Chapter Text
It was snowing; soft waves of white fluff littering the ground as Aurelie walked along the mountain trail. Usually, she complained about the cold, and the way the snow could keep her trapped in Skyhold if it fell hard enough. Today, though, she was glad for the familiar scenery of the Frostbacks, after being away for so long. For nearly a week she had been stuck in Halamshiral, overseeing negotiations between Celene, Gaspard and Briala. The three were fierce debaters, harsh words spoken in every sentence. But, Aurelie didn’t feel confident in leaving the Winter Palace until the trio could at least pretend to work together.
Perhaps the only consolation was that every night, in her private royal apartment, Cullen would sneak in to see her- and after staying up much too late talking and laughing, they’d fall asleep in each others arms. It was a luxury she didn’t have in Skyhold, and she didn’t want that bliss to end. Still, she knew she couldn’t stay in Orlais forever, and the Inquisition marched. Josephine and the other dignitaries, including Morrigan had traveled ahead, leaving Aurelie with her companions and Cullen. The three-day trip was made easier with the addition of chevaliers; Empress Celene had insisted they travel to Skyhold to learn about the Inquisition.
Many spoke about the various rumors they heard; how they had a magister, a dragon-slayer and Red Jenny herself. Other questions included just how ‘their lady herald’ closed the fade rifts that plagued the land and sky. Behind her, as they walked, she could still hear them hoping they could see her in action.
Iron Bull and Dorian egged them on, boasting about stories of demons and rabid wildlife and how she had killed them. Cassandra would only sigh at their exaggeration. Aurelie laughed under her breath, before glancing to find a steed approaching her side. Cullen peered down at her as he slowed his horse into a trot, holding back his grin as she flinched away. Didn’t he know she was terrified of them? He called it ironic, considering what she now did for a living. Childhood fears were forever, she argued.
“Are you sure you want to walk?” He asked. Aurelie nodded, even as her feet started to ache. They were a day’s walk from Skyhold, and she knew the incline would be even harder on her body. But, she was stubborn. Cullen stopped, and she paused to observe the way he outstretched an arm to her. “Come on, Aurelie- don’t overdo it.”
He was right, she admitted to herself, and huffed. She reached up to him, before pulling back as she saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye. She held up a hand, Cullen copying her to still the group behind her. Quickly, she took note of the small camp of Red Templars in the clearing a few yards ahead.
“What are they doing here?” Cullen asked, already dismounting to land in the snow next to her.
She appreciated his concern, and the way he instinctively turned his body to shield her, sword drawn- but she stepped away, reading the situation. She counted; one, two, three- her stomach tightened at the sight of a behemoth. She was about to direct her group when she noted Iron Bull’s surprise and she whipped her head around to see the cause, her resolve nearly breaking at the sight of a pride demon stomping down from the other side of the path. They were about to be cornered by two different types of enemies. The anchor in her hand flared, sparking loudly in contrast to the quiet environment. Aurelie hissed, the magic much more powerful than when she willingly harnessed it. Cullen eyed her, his role as commander taking over as his expression steeled. His men awaited orders.
“It’s a fade rift.” She explained. So the soldiers would get their demonstration after-all. Almost immediately, other demons followed down the path, the eerie green light following the horde. “Truly, I am blessed.” she didn’t mean for her sarcasm to be so harsh, but when she heard Bull and Dorian chuckle from behind her, she tried to relax. Cassandra only pursed her lips, and brought up her shield, ready for direction.
“Maybe we should rush them, and hope for the best?” Bull suggested.
“The last time we did that, we attracted four bears, six assassins and killed so many innocent nugs with fire it should be written in the history books as a massacre,” Dorian argued.
Aurelie could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, and her heart raced in a way she wasn’t familiar with. Fear? Excitement? She took a large breath in to steady herself before reaching to draw her weapons out. The moment she did, the situation shifted as the demons took note of their presence, almost simultaneously alerting the Templars.
“Massacre it is!” Bull yelled.
They leapt forward; the tingle of Dorian’s barrier magic dancing across her skin as he stayed back. Cassandra and Iron Bull charged forward ahead of her, and she half expected to see Cullen join the pair, but instead found him on her trail, guarding her flank. Inquisition and Orlesian soldiers spanned outwards, running to create a barrier in which the enemies were surrounded.
Aurelie quickly got lost in the ambush as more demons spilled from the fade rift, and struggled to keep her gaze fixed on any one of her companions. Dorian’s barrier reignited around her and kept her safe as a Red Templar met her daggers with a sharp blade. She felt Cullen’s presence behind her, his back nearly touching hers as he fought off demons from her flank. She kicked the Templar away and almost laughed as a fireball came over her shoulder, igniting him instantly. Her heart was racing again, and she gripped her weapons until she could feel her knuckles crack- she couldn’t see what she was doing as she slashed out blindly towards anything red, anything green, anything that looked larger than her.
