Bright red light flooded her vision as she tried to make sense of the blurry figure who's silhouette cast a shadow in front of her. Blinking her silver eyes a few times she could make out distinct cropped blonde locks of hair and facial features that were similar to her own.

"Cain?" She whispered in question. Ellie instantly recognized the grown man in front of her, even though she hadn't seen him since he was a teenager.

Something was wrong, though. His eyes, which she definitely remembered being a few shades darker than hers were glowing a rusty hue. Startled by the obvious change in her brother, she shook her head and took a tentative step back.

"Of course it's me, Ellie. It's been so long. I've missed you."

How was this happening? Her brother was confirmed dead at the Conclave. Sure, they never recovered his body as all that were present at the Temple of Sacred Ashes were charred and disfigured beyond recognition. But his name was on the ledger; he was there. How could he be here now? And, Maker, what was wrong with his eyes?

Ellie took another, more definitive step back this time, "How can it be you Cain? You're dead."

The man in front of her grimaced, "What are you talking about, little sis? How can I be dead if Im right here?"

"But you were at the Conclave! You-" her words were interrupted by her alleged brother holding up his hand.

"That's nonsense, Ellie. How can you believe that just because my name was on the manifesto? You're not one to so easily trust all of the information that's handed to you. How do you know that document wasn't tampered with?"

The younger sibling's face screwed up into a confused knot. Ellie was a natural-born cynic. She almost never took things or people at face value which is why she had tried so desperately to be able to read people, their inner selves, as quickly as possible. But she had accepted Cain's death without a second thought. But then she realized why she was so quick to acquiesce.

"Cullen was the one who gave me that information, he was the only one who would have known I was looking for your name. He wouldn't betray me like that," Ellie replied, her voice firm and confident.

Her brother tutted, "Wouldn't he? You of all people should know not to trust the men that come into your life. Did your experience with Fenris not make that obvious to you?"

If a red flag hadn't been risen prior to that statement, there sure had been one large red flag raised now. "There is no way you could have known about that. Get away from me, whatever you are!"

Ellie backed away as quickly as she could, not wanting to take her eyes off of whatever thing was in front of her trying to pose as her dead brother. Her feet rapidly shuffled backwards until all of a sudden her heel caught the back of something she hadn't noticed, causing her to tumble to the rocky ground below. She fell with a thud and her hands shot out to her sides to brace the rest of her, the sharp terrain scratching her palms. She winced at the touch of pain but was fast to recover as she stood back up to face her enemy.

But when her eyes locked back onto the figure in front of her, it was no longer a representation of her long-lost sibling. Instead she was met with an ominously tall and disfigured being whom she recognized instantly. He was only covered from the waist down and the skin was ripped in parts to expose ribs and raw muscle tissue. From his chest and face shards of a jagged substance protruded and a menacing scowl was written on his features.

"I have already killed people you love, you thieving mortal. I will stop at nothing until I have taken everything you hold dear and you are forced to bow to me."

On the inside, Ellie was shaking being so close to Corypheus after he destroyed Haven. But she had seen what the future would hold if he took control of the world and she would not succumb to his tyranny. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders, heightening her physical presence as much as she could to look her nemesis in the eye, though she knew that wasn't possible with her short stature. But she would not back down; she didn't at Haven and Andraste preserve her but she wasn't going to now.

"Never."

She spat the the words but the blighted being in front of her didn't so much as flinch. Instead he let out a deranged laugh that echoed around her and she felt herself falling again. But this time she didn't come crashing to the ground that had been beneath her feet seconds ago. Panicked, she looked around as her body floated down and to her shock and horror, the surrounding space had become pitch black, exposing nothing behind or around her. She was in free fall for what seemed like an eternity when she heard a distant noise that pulled her from her current state, making her entire body jolt with a sickening shudder.

Ellie opened her eyes and sat up frantically, her body drenched in a cold sweat. The room was dark with only the light from the stars outside in the sky filtering in through the windows. She woke from her nightmare with a start, her ears picking up on some kind of ruckus. As her vision adjusted to the barely lit room, she saw the source of the noise and felt herself slowly start to calm down as she realized that her 'brother' was just a figment of her imagination. In the bed in front of her, the man who had been sleeping peacefully last time she noticed had begun thrashing around violently and mumbling incoherently.

The panic that had just started dissipating from being awake had shot through her body again, her first thought being that he was somehow taking a turn for the worse, that the reason for him collapsing earlier was more serious than him being burnt out. Ellie hastily unfolded herself from her position in her chair and rushed over to the man's side on the bed. As she got closer and her eyes became used to the dark, she made out his face and saw that his eyes were tightly shut despite his movement.

I guess he's having a nightmare too, Ellie reasoned feeling guilty that she wasn't alone in her troubled sleep.

She was afraid to wake him up too suddenly, knowing that it could sometimes make the body and mind react in a more violent way than necessary. Instead, she sat on the very edge of the bed and hesitantly reached out to Cullen whose back was now facing her as he held himself in a loose fetal position. Laying a tentative hand on the man's back, she began rubbing small circles in an attempt to sooth him in his slumber. At first he flinched at the touch, but as she kept going the soft, repetitive motion seemed to calm him. Soon he had relaxed into her hand and his slumber was once again peaceful.

