138957 réponses à ce sujet

[Mellora]

But I like the half-naked ones 

 

By the way--loved your new one with Blackwall and Cullen after their sparring. Nice! 

Thank you.

I have another work in progress involving Blackwall again.

https://38.media.tum...bq7lo1_1280.png

 

I really love these 2. If I read well, Galagraphia imagined Iron Bull would be the one who ships Cullen and Quizzie ? Well, I put Blackwall in this role.

[Char]

I thought I'd update you guys 'cause I had my first midwife's appointment this morning, she's estimating me at 11 weeks but the dating scan should say for sure when it happens everything else is looking OK but I've been referred for consultant-based care because I have a metal spine and could need some help later in

[Caja]

That's good to know, Char, that everything is alright ! 

[Char]

That's good to know, Char, that everything is alright !

It's a weight off my shoulders. I won't be completely happy til I've had the scan and my bloods come back but at least so far so good!

[BioFan (Official)]

Thank you kindly! I'm happy to see that there are other ladies like myself and to be able to tell my hubby that I am not alone in my fangirling. He likes to give me a hard time about it! ;-) 

 

 

We're not ALL ladies. 




But WELCOME!!!! Have a cookie! 

They're shortbread!

[Dirgegun]

I thought I'd update you guys 'cause I had my first midwife's appointment this morning, she's estimating me at 11 weeks but the dating scan should say for sure when it happens everything else is looking OK but I've been referred for consultant-based care because I have a metal spine and could need some help later in

 

It's good everything is going okay!

 

And more babbus! Congratulations to anyone who has just had a babbu-- and with babbus on the way! 

[BioFan (Official)]

So, I just noticed how realistically the characters facial expressions and movements are in DAI, I mean look at this! (I'd post Cullen but we haven't seen him talking yet... plus Dorian is easy on the eyes):

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the facial muscles move from one expression to another, it's awesome!

 

 

 

 

Hellllllllloooooooo there my pretty

 

 

*strokes screen affectionately* 

[littlenikki]

So, I just noticed how realistically the characters facial expressions and movements are in DAI, I mean look at this! (I'd post Cullen but we haven't seen him talking yet... plus Dorian is easy on the eyes):

 

You can see the facial muscles move from one expression to another, it's awesome!

 

That was my initial reaction when watching that scene! I don't know why it was so prominent when watching Dorian speak vs the Inquisitor, but it's really quite amazing when you watch it back in slow motion like that. They're doing the demos on the PC right? I wonder how the prev gen consoles are going to stack up against the new gen ones and the PC.

[BioFan (Official)]

That was my initial reaction when watching that scene! I don't know why it was so prominent when watching Dorian speak vs the Inquisitor, but it's really quite amazing when you watch it back in slow motion like that. They're doing the demos on the PC right? I wonder how the prev gen consoles are going to stack up against the new gen ones and the PC.

 

 

I think it's on xbox actually



Note the buttons. 

[Galagraphia]

I'm probably reaching a bit here but I wonder if the that seemingly to be pointless gold thing Cullen has got tied around his hips had got something left over from his days as a Templar because Meredith seems to have the same kind of thing in DA:2.

 

Spoiler

You have eagle's eyes!

I notices a hundred or two pages back, that Cullen's breastplate in DAI has similar construction to Meredith's in DAII - it's not made of one piece, like normal armor, and she's wearing the gorget over it. Design is different, of course, but templar armor changes the design all the time, so it's not a big deal. My point is - I think Cullen's lion armor is the repurposed Knight-Commander's armor. And I suspect he was the Knight-Commander of Kirkwall for a while, until Cassandra recruited him.

 

I was also thinking about the Hero of Ferelden. What if Leliana was looking for her/him to make them the general, but couldn't find in time, and Cullen got the job instead? Because someone of the devs said on raptr, I think, that Leliana may still be in relationship with the warden. So the warden apparently didn't just disappeared forever, but was just temporary unavailable And perhaps they reunited with Leli, but when they did, there was no vacancy anymore. And Cullen turned out to be a better option anyway, since the templars are trained to participate in exalted marches, and the warden only led an army once, and didn't plan the strategy anyway.

[Galagraphia]

I think it's on xbox actually

*snip*

Note the buttons. 

They said they used a PC build with PS3 controller.

