Blessed are they who stand before
The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just.
Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.
In their blood the Maker's will is written.
āCanticle of Benedictions 4:10-11
The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just.
Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.
In their blood the Maker's will is written.
āCanticle of Benedictions 4:10-11
Leonhardt leaned back in his chair, setting his knife and fork down on the half-full plate that held his lunch. He was dining today with the Lady Marceline, and though he was expecting the conversation to be exclusively about business, and it mostly had been, it wasnāt quite as bad as he was anticipating, in terms of news. Both of them had made significant strides in terms of pulling their respective sides of the Inquisition together. The military now had low and mid-level officers, mostly those trained up to the point since theyād joined, with input from the Lions, MichaĆ«l, and Vesryn on who was likely to handle command well, and who was simply better suited following orders instead of giving them. There was a certain balance to be struck between that and a personās combative abilities straightforwardly, but he thought between the lot of them, theyād done a fairly good job at it, and the system for bringing newcomers up to speed was much more efficient now than it had been in the beginning, which was fortunate since the volume of volunteers had drastically increased in parallel.
On the diplomatic side of things, theyād received a considerable boost in interest once it was clear that the free mages of the south of Thedas had thrown in with them, as well as a large number of the former rebel forces in the mage-templar war. It meant, in effect, that any mages who had not died or taken to the roads for pure banditry were now quartered with the Inquisition, and, though their numbers were small, they were quite formidable. Doubtless, that had spurred the nobility to take greater interest. Hopefully, it would actually result in some support, both ideological and material. They were short on almost every conceivable sort of supply, though not yet dangerously so. Reed had informed him it would only be a matter of time, though, especially if their forces continued to swell at this rate.
That left the spies, and whatever his reservations about working with someone he had absolutely no read on, Leon could not deny that Rilien was effective at his job. Almost worryingly so, considering what that job was. In any case, their scouts and agents were the most up-to-muster portion of the Inquisition at the moment, perhaps due in part to the fact that theyād been more or less established before the Inquisition itself even began.
āAnd how is your family finding Haven, Lady Marceline?ā Business discussion had been ongoing for the better part of an hour; he shifted the topic largely out of a desire to put it aside for a while. Leon had always much preferred doing to speaking in such matters, even if the latter was necessary. āItāsā¦ quite different from Val Royeaux, obviously, and likely from your holdings as well.ā He believed she had ancestral property near the water, on fertile ground, not at all like the snow-battered mountains.
Marceline dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and likewise leaned back in her chair. She did not seem averse to the change of topic, in fact she seemed to welcome it. She ruminated on the question before she nodded. "It is, yes. We do not see much snow on the banks of Lake Celestine," she revealed. "Regardless, Michaƫl has settled in nicely now that he has something to occupy his time. He tends to grow bored if left to his own devices, and Pierre is usually the one to suffer because of it," She said with a jovial smile.
"Pierre..." she said, thinking about her son for a moment, "I believe snow was novel for him at first, but I believe it has since worn off," she said with a frown, before it quicky turned upward into another smile, "Though Larissa did reveal that she witnessed him and Asala sledding down one of the smaller foothills outside the village recently, so not all is lost," she said with a soft laugh.
She nodded and continued, "The lodgings are smaller than what we are used to, but we have settled in. Larissa, Michaƫl, and myself have seen to Pierre's studies so he is not missing his education, and my mother and father are running our business back on the West Banks. All is well from what I understand," she said easily. "How about yourself, Leonhardt? I hope Haven finds you well," she asked politely.
He smiled, the expression a tad wry. āAs Iām sure you can guess, Iāve lodged in places both better and far, far worse. I expect Iāve seen much of Thedas by now, save the obvious outliers.ā Tevinter and Par Vollen, that was. āItās never places anymore. Itās people, usually, and events, on occasion. What we do is worth doing, and I daresay the rather odd little assortment of misfits weāve assembled makes it enjoyable at times as well.ā When he wasnāt bored near to tears by the drudgery of paperwork, he quite liked being here, serving a worthy cause with worthy and diverse others.
