Cullen paced the hall of the chantry with his fists bunched at his sides, the sound of his footsteps echoed from the stone walls. Stalking the hall might be a better description, if the attitude of the scouts were anything to go by. They'd avoided him unless absolutely necessary since they'd heard from Ellana and Cassandra. He growled under his breath as he reached the wall and turned on his heel to walk in the other direction. He knew Leliana made a good case for seeking out the rebel mages, to an extent he might even agree with her. But if the choice came down to either the mages or the Templars then surely it was barely a choice at all. The Templars were disciplined, combat trained and, for the love of Andraste, they didn't need to worry about them turning into abominations. He felt for the mages; he'd spent most of his life around them after all. Despite his experiences, he understood their plight and would have liked to help them but they simply didn't have the ability to facilitate a large group of terrified mages. Who knows how many blood mages could find their way inside The Inquisition? He'd seen enough blood magic to last him a life time, hell, maybe several life times.
He'd reached the other wall and turned again, this time he spotted Leliana leaning against a door frame watching him pace.
"You're not going to make them arrive any faster you know."
He glowered in her direction and kept walking.
Leliana sighed, "As you wish. I know how you feel about the mages and Templars Cullen, but I really think the mages would be our best chance at closing The Breach."
"And I disagree." Cullen glared at her, she inclined her head at him before continuing,
"Be that as it may, The Herald has only met the rebel mages, nothing has been decided yet. All the report said was that they had things to discuss with us, nothing more."
Cullen supposed that was true. Even Ellana's private correspondence with him had only said they were on their way back to Haven and they had news. He stopped when he reached her door way,
"Look Leliana I-"
The Chantry doors opened admitting Ellana and Cassandra. They were engrossed in a hushed conversation as they made their way toward the war room. Ellana looked in his direction but her gaze refused to meet his before quickly looking away, giving Cassandra her full attention again. He narrowed his eyes at her, this didn't bode well. Leliana poked her head into Josephine's office, alerting her to the Heralds arrival. Cullen held the war room door open for the women, as Ellana passed him she hesitated for a moment as though she wanted to say something to him before changing her mind and following the others inside.
Once they were stood in their allotted places Ellana looked to Cassandra who merely inclined her head, giving the floor over to her. She took a deep breath before beginning.
"We met the rebel mages, and you're not going to like what we found. There's no way to paint this in a good light so I'm just going to say it; the rebel mages have indentured themselves to a man named Alexius, a Tevinter magister." For a beat there was nothing but silence around the table then Ellana winced as all three advisors began asking questions at once. Cullen was appalled, he knew the mages were desperate, but Tevinter? Really? Tevinter? What was the Grand Enchanter thinking? Cassandra held her hands up, gesturing for quiet. Cullen bit back the stream of expletives that were on the tip of his tongue as Ellana continued.
"Yes, well. As you can imagine it was quite the surprise for us too. Not the first surprise of our visit though," She said, ruefully, "We'd barely made it through the gate when one of Leliana's scouts told us that we weren't expected. Despite our meeting in Val Royeux, Grand Enchanter Fiona insisted that we had never met and she hadn't issued an invitation to The Inquisition. We can only assume that Tevinter magic is somehow involved. We're not sure how he did it but we're pretty sure why. The magisters son, Felix, slipped me a note asking us to meet him in Redcliffe chantry, there we also met the magisters old protegé, a mage named Dorian, also of Tevinter. The was a rift in the chantry that seemed to twist time, slowed some things down and sped other things up. According to Dorian and Felix, magister Alexius is part of a cult called The Venatori. They're obsessed with me, or the mark anyway. They've somehow figured out a way to alter time. That's how they managed to reach the rebel mages before us. Apparently time doesn't like being messed with, add that to the tear in the veil from The Breach and there's a recipe for disaster. Hence the time fluctuations around the rift. As if all that wasn't enough Alexius has set himself up in Redcliffe castle, we didn't see any sign of the Earl or his men the entire time we were there. To say we have a problem is an understatement." Ellana leaned back into one hip when she'd finished talking, crossing her arms over her chest. Cullen looked over at Leliana, for once the spy master seemed taken aback.
