While in her sleep, Sirena tossed and turned in her bed roll. She was sleeping peacefully until late at night. The young woman hadn’t gone to bed till late in the evening yet earlier than the others after she wrote her letter to Cullen. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out and was unable to wake up. Now she was restless as she dreamed; though it wasn’t an ordinary dream. Hers never really were.

Back in Haven there was a celebration. People were laughing and drinking while walking around. Sirena had a bad feeling, like it was too early for people to be celebrating. Her blue-green eyes looked up to see a golden brown pair that she immediately knew belonged to Cullen. She then looked back over the horizon and saw movement that looked to be an army marching towards them all. Everything then went into chaos. She ran to help the Herald to defend Haven from what it looked like. Then the scene skipped a bit before the girl was then flung into a trebuchet, hitting the back of her head.

Sirena woke up with a start and sat up quickly with a gasp. She raised both her hands to her face and felt perspiration on her pale skin. Her heart was beating fast and she could hear her heart was pounding in her ears. The American girl had laid back down while taking deep breaths to calm her fierce beating heart down. She knew it was just a nightmare, but knowing her bad luck, she couldn’t be certain. Not at all feeling tired due to the nightmare she had, the American got up and walked out of her tent then made her way over to the camp fire which looked like it was dying from lack of wood and dry moss. Looking around the area, she found a few twigs and threw them into the fire. The young woman looked around again and found Solas. It looked like he was meditating. She wondered what he was actually doing. The girl knew he communicated with spirits in the fade. Her logic and scientific side slightly showed itself in her brain as she wondered how he was able to do it. All she knew was that magic was obviously involved since there was magic in the realm that she was in.

While still in the fade, Solas continued to talk to a spirit before it told him the stranger in Thedas was sitting next to the camp fire. As soon as he heard that news, he bid the spirit adieu and left the fade. When he came back to their version of earth, the elf immediately saw the curly blonde-haired woman who looked very young sitting in front of the small fire. He made his way over to where she was while keeping his distance since he had a feeling she didn’t like him. The apostate wondered what she was doing up so early as he observed her while remaining silent until his curiosity got the best of him.

“Why are you up so early, Lady Herald’s cousin?” He asked her out of kindness with a concerned look in his leaf green eyes.

“I had a very bad dream.” Sirena admitted to him while biting her lower lip and moving a strand of hair behind her ear since she didn’t like to talk about her problems or fears. She really wanted to put their recent past behind her and take Cullen’s suggestion to get to know Solas.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do the nightmares happen often?”

“No. I hardly ever get them actually.” She answered him before taking a deep breath to prepare for what she was going to say next. “I’m sorry if I have been a bitch towards you. That first day I met you… Well you had actually creeped me out.” The girl said honestly as she watched his reaction.

“I’m sorry I had “creeped” you out. It wasn’t my intention.” He apologized back as he kept a serious expression. “I had actually found you quite fascinating since it was obvious to me that you are not from here.” A smile tilted up at the corners of her lips when she heard his confession.

“Since you seem to be so enthralled by me; I’m sure you will figure out whatever answers you are looking for on your own.” She said giving him a challenge which she knew he wasn’t going to refuse. Already she could see it in his eyes.

“If that is a challenge, I will gladly accept it.” Solas said with an amused smile on his face. By the time everyone woke up, Solas and Sirena were conversing and it didn’t look like there was any animosity between them. The other three looked at each other wondering what they had missed during the night/early morning.

Evelyn walked forward towards the camp fire which was back to its large flames. She noticed it was right for cooking and brought out supplies for what she was going to do. The Herald sat down on a log and began cooking eggs, hash browns, and bacon; a complete breakfast for her companions and herself. As the food cooked, she made sure everyone had enough water to drink especially Sirena who seemed like she didn’t get enough fluids in her. ‘She needs to get a flask for water. I don’t know what she has been drinking, but it isn’t going to work for her here.’ Evelyn thought while passing her own leather canteen to the girl who looked a lot better that day. She let Sirena take the gourd and watched her drink the water. The others had their own flaks. Trevelyan had no problem sharing her water with her so-called cousin. Family share things all the time, her brothers shared their knowledge of swordsmanship. When she looked at the food and saw it was finished cooking, she gave a portion to everyone while thinking of her family.

