The room was dark, the only light left illuminating it the two candles on either bedside. He hadn't said a word to her since the door shut. Sunny stripped out of her armour slowly to put on the night shirt that Cullen had given her, he watched her closely as he undressed himself and got into the bed, she wondered if he watched her because he was worried about her magic or because he liked what he saw, but his face didn't let slip which it was.
They slipped into bed in silence and he laid as far away as he could, watching the candle flicker away on his nightstand. Sunny had already blown hers out. She laid on her side looking at him chewing the inside of her cheek.
She was perplexed, she had thought that Cullen had intended to spend the night with her, he had lain close to her in the nights they shared a bed, or even in the tent in his sleep he had drawn nearer, he watched her and blushed when she caught him staring, she had felt his hard length pressed up against her in the mornings; but here he lay still, as if he were made of stone for thirty minutes, he hadn't even acknowledged her yet. This handsome young man surrounded in a halo of candlelight, who had confidence with a blade in his hand, had confidence as a Templar, but seemed bereft of it now.
She wasn't opposed to sleeping with him, he was sweet, smart and handsome. And from what she saw, he had a body that was well honed, though he kept shirts on. To top it off when she least expected it he seemed to have a sense of humour.
Where she had started many relations with men, for herself to pass the time or the king, to help sway people in his favour, she found that she couldn't with Cullen. He was worth more than a quick tumble in the hay, he was worth more than one night, a shy young man, she realised, he may have no experience at all.
"Cullen?" she whispered, he jumped and turned to her.
"Yes?" he whispered back.
"It's easier for me to keep your dreams at bay the closer you are, if I can touch you. If that's what you want." she tried disarming him with a smile, she couldn't quite see him with the candle behind him, but she was sure from his stammering he was blushing.
"I-I-I, yes." he leaned over to blow out his candle. Before lying a little closer to her.
"Closer"
"Of course" he scooted over to the middle of the bed. And Sunny moved closer to him.
"You know Cullen, I'm pretty big on consent. So I'm not going to touch you unless you're ok with it" she whispered, but he stiffened beside her.
"I Uh, me too. Are you alright staying here, with me?" His voice was uncertain.
"I feel… safe." She reached out slowly across the bed, her pinky grazed his, he jumped at first but then he allowed the side of his hand to rest against hers. His hand was so hot against hers, maybe it wasn't him that scooted closer in the night, maybe it was her. Ferelden was cold and this man felt like a human furnace.
"May I?" his hand hovered over hers.
"Yes" she whispered as the heat of his hand enveloped hers. She found he did make her feel safe. He casually threaded his fingers through hers. She loosened her fist to allow him to. She heard as he let out a big sigh, a breath he must have been holding. If he was like this from simply holding a pretty girl's hand maybe he had never slept with a woman before, surely he had, he was handsome and charming. And as a templar, the chantry fed them well and the physical training alone honed them. The glimpses she caught of him were sights to be proud of.
He moved closer again and she could feel his body heat, he created a nice little pocket of warm air under the blanket, and before she knew it she had settled into a deep sleep.
She woke up, warm, content and enveloped in his arms, pressed against his chest, his chin resting on top of her head. The light blared in the open window, she blinked the sleep from her eyes. She had slept far too long, most of the morning already gone. She pulled Cullen tighter to her as she stretched, forgetting her ribs and hissing at the sudden pain.
"Are you alright?" Concern coated his voice as he turned his head slightly so he could look down at her. He looked flushed and fresh faced, there was no hint of sleep in his eyes or his face. She wondered if he was awake all this time.
"Why did you let me sleep this long?" her voice was groggy.
"Well… you seemed as though you needed it, and I did try to wake you, but you… you gripped me… tighter" Cullen spoke nervously.
Sunny noticed her legs were entwined with Cullens, their bodies pressed against one another, her breathing slow matching his. Her stomach touched his. As she fully came to consciousness she came to find that wasn't the only part of him that pressed against her. Looking up into his eyes, his face was starting to go red, his lips parted with small breaths, she mirrored his face, her lips parted it wouldn't have taken a big movement to close the gap between their lips. He looked uncomfortable, but she didn't know if he was uncomfortable with her close proximity or whether he was uncomfortable because he knew that she knew what part of him was hard against her hip and stomach.
She let him go slowly, and rolled on to her back before stretching, Cullen let out a shaky breath as her gaze left him.
"Are you alright?" She smiled at him, but quickly turned her face away, as he seemed uncomfortable under her harsh gaze. "I'm sorry, I had you in a bit of a bear grip there."
"I… Yes. It was. Nice…" he had a ghost of a smile before his eyes widened in shock at his words, "I mean, it wasn't that tight." He turned to lay on his back, as they both stared up at the ceiling for a beat longer. The silence between them stretching, his hand back beside hers barely touching her.
