown that Evelyn had given to her, she pulled out her jeans and quickly put them on feeling a little happier putting her own clothes back on. Sirena then went rummaging through the Herald¡¯s clothes again in her drawers to look for a dark tunic. As soon as she found one, she pulled it on herself and found that it was loose on her which she did not like at all. She really missed her form fitting clothes that she had back home. With a sigh, she wrapped her dark blue cloak around herself to hide the loose fabric that was oddly soft against her skin.

    A knock then pounded on the cabin¡¯s door while the fake blonde woman was making her way to the water basin to brush her teeth. Deciding to answer the door first, Sirena made her way towards the door and somehow managed to trip over a foot locker. She made a little ¡°oomph¡± sound as she fell onto the hard-wooden floor. That happens when doesn¡¯t let herself wake up first before moving around.

    ¡°Ow, that hurt.¡± She said while rubbing her head before she picked herself up off the floor. Her hands reached up and pat down her hair to tame it since it was an unruly mess of curls and got worse when she fell. She made her way to the door and after she got close to it, her hand reached out and opened the it.

    As the door opened, she was able to see who was on the other side which was none other than the Commander Cullen or was it Rutherford? Sirena knew that in the military it was rank first then last name afterward, but did things work the same in the world she was in currently? The woman tilted her head in confusion and blinked her eyes at him a couple of times. She really had no idea why he was standing outside the door and if she did well obviously she couldn¡¯t remember. Some people from where she was from even said she had a memory of a gold fish which in a way amused her since her memory was very bad. Though, she was sure her face was easy to read at that moment.

    ¡°You look really bewildered right now.¡± Cullen said while studying her face as he tried keeping his own expression composed. Cullen was right; she was in his words ¡°bewildered¡± though in a way happy to see him. Sirena opened the door wider to let the commander in the cabin.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come in; I just have to finish doing things.¡± She said vaguely since she needed to brush her hair and teeth. The tall handsome man walked in with only a few steps with his long strides. He made his way to the foot of Sirena¡¯s bed and sat down on it while observing the room and her. The woman who looked and walked like she belonged somewhere else, made her way over to the water basin and discreetly as possible; brushed her teeth. She could hear a little laugh from behind her which made her cheeks flame red from embarrassment since he could obviously hear her spitting out the paste for cleaning one¡¯s teeth. She really missed some things from her modern world and the minty taste when her teeth were clean was one of them. Her head hung a bit as she thought about all she took for granted. With a sigh, she walked over to the vanity and sat in the chair as she pulled a hair brush and inspected it for lice before using it.

    Cullen remained silent as he watched her inspecting the hair brush that looked to be clean from where he was sitting. He watched as she started brushing her long curly locks of hair that became wavy after she brushed them. As he continued to watch her, he longed to brush her hair with his fingers, to feel the silky smoothness that her shiny hair looked like. He didn¡¯t know what was going on with him or his thoughts, but he couldn¡¯t really control them anymore. His hand moved to the pommel of his sword, gripping it tightly as he shook the thoughts out of his head. ¡®Stop having these thoughts about her, Cullen. It is highly inappropriate and would not end in your favor.¡± He thought as he turned his head away from her finally. Sirena glanced at the mirror to look at Cullen and saw him looking away. She turned around in her seat after she was done brushing her hair and looked at the dirty blonde haired man and smiled softly at him while biting her lower lip before asking him a question. Though, she was hesitant of that as well right now after seeing his face which looked a bit angry. ¡°What brings you over to this cabin?¡± Sirena asked before turning back around to avoid his gaze in case he looked up. As she looked around at the vanity and reorganized things to keep her busy, her thoughts went to Cullen. ¡®What is it with me? Why in the hell am I attracted to an older man? I mean, I like older men, but¡­ usually my maximum age gap is three.¡¯ Sirena asked herself in her head. While in the midst of reorganizing, she heard his deep tenor voice speak up.

    ¡°I came to get you for your training. Since you¡¯re good with archery, I figured we could go on to swordsmanship. I was wondering though¡­ Which skill did you want to learn, sword and shield? Two handed weapon? Or duo wield?¡± He asked her while looking down at the floor boards, avoiding looking at her completely. She turned back around in her seat to politely answer him while looking at him.

    ¡°I was hoping to learn both duo and double handed blade.¡± Sirena answered as she thought about telling him why. A smart person in this world would and should want to learn all they can with different weapons to be able to easily switch blades if need be. She called it preparing for the worst that could happen to her. ¡°The more I know, and can fight with; the better off I will be.¡± She added knowing full well she was right.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to teach you the duo blade, but I can teach you the double handed weapon.¡± As he talked while he was looking at the floor still, Sirena looked around the room with more clarity compared to earlier that morning when she had just woken up. She saw on a night stand in the room was a coin purse with a note beside it. Wanting to read the note, she got up from the seat and walked over to the end table. Since she was really good at multi-tasking, she picked up the note and read it quickly. Apparently the coin purse was her allowance. The new noble woman looked at the handsome man in armor and gave him a nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find someone who will have enough patience to teach me the duo wield.¡± Cullen let out a little snort as a response to her statement.

    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know your cousin was a duo wield rogue then?¡± He asked her. She blinked her eyes a couple of times then shook her head slowly. It did make a lot of sense the more she thought about it though since she had played the game. Solas was one of the mages, Varric was the crossbow archer, and Cassandra was one of the warriors. That leaves the rogue duo blade who had to be her cousin. After her earlier reaction, she can¡¯t let him know that she knew.

    ¡°No, I did not know that actually.¡± She replied, lying to the man who she felt attraction for. Deep in her gut was the feeling of regret. Regret for lying. Hopefully he couldn¡¯t see any tell-tale signs of what she just did since she normally wore it for everyone to see. The poor girl was nor good at hiding her emotions. Just this once she was glad he was looking at the floor still.

    ¡°Now you do.¡± Cullen said as he got up from sitting on her bed. ¡°Are you ready for your next training session then?¡± He asked now finally looking at her for a response. Sirena nodded her head and made her way back over to the door since she was finished with what she had to do to get ready for the day.

    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m ready to learn some more.¡± She responded verbally as Cullen walked beside her until they made it to the door. The trainee opened the door before the Commander was able to and held it open for him. ¡°After you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He walked past Sirena getting out into the open cold air without even glancing at her. Cullen wanted to keep his feelings and thoughts about the woman in check even though it was too late. The last time he felt that way was during his time in the Fereldon¡¯s Circle of Magi for a mage he had a crush on. The girl he foolishly flirted with had also disappeared after the incident; that person was named Amell. He continued to think while he had the time.

    Sirena had noticed him not looking at her even while he said thank you to her. She didn¡¯t know where the coldness came from but she ended up shrugging it off while thinking ¡°let it go¡± from her favorite animated movie made by Disney which was called <u>Frozen</u>. After she walked out of the cabin, Sirena closed the door behind her then quickly caught up to Cullen by jogging. They walked in silence towards the training grounds for the second time. It made the walk a lot longer than what it was due to the uncomfortable silence. By that point, it was eating at her. She had no idea what she did to him or what she did wrong, though, thinking back on it, she didn¡¯t do anything. Glancing up through her lashes, Sirena looked up at Cullen with concern before looking forward.

    After making it to the training area after what felt like forever to the American, Cullen walked over to his tent and set his sword down next to it. His sword leaned against the commander¡¯s tent then made his way back over to the young woman. He nodded his head that told her to follow him. Sirena walked behind the Commander, following him. As she walked behind him, her eyes drifted down to his butt purely on accident. Well mainly because she couldn¡¯t get her eyes off of him. With a little blush rising to her cheeks while biting her lower lip, she thought to herself ¡®damn¡­ nice ass.¡¯ She then started smacking her head gently trying to get the bad thought out of her head. When he stopped walking, he turned around to look at her again. Her eyes quickly diverted themselves away from his butt and instead looked up at him. She hoped, he didn¡¯t catch her looking, that would be humiliating. Apparently when she wasn¡¯t paying attention, he grabbed an object. He held out to her what looked like a wooden practice sword that she saw Henry from <u>Once Upon A Time</u> play with. Her gaze went to his other hand to see the same looking sword.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°We will start with parrying. You will need to know how to deflect a move and defend yourself.¡± Cullen said in an instructor tone which she had heard from her professors and teachers throughout her education; though some educators were more boring than others, especially when the voices were monotonous. The Commander, she could never see as boring. ¡°Do not be afraid to hit hard because you will need to when the time comes.¡± He continued to explain as Sirena took the wooden sword from him.

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± She said slowly while watching him closely to see if he¡¯d try to get her unawares. Surprisingly, he just walked out to the middle of the training area where there was the most space for them. When he finally stopped walking, he turned around to face her as if he was waiting for her. Sirena hesitantly made her way towards the middle and eventually stood in front of him.

    ¡°Now, raise your sword.¡± She raised the wooden sword up with both of her hands and held it like it was a katana. As soon as it looked like she was ready, Cullen thrusted his sword at her. Due to not expecting him to start so soon, she let out a little squeal and quickly hit his sword away from her as if it was out of instinct. Not even realizing he was using his other arm; she felt a hit on her side which caused her to fall onto the ground with a thud.

    Cullen looked down at her with a slight frown on his lips, feeling bad for hitting her so hard. She was just training after all. ¡®She is going to end up with a lot of bruises today. This woman has zero experience in the art of battle¡­¡¯ He thought sadly as he held out his hand to her to help her up. Her small pale hand that looked very similar to Cullen¡¯s own paleness lifted up and slipped into his larger hand. From their first touch, Cullen felt a pleasant shiver go up his spine. With surprise, he looked down at the woman he hardly knew and saw her shiver as well. When she looked up at him, her blue-green eyes caught his golden brown ones, staring into each other¡¯s eyes while he still held her hand in his. Sirena was the first to look away as her cheeks turned pink from another blush. She kneeled down to pick up her sword and while doing so, removed her hand from his. After she picked up the wooden sword, she stood back up and looked back up at him again.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to go again.¡± She said as she stared into his eyes while feeling her fingers tingle from his touch. The Commander held up his sword again, now waiting for her to do the same.

    ¡°Always keep your eyes on your opponent and never be close sighted. You need to be aware of his or her other moves after the one you deflect. It¡¯s about moves and counter moves; remember that.¡± He advised not wanting her to get thrown down again. Sirena readied her wooden sword yet again. She nodded her head preparing herself for anything he threw her way. Cullen swung his sword at her again, this time she lifted her leg in a kick at his wrist while spinning which she learned from watching a lot of Asian shows with martial arts and she learned the kick she did was literally what it was, a spin kick. As her back was turned to him since she wasn¡¯t able to do the full spin, he made a step towards her just as she thrusted the sword behind her. Feeling the sword clash against his armor before she heard it, the young woman looked back behind her to see the Commander with big round eyes from surprise and a grin was spreading across his face.

    ¡°That was quick and amazing!¡± She turned around to face him to get a better look at his face when she heard more praising words from him. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you learned that move, but I¡¯ve never seen anything like it and it¡¯s not something the enemies will expect either.¡± He continued to praise until he got the serious look on his face, the look of disproval. ¡°I could have killed you when your back was turned towards me.¡± A little smirk tilted up on her pink lips since she noticed his change in demeanor.

    ¡°Are you so sure about that?¡± She asked coyly since she knew full well that he wasn¡¯t sure about it. Her sense of hearing was heightened since her sight was a bit dull but not enough to get in the way of living. When she saw the look on his face though, made her lips tighten in a thin line since his face was hard and stern. ¡°Mianhae (I¡¯m sorry).¡± She apologized quietly. Cullen gave a little nod as his gaze softened as he looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Are you ready to go again? This time you can use whatever moves and counter moves you want to use.¡± He gave her permission this round to see her fighting technique so he could help make it better; to give her more chance to survive on the battle field.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready to go again.¡± She said before she thought ¡®that¡¯s what she said¡¯ with a little smile on her face from her literal inside joke that she made. The two continued to spar, hitting each other back and forth. Cullen used what he learned in the Order while Sirena on the other hand used what she saw on television and learned from her uncles as well as her reflexes which the Commander helped to perfect her techniques.

    By the time they were done sparring, it was early afternoon. The soldiers went back to their usual daily routine of sparring and taking orders. Cullen dismissed Sirena so she could do what she wanted since the Inquisition forces were out and about. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt like he had to keep it a secret that she couldn¡¯t fight and the fact he was training to protect her. ¡°Didn¡¯t all nobles know how to fight?¡± He asked himself before giving those under his command orders.

    The American quickly walked back to the cabin almost to the point that she was jogging. As soon as she was in, she ran off toward the end table where the coin purse sat. Grabbing the coin purse that held inside her allowance from the Herald, she ran out of the cabin and down the steps toward the training area. Instead of going straight where she had been earlier that day with Cullen, she turned left towards the blacksmith. When she got to the building, Sirena began panting from being out of breath from the run. The young woman rested her hands on her thighs trying to catch her breath.

    ¡°Man! I¡¯m out of shape.¡± Sirena said to herself while standing up straight after she finally caught her breath. She walked over to the blacksmith and gave him one of her sweet smiles.

    ¡°What can I do for you, My Lady?¡± The man with dark hair asked with polite professionalism.

    ¡°I would like a sword made and not just any sword.¡± She said as she drew a sketch of the curved blade she wanted. The blacksmith stared at the picture in awe.

    ¡°This would be my best work yet! What is this sword exactly, my lady?¡± The man asked curiously while staring at the drawing.

    ¡°The sword is called a Katana.¡± Sirena said with a smile. She had one back home. It was black and had a dragon on it and it was mounted on her wall as a decoration; she missed that Asian sword terribly to the point she wanted another to actually use in battle.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get this made, my lady, I¡¯ll start right away. It should be done by tomorrow.¡± He said with excitement wanting to get started on his new project that he received from the woman. Folding the paper up, he placed the sketch in his pocket so he was able to use it as a reference when he made the katana for her.

    ¡°How much will this cost sir?¡± He waved his hand dismissively not caring about payment.

    ¡°Do not worry about it; getting this project is good enough.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I must pay you.¡± She insisted with wide eyes. It was ingrained in her to always pay for what you want.

    ¡°How about you pay how much you think it¡¯s worth when you see and test it.¡±

    ¡°That sounds fantastic! Thank you!¡± Sirena said with a happy grin on her face.

    ¡°No; thank you, my lady.¡± The blacksmith said with a little bow since at this point he just really wanted to get started on the blade he¡¯s never made before.

    The young woman started making her way back to the cabin when she saw the Commander working before, he glanced up from his clip board to see her looking at him. He gave her a small sad smile before returning back to his work. As she wondered why he had the sad smile, she made her way towards her temporary home which only took a few moments. After making it inside the little place, she noticed an elf girl which made her immediately suspicious yet oddly convenient.

    ¡°Excuse me, but what are you doing in here?¡± The elven girl turned around as if she was startled from an unexpected sound or either that she got caught doing something she wasn¡¯t supposed to. Sirena didn¡¯t really trust strangers, especially ones she finds hanging around in the room. To her it was too weird.

    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry! I came in to see if you needed anything since you¡¯re new here and you¡¯re the Herald¡¯s cousin.¡± She explained as her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment.

    ¡°I actually would like to know where I can go to bathe.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I can bring in the tub with hot water. Is there anything I can get you, for your hair perhaps?¡± Her eyes widened in surprise as she thought to herself ¡®they have shampoo and conditioner here? For real!?¡¯ A small smile tilted up on her lips.

    ¡°Would you have any shampoo and conditioner?¡±

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°Never mind, floral scented oil, preferably Cherry Blossom, if you have any.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring it right away!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sirena said before the girl curtsied to her. She stood stunned with her eyes wide as the stranger ran off. It was rather disappointing to find out there was no shampoo or conditioner in that time period. As she waited, the American woman grabbed a random book to read and sat on her bed. When she opened the book, she could tell right away that it was going to be a dry read since it looked boring to her. While Sirena was reading the book and trying not to fall asleep, she heard the door open and the noise of bustling coming inside the little cabin. Glancing up from the book, her eyes caught sight of people carrying a tub. In a way, the two people carrying the tub looked like they were struggling. Sirena set the book aside quickly, got up off the bed and rushed over to help them. She grabbed a side and both women smiled at her gratefully. They couldn¡¯t believe she was helping them; most nobles leave them to struggle on their own.

    When they made it to the most open area in the room, the three women set the wooden tub down gently. Afterward, a bunch of other people lined up holding filled up buckets of hot water and poured them into the oval shaped bath tub with a cloth material covering the wood. Everyone had left the cabin with the tub full; all but one anyway. The elven teenager she saw earlier was the only one left standing and she was holding two bottles in her hands, setting them next to the now filled tub.

    ¡°Here is the oil that you asked for. I also brought you soap in case you needed it.¡± She announced to the noble woman.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The elf teen curtsied again before leaving the room for the second time. The American woman waited till she heard the door open and close.

    When she heard the sound she was waiting for, she started stripping her cloak and top off. Her eyes glanced up at the mirror where she saw many splotches of blue and purple bruises on her pale skin. She carefully touched the bruises with her fingertips and winced from how tender it was. Now knowing she had bruises, Sirena was careful while peeling off the rest of her clothes. Seeing herself naked became a bit of a shock. She took more beating than she had even realized. After she was done gawking at how horrible she looked, the American climbed into the bath tub. When her body was submerged into the hot water, she closed her eyes and immediately began to relax due to the heat, letting all thoughts leave her mind as enjoyed the bath.

 Chapter Nine

    It had been three months since the Herald left for the Hinterlands. Sirena had been training with the Commander and eventually even became very good with swords after the many weeks of getting bruises all over her body. As time passed for Cullen, he became more protective over the short fake blonde woman. He would watch her every time she walked by the training/sparring area where he commanded his soldiers when they needed it.

    Late in the afternoon, Cullen heard a bunch of horses hooves clip clopping on the ground. He turned his head and saw the Herald on top of the horse¡¯s back; as well as her companions on their own horses. With great relief, the Commander saw Dennet, the horse master amongst those who were arriving to Haven. ¡®The recruiting has begun¡¯ he thought as he waved an agent over to him. A man in a green outfit dutifully walked over to him.

    ¡°Commander¡± the agent acknowledged the man with a little salute.

    ¡°Hi, I need you to get Sirena, Josephine, Leliana and tell them to meet at the war table with the Herald and Cassandra.¡± Cullen instructed. The agent did another salute and ran up to the Herald and the seeker to tell them what the Commander said. Evelyn listened to him along with Cassandra before responding.

    ¡°Alright, but after the meeting I¡¯m going to relax.¡± Evelyn replied while agreeing to the meeting. The agent ran off again to find the others who the Commander told him to find. After putting the horses in the makeshift stable, Evelyn and Cassandra met up with Cullen and made their way to the chantry while making small talk.

    ¡°How did you like the Hinterlands?¡± Cullen asked the two women as his gaze looked ahead and saw the still strange girl walking ahead of them. Both Evelyn and Cassandra noticed him looking ahead at a certain someone who seemed to have caught his interest. Cassandra shook her head discreetly in disproval.

    ¡°It was lovely there.¡± The Herald answered as they finally made it to the chantry.

    ¡°Hopefully it wasn¡¯t too bad there.¡±

    ¡°You will find out in this meeting Commander.¡± Cassandra said before walking into the war room. Everyone turned their heads to look at the three who finally entered. Cullen, Evelyn, and Cassandra made their way to their spots around the table. As soon as the tall man with blonde hair stood across from Sirena, her eyes glanced up at him while he was looking at her which caused her cheeks to turn red, she really wished she could stop blushing. Quietly, Leliana and Josephine watched the two with smirks rising to their face knowing full well they became closer within the three-month span.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you all want to know what happened in the Hinterlands?¡± Evelyn asked as she looked around the table at everyone.

    ¡°That would be nice.¡± The American replied with a hint of sarcasm while she lowers her gaze from Cullen to look at the woman who took her under her wing. Leliana¡¯s smirk became a smile of amusement from how the youngest of the group said her statement. Josephine gave Sirena a slight glare and shook her head in disappointment.

    ¡°There was a war between templars and mages. Both parties were attacking innocent people.¡± Cassandra said in her thick accent that really did sound French to the outsider¡¯s ears.

    ¡°We also talked to Mother Giselle.¡± Josephine nodded her head since she had seen the older woman in Haven herself. Sirena now kept her head down during the talk about Giselle. She tried to steer clear from the mother and sisters of the Chantry. ¡°We also brought the horse master Dennet for the Inquisition.¡± Trevelyan explained to everyone which gave her a nod of approval from the Commander.

    ¡°Miss Trevelyan and Cassandra since you and your companions just came back from your travels, you all should relax and recuperate from your little adventure.¡± Josephine suggested to the Herald and their seeker. Evelyn looked at the tall dark haired woman who was wearing the Inquisition eye on her armor; the Nevarran woman nodded her head as a response.

    ¡°We will continue this conversation tomorrow then.¡± Trevelyan said out loud.

    ¡°Alright, meeting adjourned!¡± Josephine exclaimed before walking out of the room carrying her clip board as usual. The others in the room soon followed suit. Evelyn walked beside Cassandra while speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

    ¡°Is there anyone up for some drinks and Wicked Grace?¡±

    ¡°I would, but I have to read the reports I received and reply to them.¡± Leliana said apologetically since she really wanted to play with the others.

    ¡°All work and no play will make one¡¯s life very boring.¡± Sirena replied with a small smirk. She may not have the same dialect as the others, but hers was good enough to the point they didn¡¯t notice the difference or so she thought. Evelyn looked over at Cullen, waiting for his reply as well as Cassandra¡¯s.

    ¡°As much as I shouldn¡¯t; I¡¯ll join.¡± Cullen said agreeing to play the card game.

    ¡°What about you Cassandra?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll play. I suspect Varric will be joining us as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course he will! Sirena, do you want to play as well?¡± The Herald asked her cousin hoping she knows how to play.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯ll be happy to watch.¡± With a smile, Evelyn nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯ll let Varric know our plans. When will we be meeting up?¡± The twenty-three year old asked so she could tell her favorite sarcastic dwarf when and where to go.

    ¡°We will be meeting up at the tavern late in the evening.¡± Trevelyan said looking at everyone to see if they understood the plans. All but one person nodded their heads while Sirena gave a thumb¡¯s up as she grinned at Evelyn. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you all later then.¡± Trevelyan then quickened her pace to walk towards the cabin which she called home. She quickly looked back and noticed Cullen and her cousin walking together. A smirk tilted up at the corner of her lips while she opened the door to the cabin. When she stepped inside, her eyes immediately saw a tub with steam coming from it which means it was just filled. Evelyn knew at that point that Josephine had set it up for her since she was a noble herself and knew she would need to bathe after getting back from the Hinterlands. She slipped off her armor and under clothes then immediately stepped into the hot steaming water to relax and clean herself.

    Outside in the winter air, Sirena continued to walk beside Cullen while enjoying the comfortable silence. She felt like she knew him a little bit better than she did in the previous months due to all the time she spent training under him. The man in armor looked down at the short woman who was human with a small smile on his face. From all the sparring they did together as well as the nights they drank in the tavern, he had been feeling a strong pull towards her. He felt elated due to the fact she would be in the tavern tonight to watch them play Wicked Grace. When he noticed her glancing at the small bonfire, he knew she was going to go talk to Varric.

    ¡°I need to tell Varric the plans for tonight. I will see you later!¡± Sirena said before she made her way towards the dwarf. Cullen nodded his head and continued to make his way towards the Inquisition forces.

    The young one sat next to the dwarf with an easy smile on her face. As soon as Varric noticed her, a grin spread across his face.

    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Blondie!¡± He exclaimed happily as he got a good look at her. ¡°You look thinner from last time I saw you. And a little beat up.¡± The witty dwarf commented on her appearance, looking at the fading bruises.

    ¡°I do?¡± Sirena looked down at herself not seeing the new-found skinniness. Her shoulders shrugged after she tried seeing what he saw. ¡°I don¡¯t see the changes, but the bruises¡­¡± She said raising her hand to touch a bruise on her arm. ¡°They are from all the sparring I did.¡± The American woman informed him, only telling half of the truth since noble families in Thedas were taught how to fight early. Where she was from everyone went to school unless they dropped out of high school or graduated from there and or college. She never learned any combat skills, at least not until she was trained by Cullen.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one who noticed.¡±

    ¡°No one has said anything¡­¡± Varric chuckled softly and shook his head wondering why no one has told her. Though, the others did just get back like he did.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s okay. Anyway Blondie, you looked like you came over here to tell me something.¡± He said while sitting in his usual spot.

    ¡°Ah yes, Evelyn is conducting a game of Wicked Grace in the tavern. Apparently there will be drinks as well.¡± Sirena informed him so he was up to date on the plans. ¡°Cullen and Cassandra are going to play as well.¡± She explained to him as she watched for any kind of facial expression. Varric raised a brow at her as a smirk crossed his features.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Are you going to play?¡± The modern woman shook her head knowing full well he was going to ask that question.

