Cullen was silent the rest of the way to Denerim. No matter how many times Sunny tried to strike up conversation he met her with one word answers, or grunts. She was sitting in front of him on the horse, unable to look back at him without twisting herself and bringing that throb back to her ribs with a vengeance.
He was infuriating, they had started off this journey at odds, to reach a very happy middle ground, and now he wanted to end it at odds again. And she couldn't work out why she was so irritated by it. Before she only really cared what the king thought. And even then only Calenhad and Maric had her utmost respect. She wanted to walk. To pace. To scream into the void. This man had gotten under her skin. The same if not more than Alistair had recently.
So, like any self respecting, immortal elf would do, she stopped trying. Not sulking, she had told herself.
When Denerim Castle peered over the horizon she smiled.
Home.
Or as close as she had for the past near 500 years. It wasn't quite the home she had built for herself and similar minded elves in the frostbacks to hold back the sky, but it was a home. Calenhad had an entire hidden wing added for her, that only she knew how to get in from the outside and the entrances inside the castle were only to be known by the kings and herself. She liked some semblance of privacy, for when she needed rest. And she had been given a lock by Maric when he retook the castle.
She had perfected Uthenera, long before the veil, so she could sustain herself as necessary. She had let the Kings wake her if there was an emergency by way of a small prick in her hand that would jolt her enough to come back to her physical body. So far Maric was the only King she felt comfortable to be in her space, though they could technically go where they wanted, Maric never forced the issue.
As they got to the gates, she slid from the horse, the thud of her feet jolting her ribs as she rubbed them. Cullen dismounted too but didn't say anything. She let the silence stretch for a moment, he made no attempt to talk, but also made no attempt to walk on without her either.
"There's an inn with a stable about 10 minutes walk away. It has a bath and is fairly cheap." She rustled in her pack for some of the coin she got from the bandits. She held it out for him but he didn't take it. He just looked at the coin purse and back to her face. She grabbed his wrist, pulling it up and slapping the coin purse in his palm. "I can take you there if you want? Then I'm going to the castle to grab my things."
"Are you… if you could. Thank you" Cullen seemed to be sulking too though what for, she couldn't fathom. Maybe she really had pushed it too far, been too physical with him. Maybe he didn't like her as much as she thought he had, and she was just projecting how interested she was in getting to know him.
He followed her through Denerim looking around, he seemed to be making a show of being far more interested in their surroundings than he actually was, it was evening and still the town was bustling. Children running in the streets whooping and playing games noisily. Stray dogs barking at people with food, at cats, at nothing. And still he looked anywhere but her.
Sunny felt at ease. These streets she knew like the back of her hand. When they reached the inn Sunny stopped to point at it. He walked into her outstretched arm, finally looking at her and to where she pointed.
"This is the place, you get a room for us and I'll see you in an hour or two." Even to herself she sounded more miffed than she wanted to sound, she wanted to sound calm with an air of grace, maybe he would like that. Maybe he would start talking to her again. She shook her head at her own childish thoughts, turning away to carry on to the castle.
"Do you want separate rooms?" he called after her, she was already off.
"Whatever you feel comfortable with Ser." She called over her shoulder, with a casual wave of her hand. Maybe he preferred hard to get acting girls.
"The castle is the other way!" He seemed concerned.
"I know." She smiled as she waved.
The entrance that she used was joined to the royal family escape tunnel, so to get to it she had to get to the outer wall of the city on the northern side. There was a well, and by that well a sewer drain that was not as easily opened as the others.
She did not miss the smell of this tunnel, being a sewer. But if Anora or Loghain saw her approach the castle they would have her seized on sight. She found the candle stick that she pulled that grinded as stone drag on stone to open her small doorway. She slipped in and within a half an hour she was within her own chamber.
She moved the small mirror that was the last in a chain that reflected light in from the outside, but the moon was not bright enough to light up the room tonight. With a wave of her hand the candles blazed to life. She looked at her bed longingly. She couldn't wait to be able to sleep here. Curled in the warmth of her own furs.
She started to fill the tub in her room and strip down. A quick dip. Luckily she had thought to clear out most of the food before Cailan took her to Ostagar, or the smell would have been worse than the musty one that now stuck around. She couldn't just open a window down here. She grabbed one of her bath oils, dropping them in the water and climbing in. She loved the warm water against her, there was nothing like a bath to warm you through or help an ache, she sighed in relief as she scrubbed away the smell of horse and sweat.