[BFace]

That was my initial reaction when watching that scene! I don't know why it was so prominent when watching Dorian speak vs the Inquisitor, but it's really quite amazing when you watch it back in slow motion like that. They're doing the demos on the PC right? I wonder how the prev gen consoles are going to stack up against the new gen ones and the PC.

I believe it was said during E3 that the demos were done on PC, with Blair Brown (I think he was the one running the demos) using a controller.

[The Elder King]

They said they used a PC build with PS3 controller.

I thought they always stated they used a 360 controlled. The buttons are from the 360, not ps3.

[littlenikki]

I thought they always stated they used a 360 controlled. The buttons are from the 360, not ps3.

 

Yea that's what it looks like. I think that they build the game on the PC, then once its finished it is formatted or whatever to be played on consoles. So since its still in Alpha, that's prob why we've only seen PC demos so far. 

[The Elder King]

Yea that's what it looks like. I think that they build the game on the PC, then once its finished it is formatted or whatever to be played on consoles. So since its still in Alpha, that's prob why we've only seen PC demos so far.

I don't know how exactly they're developing on different platforms, but since on PC it'll be possible to play with controllers as well, maybe the PC mouse&keyboard interface isn't finalized yet and they're using the controller one.

[Galagraphia]

I thought they always stated they used a 360 controlled. The buttons are from the 360, not ps3.

I'm sorry, I must have misheard. They all look the same to me anyway.

[Azucuache]

Hi, everyone, I'm another stalker of this topic! I absolutely love it here and I'm here every day, eavesdropping on all of you and silently sharing my enthusiasm for the game and Cullen, of course. It's always nice to know I'm not the only one going crazy from the waiting However, since one of my hobbies is sensless writing, I tried to shorten the waiting by creating something, which turned out (as usually, heh) longer than I wanted it, so my apologies for that I put it in spoilers because of it. And I'm also sorry for mistakes and typos, English's not my first language

 

Spoiler

„No! No, no, no! Don’t run, please!“ The thud of a horse’s hooves against the dry ground picked up rapidly and the four long, slender legs kicked up yet another cloud of dust and dirt into her face. Anastasia stopped abruptly and choked on it, coughing into her fisted hand. Her eyes stung, and the bright sun and her own exhaustion didn’t help either. “No, you stupid horse!” she yelled at the creature that ran off in a hoarse voice. Her mouth was dry and her throat burned, begging her for the smallest gulp of water. “I can’t return to the Skyhold without you,” she whimpered as her knees buckled and she fell on all four. Her dark brown hair fell like a veil around her sweated and dirty face, shadowing her face for the first after what felt like eternity.

She sat on her heels and watched the vicious animal as it had stopped several hundred meters away from her. She whined softly, turning back to where a majestic fortress stood proudly in the distance. “Maker’s mercy, couldn’t you at least run towards it?”

With a sigh, she scrambled to her feet and slowly begun dragging herself forwards, her eyes fixed on the horse. “Maker’s breath, why?” she muttered under her breath. “Why did I leave my staff in the stables? I could have cast a glyph on it hours ago,” she was talking irritably to herself, waving her hands in the air. “But no, I am not only clumsy, but stupidest mage ever! Stupid inquisition, stupid horse, stupid me!” she kept on muttering. Then her voice changed, deepened slightly. “We’re going to travel a lot. Learning to ride a horse is your first duty as a member of the inquisition,” she mimicked Cassandra’s order. “I should have told her, that when my father couldn’t teach me to ride a horse, no one can. True he didn’t have much ti-“ she stopped in a midsentence when she heard something. She straightened and looked around, her eyes squinting. There was a lone rider on the horizon. “Great, with my luck, it’s a thief or a bandit of some kind.”

Her breath caught in her throat when the rider slowed down the horse at first, and then changed its direction towards her. “Or worse,” she mumbled when she realized where the rider had headed originally. “It’s someone from the Skyhold. Oh, this is going to be so embarrassing,” Anastasia sighed, her shoulder slumping. She forced herself to follow her horse’s steps slowly, not wanting to appear like she needed help. Though maybe it was already too late for that.

She felt even worse when the rider was close enough for her to discern details. “Right, a knight in shining armour on his mighty steed heading my way. Every girl’s dream come true.” Her voice lacked enthusiasm completely. She ran her fingers through her sweaty hair. Her eyebrows knitted together and her shoulder tensed as the rider brought his horse from gallop into trot as he neared, and finally eased the pace to walk when he was close enough.

