AN: I hardly ever do these at the beginning, but this chapter is going to switch between Sophia and Cullen's POVs frequently.

The evening of the Viscount's ball Sophia found herself spinning around in front of the full-length mirror in her bed room admiring her mother's handiwork. Admittedly, she felt a little funny twirling around and looking at herself in the gown, behaving like any other silly girl, and although such behavior was completely out of character for the tomboyish rogue, she simply couldn't help herself. Her mother, regardless of how frustrating and overbearing she could be at times, really knew her stuff when it came to fashion and clothes. The transformation was so drastic that she had a hard time believing that the woman in the mirror was truly her. Her mother and Oriana had spent the afternoon curling and styling her hair, leaving her bangs to sweep over her left eye while pinning half of her dark hair up in elaborate braids on the top of her hair, leaving the rest of the black curls to flow down her back. Leandra had also spent a good hour or so working on Sophia's makeup, tracing her eyes with a dark blue color that made her eyes pop dramatically. The rest of her make up was more subtle, drawing most of the attention to the rogue's bright eyes.

The dress, though, was Leandra's crowning achievement. Somehow, in the short two weeks she was given, Sophia's mother had managed to find a gown that matched Sophia's eyes perfectly and fit her like a glove. The vibrant blue dress was accented with elegant black lace and silver embroidery along the bodice of the dress, accentuating the rogue's narrow waist and surprisingly ample bust. Thanks to her constant physical activity, Sophia had always had a knock-out figure, but since everything was always hidden under and pushed down by her leather armor, it was easy for her to forget just how seductive she could look. This dress managed to emphasize everything in a very attractive way without making her hang out there like Isabella.

Though the look of the front was stunning, it wasn't her favorite part of the dress. She absolutely adored the way the dress's narrow sleeves rested just off her shoulders, showcasing her well-toned arms and back and the way the back of the dress cascaded before in elegant waves to pool on the floor at her feet. Full-length black gloves completed the entire ensemble, though Sophia felt they detracted from the overall look. Leandra insisted, though, insisted that Sophia's hands were beyond help. "I'm afraid that there's absolutely no way to make those sword-worn hands look delicate and feminine," she said in exasperation. "Maybe if I had three weeks to soak them, but you simply won't hold still for that long." Sophia wanted to point out that she used daggers, not swords, but wasn't about to stir up her mother's ire, so she let it pass and wore the gloves.

Sophia cocked her head to look at herself once again. Even though her overall look was quite elegant and undeniably feminine, Sophia was still rather nervous about how Cullen would react to it. After all, this was a side of her the templar had never seen; hell, it was a side of her no one had ever seen. What if this overly feminine look was a turn off for the warrior who had before only seen her in armor and casual clothes? She was afraid that it was too much. It looked like she was trying too hard.

The sound of the door opening downstairs pulled her from her doubts. Taking a deep breath and pushing down the nerves that were starting to manifest in her stomach, Sophia looked at herself one more time. Nerves or no, there was nothing she could do about it now; she just hoped that if Cullen didn't like it that he could look past the lace and ribbons to see her.

-0-

Cullen shifted uncomfortably as he exchanged awkward pleasantries with Sophia's mother who seemed content to offer him snappy, cold answers to his inquiries. After a few minutes of failed attempts, he decided that talking to the dog would probably be more beneficial, but not wanting to insult Leandra, decided to watch the fire instead. He would be lying it he said that he wasn't completely nervous about tonight. This would be the first time he in his life when had ever been on an actual date, and he was a bit unsure what exactly he was expecting. The last two weeks had been absolutely nerve-wracking for the templar. Several of the new mages were having a difficult time adjusting to life in the Circle, so he had been stuck dealing with all manner of problems in the Gallows and hadn't made it into the city to see Sophia since he invited her to the ball. They had exchanged brief letters, but the lack of real contact was making him begin to seriously second-guess himself. Yes, they had been spending more time together lately, and she had been very receptive to their brief moments of physical contact and there was that kiss, but he was still unsure as to where things were heading between the two of them. He knew where he hoped they were headed, but it was all so new to him that he couldn't be sure as to where Sophia stood. A part of him hoped tonight might clear some things up for him, maybe ease his nerves a bit, and the pressure of that was starting to weigh on him.

