I'll Protect You

Game: Dragon Age Inquisition

Pairing: Cullen Rutherford/ Fiora Lavellan

Summary: Despite his attempt to get past his addiction, a demon traps Cullen in the Fade. It is up to Fiora to use her Rift knowledge and training to go in and save him.

—-

"You are progressing well, Lethallin."

Fiora smiled as she sat up from her position on the settee in Solas' rookery room. She had been visiting with the other elf as often as possible since meeting him before Haven. At first, it was out of companionship, since he was the only other mage and elf nearby. Once in Haven, he told her of his abilities to walk about the Fade in his dreams and she was fascinated, asking every question she could think of. Eventually, he began teaching her how to do it as well.

That was well over a year ago and she was finally able to control her dreams and, as of just a week ago, was able to go into an old ruin and explore it and its spirits. She and Solas had gone to the ruins of Din'an Hanin, in the Emerald Graves, seeing elves long since dead roaming the halls as they had in life. It was amazing to see how the lives of her people had changed so much in a thousand years.

"That is enough for today." Solas said as he moved to the table in the center of his room that he used as a desk.

"How close am I to being as proficient at Fadewalking as you are?" Fiora asked eagerly as she followed him, watching him lean over one of the many mysterious shards she had collected in her travels. Even after all this time, they still couldn't figure out what they were and how they opened those strange doors in the Forbidden Oasis.

"You are learning, and that's what the most important part is." Solas avoided the question with a slight upturn of his lips and Fiora laughed.

"Okay, okay. I know that in Solas-speak, that means no. That's fine, I enjoy learning and you are an excellent teacher. Everything I have been learning about Elven history, I have sent to my clan's keeper. It's his job to remember and keep the lore safe." Fiora smiled but, as she was about to ask Solas something else, a soldier hurriedly came through the door leading to the bridge to Commander Cullen's office and quarters."

"Inquisitor!" the man all but shouted, quickly crossing the room to where they stood when he saw her.

"What is it, soldier?" She asked; dread automatically taking up residence low in her stomach.

"It's the Commander. No one can wake him." Fiora gasped, but immediately took over. Out of all the things that he could have said, this wasn't one of them.

"Solas, come with me. You," she pointed to the human. "Please retrieve the surgeon and one of the mage healers and meet outside his quarters. Do not enter without permission from either myself or Solas." With a nod, the young man hurried forward to the Great Hall while Fiora and Solas exited through the same door the human had just entered.

"Do you know what might be wrong with the Commander?" Solas asked, easily keeping up with her clipped pace. When they stopped before his office, Fiora turned to him.

"He has been having a harder and harder time sleeping lately because of his past as a Templar. Remember a few months ago when I began studying harder?" When he nodded, she continued. "We had begun… sleeping together. One night, he woke me with his sleep-talking. When I tried to wake him, he unconsciously became combative before I was finally able to wake him. After that, I wanted to be sure that if he ever became a victim of a demon, however unlikely I thought it might be at the time, I would be able to help him come back. I had heard stories of Templar's being taken over and tricked by demons from travelers and traders with my clan, specifically of a Templar being fed off of by a desire demon in Kinloch Hold that was found by the Hero of Ferelden. I don't know how true it is since it was from a trader who had not been there, but I don't want to risk it. I cannot lose him to the demons of the Fade, Solas."

When they entered Cullen's office, Fiora went directly for the ladder leading to his quarters. In his room, she saw his second-in-command standing over him; his hand on the pommel of his sword like Cullen usually rested his own hands. When the man saw Fiora walking towards the foot of the bed, he stood to attention and saluted. Fiora nodded and he eased a bit.

"How long has he been like this?" Fiora stood at the end of Cullen's bed and wrapped her arms around her waist as casual as she could, but felt both men's eyes on her making her think that they could tell how worried and nervous she was.

"I only arrived a half hour past, my lady. There have been times in the past, when the Commander has needed a lie-in because of his headaches, but when it was past breakfast and near midday and we still hadn't seen him, I came here directly. I tried to shake him to waking, but I received no response."

Solas moved over to Cullen, who was lying on his back. Breathing shallow but constant, Fiora watched him intently for any kind of reaction, but she didn't even see his eyes move under his eyelids. Solas began checking various things around the human: raising his eyelids, putting his fingers under his chin to check his pulse, then to place his open palms over his chest and head, scanning him for something.

