The Herald and the Hero (closed)

[Radsattack]

The Commander nodded as the women spoke, every so often he would glance over at soldiers and watch as they played and laughed. "Maybe your right, hopefully this will lift their spirits, maybe take some stress off." Cullen nodded. "I know I for one appreciate this brief break. It's good to see a lot of the men smiling and laughing."


Covering his grinning and giggling mouth, Falon watched as the scout ran off with his canine. He laughed even more when saw a certain Orlesian elf get knocked over face first into the snow.The laughing ceased when he heard Dorian's comment. "Juan? Oh no, he's just a friend." Falon reassured. "Yeah, just a good friend."

 

[LeoLion98]

"It is." She caught a group of soldiers watching them while also trying to focus on not getting hit. "And I believe that many more will be laughing if you don't get out of here soon. I think you're target."


Krishna took a subtle step behind him and grabbed a handful of snow, just as her children sneaked up behind the commander, also with snowballs. Without warning, the three elves pelted him with their ammunition.


"See? I told you you were a target."


The mage just managed to contain his grin. "Ah, well, it was wrong for me to assume. I apologize. But for this, I do not." Dorian conjured a ball of snow and lobbed it right at Falon's face.

 

[Radsattack]

Cullen listened on as the Hero spoke. Taking notice of her drifting eyes, he turned his head behind him to see what she had been looking at. The Commander raised an eyebrow at her words and looked back to her. Before he could open his mouth he was hit by all of elves snowballs.


The sounds of laughter and the sloshing of snow filled his ears. Quickly, he moved away from them and picked up handfuls of snow from the ground eager to get them back, especially the Hero of Ferelden.


Upon impact, Falon stumbled back nearly falling to the ground. When he gained his footing, Falon wiped his face with his sleeve. "Very funny." The elf said. Kneeling, Falon scooped up a handful of snow.


Leaning on his tiptoes, the Herald swished the small pile into the Tevinter's hair. "I adore your new hair by the way, very festive." He said with a toothy grin.

 

[LeoLion98]

And thus began the private snowball fight between the Tabris family and Commander Cullen. They pelted each other with snow, which soon had them all drenched and shivering. Still, they laughed and continued the battle, even when they felt out of breath.


"I certainly thought so," Dorian said. Too distracted by laughing at the comical sight in front of him, he shouted when the elf dumped snow on his head. Wiping the frozen water from his hair, he gave the other man a dangerous smile. "Oh you're going to pay for that one, Falon. I suggest you start running."

 

[Radsattack]

Quickly and gleefully, the snow fight went on. At times Cullen would forget about the fact that there was still a huge tear in the sky, it all seemed like everything was normal again. Every-so-often, Cullen would chase after the two children, receiving snowballs as he would, and try to toss snow their way.


At one point he even got close to nailing Krishna but was left in the dust as he missed her. With one action, Cullen turned and tossed a snow ball in her direction landing on the hero's shoulder.


Falon dashed away from the other Mage, giggles escaping his mouth as he tried to kept himself from getting nailed. He would turn to see where Dorian had been and tossed snow in his direction Only to miss him.


In Falon's mind, it was just like he was free from responsibility and independent. For now, he would let himself and his mind wander. With a quick motion, Falon scooped up a large ball of snow and tossed it hoping to hit his target.

 

[LeoLion98]

"I have two children, Commander, I can do this all day!" she shouted when the snowball struck her shoulder. Raising Dez and Nina, and still in the process of doing so, made the elf quite accustomed to long bouts of play. And, as a rogue, she knew all the deceptive tricks in the book. She played dirty.


The mage ducked out of the way just as the snowball reached him. It just barely missed his ear; he heard it whistle by. It sailed past Dorian and right into the back of the head of another eleven mage. She stiffened and gasped as the cold smacked her head and dripped down her back.


"Oh, sorry!" Dorian said, "That was meant for me, but he has bad aim."

 

[Radsattack]

"Perfect, I was just getting started, most respected Bann." Cullen yelled back to her, an ear to ear grin planted on his face. Working as a Templar, he was used to hard work and being on his feet, this situation almost proved it. As he reached down to pick up another ball of snow, he noticed one of the new mage's being hit off their guard. "Oh, Maker." He wispered to himself. He could only imagine what might insue next.


Going wide eyed, Falon quickly rushed over to the Mage who was hit amongst the chaos. "Hes' very right, my aim is the terrible." Stopping directly behind her, a look of sheer panic swept over his face. "Creators I am so-." As the Mage turned his expression quickly turned into something more of pure disgust.


He had thought he smelled a cat somewhere.