"Ah, Sophia, dear," Leandra said as she walked over to the stairs to meet her daughter. Cullen took a deep breath and turned to greet Hawke. The moment he saw her, his heart immediately began drumming frantically in his chest as he watched her float down the stairs. He had always found her beautiful, but seeing her like this, she was the single most stunning creature he had ever seen. Her hair, her dress, it was all gorgeous. Despite his stoic templar training and discipline, he found himself smiling broadly as he moved to the foot of the stairs to greet her.

"Ser Cullen," she said, and he could hear the nerves in her voice as she greeted him. What in Thedas did she have to be nervous about? If anything, he should be the one who was nervous. How did he end up escorting such a beautiful woman to the biggest social event of the year?

"Lady Hawke," he said, taking her hand and planting a kiss on her glove-covered hand. "You look stunning tonight."

He could see the relief on her face at his complement. "Thank you," she said with a slight smile before turning to Leandra. "Mother, I will see you in the morning. Thank you for your help."

Leandra kissed her daughter on the cheek, "Do me proud, girl. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Shall we go?" Sophia asked turning back to Cullen. The templar smiled, offering her his arm as he led her out into the warm evening air. "I wanted to thank you again, Cullen, for asking me to accompany you tonight."

Cullen huffed softly, "I should be thanking you, Hawke. I'll be the envy of all of the single men there tonight, probably some of the married ones, too."

"I doubt it, but thank you for the complement. If anything, you'll probably have the sympathy of some of the men. Remember I've managed to alienate most of the single male population in Kirkwall, well at least the ones my mother has managed to set me up with. I doubt stuffing me into a fancy dress will change many opinions."

"I don't know, in that dress, I think you'll change plenty of minds." Sophia shot him a questioning glance. "I'm serious, you're stunning tonight, but don't worry, Hawke, I'll make sure they keep their hands to themselves."

"Ah, Cullen, you'll always be my hero," she said softly, leaning into his shoulder. "Do you think you could do me a favor?" she asked, glancing up at him. "Do you think instead of Hawke, you could call me Sophia? I mean, if you're uncomfortable with that, Hawke is fine. I just thought that since we were kinda on a date that Hawke was a bit too formal." She looked down briefly. "Sometimes, I just miss hearing my name. My mother is the only person who calls me Sophia anymore."

Cullen smiled, feeling slightly warm inside at her request. "I'd be honored."

Sophia giggled softly beside him. "It's not really an honor, Cullen. I've always called you by your first name; I just thought it'd be appropriate for you to do the same."

"Fair enough, Sophia," he said, loving the way her name sounded on his tongue. "So if you miss your name so much, why don't you have your friends use it?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I guess Varric and everyone, they all kind of started out as business associates more so than friends. You remember what I was like those first few years I lived here. I was so focused on getting my family out of Lowtown that I didn't really care about cultivating friendships. They just sort of happened, and by that time, all my friends were calling me Hawke. I guess it sort of stuck."

"So why the change with me?" Cullen blurted out before he realized that he had unwittingly in a roundabout way just asked her to define their relationship.

Sophia glanced up at him and grinned. "Well, you're the first man to take me to a ball, so I guess you get to call me Sophia."

"Sounds fair enough." Cullen glanced up at the imposing gates of Viscount's Keep. "I have to admit, Sophia, I really don't know what to expect here except for the brief explanation Meredith gave me. This is the first time she has never asked me to do something like this, and I wasn't exactly raised by nobility."

"Neither was I, but Mother was, and she went to several of these things in her youth. Apparently, the evening will begin with a meal where we'll probably be seated with Aveline and her head guardsmen."

"I guess that makes sense, putting the two groups of warriors together."

Sophia nodded, "It's so you don't get bored listening to nobles whine about their servants or brag about their newest shipment of Orlesian silk, and we don't disgust them by talking about disembowelments at the dinner table." Cullen chuckled at her imagery. "After that, we watch the Viscount and his consort open the ball with a couple of dances."

"Dancing, yeah, Hawke…"

"Sophia."

"Right, Sophia, about that, Meredith made it very clear to me that I am a warrior, not an Orlesian bard and that I was to keep my dancing to a minimum and only with you."

Sophia nodded, "I understand completely. There's something else you need to be aware of, though, something my mother made me very aware of before coming tonight." Sophia sighed and took a deep breath. "Since I am an unmarried noblewoman, I will be expected to dance with other men when asked. It's a way of making connections and showing friendship between noble families. In a way, this is as much business tonight as it is social. Although, like I said, a lot of the men are intimidated by me, so that likely won't be too much of a problem."

