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Dawn of Beginning	By : EunjiMinJeon Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 2459 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age world nor characters.

Chapter List
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As Sirena woke up, she noticed the warmth that she was cuddling with during the night was now gone. She sat up with a groan and held her hand to her head feeling a slight headache. Her legs slipped off the bed making her feet touch the ground. Looking around her surroundings, the young American woman realized she was in a tent. She also found her clothes sitting at the foot of the cot that she had been sleeping on. The young lady immediately grabbed them and put them on as soon as Dorian came in.
“The handsome commander stayed with you all night.” Dorian said causing her to fall on the cot in surprise.
“Really?”
“You also stayed in his tent, where he carried you.”
“Say what now?” He shook his head at her question as she finished getting dressed.
“Did your plan succeed?” The Tevinter mage asked curiously.
“Yes, it actually did. A little too well, I think.” Sirena confirmed before she heard arguing outside the tent. Dorian held the flap open for her as she took slow steps out into the cold. Finally, a shiver had taken over her.
“They’ve been at it for a while.”
“If they are arguing about what to do next, I want to be there.” The American said wanting to help guide the inquisition.
“You should be resting.”
“He’s right.” Sister Giselle said as she snuck up behind the two who were talking privately. “Your heated voice will not help. They watched you defend then fall only to return to back to us.”
“I didn’t die. I just got badly hurt.”
“Of course; and the dead cannot return from across the veil, but the people know what they saw.” Giselle was sympathetic to the human girl while ignoring the mage that was beside her. “Or perhaps, what they needed to see. The Maker works both in the moment and how it is remembered. Can we truly know the heavens are not with us?”
“No offence, but I don’t believe in such things.” The outlander walked away from the mother and looked at the advisors.
Two of them were sitting by the fire while Cullen stood away from the other two peering down at the ground. Out of nowhere, Giselle started singing which caught everyone’s attention since they knew the song. The American then missed her MP3 player. It would have made it easier to ignore the religious song that was getting sung. She winced when the mother stood next to her as her face turned beet red from embarrassment. Even Evelyn stood next to her and sung as well. Sirena looked for a way to escape from standing between the two women.
When it was finally over, the outlander ran off to a secluded area where she was able to be alone. Were the people kneeling to her or their herald? She got lost in her thoughts as she stared off into space while humming a song from her time. The American didn’t even hear anyone join her, but felt the person sit next to her which caused her to jump. Her eyes glanced over to see the suave Tevinter.
“I wonder when they will come up with a plan; walking around in the snow is making my feet wet.”
“All I have to say to that is… Shit happens.” He looked over at her and smirked like he had some secret to tell.
“Want to know something interesting?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I think the oh so handsome commander likes you.” Sirena let out a tired sigh and rolled her eyes at Dorian.
“You’re not the first to say that.”
“And? How do you feel about him?” She pulled her legs closer into her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
“Well… I get the warm fuzzies when I’m around him. I do like him, though, I shouldn’t.”
“Why shouldn’t you like him?” He asked her curiously. Didn’t everyone deserve a chance to be with the one they liked?
“It’s complicated.” The American said summing up the truth without giving anything away. It was her secret and one that no one should know.
“Complicated… That is what they all say.” Dorian shook his head wondering what could possibly be so complicated to confess one’s feelings for another.
“Oh, I know. In this case, it’s the truth. It really is quite complicated.”
“How in the Maker is it complicated? If you like the man, you should tell him, otherwise I will try and get into his trousers.” Sirena couldn’t help but let out a little snort. That was amusing to her ears.
“Good luck with that. I bet he won’t be interested.”
“Speaking of… Did you know he was looking over here?” Dorian asked while looking back to see Cullen glaring at him. “And he’s glaring at me. I wonder why…?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you go and ask him?” She asked him with a little smirk playing at her lips.
“Nah, I’ll enjoy the glare. It’s a look at least.” He finally stood up and offered his hand to her. “Anyways… you should get out of the cold before you get sick.”
“Indeed, I should.” She took his hand as he helped her up. The two walked past Cullen as her eyes glanced at him. It was true, he was actually glaring at the mage beside her. As they walked towards the commander’s tent, Evelyn ran up to Sirena and grabbed her arm then thought better of it when she saw an agent.
