The Last Dance
— (Cullen & Ellana)
.
He found her on the balcony.
Ellana was positioned by the balustrade of the Empress' terrace, facing away from him. She stood tall and proud, her gloved hands clasped loosely behind her back, and there was no evidence of the tension that had stiffened her broad shoulders throughout the evening. She was still, unnervingly so, and it was impossible to tell what she could be thinking from her posture alone. That was typical of the Inquisitor, however, so Cullen did not think on it too deeply as he approached.
"There you are," he said, hoping that his tone was more casual than he felt. "The others were beginning to miss your presence."
"They are celebrating," Ellana responded, her low voice washing over him in a cool waterfall. Her gaze remained steadily on the far-off horizon, even as he arrived at her side. "I did not want to disrupt that."
Their shoulders brushed slightly as she leaned in Cullen's direction, and he smiled down at his gloved hands. "They are celebrating you, you know. The things you have achieved tonight are extraordinary."
It was true. He thought of the way they had all watched, frozen, as their Inquisitor wrangled three political giants into complete and utter submission with nothing but a cunning smile and an iron fist. In that moment he had been furious at her for working off of a plan that he had had no previous knowledge of, terrified that it would fail... and proud when it didn't. So proud. Because despite how much he utterly loathed The Game and nobility and all of that rot, he could not deny that Ellana handled the evening masterfully despite possessing so little experience in court. She was a natural, and it had been a moment of triumph when she had emerged from that web of schemes unscathed and victorious.
"This victory is not mine alone," Ellana responded, and it could have been interpreted as deflective modesty had she not said it so matter-of-factly. "Te'lise deserves such a celebration far more than I do. Tonight's outcome would have been impossible without the information she gathered."
"I have no doubt she is celebrating as we speak." Cullen said, thinking of how he had seen Solas and Te'lise slip out onto a private balcony of their own when he was still in search of Ellana.
Ellana finally looked at him then. Her blue eyes were unfathomable and impossibly dark in the moonlight. "And you?"
"What of me?"
“Are you celebrating?" Ellana clarified. "I know tonight has been difficult for you."
Cullen grimaced. Unwelcome, grabbing hands appeared in his mind's eye for a brief moment, followed by a cacophony of coquettish laughter. "I would rather leave the... unnecessary... events of the night in the past."
"I should have killed them for daring to lay their hands on you," Ellana said very quietly. She had gone stiff, and Cullen wondered if her clasped hands were now clenched into trembling fists behind her back. She was a master of restraint, but he knew that such restraint had limits, no matter how carefully cultivated it was.
Cullen leaned into her, resting his hand on her lower back. "You frightened them off well enough, I'd think. The noblewoman you were whispering to looked ready to faint dead away."
"I should have liked to see the spectacle that would have made," Ellana responded viciously, and that startled a chuckle out of him, low and warm.
"I wasn't celebrating before," Cullen said after a moment of silence. "It didn't feel right to, given the circumstances."
"Yes," Ellana sighed out. "Therein lies the problem." She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the balustrade and splaying her gloved fingers against the marble. Such long, nimble fingers, Cullen noticed distractedly. "Tonight struck a blow against Corypheus. I cannot imagine relaxing in any capacity when I am certain he is plotting his revenge as we speak." Her dark lips tilted upwards at the corners. "He must be furious, the sorry bastard."
Cullen smiled crookedly, despite himself. "I believe you are the only person in Thedas who dares to speak of him so fearlessly."
"To speak with fear, one must be afraid. I am not afraid of Corypheus." She straightened and turned towards him fully. Cullen was startled by the sudden change in her demeanour - her eyes were glittering, and there was a cocky set to her broad shoulders and full hips that made his head swim dizzily for a brief moment. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cullen said distantly.
"The band inside just finished a set. If Josephine's lessons are anything to go by, they will be performing the last one momentarily." She extended a gloved hand to him, her silver sleeve catching the moonlight and setting it aglow. "Dance with me, Cullen."
