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Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere	By : TheStarvingArtist Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 7184 -:- 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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Author's note: Okay, so I fought with the beginning part for like four days. I'm sorry if doesn't come across well, I tried to make it work. The Corypheus part, though, I'm actually pretty proud of that, because I didn't think that he was terribly intimidating in the game, so I wanted to bring that out more. Tomorrow, I continue the work on the aftermath chapter, which is, hey, half-written, so you might have another chapter here soon!
(This chapter... it's so very... very long...omg... I hope this doesn't become a habit...)
4-24-15 Edit: I added like four words to this to include Thanduil, who will be sort of needed later.

Review Replies:
Rhino: There was so much ugly-crying writing the red-lyrium apocalypse stuff... I hope this passes the muster! (or at least that you can get what I mean by it, because NNNGH I struggled... so... hard...)

**This fic contains many quotes and much dialogue straight from the game. Also, this chapter's title was inspired by the song I'm Not Okay by My Chemical Romance, which I don't own, I just used it as inspiration for the chapter title. Copyright to the respective owner(s) on that.**

Chapter Eight
Trust Me (I'm Not Okay)

“So you’re really from another world?” Dorian asked as they walked slowly through Haven.
Rio nodded, smiling a little as they passed the Chantry for the third time. She was determined to keep herself up and about, and though her magic-training had been largely halted until she could regain full mobility in her left arm, she liked to keep busy, and Dorian didn’t seem to mind the long meanderings as they exchanged stories and answered each other’s questions. “Yep, born and raised there... Just kind of plopped here...”
“Fascinating,” Dorian said as they made their way between the huts. “So what do they call elves there?” he asked, curiosity building as he heard more about her world.
Rio couldn't help chuckling, “We don't have elves where I'm from, or Qunari... We have Dwarves, kind of... but they're more like... normal people? Ugh, Earth is too hard to explain,” she groaned, rubbing her face as they walked. “What about Tevinter? What's Tevinter like?” On they talked, just passing the time. As they walked, a hulking grey and pink figure walked behind them. Stopping for a moment as a troop of scouts jogged past them, Rio lightly scratched under the Greater Nuggalope's muzzle, earning a soft snort as she smiled at the beast.
Dorian made a face as he looked up at the creature's black eyes as its ears flicked playfully at her. “I don't see how you can find that thing to be anything but repulsive, honestly,” he said, glancing down at its hands and shuddering a little. “Why in the world would you want something like this?”
Rio chuckled, kissing the giant nug's nose as she said, “What, Kaaras? He's an absolute cutie!” Patting his muzzle again, she cooed at him softly, smiling.
“Kaaras?” Dorian said, wrinkling his nose a little at that. “You named it?”
“Of course I named him,” Rio said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What was I supposed to do, call him Nuggalope number-two for the rest of his life?”
“It makes more sense than naming it,” he said, ignoring the pointed look she shot him. “What does that mean, anyway?”
“It means 'navigator' in Qunlat,” she said with a smile. “Bull helped me with the name.”
Dorian frowned a little at that, shaking his head. “Navigator? What could it possibly navigate, except maybe the contents of its trough...”
Rio chuckled at that, reaching up to scratch between Kaaras' ears, “Aww, don't be like that, Dorian... Kaaras is a smart boy... Aren't you, Kaaras?” The chittering bellow he gave made her giggle as she looked up at the creature before they turned to continue walking.
“You know,” Dorian said, hesitating for a moment as he debated how to approach his next question, “I met a curious young man earlier today... He, too, appears to be from another world...” He saw Rio's smile falter, frowning a little more. “I see... so you know him...”
Rio nodded, running a hand through her hair before she said softly, “He's my ex...”
Dorian frowned at that, looking curiously at Rio. “Your ex? Your ex wh—ohhhh...” he said softly as realization dawned on him. “I see... So, then... what exactly is he doing down in the dungeons? From what I hear, he's been shouting the guards' ears off about his rights and how they couldn't hold him...” Dorian watched her closely, seeing the slight roll of her eyes. “What did he do to the great Herald of Andraste to warrant being locked away?”
Sighing heavily, she looked at Dorian before she turned to lead them down the steps, nudging Kaaras towards the stables with a gentle hand, waving a little to Krem and Bull before she turned away, Dorian following closely at her side.
Bull's good eye narrowed as he nodded back to her, just a little bit, as they passed the soldiers' training grounds, making their way towards the grove of trees. He didn't like it when the two mages went off by themselves, especially where it was harder to have the spies keep an eye on them. Leliana's men usually did a good job to keep close tabs on them, especially the blue-eyed scout Than, but he felt better when Rio stayed closer to camp. Dorian seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, though, and while Rio was an oddity to most, he seemed genuinely interested in her as a person, and with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she would need all the friends she could get.

