A/N: I just want to say WOW! The amount of support this fanfic has gotten is amazing! :D i'm really pleased that everyone likes what's going on so far! I'm going to try and stick to the game's universe as much as I can, but I will be toying with it a little bit – I apologise if this bothers anyone!

This story remains UNBETA'D! Any mistakes made are my own doing, as is the sporadic pacing of the story arc. If you'd like to beta for this fanfiction or for "Evening Star", please send me a message so we can discuss!


As she exited the heavy front doors of Haven's Chantry, Liv drew in a deep breath, the chill of the Frostback air making her shiver slightly, but not to a point where she would be uncomfortable. Haven was a small village, though it had grown considerably in the years since it's original addition to the map of Ferelden. It had once been home to a deranged cult of dragon worshippers, but the Hero of Ferelden had managed to dispose of the entire cult somehow.

As she started making her way across towards the requistions officer, Threnn, Liv realised that Cullen had never answered her question about why Templars were so fearful of even the basic spells mages could cast, the realisation making her frown slightly.

Musing over it as she meandered around after picking up a few orders from Threnn while making conversation with the shell-shocked woman, Liv realised that it was because most mages didn't realise how unbelievably vulnerable they truly were, and that any pull of magic, even for something as simple as cleaning or carrying something too heavy to lift physically, attracted all manner of Fade creatures – malevolent or not.

Sighing at her own naivete, Liv wandered the village for a time, stopping to talk with the locals, who – despite rarely seeing her outside of times where she was heading on patrol missions or heading towards Redcliffe - still praised her for her efforts with the Inquisition, including a little girl who looked hauntingly similar to the poor girl in her nightmare.

Kneeling before the girl silently, Liv looked at the child with startling blue eyes of her own, and smiled when the child nodded at the unspoken question. As people watched the Herald, she began to twist the fingers of her left hand over the palm of her right, pulling ice magic from within her very core. Gasps went around the crowd, but as curious and terrified onlookers continued to observe, the stream of ice began to dance at Liv's command.

The little girl's eyes widened as Liv began winding the ice into the shape of a spectacularly beautiful rose, complete with leaves and a long stem. When the icy structure was complete, Liv fed a small piece of arcane magic into the petals to give them a pinkish colouring, and spirit magic that settled over the entire piece to preserve it's shape, no matter the weather.

When the Liv was finished with the work of art, in place of the icy rose was a beautiful crystalline structure. She smiled as she extended the hand holding the exquisite creation out towards the small girl, who took it with a smile as wide as her face could bear. The people around the pair cheered and clapped in excitement, a proud flush creeping into Liv's cheeks.

Cullen, who had rushed out of the Chantry at the first pull of magic stopped short as he saw what Liv had done. The grateful child flung herself at the herald, wrapping her arms around the woman in a strong embrace of both gratitude and amazement. Despite his being apprehensive about her fooling around with her magic, his nerves dissipated slightly when his eyes landed on what she'd made for the child.

Liv returned the embrace with one equally as warm, withdrawing after a moment to look the child in the eyes, speaking words that Cullen could not hear. Nodding, the little girl took Liv's hand, and the two of them began to walk towards the lake that Haven was built next to. Curious as to what they were doing, Cullen followed the pair quietly, nodding his head in acknowledgement to those who bade him good morning while keeping cautious eyes on both women in front of him, still wary of Liv's magical talents.

Hand in hand, Olivia and the young girl- whose name was Diora as she'd been informed moments after handing over her crystalline creation- stopped on the lake's edge. Grinning, Liv took a step onto the thinly iced lake, making Cullen gasp and take a cautionary step toward the two. To his amazement, the ice upon the lake began to thicken as Olivia wandered closer to the centre. Delighted, Diora ran out toward the herald, skidding into her and knocking them both over.

Peals of childish laughter filled the air, and curious villagers and children began to peek out of Haven's gates to see what the racket was about. They were met with the sight of a bewildered Templar and two young women who were seemingly skating atop the surface of the lake. Their actions drew several more children toward the lake surface with big grins cracking their faces.

