AN: I'm sorry I've been gone for a while everyone! I just got Dragon Age Inquisition on Tuesday and have been pretty deep into playing it and I haven't really wanted to do anything else other than breathe. So I have a little time right now for a little one-shot between the Female Inquisitor and Cullen. For this one I'm going to use my character's name only because the game allows you to build your own backstory through the dialogue choices when asked about your life. This is based on my choices. Also beware of spoilers! You have been warned... Enjoy! R&R
A Moment to Talk
Aria Trevelyan stands on the battlements overlooking the keep. From where she stood, she could also see the rift. Glancing down at her hand, she sighs. So much pressure put onto her because of the power she possessed; the power she didn't even ask for. She was only 21 years old and the entirety of Thedas was relying on her to close the rift and return the world to normal. She was no Hero of Ferelden, nor was she a Champion of Kirkwall. She was just a girl; a mage who had no home but here. As the wind blows, Aria moves a strand of her chocolate-colored hair from her sandy-brown skin and sighed.
Hearing someone approaching, she turns rather sharply, displacing her balance. Cullen, whom now stands before her, puts his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. He looks down into her violet eyes, then looks away hiding the rosy color his cheeks are turning.
"A-Are you well, Inquisitor?" he stutters, a cough inserted before he speaks. That was one of the things Aria loved about him. How nervous and awkward he was about flirting or even being in a situation where he was alone with her. She lets out a giggle and touches his arm, comfortingly.
"I'm fine, Cullen." she says with a smile, "I think the better question would be, are you?"
Cullen clears his throat and straightens himself out, hiding his awkwardness with makeshift confidence.
"I am." he says, "I...was looking for you."
"You found me." Aria says, turning back to the wall of the battlements. She leans on it, looking out over the Keep, "What do you need?"
Cullen pauses before walking to the battlements wall next to her, leaning as she does. He is close enough to Aria that when the wind blows, his scent is wafted to her. It was wonderful...like the smell of a freshly lit campfire mixed with the slight scent of sweat.
When Cullen finally spoke, it woke Aria from her trance.
"I wanted to ask you a few questions." he says, sounding official.
"For the Inquisition?" Aria asks.
"No." Cullen clears his throat, "For...for myself."
"You...want to get to know me?" Aria says, happy he could not see a blush form on her tan skin. Cullen takes her hand gently and looks into her eyes.
"I do." he said, "I have these...feelings for you and I realize I don't know as much as I would like to about you."
Aria smiles, looking away for a moment shyly.
"I...What do you wish to know?"
Cullen smiles, realizing she will indulge him in his curiosity. He pretends to take a moment to think, though he already had a list of questions he wished to ask.
"You were born in Ostwick?"
"Yes." Aria said, "To Nathalie and Olivier Trevelyan. My mother is from Rivain and my father from Orlais. Probably could've guessed from my surname. I am the youngest of four children."
"What are their names?"
"From eldest to youngest; Orlando, Cherise, and Kovan."
"You grew up in the Circle, yes?"
"I did. I accidentally lit Kovan's pillow on fire when I was five." Aria said. Cullen chuckled, but covered his mouth.
"It was quite funny." Aria says giggling, "His hair was singed...but that was when my parents sent me away to the circle. They didn't want to...I was their baby after all...but they knew it would be worse if they didn't."
"Did you ever see them again?" Cullen asked, feeling the need to comfort her.
"Only after the Circle fell. We wrote to each other every week. I kept in constant contact with them once I learned how to stop burning the paper." Both Aria and Cullen laughed. It was then that Cullen realized he was still holding her hand. He promptly dropped it and glanced away, nervously, clearing his throat.
"What was your time in the Circle like?" Cullen asked, changing the subject.
