Chapter 22

Elena looked down from the crest of the hill. Spread below her was the Rutherford's farm, or so the sign at the entrance boldly proclaimed. It was beautifully carved with sheep frolicking in wooden pastures and even tiny replicas of the buildings. She noted all of this as they walked by. Cullen didn't seem to be in a particular hurry as they meandered down the main lane past real sheep pastures, and finally arrived at the main body of the farm. A good-sized house stood in the middle of the yard, around it was a couple of large barns, a smaller outbuilding whose use was of mysterious intent, a vegetable garden, and even a separate flower patch which bloomed with late-season foliage. They pulled their horses to a stop and the animals stamped their feet impatiently as an eager sheep-dog wove in and around their legs barking at them. From the front door of the house burst a woman hollering at the dog. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun on the top of her head from which wild bangs had worked their way out and framed her face. She wore a simple blue gown and her brown apron was splotched with the evidence of cooking. She was so busy fussing at the dog to shush up already! That she didn't notice who had arrived until Cullen stood before her, hands on his hips. She stopped mid-fuss and stared at him, obviously surprised.

What happened next, Elena could not tell exactly, her view was blocked by her horse. There was the sound of a brief kerfuffle and as she came around the side of her mount, she saw Cullen being enveloped into the woman's arms in a fierce hug. Elena watched from the relative safety of her horse's head as the woman proceeded into a loud scolding. Cullen interrupted whenever he could, but always seemed to get cut short. She smiled watching him be cowed into a state of quiet while the woman continued on her rant. At length she stopped and brushed his shoulders free of dust and listened patiently while Cullen spoke much more quietly to her. Elena knew she was found out when the woman's face split into a large smile and she zipped over to wrap Elena in a hug as well. The speed of her arrival startled the horse and caused it to side step conveniently away from them, giving the woman more room for her crushing embrace.

Mia let go of Elena's shoulders and held her at arm's length. She examined Elena's face carefully while Elena did the same to her. Mia had warm brown eyes and the same golden hair as Cullen, although hers was long and tied up in a bun on top of her head. She wore a simple cotton dress fit for the warm weather with a heavier wollen apron tied over it. The apron was smutched with flour but that didn't diminish its obvious workmanship. Mia smiled broadly at Elena drastically changing her features from serious matriarch to easy going lady. She nodded her head once firmly and then spun around, dragging Elena along with her to Cullen's side. Elena listened intently as Mia began to pour forth an absolutely astounding amount of conversation as the three of them made their way inside the big house. Even though Elena tried her best to catch and understand what Mia was saying it seemed that large chunks were going in one ear and out the other. She cast a glance at Cullen for help, but he was also engrossed in the talk and didn't notice her.

"Well, yes, there is still a war on, Mia. We are just taking a short leave. I've just completed some business nearby and it didn't take as long as I had anticipated. Aren't you glad I'm home?" Cullen replied gently teasing his sister as they entered a large kitchen through a side door of the house.

"Of course I'm glad you're home! It's been so long! But Cullen! You've brought a noble lady to our home and we're not ready for that kind of visit. Why didn't you write me!?" Mia fussed back as she pushed Elena gently into a chair by a beautifully carved table. "I mean, is it really so hard? 'Mia, I will be coming by on such and such date with Lady Trevelyan. I will see you then. Cull.' That took all of ten seconds to come up with and say. What? It'd take two minutes to write and another one to send?" She handed Elena a steaming cup of tea and plunked a plate of brown bread and creamy yellow butter down in front of her. Elena reached out and took a slice of bread, spreading it carefully with the butter. She watched, entranced by the pair of them. Had she ever had such an easy relationship with her brothers?

"Mia, I didn't know when this visit would happen if it would happen at all. Do you propose I learn to tell the future? Am I not welcome in my own home?" Cullen answered her coming to stand behind Elena's chair. She felt his hands rest on the top rung of the ladder back.

Mia rolled her eyes and turned to Elena, "Can you believe him? Doesn't know when he's going to be running around Ferelden and near to Honnleath? Isn't he in charge of that sort of thing?"

Elena chuckled around her mouthful of bread and swallowed hastily, "He is but it isn't that simple this time." Elena held up her bandaged wrists, for whatever reason those injuries were taking longer than expected to heal. "I have been… unwell for awhile and only just became well enough to travel comfortably."

