Chapter 1
The first time Bethany saw Skyhold, she'd been confused. And she had every reason to be.
There were Free Marches banners all over the grounds, Fereldan stained glass in the windows and golden Orlesian statues in the main hall, and to top it all off there were dwarven and elven decorations everywhere. This fortress was the Inquisition's seat of power, surely it should have been furnished to show that right? Not to be some... amalgamation of cultural decoration.
It was a week after she officially joined the Inquisition that she finally asked the Inquisitor about the matter, while they were walking back to their rooms from The Herald's Rest. She remembered with crystal clarity the smirk that curled her lips, how she ran a hand through her silky brown locks and sighed softly. "You know Josephine asked me the same question when I insisted on everything looking like this. I told her I thought the Inquisition decor was dull and we should spice things up a smidgen. Thaaaaat..." She said, pulling the word out as she gave Bethany a nervous grin. "-is an example of one of the few times I lie to my ambassador."
Natalie had paused and taken a sip of the drink she bought at the tavern, hesitating for a moment more before she took Bethany's silence as a prompt to explain herself. "Because really I um, just did it because it felt right I guess. I- what I mean is..." The silence settled in awkwardly as she took another pull from her mug, eyes distant as the Inquisitor collected her thoughts. The next couple of steps they took had an air of suspense around them for Bethany, as she watched her thoughtful companion worry her bottom lip... and, maybe watched a little too closely, because she didn't notice those same lips part as the Inquisitor drew a quick breath to speak. "In the eyes of the people that join, I'm the Herald of Andraste, divine hero sent in their time of need. I am the Inquisition to them and it, feels like I'm cheating them out of the truth. I just wanted to remind them the Inquisition isn't one banner, or one person. It's as much them, and their lives, as it is mine... and I just now realise that was a very long answer, and probably much deeper than you were looking for. Sorry." The woman had laughed softly and shook her head at herself. 'Always ranting' She muttered, scolding herself with a pronounced redness creeping onto her cheeks.
Bethany hadn't said anything, because for some reason her heart was beating too loudly to think.
------
It was a normal afternoon a few more weeks later, and Bethany went to the Inquisitor's quarters in search of company for the remainder of a rather dull day. She found Natalie leaning over the railing of her balcony, sipping a glass of red wine as she watched Skyhold.
Within the next few minutes Natalie had pulled two chairs out and poured another glass of wine for Bethany. They talked about nothing in particular, first magic then dragons. Eventually they came to rest on the topic of the Chantry.
"I never went to the chantry in the towns my family stayed in. Mother always fretted about too many templars. We did pray though; even if it was not half as devoutly as some of the Andrastians here." Bethany explained with a heavy sigh. "Not to say that I spent my nights regretting my 'lack of faith'. At least, faith in what the templars did."
Natalie snickered and lowered her wine. "I know what you mean. I went to the Chantry a few times before the circle. I don't remember much, expect being treated like a damned Divine. Trevelyan's have close ties with Chantry and all."
The Inquisitor smirked. "Only heir to the Trevelyan fortune. And I'm a mage. The amount of tongues I sent wagging, I might as well have stuck ram horns to my forehead and called myself a Qunari. Wait, that'd only be half as bad."
Bethany near choked on her wine, her sputtering quickly turning to giggles from the both of them.
The afternoon faded to evening, and before either realised it was past midnight and they were still on the balcony.
By the time Bethany laid down to sleep that night, tipsy and exhausted, she found that she hadn't wanted to leave the Inquisitor's side at all.
-----
Everything happened a little fast for Bethany to realise what was going on.
She, Sera, Dorian and the Inquisitor had been traveling across the Western approach in search of Quilbacks. Then something hit her head, and the next moment she had sand in her mouth and the world was spinning and she could hear Natalie yell something but she didn't know what-
Then she was on her back, and the sun was in her eyes, hands placed on her head which felt wet and why were her ears ringing like-
-Then someone slapped her. Not a hard backhand, more like a very vigorous tap!
Her eyes focused on Dorian's moustache, which held it's signature stylish curve. It took her a few moments, then she started giggling.
She didn't remember closing her eyes, or falling asleep.
-----
When Bethany woke she was in a tent, the dull ache in her head making her groan. And she couldn't remember why.
She had laid there for what felt like an eternity, drifting in and out of consciousness until Sera poked her head into the tent. "Ah! Told you she'd wake up, cough up the sovereigns Culty-shit!"
She grumbled and put her hands on her head, feeling the bandages wrapped tightly around. "Ow."
Next thing she knew Natalie was knelt over her, grey eyes staring intently at her. "Are you okay? Can you talk?"
Bethany nodded slowly, a confused smile slowly spreading across her face. "Well, yeah... Something happen?"
Then the Inquisitor's lips were pressed against her's- then they weren't.
But Natalie still hovered over her face, her cheeks considerably more red now as she gazed into Bethany's eyes. "Sorry." She said slowly. "You got hit in the head. Well, that was obvious, um, it was a rock. You were bleeding and it looked serious. But you're okay I think, I mean you woke up, we thought you might not, and then Hawke would come and probably hack me into bits then feed me to a dragon."
Bethany stared at her blanky. "Oh.... huh."
She raised her hand to Natalie's cheek and guided her back down for another kiss. Much to Dorian's amusement as he quickly took back the sovereigns he had given Sera.