The Herald knew what she did to Cullen; she had to. Cullen realized early on that Victoria Trevelyan knew just what to say and do in order to get a reaction out of him as though he were a nervous school boy. He was feeling confident after the night they had; if he had to stay up all night with anyone, he would prefer it be with her. But when Victoria came out to return his overcoat, it's like the confidence he possessed was swept out from under him. He instantly grew nervous, and then, to top it all off, she kissed his scar. Trevelyan was playing a game with him, no doubt.
Cullen's nerves were only exacerbated when the advisors were summoned to the War Room to discuss the events at Val Royeaux. He was still embarrassed from their previous encounter; after all, his recruits and Cassandra almost certainly witnessed the scene unfold. Now, he had to deal with the consequences of that.
When he entered the War Room, however, it was only occupied by Victoria. His eyes searched, and she must have sensed his trepidation. Though she was not facing him, she suggested, "You can come in, Commander, I won't bite. I just got here first."
Cullen readied himself and walked to the other side of the table. The Herald looked up at him, as though to formally acknowledge his presence. "Did you sleep well?" she inquired.
"Well, for whatever reason I fell asleep sitting completely upright," he sarcastically retorted, "But having a charming young lady fall asleep in my lap was of no discomfort."
Her eyes darted back up from the map on the War Table, clearly flustered by his response; if this was a game to Victoria, Cullen would play. "Ah, I see…" she replied, gathering her thoughts. "Well, it's funny Commander, I fell asleep in the lap of a dashing man last night. And I slept wonderfully."
"Shouldn't we all be so lucky?" Cullen asked, eliciting a small smirk from the corner of Trevelyan's mouth as the rest of the advisors and Cassandra entered.
Josephine, as per usual, started with business immediately. "We heard of your encounter."
"You heard?" Cassandra questioned.
"My agents in the city sent word ahead, of course." Leliana quipped, drawing out a small chuckle from Trevelyan.
"It's a shame the templars have abandoned their senses as well as the capital," Cullen added.
She looked up, then, eyes focused on him. "At least we know how to approach the mages and templars, now."
"Do we?" Cassandra objected, "Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember."
"True. He has taken the Order somewhere, but to do what? My reports have been...very odd."
"We must look into it," Cullen suggested. "I'm certain not everyone in the order will support the Lord Seeker."
"Or the Herald could simply go to meet the mages in Redcliffe, instead," Josephine argued.
Cullen did not want the Herald to go to the mages. He did not distrust all mages, but these ones deliberately turned away from the Circle; he was certain they could not be trusted, and if they couldn't, Victoria shouldn't be anywhere near them.
"You think the Mage Rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse!" He shouted before he could catch himself.
"I could at least find out what the mages want," Victoria countered. While Cullen did not want to put Victoria in harm's way, he knew that if she had made up her mind, there was no point arguing.
Cassandra must not have figured out how thick-headed their Herald was. "No doubt what they've always wanted: support for their cause."
"We shouldn't discount Redcliffe. The mages may be worth the risk," Josephine concluded.
"They are powerful, Ambassador," Cassandra explained, "but more desperate than you realize."
"So it'll be dangerous," Trevelyan sighed, "I've been in danger since I walked out of the Fade."
She had a point there. Either way, they had all agreed that they did not have enough influence yet to approach either party. The Herald would have to use her charisma to extend the reach of the Inquisition, which Cullen thought should be an easy task for her. They had planned for Trevelyan to visit the Storm Coast to acquire a mercenary group and their leader, and Redcliffe to find a Grey Warden, and eventually approach the rebel mages.
As the War Room cleared, Cullen noticed that Trevelyan had something in her hair. He reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder, and removed it. As it turns out, it was fur from his pauldrons. "Well, what have we here?" he jested, staring down at her. "It appears you have some fur in your hair, Herald."
"Yes," she chuckled, "Well, I fell asleep in some mangy overcoat and it left traces of fur all over me."
"I'll remember that, Trevelyan."
"Don't," she retorted, somewhat seriously. "I could get used to sleeping in that jacket."
That, as usual, left Cullen speechless. Victoria smiled from ear-to-ear, leaving him blushing in the War Room alone. He'd have to get her back for that one.
He had a great deal of time to think of a witty reply, but could only concentrate on the danger the Herald was putting herself in while she was away. Ordinarily, Cullen knew she could take care of herself, but even agreeing to speak to rebellious mages could end in conflict. If Trevelyan disagreed with them, or they were setting a trap for her...he couldn't bear to think what could happen to her. He did his best to concentrate on the necessary day-to-day tasks, but he continued to press Leliana for any information she had.
"Why are you so worried, Commander?" she asked him one day, probably the tenth time that day he had asked for a report. The Iron Bull and Blackwall, the Grey Warden, had arrived, but there had been no sign of Trevelyan.
"The Herald...is important," he stuttered. "This Inquisition would be nothing without her and she needs to stay alive."
"Sure," Leliana snorted, "that's why you've had those sad puppy eyes all week. I'm onto you, Commander. I'm onto Trevelyan, too."
