Cullen awoke somewhat slowly, the sun glaring in on his face from the open tent flap from the dog at his and Sunny's feet. It must have pushed its way in overnight. He felt a warmth at his back and noticed a small hand on his hip as consciousness started to take a hold of him. Heat seared his cheeks as he realised it was her hand and chided himself. Of course it was. Who else would it have been? He rolled onto his back slowly, careful not to rouse her and adjusting her hand up slightly to his stomach, afraid that if he moved it completely she would wake to find him holding her hand. It appeared she needed sleep as much as he did. He heard voices outside, others had started to rise. He stretched and a noise rumbled in his throat as he raised his arms above his head. This seemed to rouse her. Her eyes looked to the hand on his stomach, she moved her hand and he found he missed its warmth.

"Morning" Sunny yawned and stretched herself, her small slip riding up her body and Cullen's eyes followed the hem as it slid past her navel, as his eyes roamed up they met hers. A blush on his cheeks at his being caught, though her face betrayed nothing.
"Good morning" he choked out as he started to busy himself with getting dressed and in his armour. The mabari watched the exchange carefully, his heading turning from one to the other.
"Turn around you" Sunny spoke as she got up and started to dress herself. Cullen nearly turned to face her when the dog huffed and turned around to watch Cullen get dressed instead.
"Do you mind waiting outside?" He asked the mabari as its intelligent knowing stare cut into him, still the dog huffed and turned to look outside the tent. But did not leave.
She readied herself with a practised and swift ease and turned to see Cullen, his back still to her struggling with a clasp under his arm.
"May I?"
"Uh, yes. Thank you" he turned to her and lifted his arm. Her small delicate fingers skimmed his as she untwisted the strap and thread it through.
"You slept well?" Her voice was soft. "The darkness under your eyes is fading." he looked at her, her face had also gained some colour. The darkness under her eyes when he first saw her also fading.
"I did. As I hope you did too." his own voice surprised him, it was soft, barely a whisper. A small smile tugged at her lips before her face returned to that blank canvas. She gripped his armour and turned him slightly. Her deft fingers touching his elbow in a silent question for him to raise his arm so she could fix the opposite clasp. He followed her instructions. "Thank you"

Triggs' bark made them both jump. "We should eat and pack up," Cullen said, with a small throat clearing cough. Sunny nodded in agreement. Silently rolling her bed sheets. "Let's eat first." He moved the tent flap to one side, gesturing for Sunny to step through, he followed her. A few heads turned towards them, eyes followed them to the fireside. He chanced a peek at Sunny, her face was that picture of uninterest that she had mastered, but her eyes caught his and they both looked away. Trigg barged between the two pushing Cullen over three steps as he trotted between them. Sunny's hand settling on the dog's head and scratching behind the ear.
They ate and packed in a companionable silence. Only speaking to confirm what the next course of action was.
The troupe moved along making good progress. With Cullen and Sunny riding point, side by side. They had barely spoken unless it was about the weather or the journey. He spared a glance every now and then her way. Her eyes scanned the horizon, the edge of the woods and occasionally she glanced his way.
Every mile or so he was overcome with a tingling sensation all over his skin and found he was becoming more irritable. He grabbed his gauntlet and rubbed it against his forearm as if to scratch the tingle on his skin to ease it.

"My apologies, I am irritating you?" Sunny turned in her saddle to face him better and under the intensity of her gaze he felt… small for lack of a better word. Like she saw more than a man and templar before her. Like she could see into him.
"No." He almost grumbled. "No, the silence is … enthralling" he would have bet a sovereign that she rolled her eyes and had to stop his smirk as she did just that.
"No, this," his skin was overcome with that tingling sensation that made him shuffle in his saddle.
"The tingling. That's you?" surprise on his face.
"Well I'm not tingling you on purpose," she smiled. She looked pretty when she smiled. And as if she heard that thought the smile fell off as if it was never there. "It's a form of magic I use, it's how I can tell who is a Mage or a templar and even a blood mage. Alistair told you, no?" She explained how each person felt to her. "I'm using it now so we are not ambushed by bandits or darkspawn. I'll reduce the frequency to avoid annoying you."
"No," he tried to adopt her bored tone. "You do it if it helps you feel safer."
Coldness sank into her eyes. "It does not make me feel safer. I will still kill them, whether I know that they are coming or not" she tilted her chin up, squaring her shoulders. She kept her eyes ahead. She trotted ahead a few steps. He could have sworn the mabari huffed and shook his head.

