Don't own Dragon Age.

Another update~! Yay!

"I have to admit, Val Royeax was pretty." I stated loudly on the trip back to Haven. Our new companions, Sera and Vivienne, had already headed that way a couple days prior. I had stayed in the city with Varric, Solas, and Bull trying to see if there was anything else the four of us could find that might help. Cassandra had also headed back already; no doubt she would greet us upon returning.

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming." Varric said, a smirk forming on his face. He rode a tough mountain pony; Solas rode on one of our newly acquired harts; Bull had a huge draft horse; myself, I rode upon the same Ferelden Forder that Master Dennet had gifted me, but the four of us together, we made quite an impressionable scene as we rode the mountain road back to Haven.

"You're a butt!" I snorted loudly, earning a dignified eye roll from Solas and a guffaw from the Bull. I absolutely loved having the Iron Bull around. His complete demeanor of "Boss. Boss. Can we fight it? Please? Can we?" was so easy to get along with. It was also interesting for me, a Dalish elf, to be able to order the mountain of a Qunari around. I finished laughing at my own childish joke before I continued, Varric shaking his head at me in a mix of disapproval and amusement. "You're right though. The 'but' of this conversation is that if I never have to set foot in that horrid viper's nest of masks, bad outfits, and nobles again, it'll be too soon."

"I can drink to that." Varric said smugly, his pony shaking its head in agreement. I absolutely adored his pony. It had a thick, shaggy brown coat, it's mane falling over it's eyes, tendrils of hair easily obscuring it's hooves as well. I had managed to use some of our connections (and Varric's) to obtain this mountain pony from Orzammer. King Bhelen had at first seemed suspicious since we only wanted the one pony, but then when we sweetened the deal when I made a mention to Josephine about how we could probably use a dozen of them for our fellow dwarves that worked with us, the king had agreed to sell us group of adorable, personable, fluffy, hardy ponies. I had presented the brown one to Varric, and he had named the lovely thing Belles.

"We're drinking when we get back, right boss?" Bull's deep voice sounded from behind me. His draft horse dwarfed our other mounts considerably, but a bronto can't keep pace with a horse's gait, so we had to find a farmer willing to let us buy this particularly large horse; standing at twenty hands tall, the great horse had a wild side. One that the Iron Bull loved-and added to by having our blacksmith create a head dress for it that doubled as a weapon; if the Iron Bull riding on a huge, muscular horse wasn't enough, the horse now had a headdress that had several large spikes running down the middle, the bit being fashioned so that anyone trying to come near it's mouth would have to deal with two razor sharp daggers that had been fastened to either side. It was something to see the Bull charge on his horse, the horse's head lowered as a weapon as he swung his huge battleaxe around them.

"That we are, because I know I need a drink after seeing a Templar knock out that Grand Mother or whatever they're called." I grunted, and I cast a look at Solas. "Are you sure you won't join us?" I asked, wishing he would. Solas merely smirked at me. The young hart he was riding was formidable, with it's huge antlers. Solas was terrifying when fighting upon it's back; firing lightning and fire and spirit magic from the back of the hart as it lowered it's head, knocking aside any and all enemies that came before it. I had found that even though we were both elves, Solas had a much better time calming the harts down then I did, so I let him break the harts in.

"Alas, da'len." Solas started, raising an eye brow at me. "I will settle myself in the corner of Haven, away from the prying eyes of our lady Seeker."

"Oh Solas, you know Cassandra won't be there. She's too serious." Varric said lightly, and I bit back a laugh.

"Nevertheless, I shan't be engaging in the frivolities that are sure to get out of hand too soon for my liking." He said, casting his gaze upon the snowy trees around us. I sighed, defeated. All of my efforts at trying to befriend the older man had failed spectacularly. I think he was amused at my efforts though, as he had begun calling me 'da'len', which warmed my heart even a little bit. It was hard to believe, but there was something comforting about being with another elf, even one who was so against the Dalish as Solas was. He hadn't appreciated my 'allergy to halla' joke.

"Haven…!" I sighed a sigh of relief as the village came into view.

"And a precious ex-Templar turned Commander." I quickly turned my sharp gaze on Varric, feeling my face burn.