“Hey,” Anastasia smiled at him nervously, playing with her hands as the horse finally halted to stop in front of her. She squinted as she looked up at him, the bright sun stinging in her eyes uncomfortably, making all of her face grimace.
The horse whinnied and the rider patted his neck reassuringly. “Nice armour,” Anastasia mumbled, her eyes on the huge helmet shaped into a head of a lion. Her large brown orbs then slid onto the rich black fur covering his pauldrons and over the rest of the fancy armour. She was in Orlais after all.

“What are you doing here?” he asked instead, his voice muffled by the helmet. “Are you from the Skyhold?” All she could see were his eyes. Their colour between blue and green, they watched her intently.

“Yes,” Anastasia nodded, “and I’m…” she paused, turning her head to the horse she’d been chasing. She touched the back of her neck. “I’m in a need of help?” She pointed towards the troublesome animal. “I scared him off and he won’t let me catch him to bring him back.”

He turned his horse towards where she had pointed. Quiet clinking filled the silence when he turned back to her again. She could also hear a huff of air as if he was…laughing? “Are you serious?” he asked and yes, there was open amusement in his voice. He didn’t wait for her answer – which was a good thing, because she didn’t know what to say – and dismounted. Metal clanks accompanied the swift motion and she just wondered how he could move that quickly in that armour.

Wordlessly, he put the reins of his horse into her hands and headed towards the runaway horse.

“W-wait!” she called after him, clutching the leather reins tightly. “What if he runs off, too?”

“Shemeeck’s a warhorse. He doesn’t scare easily, don’t worry,” the knight said over his shoulder.

Anastasia made a soft sound, something between a nervous laugh and hopeless sigh, and turned to look at the horse. He lowered his head so their eyes were at the same level. She could see her pathetic self reflected in the black pits of his eyes. “Hey, boy,” she smiled at him and touched his neck in what she hoped to be reassuring pat. “I hope he knows what he’s doing,” she added and couldn’t suppress a nervous chuckle. Shemeeck stood unmoving, watching her with his calm, wise eyes. It was a little bit unnerving, so she focused on the knight, but she did press her cheek close to the side of his head.

Her mouth fell open when the rider reached the problematic horse without much effort, reaching out to him with his arms. “Huh,” she breathed out, cocking her head. He seemed to be doing something about the saddle. “Oh, no, I’ll never hear the end of this,” she mumbled and felt her face burning with shame. “This is my worst day ever, Shemie,” she mumbled hiding her face in the horse’s rich mane. Then she grimaced and pulled away. “Ew, you smell. No wonder, with all the metal he put on you,” she eyed the armour. “You’re sweatier than I am. That’s not very nice of him,” she added and threw a reproachful look at the rider in question. He was already leading the other horse back.

She watched him approaching and with every step he took, she could feel her cheeks and neck burn more and more. When he finally stopped in front of her, her head was bent, her eyes dropped to the dusty ground under her feet. “Thank you, ser,” she mumbled.

“Did you put the saddle on?” he asked simply, freeing Shemeeck’s reins from her white-knuckled hold.

“I’ve never done it before,” she admitted. “They don’t teach us that back in the…back home,” she corrected herself. It wasn’t exactly clever to advertise she was a mage. People distrusted her kind and she still needed his help to lead the horse back.

“Then you chose the worse horse to start with. This girl’s not exactly warhorse material,” he said instead on mounting his Shemeeck like she expected. She gaped at him as he watched her through the slit in his helmet. The eyes were narrowed, but it was the good kind of narrowed gaze; he was smiling.

“Girl?” she repeated soundlessly. She slowly turned and dropped to a crouch. She hid her eyes after realizing she was really the stupidest mage on all Thedas and whined quietly. “Like falling from the sky wasn’t enough!”

She heard him laugh. “Not your best day, huh?” When she looked up at him, he offered his hand to help her to her feet. She let him pull her up, avoiding his eyes. “No, it’s not.”

“Come on, let’s get you up.”

She laughed. “I was inept enough to put the saddle the wrong way and you think I know how to ride her?”

His eyes hardened beneath the helmet. And she just got the feeling this man wasn’t used to people defying him. A memory of her first time she saw a mage talking back to a templar had her shoulder tense. “What do I do?” she asked quickly.

