“We had little luck in Val Royeaux,” Cassandra said.
“We heard,” Leliana said. “My agents sent word.”
Barris closed his eyes with a sigh. “Who is even to say what the Lord Seeker is planning now?' he ran a hand down his face. “He and Elthina have made no moves as of late.”
“How do we deal with them?” Arethin asked.
“Right now, we can do little,” Leliana said. “I will try and find out all I can about what they are doing and what their plans are, but we must have patience.”
“I hope not too much. Time is one thing we don't have much of.”
“Of course not.”
“So what do we do next?” Cassandra asked. “Did Madame de Fer or Grand Enchanter Fiona send word--?”
“The Grand Enchanter sent word,” Josephine said. “As did Madame de Fer.”
“What did the Grand Enchanter say?” Arethin asked.
“She wishes to meet with you, first, in Denerim,” she said. “I mentioned that we are allied with the Coaltion and Orzammar as well, and I believe that helped negotiations.”
Arethin nodded. “It would,” she said. “Fiona was with the Hero of Ferelden when Surana first began making treaties.”
“I still believe we should contact the remaining Templars and Seekers,” Cassandra said. “Those who might be turned to our side.”
“Yes, that would be good,” Barris said. “I would love it if some of my former brothers and sisters could be made to see reason.”
“They're Templars—they won't see much reason at all.” Arethin couldn't help the biting edge to her voice.
“This is not the time for old conflicts to get in the way,” Cassandra said.
“It isn't an old conflict if I know for a fact that most of those Templars have the lyrium shakes,” Arethin snapped. “If you want to contact Templars, very well, but the Coalition still considers the majority of them hostile, so don't expect the warmest welcome.”
“But if they were with us, they wouldn't be hostile,” Barris cajoled.
Arethin snorted. “Just because you are not hostile doesn't mean the rest of them aren't—the Order is built on harassing and imprisoning mages. They wouldn't take kindly to me—existing, really.”
“That is not why the Order is there,” Cassandra growled.
“Tell that to all the Dalish who've lost children to them,” Arethin snapped. “And don't give me that garbage about Dalish abandoning children—Templars hunt down our Clans and take our mages, and have done for hundreds of years. We don't want them here.”
Cassandra sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“We can discuss this at another time,” Josephine said, tone pleasant and diplomatic as ever. “The fact of the matter is, right now, we can do nothing about the Templars while Grand Cleric Elthina yet controls them.”
“That is certainly true,” Leliana said. “And we need to do something about them.”
“Are they really a larger priority than the Breach?” Arethin asked. “I would think that that holds precedence over everything.”
“We should still try to find them,” Leliana insisted. “If we cannot, they will continue to antagonize the mages and this whole conflict will be drawn out.”
“And everyone in the middle will get hurt, I know, I know,” Arethin waved a hand. She paused for a long moment. “I will focus on the Breach,” she decided finally. “You find out more about Elthina—I will go to Denerim and speak with the Grand Enchanter. She is more likely to trust me than anyone else.” she remembered what else Josephine had said.
“And what of Madame de Fer?”
“She sent us a missive as well,” Josephine said. “Inviting us to visit her and her mages at Duke Bastien's estate.”
“Bastien, Bastien...” Arethin hummed. “Who is he?”
“A minor nobleman in Orlais,” Josephine passed Arethin a map. “There are also some more areas in Ferelden that could use your aid,” Josephine pointed out, glancing down at her notes. “The rifts are only spreading. We suspect that closing the Breach will stop the rifts, but for now...”
Arethin sighed and massaged her temples. “For now, I need to close the small ones. I see. Well, find who is in the most danger, and I will attend to them as best I can.”
Josephine nodded. “I shall see. ”
The meeting broke up, and Arethin went in search of her newest ally.
Sera was lurking in the nearest tavern, having immediately made herself comfortable there.
“Oi!” she waved Arethin over when Arethin entered. Arethin sat down opposite her at her table.
“Settling in alright?” Arethin asked.
“Eh, it's nice,” Sera shrugged. “Bloody cold, though—stoppin' wars should earn more coin than this.”
“Should doesn't necessarily mean that it will.” Arethin sighed. “And we need to be close to the Breach.”
Sera shivered. “Hate that bloody thing,” she said.
“Well, you're not alone in that.”
“Did you mean it?” Sera said. “'bout making everything normal again?”
“Well, I'm going to fix the Breach,” Arethin said.
“Well, sure,” Sera shrugged. “But are you going to make things normal?”
Arethin tilted her head to one side. “I don't think I know what you mean.”
Sera groaned and kicked her feet out. “I was in Val Royeaux when it got—when it was burning, you know,” she said. “Bloody Empress and the Divine and generals and mages and all that rubbish—all those big people pushin' each other about, and everyone else just gets stepped on.”
Arethin nodded. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I know it was bad there.”
“Ugh,” Sera shuddered. “Hate thinkin' about it. Bollocks. The Divine's supposed to be good, yeah? Templars're supposed to stop demons and that shite? But what even goes on when the Templars decided they want to be in charge instead of doin' what they're told?”
“Nothing good,” Arethin said. “Though, where Templars are concerned, they never did anyone a much good,” her expression grew dark.
“They stop demons, yeah?” Sera said, leaning her chin on her hand.
“They cause demons,” Arethin argued. “All that Chantry talk about 'magic is meant to serve man' this and 'spirits are all demons' that—it causes problems with demons.”
“What? No it doesn't,” Sera went a few shades paler, and bit her lip, looking very worried all of a sudden.
“The Fade reflects what people in the physical world think,” Arethin said. “Imagine it—well, like this. If you have had an unpleasant day, the Fade will be able to tell, and reflect that back at you.”
“Ugh,” Sera groaned again and leaned back in her chair. “Whatever. Magic shite—I don't want to deal with it.”
“You might have to,” Arethin said. “What else is the Breach?”
“Well, I want the mages and Templars to stop all their fighting,” Sera proclaimed. “Sit them down, they stop warring, things get back to normal.”
“Right up until the Templars do it again.”
“Why would they do it again?” Sera demanded, narrowing her eyes.
Arethin shrugged. “Because they cannot abide being told what to do. That was why this whole mess even began—as far as I can tell, the Lord Seeker got fed up with the Divine telling him what to do, so he started a war over it.”
“Oh,” Sera blinked. “What a tit.”
Arethin was startled into a laugh. “By all accounts, that is quite true.” she said.