“Aurelie!” The noise of battle made it impossible to tell who had screamed her name. She turned to where it came from, only to meet another attack from a red knight. She thrust her blade into his sternum, twisting it sharply before tossing him aside.
In the blur that followed, she could only feel the behemoth’s footsteps echoing around her, and before she could react, it was before her, lurching out to attack. In the same moment, a strong hand met her side, and she looked to find Cullen pushing her aside and out of the monster’s reach. She tried to resist, but found his strength too much to fight and she stumbled into the snow.
“Cullen!” She screamed for him as he took the brunt of the blow, the red giant knocking him into the air before he fell yards away. Aurelie’s world slowed as she followed his body, fear building up in her heart. She thought to run after him, before her sense of duty came crashing down around her. Aurelie felt her fear disappear as her rage built in an instant. She snapped her vision to find Cassandra, who was already looking at her from a few feet away as she pulled her sword from another enemy. Aurelie nodded her head, pointing to the tree line where Cullen had been thrown.
“Pull back!” She yelled, tossing her daggers into the snow before reaching her hand to the sky. “And GET DOWN!”
She didn’t wait to see if her group had listened before focusing on the energy within herself, feeling the mark spread as she willed it to listen to her. Another fade rift appeared, this time of her volition. She supplied it with her power, breathing in deep as her fingers spread, offering the anchor all she had to give. She had never felt it so alive- so filled with energy. She had to wonder if the anchor was feeding off her emotions. In an instant, the demons and remaining enemies were destroyed. When she felt the anchor’s flare start to give out, she snapped her fist closed, ducking and rolling away at the last minute when the one remaining enemy, the behemoth, swatted at her again.
“Inquisitor!”
Aurelie landed awkwardly on her right wrist as she dodged the attack, wincing as she heard the crack before feeling the break. As the monster hovered over her, she struggled to grab at the spare knife at her belt, before watching as a large sword, followed by a smaller one plunged through the beast’s chest. She rolled out of the way as it fell with a loud grunt, snapping her head up to see Iron Bull and Cassandra on top of the behemoth, pulling their weapons from its back.
“That was badass!” Bull cried, his arms in the air as he observed the battlefield, laughing at what corpses lingered, untouched by the rift.
Aurelie shook her head, clutching her wrist to her hand, hissing at the instant pain. Dorian was the first to notice as she struggled to stand. He came up behind her, scooping his arms under her to help her but she brushed him away. She moved, quickly; stumbling to where Cullen was, back flat to the snow. She landed next to him, arms reaching out before pulling back, unsure if it was wise to touch him. Dorian followed, his expression dropping as he realized their commander’s situation was far worse than her broken bone. She tried to steel her emotions, but could feel the tears prickling her vision.
He was completely still, sword and shield stuck in the snow next to his hands. There was a large dent in his armor, an even larger tear across his chest where blood was already spilling out. The snow below him was stained with red, it growing darker as more pooled from his wound. Her chest felt hallow, as if her heart had left her body- no, as if it had been torn out. Aurelie lowered her body closer to his face, eyes scanning his features for any sign of movement. She held her hand above his lips and nose, praying that she’d feel the warmth of his breath, see the puff of air in the cold.
“Aurelie.”
She heard Dorian’s voice, laced with sympathy. She immediately denied what his tone alluded to, pressing her hands into the fur of Cullen’s armor, squeezing desperately. She shook him- once, twice and when there was no response, she felt her body go numb. Aurelie felt her body crumple as a cry racked her to her core- tears stinging as they fell from her cheek, onto his face. This couldn’t be happening, she thought in agony- just an hour ago they had been laughing, kissing when nobody looked, talking about spending time together once they arrived in Skyhold. To think, in one quick skirmish, his life- their future- had been taken. She couldn’t loose him like this; not when they were just getting started. It wasn’t fair- it wasn’t fair.
Aurelie felt Dorian’s hands meet her shoulders, but he failed to pull her from Cullen’s side. She wasn’t going to leave him, wasn’t going to let go. A small piece of her believed that if she stayed, he’d miraculously breathe out, as if he was faking. If she allowed herself to be peeled away, the reality would crush her soul. Iron Bull tried to tug at her next, but even his grasp was hesitant, and she easily pushed him away, no longer caring how openly she wept.
Nothing mattered, not anymore.