Chapter Text
Lyra stood frozen, unable to believe what she saw in front of her. The glowing green light and slight crackle in the air could only be one thing though. A rift. Albeit a dormant one. But a rift none the less.
What in the 16 Hels is going on? Rifts shouldn’t even be possible here. We don’t have a veil that keeps spirits and demons out. There’s nothing to be torn!
Lyra had only seen rifts like these in the Vit’talia, magical orbs that held memories of other worlds. There had always been much debate around whether the worlds they showed were even real or if they were just magical conjuring's. But if a rift was here…could they be true?
Warriors stood around the dormant rift, weapons and magic at the ready, but as the rift refused to spit anything out they slowly inched closer, curiosity getting the better of them.
“What do we do?” Lyra turned to look at her friend. Anise also recognized the rift for what it was, for they had both been quite fascinated with the worlds the Vit’talia could show them and had spent many nights watching the different variations of the world of Thedas. Anise had been the one to inform her of the presence of the rift. Just as baffled as Lyra, she couldn’t take her eyes off of it.
“We need to set up wards around the rift. It is dormant now, but if it opens-”
As if her words were all the trigger the rift needed, a booming crackle signaled the opening of the rift. In their curiosity, one of Lyra’s people, a scout she didn’t yet know, had ventured too close and was now being pulled into its orbit.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
Without another thought Lyra ran towards the rift, using her magic to send a burst of wind at the scout, sending them flying away from the now opening rift. A buzzing sensation on her skin warned her that in her haste to get them out of harms way, she had unfortunately gotten closer to the rift then intended. Lyra looked up as the rift gave one last crackle before it exploded in a neon green light.
Lyra slammed her eyes shut as the force of the explosion sent her flying. But then she was falling. Lyra couldn’t open her eyes, the sensation of falling was wrapped around her until she thought she would be falling for eternity. But just as suddenly it stopped. Her body gently landing on a solid surface.
She could feel the soft ground she lay on through her armor and smell the sweet fragrance of flowers on the breeze. Cautiously she peeked one eye open and then the other. She was in a forest, that much was obvious by the endless trees and lack of people. The rift was nowhere in sight, for that she was thankful, but then again neither were her friends.
Moving around the little clearing she had landed in Lyra couldn’t shake the feeling that the place was oddly familiar, though she was sure she had never been here before.
Oh, well. Nothing I can do about a little bit of Deja vu. The best thing I can do is find some people.
There was a small path out of the clearing and without any better ideas, Lyra followed it.
I hope everyone is alright. If the rift exploded like that, did it completely disappear? Or did it send me flying somewhere before spewing out a horde of demons? And would they be Thedas demons or demons from my world?
Lyra suppressed a shudder.
I hope for everyone’s sake they are Thedas demons.
As Lyra kept walking, the trees along the path thinned out and the tranquility of the forest was replaced with the distant sounds of metal clanking and general human life. Lyra gasped as she rounded a corner and found herself on top of a small hill overlooking a village. To the far left of the village, a stone Fort stood built into the hillside. Crimson banners hanging from the ramparts. Once again the odd sensation of recognizing her surroundings but having no memory of having been there overwhelmed her.
Where have I seen this before? Its on the tip of my tongue! It has to have something to do with that rift. Where the hell could it have placed me?
Lyra paced back and forth. A growing sense of dread building as she tried to deny what was surely right in front of her.
There’s no way. There is simply no way! This shouldn’t be possible!
For the second time that day Lyra stood frozen, unable to believe the sight in front of her. The reason the village looked so familiar but she had been unable to immediately place it was because she had only seen it later. When the fighting between the mages and templars had burned this portion of the village down and the Fort had been barely anything but a crumble of stone.
This was the Hinterlands. And Lyra had somehow ended up in Thedas.
“This cannot be real,” Lyra whispered to herself as she walked through the small village. She kept expecting to wake up any moment and find that she had simply been knocked unconscious by the explosion. That all of this was some fanciful dream created by her mind. But the longer she walked the more real her surroundings seemed to become.
