A rippling headache greeted Nethra as soon as she opened her eyes. Her hand immediately shot up to clutch her skull, cringing at the pain. She slowly made her way downstairs after dressing, attempting to recount anything from the night before. She opened the door to the main hall, and suddenly all eyes were on her. Eggs and bacon were being served, but even the servers paused when they spotted the Inquisitor. She was too tired to question it, trudging over to the closest available seat, plopping down in exhaustion. As soon as her behind hit the chair, the hall erupted in cheers. Iron Bull clapped from across the table, a huge, proud, Qunari smirk painted across his face. She cringed at the racket.
"What's going on…?" Nethra muttered, eyebrows furrowing as she stared at Bull.
"What's going on is that you broke the record for chugging last night. You're a fucking legend, boss!"
The crowd let out another cheer, echoing through the hall.
Nethra finished her breakfast quickly, eager to be released from the noise. Before she could leave the great hall, Leliana called her from the balcony above, beckoning to come upstairs. Nethra obeyed.
"We will be departing from Skyhold tomorrow. From there we will meet with Celine's army in the Plains, camp for the night, then march on Adamant at the crack of dawn." The spymaster led her up the library steps. "I would suggest that tonight you have a more…relaxing evening."
"Probably a good idea." Nethra gritted her teeth. Just thinking about her headache made her feel worse.
"By the way, we received word from your old clan." Nethra perked up immediately, practically walking on Leliana's heels to find the note they received. Leliana picked a small scroll up from her desk, handing it to the elf. "Inquisitor, I strongly suggest that you do not open this until our march on Adamant is over with. We do not want your mind preoccupied." The spymaster's hard gaze made Nethra gulp loudly.
"Yes, Leliana." It would be hard, but it was for the best.
"The Commander would like you to visit him when you get the chance. He would like to go over certain tactics with you, preferably without a crowd of your fans following you." Leliana glanced to the bottom of the rookery, where a few Orlesians were staring up in awe. Nethra nodded with a red face, turning to leave.
Cullen was surrounded by at least five soldiers when Nethra opened the door to his office. His face immediately went a dark shade of red when they locked eyes. Nethra raised an eyebrow. He dismissed the soldiers back to work.
"Gearing up for the battle? We sure will be prepared." She smiled at him, pulling up a chair.
"We need to be as prepared as possible if we hope to take over the fortress." He shuffled through the stack of papers on his desk, avoiding eye contact. A small scroll that said, 'Love, your dear sister Mia' fell to the floor as he continued looking through. "Here is a detailed plan of attack. I would advise you to go through it until you have it memorized. Feel free to ask questions." He handed a long sheet of parchment to her. It was decorated with tons of arrows and paragraphs describing certain attack strategies. "You had quite a night last night." He spoke once more, staring down at his desk.
Nethra flinched at his words. "It seems everyone remembers but me." She mumbled.
"Thank the Maker," He mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nethra frowned as Cullen turned to his book case, pulling out The Art of Battle. "Cullen!"
"Don't fret. Forget I said anything."
"Saying that makes me more worried. Your face is all red and you won't look at me. What happened?"
Cullen opened his mouth to speak, but a guard burst through the doors. "Commander, our blacksmith has some questions about the weapon production."
"I gave the sheet to him four times…" Cullen said, nervously scratching the back of his head. He pointed to Nethra as he followed the guard out of his room. "Memorize that. Please!" The door slammed shut. Nethra kicked the empty mop bucket in the corner before returning to her chambers.
The trek to the Exalted Plains seemed longer than normal. Perhaps it was because there was a whole army behind Nethra instead of a small group. No wonder they're making us camp halfway through the trip, she thought. Sera and Varric were playing some kind of guessing game behind her while Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen discussed the camp setup. Hawke rode her horse beside Nethra, staring ahead, lost in her own thoughts.
"Hawke, how did you do it?"
"Do what?" The woman looked over to the elf.
"Fight. In a battle."
"I just did it the same way I normally fight. I got lucky, I guess." She smiled.
"Cullen gave me all these war strategies but I still don't feel prepared."
"No one will ever feel fully prepared for these kind of things. Our enemies aren't robots. We can't predict their every move."
The trees slowly transitioned from full evergreens to dry woods and sand bushes. They arrived at a large clearing where a mass of soldiers dressed in Celine's colours were waiting.
"Bienvenue, Inquisitor! Our soldiers have been waiting for the supplies to make camp!" The supposed Captain of the troops spoke.
"Waiting?" Cullen said, stepping forward. "I asked for you to bring your own supplies for sleeping. The Inquisition only has enough tents for our own soldiers."
"It appears to have been a miscommunication, Commander. Nous sommes désolés. "
"Unbelievable." Cullen kicked his horse lightly, parting the new soldiers to set up camp.
Nethra set up a small campfire for their portion of the camp. The sun was setting across the sandy horizon.
"Inquisitor, sleeping quarters have been dealt with, Unfortunately, we will all have to sleep two to a tent." Josephine grimaced in disgust. She must really like her alone time, Nethra thought.
