Lady Trevelyan slid off her horse with stiff, aching limbs. The soil ground beneath her feet helped steady her burning headache from the hours of swaying and bouncing in the saddle. Her gentle Fereldan Forder neighed it triumphant relief at reaching its home and place of resting until called upon again. Chestnut affectionately nuzzled the Heralds hand as she stroked the swift beast soft nose. Her companions had since relived their mounts to the stable hands of the Inquisition but Emery had kindly rejected the help. She preferred to take care of her horse herself as she did after every mission no matter the hour. Her habit had not formed out of dislike or lack of trust in the Inquisitions people but from that of well-taught lessons and wise elders. Emery guided her horse into it dedicated stall and worked at the many straps and buckets that littered the animals hide. Chestnut, defiantly snacked on straw in the feeding trough as his owner wrestled with the reins.
"You're not making this any easier for me." She grumbled to the horse who only munched on its well-deserved snack in reply.
All garments removed the Herald had only to brush down her mount, the stable hands around her having since dispersed their work long done. Emery middle little that it had taken her so much longer to see to her mount, the burning ache of exhaustion stretched through her limbs was almost crippling. With tired eyes, Emery found the lulled warmth of the stables to be intoxicating and voted to remove her long leather jacket in the hope that the sublet cold might help jolt her awake. No adoring her long tunic wrapped tightly around her waist the Heard felt the gentle winter breeze as it swept by in the cold night. She turned and looked out over thick tree line, the sun long gone. It was probably getting onto late evening and most would be off to bed at this hour, but the tavern would no doubt still be alive with people.
"My Lady Herald." A voice called, Emery looked over to the main gate of heaven with burning eyes, Commander Cullen strode toward her. Despite the evening falling into later hours the Commander still looked perfectly put together, all be it a few curls from around his head had since sprung free.
"Commander," She greeted as she slowly disappeared back into the depth of Chestnut's stall, brushes in hand. Cullen appeared around the corner, his heavy armor gangling and scrapping together in the otherwise silent area.
"I see you have all returned back from the hinterlands safely," He paused while brushing a gloved hand over the brown fur of the horse's neck. "Your companions have already turned in from the eve, I wouldn't have expected to find you out here had Cassandra not informed me that you had stayed behind to look after your mount."
"I always take care of my own mounts," She said as she began brushing down the sweat matted fur. "It was how I was raised. The stable hands at our home never cleaned or tended to our horses after my siblings and I had used them personally, our father was adamant about such things."
"Both an honorable and useful set of skills to have. Your father thought well to instill such tarts in his children." She rose from brushing the horse's stomach and slowly walked around to the front of the animal to reach its other side, a path that currently proved blocked by the commander.
"If you would pardon me, Commander." She said kindly and as if suddenly surprised by her request Cullen jumped out of her way. Bumbling an apology as he stepped from her path, eye trained on the ground. Silents began to stretch on as only the raspy starches of the brush and cool sounds of the wind filled the air. Now turned away in her work Lady Trevelyan was unable to see the Commander or his standing. She suspected him near but it wasn't until she had a strange feeling that he was watching her that she realized how close he might have truly been. Tired after weeks of travel Emery was not at her best, she would greatly approve that the handsome Commander refrain from watching her until she was a little more put together. Not that she assumed the man had any real interest in her beyond that granted by professionalism.
She cleared her throat,
"Anything of interest happen while I was away?" Her voice buckled in a tight creak as she felt suddenly very self-conscious of her poorly put together appearance and regretted removing her coat, the protective leather would have proved some comfort.
"Nothing dire, although Sera has been no less than bothersome these past few weeks." The Herald nodded with a small smile.
"That does sound right, has she been pranking people again?" Cullen sighed
"Only the entirety of my men and half of heaven on top of that," Emery giggled to herself as she set the brush down. "She keeps telling me I'm next. I've been unable to turn my back for very long without fear of some kind of ridiculous attack." He said with an enthusiastically annoyed wave of his armed before her crossed them back over his chest. Emery turned back to face him, she now stood between Chestnut and the stall wall.
