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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 they approached what looked to be a castle in the distance, Sirena watched while the Herald run up on some rocks, which she thought was idiotic of her for it could be dangerous. Didn’t anyone else think she was going to slip on the snow and hurt herself? Though, who was she kidding? She’d end up laughing her ass off. It wasn’t something she’d be able to control since she found that sort of thing funny. And she really did need some amusement. Luckily for the Herald, she did not lose her footing. The trek to the fortress had taken for far too long for her to handle in her state, but she kept her complaints to herself.
“Is it just me? Or should we be hearing some bad ass music while standing silently?” The American asked which earned her some looks while Dorian only gave her a smirk.
“You know… You may be right! We could use a little fanfare.” Varric looked over at the two who were conversing. He didn’t disagree which meant told her the three of them were very similar yet so different at the same time.
“I think that would be a bad idea Sparkly. Your ego is already high.”
“I don’t know if I should be offended or not.” It was clear the two were joking around, though, she couldn’t help but wonder what she had just started.
Before she knew it, they were walking again. The only thing that made Skyhold seem far away to her were the damned hills. But in no time at all, the American made it up the incline and found herself at the abandoned fortress. As she stood at the entrance taking in her surroundings, people were already milling about, getting everything set up to the best of their ability. It was then when Sirena had decided to take a look around the place. Of course, during this time there wasn’t much to look at due to all the debris and cave ins that needed to be repaired in the place. Though, she had seen the rather large building in the game, but it was different in person.
After a while, she noticed people were heading in the same general direction. Out of curiosity, the outlander decided to see what was going on herself. Because of her small stature, she was able to push her way through the throng of people. The American had forgotten why there was a mass of people who had gathered around at the entrance of Skyhold for she had been busy doing a little adventuring of her own. Once she made her way to the front of the crowd, the blonde spotted Josephine and gave her a nod of acknowledgement before making her way over to her.
“What is going on?” Sirena asked softly so only the Antivan woman was able to hear her in the rather loud crowd.
“The Herald doesn’t know it yet, but she will become the Inquisitor.”
“She’s not going to like that at all…” The American looked over to her left and saw the Commander. She would have been standing next to him normally, but currently, she was avoiding him. Sirena never meant to show that side of her nor did she mean to tell him so much. What if he began questioning things that he shouldn’t know about? Probably because of her, he just might. While she looked around, she heard less conversation which turned into silence; had fallen over the crowd of people. Finally, the outlander herself, looked up to see Leliana holding a sword out to Evelyn. The look that the Herald seemed to be giving was uncertainty from what the American girl was able to see. She then watched her take the sword from the spymaster before Cassandra walked forward towards the edge of the first stone landing on the stairs.
“Have our people been told?” Sirena had to admit, that woman had a loud and clear voice that could make everyone hear her.
“They have. And soon the world.” She heard the ambassador answered. Her blue-green eyes glanced over at Cullen to see him looking at Josephine before taking a glance at her. Quickly, the twenty-three-year-old looked down at the ground to avoid any eye contact with him. While keeping her gaze locked onto the ground beneath her feet, she heard Cassandra acknowledging the blonde man.
“Commander, will they follow?”
“Inquisition! Will you follow?” Her ears picked up his words as she looked up. What she saw had brought a smile to her lips. He was getting everyone energized, inspired even. Sirena couldn’t help but admire him. Everyone cheered all around her, answering his question. “Will you fight?” Again, cheers erupted around her. “Will we triumph?” He just seemed to keep on going, didn’t he? Still, he captivated her. How could he not? He goes from awkward to confident in a matter of seconds; even she couldn’t do that. Though, she was the type who lacked confidence, but it didn’t mean she showed it all the time. Before she knew it, all the speeches were done. The American noticed Josephine making her way up towards where the now Inquisitor was standing while Cullen was making his way towards her. As she watched his approach, she quickly dodged him by going through the throng of people, going the same way the ambassador went. Sirena knew she couldn’t keep avoiding him, but she was too embarrassed to face him for the time being.
Once everyone had caught up to Evelyn, they approached the castle’s doors. They were just standing there like there was some dramatic pause. The young woman rolled her eyes getting tired of waiting. Just as she was about to open the doors, the older woman had beaten her to it. With the doors finally open, everyone stepped into the massive building quietly when she heard Cullen speak. Her eyes looked around to see the place all up in shambles which made her want to laugh from the dramatic silence earlier. Sirena let the others up ahead of her so they could talk amongst themselves. Because the room was slightly echoey, she was able to hear everything, but they did not need to hear her input. In a way, it made her wonder why she was part of the advisors. When she heard one advisor wish she knew more about the enemy, there was an interruption.
