A Thorn in my Side

Leaning slightly on the cold stone wall behind him, he waited patiently. It was just before dawn, he glanced out the nearby slit of a window as the soft glow of the first rays of sunshine appeared over the distant hills. This was one of his favorite times of day, when everything was silent and sleeping, a moment of pure peace before the world began to rise. And when the world rose, so did the destruction. The burning, murdering, weeping that was becoming more and more prevalent as the days passed. Rumors of dark horrors and mysterious creatures had been filling the halls behind cupped hands in anxious whispers. When these low murmurs reached his ears the hair stood up of the back of his neck.

He shook himself slightly, he did not want to dwell on such things. Especially now as the few fingers of sunlight stretched over the lake, glittering and sparkling across the glass surface. It was going to be a beautiful day and she would be passing by soon.

She was the reason he spent hours polishing his armor until it gleamed, the reason he carefully examined his face each morning to make sure the scruff was neatly trimmed. He had never seen anyone like her, his heart sped up and his breath quickened when she was near. No one knew much about her, when most tried to pry out some information from her they would be returned with a sly smirk and a witty remark. It was rumored that her great grandfather had been a Qunari, with her golden bronze skin and soft silvery hair that brushed her shoulders it was certainly believable. Others pondered over her delicate sloping nose and the faintest hint of a point to her ears. Elvish and Qunari blood were not ones that were often mixed unless splashed over a battlefield.

Most love stories he heard began with love at first sight. Two souls locking eyes and knowing that they belonged together, that nothing in this world could keep them apart. That was not the case with Cullen. He had arrived at the tower seventeen and bitter. He was newly appointed as an apprentice templar, after years of grueling training and fidgeting for endless hours in the Chantry, he was finally given his own set of armor and a real sword. Cullen shifted to feel the same sword still strapped to his hip, the enchanted blade gave off a pleasant warmth. He remembered how angry he had been, he had wanted to join the templars who chased down maleficarum and apostates, but he was being shipped off to the Circle Tower to stand around in hallways like any ordinary guard. There was no glory in being a statue, especially one that the passerby he supposedly guarded rarely even glanced his way. That was where she was different.

Cullen smiled at the thought of their first meeting. He was grumbling in the gardens, it was too hot in his armor, he claimed, the flowers made his nose itch. He had even feigned a few sneezes, but the elder templar who stood with him merely rolled his eyes and sent him to watch at the other side of the garden, most likely so he wouldn't have to endure his constant complaints. Cullen had stomped off to stand glaring at the ground.

A rustling in a nearby bush caught his eye. He leaned toward it curiously when suddenly out burst a young girl. Her robes were disheveled and there were leaves in her mussed white hair. She peered up at him with dark blue eyes.

"Oh! Hello, there!" She quipped nervously, "Who are you? I've never seen you before, are you new?"

Cullen scowled down at her, "Not getting into trouble now, are we?"

The girl stood and placed her hand on her hip. "I was trying to be friendly, no need to be so accusatory. My name's Ellaria, and you are new here, I know almost all the guards, but I don't know you. Tell me your name."

"I don't have to tell you anything, mage. I'm here to watch over you and the rest of these robed fools and keep them safe." Cullen crossed his arms and gave a smug smile.

"Oh really," Ellaria raised one eyebrow with a wicked grin, "you know, you're only here to keep us in. To keep the rest of you who aren't gifted with magic, like I am, safe. If we were allowed to be set free there would be a High Enchantress instead of a king!"

Her response took him aback as he stumbled for words, "High Enchantress, don't you mean High Enchanter?"

Ellaria laughed and shook the hair out of her eyes. "You men all think the same, what we need is a woman in charge! A High Enchantress would put the world to peace and everything would be in a rightful order. I may be only thirteen, but I clearly have more sense than most of you templars!"

Cullen's face reddened and he clenched his hands into fists. "Oh, shut up, you! What do you know, anyway?"

The mage smiled mysteriously as she reached into her pocket, "Just remember this the next time you feel the urge to yell at a mage. This is what happened to the last templar who got on my nerves!"

Ellaria opened her hands to reveal a fat toad. Cullen's face paled as he shouted and jumped back. In his surprise, his heel caught on a root and he went tumbling into a rose bush. Ellaria exploded with glee as she leaned forward and plucked a rose from behind his ear. "Why thank you, how did you know I loved flowers?" She held it up to her nose before turning and sprinting away, giggling as Cullen cursed her.

Present day Cullen grimaced and covered his face with one gauntleted hand. That was five years ago and what a hot-headed fool he had been. She had been the thorn in his side ever since, pestering him whenever she saw him, even playing the occasional prank on him. Cullen had despised her, his blood would boil whenever she was near, she was just an annoying kid like the other girls he had grown up with at the Chantry. It wasn't until around her sixteenth nameday that her presence made his blood boil in a different sort of way. She had grown taller and her face less round, Cullen flushed when he thought of the other changes that had happened to her body... But Ellaria seemed to grow slightly different as well, her eyes would soften when she saw him, although her tongue remained sharp. Cullen began to look forward to their little interactions, he was not quite sure why.

Was this strange sensation love he was feeling? Or simply lust? The Sisters at the Chantry had never distinguished the difference between the two, everything seemed to be lust in their eyes. But there was something about this feeling that Cullen could not quite place. The more he pondered it, the more questions it brought up, so he remained content for now.

The sun was fully visible over the hills now, Ellaria should be on her way to the dining hall in a matter of minutes. Cullen restrained the goofy grin that kept trying to spread across his face when he heard her voice around the corner. His heart pounded and he stood straighter as she rounded the corner, she was as beautiful as he remembered, her silvery hair pulled away from her face by two slim braids that looped at the back of her head, keeping the rest of the white strands in place. Her soft skin flushed from the climb up the winding staircase, her colorful robes flowing smoothly over her body. She filled his vision so, he barely noticed the other mage who accompanied her, Jaren or Jowa or something.

Ellaria looked up and locked eyes with him, her lips curled into a smile. "Good morning, Cullen." She said in her low, husky voice.

Cullen could not help the grin that broke free as he stammered back, "Beautiful morning, I'd say, Ellaria."

She wrinkled her nose and her smile became mischievous as she winked at him before disappearing down the hall. Cullen slumped back against the wall, replaying the moment over and over again in his head.

A/N-All character and settings belong to Bioshock, I just elaborate on what should have happened.

Well there it is, the first installment of what will hopefully turn into a full story of my very favorite video game of all time! I hope you enjoyed, my writing is a little rusty, but that will get better in time! Now to write more or play some Dragon Age...