Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere	By : TheStarvingArtist Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 7181 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE. This is a work of fiction, and I make no money from it. This fic contains dialogue from the game.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Author's note: What's this? Two chapters, in two days? Simply preposterous? But it is! I worked hard on this one, though it's mostly filler stuff to get to the fun things (like sex, cus let's face it, that's part of why I'm writing this and because it's just so much fun), but two more extra-fun bits are coming up in the next two chapters!
I'm sorry if the chat with Krem is a bit short, but I was fighting a headache today, and it sounded mostly somewhat okay when I read it over again. And yes, I'm setting things up for relationship stuff, don't worry, I'll get there.
And yes, Rio broke Solas' nose at the end of the last chapter.

Review Replies!
Rhino: You know, I was wondering about that myself. I think Kaaras would get along well, and likely so would Mr. Schmooples. As far as what this will do to her, that's going to come crashing down right about chapterrrrrr... 11. So next time! (As for how protective Bull will be... *sly grin*)

**This fic contains many quotes and much dialogue straight from the game.**

Chapter Ten
The Hunt of a Thousand Questions

When Rio finally stirred again, her blue-gold eyes opening blearily to look around her, she found herself alone. Lying on a cot, she was propped up on a mound of furs with more furs over her legs and draped across her shoulders. Groaning as she reached up, trying to wiggle out from under the suffocating warmth, her breath caught for a moment before she fell back onto the furs as the pain slowly faded again.
“Ahh, awake, I see,” a familiar voice said as the flap to the tent open, Dorian slipping inside with a smile. Rio sighed, shrugging as he chuckled. “Gave us quite the scare with your struggling... I thought we were going to have to tie you down...”
Rio shivered at that thought, weakly pushing the sable fur from her shoulders with tired hands, trying to get free again as she murmured, “Help me get this off, would ya? 'S too hot...”
The mage took some pity on his friend, helping her to gently pull the pelt from her front. He had to reach out to stop her when she tried to push off the rest, tucking her in tightly. “Ohhh, no you don't,” he said sternly as she tried to fight him, ignoring her frown. “You need to stay put so you can heal, Rio...”
“I'm fine, Dorian,” she said wearily, shoulders slumping. “Really, I am absolutely hunky-dory...”
“Well, then, I'll just call the publishers to have them redefine 'fine' as 'cracked ribs and hypothermia'...” Dorian said dryly, one eyebrow raising. “I think you'll find you'll recover much faster if you stay in bed...”
Rio's groan was loud as she flopped tiredly back against the furs, frowning. “I need to be out there, helping plan and get things moving!” she said. “There's so much that needs to be done...”
Dorian shook his head at that, smiling at her. “No, trust me... you don't want to be out there...” Blue-gold eyes narrowed at him, watching as he pulled out a vial of a pale blue liquid, unstopping it before handing it to her. “Here you go... For the pain...”
She frowned deeper at it, shaking her head and trying to push it away. “N-no, thanks,” she murmured, ignoring Dorian's concerned frown before he pushed the vial into her hand.
“Take it... I promise it won't make you sleep, but it will help it hurt less...” he said, watching her closely. She frowned, looking down at the bottle for several long, quiet moments before sighing, downing it in one quick go.

