"You've attracted a following. Who are all these people?"

Cullen turned around to see Alex, smirking at him, holding a glass of Aggreggio. At the sight of her, he felt a shiver of lust run down his spine, but he stilled it. The dark green fabric of her dress made her eyes shine greener, and made her already fair skin seem fairer. Although it's true that Celene and Grand Duchess Florianne De Chalons were the most elegantly dressed in the party, Alex is by far the most beautiful woman in the room. He sighed as he turned to her, "I don't know, but they won't leave me alone."

"Not enjoying the attention then?" She said with a smirk on her face, and he huffed out a breath, "Hardly. Anyway, yours…"He coughed and looked at her, and she blushed a bit at the sultry look the man was giving her, "Yours is the only attention worth having."

Alex blushed redder at his words, and Cullen smiled in triumph, but she looked around suspiciously at the other people around them, with some ladies tittering loudly at the sight of him, "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

"Not yet." Cullen said as he looked around as well, before sighing in frustration, "It would be easier if other people would stop talking to me." He blinked and looked at her, "Other people… not you."

"Well, who would you support, Cullen?" Alex asked, her bright green eyes looking serious, "Josephine supports Celene, and Leliana said I should consider helping Briala. What about you?"

"Gaspard's claim to the throne is fair." He said, looking at the mentioned man from across the ballroom, "Orlais needs someone capable of responding to the crisis at hand. A military minded leader seemed the best option."

She silenced and considered his words before looking up at him again, "Do you have any advice for me?"

At her question, he sneered and looked around disdainfully at the frivolity of the ball, "Orlesian social events don't fall into my area of expertise. There are few here we can trust. Be careful."

She nodded in agreement, taking a sip of her wine, before she turned around again with a smile on her face, "I don't suppose you can save a dance for me?"

"No, thank you." Cullen said automatically, and her face became disappointed. "Oh." She muttered out before looking at the floor.

He blinked when he realized what he had done, and he slapped a hand on his forehead, "No! I didn't mean to… Maker's breath… I've answered that question so many times, I'm rejecting it automatically." He looked down at her, her face looking a bit guilty, "I'm not one for dancing. The templars never attended balls."

"Inquisitor."

Alex and Cullen turned to see Cassandra walking towards them, looking annoyed, "Any news, Cassandra?"

"Solas has acquired a key to the Servant's Quarters." The Seeker said with a low voice, "I've asked Dorian and Varric to accompany us. He said that the servants think that there is someone who used the entrance to infiltrate the grounds through there."

"Let's go." Alex said instantly, putting down the glass of wine on a table near him, "We'll talk later, Cullen."

He nodded, "I await your signal."

Cassandra left, and Alex followed her, but she stopped and turned around. Cullen watched her as she looked at the people lingering near him, waiting to speak to him as soon as she left, and she smirked as she turned around again to head to him. She put a hand on his chest, and he blinked when raised herself up on her toes and kissed him on his lips, and the scent of her lavender perfume almost broke his resistance again. She put her lips close to his ear and whispered, "So that they will know that you're mine now."

He laughed a little, before making a display of taking her chin and kissing her tenderly, and for a moment, Alex's toes curled in delight at how romantic it probably seemed to their audience. "I will always be yours, Alexandra. Be careful."

She smiled and winked at him as she turned around, heading back to Cassandra, who seemed to have waited for her. He mouthed 'take care of her' to the Seeker, and she nodded in affirmation, and they both left for the foyer. He sighed as he turned around, taking her glass of wine, and sipping it.

"Commander Cullen."

He turned around to see Alex's brothers, Maxwell and Daylen, walking up to him side by side, smiling at him, "We thought we'd accompany you for the evening while Alex investigates the palace."

"Gentlemen, thank you for your concern, but shouldn't you be accompanying your sister?" Cullen said, and he had noticed that the twins barricaded him from the noble ladies who were about to talk to him.

"We should, but she left us specific instructions while we were investigating the palace library." One of them said, and the mole on his brow told him it was Maxwell.

"More like threats than instructions." Daylen affirmed.

"A long list of bodily harm would await us, she said."

"I didn't know she has gotten that violent, actually."

Cullen broke the twin's discussion by raising a hand, "What do you mean?"

Maxwell pointed up at the upper floors of the ballroom, almost reaching the ceiling, and Cullen saw the extension of the library, "She saw you up there, you know."

"Watched you intently."

