"Mercy," the apostate begged. A large, red stain marked the robes he wore. Tears and sweat made his face shine and Kurana could not tell which of the two flowed more profusely. He, who was kneeling in the dirt, was all that was left of the fighting between the Templars and mages, excluding her own company. "Mercy, please," he pleaded again.

The sun was so hot, Kurana was sure she'd start sizzling and bubbling at any moment. "Your party attacked us," she stated.

"I was scared/ The Templars came for us. I… I don't mean to attack people that mean no harm to me."

'Everyone means harm to us,' she thought, but stifled her thoughts and shook herself back to reality. She had to make a choice and fast.

Vivienne tapped her staff in the dry dirt under their feet. She seemed utterly bored. "He's lying. Put an end to this dishonest, blubbering and just kill him."

Kurana opened her mouth to sentence him and her arm made a half-inch advance toward her staff. However, she stopped. 'Can't agree too quickly or people will know…' She counted from ten. 'Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four-'

She felt a hand on her back and breath on her neck. Her hairs stood up. "When they beg for mercy, they wish only to live, to ask permission for life. They ask nothing else," he whispered in her ear. She hesitated again. She could feel her breaths get shallow and her heartbeat quicken. When this man died, there would be no breath, no heartbeat, no sound. Quiet. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," she heard Cole whispering.

"Get out of my sight," Kurana ordered the apostate. She watched him run and, once he was out of view, she turned to face her companions.

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Tsk. How do you propose to keep the people safe if we turn wolves out on them?"

"Sometimes we must sacrifice the life of one to save the lives of many." Cassandra shook her head. "Isn't that what you felt in Haven?"

"But… he only wanted to…" Kurana began to defend herself but weakened. She could feel it. To hide it, she spun on her heels and stormed away in a hurry. "We need to get back to work."

"My dear, I had a question if you would indulge me," Vivienne asked of her. "Several questions if you don't mind." She was gazing out the window, the purple light of the sky illuminating her rich, dark skin. She called Kurana over without even looking at her. She gifted her a sideways glance before continuing. "I wonder just how long you expect people to believe your charade."

Kurana's heart jumped into her throat. "Excuse me?," she inquired, innocently. Vivienne wasn't known for her discretion. If she knew…

Vivienne turned to face her. There was a hint of predatory playfulness in her eyes, like a cat batting around a mouse whose viscera was already spilled. "I know a strong woman when I see one. I also know a liar when I see one. I'm curious to see how much advice you heed from that demon."

Kurana attempted to stand fast against these accusations. "I made my decision today based on-"

"You frighten me, my dear. The power you and I hold should not be placed in the hands of such an indecisive little lamb. She yawned, acting as disinterested as always. "A young woman swayed so easily by a demon… What will you Templar lover think?"

Kurana furrowed her brow and blinked in disbelief. "Lover?"

Vivienne rolled her eyes once more. "We've all seen you walk into the commanders quarters at night and walk out in the morning. If you're going to act so surprised, do be a bit less blatant."

Kurana chuckled nervously and then coughed to stop herself. "We've never… I've never actually."

Vivienne ran one hand down Kurana's arm and insisted, "That is not the point, dear." She sighed. "We can only hope that Cullen influences you more than… that demon."

Kurana left feeling stripped bare. Vivienne could plant the seed of doubt for the rest of the companions. By the time she was in the stairwell, she could feel him nearby. "I could make her forget," he offered. Behind her, she heard the scrape of his feet. He stood on the step directly behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Moments of silence passed while she contemplated. His hand lightly rustled through her hair, wrapping a red lock around his finger and then letting it go. "Just encountering the mage, not the bit about Cullen. Too many times to erase…"

Kurana whipped around suddenly, causing him to startle and draw his hand back. His hat barely fit between the two walls. She stared up at him and nodded once, all the while looking so sad. She continued on her way to the commander's chambers.

He was expecting her, as he often did at this time of day. He looked up from his desk and greeted her with a short, "My lady." It was the first time she'd ever been called that.

She laughed at the words. "My lady? I'm no noble." She leaned on the wall by the door and began to remove her boots. "In fact, it's almost ironic."

Cullen came around from his desk. "Not at all. To me, at least, a lady is," he explained, approaching her. He put his hands on her slender hips before going on. "it means a beautiful, dignified girl- er, woman." He kissed her, and as he did, the guilt gnawed at her. He sensed it. "What's wrong?"

She forced a smile, as she had been used to, and shook her head. "I only… I let an apostate go today.." He furrowed his brow in confusion. She clarified, "He begged for his life… a rebel mage, and I set him free." He turned away. The more she talked, the more disappointed he seemed to become. "I just thought if he…" She grew more flustered as she became more frustrated, more fearful. "Are you angry?" She was slipping from her steel veneer. She wanted so desperately to crawl back inside it.

Cullen gave her yet another confused expression. "You'd just turn some man loose, without even a thought of his corruption." His jaw locked. "Do you even know what I saw at the Fereldan Circle? If even one mage goes unchecked… I don't know how they do things in the Dalish clans but here-!" He huffed and busied himself at his desk, flipping through papers. He'd begin sentences but stop once he was a syllable into them. This was not the shy, sweet stammering Kurana had become accustomed to. Eventually, he just sighed and stopped fiddling with the reports and orders on his desk. "No, I can't pretend to know the circumstances you were in in the field. Just go to bed. I'll meet you there."

She sat on the edge of his bed to figure out a way to convince him she was strong again. "You thought since you loved him, you'd invite him to know," she heard while she was making her plan. "But you love him because he's the one that knows the least." She looked up at the spirit, hiding under the brim of his hat. "Tell a spirit they are something loud enough and enough times and that's what they become. Is that how it works with mages too? Is he trying to bind you?"

"No, Cole." She scratched the bridge of her long nose and asked, "Do you always follow me?"

"Only when it hurts. Also when we go out together to fight people, but you already knew that part. But I follow you most times. The hurt is so loud, it's hard to hear anyone else. Your heart hurts but you're so busy trying to fix everyone else's hurts you forget to pay attention to your own. So I pay attention to yours. Someone should. Do you want me not to?"

"All the decisions you've led me to, I've regretted."

"I'm sorry. I'm healing for the short-term. I forget about the long-term sometimes." He took her hand in his and looked her in the eye, not a thing he did often. "I'll do better next time."

"Cullen will be coming in any moment." Kurana stood and strode to the window to stargaze.

"Should I erase that argument? You seemed like you need it to go away."

Kurana immediately rejected the idea. "I can't. Not with him. I… I shouldn't have let you do that to Vivienne."

"I'm sorry I can't reverse it." With that, he disappeared. Shortly after he did, Cullen rejoined her.

"My love, I apologize if I was out of hand." He winced while taking off his furry shawl. Kurana came to his aid and assisted his undress. "The… the withdrawals have me on edge of late."

She storked his cheek and smiled at him warmly. "You weren't rude or stern. I'd never let you treat me that way."