THANKS FOR SUPPORT EVERYONE, IT MEANS A LOT THAT YOU GUYS MADE IT THIS FARI AM GOING TO TRY TO AND MAKE THE CHAPTERS LONGER, I REALIZE IT'S A LONGER STORY THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW AND FAVORITE THE STORY, SO YOU'RE NOTIFIED WHEN NEW CHAPTERS ARE UP, I DO IT WEEKLY, IF NOT TWICE A WEEKENJOY!

After clearing the air with Cullen, he had stayed for a while to discuss how he had led other templars and mages into joining the Inquisition forces, in hopes of a better life. As she brought a mug of tea to her lips, she smiled as she remembered their last discussion.

"You said you would look for me, with only my eyes to guide you…Why were you looking for me?" she asked, biting her lip in nervousness. He brought his gaze to the floor a moment before he looked at her in the eyes. "I wanted to know about your experiences in the Circle. At the time, no mage would even approach without the company of another mage to escort them. I was a bit…hostile in those days." He explained "Being Knight-Captain, it was my duty to ensure the safety of both mages and templars. You, however, were one of the very few who dared to come to me alone. I…had hoped for an alliance, I guess you could say." Rainlily smiled and nodded. "I would've agreed, if it helps any." Cullen chuckled at her confession. "I appreciate that." He told her as he looked at her. She had moved in hopes to lead him to the chairs, however, he grabbed her arm, causing her to stop. "I didn't realize you had a tattoo on your face." Cullen said softly, causing her to bring her hand over her left eye as if she could feel the outline of it.

"Oh, that? I was originally with the same Dalish clan as Markhallan, but I was forced to have them covered before I began my new life in Kirkwall." Rainlily stated with the smile. Cullen reached out his gloved hand towards her, grasping her hand on her left eye. Rainlily gulped nervously as he guided her hand down slowly to her side before he had reached with his right hand to touch her tattoo. "Commander." Cullen immediately dropped his hand before he could touch her, causing him to look over to the door as Rainlily hid her face away. "Leliana has the recent reports from the Hinterlands." Cullen sighed. "Report back to duty, I will see to the report shortly." The scout nodded and left from the front door, allowing Cullen to look back at Rainlily. She looked up at him, blushing at the sudden awkwardness. "Duty calls." She said, clearing her throat as she smiled. He chuckled, "It never ends, it seems." He admitted. "Thanks again for the visit, Commander." She said, receiving a nod as he backed slowly to the door. "I will check on you soon, don't forget you are always welcome to stop by." He said, leaving her to herself.

Rainlily brought her hand up to her left eye, remembering how close Cullen was to touching her cheek. She shook her head at the thought, he was merely curious, she continued to repeat in her head as she sat into her chair near fireplace. She bit her lower lip, contemplating on what to do. Leliana knew her secret, as did Mark and Cullen but she was unsure how to handle things. If she left tonight, it would give her enough time to run before anyone noticed she was gone. "Why would I want to continue hiding?" Rainlily asked herself, "Because no one trusts a mage. We were the reason this whole rebellion started to begin with. A mage blew up the Kirkwall Chantry, for the love Andraste!" She sighed loudly, unsure how to handle things. Maybe it was for the best, she did get the chance to enjoy the limited time she had with her long-lost brother. He would chase you down anyways, don't be quick to run. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on top of her knees as she put her hands over her head.

"You look like you're struggling with something." She looked over her shoulder, turning sideways to see Solas standing there, watching her intently with his eyes once more. "When aren't I, right?" she joked as motioned for him to join her. He nodded in appreciation as he walked in, heading straight to the chair next to her, only a foot of space between them. "Do you wish to talk about it?" he asked, waving his hand to the fire. She watched somewhat surprised when she saw a small amount of fire shoot out to the fire, making it warmer in the house. "I…didn't realize you were a mage." Rainlily said softly, as if though it was a secret discussion. He smiled at her, "I am quite open about what I am. It is part of me, you can't hide what you are." He said, considering her eyes. She smirked as he studied her. "You know what I am." She said in a matter-of-fact tone, smiling when he nodded at her, smiling back.

