#cullwen

[randomnonsensedragonage]

For the @cullenromancers event. Been awhile since I've talked/written about these two. But I do still love them a lot <3

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 23: Unwanted Guest

Notes:

First and foremost and just to be on the safe side, I'm putting in a TW for attack and abuse. If anyone thinks I should change/modify the TW, let me know privately and I will change it. And as a heads up, a certain part of a conversation between Tanwen and Cullen a little ways into the chapter will seem a bit archaic, but that is mostly because I see the DAU as being set in the Medieval ages and their views were quite different than our more modern ideals.

Also... James is a dick! :D And Delani makes another appearance, thanks to the lovely and talented Elcapitan18. Seriously, y'all. You have to check out her story here on AO3 called To The Void and Back. Her Cullavellan is spectacular!

Another note:  There will be sex in this chapter as well... I know I know, there's a lot, but I'm telling you... These two have some pent up frustration.  As before, if this makes you uncomfortable, I will be placing a line before and after the sections with the smut so that you can skip it if you'd like. Don't want you being uncomfortable!

“What did you say?” Surely I’m hearing things .  Her previous passing thought that this was some vivid, demon-induced dream-turned-nightmare was seeming more and more plausible.  James couldn’t have said…

“I wish to marry you, Tanwen.  I still care about you and want to get to know you once more, be a part of my son’s life. My heir’s life.  A lot has changed since the last time I saw you. You have changed a lot.   I have changed a lot.”

Tanwen studied James through narrowed eyes as she turned slightly to protect her son.  After Iuen was born, she had sent several missives to James, telling him of his heir.  But by the time she had left for the conclave, almost a year after Iuen’s birth, she had received no word or acknowledgement from the man before her.  She looked him over as she hugged Iuen close and backed up until she could feel Cullen’s firm body at her back and relaxed slightly knowing he was there.

James hadn’t changed, physically, in almost three years. His mahogany hair was still stylishly coiffed, nose and jaw still chiseled and strong, lashes thick and cheekbones high.  He was still just as immaculately dressed as before. He always seemed as if he had just returned from an expensive shopping trip to Orlais.  Iuen almost looked like James’ younger double with the same colored hair, strong nose and cheeks, but the boy had her heart shaped face and sapphire eyes.

“Why do you still wish to wed me?  You disappeared before our wedding. That in itself was a pretty big indicator that you, in fact, did not want to marry me. When your son was born,  I sent you missive after missive about him - you could have come back of your own free will; I didn’t want my parents to force you to return, but you never came back.  What has changed?” Oh, she had an inkling as to his sudden desire to be part of her son’s life - and it wasn’t because of Iuen. Tanwen prayed to the Maker that it wasn’t true.

James stared at her intently, his jaw muscles twitching as he clenched his jaw.  She watched his muscles tense and release.  His involuntary bodily actions were telling. Something else was going on and she would have to get Leliana on it if she wasn’t already, just to see if her hunches were correct.

Her former fiancé suddenly smiled, all bright white teeth again.  “Might we speak of these rather private matters in your office, my lady?”

Tanwen nodded, but before she could lead him there, Cullen gripped her shoulder. When she looked at him, Cullen was staring at James with his jaw clenched. “Perhaps our guests would like to freshen up after their lengthy journey, Inquisitor? It’s been a long couple weeks.  I prepared room for your parents, brother and son, but I am sure we can find proper accommodations for his lordship.”

Arryn stepped forward, his eyes pulling from where he had been staring behind Tanwen.  “If it helps, I would be more than willing to stay in the barracks with the soldiers, if it would make things easier.”

“Pherra, would you please escort my brother to the Templars tower and see if Knight-Commander Delrin has a spare bed?”  Tanwen turned her head to Pherra as she asked and saw the elven woman blushing as she bowed her head to Tanwen’s request.  She looked back at Arryn, who was looking at the elven woman, and raised an eyebrow. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, she would have smiled.  Was Pherra blushing because of Arryn? Was her brother interested in Pherra? Once things had calmed down again, she might have to play matchmaker.

When she refocused from watching Pherra and Arryn’s retreating backs as they moved to the Templar tower, it was to see that Cullen had summoned Jim and was instructing him to take her parents and James to the prepared rooms, wherever they were.

When they left with Jim, after promising to see her parents at the evening meal and planning a meeting with James in her quarters in an hour, Tanwen turned to Cullen, shifting Iuen to her other hip.

“Cullen… what you have done for me - “ She trailed off, unable to form adequate words to express the gambit of emotions she was experiencing at that moment, putting the problem with James to the back of her mind for the next hour.  She felt a tug on some stray wisps of hair and turned her head to Iuen.  The young boy tugged on her hair again then nuzzled her cheek. Tanwen smiled at him and felt like crying again.

“Come on, Tanwen.  Let’s go to Iuen’s chamber. Then we can go to our own.”

Tanwen turned from Iuen back to Cullen and smiled.  “ Our chamber.  I like the sound of that.”

Together, the three of them went up the tower to where Iuen’s room was just down the stairs from their own. What she saw when Cullen opened the door made her jaw drop.

Oak shelves stained dark brown, lined the walls, scattered with toys, stuffed animals and, periodically, clutches of books held up by carved bookends in the shapes of griffins, lions and horses.  A rocking horse surrounded by wooden building blocks stood sentry on a finely woven rug in the center of the floor with a long, tall chest in the background that had the word ‘Toys’ carved into the side.

Under a tall window towards the back lay a small bed with a feather filled mattress and pillow covered by a quilt embroidered with stars, constellations and both of Thedas’ moons.

“Maker’s breath!” Tanwen breathed as she set a squirming Iuen down on the floor to start playing with the toys.  Tanwen walked through the door in a daze before sinking down onto the small bed, followed closely by Cullen.

“I can see he approves of his room, but does his mother?”

She could hear the uncertainty in his tone and she felt a laugh bubble up from her chest, coming out strangled and slightly maniacal.  “Cullen, you have done so much, I don’t even know what to say.  No words I could ever dream of stringing together could ever suffice.  You brought my family to Skyhold, my son to me, fixed up rooms for everyone, all without my finding out.

“I know James must be a slight snag in your plans - I had hopes never to set eyes on him again after the last time I saw him, if truth be told.” Tanwen turned her upper body to face her lover, grabbing and holding both of his hands with her own.  “But we will get past this hurdle and send him back to Markham. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

Cullen lifted a gloved hand to cup one of Tanwen’s cheeks and she leaned into the gesture, rubbing her cheek into his palm, smiling and feeling his warmth seeping through his glove and into her skin.  Maker, how she had missed him.

“Maker help me, but I don’t believe I have seen this serene or content of a smile form on your lips before.  I am ensorcelled by your beauty and gladly so.” Cullen leaned in to touch foreheads with her before kissing her lips.  When he pulled back, Tanwen slapped Cullen playfully and he chuckled.  Both adults turned back to watching the toddler play with the blocks on the floor.

“How did you put this all together?” “I had a little help from your companions that stayed behind. Particularly Blackwall, or rather Rainier. He was insistent on helping. My guess would be that he knew he was going to end up owning up to his mistakes and wanted to get a head start.”

Silence encompassed the pair as they watched Iuen move on to the rocking horse, until Tanwen decided to break the silence.  “Did James seem odd to you?”

“I don’t know the man, Tan.  I don’t know what is normal to be honest.”

“Then why were you frowning as you entered the bailey?”

Cullen frowned again.  “When we were journeying from Jader, your mother summoned me to ride alongside the carriage so that she could speak to me.  She asked me questions about you mostly. Then she asked about me and my job in the Inquisition.  She asked me about my family, my views on various topics.  She seemed to want to know me.” Cullen lit up a moment at her mother’s acceptance and Tanwen couldn’t help but smile.

“After she had asked all of her questions, your mother returned her focus to Iuen. Then James took over asking questions.  I thought he would ask about you, and I wasn’t wrong - not completely.  Instead of asking about you and how you have changed since he had last seen you, he asked about the Inquisition’s power and wealth, about your influence and who it affected.  When I told him about all the good we have done and the following we have gathered since the conclave, a worrisome glimmer formed in his eyes.  When he mentioned that he was glad that the marriage contract hadn’t been nullified and that marrying you had become even more fortuitous, it took everything I had to go along with the conversation.”

“Mother must not have told him of our relationship, because I most assuredly told her. Not too many details, I swear!” Tanwen threw her hands up in surrender, sending him a cheeky smile when a shocked look crossed his face and his skin paled slightly. When his color returned, he continued.

“I wanted to make a good impression on your parents, Tan.  I still do.  But when he started talking about the night you shared together, I had to ride to the front of the entourage or else I would likely have broken his nose.  The disrespect and vulgar descriptions he had started telling me, as he would have a good friend, just made me angrier and angrier.”

Tanwen squeezed his hand in support. “I am glad you didn’t hit him.  Not because I think he looks good with teeth in his mouth or a straight nose, mind you.  He would, by far, look better with bruises right now.  While I may not consider myself as part of the Ton, he definitely does and would likely have found a way to punish you if you had. You may be the Commander of the Inquisition’s army, but you are still of lower birth in his eyes. To him, it would be his right to punish you. I refuse to let him discipline you for any seen slights.”

“He already is punishing me with his talk of marrying you and the disrespect he showed you as we traveled to Skyhold.”

Tanwen paused, had she heard him right?  “What?”

“I just told you.  He was rude when he spoke of you, called you easy and…”

She shook her head. “I don’t care about that, Cullen.  His talk of marrying me upset you?”

“Of course it did!” Cullen slouched and rubbed the back of his neck with a heavy sigh before dragging his hand down the side and letting it flop into his lap.  “If he finds a way to go through with his plans of marrying you, Tanwen, it means that I cannot.”

She felt her eyes go wide in surprise.  They’d never spoken of it before, because they were so busy - their relationship too new.  She had even thought, after James had left her, that she would likely never marry. Not because she wanted to only marry the Lord of Markham, but because she was quickly leaving the age range most men wanted to marry. Now? “You truly want to marry me?”

She received a nod and a shrug in return.  “Someday.  After Corypheus has been defeated. Once things have calmed down, and - umf!”

Tanwen grasped both sides of the face belonging to the man she loved more than life itself, the man who wanted to marry her some day, and kissed him deeply. Cullen froze in surprise for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. When she pulled away, Tanwen leaned in once more to whisper in his ear.  “When the time is right, Cullen Stanton Rutherford, I would gladly take the vows that would bind our lives together as one before the Maker forever.”

Cullen wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, ignoring his chest plate.  “Is that a promise?”

Tanwen felt a broad smile form on her lips as she looked at him. “It’s a promise.”

A similar smile formed on Cullen’s lips and Tanwen watched as he reached under his breastplate and pulled out an extremely familiar box.  She felt her jaw drop.  “Cullen, how did you…?”

“Your mother gave it to me in secret as we traveled from Jader.  I know it won’t be used now, but I want to pass it on to you as a solemn promise that we will be married one day. I just wish I had something for you to wear outwardly to show this promise.”

Tanwen quickly reached under the neck of her tunic and pulled out the coin he had given her that was wrapped lightly, but securely, in leather and hung by a chain of silverite. “This will be the outward symbol.  A sign that I have been claimed by Commander Cullen Rutherford of the Inquisition forces.”

A low rumble of approval was accompanied by a wide grin as Cullen stood with Tanwen in his arms, his golden eyes full of heat and want that did not quite cover some lingering upset.  She knew that look, knew what was to come, welcomed it even and could feel her body quickening, but she looked over at Iuen and the longing to never separate from her son became stronger than her arousal.  What if this really was a dream set upon her by Imshael?  She’d lose Iuen all over again and she just couldn’t handle that. Her ardor instantly dampened.

“Cullen, I…”

He sighed low and slow and she knew that he understood her hesitation, despite the upset growing in his eyes, now with anger.  He opened his mouth to reply when a gentle, even knock sounded from the door.

“Come in.” They said at the same time. When the door opened, Pherra and Aelia entered.

“My lady?  Your guests have been suitably seen to and settled, including your brother.  Lord James has requested a bottle of your finest wine be brought to your office; I was sent to inquire what wine should be retrieved from the cellar. Is there…” Pherra finally lifted her head and saw Cullen and Tanwen embracing intimately.  She gave a small gasp and turned.  “My lady! I apologize for intruding. Would you like me to watch over Master Iuen for you so that you and the Commander can, ahem, reacquaint?”

Cullen’s grip on Tanwen tightened to an almost painful level, speaking to the woman before Tanwen could.  “Thank you, Pherra, yes.”

Without waiting for a reply, Cullen picked her up and threw Tanwen over his shoulder before he continued up the stairs of the tower to the room they shared, but had yet to be able to exercise the ability.

“But Cullen…!”

“Iuen isn’t going anywhere. I need you by yourself right now.”

Tanwen wanted to struggle against his hold as he carted her up the stairs to their room, but his iron grip held her tight. “Cullen!  What’s going on with you?  First, you put all this work into bringing Iuen here, now you’re carting me off after so short a time? What’s going on with you?  Put me down! You’re acting like a bloody Nug hurder.”

When they reached the top of the stairs, it took him two strides to reach his destination. When he was a few short feet from the bed, Cullen tossed Tanwen onto the coverlet.  She quickly scurried to the other side and quickly got back off and turned to face him, panting at the effort to hold in her anger at how he had just treated her. It wasn’t like him!

“What in the Maker’s name is going on?!” She all but shouted at him. Cullen had turned from the bed, from her, and was looking down, rubbing at the back of his neck. Tanwen calmed her breathing and her tone as she stared at the black fur of his coat trailing down his back.  Something was bothering him, was still bothering him, and she wanted to know what it was so that she could fix it. Then she could go back to Iuen’s room. She approached his back, laying a hand on one of his hips from behind. “Cullen, fy nghariad, what’s the matter?”

She felt him tense before taking a couple deep breaths. When he turned his head to her to look at her over his shoulder, she saw concern, upset, and even fear.

“I...I’m sorry, Tan. That wasn’t me. That was… Iuen’s father will be here shortly. I needed to spend time alone with you before facing him.”

Tanwen moved around to face him, her hand remaining on his hip but trailing along his waist as she moved. He didn’t look at her when she was before him, so she lifted her other hand to tilt his head up to look at her.

Brows furrowed, Cullen kept his eyes cast aside, yet Tanwen thought she saw a flush on his cheeks. “Cullen, look at me. Please, look at me.”

Cullen lifted his eyes, but nothing in his gaze changed.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry.  I know I shouldn’t be so rough and I know I should have left you with Iuen. But his words while we traveled, about the night you both shared,  his words and actions down in the bailey - the wine request - it’s all too much to take. It feels like he’s trying to take you away from me and I… I can’t…”

Tanwen’s heart broke for Cullen when his voice cracked and trailed off at the end. She lifted both of her hands to wrap around his neck to embrace him, sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around her in return, holding her tightly to his body. “Cullen, you don’t need to worry about him. I ended our arrangement when he left and everything was cancelled when he wasn’t there on Summerday for the wedding. He holds no appeal for me, only revulsion. I am no more bound to him than you are the Templars. Besides, what I feel for you far surpasses how little I felt for him. And the sex he and I had? It was the worst experience of my life.

“Back then, I only let him court me because of our parents and their agreements.” Tanwen paused. “Ok, there was some attraction between he and I, but then again, I was a rather promiscuous woman before Iuen. I thought he and I were to marry, so I tolerated his physical attentions. Once he left, I knew the Maker had other plans for me. He was sending me to you, not to be leashed to that… that… nobleman.”

She felt Cullen chuckle into her neck at the way she made the word sound like an insult, and a shiver went down her spine at the feel of his warm lips resting on the skin of her neck. She threaded her fingers through his soft hair and turned her lips to his ear. “I promised, willingly and without hesitation or force, that I would be with you forever. It’s a promise I fully intend to keep.”

Cullen pulled away and she saw that he had calmed. He was smiling at her once more when he lifted a hand to her cheek again, rubbing his thumb on her cheek. “You deserve so much better than me, Tanwen. So much more than a farmer’s son or an old Templar.”

She frowned. They’d had this discussion before and she was growing tired of it. “Cullen Stanton Rutherford, you listen to me and you listen good. As your Inquisitor, lover and the woman who loves you, I will tell you what I do and do not want and or deserve . There is no better man than you in the whole of Thedas and I will not hear you say that sentence again, do you understand me?”

Cullen stared at her intently before he replied with a powerful kiss that took her breath away. When he picked her up without ending the kiss, she was ready.  She could feel heat coursing through her body to settle in her core. Cullen walked her backwards and put her back on the bed, only releasing their lip lock to set her down on the soft surface.

This time, she didn’t scurry to get off the bed, but she did prop herself on her elbows to look at him as he looked down at her, all warmth and passion. When he joined her on the bed, she moved back towards the middle of the bed so she could cradle his hips between her legs, feeling the rigid line of his manhood nestled in the vee of her thighs.

Earlier, he had been brash and forceful because he thought he didn’t stand a chance against the lofty Lord of Markham, thinking he would lose her even though she had promised herself to him. It was obvious that he had intended on claiming her in the short time they had alone before James’ arrival, but it would have been tainted with feelings other than the love and desire they shared. Now, they could proceed without the darker emotions floating around in the air around them.

Tanwen looked up at him as he loomed over her, his eyes moving rapidly over her face as if trying to commit her features to memory. A deep growl rumbled from his chest as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.  As one, they deepened their kiss, Tanwen opening to him as Cullen slid his tongue past her teeth and consumed her, breathed her in as if it was what he needed to survive, as if her lips were his sustenance and he was starving.

She was having issue with catching her breath herself, desperate as his kisses were becoming. When he moved his kisses to her jaw and neck, she panted, relishing in the feeling of his warm lips and teeth on her warmer skin. Her breasts ached with every nip and bite of his teeth on the skin of her neck and collarbone, feeling her nipples pearl under her breast band.

Tanwen turned her head towards him when Cullen sat up and kneeled between her legs, reaching down to rip open her shirt, sending the brass buttons flying.  Tanwen moaned and arched her back when he gripped the edge of her breast band and pulled the top down, releasing her breasts to the cool air of the room.  His pupils dilated and he licked his lips as he gazed at her breasts, their tips hard.

Cullen tugged his gloves off with his teeth and Tanwen felt her body flame at the sight of his teeth, imagining them on parts of her body other than her neck and jaw. His calloused hands felt glorious on the sensitive skin of her breasts when he massaged one while taking the nipple of her lonely breast between his lips, rolling it back and forth between his teeth before moving to the other one. Tanwen threaded her fingers through his hair again, holding tight onto the strands as he trailed the kisses down over her belly, moving his hands to hold onto her hips, keeping her unruly lower body still.   When had that started?

He pulled away completely before reaching the edge of her leggings and pulling them and her small clothes half way down her thighs then pushing her legs up to her chest. When he descended on her core, she moaned.

Tanwen had to grip the covers on either side of her hips so she had something to hold on to when he dragged his tongue from one end of her slit to the other, laving her clit before sucking on it. She gasped when he held her legs with one hand while pressing a digit to her entrance with the other.  She moaned again when he applied a second finger, thrusting it in and dragging it out with curled fingers past the spot within her that elicited the most response.  When a third was added, the movement increasing, it took everything she had not to come. Her body was on fire with her arousal. She had been without him for forever, it had seemed.  When she finished, she wanted it to be with him buried deep within her body, hard and fast.

She did whimper when Cullen pulled away and stood once more, loosening the ties on the front of his breeches and releasing his engorged shaft.  He pushed her legs to her chest once more as he kneeled on the bed, running the head of his cock across her opening, whetting the tip with her arousal.

When Cullen finally thrust into her, only stopping when he could go no further, they both paused to catch their breath.  The feel of him inside her once more was always better than the last.

Just as with the kiss, it started out slow: in and out, gentle strokes increasing their passions. Tanwen felt her heart beat increase with his paces, her legs forced together causing his shaft to stroke the sides of her inner walls and creating a feeling she had never felt before that took her breath away. Tanwen wrapped her arms around her knees, allowing Cullen to grip her hips and pull her towards him at the edge of the bed, increasing his pace and force to his thrusts when he stood on the ground. She tilted her legs to the side so she could see him, watching Cullen move, feeling herself grow closer to climax with his even and smooth movements. The way his hips snapped back and forth with a purpose, how he lifted his coat and tunic to see where they were connected past their clothing, the panting that filled the room - it aroused her more and more and she could feel her climax roaring towards her like a herd of raging brontos.

“Cullen.” She panted, releasing her legs and reaching for him to pull him down into a kiss, his movements not even slowing. Moments later, she screamed into his lips and dampening the sound as she came, seeing stars twinkle before her eyes at the power behind her climax. When the feeling passed, she collapsed against the bed and watched Cullen move over her with a look of deep concentration, his fingers digging into her skin. It wasn’t long before he was reaching his own release and she could feel his seed flowing into her.

Tanwen looked up at his sweat streaked face, touching it lovingly as she traced a trail of sweat as it made its way from his brow down the side of his temple before dripping onto her. She felt, intensely, as he pulled away completely from her and kept his eyes on hers as he tucked his softening shaft back into his smalls and breeches.  Tanwen flushed at the smirk that graced his lips, feeling her belly tremble.

Ever the gentleman, Cullen reached to her to help her stand and retrieved a clean tunic from her wardrobe until her formal wear could be repaired from his hurried disrobing. When he returned, he sat next to her while she put the clean shirt on and wrapped her corset around her torso. After he helped Tanwen lace and tighten her leather corset, they faced each other on the bed and Cullen clasped her hands in his and squeezed them.

“That was wonderful, Cullen. I’m glad that the air was cleared first.” He nodded, looking at their clasped hands. Tanwen cupped his cheek and he looked up once more.  “I promise, Cullen.  Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

“Tanwen, I…”

~//~

It had been a week already and Delani still hadn't explored Skyhold to its entirety. The fortress was a grand thing, its integrity and enormity fabled throughout all of Thedas; especially since the Inquisition had taken up residence within its walls. Word had even reached her clan in the Free Marches, but Delani never thought she'd get the opportunity to see it for herself.

Now here she was, a companion to the Inquisitor herself and a part of her inner circle. It was a position she would never have thought possible, but also one with the promise of resulting in the most good for her people. In their short time together Delani had learned that Tanwen cared about the needs of the less fortunate, even about the injustices committed against elves. If befriending the Inquisitor and serving the Inquisition helped her people then it was her duty to do her part.

It didn't matter if the Inquisition was a Chantry founded organization. She would be serving Tanwen, not the Chantry. Though Delani doubted that her clan would be able to discern the difference.

She'd set out to tell Tanwen as much. After the time they'd spent traveling together, she'd come to respect and admire Tanwen a great deal. Delani wanted to be honest with the Inquisitor, and open about her purpose in staying with her. If they were to be friends then there could be no secrets between them. And Delani sincerely hoped that they could be friends.

Climbing the steps into the Great Hall, Delani started in the direction she'd seen Tanwen go, accompanied by a man she'd overheard others refer to as Commander Cullen.  After a quick stop at Varric's writing desk, so that the dwarf could point her in the right direction to the Inquisitor's chambers, she was on her way once more.

The doorway beside the Inquisitor's throne led up a flight of stairs, which Delani climbed with silent steps. Varric had warned her that Tanwen and the Commander would likely want privacy for the next few hours, but she'd seen a child in Tanwen's arms when they'd made for their private quarters. Surely she'd have time to speak with Tanwen before the two got properly reacquainted.

As Delani came up on the landing she heard a child's laughter and was drawn to the noise. The door beside the landing was cracked open, the soft sound of a woman's voice leaked through the opening as she responded to the small laugh. Recognizing that the voice didn't belong to Tanwen brought Delani's curiosity to new heights.

She approached the door with soundless strides and loosely gripped the doorknob, pushing it open ever so slightly as to get a better peek inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the nursery within. The love and devotion that had gone into its creation was evident at a glance. She'd never seen a human nursery, and she doubted that she'd find another like this one.

A surprised, " Mamae ," brought attention to the elf across the room with a human boy in her arms and girl hiding behind her skirts. She was a beautiful woman with guarded hazel eyes, brown hair that was braided away from her face, and the warm features of a loving mother. A scar marked her from the temple to her upper lip that did little to diminish her beauty.

Delani had met Pherra upon her arrival to Skyhold and had seen the elf only a few times after that. Working under the Inquisitor kept her understandably busy, more so now with the arrival of Tanwen's family and son. They hadn't spoken enough to know each other, or for her to trust Delani, which is why she took no insult from the suspicious gleam in her hazel eyes.

"Miss Lavellan," Pherra said, turning to face her fully. “Did you need something?”

Absently she corrected the other woman. “Just Delani, Pherra. Why stand on formality when I’ve none to speak of.”

Delani looked around the nursery, noting the stuffed animals and book lined shelves. With a shake of her head, she finally answered, “I was hoping to speak with Tanwen.” When she returned her focus onto Pherra the other elf’s eyebrow was quirked and Delani amended, “The Inquisitor.”

Pherra inspected her closely for a beat before she supplied, “Lady Trevelyan and the Commander are in their private quarters. It would be ill-advised to disturb them at present.”

An amused huff escaped through her nose. “I bet.” Delani’s attention moved to the child in Pherra’s arms and a grin unraveled over her mouth. Already knowing the answer to her question, she needlessly wondered, “Is this her son?”

The boy in Pherra’s arms was watching Delani intently, at the sight of her smile one of his own cracked over his mouth. Little white teeth sparkled and a laugh bubbled out of him when Delani wrinkled her nose and made a face at the boy.

“Iuen,” Pherra provided and the child’s gaze snapped to her at the sound of his name.

“Well met, Master Iuen,” Delani said with an exaggerated bow, neither knowing nor caring if she was doing it right. Her theatrics earned her another laugh from the boy, who then demanded Pherra to set him down.

As Iuen wobbled over to Delani, she acknowledged the little girl still hiding behind Pherra’s skirts, clutching the fabric tightly as she peered around her mother’s thigh to steal a glimpse at Delani before hiding again.

Smiling softly, Delani nodded in the girl’s direction and asked, “And the little lady?”

Pherra’s hand went to the girl’s head where she stroked her hair without forcing her to come out of hiding. “My daughter, Aelia.”

She squatted down so that she was more level with Iuen and smiled at the boy. Delani felt his fine hair and, at his responding grin, she felt warmth spread through her chest until it had all but consumed her. Just like that she was ensnared by his charms, a slave to that smile. He was a little lord indeed.

To Iuen she asked, “Could you bring me those blocks, Master Iuen?” and gestured to the stacked cubes in the corner of the room next to a box marked “Toys.”

“Blocks!” Iuen shouted, delighted that they were about to play a game.

As Iuen busied himself with picking up a block and bringing it over to Delani one by one, Delani eased onto her backside and peered up at Pherra. Offering the woman a friendly smile she stated, “I’d like to stay a while, if it’s all the same to you.”

Looking suddenly uncomfortable with Delani’s presence, Pherra tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and pressed her lips together into a disapproving line. “Lady Trevelyan and Commander Cullen requested that I watch Iuen. I mean no offense, Miss Lavellan, but I don’t know you well enough to leave you with him.”

“Delani,” she corrected again before clarifying her meaning. “I’m not suggesting that you leave me alone with him, Pherra; only that we watch him together.”

Surprise took her expression and Pherra gave her a doubtful look. “You’ve experience with children?”

She nodded, her answer interrupted by a laugh when Iuen had all of the blocks finally moved in front of Delani and plopped down so that he could start stacking them. Delani picked a block up off the ground and handed it to Iuen who took the block and shouted, “I give block!” before holding it out for her to take again.

“Even a Dalish Hunt Master has to spend time watching the children every now and again.”

“So you have no children of your own?”

Delani shook her head. “Much to my mother’s disappointment.”

The silence that joined them was interrupted by Iuen talking to himself as he placed one block on top of the other until he had a tower to knock over. Pherra considered for a minute before relenting with a sigh and nodding her agreement.

Pleased to have her approval, Delani smiled and said, “Iuen and I are going to build a castle.” Raising her voice a decibel, she added, “If Aelia would like to be the princess of our castle, she is more than welcome to join us.”

Pherra smiled when her daughter hid further behind her. There was approval in her hazel eyes as she moved to join Delani and Iuen on the floor, forcing her daughter out into the open who immediately huddled to Pherra’s side.

Delani noticed the round shape of Aelia’s ears and tilted her head a bit. Her father was human. Curiosity got the better of her and she spoke before she could think to carefully phrase her question. “Is her father with the Inquisition as well?”

The other woman’s expression tightened and her hazel eyes hardened. The topic of Aelia’s father was not up for discussion, least of all with Delani.

“Or we can just focus on building our castle,” Delani suggested, hoping to banish the awkwardness that had joined them.

Glad as she was that Iuen had taken right to her, Delani knew that it would take longer for Aelia to come out of her shell. Whatever Pherra’s little family had been through before joining the Inquisition hadn’t yet been forgotten. Yet Delani was determined to hear the little girl’s laugh join Iuen’s as they played.

All it had taken was meeting the boy for Delani to forget why she’d come in the first place. Whatever she needed to say to Tanwen could wait until they were done. For now all Delani cared about was seeing his smile and hearing his laugh.

~//~

“Lady Tanwen?”

Both adults’ heads snapped to the side at the sound of a heavy knock on the door at the bottom of the stairs, then a loud creak as it opened slowly. Tanwen felt like groaning.  She didn’t want to go through with this meeting, but knew that it would have happened eventually.

“Talk to Leliana.  See if she knows anything about what James has been up to these last couple years.  His sudden, unexplained arrival is rather suspicious and, after what you told me earlier about the trip from Jader, I really don’t think that it’s Iuen and I that he’s truly after. But we need proof. If he is making a grab for power, then I want him gone. We don’t need that kind of conflict in the Inquisition.”

Cullen stared at her for another moment before both stood.  Tanwen moved towards her desk and leaned against the edge while Cullen made his way to the stairs, meeting James at the top of the stairs to their room. She watched Cullen give a respective bow of his head before hurrying down the stairs.  While James watched her Commander hurry down the stairs, Tanwen quickly made sure her hair wasn’t messy and her clothes were straight, before the other man turned his gaze towards her and raised an eyebrow, as if expecting an explanation as to why Cullen had been in her quarters. She didn’t do it to look nice for James; She didn’t want him asking too many personal questions pertaining to her disheveled look.

‘Maker, give me strength.’ Tanwen crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a cool look. “How have you been, James?  It’s been almost three years.”

He gave her a bright smile that, in the past, would have and had caught her attention.  Now, after seeing Cullen’s, there was no comparison.  She could see his for how fake it truly was. ‘Definitely up to something.’ She thought to herself.  His approach was slow and casual, a bottle of the Inquisition’s best wine in one hand, two goblets in the other.

“I’m sorry for the pewter goblets, this was the best the kitchens had.”  Tanwen clenched her hidden hands at his words. He was from a rich family, used to crystal glasses and fine wines, but this was the Inquisition.  This was her family, and he had insulted it with his words and tone.

“Then you should have brought your own.”

He didn’t seem to notice the defense in her voice, or didn’t care how his words upset her.  “I have missed you, my dear.  I have thought of little else than you. You bewitched me with your beauty and your grace all those years ago. Just as you are doing now.”

Tanwen scoffed. “As my friend Cassandra likes to say, ‘Bullshit.’ I have never been a lady who wears frilly dresses and fine silks. Even back then, I wore nice tunics and breeches.  I was a warrior then like I am now. You never approved of my training in swordplay with the Templars. Also, if you missed me as you claim, thought of little else, why did you never return, hmm? After we had sex, you hightailed it and ran back to your tad in Markham.”

His lips thinned as he poured wine in both goblets, handing one to her.  Tanwen nodded her head but simply held the cup as she stared him down. She didn’t know him anymore, didn’t trust him, so she was drinking nothing he handed to her. “You’ve grown more confident, my Lady. It is very becoming.”

“Quit your petty compliments and answer my questions.” James gave a dramatic sigh and turned towards the darkened fireplace across from her bed. Pherra would likely be arriving within the hour to light the fireplace for the night, and she would rather James not set his sights on the other woman.  Tanwen knew he would think that he could get something out of her that she did not wish to give.