It looks like I owe Anise a beer whenever I get back. She had always believed the worlds in the Vit’talia were real. She’d even claimed to have met someone who had traveled to one of them. I suppose I owe her a beer for that one too.
The villagers gave Lyra a wide berth, eyeing her with suspicion as she walked past.
Not that I blame them. I don’t exactly look like an average villager.
She wore tanned leather armor with runes and enchantments stitched into the fabric and a deep crimson sash wrapped tightly around her waist. A matching cloak flowed behind her as she walked. Daggers were strapped to her wrists and thighs and her chakrams glowed slightly from their place on her hips.
No, definitely not an average villager.
It looked like the village hadn’t seen much fighting yet from the war. There was no sense of tension in the air or armed guards eyeing the treeline. There weren’t crowds of people waiting to see a doctor or hovering around for food. Lyra knew all of that would change soon though.
Maybe there is a cease-fire due to the conclave? Wait, speaking of the conclave-
Lyra looked up, half expecting to see the breach swirling in the sky, but there was nothing. Just clear blue skies as far as the eye could see.
So the conclave hasn’t happened yet? Or did I get thrown so far into the future that everything has already been resolved?
Thoughts of just when Lyra might be swirled around in her head. There was a merchant across the road selling tools and swaths of fabric. Lyra approached him, a friendly smile on her face.
“Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me what year it is?”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Its 9:41 Dragon. Just turned so last week. You forget already?”
9:41 Dragon? That means the breach should appear soon. How was it a rift appeared in my world and sent me to Thedas before the breach even happened here? It doesn’t make sense.
“Ah, yes that’s right. I seem to have forgotten. Thank you, sir.” Lyra starts to turn away when another question appears in her mind.
“One more thing, have you heard any news about the conclave?”
The man pauses, a piece of silk fabric he had been folding sways slightly with the wind. “What about it? The Divine is supposed to set those mages straight. Send ’em all back to their Towers.”
“Just the mages,” Lyra asks, “Not the Templars as well?”
The mans eye’s narrow and pointedly looks at the staff attached to her back.
“Templars don’t turn into demons just cause someone looked at ‘em funny.”
Lyra opens her mouth to argue but thinks better of it.
I’m still a stranger here. Better to not start any fights. Not yet anyway.
“I see. Thank you for your time.”
Following the main road through the village, she notices that it is much bigger then she remembers the Vit’talia showing it to be. There still isn’t much to see though. Just a few huts here and there and then the Fort in the distance.
I should probably stay clear of the Fort for now. I don’t know whose occupying it.
Just before the end of the road, Lyra stops and leans against the stone fencing, gazing up at the sky.
What am I supposed to do? The breach could appear any day now. Am I supposed to stop it? Could I even stop it if I tried? The simplest idea seems to be to join the Inquisition. I know all about what is going to happen and the different outcomes that can take place. Maybe I could steer them in the right direction.
A fennec fox hops out of the tall grass in front of her and runs around Lyra’s feet. She laughs softly at the small creature as it seems indecisive of where it wants to go.
Me too pal.
With an excited chirp, the fox dives back into the tall grass and Lyra sighs.
I suppose I could make my way to Haven. Wait until the explosion and then offer my services, same as Solas.
The thought gives her pause.
That….might be a tad too suspicious. One Elven apostate showing up at just the right time might be overlooked, but two? No, its better to keep a lower profile. Eventually the Inquisition will make its way to the Hinterlands. Maybe I could just stay here until then? I’m a good healer, and the people here will need all the help they can get when the time comes.
Looking at the people bustling around the small village sends a pang of sadness through Lyra’s chest. There is so much life here. The images of the burned down huts and decaying bodies overlays with her view of the current people. War was never pretty. But maybe she could minimize the losses.
Yes, I will stay. At least until the Inquisition comes.
Decision made, Lyra heads for the healers hut aiming to offer her services. The door is wide open and a human man moves around the space, talking with a few other humans inside and handing out potions.
Lyra clears her throat, gaining the mans attention.
“What do you want, knife-ear?” The man sneers.