Sirena looked around at everyone eating and noticed they were close to being done. Her eyes looked down at her own bowl which was basically half full of food. With a sigh, she picked up her pace and tried to eat faster and stuffing the breakfast in her mouth. She was able to feel her cheeks had puffed out like a chipmunk. When Sirena looked around again, she saw everyone’s faces, knowing full well they were fighting themselves to keep from laughing. She rolled her eyes as she tried to munch on her food when the laughter finally erupted around her. Her middle finger was raised up so everyone could see. Where she was from the middle finger meant “fuck you” and was very disrespectful. As she continued to chew, her eyes glanced down again, noticing her plate was empty. Her eyes glanced over at the others plate and realized she was the first to finish her food that morning. Now she felt like a pig. The American woman got up, washed her plate, and then walked over to her tent. Wanting to get an early start, she packed her things up quickly. Though, the only thing she needed to pack was the beautiful box Cullen had given her. Well assumed he gave her. After it was securely in her bag, she slung her carry on over her shoulder. She walked out of her tent and immediately went to work to take the red Inquisition tent down.

After she was done taking the tent down, she folded it neatly so it would fit into its separate bag. Sirena looked around noticing everyone else was taking down their Inquisition tents finally. The American girl grabbed the bag that was sitting on the ground and made her way to her horse. Humming softly to herself, she attached her carry-on bags on the saddle. While smiling, the American walked her bay horse over towards a rock, using it as leverage to help mount her bay horse. With great happiness, she was able to get on her horse without getting help from someone for once.

As she sat on her horse, everyone was making their way to their own mounts and carrying their things while she petted the beautiful brown bodied and black mane and tail horse on the neck. Sirena looked around herself to make sure she had her katana. When she found it buckled to her, she let out a sigh of relief. She was glad she didn’t lose her curved blade that she loved since the design was from Asia though the blacksmith didn’t know that when he made it for her at her request. Even though she was sure there was an equivalent to Asia in Thedas. The girl watched as everyone mounted their horses and waited for word from their Herald.

“Is everyone ready to meet this “Red Jenny”?” Evelyn asked her companions. She turned around in her saddle and looked at everyone to see their response. Her companions nodded their head in what looked like an almost perfect unison. Cassandra then spoke up for verbal confirmation for everyone else.

“Yes, we are ready, Lady Herald.” Trevelyan gave a nod to the seeker then turned back around in the saddle she was sitting on so she was facing forward. She then kicked her horse gently to get it moving. As her horse walked on, the others soon followed behind her quietly to the point they only heard the horses hooves clip clapping on the ground.

Sirena found out that she liked traveling in the morning to her total surprise. The American had come to realize it got very hot out to the point she missed the air conditioner that was once available to her when she had a car back in her world. Now she got to ride a horse everywhere she wanted to go like she had always wanted since she was a little girl, though, it wasn’t everything she had hoped it would be. A little smile played at her lips as she realized she had one childhood dreams come true.

As they continued to ride, the sun rose up and the morning cold air slowly became hot. Luckily it was not humid. Humidity normally formed in land locked areas and Orlais was next to the ocean which brought the wonderful salty sea breeze air which became stronger when they got closer to stone buildings. Sirena had no clue what the buildings were. For all she knew, they could be warehouses or storage units. Noticing the Herald’s horse had come to a halt, her own mount continued to walk until she was next to her “cousin”.

“Are we where we need to be?” The younger woman asked to make sure they weren’t lost.

“Yes, we just have to wait till it starts getting dark out.” The Herald said loud enough for the others to hear over the clopping of the hooves as the horses stomped on the ground impatiently.

“What should we do to kill time while we wait?” The American asked not having a problem with rereading Cullen’s letters which she kept close to her at all times ever since she got his first note. Her eyes widened as realization had occurred to her. ‘Oh! for Christ sakes! I already sound like a love-sick school girl who got acknowledged by her crush and I’m not even with the man.’ She scowled at herself with disgust. In the end of her train of thoughts, she really couldn’t help feeling the way she did. Even though she hardly talked to him, she did admire the Commander from a far. As a little smile appeared on her face, Sirena promised herself that when they get back to Haven, she was going to talk to Cullen more; get to know him.

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“We will just find something to do as we wait.” Evelyn replied to the outsider’s question bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Sounds like a plan.”

After walking and sitting for a few hours, it was time to meet the Red Jenny since it was getting dark out. Trevelyan made her way through the streets with her companions following her since she seemed to know where she was going. As they approached the stone stairs, everyone began to feel uneasy. Sirena knew what was going to happen and she wasn’t ready to see bloodshed quite yet, though she may never be ready. She may wish people dead at times, but she would never actually want them to die. As her hope was realized, the Herald turned to her and spoke softly.

