At the ramparts

Lady Trevelyan sat rather uncomfortably at the edge of the stone walls overlooking the faraway and slightly hazy mountain ranges. And sighed.

Everything was happening quickly. Too quickly and she was not sure how to handle it. Only few months ago she was living her secluded, sheltered and quiet life in Ostwick Circle. It was all she knew. The convenience of daily roster was just too hammered into her mind and she missed it. Her friends, teachers, lessons and her little quiet room, which by now was probably in ruins.

Another sigh escaped her lips and she shifted a bit as her left leg was going slightly numb.

But now she was The Inquisitor, the Herald of Andraste and apparently the beacon of hope for hundreds who gathered in Skyhold and more and more kept coming.

Yes, she knew that she was not in it alone. She met some rather curious people. All of them knew how to handle their things and helped as much as they could.

She knew only little about Leliana or Cassandra. Both seemed very competent but Leliana gave her creeps with her cold and calculated ways and Cassandra, well Cassandra was one of the Seekers and no matter what, the instilled horror of Seekers was just too deeply rooted in all the Mages to just lightly brush aside.

Then there was Lady Montilyet. Always polite, respectful and resourceful but hardly anyone she could confide into.

She pondered for a few more moments, while tapping with her right index finger at her bottom lip.

Hmm then there was Commander Cullen. She wondered a few times if that was his first or last name but considered it rude to ask so she just followed suit with everyone else.

The man was different than how she imagined someone who used to be a Templar would be. He kept his reservations of course but seemed far friendlier than any other Templar she had ever met, and he seemed very polite and respectful even towards her.

That baffled her a little. The templars they accepted into Skyhold after uncovering the red lyrium plot were all grateful yet looked at her with that look in the eyes which she had seen too many times before "a mage should be locked up and to be sure better throw away the key" kind of a look.

Her gaze wandered towards the large guard tower to her left where she knew Commander Cullen made his makeshift headquarters and she felt her cheeks burn a little.

Lady Travelyan shook her head and straightened her back. This was absurd. She forcefully ripped her eyes from the tower and concentrated on a small, dark patch of forest in the ravine at the bottom of the valley.

And she sighed for the third time. No matter how she thought about it, this new life will be a lot to get used to and swallow.

Commander Cullen stood still and idly looked out of the window. The pile of papers on the table behind him kept growing as the day progressed towards early afternoon but he just couldn't bring himself to sit down and continue.

He felt restless and itched for a small walk. The weather was splendid after all and he felt that if he were to spend another moment in his office he would explode.

"That's it." He finally mumbled for himself and turned to take off some of his clothing. After all he did not need all of this during a little stroll and after a few moments his fur half cape and steel gauntlets were all neatly stashed at his seat behind the large table.

Better. The fur was a gift from Cassandra. Apparently, it was meant to give his armor some sort of glamour and distinguish him from the other soldiers but he felt that it made him look like he was wearing a dead cat behind his neck. But he was not brave enough yet to tell her his opinion, so he kept wearing it. He even gave the thing a name. "Sir Kabudal the wet coat".

He snickered slightly and slowly opened the door, to let his eyes get used to the bright daylight. Yes, he was indeed spending too much time indoors, he thought and stepped outside.

It took him a few seconds to adjust to the afternoon sunlight and suddenly he noticed that there was someone else occupying the ramparts.

Lady Trevelyan sat on the other side of it and looked thoughtful and a little bit sad, he noticed. And sitting so close to the edge was dangerous and foolish. He almost made his first step forward when he thought of something.

No matter how he looked at it, he knew nothing about their Inquisitor. Well apart from her being a mage and able to close the rifts. But that was it. He noticed a few times that she politely participated in all the necessary talks and planning. She was out sealing the important deals but nothing else. He never saw her having small talks with anyone from the immediate staff circle or anyone else for that matter.

Cullen frowned. This was the first time he actually stopped and wondered about who the Inquisitor was. He knew she had spent most of her life in the Circle in Ostwick and suddenly the realization hit him.

