Love this chapter! It's an important chapter for Cullen and Amell's relationship, and because of that I really wanted to take my time with it, because I felt it was very important for the upcoming final chapters and the sequel I am planning. In other things, I am still working on A Warden's Rose, just at a much slower pace, but hopefully another play through of DA:O will help with that :) I am also working on a story about Myrah, which I hope you guys will enjoy. Please let me know what you think, and I'll be back to update soon :)

XXV. THE LAST NIGHT

In three nights at midnight, when the new moon begins its cycle, meet me in the basement where I'll be waiting. I need your help. Please trust me Cullen, and remain unseen when you arrive. - A

Cullen laid awake, waiting until the new moon was centered in the midnight sky. It was the final night, and upon Astrid's pleading letter, he would go to her. So he waited until the dead silence of the witching hour passed, and his chamber mate was long gone dreaming within the fade, before the Templar pulled a cloak over his shoulders and padded across the room in just his wool socks. He didn't need to remind himself how to get there, Cullen instead focused on staying in the shadows of the dimly lit corridors and watching his step down the dark stairways.

It wasn't long until he found himself standing before the basement door, illuminated by torches on either side of the heavy entry. Cullen felt a pang of curiosity as he descended the steps towards the door. Why did Astrid need his help? Why the basement? Was it even Astrid waiting for him behind the final door? The thought brought a pause to his step and fear swept through the Templar, he could not endure another trap, another torturous mirage of the mage he so craved. But then Cullen remembered her note asking for his trust, and as far as he'd come, that would have to be enough to get him through that door.

He carefully pried the door open enough for him to squeeze through without being noticed and closed it in silence behind him. As he turned to seek Astrid, he found her just at the corner of the hall, standing over two slumped Templars. She turned to him panting as he quickly came to her side, striding past her to examine the fallen knights. "They're fine," she murmured, her entire figure shrouded in a dark hooded robe. Cullen was still looking for any signs of a dead Templar when the mage continued, "I used a sleep spell on them, they'll wake in the morning unharmed."

"Entropy..." the Templar gasped, very few mages ever dabbled into that magic. It wasn't a forbidden arts like Blood Magic, but Cullen only knew of Senior Enchanters ever accomplishing that branch of spells. He looked up to Astrid from where he knelt beside the bodies, surprise still staining his features as the young mage did little to look guilty of her knowledge. "How do you- how can you possibly-"

"Don't look at me like that Cullen," she answered darkly. He heard the strain in her voice as her breathing continued in heavy huffs and he could see just how weak Astrid had become. There was dark circles around her tired eyes, and with all the faint bruising, the mage looked sickly. It pained him to see her in such a state, but Astrid only brushed off his worried gaze and approached the Victims' Door, a specially crafted entrance built of two hundred and seventy-seven planks, one for each original Templar. He watched her eye it carefully before leaning into the nearest wall. Cullen rushed to aid her, but the young Mage held him back with her hand, she was trying so hard to stay strong.

The Templar waited as she balanced herself again and stepped closer to the door. "Astrid what are we doing here?" he asked with a sigh as she brushed her hand against the rough surface of the entrance.

Astrid turned to him, red hair falling out from beneath her hood as she looked at him. "Say the password Cullen," she demanded, returning to the distance she originally was from the Victim's Door. The Templar hesitated, and there was no hiding it from the eager Mage, but Cullen wasn't expecting this secret meeting was to break into the Circle Tower's basement. He glanced at his feet before meeting Astrid's eyes, begging him to do as she asked.

"Sword of the Maker," he gave in, slightly comforted by her soft smile, "Tears of the Fade."

She nodded in thanks and stood straighter to do her part in opening the Victims' Door. Astrid inhaled deeply before stretching her hand towards the door, summoning a flare of magic as soon as her fingers uncurled towards the door. However, just as a flicker of magic appeared it fizzed away just as quickly, leaving a puzzled look on the mage's face. Cullen too was confounded, not once had he ever seen a mage fail at passing magic through their fingertips until now. Astrid stood still, shielding her confused emotions from the Templar as he stepped towards her. "Astrid-" he barely whispered before the mage forced a second try, this time a blast of magic passing through the door, but only at a quarter of a mage's true strength.

The door clicked open, and Astrid was the first to slip through before Cullen followed after her. Although obviously weaker from the forced spell, Astrid was keeping her pace ahead of him through the second door at the end of the corridor. Since passing through the Victims' Door, Cullen felt a change in the aura of the chamber, and upon closer look he recognized Templar wards carved through out the hallways, which meant magic from this point on was useless. "Astrid!" he called hushly after her, cautious of any guards that might be patrolling this area. The mage ignored him, instead progressing further ahead, agitating Cullen. "Astrid!" he grabbed her by the arm gently, but she still gasped and hissed in pain. "We must be careful, if there are guards your magic is useless-"

"There are none," she answered softly, yanking her scarred forearm free of his grasp. Astrid allowed Cullen to walk at her side as they continued into the next chamber, "After that bastard Jowan broke into the phylactery chamber, they had increased security down here." She was whispering to him as the two of them tiptoed around the corner, "However, after the mage rebellion, the Knight-Commander assumed most trouble mages were slain and now only has those two Templars guarding the door." Although he wasn't sure how Astrid would of known that, he accepted her answer and they moved forward.