“You need to stay here. I don’t know what is going to happen but whatever it is; I don’t think you’re ready.” The American nodded her head not even going to argue with her since she had the same exact thought as her cousin.

“Be careful.” Evelyn gave her a little smile before walking past the gate that lead to what looked like warehouses with all the crates sitting out in the open. Somehow the gate had closed behind her and her companions who had followed her. A man then ran out yelling to whoever was listening to him.

“It’s the Inquisition!” Other men began to come out of the buildings with their swords in their hands. They then hid behind the crates wanting to kill the Herald and her companions. Evelyn had a running start before she summersaulted while slashing men on both sides, hitting them in their vitals causing blood to spurt out a little while leaving them to bleed out even more than they already have. She looked around since she was able to hear steel clashing against steel when her blue eyes found Cassandra fighting the last man with Solas and Varric on the floor they were on. When the person she was fighting dropped dead onto the ground, she heard the seeker yell out to everyone.

“One down!” With a smirk, the Herald then made her way upstairs knowing the others would eventually follow her like they always did. She knew there were more people to kill since they always seem to split off into groups and attack at different times. As she was looking around, her eyes glanced over towards the gate where they left Sirena by herself. Evelyn felt bad for leaving her behind but at the same time she knew the right decision was to leave her out of the mess.

As she continued to walk around the second floor, she noticed there was no one around to fight which to her was oddly peculiar. It was almost too quiet which made her more suspicious. Trevelyan looked at her companions wondering what their opinions were. While looking at them, she saw their shoulders shrug which showed they didn’t know what was going on either. At this point, it was becoming too eerie for her to even be comfortable, almost like something was going to jump out at them at any moment.

“Maybe they made a run for it.” Varric said trying to lighten the mood up a bit since he was also feeling intense.

“I doubt it.” Cassandra said with slight annoyance towards the dwarf again as they waited for the Herald to decide what to do. Their leader made her way towards a pair of big blue doors and opened it very slowly to take a peek. There, she had found a bunch of men waiting for a battle from what it looked like to her.

“I found them all.” She said quietly before opening the door wider so she was able to step through and make her presence known. Evelyn believed the only reason they were attacking her was because they believed her to be a heretic. As she walked past the door, a ball of fire flew past her face hitting the door after she had dodged it in time from fast reflexes. The same mage threw another fireball at her and made her duck down before it could burn her face. She looked at him with a slight glare; at that point she getting fed up with the petty crap the people seemed to be putting her through.

“The Herald of Andraste…” The man behind the mask said as he turned to face Trevelyan while moving his hands behind his back before he began speaking again. “How much did you expect for this discovery?” He asked while beginning to pace back and forth with his hand behind his back acting like he was high and mighty. “It must have weakened the Inquisition immeasurably.” The mage spoke as Cassandra, Varric, and Solas caught up to their Herald. They only caught the last few words he said which earned him a glare from every one of them.

“I don’t know who you are.” Evelyn said with honesty since she was confused from the moment he started talking to her like she knew anything at all.

“You don’t fool me!” The mysterious man said as he turned to face the Herald as he moved his hands to his hips like he was superior to her. “I’m too important for this to be an accident. My efforts will survive in victories against you, our friend.” He said before hearing an arrow fly and killing one of his men. The nobleman turned his head to see who made the arrow fly since it clearly wasn’t the Herald nor her companions. When everyone turned their heads, they saw a slim woman with short blonde hair and pointy ears holding a bow and arrow which was pointed at the man in the mask.

“Just say what.” The elven woman said while pulling the string of the bow back getting ready to let the arrow loose.

“What does that-“ The man was interrupted as the arrow flew into his mouth and pierced through his throat, killing him instantly as he gurgled on blood.

“Ugh!” The elf exclaimed with disgust clearly written all over her face. “Squishy one, but you heard me right?” She asked as Evelyn walked over to her while looking down at the dead body with curiosity. “Just say what. Rich tits always try more than what they deserve.” The Herald watched the blonde elf kneel down and rip her arrow out from the corpse while still speaking. “Blah blah blah, obey me; arrow in my face!” This elf girl was not at all making sense. Trevelyan looked back at her companions with confusion which earned her three shoulder shrugs again. She was undoubtedly only going to get more confused the more the elf continued to talk. Her attention was brought back to the weird woman as she circled around her. “So you followed the notes well enough, glad see you’re…” The elf rogue stopped circling the Herald as she got a good look at her. “You’re kind of plain really. All that talk and you’re just a person, I mean it’s all good, innit? The important thing is you glow. You’re the Herald thingie.” Varric ended up chuckling from the choice of words that were used to describe their Herald. He watched as she was trying to fight a smile of her own.

