#my inquisitor and cassandra penteghast

[words-writ-in-starlight]

I AM NOT DEAD AND STILL WRITE FIC.

There’s a nice explanation of this in the fic, but here is the new system for posting: Dragon Age on Wednesdays (this fic), Animorphs on Saturdays or Sundays (this series), and various ongoing longer fics replacing one of those two whenever a chapter is finished.  Tumblr fic is just going up when it’s done.

[crsinclair]

Dragon Age Inquisition!Voltron AU

@bluelioncub and I have been screaming at each other because of this Dragon Age Inquisition AU. We've got a hodge-pod plan to do some one-shots on all this, as well as maybe a few for Dragon Age Origins. Here's a bit of a teaser for what's to come (hopefully you're not all waiting too long) in the form of character headcanons!

Shiro:

The one who stepped out of the fade.  The rumor going around after he got out was that Andraste kissed his head, turning his bangs white, and took his hand to guide him out, which gave him the Mark.

Trevelyan backstory:  Was training to be a Templar, and spent a few years traveling around Thedas as a personal training mission.  Spent some time in the Southern part of Nevarra helping his cousin Sven defend the ports from Pirates and bandits, thus earning him a bit of fame.

Legitimately wants to do good in the world.  Josephine is so happy, he basically does all the work for her.

His one true wish in life is to have a Mabari pupper.

At the start of his part in the Inquisition, he believed that the Circles were a good thing and that they served a very definite purpose.  Not to say that he believed that the Templars were doing things the right way in the Circles, but more that he had slightly blinded views of how good things actually were for the Mages.  Over the course of his time as the Herald and later the Inquisitor, he realized slowly that things were NOT as they seemed, and made it a personal mission to try and change things – for the Mages and the Templars both.

Chose to recruit the Templars.  More on that later. ;)

Seriously this boy just wants to help everyone, Leliana finds it simultaneously unrealistic and adorable.

Best friends with Cullen. 

Best.  Friends.

Seriously these two are so alike and get each other so well it’s insane.

Cullen also shares with Shiro his stories about how things actually were in the Circles, and that helps in Shiro’s view of things.

Actually doesn’t mind the Hinterlands.  This earns him the ire of all his Inner Circle.

Keith

Joined the Seekers ASAP

He was actually left on the doorstep as a baby of the Seekers.  He was raised by them (mostly because no one person knew how to raise him by themselves.  “It takes a Village” was never more true…)

Even growing up with the Seekers he thought there was a small unit of them that went out and hunted for Cryptids.

He was so disappointed when he actually became a Seeker and found out no such unit.

(He plans on starting that Unit.)

Trained under Seeker Cassandra Penteghast.  Turns out he’s one of the only ones who doesn’t really care that TECHINICALLY she’s part of the Navarran royal family.

He also adopted her taste in trashy romance novels.

He actually met Shiro when he was younger and. Very angry.  His advise of “Patience Yields Focus” helped him in his career as a Seeker.

Up until Cassandra goes all “I see a problem and I fix it” on him and welp, conflicting advise.  (This is the Keith we all know and love.)

Will fight all the bears.  All of them.  Single-handedly and unarmed.

Honestly he doesn’t care about where you come from or why just so long as you are there to help.  That’s it.

“Shiro if you take me on another bull-crap mission into the Hinterlands, I swear to the MAKER – “

Pidge

City Elf!

Actually comes Denerim, but the family moved to Orlais.  She worked very hard to NOT pick up the accent.

Joined the Red Jennies a few months before the Conclave exploded – her brother Matt went missing, and when no one of actual authority would help the “Knife Ear”, she decided to find another market of information.  Her work with the Red Jennies eventually got her the information that her brother was taken by a mysterious group known as the Venatori – and they were bigger than the Red Jennies could handle.  Luckily, the Inquisition was forming…

Has a very irrational hate of magic.  Not of Mages, of MAGIC.  There’s a difference.

Smartest cookie this side of everything.  Makes very fast friends with the Alchemist of the Inquistion and with Dagna.

…Maybe a bit more than friends with Dagna.

The first time she stepped foot in the Emerald Graves she wanted to climb all the trees – seriously, she’d NEVER seen trees so big.

Turns out that the Red Jenny information network is more complex than Leliana’s, who knew

Does she lord this over Leliana?  Yes.  Pidge is probably the only person in all of Thedas that doesn’t have a healthy fear of Leliana.

Very Viscious Prank Master.  Do not mess with her unless you want bees somewhere very unpleasant.

Was VERY SURPRISED when she found out that Shiro knew Matt.

It took Shiro a while to figure it out because Pidge only started going by Pidge after joining up with the Red Jennies – Matt would always talk about his sister Katie.