It grew colder as they progressed seamlessly through the passage, Cullen following just a step behind Astrid, whom would stumble every few steps. She was struggling. Not just with the moving around in an injured state, but also with her magic. Just a simple spell to phase through the Victims' Door had knocked the wind out of the mage, and Cullen couldn't forget the fact she was unable to accomplish the task in her first attempt. "Does it hurt to use your magic?" he inquired, breaking the brisk silence that had brewed between them. The Templar watched as Astrid's fingers curled into fists and then flexed open as she stopped before the next door. She hesitated to turn around, trying to avoid his piercing blue gaze.

"I merely made the mistake of trying a difficult spell," she stammered, trying to be confident in what she was saying, "That is all-"

"Don't lie to me," Cullen cut in, closing the distance between them as her eyes widened. He touched her arm again and felt her flinch, but the Templar refused to let her free of his soft grip. The last time they had been this close and alone, the two were swept up in a frenzy of lust, but that feeling wasn't here now. All Cullen felt now was worry, and that beautiful sensation whenever they touched. In the moment it felt like none of the terrible things had ever happened, none of the torture or pain, not Anders nor Ostagar; he didn't want it to go away. "Can you at least tell me why we're hear Astrid?"

The scarred mage met Cullen's focused gaze and pushed the palm of her hands against his chest, "Through this door is the repository." Astrid was stalling from having to step away from the warmth of his nearness, but she did reluctantly and turned towards the closed doorway, "Inside will have what I am looking for." Cullen nodded and then followed her into the repository where the Circle kept their collection of magical artifacts, including a few Tevinter items. He spun around to scan the entire span of the room, catching a glimpse of the partial repair of the wall broken down by Astrid's friend and the escaped blood mage, through there would be the phylactery chamber, but the mage ignored it entirely and approached a dusty old bookshelf. Cullen gave Astrid her space, watching from afar as he leaned against a column within the room.

As she fingered through the dusty books and scrolls, Astrid paused to admire Cullen, standing patiently behind her. He was watching her with that same worried look he'd been giving her all night, but this time with a warm smile. She turned back to the bookshelf, but stopped again to face him. "Thank you...Cullen," she said in a gentle voice, "for doing this- coming here with me." She had been nothing but cold and standoffish since the embarrassment of her failed spell, but it meant a lot to her to have him here with her, but that wasn't all. Cullen's smile had turned sleepy, but he still nodded at her.

"I could never deny you Astrid."

Astrid went back to the shelf she was searching with a smile, carefully reading the titles on the spines of each book until her fingers brushed the dust off the title she had come for. The mage pulled the book from the others and blew away the dust on its cover. Finally she had it, but there was one more thing she needed to do. She placed the heavily paged book on the nearby table and fully turned to Cullen, "There's actually one more reason I asked you down here." For a moment the Templar looked doubtful, which only made Astrid the more nervous as she attempted to move closer to him, "I promise I'm not going to turn into some lecherous demon." Her jest was followed with a bout of awkward laughter by her, and staring at her feet. "I- never mind, it's-" Astrid stopped when she was suddenly overshadowed and Cullen was now standing very close to her, "nothing."

"Look whose stuttering now," he played, which brought a smile to the mages lips. And then suddenly tears. Astrid stared at the Templar Order crest stitched into his tunic as the teardrops spilled down her cheeks, leaving the mage quivering as she boldly stepped into Cullen, grabbing onto his shirt as she sobbed into his chest. This caught him by surprise as she beat his chest feebly with one fist and clutched with the other, her tears hot as they soaked through the cloth.

Cullen reached to pull back her hood, her red hair falling about her shoulders as it was freed, and then he used his free hand to gently tip her face up at him. Even with the bruises, Astrid was still beautiful, the very woman he had fallen in-love with before he himself had realized. He held her face with both hands, ever careful as he wiped her tears away with his cold thumbs, and she leaned into his palms, covering one hand with her own. "I could hear you," she whispered, her voice vibrating against his palm, "I love you." Astrid wrapped her arms about his waist, trying to absorb his warmth into her. "Always have," she continued, "and probably always will, you said."

"I thought I'd lost you," Cullen uttered, loosening his hug on her to look upon her face again, "but my feelings haven't changed."

However the mage shook her head and closed her eyes, "Don't you understand Cullen, this has to be the end." The truth of her trembling words hurt and Cullen only held her closer, but he knew no matter what he said, she was right. A mage and a templar could never be together. They could try and perhaps they could deceive everyone for a little while, but it would never be forever. So he held her for what he knew could be the last time, only moving when Astrid spoke again, "So kiss me...one last time." Cullen bowed his head so their lips could meet, hers wavering as he covered her mouth with his. It was an immediate reminder of their first kiss in the chapel, so the Templar held her tighter as the memories flooded back, because in the morning that's all he'd have.