Although the tavern room was small, it was impeccably neat and adorned with some of the most exquisite hand crafted furniture Evelyn had seen. Even the intricate designs on the candle holders that decorated the small bedside table were remarkable. For all of the nerves that had plagued her throughout their journey to the Free Marches, even she had been caught up in the romance of the setting when they had arrived the evening prior. Her only regret was that it had been far too short lived as she turned to Cullen for a third time and straightened his suit. The warm flush that snuck into her cheeks as she thought of the evening they had shared couldn't even quell the knot forming in her stomach. Maker how uncomfortable he looked in that suit and yet, he could wear a suit of armour as if it were a second skin.
"Evelyn will you please stop fussing," Cullen grumbled for the second time in almost as many minutes.
"I can't help it, you look as if you are wearing a suit made of wooden planks," she responded exasperated.
"I feel like I am wearing one," he complained as he tugged at the sleeves.
He really did look handsome even with his glaringly obvious discomfort. Josephine and Vivianne had both painstakingly researched the latest Free March fashions and then set about having the Inquisition tailors come up with a design that truly was remarkable. The suit was all black with dark maroon shoulders that held three thin gold trims that joined at the curve. Hand crafted gold buttons lined off to one side and the overall effect, was stunning. The darker suit complimented his neatly groomed, lighter blonde hair and made his hazel eyes appear darker and more intense; That caught her breath in the back of her throat for just a moment when she met his eyes.
"Just try to look as if you are relaxed and remember when we get there-" she began.
"We have been over this a dozen times already. I will relax when you stop fussing," he hissed at her. One of his hands moved to the rub the back of his neck, a sign Evelyn knew very well meant a headache was pending.
She let out a sympathetic sigh and reached up a hand to brush against his cheek, "I am sorry. I know I've been acting like a crazy person this week. I just... I want them to see you like I do."
"You are probably just worrying too much, like you always do," he smiled as the words passed his lips but, she didn't think the smile reached his eyes until he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her in against him.
The effect was almost instantaneous, the quickening of her heart as she felt the warmth of his body when he pressed against her. The inner stirrings that came alive as his hand slipped down her back to rest just above her bottom and, the sharp intake of breath right before his rough wind chapped lips met her's. It was a tender kiss at first that ignited with passion when his tongue joined the fray. Her fingers entwined their way through his hair as his hand on her back inched lower. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to tilt her head away and whisper breathlessly, "Cullen, we have to go before you make us both late."
"Technically the room is ours for another couple of hours, maybe they won't notice?" His eyebrows hitched upwards suggestively as his eyes strayed towards the bed.
She was sure her already fast heart started beating even faster as she watched him. That snugly fit attire he was wearing was just begging her to undo those buttons. Until, an image of her mother's disapproving stare flashed into her mind. "You don't know my Mother," she mumbled under her breath as she disentangled herself from him.
Cullen let out a groan of frustration as he reached for the door, "I am beginning to wonder if I want to, I supposed the stable hands will be waiting with our horses ready though."
It wasn't difficult for Evelyn to understand his frustration, the night before was the first night they had alone together in weeks. However, their wedding day was fast creeping up on them and Cullen had never even once met her parents. There was also that small part of her that was longing for their approval before she married the man she loved. She wanted them to love him as well and she was determined to give them every reason to.
She had carefully planned and executed every part of the trip to the Trevelyan Estate. They left Skyhold three days early to leave plenty of room for delays. As it turned out it was a good thing she had, bad weather did see them delayed during their travels by at least a day. She had a room at an Inn in Ostwick held for them so that they would have ample opportunity to clean up, bathe and change. The last thing she had wanted to see was her mother's disappointment if she, once again, arrived filthy and in need of a bath. Part of the plan had been to spend some time alone with her fiancé, it would have allowed her to show him some of her favourite sights. The delays however had made that impossible. It was the only part of her plan that had not worked out as expected but, at least they would still arrive in time for her mother's lunch party.
The ride to the Trevelyan Estate had been a peaceful one, along the way Evelyn had managed to point out some of the places she spent time in as a child. As they turned the horses into the familiar neighbourhood of the Trevelyan Estate the muscles across the back in her shoulders tightened. A sense of dread imbedded itself into the depths of her stomach as her mind wandered to each member of her family in turn, trying to discern how each of them would view Cullen. The son of a miller with no noble family name to speak of. It hadn't even occurred to her to be concerned with his lineage until faced with the prospect of introducing him to her family as her fiancée. What if they refused to accept him as part of the family? What if they ostracised her and cut all ties with the Inquisition in the process? Her father and his assistance with the restoration of the Ostwick circle under the Inquisitions new order was vital. She was suddenly feeling weighed down by the pressure of what was looming ahead.
Cullen must have somehow sensed her change in mood because he drew his horse closer and reached his hand out to rub her shoulder, "Is everything okay?"