Soon enough, half of Haven was out on the ice, stumbling over each other and laughing, or skating and carrying on pleasant conversation. And there, in the middle of the commotion, was a woman who had nearly brought an entire tower down that very same morning, eyes the colour of the ice she stood upon carefully observing to make sure that the ice didn't crack.


Olivia remained outside the village with the children for the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon hours before parents began to withdraw to their homes for supper, thanking the Herald for entertaining the usually fidgety demographic. Liv smiled, shaking her head and saying that it was nothing, she was glad to be able to provide them with something to take their minds off of the everyday lull.

Cullen maintained his vigil as he trained the new recruits, absorbed in his task. Their recruits were still green, and required much work. Several times, he'd almost severely hurt a recruit who wasn't using their shield to block well enough. After he'd corrected them for what felt like the hundreth time did the young man finally seem to grasp what the commander was asking him to do.

When dark had descended upon the Frostbacks, cast his eyes back to the centre of the lake, where Olivia was standing alone, a misty looking aura surrounding her, which made him stop what he was doing with an alarmed expression marring his face.

Excusing himself quickly, he strode to the lake's edge, and as his feet touched the ice, he was stopped short. Olivia was skating. Alone, but it looked like an ethereal dance beneath the pale moonlit night. The mist that surrounded her followed her as she moved across the lake surface, and anyone who couldn't see clearly enough would assume that a spirit moved across the ice.

Her movements were fluid, and Cullen couldn't help but stare in wonder at the young woman. When his eyes found her face, he could see her eyes were closed, but the same haunted expression he'd seen in the tower drew away all youth that her face usually possessed. It made him wonder what painful memories were lurking at the forefront of Olivia's mind, for he could only assume that they were recent or eternally damaging.

If Cullen were completely honest with himself, he was enraptured by her. He had been since the day they'd found her in the remains of the Temple of Sacred Ashes – a lone survivor amongst the carnage at the Conclave. It had taken every effort of both himself and Solas to bring her back from the brink of death, the mark on her hand being the cause for most of their troubles.

When she'd woken, he'd been one of the first to see how battered she was. Not physically, but rather emotionally. He'd known she was a mage since first coming into her presence, but unlike the mages he was used to, her magic had been ebbing weakly, strained from sustaining her life. She had played a vital part in her own survival.

When he'd come across her again at the mouth of the temple's ruins, the sheer magnitude of her power had rendered him speechless and sputtering for several minutes. It had intrigued him, despite it's dangers. Her power ran deeply, and was clearly a gift that had passed through several generations of her family before she'd come upon it. Cullen had had to suppress the extreme urge to cast a powerful smite or silence, even when she was nowhere near him. Other templars in the area had been alarmed at the sensation as well, looking to him for guidance on how to proceed.

He'd held up a cautionary hand, and when the group had reached them, the core of her power pulsed and ripped the breath from him. Several of his newer templars had reacted out of instinct, and had drained her mana, wrenching it from her. Olivia had been absolutely furious, and had demanded lyrium potions from the poor unsuspecting merchant who was carrying the templars' supply of lyrium.

Cullen had given her his ration of potions, though he hadn't been taking his dosages as frequently as he should have been, and the young mage had been grateful to him. She'd even made small talk as they acclimated each other with their gifts. He knew that she would have been able to sense he had templar talents from as far away from him as she had been when he'd sensed her.

He'd wished her luck on closing the Breach, and had said a silent prayer to the Maker, asking for Him to deliver her safely back to them. Thankfully, his prayer had not gone unanswered, and Olivia had regained conciousness several days afterwards. Since that moment, she had assisted the Inquisition in every way she could, and had become rather good friends with the handsome former templar.


Swallowing hard, he took a careful step onto the ice, and when he found that it would easily support his weight, he made his way toward her. When she spun rapidly, her arms wrapped around herself, he waited, and caught her when she went to spin out. The action brought them face to face, and Liv's eyes snapped open. Blue locked upon amber, and the commander could see a flush present from the exertion.

"Commander." Liv stammered softly, close enough to him that he could feel the race of her pulse against his chest. Her eyes searched his as he withdrew a step, expelling a soft breath that he hadn't realised he was holding. "I didn't realise how late it was. I apologise..." She tucked a strand of raven hair behind her ear, watching him quietly.

