Mark was sitting in his quarters with Harriett right beside him. She was reading one of Varric's new novels, and he writing in his journal. The journal was something he had picked up on once Arianna was taken. She was always writing, and it made him feel like she was still there.

"What are you writing about, darling?" Harriett asked him as she curled up to him. "I'm always so curious what you put in that damn journal. It must have all of your deepest, darkest secrets."

He closed the journal and looked at her. "Indeed it does, but you will never be able to look in them." They were far too personal for anyone else to see. He now understood why Arianna refused to let him read hers.

"I know, you've told me." She brushed her fingers in a circle formation on his bicep. "You are so different than you used to be. You are even more closed off than you were a few years ago, and I haven't seen you laugh in such a long time." She missed the man he used to be more than anything. He would laugh at everything would have the happiest looks on his face. However, those were the days he was with Karla.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I know that it troubles you, sweetheart, but I can't change it. This is who I am."

She paused when he called her sweetheart, and she suddenly thought of something. "Honey and dear," she said to him.

"What?" He no idea what she was talking about.

She put her finger to his mouth to shush him. "Ever since we started seeing one another, you've never called me honey dear, and when I've tried to call you honey, you told me that I couldn't call you that." Now, it seemed clear. "Why is that?"

He was shocked that she had noticed that. "They are too overused. I don't like the sound of them." He was lying.

"No, when I called you honey that one time, you had a look of pain on your face. It hurts you, doesn't it?" She was starting to get frustrated.

He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Harriett, you sound ridiculous. Why would those words hurt me?"

"I will prove it." She got off the bed and looked at him. "Come here, honey."

He couldn't help but wince at the name. All he could hear was Karla's voice while they were together. "Honey, are you listening to me?" "I know, honey, but you have to do it." "I'm fine, honey."

"See, now I know it to be true. They truly bother you." Harriett grabbed his hands and pulled him off the bed. "They remind you of her, don't they?" When he didn't respond, she hugged him closely. "It's alright, I understand. I know that you love her, and that it's not something that just goes away. I am willing to step to the side if you would like, if you truly want to be with her, but I love you and I am willing to work through whatever we need to work through."

He pressed his hand on the side of her face. "You are truly remarkable." He kissed her passionately. "I do still care for her, but I don't want to be in a relationship with her. We aren't compatible anymore."

Cullen had cleaned his entire quarters to make room for the small, dining table that was sitting in the middle of it. He had put two, long candles on the white tablecloth next to the two meals as he waited for Arianna. He had on a white, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. He sat down on his couch and tried to calm his nervousness.

"Calm down, Cullen, you have faced dozens of maleficarum and you are getting nervous at a girl," he said to himself. There were knocks on his door just as he was about to relax and shook in nervousness.

"Commander," the woman sang out. "I am waiting, Commander. You won't let a poor girl freeze out here, would you?" She feigned complete innocence as she opened the door. "Sorry, you took too long, and I didn't want to wait out there.

Cullen was stunned once his eyes fell upon her. She was wearing a scarlet dress that had thin straps which covered her back. The hem of it gently touched the floor. It was tight around her bosom, but loose around her hips. "Oh, um -"

"Cat got your tongue, Commander?" She stepped around him and looked at the small table. "What is this?"

He suddenly felt nauseas. "Um, I thought that I would make you dinner, and we could just be alone, and talk? Was it a stupid idea? It was, wasn't it? Let's just go out to eat." He grabbed his coat and walked towards the door with bright red cheeks.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Commander, I love it. I was just surprised. No man has ever made me dinner like this." She smiled at him as she sat down at the table. "Is this druffalo meet?" She asked as she picked at it.

"Yes, is that ok?" He was so nervous that she would just walk out.

She laughed at him. "Of course it's ok. I was asking out of curiosity, you strange man." She looked into his eyes. "I've never seen a man get so nervous around me before." She took a bite of her meal and smiled at him. "Don't be nervous, we've talked many times before. This should be just as easy."

They ate in silence until they were finished eating, and Cullen looked at her. "I'm sorry that this hasn't been much fun. I'm letting my fear get the best of me. I haven't really done this before."

She laughed in disbelief. "You've never been out with a woman before?" She got up from the chair and moved over to the couch. "I find that very hard to believe, Commander." She looked him up and down as he stood up. "You are quite a dashing man, and no woman has had the pleasure of dining with you as I have?"

He shook his head as he sat next to her. "I was a templar for a very long time, and before that I was in the chantry in preparation to be a templar. It wasn't until recently that I stopped being one. It was frowned upon to flirt with the girls or start to see one of them as more than a friend." He thought back to his time at the circle. "Many mages would try to sleep with the templars in order to get things or to ensure protection, but I never accepted any of those offers."

Arianna looked at him in shock. "Why did you not accept them?"

"I've always wanted it to be with someone I care about. I want it to be special and not some meaningless encounter that I would never bring up again. I want it to be with a woman that will let me hold her afterwards and lets me shower her in kisses. I want it to be with a woman who I completely enjoy." He hadn't even noticed that she'd grabbed his hand and had been twirling it.

She gave him a sad smile. "That's how I always wanted it to be too. When I did it, I thought that I would be with that boy forever, and it didn't turn out quite the way I thought it would." She scooted closer to him. "You are a man that I find very foreign. You are so pure and kind and gentle. You have such a fear of saying the wrong thing to me that you would rather just not talk at all. I have never met someone like you, Commander." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She was stunning. He leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.

She looked up at him with confusion and then she pressed her lips gently against his. Once she pulled away, she smiled and said, "Thank you for this, Commander."