“I can see how much you have changed in a short time. Confidence rolls off you in waves.  You are thinner than before, but you are still beautiful to me.” She bristled.  She wanted no one but Cullen to call her beautiful in such a way. When Cullen said it, it was with desire in his eyes and it caused her heart fluttered and her desires to quicken.  When James said it in the same way, she felt as cold as she had while making her way through knee-high snow from Haven until she caught up with the surviving Inquisition members

“Why didn’t you come back? You broke the marriage contract that our father’s signed. I sent you missive after missive after Iuen was born, and yet you still remained absent.” Tanwen stood and set her goblet down, the liquid within untouched, feeling anger flowing through her steadily as she walked towards James. “And now, just because you suddenly want to be part of our lives, you think that I will just let you?  No.  I gave you ample time to return before.  When you didn’t return by the time Summerday arrived, the contract became null and void. We held a feast to celebrate the holiday, I kept my dowry, and any trade agreements or business arrangements between our fathers was cancelled. I have moved on, James.  You should do so as well.”

He looked at her with a look that rivaled her own when he first arrived. James finished his goblet of wine and set the empty cup on the mantle before turning towards her. When he stood before her, he clasped her hands in his and held them over his heart. “How can I, when I still have feelings for you?  How can I when you have given me an heir?  My father has passed, Lady Tanwen.  You know that that means I need Iuen to live with me and learn the ways of ruling Markham.  I want you both to come with me so we can be a family.”

Tanwen ripped her hands from his and stood taller.  He might have almost a head over her in height, but she was the leader of the Inquisition.  She would not be cowed by someone such as James. Even if he was a lord in the Free Marches.  “You should have thought about that two and a half years ago. You have had more than ample time to sow your oats within other fields, as I am sure you have done.”

“You’re wrong,” he shook his head, closing the distance between them again to wrap his arms about her waist. She struggled slightly, but James held strong. “It has only been you.  And now it will be you and Iuen. The boy is smart as a whip for his young age, smart like his mother. He’s turning out to be as handsome as his father as well! I just want you both back in my life, and I think you do as well. Can’t you feel the attraction that still sparks between us? I do.”

She felt nothing but revulsion for the man with his arms around her, and she was about to tell him as much when he bent his head down and crashed his lips upon her own. With her mouth open to speak, he took that as acceptance and thrust his tongue past her lips.  She felt sick - his kiss was too wet, his lips too soft and her mind began screaming ‘WRONG!! ’.

Tanwen bit his tongue and when he pulled back with a curse, she pushed him back with half of her strength, sending the weaker man stumbling back.  When he straightened, a trickle of blood was moving down from the corner of his mouth and he looked shocked.  At first. After he recovered from the surprise, a dark grin formed followed by an equally dark chuckle deep in his chest.

“You’re powerful for a woman, Tanwen. Even more so than before and I like it!  But you aren’t stronger than I am.”  

She watched him hunch down and launch himself at her, as if to catch her off guard.  But she was ready and easily sidestepped him a moment before he would have made contact.

James tumbled but recovered. “Just give in, Tanwen. You were promiscuous back then and I doubt that has changed. You’ve probably been with half the men in your garrison downstairs by now, why are you fighting your desire for me? Not that I am complaining.  I am rather enjoying this.  The more you avoid me, the more I want you. The more I want to sink my cock into your giving heat over and over until you scream my name. I was gentle with you before, more caring, but that was because I was courting you. Except for the sex. That was just how I like it - and you were very accepting. I don’t have to court you now, but I will so that I can show you the benefits of having a lord for a husband.”

When he attacked again, Tanwen caught him by the shoulder, hooking her elbow under his armpit, and whirled him in an arch, slamming him to the stone floor beneath them. She didn’t want to permanently injure him, so she still used little of her strength.  He looked up at her with shock filled desire. “By the Maker!  How could I ever have left you if I knew you were this strong?”

James grabbed her arm tight to pull her down to attempt another kiss, but Tanwen pulled away easily and stared down at him with murder in her eyes. “Don’t you EVER touch me like that again, you pig. I am the Inquisitor, a woman high above your station, a woman spoken for and you have NO right to touch me in such a way.”

When he rose again, Tanwen thought she heard the door downstairs open, which distracted her.  The next thing she knew, James was pushing her up against the wall next to the hearth, thrusting one of his knees between her legs to pin her there and wrapped a large hand around her neck to hold her against the hard stone. Tanwen instantly wrapped her own hands around his wrist, squeezing as tight as she could, but the man before her didn’t seem to feel it.

Before she could try to call out to whoever was ascending the stairs to her and Cullen’s room past his hand squeezing her larynx, James was shoving his tongue down her throat once more. Tanwen struggled, but from the position he had her in and the growing lack of oxygen, she couldn’t gain any leverage or means of forcing him off of her because her strength was waning.  When James pulled back once more, he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “When I put another babe in your belly, then you will have to marry me. You wouldn’t want the scandal of having another child out of wedlock, would you? Inquisitor. ”

Tanwen was going to be sick.  He was planning on… no.  She would never let that happen.  She was about to use all of her strength to pull away and beat him to a bloody pulp, when the sound of a loud growl echoed about her room.

“Get your hands off of her!” A male voice shouted before James was ripped off of her and Tanwen collapsed to the ground, coughing and forcing air back into her lungs.  When she looked up, Cullen had returned and had James on the ground and was pulling back a closed fist to punch him in the face. Once, twice, three times was all it took to knock the not-so-nobleman out.

Tanwen heaved for breath from the unexpected effort of slinging a thirteen stone male over her shoulder then almost having the life choked out of her. Again.

As she stared over at the unconscious male, she heard hurried footsteps from below. Tanwen watched as Delani and Pherra, carrying Iuen and Aelia crested the staircase and stopped in shock.

Cullen made sure that James would not be getting up for a time before moving over to Tanwen to help her stand once more and wrapped her in his strong, capable arms.  “Are you alright? What did he do to you?”

“He attacked and kissed me without my permission, as I’m sure you saw when you pulled him off of me.” Tanwen looked up at Cullen. She didn’t want him to worry by giving him more details, but she also didn’t want to lie to him.  His dark blond brows were high on his forehead in surprise.

‘No more secrets.’

Her own words from all those months ago echoed through her mind. “He... may have also implied that I was sleeping with the men in the garrison and that I was still loose and easy and that I would willingly welcome him back into my bed.  I simply showed him how wrong he was.  He has an even more violent appetite in bed than I realized. He also said that he was going to...put a babe in my belly so that I would have to marry him. He was going to… he was planning to… because I would never allow him near me that way...”

Cullen pulled away as his head shot back down to cast an angry look at the man at their feet.  Tanwen could see his body shaking as he attempted to keep from causing even more bodily harm than a simple broken nose. She cupped his jaw opposite her to turn his head back towards her to calm him, feeling his chest heaving in anger.  “It’s okay, Cullen. I’m fine.  You know I’ve been hurt worse than that. You don’t have to worry about him attacking me again.  I won’t allow it to happen again.  I didn’t even want it to happen the first time.”

“I know, but that isn’t all of what I’m worried about. You may be the Inquisitor and above such titles, but he is still a Lord of the Free Marches ton, and is allowed a certain amount of respect, even from you. What if he tries to press charges? It’s your word against his as to whether it was an attack or not and some courts might take his word over yours - male over female.”

She frowned slightly at his words. “Cullen, I am not some lowly lady whose word can’t hold a candle to that of a mighty Lords.  I am the leader of the Inquisition.  The only person I answer to is the Maker and the Divine in matters of the court.  They will take my word over his, I am sure. I even have the Empress of Orlais on my side. If he were to try something because of my treatment of him in defense of myself from his attack, or even something against you for protecting me, there will be no rock he can hide under that I cannot find him. I have Josie and Leliana on my side as well.  They could both ruin him, if they had a mind to.”

Cullen turned back to the man on the floor, causing Tanwen’s hand on his chin to drop back to her side. “I talked to Leliana while you were in your ‘meeting’ and she has already sent scouts to find out more about what James has been up to. In the meantime, what would you have me do with him now? He attacked the leader of the Inquisition.  Would you have me put him in the dungeon?” Tanwen could hear the eagerness in his voice at the idea of clapping the nobleman in irons and leaving him in the dungeon to rot.  She had to admit that the idea had its appeal.

Tanwen sighed and looked at the man below as well. Part of her wanted to keep peace between the Inquisition and the Lord of Markham, not only for the Inquisition’s sake, but also for Josephine’s.  If she threw him in her dungeon, while she had a feeling Josie would approve, she wouldn’t be happy with it completely because of the possible political backlash James could cause. Josephine would be upset enough with her that they had injured him. Peace would mean that he would have to stay out of the dungeons.

Tanwen sighed and turned towards the stairs with Cullen beside her, smiling when she saw Delani and Iuen walk forward. Iuen reached out for her and Delani lifted her son so that Tanwen could pick him up before the younger elf moved back towards Pherra. Tanwen nuzzled Iuen’s cheek affectionately. “No.  Have some men take him back to his room, then have the surgeon go to his room and tend to his wounds. He didn’t do anything threatening or harmful to the Inquisition.  But if he tries it again, there will be  consequences.”

Cullen turned to face Tanwen when the others left their room. “You scared me, Tan.  I heard a commotion from outside Iuen’s room after I spoke with Leliana and hurried to our room to help. I’m glad that I was able to get here in time before he severely injured you. You are the strongest woman I know and that, given time, you would have handled him on your own, but the thought of him putting his hands on you in any fashion… A rage like I’ve never known overcame me and I became uncontrolable of my own actions.”

Her heart warmed at his words.   Her protector . “Thank you, Cullen.”

Cullen wrapped an arm around Tanwen’s shoulders and placed a kiss on her temple. “I’ll always protect you, love.”

Tanwen chuckled.

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 22: The Arrival

Summary:

Cullen's plans have finally come to fruition and it's time to escort Tanwen's family to Skyhold. But the trip was more than he bargained for.

Notes:

Just so that you know, I headcannon that Theodsian pregnancies past 10-11 months instead of our 9. Just in case you were unsure :)

~ 1 week earlier ~  

Cullen had never quite experienced this combination of excitement, nervousness and anxiousness. He, along with half a dozen Inquisition soldiers, were making their way towards Jader to retrieve the Inquisitor’s family from where their ship landed. It was taking longer than planned because a sudden spring snow storm came up from out of nowhere and bogged them down for two days in its intensity. He wanted to make a good first impression for her parents and nature was battling him fiercely.

On the third day, he and his soldiers finally made it to the gates outside the port town and the men set up camp as steely clouds gathered above them while Cullen went to the only inn within the port city.

He stood before the heavy wooden door, staring at it and swallowed heavily, feeling his nervousness slide down his throat and settle in his stomach like a lead weight. Tanwen never went into any description about what her parents looked like - how would he know?  When he had written to her parents, they hadn’t really discussed what they would do to identify each other, so he hoped he looked enough of the part of Commander that they would come to him.

With a long exhale, Cullen straightened his coat and cloak, then pushed on the door and entered the cozy great room as the clouds above released their contents upon the people of the fishing village.

Inside the room, about the size of Tanwen- his and Tanwen’s room, there was tables with chairs scattered about with a portly woman, with frizzing grey hair trailing down her back, was bustling about serving those who had chosen to stay here for the night or just to get out of the storm they saw coming.  Along one wall was a massive stone hearth that warmed the entire room.  On the opposite wall, was an older man standing behind a table that had stools under it, a large book open and on top of a stand, and three giant kegs behind it.  Next to the ale kegs were shelves of a various and sundry of bottles, likely that of a heftier brew than simple ale.

A massive chandelier made of ram horns hung from the ceiling, lending light to that given off by the fireplace. On the opposite side of the door, there was a second floor with a balcony that looked out over the rest of the room that likely led off to rooms, directly over another set of rooms on the first floor. He hadn’t seen an inn of it’s like in many years - since leaving for Kirkwall from Kinloch hold.

“May I help you, Ser?”  

Cullen’s head snapped to the side at being addressed. Before him stood the older woman he had seen hurrying from table to table.  She handed him a tankard of drink, likely to help warm himself, but he graciously declined.

“I thank you, my lady, but I am here to inquire about a group of guests that might have arrived here within the last few days.”

“Aye?  And what would their names be?” She asked as she moved towards the book on the table.

“Trevelyan, madam.” Cullen walked up next to her as she looked at the book, dragging her finger down a list of names in the large tome. When it stopped next to an elegantly written line, likely by the Bann himself, she looked to Cullen and smiled.

“Were they a fancy lot? With a smart coat of arms on the armor of their men?”  Cullen nodded and smiled, noticing the woman’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She hastily cleared her throat and smiled again before gently pushing past him to look over the patrons in the room.  When her head turned towards the eating area under the second floor balcony, she turned back to him.  “There they are, ser.  At the long table in the back.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

“Will you be needing a room, ser?”

Cullen shook his head. “No, I am camping with my men outside the city.  But I thank you.”

He took a moment to run his fingers through his hair and straighten his coat and cloak again, before moving towards where the woman had indicated.  When he approached the table, there was an older man with grey hair at his temples sitting at the head of the table. That must be her father.  Immediately, Cullen moved to the end of the table where he could address the nobleman from a proper distance.

“My Lord Trevelyan?” Cullen saluted him by placing a closed fist over his racing heart and bending slightly at the waist as was proper, only looking up when he heard Tanwen’s father acknowledge him.

“That is who I am.  Might I ask who you are, young man?”

Cullen straightened and stood tall and proud despite his shaking hands.  “I am Cullen Rutherford, my lord.  Commander of the Inquisition’s army and war advisor to your daughter, our Inquisitor, Tanwen Trevelyan.”

He heard a gasp come from his right. When Cullen looked, he saw an older woman with flame red hair and streaks of grey with the same heart-shaped face as Tanwen. The likeliness made his chest ache for his love. “My Lady Trevelyan. My Lord Trevelyan, it is an honor to meet you both.  I apologize for my tardiness.  My men and I got caught on the side of the mountain in an early spring snowstorm as we traveled to Jader. We left as soon as I received your letter saying that you were here.”  Cullen bowed again in deference.  He clenched his hands around the pommel of his sword to keep their shaking from being too noticeable.

“It’s quite alright, Ser Rutherford. Please, sit.  We were just having our evening meal.” When Cullen looked up, he saw Lord Trevelyan wave his hand at the chair before him.  Cullen accepted it with a nod and sat.

“Thank you, my lord.” When he looked up, it was to scan the table from right to left. To his right was Tanwen’s mother, Lady Trevelyan.  She was a timeless beauty, her face unlined except for laugh lines around her eyes and cheeks. Tanwen definitely favored her mother, not just in her heart-shaped face, but also her high cheekbones and willowy neck.  Even their smiles were the same, he noticed when she graced him with one of her own, seeing similar dimples.  

Her father, however, only shared one thing. His eyes were a dark piercing blue, just like Tanwen’s.  His dark hair may have gone grey with age, but his strong square jaw and wide shoulders lent him an imposing figure that had likely helped him rule Ostwick for as long as he had.

They must have seen him studying the group, because as he moved to the next person, Lady Trevelyan gave introductions. “Ser Rutherford, this is our youngest son, Arryn Trevelyan. He was a Templar, with his older brother Rhys, until recently when they both escaped the Ostwick Circle after it fell to mage rebellion. They had a cousin in the circle as well, the Knight-Captain, but we have not heard of what happened to poor, sweet Merrin.”

Cullen’s gaze focused on the Templar, his attention instantly drawn by the fall of another circle and a survivor.  “Has it really? Tanw- Inquisitor Trevelyan will be most upset by the news.  How did it happen? When?”

Arryn shrugged in his leathers.  Cullen could see Templar insignia embossed on pieces of his armor like he himself had on his vambraces. “It feels like ages have passed, but it hasn’t even been a year. I’m not sure why nothing has reached the Inquisition. Perhaps it is because everyone assumed that the circle fell when the College of Magi was dissolved?” He turned to his mother. “You said nothing to Tanwen about it?”

Lady Illios shook her head. “It never came up in our few letters and since you and your brother were safe, I didn’t feel the need to concern her with it. She has so much on her plate as it is, with her being the Inquisitor.  Nations are looking to her for advice. With her spymaster, one would assume that she would already know if a circle fell after all of the others.”

Arryn sighed and turned back to Cullen. “None of our charges really gave any indication they truly felt oppressed.  There were Templars, at times, that would treat them poorly, but Knight-Commander Johnnes, along with his second-in-command and our cousin, Merrin, explained how harmony was kept in the circle and they could either change or transfer to another circle.  Some stayed and changed their ways, others left because they saw mages as less than human.

“When The Gallows fell, some mages that managed to flee the chaos made it to our circle.  They were angry… violent…” Arryn frowned.  “Their leader - I can’t recall his name now - he silently sewed discontent within the mages who had grown up in the circle at Ostwick over the course of a few short months.  Mages that we had seen grow up, become friends with, cared for, were now looking at us with distrust and side-glances of anger and hatred.  We never found out what they had been told by the new mages because everyone was so tightlipped due to their sudden lack of trust.”

Arryn cleared his throat after a pause to regain his composure. “When the tower fell, Rhys, myself and a handful of other Templars gathered the youngest of the mages, those who had yet to complete their harrowing, and what senior enchanters were still supportive of the Templars and how things had been run, and we secretly stole away into the maze where the phylacteries were kept.  We wanted to take Merrin as well, but the first Templars that died during the overtaking had been Knight-Commander Johnnes and some of the higher ranking Knights and we feared she had been taken as well, if not killed. As we ran around finding people, we never found her body, so we remained hopeful.

“We were all stuck down there for a week or two, I believe.  Luckily for us, there was a food store down there since it was always cold.  We knew the food wouldn’t last, so one day Rhys and I decided it was time to go, so we went out ahead of everyone else we had gathered to see what had happened to our home as we began our escape.”

“What you saw was the thing of nightmares, wasn’t it?” Cullen murmured, interrupting Tanwen’s brother.  He bowed his head in apology, to which Arryn simply raised his hand.

“Nightmares of the worst quality, and I’d rather not go into detail, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.  I was a Templar once as well.  My first circle was Kinloch Hold in Ferelden.” Cullen watched Arryn’s eyes grow wide.  “So you need not worry about me asking details of your circle’s fall if you do not ask me of mine.”

Arryn nodded in acceptance. “Me, my brother and those we protected, all escaped with Merrin’s help.  She was still alive after so long, though definitely looking worse for ware.  As we passed her before she followed us out, she was fighting the mage. When we reached the front door of the Circle, I saw her put an arrow between his eyes. From a distance, I saw that she was clutching her stomach and that her armor had been pierced. We offered to help, but she told all of us to run, and with Knight-Commander Johnnes dead, that made Merrin our Commander and we had to follow her orders.

“Rhy and I made it home in one piece with the mages in tow.   By the time we had arranged circles for them to go to that still stood, news of the end of the war had finally reached our corner of the Free Marches.  By then, the lack of lyrium had already begun affecting us.”

Cullen nodded in understanding.  “I have been through what you and your brother have experienced.”

“Does it get easier?  We went through a fever we never thought would break.  Our bodies hurt and shake all the time.  And the thirst for lyrium…”

“You have gone through the hardest part, but it won’t get easier quickly.  I have been battling for almost two years and I still feel the effects more than I’d like.  Though I have improved greatly because of the Inquisitor’s help, support and friendship.”

“Friendship?  With commoners?  That seems very unbecoming of a lady.” Cullen turned to the man who spoke.  He was sitting next to Arryn, but didn’t look of familial relations to Tanwen.

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

The immaculately dressed male became incensed at Cullen’s words, lifting his perfect nose in the air to sniff, scrunching it as if he smelled something truly foul.  The other man reached up and straightened his jacket under his cloak, sitting up straighter and taller.  

“I’m sorry, Commander Cullen.” Lady Illios spoke up, moving a hand in greeting from one man to the other. “This is Lord James of Markham. He’s…”

“The Inquisitor’s fiancée.” Cullen felt his insides go cold and stiff.  This was the man who had been engaged to be wed to Tanwen.  The man who had impregnated her then left her before being an honorable man and wedding the woman he had created a child with.

James eyed Cullen at his reaction. “Yes, well, you seem informed about the Lady Trevelyan’s past.”

“I am on her council of advisors. If she didn’t tell us outright, our spymaster informed us of things that might influence or harm the Inquisition in our goals.”  Ilios placed her hand gently on his vambrace to draw his attention from the nobleman. He heard the man huff at his lack of apology and Cullen smiled at the woman before him.

“Please, I wish to hear of my daughter.  Is she well?  Of the letters we have exchanged, little has actually been said of her wellbeing. I know she keeps information from her mother for my own good, as I do her, but I wish to know the truth. Particularly if any nobleman has caught her interest during her travels.”

Cullen nodded. “All is well, my lady. The Inquisitor is a busy woman, but she is well indeed. Her determination to see the Tevinter Magister defeated is matched by few. All because she wants to make the world safe for everyone, primarily her son.”

“But is she happy with the life she has created for herself?”

“I believe so, my lady.  She has not given any indication to say otherwise.”

“I cannot believe she would find happiness amongst savages.  But my surprise arrival will resolve her misery.”

“I assure you, my lord.  She is quite happy as she is.” Cullen did all he could not to clench his hands or show any reaction that might give away anything more than a friend concerned for another.  James simply waved him off and turned to her father.

“I believe that we should leave for Skyhold on the morn.  The sooner we arrive at the castle, the better.  I’ve had enough of all this rain since we left Kirkwall. How far from the keep are we, Commander?”

“When my men and I rode through, a heavy storm was sitting over the road between Jader and Skyhold.  It could take two days or more to return. Unless the Maker grants us good weather, then only a day or so.” James sighed at Cullen’s reply.

“Very well.” He stood, showing Cullen how much taller than him the noble was. When he stretched, his cape drew back over his shoulders and revealed a tight doublet pulling from his breeches. James seemed to be in better physical and mental shape than he was - on top of being a nobleman - he was a near perfect match for the woman he loved more than life itself. Perfect white teeth, a dashing smile. Cullen hated him immediately, but then kicked himself for it. “I am going to turn in for the night so that we may start early in the morning and hopefully leave during a good window in the storm.”

Everyone at the table watched the other man move down the hall towards the back where their suite of rooms lay. Cullen watched him until he disappeared, finally breathing when he was gone.

“Don’t mind him, Commander. I know my daughter - she has set her heart on you and it will not be swayed.  James lost her trust when he abandoned her before their wedding.” Lady Trevelyan smiled at him gently, a look he recognized because he had seen it several times from Tanwen.

“Thank you, my lady. I must ask: Where is Iuen?”

Lady Trevelyan smiled again. “He is asleep in our bed.  The journey has been trying on him since he has traveled little in his short life.  But I know that he is eager to see his mam again.  He has talked of little else when I mentioned coming to Ferelden to see her again.”

Cullen felt his chest warm at the thought that he had been the one to bring this to being. He couldn’t wait to see Tanwen’s glowing face when she saw her son again.

~//~

The next day was far from ideal in temperament and weather.

When Cullen woke before dawn, the storm that they had encountered on the mountain had made its way down to the valley and over the bay, sending down driving rain and sleet and Cullen knew that they were going nowhere this day.

After spending time with his men to insure they were well in this horrid weather, Cullen left the encampment to go to the inn. Inside, he was greeted by Lord Owain, Lady Ilios, and little Iuen.

Cullen spent a large portion of the rainy day visiting with her family, getting to know them and telling them about himself in return. He was grateful when they did not ask him about Kinloch Hold or the Gallows in Kirkwall, but was more than willing to talk of his siblings and the life he had had since joining the Inquisition.

Tanwen’s son was an amazing little boy.  So smart for being two years old, he spoke with Cullen in nearly complete sentences and was so friendly. He reminded him of Tanwen so much he couldn’t wait to escort them all back to Skyhold.

The child brought story books for Cullen to read to him and wooden toy soldiers to play with, all while sitting in his lap. When he was summoned to the camp for business, Iuen insisted on following him despite his grandparents wishes that he stay inside. So instead, the Lord and Lady Trevelyan, along with Arryn, joined him outside with Iuen during a short break in the storm as Cullen read reports from Skyhold and from Tanwen.

Iuen watched intently as he gave lessons to Benjamin as well. Cullen was quite proud of the older boy and how much he had progressed in such a short amount of time.  Benjamin was becoming quite the proficient page, though he hadn’t real need for one. He could tell that the boy was eager to prove himself so that he could move up in the world.

The next day dawned clear and blue with only a hint of the storm from the day before on the horizon of the sea, beyond the muddy roads.  As they climbed further into the mountains, they had to slow down often because the carriage would get stuck in one mud hole or another. Several times, they were commanded to stop so that James could rest.  Every time this happened, Cullen rolled his eyes, earning a chuckle from Tanwen’s mother and brother, and a slight twitch of his lips from her father, showing his approval.

Once, while James slumbered, snoring loudly against a far window, Lady Ilios summoned Cullen to the side of the carriage and he pulled back on his reins so that he could ride as close as he could.

“Tell me of your relationship with Tanwen, Commander. I know that you are close, you and my daughter, but I didn’t want to say anything while James was awake.”

“She is an amazing woman, Lady Ilios. I thank the Maker everyday for blessing me with that which I have done naught to deserve. I… I love her, madam. I do not deserve her, but I will do everything in my power to make her happy until the day I die.” Cullen murmured sincerely. He turned to Tanwen’s father. “I know that I have not known you long, my Lord.  But your daughter means more to me than all of Thedas. I have no lands and no title beyond Commander of the Inquisition’s armies, but she chose me to be in her life regardless. If it would please you, ser and madam, I would wish to ask you for her hand in marriage. I want to wait for the time to be right, but wanted to ask your permission first.”

“And just when would the time be right, Commander?” Cullen shivered at his orotund voice.  “We know little of what has been going on on the other side of the Waking Sea.  Who is this Tevinter Magister who threatens the safety of Thedas? The thing that threatens the Chantry and everything and everyone tied to it, threatens the Maker’s faithful? How do you know his claims are true?”

“To be honest, my lord? He is a monstrous creature that gives off an air of being ancient in mind and body. He has a following of massive proportions that expands daily. Recently, however, Tanwen thwarted his attempts to use the Grey Warden mages to create a demon army from the Fade. I know it seems fantastic, but I swear to the Maker, as a former Templar and a man of faith, that what I tell you is true.

“As for when the time will be right? I hope that it will be soon, but I want to be able to give her the ceremony of her dreams. I cannot say for sure when, because there is much yet to do still to defeat Corypheus and I have a feeling that it will only escalate as the days go on. I leave it to her as to the when.  I would wait forever if that was what she wanted. All I want is for her to be in my life.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Cullen thought he saw Tanwen’s mother clutch her chest and smile, but he was focused on Tanwen’s father, not breaking eye contact to show him just how serious he was. They remained as such for several moments before he gave Cullen the same small smile from before and a nod of his head. When Ilios clapped with happiness, James woke with a start and looked around.  When he saw Cullen riding along-side the carriage, he jostled the carriage around as he switched with Tanwen’s mother, who started playing with Iuen.

Cullen had a bad feeling from the moment James opened his mouth. “So tell me, Commander. Has Tanwen been seen courting any of the nobles I’m sure have been visiting the Inquisition? I suppose it doesn’t matter.  All of those notes she sent me after my son was born were of her begging my return because she missed me so. How our one night together was magical and passionate.” James leaned closer to Cullen so he could speak quieter and still be heard. “Her sexual appetite was insatiable, you know. Enjoying every moment I held her down and pounded into her, asking for it to be harder, faster.  Have you ever been with a woman like that?”

He looked at Cullen as he rode next to the carriage. “Being with the Chantry from a young age, probably not. Let me tell you: Never have I been with someone so...giving.”

Cullen rode next to the carriage as James spoke and he could feel his hands clenching tighter and tighter around the leather reins in his hands.  For nearly an hour, the nobleman went on and on about the night he shared with Tanwen and how it was the best time he had ever had, yet making her out to being some kind of whore. The images he created with his narration caused Cullen’s stomach to turn unpleasantly, nearly leading to the evacuation of its contents while astride his horse. Cullen swallowed the bile threatening to rise in his throat.  He wanted to say something, anything, to put the man in his place for insulting the Inquisitor.

“Enough!” Cullen finally snapped.  “I will not hear you verbally demean and insult Tanwen in such a manner. She deserves naught but the utmost respect and admiration for everything that she has done for Thedas, whether you have heard of it or not. You will show her the proper respect, as you would expect from others. Your Lordship.” Cullen nodded to the man before riding to the front of the short line of soldiers and next to Benjamin.

Images of Tanwen and James naked, their bodies entwined in passion, assaulted his brain, overtaking his thoughts. He shuddered when those images turned more violent than bed play should ever be, in Cullen’s opinion, as James had described in detail.

They stopped for the night less than ten miles from New Haven, earlier than Cullen would have wanted, because of James again. He tried to explain to the man how close they were, that they could be there in a matter of hours, but he wouldn’t have it.  So Cullen and his men set up camp and started a fire. As they were all eating their evening meal, James stood with a goblet in hand, commanding everyone’s attention. Iuen ran over to Cullen’s side to sit as they both listened to him speak of support and his marriage to Tanwen. He sounded like a politician running for a position of higher power than that which he was born to. Cullen was quick to tune him out, lest he punch the man in his perfect teeth.

He turned to Iuen instead and leaned against the trunk of a tree, spending quite a while entertaining the child, which was a task he found himself enjoying.  He had never really spent much time with children of Iuen’s age. By the time the young magelings came to the towers he had been in, they were much older.

Several hours of playing later, Lord James already abed after his extensive toast, Iuen climbed up into Cullen’s lap and laid his head on the fur covering his shoulder. He yawned wide, showing a mouth full of tiny teeth, before nuzzling the fur mantle to get comfortable.  One of the boy’s little hands even reached up to grip at the strands as he fell asleep. Cullen froze as Iuen settled in for sleep, unsure as to what to do.  

He looked around quickly, but saw no one was coming to his rescue. So he wrapped his arms around the two year old and gently rocked him as Cullen remembered seeing his own mother do when Rosalie had been a babe. To further ensure the child slumbered, Cullen hummed a chantry hymn that his mother and father had sung to him and his siblings to lull them to sleep. He sighed happily when Iuen’s small body sagged in slumber.

It was oddly comforting and relaxing to have a child in his arms, depending on and trusting him to keep them safe. Cullen must have dozed a bit himself, because in a blink, Lady Ilios was standing before him, preparing to take Iuen from his arms to sleep in his own bed.

“My lady, I apologize.  I did not realize that I had dozed off.” Cullen sputtered fretted over his uniform as he stood. Lady Ilios chuckled.

“It’s alright, my boy.  It’s easy to do with this one. You needn’t worry so much about your appearance around me either.  I’ve found my children in worse states around our home. Especially Tanwen.”

“What was she like as a child, my lady?” Cullen followed the older woman as she sat down on a stool closer to her tent and he stood before her with his hands clasped over the pommel of his sword.

“Tanwen was a wild child growing up, only having her brothers around for a few short years before they went to join the Templars or even when they were given leave to come home. After they left, she wanted to be a warrior like them, so she took up swordplay with the guards.  She eventually bested them and decided she, too, would become a Templar.  

“She trained with them for years, slowly working her way to where she would be allowed to take her vows.  But she was never granted permission and I believe that was because of my husband. Particularly when the Lord of Markham, may the Maker bless his peace, decided to rein in his only son and have him marry Tanwen.” Lady Ilios sighed. “When Gowain and Saia announced they were expecting their second child, our eldest son held a party, like he had with his first born. Tanwen hadn’t stayed, stating she was exhausted from the day’s training and retired.  Hours later, and well into his cups, James went above-stairs.

“Tanwen calmed after that day.  At first, I thought it was because she had decided to make the most of her marriage to James.  But shortly after he disappeared, we found out that she was with child and the change in her began making sense.” She chuckled. “The things she found herself eating with this one was rather comical. Things she wouldn’t normally eat before, she was now craving the most. Particularly pickled herring.  We couldn’t keep enough of it in the estate.”