Cullen glanced down at the woman on his arm. "Right," he thought to himself, "I seriously doubt that." He had a feeling that his date would be beating off other men with the broad side of his sword all night. Well, he would have been if Meredith had let him wear his sword with his ceremonial armor.

-0-

"Ser Cullen, Knight Captain of the Holy Order of the Templars Knights of Kirkwall accompanied by Lady Sophia Amell Hawke, Scion of the Noble House of Amell."

Sophia grinned up at Cullen as a servant walked them to their seats after the herald announced them. "Your title is quite a mouthful, Ser templar, quite impressive. You know the longer what they say, the title, the more important you are."

"Nah, it's just the more important you think you are." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I think most of these people probably just made stuff up."

Sophia stifled a giggle as she glanced around her. She could feel the eyes of the other nobles on her the moment she entered the ballroom after the herald shouted her name. Her mother had informed her this afternoon that there hadn't been an Amell attend the Viscount's ball since her grandparents passed away nearly twenty years ago. Leandra had reconnected with the family's closest allies, but there were still many members of the nobility who had yet to realize they were back in Hightown, and those that did weren't happy about their change of fortune. This was an important moment for her family to establish new and reforge old connections, and for the first time, Sophia could feel the weight of her family name on her as she made her way to her seat at the table where Aveline was already seated.

"Good evening, Hawke, Cullen," the Guard Captain said with a knowing smile as she stood up to shake hands with the pair. "I'm quite happy to see the two of you here. I was afraid that I would end up sitting with some insufferable noble making small talk for the majority of the night."

"I know how you feel," Cullen said as he pulled the chair out for Hawke. "I was worried about the same thing. It's nice to see a familiar face."

Aveline nodded in agreement before turning to her friend. "Oh, Hawke, before I forget, did you get a chance to look into that situation with Emeric yet?"

"Emeric," Cullen said in surprise. "Is he still pestering you? Maker's breath, I thought Meredith put a stop to that weeks ago."

"She did, for the most part, but his claims still warranted a second look. After all, his investigation did lead to the discovery of human remains and some evidence of blood magic a few years ago. Since Hawke was already familiar with the situation, I asked her to look into it." Aveline turned to glance at Sophia. "So, did your get a chance to follow up on anything?"

Sophia nodded, "Fenris and I spoke with Emeric yesterday in the Gallows." She shot a quick glance toward Cullen. "I asked one of the recruits about you, but he said you were dealing with a situation. I didn't press it; I knew you'd been really busy and we were a bit pressed for time."

"No problem. So did he have any leads?"

"Actually, he did. He mentioned a nobleman named Gascard DuPuis who has an estate near where Fenris lives. We took Isabella with us to check it out and maybe ask Gascard a few questions." Sophia sighed and took a long drink from the goblet in front of her. "I'm not sure if he was behind the murders, but there was definite evidence of blood magic in the house. We were attacked almost immediately by a few shades and demons."

"Why didn't you bring him in, then?" Cullen asked.

"Because I killed him. When we found him, he was holding a young woman hostage. He claimed that he was using the woman as bait for the actual killer who, according to him, had murdered his sister some time ago. He also admitted to resorting to blood magic to try to find this guy."

"But you didn't believe him?"

Sophia sighed, "I'm not sure about the murders, but it was clear that he was a blood mage, there's no denying that. We were attacked by demons the moment we entered the house; there's no excuse for that. We were going to take him in, but he put up a fight and attacked us. Killing him was a last resort."

"And as always, things don't end well for people who choose to fight you," Aveline pointed out. "Why didn't you inform me of this yesterday?"

"It was rather late last night by the time we managed to clear out the house completely and collect the evidence, so we didn't get a chance to stop by the Keep to talk to you. As for today, Mother basically locked me in the house to prepare for this; besides, I knew I'd be seeing you tonight so it wasn't a pressing matter. I'll swing by the Gallows sometime tomorrow to explain to Emeric what happened."

"But you don't think he was the murder, do you?" Aveline asked.

Sophia sighed, "I can't be completely sure, but no. I mean, he had a woman there, but he hadn't killed her, yet. And from what we found a few years ago, the murder didn't kill the women in his home; he would lure them away. Remember, he'd send them flowers and everything."

"So you think that the murder is still out there, then," Cullen noted.

Sophia nodded. "Unfortunately, yes, but I don't have any idea where else to look. Varric is looking through the papers we found in the house, but we'll see if it leads anywhere. In the mean time, Aveline, it might be a good idea to issue some kind of alert, especially in Hightown."

