Cullen was seated at his desk, a massive stack of papers surrounding him. The sun had just dipped below the mountaintops, and a single candle was now lit to illuminate his office. His lyrium withdrawals were once again bothering him; he could feel the beginnings of a migraine. The more pressing pain for him, however, was his aching back.

Earlier that afternoon, Cullen and Lavellan had done some one-on-one training, the two of them battling for the entertainment of their troops. The withdrawals had been affecting him ever since he woke up that morning, but he didn't want to disappoint her or his men by backing out, despite the fact that he felt rather disoriented and tired out.

Of course, the Inquisitor bested him handily. He was stuck being defensive the entire time, her greatsword raining down hits upon his shield, jarring his arm. His back strained as he dodged her attacks, his shield taking the brunt of her offense. Cullen could only weakly circumvent the aim of her sword with his one-handed blade. The crowds cheered as Lavellan made quick work of their duel, but he did his best to keep up.

Cullen ended up on his backside in the icy dirt, surrendering after a rather powerful blow. Lavellan tossed down her weapon in victory and bowed for the troops. The shouting died down after a few seconds, and the Inquisitor smiled and waved at some of their audience before approaching Cullen. She offered her hand to him, but he didn't take it and merely shook his head. Lavellan hesitated and awkwardly withdrew her offer to help him up. Her smile died on her face.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Her voice sounded small, her concern obvious.

Cullen hated to be pitied. "I'm fine, Inquisitor," he grunted.

She seemed taken aback by his terse and formal words. He hardly ever called her by her title these days when it was just the two of them around.

"You may take your leave." He took care to soften his words, the hurt look on her face pulling at his heartstrings.

"Cullen- ''

"Taissa, do not worry," he interrupted. Despite the nagging pain of his muscles, Cullen put on a good show and managed to get to his feet. "I need to get cleaned up, and I have work to attend to, which I am sure you have as well. An excellent duel, my lady."

Cullen attempted to bow, but he was embarrassed to find that his back protested this move quite mightily. He snapped back up into a standing straight position, Lavellan's brow arched as she observed him. Cullen went for a handshake instead, and he took her hand in his. It was definitely a more familiar handshake than he would have with others, but far from the loving embraces he typically shared with her. Nevertheless, Cullen felt comfort from holding her small gloved hand. He dropped it suddenly when he experienced a sharp pain that radiated up from his shaking arm to his neck and down through his back.

"Emma lath, please tell me what is wrong. I know you were taking it easy on me…"

"Maker, taking it easy on you? I was doing the best I could!" Cullen shouted. He glanced around, relieved to find that were no stragglers from the fight to witness this exchange with the Inquisitor.

"Please- '' Lavellan pleaded.

"I will see you later on, my love." He pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead and stalked away from the ring. Cullen was surprised when she didn't follow, as she tended to ignore his orders when he got in a foul mood.

Now here he was, hours later and suffering alone. Cullen groaned as he heard a loud series of knocks at the door. "Jim, if this not an absolute emergency- ''

His office door creaked open a little bit. "Actually, it's me." Lavellan's face peaked through at him.

Cullen shot up in surprise, the sudden movement doing him no favors. "Taissa, I – I…"

She slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. "The lyrium?"

He sighed, tilting his head to rest his forehead in his hands. "Yes. Was it that obvious?"

"Do not be ashamed. We have spoken of this. What you are doing is very, very brave, and I am sure everyone else thought it was a usual display of my skills on the battlefield. I am the Herald of Andraste after all, no man can stand against me," she joked.

Despite himself, Cullen smirked. "Even on my best day, your prowess outmatches mine."

"Hardly!"

"How about we agree to disagree then?"

The two smiled at each other, and Cullen realized that he was still on his feet. He went to sit down again, gingerly lowering himself. Lavellan hurried across the distance separating them, grabbing his forearm to stop him. She gently helped him get up. "Come upstairs with me."

"I don't think now is the best time for that."

"Not that." She playfully punched him in the shoulder, careful to not cause him further discomfort. Lavellan had him go up the ladder to the loft first, letting him take his time. Once they got up there, she pointed him in the direction of the bed. She removed his coat and hung it up before removing all of his armor. He watched her silently as she nimbly made work of stripping him down to his cotton shirt and breaches. Lavellan slowly pulled his shirt over his head and then motioned for him to lie down on his stomach.

The air was cool on his skin, causing him to shiver slightly. He kept his eyes closed, grateful to be able to rest on his bed. Cullen heard Taissa fiddling with something in the background. Then came the creaking on the bed, and it sunk a little under her weight as she went to straddle his lower back, hovering over him but not actually resting there. He heard the pop as a cork was removed from a bottle.

"What are you doing?" The pillow muffled his voice.

"Helping you relax. I know your backs hurts," she murmured.

A floral scent suddenly overtook his senses, and then he felt her warm hands on his back. They were slick with oil, making them glide easily over his tense muscles. After rubbing the expanse of his skin, she started massaging his neck. Once she was done with her ministrations in a certain area, she moved lower. He couldn't help groaning with relief and pleasure. The pain abated with every massaging touch. Cullen's entire back was now pleasantly warm, and he felt his muscles loosen with the passing seconds.

Cullen heard faint words under her breath. He kept himself still and strained to hear her. She was singing something in the Elven tongue to herself. Cullen turned his head to look at her, and she stopped, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"What are you singing?"

"No – nothing," she stammered.

He put his head back down on the pillow. Cullen knew certain things relating to the Dalish and her clan could trigger bad memories for her. He had his own sensitivities, too. "It's okay, I was merely curious."

Lavellan continued massaging his back, and his mind was lost again in her comforting hands. He sucked in air when she hit the sorest spot. "Ahh!"

She increased the pressure, digging into his flesh. "Better?"

"Harder," he whispered.

Lavellan's hands pressed further into him, now vigorously circling against his tense muscle. He was sure he made some unholy utterance at the feeling, but he couldn't even tell. Eventually, she eased up on the spot, returning to gentle touches and moving to the next area. Cullen was surprised to feel how much tension and pain was gone.

"The song was one my mother used to sing when I was sick. When I had a fever and muscle aches, she would do this for me. It's a song of healing and relaxation that was passed on from the Keeper."

It dawned on him why she was hesitant to tell him about it. "Your bond mate, your husband… he did this for you.''

"Yes, he did, after particularly rough training sessions."

"I see." He did not feel jealous of a dead man, though discussing her deceased love, the First whom she travelled to the Conclave with nearly a year ago, did always leave him feeling out of sorts. "Thank you for telling me, and thank you for this."

"Of course, anything for the commander of my armies." Lavellan leaned forward to press her lips to his neck, then proceeded to trail down his back with kisses.

Cullen rolled over onto his back, pulling Lavellan with him until she rested on his chest. He claimed her lips passionately, trying to emphasize his gratitude. His hands rose to graze her breasts, but she caught them in her grasp.

"Rest, Cullen. I will be here when you waken." She leaned down to touch her forehead against his, her eyes alit with love.

Cullen delicately rested his fingers upon her cheek. "Ma'arlath."

Taissa gave him another kiss before sliding off of him, taking her place at his side. Cullen closed his eyes and was able to fall asleep quickly; it was a sleep unmarred by the nightmares that plagued him so frequently. The Inquisitor's word was good, and she was awake and resting next to him when he rose out of his brief slumber; then he was truly able to show his appreciation for her care and his apologies for his earlier gruffness.