Night was still lingering in the heavens, the sun still slumbering under the horizon, and Cullen was already awake. He'd gotten some sleep at least, not much but enough to get through the rest of the day. The nightmares had come again, not as bad as they typically were, but bad enough that the thought of going back to sleep made his stomach turn.

Cullen was seated at his desk, going over everything that needed to be done by the end of the day. Skyhold was slowly starting to come together. There was still so much to be done, but they'd made good headway already, and were progressing ahead of schedule. At this rate repairs would be completed in two months time at most. Others might have called it an overly hopeful estimation, but he knew that his confidence in his men was well placed.

As he sifted through paperwork, blueprints, and requisitions, his attention was stolen from his task by the sound of a light rapping at his door. He stared at the door for a second, surprised that anyone else was awake at this hour. He glanced out the window, thinking that maybe he'd lost track of time, but no, darkness still prevailed in the morning sky.

Curious, he stood from his desk and strode toward the door. The heavy door swung inward with a creak, revealing the Inquisitor standing on the other side. Cullen took a moment to look over her, making sure that she was fine. She was fully dressed in her medium weight armor, a cloak made of fine green fabric on her shoulders and protecting her from the cold. She looked as though she were about to leave for another assignment, but that couldn't have been the case. She, Solas, Cole, and Blackwall had only just returned the night before.

Auburn brows were deeply furrowed, her features serious in a way that he was unfamiliar with. Delani's lips were thin, humorless, and her jaw was clenched tightly. Her expression was hard and difficult to read, but her eyes were expressive and he knew right away that something was wrong.

"Lady Lavellan," he said, his surprise preventing him from voicing a proper greeting. "Is everything alright?"

Her nostrils flared when she took a deep breath. Delani looked away from him quickly, as if searching for strength elsewhere before meeting his gaze once again. When she spoke her tone was level, inexpressive, not even a hint of a joke in the undercurrents of her voice. "Do you have a moment, Commander?"

"Of course," he said, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter his office.

When she strode in Cullen shut the door behind her and turned to watch as she paced the length of the room. Something was definitely wrong. She never acted like this. Delani was controlled, even when drenched in snark she knew exactly what she was doing and how to elicit the desired response from everyone around her. She did not pace, and she certainly was never up before the sun if she didn't have to be.

He opened his mouth to repeat his earlier question, but she spoke before him, cutting him off with a question of her own.

"Have you received word from my clan yet?" She stopped pacing. Standing in the center of the room she glanced in his direction before turning away, her shoulders tense as though she were bracing herself for his answer.

Cullen's stomach dropped, knowing that she wouldn't like his answer. "Not yet." Before she could react, he assured her, "But we should hear something soon. We must continue to be patient."

A huff sounded from Delani, the noise making it painfully clear that patience was not a virtue that she was familiar with. Her fingers rolled into tight fists at her sides, but she didn't press the issue anymore than that. Turning her body to face him, she wondered, "Are you busy?"

"I, um, erm—" the question caught him off guard. Cullen rubbed the back of his neck, quickly peeking back at his desk and considering the papers scattered along its surface. Technically no, he wasn't busy; not yet at least. Everything he'd done until now was mostly busy work, him keeping himself occupied until the day officially commenced.

Deciding that perhaps it was best to see what exactly it was the Inquisitor wanted before answering that question, he wondered, "Did you need something?"

She nodded once, the gesture curt as she answered, "To borrow you."

His heart leapt in his chest. How often had he imagined her saying those words to him, but it was never like this. In his mind, her lips were curled with her typical mischief, her sea green eyes alight with an infectious laugh. At present she was the most serious he had ever seen her, and the difference was disconcerting.

"To borrow me?" He asked, surprised by her request and unsure what she meant by it. "For how long? There is much to be done today, most of which will need my direct supervision."

Green eyes hardening, Delani instructed him to, "Put it off. You're coming with me." Seeming to recognize the aggressiveness of her instructions, she softened her voice and added, "Please?"