She felt stupid as he helped her into the saddle and even more when he actually had to put one of her feet into the stirrings; she had frozen as soon as she was up in fear the beast might ran amok again. Only after he climbed up his Shemeeck and took the reins she realized hers still hung down. She’d need to dismount in order to get them. Or she could ask him; climbing up and down didn’t seem much of a problem to him despite all the extra weight he was wearing. “Uhm…” she started saying, but fell silent after he looked at her. He reached for the reins and kept them as he bid his horse to a walk with a soft command. The mare she sat on – how in Maker’s mercy she missed the detail it was a she-horse she still couldn’t understand – followed the warhorse obediently. Her fingers curled in the mare’s mane.

“So, do I want to know how you ended up out here?” he asked in mild tone.

“It’s a long story, ser,” she mumbled.

He chuckled. “Don’t be so stiff. Move with the horse.”

“I’ll fall if I move.”

This time he sighed. “What are you doing in the Skyhold exactly? Work in the stables?”

“Eh…heh, do I look like I work with horses?” she laughed mirthlessly. “Actually, no. I don’t work in the fortress at all. I’m…in the inquisition. Newest recruit,” she smiled at him and the smile froze on her lips when his head snapped to her quickly. “There are things I am actually good at,” she informed him with a slight frown.

The defiance in her voice amused Cullen to no end. From the look at her it was difficult to tell she was anything but this clumsy. “Why didn’t the guards help you catch her?” he asked instead, smiling to himself as her expression changed.

The determined scowl was wiped off her face altogether and she chuckled. “They were busy laughing,” she admitted and suddenly something on the other side of the deserted plain caught her attention. And he frowned under the helmet. “Laughing?” he asked, carefully keeping his emotion from his voice.

She made a subtle gesture with her hand and her poster changed all at once. Her tensed muscles relaxed and just as she looked rigid and awkward on the top of the mare a second ago, it seemed like she gained some riding skill from the thin air now. She smiled to herself; not all spells required her staff. “Yeah, not that I blame them, mind you,” she said, finally facing him. “You see, one of the stable boys was teaching me how to take care about them,” she started saying, patting her horse’s neck like she wasn’t frozen from fear of falling a minute ago. “I am not important enough to have someone do it for me, so I thought it could be useful. He helped me with the reins, but the saddle…” she paused and shook her head, her cheeks colouring slightly. “I thought I had it right. I said: Hey, that wasn’t that hard!, and then slapped her rear.”

She couldn’t see Cullen quirk his eyebrows.

“She screamed and rose on his hind legs and then she was outside the stables. I ran after her, screaming too and flailing my arms, which obviously scared her even more. By the time she ran outside, the guards were leaning against their spears for support and I swear the one on the right side of the gate was crying from laughter.”

“Interesting,” he mumbled. “Here, we’re almost there.”
She blinked at him when he offered her the reins. She took them hesitantly. She started taking a breath to protest, but he mutely pointed at the Sky hold not far from them. She nodded and hoped her agility spell was good enough to make her look like she actually knew what she was doing. She was about to heel the horse, but she had decided to simply follow the knight and sett off before she managed to move. The two horses walked slowly side by side as they walked up the slope towards the large gate.

And she found herself gaping again.

As soon as they spotted them, the guards hauled themselves into attention, fixing their armour and helmets, grasping their weapons and shields firmly. She could hear silent swear words coming from their way as well as metal on metal sounds. She paled. “Oh no,” she mumbled. “Please, don’t tell me you’re someone important.”

“As you wish. I won’t,” Cullen smiled. His eyes watched the closer guardsman as they passed them by. And when they rode in the large courtyard, Anastasia could see that all the guards were standing straight.

With another quiet order he stopped the horse and hers halted, too. She followed suit when he dismounted, though she did cast a fleeting look towards the stables on the other side of the courtyard. She watched the knight grab both reins and shove them into hands of one of the guards standing at the gate from the inside. The one on the right, Anastasia noticed with a small smile. “Take care of them and report it when you’re finished,” he said simply and didn’t even spare him a second look as he strode away in heavy steps, metal clinking and all.

Anastasia paid the guardsman a guilty smile and hurried away as well, but unlike the knight her movements were silent. Her steps lead to a bucket of rain water so that she could wash her face at least before going through the hold itself.