The slur gives Lyra pause. She’d forgotten for a moment the racism that Elves faced here in Thedas. In her world, her people weren’t exactly the leading class, but they sure as Hel’s weren’t servants or slaves. Not that Lyra believed anyone should be a slave. There was just more equal opportunity for leadership. Your race didn’t matter much, it was about your skills.
Lyra straightens, her chin held high and unwilling to bow under the mans glare. “I am here to offer help. I am a knowledgeable healer and -” the mans biting laugh cuts her off.
“A knife-ear? Help me?! Makers Balls but you have some nerve girl!” The man stalks over to her, using his height to his advantage and towering over her. Lyra refuses to move. Her fists clenched at her side as her anger bubbles.
“I don’t need help from one of your kind.” the man sneers, “Get lost girl.”
Don’t punch him. Don’t punch him….
Lyra takes a step away from the healer, slowly backing out of the hut but not taking her eyes off of him. She’d seen the hate in his eyes and knew there would be no swaying him. So she would walk away. And when the time came that he would need her help, she would give it. And she wouldn’t even smirk. Well…maybe a little.
Walking back down the steps from the hut, an older Elven man runs past her and inside. Curious, Lyra stops at the bottom of the stairs and listens. It’s doubtful that the healer will help based on how aggressive he had been towards her.
“Please, sir! You have to help my wife!” Lyra can hear the Elven man beg.
“Absolutely not! I have other people to attend to! Maybe if I have time later I’ll see to your knife-ear wife. In the meantime, GET OUT!” The healer practically shoved the Elven man out of the hut, slamming the door behind him.
“Perhaps I could help, sir?” Lyra calls out to him.
He turns to her then. Noticing her for maybe the first time. His gray hair is cut short and sticking up at odd ends, dark circles and red-rimmed eyes give his face an almost hollow look. The poor man races to her, frantic for any sort of help.
“Are you a healer? Can you help my wife? Please!”
Placing a gentle hand on the mans shoulder Lyra gives him a reassuring smile.
“Take me to your wife and I will see what I can do. My name is Lyra, by the way.”
“Yes! Thank you. Thank you! I am Nieven. My wife is Ilyrana. This way!” Lyra follows Nieven as he races back through the village towards his hut. As they go Lyra asks about his wife’s symptoms, hoping to have a better idea of what she is walking into. Nieven mentions her sudden difficulty with speech and inability to use her left arm.
Sounds like it could be a stroke. Of course it could also be a heart attack. Both are terrible options.
When they arrive outside of a small hut Nieven motions her in and towards the bed where a single Elven woman lay curled in the middle. Lyra rushes over, concerned that in their absence Ilyrana may have stopped breathing. Lyra lets out a relieved sigh when Ilyrana rolls over to look at her.
“Wh-Who awre you?” Ilyrana struggles to ask. Her speech is slurred and Lyra notes that there is distinct drooping on the left side of her face.
“This is Lyra, she’s a healer.” Nieven helps his wife sit up on the bed, taking a place on her right and holding her hand.
“Hi Ilyrana. I’m going to do a couple of tests to help me figure out what is going on. Is that alright?” Lyra gives the woman a reassuring smile as she nods.
“Can you bring your right arm up and touch the tip of your nose with your pointer finger?”
Ilyrana seems confused by the request but easily lifts her right arm and taps her nose.
“Perfect! Now can you do the same thing with your left arm?”
Ilyrana tries again, her arm visibly shaking from the effort. Her brow furrows in frustration as she just barely manages to brush the tip of her nose with her pointer finger. Lyra smiles encouragingly and holds both of her hands out flat.
“Now I want you to grab both of my hands and squeeze as hard as you can. Don’t worry about hurting me. Just do your best.”
Nieven looks between Lyra and his wife nervously as Ilyrana takes her hands and squeezes.
Just as I thought, there is obvious muscle weakness on her left side. Along with the slurred speech and facial drooping, it looks like she is in the middle of a stroke.
“You are doing so good Ilyrana. For this final test, if you would allow, I would like to use magic to look at your head.”