"Based on what, Hawke? You caught a blood mage who had an abducted woman in his home, did you not? Who's to say you've not stopped him already? You just said that you weren't sure that he was innocent."

"I don't know, Aveline. It's just a feeling I have; call it a hunch, but I know that the murderer is still out there. I can feel it in my gut."

"Well, I'm sorry Hawke, but I can't put all of Hightown in a panic based on your gut feeling. I know you usually have a nose for these kind of things, but I have to be careful about this." Sophia sighed softly, shaking her head at her friend. "I'll tell you what, I'll increase the patrols in Hightown."

"I guess that's a start."

"I'll check with Emeric to see if there's anything else he might know," Cullen added as a servant brought out the first course, earning a soft smile from Sophia.

After that, the small bit of tension passed, and the group fell into easy, lighter conversation, the disagreement over Emeric's murder temporarily forgotten. Dinner was surpassingly good, though Sophia wasn't able to eat that much thanks to the tight corset her mother had put her in. After dinner, the Viscount and his family led the entire company into the ballroom where the Viscount and his consort began opened the ball with a graceful waltz. Sophia stood watching the dance, very aware of the fidgeting templar next to her.

Reaching out and taking his arm, she cocked her head up to look at him. "Nervous, Cullen?"

The templar blushed. "Slightly. You do realize that I have very limited dance skills, right? Teaching us how to dance was a little low on the priority list of the Chantry Sisters. I just don't want to make a fool of myself and you."

Sophia laughed as she rested a hand on the templar's arm. "You won't make a fool of yourself, Cullen; the only people who make fools of themselves are so drunk that they can't walk in a straight line. So don't worry about it. The first couple of dances will be waltzes and those are relatively simple. Just listen to the music and do what comes naturally. Dancing can be a lot like dueling, moving in sync with your partner to the music, and I happen to know you move very well. Just focus on me, and you'll be fine."

Cullen took a deep breath as the couples around them began to move out to the dance floor. "Alright, my lady, I place my trust in you. I'm not sure why I'm worried; as long as I'm dancing with you, all eyes will be on you, no one will even notice me."

Sophia blushed slightly at the compliment as everyone moved to join the royal couple. Taking her into his arms, Cullen began to lead her gracefully around the dance floor, moving with grace and precision. Sophia couldn't help but smile at the templar. She had no idea what he had been concerned about; he was a natural dancer, never once stepping on her toes or missing a step. She found herself lost in the dance, staring up into Cullen's warm brown eyes as his strong arms guided her around the room, wishing for a less formal dance so that they could close the distance between them. All too soon, the final notes of the song died out.

"See," Sophia said, smiling up at him, "nothing to worry about."

"It was all about the partner, I'm quite sure," Cullen responded as he led Sophia to the edge of the dance floor, his hand resting comfortably on the small of her back. Before they reached the edge, however, Seneschal Bran intercepted them.

"Excuse me, Knight Captain, but I was wondering if I might cut in for a moment," he said, a strained kind of smile of his face. Sophia was slightly taken aback. Why would Bran want to dance with her? Based on their brief interactions in the past, she had always gotten the impression that the Viscount's right hand man despised her. After they exchanged brief pleasantries for a bit, she mentioned that fact to him.

"Don't read too much into this Messere. This is merely saving me the trouble of summoning a messenger to find you tomorrow. Even though you're moving up in the world, I still find it quite difficult to merge the image I have of you as the mercenary who took out the Winters for a few gold pieces with the image of a noblewoman you seem to have shaped yourself into. Regardless, I do not believe that you belong here, fancy dress or no."

Sophia had to fight to keep a scow off her face as the seneschal continued. "However, it seems that for some reason you've made an impression on the Viscount. He has not forgotten your service a few years back and has need of your aid once again. He would like to meet with you tomorrow."

"The Viscount has asked for me, by name," Sophia said, astonished.

Bryan sighed. "Yes, it seems that you have made an impression on several rather important people. The Arishock, who has for the past three years more or less ignored everyone we have sent to him, has asked to see you."

Sophia's eyes widened in surprise. "Now that is news. As far as I knew, the Arishock never even bothered to learn my name. I did him a small favor that seemed to impress him three years ago, but I've not spoken to him or had dealings with him in years."