* * *

“I see,” Dorian said as they walked around the same grove of trees for the tenth time. Rio wasn't looking at him, and was in fact trying to look at anything but him at that moment. Not that he blamed her, it was a lot to take in.
He had known she had a tragic past. That only took eyes to see. He had been somewhat surprised to learn of the house fire. She even showed him the scars down the back of her neck, disappearing into her tunic, and then others, here and there. One in the small of her back, a graze from a knife she said... A thin line along the underside of her jaw, simply said her face had been 'broken'... A burn on her thigh, three perfect circles, not from the fire...
“So... he did all of that...” She nodded a little, straightening her tunic as they walked. “Can... May I ask... why you stayed with him?”
Rio's answer was slow in coming as she mulled over everything, and for a few minutes, he thought she would just stop talking entirely until she murmured softly, “He has a way of... making me think it's my fault... By the time the hospital stay was done, or the time the ambulance got there, or even before I would try to get away... he could just... twist it around and say it was... my fault... that I must've deserved the punishment, that I did something wrong and I should accept it, because no one else was going to want me...” She shrugged a little, glancing at Dorian again before she turned away from him. “I knew what he was doing, though... I just... didn't want to be alone... And I think he knew that...”
They walked in silence for a long time as Dorian turned her words over in his head. He didn't like the look in her eyes, the almost-shame there pulling at him painfully before he gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. Those blue-gold eyes shimmered with unshed tears for a moment before she smiled a little.
“When I returned to Earth and went to gather some things, he pulled a knife on me,” she said. “I debated leaving him for the authorities to find, but then I figured, ya know, Master Dennet could use a stablehand... I mean, after all, I kept bringing more horses and stuff like Kaaras for him to take care of, right? Seems only fair to bring him another pair of hands to help...” Her shrug was nonchalant as she sighed, shaking her head. “From the report I got, he refused to do the work and started screaming how he was brought here against his will and they didn't have the right to make him work... So they tossed him in a cell until I could get back to deal with him...”
One eyebrow rose at that as Dorian glanced back at the Chantry's spire. “It's been almost a month...” he said gently, looking to Rio, who nodded. “You're going to have to face him sometime, Rio...” Dorian added, nudging her gently, glad when he brought a smile to her face.
“I know,” she said, sighing again. “It's just... Every time I start to go down there, I... get scared... like he might manipulate me and hurt my friends, or something...”
“Well,” he said quietly, “I'm sure it might be easier to handle with someone, rather than alone... I'd be happy to come and support you... And even beat the man bloody if he tries...” Her small smile warmed him as she nodded in agreement as they turned to make their way back to Haven.
“That sounds like a great idea, Dorian...”