“Well, better than I'm here now,” she said. “Jennies'll sort that arsehole out right quick, we get the chance.”
“Well, there's nothing wrong with him that a little arrows couldn't fix,” Arethin said with a smile.
Sera laughed. “Not so bad, for bein' all elfy,” she said.
“Sera...”
Sera groaned. “Look, all I ever hear from other elves is piss and rot about how great things used to be, and how grand we were, blah, blah, blah,” she said. “Who cares? I don't want to run around in the woods with no shoes. Bein' all elfy is backwards and boring—sure doesn't seem like living to me.”
“Well, personally, I can't stand the no-shoes bit,” Arethin said. She shuddered. “I had to deal with every hunter who stepped on a bee or a thorn because she wouldn't just put on a pair of boots.”
“See? Stupid.”
“Well, yes, but there's lots of stupid things about everyone's culture,” Arethin said. “I don't see that it makes a difference if it's elves or humans.”
“Well—I mean--” Sera sighed. “Look, I get raised by some human, I get shite for it—I don't see what's the bloody difference. Humans are bastards, elves are bastards, they're all bastards, elves just think I need to be sad and mopey because of some stories they barely remember, and then they get pissed when I'm not.”
“Well, many of the Clans I know are angry a great deal of the time,” Arethin said. “Just for different reasons.”
“Like what?” Sera rolled her eyes.
“Like getting their children taken by Templars,” Arethin said, her tone dark. “Or getting attacked because some nearby village thought they poisoned the well. Or getting raided for their halla. We're trying to make things better, but...” she sighed and looked away. “We just have a lot to be angry about.”
“Oh.” Sera said. “Well—no need to act so snobby about it. If it was kids'n'grannies getting hurt or whatever, drop a line to the Jennies, we'd fix them up proper, but Dalish always tell the likes of me to piss off whenever I come close.”
Arethin sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I know...”
Sera snickered. 'Yeah, and you said you were gonna lay into some people about it.” she sobered again quickly. “I dunno, though...”
“Sera, it's...there's a lengthy history of bad relations between the Dalish and others.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Listen to me, all of that bad blood—all of that 'flat-ear' nonsense—well, we have more stories of city elves luring Clans to danger than I can count.”
“Sure it's not about how you lot are real elves and we're all not or whatever?” Sera said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, there's definitely that,” Arethin pursed her lips. “Not with my Clan, so much, and the Coalition is comprised of both Alienages and Clans, but—well, I had a Keeper call me a 'flat-ear' once.” she gestured to her face. “And with all of this!”
Sera was surprised into a laugh. “Pff, that's bloody stupid, you already did the face painting shite!”
“Exactly. People like that—well. They're not very pleasant to anyone. It seems like perhaps my people have a few more of those than we should, but...” she shrugged. “Right now, though, I wouldn't worry about it—everyone's shaken with the hole in the sky to be worried about blood this and that.”
“Huh.” Sera raised her eyebrows. “I still think all that elfy shite is stupid. Can't be real. Not like Andraste and all that.”
“Oh, Sera, don't,” Arethin grimaced. “I already get enough of a headache when Cassandra starts going on about providence.”
“Well, sure, but you are, aren't you? From Andraste?” Sera leaned forward, her eyes flashing for a moment with a painful hope.
“I could not tell you,” Arethin said. “I remember nothing before coming out of the Breach. I think if Andraste wanted me to be her herald, she would have told me.”
Sera looked troubled. “S'pose...but how'd you get the thing on your hand if it wasn't for Her?”
“I couldn't say.”
“Oh,” Sera giggled. “Well—if I say it's Andraste, you can't say it isn't, right?”
“I suppose technically I can't. But I can say I think that's ridiculous.”
“Andraste's not ridiculous!”
“She is if she cannot manage this herself. I hardly want to be running around and closing rifts all day.”
“Maybe she's smart, because she got you to do it instead of her.”
Arethin considered that. “A fair point,” she conceded. “But I despise hearing about it. I only want to close the Breach and not be concerned with who sent me to do it. As far as I am concerned, I sent me..”
Sera nodded. “Stick arrows in it, make it go away. Makes sense,” she agreed grudgingly.
It was several days before Josephine had an idea of the area that needed the most assistance.
“The Storm Coast is the area currently hit the hardest by rifts,” Josephine said. “It is also on the way to Denerim.”
Arethin nodded. “Then I shall go there,” she said. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“A mercenary company called the Chargers has been there for the past several weeks,” Leliana said. “They contacted us--”
“They contacted Haven, actually,” Josephine said. “There was some confusion over whether they should be contacting the Inquisition or you personally, so they compromised.”
“And what did they say?”
“They wish to join the effort to close the Breach,” Josephine explained. “They have been attempting to clear the Coast of demons, but haven't been having much success.”
“Well, there is a reason for that,” Arethin said with a sigh. “Why are they interested?”
“Apparently, they had been doing a job there when the Breach happened, and have been attempting to help the civilians in the area evacuate. For free.”
“For free?” Arethin raised her eyebrows. “Interesting.”
“Their leader is Ben-hassrath,” Leliana said. “But there is a Dalish member of the company. We are not sure what the relationship is between them, but they might be worth looking into for this reason alone.”
“Very true,” Arethin said. “If he is truly Ben-hassrath, the Dalish person might be keeping an eye on him. I'll see what's going on.”
“Very wise,” Leliana seemed troubled for some reason, but did not say anything further on the matter.
Clan Quansyroth made a second appearance, mostly because the halla-keeper was apparently appalled by the state of their stables. This time, halla-keeper Ardeque decided to stay and help, proclaiming that she couldn't let Arethin and her people be without decent mounts.
After some contention, Ardeque got Sera onto a drakolisk, which Sera oddly adored.
“Why do you like this beast so much when you dislike all the others?” Arethin asked, looking at the drakolisk with some trepedation.
Sera patted the beast's head. “Just 'cos no one else likes him doesn't mean I don't,” she said. “She said these ones like smart riders,” she grinned.
“If she said it, it must be true,” Arethin informed her.
“Ha! Baldy didn't get one of these, and he always thinks he's smarter than everyone.”
“Perhaps you are better at riding,” Arethin pointed out. “Everyone has some things they can do better than others.”
“Like arrows!” Sera grinned and stroked the neck of the drakolisk.
“And, apparently, like riding this monster,” Arethin raised her eyebrows at the beast. “How you can be so concerned about magic, and not about this thing, I haven't the foggiest.”