"I don't dance," he croaked reflexively, and inwardly cursed himself for it.
Ellana did not react to this with icy acceptance as she had earlier when he had made that same blunder. Instead, she wiggled her fingers with something akin to - playfulness?
"You don't mean that," she said with confidence. "You only don't dance when the proposal is unwelcome."
Cullen smiled helplessly. "You know me too well." He rested his hand in hers, and sucked in a sharp breath when in one swift movement, Ellana had an arm around his waist and was tugging him close. He stared down at her in wide-eyed bemusement. "I- what?"
"If I recall, you said people were celebrating me," Ellana said. "Thus, I will lead." And Maker, sweet Maker, was that a smile dancing across her face? It was beautiful in its expressive sincerity, and so rare of a sight to witness that Cullen held his breath in fear of scaring it away.
Cullen forgot the embarrassment he felt at being held in such a way, he forgot the stress and exhaustion and residual anxiety that had plagued him throughout the evening, he forgot the Inquisition and the war and the looming threat that was Corypheus - he forgot it all in the wake of the quiet, breathtaking joy that glowed in Ellana's lovely uplifted face.
"Then I will follow," Cullen found himself saying in response, and the double meaning to those words were not lost on them both. Ellana's hand tightened on his, and then they were dancing, and they did not stop until the next person came to find them, long after the moon had journeyed to its peak in the vast expanse of the night sky.
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My Dragon Age Couples
Alistair Theirin x Selky Cousland
a young, playful couple who coped with shouldering the fate of the world by carving out time to have many sweet, silly, and tender moments together
when I think of my Cousland, I'm reminded of a song lyric: "a little innocent, a little naughty" as she lived a sheltered noble life, but found she loved getting her hands dirty--and couldn't keep them off Alistair either
she also gets jealous easily even though she has nothing to worry about since King Alistair is madly in love with his rough-and-tumble, ball-and-chain queen
the legendary, fairytale union between the witty, handsome King Alistair and the pretty, doe-eyed Hero of Ferelden are often gossiped about throughout Thedas
Fenris x Liora Hawke
a serious couple who went through a lot of highs and lows and have many differences, but will always be there for each other
my Hawke is sarcastic and as charming as a politician, but shows her tender side only to those closest to her
she's rather vain about her appearance and her warrior fighting style left her with many facial scars over the years which causes her much dismay
Fenris easily picks up on her self-consciousness and reminds her that she is still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen
Cullen Rutherford x Tauni Trevelyan
a caring, passionate couple who share guilt over finding such a beautiful romance with each other due to the weight of responsibilities and burdens they bear
my Trevelyan is very kind and faithful, which many might consider weak or naive, but it's because of her strength that she can walk a path of compassion
she always gives more than she takes so her tenderness cracked the heart of her beloved commander, allowing him to finally recover from his lyrium addiction
With her a mage and Cullen a former templar, Tauni always ruminated over what he thought about her and she struggled to overcome her reservations despite her deep attraction to him
Cullen's awkwardness empowered Tauni to open up and relax since she found teasing him to be very amusing
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More Cullavellan Headcanons
Lavellan has a tendency to steal his cape/mantle, stating it's cozy and smells like him. He's given up trying to stop her.
Cullen is a living heater. He's never bothered by the cold. The Inquisitor loves cuddling him on cold nights.
When they found her after Haven, he wrapped her in his cape to keep her warm.
Lavellan can get very protective when she senses he's uncomfortable. She nearly killed those nobles at the Winter Palace, especially the one who touched his butt.
Cullen is a huge history nerd. Especially Ferelden and Templar History.
When Lavellan finds Templar artifacts or unique Templar weapons on her adventures, she brings them to him, partially to learn about them and partially to watch him geek out (she thinks it's adorable)
They sometimes dance together in private. He's getting better at it.
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