It had taken a couple of days to reach the tower and the rest of the journey was much of the same. They made small talk and camped together, sharing his tent and him waking with her hand touching him on either his shoulder or back. He hadn't had such a restful sleep after the fall of the tower. Maybe not even before. The journey across the frigid lake was as cold as normal.
She watched as they packed all the provisions onto boats and as they all teamed with practice onto the small boats. Two templars and two mages. Until there was just Sunny and Cullen left with Trigg. He steadied a boat with one foot in it and one on the dock. He rested one hand on the pommel of his sword and held out his hand for Sunny to take. He hadn't really thought about it, he did it for all the ladies, templar or mage. But this woman was something else altogether. Only after he noticed her looking at his hand did he realise she would most likely ignore it and get on the boat. His invitation hung there and just before he lowered his hand, hers slipped into his.

She hesitated before stepping down into the boat, the thought popped up before she realised she had it. She wondered what his hands felt like without the gauntlets he wore. The boat rocked a little and she lost her balance with her other hand gripping Cullen's arm. His quick reflexes pulled her close to his chest. To her surprise he remained very surefooted, even in his heavy armour he didn't wobble.
"Are you alright, my lady?" he said after she hadn't let go.
"I hate boats" her voice was small and he smiled. He stepped fully into the boat still holding her. Letting her go to sit down. "I can help row though." Trigg refused to get on the boat huffing and sitting by a tree, as if to say he would wait for her return.

She grabbed an oar, she wasn't sure how to use one. In all her years she never really used boats, she didn't like the deep water, and she went either on large boats or someone else rowed. She felt Cullen's eyes on her, she could tell he wasn't a fan of her, of mages. Whatever happened at the hold before she found Alistair had been dire. There was chatter around the camp in the evening she had heard after Cullen had fallen asleep, there had been blood mages and templars as well as mages that had been slain and slaughtered, and from the whispers, Cullen had survived but not come out unharmed. He seemed to wait for her to do something and he moved his oar into place she copied him, an exasperated sigh and shake of his head. The rest of their trip to the shore in silence, not far behind the other boats.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you return well, Grand Enchanter Irving, Cullen." The man clapped Cullen on the back as he leant forward to tie the small boat to the dock, rocking it, Sunny gripped the edges of the boat as it rocked. "And who do we have here? A new charge?"
"Knight-Commander Greagoir," Cullen saluted before turning back to Sunny, steadying the boat for her to get off, she gripped his hand in a vice. "This is Sunny, she was travelling with a Couple of Grey Wardens, and she is able to tell us if we have any Blood mages."
The Knight-Commander sighed. "I am sure all is well now, knight-templar." Sunny stepped out of the boat and looked at the tower with a grimace. The spiral staircase, the imposing height, the musty smell of old tomes and magic coming out even all the way down here. She turned to the Knight-Commander. Setting him with a hard glare, he didn't falter under her gaze as quickly as Cullen had, but then he was more battle hardened.
"Knight Commander, Grand Enchanter." she nodded to both as she addressed them. "I ask that you get the remaining mages in the audience chamber in which you do your harrowings." she needed the tensions high, the mages would feel uneasy in that hall. She felt Cullen tense slightly beside her. "And your best Templars, quickest on the draw." Before she even finished her sentence Cullen had offered his services, Greagoirs lips set in a tight line.

"Is that really necessary?" Irving spoke with urgency.

"Better to be prepared than not." Sunny shrugged. "But if there are blood mages here I will know before they can make a move against us. If they do."
It did not take long for the Commander and Grand Enchanter to get the mages and templars in position. Cullen escorted Sunny across the hall, standing outside the door. She felt the unease rolling off of him as much as it was coming out of the room, this must have been where it happened, he got more tense the higher up the tower they came.
"You are more than welcome to stay out here Templar." her voice seemed to make him jump. But he shook his head, her hand touched his hand that ground at the pommel of his sword, gripping it tightly, "I need you to relax a little."
"I am" he ground out, and upon hearing his own voice he took a breath and released his sword but his hand still hovered over it.
"Just a heads up," she whispered and he looked at her, holding his breath. His amber eyes seemed to glow. "I will not be nice. I will threaten to kill them to hand over the blood mage. So please stay your blade toward me." Cullen's brows raised in shock and then furrowed in annoyance. She was talking down to him like he was some new recruit. She turned away and then back as if she had forgotten something. "Oh, and don't Tell Irving."

Sunny made herself stand tall, and squared her shoulders, and relaxed her features into the uninterested look she had mastered. An ethereal grace of the elves was rolling off of her, but she was different from other elves he'd met, and it was a grace that always demanded attention. Cullen walked with her, with small glances at her as they made their way to the harrowing chamber. He stopped and seemed to suck in and hold a breath before opening the door for her. The dimly lit room hiding her hand on his pauldron, giving a reassuring pat. The rest of the mages were lined up side by side in the centre of the room, with the templars evenly spaced around the outskirts. Murmurs erupted from the mages.