“Aw, he's nice,” Sera protested. “Right ugly, but he's nice.”
“I suppose some 'elfy' things are worth it, then?”
Sera looked up at her, scowling. “I dunno...” she said. “He is pretty good, though. I thought she was gonna give me one of those smelly halla.”
“Of course not,” Arethin said. “She'd never give a halla to someone who thought they smelled. I hope you didn't tell her that.”
Sera scrunched up her nose. “I did, and she yanked on my ear,” she rubbed her right ear, scowling at the memory. “But then she said she had something else anyway.”
“I see. Well, I am pleased that you enjoy her choice, anyhow.”
Sera peered at her. “Don't have much fun, do you?” she said.
Arethin blinked at her.
“Only heard you laugh a couple times. Why's that, hey?”
For a long moment, Arethin was quiet, unsure how to answer that. “Is there a great deal to laugh about?”
“All the time,” Sera went back to petting the drakolisk's neck. “Scarier things are, the more there is, y'see?” she looked Arethin up and down, her gaze more contemplative than normal. “Whatever—bet you're no fun, like Baldy and Cassandra.”
Arethin blinked again. “Suppose as you wish,” she said. “You should get some practice on that beast before you come out with us,” she advised, nodding at the drakolisk.
There were no eluvians that opened near the Storm Coast, at least none that could be unlocked. They had a suspicion that there was one in the ruins somewhere, but with the latest troubles, hadn't been able to send any archaeology teams out to try and find it. As such, Arethin, Cassandra, Varric, Solas and Sera traveled the long way, on horseback.
Sera and Solas didn't get along at all, and both of them became absolutely insufferable after about several days of close proximity to each other. They bickered about everything, from Sera's upbringing to Solas' magic, to both of their attitudes. Their conversations frequently devolved into insults, some of which were surprisingly vulgar on Solas' part. It was when Sera dumped a nest of lizards into Solas' bedroll that Arethin called a halt to the entire business and decided that when they were all traveling together, they had to be as far apart as possible.
“You'd think you were both children,” Arethin scolded them. “Honestly—I've known five year olds with more decorum.”
Both of them were completely unrepentant. Arethin had the sneaking suspicion that on some level they enjoyed riling each other up, and merely deigned to keep them separate.
“Trust me, this is nothing,” Varric said. “Just about everyone Hawke and I ran with in Kirkwall got into the most ridiculous fights with each other.”
“Well, they needn't do it,” Arethin said.
“It's not my fault Baldy is such a prick,” Sera grumbled.
“Evidently, my very existence is offensive.” Solas said.
“Stop it, you two,” Arethin warned. “You're worse than brother and sister, you are. If you're not careful I'll start introducing you like you are related.”
Both Sera and Solas made similar expressions of disgust.
"We don't look anythin' alike," Sera said. "No one'd believe it."
"Sure they would. I'd say, 'this is Sera, she's Solas' little sister,' or 'this is Solas, he's Sera's older brother,' and they'd look at the two of you and your gray eyes and the way you bicker--"
Sera made an exaggerated gagging sound, revolted, and Solas said nothing, face carefully blank. After that, they kept the bickering to a minimum, at least within earshot of Arethin.
Other than that, the trip went smoothly, if made rather louder with Sera's additional presence. The first time they had traveled together, Sera had been much quieter, unsettled by her new companions and new situation. Now, it seemed she was quite confident to let her whole personality shine through.
“Ugh, can't you use words that mean things?” Sera demanded at one point, hearing Solas and Arethin chat to each other in Dalish.
"They do mean things, Sera,” Arethin said. “That's the point of a language.”
“Yeah, but what's the point if only you and Baldy know it?” Sera demanded.
“Perhaps we wish to speak in a tongue that is more familiar to us,” Solas said, with a haughty tone to his voice that just made Sera's hackles rise.
Sera glared at them both, her nose scrunched up. “All the elfy elves I know used it to talk shite about people in front of them,” she said.
“We were talking about the weather,” Arethin rolled her eyes, exasperated. “I can teach you if it bothers you that much.”
“I know some of it!” Sera snapped. “I'm not stupid, I can figure it out for myself!”
“No one said you were stupid,” Arethin rubbed her forehead.
“Good.” Sera folded her arms. “Don't want to learn anyway,” she grumbled. “Too bloody elfy.”
“You know, if you knew it, you could use it to talk about people in front of them without them knowing,” Arethin pointed out.
Sera perked up. “I s'pose,” she grumbled, grudging.
“What is so offensive about the Dalish language?” Solas asked.
“Don't you already have problems with the Dalish, Chuckles?” Varric asked.
“With their treatment of non-Dalish, yes, and their interpretation of history, not with the language.”
“I keep telling you, you need to come to a Coalition meeting,” Arethin said, switching back to Dalish. “You and the Keepers can argue to your heart's content. You'll have a lovely time.”
“What?” Sera demanded.
“If you learn Dalish, then you'll know what I said.”
Sera huffed and folded her arms. “Bloody elfy gits...” she grumbled.
“I doubt they would be interested in what I had to say,” Solas said, also turning back to Dalish. “Considering my previous experience.”
“Oh, don't worry,” Arethin assured him. “I told you...”
“Friggin' stop it!” Sera exclaimed.
“Fine,” Arethin said. “We'll just start talking about magic in common, and you'll have to listen to it. Solas, what spirit did you speak to last?”
“Ugh!” Sera dragged her hands down her face. “You're the worst!”
“Ah, but now you must either learn Dalish or simply adjust to hearing about magic,” Arethin said, and couldn't help a grin. “Either way, it is a victory for me.”
“Are you this mean to your Clan?” Varric asked.
“Oh no. I'm much worse.”
“What do you mean?” Varric half-laughed.
“I am the First, that means I get to be the terror of the camp. The Keeper gets to be the font of wisdom. I am the one who actually makes people do things.”
“That sounds familiar,” Cassandra murmured.
“See, that's the other reason bein' elfy is stupid,” Sera said. “You have someone's mum goin' around tellin' everybody what to do!”
“I'm not anyone's mother,” Arethin said quickly, her stomach dropping into her toes. “I—I just get people to do things, that's all.”
Both Cassandra and Solas looked at her curiously.
“You sure act like someone's mum,” Sera grumbled, ignoring the stumble. “The kind that hits people with spoons. I bet you do that.”
“Only if everyone is taking too long to get ready.”