    ¡°Nah, Shortie, I¡¯m just going to watch actually.¡± She said in her casual dialect.

    ¡°Smart girl.¡± Varric said while laughing softly knowing full well the girl was indeed intelligent. ¡°When is this gathering?¡± He asked her while noticing the sky was turning dark and he also noticed Cullen and Cassandra making their way towards the tavern. Looking up at the sky herself, she smiled sheepishly.

    ¡°Now is when we¡¯re supposed to gather and malinger in the tavern.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± The dwarf exclaimed as he rose up from the bench to start walking quickly. Soon, she followed after him with her slower strides. Luckily for her, the dwarf was close to her height so, she didn¡¯t need to keep up with him as much as she had to with the others.

    Grateful that she played the Dragon Age: Inquisition game, Sirena knew where she was at and where she was going, not to mention she roamed around the place enough to get familiarized. The tavern was the second biggest structure compared to the Chantry in Haven; that she knew of anyway. She also knew that close by was Solas, the grumpy elf¡¯s cabin was near which she wanted to steer clear from him. He seemed to always have a stick up his ass in the game. Sirena had been spacing out while following Varric when out of the blue something smacked her in the face. After refocusing herself, she saw what hit her and heard Varric apologizing, she was smacked in the face by the tavern¡¯s door. She then started to laugh non-stop while continuing to head over towards the table where Evelyn, Cullen, and Cassandra were sitting at while giving her weird looks like she had lost her sanity. Varric noticed the looks she was getting from them and spoke up to explain what happened.

    ¡°I accidentally hit her face with the door¡­ Apparently she laughs the pain off.¡± He laughs softly while scratching the back of his neck nervously before sitting a tiny bit of distance away from Cullen.

    The Herald patted the spot next to her for Sirena. She knew full well what the reason was of why her cousin wasn¡¯t playing, to save her face, that was what she assumed anyway. Evelyn was going to let her observe the game of deception known as Wicked Grace which was a card game based on the states of negatives or positives that were also known as virtues and vices. Some even cheat during the game which was to be expected.

    Sirena sat down beside Evelyn with a smile playing at her lips. She looked around the table and noticed Cassandra sitting at the head of the table. The new girl gave the short dark haired woman a wave. Cassandra, with a confused look on her face slowly waved back which made the oddly goofy one grin. Varric could be heard chuckling from the exchange which earned him a glare from the seeker. Sirena¡¯s eyes then shifted over to Cullen who was sitting across from the Herald and to her surprise, she caught him staring at her. Her gaze dropped immediately in bashfulness before her eyes slowly shifted over to where the dwarf was sitting who was now wiggling his brows at her with a smirk on his face. She knew at the point that she got caught exchanging looks with the Commander. Hearing the shuffling of cards, Sirena turned her attention to Evelyn¡¯s hands and watched silently.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get some ale, Curly, you¡¯re coming with me to help.¡± Varric hopped off the seat and started walking off towards the bar. Cassandra looked at Cullen with a raised brow which the Commander caught. He shrugged his shoulders then stood up to follow the witty short man. Once Cullen left, both, Evelyn and Cassandra looked over at the girl which in that instant caused her eyes to go wide.

    ¡°What did I do? Why are yall staring at me like that?¡± Sirena asked while accidentally letting a bit of her personal dialect out. From her time in Haven, she learned the people in Thedas seem to always talk formally and that was something she may never master.

    ¡°What is ¡°yall¡±?¡± Cassandra asked in her thick accent. ¡°Never mind, that isn¡¯t important; however, what is important is the look you and Cullen shared.¡± The dark haired woman said bluntly. Sirena looked down at her hands as her face turned a bit red as she remained silent. That was the time Evelyn decided to get involved in the conversation.

    ¡°Is there anything you would like to tell us?¡± She asked with a playful smirk. The Laurelet girl only shook her head no before speaking verbally.

    ¡°No¡­? And if you¡¯re implying what I think it is that you¡¯re trying to hint at then sorry to disappoint but I¡¯m pretty sure he doesn¡¯t have those sorts of feelings for me.¡± Evelyn and Cassandra both looked at each other catching the fact she didn¡¯t say anything about not having feelings for him.

    ¡°Perhaps that may be a good thing. It would be a un-needed distraction. But¡­ Maybe, Lady Laurelet wishes there was something?¡± The Neverran woman asked while looking at Sirena. The young woman¡¯s eyes widened even more in surprise.

    ¡°I¡­Uh¡­ I¡­ Um¡­ Maybe? Wait! No! We hardly know each other!¡± Laurelet said with embarrassment from being put on the spotlight. ¡®He can¡¯t even know the real me anyway since I¡¯m not from here; so if we were to have a relationship it would be based on lies.¡¯ She thought to herself sadly. ¡®Plus he¡¯s not even meant to be with me. He¡¯s meant to be with Evelyn.¡¯ As she thought to herself, Evelyn dealt with the cards for the card game.

    Over towards the bar, Varric waited for the ale he ordered. He didn¡¯t tell Cullen to come with him just to help carry drinks to the table, but to also question him with his witty humor. The dwarf knew the Commander sometimes hated his sarcasm and the way he could talk himself out of situations. He heard the heavy footsteps walk up beside him and realized his friend finally caught up.

    ¡°So, you and Sirena eh?¡± The dwarf said jumping right into what he wanted to know. Cullen looked down at him trying to keep his composure.

    ¡°What about Sirena and I?¡±

    ¡°Is there something between the two of you?¡± Varric asked low enough for only Cullen¡¯s ears to hear.

    ¡°If you are asking if we are a couple, then sorry to disappoint you but we are not.¡± He answered keeping his face neutral since in his heart he knows he wants to be with her.

    ¡°Why are you two not together? I see the way you look at each other.¡± The dwarf said knowing he wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed. They were pretty much showing their feelings whether they knew it or not, though Sirena showed it more than Cullen since she seemed to be more open about her feelings which can be dangerous in the world they were living in.

    ¡°It would be inappropriate.¡± Cullen said stubbornly. Varric let out a scoff and shook his head at his friend.

    ¡°With that mindset, Curly, you could miss out on something great; or rather someone. Plus with the world going to shit, it¡¯s not a bad thing to find some happiness.¡± He said before he noticed the human bartender placing the drinks down on the bar top. While helping Varric get the drinks, Cullen looked over at the table where the women were sitting at the table. He noticed Sirena looking down while her face was red; the other two women were looking at each other; one with amusement and the other with disproval. He passed two drinks to Varric and carried the last three in his own hands.

    Both Varric and Cullen made their way to the table. As soon as they were close enough; they noticed Evelyn had already given them their hands for the card game. Varric gave the two drinks that were in his hands to the Herald and Cassandra. The women nodded their heads in thanks while smiling, though; Cassandra was surprised he was being nice instead of cracking jokes like he usually did. The dwarven rogue went over to his spot and sat down watching Cullen, purposely making him give a drink to his ¡°lady friend¡±. The Commander looked at the sarcastic dwarf and rolled his eyes at him before placing a mug of ale in front of the girl.

    The American woman looked up when she heard something was set down in front of her. She saw a big mug which she assumed to be ale. Her eyes looked up even more to see Cullen and she gave him a soft little smile.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± That seemed to be their thing. One does something for the other and they say thank you. That was how they even first started whatever it was they had. It seemed he had the same train of thought since he let out a little laugh.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± he responded with a smile before he also went around the table and sat down in his spot while also passing a mug of ale to Varric. Everyone who was playing Wicked Grace picked up their cards and started playing. Sirena watched and observed what Evelyn was doing while taking a sip of the alcohol beverage. She made a face of disgust when the liquid touched her tongue.

    ¡°It looks like someone doesn¡¯t like the taste of ale.¡± Varric commented with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll agree this stuff tastes like shit but its alcohol so I¡¯m not complaining.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she is a wine person then.¡± Cassandra put in knowing those that don¡¯t like ale or beer usually ends up liking wine more. Sirena just remained quiet, not agreeing nor disagreeing to what the Neverran said. She continued to watch everyone play their card game while remaining quiet. It was like people playing poker in their homes or at the casinos. The same rules seem to apply in their game as well.

    ¡°I am curious¡­ What drinks do you like Blondie?¡± Varric asked trying to get her to talk to see if what Cassandra said was true or not.

    ¡°What Cassandra said; I like wine. Though, I don¡¯t like the red kind.¡± She finally admitted to everyone at the table.

    ¡°I know there is more to it than what you are saying.¡± Cullen looked over at Varric with a slight glare. The dwarf shrugged his shoulders at the Commander with a grin on his face.

    ¡°Um¡­ I like sex on the beach¡­¡± The whole table stopped what they were doing and stared at the American with their jaws dropped. Varric was the only one laughing his butt off from her words and the others reactions. Cullen stared at her with shock in his eyes from her boldness. After realizing why Cullen, Evelyn, and Cassandra were looking at her with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, her own turned to one that just looked like she had rage quit on life. ¡°Not that kind¡­¡± She corrected their thoughts knowing what they were thinking. ¡°Fucking perverts.¡± Evelyn gave her a disapproving look while Varric continued to laugh.

    ¡°So it is literally a drink?¡± Cullen asked Sirena while a bit flustered. She nodded her head in response as she bit her lower lip. His eyes looked down at her lips feeling the urge to finally kiss her like he¡¯s been wanting to. Shaking his head slightly, he regained his focus. ¡°What is that drink made of?¡± It was her turn to be the one who got the look of surprise this time.

    ¡°It¡¯s made from orange and cranberry juice with vodka and peach schnapps.¡± She told him answering his question. Varric finally stopped laughing and looked at her in confusion. He knew what vodka was, but peach schnapps? All the others gave her the same look the dwarf was giving her. ¡°I¡¯m going to guess you all haven¡¯t heard of vodka or peach schnapps?¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows about vodka and whiskey, but this other one you¡¯re talking about¡­ I never heard of it.¡± Varric said while going through his memory of alcoholic beverages. With realization, Sirena knew she could no longer talk about the alcohol she really liked otherwise they might find out the truth that she wasn¡¯t from Thedas and accuse her of being a witch, if they do that sort of thing. She already thinks Evelyn and Cullen suspect something odd about her, but they don¡¯t really know. Who knows what they would do if they found out? Would they burn her at the stake? Chop her head off? Drown her? Hang her? She shuddered at the thought.

 Chapter Ten

    With amusement, Sirena watched Varric win most of the hands while Evelyn won a few. As she watched, she felt her head buzzing from all the alcohol she drank, not at all paying attention to the disgusting taste or the amount. Watching the Herald put away the cards with blurry vision; she then closed her eyes and felt the room spin.

    ¡°It looks like we got a light weight.¡± The dwarf commented while chuckling since he hasn¡¯t seen a person get drunk so quick before. Out of nowhere, a laugh was heard and it didn¡¯t stop. Varric looked around to finally see the source of where the laughter was coming from. ¡°Poor kid, she can¡¯t hold her alcohol.¡± Cullen shook his head in agreement with the rogue dwarf.

    ¡°I can still hear you.¡± Sirena said in a childlike voice while still giggling. ¡°I can handle my alcohol just fine. See?¡± She stood up from the table while stumbling a little. When she got her footing finally, she tried poking her nose with her index finger and instead poked herself in the eye. ¡°Oww.¡± Varric then lost his control and began laughing. Cassandra and Evelyn looked at the woman who was acting like a child currently and both smiled in amusement. The show was better than Varric¡¯s bad jokes.

    ¡°Maybe I should go help her.¡± Cullen said walking over towards the giggling girl. As soon as she turned around, the young adult¡¯s eyes sparkled with happiness as she saw the Commander in front of her and smiled softly up at him. ¡°I will take her to your shared cabin.¡± He said before picking up the drunken girl in his arms in bridal style. Sirena ended up snuggling herself against him as she looked up at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re handsome.¡± She stated then Varric laughed even harder due to Cullen¡¯s reddening face while Evelyn smirked knowing the truth had just come out from her drunken state.

    ¡°The truth finally comes out.¡± Cassandra muttered to the Herald while shaking her head. ¡°For her sake though, I hope she doesn¡¯t remember. He needs to be focused on the Inquisition and not a pretty face.¡± She said loud enough so the dwarf could part take in the conversation as well but not loud enough for Cullen to hear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on him. Though, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.¡±

    ¡°We will find out tomorrow.¡± Evelyn said while now laughing herself. ¡°Thank you Commander.¡± Cullen bowed his head before leaving the tavern and his friends behind.

    The Commander was thankful when he got out into the cold winter air. His cheeks soon went back to their normal color as he walked in the snowy frosty cold. He made sure to walk quickly to the cabin though, since he didn¡¯t want the woman in his arms to freeze. When he made it to the cabin, he readjusted Sirena in his arms so he was able to open the door. As soon as the door was open, he walked in and gently kicked it closed. After making his way towards her bed, he looked down and realized she had fallen asleep in his arms. Cullen set her down on the bed and placed a couple of blankets over her. As he continued to look at her sleeping figure, he laid a hand on her cheek and stroked it softly with his thumb while thinking of her words over and over in his head even if she was drunk. Did she really mean what she said to him? Did she really think he was handsome? As he pondered them over in his thoughts, he heard the door open and close and quickly jumped away from Sirena. He then saw Evelyn walk into the room. Taking one last look at the sleeping figure on the bed, he began to walk out of the room.

    ¡°Thank you again Cullen, for bringing her in.¡± He stopped walking and turned around to face Trevelyan then bowed his head while remaining silent before he walked back out of the cabin. He made his way to his tent in a rush to continue to think.

    That next morning, the Amerincan woke up remembering everything including what she said to Cullen. With a groan, she hid her face under her pillow not wanting to face what the day had in store for her. She was bound to be embarrassed for her behavior from the night before. Hearing some laughter, Sirena peeked from under the pillow and saw Evelyn laughing.

    ¡°Do you feel a hang over?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get hang overs.¡± She mumbled into the pillow.

    ¡°Luck you. Don¡¯t forget we have a meeting with the advisors today, so you need to get up out of bed.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m up.¡± Sirena said with a sigh as she got out of bed to get dressed, it was clear that she was not awake yet. The Herald was already in her armor with her daggers strapped to her back. She looked at her armor before putting on her leggings and black dress with a thick cape to keep her warm. Evelyn did her hair in intricate braids that showed some of her natural brown color with her fake blonde. After her hair was finished, she strapped her katana to her side since the cape was in the way. She gave a nod to her cousin telling her she was ready to go.

    Evelyn eyed Sirena¡¯s sword since she¡¯s never seen one quite like hers before in her life. She walked to the door and opened it while her cousin followed. She continued to look at the curved blade wondering what it was and where it was from. The tired and silent Sirena, walked out of the cabin and towards the Chantry. The Herald caught up to her cousin then grabbed her arm to slow her down when she saw a mob.

    ¡°It looks like there is a problem at the Chantry.¡± Evelyn said seeing a huge group of people surrounding a pair that seemed to be in an argument. The American gave Evelyn a look for stating the obvious. She looked over towards the mob again and saw a templar and a mage were the ones arguing with each other.

    ¡°Your kind killed the most holy!¡± The templar said accusingly.

    ¡°Lies! Your kind let her die!¡± Said the mage defending himself and other mages, not at all liking the way the templar was blaming his kind. Out of blind rage the man with the dark blonde hair slightly pulled out his sword.

    ¡°Shut your mouth mage!¡± Quietly, Sirena watched as her eyes grew wide from shock as Evelyn shook her head at the display. Cullen stormed out of the Chantry and got in between the two.

    ¡°Enough!¡± He yelled at the two while a shiver went up her spine as she smiled at him. The Herald looked down at her while raising a brow.

    ¡°Knight Commander!¡± The templar called out.

    ¡°That is not my title!¡± Cullen said now looking at the mage with sternness before looking back towards the templar. ¡°We are not templars any longer.¡± He then pointed at the revealed ex-templar to make himself clear. ¡°We are all part of the Inquisition.¡± He then turns and points to the mage to make sure both parties are clear. Sirena raised her hand in front of her face and began fanning herself a little finding his aggressive side very attractive, not even noticing that Evelyn was watching her. An older man walked out of the crowd towards Cullen.

    ¡°And what might that be exactly?¡± The man said loud enough for everyone to hear him.

    ¡°Back already Chancellor? Haven¡¯t you done enough?¡± The Commander mocked the older man.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious Commander, as to how your Inquisition and its ¡°Herald¡± will restore order as you¡¯ve promised.¡± Both ladies looked at each other as Evelyn rolled her eyes. Sirena¡¯s eyes squint as the so-called Chancellor swept his arms around at the crowd trying to cause an uproar. She began to step forward as the Herald grabbed her arm again to hold her back. Looking back, she saw Evelyn shaking her head when she heard Cullen speak again.

    ¡°Of course you are.¡± He said with a bored tone towards the chancellor. He took a few forward and talked to the crowd to get them to move along. ¡°Back to your duties, all of you!¡± Everyone scattered away as the Chancellor walked away sneering making it look like he was leaving the area. The short tempered American glared after the man wanting so badly to tell him off, forgetting for that moment that he was a man with good intentions. The two women walked up to Cullen as he shook his head in disappointment from people¡¯s actions that day. When he looked in their direction, he slightly smiled at Sirena, noticing she was avoiding his gaze which made him confused. He then looked at Evelyn knowing she was going to have something to say.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°What is going on Commander?¡± The Herald asked before glancing at her ¡°cousin¡± also noticing the lack of eye contact with Cullen. ¡®I guess she remembers what happened last night¡¯ she thought to herself as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.

    ¡°Mages and templars were already at war. Now they are blaming each other for the Divine¡¯s death.¡± Cullen explained before Sirena rolled her eyes due to the mages and templars ignorance. The Chancellor who was only a little distances away from the little group; walked back over after eavesdropping on their conversation.

    ¡°Which is why we require a proper authority to guide them back to order.¡± He said folding his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Or perhaps you¡­¡± Sirena began to say right before Evelyn put her hand over her mouth to shut her up. Roderick looked over at her with a raised brow wanting to hear what she had to say. Cullen crossed his arms over his chest before speaking up again.

    ¡°Who? You? Random clerics who weren¡¯t important enough to be at the conclave?¡±

    ¡°The rebel Inquisition and it¡¯s so called ¡°Herald of Andraste¡±? I think not.¡± Roderick retorted as Cullen stood up for Evelyn. At this point the young woman was shaking in anger wanting now to pound the old man¡¯s face in.

    ¡°So far you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s insistently saying we can¡¯t work together.¡± Evelyn replied cleverly since she¡¯s also getting tired of the crap the man was saying.

    ¡°We might if your Inquisition would recognize the Chantry¡¯s authority.¡± Roderick said trying to make them see his logic. Cullen rolled his eyes while standing his ground.

    ¡°There is no authority until another divine is chosen.¡±

    ¡°In due time, Andraste will be our guide, not some days wonderer on a mountain side.¡± The Herald took the blow without flinching as she continued to listen calmly. Sirena on the other hand, was having a very hard time biting her tongue. Evelyn looked at Cullen while ignoring the loud mouth Chancellor.

    ¡°Remind me why you¡¯re allowing the Chancellor to stay.¡± She said with a small smirk hoping she got a rise out of Roderick. Looking between both Cullen and Evelyn, she thought ¡®oh snap!¡¯ as she tried to hold back a chuckle. Cullen looked at the Herald with his arms folded over his chest while Roderick answered instead of the Commander.

    ¡°Clearly your templar knows where to draw the line.¡± Finally the modern woman couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut any longer and ended up snapping at the man.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask you for your opinion, now did she?¡± Evelyn ended up slapping her own forehead while Cullen looked at her in surprise, for her words were abrasive. He then made his own response after the lady.

    ¡°He¡¯s toothless, there¡¯s no point in turning him into a martyr simply because he runs of the mouth. The Chancellor is a good indicator once we get into Val Royoux however.¡± The Herald glanced at Roderick before speaking up again.

    ¡°How wide spread is the violence between mages and templars?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say.¡± Cullen responded before Roderick opened his mouth again.

    ¡°Your organization flounting the Chantry¡¯s authority will not help matters.¡±

    ¡°But with the conclave destroyed, I imagine the war between mages and templars is renewed.¡± Cullen said with annoyance. Evelyn sighed softly feeling the same pain as Cullen at that point. The Chancellor was pissing everyone off.

    ¡°The mages and templars are fighting even though we don¡¯t really know what happened at the Temple of Sacred Ashes.¡± The Herald said still investigating.

    ¡°Exactly why all this should be left for the new divine.¡±  Roderick said really pushing for the Chantry¡¯s power. ¡°If you are innocent, the Chantry will establish it as so.¡± One of Sirena¡¯s brow¡¯s rose up as she let out a snort knowing a trial will be a he said she said bull shit without any real evidence.

    ¡°That would go over very well.¡± The modern woman said with sarcasm while glaring at Roderick.

    ¡°Or we will be happy to use a scapegoat.¡± The Commander retorted.

    ¡°You think that nobody cares about the truth?¡± Roderick asked with frustration. ¡°We all grieve Justinia¡¯s life; we won¡¯t believe the ¡°Herald of Andraste¡± is conveniently swept under a carpet.¡± The three then looked at each other while avoiding the Chancellor¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they see reason in Val Royoux.¡± Evelyn said ending the conversation.

    ¡°I pray you¡¯re right.¡± Cullen said glad the conversation with the Chancellor was over. Evelyn grabbed the girl¡¯s arm and steered her into the Chantry with the Commander following them. Whispers echoed in the building as they made their way to the war room.

    After walking into the room with the table and maps they saw Josephine, Cassandra, and Leliana waiting for them. The spymaster raised a brow at them knowing full well what happened outside the Chantry. Ambassador Josephine cleared her throat while holding her clipboard with a candle on it while looking at the papers on it as she was getting ready to talk.

    ¡°What happened that made you three late?¡± Knowing Cullen and Evelyn dealt with enough; Sirena was the one to speak up.

    ¡°A fight broke out between a mage and an ex templar which the Commander broke up. Then the asshole Chancellor was well¡­ Being a dick.¡± She summed up the situation fairly quickly. Josephine gasped at Sirena¡¯s choice of words and lack of respect.

    ¡°Lady Laurelet, you cannot just say that!¡± The Ambassador shook her head while Leliana smiled in amusement.

    ¡°We should discuss what we¡¯re going to do.¡± Cassandra suggested trying to get everyone back on track and to change the subject so they could move on away from what the Herald¡¯s cousin said. The three went over to the table and stood around it, taking their positions. The Herald looked over at the Fereldon side of the map while fiddling with her hands. Due to looking confused, on what to do, Sirena took charge and assigned the three advisors to do the little stuff.

    ¡°Well now we know what the advisors are going to do.¡± The modern woman said proudly with a grin on her face. Everyone but Josephine gapped at her with shock that she had leadership within her. Seeing everyone¡¯s stares she asked while blinking her eyes. ¡°What?¡± She continued to look around the table while avoiding gazing into Cullen¡¯s golden brown eyes that reminded her of Edward Cullen. Her face turned a bright red from embarrassment, hating the fact she was the center of attention at the moment.

    ¡°So the young lady is intelligent with assignments.¡± Josephine said with a smile of approval. ¡°Now we need to talk about the matter at hand¡­ Having the Herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea.¡± She said with thought thinking it would be a good idea for Evelyn to talk to them.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Cullen said as his brows furrowed in anger.

    ¡°It would be equivalent to feeding her to Bolton¡¯s hounds.¡± Sirena said referencing the show <u>The Game of Thrones</u>. When the four people around the table looked at her, she shrugged her shoulders while smiling knowing full well they didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± The seeker asked with confusion wondering where the reference came from since she too reads but only secretly.

    ¡°They are ravenous hounds that only get fed when they eat a person who tries to run from them by the demand of their master.¡± She explains trying to make it sound normal since it was in the television show that she had seen.

    ¡°That is very disgusting that someone would do such a thing, but I now understand why you said those words.¡± Cassandra agreed with the younger woman before the ambassador spoke up again.

    ¡°Mother Giselle isn¡¯t wrong; at the moment. The Chantry¡¯s only strength is that they are united in opinion.¡± After she spoke, Cullen scratched at the back of his head in irritation as he began pacing.

    ¡°And we should ignore the danger to the Herald?¡± Leliana asked sarcastically as her nose wrinkled at the thought of their leader in danger from the clerics.

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask her.¡± Josephine suggested wanting to hear Evelyn¡¯s opinion since no one could really speak for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned this won¡¯t actually solve any problems.¡± The Herald stated patiently as she thought of all the outcomes that could possibly happen when she meets up with the clerics in Val Royoux.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Cullen said stopping in his pacing to look over at Josephine. ¡°It just lends credence to the idea that we should care what the Chantry says.¡± Sirena tilted her head to the side a bit not understanding what the word ¡°credence¡± means. When Leliana looked at her, she gave her a smile and pretended to know what was said while thinking ¡®god damn it Cullen, you just had to use fancy words.¡¯

    ¡°I will go with her.¡± Cassandra said stepping up closer to the table.

