It wasn't long before they reached the small logging village. She watched Cullen carefully. Though he did not really speak to her, the colour had returned to his face and he would look at her and acknowledge her when she spoke to him.
She looped the reins to the small stand outside the inn. It was tiny. Walking in, it was homely, a hearth alight in the centre. She spotted Cullen already talking to the innkeep. But he was tense, his shoulders drawn up and tight, his hands on the counter.
"Im sorry ser, that's all we have" the young lady was apologetic.
"What's the problem?" Sunny smiled her best smile at the girl as she walked up slowly, allowing Cullen time to realise it was her. She still watched as he jumped and turned to look at her with a worried expression.
"Oh, sorry miss, we only have one room left. And it only has one bed." she bowed her head apologetically. Sunny nearly laughed, and covered it with a cough before smiling.
"That's fine we'll take it, could I get some wine too please" she passed the girl some of the coin she had gotten from the bandits and the young innkeep walked off to get the wine. She saw Cullen tense and turn his head away slightly, giving it a small shake. "It's fine Cullen, if you like we can sleep in shifts… Or you can have the bed and I can sleep in the chair or I can stay up." he turned to face her quickly, stepping once towards her, she stepped back, this was the most emotion she had seen from him in the last couple of days, and it was all over sharing a bed. She almost laughed.
"You shouldn't be so comfortable to share a room or a bed with someone you barely know." Cullen hissed at her, she smiled, that the impropriety of two adults sharing a bed that were not involved, she was reminded just how young he was. Her smile faded, the boy was barely a man, she shouldn't tease him. She really shouldn't tease him.
"Cullen, we have been travelling together for a week. And you haven't done anything unsavoury yet." She watched his eyes widen in surprise and couldn't stop the grin that spread on hers, she placed her hand on his chest lightly "or are you worried I might take advantage of you?" she whispered,
Cullen sputtered, she watched the colour climb up his neck to his cheeks as he struggled to get his words out. The young girl had come back with the wine.
Sunny took it with thanks and passed it to Cullen, "I'll go get our packs" and she left quickly, letting him compose himself. She waited a few minutes with the horse before she went back, Cullen was still standing where she left him. She passed him his pack and took the wine. "Do you want to grab the two cups?" She spoke as she turned to go to the room the girl pointed at at the end of the hall. Cullen seemed to hesitate, picking up the two cups and followed her across the hall and into the small room.
The room was cramped but cosy. A little desk and chair under the window that had its shutters pulled closed. And a slightly larger than a single bed lined the other wall. Sunny placed the wine on the desk and put her pack on the hook by the door before stretching. Cullen followed suit, placing the pottery cups next to the bottle.
"Do you want any?" Sunny offered the bottle to Cullen before she poured the wine.
"Please. Thank you." he took the cup, taking a small sip. It was slightly sweet for a red. But not awful.
Sunny took Cullens shirt from her pack. And started to remove her armour. Stripping very quickly to just her small slip to stop the chafe of her armour. Cullen averted his gaze, before setting his cup down. He knelt before her "May I?" he gestured to her stomach receiving a small confused nod from Sunny, lifting the slip to check where she was hit with the axe. His cool fingers softly brushed at her hot skin. All he could see was an angry red mark the size of his finger on her stomach, She had healed herself quite well. But she was still covered in her own blood. "I will go and get a bowl of clean water and some cloths" he looked up at her from where he was still knelt, she could feel her cheeks warm, a blanket of red settling on them. Her heartbeat was so loud she was sure he would hear it, no one had been worried for her in a long time. The sight of him on his knees before her, looking up at her, his amber eyes so full of emotions, he could guard his face, but his eyes not as easily, he was genuinely worried. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Thank you." She whispered. Cullen got up and left like nothing had happened. She felt something, something she hadn't felt like for years. She had slept with people at each king's request to try and win him favours with Lords over the ages. But that was just another part of the job, she didn't want to, in the sense that she liked them or wanted them. She thought that different men she met over the years were attractive, but, this warmness in her cheeks and the fluttering in her stomach, she couldn't remember the last time she felt this. She didn't feel like this a week ago when she climbed into his bed to ease his dreams. He had the gall to look unfazed, even when his eyes looked up at her. And flickered over her face, he must have noticed her blush.
Cullen came back quickly with a bowl of hot water and a handful of cloth's and another bottle of wine, he wondered if he drank enough the bad dreams would stay away. Whilst Sunny slept in close proximity he found his nights empty of any dreams, good or bad. But he was going to Kirkwall and her to aid the wardens or King. After this trip, he doubted he would see her again and he decided to ignore how that made him disappointed.
They were a day's ride or a day and a halfs walk on foot away from Denerim. He couldn't wait to bathe properly to actually soak away the soreness and smell, a cloth would do for now. He noted Sunny hadn't moved except to drink more wine, he noticed the bottle was near half empty. Her cheeks were still pink. He hadn't meant to make her nervous, to worry her so much, but she was a mage and he was a Templar, she would have an innate unease about him.