"So?" Said Cassandra, looking around at them, "What are we going to do?"
It was Josephine that spoke up first, "I don't see what we can do."
"What? You propose we do nothing?" Cullen could understand Cassandra's surprise, he would have placed Josephine firmly in the 'recruit the mages' camp.
"The Earl hasn't requested our aid. We can't attack his castle, even if we're doing so to oust a Tevinter magister. He's the Kings Uncle, we don't have the authority to act. To do so could be interpreted as an act of war." Josephine looked appealingly toward Cullen but Cassandra looked livid. With a placating gesture in Cassandra's direction he said,
"All the more reason to recruit the Templars to our cause, while I agree that having a magister in Redcliffe is less that ideal we can't tackle these Venatori without the aid of the Templars. They will have magic we simply don't know how to counter."
"Less than ideal? It's a Tevinter cult! The Maker only knows how much chaos they could cause if left unchecked. We need to act and we need to act now!" Cassandra brought her fist down on the table for emphasis, making the markers on the war map topple.
"I agree with Cassandra." Leliana spoke up quietly, Cullen barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "If we leave this cult where they are we will hear from them again, by leaving the rebel mages with them we are effectively adding to their number."
All four pairs of eyes turned toward Ellana, it was an even split. She hadn't spoken a word during their exchange and Cullen saw her eyes widen slightly when she realised hers would be the deciding vote, the Templars or the mages. She looked thoughtful for a moment, her arms were still crossed and Cullen could see where she'd been clenching and unclenching her fists, bunching the leather of her armour at the elbows. Her nervous hands again, he realised. She cleared her throat and keep her eyes firmly glued to the war table,
"I understand the benefits and risks of both sides of this argument and you've all given me a lot to think about. It has, however, been a long day and, as I understand it, no action can be taken either way tonight. I would prefer to give you my answer in the morning. If no one objects of course?"
They had all nodded in agreement and Ellana had politely excused herself. Cullen could admit to some frustration that there would be no resolution until the next day but at least she wasn't taking the decision lightly. He'd been concerned about a knee jerk reaction to help the mages. That didn't seem to be the case however, Cullen consoled himself with the thought. With The Herald retired for the evening the others said their good nights and broke the meeting, each making their way to their own quarters. He spotted Leliana whispering furiously to Josephine out in the hallway and his frustration spiked again, Leliana was clearly trying to change Josephine's mind about the Venatori. He knew from personal experience how stubborn their ambassador could be, however, and vowed not to let it trouble him further. Easier said than done of course.
All the talk of mages and Templars had heightened Cullen's withdrawal symptoms. His gaze often finding itself settling in the box that contained his Lyrium Philter. After an hour of staring at his ceiling trying to push aside his craving then another hour spent pacing his quarters he had given up on the idea of getting any sleep. His quarters were small to begin with but add in the claustrophobic feelings associated with lack of lyrium and it was enough to leave him wanting to claw the walls and make his chest tighten unpleasantly. In a bid to escape he slung his cloak over his shoulders and headed out the door into the darkness of Haven. There was something eerily peaceful about the village at night. It always bustled with activity during the day but once dark had fallen and all the residents had retired for the evening you could almost forget this was the base of the new Inquisition. A few patrols and guards were stationed around but nothing else moved as Cullen slowly made his way through the village. It was Rylan turn on watch, he'd be stationed on the walls so Cullen headed in his direction. If he was awake he might as well do something useful and planning training exercises with Rylan was as good for numbing his brain as anything else was going to be.
"Oh Commander Cullen, good." Rylan visibly relaxed when Cullen climbed onto the look out post next to him, "I was hoping there was someone around. I didn't want to leave my post unattended but if someone hadn't happened by soon I might have had to."