Ellie couldn't help the soft smile that spread across her face when Cullen let out a contented sigh. She told herself it was because of the calming circles she was rubbing, that it had nothing to do with the fact that she was the one doing it. How could it be? In his unconscious state he had no way knowing who was attempting to soothe him. She refused to let her brain get ahead of itself, though her heart so desperately wanted to.

The Herald's eyes flickered towards the open window. Judging by how dark it was she figured it was getting close to dawn. Not to mention there was a distinct lack of noise coming from the rest of Skyhold. For whatever reason, the way the acoustics in the fortress worked, the majority of the sound within Skyhold's walls seemed to echo up towards her quarters. It didn't really bother her, to be completely honest. It helped her to be alert to the activity within the Inquisition's holdings and usually she was so exhausted by her long days, that she was too tired to notice it when she laid her head on her pillow. Even late at night there was some kind of ruckus going on below, the source of which was almost always the tavern. But if it was late, or early, enough for even that location to be quiet, Ellie knew that soon light would begin flooding the sky, signalling a new day.

Her gaze then returned to the man sleeping in her bed. Her body still desperately cried for sleep but despite that she couldn't bring herself to stop her actions in keeping Cullen's sleep in its more peaceful state. Ellie's memory flashed back to when Dorian told her that the Commander had stayed with her for hours after finding her half-frozen in the Frostbacks following the ordeal at Haven. No doubt he had been exhausted when he found her, yet he insisted on still staying by her side until she woke. No. He insisted on holding her, keeping her warm and comfortable until she woke. Even though that night seemed like ages ago now, that memory still made the Inquisitor's face heat in an obvious blush.

So regardless of how tired Ellie was at that moment, regardless of how much she craved rest, every fibre in her body insisted that she put her needs on the back-burner and poured her remaining energy into keeping Cullen comfortable. After everything he's been through, after everything he's still going through, Ellie knew he deserved at least a good night's rest for once. And if she was able to assist in that, it was the least she could do.

Ellie swallowed the nagging voice in the back of her head that kept whispering that her determination in doing this meant her feelings for Cullen ran deeper than she wanted to admit. She had come to terms with the fact that she thought of him as more than a co-worker and that what she felt went beyond friendship. It certainly surpassed a girlish crush, though the way he made her blush sometimes made it seem that way. But something in Ellie knew that her feelings for the man were deepening at a frighteningly quick pace.

The Inquisitor stifled that reality, pushing far from her mind in hopes that the thought would disappear entirely. Instead her eyes flicked up, noticing a warm light make its way through the mountain peaks, gradually brightening the horizon. She hadn't realized how intent she had been rubbing the Commander's back or how absorbed she was in her own thoughts, but dawn had finally broke. Now that she had come to that realization, she could start to hear as a new day of life had been breathed into Skyhold, a dull buzz of awakening activity sounding through the air.

She knew that chances were it would still be some time before anyone came to bother her for anything so she stayed seated at the edge of the bed, hand still grazing the back of the cloth that covered Cullen's torso. Her eyes went up to his face, which still made it appear that he was in a calm slumber, and she noticed the golden hair that was normally perfectly combed back was now in a messy arrangement of unkempt curls.

With a curiosity induced courage, Ellie moved the hand that had been on his back up and ran it tentatively through his hair. She had always wondered just what the texture of his dark blonde locks would feel like and she wasn't disappointed. His curls were surprisingly soft and silky; the only resistance she felt was the remnants of what she assumed was hair wax that lightly coated the ends. Ellie remembered hearing Leliana and Josephine joke about the Commander's use of hair products but the Herald didn't think there was any truth to it. To find out now that there was indeed truth to the jesting amused Ellie, but she felt more aflutter to the fact that he was to some extent concerned about his appearance. She had to remind herself that it had nothing to do with her and that he wasn't at all concerned about what she specifically thought about his looks.

She was abruptly shaken from her thoughts when she felt Cullen stir, rolling so that he was now his back, Ellie's hand still combing through his curly hair. At first she thought he was just readjusting his position but when he opened those gorgeous amber eyes, she froze completely, her breathing ceasing altogether.

Cullen blinked but didn't move, didn't take his eyes off Ellie and that was when she realized she still had her fingers on his scalp and she hastily withdrew from him.

"Um, hi," she feebly offered him as she bit the bottom of her lip hard from awkwardness and anxiety.

"T-that," he choked out a little, his voice harsh and raspy from having just woken up. He cleared his throat and tried again, "That felt really nice."

Ellie couldn't even pay attention to the red tinge the Commander's skin took when he uttered those words. All she could think about was what he said. And that he actually said that. But then her brain chastised herself for reading too much into things and forced herself to gain her composure. "You seemed to be having nightmares earlier. But when I did that it seemed to help and you calmed down."

