Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age

Part 3

To think that assisting the Inquisitor in Redcliffe would lead up to this event. Dorian had no idea his day would get this delicious when he woke up this morning.

He might have fainted of excitement when Lady Evelyn knocked on the door, for now he got to forcefully make two lovesick puppies dance with each other. The awkward silence between the Commander and the Inquisitor was nothing but fun to observe. As an added bonus, the Inquisitor was drunk out of her mind – and the Commander too nervous to notice.

It would be a splendid day to be sure

Lady Evelyn claimed she had just happened by the cabin when she went out for a walk; she said something about "submitting to nature's call". The Inquisitor had the distinct smell of alcohol in her breath, and Dorian highly suspected that she might have noticed them from the tavern – the muffled laughs from Sera and Harding outside, strengthened his suspicion.

Dorian offered her some mint-flavored elfroot leaves. He believed that it was imperative that a gentleman always had a good breath, and never left home without. He knew the commander would be uncomfortable with her drunk, but Dorian thought it would be funnier to have them dance if she was under the influence.

Whit much luck, she might even accidentally confess her feelings; that would be truly delicious to witness.

Observing the two of them dance was greater fun than Dorian had expected. It was like watching two insecure baby birds try to flap their way out of the nest for the first time. The commanders face had turned a shade of red Dorian had never witnessed in another human being, he looked more like a ripe strawberry than a man by this point.

The Inquisitor fared no better. It was obvious that she knew the steps to the waltz, but the alcohol in her body made it hard to execute the moves properly. She was too embarrass to look Cullen in the eyes, which made their frame even more difficult to maintain.

As an added pleasure, Dorian had forced Sera and Harding to make up for the tense silence in the room. He let the elf and the dwarf know that he knew of their presence. He pointed out to the pair that it was rude to spy on people, and then he promptly suggested they make up for it by singing for the couple – they needed music to go with the dance after all.

Harding stood for the majority of the entertainment, Sera mostly knew drinking chants and they weren't exactly compatible with the dance style. She did however hum to Harding's words, and it didn't sound as terrible as Dorian had hoped.

He wasn't a particularly pious man, but he praised the Maker for letting him be a part of this scene. He wished that Varric had been here to witness it with him; the recount of the dwarf would have been an enjoyable read to possess.

As Dorian had suspected, the presence of Lady Evelyn improved the Commander's dancing, but he had to do something about the grim expression in Cullen's face. Some light conversation would surely ease his features.

"Do you know much about high society, Commander?"

Cullen raised an eyebrow, "sadly, I do not. My only interaction with nobles have been in line of duty."

"Well you see, Commander," Dorian's mouth twitched into a little smirk, "it's not uncommon for a gentleman to pay compliments to his dance partner."

The Commander met Dorian's eyes with a serious glare, "is that so?" he said through his teeth, trying to hide his irritation.

"Oh yes! Don't you agree Lady Travelyan."

The question made Evelyn freeze mid-turn, "eh… well…" she shyly glanced at Cullen before she got obsessively interested in her own feet. "It's not uncommon to converse while dancing."

Dorian thought it was wonderful thar Evelyn had dared to agree, now he could force the Commander to talk with her. "You do want to blend in, don't you Commander?" he asked sheepishly. "The Orlesians are all about their compliments and hidden agenda. Why don't you give it a try?"

Cullen rubbed the back of his neck, "well… um… I like your eyes."

Evelyn's face turned a dark shade of red, "oh... uhm, thanks" she managed to mumble.

"Very good Commander, but I would have sounded more believable if you had looked into her eyes when you said it. Why don't you try that again while you look into each others eyes?"

Sera snickered at Dorian's suggestion and added one of her own, "you should really practice it while dancing."

Dorian nodded in agreement. He clapped his hands together, "now do it from the top!"

The Commander placed his right hand on Evelyn's waist, and took her right hand in his left. Dorian counted down and Sera started to hum while Harding sang. He looked deep into the inquisitor's eyes and repeated the compliment he'd previously given her. His voice seemed to force the Words, but his eyes conveyed the truthness of his statement.

"Excellent work you to! Why don't you try to make conversation," Dorian chimed in from the sideline.

"Ummm…" the Inquisitor mumbled, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"Don't look down Lady Evelyn; remember to keep your frame," he added strictly.

The direction he gave made it impossible for her to look away from Cullen's face. She mostly kept her gaze at his chin – he was a head taller than her after all – but she occasionally dared to look him in his eyes.

"Where did you learn to dance?" the Commander finally inquired - after Dorian kindly remindning him to do so - with an awkward smile.

"My mother made me take dance lessons when I was younger. She said it was important for young ladies to know the waltz if one wanted to procure a prospectable husband. I hated it at first, but it grew on me as I improved. I haven't danced since before I left for the Circle of Magi."

Dorian had hoped her lengthy answer would tempt the conversation further. She had given him a lot of options to pick from, but Cullen only nodded at her response.

The lack of response made Evelyn give it another try "did you… have you… I mean, was there much to do at Skyhold after we departed?"

The Commander traced the roof with his eyes as he thought about his week, "I had the trebuchet's adjusted."

"Well that's… a progress."

"It's important to have well-attuned trebuchets."

'What's with this man and the damn trebuchets?!' Dorian internally screamed. He had half a mind to smack the man in the back of his head, the girl was clearly in want of real conversation, yet the Commander chose to talk about work.

Of course, her only response was to smile. How would a noble woman turned mage of the Circle know anything about war machines, and how would it have been an effective conversation booster? It was hardly a worthy discussion topic while dancing…

An hour passed without much conversation between them. Cullen would apologize if he stepped on Evelyn's toes, and she would assure him that she was 'fine' and 'ok'.

"I think we're done for the day," Dorian tiredly announced, breaking the silence. Harding had long stopped singing due to her hoarse throat, and Sera had passed out. Both Cullen and Evelyn were visibly tired; Evelyn looked especially worn-out.

There was no use in waking the elf. Evelyn boasted that she'd be able to carry her – on her own – back to Skyhold, but Dorian wanted her to stay behind so he could have a word with her. Cullen swooped Sera up in his arms and promised to take her back safely. Harding helped him by carrying his equipment back.

Dorian made sure that the Commander was halfway across the bridge before he turned to the Inquisitor.

"Now that we're alone my dear Lady; I want to discuss something important with you."

Evelyn rubbed her eyes, "do you mind if we take this conversation outside?"

"Not at all, why?"

She ran out of the cabin before he got his answer, but the sound of her belching made it apparent that her body was relieving itself of the toxins. He waited for a moment before he followed her out.

Dorian found her sitting on a log with her head between her knees. "You alright there Lady Trevelyan?"

"Never better Lord Pavus" she answered sarcastically, giving him the thumbs up.

He snorted, "you don't have to call me Lord Pavus, Dorian's just fine."

"The same goes for you then," she lifted her head and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "What did you want to talk with me about?"

Dorian was about to sit down next to her when she promptly shot up and suggested they walk back to the keep. The stench of her sick reached his nostrils, and he agreed it would be best.

Evelyn was too weak to walk on her own, the dancing had strained her remaining energy and it looked as if she would pass out at any given moment. Dorian supported her across the bridge; they were nearly at the end of it when he finally spoke up.

"He likes you."

"What's that?"

"The Commander, he likes you."

She raised her eyebrows, "you really think so?"

"Surely you're not that dense. You know he likes you."

Evelyn shook her head, "no… I thought he might like me, but he haven't paid me any attention since I returned to Skyhold. Except for today, I haven't talked to him since the debriefing… not that we talked much now either."

"Try to see it from his perspective. You're the Herald of Andraste and the leader of the Inquisition; you can see how that's kind of intimidating?"

"I'm more timid than intimidating if I do say so myself."

"And he's just as timid, if not more."

She sighed, "maybe you're right?"

Dorian scoffed, "I'm always right my dear!"

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Just tell him how you feel."

"I'll might have to continue this bender if that's ever to happen."

"You should consider that when you wake up. You might not ever want to drink again after this."

They reached the stairs up to the keep, "I'm pretty sure I never want to drink ever again when I wake up."

Dorian stopped and gave her a supportive smile "You should tell him soon. Once we depart for Halamshiral, there will be no time to talk about it in private. You should have the matter resolved before we leave; the Orlesian Court will eat him alive if he's single." He gave her a wink "or I might devour him myself."

She snorted, "I'll think about it," and gave him a weak, yet cheerful, smile. "Thanks Dorian."

"No need to mention it. What am I but a handsome and humble servant of love?"

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, "you're especially humble."

"You know me, I'm not one to brag, perfect human specimens doesn't have to do so. Are you well enough to reach your quarters on your own? I have business with Cassandra and I would hate to keep her waiting."

"I've waded through a freezing blizzard on my own, I think I'll manage," she joked.

My intention when I started this fic was to keep the POV with the Inquisitor and Cullen, but now I kind of want to play with the characters around them too see how they experience the relationship. I really don't want to rehash the story too much, I've got my game to relive that tale forever.

What are your thoughts? I was thinking about doing it from Sera's perspective next time, I suspect she'll wake up with a massive hangover.

Aaaaaaaand thank you so much for the kind reviews! I'll continue to write this fic 'til you get sick of it and make me stop!