Cullen Rutherford, Commander of the military branch of the Inquisition and former Knight-Commander of Kirkwall, was staring at the documents on his desk and trying not to notice how said desk wobbled slightly. He was not very successful. Any time he would shift his arms, which were resting on the desk, the blasted piece of furniture would shift slightly. It was infuriating. As far as he could remember, it hadn't been like this earlier in the day. It was only after he'd returned from the evening meal that the wobble had occurred.
With a sigh, he gave up on reading his correspondence, and stood to have a look at his uneven desk. Putting his palm on one of the corners, he pushed lightly – the desk wobbled. Right, there was definitely something uneven, and he thought he'd seen where it was. Going down on all fours he looked underneath one of the desk's legs, and found the culprit. A note had been double-folded and wedged below the leg, causing the desk's slight movement.
"Sera," he muttered under his breath as he pulled out the piece of paper. The young elf who had joined the Inquisition was fond of pranks, and he supposed that she'd deemed it his turn to be subjected to one. It was a good prank, he'd have to give her that. It had driven him crazy to have his normally sturdy desk move any time he did.
Before he could get back on his feet, the door opened and a hooded courier came into the chamber. Or, at least he thought it was a courier. They were wearing colours he didn't recognize, and no discernible insignias or other symbols to show who they belonged to. Feeling a little bit silly, having been found on all fours, Cullen stood up while watching the stranger. They were quiet, just standing there, their face in shadow from the large hood on their cloak. It was a woman, he realized. She was fairly tall, dressed in what appeared to be a simple robe from what he could see beneath the heavy cloak.
"Can I help you?" he asked, maybe a bit more brusquely than planned, a little bit irritated that the stranger hadn't said a word. It must be one of Leliana's agents or couriers that he hadn't met yet, he supposed.
"I hope so," the woman said, and for a second he could have sworn that he recognized her voice. Then she took another step into the room and pulled back her hood. Looking into her all too familiar face made it feel like someone had just punched him in the guts. He'd never expected to see her again, not after the horrible things he'd said when they last saw each other in Ferelden's Circle Tower.
"H… Hero of Ferelden," he stammered, suddenly feeling like the young, foolish man he had been back then. Ten years… Had it really been that long? "I didn't… I mean, we didn't expect you. We recently received your note saying that you were busy elsewhere."
She smiled faintly. He remembered that smile. Once upon a time he had coveted that smile. "Please… Call me Isabel. We were akin to friends once. I would like to think that's not been lost just because I am now a Grey Warden." Smiling again, she added, "Well, we both have new titles, it would seem."
"It has been ten years, after all," Cullen reminded her, smiling a little. Then he remembered himself and the smile disappeared. "And you're more than just a Grey Warden, you're the Warden-Commander. Why are you here? We didn't think you would be coming."
"I'm afraid I'm not here to help," she said apologetically. "I hate to say it, but I require your help. Not long after I sent you that message, I ran into a spot of trouble… And as it turns out, I need somewhere to recuperate."
"Recuperate?" he replied stupidly. That's when he realized that she was looking rather pale and there was a tenseness about her that he'd not seen before. He'd been too busy reeling from the shock of seeing her at all, to notice.
She nodded. "Yes, and I must ask you a favor. Please don't tell anyone that I'm here."
"Of course," Cullen agreed quickly. "But what is the matter with you?"
"I will explain in a moment," she said, her voice suddenly tired, as if what remaining energy she'd had was drained. "Just… Let me rest for a moment."
She took a step towards one of the room's chairs, but faltered. For a precarious moment she swayed on the spot, before suddenly losing consciousness and falling. Cullen reached her just in time to keep her from smacking her head on the stone floors.