Sisters of Tevinter

Skyhold

   Three days went by slowly. Jor spent most of them in solitude. During the cold, clear nights, the scholar was miles ahead of her company, of the trundling ranks of the weary and beaten Inquisition. 

    Dawn came with a breath of warm wind, the first rays the same rosy scarlet that arced beneath the scholar's eye, reflecting off the peaks haggard with ice and snow like beacons of silver and rubies. The redeye bleariness of the waking sky slowly faded into molten honey and gold as Jor's boots crunched along in the snow. 

      In the distance, she heard the creaking of carts and the directional shouts of scouts and soldiers. She scampered up a craggy peak that dropped off to the snowy valleys miles and miles below, crouching in the snow. Her breath caught in her throat. 

      Ahead, nestled in the bosom of the mountain, was a magnificent stone fortress of stone and spires. It lay there quietly, as if it had been waiting for her. The sun arced over its battlements, adorning them in glittering finery. 

       A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "Skyhold." Solas smiled, his eyes trained on the structure with pride. 

      A ragged cheer rose from the ranks that had caught up behind them. Soldiers embraced, mercenaries clapped one another on the back. Dorian, shaking snow from his cowl, scoffed and looked out at the crumbling and ancient fortress from beside Jor, hands on hips. "That's going to take a lot of work." 

      "And us likewise. But I think we're good for it." Jor rose and punched the mage's arm, grinning, hope brushing golden wings across her heart. Solas wrinkled his nose distastefully at Dorian's attitude, but said nothing.  

       Kaisen appeared to the elf's left, passing him without a glance to press a kiss to Jor's cheek, snowflakes caught like frozen gemstones in her fiery hair. "Nice going." 

    Jor scooped her sister into a brief hug, kissing her hair in return. "We did good." 

    The place was massive. Soldiers arrayed themselves in the overgrown and mossy courtyard, shaking ice from their boots and lighting fires full of rotting timbers that could be found everywhere. Tents were erected for the wounded, scouts raced along the battlements to discover hidden rooms and clear chambers in the towers. 

     Jor found herself slumped against a tree in the courtyard, watching Solas confer with Cassandra and Cullen. Josephine had vanished with Leliana, teasing one another about laying claim to the best rooms. She hadn't seen Bull yet, but Krem had passed with a gaggle of troops to hand out food and medical supplies. 

       The scholar closed her eyes, listening to the buzz of conversation and shifting cloth around her, the tree's bare branches rattling softly like foreign music. Her palms traced idly over the ache in her torso as she breathed in the frigid mountain air. She could smell thunder and snow approaching from the horizon. 

        This place was a blessing. It made her feel... safe. It invited her to live, to experience, to explore. It held countless secrets, Jor could sense it. She just needed a moment to rest first. 

    Shadows and light danced across her eyelids as the scholar tilted her head back against the bare bark of the tree to sleep. 

      Darkness gripped her unconsciousness, pulsing with green light and remembered pain. People were screaming. 

       "Can't breathe.... can't breathe. Blood everywhere, red on green stone. Thud. A wet thud, a body, blackened curving horns. The scent of iron, of death, matted red hair strung up on idle silver fingers."

         Jor jerked awake, her breath caught in her neck like a noose. For a moment, she'd forgotten where she was. Her ass was frozen, aching from sitting in the moss and pebbles for so long. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard it almost brought her pain. 

      The young man in the ragged, drooping leather hat flinched from where he crouched beside her, a pale hand hovering near her face. It dropped to his lap. "I am sorry," he murmured. "Be calm, you are not hurt. Not on the outside." 

    Jor scrambled back, pulling her knees to her chest like a frightened child. "Wh- how did you-" She looked around. The courtyard was empty but for some scouts and Commander Cullen leaning over a makeshift table, all with their back to her. Tents lay occupied and silent. The sun was sinking on the horizon. They'd let her sleep for so long? Why? 

     The boy sat back on his haunches, his legs long and reedy as he crossed them beneath him. That ridiculous hat was covering his eyes again. Jor tried to steady herself, helplessness gathering like sludge and oil in her mouth. "Can I help you?" she spat. 

      "No," the boy said matter-of-factly, quiet and gentle. "I don't think you can. I want to help you." 

      "You scared the crap out of me is what you did." 

      The boy flinched, as if he were a silk eared puppy that had been kicked. "...I am sorry. I just wanted to help. Your thoughts are pain. They hurt." 

      Jor hesitated, scowling. "...My thoughts?" 

      "You are confused. You do not hate me, but you doubt my words." 

      Jor hugged her knees to her chest. "...You can read my thoughts."

      "Yes. I am Cole." His expression was lost, empty, but he looked away as if those four words explained everything. 

       Jor released a shuddering breath. "Hello, Cole." 

       "Hello." He seemed to brighten, just a little bit, in a steady, absent kind of way. 

        ...I need to ask Solas about this one. "Wh-"

      "Solas will know." Cole nodded solemnly. "He knows me. He knows you too."

       Jor frowned. "I should hope so."

       "You do. You do hope so. That is part of your pain. The ink on your fingers prevents you from asking." 

       Heat blossomed in Jor's cheeks and grief opened a chasm in her heart as she clutched her left hand to her chest, gripping the tattooed fingers in her fist. Her voice was only a whisper when she said; "Please... Don't read that." 

        "It is not my choice sometimes. I hear you. You cry." 

        "I do not." Jor scowled. 

        "Not on the outside."