The admission apparently made Cullen stop to notice exactly where he was and what he had been doing, "I… Fell asleep here?"

Ellie's eyes widened at the obvious implication, though her heart sunk a little that the implication wasn't the actual reality, "Not exactly. You came to see me last night to talk about something but then you collapsed. You've been out ever since."

This time it was Cullen whose eyes grew in shock, confusion obvious on his features yet he kept silent for a moment as he seemed to put the puzzle pieces in his head together. Ellie had stayed seated at the edge of the bed, but now her hand fiddled with the hem of her loose shirt in a nervous gesture. It was just now that she had realized that she was still wearing her sleeping attire and while it wasn't particularly immodest, it still made her feel self-conscious now that Cullen was awake and alert.

"Forgive me."

The whispered apology snapped Ellie's attention back to the man in her bed, "Forgive you for what?"

Cullen had leaned up on his elbows. He had what appeared to be a bashful look on his face yet his position allowed him to better look Ellie in the eye. "For everything. I shouldn't have approached you when I did last night. Had I realized I was in such poor shape I would've…"

"You would've still been doing anything other than resting," Ellie interrupted him with a knowing smirk, "Cullen, it's awful that you passed out but I'm happy I was here when it happened. It had me worried sick but at least I could get you help right away. Had you collapsed when you were alone or something…" She trailed off, not really wanting to think in detail what could have happened had he not been found right away, since her mind always hashed out the worst-case scenario first.

"Still, I shouldn't have pushed myself so far yesterday," Cullen argued, his eyebrows knit closely together and sitting fully upright, "I appreciate you being here and for helping me but I don't want to be a burden. The Inquisition deserves more from a Commander and you shouldn't have another load to bear. You carry enough as it is."

His words stung Ellie as she realized that it sounded like he still wanted a replacement, "You're anything but a burden, Cullen. I can't imagine the extent of what you're facing right now, but regardless of what you think you're still an irreplaceable asset to the Inquisition."

Her words were said with a genuine passion, pleading him to understand that it would kill her if he left but he still looked remorseful as he cast his eyes down and away from her. But Ellie was not one to slink away from fight. Fighting for Cullen was no different. She took her hand away from the hem of her shirt and slid it underneath Cullen's, then placed her other hand on top of his. The gesture returned Cullen's attention back to her and Ellie winced at how broken his eyes seemed. She gently squeezed his hand with both of hers as her silver orbs bore into his.

"Everyone here wholeheartedly believes you're still fully capable of doing you're job," Ellie started, her voice soft but full of emotions she was scared to name, "But this isn't just about the Inquisition. This is about you, Cullen Rutherford, the person. This is about what you want and the fact that we need you. I need you. Not the Inquisitor or the Herald. Me. Ellie Trevelyan. I need you. I'm asking you on that premise to please stay. I can't do this without you."

There was a moment that stretched between them for what felt like an eternity to Ellie. An eternity of which she had bared her feelings, at least to an extent, and now she waited for his response. And it killed her. But she waited, unmoving, closely watching him for any indication as to how he would react. But the man was still, not flinching, not blinking; it hardly even seemed like he was breathing.

Then after long last, he slowly brought his free hand from the other side of his body and laid it on top of Ellie's, his eyes still meeting hers but now they had softened into something warm, something that seemed so… Cullen.

"Alright. I'll stay," his simple words were accompanied with a comforting smile.

"I'm very happy to hear you say that," Ellie breathed as she felt herself exhale audibly in relief as she met his smile with one of her own, "I mean it, Cullen. You are more to me than the Inquisition's Commander. I know I said otherwise before I left, and if anyone deserves an apology, it's you. To say I misspoke that day would be an understatement and I'm truly sorry."

Cullen ran a calloused thumb across the top of Ellie's hand, making a knot form in her stomach, "It's fine, Ellie. I know you're more than capable of handling your own matters and I shouldn't have let Fenris provoke me that day. It was unworthy of me."

Ellie shrugged, "You had my back, Cullen. It's one thing for that to happen on the battlefield but in personal matters, it's a rare thing and it means the world to me. Which is why I think of you as more than a Commander. I would like to think of you as," Ellie paused for a brief moment as to what she actually wanted to say. What she wanted to think of Cullen as was far beyond where their relationship had gone so far. She only wished one day she could think of him as, not only more than a Commander, but as more than a friend. But there was no way she was going to admit that now. She didn't want to say friend either because she didn't want him to have any impression friendship was all she wanted. "I would like to think of you as someone I'm very close to."

She wasn't sure how the man would respond to her words at first and in her nervousness she had let her gaze fall away from him while she had spoke. But when she gathered the courage to bring her eyes back to him, her mouth parted slightly in astonishment with the warmth in the way he was looking back at her and the lopsided grin that spread across face. "I would like to think the same of you."

It was Ellie's turn to grin at his words and in that moment it seemed that some kind of silent, unnamed understanding passed between the two. Both of them becoming acutely aware that whatever was transpiring between them was definitely real and they both wanted to find out exactly what it was.