Brow arching with cautious curiosity, Cullen asked, "Going where with you? Why are you dressed in your armor?" Even if agreeing to go with Delani was exactly what he wanted to do, he knew that he had responsibilities that he couldn't be pulled away from; not even by the Inquisitor herself.

Glancing down at her armor, Delani met Cullen's gaze again and she explained. "We're going on a hunt." To the surprised look that took his features, she continued, "It always helps to clear my mind."

He could understand that, but there was still one thing that he didn't understand. "Okay," he drawled out, uncertain what exactly it was she expected from him. "Why do you need me for that? Isn't there someone else that you could take with you?"

"Sure," she shrugged only to immediately discard his question. "But I'm asking you." Holding his gaze, when Cullen didn't reply with his instantaneous consent, Delani sighed and dragged a gloved hand down her face. "If you truly don't want to go, then I will ask someone else, but I would prefer it to be you."

Alright, I'll go with you. The words hung on the tip of his tongue, wanting so badly to be spoken. He would've liked nothing more than to go with her, but there was still so much work to be done and to go with her would be to neglect the rest of his responsibilities. He couldn't, at least not without putting up more of a fight, if only to convince himself that he'd tried.

"I have a lot of work to do today, my lady—"

"Who's your second in command, Commander?" she wondered, interrupting him before his excuse could be fully voiced. Delani was growing impatient with him and his excuses and he couldn't say that he blamed her.

Hesitantly, he answered, "Captain Ophelia—"

"Do you trust her to do her job?"

"I do."

Gesturing as though he'd just solved all of their problems with that answer, Delani replied, "Good, then she'll manage without you for a few hours." When she noticed the lingering doubt in his eyes, she insisted, "It'll only be a few hours, Cullen. I promise. We'll be back before you know it, and you can bury yourself in work without any argument from me. Please, just come with me."

He stared at her for a moment, moved by her plea. Delani, who was typically all devilment and revelry, was desperately insisting on having his company. She was meeting his every argument with heavy resistance but her patience was at its end. If he gave another reason why he could not accompany her, she would leave his office and he will have missed his chance to spend more time with her.

Delani needed this. He didn't know what was bothering her, and he couldn't imagine the stress she was dealing with. She wanted to get away for a few hours, and she wanted him to accompany her. There were worse ways to spend the morning than watching the sunrise with a beautiful woman. If she needed this, if she needed him, then he would not put up any more of a fight than he already had.

"Allow me to get ready, and I will go with you."

A small smile curled her full lips, relief in her eyes. Nodding, she strode toward the door with a departing, "Meet me at the stables. I'll prepare the mounts." She left him in the office, shutting the door behind her.

Cullen stared at the door for a second, trying to convince himself that that had really just happened. Delani had truly come to his door and tried to whisk him away. It was supposed to be the other way around, and the mood wasn't supposed to be so tense, but he would go with her regardless. Delani had asked for his company specifically. There were plenty of others she could have asked, but she'd asked him, and he wouldn't keep her waiting.

Grabbing his pauldrons from his desk chair, Cullen pulled it over his shoulders. He strapped on his bracers, and tightened the laces of his boots. When he was dressed and ready to go, Cullen left a note for Captain Ophelia on his desk with clear instructions on how the day's itinerary was to progress. Leaving his office behind, he hurried for the stables and found that his mare was already waiting for him by the time of his arrival.

Delani was already seated high on her hart, the beast huffing in discontent at the sight of Cullen. She offered him a welcoming smile as he approached, but not another word passed between them. The sun would be rising soon, and he could feel that the Inquisitor was in a hurry to escape Skyhold before others started to stir.

He climbed onto his mare and they took off. Skyhold's gates were already drawn, the patrol seeing them off by torchlight. His mount, Delilah, kept pace beside Delani's hart, though it was obvious that the beast could outrun them should Delani command him to.

