Chapter Five

While I love Cullen's romance from start to finish in the game, I also realize it doesn't move very naturally. One minute they are flirting in Haven (only twice!) and when they reach Skyhold it's "I need to talk to you alone." I mean, where is the wooing, where are the tender scenes, their conversations? They hardly talk! Soooo, I'm trying to put in a little bit more – more talks, more of the 'getting to know you', more fluff!

Also, I had issues about having to choose between the templars and the mages. So, I'm writing about a different approach: what I think would be a bit more realistic, maybe? At any rate, read on to find out! :D

Please feel free to leave feedback, and thanks so much for all your lovely reviews! :D

…

Dear Sister Nightingale, Lady Ambassador, Commander Cullen,

This is the only report we'll be sending you from Redcliffe as we'll be heading towards Haven as soon as we deal with some other issues pertaining the refugees at the Crossroads.

The situation is dire – even more than I expected. The previous Grand Enchanter, Fiona, has allied with Tevinter. She has indentured herself and her charges to a group known as the Venatori. Their leader, Magister Gereon Alexius, is an active member of the group. I have the feeling and sneaking suspicion that they may have ties with whomever or whatever created the Breach in the first place.

I spoke to Alexius himself in the tavern where we were initially meeting with Fiona. Fiona, by the way, mentioned that she hadn't seen us or spoken to me in Val Royeaux. That struck me as odd and that's when the alarm bells started ringing for me.

They haven't stopped ringing.

Alexius arrived at the tavern later, with his son Felix. We sat at a table to speak about the mages helping us to close the Breach, but when he sent his son Felix to get a scribe, the young man nearly fainted in my arms. Alexius then became deeply concerned for his son, and took him back to the castle, asking Fiona to come with them. He told me before he left that he would contact us at Haven – that we would certainly speak at a later date.

When his son Felix stumbled and nearly fainted, I stood up to help as I mentioned previously. He passed a note to me which I read when they'd left the tavern. The note said I was in danger and to meet whoever had sent it in the Chantry. All of us were concerned about it being a trap, but after we discussed it, we agreed we would be careful about the whole thing and agreed we should head into the Chantry.

At the Chantry, there was a rift (yes, a rift within the Chantry itself), and someone was fighting the demons: a tanned man with a ridiculous mustache and clearly a mage since he was wielding a staff. We helped him fight the demons and I closed the rift.

The mage who had been fighting the demons was from Tevinter himself and said his name was Dorian Pavus from Minrathous. He denied being a magister, however, and stressed that he was simply a mage. He was the one who had sent the note. We were highly suspicious at first, especially when we learned that Felix, who had arrived in the meantime, was working against his father. But they explained that Alexius was no longer himself and was using time magic. Then Felix told us that they (the group known as the 'Venatori' and Alexius) wanted me, or to get to me. I was a bit puzzled at this as you can imagine. All of us discussed this and we arrived to the conclusion that it must be because of my mark, as I can close the rifts.

They both left, but Dorian has promised to keep in touch, for he was anxious to stop Alexius by any means necessary.

If you find the time magic difficult to believe, I must stress that we ourselves have experienced it twice now, once outside the gates of Redcliffe, and once inside the Chantry while we were fighting the demons. There are precise areas or 'pockets' if you will, that basically slow things down or speed things up considerably. Creepy and worrying if you ask me.

I'm writing you from the tavern inn where we initially met with Fiona and Alexius. We'll be staying here until tomorrow, and then leave for the Crossroads with a healer we found here. The refugees need one desperately. Once we finish with everything, we'll head off to Haven.

The one good thing about being in an inn is that they are filling the copper tub in my room with hot water as I write. A nice, hot bath finally!

Hoping you are all well,

Beatrix Anna Trevelyan

Leliana folded the missive with an audible sigh, a frown on her face. The room was silent for a few minutes and presently Cullen spoke, trying to get the image of Beatrix taking a hot bath out of his mind.

"This is dire indeed. Getting the templars is imperative at the moment if we want to save the mages."