"Oh, don't you take the blame." She turned back to the cooking she'd abandoned when she came out to greet them, "He could have written and sent a messenger at any point. He's always been bad about writing, though. Did you know he didn't even write us after Kirkwall? No. We had to find out from someone else that he'd survived that debacle."

Cullen sighed, "I've apologized for that countless times, Mia. Must we keep dredging it up?"

"I'll stop bringing it up when you remember to keep in touch."

Mia opened the door admitting Elena into a small bedroom. "I'm sorry it's not as grand as you're used to." She said as Elena went inside and sank gratefully onto the bed. The room was small but it wasn't cramped. It wasn't unlike her room back at Skyhold.

She smiled at Mia, "Thank you. This is perfect." She said honestly. She bounced lightly on the bed, feeling the down feathers of the mattress shift beneath her pleasantly. The covers were of thick, soft gray wool woven with bursts of bright red and gold throughout. The pillows and sheets peeking out at the top of the carved wooden bed were of simple undyed cotton. She liked this bed far more than the one she had back at Skyhold. This bed belonged to a home and it was as if the feeling of familiarity that came with a home had seeped into it and in turn was seeping into her. Elena had never spoken truer words to another person than she had just done.

Mia seemed to realize this and relaxed a slight bit. Elena hadn't even noticed that the older woman was uncomfortable in her singular presence. "I'm glad it suits you. Rosalie will be pleased. I'll leave you to freshen up for supper." Mia left the door open as she exited the room. Elena went and closed it so she could dress for supper in peace.

It had been a long time since she had had to change clothes for her evening meal. Even in Ostwick the tradition hadn't been mandated unless company was over. Running a lesser noble house took far more work from the actual nobility than most people knew. Often there simply wasn't enough time for things like changing clothes to eat a meal. Mother wouldn't stand for unclean clothes no matter the occasion, though, and Elena's travelling gear was in an unacceptably disgraceful state. She could practically hear her mother's admonitions as she slipped out of her dirty shirt and into a cleaner one. There wasn't much she could do for her breeches, though. The time spent on the road and sleeping on the hard ground with soldiers had meant they were all equally dirty this close to the end of their trip.

She ran a comb through her tangled locks and carefully set her braids back behind her ears to hold her hair out of her eyes better. The rest fell in gentle raven colored waves down her back. It really was too long for fighting, yet she found herself admiring it. Perhaps if she wove some spiked straps into it… or pinned it fully up she could keep it. She pondered this as she took out clean bandages for her wrists and other assorted injuries that still needed healing salve applied to them daily. Healer Varmont had threatened her very life if she failed to do this once she left Skyhold and Elena was not fool enough to test his patience any further than she already had. Although, it would be fun to see what he'd actually do. She bared her left wrist and made a face at the marks the shackles had made in them. Would the raw skin circling her wrist turn into smooth, white scare tissue as some of her other injuries had? Or would it heal normally? She didn't think herself vain enough to truly care. However, if she were to be totally honest, she was vain enough to hope for the latter.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Yes? Come in." she said without thinking. A younger version of Mia entered the room, dropping into a lovely curtsy. "Please, don't do that." Elena said hastily reaching to help the young woman straighten up. Her bandage unwound and dropped to the floor as she did so. She cursed under her breath and went to retrieve it but found the young woman had already done so.

"Do you need help with this?" The woman asked holding the bandage out to Elena.

"No, thank you." Elena replied taking it and starting over. "I don't believe we have met yet?" She said looking up at the woman without raising her head.

The other woman started "Oh, no! I'm Rosalie. I'm Cullen's younger sister."

Elena tied off the bandage and began on her other wrist, "It's a pleasure to meet you. If you'll give me but a moment more I will finish and properly greet you."

Rosalie shook her head, "That's not necessary, my lady. I just came to let you know that dinner is almost ready and to show you back to the kitchen."

Elena nodded, "If you insist; though, I am sure I could find it on my own."

Rosalie bobbed her head, "That's what I told Mia, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She says that since you're noble we've got to do things with the best of manners we can manage."

Elena rolled her eyes and stood, trying futilely to rid her breeches of dust as she did so, "I am hardly noble. Trevelyan is a house of the Free Marches. We aren't in the Free Marches so my title means little here. Feel free to ignore it. I know I do."