"Well, I suppose he's learned your name since you seem to be the only human he deems worthy of even speaking to. The Viscount is concerned, to say the least, that the qunari have ended their three year silence. He would like the situation dealt with quickly."

"Of course,"Sophia said, shaking her head. "I'll do whatever my Viscount needs of me."

"That is good to know, Hawke. For all our sakes, I hope that this can be dealt with as quickly and painlessly as possible," Bryan said as the song ended. "And I would appreciate your discretion. It would not be good if those in the city realized that the qunari have started making demands."

"I won't tell my mother, don't worry."

Bryan huffed softly as he dropped his arms. "Well, that's good to hear," he snarked before turning and walking away.

Shaking her head slightly, Sophia turned around to look for Cullen. She spotted him and Aveline standing together across the room, clearly engaged in what looked like a deep conversation, though they were probably only talking about swords and plate armor. Before she could cross the room to join them, however, she heard someone called her name.

"Saemus,"she said dropping in a small curtsey as the Viscount's son approached her. "It's been a while, Your Grace."

"That it has, Lady Hawke,"Saemus answered with a nod of his head. "I would be honored if you would grace me with a dance."

Sophia blinked back her surprise. The Viscount's son had come alone to the ball and so far had spoken to no one besides his parents or Bran. Her mother would keel over when she heard about this from her gossiping friends. "Of course, Your Grace" she answered quickly, offering her hand to the prince.

Saemus laughed good-naturedly as he took her waist, leading her around the floor. "And let's drop this Your Grace stuff. You saved my life three years ago; I think that earns you the right to address me by name."

"Only if you extend me the same courtesy."

"It's a deal, then,"he said softly. "I am glad to see the years have been kind to you since we last met. I know your first few years here in our city were difficult. I'm sure Kirkwall is nothing like Ferelden, but you seem too have adjusted quite well. Hightown clearly suits you."

"Thank you, it's been quite an adjustment. We've been up here for nearly two years, and I still feel like I stick out like a sore thumb most of the time."

"Not at all. You only feel that way because you've had nearly every eye in the place on you most of the night. The reemergence of the Amell family; it's a momentous occasion. Speaking of which, where is your mother and why is it that you were seated with the guards and soldiers not with the lower nobles?"

Sophia laughed, "My mother and I didn't receive our own invitation. Ser Cullen of the templar order is a friend of mine, and he asked me to accompany him."

"What?" Saemus barked, shaking his head in disgust. "Father's seneschal was in charge of the final guest list; I'll have to have a word with him about that."

"Well, that makes sense then," Sophia mused. "Bran despises me on principal."

"That doesn't change the fact that you belong here, and not just because you worked your way up from the slums. This is your birthright. Had you been born in Kirkwall, you would have grown up in Hightown. Your family has been here for centuries; don't ever doubt yourself."

"Thank you, Saemus; that means a lot," Sophia said, smiling up at him. "So, how have things been with you? Are you still spending time studying the qunari?"

Saemus sighed lightly. "Not as much as I would like, honestly. My father has been concerned about my appearing to be too friendly with the qunari, so he has insisted that I distance myself." The young man sighed slightly. "My interest in the Qunari has become a bone of contention between us that I have come to simply ignore. My father is as tired of being disappointed as I am bearing it, so we simply don't talk about it any more."

"But your feelings about the Qunari haven't changed?"

Saemus cocked his head slightly and looked down at her. "In all honesty, no. If anything, I find them more fascinating than ever. It's a freeing idea, being a part of something bigger than yourself."

"Freeing?" Sophia exclaimed, looking up at the prince. "Are we talking about the same Qun? From my limited experience with the Qunari, they seem anything but free; they seem completely bound by the limitations their religion places on them."

"It's not a religion, Hawke; it's so much more. It's a life free of burden. You behave as you are compelled to behave, live according to your nature."

"According to your assignment," Sophia pointed. "To live without choice."

"But that's where you're wrong. We have a choice."

"To live according to the Qun or to die, and that is a quote from the Arishock himself. Look around, Saemus; there are defects, tal-vashoth, all over our coast line. Would a religion that's freeing have so many who are running away?"

"Those tal-vashoth have forgotten the way of the Qun because they have been so long removed from Par Vollen, but still they have been given a choice," Saemus pointed out. "A choice that I would relish."

Sophia shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean? You can have anything you want; you're the Viscount's son for crying out loud."

