The Commander was almost an enigma to Tessa.

He was the typical tall, serious, and disciplined military man one would expect a commander of an army to be. Despite this, all Tessa could focus on was the small glimpses of awkwardness that would occasionally show through the tough exterior he put out to the world.

When she returned from the Hinterlands and informed the Inquisition leaders of what had happened with Mother Giselle and the crossroads, he was his usual self. When the meeting had ended and they were leaving, he accidentally bumped into her and he had apologized profusely and then hurried to open the door for her.

His face also turned adorably red once when Sera, the rogue elf Tessa had met in Val Royeaux, teased him around her. The frown that followed the blush only made the situation better.

Whenever he got flustered, he would mutter 'Maker's breath' while rubbing the back of his head and Tessa found it endearing.

How could someone who seemed so put together just be so awkward sometimes?

Determined to get to the bottom of it, Tessa approached the camp one evening shortly after a meeting. The sun was low in the sky and the sickly green glow of the Breach was starting to take over as it disappeared over the horizon. She held back a hiss of pain when the mark decided to flare up a little, as it always did in Haven. Tessa tugged on the soft, leather glove she kept on that hand, frowning down at the way the green glow of the mark still managed to sneak through it somehow.

Tessa loved magic. She loved learning about it, practicing it, and researching it, but this was a type of magic that made her nervous. Her heart clenched a little when the thought reminded her of Ostwick.

That was what she missed most about being away from Ostwick. She didn't have her books to escape to here. She also couldn't study the mark because no one has seen this type of magic before. Hopefully, Solas will help her write about it someday, since he knew more than she usually.

Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, Tessa slowly came to a halt on the outskirts of the main camp. Commander Cullen did his job well. She was surprised with how quick the Inquisition's soldiers were learning and how disciplined they were every time she saw them.

Tessa began to admire the reason why they were doing so well. The inner grump in her told her to stop thinking about the Commander in this light. There was no way the former Templar would develop feelings for a mage.

She watched the Commander interact with his troops and she couldn't hold back the stupid grin on her face, ignoring the inner grump. He truly was a handsome man and Tessa would be lying if she said she never embarrassed herself around good looking people. She always managed to say the wrong thing somehow…like the one time she told a Senior Enchanter that he was gorgeous.

No, she would rather forget about that.

The Herald of Andraste bit her lip as she openly stared at the chiseled lines of the Commander's face. His hair was just perfect too. How did he manage to do that? Tessa was lucky to get her hair back in a decent braid most days. Before she could truly think about what she was doing, she was walking toward him.

Hopefully, she wouldn't embarrass herself.

And for once, it looked like she wouldn't while talking to the former Templar. The Commander started to explain how he was recruited into the Inquisition and what he believed the Inquisition could accomplish. Tessa couldn't help but grin at how passionate he was. What she saw in front of her was a man who truly wanted to help people and make a difference and she couldn't have been happier to know that he was in charge of the Inquisition's army.

"Sorry, I'm sure you didn't come here for a lecture," he said, sheepishly resting his hands on the pommel of his sword, which she was quickly learning was a quirk of his.

"No, but if you have one prepared I'd love to hear it," she heard herself say with a smile.

Did she mention that she always said the wrong thing around handsome men?

She found his enthusiasm a little adorable and that was terrible territory to enter. No, no, no, she could NOT be interested in the Commander of the army she was helping.

Bad things happened when one gets involved with Templars. She knew to avoid them at the Circle. She learned that the hard way when she was 16… But he's not a Templar now, an evil little voice in her mind reminded as he let out a small laugh. And he doesn't seem the type to take advantage of others.

"Perhaps another time," he easily replied with a smile.

Tessa found her eyes involuntarily straying toward the scar on his lip. Maker, scars shouldn't be attractive. It should be illegal for them to be attractive. Maybe she can convince the Chantry to make them so after the Inquisition brought back order to the world.

"Tell me more about you. We will be working together after all and I want to get to know you all better," Tessa said, clasping her hands in front of her.

He told her about his childhood at Honnleath and his time spent in Ferelden and Kirkwall. When he mentioned Kinloch Hold, she perked up. "You were stationed at Kinloch during the Blight? What was it like?"

She accidentally found a chink in his armor. She saw how his face momentarily fell and the way his whole body tensed up. His eyes held a broken pain in them for a fleeting moment before he quickly recovered and asked to talk about something else.

Tessa held back the urge to frown. Her brother, Gavin Trevelyan, was stationed at Kinloch before the circles fell. She honestly had no idea where he was and she was hoping the Commander could tell her more about that circle. But, she also know what happened when one tried to pry. Because of this, she wasn't willing to push the issue with the Commander.

Instead, she asked him about what being a Templar was really like.

"I thought you already had a grandfather and brother to tell you all of that," he teased, starting to walk through the camp again.

Tessa rolled her eyes as she caught up to him. "I did, but they wouldn't tell me too much. Tell me, was reciting the Chant of Light ten times a day just as boring for you as it was for us?"

He barked out a laugh. "If you mean 'did my mind wander as I recited the Canticle of Transfigurations while watching a candle burn down?' Yes, it did."

Tessa couldn't help but laugh with him. "Oh it was horrible! I remember when my best friend summoned ice on the floor so our instructor would slip one day while he was reading it to us. The Templar there couldn't figure out which one of us did it."

She suddenly realized that she admitted that she liked to trick Templars to a former Templar and she instantly shut her mouth.

Cullen didn't seem to care, thankfully, and he even let out a laugh. "Ostwick did things differently from Kinloch and Kirkwall. The mages had to study those texts on their own, not have someone read it aloud."

Tessa shrugged. "They thought hearing it would be better than just reading it. We honestly didn't understand how it was better." She glanced up to see him smirking again. "So, did Templars have to take certain vows or was it just 'I swear to watch over the mages and blah blah blah'?" Tessa had lowered her voice toward the end and spoke in a pompous tone that sounded like Chancellor Roderick with a cold.

That really had him laughing—which was also awkward yet endearing, Andraste preserve her she was in trouble-before he explained the vigil she already knew about.

Then, of course, she had thought that she was in the clear too soon. She embarrassed herself. "Are Templars also expected to give up…physical temptations?"

WHY did she ask him that? She knew the answer! What demon possessed her and altered her judgment when she needed it most?

And now the awkward side she wanted to see was starting to come out as he fumbled through a quick reply. "But they're not required," he finished, rubbing the back of his neck.

And then she did it again.

"Have you?"

Oh no. She couldn't stay here. Walk away, Tessy. Walk away with the little dignity you have left and save him in the process.

Andraste bless the man, he recovered quickly. "Me? I—uh—No, I have not taken such vows."

What a relief.

"That—ahem—was all I wanted to know." She paused and frantically looked for an escape route. "ImgoingtocheckonCloverbye!"

She had to stop herself from breaking into a sprint toward the stables.

Clover, the horse Master Dennet gave her, was her salvation and Tessa didn't come out of the mare's stall until she knew the Commander went to supper.

Handsome men were her ultimate downfall.

Especially the ones with stupid scars on their lip.