She dressed herself in a thicker leather armour. A dark almost black one, that was inlaid with gold stitching, of elven design that Maric had made for her. With a matching cloth face mask that covered the bottom half of her face with her vallaslin embroidered into it. She clipped the hooded cloak to it to finish off her ensemble. An armour Maric had made so she could travel with him without being recognised. So she wasn't always stuck in the shadows but she could easily slink back into them if he needed to, Maric liked her at his side, unless he had allowed her to travel for herself, to look for a way to break the blood magic that bound her.
She looked over her belongings and trinkets that she had gathered and collected over the years. A small trinket box closest to her bedside. She picked it up running her fingers over the intricate design. The crest of Ferelden on the lid, she placed it in her pouch. She picked up two lighter swords to place on her hips, one pronged and the other a flat blade, before picking up a better bow, an elfroot design around the grip, before leaving the way she came. She had been longer than she thought and longer than she'd told Cullen.
Sunny had returned to the inn as quick as she could, but she had definitely been longer than she had said. Night had drawn in, Cullen was sitting by the fire in the main hall. His eyes closed though he seemed to be far from sleep if his changing expressions were anything to go by. Like he was having a silent conversation with himself.
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long" Sunny stepped beside him, he jumped and double took her, looking at her from head to toe, she dropped her hood and pulled down her mask. She noted he was clean. He'd bathed too.
"No. No, not at all." He spoke like he'd been caught doing something wrong, like a child caught eating sweets before dinner. She sighed her hands on her hips as she shook her head. She doubted she would ever understand men. One minute she couldn't shut Cullen up, the next she couldn't get him to look at her.
"Have you eaten yet? There's a tavern that will still be serving food just across the street." She spoke overly chirpy. Even to herself she felt and sounded stupid, like she was trying too hard. Cullen even seemed taken aback by her attitude, she dialled it back a bit. "Well?"
"I haven't." He said. So sunny turned and walked out, she realised Cullen wasn't with her and poked her head back through the door. "Do you want me to bring you something back?" She called across the hall. He seemed to jump up and quickly crossed the hall to her. He walked beside her still taking in the sights. Not really acknowledging her. She wondered whether she should try and strike up any more conversation, but whatever Cullen was mulling over was obviously a big issue so she let him think and have his space.
She grabbed his hand to pull him along with her when she turned into the tavern and he kept going, making him jump and grip her tighter. She smiled to herself.
It was a lively tavern. A lot of people, no one would notice two more patrons. And this tavern didn't mind elves so much either. She ushered Cullen to a table in the corner whilst she went and got two flagons of honeyed mead, with an order of their stew. She put one flagon in front of Cullen who still seemed to be deep in thought.
"Copper for your thoughts" Sunny said as she sipped from her flagon.
"What? Oh, it's nothing" Cullen shook his head as he raised his flagon to his lips, pulling a face. She assumed it was far too sweet for him. Maybe he would have preferred the stronger ales.
"Seems like it" she huffed, "Would you prefer a different drink?" she nodded toward his drink.
"No, this is fine, thanks." his voice seemed far away, just like his thoughts. Sunny drummed her fingers against the table in annoyance, she wouldn't have minded his attitude so much, but the fact she was still in Denerim was for him, she would have left to find Alistair earlier, but Cullen had asked her to stay one night. She was irritating herself, why did she even agree to his request?
"So, what brought you to Denerim Ser?" Sunny sat back in her chair, easily slipping on that mask of disinterest that had become as easy as breathing.
"Supplies," Cullen said, trying to adopt that same look Sunny had, though he hadn't had as much practice and it took him a good thirty seconds to adopt that calm demeanor. She locked eyes with him, and he struggled to drop her gaze. She knew she had an intense glare and she was never shy about using it, but may this man's Maker help him, she was about to throttle his attitude straight out of him. He seemed to sense the change in her mood.
"My apologies, I am just thinking, I don't mean to be-"
"Infuriating" Sunny cut across him.
"Right" he frowned at her, "I'm just getting some more supplies and things I may need before I transfer to Kirkwall, I have just been thinking what I will need, I didn't want to leave anything behind"
"Oh," Sunny hid her emotions quickly behind her disinterest. "You leave soon?"