Their meal was interrupted by a knock, and as soon as Marceline had given permission for entry, Reed opened the door and stepped over the threshold. āSorry to interrupt ser, milady. Butā¦ thereās someone here to see you. And I couldnāt exactly tell her to wait.ā
Leonās brows rose, conveying his degree of surprise that his stalwart aide was deferring to status. Their guestās importance was confirmed when a dark hand found Reedās shoulder and steered him slightly to the side so that another person could step through. Marceline knew her as the woman whoād been accompanying Lord Seeker Lucius in Val Royeaux, the extremely tall one Leon had called by name. Leon knew her as his teacher, and once, his friend.
Indeed, he stood now, clear surprise etched over his face. āOphelia?ā
Her eyes narrowed, and she nodded once, curtly. āI bring a message, from the templars to Inquisition command.ā She produced what must have been the missive in question from somewhere under her cloak, and handed it over to him. Leon took hold of it, but he did not make any attempt to remove it from her hand.
āOphelia, what is going on? You mustāā
She shook her head emphatically. āDo not presume to instruct me, child. I brought this message to you personally. I suggest that you answer it in kind.ā She held his eyes for a long moment, then turned from him, nodding once to Lady Marceline, and then taking her leave as abruptly as sheād entered. He was half-tempted to run after her, but if Ophelia had no intentions of telling him more than she had, no amount of persuasion would move her. She was solid and stubborn as granite that way.
Instead, he resumed his seat, looking a bit flabbergasted, and handed the message to Marceline wordlessly.
Marceline was likewise wordless for a time after Ophelia's departure, the message resting limply in her hand. "She is certainly a curt woman, yes? And quick to the point," she finally managed before turning her attention to the letter in her hands. "Regardless, it seems as if we have finally garnered the attention of the Templars." With that, she opened the message and read it, which did not seem to take long.
Marceline spent only a moment reading it before she looked back up to Leon. "I seem to be correct in my initial assessment of our messenger," she added, handing the message back to him. "The Templars are at Therinfal Redoubt. Come prepared," she said, reciting it from memory.
He wasnāt surprised by the brevity of the message, nor its vagueness. Ophelia had always liked making him figure things out for himself. She had guided him only when absolutely necessary, in all things. In retrospect, he knew that this had given him strength to do things he would not otherwise have been able to accomplish, because he had learned how to work with little to achieve much. It would seem to be a skill heād be needing again now.
āThis isnāt official. Thereās no seal on itānot from the Lord Seeker, nor from Ophelia. I think this means we should not expect him to expect us. Which means if we want in the door at all, weāre going to need to bring people he canāt simply turn away. Can you find anyone like that who might support us?ā
"Several, in fact," Marceline answered simply. She shifted in her chair and opened a drawer in her desk and back to shift through papers. As she was searching, she continued, "There are those in Orlais that see the rise of the Inquisition as an opportunity, and not, as the Chancellor would have them believe, a heretical rebellion. I believe that they think that would win status if they were to ally themselves with us, and we were to succeed."
Marceline paused for a moment and produced a number of papers and piled them to the side on her desk. "The Grand Game, Ser Leonhardt," she said with a coy smile, "I will save you from the majority of the details. I shall speak to Rilien and we will win or convince a number of influential houses to walk with us. I can assure you, the Lord Seeker will not be able to turn us away, lest he risk incurring the wrath of Orlais in the process." A rather devious look seemed to settle into her features, and for a moment, to even become predatory.
Leon knew a fair amount about the Game, actuallyāone did not become a high-ranking member of the Chantry without at least a bit of exposure. The Seekers were based out of Val Royeaux, after all. Still, he was perfectly happy not knowing or needing to care about the details of it, and so he simply nodded. āWeāll need to send one of the Heralds as well, Iām sure. Probably Estella.ā She was the more diplomatically-inclined of the two, though considering Romulusās disposition, that wasnāt saying much about her, really. Still, if what heād seen in Val Royeaux was anything to go by, she had a certain earnest forthrightness that would do better than most, though he did worry about her personality being trampled over by people with more domineering disposition.
