AN: On the pronunciation of Jelsi's name, I want to just clarify its pronounced like yelsi and not the hard j. Enjoy this horribly cliché chapter with embarrassed sweetheart Cullen. His character is so much fun to write with. Bless his heart.
Arturia woke up later in the evening when hunger demanded she find something to fill her belly. The sun was setting, and filtered through the gaps in the wood panels of the barn. Arturia picked some hay out of her braid before climbing out of the hayloft, leaving her armor behind, opting to buy a warm fur coat from Seggrit for a sovereign, more than it was worth. She bought a size too big so it would fit over Spellweaver on her back. She then headed to the tavern for some hot stew and bread.
Solas approached her after supper, and she remembered that he had asked to speak with her. "I apologize for not coming to see you sooner," she began, but he merely smiled, "I understand. The Inquisition's soldiers need training, and few can mimic a demon's unique abilities. I simply wished to ask about your abilities. Perhaps we can learn from each other." Arturia nodded thoughtfully. "You travel the Fade, right? You must know a lot of history." They spent a few hours discussing elven heritage. While there were plenty of disagreements, Arturia was willing to learn, and Solas was eager to test her mastery of being an Arcane Warrior.
"There you are!" Jelsi came jogging over, the torchlight bouncing off of her hair. "Arturia, I've been looking for you. Solas, mind if I steal her away for a bit?" Solas shook his head, "not at all. Thank you for the pleasant chat, Arturia." Arturia smiled. "Have a good evening, Solas." She stood and followed Jelsi, who seemed way too excited. "What is it, Jelsi?"
Jelsi had that gleam in her eye, and Arturia knew that whatever was about to come out of the dwarf's mouth was going to be a horrible idea. She was soon proven correct. "So the few mages that survived were talking about ways to bathe, and one came up with this really fun challenge. Just down the river is a little hole that moves too much to freeze over completely, but it's really sodding cold, and too shallow to actually drown in, well I might be able to but you'll be there so it'll be fine; so the idea is to get absolutely hammered before you get in so you don't feel the cold. You in?" Definitely a bad idea. "Hell yeah I'm in, but you're buying."
With the strong stuff at the tavern, it didn't take them long to get that pleasantly heated feeling in the pits of their stomachs. They had towels and warm coats at the ready, and hurried down to a swirling pool of water was where an underground stream joined the main river. "Alright," Jelsi stripped, "we gotta get in quick. All at once, that's the way to do it. I'm going to jump." She climbed up on a short rock and leaped into the water, letting out an ear-piercing screech when she surfaced. "It's fuckin COLD! Get in! It's probably about 6 feet so if you jump, bend your knees, elf lady!" The dwarf laughed as her teeth chattered.
Sober enough to know it was a bad idea but drunk enough to do it anyway, Arturia stripped and climbed up on the rock, only a few feet above the water. The moonlight shone on her pale skin in stark contrast with the dark blue vallaslin of Mythal covering her body. The wind chilled her to the bone. "Jump in!" Jelsi shouted, splashing around. Arturia giggled despite herself. She took a leap, hearing another voice from behind her, "Maker's breath!" She hit the water, and it was indeed cold. She surfaced, the wind knocked out of her, gasping for air. "Creators it's cold!"
"What are you two doing?" A flash of gold could be seen peering over the rock, and a broad figure stood at the water's edge. "Bathing!" Jelsi shouted. "Join us, Josie!" Arturia wiped the water from her eyes and spotted Cullen, wide-eyed with his cheeks aflame. "We heard you scream," he explained, averting his gaze.
Jelsi cackled as she the poor man. "Oh relax, Commander! It's just a bit of skin. The water hides it well enough." Arturia realized he must have seen her before she jumped. She blushed darkly, hiding her smile behind her hand. Between that and the alcohol, she found herself quite warm.
"Please come out before you freeze to death!" Josephine scolded, their towels in her hands. Cullen quickly turned his back. Jelsi snorted, her laughs catching in her throat as she shivered. Arturia swam for shore, pushing Jelsi along with her. "She's right," Arturia was also in that giggly phase of being cold and drunk. "We'll catch our deaths. We're clean now, let's get out."
They stumbled onto the riverbank, wrapping themselves in their towels. Jelsi's engulfed her body, but Arturia's barely brushed against her mid-thigh when she wrapped it around her shoulders. The water had been quite sobering, and the chill was getting to her. "Where are your coats?" Josephine was fussing, looking around for the furs.
Something warm and heavy rested on Arturia's shouders. It smelled of leather oil, grass, dirt, and books. Cullen had put his fur mantle on her shoulders. He avoided looking at her, his cheeks visibly red even in the white moonlight and the eerie green glow of the Breach. She hugged it closer, grateful for the warmth it gave.