“Serrah Trevelyan! Serrah Trevelyan!” The elven stable boy ran towards her. “Your stick!” he shouted from the distance, showing her what he was holding. She smiled and quickly dried her face against her sleeve. “Oh, thank you, my dear. But it’s a staff, not a stick,” she corrected the young elf when he handed it to her. As soon as her hand touched it, she let the magic flow through both her and the enchanted wood and the small stick glowed white as it elongated. The elf gaped at the white crystal that suddenly appeared there and his eyes slid down the length of it as she stabbed the ground with its end. The crystal, now at her eye level, flashed white once more as she dispelled the agility spell and she could feel a soft breeze wash over harmlessly her as she did.

She was holding an ordinary stick again when she spun towards the stairs leading up to the fortress and froze. That knight was standing at its top, stopped by the sound of a familiar name; he’d spent enough time in the Free Marches to recognize it. He’d taken off his helmet and his short, curly fair hair caught the afternoon’s sun. She smiled at him when they eyes met, but then she made the mistake of focusing her gaze on the lion helmet under his arm. She made an involuntary step back and the smile froze on her lips when she noticed the gauntlets for the first time. He was a templar.

 

It's not exactly an elaborated story, but it could be called a one-shot I hope

[serenai]

Pardon me while I catch up   

 

So you guys came up with your Inquisitor's background story?

 

 

I haven't given my quizzies any back stories yet, but I'll probably do that once I can start the game and get the 'feel' for things there. I wish I could do that like some of you can, because it sure would be easier. But I need to get the feel of the game first, then a feel for each character as I make her (I've never been able to play a male character, no matter how hard I try.. may try again with DA:I though, as it looks like we'll miss a lot of content, and at least one very yummy romance option, otherwise).

 

My boyfriend mocks me by fangirling right beside me. He literally jumped up and down when we first watched the "Lead Them or Fall" trailer, pointing and screaming "Oh my god! It's Cullen! In a lion helm!" Then calmly sat back down to watch the rest of the trailer. Totally took the wind out of my sails, the jerk lol.

 

My husband thinks games - any games, even board games - are a waste of time. I have to fangirl to my kids   Not that I mind doing that, as they are quite happy to give Mom grief about her squeeing or squee right along with her. I just sometimes wish I could share that part of me with him. You're lucky 

 

 

If any of you lovely people would be interested, you can read the Prologue of my original work on my website: HERE or HERE. I would love more constructive feedback, and more eyes to take a look. The rest of the Chapters, while posted, are password protected and not available at this time.

 

I liked it - very intriguing. Sounds a little familiar, along the lines of the Dark Hunter series. The name Uriel, and the term "Hunter" especially. After the prologue, I'd definitely want to read the rest, which is good, yes?   Welcome to the thread!

 

Ah, Thane. 

 

I just picked my Thane play-through back up last night and finally got to the quest where we get him on Illium. I've never romanced him before, as I always end up romancing Garrus, but this one's my alter-ego play-through. I wanted to see the Thane romance. 

 

Someone in here mentioned the MEHEM mod and they were nice enough to answer some questions about it for me, so I might install that after I finish a vanilla Thane romance. Then again, I might install it part way through 3 if it has too many feels - that's what I did at the end of DA:O when Alistair insisted on giving the ultimate sacrifice and I couldn't talk him out of it. Immediately (well, after I quit blubbering) went looking for a mod where I *could* talk him out of it, found one, installed it, and replayed the end  I have a feeling there will be more very ugly crying where Thane is concerned.

 

Also got the quest for Arrival last night for the first time (I think it's Arrival - when we go rescue Hackett's scientist friend from the Batarians). I only mention it because I hadn't seen Hackett in a while, and suddenly really noticed his facial scar. It's in the same place as Cullen's, and after seeing the new Cullen so much lately, it was very obvious to me. 

 

I've no idea, I was reading back a couple of pages and saw words of R2 being away/leaving? And something happening to Avejajed? *frets about everyone* ;n;

 

LOL! This apparently turned into a very funny internet version of the game Telephone. I guess many of us missed where R2 mentioned she'd be gone for a bit, and Ave said she missed her, that's all. 

 

 

I thought they always stated they used a 360 controlled. The buttons are from the 360, not ps3.

 

Yes, they said they're on a PC using a controller. I don't think they specified which controller, and I've never used a PS3 so I don't know how much they differ from the XBox controller. I'll have to take y'all's word on the button differences.

