My Warden (COMPLETED)

Release

Pinching his forehead, Cullen tried to stretch his legs out from under the foreign desk. It must have been built with the always shrinking Mothers in mind as he kept banging his toe, heel, and knee into it when shifting his legs. To get through the day, he'd have to sit turned to the side, which gave whoever he was meeting with the impression that he was in a hurry and didn't care for what they had to say.

Situated near the Grand Cathedral, the borrowed office was so he could take all the meetings he should have had in Skyhold. Most were with dignitaries and others that moved between the fortress and Orlais, willing to pass on information or trusted enough to carry it. He claimed it far from the apartment so there was no risk of anyone recognizing Lana, and Leliana was happy to establish it.

Craning his neck back, Cullen gazed through the ceiling and wondered what the two of them were up to. When he last saw Lana she was hunched over a piece of vellum not writing but drawing an eternal series of lines to make a grid. After Leliana appeared with a bag of coins, rocks, and two bottles of wine he knew it was time to leave them alone, though Honor bravely stayed behind.

It'd been a long day of getting nowhere with people who had little to no push within the Inquisition. Half he didn't recognize, and the other he knew as cooks or buyers that once reported to Josephine and now answered to an amalgam of people. So many months since he last visited, and Cullen knew nothing of Skyhold's current infrastructure. All of his meetings kept making mention of some big Satinalia feast as if he should know of it and be planning to attend, but...Maker, what day was it again?

He reached out to pick up a mug of mead when a knock broke against the door. Taking a swig to clear out his caked in throat, Cullen called out, "Enter."

Detan appeared, her hair tied back even tighter than usual giving her a haunting look that reminded him of some of the well preserved corpses in Nevarra. She bowed deeply, and he waved his hand. They'd been working together long enough, Cullen saw no reason to stand on ceremony. "Ser!" When she snapped up she all but saluted, which set Cullen on edge.

"What is it?" he asked, praying he didn't hear about the apartment catching on fire or something worse happening.

"There is a...you have a visitor, um, uh..."

Cullen's concern moved to the level of an army marching over the mountains. He'd never seen Detan flustered, and she'd regularly deal with the Divine, Grand Clerics, the Grand Enchanter, and Empress' trio. Who could get to her? As he staggered to his feet the answer carefully stepped into the door.

"Commander."

"Inquisitor," Cullen struggled to not gasp at the patrician elf filling the doorway. Despite having a wiry frame, he always managed to command a room as if it wasn't large enough to contain him. And all without relying upon bombastic bluster as most other nobility required.

Smiling with his thin lips, the Inquisitor turned grey eyes upon Detan. She giggled, a blush rising to her pale cheeks which she tried to fan away with her clipboards. "Could you give us leave, please? We have matters to discuss."

"Ah, yes, Ser, Inquisitor Sir, I..." Detan scrambled away so fast her heel smacked into the door.

It startled the certain Inquisitor so much he reached out to grip onto her hand to steady her and Detan melted fully into the puddle. Murmuring barely words, she slid out the rest of the way and loudly slammed the door. Outside they both heard a "Maker, damn it!" as she cursed herself before stepping away.

Spinning back to face Cullen, the Inquisitor tipped his chin, "I see you are in good health."

"I had no idea you intended to travel to Val Royeaux," Cullen gasped, sliding around the desk.