"Well?" Fiora asked, moving around to stand next to Solas, keeping herself in her own embrace.

"It would appear that the good Commander is indeed trapped in the Fade. I sense something else inside him along with his spirit. I will have to go into the fade and retrieve him. He may have been taken by a demon. It would explain his exhaustion and dreams. The demon has likely been trying to break him down so it could take over ever since shortly after he stopped taking his Lyrium."

"No. It should be me." Fiora said, dropping her arms and turning to Cullen's second-in-command. "Go outside now and tell Cassandra, and only Cassandra, what has happened. Then either help her with training of the soldiers or help guard the door. Act as if nothing is wrong or that the Commander is ill." She watched as the soldier gave her a curt nod before he slid down the ladder and went out the front door.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You are becoming better at the ability to Fadewalk, it is true, but we have yet to cover entering the dreams of others. I can do this comfortably, as I showed you when we visited Haven." Fiora knew he was concerned and wanted the best care for Cullen as much as she did, but in this, she wanted to be the one to save him. She was willing to risk everything, even her own life, to keep him safe in the real world; why wouldn't she do it while he was trapped in his own dreams?

"Yes. I am sure this is what I want to do. If you were in my position and, even with my small amount of knowledge about dreamwalking, wouldn't you still want to be the one to save your loved one?" Solas paused to think about her words. She knew she had won when his shoulders drooped and he sighed.

"I suppose you're right." Fiora set herself to lie down on the bed next to Cullen, flat on her back. Solas looked down at her and raised his hands to help her as best he could to enter the human's dreams. "Ready?" he asked, placing his hand on her forehead, waiting for her consent. With a nod and a sigh from Fiora, he began.

~/~

When Fiora opened her eyes, she found herself in a cottage of human make. It was dark from where she stood, but cozy. Looking around, she found herself in a spacious bedroom with a large bed against the wall opposite where she had manifested. Outside the room and through the open door, which must have been the Masters' suite, she heard children's voices followed by the low rumble of a man's voice. She smiled when she recognized his low timbre.

'Cullen!'

Quietly as she could, she softly walked out of the room and down the hall to talk to him. As she was about to catch his attention, the front door opened and a version of herself entered, looking as if she had just returned from battle. She placed her staff on a wooden rack that lay horizontal on the wall next to the opening next to a sword and shield. Her doppelganger moved towards Cullen, who was sitting in front of a hearth, and he stood. Making sure she wouldn't be seen, she tiptoed to the closest room to the happy family. When she peeked around the edge of the door jamb to watch, the other her looked at where she was and, for a second, it felt as if she had seen the real Fiora move through the door. But how was that possible? Cullen was the dreamer, not herself. The other her shouldn't have any form of conscious where the real Fiora was concerned, she was just a figment of his dreaming.

A thought suddenly came to her. The only way the other her would be able to sense the real Fiora in any way would have to be because she was the demon. As she watched the scene before her, she saw the woman next to Cullen flicker, showing lavender skin and gold chains, then back to her own blonde hair and pale skin. She had to cover her mouth again to avoid letting her gasp of realization escape her lips. This was not good at all… how would Cullen treat her after this if he found out that the Demon took over her form in his dreams? Would he reject her? It didn't matter. She had to save him from the demon, no matter what happened later.

"Is something the matter, my love?" he asked, readjusting the blonde little girl he had been holding in his arms while reading to - she looked around and saw twin boys, also blonde and with curly locks. Alter-Fiora refocused on him and shook her head while smiling.

"I thought I saw something, but I was just imagining it. Did you have a good day?" it asked, placing its hand on his hip and leaning in closer, periodically glancing back to where Fiora hid. Studying it, her thoughts that it was a demon was confirmed when its eyes flickered black and stayed that way.

"Daddy was reading to us about the Hero of Ferelden!" both little boys shouted in excitement, bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet. The little girl may not have understood their words, but she did feel their excitement and began gurgling and giggling and clapping with their bouncing.

"Was he now? Did you like the story my darlings?" It received cheers in reply, causing both it and Cullen to chuckle. Fiora gripped the edge of the door tightly, doing what she could to peel away the illusion like the layers of an onion, using her abilities to weaken the demons hold on her lover. She must have been succeeding because as she watched, when the two boys moved around to hug their 'mother', their outer appearance disappeared and they took the form of two wisps. Looking back at the demon itself, she found that it now looked as she had heard a desire demon described. Voluptuous and scantily clad, hair of purple fire, horns of darkest black and a tail swishing back and forth behind it. When Fiora looked to Cullen, his expression hadn't changed; the image around him likely had not changed.