"I couldn't sense your magic at first" he leaned towards her, their faces a few inches apart "but as I get closer to you, I can sense it." She blushed as she pulled a few strands behind her pointy ear. "I am used to hiding, blending into crowds. I have had rare chances of using my magic." She confessed. He looked to the fire, but he never moved to give her space. "Are you ashamed of what you are?" he asked her, looking back at her to see her response. She smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Never. What I am ashamed of though is…not knowing how to use it." She looked at the fire now, unsure how to explain it to him. "I never got the training I was supposed to have. I was only taught to heal from the Dalish keeper, and the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall wouldn't allow ANY training. We were merely merchants with leashes." She explained.

He looked to the fire again, "Do you intend to keep hiding what you are to the rest of us?" she sighed at his question, still unsure herself. "I don't know. I want to keep running, hiding what I am to the world because…that's all I know. If I stay though, I must consider how this will look to my brother Markhallan. He is the Herald of Andraste, a Dalish elf who wields no magic, yet has a sister who does. I don't wish to be a burden to him." She admitted, looking to Solas. He nodded as he finally leaned back against the chair. "I am an apostate" he began "I was never put into a Circle, never sold into slavery, or torn from my family, so I don't know what you feel. What I know is that if you continue to run, you will never rest. If you stay now, you can finally learn how to wield it. To not be a burden for anyone." She looked at him with wide eyes. He chuckled at her reaction. "Your expressions are like an open book. You feel like you burden your brothers, who are both fully capable of protecting you and those around them." He pointed out, causing her to giggle. "So, don't run? Is that what you are telling me? Embrace it?" she asked. He nodded, "If you'd like, I could train you." He offered. She smiled excitedly at him. "Wait, really?" she beamed, grabbing his hands tightly. His eyes widened at the sudden contact, but his eyes softened as he watched her giggle in excitement, letting his hands go so she could cup her mouth as if attempting to stop her excitement.

"You should discuss this with your brothers first. I don't wish for a sudden visit with the intent to harm me for my offer." He told her with a smile. "Oh, right! Yes, I will ask once he arrives! I can not thank you enough for this!" she said as she clapped her hands together. "Well," She looked to the door to see Varric standing there with his arms crossed. "It's not every day I see Chuckles smiling." Varric teased as he walked in. "Solas has offered to train me! I haven't been this happy since I reunited with Markhallan!" Rainlily said in excitement as she stood from her seat. "Train you? He's not exactly a warrior, you know…or a rogue." Varric pointed out. "Oh" Rainlily bit her lower lip "I'm actually…a mage." Varric looked shocked but suddenly started to laugh. "Why are you laughing?" she asked, pouting. "You remind me of my friend Daisy back in Kirkwall, she hid her magic quite well" he explained "She was Dalish also. You would like her." She smiled, "Daisy, huh? I'd like to meet her one day." She said. Varric laughed and clasped his hands together. "That's it! I'll call you Lily. Daisy and Lily, two beautiful flowers I ever met!" Varric stated. Rainlily giggled as Solas stood, looking annoyingly to Varric. "Aww, thanks Varric." Rainlily said with a smile.

Varric waved his hand at the door, "Come" Varric told the two, "Let's go outside and get some fresh air." Rainlily bit her lower lip, taking a step back. "Oh no, I possibly couldn't..." she hesitated. "It'll only be for a few minutes." Varric assured her. She rubbed the back of her neck in nervousness, "I should really listen to my brother." Rainlily said softly. "What exactly did he say to not do?" Solas asked, seeing her conflicted. "Not to cause mischief." She answered plainly. "We are only going for a walk." Varric pointed out. "I'm, ah, a very curious person" she said nervously "the Circle wasn't exactly an exciting place." Varric sighed as he looked to Solas. "We will tell you when you're being too mischief, it's normal to be curious of things you don't know or have not experienced." Solas pointed out as he looked down at her, realizing now that she was quite short. In fact, she looked about 5 feet 1. She sighed in defeat, "Alright," she stated, "just for a bit." Varric shouted a 'ha!' as he walked out of the house, as if he had just won something. Rainlily chuckled at his enthusiasm, following after him as Solas followed her out of the house, closing it firmly behind him.

"Let's stop by the smith, he actually makes armor out of schematics we find." Varric stated. "Schematics of armor? Any specific kind?" Rainlily asked. "He does light armor to heavy armor. Actually, he makes armored clothing; he could add some protection for you for your clothes." Solas pointed out as he looked at her outfit. She smiled at the thought, noticing they were approaching Cullen's forces.

