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Slow Burning Dreamer	By : Breathing2nd Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 3692 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
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It was never quite as cold as she thought it should be. Somehow the great, towering fortress of Skyhold managed to keep the chill of the mountain air at bay. With its high walls and deep courtyards, the stronghold maintained a temperate environment, despite the tensions building outside its ramparts. Even with the wound burning in the sky, Isala Lavellan felt a thousand miles away from the chaos she knew raged just outside the sanctity of Skyhold.
The sun was shining brightly over the snowy mountains that surrounded them and it bathed the bastion in warm, glistening light. The pale haired elf stood motionless on the battlements, her eyes closed as she basked in the warmth of the sunrise as it spilled into the fortress. Small wisps of her hair escaped the hold she kept it drawn back in to fly around her face in the crisp morning breeze. The air was fresher here, more pure than it had been even in Haven, even in the forests with her clan. It was as if a spell had been cast over this place and it lived within a dream all its own. After all, it had been Solas who had told her where to find the castle in the sky. She wondered if the elven mage knew more about this Skyhold than he cared to share. There seemed to be a great many secrets Solas had yet to share with his elvish brethren.
A scuff of footfall opened her eyes and she spun to find the Inquisition’s Commander Cullen turning on his heel as if to leave. He stopped mid-stride and greeted Isala with a soft nod of his head. His expression was somewhat timid and unsure, as if she’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t have.
“Inquisitor.” He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. “I…didn’t mean to disturb you. I saw you out here and…”
“Thought you’d come say hello?” She offered. For someone so unyielding in battle and so certain in his command, Cullen was a lamb in situations that didn’t call for a firm hand. The elf smiled. It had been more than a month since he’d kissed her on the battlements and the entire encampment was still ablaze with rumors and gossip. She thought it had been bad when they’d caught her playing a friendly game of chess with the Commander. That was mild in comparison to what they’d started with a simple kiss. It wasn’t even that she was the Inquisitor and he their Commander, or even that she was an elf and he a human. No, it was her being a mage and him an ex-Knight Commander of the Templar Order that seemed to have everyone beside themselves. Now, when the ground was most unsteady between the mages and the Templars. Now, when they needed alliances more than ever.
Cullen ran a hand through his cropped blond curls and smiled quickly, but Isala could see the blood rushing to the surface of his cheeks. Humans always seemed to let their thoughts and feelings color their faces and this was perhaps even truer of the Commander.
“Yes, I mean no…I mean…” He sighed, his eyes lowering to the cold stone beneath them before he regained his composure. “Allow me to start over?” He asked softly, like a child might.
“By all means.” She didn’t hide the grin from him. Something about watching the usually stoic human squirm was endearing to the elf. Cullen visibly straightened and composed himself and then took a sure step toward her.
"Yes, Inquisitor, I saw you out here and thought I would bid you good morning,” he claimed another step but slowed as he grew closer. “But then as I drew closer I couldn’t think of anything else to say and I…” He sighed and the smile that pulled at the scar touching his lip was bashful. “I’m not very good at this, am I?”
Isala took a calculated step in his direction, close enough to rest a gentle hand on his arm. “You’re doing just fine.” She praised. “And my name…is Isala. This is not the war table, Cullen.”
“I think I might be more comfortable if it were.” He admitted. There was a gentle uncertainty that made him seem like more of a man than the armor and orders ever could. In these quiet moments where it was just the two of them, he showed her a kind of vulnerability that she rarely saw in the Commander.
Isala let her fingertips trace the rivets in his gauntlet. The metal was cold and hard and hid so much of Cullen behind it. Even his fingers were covered in thick leather and Isala found herself wanting to know what his bare hands felt like against her skin.
“Do you always wear you armor?” The elf asked, a soft smile playing across her delicate features. Even Cassandra took a bit of the weight from her shoulders when they sought refuge in Skyhold, but Isala couldn’t recall seeing Cullen in anything outside of full battle gear.
“Of course.” Cullen answered quickly, his eyes following the short lines the Inquisitor was making across his arm, even if it was on the armor. “A good commander is always prepared. He licked his lips. “I would not want to be caught unawares.”
Isala smiled. “Do you sleep in it then?”
Cullen opened his mouth and closed it. A sigh and a smile transformed his face. “No.”
Isala found her own smile growing mischievous. She watched her fingertips as she drew them back down to the edge of his armor where it extended over his wrist and just over the top of his hand. She let her fingers drop to the soft, taught leather covering his hands and she traced a swirling line down to his knuckles.
“I should like to see that.” She mused, not looking at him until that very moment. She saw the heat creep up his neck and a darkness fill his warm brown eyes.
“Would you?” He asked softly, darkly and his demeanor suddenly changed.
“Just to be sure.” She goaded, her voice growing quiet as she laced her fingers through his.
“Are you doubting your Commander?” He teased, enveloping her hand with his fingers and gently drawing her against him.
