Orianni's eyes flickered open in response to the ray of sun that rested on her face. A gentle breeze circulated the room as a result of the balcony doors being left open. She recognized that she was laying in her own bed but she remained still, confused as she did not remember returning to her quarters. She attempted to retrace her steps, being unable to recall several hours of the previous day made her anxious. She began to glance around the room but everything was exactly as she'd left it before. As she began to sit up a shock from her injury caused her to immediately fall back down. Orianni groaned, conceding to the fact that she was immobile for the moment. She rested on her back, only able to focus on the dull throb that followed the initial burst of pain. The jolt had been enough to jog her memory as well. She closed her eyes hard, cringing as the memory of collapsing rose to the front of her mind. She was ashamed that it had happened at all, let alone in front of him. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Dorian's voice reverberating off the door to her quarters.

"This is preposterous!" He declared as he leaned against the wall beside her door, staring daggers at Cullen, who was standing off to the side of him. "Three! Three broken ribs!"

"Why are you glaring at me as if I am the cause?" Cullen retorted, disgusted by the insinuation. "Do you think me responsible?"

"I'm glaring at you because you're in my line of sight," Dorian refuted, "But if you have something to say to me than by all means-"

"Enough," Cassandra hissed, making her presence known, "The both of you. I'm sure she's awake now solely from the sound of your bickering." She pinched the bridge of her nose briefly and let out a deep sigh, "Dorian, I think it would be best if you went and cooled down while we figure out what exactly happened. I'm sure she'll want to visit with you later."

Dorian crossed his arms in a huff. "Fine," He yielded after a moment of contemplation, "Only because I don't want to cause her any extra stress, not because you told me to." With that he turned away, striding back toward the library.

Cassandra offered Cullen a concerned look before opening the door. "Inquisitor?" She called out before walking up the stairs to indicate that they were entering. There was no response so she'd assumed that Orianni was still asleep. She continued to enter the room, Cullen following closely behind her. But upon reaching the top of the stairs Cassandra was struck with disbelief, seeing that the bed was empty. "Where is she?" She asked in a quiet voice, seemingly asking the room, not necessarily expecting an answer.

However, as if to acknowledge Cassandra, Orianni stepped out from behind one of the open balcony doors. Her soft white trousers and undershirt blowing gently as a gust of wind flew in.

"What in the world are you doing?" Cassandra scolded her. "You should not be standing." She furrowed her brow, her frustration becoming evident. An event like this could easily disrupt the Inquisition's plans and they needed her to be in better condition quickly. Orianni slowly stepped back into the room, her eyes watching the ground in front of her. "I cannot expect to lay around all day," She protested, "I don't have that privilege." She had never been one to shirk her duties, it would not start now. Even as a child when she would get hurt she would be told to 'shake it off', as the needs of the individual were outweighed by the needs of the clan. She would one day lead her clan and would be responsible for everyone, no matter what happened to her. This was something she had accepted.

Cassandra approached her and began to walk with her as she spoke, to ensure that the elf would at least sit back down on the bed. "Do you truly not understand how bad your injuries are?" Once Orianni was seated Cassandra returned to her usual, assertive stance. "What exactly happened?"

Orianni met Cassandra's eyes after exhaling. "I honestly did not think it would be this detrimental," She admitted. "Please, don't be too upset but… I'm sure I broke one of them during the battle at Haven." She noticed Cullen shift uneasily in the corner of her eye but kept her gaze trained on Cassandra. "I fell down a shaft while trying to escape the avalanche. That's when I think it broke. I've broken a bone before and it healed on its own so that's what I expected." She stopped for a moment, glancing downward before continuing. "And it was healing… Quite well in fact." She paused for a second, recollecting the incident that caused the current situation. "But we were ambushed by a group of red templars while coming back from Orlais. One of them caught me by surprise and bashed me with his shield, re-breaking the first one and two others. I thought I could handle it, I didn't want to worry anyone."

Cassandra's face softened after hearing her story. "I'm not going to scold you like a child," She conferred. What was done was done, they needed to focus on their next moves. "You don't have to carry this cause alone," She reminded her, "All of us want to help you."

"Understood," Orianni affirmed.

"The physician said that you will be unable to go on field operations for a few weeks," Cassandra said, changing the subject, "Given the circumstance, what would you want to do?"

