He stood alone in the gallows courtyard, the atmosphere around him was grey and thick. The silence was deafening and the feeling of isolation was overbearing. Any color there may have been was stripped away; the walls, statues, and even his own clothes were ashen. It became harder for him to breath as he began to notice movement around him, the pressure on his chest becoming intolerable. It started as small swirls in the fog forming around him, but shortly he realized that the fog was beginning to take on different shapes. Then the whispers came in a great crescendo, the ringing made his ears bleed; he clenched his fists in response. He found himself craving the silence that came before. Ghastly monsters with the cruelest of intentions surrounded him but no matter how determined he was to protect himself he found that he, like the statues of sobbing slaves on the columns, was frozen in place. Horror began to overwhelm him as his only choice was to stay put, to be subjected to their tortures. He could feel the sword at his side but to his frustration it may as well have been across the yard. The ghoulish shapes slithered closer to him, closing in on all sides. He closed his eyes, praying for relief that would not come. Even this action would not grant him security as although he couldn't see them he could still feel them surrounding him. The air around him was so dense he struggled to inhale. "No," He mustered weakly. He wanted to scream, to run, to at least be allowed to defend himself, but there was no reprieve. At least until he heard her voice.

"Cullen?"

He barely heard it at first. It was a hauntingly sweet sound, too pristine to be in this twisted place. He tried to ignore it, thinking it to be a trick of his mind or perhaps even a trick from one of those creatures. I will not falter, I will not give in. His eyes began to ache from the pressure he'd put on them.

"I can't see you… Cullen?"

Stop it. Stop it. Please… Stop. He begged his subconscious to grant him the ability to resist. He knew it was a trick, but he wanted to look anyway; he wanted to see that the monsters had vanished and that she was standing before him. But he knew that this was futile, how selfish of him to expect that she would save him so easily. That she would even want to. The longer he fought with himself the more rage grew inside of him, and in turn, the louder the demons' whispers became. He began to feel like the world around him was spinning rapidly. The overwhelming build of indignation became physically excruciating. He felt as though this was the end, he would die here.

Then, as quickly as it all started, it receded. He felt himself drop to the ground, his hands catching his fall. He let out a weakened gasp, breathing in like he would never be able to again. The pain in his chest and ears had been numbed and the whispers were absent, his eyes began to well up, grateful for the momentary peace he'd been granted.

It felt like an eternity, but eventually he felt safe enough to open his tired eyes. The fog was still heavy, but he knew it was her. The elegant silhouette ahead of him was still shrouded but his eyes had traced that outline many times, he was leery but was almost certain it was her. She took a step toward him but the distance was too great between them, she seemed to be unable to leave the fog. The thought saddened him but she didn't seem to be distressed.

"Wake up!" She called out to him.

"What?" He whispered to himself, confused by the notion.

"Wake up!" Once more was all it took.

Cullen's eyes shot open, darting from side to side in order to gain his bearings. When he was certain he was back in his quarters he sighed heavily, exhausted by restless sleep. Orianni had been in Orlais for over two weeks now, and he'd dreamt of her almost every night she was away. Not that she was the cause for the nightmares, he had been having them for months now. In fact, it was only when she appeared in his dreams that he was able to find calm. He worried about the dependency that was forming for a moment before getting up and starting his day.

His routine was quick and efficient. Cullen did not hesitate to get to work, eyeing the pile of reports on his desk. He knew his morning would be busy as Orianni and the others would be returning today and there would be many things to do. Their field reports alone would be enough to fill several days of work, not to mention the operations that they still needed to launch. Despite the fact that it would be hectic, Cullen was glad that she was back.

While filing his paperwork the sight of a book at the edge of his desk caught his attention. He stopped what he was doing to pick up the text, looking intently at the cover. Ever since the night at the tavern, Cullen had thought a lot about what he wanted to say to her. He had taken Varric's advice as well and had begun reading more on Dalish culture. He still didn't understand much of it but he didn't want to risk offending her. Before that evening he hadn't even considered how different the Dalish were from other elves he'd encountered. They were a very proud people, which greatly contradicted the attitudes of the city elves especially.

He was broken away from his thoughts by the distant sound of horses outside. He smiled softly, glancing out the window to see the arrival of their Inquisitor. He eagerly left his quarters, intending to greet them down by the stables. He told himself it was because he was tired of going through reports all morning, but he couldn't hide the ulterior motive from himself.

When he finally reached the courtyard he could see that Orianni was the only person at the stable, aside from the horsemaster of course. He approached her hurriedly as she seemed to be resupplying. "You just got back and you're already leaving us?" Cullen asked lightheartedly.

"Not quite," Orianni said, turning to greet him with her unique smile. "I saw a great deal of elfroot and a few other flowers and herbs out in a field just a few miles south of Skyhold. I wanted to stop but the others were eager to get back since we'd taken a few extra hours to rest this morning. I'm going back out to gather some of them."

"Alone?" Cullen asked abruptly.

Orianni rolled her eyes buoyantly. "It's only a few miles out, I'll be back before sunset, I promise." She looked up at her horse's saddle thoughtfully, then back to Cullen. "Do you think you could give me a boost?" She asked, motioning to the horse with her head.

"I… uh, I suppose," He hesitated briefly. His nerves got the best of him at first but he powered through them, hoisting her up so that she could mount her horse. He noticed her wince and inhale sharply upon being lifted. "I'm sorry," He said, assuming that he'd hurt her in some way.

