"They got Fairbanks' loyalty, they've found Dorian," Josephine announced, "And they're coming back."
Cullen released a deep sigh of relief, "Thank the maker."
Lelliana watched their Knight Commander. She noticed his change. Like he's smiling more often, not as stiff and serious like before and there's a twinkle or spark in his eyes that she thought was long gone.
The ambassador left the room, leaving the two alone, because somebody wanted to speak with her in private. Lelliana took this chance to talk to Cullen, maybe more like catch up with him.
She's scanning the reports given to her and he was doing the same.
"I don't know when, but I feel a storm coming," she said casually, "You can feel it too right?"
"Yes. However, I fear it's not yet the end, but we're close," He answered, "I know it has something to do with the Orlesian Empire. We have to investigate harder."
She sighed and leaned backwards on her chair, "I agree. I feel like we're staring right at it, but we just couldn't see it yet," she set down the papers on the war table and scanned it, then she clicked her tongue in frustration, then sighed and sat back in her chair.
They both stayed in silence as Cullen reviewed the reports and she's analyzing their war map. She rested her chin on her palm and absentmindedly stared at nothing.
Truth is that she's curious at Cullen's change of attitude and she wanted to talk him out of it without annoying him or else she'll never get the answer out of him, maybe ever.
"Spit it out Leliana," she heard the Templar say to her.
She sat straight and looked at him, then looked at the ceiling and inhaled so deeply as she gathered the courage to ask the impatient commander.
"YouFancyHer," she said so fast that it just came out of her mouth. She intended it to be a question, but it came out like that.
She bit her tongue to prevent saying anything any further. She watched the dance of emotions in the eyes of the Knight-Commander.
He was caught off-guard by the Spymaster so he remained indifferent and brushed it off instead, "Whatever are you saying, Leliana?"
The Spymaster chuckled in amusement. Between Josie, Cassandra and Cullen, the Knight-Commander is the most enjoyable person to torture because he's very serious and workaholic. "You might be able to hide it from Josie or Cassandra, but not to me. I am not the 'Spymaster' for nothing," she teased, "Don't worry, Commander because you are not alone in that area. I am sure that the Inquisitor has captured a lot of hearts by now."
Cullen cleared his throat and pretended to be very focused with the reports that he has, whilst his mind is evidently elsewhere. He'd rather not talk about it.
"I suppose one of them has already made a move by now," he heard Leliana speak and continued, "You know I'm watching everyone, right? And I am rather skilled at reading people and their gestures."
He knew what she was trying to do and he will not give her the satisfaction. Oh no. He, Cullen Rutherford, is the Knight Commander of the Inquisition. He is strong and determined and he will not yield.
That was the plan. Well, the original plan until Leliana thought of another way to annoy the hell out of him.
Standing up abruptly, Leliana knocked off the stool she was sitting on and made a slight bow, "Oh, Inquisitor."
That did the trick because the Knight Commander followed her and stood up abruptly and faced towards the door and saw no one. Then he looked at the spymaster and saw her chuckling silently and sent her a murderous glare. He sat back and returned his attention to the long forgotten papers, thinking about numerous ways to torture their Spymaster.
He was about to scold her when she stood up, again. He remained facing her, not falling for it the second time around, but realized that someone was really there.
He turned around and saw Elle Trevelyan.
Now, he can picture Leliana's teasing smirk behind him. And he wants to strangle the life out of her.
Yet for some reason, he's just standing awkwardly in front of her. Not saying anything. He was just staring at her as if he saw a ghost or something.
Josephine knew that something was up and Cullen seemed to be distracted, plus she can see the glint of mischief in their Spymaster's eyes. As much as she wanted to know what's up, she just watched whatever is going to happen. Whatever it is, it is amusing enough to see the ever-serious commander get caught off-guard and flustered.
"Why are we standing in the middle of the room?" Ironbull whispered loudly to Sera, who answered back in a loud whisper, "I don't know but Cully-wully is very, very red."
"Ummm guys," Varric interrupted, "I don't know if you know this, but we can all hear you."
Elle stepped towards Cullen and waved her hands in front of the dazed commander and that somehow brought him back to reality.
"Commander, are you alright?"
Cullen cleared his throat and realized how she was dangerously close to his face. She lifted her hand and was about to touch his forehead but he stopped her before she was about to touch his skin and held her hand loosely, "I am fine, Inquisitor," he smiled softly, "Thank you for your concern. Don't worry about me," he squeezed her small, soft hand in assurance before letting it go.
She released a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Well thank the maker because I can't lose any of you, especially my Knight Commander," she winked at him and proceeded to the war table, the rest of the team following her.
