The first part is taken from the codex.
I don't own Dragon Age. Enjoy!
Kirkwall's Alienage is the alienage of the elves of Kirkwall. Every night the City Guard closes a great iron gate at the entrance to the Alienage. Yet, despite their poverty, the elves still take comfort in the fact that they are not as bad off the residents of Darktown.
"Hopefully they'll grow." I muttered, wiping my hands on the sides of my pants as I stood up. Josephine had ignored my pleas for something casual and not so tight; her idea of 'not tight' was very tight. So I had these pristine tan clothes to wear that completely showed off every curve of my body under the fabric, complete with shiny silver buttons. At least it was from my neck all the way down to my boots; But it was still uncomfortable to be in something that covered every inch of my skin that it could. Even if it was cold up at Skyhold, I wanted the freedom of having something besides 'pale tan' in my wardrobe. 'Mud brown' would suffice.
Be that as it were, I was doing my best to ruin the clothes I had (in an attempt to get what I wanted bwahaha). I had gone to the courtyard a week ago and discovered I could plant seeds that I had found in my journeys there. So, after an outing to Crestwood with Hawke, I had returned to Skyhold with plans to head out to the Western Approach soon, once our scouts returned with news of what awaited us there. At the moment, I had just finished planting a whole group of seeds; dawn lotus. I had kept the one flower I had found in the Fallow Mire before Haven had been destroyed (how it survived the trip to Skyhold was beyond me), and had spent the morning divvying up the seeds and trying to make sure the conditions were right for the rare flower to grow.
I was at the well, drawing water to wash my hands when I noticed a curious sight. Dorian and Cullen, playing chess in the gazebo. I tilted my head a bit, catching Dorian's eye. Dorian's eyes crinkled as he smiled, but otherwise ignored me as he and the commander continued their game. After I had washed the dirt from my hands, I decided I'd go investigate.
"Gloat all you like, but I have this one." Cullen was saying as he moved another piece on the board. I smiled; it was…refreshing to see him outside of his office and the war room, doing something besides staring at maps and reports.
"Are you…sassing me, Commander?" Dorian feigned surprise well. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Why do I even-Inquisitor!" Cullen noticed me standing next to Dorian, making to stand up as he did so. I laughed lightly.
"Leaving, are you? Does this mean I win?" Dorian asked, watching Cullen as he sat back down slowly. Cullen returned his gaze to Dorian, with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Are my two favorite men in Skyhold playing nice?" I asked innocently.
"I'm always nice." Dorian said pointedly.
"I'll tell that to the bandits in Crestwood next time we see them, alright?"
"You used me as bait."
"Oh hush, you deserved it after scaring the piss out of me with your necromancy shit."
"I thought you knew."
"Seeing a risen Rage demon does nothing for the heart, Dorian."
"Such a light heart, yours must be. Right, Commander?" Dorian drew Cullen into our friendly squabble so easily, and I felt my face heat up as I realized I didn't really want to talk about how light my heart might be with Cullen. Cullen raised an eyebrow, smirking, his gaze level with Dorian.
"Oh I doubt that. Your move, stop trying to distract me." Dorian laughed as he leaned forward to assess the board.
"Damn, I had hoped our lovely Inquisitor might prove a useful distraction." Dorian moved a piece. "You should just accept that I shall claim victory; you'll feel much better." Cullen's smirk grew broader as he moved a piece.
"Really? Because I just won, and I feel fine." There was a moment of silence as Dorian and I stared at the chess board, trying to see how Cullen had managed to win.
"Don't get smug." Dorian raised his hands in defeat before moving to stand up. "There will be no living with you." I chuckled as Dorian walked by, winking at me. I punched him lightly on the arm before he could get away, shaking my head as I walked up to Cullen. He seemed so…relaxed.
"I should return to my duties as well…" then he looked at me, smiling. "Unless," he gestured to the board. "You would like to play?" I smiled, heading to sit in the chair that Dorian had just vacated.
"Prepare the board, Commander."
"As a child, I played this with my sister." He continued to speak as we fixed the board. "She would get this stuck-up grin every time she won. Which was all the time." I couldn't help but admire him while he talked so freely. "My brother and I practiced for weeks. The look on her face when I finally won…" but then his good natured-ness slowly disappeared from his face as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "I wonder if she still plays…" his voice was quiet as he stared at the board, absentmindedly making the first move.
"You have siblings?" I pried, hoping to learn a bit more about my stoic commander.
"Two sisters and a brother." He responded, his eyes shifting down to the board as I moved a piece.
"That's wonderful!" I said, smiling at him. "Where are they now?"
"They moved to South Reach after the Blight. I…do not write them as often as I should."
"Do you know if they're safe, with everything that's happening?" I asked gently.
"Yes. I did write them to let them know I was alive." He said, chuckling lightly.
"Always a good thing to do." I said as he made another move. I studied the board in comfortable silence for a moment.
"Do you have any family?" My body didn't move, but my eyes shot up to meet Cullen's. I didn't answer immediately. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"No no, it's alright." I said, relaxing. "Just…no one's asked about my family." Memories flashed through my mind quickly; not all of them good.
"I don't mean to pry-" Cullen seemed intent on apologizing, but I waved him off.
"Cullen, it's alright." I smiled at him. "Would it surprise you to learn I wasn't born Dalish?" Cullen blinked.