* * *

Hours later, Dorian was regretting the potion he'd given her. It did help her relax, yes, and some might say it lowered inhibitions just a bit, but he didn't expect... this. He couldn't believe the number of questions she asked him, those blue-gold eyes wide as she hung on his every word, pupils blown wide. At first, he hadn't minded in the least—she asked about him and his adventures and studies—but then she asked other things, and he realized her curiosity was endless. It had been at least four hours, as nearly as he could tell, but she didn't seem to tire, even though he knew she had to still be exhausted from her adventure.
He had tried to leave, just once, and she had managed to get one leg awkwardly out of the cot and levered herself up to her one foot, trying to pull the other out from under the mound of furs when she toppled over with a squeak. He barely caught her before she could fall and hit something, but it was clear, even in her state, she was determined to do what she wanted. Thus, he had remained at her side.
It wasn't as though he didn't enjoy answering her questions—he rather found them refreshing! But after the third attempt to explain how the Magisterium worked, he had pretty well given up and was grasping at straws. He hadn't thought it was that complicated, but Maker preserve him, she just wasn't getting it. He almost opened his mouth to tell her again to just lie back and sleep when the flap to the tent lifted, Krem ducking inside.
Dorian was no fool—he wasn't about to waste this opportunity.
“Ah, Dorian,” he said with a slight nod before nodding to Rio, who waved happily at him with a goofy smile on her face. “Your Worship... I had heard you were awake, so I came to check and see how you were. Warming up all right?”
“I'm perfectly toasty,” Rio said with a giggle. “How's Bull? And Dalish, and, and Grim, and... ummmm... Ssssstitches!” she said, smiling proudly as she remembered each name.
Krem chuckled, “They're fine, Your Worship... Thank you for asking...”
Dorian leapt to his feet, ushering Krem inside with a charming smile, pushing him towards the stool that he had just vacated. “Come, stay, sit a spell!” he said, the warrior frowning at him as Rio brightened. “Rio has just been brimming with questions about the world, and I only know so much, an you are much more traveled than I, Krem!” Krem's smile turned into a frown as Rio looked now to him instead.
“Oh, oh, I forgot! You must've traveled all over with the Chargers!” she said, eyes bright as she tried to get comfortable against the pile of furs. “Ohhh, please, Krem, tell me what it's like!” Rio begged, looking pleadingly at him.
Krem's frown deepened as Dorian leaned close and whispered, “I gave her something for the pain, and she keeps trying to leave the tent... Please, just... humor her.” Fawn eyes looked from Dorian to Rio, who was all bright blue and golden eyes and fluttering eyelashes, and he found himself sighing, shaking his head just a little.
“All right,” Krem said, turning to tell Dorian it would only be for a little while, only to find him gone, the flap of the tent settling back into place as Rio waited eagerly for his answer.
Not long after, Rio was eagerly listening to stories of the Chargers' exploits, some of the best and worst of their adventures. When Krem told her about trying to lure a giant for some noble's party, Rio laughed so hard, she started choking, trying to catch her breath as she relaxed back on the furs. “That's terrible!” she cried when she managed to compose herself a little again. “Did you at least get paid for it?”
“Ah, yes, in the end, we did, though it was a little doubtful there in the middle...” Krem said, relaxing on his stool. It was surprisingly easy to answer her questions. She never asked about things that were too personal, never probed deeper than what Krem was willing to share, and she was glad to answer any questions she was given. “What about where you're from?” he asked, glad to let her have a moment to speak as she sipped the water that one of the healers had left for her. “Are mages treated any differently there?”
“Mmm,” she said softly, leaning back again, “We don't have mages where I'm from... We don't have magic. We're violent towards each other in different ways.” Krem looked a little doubtful at that before she smiled, “There are lots of different things... Where I'm from, we discriminate by a lot of the same things as people do here. For instance, most people thing that someone from Tevinter is probably a bad guy, right? But, as we know with you and with Dorian, that's not always the case. Same with Earth, only we do it to humans from all over the planet. Honestly, I'd hate to see what we might do if we had Qunari and Orzammar Dwarves and elves running around—at the very least, we'd have another world war over the differences of opinion...”
“You have wars over there?” Krem asked, taking a swig from his own wine as Rio nodded in reply.
“Yep. Wars over land, wars over religion... There was even a war over a woman once, or something stupid like that... Mankind where I'm from has been capable of great and terrible things, and we rarely have the sense to step back and tell ourselves to stop...” She sighed heavily, tearing off a piece of bread and popping it into her mouth, shaking her head. “I don't even want to know what we'd do if we threw magic into the mix... I mean, I'm one of the good ones. Or, at least, I like to think I am... To think of some of the worst having that kind of power...” She shivered at the thought, pushing it to the back of her mind.
“Mmm... I know the feeling,” Krem said softly, taking another drink.
Talk moved to lighter things, shifting back to the Chargers again as Rio asked, “So how does Bull sleep with his horns? On his back, or just like, face-planted into a pillow, or...”
Krem shrugged as he casually answered, “Or on top of whoever he's bedded that evening...”
He choked on his wine when Rio just as casually replied, “Oh, I hope he doesn't do that to me...” Her face went red as she flushed from head to toe, covering her mouth as if that would withdraw the comment as Krem fought the urge to laugh. “Oh... my... god...” she said, almost horrified at herself as she giggled behind her hand. “Um... let's just... c-can we pretend that I didn't say that?” Rio asked, her face getting redder and redder as she tried to compose herself again.
Krem cleared his throat, offering her a slight smile as he bowed his head, “Of course, Your Worship.”
Blue-gold eyes narrowed at him before she said, “You're still gonna tell him, aren't you?”
“You bet your arse I'm gonna tell him,” Krem laughed, ducking the bit of bread she threw at him as her face just turned a deeper shade of scarlet.
“That's so mean!” she said, though she couldn't fight the smile that wouldn't go away. “Besides, he has more interesting people to be... interested in,” she said, waving it off as though it meant nothing. Krem wasn't so sure, frowning a little to himself as he watched her busy herself with finishing her roll. When her eyes turned back to him, he couldn't help smiling as if he'd seen something there, making Rio narrow her eyes a little at him before she relaxed back against the furs. Her eyes were thoughtful as she asked, “Can I ask you a personal question, Krem?”
The warrior shrugged a little at that, smiling. “Sure, I suppose,” he said, taking a deep drink of his wine.
“Are you a man or a woman?” she asked, watching as Krem suddenly choked on his drink, struggling not to spit it out all over Rio as he coughed. Rio's eyes softened a little as she said, “Oh, I'm sorry! That just... slipped out! It was rude to ask, I'm sorry...”
He shook his head a little, clearing his throat carefully as Rio looked apologetically at him before he sighed. “No, it's... um.. it's not that...”
“I'm not judging,” Rio said softly, hands waving a little bit, “I kind of assumed that you identify as a man, I just... I wanted to make sure I understood is all...”
“Well,” Krem said, settling back again, “you're... not wrong... I'm just not used to people... asking...”
Rio's little nod and comforting smile helped put Krem back at ease as she said, “No worries! We totally don't have to talk about it if you'd prefer. There's a million things I still want to learn about Thedas anyway.”
Krem chuckled, “After that question, I'm afraid to know what other questions you may have...”
“Oh, I have plenty!” Rio said proudly before diving right into her next question: “What exactly is No-Pants Fridays?”