Leliana and Josephine merely looked at Cullen quietly. His eyes widened slightly as he understood what they were thinking. "You don't mean to say we should abandon the templars and get the mages, do you?"

"A Tevinter mage, who is practicing time magic, has overtaken Redcliffe and is living at the castle," Leliana said quietly. "My scouts reported that Arl Teagan was spotted leaving with his soldiers and heading directly to Denerim. I had wondered why. Now we all know."

Cullen's frown deepened, but he said nothing.

"We'll wait for the Herald and Cassandra to arrive and discuss this properly," Josephine said after a few moments. "No use dealing with it now."

They all agreed to this and headed out of the room to continue various other tasks that needed their attention.

…

All of them – companions and advisors alike – huddled in the room around the war table, as Beatrix now called it. They clearly were waiting for her to begin the meeting. She cleared her throat.

"We must help the mages," she finally said. "We cannot let this Magister from Tevinter rule over Redcliffe as he is doing so now."

"I still think we should get the templars," Cullen said clearly, his eyes holding her gaze. "If we are to help the mages, we'll need templars to watch them."

"I agree with the Commander," Vivienne spoke. "The mere presence of the Breach is enough to be wary of all mages. Myself included. We are in greater risk of becoming abominations, with all the demons that are coming out of rifts and the Breach nearby."

"Yeah, demons ruin everything," Bull commented behind her.

Beatrix frowned, keeping silent. Varric, who was standing beside her, sighed and shook his head.

"The Magister must be overthrown. Surely you all agree to this!" Leliana exclaimed. "My scouts informed me that Arl Teagan rode straight to the Palace in Denerim. Do we really want a war between Ferelden and the rebel mages, with the Breach causing chaos all around us?"

Everyone in the room - except for Beatrix – stared at Leliana. The room was so quiet the leaves of the trees outside could be heard rustling every time the wind picked up.

"I had an aunt who was a mage," Beatrix said after a while, her voice low, but clear enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "My father's younger sister. She was the sweetest person in Thedas, always thinking of ways to help others. Her magic manifested late – she was twelve when she was taken to the Circle in Ostwick. My father never stopped loving her. He visited her regularly, first with his parents, later on without them when they died. She was always happy and enjoyed being a part of the Circle. But she did miss my father. I met her. She was singing in one of the gardens inside the Circle fortress, taking care of the roses. I was six years old and she looked so lovely and at peace. She smiled a lot."

Beatrix paused, still staring at the map before her. "She was killed when the circles rebelled. She put herself between a templar's sword and a young mage apprentice who was barely ten, saving his life."

Nobody spoke.

Beatrix looked up from the map her gaze finding Cullen's sad one. "I don't dislike mages. If there is an opportunity now to save them, we must. I owe it to my aunt."

Josephine cleared her throat. "We still don't have enough support from the nobles to go speak to the templars," she announced to the room. "We can't simply go and talk to them about the Breach right now. We need the support from at least five more families."

"Then we help the mages," Beatrix said simply. "We'll wait for Alexius to write us. Once he does, we'll deal with him."

"And if the five noble families we are waiting for agree to help the Inquisition before we get the missive from the Magister?" Josephine asked, taking notes.

"Then, we'll have to form two groups. One will go to the templars and the other to Redcliffe Castle," Beatrix replied.

…

Beatrix found herself walking through Haven after the meeting. She stopped by the alchemist to get some potions and overheard him complaining about the lack of elfroot and something about a recipe that couldn't be found, so she offered her help. The alchemist merely said that she didn't have to help, only put the world back together again.

Beatrix smiled at that. But when she left the place, she set out to look for elfroot specifically and hunt for the late Master Taigen's notes that Adan needed, even though he had refused her help. If those notes were in Haven, she would find them.

She didn't stop at the tavern, but made her way to the gates. Varric waved her on with a grin and she smiled back at him. Reaching the gates, she pushed them open. At once her gaze landed on Cullen, a short distance away, even as she continued to walk slowly.