"It would, actually. Leliana's reports…" he trailed off as I made a move on the board.
"I hid my tracks quite well." I said softly, remembering a long forgotten life. "It helps that I don't tell everyone I meet about my past. It keeps things simpler that way."
"So if you weren't born Dalish…" Cullen trailed off, his gaze intent on the board.
"Actually, I was born in the alienage of Kirkwall." That got his attention. He looked up at me, surprise written all over his face. "My father worked in the Bone Pit, the same one that Hawke took ownership of right before the uprising at the Gallows. He had been indentured as a young boy, and he had just…stayed there. He always dreamed of a better life than what we had."
"What about your mother?" Cullen moved a piece on the board, but his eyes were on me. I kept my gaze firmly on the board as my heart swelled up in my chest at this tidbit of information I was about to spill.
"She was a courtesan, at the Blooming Rose." I said quietly, looking anywhere but Cullen's face, trying to gauge his reaction. "I spent the first several years of my life there, with the other children of the whores." I did my best to keep my face a mask. "Then my father happened upon my mother one day in Lowtown. He fell in love with her, and convinced her to marry him, even though I was with her. We moved out of the Blooming Rose into the Alienage after that. Mamae couldn't have any more children after me, that's why I had no siblings." It was all just spilling out; I couldn't stop talking. "I wanted better than what the Alienage could offer. I wanted my freedom from poverty."
"How did you end up with the Dalish?" Cullen asked gently; I'm sure he could tell it was a very touchy subject for me.
"I became a criminal." I said simply, moving another piece on the board. "Almost all of the Dalish hunt with bows; strange that I use daggers instead, right? Not really. I couldn't hold a sword when I was twelve, but I could hold two daggers. I got mixed up with the wrong crowd early on. I helped smuggle lyrium into Kirkwall," I saw Cullen tense up at that. That was a big deal, especially since I knew he had been the Knight-Captain in Kirkwall for ten years. "Eventually, my crimes caught up with me. I fled the city." Cullen very deliberately moved another piece on the board. "And Clan Lavellan found me. And here we are."
"Here we are indeed." Cullen's voice was low, his eyes on the board.
"Are you upset?" I asked quietly, a knot forming in my stomach.
"A little." He said briskly. "But…" his eyes met mine as he smirked. "Even Leliana doesn't know that, does she?" The air I hadn't known I'd been holding was suddenly let out, and I couldn't help but laugh, feeling much better about having told him.
"I don't think so. I left Kirkwall about six years ago; I've grown up a lot since then." I said, winking at him. Cullen coughed suddenly, his cheeks red. I laughed again, making another move.
"So ah…what about the um…" Cullen gestured to his own face, and at first I didn't understand.
"Oh. The vallaslin?" I touched the markings under my eyes. "It's called blood writing. The Dalish have them to remember the Creators, our gods who were sealed away by the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel. I thought it fitting to honor Mythal, the goddess of Justice." Cullen made another move.
"To show that you've mended your ways?" he asked, smirking. Now it was my turn to blush.
"Yes, actually. I'm the Inquisitor aren't I? That's a pretty good turn around, I think." Cullen continued to smirk.
"I would have to agree." The game passed in silence for a bit longer. After a while, Cullen spoke again.
"If you were raised in Kirkwall, do you not believe in the Maker or Andraste? Or do the elves in the Alienage try to remember their gods?" he asked softly. I had to think on it for a moment.
"It's complicated." I finally said. "I believe in that, I believe there's something bigger out there than us. I try to honor my people by remembering what we've lost. I'm not a mage, so unlike Solas I can't traverse the Fade in search of memories of the people. But if there's a life better then what's in the Alienage, and I know there is, I want to find it for my people. I don't understand why humans and elves can't live and work together. Why because my ears are pointy, I get spat on by strangers."
"I'm sorry Elia, I didn't mean…Maker's breath, I mean-"
"Cullen, I wouldn't tell you if I didn't trust you." I said gently. Cullen relaxed; leaning back a bit into his chair.
"You know, this is the longest we've gone without discussing the Inquisition-or related matters. To be honest…" he leaned forward a bit, and I could see the specks of darker brown permeating the light brown of his eyes. "I appreciate the distraction." I felt my heart leap a bit.
"We should spent more time together." I said quietly, keeping my eyes on his.
"I would like that." I ducked my head down to try to hide the smile that broke out over my face at his words.
"Me too." I said quietly, watching the board.
"You said that." He said, just as quietly. "We should…finish our game. Right. My turn?" I smiled, nodding at him. All I could feel was how my heart was thudding against my chest. I had told him my dark, dirty secret that no one else in the Inquisition knew, and he hadn't cast me off or laughed about it or worse, called me a liar. I hadn't lied, just no one had asked…
About half an hour later, Cullen leaned back into his chair, his arms resting on the arm rests, looking incredibly smug about something.
"Well, I believe the game is mine." His voice sent a shiver down my spine, making butterflies erupt in my stomach.
"Wait, what?" I leaned forward, analyzing the board. How did he-
"Dorian cheats at this as well."
Alright ladies, this chapter is kind of boring, but I liked it because it gives an interesting background story to the Inquisitor.
At least, I think so. :D
Please review and favorite! All of your favorite's/reviews/follows make my day and motivate me to write more. :)