Cullen

"Yes, what have you done, Cullen? We got your letter, saying you were to marry Mahariel. Why do you think Ashe threw herself to Denerim after you if she was engaged to the King?"

Cullen didn't answer him.

She... no.

She had said that she was there for Alistair, that the only reason she came to see him was to tend to his resignation as Commander of her forces.

But even as he formed the thoughts in his head, the memory of her eyes filling with tears flashed before him. He had made her cry because he had been cruel to her. He had been so angry at the time, how dared she waltz in there with an attitude after breaking his heart like it was nothing? But if she wasn't engaged to Alistair... then the only one who had been breaking any hearts was himself.

Cullen almost staggered backwards when he realized what this must have looked like to Ashe. He had left Skyhold without so much as a goodbye to her, and then news of his engagement to Mahariel had reached her, and according to Hawke she had left to come see him immediately. And what had he done when she had arrived?

"Maker's breath, I didn't mean to," he mumbled, more to himself than to Hawke. "But why would Mahariel tell me - I mean, she told me that Ashe and Alistair were to be married!"

Hawke shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she's madly in love with you and – no, sorry, that's too ridiculous to even consider."

Cullen felt like punching Hawke's teeth in when he saw him smirk at him.

Restraint, restraint.

"Very funny. And you're right, that is ridiculous. I'm the one who asked her to marry me." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Do you really think any of this was even her idea? She's going away because Alistair is hearing his Calling. Supposedly. Do you even think that's true?"

"Oh, come on, Cullen. Alistair may be a bastard in many ways but he wouldn't deceive Mahariel like that. You know what they have been through together, and Mahariel is a Warden too. He wouldn't lie about something as serious as that, just to get the girl."

"Hmph. I wouldn't put it past him," Cullen said. Hawke rolled his eyes at him, but Cullen was far from convinced. Mahariel had obviously lied to him, but she was an old friend to him too, she must have had a damned good reason. What in the Maker's name had Alistair said to her in all those meetings she went off to?

There was a knock on the door and a steward Cullen couldn't remember the name of entered.

"My Lord?"

Cullen almost turned his head around the room to see who the man was addressing before he realized that it was himself. He didn't know if he would ever get used to the whole noble-thing. "We need you for the morning meeting. There are a million things to go through on today's agenda."

"I'll be right there, thank you," Cullen nodded and the man disappeared again. Cullen turned to Hawke.

"I can't leave now, not yet. Whatever reason Mahariel had to lie to me, I'm still her husband and I have a duty to this place now. So, you know."

Hawke stared at him, clueless. "Know what?"

"You have to do me a favor. You have to go to Denerim, go to Ashe. And you have to find out what in Thedas is going on."

Hawke stared at him still, his eyes wide. "I have to what? I'm not your damned errand boy, Knight-Captain!"

Cullen ignored the jab with the old title Hawke always called him by when he wanted to annoy him.

Be nice to the fool, you need him.

"You should tell her about Anders anyway," Cullen said. "He's the reason you're here anyway, is it not?"

"I should tell her? I'm not the one who killed him!"

"Oh, come on, Hawke, you know you're dying to tell on me. Just try not to fuck her while you're there, you dog."

Cullen saw the fist coming but he let the mage hit him. It was a small price to pay.

One day later, he saw Hawke off as the man rode out of Amaranthine's gates with a sour expression on his face.

Hawke

The road was empty and Hawke's horse trotted on. Had anyone passed him by at that moment, they would never have noticed what was going on beneath the calm exterior.

He was sick of this. Sick of this them all. Who did they think they were? Cullen, all of a sudden an actual noble but busy as ever with victimizing himself. No one had forced him to marry Mahariel, and Hawke was no fool. The Commander had seen an opportunity to elevate his status and he had seized it. True, he might not have done it if he had known this thing with Ashe's engagement was a bluff, but how long had it taken him to move on after the news of her and the King? Not even a day. And now he thought that he could send him off to do his bidding.

He almost spit on the ground in contempt. And to think, that he had come close to actually leaving Skyhold, leaving Ashe with Cullen. Not to mention the bastard King, who had – if Cullen was right - manipulated Mahariel and was surely in the process of doing the same to Ashe at that very moment.

Hawke had always seen himself as a practical man. He didn't take many things seriously, and had never considered himself the best option for Ashe. But he could see very clearly now, that the only one who had ever had her best interests at heart was himself. He truly only wanted her to be happy and prosper, never once letting his own, selfish feelings up to the surface.

Cullen.

Alistair.

Just the thought of those two weasels made his blood churn. They thought that they could do whatever they wanted with Ashe, like she was some kind of toy and not the best thing that had ever happened to them. They should do nothing but to throw themselves at her feet if they cared as much for her as they claimed. Fucking bastards, both of them, lying, manipulative, unworthy sons-of-whores.

Hawke spurred his horse on into a gallop and thundered down the road towards the capital. If he needed to start a war over her, then so be it. He'd bring them war.