Ellana stirs something in Solas that he has long forgotten.

Warnings: Ellana and Solas fluff and cuteness. Mild nudity. Also I took some liberties with the layout of Ellana's Quarters. There's just no way she doesn't have a washroom in that massive space somewhere.

Chapter 3: Don't Be Cruel

On her way up to her Quarter's the Inquisitor was hounded by her throne.

All it took was one glance and suddenly all of her generals and champions were upon her.

They were flocking to her guaranteeing no chance of escape.

"Inquisitor!"

"Inquisitor."

"Inquisitor?"

Suddenly surrounded she looked up and obliged their presence.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked a little exasperated at being overwhelmed for the hundredth time that day.

"It's just that we know you were the one who decided to get a new cook for us back at The Western Approach. You saved our men with that Inquisitor. They felt right at home. We owe you everything. "

They all wore such bright smiles she almost couldn't handle their energy.

It was late and they caught her on a rough day.

A very confusing, emotionally frustrating kind of day.

She just wanted to get to her room before her parents could appear from the shadows and lecture her more about her poor choices.

She smiled back at the men and tried to end this meet politely.

"Truly it was the least I could do. I'm glad it meant so much."

Some of the men got bashful when she smiled and it would be endearing on any other night, but tonight she was exhausted and just wanted them to let her pass, but they were just so enraptured by her.

Every time they sensed she was ready to leave they followed and persisted.

"Please don't go Inquisitor, we wrote you a song to thank you. Please listen to it, we all really love you…"

Her eyes bulged out of her head.

A…song…

Love…

Creators have mercy how was she going to get out of this?

Just as they were beginning to ungracefully belt her name, broad, strong hands met her shoulders and encompassed her with a familiar warmth and security.

It was no wonder who the hands belonged to.

The only man who could make her feel such with such a small gesture and the only man who had the generals' instantly straightening themselves and bowing their heads.

"Commander." They said in unison.

"Cullen…"

"Are these men bothering you Inquisitor? Running your ears off?"

He accentuated one word with his lips grazing particularly close to one ear. It was probably nothing. She should count it as an accident considering how far he had to crane his head down to make up for their height differences, but the low warning tone he used to intimidate the generals' did something to her that she wasn't proud of and when combined with the ear graze she was positive it would be a lie to call it an accident.

For the moment she ignored it, focusing on her professional duties first.

"No, ummm…they weren't bothering me, they just caught me at a bad time is all. I would love to hear their song another time perhaps in battle. I am sure it is epic."

She gave them her kindest smile.

They took the unspoken cue.

"As you wish mi'lady." They all bowed to her before taking their leave.

After the last man was finally out of hearing distance she let out a sigh.

"Thank you Cullen. You saved me for what the…tenth time?" She chuckled as she turned to face him and his hands slowly draped down until they gingerly held her elbows.

"More like twentieth, but who's counting?" He casually reminded her with his tender tone and warm smile.

"You're right, saving me is practically an everyday occurrence it's almost as if I should knight you or something, maybe make you some kind of commander who can protect me at all costs? Pay you to have my back?" She chuckled genuinely amused with her lighthearted comeback. It wasn't like her to let some man make her feel like a dainty, damsel in distress.

Then again Cullen wasn't some man.

When he leaned into her and his shadow overcast hers on the floor she felt like a frail creature, vulnerable and yes, dainty.

And then he whispered into her ear again- with what she was sure was a purposeful lip graze.

"You don't have to pay me...I do it for you. Goodnight, Inquisitor."

Her knees went weak when his breath tickled her neck as he brushed past her.

When her eyes finally opened and the shock of what just happened left her it was no surprise that she found many fangirls of Cullen giving her warning glares.

She stuck her tongue out at them and headed towards her Quarter's.

Once in her room she shrugged off her coat and threw it on her desk.

Then headed over to her bed.

Stripping off more clothes on the way.

Leaving the fabrics in a trail along her floor and rug.

It had been a long day she needed to bathe.

He has been laying on her couch the whole time.

His body extended completely so he went unnoticed.

Only his ear tips could truly be seen past the couch's arm and that was only if one looked.

