It was a rough week for the Inquisition. After a particularly rough afternoon, the Inquisitor, companions, and advisors went to the tavern for a drink. One topic led to another and they began talking about their past paramours. The topic had made it's way over to Cullen and many thought he would brush the topic off since he disliked talking about his past. No one begrudged him withholding his past, it was littered with strife and discord.
Cullen chugged the rest of his ale, took a deep breath, and spoke. "I knew a mage like Vivienne once, back when I was stationed at Kinloch Hold in Ferelden." Cullen's voice was somber as he spoke. The group sitting around the table listened in earnest. "She wielded a blade as easily as she could cast a spell." The reverence in his voice for this woman had the companions' interest peaked. Leliana, who was present for the atrocities that took place at the Circle, spoke softly. "Was she at the Circle when-" Cullen shook his head as stared into his drink as if it held the answers. "She wasn't, thank the Maker. She was sent out on assignment with a Lieutenant before - before Uldred. She may have returned but I was sent away. I don't know what became of her. Though if she were there maybe things would have been different. She was beautifully dangerous when wroth."
Varric threw his arms up dramatically as only he could. "Come on, Curley. We could send a few letters out, inquire as to her whereabouts. What a story that would make! A forbidden love rekindled after years spent apart." Cullen looked across the table at the dwarf with a sad smile and lackluster eyes. "I've entertained the idea, certainly, but I'm afraid of what I might find. I'm also not quite sure how she felt, though I had a hunch at the time." Josephine rubbed Cullen's back in an act of empathy. The Iron Bull pulled a frown then motioned for the waitress to bring them another round of drinks. When the drinks came he held his up. "To our past paramours, wherever they may be."
_.-.~*~.-._
Bernadette tumbled through the air as she was thrown back from the blood mage's spell. Her ginger hair cascaded from its leather bond as she fell, creating an illusion of a halo made of living fire. Several sweat-laden strands strayed into her face as she rolled into the ground and pushed up into a crouched fighting pose. Bernadette's staff was wrenched from her grasp when she was pushed back. The staff crashed into the wall and broke with a loud crack, leaving her seemingly defenseless. A sneer graced her features as she slowly drew a concealed dagger from within her boot. Her opponent left her no other choice then to use melee tactics. She needed to reserve her magic to heal the wounds her friends sustained earlier in the fight.
The blood mage was preparing to cast another spell with a smug, confident smirk on his face. Mages weren't known to be overly proficient with daggers and he had the battle pegged as a win. With a spell of her own, Bernadette surged forward and thrust her dagger into the mage's chest. His eyes widened in shock as his own spell died on his lips. Bernadette frowned in disappointment as the light faded from her enemy's eyes. Death was a natural occurrence but she never enjoined being its conduit.
The sound of a door crashing to the floor by forced entry disturbed Bernadette from her macabre thoughts. It was followed by the weighted footfalls of heavy armor clanging loudly throughout the near-empty house. The softer thud of a body falling to the ground alerted the armored men to Bernadette's location.
A small group of Templars barged into the room, weapons drawn. The Templars had magic-canceling techniques at the ready but those, too, died on their lips. They all lowered their weapons when they saw Bernadette using the ends of the dead mage's robes to wipe her blade clean.
"It's about time you boys got here. That armor really slows you lot down." Bernadette looked over her shoulder with a friendly smile. She sheathed her dagger and straightened to properly address the Templars. A Templar, wearing the trappings of a Lieutenant, took a step forward and removed his helm. He sighed wearily as Bernadette went to the opposite side of the room where the staff lay broken and discarded on the floor. She broke the staff further to get to the crystal set inside it.
"You had to kill him?" Everyone glanced at the dead mage on the floor. Blood from the wound had begun to pool around his body. Whoever owned this house was going to have a hard time getting the blood stains out of the wood flooring. A scoff drew their attention back up to Bernadette. She stood with a hand on her hip and an easy smile on her face. Her Devil-may-care attitude all too familiar to the troop.