"I am glad you are home, Fiora. I missed you while you were away." Cullen whispered, leaning forward to kiss the demon on the cheek. The demon smiled and chuckled.

"I missed you as well, my love. Let me go change out of my armor and robes and when I get back, I can tell you about my journeys." it said, leaning forward to place a kiss on the wisp-girl's forehead, before moving towards the rooms - Fiora hid deep in the shadows when the creature passed the room she hid in. When she heard the door to the master bedroom close, she walked towards Cullen, keeping an eye on the other room where the demon was.

Cullen started. "That was quick. You have never changed out of your armor so fast. It must have been some adventure to make you want to come back so quickly."

"Cullen-" Fiora started, clasping her - now - trembling hands while looking around. The three children watched her, glaring, knowing she wasn't the demon version of her. Cullen noticed her worry and faced her, placing a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it with his thumb.

"What's the matter, love?"

"I need to tell you… you're dreaming."

Cullen chuckled while moving closer to bring her into his one-armed embrace. "I agree. This is a dream come true after all the trials we were put through before you defeated Corypheus. I never dreamed that I would have any of this, have you."

As much as she regretted having to do it, because she always longed to be in this man's embrace, she pulled back and shook her head. "No, Cullen. This isn't real."

Cullen looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You are asleep. You've been so for almost two days. At first, we thought it was just exhaustion from the Lyrium withdrawal, but when you didn't respond to anyone, I came to you in the Fade."

He looked at her, his eyes skeptical. "How do I know you are telling the truth? How do I know you aren't the demon and this is all real?"

Fiora inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, gathering the fade remnants around her and focusing it in her palm and, with a wave of that hand, she caused the three children in front of her to disappear as if they had never been.

"Andraste preserve me! What have you done?" He shouted, terror in his eyes as he looked around frantically for his fade-children, not seeing them. He quickly moved to the door and grabbed his sword from the rack and pointed it at her. "I don't know who you are, Witch, but you are not Fiora. She would never do such a despicable thing as harming children." Fiora backed towards the mantle to keep as much distance from the man with the sword, but when her shoulders met the mantle, she had to stop and watch as the man continued moving forward. Fiora would not stand down, she told herself, so when his sword tip came in contact with her throat; she lifted her chin but did not move. She just kept looking at the man before her, pleading with her eyes that he believe her.

"Cullen? What happens?" DemonFiora says as it came back into the main room and theatrically tenses when she sees Fiora. "Who is this and why does she look like me? Where are the children?" it asked, looking around for its children.

"This… this… thing sent them somewhere!" He almost shouted, gripping his sword tighter. She heard the leather of his gloves rub against the leather of the grip on his weapon. The creature turns to face Fiora and raised her hand; Fiora closed her eyes to brace herself for the attack, but when nothing happened and the feeling of Cullen's sword at her neck disappear, she opened them again. Looking straight ahead at Cullen, she found him in some kind of daze, his eyes glassed over and his sword pointed to the ground. Clearly tired of keeping up facades, the demon changed its appearance back to its true form and sighed before a look of anger bloomed on its face.

"He is mine! You should not have interfered, elf!" it growled, slowly moving closer to Fiora.

"You cannot have him, demon. He belongs with me!" Fiora shouted, sending a wave of energy at the impostor with her hands. The desire demon, not expecting the attack, stumbled back, before launching herself at Fiora to attack physically. As she deflected attacks, she was confused by this demon. Normally, Desire demons opted to battle with wits or their unwitting victim. The fact that it tried to keep Cullen safe, even though Fiora would never have posed a threat to him, made her wonder how long the Demon had been watching him and if the creature actually had feelings for her Commander. That thought made her start seeing red. She would never allow a demon to have any sort of hold over Cullen. She loved him and he, her. She would defeat the demon and bring him back. Fiora began punching back, rather than just blocking, catching the creature off guard for a moment. But that moment didn't last long before it began trying harder. Soon, both were bleeding and bruised, slowing.