    ¡°As will I.¡± Sirena declared with her head held high like a true noble woman. She knew for a fact she wouldn¡¯t be seeing any spiders in Val Royoux so, she thought it would be safe enough for her to go. Cassandra smiled at her with approval while Cullen looked over at her in surprise. It would be her first adventure with the Herald after all.

    ¡°Mother Giselle said she could provide us names? Use them.¡± The seeker said with authority to Leliana since she was the founder to the new Inquisition.

    ¡°But why?¡± Leliana asked defensively. ¡°This is nothing but a-¡°

    ¡°What do we have Leliana?¡± Cassandra interrupted the spymaster in mid speech which caused the modern girl¡¯s brows to rise up. ¡°Right now we can¡¯t approach anyone for help with the breach.¡± She continued to speak logically so Leliana could hear where she was coming from.

    ¡°She does have a point.¡± The young woman answered in agreement with the Seeker. With encouragement from Sirena, Cassandra continued to talk.

    ¡°Use what influence we have to call the clerics together. Once they are ready, we will see this through.¡±

    Katana Reference: https://www.swordsofnorthshire.com/image/data/testimonials/Beau%20Tarlton.jpg</a>

 Chapter Eleven

    ¡°Now that we got a plan, we can go do what it is we need to do.¡± Sirena said stepping away from the table. She turned her back to everyone and started walking towards the door before realizing no one was following her. Her head turned back to look at them as her eyes blinked a couple of times wondering why they were still standing around the table. ¡°Isn¡¯t this meeting over?¡± The young woman asked with confusion.

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Trevelyan said before also stepping away from the table herself. ¡°Cassandra, can you round up the others at the stables?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can do that.¡± The seeker said before walking out of the room to get Varric and Solas. Evelyn looked at the three still standing around the table, giving them each eye contact before speaking again.

    ¡°If you need another mission send a raven to Sirena.¡± Josephine and Leliana bowed their heads acknowledging the order while Cullen stared at the modern woman with admiration. As soon as he felt his hand begin to shake, he placed his hand on the pommel of his sword while walking over towards the door with the other two advisors.

    Everyone that was in the war room made their way out of the chantry and through the snow flurries to get to the stables where the Herald of Andraste and her so called ¡°cousin¡± were meeting up with the others to leave Haven.  As they got closer, Sirena saw two horses saddled up for her and Evelyn. She could already see she was going to have issues getting up onto the saddle without help. ¡®Damn this cursed shortness!¡¯ The young woman thought. When they were close to the horses, Evelyn immediately got on her mount while the American petted her horse¡¯s neck. The Herald waited for the modern woman to get on her mount knowing full well that she was stalling.

    ¡°Blondie, are you going to get on the horse?¡± Varric asked what the others were thinking.

    ¡°Of course I will.¡± She said before sighing and moving to the horse¡¯s side to climb onto the saddle. Her leg lifted up, but her foot couldn¡¯t get into the stirrup. She even tried jumping. Seeing her struggle to get up, Cullen moved up next to the horse while trying to fight an amused smile.

    ¡°Well now I understand why she was stalling for so long.¡± The dwarf said feeling bad for the girl. Over time he felt a platonic relationship with Sirena almost like an uncle and niece kind which made him a little protective over her.

    Out of the corner of her eyes, Sirena saw the Commander standing beside her next to the horse while her face became slightly red from embarrassment. She turned herself to face him to look up at him and immediately had a silent conversation. Her hands rested close to his shoulders as he placed his own hands around her small waist and hoisted her up on the saddle. After she was sitting on the hard leather, a deeper shade of red creeped up onto her face as she tried to act cool like her struggle didn¡¯t happen. As she was sitting on the saddle, she felt a warm tingling sensation where his hands were which caused her to wonder what that feeling was. Her eyes glanced down at Cullen as she bowed her head communicating silently again. She quickly glanced at Leliana and Josephine, noticing they were smirking at each other. It was obvious to tell those two were up to something, but what? The young woman didn¡¯t know.

    Cullen backed away from the horse Sirena was riding on while noticing her posture. It looked like she already knew how to ride. As he watched the group trot off for Val Royeaux, he wondered where she learned her equestrian skills. He continued to watch them leave until they were out of his line of sight. The Ambassador and spymaster stood with him since they were all friends and there to support each other no matter their differences in opinion. The two women also knew he had feelings for the Herald¡¯s ¡°cousin¡± even if he was in denial about it.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be okay Cullen.¡± Leliana said, offering him comfort. Knowing full well who she was talking about, he switched the topic over to the Herald to hide his feelings from them. He was grateful then that he passed a note to Cassandra without anyone noticing in the war room to give to Varric.

    ¡°The Herald is a strong woman, capable of taking care of herself.¡± Josephine giggled softly while shaking her head at him.

    ¡°Evelyn was not who she meant and you know it, Commander.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± He said a bit defeated. ¡®One can¡¯t lie to a spymaster and a cunning ambassador¡¯ he thought as he looked at them knowing they had more to say.

    ¡°We have noticed you and Lady Laurelet sharing glances and the way she avoided looking at you in the war room, something must have happened between you two for her to act in such a way.¡± Leliana put in since she was observing the girl to figure her out.

    ¡°Nothing happened between her and I. Can we please drop this conversation?¡± He said while rubbing the back of his neck before looking over towards the forces.

    ¡°Another time then.¡± Josephine said with a smirk. Both women walked away to do their jobs while plotting to get Cullen to admit his feelings for the young woman. Cullen walked off towards the training grounds as soon as he was able to, to do his duties and spar with his second in command. The advisors also sent a scout from each of their faction to get their missions done.

    The Herald and her companions including Sirena rode out towards Orlais where people live lavishly. Evelyn thought her companions were being too quiet since all she heard were the horses¡¯ hooves clopping on the ground as they rode out. Sirena glanced back at the bald elf never had actually talked to him or seen him for that matter. Evelyn looked over at her ¡°cousin¡±, noticing her looking at Solas.

    ¡°Solas, this is my cousin Sirena Laurelet.¡± Solas bowed his head since it was all he could do at the moment.

    ¡°My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions.¡± He said with a smile yet the American took it as him being a smart ass. Biting her lip, she decided to stick with being nice.

    ¡°It is nice to meet you Solas.¡±

    ¡°Like wise.¡± Sirena then looked forward to where they were going while thinking to herself ¡®he is so going to end up hating me¡¯.

    ¡°How long is it going to be till we get to Val Royeaux?¡± She asked with curiosity since while she was playing the game the screen would go black with the green loading symbol on the bottom right corner of the television.

    ¡°It will take a few days ride to get there.¡± Evelyn answered with patience since she knew the young one wasn¡¯t from where she was. The Herald hoped silently for her cousin to keep her anger and annoyance in check while they were in Val Royeaux, she had to get the clerics to side with them, if she can. If she doesn¡¯t they would always be known as heretics and rebels. She wanted to prevent that at all costs since those who were in the inquisition were good people. They didn¡¯t deserve to be persecuted because of her.

    As their ride continued, they could see a change in the weather. It had stopped snowing finally. Where the group was, there was no more snow on the ground anymore, it was all dirt, grass, and trees that surrounded them. The sun was beating down on their skins causing them to sweat, especially the ones in armor. Sirena was lucky in that sense since she could still feel a breeze on her naked arms while her wavy blonde hair whipped around in the wind. In the distance they could all hear water flowing down a river which would lead to civilization. Evelyn and the American looked at each other with smiles on their faces having the same line of thought. They were surprisingly a little more than half way to Orlais. The Herald made her horse come to a halt and turned in her saddle to look at those who were behind her.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to camp here for the night.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Cassandra said complying before she unmounted her horse to help Varric even though he annoyed her.

    ¡°Thank you tall lady for helping little short me.¡± He said with a grin.

    ¡°Everyone is tall compared to you.¡± The seeker said while rolling her eyes before walking off to set up her tent. The dwarf let out a little laugh as he walked off to do his own thing. He really did enjoy getting a rise out of the seeker since she was the one to question him about Hawke in Kirkwall. In way this was his revenge with humor.

    The last companion in the group watched the two women as he also dismounted off the horse he was riding on. He was observing the strange human girl who seemed like she didn¡¯t belong in their world. Solas could tell immediately from the way she moved. She didn¡¯t walk the way the seeker or the Herald did. Her posture was more relaxed yet very tense. The elf found her quite fascinating to the point he wanted to know where she came from. It was also plain as day that she could not hide her feelings even if she tried. In a way it made her look pure. He realized all this from just the short period of time he has known her.

    Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Sirena looked over to find the elf staring at her which made her feel very uncomfortable. She turned her attention back to putting her tent up while trying to ignore the feeling he was giving her. After her tent was up, she walked away from camp towards the sound of rushing water, wanting to get away from everyone for the time being. The American was really missing her home and family back in Oregon again. She didn¡¯t want anyone else to her see her down especially Solas. It was like he could see right through her. She hadn¡¯t even said much to him and yet that was the feeling she got from him. After she was done spacing out, she realized she was next to the river and smiled. Looking at the enticing cold water, she took off her boots and socks as well as her leggings then wadded into the water.

    ¡°Man! That guy is creepy as fuck! What was he trying to do? Study me?¡± She said to herself as she shook her head. Looking around the area, she made sure she was alone. She untied her cape and set it under her boots so the cape couldn¡¯t fly off even though it was made out of heavy material. Her hands then unzipped her black dress and pulled it over her head; she then folded it and laid it on top of her cape placing it under her boots as well, leaving her in her undergarments. Sirena walked deeper into the water before raising her hands over her head and dived into the cool river. She enjoyed feeling the coolness on her skin and her hair waving in the water¡¯s breeze. The young woman used to swim all the time as a child, she felt like it gave her a sense of freedom especially when she swam with her legs and feet together like a mermaid. Though, that was a silly dream of hers to become one, but a dream no less. When she finally surfaced, she heard a twig snap causing her to spin around. As water dripped down her face, her eyes squinted into slits and noticed a figure walking out of the sparse woods towards her.

    When the person got close enough, she could tell it was a figure of a woman. After getting a closer look, she saw that it was the Seeker Cassandra. She slapped her hand to her chest in relief happy that it wasn¡¯t the elf, Solas. The seeker noticed Sirena in the water before taking off her own armored booted and sat on a rock with her feet dipped into the river.

    ¡°It looks like we had the same line of thought.¡± Cassandra said conversationally. ¡°I can also see you know how to swim.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my grandfather taught me how to swim when I was young.¡± The younger woman answered the last statement. With a smile on her face she began talking again. ¡°The heat was becoming too much for me so I needed to cool off in the nice cool water.¡± She had laid on her back in the water and let herself relax while floating. ¡°Do you know how to swim?¡± The young woman asked Cassandra.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°No, I never learned how to swim; I was too busy for it.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry to hear that. I¡¯d be happy to teach you if you want.¡± Sirena offered to her.

    ¡°No, thank you. I won¡¯t really have the time to swim anyway.¡± Cassandra said declining her offer gently.

    ¡°Okay, if you ever want to learn, the offer still stands.¡± She said as she got out of the water and put her dress back on and draped her cape over her arm as well as her leggings before putting her socks and boots back on. She had no problem showing her pale white legs that were made to be athletic. The modern woman walked back over to the camp site and set her things down in her tent before sitting in between Varric and Evelyn around the fire. Solas sat across from the Herald, staring thoughtfully into the flames. As soon as Sirena sat down, everyone noticed her wet braided hair.

    ¡°Do I see some brown in that hair of yours, Blondie?¡± The dwarf asked curiously with an intrigued look on his face. Evelyn then looked more closely at the natural brown locks hidden within the fake blonde.

    ¡°Even I can see the brown now that I¡¯m looking for it.¡± The Herald admitted while looking over towards Varric then to Sirena.

    ¡°The brown is my natural hair color.¡± The new rogue admitted though she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    ¡°It looks nice when you can see the mixture between the two colors.¡± Evelyn complimented not wanting to know further. The elf mage looked at her hair and added another odd thing about the woman to the list in his head. After the three looked at her hair, Evelyn made dinner for the group as Cassandra walked up and sat next to Solas and sat down.

    ¡°Look who decided to come back.¡± Varric said with a grin as Evelyn gave food to the seeker.

    ¡°Yes, now I have to be tortured listening to you.¡±

    ¡°Well I think I¡¯m going to wash this dish and then go to my tent and relax.¡± Sirena said as she stood up. She walked away towards the river again and washed out the dish while frowning a bit. ¡°Too bad there is no soap to wash this in.¡± The American muttered to herself as she got up and walked back to the camp. She set the bowl down with the others and stepped into her tent quietly then sat on the ground. Her hands went and grabbed her bag which she assumed someone fetched for her since she was in the war room. She then ruffled through her things when she came across a folded up paper. Her hands quickly unfolded the paper and realized the content on it was a letter.

    Dear Sirena,

    This is your first time out with the Herald and you most likely don¡¯t know what to expect. If you ever need anything or just wish to have someone to talk to, you are welcome to write to me anytime. I wish you the best of luck Sirena.

    Sincerely,

    Cullen

    After reading the short letter, her mouth gapped open in shock. She couldn¡¯t understand why he wrote the note. What really baffled her was how did he get it into her things? She shook her head but still couldn¡¯t stop thinking about his words on the parchment as she folded the paper back up before putting it away so she didn¡¯t lose it. ¡®Does he actually have feelings for me?¡¯ The woman thought as she looked through her bag again and noticed a wooden box that she knew wasn¡¯t hers. Grabbing the box in her hands, she pulled it out feeling its weight as she struggled to take it out of her inventory. She placed it in front of her and lifted the lid up noticing immediately all the paper with an ink well and a quill to write with.  The young American woman didn¡¯t think at first where it came from as she picked up the writing utensil.

    ¡°What the fuck¡­? How the fudge do people write with this?¡± Sirena asked herself in confusion as she looked at the quill. ¡°Shit! I have to relearn how to write. It¡¯s going to be like kindergarten all over again.¡± With a sigh, she pulled out a piece of paper, opened the ink well and dipped the tip of the quill into the ink then began writing a letter back to the Commander.

    Dear Cullen,

    I thank you deeply for your sentiment and concern. I guess it would be nice to have someone to write to and share my thoughts with. My first thought is about the apostate elf. Is he always creepy? Or is today a special day for him? Currently as I¡¯m writing this, we are at camp. I do believe we will arrive in Val Royeaux tomorrow. I do hope you are doing well Commander.

    Sincerely,

    Sirena Laurelet

    P.S. I promise my writing isn¡¯t this bad all the time.

    P.P. S. I write a lot better than I can talk.

    Sirena folded the letter up and put it in an envelope that she grabbed out of the box as well. Her eyes again, looked into the box to find something to keep the flap of the envelope closed so the letter could get sent to him without it falling out. She finally found what looked like wax and a seal. Her eyes blinked a couple of times before picking up the items to look at them more closely.

    ¡°This is freaking cool! An actual real seal and wax!¡± She said excitedly while still remaining quiet. Looking down again, she saw a candle and two rocks that looked like they were used to light a fire. Sirena set the seal and wax down before grabbing the candle and flint. She then set the candle down on a flat surface and tapped the two rocks together like she saw in movies and lit the candle. ¡°I really miss having lighters and stickers for this¡­ I took the small things for granted.¡± Sirena said to herself as she held the wax above the candle flame to liquefy it. She poured a little bit of wax on the flap of the envelope and pressed the seal down on the wax like she had seen in medieval movies. When she lifted the seal up two letters were seen ¡°SL¡± in fancy script. Immediately, she recognized her initials. Her eyes widened in surprise as she raised a hand to her mouth as she thought to herself while having a gut feeling that the Inquisition¡¯s Commander was behind this. ¡°Oh Cullen, you really shouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    Sirena blew out the candle and let the wax become solid before putting everything back into the mahogany box. She then picked up the heavy box and carefully put it back into her bag where it would be safe. While still dumb founded from what she assumed was a gift from the Commander, she picked up the letter and walked out of her tent. As she walked over towards the ravens, she noticed Solas was now the only one who was still awake other than herself of course. After she made it to the message station where the ravens sat, she began tying the letter to one of the bird¡¯s ankle¡¯s when she heard footsteps behind her.

    ¡°Sending a letter to a loved one already?¡± Solas asked way too close to her which made her feel uncomfortable again.

    ¡°No, just sending a letter to someone who has been very kind to me.¡± The American answered while finishing the tie to the black bird¡¯s leg. She bent down to whisper for only the raven to hear. ¡°Give this letter to Commander Cullen Rutherford.¡± When she stood back up and watched the bird fly away she heard another footstep.

    ¡°You are very unusual Lady Laurelet.¡± Solas said confronting her which made her tense up even more than she already was.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yes, are you by any chance a spirit?¡± Slightly stunned from his question for a few seconds, she then began to laugh which gained her a glare from him.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m quite the opposite really. I¡¯m totally a demon.¡± The American woman laughed even harder from her smart ass remark.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t something to joke about.¡±

    ¡°And you need to lighten up and live a little. Goodnight Solas.¡± Sirena said dismissively before walking away to her tent.

    Once it was morning, Sirena packed up her things and exited her tent; she immediately took down her tent and packed it up as well. She looked around and noticed everyone was waiting on her. ¡®Good going Sirena, you couldn¡¯t have woken up earlier.¡¯ The young woman thought while growling at herself internally. After she attached her things to the saddle, Cassandra kneeled down and placed her hands on her knee to help the girl. The young woman placed a foot in the Seeker¡¯s hands and Cassandra helped her up into the saddle.

    ¡°Thank you, Cassandra.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome.¡± The seeker said before getting on her horse. Evelyn looked around the camp site quickly to see if they missed anything. She noticed a raven was missing and looked around at her companions before asking the question that was in her head verbally.

    ¡°Did anyone send a message to anyone?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Sirena said as she looked at the Herald. ¡°I had received a letter and I wanted to return one back to the sender.¡± She said vaguely so Solas wouldn¡¯t know the details. Evelyn slightly glared at the American girl which made her mouth out Cullen¡¯s name to her cousin. The Herald then nodded her head in understanding then looked at everyone after she was satisfied when she got answers she needed.

    ¡°Is everyone ready to go?¡± She asked while giving everyone eye contact.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone verbally answered back to her. Evelyn quickly looked things over again in case she missed something. Not seeing anything else missing, she tapped her horse¡¯s side to tell it to walk. After she started moving, the others had followed suit. Soon everyone was in a trot again to get to Val Royeaux quickly.

    It took a little less than half the day to get to the city called Val Royeaux. Sirena looked at the architecture in awe. She saw white buildings with gold trimming with some blue color splashes here and there making a beautiful blend. As soon as they got to the first gate, everyone dismounted off their horses and made their way across the bridge. As the group followed Trevelyan, Cassandra talked after a couple looked at them.

    ¡°They still mourn.¡± When one of the people shrieked and ran away from them in panic, the dwarf looked up at the seeker with amusement.

    ¡°Just a guess Seeker, but I think they all know who we are.¡± Varric said while Solas looked at him.

    ¡°Your skills of observation never fail to impress me, Varric.¡± She said back sarcastically. When they got to the entrance of the city, a scout ran up to them in a rush and panting.

    ¡°My lady, Herald.¡± She said kneeling down at Evelyn¡¯s feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re one of Leliana¡¯s people. What have you found?¡± Cassandra asked recognizing the agent.

    ¡°The Chantry mothers await you but¡­ So do a great many Templars.¡±

    ¡°There are Templars here?¡±

    ¡°People seem to think the Templars will protect them¡­ from the Inquisition. They¡¯re gathering on the other side of the market.¡± The agent informed them feeling like they needed to know this information. ¡°I think that¡¯s where the Templars intend to meet you.¡± She said before getting up from kneeling.

    ¡°Only one thing to do then.¡± Cassandra said as she walked ahead with the Herald trailing behind her. Sirena assumed they were heading towards the other side of the market where the agent said the people would be. As they walked deeper into the city, they saw a group of people surrounding what looked like a makeshift stage. The Herald and Cassandra walked through the crowd with the others following them when they finally heard a voice speak out.

    ¡°Good people of Val Royeaux, hear me!¡± The Chantry mother called out to the citizens. ¡°Together, we mourn our Divine. Her na?ve and beautiful heart was silence by treachery!¡± Sirena raised a brow wondering what else the old woman was going to say that might end up pissing her off. ¡°You wonder what will become of her murderer. Well, wonder no more!¡± Varric immediately grabbed the young woman¡¯s arm to keep her from hitting someone and when Solas noticed this, he too, grabbed her other arm. Standing in front of the crowd, Evelyn shook her head while looking at the old crone. ¡°Behold the so-called Herald of Andraste! Claiming to rise where our beloved fell. We say this is a false prophet! No servant of anything beyond her selfish greed.¡± She said trying to convince the crowed since they were already scared of the Inquisition.

    ¡°We came here in peace. Simply to talk and this is what you do!¡± Trevelyan said angrily with a lot of disappointment of the Chantry. ¡°I implore you. Let us sit down together to let us deal with the real threat!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Cassandra said trying to convince everyone while standing up for their Herald. ¡°The Inquisition only seeks to end this madness before it is too late.¡± Sirena leaned in close to Varric and spoke softly for his ears only.

    ¡°The bitch will end up making it too late if she doesn¡¯t accept us or if something happens to her.¡± Varric shook his head and laughs softly.

    ¡°You have a lot of anger within you, Blondie.¡± He responded as he continued to watch the scene in front of them.

    ¡°Well of course Shortie, when the world is filled with idiots, it¡¯s hard not to get pissed off.¡± She muttered, making her point.

    ¡°It is already too late.¡± The old woman said while pointing to the Templars while also validating what the American woman said. The soldiers walked up to the woman as she continued to talk. ¡°The Templars have returned to the Chantry! They will face this ¡°Inquisition¡± And the people will be safe once more!¡± She said with a lot of conviction before a Templar punched her in the head knocking her to the ground which made Sirena smirk while she thought ¡®you got what you deserved¡¯. The Herald and her companions watched the leader of the Templars walk across the stage.

    ¡°Still yourself, she is beneath us.¡± He said trying to comfort an uncomfortable Templar.

    ¡°You¡¯re not here to deal with the Inquisition?¡± Evelyn sneered at the man sickened by his disrespect towards the Chantry mother.

    ¡°As if there was any reason to.¡± He said walking off the stage to a place less crowded.

    ¡°Lord Seeker Lucius, it¡¯s imperative that we speak with-¡°Cassandra was saying before she was interrupted by the man who looked like he had greasy hair.

    ¡°You will not address me.¡± He said while still walking away to a corner.

    ¡°Lord Seeker?¡± The dark haired woman asked in confusion as she looked at the man.

    ¡°Creating a heretical movement, raising a puppet as Andraste¡¯s prophet. You should be ashamed!¡± Lucius sneered to Cassandra then looked at the crowd. ¡°You should all feel ashamed! The Templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages!¡± The crazy man then pointed at Trevelyan trying to pin the blame on the Inquisition. ¡°You are the ones who have failed! You who¡¯d leash our righteous swords with doubt and fear! If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are too late. The only destiny here that demands respect is mine.¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Sirena could not take the comment that the lord seeker said seriously and ended up laughing to the point she had to hold her stomach. Solas squinted his eyes at her in a glare not at all finding the situation amusing. Noticing his glare, the American girl covered her mouth with her hand while trying to keep the rest of her laughter held back which in the end made her snort. She only snorted when she was laughing very hard and apparently that was one of those times. The man was a total arrogant asshole and she always ended up laughing at those types. They demanded respect without earning it, so, in her eyes they deserved to get laughed at. The thing that made it more amusing was his facial expression; he looked like he was slightly constipated while trying to conjure up the evil look in his eyes which instead made him look crazy. As soon as she received a glare from him, she bit her lip while her shoulders shook uncontrollably. His attention then went back to Evelyn and Cassandra; waiting for them to say something else so he could shoot them down.

    ¡°What we truly need is an alliance that will seal the breach.¡± The Herald said with all the calm she could muster while also squinting her eyes at Lucius, daring to make him say more rude words.

    ¡°Oh, the breach is indeed a threat. But you certainly don¡¯t have any power to do anything about it.¡± The lord seeker said with what sounded like a growl in his voice.

    ¡°Lord Seeker.¡± Said the Templar who; earlier was baffled by the actions of another Templar for hitting a Chantry mother. He walked up to Lucius while looking at the group as he tried to be the voice of reason to get the man to listen to the Herald. ¡°What if she really was sent by the Maker? What if ¨C¡° He said before he was cut off by the same man who actually punched the woman from earlier.

    ¡°You¡¯re called to a higher purpose, do not question.¡± The random Templar demanded. Sirena¡¯s mouth gapped open as she watched him walk away before she muttered to herself.

