Chapter Text
Nonny had refused to acknowledge what he’d said to Josephine since the moment he left her office. And Ellana has no problem with that, she wasn’t about to continue torturing him over this sore spot. That and she was far too busy being excited about meeting this Iron Bull mercenary captain. It had been almost a week and a half since they’d spoken to Cremisius and the group had finally reached the Storm Coast camp. She had brought Viviene, Sera, and Cassandra on this journey. And of course, Nonny. But he was still being a buttmunch, as Aspen would’ve put it. The rain had soaked them to the bone, though nothing could dampen her spirits at the moment.
“Lace! It’s good to see you,” the mage grinned as her group reached the camp atop a cliff.
“And you, Your Worship!” Harding grimaced. “For what it’s worth, welcome to the Storm Coast. I would’ve sent word sooner, but our efforts have been…delayed.”
“How so?”
“There’s a group of bandits operating in the area. They know the terrain, and our small party has had difficulty going up against them. Some of our soldiers went to speak with their leader. Haven’t heard back, though.”
“Of course you haven’t,” came a predictable grumble from Ellana’s right.
“The soldiers didn’t have an exact location for the bandits, but they were starting their search farther down the beach. With all this fuss, we haven’t been able to conduct a proper search for the Wardens, either.” The lead scout sighed, then smiled brightly. “Well, good luck, and enjoy the sea air. I hear it’s good for the soul.”
“Stay warm, Lace. The rain isn’t showing any signs of stopping anytime soon.”
“And you, Ellana.”
The mage led her party down a slope next to a higher cliff-face, eyes and ears straining for some sign of either the Charger’s or the bandits. She didn’t have to search long, as she soon heard combat by the beach.
“I hear fighting, everyone be ready!”
As soon as they rounded the corner they saw the tevinter mercenaries as well as- oh blessed Mythal, he is big. It looked like even Nonny would only reach the qunari’s shoulder, and considering she only came up to his shoulder-
“Ellie! Focus!”
Shaking herself, she cast chain lightning - careful not to hit any of the Chargers - then Fade-Stepped into the fray. Pulling free her spirit blade, she lunged at the nearest tevinter, flaming sword hissing in the rain. The qunari gave a roar that sent goosebumps down her flesh as the vints turned their attention to him and the mage both. Ellana quickly cast a barrier over herself and the Bull as they easily went back to back. He was wielding a battleaxe bigger than her, cutting through the vints like sheep. Her party had finally caught up, which was brought to her attention by Cassandra charging past with her shield up as well as one of Nonny’s arrows whizzing by. A sudden chill alerted her to Vivienne’s own magic joining the fight, the enchanter wielding her own spirit blade of solid ice, leaving her enemies frozen to the core.
Ellana cast Flashfire at a tevinter mage surrounded by warriors, causing them all to erupt into flames and sending them scattering around the beach, leaving trails of fire in the grass. She felt more than heard the qunari’s thunderous laugh as they ran like headless chickens. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw his toothy grin under an eyepatch and gave him a wry smile. With no time to take in anything else of his appearance, she spun her fiery sword in an arc before bashing her staff into the head of a passing inferno of an enemy. A cheer rang out along the beach as the fight ended and the Chargers roared in victory.
“Chargers! Stand down!” Iron Bull’s voice carried easily over the din of rain and waves. “Krem! How’d we do?”
“Five or six wounded, chief. No dead,” the lieutenant responded briskly, wiping blood from his lip.
“That’s what I like to hear. Let the throatcutters finish up, then break out the casks.”
Ellana stows her spirit blade and flicks blood off her stave as she turns to finally take in the qunari’s full appearance. She had to take a step back just to not strain her neck looking up at his face. His pale grey skin was littered with scars, the deepest of which were on his face, clearly the cause of his missing left eye. His remaining eye was silver, and fixated on her with great interest. The three deep scars under his eyepatch stretched from his long jaw up to where his forehead met his horns - long black horns like a bulls. Thus the name, she supposed. His hair was shaved close to his scalp and he had a black stubbly beard, interrupted by the scars. His broad chest was bare but for the harness strapping a pauldron to his shoulder. She noted an ankle brace and a knee brace on his left leg, no doubt her brother noticed as well. He wore poofy pants that reminded her of a circus tent, but they looked comfortable.
“So, you’re with the Inquisition, right? Glad you could make it,” he was saying casually. His voice was a deep rumble, gruff but somehow gentle. “Come on, have a seat. Drinks are coming.”
“Iron Bull, I presume?” Ellana probed.
“Yeah, the horns usually give it away,” he drawled, then sat leisurely on a nearby boulder. “And you're the ‘Herald’. I’m sure you remember my lieutenant, Cremisius Aclassi.”
“Naturally.” She nodded to the tevinter warrior with a polite smile.
“Good to see you again,” Cremisius greeted, then turned to his captain. “Throatcutters are done, Chief.”
“Already? Have ‘em check again. I don’t want any of those tevinter bastards getting away. No offense, Krem,” Bull tacked on with a chuckle.
“None taken,” Krem returned with a small smirk. “At least a bastard knows who his mother was. Puts him one up on you Qunari, right?”
Ellana and Nonny both tensed, watching Iron Bull carefully for his reaction. If he came down hard on the backtalk, there was no way she’d be recruiting him. She knew Nonny would agree. But the qunari just chuckled and turned his attention back to the elves.
“So, you’ve seen us fight,” he began, his body language oozing relaxed confidence. “We’re expensive, but we’re worth it. And I’m sure the Inquisition can afford us.”
“How much will this cost us, exactly?” Ellana asked the question she knew Nonny would want answered first.
“It wouldn’t cost you anything personally, unless you wanna buy drinks later.”
He flashed her a crooked grin she knew would become a weakness of hers if he stuck around. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nonny’s hand twitch toward his dagger, and heard his teeth grind together. If Bull noticed, he didn’t give them any sign as he continued.
“Your ambassador, - what’s her name - Josephine? We’d go through her, and get the payments set up. The gold’ll take care of itself, don’t worry about that. All that matters is we’re worth it.”
“The Chargers certainly seem like a capable company,” Ellana contemplated, keeping her face neutral.
“They are. But you’re not just getting the boys. You’re getting me. You need a front line body guard. I’m your man.”
“She has a bodyguard,” Nonny snapped, a nerve clearly touched.
Iron Bull suddenly stood, walking around to the other side of the two elves in only three steps, towering over them.
“You saw how well your sister and I fought together, I can defend against immediate threats on the battlefield far better than you can from afar with your arrows. Whatever it is - demons, dragons? The bigger the better. There’s one other thing: might be useful, might piss you off. Ever hear of the Ben-Hassrath?”
Ellana looked to her brother, who shook his head with a deep frown.
“No, we haven’t. Should we have?”
“Not necessarily. It’s a Qunari order. They handle information, loyalty, security, all of it. Spies, basically.” His expression turned reluctant, as if he didn’t want to continue. His eye flickered to Nonny then back to her. “Or, well, we’re spies. The Ben-Hassrath are concerned about the Breach. Magic out of control like that could cause trouble everywhere. I’ve been ordered to join the Inquisition, get close to those in charge, and send reports on what’s happening.” Nonny opened his mouth to protest but Bull held up a hand to stop him interrupting. “But, I also get reports from Ben-Hassrath agents from all over Orlais. You sign me on, I’ll share them with your people.”
“You’re a Qunari spy and you just told us? What kind of spy are you?” Nonny’s questions were out of his mouth before Ellana could even think to stop him.
“Look, whatever happened at that Conclave thing, it’s bad,” Bull answered seriously. “Someone needs to get that Breach closed. So whatever I am, I’m on your side.”
“You still could’ve hidden what you are,” Nonny insisted stubbornly, ignoring his sister glowering at him.
“From something called ‘the Inquisition’?” The qunari laughed. She liked the sound. “I’d’ve been tipped sooner or later. Better you hear it right up front from me.”
“What would you send home in these reports?” Her brother was apparently set on being the one to question Bull, who finally shifted his attention away from Ellana.
“Enough to keep my superiors happy.” His tone was reassuring. “Nothing that’ll compromise your operations. The Qunari want to know if they need to launch an invasion to stop the whole damned world from falling apart. You let me send word of what you’re doing, it’ll set some minds at ease. That’s good for everyone.”
“And what’s in these Ben-Hassrath reports you’re offering to share?”
Ellana studied Bull’s large build while he focused on her brother, and more importantly, while her brother focused on him. He was bulky, certainly, but had a healthy layer of fat to protect his muscles. She noticed his left hand was missing part of two fingers, his pinky and his ring finger. More of the pinky was missing than the ring finger, and she wondered if he lost both at the same time or not. He suddenly flexed that hand and she realized he had noticed her staring, which caused her to flush. Luckily Nonny hadn’t noticed and Bull didn’t comment or even seem to actually look at her.
“Enemy movements, suspicious activity, intriguing gossip. It’s a bit of everything. Alone, they’re not much. But if your spymaster’s worth a damn, she’ll put ‘em to good use.”
“‘She’?” Ellana probed, tilting her head slightly. He chuckled again.
“I did a little research. Plus, I’ve always had a weakness for redheads.” He said this so casually, one would think he wasn’t directly speaking to a redhead. Her blush spread to her ears.
Nonny huffed and turned to Ellana, who was failing to hide how flustered she was, which only aggravated her brother further. She gave him her best pleading halla look that she could muster and reached out to squeeze his arm. He glared at her in silence for a moment before giving a sigh of defeat, which made her give the brightest smile she’d worn in a long while. Nonny turned back to Bull.
“You run your reports past Leliana before sending them,” the hunter instructed harshly. “You send nothing she doesn’t approve. If this turns out to be a trick, or if your reports compromise the Inquisition, Cassandra will eat you alive.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” the qunari replied cheerfully, then turned to call out to his lieutenant. “Krem! Tell the men to finish drinking on the road. The Chargers just got hired!”
“What about the casks, Chief?” Krem called back, sounding frustrated. “We just opened them up, with axes!”
“Find some way to seal ‘em! You’re tevinter, right? Try blood magic.”
———
The Iron Bull found he couldn't keep his eye off the Herald. Her hair seemed to be quite long, like he had heard, maybe longer but he couldn't tell as most of it was tucked into her armor. And the red color likely looked like fire in the sun, when it wasn't soaking wet from the rain and sticking to her face. Her face. He could call her hot but that just felt like a disservice. Lightly tanned skin and more freckles than any one person should have, - I bet she has freckles in more places than just her face - a heart-shaped face and hooded yellow-green eyes full of questions framed by pale lashes. She had a pear-shaped body, a dainty torso with wide hips and muscled legs. He couldn’t help his toothy grin as he appreciated her ass. The only blemish he could see was a pale scar on her forehead, a line interrupting her tattoos. Her face tattoos marked her as Dalish, he’d have to find out what they mean, her brother’s too.
His eye flickered to the brother for a moment. He had the build of an archer, his unusual height giving him more of an edge than most elves. Slightly darker skin and eyes than the sister, and reddish-brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail. If the Bull had heard correctly from his contact in Haven, his name was Mahanon, and the guy had serious trust issues. But he was fiercely protective of Ellana. The spy noted that the siblings’s tattoos were identical in color, if not in design. Not a useful tidbit at the moment but he tucked it away in a corner of his mind for later.
His gaze drifted back to Ellana. The sword hilt on her belt, more specifically. He couldn’t decide if the fact that she had an enormous sword made almost entirely of magical fire, was attractive or threatening. Probably both, he decided. Of the two siblings, he determined she was the more dangerous one. Purely due to her magical ability, otherwise the win would’ve gone to her brother. He also couldn’t deny that fighting back to back with the Herald was exhilarating. Just remembering the power radiating off of her in that moment was enough to get his blood pumping.
The fact that she found him attractive would make his job significantly easier, as it often did. Manipulation wasn’t his favorite tactic, but he was good at it. The brother would be of minimal consequence, he was sure. At least, once he could take advantage of the archer’s weak point, which his contact had said was a fondness for the Inquisition’s ambassador. Josephine Montilyet. Not surprising, considering the word about her in Orlais. Not a soul ever seemed to have a bad thing to say about her.
Ellana’s group trekked around the Storm Coast looking for a group of Grey Wardens as well as a company of bandits that had apparently killed a band of Inquisition scouts. She had crafted a pendant to challenge the leader of the bandits, the Blades of Hessarian, and thoroughly wiped the floor with the man in one-on-one combat. He stood beside her brother to watch, enjoying the sight of a powerful woman displaying her strength. Yet Mahanon was on the edge of jumping in for most of the fight, the qunari placing a large hand on the young elf’s shoulder to stop him at one point.
The brother vaguely reminded him of Gatt, distrusting and suspicious of everything and everyone. Except his sister, who he seemed to be ready to die to protect. This made the Ben-Hassrsth’s mind tick. The manipulative strings he could pull to control these two seemed to come to him effortlessly. And yet… yet he wanted to learn more about them. About her. How did she become so powerful so young? What was the extent of her power? And why-
She just tripped over absolutely nothing, face planted, and bounced back to her feet like nothing happened. He couldn’t help the belly laugh that erupted from deep in his gut as she wiped the mud off her face, accidentally smearing it in her hair.
“You good, Doll?” He called when he could breathe normally again.
“I'm fine, just a bit dirty,” she answered cheerfully. “It happens all the time!”
“I’d worry about her but I don’t think her brain damage could get any worse,” muttered Mahanon from beside her.
“Aren’t the Dalish supposed to be all majestically graceful and all that pish?” Sera giggled from beside the qunari, while Vivienne just sighed.
Her brother had warned her to watch her footing, and she fell anyway. Judging from the lack of concern from the rest of the group, this was a normal occurrence. Ellana seemed so sure-footed in combat, a force of nature, yet apparently she couldn’t walk in a straight line normally. After studying the last of the Warden camps, she declared they would return to Haven. His contact would be pleased to see him.
———
Mahanon kept one eye on the qunari the whole trip back to camp. Iron Bull had easily become the focus of Ellie’s attention, asking him questions about himself and his crew. The lieutenant was traveling separately with the rest of the company, which the archer supposed was a good sign of trust between Iron Bull and Krem. But Mahanon hated the way Bull looked at his sister. Ellie had no real experience with romance and this enormous man was staring at her like something to eat whenever she couldn’t see.
‘Always had a weakness for redheads,’ my ass. I really don’t like this.
Bull had a natural charisma that worked like a soothing balm to one’s fears and suspicions. But Mahanon wouldn’t fall for it, even if his sister did. She had more trust and sometimes, especially now, that got her into trouble. When the group reached camp, they dried as thoroughly as possible and got some rest. This time, he posted himself just inside Ellie’s tent to watch the qunari sleep on a bedroll under a large tarp. Sera and Cassandra shared their own tent, though he could hear Sera causing trouble through the rain.
If Bull was awake, his fake sleep was quite convincing. Ellie snored softly behind her brother, who took this time to maintain his weapons. Ellie had reminded him they were in camp with Inquisition soldiers constantly on watch, but he paid her no mind. There was no way he could sleep around the qunari, not yet. Cassandra had sent a raven ahead to Cullen, informing him of Iron Bull’s recruitment, the discovery of the Warden camps, and the new allegiance of the Blades of Hessarian to Ellie.
His thoughts turned, as they so often did, to Josephine. What was she doing now? Likely preparing for sleep. He tried not to picture her sitting at a vanity in a long nightgown, brushing out her long hair with some beautiful brush, or washing her lovely face, the water dripping down her neck- he shook his head violently, damp hair smacking him in the face. Disgusted, he forced himself to think about something else, anything else. Iron Bull let out a loud, ungodly snore from across camp then muttered something unintelligible in his sleep.
Mahanon frowned at the qunari’s dark shape through the rain. He had expected his sister to be fascinated but not attracted. It complicated things, more than his attraction to Josephine. Ellie might actually act on the attraction, and a Qunari spy was quite possibly the worst person she could have such feelings for. I swear she’s going to turn me prematurely grey. He sighed heavily and wondered what Aspen would do. For one thing, he likely would’ve attempted to go to the Conclave by himself instead of sending Ellie and Mahanon. The archer smiled, imagining the ensuing argument.
“You think you can just go off on your own, that we’d just let you leave? ‘See you later, hope you don’t die!’”
“Ellie, you’re in line to be Keeper, you need to stay.”
“Excuse you-”
“I’m just a hunter, so there’s no reason I can’t come.”
“Your job is to protect our sister, Nonny.”
“That’s your job too, idiot! Besides, half the time she’s better at protecting herself than either of us ever could.”
Mahanon was jerked out of his thoughts by Scout Harding’s quiet approach. She gives him a smile and a little wave.
“Can’t sleep?” she asked quietly.
“More like I don’t trust the qunari as far as I can throw him.”
“I would pay to see you try to throw him,” she chuckled. “Want some company?”
He hesitated, then looked back at his sister’s sleeping form. It only took a few seconds to hear another soft snore from her bedroll to assure him she was safely dreaming.
“I suppose I could spare some time,” he agreed reluctantly, scooting over to make room.
He almost needn’t have moved at all, the dwarf was so small. She left her boots just outside the tent under a flap of fabric, then leaned back on her arms and sighed softly.
“You look more tired than me, Harding.”
“I lead most of the Inquisitions forward operations, so I have my hands full. But it’s worth it to not only see more of Thedas but to contribute to a good cause.”
“You're not from Orzammar, are you?”
“Oh, goodness no. I was born here on the surface, near Redcliffe.”
“Right, I think I remember you telling Ellie that when we went to meet that cleric, Giselle.”
“That’s right. What about you and the Herald? Where are you two from?”
“Well first of all, she hates being called that. Second…” he glances over at Iron Bull, who seemed to still be sleeping. “We were both born in the wilds of Antiva, and spent most of our childhood there. Until Ellie reached about thirteen years old, then our clan migrated south to the Free Marches.”
“Whoa. Getting to the Conclave must’ve been an adventure all it’s own.”
Mahanon groaned softly. “You have no idea how much I hate boats, Lace.”
“I’m sure,” she grinned. “Personally, I share Varric’s distaste for caves and tunnels. Or anything underground really. Feels too cramped and stuffy, like its hard to breathe.”
“I could see that. So what made you join the Inquisition?”
“Well, my father always said I was the adventurous sort, which to be fair was true. When I heard about the Inquisition forming over in Haven, i thought I could use my tracking skills to help out and see the world.”
“And how’s that going for you so far?”
“So far, I’ve met several Dalish elves, an Imperial Enchanter, a dwarven author from the merchants' guild, the Left and Right hands of the late Divine, and most recently a Qunari spy. I’ve led forward operations in two regions of Ferelden so far and the next looks like a swampland.”
“You’ve got your work cut out for you, Scout Harding.”
“Well, I suppose-”
“Nonny, why are you still awake? It’s the middle of the night- oh, hello Lace,” came Ellie’s groggy voice behind them.
“I’ll rest soon, lethallan. Go back to sleep.” Nonny shushed his sister, patting her foot.
She grumbled incoherently as she laid back down and was asleep again in moments.
“Seems you’ve been sent to bed, sir,” Harding whispered with a small smile.
“Apparently. Good night, Lace.”
———
“A report from Cassandra,” Leliana stated flatly. “Recruitment of the Bull’s Chargers mercenary company was a success, and- ah.”
“What is it?” Josephine prompted. “Go on.”
“The qunari known as ‘Iron Bull’ is a qunari spy, part of the Ben-Hassrath organization. He has offered to share information with the Inquisition - namely myself - and to allow us to screen his own reports back to his superiors.”
“And the Herald accepted the offer, I take it?” Cullen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
“Do not concern yourself overmuch, Commander,” Leliana assured him. “We can use this to our advantage. Until he becomes no longer useful, of course.”
“You’ve met qunari in Kirkwall, haven’t you?” Josephine asked curiously. “What are they like?”
“I did not personally meet any of the qunari that occupied Kirkwall but during the Blight, a Sten traveled in the Hero of Ferelden’s party with me and several others. He was… a stern man, but had a weakness for sweets.”
“Sweets?”
“Yes.” Leliana gave a small smile as she reminisced. “Cookies in particular. Apparently they had no such things in Par Vollen, though I expect he’s since changed that.”
“How sweet.”
“Pun intended, Lady Josephine?” Cullen interjected.
“Unfortunately not,” she chuckled.
“Cassandra also writes that their investigation into Grey Warden activity on the Storm Coast bore little fruit, and she plans to remind the Herald to seek out the Warden Blackwall when they pass through the Hinterlands on their way back to Haven,” Leliana continued, expression serious once more.
“I didn’t realize you had spoken to Ellana about your suspicion,” Cullen frowned.
“I couldn’t simply let it go, I fear. I asked her to find the only Warden that hasn’t vanished, as I’ve still been unsuccessful at contacting Tamra. She and Alistair were traveling towards the Anderfels, last I heard from them.”
“Let’s hope you hear from your friends soon.”
“Indeed.” Leliana’s eyes flickered to Josephine, who recognized her friend had something to talk to her about. Privately. “Other than the recruitment of the Blades of Hessarian, I believe that is all we have to discuss for the day.”
Cullen nodded and left the war room without another word. Josephine turned to the other woman as soon as he was out of earshot.
“What is it, Lei?”
Leliana walked around the table to close the door before turning back to face the Ambassador.
“You’ve been sulking, Josie.”
“Sulking? I don’t-”
“Don’t be coy, you know what I’m talking about. You’ve been thinking about Mahanon.”
Josephine sputtered and turned bright red, causing Leliana to laugh as she slowly circled the table. She trailed a hand along the tattered map as she sauntered over to her friend.
“Careful, don’t break your quill, Josie. He’s handsome, dark and mysterious, roughly your age. I can see the attraction. But he is a dangerous choice, my friend.”
“I haven’t made any kind of choices like that at all! The man barely speaks to me, I doubt anything will come of this… fascination.”
“Perhaps. I don’t want you getting hurt, however, so I’ll be watching.”
“There’s nothing to watch!”
Leliana simply laughed again before giving Josephine a warm hug.