Chapter Two
Cullen was glad the day was over. He wanted, no he needed, time to reflect. He walked quickly to his room, and checked the water in his tub. Ah, someone was kind enough to start the heating of his bath. He threw off his uniform as quickly as he could, and eased himself into the warm bath.
Cullen was a handsome man or so said Skye. He was a strong and skilled warrior. He was tall and muscular, had wide, expressive green-grey eyes and a warm and generous smile when he cared to show it, which much to Skye's dismay, was not often enough. There was such sadness in him she would say. When he did wear his smile Skye would often tell him how much she loved his "adorable" dimples and the ways his eyes "crinkled". His wavy reddish hair was kept short. Skye would tease him about it and would beg him to let it grow. But Cullen would just smile, dimples and all, and shake his head.
As Cullen sank deeper into the tub, he closed his eyes and remembered the events that changed everything between them. It was summer and Skye had taken several of the youngest apprentices to play in the huge gardens that surrounded the east side of the tower, leading into the forest. Always vigil, even in the relaxed months of summer, Cullen accompanied them. He noticed several apprentices taunting one of the boys. The young apprentice ran off and Skye chased him. Cullen followed and found Skye and the boy sitting under a large oak tree. Cullen kept a respectful distance. Skye was comforting the young Elven apprentice who had been bullied by some of his peers. The boy, Trey, could not have been more than 12. Cullen was touched. It was heartbreaking to see the loneliness and fear etched on the boy's face, and it reminded him of his own youth.
Orphaned at the age of 10, Cullen was taken in by the local Chantry. The grief and shock over the vicious murder of his family to a band of worthless thieves, was still raw. Cullen was alone and very frightened. There was no one to comfort him, and in those first few weeks, he would often cry himself to sleep. If the sisters caught him crying he would be beaten. "Boys do not cry – they would say – "You need to be strong, not weak." Sister Anna in particular seemed to delight in finding ways to humiliate him. One memory in particular still haunted him.
"Are you really a boy?"Anna sneered. "I think you are a little girl. Show us your manhood Cullen. Prove you are a man." She dragged him in front of the sisters and commanded him to remove his all his clothes in front of the sisters. She pushed the naked boy face first into a corner and with her belt flayed his back and buttocks until they bled. Finally one of the sisters intervened. That was the day, Cullen thought grimly, that the stuttering began. Still stinging from the memory, Cullen went over to the boy. He was never sure if what he did next was more for Trey, for Skye, or for himself.
" E e excuse me" Cullen stuttered. Cullen cringed when he saw the look of terror in Trey's eyes. Do Templars truly inspire that much fear?
Skye looked at him and smiled. Cullen immediately relaxed.
"I wonder if you might help me. I hear that Elves are good with the bow. Is that true?" He queried. Trey looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded.
" You see, there is an archery competition next week." Cullen continued. "I am terrible with the bow, but my brothers have signed me up to compete. Some sort of bad joke I suspect. They probably want to see me fail and embarrass myself. They do seem to enjoy making my life miserable. Do you think you could help me out? You know, give me a pointer or two?" Cullen asked.
Trey shrugged and looked at Skye. "I think that is a wonderful idea Trey!" And with that said, Trey broke into a huge grin. "Very well Ser Templar" Trey replied. " I will do as you ask."
Trey jumped up and ran back towards the Tower. Cullen held his hand out to assist Skye up. She looked like she was going to say something, but did not. She just stared at him – a look of both wonder and puzzlement in her eyes, and then a flash of intense sadness. He held her gaze and he was sure his heart would jump out of his chest. Something unspoken seemed to pass between them. As she lowered her head and tried to avert her eyes Cullen noticed her cheeks were flushed.
For the next few days, Skye, Trey, and Cullen could be seen at the archery field. Trey would patiently show Cullen how to work the bow. It was obvious to Skye that Cullen needed no training with a bow, or any weapon for that matter. He was known for his skill as a warrior. But Trey did not see through Cullen's attempts to appear clumsy and inept, or if he did, he did not let on.
Cullen and Skye had talked many times and had spent many hours together in the Tower. Clearly they felt a kinship. But the conversations were usually brief, polite, if not formal. Appropriate for a Mage and a Templar. But during their walks to and from the archery field, away from the constraining grey walls of the Tower itself, the formality between them melted away. They began to speak of more personal things. They shared the stories of their former lives, their love of history and music, their hopes, their dreams and their fears. With a wistful smile playing at his lips, Cullen remembered that on the last day of practice before the competition, as they walked back to the Tower they found themselves holding hands. It had happened so naturally and so unconsciously that neither of them even noticed until Trey remarked that he did not think that Templars were supposed to hold hands with mages. Their hands disengaged immediately.
"Well they cannot" Skye said. "It was an accident." She looked up at Cullen, blushing.
It was at that moment Cullen thought, rinsing himself off, that perhaps they both realized that friendship was blossoming in to something much more. It both thrilled them, and scared them.
Cullen exhaled deeply and got out of the tub. He knew he had to do something about their relationship. His stomach tightened. Mages and Templars could never… He could delay it no longer. After her Harrowing he would end it. He finished drying off, tumbled into bed and fell into a restless sleep.