He had his back to her, teaching one of the recruits to hold his shield properly. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about going to have a friendly chat with him.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

Except that every time she thought about facing him and looking into his golden brown eyes, she felt her knees go weak. She had vomited all over him and called him a prick. Would he ever forgive her for that? Had he already forgiven her?

Also, there was the matter of the kiss. Beatrix felt the heat shoot right up to her face.

Maker!

"You won't know until you talk to him," Bull's voice made her start. She turned and found he had been standing next to her. That was just peachy. Bull knew how she felt. She suppressed a groan and her blush deepened into a nice shade of burgundy.

"What?" the word tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"You heard me, boss," Bull chuckled. "So, what are you doing standing here? Go talk to him."

"How did you – "

"Hey! Ben-Hassrath, remember?"

Without sparing another glance at Bull, she took a deep breath, shook her head, and started walking.

…

Cullen finished explaining the use of the shield to the young recruit and gave him an encouraging smile. He called another one of his recruits over who already knew how to use a shield.

"I want you both to practice together. Remember, it's a weapon you're holding and you're doing it for a specific reason," he added. Both recruits nodded and took their places behind him where the rest were practicing. With a smile, Cullen turned and found himself looking down into a pair of bright sapphire eyes.

"Herald!" He exclaimed, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. "I – didn't see you – I mean, um," Cullen's words died in his throat. His hand automatically went to the back of his neck and rubbed.

Maker's breath! He was a grown man of thirty-two who had faced terrible things, and the woman before him robbed him of any intelligent thought and made him feel like a young boy again – flustered and uncomfortable. Not to mention the heat that was rapidly traveling south to his groin.

Beatrix smiled at him, her eyes shining, and Cullen felt his knees go weak. "I thought we could have a chat, Commander, but if you're busy right now..." She stared at the ground, fidgeting nervously.

"No!" Cullen shouted interrupting whatever she was going to say next. She looked up at him, totally startled by his outburst. Realizing this, he quickly cleared his throat and spoke.

"I meant…no, I'm – not busy!" He called his Lieutenant over, and instructed him to watch the recruits. Then he turned to Beatrix again and smiled at her with what he hoped was an eager expression.

"Can you…walk with me?" Beatrix asked shyly, an adorable tinge of red on her cheeks.

"Of course," he replied quickly, looking at her delicate features. Maker help him, she was so beautiful!

They started walking towards the woods, and he noticed she'd stop every now and then to gather some elfroot leaves.

"I'm gathering elfroot for Adan," she explained. "He didn't want any help, but as you can see, I disregarded that."

Cullen smiled to himself, remembering the words Leliana had written in the report about Beatrix's need to help others.

Abruptly she stopped and turned to face him. "I really wanted to apologize," she said in a rush, her blush now covering her entire face.

"Apologize?" Cullen asked, not bothering to hide his confusion. Then he remembered the kiss and thought the worse. Was she here to apologize for it? Maker, no!

But Beatrix made no mention of the kiss in the next words she spoke.

"I have been behaving badly towards you, Commander. I – ah," her words died down and she looked around uncomfortably.

Cullen stepped closer and gave her an encouraging smile when she looked back up at him.

"I overreacted to your reaction on the mountaintop. I now realize that, that you were, um…nervous that day – we all were," she said softly.

"There's no need – ", Cullen began, but she held up her hand and he waited patiently for her to continue talking. Maker, she was just as embarrassed as he was! And shy. And she was blushing so adorably – he willed his brain to stop his train of thought and focus on her words.

"I ignored and teased you horribly and, and," Beatrix paused, taking a deep breath. "I vomited all over your chestplate!" she finished dramatically.

Cullen burst out laughing, and she just looked up at him in confusion, her eyes slightly widened. He shook his head. "I'm so sorry, but the vomiting was funny," he managed to say, still chuckling.

Her smile dazzled him when she realized that he wasn't angry or upset over it.

"Anything else?" he prompted a little more seriously, getting a grip on himself.

"No, nothing else," she said with a smile, more at ease.

"Good," he smiled back.