"I've brought another" he raised the wine bottle. "And some hot water and clean cloths." He placed them on the table next to her, she nodded watching him out of the corner of her eye as he necked his cup of wine and refilled it. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was and that was why he was sinking the wine as fast as she was. Was he nervous because of her or because to him she was just another mage, and he saw her as no different than the mages that had tortured him and his friends.
Sunny picked up one of the cloths, dunking it in the hot water, before lifting her slip slightly, trying her best to get the dried blood off.
"I can leave, if it's easier," Cullen said quietly.
"Oh," she looked up at him and quickly back down, "no, it's fine. It's late and you must be tired enough after our eventful afternoon." She continued to rub her skin hissing as she did so, she hadn't used a strong enough spell and she would have a mighty bruise when it settled. "I'll turn around. I promise I won't look if you want to prepare yourself for bed." Sunny turned away slightly as she spoke, she could have sworn a snort of laughter left Cullen. A shuffle of fabric told her he had taken his shirt off and she felt Cullen at her side but she did not turn to look. He grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water, wiping himself over. Resting the hot cotton on the back of his neck. A grunt left his lips as he rolled his shoulders. His Eyes flickered down to Sunny. She was wiping at herself gingerly, seemingly giving up at getting the blood off and settling for cleaning the rest of herself.
"Do you need a hand?" Cullen said as he pulled his clean cotton overshirt on.
"There is no need to worry about me." Sunny gave him a pained smile. Turning her back away from him as she continued to clean herself. Cullen filled his wine and then hers. Picking the cup up he paced the room. Sunny turned herself ever so slightly again. She didn't want Cullen to see her back. She didn't like it when people saw it, they gawked, questioned. She couldn't speak of it, the blood magic would mar her if she spoke to anyone but a Theirin. There was no way to explain it, they always looked at her with either disgust or pity.
"It is no trouble, you seem to be struggling" Cullen sunk his wine quickly. And gave her her own cup pushing it to her lips. "It'll dull the pain a bit." He took the cloth from her other hand and knelt down next to the seat. "May I?" He gestured to the slip and she nodded leaning away giving him better access. He gently gripped the edge of her slip, pulling it up and held it in place with his thumb underneath her breast, his fingers holding around the side of her ribs. He noted how fine she was, elves were built lithe compared to humans, he shook his head, it wouldn't do to think of her like that. There was a lot of heat coming from her skin. She rested her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table. Sipping at her wine and glancing sideways at Cullen. He rubbed the dry blood as gently as he could, working his way up from her waist to the origin of the blood. She winced. "I'm sorry" he pulled away.
"No,no. Please carry on 'til it's clean, it'll only be just as painful or worse tomorrow." Sunny spoke into her wine cup and drank the rest. Filling it again, silently gesturing to his cup and filling it too when he nodded. He continued as gently as he could, dipping it back into the water every now and then.
"I think you might have a mighty bruise there tomorrow, but it looks good. I don't think it will scar either." Cullen got up and cleaned his hands in the bowl. "Are you hungry? I'll go get us something." Cullen left the room before she could answer, leaving Sunny alone with her thoughts. She hadn't thought of anyone before, not like this, she annoyed herself. She placed her hand in the bowl and conjured ice to her finger pulling out a small block and wrapping it a dry cloth, placing it on her bruising ribs. She sighed enjoying the relief, probably a mix of the wine too. And stood to change. As she lifted her slip over her head she hadn't heard Cullen come back in until he spoke.
"She said she would bring round some food in a minute." he said his eyes firmly on hers as she whirled around to face him. Her slip in her hand over her chest as the other reached for the shirt he gave her. She gulped, he must have seen. But his face betrayed no hint if he had. Her back was so marred with scars of thin slices all over, that they overlapped one another. Though most were almost silver now with how old they were, she still had some fresh ones from Cailan's slip ups when speaking to Loghain, there was no way he couldn't have seen it. She slipped the shirt over her head holding the slip in place with her other hand. Letting it drop to the floor when she covered herself. He came forward picking up her slip for her. Having had bruised ribs before, he knew it would be painful for her to bend. And from what he saw when he entered the room, she had dealt with more than enough pain.
"Thank you," she said as she turned to reach the ice again and put her hand under the shirt, Cullen still close to her. He leant beside her to put her slip on the table and grab his wine before turning to go and sit on the bed. "As thanks Cullen, as stupid as it sounds, I don't have anything to give you."
"I don't need anything, you saved us today. I've never seen anyone direct that spell like that. To be honest, I thought you were going to take me out with it." He smiled, but it wasn't a relaxed smile. It was one that told her of his nervousness.
"No, I guess, you don't really let mages experiment these days, so they just cast and don't feel their magic." She didn't mean it to come across as a dig at templars or the circle. But times had changed over the years she had spent with humans. Back before she was indebted to the king, any and all magic was as natural as breathing. They all experimented with magic, how to make it better, faster to cast, stronger. So her changing the splitting point of her bolt was something she didn't have to think about. "I never would have hit you. But lightning was the best way to knock them all out." She held up one finger lightning crackling around it as she pointed it to the wall so it was side on to Cullen. "I can change it to wherever I want it to split." She demonstrated a few times with a small bolt from that finger. It splits different distances away from her hand after each bolt. She saw Cullen tense for a split second. "Sorry, anyway, so as thanks. I'm pretty handy with a whetstone. So give me your blade and I will sharpen it for your return journey."
