I'm back! I just want to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has read/followed/favorited/reviewed this story, even in my little absence. Also I'm extremely appreciative of all you who wished me well on my big day. It went off without a hitch and now... I am hitched. Woo!
Onward!
Ellie's entire body ached and she couldn't remember a time when she felt so exhausted. They had just arrived back to Skyhold after spending weeks in the Exalted Plains. They were supposed to make a quick stop in Emprise Du Lion but their tasks at the Exalted Plains ended up taking far longer than she had anticipated and they ended up getting involved in far more danger. They even had a tangle with a High Dragon, to Bull's delight, and managed to come out victorious though not completely unscathed. Dorian got pretty beat up during the fight and Ellie dislocated her shoulder at one point when the dragon flung her across the swampy area. Luckily, they had enough healing potions to get them through but the Inquisitor would be quite satisfied for the rest of her life if she never had to go back to the Plains ever again.
Not to mention they rode for three days straight just to get back to Skyhold, only stopping for a couple hours at a time. All of them could barely stand by now. She even had to get Krem to help her up the stairs to her quarters because her legs were so wobbly.
One of her maids was kind and thoughtful enough to have a hot bath waiting for her upon arrival and Ellie wasted no time peeling off her clothes and sinking into its warmth. Without bothering to clean herself off right away, she simply revelled in the soothing affects the water had on her skin, the aromatic bubbles completely covering the surface of the water, and her eyes fluttered closed almost instantly as the tiniest smile of relief appeared on her face.
Unfortunately she only got a few short moments of relaxation and solitude because she heard the door to her quarters open and shut loud enough to make it seem that whoever had entered could care less about being quiet and considerate. Her smile turning into a frown, she lazily opened her eyes to see a familiar blonde elf standing in her room.
If it were almost anyone else, Ellie would feel beyond awkward and uncomfortable being in a bath while someone else was in the room. And even though Sera preferred Ellie's gender and she threw sexual innuendos around frequently, the Herald was confident that Sera would never take things further without Ellie's consent. Besides, thanks to the bubbles in her bath, the only thing anyone could see of Ellie was from her shoulders and up.
The archer stood in front of the copper basin Ellie was in, hands on her hip and looking a bit ticked though there was a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Right. It's about time you got back, yeah? I have a bone to pick with you."
Ellie let out a low chuckle, "Doesn't everyone?"
Sera took another step forward, "You have to do something about mister grumpy pants."
"Who?" Ellie asked with her eye brow raised. She always found the elf's manner of speaking rather amusing and unlike most people she could understand it well enough but right now she had no idea who she was referring to.
Sera crossed her arms and let out an exasperated huff, "Sorry, I mean Commander grumpy pants."
"Cullen is… Grumpy?" The Inquisitor asked, not entirely sure what Sera wanted her to do about it if that were the case.
"Ever since you left, he's been walkin' around like he has a friggin' storm cloud hoverin' over his head. What happened?"
Ellie was slightly taken aback by her words, "Why do you expect me to know?"
The archer let out a scoff followed by a small giggle, "Oh please, everyone knows. You have a thing for each other. His thing and your thing doing things." At the end of her sentence the elf let out a hysterical laugh.
Her eyes almost popped out of Ellie's skull, "Our… Things are not doing anything together."
"Right," Sera drawled sarcastically, "Well, your loss I suppose. Or his. Either way, you like him and he likes you. Now you two just need to get to the naughty bits."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ellie grumbled in response, hating that so many people could apparently read her like a book. And she refused to accept that Cullen felt the same way. Unless she heard it from him, of course. And even then she wasn't sure if she would believe it.
Sera looked at her expectantly, "Whatever you say. Anyways, Commander grumpy pants has had his knickers in a knot since you left and you need to do something about it."
"And what do you suppose I should do?" Ellie asked ever curious to what the response would be.
At Ellie's display of interest in her grandiose plan, the elf gave her a cheeky grin, "Pranks!"
"You want me to go pull a prank on him? I think that would make him more cranky."
Sera shrugged off her answer, "It couldn't hurt to try, yeah? To remind him he's still people."
Ellie had to admit, pulling a prank on Cullen would be pretty funny. She thought about how controlled and disciplined he always was and loosening that up would be amusing. Though she wasn't sure how he would take it. She knew that under his armor and composed exterior, the man had a sense of humor. But with how they left things before she went, she wasn't sure if he would see that humor.
She still felt a huge pang of regret regarding what she had said to Cullen. As soon as she was rested, that would be the first thing she would address. It felt like they had just reached a breakthrough in their relationship by being open with each other. She didn't want to ruin that because of some misspoken, untrue words that were said in the heat of the moment. The Herald could only hope that she wasn't the reason he had been a noticeable grouch since she left. If Sera could tell, she could only imagine what his men were dealing with. Yes, she would go see him first thing in the morning.
"Fine, we'll go prank Cullen. But can it wait until tomorrow? I'm exhausted," Ellie conceded, earning a smile from Sera.
"Really? I didn't think you actually would say yes. But it's important to cheer up Commander grumpy pants, innit? You know that, of course you know that cause you're into him."