* * *

When Johnny woke up again, it wasn't to the sound of the plate of gruel clattering to the cell floor, or a roll of bread being thrown at him, but the clatter of a chair being dragged on the stones. Opening one eye with a groan, he rolled over on his bedroll and looked up, eyes widening for a moment at what he saw.
“Well, I'll be,” he said, voice soft as he sat up the rest of the way, watching Rio place the chair down with one arm and moving to drape herself into it as she looked down at him. “If it isn't the little duckling... Though I hear it's, what, the 'Herald of Asbestos' now? Or was it 'Ashtray'... They're never really clear with the details, ya know...”
He had to admit, she made an intimidating sight as she sat there, loose white shirt off one shoulder, all tight pants and knee-high boots and stern expression. Even the peek of bandages around one shoulder made her look tougher, eyes narrowed at him. Her hair was in a loose braid, the lighter blond quickly pushing the black out. She was in desperate need of a bottle of hair dye...
In another setting, it might've been hot, almost, the way she seemed to command the very air around her... but right now, all he wanted to do was wipe that haughty look from her face as he watched her dismiss the guards from the room. He sneered at her, leering her up and down as she relaxed back in her chair, a man moving to stand just off to the side, watching him.
“What's this, then? Come to tell me what a bad man I am, duckling?” he spat, leaning against the bars as he watched her for some sort of reaction. “Come to make me repent? Gonna make me regret ever laying a hand on you?” Her eyes just watched him, not saying anything, not even batting an eye, and he felt a small shiver race down his back as he waited for her to speak.
When she said nothing for several minutes, he looked between the man that stood off to the side with his gelled hair and perfect mustache, and frowned deeply. “What? Just gonna give me the silent treatment?” he snapped, trying and failing not to look shaken. It was unnerving—Rio wasn't a quiet person, “And who is this?” he added, waiving his hand at Dorian. “What, the guy with the horns not enough for you? I knew you were into weird shit, duckling, but that's just... What, do you double-team them or somethin'?”
She still said nothing, leaning back a little in her chair as she languidly crossed her legs at the knee. The tiniest smirk crossed her lips as she looked back at him, blue-gold eyes narrowing at him as her pointed ears flicked, like he'd said something funny, and he narrowed his eyes. How did she do that? She moved them like some kind of animated prosthetic, but they looked... real...
“What?!” he asked when her piercing gaze started to really unnerve him, swallowing heavily as he looked from Dorian as he tried not to think about the ears. Nothing in this place was making sense, and the look in Rio's eyes almost scared him...
“Nothing,” she said finally, chuckling as she shook her head a little, standing up again. “Just... Seems like one great, big, cosmic joke.” He instinctively scrambled back as she stepped towards the bars, stride strong and commanding as she looked down at him. “I gave you a chance to work off your debt for your assault,” she said, her tone all business. “Do you know where you are?”
“I dunno,” he snapped, heart hammering in his chest, “some back field somewhere in the mountains!”
“Mmm, close,” she said, crouching down to be at eye-level with him, “except... off by a lot... You're in Thedas. I landed here a few months ago when I was on my way to go see you. Remember that?” His nod was shaky as his frown grew. “When I fell here, there was this massive explosion, and the fabric of the world was torn apart. Since then, I've been putting it back together.”
Without missing a beat, she nodded over to Dorian and smiled, “That's Dorian. The horned man you met before, his name is the Iron Bull, and he's a Qunari. Those horns—they're real.” She lowered her voice and said, “He let me touch them and everything...” Rocking back on her heels, she watched his face as she said, “Here, I am a mage... I command the elements, I pass through the Veil and into the Fade, and I am known by many as the Herald of Andraste, sent from our world to restore balance in Thedas. Now, how true that is, I still don't know—I'm kind of missing some of the pieces, but I gotta say, Johnny... The respect I get here is... astounding...”
Her smile grew into something that sent chills down his spine, making him push further away from her as she said, “So when I bring back someone and I tell my advisors that they're responsible for beating and torturing me, do you want to know what my friends want to do?” She saw him pale and swallow hesitantly, grinning a little, “It's probably a great deal worse than whatever you just thought... But they won't, until I give the word...” Standing up again, she flashed him an innocent smile as she said, “It's been nice seeing you again, Johnny. If I never see you again, it'll be too soon.”
Turning on her heel, she strode from the room with a happy bounce in her step, climbing the stairs as Dorian followed her up and out of the dungeon, the heavy door closing behind them blocking out Johnny's shouts as Rio pushed him to the very back of her mind. She had a Breach to close, and thinking about him wouldn't keep her from her task now.