Cullen hesitated at first but got it from the corner of the room, handing it to her still sheathed. She took it from him and glided it out with care and ease. Holding it carefully she looked over the blade resting the flat edge against the back of her hand. "You care for this blade well. You Templars are well stocked." She placed it carefully behind her, going to her pack to retrieve oil and a whetstone. There was a small knock at the door and Cullen answered it, accepting the food with thanks. They ate bread and cheese with dried meat and made small talk. Cullen asking her about herself, and getting noncommittal answers. And when she returned the question, he gave as little information as he could in return.
He sat on the bed, whilst she was sat in the chair, gently working his sword with a whetstone. She was as confident as any blacksmith with his blade.
"It's not often a mage would branch out into other avenues?" he questioned, eyebrows raised as he drank deeply from his cup. She stopped the whetstone halfway through her stroke. She sighed a deep breath for a second before looking up at him through her lashes for another second. His breath caught in his throat, her stare was intense. She sat his blade across her knees as she sat up straight looking at Cullen, a smirk on her lips.
"Say what you mean Cullen." she grabbed her wine and drank deeply from the cup, Cullens gaze on her neck as she swallowed wasn't missed. Maybe her thoughts were not hers alone. She put her cup down. And picked the whetstone back up, but did not move against the blade.
"I meant no offence, you are no mage after all" Cullen repeated her words from when they were in the tower back at her, her eyes seemed to light up at the banter. Her grin widened. She noticed he returned it, before stopping himself.
"Are you trying to work out whether I am an apostate? Here to wreak havoc? I can assure you unless the King wills it I am no threat to anyone." she dragged the whetstone down in a screech as she slid her tongue along the bottom of her top teeth smirking at Cullen, the way he swallowed as he looked at her mouth.
"Not at all, only, I ask you questions and you answer without really saying anything at all." Cullen stretched, he was getting tired, he was trying to be nonchalant.
"Maybe you aren't asking the correct questions" she checked his blade tracing her thumb over the edge of his blade, a small smile appreciating her work. She held her side as she got up, handing Cullen his blade handle first.
"Where did you grow up?" Cullen asked as he looked over his blade, it was excellent work, she was a woman of many talents. Especially as she looked so young, he wouldn't have placed her much older than him but then he hadn't met many elves, he had no idea how young or old they looked.
"All over really." she shrugged.
"See, like that." Cullen rolled his eyes. And Sunny sighed.
"I spent a lot of my youth in Arlathan, and I moved into the Frostback Mountains for some time. I have been wherever the King deems fit to send me." she spoke quickly. "Is that enough?"
"I… Thank you. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just… you are adept with a blade as much as magic, and this blade, you've sharpened it as well as any smith." he placed his sword back in its sheath and against the wall.
"I like to learn." she said with a yawn, Cullen yawned back. "I might need to turn in, the bed is big enough for us both if I lay on my side." Cullen seemed to grow nervous. "I can stay up if you prefer," she offered.
"No, that is unnecessary, I can sleep in the chair" Cullen made to get up from the bed as she crossed the room.
"Don't be foolish" she held his arm. "It's a cold night." She took off her leather trousers, Cullens shirt long enough to cover her. Before clambering onto the bed and sliding under the thin blanket, she pressed herself against the wall as much as she could. There would be plenty of room for Cullen. "Just get in Cullen" her voice slurred as she started to sink into sleep. She felt the covers lifted and the bed sink beside her. As he settled in beside her, he made sure he didn't get too close. The wall was cold against her back and she started to shiver. Cullen whispered her name, but she feigned sleep, slowing down her breath, deepening it.
She felt the covers lift, just a small bit, the bed dipping and then heat as an arm slid under her neck, her head rolling onto his shoulder, his arm down her back, shielding her from the cold wall. She stayed still for a while, she could still feel Cullen awake beside her, him flexing his hand on her back as pins and needles started settling in. She stretched and he stiffened beside her, afraid she was awake. Sunny put her arm over his chest, her hand resting where his neck met his shoulder and pulling herself into him to get her legs off the wall. His other arm slowly came over the top of her, holding her close to him. He pressed his nose against her hair and he breathed her in deeply. She didn't smell of the musty tomes of the circle, or of lyrium. She smelt like the outdoors, of the herbs she stopped to pick along the way. She smelt of the oil she used to sharpen his blade, the leather of her armour.
It was easy to forget that she was a mage. She was different. He held her tight, Sunny let him hold her. She didn't know why she let him have this comfort, he had made it obvious he didn't think a lot of her. Or maybe not her, but her magic made him wary, but she enjoyed this feeling of being simply just held. No expectations. Not bound. Even for a moment. So maybe she wasn't doing this for him, maybe she wanted to feel normal. Just once.