The Storm Coast lived up to its name by being rainy, miserable, and damp. Immediately Solas and Arethin could feel that the Veil was thinner here, and it was extremely troubling. Even Sera could feel it, vertigo making her trip more than once.
Scout Harding met them at the the forward camp. The camp was tiny, with perhaps two tents and five scouts, and was perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Sera was enamored.
“Wow,” she breathed. 'It just...keeps goin'.”
“You know, it goes all the way down to the Amaranthine Ocean,” Varric said, pointing to the east.
“Have you never seen the ocean before?” Cassandra asked Sera.
“Not like this,” Sera said.
Harding lead them to the first rift, where the thin Veil became even more troubling.
It was huge, as large as any rift near haven, pouring out rage demons and despair demons alike. It smelled like a slaughterhouse and charred meat, and it took almost thirty minutes to close it. By that time, everyone was in poor shape.
Sera had twisted her ankle, Varric had a touch of frostbite from a stray shot from a Despair demon, Cassandra was exhausted and cut, Solas' coat had caught fire and only Harding wasn't injured. Arethin's whole arm ached with the effort of closing the rift.
“I hate this bloody place,” Sera complained.
“You're definitely not alone there,” Varric said, wincing as he looked at his frostbitten fingers. “Dammit—does anyone have any elfroot?”
“Here,” Solas (who had removed his jacket, which was now unsalvagable) took his hand and the warm glow of healing magic permeated the air.
“Thanks.” Varic shook his hand out, flexing the fingers. “That's a lot better.”
Sera hissed as she examined her ankle. “Dammit,” she muttered. “Turned it on a rock—it's too bloody slippery around here!”
“I can help with that as well,” Solas said.
Sera glared at him for a long moment, then let out a sigh. “Fine,” she gritted, and he applied a healing spell to her ankle.
“I am afraid I cannot help with anything much larger than a turned ankle,” Solas said. “We need to take more care.”
“You helped Lavellan with the mark,” Cassandra pointed out.
“That was an ailment of magical origin, something I am more familiar with. Physical problems are somewhat beyond my scope at the moment.” he scowled, looking Sera's ankle over one last time and then leaving it.
Arethin sighed. “I can do first aid and herbalism,” she said, looking away from them. “Battlefield medicine, but that doesn't hold up as well as healing magic.”
“Magic's weird, but—I mean, healing's all well and good,” Sera agreed. “Good in a fight, anyhow.”
“Come,” Arethin said. “We should hurry.”
“We can meet with the forward scouts first, then find the Chargers.” Harding piped up, and lead them on.
There was a rift near the shore, where a group of people battled a horde of demons. The company hurried over, Arethin rushing to try and close the rift.
This rift was large as well, but whatever strange smell it might have had was overwhelmed by the smell of the ocean. After some toil, she managed to close it, and everyone took a breath.
“You're the person who can close the rifts, I'm guessing,” an enormous Qunari man came over to her, swinging an axe over his shoulders. He had a huge set of horns that would likely have trouble fitting through doorways and sported tattoos and an eyepatch.
“You're the Iron Bull, I assume?” Arethin asked.
“Yeah,” the man chuckled. “The horns kind of give it away, don't they?”
“A bit.” Arethin straightened. “I'm Arethin Nadur Lavellan, and I'm here about the rift problem.”
Bull sighed. “We've been trying to help out the coast for weeks,” he explained. “Really put a dent in our business, but we didn't want to let the people around here just get eaten by demons.”
Arethin nodded. “And you want to help with the Breach also?”
Bull nodded. “Figure the sooner we can clear all this demon crap up, the sooner we can get back to normal.”
“I also know you're Ben-hassrath,” Arethin said. “So I presume that the Qun is not very fond of the Breach either.”
He gave her a long, measuring look. “That's right,” he said. “No, they're not really happy about it. If I hadn't contacted your Inquisition, I probably would have gotten Par Vollen giving me orders to do that anyway.”
“I'm not with the Inquisition, strictly speaking,” Arethin said.
A blonde woman with green Dalish tattoos came up to them.
“Ander'an atish'an,” Arethin said, locking eyes with her and inclining her head, switching to Dalish to speak to her. “I also received word from you, friend.”
The Dalish woman smiled and replied in the same language. “Glad to hear it. Will the Coalition be working with the Inquisition?”
“Keeper Lanaya and prince-Consort Arainai have already visited Haven, and helped with resources,” Arethin said, switching to Common. She figured that if Bull was to be an ally, she should keep him in the loop, at least mostly.
“Good,” the woman said, switching to Common as well. “Wait—the Prince-Consort?” she exclaimed. “Keeper Lanaya?”
“They figured it was important enough.”
“Well, it definitely is, but Creators...”
“Something you want to tell me, Dalish?” Bull asked, raising his single eyebrow.
“Oh—well, I called her, too,” the woman said.
“I refuse to call you just 'Dalish,'” Arethin informed her in their shared language. “Tell him that's you like calling him 'Qunari.'”
Dalish laughed. “Oh, don't worry about it,” she said. “My name is Eilhana Eirethelu, but Chief just likes giving people nicknames. It's alright.” she turned back to iron Bull. “Well, I heard the person who could close the rifts was Dalish, so I let her know.”
“And what exactly does both of you being Dalish have to do with it?” Bull now looked somewhat amused.
“Well, Chief, technically I'm a Dalish spy,” Eilhana said with a grin. “But, end of the world and everything, I figured I might as well get my people involved.”
“A spy, huh?”
“Yes! Can't have you Ben-hassrath running around unsupervised, can we?”
Bull laughed. “I suppose not,” he said.
Arethin looked at both of them, baffled. “So, you want to help close the Breach?” she said.
They both nodded, then glanced at each other.
“Should we join the Inquisition, or the Coalition?” Dalish asked.
“I'd say the Inquisition,” Bull said. “But it's not really a good sign that I'm not even sure what organization is running the show.”
“Technically, everything must go by my whim,” Arethin said. “Because I'm the only one who can close the Breach. The only problem is, I don't really...have money. I'd say join the Inquisition, they can pay you.”
“I'm sure the Coalition would pay too,” Dalish said.
“But we also have a great many mages, and I'm not sure about how a Qunari feels about that,” Arethin said, eyes darting to Bull.
“Eh, I mostly don't like demons,” Bull said. “And you probably don't have too many mages, with the Dalish and everything, right?”
