Alex blinked as she entered the garden, as she had spotted Cullen and Dorian, who she thought had went back up to his corner in the library, sitting together, playing chess. Dorian looked, as he always had, confident, while Cullen's face was that of concentration. She smiled as she headed towards them.

"Gloat all you like, I have this one." Cullen said, forcefully, lowering his chess piece on the board.

"Are you… sassing me, Commander? I didn't know you had it in you." Dorian said, smirking at the Commander.

"Why do I even…" The blond muttered out, before he looked up to see her, and he dropped his piece as she tried to stand, "Inquisitor!" He said, and she smiled at him as Dorian nodded to her. She grinned down at the mage, who was sitting with his legs crossed. "Are you playing nice, Dorian?"

The Tevinter mage grinned back at her and winked as he looked at the commander, "I'm always nice, Lady Trevelyan. And as for you, Commander…" He said, uncrossing his legs and moving a piece, "You need to come to terms with my inevitable victory. You'll feel much better."

But Cullen smiled smugly as he looked up at the mage as he moved a piece, "Really? Because I just won. And I feel fine."

Alex and Dorian looked down at the board, only to realize that Dorian's king was surrounded by Cullen's white chess pieces. She smirked as she thought, Check mate. Impressive.

Dorian scoffed as he stood up, "Don't be too smug. There will be no living with you."

Alex shook her head as she watched Dorian leave, before she turned back at Cullen who was smiling at her, "I should get back to my duties as well. Unless you would care for a game?"

She smiled as she lowered herself to the chair, "Prepare the board, Commander."

Cullen smiled brightly at her as he arranged the pieces again, "As I child, I used to play this with my sister. She would get this stuck up grin whenever she won, which was all the time. My brother and I practiced for weeks to bring her down, and the look on her face when she finally did. I haven't written to them since I left Kirkwall. I wonder if she… still plays."

Alex smiled at the gleam in Cullen's eyes and she moved a piece on the board, "Tell me about them. How many siblings do you have?"

"Two sisters and a brother."

"Where are they now?" She moved a piece on the board.

"When the Blight hit Ferelden, they moved to South Reach. I haven't written to them as much as I should." He looked down at the board, "Ah… it's my turn." He moved a piece and smiled at her, "What about you? Tell me of your siblings."

She sighed, "Well… you already know of Solona." Cullen nodded as she thought of what piece to move, "But I doubt you know of my twin brothers, Maxwell and Daylen. They were sent to Minrathous almost the same time as I went to Ostwick."

Cullen nodded, as he watched her move a piece… a pawn. "Yes, you told us about that. Solona was already in the Circle when I was accepted into the templars at Kinoch Hold. She once said we were the same age. How old were you when you entered the Circle?" He moved his pawn forward as well.

"I was eight when the templars took me, and my brothers were ten. We discovered our magic at the same time." Alex said, and a smile entered her features, "We were playing 'Elements' in a… realistic sense. My adopted mother saw me casting a fire spell in my hand in contrast to Max's ice ball." She moved again.

"You were rather lucky your adopted parents accepted your magical capabilities." Cullen said as he played.

Alex nodded as put a hand under her chin to analyze the board as she spoke, "Indeed. I've known other mages who were casually thrown away by their parents just because of their powers. But my father was honest with the Trevelyans, and he told them that there might be a chance that we might become mages as well. And they accepted it. They are the only family I've known, since my mother, Revka, died giving birth to me."

Cullen watched her as she continued to think, "Are you… close with Solona?"

She nodded slightly, "My father made sure that we knew our family. Our history. Our members. I've been writing to Solona ever since I could write. I've never seen her, but I loved her from her letters. And I think she loved me too. And when I moved to the Circle, her wisdom helped me with my magic. She wrote to the twin's often as well." She looked up at him, "You knew her, didn't you? Back in Kinoch Hold?"

The commander blinked, and he looked down at the board as he avoided her gaze as she moved her piece, and he noticed that his queen was in danger. He moved the piece away, "Solona was… a very wise woman. She studied under the tutelage of one of the spirit mages, Wynne. She had a penchant for healing, even though she was good with ice magic as well." He sighed as she shifted, half listening to him, all the while studying the board. "And she was very… soft-spoken and kind. She did everything that she thought was best for the Circle, which included betraying one of her friends. She loved it there."

"She told me about that in a letter, once." Alex said as she moved her knight, "Jowan… wasn't it? He was a blood mage."

He nodded as he moved another piece, his rook, "Yes, he was. It was… hard for her to betray him like that. But she knew she had to protect the others. I've learned later on that… Jowan envied her magical talents so he turned to blood magic."

"Hmm…" Alex muttered out, and she moved another piece, "Did she ever… get into mischief?"

Cullen laughed and looked up at her, "No, I'm afraid not. Your sister… is a very properly mannered young lady."

She scoffed, "Yes, she is. She often scolded me in my letters when I told her of some of the things I did at the Ostwick Circle."

"Like what?"

She grinned as she looked at the board, "I told her once how I stuffed cheese in one of the templar's armor. A mouse got into it and cause havoc on him for a good hour or two."

The commander blinked, and soon started laughing, "The poor man."

She laughed, "Oh, Maker. The templars of Minrathous actually have it worse… with Maxwell and Daylen there. Those two are just… insufferable. They often did pranks over there… like rubbing hot balm on a templar's underpants or bleaching the Senior Enchanter's robes pink. I actually did that once… Senior Enchanter Lydia thought it was charming and wore it whenever she fancied it."

Cullen laughed again, "You must've been a very mischievous girl, Inquisitor."

Alex smiled and looked up at him, and she winked, "I still am, actually."

At the Inquisitor's smirk and teasing, the Commander's face turned beet red, and she ducked her head to spare the poor templar. But soon Cullen sighed as he leaned back from his chair, "You know, this is the first time we talked without discussing the Inquisition or related matters. In truth, I appreciate the distraction."

Her face flamed when she realized that what he was saying was true, since there were almost done with their game, and that she enjoyed every minute of it. She looked up at Cullen, his amber eyes looking at her, and she felt her face turn red and her breath got caught in her throat. Seeing the man so relaxed, smiling gently, she was once again reminded at how handsome and brave the man was. She bit her lip, not realizing that Cullen's gaze was drawn to the tiny action, and she muttered out, "We should spend more time together."

But the man continued to look down at Alex's pouty red lips, her teeth biting it gently, and he swallowed, "I would… like that."

Alex smiled as she looked up at him, although her face was still a pretty shade of pink, "Me, too."

Cullen smiled, and he looked at her, "You said that."

At Cullen's gaze, Alex blushed again, using her fingers to push and errant hair away from her face to the back of her ear. The small action made him stare at her again, and he reveled in her beauty. He had to admit that while Solona was rather pretty, Alexandra was by far more pleasing to the eye. Her eyes were wider than that of her sister's, and far greener, like emeralds.

She raised her eyes to him, and he was enraptured by her gaze again. He coughed as he looked down at the board again, "We should… get back to the game, right? My turn?"

Alex nodded, and he smiled as he moved his chest piece, relishing at the company of the Herald, as he knew that moments like these with just her alone was fleeting.