Cullen smiled at the affection the woman before him held for her daughter and was warmed by it. They were both silent for a time as they watched Iuen slumber against his grandmother’s bosom.

“Commander?” He focused on Lady Ilios once more at her summons. “Do you truly love my daughter? You asked for her hand in marriage, but do you truly plan to go through with it?”

Cullen nodded.  “I do, my lady. She means more to me than anything in this world or the next. Her happiness is mine. I’d marry her right now if she wished it.  I cannot imagine seeing myself with anyone else for the rest of my days. If she were to become pregnant with my child, the only way I would ever leave her side was if the Maker decided it was my time to go.” She hadn’t asked him the last part, but he could tell she thought about it. And he spoke the truth. He wasn’t one for mixed or pretty words, which was why The Grand Game was beyond him.

Tanwen’s mother grinned and stood, shifting the still sleeping Iuen to one hip to embrace Cullen. He froze, caught off guard by the hug by the Lady of Ostwick.  Realizing he hadn’t moved, he wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her an awkward hug. While in his embrace, Tanwen’s mother leaned up until she was on her tiptoes and next to his ear and whispered, “You have my approval and that of my husbands.”

He pulled back and looked at her with shock that turned to happiness. “Thank you, my Lady! I swear, you will not regret giving me this chance.”

“Come with me.” She smiled up at him before moving around Cullen towards her tent.  He stood outside the tent with Arryn while she and Iuen went inside.

Arryn leaned in. “I’m glad my sister chose you over that toad, James. He is a power hungry tyrant and will only cause my little sister pain. And not just emotional.”  Both men watched James pass by, looking smug, before disappearing behind a tree. “Cullen? May I call you that? Would it be alright if I ride next to you in the morning? I wish to get to know you better since you have been helping my sister in her endeavour.”

Both men watched James stiffen a moment as he passed by after relieving himself, before huffing and returned to his tent. When he was gone, both chuckled under their breaths. “I would be honored, Arryn.”

They engaged in light conversation until Lady Ilios re-emerged from the tent, sans Iuen, carrying a small wood and lacquer box. “This is a ring passed from mother to daughter for generations in my family through our intended.  And now it is my turn to pass it on to the man who wishes to marry my daughter with all his heart. I had planned on giving it to James to give to Tanwen, but something inside me told me not to, and I am glad that I listened. It would have been a mistake of astronomical proportions if I had not.”

She lifted the small box up to Cullen and he took it in hand. It was of fine make and weighed more than it looked. The size of his palm, the wood was lacquered dark with a delicate gold inlay on the lid and clasp holding it shut.  On the cover, it had a shield with a hare bounding around a stock of wheat. Lady Ilios’ familial coat of arms. As carefully as he could, he opened the clasp and lifted the lid.  Inside, held by fine burgundy velvet, was a surprisingly simple ring of ancient design.

A soft gold band wrapped around a large, rough cut sapphire, encasing it, crisscrossing over the top and around the bottom like a cage for a bird.  It was the same color as Tanwen’s eyes.

“My lady, this is beautiful.”

“And very old.  I wore it at my wedding as did my mother and grandmother before her. As the generations have gone on, we have begun keeping it in its box for safety for our children and grandchildren, substituting it for more sturdy jewelry.  This ring is purely symbolism now and I know she will keep it well.” Cullen nodded and placed the box protectively in a pocket behind his breastplate.

As they all went their separate ways for bed, Cullen remained awake for some time, thinking of various ways he could ask Tanwen to be his bride, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

But the smile didn’t last.

When Cullen woke the next morning, it was to horrible dreams of watching James and Tanwen from afar, forgotten in their wedded bliss, then watching them together in the throws of passion turned violent. James slapped her and choked her as he thrust into her, yet there was nothing that Cullen could do.  His body wouldn’t do as he commanded and move.  It felt as if he was attached to the ground with rusted iron shackles.

He woke panting and sweating, thinking his mood ruined for the rest of the day for sure. He was surprised, however when it was improved on when he was summoned to the side of the carriage and spent a time with Lady Ilios, asking more questions about him and his work within the Inquisition.

But like with most good things, it came to an end when he overheard James boasting to anyone who would listen as he rode next to Arryn.

“Don’t worry about him, Commander.  If Tanwen has come into her own like mother says, if her heart is truly yours as I believe, then she will have no tolerance for the man any longer.” Cullen appreciated Arryn’s words, but they did little to unsour his mood as the approached New Haven. “Not that she had much to begin with, from what I have heard. He claims to be her fiancée still, but he hasn’t been since he left her the one and only time.”

As they crested a ridge and Cullen saw New Haven in the distance, he sent a runner ahead to announce their approach.

“I didn’t realize that there was a village below the keep.  What is it called?”

“New Haven, Tanwen’s idea. We ran out of room quickly within the castle’s bailey, so those who chose to join the Inquisition started camping in the valley below and eventually, building homes. I think Tanwen chose to name it after the village called Haven in which we started the Inquisition. To honor those who died when Corypheus attacked the village. New Haven continues to grow daily.”

“That’s impressive for such a short amount of time. What do Orlais and Ferelden think of you residing on their borders?”  

Cullen just shrugged. “I deal with war and the training of our troops.  That is a question for our esteemed ambassador, Josephine Montilyet.”

In no time, the caravan was winding its way up the small mountain that held part of the gate, taking the switchbacks in stride due to the danger. He managed to exhale when the carriage joined them on the bridge and they began crossing. When they reached the portcullis, he looked through the raising iron gate and felt his pulse jump with excitement, quickly followed by nervousness.

Cullen hoped Tanwen liked his surprise.

~//~

“Josephine? Where’s Cullen?  No one seems to be able to tell me.” Tanwen crossed her arms and looked down at her friend as she sat writing a letter.  “And what is with all the hustle and bustle?  Are we expecting a King Alistair or Empress Celine?  It’s even more chaotic than normal.  And more clean.”

Josephine looked up and smiled at Tanwen from her high-back chair.  “Cullen has gone to retrieve some foreign dignitaries who have landed in Jader.  Now, I know he wouldn’t normally do such a thing, but he was requested specifically.”

Tanwen let her arms fall to her side.  “I see.  Why was he requested? When will he return to Skyhold? I’ve been back for a week.”

“I would say sometime tomorrow, weather permitting. I was told by Leliana that a large storm was assaulting the side of the mountain leading to Jader and he was likely waylaid both ways.”

“Who are these dignitaries?”

Tanwen watched Josephine’s smile tighten the barest amount.  “They are a group of Banns from several city-states in the Free Marches that wish to see the Inquisition before deciding if they wish to pledge gold or soldiers to our cause. Anyways, shouldn’t you be completing paperwork from your visit to the Dales?  You could show Lady Delani around the keep or New Haven since she has officially joined the Inquisition.”

“I already have.  She is with Blackwall right now.  They seem to have taken an instant liking to each other.” She countered.

“Very well.” Josephine seemed momentarily put out by the information, but continued.  “You will also have to work with Cassandra to train with the troops since Cullen isn’t here currently. Also, a baker has arrived and wishes to set up a small shop in New Haven.  I thought you might wish to welcome him and his family or even help them start building their storefront and home.”

Josephine’s earlier words finally sunk in about what Banns were to be arriving. “Wait a second, did you say…?”

Josephine rose from her chair and was next to Tanwen in the blink of an eye. “I have much to do, Inquisitor.  I must ask you to leave now.”

Tanwen was so caught off guard by Josephine’s change of attitude, that she let the other woman usher her out the door, pushing Tanwen out into the great hall.  She stumbled a moment at being unceremoniously ejected from Josephine’s office before she turned at the sound of the door slamming behind her and the lock being engaged.  

She frowned at the door.  What was it about these Marcher Banns that Josephine wouldn’t tell her?  Was it that her father would be here?  No, Owain was getting too old for traveling long distances.  Was it Gowain then?  Likely - but then why wouldn't Josephine simply tell her? Perhaps they weren’t attending because something had happened at the estate that was keeping them from coming? Memories from the fade assaulted her then and her heartbeat and breathing increased as images of Iuen injured, bleeding and talking about the estate being attacked flashed past her vision.

Surely Leliana had spies up in her home province and, Maker-forbid should anything happen, they would inform her at once. She hoped.

As she walked towards the training grounds, Tanwen was thankful that they were being visited by the Banns of the Free Marches and not Lords. She had had more than enough experience with the lofty nobility to last her a life time.  At least with Banns, she had better experiences with, since her father was one himself.

And why would Cullen, her army Commander, be escorting Banns from the Free Marches to Skyhold?  Was there hostilities between here and the coast that she didn’t know about?  Because she knew that he didn’t sail to Kirkwall to retrieve them.  He hated sea travel.

In the past, they had entertained nobles of every station.  She wasn’t positive, but she didn’t think he had escorted any of them to Skyhold.  Perhaps she should seek out Cullen’s sister, Mia.

When Tanwen found the older woman, the blonde was just as tightlipped and evasive as Josephine on Cullen’s mysterious journey.  Mia was even able to distract Tanwen for a while with a game of chess that ended with Tanwen tipping her king, losing by a pawn and a rook.

Giving up on her missing Commander for the time being, Tanwen went to her rooms for the evening to complete backlogged paperwork for resources and agents acquired in the Dales.

~//~

The next morning, Tanwen woke with a start at the sound of a knock on her door with a half-written reply stuck to her cheek that she had been writing the night before.  By the time the scout had arrived at the top of the stairs, the paper was on her desk and she was straightening her leather corset.

“Yes?”

The female scout smirked, trying her hardest not to chuckle. When Tanwen raised an eyebrow in question, the scout reached up to her own face with one hand to rub at her right cheek, obviously intending for Tanwen to do the same.  When she did, her hand pulled back with black ink smudged there and heat infused her cheeks at the sight.  Tanwen raised her chin and crossed her arms over her breasts, waiting for the scout to state her business.

The scout cleared her throat.  “My Lady Herald, Sister Leliana requested I inform you that the Commander has just reached the outskirts of New Haven and will be arriving back in Skyhold within the next hour.”

“Thank you.”

Tanwen felt her excitement rise as she hurried to gather the tan ensemble that she wore when she was newly arrived to Skyhold and when they received important guests then rushed down to the bathhouse, summoning Pherra in the process.  Tanwen made quick work of her bath and, with Pherra’s help braiding her hair, she was dressed once more and down in the lower courtyard of Skyhold’s bailey in time to see the portcullis begin raised as Cullen, followed shortly by Pherra’s son Benjamin, rode their horses across the bridge and under the gate.

Tanwen, Pherra and Aelia, who was clutching at her mother’s skirts, came to a stop at the bottom of the second set of stairs where Cullen had worked before moving to his tower.  The sound of heavy iron dragging along more iron grated and whined, the sound echoing off the walls of the bailey.  Beyond the rising gate, Cullen and Ben were passing through the gatehouse now, followed by a single four-horse drawn carriage with half a dozen men in front and a half dozen men behind. The dozen in front she recognized because of the Inquisition’s symbol emblazoned on their chest plates, but she couldn’t see the livery on the soldiers on the back to see who had requested Cullen’s escort.

When they were closer, Tanwen could see Cullen was troubled by something in the crease of his brow and the heavy turn of his lips.  She stood straighter, feet shoulders-width apart, hands clasped behind her back - she needed to make a good impression on these Banns for Josephine.  She could play the Game when she had to, but she normally left diplomacies to her Ambassador.

Cullen stopped his steed far enough inside the keep to make room for the carriage, horses, and the dozen guardsmen in light armor behind him within Skyholds walls, then dismounted and handed his reins to Ben after the boy got off of his own horse.  Why had so few guards gone with him? Why had so few joined?  Where were the standards for the families?  Tanwen had so many questions that she dearly hoped would be answered soon. Perhaps they arrived one at a time?

Her Commander looked up and, when he saw her, walked over to her with long strides and a small smile on his lips that didn’t reach his golden eyes.  When he reached her, he grasped her left hand and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles before moving to stand on Pherra’s other side like a sentry. She was about to ask him what was wrong, when sounds from the carriage drew her attention from his odd behavior.

When the door of the carriage opened, Tanwen walked closer, anxious to see if she knew the mysterious Bann exiting the carriage first, eager to greet them to Skyhold.  A tall man with wide shoulders and a heavy cloak with a fur mantle stepped out first. He kept his back to Tanwen as he reached back in with another hand.

“My Lord, I welcome you to Skyhold.  I - “ Tanwen stopped short when the man turned at her voice.  Dark hair waved to his shoulders with streaks of grey at his temples. Dark blue eyes that could see straight through you stared back at her with an angular jaw that always seemed permanently clenched. The man was dressed in Free Marcher noble fashion that fit exquisitely, leading down to a trim waist and scuffed leather boots.  His face seemed more wrinkled than before, but she knew this particular Bann well, and the memory of the last time she saw him ached.

“ Tad ?”

A woman in a forest green gown grasped her father’s outstretched hand and descended from the carriage. Straight hair of fiery red, streaked with grey, turned to Tanwen at the sound of her voice and she could feel tears prickling behind her eyelids when their eyes met, blue to brown.

“ Mam ?”

Owain turned back to his wife and carefully helped Illios fully from the carriage.  Small of stature, her mother gave off a sense of frailty.  But after bringing four rambunctious children into the world, and assisting in the care of a second generation of Trevelyans, she was far from it.  Her brown eyes sparkled and her high rosy cheeks glowed in her heart shaped face when she caught sight of Tanwen.  The younger woman quickly rushed forward, her mother meeting her halfway in a tight embrace.  They stayed like that for many moments and Tanwen inhaled her mother’s subtle, sweet, familiar scent, feeling calm and like she was back home in Ostwick once more.  After a time, Owain walked up behind Ilios and Tanwen and she moved to hug him as well.

“ Oh father, mother, how I have missed you !” Tanwen mumbled into her father’s jacket in her native tongue, pulling back to look from her father to her mother.

“ My darling daughter.  No words can express the joy of seeing you once more, knowing you are well in person. ” Hearing her mother reply in Ostwicker was something she thought she would never hear again.  Movement behind her parents caught her attention and when she looked behind them, it was to see Arryn standing there before the carriage door, his shoulder-length dark hair blowing majestically in the breeze blowing around the bailey in his light leather armor.

Tanwen squealed in excitement and hurried around her parents to jump into the outstretched arms of her older brother and best friend, uncaring of decorum.

Arryn caught her in midair and swung her around like she weighed nothing.  “ Surprise, little sister .” His deep, whispered voice sent a chill of longing through her.  Out of all her siblings, Arryn was the brother she had missed the most.  Being born closer together as they had been, a bond had been born between them as she grew up.

“What are you doing here, Arryn?” She asked, reverting to Ferelden’s dialect.

“The Ostwick circle has fallen.”

Tanwen’s eyes went wide.  “Why have I not heard of this? When? Where is Rhys?  What of our cousin, Merrin?”

Arryn sighed. “Last we saw her, she was standing over the dead body of the mage that instigated the fall, allowing Rhys and I to escape with a handful of others. She was injured from battle with the mage instigator, as well as torture, we think. I hope she made her way towards Kirkwall so that she could be somewhere safe. We wanted to bring her with us to Ostwick, but she commanded us to run. Rhys is back at home with Gowain, Saia and their bairn.  I chose to travel with Mother and Father because, well…”

“MAMA!”

Tanwen tensed, her eyes gone wide at the cry of a small boy in the direction of the carriage.  She pulled away from her brother slowly, as if in a trance, and felt herself begin shaking when she saw a toddler crawling out of the carriage backwards down the steps.  She walked around Arryn and moved two paces towards the vehicle before collapsing to her knees, ignorant to the mud that was covering her legs.  She heard rushed footsteps behind her in the earth before a body came to stand behind her, but she only had eyes for the child before her.

“Iuen…?”

When Iuen reached the ground, he ran to her as fast as his chubby little two year old legs could carry him, launching himself into his mam’s arms.  She felt her entire body shaking as she cushioned his landing to her breast and wrapped her arms around the boy as they nearly fell backward and on to her back.

This had to be a dream.  She had to be still in the Fade at Adamant, or maybe Imshael got his disgusting claws into her during the battle somehow and was making her see that which she desired most in the world.  Tanwen waited with Iuen hugging her for several moments to see if anything showed to be a clue to prove this wasn’t real.  When nothing came, tears she had been holding back since seeing her parents and her brother began falling.

“Iuen, my boy! My sweet boy!” She was sobbing now, she knew she was making a show, but she was holding her child in her arms and close to her heart after so long.  She could feel him in her arms.  Her wish had come true!

Tanwen felt a hand grip her shoulder and she turned her face away from Iuen to look up at the person and smiled when she saw it was Cullen.  “Cullen, I… did you do this?  Was this why you weren’t here when I returned from the Dales?”

Cullen gave her a blinding smile as he helped her to stand, Iuen and all.  “You deserve to be happy, Tanwen.  And to be able to get a full night’s sleep.  Hopefully this will do both.”

“Oh, Cullen.  I love…”

Tanwen stopped at the sound of a throat being cleared and looked back to the carriage, instantly feeling dread create a rock in her stomach and her skin cooling. She shifted Iuen to her hip and held him close, protectively, as she stood and cupped the back of Iuen’s head to her shoulder.

“James.  What are you doing here with my family?”  She tried to remain neutral, her tone even, but she couldn’t quite keep her emotions from her words.  James - the man she had once been arranged to marry.  The father of her son.  He was here, standing before her with his dark hair and even darker eyes, with a height that surpassed her own.  There could only be one reason that she could think of as to why her parents had brought him with them all the way from Ostwick. That one reason caused her stomach to turn angrily.

He looked at her, the breeze in the bailey blowing wisps of his hair into his eyes and he pushed it away, looking angry before turning back to her with a wide grin that was all teeth.  “I am here to wed you, Tanwen.  As I should have on Summerday 9:38.”

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 21: Emprise du Lion

“Have you sent an update to the advisors, Inquisitor?”

Tanwen lifted her gaze to see Cassandra standing, arms crossed, in the opening of her tent.  Flurries took the opportunity of the open tent flaps to scurry inside and scatter about the mat that was set up on the floor of Tanwen’s temporary living space.

She waved the Seeker inside so that she would close the opening to keep the snow out and the heat from her small fire pit in. “I just finished, actually.  I’m sure they are likely upset because I haven’t sent as many correspondences or reports as I should, but I’m just focused on getting these things done, weakening Corypheus as fast and absolute as possible.  He’s caused enough trouble for two ages and needs to be stopped.  I’m sure they understand.”

Cassandra nodded.  “I just received word from Leliana, who told me that Cullen has moved into your chambers.”

This caused Tanwen to smile for the first time since they had first entered the Exalted Plains, even through the Emerald Graves. Her cheeks warmed from happiness at the news.  When she had asked him, Tanwen thought it would be likely that he would wait until she had returned from the Dales, but she was glad that he hadn’t.  “I’m glad.  Perhaps now he will find sleep not so elusive.”

“What brought on his moving into your quarters?”

“I love him and want him in my life as more than an occasional meeting. He deserves so much better than that.  I thought this would be the next step.”

“I imagine it likely took a bit of convincing on your part?”

Wavy ruby hair swung forward over Tanwen’s shoulders to frame her face when she nodded.  “It took a little bit, but I must have convinced him for sure if Leliana told you that he had moved into my quarters.”

A soft smile formed on the usually hard plains of her friend’s face.  After the fiasco with Hawke, then finding out about Cassandra’s enjoyment of love stories because of her excitement over Varric’s ‘Swords and Shields’, Tanwen knew Cassandra had a romantic side.

“I’m happy for you two.  Before you joined the Inquisition, I had not seen him happy; he really hadn’t had much to give it to him.  But once you two became close, a profound change overcame him and I approve.”

Tanwen smiled again as she watched her friend turn and leave the tent.  She turned back to her report and gave it one more look over before signing it and sealing it when the ink dried.  When she grabbed her fur cloak and went outside to go to the village to try to talk some sense into Mistress Poulin again, she saw a blond man with the Orlesian lion emblazoned across his breastplate walking towards her with purpose and gave a courtly bow when he stopped before her. Tanwen could feel her companions gathering behind her, likely as curious as she was.

“Michel de Chevin at your service, your Worship.  I saw the Inquisition banners from afar.  Never expected to see the Herald of Andraste herself.”

Tanwen raised an eyebrow when he announced himself and crossed her arms.  Through the years, she had heard stories from the Orlesian capitol, and his name sounded familiar. “Michel de Chevin? I have heard your story.  You were disgraced and banished from Orlesian court for treachery, weren’t you?”

He shifted uncomfortably in the snow before sighing.  “There’s much more than that, but it ends the same.  What does it matter?  Despite all, I have a strong arm, a stout heart, and I still serve Orlais.” The passion behind his words was definitely admirable, but treason and treachery were serious things and could not be taken lightly.

“Are you here so you can guard Sahrnia’s people?”

“As much as I can, although this was not my original intention.” He paused, as if unsure of what he wanted to say or how to say it.  “I hunt a demon, your Worship.  This one calls itself ‘Imshael’ and has settled within Suledin Keep, up in the hills.  Imshael is free because I made a mistake.  I will see him destroyed. Now that the Inquisition is here, perhaps the red Templars who guard the keep can be routed.  All I need is a chance.”

Tanwen wanted to groan.  They were already preparing to clear the region of red Templars, so that wasn’t a problem. But now there was a demon in the mix - a named one at that?  That meant it was probably very old and potentially very powerful.  If she was to do this, she was going to need as much information she could get from Chevin, unable to tell the Orlesian no.  With a wave of her hand, he continued his story.

“Imshael is a demon of desire, more cunning than anything I have encountered… And I have played the Game.  The demon has roamed the land for some time.  If anything, he will have grown in power.  Why he is here , in Emprise du Lion, however, is anyone’s guess.” Michel shrugged.  “Perhaps he has gained the cooperation of the red Templars, or vice versa.”

Tanwen tensed.  If the red Templars and this powerful desire demon, Imshael, had truly joined forces… Well, the idea wasn’t proving favorable in her eyes. More information was needed.  “Please, continue.”

According to Michel, Suledin Keep, the crumbling elven ruins that dominated the portion of Emprise du Lion that they were staying in, had been serving as a base of sorts for a while now. Add to that what Tanwen had learned from Mistress Poulin when they had first arrived, the red Templars had taken over the quarry, giving the older woman coin and supplies to help the remaining civilians of her small village.  Now, Michel explained that the demon he pursued was within the infested keep.  But he wouldn’t go alone, and Tanwen was glad.  While one man would be able to sneak in, if he got caught before reaching the demon, he would almost assuredly die.  Though, even if he did manage to reach the desire demon unscathed, he would still die at the hands of the monster within.  Or worse, become possessed by it.

No, a group like the Inquisition was needed. They had the power and the numbers.  Perhaps, if they removed the demon, they would weaken the Templars there.  It was worth a try.  

“Michel? Would you be willing to consider joining the Inquisition?  We always have need of men like you, especially in the days and months to come.  We can help each other.  You can help me with your expertise in battle, and I can help you with retaining your honor.”

“No.  Not until Imshael is defeated.” Tanwen had not expected his reaction, but she understood and admired his determination.

“Very well, you have a deal.” She looked at Michel, a smirk forming on her lips.

“Very well indeed.  I shall take my leave and meet you at Suledin Keep as I am sure you have much to do in the area, your Worship.”

~//~

When they had entered Emprise du Lion originally, they had known to expect an increased number of red Templars.  But three days into their hunt, Tanwen was feeling as if they had fought more Templars in those three days than in most of the areas they had been to since the faction had revealed itself at Therinfal Redoubt.

The worst had been in the quarry that the Templars had purchased from Sahrnia’s leader. Just the thought of what they had seen there, brought on because of Poulin, made Tanwen angry and upset.  She knew that the woman had meant well, putting the needs of the many over the needs of the few, but that didn’t make it right in her eyes.

As Tanwen and her companions had made their way to where Poulin had marked on the map where her family’s quarry was, they had found villagers from Sahrnia in metal cages on their way to the quarry.  Not all of them were living.  Within the quarry itself, they found more villagers, but they were too late and had already been turned into slaves, or worse. Statues of red lyrium in the shape of humans littered the walls of the quarry, some still holding pickaxes as if in mid-swing.

Anger akin to what she felt in Crestwood began coiling in her belly as she looked at the people still living that were scattered about the stone walls of the quarry mining the poisonous red mineral.  She let it fuel her movements, backing up her taunting shouts as she battled the lieutenants and their soldiers.  Leaders who failed their people, angered her completely and this seemed to be a common occurrence in Ferelden and southern Orlais.  It made her miss the organized structure of leadership in the Free Marches because they weren’t ruled by monarchies that had thousands to worry about rather than smaller provinces.

When the last stained Templar was slain, Tanwen prayed to the Maker that she was a better guide and leader to those of New Haven and the Inquisition than some of the leaders she had encountered. Blackwall’s words of the soldiers following her because she tells them to sounded in her ears, and she prayed they remained untrue.

After the quarry was cleared and the villagers were on their way back to their homes, Tanwen diverted her team towards an ancient elven ruin near the edge of Emprise du Lion. The even older keep was talked about in a journal they had found next to the bodies of elves. It appeared that they had unfortunately lost their lives to the harsh climate of the area near an old Grey Warden outpost.  She almost felt guilty for the detour, but hoped that her friends wanted a break from the red Templars as much as she did.

The Cradle of Sulevin had been fascinating to Tanwen.  Not only had there been a puzzle to complete, which was a welcomed change from the constant fighting, but whenever a revenant materialized when they lit veilfire torches as part of the puzzle, the dark creatures dropped a piece of an ancient weapon.  Both Solas and Delani seemed as fascinated by it as she was, mumbling something about an ancient elven blade from Dalish legend.  That only increased Tanwen’s interest more.  When they left the Cradle, they went straight back to camp so that she could send the pieces off to Dagna at Skyhold.  Surely the Arcanist could put it back together again.

“Inquisitor!” Tanwen turned her head at the summon and saw a scout hurrying towards her through the camp.  When he reached her, she nodded her head to give him permission to speak.  “Michel de Chevin, the man Scout Harding told us to watch after he interacted with you in Sahrnia, is battling red Templars at the front gate of Suledin Keep.”

“That fool!  I told him that we would help and he said that he would wait.  He should have known we would help with the quarry first since more people were in danger there than at the keep. His pride will get him killed!” Tanwen growled as she buckled her sword harness back on and sheathed her sword.  Passing through the camp, she saw her companions all gathered around the fire: Delani and Solas seemed deep in conversation about Maker-knew-what, Varric was doing paperwork of some kind on one of the benches, and Cassandra was standing with her arms crossed, keeping an eye on the camp.  When Tanwen stopped next to the fire, all eyes turned to her.  “It looks like Michel de Chevin wasn’t keen on waiting. We need to go save him from his impatience and pride.”

An hour of trudging through deep snow off the beaten path later, they reached the base of the ancient fortress and saw Michel de Chevin battling a Templar guard, horror and knight.  The group hurried forward to assist him, finishing off the Templars with practiced ease.

Tanwen approached Michel after the battle, wiping off her blade and sheathing it at her back once more. “Michel, what in the Maker’s name were you thinking?!  I know you have a driving need to defeat the demon, I understand that feeling intimately.  But you cannot do it alone! I told you we would help, but the people of Sahrnia needed help more.  You need numbers on your side and you know it!”

Michel simply stood taller, throwing his shoulders back even as he clasped at a wound he had attained during the skirmish.  Tanwen sighed and let her frown fall from her lips.  “Are you alright at least?”

“I have bad news, Herald.” He finally said, ignoring her question. “Your efforts against the red Templars have not gone unnoticed.  Imshael knows we’re here.  He’s sent red Templars after me, and a pack of shades descends now upon Sahrnia.  The people are defenseless - I must return without delay!  It’s upon you now to destroy Imshael.”

Without another word, Michel pushed past Tanwen and her companions at a limping gait, hurrying back in the direction of the village.  She wanted to point out that there were still Inquisition soldiers in the village, but he was too far away in no time. She ran a gloved hand down her face with a heavy exhale.

Tanwen turned from the blond man’s retreating back to look up at the imposing keep before them, and then turned to Delani.  “How bad could it be?  We’ve already fought more red Templars than I thought possible.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Inquisitor.” The woman replied.  “It is the demon’s base after all.”

The warrior gave the keep another glance before looking straight ahead.  “Let’s get this over with then.”

~//~

Giants.  Why did it have to be giants?

‘At least they don’t have a dragon.’ Her breath fogged before her parched lips when she huffed at the thought. Giants weren’t new to her or her team - they had fought many in the Western Approach while chasing red Templars there.  But that didn’t mean they were by any means easy. They had been fighting their way up to the top of the keep for several hours, battling wave after wave of Templars and two giants that the Templars had tried feeding red lyrium.

When they finally did reach the top of the snow-covered fortress, they found a lone man standing before the largest crystal of red Lyrium Tanwen had ever seen. At first, they thought it was someone who had been in the keep and had gotten trapped by the invading Templars, but he looked too calm, too serene, with all the chaos around them.

The human male was non-descript in appearence, yet there was something about him that drew her to him - as if she somehow knew that he could grant her every desire.  Could this be the demon that Michel warned them about? She couldn’t be sure.  Tanwen had never encountered a desire demon in all her travels.  This had to be Imshale, but the man looked so… human.

Only Solas and Cassandra seemed unaffected, she noticed through the growing haze in her mind.  The Seeker, she could understand. Cassandra had an amazing sense of self and belief. Also, Seeker’s couldn’t become influenced or possessed by demons.  Nothing could faze her. But Solas? Sure, they had helped him when he had told her that his friend, Wisdom, had been turned into a demon, but did demons truly have no sway over him?

The man smiled at them when they stopped before him. “Ah, the hero arrives.  But is it hero?  Or murderer?  It’s so hard to tell sometimes.”

His words caused the fog in Tanwen’s head to clear enough for thought.  She wasn’t a murderer!  People may see her as a hero, she certainly hadn’t corrected them, but she was no murderer. The Templars that they had killed had attacked her first.

“You must be the demon they call Imshael.”

Imshael frowned, his flat brown eyes flashed black at her words.  He cleared his throat and replaced the smile on his face. “I prefer Choice Spirit.”

Tanwen looked over at Delani when she heard the flame-haired elf scoff.  “Spirit. Demon. Whatever else you are, you’re about to be dead.”

Imshael stared at her for a moment, before casting his gaze around to Tanwen’s other companions, his eyes lighting in recognition and mischief.  “Wait. Wait. Wait.   These are your friends?  They seem very violent.  It’s worrying.  True to my name, I will show you that you have a choice.  It doesn’t always have to end in blood.”

Tanwen sized him up.  She knew better than to make deals with demons, to even listen to their words, but if it meant less fighting, then it couldn’t hurt to at least listen, right? “Talk.”

“It rarely hurts to listen.  Trust is another matter.”

The demon looked at Solas a moment, casting his gaze up and down as if studying a puzzle before turning to Tanwen.  

“It’s simple.  We don’t fight, and I grant you power.  Shower you with riches.  Or maybe virgins.  Your pick.”  Tanwen tensed when the demon stepped forward until he was nearly toe to toe, and stared deep into her eyes, blue to black, locking her in place. A small alarm began sounding in her head, but she had no control over her body. He wasn’t trying to possess her, was he? She couldn’t let that happen!  “Or perhaps, I could give you… your son.  Tie your lover to you for eternity?  Anything your heart desires would be yours.  After that, we all live happily ever after.  Well, not all of us.  But who’s counting?”

Iuen in her arms once more?  Cullen by her side forever?  Only one was truly tempting to her.  ‘No!’ Tanwen shook her head slowly, unable to do more. She would not listen to the demon.

After everything she had gone through for close to a year now to make life safe for her baby boy again, all the pain and suffering, she was close to having him with her again by her own means. And she absolutely refused to imprison Cullen like that.  He had already been through hell at the hands of demons and mages.  If he was to be with her for the rest of her life, it would be because he chose to.  Not because he was forced against his will by the powers of a demon.