"I.. I am sure it will be fine," she let one hand off the reigns of her horse to place it over the top of his and give a gentle squeeze. It was as much for her own comfort as it was for his reassurance. Nearby, on one of the old trees that lined the road leading to the estate, a large branch that had only just been hanging on came loose and fell to the ground with a resounding crash of crumpling old wood. Evelyn's horse instantly reared up onto its back legs with a loud snort followed by a startled neigh. The movement was so sudden she didn't even have time to grab the reigns with her second hand before she slid off the back of the horse straight down into a muddy puddle on the ground. Instantly grimey water soaked through her newly tailored robes, the splash from the impact also sent muddy water flying up over her head and into her auburn hair.
Cullen was off his own horse in a flash and kneeling down beside her, "Evelyn! Are you alright? Is anything broken?"
Evelyn glanced at Cullen with a look of horror in her eyes, "I'm fine, but my clothes are not." In truth the impact did hurt somewhat and she was certainly going to have a bruised bottom. However, none of that was as concerning as her carefully laid out plans falling apart merely meters from the Trevelyan Estate and, her mother.
Cullen stood up and, unsuccessfully wiped at the mud on the knees of his suit before holding out his hand to assist Evelyn to her feet. As she took his hand she yelped when pain shot up her back from the sudden act of standing, she realised the impact must have jarred her more than she thought.
"Great," she mumbled. "Now not only are we both going to arrive a mess, I'm also going to spend the next week attending dinner parties and balls, hobbling like an old woman."
"Yet somehow you still manage to look adorable, even covered in mud," Cullen responded as he flashed her a wicked grin. "Do you remember the first time we-"
Evelyn quickly cut him off as warmth spread across her cheeks (and to other places she didn't want to think about ), "No. I mean yes, but I don't want to remember that right now."
He chuckled as he looked her over and gave his head a shake, "We really do look a sight."
Despite her fears about their first impressions a smile spread across her features that lit up her emerald green eyes, "Not exactly the first impression I was going for as Inquisitor." Three years, had it really been that long? A lot could change in that amount of time. Maybe her mother might have mellowed. A thought she quickly dismissed as unlikely when she still had her sister, the perfect little princess who Evelyn could never measure up to, to fuss over.
She cringed at the twinge in her back as she reached for the horse's reigns. Cullen instinctively reached his hand over, tentatively massaging her back (and leaving hand prints in the caked on mud in the process ). "You probably just got a kink when you fell off the horse, it's not far now maybe walking will help."
Evelyn nodded in agreement, "You are probably right." She tugged on the horse's reigns encouraging it to follow behind her as she fell into step beside Cullen. As it turned out he was right and her back did feel a lot better by the time they reached the elaborate stone stairs that lead to the door of the estate.
The stable hand had clearly been asked to keep watch because he was quick to relieve them of their horses on arrival. Evelyn was also sure she could see a pair of eyes peeking out from behind the front drapes, which quickly dropped back into place as soon as she glanced in that direction.
As she looked over at Cullen, her normally very composed Commander was nervously tugging the sleeve of his tunic. Her gaze lingered for a moment, he actually looked rather adorable nervous. "Are you ready?"
"As much as I am going to be," he responded as he began climbing the steps in time with her.
She tried to muster what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, they will love you as I do."
"And if they don't?" He asked.
"We will deal with it, if it comes to that but, it would be their loss." She meant it too, if they couldn't see Cullen for who he was, they would be the ones missing out.
"And the Inquisitions," he mumbled and he wasn't entirely wrong. The Inquisition did need the alliance that was on the table and a big part of the reason for their visit. For a fleeting moment, Evelyn wondered if the alliance might even be more important than her having her Commander by her side, for the Inquisition not for herself.
She wasn't given the time to dwell on those thoughts for the moment they reached the last step, the large wooden doors flung open and Lady Trevelyan breezed through. She stopped short the moment her eyes took in her daughter's appearance.
"Well at least you made it on time. I see you still can't get through the day without soiling your clothing. What will our guests think if they arrive and see you... Like that. Well go on you know where your room is, get cleaned up before someone sees you." She only half turned in Cullen's direction and spoke with a dismissive tone. "The Butler will show you to the guest quarters."
"Wait, what? Mother you are aware that Cullen and I have been-" she didn't get to finish her statement before being cut off.
"You are unwed. I will not have an unwed.. couple.. sharing a room under my roof." Lady Trevelyan spoke as if it were painful to even acknowledge they were a couple in the first place.
"Then perhaps you should have informed us in advance so we could arrange alternative accommodation," Evelyn responded bitterly.
"Don't be ridiculous, I am sure you can survive a week in separate rooms," her mother said calmly. "Now do go before our guests arrive.
Evelyn bit back a sigh as she glanced at Cullen who simply shrugged in response, it was going to be a very long week.