Bethany was going to kill Varric.

"Hawke, Bethany," the Inquisitor said with the warmest familiarity, "may I present Commander Rutherford, formerly of the Templar Order. He leads our forces of the Inquisition. We would have sunk long ago if not for him."

She was going to rip out each one of that Maker-forsaken dwarf's chest hairs. One by one. Perhaps she would tie the wretch up by his ankles and feed him to the Seeker. He had spared no detail on Lady Pentaghast's hatred of him in his letters. She surely would do the job admirably.

"Cullen!" Garrett said with empty affection. "What an unpleasant surprise!" The Inquisitor, who struck her as good-natured and almost as easy in his own skin as her brother, gave a confused looked to his commander, who still managed to nod politely.

"Champion. Miss Hawke," he greeted with a surprising lack of stiffness, considering the barely concealed contempt emanating from her brother.

"You know each other?" the Inquisitor asked.

"Unfortunately," Garrett quipped.

"Now, now, brother," she said, trying her best to sound confident and non-plussed, in spite of the fact that the sight of the templar had her magic tingling at her fingertips and adrenaline coursing through her veins, unsure if she was ready to fight or to flee. "We mustn't offend the whole castle on the first day. At least try to spread it out a bit. It's nice to see you again… Commander, is it now?" Bethany attempted to calm the racing of her heart using every ounce of discipline at her disposal to keep her magic at bay. She only hoped Cullen could not sense it coming forth.

"I'm having a hard time telling if you are jesting or genuinely dislike each other," Maxwell -as the Inquisitor asked to be called- admitted, though he did not seem troubled in the slightest.

"Does the Champion of Kirkwall Hate You, or Is He Joking?: A Biography," Bethany said thoughtfully. "Honestly, Your Worship, he doesn't know half of the time."

"I usually let my sword figure it out as I go along," Garrett grumbled, not taking his eyes off of the templar.

"I'm afraid we parted on less than amiable terms in Kirkwall during the rebellion," Cullen explained to his leader before turning back to them, seemingly unbothered by Garrett's version of aggression. "It is unfortunate that our last meeting was less than amiable, Champion, but you and your family have nothing to fear from me. As the Inquisitor has said, I am no longer with the Order, and have no quarrel with mages, least of all those who are lending their aid to our cause." He was looking at Garrett, even though she was the mage in question. He was avoiding her. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

"No quarrel with mages?" Garrett questioned sardonically. "You?"

"I assure you my commander has treated our mages with the utmost respect and care," the Inquisitor interjected easily, trying to assuage the irritation evident in Hawke's eyes. "He has worked tirelessly to ensure those under Grand Enchanter Fiona have had a safe place under our banner."

"Yes, Varric told us that you offered sanctuary for the mages to join you of their own free will," Bethany said, placing a gentle hand on Garrett's shoulder, hoping the contact would calm both of them. "As a fellow mage, I offer my sincerest thanks for treating them with dignity. I'm pleased to know you had no objections to taking them on as allies, Commander. This is indeed a strange world in which we find ourselves." She finally turned her eyes to Cullen's when she was confident her voice would not tremble with anxiety, watching him closely. She had observed him for years in the Circle. If there was a templar she could read almost as easily as a book, it was the former knight-captain. He cleared his throat with a polite nod, subtly shifting his body weight to the other side. He seemed wholly uncomfortable underneath his mask of diplomatic veneer. Poor Cullen never was very good at hiding his opinion on things. He betrayed no disagreement but something told her he was not completely in agreement with the way the the Inquisitor handled the mages, though it hardly mattered now.

"Cullen has supported us every step of the way, including helping the mages find their home here," the Inquisitor interceded, a bit too quickly. Bethany found the Inquisitor's obvious protective streak of his commander quite interesting, considering he was also a mage. "As a matter of fact, we have thought of dedicating that tower," he pointed to an impressive structure to the back of the fortress, "specifically for magical study. While I oppose Circles as they stood, education is vital for mages in learning to control their magic. With the influx we have of mages in our ranks, we thought it a good resource to have. Cullen," Maxwell said, placing a confident hand on the commander's shoulder. "I would like to speak with Hawke and Varric before Cassandra finally fulfills her threats on our storyteller's life. Would you be so kind as to give Miss Hawke a tour of our gardens?" He turned to Bethany before Garrett could interject. "Varric tells me you have something of a gift with herbs, Bethany. I couldn't keep a cactus alive if my life depended upon it, I'm afraid. If I could get your advice on how to use the earth at our disposal during your visit, I'd be most grateful." Garrett finally succeeded with an interruption.