Tanwen looked at the demon with a frown and managed to reach up and grab hilt of her sword, hearing a collective sigh of relief when she seemed to break his hold over her.  It must have taken longer than she realized for her to process his offer. “No.  You die, demon.”

“Oh, for the love of… Choice. Spirit.” He growled, the sound growing deeper. With a heavy pop, the area became shrouded in a sickly sweet smoke, causing everyone to cough and gag. “If you won’t be smart, be afraid.”

Everyone looked around frantically as the smoke cleared, seeing a Fear demon floating before them for a fraction of a second before it faded, the sound of skittering and wailing echoing off the courtyard walls.

~//~

Cullen stood and stretched his back from where he’d been working.  Over the past week, ever since he had received an update from Tanwen when she and her companions, including a female elf named Delani Lavellan, had arrived in Emprise du Lion, he had been focused more intently on getting the rooms for her parents and one of Tanwen’s tower rooms for Iuen ready.  He wanted everything to be perfect for the parents of the woman he loved.  First impressions were the most important, and with her family being nobility, this was even more so.  He couldn’t say he hadn’t learned something from Mia’s lectures.

He scanned the room that was to be Iuen’s once more before he turned to leave.  The troops needed training and he had eschewed his duty to work on the rooms personally, casting them off on his senior soldiers and the Iron Bull.  Now he simply had to await the day that her family stated they would be arriving, he would go to Jader to retrieve them and bring them back to Skyhold, hopefully before Tanwen returned.  Oh, the look of surprise and happiness on her face would be set inside his brain for years to come and he could feel his excitement growing.

When Cullen reached for the handle of the door and opened it, it was to see Jim standing on the other side with a closed fist raised to knock on the door.  Jim jumped in surprise before pulling nervously at the cloth around his neck.

“Well?”  Cullen was a patient man, but this young man seemed to always find ways of breaking past that patience.  Silently, the scout handed him a letter.  Cullen waved Jim off and turned the square envelope of expensive parchment over in his hands. He paled slightly at the sight of the Trevelyan coat of arms pressed into the dark wax seal.

Carefully, Cullen opened the envelope and pulled the letter out, quickly scanning the short message.  His eyes widened in shock as he reached the bottom, reading it two more times in case he had misread its words.

Cullen lifted a hand to drag it down his face as he crushed the letter in his hand.

“Maker’s breath, they’re already there.”

~//~

“Tanwen, are you alright?”

Tanwen panted as she stood over Imshael’s lifeless corpse and watch it glow green and return to the Fade. Another battle over, another foe slain, but was she really one step closer to seeing Iuen again? What if this would go on forever and she never got to see him again? Had she killed her one hope of seeing her son ever again? Tanwen wanted to weep.  She should have thought about the repercussions more, weighed all of the options.

But that wasn’t like her.  Demons belonged in the Fade, not in the living world. With Imshael gone, the region was safe once more and trade could resume, helping Sahrnia and her people to rebuild and repopulate, possibly even recreate commerce. No.  Killing the demon - Choice Spirit - had been the right thing to do.

“I… I don’t know yet.” She rubbed her eyes, feeling tired all of a sudden.  “I… need some time. I want you four to rest and refresh. We will leave for Skyhold tomorrow morning, early.”

As she moved towards the circle of tents that had been erected for Tanwen and her inner circle at the very top of the keep, she felt eyes on her back, following her movements, but she shrugged it off.  After dropping off her sword in her tent, she moved to the half wall lining the top of the tower and stopped next to a statue of a monstrous creature, like one from myth living deep in the oceans for thousands of years or more. Tanwen lost herself to the view of the valley below, trying hard not to think about the decision she had made to kill the demon and just appreciate the view.

“You made the right decision, Inquisitor.”

Tanwen didn’t jump at the sudden presence of Solas when he stopped at her elbow.  “How can you be so sure? What if this battle with Corypheus never ends and I die in battle without ever seeing my family again. I don’t know if I can handle that.  I’ve been working so long to make this world safe again, but what if it’s all for naught?”

“You are strong.  Not just in strength of body, but strength of will. That demon saw you as a prize among prizes and would have used you to accomplish its ends, growing more and more powerful. It needed to die and we did that.” Tanwen turned to the elvhen mage. “I’m not one for consoling words, Inquisitor, but I believe that you will get Thedas through this.  If it would help, I know that you enjoy hearing stories of things and people I have seen in my journey’s through the Fade.  Would you like one now?”

“I don’t know if now is the time, Solas.”

He smiled softly and gripped his staff as he looked from her to the scenery before them.  “Recently, as I slept, I came across a dreaming child. He was happy, remembering times not so  long ago when he and his mam would spend their days playing with toys or exploring the keep of his grandfather's.  He enjoyed the feel of her bright hair in his tiny hands, the constant uptilt of her lips as she smiled down at him; he would giggle when she tossed him in the air before catching him and spinning him around. The boy is excited because he has so much to tell his mam and can’t wait until she returns home so he can share it.”

Tanwen looked at Solas in surprise. “Are you… did you see Iuen? How long have you known?”

Solas chuckled. “Your inner circle has known almost since Haven, Inquisitor. Leliana is good at keeping secrets, but was more than willing to share about your child since she wanted us to keep an eye on you for the good of the Inquisition. We all understand why you have said nothing, most of us even admire you for it. And it explains much about how you have chosen to take on the Inquisition’s foundation and journey.”

She stared at him for a moment with surprise still flowing through her. “In the Exalted Plains, I had wondered how Varric knew about Iuen when we… when I… Anyways… but now it all makes sense. Thank you, Solas. I appreciate you telling me this.”

Solas nodded his head and moved away from the edge of the building, leaving Tanwen to her thoughts.

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 20: The Plains and an elf called Delani

Summary:

The Dales. Once the renowned home of the elves, now mostly torn asunder by wars fought by humans. But Tanwen wants to set it right and make it peaceful once more, with the help of a fiery Dalish elf named Delani.

Notes:

Delani Lavellan, mentioned later in the chapter, is Elcapitan18’s Inquisitor in her fic, To The Void and Back. It’s here on AO3 and everyone should definitely read it. If you like my story-writing, then you will love hers because it’s 1000x better!

ElCapitan18's profile To The Void And Back

"Have you seen Cullen?"

Tanwen watched Varric look up from his own paperwork, only to see him shake his head. "He's likely still in his quarters.  You know he gets this way before you go off and leave him behind."

Normally, she would have some kind of reply for the dwarf, but on the eve of their journey to the infamous Dales, Tanwen had worries she wished to speak to her Commander about that couldn't wait until the next war room meeting.  With a tilt of her head in thanks for his information, Tanwen excused herself from her friend's presence and hurried off to Cullen's quarters. She knocked twice and waited, albeit impatiently, for his gruff reply for her to enter.  When she walked in, Cullen looked up from his desk where he was giving commands to Jim.  His smile that seemed to always form when he saw her, fell at the look of deep concentration and concern on her face.

"Take this to Leliana and ask her to look it over before sending it to her scouts in the area." Cullen mumbled, handing the other man a rolled up piece of parchment before dismissing him.  He followed Jim to the door Tanwen stood in, reaching to clasp her hand to move her out of the doorway so Jim could leave, and guided her over to his desk.  When they reached it, he clasped both sides of her hips and lifted her to sit on only edge with no papers on it to be swept aside or disheveled.  Cullen moved to stand between her legs, his hands still at her sides. "What's the matter, love?"

"I've just spent the majority of the day reading up on the Dales, particularly the Exalted Plains.  I never really realized how bloody the last eight ages have been for the elves in the Exalted Plains.  The library in the rookery didn't go into much historic detail, which is understandable.  To some scholars, the plight of the elves was insignificant, barely worth mentioning amidst the glorious details of the Empire and all the things the Chantry did.

"So I checked the vault library, with Dorian's help, and found books that described things as if from the elves point of view.  There were even descriptions of some battles and other historical events that most history books either gloss over or ignore completely.  I hate that the more popular historic accounting is usually written by the victor." Tanwen had to keep herself from pouting like a small child.  She loved reading, especially about history, but when it came to elven history, she didn't know what to believe and rare were the books that were authored by sympathizers or even elven scribes themselves.  She released a heavy breath. "Also, I'm sure you've seen the disturbing reports of even more spirits from the rifts popping up around the Plains that are possessing the recently dead from the Civil War.  It means that we will not only have to worry about demons materializing around rifts and Freemen that are causing problems for our troops, but there will be an increased number of dead walking about."

Cullen reached a hand up to cup the back of her neck to pull her forehead to his breastplate and she gripped his sides. "It's nothing you haven't faced a hundred times before.  Are you worried for some reason?"

"With such varied accounts of what happened, I feel so unprepared.  I'm also getting tired.  It feels as if it's just been one battle after another.  Even our trip to the Winter Palace was fraught with danger.  I'm looking forward to the day that Corypheus is no longer an issue - when I don't have to worry about rifts and Nightmares having a chance to come through into this world.  I'm looking forward to the day I don't have to leave you behind to go into danger, when I can just stay in your bed and wile away the day without a care. But I'm complaining -"

"No you aren't.  Out of everyone in the Inquisition, you are the one with the most reason to express discontent." Cullen tilted her chin with his index finger to look at him, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. "That you focus on getting things done, are determined to do so, and don't lock yourself away or complain about your hardships to anyone who will listen, makes you a more remarkable woman than I can say. Now, it's getting late and you have an early morning -"

Tanwen reached up to clasp either side of his neck and met Cullen half way with a deep kiss, leaning back slightly to bring him closer as memories of the last time they were in this position on his desk flashed past her closed eyelids.  She felt her body heat up like a flash fire and was the first to pull away but didn't release his neck.

"Take me to bed, Cullen."

She watched as a shiver surged through his body and a moan emerge from deep within his chest, almost like a growl.  Tanwen chuckled and slid out from in front of him and hurried to the ladder.  When she got to the top and close to his bed, she turned to see if he was behind her, only to find that he had been closer than she had expected.  With an 'oomph', he tackled her to his bed, laying his full weight on her and attaching his lips to the scar on her neck left by the darkspawn magister, nibbling and licking.  Tanwen sighed and smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder with her right hand and pushing him over until he was on his back.  She quickly straddled his loins, looking down at him with a serene smile, her gaze heading up as he massaged her thighs, inching his way closer to the ties in her breeches so he could get to her wet core beneath.

Tanwen reached for both of his hands with both of hers and pulled them up to clasp before her heart. She stared at him from above for several moments before whispering low but clear, "Move in with me."

Cullen's eyes widened in shock, looking as if he hadn't heard her right. "What did you say?"

Heat infused her cheeks.  She had been thinking about it, thinking about asking him to live in her quarters, but something always kept her from asking him. "I want you to live with me, in my quarters, Cullen."

"Why?"

This wasn't going at all as she had envisioned in her head.  When she had thought about asking him during her travels, she had asked him calmly to move in with her, as she had, and he instantly had said yes, as if she had asked him to marry her.  In reality, though she had been clear and calm, she had practically demanded he live with her, leading to his confusion.

"Well, for one, we wouldn't have to worry about interruptions.  And two, there are no holes in the roof over my bed."

Cullen looked past her and to the roof above, seeing Satina passing lazily overhead with stars twinkling around her like diamonds.  "I rather like the holes."

"Why?  You deserve better than a worn and torn roof in a near shambling tower."

He chuckled, his eyes still above, giving off an air of disbelief, as if he didn't believe her words and that he deserved to be where he was.  Tanwen lifted a hand to his chin to refocus his gaze on her.  "Why do you like the holes in your roof?  Don't you get snowed on?  Rain?  I'm surprised you haven't gotten sick yet."

"The holes in the roof allow more of a breeze to blow through than the windows alone.  After the things that happened in Ferelden's circle, I can't stand to be in a room with closed windows and doors for too long.  It becomes suffocating and stifling.  And besides, if I did decide to live in your quarters with you, you would end up getting less sleep than you already do because I would continuously wake you up and you don't need that."

Tanwen's grip tightened on his chin, causing his lips to pucker, and she looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Cullen Stanton Rutherford, you stop right there. I appreciate that you are so worried for my sleep schedule, but I want to be there for you when you wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.  To hold you when the nightmares get bad.  No one should be alone when they wake from something like what constantly rouses you from the deep depths of sleep.  That is another perk of you living in my room and sharing my bed.  You won't get trapped in your nightmares and maybe, in time, it will help them disappear completely.  Until then, if you still need a breeze, I have two double doors leading to balconies at the highest point in the keep.  The breeze is unrivaled and if you are worried about me getting cold, I will have a strong, capable, loving, wonderful, ex-Templar sharing my bed and keeping me warm."

He gently pulled his face away from her hand and stared up at her, as if trying to think of an argument.  She watched a muscle tick in his jaw as he chewed over his options and she felt herself getting upset.  Would living with her be so bad?  She thought she had laid out her argument adequately, she -

"Okay."

Now it was Tanwen's turn to look down at him with widened eyes even as a smile formed on his scarred lips. "You will?" This earned her a nod.

She beamed down at him, leaning down until their torsos touched completely and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close even as he continued massaging her thighs.  Tanwen pulled back just a moment before moving in to kiss him hungrily, feeling Cullen's hands move from her thighs to grip her ass and give the twin globes a squeeze before trailing his fingers to press against her core through her breeches and smalls.

"How about we celebrate by one last night together in this room?"  Cullen growled. When she nodded, he flipped them over again so that she was on the bottom and kissed his way down her torso, parting her tunic to nip at the tops of her breasts above her breast band before licking and nipping the skin of her stomach and lower.

"I had assumed that's why we were up here." She moaned when he reached his destination between her thighs.

~//~

The next day, when Tanwen readied to leave before dawn with Cassandra and bleary-eyed Solas and Varric in tow, she leaned down from Selena to touch her forehead to Cullen's as had become a welcome and common occurrence for them.

"I'll miss you," she whispered on a sigh.

"And I you. You are in good hands and as determined as you are, you will sweep across the Dales like a storm and make Emprise du Lion, the Emerald Graves and the Exalted Plains safe in no time.  When you get back, a much needed rest will be in order."

Tanwen gave Cullen a humorless chuckle at his words.  "At least until we get word of Corypheus' next move."

"You have severely hobbled him in the path he has created, Tanwen.  It will give you some time to relax, I promise."

She pulled back slightly and looked into his golden eyes, seeing the determination there that matched his words along with the lingering desire from the night before and the love that was always there in both their eyes.

"Rwy'n garu di.  I love you." She added when a look of confusion at her words formed.  He smiled when she translated what she had said.

"I love you.  I will see you again in no time."

~//~

Whatever she had expected in the Plains, it hadn't been this.

Demons, bodies and spirits possessing corpses were more common than she had imagined and the land was scorched, lending a horrible acrid smell to the air.  Monuments were everywhere dedicated to different people, groups and places, none of which were to the elves of the Plains.

There was so much to do in the region, Tanwen wasn't sure where to start.

Just beyond the Inquisition’s foothold camp in the Plains, a Chevalier was battling with a group of demons valiantly, but losing.  Tanwen and her companions hurried to help him.  When the Rage demon and shades had been defeated, the man, Rosselin, explained that he and his men had been trying for weeks to retake the western and eastern ramparts outside Fort Revasan from the undead. They’d had no success, so Tanwen and her companions went to the pit where the bodies of the dead had been tossed and, after defeating the Arcane Horror guarding it, set the corpses aflame to avoid more walking dead.

After they blew the horn signaling to the Orlesian army that the rampart was clear of dead, they went back to Rosselin. Out of the corner of her eye as they spoke, Tanwen saw elves with bows watching them in the distance.  Tanwen politely excused them from the Chevalier when he finished and went over to the elves.

As they approached, the elves turned and walked further into the forest behind them and Tanwen felt compelled to follow. When they walked between the naturally created walls of stone, it was like walking into another world compared to the one they had just left.

Lush, green trees and grass grew in the dirt, moss and ferns sprouting all over the rock.  There was an air of magic that couldn't be denied in this oasis on the Plains.  As they continued, they found statues of men with bows, looking oddly like Solas, and owls.  There were statues of a wolf and archways from old buildings.  It felt like they had stepped back in time and it was absolutely fascinating. Many times, Tanwen had to forcibly remind herself to close her mouth.

At the sound of fighting, Tanwen focused and looked around to find the elves she had been following, before becoming distracted with the scenery around them, had begun fighting risen corpses. When they drew closer, Tanwen jumped into the air to bring her new sword down with all her strength, using the rune on the blade to cause the ground to crack and flames to burst forth, catching the dried skin of the corpses on fire and making quick work of them as her companions engaged the remaining enemies.

"The dead should stay dead, wouldn't you say, friend?" One of the elves panted when the battle was over.

"I couldn't agree more.  There seems to be a lot of trouble in these parts." Tanwen moved closer to the elf that spoke with a smile on her face to assure them that she and her group meant no harm.

"That's putting it mildly.  The war has stopped, but now the dead are walking. Funny, though, I've been watching these undead and they seem...focused on the shem armies." Tanwen's eyebrows disappeared into the lengths of hair covering her forehead. Focused?  Why? "It's as if... well, why wouldn't someone want to kill humans, huh?  Still... poor fools."

She could see his point, what with elven history with humans, but still, she kept her guard high.  "Are you Dalish then?"

"Of course.  You would have little experience with the People.  Yes, we are Dalish. We've been camped for weeks in the fields to the west. The war between the Lions made passage through the Dirth difficult.  Damaged some of our aravels. If you find the clan, tell Keeper Hawen I will continue the hunt, and perhaps find a safer route through the Plains."

"You're awfully friendly for a Dalish.  I had heard that the Dalish were aloof and mistrustful of strangers.  You seem different." Tanwen relaxed a bit more. The elf was trusting her with the location of his clan encampment, she could show some trust of her own by being less tense.

"Well, don't tell the Keeper." The male elf chuckled then sighed.  "I love my people, but they keep the old wounds raw. I don't know.  Perhaps I feel it's just time to... forgive."

"That's admirable.It’s past time that humans to ask for said forgiveness of the elves as well, though not many would agree with me. We all need to work together right now to fight a larger enemy than any seen before."

The two talked for a short time before Tanwen bid her elven friend a farewell and moved west towards where the man, she discovered was named Olafin, had pointed.

An hour of walking later, they came across a river, on other side which lay a circle of large wooden wagons painted red and topped by large white sails, with elves walking amongst them.  This must be the elven camp Olafin spoke of.  Past the shallow river, they cautiously approached the camp, watched by all of the elves in the vicinity. When an older male approached them, Tanwen got the impression that this was the Keeper Hawen that Olafin told them to talk to.

"Keeper Hawen?"

He nodded. "I am.  These are not good times to come unbidden before the People. Especially here, where we remember the destruction of our home at the hands of humans. My patience is thin with all that has befallen.  Perhaps you should be on your way."

"I met your hunter, Olafin, just east of here in some ruins.  He said I could come here to lend you my aid. I am Tanwen Trevelyan of the Inquisition. If I might ask, what has befallen your clan?"

The male looked at her skeptically for a moment before sighing. "The Orlesian war has hindered our progress through the Dirth. The armies cause rockslides.  They dig ditches that trip the Halla and destroy the aravels, making passage impossible. Precisely when the clan needs him most, my First, Taven, defies my wishes and mounts an excursion to the Emerald Graves. And now, I've learned that the grounds of Var Bellanaris are infested by angry spirits from the Beyond. I have sent a hunter, but I have heard nothing from her and she has not returned.  I worry for her safety."

"If it would help your people, I would be honored to assist you, Keeper." Tanwen bent at the waist to show her respect to the elder before her. When she looked up, it appeared that he appreciated her act of supplication.

"My clan and I would be deeply grateful, if you could. Be mindful of the resting places of our dead.  Var Bellanaris is sacred ground." Tanwen nodded. After a moment's hesitation, she heeded her curiosity.

"Keeper Hawen, I have one question before we leave for Var Bellanaris.  Why do elves call this plain 'The Dirth'?"

The older male seemed surprised at her curiosity. "When the People settled here, we called it Dirthavaren - The Promise.  For the Dales were promised to us, by Andraste. It's still the Dirth to us, even if shemlen give it a name that recalls our destruction."

Tanwen bowed her head to the Keeper before leading her companions to where the Keeper had marked on their map the location of the burial grounds. Luckily, it wasn't far and they made it there in good time.

When they entered the burial grounds, Tanwen noticed Solas frown. "There should be protective spells here to give the dead peace.  Something or someone has broken them, which is attracting the demons we were sent to defeat."

"Then we will cleanse the ground after we defeat the demons. That should be an easy enough task, yes?"

"Mama, it seems someone has beat us here." Varric tilted his head towards the back of the enclosure and Tanwen followed his gaze.  Towards the back, near a door of ancient make, a slight woman with hair the color of blood, was battling demons.

"Come on, let's help her." She said as she unsheathed her greatsword and hurried over to the woman.

Sword drawn and ready for battle, Tanwen lept into a the fray with a mighty swing of her blade. The whir of her sword cutting through air was stopped by the sound of it burying into twisted flesh and sinewy muscle. Nearly cut through its middle, the shade turned on Tanwen with an unholy screech, claws drawn and thirsty for blood.

She yanked her blade from the beast and used it to block the Shade’s attack, before ducking away from the second swipe of its claws. With a forward lunge, the tip of her sword sank into the Shade, plunging deep into its belly until the sharpened blade was buried to the hilt. An upward wrench of the hilt tore through bone and muscle. Blood blacker than tar, and smelled just as bad, poured from the gaping hole and the nightmare collapsed at her feet.

A surprised sound came from Tanwen as an unseen force pushed her from behind. She stumbled and turned to find a wraith floating some distance away. It was a cloud of green, a memory of the fade, a creature with the poor judgment of attacking her. She snarled at the accursed creature and met it in combat, lifting her sword to deflect the bolt of energy it flung at her to slow her strides.

It had taken time for Tanwen to get used to fighting wraiths. Misty as their forms were, at first, she had expected her blade to flow right through their opaque bodies. When her blows made impact with a semi-solid opponent she’d been surprised. Now, many months later, she knew its every weakness and made quick work of the wispy silhouette.

With another adversary down, Tanwen turned to find the next. She was met with narrowed sea green eyes. The elf woman that stood several yards across from her was short, made smaller by her stance; crouched low for battle. Her upper lip curled back into a snarl and her motions were quick as lightning as she reached for the knives strapped to her thigh, and flung them in Tanwen’s direction just as Cassandra exclaimed, “Behind you!”

Tanwen felt the air shift beside her ear, a hiss of wind that displaced her hair as the blades flung past her. There was a squelching sound that filled her ears as the throwing knives sunk into the sickly flesh of the terror demon that had materialized behind her and was towering behind her. The half second of surprise was all she needed before re-engaging the battle at hand. Tanwen spun, sword firmly gripped in hand, and cut the demon down.

As one, they finished off the few foes that remained. The rage demon and the few wraiths left fell quickly with the addition of the elven rogues daggers to the fight. Once the final screeching fog of green faded into the ether, and with no rift to close, Tanwen turned to address the elf they’d assisted.

She was reminded of her earlier observation of the elf’s small height when Tanwen stood in front of the other woman. The elf stood as tall as Tanwen’s bosom, and had to tilt her head back in order to maintain Tanwen’s gaze. She was a peculiar show of red in its variants. Her hair was deep auburn, reminiscent of blood in its color. Skin dark like copper and was smattered by freckles. Crimson branches sprouted from the bridge of her nose, across her brow, and were also displayed on her cheekbones and down her chin.

Thick auburn eyebrows were furrowed over sea green eyes, the contrast in color making her gaze all the more piercing and bright. Full lips were pulled into a thin line as she regarded Tanwen, and her expression was tight with distrust. Even after saving her from demons, the elf didn’t trust Tanwen or her companions.

Tanwen supposed she could understand.

“Are you the Inquisition?” The elf asked, green eyes sharp as they moved from Tanwen to inspect the others.

“We are.  I am Tanwen Trevelyan.” Tanwen sheathed her sword and held up her hands to show no sign of aggression towards the female before her. When she calmed, Tanwen extended her hand out in greeting. “Are you the hunter that Keeper Hawen asked us to search for in Var Bellanaris?”

Crimson eyebrows shot up with the elf’s surprise. “The Keeper sent you?” When Tanwen nodded in confirmation the other woman rolled her eyes and sighed. “Of course he did. The man worries more than a new mother.”

She put her daggers away and offered Tanwen her hand. “You may call me Delani Lavellan, if you wish.” The corner of her mouth curled a bit as she added, “Thank you for your assistance back there. It was much appreciated.”

Tanwen smiled.  “It was my pleasure. Have you any clue as to what might have caused the protection spells on this area to fall?  What might be causing the demons to spawn?  There is no rift near by that I can tell, and I doubt that they are being drawn solely by the residue left by millennia of magic in this place. It feels like there is something more. What do you know of the area, Serah?”

The expression that unfolded over Delani’s features was curious as she regarded Tanwen. She gave her a once over before meeting her gaze again, an eyebrow arched as she looked Tanwen in the eyes. “It’s elven custom to blame shemlan whenever possible, so if I had to venture a guess at the cause of this mess…” she let the sentence hang there a moment before her smile grew.

Delani’s shoulders bounced with her shrug. “Honestly, I’m probably not the best resource for information on the area. I’m just visiting myself. My clan stays primarily in the Free Marches. I came south because,” she cut herself off with a shake of her head. “Keeper Hawen can answer your questions far better than I can. And, after you saved my hide, I’m sure he’d be willing to help.”

“I see.” Tanwen turned to Solas. “Do you have any ideas how we can cleanse the area?”

Solas cast his gaze around the circle of ancient arched stone, taking in the trees that were some of the largest she had seen, guarding the sacred burial plots at its roots. “Var Bellanaris, it means ‘Our Eternity’. It is an ancient place, filled with ancient spirits. When whatever spell protecting this place was brought down, likely during one of the many battles that have occurred here, the magic that had been here for time untold drew nearby spirits and demons, thus defiling this place.  Perhaps there is something within the tomb beyond the door? An object that acted like a casting stone or a ward? Some kind of foci for the spell.”

The group walked over to the large, ornate double doors. As Tanwen reached for the door, she pulled short, staring up at the doors. A line of language she could only guess as being an ancient form of elvish was carved into the stone above the door. “I… don’t think we should go in until after we talk to the Keeper. It doesn’t feel right.”

Solas seemed to approve. “Perhaps there is a key within a chest nearby? Or maybe some clue?”

“Look no further,” said Delani as she pulled the thin rope from under her armor to reveal a key. She ripped the string from her neck and held it out for Tanwen to take. “Consider it a token of my gratitude.”

Tanwen’s eyes went wide. “How did you… why did you…?” She shook her head before reaching for the key and taking it in hand.  “Nevermind. Rogue.  I thank you, serah.”

She turned to the rest of her group.  “Let’s get this taken care of, with caution, so we can get back to the Keeper.  The Exalted Plains is quite large and there are a lot of things we have yet to do.”

Despite the grandeur of the door and the area before it, inside the grotto was less than impressive, but no less amazing that something of such age would last so long in such a volatile portion of Thedas. Tanwen and Cassandra both lit torches as they wandered into the cavernous space, Tanwen taking point while Cassandra pulled up the rear.  

Everywhere around them, they could hear the sound of water droplets landing on the ground from the vegetation above the grotto bouncing off of the stone all around them. Tanwen inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet earthy tones of damp dirt and moss, as well as the smell of slightly burnt flesh. Her brows furrowed.  If Delani had had the only key and the door had been locked, why would there be that particular smell?

“Take caution.” Tanwen murmured as she withdrew her sword before ascending the stairs along the left side of the room.

Up on the landing, Tanwen peered into the room beyond, seeing stone caskets that were surrounded by vases and boxes, some of which seemed to be filled with items likely to have been owned by the deceased, and more highly designed than the ones in the previous room.  Those resting eternally in this room must have been of higher status than the others.  At the far end of the room, she saw what appeared to be a mausoleum, with torches lit on either side and a large urn in front of the door.

“If this was the place where the spell was cast to protect Var Bellanaris, then this is where the disturbance had to be to bring it down.” Tanwen held her torch up high so that she could get a closer glimpse of the urn before her.  Nothing seemed fantastic about it other than cracks and moss gathered by age.  Solas joined her, leaning in close to the container.

“It is likely that the spell was cast with the vase as its foci. When looters found a way in and disturbed the urn, it cancelled the spell, thus allowing the demons to gather.  Particularly once rifts began forming in the vicinity.”

“Is there any way we can fix it?  Bring the wards back up? Burial grounds are sacred, no matter what race they belong to.”  Tanwen felt Delani’s and Solas’s approval as she watched the male elf open the lid and look inside but leaving the items be.  Within and along the wall of the urn closest to the door of the mausoleum, a line of runes had been etched into the clay. She remembered seeing runes carved into walls before, but had needed veilfire to see them. These were created by hand, not magic, so someone could see them with the naked eye.

“It is possible, but I would need time to examine the markings to decipher what was used.”

Tanwen was so focused on the task, curious about the writing, that it took Delani calling out to everyone to bring her attention back to the present.

“As fascinating as all of this is, we have visitors.”

When Tanwen looked up, she found that the two torches on either side of the mausoleum had gone out on their own.  Turning to face the female elf, she nearly dropped the torch into a puddle of water in shock.

More dead were rising, as well as an Arcane Horror that had likely been wandering about before, but when they disturbed the urn, had forced its attention to the main room. Tanwen re-lit the sconces with her torch before she reached back for her blade. “Focus on the Horror,” she shouted before throwing herself into battle.

The demon’s long and gangly hands started to move in a circular motion and Tanwen could feel an energy building. It was casting a spell and she needed to disrupt it before that accumulating power was released on her and her companions. A loud and booming roar filled the room as she charged the demon down and brought her two handed blade up in a powerful backhand swing.

It was enough to stagger the creature and, with the addition of Solas’s magic, kept it down for a moment longer. Long enough for Tanwen to spin with her blade, a whirlwind of deadly motion that hacked through the demon’s middle and chopped through bone. The creature’s only acknowledgement of her attack was a haunting groan. It lifted its hands and Tanwen hurried to bury her blade into its middle but, just as she lunged, the creature vanished from before her and she tumbled to the floor.

At the feeling of a sudden and powerful pain in her shoulder when she stood, Tanwen glanced down to find an arrow buried in her pauldron. She snarled as she used her sword to cut off the fletching and ripped it out of her armor, tip first, and looked around the room to find undead archers aiming at her team. Refocusing on where the Arcane Horror had reappeared, Tanwen shouted for someone to deal with the archers and threw herself back into the fight and ignoring the pain.

“On it,” Delani replied before falling back and rounding the room to pick off the undead.

Assured that the elf could handle their archer foes, Tanwen turned her attention to the Horror and gave Cassandra a sideways glance. The other woman caught her gaze and they both nodded in unison. They stormed the Arcane Horror, blades drawn, the Seeker’s shield high, and caught the demon before it could let loose a barrage of spirit bolts upon them.

The five of them moved like a synchronized force. Even the elven rogue fell into step with their seemingly choreographed fight. When Tanwen swung her sword, Varric launched a series of bolts of his own. The Horror swiped and Tanwen ducked out of the way, just as Cassandra slashed her blade across its chest; all while Solas released a string of powerful spells.

Once the undead were returned to their permanently deceased state, Delani joined Tanwen and Cassandra in fighting the Horror. The three of them were a flurry of blades, a dance of side steps and evading turns. Delani’s skill with her daggers was undeniable as she flurried her attacks, a constant blur of motion as each quick strike slashed at the horror and brought down its defenses so that Tanwen and Cassandra could finish it off.

In the end the demon fell with a ghostly howl, collapsing onto the stone before disintegrating into an otherworldly light. With their opponents dead, the silence that joined them was a welcome change from undead groans and demonic cries. Tanwen put away her sword and the others took the cue to sheath their weapons as well.

