DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, everything belongs to Gaider and Bioware, etc etc.


PROLOGUE

He coughs, heaving and rasping coughs that make is lungs rattle and ache. Through the smoke, he can barely make out the slender robe clad figure backing away slowly from the ogre. He can almost imagine the fear in her eyes – the same look that she wore, perhaps, the night of her harrowing? He had wanted to reach out, and ease her fright, but of course that was impossible. And even now, without the confinements of the Tower surrounding them, he was still helpless.

He needed to help. He glanced blearily around for his sword, and saw it a few metres to his left. Groaning, he slowly stretched out his arm as far as he could to the handle, but stopped immediately as he nearly blacked out from the pain. Shattered ribs, the thought crossed his mind dimly. His vision was becoming darker now, and he helplessly watched as Amell desperately fired a huge blast of ice towards the ogre. For once, something seemed to work, and the lumbering creature stopped in its tracks, its huge clawed feet encased in solid ice. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Alistair, sword gleaming in his hand, leaping up and plunging his weapon straight into the base of the ogre's neck. An unearthly screech erupted from the creature as blood cascaded down from the now gaping wound, but he could see more darkspawn spilling through the door.

We're going to die here, he realised as he watched the other man tackle the swarm head on.

His vision blurred and darkened, and through the foggy blackness he heard a voice yelling his name. He tried to push himself up, tried to reply, but his head felt like lead, sinking in water. As he blacked out Cullen's only thought was on the mage on the other side of the room rushing towards him, her eyes gleaming in the firelight, so bright...


A/N: BASED OFF THE DAKINKMEME PROMPT:

"Even though Amell was recruited by Duncan, she is still Greagoir's responsibility until she actually undergoes the joining. He's halfway convinced that she'll start slitting her wrists and dancing naked under the moonlight the second she's out from templar supervision. So he sends Cullen along to keep an eye on Amell until she's officially 100% Duncan's problem. Of course, everything goes to hell at Ostagar, and Cullen can't get back to the tower right away. He travels with Amell and companions."