"Shit, we did bring coats, right?" Jelsi was shaking like a leaf. Arturia nodded, frowning, her attention drawn from Cullen. "They should have been right with the towels." "Here they are!" Josephine pulled them from a snowbank. "It looks like snow from the tree fell on them." Arturia winced at the idea of abandoning the warm mantle for the snow-filled fur coat. Jelsi, on the other hand, practically leapt at Josephine, who laughed as she wrapped the feisty dwarf in the coat. "Please don't do anything this foolish again. We cannot lose you to hypothermia, of all things!" Jelsi grinned up at her, "you should join me next time."
"I cant believe you would do something so foolish," Cullen began to scold Arturia, but faltered when she gave him puppy eyes, barely able to hold back her smile. He tore his gaze away from hers, clearing his throat. "No more drinking for you." "Oh, yes sir!" She grinned. He crossed his arms, trying his best to look stern, but he was too embarrassed to pull it off. He took her coat from Josephine and put it over her shoulders on top of his mantle. The double layer was quite warm, and Arturia let out a little sigh of delight. "Thank you, Cullen." His expression softened. "Of course."
Jelsi sneezed, the shrill sound startling the other three. Josephine sighed. "I'm going to take her back to her quarters and get her warmed up. I trust you can get Arturia back safely, Commander?" Cullen nodded, "I'll take care of it. Arturia, where are your shoes?" They picked up the scattered items of clothing, though at that point, Arturia's feet were too swollen from the cold to fit into her boots, and the snow had soaked her clothing through. She resigned herself to walking, starting off at a brisk pace, when she was scooped up into a pair of strong arms and a warm chest. "Like I'd let you lose anything to frostbite," Cullen's chest rumbled with his voice. Arturia hid her grin behind the layers of fur around her as he carried her back. She laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. The leather oil from the straps of his armor, the grass and dirt from the training yard giving him a wonderfully earthy smell, the slight hint of books, old paper and ink, perhaps from maps and meetings and paperwork, and beneath it all, just the smell of him. It was rather delightful, and certainly comforting.
"Don't fall asleep on me," his voice was soft as they passed between rows of tents full of sleeping recruits. "I can't climb a ladder and carry you at the same time." Arturia stifled her giggles, "I won't." She listened to his breathing, hardly strained by the effort of carrying her, slow and steady, following the pace of his footsteps, two for each breath. He was taking his time.
The cold nipped at her bare feet and crawled up her legs, so despite the comfort of the moment, she wanted him to move a little faster. She twitched her fingers and felt him stiffen as frost crawled down his neck. "You little brat," he growled softly. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh. "I don't want to be the only cold one," she peered up at him. She wasn't quite expecting the look of hunger and desire that filled his eyes and tugged the corner of his lips up into a smirk. Her face heated up.
They reached the barn and he set her on her feet. "Up you go." He sounded almost resigned. She tilted her head a bit. He raised his eyebrow, "you're sober enough to climb the ladder, right? I'll go up second to make sure you don't fall." She nodded and turned to the ladder, slowly making her way up into the hayloft. She crawled onto the blanket she had laid over some hay, turning to see Cullen sitting on the edge of the hayloft. He had his back to her. "Take the towel off. It's still wet and will sap heat from you," he kept his voice quiet, not wanting to disturb the peace of the barn. Arturia did as she was told, taking off the two layers of coats and peeling the towel away. She pulled her own coat back on, assuming Cullen would want his back.
"Finished?" He was so polite. She liked it. "Yes," she replied, smiling at him when he turned to face her. She held out his coat to him. He took it from her, then covered her up with it. "You'll need it more than I will tonight. You shouldn't have-" she cut him off, "I shouldn't do a lot of dumb things, but I do, and I'm still alive. Quit fretting, it's just some cold water." He gave her a look, and she stuck his tongue out at him.
He shook his head, smiling despite himself. "You're something else," he said, running his gloved fingers through his blond curls. "I try," she wrapped her fur-clad arms around one of his, leaning on him. "You know…" She was feeling rather bold. "If you're so concerned about me being cold, you could stay and keep me warm." Cullen's face was turned away from her, but she could see his ears turning dark. He coughed a couple of times, trying to regain himself.
Finally, he spoke. "Believe me, I'd like to, but…" She felt her stomach fall. Was there someone else? "You're drunk, and I haven't known you that long. I just… It wouldn't be right." Oh, he was such a sweetheart. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, bright and early, to kick your ass again." He let out a soft laugh, "you can try. I'm prepared this time around, remember?" She shoved him playfully. He let out a little growl, and she liked it more than she cared to admit.
He noticed. "I'd better go before I get myself into trouble," he took hold of her hand, bringing it to his lips. "Sleep well," he looked her in the eyes as he kissed her hand. She felt her heart melt. He smiled as he descended the ladder and left her there, a bashful mess. Since when had anyone been able to make her feel like some silly little schoolgirl? How dare he?
She loved it.