 

 

I thought I'd update you guys 'cause I had my first midwife's appointment this morning, she's estimating me at 11 weeks but the dating scan should say for sure when it happens   everything else is looking OK but I've been referred for consultant-based care because I have a metal spine and could need some help later in 

 

Awesome, Char! Good to know everything looks ok. Sounds like your midwife will take good care of you.

 

[serenai]

Hi, everyone, I'm another stalker of this topic! I absolutely love it here and I'm here every day, eavesdropping on all of you and silently sharing my enthusiasm for the game and Cullen, of course. It's always nice to know I'm not the only one going crazy from the waiting However, since one of my hobbies is sensless writing, I tried to shorten the waiting by creating something, which turned out (as usually, heh) longer than I wanted it, so my apologies for that I put it in spoilers because of it. And I'm also sorry for mistakes and typos, English's not my first language

 

Spoiler

„No! No, no, no! Don’t run, please!“ The thud of a horse’s hooves against the dry ground picked up rapidly and the four long, slender legs kicked up yet another cloud of dust and dirt into her face. Anastasia stopped abruptly and choked on it, coughing into her fisted hand. Her eyes stung, and the bright sun and her own exhaustion didn’t help either. “No, you stupid horse!” she yelled at the creature that ran off in a hoarse voice. Her mouth was dry and her throat burned, begging her for the smallest gulp of water. “I can’t return to the Skyhold without you,” she whimpered as her knees buckled and she fell on all four. Her dark brown hair fell like a veil around her sweated and dirty face, shadowing her face for the first after what felt like eternity.

She sat on her heels and watched the vicious animal as it had stopped several hundred meters away from her. She whined softly, turning back to where a majestic fortress stood proudly in the distance. “Maker’s mercy, couldn’t you at least run towards it?”

With a sigh, she scrambled to her feet and slowly begun dragging herself forwards, her eyes fixed on the horse. “Maker’s breath, why?” she muttered under her breath. “Why did I leave my staff in the stables? I could have cast a glyph on it hours ago,” she was talking irritably to herself, waving her hands in the air. “But no, I am not only clumsy, but stupidest mage ever! Stupid inquisition, stupid horse, stupid me!” she kept on muttering. Then her voice changed, deepened slightly. “We’re going to travel a lot. Learning to ride a horse is your first duty as a member of the inquisition,” she mimicked Cassandra’s order. “I should have told her, that when my father couldn’t teach me to ride a horse, no one can. True he didn’t have much ti-“ she stopped in a midsentence when she heard something. She straightened and looked around, her eyes squinting. There was a lone rider on the horizon. “Great, with my luck, it’s a thief or a bandit of some kind.”

Her breath caught in her throat when the rider slowed down the horse at first, and then changed its direction towards her. “Or worse,” she mumbled when she realized where the rider had headed originally. “It’s someone from the Skyhold. Oh, this is going to be so embarrassing,” Anastasia sighed, her shoulder slumping. She forced herself to follow her horse’s steps slowly, not wanting to appear like she needed help. Though maybe it was already too late for that.

She felt even worse when the rider was close enough for her to discern details. “Right, a knight in shining armour on his mighty steed heading my way. Every girl’s dream come true.” Her voice lacked enthusiasm completely. She ran her fingers through her sweaty hair. Her eyebrows knitted together and her shoulder tensed as the rider brought his horse from gallop into trot as he neared, and finally eased the pace to walk when he was close enough.

“Hey,” Anastasia smiled at him nervously, playing with her hands as the horse finally halted to stop in front of her. She squinted as she looked up at him, the bright sun stinging in her eyes uncomfortably, making all of her face grimace.
The horse whinnied and the rider patted his neck reassuringly. “Nice armour,” Anastasia mumbled, her eyes on the huge helmet shaped into a head of a lion. Her large brown orbs then slid onto the rich black fur covering his pauldrons and over the rest of the fancy armour. She was in Orlais after all.

“What are you doing here?” he asked instead, his voice muffled by the helmet. “Are you from the Skyhold?” All she could see were his eyes. Their colour between blue and green, they watched her intently.

“Yes,” Anastasia nodded, “and I’m…” she paused, turning her head to the horse she’d been chasing. She touched the back of her neck. “I’m in a need of help?” She pointed towards the troublesome animal. “I scared him off and he won’t let me catch him to bring him back.”