    ¡°I bet he¡¯s into some BDSM shit.¡± She then felt her side get elbowed knowing then she didn¡¯t say it quietly enough. When her eyes looked down, she saw Varric was looking right up at her while shaking his head while smiling with amusement. Her brows then rose up in surprise as she put her hands behind her back while looking around innocently before looking back towards the heated discussion that was going on between Evelyn, Cassandra, and Lucius since it was his arrogant voice that brought her attention back to them.

    ¡°I will make the Templar order a power that stands alone against the void. We deserve recognition, independence, you have shown me nothing and the Inquisition less than nothing. Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection. We march!¡± Lucius led the Templars away as Cassandra stood beside Evelyn, stunned by the lord seeker¡¯s behavior. It was so unlike him that it was to the point she didn¡¯t really recognize him at all. Varric then walked up to the two women while looking after the man.

    ¡°Charming fellow, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Has Lord Seeker gone mad?¡± The seeker asked finally gaining her voice back while there was shock still showing through her eyes.

    ¡°Do you know him very well?¡± The Herald asked, showing a little of her anger due to the embarrassing display from the power hungry man.

    ¡°He took over the Seekers of Truth over two years ago, after Lord Seeker Lambert¡¯s death. He was always a decent man.¡± Cassandra said now looking at the empty space where the Templars were standing. ¡°He had never given into ambition and grand standing. This is very bizarre.¡±

    ¡°People do change over time, we should all remember that.¡± Sirena put in knowing how truthful her words were and surprisingly Solas nodded his head in agreement. Evelyn looked at the American girl knowing she was right as well before looking back to Cassandra.

    ¡°Do you think he can be reasoned with?¡± The Herald asked since she really wanted the Templars help and didn¡¯t want Cassandra to be disappointed in the man she once knew.

    ¡°I hope so. If not him, surely, there are others in the order who don¡¯t feel as he does.¡± The seeker said answering Trevelyan¡¯s question, not at all giving anyone false hope. While listening to the two people talk, Sirena realized Cassandra was speaking in broken English which made her grin like an idiot. It finally made sense why her sentences never really sounded complete. She actually talked like a foreigner. The American girl was thrilled to finally have figured it out, though, she thought it would be best to keep her mouth shut about the topic and instead made a suggestion.

    ¡°Either way, we should go to Haven first and inform the others of what happened here today.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought you actually had a brain Blondie.¡± The dwarf complimented her in his own way.

    ¡°I resent that comment about my brain Shorty.¡± She retorted with an amused smile, playing along with Varric. Her eyes glanced up at the tall elf and noticed he wasn¡¯t laughing or smiling which made her look away feeling quite awkward. ¡®He really doesn¡¯t like me now, most likely have a tiny bit of respect but not an interesting specimen anymore¡¯. She thought while internally laughing still. Sirena looked over at Evelyn and noticed her walking over to where they came from with Cassandra walking beside her. The young woman jogged up next to them so she was able to catch up to them as the other two did the same she was doing. ¡°Way to let us know that you were already making your way out.¡±

    ¡°We are in a hurry Sirena. This wasn¡¯t ¨C¡° Trevelyan was saying before an arrow zipped through the air in front of their faces which caused the American to let out a little scream.

    ¡°It¡¯s an arrow with a message!¡± Cassandra yelled as the Herald walked up to the sharp pointy object attached to a wooden stick and took the message off it and read it quietly while the American made more remarks which were bound to annoy someone.

    ¡°Holy hell! Talk about a near death experience! I thought I saw my life flash before my eyes.¡± Solas shook his head at her remark now finding her annoying. He didn¡¯t know if she was doing it intentionally to prove a point that she wasn¡¯t a spirit or if she was a new kind, all he knew was that he was bound to lose his patience eventually with her.

    ¡°That would not be possible, Lady Herald¡¯s cousin.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Have you ever had a near death experiences to say otherwise?¡± She asked trying to outsmart the elf.

    ¡°No, I have not.¡±

    ¡°Then how would you know?¡±

    ¡°You are becoming just as annoying as Varric at this point.¡± The seeker said clearly getting irritated with the banter. Sirena bit her lip and kept her mouth shut not wanting to annoy anyone else. Cassandra looked over at the young woman and immediately felt guilty. Though, it did make her suspicious about the girl. Noble women were raised to know how to fight and be poised. From what she was able to tell, the young woman did not have self-control over what she said.

    Varric looked up at the young woman and noticed her mood changed from what seemed hyper to him to now being quiet and reserved. It did seem like all she wanted to do was have fun and looked like she grew up too fast in his eyes. He didn¡¯t know why he got that feeling, but he also didn¡¯t care at the moment, he was just concerned for her. His hand went to her lower back and patted it while giving her a comforting smile. Noticing Evelyn walking towards someone, everyone ended up following her as usual since she somehow became their leader. All the while the dwarf stood by the American girl. As they got closer to the person, they noticed it was a man with dark skin who wore the mages robe.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°You are the Herald of Andraste, I have an invitation for you.¡± The mage said before holding out the cream colored envelope to give to Trevelyan. After Evelyn took the invitation in her hand after it was offered to her. After the man in the mages robes left; the Herald opened the message and viewed the invitation she received to meet the First Enchanter Vivienne. When she was done reading it, she passed it onto Sirena which made her scrunch up her brows in confusion.

    ¡°Um, why did you pass this to me?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to hear your opinion on it.¡±

    ¡°I think we should go meet this Madam De Fer. You don¡¯t know what would get offered.¡± She said knowing full well what was going to be offered when Trevelyan meets the First Enchanter which was why she was telling her to go. The Herald needed to start getting allies sooner rather than later. ¡°Before we go to meet this Vivienne, I suggest we go meet this Red Jenny person as well.¡± She suggested again trying to give the best advice as she could offer.

    ¡°Alright, that means we have to look for clues.¡± Evelyn said before running off towards the docks where the first clue was. Knowing she didn¡¯t know where the exact location was, the American girl ran after her. She could see her cousin who really wasn¡¯t her cousin, walking onto the wooden dock to look for the clue. While she had some little leisure time, Sirena closed her eyes and enjoyed feeling the ocean spray on her skin while smelling the salty sea breeze which she misses dearly. After enjoying her few seconds of solitude, she rushed over to a pile of nets that was in a corner to look through. When she jostled the net enough, she saw a piece of paper flutter to the ground. The modern American girl kneeled down and picked up the letter which said at the end ¡°Red Jenny¡±. With a smile, Sirena got back up and ran over towards Trevelyan and passed the note to her. ¡°It looks like we have to find the second clue on the upper floor now.¡±

    ¡°I am right behind you.¡± The American followed Evelyn to another corner where there were stairs and ran up them. Behind her, she was able to hear more footsteps running after them as well, assuming they were the Herald¡¯s companions. After she made it to the top, the young woman bent over and panted, trying to catch her breath. ¡°Oh man, I should not have run up those stairs.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t handle the stairs Blondie?¡± Varric laughed out loud while watching her carefully to make sure she didn¡¯t collapse.

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±  The modern woman said before continuing to walk slowly while still taking deep breaths. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as it tried to settle down. With time, she was finally able to get her breath back and help Evelyn find the last clue. Walking across the second floor, Sirena made her way to a corner where a plant was sitting in a pot and noticed immediately the last note they needed to find which was behind the plant. Her hand reached down and grabbed the red package. After finding the note that was attached to the package, the young woman read it quickly then passed it to her cousin.

    ¡°How did you know where to look?¡±

    ¡°Well if you want to know my thought process¡­ I knew it wasn¡¯t meant to be easy so I looked in the obvious hiding spots.¡± She said while grinning.

    ¡°How are they obvious hiding spots?¡± Cassandra asked curiously not fully understanding how certain spots were distinguishable.

    ¡°Flower pot is a typical place to hide something.¡± Sirena said knowing that for a fact due to her days as a little girl when she used to go on Easter egg hunts.

    ¡°Even if it was evident or not, good job.¡± Evelyn said impressed with the young woman¡¯s knowledge. ¡°We should head over to the location then and meet this ¡°Red Jenny¡±.¡± She said not really knowing where the location was. Everyone then descended down the stairs to make their way to the city¡¯s exit where they came from. They walked through the market towards the gate and a little past it when they heard a voice behind them. When they turned around, the first thing Evelyn had noticed was the pointy ears that belonged to an elf. Another thing she noticed was the robe mages wear at the circle of magi.

    ¡°If I may have a moment of your time¡­¡± The elven woman said while walking out of the shadows towards the group. It was as plain as day that she had something to say to them.

    ¡°Grand Enchanter Fiona?¡± The seeker asked, recognizing yet another person in Val Royeaux.

    ¡°Leader of the mage rebellion.¡± Solas added recognizing the woman elf as well which made one of Sirena¡¯s brows rise up. She didn¡¯t expect him to actually know others plus he was basically quiet the whole time except when they were bantering. ¡°Is it not dangerous for you to be here?¡± He asked with concern. The mage glanced over at him before sizing up the group. At least that¡¯s what it seemed she was doing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this gathering and I wanted to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes.¡± She said, admitting why she was there. ¡°If it¡¯s help with the breach you seek, perhaps it¡¯s my people who are the wiser option.¡± The woman suggested to the Herald.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the leader of the mages wasn¡¯t at the conclave.¡± Evelyn said which made the seeker look over the mage so she could add her input.

    ¡°Yes, you were supposed to be there yet somehow you avoided death.¡± This news made the American girl¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡®Uh oh¡­ Someone cheated death. Death will get her eventually.¡¯ She thought while thinking about the <u>Final Destination</u> movies which were all about those who cheated death.

    ¡°As did the Lord Seeker, you¡¯ll note. Both of us sent negotiations in our stead; in case it was a trap.¡± Sirena eyes grew even wider as she bit her lip to keep her grin down while thinking ¡®oh shit! Two people cheated death!¡¯ The woman then talked again with calm in voice while getting interrogated. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend that I¡¯m not glad to live. I lost many dear friends that day.¡± The elf woman admitted with sadness showing in her voice then her eyes became slits as she continued to talk in anger. ¡°It disgusts me to think the Templars will get away with it. I¡¯m hoping you won¡¯t let them.¡±

    ¡°So, you think the Templars are responsible.¡± Evelyn finally said when she was able to.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Cassandra asked the Herald making a point to her.

    ¡°Lucius hardly seems broken up over his losses; if he¡¯s concerned about them at all.¡± The mage said with doubt since it seems she had also seen the change in him as well. ¡°You heard him. You think he wouldn¡¯t happily kill the Divine to turn people against us? So yes, I think he did it. More than I think you did it, at any rate.¡±

    ¡°The mages weren¡¯t willing to talk to the Inquisition before, why not?¡± The Herald asked wanting to get answers.

    ¡°Because now I¡¯ve seen what you are. And I¡¯ve seen the Chantry for what it is. Consider this as an invitation to Redcliffe, come meet with the mages an alliance will help us both after all. I hope to see you then, au revoir, my lady Herald.¡± The mage said before walking off in the opposite direction towards Redcliffe which was in Fereldon. It took a few moments for the last words the mage said to click in Sirena¡¯s brain. It was a French word! She knew the Orlaisons were like the French, the accents were a dead giveaway! The seeker watched the figure of the mage walk away before speaking up again.

    ¡°Come, let us return to Haven.¡± Cassandra said before turning away to get out of Val Royeaux. Evelyn remained standing while staring into the city for a few moments before turning herself around and began making her way across the bridge. As the others walked ahead, the American leaned closer to the Herald so she was able to talk quietly with her without anyone over hearing.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing we are following the seeker now¡­¡±

    ¡°I do not believe so; I do think she was trying to keep the negative attention off me though.¡±

    ¡°I think this is very much a good thing since she can make you look good in front of others. I do have a question to ask though.¡± The modern woman stated as they were getting closer to the outer gates.

    ¡°What do you have to ask?¡±

    ¡°Are we going to discover who this ¡°Red Jenny¡± is before going back to Haven?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Evelyn said with a small smile. ¡°After meeting this ¡°Red Jenny¡±, we will also go meet the Madam De Fer.¡± She informed again, so their plans didn¡¯t get confusing to Sirena.

    ¡°Are you going to tell Cassandra the plans?¡±

    ¡°I was going to let it stew over since I personally don¡¯t like being told what to do.¡± Trevelyan said while smirking since she knew her companion would get a little baffled since the plans were slightly changed well that¡¯s what the seeker would think anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to have fun with this then¡­¡± Sirena said while looking through the corner of her eyes to look at her ¡°cousin¡±.

    ¡°Oh yes I will.¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    As soon as they were out of the bustling city, Evelyn helped Sirena mount her horse the same way Cassandra did the day before. After helping the different girl, the Herald then moved to the side of her own horse and lifted her leg up to put her boot in the stirrup then swung her other leg over to sit astride on the saddle. Trevelyan had pulled out the paper she was holding earlier that day which came with the red package and flipped the parchment over in her hands, noticing a map on the back that she didn¡¯t see before.

    ¡°It looks like we don¡¯t have to go too far. We are going to be heading to another part of Orlais, where more nobles reside.¡± She informed everyone while remembering where the location was by looking at the map.

    ¡°We will follow you, Herald.¡± Varric said as Evelyn rolled her eyes not liking the title. She didn¡¯t earn it. It was thrust upon her after she helped with the breach the first time when everyone thought she was guilty for people dying in the conclave. Still having the picture of the map in her hippocampus, she gently kicked her horse to a walk, heading in the direction they needed to go.

    ¡°Does anyone know who this ¡°Red Jenny¡± is?¡± Cassandra asked, a little suspicious thinking the situation could be a trap. Solas looked towards Sirena getting a hunch like she had the answer to the seeker¡¯s question. Feeling the elf¡¯s eyes on her yet again, the American girl looked back and was not at all surprised to find him looking her way. With irritation, she confronted him in her own way that sounded like she was annoyed and impatient.

    ¡°You have something to say Solas?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not.¡± He said with a lot of calm as the look of disappointment was written all over his face. The elf was not expecting that outburst from her and in a way it surprised him.

    ¡°Then why are you looking at me like I know the answer?¡± Everyone looked at her in surprise wondering where the defensive attitude came from. The anger bubbling out of nowhere was rather shocking to them all. They then looked over towards the apostate wanting to see what he would say next to the girl who was obviously new to this life and had no control over her tongue. Some found this rather refreshing at the same time it was dangerous to show one¡¯s emotions in the world where they lived in.

    ¡°Do you know who the Red Jenny is?¡± He asked with wisdom while wondering what she would say. Would the girl become angrier after his question? Solas, though, he didn¡¯t really care for the young woman; he was strangely enthralled by her. She was fresh in his eyes. The elf was still looking at her when he heard the girl¡¯s response.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± The American said while trying to keep a straight since she didn¡¯t want to get caught lying to them. They have been so nice to her that she would end up feeling guilty for doing so. There was always one big sign that would tell everyone that she fibbed which was smiling during a serious moment. To her relief, it looked like he bought it. She really didn¡¯t want to become a liar; it wasn¡¯t like her at all. Sadly, she had to do what she needed to in order to not screw things up.

    ¡°Why were you so defensive?¡± Solas asked curiously with a raised brow wondering what excuse she could come up with.

    ¡°Heat exhaustion does that to me.¡± She explained with honesty. When Sirena was out in the heat for a long period of time the poor girl would start having attitude problems which she has been working to control. Her anger was also the first sign of dehydration. As they continued to ride on in the heat, Sirena¡¯s vision began to get spotty. She was seeing white spots even after blinking her eyes which did not help her at all instead it might have made things worse for her. Eventually, she removed her left hand from the horse¡¯s reigns and raised it to her forehead. The American girl began to feel light headed and leaned a bit forward on the saddle. Varric who was keeping an eye on her after her outburst, watched her lean forward and knew she needed help. He then called out to Trevelyan.

    ¡°Herald, we should camp for the rest of the day.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­?¡± Evelyn looked back towards her dwarven friend. She noticed him looking over in the American¡¯s direction and her own eyes flicked over to see her slumped as well. Trevelyan then nodded her head in agreement. It looked like something was terribly wrong in her eyes and she could see why Varric was concerned. ¡°Alright, everyone we are camping here for the night!¡± She said wanting give the girl the help she needed. Evelyn had never in her past seen anyone react that way to the heat like Sirena was. Before helping the poor girl, the Herald looked over the group to make sure everyone else was okay. When she was satisfied, she dismounted off her horse and looked over to notice Varric was standing next to the girl¡¯s horse. She then felt her own feet move towards their direction.

    Sirena carefully dismounted the bay horse that she was riding on so she wouldn¡¯t fall backwards on her back. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she swayed slightly as both Varric and Evelyn reached out to help steady her. The American scanned the area with her eyes and noticed a spot that was shaded under a tree. Finally looking at the two helping her, she gave them a soft smile to get rid of the concern look off their faces.

    ¡°Sorry about this.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about what?¡± Evelyn asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°I know why you decided to camp here, it was because of me. I will be okay if I sit in the shade for a while.¡±

    ¡°You also need to drink water.¡± Varric added while still eyeing her, making sure she was okay.

    ¡°We are also going to camp here for your sake.¡± The Herald said taking care of the one from the modern world so she was able to get better.

    ¡°Really; I¡¯ll be okay after I sit in the shade.¡±

    ¡°Sirena, you could have passed out on your horse. Go sit in the shade and I will put your tent up under the tree¡¯s branches. Varric, go through my bag and get out a canteen full of water.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right on it.¡± The rogue dwarf said before running off towards the Herald¡¯s chestnut horse.

    ¡°Will you be okay to walk on your own?¡± Evelyn asked wanting to make sure Sirena was going to be fine on her own for a bit so she could get the girl¡¯s tent from her carry on and set it up.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be okay.¡± Said the girl knowing she could make it that far without anyone knowing there was something wrong with her at the moment.

    ¡°Alright then¡± Trevelyan said giving the American woman a little smile. She grabbed Sirena¡¯s bag off the saddle and glanced towards the tree, seeing the young woman walking towards the shaded area. Evelyn then looked over at Varric who was struggling to reach her own bag on the saddle. She placed Sirena¡¯s on the ground and made her way over to her horse to help the dwarf. ¡°Sorry I had forgotten for a minute there that you¡¯re too short to reach up to the saddle.¡± The Herald said while smiling in amusement.

    ¡°Yes, I should probably get a pony instead.¡± He commented back as she gave him her decent sized bag. After he took her things, Evelyn came up with a comeback for him.

    ¡°Yes, you should. It would match your size.¡± She said which left a lot of room for thinking what she meant by ¡°size¡± whether if it was about his height or other things.

    ¡°Did you learn the comeback from Sirena?¡± Varric asked while raising a brow and amused smirk.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°No, why do you ask?¡± Evelyn asked finally getting serious again.

    ¡°Because, that would be her response¡± she let out a little laugh from what the dwarf told her.

    ¡°She does have wit; I¡¯ll give her that.¡± The Herald walked back over to the bay horse and picked up Sirena¡¯s stuff then looked back over at Varric. ¡°I¡¯m going to go pitch up her tent.¡± Trevelyan said as the dwarf nodded his head. Both people made their way over to the shaded tree where the young woman was sitting.

    The American looked over to see what the others were doing as her head settled back down. Her vision went back to normal after a while as she stayed out of the sun¡¯s rays which she knew could be dangerous anyway due to all the skin cancers that there were. As she was watching Cassandra and Solas, her thoughts went over to Cullen. Sirena knew the Commander should be off limits to her and she tried to keep her own feelings in check, but it turned out she couldn¡¯t. She wondered if he was going to write back to her or if he kept her own letter close to him. As she continued to think about him, her eyes closed and began to lean back against the tree when she heard two pairs of feet walking towards her. Her eyes slowly opened and immediately saw Varric and Evelyn. The dwarf walked closer to her and sat down on the ground facing the young woman. Her eyes glanced over towards her ¡°cousin¡± and watched her set up the red Inquisition tent with a white eye on it.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to do that; I can do it myself.¡± Sirena said as she tried to get up before Varric pushed her gently back down. Who would have thought that someone so short could push her down so easily?

    ¡°No, you sit back and nurse yourself back to health.¡± The Herald said sternly while glancing quickly at the outsider before going back to her task. With a sigh and a slight glare towards the dwarf, Sirena let herself relax against the tree again. Her ears could pick up the sound of someone rummaging through someone¡¯s belongings. Realizing her special sword was still attached to her; the American untied the straps and set it beside herself.

    Noticing a hand motion, her eyes glanced up from looking at the mother of pearl cherry blossoms on the scabbard of her katana and saw Varric holding out a leather flask to her. She took the object in her hand and heard water slosh around on the inside of it.

    ¡°You need to drink water. You are clearly dehydrated.¡± Varric said gently to her so she wouldn¡¯t get a migraine. He saw her head bob up and down in a nod agreeing to his statement. She pulled the cork out and raised the flask to her lips taking a swig of refreshing water. That was the moment she realized how thirsty she was. The girl continued to drink until she felt like she was satisfied then passed it back to her friend so he could also take a few swigs.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Sirena said with gratitude before looking over at Trevelyan and smiled while the dwarf drank some of the water himself. ¡°And thank you Evelyn for also helping.¡± She also said pretty much grateful for all that she has done for her. With surprise from not expecting her ¡°cousin¡± to speak so soon, her eyes blinked before she, too, gave a smile of her own.

    ¡°It is no problem at all.¡± The Herald said before making a few final adjustments to finish putting up the tent. ¡°Your tent is now ready to be occupied.¡± The American smiled in amusement, noticing her talking pattern was becoming similar to her own which she found funny.

    As the young woman was moving into the tent, a raven flew past her face causing her to let out a little shriek and jump. When she got a good look at the black feathered bird, her ears picked up the sound of laughter outside the tent which caused her face to turn red out of embarrassment. Staying near the flap of the tent, she sat down and went back to relaxing while also trying to forget that she got scared from the bird flying out of nowhere. Her eyes looked down at the smart creature and noticed it was looking at her expectantly which made her look down at its leg to see a rolled up message attached to it. Sirena moved forward slowly so she didn¡¯t startle the pretty black bird and removed the parchment from its leg.

    Varric peered into the tent out of curiosity as to why a raven would be going to the new girl, though; her surprise did bring entertainment to those who heard her little scream. When he was at a good angle, he watched the girl who looked like a teenager, take something off the raven¡¯s leg. At that point he knew he had to tease her since she was the only one at camp to receive any message. He didn¡¯t even know where it came from, though he did remember she sent a message out herself to someone before they went to Val Royeaux.

    ¡°Is that a letter from a lover of yours?¡± The dwarf asked behind her which caused the girl to jump slightly in her spot. He noticed a soft blush rising to her face. ¡®I wonder who the person is that she is interested in¡­I have seen the looks she gives Curly¡­¡¯ Varric thought, his protective side coming out since she felt like family to him.

    ¡°No, I have no lover.¡± Sirena said truthfully while she tried to keep her face hidden from him since she felt the heat in her face.

    ¡°Do you wish he was?¡±

    ¡°Even if I did, I¡¯m sure he would not notice me in the slightest.¡± Varric could tell immediately that she was talking about Cullen. He saw the looks they shared when they thought no one was looking. It was rather cute. At that point, he decided it was best to stay out of it and leave it to the two. The dwarf did have a talk with the Commander about his feelings for her¡­ Sort of and he was happy to find out the man was finally taking actions of his feelings for the girl. Or at least he thought he was. However it was obvious that she didn¡¯t know. He grinned softly as he watched her looking at the letter that was indeed in Cullen¡¯s handwriting which he was very familiar with due to his days in Kirkwall.

    ¡°I will leave you be.¡± Varric said before leaving her tent to go off and do his own thing while she read his letter in privacy.

    Sirena waited to open the letter till her friend was gone. Though, she was sure he saw the writing where her name was written. She glanced back to make sure that she was indeed alone because the girl wanted to be by herself without anyone reading over her shoulder. Plus, in her mind, reading a letter was rather personal and she didn¡¯t think it was anyone¡¯s business. She slowly unrolled the letter and read it while biting her lower lip feeling excitement to read the words Cullen had written to her.

    Dear Sirena,

    I hope nothing too terrible happens in Val Royeaux. As for the elf mage who you were asking about; I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t try to be in your words ¡°creepy¡±. He just comes off like that. Solas did join the Inquisition at his own volition. I¡¯m sure once you get to know him, you¡¯ll end up liking him in the end. To answer your other statement, I too, enjoy having a good companion to talk to as well. It is quite nice to have received a letter from you.

    Sincerely,

    Cullen Rutherford

    PostScript: Your writing wasn¡¯t bad at all.