“Get the advisors.” The Herald commanded to the person that basically ran errands between the advisors.
“Yes, Lady Herald.” Sirena raised a brow at her before getting inside the Commander’s tent where it was warm inside. Of course, Dorian never left her side. She went and sat down on the cot as the Tevinter leaned against the desk. After a minute or two, Evelyn and the advisors entered the rather roomy tent. When Cullen saw an empty spot next to the Herald’s cousin (at least whom everyone thinks is her cousin) he immediately sat next to her while still slightly glaring at the mage. The others just stood around waiting for what their Herald had to say.
“So, I will start off with the mark that was on Sirena’s hand; it was fake. It was made to fool the Elder One.” The American let out a little cough before giving his name to them. “Okay… Corypheus… I appreciate what you did Sirena, but you will not do that again.”
“Why? My life is expandable. Yours is not. I did what needed to be done. One person’s sacrifice to save many is worth it… ish.”
“Ish?”
“You don’t want to know…. Really, you don’t.” Evelyn raised a brow at Sirena, now very curious to know what she meant.
“You will explain that later. The next thing I wanted to say was there’s a place in the Frost Backs that Solas told me about. The inquisition can go there.”
“Do you know where it is located, Herald?” Leliana asked wanting to know where it was at.
“No, but Solas will help lead us there. It is better than nothing at this point.” The Herald said trying to convince the advisors.
“In other words, if we don’t leave now, we may all die from hypothermia.” The American added hoping what she said would make them understand. “If you don’t know what that means then let me enlighten you all. It means you will freeze to death.” Everyone then stared at her because of her bluntness. At least it did add to the severity of their situation.
“We will follow you, Herald.” Cullen finally spoke up, answering for the other two survivors and himself.
“Great! Meeting adjourned then.” Evelyn Trevelyan said before leaving the tent. She then poked her head in like she had forgotten what she wanted to say before she left. “Ah, yes, we will be leaving in the morning.” Trevelyan then left just as Leliana and Josephine walked out leaving Dorian, Cullen, and Sirena behind in the tent. The outlander sat there awkwardly looking down at her hands when she heard the man next to her speak up.
“How is your hand doing? Mind if I look?” Cullen asked while completely ignoring the mage that was with them and instead focused on the woman beside him. When he saw her shake her head, he carefully took her hand in his and examined her small soft palm. He knew he was just making an excuse to hold her hand. Hopefully no one else knew. The Commander finally noticed the mage had moved to her other side which made a warmth flow through him that wasn’t a good feeling. This was his time with her. Realizing how he was feeling, he cleared his throat and stood up while letting go of her hand. “Your hand looks like it is almost completely healed. I uh… I will be going then.” He turned away and walked as he shook his head at himself while scolding himself ‘she isn’t mine. She’s free to be with anyone she wishes. It’s not my business.’ Cullen had to continue to remind himself as he walked away.
As Sirena watched him leave, a feeling of confusion washed over her. She looked down at her left hand where she still felt tingles from when he touched her. Finally looking up, she saw Dorian who looked just as baffled as she was. Yet, there was a small smile of amusement on his face. The mage then spoke up, thinking his thoughts out loud.
“He definitely does not like me. He probably sees me as a threat since I have better hair than he does.” Dorian joked but he was telling the truth about the commander thinking of him as a threat. The hair part was a joke obviously.
“I personally like his hair.”
“You would. Anyway, I should get going, we all need our rest for the journey tomorrow.”
The next morning, the outlander woke up rather early to get a head start on packing things up even though she shouldn’t be moving that much quite yet. Since she had fallen asleep with her clothes on, all she did was brush her teeth and hair before leaving the tent. She wanted to help out in any way she could, so, she would stay busy but didn’t know where to start. The American looked around and saw the Commander enter the tent that she had left. The outlander then decided to follow him to see if he needed any assistance. When she stepped inside, Sirena saw Cullen pack up the few things that were out.
“Would you like any help?” Her eyes remained trained on him as he turned his head slightly to speak to her.
“Not much to help with, but you’re welcome to try your luck with the cot.” He answered while wondering if she even knew how to dismantle it.