"There are a few operations that don't require I go," Orianni's demeanor changed, relieved they'd moved on, "Cassandra, if you're willing, I'd prefer you lead a small team to take care of things."

Cassandra smiled. "I am more than willing," She said approvingly. She turned to Cullen quickly, "I'm going to inform Josephine of the situation." Without giving him time to respond she had already begun to leave, swiftly descending the stairs. Cullen watched as she left, the door shut loudly behind her.

Cullen chose to linger, he had questions of his own.

"I apologize," Orianni spoke softly, but it was enough to capture his full attention. He turned, seeing that she was staring down at her hands. He had realized then that she had refused to make eye contact with him the entire time he'd been there. "I shouldn't have put you in that situation," She continued, knowing that he was fully listening to her.

Cullen took a few steps closer to her bedside. "I should apologize as well," He said softly, "for ruining your cuirass." He hoped that she would look up at him, that she would gaze at him the way she normally did. Unfortunately, he would be left wanting. She remained solemn, head hanging. "You only cut the strings," She sighed, "Once it's laced back up with new ones it'll be good as new."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He asked her outright. He didn't know why, but he knew that she was holding back and he was compelled to know the real reason.

Orianni was quiet for a while before letting out a small whisper. "Are you angry with me?"

"No," He breathed, thinking about his next words, "I was… bothered by the situation, but not angry."

More silence filled the room, but Cullen refused to move. Eventually she caved, "I cannot afford to be weak." Finally admitting her true feelings was cathartic, she raised her head, looking straight ahead. "There are so many people depending on me, expecting me to be strong."

"That's no reason to-" Cullen started, but she quickly shut his statement down.

"No?" She inquired, "Cullen, if a band of bandits can clearly see that a clan's keeper is sickly, they're going to attack." Cullen opened his mouth to speak but she was not done making her point. "If anyone saw that the Inquisitor was severely hurt people could begin to lose hope, we would be more likely to be threatened. You're a commander," She remarked, "You must know what it's like to feel weak but be unable to show it because so many look up to you." Her eyes finally met his but this was a different side of her. A vulnerable side that he'd never seen before, his heart lurched in his chest. He could feel the dejection in her words, it became clear to him that she hadn't chosen a life of such immense responsibility but it had been thrust upon her. The sentiment was disheartening and some of the things that she'd said did make sense to him. He was uncertain for a moment but opted to move closer until he was close enough to slowly sit down beside her.

"When I saw the archdemon at Haven I was... Scared," He admitted, hoping to make her feel better. "I thought that was going to be where everything we started would end. But if I let my men know that they would've given up."

The tension that Orianni had been carrying eased. "I was scared then too," She said, smiling faintly. Cullen smiled in return, almost relieved. They sat together in peace until Orianni spoke up. "So… um… Who changed my clothes?"

"One of the nurses," Cullen answered her quickly, not wanting to make her feel self conscious. "I only removed your cuirass to get a better look at your injury."

Orianni raised her hand to calm him, "I did not intend to make you uncomfortable. I was only curious." She looked away from him momentarily. "I assume that most everyone is aware of my current state. Correct?"

"It was quite difficult to subtly ride in with you in my arms," He confirmed, "Admittedly, I was more concerned for your well being, I was not thinking of discretion." That had been the second time he'd held her unconscious body, it was nerve wracking to say the least. "But there is no need to worry," He said sincerely, "The people were concerned, but when the physician said that you'd be okay they went back to their lives."

"I understand," Orianni affirmed calmly. She rested her hand on the bed, close to his. "Thank you," She added tenderly, "For looking after me."

He smiled at her again before standing abruptly. "I should let you rest now," He said, beginning to head toward the door. "You'll need it... While you're here you'll be subject to Josephine's will," He joked, "The ball at the Winter Palace is nearing and she has a lot planned for you."

"I can't wait," Orianni said with an eye roll. She watched him approach the stair thoughtfully. "Oh, and Cullen?"

He stopped short of the first step and looked back to her. "Yes?"

Her cheeks grew red as she began to smirk. "If you had been the one who changed my clothes I wouldn't have minded."

Cullen cleared his throat roughly as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the heat in his own face rising. "P-please… um," He stuttered, caught completely off guard, "get some rest." He left quickly, not wanting her to see him lose his composure.