āIf she goes, I suspect Cyrus will want to as well.ā Not that he was against it. They couldnāt go with too many fighters, but the other Avenarius twin was easily capable of more destruction than several men, if that proved to be necessary. Ophelia had said to come prepared. He took that to mean prepared for anything. With that in mind, it would make the most sense to pick people who packed as much punch as possible, and limit their number so as not to draw attention to them as anything but an honor guard. Some level of discretion would also be best, which immediately excluded at least one person he could think of.
āAndā¦ you, myself, and Vesryn. Any more is a risk, I think.ā They had to leave one of the three heads of the organization behind, and Marceline would be better suited for the diplomatic side of things than Rilien would, whose reputation preceded him in a very particular way. āIāll leave the negotiations to yourself and Estella as much as possible, but with my own connections to these matters, I may have to step on your toes a bit.ā
"Completely understandable," Marceline accepted. She seemed to acknowledge his relationship to the Templars and Seekers, but otherwise made no other mention of it. She then steepled her fingers and leaned forward as she thought. Eventually, her eyes tilted toward Leon and she spoke, "About Lady Estella," Marceline began, "What do you know of her experience with nobility?" she asked, before she continued, "On occasion, I have witnessed her handle a few such situations exceptionally. No doubt some of it is due to Lord Rilien's instruction, but otherwise..." she trailed off.
"The nobility we are to encounter will certainly wish to speak with the Herald of Andraste, and I do not wish to simply throw her into a den of lions unprepared..." She said, before closing her eyes and subtly shaking her head, "If you will pardon the expression."
Leon huffed slightly, amused by the turn of phrase, but then gave the question some consideration. āI understand that the Avenarius family is noble in Tevinter, or were, Iām not sure. But I donāt know to what extent either of them were raised with it. I gather sheās attended court at least a few times, either with the Crown Prince or as part of her work with the other kind of Lions. I donāt know any of the details, however. You may wish to inquire of her personally, and address any glaring issues before we expect her to negotiate with the Lord Seeker. Heāsā¦ an aggressive man. He was even before all of this.ā That said, recent events had likely only made matters worse in that respect as well as many others.
"I remember," Marceline said, obviously referring to their run-in with the man in Val Royeaux. She then straightened in her chair and crossed her arms, nodding. "And I intend to," she said on the matter of Estella. With a subtle tilt of her head and a softening of the lip, the predatory appearance she had moments ago bled away and she appeared to soften when she thought about the girl. "I am positive she will be fine, she is a much stronger woman than she seems," Marceline said before shaking her head.
"We should get to work then, yes?" she said as she stood from her desk. "We should have these lunches more often Ser Leonhardt. I enjoyed it," she said with a genuine smile.
Almost to his surprise, Leon found himself smiling back, and nodding as he stood. āAs did I, Lady Marceline.ā
On the diplomatic side of things, theyād received a considerable boost in interest once it was clear that the free mages of the south of Thedas had thrown in with them, as well as a large number of the former rebel forces in the mage-templar war. It meant, in effect, that any mages who had not died or taken to the roads for pure banditry were now quartered with the Inquisition, and, though their numbers were small, they were quite formidable. Doubtless, that had spurred the nobility to take greater interest. Hopefully, it would actually result in some support, both ideological and material. They were short on almost every conceivable sort of supply, though not yet dangerously so. Reed had informed him it would only be a matter of time, though, especially if their forces continued to swell at this rate.
That left the spies, and whatever his reservations about working with someone he had absolutely no read on, Leon could not deny that Rilien was effective at his job. Almost worryingly so, considering what that job was. In any case, their scouts and agents were the most up-to-muster portion of the Inquisition at the moment, perhaps due in part to the fact that theyād been more or less established before the Inquisition itself even began.
āAnd how is your family finding Haven, Lady Marceline?ā Business discussion had been ongoing for the better part of an hour; he shifted the topic largely out of a desire to put it aside for a while. Leon had always much preferred doing to speaking in such matters, even if the latter was necessary. āItāsā¦ quite different from Val Royeaux, obviously, and likely from your holdings as well.ā He believed she had ancestral property near the water, on fertile ground, not at all like the snow-battered mountains.
