Dragon Age: Inquisition

A Forgotten Tale

And then the Maker sealed the gates

Of the Golden City,

And there, He dwelled, waiting,

To see the wonders,

His children would create.

-- Threnodies 5:8

        "Are you sure this is wise?" Cassandra inquired for the fifth time that evening. They were traveling along the road leading to Merdaine, where apparently one of the Inquisition bases stood. It was pouring rain so hard that it almost hurt to have the raindrops clashing against Morwyn's back, but she had a feeling she'd be enduring a lot of rain in the coming days, whether it was actually raining or not.

        Her boots trudged through the mud, making it a struggle just to raise her foot since it continuously got stuck. She tugged at her tarnished blue cloak, pulling it tighter around her shoulders in an attempt to block out more of the cold being washed over her. How long it had been since she traveled with a group of seasoned veterans intending to quench something out to destroy the world, she did not remember. It had become less and less important to keep track of the time over the years. The only thing she needed to be aware of was that with each passing second, she was closer to her death.

        And perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. She had served her time in the world, had lived a full life. There were cracks in the road, sometimes earthquakes, but in the end, that had only made her that much stronger. It was a constant battle against her feelings and what was right, but having Alistair at her side had done much to stem the feeling of doubt.

        "I'm sure." she stated confidently, licking the rain off of her lips. 

        Much of the Anderfels reminded her of Fereldan. The cold, for one, was perhaps the most notable. Fereldan was always cold, even in the warmest of summers. The only thing distinguishable between the Anderfels and Fereldan was the giant white sculpture of Andraste near where they were headed. In fact, Morwyn could see the statue's eternal flame from this point, even though they were still miles away.

        "We should set camp for now. We've been traveling for hours and I sense no immediate danger." Cassandra announced, coming to a halt.

        Morwyn's eyes flashed to the qunari, wondering if she would react just like Sten used to do whenever Morwyn suggested they stop to rest. The qunari's expression was infuriatingly unreadable, however. Even in the dark, Morwyn could see the burn covering her right eye, the burnt flesh gleaming in the moonlight. If Wynne had been with her, I bet she wouldn't even have a scar. The dwarf's heart gave an aching jolt of pain at the yearning for Wynne's company. She and the elder mage were very close back in the Blighted days, but like so many things, she had been taken away from Morwyn. 

        They did just as Cassandra had suggested. They each set their own tents, save for Morwyn and Alistair who preferred to sleep in the same tent-- it helped ward off nightmares. Kadan gathered a set of firewood and dropped it in the center of their campsite, then hitched a healthy fire. After everything was settled, Cassandra and Kadan sat on the log opposite the one Alistair and Morwyn took their seats on.

        All was eerily quiet for a moment, with nothing but the soft chirping of crickets and the owls' cries to accompany the silence. Alistair was the first to break it. "Sten said that women joining the military was against the rules in the Qun." he said, looking at Kadan inquisitively.

        The qunari's eyes slowly traveled to meet Alistair's, her expression still unreadable. She paused for a while, seemingly thinking about how much she was allowed to tell outsiders. "I am an exception. Not the rule." she replied blankly.