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The walls of the Chantry used to bring peace to Elianna Trevelyan. She loved the calming fragrance produced by the incense right after sermon. The low voices of priests and priestesses repeating the Chant of Light in repetition would often save Elianna on days when her duties left her too stressed to relax. The dim candlelight and promise of safety was why Elianna went along with her parents’ demands to help the Chantry. Now, however, all Elianna wanted was to get out of the Chantry halls.
The Chantry in Haven was beautiful and Elianna could only imagine what the place was like ten years ago, when Haven was a community of people who believed Andraste had been reborn as a high dragon. However, the air was stale with dust and parchment instead of incense. The soft chanting replaced by war plans and diplomatic calls. Most of all, three people calling themselves advisors and one rather peeved female warrior were all looking to Elianna for an explanation.
She chose to go to Redcliffe and help the rebel mages. Even more than that, Elianna gave them a full alliance.
“What were you thinking, turning mages loose with no oversight?” Cullen, the Inquistion’s commander, demanded, “The Veil is torn open! There will be problems if any of the mages find themselves tempted by demons or blood magic.”
Elianna narrowed her eyes at the commander, “We need full cooperation with them in this alliance in order to close the Breach,” she held her tongue before adding anything that could get her seriously questioned.
After a few more comments regarding the decision, deals were made regarding plans to acquire more lyrium. When Josephine brought up concerns about how much lyrium the mages needed, Elianna reminded them of the underworld contacts the Inquisition had. While not preferable, Elianna also knew the struggles of getting lyrium and they didn’t have time to negotiate trades for insurmountable amounts of lyrium for the mages. This conversation would have come up no matter if the mages or templars were their allies.
Luckily for Elianna, the lyrium discussions held the debate over her choices at bay to focus on the immediate situation. They had their allies, now they needed a plan to close that big gaping hole of magic in the sky.
After the exhaustive meeting about deals to be made with lyrium dealers from Orzammar, Elianna retired to the blacksmith. She retrieved some new materials in the murky Fallow Mire before heading to Redcliffe. The vitrol would probably work nice as a dagger or at least the hilt of one. Smithing was also a guilty pleasure of hers, something she desperately needed after that horrific future she experienced.
Elianna had been so focused on her work that she hadn’t noticed when the sun began to set. After crafting a new set of daggers, she worked on mending her usual set of armor when a shadow descended on her.
“Excuse me,” Commander Cullen loomed over Elianna, making the small forge look even smaller in her eyes, “I need to speak with you.”
Here it comes. The lecture.
Elianna put down her polishing tools and stood up. She suggested that they’d be better off talking in her cabin. What she didn’t say was that she knew what he wanted to discuss and didn’t want anyone overhearing. The walk was very tense, partially because Elianna knew how awkward Cullen was at socializing but also that he was probably very cross with her decision-making.
“So,” Elianna began, sitting on the edge of her bed, “I suppose this is about my decision regarding the alliance.”
Cullen shuffled before nodding, “First, I apologize for yelling back in the War Room. I might not agree with the decisions made, but I am willing to listen to an explanation as to why you made them, Herald.”
Elianna scrunched her nose, “I’m still not a huge fan of being called ‘Herald’ by everyone. It’s unnerving.”
“Any title can be unnerving. When I was a member of the Templars I –” Cullen stopped midsentence, as if suddenly afraid he stepped on a landmine, “anyways, I just don’t understand why you picked an alliance with the mages, after all the damage that’s been done.”
Eliana pondered about how much she could reveal regarding her reasons. When finding allies to close the Breach at first, she did her best to make it appear like she held little preference for either parties. Both mages and Templars had the ability to close the Breach so there was no question of usefulness. Elianna also knew that many members of her group wanted to go to the Templars because of the Lord Seeker’s abhorrent behavior in Val Royeaux. She was concerned about them too; after all she has met people from the Order who hated the members who caused the mages so much pain. Present company included.
“It was a personal matter that led me to the mages, Commander,” Elianna responded, looking down at her clasped hands covered in calluses from years of fighting, “I know very well how mages can choose a lesser path when backed into a corner.”
“That lesser path being horrors, abominations that can infect a whole crowd if not contained.”
“Most of the time, however, they have little choice in the matter.”
“What could possibly be so bad that mages feel they have no choice but surrender to those evils?”
Elianna could feel her temper rising from the pressure in the back of her skull. Templars, never looking at the situation from the other party’s perspective, “I don’t know. Oppression, abuse, harassment, weaponized Rites of Tranquility –“
“That was one instance led by a delusional Templar”
“One instance that was caught by the mage whose feelings towards the abused led to a Chantry explosion!” Elianna shot up off her bed, “Just because members of the Order were caught doesn’t mean there weren’t worse offenses elsewhere. Not all mages are good, and yes, there are some who jump to forbidden acts because they want to. Far more often, however, is the mage’s plight overlooked because they were born a mage.”
