Dragon Age: Semper ad Meliora

Etched into my Every Step

Do not grieve for me, Maker of All.
Though all others may forget You,
Your name is etched into my every step.
I will not forsake You, even if I forget myself.
- Canticle of Trials 1:9

Skyhold, Solace, 9:43 Dragon

When the Inquisitor rode back into Skyhold's courtyard after over a month away in the Frostback Basin he was unsurprised to find his ambassador waiting for him inside the gate.

Idhren swung down off his mount, patted the dracolisk's neck fondly and retrieved a sheaf of parchment from a saddlebag before turning the animal over to a waiting stablehand. "Josephine," he addressed, not even bothering with a polite greeting. He had been stewing in anger the entire near-week-long journey back to the keep. From the disorganized collection of papers in his arms he withdrew two sealed letters and held them out to the lady ambassador. "See these are delivered to the Grand Cathedral and the Imperial Palace immediately." Josephine accepted the letters with no small amount of confusion. "And this," Idhren continued without giving her a chance to respond. He dug through his papers a moment more before producing another envelope sealed and addressed in a different hand, "To the University of Orlais. And every bloody town crier from here to Tevinter."

Josephine accepted this letter as well and added it to the others in her grasp. "Did something happen, Inquisitor?" she asked.

Idhren scowled down at the papers in his arms for a moment before looking up to meet her gaze at long last. "Inquisitor Ameridan was a Dalish mage," he said flatly. "The Orlesian Empire erased and covered up this part of our history, intentionally or otherwise, and I will not allow that to continue any longer."

"That... Is going to be a very controversial claim," Josephine said carefully.

Did she not believe him? Did she think he would lie about something like this in order to make his own people look better in the eyes of history? Idhren frowned, and then shook his head. He trusted Josephine more than that. She was being reasonably skeptical about such a wild claim. "I have proof," Idhren informed her, nodding to the papers in his arms. "And Professor Kenric is still gathering more."

"There are noble houses who claim familial ties to Ameridan," Josephine commented.

Idhren breezed past her on his way up to the keep and she easily fell in step with him. "Those houses lied," he said curtly.

"Several hundred years ago," Josephine pointed out. "But it would still be a tremendous scandal for them to reveal this. People will be angry."

"I'm angry that my entire culture was wiped out – twice – and that my people are forced to live in squalor," Idhren snapped impatiently. "I could not possibly care less about the feelings of some pampered noble family." This last was said as they stepped into the main hall, and perhaps a bit too loudly. Visitors to Skyhold always managed to show up to see the Inquisitor return from a trip, and a small number of those were hovering suspiciously close to the door. When Idhren stepped in, those eyes turned to him, and he knew he'd been overheard. Not the best phrase to be heard out of context, but for good or ill there was no taking it back now.

"We need to find Ameridan's clan, if it still exists," he continued, carefully avoiding eye contact as he made his way through the main hall toward the door to his quarters.

"That may be a task better suited to Leliana's people," Josephine commented, "But I can certainly look into it."

"I'll talk to her as well," Idhren assured. After he had a chance to bathe and change clothes. Maybe get something to eat. "Did any other business come up while I was away?"