"Very good! Now keep practicing that routine for ten minutes. Then we'll give it a shot." Cullen had never had the time in his life to settle down and start a family. It was like Eva unlocked a side to him that he wasn't aware he had. Of course, he had the opportunity to settle down. Throughout adult life he had several marriage proposals from countless nobles. Some brat that their parents attempted to shove in his lap. Even his sister had been persistent in trying to convince him to settle down, when she was able to track him down that is. He may be a good solider, but children were foreign to him.
When he first met Eva she had been timid, unsure of everyone here. But as the weeks turned to months she practically became attached to him and it had surprised him greatly. She stuck around his side while training the recruits, came to his meetings with his soldiers (usually sitting atop his shoulders), they ate lunch together, attended war meetings together, and often spent time out near the camp fire together. She would often sit near him while he trained the recruits, sometimes commenting on their stance or stating they would be dead. It always made him chuckle.
Cullen paused his musings as his attention was drawn to his recruits. "You there! There is a shield in your hand, block with it!" He snapped, the man in question instantly snapping upwards to salute to Cullen.
"Ser, yes Commander!" The soldier said quickly while looking completely embarrassed. Cullen could only roll his eyes as his amber gaze was drawn back to the small elf who was now bashing her shield forward.
He noticed Eva was spending a great amount of time with Solas, too. He was one of her traveling companions, he often shared knowledge of her people's background, which was something he couldn't provide her. Solas knew more history of the elves, the fade, and spirits… Eva was practically drawn to Solas like a beacon. Ridiculous. His scarred mouth twisted just a bit. There was no way he was jealous. Though, the child did provide a small amount of reprieve and memories with his troops in training.
"Alright, how do you feel?" Cullen broke the silence between them, watching Eva's face twist from concentrated to surprise from the sudden question. He felt somewhat better when she responded with a wide grin and a confident nod. "Good, let's give it a shot. I just want you to perform a shield bash on me to start." Cullen grabbed his shield and held it in front of him, signaling Eva to start when she was ready.
Setting the sword down, she turned to face the him as she held her own shield in front of her person. Seeing his nod, she returned one of her own while narrowing her eyes. Eva dug her heels into the ground and lunged forward, her shield smashing viciously into Cullen's shield. Yes, perfect! Good form!
The thought didn't last long. Instead and sending him back as he wanted, she came forward along with her shield as her forehead cracked against the metal, causing the two shields to collide. For a moment Eva froze in place as her green hues went wide, her gaze met Cullen's who looked equally as stunned. "Ow…" Eva mumbled. Cullen wasted no time as the shield he held was tossed aside. He lunged forward, catching Eva's unconscious body in his arms as she slumped into his chest.
"Eva!" Cullen picked her up quickly into his arms as he looked over her face, seeing a hint of blood trickling down the front of her forehead. "Makers balls. Can we just get through one training exercise without damaging you?" He wasn't lecturing her as much as he was himself. This whole experience for her had been a disaster. He turned sharply on his heels, "Cassandra! See that the recruits finish their exercise for the day, then start them on practice rounds. I'm taking Eva to Adan."
The Seeker stopped mid swing at a dummy as she shot Cullen a questioning look. He hadn't caught her reaction as he pushed the gates open, ignoring the constant stares and small mumbles about the Herald being injured… again. He internally sighed. This was at least the third time this week she has required a healer. At this rate Eva and her party were never going to make it to Mother Gisselle.
"Commander?" A familiar voice caught his attention as he rounded up the stairs that lead to Adan's cabin. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see Solas standing outside his cabin. Did the man ever go inside or did he just sleep and eat outside? He eyed a book in the elf's hands that suddenly snapped shut as Solas's gaze fell on Eva crumpled against Cullen's chest. "Another training accident I presume?" It took everything to keep a causal composure. He did notice the cold tone in Solas's voice as the elf slightly narrowed his eyes at him.
"Unfortunately, yes. I was about to see Adan to patch her up." Solas immediately held up his hand and shook his head.
"The man is far too busy trying to create and send out potions for the soldiers in the Hinterlands. The requests are endless." Solas tucked his hands behind his back and straightened his form. "Surely, I can provide Eva the same care, if not more so."
"Are you saying you are more qualified than Adan?" Cullen snapped suddenly. He instantly wanted to kick himself. Why was he so suspicious of this man...? No. I am not jealous. He snarled at himself while managing to keep a straight face.
Solas blinked, taken aback by his sudden outburst but the shocked expression quickly vanished and was replaced with a cool expression. "That is not for me to decide, just merely pointing out that the man is busy doing the job he is trained to do. I've healed Eva before, I'm sure I can manage again." His tone was clipped as he stepped away from the Commander, turning his back to him as he headed to his cabin. The door made a small groan of protest as it opened, Solas stood aside and gestured him in.