“WHAT THE WHAT YOU KNEW MY BROTHER!?”

“I will throw this bottle of bees at you, Shiro, don’t you DARE say we’re going to the Hinterlands – “

Lance

Mage from Tevinter!

Pariah of Tevinter – but due to plot can’t go too far into that.  ;)

HAS THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON SHIRO.  Followed Shiro’s adventures around Thedas as all the stories hit the news and developed a big Hero Crush on him.

Can’t tell you what they might’ve been talking about during the last serious meeting between the War Council and the Inner Circle but can tell you every single detail about the Pirate Battle of the 15th Ferventis 9:31 on docks of Cumberland down to the weather.  This comes up entirely by accident when Josephine is asking Shiro about some of his exploits and Lance just…starts rattling off facts.

He was very embarrassed.

Really truly cares about Tevinter.  He’s honestly a bit conflicted about fighting his fellow country men, but his belief in what the Inquisition is doing is stronger than his confliction.  If he has a chance to try and talk to a Venatori instead of burst them into flames, though, he’ll take it.

Has a tendency to Fade Step when startled.

Like the warm rain of Northern Tevinter, not the cold, freezing rain of Fereldan, Keith, there’s a DIFFERNCE.

Took on all the bandits by himself in Crestwood for the promise of a warm bath.

When he came to Haven to warn them of the Venatori Mages marching, he barely got the warning out before near-fainting in Shiro’s arms.  Near-fainting because Lance managed to squint an eye open and squeeze out a “Hey, are you my big buff savior? *wink*”

“Not the Hinterlands, not the Hinterlands, not the Hinterlands – *it’s the Hinterlands*  *unholy screeching*”

Hunk

Qunari Warrior!

He’s actually pretty terrible at lying, but he’s reeeeeeally good at eavesdropping.  So that’s how he ends up as a Hisrad wandering around Southern Thedas.

Came to Spy, Stayed for the Food.

At least, that’s the joke he tells Shiro when he joins up with the Inquisition.  Honestly, after being away from the Qun for so long, he’s starting to see things from different perspectives than what he grew up with, and it’s…starting to get to him.

Has a small Mercenary Guild!  The Yellow Lions.  (He really likes those big cats, okay?)  His main team:  Rax, an Avvar Warrior; Shay, Rax’ half sister who has excellent control of magic but doesn’t call it magic; Nyma, an Elven Rouge that was abandoned by her Clan; Rolo, yet another Elven Rouge but from the City; and Beezer, the Dwarf who doesn’t talk but is great with Alchemy (specifically: BOMBS).

Lance gave him the nickname Hunk and it just…kinda stuck.  Eventually he stopped trying to correct people on it and that was that, he was Hunk, end of story.

Actually really, really smart and a fantastic engineer.  Happened to walk by when Cullen, Shiro, and Leliana were discussing how to make changes to Skyhold to be more defensible and he started rattling off a bunch of calculations on which areas would be best for renovations.

This led to an in-depth conversation that revealed how much Hunk knew about engineering specific weapons and within the week he became to go-to person to speak with about new designs for arms and weaponry.  Gives Bianca a run for her money.

A few times literally.

He and Keith entered into the most uncomplicated relationship.  It basically amounted to:  “Hey you wanna be a thing?” “Sure, let’s be a thing.” And that was that.

Is probably the most un-Qunari like Qunari that ever Qunaried until there’s a dragon involved.

“Boss, I know you like doing things for the people in the Hinterlands but I’m starting to think I might be allergic to, well, ALL OF THE HINTERLANDS.”

Allura

Fanciest Maker-damned Apostate Elvhen Hobo

Like, she doesn’t even really have much in the way of personal belongings but what she has she makes SPARKLE.

Not an Egg.

Legitimately sad that the Elves of today have fallen to what they are; she attempts to lecture everyone about the way things should be.  (Much nicer about it than an Egg ever would be.)

Honestly stayed with the Inquisition not because of the Anchor and what it could do, but because she’s grown attached to the members of the Inner Circle.

Cried by herself when she realized how much she loved these silly, ridiculous people that surround her, and what that might mean for her plans for the future…

Has a weakness for all the mice in Skyhold.

“I can hear them talk to me.”  No one knows if they should take her seriously or not.  She does, after all, regularly walk through the fade on purpose.

I repeat:  NOT AN EGG.

Takes tea with Josephine and Leliana to talk fashion every once in a while.  Vivienne de Fer took some doing to get her to join them for Tea – Vivienne didn’t have the best first impression of her, what with Allura being an Apostate..  But when Allura starts talking about fashion, well.  Vivienne can put aside their differences to talk about the latest trends in boots and skirts.