"I should… probably… get ready, the wardens… will be waiting." she said, surprising herself with how soft, almost sad her voice sounded.
"Me too. Get ready, I mean" His voice mirrored hers.
Sunny was about to turn to him, ask him outright if he wanted to, when he got up swinging his legs out of the bed and rubbed his hands over his face.
Sunny released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Her stomach dropped. Had she been hoping he would turn to her instead? She barely knew this boy, she had no reason to feel like this. She got up too, and they dressed in silence, he kept his back to her.
She had repacked most of her gear when she saw Cullens hand outstretched toward her with another shirt folded neatly. She looked up at him questioningly. The one he gave her before in her hands to give back to him. "I Uh, I thought you might need a clean one. I can take the other. You can return that one whenever or…" she took the new shirt handing him the other back. Her cheeks warming, a genuine smile on her lips. She hadn't smiled like this in a long time. Since Maric.
"I…" she had packed night clothes when she went to the castle. "Thank you." She packed it on top of her things. "I will return it when I see you next." She wasn't sure if she would but he smiled anyway.
She walked him to the markets as it was on the way to the city gates, her pack on her shoulders and Cullen had given her a spare small tent to take with her. Refusing any gold in return.
"Well, this is the market, you'll find everything you need here." She said, as she waved her hand around.
"Thank you. I hope you find the Wardens quickly" he shuffled awkwardly.
"I will, Trigg will be waiting"
"The mabari, yes" Cullen smiled at that. He seemed to like mabari's.
"A safe journey to you, Knight Templar." She smiled.
"And you my Lady" he bowed his head slightly.
"Sunny," she said as she rolled her eyes.
"Cullen" he returned.
He held out his hand awkwardly. An invitation to shake hers. She grasped it and stepped forward. She aimed to place a small chaste kiss on his cheek. But in surprise at her closeness he turned his face to her. Her lips met his, in a soft peck. She held it for a moment, he didn't pull away, but he didn't lean into it either.
His lips were soft, his hand slackened in hers as he stepped closer to her. The hand at his side hesitating to pull her closer. He smelt of mint, sandalwood and seasalt. His lips opened under hers, a sharp intake of breath against her lips, she willed herself to her senses before she stepped back.
"Sorry, I…" she didn't know what she wanted to say. Cullen dropped her gaze, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's… quite alright, my fault." He cleared his throat.
"See you then" she smiled, and turned to leave. He returned the sentiment as she waved over her shoulder at him. She got most of the way out of the square before chancing a look over her shoulder. He still stood there, one hand with two fingers on his lips whilst the other was still rubbing the back of his neck.
The journey to the Brecillian wood was as short as she could make it. Stopping only when necessary and taking out small pockets of scouting darkspawn on the way. Trigg had met her on the outskirts of the woods. Trotting the perimeter, his nose to the floor. Yipping excitedly when he caught her scent and then spotted her. She had already shot a rabbit for him on her way in, chucking it up for him to catch, the Mabari didn't seem to dislike her and you couldn't really buy a Mabari's friendship or loyalty, but it didn't hurt to try.
"Are they far boy?" He yipped excitedly again. "A day away, one bark, more than that two barks." The dog barked back twice. She rubbed her ribs. The bruise was really showing no, the ache near constant, but pain reminded her she was still human and feeling. "Well, we will let your stomach settle for a bit, I'll have something to eat and we will go" she sat on a stump as she rubbed her ribs. The mabari came over to sniff her, he whined. "It's OK boy, nothing I can't handle." he huffed in return.
Trigg didn't leave her side through the forest.
They came across nothing, even wildlife was nowhere to be seen or heard. Something must have been really wrong here, something that didn't belong had silenced the forest.
She started to use her sense, to see if she could feel the wardens, to see if she could feel anything out of the ordinary when she felt a large gathering of people. Trigg seemed to huff in agreement with her, before running ahead with a yip, the wardens were nearby. Sunny moved quietly, her steps near silent through the undergrowth and bracken, an arrow in her bow, loosely drawn just in case. She heard the voices first. Trigg yipping at Elissa.
The Dalish talking to one another.
"Something approaches the camp" a voice she didn't recognise.
"I'm sure it's our companion, my mabari went with her" Elissa spoke, as the dog rolled at her feet for his stomach to be rubbed for a good job well done. But the Dalish drew their bows and readied their mages and weapons.
Sunny summoned her magic to her fingers, icy tendrils dropping from her hands. Dropping the temperature around her ice cold, a fog forming at her feet rolling out around her. The air moved the fog, rolling out of the woods towards the clearing. All of the Dalish turned to it, Alistair and company too. The murmurs of worry, tension filled the air as magic cracked and bows were drawn. She checked her hood and mask were in place before she broke through the brush, parting it for herself with a wave of magic. Her bow was drawn taut, her arrow trained at the Keeper, next to Alistair.