 

[LeoLion98]

She noticed his gaze shifting to somewhere behind her and found herself curious. Keeping in mind that this could be a trick, Krishna turned around to see what he was looking at. Her eyes went wide and she dropped the snow she had been holding.


"It can't be..." she whispered.


After a brief moment of shock, Arrietta immediately glared at the Herald. "Of all the people I had to run into, it was you? Everyone said you were dead."


Her voice held no hint of concern whatsoever. In fact, she sounded more annoyed by the fact that the rumors were false.

 

[Radsattack]

Cullen noticed Krishna and ran up to meet her. He noticed the troubled look on her face and flicked his eyes between Krishna and Falon. "Krishna?" Cullen had said, trying to get a response out of her.


"Are you alright? You don't look so good." He scanned her face for any indication of an answer.


Falon didn't say a word, he just stared at her with a scowl placed on his face. First Zedge and now her? It was too much to even believe. It had been years since he had seen her and even now he still felt hatred within him, Arrietta's words repeating in his head.


Suddenly Falon snapped back to reality and realized Dorian had been behind him. Forcing an awkward smile he attempted to act natural.


"Why Arrietta, you haven't aged a day. How have you been? Good I hope, anyways."

 

[LeoLion98]

She couldn't answer for a moment, the words caught in her throat. "That-that mage... I know her. She's supposed to be dead."


Nina and Dez had finally walked over too, and both gently touched their mother's arm. They also looked between Krishna and the two mages, curious and concerned.


His sudden change in tone took her aback, only to make her suspicious. "What are you playing at, mutt? You're being... pleasant to me."


Dorian could have cut the tension with a butter knife. He didn't know what past the other two had with each other, but he knew that Falon's kindness was forced, even without Arrietta's comment. For the moment, he would stay back and listen.

 

[Radsattack]

Cullen took another look at her, she seemed familiar, but he couldn't place a name to her face. He felt a chill race down his spine as Krishna spoke.


He gulped and glanced over to the Hero. "Who is she?" Cullen asked, sharing confused looks with both Nina and Dez.


He bit his tongue, Arrietta's views about him definitely hadn't changed since he had last seen her, and neither had his own despite his facade.


"What do you mean? I'm not playing at anything." Falon's eye twitched a bit as his smile grew. "After all, it's nice to see that you haven't died yourself."

 

[LeoLion98]

She finally tore her eyes away from what very well could have been a ghost. "It's Arrietta," she said.


Admitting it felt like someone punched her in the stomach. She should be happy. She was, in a way. For so long, Krishma believed she had gotten her ex-girlfriend killed and blamed herself for it. But she was alive. And she was here. That was what made her feel so conflicted.


Arrietta had held onto the delusion that they were still in a relationship of sorts when Krishma showed up at the Tower. She never realized they the other elf had moved on. It had been... uncomfortable to say the least. And Krishna very much doubted that things would be different now. The mage had a bad habit of never letting things go. Like her hatred of Falon, apparently.


And that made her snap completely out of it.


Krishna quickly made her way over to the three mages, her children following shortly after. Nina only knew some about Arrietta, but it was enough to know that things had not ended well.


"Cut the halla shit, you know what I mean. What the hell are you doing here anyway? I believe the Inquisition only wants competent mages here."


Okay, now Dorian had to step in. The opportunity was too good. He stepped next to Falon and put his arm around the elf's shoulders.


"My dear Herald, I've been looking for you everywhere." He glanced briefly at Arrietta with a fake smile. "Oh, was I interrupting?"

 

[Radsattack]

The name had been familiar, he had remembered her from his days in Ferelden's Circle. He remembered her gift for magic and most importantly her long time rivalry with Falon.


Cullen snapped back to reality and watched as she walked off to the group. He started to move but stopped, the Commander knew it might not be wise to get into business he didn't understand.


Falon smirked as Dorian budded in, especially when the other Mage through an arm around him. "Oh not all Dorian, I was just talking to Arrietta." He smiled.


"We go way back, wouldn't you say so, Arrietta?"

 

[LeoLion98]

"We know each other from the Circle. We weren't able to talk for some time though, because I became a mage before he did and it took him such a long time. Was it that torrid affair with Zedge that held you back, do you think, Falon?" She asked as innocently as she could, though a small smirk found its way onto her lips.


"Zedge?" Dorian said before the elf could answer. "Isn't there an elf named Zedge that arrived not too long ago?"


"He's here?" Arrietta asked, not even trying to hide her grin at this point. "Oh that's wonderful! Are you trying to start your relationship again? You two were such a lovely match."


Krishna had stopped just behind Dorian and Falon, subconsciously trying to hide herself from her former girlfriend. She didn't want her here, even if it meant she could stop feeling guilty. She didn't want her here not only for her own sake, but for her family's. Arrietta would most definitely try and rehash things that Krishna had put well behind her.