The rogue elf, her voice chipper and edged with sarcasm, looked around at them all. “You lot sure know how to have a good time.” To Tanwen she asked, “How often does this sort of thing happen to you?”

Tanwen sighed and scratched the back of her neck as she smiled at the female elf. “Every day it feels like. But that was easy in comparison. I mean, there was the breach to close, Therinfal Redoubt cleared…”

“An Empress to save,” Delani added for her with an impish shrug. “Word gets around, even to the Dalish.”

“I’m seeing this now.” Tanwen nodded her head towards the entrance while still looking at the other woman.  “Let’s get back to the clan, shall we?  The Keeper needs to know what happened here.”

~//~

“Josephine, have we heard any more word from Tanwen’s family?” Cullen asked as he marched into the Antivan woman’s office.

“Yes.  They cast off from Ostwick day before last.  I have one of my best ships with them.  They should be landing in Jader about the same time that Tanwen and her company return from their trip to the Dales.”

Cullen nodded.  “Good. I shall see to the preparations for her parent’s room and any retainers they bring with them.  Should we put them in the rooms near the rookery? They are still under construction, but we can put a priority on them, yes? Better yet, I will fix them up myself.  I find it difficult these days to sleep.”

“Is it because she isn’t here?” Cullen nodded. “Perhaps if you slept in her room while she was gone?  It might help and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve thought about it and…” He stopped himself just short of telling Josephine what Tanwen had asked him to do and he agreed to. Why though?  People were going to find out anyways.  They had found out about the two of them being together the day after their first kiss on the ramparts. “And she asked me to move into her quarters, so I will be doing that as well.  Not that I have much to move up into her room.”

“She did?  Well!  It’s about time! Should I send for a larger bed?  Tanwen’s is rather small.”

“No, it’s fine.  Tanwen’s bed is perfect.” And it really was.  When he had found himself in her room months ago, it was simple but elegant, and big enough for two people to be comfortable and close and he prefered it that way.

Cullen walked from Josephine’s office to his own, watching over the soldiers in training as he crossed the catwalk. Inside, he found Leliana leaning against his desk with her arms crossed over her chest. “Leliana? Is there something you need?”

“Not at the moment.  I came here to check on you. I’ve seen the light on in your office and pacing the ramparts at night.  You cannot sleep, can you?  Is it because of the Lyrium?”

“Not as much now as it used to. My night pacing starts when the Inquisitor leaves for wherever we send her.” Cullen looked around his office to see if there was anything he wanted to take with him to Tanwen’s chambers - he still intended to keep his office for official business.  Seeing nothing, he moved to the ladder leading up to his quarters.  He could feel Leliana’s eyes on him as he climbed up to his room.

“What are you looking for, Commander?”

Cullen cast his gaze about his quarters, only seeing a few nicknacks and a handful of books he decided to take with him.  As he went to the small table next to his bed, he picked up a book he had been reading by candlelight. “Necessities. Tanwen has invited me to move into her quarters.”

He listened to the silence of the tower from his words with a slight curl of his lips.  It wasn’t often someone could render the Sister speechless.  Cullen looked around once more, his eyes catching on a pile of reports on his bed and a spare sword he kept next to his bed at all times and collected those as well. The sword had been that way ever since the events of the Ferelden Circle.  Even in Kirkwall.  His roommate, Samson, had often asked and teased Cullen for his need to keep a weapon near by even whilst they slept.  Samson never would have understood.  Even though he still suffered nightmares, knowing he had a weapon near by, even at a secure hold like Skyhold, helped.

He gathered other various odds and ends, noting how few items he carried in his arms.  He wished he could be surprised, but being a Templar for most of his life had groomed him to living frugal and bare - at least when it came to material possessions.  Cullen shrugged and, using an old wooden box he found in a decaying corner of his room, managed to carry his items down the ladder to his office.  When his feet touched the ground, he looked over to where Leliana stood.

“You are moving into the Inquisitor’s quarters?”  Cullen nodded as a toothy grin bloomed.  Leliana looked at him from under her hood, smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.  “I am happy for you two, I truly am.  But don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?”

“It’s been months, and never have I felt this way about another person.  I don’t believe that I ever will.  Tanwen is an amazing, powerful, caring woman, and I’ve been blessed by the Maker to have her in my life.  So, while it may seem early, it feels right.  Also, we never know what the future holds, and after being in the Templars for most of my life, I don’t want to miss a thing.”

Leliana crossed her arms and nodded.  “That is a familiar feeling throughout all of Thedas over the past decade, is it not?”  She followed Cullen when he exited his office.

They passed two soldiers walking along the bridge connecting Cullen’s quarters and the atrium.  Cullen could feel their gazes on him as he carried the box next to Leliana.  He could imagine that it looked as if he had been let go from his position as Commander, or even that he was being escorted to the dungeons because he had been arrested.

Cullen felt his cheeks burn but kept his head held high as they passed through Solas’ atrium, hearing people murmuring above him, hearing words like ‘dungeon’ and ‘shackles’, before he and Leliana passed into the great hall.  He swallowed a lump in his throat before continuing into the hall and walked towards Tanwen’s rooms.  Halfway to the door in question, he suddenly didn’t feel Leliana’s presence behind him.  When he turned, the woman was nowhere in sight.  Cullen turned and hurried towards Tanwen’s door and to safety.

When he made it through the doorway and shut the door, he leaned back against the heavy wooden surface and released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He looked around the tower he now found himself in, seeing the stairs follow along the outer wall and up with new eyes. Before, he hadn’t really paid attention to his surroundings, usually because his nose was in a report or he was single-minded in his goal to speak with the Inquisitor. Now, he realized that the long tower steps to her main rooms, past a medium-sized side room that would be good for Iuen, were in almost the same state as his own quarters. She had never mentioned disrepair to her stairs before.  He would bring it up with the other advisors about fixing them up.  If Iuen was going to be staying in the bedroom in the tower, especially for Tanwen’s own safety, then it needed to be safe.

When he opened the door to her main rooms, he paused after he closed the door and closed his eyes, then opened them back up, sure that this was no dream. Never in his life had he imagined he might be living with a woman that wasn’t family, with the woman he loved.

“CULLEN STANTON RUTHERFORD!”

Cullen jumped at the sound of his name being screeched through the closed door behind him.  He stepped forward two paces in time to avoid being assaulted by the heavy oak door as it was flung open, revealing Mia with her arms crossed and jaw clenched as her eyes flashed.  When she stepped through the door, she was followed by Pherra and her daughter who hurried past the siblings towards the main room with a bucket and clean bedlinens. Cullen watched them pass before turning back to Mia, who was now tapping her foot in impatience along with her crossed arms.

“Is there something I can help you with, Mia?”

“I just heard a rumor about you and what you are doing, Cullen.”  

Cullen stood there, staring at her, trying to hide any hint of emotion. “And?”

“Have you lost your mind?  I like the Inquisitor, I do.  But she is nobility!  It isn’t proper to reside with a nobleman’s daughter when you are both unwed.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Mia.  While she may still be nobility by blood, she is now of a higher status than her Bann father.  Maker, she is second only to the Divine in the Chantry! Right now, without a Divine being declared, that means there’s no one higher in all of the Chantry than Tanwen.”

“That just makes it worse.  Since the Inquisition is called upon by the Divine, or in this case, her Left and Right Hands, that means Tanw- the Inquisitor is officially part of the Chantry.  There are rules about fraternization…”

“She is not a Sister or a Mother, in regards to the Chantry.  She does have a son, if you will recall.  The Inquisition also operates outside the rules and diction of the Chantry. The only contact with them that we have is through the Divine, when she was still living. It will be the same when a new Divine is chosen, likely by Tanwen.  No Mother, Sister, or Brother has the authority to guide the Inquisition to their will. Only Tanwen’s and whichever candidate for Divine she chooses.”

Mia frowned at him.  “But that still leaves her as having a noble background, Cullen.  She must be used to certain etiquette and rules when it comes to living with someone of the opposite gender.”

Cullen wanted to clench and unclench his hands to calm the rising tide of his anger.  As it was, he could only grip the box tightly with his gloved hands. “While of noble blood Tanwen may be, she is closer to being a Templar in temperament and skill than a noblewoman within the Grand Game.  Most times, she eschews many of the things expected of her and her noble status.  She holds no interest in gentry intrigue.  She would, in fact, rather spend time training with the soldiers or working in New Haven, if given the time.”  He could feel himself breathing hard as he frowned at Mia, trying to catch his breath.  Maker’s Breath, he hadn’t been irritated with Mia like this since they had been small children.  But this, moving into Tan’s room, felt right and he would defend his decision.

Mia looked up at him with wide eyes at his outburst.  After a moment, she collected herself.  “I see.  Before you do move into her rooms, do you at least intend to ask her father for her hand in marriage, since you are, I assume, sleeping with her and planning to live with her under one roof in other than a professional manner?”

Without so much as a pause, Cullen replied. “I do.”

Cullen stood rooted to the step he was on in shock at his words, while his sister seemed pleased with his answer.  “Might I ask when?”

He shifted the box in his hands to one side so he could scratch the back of his neck again.  “Likely, the only time I will meet him.  Of course, I wouldn’t ask while traveling: I want to get to know her parents first. But it would be before they leave Skyhold for Ostwick once more.”

Mia nodded her approval.  “Very well.  You’re forgiven.  I suppose I should leave you to your goal and search for Rosie.”

With that, Mia turned on her heel and disappeared back through the door she opened.  Cullen stood there a moment, still in shock.  He hadn’t really thought about marrying Tanwen before.  Apparently, it had been an unconscious thought and decision.  He had known he wanted to spend the rest of his days with Tanwen, couldn’t imagine being with anyone else now that he had met her and fallen in love with her, but marriage was something else entirely.  Pledging one’s heart and soul before the Maker was huge, and the thought of doing such a thing with her made him realize how much he wanted it.

And if Tanwen didn’t?  That was fine with him as well. She might not want to be tied to a man who might one day lose his memories, or even his life, to his lyrium withdrawal. So long as, when the business with Corypheus was over, he got to fall asleep and wake up with her in his arms, he’d consider it a life well lived.

As he climbed the rest of the stairs, Pherra and Aelia passed with a quick nod.  Inside Tanwen’s - their - room, Cullen looked at it with different eyes as he had with the stairs leading up. He closed his eyes to block his view of her room. When he took in her scent of lavender and vanilla, an image of himself sitting at the desk in the corner, doing paperwork for the Inquisition while Tanwen read as she lounged on their bed, her belly softly swollen with his child, formed behind his eyelids.  A small boy that looked like Tan was playing with wooden toy soldiers on a rug before the fire.

Cullen shook the daydream from his mind.  “One step at a time, Rutherford.” He mumbled to himself before placing his box on the table in front of the sette. He would let her decide where to put his meager possessions, to integrate him into her personal life behind closed doors as she had in public.

He leisurely walked over to the bed, smelling her vanilla and lavender scent getting stronger the closer he got to her bed despite Pherra having just changed the sheets.  Perhaps they washed her sheets and then hung them to dry with little bundles of vanilla bean and sprigs of lavender?  It was hard to say.  Lavender and vanilla were both exotic materials and thus costly.

Cullen sat down on Tanwen’s bed and tipped over until his head fell onto a pillow, breathing deep of its scent.  He knew he should get up - he had rooms to have cleaned and organized for her parents and their retainers, as well as training to oversee.  Cullen yawned and got comfortable on top of the coverlets.

He’d get up in a couple minutes.

~//~

“The Inquisitor hasn’t slept in days, has she?”

Tanwen had heard this and other questions in regards to her health and or sleeping schedule more times than she could count.  But she paid them no mind as she guided her three companions and the newcomer, efficiently through the rest of the Plains.  She knew that the soldiers and her companions were waiting for an answer as to her sudden change, but her focus wouldn’t allow it.

-Two days prior-

They had been working on completing one of the many quests from Keeper Hawen near the Dalish camp when Tanwen saw a glint shine out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she noticed an occularum had been erected on top of one of the many decrepit archways stacked on top of each other to create a wall, facing yet another statue of a wolf.

“That’s… Fen’Harel, yes?” Tanwen turned to Delani.  She knew Solas would have been more than happy to answer her question, but she wanted to get to know the dalish woman and made sure to ask as many questions as she could.  As they climbed to the occularum, she awaited Delani’s answer.

The elven woman’s sea-green eyes widened at Tanwen’s question.  She seemed impressed that Tanwen knew the name of one of the elven Creators.  Looking towards the statue in question, she shook her head and smiled. “The Wolf may represent Fen’Harel, but not every wolf statue you see is honorific of the trickster.” She nodded Tanwen’s attention back to the wolf carved of the white stone, she continued.

“Most throughout the Plains represent the Wolf guardians that fought along side our warriors in the Dales.  This is one such statue.”

Tanwen wanted to ask more questions as she scanned the terrain with the crystal-eyed skull, but her attention was drawn, for an inexplicable reason, to a blue makeshift tent below.

- Present day -

Looking back now, she wished she had ignored the curiosity that had pulled her to look within the darkened confines of the blue cloth shell.

Inside, she had found a typical camping setup with a chest topped by a plank of wood to create a table.  Two bedrolls were laid out on the grass with candles scattered about and burned low. One would think it had been just an abandoned romantic camp site.

Except for the skeletons.

There were two bodies, one of them larger than the other.  The larger still wore bits of leather armor while the smaller looked to have the makings of a dress remaining on its fragile bones. Humans. When Tanwen had moved to flip the embracing skeletons onto their backs to prepare for a proper burial, Tanwen froze and felt everything in her body, including her heart, stop moving.  When the female skeleton had settled on its back with a rattle, Tanwen had found a smaller skeleton under her, still clutching a tatty, brown bear with splotches of darker brown.

Without warning, Tanwen was seeing a small body with mahogany hair and deep blue eyes dressed in Ostwickan clothing laying there instead of a dry skeleton.

Not normally one with a weak constitution, it took everyone outside the tent, other than Delani, by surprise when Tanwen hurried from the tent to crouch behind a large rock.  She braced her hand on the stone for support as her stomach evacuated its contents.

Several minutes of heaving then passed before she felt a hand set gently on her back.

"Pretty strong reaction from a woman who's seen the effects of war first hand."  Even for as soft as her voice had been, Tanwen had still managed to hear Delani's comment over her convulsions.  Tanwen had wanted to reply, but her gag reflex wouldn't stop long enough.  Thankfully, Varric had come to her rescue, his tone more solemn than she could ever remember hearing.

"We don't see many kids caught up in the battles we fight, Scarlet."

"I see," Delani had murmured in reply after pausing, likely in reaction to the nickname Varric had dubbed her.  "It's not something one gets used to. I can assure you of that much."

Tanwen could remember imagining Varric nodding to her comment.  "But you see, Mama has a more...intimate reason.  Her reaction making sense, if you think about it."

She had heard shuffling of grass and clothing as her heaving eased, thank the Maker.  After a few moments of silence, Varric had continued since Delani had made no sound of understanding. "I'm sure the reason the Inquisitor reacted to the sight of the child's skeleton is because she, herself, is a mother.  I am willing to bet good crowns that when she saw the body, she actually saw her own son."

He hadn't been wrong. When she turned her head to the side as she wiped the sick from her lips, she saw Delani nod.  Her arms were crossed over her leather jerkin, her crimson brows turned down deep with sympathy over her vibrant eyes, red lips pressed into a hard line.

When Tanwen continued turning her head, she saw it had been Cassandra's hand on her back in comfort as she had crouched next to Tanwen. Delani had been standing next to the shieldmaiden. When Cassandra raised an eyebrow in silent question as to if she was okay, Tanwen nodded and stood.  She'd walked to the tent, entered and grabbed the blood-soaked bear, placing it in her pack.

She touched the cloth toy through the flaps of her pack now as they trekked to the Dalish camp one last time to inquire about the young man, Loranil, who wished to join the Inquisition, before the bulk of the Inquisition left to move on to their next destination in Emprise du Lion.

Tanwen would sleep - she was no fool.  The longer she didn't, the sloppier she would get and the more likely for injury.  But that wouldn't slow her renewed determination to see this world safe once more so no more families died together or were torn asunder.

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 19: Halamshiral

Cullen was getting anxious.

When Tanwen had been in Val Royeaux with Josephine to confront an old noble family on Josephine's behalf, Cullen had received a raven from her family.

Cullen released a breath as he read the missive.  Her parents agreed to come to Skyhold and to bring Iuen with them. He felt excitement welling up inside him, just imagining the look of joy that would be on Tanwen's face when her son arrived. He still felt it as he rode beside her on their way to where their camp was being up outside Halamshiral for the masquerade ball. Tanwen’s family would be leaving shortly after the three day summit between the Empress, Duke Gaspard and ambassador Brialla to agree on peace in Orlais, and would likely take a month to arrive in Jader by boat.

There was a lot of tension surrounding the ball because of what Tanwen had learned while captured by the Envy demon at Theirinfal Redoubt.  It angered Cullen to no end that the noble’s did not heed the Inquisition's warnings on the Magister's plans, but as it was pointed out by both Leliana and Josephine, the Empress constantly had threats against her.  No one was taking this threat seriously despite finding evidence of it in the Templar castle. He was glad that Josephine had managed to get invitations to the ball, even though he would rather walk through the forests outside Skyhold in the middle of winter, in the same manner of which he was born, than get stuck in the middle of a country such as Orlais, but there was no helping it.  Tanwen needed to be there and she needed her advisors and inner circle to be there for her to back her up.

"After the business in Halamshiral is concluded, where will I be sent next?" Cullen heard her ask from his right and he turned his attention from his thoughts to the current conversation between the advisors and Tanwen.

"Emprise du Lion, the Emerald Graves and the Exalted Plains all have called for aid. Since they are all within a day's ride of each other, it is likely you will be able to cover all three in one trip."

"What is happening in those places?" She asked Josephine.

"Other than the three dragons occupying the area, soldiers in Emprise Du Lion report seeing an increased number of Red Templars. Leliana's scouts reported that the Red Templars have seized Suledin Keep as their headquarters and have begun using the nearby quarry as a site for the growth and harvest of red lyrium to possibly supply their forces. They have also made several raids on the nearby village of Sahrnia. We have been sent a request for aid by Mistress Poulin, an Orlesian noble who rules over the town and surrounding land."

"We have also been contacted by a 'Fairbanks', who says he has valuable information for the Inquisition from the Emerald Graves. In a missive he sent to us, he offers a trade: the information he has in exchange for the Inquisition’s help in eliminating a dangerous rebel band calling themselves the 'Freeman of the Dales.' There have been reported sightings of these rebels all over the Dales, where they have caused significant problems for Orlesian troops. Uprooting them could be a good move for us." Leliana added, taking over where Josephine left off. "First, let us see what this Fairbanks has to say. He is hiding out somewhere in the Emerald Graves. My spies report that he is well acquainted with the area and its terrain. He could prove a useful asset, if we choose to trust him."

Tanwen nodded and turned to Cullen.  "What about the Exalted Plains?"

"Seven hundred years ago the elven nation fell there. The elven army was defeated by the combined forces assembled for the Exalted march called by the Chantry, defending their land to the last breath. Then the settlement of Ville Montevelan was founded by one of the 'heroes' of the Exalted March, Sister Amity, and presided over by the allegedly elf-blooded Mayor Agur. Now, The Exalted Plains are a contested battlefield in Orlais' civil war . There are reports of dead bodies being possessed by spirits that emerge from the rifts that are scattered around the plains.  Also, the armies of Empress Celine and Duke Gaspard de Chalons have been fighting, but recently the fighting has stopped as an outbreak of undead has driven both armies back to their respective keeps."

"So, which do you suggest I go to first?" Tanwen was pinching her lip as she thought, looking as if she was weighing options.

"All three are important." Leliana said, "If the information that Fairbanks has is truly as valuable as it's been rumored, then we should go help him and collect on his trade."

"But the people of Emprise du Lion are suffering at the hands of the Red Templars." Josephine quipped, looking concerned.

"As are the elves and soldiers of the Plains at the hands of the undead there. Something fishy is going on and needs to be investigated as soon as possible." Cullen added.

"I will think on it, pray, and decide soon.  Right now, however, as we draw closer, we need to focus on what we will need to do to ensure the safety of the Empress.  We cannot allow Corypheus to cause Orlais to go into chaos."

Cullen and the other advisors nodded. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to check on some of our new additions gained in Val Royeaux."

Cullen watched Tanwen pull back and go to the elf woman with the two children.  She seemed drawn to them, and for good reason. She didn’t have to say it, but Cullen could tell that she identified with the woman, in however small manner.  Single mother, wanting to keep her family safe. The major difference was that Tanwen was lucky to be born to a noble family, while Pherra was not. Another possibility as to why Tanwen attached herself to the little family, beyond just being a good and caring person, was that in helping Pherra care for her children, Tanwen felt she likely was making up for being unable to care for her own son. Cullen smiled as he moved with his horse as it walked. She would get the opportunity to take care of Iuen again and soon.

"What are you planning, Curly?" Varric's voice jolted him from his thoughts as the dwarf rode up next to him.

"I don't know what you mean, Dwarf." he replied, staring straight ahead.  He knew that his reply was incriminating to the rogue, but he didn't care.

Varric chuckled.  "Alright, alright, keep your secrets.  Just tell me:  Will it keep Mama happy?"

"Mama?" Had Tanwen told her companions about Iuen?  The last he had heard, she had only told her advisors.  Not that it was a problem if she had.  Even if she hadn't, they had likely learned from the soldiers and their rumor-spreading ways, cluck cluck clucking like hens in a henhouse.

"Yeah, the Inquisitor.  Gave her the nickname because she is like a mother to her inner circle and the people of the Inquisition." Cullen gave a noncommittal sound and Varric looked at him as if trying to decipher him.

"Don't bother, Varric.  I'm not telling you what I'm planning beyond, yes- it is for the Inquisitor. She has been working so hard for the Inquisition as of late, she deserves some form of reward, don't you think?"

"After what Cassandra and Solas said she went through in the fade, yes."

~//~

Three days later, they arrived at the camp they had sent when they left for Val Royeaux, near the gates of the Winter Palace. After a quick scan to ensure everything was secure, he dismounted from his horse and moved to assist Tanwen from Selena, letting her slide down his body and relishing in the feel of hers against his. He wanted to moan, feeling her hard form mold against his. Cullen missed having her in his arms or within arm's reach, and the sight of her wearing the cloak he had given her made things more difficult.  With the sight came memories of the last time they were together in his office, the heat, the passion, the whole experience was overwhelming to his senses even now as he thought about it.

He heard her gasp when her abdomen came in contact with his hardening member. "Cullen," she whispered, her cheeks flushing and her eyes dilating. All he wanted to do was dip his head down and taste her parted lips, lay her down on a pile of furs and make love to her all night.  But he knew he couldn't, because they were due at the palace in a short number of hours. And he wanted to spend hours going over every inch of her.  With his tongue and teeth.

"Tonight, my lady," his voice rumbled deeper than normal in his chest as he spoke straight into her ear. She nodded before pulling away and straightened her cloak and armor, the blush remaining. Tanwen turned her head when she heard the approach of Josephine, Vivienne and Leliana.

"Come now, Tanwen.  It's time to get you dressed for the ball."

"Is everything else ready?" Cullen asked watching the interaction between the women, feeling the tenseness in the air. "What's going on?"

Josephine sighed.  "Lady Vivienne and I wanted to have the Inquisitor in a beautiful gown for the ball.  As you know, we went to Vivienne’s seamstress while while we were in Val Royeaux and had the Inquisitor try on many dresses. By the second day of trying them on, Tanwen had had enough. I’m surprised she did not tell you, Commander. She threatened to - oh, how did you put it?" She turned to Tanwen.

"Nevermind what I said," Tanwen quickly replied, her blush intensifying. "I told you, Josephine:  Dresses are impractical for warriors like me.  Besides, I know that everyone else in the Inquisition that is attending won't be wearing dresses.  Why would I?  I know that you want me to stand out, but I think what I came up will be better.  I will be dressed, but still have the versatility of breeches.  Don't be sour, Josephine!  Everything will be fine!"

"I'm not being sour!  I just can't see what is so wrong with a dress for someone of your status."

"Leave it be, Josephine.  I have a feeling, knowing her background, she has never liked wearing dresses." Cullen interceded to keep the peace.  Not that he truly thought that fighting would erupt between the women before him.  Tanwen and Josephine were too diplomatic to come to blows over words.  'Plus, Tanwen could defeat Josephine in melee with no problem,' he added to himself with a pride-filled smile.

Josephine folded her arms under her breasts.  "Yes, well... There are still preparations to be made before the ball this evening.  If you will excuse me."  With a slight bow, Josephine wandered off.

During what remaining time they had left before they truly had to prepare for the ball, Cullen and Tanwen passed it quietly as they walked about the camp, followed distantly by Pherra and her children, checking on some of the newcomers being fitted for armor and swords and others helping in other ways.  Whatever it was that Tanwen had said to them all, it  had made them want to help because no one felt forced to be here.

There was a council meeting before the ball where they went over what would be expected during the festivities and Josephine and Leliana were already dressed and ready to go. Cullen worried for Tanwen when it came to the Grand Game.  She may be of noble birth, but in the small province of Ostwick, the Game was nearly non-existent, but she insisted that she would be fine.

"Well, you have put off getting dressed long enough, Tanwen.  Commander, meet us in the ballroom when they are ready to announce the Inquisition.  Tanwen will be walking in with the Duke tonight as a show of support."  Josephine walked to the opening of Tanwen's tent where they had conducted the meeting and held the flap open, staring pointedly at him.

Cullen turned to Tanwen and bowed, staring at her for a moment before he left through the tent's flaps.  He paused outside the tent when he heard Leliana speak. "Now, Tanwen.  Let us get you ready, shall we?"

Leliana's words, while not meaning to be, rang ominous to all who heard.

~//~

Cullen tugged on the sash under his belt, then on the sleeves of his jacket.  "I need to have this jacket let out a little." he groused, tugging on the bottom of his jacket again.

"Cullen!" Josephine bit out from his right.  "Stop doing that.  You are making a fool of yourself."

"I feel like a fool in this getup." He grumbled, looking forward but being more subtle about his tugging as he listened to the chatter going on about the cavernous room.

When the chatter dimmed, he focused on the people, seeing them look towards the platform behind and above him.  Someone of import had arrived and was about to be announced.

"And now presenting: Grand Duke Gaspard de Challons.  And accompanying him, Lady Inquisitor Tanwen Trevelyan, daughter of Bann Owain Trevelyan of Ostwick."

Cullen felt his body tense at her arrival and turned his head slightly to watch the Duke escort Tanwen, her hand in the crook of his arm, down the stairs.  He felt his breath catch; If she wanted to catch people's attentions, then she certainly would succeed.

Standing with her back ramrod straight, her hand settled delicately on the Duke's forearm, Tanwen looked resplendent in a deep red corset with ornate golden clasps down the front from between her breasts to below the sash she wore.  A lacy jacket in a lighter red that had tiny gold embroidery throughout the piece covered her arms and shoulders and trailed to the floor behind her.  About her waist was a deep blue sash, much like his, that was draped over her left shoulder and pinned to her jacket with a brooch with the Inquisition emblem in gold. Cullen smirked when he saw her wearing black leather breeches and black knee-high boots.  She had come without a physical mask, unlike the other nobles in residence: intricate lines, swirls and leaves had been painted on her cheeks and forehead in black, red and gold.  Half of said mask covered by lengths of hair that had been left out of the curls Leliana, Josephine, Vivienne and Pherra had managed to create out of Tanwen's shoulder length wavy hair and piled up on the crown of her head.

When the two stood in front of Cullen and the other advisors, the Duke bowed while Tanwen gently grasped the side of her long coat as she would a gown and curtsied low before rising to see the Empress return their greeting.  Cullen watched those around them as they stared at Tanwen and the Duke during their descent to the dance floor and walk slowly across to where the Empress stood.  A sudden spike of jealousy shot through him.  He, Cullen, should be escorting her, not the Duke.  But Cullen pushed it back down.  He tried to ignore the lust in the eyes of many in attendance, both male and female, but it proved difficult.

"...Champion of the Blessed Andraste herself." There were many oohs and ahhs as they continued walking slowly, apparently in no hurry.

"Accompanying the Inquisitor:  The Iron Bull, leader of the famed mercenary company Bull's' Chargers.  As the name might imply.  Renowned author, Varric Tethras." The crier paused.  "Head of noble house Tethras, Deshyr of Kirkwall to the Dwarven Merchant's Guild.  And Lord Dorian Pavus, member of the Circle of Vyrantium, son of Lord Magister Halward Pavus of Asariel.

"Ser Cullen Stanton Rutherford of Honnleath, Commander of the forces of the Inquisition. Former Knight-Commander of Kirkwall." Cullen walked forward down the stairs and across the floor, feeling everyone's eyes on him.  He could practically feel the accusing stares as he passed, people wondering what had happened in Kirkwall and why he hadn't stopped the uprising before it started all this chaos.  Through all the negativity, he noticed that some of the Jesters were just standing around, coming off as odd to him.  He would have to save that for later.  "Lady Leliana.  Nightingale of the Imperial Court, veteran of the fifth Blight, seneschal of the Inquisition and Left Hand of the Divine.  And Lady Josephine Cherette Montilyet of Antiva City.  Ambassador of the Inquisition."

Only once the advisors were lined up behind the Inquisitor and the Duke, did the Empress address them.

"Cousin.  My dear sister." The Duke exclaimed as he paused before the Empress at the top of the stairs.

"Grand Duke." The Empress bowed slightly.  "We are always honored when your presence graces Our court."

"Don't waste my time with pleasantries, Celine.  We have business to conclude."

"We will meet for the negotiations after We have seen to Our other guests." Her tone made it clear that there would be no further arguments.  Cullen could see why she was able to sway the Council of Heralds into deciding to make her Empress.  She had a presence about her that could change from accommodating to powerful in the blink of an eye.  All four of them watched as Gaspard gave a ridiculous, flourishing bow that was all arms and turned heel.

Composing himself, the Duke departed up the stairs with only an "Inquisitor."

Everyone turned back to the Empress when she began speaking again.  "Lady Inquisitor, We welcome you to the Winter Palace.  Allow Us to present Our cousin, the Grand Duchess of Lydes.  Without whom this gathering would never have been possible."

The blonde woman next to the Empress gave a deep curtsy before standing once more.  She gave a forced smile to Tanwen. "What an unexpected pleasure.  I was not aware the Inquisition would be part of our festivities." She turned to leave.  "We will certainly speak later, Inquisitor."

Tanwen turned back to the Empress.  "Your arrival at court is like a cool wind on a summer's day." Her Majesty said, holding her hands steady before her, only moving slightly to float along with her words.

"Let us hope the breeze does not herald an oncoming storm," Tanwen curtsied again. Celine seemed to approve of her answer.

"Even the wisest mistake fair winds for foul.  We are at the mercy of the skies, Inquisitor." The Empress smiled at Tanwen.  "How do you find Halamshiral?"

"I have no words to suffice.  Halamshiral has many beauties and I couldn't do them justice."

Cullen heard Josephine release a breath from beside him as if she had been worried Tanwen would have said the wrong thing.  Her words seemed to please the monarch.  "Your modesty does you credit and speaks well for the Inquisition.  Feel free to enjoy the pleasures of the ballroom, Inquisitor.  We look forward to watching you dance."

He watched Tanwen give another deep curtsey as the other woman turned away before moving to the stairs that the Duke had walked up.  Cullen wandered off to the side of the ballroom to watch and listen to the crowds that milled about for anything that might hint at the danger that the Empress was in.. In no time, he was surrounded by men and women, all poking and prodding him, offering him compliments he didn't want and asking him questions he didn't need.

Andraste's mercy, he didn't even want to be here!  His hands clenched even as he crossed them over his chest, wishing to wrap them around the hilt of his sword and the straps of his shield.  He wanted to hit something, he wanted to...

He felt everything pause when he caught the sight of ruby curls out of the corner of his eye, feeling his chest warm at the familiarity of the color.  He almost missed a question asked as he sought her out again.