They waited for her as she scanned the map of Ferelden and Orlais, taking note of their progress and targets.
"Is that…" the Inquisition hesitantly pointed towards one of the markers and turned to their Spymaster, "… an invitation from Empress Celene?"
"Yes, My lady," Leliana answered, "I suspect that someone is plotting against her."
"An assassination," Dorian said, "But this might also be connected to Corypheus, if not then we can still gain their favor and support to our cause."
Elle nodded and agreed to the tevinter's input, "Right. So when do we head out?"
"Soon, Inquisitor," Josephine answered, "after we get you all dressed up," she finished excitedly.
"Dressed up?" the Inquisitor asked in confusion.
"Well of course it's a ball, my dear," Viviene replied, "Plus, it'll be nice to doll you up once in a while. I am sure you'll make a lot of heads turn, with that pretty face and gorgeous body of yours."
Elle flushed in embarrassment. It's one thing to be praised for slaying a demon or dragon, but it's another thing to talk about her woman attributes and she's rather not used to it, especially if it's main topic.
The entire female population gushed about what to do with her while the men kept silent, save for Varric and the Ironbull, who seemed to enjoy her very flustered state.
Viviene pulled her and led her out of the War Room followed by Josephine, Leliana, Sera and Cassandra, leaving the men standing in silence.
"I guess we're done here?" Varric asked while Dorian stood up and headed towards the door, "I'm going out for a drink. Feel free to join me," he announced and left as he muttered quietly only to his own self, "Women are fine, majestic and fucking weird creatures... With Elle above all else."
"Wait up tevinter," Blackwall called out, "Count me in," and headed to follow Dorian.
Days turned to weeks as they made preparations for the upcoming ball.
Elle decided to take a quick break and relax in a warm soothing bath. She stripped naked and soaked in the bath pool. It's been a while since she had done something feminine like this. She's even noticed that even the mighty Seeker, Cassandra, enjoy a nice bath from time to time. She poured the scented oil and started to lather soap on her arms, legs and chest, then applied shampoo to her hair. She massaged her head slightly and enjoyed the warmth of the water.
She leaned her head at the edge of the pool. She had a lot on her mind lately; from the crazy Corypheus to Empress Celene and the upcoming ball and all the political shit that they might discover… Then, there's Dorian.
She closed her eyes to rest, however she felt a sudden change in the air and thought that she must have left the windows open. She was almost reveling in the rare chances to relax like this until a bright green light illuminated the entire room. She opened her eyes and immediately stood up and grabbed her staff and swiftly wrapped her towel around her body. She heard the rift crack and she knew the first wave is about to begin.
"GIVE ME FUCKING BREAK!" She growled as the demons came out of the rift. She wasted no time and threw curses and spells right at them, while dodging and keeping herself covered at the same time. She ran fast around the rift, looking for an opening and when she saw it, she disrupted the rift and ran towards the exit, however the next wave came and out came the Envy Demon.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She shouted and blasted the door, however before she could even exit, the demon launched an attack on her and she dodged it. She stood up on her feet quickly, securing her towel around her body. She casted a blizzard in the bath and froze the pool and the demon. She took this chance to exit the bath, at least she could fight better outside in a larger space.
"Screw the fuck. I'm naked, only on my towel which may fall anytime. I haven't even finished my bath! Fucking Envy Demon!" she cursed and threw another spell towards the demon. She stood her ground, looking around, staff ready. She cautiously moved around, waiting for any sign of movement as she inched back towards the bath, just to get the right angle to disrupt the rift, but before she knew it, the exact ground where she's standing on glowed in green. She realized what's gonna happen next and she knew she has no time to dodge this one. She casted a quick spell of temporary shield, shut her eyes and braced herself for a painful impact.
She kept her eyes shut for the next couple of minutes, however she realized that she's down on the ground. She felt something heavy on top of her and panicked because she thought it was the Envy Demon but when she opened her eyes, the first thing that she saw was fur. Next she felt a hard and well-built chest against her flesh – YES, her SKIN and realized her state of dress, or rather the lack of. Then, she heard a lot of crashing, swords gashing against flesh, spells thrown around and then silence.
She looked up and saw that it was Cullen on top of her and to her right she saw her discarded towel.
She felt him move on top of her and panicked because he was about to get up. So she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down against her. She thought that this could have been romantic, considering that the man against her is not bad-looking. In fact, he's gorgeous, very well-built, rock hard muscles and she assumed that his package could very much send her to the fade and back.