She watched Cullen carefully, breathing heavily to try and calm herself. Cullen left the Templar Order because of its flaws. Why can’t he see that those flaws have infected Circles across Thedas?
“The Order has more than enough men fighting for the right reasons. While mages couldn’t choose how they were born, it is better that they learn to control their abilities in the Circles.”
“Better for whom?” Elianna asked, stepping closer to Cullen, “Themselves? The parents who were forced to hand over their child to strangers? The children who never got to be with their siblings? The woman who cried as her mage sister returned home, battered and bruised, with stories of experiences that she would never be able to live without?” Elianna took a deep breath to prevent tears of anger from falling, “The war that led to the Inquisition was caused because mages couldn’t stand being smothered until they choked. Last I checked, the rogue Templars joined the war to choke out the mages despite orders not to.”
She waited for what felt like several minutes, wondering what kind of reply Commander Cullen would think up. Her fists clenched, nails biting into flesh. The pain helped Elianna reign in her emotions. They helped her stay strong.
When Cullen said nothing, Elianna grabbed her cloak and walked towards the doorway. Before she left, she turned to face Cullen once more, “I didn’t abandon the Templars, you know. I just did my part to protect those close to me,” and then exited out the doorway into the brisk cold of Haven.
When Cullen approached Elianna again, she was hacking a tree to death in the middle of Haven wilderness. Hey, a girl has to break in new weapons somehow and she needed the release.
“What is it now, Commander?” Elianna called without turning to face him. She was mad about his one-sided opinions, but those opinions weren’t new to her. Elianna was more frustrated with herself for turning what could have been a calm conversation about the mage alliance into venting about her own bottled up feelings. Especially when said venting was in front of a former Templar whom she may have had a slight crush on. Maker knows what he must think of her now.
“I wanted to apologize,” Cullen started, “for earlier. I left the Order because they started seeing every mage, even the ones following the rules, as potential blood mages, yet here I am passing the same judgements.”
With a huff, Elianna sheathed her daggers and turned to face him, “Thank you, not many are willing to admit those kind of flaws. I also know that the Order’s training is so intense that everything they teach is ingrained within your mind, especially when you joined up so young.”
“You said that you didn’t abandon the Order. What did you mean by that?”
“The Lord Seeker’s behavior at Val Royeaux and then the missive we received made me feel uneasy. I asked some friends if they would investigate and try to get anyone out that they could.”
“I see,” he replied and paused, “I did have one more question,” Cullen approached Elianna, stopping when they were a few arm-lengths apart, “When we were arguing and you berated me about the Circle not necessarily being better. Were you speaking from experience?”
Elianna looked at Cullen, unsure of whether or not to tell him the truth, and then sat down in the snow. Cullen shortly followed, sitting next to her.
“I am the second eldest child of the Trevelyan household,” Elianna began, “I have two siblings. My elder brother, Samuel, is currently studying to eventually become head of the family. My younger sister Arwyn was taken from our family seven years ago. Her magic began manifesting and all of a sudden there were two Templars at our estate taking my baby sister away. Around the same time, my parents sent me to the Chantry to study under a family friend. I made contact with people who could pass messages between me and my sister.”
Elianna told Cullen about what transpired between herself and Arwyn. She remembered the scrawl each letter from her sister came in and the box she had under her bed filled with past letters. Elianna was happy knowing that Arwyn was okay, and more than once Arwyn expressed that the letters were what helped training become more bearable. The system worked and Elianna wasn’t left to forget about her baby sister the way that so many other families had to. But then the war began.
“The last letter I received from Arwyn was hastily written, with blotches of tears smudging the ink. She was terrified, Cullen. Everyone was. Sure, the prospect of freedom gave them hope, but the worst of the Templars also came out of their holes. The next thing I knew, Arwyn showed up at home shivering and soaked like a drowned rat. Her staff was cracked and her robes were in tatters. She had run all the way home because the Ostwick Circle had been under siege and that was her first thought. ‘If I get home, I’ll be safe.’ I was at the Conclave to protect mages like her, judged as guilty because of the nature of their birth. If this organization can help, I will damn well try to defend innocent mages from a terrible fate.”
Silence passed between Elianna and Cullen. She had no more to say. He seemed to be trying to find the words to reply with. The only sounds were the distant metallic clang of swords and the whistling of wind through the trees.
“My condolences for your sister,” Cullen spoke softly, “I had no idea.”
“Nobody did,” Elianna immediately replied, “My parents and brother were the only ones who knew about Arwyn’s return. We decided it was safer if fewer people knew. When I was sent to the Conclave, most assumed I was a Chantry devout representing the Free Marches.”
“Well,” Cullen got back up on his feet, dusting snow off his uniform, “Whether I like it or not, the mages are our allies now and whether you like it or not, you are a leader. At the end of the day, the greatest motivator to fight is having something to fight for.”
After getting up and dusting snow off her own uniform, Elianna looked at Cullen and gave a slight smile, “I fight for my family, but you should know one thing,” she trotted ahead of Cullen and turned around, “the Inquisition is my family too.”