 

[Radsattack]

The only confidence he had slowely went south as he started to turn red with both embarrassment and anger. He stayed silent, espically when it got too far. Falon let go of Dorian and stood at his side, his hands placed behind his back. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. All he wanted to do was cry, but he knew it would only make it worse.


"Hey Fal." Came a voice that caused chills to race down Falon's spine. Zedge had shoved past Krishna,pushing her out of the way, and squeezed himself between Falon and Dorian. He opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped when he noticed the other Mage. When he finally recognized her, he smirked.


"Well if it isn't perfection herself." Zedge said running a hand through his short, thick blonde hair. "Looks like you came out of your precious tower hm? How cute." He said sarcastically. "And here I thought I would have to be dealing with two familiar faces in this place."

 

[LeoLion98]

The presence of Zedge forced her into action. She glared and felt a disgusted shiver crawl up her spine when he touched her. She was going to have to do something about him. Preferably it would involve a lot of pain. Krishna stepped forward with new resolve.


Arrietta gave him a cold smile. "Yes, after we killed a lot of Templars who tried to kill us. Sorry we had to fight your fr- oh wait! You're not a Templar anymore, that's right. My apologies."


Dorian looked between the elves, a little unsure of what to do with himself. On one hand, Arrietta was insulting a man he didn't like. On the other, he didn't like her either. So instead, he stood by Falon and placed a reassuring hand on the other man's arm. That was when he saw Krishna and felt a little better about the situation. It was three to one now.


Arrietta's mouth opened in a small O when she saw the other woman before immediately breaking out into a smile. "Krishna!"

 

[Radsattack]

Although it had been true,and he definitely would have lied if he asked about it, Zedge rolled his eyes. "You listen here, if it weren't for you I would still be a proud Templar." When Arietta had mentioned Krishna, he took a step back. He knew that the elf would scold him for pushing her. "Well, it looks like you two need to make up, so I'll catch you all later." He muttered nervously. So, after a quick wink he was off.


Falon took comfort in Dorian's silent gesture. He was happy to know that he wasn't alone in th situation, however when he heard Krishna's name be spoken by Arrietta, a cold chill ran down his spine. He knew their history after their first visit to the Circle and he knew the situation could get awkward.


"Krishna." The Herald whispered under his breath, as if to warn her to flee now.

 

[LeoLion98]

The rogue felt a little pride over the fact that Zedge was clearly scared of her. He was right to be, of course, but the fact that he actually showed it made her feel very good indeed. It was just the confidence boost she needed right now.


She held out a hand to Falon, silently indicating that she could handle this. She couldn't back away now, or ever, for that matter. Arrietta was just a person. Krishna had faced an Archdemon before. She could very well handle her ex-girlfriend.


Giving a polite smile, she faced the other elf. "Arrietta, I heard you were here. I am glad that you managed to arrive safely with the other mages."


The mage's smile faltered for just a moment. That wasn't exactly the response she had expected. "Yes, I have. I'm surprised you're not more surprised," she added with a laugh, hoping to elicit an answer she wanted.


"Oh, I was informed by Gabriel and Wynne that you managed to recover not too long after the Blight ended," she lied, not batting an eye. She would have to have a discussion with Leliana's lover, now that she thought about it. Maybe he knew that she wouldn't want anything to do with the other woman, but would have felt obligated to write had she know Arrietta was alive. "I would have written but I had become rather busy dealing with the residual affects of the Blight and my duties as Bann that by the time I thought to do so, something else called me away."


Arrietta completely fell for her lies. She felt a little relieved at hearing them. At least she had been thought of. Not enough, apparently, but thought of. Just as she was about to reply, the rogue turned to the other two mages. And... children?


"As much fun as this is, we do have a hole in the sky to repair, and this lot needs to be trained."


"You're absolutely right," Dorian said, glad that this encounter was coming to an end. " Why don't we go prepare ourselves as well, yes?" he asked Falon.


As Dorian did so, she looked at Malcadez. "Da'len, would you go and get Cullen for me please? And Nina, make sure your brother doesn't get distracted?"


"Yes, mamae," they replied and ran off together. The elder sibling looked over her shoulder at Krishna and nodded once.


Once they were gone, she looked back at her ex, who had been stunned into silence at her former lover's abrupt attitude. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but this is rather important mission. Perhaps we can talk later." And with that, she left, passing the commander on the way. "Good luck."

 

[Radsattack]

Falon took her warning and stood still as Krishna spoke with her ex. She could have fooled anyone with her attitude and she was so impressive just to watch. Falon new this wasn't easy for her and he loved to see how natural she pulled it off, it was definitely a rouge trait.