"What's happened now?" Cullen asked on a groan, there was always something.
Rylan quirked a grin at him, "No emergencies just yet Commander, relax. But look over there."
Rylan pointed out over the wall and towards the frozen lake. Ellana was sat on the dock, it was hard to tell from a distance but she seemed to be making patterns on the ice with magic.
"For the love of-How long has she been out there?" Cullen sighed,
"Quite a while, at least an hour. I was going to go out and check on her myself, but like I said, didn't want to leave the wall unattended."
"You did the right thing Rylan, well done."
"Oh shucks Cullen, you're making me blush." Rylans grin widened.
"Funny." Cullen's dry reply left Rylan chuckling as he hopped down from the look out and headed out the gates.
As he made his way around the edge of the lake he could see she was indeed making patterns on the ice, sending frost skittering across the surface in intricate loops and swirls. Even with his distrust of magic, he had to grudgingly admit that it was rather pretty, some more delicate parts of the design looked almost like flower blossoms.
"Am I intruding?" He asked quietly when he reached her,
"Of course not, my freezing cold dock is your freezing cold dock." She turned to face him, resting her back against one of the supports, patting the wood in invitation and he sat opposite, mirroring her position.
"It really is freezing, aren't you cold?" He asked, suppressing a shiver.
She smiled out towards the lake before answering, "I've always rather liked the cold, even as a child. I hate the rain though, give me snow over rain any day."
After a few moments of silence Ellana turned back to him, "Couldn't sleep either?"
"No. The mage Templar situation is...disconcerting."
Ellana scoffed, "Disconcerting? Crazy Templars or crazy mages, ooh decisions decision."
Cullen frowned at her, "It's not as simple as that."
She nudged his leg with a foot, "I know Commander, just trying to lighten the mood." She looked up at The Breach for a moment before returning her eyes to him seriously,
"OK, you want to be serious, let's be serious. Do you want to know something that I've been sitting here thinking about?" She scrutinised him for a moment, drinking him in. He fought the urge to fidget under her gaze, keeping his eyes locked with hers, even as they wanted to dart to her hands to see if they were as endlessly active as they were in their meetings. "You think I want to recruit the mages because I'm a mage so I must automatically distrust Templars, right? That's OK, to be honest I thought the same thing about you and The Order. At first anyway, ex-Templar and all that. But I was wrong. There's something more going on than a Templars general distrust of magic." Cullen shifted his weight uncomfortably before opening his mouth to respond but Ellana leaned over to pat his arm before he could, " It's alright Cullen, I'm not asking. I hope you'll tell me one day, when you're ready, but that's not tonight. My point is, just because I'm a mage I don't want you to think I'm dismissing the threat the mages pose. Yes, I've heard the horror stories about the Templars, I had to hide whenever we passed too close to a human settlement. However, I also know why we only have so many mages to each clan. I know I was lucky, many other elven children with magic are turned away and are left to make their own way in life. I know why the hunters always watched me closely, and I'm not blind to the way some of the guards and Templars here watch me now." She paused to wave over to where Rylan was, indeed, still watching them. Cullen had to bite back a laugh when he saw Rylan nervously return her wave. "Magic is dangerous, especially in the hands of the weak or malicious. I understand the value of your circles and your Templars."
"Then why do I get the feeling you're going to recruit the rebel mages?" Cullen asked.
Ellana sighed, "Both the mages and the Templars can help us close the Breach. I've no doubt about that. What bothers me is that I've started thinking of these people as assets, about how they can help The Inquisition instead of how we can help them."
Cullen caught himself as he was about to argue and thought about what she's said. He wondered when he started thinking only of recruiting one side or the other rather than helping one side or the other. Ellana gave him a knowing look and a soft smile when he closed his mouth without uttering a word.
