Elfroot. That's it. Elfroot. (book 1)

Chapter Three

  Jules entered the Forward Camp with the others. It was situated on a bridge, one a little more sturdy than the others he had crossed. Which was lucky, too, considering every now and then a meteor would fall from the breach and land nearby. I guess the people here didn't have a lot of time to prepare, he thought. There were around twenty or so soldiers waiting on the bridge, along with several tents to accompany them. Some were injured, while others were sharpening their blades and preparing for battle. All were scared out of their wits.

Cassandra moved past Jules, towards a table stationed nearby. Standing in front of it was a soldier dressed in steel and cloth, while behind were two others: a man dressed in red and white robes, and the cloaked woman from the dungeons. A relieved smile formed on the seeker's face when spotting Leliana. She approached, and the cloaked woman looked up.

"You made it. Chancellor Roderick," Leliana began, capturing the attention of the robed man, "this is..."

The chancellor, or Chantry brother, frowned. "I know who he is," he cut her off, glaring at the young elf. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution!"

Cassandra scoffed and smirked. "Order me?" she echoed. "You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"

"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the chantry," Roderick spat.

Leliana frowned. "We serve the most holy, Chancellor," she stated, then gave Cassandra a sorrowful look. "As you well know..."

"Justinia is dead!" Roderick exclaimed. "We must elect a replacement and obey her orders on the matter!"

Jules rolled his eyes, beginning to grow tired of their talk of dead Divines and ways to execute him. Though he believed in the Chantry's cause, he didn't much care for their enforcers: Clerics, Chancellors, and Mothers. They were all small minded and believed in only what they heard. "I don't see why any of this matters. We should just close that giant hole in the sky!" he said.

Roderick frowned. "That will be done when a new divine is elected!"

Cassandra approached the table, and the Chancellor's face grew exhausted. "Call a retreat, Seeker," he begged her. "Our position here is hopeless."

"We can stop this before it's too late," said Cassandra.

Roderick, "how? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

"We must get to the Temple!" Cassandra urged. "It's the quickest route."

Leliana intervened, "but not the safest. Our forces can charge as a distraction, while we go through the mountains." She pointed towards the mountain range nearby, glowering in the snow like two giants forever sleeping.

Cassandra shook her head. "We lost an entire squad on that path. It's too risky."

"Listen to me," Roderick sighed. "Abandon this now before more lives are lost!"

Again, just as he had finished speaking, the breach expanded. Jules winced, gripping his hand. Solas carefully observed how it affected him, and Cassandra's expression became urgent. The thrumming stopped, and the young elf lowered his hand once more. Cassandra, aware of how dire the situation was, turned to him. "How do you think we should proceed?" she asked.

Jules' dark eyebrows furrowed. "Why're you asking me?"

"You have the mark," Solas pointed out.

Cassandra, "and you are the one we must keep alive. Since we cannot decide on our own..."

"..." Jules thought to himself, and these are supposed to be military professionals... Why can't they decide on their own? Will I have to make every decision for them? They do realise I'm just an elf, yes? He sighed and rubbed his aching palm. "I say we go the quick way and help the soldiers. Since it is fastest and this is really starting to hurt."