* * *

When all was said and done, sealing the Breach had actually been a cakewalk, and that didn't sit well with Rio. There was no demon to fight, no army of shades, nothing that really... stopped them. Yeah, she was a bit tired afterwards, but it was really nothing, compared to some of her training sessions with Solas and Dorian...
She sat in front of a fire, watching the others around her as they cheered and drank and made merry, and she wondered if maybe she was just looking too much into it... She almost didn't look up when Cassandra approached, pulled out of her reverie as the strong woman handed her a roll of bread. “Here,” she said, “Dorian mentioned you didn't eat much at lunch today... Solas confirmed the heavens are scarred, but calm. The Breach is sealed.” she looked down at Rio with a relieved look in her soft brown eyes. “We have reports of lingering rifts scattered throughout all of Thedas, and many questions remain, but this was a victory. Word of your heroism has spread.”
She shrugged, tearing off a piece of bread and popping it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “It was nothing, really... I have a harder time training with my fire spells than I did closing the Breach—the mark did most of the work, and those mages deserve more credit than I do.”
“Still,” the warrior said, looking out over the valley where ale flowed and music floated through the air, “the Breach is closed, and the work of repairing the damage it did is underway. Already, word is spreading...” she started to say before something drew her attention away.
Rio felt it too, a deep thrumming in her chest, almost painful and drawing closer, and just behind her eyes, a familiar ache starting to form. She scrambled to her feet, just as the first signs started to peek through the distant trees, moonlight glinting off shields and armor as a massive force marched towards them, towards Haven. The clamor of the warning bells shook the ground beneath her feet as Rio grabbed her staff and made her way to the gate where Cullen was giving orders, Bull, Blackwall, and Dorian running up to her, Solas and Cassandra not far behind
“So, celebratory drinks are on hold?” Bull asked, Rio sighing deeply as she trotted down the path.
“So it seems, Bull,” she muttered with a shake of her head.
“Forces approaching!” Cullen shouted. “To arms!” The troops and mages looked at each other, scrambling to figure out where to go before Rio leapt down the steps, pushing her way through the crowd.
“Everyone not defending, get into the Chantry, now!” she half-bellowed, eyes bright as she approached Cullen. “Cassandra, get these people out of the way—anyone who can't fight goes into the Chantry and out of sight! Cullen, what the hell is going on?” she asked, finally reaching the commander as Cassandra took over directing the various refugees out of buildings and into the Chantry.
“One watch-guard reporting,” he said, frowning as she gripped her staff tightly, “it's a massive force, the bulk over the mountain!”
“Under what banner?” Josephine asked, Rio starting to worry if they'd fallen into something well over their heads.
Her heart sank a little when Cullen said, “None!”
With a groan, her stomach sank just a little. “I hate it when I'm right...” she murmured, turning to the gates and wondering how long they might hold.
A flash of light beneath the wooden barrier drew her eye as a soft voice called out, “Please! I can't come in unless you open!” Without waiting for an answer, Rio darted down, pushing the gates open hard with Bull's help, almost stumbling out as she spotted Templar armor, fallen warriors everywhere, but something about seeing them made her head hurt more.
One was left standing, though he stumbled and fell, revealing a thin boy hiding behind him, head bowed beneath a wide-brimmed hat. His clothes were dirty and patched, skin pale as he slowly stepped forward, shaking, but not from the cold as Rio made her way over to him.
“I'm Cole!” he said urgently, keeping his head down, glancing at Rio. “I came to warn you, to help! People are coming to hurt you... You... probably already know...” His voice trailed off as she tried to meet his gaze, his head turning away, that hat flopping in the way.
“What's going on? Who's coming?” she asked, glancing back towards the mountain.
“The Templars come to kill you,” he said, sending shivers down her spine as he stepped back when Cullen stepped forward.
“Templars?!” he cried, looking to Rio, “Is this the Order's response to our talk with the mages? Attacking blindly?”
Cole shook his head a little, “The Red Templars went to the Elder One!” Turning to Rio, he said, “Do you know him? He knows you!” Turning, he pointed to the ridge just across the valley as two figures appeared there. One looked like an ordinary man, but the other... he was much larger, even from this distance, and something just felt... wrong about him. Rio's head pulsed with a very painful twinge, making her look away just as Cole turned back to look at her and she froze. “He's very angry that you took his mages...” Cole said, finally meeting her gaze as she stared right back at him.
The words caught in her throat as she stared at him, all thin face and big, grey-blue eyes, blonde hair disheveled, raggedly cut, matching the rest of his appearance as she stared at him. For a few long moments, Rio couldn't say anything, reaching out to touch his face as tears welled up in her eyes, breathing, “It... can't be... R-Rhys...”
She didn't know how much time passed before Bull grabbed her shoulder, giving her a firm shake as he shouted, “Boss! Snap out of it!” Jerking a little as she seemed to come out of it, she looked around them, drawing her staff as several Templars came running up to them.
As they fought, she noticed strange streaks of red in the Templars' faces, frowning as she started to say something before a twisted figure ran at her and she saw the huge chunks of red lyrium protruding from his shoulders, the helmet almost melded to that face as a garbled roar echoed around them. She didn't even think, simply blasting it in the face with ice, glad when she brought her staff down hard on it and the foul thing shattered.
The enemies fell to them steadily as they defended the trebuchet until, with a relieved shout, they were able to get a shot off. They were waved off towards the other trebuchet on the rise, instructed to check on the men there and find out why it wasn't firing.
Up the path, they found the reasons why, the men and women operating the trebuchet lying slain on the ground. The Templars here fought hard to push them back, but they fell just as easily as reinforcements came running up, helping to load the second trebuchet as she quickly worked the wheel to crank it back fire again.
Blackwall kept a fierce vigil as Bull helped to fight them off, struggling to keep them off the platform as Rio turned the wheel. It was hard work, avoiding the arrows that whizzed past, but Dorian kept watch over her back, beating back those that managed to get close before Bull or Blackwall pulled them away to deal with them.
The next boulder was launched with a whoosh as the last of the Templars nearby fell. A cheer went up as the landslide buried most of the remaining forces before them, Rio leaning on the trebuchet's framework as she tried to catch her breath. Blue-gold eyes slid closed as she held her head in her hand as she tried to steady herself again. A hand clapped on her shoulder, comforting her a little as she tried to shake off the weird feeling thrumming in her bones. Something felt... wrong...