“Actually, that was a lie,” Dalish shrugged. “Sorry. I lied to you about that. Keeper told me to go find the Ben-hassrath, keep an eye on him. Doesn't make a difference how many Templars or arvaraads we do or don't have.”
“Hm,” Bull rumbled, raising his eyebrow in surprise. “You're pretty good at this.”
“I try,” Dalish said with a grin.
Again, Arethin was baffled. “...right, well, I need to head to Denerim,” she said. “If the Coast is set for now, you may either come with us, continue to hold the coast, or go back to Haven.”
“What's in Denerim?” Bull asked, folding his arms.
“I cannot close the Breach by myself,” Arethin explained. “I need help, so I need to find the rebel mages. Grand Enchanter Fiona is in Denerim with her group right now, so we need to go there.”
“Let me talk to my crew and see what they think,” Bull said. Arethin nodded, and Bull and Dalish returned to the rest of the Chargers. Arethin's companions returned to her side.
Sera and Solas were bickering again, now over how Sera had turned her ankle a second time.
“Either find shoes with better traction or wear none at all,” Solas was telling her.
“Well bloody well heal better!” she snapped at him. “It wouldn't'a happened if your magic bollocks fixed it properly the first time!”
“And if you properly prepared for the weather, it would not have happened at all.”
“Enough,” Arethin said. “The Chargers are going to join the Inquisition, most likely.”
“What do you think of the Ben-hassrath?” Cassandra asked, glancing over her shoulder at Iron Bull as he spoke to his crew. He towered over the rest of the Chargers, absolutely enormous even for a Qunari.
“He's...strange,” Arethin said. “But our Dalish contact seemed to think he was trustworthy enough. I think he's safe for now. Just keep an eye on him.”
“That might be more wise than refusing to let him join,” Solas said.
“Yeah, that way we know who the spy is,” Varric said. “Doesn't give the Qunari another chance to send someone we don't know.”
“True,” Cassandra agreed, but her expression was troubled.
“We headed to Denerim then?” Sera asked.
“I just need to know if the Chargers are coming us with or going back to Haven,” Arethin said.
Bull came back over, accompanied by a short, stocky man with the angular face common to Tevinters.
“Right, Lavellan, I'll come with you, but the Chargers will go back to Haven,” Iron Bull explained. “Krem, my second, will take them.”
Krem nodded.
“Very well,” Arethin said. “Speak with Scout Harding, she can help with supplies and maps if you need them.”
They were soon on their way. Bull had no mount, and was far too big to ride on any of theirs, but he actually kept up with them on foot.
Again, they had accidentally picked up a companion who bickered with Solas. However, this time it was less about cultural differences and more about something Arethin could sympathize with, which was how unpleasant the Qun was.
“A Ben-hassrath spies upon their own people,” Solas said at one point, his distaste quite clear.
Bull shrugged. “Is that so different from Orlais, or Ferelden? They have all kinds of people policing them.”
“That doesn't make 'em much better!” Sera piped up.
Solas nodded once, but gave no verbal acknowledgment that Sera had spoken. She still smirked at him, but he ignored her. “In any case, they simply police what people say and do, not what they think.”
“What you think is what you say and do,” Iron bull said.
“No, they are not even close,” Solas said, his eyes narrowed. “Even the lowliest peasant might find freedom in their thoughts. You take even that.”
“Last I checked, our mages didn't burn down Par Vollen,” Bull snapped, and both Arethin and Solas stiffened.
“They will eventually,” Arethin told him darkly.
“And they are only not now because you cage them,” Solas hissed. “If what you do to your non-mage people is a crime, what is done to mages is too terrible for words.”
“Look, I don't like it either,” Bull said. “But all I know is that in the south, they had a huge war between mages and the Chantry, and in Par Vollen, we haven't had anything like that.”
“That you know of,” Solas said. “It is quite possible the Qunari altered their own history.”
“Change our history to make mages seem less dangerous? Yeah, probably not. That's not really how the propagandaists operate.”
“I find it quite difficult to believe that a society with mages would have no historical events significantly impacted by those mages,” Solas said. “And your Qun is set on cultivating a specific mindset. When one controls history, one controls how people act in the present.”
“Do you know what else controls people?” Bull said. “Demons.”
“And if you taught people that spirits were not to be feared, and your society allowed individuals their own will, it would not be a problem,” Solas snapped.
“Enough,” Cassandra said at length. “I will hear no more of this bickering.”
“Speak for yourself,” Varric muttered. “Just when it was getting interesting...”
Despite that Bull didn't have a very high opinion of mages, he seemed to have no problem with Solas or Arethin's magic, not the way Sera did. Bull actually took most things in stride, from wolves to demons. He and Sera got on quite well, and he flirted outrageously with Cassandra, who seemed flustered but not entirely displeased by the attention.
He certainly wasn't what Arethin had pictured when she thought of Ben-hassrath.
Sera was quite pleased when they saw Denerim.
“There it is!” she bounced up and down in her saddle when they saw the silhouette of the city on the horizon. “Come on, hurry up!”
“Have you been here before?” Cassandra asked.
Sera nodded. “Been all sorts of places!” she said. “I'm just glad it's not bloody farms and whatever anymore.”
“I've been here too,” Arethin said. “Just once, though.”
“Don't most Dalish avoid cities, as a rule?” Solas asked. “Apart from Orzammar, of course.”
“Mostly, but King Alistair is a friend,” Arethin explained. “Whole Clans will not pass through, but Bann Shianni lives here, so everyone knows it's safe for one or two to come.”
“Yeah,” Sera rolled her eyes. “Bann Shianni's pretty and all, but that cousin of hers is right stuck up.”
“Do you mean Ambassador Tabris?” Arethin asked.
“I dunno,” Sera shrugged. “Maybe? Some crazy lady who got locked up but the Wardens let her out—at least I think that's what happened.”
“That's Ambassador Tabris,” Arethin nodded. “She's Denerim's representative in the Coalition.”
“Ugh, Alienages,” Sera rolled her eyes.
“You don't like the Dalish, or Alienages?” Varric asked. “I thought the whole point of Red Jennies was to help out 'little people,' you know, like ones who live in Alienages.”
Sera blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Dalish are all stuck up and weird and demoney, and Alienages are all mopey and no fun. Friends'll help them but still...” Sera said with a shrug. “I mean, they throw a great party and all, but they're boring 'till you get them all drunk.”
“I've heard that,” Bull said. “The party bit, anyway.”