"It's not you," Orianni reassured him, although she seemed dismissive of the issue, "No need to worry. Thank you, Cullen."

"Anytime.." He said, trailing off as he watched her begin to ride off, the horse taking a leisurely pace. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, admittedly he'd wanted their interaction to be longer and he hadn't expected her to go back out immediately.

"She's in pain," Cole breathed from behind him.

Cullen was physically startled by the boy, jolting where he stood. "Where did you come from?" He grumbled through his teeth. However, the annoyance wavered quickly as he was perturbed by Cole's statement. "What do you mean?"

"At first a loud prick, now a blunted ache," Cole spoke cryptically, "She is too good for her own good." He knelt in front of the well to pick a small flower. "It's unbearable, but I must endure," He whispered.

Cullen shook his head, bothered that Cole was never straight forward. He took a moment to attempt to decipher the boy's words. If she had been hurt while they were gone she should be seen by a physician. It troubled him that she didn't say anything if she was actually injured, though. He then thought about how she winced when he lifted her and realized that must have something to do with it. Either way, he concluded that she shouldn't be alone.

He quickly saddled up the nearest horse and set out to catch up with her. Luckily, she hadn't gotten far as her mount was still lazily walking along. "Orianni," He yelled, "Wait!"

The elf was taken aback by the action but still stopped to allow him to catch up, truly shocked. Once Cullen was close enough he spoke again. "May I accompany you?"

Orianni beamed, "Of course."

They rode silently for a long while, feeling comfortable in the presence of one another. Orianni felt childish, but she was excited that he decided to join her. She wanted to speak, to start a conversation, but she found that it had become more difficult lately. She admittedly didn't like that he made her nervous, but she still felt safe around him. It was strange. He made her stomach flutter when they shared glances, or when he smiled at her. She considered it a privilege as she noticed that he didn't smile often.

It was Cullen who broke the silence. He'd noticed a doe frolicking in the woods ahead of them and turned his head to face Orianni. "I… I'm not much of a hunter," He admitted, glancing down as though this news was supposed to severely disappoint her.

"What?" She asked, confused by his admission. She found it so peculiar that she couldn't help but giggle a bit. "That's okay Cullen," She said, trying to lift his spirits, "I don't hunt much either. But you can always learn how if it truly bothers you."

"I suppose you're right," He mused. She was clearly oblivious as to why he said what he did, but he had no desire to explain to her that he wanted to perform a Test of Worth. He would figure it out on his own so that it could be done properly. She deserved that at least.

"It's over here," Orianni whispered excitedly, leading the way down an overgrown road. Sure enough, after going forward a few more yards there lay a meadow with a soft beam of sunlight showing through the break in the canopy above, a number of different herbs grew in abundance all around the area. Once they were close enough Cullen dismounted and secured the horse to a nearby branch. He also noticed that Orianni was extremely hesitant before she did the same, landing roughly. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I am," She responded quickly, rushing into the field. Once she reached the center she knelt down and began to harvest the bounty before her. Although this was not Cullen's preferred activity he still helped her gather herbs, knowing that they would quickly be used up by the healers and the apothecary. After his bag was filled he stood, ready to return to his mount.

"May I be honest with you?" Orianni asked as she picked the elfroot in front of her. She looked at the herb thoughtfully, waiting patiently for Cullen to speak. Her question had caused his muscles to tighten, he looked at her but hesitated, worried about what was to come. "Of.. Of course," He said in a manner much softer than he normally spoke.

"I… Enjoy your company," She admitted, letting a smile grow across her face. She stood and met his gaze. "I'd like it if we could spend more time together."

Cullen relaxed his stance immediately, a genuine smile spread across. Although it was completely unexpected, it was definitely a comforting sentiment. "I would like that," He said in a hushed tone, realizing how close they were actually standing. "I'm glad," She breathed, peering longingly into his eyes.

Their tranquil moment had been disrupted when Orianni took a step forward, she ended up stepping into a small hole with her foot landing heavily, sending a shock up her body. She suddenly clutched her side in pain, letting out a small cry. "You are hurt," Cullen scolded, "Why didn't you say anything?"

She scowled and turned away from him, feeling a rush of fatigue overtake her. "Because it wasn't that bad," She choked before collapsing to the ground. Cullen lunged toward her in an attempt to catch her but she was just out of arm's reach. He ended up trying to help her brace for her fall and knelt beside her, noticing that her breath had become very shallow and her eyes were now closed. He thought quickly, Skyhold was a few miles out, he knew basic first aid but he didn't even know the severity of her injury. He needed to see it in order to properly assess the situation. In that moment he did for her what he would've done for any of his men if they needed aid. He was thinking as a Commander rather than just Cullen, he wouldn't have been able to do what he did otherwise. It made him feel dirty In a way since he had wanted to touch her for a while now, but not like this.

He could feel right away that her cuirass was much tighter than it should have been. Rather than attempting to untie the complex lacing on her back that held it together he simply took the knife from her belt and sliced through it, pulling the leather away from her torso, revealing bandaging that wrapped around her entire midsection, from her bust to just before where the cuirass would have ended. Orianni gasped for air when her chest was freed, still barely conscious. Cullen gently lifted the bandage from the side she had been grasping, his eyes wide with dread at the sight before him. In contrast to her pale skin there was a blotch of dark blue and purple discoloration larger than his hand across the side of her ribcage. "Maker's Breath," He uttered in a low voice, "Why didn't you just say something?"