#inquisitioncommander

Templars were always incoming, especially green ones, they all had to spend some time in a Circle before they could even move to be with a Chantry. Mind she could swear they were getting younger and younger, mind Carlotta had been at Kinloch Hold since she was a girl of 6, after leaving Tantervale amicably enough via her great-uncle with the choice of which Circle to go to.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” she asked the curly-haired young man, brushing back her mess of wild, frizzy curls as best as the young Apprentice could without dipping into some of her magic or at least some of the hair lotion that another Apprentice used.

Of course, his eyes soon found the source of the man’s collapse. The Herald’s gaze flashed in worry, casting it around to find someone he could send for a healer. Then, he focused back on Cullen, a hand on the commander’s uninjured shoulder to ground him.

Walking through the grounds, Carlotta hummed softly as she looked through where the Infirmary had been till she saw Cullen storm out of the mini forge area so she went over to investigate. Seeing the Lady Cassandra there and hearing the explanation that she should go and see Cullen, she hummed in curiosity but nodded.

Climbing up towards the battlements whilst carefully hitching her gown, Carlotta breathed heavily as she reached the top right by Cullen’s office and then gently opened the door, concerned for him. More than she would have before given the private change in how they related to one another now.

“You take too little credits. There would be nothing to thank me for if I didn’t have you backing me up.” Mikaelan diverted his gaze, though it was more out of shyness from expressing his gratitude than any will to hide. “I’m just glad you’ve chosen to accept me.”

Indeed, even as he had felt overwhelmed to see people slowly look at him for direction, when so many still scoff at the title of Herald, Mikaelan knew he could count of those that had formed the main council of the Inquisition. He had not known what he could contribute-bare his ability to close the rifts-but time and time again they had included him in their decisions, and depended on him to go into the fields.

Despite his place on a rock not far from the training grounds, the elf’s mind didn’t see quite here. The dawn had come for a bit now, and he had watched it rise. He liked the peace of the night, and he had faint memories of watching dawn and dusk with his mother. They had underlying sadness of course, but it never failed to lift his spirits. And he needed that, after all that had happened.

When the Keeper had send him to watch the conversations between templars and mages, Mikaelan never expected to end up the sole survivor of an explosion that broke open the sky, another mark on him. Despite the initial wariness that some still possessed, he had found compassion within the people in Haven. Yet, they did not know the full extent to his sorrow.

It was one thing to know so many lives had been lost when he alone remained. It was another when it was the second time he lived through this. However, he couldn’t speak freely of his birth clan, and so he kept quiet. Gratefully, Linise was a constant presence, soothing and warm, knowing when to be quiet and when to speak to him.

You’ve got good company, Ishtar.

@inquisitioncommander