Sera laughed. “Yeah—I mean, they're stupid most of the time—who'd want to live all penned in like that? But throw a wedding or some shite and they're better than anyone else! I knew this girl--”
“Enough,” Cassandra closed her eyes. “I don't think I particularly want to hear this.'
“But I hardly said anythin'!”
“It is enough, as far as you are concerned.”
Sera huffed and folded her arms.
“Have you ever been to an Alienage?” Arethin asked Solas.
“Not physically. I have explored the dreams of Alienages at a distance, however.” Solas seemed troubled, his shoulders tense as he looked around at the city.
Arethin realized something. “Are all the people going to be a problem?”
“Not unless someone tries summoning and binding a spirit.”
“Well, people around here don't do much of that,” Arethin said.
“I should hope not. That would hurt the spirit.” his body language still looked tense as they came to the city gates, but his expression was a mask of calm.
Their group drew some stares, but most people seemed preoccupied with their own problems.
Denerim showed a great deal of relatively recent construction, a result of the attack by the Archdemon. It was far humbler than Orzammar, and showed none of the former glory of Val Royeaux. Frankly, it smelled worse than either. Even so, many more people lingered together here than they did in Val Royeaux, as well, elves, humans, dwarves and even some Vashothari all among the crowds. The races were not as intermingled as they were in Orzammar, but it was still interesting to see.
“Come on, palace is up this way,” Sera pointed and hurried ahead of the group, till Arethin caught up with her.
“Have you been to the palace before, too?” Arethin asked.
“Yeah, once or twice,” Sera shrugged. “It's not that special, but it's always stocked. Been there doing Jenny stuff a few times.”
“And what do the Jennies think of the king and queen?”
“Eh, they're nobles,” Sera rolled her eyes. “So they're not like real people, but they're not so bad.”
“That's...encouraging, I suppose,” Arethin said.
The palace was more modest than most of the buildings in Val Royeaux, with many parts of its structure that were clearly new. It was certainly more modest than Queen Aeducan's palace, with far fewer statues and no mosaics decorating the walls.
Arethin came to the gates, and her company was regarded suspiciously by the guards. When Cassandra stepped forward, there was a change in tone towards the aggressive.
“I was invited by King Alistair, Queen Anora and Grand Enchanter Fiona,” Arethin said, urging her hart forward. “I am Arethin Nadur Lavellan, of the Dalish Coalition, and I can close the Breach.”
After some more hemming and hawwing, they were finally let in. They left their mounts behind (there was some considerable surprise at Sera's drakolisk) and proceeded on foot.
“They're a bit jumpy,” Varric said, glancing over his shoulder at the guards.
“The King and Queen have had—problems between themselves and the Seekers,” Cassandra said, her gaze downcast. “Their alliance with the Wardens caused...friction.”
Arethin nodded. “I know the story.”
“'S'that still a problem?” Sera wanted to know.
“Oh, it would be a pretty big problem,” Varric said with a grimace. “The Chantry kind of stepped all over Anora and Alistair more than once—Meredith shoved Chantry writs in her face in person.”
Cassandra sighed. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, she did.”
Their audience with Queen Anora and King Alistair took place not in a throne room, but in a large, open hall. There was a huge fireplace on one side, and the heads of various animals and other assorted beasts adorned the walls. Both of them were in full armor, and King Alistair had dark shadows under his eyes, his skin waxy and pale. Grand Enchanter Fiona accompanied them, wearing a woolen mage's robe and a long traveler's coat.
“Seeker,” Fiona said, raising her eyebrows at Cassandra in a wary expression. “I see you escaped Val Royeaux with little injury.”
Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “I did.”
“So, we are to understand that you are the one who can close the Breach?” Queen Anora asked, her brows drawn together skeptically. The Queen was a sharp-boned woman, her blonde hair drawn severely away from her face. Her leather armor was intricately worked and stitched, and she bore a sword on her back.
Arethin nodded and held up her hand, showing them the mark. “I can heal the rifts, and I almost closed the Breach, but I did not have enough magical power to do it properly.”
“And you need the help of the mages,” the Grand Enchanter said, glancing at King Alistair.
“That's correct.”
“How does it work, precisely?”
“Well...” Arethin sighed and leaned back. “We are not entirely sure,” she exchanged a look with Solas. “The mark has a direct effect on the Veil. It isn't my magic, it's foreign, almost like some kind of artifact was welded to my hand. It lets me manipulate the Veil directly, without damaging it.”
“A bit like Templar abilities, then?” Alistair asked.
“Not precisely,” Solas took this moment to jump in. “Templar and Seeker abilities reinforce the reality around magic. The mark interacts with the Veil specifically. The closest analogue would be blood magic used to damage the Veil, except blood magic used in that fashion is far more wasteful and far more likely to result in an undesired outcome.”
“And you can use the power of other mages to help bolster the affect,” the Grand Enchanter said, her brow furrowed.
Arethin nodded. “I've used assistance to close a larger rift before. The problem is that Breach is so large I would need a great deal more help.”
“Can the Coalition help at all?” the Grand Enchanter asked. “I do not want to get my people involved in something dangerous—many of us are battle mages, but that is by no means all of us.”
“The Coalition is sending mages,” Arethin said. “But we aren't sure that our mages alone will be enough.”
The Grand Enchanter still seemed dubious, and she and King Alistair exchanged worried looks. The Queen's lips were pressed together in a disbelieving frown.
“Grand Enchanter, where this is concerned, we need the help of everyone,” Arethin said.
“It really is that bad, then,” King Alistair said.
“Did you think it was anything less?”
King Alistair ran a hand through his sandy hair. “I'd hoped that it was.” he and the Queen looked at each other. “But if the Coalition and Queen Aeducan have already pledged their support...”
“They have,” Arethin said. “Prince-Consort Arainai and Keeper Lanaya both came to Haven and lent their aid.”
King Alistair sighed heavily.
“If we don't close it, we will all die.” Arethin said, her tone flat. “The Veil will become too damaged, and more demons will appear without people being able to get rid of them.”
“Doing this would go a great way towards improving the reputation of the rebel mages,” Cassandra pointed out, and the Grand Enchanter bristled.
“We would not need to do that if your Chantry did now sow fear of magic into everyone,” she snapped.
“And this would help reverse that conception,” Cassandra insisted.
“Enough,” the King said, cutting off the Grand Enchanter. “There is...another problem we were concerned about. It's why we hadn't come to you earlier.”