Cullen stopped in his tracks, tempted to ask what she meant, but just walked away. She's onto Trevelyan? He didn't have time to think about what that meant.
A few days later, Victoria, Solas, Cassandra and Varric returned from their trip. Cullen sighed with relief when they arrived, tempted to run up to Trevelyan and hug her. Looking at the expression on her face, Cullen paused. She looked entirely frustrated, and acknowledged no one. He watched her slam through the doors of Haven, and shot a worried glance at Cassandra. All Cassandra did was shake her head. Hopefully, Cullen would catch up with Trevelyan later and make sure she was alright.
As soon as Victoria reached Haven, she knew where she needed to go. She went to her quarters and changed into her most comfortable clothes-a deep blue, three-quarter sleeve shirt, and the softest, loosest pants she owned-and went straight to the tavern. She needed alcohol, and a lot of it. To her surprise, she found Sera and Solas sitting together, Sera handing him a flagon of liquor.
"Hello, you two," Victoria greeted them. "Surprised to see you guys even in the same room together."
"Mopey elf is getting drunk, Herald. I had to see if he's at least a little more interesting that way," Sera joked.
Solas definitely wanted to get drunk for the same reasons as she did. Meeting the rebel mages in Redcliffe was a disaster. They had enslaved themselves to a Tevinter magister who happened to be working for the person who created the Breach. Perfect.
"I'll have what he's having," Victoria shouted, pointing at Solas, "but double the amount."
"Yeah, Herald!" Sera shouted, making room for her at the table.
Cullen had searched everywhere for the Herald. He spoke to the other advisors, searched her quarters, the War Room, and still not a trace of her. Just when he was ready to call a search party, he heard her laugh echo through the complex.
He entered the tavern, which is the place he least expected her to be. She was with Sera and Solas, also an unexpected combination. She noticed him immediately and rose to greet him. "Cullen!" she shouted, much louder than necessary, "It's so good to see you!" she charged at him and put her arms around him, the small braid she put her hair in nearly hitting him in the face. "Come sit with us," she slurred, dragging him along and forcing him to sit down at their table.
"Cullen!" Sera snickered, "Can we get you drunk, too?"
"I'll have a few drinks," he chucked, "But you're not getting me drunk."
The four of them sat and chatted, though with Solas and Trevelyan being drunk, and Sera being...well, Sera...much of the conversations didn't make sense.
That was until Sera asked, "So, did you two do the deed the other night? Made the beast with two backs, yeah?"
Trevelyan spit out her drink and was sent into hysterics at that. Cullen was severely embarrassed at that point, when Solas interjected, "As if I needed more incentive to vomit right now. I'm going to bed."
Cullen was just about to get up himself, so he could stew in his humiliation. Of course she thought the idea was funny. Cullen was awkward; he had some experience with women, yes, but when it came to Trevelyan he had no clue what he was doing. She couldn't have been interested in him. But as he rose, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back down into his chair. "Oh, sit down you," she mumbled. She turned to Sera and replied, "No, Sera. No...beast with two backs, or whatever. Cullen's a sweet man, he'd never take advantage of me like that."
Before he could even react, he felt Victoria's hand searching for his own. She intertwined her fingers with his under the table, like it was their little secret. He had to fight the smirk and blush that followed, and Sera replied, "Ugh! Now you're gonna make me barf. I'm off to bed. Goodnight, losers."
Trevelyan chuckled and watched Sera leave. Then she turned her head, resting it on the table. "You really are sweet, you know," she whispered, hand still grasping his.
"Thanks," he replied, playing with her fingers lazily while he spoke. "What happened at Redcliffe?"
"It was a load of shit, Commander," she sighed. "The rebel mages enslaved themselves to the Imperium under a magister that directly wants to attack me. The plus side is we met this lovely mage, Dorian, who used to work under magister Alexius and wants to help us take care of him." She shrugged, like it was an ordinary experience.
Her eyes were flickering open and closed, so Cullen suggested, "Victoria, can I walk you to your quarters? You really should sleep."
"Of course," she nodded, sobering up a bit from before. She relinquished his hand, and the space where hers was felt sadly empty. But he rose, pulling out her chair, and prepared to escort her to her quarters.
It was a silent trip. When they arrived, she turned to him, nodded, and whispered, "Goodnight, Cullen."
He nodded and turned away, heading to his quarters when he felt her grab his hand again, and suddenly he found her in his arms. She looked up at him. Maker, beautiful wasn't a strong enough word to describe her. Her hair, a deep auburn, was growing longer now, and it was clear she had difficulty restraining it, her braid loose and hairs jutting out. She had no makeup on and the freckles on her face were more prominent as the alcohol reddened her cheeks. Her eyes, such a bright green, practically glowed in the night. And even though she was in baggy clothing, her shirt almost falling off her shoulders, she was flawless. "Did you leave anyone behind in Kirkwall?" she blurted out.
"No," he replied quickly, "I fear I made few friends there, and my family's in Ferelden."
She placed her hands on his chest and inquired, "No one special caught your interest?"
Cullen, mustering all the bravery he could, explained, "Not in Kirkwall."
He walked away from her then, hopefully leaving her as flustered as she usually left him.