* * *

Bull roared with laughter as Krem recounted the nearly nine hours he'd spent with the Herald, answering her questions until at last she fell asleep. “She actually said that?” Bull asked, laughing harder when Krem chuckled and nodded. “Ohhh, I would've given a good deal of gold to be there for that,” he said, shaking his head.
“She's definitely an honest one when she's curious,” Krem said, leaning back a little in his chair. “I was starting to think she'd never run out of questions...” Clearing his throat, he asked, “So, what's the plan?”
“Hm?” Bull asked, looking up at Krem again. “Plan?”
“Yeah, the plan. I assume they aren't going to just leave a few hundred people in the middle of the woods with virtually no shelter...”
Bull shrugged with one arm, looking out over the encampment as others bustled about, keeping busy, tending to the wounded. All around, songs were being sung, spirits high as they regaled the rescue of their Herald. A few tents away, healers were slipping in and out of her tent as her bandages were changed and Rio was administered something to help her sleep. He remembered how she fought them when she started to come to, her sobs choking her words as she kicked and struggled. He had tried to stay out of it until she'd lashed out and caught Solas in the face with her foot. Only then did he gather her up in his arms, helping to calm her struggles as she leaned exhaustedly into him, but she had listened, at least.
“Don't know, Krem... Your guess is as good as mine,” he said, shaking his head. “Wounds have to heal first—cracked ribs will take the longest physically, but nightmares will take longer than that... I don't know how much time we have before we'll have to travel... With any luck, the Templars won't keep chasing us...”
Krem's frown was obvious as he shook his head a little, sighing. “Just... Be careful, Chief. The boss seems to have a soft spot for you—it would be a shame to lose such a high-paying employer...”
Bull chuckled at that, raising his tankard. “Don't you worry about that... I've got it under control...”