"Sunny?!" Alistair shouted. "Is that you?" She pulled back her hood only slightly, to allow her hair to be visible.
"She's with us" Elissa called out but no elf relaxed their bow.
"Sunny, put your bow down." Alistair called gently.
"I will when the pretenders put theirs down." Sunny called back.
"Pretenders! that's rich coming from some city knife ear!" a Dalish called. And Sunnys arrow was soon trained on him. She made her voice as dangerous as she could.
"I am no meek city elf." There was a tone to her voice, a feeling in the air. May have been magic but it charged the air, fear struck everyone in that clearing. Sunny seemed to glow for want of a better word. The air stirred around her.
"Well at least we knew why she said she wouldn't come." Alistair joked as he walked over to her. His hands up so both sides could see his intentions.
"I swear Alistair, if you even think about touching my bow." Sunny simmered with a rage that was just about contained as he walked over to her. He whispered so only she could hear him.
"Please Sunny, we have just got them to cooperate. And it involves werewolves and spirits" he seemed proud of their work. Brokering a peace with impossible odds.
"Then seeing as your diplomatic skills are so good, get them to drop their weapons" she spoke through gritted teeth. Before Alistair could even sigh, the keeper told everyone to lower their weapons. The new young keeper stepped toward Sunny who had lowered her bow after the other elves but her hand rested on the pommel of her sword.
"Sunny if you take off the mask they may be more inclined to be friendly." Alistair rested his hand on top of hers on her sword. And though she removed her mask for him while she looked at him, she gripped his hand as the keeper stepped closer, ready to pull him behind if she needed to.
"May I ask from which clan you hail from" the keeper spoke softly.
"My 'clan' has long since fallen from the memory of your elves." Sunny left it at that walking to join Elissa, her hand still in Alistairs as she walked with her in between him and the elves, ready to protect him.
"It's just I have never seen vallaslin like yours before. It looks as though you have vallaslin that favours Mythal, but it looks different. In the branches there's…" and they were right. Her vallaslin was different. She had the branches Under her eyes for Mythal, but the branches looped and joined together in six parts on her face, looking like eyes. The ink was a light whitish blue as opposed to the dark colours that were usual. The vallaslin put on her against her will, when they tried to make her fight for Mythal and Fen'Harel. And so his eyes were mixed into the mark.
"You don't know what vallaslin is." Sunny tutted at them.
A confusion washed over the group as murmurs fell around them.
"When the children of our people come of age, they earn the privilege of wearing the vallaslin, the blood writing. It sets us apart from the shemlen and from the elves who have thrown their lot in with them. It reminds us that we will never again surrender our traditions and beliefs" the young keeper spoke to Sunny, proudly.
"A cute sentiment, but you have lost too much to time, that is not what these marks are." she waved her hand in front of her face. "If we are done here, are we going to move on Alistair." he nodded looking across at Elissa.
"You two go on ahead we will finish up and join you" Elissa nodded, it was easier to get Sunny out of the way.
"What are they then?" a young hunter with a bow called after them. "You can't drop something like that and walk off. Or are you just making up stories like a child." Sunny dropped her gaze on the young elf. She had to tell herself as Maric had told her many times before, that it wasn't their fault, thousands of years had passed from the times they tried to honour to now. And just like humans, they didnt like change, what they thought was right would always be listened to over what she could tell them, not that it was much without the blood magic that bound her to the Theirins and to keep the secret that there were still elves alive from before, hidden.
"They were marks of which 'noble' elf you happened to be enslaved to not your false gods" she flinched. She could feel the skin open on her back, Alistair hissed and jumped, pulling off his gauntlet, a small shallow cut appearing on his hand, he looked at Sunny. "Apologies, your majesty, I have said too much and there is much I need to talk to you about." A chorus of anger erupted from the elves as sunny started to leave the clearing, Alistair in tow. Calls of a liar and the dreadwolf taking her followed her.
"Those extra markings, are they for Fen'harel?" The keeper called after her. But she had already said too much. They waited for Elissa and the rest of the crew, not far out but far enough that the Dalish shouts couldn't be heard.
"Sunny… What's wrong?" Alistair's voice was small, his hand had stopped bleeding. She took his hand in hers, her magic washing over him, healing the wound as if it was never there, if only hers could be healed the same, she hadn't said much so the wound would be shallow, but may still need dressing.
"I'm sorry Alistair, this was my fault", she traced her fingers over his palm where the cut was, he seemed to shiver under her touch. "There is much I need to tell you. About who I am and why I will always follow you. But it must be just us, and you must never tell anyone." He held her by the shoulders, she had a grave look on her face that worried him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, when he noticed his right hand fingers were faintly wet. He pulled his hand away to see blood, his face paled.