He couldn't sleep -not that he could sleep very well in the first place, the lyrium withdrawal always kept him up at night. However, tonight there was a different reason for his insomnia. He kept replaying the conversation with Nethra over and over again in his head, thinking of things he should've said instead of the words that did come out. The image kept appearing, the pink-skinned, freckled elf staring down with a sad smile. He should have just said what he was thinking.
The moon shone through the cracks in the ceiling of Cullen's bedroom fireflies danced around, occasionally glowing. He huffed, rolling out of the bed. He pulled on his trousers and a tunic before climbing down the bedroom ladder. With a sigh, he opened his office door, revealing the deep night sky. The snow on the surrounding mountains seemed to reflect the pale blue moonlight, slightly lighting up the fortress. The crisp breeze filled his lungs, relieving his headache somewhat.
Cullen's steps echoed as he walked through the battlements. A commotion of loud, drunken voices could be heard from the Herald's Rest. The commander spotted a wobbly Iron Bull stumble out of the tavern, pulling his trousers down to take a piss on the bush near the entrance. A glowing figure from above caught Cullen's eye. It was Nethra in the blighted nightgown again. The one Solas gave her.
Solas.
The thought of the bald elf boiled Cullen's blood. To take advantage of Nethra's naivety about the gifts... Cullen did not want to think about what Solas did to Nethra to have her so upset about the mix up. He made a personal note to make sure Solas' lavatory would not be cleaned for at least a month.
He stared at her figure. Once again, she seemed to glow in the moonlight. She leaned over the edge of the balcony, her hair that was normally tied in a bun was now hanging over her shoulders. She couldn't be more beautiful.
He waved at her, hoping to have the same reaction as last time. She did not wave back. Cullen huffed, staring at the ground. He made his way back to his quarters. As he opened the door to his office, he took one last look at the brunette elf in the distance.
His heart stopped.
She was standing on the railing of the balcony.
"Nethra!" He screamed into the night air. He sprinted through his office and across the bridge. "Someone help the Inquisitor!" He shouted through the main hall. He could hear the groggy protests of the guards, but continued running towards her quarters. He only hoped he wasn't too late.
She was blind again. Something was pursuing her. The smell of blood and pine wafted through the air as she shot through the forest. Help me. The ground began to get sandy as she neared the edge of a cliff. She did not know how she knew it was there. Something growled in the distance. Several wolf howls echoed from different areas in the woods. Help. Help. Please. Her hooves scratched against the rubble beneath her. She could feel the wolf's breath on her face.
A loud roar split through the air. The wolf flinched. The thumping of a heavy animal began to get louder and louder. It roared again and she could hear the wolf's paws retreat. The large creature brushed up against her. A lion's mane?
The wind was immediately knocked out of Nethra as an arm pulled her backwards off of the balcony railing. She yelped, landing on top of a soft body. She frantically looked around.
"What in the Maker's name do you think you were doing?" A low voice shouted from under her. She jumped, sporadically attempting to crawl off Cullen's body. He was sweating and panting.
"Cullen? What's happening?" Her voice cracked.
"Are you crazy? Standing on the railing like that…You're not invinsible!" He hissed at her, grabbing the back of her dress.
"What are you talking about?" She turned to him, but his eyes were locked on something behind her.
The freckled elf turned to see a glowing shape of a halla, standing on the balcony. It was shining a semi-translucent white, like a ghost or a spirit of some kind. The halla's head turned to her. Cullen crawled over to the Inquisitor's desk, pulling the cheese knife off a plate and pointing it at the spirit.
"Get behind me."
"Cullen-"
"Now, Nethra!"
The elf shakily crawled behind the blond man, who looked smaller without his usual outfit on. Her hand gripped the back of his tunic. It was strange to feel the warmth of his body. He was usually covered in so much armour that he felt cold. The halla began walking toward them slowly.
"Get back, creature!" Cullen shouted at it. Steps sounded from the other side of the room. Solas appeared, followed by two soldiers, Leliana and a very frantic-looking Josephine.
