Athewen stood out on the fortress battlements, looking out over the teyrnir. Night had fallen, but the vigil would not be held for two more days while they awaited the arrival of the rest of the guests. In the meantime, all they could do was rest and wait.
"Athie?"
Athewen turned to find a sleepy Merina standing behind her. "You should be in bed with your husband, Merina."
"And you should be in bed too, yet here you are." Merina joined her at the wall of the battlement. "It's a lovely view, one of my favorites." She looked at her friend. "But that's not why you're out here."
"No."
"Having nightmares?"
Athewen nodded. "I've started having memories resurface again."
"The ones from the Blight?"
Again, Athewen nodded. "The worst of them being the day I lost my family..." The memory resurfaced again, blocking out everything else going on.
"Da, please get up!"
A very young Athewen knelt by her father's side, pleading with the dying man to get to his feet. Everything around her was ablaze, the scent of ash and death and blood and decay hanging heavy in the air.
"Wen, you have to take your brother and sister... You have to take them and run..."
"I'm not leaving you!"
Athewen's father reached up to touch his daughter's cheek, offering her a smile and wiping away the tears streaking through the ash and grime on her face. "Go to Elmsford... warn them of what's coming... find Helena and Garick Ingram... they can help you..."
"Come with us! Please, Da!"
"I love you, dalen..." her father said, choking a bit as he coughed up blood. "Be a good girl and go now... before it's too late..."
Athewen watched the light leave her father's eyes, his hand falling limply to his side as the last breath in his lungs was spent. She knew he was gone, just like her mother. She and her siblings were alone in the world now.
"Wen?"
Athewen turned to her brother and sister, both twins nearly five years younger than her. "We have to go..." She stood, grabbing their things- what little they could take with them- and took their hands in hers, leading them from where their father lay dead amongst the rest of their clan.
"What do we do now, Wen?"
"We do what Da said. We find Helena and Garick Ingram in Elmsford, we tell them the darkspawn are coming."
"I'm scared, Wen..."
"Me, too." Athewen looked at her siblings and tried to smile for them. "But we can make it." She returned her attention to the road ahead, squeezing their hands. 'We have to.'
Merina put an arm around her friend and rested her cheek on her shoulder, bringing her old friend back from her memory. "Athie..."
Athewen sighed, swallowing her tears as she stood up straight. "It's alright, Merina. I can manage just fine." She smiled, seeing Merina yawn. "Let's get you back to bed."
Cullen stared at the ceiling of the room he was given, finding himself unable to sleep. It wasn't the first time; he had been having trouble sleeping for quite some time now, ever since he stopped taking lyrium. The dreams were always bad, but some weren't nearly as terrifying as the others. Hoping it would help, Cullen headed off towards the baths in hopes of soaking for a while while he cleared his mind. The long walk to the bath room was nice, giving him a chance to mull things over in his head, and the quiet of the night was a warm welcome. It was a nice change of pace from the constant training, meetings, and playing moderator between mages and Templars. Cullen made to reach for the door, but as it opened he ran right into someone coming out. The force of their collision caused them to both fall onto the floor, Cullen landing on top of whoever it was. He put a hand to his head, giving himself a moment to find his bearings before he opened his eyes and saw who it was beneath him.
After making sure that Merina was tucked safely back in bed, Athewen decided to try and soak in a bath for a bit. Maybe if she could clear her mind she could finally get some sleep. She was grateful that the servants seemed to think ahead of everyone and anticipate their needs, slipping out of her clothes and stepping into the already readied bath. She sank down, letting the water reach up to her shoulders. Steam swirled throughout the room, hot stones keeping the water to temperature. It felt wonderful, just the thing she needed.
Sitting there for what seemed like an hour, Athewen thought over why her memories were resurfacing now when they hadn't for years. The only big change in her life was joining the Inquisition.
'Is it because I'm spending so much time with other people?' she wondered, noting that she had grown fairly close to Varric and Katie to name a few.
She sighed, sliding down beneath the surface of the water. She rested, fully submerged in the hot water for just a moment before resurfacing. Having had her fill of the bath, she stepped out and dried off before changing into a nightgown. As she dried off her hair, towel draped over the wet auburn tendrils, she left the bath room and started back towards her room. But as she stepped out into the hallway, she collided with someone and fell to the floor- whoever it was landing on top of her.
A bit dazed, she opened her eyes and blushed when she was met with honey gold eyes, a scarred set of lips, and messy bed head blonde hair, a knee pressing against her loins as weight shifted, her cheeks burning as she gasp from the pressure.
Looking up at him with eyes as blue as lyrium and sapphires, auburn hair pooling out around her head, was Athewen. He made to apologize and ask if she was alright, but something caught his attention.
"You're an elf?"
Athewen, trying to ignore her blushing, reached up and pushed him off of her. She hastily gathered up her things and hurried off without a word, her heart racing and her mind reeling as she left Cullen to get to his feet and gather his own thoughts. When she reached her room, she closed the door, dropping her things on the floor before diving under the covers to hide. Never before had she been with a man, let alone be that close to one. She didn't know what to do with herself, her whole body radiating with a heat not from the bath. And now he knew her secret.
While she tried to ignore the feeling, Cullen remained standing in the hallway dumbfounded not just by the fact that she was an elf and had been hiding it for some reason but also the sight of her looking vulnerable and at his mercy- something he had not seen in Katie. A strange sensation began to rise within him, one he did not recognize, and he shook his head as he went into the bath room to mull everything over. He wondered why she would hide the fact that she was an elf, why she would trust those around her so little. She had been with the Inquisition for a quite some time now and he thought he at least had gained her trust.
