Chapter Text
News of the conclave ending in the death of the Divine had begun to spread across the continent. That alone was enough to shock the people of Thedas, but the rumours that followed had reached a new level of lunacy. An explosion leaving a hole in the sky, and Andraste herself reaching through to place a mortal at the feet of the survivors. An elf, no less, who had supposedly fought the demons back and saved them all.
From the other side of Ferelden, Genevieve Thorne had no way of telling the truth from the fabrication – and information was her trade. The streets of Denerim were rife with rumours and hearsay, and it wasn’t until a letter arrived that she discovered a way to find out for sure.
My dearest Nieve,
There is a job. Come and see me.
There was no need for a sign off. The script was elegant and precise, with no hint of the rush it must have been written in. This alone made it unmistakably Leliana’s. She never said more or less than she needed to. And Nieve knew that there was only one place the Divine’s Left Hand could be right now. She began making preparations to leave for Haven. The only problem was breaking it to her closest friend and business partner, Lodrik.
“Sooo, there’s a job,” she said from the doorway, “I’m leaving.”
The dwarf didn’t look up from his notes, continuing scratching away with his quill for so long that Nieve wasn’t sure he’d heard. Eventually he broke the silence, simply asking “You back for dinner?”
“No, Lod,” she took a deep breath, “The job’s in Haven… with the Inquisition.”
Probably, she thought. She really had no idea what Leliana was going to ask of her.
“Good one, Thorne,” Lodrik let out a snort, smirking down into his work.
No words were needed to tell him she wasn’t kidding. She stood perfectly still, and after a few seconds of silence, he fixed his bright blue eyes on her. She chewed her lip and shrugged, and the smile slipped from his face.
“Maker’s balls, Nieve,” he groaned, “you actually wanna get caught up in that mess?”
“I’ve been asked personally,” she replied, “and that’s gotta pay well. Let alone getting the chance to find out what’s going on. You’ve heard what people are saying.”
“Yeah, I have, and if half of it is true you’re offering your ass up to be a demon’s dinner,” he grumbled, “if you don’t get sucked into the sky first.”
She let out a laugh at that.
“Sucked into the sky, Lod?” she teased, “you’re such a dwarf. Even if only half the rumours are true, don’t you want to know which ones?”
Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, he let out a sigh.
“By the Stone… the fucking sky rips open and Nieve Thorne just has to go and take a look, huh? Fine. But if that thing is really opening up and throwing demons about, I’m heading straight for Orzammar.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I do,” she smirked, “but ten coppers says some templar knocked a barrel of incense into a brazier and they're blaming the mages for the bang.”
Lodrick let out a booming laugh.
“Make it 20 and you’re on.”
As much as she wanted to appear confident and professional as she approached Haven’s gates, Nieve was overcome with wonder at the scene in front of her. The mountains alone were awe-inspiring, but the swirl of green light that dominated the sky was something else. She had always prided herself on her vocabulary and rarely found herself at a loss for words, but the Breach left her in a stunned silence. Even worse, she realised, was that it filled her with fear. It made her want to stop and stare, yet turn and run at the same time.
The last time she had felt that dreadful sense of wonder, the Archdemon Urthemiel was flying over the city of Denerim. Nieve shuddered at the thought and continued toward the gates.
After an enquiry and quick explanation, a soldier led her to an open tent in front of the Chantry where she found Leliana poring over a pile of reports. Alert as always, the Spymaster looked up as Nieve approached. The soldier opened his mouth to speak, but Leliana did not need his introduction.
“Nieve, it’s so lovely to see you!” she smiled, stepping forward with open arms.
Nieve did the same, squeezing her friend tightly as they embraced.
“It’s good to hear your voice again, Sister Leliana,” she replied.
They parted, and almost in unison looked each other up and down. Leliana had retained her good looks, though her delicate features were beginning to show signs of aging. Nieve doubted that the stress of the mage uprising and Divine’s death had done Leliana any favours, but her friend was still a beauty.
“You look well, my dear,” Leliana said, “It’s a wonder you manage to look so pretty after all that time on the road.”
A harmless pleasantry - Nieve knew that she looked a bit rough from the journey, but she took the compliment with a smile.
“And you too, Sister. Purple suits you.” She replied.
Leliana inclined her head slightly, approving the flattery Nieve was offering. Their meetings always started like this, exchanging short, but not insincere compliments to break the ice. No matter how long they had known each other, they always danced around for the first few minutes, reading what they could from each other’s demeanour. Nieve would almost consider it underhanded, if they were not both aware of the ritual they were performing.
