Fen'Tarasyl

Chapter Twenty One

Solas resided in the study beneath the library and the aviary. The tall, circular tower loomed over the castle grounds like a temple, and the sound of ravens singing could be heard from the ground.

Before she made it to the building, a commotion divided her attention. She heard several people shouting, and thuds. She moved toward the sound, went around a building and found two Inquisition soldiers brawling, with a thick ring of people around them cheering them on.

Talyn wasn't the only one who had found them. She saw Cullen shoving his way to the center, where the fight was happening. Talyn did the same. She cut through the ring like she was wading through water, the people giving little resistance. In fact, when she touched someone they jumped away from her like she was a spider.

She reached them before Cullen did. With her lyrium tattoos shimmering in the morning sunlight, she slipped between them and put a hand on both of their chests, shoving them apart.

Once she did that, the people scattered to the wind, going back to what their were doing, acting like nothing had happened.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked the both of them.

Their faces were bruised and bloody, their eyes full of fire. Although they kept glaring at each other, they couldn't make eye contact with their Inquisitor.

"You are both soldiers of the Inquisition! Have some respect for yourselves." Cullen snapped as he arrived.

They both looked at the ground, and mumbled an apology to their commander.

"It's not me you need to be apologizing to. You've wasted the Inquisitor's time. Time she could be spending finding Corypheus."

Talyn wasn't about to tell Cullen that she was actually wasting her own time visiting Solas.

"Sorry, Inquisitor." They both said to Talyn.

Talyn let her hands fall to her sides. "See to it that it does not happen again." She told them.

Cullen barked orders at them, some kind of unpleasant job that was going to be their punishment for their fight.

Cullen ran a hand over his face and sighed.

"Rough day?" Talyn asked, her tone light and friendly.

"You have no idea."

Talyn laughed. "I haven't had the chance to say it, but you've done a great job with our defenses. Much better than I would have done."

"Now if only I could keep my men in check." Cullen looked up at the walls that surrounded Skyhold. "At Haven, we had no time to prepare. That town could never have survived a dragon attack. But if Corypheus and that dragon come to Skyhold, we'll have a better chance."

Cullen looked back at her. "You could have died. I will not fail you again."

That was the second time someone had told her that today.

"Cullen, you never failed me." Talyn said gently. "No one knew that Corypheus would be at our doorstep."

Cullen smiled. It seemed like a sad smile. Then he changed the subject.

"You made a wise and just decision today Inquisitor."

Talyn winced, much like how she did when people called her Herald. But she let it go. She was the Inquisitor after all.

"Those nobles didn't think so. The council definitely didn't think so." She replied.

Cullen laughed. "Everyone craves death. Except for you. You find mercy where others cannot. That's why I agreed that you should be the Inquisitor."