“*silently threatens Shiro with fire when Shiro mentions going to the Hinterlands*”

Slav (THAT’S RIGHT, SLAV)

The Spirit in the form of a young man that saves Shiro from the Envy demon at Therinfal Redoubt.

(I’ll post a drawing of him later when I have time, it’s actually adorable)

Capable of seeing many realities and uses the ones with the highest “frequency” to decide on a course of action.  Prefers the realities that involve the least amount of violence, but what needs must.

Shiro eventually teaches Slav to try and see around the most “frequent” violent realities and try to reach for the ones that lead to less violent.  It takes some doing, since Slav is…Slav, but he gets there.

Eventually.

When scared will puff out of existence.

This happens a lot.

“Slav, what are you doing.”  “In 72% of realities the fluffiness of these pillows will determine whether or not our Commander Cullen gets a headcold.”  “…”

He is not invited to play cards anymore because most people think he’s cheating.  Shiro and Allura assure everyone that he isn’t, he’s not that type of person.

He is.

Once got into a theoretical scientific debate with Hunk, Pidge, and Dagna about…something. 

No one is really sure what, since most of it was spoken in pure numbers.

Every time Shiro approaches him about a trip to the Hinterlands he just disappears.

[heartslogos]

send the morning [39]

“I am not leaving until you let me in there and see her,” Maxwell says, pounding on the heavy Chantry door. This is probably at least ten sorts of sacrilege but Maxwell figures that he’s already damned thirty different ways just for continuing to breathe as a living insult to the Trevelyan family so he might as well keep going. “Seeker Penteghast? I demand to see Evelyn!”

The templar guards on either side of the door try to pull him away but while Maxwell did fail at all the mental mind sets that make a templar he did not fail in combat. He holds his ground.

“I am going to stay here until I am allowed to see that Evelyn is being kept well,” Maxwell yells at the door, “I am Maxwell Trevelyan and as incredibly out of favor I am there will be repercussions for your actions if you evict me from Haven. The Trevelyans may regret my existence but they still like Evelyn. Let me see her.”

The door swings open and Rutherford gives him an exasperated look, gesturing for the templars to let him go.

“Ser Trevelyan,” Ambassador Montilyet says coming into view behind Rutherford, “It is dangerous to see her, and we are not entirely sure of her innocence.”

“We’re certain of her guilt.” Pentaghast’s voice comes from deeper within the room. Maxwell pushes forward but Rutherford stops him with a hand to the chest, shaking his head. Maxwell glares at him. “What more evidence do you need? She was the only survivor of the explosion, in fact she was in the very center of it. And that mark on her hand. Reports say that she was an exemplary scholar and experimenter.”

“Evelyn never worked on anything that could do this,” Maxwell cranes his neck to look around the Ambassador and Commander. Pentaghast’s sharp eyes meet his. “She wrote to me about her research. Do you want me to send for her letters? I can tell you exactly what she was studying these past decades down to the volume. I can give you a list of damn citations if that’s what you need. Evelyn is innocent.”

“Trevelyan,” Cullen says, “I know that you two are close. But it’s been years. You don’t know what was true and false in those letters.”

“Evelyn wouldn’t lie to me,” Maxwell spits, “You don’t know her. Just talk to her - you’d know instantly she’s innocent.”

“We cannot talk to her,” Pentaghast snaps, coming to the door and gently moving Josephine aside. “Because she is unconscious and has not woken since we found her coming out of the Fade.”

“So you condemn her without even speaking to her?” Maxwell scoffs, “Let me vouch for her. I will speak for her since she cannot. Maker knows I have the mouth for five people. Might as well put it to use. I will stand here until you let me see her.”

Pentaghast scowls at him, stepping closer like she’s about to punch him out and Maxwell glares back. He’d rather be punched in the face than ignored. At least that means they’re starting to listen.

“Cassandra,” Rutherford’s voice softly cuts in, “She’s unconscious and being watched at all hours. I can go with him if you’re worried about security.”

“He’s not wrong about the Trevelyan’s opinion of Evelyn,” The Ambassador adds on, “And there really is no reason to keep them apart.”

Pentaghast’s jaw clenches, “Very well. But he goes in unarmed. Cullen, you go with him. Josephine send for those notes. How quickly can we get Ostwick’s reply?”

“Within a fortnight at least,” Montilyet replies, Maxwell steps aside for her as she leaves the room, “I’ll have Leliana send her fastest birds.”

“Thank you,” Maxwell says, “And you’re welcome.”

“For what?”

“For stopping you from making a terrible decision about an innocent life,” Maxwell replies, “Commander Rutherford, lead the way.”