"You there! Hold on that shield as if you're life depended on it. If this was the real battle, you'd be dead!" She heard Cullen shouting. She looked to see his one of his men struggling to keep a hold of the shield, with Cullen's back to her as he watched the training exercise. "He actually sells weapons as well" she looked back up at Solas, "from mage staffs, daggers, bows; you name it, he makes it." Solas explained once more. "It'd be nice to have some protection, in case someone gets too close." Rainlily thought as she bit her lip, just the thought of being attacked frightened her. "That's why we're going to save your brother's a trouble and set you up." Varric said as he got closer to the wooden home that the blacksmith was near. "Harritt, my favorite blacksmith!" Varric shouted as he approached the opening of the smithing area. "Varric, who did you bring with you this time?" Harritt asked in a suspicious tone, looking at Rainlily. "Ah, this is Rainlily Lavellan, the sister of the Herald of Andraste." Varric introduced as he looked over to Rainlily.

"Ah, forgive me for my rudeness." Harritt stated as he bowed his head to her. "Ah, don't worry about it! It's my first time exploring Haven, so I'm sorry for not meeting you sooner." Rainlily said, smiling at him apologetically. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Harritt asked, crossing his arms. "Do you have any armor clothing for Rainlily here? All she has is regular clothes, we just want to make sure she has SOME protection." Varric asked. Harritt looked at Rainlily up and down, analyzing her body form before nodding. "I have some from the schematics you men have collected. All I have are the Avvar and the Qunari armor ones. I don't think the Harold would like to see his sister in those." Harritt stated. Varric sighed, but Rainlily giggled. "I'll be fine with what I have for now." Rainlily said with a smile, shrugging it off.

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Cullen sighed heavily as rubbed his neck to fight off his frustration. His men were learning to defend themselves, and were doing quite well. "It'd be nice to have some protection, in case someone gets too close." He turned to the familiar voice to see Rainlily walking out with Solas and Varric. He looked at her attire was suddenly aware of her. She wore black nug-leathered tights, with brown ram boots to keep her feet warm. She wore a white long sleeve blouse that went up to her wrists, with a black corset with purple lily flower details on it, supporting her breasts that made them look larger than what he originally thought, showing off her exposed neck and collarbone. He cleared his throat, trying to not think of her in that way; she was Mark's sister for Maker's sake. "Men, take a moment to rest. We will begin our next training in a moment." He said to them before turning to follow Rainlily. "Why isn't she wearing a coat?" he thought, worried that she might not have adjusted to cold weather, compared to Redcliffe's warmth.

"I'll be fine with what I have for now." Rainlily said with a smile.

"Good afternoon." The trio turned around to see Cullen approaching them, making Rainlily smile at him. "Good afternoon, Commander. What brings you here?" she asked curiously. "I was shocked to see you leave your home. No doubt Varric played a role in this." Cullen answered, looking to Varric. "We were hoping to get her some protection, but there is no more armor for her. None that the brothers would approve, anyway." Varric explained. "Maybe I can still get a weapon?" Rainlily suggested. Solas narrowed his eyes at her. "What kind did you have in mind?" Solas asked, curious to see what she thought. She smiled, shrugging. "Maybe a small axe?" she suggested. Varric made a hum noise, taking it into consideration. Cullen shook his head, "With no training in combat, you should start small." Cullen explained before looking to Harritt. "Can you get for me a dagger sheath for her?" Cullen asked him. Harritt nodded, turning to one of his crates as Cullen reached into his lion coat. "Sheath?" Rainlily asked, unsure of what was going on.

When Harritt returned, Rainlily saw that the brown leather sheath was attached to a leather strap. "What is that?" Rainlily asked. Cullen took the item and got on one knee before Rainlily. "Let me show you, put your leg out." He ordered casually, making Rainlily blush as she did so. Cullen brought the strap from behind her slender right thigh, securing it in the front as he put the leather through the buckle, securing it tightly. "This holds your dagger, just in case you are pinned down and have lost all your needs of protection. It could save you time, and your life if you're not careful." Cullen explained as he put the dagger from his coat into her sheath. "Oh, wow! Thanks Commander." Rainlily said with a huge smile as she bent her right leg to the side to get a good look at the dagger. Commander smiled at her excitement, failing to notice the stare of Varric Tethras. "Well, what do you know…" Varric whispered under his breath, seeing the same gaze in his eyes that he once saw in Fenris for the Champion Mage of Kirkwall.