"Yea, well, he hurt my friends and practiced blood magic. Fool." The aged templar rubbed his face with an armored hand, mentally preparing himself for the tongue lashing he was going to get from their Knight-Commander. Bernadette seemed to sense this and let out a soft chuckle as she clapped the Templar on the arm as she passed him by on her way out of the room.
"Tell him it was all my fault, Lieutenant. That should ease the Old Buzzard a bit." A few of the men chuckled knowing that only Bernadette could get away with calling their Knight-Commander a buzzard. The Commander seemed to have a soft spot for her, to the confusion of many. The grizzled man followed rules to the letter and, though he had a soft spot for First-Enchanter Irving, he generally was quite moody around the mages. The Templars tried to speculate why their Commander liked Bernadette but no one was quite certain. They summed it up to it being Bernadette's uncanny way with people and her abilities as an arcane warrior, a rare school of Elvhen magic thought long forgotten. She was rather vocal on her opinions of blood magic and troublesome rogue mages alike, calling many of them stupid or idiots.
The templars in the small house quickly moved out of her way as she stalked outside towards their injured brothers that were sitting in the dirt by the muddy road nursing their wounds. Some spectators from neighboring homes came to gawk at the ruckus the men caused. The villagers gossiped amongst themselves in hushed voices speaking of witches and magic. Bernadette didn't blink twice as she immediately set to healing the wounded Templars. Her blatant show of magic caused a shocked murmur from the crowd but they were otherwise silent, having a group of Templars around gave them a sense of security; though, they needn't have worried. To the common folk, Bernadette was as harmless as a bee.
"Geeze, Lucis, you need to keep your shield raised more. What if I'm not around to pummel the arse that hurts you?" The man grumbled as Bernadette prodded at the wound with deft fingers before healing it as best she could.
"Cullen got hit worse than I did." Lucis groaned out through clenched teeth, sounding more like a petulant child the a fully fledged knight. Bernadette smiled as she poked Lucis in the forehead, causing him to fall back into the ground just as he tried to rise.
"Yes, well, Cullen has less experience than you. It is to be expected. Now hush." She finished healing Lucis before making her way over to Cullen. It wasn't as bad as Lucis made it out to be but it was bad enough. Bernadette misliked the way it was still bleeding heavily, meaning it might have nicked something important. The wound was also red and angry looking, she misliked that as well. Bernadette held back a snarl as she thought of the mage who inflicted the, likely infected, wound. She knelt next to Cullen who was doing a swell job of keeping his composure though he looked akin to death, such was the color of his skin.
"Hey, Cullen." Bernadette's voice softened as she greeted Cullen. He only smiled, fearing he would lose his voice if he attempted to speak. His smile turned into a tight line on his face as he bore the tension of the healing magic. Bernadette wasn't as skilled in healing magics as others but she got the job done, at least until a true healer could be summoned. She began to speak what was on her mind while she healed, helping Cullen keep his mind off the gash on his arm.
"Thank you for taking the brunt of that spell. You didn't have to, really. I would've been able to cast a barrier in time - I think. Still, you … I'm indebted to you." The other templars tried not to openly stare. This demure behavior was a bit out of character for Bernadette. She usually berated them for getting hurt and manhandled them quite often. It was a wonder they tolerated her as much as they did but it wasn't often you found a mage on the side of the Templars, who could hold her own against a Templar without resorting to magic, and was extremely willing to track down apostates and blood mages.
Yet, they knew her roughness was because she was upset at seeing them hurt. She had a kind heart, once she fully trusted you. This softness with Cullen was unprecedented though. Maybe it was because they were both around the same age? Possible. It most certainly wasn't because he took a blow for her, they've all done that a time or two. If it continued, though, there would most certainly be teasing in the future. Sure it was forbidden but what happens in the tower, stays in the tower. They were all still human after all.
