Nethra all but ran to the battlements after the other leaders of the Inquisition told her she was free to go. She tripped up many stairs, only to find Varric looking out from the battlements: and no one else. Nethra walked up to him, slightly disappointed. She opened her mouth to say something, but he pointed behind her. She turned to see…
"Hawke!" Nethra shouted, running full speed to hug the taller woman.
"Nethra! I'm glad to see you're still alive." The blue-eyed woman said between laughs. "I must say, you've made quite a name for your-oh my, Nethra. Your ears…"
The elf hadn't much time to think about her deformities. Her hand floated up to the missing part of her left ear, grabbing a tendril of hair to cover it. "It's something I will have to live with." She spoke quietly.
"She's gonna be more famous than you, Hawke!" Varric's broke through their heavy thoughts.
"Oh, I don't doubt that." She smiled.
"How is Merrill?" Nethra asked hastily.
"She's great! After the battle, she decided to-"
"Take care of the poor and wounded. I've told you that a billion times, Jailbird!" Varric smirked.
"I wanted to hear it from Hawke!" Nethra frowned.
"She's doing some more research on Eluvians at the moment. I think she's trying to find other ones." Hawke smiled, leaning over the barrier. "This view reminds me of my home. The balcony-"
"Overlooked the whole city. I remember it." Nethra whispered.
Hawke chuckled. "Yes. I loved it at first. But after a while, all I could see were the people out there depending on me."
"That was just Kirkwall. I have half of Thedas." Nethra half-joked.
"You're doing everything you can to protect them."
"Does it ever get any easier?"
"I'll let you know." The almost-bald woman whispered. "I don't envy you, Nethra. But I may be able to help you. Varric and I fought and killed him before. The Grey Wardens were holding him, and he somehow used his connection to the darkspawn to influence them."
"Corypheus got into their heads. Messed with their minds. Turned them against each other." Varric spoke.
"If the Wardens have disappeared, they could have fallen under his control again."
"Do you think we can free them?"
"It's possible. But we need to know more first. I've got a friend in the Wardens. He was investigating something unrelated for me. His name is Stroud. The last time we spoke, he was worried about corruption in the Warden ranks. Since then, nothing." Hawke ended her explanation in a whisper.
"Corypheus would certainly qualify as corruption in the ranks. Did your friend disappear with them?" Varric asked.
"No. He told me he'd be hiding in an old smuggler's cave near Crestwood."
"Well, we can start there." Nethra nodded hopefully.
"I thought I'd killed Corypheus before. This time, I promise I'll make sure of it." Hawke's eyes were solemn.
Later in the day, Nethra was making her way through Skyhold's courtyard, making sure everyone was settling in well enough. Many of the fortress' rooms were cluttered with ancient furniture and would take some time to clear out. For now, many of Nethra's companions were camping in tents throughout the courtyard, and one particular Tevinter mage was not too impressed by the setup.
"I'm just telling you that I would prefer to not have a monstrous horned man sharing my bed space. The amount of sounds that come out of his rear end is absolutely alarming."
"Dorian, I've told you before, it will only be like this for a short while."
"I realize that, dear, but I do believe I'm starting to get a rash!"
"You haven't even spent one night here yet, Dorian! If it's bothering you that much, you can stay in Sera's tent." Nethra sighed with a smile.
"That is hardly a solution," Dorian quipped, "I'm quite positive that the elf's bodily fumes are potentially worse than the ones I'm already dealing with. Now, go chat up our Commander. He's looking far too comfortable over there." The mage nodded over to the blond ex-Templar who was organizing tasks for the Inquisition's growing population of soldiers.
Nethra sighed. She hadn't properly thanked Cullen for finding her in the snow after Corypheus' attack. She felt almost embarrassed to – after all the yelling she had done towards him, it was nerve-racking to know that he continued to help her and care for her despite it all.
She trudged down the stairs towards him, his eyes focused on a large parchment note that was sitting on a makeshift table. "…down the stairs and through the first door on your right. Bristoff, you will be clearing out the bedrooms above the garden."
"Yes, sir." The soldiers saluted their commander before marching off.
"You know, I don't believe I've ever seen you not working." The freckled elf walked up to Cullen with a smirk.
He gave a small smile. "There's still much more to do. The soldiers are clearing out the tower to turn it into your own private quarters, as well as a few other rooms in the main building."
"Private quarters? Surely there are some more inclusive tasks you can set the soldiers to."
"Ne-Inquisitor, it's the least I can do. After all you've been through…" His voice lowered to almost a whisper.
"I…wanted to thank you, Cullen. For finding me and staying by me when I was healing."
Cullen stared at her, perplexed. "I hardly think I should be thanked." His eyes darted away from hers. "I sent you to him…I sent you to-"
"You did what you had to in order to save our people." Nethra reached out to touch his arm. "Thank you, Cullen. Truly."
He shuffled around for a moment, collecting his thoughts before speaking. "You've been awfully peaceful with me as of late. Are you feeling alright?" He smiled before jokingly lifting his hand up to feel her forehead.
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." She chuckled as she lightly punched his arm.
He stared at her, his thoughts lost in his eyes. "Nethra, I-"
"Commander, we have located a strange room in the west wing. Sister Leliana has called for you." A soldier stated, running up to the tall man.
"Ah…duty awaits." Cullen smiled at the elf, reaching to her shoulder. "We'll talk later."
Nethra nodded as the commander walked off with the soldier. She frowned. During the past few conversations she'd had with him, it seemed as if he had something to say to her, but could never get the words out.
"Inky!" Nethra turned her head up to the tiny elven rogue leaning over the ledge of the courtyard. "Getchur bum over here! There's some gab ya need to get in on! Prissy pants is about to start throwing punches at Blackwall!"
Nethra smiled, walking up the stairs to her newest friend. There was always something happening around that girl.
Can someone PLEASE review this story...I'm getting really unmotivated from this lack of interest yall have :( Maybe I should do a rule like i did with my other one where I don't release chapters unless someone comments. Kind of an asshole move but this is really harshing my vibe guys