As their battle continued, neither Fiora nor the demon noticed Cullen begin blinking quickly, the glassiness of his trance disappearing. When Cullen had enough of his conscious back from the demons grasp, he watched in horror as both women continued bashing each other. It was the strangest sight he had ever seen: Two Fiora's were rolling around on the floor in front of the fireplace, destroying the furniture he had built for their home. He wanted to intervene, but he couldn't move his arms or legs. As he continued watching, each time he would blink his eyes, one of the Fiora's seemed to be fading, replaced slowly by a desire demon. Realization slowly dawned on him. The Fiora that came to him so soon after leaving to change was telling the truth! He felt himself pale, remembering what he thought about doing, might have done if the demon hadn't stopped him. 'Oh Maker' he thought to himself as he focused on what Templar abilities he still retained to break the illusion around him and the hold the demon had over him.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" His voice thundered, a pulse caused by his Templar abilities coming off him and pushing the two women apart. The demon screamed in pain, writhing on the ground, before disappearing completely. Cullen turned to Fiora and hurried to her. She must have been using her magic to assist in her battle, because as he bent down on one knee next to her unconscious form, he saw all the signs of near depleted mana reserves. 'That was close' he thought to herself as he gathered her to him. He watched her chest rise and fall with breath and felt himself relax slightly. She was alive; the glow that her magic gave her was dim but there.

"Fiora! Fiora are you alright?" He asked, gently tapping her cheek to wake her up. When she groaned, he smiled in relief.

"Cullen? Are you with me?" He chuckled while feeling his guilt begin eating at him at the base of his stomach.

"Yes, I'm with you. Are you with me?"

"Always. I just need you to wake up."

~/~

Cullen sat up with a gasp, his chest heaving heavily for breath. He looked around at his surroundings frantically, taking everything in, his eyes falling on the slight form lying next to him in his bed. Fiora. She really was here with him. He leaned over her carefully to check her still sleeping form, but was unprepared for when she shot up in bed with a gasp like he did, their foreheads cracking against each other. Fiora lay back down, her hand on her forehead while Cullen sat back, both groaning. Fiora recovered first.

"Cullen! You're awake! How are you feeling?" She asked, following him as he lay back down and exhales.

"I am. Are you?" Fiora nodded and smiled. Cullen reaches up and pulls her down and into his embrace. "I am so sorry, Fiora! I thought that demon was you. I… I was going to kill you if that demon hadn't decided to go after you instead. I am so ashamed of my weakness."

"Cullen, I…"

"Don't!" he cried, pushing her away, knowing what she was going to say. She was too damn understanding and forgiving - especially with him and his failings. "You shouldn't be trying to make me feel better!" he sat up and brought his knees up to set his elbows on them and gripped his head, pulling at strands of his blonde hair with his fingers. He felt Fiora try to put her delicate hand on his bicep in comfort, but he didn't deserve her comfort and jerked away. Cullen knew that if she tried again, he wouldn't have the strength to pull away again, so he began moving off the bed but was stopped. Fiora had a strangely strong grip on his arm for being a mage and he turned to her arms, feeling them wrap around his much larger frame.

"It was so real," he whispered more to himself than to her as he clung to her for support. His embarrassment was more than he could handle, but the feeling of her small hand rubbing his back had a calming effect on him.

"It was a dream, love. A very nice dream, but a dream, set on you by a demon of desire. You needn't feel embarrassed, Cullen." she added, knowing what was going through his head. "You have been battling its wiles for months, losing sleep and having your defenses weakened by it." After a pause, never stopping her ministrations on his back, she timidly asked the question that had come to mind. "Have… have you had a similar dream before?"

Cullen tensed before slowly pulling from her embrace, a blush on his cheeks and ears, and looks away. "Once or twice," he admits and clears his throat. "Especially since we have gotten so close."

Fiora looked at him. "Is that what you want with me some day? A family?"

"I… well, I… someday, yes. After all this mess with Corypheus is done, of course. If you do, naturally."

"I hadn't really thought about much beyond defeating Corypheus, to be honest." When she saw his shoulders drop, she hurried to continue. "But I am not opposed to the idea now that I have seen it for myself." Fiora smiled, earning a sheepish grin from him as he leaned in.

"I'm glad." he said as their foreheads met.

—-

Hope you liked it! I know the likelihood of something like this happening, whether due to lore or character personalities, is slim, but this was something that's been digging in my brain for a few days now and I wanted to type it up. Would have posted on deviantart too, but writer is being dumb. Had an idea to add a "Five Years Later" thing at the end, but figured this was enough for now. Lemme know what you think!