By the Maker, it was freezing. The wind was howling through the mountain range. If one closed their eyes, they could imagine the sounds were caused by two dragons engaged in a battle. Cullen closed his eyes. He leaned against the wall that stood just after the entrance into Haven. It had been at least two hours since he spotted the bald Elven apostate follow Nethra into her cabin, and Cullen had to stop himself from thinking too hard about what the two could possibly be doing in there. He had only meant to wait until Solas left so he could have a moment to talk to Nethra about the bouquet he got her and attempt to dispel the rumours Varric was spreading, but the chance still had not come up. And so he waited.
He clutched to his fur coat. His gloves were made of the finest leather he could buy, and yet they were still no match for Haven's menacing weather.
Through the howling of the wind and the noise of snow pellets tapping on the rooves, he heard a door creak open and shut. Cullen peaked out from around the corner to see Nethra's friend finally exiting her vicinity. He did not understand how the elf could possibly manage this foul weather with only a tunic, trousers, and a sweater. He didn't even own boots for the love of the Maker! Cullen had taken it upon himself to create theories as to how the skinny male elf could handle it, but all had fallen flat.
"Commander Cullen? What are you doing out here on such a night?" A voice sounded from beside him, causing him to jolt his head to the left. He looked over to see Solas smiling. Bastard. "Not peeping, I hope."
"I could ask you the same thing, Ser." Cullen grumbled.
"I was just spending time with my friend, you see. I would suggest such an activity to you to help you unwind, but you seem to be lacking any comrades as of late."
"What is that supposed to mean?" The blond man puffed up, cheeks flushed with anger.
"I wish you a good night, Commander." Solas smirked as he walked off towards his cabin.
Cullen kicked the ground in frustration. Just then, he heard the door to Nethra's cabin open again. Cullen sucked in a breath of air and sank into a prickly green bush.
It must have been an elf thing, because not unlike Solas, Nethra was dressed far too light for such a cold night. A white satin nightgown enveloped her, the collar opening at her shoulders to reveal toned muscle underneath. It was almost translucent, as it fitted tightly to her body. Her nipples poked at the fabric, confirming to Cullen that she had to indeed be at least a little bit cold. He studied her quiet figure as she walked past him and out of Haven's gates.
She walked down toward the lake.
He followed.
He found her standing by the edge of the dock to the frozen lake. He slowly made his way to her. Between the moonlight and the snow on the ground, her dress had an almost ethereal glow to it, and Cullen couldn't look away. He stared as he walked toward her, then stopped when he stood just to the right of her. She did not speak, but looked ahead with tired eyes.
He cleared his throat.
"I-I…" He took a deep sigh. "I've said it too many times, but I truly am sorry for what I've done."
She continued to stare forward.
"I know, you probably think I'm only saying this to prevent any arguments in the War Room, but… I truly wish I did not do the things I did – and I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. I mean that."
Still, she stared forward, expressionless. Cullen looked away sighing.
"When we assault the Breach, I will pray that you will stay safe. You mean more to me than you know. I wish I could tell you all the things that happened, and why they made me the way I am. I truly believe you are a good person, and I understand that you don't feel the same about me. But I will continue to-"
He turned to look at her once more, but she was not there. There was a small clunk that sounded from behind Cullen. He turned his neck further to see, and almost jumped when he saw a small deer-looking creature. It was pure white, with small antlers poking out of the top of its head. The more he looked, he slowly realized that it was a halla, an animal that mostly travelled in packs, often kept by travelling Dalish camps.
"How did you get here?" he whispered, sticking his hand out for it to smell him. "My, you're beautiful."
The creature huffed, a cloud of steam escaping its nostrils. Its coat was so soft and shiny that Cullen could have sworn the creature glowed. Cullen took his hand away when he noticed its eyes were a white-blue.
"So, you can't see." He stared at the four-legged creature. "Sometimes I feel like I can't see either." He let out a huff, "I can't believe I'm talking to an animal. I need to go to sleep."