“Okie dokie!” The young woman walked over to the make shift bed and kneeled down by it. She took the pillow off and set it aside before she could take the blankets off and fold them. Once they were folded and ready to be packed, her eyes looked for a way to fold the thing back up. The American crawled under the cot and rolled her back while wincing to find the latch or something. “Bloody hell, you’d think I would know more about cots since I was raised as a military brat.” She mumbled to herself; what she didn’t know was the other person in the room had heard her.
“Having any problems?” Sirena raised her head up, hitting it against the cot that she was trying to dismantle before scooting all the way out after hearing his voice. Slightly stunned, she raised a hand to her head and rubbed it gently.
“Just a little issue.” She admitted while looking up at him only to see the man looking down at her in return. “I can’t figure out how to fold this darn thing…” A soft chuckle could be heard from the one above her before he kneeled down beside the transportable bed. He unlatched the clasps very easily with a smirk.
“Guess you don’t know much about military bedding for someone who is related to a person in the army. Who in your family was military?” Her eyes widened from shock. She had no idea that he had heard her mutter to herself. He was closer to her than she thought he was.
“My father was in the military.” Sirena admitted as her cheeks turned into a light shade of pink. At least it was a question that was easy to answer for it didn’t need that much details. Though, at the same time because she was vague, he had raised a brow at her. And that movement alone made her wonder if he still didn’t trust her. It’s not that she didn’t want to tell him the whole truth but it was the fact that she couldn’t. She wanted to. If she did tell him, would he treat her differently? “I am going to wait outside with my horse.” Before she could walk out, Cullen spoke out to her.
“Sirena, your mount didn’t make it…” His words stopped her in her tracks as her eyes started to burn from the tears that started to pool in her eyes.
“What?” The American asked as she slowly turned around to face the man.
“Your horse… It died in Haven from the mages attack.” Cullen’s words were like a stab to her heart. She loved animals and to hear hers had died really tugged at her heart. It was clear he saw her tears since he had rushed over to her and slipped his strong arms around her. He pulled her close to him to the point she could feel his body heat. It was obvious that he had felt bad for her.
“I’m sorry about your horse. You’re welcome to ride with me.” Silently, she nodded her head in agreement.
“Okay.” Cullen pulled away from her and took her hand to lead her over to his horse since everything was packed. Everything but the tent itself anyway.
“Wait here, I’ll finish packing up the tent. Then I’ll be back.” Sirena nodded her head again and watched him walk away. Tingles were what remained after he let her go. She felt a nudge against her back. Looking behind her, she saw the commander’s horse trying to get her attention. With a small smile, the American turned around to pat the horse’s neck. She received little comfort petting another horse that wasn’t her own. A few more tears streamed down her face. The outlander wiped her tears away as she sniffled softly. Sirena didn’t seem to have to wait for long when she saw Cullen. “The tent is packed and I had to help the soldiers with a few things.” Out of nowhere she felt herself get lifted up onto the saddle which caused her eyes to go wide from surprise. A few seconds later Cullen got into the saddle behind her.
The inquisition began their travels through the pass. Since not everyone couldn’t have a horse, they were stuck walking. Most of the horses were carrying resources that were needed. The motion of swaying in the saddle made it hard to stay awake. Her eyes grew heavy from sleep. She had no idea that she was leaning against the commander who was very comfortable to lean against despite the armor. Every now and again, the American’s eyes would snap open during the travels. She had no idea how long it was going to take to get to Skyhold. It couldn’t take that long, could it? Her butt was even sore from sitting.
It looked like they were going to stop for the night, it actually made her confused. Did she really sleep for that long? Cullen’s mount stopped moving with the others. The Commander dismounted then held his arms ups for her to help with her own dismounting.
Sirena slipped into his arms easily as she had dismounted off his steed. Once her feet landed on the ground, she took a quick look around to see where they were at. It looked like they were going to camp out for the night due to everyone’s actions around her. Most people had brought out their sleeping bags since they didn’t want to bring out the tents. Cullen removed his arms from her before making his way over to Solas and Evelyn. The American watched the three talk before the blonde man walked back over to where she was standing.