A shiver worked its way up her spine, just as a screeching roar rang through the air, making the hair on the nape of her neck stand on end as she jerked her head upright. She didn't even have time to get away as the ground beneath the trebuchet exploded and she was tossed back through the air, tumbling end over end as embers and splintered fragments rained down on her. Rolling to a stop, she laid on the ground, head spinning still as she slowly raised her head in time to see the silhouette of the dragon pass by overhead, and her stomach dropped to her feet. Looking around, she found the others just as scattered around, Bull getting to his feet as Blackwall made his way over to her to help her up. Dorian groaned from behind a crate where he'd fallen, but quickly got back up, joining the others as Bull growled, “Grrraaaaah, that's just messed up!”
“Come on, guys,” she said, limping a little down the path, “we have to get to the gates!”
Making their way down the path, she spotted Harritt trying to open the door to his hut. Looking to Blackwall, she nodded him on, the Warden running forward to help. Bull encouraged Rio on as she shook off the shock of the blast, Blackwall joining them as Harritt slipped back out of the hut, various things in his arms as he ran for the gates. Once there, they were met with Cullen, who ushered everyone inside as quickly as he could towards the Chantry.
“Come on, move!” he shouted, waiting until they'd all made it inside before slamming the door closed and barring it. It wouldn't stop them, but it would buy them some time at least. “We need everyone back to the Chantry! It's the only building that might hold against that... that beast!” Looking back at Rio, his expression was stern as he said, “At this point, just make them work for it!”
Fighting off the scattered groups of Templars here and there, Rio found herself pushing herself harder, finding Seggritt trapped in one of the healing huts, climbing up some scaffolding and crossing the caved-in roof to drop down in front of the dazed businessman. What he'd been doing there, she didn't know, but she helped him up, blasting off the door with a shouted spell and dragging him out with her. As he regained his senses, she urged him towards the Chantry, another group of Templars trying to bar their way as her ears perked up to the sounds of more screams, letting her feet carry her across Haven.
All in all, several lives were saved, Rio fighting through the camp to help as many as she could manage. Adan and Manaeve were hauled away from the burning pots, while Rio couldn't reach Flyssa in time. With Threnn's help, they were able to even beat back the last of the templars, gathering the remaining refugees as they urged everyone fleeting to reach safety at the Chantry. Sprinting through the open doors, Rio ushered everyone forward.
“Move!” she heard Roderick say, and it took her a moment to pick up on the pained sound in his voice as he held his side tightly. The boy in the hat, Cole, stepped forward, pulling him gently back inside as he called to the others, “The Chantry is your shelter!”
The door clanged shut behind them as Rio tried to catch her breath, managing to push through the pain in her head as the dragon roared overhead. As Rio looked worriedly at Roderick as Cole helped support him, she heard him say, “He tried to stop a Templar... The blade went deep—he's going to die...”
She almost didn't hear Rockerick's wispy murmur, “What a... charming boy...” as she turned to Cullen as he jogged up to her, frowning as she brushing a lock of hair out of her face, fighting down the panic that bubbled up in her chest.
“Herald! Our position is not good... That dragon stole back any time you might've earned us...”
“I've seen an archdemon,” Cole said, drawing Rio's gaze as her eyes went wide as saucers. A high dragon was bad enough—they only had one Grey Warden and no battle plan to fight an archdemon! “I was in the Fade, but it looked like that...” he said softly, making Rio frown as she looked down at Cole, more questions bubbling up before she could stop them.
“I don't care what it looks like!” Cullen spat, frowning deeply at Cole, “It's cut a path for that army! They'll kill everyone in Haven!”
Cole's voice was soft and curious as he stared up at Cullen, Rio's heart sinking as he said, “The Elder One doesn't care about the village... He only wants the Herald!”
“If you know what he wants, then tell me!” Rio said, looking down at the boy.
“I don't,” Cole said softly, still looking up at her with those big, clear eyes. “He's too loud... It hurts to hear him...”
Groaning, Rio tried to think, gritting her teeth before she snapped, “If it'll stop him and save these people, then I'll do it!”
“It won't,” Cole said firmly, shaking his head a little. “He wants to kill you. No one else matters, but he'll crush them, kill them anyway! I don't like him...”
Cullen looked just as confused as Rio did, which made her feel better as he said, “You don't like...?” Shaking his head as if to clear the thought, he frowned, looking to Rio. “Herald, there are no tactics that make this survivable. The only thing that slowed them was the avalanche! We could turn the remaining trebuchets, cause one last slide...”
Rio shook her head at that, frowning, “Cullen, you gotta be kidding me! Have you looked outside? The Templars, they're... they're everywhere! To stop them at all, we'd end up burying Haven! And that's not even counting, oh, I don't know, the dragon!” she added, exasperated.
“We're dying,” Cullen said, eyes serious as her jaw fell open, realizing he was very much serious, “but we can decide how! Many don't get that choice...”
“You know for a Templar,” Dorian snapped, “you think an awful lot like a blood mage!”
“What he said!” Rio cried. Silence fell over the hall as Rio tried to think of something, jumping a little as Cole spoke up.
“Yes... that... Chancellor Roderick would like to say it before he dies...” All eyes turned on the weakened chancellor as he fought to hold himself up.
“There... is a path,” he rasped, nodding. “You wouldn't know it unless you'd made the Summer Pilgrimage, as I have...” He sat up a little straighter, looking Rio square in the eyes as he said, “The people can excape! She must have shown me... Andraste... must have shown me... so I could t-tell you...”
“What do you mean?” Rio asked, hesitant to believe at first, but ready to grasp at any little hope.
“It was whim that I walked the path,” he said, eyes distant before his gaze settled on her face again. “I did not mean to start... It was overgrown... With so many gone, so few would remember it now... It... can be no mere accident that I... remember... You... could be more...!”
Rio bit her lip at that, letting it roll over in her mind before she looked at Cullen, “How about it, commander? Can you get everyone out?”
“Possibly, if he shows us the path...” Cullen said thoughtfully, looking at her with that amber gaze. “What of the prisoners?” Cullen asked, one brow raising.
She nodded in reply as she grabbed her heavier coat from where she'd tossed it earlier that evening, buckling it loosely, “Yes, them too! Even Johnny... No one can say I didn't try to save everyone I could.”
Cullen's frown deepened as she adjusted the straps across her chest tightly, slipping her sash around her waist, tucking . “But what of your escape?”
At that, Rio smiled, clapping him firmly on the shoulder as she said, “I have a plan, don't worry! We'll meet you wherever you set camp—just have warm blankets and hot stew waiting for us when we get there!”
If he knew she was lying, he never said, simply nodding before turning to order the scouts to follow them out there. “They'll load the trebuchet,” he said, looking to her as she grabbed her pack from the corner, turning to leave the Chantry. “Keep the Elder One's attention until we're above the treeline... If we are to have a chance—if you are to have a chance—let that thing hear you.” Nodding to him, Rio turned to slip back out the door as the others started to make their way towards the back door.
“I'll pray for you, Herald of Andraste...” Roderick breathed as he left with the boy in the hat to lead them back through the Chantry.