She scolded herself for all her inappropriate thoughts. "Great. First Dorian, now I'm lusting after Cullen. I need to get laid," she mentally groaned. She knew that her face must be very red right now and that the Commander is too.
She spoke in a shy, soft voice, "Don't get up yet. Well, I mean, I…" she looked towards her towel and the man flushed even more and understood right away.
He was so tempted to look. He inwardly patted himself for not wearing his armor. Thank the maker for small blessings, but he can feel her body against him. He wanted to take a peek, but he closed his eyes and thought about less appealing thoughts. "Let's see. An angry Leliana? Nope. Varric naked. Nope. Solas in a gown with Viviene's head dress. Yep. That did the trick," he controlled his breathing to calm down his nerves and he placed his arm under her head, then his other hand reached for the towel and handed it to her.
She thanked him and took it, thankful that he was wearing his cloak. She wrapped the towel around her body and when she was done, she felt eyes on them and saw Sera, Leliana and Ironbull staring at them in shock. She looked around further, looking for Dorian because she thought she heard his voice, but was thankful that he wasn't around to see this. Leliana laughed, Sera whistled and Ironbull congratulated Cullen.
They were all teasing them when the Knight Commander got annoyed and glared at them and thankfully they stopped. Cullen wrapped his cloak around Elle and she muttered a quick and awkward thanks without looking at him in the eye, then quickly went back to the bath to close the rift. She walked out of the bath, ignoring their teasing looks and fled to the safety of her quarters.
The rest of them went back to their own activities after they have rounded and secured Skyhold
Despite of the unfortunate events, Leliana was very amused and entertained. She will have to resist the urge to tease the Knight Commander, but she will never let that scene die down. It was an interesting development and not just with Cullen. She knew that the Inquisitor is an interesting woman, so it was no surprise that she was able to captivate the hearts of the people around her. It was such a shame that Blackwall wasn't there to witness the whole scene; she would have loved to see how he would react. Ironbull was cool about it. Sera was disappointed but was also amused (mostly by the flustered face of Cullen). Dorian's reaction was the most interesting of all. He looked as if he was ready to kill Cullen. He stormed out right after they cleared out the demons, She was so sure that Dorian preferred the company of men, unlike Bull who swings both ways, but love knows no gender so she's not the one to judge.
Either way, today's score certainly went to Cullen Rutherford's board. She wanted them to end up together. She sighed happily and resumed to her tasks.
Dorian sat at the far end of the bar and stared at the nothing. His brain tortured him by replaying the events that transpired during the day over and over again.. He groaned and chugged his beer bottoms up.
Torture. Yes. It is torture. Fuck you brain.
Why?
First, he already came to accept that he's attracted to the Inquisitor. He knew that she has some affections for him as well.
Second, when blondie (Cullen) pushed her own of the demon's teleport path, her towel fell on the ground and he saw a glimpse of her perfect body before blondie used his body to shield her.
Third, he wanted to pummel the commander to the fade and back.
His head hurt. He wanted to go back to just wanting the company of men. It seemed to be simpler.
Fuck his life.
He told the barman to keep the beer coming because he wanted to get very wasted and forget about Elle and her perfect body.
"Jealous?" He heard somebody speak beside him and snapped back from his thoughts. He was gripping the handle of his mug too tight that his knuckles were already white.
He cleared his throat and drank the contents of his mug. He didn't have to look to know that it was the Qunari who joined him.
"Whatever are you saying, Bull?" He asked masking the best of his stoic expression, trying to sound indifferent, hiding the fact that he really was jealous.
Ironbull chuckled rather heartily. The tevinter may be good at hiding his emotions, but not to him, "Looks like somebody is already making a move on your woman."
Dorian only grunted and muttered an almost audible 'Like fucking hell he would' but Ironbull chose to ignore the mage and drank his own beer. He faced towards the jealous mage and asked, "So what are you planning to do?"
"I – what? There's nothing to do," Dorian answered defensively, still trying to deny his attraction towards the inquisitor.
He huffed in frustration as he knew that the mage might still be wrapping his head around the possibility of getting attracted to the opposite sex. He released a sigh of frustration and defeat and took a swig from his mug.
"Still pissed at you for leaving eh?" He teased.
"You have no fucking idea," answered the tevinter, "Shit my pants when she pointed her staff at me."
Ironbull shook his head in amusement towards their feisty boss and stood up, "Look. Deny all you want. If you wanted her, then do something to keep her head away from the commander. Take your shirt off while training or something. Purposely use the bath before her. Or whatever. The sexual tension between the two of you could slice the fade," he patted the back of the mage and left.
He took a one last swig from his mug and left, thinking that he doesn't have any other options but to take the advise of the Qunari.