“We will be getting up early in the morning. A lot earlier than the day before.” Sirena nodded her head to show that she had understood. Silently, she walked over to a covered cart where the sleeping bags sat. She grabbed two sleeping bags and made her way back to where the commander stood standing. The American held out a sleeping roll to him. He took the roll and set it on the ground near a tree. It looked like they were not going to sleep in a tent; probably to save some time. Before she set her own down, she grabbed the horse’s reins and passed it over to Cullen. While he tied the reins to the tree, she laid the sleeping bag down on the ground. When she sat down on the roll, she was going to sleep in, the American girl realized the ground was more dry where her and Cullen were at than those out in the open since the tree could block rain and snow. “You really loved the horse you had, didn’t you?” She heard him ask out of curiosity.
“I did… I love all animals, for the most part.” Sirena replied. She took a deep breath before letting him in on her thoughts. “I love animals but I don’t like people except for a select few. I believe most people are cruel and some deserve to die or suffer in return.”
“What happened to you that made you feel and think like that?” The American looked up at him to see Cullen looking intensely at her.
“I had been dealing with someone who wouldn’t leave me alone. He or she constantly stalked me saying very rude and crude things like calling me a butch ass pig or how much of a whore they thought I was. It even got to the point that the person wished death on not only myself but my family as well. Who says that to someone? And not only that, but the person said things like my father should have killed me while I was a baby.” As she talked, tears sprang into her eyes. She couldn’t even tell him about computers, so, she had to keep part of the truth out of what she was saying. “He or she even said that they would torture me and also gave rape and death threats. Because of that person, I became hateful of humanity. I wish that person dead or they would just disappear.” Sirena said angerly with hate showing her eyes that even shocked Cullen. He was so pissed off himself to the point he balled his hands into fists as he had listened to her explanation. “I wouldn’t be this hateful bitch if it wasn’t for that person. I was nice to everyone once even a bit naïve; it only stopped since they can’t get me here.” The American admitted to him. It was surprising how much she had told him about her feelings and thoughts; at the same time, it was relieving to have someone to talk about it with to the point a little weight was lifted off her shoulders.
“If that person would have actually landed a hand on you, I would hunt that person down and defend your honor.” Cullen said with a bit of rage in his voice. His own fury surprised her. Why would he care about her honor or what happened to her and her mental state?
“No offense Cullen, but why do you care so much.” She asked with a raised brow.
“No man should treat a woman that way and no woman should be so manipulative. You specifically don’t deserve to be treated with so much disrespect. It is plainly obvious that whoever it was, doesn’t know you.”
“And you do?” Sirena asked a bit heatedly. She couldn’t control her anger whatsoever. He had no clue what emotions he felt. That person had made cry and think of suicide more times than she could count. What that person did had damaged her. It’d be a miracle if she was able to heal from the situation. Though, she would never be able to give a person the benefit of the doubt ever again. People had to earn her trust.
“I know more than that man or woman does, that much is clear. I would also like to learn more about you.” Her eyes widened from his response and the anger within her had dissipated rather quickly. The Commander also looked shocked from his bold confession. He even blushed. Because of his words, her negative emotions were able to disappear only to be replaced with the feeling of gratitude mixed with something she couldn’t explain.
“I’d like that too, but the other way around. Where I learn more about you.” The American stumbled over her words since she was still slightly stunned. Her cheeks slowly turned red from blushing. “Well, I think that is enough talk for the night.” She said as she settled on the bed roll.
“How long has the person been hurting you?” Cullen asked which caused her to let out a little sigh. She hoped he would have dropped the subject after getting to a better and lighter topic.
“Cullen, I thought we had dropped the bad topic.”
“Sirena…” He said in a tone that told her not to argue for it was authoritative.
“Fine, it’s been going on for a while. Far longer than it should.” She said truthfully. “If you don’t mind, I would like to stop talking about it.”
“Alright.” He watched as her breath slowly evened out. The Commander couldn’t sleep due to how pissed he felt from what he was told. He couldn’t believe a person would do that to a fellow human being, though, look at the world they were living in. Cullen felt like she was hiding something from him. Her own emotions perhaps or something else entirely. All he knew was that his gut was telling him there were things she was not telling him.
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Dawn of Beginning