Cullen and Skye

Acknowledgments to Bioware's Dragon Age, the Cullen Romance mod by Cmessaz and to the Cullen kiss scene by Dahlialynn, within it!

Chapter One

The beautiful, auburn-haired apprentice was laughing as she herded the last of her young charges into the dormitory.

"Get into your night clothes quickly, and I shall tell you a story." Skye said, grinning widely.

With squeals of delight the young apprentices scampered to their beds, grabbing their night clothes and peeling off their uniforms as quickly as they could. Cullen smiled, and took his post outside the door.

As a senior Templar, Cullen had been assigned to replace the aging Ser Talon to supervise and to manage the Apprentice Quarters. Like most of the Templars in the Tower who served in the Apprentice Quarter, he quickly became aware of and enamored with one apprentice in particular, the beautiful auburn-haired Skye.

Her hair was long silky hair. She had large, startlingly clear blue eyes and full red lips. She was tall with a thin waist, shapely hips, and a full bosom. Sometimes he could barely breath when he looked at her, she was so beautiful. But it was not as much her physical beauty that attracted him, it was her joyful spirit. She was full of life and passion. Her kindness, humor and easy charm, touched his heart. Over the last year he had been watching her intently. He remembered how she had been the first to come to poor Ser Frederick's aid when the newly recruited Templar got accidently singed by an errant fireball in an apprentice's practice training session. He smiled as he recalled the flour on her nose, in her hair, and all over the floor, when she had volunteered to help cook Hilda in the kitchen after several of her staff became ill. Although grateful for the help, clearly Hilda would not be looking to Skye to volunteer again anytime soon! And he loved how her quick wit and bright smile allowed her to charm her way out of any mischief, she or especially her friend Jowan, got themselves into. What Cullen had come to admire about her the most, was that she was the first to intervene with her fellow apprentices when she felt someone had been treated unfairly. Her passion for justice seemed to match his own. Looking at her, listening to her, simply made him smile. Somehow being near her erased the pain and anger that had once darkened his heart.

"And that that was how the Mage slew the Ogre and brought peace and prosperity to the land! Goodnight children." And with that Skye blew out the candle and joined Cullen outside the room.

"A aa lovely tale S-S Skye." Damn the stutter, Cullen thought – yet another scar from his childhood. He usually only stuttered when he spoke his first few words to her. Her warm smile always disarmed him immediately, and he could be himself.

"Lewis is late." Cullen remarked as he looked up and down the hall. He moved closer as if to kiss her, but Skye quickly pulled away.

"Cully, I want to ask you something." She was the only one who called him Cully. It was a nickname that she bestowed upon him some time ago and it always made his knees go a little weak when she called him that.

"Of course" Cullen said.

Skye continued. "Cully, my Harrowing will be soon. I have prepared for it as best I can. But I am afraid, terrified actually. Cully, promise me that if anything happens, if anything goes wrong, you will be the one to strike me down. Promise me Cully."

The urgency in her voice chilled him and the worried look on her face tore at him. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. All he could do was bring his hand to her face, and gently wipe the tear that had started to form in her eye. "Skye, please do not cry." Cullen whispered.

"Cully, promise me. I trust no one else. I know you would end it quickly and cleanly. Cully, surely you know that there are other Templars who would take pleasure in ..." He would not let her finish the sentence. He knew it was true.

"Please Skye. Do not talk this way. You are the most talented apprentice in the Circle. Everyone says so, even Irving. Nothing will go wrong!"

More tears rolled down her beautiful face. "Promise me Cully!"

He hurriedly looked up and down the hall and just as raised his arms to hold her, he heard the echoes of boots resounding. Quickly he lowered his arms and whispered in her ear. "I promise you Skye, I will let no one touch you." Cullen said gently.

And with that, Lewis appeared around the corner and escorted Skye back to her dormitory.