Marceline dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and likewise leaned back in her chair. She did not seem averse to the change of topic, in fact she seemed to welcome it. She ruminated on the question before she nodded. "It is, yes. We do not see much snow on the banks of Lake Celestine," she revealed. "Regardless, Michaƫl has settled in nicely now that he has something to occupy his time. He tends to grow bored if left to his own devices, and Pierre is usually the one to suffer because of it," She said with a jovial smile.
"Pierre..." she said, thinking about her son for a moment, "I believe snow was novel for him at first, but I believe it has since worn off," she said with a frown, before it quicky turned upward into another smile, "Though Larissa did reveal that she witnessed him and Asala sledding down one of the smaller foothills outside the village recently, so not all is lost," she said with a soft laugh.
She nodded and continued, "The lodgings are smaller than what we are used to, but we have settled in. Larissa, Michaƫl, and myself have seen to Pierre's studies so he is not missing his education, and my mother and father are running our business back on the West Banks. All is well from what I understand," she said easily. "How about yourself, Leonhardt? I hope Haven finds you well," she asked politely.
He smiled, the expression a tad wry. āAs Iām sure you can guess, Iāve lodged in places both better and far, far worse. I expect Iāve seen much of Thedas by now, save the obvious outliers.ā Tevinter and Par Vollen, that was. āItās never places anymore. Itās people, usually, and events, on occasion. What we do is worth doing, and I daresay the rather odd little assortment of misfits weāve assembled makes it enjoyable at times as well.ā When he wasnāt bored near to tears by the drudgery of paperwork, he quite liked being here, serving a worthy cause with worthy and diverse others.
Their meal was interrupted by a knock, and as soon as Marceline had given permission for entry, Reed opened the door and stepped over the threshold. āSorry to interrupt ser, milady. Butā¦ thereās someone here to see you. And I couldnāt exactly tell her to wait.ā
Leonās brows rose, conveying his degree of surprise that his stalwart aide was deferring to status. Their guestās importance was confirmed when a dark hand found Reedās shoulder and steered him slightly to the side so that another person could step through. Marceline knew her as the woman whoād been accompanying Lord Seeker Lucius in Val Royeaux, the extremely tall one Leon had called by name. Leon knew her as his teacher, and once, his friend.
Indeed, he stood now, clear surprise etched over his face. āOphelia?ā
Her eyes narrowed, and she nodded once, curtly. āI bring a message, from the templars to Inquisition command.ā She produced what must have been the missive in question from somewhere under her cloak, and handed it over to him. Leon took hold of it, but he did not make any attempt to remove it from her hand.
āOphelia, what is going on? You mustāā
She shook her head emphatically. āDo not presume to instruct me, child. I brought this message to you personally. I suggest that you answer it in kind.ā She held his eyes for a long moment, then turned from him, nodding once to Lady Marceline, and then taking her leave as abruptly as sheād entered. He was half-tempted to run after her, but if Ophelia had no intentions of telling him more than she had, no amount of persuasion would move her. She was solid and stubborn as granite that way.
Instead, he resumed his seat, looking a bit flabbergasted, and handed the message to Marceline wordlessly.
Marceline was likewise wordless for a time after Ophelia's departure, the message resting limply in her hand. "She is certainly a curt woman, yes? And quick to the point," she finally managed before turning her attention to the letter in her hands. "Regardless, it seems as if we have finally garnered the attention of the Templars." With that, she opened the message and read it, which did not seem to take long.
Marceline spent only a moment reading it before she looked back up to Leon. "I seem to be correct in my initial assessment of our messenger," she added, handing the message back to him. "The Templars are at Therinfal Redoubt. Come prepared," she said, reciting it from memory.
He wasnāt surprised by the brevity of the message, nor its vagueness. Ophelia had always liked making him figure things out for himself. She had guided him only when absolutely necessary, in all things. In retrospect, he knew that this had given him strength to do things he would not otherwise have been able to accomplish, because he had learned how to work with little to achieve much. It would seem to be a skill heād be needing again now.
āThis isnāt official. Thereās no seal on itānot from the Lord Seeker, nor from Ophelia. I think this means we should not expect him to expect us. Which means if we want in the door at all, weāre going to need to bring people he canāt simply turn away. Can you find anyone like that who might support us?ā
"Several, in fact," Marceline answered simply. She shifted in her chair and opened a drawer in her desk and back to shift through papers. As she was searching, she continued, "There are those in Orlais that see the rise of the Inquisition as an opportunity, and not, as the Chancellor would have them believe, a heretical rebellion. I believe that they think that would win status if they were to ally themselves with us, and we were to succeed."