"You're welcome." Cullen blushed slightly, not quite sure what to do. If his hands were free he would have rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he couldn't kick. He glanced quickly at his brothers but was only met eye wags and smirks. He was familiar with Bernadette, they both lived in the Circle after all, and they had spoken on several occasions; but, he was under the impression that she never really expressed kind feelings towards others, except for Lieutenant Edward. This attention was certainly, curious. She checked the wound one last time before she nodded to herself.
"Well, that's as good as it'll be until Wynn takes a good look. I don't think you should be wielding a sword or shield though. I'm not sure how deep the damage goes, damn blood mages."
The rest of the evening was uneventful and the trip back to the Circle tower was, thankfully, unremarkable. The Templars let out a sigh of relief as they saw the tower cresting over the hill top. Bernadette laughed and smiled wickedly.
"Oh come now, my jokes aren't that bad! Hold on, I have a few more!" They let out an audible groan which caused Bernadette to laugh even more. Despite their tired legs, they picked up the pace. Bernadette stayed with Lucis and Cullen, both requiring a slower pace due to their wounds, she also wouldn't have been able to keep up with the men's longer strides despite their heavy armor. Cullen smirked at the mage next to him. Bernadette was next to him laughing, he never quite realized just how small she was compared to them. Her boisterous personality certainly made up for it.
"You did that just to make them move faster, didn't you?" She shot an innocent look back at him before it quickly gave way to a cheshire grin. Cullen felt his throat constrict and heat begin rise up his neck as she grinned at him. He prayed she didn't notice.
"I don't know what you mean Ser Templar. I rather enjoy cold supper, don't you?" Cullen looked at the sky and gauged it to be a little after 4. The templars' dinner would be served soon. He couldn't help but smile at her thoughtfulness. With their urge to get away from Bernadette's awful jokes, they would make it in time for a hot supper.
The group entered the foyer of the Circle and they weren't surprised to see Knight-Commander Greagoir, First-Enchanter Irving, and Wynn already there waiting for them. While the Lieutenant, Commander, and the First Enchanter discussed the details of the mission, Wynn walked over to the two wounded templars who went to rest in the alcove adjacent to the main entrance. She nodded to Bernadette before setting up to do her work. Although Bernadette could have left, she stayed and watched the elder mage work her healing magic, trying to learn through observation.
When Wynn began working on Cullen's arm, Bernadette was surprised to feel a rough, callused hand suddenly enveloping hers. Apparently, the gash required more attention than anticipated and the pain from the healing magic caused Cullen to reach for something to help him from yelling out. Bernadette continued her conversation with Lucis and didn't flinch as Cullen squeezed her hand as Wynn continued to heal him. She could hear Wynn giving him instructions not to wield his sword for a while so his arm would fully heal and she blushed slightly when she felt Cullen's thumb rub the back of her hand in a silent thanks.
Bernadette helped the two templars to their feet with a snide comment about their weight and heavy armor being "too heavy for anything practical." The others laughed as Lucis claimed it was "all muscle," he struck a pose causing more laughter. Greagoir and Irving smiled as they watched the young woman joke with the Templars with familiar ease.
When Bernadette first came to the Circle they weren't quite sure what to make of her. She was dressed in her leathers, assisting a wounded Templar through the doors. She told them that she healed him but the damage was more than extant of her healing abilities. The Templars, who sensed the magic and lyrium coursing through the leather-clad woman, were ready to imprison her on sight but the insistent urgings of the wounded Templar spared her.
Greagoir interrogated the woman thoroughly while the wounded Templar was being taken care of by proper healers. They were surprised that she willingly answered all their questions and didn't resist. Greagoir learned that the Templar was ambushed by mage-assisted bandits while returning back to the Circle. Heavily outnumbered, the Templar was about ready to submit to his inevitable fate but Bernadette came in with fire and ice, smiting the "moronic bandits" where they stood. Even though it meant her incarceration, she accompanied the wounded Templar back to the Circle to ensure his safety.