Rosalie chuckled, leading the way from the room, "A noble who doesn't want to be noble?"

Elena shrugged, "I suppose you could say that…."

"No wonder my brother is so enamored with you. You are very refreshing." Rosalie turned a corner and spread her hands wide, "Here is the kitchen. I know it was a dreadfully long walk to get here."

"The absolute longest journey I have ever taken." Elena agreed solemnly as she seated herself next to Cullen. Rosalie chuckled as she busied herself with setting out the serving dishes. Elena waited patiently while several sumptuous smelling dishes were set before her and Cullen. Once the table was fully set, Mia went out and shouted for the others to come in for the meal. Once everyone was seated and introductions made, the dishes were passed around. Elena piled her plate full of roasted chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes with gravy, and even a fresh roll still steaming from the oven topped off with dollops of soft, yellow butter. Everyone fell silent as they tucked into their meals. Elena hadn't had food served to her this way in so long that it made everything taste more wonderful. She sat in contented silence, munching away at her plate.

"So, Cullen, how is the Inquisition?" Rosalie asked after everyone's plate was empty. "Are they treating you well enough?"

Cullen leaned back, clasping his hands on top of the table. "Rosalie, I command its army. I think it goes without saying I get treated well-enough. I worry about my men, though. Those that are closest to Skyhold, I know are well-taken-care-of. However, the ones farther afield, say for instance in the Exalted Plains, those are the ones I worry about most. Communications between us and them are often so far-spread apart that I wonder should an emergency arise would anyone be able to help them?"

"Surely the Inquisitor could?" Mia added in, "There's no reason to worry when he's about from what I've heard in the village."

Rosalie nodded, leaning in closer to Elena, "And I heard he's quite the looker, your Inquisitor, is that true?"

"Rosalie! You know that her ladyship is the Inquisitor's sister! I doubt she has ever considered what his appearance looks like to little strumpets like you!" Mia flicked a crumb of bread at her younger sister playfully.

Rosalie grimaced, "Oh, she doesn't like all that 'your ladyship' nonsense, Mia! Just call her Elena! That's her name! And of course she doesn't think of her brother as attractive but she's got eyes and so do we. Certainly, they bear some resemblance to each other!"

Elena giggled, "Is this what it's like to have sisters?" she asked Cullen quietly while Mia and Rosalie loudly bickered about Erik's looks and the validity of Elena's opinion on his looks.

Cullen smiled, "I'm afraid so. Rosalie is still in that stage of life where young women look at male heroes with an extra air of awe, it would seem. I thought she had grown out of it from Mia's letters…."

"You actually respond to her?"

Cullen's cheeks reddened a bit as he stuttered, "I—I mean, she's—she's my sister. I have to write to her occasionally, don't I?"

Elena smirked at him, "When did you last write to her?" Cullen fell silent, "That recently? No wonder you are so up to date."

"And another thing, Rosalie, you are too old to be pining after men you've never even seen a picture of much less met!" Mia finished off her argument with a decisive nod and crossed her arms over her chest, "Now I won't hear no more wheedling information out of her ladyship about her brother or else no dessert!"

Rosalie looked as if she'd been slapped across the face, "Oh, but Mia! Dessert is the best part!"

"May I cut in?" Elena chimed in, when both women fell silent and looked at her she continued, "I'm afraid that even if Rosalie had met Erik, she never would have stood a chance."

"See? The Inquisitor has a noble lady friend. I imagine there'll be a wedding at the end of all this!" Mia reached out and tugged Rosalie's earlobe before turning back to the stove to retrieve dessert.

"Oh, there's no noble lady." Elena said slyly looking Rosalie steadily in the eyes, "There is a noble man, however."

"GET OUT!" Rosalie squealed, leaning over the table to get closer to Elena. Elena smiled warmly at her and began to explain about Erik's predilections and Dorian. Mia protested the whole time. Cullen went very quiet and eventually excused himself muttering something about not wanting to intrude on women's talk. Eventually the conversation drew to a natural close and everyone wandered back to their rooms to settle down for the night's rest. Elena decided that she rather liked it here. Home had never been a particularly warm place for her back in Ostwick, but here, in Ferelden, home felt much more like home. As she drifted into sleep she wondered if she would ever have something like it.