She hadn't meant to keep him out after hours, especially after the trying day he'd had with his recruits. Liv had been watching him from the centre of the lake the entire afternoon. He was a thorough instructor, and though most would have lost their patience with green recruits, he was forgiving where he could afford to be.

To Olivia, Cullen was an honourable, respectable man whom she'd been drawn to since the moment she'd met him. His voice was somewhat gruff at times, as were his mannerisms, but she knew that he only meant well, and had the Inquisition's best interests at heart. Liv valued his military advice, and had surprised him during his and Cassandra's argument about whether or not they would seek the assistance of more mages. She had wanted to prove to him that she was aware of the volatile nature of all magic, and also that she was not someone who mistrusted templars – she understood that they were just doing their job.

Olivia had stated that suppressing the Breach would be a much more practical approach, and would allow both herself and the templars present a larger degree of control. Cassandra had thrown up her hands in exasperation and had left the war room, but Cullen had smiled approvingly at her.

Bringing her mind back to the moment at hand, she offered a shaky smile in the commander's direction, which he returned warmly before replying to her apology. "No need to apologise, my lady. It is, however, quite cold. Unless you enjoy needing to thaw for the rest of the night in front of the fire." A smirk danced across his lips for a brief second, and Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

"No, commander, I don't fancy having to be carried to the Chantry and placed in front of the fire until I'm human again." Shaking her head in amusement, she made to walk back towards the edge of the lake. As she took a couple of steps, she stumbled and braced herself for an impact that never came. Instead, she was encompassed by warmth, and was surprised to find Cullen kneeling slightly at her side, having caught her easily.

As she went to thank him, he easily scooped her up, walking toward the edge of the lake. Olivia protested quite vehemently as he did, but eventually accepted his assistance, knowing that she was far too cold to be able to walk properly. His warmth would allow her to thaw enough to walk unassisted by the time they reached the village gates.

"I saw what you did for that young girl, in front of her family home." Liv cringed as he spoke again, knowing that he'd have come running out of the Chantry at the first pull of her magic. "Oh Maker Cullen, I'm so sor-" He cut her off with a soft smile. "I thought it was wonderful, actually. That and the skating pond. You gave the people of Haven another reason to adore their Herald."

A bright crimson flush coloured the mage's cheeks, and as they reached the gates of Haven, he set her down gingerly, making sure she could stand before they entered the village together. She thanked him softly before straightening her robes and following him into the village proper.

"Making crystalline figures was a gift I received from a close friend of mine within the Ostwick Circle – it was our Winter Solstice tradition. Each year, we'd make each other a figurine." Olivia smiled at the memory, reminiscing as they walked toward the tower Olivia resided in.

"Unfortunately though, Neria did not survive her Harrowing." Olivia sobered softly as she remembered the day she'd been told of her close friend's death. "She was fourteen – I was nine at the time, and I mourned her for weeks. I refused to attend my studies, made several crystalline figures before shattering them, and scared several of the senior enchanters at the Circle during that period of time." Cullen looked at her sadly, and she shook her head. "I snapped out of it eventually. I passed my own Harrowing three months after Neria failed hers. I remember her every day – it reminds me that all it takes is one mistake. One silly mistake, a single fault in judgement, and I could end up like she did."

Olivia paused at the door to the tower, looking at her commander before offering a soft smile. "I may use my magic to please others, but I do so very rarely because of that very fact. I refuse to allow myself to turn into a monster."

Cullen smiled in return, watching her as she spoke before he replied softly, "Despite what you think, I think you're one of the few mages who could go through a possession and come out the victor. It's a battle of wills – and your will is stronger than any mage I've ever encountered." The commander took one of her hands and bent forward, brushing his lips across the knuckle. "Good night, Olivia." With that said, Cullen turned and walked toward the front doors of the Chantry, leaving a speechless Liv staring after him.


Whew! We made it! Again, I apologise for the MAJOR fluff! We'll get to the action soon, I promise! But how about that charming templar, hmm? Poor Liv. She's overwhelmed!

Don't forget to favourite, follow, and review! See you in the next chapter!