[A/N:] Another chapter. I found my shots are getting longer the more I upload... Trying to fix that. Have fun reading!

The battle was fierce and the heat had tired out all of them before they had even crossed blades. Gaspard's men were still besieging Orlais' capital and it wouldn't have been much longer before they succeeded in bringing down the walls.

Leliana's spies had done a good job in marking strategic positions from which the Inquisition would have an advantage. The forests were quite thick around Val Royeaux, and the hills and occasional earth ruptures gave them plenty of space for hiding and cover. The Grand Duke's men never saw it coming.
The Inquisitor had led her own companions to the front line, observing the battlefield for weaknesses in the enemy's ranks, and struck swift and hard. Soon enough, the battlefield became one big, red river. Men clad in shining armor and leather harnesses were clashing on foot and on horse, wielding swords, spears, and bows.

Grand Duke Gaspard was nowhere to be seen, which was surprising and unsurprising all at once. The Inquisitor had heard about him being a Chevalier and thus not shying away from battle. But, she figured, he must have had other battles to fight at that moment.
After nearly a day of fighting against men clad in green and yellow heraldry, they emerged victorious. While they purposefully let some of Gaspard's men flee to lick their wounds and let him know exactly which side the inquisition had chosen, the bulk of his army lay defeated.

In the evening, the dead were burned and prayers were spoken. It was a humbling process after such a profound victory, but a rite the Inquisitor would not forego for the sake of those who gave their lives in their endeavor.
After the fires were left alone so the lost souls could rise to sit beside the stars, the forces were granted a moment of respite. Camps were erected and small parties of friends and comrades celebrated in earnest. Cullen had let them know that they would retreat to Skyhold come morning, but for the night they were allowed to drink and eat and play.

The Iron Bull and his Chargers were currently entertaining the Inquisitor and her companions. With stories of ridiculous orders from even more ridiculous clients and songs that told of camaraderie and glory in battle they recounted the events of their past with much vigor. The Inquisitor herself was seated next to Grim.
The man looked even more stoic than the kossith woman, which could be considered an achievement. Given, the Inquisitor was obviously enjoying herself at the moment; a small brown mug full of ghastly beer in her hand as she was grinning at something the Iron Bull explained to his audience.

Cassandra found this other side of her rather interesting. They all were stripped of their armor and weapons, their boots in a pile of leather and dirt somewhere in the grass, laughing and toasting away into the night. She took a sip of her own ghastly beer.
"And then– And then he stood and said, 'Are you sure about that, Bull?!'" The crowd around him laughed, Krem punching him in the shoulder with delight. The massive qunari turned to the Inquisitor, "What about you, boss? Ever had a close call with fate like that?" He shrugged, "Aside from all this "saving the world" business, of course."

The woman exhaled in a chuckle, "Well, there was this one time when I was chased by a giant…" That had the soldiers perking up. "I had unconsciously stepped into the territory a pack of them had claimed for their druffalos to pasture. All I saw was this rock soaring through the air at me before I took to my heels and ran for three miles straight to lose him."
She shook her head at the memory, "Clingy fellow…" The Iron Bull shook with laughter as she elaborated just how exactly she tricked the stupid but persevering beast. There was an appreciative twinkle in his warm eyes, "You would be qunoran vehl after all this… You're a shokrakar! Like meraad clashing against the shore!" He punched his fist into his hand expressively. The Inquisitor laughed — probably understanding the words he had just used despite not having been born in the Qun. She knew the Iron Bull had the utmost respect for her and considered her his friend.

A few hours after midnight, they all settled down to find sleep under the stars. Cassandra came to the Iron Bull's side who was busy extinguishing the last embers of their camp fire. He acknowledged her with a grin, sensing that she wanted something from him. "What did you call the Inquisitor? Before, I mean."
The qunari straightened and shot her a curious look before he turned to roll his shoulders and gazed up above. "Unfamiliar words, I take it?" Cassandra didn't need to confirm the obvious. He chuckled, "I told her that she was worthy of being followed."

The Seeker quirked an eyebrow, not quite satisfied with the rather concise answer, but the Iron Bull just smiled and left to find his men. Cassandra hummed to herself, silently agreeing with him.

[A/N:] The game was awesome, btw. Ploughed through it like a madwoman and I can only say it's a worthy third installment of the DA franchise!

Oh, and in case you wondered: I decided to stick to my "headcanons" for this one here. I know many things are not congruent with the actual world-building, but that's fine. Also, I think I can reveal to you (my dear readers) the name of my Kossith!Femquisitor: It's Talari Adaar :-) She's awesome and sturdy and I love her dearly!

EDIT: Small change because bullshit.