Warning: Implied abuse.

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Everyday was a waking nightmare to Cullen. He worked through his days in a sort of daze. He did his duty as Commander, but his mind wasn't really there. He didn't really care. It was actually a relief.

The only time his mind was painfully awake and present was when he saw Trev, or that man, especially when they were together. Except the obvious reason why Cullen absolutely loathed him, there was something else about him, something... off. Cullen could see the way Trev cowered in the man's presence, and he didn't like it one bit. He had never, ever seen her act like this. She was the strongest, most confident woman Cullen had ever met, and this Turner fucking Dreallor made her look like a scared puppy. It sickened him. Whatever it was that was going on between himself and Trev, Cullen hated seeing her like this.

He thought back to how she'd acted when she was with him, carefree and happy, always a smile on her face. Now, Cullen couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen her smile. To think she was to marry someone who so obviously made her feel unhappy was almost as painful as her rejection.

He still loved her.

Maker help me, I'll never stop.

If she didn't want him, he would've at least wished for her to be happy. He was just as confused now as ever.

He'd tried to talk to Leliana several times, but she refused to say anything except to tell him to forget it and move on.

He tried to follow her advise, he tried to forget and just do his job. But it was impossible to stop thinking and wondering, doubly so after Dorian had pointed something out to him. That Cullen wasn't the only one who was confused. None of Trev's and his friends had a clue about her sudden change of heart, except for Leliana who didn't say a word to them, either. The people of the Inquisition, primarily those who lived in Skyhold, were unsure of what was happening as well. They had absolutely loved the romance between the Inquisitor and her Commander, it was like something out of a fairytale. And all of a sudden, she was to be married to some Marcher none of them had ever even seen before.

The mood in Skyhold was tense and somber, not cheerful and bustling like it should be when the Inquisitor's wedding was only weeks away.

Cullen's gut clenched at the thought of the wedding. He was invited, of course, he was the Inquisiton's Commander. But he knew there was no way he could stand being there to witness her give herself to another man. A man that wasn't him.

It was bad enough when he saw Dreallor and Trev together during the days in the keep. The man had snaked his way in fast, Cullen rarely saw Trev without him by her side. The way the man hovered over her, the way he touched her, it was enough to make Cullen physically ill. He often had his arm draped around her, and sometimes he would bend down and kiss her neck or even her lips, not caring about people watching. It made Cullen want to scream and he had to steel himself everytime to keep himself from walking up to the man and beat his face to a pulp. But Trev didn't seem to notice. At least in the beginning, she'd looked stiff and strained when Dreallor touched her, but now she just looked indifferent. She let him touch her.

Cullen found himself wondering if she was scared or if maybe she just felt awkward when Cullen was around to see these exchanges, given their history together. He wanted to believe that something was wrong, wanted to trust his insticts. But too often, he imagined them in private, tangled into each other, Trev kissing Dreallor with a passion, moaning as he touched her in places that were supposed to be only for Cullen. When these images came to him, Cullen screwed his eyes shut and tried to dispel them, but to no avail.

When there was only a week left until the wedding, Cullen made ready to leave. Just until the wedding was over, he could never truly leave her or the Inquisition. He just couldn't stand to watch it.

He was just getting ready to go when there was a knock on his office door. Cullen opened it and came face to face with a man he'd never seen before, but he instantly understood who it was. He was tall, had blond hair with grey specks in it, and striking facial features. Cullen would know those features anywhere.

"Lord Trevelyan, I assume?" Cullen said. As surprised as he was to find Trev's father on his doorstep, Cullen didn't forget his manners and bowed his head slightly before motioning for the man to come in.

Lord Trevelyan's expression was unreadable, guarded, as his daughter's these days. He nodded and walked in while Cullen shut the door behind them.

"So, Commander Cullen, am I correct?" His voice was deep and rang of authority, not unlike Cullen's own.

"Yes, my Lord."

They studied each other for a few seconds before Lord Trevelyan continued.

"I hear you're the one who stole my most precious daughter's heart."

Cullen stiffened, unsure of what the man was getting at.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. As I'm sure you know, Tr... Lady Trevelyan is to marry Lord Dreallor."

Lord Trevelyan's face darkened. "So I've heard. That is, of course, why I'm here, to attend my daughter's wedding. I only have one question, which nobody seems to be able to answer, not even my daughter. Maybe I'll have better luck with you."

Cullen could feel the older man's gaze bore into him. Lord Trevelyan was an intimidating man.

"Why is it, that while I've heard not only stories of my daughter's triumphs and glory for the past few months, but tales of the Inquisitor and her general, their undying love for each other, I come here to find she's not to marry the only man who I'd ever consider worthy for my daughter, but that infuriating little shit Turner Dreallor?"

Cullen felt his mouth drop open. He was stunned, trying to process what he'd just heard.

He was the only one worthy of his daughter? Of course it pleased him to no end to hear it, but he was slightly baffled since he'd never met the man before, and Cullen was no noble. Maybe he'd misunderstood who he meant. But clearly, he didn't mean Turner Dreallor. Cullen heard the contempt in Lord Trevelyan's voice when he spoke the name of Trev's betrothed.

"You... do not approve, my Lord?" he asked, not daring to get his hopes up.

Trev's father scoffed and threw his arms out into the air in front of him.

"If I approve? Of course not. That little weasel. I don't want him anywhere near my daughter. Now, you tell me, Commander, why is she not with you? You've kept her safe all this time, and don't think I don't know it. My daughter may have become the Herald of Andraste and the leader of the Inquisition, for which I'm infinitely proud. But she is still, and will always be, my little girl. I've always kept my eyes on her. I know she is more than capable of taking care of herself, but she'd be dead several times over by now if not for your remarkable work as Commander."

Cullen couldn't help but to feel a little hope. The first in weeks.

Lord Trevelyan looked at him sharply. "So would you please tell me, why in the Maker's holy name is she marrying Turner and not you?"

Cullen felt his stomach sink agan.

"She doesn't want me, my Lord."

The nobleman scoffed again. "Maker's bollocks, that is."

Cullen looked at him in surprise, both shocked and a little amused at the crude choice of words.

"You probably don't know this, my boy, but Lily has been sending letters home to us every week since she defeated that monster and closed the breach in the sky."

Lily?

"I..." Cullen began. "Lily? Is that truly Trev's first name?" It was silly, of course, to focus on that out of all the things her father was telling him, but he couldn't help it.

Lord Trevelyan smiled, his face full of tenderness as he spoke. "Yes, she's our little Lily. She never told you? I'm not surprised. She always found it overly feminine, like people wouldn't take her seriously. Maker's breath, that child and her ideas. As if anyone would think about the meaning of her name when they fall over each other staring at her. You've seen her, I'm sure you agree."

Cullen couldn't help smiling. "Yes, my Lord. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He groaned inwardly, unsure if that was really an appropriate thing to say to her father.

But Lord Trevelyan just smiled and looked like he approved.

"Anyway, as I was saying, she's been sending letters home every week, up until a few weeks ago. And they've all pretty much said the same thing. How happy she is, and most importantly, how in love she is with you."

Cullen could feel his heart begin to beat faster. Was he really telling the truth? Had she written to her family, telling them she was in love with him? He almost didn't dare to think it could be true, but he could think of no reason for the other man to lie.

"But, my Lord, even if she spoke the truth, I'm not worthy, I'm not even of noble blood, surely you know this."

Trevelyan laughed and looked at Cullen as if he was a small child who didn't quite understand what the adults were talking about.

"I admit, in another situation that would have been a problem. But my daughter is the Inquisitor now, and she's free to choose whomever she likes. But even if that had not been the case, if she'd still been just a noble girl still living with us, you're title as Commander of the Inquisiton and your heroic part in this miserable story would be more than enough to trump most other propositions."

Cullen sighed. "I'm grateful for your kind words, Lord Trevelyan, but it doesn't matter now. She's made her choice."

The older man shook his head. "No. That little bastard has done something to her. He has some leverage over her, I'm sure of it. I know my daughter, Commander. She's never let anyone in before, the way she let you in. Everyone thinks she's blessed with her beauty, but it's always been a struggle for her." He sighed and looked sad.

"She had a very hard time making friends as she grew up. The other girls resented her for her beauty, and no boy dared to even talk to her. And when she grew older, she attracted the attention of a lot of men, no matter how unwillingly from her side. Between her title and her looks, how could she ever know who was truly interested in her for the sake of herself or for other things? So when she told us about you, I knew you had to be a most honorable and sincere man, truly caring for her. Otherwise she wouldn't have spoken so highly of you."

Cullen felt himself blush at the praise.

"And that's why I know there is something wrong here, my boy." Lord Trevelyan's voice lowered dangerously as he spoke again. "She would never fall in love with Turner. Especially not after what happened in our home when she was barely a woman."

Cullen felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Trevelyan's face hardened as he seemed to recall something from memory.

"Turner's father, the senior Lord Dreallor, and I used to be good friends. Him and his family were often invited to our estate, and he usually had his boy with him, Turner. Turner is the oldest, and stands to inherit everything from his father. The Dreallor's are a powerful family, almost a match for our own. I almost entertained the idea of making a match out of him and Lily when he did something that made me throw him out of the house. The Dreallor's never been welcome to set foot in my home since then."

Cullen clenched his fists as he understood where this was going. "What did he do?" he asked, his voice low and disturbingly calm.

Lord Trevelyan looked at him, anger and sadness in his eyes. "He tried to... He assaulted her, Cullen. In the kitchen downstairs, right there in my own home, he tried to take our daughter."

Cullen felt like he was going to be sick again before the rage claimed him. "Did he?" his voice shaking now.

"I don't know, to be honest with you. Lily never said, she refused to speak of it afterwards. Two servants caught him. Turner swore that she'd wanted it, that he didn't force her, but the servants witnessed about something else entirely."

"What... what did they say?" Cullen asked, trying to keep a level voice. Trevelyan looked hesitant to continue. "Please, my Lord, I need to know what he did."

"I'm only telling you this because I need you to see that she would never willingly go along with this so called marriage. It's very painful for me, shameful. Not that she may or may not have been robbed of her virtue, but because I failed her as a father. I always tried so hard to keep her safe, I never even let her out the door without a couple of guards. But I let that little demon into my house."

Cullen almost felt bad about pushing him when he saw the pained look in his face, but he needed to hear it all.

"The servants, good men, trusted and in our service for many years, swore they were telling the truth about what they saw. Turner had my little girl pinned down while she cried her eyes out and begged of him not to touch her. I don't know how far he got before they interrupted him."

Trevelyan looked like he was lost in the memory and Cullen could feel himself breathe hard and fast, his heart racing.

"I'll kill him."

I'll fucking kill him.

Lord Trevelyan looked at him and shook his head fervently. "No. We need to understand what's going on here before you do anything rash. Don't you think I know how you feel? When we recieved the letter from Lily saying she was to marry Turner Dreallor, my wife had to physically restrain me from smashing the room up. I got here as fast as I could. Lily won't tell me anything except that Turner is a better man now, which I know for a fact is nonsense. And Turner looks at me as if he's triumphed. I can't stand it. But I must refrain from doing something stupid, and so must you. And when we know what's going on, I wish we could take turns beating that little shit into the ground, but to be honest with you, Lily is probably going to beat us to it."

Cullen began pacing around the room, trying to calm himself. Failing miserably, he smashed his fist into the bookshelf, knocking over a whole shelf full of books. He breathed hard, and felt Lord Trevelyan's hand on his shoulder.

"Come on now, my boy. Calm down. At least take comfort in the fact that whatever Turner did didn't break Lily. Not in the slightest. True, she was shaky after the incident, but it didn't take long before she was the one who comforted me. She was always so strong. Stronger than me, by far."

Cullen turned to look at Trev's father, and felt a least some semblance of relief when he saw the earnest expression on the man's face.

"She started training with her blades shortly after that. I never allowed it before, but I understood the need. She wanted to be able to protect herself. I think she drew tremendous strenght from that. I was afraid she would become an insecure, scared young woman but that didn't happen. Don't you agree?"

Cullen nodded. "Of course. I've never seen a more confident woman. I would never have guessed... that she'd been through something like that. She's afraid of nothing, no man, no beast. Maker, I've seen her take down more than ten dragons, and manouvered her way around Orlesian, Tevinter and Fereldan politics alike. She's a match for no one."

"Yes, and don't you forget it. I doubt she would appreciate you looking at her like a victim," the older man warned.

"I won't. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to wring that bastard's neck."

"I know, I know. But don't you also think she would have done that already, if something wasn't wrong?"

Cullen nodded in agreement. "Well, fuck." He didn't have time to feel embarrassed about his language before Lord Trevelyan nodded in response.

"Yes, you can say that again, my boy, you can say that again."