Doom Upon All The World

Chapter 7: Forgotten

Pitiful, Cole thought as he stood on the steps to the entrance of Skyhold. That's what he was. Pitiful. Though undeserving of such pity. He watched Leliana go. Her bag was packed, her horse mounted, her coat done up tight to ward off the winter's breeze. She was leaving and he would be alone in Skyhold with only a few scouts that didn't remember him. She'd be gone for a little less than a week. He hoped she would not forget him by then. Ever since the Inquisition was dissolved, he'd been staying at Skyhold with Leliana. She stayed to watch over things, keep a watchful eye on their possible enemies. It was important that she did so. She wouldn't be leaving in such a rush if she hadn't.

She was going to see them. The others. He hadn't seen any of them since the Exalted Council. The last of them he'd had contact with was Solas and he wasn't sure if even he would still remember him. He was sure the others didn't. They never did. They would always forget him in the end. It was inevitable. His curse was still his curse and he wore it with shame and discontent. Leliana only remembered because she was constantly around him. Now she was leaving, gone, and he worried she'd return with no recollection of him at all. The gathering would be grand. All of them would be there. The Inquisitor would no doubt have things dressed up and made pretty for their arrival. She always liked to keep appearances up.

Cole did not rest easy knowing that they would enjoy themselves because he knew the danger they were in. The gathering put all of them in one place at the same time. Their enemies, those that knew about the meeting, would use it as their time to strike. He didn't know if he'd see any of them ever again. He would have liked to see Solas, to meet his children, to speak with the Inquisitor just once more. These were all incredibly unlikely. They could all die in a few days and he'd remain unchanged.

He wondered what he would do if Leliana did not return. She'd become a large part of his life. He enjoyed her company. They both very much liked animals. He often helped her to watch over things and on occasion assisted in her search for the Hero of Fereldan. He suspected her search was futile though. The woman was probably gone forever but he could not tell this to the spymaster. It would only upset her and his sole purpose was to help, to stop the hurt. Leliana was missing a vital piece of herself. She and the Warden were like sisters and she missed her more everyday. She spoke of her often, more so than Josie at times.

A few hours ago, Leliana's scouts intercepted a message from an unknown source. It spoke of a gathering that would happen in Halamshiral in two days.

"They'll be sitting ducks all in one place. Light it up."

Cole did not like to look at the words on the parchment. It disturbed him, made him feel helpless. Now Leliana was putting herself in danger by going to see them. He could do nothing for them. He could only wait and wonder. Wonder what would come of his friends. He hoped she would not be too late.