Marceline paused for a moment and produced a number of papers and piled them to the side on her desk. "The Grand Game, Ser Leonhardt," she said with a coy smile, "I will save you from the majority of the details. I shall speak to Rilien and we will win or convince a number of influential houses to walk with us. I can assure you, the Lord Seeker will not be able to turn us away, lest he risk incurring the wrath of Orlais in the process." A rather devious look seemed to settle into her features, and for a moment, to even become predatory.
Leon knew a fair amount about the Game, actuallyāone did not become a high-ranking member of the Chantry without at least a bit of exposure. The Seekers were based out of Val Royeaux, after all. Still, he was perfectly happy not knowing or needing to care about the details of it, and so he simply nodded. āWeāll need to send one of the Heralds as well, Iām sure. Probably Estella.ā She was the more diplomatically-inclined of the two, though considering Romulusās disposition, that wasnāt saying much about her, really. Still, if what heād seen in Val Royeaux was anything to go by, she had a certain earnest forthrightness that would do better than most, though he did worry about her personality being trampled over by people with more domineering disposition.
āIf she goes, I suspect Cyrus will want to as well.ā Not that he was against it. They couldnāt go with too many fighters, but the other Avenarius twin was easily capable of more destruction than several men, if that proved to be necessary. Ophelia had said to come prepared. He took that to mean prepared for anything. With that in mind, it would make the most sense to pick people who packed as much punch as possible, and limit their number so as not to draw attention to them as anything but an honor guard. Some level of discretion would also be best, which immediately excluded at least one person he could think of.
āAndā¦ you, myself, and Vesryn. Any more is a risk, I think.ā They had to leave one of the three heads of the organization behind, and Marceline would be better suited for the diplomatic side of things than Rilien would, whose reputation preceded him in a very particular way. āIāll leave the negotiations to yourself and Estella as much as possible, but with my own connections to these matters, I may have to step on your toes a bit.ā
"Completely understandable," Marceline accepted. She seemed to acknowledge his relationship to the Templars and Seekers, but otherwise made no other mention of it. She then steepled her fingers and leaned forward as she thought. Eventually, her eyes tilted toward Leon and she spoke, "About Lady Estella," Marceline began, "What do you know of her experience with nobility?" she asked, before she continued, "On occasion, I have witnessed her handle a few such situations exceptionally. No doubt some of it is due to Lord Rilien's instruction, but otherwise..." she trailed off.
"The nobility we are to encounter will certainly wish to speak with the Herald of Andraste, and I do not wish to simply throw her into a den of lions unprepared..." She said, before closing her eyes and subtly shaking her head, "If you will pardon the expression."
Leon huffed slightly, amused by the turn of phrase, but then gave the question some consideration. āI understand that the Avenarius family is noble in Tevinter, or were, Iām not sure. But I donāt know to what extent either of them were raised with it. I gather sheās attended court at least a few times, either with the Crown Prince or as part of her work with the other kind of Lions. I donāt know any of the details, however. You may wish to inquire of her personally, and address any glaring issues before we expect her to negotiate with the Lord Seeker. Heāsā¦ an aggressive man. He was even before all of this.ā That said, recent events had likely only made matters worse in that respect as well as many others.
"I remember," Marceline said, obviously referring to their run-in with the man in Val Royeaux. She then straightened in her chair and crossed her arms, nodding. "And I intend to," she said on the matter of Estella. With a subtle tilt of her head and a softening of the lip, the predatory appearance she had moments ago bled away and she appeared to soften when she thought about the girl. "I am positive she will be fine, she is a much stronger woman than she seems," Marceline said before shaking her head.
"We should get to work then, yes?" she said as she stood from her desk. "We should have these lunches more often Ser Leonhardt. I enjoyed it," she said with a genuine smile.
Almost to his surprise, Leon found himself smiling back, and nodding as he stood. āAs did I, Lady Marceline.ā