"Bethany can stay with-"

"Your sister is safe within our walls, Champion, I assure you. And even if she were not, she seems quite capable of handling herself. Come along now. Varric is waiting on the wall. It's about as far away from our dear seeker as he could find." Garrett met his eyes with Bethany's. She gave a small, encouraging smile and slight nod. After a meaningful glare tossed in the commander's direction, he followed the Inquisitor, who was chattering away to Hawke about… something.

"He seems… nice," Bethany offered to her only remaining audience: an extremely nervous looking Cullen. "Not exactly what I expected. I heard he killed a high dragon near Redcliffe. Did he talk it to death?" She was grateful her attempt to lighten the mood was successful. The weight of tension almost visibly lifted from his shoulders as he shuffled his feet quietly once again.

"He wields his words almost as keenly as our ambassador," Cullen replied. "Don't let the talking fool you. He listens more closely than you think." She offered a polite smile in response, feeling as if she was having some sort of strange out-of-body experience. She suddenly felt as if she were back in the Gallows, bound with enchanter robes and a dozen templars breathing down her neck. But, she was having a conversation with a high ranking templar. Or former templar, whatever he was. It had been two years since she had been free, but something in the back of her mind made her feel as if she was doing something wrong.

"As a younger sibling, I am very aware of when someone is trying to pawn me off, Knight Cap- Commander," she offered. "I wouldn't wish to interfere in your duties so that you can be a nanny for the day for an unoccupied visitor. I can show myself to this ailing garden if you could point me in the direction."

"It would be my pleasure to show you our grounds," he replied. "It would be a good opportunity to survey our progress. That is, ah-" he paused nervously, and Bethany frowned a bit at the unusual lack of confidence in tem- ex-templar. "That is unless you would prefer to go alone." Bethany inhaled deeply, blowing out a sigh with a nervous chuckle as her body finally seemed convinced that she was not about to fight for her life. She suddenly felt exhausted.

"I'll be frank with you, Commander. I don't mean to be rude, but the last time I saw you, talking to you with any sort of familiarity could gotten me in line for the Rite of Tranquility or executed. At least in that last year, when things went from bad to worse. I wasn't exactly prepared to see you here, and I'm not quite sure how to talk to you about touring a garden."

The seconds of excruciating silence ticked by both of them. Bethany held her chin high. She might have just admitted she was subconsciously terrified of the man, but she still had her pride.

"I suppose that saved us several days of awkward pleasantries while we ignore the obvious," he finally said, his brown eyes a bit downcast.

"You always did like efficiency." She crossed her arms over her chest and joining him in focusing her gaze on some interesting pebble arrangement in the ground. The attempt at humor seemed more sad than genuine.

Cullen still offered wistful, equally sad smile. "I know it must be easier for me to remember you fondly, in better days. Your first years. I know they were still not fair to you. I can see that now. But I remember feeling that we were… perhaps friends wouldn't be the right word."

"No," Bethany said. "Everyone made if very clear that templars were not there to be our friends." She finally raised her eyes to meet his. "But you always made that hard to remember.

"Varric told me you were coming," he admitted. "I thought he would have done the same for you."

Bethany rolled her eyes. "If your seeker wants to kill him, she's going to have to get in line," she growled as much her airy voice would allow.

"I'm not sure why he chose not to tell you, but I would never wish to be a cause of discomfort for you." She wanted to lie and say that he didn't. But it would still be a lie.

"It's not necessarily you," she replied, a bit more softly. "I've always thought you to be a virtuous man. For a templar." He could hear a subtle teasing in her words. He was grateful for the levity. "I just … I wasn't expecting to be reminded of certain chapters of my life that I thought were closed today. I'm afraid my brother and I do not always react well to surprises. I apologize for his -well, you know my brother." Cullen smiled.

"Think nothing of it. I … I know I don't represent the best years of your life, Bethany. Maker's breath, I was the one who took you to the Circle in the first place. I know at the time I thought-" He stopped, and Bethany was glad of it. "Perhaps you can find it in your heart to believe that two years of war can change a person. I'm not the same man I was in Circle. Or at least I try not to be. I didn't just leave the Order to serve here. I left because-" She eyed him cautiously, but made no reply. Whatever train of thought he had seemed abandoned under her scrutiny. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret taking you there. I regret many things I've done and said over the years, but that one haunts me the most." The raven-haired mage squeezed her eyes tightly together, turning her back to the commander while trying to hide her mortification.

"I think that is far too much honesty for one day," she said shakily, trying to subtly wipe her eyes to ensure no tears sprung forth.

"I apologize if I-"

"No don't," she interrupted, turning to face him again, certain her face was dry. "You don't need to apologize. I think I should like to see the garden, if you don't mind. I'm curious as to what could actually grow here in the middle of the Frostbacks."