    As Sirena read the Commander¡¯s letter, she felt her heart plummet when she got to the part about the elf. She didn¡¯t know why her heart was so affected by his words; maybe it was time for her to come to terms with herself. ¡®I think I really like Cullen. We share glances like Varric has said and I do think he¡¯s attractive for his age, but I didn¡¯t know I could actually like him. For fuck sake, Evelyn should be with him. She is from here after all.¡¯ The American woman thought before reading the rest of the letter now chewing on her lip. As she was reading the rest of his words, her heart began to accelerate in her chest. After she was done reading his letter, the young woman quickly looked around the tent for her bag that had her stuff in it. When she spotted her carry on, her arm quickly reached out to grab it then dragged it over towards herself carefully. She felt eager to write back to him as her hands reached down into the bag; getting the dark wooden object out. Her strength was failing her due to her heat exhaustion from earlier which made her grow irritated at herself for feeling so weak. With stubbornness, she pulled the box out using a lot of energy that she didn¡¯t really have. She took out all the things she needed to write with and began to carefully write so her handwriting would go back to how it usually looked when she wrote with a pen or pencil.

    Dear Cullen,

    It looks like there will be trouble after all. The Chantry Mother had slandered the Herald before getting punched in the face by a Templar. It was horrible to watch yet oddly amusing. In my eyes, she got what she deserved. As for the situation with Solas; I do not think he likes me. He thought I was a spirit! So I ended up laughing in his face. I couldn¡¯t help it. The thought of me being a spirit was funny and preposterous. I must ask you, were you the one who put the writing utensils in my bag? If so, I want to thank you. Also, if it was you, you¡¯ll be hearing a thank you in person as well. I am also happy to know that my writing skills are not that bad. I hope you tell me how you¡¯re everyone is fairing in Haven.

    Sincerely,

    Sirena Laurelet

    She wrote back to him with a smile on her face. Her fingers rolled up the letter tightly after the black ink dried up and tied it to the raven¡¯s leg like Cullen did then told the bird to go back to the Commander. The American didn¡¯t know how the intelligent creature found her nor did she really care, she was happy he replied to her period. Though, the young woman also kept herself from getting her hopes up in case she gets hurt later on. With a soft sigh, she put the stuff away and set it off to the side in a corner. The American girl pulled out her sleeping roll and laid it on the floor of the tent then made herself  lie down in it while preparing for a cold night. Her eyes slowly began to close in drowsiness.

 Chapter Fourteen

    While in her sleep, Sirena tossed and turned in her bed roll. She was sleeping peacefully until late at night. The young woman hadn¡¯t gone to bed till late in the evening yet earlier than the others after she wrote her letter to Cullen. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out and was unable to wake up. Now she was restless as she dreamed; though it wasn¡¯t an ordinary dream. Hers never really were.

    Back in Haven there was a celebration. People were laughing and drinking while walking around. Sirena had a bad feeling, like it was too early for people to be celebrating. Her blue-green eyes looked up to see a golden brown pair that she immediately knew belonged to Cullen. She then looked back over the horizon and saw movement that looked to be an army marching towards them all. Everything then went into chaos. She ran to help the Herald to defend Haven from what it looked like. Then the scene skipped a bit before the girl was then flung into a trebuchet, hitting the back of her head.

    Sirena woke up with a start and sat up quickly with a gasp. She raised both her hands to her face and felt perspiration on her pale skin. Her heart was beating fast and she could hear her heart was pounding in her ears. The American girl had laid back down while taking deep breaths to calm her fierce beating heart down. She knew it was just a nightmare, but knowing her bad luck, she couldn¡¯t be certain. Not at all feeling tired due to the nightmare she had, the American got up and walked out of her tent then made her way over to the camp fire which looked like it was dying from lack of wood and dry moss. Looking around the area, she found a few twigs and threw them into the fire. The young woman looked around again and found Solas. It looked like he was meditating. She wondered what he was actually doing. The girl knew he communicated with spirits in the fade. Her logic and scientific side slightly showed itself in her brain as she wondered how he was able to do it. All she knew was that magic was obviously involved since there was magic in the realm that she was in.

    While still in the fade, Solas continued to talk to a spirit before it told him the stranger in Thedas was sitting next to the camp fire. As soon as he heard that news, he bid the spirit adieu and left the fade. When he came back to their version of earth, the elf immediately saw the curly blonde-haired woman who looked very young sitting in front of the small fire. He made his way over to where she was while keeping his distance since he had a feeling she didn¡¯t like him. The apostate wondered what she was doing up so early as he observed her while remaining silent until his curiosity got the best of him.

    ¡°Why are you up so early, Lady Herald¡¯s cousin?¡± He asked her out of kindness with a concerned look in his leaf green eyes.

    ¡°I had a very bad dream.¡± Sirena admitted to him while biting her lower lip and moving a strand of hair behind her ear since she didn¡¯t like to talk about her problems or fears. She really wanted to put their recent past behind her and take Cullen¡¯s suggestion to get to know Solas.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Do the nightmares happen often?¡±

    ¡°No. I hardly ever get them actually.¡± She answered him before taking a deep breath to prepare for what she was going to say next. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I have been a bitch towards you. That first day I met you¡­ Well you had actually creeped me out.¡± The girl said honestly as she watched his reaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had ¡°creeped¡± you out. It wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± He apologized back as he kept a serious expression. ¡°I had actually found you quite fascinating since it was obvious to me that you are not from here.¡± A smile tilted up at the corners of her lips when she heard his confession.

    ¡°Since you seem to be so enthralled by me; I¡¯m sure you will figure out whatever answers you are looking for on your own.¡± She said giving him a challenge which she knew he wasn¡¯t going to refuse. Already she could see it in his eyes.

    ¡°If that is a challenge, I will gladly accept it.¡± Solas said with an amused smile on his face. By the time everyone woke up, Solas and Sirena were conversing and it didn¡¯t look like there was any animosity between them. The other three looked at each other wondering what they had missed during the night/early morning.

    Evelyn walked forward towards the camp fire which was back to its large flames. She noticed it was right for cooking and brought out supplies for what she was going to do. The Herald sat down on a log and began cooking eggs, hash browns, and bacon; a complete breakfast for her companions and herself. As the food cooked, she made sure everyone had enough water to drink especially Sirena who seemed like she didn¡¯t get enough fluids in her. ¡®She needs to get a flask for water. I don¡¯t know what she has been drinking, but it isn¡¯t going to work for her here.¡¯ Evelyn thought while passing her own leather canteen to the girl who looked a lot better that day. She let Sirena take the gourd and watched her drink the water. The others had their own flaks. Trevelyan had no problem sharing her water with her so-called cousin. Family share things all the time, her brothers shared their knowledge of swordsmanship. When she looked at the food and saw it was finished cooking, she gave a portion to everyone while thinking of her family.

    Sirena looked around at everyone eating and noticed they were close to being done. Her eyes looked down at her own bowl which was basically half full of food. With a sigh, she picked up her pace and tried to eat faster and stuffing the breakfast in her mouth. She was able to feel her cheeks had puffed out like a chipmunk. When Sirena looked around again, she saw everyone¡¯s faces, knowing full well they were fighting themselves to keep from laughing. She rolled her eyes as she tried to munch on her food when the laughter finally erupted around her. Her middle finger was raised up so everyone could see. Where she was from the middle finger meant ¡°fuck you¡± and was very disrespectful. As she continued to chew, her eyes glanced down again, noticing her plate was empty. Her eyes glanced over at the others plate and realized she was the first to finish her food that morning. Now she felt like a pig. The American woman got up, washed her plate, and then walked over to her tent. Wanting to get an early start, she packed her things up quickly. Though, the only thing she needed to pack was the beautiful box Cullen had given her. Well assumed he gave her. After it was securely in her bag, she slung her carry on over her shoulder. She walked out of her tent and immediately went to work to take the red Inquisition tent down.

    After she was done taking the tent down, she folded it neatly so it would fit into its separate bag. Sirena looked around noticing everyone else was taking down their Inquisition tents finally. The American girl grabbed the bag that was sitting on the ground and made her way to her horse. Humming softly to herself, she attached her carry-on bags on the saddle. While smiling, the American walked her bay horse over towards a rock, using it as leverage to help mount her bay horse. With great happiness, she was able to get on her horse without getting help from someone for once.

    As she sat on her horse, everyone was making their way to their own mounts and carrying their things while she petted the beautiful brown bodied and black mane and tail horse on the neck. Sirena looked around herself to make sure she had her katana. When she found it buckled to her, she let out a sigh of relief. She was glad she didn¡¯t lose her curved blade that she loved since the design was from Asia though the blacksmith didn¡¯t know that when he made it for her at her request. Even though she was sure there was an equivalent to Asia in Thedas. The girl watched as everyone mounted their horses and waited for word from their Herald.

    ¡°Is everyone ready to meet this ¡°Red Jenny¡±?¡± Evelyn asked her companions. She turned around in her saddle and looked at everyone to see their response. Her companions nodded their head in what looked like an almost perfect unison. Cassandra then spoke up for verbal confirmation for everyone else.

    ¡°Yes, we are ready, Lady Herald.¡± Trevelyan gave a nod to the seeker then turned back around in the saddle she was sitting on so she was facing forward. She then kicked her horse gently to get it moving. As her horse walked on, the others soon followed behind her quietly to the point they only heard the horses hooves clip clapping on the ground.

    Sirena found out that she liked traveling in the morning to her total surprise. The American had come to realize it got very hot out to the point she missed the air conditioner that was once available to her when she had a car back in her world. Now she got to ride a horse everywhere she wanted to go like she had always wanted since she was a little girl, though, it wasn¡¯t everything she had hoped it would be. A little smile played at her lips as she realized she had one childhood dreams come true.

    As they continued to ride, the sun rose up and the morning cold air slowly became hot. Luckily it was not humid. Humidity normally formed in land locked areas and Orlais was next to the ocean which brought the wonderful salty sea breeze air which became stronger when they got closer to stone buildings. Sirena had no clue what the buildings were. For all she knew, they could be warehouses or storage units. Noticing the Herald¡¯s horse had come to a halt, her own mount continued to walk until she was next to her ¡°cousin¡±.

    ¡°Are we where we need to be?¡± The younger woman asked to make sure they weren¡¯t lost.

    ¡°Yes, we just have to wait till it starts getting dark out.¡± The Herald said loud enough for the others to hear over the clopping of the hooves as the horses stomped on the ground impatiently.

    ¡°What should we do to kill time while we wait?¡± The American asked not having a problem with rereading Cullen¡¯s letters which she kept close to her at all times ever since she got his first note. Her eyes widened as realization had occurred to her. ¡®Oh! for Christ sakes! I already sound like a love-sick school girl who got acknowledged by her crush and I¡¯m not even with the man.¡¯ She scowled at herself with disgust. In the end of her train of thoughts, she really couldn¡¯t help feeling the way she did. Even though she hardly talked to him, she did admire the Commander from a far. As a little smile appeared on her face, Sirena promised herself that when they get back to Haven, she was going to talk to Cullen more; get to know him.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°We will just find something to do as we wait.¡± Evelyn replied to the outsider¡¯s question bringing her out of her thoughts.

    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±

    After walking and sitting for a few hours, it was time to meet the Red Jenny since it was getting dark out. Trevelyan made her way through the streets with her companions following her since she seemed to know where she was going. As they approached the stone stairs, everyone began to feel uneasy. Sirena knew what was going to happen and she wasn¡¯t ready to see bloodshed quite yet, though she may never be ready. She may wish people dead at times, but she would never actually want them to die. As her hope was realized, the Herald turned to her and spoke softly.

    ¡°You need to stay here. I don¡¯t know what is going to happen but whatever it is; I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready.¡± The American nodded her head not even going to argue with her since she had the same exact thought as her cousin.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Evelyn gave her a little smile before walking past the gate that lead to what looked like warehouses with all the crates sitting out in the open. Somehow the gate had closed behind her and her companions who had followed her. A man then ran out yelling to whoever was listening to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Inquisition!¡± Other men began to come out of the buildings with their swords in their hands. They then hid behind the crates wanting to kill the Herald and her companions. Evelyn had a running start before she summersaulted while slashing men on both sides, hitting them in their vitals causing blood to spurt out a little while leaving them to bleed out even more than they already have. She looked around since she was able to hear steel clashing against steel when her blue eyes found Cassandra fighting the last man with Solas and Varric on the floor they were on. When the person she was fighting dropped dead onto the ground, she heard the seeker yell out to everyone.

    ¡°One down!¡± With a smirk, the Herald then made her way upstairs knowing the others would eventually follow her like they always did. She knew there were more people to kill since they always seem to split off into groups and attack at different times. As she was looking around, her eyes glanced over towards the gate where they left Sirena by herself. Evelyn felt bad for leaving her behind but at the same time she knew the right decision was to leave her out of the mess.

    As she continued to walk around the second floor, she noticed there was no one around to fight which to her was oddly peculiar. It was almost too quiet which made her more suspicious. Trevelyan looked at her companions wondering what their opinions were. While looking at them, she saw their shoulders shrug which showed they didn¡¯t know what was going on either. At this point, it was becoming too eerie for her to even be comfortable, almost like something was going to jump out at them at any moment.

    ¡°Maybe they made a run for it.¡± Varric said trying to lighten the mood up a bit since he was also feeling intense.

    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Cassandra said with slight annoyance towards the dwarf again as they waited for the Herald to decide what to do. Their leader made her way towards a pair of big blue doors and opened it very slowly to take a peek. There, she had found a bunch of men waiting for a battle from what it looked like to her.

    ¡°I found them all.¡± She said quietly before opening the door wider so she was able to step through and make her presence known. Evelyn believed the only reason they were attacking her was because they believed her to be a heretic. As she walked past the door, a ball of fire flew past her face hitting the door after she had dodged it in time from fast reflexes. The same mage threw another fireball at her and made her duck down before it could burn her face. She looked at him with a slight glare; at that point she getting fed up with the petty crap the people seemed to be putting her through.

    ¡°The Herald of Andraste¡­¡± The man behind the mask said as he turned to face Trevelyan while moving his hands behind his back before he began speaking again. ¡°How much did you expect for this discovery?¡± He asked while beginning to pace back and forth with his hand behind his back acting like he was high and mighty. ¡°It must have weakened the Inquisition immeasurably.¡± The mage spoke as Cassandra, Varric, and Solas caught up to their Herald. They only caught the last few words he said which earned him a glare from every one of them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are.¡± Evelyn said with honesty since she was confused from the moment he started talking to her like she knew anything at all.

    ¡°You don¡¯t fool me!¡± The mysterious man said as he turned to face the Herald as he moved his hands to his hips like he was superior to her. ¡°I¡¯m too important for this to be an accident. My efforts will survive in victories against you, our friend.¡± He said before hearing an arrow fly and killing one of his men. The nobleman turned his head to see who made the arrow fly since it clearly wasn¡¯t the Herald nor her companions. When everyone turned their heads, they saw a slim woman with short blonde hair and pointy ears holding a bow and arrow which was pointed at the man in the mask.

    ¡°Just say what.¡± The elven woman said while pulling the string of the bow back getting ready to let the arrow loose.

    ¡°What does that-¡° The man was interrupted as the arrow flew into his mouth and pierced through his throat, killing him instantly as he gurgled on blood.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± The elf exclaimed with disgust clearly written all over her face. ¡°Squishy one, but you heard me right?¡± She asked as Evelyn walked over to her while looking down at the dead body with curiosity. ¡°Just say what. Rich tits always try more than what they deserve.¡± The Herald watched the blonde elf kneel down and rip her arrow out from the corpse while still speaking. ¡°Blah blah blah, obey me; arrow in my face!¡± This elf girl was not at all making sense. Trevelyan looked back at her companions with confusion which earned her three shoulder shrugs again. She was undoubtedly only going to get more confused the more the elf continued to talk. Her attention was brought back to the weird woman as she circled around her. ¡°So you followed the notes well enough, glad see you¡¯re¡­¡± The elf rogue stopped circling the Herald as she got a good look at her. ¡°You¡¯re kind of plain really. All that talk and you¡¯re just a person, I mean it¡¯s all good, innit? The important thing is you glow. You¡¯re the Herald thingie.¡± Varric ended up chuckling from the choice of words that were used to describe their Herald. He watched as she was trying to fight a smile of her own.

    ¡°They say I am the Herald of Andraste, but who are you and what¡¯s this about?¡± Evelyn asked with seriousness as she tried not to think about the quirky things the elf said.

    ¡°No idea.¡± She answered as she looked down at the dead noble¡¯s body. ¡°I don¡¯t know this idiot from manners. My people just said the Inquisition should look at him.¡± She said honestly while still making zero sense.

    ¡°Your people? Elves?¡±

    ¡°Ha! No, people people. The name¡¯s Sera, this is cover. Get round it for the reinforcements. Don¡¯t worry, someone tipped me their equipment shed. They got no breeches.¡± Sera said with an amused expression while trying not to laugh. She imagined the men fighting with no pants on which made it very hard for her not to crack up.

    Conveniently, when they were done conversing, men came out of the buildings they were hiding in while holding their weapons. The thing that made it comical for Trevelyan was the fact they weren¡¯t wearing any pants. While in defense mode, the Herald waited for them to attack her first before she did anything. As soon as they got too close for her comfort, she began slashing at them while trying to remain focused. She raised her daggers up over her head then jumped down onto a man while swinging her daggers down on both sides of his neck. When he dropped dead, she moved onto the one who was second closest to her and thrusted her weapons into him, hitting him in the arteries. She made sure her companions were doing okay when she saw the last man with no breeches fall down on the ground with a soft ¡°thump¡±. ¡®Well that certainly did not take long¡¯. Evelyn thought as she walked over to Sera, the spunky elf.

    ¡°Friends really came through with that tip.¡± Sera said as soon as the Herald was beside her. ¡°No breeches¡± she laughed out loud getting a kick out of their embarrassment even though they were dead. ¡°So Herald of Andraste, you¡¯re a strange one. I¡¯d like to join.¡± The elf stated wanting to have more fun within in Inquisition.

    ¡°How about we get to know each other first. You know names and such?¡± Trevelyan said wanting to know who Sera was. She also wasn¡¯t really sure if the weird elf would fit in.

    ¡°One name. No! Wait, two. It¡¯s¡­ Well it¡¯s like this. I sent you a note to look for hidden stuff by my friends. The friends of Red Jenny. That¡¯s me! Well¡­ I¡¯m one. So it¡¯s a fence in Montfort, some woman in Kirkwall. There were three in Starkhaven, brothers or something. It¡¯s just a name, yeah?¡± Sera said explaining what the Red Jenny was all about, though it still made no sense. ¡°It lets little people, ¡°friends¡±, be part of something while they stick it to the nobles they hate. So here, in your face, I¡¯m Sera. ¡°The friends of Red Jenny¡± are sort of out there. I used them to help you. Plus arrows.¡±

    ¡°The Inquisition has spies already.¡± The Herald said understanding what Sera was offering to them. ¡°Can you add to these professionals?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s how it is. You ¡°important¡± people are up here.¡± The elf woman said while raising one of her hands up as a demonstration. ¡°Shoving your cods around. ¡°Blah blah blah, I¡¯ll crush you. I¡¯ll crush you!¡±¡± She then made some kissing noises before cracking a joke. ¡°Oh crush you!¡± Noticing the Herald wasn¡¯t laughing, Sera cleared her throat before she went back to talking normally. Or what seemed to be normal for her. ¡°Then you¡¯ve got cloaks and spy-kings, like this tit. Or was he one of the knives? All serious with his¡­ Little knife.¡± She said with a double meaning in there since she was talking about his man part there. ¡°All those secrets and what gave him up? Some house boy who don¡¯t know shite, but knows a bad person when he sees one. So no, I¡¯m not shivsdark, all hidden, but if you don¡¯t listen down here too, you risk your breeches. Like those guards, I stole their¡­ Look, do you need people or not? I want to get everything back to normal. Like you?¡±

    ¡°Alright Sera, I can use you and your ¡°friends¡±¡± Evelyn said with a soft welcoming yet polite smile. She really thought this elf was crazy from the way she talked. None of her sentences made much sense to her, how was she going to understand the girl? With an internal sigh, she looked over at her companions again and noticed Varric had a cheeky grin like he was going to have a lot of fun.

    ¡°Yes! Get in good before you¡¯re too big like. That¡¯ll keep your breeches where they should be. Plus extra breeches, because I have all these¡­ You have merchants who buy that pish, yeah?¡± Sera asked with excitement ringing in her voice as she talked about selling the pants she stole from the men. ¡°Got to be worth something. Anyway, Haven, See you there, Herald! This will be grand!¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    Sera ran off towards the doors where the Herald and her companions went through to get to where they were standing. With a lot of confusion, everyone looked at each other silently. Evelyn shrugged her shoulders then ran around the area to loot gold and figurines to sell. She did need the money especially when she was also helping Sirena with fitting in Thedas. The Herald made her way towards those who came with her with a smile on her lips.

    ¡°We should get back to Sirena.¡± She suggested to her friends. ¡°She might be getting worried.¡±

    ¡°Knowing her, she¡¯s most likely reading the letters she had received.¡± Varric said with a smirk.

    ¡°From who?¡± Solas asked curiously since he didn¡¯t know the girl till recently when they talked and it was surprising to know someone admired her already. The admiration sure didn¡¯t take long to bloom for whomever it was that seemed to be showing interest in the Lady Herald¡¯s cousin. The apostate mage looked at the dwarf waiting for his answer patiently.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like I read over her shoulder or anything. What is in those letters is not my business.¡± He responded while looking at the bald elf mage wondering why he was so curious.

    ¡°Maybe you should have.¡± The apostate answered in a mumble under his breath before they all turned to make their leave.

    As Sirena was rereading her letters with a dreamy smile, she heard footsteps running towards her. When the person opened the closed gate where Evelyn and the others disappeared through, she saw a thin person with short blonde hair and small pointy elf ears. The gamer knew immediately who the girl in the red dress was. It was Sera. When the elf girl ran down the stairs with a smile on her face, her gaze found the American.

    ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re part of the Inquisition, yeah?¡± Sera asked wanting to know who the stranger was.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sirena, the Herald¡¯s cousin.¡± She introduced herself to the elf who she already knew was quirky and bloodthirsty.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sera, friend of the Red Jenny.¡± The Elven rogue said very proudly before speaking again. ¡°I am off to Haven.¡±

    ¡°Congratulations in joining the Inquisition.¡± The American said assuming Sera had joined since it was the only reason they were there in the first place.

    ¡°How did you know I had joined if you weren¡¯t there for the discussion?¡±  Sera asked with some suspicions which earned her a raised brow from the young woman.

    ¡°Why else would you go to Haven?¡± The American girl asked like the answer itself was very obvious.

    ¡°That makes a lot sense actually.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She said blinking her eyes a few times thinking the elf was a lot weirder in person. Or perhaps slow.

    ¡°Either way, see you in Haven.¡± Sera ran off again leaving a wide-eyed Sirena behind.

    After taking a deep breath, she hoped the meeting with Vivienne will go a lot more smoothly. She leaned against the wall and folded both her letters carefully before putting them away. The American felt relieved when Sera didn¡¯t notice the parchments that were in her hands at the time while she had waited for the others. While waiting for Evelyn and her companions, she patted the place where her letters from Cullen were kept when she heard footsteps heading towards her way. Both Sirena and Evelyn saw each other at the same time. She was relieved to see the Herald was safe and not harmed as far as she was able to tell. Varric, Cassandra, and Solas walked up behind Trevelyan and also saw the girl leaning against the wall. They all walked over to her with triumphant smiles.

    ¡°What happened?¡± The young woman asked them since she wasn¡¯t with them to see all that had happened.

    ¡°Oh, there was fighting and we were able to recruit someone to join the Inquisition.¡± The Herald informed her cousin.

    ¡°Did the person happen to be an elf named Sera?¡± The others blinked their eyes after hearing her question.

    ¡°Are you psychic?¡± Solas asked.

    ¡°No, actually she ran by to go to Haven.¡± Sirena explained wondering if what he said was a joke or not. It really should be a joke. At least she thought it was since they patched things up and the fact it was a stupid question. She looked at him questioningly as her head tilted to the side a bit. Solas looked back at her with his brows furrowed like he was asking a question of his own to her.

    ¡°Was she weird to you?¡± Cassandra asked wanting to hear the Herald¡¯s cousin¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°Um well¡­¡± Her voice pitched a bit higher when she said the last word. ¡°She was um interesting person to say the least. I hardly know the woman so I don¡¯t feel comfortable about judging her.¡± Even though she judged Sera in her head but she didn¡¯t want to say her opinions without getting to know her.

    ¡°Are we going anywhere else before going back to Haven?¡± Varric asked wanting to know what the plans were for them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to Madam De Fer¡¯s party and see what she wants.¡± Evelyn said following Sirena¡¯s advice from the day before. Though, meeting with Sera could have put them in danger; in a way it did, but it wasn¡¯t something they couldn¡¯t handle. In a way it felt satisfying to be in a battle. It was a great way to get some aggression out from her family sending her to the conclave to be put in service for the Chantry. It angered her to know she could be put aside so easily like she was.

    ¡°When is this party?¡± The dwarf asked to see how much time they had. Trevelyan pulled out the invitation that had all the information they wanted to know.

    ¡°It looks like it is tomorrow evening.¡± She answered. ¡°We should start heading that way now. I don¡¯t know how long it will take to get there.¡± The Herald began making her way out of the warehouses/homes area with everyone following her.

