#carako writes

[carako]

Fic Update! - Chapter 30

Completed!!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 175k

The end!

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut

Cullen caught the moment Ellana entered the hall as a ripple of excitement passed through the room. Though he couldn't yet see her, he did see the others entering with her: Bull was, as always, towering over the crowd, but he also caught sight of Cassandra ducking to the side, then Blackwall also attempting to slip out of view. At least, as out of view as one could be given the circumstances of having just helped save the world.

When Ellana stepped into view, his breath caught short. They had seen very little of each other in the hours since she had returned; Josephine immediately pulled her away to clean up. Apparently cleaning up also included dressing up.

For the first time since the Winter Palace, her dark hair was tamed. Instead of the usual plain tunic and leggings that she wore around Skyhold, tonight she was wrapped in blue silk. It seemed she even allowed for her lips to be painted, a striking red visible even from a distance. Cullen wanted nothing more than to kiss them.

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@inquisiorastoria @loreofthedasposts @opheliatrevelyan @priya-san @theluckywizard

@tpseudonana

[carako]

Fic Update - Chapter 29!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 172k

Cullen prays. A lot.

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut!

Work could only hold his attention so long. What did it matter, coordinating the troops when the world might end if—

No. They would succeed. Ellana would close the Breach. She would come back to him. Cullen had to believe. To do anything else would destroy him.

So he had to work, to make sure the army managed to come back from the Wilds safely; that they would disperse back out to the various camps and outposts they had been pulled from. That the people of Thedas would be kept safe. Once Corypheus was dealt with, the Inquisition wouldn't simply falter and end. There was yet work to be done.

Several reports and requisition inventories deep, he came across a letter with his name written in a familiar hand. Whereas before he might have set it aside, now whatever retorts his sister had for him would be preferable to the rush of thoughts and worries cramming his brain. Cutting the string holding it closed, he unfurled the letter, taking in the brief nostalgia for his family before settling into his chair to read.

Cullen,

In an effort to not delay your next reply, I will refrain from the teasing you deserve as my little brother. Suffice to say, you have not seemed so happy in any of the long years of letters as you have as of late(even amidst the gruffness). I am happy for you, truly.

Please, when all of this is over, will you come visit South Reach? It's been too long since we last saw you and regardless of what you might have gotten stuck in that thick head of yours, we do want to see you. Whatever you may think, whatever has happened to you or wherever life has taken you, we are your family and we miss you.

That invitation also includes Ellana. This is non-negotiable.

Love (even if for some reason you seem to not believe it),

Mia

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@inquisiorastoria @loreofthedasposts @opheliatrevelyan @priya-san @theluckywizard

@tired-truffle

[carako]

Fic Update - Chapter 26!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 157k+

We venture into the Arbor Wilds to stop Corypheus.

Chapter WC: 3.3k

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut

Mia,

Stay in South Reach

I know you will not listen to reason even if I beg you not to come. It is dangerous right now, and our final battle is nigh approaching.

I will write a longer letter when I have more time but this will have to suffice your nosiness curiosity for now:

Yes, Ellana. Yes, whatever you're thinking is happening is probably true. Yes, at some point I will let you meet her, when all of this is over. And yes, I love her.

Now stop prying. I will write more when I have the time.

Cullen

The paper rustled as he sealed it before handing it to a waiting runner. Better it be sent now, before he forgot. Or, Maker forbid, he no longer could.

The air was sweltering as he stepped out of his tent, canvas barely creaking in the humidity. Sweat beaded at his neck and trickled down his back, each droplet nearly indistinguishable from the air's own moisture against his heated skin. Even the brief venture into the Orlesian desert during the travel to the Shrine of Dumat was nothing compared to the jungle of the Arbor Wilds.

And wild it was, trees densely packed like overcrowded teeth in a hot maw. His army made less and less progress by the day marching deeper into the forest. Cullen could only hope it was equally slowing Corypheus and his red Templars.

With Leliana's scouts providing warnings, they hadn't encountered more than the occasional camp of them, a few sorties here and there of either stragglers or groups left to guard the main force's rear. Though the frequency of such encounters had ticked up in the past day. Cullen could only hope that meant his own forces were catching up, and doing so quickly.

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@dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @somethingthedasrelated

@theluckywizard

[carako]

Fic update - Chapter 28!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 169k+

The briefest rest before the end

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut!

People called Ferelden dreary, made up of dirt and browns, but at least brown was a color. This place was hauntingly monochrome, an encompassing fog dulling the rampant blacks to shades of grey. The sky was bright, almost blindingly white, yet there was no sun or apparent light source. After the vibrancy of the temple, the dearth of color was shocking.

Before them stretched a flat plain of stone, eluvians scattered across it like graves. Adding to the effect were small stands of dead trees, their branches arranged in an unnatural sphere, and barren bushes bursting out of cracked ground.

"We make our way through my eluvian," Morrigan answered matter-of-factly.

