It's been a while since I wrote a fanfiction, but now that the new Dragon Age game is coming out soon, I feel inspired to do it again. Dragon Age: Inquisition fascinated me, and I replayed it recently. Cullen is always my choice for my Inquisitor's romance. In this story, you'll read scenes from Inquisition, Trespasser, and before Veilguard. I hope you enjoy it. For all the Cullen and Lavellan fans
1
The cold of Haven's mountains felt intense on the battlefield, a chilling reminder of the destruction that had fallen upon the Conclave and the breach that threatened to destroy everything. Commander Cullen Rutherford, a seasoned Templar, watched from a distance as chaos unfolded. Soldiers were trying to maintain order while rifts unleashed destructive magic. But something caught his attention: an agile figure with black hair and swift movements cut through the turmoil, her twin daggers gleaming with a silver flash as she felled the demons emerging from the breach.
Solas, the mysterious elf who had appeared at the camp days before, had guided this stranger toward the breach. Ophelia Lavellan, the only one who had managed to close the first rift. Cassandra, the Seeker of Truth, kept a firm gaze as she closely followed the elf. Cullen watched as the young woman, with a determined gesture, raised the hand bearing the mysterious green mark and sealed the portal that had vomited shadows.
The mission had been a success, but Ophelia's presence raised more questions than answers for the Commander. When the elf descended, exhausted but standing tall, the soldiers around her watched with reverence and doubt, as if she were a symbol of hope amidst the catastrophe. Cullen crossed the distance between them, his cape billowing in the wind, and stopped beside Cassandra, who seemed to have a clear opinion on the situation.
"So this is the woman everyone is talking about," Cullen murmured, without taking his eyes off Ophelia, who seemed to be catching her breath after the fight. His deep golden eyes searched for signs in the elf's gaze but also held the distrust of someone who had fought magic in all its forms.
"Her name is Ophelia" Cassandra replied seriously. "The only one who has been able to close the rifts. The Mark is the key, Cullen, she is our best chance to close the Breach. We need her."
"And can we trust her?" Cullen replied, keeping his voice low but with a note of doubt that Cassandra didn't overlook.
Cassandra gave him a firm look, almost reproaching him for his distrust.
"I know you have your reservations, Cullen, but don't forget she risked her life up there," Cassandra answered.
Cullen nodded, but his expression didn't soften entirely. For someone like him, who had spent much of his life trained to combat uncontrolled magic, trusting someone who bore such an unusual mark was a challenge. He decided to approach Ophelia, still carrying his doubts, but aware of the gravity of the situation.
"Ophelia," Cullen greeted her with a formal, almost military tone, as he stopped in front of her. Ophelia looked up, noticing the rigidity of his posture and the way his eyes never stopped scrutinizing her every movement.
"Commander Cullen," she responded, her voice soft but firm, like the edge of a dagger hidden up a sleeve. Cullen's gaze hardened a bit more at the way she pronounced his title, as if testing how trustworthy he was as well. Ophelia had heard stories about the Templars, how they controlled mages, and how some, like those in Kirkwall, had taken their power to dangerous extremes. The idea of working with a Templar stirred old concerns.
"Cassandra says you can close the rifts," Cullen continued, without preamble. "If that's true, you'll be crucial in what's coming. But I need to know you understand the responsibility that comes with it… and that it's not a tool you can use at your whim."
Ophelia let out a dry laugh, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. Her tone, though sharp, held a hint of defiance.
"Do you think I don't know that?" she replied. "I didn't ask for this," she added, raising the hand with the mark. "If I could get rid of it, I would. But now it seems I'm the only one who can close those things, so here I am."
For a moment, they stared at each other, the silence between them filled with untold stories and unspoken fears. Cullen saw the determination in her eyes, something he hadn't expected to find. Ophelia, for her part, sensed the weight of responsibility the Commander bore, but also the internal conflict that kept him on the defensive. He was a man who had seen much and still wasn't sure if he could trust her.
"I hope you can keep your word," Cullen said finally, his tone softening a little, though the caution still lingered in his gaze. "Because the fate of all of us depends on it."
Ophelia didn't respond immediately. She simply nodded, her expression hardened by determination, and turned her attention back to the breach still threatening the sky. Both knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy, and though distrust was a barrier between them, fate had placed them on the same battlefield.
The days in Haven were cold and harsh, but the Inquisition had begun to flourish in that frozen refuge. Every day, new faces arrived at the camp: some with worn armor and scars from old battles, others in mage robes, and some simply with the gaze of those who had lost everything. They were drawn by a hope, a rumor spreading from the farthest corners of Thedas: an elf, marked by an ancient power, who was capable of closing the rifts. To many, that figure was the Herald of Andraste, the divine messenger destined to stop the breach tearing through the sky.
Ophelia Lavellan walked among them, greeting those who had just arrived, listening to their stories, and ensuring they found a place in Haven. To her, the titles whispered behind her back were a burden, a constant reminder of what she didn't understand about the mark she bore on her hand. But with every rift she closed, with every demon she faced, the elf earned the respect of her companions and the refugees. Her actions spoke louder than any name they gave her, and her determination to protect the innocent became evident in every decision she made.
Cullen, who oversaw the defenses and trained the new recruits, watched Ophelia from a distance, with the same caution with which he had started. But something in his opinion of her began to change, though he struggled to admit it even to himself. He saw her go out to fight the rifts, even though she returned to camp exhausted, barely able to stand some nights. He saw her approach those who had lost hope and reassure them that they would fight until the end.
One afternoon, after Ophelia returned from one of her explorations in the hinterlands. Cullen found her at the edge of the camp, staring at the mountains that rose like frozen walls around them. Her breathing was heavy, and the mark on her hand glowed with a faint light, still pulsing from the energy it had drained.
"You should rest," Cullen said, his deep voice resonating in the wind that whipped through the tents. Ophelia looked up at him, surprised by the less rigid tone of the Commander.
"I don't have time to rest, Commander," she replied with a half-smile, though the fatigue was evident on her face. "Every time I close a rift, two more seem to appear."
Cullen observed the mark wrapping around the elf's hand, that shining scar connecting her to the magic of the rifts. Although he still distrusted what that energy could mean, he had come to understand that Ophelia did not take the weight of her responsibility lightly. It was more than evident in the weariness on her face, in the way her expression hardened whenever someone mentioned the late Divine.
"You can't save everyone if you can't stay on your feet," he said, this time his tone reflecting more concern than command. "And the Inquisition needs you to keep fighting, even if that means taking a break now and then."
Ophelia looked at him for a long moment, as if she wasn't used to receiving advice that wasn't an order. Her golden eyes gleamed a bit as she answered him, though a shadow of mistrust still lingered between them.
"I'll take your words into account, Commander," she said, though both knew that wasn't entirely true. Cullen didn't press the issue further, but for the first time, he felt a flicker of genuine respect for her. She was stubborn, yes, but so was he, and he knew how to recognize that quality in others.
thank you for reading! More to come soon!