The double-edged dirks at her waist did not go unnoticed by Greagoir. During the interrogation, he asked why she dressed in leathers and not the normal garb mages wore. Bernadette scoffed as she told them that nothing screamed mage more than having a glowing stick strapped to your back whilst wearing ropes.
Greagoir looked to his left, to the templar who was saved that day. Lieutenant Edward's face was as stern as ever. The scar from the bandit's blade that pulled at his features, was a constant reminder that even the strongest could be bested given the right circumstances. Since that day, the Lieutenant always took Bernadette with him when he went outside the Circle, even on nominal tasks. Whenever he was asked why, he would laugh and say that she was his lucky charm, which was true in a sense. Since her involvement, they were more successful in tracking and capturing dangerous mages with fewer injuries.
Bernadette wasn't overly popular with her fellow mages, for obvious reasons, but she barely gave them the time of day when she was within the Circle. Many resented her affiliation with the Templar's and the excessive freedom that was granted to her as a result.
Considering she was a mage, Greagoir's men appeared to be at ease in her presence, especially the new Templars. Maybe it was the way she dressed? "Robes weren't meant for battle, only walking around your home at night." Greagoir never forgot those words when the mages tried to give her a set of new clothes. Now, he couldn't picture the young woman in anything but her armor, the mage robes just seemed - wrong. Her leathers were a bit dirty from her recent travels but he knew they were expensive and well maintained. All of her arms and armor were made from the remains of a dragon, in some way or another. She had a bit of an obsession with dragons.
If one believed her story, Bernadette was in the Frostback Mountains when she stumbled upon the den of a high dragon. The dragon was sleeping but it was the only pass through that particular stretch of mountain. Bernadette happened to like dragons and would have avoided killing it, only, it woke as she was trying to sneak by. Apparently, in its rage, the dragon forgot about the stalactites growing on the ceiling and it impaled itself, or so Bernadette claimed.
Seeing an opportunity, Bernadette stripped the carcass and brought the remains to an armorer in Denerim, Wade, if he remembered correctly. In order to get the money she needed, she had to sell her current weapons and armor, which left her in nothing but her smalls. Luckily, Wade lent her a dress that his sister left behind on her last visit to the city. That particular part of the story always brought laughs as the men pictured Bernadette in a frilly dress.
The result of her troubles was a rather sturdy, but light, set of armor. The armor, comprised mostly of the dragon's tough hide and scales, weighed next to nothing. Wade fashioned it in such a way that it moved with her as if it were a second skin. It protected her from most attacks and especially any that were fire-based, one of the many perks of having armor made from dragon remains. Wade also desperately wanted to dye the armor to offset her long, ginger hair but she wouldn't let him touch its color. The dragon's hide was a mix of blues, creams, and subtle greens as a result of its environment. The coloring provided excellent camouflage in most scenarios and she didn't mind the colors too much.
Her sword and dagger were a combination of the dragons' teeth, claws, and some rare metals the smith had been saving. The man working the shopfront was furious with the smith but apparently the blacksmith wasn't going to use "mediocre materials with dragon bone." The result were two short blades that were wickedly sharp and would never dull, according the smith. The metal that was used tinted the blades a sort of blue when looked at in the right light. They were simple looking things, which was probably for the best. If they were ornate then they would most likely be stolen from her, though not without a fight. They were like Bernadette in a way. For all intents and purposes, they both appeared to be simple and understood - a fighter - on the inside; however, was something far more dangerous, even more than they probably realized.
_.-.~*~.-._
Feedback on the story thus far would be appreciated. Your ideas could very well shape the story. This was a thought I had tossing around (CullenxMage). I've seen a few stories where Cullen runs into the mage from Kinloch Hold again. I liked that plot and decided to run with it, with my own spin.
9/16 - edited
(insert obligatory "I don't own DA-BIOWARE characters" statement here)