“I know someone who can help with that.” The American grinned when she saw Varric approaching the group. “Everyone acting all inspirational jogged my memory, so I sent a message to an old friend.” Her eyes glanced over at the others to see that their attention had been caught. “She’s crossed paths with Corypheus before, and may know more about what he’s doing. She can help.”
“I’m always looking for new allies. Introduce me.” The outlander watched as Varric looked around. Was he looking for the seeker?
“Parading around might cause a fuss. It’s better for you to meet privately; on the battlements. Trust me, it’s complicated.” After the dwarf had walked away, everyone acted like nothing happened. The only one who didn’t act like that was Leliana which was disappointing to the young woman.
“I know one thing; if Varric had brought who I think he has… Cassandra is going to kill him.” It looked like things were going to get interesting after over hearing the conversation, but most likely, not by much. Everyone then dispersed to do their own thing. Sirena finally had time to think about the horse she had lost. Though, it was disheartening; it was better than losing any lives of the little children.
The young American woman found herself roaming around mindlessly. Why not? It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. A lot of the areas she was unable to go to since they were blocked off from fallen rocks. She started to wonder about the old place as she continued on exploring. Finally, she found herself back outside. Sirena descended down the stone steps of the castle and continued her little trek. She was trying to get to know the place and remember where everything was located. Luckily, she had good memory when it came to where rooms and buildings were. Otherwise, that would be a hot mess waiting to happen. Eventually she found herself near the Commander’s make shift desk with him behind it. As soon as she found it, her eyes landed on Cullen. When he glanced up at her from his work, she felt her heart beat hard and fast in her chest as she quickly looked away. To continue evading him, the outlander turned and started to walk away. Sadly, the girl didn’t get too far when she felt a hand had grabbed her wrist gently. Turning her head, she saw that the person who had grabbed her was indeed the handsome blonde man.
“Why have you been avoiding me?” With that, she knew she couldn’t keep dodging Cullen anymore. The American girl looked up at him to see a bit of what looked like irritation and worry.
“What makes you think I’m avoiding you?” Sirena took a quick look around to make sure no one was able to listen to their conversation. She watched him raise a brow at her which told her he was too smart to be baited like that. How was she going to tell him? “That discussion that one night… I shouldn’t have discussed about something so personal like that. I should have controlled my emotions better. Anything on your mind that you would like to get off your chest?” The American asked to get the attention off herself. Her eyes remained on him as he became somber as he scratched the back of his neck.
“We set up as best we could at Haven, but it wasn’t enough for the attack against an archdemon or whatever it was. If we didn’t leave when we did, we might have…” It was clear to her that he was unable to finish his sentence for it may have been hard for him to handle.
“Don’t you ever stop working to relax? Constantly worrying isn’t good for your health.”
“If Corypheus were to strike again, we may not be able to withdraw… And I wouldn’t want to. We have to be ready.” Wasn’t this conversation meant for Evelyn and not her? In a way, she felt like she shouldn’t be listening to this yet she was.
“How many people did we lose in Haven?”
“Luckily most of our people made it to Skyhold. It could have been worse.”
“Our escape was a very close call. I am glad that you – “After she realized that the words had almost slipped out, she quickly changed it even though it was obvious that he had heard the slip of her tongue. “That so many made it out alive.”
“As am I.” There it was, the tender look in those amber eyes before sadness took over. Sirena wanted to reach out and give him a hug. It was hard for her to see him with that look. He was silent for quite a while to the point it got a bit awkward. The silence had gotten so bad that she had tried to walk away, but instead, he ended up pulling almost close to him which made her eyes widen in surprise. “You stayed behind. You could have – “Cullen had stopped mid-sentence even though she knew his next words would have been “died”. Did he really care that much about her? No, it couldn’t be possible. “I will not allow the events at Haven to happen again. You have my word.” The young American was rendered speechless. It was then she noticed his hand was still holding her wrist. Slowly her eyes rose up to glance up at him to see that he was indeed determined to not have what happened at Haven to repeat in Skyhold. That’s all it was, right? At least that’s what she thought. From the look he gave and the sound in his voice made her unsure.