"Are you married, Commander?" The male asked, giving him a coy look that irritated him.

"Not yet, but I am... already taken." he replied.

"So... you're still single then?"

Cullen was now positive he was never meant for palace life.  He couldn't simper and flirt, he couldn't lie through his teeth just to get an advantage.  

He was glad for Dorian and Varric’s visits throughout the night, or else he might have ended up shouting at a noble. Especially Bull’s visits, though they were mostly silent, because most of the nobles that flocked around him were frightened away by Bull’s presence in both size and the fact that he was Qunari.

This Grand Game was ridiculous and he was better off having nothing to do with it. It and the people around him made him want to shout.  Their crowding made him wonder if they had never seen a Ferelden man before, but thought better of it.  With as many times as he got asked to dance in a short amount of time, perhaps he was simply a novelty to these people because they had nothing better to do. Looking for a means of escape, he caught sight of Tanwen again at the back of the crowd;  a smirk on her red lips though she tried to hide it behind a demure hand.  She was enjoying this, the wench!  "Inquisitor!  Did you need something?" Please?

Cullen wanted to laugh when he directed their attentions to her, giving himself a break from the incessant questions.  Her eyes grew wide as people turned to chatter to her or walk off, not interested in her as they were him or just downright disapproving of her still being called the Herald of Andraste.  She walked closer to stand next to him as they stared beyond the crowd.  Cullen leaned in closer so as not to be overheard.

"The sooner we track down this infiltrator, the better."

Tanwen smiled and gave him a discreet nod.  "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

He shook his head.  "I'll let you know once I do."

They watched the crowds for a time before she sighed.  "Do you have any advice for me? I could use all the help I can get right now. I feel so out of my element in all this fancy dress finery."

"Orlesian social events don't fall within my area of expertise either.  There are few here we can trust.  Be careful."

"Who do you think the Inquisition should support?"

"Gaspard's claim to the throne is fair.  Orlais needs someone capable of responding to the crisis at hand.  A military minded leader seems the best option." She seemed to accept his advice, but didn't seem convinced.  She focused on the crowd before them. The people in front of them were watching the Tanwen and himself while trying to act as if they weren't.

Turning to face him, she held her hands before her and stood straighter.  "I don't suppose you'd save a dance for me at the end of the night?"

"No, thank you." He replied automatically, then kicked himself when her face fell slightly.

"Oh."

"No!  I didn't mean to - Maker's Breath!  I've answered that question so many times tonight I'm rejecting it automatically. I'm not one for dancing.  The Templars never attended balls."

"Nor have I, but for never having attended a ball, you've attracted quite a following.  Who are all these people?"

Though she smirked, her glossed lips shining in the candlelight, he could hear a small amount of hurt in her words at his instant rejection, though he tried to fix it.  He sighed.  "I don't know, but they won't leave me alone."

"Not enjoying the attention then?" She was teasing him now? Perhaps he was just imagining he had hurt her feelings?

"Hardly.  Anyways, yours -" He cleared his throat, lowering his voice so those around them couldn't hear.  "Yours is the only attention worth having." He smiled when his words received the desired reaction of cheeks rouging beneath her painted mask and a bashful smile gracing her lips.

"I... should be going.  I've been sent to speak with the Dowager about a dance." Cullen watched her leave, ignoring the nobles moving in around him where the inquisitor had vacated, all vying for his attention.

For the rest of the evening, between hearing word of fighting in the gardens and in the servant's quarters, Cullen fended off many nobles attempting to hand him contracts of marriage both obviously and discreetly.  All he wanted to do was toss them all into the nearest fire grate, but he knew that if Leliana caught word that he had done such a thing, she would have his hide. So, he accepted them graciously and tucked them into his pockets, which were quickly filling with requests.

Cullen also awaited Tanwen's return from whatever the evening had her doing.  He wanted to speak to her about sending those guards to ask him about her battle with Corypheus’ dragon.  He was sure she had reason, it was just beyond his reasoning.  Gasps and twittering gossips echoed about, everyone around moving to the bannisters as a waltz began.  Looking below, Cullen saw Tanwen dancing with the Duchess, but they were obviously deep in conversation.  Tanwen danced like a leaf on the wind, the train of her coat draped over her arm even as she played the part of the man in the dance, yet he was transfixed by the whole event until she dipped the Duchess low to the ground when the dance ended.

"You'll be the talk of the Court for months!" Josephine hurried over to Tanwen when she reached the top of the stairs off the Ballroom floor.  "We should take you dancing more often."

Tanwen smiled.  "It's a relief to do something other than fight demons and horrors, or paperwork." Cullen chuckled under his breath.

"You still face demons and horrors.  These ones are simply better dressed," Josephine replied as Leliana joined the three of them.

"You were dancing with Duchess Florianne?" She asked, seemingly in shock.

"More importantly, what happened in the servants' quarters? I heard there was fighting." Cullen moved closer, noticing interested ears and gazes of the men and women around them.

"I hope you have good news.  It appears the peace talks are crumbling."

Tanwen turned to Josephine.  "The Grand Duchess tried to convince me Gaspard is the traitor, but I'm not sure I buy it."

"Florianne and her brother are thick as thieves, but she would give him up in an instant to save herself." Tanwen crossed her arms, looking deep in thought at Leliana's words.

"Then... the attack on the Empress will happen tonight." Cullen sighed.

Josephine shook her head.  "Warning Celine is pointless.  She needs these talks to succeed, and to flee would admit defeat."

"Then perhaps we should let her die." Cullen's, Josephine's and Tanwen's eyes all grew wide at Leliana’s suggestion.

"I thought we were here to stop the assassination."

"Listen to me carefully, Inquisitor.  What Corypheus wants is chaos.  Even with Celine alive, that could still happen.  To foil his plan, the Empire must remain strong.  This evening, someone must emerge victorious."

As much as he might wish otherwise, Cullen couldn't help but agree with Leliana's observation.  "And it doesn't need to be Celine," he turned from Leliana to Tanwen. "She's right."

Josephine seemed beside herself.  "Do you even realize what it is you are suggesting, Leliana?"

"Sometimes the best path is not the easiest one." She spoke with experience in her tone.  Memories of seeing her standing with Brianna Amell, separated by a magical barrier in the Circle of Ferelden during the horrific time when Uldred ruled, flashed before Cullen's eyes.  He gulped and forcefully pushed the memories back. For a split second, Tanwen's eyes grew concerned before she got back on track.

She wasn't convinced.  "You're asking me to decide what's best for Orlais?"

"It's more than that.  Whoever controls the Imperial throne will affect all of Thedas." He explained.

"You cannot stop Corypheus without a decision.  You must support someone, or all is lost."

Cullen could see that Tanwen wanted to roll her eyes as if to say 'Oh, is that all?'

"Then we should support Celine.  She is the rightful ruler.  Why would we say otherwise?"

"Because she lead Orlais to this point.  I say Gaspard, provided his sister is wrong about him." Cullen said, countering Josephine's approach.

"I would suggest Briala.  She could bring true peace, not only to the Empire but also it's elves."

"This is, however, your decision, Inquisitor.  Not ours." Cullen spoke over Leliana, turning everyone's attention to Tanwen.

Tanwen stared blankly at Josephine for a moment before focusing again.  "We came here to save Celine.  We should continue our mission."

"Then you must not only save her life, but also her Empire."

"That means giving her a victory over Gaspard and Briala."

Cullen watched Tanwen look from Leliana to Josephine in turn, feeling like she might be getting overwhelmed.  "If there truly is proof Gaspard's in league with Corypheus.  That would be a start."

Leliana picked up on his line of thought. "What did Duchess Florianne tell you?"

"She said Gaspard's mercenary captain is in the Royal wing.  That he knows about the assassination plans."

Cullen could feel apprehension boiling in his gut at the mention of the captain.  "Which could be a trap."

"Or a lead.  Either way, you should search the private quarters in that wing for clues." Josephine added.

"Then get me access," Tanwen said to Josephine before turning to face Cullen.  "In the meantime, get your soldiers into position."

He lowered his head in acknowledgement. "At once.” With meaning, he grabbed her hand and added under his breath, “Be careful, Tanwen."

Tanwen smiled, nodded, and disappeared into the depths of the castle.

Cullen didn't see her again for some time, but heard of more fighting out in one of the courtyards.  When he did see Tanwen, she out of her finery and in her full armor and weaponry, staring stonily across the ballroom at someone he couldn't see from behind a pillar.  When she turned to where he had been standing, he saw she was splattered with blood. Ignoring the comment about his hair and eyes given to him by one noble or another, he pushed past them to hurry over to her. Was she injured? This simple diplomatic mission was becoming more and more dangerous and he worried for her safety, so he was glad to see she was safe.

"Thank the Maker you're back! Are you alright? The Empress will begin her speech soon.  What should we do?"

She moved closer to Cullen, grimacing slightly when she inhaled and likely smelled the cloying perfumes that covered his own scent from the nobles that had surrounded him the entire night. Tanwen rubbed her nose to ward off the smell. "The Grand Duchess is the assassin, Cullen. Don't let her anywhere near the Empress."

Cullen looked at Tanwen in surprise and confusion. "The Duchess?" He set his facial features, hiding the surprise once more with a nod of his head.  "At once, Inquisitor."

~//~

Tanwen watched Cullen turn and discreetly summon two nearby Inquisition guard as he moved to tell the other advisors of the discovery and get his men into position as quickly as possible.  As she was walking down the side of the room after Cullen, looking into the crowds below, the presenter from the beginning of the evening stepped forward.

"Let all gathered attend!  Her Imperial Majesty will now address the court."  The man bowed and backed away, making way for Celine to approach the railing.

"Lords and ladies, as a nation we mourn our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and lovers claimed by war.  The sky is torn open, our Divine is dead, and many fear the end of all things comes upon us.  Orlais must stand as a bastion, a bulwark behind which all Thedas may take shelter.  So has it stood for a thousand years, so shall it ever stand!"

Tanwen walked faster when she saw the Duchess approach the Empress.  "This would not have been possible without the efforts of many.  Dear cousin, please step forward."

"Grand Duchess, stand down!" Tanwen shouted, withdrawing a dagger from her boot and pushing people out of her way as she ran forward.  Luckily, there were soldiers closer than she was, but she flinched slightly as she ran when she saw a soldier push the Empress out of the way and not so gently.  She would deal with whatever backlash that might rise from the action, once the Empress was safe.

Before she could reach the Duchess, Florianne pulled out a small knife from a hidden sheath at her back, stabbing the soldier at her back in the stomach. In quick succession and with the elegant movements of a practiced rogue, she slew two more of Tanwen's soldiers.  She felt their loss in her heart, but couldn't dwell on it now. She let her determination grow. She had to get to the Duchess.

"Now!" Florianne shouted.  Out of the corner of her eye, Tanwen saw the jesters that had been standing around all night, move towards her soldiers that stood on the ballroom floor, taking them out with expert precision.

' No!' She thought to herself, focusing back on the Duchess with growing anger. ‘Cullen will take care of them.’

"For Corypheus!  Kill them all!" She commanded before turning towards the balcony overlooking the front gardens.

"Cullen! Protect the people!" Tanwen shouted down to the Commander as he fought below before chasing after the Duchess.

"Yes, Inquisitor!" She heard him reply as she followed the assassin over the railing, feeling Dorian, Bull and Varric close on her tail.

The four of them hurried past a gate after her, flinching slightly when they heard the metal screech when it was closed and locked behind them.  Tanwen turned back to the gardens before her, seeing the Duchess standing on top of the three tiered fountain in the center of the courtyard.  "Come back to the ball, Florianne.  I thought that you wanted to dance again!"

Florianne looked down her nose at them as Tanwen and her companions approached.  With a flourish, she ripped her gown from her body and let it flutter to the bottom tier of the fountain, revealing skin-tight rogue's armor.  She bent down and retrieved a bow, a quiver full of arrows and two daggers from the top tier on which she stood.

Throwing a smoke bomb, she disappeared in a plume of smoke.  Tanwen tried to track her, but the noble woman was good.  If it weren't for the hair on the back of her neck rising, she surely would have gotten stabbed in the back by the rogue when she reappeared a second later.

"Bull! Knock her guard down." Tanwen called as she ran toward their opponent. "Varric, see if you can't old her in place."

Flinging her hand in the air, Tanwen created a rift above the blonde before leaping forward to attack her with her two-handed sword.  The Duchess managed to break free when the rift dissipated, creating another curtain of smoke to disappear with.

Everyone looked around, but it was Dorian who finally found her.  "Leaving so soon, your Grace?" He turned to Tanwen.  "Be careful, she's up on the wall and has her bow out."

"Dorian, Varric, knock her down!"

Florianne repeated her hit and run tactic twice more, meeting them near the fountain.  While watching her movements, they had to deal with Venatori, which contributed to times when Tanwen lost sight of the Duchess.

Tanwen finally figured out her method and was ready.  When she got knocked from the wall this time, moving to the center of the courtyard, she lunged with her sword, impaling the woman before her when she reappeared.

The rogue gave a surprised, wet gasp, looking down at the sword buried to the hilt in her torso.  When she fell to her knees, Tanwen released her sword but didn't move away.  She stared down at the traitor in disgust.

"This is...not the end.  You will fail.  Corypheus will...conquer you all." With her dying breath, Tanwen felt herself get pulled back as the Duchess' body exploded, along with Tanwen's sword.

Tanwen turned to Dorian, whom had pulled her to safety.  "Terribly sorry about what happened to the Duchess.  I remembered that, near the beginning of the battle, I cast a Walking Bomb spell on her, just in case something bad happened.  So, when she died, I knew this would happen, so I quickly whisked you to safety."

She just rolled her eyes and smiled before wrapping her arms around the Tevinter male's shoulders. "My hero!" She exclaimed dramatically, the back of her hand on her forehead as she pretended to swoon.  Everyone laughed as they made their way back to the ballroom, stopping by the fountain to wipe off the blood and viscera accumulated on their persons from the Venatori.

Back inside the palace, Tanwen was beckoned to go to a balcony off of the ballroom to wait for the Empress, Briala, and Gaspard.

"Your sister attempted regicide in front of the entire court, Gaspard." Briala spat as they came to a stop in front of her.

"You're the spymaster.  If anyone knew this atrocity was coming, it was you."

"You don't deny your involvement?"

"I do deny it!" Gaspard growled, glaring at the elf.  "I knew nothing of Florianne's plans!  But you... you knew it all and did nothing!"

Briala tisked.  "I don't know which is better:  That you think I'm all-seeing or that you're trying so hard to play innocent and failing."

"Enough!" Celine shouted over the two bickering adults.  "We will not bicker while Tevinter plots against our nation! For the safety of the Empire, I will have answers."

Tanwen turned to Gaspard.  "Your captain tells me you spent all night sneaking mercenaries into the Palace, Gaspard.  You intended to attack."

"And where did your troops come from, Inquisitor?  If sneaking men into the palace is damning, then we are both damned."

"My men were sneaking nowhere.  We offered them as a complimentary guard for the palace and was accepted." If she told them the real reason, that she had seen plans to kill Celine at Therinfal Redoubt, they would never believe her. Orlais thrived on The Grand Game.  Everyone was trying to kill everyone; The Empress was no exception. "I also found your knife on the dead body of a Council of Heralds emissary in the Palace."

"The council will not overlook such a horrendous crime, cousin." Celine pointed out.

The older man scoffed.  "It would be a horrendous crime, if it were true.  But I have done no such thing."

"By all means, continue to protest your innocence, Gaspard.  We find this performance endlessly fascinating." Tanwen barely caught herself from chuckling at Celine's words.

"His own mercenary captain will confirm that Gaspard brought hired thugs into the palace for an attack."

"So much for your Chevalier honor, cousin."  Gaspard remained silent.

"We've all heard enough to damn the Grand Duke." Tanwen looked at all three in turn.

The Empress nodded.  "Thank you, Inquisitor." She turned to Gaspard.  "There can be no doubt of your treason, Gaspard."

"No. It seems there cannot."  The Duke turned his head to glare at Tanwen.  She returned his look with a deadpan gaze of her own.

Celine straightened and stood imperiously, her arms before her as she had earlier in the night, looking at Gaspard.  "In light of overwhelming evidence, We have no choice but to declare you an enemy of the Empire.  You are hereby sentenced to death."

Tanwen wanted to say something, suggest that they simply send him to a deserted island where he couldn’t come back from and cause trouble. But he would likely do everything in his power to return and that wasn’t a good thing, so she remained silent as the Empress' guard gathered behind the Duke and took him in hand.

"Long live the Empire." he growled before he was taken away to the dungeons to await his execution. Tanwen didn't approve of his being executed, he had conspired with his sister against Empress Celine,  but there was nothing she could do now.

Once he was gone, Celine turned back to Tanwen.  "Thank you, Inquisitor.  For all your efforts tonight .  I owe you my life, and Orlais owes you its future."

Inside the palace once more, Tanwen walked side by side with the Empress as she moved to the railing overlooking the ball and her guests.  "You have done a service for the Empire never to be forgotten, my friend.  This peace is your doing.  You truly are the instrument of Andraste.  Orlais will never forget your part in this.  Nor will I."

Celine turned to the court. "Lords and Ladies of the court," She called, bringing the din of voices to silence.  Tanwen stood back two paces, as was per decorum as the Empress spoke.  "The evil war which has plagued us is at an end.  The Orlesian Empire is whole again!"

Those in attendance cheered at her words.  "Those who drove us into war for selfish gain have been dealt with as traitors.  Gaspard de Challons is guilty of treason.  He is no longer Our cousin, and shall never again hold title or lands in Orlais.  We have lost enough.  No more!  Now we can move forward to healing and restoration."

Celine motioned for Tanwen to walk forward with an extending of hand.  "In our hour of need, the Inquisition has faced these dangers beside Us.  It is the honor of Orlais to stand with Andraste's Herald to end this crisis.  And in ages to come, our children and grandchildren can say that we left them in a brighter world."

The Empress turned to Tanwen.  "Will you address the court, my friend?"

Tanwen turned to the assembled crowd.  "Ending the war was the first step.  Our final goal must be peace for all Thedas."

"Well said, Inquisitor.  We of the court must use our resources.  Not every battle is won on the battlefield." Celine smiled brightly as she looked over the nobles.  "But that is for tomorrow !   Tonight , feast, my friends, enjoy our victory.  There will be many more to come!"

With a deep bow, no longer worrying about propriety necessary in her formal wear, to the Empress, Tanwen turned to return to the balcony from which they had come, suddenly finding herself in need of some fresh air. After everything that had gone on tonight, she finally found some time for herself to breathe.  When she heard the sound of clicking heels, she should have known it wouldn’t have lasted long.

"The Orlesian nobility make drunken toasts to your victory, and yet you are not present to hear them?"

Tanwen turned her head at Morrigan's appearance.  Despite Leliana's words of warning earlier in the night, Tanwen had sought out the woman and found an ally.  She had killed a Venatori thought to be making an attempt on the Empress' life and had found a key to the upper rooms, which Morrigan had then given her.

Morrigan sauntered up until she stood next to Tanwen at the railing.  "Do you tire so quickly of their congratulations, Inquisitor?  'Tis most fickle, after all your efforts on their behalf."

Tanwen smiled tiredly.  "There's plenty of opportunity for that later. It’s hardly even midnight.  I just wanted some air."

"I had no wish to interrupt your breathing, only to bring news. By Imperial decree, I have been named liaison to the Inquisition." Morrigan looked over the lake beyond the gardens from their spot on the balcony.  "Celine wishes to offer you any and all aid - including mine. Congratulations."

"Well, welcome aboard!  Who am I to naysay an Empress' wishes."

Morrigan bowed her head. "I shall meet you at Skyhold."

Tanwen watched her leave, noticing Cullen standing to the side of the doorway.  She smiled, glad to see him healthy and whole after the battle in the ballroom. Cullen's gaze was drawn by Morrigan as she passed, a flash of recognition in his eyes before he turned to focus on Tanwen.  She turned back to the railing, leaning on her elbows for support, feeling Cullen's approaching warmth as he came to lean against the stone wall beside her.  She felt his warmth all the way through her armor and into her skin and relished in it.

"Here you are.  Everyone's been looking for you.  Things have calmed down for the moment." He shifted his torso to lean on one arm so he could bring his free hand to reach up and turn her face with a gentle hand along her jaw.  "Are you alright?"

Tanwen smiled again and leaned against his appendage for a moment.  "I'm just worn out.   Tonight has been... very long."

"For all of us.  I'm glad it's over." He dropped his hand and leaned back further on one arm to see her clearly. By the look on his face, she could tell he saw her deep set exhaustion. He placed a hand on her bicep and gave it a light squeeze and she lifted a hand and returned his grip before he lowered his hand again. "I know it's foolish, but I was worried for you tonight ."

Cullen turned his head back to the double doors leading to the ballroom and Tanwen heard the orchestra begin a new song amid laughter.  He smiled and looked at her again.  "I may never get another chance like this, so I must ask."

Tanwen watched him push off the railing, following him with her gaze as he turned back to her in a low bow, one hand outstretched as a nobleman would a noblewoman looking to court her. To say she was surprised would have been an understatement, especially after his reaction to her requesting he save her a dance earlier in the night.

"May I have this dance, my lady?"

Tanwen placed her hand in his and smiled. "Of course!  But I thought you didn't dance?" She curtsied the best she could in full armor and leathers.

Cullen chuckled as he pulled her into a slow turn around the balcony.  Just beyond the double doors, she could see Dorian and the Iron Bull dancing a slow turn to the music as well.  "For you, I'll try." He whispered directly into her ear.  Tanwen leaned her head forward to rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes as they enjoyed the dance in the glow of the full moon, the night birds calling, lightening bugs twinkling as they floated along on a breeze, and crickets chirping just adding to the moment.  Tanwen sighed happily, falling even further under his spell, never wanting to be found.

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 18: Newcomers

Summary:

It's time to return to Val Royeaux to help Josephine in a dastardly plot. Blackwall has beat them there? And who is that at her coin purse?

Notes:

Da'len, din'dera is elvhen for “little one, be careful” or “take care”.

"Inquisitor - Three individuals have been chosen and brought to Skyhold to teach you their crafts.  Lord Chancer, to teach you the Champion's Code; Breaker Thram, to teach you the way of the Reaver; and..." Cullen paused and swallowed, obviously disapproving of the third option. "And a gentleman who goes simply by Ser, to help you complete your Templar training."

That explained the look of discomfort on his features.

"Thank you.  I will speak to all three before making a decision.  In the meantime: Josephine, I have spoken with Leliana and have decided to go to Val Royeaux to visit a Tevinter merchant named Vicinius at his vacation villa near the docks.  I would like you to join me so that we can speak with the man you told me about, Comte Boisvert, and find out what he knows." Tanwen looked between all three.  "Since we attained an invitation to the Empress' Grand Masquerade while in the Approach, I would like the rest of you and two dozen of our senior scouts and soldiers to meet us at the Winter Palace once things are complete in Val Royeaux.  It can't take more than a week for us to complete our business in the Capitol, so you should depart for the Palace shortly after we leave. Which will be in two days.  Meeting adjourned."

With that, the three advisors bowed their heads as Tanwen turned to leave.  The moment she was past the door leading to Josephine's quarters, she heard the familiar beat of heavy footfalls coming up from behind her and she turned to face her pursuer with a smile.  The turn of her lips fell a fraction when she saw his down turned lips and furrowed brow.

"Walk with me?"

The gruff tone caught her off guard, but she followed him anyways.  They walked through the atrium and towards his office, then turned right towards the ramparts, barbican and the gate house, only stopping when they reached the spot on the ramparts where they had experienced their first kiss. She saw it as their spot.

"What’s the matter, Cullen?"

He shook his head.  "Almost every night since the Ferelden circle, I have been plagued with nightmares of what happened.  Of this you know.  After almost twenty years of going through the nightmares, I don't like them but I have learned to live with them.  Ever since you went to the Western Approach, I have had horrible dreams of you battling a powerful mage, or demon, or even Corypheus himself, and you were unable to defeat them because their magic overwhelmed you.  I have even dreamt of you being possessed by a demon of Desire."

She knew he didn't doubt her strength, but worried for her safety.  "So are you saying that you think I should train with Ser to finish becoming a Templar?"

"What? No!” He shouted accidentally. He looked around at the guard who turned towards him in question before looking back at Tanwen. “I respect those who chose that life, but that isn't what I would choose for you.  I have a fourth specialization that would fit your background and current skill set without involving lyrium in any way."

"All right, Cullen, I'm listening.  What did you have in mind?"

He seemed unsure, as if he didn’t know if he should tell her or not. When he massaged the back of his neck and looked away, Tanwen crossed her arms over her breasts in expectation. "I... Talked to Cassandra while you slept after you emerged from the fade.  She agreed and, should you be interested, she would be willing to train you to be a Seeker.  It is by no means a suggestion, requirement, or something to be forced upon you," he hastened to add.  "Just another option you can choose from.  You already have training in focus and meditation.  Cassandra said it would be difficult, but possible to become a Seeker."

Tanwen stood there next to Cullen, wide eyed.  He wanted her to consider becoming a Seeker?  She walked over to the crenellations and stared down into the valley below. She had read about the Seekers when she was younger, thinking to join their ranks.  Seekers couldn't be possessed, were immune to mind control, and could cause the lyrium in someone's blood to catch fire.

The hard part would be the year she would need to take for fasting, prayer and separation from all distractions.  That would be, by far, the hardest part.  Being away from everyone for a year, by herself.  Then there was the part about becoming Tranquil until a spirit of faith came to her to break her tranquility and unlock her special ability.  That could take days, weeks… years.  It was also possible that the spirit would not come to her, then she would be stuck in the emotionless state of the Tranquil forever.

She turned back to Cullen, who had approached her. "I don't know, Cullen.  I am interested in undergoing the discipline, but it will require me to become Tranquil after spending a year fasting, praying and being isolated from everything and every one that could cause distraction. And you provide a very profound distraction in my life right now, which I willingly accept."

Cullen looked down between them and grabbed her hands, staring at them. Tanwen used a finger to lift his chin and refocus his gaze.  "I promise I will think about it and talk to Cassandra.  I will see if there is any part I can skip, since I more or less did the meditation part when training to be a Templar in Ostwick."

He looked deep into her eyes and she saw weariness.  Then he clasped the hand under his cheek with both of his and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you.  It means a lot to me and will bring me a small peace of mind while you are out fighting, knowing you won't get possessed.  Even if you don't begin your training until after Corypheus is defeated, it's a start."

Tanwen leaned forward until their foreheads met.  "You needn't worry about anything happening to me.  I have so much to look forward to once Corypheus is gone. No demon of desire has any sway over me."

"I love you."

Tanwen shivered in delight at hearing the words rumble from his chest. "I love you. Now, don't we have work to get back to and an Inquisition to run?" She smiled cheekily at him when she pulled back to look at his face.  Tanwen felt her breath catch at the wolfish smirk on his lips as he looked down at her before releasing her hand, grasping her hips and pulling her close for a searing kiss.

Cullen left her there in a dreamy daze to go back to being the Commander and she, the Inquisitor.

~//~

"Who to take with me?" Tanwen mumbled under her breath as she wandered the castle the next morning.  She didn't know what to expect in the capitol, and wanted to bring a well-balanced team. Varric was already onboard, as well as Vivienne - which meant she needed a shield.  Cassandra came to mind first, but Tanwen had been carting her about quite often as of late and wanted to give the Seeker a break.  So that left Ser Blackwall.

Josephine would probably approve.  There was a rumor going around that she and the warden had shown interest in each other.

Tanwen frowned.  She approved of the interest, but when she had had a drink with him at his request the night before, some of his words concerned her.  Remorse colored his tone as he spoke of his childhood and regret when they talked of the grand tournament.  But there was something in the way that he worded things that felt wrong, and she wanted to figure it out, to help her Warden friend.

When she reached the barn where he preferred to linger while she wasn't using his shield, he was nowhere to be seen.  Figuring he was either wandering the castle or picking flowers for Josephine, Tanwen turned to leave but paused when she heard the flutter of parchment and saw something attached to the Griffin rocker he had been chiseling at for ages.  Upon closer inspection, he saw 'Lady Trevelyan' written at the top of the page.  Concern and foreboding filled her.  Had the Calling finally come to him despite his reassurances?  With a flick of her wrist she removed the paper from the toy.

"Why is Blackwall so interested in the Cyril Mornay gentleman?  Was he investigating the man Ser Mornay says was his captain?  The one who ordered him to kill the Callier family?"

"I do not know." Josephine replied as she rode next to Tanwen early the next morning.  After the discovery of the letter and report, Tanwen had gone to Leliana for more information, but got none, much to the Spymaster's chagrin.  So Tanwen had requested that she and Cullen accompany them to Val Royeaux before going to Iron Bull and asked him to join her party instead.  They had a very small window in which to reach the city, so they all had ridden out before dawn at a hurried clip, hoping to catch Blackwall before he reached the capitol.

Several days of hurried riding and little sleep followed before Tanwen and her party entered Val Royeaux's city center to see it packed with people all looking at the wooden gallows that held a permanent residence to one side of the area near the tower in the middle.

Tanwen gently pushed her way past the crowd gathered before the stage, the day echoing the feelings of those gathered: grey overcast skies, heavy with rain and likely to emit thunder and lightening. Finally, she reached the stage.  There, a man stood with a noose about his neck, staring at the ground with bleakness in his eyes. Tanwen turned to Leliana at her right and received a nod to her unanswered question.  That had to be Cyril Mornay.

"Cyril Mornay.  For your crimes against the Empire of Orlais... for the murders of General Vincent Callier, Lady Lorette Callier, their four children and their retainers..." Tanwen stood wide-eyed in shock at the bailiff's announcement. "You are sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.  Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Mornay remained silent as it began raining.  It was as if the Maker cried for the man and the things of which he was being accused.

"Well, this looks grim," Varric murmured as a Chantry sister walked up the stairs to the platform to offer the man his last rites.

Vivienne looked around in disgust.  "Look at all these people.  I thought we were more civilized than this."

"Normally they likely are.  But when it comes to the death of a soldier who killed a noble family, they find no better entertainment." Cullen spat, crossing his arms and looking up at the scene with disgust.

"Proceed."

Tanwen watched soul-deep sadness cover the man's face as the executioner approached the lever that would lead to a short fall and hard stop.

"Stop!"  Everyone turned to the man who had shouted.  Tanwen watched Blackwall hurry up the stairs to intervene.

"A Grey Warden," the bailiff announced.  Nearly everyone around them gasped in surprise.  Some seemed outraged, likely thinking he was going to conscript the man instead of letting him swing.  His crimes made her sick, but the fact that these Orlesian nobles and high-end store owners found entertainment in another person's death, made her want to vomit.  Blackwall came to a stop next to Mornay and faced the crowd.

"This man is innocent of the crimes laid before him.  Orders were given, and he followed them like any good soldier." Blackwall turned to face the man.  "He should not die for that mistake!"

The bailiff approached him.  "Then find me the man who gave the orders."

Blackwall turned and found Tanwen in the crowd with an apologetic look in his eyes.  She and Varric were of one mind.

"Oh, shit."

She felt Cullen grip her upper arm as she surged forward.  "Blackwall!" she shouted as Cullen tried to pull her back.

"No.  I am not Blackwall." Tanwen stopped trying to pull away from Cullen's grip.  "I never was Blackwall.  Warden Blackwall is dead, and has been for years.  I assumed his name to hide, like a coward, from who I really am."

"You, after all this time..." Mornay had the look of a man in disbelief and anger.  Blackwall turned back to him.

"It's over.  I'm done hiding." He looked back over the crowd.  "I gave the order.  The crime is mine."

Tanwen's hand flew to her mouth as Cullen released her.  She might very well lose her meal now. The crime Mornay was accused of was on the orders of a Thom Rainier, who had disappeared.  He had ordered the deaths of an entire family, as well as their servants.  If Blackwall was saying he gave the orders, that the crime belonged to him, then...

"I am Thom Rainier." He stood at attention, accepting of his fate.  She heard Josephine gasp at her side and Iron Bull growl behind them.  Tanwen blindly reached for Josephine's hand in support as she kept her other hand covering her mouth, still unsure as to whether her porridge would be staying in her belly.