They stood there for several moments, quietly looking into each other's eyes. Cullen felt he was in a crazy fade dream, where they were already together. He could practically taste her again, the scent of fresh mint around him as he kissed her, her lips opening slightly as he deepened the kiss. Beatrix's sigh interrupted his daydream, and he focused on the wonderful reality that they were together, and that they were walking through the woods.

This was no dream.

She continued walking and picking her elfroot, while he continued to walk beside her. The peace he was feeling within finally calmed his thumping heart.

They said nothing else to each other that afternoon, but for Cullen the memory of this simple walk would help him through any nightmare, and continue to comfort him for the rest of his life.

…

The following day, there was no missive from the remaining nobles, nor was there word from Alexius.

Beatrix snapped the book she held in her hands and sighed. She looked around her cabin with a frown. She'd been inside reading most of the day, only leaving to get her meals. It was late afternoon, maybe she could get some more elfroot. She also wanted to search for Aiden's notes. She'd wanted to the previous afternoon, but she had had that wonderful walk with Cullen and forgotten about the notes completely.

Cullen. She sighed. How wrong had she been about him! He was a kind, good man. And soooo handsome! And those golden brown eyes were extremely expressive. She found herself wanting to kiss him again, but she quickly put those thoughts out of her head and stood.

Stopping only to take a closer look at herself in the mirror, she quickly brushed back her hair into a makeshift bun. Satisfied with the result, she slipped into her boots and left the cabin.

It was a cold afternoon, but it wasn't snowing. She waved to Varric as she made her way to the front gates, smiling at everyone she met along the way. There was a certain spring in her step, the mere memory of yesterday's walk with Cullen etched into her mind. When she went through the gates, she found Cullen looking in her direction and waving his Lieutenant over. That could only mean he was going to meet her. Her heart soared and without knowing, her smile turned into a grin as she walked towards him slowly.

Cullen had an attractive lopsided smile on his face when she finally stood before him. Her eyes fell on his scar and she wet her lips. If only she could give his scar a damn good lick! She was sure she was blushing, and the butterflies in her stomach flurried around at a maddening pace.

"Getting some elfroot again?" Cullen asked softly. She noticed he was blushing and found it adorable.

"Yes," Beatrix answered simply, her eyes shining.

"Then I must ask if I can accompany you, my Lady Herald," Cullen responded quickly.

"Please just call me Beatrix," Beatrix smiled.

Cullen's smile deepened. "I will if you call me Cullen."

"Deal."

They set out into the woods, and Beatrix started to gather elfroot, while he stood nearby, watching her work.

Once she picked enough, she stood and faced him. "I have to look for something else. Adan told me of the previous alchemist whose name is – was Taigen. He was killed by demons, I believe. He's been looking for his notes and cannot find them. I want to visit a cabin which is down this path. It's farther away from the rest of the cabins, and the tents as a matter of fact. I have a feeling I'll find them there."

"I remember Taigen," Cullen said. "He was our healer, which is why he was out in the field, helping our soldiers. The demons did get to him, poor man. As for the cabin, I sleep there, when I can. I – don't usually sleep much. I haven't looked around, but there's a desk with drawers. Maybe there's something inside them?"

"Oh! I thought the place was abandoned, I never thought you slept there," Beatrix commented.

"I…I suffer from nightmares. A lot happened in Kirkwall, and I cry out in my –" Cullen stopped himself from speaking, his right hand flying to the back of his neck. She noticed his expression change to a darker one and immediately decided not to ask him anything about his past. She didn't want him to remember it at all if it meant he was going to relive an unpleasant moment.

"You must know Varric from before then?" She hoped he would focus on Varric and forget anything else that might have been creeping into his mind.

She was really pleased to see that it worked.

"Maker's breath, I do know him from before. Apparently he thinks I should smile more and stop wearing a serious expression on my face."

"There's nothing wrong with your serious expression, although I like it more when you smile and laugh," Beatrix grinned.

Cullen chuckled at that and held out his arm. "Then I shall endeavor to do just that. Shall we visit the cabin to look for the notes, my la- Beatrix?"