    They finally made it out of the place when it was fully dark out. The stars shone in the dark blue sky as owls hooted and the crickets chirped. The group walked over to their horses and as quickly as possible, they mounted up onto their saddles. Everyone looked around towards the darkness knowing nature surrounded them everywhere.

    ¡°Are we really going to ride in the dark?¡± Sirena asked with caution. She didn¡¯t think it would be safe due to the animals and bandits that roam around during the night. Well¡­ bandits roamed around during the day too, but they had an easier time getting people during the dark hours.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be riding out only for a short period of time. Why do you ask dear cousin?¡± Evelyn asked formerly.

    ¡°I ask because it is dangerous at night, more so than during the day time.¡± The Herald nodded her head in understanding in what her cousin had to say.

    ¡°That is very true. We¡¯ll ride out till we are a safe distance away. This sound good to everyone?¡± She asked while looking around at everyone to see their response and noticed they all looked relieved. ¡°I guess everyone likes that idea a lot better.¡±

    ¡°Ya think?¡± The American asked with the slang she grew up with. After using the words she had said back where she came from, everyone gave her a look while Solas raised a brow at her. She looked around the group and blinked her eyes a couple of times. ¡°What?¡± Sirena asked wondering why they were looking at her like she had a dick on her forehead.

    ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all.¡± Varric answered while shaking his head with a smile on his face. He found the woman who was as innocent as a girl amusing.

    ¡°Shall we get going then? Y¡¯all staring at me is making me self-conscience.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let us get out of here.¡± Evelyn said as she kicked her horse gently making it go into a walk. She was glad to have her cousin with her again, though, her slang was a little odd to hear and not something that was commonly used in Thedas. ¡°I heard you received a message from someone, may I ask, who?¡± Trevelyan asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°It¡¯s no one. How did you find out?¡± Asked the modern American who would never quite fit in with the people in the countries of Fereldon and Orlais.

    ¡°Varric told me.¡± The older woman admitted. She also noticed that her cousin nodded her head while keeping her lips tightly shut. With that little sign, Evelyn knew that Sirena didn¡¯t want to talk about the letter. The Herald knew she would tell her immediately when she was ready to talk whenever that would be. Getting a gut instinct, she felt like she knew who it was from already. Everyone who saw the way the two looked each other would be able to assume the same thing she was.

    As the horses walked on the dirt road, Sirena was enjoying the nice cold air the night brought. She could hear an annoying buzzing sound from a mosquito every now and again, hoping she wasn¡¯t getting bit by a few. That would just make her day. Not really. The young woman smiled softly as she thought about the city where she came from. All the cemented streets, stores, electricity, internet, all of it was taken from her when she arrived in Thedas. The girl still wondered how she got there in the first place. It was a mystery to her. There was no logical explanation for what had happened. Would time stand still in her world? Was she going to lose her job? What about her family and friends? A lot of questions swam through her head as her smile began to turn into a frown. Bringing herself back to her new reality, she looked up towards the sky to see stars and an animal flying which she assumed was a bat.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    After they were an hour away from the place they were in Orlais, the young American woman looked up towards the sky again and noticed the mammal was following them. It was then she realized the flying animal was not a bat but was a bird which she assumed was a raven. Wanting to know if it was one of Leliana¡¯s birds again with a message attached to its leg or if it was a regular bird flying to its destination that happened to be going in the same direction where they were heading towards, it was then Sirena cleared her throat.

    ¡°Perhaps we should stop for the night?¡± She suggested to her adopted cousin Evelyn. It looked like everyone was getting tired from the long day. Plus she also had her selfish reason of why she wanted to stop moving. And that reason was to find out what that animal was.

    ¡°Yes, we should.¡± Trevelyan agreed while making her horse come to a stop. Immediately, everyone got off their mounts since they were used to the routine and began setting up the camp.

    After everything was set up, everyone sat around the camp fire, eating and chatting. Varric talked about his days in Kirkwall. Everyone was laughing but one person. Every joke that was said went over her head. Cassandra was even laughing even though she thought the dwarf was annoying. This was the first time everyone got to relax while out on an adventure since the small group seemed to be tense most of the time. Even Evelyn was telling funny stories about her family which were centered on her brothers.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time I go to sleep.¡± Solas said getting up to remove himself. He walked over to his tent, but before going inside, he looked over at Sirena and gave her a smile since she was the only one paying attention. When he saw her give him a small shy smile, he chuckled to himself and walked inside his tent to go into the fade since it was what he did on a daily basis.

    Sirena attention went back to the laughter surrounding her. A smile remained on her face like she was paying attention when her eyes would dart to her tent with wonder and want. Varric had been watching her eyeing the tent. When she noticed him looking at her, he gave her a nod to tell her to go. She bowed her head in gratitude before getting up to go to her own tent. After walking into it, a genuine smile appeared on her lips. She knew the animal that was following them was a raven. Her instincts even told her when she looked at the winged creature for the third time while they were riding. The American girl quickly moved to the black bird and untied the letter from it after spotting it in her tent. After untying the letter itself, her hands deftly unrolled the parchment that she was holding in her hands. She recognized his beautiful handwriting immediately and laid down on her stomach to read the letter.

    Dear Sirena,

    I had reported the incident with Josephine and Leliana. The topic will be in discussion when you and the Herald along with her companions get back to Haven. I believe the spymaster also wants to speak with you as well when you get back. I am also sorry to hear about Solas. Though, the thought of you being a spirit also made me laugh. There is no way that you are a spirit from the fade. I even worked with you myself. Haven is still cold, though, I don¡¯t think that was what you were asking. More people have been arriving in Haven to join the Inquisition which is giving Rylen (second in command) and I more to train for the forces. As for the question you asked about the writing utensils; I had Varric¡¯s help to get it in your bag. I hope that it doesn¡¯t anger you in anyway. Though, seeing your gratitude on paper makes me believe you are not at all mad. I¡¯m happy to know that you liked your gift. When do you think you and the others will be back?

    Sincerely,

    Cullen Rutherford

    This was the longest letter he wrote to her yet. Doing what she always does as soon as she gets done reading, Sirena pulled out the mahogany box and then her quill and black ink. She pulled out a piece of paper with her tongue slightly sticking out from concentration. It was then when she finally realized he wasn¡¯t adding his title as Commander in his letters which made her grin. She then began to write back to him with her less elegant writing.

    Dear Cullen,

    I am happy I was able to help (give information). Why would the Spymaster Leliana want to talk to me? Oh! I do have some good news. Solas and I are now talking to each other. You were right; we do get along if we got to know each other. He¡¯s rather a nice person and full of wisdom. I can¡¯t get over the fact he thought I was a spirit. It¡¯s still really funny to think of it. I am glad that you are keeping yourself busy; though, it can be quite stressful and I¡¯m sorry for that. I also thank you very much for the lovely gift. It¡¯s beautiful! To answer your question about us coming back; I do not know when exactly we¡¯ll be coming back to Haven. We will be heading over to Madam De Fer¡¯s party then we¡¯ll be heading back to the Frostback Mountains. We¡¯ll be back in no time. Hopefully.

    Sincerely,

    Sirena Laurelet

    She sent her letter to Haven. Now the girl had three letters from the Commander who she had feelings for.

    It took almost a whole day to ride out to the party. When they got closer to a large house, they heard music being played from outside. Sirena could hear the sound of violins and cellos which made her think of an Irish female group called Celtic Woman. All that was missing were the bagpipes and female voices singing. After riding up to the gates, everyone hopped off their horses and walked towards the big elaborate building where the music was coming from.

    After entering the castle like building, the young woman noticed the walls were an off white color which was known to be ivory with shining gold. The floors which were tiles were of the blue and gold colors in the diamond shapes with the same color oval shaped rug. The place was beautiful. Her eyes continued to look around in wonder as she heard conversations all around her. It made her feel like she was back in the city a little bit. When she walked deeper into the room, a man held up a scroll and announced their arrival. Well more so Evelyn¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Lady Trevelyan of Ostwick, representing the Inquisition!¡± All guests who heard the announcement turned to look at the Herald as she looked around the beautiful building trying to ignore their stares as best as possible. The American watched her cousin walk over to a pair of nobles while trying to keep herself as small as possible so no one would notice her. The young American woman walked as closely as she could while being nonchalant about what she was doing. She wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation even though it wasn¡¯t her business, but she was nosey sometimes.

    ¡°What a pleasure to meet you, my lady.¡± The male said in his tenor voice. ¡°Seeing the same faces at every event becomes tiresome. So you must be a guest of Madam De Fer. Or are you here for Duke Bastien?¡±

    ¡°Are you here on business?¡± The lady in the mask asked, speaking up finally. ¡°I have heard the most curious tales about you. I cannot imagine half of them true.¡±

    ¡°What have you heard about me?¡± Evelyn asked curiously since it seemed everyone had heard about her in some way shape or form.

    ¡°Some say when the veil opened, Andraste herself delivered you from the fade.¡± The noblewoman said in awe. Wanting to change the subject from herself, Evelyn asked another question to get more information.

    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with that name, Bastien. I was invited here by First Enchanter Vivienne.¡± She explained to the two nobles who she was conversing with.

    ¡°Madam De Fer is a¡­ Fond nickname the court has given Lady Vivienne.¡± The man explained to Trevelyan in the most polite way as possible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard she finds it amusing.¡± The woman added after her husband.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard very little about Duke Bastien.¡± Evelyn said after the two were done talking.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been seen much at court lately.¡± After hearing this news, one of Sirena brows rose up as her curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°His business with the council of the Heralds often takes him from home for long periods of time.¡± The man in the mask informed.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be good for a man of his years.¡±

    ¡°And of course; there¡¯s the civil war. Bastien probably wishes to distance himself from the actions of his one-time son-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Tearing up the Dales in a foolish bid for power? It will end in a disgrace for Gaspard. Everyone knows it.¡± Sirena rolled her eyes since in her opinion it was all just gossip. Where was the evidence to back their words up? One day, idle prattle could get them in trouble.

    ¡°Some of those story tellers probably got carried away.¡± Evelyn said finally when she was able to put words in.

    ¡°But it might be only for the best effect. The Inquisition is a rare subject for wise tales.¡± The woman with bad fashion sense said.

    ¡°The Inqusition? What a load of pig shit!¡± Another noble in brown interrupted their conversation while descending the stairs. He turned to the Herald as he was at the foot of the stairs. ¡°Washed up sisters and crazed seekers? No one can take them seriously.¡± The rude man walked across the floor while still talking. ¡°Everyone knows it¡¯s just an excuse for a bunch of political outcasts to grab power.¡±

    ¡°The Inquisition is working to restore peace and order to Thedas.¡± Evelyn explained to the rude man who acted like he owned the place.

    ¡°Here comes the outsider; restoring peace with an army! We know what your ¡°Inquisition¡± truly is. If you were a woman of honor, you¡¯d step outside and answer the charges.¡± The Herald backed away from him before he reached back for what she assumed was his concealed weapon. As she watched him, Trevelyan saw him turn into ice in front of her blue eyes. Though, he wasn¡¯t completely covered from head to foot by the magic. She then heard a female¡¯s voice addressing the man.

    ¡°My dear Marquis, how unkind of you to use such language in my house¡­ To my guests.¡± A woman with beautiful dark skin wearing a lovely grey and white robe that showed some cleavage while wearing a venetian mask was descending the stairs; looking at the man with disdain. ¡°You know such rudeness is¡­ Intolerable.¡± She said while walking up behind him.

    ¡°Madam Vivienne, I humbly beg your pardon!¡± He said since the ice was very thin so he was able to talk and breathe.

    ¡°You should.¡± The First Enchanter responded to him as she walked around to face him. ¡°Whatever am I going to do with you, my dear?¡± Vivienne looked at him for a few seconds before turning around to look at Evelyn. ¡°My lady, you¡¯re the wounded party in this unfortunate affair. What would you have me do with this foolish, foolish man?¡±

    ¡°I think the Marquis has seen the error of his ways.¡± Trevelyan said mercifully, letting the man go.

    ¡°By the grace of Andraste, you have your life, my dear.¡± Vivienne said while snapping her fingers making the high noble unfreeze. ¡°Be more careful next time.¡± She said as he walked away coughing. After he was out of the room the Madam De Fer turned to speak to the Herald. ¡°I am delighted that you could attend this little gathering. I¡¯ve so wanted to meet you.¡± The posh woman said before walking away to a room that was closed off to the guests. As the rogue woman watched her, the American walked up close to her and spoke softly for only her to hear.

    ¡°You should follow her. If something bad happens, give us a signal.¡± With a silent nod, Trevleyan left the main party and followed the gifted mage.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself; I¡¯m Vivienne, First Enchanter of Montsimmard and Enchantress to the Imperial court.¡± The beautiful woman said as soon as Evelyn was next to her.

    ¡°Charmed, Lady Vivienne.¡± She said with a smile. At that point she knew there was going to be no trouble.

    ¡°Ah, but I didn¡¯t invite you to the chateau for pleasantries.¡± The Enchantress said with amusement. ¡°With Divine Justinia dead, the Chantry is in shambles. Only the Inquisition might restore sanity and order to our frightened people. As the leader of the last loyal mages of Thedas, I feel it only right that I lend my assistance to your cause.¡± After hearing Vivienne¡¯s explanation of wanting to join the inquisition, Evelyn began to think. Sirena knew what was going to happen due to playing the video game and she was able to advice because of her knowledge and two people had joined already.

    ¡°The Inquisition will be happy to have you, Lady Vivienne.¡±

    ¡°Great things are beginning, my dear. I can promise you that.¡±

 Chapter Sixteen

    After Sirena, Evelyn, and her companions arrived to Haven, everyone went their separate ways to get cleaned up from their little adventure. Except the two women who entered with the group. The American girl felt really disgusting. She hadn¡¯t bathed in a few days which made her hair oily and skin caked with dirt. As they walked towards their shack, Sirena saw Cullen commanding his soldiers as was his job. If she didn¡¯t know him, he would intimidate her to the point she would avoid him, but it didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d stop looking at him every now and again. She didn¡¯t realize she had stopped walking to stare at him until Trevelyan got in her line of site.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Evelyn asked with a knowing smile on her face knowing full well what her ¡°cousin¡± was looking at. Well more like whom.

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking at anything.¡± The American said while trying to be nonchalant and kept her eyes away from the Commander. ¡°I was actually thinking about needing a bath. I need one really bad. I smell and feel gross.¡± She admitted. Evelyn let out a laugh and clapped her on the back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the baths ready for us. I, too, feel disgusting after all the time without bathing.¡± She continued to laugh while walking away not believing for a second that Sirena wasn¡¯t looking at anyone. The Herald did feel like she needed to bathe though. The rogue continued to walk towards the bath house since she was used to that life style when she didn¡¯t have a tub in her private quarters back in the Trevelyan household.

    From a short distance away, Cullen recognized two women¡¯s voices distinctly. One was who he trained personally and corresponded with while she was away. The other was their Herald sent to them by Andraste, though he knew she really wasn¡¯t. After he signed a document, he looked up over towards the voices and saw Evelyn walking away. His gaze then moved to the woman who he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about. Cullen saved each letter she wrote to him and placed them with his sister¡¯s messages. He was happy to see her back in Haven so much to the point he wanted to walk to her, but he held himself back when he heard feet crunching on the snow behind him till the person was beside him. He saw his good friend Rylen who he met in Kirkwall standing next to him.

    ¡°Well look who came back; it¡¯s the woman you wish to be with yet won¡¯t try to court. What is holding you back Cullen? And don¡¯t say it¡¯s the age thing.¡± Rylen said to his friend.

    ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate because of who she is related to. She¡¯s the Herald¡¯s cousin!¡± He replied back while pinching the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°Has she been showing you interest?¡± Cullen¡¯s friend asked him with a smirk on his lips catching her staring at him earlier.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she has.¡±

    Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she looked over and saw Cullen looking at her as well as whom she assumed was his second in command. Her hands went to her hair which felt flat and greasy from the lack of washing. She got the look of disgust as she looked at a strand of hair. Her gaze then locked with his as she gave him a smile and a little curtsy before she ran off to take her bath. She wanted to look presentable when she talked him that meant her hair getting its volume back as well as the dirt out.

    It was nice to hear the crunch of the snow under her boots again even though she hated the snow. The stranger to Thedas got very lucky while she was out with Trevelyan in their adventure. She didn¡¯t even have to kill anything or anyone. As she thought about all that happened in Orlais, her feet carried her toward the hut she was sharing with Evelyn. Opening the door rather quickly, the American stepped into the warmth and saw the bath ready. She quickly shut the door behind her and almost ran to the steaming tub. Sirena untied her cloak then peeled off her dress and under clothes before stepping into the bath. She washed her hair, getting the dirt out of it while adding a floral scent. As Sirena added the scent, she thought about the Cherry Blossom scented soap she used to have before coming to Thedas. The American wondered if it was possible to get that smell again.

    After the girl had finished bathing, she stood up and got out of the tub before putting on a robe. The girl walked over to the vanity and brushed her hair wanting to get the knots out before it goes poufy. She looked down at her wrist and sighed in relief when she saw her black hair tie. When she was done brushing her hair, Sirena heard a knock at the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± The American called out even though she was naked in a bath robe and wasn¡¯t at all ready for visitors. She had no idea who was at the door. In the mirror, she saw her cousin Evelyn walked in. She wore what looked like her usual armor but more clean. Her hair even looked better. A smile tilted up at the corner of her lips as she realized her cousin bathed as well like she said she would.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you are in need of a change of clothes?¡± Trevelyan asked eyeing the robe the innocent woman was wearing. The robe looked like it was made out of some kind of fabric that absorbs water.

    ¡°Yes, I am actually.¡± She admitted with her face turning slightly red.

    ¡°Good. When I came back from my first trip, I ordered an outfit to be made for you; one you might like more than dresses.¡±

    ¡°Really? Because, I like the deep blue dress I wear for traveling.¡±

    ¡°I know you do. And I know you will like this new outfit so go put it on so your dress can get cleaned.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sirena said before she thought of something. ¡®When does this woman ever have any down time to do anything? Isn¡¯t her schedule too busy?¡¯ It really amazed her what all the Herald could accomplish in such a short amount of time.

    ¡°Anyway, I will take your dress and cloak to get them clean.¡± Trevelyan let Sirena go before walking over towards her small pile of clothes that were lying on the floor. ¡°Oh! Before I forget, welcome to the Trevelyan family.¡± The Herald announced before leaving the shack to give her cousin privacy.

    Having the sense of foreboding, the American went to her chest and opened the lid. She saw a black pair of leather pants and a corset with a pirate looking under shirt. The American put on the pants then slipped on the pirate shirt on. Her hands grabbed the corset and examined it. The clips were in the front and lace in the back just like her pink one. She undid the clips then slipped on the corset before clipping it back up. Turning herself to look in the mirror, she saw her reflection and thought she would look better with her hair down, in her opinion anyway. With somewhat satisfaction she could get, Sirena put on her leather boots and walked out of the hut. She made her way over to the training grounds and noticed the Commander wasn¡¯t there anymore. As she was about to go ask someone, a person wearing a green outfit walked up to her.

    ¡°Lady Laurelet, you are needed in the war room.¡± He said to her before giving her a bow and running off to another errand. Sirena stood there blinking her eyes a couple of times at the spot Leliana¡¯s agent bowed to her. She wasn¡¯t used to such treatment since where she was from no one bowed or kissed a lady¡¯s hand. Chivalry was basically dead in America. The American¡¯s feet moved while she was in a daze towards the Chantry. ¡®So it really is official; I¡¯m Evelyn¡¯s cousin now. Great cover up¡¯ She thought as she entered the church like building. The Chantry looked abandoned. There was no one in it except the Herald, her advisors, and the seeker. At the sound of her boots click clacking on the floor, everyone turned to look at her. The girl who was late it seemed. Even the Commander looked at her, though with a different look in his eyes.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Look who finally decided to join us.¡± Josephine said with a happy smile. ¡°And with a new outfit too! It looks fantastic on you! Very form fitting I must say.¡± The Antivan complimented the girl.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sirena said as she walked forward towards everyone to stand next to Trevelyan. She knew what the topic was going to be about. It was because of her they were going to have the discussion in the first place. Her eyes glanced up at Cullen to see him staring right at her which caused her to blush a soft pink all over her face. As she lowered her gaze from his face, she noticed his hand move to the pommel of his sword while shaking. She then looked back up at him wondering if he was okay as the others started talking.

    ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯ve returned. We heard of your encounter.¡± The Antivan said to Evelyn since it seemed she just arrived herself.

    ¡°You heard?¡± Cassandra asked wondering how the Ambassador knew already.

    ¡°My agents in the city sent word ahead, of course.¡± Leliana informed which confused The American immensely.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame the Templars have abandoned their sense as well as the Capital.¡± The Commander put in as he looked at Evelyn before diverting his eyes back to Sirena since she was breathtaking in the outfit she was wearing.

    ¡°We had to do something and now we have an opportunity.¡± The Herald said with finality as she began walking past Cullen, who stepped aside for her. Josephine and Cassandra watched with slight amusement. Everyone then followed their Herald.

    ¡°And we have an opening to approach the Templars and mages.¡± Josephine added as everyone was walking deeper into the chantry away from the door.

    ¡°Do we? Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember.¡± Cassandra said since she knew Lucius.

    ¡°True, he has taken the order somewhere; but to do what? My reports have been very¡­ odd.¡± Leliana said while walking beside Cullen where Sirrena wanted to be, but knew she couldn¡¯t. Not right now anyway since she decided to remain quiet as she listened to the conversation.

    ¡°We must look into it. I¡¯m certain not everyone in the order will support the Lord Seeker.¡± The Commander said really wanting to work with the Templars since he worked with a few of them when he was one of them

    ¡°Or the Herald could simply go to the mages in Redcliffe, instead.¡± Josephine said trying to be persuasive. At that point, the American knew the advisors were going to butt heads a lot during the subject.

    ¡°You think the mage rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse!¡± Cullen said only proving her thoughts right. It was time she put her own thoughts into the discussion.

    ¡°Think of it this way¡­ Uh Herald?¡± The shy girl said questioningly because she didn¡¯t know what to call her at the time. ¡°Mages will power up that mark and we don¡¯t really know what all that thing can do. Templars on the other hand will take away the power from the breach¡­ I think¡­ Cullen¡­ I mean the Commander would know more about that.¡± She said quite intelligently until she screwed up by saying his name which earned her a few smiles.

    ¡°I think the Templars are worth investigating.¡± Trevelyan said after listening to her cousin¡¯s logic.

    ¡°I agree.¡± Cassandra said also on the side of the Templars. ¡°What could the Lord Seeker be up to?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t discount Redcliffe. The mages may be worth the risk.¡± The Ambassador said really pushing for those with magic.

    ¡°They are powerful Ambassador, but more desperate than you realize.¡± The seeker said trying to reason with her friend Josephine.

    ¡°So it will be dangerous. I¡¯ve been in danger since I walked out of the fade.¡± Evelyn said making a valid point to everyone.

    ¡°If some among the mages were responsible for what happened at the conclave¡­¡± Cassandra said also secretly and strongly siding with Cullen and Sirena who really did seem to have quite a bit of intelligence which was quite impressive for someone her age.

    ¡°The same could be said about the Templars.¡± Josephine was getting slightly disappointed and angry when no one was siding with her.

    ¡°True enough.¡± Cullen agreed with the Ambassador for once. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m not certain we have enough influence to approach the order safely.¡±

    ¡°Then the Inquisition needs agents in more places. That¡¯s something you can help with.¡± Cassandra said to the advisors.

    ¡°In the meantime, we should consider other options.¡± Josephine said with finality and with some anger before walking off into her office. The seeker also went on her way since the meeting was apparently over. Sirena watched as the group dispersed. She saw Cullen go inside into the war room as Leliana approached Evelyn with a solemn look.

    ¡°There is one other matter. Several months ago, the Grey Wardens of Fereldon vanished. I sent word to Orlais, but they have also disappeared. Ordinarily I wouldn¡¯t even consider the idea they¡¯re involved in all this, but the timing is¡­ Curious.¡±

    ¡°That does sound odd. I agree.¡±

    ¡°The others have disregarded my suspicion, but I cannot ignore it. Two days ago, my agents in the Hinterlands heard news of a Grey Warden by the name of Blackwall. If you have the opportunity, please seek him out. Perhaps he can put my mind at ease.¡±

    ¡°And if he can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Then there may be more going on than we thought.¡± After those last words, she looked at the American and gave her a nod to follow.

    ¡°I should, uh, get going.¡± The American said not waiting to see Evelyn¡¯s reaction and followed Leliana to the war room. After entering the room, she saw Cullen looking over the map which gave her time to admire him. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the spymaster move to her regular position before addressing the cousin to the Herald.

    ¡°Cullen said you were the one to give him the information about the encounter in Val Royeaux.¡± Leliana said getting straight to the point which put the girl on the spot. Her face turned beet red when she looked at her crush as she raised a hand to bite her nails which was a nervous habit of hers.

