The sound of soft steps reached her as she laid there contemplating how to act neutral if he was in love and seeing someone else.
"Leliana?" she asked and a sigh confirmed her friends presence "You should not do that. I have had enough assassination plots against me to cast a spell and ask questions later,"
"But you did not," the spymaster replied and came around the screen and sat down on a footstool next to the bathtub.
"I am around friends, am I not?" Amell replied and sighed "Am I?"
"You are," Leiliana ensured her and handed her a soap smelling lovely of lavender "The Inquisitor was impressed by your entrance,"
"She was? I could not tell. She seems like a stern woman?"
"She is devout, and dedicated to restoring order to Thedas. The Wardens actions at Adamant made it difficult for her to greet you in any other fashion. She is a bit unsure about you too, after all she trained to be a templar before all this came to be,"
Amell sighed. Devout, a templar candidate. She would be perfect for Cullen.
"Well... Cassandra, Cullen and her must be a blast together," she mumbled and stared at her foot peaking up out of the water.
Her little toe was chafed from the trek up the mountain.
"They are not a couple," Leliana replied eyeing her friend "He has not been with anyone for what I know, and I would know,"
Amell turned bright red again. She really was obvious.
Leliana laughed and took the soap, put it down in the water and gestured to the Warden to wet her hair. Adriana obliged and sighed of relief when her friend softly began to massage her scalp and working the soap into her hair.
"Has he said anything? I feel like a fool. It has been a decade. I really don't expect anything but... seeing him again... I don't know. My heart just skipped a few beats,"
"He has not. Cullen is very private. I think he thinks I would tell on him if he said anything," Leliana chuckled "I don't know where he got that idea,"
"Oh I do. From his common sense. You told the Ambassador my secret did you not? She was all giggles when she left. Saying he was happy to know I was at good health,"
"Oh he was," Leliana purred "He got all blush and distracted when I told them you were coming. He spent a great deal of time on his hair this morning,"
"Why? His hair is always perfect," Adriana sighed "He looked... troubled. I guess it was only to expect, with all he have been through the last few years but... still... What should I say? Should I say anything to him? This is so weird. I spent everyday for years near him, and now... I feel like a stranger,"
"Just be yourself," Leliana replied "You are a treasure, Adriana, don't worry about it. Josephine and I have planned it all for weeks now. It will be amazing,"
Fear gripped the Warden-Commander when those words were uttered. Planned what?
She glanced up on Leliana and stuttered;
"Planed what? Leliana what have you done?"
"Oh nothing special, just a small ball honoring you, Hawk and the Inquisitor as the Heros of Thedas. The women that saved us all over and over again. Nothing huge, just a few nobels, some music and of course dancing. Especially you dancing with Cullen,"
Leliana looked like a cat that had just caught its prey. In a friendly kind of way but still intimidating.
"Leliana I can't! I can't dance! And.. what if he does not want to? What if I trip and set him on fire?"
"What? Don't be silly. It will be amazing, and then he will take you to walk the garden and the rain will have stopped and you will kiss in the moonlight,"
Lelianas eyes were glittering with the dreams she had for her friend.
"..."
The Warden-Commander commander was at a loss for words.
It would be disastrous. She knew it. He would have moved on by now for sure. It would end in tears.
"I like your new hair," Leliana mumbled "It is longer then when we met,"
"Well.. yes... I thought maybe I wouldn't be in places where I risk getting caught in a while," Adriana mumbled "So I... try to have it long at the moment,"
"It is very pretty, I bet Cullen will like snuggling up to it,"
"Please shut up" Adriana groaned thinking of the embarrassment that would be this evening.
Leliana had really outdone herself with the preparations. Adriana suspected it stemmed from that talk 10 years ago where she had admitted to never going to a fancy party, wearing any fancy clothes or having danced the night away. She had been like a wide-eyed girl when Leliana had told her about Orlais. Now, not so much.
10 years of fighting darkspawn, saving the world and being the Hero of Fereldan had shredded much of her girl like demeanour. She had put all those hopes and dreams aside to be the woman she needed to be. Not everyone was meant to dance nights away on fancy soirées.
Yet there she was, in a long dark blue and silver gown. Her long dark brown hair was carefully orchestrated with gems and silver threads and Leliana had lent her a wonderful pair of shoes that matched the whole ensemble.
"I... I don't look like me," Adriana mumbled spinning slowly in front of a mirror.
"You look regal," Leliana mused "He will fall off his feet,"
"I hope not. I don't want him hurting himself," Adriana mumbled failing to realize the joke in her state of slight panic.