The bailiff and the executioner lead Rainier off towards the dungeons.  When she was confident she wouldn't be sick, she turned to her companions and advisors as the crowd dissipated. Tanwen still held Josephine's hand and she could feel it trembling.

"Looks like we have a slight change of plans. Bull, Vivienne, Varric - head back to camp. Josephine," she turned to the Antivan woman. "Perhaps you should go as well.  We still have a day before we meet your contact. Leliana, find out anything you can about Ser Rainier.  Cullen and I have a captain to speak with."

A half hour and five gold crowns for a bribe later, Tanwen was standing before the man who had deceived them. She thought she was going to have to spend hours convincing him to tell her the truth, but he was an open book, obviously tired of guilt eating at him over what he commanded his men to do. She didn't think she could forgive him for the lives of the family his men took on his orders, but she would listen to him should he try to plead his case. He was her friend, after all.  He’d spilled his own blood for the Inquisition.  He deserved her listening to his side of the story.

He spoke of Blackwall, the real Blackwall,  like a child would of a Chevalier that they hero-worshiped, and seemed torn over the things his men went through for his cowardice.  He gave off the feeling of resignation of his fate, and that didn't sit well with her for some reason.  Many of his words echoed in her head as she left him, but none more so than his reply when she told him their men followed her because they believed their goals were just.

" They believe it because you tell them to."

Was he right? Did they follow her because she told them to?  Or did they follow her because they thought she was right as the Inquisitor?  At the top of the stairs from the lower dungeon, Cullen awaited her.  "I have Leliana's report on Thom Rainier."

"Give me the overview," Tanwen reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she accepted the reports.

"It looks like our 'friend' was once a respected Captain in the Imperial Orlesian Army.  Before the Civil War, he turned, persuaded to assassinate one of Celene's biggest supporters.  He lead a group of fiercely loyal men on this mission, and told them nothing of it.  His men took the fall for him.  A few lucky ones, like Mornay, managed to escape."

"Thank you, Cullen.  This is helpful, or at least educational."

Cullen tipped his head.  "Don't blame yourself.  We all made this mistake.  What do we do now?" he ended with a sigh before continuing.

"Blackw... Rainier has accepted his fate, but you don't have to.  We have resources.  If he is released to us, you may pass judgment on him yourself once we return to Skyhold. Anyone would have difficulty connecting Blackwall to Thom Rainier. Even Leliana has a blind spot when it comes to Wardens."

Tanwen nodded in understanding, knowing of the friendship shared between the spymistress and Brienna Amell. She looked up at Cullen.  "If it were up to you, what would happen?"

Cullen's face scrunched in anger and disgust.  "What he did to the men under his command was unacceptable.  He betrayed their trust, betrayed ours, and I despise him for it. And yet, he fought as a Warden, joined the Inquisition, gave his blood for our cause.  The moment he shakes off his past, he turns around and owns up to it.  Why?"

"He wanted to change.  To prove he left his past behind, he had to face up to it."

"Saving Mornay the way he did took courage, I'll give him that.  But I can't tell you what to do."

Tanwen looked down in thought and pinched her lower lip.  She sighed as she looked up at him again.  "Have Rainier released into our custody."

"We must move quickly.  We can explore our options at camp. I'm sure Leliana is having a meeting with the Orlesian arm of her spy network, but as soon as she is done, we can have a council meeting in your tent.”

“I wish it was our tent.  But I understand that appearances must be maintained.”

Cullen chuckled. "When we have him, we will send him back to Skyhold to await judgment.  We still have a ball to attend." Cullen smiled at her grimace and nodded, offering her his elbow to escort her from the dungeons.

“Cullen,” she murmured, looking straight ahead with furrowed brow.  He hummed in reply indicating she continue. “Do you think the people of the Inquisition follow me because they want to and believe in our cause? Or because they think they have to because I command them to?”

“Because they believe in our cause.” His reply was swift and sure, and it gave her hope.

“How can you know?”

“Because I believe. Even before there was an us or even before our friendship really formed, I believed in the Inquisition’s cause. You simply reinforced and furthered belief and support.  You do remember that speech I gave the first time we talked together, don’t you?”  Tanwen chuckled.  Oh boy did she remember. “More and more people flock to our walls every day because they believe in what we are doing. They believe that we can stop this war and bring peace to the land.  Those who have been with us since Haven and have seen Corypheus believe in our cause because they know what that creature is capable of and want to help stop it and the Venatori in any way they can.  

“Do they also listen to your commands?  Of course. You have impeccable leadership and are compassionate about everyone, not just your companions. You are as wise as you are beautiful and that draws people. Does that mean that people will follow your orders blindly?  For most, yes.  But we all trust you to make decisions that wouldn’t clash with moral standings and do not endanger the lives of those within the Inquisition’s ranks.”

~//~

The next day dawned sooner than Tanwen had been ready for.  She had stayed up late, fretting over the future of her companion while seeing to Josephine and planning for the following day with her contact and all three of her advisors about going to the villa of the Tevinter merchant.

Luckily, the meeting with Josephine’s contact went well, despite the 'Comte' turning out to be an assassin from the House of Repose masquerading as the noble in order to confront Josephine because of the oddity of the contract set on her family. They discovered that the prominent guild of assassins had been hired in the middle of the previous Age, to target and eliminate anyone who tried to reinstate the Montilyet’s merchant business.  It didn't matter that the family that had signed the contract, the Du Paraquettes, had lost their noble status over sixty years prior when the noble line had died out.

Tanwen let the assassin go because she had no reason to kill him.  When they freed the real Comte from his antique closet, Tanwen suggested Josephine go to the markets with a soldier so they could find something for Tanwen and her advisors and companions to wear at the Winter Palace when everything was taken care of. Josephine smiled and left with the soldier, seemingly glad for the distraction.

Back at their camp that lay outside the city, Tanwen gathered her companions and moved to the docks to complete their second objective in the flamboyant city.

Calpernia and her Venatori had beat them there.

Inside the front door of the villa, it looked like any other she had been in.  The foyer was vast and decorated in expensive furniture and lavish hangings of mahogany and gold, ivory and red.  When Tanwen walked further into the house, she paused and motioned for her companions to do the same, because there was something missing in the air.

"Do you feel that?" She whispered to no one in particular.

"There is a charge in the air from magic." Vivienne said, removing her staff from its holster at the same time everyone else readied their weapons.

"Yeah.  I'd wager there are four humans upstairs.  One mage, three soldiers.  Likely Venatori - I smell spices from Tevinter." Iron Bull glared around the wide room, using his training as a former Ben-Hassrath agent to search for more clues.

"Venatori?" Varric frowned and tightened his grip on Bianca.  "Well, shit.  Looks like they beat us here."

Tanwen nodded.  "Be cautious.  There could be more, they might have laid booby-traps."

Iron Bull had been correct.  On the second floor of the home they found Venatori milling about the master bedroom at the end of a long hallway.

The Venatori in such small numbers didn't stand a chance.

"Inquisitor, I think I found something you might find intriguing." Tanwen turned from the bloody remains that were splattered against the far wall, likely their merchant Vicinius, and made her way past overturned furniture of the same quality and design of those downstairs, to where Vivienne stood looking over something in a corner.

"What is it?" She asked as she squatted next to it, but thought better of touching it until they had a better clue on what it was.

"I haven't the slightest idea. But it looks as if it was placed here on purpose, does it not?"

Tanwen accepted her reply before looking around and seeing a coin pouch on one of the dead Venatori.  She emptied the small bag of its contents and, turning it inside out to cover her gloved hand as added protection, picked up the crystal and three others scattered about that looked like it.

"Bull, Varric, could you take these to Leliana and tell her and Cullen what happened here? Vivienne and I have to meet Josephine for a … dress fitting," Tanwen groaned under her breath, but blushed when Vivienne looked at her with a scornful flare. The two males chuckled as they left the two women to go back to camp, while Tanwen and Vivienne went to find Josephine.

~//~

"Must I truly wear something fancy?  I had planned to wear the same as everyone else at the ball to show that we were united, that we are all one group, not individuals who want to display status."

Vivienne waved her off.  "But one must make a presence if one is to be respected by the gentry.  I was thinking of something in cream and gold.  Vibrant, like your hair, and cause for discussion, on top of showing status.  Plus, it would cheer up our darling ambassador."

'Maker, save me...' Tanwen thought to herself as they collected Josephine and was lead to Vivienne's seamstress.

~//~

Night was falling, Satina rising full and bright, by the time she had been allowed to leave the dressmaker.  Tanwen had never felt so stuffed and fluffed, poked and prodded, in her life. Just the thought made her shudder. She understood they just wanted to make her presentable for the ball in just under a fortnight, but she could look respectable in breeches just like the rest of them would.  After spending several hours tonight, and likely just as many tomorrow night, Josephine and Vivienne had been looking forward to dressing her like an expensive Orlesian doll.

Tanwen sighed as she entered the markets. They might want to torture her with corsets and lace, but they were still her friends and she wanted to do something for them.  She would take Vivienne and the rest of her companions to purchase items over time, but she wanted to shop for her advisors while she was in the large city with its many shop stalls.

As she was passing several stalls, she got an idea for Cullen.  When she reached a stall selling what she sought, she saw the stout woman, who had to be the patron, bustling about.

"Madam!" Tanwen called as she came to a stop in front of the stall.  "Might I ask you a question about your wares?"

"Yes, milady?" The portly woman smiled kindly at her, sounding Ferelden, if she wasn't mistaken. Brunette curls with streaks of grey escaped from her bun at the crown of her head and softly swept her lined cheeks, creased from years of laughter and smiling. The plum gown she wore went nicely with her hair and her sky blue eyes.

"Well, you see, I have a... friend.  He works very hard and has been stressed, suffering from sleep deprivation and headaches.  Is there anything that will help him? Something that won’t be strongly scented?"

The woman scrunched her brow in thought before looking around her stock, rummaging through various bottles and small boxes.  "Ah ha!  There you are, you little devil."

Tanwen raised a brow at the woman's expression as she returned to Tanwen with a wide grin.  "Here you are, my lady.  Juniper is good for calming the mind, reducing stress. "

"That's perfect! Thank you!" Tanwen exclaimed as she grabbed her coin purse and pulled out the appropriate sum.  When Tanwen reached for the bottle, the older woman held on to her hands and looked her over for a moment with the eyes of a mother to many children, before releasing her hands. She held up a finger indicating she wanted Tanwen to wait, and went back to her wares.  When she returned, she had another small bottle in her hand.

"Free of charge, my lady." she said, placing them in Tanwen's upturned left hand after taking the coin for the first two bottles.  She pointed to the bottle marked Lavender.  "Lavender helps with almost everything.  It's soothing and can be used as a sedative.  It also helps with mood swings and headaches and restores balance.  Plus it smells very good."

Tanwen looked at her. "Mistress, you are too kind.  But I insist on paying you for both of them."

"Nonsense, my dear.  You are the Herald of Andraste and the leader of the Inquisition. It isn’t much, but I look at this as giving my contribution to the cause I think will save us all. Leaders have to be healthy if they are to lead a nation adequately." Tanwen’s eyes grew in surprise.  She never told the woman who she was, how did she know? The older woman smiled. “You needn’t look so surprised!  A beauty like yours coming to Val Royeaux isn’t a secret that this city can keep. Word of your heroism and hard work have reached us here, though many chose not to listen still. I, and my family, support you fully, Inquisitor.”

Tanwen wanted to correct her about being the Herald of Andraste, but she thought better of it and simply smiled.

"You have done wonderful and miraculous things, your worship.  We know you will succeed and bring our world the peace it needs." With one last squeeze of her arms, the lady turned and returned to her shop.

Tanwen slowly made down the long line of shops, thinking about the words the woman had said as she looked for something that would fit Leliana and Josephine respectfully. As she walked around, gazing at the various wares, she also watched those around her.  There were noble men and women in their fancy dress and gaudy baubles walking about with their noses in the air as if something foul smelling resided just below their nostrils. Human and Elven men and women dressed in liveries and rags scurried about, likely servants to said nobles, looking for items requested by their Lords or Ladies or simply shopping for the households evening meals. Her heart fell when her eyes caught on several people hidden in the shadows behind stalls and down alleyways, hands up and begging for coin.

She visited those people, offering to bring them into the Inquisition should they be interested.  Some looked at her with wide eyes, some with doubt and disbelief, as if asking themselves why a human or warrior would be inviting them to an organization like the Inquisition.  Those who believed her offer and were willing, she sent to the camp, telling them to 'tell the Qunari that Tanwen sent you.'

"There is plenty of stew to share." She told a old man she had found begging for coin.  His face lit up and he kissed the back of her hand before running off - his bare feet slapping against the cobbled stone and tile floor. She thought she heard him call her 'a blessing from the Maker', but she wasn't sure.

Tanwen smiled and turned back towards the market.  Several minutes later, she found a stall selling fine looking shoes.  A memory came to her then, of someone mentioning Leliana had once had a great love of fine shoes.

Her eyes scanned the table, seeing many loud and glittery shoes, but not seeing a pair that she thought Leliana would love.  As she turned to leave, she stopped when the waning sunlight caught and reflected off of a half hidden pair of boots she had missed.

White leather with a pillow stitch looked back at her.  Golden thread created whimsical patterns at the toes and around the heel, swirling around small citrine stones.  Gold lace lined the inside and up the back with small gold charms woven into the lace at the sides of the footwear.

The Sister may never truly have a reason to wear such an item, but hopefully she would appreciate the gesture.

One-hundred thirty crowns later, the shoes were wrapped, boxed and being delivered to her tent at camp.

As Tanwen moved along the aisle where the leather workers were, she found a man selling rapiers, dirks and daggers.  Seeing the fancy weaponry gave her an idea for Josephine.  When she walked up to the shopkeeper, he nearly dropped the blade he was placing in an intricate display.  His eyes grew wide and he gasped.  Ah, there was the reaction she was used to.

"My lady Inquisitor! My humble shop is honored and blessed by your presence! How may I serve, your Worship?" Tanwen watched him perform a fluttery bow, all arms and movement.  She really didn't like it when people bowed and scraped past a lowered head or bent at the waist.  No flapping arms, no bended knee.  Easy movements- that's it.  Like with the older woman selling the oils.  However, in Orlais, things were done differently, so she had to grin and bare it.

"My good ser, your blades look to be of fine style and quality!  Truly, I have seen no better artistry in all my travels around Thedas!" It was only a small lie.  Harritt made the finest blades she had ever encountered, but they were far from pretty, as they were meant for battle, rather than ornamentation.  The man blustered and blushed under his mask at her compliment. "I wonder though. Might I be able to commission a specific piece from you?  Something ornate and quite original."

"Of course, Your Worship!" The man puffed out his chest in pride.  "Anything your heart desires!"

"Would it be, kind ser, possible to make a half-bloomed rose of metal?  With a thin dagger sheathed in its stem?  You see, I have a very dear friend who absolutely abhors violence, but I want her to be able to defend herself should the need arise." She knew Josephine could protect herself just fine, but it never hurt to have a blade hidden somewhere on her desk or on her writing board.  She watched the man pale slightly when she added, "Oh and I need it within two days."

"Your Worship... that is quite a request.  I have never made such an intricate piece in so short a time."

Tanwen placed a put-out look on her face.  She didn't like manipulating people, but she was at a loss for anything else gift wise for her ambassador. "Will you be able to complete the commission?  Should I see other craftsmen who might be..."

"No!  No," the merchant hastily added in a quieter tone after his outburst.  "I said I had never done a piece like that before, not that I couldn't.  I will have it ready for you before you leave Val Royeaux."

Tanwen grinned and clasped hands with the man to seal their bargain, thanking the man before moving on.

When she reached a stall selling tunics and breeches with intricate embroidery throughout, she felt a slight tugging sensation at her left side where her coin purse rested.  With a flash of movement, she reached around and grabbed something small and soft. Gentling her grip, she looked down and into the brown eyes of a boy no older than eight years, an air of defiance in his thin face.  From her right and down a night-darkening alley, she heard a gasped "Benjamin!"

Casting her eyes, she saw a grown Elven woman clutching a small girl to her chest as she leaned forward to stand.  When she realized Tanwen was looking at her, she slinked back into the shadows, but Tanwen could still feel her intense gaze on her and the boy.  That could only mean that he was her son, and Tanwen's heart ached for missing her own son.  She turned back to the boy and knelt to eye level so he wouldn't have to strain his neck to look up at her and dropped his wrist.  Instead, she placed her hands on his shoulders to focus his gaze and to make sure he didn't run.

Big, brown eyes frowned at her in defiance, surrounded by eyebrows and hair of tanned leather with a dusting of blonde.  She looked at his ears and saw they looked rounded, like a human's.  Was the woman truly his mother?  Was he a half-elf?  Continuing her examination, other than being thin and wearing a dirty tunic and torn breeches, with no shoes, he seemed healthy.  Looking at his hands, she saw they were smooth and unmarked, as if he hadn't worked a day in his short life

Tanwen looked back up at the boy and smiled. "Benjamin, was it?  Such a strong name.  Is that your mother down there with your... sister?" The boy simply continued to stare at her.  It was the pursing of his lips and tensing of the muscles under her hands that told her that she was right and he was protecting his small family.  Tanwen's heart warmed more.  Such a brave boy, going so far as to pickpocket to likely provide for his mother and small sister.

"My name is Tanwen, Benjamin.  Are you hungry?  Is that why you tried to steal from me?  You know stealing is bad, right?" His small stomach took that moment to growl and Tanwen chuckled when the boy blushed.  She leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "Would you like to go get something to eat for you and your family?"

The boy was skeptical and tried to pull away from her.  She let him, holding her hands up in surrender, never losing her friendly demeanor.  "Alright, I'm sorry.  I just want to help you Benjamin. You and your family."

"How can we trust you?" His voice was small, as if he was afraid of speaking too loudly to her.

Tanwen looked away for a moment.  What could she do to gain his trust?  The coin from Cullen that dangled from a chain between her breasts and over her heart?  No, she would never use that as barter.  Her coin purse?  That was a possibility.  She had plenty of coin, but he could disappear with it and his family like frightened animals in the Hinterlands. Tanwen looked down at her hands in thought and she got an idea.  She reached into her satchel and pulled out some bread and salted meat, handing it to him.  He took it cautiously and held it to his chest like a mouse with a small wheel of cheese.

"Have you heard of the Inquisition?" Benjamin's face lit up and he nodded.

"It's lead by the Herald of Andraste!  She closed the hole in the sky.  She helps people and makes things better.  Mama says she is a blessing to Thedas.  I wanna see her mark!  But Mama says that will never happen." His face and shoulders fell. "She says no one pays attention to people like us."

"People like..." Tanwen sighed sadly.  "I don't know about being a blessing to Thedas, but she is trying very hard to defeat a very, very old Magister so she can make her world safe. Have you ever heard of a Magister before?"

He nodded with a scowl. "Do you know the Herald?  Are you with them? The Inquisition?" His eyes caught on the various Inquisition symbols on her armor and the long handle of her sword at her back.  Tanwen chuckled softly.

"You could say that.  Hey Benjamin, can you keep a secret?" She whispered and Benjamin  nodded.  Tanwen looked from side to side as if looking for eavesdroppers before removing the glove on her left hand, focusing on the mark to make it glow. Ben's brown eyes went wide once more, the green from the mark reflecting in his gaze.

"You're the Inquisitor?"

Tanwen nodded, his smile growing.  "You wanted to see the mark.  Would you like to touch it?" She opened her hand fully in invitation, willing the mark to darken.

Still holding the bread and meat close, he leaned in and reached with a hand, only to pull back as if afraid.

"Don't worry.  It can’t hurt a young man as brave as you.  It only hurts demons and bad people." Gently, Ben ran his small fingers over the mark in her calloused palm many times before smiling at her.  "See? I won't hurt innocent people.  May I meet your mammen?  I want to help you and your family."

Ben grabbed her left hand with his right and lead her to the woman that had shouted his name when Tanwen had caught him trying to steal from her. When they were close, the boy released her hand and hurried the rest of the way to his mother huddled against the wall, her left side hidden from view, her small daughter held close.  When he tried to share the food Tanwen had given him with his mother, she shook her head and spoke softly to him in, what sounded like, Elven.  He paused, nodded, and turned his attention to his sister.  Meanwhile, the woman seemed to be sizing Tanwen up, judging her, looking for deception that might cause harm to her bairn.

Tanwen held up her hands to show the only weapon she had was at her back and slowly approached.  The way the elf looked at her held so much distrust.  She tensed like a frightened Fennec when Tanwen reached up to unbuckle her sword and place it between them as she knelt.  When she released it, Ben moved over to it in curiosity, running his fingers over the handle and guard.

"Da'len, din'dera."

Tanwen watched the boy flinch and pull his hand back, turning to her.  "But mama, she is the Inquisitor!  I've seen the mark on her hand!" He was back to being excited once more.

She lifted her ungloved left hand and showed her the glowing mark.  Like her son, the female's eyes grew wide, making their hazel color brighten.  When she turned her head more fully to Tanwen, she revealed a jagged, healing scar that ran the length of her face, from her left temple down to and through her upper lip.

Tanwen folded her hands in her lap and smiled softly at the woman.  "I am Tanwen Trevelyan."

"The Herald of Andraste!" Ben helped.

"Harrol!" His little sister chirped from her mam’s lap, getting caught up in her brother’s excitement.

Tanwen's smile became reluctant at the words the two young had exclaimed.  The woman's eyes widened even further then cast down to Tanwen's hands, looking for the anchor again.  The woman gasped and, after setting her daughter to the side, quickly moved to her knees and bowed low enough to nearly touch her forehead to the cobble she knelt on.

"Please forgive me and my children for any perceived rudeness or disrespect, your worship.  My son was wrong and will be punished as you see fit, as is your right."  The woman's Orlesian accent was heavy and Tanwen had to focus in order to understand because she spoke so fast.  She replaced her glove and leaned forward to gently lay her hands on the woman's shoulders.  She flinched back at Tanwen's touch and Tanwen let her hands fall back to her lap.

"I'm sorry.  You don't have to bow to me, Miss..."

The elf looked between Tanwen and her children.  Whatever had caused her to end up in Val Royeaux's back alleys, it was painfully apparent that it had been at the hand of a regular human or a noble, and had caused extreme mistrust in her.  Tanwen wasn't used to people not trusting her, but she could work with it.

"Pherra, your worship."

"Pherra," Tanwen smiled.  "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.  You have beautiful children, Pherra.  I have a son of my own.  He just turned two years old."

Tanwen watched Pherra's muscles relax, even though some suspicion remained.  "What is your daughter's name?"

"Aelia, your worship." Tanwen looked at the little girl. Hair a lighter shade of brown than that of her brothers, the child had eyes like her mothers and the beginning of the same square jawline as her mother as well, once she aged some more. When it was obvious no more information would be forthcoming, Tanwen sighed and faced Pherra.

"I know you used to work for a noble family. I can tell by the way you speak.  And it seems you worked in the household.  Is there some way I could convince you to join the Inquisition?  I hate seeing people living on the streets, especially families with young children.  You and your bairn would be cared for - we have a village below our stronghold if you wish to make a living crafting or baking, or what have you.  Or you could work in the castle.  I could use an assistant, if you were interested.  It would be up to you."

Pherra stared at Tanwen.  "What would you require in return for your kindness, my lady?  Employment is one thing, but surely you have some form of motive behind your words."

"Besides getting experienced individuals to help run a household or castle?  I am making sure people are safe and children are cared for during this trying time. I believe there is even a schoolhouse being built in New Haven, if you wished Benjamin and Aelia to be educated.  I am determined to see this war ended, but we need all the help we can get."

"I understand and appreciate your kindness, your Worship, but -"

Tanwen lifted a hand to pause her words.  "At least think about it?  I will be leaving in two days, once a bit of business is concluded.  Come to our camp outside the city, even if it is just for something to eat.  Tell them Tanwen sent you.  If you decide to join us, that's great.  If not, I understand."

With that, Tanwen smiled as she stood and picked up her weapon to sheath at her back before bowing to the woman and walking back towards the market to head back to camp.  She had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a long, painful day during day two of dress fitting.

Tanwen groaned.

~//~

The next night, Tanwen smiled as she left the seamstress' establishment when she saw Cullen was waiting for her to escort her to the camp. Everyone would need to turn in early that night, for they would be leaving for Halamshiral on the morn to begin travel.

When they reached the camp, excitement overcame Tanwen when she saw Pherra and her children on either side of her, sequestered to the side of the camp, watching the many soldiers pass by - Pherra had worry in her eyes, but Benjamin and Aelia were watching passersby with awe.  Tanwen pulled away from Cullen and hurried over to the tall elven woman.

"Pherra!  I am so glad you decided to come!  Are you taking me up on my offer?" Pherra nodded and Tanwen clapped her hands and smiled. "Wonderful!  I promise, you won't regret it."

Tanwen felt Cullen move up beside her and she turned to look at him.  "Cullen, this is Pherra, Benjamin and Aelia.  I met them in Val Royeaux yesterday and invited them to join us."

Cullen bowed his head in greeting.  "It is a pleasure meeting you, Pherra.  I am Cullen Rutherford, Commander of the Inquisition's forces."

Pherra bowed her head, but Benjamin's open-mouthed gaze up at Cullen made Tanwen's smile grow.  Cullen seemed to take notice as well.  He knelt down so he could be eye-level with the boy like she had the day before.  "Benjamin, is it?  It's nice to meet you as well.  You look like a strong young man.  I bet you take excellent care of your mother and sister, don't you?"

Little Benjamin blinked furiously when Cullen spoke to him, then puffed his small chest with pride when Cullen called him strong. "If I don't protect them, who will?"

It was Cullen's froze, then blinked as he looked up at Tanwen at the same time she looked down at him with wide eyes. The boy sounded as she imagined Cullen had when he had decided to become a Templar to protect people as well.

"You seem adamant, young man.  Say, would you be interested in being my page?  I could teach you how to fight so you can protect your family.  Perhaps become a knight in a Kings guard some day?"

Benjamin grinned and turned to his mother.  Ever cautious, Pherra looked at her son then the two humans and back.  She nodded and Benjamin jumped up and down, clapping his hands in excitement. Cullen stood once more and straightened, laying his hands on the pommel of his sword and looked at the boy with a smile.

"Very well.  Benjamin of Val Royeaux, I, Commander Cullen Rutherford, hereby take you on as my page until such a time you decide to leave my service or are promoted to an advancing rank.  Do you accept?"

Benjamin's chest puffed out again. "I accept."

Cullen clapped the boy's shoulder.  "Then it is settled.  Tomorrow, before we leave for Halamshiral, we should see about getting you some boots.  Then perhaps some good clothes if we pass through a village as we travel."

"And I would like you to come with me as well, Pherra.  I may need your assistance in something and would like to see you properly clothed as well." When Pherra blushed and looked down and away, Tanwen began fretting. "I'm sorry!  Have I said something wrong?"

"No, my lady." She cast Cullen a side glance as he continued talking to Ben.  The elven woman seemed leery and Tanwen had the thought that she had bad experiences with men, or even human men in her past.  Had that experience lead her to living with her children on the cobbled streets of Val Royeaux? "It's nothing.  I shall join you tomorrow, if that is your wish."

Tanwen clapped her hands again and grinned.  "Wonderful!  Now, let us eat and be headed to bed.  We have several days of travel before us and we need rest."

~//~

[you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age]

The Lady and the Templar - Chapter 17: A Night in the Commander's Quarters

Note: This chapter will also have smut. So, if you are uncomfortable with said smut, when you see a line towards the bottom, please go to the next chapter!  I don't want you uncomfortable! And I'm sorry!! There are two sections of smut in this chapter, if that makes you uncomfortable.  I hope it isn't too confusing! ^_^;;

Cullen was worried about the woman laying in his cot.

Tanwen slept like the dead for the rest of the day, and remained comatose all night and well into the next day after he himself rose for his duties.  If she hadn't woken him periodically through the night and rose panting and sweaty though the day from, he assumed, nightmares, Cullen would have suspected a spell had been cast, or demon possession, to cause her to slumber for so long.

When she finally woke, Tanwen quickly dressed and quit his tent as if the void was nipping at her heels.  Cullen couldn't help but wonder if he had done or said something that would cause this sort of reaction.  He thought back over the last day and the only things he could think of were when they had made love or the first time she had woken from a nightmare.

The former would explain her flight more so than the latter.  Had he been too rough?  Done something untoward?  She seemed to enjoy being with him. Of the few times he had been with a woman sexually , he had never experienced as much pleasure as he had when he had been with Tanwen, but what if the words she had spoken had been just that? Words? Some of them had even been in her native tongue and he hadn’t understood.  Had she been asking him to stop?

No, he immediately decided.  Tanwen didn't say things she didn't mean.  Cullen felt the truth in what she said, that he could understand, to the marrow of his bones, so the problem had to lie with the nightmares she was having.  He knew what it felt like to have nightmares that constantly hounded your sleep.  While his were born of past terrors, hers were from understandable and deep-seated fear for her child’s safety, so his plan to bring Iuen to Skyhold was feeling more and more right every time she woke in a cold sweat and trembling limbs.

Over the three weeks of travel after she and her team emerged from the rift at Adamant, whenever they stopped for the night, she would train hard with the men or focus on messages brought to her, often staying up into the wee hours of the morning - That was if she slept at all.  Her dedication and determination was increasing rapidly, and normally he would admire it.  But Tanwen was the love of his life and he hated seeing her push herself so hard.

Hopefully she would slow down once they got back to Skyhold.

~//~

Cullen sighed in relief and exhaustion when Skyhold's towers came into view before they made their way through New Haven at the base, then up the winding road to the gatehouse.

As they traveled from the Western Approach, Cullen had ridden next to Tanwen and had tried to engage her in conversation multiple times, but she only spoke of Inquisition matters at length and answered non-Inquisition queries with short replies and non-answers.  He was feeling emotionally drained from worry over Tanwen's silence. It almost felt as if she was pushing him away or had become disinterested.

When they reached the lower courtyard, instead of doing it herself as she normally did, she handed Selena's reins off to a soldier after she retrieved her pack and hurried off to the great hall above.

Cullen gripped the back of his neck as he watched her hasty retreat, before hopping off his horse and taking him to the stalls to rub him down and give him an apple he had saved from lunch.  As the steed munched, Cullen pressed his face into the horse's mane, threading his fingers through the long strands.  He was at a loss.  What else could he do for Tanwen to help her?  He knew war and mage hunting - caring for a woman that was not a family member was unpracticed territory to him.

"Go to her."

Cullen looked up to see Leliana walking towards him with Josephine; both women were guiding their mounts to their stalls. Anya Hawke was pulling up the rear.

"I want to, but it could take ages to find her.  Skyhold is a large keep."

Leliana tisked.  "She has gone to the Chantry. Give her some time.  Put your belongings in your quarters then go to her.  She is conversing with the Maker."

Cullen nodded and walked to the closest staircase that lead to his quarters.

~//~

"...I have faced armies with You as my shield, and though I bear scars beyond counting, nothing can break me except Your absence.  When I have lost all else, when my eyes fail me and the taste of blood fills my mouth, then in the pounding of my heart I hear the glory of Creation."

She was reciting Trials.  Did she think she was being tested by the Maker? What had she seen in her nightmares that frightened her so?  Had the change that had come over her, occurred once she had returned from the fade and he just hadn’t noticed it? Whatever she’d experienced, had shaken her wholly.

"Maker, though the darkness comes upon me, I shall embrace the Light.  I shall weather the storm, I shall endure.  What you have created, no one can tear asunder.  Through blinding mist, I climb a sheer cliff, the summit shrouded in fog, the base endlessly far beneath my feet, the Maker is the rock to which I cling.

"Maker, guide me, give me the strength to see this thing through.  For it is by your bidding that I take on this task that is set before me."

