For the Inquisition

The Sky is Torn

I woke to an explosion. The world shook around me as I stumbled around my quarters, pulling clothes onto my lithe body. I cursed as my fingers fumbled with the buckles on my breastplate, sighing in relief when they finally clicked into place. I pulled my long coat over it, the tails nearly touching the ground, and tightened my belt around it, holding it in place. The winter air bit my skin as I left my quarters while tying my hair back in a severe knot, revealing my pointed ears.

"What's happening?" A woman screamed as she ran past me towards one of the buildings neighboring my sleeping quarters. The small village of Haven was in chaos. One of the soldiers from my own squadron stood at attention as I approached. I only had to raise my eyebrows in question before he provided an answer.

"It's the conclave, Captain. Something has happened." I grabbed his collar and pointed at the hole in the sky.

"I can see that something has happened, Boran." I shoved him away from me. "Where is the commander?" Divine Justinia's inquisition wasn't official yet and had been kept a secret from the rest of the chantry. They were just waiting for an opportunity to announce the Inquisition reborn. I hadn't yet met the commander, having only just arrived in Haven a few days prior, but I had been told he was a former Templar.

"Last I knew he was in the chantry, preparing the troops for battle." Boran pointed at the huge stone structure in the center of Haven. I scoffed and shoved the man away from me.

"Troops." I muttered. The inquisition had gathered a very small army, mostly mages escaping the circle and former Templar recruits, which made for a volatile mixture of people. I left Boran behind as I marched towards the temple, my gloved hand finding the hilt of my sword for comfort. "Where's the commander?" I asked a sister near the huge double doors of the chantry.

"Room at the end of hall." I approached the room and heard multiple voices muffled by the thick wooden door.

"I'm going to go interrogate the dwarf again." The door opened and I was face to face with the right hand of the divine. Her eyes were severe as she emerged. A deep scar slashed across her cheek, giving her a rather intimidating aura. She barely spared me another look as she pushed past and headed towards the dungeons.

"Who are you?" I turned back towards the room where a muscular blond man stood behind a wooden table covered in maps. A red and black fur collar framed his head and swaths of red fabric covered most of his breastplate, only leaving the center exposed. I pushed forward standing at attention in front of him.

"Captain Jysaere Livera, ser." He studied me for a moment.

"Captain?" Anger flashed through me.

"Yes, ser." I ground out.

"What is it you need?" I choked out a laugh before remembering who exactly I was speaking to.

"I was wondering what we were going to do about the giant hole in the sky." My eyes met his and my lips quirked slightly. "Ser."

"Tell me, Captain Livera." He rounded the table to lean back against it in front of me. "There are ten captains in the inquisition's army. How many soldiers are in your squadron?"

"Thirty." He nodded.

"How many of their names do you know?" My eyebrows scrunched together.

"All of them." I hesitated before asking, "What does this have to do with the hole in the sky?" His lips turned up in an almost smile.

"And why have you been the only Captain to come to me this morning within moments of the sky exploding?"

"I can't answer for the others, ser, but I want this problem solved sooner rather than later and I figured you would be the correct place to start." His eyes glittered with approval at my answer.

"Commander!" A soldier burst through the door, his eyes widening as he took me in, his eyes instantly finding my ears. "Oh, I'm sorry." His cheeks burned red and he started backing up. I rolled my eyes. Like now would be the time for the commander to be enjoying the company of an elven whore.

"I'm not a slave or a whore. I'm Captain Livera of the third squadron." I explained. I ignored the commander's gaze as he studied me. The soldier only straightened, did not apologize, and continued with his report.

"Commander, I was one of the soldiers sent to search the ruins of the temple for survivors. You have to see this." The commander motioned for me to follow them. So we both followed the soldier out of the war room and towards the dungeons. The very last cell held a woman with a green glow cast over her, chains fettered around her wrists. A bald elven mage sat next to her, examining her left hand.

"Who is she?" I asked. She shifted and her ears were exposed.

"Another elf?" The commander asked, glancing at me.

"Elves have been in Thedas far longer than you humans." The bald elf spoke. His voice was strangely calming. I pursed my lips in agreement.

"She walked out of a rift." The soldier spoke again, fear lacing his voice.

"What's wrong with her hand?" I asked.

"There is a mark. I believe it may have a relationship with the rifts opening." The bald elf spoke again, this time looking up at us. "I am Solas. I have studied the Fade for many years."

"Thank you for keeping her healthy, Solas. Captain Livera and I are going to investigate some of these rifts. We'll try to keep some of the demons at bay." I only raised one eyebrow in shock as I followed the commander out of the dungeons. "Gather your squadron and meet me at the bridge." I nodded and left the chantry, spotting Boran right away.

"Boran, gather the rest of the squadron. We're going into the temple." I pulled the leather ties out of my hair, the caramel waves falling around my shoulders as I pushed open the door to my small cabin. I clasped my metal gauntlets around my forearms, the dying light from my lantern reflecting off of them as I twisted my hair into several tiny braids down the sides of my head, leaving a swath of curls on top, cascading down the back. I heard a knock at the door, my head swiveling, the rings that climbed my ears swaying from the movement.

"Captain, the squadron is waiting for you by the gates." Boran's voice was muffled by the door. I steeled myself, swinging my shield over my head to click it onto its hook just below the back of my neck. I tucked a few small throwing knives into the slots on my belt before opening the door. "Captain?" Boran's mouth nearly fell open.

"You've never seen me in battle before. The trick is to look fearsome. It gives you an edge." He nodded as we marched towards the gates and beyond them, to the bridge.

"Captain Livera." The commander seemed shocked as he took in my appearance.

"You have to strike fear into your enemies, Commander." My grin bordered on manic as I fell into step beside him.

"My name is Cullen, Captain."

"And my name is Jysaere." He smiled warmly at me.

"What exactly did you do before you joined our outfit?" He asked as we began making our way towards the ruined temple. My smile dissolved. It had been so long since anyone had asked, so long since I had to face the truth of how I came to be with the Inquisition.

"I was a slave, Commander." His smile fell completely, his steps faltering.