"She saw a noble woman grabbed your bottom…"

"And another noble man almost grabbing your front…"

"And she got livid."

"Furious beyond reason almost."

"She told us to come back down here and keep these nobles away from you."

"Protect you from them, she says."

"Or else she'll send us into the Fade herself with her Mark."

"After she's dismembered us…"

"And burnt us with fire."

Cullen blinked at the rapid fire explanation of the twins and he chuckled, "I must thank her then. And thank you both. I will make sure that she doesn't do that to you, if you decided to linger away from me for a moment."

The twins shrugged at the same time, "She's our sister, Commander. She won't do that to us, but we still love her enough to obey her."

He nodded and they silenced for a while, sipping their drinks, and he spoke to them, "I am actually surprised that you would recognize her. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't seen her for almost twenty years."

"We wrote to her often, even before the Conclave." Daylen answered him, "We all wrote to each other, although Solona stopped writing after she killed the Archdemon."

"Busy with the Wardens, I'd imagine." Maxwell said, taking a small platter of a frilly Orlesian cake from one of the servants.

"We were also adopted into the Trevelyan family when our father died."

"Solona was the only one who carried the name Amell as she was left in Kinoch Hold."

"But she wrote to us whenever she could."

"We sent portraits of each other, should we meet someday."

"Alex probably has our portrait among her belongings."

Cullen nodded, "I see. It must be wonderful seeing her again."

The twins nodded in unison, "It is." Daylen said, sipping his wine.

"Damn good to see her."

"Wish we could also see Solona though."

"Maybe we will."

"But Alex said she might be out west?"

"She's a Warden. She's never in one place for long."

"True enough, brother."

Cullen chuckled, amused at the two brothers, and they smiled at him, "What about you, Commander? Don't you have siblings?" they said in unison.

"Two sisters and a brother." He replied, "They're in South Reach, but none as amusing as the both of you, I'm sure."

The two let out a bark-like laughter that sounded almost the same, "Perhaps they're amusing in their own way. Have you visited them?"

"No, not for a while." He admitted, and the two looked sadly at him.

"You should try to write them letters. Or visit them." Maxwell said, taking a bite of cake.

"Family is everything." Daylen stated.

"That is quite true." Cullen nodded, "I've written to them a few days back, and I'm still awaiting their reply. As for visiting them, I would wait until this crisis with Corypheus is over first. I do not wish them endangered by our activities."

Maxwell and Daylen nodded together, "Yes. Alex's duties are rather dangerous, yes?" Max said as he finished the last of his cake.

"Most gruesome indeed." Daylen assented, and Cullen looked at them, fidgeting at his glass nervously as the twins continued to speak.

"Like the elf in the balcony, right, brother?"

"There was blood everywhere."

"Innards, too."

"Seems like the elf shat himself out of fear, from the smell."

"Nasty work."

"Really glad she decided that we don't join her investigation."

"Bet she'll fight that assassin, too."

"A Tevinter assassin… almost as bad as the Antivan Crows remember?"

"The others will protect her."

"Like that Cassandra?"

"Or that Dorian?"

"But what if they can't?"

"Can't what?"

"Protect her."

"Don't be daft. You're making the Commander nervous."

Cullen blinked when the twins looked at him simultaneously, watching his moves. Unfortunately, the twins' discussion made him a little nervous at what was awaiting for Alex. He had known about the abilities of the Antivan Crows, and of Tevinter assassins, and he feared for her safety. Although Dorian, Varric and Cassandra could probably protect her, the whole span of the Winter Palace's area would probably mean that there were more than one assassin to expect.

Finally, unable to help himself, he growled and lowered his glass, "Excuse me, gentlemen." He muttered a little angrily to the twins, who looked in surprise at him. "Where are you going, Commander?" They asked in unison, looking confused.

"I'm going to help the Inquisitor." He muttered out, pushing way through the crowds, completely ignoring the nobles who were waving at him to catch his attention. The twins continued to watch him for a while, and when the man left the ballroom, they looked at each other and grinned mischievously.

"You planned that, didn't you?" Maxwell said, bumping his fist against Daylen's.

"You did too."

"Yes. Great minds think alike."

"True! We should form a club!"

"So what's your thing with Cassandra?"

"What's your deal with Dorian?"

"I'm not telling."

"Well, I won't either!"

"Usual way to settle this?"

"Tch, fine. Grab your staff and meet me at the courtyard."

"Ohhh… dirty!"

"Vishante kaffas, I meant your weapon!"