-

Ellana returns under the cover of darkness, without warning or signal, with everything different.

Evelyn startles awake when she feels a hand on her cheek, the faintest touch of magic that she doesn’t recognize - but one that she feels that she’s touched before.

“Evelyn,” Her eyes meet Ellana’s - lit by a small, soft and muted mage light.

“Ellana?” Evelyn sits up, wrist flicking a flame and reaching for the candles on her bedside table.  “Maker’s breath.”

Ellana sits in full Dalish armor, a staff hanging over her back. Evelyn has never seen Ellana looks like this. Like -

Evelyn doens’t know the word she’s looking for.

“Does Mahanon know?”

Ellana tilts her head towards the staircase and Evelyn turns, seeing Mahanon’s wide and confused, hurt eyes.

“I need you to be witness,” Ellana says, standing and holding her hand out. Evelyn takes it.

“What happened?” Evelyn whispers. Somehow it feels like any loud noise can break the fragile and glass-like texture of this moment of not-time.

“Clan Lavellan’s numbers are reduced to two,” Ellana says by way of answers, holding Evelyn’s hand in hers as Evelyn pulls a blanket off of the bed to wrap around her shoulders. Mahanon quietly pads across the room towards them and opens the balcony door. The moonlight blanches his skin and gleams off of his pale hair. “Years ago I was once the First of Clan Lavellan, but I was demoted to Third after I began to learn the arts of transformation. One who cannot reliably be certain and true to their own selves, one who is easily lost and confused, cannot be trusted to lead others.”

Evelyn stares at Ellana’s face. It’s like she’s awake; well and truly awake and aware. Ellana has always been aware, awake, yes, but - this is different. There is a sharper focus and intensity to it.

This, Evelyn realizes, turning to catch the way Mahanon stares at his sister, is the Ellana Mahanon had lost. This is the Ellana the both of them have been trying to hang onto.

“I was allowed this weakness because there were others to support me, to guide me, to do what I could not,” Ellana leads them out into the moonlight. “But those people are gone, and it is selfish of me to continue to rely on others to make up for my inadequacies.”

“You aren’t - “ Mahanon begins.

Ellana raises her hand, eyes focusing on him, “There are parts of you that hate me, that wish I were gone. There are parts of you, brother of my heart, that wish I had never come into this world; and that if I did I would have been anything different. There are parts of you that wish I had died rather than become bear. There are parts of you that, sometimes, wish could remove me forever. This is fact.”

Mahanon flinches, eyes closing in shame.

“He loves you,” Evelyn says, stepping closer to Mahanon. Ellana’s hand squeezes hers.

“I know,” Ellana says, voice and eyes softening like cold mist, “And because I also love him, I too wish those things. I, too, hate myself for the suffering I have caused him. I, too, wish that I had never been born, that we had never met, that I was better or stronger or all around different from what I have become. There are parts of me that, at times, blame him for not killing me when he had the chance. There are parts of me that hate him for staying. I love him. This does not change the fact that I have caused him to suffer.”

Ellana releases Evelyn’s hand and moves closer to her brother, reaching and taking his hand in one of hers and then coaxing his face to meet hers with the other.

“Evelyn, I need you to stand as witness. You are the Inquisitor of Thedas and our dear friend. Your word above anyone else’s will hold.”

“Witness for what?”

Ellana strokes Mahanon’s cheek with her thumb.

“I am Keeper of Clan Lavellan,” She says, softly, “I bear the Keeper’s staff, I have the ring of the First. Do you accept this, Mahanon of Lavellan?”

“Yes,” Mahanon whispers.

“Then as Keeper of Clan Lavellan,” Ellana says, “I dissolve the bond between us. Brother and sister we are once more. You are no longer bound to me as husband, nor I to you as wife. With the Inquisitor of Thedas as witness, I cut that tie. Be free.”

Evelyn gapes, and Mahanon’s eyes grow wide. Ellana’s eyes smile, though her mouth does not.

“I am weak and fragile of mind,” Ellana says, releasing Mahanon’s hand and face. “I am selfish and flawed. I am sorry I have been a burden to you for so many years. I am sorry to say that as hard as I am trying, I do not know if I will ever be the person we both want me to be again.”

Mahanon’s eyes close, “I know.”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t love who you are now,” Evelyn puts a hand on their shoulders, “And you are trying. You haven’t given up. Nor have we given up on you.”

Ellana smiles, “I do not know how long I will be this way. Even now I feel my mind start to fray and pull in every direction I know I have been. I wish I could help you more, I wish I could stay this way for all of you. All the time. Evelyn, thank you for what you’ve done for us. Clan Lavellan, as small as we are now, stands with you, lethallin.”