Dragon Age Inquisition: Faith

Return to Skyhold

Cecily lay on the floor in front of Morrigan’s Eluvian for a long moment, slightly sore from the impact, but mostly just incredulous at their escape.

“You all right there, Inquisitor?” Varric asked, standing with a wince.

“I’m fine. Everyone else?” she asked.

Solas, Cassandra, and Morrigan all murmured something in the affirmative.

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, but did we just escape Corypheus by jumping through an ancient elven mirror?” Varric asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Forgive me, Inquisitor, but this shit is weird.”

Cecily couldn’t help a laugh. “I don’t disagree. The army is going to have no idea what happened to us.” Her stomach twisted when she thought of Cullen’s likely reaction. “I need to get to Leliana’s ravens to send them a message.”

*

The Commander knew something important had happened at the Temple when their enemy suddenly fell into a full retreat. The Red Templars were fearsome fighters, but they were badly outnumbered. A sane general would have withdrawn and regrouped immediately; Corypheus’s people stayed on the battlefield until late into the day. But, of course, winning or losing the battle was not really the point—the only thing that mattered was whether Cecily and the others had prevented Corypheus from claiming the Eluvian.

When the Inquisitor had not returned by nightfall, Cullen took a detachment of his best soldiers to sweep the Temple of Mythal. But she was gone, along with the three she’d taken with her.

They did, however, find Samson. Dagna’s rune had evidently done its work. Samson’s armor lay in ruins; he was badly injured, but alive.

“Take this man to our healers and make him well enough for questioning,” Cullen snapped, forcing down his rising panic. “He may be the only one who knows what happened to the Inquisitor.”

It was a full day before Samson regained consciousness. At first Cullen feared that Corypheus’s general would be reluctant to talk, but the former Templar was a broken man, and surprisingly forthcoming when Cullen and Leliana came to ask what had happened in the Temple of Mythal.

“Corypheus came for her, but the Well was already lost,” he muttered. “Then the Inquisitor and her lackeys vanished through that mirror. I don’t know how. My master tried to follow but could not.”

Leliana’s face brightened; she gestured for Cullen to follow her out of the tent. “The Eluvian!” she whispered. “They must have returned to Skyhold. She is all right, Commander.”

Cullen tried very hard to believe that.

* 

The journey back to Skyhold took some of the longest days of Cullen’s life. Three days after the battle at the Arbor Wilds, Leliana was finally able to exchange messages with Skyhold. She had been right. Cecily and the others were alive, thanks to Morrigan’s Eluvian. Still, Cullen knew he would not feel entirely at ease until he saw her again.

When they finally reached Skyhold, Cecily was waiting on the steps to their great hall, standing straight and proud, every inch the Inquisitor. She descended the stairs as her people marched into their fortress and immediately began pressing her hands to theirs, asking about injuries, assuring them that Corypheus had failed and the Inquisition had achieved its aims.

Cullen knew this was important, this moment of leadership, of thanks, so he hung back, waited until her journey through the soldiers brought her to his side. He met her eyes and saw his own relief mirrored on her face.