"Shut your face, Varric."

"Oho, has our dwarf struck a chord with our illustrious Herald?" Solas asked lightly, and I gaped at him, not believing he was teasing me too. He had the smuggest look on his face. I narrowed my eyes.

"I have no idea what y'all are talking about." I said stubbornly, glaring at the two of them before I turned my nose up to face the sight of the back of Haven's Chantry coming closer.

"Anyone with eyes can see what we're talking about." Came Varric's reply, but instead of giving him the satisfaction of me glaring at him, I clenched my teeth, ignoring the heat in my face.

"Boss, I'll race you!" Bull yelled, kicking his horse into a gallop.

"Bull-they might think-" I started, but then I realized Varric was looking at me expectantly. "Ugh, FINE." I kicked the sides of my mount, urging my horse after Bull, not about to lose. I knew my horse was faster; I hadn't formed any kind of bond with this horse, but I knew the great Forder wasn't about to lose to the draft horse either. I would have to ask Cullen if he knew anything about horses, seeing as how he used to be a Templar-although what did that have to do with horses? I mean-

"No way you'll beat me~!" I called out to Bull, him urging his horse on faster still down the mountain path. He grinned wickedly at me.

"We'll just see about that! Loser's buying!" I huffed indignantly before snapping the reins again.

"Then I'm definitely not losing! Hiyah!" and urged the Forder past Bull easily. Before I knew it, I was doing my best to slow my Forder down, as we were about to run straight through practicing recruits. "Get out of the way!" I yelled, doing my best to swerve so that we ran straight by them inside of through them. We were mostly successful, a few people had to dive into the snow to jump out of the way, but I did manage to bring my shuddering mount to a stop in front of the stables, catching my breath, laughter bubbling up inside me as I waited for the Bull, Varric, and Solas to appear from behind the bend. Eventually the three of them showed up; the great draft horse breathing heavily, slicked in sweat. Bull had the poutiest look on his face, which broke me. I doubled over in my saddle, laughing, holding the horn of the saddle and my side, chuckling heartily.

"What were you thinking?!" an angry voice sounded nearby, and I tried to bite back my laughter as I regained my composure. "I couldn't tell if you were an enemy or-"

"I'm sorry, I tried to tell him but-Commander!" I was about to wave it off, but suddenly my mirth was gone at the sight of a glowering Cullen standing next to my horse. I barely saw my fellow companions ride up next to us, Bull's pouting look turning into an evil smirk, Solas giving me a "You brought this on yourself," look, and Varric watching intently, a crooked smile on his face. I had never met a dwarf before Varric, but I had found him to be the only attractive dwarf I would probably ever meet. I shot him a death glare before I returned my attention back to the handsome, yet angry man next to my horse. "Commander Cullen. I um, well-"

"Don't. Do. It. Again." I was doing my best to bite my smile back. He had snow still in his hair from where snow had flown up into it from my grand entrance, and he had his hands on his hips as if he were berating a child. I bit my lower lip.

"You know me, I have to make an entrance." I said, sliding from the saddle, letting the stable hands take my poor horse away. Now that I was on the ground, I glanced up at Cullen, feeling my cheeks redden under his intense gaze. I had a feeling he was only pretending to be angry, because I saw his mouth twitch before he shook his head and walked away, barking orders at the recruits and soldiers to get back to work, never mind the snow.

"Nothing exciting about an ex-Templar turned Commander, hm?" Varric had suddenly appeared by my side, his arms crossed as he looked up at me knowingly. I shoved his shoulder, grumbling. Then I saw Bull heading towards Cullen, talking to him about something. I stopped.

"Varric. What is he doing. Varric-" I sounded almost panicked.

"Oh you know Bull, letting loose the sexual tension in the air." Varric said lightly, and I gasped, sprinting towards the two of them.

"HE'S LYING!" I shouted, and Cullen, Bull, and his lieutenants stopped to look at me, as I'm sure I looked disheveled and out of breath as I stood a foot from the two men, who, needless to say, looked surprised.