“How are things in Denerim?” Leliana asked her, “Your Aunt is well? And how is Lodrik?”
Nieve couldn’t help smile as she folded her arms and sent the Inquisition’s Spymaster a knowing look.
“You know fair well that my Aunt is in good health, and that Lod is doing just fine.” She laughed before adding “Perhaps your information might be more current than my own on that.”
Leliana let out a small laugh of her own, her shoulders relaxing almost imperceptibly. The game was over, and they were both relieved.
“I suppose you want to know why I sent for you.”
“Suppose I do,” Nieve agreed.
The spymaster gestured for her to follow, and made her way to the Chantry. They walked in silence through the almost empty hall and through the door at the far end, which clicked closed behind them. The room was dominated by a large table in the centre, covered by a map, adorned with tiny flags and wooden markers.
“As you know the Inquisition is growing, in size as well as influence,” Leliana began, leaning against the stone wall, “and we have several important key figures holding it all together. We are gaining new allies, but there are many who would like to see the Inquisition fail.”
Nieve nodded. She had been keeping track of the Inquisitions exploits, though the stories weren’t always reliable, especially those concerning the Herald of Andraste.
“If someone truly wanted to harm the Inquisition, they would need to target certain people in key roles. Basically, Nieve - I need you to help protect someone.”
Nieve raised her eyebrows. She trusted Leliana’s dedication to the Inquisition, but didn’t understand why she had contacted her specifically. Was this a trick? Some sort of clever scheme by the Nightingale? Nieve decided to take the direct approach.
“Forgive me Sister, but I’m not sure I’d make a good body guard… is this truly what you called me here to ask?”
“Oh no, not exactly,” Leliana pushed off from the wall, “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“A hole in the sky will do that,” Nieve sighed.
“It does. The Commander of our forces is a capable one, and can be trusted to deal with any task put in front of him. But as you and I know, enemies are not always in front of you. With the amount of new recruits coming into Haven, there will no doubt be unseen threats. I need someone to see what he cannot.”
Nieve nodded. The Inquisition had piqued a lot of peoples’ interest with their quick rise to power. Thedas surely had a multitude of interested parties wanting to spy on their movements. Knowledge was power – influence to be gained. It was definitely in the Inquisition’s interest to know what was going on under their own roof.
“Why me?” she asked, looking directly into the spymaster’s eyes.
“There are two reasons,” Leliana returned her gaze. “The first is that you have the skills for the job. You are perceptive, and have proven yourself capable in every assignment I’ve given you. Secondly, you would be by the Commander’s side, assisting him in his duties and handling important information regarding the Inquisition. To put it simply – I need someone that I can trust to keep that knowledge confidential.”
While she swelled slightly with pride at the older woman’s words, Nieve knew that Leliana hadn’t actually said that she trusted her – only that she trusted her to keep things to herself. Though her methods were not always entirely moral, Nieve placed value on her word, and never broke a contract. Not that she would cross Sister Nightingale, the Left Hand of the Divine anyway. She also valued her head.
“I have some experience keeping secrets,” Nieve grinned and held out a hand.
“I know you do,” Leliana replied, grasping it and giving a firm shake.
With that, the deal was done. Genevieve Thorne was now an agent of the Inquisition. She had only a short moment to take it in before Leliana began to lead her out of the room.
“I’ll have someone show you to your tent,” she said.
“Tent?” Nieve replied with a gasp of horror. She’d stayed in some ramshackle places, but outside of being on the road she’d never actually lived in a tent.
Leliana let out a small laugh at her friend’s expression. “Haven is a little overcrowded,” she explained, “but as the Commander’s assistant you will at least have one to yourself.”
Yippee, thought Nieve as she followed the Nightingale out into the cold. Once again she stopped and stared at the Breach, wondering if she’d ever get used to living under such a frightening phenomenon. She considered asking Leliana, but the Sister was already ahead in her tent, giving instructions to a man dressed in a pale green uniform.
“My agent will show you the way,” she told Nieve and passed her a sealed roll of parchment, “read this, and report back to me once you’ve stowed your things. Then I’ll introduce you to the Commander.”
“Got it,” Nieve replied. “See you soon.”
She had only taken a single step when Leliana’s voice reached her ears again.
“And Nieve, my dear? The Commander is not going to like this one bit.”