“Um… Cullen?” He looked down at her and realize he had also forgotten the grip on her wrist. “Can I have my hand back?” Sirena watched as his face slowly turned red while letting go of her. Did she really catch the Commander blushing? A little smile played at her lips as she thought his blushing was rather charming. It gave him more character instead of the constant commander façade that he puts on in public.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize… I need to get back to work.” As he walked away, she grew confused while watching his retreating figure. Maybe there really was more going on than she knew. ‘Hais, meol’seo-kkeonaeseyo (get it out of your head)’ the American was getting frustrated with herself by the minute as she knocked on her head. She knew that she had feelings for the Commander, no matter how hard she had tried to deny it. Perhaps she should tell him soon? The blonde shook the thought from her head as she made her way over to the stables which was down a slight hill past the mini market.
After she made it to the stables, she noticed there were a lot of mounts for sale. If only she could be a dragon rider; that would be pretty sweet. Alas! A dragon was not there. Perhaps that was for the better. However, a beautiful creature did catch her eye. The gorgeous black Friesian that she was looking at made its way towards her. Sirena remained still for she didn’t want to spook the creature. When it got close to her, she raised her hand to see if the stallion really chosen her. Once his nose was pressed into her palm, she knew then that the majestic creature had made his choice. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed some nobles were staring at him. While staying next to her steed, her eyes looked around when she spotted the person whom she was looking for.
“Master Dennet!” When the American girl got his attention, he walked over to her to see what she wanted.
“What can I help you with, Lady Laurelette?”
“I would like to purchase this Friesian horse.” Sirena pulled out the gold that she had been saving for whatever she needed or wanted, but mainly for needed purposes. She then handed the crap ton of golden coins over to the horse master. As soon as he accepted the money, the horse had become hers.
“That’s a fine horse you got there.” He complimented after he took a look at the black steed like he was making sure the stallion was in tip top shape.
“Indeed, he is.” She said with a hint of wonder in her voice before noticing a noble man who was eyeing her horse earlier, approached her and Dennet with arrogance in his step. For some odd reason, she felt like it was going to bring nothing but bad things. Sadly, there was nothing she could do about it without looking impolite.
“Well, look at this magnificent creature. How much is he worth?”
“The young lady just bought him.” The outlander watched silently as the nobleman turned to look at her. Immediately, she felt like an argument was going to ensue.
“How much you want for the beast?”
“Beast?” The American let out a little laugh before answering. “Hwan Sang is not for sale.”
“A girl like you doesn’t deserve a steed like this!”
“Excuse you!? What is that supposed to mean?”
“If you don’t understand, let me reiterate. A steed this fine is far above your station.” It was needless to say that she was offended. The man insulted her for no reason! Sirena was so angry that she couldn’t stop her actions; she ended up slapping the nobleman across the face.
“How dare you!” The American sneered as she gave a deadly glare to the man who had constantly insulted her person as soon as he approached her. “You are nothing more than dirt under my shoes. You are nothing and I suggest you start realizing it before karma bites you in the ass. Do I make myself clear?”
“You will pay for your disrespect!”
“The only one who is being disrespectful here is you. Now why don’t you run along with your tail tucked between your legs.” He gave her one last scowl before walking away from the scene he had created. Her gut was telling her that he was on his way to complain about her behavior which made her let out a sigh. Sirena could understand why Cullen didn’t like nobles, they were absolutely rude and thought they deserved everything like they were entitled. Though, there were one that she knew who wasn’t like that at all and that was the person who took her in as her family.
As she was in her thoughts, the American girl led the horse to an empty stall in the stables next to Evelyn’s steed. She hoped that she wouldn’t get in trouble for what had happened; it wasn’t even her fault that it occurred in the first place! Would he really blame her for something he caused? Without realizing it, she was biting her nails from worry. Maybe she could have controlled her temper the more she thought about it, but it was in the heat of the moment. Hwan Sang was moved into the stall already, eating some fresh hay. To keep her mind off of things, she decided she’d keep herself busy, but by what? As her eyes looked around, the outlander made her way over to an area where the hospice was. Once there, her gaze dropped onto soldiers who were wounded and lying on the ground. The American walked over to someone who was attending to an injured man.
“Excuse me? Is there anything I can do to help here?”
“Yes, help make these men more comfortable. If you have knowledge in medicine then you can do more.”