Ellana wasn't looking.

She was under the impression she was alone and why wouldn't she be? She had been alone for so many years.

Yes her parents did mention something about virginity.

So it was no surprise truly that she walked right past him.

The only surprise was how he heard fabric hit the ground and how that sound affected him.

Softly he lifted his knee to hide the affect in case she did ever look his way.

The rest of him tried to shake off the feeling.

Tried to keep himself from curiously looking her way.

Hard as he might try his book was no longer appealing.

He was rereading the same line over and over again because he couldn't for the life of him focus on the actual words.

Not when two loud thunk's hit the floor next.

Her boots.

And then a clink.

Her belt.

All that could be left was…

He dared a peak at her when her shuffling stopped.

Her back was to him and it was bare and ivory, only her faint mauve Vallaslin and dark birth marks provided any color. His breath hitched and he was careful to make it quiet. He couldn't help it, her markings drove him mad for so many reasons.

The way they curved with her shoulder blades and accented her spine. Drawing his eyes in and tempting him to trace the lines with his fingertips.

And then her back straightened as her arms raised. He could see her perfect figure.

Well to be fair it wasn't perfect, she didn't have the child bearing hips that her mother expected of her or legs that went for miles like most men's fantasies, but her simple, ample features were more than enough to please him.

He found her perfect.

Her legs were average length for an elf, but her thighs, calves, and ass were all nicely toned from the countless treks and battles that he found himself imagining how it would look to see her curves completely burst the seams of her leggings- they already threatened to now.

He was unconsciously chewing the corner of his bottom lip as he lost himself in his fantasies. Watching her every move as if he was reading his favorite book and was impatient for the next scene.

Every little move she made, made him that much more eager to touch her.

She raised one hand to rub a knot out of her neck, and albeit an innocent act her body had a not so innocent reaction.

The relief of the pressure had her moaning.

Soft, and breathy, and a little too tantalizing.

He had turned completely on the couch now.

Laying on his side watching her with apt amusement.

The book that was once in his face, was now softly folded in his hand and out of his line of sight.

She was far more worthy of his time.

His eyes zeroed in on her like a hunter as her little moans continued and were accompanied with relieved gasps as she unloaded the weight of her day.

She stopped rubbing her neck only for a moment to unclasp the jewelry at the base of it.

The glimmer of the stones and gold chains nowhere near as eye-catching as her porcelain skin and now…

Herhair.

His assumptions from earlier weren't too far off.

He had imagined her hair to be long like her parents and he was right about that it hugged her hips so sweetly, but he had not imagined it to be so… Indescribable.

When she dropped it from its confines it was like he got slapped in the face.

He lost his ability to speak, lost the ability to form coherent words let alone sentences.

Even his thoughts were base and a little pathetic for an elf of his knowledge and age.

All he could think was- touch, touch hair, thread fingers in it, pull her head back with it until he could kiss her neck…

The best description he had for the golden locks and their lazy waves curving off her shoulders and ghosting across her waistband was a sound.

Not a word or words, though he was sure he had many…somewhere.

No a sound.

An exasperated sigh that coursed through his whole body in a shivering motion, that made him drop his book and most of himself off of the couch, he caught himself in time to not add a thud to her listening ears, but even his best efforts didn't make up for the fact that his sigh had given away his location and now she was going to murder him.

The least he could do was sit up straight and look at the floor, unfortunately his eyes couldn't bring themselves away from her hair so when she turned around and his eyes were still scanning he got a full view of her bare chest.

"Solas! What are you doing here?!"

And those flushed peaks were more distracting than her hair.

The fantasies that came to his head as they bounced with her quick movements to grab a cover of some sort made his knees go weak and his lips part to catch any semblance of a breath.

She had to bend over to look for her blanket on the bed and of course his eyes went to her ass.

"Stop looking! You aren't supposed to be here yet!"

It was as if the more she tried to correct the situation the more she actually made it worse.

His head was cocked to the side as his eyes followed the bend of her waist.

The blanket just wasn't cooperating with her it was too tucked in that she took desperate measures and wrapped herself with the drapes hanging off the canopy of her bedposts.