"Not yet, I have a few things to prepare, and I may wait until the roads are safer" he tried to put on her air of ease.
"Of course," they sat in silence for a few beats. "I suppose I may see you after we deal with this Blight then" Cullens brow furrowed at her words, "Once the King takes the throne, I will most likely be sent back to the Circle to make sure it won't fall back into disarray. If you are still there, I shall see you then."
"I may have left by the time you return." Cullen's tone seemed sad. Another silence fell. A young serving girl came over with their bowls, obviously making eyes at Cullen as she gave him the bowl asking if there was anything else he needed.
"He'll have an ale" Sunny answered for him, the young girl turned to Sunny, taking in her appearance, the armour and two swords at her hips, nodding before making a quick exit when Sunny's glare fell on her.
"The mead is fine. Sweet but fine" he chuckled, Sunny saw a glimmer of the man that travelled with her here and hoped he would be there to stay the evening, or did he pick up on how Sunny spoke to the serving girl, how her glare was a little too hard to be aimed at someone who was doing their job by being friendly, did he enjoy that little flicker of envy.
They ate quickly, and as if they had known each other longer than a few weeks, they offered each other their bowls, Sunny only having eaten half the meat in hers, and Cullen saving her some of the vegetables in his. And she couldn't help the smile that came to her face, no matter how hard she may have tried to keep that look of disinterest, he was breaking through. She coughed to try and cover her smile and picked up her mead to drink deeply from the cup. She looked back up at Cullen, a dusting of red on his cheeks. "You, uh, you get everything you need from the castle?"
"I did thank you. My better armour and swords." She patted the blades at her side. One looked elvhen and old. But well looked after, the other was pronged like the blade before, but in a better condition. "A few potions for the journey too. I'll be able to leave at first light"
"You are… staying the evening then?" Cullen drank from the ale that was brought over. Looking like he preferred the taste, he had an appreciative smile at the flagon.
"You asked me to?" Confusion in Sunnys tone. She could have sworn he asked her to stay the night.
"I thought you would be eager to get back to the Wardens. I only got a room with one bed. I didn't think you'd come back to be honest." Cullen said, looking into his cup.
"I can still leave if that makes you uncomfortable." Sunny sat back in her chair pouring herself some water. She was sure Cullen had intended for her to spend the night with him. Though maybe he wasn't as interested in her as she thought.
"Only if you want to stay." Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. She hummed in return.
Sunny enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the tavern, the bard in the centre singing tales of kings and elves centuries gone. The people getting drunk around her, dancing with one another. Ladies getting their coin selling themselves. She watched the people around her. In all the centuries she spent in places such as this, they were all still the same. No matter whether there was a war or Blight or if the times were simple. The taverns bustled with laughter and lust. The people of this time, the humans, lived such short lives, yet they lived so fast, decisions that took the elvhen decades to make, they made in months. She realised Cullen was watching her, watching them, and he'd asked her a question. And she blinked at him.
"Do you wish to call it a night?" He asked again, she could see the blush creep up his neck.
"We can, you do look tired." She said as she stood. She realised Cullen had switched to water too after his ale, though he was stuttering a lot as they walked back, he seemed to be struggling to focus on a topic or one train of thought. So she asked him about his training as a Templar, he seemed to relax a little, talking about his younger years, about his nights reciting the chant of light, his training and schooling. She noticed his stutter had gone.
"Sorry, it sounds like I'm lecturing you doesn't it?" he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Not at all, I like hearing you talk about something you obviously have so much passion about." Sunny smiled at him.
"It's no alchemy ingredients and their uses though" he gave her a lopsided grin. Sunnys eyes widened remembering their conversation from earlier before she laughed. A real laugh. Not one she had learned to use when she thought she was meant to, or to pretend she was amused by nobles, a real laugh. This seemed to bring more colour to Cullens cheeks. As they walked into the inn she followed Cullen to his room.
The room had a large bed in the centre, a dining table for two in one corner and a wardrobe in the other. She found herself thinking, he said he didn't think she was coming back but still got a double bed. He said he wasn't sure, and he still got a double bed, he had made sure he kept as much distance in their sleeping arrangements as possible. And still, he only got a double bed. If he didn't want her back here, why didn't he get a single one?
He'd gone quiet again.