The woman in the bathtub frowned. "I am not," she said defensively, even though she know it was a big fat lie.
"Right. Whatever. I think you're a cagey, boxed up, kissy romantic under all that Inquizzy armor stuff. You just won't admit it. Sorry to hear it though. Anyways, come see me tomorrow or I'll drag you out by your breeches."
With that the elf left Ellie's quarter, leaving her to contemplate what she had just gotten herself into. She had a fondness for Sera, admired how she went from being an orphan on the streets of Ferelden to being an incredible marksman who always fought to help those who were less fortunate. She tended to be a bit flighty and had a mouth so vulgar it would put the dirtiest of men to shame, but she wanted to help even if just to get things back to normal. The elf, though, had a certain hankering for making people seem like people, not just symbols or titles. Ellie knew that pulling a practical joke on the other leaders in the Inquisition helped the masses see them as living, breathing, normal people just like them and things like that strengthened moral considerably.
Ellie wasn't sure how things were going to play out with Cullen when she went to see him and apologize tomorrow morning, but pulling a little joke on him couldn't hurt, right? Or it could send their relationship back a couple notches if he really was as cranky as Sera made him out to be. She resolved to feel out how he seemed tomorrow and decide from there if pranking him would really be the wisest thing to do. And potentially just ask him what's bothering him. Ellie could only hope she wasn't actually the cause.
Now that she finally had the bathroom to herself, the Inquisitor hurried to finish her bath. What solace she could have had while relaxing in the warm water was squashed with Sera's friendly interruption. She was beyond eager to get into her soft bed that was getting more enticing by the second.
Lazily drying herself off, she slipped on her sleeping clothes which consisted of a men's short-sleeved shirt and some cotton shorts. She hated being too warm when she slept and despite the stone interior of her room and the chilly temperatures outside, the thick fur-lined comforter she had on her bed kept her a little too on the hot side while sleeping. She often contemplated the thought of sleeping with no clothes on to combat the heat but she was a little too worried that someone may enter her quarters unexpectedly. As Sera confirmed already today.
Shuffling her tired feet towards her bed, Ellie stretched, letting out a languid yawn. Just before she flopped onto her comfy bed, she heard someone rapping at her door.
Not again… Ellie groaned at the thought of another person coming to see her when she so desperately just wanted to rest. Her body and mind craved rest even though it was technically late afternoon still, she knew she could fall asleep now and not wake until dawn if she was able.
Apparently her long-awaited sleep would have to wait though as she begrudgingly told whoever was at her door to enter. She ran her hands down her face in a feeble attempt at wiping away the fatigue. The woman honestly didn't give a nug's ass what she looked like right now to whoever was coming into her quarters. Her sleeping attire hung off her loosely, her wet blonde locks fell down to her waist, dampening the fabric beneath it, her face was free of any kind of cosmetics and exhaustion was no doubt rampant across her features. As far as Ellie was concerned, it didn't matter what she looked like if someone was willing to barge in on her when she had just arrived back from her long journey.
But as she saw the familiar golden curls, the brown leather under metal armor, and the tell-tale fur pauldrons that belonged to one person only, she immediately realized that it absolutely did matter what she looked like to the man entering the room. Her silver eyes were as wide as saucers as he neared her. His features though seemed to be conflicted and his amber orbs were cast away from her.
Ellie awkwardly fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, gnawing on her lower lip out the anxiety of what his reaction would be when he saw her in her more natural state.
"Inquisitor, there is a matter I need to discuss with you urgently," he said curtly, still not meeting her gaze.
She inwardly flinched when he had used her title instead of her name. In front of others, especially troops and those who worked under them, she knew that the formality of calling her by her title was necessary to enforce her leadership. But when they were alone he had finally adapted to calling her by her name, she revelled in the way he said it. For him to refuse that privilege now had her on edge because it made it abundantly clear that she had done far more damage than she meant. If it weren't for that and the guilt it brought, she would have corrected him. But she sensed the tension both in him and between them; now wasn't the time for that.
She swallowed hard before she spoke, "Of course."
It was then that he actually managed to look up at her. His eyes quickly darted over her figure, making her body slightly recoil with self-consciousness. Whatever he thought of her appearance did not change the turmoil that was written across his face. His eyebrows were furrowed tightly, his lips pursed in a thin line. Whatever it was that made him seem so upset, the expression he had almost translated into physical pain.
"I- I must ask," he started but then stopped, wincing momentarily before trying to regain his composure, "I must ask for a replacement."
Ellie gaped at him when those words fell from his mouth as one of her current fears was being realized. He was going to leave her.
She opened her mouth to voice a rejection, though she knew it was beyond selfish on her part when the man in front of her began to stagger. She rushed to his side, reaching out to steady him but by the time she got close enough to help him he collapsed completely, falling limp as she caught him and laid him gently down on the floor. She was in a state of panic, though she had calmly worked through more dangerous situations in her life.
The thought of losing Cullen at all was enough to make Ellie nauseous. To lose him like this, when he was clearly suffering pain would break her entirely.