"The one who repents, who has faith, unshaken by the darkness of the world, she shall know True Peace."  He was looking at Tanwen when she turned her head to face him as she knelt before the altar in front of the statue of Andraste.  Cullen watched her look back to the statue before she stood and turned towards him.  In the view of the Inquisition, Tanwen seemed larger than life and a force to be reckoned with. Her strength and piousness matched by few as she battled against the darkness threatening to consume them.  Alone, she tried to put on a strong face, to hold her head high, but he could see how drained she was, how drawn.

Cullen walked up to her carefully, standing close to her for the first time in weeks with her actually being with him fully. "Tanwen,"

She looked up at him with a blank expression. "Cullen."

"Are you all right?" Tanwen stared at him as if deciding what to tell him.  "Please, tell me.  I have worried for you ever since we left Adamant.  Going into the fade has made the dreams worse, hasn't it?"

She wrapped her arms around her waist as if she felt she had to protect herself and looked at him before nodding.  Cullen sat down in one of the pews and motioned for her to sit next to him.  Tanwen sat and moved closer to Cullen, their thighs touching from hip to knee.

"What happened in the fade?"

She let out a shuddering breath.  Cullen wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and tugged her in until she laid her head on his shoulder and was silent.  He looked down at her, thinking she had fallen asleep, but saw that she was staring at the statue before them.  He gently squeezed her shoulder and she looked back up at him.

Over the next hour, Tanwen spoke of her journey through the Fade.  She spoke of the spirit masquerading as the Divine and how she had helped the party make its way through the fade, helped Tanwen regain the memories that had been stolen from her at the Temple of Sacred Ashes.  Anger infused her tone when she spoke of the Nightmare demon, general of Corypheus' army of demons, how it toyed with them, showing them their greatest fears.

How the vision she had seen had been Iuen, covered in blood and accusing her of not caring, of not being in Ostwick when she was needed.

Tanwen told him what had happened at the Temple.  "I wasn't chosen by Andraste, the Maker, anyone.  I know the spirit said the Maker knew this would happen when he created Thedas, but I still can't help but feel like a fraud when people refer to me as the Herald of Andraste.  I am a Herald of dim byd, of Nothing.”

"That may be true, that Andraste didn't send you, but the spirit was right.  You were created with the purpose of guiding the Inquisition, directing southern Thedas past the threat Corypheus poses, and you are doing a stunning job." Cullen pressed a kiss to the top of Tanwen's head.  "I thank the Maker he did.  You have far more strength, compassion, and tact than anyone out there.  And you are most certainly not a fraud.  You may not be a Herald sent by Andraste, but you do the Maker's work and people look to you for hope that things will get better. People see your faith in the Maker and see how successful you are and it bolsters their own faith."

Tanwen sighed.  "How is it you always seem to know what to say?"

"I'm not the Commander of the Inquisition's forces for nothing." Cullen smirked, which turned into a full-fledged smile when he felt and then heard her chuckle.  Cullen watched her smile slowly fade as she continued.

"Some Grey Wardens were involved as well.  They helped Corypheus hold Justinia so he could use her as a sacrifice.  I want to blame them, but they were all desperate.  The Nightmare demon was what caused all the Wardens to hear the Calling.  They hurt so many people, delved into blood magic and demon summoning, because they were desperate and afraid and made mistakes."

"That's why you recruited them to the Inquisition."

She dipped her head. "Several of my companions disapproved.  Ok most of them disapproved, but hopefully they will see why I did it some day.  Everyone deserves a second chance - especially Grey Wardens." Tanwen looked up at him again.  "I saw where I escaped the fade.  The Divine, or rather the spirit of the Divine, watched me climb a wall as fade spiders chased me.  She helped me to the top then... sacrificed herself so I could escape through the rift at the Temple where I was found.  When she came to us to help, she ended up distracting the Nightmare at the end as we fought its subordinate by sacrificing herself again.  Solas, Cassandra and Cole made it through the rift before it blocked the path for Anya, Stroud and I. I... I had to choose between Stroud and Anya to stay behind so the rest of us could escape.

"I would have rather they all left through the portal while I distracted the demon.  I would have closed the portal behind them then escaped to find another once it was safe - the anchor wasn’t working at the time, so I couldn’t create my own within the fade. But I wasn't given the option to chose myself, and Stroud died so we could live."

Cullen turned towards Tanwen on the wooden pew so he could envelope her in his arms. He knew that she understood sometimes leaders had to make tough choices, but that rarely made it easier on the one making them.

"I saw Stroud fall to the Nightmare.  It was turning to the rift when I jumped through and closed it.  I killed him." Her words were muffled in his mantle, but he could still hear the distress in her voice as she clung to him.  Cullen ran a gloved hand over her hair and simply held her.

"But you were able to save all of your companions and Hawke, so you were successful in that aspect.” Cullen sighed. “I know that this will sound unkind and disrespectful of Stroud’s memory, but I'm glad it was you that emerged from the fade. Call me greedy, but I felt lost when I saw you fall from the ledge, thinking you'd fallen to your death in the valley below."

Tanwen pulled away to look at him.  Something had formed in her eyes as she had leaned against him, but he couldn't decide what it could be.

"You are a better man than someone like me deserves."

Cullen scoffed at her words.  How could she say such a thing?  It was she who was better than he deserved.  He was about to tell her that she was wrong when a scout entered the Chapel, causing Cullen and Tanwen to spring apart on instinct - like two teens caught together by their arguing families. They both stood to face the woman.

"Sister Leliana has called for a meeting in the war room." She announced when Tanwen nodded her head to encourage her to deliver her message.  Cullen looked at Tanwen as she thanked the scout.

"I guess it's time to go back to the real world." She sighed when the other woman left and Cullen nodded.  When Tanwen started to leave, Cullen reached out to grasp her bicep gently.  She turned back to him in question.

"Next time something bothers you, no matter what, please come to me.  I want to help you, Tanwen." Cullen's other hand moved up to cup her jaw.  "In the days, months, years to come, you will always have my support, Tanwen.  I hope you know this."

Tanwen leaned into his gloved palm, gracing him with a small smile.  "That means a lot to me.  Let's get this meeting over with.  I feel like I need to bathe for a week."

As they both turned to exit the Chantry, Cullen placed his hands in his pockets and felt a leather cord. “Oh!” He had forgotten that he had removed the necklace from the box he had kept it in, then placed the coin in his pocket during the journey back from the Approach.

Tanwen stopped and turned to Cullen at his exclamation. “What’s the matter?”

Cullen simply lifted the necklace between them and watched Tanwen’s eyes grow wide.  Her hand shot to her neck where the coin had once lay and a fierce blush overcame her.

“How did you… What...where…?”

“One of the scouts found it in the debris under where you fell into the rift.  I am guessing it somehow fell off while you were falling.”

“Yes.” When she paused, her eyes grew wide in realization. “It must have been what snapped off of me right before we fell into the rift.”

Cullen spun his finger in a circle to indicate she should turn around.  Tanwen just looked at him.  “Are you sure you can trust me with it?  After only a couple weeks I managed to lose something special to you.”

“It’s alright, Tan. My greatest treasure always seems to find her way back to me.”

Cullen kicked himself internally. He’d never spouted such saccharine words, but when a smile was added to her blush when she realized the meaning of his words, he couldn’t bring himself to take them back. When she finally turned as he had asked, he tied the cord and placed a kiss on the skin of the back of her neck, receiving gooseflesh in reply before turning her around to place a kiss on her lips.

They left the chantry hand-in-hand for all the Inquisition to see.

~//~

"Come now, Bull.  I know that you can hit harder than that." Tanwen smirked, gripping her sword as she and Iron Bull circled each other in the training ring, surrounded by dozens of the keeps inhabitants. "When we were in the Western Approach, I saw you use your hammer to send a Venatori flying over a dune that was twice your height."

The Iron Bull returned her smirk, the action pulling at the scars on the left side of his face.  "They didn't block effectively like you do, Boss."

Bull swung his hammer and Tanwen lifted her sword to block before spinning to hit his side with the flat of her training blade.  As she was about to make contact, a searing pain reverberated through her cheek and jaw as her head whipped to the side.  Tanwen grunted in pain then chuckled.

"That's what I was looking for!  I hope you weren't holding back for little, ol' me!" Tanwen turned to those gathered.  "Strength is an asset we cannot take for granted in the battles ahead.  Corypheus won't and neither will his forces.  You cannot be afraid to strike your Venatori foe with everything you have.  But don’t forget to pace yourselves. We don't want you to be afraid to try your hardest and defend yourselves.  That is all." Tanwen waved them all off in dismissal and turned back to Bull. "Good fight, Bull.  That last hit was impressive.  I'll get you next time."

Bull smirked and shook his head.  "You can try if you like, Boss, but you will have to try harder, and jump higher, than that to get a hit on me.  By the way, you may want to clean that cut on your cheek.  You're bleeding all over."

Tanwen reached up to touch her cheek and winced at the lance of pain through her cheek.  She felt something sticky and wet on her cheek.  When she pulled her bare fingers back, they were painted crimson and she laughed.

"I think you're right.  It's getting dark anyway.  I'm starving after training all day.  I'll see you at the evening meal." Tanwen left Bull's side and hurried up to her suite. It had been almost a week since their return to Skyhold from Adamant and the Western Approach. A week since Cullen had found her praying in the Chantry, after saying prayers for all those lost in the battle at Adamant.  It had been ages since she had spent any time praying or simply spending time in the House of the Maker, feeling his presence in the ancient walls, the very air, because the Inquisition constantly kept her attentions.

Anya had left shortly after their return, mentioning something about Grey Wardens, and Cullen’s family was still in residence.  Unfortunately, she hadn’t had a chance to spend as much time with his siblings as she would like, but what little time she had, it had been some of the most fun she had had in ages.

One day, she had even gotten roped into a chess game with Mia as the rest of the Rutherford clan watched on, critiquing their game and talking over each other. It had taken hours, but she couldn’t beat Mia and had asked for a rematch sometime in the future.

As she changed from the tunic she wore to train in and into a nicer shirt and over-corset, she thought about Iuen and how he had turned three years old while she had been in the Western Approach and, according to letters from her mother, was a terror like Tanwen had been when she was his age. Maker she missed that boy. She couldn’t wait to go back to Ostwick and reunite with him once more.  Perhaps she could ask Cullen if he would be interested in joining her and seeing her ancient familial home. Or a mission would pop up that would require her to travel to her family holdings.

Tanwen sighed and smiled when the visage of the Commander formed front and center in her mind. Back at Adamant Fortress, she had realized that she was in love with Cullen and, at the time, the thought had hit her suddenly and out of the blue. But when she thought about her feelings for the commander now, she realized that she had started falling for Cullen when he had given her his impassioned speech about the Inquisition back when they had been in Haven still.  At Adamant, she might have realized she was in love with him, but after he sat with her in the Chantry after their return to Skyhold, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved the man with every fiber of her being and would likely love him until her dying breath.

Now, she just needed to figure out how to tell him.

When she went over to her washbasin that stood between her chest of drawers and one of the windows leading to a balcony, she gathered some of the tepid water in her cupped hands and splashed her face, flushing the wound on her cheek and making it sting.  Tanwen picked up the cloth hanging from the side of the stand holding the basin and gingerly wiped away the water, sweat and blood on her face and hands.  When she finished, Tanwen peered into the small mirror hanging on the wall to get a better look at the wound.  She frowned as she poked at the split flesh, then sighed, pressing the towel against it.

"Looks like I'm going to have to visit the healer again.  I'm glad Cullen isn't repulsed by scars, because it looks like I'm might have another..." Tanwen trailed off in the middle of turning to finish changing her clothes when her eyes fell on her desk.

Sitting on top of the white oak surface, lay a large brown box that took up most of the newly uncovered surface.  She had spent much of the first few days back at Skyhold catching up on reports and requisitions.  Tanwen approached the box carefully.  Had it been there when she entered her room earlier? It likely had been and she just hadn't noticed it because she had been lost in thought.  It had to have arrived sometime during the day as she hadn't been back to her room since breaking her fast that morning.

Tanwen turned and went back to her bed, opening the top drawer of her side table and pulled out a small knife before returning to the box and approaching it from the side closest to her bed and the balcony door.

On the outside, it was a simple wooden box held shut with leather bands.  She lifted the edge of the package with the blade of her knife to feel the weight and look for a note or card of some kind, finding none under the box or on top.  The box itself, she decided, couldn't be considered heavy, but it definitely had some weight.

Switching the knife to her less dominant right hand, Tanwen unbuckled the leather holding the top down and cautiously opened it, said knife at the ready.  With a flick of her wrist, she opened the box and stood stunned as the lid clattered against the desktop behind it, before falling to the stone below.

Inside lay a luxurious fur of black streaked with lighter red and a red-brown.  Tanwen ran her fingers through the material and felt a familiar softness as it passed over her skin.  She placed her knife on the desk and reached in to lift the fur out of the box.

Thick, deep red fabric with lines of gold flowed to the floor - the fur wasn't the entire thing, simply the edge of the deep hood.  It was a cloak; one of the most beautiful she had ever seen in her life.  When she shook it to unfold it the rest of the way, a fluttering sound could be heard as something fell and landed on the floor.

Tanwen laid the cloak over her forearm and knelt down to pick up the folded parchment square.  It read: To Tanwen, Happy Birthday. Yours, Cullen. It was in his even, elegant script. No fancy words, long sentences or poetry. How had he known that her birthday was in a few short days? Leliana? She’d figure it out later. The note was short and to the point, just like him and she placed the note on her desk and held the cloak at arms length, allowing her eyes to take in the gift.`

It was of a similar fashion to his own, with its gold thread designs along the edges and the fur, but this was more of a cloak than his own.

Tanwen swung it around her back and over her shoulders.  The deep red fabric with its golden thread designs was thick and warm, the right side having more fabric so she could close the two sides with her left hand.  The brooch that held the two sides was the Inquisition insignia made of Iron with costly gold inlays.  When she lifted the hood over her head, the black and red fur surrounded her face to keep the chill at bay.  Tanwen held the cloak close to her, reveling in the wonderful gift from Cullen.  Never had she received something so fine and meaningful.

No, that wasn't entirely true.  James had given her her beloved Iuen.  The cloak was of fine quality, that part was true beyond words, and the cloak had great meaning to her, but it wasn't the most meaningful.  Her hands trailed up and under the cloak to her collarbone where Cullen's coin rested, wrapped in a strong leather cord and bound to a stronger, costly chain to avoid losing it again, and she laid her hand over the warm metal.  His coin meant a great deal to her because it meant a great deal to him.  She meant it when she had promised to keep it safe, ignoring what happened at Adamant.  What could she give him that would have as much meaning? She had no item other than the portrait of Iuen, but he wouldn't take that and she couldn't part with it.

She looked about her cavernous room.  Perhaps... Would he be willing to live in her rooms? Tanwen pinched her lip as she thought about what she would be proposing.  One night of passion did not mean they should live together.  However, the more she thought about asking him to move into her room, the more it felt right.  If he were to sleep in her room, they would make their relationship official to the rest of the Inquisition, yes.  But also, she could be there for him if and when he woke from his nightmares, as would he if and when she had her own.

Tanwen decided she would think about it over the coming days, unless the topic came up.  Right now, she wanted to find him and thank him for the cloak.

Night had fully fallen between when she entered her room and when she emerged with her gift.  Tanwen hurried down the stairs of her tower, across the great hall where people were preparing for the evening meal, through the atrium and over the catwalk leading to Cullen's quarters, her new cloak flapping behind her at her pace.

When she reached the door to his office, she pressed her ear to the cold wood and heard him speaking on the other side, along with the clinking of chainmail and 'Yes, ser!''s.  He must be having a meeting with the nightwatch before their shift was to begin.

As quietly as she could, Tanwen entered Cullen's office and shut the door behind her, not wanting to interrupt the meeting.  She turned and leaned against the wall next to the door, pinching her lower lip between her left index finger and thumb, listening, waiting.

Cullen was a magnificent sight, standing there commanding his men with purpose and knowledge.  Tanwen felt a shiver course down her spine as he gave out instructions.

"Rylen's men will monitor the situation." He nodded at one of his soldiers, earning a handful of salutes.

"Yes, ser.  We will begin preparations at once." Cullen turned to the woman speaking at his right and handed her a piece of parchment from his desk, taking one in return.  His intense focus was on the report as he scanned it and handed it back.

"In the meantime, we'll send soldiers to..." His gaze finally found hers and he paused.  She smiled when she saw his eyes dilate and his voice deepen.  He liked seeing her in his gift. "Assist the relief effort.  That will be all."

Even as he pushed himself away from his desk, gaze never leaving hers, he received salutes and 'yes, ser''s from all the soldiers present before following them to the door to his office from where she had entered.  Cullen closed the portal behind the last person and leaned against it, releasing a heavy breath.

"There's always something more, isn't there?"

Tanwen smirked. "Wishing we were somewhere else?"

This earned her a chuckle from her lover. "I barely found the time to get away before." Cullen pushed away from the door and walked back to his desk with Tanwen close on his heels.

"The war won't last forever.  When it started, I hadn't considered much beyond our survival." He paused next to his desk and turned to face her.  "Things are different now."

Cullen's words rang with an ominous tone as she stood next to him, fueling her reply.  "What do you mean?"

"I find myself wondering what will happen after.  When this is over, I won't want to move on..." He was staring at her now, sapphire blue to honey gold, threading his gloved fingers through the hair at her left temple. "Not from you."

Tanwen's heart and breath hitched at his words, the look of sincerity in his eyes. The muscles in her chest seized when he fell back on uncertainty, casting his gaze aside and letting his hand fall, turning from her to lean over his desk top.

"But I... I don't know what you - that is, if you, um..."

She walked the two paces until she leaned her rear against the edge of his desk, facing him and forcing him to look at her again.  Tanwen leaned on her right as she reached up with her left hand to cup his stubbled jaw.

"Cullen, you aren't the only one. I want to be with you again and again.  I want to be with you through whatever may come. For however long you will have me. Do you think you really think that you have to ask?"

He returned her smile.  "No, I suppose not. I - "

When Cullen leaned in, Tanwen moved her hands to help lift herself more fully onto the desk, neither of them seeing the wine bottle sitting precariously close to the edge of the desk left there by a soldier.  Tanwen gasped when she felt the glass brush her fingers and sail over the edge of the desk before shattering on the floor next to them.  Both of them looked down at the mess before returning their gazes to each other.  Tanwen felt embarrassed for making such a mess and was about to offer to clean up her mess when Cullen surprised her.  Without warning, he smirked, placed a hand on her thigh and swept his free arm across his desk, disturbing the papers there and sending them flying across the floor.

When Cullen returned to her, it was to place both of his hands on her sides and lift her until she was more fully on top of his desk, before he began crawling up his desk and over her.  Tanwen scooted back until her entire body was being supported by the old desk, opening her thighs to offer him a cradle as he draped his body over hers, straddling one of her legs.  Cullen placed one hand at her temple and the other on her breast, giving it a squeeze at the same time he rolled his hips into her lower belly, the steel rod of his shaft pressing into her, making her moan.

"Maker, you're beautiful," Cullen murmured as he leaned in and ghosted his lips over her own.  "So many thoughts and images are flowing through my mind of you and the cloak.  Of you in only the cloak."

Tanwen swallowed heavily, seeing the desire in his eyes, hearing it in his tone as it grew huskier in his arousal, her body heating to a fever pitch with every roll of his hips and clenching of the hand cupping her breast.  She leaned up into his hand, her hips beginning to rock in a timeless motion with Cullen's, one she was familiar with and one she was looking forward to becoming even more familiar with, with him.

Tanwen pushed herself into a nearly seated position, pushing on his shoulders until he was rolling over and she was straddling his hips, her own still rocking and moving along his hardened shaft.  She leaned back to look at him, midnight eyes hooded, breathing fast.  She felt the burning in her belly move lower to pool between her legs as she looked down at him and remembered the last time they were together.  The passion, the heat... her skin tightened and flushed at the memory.

Cullen's hands went to her hips as she continued rolling them against his, the hard ridge of his cock rubbing just right, hitting her clit and making her moan.  Without breaking eye contact, Tanwen reached up and released the clasp of her cloak and cast the two sides from her shoulders.  As it was wrapped up in their legs and under their bodies, it flopped down and against the side of his desk, but they paid it no mind.  Cullen sat up and pushed her hair out of the way, attaching his lips to the pulse point on her neck as he removed his gloves and began tugging at where her tunic was tucked into her breeches under her corset.

She moved her hands up to thread her fingers through his well-kempt locks and ran her fingernails against his scalp gently as he nipped and bit at the skin of her neck.  When her shirt was free, Tanwen sat back slightly to allow him to pull the string of her corset to loosen the leather and then pull both of the offending articles of clothing free, sending them to the ground.  She could feel her nipples puckering when the rest of her skin was exposed to the cool air flowing through his office, but she didn't feel the cold.  Tanwen's hands returned to Cullen's head to direct the attention of his lips to her own.  He took her cue and melded them together in a bruising kiss that was hot and slippery.

As they kissed, Cullen's hands trailed up her sides, following every dip and curve, until his fingertips reached the bottom of her breasts.  He broke their kiss when he pushed heavy globes up with his hands to his hungry eyes.  Licking his lips, Cullen took a breast in each hand as if testing their weight, before gripping them firmly and massaging them, placing one peak between his lips, rolling it between tongue and teeth while he massaged the other before switching his attentions to the other.

Tanwen threw her head back, holding his head close to her chest in encouragement.  Before Cullen, she had never known her breasts could be so sensitive to another's touch. they had been sensitive while she had been pregnant with Iuen and after his birth, but this was different.  Or maybe they were so sensitive because it was Cullen touching them.  She wasn't sure and couldn't focus on it while his lips were around the peaks.

Cullen began licking his way down her sternum and she felt her stomach muscles clench and twitch as she leaned back. Tanwen had had enough.  She sat back up , with his help, and pulled his coat and tunic until it was completely removed and added to the growing pile on the floor.  They were both breathless  and hissed when their bare torsos came into contact with each other.  Tanwen pressed her hand against Cullen's pectoral until he was laying back against the desk once more before she dismounted to stand next to the desk.  Cullen watched her intently, as a predator would its prey, while she dressed down until she was in only her smalls.

"Commander, you have too many pieces of clothing on." Tanwen watched a blush form on his skin at her husky tone.  He just smirked and raised an eyebrow in challenge. It was like he was asking her what she would do about it.

She sauntered back to his desk where he lay, his manhood straining against the ties holding the front of his breeches together.  When she was close enough, Cullen lowered his hand to place it between her legs and nudged her smalls aside. He then slipped first one finger, then two, between her slick folds, without actually penetrating her sheath.  Tanwen rocked on his fingers hoping to coax him to enter her and ease the ache as she unlaced his breeches and lowered his smalls.  Tanwen was feeling herself get testy when he wouldn't help her, so she took him in her firm grip and began stroking him in time with her rocking and finally, finally , he pressed his middle finger to her entrance and slipped the digit inside her waiting warmth.  His second finger joined shortly after and she slowed her stroking when he rubbed at the spot within her that turned her into a pool of jelly.

When she stopped stroking him, he stopped moving his fingers and she nearly went mad.  Even though he throbbed heavily in her hand, he stilled when she became overcome with sensation.

"You stop, I stop.  Please don't stop, Tanwen.  I really enjoy seeing you like this."

Tanwen began stroking him again, root to tip and back.  When he continued rubbing the ribbed flesh within her body, he added a third finger and circled her nub in time with his movements.

"Cullen," She released on a breath, feeling her climax growing as his hand moved within her.  She couldn't stand it anymore.

She stepped away just enough to let his hand fall to the side of his desk once more before removing her smalls and used her knee on the edge of the desk and flung her leg over his hips so she could resume her earlier position over his loins. Cullen's hands shot to her hips automatically, as if unable to help himself.

"Cullen, I need you." She whispered, taking his shaft in hand and rubbing the crown between her labia, coating his manhood with her desire.  When he released her hips to grasp at the edge of his breeches and smalls, Tanwen shook her head and positioned his cock at her entrance and lowered herself onto him agonizingly slow.  As aroused as she was, it was an easy glide and then she was seated on him to the hilt.  They both paused.  Tanwen leaned forward until her forehead was resting on his breastbone, both of them panting for breath.  It took everything in her not to pick up a furious pace that the desire running rampant through her called for.

When she lifted herself up, she saw he was staring at the ceiling above them as if in disbelief. Tanwen reached up a hand to cup the side of his face to bring his focus to her. When honey met sapphire once more, his hands cupping her ass, she began lifting herself up with her thighs until the crown was about to show before moving back down, her pace slow and torturous.  Cullen gripped her rear in an attempt to help her move faster, but her leg muscles were stronger than his arms and his will ended up being in vain. Minutes went by at this pace and by the look on Cullen's face, she could tell he didn't approve of her teasing.

Without warning, Cullen sat up and wrapped his arms about her waist as he turned to stand so she wouldn't fall.  He set her on her feet slowly, his shaft slipping from her heat but not from between her legs.  He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face his desk.

Cullen ran a hand up her spine from her tailbone to the back of her neck, pressing her torso to his desk as he used his clothed knee to move hers wider as he took himself in his free hand, stroking it and rubbing the crown against her folds from behind.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's unkind to tease, my darling Tanwen?" She turned her head to the side and bit her lip as she looked at him imploringly.  She wanted to giggle when he growled, but moaned when he thrust into her once more, as far as he could, before pulling back out slowly then slamming back home.  Each time, the desk creaked with the force and she wanted to groan at the heady feeling of his power and strength.

"Now...who's...teasing?" Cullen chuckled at her question in between thrusts and evened out his pace, the glides long and smooth within her silky walls.

It wasn't long before his thrusts quickened as their climaxes neared.  Cullen lifted her right leg to prop on the desk so he could change the angle at which his manhood hit her from within.  Faster, faster, he moved, sweat beading on their skin at the pace.  Cullen wrapped his arm around her collar bone and dragged her to stand, his manhood still buried deep within her as he continued to plunge into her weeping core.  He moved one hand to her chin to tilt her head up and her ear closer to his lips as the other dug into the flesh of her hip.

"Come for me, Tanwen.  Let me feel you squeeze your inner muscles around me." He growled straight into her ear and Tanwen whimpered.  She loved it when he did that and felt her release hurdling towards her.

"Not without you, fy nghariad."

"I will not risk putting a babe in your belly.  Not yet." he finished with a lower tone turned growl.

Tanwen hummed.  "You don’t have to worry about impregnating me."

Cullen accepted her word and renewed his furious pace, pushing her back down on the desktop and replacing his hands at her hip in a bruising grip.  She would relish each one, seeing them as proof that she could cause the normally controlled Commander of the Inquisition's armies to release his self-control and completely lose his mind.

While he pistoned his hips, Tanwen snuck her hand between her legs to where they were joined and her clitoris was nestled within her folds. She was so close now, all she had to do was apply a light touch and a powerful climax washed over her, her inner muscles clenching so tight she thought she heard Cullen choke out a curse in surprise.  Tanwen bit down on her lip to stifle her cries so as not to alert the nightwatch on the battlements.

"Oh, Maker, Tanwen." She heard him say with a guttural tone as he found his own release, his thrusts slowing but not lacking in power.  She could feel his hot seed fill her womb.  The growl he released echoed about his chamber walls and it almost sounded like a lion was in the room with them.

Cullen thrust into her three more times, his seed completely emptying into her before he collapsed against her back, both breathing heavily and battling shaking limbs.  Cullen rested against her for several heartbeats before he raised himself off her with his hands, leaving several kisses against her back.

"Are you all right?  I fear I may have been too rough."

Tanwen gave him a lighthearted laugh.  "I'm a strong girl, Cullen.  You can't hurt me, I promise."

He just chuckled.  "All right." He paused, looking at her as if in serious thought. "Stay with me tonight ."

"What will others' think, seeing me leave your office in the morning, disheveled and smelling of our mixed desires?" She answered his question with one of her own, a coy smile on her lips as he removed his flaccid member so they could both stand and face each other. All Tanwen could do was turn around and lean against his desk because her legs shook when she tried to stand.

"Likely with more rumors than ever before. Most of the barracks already think we have been rutting like rabbits since our first kiss.  Even more believe it now since our first time together after Adamant."

Tanwen chuckled, the sound cut short as her smile turned into a frown.  "I'm sorry about leaving that night, Cullen.  I... I don't..."

Cullen gathered her to his chest and laid his head on top of hers.  "Shh.  It's ok, Tan.  You came back and that's all that matters."

Tanwen clung to his arms for a moment before pulling away and smiling once more.  "I love it when you call me that. Let's gather our clothing and head to bed."

When they reached his bed at the top of the ladder, Tanwen climbed in and watched him remove his breeches, smalls and boots completely, his cock growing once more under her heated gaze.  She looked up at him with raised eyebrows.  Cullen shrugged.

"It does that when you look at me the way you are or look like you do." He waved his hand to imply all of her nakedness in that statement.

"But so soon?  I thought it took longer for men to recover."

He gave her a devilish smirk and she felt her desire reignite like flint to dry kindling.  "What can I say? You bring out the best and worst in me."

Tanwen patted the bed next to her and he crawled in next to her, then under the covers, settling himself between her legs.  She looked down her torso at him under the covers in surprise.

"Prepare yourself, Tanwen.  You are in for a very long night."

~//~

The sound of moaning woke her from one of the most restful sleeps she had had since leaving for the Conclave. When she turned over towards Cullen bleary-eyed, she saw him tossing his head back and forth and she shot up in bed, instantly awake.  Tanwen gently placed her hands on his shoulder and whispered soft words, trying to wake him slowly.

"No... leave me..." His eyes were rapidly moving under his lids and he raised his arms as if to defend himself from whatever was happening in his sleeping mind.

"Shh, Cullen.  I'm here, you are safe." She said louder, helping him wake.

"Leave me -" He woke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed and narrowly missed hitting her in the chin with his head.  Tanwen stumbled back and watched as he looked around to gather his bearings, separating dream and reality.  When he saw her, his hardened facial muscles softened and he relaxed back against his pillows once more and closed his eyes. She moved back to her previous position, looming over him.

"Bad dream?"

Cullen sighed.  "They always are.  Without Lyrium, they're worse." Cullen opened his eyes and looked at her, then turned on his side to face her.  "I didn't mean to worry you."

Tanwen smiled into the hand he placed on her cheek and returned the motion when she said, "You can let me worry a little. It’s what I do."

"All right," he managed to chuckle.  Tanwen closed her eyes and leaned forward until their foreheads met.  "You are... I have never felt anything like this."

Her heart thumped hard in her chest at his words, because she felt the same.  If they shared this feeling, perhaps they shared more.  It was as good a time as any to see if her theory was correct.  "Cullen, I love you.  You know that, right?"

She pulled away and opened her eyes to see his reaction and hear his response.

"I love you, too."

Tanwen grinned so wide, her cheeks hurt.  He loved her too!  Cullen Rutherford, the man who held the largest portion of her heart, next to Iuen, returned the love she felt for him.  And, by the look on his face, he must have felt the same way about her telling him she loved him too.

What a pair they made.

She leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips.  "Are you sure you are all right, fy nghariad?"

Cullen nodded up at her before laying back against the pillows. He lifted a hand to draw circles on the flesh of her thigh, sending tingles straight to her spine and up. “What does that mean?  You have said it a couple times both while awake and while sleeping.”

She cast him a serene smile.  “It means ‘My Love’. At first it was a pet name, until I realize the truth in it.”

Tanwen was about to rise and dress for the day, but the way he was looking at her, all heat and desire, she felt compelled to lay back down at his side.  Slowly, he maneuvered her until she was faced away and he spooned behind her.  Cullen leaned in and inhaled deep at the skin of her neck and trailed his hand down her side, over her hip and into the valley between her legs, dipping between her folds to stroke her clit as he rolled his hips against her derriere and showed her how awake he truly was.

Tanwen leaned back against him, bowing her back to offer him a means of relieving his ache.  He took it by gripping her upper leg and lifting it high enough to enter her swiftly from behind, moans soon echoing about the room.

'What a way to start the morning...' was Tanwen's last thought before getting lost in their passions.

~//~