When Cullen first met the Herald, she appeared quite distressed, no doubt due to the erratic green mark emblazoned on her left hand. She suddenly appeared from a stealthy cloak, having decapitated a lesser shade right before his eyes. Without sheathing her dagger, she focused all her energy on the rift above them, and within moments, it disappeared.

Not wanting to give the prisoner any more recognition than she deserved, he turned to Cassandra and inquired, "Lady Cassandra, you managed to close the rift? Well done."

"Do not congratulate me, Commander," the Seeker elaborated, "This is the prisoner's doing."

At this, Cullen was forced to turn his attention to the prisoner, the possible criminal that began this whole catastrophe. He observed her in as much detail as he could, wanting to assess the danger she posed. The prisoner turned to him, her dark brown locks flowing around her. He looked into her chartreuse eyes, filled with fierceness, yet showing no animosity toward him. He followed the scars that started at her right brow and ended at her lips. Oh Maker, her lips. Now they could kill a man just by the thought of them. Assessing the prisoner led Cullen to believe that she was not dangerous in relation to the Breach. As for the danger she posed to him? She could either be the best thing in his life or his worst nightmare.

All these thoughts came to him within the time it took him to reply, "Is it? I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here."

Cullen saw the prisoner wince at the thought. "You're not the only one hoping that," she countered.

"We'll see soon enough, won't we?" Cullen concluded. Fearing that his eyes were lingering too long, he turned to Cassandra and said, "The way to the temple should be clear. Leliana will try to meet you there."

"Then we'd best move quickly. Give us time, Commander," Cassandra nodded.

That was the last time Cullen had seen the prisoner-turned-Herald. Now he, Ambassador Montilyet and Sister Leliana were awaiting her arrival, as well as Cassandra's. He heard footsteps growing closer and his heart skipped a beat. He was unsure of why, but since he met the Herald, he's been shaken. Every time her presence is discussed, it takes everything in his power to pretend like she doesn't phase him. But she does. In truth, the Commander has thought about little else since their first meeting. He has every reason to be wary of her; Maker, she's the only one to have made it out of the Breach alive. But all he wanted was to know her.

Cullen collected himself as Cassandra and the Herald entered the room, adjusting his posture and doing everything in his power to show no one his true thoughts.

Cassandra began introductions with Cullen. "May I present Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition's forces."

The Herald's piercing eyes flashed to him and he felt his cheeks flush. She shot him a friendly smile and nodded, forcing Cullen to find the words necessary to continue the exchange. "Such as they are," he elaborated, "We lost many soldiers in the valley, and I fear many more before this is through." Talking about the soldiers was one thing that came easy to him, though he'll admit it was not nearly as easy as usual.

Cassandra continued with her introductions, allowing Cullen time to observe their Herald. He watched as her eyes flashed from Josephine, to Leliana, to Cassandra and back. He noticed the smirk rise at the corner of her mouth when Cassandra and Leliana were bickering, noticed the strands of hair she was constantly pushing back behind her ear when they would fall in front of her face. Her armor hugged her tightly in all the right places, exposing her curves but leaving a tantalizing amount to the imagination. Her hands moved gracefully, as a result of her precise work with daggers, or something else he had yet to learn about her. But he wanted to learn. Within minutes of meeting her, he knew the Herald was a force to be reckoned with, and he desperately wanted to be involved in whatever this woman did.

He snapped out of his trance when they were discussing methods of closing the Breach. He interjected that the templars could work just as well as the mages. Just as the debate between Leliana and he became heated, Josephine interrupted, "Unfortunately, neither group will even speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition and you specifically."

"That was quick," the Herald retorted humorously.

"Some are calling you the Herald of Andraste. That frightens the Chantry," Josephine explained. "The remaining Clerics have called it blasphemy, and we heretics for harboring you."

"Chancellor Roderick's doing, no doubt," Cassandra interjected.

"It limits our options. Approaching the mages or templars for help is currently out of the question."

"Just how am I the Herald of Andraste?" The Herald looked genuinely confounded by the statement.