Of course doing such meant she couldn't travel and Solas could easily come up behind her and trap her in that spot.

Not that he was moving.

He rather liked this view of her so befuddled and nervous and peeking to the side of the bed post to see him.

"Explain yourself!"

He smirked as her eyes pinned him.

She was even sexier angry.

Her eyes a dark storming sea where they were usually cerulean still waters.

"I was invited."

"Well you're officially uninvited. Please leave."

He stood up and walked towards her seeing as she was in no position to kick him out.

"Well now I simply can't leave, you see it's not everyday a man comes to be in a position like this."

Solas chuckled as he looked down at his feet that were stepping on her shirts.

Yes, it certainly had been a long time since he had been in such a position with a woman.

His body told him a hunt was long overdue with every move he made as if he was greasing up rusty parts making them smooth again with sly, stolen glances over her body, and cautious, timed, steps closer to her.

"What position do you think you are in exactly, Solas? This is my room and therefore I make the rules."

Albeit confident her voice was still shaky as if she didn't believe herself at the moment. Didn't realize she had the upper hand.

"I'm only referring to the position of being alone in a room with a beautiful woman."

He could almost see the rust flaking off.

Now she was the one stealing sly glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

He was.

When he caught her glance the blush she already had from the compliment intensified and her eyelashes fluttered in an adorable innocent sort of fashion. As if she had never heard such compliments before.

"A beautiful woman who is barely clothed… what is a man to do?"

Solas took another careful step to her picking up her shirt along the way so she couldn't get back to it.

"Solas, please just hand over the shirt."

Her anger was gone replaced by vulnerability now as she couldn't move from her spot and only had use of one hand as the other held up the drape at her back.

He smirked at her and his eyes darkened as he realized he had the power now.

"As you wish,Da'len."

He stood in the middle of her rug and extended his hand out to her subsequently offering the shirt.

Only catch was he was about 10 feet from her and her arms couldn't reach without dropping the drapes and coming to him with everything exposed as it was.

"Solas! Please."

She strained her words and her blush returned.

"I simply can't help further Ellana, my arms are too short and surely you don't want me to walk closer to you and your bed?"

She huffed air out of her nostrils at how infuriating he was because he was right.

The least she could do now was gain some pride back from him.

Not an easy task when he held it all in his stance, expression, tone, and - everything about him was proud.

She unclutched the drape and let it fall as she made her way around the bed post.

Swallowing her nervousness as she rounded the bend and officially started her walk across the rug with no cover.

A ripe blush on her face and chest as she stared daggers at him and he returned her gaze.

His eyes looked as if he was mystified by her choice and proud of it at the same time and then she couldn't see his eyes anymore because he lowered them into her chest as she approached.

Her long strides making her chest bounce a little producing a grin from him.

As his eyes raked over her skin and left nothing unchecked she prayed to the Gods that she still looked brave and not as hopelessly fragile and inexperienced as she felt.

When she finally made it to him her hand was bold enough to graze over his and the touch sent shivers down both of their bodies.

"Ass."

She said sternly as she yanked the fabric from his hand and made sure to meet his eyes so he could see his defeat.

He looked at a loss for words and she couldn't be happier.

Her victory smile shaped her face well and she carried it back in the other direction as she sauntered away heading off to the wash room finally.

"An ass who you are marrying!" He said trying to have the last word.

She still managed to win.

"An ass is still an ass. Goodnight, Solas!"

She yelled back before shutting her wash room door in an attempt to block him out.

If only her mind could think to do the same thing. It was still stuck on the fact that he had called her beautiful.

For those of you who have watched It's a Wonderful Life before this last scene here was based a little on the "robe" scene in that movie because I love that movie about as much as The Proposal. I hope you all enjoyed it, I do so love all of the praise and love you've been giving me, it's so sweet. I look forward to anything you have to say, so please don't be afraid to tell me what you thought. Also I apologize for taking forever to post.I am getting these chapters from my AO3 account. If you guys want to see more updated chapters then head on over there. I will still post here I am just a little behind since I mostly post on the archive. I am still in the process of converging everything over to this account.