“They say I am the Herald of Andraste, but who are you and what’s this about?” Evelyn asked with seriousness as she tried not to think about the quirky things the elf said.

“No idea.” She answered as she looked down at the dead noble’s body. “I don’t know this idiot from manners. My people just said the Inquisition should look at him.” She said honestly while still making zero sense.

“Your people? Elves?”

“Ha! No, people people. The name’s Sera, this is cover. Get round it for the reinforcements. Don’t worry, someone tipped me their equipment shed. They got no breeches.” Sera said with an amused expression while trying not to laugh. She imagined the men fighting with no pants on which made it very hard for her not to crack up.

Conveniently, when they were done conversing, men came out of the buildings they were hiding in while holding their weapons. The thing that made it comical for Trevelyan was the fact they weren’t wearing any pants. While in defense mode, the Herald waited for them to attack her first before she did anything. As soon as they got too close for her comfort, she began slashing at them while trying to remain focused. She raised her daggers up over her head then jumped down onto a man while swinging her daggers down on both sides of his neck. When he dropped dead, she moved onto the one who was second closest to her and thrusted her weapons into him, hitting him in the arteries. She made sure her companions were doing okay when she saw the last man with no breeches fall down on the ground with a soft “thump”. ‘Well that certainly did not take long’. Evelyn thought as she walked over to Sera, the spunky elf.

“Friends really came through with that tip.” Sera said as soon as the Herald was beside her. “No breeches” she laughed out loud getting a kick out of their embarrassment even though they were dead. “So Herald of Andraste, you’re a strange one. I’d like to join.” The elf stated wanting to have more fun within in Inquisition.

“How about we get to know each other first. You know names and such?” Trevelyan said wanting to know who Sera was. She also wasn’t really sure if the weird elf would fit in.

“One name. No! Wait, two. It’s… Well it’s like this. I sent you a note to look for hidden stuff by my friends. The friends of Red Jenny. That’s me! Well… I’m one. So it’s a fence in Montfort, some woman in Kirkwall. There were three in Starkhaven, brothers or something. It’s just a name, yeah?” Sera said explaining what the Red Jenny was all about, though it still made no sense. “It lets little people, “friends”, be part of something while they stick it to the nobles they hate. So here, in your face, I’m Sera. “The friends of Red Jenny” are sort of out there. I used them to help you. Plus arrows.”

“The Inquisition has spies already.” The Herald said understanding what Sera was offering to them. “Can you add to these professionals?”

“Here’s how it is. You “important” people are up here.” The elf woman said while raising one of her hands up as a demonstration. “Shoving your cods around. “Blah blah blah, I’ll crush you. I’ll crush you!”” She then made some kissing noises before cracking a joke. “Oh crush you!” Noticing the Herald wasn’t laughing, Sera cleared her throat before she went back to talking normally. Or what seemed to be normal for her. “Then you’ve got cloaks and spy-kings, like this tit. Or was he one of the knives? All serious with his… Little knife.” She said with a double meaning in there since she was talking about his man part there. “All those secrets and what gave him up? Some house boy who don’t know shite, but knows a bad person when he sees one. So no, I’m not shivsdark, all hidden, but if you don’t listen down here too, you risk your breeches. Like those guards, I stole their… Look, do you need people or not? I want to get everything back to normal. Like you?”

“Alright Sera, I can use you and your “friends”” Evelyn said with a soft welcoming yet polite smile. She really thought this elf was crazy from the way she talked. None of her sentences made much sense to her, how was she going to understand the girl? With an internal sigh, she looked over at her companions again and noticed Varric had a cheeky grin like he was going to have a lot of fun.

“Yes! Get in good before you’re too big like. That’ll keep your breeches where they should be. Plus extra breeches, because I have all these… You have merchants who buy that pish, yeah?” Sera asked with excitement ringing in her voice as she talked about selling the pants she stole from the men. “Got to be worth something. Anyway, Haven, See you there, Herald! This will be grand!”