"I don't mind that. Cassandra and I-"
"Cassandra has been paired off, as are the rest of your companions. The only remaining person is…"
"Who is it, Josie?"
"The Commander, Inquisitor."
Nethra's mouth formed an 'O'.
"My apologies. If you'd like, I can try to switch-"
"It's fine, Josie. Thank you for your effort." Nethra crossed her legs by the fire. She looked to her right, where Cullen was still going over plans with his more superior soldiers. A mug of ale appeared in front of her, followed by a familiar dwarf.
"Got paired with the Kid. I'm gonna have to drink a lot if I'm to stay sane from his ramblings. What about you?" Varric passed the mug to Nethra.
"Gods, this smells…"
"Like regrets? Yeah, that happens when you drink to much of it. Starts to taste like past mistakes." He chuckled. Nethra took a sip of the ale. "Who'd you get stuck with? Or did they make an exception for our dear Inquisitorialness?"
"It seems I've been paired with Cullen." Nethra practically mumbled. She didn't want the whole world to hear.
"Scandalous. I bet that's a certain Ambassador's doing. Every conversation that has happened between you and Curly has been monitored by good ol' Ruffles. Is it all in her head or is there really something going on?"
"I don't know, Varric." Nethra sighed, gulping down the yeasty substance. "Most of the time, things are regular, but then…"
"You get the little stomach butterflies?" The dwarf smirked when the elf didn't reply.
The two drank in silence for a short period before armored footsteps stopped by the fire.
"At last, some peace." The Commander ran his fingers through his hair.
"You sure you didn't skip over something, Curly?" Cullen's eyes widened, and his head whipped back over to the direction of the battle plans. "Relax! I'm kidding. If we're any more prepared, it'll be a fiasco. Have a drink, Commander." Varric filled up another mug and handed it to Cullen. The red-cloaked Commander sat down on a cut tree stump beside the fire, staring at the light in silence.
"Did Leliana tell you about the tent situation?" Nethra asked him quietly. It was dark, but she could still see his face go a little red.
"Yes. My apologies for invading. Feel free to head in first. I feel as though I won't sleep tonight." He scratched the back of his neck before taking a sip of the ale.
Nethra finished her drink, thanking Varric before heading into the canvas tent. The makeshift bed was small, definitely only being able to hold two people. She pulled the opening closed so she could undress. There was still a small crack in the opening, but she doubted anyone would see anyway. Once she was dressed down to her first layer, she pulled the furs aside and climbed into bed.
He couldn't stop thinking about her. Her face, her breath, her lips. She had kissed him in a drunken haze – Maker's breath, she didn't even remember. He kept going over the plans in his head to distract himself from his sinful thoughts, but her face kept popping up over and over. Even as she went to bed, Cullen couldn't help himself from staring at the crack in the entranceway, subconsciously hoping to spot her in a moment of weakness. In a way, he was glad that it was too dark to see anything. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hold himself back. Varric had finally retreated for the night, leaving Cullen to extinguish the fire. He took one last swig of the ale before grabbing the bucked of dirt beside the stump and smothering the coals. He took one deep breath before entering the tent.
He wished he was quieter, but his clunky armour made it impossible to do so. Hours on end of walking had made him sore everywhere, proving to make it more difficult to remove his armour. He could remove his graves and gauntlets fine, but his chest piece felt heavier than usual. He struggled with untying the straps in the dark. There was one particular strap on his back that was always hard to reach, but it was especially challenging this evening. Suddenly, another pair of hands were working on loosening the armour. Cullen turned his head to see the faint outline of Nethra's small body. She gave him what looked like a small smile before returning to the strap.
Eventually he heard a click, followed by hands pushing his armour up over his head. It clunked onto the ground. He let out a small sigh as the weight on his shoulders lifted.
Her hand was still on his back. It took everything in him to not turn around and attack her lips right then and there. Eventually she withdrew her hand retreated to the warmth of the furs.
Cullen climbed in cautiously, attempting to respect Nethra's personal space, but she was making it very hard. Her hand gripped the arm of his tunic, causing him to look over.
"I'm scared, Cullen." She whispered. It was almost inaudible.
"I won't let anything happen to you." He reached over to squeeze her hand. She gripped his forearm and buried her head into his chest. "Nethra…" She was not making it easy.
"I can't stop thinking about the people we're about to lose. What if…"
He let out a deep sigh, placing his free arm onto her head, gently pressing it into his chest more "They knew what they were signing up for. Everyone is willing to do anything it takes to keep this world safe from those like Corypheus. Nothing will come of harm to you or your friends, Nethra. I promise."
"How do you do it?" His face turned red immediately. She looked up at him, sensing his hesitation.
"I-I…what?"
"Stay strong. Stay thinking straight." He relaxed, cursing his impure mind for misinterpreting.
"Oh, believe me. Half of the time I am not." I'm not right now. The warmth of her body next to him was driving him insane. He was practically sweating from the tension. He was glad it was dark, or else the painful erection in his trousers would be embarrassingly visible.