* * *

Clearing the area of the lyrium-infected Templars was no easy task, but at last, winded and battered, they managed to strike them down. The scouts ran towards the path after the main group, as Rio looked to the others, expression serious as she looked at them.
“That's the last of them,” Bull said, starting to head down the path towards the last trebuchet, “Come on!”
Rio grabbed his arm, squeaking as he kept going before she was able to stop him in his tracks, boots frozen to the ground as she said, “Wait! You guys, I... I need you guys to go ahead, catch up with the others.” Everyone seemed to have something to say about that, Blackwall scowling, Bull breaking the ice to whirl back and face her.
“You must be joking!” Blackwall frowned, shaking his head at her again.
“Not happening, Boss!” Bull said, grey eye darkening as he saw the determined look in those blue-gold eyes.
“I don't know if you noticed,” Dorian said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “but that's an archdemon... You can't face one of those on your own...”
“Da'len,” Solas said softly, his grey eyes narrowing fiercely, “this is suicide...”
Holding up her hand at them, she frowned, looking from face to face, waiting until they let her speak again, shaking her head a little. “Guys, I have an idea, but my plan only works if I'm the only one down here... I can't be stressing over everyone else—I have to be the one to do it, and I have to do it alone...”
Bull's hand rested on her other shoulder, looking down into her face as she looked up at him, bright eyes shining with courage, worry, and a silent question as she begged him with her eyes. “Trust me,” Rio said, willing him to believe her.
The screech of the dragon overhead made him nod tersely before he turned to the others. “Come on, we can still catch up with the others if we go now.” He looked down at Rio, and for a moment, he almost said something else before the solid weight of her staff was pushed into his hand. Blinking down at it, he looked at Rio, frown deepening as she smiled up at him.
“It's okay, Bull. I have a plan—I'm going to be fine!” she said, and he let himself believe it as he rumbled low in his chest. Before he could argue, she was turning and darting down the path in long, almost leaping strides, and he was forced to turn and jog after Blackwall and the others, frowning at the other warrior's concerned expression.
“Boss has a plan,” he said gently, shaking his head. “She'll be fine.” I hope, he thought to himself as they rushed to cover as much ground as they could before the flare went up.