* * *

Nearly two weeks later, Rio was able to stand on her own as they began to prepare the trek onward. She was slowly stretching one evening when Solas slipped into her tent, nose still a little swollen across the bridge, the bruise slowly fading from the shape of her rounded boot heel as he watched her move stiffly. “A word, if I may?” he asked firmly.
Turning to look at him, Rio cringed at the sight, straightening again. “Holy jeezus, Solas... What happened to you? Get in a fight with Bull again?”
Solas' grey eyes were positively deadly as they narrowed at her, his voice icy. “Your... boot... happened.”
Rio took a few moments to try to understand what he was talking about before it clicked in her memory, flinching a little. “Oh, damn... I... I'm sorry...”
He waved it off a little, murmuring, “It's nothing... Come... Walk with me.”
She nodded a little, following him out of the tent. People whispered reverently as she passed, though she blushed and tried to wave it off, following Solas along his path through and finally beyond the tents to an open clearing. Here and there, shoots of grass peeked through the snow, swaying in the breeze as she watched. Her gaze was drawn as he raised his hand and effortlessly twisted his wrist in a small gesture, a torch posted into the ground flaring to life with a bright blue-white light. Rio shivered a little as she looked at it but said nothing, simply standing a few feet away from the flame.
Solas didn't seem to notice her slight apprehension towards it as his hands moved behind his back, studying her carefully. “The humans have not raised one of our people so high for ages beyond counting,” he said, nodding his head to her as she blushed a little. “And you, a soul from another realm entirely, well, their acceptance and praise of you is nothing short of staggering. After what you did at Haven, their faith is hard-won, lethallin, worthy of pride...” Her smile faltered when he added, “save one detail.”
Rio groaned, “There's always a 'but'...”
Solas nodded gravely, eyes serious. “The threat Corypheus wields, the orb he carried at Haven... It is elven.” Rio's stomach sank as she reached up to hide her face in her hand.
“You've gotta be kidding me,” she grumbled, trying to follow the conversation. “All right, Mr. All Knowing,” she said, ignoring Solas' deep frown, “what is it?”
“Such things were foci,” he said, “said to channel power from our... the Elven gods... Some were dedicated to specific members of the pantheon. All that remain now are references in ruins, and faint visions of memory in the Fade, echoes of a dead empire.”
Rio frowned, shaking her head a little, “That... doesn't sound good... What's he using it for?”
“Corypheus used the orb to open the Breach. Unlocking it must've caused the explosion that destroyed the Conclave... We must find out how he survived... and we must prepare for their reaction, when they learn the orb is of our people.” Solas paused for a moment before he said gently, “Forgive me... Sometimes I look at you, and I forget...”
Rio shrugged it off again, as she had every other time someone said something about her elfishness. She hadn't even thought to question why it had remained when she returned to Earth briefly, just shrugged it off and moved on. Everything she learned just seemed to lead to more and more questions that, inevitably, she couldn't answer. “It's fine,” she said.
Brushing it aside, he shook his head, “The humans will forget your beginnings, though, if they learn that the orb is elven, and suspicion will fall on you... However Corypheus came to it, the orb is elven, and with it, he threatens the heart of human faith. Knowing or not, he risks this alliance. I cannot allow it.”
“Even if we defeat Corypheus,” she said, shaking her head as she ran a hand through her ragged hair, trying to ignore the scorched parts and split ends, “judging by the history, if they find out, they'll still find a way to blame elves... Though, if we stay out here for too long, they'll be too busy freezing to really blame anyone...”
Her gaze fell tiredly to the snow as he nodded, “We are agreed on that, at least... And I may have a solution.” Reaching out to her for just a moment, he lightly touched a hand to her shoulder, making her look up at him again as he withdrew his hand. “Faith in you is shaping this moment,” he said, trying to help encourage her as her ears lowered and folded back, “but it needs room to grow...”
Rio couldn't help shrugging as she mumbled Mother Giselle's words, “An army needs more than just an enemy... it needs a cause...”

* * *

By attacking the Inquisition, Corypheus has changed it. Changed you.
Solas' words echoed in Rio's mind as they rode in the coming weeks. Her wounds healed quickly, with the help of herbs and potions and dreamless sleep. With much guidance from her advisors, she led the people of Haven on a long and arduous journey.
They rode steadily onward, over fields of snow and through deep forests of pine trees. Songs kept spirits high, and faith helped where the songs lulled. Rio rode ahead most of the time, sometimes walking beside Kaaras as the Nuggalope kept close to her side.
Scout to the north. Be their guide. Solas' urging stayed with her as she tried hard, letting others put their faith in her as she stood tall at the front. Even though it took some time to properly grasp her bearings and actually head north, she was determined. She had a plan.
It was barely more than an idea, but it was more of a plan than the others had at least. Besides, she told herself as they pressed onward, if things fell through, blame could easily fall to Solas.
One morning, when Rio seemed on the verge of losing hope, Solas joined her at the head of the company, riding the Red Hart the Inquisition had received from a Dalish clan west somewhere. There is a place that waits for a force to hold it, he told her, not far from here. She felt the hope rise up in her again as they set out, smiling once more as they crested another hill. There is a place where the Inquisition could build... grow...
As they reached the top of another mountain that looked just like all the others, Rio spotted it. A veritable fortress lay before them, with towers and battlements and a tall spire that reached for the sky. Her eyes lit up as she gasped, staring down at it.
Solas smiled as he watched her excitement build and said gently, “Skyhold.”
“Who lives there?” Rio asked, almost afraid to know whose ass she might have to kiss to get to sleep in a room with a door that locked and an actual bed, her eyes spying the standards that flew atop a couple of the towers.
“No one,” Solas said, almost jumping as Rio suddenly bolted down the hillside towards the castle.
“Dibs!” was all he could hear her shout as she ran for it.