She gripped his tunic. "Promise me…"
He stared at her, ears open. "What is it?"
"When we get home, you have to promise me." She gave him a mischievous smile.
"Am I allowed to know what I'm promising?" He chuckled.
"No. Promise first." She smirked.
"Fine. I promise."
"You will write back to Mia when we get home."
Cullen let out a short fit of chuckles. "You saw that, then?"
"Yes! If I had siblings, I'd be writing them every day! I understand that you're a busy man, but family comes first!" She grinned at him.
"I'll write to her as long as you help me."
"Deal." Nethra loosely shook his hand. "Goodnight, Cullen." She placed her head back onto his chest.
"Goodnight, Nethra."
He fell asleep with the warmth of her in his arms.
When the freckled elf woke up, Cullen was nowhere to be found. She figured he'd gotten up early to revise the war plans once more. Nethra was greeted by a row of smirks as she sat down to break fast.
"What are you guys looking at?" She said, frowning.
"We heard you got paired with our strapping Commander last night. How was he?" The Tevinter mage spoke with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Nethra took a sip of orange juice.
"In bed, darling!" Nethra choked. "Andraste's tits, I didn't think I'd have to spell it out for you. Don't tell me nothing happened?! If he looked at me with those puppy dog eyes, I'd have climbed him like a tree long ago."
"We didn't…It's not…" She spoke in between coughs. She felt the large hand of the Iron Bull tapping her back lightly.
"Told you – boss likes that 'lovey dovey' crap. She doesn't bed easily."
Nethra turned around to land a swift punch on the Qunari. "You be quiet!" She turned to the rest of the table. "Everyone, be quiet!"
Their eyes drifted to something behind her.
"Welcome, Commander." Nethra stiffened. "Sleep well?" Dorian spoke smoothly, grabbing a plate off of the table and handing it to the blond man.
"Yes. We need all the energy we can get today."
"No energy was spent last night?"
"No…I am…unsure of what you mean." His voice was cautious. Nethra couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"I see. So you were relaxing last night. Someone else was doing all the work." Dorian muttered, scooping some cut up roasted potatoes onto his plate. Nethra slammed a two-pronged fork over one of his fingers.
Varric, who had remained quiet up until now, choked on a piece of bacon.
"What are you on about? Speak plainly."
"Dorian wants to know if you got laid last night." Iron Bull spoke, conveniently far enough away from Nethra to not get hit.
Nethra whipped her head around, staring at Cullen with wide, terrified eyes. His face was beet red.
"W-What? No, I was with Nethra the entire night. In the tent-"
"Oh, we know." Dorian smirked. "What we would like to know is-"
"I think Knight-Captain Rylen needs to talk to you!" Nethra shouted. Cullen flinched, eyes wide.
"Oh-right." Cullen nodded in panic. "I must take my leave." He swiftly made his way to the martial tents.
Nethra slowly turned her head to stare down the Tevinter mage with fire in her eyes. The Iron Bull audibly gulped.
"Dorian Julianus Pavus, I will fucking END YOU!"
"I told you not to say my middle name, Inquisitor!" He crossed his arms.
"Respect goes both ways, you bastard!" She ran at him, tackling him to the floor.
The battlements shook the ground with the screaming, yelling, and rumbling of mass weapons. Nethra hadn't even attacked anyone yet, but blood was still sprayed on her armour and she was already caked with mud. They burst through the fortress doors, pouring into the stronghold while cutting down demons, Venatori, and the occasional Grey Warden.
Nethra, Hawke, Stroud, Iron Bull, Cole, and Solas ran up the battlements, facing demons and monsters like the ones that attacked Haven. Dorian was kicked off the roster after his morning schemes.
They reached the courtyard where Warden Clarel and Erimond were already arguing. Erimond stood by a bleeding out Warden.
"At last, Inquisitor! I welcome you to be reuinited with a certain…friend."
A blood-curdling roar sounded from above them, revealing the monstrous dragon from Haven's attack.
"Ah, fuck!" Iron Bull exclaimed.
"Run!" Nethra shouted, sprinting for cover.
The group ran up the sides of the castle, avoiding the dragon fire. The top of the castle shook when they stepped foot on it, showing Clarel beating down Erimond.
"I will be a murderer no longer!" She hissed, shooting bolts of ice at the man, who was crawling backward. She unleashed a final blast before the dragon swept down and snatched her body in between its teeth. It kicked off the stone and her staff fell, one last spell releasing from it.
The stones shook. Nethra stood, frozen.
"Come on!" Bull grabbed her forearm, dragging her back, but they were too slow. The six of them fell as the castle crumbled.
Nethra held her hand out, a rift opening immediately.
It's Fade time, bitches!
Sorry the castle fight feels rushed. I'm awful at writing action scenes. I'm excited for what's next. So much angst...
PLEASE REVIEW IM LIKE BEGGING YALL. IM SO LONELY.