“What is it?” Arethin asked.
“Are you in contact with any Wardens?”
Arethin shook her head.
“Damn,” the King, the Queen, and the Grand Enchanter all looked even more nervous than before.
“Why?”
“I've been hearing the Calling,” King Alistair said.
Arethin thought for a moment. “Oh,” she said at length. “That is...ill tidings. I am sorry.”
“Yes, but—I'm not sure if it's right,” he grimaced.
“What do you mean?”
"I mean, it feels...wrong. Sick.” he tapped the side of his head. “Something's...I don't know what the Calling is supposed to be like, but it's not that. Or at least...” he sighed. “I don't want to go and head off to the Deep Roads until I know for sure. And I can't ask anyone because I haven't been able to contact anyone at all.”
Arethin frowned. “No one?”
“We have not heard from Warden-Commander Surana or her Wardens in some time,” Queen Anora said. “And we have completely lost contact with Weisshaupt and Warden-Commander Clarel in Orlais.”
“Josephine may know something of this,” Cassandra murmured to Arethin, who nodded.
A thought came to Arethin. “Do you know of--” she paused. “Keeper Merrill, of the Coalition, described a darkspawn beast kept prisoner in the Vimmark mountains,” she said. “Do you know of it?”
King Alistair shook his head, exchanging a look with Grand Enchanter Fiona.
“I know of rumors of something terrible in the Vimmarks,” the Grand Enchanter said. “But only rumors, nothing more.”
“Is it possible a powerful darkspawn could imitate the Calling, the way the Archdemon affected darkspawn?” Arethin asked.
“It's possible, in theory,”
“But not everyone from Orlais to Denerim should be hearing it,” King Alistair said. “That would make it more powerful than an Archdemon—and intelligent.” he shuddered.
“An intelligent, powerful darkspawn,” Arethin clicked her tongue. “Not a series of words I want going together.”
“Exactly.”
Arethin sighed. “Well—Grand Enchanter, will you lend us your mages? The business with the Breach must be taken care of as soon as possible, regardless of any other problems.”
“If the Coalition protects Haven and the area around the Breach, then yes, we will.” she glared at Cassandra. “We will be there as an independent group. We will not come on behalf of the Chantry or the Coalition.”
“The Coalition, the Inquistion and Orzammar have all joined forces to protect the Breach site,” Arethin said. “I am imposing nothing. I simply need your help to stop the Veil from destroying itself.”
The Grand Enchanter sighed, then inclined her head. “Then we will bring our aid to you.”
Arethin turned to King Alistair. “And what of Ferelden?” She asked. “You are a longstanding ally to the Coalition. Will you help contain and protect the Breach?”
“We are the ally to the Coalition,” Anora agreed. “And Ambassador Tabris would be sorely disappointed if we refused help to you. As with the rebel mages, we will not come on behalf of anyone but ourselves.”
Arethin inclined her head. “I could expect nothing less. Mas serannas, your Majesties, Grand Enchanter, you have my very sincere thanks.”
Despite gaining the alliance of the rebel mages, the King's words troubled them greatly, and Arethin's companions immediately started to discuss it when they left the palace.
“Missing Wardens?” Varric grimaced. “That's bad.”
“What do you know about it?” Arethin asked.
“That trip to the Vimmarks Merrill talks about? I was there, too.”
“And what did you see?”
“A huge darkspawn...thing,” he said with a shudder. “I'm not really sure if that relates to the Wardens.”
“Darkspawn and Wardens usually go together,” Iron Bull pointed out.
Varric sighed. “Yeah...and it...did something to the Wardens around it.”
The others looked at him, now much more interested.
“Did something?” Cassandra said. “Did what?”
“Look, I don't know, exactly,” Varric said. “The Wardens around it were--” he ran a hand over his hair. “Look, I don't know,” he repeated. “If you want to know about it, maybe you should find the Wardens that the Chantry ran out of Kirkwall.” he glared at Cassandra, who looked stricken.
“It was Lord Seeker Lambert who gave the order to arrest the Wardens,” she informed him, her lips pressed together.
“And Nightingale told us that you knew that at the time, but didn't do anything.” Varric narrowed his eyes. “The Divine didn't want to step on his toes. But guess what? It happened, and the Lord Seeker still helped start a war anyway. Wasn't the only one, but he still did it.”
“It was—the circumstances were different,” Cassandra said. “We had not realized how extreme things had become.”
“Apparently not,” Arethin muttered. “So, we should look for Wardens, then.”
“I suppose,” Cassandra said, still seeming dubious. “I will ask Leliana when we return.”
There were few eluvians in Ferelden, the network being mostly restricted to the Frostbacks and the places most in need of quick travel. There was no Denerim eluvian, as the King and Queen had rejected the placement outright, for fear of Chantry involvement. There was, however, an eluvian several days' ride away from the city, at the very northernmost edge of the Brecelian.
Bull, for his part, was fascinated.
“How do these work?” he asked as they wandered the Crossroads. He stared around, his single eye taking in every detail.
“You would have to ask Keeper Merrill or one of her students,” Arethin said. “I do not know.”
“It is interesting that you are so curious about a magical creation,” Solas said, watching Bull steadily.
“These are useful,” Iron Bull explained.
“So use is your only motivation?”
“Well, it's also a magical thing that isn't spitting demons out or trying to kill me. That's pretty novel in my experience.”
Solas ducked his head, surprised into a small smile.
Cassandra shook her head when they finally made it out of the crossroads, looking sick.
“I cannot stand those things,” she muttered, glaring at the eluvian.
“Do you have problems with them?” Bull asked. “It was weird, but I didn't feel different.”
Cassandra shook her head. “Apparently they have adverse affects on humans,” she said. “Not elves.”
“And not dwarves or Qunari, either,” Varric pointed out. “Just you.”
Cassandra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“It likely has something to do with the lack of dwarven magic,” Solas said. “And it is possible that Qunari—or Vashoth if you prefer—are related to elves in some way.”
“Yeah?” Bull looked at him in surprise. “How do you figure that?”
“Some interesting memories I have found in the Fade suggest it,” he said. “I would have to do more research elsewhere, but it's possible.”
Bull tilted his head to one side. “We do both have pointy ears,” he said. “And I've heard there's other similarities.”
When they returned to Haven, Iron Bull greeted the Chargers happily, and everyone else went their own ways.
One or two of the Grand Enchanter's people had arrived, following Arethin's route through the eluvians, but too many of them were human and refused to do the trip. Many of them would be coming the long way around, and would arrive in the next several months.