Much to dismay Cullen accepted the mages help. He didn't need their Herald waiting to be healed. "You can place her on the bed." Solas politely said while keeping busy, seeing to the fire so the room was significantly warmer than before. Cullen said nothing as he gently put Eva down against the mattress. She was still out like a light and now had a purple blueish blotch forming against her forehead. A frown tugged his lips as he gingerly brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"May I suggest an option to you, Commander?" Solas was now standing near the bedside as Cullen took a step back, giving the mage room to work.
"To what?" He almost regretted asking.
"Her training, of course." There was a soft blueish glow that lit up in Solas's hands, moving slowly he placed his glowing hand along the bump on Eva's head, allowing his magic to gently flow into her skin.
Cullen internally groaned at man's suggestion. At this point it would be questioning his methods. Everyone had something to say about Eva's training, yet no one was qualified more than he to provide such training for her. "You and everyone else in Haven." Cullen sighed, his hand ran through his sandy locks as he looked down to the two of them.
"They only speak their minds because they care for their Herald. They wish to see her succeed, not injured on a simple training exercise." Solas commented lightly. The glow from his hand began to fade away but his hand remained pressed against her forehead. "I only offer advice from what I observe, as do the others. She is yet too young to be handling a sword and shield. She has no counter weight and is off balance trying to steady herself and wield a weapon. It is not practical choice of weapon skills for her, at least not until she is older."
"Seeker Pentaghast said the same thing." Cullen grumbled. His arms folded over his chest while a sigh escaped him. "When I was her age I was able to wield a sword and shield without any issues. I don't see why she is unable to produce the same results as I was…"
Solas blinked, taken back by what the human said as his gaze shifted from the elf in front of him to the stubborn Commander beside him. Surely, he was jesting, yes? "Have you considered her gender…? Her weight? Lack of, rather?" Sarcasm dripped in his comments as he watched those golden orbs narrow at him. "They are greater differences between you two, more than you seem to realize. I would suggest trying another strategy with a different weapon type."
In due time her true calling will awaken. Solas thought to himself as he turned his attention back to the girl once more, feeling her stir underneath his palm. Surely it would be easy enough to teach her a fighting style with magic, and they would be able to craft a small enough staff for her so she wasn't thrown off balance by another weight. But it wasn't her timing, yet.
A small smile lined his lips as those green hues fluttered open, a small groan of protest sounded from her as she shifted against the mattress. Solas watched in silence as Eva took in her surroundings, gathering her thoughts for a moment before she realized what happened. There was a small blush that stained her cheeks as she groaned again, this time a groan of disapproval rather than pain.
"I got hurt again, didn't I?" She grumbled unhappily, throwing an arm over her face as she covered her eyes. Solas couldn't help but chuckle at her question let alone her reaction. Truly, she was something spectacular.
"I'm afraid so. Nothing serious, but you should take the rest of the day to recover." He said gently as he stood from his crouched position.
"I was afraid you were going to say that. The people here must have no faith in me to get anything done, especially if I keep getting hurt all the time." Her tone was flat, clearly unhappy as she kept her arm placed over her eyes. She didn't want to look at either of them now, her embarrassment killed any self-confidence she had. "Couldn't even perform a simple shield bash." She grumbled, scolding herself.
"You're too hard on yourself." Cullen suddenly cut in, catching her attention immediately. She lifted her arm a bit, peeking out underneath. He was suddenly beside her, offering a soft smile as if it would ease her distress. "You haven't fought at any point in your life. Why would you have? This is all new to you, and no one expects you to be a master in two weeks' time. This type of training takes time, especially since you have no idea what type of weapon type you're best with." Her arm shifted completely from her face now as she stared at him fully. For a moment she was silent, mauling over his words before she nodded at him. Her face still held some grimness to it.
"You're right…I just figured there would be some improvement by now." She muttered a bit, shifting on the bed as she sat up. Her head felt like it was spinning as she closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. "I think rest is the best thing." Solas nodded at her statement.
"Agreed. However, there is a meeting later. Rest until then. I will gather you when it is time." Cullen said as he held out his hand to her. Eva took it gingerly as she got up from the mattress. "I'll walk you to your cabin. Thank you for your assistance, Solas."
Eva turned on her heels with a wide grin spread along her lips. She released Cullen's hand for a moment before lunging at Solas. Her arms locked around his waist as she hugged him tightly. "Yes, thank you! Best healer around!" She said as she looked up to him. He looked rather shocked for a moment as he staggered a bit from the sudden tackle, though he offered a small smile in return. Gingerly, he patted Eva on the top of her head as his blue hues softened a bit.
"Rest." Was all he offered as she unlatched herself from his body, once again taking the Commander's hand as they made their way out of his cabin. He could hear her excitement about being trained with a different weapon type, expressing her dislike of the sword. He chuckled. She was spectacular indeed.