"I understand," She said with another laugh as she saw the true any acne reflected in the line on the commander's forehead. "She keeps telling me that if I don't lighten up she's going to steal all my breeche's and hide them around heaven, and make me going running through the hold in nothing but my knickers until I find them." The lines on his forehead relaxed and Culled shared a laugh, letting his arms drop back to her side casually.
"I'd like to see that." He said between chuckles, Emery's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, a smile still stuck on her lips while she held back laughter. The second he realized what he had said the Commander's eyes grew so wide Emery was sure they'd pop from his head.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean that I'd like to see you running through the hold in your… I meant that, that I'd like t-to see her try, to- Oh Maker's breath," he said dropping one hand over his eyes while Emery broke into a fit of much-needed laughter over the man's stammered words.
"It's alright Commander, I understand what you meant. I think." She said a wide smile gracing her pale features. Cullen looked up from his hand, cheeks tinged pink and his eyes made little effort to met hers.
"I am so sorry my Lady, can we please pretend I didn't say any of that?" He asked beardy sporting his own half smile of embarrassment and amusement.
"I don't know Commander, can you stop referring to me as My Lady? It's far too formal, and Varric already calls me that out of spite." He chuckled again, "I think I could manage that."
"Then your words are forgotten." She said with a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Herald."
"Emery." She corrected, but the Commander only looked at her with a rather alluring half smile.
"We've known each other long enough and I'd rather like to think of you as a friend. It seems only right that you might call me by my given name."
"Well then, as a friend I'd highly encourage that you do the same."
"Gladly Cullen." She said with a sweet smile. For a moment Cullen stared at her mouth as if admiring the way his name sounded on her lips. A soften smile take up and smoothed out his features making him appear younger in the pale light.
She broke her eyes away from the Commanders rather attentive gaze and returned them to her horse, lest she get too caught up in his gentle golden eyes. She ran a gloved hand over the horses back and the beast let out a grunted breath approvingly.
"Well, I think my work here is done. I should head to my quarters and get some rest before tomorrow." Cullen nodded and straightened his posture before stepping out of the stall awaiting Emery's follow.
"I shall accompany you then, I head in the same direction." He told her, the Herald nodded and followed after him, the pair making their way through the heavy gates of the fortress and into the small village.
"I wanted to thank you again for your decision in reaching out to the Templars in our hopes to seal the breach. Despite the corruption among them, there are still good men in the order."
"You are most welcome Commander, but as you are no doubt aware I have a personal stake among the Templars as well."
"No," He said gently "I did not know you had any ties with the order."
"Leliana didn't write about it in her dossier of me?" Cullen looked at the Herald with subtle surprise.
"You know about the report?" She chuckled.
"Well, you were all rather suspicious of me when I first woke up. And Leliana is a smart woman, she would have had all the information you need on me by the end of the first day. So it only makes sense that there was an official report on my life and associations."
"I imagine there was, although I admit to never reading it."
"Too much paperwork for the battle trained Commander?" She joked, Cullen chuckled and shared a half smile with Lady Trevelyan as she looked up at him as she walked, eyes now alive with mischief instead of drained and exhausted.
"No, in fact, I happen to spend more time than I'd like reading and writing reports. I sometimes fear I'll forget how to properly hold a sword since I spend so much time with a pen." Emery laughed and the Commander ran a hand through his hair, further loosening some of the unruly curls.
"Then what stopped you from reading the report on me?" She asked her voice equal measures of curiosity and delight.
"If you wish to share tales and stories of your personal life I'd welcome them, but I will not invade your privacy by reading about it in a report."
"That's quite kind of you Commander, but for a time you thought I might have been the cause of the Divines death, what stopped you from reading the report then?" He ran a hand over his neck like he so often did.