* * *

Along the path, as Johnny was rustled and pushed along, he found himself turning back and gawking. There was a dragon. A real one. And down there, the Herald fought... Rio fought... Once he realized what they were getting away from, he was glad for the chance to break away from the group, in case the giant fire-breathing lizard got tired of the empty village and came after their straggling group.
He didn't make it far on his own before he ran into a group of armored soldiers. At first, he'd been relieved, running forward and flagging them down. He'd heard wolves, and he was pretty sure he'd barely escaped a bear back there.
“Hey, guys, I'm-I'm sure glad I found you!” he cried, stepping forward until he realized the men weren't smiling. In fact, there was something strange in their eyes, a sort of glinting red light. In the back of his mind, something was screaming at him to run, but he just... couldn't bring himself to move.
“What have we found here?” a Templar loomed over him, hair slicked back, sallow skin a sickly shade in the pale moonlight. “Seems we caught ourselves a little pet... The master will want something to occupy him when he's finished with the Herald!” laughter rang through the men as they pressed in tightly around him.
Johnny had to think fast, mind racing as they closed in on him, shouting, “W-wait! I... I know the Herald! Please, I... I know all her weaknesses! I know all about the, uh, whatchamacallit... Th-the Inquisition! Yeah, that's it! I know everything!”
They stopped moving closer, glances exchanged. “After tonight, there won't be anything left of the Inquisition, let alone the Herald!”
A scout ran forward, shouting, “Commander! Commander Samson! News!” The man standing over Johnny stepped aside, listening intently to the word the scouts brought back. A deep rumbling rang through the still night air and all was quiet for a moment before Samson straightened himself. Slowly turning to face Johnny again, he looked down, making his way over to him, his heavy armor glinting in the moonlight as he raised an eyebrow.
“If you are lying,” he started to say as Johnny shook his head.
“Of course not, why would I lie?” he said, giving his most charming smile. It was his one chance... “The Inquisition is... stronger than it seems... it won't fall so easily... And neither will the Herald... And if there's one thing I know well, it's Rio...”

