The trip through the Fade clearly took a lot out of Jacquelyn. Cullen wished that he could do more to support her, but all he could do was be there for her. He could listen to her, and he could hold her. It wasn't much, and he wished that he could do more, but he saw that it helped. He could feel Jacquelyn's steady breathing as he held her close. All things considered, she seemed to be coping very well with what she had been through.

"I only wish that I could have saved the Divine," she murmured. "I am loath to think of the things she experienced, of what her death must have been like."

"You did everything you could," Cullen reassured her, pressing his lips to her forehead when she pulled away slightly.

Jacquleyn leaned against him, then smiled up at him.

"Thank you," she said. "I only wish I could have done more."

"Back then you didn't know what you do now, and you only managed to escape the Fade this time because you had help, both from Justinia, or the spirit taking her form, and from Siara's brother and Anders. Or Justice."

Jacquelyn sighed, frowning slightly.

"I know," she stepped away from Cullen, turning and moving over to where her stretcher was. "I am thankful that Anders gave his life for us, and not only because he saved us. It also saves me the difficult task of deciding what to do with him. To think all the time he has been with us, he has had a spirit, or perhaps even a demon residing within him. Him staying in the Fade was for the best, I know this. Only now I must decide what to tell Celene."

Cullen frowned.

"A man gave his life to save you, Jacquelyn. Possessed or not, he died for you, and you feel relieved?"

"Are you surprised?" Jacquelyn raised an eyebrow at him. "I hardly knew Anders, and what I did know of him was nothing good. He blew up a Chantry, you of all people should remember that. Are you upset about his death? Because I find it difficult to be."

Cullen just stood there for a moment, thinking. He didn't really feel bad about Anders' death, that was true, but he wasn't relieved about it either. He just found himself thinking about what Siara must have been feeling. She'd lost her brother, almost like it was for a second time, and she had lost one of her closest friends. Cullen supposed that Anders was probably the closest thing to family she had left, aside from Varric.

"I don't think that it's right to be taking anyone's life for granted," he eventually said. "Anders had people who cared for him. I think you're forgetting that."

"I am not forgetting," Jacquelyn leaned her head to one side. "I simply do not think much higher of Siara than I did of Anders."

"Siara hasn't done anything to you. She's risked her own life to protect you on multiple occasions. Why do you think so lowly of her?"

"She has challenged my authority more times than she has tried to protect me. I cannot bring myself to trust her if she is going to go against me as often as she does. The situation with Empress Celene is just one example of that."

"So you think a man deserved to die because Siara saved a woman's life?" Cullen frowned. He wished that he could make sense of what Jacquelyn was saying, but he couldn't understand it, and he certainly didn't agree with it.

"That is not what I said."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I am saying that I cannot trust Siara, and I am unsure that I can trust the company that she keeps. She chose to remain friends with a man that committed an act of terrorism and started a holy war. His death is not something that shall keep me awake at night."

Cullen suppressed a sigh, instead turning to leave the tent. Jacquelyn stood up, hurrying after him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing his hand as he reached the door. Cullen turned and gently took her hand in his.

"I'm going to check on Siara," he told her.

"Why?" Jacquelyn demanded. "I need you here, with me. I -"

"I'll come back, but Siara has been through a lot. Even if you won't lose sleep over Anders' death, she probably will."

"I have been through the same ordeals as she has, Cullen. I, too, was trapped in the Fade, I was the one who went through the pain of having my memories returned."

"And she's going through the pain of losing her brother and one of her closest friends," Cullen let go of Jacquelyn's hand and stepped out of the tent. "Try to get some rest, Inquisitor."

It was getting close to morning when Cullen left Jacquelyn's tent. He saw Hawke leaving Siara's tent, but it didn't surprise him too much. Hawke also saw Cullen, noticed him watching, and crossed over to him.

"She's asleep," was all he said.

"How is she?"

Hawke shrugged.

"How would you be if you were in her shoes?"

"Not good," Cullen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He wanted to help, he really did. But he knew that Siara hadn't yet forgiven him for what he'd said, and he didn't blame her. He wasn't entirely certain he forgave himself.

Hawke watched him closely.

"Whatever happened between you two, you need to get past it," he said. Cullen looked around at him. He somehow wasn't even particularly surprised that Hawke seemed to know something had happened between him and Siara, and he wasn't too concerned about it either. He was more interested in learning how to fix the mistake he made.

"How? You know her better than I do, you've known her longer. I wouldn't know how to start making things right with her."

"Perseverance," Hawke shrugged. "You need to keep trying. Siara has so many walls up around her, but even she eventually learns to trust people. It's harder to get it back once you've lost it, but she has been known to forgive people in the past."

"You sound like you know from experience."

"Not personal experience, no. But look at her and Anders. Sure, she never fully forgave him, I don't even know that she ever fully trusted him again, but they still had a pretty close relationship," Hawke paused, thinking. "I can only think of maybe one other example."

"How did that relationship get fixed?" Cullen asked. He didn't particularly like his chances if the main example Hawke gave him was Anders.

"I don't know the details of what happened to make her stop trusting this person," Hawke admitted, "but I think they wore her down. Kept hanging around, helping her on a few jobs. Apologised sincerely a few dozen times."

"The only person I know of that she's forgiven for anything is King Alistair," Cullen sighed, "and I don't have a pile of Mara's old letters to give her, and apologising multiple times doesn't seem to be doing anything."

"Then find something else."

"Like what?"

"How should I know? I don't know everything about Siara's life," Hawke shrugged. "As I said. You've just got to keep trying. Be there for her. Let her know that she can talk to you if she needs to. Trust me. She needs friends now more than ever."

"After what I did, I don't think she'll trust me like that again."

"You won't know unless you try," Hawke looked around as the first signs of dawn started creeping up over the horizon. "I should go. Before too many people are awake. Don't want to cause too much of a stir."

"You're going to leave now? After all Siara - and everyone - has been through?"

"She has Varric. And she knows how to find me if she needs me. This is just how our relationship works."

Cullen nodded, though he didn't fully understand. He held out his hand, Hawke returning the gesture and giving him a firm handshake.

"I'm sure we'll be seeing you around," Cullen said.

Hawke smirked.

"Next time I get in trouble."