* * *

Skyhold was... well... in worse shape than she'd thought. Not that she cared, of course. That night, she was tucked into her cot in a little room out of the way. Not quite the luxurious quarters she'd imagined, but it was out of the elements, there was a fireplace in the room, and from where she had tucked herself away, she couldn't hear people tromping about in armor, and that was all that counted.
The next morning, when she emerged from the tower near the main portcullis she found everyone bustling about, already busy working to repair Skyhold and help make it livable. Some of the stonework had crumbled and was slowly being carted out of the way, stonemasons and carpenters shifting debris to put up scaffolding here and there to reach the more damaged areas. Rio had to rush out of the way as a cart hustled by, carrying lumber for the men. Smiling, she was glad to find everyone seemed to have a purpose, tending to those still wounded, gathering supplies, distributing tools, manual labor...
Everyone, except Rio.
She offered to help a few people, but where she might've found work for her idle hands before, she only found herself in the way. Sighing as another group insisted they didn't need further help, she was glad when she finally spotted Cassandra, Cullen, Leliana, and Josephine. She only hesitated a moment before Cassandra smiled, waving her over. Jogging up to them, she couldn't help returning the smile.
“You know, for being the Herald, you'd think people would let me help more,” she said as she joined them, blinking as Cassandra nodded a little, the others dispersing. She couldn't help feeling a change in them, though whether it was good or bad, she couldn't tell, her frown slipping a little.
“You have already done much for them,” Cassandra said, looking around at the people gathered there. “They arrive daily from every settlement in the region. Skyhold is becoming a pilgrimage...” Looking back to Rio, she couldn't help smiling just a little before she turned, Rio following right behind. “If word has reached these people, it will have reached the Elder One.” Rio was silent as she groaned, rolling her eyes. She was already tired of this conversation, and it had only just begun. Still, she followed Cassandra up the flight of stairs, sighing. “We have the walls and numbers to put up a fight here, but this threat is far beyond the war we had anticipated.”
“Yeah, well, everything is beyond what I anticipated,” Rio muttered, though Cassandra ignored her mutterings.
“But we now know what allowed you to stand against Corypheus, what drew him to you,” Cassandra said, pausing at the top of the stairs as Rio frowned a little at her friend.
“Oh, please, Cassandra, not this 'chosen one' bullshit again,” she said, groaning loudly as she shook her head. “He came for this,” she spat, lifting her hand to show the green mark that glittered there, despite the Breach having been closed already, “and now it's useless to him, that's all!”
Cassandra's frown was deep as she matched Rio's gaze. “The Anchor has power, yes... But it's not why you're still standing here...” Turning, she started to lead Rio across the yard, to the main staircase. “Your decisions let us heal the sky!” she said, strong voice raising firmly as she spoke. “Your determination brought us out of Haven! You are the creature's rival because of what you did, and we know it...” She looked back at Rio, a couple steps behind the warrior on the steps. “All of us...”
Rio's frown deepened, starting to wonder if this was some kind of weird prelude to being fired, looking up to find Leliana standing on the stone landing just ahead, holding in her hands a large greatsword. The sight of the Spymaster there, the deadly weapon in her hands, took Rio back for a moment, a flash of steel over a pale throat, and Rio stumbled back a step.
They're going to kill me, she thought, panic rising in her chest as she swallowed heavily, hand reaching up to lightly touch her throat. Her eyes went wide, looking from Cassandra to Leliana as she swallowed heavily, starting to make her way back down the steps slowly. “I... I think there's, um... there's been a misunderstanding... I... I didn't mean to bring a dragon down on Haven... I was just... trying to help...”
Both Leliana and Cassandra frowned, exchanging a look as Rio tried to back down the steps slowly, trying not to panic. “I mean, really, isn't Skyhold like... better than Haven? There's um... more room! And it's much more imposing, a better place for something as, err, grand as the I-Inquisition, am I right?” When Cassandra grabbed her arm and pulled her back up the stairs, she stumbled, shrinking back a little as she said softly, “Come on, guys... I... I can still be useful... There's... no need to execute me... right?”