He woke up up earlier than he used to, then proceeded to do his usual routine. He worked out beside the tavern, not caring if there are others watching him. He doesn't normally do it outside. He hates people gawking at him or watching him, however he thought it's not that bad because the weather at Skyhold is really great for training. No wonder why Cassandra, Sera and Ironbull always trained outdoors.
"This might just work," he thought to himself.
After a couple of hours of working out, he went inside the tavern and went straight to the bar and asked for water. He was so thirsty that he drank the water greedily as he sat on the stool. He asked for a hearty and healthy meal and finished the contents of his mug. He did not notice the flustered and shocked Inquisitor beside him, surprised to see him shirtless and glistening with sweat.
She watched droplets of water escape the side of his lips as it trailed down his jaw, neck, chest and… she tore her eyes away from the body of the man who invaded her dreams. She returned her gaze to her food and continued eating before he realize that she was ogling his body. She reminded herself that she's still pissed at him for leaving and she wanted to stay angry at him a little bit longer because she doesn't know if she'd be this angry at him ever again in the future. Despite of the 'Cullen Incident', she's still attracted to this man beside him. "Fuck," she muttered to herself and her brain thought, "You wish," and mentally scolded herself for the nth time.
Meanwhile, Dorian was completely oblivious of the Inquisitor's presence beside him until he looked around and saw her eating beside him. "M'lady. Good morning," he greeted, "Sorry I did not notice you there."
She nodded and smiled, hoping that her face is not red and that her nervousness is not obvious as she cursed his good looks in her head.
He took his meal and started eating and turned his head at head, "How are you? After the attack?"
She was completely caught off guard by his sincere concern. She stared at him and realized that he was waiting for an answer. She wiped her mouth using the napkin and nodded, "I'm alright, thanks. It was my fault, I think. I did not close the windows. I was confident that no demons would reach Skyhold. It was a good thing that Cul-"
He immediately cut her off, not wanting to remember what happened that day, "It's a relief. Madame De Fer, Solas and I have put up a couple of layers of wards to increase the security of our fortress. I was going to tell you but, well, you know the rest," he finished and took a bite from his meal.
She muttered a soft 'thanks' and they both ate in silence. He made sure to finish before her and went back to his training spot. He kept tabs on her, found out about her daily routine and made sure that he would set the timing of his actions properly. He will break her walls down.
Elle Trevelyan never considered herself as an indecent woman, however the very moment that she stepped out of the tavern and saw Dorian while working out must have put all the harlots to shame. She noticed how his body sparkle from the sweat, not failing to see the droplets that trailed from his chest to his abs and disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants.
She also noticed how he attracted a lot of female audience and she cannot blame them for gawking at him openly. She forcefully tore her eyes away and made a beeline to the bath. She needed a very cold bath. VERY cold bath.
This went on for days, him torturing her immensely with his training schedule. Then one time, she was on her way to the bath and was met by a fresh-from-the-bath Dorian, wearing nothing but a low cut pants as he was drying his messy and wet hair with his towel. She was openly ogling his body and her throat went very dry, she instinctively bit her lip to prevent herself from releasing a frustrated moan. Then she met his gaze and was very fucking smug about her staring. The bastard smirked at her and walked past her, leaving her very much desperate to soothe the ache between her legs.
Dorian went to his quarters and dressed up. Then he made his way to the tavern and saw Sera and sat beside her.
"There you are!" She greeted him with a wave of mug in her tiny hand, "What's up with you and your shirtless training? I can't concentrate on my deck with all the gushing of the ladies around."
He chuckled and ordered himself a drink and took a cookie from her plate.
"Seriously, you need to do something about that sexual tension between you and Trevy," she whined, "It's killing us all!"
"Damn right it does," chimed Varric and saw Ironbull who patted him on the back and sent two thumbs up at him.
He'll be collecting his prize really soon.
Elle went up to one of the towers in their fortress. She stood there and watched the night sky. She needs to cool down or she might do something reckless.
She leaned her arms on the edge of the tower and enjoyed the cool breeze. She realized that this might have been the longest time that she did not think about Corypheus. She knew that they would need to head out soon again.
She doesn't know whether it was better to think about Corypheus or think about Dorian. Both are killing her.
"I can help you," said a voice behind her, "You can pay him back remarkably, darling."
She turned and faced Viviene, "What-?"
"You don't have to deny it, my Lady," she cut her off, "The tension in the air is noticed by anyone who stands between the two of you in a room."
She dropped her shoulders in defeat, not even denying her attraction towards the mage. Why not make him pay indeed? So she replied back, "What do you have in mind, Madame De Fer?"