"Put the knife down, Cullen." Solas gently stepped towards the creature.
"Don't come closer! You've done enough, don't you think?" Solas flinched at Cullen's words.
"Ma felasil shemlen…" Solas hissed, stepping forward with his hand beginning to glow.
"Stop this!" Nethra stood up, racing between them before either of the men could attack each other. The creature moved toward her.
"Nethra, watch out!" It moved to brush her with its muzzle, but as soon as it touched her skin, the glowing creature exploded into tiny little beads of light. They swirled around the room. Josephine ducked, hiding behind the staircase railing.
"How strange." Leliana whispered.
The lights gathered in the center of the room. All of a sudden, they created a beam aimed straight at Nethra. They shot straight towards her, into her chest.
"Nethra!" She could hear Cullen shout.
Everything went black.
Nethra awoke with a screaming headache. She sat up with a groan.
"Careful, dear. The Maker only knows what has happened to you."
The elf turned to see Mother Giselle standing over her with a wet towel.
"What.."
"Messere Solas is filtering through the library for any information about the spirit that was seen two weeks ago in your quarters. We do not have any answers yet. I will notify him and the others immediately that you have woken up. For now, try to rest. You have had a fever since you lost consciousness." The Chantry mother placed the cool cloth on Nethra's forehead. Nethra glanced over to her left side. There sat a cross-armed Cullen, softly snoring. "Once again, the commander has refused to leave your side. One must wonder how he only ever manages to find rest with you in the room."
"You said you were going to notify the others?" Nethra mumbled.
"Yes, Inquisitor. Right away." The sister hurried out of the room, leaving Cullen's quiet snoring to fill the silence.
Nethra threw the blankets off her, swinging her legs over to the side of the bed. She stared at the commander.
"Two weeks, Cullen. You still haven't changed clothes." She muttered, standing up and walking over to him. She reached out to touch his muscled arm. It was strange to see his bare skin, even stranger to feel it. It was a good 'strange'.
She flinched as he jolted awake, disoriented. "I don't want another sweet roll, Lenalda, I-" He paused as he locked eyes with her. "Oh, Maker…" He breathed, standing up to pull the elf into an embrace.
"Cullen, I'm fine." She felt too warm in his hold. Her face was heating up far too fast.
"I wouldn't call having nightmares and a fever for a week straight 'fine'." He mumbled. "I'm the Commander of your forces. I'm supposed to protect you, and yet…"
"You saved me, Cullen. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't have shown up."
"I should have slayed it. You wouldn't have gotten hurt." He breathed into her hair. He was being very touchy for a man she had just chewed out.
"You did all you could. We don't even know what that thing was."
Her words brought a heavy sigh and then silence. She remained in his embrace.
After a long moment, the blond man pulled away from her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Nethra began examining the room.
"You're in the healing wing. We didn't want to leave you in your chambers in case it happened again." Cullen paused for a moment before placing his hands over hers. "Nethra, I think it would be best to lock your balcony doors during the night. I can't let the possibility of that happen again. You nearly stopped my heart." He paused when he saw the elf's eyes widen. Both of their faces turned pink. "Y-You scared me, is all." He fumbled with his words before the door of the hospital wing slammed open, revealing Josephine and Leliana.
"What's going on here?" Leliana mumbled with a subtle smirk. Cullen couldn't look the nightingale in the eyes.
"Inquisitor, thank the Maker you're awake." Josephine stepped quickly to her bedside. "I know it is a bit of a rush, but while you were resting, we've been busy making preparations for our trip to Halamshiral. We will be departing in two days time. As soon as you're feeling up to it, I would like to have your gown fitted and your nobility knowledge revised."
"Gown?" Cullen raised an eyebrow.
Leliana stepped forward, "Don't tell me you aren't looking forward to seeing our leader all dressed up?"
"I am! I-I mean, Maker's breath. Nevermind." He mumbled.
"Welcome back, Inquisitor." Leliana gave the elf a wink.
Thank you for reading! Shout out to Popo on the go for the comment! please be sure to comment/critique. Im a lonely gal lmao.