    ¡°I told him in a letter, yes.¡± The American admitted as she saw the Commander looking back at her.

    ¡°Well because of that letter, we are able to plan and I have you to thank for that. Also because of it, I personally want to give you options. I would like you to become a spy for me.¡± Cullen turned his head and looked at Leliana with shock on his face. He was not expecting that from the spymaster and he also wasn¡¯t sure if Sirena was cut out to be a spy.

    ¡°Liliana, I really don¡¯t think that she is up for this quite yet.¡± He said with his free hand rubbing the back of his neck.

    ¡°Then perhaps she can be an assassin. Either way she will need to learn how to fight with two daggers.¡± Leliana said while looking at Cullen before her attention went back to the younger girl. ¡°What is it you would like to do?¡± She asked wanting to hear her opinion.

    ¡°I¡­Uh...I don¡¯t really know what I would want to do. Would it be okay if I learned the skills I need first before choosing? It might help me in the long run.¡± The Herald¡¯s cousin asked. She bit her lower lip as she waited for an answer.

    ¡°Of course you can; I will set up an instructor for you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Leliana for the opportunity.¡± The spymaster smiled and bowed her head before leaving the room. Now only two people were left standing in the room. Cullen looked at Sirena again with concern in his golden brown eyes.

    ¡°Are you sure you are up for this?¡± He asked wanting to make sure she was ready to be a spy or an assassin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know honestly, but I might as well take the offer when it¡¯s in my reach.¡± She responded thoughtfully.

    ¡°Yes, when you are ready. I don¡¯t think you are quite yet.¡± Cullen insisted not as a Commander but as a regular man who cares as he studied the woman across from him.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not yet; but it might be a great chance for me to help the Inquisition even more so than I am now.¡±

    ¡°You give great advice while remaining neutral. That¡¯s a lot better than what the other advisors and I do. We butt heads over matters we¡¯re passionate about as you have seen.¡± The man in Commander armor said as he was walking around the table so he could stand in front of Sirena. ¡®At least he was honest with himself. I wonder if he¡¯ll ever be passionate with me.¡¯ She thought then mentally slapped herself. He should be with Trevelyan instead of her. She knew that, but she couldn¡¯t help but wish for him to be with her.

    ¡°I actually did notice that; but there is nothing wrong with that. I think it¡¯s great that everyone has passion to help.¡± She paused as she thought about what she was going to say next to him as she muttered. ¡°I guess right now is a good time¡­¡±

    ¡°Be a good time for what?¡± He asked over hearing her muttering.

    ¡°To thank you for the box of writing stuff you gave me.¡± She winced as Cullen laughed at her choice of words while looking down at her with a smile.

    ¡°You are very welcome.¡±

    ¡°Why did you give me the gift though?¡± She wanted to understand why he would, it wasn¡¯t like he was interested in her or anything that she knew of.

    ¡°I figured you would need it and as it turned out I was right.¡± He gave her another smile as his hand that was on his hilt and rested it at his side.

    ¡°It seems you were¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you perhaps like to go for a walk?¡± Cullen asked which surprised the Herald¡¯s cousin.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Sirena¡¯s head snapped up to look up at him. ¡®Did I hear that correctly? Did he really invite me to go for a walk with him?¡¯ She asked herself in her thoughts. Her head tilted to the side a bit as she wondered if he was being serious. Cullen continued to wait patiently for her response with a smile on his lips like he knew what she was thinking. She bit down on her lower lip, thinking this was the best opportunity to get to know the man behind the Commander title. Her head bobbed up and down in a nod.

    ¡°Sure, a walk sounds great.¡± She replied finally as she watched for any sign of contact since she knew back in the medieval and renaissance times, men were chivalrous and would often times offer their arm to a lady. Sirena didn¡¯t see that sign from Cullen. However, he did motion his hand to her to walk ahead since they both wouldn¡¯t fit the door frame if they went at the same time. They walked through the Chantry silently. The only sounds that could be heard was their footsteps echoing in the building.

    After they made it out of the echoing Chantry, Cullen and the American girl walked beside each other around the small village known as Haven. They made their way past some huts and shacks as well as the bustling people who were trying to get work done or were running errands. Some people would look at the cousin of the Herald and their Commander walking together with smiles on their faces before talking to someone about the two in whispers. The girl even caught some of the whispering which made her face go red from blushing.

    They eventually walked out of the main village in Haven towards the training grounds where the men were working hard to get their techniques perfected. Sirena looked up at Cullen wondering if he was going to go work himself to correct them since it was his job and slowed her own pace down to see what he would do. To her total surprise he walked past the training area after looking at the men practicing the way he taught them. She caught up to him by quickening her footsteps into a fast paced walk. The two then walked over to a quiet and scenic area. They then were standing on a wooden dock that stood on the frozen water, overlooking a waterfall that was iced over just like the water below them. It was a beautiful sight, almost magical. Sirena sat down on the edge of the dock and kicked her legs out. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw movement beside her. Her head then turned to look at Cullen who was now sitting beside her.

    ¡°I guess while we have this time, we could get to know each other.¡± The stranger to Thedas suggested while folding her hands in her lap.

    ¡°That actually sounds good to me. What is your family like?¡± He asked as he also looked at the view before them. Cullen wanted to know more about the woman next to him, but he also didn¡¯t want to look too eager.

    ¡°My family is wonderful.¡± She said a little vaguely. ¡°I don¡¯t like my father much, but my mom is an amazing woman. She and my grandfather taught me all I know.¡± The American said while looking down at her hands.

    ¡°Why do you not like your father?¡± The handsome man asked her while turning his head to look at her. He had caught her words when she talked about her dad and it made him curious as to why she would say such a thing. After he asked though, he noticed she wrapped her arms around herself before tightening them, indicating that she was cold or uncomfortable. Cullen slipped the red cape from his armor then draped it over Sirena to keep her warm.

    ¡°My dad was never really a father to me. He kept to himself a lot.¡± For a moment she went back to Oregon in her thoughts, as she talked about her past while forgetting who she was talking to as well. ¡°He never went to my school functions unless he was forced to.¡± When she realized something was covering her, she looked down at her shoulders and saw a dark shade of red wrapped around her. Her head bowed to him in thanks. Cullen¡¯s eyes squinted a bit when she said the word school. Most women stopped getting education at an early age unless they were nobles, but even then they get private tutors. He had no idea what school she was talking about.

    ¡°What school are you talking about?¡± Her eyes widened when she heard his question. She hadn¡¯t realized how much she had said until it was obviously too late. It was too much information that she accidentally spilled. She might have screwed herself up now that he knows more about where she came from. She couldn¡¯t let that happen again. Not ever.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a place to get education.¡± Sirena said while shrugging her shoulders. He raised a brown brow at her knowing full well she wasn¡¯t telling him everything. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to ask questions.¡± She said with a playful smile.

    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± Cullen asked facing his body to her so she would know she had his full attention,

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know about the Order. What kind of vows do the Templars make?¡± She asked wanting to know the things they give up and not at all trying to use the questions as an opportunity to flirt.

    ¡°There¡¯s a vigil first. You¡¯re meant to be at peace during that time, but your life is about to change. When it¡¯s over, you give yourself to a life of service. That¡¯s when you¡¯re given a philter- your first draught of Lyrium- and its power. As Templars, we are not to seek wealth or acknowledgment. Our lives belong to the Maker and the path we have chosen.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ That is quite interesting.¡± The man next to her let out a little laugh. ¡°Why did you become a Templar?¡±

    ¡°I could think of no better calling than to protect those in need. I used to beg the Templars at our local Chantry to teach me. At first they merely humored me, but I must have shown promise. Or at least a willingness to learn. The Knight-Captain spoke to my parents on my behalf. They agreed to send me for training. I was thirteen when I left home.¡± He explained as he scooted himself a little closer to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very old.¡± Sirena replied, oblivious to the fact that he had moved himself closer to her since it wasn¡¯t an obvious move.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the youngest there. Some children are promised to the Order at infancy. Still, I didn¡¯t take on full responsibilities until I was eighteen. The Order sees you trained and educated first.¡± Without knowing what she was doing, the girl moved herself closer to Cullen while softly blushing a shade of pink. The American was happy that it was cold out so the blame could be put on the chill in the air.

    ¡°What about your family? Did you miss them?¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Of course. But there were many my age who felt the same. We learned to look out for one another.¡± Cullen scooted even closer to her to the point they were sitting right next to each other.

    ¡°What do Templars do exactly?¡± The topic was very interesting to the young woman. It also gave her an excuse to listen to his voice.

    ¡°Templars protect against the dangers of magic. Before the Order left the Chantry, that meant serving in the circle. They were also tasked with tracking apostates or fighting demons inevitably summoned by the weak or malicious.¡± Sirena bit her lip wondering if she should ask her next questions.

    ¡°What do you think of mages?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the suffering magic can inflict. I¡¯ve treated mages with distrust because of it- at times without cause. That was unworthy of me. I¡¯ll try not to do so here. Not that I want mages moving through our base completely unchecked. We need safe guards in place to protect people- including mages- from possession, at the least.¡±

    ¡°What was a typical day for a Templar in the circle?¡± The questions just continued which caused Cullen to let out a little laugh.

    ¡°¡¯Typical¡¯. The last time I was in a circle was right before it fell apart. Nothing was typical.¡± He had a strong urge to move his hand to hers but he held himself back, yet again.

    ¡°What about before that then?¡±

    ¡°Certain rituals require a full guard. A mages harrowing, for instance. I¡¯ve attended a few. Most of the time you merely maintain a presence; on patrol in the circle. And ready to respond if needed. Mages pretend to ignore that presence, but they¡¯re watching you just as closely.¡± Her head nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Do Templars and mages never talk to each other?¡± Sirena asked curiously since from the way he was speaking it sounded like they never did.

    ¡°Some do. But Templars are supposed to maintain a certain distance from their charges. If a mage is possessed or uses blood magic, you must act quickly, without hesitation. Your judgement cannot be clouded. Of course ignoring one another does nothing to foster understanding.¡± Cullen looked out over towards the scenic view after he spoke while continuing to ignore the urge to grab her hand.

    ¡°How are Templars trained?¡± The American asked in her less eloquent speech.

    ¡°There is weapon and combat training. Even without their abilities, Templars are among the best warriors in Thedas. Initiates must also memorize portions of the Chant of Light, study history, and improve mental focus.¡±

    ¡°Did you enjoy your training?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to learn everything. If I was giving my life to this, I would be the best Templar I could be.¡± She smiled softly, happy to hear she wasn¡¯t the only one who tried to do their best.

    ¡°So you were a model student.¡± She heard him laugh again which made her smile even more.

    ¡°I wanted to be. I wasn¡¯t always successful. Watching a candle burn down while reciting the Chant of Transfigurations wasn¡¯t the most exciting task. I admit, my mind sometimes wondered.¡± Sirena let out a laugh knowing full well how that was.

    ¡°When I was in college, I almost fell asleep in my afternoon classes. I strived to be the best student I could possibly be, but the tests liked to fuck me over.¡± Cullen ended up laughing from what she said. By this time, they had spent the whole day talking. The two didn¡¯t realize how much time had passed while they were outside. They only noticed that it was getting dark out and slightly colder.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have test anxieties then.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I do or don¡¯t. However, I do know I have a lot of random information in this brain of mine. Anything with numbers though¡­ I forget real easily.¡± Her face turned red from embarrassment after she admitted one of her problems. The girl¡¯s memory was so bad at remembering dates when they weren¡¯t important to her, among other things that had to do with math and science. The Commander let out a laugh, though, not at her. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really, only that you have problems remembering anything with numbers. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Cullen explained since he¡¯s never heard such thing. ¡°What was your favorite subject or subjects in college?¡± He asked thinking she might have done some studies in a College of Magi.

    ¡°I really enjoyed history and psychology.¡± The American answered thinking back to the days when she went to school. Cullen looked at her with his brows furrowed since he knew what the mage schools teach their students and it never involved whatever the later subject was.

    ¡°What is psychology?¡± He asked her curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s the study of the mind. Literally.¡± She explained as she looked up at him, not at all caring about how close he is. ¡°It helps us understand why people do the things they do, for example serial killers. What makes them the way they are?¡± The young woman asked which was a rhetorical question. ¡°It¡¯s a way to look inside the mind so to speak.¡± Cullen looked at her since he had never heard of the study of the mind before and it made him wonder what else she knew.

    ¡°That actually sounds very interesting.¡± He said honestly since he loved to learn new things.

    ¡°If I had my text book, I would give it to you. Sadly, I don¡¯t have it.¡± She said apologetically. It was nice to share the things she knew with someone even if it was things he wasn¡¯t supposed to know. But, Sirena didn¡¯t like keeping secrets nor lie.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. There will always be another time.¡± Cullen said when he felt something on his arm. He looked down to see her head was leaning against him which made him smile. His arm hesitantly slipped around her as they sat silently thinking about what they had learned about each other. Sirena eyes began to close as she relaxed against him. It was getting late after all.

    After an hour or two, the young woman¡¯s breathing evened out which told him she had fallen asleep. He then slipped an arm under her legs and stood up to carry her to the shack she was sharing with the Herald. As he was walking with her in his arms yet again, he noticed it was quiet in Haven and the only place making any noise was the tavern. When he made it to the place, he opened the door as quietly as he could so he wouldn¡¯t disturb Trevelyan. Cullen then walked over to the empty bed and set Sirena down gently. He then covered her with a few blankets while also leaving his cloak on her. The Commander leaned down almost placing his lips on her forehead until he realized what was happening; he stood up straight and made his way out of their shack quickly while mentally scolding himself. Quietly, he walked over to the training grounds where his tent sat as his boots crunched down on the white ice-cold fluff that covered the ground. After walking a few minutes, he finally walked up to his tent when he heard other footsteps behind him.

    ¡°I noticed you weren¡¯t at the training grounds, Cullen.¡± His friend said from behind. The Commander turned around and smiled at Rylen while remaining silent. ¡°I¡¯m going to assume you were with oh- what¡¯s- her- name¡­? Sirena?¡± He asked with a knowing smirk.

    ¡°I was, yes. I spent the whole day with her it seems.¡± Cullen answered his second in command after him.

    ¡°Doing what?¡± Rylen asked hoping his friend had actually done something with her.

    ¡°Talking. We talked all day and it was actually very nice.¡± His friend slapped his forehead and shook his head.

    ¡°Cullen¡­ You definitely need to get yourself a mistress or wife.¡± Rylen said hinting that his friend needed to get laid. The blonde man pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

    ¡°I will not take a mistress, you should know this, in fact in order to have a mistress I would need to be married. And I doubt I¡¯ll get married any time soon.¡± His friend clapped him on the back with a grin on his face.

    ¡°You might and you might not. You could always court the young lady who you seem to have some sort of connection with.¡± Cullen¡¯s friend from Kirkwall suggested knowing he would eventually not care about whom she was related to or what her age was.

    ¡°I told you, it would be inappropriate for me to even try courting her. Flirting here and there is okay because it is nothing serious.¡± The Commander said with frustration, more so at himself.

    ¡°In whose opinion?¡± Rylen asked making a point to Cullen. ¡°If you don¡¯t take a chance now or soon, it might be too late when you do.¡±

 Chapter Eighteen

    Sirena opened her eyes and looked around realizing she wasn¡¯t with Cullen anymore; and she also noticed she was nice and warm since she was wrapped in blankets. The girl got out of bed then changed her clothes as well as her usual morning routine that she kept up even while she was in school. Since her hair was finally dry, she was able to pull the hair tie out of her hair and let her fake blonde curly locks fall down past her shoulders. It was great to see her hair come down in waves after brushing her mane.

    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake. We are going to head over to the war room and discuss our plans.¡± Evelyn said which caused Sirena to jump since she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to talk to her in the morning. In fact she was usually groggy in the early morning.

    ¡°What plans do we have exactly?¡± The American asked dragging herself out of the shack while grabbing Cullen¡¯s cape that was usually is over his armor.

    ¡°You will find out.¡± Her cousin said as she made her way through Haven¡¯s village to get to the Chantry. Trevelyan looked at her left hand every now and again to see the mark with a frown. She wasn¡¯t used to the new title she had received so her cousin made her feel more normal like the time before the green glow appeared on her hand. After she walked up to the Chantry, she slowly made her way through the building. Sirena could hear one of the sisters teaching the kids their version of what she assumed was their Sunday school. It was too early to deal with that. Her steps became a lot faster to the war room, basically rushing to the door and opening it to get inside. Evelyn followed her inside at a slower pace with a raised brow. ¡°You were fast.¡±

    ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m free!¡± The American said not realizing anyone was in until she heard laughter behind her causing her face to turn red from embarrassment. ¡°They were there the whole time, weren¡¯t they?¡± Trevelyan bit her lip and tried her hardest not to laugh while nodding her head.

    ¡°Yes, they have been there the whole time as you yelled out you were free. What are you free from anyway?¡± She asked curiously as she folded her arms over her chest.

    ¡°Uh well¡­ From the¡­ The uh¡­ That¡­ The maker stuff¡­¡± Sirena had fished for words while looking at the floor. ¡°Well I think I made myself look stupid enough for one day.¡± She let out a little cough and walked over to the table while keeping her head down to avoid any eye contact that could be made. Her ears caught the sound of the Herald following behind her to stand in her usual spot.

    ¡°We heard you made plans, Lady Herald.¡± Josephine said as she looked at the noble woman with a raised brow. ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°We are going to the Hinterlands. While we are out there, is there any way you can send messages to the nobles to get their support so we can get in contact with the Templars?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Herald.¡± Josephine bowed her head as she wrote something down in her clip board. ¡°Why will you be going to the Hinterlands?¡±

    ¡°Something has come up and I was asked to check it out.¡± Evelyn answered with a straight face. The American looked at her cousin with a raised brow while remaining silent. ¡®It must be about Blackwall then.¡¯ She thought before her head snapped when she remembered the Herald saying ¡°we¡±.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡°we¡±?¡± She asked Trevelyan.

    ¡°I meant you, me, Varric, Solas, and Cassandra.¡± The Herald listed all the people she planned on taking with her to the Hinterlands.

    ¡°This is the first I¡¯ve heard of this plan.¡± The Seeker said beside Evelyn. Since she was the one who started the Inquisition in the first place, she was allowed to join the advisors in the war room. She also gave advice from time to time to help.

    ¡°I only found out about it yesterday.¡± Trevelyan admitted while scratching the back of her neck.

    ¡°How soon will we be going?¡± Cassandra asked hoping she had a day to prepare for their leave.

    ¡°Today! The sooner we leave the better right?¡± The Herald asked with a smile. ¡°We do have enough time to get out there since we are up at a decent hour.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second; are there spiders out there?¡± Sirena asked not at all wanting to face the eight legged, six to twelve eyed, and big butt arachnids. She was scared of them and she also knew how big they could get in Thedas. Knowing herself, she would either scream and run away from them or go down in fetal position and cry. Just the thought of those nasty things made her shudder. Trevelyan looked at the American wondering if she shared her fear of spiders.

    ¡°There are some in caves.¡± She answered as her curiosity was piquing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be avoiding those, right?¡± The youngest person in the group asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t make promises but we can try.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stepping foot into the caves where spiders dwell. Fuck that shit.¡± Sirena said letting her fear get known to everyone in the room. If she was able to, she would avoid those nasty things. She heard a chuckle that got covered up with a cough. ¡®At least someone enjoys my misery.¡¯ The American girl thought while glaring at the table now in silence.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t have to step foot into them, just come with us to the Hinterlands.¡± Evelyn said trying to persuade her little cousin.

    ¡°Actually Herald, she can¡¯t. I had heard she had interest to learn duel wielding, so I had set up lessons for her.¡± Leliana put in while carefully watching Trevelyan¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Evelyn said calmly while pulling out a dagger and pressed her finger against the blade¡¯s tip. ¡°Have fun with your lessons and we will see you when you get back because we really need to get going.¡± She said nodding her head to Cassandra to follow and exiting the war room. Sirena heard the door shut which told her the Herald had left the building. It had remained quiet for a few minutes as everyone thought of what had happened until the twenty-three year old spoke up.

    ¡°So¡­ I have an instructor now?¡± Josephine looked at Leliana then at the girl who she noticed actually looked like a noble to her total surprise.

    ¡°What did I miss?¡± She asked curiously in her thick accent as she looked over at Cullen as well wondering if he was as lost as she was. The Antivan frowned in disappointment when she realized they all knew what was going on.

    ¡°I offered Sirena here a chance to learn rogue skills since she had showed interest to our Commander awhile back ago.¡± The spymaster explained as she leaned against the table while looking at the young woman who was standing across from Cullen. Leliana may have told part of the truth but not all of it which most likely meant her offer was to be kept under wraps.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t all she was showing interest in.¡± The Ambassador said with a smirk as she saw the Herald¡¯s cousin¡¯s face turn red. Leliana looked over at the girl smiling in amusement. It seemed she was too easy to tease.

    ¡°Anyway it is time for your first lesson. Commander, would you please escort the Lady Laurelet to her lesson?¡±

    ¡°Where would her lesson be located at?¡±

    ¡°It will be in your training grounds and if not there, then close to it.¡± Leliana answered his question. Cullen gave a nod of his head in understanding and walked around the table doing what the Spymaster had asked of him. He gave another nod to Sirena to tell her to follow him when he saw her look. After the door closed when the two left, the spymaster let out another smirk of amusement from what her friend had said. ¡°Josie, I cannot believe you said that in front of them.¡±

    ¡°Shall we change our bet a little?¡± Josephine asked in a challenging way as she continued to smile while holding her clip board.

    ¡°Alright; I bet they will be a couple after all this is done.¡±

    ¡°And I bet they will become a couple right before the rift closes whenever that may be.¡± Leliana let out a little laugh and shook her head.

    ¡°You clearly don¡¯t know Cullen that well then.¡±

    ¡°We will see.¡±

    As the two women talked in the war room, Sirena and Cullen walked through the Chantry in silence. She could still feel the heat in her face from Josephine¡¯s comment. Her hands rose up to her cheeks as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Cullen looked down at her with a smile on his lips.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯re both victims of their jokes.¡± He said quietly for her ears only. They were also words meant to comfort her.

    ¡°I¡¯m used to humiliating myself so I¡¯m used to it by now.¡± She admitted to her love interest. In her world she somehow managed to diss herself all the time when she was with her friends and family.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there is more to it than that.¡± He said as he walked with her. His eyes glanced down at her to see a faraway look in her eyes before he heard her answer.

    ¡°Oh there is, but that is a discussion for another day.¡± She said with a smile on her face before making a run for it. As she ran through Haven¡¯s village, she looked back to see Cullen running after her which made her laugh. After running out of the village, Sirena saw a man who looked like he was waiting for someone right outside the Commander¡¯s training grounds. She walked up to him slowly and got a better look at him. The man was fairly good looking. Very fit yet slim. He had pale skin with tannish tint to it while his eyes were slightly slanted with an almond shape to them as well. She could see his eyes were a dark brown color but looked black from a far. His black hair hung a little past his shoulders in soft waves. What caught her attention the most was the gentle smile on his face. He definitely looked Korean to her which made her eyes light up. ¡®Thank you Leliana¡¯ she thought as a grin spread across on her face. The man looked over at her and smiled even more as he walked up to her. As soon as he was in front of her, he gave her a little bow.

    ¡°Annyonghi-haseyo! Nae ileum-eun Hui-Seon (Hello! My name is Hui Seon).¡± He introduced himself before he rose back up from his bow.

    ¡°Annyonghi-haseyo, jenun Sirena imnida (Hello, I am Sirena).¡± She gave him a quick bow back while showing her excitement. ¡°Do you speak English?¡± The American asked curiously hoping they won¡¯t have a language barrier though she wouldn¡¯t care if there was one. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Cullen walking over towards the area where his soldiers were training without even glancing at her from what she could tell.

    ¡°Ah, yes, I can speak your language.¡± He replied with a little laugh. ¡°I am your instructor; it is nice to meet you.¡± Hui-Seon said in his Asian accent which made her fan girl on the inside. ¡°If you like we can get to know to know one another before we start your training to get a student and teacher relationship going.¡±

    ¡°Uh sure, that sounds great actually.¡± She gave him another bow to show her appreciation for his kindness.

    Cullen had been standing next to his friend Rylen, watching over the recruits that kept coming from the Hinterlands. For the most part he remained quiet until he had to bark out orders to both the ex-Templars and those who were farmers before they joined the Inquisition forces. His friend Rylen on the other hand was watching Sirena and who ever she was talking to. The man looked like he was in his twenties but he couldn¡¯t be sure. The way the two were smiling and talking was not settling well with him.

    ¡°Cullen, do you know that person talking to Lady Laurelet?¡± The Commander looked back and saw the two talking as well. He recognized him when he walked back to his army but otherwise didn¡¯t know him.