Cullen had often avoided sleeping in the past, to prevent the return of the nightmares that plagued him every night. Even during this night, the night before the assault on the Breach, he still had no yearning to close his eyes. However, he owed it to the town of Haven and the Herald to be in his best mind tomorrow. He stroked the halla before heading back to his tent.
Running. Running. Something is after her. She galloped through the mountain, snow chilling her legs as she hurtled over rocks and through trees. The forest was long gone. The friend she had before was nowhere to be seen.
Help. Somebody, help.
They are coming.
Nethra work up in sheer panic, her heart matching the beat of the animal in her dream.
"Finally! For a small moment there, I thought I'd be waiting for my horse to sprout wings before you woke up!"
The small elf jumped at the voice, looking to the corner where her mustachioed friend sat, cross-armed.
"Who let you in here?" She panted.
"By the old gods, that must have been quite the dream you had. It sounded more exciting than those books that Varric writes." He stood up, "You may want to bathe, my dear. There is no use in showing off your powers to that beautiful Commander if you've been drenched in sweat - and Maker knows what else – since the crack of dawn."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nethra knew that Dorian's quips were directed at everyone, not just her. However, she wasn't particularly in the mood to be the butt-end of his jokes.
"You smell worse than a Ferelden farmer from the Fallow Mire, is what that means."
"That's not even possible, Dorian. Those lands are impossible to farm."
"Far from the point, my dear."
Nethra groaned, grabbing a pillow and pressing it into her face.
"Do hurry up, love. The rest of Haven and I would like to get this whole Breach ordeal over with before midnight."
The elf didn't reply, but instead waved him out of her cabin. She heard the door close, and yet she could still hear Dorian's voice, slightly muted by the wall.
"Ah, Commander! What a lovely sight to see on such a dreary day!"
"Is Nethra almost ready? We must go over the plans once more before we march."
"Far from it, it seems. However, I'm sure our lovable elf friend will remember the plans from the last five times they've been repeated to her."
"Just…tell her to hurry up."
Cullen's voice sounded exhausted. Nethra suspected that it may have been from lack of sleep. He was never one to sleep soundly before an important day. Back when they lived together in the Circle Tower, Cullen would sneak into her room to talk before any days related to initiation. Once, Cullen brought a fold-out chess mat to play through the night before one of his combat tests. They played the entire night, exchanging stories about their childhoods.
The door to Nethra's cabin opened once more, causing her to groan loudly.
"Change of plans! Let's just hope your atrocious aroma will help to rid us of the lovely demons that are sure to pour out of the Breach." Dorian seemed to thrive off her misery, as he ripped the bed sheets off her body, exposing her to the cold. "My, my! I never took you as one to wear such extravagant pyjamas!" He said as he eyed her silk nightgown.
"It was a gift!" She almost yelled, forming the fetal position in an attempt to keep warm.
"Well, whoever gave it to you had the intention of taking it off of you later."
"Dorian!"
"Who, might I ask, would give you such a thing?"
"You may not ask."
"You're absolutely no fun at all in the morning. Do you know that?" He spoke as he walked toward her small wardrobe and picked up her enchanter armour outfit, bringing it over to the grumpy elf.
She would never tell Dorian, but she had received the nightgown from Solas. He had found it during one of their trips to the Hinterlands and offered it to her immediately, claiming she was the only one in the group to whom it would fit.
The Tevinter mage helped her into her armour and clothes before throwing her staff at her.
"Pip pip! Let's not wait for the grass to grow, my love." He spoke as he opened the cabin door, allowing the piercing breeze to attack Nethra's face.
It was going to be a long day.
I got excited so I decided to post two chapters in a row (you're welcome ;) ) Remember to favourite and follow if you like this story and comment if you have any thoughts or suggestions (or even if you just wanna tell me your reactions to things, I really like those kinds of comments lol)! Have a great friday!