"What is this place, anyway? And why's it so… shimmery?" Sera blurted out, eyes wide as she craned her neck up.

"Shimmery? This place is as dull as a rusty blade," Bull remarked, squinting against the light.

"What? No. The sky's got loads of colors!"

"'Tis a place of ancient elven magic. Perhaps it manifests differently to elves," Morrigan pondered, and Sera grumbled sullenly in response. "Come. This way," Morrigan ordered, setting off with a confident stride.

It was unlikely Ellana would be able to keep up with such a brisk pace. Without a second thought, Cullen scooped her into his arms.

Tag List

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@inquisiorastoria @loreofthedasposts @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @theluckywizard

@tired-truffle

[carako]

Fic Update - Chapter 24!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 150k+

Cullen must recover from the injuries he received at the Shrine, and let himself lean on others for help.

Chapter WC: 5.5k

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut

Darkness.

Pain.

Nightmares.

Cullen floated along, reliving his worst moments over and over.

One moment he was back in that prison, magic humming all around him until his very being shook. Sometimes his friends were there, huddled together. Sometimes he watched them die again, over and over.

Oftentimes he was alone, caged like a wild animal, praying and hoping and praying. The demon would come, would stare at him with malice written in every scale, her horns casting twisted shadows over him as her tail twitched and tangled while she touched him. The times she wore Surana's skin were the worst.

Then he would find himself in Kirkwall, years condensed into moments as he watched mage after mage twist and morph into bloody abominations. The pain and terror in all of their faces before they turned. Or just in the hallways as they scurried by, beaten and cowed by the Gallows. By those meant to protect them.

The boom of the Chantry exploding, the shockwave stealing his breath and making his ears ring. The thick, black smoke choking his lungs as the city burned. The debris scattered everywhere, the occasional wailing as somebody tugged at a limb jutting from under a thick, jagged length of stone.

Carrying out Meredith's mad orders, enacting the Right of Annulment on any and every mage they could find. The horrified face of a mage he had seen just that morning at breakfast, now full of pain and terror as they coughed their final, bloody breath onto him. The hold their viscera had on his sword as he tugged it free.

Every so often voices would filter in, panic and sadness, worry wound tight. A cool hand on his forehead that might have had scales but the gentle touch calmed him. A drifting scent of lavender and elfroot, fire and blood. The bitter taste of elfroot too, choked down his throat in a clearer moment.

Throughout it all was a hunger, a need, blue and crystalline in his blood; a swirling, shifting emptiness inside of him demanding to be filled.

A few times he blinked his eyes open only to find Uldred leering down at him. Or Surana, face full of worry, wringing her hands as he shook and shivered. The gory, dirty walls of the Hold bore down on him. Or was it just canvas, the fabric of a tent? Then he would slip under the surface again, more nightmares filling his mind.

"Cassandra, will he be okay?" Ellana's voice, floated through the darkness to wind around him at one point. She sounded sad. And scared. He wanted to help but he couldn't remember why she might be upset.

"I do not know, Inquisitor. I have not seen it this bad since he had first stopped taking the lyrium."

"Will he die?"

"I am not certain. It is up to him now."

He sunk back into blackness and nightmares.

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@dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @somethingthedasrelated

@summergreen009 @theluckywizard

[carako]

Fic update - Chapter 23!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 144k+

The Shrine of Dumat is breached, but Samson is nowhere to be found.

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the break!

They approached in the quiet of morning, hoping to use the predawn darkness to cover their advance. The couple of Templars stationed outside of the great doors fell easily, and quietly, to Ellana's blades and Varric's bolts. Slipping in through the door unnoticed was a more daunting task but Ellana went first and ushered the rest in.

Inside, heat hit them before they could ascertain their positions, and with dawning horror, Cullen realized the courtyard they found themselves in was red with flames and lyrium. Its song was all around him, the subtle humming in his veins as he took in the multitudes of red crystals around him. It felt all at once familiar and disjointed, like a favorite song played on an instrument that was out of tune. Amidst it all was roaring fire.

"By the Maker, they must have know we were coming somehow," Cassandra hissed as a half dozen red Templars stormed into the lower section of the courtyard, swords drawn.

"Samson might still be here!" Cullen gritted out, drawing his blade and hefting up his shield. They had to find Samson, he had to find Samson.

The first misshapen form charged at them, crystals of crimson sprouting from cracks in his armor. The eyes inside the winged helm glowed as red as the flames at his back. A scream burst forth from within as the man—thing—swung a blade at them, and Cullen tried to ignore the jagged, rocky edges of the noise.

Tag list

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@dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @somethingthedasrelated

@summergreen009 @theluckywizard

[carako]

Fic update - Chapter 27!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 162k+

A showdown with Samson, and the Well of Sorrows

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the cut!

The antechamber led out into a bright courtyard, more lush greenery spreading out before them. Crumbled holes in the temple's roof let in patches of sunlight, resulting in an unevenly lit interior. Still, it was beautiful: dappled light glinting off tiled pools before yet more statues of elven figures. It was a far cry from every Chantry Cullen had ever been in; the memory of dim, smoky chambers a direct contrast to the temple before him.

