The sun was about to rise on Skyhold. The fortress was peaceful with all his occupants still sleeping. Except for one.

The Inquisitor.

Leaning on the wall of the battlement, you were waiting for the sun to show up his nose on the horizon. You couldn't sleep well lately due to nightmares waking you up a few hours before dawn. Not wanting to go back to sleep to be faced again by those nightmares, you had decided to walk on the battlements to ease your mind before beginning your duties as Inquisitor. You had found peace in watching the sun rising. It had become your morning routine for the past couple weeks.

The flaming orb appeared slowly on the horizon. The calm enveloped you as you forget your nightmare and let the light warms you.

A door creaked to your left. You turned your head in the direction of the noise and saw Commander Cullen emerged from his tower. Your hands automatically went up to cover your ears. You felt stupid for such a reaction and lowered your hands and stuffed them into your pant's pocket. You knew you had nothing to fear about Cullen. He was an ex-Templar and would never hurt you. But still, he had been a Templar in the past and you knew not to hang around them.

Lost in your mind, you hadn't realized Cullen was now beside you, leaning on the battlement. You were focusing on a piece of lint at the bottom of your pocket, trying to calm your nerves. Even after working with him for months in Haven and now here, in Skyhold, you were still uneasy around him. But he wasn't a Templar anymore. You had to remember that.

"You're an early bird, Inquisitor," Cullen spoke softly looking at the sun slowly rising.

"So are you, Commander."

"Lots to plan, a few recruits to train... It will be a long day and I must start early. What about you?"

"Nightmares." You saw him frown from the corner of your eyes. You waved your hand in the air. "Nothing to worry about." You offered him a shy smile. You were used to these bad dreams by now and they were mostly harmless. They were mostly memories of the past, coming back to haunt you. "I leave you to your duties, Commander. I have a report to write and if I don't deliver it to Leliana before midday I will regret being alive." Cullen laughed softly and your cheeks warmed. You were nervous around the man, but hearing him laugh always made your heart flutters a little. He was charming, there's no denying it but your fear of Templars stopped you from wanting to know him better. Apart from the conversation you both had in Haven, where you learned more about him and the Templars, moments alone together were rare.

You bid your farewell to Cullen, not wanting to retain him from his work and made your way to the stairs leading in front of the stables. A hand grabbed your arm, forcing you to stop and turn to look at the Commander. "If ever you need someone to talk... about those nightmares," His other hands went up to his neck, massaging the nape. "my door is always open, Hana." You saw him blush slightly and caught yourself doing so. You hoped his hands couldn't feel you shaking under his grasp. The words were caught in your throat and the sight of the morning sun casting on the side of his face, reflecting tiny parcels of gold in his brown orbs made you realize... He was handsome.

You shook your head slightly, regaining your senses and chasing those thoughts out of your head that only made you blush more. You cleared your throat and smiled at him. "Thank you, Commander. I'll keep that in mind." A faint smiled appeared on his lips and he tipped his chin as he let go of your arm. You made your way down the stairs, avoiding the gaze of the soldiers who were beginning to rise from the barracks to train and jog to your quarters. You could still feel the heat on your cheeks and your heart beating faster than you would want it to.

You closed the door of your apartments and leaned your back against it, sighing.

It was hard to have feelings for someone you feared.

A/N: This is my first fanfiction in forever. From my other works you can see I'm more of an anime type gal and I always do reader inserts because yes I want to be with the character, sue me OTL Hope you will like this story. It's mostly born from playing DA: I for three weeks straight and falling in love with Cullen. I don't know where this is going but let's see what the future holds! So sorry for any grammar, punctuation or sentences formulating that could be wrong, please kindly tell me so I can fix it and it can be more pleasant to read my story. English is not my first language and I am self-taught, be kind