"So you are buying tonight!" Bull recovered first, laughing heartily, clapping Cullen on the shoulder. "Great! We'll meet you at the tavern tonight, Commander." He said, winking at me as I stood there with my mouth open, quickly shutting it as he winked at me as he walked past. I stared at Cullen, who coughed, and his lieutenants quickly returned to whatever they were doing before I so stupidly embarrassed myself in front of them.

"Um. Cul-Commander-" I stammered, and Cullen motioned for me to follow him, so I did, eager to not be standing there like an idiot. I wasn't paying particular attention as to where we were going, but I quickly realized we were heading to the Chantry, probably to the War Room.

"So. A race, was it?" his voice was low, filled with amusement as he shot me a glance, and I felt the butterflies erupt in my stomach. We were walking so close together, if I reached out I could maybe even hold his hand…his hands were so big compared to mine, I couldn't help but wonder-

"Ahaha, yeah…" I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. It seemed a habit I had picked up from spending too much time with him. Not that I was complaining. Of course not. "I won."

"Really? I couldn't tell." He said, smirking as he opened the Chantry doors for me, gesturing to show that he was holding them open for me. I bit my lower lip, casting my eyes down as I walked quickly past him, feeling the heat of his breath as I walked by. Creators preserve me, this man…I stole a glance as I passed by, our eyes meeting, honey gold meeting forest green. We both turned away at the same time, my heart pounding in my chest as we followed me into the dark of the Chantry. We walked in silence for a moment before I broke the silence.

"So…I guess you'll be joining us tonight at the tavern?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Actually…" Cullen laughed lightly. "I had ah…I had hop-thought that we might continue our sparring practice once you returned." I wasn't sure if I had heard him right, did he just almost say 'hoped'?

"Well…Bull was supposed to buy the drinks since I won the race," I sighed, irritated, "But now my honor is on the line since he announced to everyone watching me make a fool of myself-"Cullen snorted, and I narrowed my eyes at his laughter. "I guess I have to show up to buy."

"Well, I suppose I can excuse you for one more night." Cullen stopped right before the door to the war room, and I thought I heard a twinge of disappointment in his voice. We were standing rather close, so close I could almost see the individual feathers on his uniform in the dark candelight of the Chantry. His eyes were anywhere but my face.

"Would…you like to join us?" I asked quietly, and his eyes met mine, in alarm.

"I try to avoid that place." He said stiffly and automatically.

"Oh." I'm pretty sure I sounded rather disappointed. Awkward silence.

"I mean-Maker, I'm terrible at this. I try to avoid the tavern because of the soldiers, gossip is terrible among the ranks." He rambled quickly, and I smiled slightly.

"Well, how about this; I go, make my appearance, and then I still meet you for sparring?" I gazed hopefully up at my Commander. His eyes slowly met mine, a small smile gracing his face, making the scar on his lip stretch slightly. I couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to kiss him, to feel his stubble, to run my hand through his perfectly combed hair-

"I'd like that." His voice was low, and he seemed to take a step closer, I could smell the wood from his fire, his musky scent as our fingers brushed. Despite myself, I managed to keep my eyes on his, unable to look away…

"Good." Feeling the flush growing on my face, I turned aside abruptly, opening the door to the war room, feeling my heart pound. "Good afternoon everyone!" I announced loudly, stepping in, having Leliana, Josephine, and Cassandra all look up as I entered the room, Cullen behind me. I tried not to stare at him as he walked around to the other side of the table so we could discuss what we were going to do next. I did my best to listen to Leliana as she told us that they already knew what had happened in Val Royeaux.

"It's a shame that the Templars have abandoned their senses as well as the capital." Cullen said, crossing his arms as he looked at everyone but me. I could have sworn he was going to…no, no way…

"At least we know that the Chantry is no longer a threat to us." I said, mimicking his body language. My heart was still aflutter. Maybe if I crossed my arms over my chest no one would hear it…

"Yes, and we have the opening we need to approach either the Mages or Templars." Josephine chimed in; probably the only person in the room who sensed something was slightly was Leliana, as she was watching the Commander and myself with an icy expression I couldn't read.

"Do we? Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember." Cassandra's voice was solemn, and I looked at her, remembering how she had been shocked at how the man she had known had addressed her.