Magelight flickered pleasantly in scattered sconces around the walls. Were they recently lit, or had they been active for centuries, drawing on the ambient magic that crept along Cullen's senses?

Strangely, there were no signs of the elves or of the Templars that had fled into the temple before them. Not even a ringing clank of armor or a barely visible shadow played at the edges of his senses; all was still and quiet. Like a grave.

Central to the room, bathed in a warm spray of sun beams, stood a raised platform. Two marble blocks loomed in the center, an unfamiliar script faintly visible beneath strangling ivy.

As Ellana stepped onto the stone surrounding the monuments, a tingle shuddered through the air, raising every hair on Cullen's body.

"Ew, what's that?" Sera groused, shaking herself like a dog.

"Magic. An ancient sort. 'Tis likely some remnant of a bygone era. Perhaps the writing will tell us more." Morrigan placed herself next to Ellana, peering intently at the stones.

Cullen paid them half a mind, distracted by the feel of magic rippling over him. The taste of it was strange, stirring some lingering vestige of lyrium in his blood to sing out. It was not a comfortable feeling, and he tried to distract himself with keeping an eye on the perimeter.

A frustrated snort from Ellana sharpened his attention back on her.

"I can't make out all of it, the stone has deteriorated over the centuries." She squinted hard, her brow creasing in concentration. It was endearing, perhaps frustratingly so with their present circumstances. “Atish’all Vir Abelasan. Enter the path of the Well of Sorrows. A on'ala… the Well grants a power of some sort but at a price of duty. Probably a duty to Mythal, if I had to guess."

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@dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @loreofthedasposts @morganaofcamelot @priya-san

@theluckywizard

[carako]

Fic update - Chapter 25!

Explicit | Cullen x Ellana | WC: 154k+

The group makes it back to Skyhold.

Read it on ao3 here!

Excerpt under the break!

The walls of Skyhold rose above the snow, the low light of evening painting the stone with a welcoming warmth. The sight filled Cullen with a sense of relief, easing the shiver of mountain air.

Even with how quickly he had initially been recovering after his injury and subsequent withdrawal flare-up, it had still been almost another week before Cullen had felt strong enough to begin the journey back to Skyhold. And now, several more weeks of travel later, they were finally home. Home. The word held a certain satisfaction to it, if not a sliver of surprise at the sentiment behind it. It had taken such an extended absence to realize how much of a home Skyhold had indeed become.

Dagna would be able to examine Maddox's tools. She'd be able to find the chink in Samson's armor. This lengthy, arduous journey would have a hopeful payoff.

And he would be able to take a long, hot bath.

The thought of finally being able to bathe in hot water, to submerge himself in something other than an icy river or a tepid spring, had him urging Lucy to move just a little bit faster. It did not go unnoticed that everybody picked up the pace after, a sense of urgency in their postures that spoke to similar desires of being home.

Leliana and Josephine greeted them at the gates, faces open in welcome as the weary travelers all but leapt from their mounts. The stable hands would take care of them, of that there was no question, and even Ellana gave Revas a much shorter pat than usual.

"How was the journey? By your letters, it seems that you have made some progress?" Leliana inquired, falling into step as Cullen and Ellana crossed the courtyard.

"It was indeed a fruitful journey. My saddlebags have enchantment tools in them. Make sure they are sent to Dagna immediately. Please," she softened her tone, slowing for a moment as she smiled warmly at her advisors. "We will fill you in on all the specifics, I promise. But I have been on the road for over a month and if I do not take a bath now, I will be terrible company."

"Completely understandable, Inquisitor. I shall have one drawn for you right away. A meeting tomorrow morning then? We can discuss what's happened during your absence as well." Josephine said, scribbling on her ever present board. They had reached the doors to the main keep, and Cullen pushed through, holding them for the women to pass.

"That sounds perfect, Josie. Now if you will excuse me, I plan to soak for at least two hours," Ellana replied, pace picking up again with her quarters so close.

"Enjoy, Inquisitor," Leliana said with a smirk, before peeling away to head to the rookery. Josephine echoed the sentiment, casting a watchful eye around the assembled guests in the keep before making her own way to her office.

Cullen hesitated, unsure of if Ellana would want company for her bath. She paused a few steps ahead of him, throwing a confused look over her shoulder.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Will I be interrupting?"

"Cullen," she said with mock exasperation. "You are joining me in my oversized tub and I will not hear anything to the contrary."

Tag list:

This is a thread to opt into a tag list that we put at the end of posts sharing our fic updates so that others can like and reblog and hype as necessary! I'll code block the list in groups of five so you can copy it in without Tumblr getting angry!

Tag list

@aetherflowers @bibutterflies @briannasroger @dogot @tiredtruffle

@dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @somethingthedasrelated

@theluckywizard