"There's something happening with the Templars but I know the mages need us. They've got children with them and the tranquil. I don't know if I could live with myself if I stood aside and let them be bound into servitude with Tevinter. It's less about who to recruit and more about who to save. Can you understand that?"
"Of course I can. You have a point. You might have a point." He added when her smile looked like it was going to turn into a smug grin. "I won't be jumping up and down with excitement if you bring the mages in but," he continued firmly, "I'll support whatever decision you make."
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at his declaration, "Wow, Cullen. I'm not sure what to say."
"There is one condition though." She narrowed her eyes at him,
"And what is that?"
"We go back inside now. You might like the cold but I'm numb pretty much to my shoulders."
She laughed at him as they hauled themselves to their feet and made the slow walk back to the gates. Cullen nodded at Rylan as they passed but waited until they were out of ear shot before saying quietly,
"For the record, he wasn't watching you because he didn't trust you. He was concerned that The Herald of Andraste was going to freeze to death on a frozen lake. Not all ex-Templars distrust mages, especially not you."
She searched his eyes for a moment before saying softly,
"No, I guess they don't. They've got a good example." It was his turn for wide eyed surprise as she went inside her cabin and closed the door. Ellana thought he was a good example for the men? If Rylan had heard that he'd never hear the end of it.
This plan was completely insane. While he'd resigned himself to the fact they were going to Redcliffe to secure the aid of the mages and to save them from Tevinter in one fell swoop he wasn't expecting this. It was insane!
A letter had arrived at dawn and was waiting for them at the war room when they'd met for Ellana to give them her decision. After their discussion the night before Cullen was prepared for her vote to rescue the mages from the mess they'd created. But, of course, things were never that simple. The letter was from the magister in Redcliffe asking for a meeting with The Herald of Andraste. It was so obviously a trap that he was surprised the magister thought they'd fall for it. Ellana played it off as a joke of course, she had donned what Cullen had quickly deemed her Herald mask. Cool professionalism, wit and above all else, confidence.
"Isn't that kind of him, what does Alexius say about me?"
Cullen wanted to reach over the table and shake her, did she not understand the word trap? The magister knew as well as he did that Redcliffe castle was one of the most defensible fortress's in Ferelden. They might have a way in, getting out again was a whole other matter and he'd be damned if he sent her in there alone. Unable to hold back any longer he bit out,
"If you go in there you'll die and we'll lose the only means we have of closing these rifts." Even he had to wince a little at how that had sounded, he could practically hear Varric chastising him in his head. Ellana, on the other hand, had one side her lips turned up and her eyes were sparkling with barely suppressed laughter. It had been awhile since he'd put his foot so thoroughly in his mouth. He softened his tone before continuing, "I won't allow it."
"Felix said this Venatori cult is obsessed, I doubt they'll graciously accept our apologies and go about their business. So, we can't take a full regiment of soldiers, we can't damage the castle or provoke a war. Apparently." She winked over at Josephine, "And it's also not the best outcome if I die, we have the rifts to think about after all." The sly look in his direction was so swift the others didn't catch it but was enough to make him roll his eyes. Wonderful. The professionalism won out though and she finally got serious. "Other than the main gate there must be another way into the castle. A sewer? A water course? Something."
Leliana brightened, "Wait. There is another way in, an escape route for the family. It's too narrow for Cullen's troops but we could send agents through."
Cullen shook his head, "Too risky, they'll be discovered long before they reach the magister."
"That's why we need a distraction, perhaps the envoy Alexius wants so badly." Cullen could see where this was going, they wanted Ellana to play right into the magisters hands while they were creeping up behind him. Logically not a bad plan, but some emotion he wasn't willing to examine was causing his chest to tighten at the thought and his pulse to beat louder in his ears. Maker Rutherford, what's got into you? Professionalism, dammit. He pushed the feeling away.
"Risky, but it could work."