"True. He has taken the Order somewhere, but to do what? My reports have been…very odd." Leliana's voice was soft.

"We must look into it. I'm certain not everyone in the Order will support the Lord Seeker." Cullen's impassioned voice brought my eyes to him. Obviously the reports of a Templar punching a Mother in front of a crowd of people and then walking away like it hadn't happened had upset him.

"Or the Herald could simply go to the mages in Redcliffe, as invited." Josephine spoke up, and I flinched inwardly. I wasn't sure if that was something I wanted to do.

"You think the mage rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse!" Cullen argued, and Josephine and Cullen glared at each other.

"We should stop bickering and make a decision." I said suddenly, making everyone look at me, slightly surprised.

"I agree." Cassandra said, folding her arms across her chest.

"We shouldn't discount Redcliffe. The mages may be worth the risk." Josephine stated.

"They are powerful, ambassador, but more desperate then you realize." Cassandra said, and I considered that for a moment; she was probably right.

"So it'll be dangerous." I said lightly, trying to ease the obvious tension in the room. "What else is new?"

"If some among the rebel mages were responsible for what happened at the Conclave…" Cassandra trailed off.

"The same could be said about the Templars." Josephine countered, and she had a point.

"True enough." Cullen said, and I raised an eyebrow at him as he glanced my way. "Right now, I'm not certain we have enough influence to approach the Order safely."

"Then the Inquisition needs agents in more places." Cassandra said, looking pointedly at me. "That's something you can help with." I silently agreed.

-.-.-.-.

"So now I have to figure out what's happened to the Grey Wardens as well." I muttered, throwing another rock at the frozen lake.

"Elia." I jumped up, instinctively reaching for my daggers, leaping up to turn around to face whoever had startled me. I let go of my daggers as I saw it was only Cullen. He had an amused look on his face, seeing that he had startled me.

"Andraste's flaming ass, stop doing that to me!" I muttered, relaxing.

"Andraste?" he asked, even more amused. I waved my hand dismissively.

"It's something Varric says; I've merely picked up on it." I glanced at him. "May I help you, Cullen?" He smirked, moving closer to me. He didn't quite look me in the eyes as he stood in front of me, making my breath catch in my throat. Why did he feel the need to make my heart race the way he did? I could stand this close to anyone else, and I wouldn't feel like I was drowning-

"I wanted to thank you." He finally said quietly. I met his eyes; such a beautiful color. I couldn't help but reach out and grab his hand instinctively, and his eyes flashed, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment, but I wasn't about to let go.

"What for?" I asked quietly.

"For…asking Josephine to garner enough nobles from Orlais for you to head to Therinfall Redoubt in the next few days." His voice was still low, but I could tell there was a slight waver in his voice.

"Hey." I tried to get him to look at me. "Look at me Cullen." He finally brought his gaze up to meet mine. "We'll get the Templars to help us. Cassandra's right, that guy…Lord what's his face-" Cullen couldn't help but crack a smile, "seemed really, really off. We'll find out what's going on over there." His eyes searched mine. "Besides, Redcliffe will still be there if things don't work out."

"Thank you." Then he did something completely unexpected, he brought my hand up to his lips, quickly laying a kiss on my knuckles, smiling slightly as I felt my face turn red, my stomach contorting, mouth opening slightly before shutting it.

"Y-you're welcome…" I stuttered, and he released my hand, taking a step back, bowing slightly as he did so.

"Tonight then?" he asked, turning to leave, and I nodded dumbly, feeling my heart soar. He only smiled, hesitating a moment before he turned away completely, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as he headed back to his tent. I turned back to face the lake, my mind going to all sorts of places.

"Ex-Templar turned Commander, indeed…" I picked up another rock, throwing it out across the ice, watching it skid a bit further than the others I had thrown. "UGH. I have to buy everyone drinks tonight." I moaned, falling back into the snow, my arms over my face. Somehow, despite it all, I felt my mouth turn up into a slight smile. "I might have to thank Bull later…"

Please review!

Especially constructive criticism. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time portraying the tension and trying to build up their friendship before Skyhold. :I

If I'm doing good or bad, please let me know! If I'm not told about a problem I can't fix it. ._.