“Why do you need to look at her head?” Nieven asks, wrapping his arm around his wifes waist. He doesn’t seem against the idea of magic, just worried for his wife.
“I suspect your wife is having a stroke,” Lyra states, “Using magic will help me get a better look at how bad it might be and heal any of the internal damage.”
Nieven and Ilyrana share a long look. Nieven pushes a mass of Ilyrana’s curly hair away from her face and lays a gentle kiss on her forehead. It is a sweet and tender moment that makes Lyra’s heart swell but also leaves her feeling uncomfortable. She’d had her fair share of lovers over the years, but never anyone she could bare her heart and soul too. No one she could unequivocably trust to stand by her side in her darkest moments.
No. She had always been alone for that.
“Alright,” Nieven’s voice breaks her out of her thoughts, “Do your magic or whatever you need. Please, just save my wife.”
Taking a deep breath, Lyra placed her hands on Ilyrana’s head and let the magic flow into her.
This is my first time trying magic in this world. I really hope I don’t screw this up. That would be a terrible first impression. “Hey, I’m here to help! So sorry I turned your wife into a frog. Promise it won’t happen again!”
Yeah. That should go over really well.
Almost immediately Lyra could feel the veil. It was like a pliable seal between her and the magic of the fade. If she pushed hard enough she could reach through and pull out the magic like a string of taffy. Molding it into whatever shape she wished. It was tempting to keep pulling, just to see how much she could take.
Focus Lyra. Now’s not exactly the time to experiment.
Shaking her head, Lyra returned her focus to the task at hand. She let just a trickle of the magic slip forth from her hands and spread over Ilyrana. It easily seeped into her skin and moved where Lyra wanted it to go. Quickly finding the small blood clot she had been looking for. Slowly, Lyra pushed more magic into Ilyrana, healing the damaged brain tissue and clearing the clot to allow blood to flow through her brain correctly again.
Lyra pulled away slowly, “How do you feel now? Can you touch your nose with both hands again?”
Ilyrana blinked, the drooping of her face already improving, and slowly lifted one hand at a time to touch the tip of her nose. Lyra ran Ilyrana through a few more tests before determining her healed.
“You had a minor stroke,” Lyra states, “I’ve healed any damage it caused to your brain so you should have little to no side effects. I recommend taking it easy for the next few days and doing some gentle exercises to help your strength return.”
Nieven jumped up from the bed and wrapped Lyra in a tight hug.
“Andraste Bless you!”
Momentarily stunned, Lyra shot a glance at Ilyrana, only to be surprised again when the older woman got up and joined in on the hug.
“Thank you! You truly are a blessing!”
Warmed by the first signs of true kindness since arriving in Thedas, Lyra hugged the pair back. Glad to have been able to ease their pain and offer comfort. As they stepped back, a sudden wave of exhaustion overcame her and she wavered on her feet.
Nieven’s hands on her arms steadied her as she blinked away the fogginess in her brain.
“Are you alright?” Ilyrana asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
Lyra smiled, but she couldn’t keep the exhaustion from her face. “I’m alright. Just tired from traveling.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had traveled that afternoon. But instead of coming from a different town, she had come from a different world entirely.
“Oh yes, I thought you looked new. Did you travel here for the Conclave?” Nieven asked.
“What? Oh- yes! I came hoping to maybe help in some way.”
Now that she was here, she found it to be the truth. Until Lyra could find a way home she would do her best to help the people of Thedas through the difficulties ahead.
“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?” Ilyrana asked. “You are welcome to stay here. It’s the least we could do after you healed me.”
“If I’m not imposing…” Lyra let the question trail off. In truth she hadn’t given it much thought of where she would stay, having only recently decided she would stay in the Hinterlands instead of approaching the Inquisition directly.
“Not at all! You can stay as long as you need.” Ilyrana and Nieven smiled kindly. Nieven pulled some extra blankets out of a trunk and Lyra helped Ilyrana start dinner. Tomorrow Lyra would have to start making plans but tonight she decided to just relax and enjoy the company of her new friends.