Cullen

The view was breathtaking. He had almost forgotten, but he let the splendor of the vast Frostback Mountains wash over him as he stood in his old favorite spot on the battlements outside his former office. He had used to come there every morning while he'd worked for the Inquisition, to let the chill of the morning air wake him up properly while he gazed out at the beauty around him. He would have given anything to go back to those days, now.

Cullen sighed and looked at the piece of paper in his hand again. The letter had come for him early that morning and he had read it over and over again, despite its briefness.

He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Cullen, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Leliana," Cullen greeted her as she leaned against the stone wall. "Don't worry about it, I just... let my thoughts wander."

"Oh? Do you want to talk about it? You look lost."

Cullen watched the woman's face closely, but Leliana wore an impenetrable mask of neutrality, as usual. "I received a letter from Mahariel," he said and held the paper out to Leliana. He knew it was pointless to resist her curiosity.

Leliana's eyes swept over the brief text quickly, before they returned to Cullen's face. "I see," she said. "What is it that she wants, do you think?"

Cullen took the letter back and sighed. "I suppose she's caught word that I have left Amaranthine. She obviously knows I'm here, anyway. And she can't be far away either if she wants to meet up outside of Orzammar."

"Are you going? To see her, I mean."

Cullen shrugged. "I don't know. I told Ashe that I wouldn't ever see Mahariel again, if that was what she wanted."

"Cullen," Leliana said and narrowed her eyes at him. "That is not a promise you will be able to keep. You are Mahariel's husband, you have an arling to care for, whether you like it or not. You cannot expect me – or Ashe for that matter – to believe that you would cast your duties aside so carelessly."

"I know that, dammit. I know. And… I can't say that I don't want to hear Mahri out. Maker, I've known her for over ten years, she is my friend. Not long ago, I would have said that I trust her with my life."

"And you don't anymore?"

Cullen clenched his fists. "I don't know what the fuck to think anymore," he spat. "Why would she be complicit in doing this to me?"

Leliana's eyes softened a fraction. "If you don't talk to her, you most assuredly won't find out."

Cullen sighed. "Perhaps you are right. Ashe, though… what would she think if I just left now, left to go see the very woman that drove us apart in the first place? It's unthinkable."

"Cullen. I think it would be best if you did leave."

Cullen looked up at the spymaster, incredulous. "What? Why would you say that?"

Leliana put her hand on his shoulder. "Think about it, for the Maker's sake, my friend. Ashe needs space from you and this whole mess right now. And are you just going to let this fester inside of you, are you going to let yourself wonder for the rest of your days why this all happened? Or are you going to man up and go face your wife, to at least try to sort this whole thing out? You are doing no good here now, anyway."

Cullen didn't respond. He knew that Leliana was right, but he still didn't want to leave. "Has she… has she said anything about me?" He hated how pathetic he sounded, but he needed to ask.

Leliana's face hardened again. "No. She doesn't want to see you. She needs time to think. She's busying herself with work, and speaking of; there is none here for you. You are not commander anymore, Cullen. As long as you respect her wishes – which I highly recommend that you do – there is absolutely nothing here for you."

"Andraste, you don't spare your words, do you Leliana?"

She smiled at him. "You can take it, I'm sure. Don't think that I would give you ill advise, Cullen. Mahariel is my friend as well, lest you've forgotten. I have a very hard time imagining that she has entered into this arrangement with you with any malicious intent. She must have had a good reason for it."

Ashe

The first light of dawn had barely settled on the sky when Ashe smashed the sword into the dummy for the what felt like the thousandth time that morning. She was covered in sweat from the grueling workout routine she had set up for herself over the last few weeks. She had no intention of getting soft just because they lived in momentary peace, and it helped to clear her head like nothing else. She preferred to do it as early as possible to avoid an audience – being who she was, it was impossible for her not to draw a crowd. No one except for a few sentries were out at this time, which was why she looked over to toward the main gate in surprise when she heard the familiar metallic screeching of its movements.

What was even more familiar to her was the fur clad shoulders and the straight posture of the man sitting in the saddle of the horse, waiting for the gate to open. She could see that Cullen's horse had fully packed saddle bags, and she couldn't help wondering where he was off to, or how long he would be gone for.

If he's even coming back at all.

But she did not announce herself from her corner of the courtyard. What was she supposed to say if he looked back and saw her, anyway? Where he was going was none of her business after all, and it was probably for the best that she didn't ask at all. She had avoided him the whole time he'd been there, and to speak to him now when he was on the verge of leaving would only risk getting his hopes up in the process, and that would simply be cruel of her.