* * *

“What the fuck am I doing,” she breathed as she jogged down the path, tightening her hold on her pack. “This is... insane!” Shaking her head a little, she winced when the dragon roared again. “Please... Please, don't be an archdemon,” she prayed, dashing down the stairs as she tried to keep herself calm.
“There's no way I'm going to...” Her voice trailed off as she realized for a moment she couldn't hear the dragon's screech, whirling around to find it swooping in close, strange flames of deep crimson being laid around her as she turned to run, crying out when the flames reached the pots of oil here and there, the resulting explosion flinging her forward as she scrambled to get away.
Reaching up to touch her forehead, she only just managed to look up to catch the dark figure slinking forward silently through the flames, stepping over them as if it was nothing. Scrambling to her feet, she turned to run towards the trebuchet, only to find herself blocked as the bulk of the dragon landed heavily in front of her, making her stumble, falling to her knees as she felt fear lance through her. This was the end, a roar straight out of a dinosaur movie shaking her in her boots as she stared up at its scaly face.
“Enough!” she heard, whirling to face the looming figure casting a long, distorted shadow over her. “Pretender! You toy with forces beyond your ken!” His voice was like gravel mixed with shards of glass, sharp and grating inside her skull as she flinched, trying to keep herself just between the dragon and this... thing. “No more,” he hissed, his voice a low rumble in his chest.
“Well,” she said hesitantly, swallowing heavily, “aren't you just the belle of the ball?” She had to leap out of the way of a fireball, rolling away and scrambling to her feet again as she smirked a little at him. That's right, she thought to herself, keeping an eye on the dragon and the creature in front of her, just keep your attention on me... pay no mind to the people fleeing...
“What are you?” she cried, hoping to stall for some more time as she tried to edge just along the wall. She just needed to get to the trebuchet and keep it distracted until they sent up the signal. “Why are you doing this?!”
The dark chuckle that crept over her made her shudder as the hulking, skeletal figure turned his gaze on her. “Mortals beg for truth they cannot have! It is beyond what you are... What I was...” That strange and twisted face lifted, fixing her with that piercing gaze. “Know me... Know what you have pretended to be... Exalt the Elder One—the will that is... Corypheus.”
“Well, whatever you are,” she ground out, gritting her teeth against the pulse in her skull, “I'm not afraid of you!”
His chuckle washed over her again, and she almost fell to her knees, barely able to keep herself upright. “Words mortals often hurl at the darkness...” He began to stalk towards her, slowly drumming the tips of his claws together, each little touch igniting a small red spark as he watched her closely. “Once, they were mine... They are always lies...” The cloth that hung from his skeletal frame swirled around him as he walked, matted fur and feather pauldrons shifting with his movements as he slowly approached her even as she tried to slip away. “You will kneel before me, child...”
“Why was I brought here?” she shouted, trying hard not to let herself be cornered as she moved away from him, eager to put distance between them. The closer he got, the bigger she realized he really was... “Why destroy the Conclave, huh? What was in it for you?”
“Your understanding is... not required,” he rumbled, one clawed hand cradling an orb the size of a cantaloupe with strange swirls over its dark surface, a wicked smile crossing his twisted face. “If you gain it, little one, consider yourself blessed...” The orb flared to life, surrounded by a strange and brilliant aura that made her eyes burn to look at it too long. “I am here for the Anchor...”
Sensing that this was bad, like end-of-the-world, last-chance bad, Rio stammered, “Y-you'll... You'll get nothing out of me!”
His chuckle rang in her ears as she stumbled and fell, trying to keep her footing. “You will resist... You will always resist... It matters not. The process of removing it begins now!”
She cried out as the thrumming pain escalated, shooting through her and making her fall to the ground. She screamed as she clawed at her hand, tears falling hot down her face, writhing upon the ground. She barely heard his voice as he loomed over her, “It is your fault, 'Herald'... You interrupted a ritual years in the planning, and instead of dying, you stole its purpose.” Another wave of agony hit her and she shuddered, gasping breathlessly. “I do not know how you survived, but what marks you as 'touched', what you flail at rifts... I crafted to assault the very heavens...” Blackness washed over her for a moment as she struggled to keep breathing, his voice echoing in her head as she came to, “And you used the Anchor to undo my work! The gall!”
Gritting her teeth through the pain, she managed to look up at him, blinking through the tears as she gasped, “Wh-why? What was it... s-supposed to do?!”
“It is meant to bring certainty where there is none,” he said simply, though she could barely make out his face. “For you, the certainty that I would always come for it.” Suddenly, the world lurched, the pain fading a little as her vision cleared, leaving her gasping for breath as she was lifted into the air by her marked hand. As she came face-to-face with Corypheus, she started to struggle in his hold, feet dangling uselessly off the ground. “I once breathed the Fade in the name of another, to serve the Old Gods of the empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption. Dead whispers. For a thousand years, I was confused... No more...”
He let her struggle, watching her before he shook her firmly and continued, “I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion withered Tevinter and correct this blighted world!” Shaking his head, he looked down at her, seeing the fear in those eyes as she wriggled like a fish caught on a hook. Leaning in close, he tightened his grasp on her wrist, feeling the frail bones in his hand as he hissed, “Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the Throne of the Gods, and it was empty!”
He didn't expect her to put up much more of a fight, so when she swung herself forward suddenly and caught him in the face with her foot, he was taken by surprise, bellowing in pain before he flung her like a ragdoll. Rio didn't regret her decision to act until she was flying through the air and hit one of the support beams of the trebuchet. Crumpling for a moment, she struggled to get to her feet as she shook. She was running out of ideas, and she didn't know how much more time she could buy them...
Another growl echoed from the creature as she looked up at him, eyes fierce as she frowned at him. “The Anchor is permanent!” he shouted, hood fluttering in the breeze as snow began to fall around them. “You have spoilt it with your stumbling!”
Reaching for something, anything, Rio found her hand going to a discarded blade, lifting it up with both hands as she shook all over. She had to stand firm, the others were counting on her... Just a little more time, surely they were almost there, just... buy them more time... let them get away at least...
As the dragon and creature both approached, she felt her will start to crumble, and she knew this was it. This was really the end for her... “So be it,” Corypheus rasped, shaking his head a little as he stalked towards her again. “I will begin again, find another way to give this world the nation—and god—it requires.”
“I'm out of time,” she breathed, just as a spark of red, near the far ridge beyond the Chantry, lit up the snow and trees, and she felt a profound sense of relief washing over her. She had made it, she had given them enough time... She hadn't failed them... Standing tall now with her borrowed sword in front of her, she couldn't help the cocky grin that flashed across her face.
“And you!” the creature spat, not realizing the change in Rio. “I will not suffer even an unknowing rival! You must die!”
One brow raised at that as a chuckle rang through the night. “Arrogant much?” Rio said, grin positively feral. “You expect me to fight... I think you need... to... chill.” Without another word, Rio hit the release on the trebuchet, watching the volley launch towards the mountain, eyes following the arc for a few moments as she thought to herself, Horns-up...
She didn't even wait for the strike to hit the mountain, turning to run off the ramp as she held her pack tightly. Runrunrunrun, was all she could think now. She didn't remember much beyond the roar of the dragon behind her before the snow hit her, and then she was falling, down, down, and the darkness swallowed her up...

* * *

They barely caught up with the group as the flare went up, Cullen looking surprised as they climbed the ridge, running towards them. “B-but...” he said softly, frowning, “you're supposed to be with the Herald! You left her down there?!” he cried.
“She ordered us to go,” Bull said gruffly, grabbing a spyglass from a scout to try to see what was going on below, “said she had a plan... And I trust the boss.”
“Horns up...” they heard from the boy in the large hat, turning to see as the last volley was launched. Spirits rose as the last of the forces appeared to be buried beneath the snow, the dragon taking off with a roar, only to be dashed a few moments later as Cole said quietly, “I... I can't hear her...”
Blackwall's heart dropped, looking to Bull as the wind started to pelt them with bits of ice and snow. A storm was starting, and they needed to get out of the elements, take stock, and try to figure out where to go from here.
Haven was gone. The Herald had fallen. And their enemy had only just revealed himself. Things were starting to look worse and worse as the wind picked up, Blackwall giving a deep sigh, shaking his head just a little.
“In death,” he said quietly, “... sacrifice...”
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Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere