It was the first time Samson felt a sense of purpose in a long time. Corypheus had given him back his sword, but over time, he knew that it was not enough. With Hadiza's new project well underway, there was the potential to be the man he once was. Over the weeks, they took their time, carefully gathering the tools and ingredients for the spell. And over those weeks, Samson saw an improvement in his health. Breathing was easier, and he found that his muscles were thicker, heavier. His appetite became regulated, and his eyes were clearing up. He blamed the lyrium, but he wouldn't complain. His corruption was still encroaching, but slowly. And he learned in those weeks, that Hadiza loved to laugh.

He didn't know why, but that gave him pleasure.

While he was no longer allowed in the war room, Hadiza always had a missive sent his way to take lunch with her in the scrying chamber. And there, they worked. Samson learned that Hadiza was truly gifted in her craft. She reveled in her magic in the same way Maddox had. She explored beyond the boundaries the Circle set, shaping the raw magic from the Fade to suit her desires. He saw in her the same lust for life that had endeared Maddox to him and he encouraged it. He smiled when she wasn't looking, watching her use her magic as easily as she breathed.

Sometimes, they were seen in public together, usually when she trained with the other mages in Skyhold. There was still no word as to where Corypheus had fled following his defeat at the Arbor Wilds. Hadiza moved with a fighter's surety, as oppose to the evasive movements of a battlemage. It never occurred to Samson to ask about her past, but that would have been presumptuous.

Hadiza was in the garden when Cullen showed up. Samson watched his face go ashen momentarily and resisted the urge to laugh. The man was bedding this woman and still couldn't trust her with her own abilities. He rolled his eyes instead. Hadiza was in the midst of trying to combine two spells at once, an arcane shield followed by a lightning bolt. However, her shield developed holes during the second casting and she swore under her breath, downing a lyrium potion to replenish her mana. Looking up, she saw Cullen, and smiled.

Here we fuckin' go. Samson thought in aggravation. When the fuck was the lunch bell going to sound?

"Commander," Hadiza sounded slightly winded, and there was a light sheen of sweat along her hairline, and her eyes were brilliant and shining, "come to drill the mages as well?" Cullen smiled at her warmly, and there was a tenderness there that he bestowed on no one else. He didn't seem to care that Samson was within earshot as he bent his head low to murmur something in her ear. Hadiza grinned, laughing, patting him on the arm. She murmured something back and Samson watched Cullen go red all the way up to his fuckin' ears.

Fucking idiot.

Samson would have taken Hadiza up on whatever seductive promise she whispered in his ear. Would have taken her by the arm and dragged her back to her chambers so he could hear her keep her promise well past the dinner bell.

Samson took a deep breath trying to will his cock not to rouse at the thought.

"How is training treating you?" Cullen asked her. Hadiza snorted, blowing that errant lock of hair from her face.

"Oh it's swell, save I can't seem to get these two spells to work in tandem without sacrificing the strength of one over the other. You'd think this shit would come easy, but no…I've drained two lyrium potions for this." She muttered. Her gaze turned toward Samson.

"Hey," she said almost cheerily, "you've got a pretty good handle on magic. You have any tips that might uh…make this endeavor less frustrating?" At that, Cullen frowned, shooting Samson a disgusted look and did little to cloak his contempt. Unbelievable. Samson decided he'd had enough, so he shrugged.

"Well, Inquisitor, you're overloading your shields," he began, "when you cast a shield, you've only got a limited amount of time before it vanishes. How about you pour more into the lightning first, then boost your shield after. The holes won't have time to grow otherwise."

Cullen's face was dumbstruck. Samson was inwardly smug. Hadiza, however, looked intrigued. She walked away from the two men and immediately focused. Samson felt the sudden charge in the air, the prickle of her magic along his skin like a march of needle pricks. He saw Cullen tense, and could almost see his fear as he reached for abilities that were no longer available to him. Samson, on the other hand, had no such fear. He kept his abilities within reach, but he knew Hadiza wasn't at risk of becoming corrupted off of such a simple maneuver.

Lightning struck, followed by the match strike hiss of her shield being thrown up. Hadiza's smile was one of wonderment, and she laughed, disbelieving.

"It worked!" She cried and dropped her shield, turning to jog back toward them, "Samson you're secretly a genius. Are you sure you were just a Templar?" Her smile was mischievous and Samson shrugged casually, knowing that Cullen was fuming at her familiarity with the supposedly disgraced war criminal.

"I told you we Templars are well-read," he told her, a reminder to her, and a deliberate dig at Cullen that he'd not been privy to their private dealings, "we can't protect mages if we don't bother to understand how their abilities work." And he met eyes with Cullen and the man's gaze was alight with fury, the bridge of his nose wrinkling in a frown.

"But how did you know…?" Hadiza asked, truly intrigued, "Most Templars don't even know how we use magic, let alone how we layer our spellcasting." Samson's brows went up. Well, now that she was interested he felt liable to indulge her.

"You tear open the Veil each time you use your abilities," Samson explained and Hadiza nodded, "which is why mages are vulnerable to corruption. It's no different than those Fade rifts you've been stitching up. When you do continuous casting, you're keeping the Veil open. The more powerful the spell, the bigger the tear, understand?"

Cullen narrowed his eyes. Hadiza tapped her lips with an index finger, a sign Samson had come to know as interest.

"Ah, that would explain why…oh Maker. But that would mean—" Before she finished the lunch bell rang and she smiled at him, warm and he almost dared to think inviting. Cullen took that opportunity to cut in.

"Inquisitor," he said and Samson swore the man almost turned up his nose at him as he offered her his arm, "would you care to join me? I believe we may have a lead on those Red Templar camps we discussed earlier." Samson didn't miss the dig. He almost wanted to laugh. How fuckin' Ferelden was he to be pissing on what he claimed as his like one of their damned dogs? Hadiza blinked at him, then smiled.

"Alright," she agreed, then as she took the Commander's arm, she turned her gaze to Samson, "we'll continue this discussion another time, then. Thank you for your help." Samson watched her go, didn't miss how Cullen bent his head to brush his lips along her hair in the gentlest kiss, murmuring something to her that made her laugh, and didn't miss how he held her just a bit closer.

Samson felt his blood grow hot. Let him claim this victory, then. Hadiza would send word soon enough.