“What?” Cassandra asked, genuinely confused as she looked down at Rio.
“Why would you think such a thing?” Leliana replied, shaking her head curiously at her as she looked hesitantly between the warrior and the spymaster.
“Wait... you mean... I'm... not going to lose my head?” she asked uncertainly, blue-gold eyes flicking between the women.
“Of course not!” Cassandra answered, sighing as she shook her head, nudging Rio up to the landing again as she gave her a small smile. “The Inquisition requires a leader... The one who has already been leading it...”
Rio looked to her right, to the crowd gathered, then to Leliana and at last to Cassandra before she said, “Well... then... Congratulations! You will make a fine leader!” When Cassandra shook her head slowly, Rio's gaze fell to Leliana, who smiled and also shook her head. “I... don't understand... who...?”
“You,” Cassandra said firmly.
Rio felt like she'd been dumped back in the snow, gaping from Leliana to Cassandra again before she said, “I... REALLY?! I buried Haven and have a wannabe-god on my tail, and you want to make me the leader? Have you lost your mind?! I am from another planet, Cassandra! You've been there! I don't know a damn thing about leading!”
“You're a fast learner,” Cassandra said, hand waving the comment off. “You see things with a different pair of eyes, find solutions where others only see struggles... And we have all seen you sacrifice much to help the cause... Under you, the Inquisition can flourish, I assure you.”
“All right, then,” Rio said, still frowning, “let's bring up the other problem that's going to arise in about ten minutes—I'm a mage.”
“I will not pretend no one will object,” Cassandra said, waiving Leliana forward, “but times are changing. Perhaps this is what the Maker intended...” Looking to Rio once more as Leliana carefully placed the sword in her hand, helping her to grip it properly, Cassandra nodded. “There would be no Inquisition without you. How it will serve, how you will lead... That must be yours to decide.”
Rio's hand shook as she hefted the weapon, marveling at the dragon wrapped around the hilt. It was an impressive blade, nearly as tall as she was, and heavy in her hands. It wasn't long ago that she would have fallen trying to hold something so heavy, and now, there was a strength in her arms as her fingers curled around the hilt. She balanced it carefully, staring down at the blade as she weighed the decision in her mind. She could hand it back, tell them no... But everyone had such faith in her, she didn't know if she could do that to them... And yet... the nagging doubt threatened her again as she held the scaled grip tightly. She couldn't fall again, not with so many people depending on her...
Her eyes caught her reflection in the blade, and for a second, she didn't recognize herself. Her eyes were wide, uncertain, face pale and dotted with freckles, the tiniest scars dotted here and there, but as she watched, she felt her courage rise, and her reflection changed, shifted, until those eyes shone with determination and she knew what she had to do.
Her resolve strengthened again as she nodded a little and said, “Corypheus will never let me live in peace... He made that perfectly clear.. God or not, someone's going to have to stop him...”
Cassandra smiled, looking below where the people were gathered, Rio's gaze following hers as she looked over to find people up on the battlements, in the towers, down in the bailey below, just crammed everywhere, all vying for a good view. “Have our people been told?” she called out to them.
Josephine answered strongly, “They have, and soon, the world!”
“Commander, will they follow?”
Rio watched in amazement as Cullen turned to the men and cried, “Inquisition! Will you follow?” A cheer echoed through the crowd in answer, Cullen smiling. “Will you fight?” The second cry from the crowd echoed off the walls, Rio feeling her heart soar at their enthusiasm. “Will we triumph?” Cullen asked, the third cheer almost deafening as the people yelled their support. Drawing his sword, he turned and shouted, “Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!”
The roar of the crowd thrummed in Rio's veins, and for a moment, she felt their courage, their faith, and she felt bold, raising the greatsword high to a thunderous applause that rang in her ears long after the crowd dispersed.
The Inquisition's work had only just begun.
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere