Chapter Text
A cool breeze swept over Renley's body making her shiver and perhaps more importantly made her realize...she was naked. Her cheek clung to the smooth rock beneath her as she lifted her head. She gathered herself and knelt on the stone.
What she saw looked alien. A barren wasteland of jagged jetstone and swirling green mists. It was, to put it mildly, overwhelming.
As she rose, this alien world seemed to rotate about her worsening her disorientation. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to stifle her swoon.
Light pricked her lids. They snapped open and fell upon a blaze of white atop a towering set of stairs.
She stumbled forward and as her foot graced the threshold, she heard a noise that instinctively made her think of an abundance of bats taking flight. Over her shoulder, a stampede of spiders the size of small cars skittered toward her.
Tripping over herself with shock, she sprinted in the direction of the light, each breath like razors in her throat.
As she neared the top, she could see that the light was humanoid. It reached out and Renley threw herself to the being, a beacon of a hope in an alien world, and was blinded in its light.
***
Renley regained her wits to a troubling turn of events. Her wrists were bound and anchored to the floor with chains. Four armored individuals glowered down at her.
She took stock of her body. Something was different, she was...glowing? She found the source of the eerie glow in her palm. And then she felt it. It was pain, but it was power, surging through her fingertips and up her arm.
“The mark.” Her breath fogged on frozen air.
She flexed her fingers and realization dawned on her. The corner of her mouth tilted as she marveled at her circumstances. She had experienced this story many times. But never in person.
The cell door swung open and in walked the Left and Right Hands of the Divine. Renley’s heart nearly stopped.
“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now?” spat Cassandra, mere inches away. “The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.”
Renley suddenly became extremely aware that she was in fact still naked. Her face grew hot as she studied the Seeker. Was this a weird glitch that she was to suffer? Could no one else see her nakedness? Or did they just not care?
Cassandra grabbed Renley’s wrist and held up her marked hand. "Explain this."
It was in that moment, standing bare before the actualization of a fictional being, that Renley became completely overwhelmed. A nervous laugh escaped her throat.
Cassandra’s expression went from angry to furious as she brought her free hand up as if to hit Renley.
Luckily, Leliana intervened. “We need her, Cassandra.”
“Hi.” Renley cringed internally at her own ineptitude. She drew a deep, shaking breath, “My name is Renley, and I’m on your side.”
The two women looked at her with aggressive disbelief. Leliana glanced at Cassandra then continued, “Do you remember what happened? How this began?”
“I-" she shivered and huddled in on herself "-would be more than happy to discuss the matter further. Once I’m no longer naked.”
Cassandra blinked as if just realizing this was the case, and averted her gaze. She cleared her throat and spoke to one of the guards, “Find some clothes.”
The soldier nodded and hurried from the cell. Renley's mind raced as they waited. The air was cold on her skin, the stone hard beneath her feet, the mark burning in her palm. There was no denying it. This world was real. And what was she to do about that?
The soldier returned with a random assortment of clothing. Renley put them on, the guards unshackling her briefly so she could don her shirt.
Making her mind up all at once, she squared her shoulders and faced Leliana. “I’d like to speak with you. Alone.”
Cassandra bristled. “You will speak now or you can rot in this cell.”
“So be it,” Renley called her bluff.
Leliana exchanged a loaded look with the Seeker. Cassandra exited the cell along with the guards. Renley could practically see the words in her mind's eye. 'Cassandra greatly disapproves'.
The door closed with a thump and Leliana folded her arms. She fixed Renley with a cold penetrating stare. “Well?”
Swallowing her nerves, Renley made her reply, “I’m not from here.”
“That much is clear.”
“I mean to say, I’m not from this world. I woke up in the Fade, cold and disoriented, and when I stumbled out I was here. In a world I didn’t think existed.”
“So." She stepped forward eyeing her prisoner with contempt. "You think you’re from another world?”
“A world, a timeline, a dimension. I don’t really know." She held a finger up before her, as though asking for one more moment. "But I can prove it."
Leliana cocked an eyebrow at her.
Renley continued, the metal links of her bindings slithering over stone as she drew closer, “I can tell you things that no one else knows. I can recount events that haven’t happened yet with detail that would astonish you. I know how to seal the Breach, and I also know that once I do, our work, our alliance, will have only just begun.”
The chain clinked as Renley met its limit.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because, if anyone found out what I know, future events could change. We'd lose our ability to influence the outcome. But you," her brow knitted with conflict, her next words spoken quietly as though trying to breathe truth into them, "you can handle it."
After a beat of silence Renley shrugged and smiled nervously. "You're my Spymaster."
She was met with a look of incredulity from Leliana. The two women stood nearly toe to toe, taking the measure of one another. Renley noticed her eyes more than anything. Striking, pale blue eyes like clear midday sky.
Or perhaps ice blue would be a more appropriate descriptor. The chill emanating from Leliana was palpable. But there was more there. It was barely perceptible but Renley could see the flicker of intrigue.
She hadn't lost her yet. If Renley could just give the right details...
"Let me tell you what I know."