"People saw what you did at the temple," Cassandra said. "How you stopped the Breach from growing. They have also heard about the woman seen at the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste."

Cullen took this opportunity to get to know more about the Herald. "It's quite the title, isn't it?" he asked, feigning confidence while simultaneously feeling like his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. "How do you feel about that?"

The Herald turned to him and his heart almost stopped. "I don't really know what to feel," she sighed. Her genuinely confused and flustered expression made him want to reach out to her. He wanted to help her figure all of this out.

"It seems the Chantry has decided that for you," Cullen replied.

The Herald, Cullen, and the rest of the advisors continued to discuss strategy and plans for the future. They were prepared to explore the Hinterlands to find Mother Giselle, who was willing to give them advice to appease the Chantry. However, instead of setting off immediately, the Herald dismissed the advisors, saying, "I'd like to become more comfortable with everything here before we leave. I'll reconvene when I'm ready." And with that, Cullen took his leave.

It was hours later, at sunset, when he saw her again. He was training recruits when she caught his eye. He pretended not to see her while he instructed the young soldiers.

"You there! There's a shield in your hand. Block with it. If this man were your enemy, you would be dead." He turned to his lieutenant when he saw the Herald drawing near. "Lieutenant," he started, "Don't hold back. The recruits must prepare for a real fight, not a practice one."

The Herald looked much less distraught than the first two times they had met. Maybe she had rested since they spoke, or maybe she was just spending time getting to know everyone, but whatever she did, it was clearly good for her. She was radiant as she approached Cullen, making it even harder for him to muster words.

"H-hello, Herald," Cullen stuttered, with a cordial nod of his head. "We've received a number of recruits-locals from Haven and some pilgrims." Feeling bold, he turned to her and said, "None made quite the entrance you did."

At that, she smiled. Maker's breath, was she lovely when she smiled. In truth, she was lovely all the time. But this is the first time Cullen had seen her truly happy since they'd met. "At least I got everyone's attention," she retorted playfully. "And Cullen," she said, putting her hand on his arm, "Please, call me Victoria. Or, if you're not comfortable with that, at least Trevelyan." Her smile, instead of putting him at ease, set his heart aflame. She was so sincere, and her touch so caring, that Cullen caught himself staring at her nervously. Her eyes and those beautiful, Maker-given lips enraptured him.

When he composed himself, he swallowed hard, saying, "That you did." He hoped she hadn't noticed him acting so foolishly. Yet again, if she noticed, she was kind enough not to mock him.

Relinquishing his arm, she stood tall and asked, "Where were you recruited from, Commander?"

"I was recruited to the Inquisition in Kirkwall, myself." Talking about this made him much more comfortable. She sensed it, and her demeanor became less stiff the more freely he spoke. "I was there during the mage uprising-I saw the devastation it caused. Cassandra sought a solution. When she offered me a position, I left the templars to join her cause. Now it seems we face something far worse."

With that, Trevelyan looked down at her hand and frowned. She didn't seem to think Cullen noticed, but he did. Her expression lasted just long enough for the attentive Commander to pick it up. "I must have this for a reason," she said. "It will work. I'm sure of it."

"Provided we can secure aid-but I'm confident we can," he explained. "The Chantry lost control of both the templars and mages. Now they argue over a new Divine while the Breach remains. The Inquisition could act when the Chantry cannot. Our followers would be part of that. There's so much we can-"

He lost track of his words when he caught her smiling at him. He realized he had been rambling and automatically tried to correct himself. "Forgive me. I doubt you came here for a lecture."

"No," she admitted, "But if you have one, I'd love to hear it."

That elicited a chuckle from the Commander. "Another time, perhaps," he beamed. She smirked at him in a way that made his heart drop into his stomach. "I, ah…" he stuttered, clearing his throat. "There's still a lot of work ahead."

Just then, a recruit came over with a report and Cullen took that as his opportunity, to relieve himself of more embarrassment. "As I was saying," he concluded. "We will speak again, Trevelyan."

"That we will, Cullen."