“Never.” She whispered and tilted her chin up at the precise moment he lowered his lips to hers. With a kiss, the Commander could convey every nuance he fumbled in speech. He could be assertive and strong but always the gentleman. It was refreshing and exhilarating for the elf. She’d never been with a human before and so far, there was no denying this one’s appeal.
Isala felt warmth spread through her, coiling in her middle until it nestled into the very center of her like a delicious ache. She made a small, needy sound against the human’s lips. The sound muffled by his mouth as it moved over hers as if to devour it. Her free hand snaked across his chest, beneath the folds of fabric, searching for a break in his armor. She felt metal and leather and all manner of straps and buckles holding the exquisite armor steadfast, but there was no sneaking inside. A comforting thought, in a way. A rogue would find it very difficult to make a clean kill of the Commander. They would have had to go for a direct attack to his head and the last thing any assassin wanted was for you to see it coming.
The elf made a frustrated growl. She wanted to touch him. To feel bare skin, not cold armor. She wasn’t certain if Cullen shared in her desire, but he reacted to that sound with a sudden jerk of his arm, effectively tugging the Inquisitor against that cold armor and crushing her to him with his free arm. His tongue licked just inside her mouth, caressing behind her lip before sliding over hers. She opened her mouth, inviting the deepening of the kiss. That dull ache tightened like a fist until it almost hurt.
They had only shared one kiss before this and it had ignited rumor and gossip throughout the Inquisition. One innocent confession of attraction and suddenly Orlesian’s were discussing wedding colors. She had thought it ridiculous and fleeting. She had left for a mission not a week after that first kiss and had only just returned in the small hours of the morning. She had hardly had any sleep at all. It was the first time she had seen the Commander in weeks. The first time she had touched him since that initial exchange. She hadn‘t been sure it could last. That one kiss could be better than another. That he could set her blood on fire the same as if it were the very first kiss, but the Commander never did anything halfway. He either gave all of himself or none.
There was a soft creek somewhere to their left and Cullen broke away and turned briskly on his heels. Isala could just see the young scout wincing in the doorway leading out to the bastion. He may have been the same poor recruit who had interrupted them the first time. She wondered if his Maker would be merciful, because she could almost feel the anger bristling over Cullen, like a porcupine readying its quills.
“Commander…uh…” The young man was almost visibly shaking. Isala felt a little giggle bubble up from somewhere in her throat. She couldn’t help it. The sound seemed to relax some of the tension in Cullen’s shoulders and the ex-Templar let go of a calming sigh.
“What is it?” Cullen asked briskly.
“You told me to fetch you sir, once Sister Liliana was ready to discuss those reports…sir.” The recruit looked to be almost bracing himself. Smart man.
“Yes…right…so I did.” Cullen sounded disappointed and Isala didn’t try to hide the smile that notion caused.
“Shall I tell her you’ll be along shortly?” The recruit hedged nervously.
“Yes, alright…go on.” Cullen waved the young man away and the boy seemed both relieved and anxious to be gone. The door he’d come through gave an audible sound as it closed behind him and Isala straightened against the battlements.
Well, I suppose you have to be going then. It was what she had been about to say. That is, before Cullen whirled back around and snatched her against him at the waist. She managed a slight gasp of surprise before even that was silenced by the crush of his mouth against hers. One thing was certain to the elf; the man knew how to kiss a girl. She felt her legs go weak just as every tiny hair stood up along her arm and that delicious warmth clenched hard and relentlessly at her center.
Cullen drew back breathlessly and smiled a sheepish sort of smile. Once again, he’d allowed his passions to ruffle his usually stoic demeanor, but Isala wasn’t complaining. This was a version of the Commander she wanted to see more of…intimately. After all, if the man could kiss like this, what else could he do? The thought alone sent a shudder through her and before she could stop herself she was licking her lips like a hungry wolf.
“I think Liliana can wait.” Isala murmured, nuzzling her cheek against the human’s chin. It was a little rough with stubble, but the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. Cullen’s smile widened before he lowered his forehead to butt softly against hers.
“If only that were true. She’ll have a flock of ravens perched on this bastion if I’m not along shortly.” The Inquisitor made a sound that was almost like a whine but Cullen only chuckled at the mild complaint. “I am glad you returned safely.” He breathed, his lips just out of reach due to the angle.
“Did you miss me, Commander?” She asked coyly. Cullen drew his face away just enough to gaze at her fully.
“What do you think?” He prompted softly, echoing her coy smile with one of his own. She felt the smirk twisting along her mouth as he pulled away and she resisted the urge to pull him back. It was so tempting and yet, she knew she couldn’t, at least, not right then. He had a duty to uphold and she had an inquisition to run. Every time she returned from the field there was always a thousand things waiting for her. A thousand people. A thousand letters. A thousand questions. A thousand things she fell inept at and ill-equipped to handle, and yet, that did not make them go away. She was, after all, the Inquisitor. She had accepted the title and had to live up to it. No matter how much she might have wanted to lose herself in anything, or in Cullen’s case, anyone else.
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Slow Burning Dreamer