Ashe

She woke up, startled, by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She got out of bed and went down the stairs to open.

"Your Worship," a guard greeted her with a bowed head.

"Yes? Maker, what time is it?"

"I beg your pardon, my Lady, dawn is just settling on the horizon. But there is something you should know before the rest of the keep wakes up."

Ashe raised her eyebrows in question.

"Commander... I mean, the former Commander is still outside the gates. He hasn't moved since you ordered his removal yesterday."

"Cullen? He's still here?"

"Yes, my Lady. He's just sitting there, he tied his horse up next to him. He says he won't move until you come speak to him."

"Oh, for the love of the Maker! Why did no one tell me earlier?"

"We, uhm... we kind of figured he would give up after a while. And you said you weren't to be disturbed, Your Worship, but it is going to create quite the scene if our former Commander is just sitting there for all to see. The Captain said to fetch you right away. She doesn't know what to do, Ser Cullen won't talk to anyone but you."

"Fine. Give me a few minutes, and I will sort this out, I promise."

The guard nodded and left quietly.

What in Thedas was Cullen still doing here?

Ashe went back to her room and clothed herself in a fur coat to protect herself from the chill outside before walking quietly through the halls leading out, and down through the courtyard. Just like the guard said, she found Cullen sitting right outside the closed iron gate leading out to the bridge outside Skyhold.

He heard her approach and stood up, gripping the metal of the gate with his gloved hands.

"Ashe -"

"Why are you still here?" she interrupted him. She gave him the coldest stare she could muster but he did not seem fazed whatsoever.

"You think I would give up so easily? I meant every word I said about doing anything for you. I'm sorry I said some foolish things in the middle of our argument, truly, but it doesn't change how I feel."

"You cannot be out here. People will talk."

"Does it look like I care? I won't move an inch from here until you let me back in, until you talk to me again."

Ashe huffed in frustration. "You are not in a position to make such demands. You think you can blackmail me into letting you back in?"

Cullen threw his hands out in front of him. "What do you expect? You're crazy if you think I am going to give up. I will never. Never."

Ashe closed her eyes and took a few, deep breaths. She could hear the determination in his voice. She turned her head toward the guard standing in the shadows beside the lever to the gate and nodded to him.

Cullen's eyes widened when the gate started to open.

"Leave your horse. Someone will take care of him," Ashe said and started to walk back to the stairs leading to the upper courtyard.

"So you will talk to me then?" Cullen said, following her.

"Yes, you idiot. In private this time."

He seemed to take the hint and was quiet until they arrived in her chambers. A servant must have stirred the fire since heat and flames were sparking up from the fireplace, and Ashe sat down in one of the chairs in front of it. Cullen did the same in the other one.

"Ashe, I'm sorry, I didn't ever mean to imply..."

"Imply? Wasn't it more of a statement? What was it you said again? That I have been 'spreading my legs for every man in this hold'?"

Cullen looked away from her and stared into the fire.

"It's a funny thing, how you men always react the same. You're so quick to call me a whore, but what did you do, Cullen? Do you even remember how all of this started? Before Alistair got here, the only emotion you ever showed for me was cold disinterest. But as soon as you got a little competition, it was suddenly fun to play."

"I didn't..."

"Don't you fucking lie to me!" she snarled. "Do you remember what you said to me after the first time you kissed me? You told me to go to him. You wanted to play this fucking game, not me. I chose you Cullen, it was always you! I told you I would come back to you after Alistair's birthday celebrations, that if you just had patience, I would come back and really be with you. You agreed, yet still you came there with Mahariel on your arm. More games from you, not from me. Not to mention your little excursion to Emprise du Lion – it wasn't just from Hawke I heard the rumors about how the 'Lion of the Inquisition' had bedded every girl in the village. Did I ever even say a fucking word about that? No, I did not, since I held the opinion that you were free to do whatever you wished if you weren't with me. And then... everything with Anders happened..."

Her voice broke, and she chided herself for sounding so weak.

She could see Cullen move from the corner of her eye. "Don't. Don't pity me, and don't fucking touch me."

Cullen froze and sat back down.

"After that, when we got back here... I chose you again. You promised that you would keep me safe, and the next thing I knew, you were gone and married to another woman."

"Ashe, please, you know I was tricked into it. This was never my intention."

Ashe sighed, and stared into the fire, suddenly so tired she thought she might sleep for days after this. "It doesn't even matter. I have never needed you more than I did then, and you abandoned me when I needed you most, it – it broke something inside of me, Cullen."

Her last words were barely more than a whisper, and Cullen defied her wishes and got up and then knelt in front of her.

"Please, forgive me Ashe, you know what a horrible misunderstanding it was. I will do whatever it takes, please – forget what I said about letting that bitch explain – no one matters but you." His hand cupped her chin and he looked her straight in the eyes, and she was surprised to find that they shone with not yet shed tears. "I was an absolute idiot, making a game out of this, out of you. Nothing else in this fucking world matters but you, do you hear me?"

She was taken aback by the fire in his voice and the truth in his eyes. But she couldn't respond, not yet. It was all too much.

He sensed it. She hated that he did, that he knew her so well. It was breaking her resolve.

He stood up and let her go. "I'll leave you alone. I know it's been an overwhelming time for you, for us all. And Ashe..." He touched her cheek softly. "I'm sorry that I killed Anders. I know he wasn't mine to kill. But I couldn't allow him to exist in the same world as you."

He smiled sadly at her, and then he left the room.

Alistair

"Our father will never allow this to -"

Alistair slapped the girl hard across her face.

"You will do as I say," he snarled, "or so help me I will feed the pair of you to the darkspawn. I'll drag you to one of their lairs myself, dump you there for them to feast on and seal the entrance behind me."

Lady Corinne started to cry, but her sister dug her nails into her arm. "Shut it, you stupid bitch," she hissed, before she looked back at Alistair.

"I always knew you were the smart one, Lydia," he said. "So listen to me carefully: If you don't believe I'm serious about leaving you as a snack for the darkspawn – which I am, by the way – then believe me when I say that rumors about your destroyed virtue will start flying around very soon if you don't do what I tell you. Not from me, though, no, no, no. But every other man in the city will start talking about how the two of you whore yourself out to them, begging for it like bitches in heat. And what will your father do when he hears of it? When everyone starts talking about his own daughters like that, how you have destroyed your family's reputation?"

"Please, Your Majesty, we will do what you ask, I swear," Lydia said, standing in front of her still crying sister. She whipped her head around when a loud sob emerged from her. "Will you shut up, you cursed little shit!" she snarled, before redirecting her attention to Alistair again. "I promise I will get her under control for the trip, Your Majesty."

"You'd better. We leave at dawn."