The banging of the door had Cullen reaching for his sword on reflex as an unarmed man swaggered in as if he had every right to be there.
"You're spies will never get past Alexius' guards without my help. If you're going after him then I'm going along." The newcomer winked at Ellana,
"Everyone, this is Dorian." Ah, the magisters ex-student. Dorian bowed at them with a small flourish. Cullen ignored him for now and turned back to Ellana,
"The plan puts you in the most danger, we can't in good conscience order you to do this. We can still go after the Templars if you'd rather not play the bait, it's up to you." Go for the Templars, go for the Templars, go for the Templars, he thought at her as hard as he could.
"I say we go for it." Of course she'd say that.
So that was how Cullen had wound up with a small group of men disguised as villagers just beyond the sight of Redcliffe castle walls. The only compromise that he and Ellana had agreed on, although he was fairly sure a small part of her was pretty amused by the site of their soldiers trying to blend in with the rest of the village. With so many refugees coming and going, slipping a few extra people through the town gates hadn't been difficult. He'd wanted to be on hand if something went wrong. Which it was going to, because it always did. Plus this plan was insane, that too.
Ellana and the others had only been inside the castle a few minutes when Cullen was proved right. He watched open mouthed as King Alistair rode past him with a full honour guard, well this was going to complicate things. Anyone who'd been watching them suspiciously was now staring at the King so Cullen shook off his own surprise and hurried after them. He'd met King Alistair back at Kinloch Hold when Alistair and the Hero Of Ferelden, Elissa Cousland, had helped take the tower back from the control of Uldred and his blood mages. Leliana was going to be disappointed she'd missed him, he knew she'd been trying fruitlessly to find Lady Cousland even before the Conclave. She and Alistair had married soon after his coronation but if rumour was to be believed she had vanished and not even the King knew where she had gone. Leliana hadn't believed it for a moment, insisting that Alistair adored Elissa and she him. She refused to believe that Elissa would leave without saying a word but if Alistair did know where she was he was guarding the secret well. Leliana would have loved to question him face to face, she always said that he was a terrible liar. It didn't look like Cullen would be able to ask him about it either, he caught up to the riders just as they disappeared inside the castle doors.
Word had travelled quickly through the men and a few had joined him as he waited anxiously at the bottom of the castle steps. Before long the great doors opened again, Grand Enchanter Fiona rushed past him, talking excitedly with some of the mages, he caught enough of their conversation as they passed to be assured that the mages would be joining them. He had no idea how Ellana had reached an accord so quickly. Before the King had arrived she'd only been inside the castle a matter of minutes. After the mages had left King Alistair walked out, still talking to Ellana. Cullen did a double take, Cassandra and Varric who's armour still gleamed and weapons still polished stood in stark contrast to Ellana and Dorian who looked like they'd been through a war zone. Their robes were torn and splashed with blood, Ellana's hair which was usually tamed into braids was a mess with strands flying loose around her face. Cullen took the stairs two at a time and shifted from foot to foot as he waited for her to finish her conversation with the King. He gave her another once over now he was closer, she was smiling politely at Alistair with her hands clasped firmly behind her back but there was a new starkness in her eyes that he was convinced hadn't been there an hour ago. He caught Cassandra's eye, hoping for some clarification but she and Varric looked just as confused as he felt. Dorian was still at Ellana's side, hovering at her shoulder so he'd get no answers there. As soon as Alistair turned to take his leave Cullen hurried over, and not a moment too soon, Ellana grabbed his arm the instant he reached her as her knees buckled and she hissed through her teeth in pain.
"Shit." She ground out, her jaw was strained and pain was written clearly on her face. Cullen took her weight easily and held her up,
"What the hell happened to you?" Cullen asked in alarm, Ellana was concentrating on staying on her feet, it was Dorian that answered.
"She cracked a couple of ribs back there would be my guess. I'd be surprised if she's not broken at least one, a spell sent her flying and the stone floors in the hall didn't make for the softest of landings. How she's stayed on her feet as long as she has is beyond me."
