Dragon Age: Inquisition: Behind the Scenes

Heart of Fire

It was raining in the Hinterlands.

It had been for hours. After being chased by a small multitude of apostates, the skies had decided to open their sorrows upon the denizens of Thedas. The small band of misfits were forced to hide in a small cave on the northern edge of the area, near Castle Redcliffe. Shame they weren't allowed inside Redcliffe itself.

Behind the dark clouds, the sun continued to move in its predetermined path, setting invisibly over the western horizon, but not taking the horrible weather with it.

"It's probably pointless," said Cassandra, still trying to get the water off her armor, "but we should still try to find something to make a fire."

"You forget, Seeker, that I am a Mage," replied the elf curtly. "A little water does not concern me."

If she was frustrated by her ignorance, she didn't show it.

"My apologies, Solas. If you don't mind...?"

"I will return shortly. If you will assist, Varric..."

"Let's go, Chuckles."

As the two males left the cave for their quest, the Seeker cast a glance at the Herald. She hadn't said anything for the past several hours, keeping whatever thoughts she was having to herself. She sat in the far back of the cavern, like a child would sit in the shadows of the alleys between buildings, huddling close to themselves for their own survival. She didn't seem to be moving, not even to breathe. Head hung low, her eyes were closed. Not forcefully, but as if she was asleep, though it was obvious she wasn't. She seemed to be clutching something in her right hand, but Cassandra couldn't make out wat it was supposed to be.

She wasn't yet sure how to act around the Herald. It was obvious she didn't really want to be here. That much Vida herself acknowledged. However, she also didn't really want to go back, as evident by the reports she overheard from Sister Leliana, though she did her best to avoid those. She wanted to hear from Vida herself.

Seeing an opportunity, she took a seat next to her, mimicking her position against the stone wall. She sensed Cassandra's presence, but didn't move. The Seeker could now tell she was clutching a pendant she was wearing, though what it was remained a mystery.

"Are you alright?"

Vida closed her eyes a little tighter.

"I'm alright," she muttered.

"We encountered quite a large number of apostates today," Cassandra offered. "It is perfectly ok to be concerned about it."

She loosened. Her eyes fluttered open again, though she still clutched her pendant tightly. It saddened Cassandra to see her eyes were not as bright as they were that morning.

"We fought Mages all day," she said finally. "You people see them as fanatics, but all I see is my brother."

The Seeker didn't react at first, waiting patiently for Vida to finish her explanation.

"I never got to see him all that often, not really, though that rarely stopped me. I used to get caught trying to climb the walls to see him in his room. I always missed him. When I was seven, my sister was officially drafted into the ranks of the Templars, and he was getting more serious about his training as well, which meant I couldn't sneak out to see him anymore." She chuckled, a small spark returning. "I couldn't stop crying. Serena was at a loss on how to get me to quit. My brother tried a different tactic." She opened her hand carefully. "He made me this."

It was beautiful. It was a circle formed out of what looked like gold, with flowing lines circling different parts of the circle. As Cassandra looked closer at it, she could make out the heraldry of both the Templar Order and the Circle of Magi, resting inside the larger symbol that created the pendant: the symbol of the Chantry, the glowing sun.

"This...this is a masterpiece," she breathed. "How did he make this?"

"He is a mage, after all," she replied, grinning shyly. "Though we was always better at spirits and healing people, he has a friend who's skilled in pyromancy, and they sort of combined their abilities or something. It's all very complicated. I'm told this was his third attempt at the design. But there's more."

She grabbed the Seeker's hand, and placed it on the pendent. Her eyes widened.

"It's...warm!"

"I told you he was good at pyromancy," she chuckled. "He said he contained an everlasting source of energy inside it, whatever that means. Many times, when it's particularly cold outside or something similar, its heat has been enough to keep me on my feet, keep me moving." She paused, her energy waning. "He said...as long as it still feels warm, he's still alive. After all those mages we killed today...I guess I needed the reminder."

No more words needed to be spoken. Cassandra offered her shoulder, and Vida nearly fell into it, closing her eyes again as she drifted into sleep. An hour later, Varric and Solas returned, discovering that Cassandra had joined her.

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