When Krishna's children came into the picture, he could see the confusion in Arietta's face and how her demeanor changed from how she first saw her to now.


Suddenly, he was taken back to reality and nodded. "Good idea, Dorian." He agreed. "We should be off, lots of work to do with so little time." With one last at Arietta, Falon turned to walk with Dorian. No good could come with her here.


He could only hope that it would easy on Krishna and himself with Arietta here.

 

[LeoLion98]

With that, the training for the assault on the Breach began. It required much effort on everyone's part, and there was practically no downtime for anyone. But it was worth it. After it was all said and done, they were ready.


The Inquisition traveled to the tear in the sky, the now-prepared mages following right behind. Everyone gathered in the Temple and watched with anticipation as the mages and Falon closed the Breach.


There was an explosion of light that blinded them all for just a moment. When everyone could see again, the Herald stood there, staring upward. The Breach was sealed. They had done it.

 

[Radsattack]

Everyone watched with held breath, to some it seemed impossible for the Breach to be sealed, but once it was done everyone cheered out.


Meanwhile, Falon looked up at the sky. His heavy pants filled his ears, he had to admit, putting all his strength into the Breach exhausted him. He turned back to the crowd beaming, Falon was proud at what he had done.


They traveled back to Haven, everyone there has been celebrating. Soldiers were relaxing, many of the mage's had been resting, and plenty of people were dancing. Meanwhile, Falon sat nearby and watched, talking with Krishna as he sat, and reflected on what had happened.

 

[LeoLion98]

"I can't believe it's finally over. It seems like the Inquisition only formed just yesterday," she said, watching everyone else dance. The celebration was in full swing and showed no signs of stopping.


Dez and Nina were dancing together, swinging one another around. As the boy was much smaller, it made twirling his sister difficult, but they managed. Maybe one day Krishna would bring him to the balls she was invited to, as she did her daughter. Nina did very well in the Game for one so young. True it was easier when they were in Ferelden, but in Orlais the Dalish rogue could give them a run for their money.


The Bann also saw many of the new-found friends chatting together. Varric was talking to Solas, Jaqueline and Sera were dancing, Bull was with his Chargers. The mercenary group seemed to be trying to convince him to dance with their Dalish warrior. Revas, she believed her name was. She stared at Falon a lot, Krishna noticed, like she was looking for something. Well, that could be addressed tomorrow when everyone was hungover.

 

[Radsattack]

Falon nodded. "I agree, and now just like that it's over." He didn't put much thought into it, in fact, he felt better when he didn't have to think about it. Falon hated to think about what would be coming next, he wasn't sure what was going to happen or where he would even be.


"I take it you're going back home?" Falon asked, looking out at the many people dancing about. "Your people probably miss you." He added, quickly.


He noticed Krishna staring off at something every so often and would causally glance about to see what she had been looking at but to no avail. For now, Falon would brush it off.

 

[LeoLion98]

She had thought a lot about what was coming next in the weeks leading up to the closing of the Breach. She would need the return to the Alienage and tell them what had happened. They were likely worried and scared. She would need to quell their fears and assure them the threat was over. But that was not all that she thought about.


Falon had been gone for so long, and she finally had him back. But now that this was all over, she could lose him again. He wouldn't go back to his clan. If he wanted to do that, he would have after the Blight, and she has visited his family frequently. Where he had been, she had no idea. And she had no idea where he would go next.


"I am. My father has been running the alienage while I've been gone, with some help from the Arl and Alistair. He's capable, but he's not very comfortable leading." Krishna hesitated as she picked her next words carefully. "In this last decade, I assume that you moved around a lot. You weren't with your family and you were never found. But... if you wanted to, you could stay in one place. There's plenty of room in the alienage still."

 

[Radsattack]

"That would be nice, but I don't want to be a burden on you." Falon sighed. "I've already done so much to you, so I appreciate that you would offer me a spot in the Denerim even after all I've done."


Falon knew he couldn't go home. How could he? He knew that Sedris and Misoria would live up to their promise to make him regret coming home, and he couldn't risk it, not after all that's happen. However Falon knew the harm he has caused to not only his family but to Krishna, and maybe this would be some sort of redemption.


"You're a good person, Krishna." Falon said, his eyes becoming glassy. "You've grown into a wonderful mother and leader and I couldn't have been more proud of you as a friend." He blinked, a few tears falling from his eyes. "Ive been meaning to say that to you since we've been reunited. I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you and hid and lied like a coward." He smiled, despite his tear filled eyes.


"It's good to be back, Krishna."