"In truth," He started looking anywhere but her eyes. "I believed you guilty without looking at all the evidence, while you slept we remained without a name and during that time I let my anger get the best of me. And you were the easiest target to put all that anger towards." He paused voice heavy with shame. "Shortly after you woke Leliana had assembled her dossier but I refused to read it, still convinced of your guilt. It took some time, more than I'd like to admit; but after you tried to seal the breach the first time, after you almost died trying to right a wrong you did not commit did I see that there was no way you were responsible for the disaster that befell the Divine and her followers. After my rather late realization, the time to read the report had come and gone. It was agreed the report would be disposed of and kept from your knowledge. I learned everything I needed to know about you from Leliana and Josephine."
"Um, wow," Was all the Herald's could muster in response, Cullen's words a heavy weight as they settled over her.
"But please realizes that I understand my anger was most wrongly place. I blame you for nothing. And I am in fact quite grateful you came to be with the Inquisition." She looked up at him, gentle eyes lost of their sparks but not hurt or angry. Understanding shown in their silvery blue depths.
"Of course Commander, I would have felt the same way were the situations reversed. Your anger was and remains just, we need only find the proper target to direct it." He smiled down at her, just as Emery released they had both stopped walking. She must have paused upon the commanders rather hefty relive.
"If I'm being truthful myself, I sometimes wonder if there wasn't some way I could have stopped what happened that day? Or if someone better had taken my place would it have happened at all?" Her eye forces on the ground, the snow dusted path quiet just like the camps and huts around them.
"You've done more than many could ever hope to achieve, that's no small feat my Lady Herald." She looked up at him, one eyebrow cocked. Cullen smiled and understood what she was drawing attention to.
"My apologies, Emery. Be proud of what you've done no one else could have done it as you have."
"They could have done it better," She whispered, mostly to herself but in the dead silence of the night, Cullen heard it easily. Cullen opened his mouth to speak but Emery managed to beat him to it.
"By the Maker!" She cursed "It's freezing out here." She quickly wrapped her arms around herself and looked around blindly for her coat.
"Shit." She muttered as she looked back toward the way they had come. "I left my coat in the stables." She let her head and shoulder slump forward as she let out an exhausted sigh of disappointment and frustration.
"I'd best go back and retrieve it." She said running a hand through her messy untamed hair.
"Nonsense," He said and as Emery turned back to question him the Commander draped his surcoat over her shoulders. she was surprised but found the soft fur around the neck warm and comforting, the garment much too big for her but it proved some much-appreciated warmth.
"Take my surcoat, it's only a short trip to your quarters. I'll fetch your jacket and allow you to retune and get some much-needed rest."
"But can you go without out it? I mean who is Commander Cullen without his fancy surcoat?" Emery teased, a smile creased her lips as she kept the cloak pulled snug around her.
"A humbler man, perhaps." He chuckled
"Still I can gather my coat so you don't have to go tracking back and forth across Haven all night." She insisted but her tired and aching legs screamed otherwise.
"Consider it a fair trade, I will retune your coat tomorrow before we move out as to let you get as much rest as possible and I'll retrieve my coat from you at the same time." Emery looked up at him, his soft eyes willing her to say yes when she knew the proper thing to do was gather the coat herself. But the gentle gaze he cast down on her made all word of protest seem to melt away.
"If I didn't know you better Commander, I'd say you're holding my coat hostage so that you might speak with me before our journey tomorrow. Fussing like a mother hen." He laughed.
"I do not fuss, but for you perhaps I hover." Emery snickered a sharp laughed that was ugly and tight. But as she threw a hand over her mouth to excuse the hideous sound Cullen only laughed and smile at her. His gaze tentative as it ranked over her form hidden beneath his cloak, the smooth fabric coughing on her hips and pulled tight around her torso. He watched her for a moment longer and a silent grew heavy between them.
"You'd best turn in for the night, tomorrow will come much too soon for your liking." He warned, his voice low and close to a whisper as she regretfully stepped away from her and made head back down toward the stables.
"I shall, thank you, Cullen." She said softly and the mans face lit up with a smile as he walked away from her back to retrieve her coat, one she was now rather grateful she had forgotten.
AN/ As always please leave reviews and comments. The ones I've gotten so far are super nice, I'm so glad that people have been liking this story and I really appreciate hearing what you guy think.
Thank again! Keep being awsome!