She had spent most of her time in the Circle, of course. And now she was here, in a foreign land, with people she didn't know, hurled into the spiral of events so fast it was wonders she remained calm and collected.

And he felt a bit ashamed. They had been in Skyhold for several weeks now and this was the first time he genuinely stopped to look at her and tried to see something else than just the imposing title of the Inquisition.

Well maybe he could have a word with her. After all he didn't have too many options. Either go forward and talk or rudely ignore her or go back in and continue his work.

That last thought made him shiver and so he proceeded forward.

"Quite a nice day." The voice of Commander Cullen suddenly echoed from behind her and made her almost jump out of her skin.

She turned quickly and grasped the stone for balance, the vertigo of sitting at the edge of the ramparts suddenly made her head spin and she felt a steel-like grasp on her right arm and sudden pull backwards. And she sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Commander." She bowed her head slightly when she felt the ground beneath her feet and looked up at the man in front of her.

Dependable. That was the first thought which rushed through her head. He looked like that sort of a man who could order his soldiers anywhere and they would follow. She had never seen him this close though. He looked taller, probably because he was not wearing his fur coat today. And she noticed the small scar above his lip and for a split second wondered how he got it.

"I apologize for startling you Inquisitor. Are you alright?"

Evelyn blinked realizing that she must have been staring and lowered her gaze while it also dawned on her that his hand was still grasping her right arm.

"I am. It was foolish to sit like that. I am sorry. But is there something I can help you with Commander?"

He looked around silently for a few moments, the situation was growing rather awkward fast, but this was her chance to get to know one of the people here a bit better and Evelyn was suddenly determined to not let it go to waste.

"Do you have some spare time Commander? I just realized we barely spoke to each other and given the circumstances I'd like to know a bit more about you...and the plans for soldiers and alike."

There a smooth safe. At least now it will look semi business-like. Evelyn congratulated herself and smiled at Commander Cullen.

"Of course, Inquisitor, we can hmm walk around for a while? It was what I had in mind anyway."

Evelyn noticed something rather endearing. Commander Cullen smiled back at her with that sort of innocent half crooked smile. It made him look friendlier somehow.

They slowly walked around the walls. Skyhold was busy at this hour, people rushing back and forth with their daily routines, but the ramparts were mostly deserted, safe for a few lookouts here and there. She liked it this way. It was perhaps for the first time since they all came here that she felt relaxed and could forget about the heavy duty which laid on her shoulders.

"Tell me, Lady Trevelyan was it, right?" Cullen paused for a bit looking for a confirmation. When she nodded, he continued? "I noticed that you looked rather worried when you were sitting at the wall, did something happen?"

He looked at her, waiting for the reply which gave him enough time to study her face. He never saw her this close or had free time to notice anything more than basics. Now he realized that the Inquisitor had rather comfortable aura around her, when not pressed with duty and business. She was perhaps head shorter than him, another thing he never noticed.

But she met him with her gaze and he realized that her eyes were beautiful. He has never seen anyone with this eye color before. Almost like melted gold.

"No, nothing serious Commander. I was just thinking about the events of the past days. I must admit that all is happening rather quickly. It is a great change from the life I led so far."

And Cullen realized what she meant. Of course, she was a mage, living in the Circle. Never traveling around or meeting so many people. Now that he thought about it, he was rather amazed how well she coped with the situation.

His arm moved on its own. Before he knew it, he gently laid it around her shoulders and looked down on her smaller frame. Something about this woman made him feel like he would tear down the whole world if it helped her carry this burden.

And she looked back with that same soft smile. "Thank you, Commander."

He was not sure what was the thanks for. But he knew that it did not matter. Not now. Life was surely strange. Back in Kirkwall he would have never thought that something like this was possible. Back then all the mages in his eyes were people ready to turn into monsters. Good only to be locked up and kept under check or cut down if they turned against the rules.

He was a different man now. He could see past his former prejudices and the fact that he was standing here with her made him the happiest he felt in ages.

He looked down and smiled. "Would you care for a brief lunch Lady Trevelyan?"

And she nodded. That nod made his heart soar. And he knew that with that soar his heart was lost to her.