Seamus let out a bark of laughter. "And you think that makes me free in any way, shape form or fashion. Wake up, Hawke. None of us are free. I am bound by the burdens of my position more than anyone else here, but through the Qun, I would be free from that."

Understanding suddenly dawned on Sophia. "You don't want to succeed your father, do you? You don't want to become the next Viscount."

The dark-haired nobleman sighed. "I want to live free of my father's expectations. I will never be the son he expects me to be no matter how hard he pushes. I can never be the leader this city needs. You see what's coming. The tension between the mages and the Chantry will only get worse, and who will have to deal with it? Me, and if I make a bad decision, thousands may die. I can't live with that kind of pressure."

"So you think running away and joining the qunari is the answer?" Sophia gasped. "That's what you're planning, isn't it. You're going to abandon your title and devote yourself to the Qun. Oh, Saemus!"

"I'm not running away; I'm simply choosing to live the kind of life I want to live, not the kind of life I've been forced into." The Viscount's son looked down at her. "I thought you of all people would understand. You have formed a life for yourself of your choosing. You haven't listened to anyone's expectations or plans for you, but you did what you felt was best. I admire that."

"You think I'm free of expectations and duty?" Hawke asked, breathlessly. "I had a duty to my mother to get her out of the slums of Darktown, a duty to the memory of my father and my brother to protect and provide for her; I didn't abandon that duty when the pressure became too great. I embraced it, used it to push me forward." Sophia sighed. "Look, Saemus, I can see that this is bothering you greatly, but you wouldn't be doing this alone. You would have advisors, assistants, nobles all here to help you make the difficult decisions. Saemus, just promise me something. Promise me that you won't make any hasty decisions here without talking to someone first. Would you do that for me?"

"I suppose, though I doubt that much will change." Saemus smiled down at her. "Well, I've taken enough of your time, and I'm sure your escort is eager to get his lovely date back."

"Saemus, whatever you do, please be careful. Though you may not see it, these Qunari are dangerous, and this entire situation is volatile. I'm afraid that your involvement with the Qunari will only make the situation worse."

"I can only follow what my conscience dictates, Sophia."

Sophia glanced back up at him, "Just make sure it's your conscience making the decisions and not your unease with the thought of leading the city, but I go too far, I'm afraid. It is your decision to make; I just ask that you think long and hard about your actions."

"I will, Hawke, and thank you for the dance," he said, lightly kissing her hand. "You look quite lovely tonight. As I said earlier, nobility suits you." The young noble glanced up at Cullen who was approaching them. "I leave you to your escort, my Lady. It was a pleasure."

"Thank you, your Grace," Sophia said softly before turning back to her date.

"Well, that was interesting," Cullen said, putting a hand on the small of her back to lead her over to where Aveline was waiting for them.

"I'd say," the guard captain said. "Getting asked to dance by both the Viscount's seneschal and his son, you don't have to do much more to get people talking about you. You'll be the talk of the town at every tea party for the next month."

"Oh, I don't think so," Sophia huffed, waving her hand casually. "It wasn't that big a deal."

"But it was," Aveline corrected her. "Saemus never dances with anyone. He usually avoids these gatherings like the Blight, and Bran won't deem to speak to someone unless he feels they are worthy. To dance with both of them, it's a rather impressive feat. You have piqued everyone's attention tonight."

Sophia chucked lightly. "Bran just wanted to inform me that the Viscount has important business with me, and Saemus wanted to talk about the qunari. It was nothing special, really."

"But it looked special," Cullen pointed out, "and that's what's important at these things. You are now the most interesting and attractive woman at the ball." Cullen wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "Not that I didn't already know that; it's just nice to see that everyone else appreciates you as well." Sophia felt her cheeks redden a bit as she looked up at him.

"So you're not upset that I had to dance with Saemus?"

"Upset, no; now if you had decided to run off with him, then we may have had some problems. One dance, however, I suppose I can handle," the templar teased. "Now, Aveline tells me that the Viscount's gardens are open tonight to allow guests to visit. Apparently this is a rather rare occurrence that we should take advantage of. What do you say? Care to take a stroll with me around the private royal gardens."

"I'd love to," Sophia said with a smile. Grinning brightly, Cullen took her arm and lead her toward the gardens. She was so fixated on the handsome templar that she completely missed the smug, knowing smile that Aveline sported as she watched the two of them walk away.

-0-

Okay, so I didn't quite get to the romance portion of the night, but there were a few key plot points that needed to be covered first. Romance next time, I promise! Review and let me know what you think!