A laugh escaped her lips as she hooked her arm around his. "Lead the way, Cullen!"

This afternoon was certainly starting to look much better than yesterday's.

…

As Cullen predicted, the notes were found in one of the desk drawers. She beamed at him when he handed them over to her.

"You've been such a great help, Cullen! I'm sure Adan will be happy about this!"

Cullen smirked at that. "He rarely smiles at all, but you're probably right. Shall we get on with the elfroot picking?"

"I have enough I think, but I'll probably have to get to Adan in a little while to give him all this," she smiled, her eyes twinkling at him. Cullen felt himself blush all over again.

"But we haven't even filled the satchel you carry, or are you in a hurry to get away from me?" Cullen teased, the blush reaching his ears.

"I would never be in a hurry to get away from you, Commander," she said in a low, sultry voice, making Cullen want to kiss her right then and there. "But the sun is already setting and I think we should walk back before dinner, so I can find Adan before he leaves the apothecary cabin."

Cullen felt the heat that was coursing through his veins become almost unbearable.

"You're right, of course, my Lady," he replied with a lopsided grin, holding out his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"

Reaching the door he opened it and stepped out with her at his side, closing it behind them. Looking down at her, he saw she had a soft smile on her face.

He turned to face her, holding her hand. Clearing his throat, he spoke to her again.

"Will you be getting elfroot tomorrow too?"

She looked up and nodded, her eyes shining brightly. She looked so beautiful at that moment, the rays of the setting sun casting a golden-reddish hue around her. He held his breath for a moment, unable to say a word.

"I most certainly will," she said. "I hope you'll accompany me?"

"Always."

At that moment they heard footsteps approaching and turned to see who it was. Leliana was coming down the path holding a parchment in her hand and she was smiling at them both. She stopped in front of them and Beatrix sighed.

"So who's the parchment from, Alexius or the remaining nobles?" she asked resignedly.

"Neither," Leliana replied, her eyes fixed on Beatrix. "I wanted to speak to you about something that has been on my mind. Both Cullen and Josephine do not think it important, but I do."

Cullen sighed, knowing what was coming.

"If you want, Commander, you can leave, so you don't have to hear it all over again," Leliana offered, knowing full well that Cullen would be staying put.

"I know what you're going to say, but no, thank you. I'll stay."

Leliana chuckled under her breath.

So predictable.

…

Leliana quickly explained to Beatrix that she was worried because the Grey Wardens had gone missing – the ones in Ferelden and the ones in Orlais. She went on to say she had a couple of friends who were wardens and that she had recently received reports from two of her scouts saying that there was a warden in the Hinterlands who was travelling alone.

"Could you go and speak to him?" Leliana asked. "I've a map to show the location where he was last seen. Perhaps he can tell us what has prompted the wardens to disappear so suddenly. I fear that this is related to the Breach in some way. It's too much of a coincidence for this to be happening now too."

"I'll head out there early tomorrow morning," Beatrix assured her. Leliana smiled and handed her the map, which was the parchment she had been holding.

Cullen cleared his throat, and Leliana turned to look at him.

"I wish to accompany you, my Lady Herald," he said very seriously, ignoring Leliana's grin.

Beatrix didn't see it, because she was looking up at Cullen, her eyes shining. "But what of your recruits?"

"Between my Lieutenant, and Rylan, I believe they can handle them just fine," Cullen said with a smile.

"If you're sure, then…I would love it if you came with us," Beatrix beamed at him.

"Who will you be taking," Leliana asked.

"Well, I thought about asking Cassandra, Bull and Solas, but since the Commander is coming, I suppose I'll take Solas and Varric."

"I'll be ready at the stables early in the morning," he nodded, his smirk making her want to kiss him.

"Well, since that's settled, I'll leave you be," Leliana said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She nodded to Beatrix, and turned, walking along the path that led to the training area.

Cullen groaned inwardly. There was no way he was getting out of all the teasing that was sure to follow. But for now, it didn't really matter because they were alone, and because Beatrix stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, thanking him for being so thoughtful and so good to her.

He could get used to that.

…