So she watched quietly while he left and the gate closed behind him again. After a minute or two, she resumed her training, finding herself in need of blowing off even more steam. It was the only useful thing she could do with herself these days, it seemed.

Later that night, after a dreadful day filled with negotiations and so many infuriatingly loud Orlesian voices in her head that she thought she might have gone deaf, she was on her way to her quarters for some well deserved rest when Leliana intercepted her.

"Inquisitor," she said and locked arms with Ashe, steering her in the other direction. "Let's go for a drink."

Ashe didn't even try to protest, too tired by far to try to argue with her friend. A few minutes later, they were sat at a table in the Herald's Rest, drinks in hands and a plate of food between them. "So are you going to tell me now what you dragged me down here for?" Ashe asked before stuffing a grape in her mouth.

"I thought you might need it after today. You need to relax, dear."

Ashe groaned. "Oh, no, no, no. That's not it at all, is it? You're trying to prepare me for bad news, aren't you? Keeping me from my bed at this ghastly hour..."

"It's seven o'clock in the evening, Ashe," Leliana said, her lips curving up in a smile.

"Really? Sure feels like midnight to me," she mumbled. "But fine. You've got my full attention, now," she said and held her arms out wide. "Here I am, so hit me with it."

Leliana rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Ashe. It's not… bad news, per se. More interesting, I would say." The redhead took a sip of her wine while Ashe stared at her, saying nothing.

Leliana cleared her throat. "My birds have told me that Redcliffe is bustling with activity at the moment. People are very excited."

"Oh?" Ashe said and raised her eyebrows. "That's good, isn't it? I'm glad some people are having fun, at least."

"Careful what you wish for, dearest. My most qualified guess would be that that same fun you sound so envious of is coming your way very soon."

The playful smile on Leliana's lips didn't feel remotely reassuring. "If it's not something I can kill, I'm not sure I'm interested," Ashe snorted. Leliana replied by letting out a little laugh.

"I'm sure that you actually are interested in knowing why half the countryside is gossiping about how the King of Ferelden and the Champion of Kirkwall were seen chatting amicably not even two days ago, drinking and even shaking hands, or so the rumor says."

Ashe stared at her spymaster, not sure that she had heard her right. But Leliana just continued to smile at her until Ashe gave any response. "And now… you think they are headed here?"

"Don't be silly, Ashe. You know they are."

Ashe blinked for a few moments and then emptied her glass of wine in quick gulps before placing her forehead flat against the surface of the table. "Andraste preserve me," she groaned.

Cullen

It was almost completely dark when he arrived at the marketplace outside of Orzammar, but it was still bustling with activity. Torches lit up the small square and the surrounding stalls, and Cullen was surprised that so many people were around. He tied his horse to a nearby tree, just temporarily until he figured out where to set out camp for the night, and then started to move through the crowd toward the center square to see what had gotten everyone so excited.

When the mass of people became too thick for him to move through, he turned to the man next to him. "What's going on here, friend? There must be hundreds of people out here." It was more than a little strange.

The man – short and bald and exceptionally well dressed considering where they were – answered without looking at him, his eyes focused at the center of the square. "Haven't you heard? The Hero of Ferelden is here, or so they say. I haven't laid eyes on her yet but if there's even a chance I'll catch a glimpse of her, I'll stay here all night if I have to. They say she's the most beautiful creature in all the realms." Cullen stared at the man's dreamy expression and wrinkled his nose at him, but the man didn't notice.

All that's missing is the drool on the fool's chin.

Cullen still couldn't see much, there were too many people in the way. But he didn't have to wait long until a melodious voice rang out, a voice that he would know anywhere.

"Please, please, my friends. Would you do me the honor of being so kind as to make way?"

As if by magic, everyone standing between Cullen and the little square parted to the sides, leaving him with an unobstructed view of the woman standing up there holding her arms out in his direction. Everyone murmured and whispered reverently around him, or rather around her, and the man beside Cullen gasped as the woman kicked her hood back, revealing cascading golden hair and delicate, pointed ears peaking up through her locks. She was dressed in forest green and black leather armor winding around her body like it was molded to it. The torchlight reflected on her made her skin and hair glow in shades of amber and gold, and it wasn't hard to understand why people acted as if Andraste herself stood before them.

Cullen swallowed hard and Mahariel spoke again.

"Thank you so much, you are all too kind. My husband is a most welcome sight to my sore eyes."