Well, the middle was a surprise as well; when you said the Warden was a Dalish elf, I kind of wasn't thinking of that, so when Cullen talked about the mage he cared for, I was thinking of the usual Cullen x Amell type deal... except this Amell was no Warden, and when she lit herself on fire, it shocked me. Well done. And lends credence to the horrific nightmares Cullen has here.
And then towards the end, believe it or not, I actually got a little choked up. Especially when he says that sometimes it's not her face he sees, but... obviously Ashtal's. 
Couple lines I loved:
"Though her people had thrown off the shackles of the Qun, its fingers still pressed into their minds." Cool way to see the Qun.
"Cullen’s eyes look less dead, and she feels victorious." I like this ending line because it encapsulates Ashtal's character so well. She's a warrior, through and through. She always thinks of victory! It's noble, and yet kind of funny, too, on retrospect lol