Everybody gathered at the tavern to watch the bard perform for them. She sang and gracefully danced and played her instrument. Viviene and Elle joined the rest, excluding Solas who doesn't mingle at all. They all applauded the bard after she bowed and finished her first performance. Then Viviene spoke up and turned towards her, "My lady, I have been told that you were once a bard before," and she inwardly cringed because she doesn't like where this is headed. She answered the noble and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Ummm. Yes. I was, I mean it was for an undercover mission with my uncle who was and still is a bard. Anyway, it was a long time ago."
The noble clapped her hands in delight and amusement, "Nonsense my dear! I was told that you were exceptional. So I would like to graciously request for our lady to sing for us."
Elle laughed nervously, but realized that the elite is up to something, "I… I don't know. I mean, it's been a while and I really don't have an outfit like that anymore," she finished and met the eyes of Viviene, who looked at her as if she's saying something and understood what she meant, "I mean, I can find something suitable and probably sing for you some other time?"
"Why not sing for us now?" Viviene smiled deviously and dragged her towards the bar to where the bard was.
"What just happened?" Sera asked in confusion.
"I believe that Madame De Fer has just tricked the inquisitor to perform."
"She was a bard?" Blackwall asked in disbelief and surprise, "Who would have thought."
"Apparently," Leliana said in amusement and winked at Cullen who only looked away.
"Well I am not surprised. Good looks, charm and talent. The maker has blessed her with a lot of great qualities," Josephine commented.
"Which means that she'll be in a BARD outfit if we are lucky," Ironbull said excitedly.
"Keep on wishing," Cassandra told the Qunari and drank her beer.
"Oh fucking dear," Dorian cursed to himself and drowned his drink. He needed something stronger. He was about to stand up when Ironbull placed his hand on his shoulder and slammed him back down to his seat.
Meanwhile, Elle was having second thoughts on this plan. "I can't. I can't do it, I can't do it, I cannot do IT," she told Viviene, "It's been a while since I did this! Give me a sword and I'll slay something, but I think this won't be good," she said in panic, "I'm not sure. I really can't do it. Look at this dress! It covers NOTHING. It doesn't suit me. Any other plans?"
"Nonsense darling," Vivienne only dismissed her, "I'm sure you would be very lovely.. Now go and change." She turned around and left her to change. She sighed in defeat, frustration and nervousness, "Fuck this shit."
After a couple of minutes, Vivienne went to the center of the stage and called for everyone's attention.
"Everybody. I am sure that we've all known her as a strong, charming lady; a fierce demon and dragon slayer, tactical negotiator and fearless mage. But we have yet to witness and beauty and allure. And I have somehow persuaded her to do this tonight for us. It truly is an honor for us tonight that our Lady Trevelyan is going to perform for us. Without delaying any further, here is our leader and inquisitor."
Each person in the tavern was captivated by the inquisitor's beauty. Women gushed, men gawked. However, she only wants one attention and she got it. "Payback time, Dorian," she smiled sinfully.
"Bless my soul," Cullen managed to whisper.
Blackwall cleared his throat, eyes not leaving the inquisitor.
Ironbull openly ogled her from head to foot.
Cassandra and Josephine smiled towards her while Leliana watched their reactions.
Varric nodded in approval while Sera bit her lip.
However, the one who had it rough was no other than Dorian. He was sure that she winked at him slyly… he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or what but she gave him the sultriest glance.
She was wearing a sparkly garment, bare back that stops right above her bottom, emphasizing her curves and plump backside. Her hips were adorned by golden belts that hung lowly. Her neckline was low that he can see that she has no undergarments with her cleavage in show and nipples perked up against the material. Then when she slowly raised her arms above her head, he saw that her sidebreasts are visible, clearly showing that the Maker has also blessed her with very generous breasts. Her dress was floor length, however both sides have long slits that reached up to her bikini line, showing her long, creamy and slender legs.
This must have been some sort of spell that she has placed them under. Everyone was entranced by Lady Trevelyan's performance that nobody dared to remove their eyes on her.
She turned towards the object of her affection and saw how intense and tortured the tevinter looked. Then she quickly looked away so that they won't notice that this is for him. A payback for all the torturous mornings and hall-passings and that.
It was no surprise that she was rewarded with a standing applause. She gracefully bowed her head and subtlety looked straight into Dorian's eyes with all the emotions that she has and made her exit, making a beeline to the door.
Nobody noticed her disappear aside from the Spymaster (of course), Varric and Ironbull.
They also knew that the tevinter vanished a few minutes after her.
And they all know why.