⇀ Chapter One.
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When Nimue found herself now lost in a cave, very sore but very much alive she slowly stood up clutching her ribs as she looked around at the cold cave.
The mark on her left hand glowed a bright green illuminating the dim cave around her as she limped through the cave trying to hopefully find an exit out of here and find her friends at the Inquisition.
After awhile of limping through the cave as she shivers from the freezing cold she finally sees light at the end of the tunnel, a slight smile on her face as she picks up her pace trying to quickly get to the exit.
Suddenly she runs into some demons blocking her way out and she groans slightly, pulling her daggers off her back as she tried to kill the demons as pain shoots through her body.
The mark on her hand starts glowing brighter green as she shouts out in pain, a rift forming and dragging nearly all of the demons back into it before it disappears from the sky.
"Wh-what the fuck?" Nimue mutters quietly to herself, staring down at her hand that was still twitching.
The girl shakes her head, knocking herself out of her stunned state before she starts making her way towards the exit again once she walks out of the cave into the snowstorm she shivers more as she tries to decide which way she should go.
Nimue takes a deep breath before she steps out into the worst of the snowstorm, trudging her way through the deep snow around her as she shivers violently from the cold.
She's made her way a great distance down what she thinks is a mountain before she sees a small campsite fire which she decides to investigate, "It's cold... nothing."
With a sigh she continues forward, hoping to get out of the snowstorm and into the warm soon, hoping that by the grace of the Maker maybe her allies will find her and help her.
Awhile after climbing up a mountain she spots another campsite and quickly rushes to it, noticing embers that looked recent making her slightly hopeful that she might find someone, anyone soon.
The howl of the wolves make her pick up her pace more, not wishing to get eaten alive before she can find her people, after she makes it completely up the hill she falls to her knees a cry of pain emitting from her cold lips.
She then hears Cassandra's voice yell out, "It's her! Thank the Maker!"
Everyone starts rushing to Nimue's side as a sigh of relief and a tear slips out of her eye, she actually did it, she actually found them, she's going to be okay.
The girl had passed out soon after, her allies carrying her safely to a campsite where they tend to her wounds and watch over her as she lays unconscious.
A loud sound of the voices of Cassandra, Cullen, Josephine and Leliana arguing outside of the tent so she slowly tried sitting up, pain again coursing through her body.
Mother Giselle notices she's awake and says, "Shh, you need to rest."
"They've been at it for hours..." Nimue mumbles with a sigh.
"They have that luxury, thanks to you. The enemy could not follow, and with time to doubt, we turn to blame. Infighting may threaten as much as this Corypheus." Mother Giselle says to the injured girl.
"Do we know where Corypheus and his forces are?" Nimue asks her.
"We are not sure where we are. Which may be why, despite the numbers he still commands. There is no sign of him." She answers her question, "That, or you are believed dead. Or without Haven, we are thought helpless. Or he girds for another attack. I cannot claim to know the mind of that creature, only his effect on us."
"If they're arguing about what we do next, I need to be there." Nimue says.
"Another heated voice won't help, even yours. Perhaps especially yours. Our leaders struggle because of what we survivors witnessed. We saw our defender stand... and fall. And now we have seen her return. The more the enemy is beyond us, the more miraculous your actions appear. And the more our trials seem ordained."
Nimue sits up on the bed she's lain in, looking at Mother Giselle as she tries to process her words, "That is hard to accept, no? What 'we' have been called to endure? What 'we' perhaps must come to believe?"
"I escaped the avalanche, barely, perhaps, but I didn't die..." Nimue says to her.
"Of course. And the dead cannot return from across the veil. But the people know what they saw. Or perhaps what they needed to see. The Maker works both in the moment and in how it is remembered. Can we truly know the heavens are not with us?" Mother Giselle says.
"You saw Corypheus. What do you think of his claims to assault the heavens?" Nimue questions her.
"Scripture says magisters, Tevinter servants of the false old gods, entered the fade to reach the golden city, seat of the Maker. For their crime they were cast out as darkspawn. Their hubris is why we suffer blight, and why the Maker turned from us. If such is the claim of this Corypheus, he is a monster beyond imagining. All mankind continue to suffer for that sin. If even a shred of it is true, all the more reason Andraste would choose someone to rise against him." She answers.
"Corypheus said he found only corruption and emptiness. Nothing golden." Nimue says to her.
"If he entered that place, it has changed him without and within. The living are not meant to make that journey. Perhaps these are lies he must tell himself, rather than accept he earned the scorn of the Maker. I know I could not bear such." Mother Giselle says.
"Whatever the rest of you say, I felt no aid at the Conclave or Haven. The struggle ahead is mine alone it seems." Nimue says before she stands up.
The girl then limps out of the tent towards her advisors and once she makes it outside of the tent standing with all her allies Mother Giselle starts singing from inside the tent causing Nimue to turn around and look at her.
"Shadows fall and hope has fled still your heart the dawn will come. The night is long and the path is dark look to the sky for one day soon the dawn will come." She starts off before everyone starts to slowly join in with her, even Nimue.
"The Shepherd's lost and his home is far keep to the stars the dawn will come. The night is long and the path is dark look to the sky for one day soon the dawn will come." Everyone sings together before they all start to bow at Nimue's feet.
"Bare your blade and raise it high stand your ground the dawn will come. The night is long and the path is dark, look to the sky for one day soon the dawn will come." Everyone finishes as Nimue looks over the people, a small smile on her features.
"Faith may yet to find you, but it has already found them." Mother Giselle whispers to her before walking off.
As Nimue observes them all Solas walks up behind her and taps her shoulder, "A word?"
"Sure, Solas, lead the way." She says.
Nimue then proceeds to follow him to where they're overlooking the mountain before he lights a veilfire for the two of them.
"The humans have not raised one of our people so high for ages beyond counting. Her faith is hard won, Nimue, worthy of pride. Save one detail. The threat Corypheus wields? The orb he carried? It is ours. Corypheus used the orb to open the breach. Unlocking it must have caused the explosion that destroyed the Conclave. We must find out why he survived... and we must prepare for their reaction when they learn the orb is of our people." Solas tells her as they stare at the mountains.
"All right, what is it, and how do you know about it?" Nimue asks him.
"Such things were foci, said to channel power from our gods. Some were dedicated to specific members of our pantheon. All that remain are references in ruins, and faint visions of memory in the fade, echoes of a dead empire. But however Corypheus came to it, the orb is elven, and with it, he threatens the heart of human faith." Solas explains to her.
"Didn't you see? The people trust me implicitly." Nimue says to him.
"Faith tends to make martyrs of its champions. Whatever the case, that trust cannot grow in the wilderness. You will need every advantage. By attacking the inquisition, Corypheus has changed it, changed you. Scout to the North, be their guide. There is a place that waits for a force to hold it. There is a place where the inquisition can build, grow. Skyhold." Solas finishes before the two part ways for the night.
Nimue then heads to sleep to prepare for the long journey ahead to find this new place that the Inquisition can grow and build in, not knowing yet if she's ready for the long road ahead.
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The Journey to Skyhold
will soon begin!
I had to add 'The Dawn
Will Come' because I
loved the song so much
when everyone was
singing.
I hope you all
enjoyed it!
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