"It was...nice." Aria replied, "Since I've left the Circle, I've heard so many terrible things that have happened in them around Thedas, but I never experienced any of that. It's wasn't my home with my family, but it was a home with a family that I grew to know and love. I had friends in the Circle. It was the place I grew up and it was my home for 16 years….It was a place where I learned how to control my magic and use my abilities to help others. I've heard of the Templars treating Mages badly in the Circle, but I never saw any of that. The Templars generally either left me alone or were kind and talked to me. Maybe it was because I was young, I don't know…I think the Mages could stand going outside sometimes. We used to do that, but some others tried to escape so everyone lost that privilege. I...I miss it sometimes."
Cullen did not respond. At first, Aria was worried she had said something wrong. However, she realized he was just focused on his next question; the one he most wanted to know the answer to.
"Have you...ever been...um…" Cullen stutters worse than Aria had ever heard, "Have you ever been...with...someone? Or...been in love…?"
Aria treads gently with this question. Part of her wants to tease him for the way he asked, but the other part of her was focused on hiding the ever-darkening blush on her cheeks.
"By 'with' you mean...physically…?" Aria had looked down when she asked this, but glanced up to see Cullen's reaction. His cheeks were the color of freshly-picked strawberries. He puts a hand over his mouth in attempts to hide the color in his cheeks, but it is a hopeless effort. The two are silent before Aria speaks again.
"Other than you...there's only been one other man I've...had feelings for. He was a Templar in the Circle." she began, "His name was Ferron. I was...completely infatuated with him. When I took my Harrowing, he was the one to strike me down should I have failed. We were...good friends and often spoke. But I was too shy to ever say anything to him; to tell him how I felt. He was also a Templar and I knew there would be no hope of anything blossoming between us other than a friendship. So, it never went anywhere." Aria paused, gaging cullen's reaction. He was slightly less tense, but still stood like a statue, waiting for his other question to be answered.
"As for being...physical with anyone...no. It wasn't that I didn't have the opportunity, I just...I never felt that strong of a bond with anyone. I never had the desire to be with someone in that way before I met…" Now Aria was the one to clear her throat. It was true, she never felt the desire to be with someone in that way before Cullen. Even now she felt it may be too soon to feel those things, but ever since the day he kissed her in the very spot they stood now, a fire had started inside her that could only be soothed by him. Looking at Cullen now, she saw him visibly relax.
"What about you?" Aria asked, "Have you ever…?"
"N-No! No...I...no." Cullen stuttered, "There was a mage in the Circle in Ferelden that I...felt for...but similar to you, it was forbidden for a Templar to be with a Mage in that way."
"What happened to her?"
"After she completed her Harrowing, her friend Jowan tried to get her to help him destroy his Phylactary. She had warned the Grand Enchanter and that was what saved her life from the Knight Commander when Jowan turned to blood magic. When the tower was attacked by the demons she...she sealed me behind a wall of magic to protect me." Cullen's expression darkened, "She died...killed by demons in the tower before the Hero could get there…"
Aria turned to him. Seeing his regret, feeling his sadness, she slid her arms around his lower torso, resting her head on his chest as she embraced him. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on the top of her head. The two stood in an embrace for a long while before Cullen placed his hands on Aria's cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. She snakes her arms around his neck and pulls herself closer to him, standing on her tiptoes.
When their passionate kiss is finally broken, Cullen rests his forehead on hers.
"It is forbidden for a Templar to be with a Mage…" he says, "But I am no longer a Templar. And even if I was...I don't think I would be able to resist the temptation you give me."
"I feel the same way." Aria says softly, holding Cullen's hands.
"I said I had never been with anyone in that way, but I would like to change that...with you." Cullen pauses, "not...now...but when the time is right."
"I would be...honored to share that with you, Cullen."
"I never thought I could care for someone like this again. Yet here you are, in the strangest of places." Cullen tilts her head to look into his eyes, "I...hope it's not too soon to say but...I love you."
"And I love you." Aria says, her eyes lighting up. Cullen kisses her once again, this time with happiness fueling their passion. The two continued their kiss for what seemed like an eternity, forgetting for just a moment the unrest and danger in the world around them and losing themselves in each other's lips.