Chapter Text
The meeting had been tense to start with. They had gathered to discuss going to either the Templars or the mages for help sealing the breach. Cullen and Cassandra wanted to go to the Templars while Leliana and Josephine wanted to ask the mages for help. Inquisitor Rei Trevelyan rushed into the make shift war room at the back of the Chantry, oblivious to the tension.
"Sorry I'm late, I was practicing and hadn't realized the time." She approached the table and the other advisers greeted her.
"That is okay, Herald. We were discussing who to approach to ask for help with the breach." Leliana responded.
"The mages." She replied quickly while eyeing Cullen as if challenging him. "Anything else needed to be discussed or can I go prepare?" Cullen made a strangled angry noise in his throat and Rei eyed him coolly.
"How can you decide so quickly? The rebel apostates are desperate, there will be abominations. We should approach the Templars for help. They are..."
"Bullies." She replied heatedly. "Templars do what must be done. Bullshit. They do whatever the fuck they want with no oversight. Then they get promoted and praised no matter how badly, or maybe because of how badly they treat mages." Rei and Cullen glared at each other while the other three in the room displayed varying degrees of discomfort.
"While there are some Templars that behave poorly, that is not a reflection of the order as a whole." Cullen grounded out, trying not to shout. "Templars need to be there to protect mages from others as well as from themselves."
"Really, Knight-Captain? How was the Knight-Commander in Ostwik's circle protecting my older sister Isabel by raping her? Was it also protection when he got her with child? When they took the baby away? When they sent her to Kirkwall where she was almost immediately made tranquil, then later killed?" Cullen shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Rei's glare. "Was is also protection when the Templars tried to murder the children in the circle? There were five of us left, after we fought to protect all of the children. My younger sister, Mara died, trying to get the last of the children out. Do you have siblings, Commander?" Cullen nodded, with a look of sympathy in his eyes. Rei ignored it as she went on. "Pray then that you never have to see a blade sticking out of one of your sibling's chest as I had to with mine. I had two sisters, now I have none. Thanks to your Templars."
"The children, are they safe?" Josephine asked.
"Yes, the four of us remaining were able to get all twenty-five of the children to Redcliffe. If we are quite done, I need to go pack for the trip to Redcliffe. Cassandra, will you accompany me on the trip?"
"Yes, of course, Herald."
"Good, I'll go ask Varric and Solas to come as well." Rei nodded to the women in the room and left.