"Through sheer stubbornness." Cullen replied. With his free hand Cullen brushed some of the hair from her face before shifting her so his arm circled her waist. Despite his concern he couldn't help but notice the curve of her hip through her leather armour.
"I'm fine." Ellana said through her still clenched teeth.
"Sure you are darling, so you wont mind if I take a quick look will you?" Ellana shot him a filthy look but Dorian just smiled charmingly back at her before looking over her head to Cullen, "Can you bring her back inside? We seem to be attracting an audience." Cullen hadn't noticed the small crowd that had gathered in the courtyard, he'd been too focused on Ellana, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate being seen in a moment of weakness. He used his own body to block their view as he helped her back into the entrance of the castle. Despite her earlier protests she gripped his arm tighter and leaned into him as Dorian led them inside. Once they were in the dim foyer Dorian took a dagger from his belt and carefully cut some of her ruined leathers away so he could see her wound. The skin was mottled with bruises, making Cullen wince in sympathy.
"Alright," Dorian said, slipping the dagger away again and wiggling his fingers, "Get ready Ellie, this is going to hurt."
"Call me Ellie again and you're going to be fixing your own broken ribs." Ellana muttered at him but Cullen could feel her body brace in preparation,
"Promises, promises." Dorian chuckled, "Ok, one, two-"
What colour remained in Ellana's face drained but by the time Dorian stepped away some of the strain had eased.
"There," he said, looking rather pleased with himself, "I'm no healer but that'll do until we find someone who can make a better job of it. There's bound to be a healer or two amongst the rebel mages. Speaking of which, I imagine you two have things to discuss. I'll be down in the tavern if you need me. I plan to drink until today feels like a hazy dream."
"Thanks Dorian. Please ask Cassandra and Varric to give us a few minutes." Dorian waved in acknowledgement as he left, closing the castle doors behind him. Ellana gingerly moved away from Cullen to go and sit on some stone steps. Some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease and she hung her head.
"This is bad Cullen, really really bad." She sounded miserable. After a brief hesitation Cullen sat down next to her, close enough so their shoulders almost brushed, he rationalised it to himself by thinking he might need to catch her if she fell again. He obviously didn't just want to be in close proximity to her, that would be unprofessional, ridiculous and about as insane as their plan had been this morning.
"What happened?"
She kept her head down and twisted her fingers together so much as she spoke that Cullen had to resist the urge several times to take her hands in his just to see them be still. But he didn't, and he kept silent as she recounted the days events for him. She'd gone forward a year in time and witnessed first hand the world that would exist if The Inquisition failed. He'd been rather tempted to inquire about his own fate until his blood ran cold at the realisation that if The Inquisition had failed he knew what his fate was already. While he still drew breath he'd be fighting. If The Inquisition had failed then so had he. It was a sombre thought. She needed to talk it out though so he'd kept his questions to himself until she'd finished. His resolve had been tested when she told him she'd allied with the mages rather than conscripting them but that was a conversation they could have back at Haven. What was done was done.
"Maker, that's..." Cullen searched for the word.
"Unbelievable?" Ellana provided, "I know, I've been telling myself the same thing for hours." She finished bitterly,
"Are you alright?"
"Of course." The answer had been automatic and Cullen wasn't buying it for an instant. He waited quietly until she raised her head and looked at him sheepishly. "Well maybe not absolutely, perfectly alright, but I will be. We can't let this happen Cullen, whatever this elder one is, we need to stop him."
"I know," he reassured her, "We will."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Ellana pushed herself to her feet, "Come on, let's get the Cassandra, Varric and Dorian and head back to Haven."
"You want to go back now?" Cullen asked incredulously, "You're injured."
"I'm fine, really. We need to tell the others. The soldiers we brought can hang back and escort the mages. I saw the world he made in just a year, I don't want to give the elder one even one more day than necessary." She lifted her chin defiantly and Cullen knew there was no point arguing with her.