“Sadly, I don’t know much, but I’ll do my best to keep them positive.” The young woman stayed true to what she said. She did her best to keep the men comfortable to the best of her abilities while having them talk about their lives at home so they wouldn’t think about their wounds or what would happen to them. Not only did it looked like her distractions were working but her nerves had also calmed down. Obviously, word would have been sent already if she was in trouble, right? Sirena was grateful for the distraction. Time had seemed to have gone by fast which was to be expected and what she wanted. To her surprise, most of the day had gone by without a word. Though, that was short lived when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. With a smile, the young American faced the person.
“Lady Laurelette, you are needed in the council room.” After hearing that her heart dropped. Was she in trouble? How was she in trouble? She didn’t do anything wrong, but said some unkindly things. Silently, the American nodded her head before making her way to what she considered a castle. Her nerves getting the better of her all over again. Sirena couldn’t help but chew on her nails absentmindedly. Once she approached the door, the young woman took a few deep breaths before entering the war room. Immediately, she was greeted with two angry faces and the other two with tired looks. Her blue-green eyes then spotted the nobleman from earlier with a smug look on his face.
“So, I’m guessing he narked?” Why did she try to be funny at a serious time? Though, to her, it was rather tense in the room.
“Are you saying what he said is true?” Of course, Leliana would be the inquisitive one next to the Commander.
“How can I say it was true when I don’t know what it was, he said?”
“He said you called him dirt under your shoes.” Sirena couldn’t help but roll her eyes from what the noble had repeated to the four people. As well as the lack there of what he didn’t repeat.
“I did indeed say that. Though, did he mention the fact that he was totally disrespectful towards me when I would not sell the horse that I had just purchased to him?” Her gaze moved to look at the noble who was glaring at her. The dislike on his features was very plain to see since he didn’t bother to try and hide it.
“We can get you a lot better horse. Would that appease you?” Evelyn asked just so the petty fight could be over.
“No, I also demand for her hand in marriage!” If she had water in her mouth, she would have spewed it out. Sirena couldn’t even focus on the others to see their facial expressions. Slowly, the shock had turned to disgust. That demand came out of nowhere for it to not be fishy. What was the man’s deal?
“Fuck no!”
“Absolutely not!” Both Cullen and the outlander spoke at the same time, earning looks from everyone but the noble. Marquis instead, got even more angry from getting rejected. It was clear he wanted so badly to teach her a lesson because he was that petty of a person. When it finally sunk in her brain that Cullen denied the spoiled noble, her eyes flickered over to look at him. Why would he do that? He continuously surprised her and the way he the brat made her more attracted to him even though it shouldn’t. It was wrong. Or was it? She didn’t know anymore! Maybe it was time to forget about all the should and shouldn’t. He did show her a big sign. At least to her, it was.
“You can’t reject me!” The Marquis was getting angrier by the second.
“I believe we just did.” There was no way that she wanted to marry someone like him. His behavior was repulsive to the point it made him real ugly to her. Not to mention, she had a feeling it was a way to punish her for something he had caused to begin with. She knew she wasn’t the best-looking woman out there and since he seemed like the shallow type, he’d have no reason being interested for her looks.
“Never have I ever felt so disrespected in my entire life! The Inquisition should feel lucky to have me here but instead this is how I get treated! Hmph!” The nobleman finally stormed out of the room leaving everyone wondering if they had lost a bit of support. With the room all quiet, it had become an awkward silence. Her eyes glanced around to gauge out how the others were feeling. Luckily, it didn’t look like anyone was mad. Though, something or rather, someone was capturing her gaze. At least the spoiled brat did some good by forcing her to face her feelings.
“Well… If he really disrespected one of us first then I won’t feel bad if he leaves. In the meantime I’m going to go get ready for the next destination that I have to head out to.” Evelyn then left the room while rubbing her temples.
“You said no very quickly Commander. Care to tell us the reason behind it?” The American’s eyes remained on him wondering the same thing as the ambassador. At the same time, she felt like it was putting pressure on him to answer. But she so badly wanted to know. Sirena did catch him rubbing the back of his neck which she had come to know was his nervous habit.
“It was clear that she was not interested in that man.”
“Yes, Commander, Lady Laurelette even said no herself very strongly. Besides the proposal would have gotten rejected anyway.” Her eyes blinked a few times trying to process everything that was said. There wasn’t much to think on except one thing; but she didn’t want to step into that territory. Not yet anyway.
“I didn’t even think we’d accept, but he needed to know that it was going to be an automatic rejection. Unless you two wanted the discussion to continue?” The other women remained quiet for they knew he was right. Though, the situation could have been handled differently, more diplomatic. But it was a little too late.
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Dawn of Beginning