"Are you sure you want to give this to me? I can just buy my own dagger, I wouldn't want to leave you without one." Rainlily asked. Cullen stood and shook his head. "I insist, I have many others. Besides, if something were to happen, this will buy you enough time until we get to you. Your brother will understand." Cullen assured her. Rainlily smiled and nodded once more to him. "Commander" Cullen sighed as one of his scouts came to his side, "a report has come in that the Herald of Andraste has entered the Redcliffe castle." Rainlily looked to the scout alarmed. Was everything okay? Cullen snatched the report from his scout. "Tighten that lip of yours before I send you work with Leliana." The scout looked horrified and ran off as Cullen look back to Rainlily. "I'm sure we will get more word tomorrow, so rest easy Lady Lavellan." Cullen told her. "Thanks Cullen, I'm sure they're fine." She said passively. "He's with his Vivienne…and Cassandra. I know that they'll be just fine." Varric assured her.

Rainlily opened her mouth to say something, but shivered as the cold wind picked up, causing her to wrap her arms around herself. "Well, that's my cue to go home. Thanks for the fresh air, you guys." Rainlily said as she walked past the men. "Oh, don't go home yet! There's more places with fresh air." Varric said, but Rainlily merely waved her hand goodbye. "Just like Daisy..." Varric whispered as Cullen walked after her. "Lady Lavellan." She stopped and turned sideways as she saw Cullen stand before her. "Yes, Commander?" she asked. He took off his large coat, and before she could protest, wrapped it around her form. "You will catch a cold if you're not careful." He warned her. She sighed, "I know, I'd use my cloak but isn't any help, it's too thin." Rainlily stated as she walked towards her home, walking side by side with Cullen. "I will check later with the quartermaster to see if he has any coats. Your brothers wouldn't be pleased to see you sick." Cullen told her. She gasped, looking at him in shock. "Oh, no! That's fine, really! I'll work with what I have." She assured him.

Cullen sighed and nodded, letting it go as he rubbed the back of his neck. He looked to see that his men were watching him and Rainlily with curiosity. "Back to your training!" he shouted the order, seeing his men scramble to their sparring partners. Rainlily bit her lower lip, "I can walk to my home on my own, you know. It seems like they were waiting for you." She pointed out. "Mark wanted me to ensure your safety, and I gave him my word. I won't stay longer than needed, I promise." He assured her. Rainlily smiled and nodded, facing forward as they got closer to her home. She froze, however, when she saw that her door was open. "Cullen…" she whispered, grabbing his left arm to stop him. Cullen looked up and saw that the door was, indeed, open. Cullen held out his left arm in front of her, pushing her behind him protectively as he drew his sword. He slowly stepped into the home, Rainlily staying close to him as he glanced around the house. "Stay here, I'm just going to check the next room." Cullen told her softly as he stepped away from her. She heard a light noise behind her, and turned sharply to see a cloaked man coming towards her from behind her door.

"Ah!" She shouted, throwing her hand up and threw a Stone Fist spell, seeing the man fly against the wall. "Rainlily!" Cullen ran back into the room, feeling her magic spells sending him shivers, to see the cloaked man on the floor. The man rolled onto his feet and charged out the door, to suddenly be thrown back in by some unknown force. "Damn assassins." Blackwall said as he walked in, his shield in his arm; clearly he had shield bashed the assassin into unconsciousness. "Hold him down, Blackwall!" Cullen shouted as he jogged to Rainlily, who was panting heavily, sweat clearly seen on her face. "Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded, never taking her eye of the assassin. "I haven't used my magic in years. Just…shaken." She said as she took off his coat, handing it to him. Cullen studied her for a second, her eyes looking almost…lifeless. "Take him to Leliana, I need to know who sent him." Rainlily said as she looked almost…pained. He put his coat back on as he walked to Blackwall, who had tied him up at this point. "I appreciate the help Blackwall." Cullen said as he stood up the assassin. "Is she okay?" Blackwall asked, but Cullen pushed past him. "Watch her until I return." Cullen stated, he needed to know who sent this man.

This would not be ignored.

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I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THE STORY, MY INTERNET IS DOWN SO I'M TRYING HARD TO GET THIS UPLOADED AS SOON AS POSSIBLe!SEE YOU NEXT TIME!