"Fine. But you'll tell me if you need to rest?"
"Yes, Commander." When she met his eyes again some of her old sparkle was back, "Wouldn't want to fall off my horse in exhaustion and break my neck. You'd lose the only means you have of closing the rifts. Can't have that can we?"
Cullen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "You're not going to let me forget that any time soon are you?"
"Nope." Ellana replied, bumping her shoulder into his, "You're not getting out of this one, it's far too good."
The people back at Haven had taken then news better than he'd expected. Leliana had taken the positive view of fore-warned is fore-armed and set out to discover as much as she could about this elder one. All that remained for now was to close The Breach. He'd had word from the soldiers escorting the mages that they would arrive in only a few days so Haven was busy preparing for their arrival. Ellana seemed more focused and motivated than ever, never seeming to stay still for more than a few moments at a time. He'd had a similar attitude, throwing himself into training their army with new energy. They would be ready when the time came, he'd make sure of it. It also helped to keep him focused and stopped his mind lingering on his craving for lyrium. So far only himself and Cassandra were aware of his situation, he knew he'd probably need to tell Ellana about it at some point but the time never seemed right. Alright, that was actually a lie. He'd had the perfect time to tell her when she'd asked him what it was like to be a Templar and why he'd joined the order. Elves didn't know much about Templars as a general rule, he wasn't sure she was even aware that Templars took lyrium. If the symptoms ceased soon she may never need to find out at all. If he was completely honest with himself he could admit that a part of him didn't want her to know. He couldn't escape the fact that her opinion mattered to him, he didn't want her to think less of him because of it. He knew he was being ridiculous but that didn't change how he felt. It was this as much as anything else that had him stalking the streets of Haven, in the dark. And the cold. Again. Without really thinking too much about where he was going he headed toward the walls. A different soldier was on watch tonight and with far too many salutes and "sirs" thrown in he was again pointed in the direction of the dock.
Ellana wasn't drawing patterns this time he noticed, she was sat with her knees pulled up to her chest with her chin propped on top. She still patted the wood in silent invitation when he reached her though.
"People will start to talk Commander." She said lightly,
"People always talk Herald." He cast his mind about for a topic of conversation that wasn't Inquisition related for a change and he realised that while she'd asked him about his past, he didn't really know a great deal about hers.
"So you know about how I came to be a Templar, how about you? When did you find out?"
"What? That I was a mage? Well they say that every elf has the potential, all our ancestors had magic, or so the tales go. I'm not sure about that myself but like so many other things we're not likely to find out. I came into my magic fairly early, I was only around five or six years old. There had been a fire in the forest near to where we'd camped. We'd lost a number of halla when a few of our hunters had been caught unaware when the wind changed direction. Our healer had managed to save the hunters but that didn't stop me from having nightmares about it. One night I dreamt I was trapped in the forest with the halla we'd lost, I still remember how real that fire felt. It was so vivid. Do you ever had bad dreams like that? When it feels so real you're convinced it's actually happening?"
Cullen just nodded silently, Ellana raised a brow but decided not to push and continued with her story,
"I was trying to herd them away from the flames but there was nowhere to go, every path was blocked by fire. One by one they were engulfed until eventually I was alone. Just as the flames began to lick at my clothing I woke up. The keeper was shaking me awake by the shoulders." She looked up, raising one side of her mouth in a half smile, "I'd made it snow."
"You said you always rather liked the cold, that's why."
The fact that he'd remembered made her smile brighten. Cullen rubbed his neck and looked away, feeling awkward.
"Yes, well at least try and remember your gloves next time. You're going to catch hypothermia."
"Wouldn't want to die and-"
"Leave us with no way to close the rifts." They finished the sentence together and Cullen couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest as the sound of Ellana's laughter rolled over the lake.