They rode for a while, their pace fast and unyielding. By the time the sun finally broke over the horizon they had already reached the valley. What had started as a scattering of trees quickly turned into an entire forest and their steeds were no longer able to run freely through the forestry. Delani signaled for them to dismount, and Cullen strung Delilah beside the Inquisitor's hart.

Stepping up beside Delani, Cullen watched as his every exhale clouded the air before him. The morning was cold, the temperature was exhilarating and he felt his senses come alive. Feeling a tinge of embarrassment, he admitted, "Believe it or not, I have never really been on a hunt." and followed after Delani as she started to go further into the forest.

Throwing him a doubtful sidelong glance, Delani commented, "Being a Templar for as long as you were, I find that hard to believe."

Her comment, though said dryly, had not been malicious. Had Delani been in a better mood it would have been accompanied by a smirk, her sea green eyes glittering, teasing him to react offendedly to her words. Cullen missed her smile, missed the mischief in her eyes.

Not wanting for their conversation to end so soon, he replied, "Hunting apostates and hunting animals are two very different things, my lady." Pushing aside some low hanging branches, Cullen gestured for Delani to go ahead of him before ducking under the branch himself.

"For the most part, animals are predictable," he continued. "People aren't; people are dangerous."

"Yes," she easily agreed, her tone level and controlled, "they are."

Delani was speaking from first hand experience. She knew better than anyone how dangerous people could be. She'd probably dealt with more than her fair share of bandits, and thoughts of her clan were probably what was causing her unusual somber behavior.

Returning the subject to his inexperience in hunting, she assured him, "There's nothing to it, just follow my lead."

Silence joined them for a bit, and Cullen felt as though they were doing nothing more than taking a stroll through the woods. Not that he was complaining. He was perfectly content where he was and with the company he had. He couldn't think of a single place that he would rather be. If Cullen could change one thing about the current situation it would be for Delani's typical easy demeanor to be restored. But whatever she was going through was obviously something that she needed to work out on her own, and he was happy to be there for her however she needed him.

After a minute or so Delani broke the silence, "Is it typical for messages to take this long?"

An excuse started to form on his lips, but Cullen stopped himself before the words were voiced. Shaking his head, he decided to instead be honest with her. Delani was worried about her people, placating her with excuses and false reassurances wasn't fair to her. "No, I would have expected to hear something by now."

Delani nodded curtly. Directing her attention forward, her shoulders were tight and her mood was dark. Cullen placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. When her green eyes sought his, he allowed a soft smile to spread over his lips. Encouragingly, Cullen insisted, "Your clan is fine, Lady Lavellan. My soldiers made it in time. They're safe."

"How can you be so sure?" she demanded, wariness ringing clearly in her voice. She was searching his face, looking desperately into his eyes, hoping to find his confidence and replicate it as her own.

Allowing his smile to widen a touch, he said, "I have faith."

She seemed dissatisfied with his answer, but accepted it nonetheless. They started walking again, and before silence could accompany them once more Delani started, "The reason that I insisted that you join me today, was because I wanted to get your opinion something."

Intrigued, Cullen investigated, "My opinion on what?"

"The children at Skyhold," she answered, her tone cautious, as though she were trekking on untested ground. "They came to Skyhold with their parents, who are working hard for the Inquisition. These people came to us to fight for a better tomorrow, a future that their children will be the leaders of, and I feel like we should be doing more for them."

Glancing over her shoulder back at him, Delani tucked her bangs behind a pointed ear before declaring, "I think that any child, no matter their race or upbringing, should be receiving an education for as long as they're with us. It's the least we can do."

Cullen stared at her for a while, stunned speechless by her ideals. Just when he thought that she couldn't possibly surprise him any more than she already had, she went and said that. It was such a heartwarming thought, that she cared so much about those children that she wanted to make sure that every last one of them received a proper education. Others might have tried to argue with her, insisting that there were too many children, and too much else to do for them to be bothered with opening up a school in the middle of a military operation.