    ¡°No, but I know Leliana hired someone to train her in duo wielding so might be her instructor.¡± Cullen explained to his friend as he looked over some of the reports that were now in his hand since they were delivered.

    ¡°Well from over here, it looks like they¡¯re flirting.¡± Rylen said hoping his friend would take a closer look at the situation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡± Cullen said dismissively while shaking his head at his friend.

    ¡°You say that now¡­¡± He mumbled as he watched the two walk back into Haven¡¯s little village.

 Chapter Nineteen

    Hui-Seon walked beside Sirena with his hands folded behind his back with a soft smile on his face. The American looked back over her shoulder to look at Cullen to see what he was doing and whether if he was watching her or not. Instead of the Commander, her eyes caught the second in command looking over at her which made her raise a brow at him. For some strange reason, she had a feeling she would get along with him just fine. Her gaze then looked over towards the stables to see a few horses missing which told her Evelyn had already left. The Asian man looked over at her as she looked around.

    ¡°Yeogineun kkwae aleumdabseubnida (it is quite beautiful here).¡± He said trying to start a conversation with her since they were walking in silence for a little bit.

    ¡°Nae saeng-gag en gaeinjeog-eulo nun-I silh-eo(I guess, but I personally don¡¯t like the snow).¡± Sirena admitted in the same language as the young man. She hated the snow ever since her high school days. One year it snowed so much to the point the high school roof collapsed and everyone was out of school for a whole month or two, she couldn¡¯t remember exactly. But because of the roof collapsing and re-building it, they had to make up some of the days on the weekends. That was the main reason why she disliked the snow. It wasn¡¯t really the first time she missed school for long periods of time because of snow either. It happened to her while she was going to college as well, and the teachers expected their students to do homework while the power was out and send it through their emails, where was the logic in that? Since she was in Thedas, she might as well have some fun in the winter wonderland.

    ¡°Wae geugeol joh-ahaji anhneungeoya(why don¡¯t you like it)?¡± Hui-Seon asked out of curiosity as they made their way through Haven¡¯s village.

    ¡°Naneun geugeos-eulo nappuen gwageoleul gajyeossda (I had a bad past with it).¡± She answered him vaguely. The young woman was really watching what she was saying now since she let her old school life slip out while she was talking to Cullen the night before.

    ¡°That would be a good reason to hate snow, if only I knew what the reason was.¡± He had switched to English as they neared a more public setting. They finally made it inside the tavern where it was warmer and there were people milling about. The bard was playing on her lute while singing a song about some Hero which made Sirena roll her eyes. In her opinion the music sucked real badly in Thedas. She really missed the music she used to listen to that had all the bass and actual good beat with lyrics that had meaning to them. Well, ones that weren¡¯t about sex, drugs, and money anyway.

    ¡°It was just hard to get studies done¡­¡± She said vaguely again, hoping he would change the subject as she continued to listen to the bard. Thanks to her history classes and video games like Elder Scrolls, she knew what bards sang about. They told stories in their music which were sometimes about a certain person or an event that had happened. Hui-Seon saw her roll her eyes earlier which made him smile in amusement.

    ¡°I noticed you rolled your eyes.¡±

    ¡°That I did.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± He asked curiously as he motioned at a table for them to sit at. The Korean sat down at the table as he waited for the American to speak.

    ¡°The music¡­ It¡¯s not even real music in my opinion.¡± She sat down on the bench while trying to ignore the person singing. It was really dreadful to her ears. The singing itself wasn¡¯t bad, but the song didn¡¯t make her feel anything therefore it wasn¡¯t worth listening to.

    ¡°I personally prefer the music in my home country as well. The music is plain here. There isn¡¯t any variation in the instruments here.¡± He said agreeing with the American about the music.

    It must have been break time for the soldiers because out of the blue, a bunch of men who were part of the forces started pouring into the tavern. Sirena saw the Commander¡¯s second in command enter the place which caused her to wonder if he was following her. She then caught sight of Cullen entering after him. Just looking at him, the man who commands authority, made her heart race in her chest which made her forget who she was sitting across from. Her eyes followed his movements to a table where he was sitting which wasn¡¯t far from where she was.

    ¡°Would you like anything to eat and or drink?¡± Hui-Seon asked since it looked like it was lunch time. The young woman dug out some coins to help pay for the drink that she was wanting to get.

    ¡°A fruity drink would be nice actually.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will be back.¡± The Korean man walked away from the table towards the bar without taking the money from her hand. She placed her elbow on the table then rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Her eyes looked back over to the other table and caught Cullen glancing at her. He gave her a smile and a little wave before his neck turned a slight shade of red. Her eyes glanced down at the table quickly before looking back up at him. She gave him a little shy wave of her own with a small smile. The edge of her vision caught his friend sitting down across from him. Taking a deep breath, Sirena stood up and walked over to their table.

    ¡°Okay Second in Command, I think it¡¯s time we introduce ourselves to one another.¡± She said while crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at him. ¡°Let me start. My name is Sirena Laurelet and you are?¡± Cullen grinned at his friend before Rylen turned to look at the short yet slim girl.

    ¡°I am Rylen, a friend of Cullen¡¯s. It is nice to finally meet you lovely.¡± He smirked at the girl before giving her a wink. The American girl rolled her eyes.

    ¡°It is nice to meet you as well Rylen. I hope you enjoy your lunch.¡± She said to keep the introductions brief before walking back to the table where she was sitting at with Hui-Seon as the two men watched her. Rylen looked over at his friend who was now chuckling. The Second in Command took a sip of his ale.

    ¡°She¡¯s bold, I¡¯ll give her that. Is she always like that?¡± The Commander shook his head when he noticed the man with a light tan to his skin finally sat across from the woman who he was slowly getting feelings for and handed her a glass.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s a lot more modest. You probably did something to provoke her.¡± He continued to watch the girl as she drank the glass then got up off the bench with the man she was sitting across from and walked out of the building.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    During the course of a month or two, maybe less, Sirena had learned how to dual wield and since she was getting taught by someone who knew taekwondo, she had also learned martial arts the proper way. The skills she had learnt were useful for both: spy and assassin work as well as defense and offense. Just like with Cullen, she had learned fairly quickly. Of course, the girl had received a few bruises which was no surprise.

    With no one around in the training area, the American girl and Hui-Seon were able to maneuver more freely since they didn¡¯t have to be careful since no one was around. She swung her flat hand around blocking and dodging his attacks in hand to hand combat. When she got up close to him, she jumped a little and lifted her right leg up into a high kick while the wooden training dagger were strapped to her thighs. Hui-Seon then tried to catch her off guard but since he trained her and with Cullen¡¯s instruction in the back of her mind she was able to dodge his swinging arms by bending down and swinging her own hand into his while grabbing one of her daggers with a free hand then swung the sparring wooden dagger into him. Her leg swept behind his lower leg making him fall backwards onto his back. She then pulled out her other dagger and quickly straddles him pressing the dull points to his neck signifying that he was dead. A grin spread across her lips when she finally beat him. It was the first time she was able to do it. The feeling exhilarated her to the point she had a lot of energy to spend.

    While working in his tent, reading the reports he received, he was able to hear everything that was going on outside. Cullen sighed not wanting to read anymore reports even though they had to get done. He set his work aside for a little while and walked outside his tent to watch Sirena and her instructor spar against each other. The Commander walked towards the empty space between the tables that were being used as the weapon racks. Where he was standing, he had a good view of the two. As he watched the young woman kick her opponent onto the snowy ground then straddle the man. A pang of anger went through his chest as he wished it was him that she was straddling and not that other man that was when the green shade from the Breach in the sky made him get distracted from his thoughts. His eyes flicked up to look at the Emerald green glow. He knew, no he hoped, the Herald could close it with the help from the Templars. His golden brown gaze then went back to the woman who was still training. Cullen saw a few bruises on her chest and neck area. She had improved quite a lot since he worked with her. He could tell that she was able to better defend herself against any oncoming attacks. His hand rose up to the back of his neck before walking back to his tent to work as he heard the man with the weird accent talk to Sirena in a language he did not understand.

    ¡°Uliga yeogiseo kkeutnaeneun geoscheoleom boibnida. Jinan myeoch ju dong-an manh-eun geos-eul baewossseubnida. Dangsin-eun siljelo seupaling-eseo naleul ttaelyeoss-eo chughahae (it looks like we are done here. You¡¯ve learned a lot these last couple of weeks. You actually beat me in the spar. Congratulations).¡± Hui-Seon said while getting up after Sirena had got off of him.

    ¡°Kamsahamnida. Geugeos-eun maeu jaemi iss-eossda. Naneun musul-eul baeuneun geos-eul jeulyeossda. Geuge jigeum naleul mandeunuen mueos-ibnikka? Geom-eun belteu (thank you. It was very fun. I enjoyed learning martial arts. What does that make me now? A black belt)?¡± She asked with a smile that showed she was joking around while giving him a bow to show how grateful she was for all that he had done. After the Korean bowed back with a laugh and nodded his head once, the American grinned at him then skipped over to the Commander¡¯s tent even though it was dark out. ¡°Knock knock.¡± She said announcing her presence so he wouldn¡¯t get startled. Cullen looked up from the papers on his desk to see Sirena standing right outside his tent in the cold.

    ¡°Sirena, come in.¡± He said before looking back down and writing responses in the reports. ¡°How was practice?¡± Cullen asked while keeping his voice neutral due to the jealous feeling he had earlier that evening.

    ¡°It was rather fun yet painful. I hope I¡¯m not bothering you at all.¡± She said ready to be sent away since he did look busy.

    ¡°You¡¯re fine, was there anything you need?¡±

    ¡°I would like to get to know you better actually, if that¡¯s not a problem.¡± She said while her hands fidgeted a little.

    ¡°What would you like to know?¡± He asked while glancing up at her very quickly before going back to his work.

    ¡°Okay¡­ Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I grew up in Fereldon, near Honnleath. I was transferred to Kirkwall shortly after the Blight. This is the first I¡¯ve returned in almost ten years.¡±

    ¡°You have been away from Fereldon a long time; are you glad to be back in your home country?¡±

    ¡°I was not sorry to leave at the time. I did not expect to return. Now- between the Divine¡¯s murder and the Breach- I¡¯ve arrived to find nothing but chaos.¡± Cullen said in his commander voice.

    ¡°So¡­ There are stories about a Blight. Did you fight any of those walking corpses?¡± The American asked before biting her lip. Sirena enjoyed watching him as he worked.

    ¡°No, I was stationed at Fereldon¡¯s Circle Tower. The Circle had trouble of its own. I¡­ remained there during the Blight.¡± The twenty-three year old sat down on his cot since her feet were getting tired from standing.

    ¡°What happened in the circle?¡±

    ¡°Few who survived the Blight have fond memories of that time. I would prefer not to speak of it.¡± The American looked down at her lap feeling ashamed for even asking the last question. Cullen looked up at her and saw the look on her face and felt a little guilty for using such professional tone to the point it may have sounded heartless. What she said next pulled at his heart even though it shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I over stepped my boundaries.¡± She said before getting up from his military styled cot. Her feet then carried her over to the flap of his tent within three steps. ¡°I will stop bothering you for the night.¡± Her hand reached out towards the flap when she heard his voice call out to her.

    ¡°Sirena, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just bad memories that I don¡¯t wish to talk about right now. You are welcome to stay.¡± He said in a softer tone than he was using before. Her head turned slightly back to look at him.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± The American walked back over to his bed and sat back down while also changing the subject. ¡°Looks like you have a lot of work to do.¡±

    ¡°It is, indeed, a lot of work. They are nothing but reports to read and sign.¡± Cullen said still looking up at her. He wanted her to go back on the topic of her training that she had done. ¡°What kind of fighting style were you using? It looked rather graceful.¡± His ears caught the light sound of her chuckle and also noticed her face turn into a soft pink color.

    ¡°It¡¯s called martial arts. There are many different kinds, but I think he specifically taught me taekwondo.¡± She explained to him having a feeling he had no idea what she was talking about.

    ¡°What are martial arts exactly?¡± Cullen asked trying to finish up his work. He also ended up proving her thoughts right about not knowing what she was talking about.

    ¡°It is a fighting style that some people use in Asia. Well, the eastern part anyway¡­ I think. But it has become quite popular to the point foreigners like myself take the time to learn it.¡± The American saw the pile on his desk get smaller as he worked late which made her wonder if he did this on a daily basis. ¡°Looks like you are about done with your work and it is also getting late. I think I should get going, I need to get some shut eye.¡± She said before he caught her standing up from sitting on his bed.

    ¡°Quick question.¡± The American turned around to look at him, letting him know he had her full attention. ¡°Are you officially done with your training?¡±

    ¡°Good question, which is one I cannot answer just yet because I don¡¯t know myself. I hope you rest well Cullen.¡± Cullen watched as she finally left his tent wondering if he should go with her. As he sat and finished his work, his thoughts immediately went to the young woman who had just left as he removed himself from his desk. He walked over to his armor stand and took his armor off before placing it neatly on the stand before going to bed as he wondered what it would be like to hold her.

 Chapter Twenty

    The next morning when Sirena walked out of the shack, she heard a lot of whispers about the Herald arriving back in Haven finally. The young woman ran down past the gates of Haven to see if the whispers were true or not. She had to see if her adopted cousin had come back. The American ran past the training area to the stables to see the missing horses were back with a few more than they had left with. She turned herself around and walked in a fast pace back into Haven. Her pace still remained fast while walking through the little village till she made it to the big tall building.

    As she continued to walk, her pace slowed down to a normal pace as she made her way through the chantry as quietly as she could. She gave a soft shy smile to everyone she had passed by and didn¡¯t know while walking towards the door straight ahead. After she walked up towards the door, she heard voices on the other side. Multiple voices. The American knew who the voices belonged to which made her wonder why no one had woken her up earlier. It really aggravated her that someone couldn¡¯t take the time out of their day to wake her up. Yes, she was difficult and possibly physical, but still it was no excuse. Now Sirena ended up glaring at the door while remembering what happened before Evelyn had left. Leliana had sent the ravens out with messages attached to their legs to fly out to the powerful noble families in Thedas who might be able to back up the inquisition. The inquisition needed to get the Templars to listen to them. Then it clicked in her brain finally, that is what they must be talking about in the room.

    With a little sigh, Sirena opened the door quietly and finally slipped into the room when she noticed everyone had stopped talking to look at her. She raised a dark brown brow at everyone as her gaze moved around the table. This was starting to feel like d¨¦j¨¤ vu to her. Her feet carried her over towards the table to her usual spot with bags under her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting.¡± She said avoiding everyone¡¯s gaze as she rubbed her eyes. The American didn¡¯t want to know how bad she looked at that moment in time. Heaven knows she already felt terrible.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. You are an advisor who is very good at remaining neutral. You¡¯re very much needed here.¡± Josephine answered her apology. If she had water in her mouth, she probably would have spewed it out. She had no idea that they thought of her that way. It truly was a shock since she didn¡¯t think that she was that intelligent. For Josephine to give that sort of compliment was an honor, but that did not give anyone an excuse to not wake her up. In the end though, she decided to let it go.

    ¡°Shall the discussion continue?¡± The young woman asked with as much poise as she can muster at that point in time since she felt like her brain was thinking sluggishly from sleeping in. Everyone but Cullen shrugged their shoulders. Instead, he looked at her before looking over at the Herald with his brows furrowed.

    ¡°The Templars must help us close the breach. The order was founded to fight magic!¡± The commander said passionately which also caused Sirena to raise her eyes to look at him.

    ¡°What is wrong with magic?¡± She asked in defense of magic since she knew not all magic was bad. The American also knew he didn¡¯t believe all magic bad either. It seemed like no matter where a person was from and no matter what world, someone was going to find some issue with some sort of magic. History has proven that time and time again from the medieval persecution to the Salem witch trials. Thedas wasn¡¯t very much different it seemed.

    ¡°N-nothing! Nothing is wrong with magic.¡± His ears turned pink in embarrassment. ¡°Well maybe except blood magic¡­¡±

    ¡°We must first convince the Lord Seeker to bring the Templars out of exile.¡± Leliana cut into what could have been a fight between the two. She had no idea what had gotten into the Commander and the younger person. The spymaster knew Cullen has had bad history with magic since she saw it first hand in the fifth blight, but Sirena, she didn¡¯t understand. She noticed Cullen¡¯s hand moved onto the hilt of his sword in a soft shaking movement as he turned to look at the spymaster.

    ¡°We¡¯ve received word from a knight recruit. They gather at Therinfall Redoubt.¡± Cassandra finally came to life with the look of disbelief written all over her face. Apparently it was odd for people to go there.

    ¡°It has been vacant for decades. Why go there?¡± Sirena let out a little chuckle. There were so many thoughts that ran through her mind as to why they would be there and a lot of the thoughts were funny. She imagined them trying to communicate with the dead if there were any there.

    ¡°Maybe they want to have some fun by hunting for ghosts. An old abandoned building is perfect for that.¡± She said with a little amused smile. The funny part was she wasn¡¯t really joking. Where she was from people actually did that sort of thing. Hell, even she enjoyed ghost hunting. Sadly, her comment earned her a glare from the Seeker that told her to shut up. ¡°What? It¡¯s a possibility¡­¡± Cassandra shook her head in disgust at the young blonde.

    ¡°We must approach the Lord Seeker again to get anywhere; we can ask him then.¡± Josephine said getting the discussion back on track.

    ¡°If we present a plan to seal the breach the Templars may ally with us.¡± Evelyn had put in with seriousness since one of the cousins had to be focused.

    ¡°First we must prove ourselves to be an attractive prospect.¡± Leliana added with her arms folded behind her back while looking at Cassandra, the Herald, and the new girl.

    ¡°If its status the Lord Seeker seeks, the inquisition will approach him after allying with the noblest houses in Orlais.¡± Josephine was very confident about the noble alliances as she held her ledger.

    ¡°They¡¯ll come with us to Therinfall and demand the Templars help to close the breach.¡± The spymaster continued knowing what the Ambassador was thinking. The only one who looked doubtful was the Commander.

    ¡°You believe that will work?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about believing¡­¡± Sirena cut in as her tired eyes remained looking at the two maps on the table. ¡°It¡¯s about confidence and facts. The more powerful people to back us up, the better off we are.¡± She said making a valid point as she raised her gaze to look at the man who was in commander mode. Even the Seeker was nodding her head in agreement to what the American said.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Even the Lord Seeker would find it difficult to ignore so many nobles on his doorstep.¡±

    ¡°Yes, especially when led by the Herald of Andraste.¡± Leliana said adding to Cassandra¡¯s statement, trying to ease Cullen¡¯s concerns it seems.

    ¡°If it stops the sky from ripping open, I¡¯m listening.¡± Evelyn said as the Herald instead of her usual non business self. The woman may not like the title from Sirena¡¯s observation, but she is growing accustomed to it whether she liked it or not. The Herald noticed the red head was over at her as she spoke.

    ¡°Rumors are you were saved from the fade by Andraste have grown legion among the Templars.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve done our part to encourage them.¡± The Ambassador added proudly with a smile before Leliana continued the conversation.

    ¡°A Herald with a few companions may be dismissed. Easily set aside. That same Herald returning with noble support will be reconsidered, as will the power of the inquisition.¡±

    ¡°If I have a growing reputation, we may use that as well, use it.¡± Evelyn said with agreement. It did sound like a solid plan after all. Even the American was impressed with all the brain power.

    ¡°If it moves the Templars to question the Lord Seeker¡¯s orders, he may rethink his stance.¡± Cassandra said basically repeating what¡¯s already been said. The American wanted to say something so badly about it, but thought better of it. Her eyes flicked up to notice a small smile play on Cullen¡¯s lips, stretching the scar that was on his upper lip which she had just noticed was there. As small as the smile was, it seemed to light up his face. She could feel the slight heat going to her face which told her she was blushing.

    ¡°With respect, after his appearance in Val Royeaux, hang what the Lord Seeker thinks.¡± As he spoke, she noticed his smile disappeared and the tone in his voice became angry. Sirena so badly wished to lay her hand on his arm to give him comfort and put a smile back on those lips.

    ¡°We do not need the Lord Seeker.¡± Leliana said with diction while agreeing with the handsome commander. ¡°We need his Templars, with or without his approval.¡± The Herald¡¯s cousin turned her head to look at Leliana in surprise with her brows raised. She had no idea the red head could sound so bad ass. ¡°The breach will not wait for our differences to settle.¡±

    ¡°Now the question on the table is will the nobles be coming here or will we meet them there?¡± Sirena asked out of curiosity since they needed to plan still. She wondered if anyone else thought about her question as well. Or was she the only one who thought about it?

    ¡°It will be better if they come here first so the Herald can lead them. And it will look like a united front.¡± Josephine said since it seemed like she knew more about the nobles as much as Trevelyan did since they were both born into nobility. ¡°I do believe some may just meet the Herald there.¡±

    ¡°Then I strongly suggest sending invitations to the nobles so they can get here or choose to meet our Herald there.¡± The American then made her way out of the room without looking back as her head pounded. She really felt like she could use a nap, but knew she wasn¡¯t going to get one. As she walked through the chantry, she heard footsteps behind her which she paid no attention to.

    ¡°Sirena,¡± a voice called out to her which she had recognized to belong to Cullen immediately. Her steps slowed down so he could catch up to her even though his strides were bigger than hers.

    ¡°What¡¯s up Cullen?¡± She asked as she looked down at the floor.

    ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± He asked with concern in his voice. That was what made her look up into his eyes with her tired ones. She was surprised to see genuine concern in those beautiful amber colored eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just tired. I know that doesn¡¯t make sense since I slept in¡­ but it happens to me when I don¡¯t get up at a decent hour.¡± She explained to him. The American was sure she wasn¡¯t the only who got like that.

    ¡°I understand. Jo- the inquisition forces were assigned to pitch up tents for the nobles.¡± His ears turned pink from his not so eloquent word change.

    ¡°If you like, I¡¯ll be happy to help.¡± The American offered with a soft smile which caused Cullen¡¯s heart to accelerate. Just being up close to her made his stomach flip flop while also seeing that her eyes had a beautiful balance of both blue and green with gold specks.

    ¡°We could use more hands to help us. If you are not too tired of course.¡± He watched her bow her head before her feet dragged themselves in a sluggish walk. With his lips tilt up a bit in a smile, he began to walk beside her.

    The two walked in silence towards the army camp where the nobles would be staying for a short period of time. It was beginning to feel like a routine to walk beside the Commander. A good routine at that. She even felt his hand bump against hers a few times which caused her heart to flutter. Sirena hadn¡¯t even realized they had made it to the encampment as she concentrated on her breathing when she heard not the plain man speak, but the Commander.

    ¡°Alright everyone, listen up! We have work to do! Set up camp for the coming nobles!¡± He barked out the order to his soldiers. It was the first time she actually saw Cullen give out an order, but it wasn¡¯t her first time seeing an army do military things since she was an army brat.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The soldiers replied in unison while saluting their commander before scattering off to do their assigned jobs. The American girl remained by Cullen¡¯s side for a bit so she could talk to him for a little bit about the tents.

    ¡°What if no noble shows up to stay? These poor men and women would have wasted their day¡­¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t waste their day per say¡­¡± He said looking down at the petite young woman standing next to him. ¡°At least they are learning discipline by doing this.¡± She let out a little snort in agreement since manual labor did indeed teach discipline for those who don¡¯t already have it.

    ¡°I guess I will go help.¡± The American girl said before she walked over towards an empty area that needed a tent pitched. She may have hated camping but she was glad she learned how to put up a tent. At least a modern tent anyway and not the old styled ones. With determination the woman began to work. Her face would scrunch up every now and again as she tried to remember what goes where since her brain felt like it was fried. Or she just didn¡¯t understand the stupid tent. She eventually got lost in the tent and tangled up as well. The question was, how was she getting tangled up? Sirena had pitched her own tent many times when she was traveling with Evelyn and her companions. Struggling still, she let out a frustrated sigh and flopped down.

    ¡°I give!¡± Sirena let out in exasperation. She pressed her wrist against her forehead when the sound of crunching could be heard. Her head turned when she saw Rylen standing over her with his arms crossed over his chest. She gave him a sheepish smile as she had lain down on the messed up tent.

    ¡°You give huh?¡± He asked her as a smirk had appeared on his features. It seemed he truly found the situation amusing.

    ¡°The tent attacked me, you see.¡± She waved her hands around to show she failed at an easy task. Well, what should have been easy anyways.

    ¡°Uh huh¡­ Would you like some help, Lady Laurelet?¡± The second in command asked as he tried to keep himself from laughing at the sight.

    ¡°Yes, I actually, would like some help.¡± She replied, swallowing what little pride she had to accept his help. ¡°Apparently I¡¯m too tired to do this on my own.¡± The American then got up from the tangled mess with the help from Cullen¡¯s friend. She then turned back around and went back to work with Rylen in silence. As she worked, she didn¡¯t realize the soldiers that were in close proximity had watched her situation while trying to hold in their own laughter.