Everyone was concerned when they heard what King Alistair had said about the Wardens.
“We must find a Warden,” Leliana said. “Surely there is at least one who still remains...” she tapped her finger on the table, pursing her lips.
“If you can find one, that would be excellent,” Arethin said. “But we need to focus on the Breach first.”
This was agreed upon. Leliana would search for a Warden, and in the meantime, everyone else would work to solve the problem of the Breach.
Iron Bull and the Chargers had set up just outside the walls of Haven, among the soldiers and the dwarves and the Dalish that were all camped there.
Ardeque, the halla-mistress, was busy harassing all of the Chargers about their mounts.
“Ah! Lavellan!” Ardeque said upon spotting her. “It seems no one understands how to pick a mount now. I am forced to do it for everyone.”
“Oh, you needn't--”
“Of course I need to. Can't leave any of these people on their own, can I?”
“Halla-keeper--”
“Would you believe it, Ambassador Montilyet said they were going to find their own horse-master! And I said to her, honestly, how can you trust some shemlen farmer over a good Dalish halla-keeper?” she shook her head. “Now, you--” she pointed to Bull, who raised his eyebrow. “You get a hart,” Ardeque proclaimed. “You're too blasted huge for anything else. And your horns will match.”
“If you say so,” Bull said, clearly amused.
“Very good,” Ardeque nodded. “Now, I'll go find what you need,” she said. “I'll be right back.”
“Quansyroth and their animals,” Dalish shook her head as Ardeque left.
“The last person I met that—determined—about horses was—well I don't think I've ever met someone that blasted determined about horses,” Krem said, blinking a little.
“I believe Halla-keeper Ardeque has appointed herself halla-keeper for all of Haven,” Arethin said. “Anyway. I meant only to see how you were settling in.”
“Not bad,” Bull said, glancing up at Haven. “Could use some work. But it's not bad.” he looked at her. “It's going to be a problem, how there's no real leader here,” Bull told her.
Arethin pursed her lips. “I know that full well,” she informed him. “But I can do little about it right now.”
“You should think about it. What are you all going to do when the Breach is closed, but there are still problems to be solved?”
She rubbed her forehead. “I don't know,” she admitted.
“You're setting yourself up for a power vacuum.”
“Not the way the shemlen worship me.”
“That's not exactly better.”
She grimaced. “I know,” she said. “I will...think on it. There must be a way to unite us without being...overbearing.”
“This is where the Qun simplifies things, you know,” he informed her.
“For a time, perhaps,” Arethin shrugged. “Not forever.”
“I've heard that,” Bull said.
“It's true enough. Push too hard, and people will break.”
He pondered her, expression contemplative. “Could be,” he agreed. “But you better come to a decision soon. This isn't exactly a great position to be in.”
She snorted humorlessly. “Where is, nowadays?”
“It is quite fascinating, how you have maneuvered around the desires of the Chantry,” Solas told her. They sat together in a quiet moment at last, during a lone period of time where Arethin had no meetings. Solas still preferred to lurk at the edge of town, fortunately not in the woods today, so they were outside, sitting on one of the low stone walls overlooking Haven.
“How so?”
“I had been under the impression that their organization held the majority of the power, however cracked and divided.”
“That would have been true before the Breach, I think,” Arethin said. “And if it had happened before the Orlesian civil war—well, who's to say? They still are powerful.”
“Do you worry what will happen if they remember that?”
“What do you mean?”
“If they regain their power and their will, do you worry that they will remember that you are not one of them? They call you Herald now, what if you change their minds?”
“Then they must act quickly,” Arethin said. “I don't think Queen Aeducan and King Alistair will let them get the kind of power they had back again.”
Solas considered her. “And do you put your faith in them, then?”
“In Queen Aeducan? Maybe.” she rested her chin on her hands. “The Prince-Consort is a Dalish cousin or therabouts, so they are an ally to us.”
His expression was unreadable. “And that is quite a fascinating development in and of itself.”
Arethin couldn't help a smile. “It is, isn't it? I remember when my Clan first heard the news—we could barely believe it, it sounded ridiculous.” she sighed.
“How so?”
“Well, when have you ever heard of a dwarven Queen marrying an elf?”
“Never, it is true.”
Despite how Solas was abrasive and withdrawn much of the time, Arethin still found him calming to be around. He did not complain about magic the way Sera, Cassandra, and Iron Bull did, nor did his presence carry frightening implications like that of Keeper Lanaya or the other Dalish.
As long as Arethin was on her own, and looked away from the Breach, things seemed at least somewhat normal. But if she was among her people, ironically, she felt strange and singled out, responsible for far more than just one Clan.
She sighed, glancing over at a pair of Dalish hunters who walked down a path on the lower tier of the village.
Solas followed her gaze, and seemingly her train of thought. “The needs of your own people are different from the needs of others, are they not?”
She nodded. “A bit, I suppose. Everyone else says I'm their god, but my people know me.”
“Seeing people who are supposed to know you look upon you as a savior is unnerving,” he said.
She glanced at him. “I suppose,” she said. “What makes you say so?”
“Would it not be?” he looked out over the village, his expression pensive. “In the Fade, I have seen many dreams of people who were elevated as saviors. But if the story is told from their perspective, they are simply people, afraid and uncertain of their burdens.”
“Like who?”
He considered for a moment. “During the battle of Ostagar, there are many views,” he said. “A villain condemns the noble Wardens to their deaths. A general beset by loss pulls his troops away from a fight they cannot win. The truth is somewhere in the middle, of course, but the fears of the general and the Wardens are clear to anyone who need look. Truly, there are not saviors or gods. There are only people—the greatest triumphs and tragedies come from them, but people are also too quick to forget that.”
“I suppose lots of people just want someone to take their problems out of their hands,” Arethin said, with no lack of bitterness. “All those people look to me to solve all their problems—but what about them? I can solve—maybe—one problem. But the rest?” she shook her head. “Cassandra talks about restoring order. Sera wants to make everything 'normal' again. The Grand Enchanter wants us—wants me—to help her people. How am I supposed to do that?” she demanded. “I only--” she cut herself off.
“People want to put their hopes into one person,” Solas said. “Especially in times of crisis.”
“But I can't—what if I can't do what they want?”
“Attend to your own goals,” he advised. “Do nothing that does not further them.”
She sighed. "I suppose that will have to do."