He just so happened to agree with Delani on the subject. If there was one thing that he'd appreciated about the Circle, it was that it used to take care of the needs of all those who called it home. All were given beds, warm meals, and a proper education. Skyhold had a well stocked library, better stocked now that Dorian had taken up residence within it. They had the space, they had the resources. If Delani felt like this should have been a priority, then he felt inclined to agree with her.

"You're right," he stated after only a moment of consideration. She looked back at him, surprise widening her features. He smiled at her reaction, knowing that she had probably been anticipating him to argue that it couldn't be done, or that they didn't have the time for it.

Nodding, he assured her that he had her back on this and said, "When we return to Skyhold I will see about getting the process started."

"I—" She shook her head and blinked hard, repressing her surprise as best she could. When she looked back at him it was with pinched brows and uncertainty in her eyes. "Really?" Delani asked, needing further affirmation that he didn't think that she was being too idealistic.

"Really," he said, before repeating her earlier statement. "It's the least we can do."

A grin expanded over her lips and Cullen's heart melted at the sight of it. Finally, after a long morning of waiting, she had finally blessed him with a smile. Maker's breath, what a beautiful sight. He felt a familiar burn start to warm under his cheeks and Cullen rubbed the back of his neck.

Clearing his throat, Cullen felt a sideways smirk coil the corner of his mouth. Feeling emboldened by the grateful look Delani was giving him, he wondered, "So that's the reason you dragged me out here before the crack of dawn?"

A scoff sounded from Delani. Shrugging, she casually admitted, "No, I just so happen to enjoy your company." And looked back at him in time to catch his reaction.

Cullen's blush intensified and there was nothing he could to do hide it. Every time that he felt confident enough to hold his own against her flirtations, Delani would say something, or look at him a certain way, and he would turn into a flustered mumbling idiot. It was frustrating trying to compete with her, and she had to know the effect she had on him. Delani grinned in response to his reaction before returning her attention to the task at hand. He took another step and, before his foot could touch the ground, she stopped him in his tracks.

"Careful," she hissed, squatting down to the ground. Gently touching the dirt, she explained, "You're a better hunter than you think, vhenan'ara. Looks like we've stumbled upon some tracks."

He grit his teeth, fighting back the desire to ask again what vhenan'ara meant. Delani was stubborn. He had seen her leave Skyhold with Sera, Iron Bull, and Dorian, and he could only imagine the level of patience and sheer willpower it took to deal with those three. He wouldn't be able to pester her into telling him its meaning.

The only way she would ever tell him was if he conceded to her terms and called her by her first name. He didn't know why he was still torturing himself. Her name was beautiful, short and melodic like her native tongue. But part of him enjoyed the mystery, the frustration, the self-inflicted torture. Why else would he allow himself to suffer for so long?

"These are deer tracks," she explained, returning him to reality where she was about to educate him in the ways of a Dalish hunter. Staying crouched low to the ground, Delani followed the tracks a little ways and commented, "Fully grown male by the looks of it. These tracks are less than an hour old."

They were moving again, and Cullen was careful to mind his footing. Admiring the way that Delani's lithe body moved when she was on the hunt, he couldn't help himself when he asked, "Where'd you learn to hunt?" The answer was obvious: from her clan. She was a hunter, hunting was what she did. The explanation she would give him was probably no more in depth than that.

Without looking at him, Delani answered, "My father taught me. When I was very young, about six or seven, I used to get into a lot of trouble with the clan."

Unsurprised, Cullen felt a grin inch across his lips. He could imagine Delani as a little girl, causing a ruckus wherever she went. Unable to hide the amusement in his voice, he pursued the conversation. "How so?"

"Around that time, my clan had taken in a flat ear from the nearby town. He taught me how to pick locks," that could have been answer enough, Cullen could easily fill in the rest without further explanation. The visuals that came to mind were beyond entertaining, but he was more than happy to hear the rest of Delani's story. "Since the clan is always traveling, we have a lot of chests and, therefore, a lot of locks. I would pick every lock in the caravan and add an item to the chests; sometimes insects, mostly snakes."

"That's terrible," Cullen replied with a laugh.

Nodding, Delani agreed. "It didn't take long for the clan to reach its wits end with my antics. They told my parents to deal with me, so my father decided to keep my hands busy. He taught me the basics of wielding daggers, and how to track down prey. I caught on quick, and my clan was relieved that they no longer had to worry whether or not a serpent awaited them every time they opened a chest."

His smile grew. "I can believe that." Fondly regarding Delani, he observed, "Your father must be proud of the woman you've become."

Her shoulders tensed, pausing in her tracks, her entire body turned rigid with discomfort, and Cullen knew that he had said exactly the wrong thing. When Delani glanced back at him there was a pained smile forced onto her lips. Her voice was soft when she replied, "I'd like to think so."

Something about her reaction kept him for pursuing the topic any further, despite how desperately he wanted to. Did Delani have a bad relationship with her father? He doubted that that was the case, especially after how fondly she'd spoken of him, but her reaction made him want to dig deeper.

Cullen resisted the urge and instead followed quietly behind Delani. There was so much about her that he wanted to know. The way that she spoke of her home, of her people, made him want to see it for himself. He didn't know enough about the Dalish, and just being with Delani made him want to know everything. He wanted to know how a woman like her came into being. Surely if the someone like her came from the Dalish then they were a people worth learning everything about.

After a while his thoughts were interrupted by Delani's hushed whisper, "There he is."

She gently moved a low hanging branch, giving Cullen a clear view of the buck they'd been pursuing. The deer was enormous, and had to weigh more than Cullen himself. He didn't doubt that Delani would manage to down the deer, the only thing that gave him pause was how they were going to get him back to Skyhold.

She looked up at him, a grin on her lips, excitement in her eyes, and Cullen had to remind himself to breathe. Quietly, she jested, "Looks like lunch is on me, vhenan'ara."

Evening was creeping into the sky and Delani found herself in Solas's workspace, seated cross-legged at his desk, watching as the older elf painted on the walls. Solas was a man with many talents, and his fortitude in the arts was enviable. Delani would often come to the circular room just to sit and chat with the other elf.

Solas wasn't fond of the Dalish people, she'd learned that straight away during their first conversation together. But he held her in higher regard than he did the rest of her people. They respected each other and, even though Delani had been initially put off by his dislike of the Dalish, she regarded him as a close and dear friend.

He was wise and insightful, and opinionated to a fault. She'd lost count of the nights that they had spent debating, respectfully arguing their opinions until they both left more educated and with a higher level of understanding than they'd had going in. Admittedly, Delani was often times on the losing side of those debates, but she enjoyed them all the same. Solas never treated her like a child, despite his seniority. He made her feel like his equal, and she respected him all the more for it.

Her morning with Cullen had helped while it lasted. The shemlan's company always seemed to ease her tensions. But she'd promised that it would only last a few hours and, true to her word, she'd returned him to Skyhold before noon. The buck they'd hunted had been served for lunch, and not even the taste of her kill could scrub her clean from the melancholy that had latched itself to her all day. She'd hoped some time with the Commander would help her to forget, and it had, but as soon as he was gone it was back and she felt lost and alone.

"Something is troubling you, lethallan." Solas commented, peeking back at her over his shoulder. There was a smudge of red paint on his brow, his eyes were soft with concern. His tone was gentle when he observed, "I've never known you to be this quiet."

Sighing, she said, "It's nothing," before admitting, "I'm just worried for my clan. It is taking an unusual amount of time for Cullen to receive word on how they are doing."

"You want to be with them," Solas stated, knowing her well enough to be able to guess exactly why she was feeling so somber.

She nodded in answer, picking at her cuticles as Solas strode back toward his desk to put more paint onto the pallet in his hand. Glancing up at him past her brow, she said, "I trust Cullen to keep them safe, but it feels wrong to not be there to defend them myself. Protecting my clan has been my responsibility for more than a decade. It's difficult disregarding my instincts and trusting someone else to ensure the clan's survival."

Solas glanced up at her, his eyebrow arched in intrigue. Mixing the blue and red paints on his pallet to create the loveliest purple color, he admitted, "I'm surprised to hear you say that you trust him." He explained his meaning when Delani's head tilted with curiosity. "Cullen is a shemlan. Of all of our companions there are a select few that you've allowed yourself to grow close to: Varric, Iron Bull, and myself."

Turning around, he strode back toward the wall he was using as his canvas and finished his thought. "You seem wary of humans."

"That's not true," Delani argued, feeling defensive. "Sera and I do not exactly get along."

He scoffed, amused that she thought it was a valid argument. "I see little difference."

Delani shrugged, he had a point. Sera disliked elven kind more than most humans did. Moving on to her next argument, she ventured, "How about Cole, I get along with him just fine."

Looking over his shoulder back at her, the expression on Solas's features was mildly scolding. "Cole is a spirit that is human in appearance alone."

"Fine," she groaned, falling backwards onto his desk. Laying her head down on a pile of books, she made herself comfortable as she admitted, "I'm wary of humans. But when the safety of your home and your people is threatened predominantly by humans, a little wariness keeps you alive."

She started picking at her cuticles again, focusing on the task as she let her mind wander. Absently giving voice to her thoughts, Delani said, "But Cullen is different. He's honest and noble, he's—"

"Handsome," Solas finished for her, a smile in his voice.

Surprised by his insertion, Delani's gaze snapped to where he was standing in time to catch him grinning at her. Narrowing her eyes, she observed, "It looks like I have some competition for the Commander's affections. I didn't know that you had such… masculine preferences, Solas."

"I don't," he assured her with a laugh. Looking back at the mural, he started to apply the purple paint onto the wall, his tone was casual even as he concentrated on his task. "But I can see the way you look at him."

Sighing through her nose, Delani inspected her nails closely. Her heart fell to her stomach and she felt nauseous with self-loathing. "How I look at him doesn't matter," she rumbled, knowing that there was no way a man like Cullen would ever lower himself by consorting with a savage. "It will never amount to anything."

Solas's tone was gentle when he informed her, "Your feelings are not quite as unrequited as you think, da'len."

She ignored the hope his words inspired inside of her. Maybe he was right. Maybe Cullen did have feelings for her and they were strong enough for him to pursue. Shaking her head she shoved the thoughts aside. "It doesn't change anything," she said mostly to herself, scolding herself for even thinking about her romantic life when the lives of her clan were in danger. "I'm the Inquisitor and that is all that I will ever be to him."

Frustratedly combing her fingers through her hair, Delani sighed through her nose and shoved all thoughts of Cullen from her mind. She was too emotionally compromised to even consider starting something with the human. Her people were in danger, and she was worried. Until she received word one way or another, she could only focus on work.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said with another sigh.

When Solas replied his voice was full of understanding. "Then what do you wish to talk about, lethallan?"

"Nothing," Delani admitted before desperately pleading with the man. "Solas, would you please tell me more about the Beyond? Can you tell more about another one of your friends? Please?"

Graciously conceding to her request, he said, "Ma nuvenin, ma'falon." He paused for a moment as he considered which tale to tell. When he thought of the perfect one Solas started to tell his tale and Delani shut her eyes to listen. The tone of his voice was soothing, rhythmic, melodic, like listening the patter of rain against the fabric of her tent in the caravan. He would help her to forget her worries. It wouldn't last forever, but even the shortest reprieve was a relief.

Not going to lie, I'm kind of nervous about this chapter. I hope you don't hate it!