He turned his horse towards where she had pointed. Quiet clinking filled the silence when he turned back to her again. She could also hear a huff of air as if he was…laughing? “Are you serious?” he asked and yes, there was open amusement in his voice. He didn’t wait for her answer – which was a good thing, because she didn’t know what to say – and dismounted. Metal clanks accompanied the swift motion and she just wondered how he could move that quickly in that armour.

Wordlessly, he put the reins of his horse into her hands and headed towards the runaway horse.

“W-wait!” she called after him, clutching the leather reins tightly. “What if he runs off, too?”

“Shemeeck’s a warhorse. He doesn’t scare easily, don’t worry,” the knight said over his shoulder.

Anastasia made a soft sound, something between a nervous laugh and hopeless sigh, and turned to look at the horse. He lowered his head so their eyes were at the same level. She could see her pathetic self reflected in the black pits of his eyes. “Hey, boy,” she smiled at him and touched his neck in what she hoped to be reassuring pat. “I hope he knows what he’s doing,” she added and couldn’t suppress a nervous chuckle. Shemeeck stood unmoving, watching her with his calm, wise eyes. It was a little bit unnerving, so she focused on the knight, but she did press her cheek close to the side of his head.

Her mouth fell open when the rider reached the problematic horse without much effort, reaching out to him with his arms. “Huh,” she breathed out, cocking her head. He seemed to be doing something about the saddle. “Oh, no, I’ll never hear the end of this,” she mumbled and felt her face burning with shame. “This is my worst day ever, Shemie,” she mumbled hiding her face in the horse’s rich mane. Then she grimaced and pulled away. “Ew, you smell. No wonder, with all the metal he put on you,” she eyed the armour. “You’re sweatier than I am. That’s not very nice of him,” she added and threw a reproachful look at the rider in question. He was already leading the other horse back.

She watched him approaching and with every step he took, she could feel her cheeks and neck burn more and more. When he finally stopped in front of her, her head was bent, her eyes dropped to the dusty ground under her feet. “Thank you, ser,” she mumbled.

“Did you put the saddle on?” he asked simply, freeing Shemeeck’s reins from her white-knuckled hold.

“I’ve never done it before,” she admitted. “They don’t teach us that back in the…back home,” she corrected herself. It wasn’t exactly clever to advertise she was a mage. People distrusted her kind and she still needed his help to lead the horse back.

“Then you chose the worse horse to start with. This girl’s not exactly warhorse material,” he said instead on mounting his Shemeeck like she expected. She gaped at him as he watched her through the slit in his helmet. The eyes were narrowed, but it was the good kind of narrowed gaze; he was smiling.

“Girl?” she repeated soundlessly. She slowly turned and dropped to a crouch. She hid her eyes after realizing she was really the stupidest mage on all Thedas and whined quietly. “Like falling from the sky wasn’t enough!”

She heard him laugh. “Not your best day, huh?” When she looked up at him, he offered his hand to help her to her feet. She let him pull her up, avoiding his eyes. “No, it’s not.”

“Come on, let’s get you up.”

She laughed. “I was inept enough to put the saddle the wrong way and you think I know how to ride her?”

His eyes hardened beneath the helmet. And she just got the feeling this man wasn’t used to people defying him. A memory of her first time she saw a mage talking back to a templar had her shoulder tense. “What do I do?” she asked quickly.

She felt stupid as he helped her into the saddle and even more when he actually had to put one of her feet into the stirrings; she had frozen as soon as she was up in fear the beast might ran amok again. Only after he climbed up his Shemeeck and took the reins she realized hers still hung down. She’d need to dismount in order to get them. Or she could ask him; climbing up and down didn’t seem much of a problem to him despite all the extra weight he was wearing. “Uhm…” she started saying, but fell silent after he looked at her. He reached for the reins and kept them as he bid his horse to a walk with a soft command. The mare she sat on – how in Maker’s mercy she missed the detail it was a she-horse she still couldn’t understand – followed the warhorse obediently. Her fingers curled in the mare’s mane.

“So, do I want to know how you ended up out here?” he asked in mild tone.

“It’s a long story, ser,” she mumbled.

He chuckled. “Don’t be so stiff. Move with the horse.”

“I’ll fall if I move.”

This time he sighed. “What are you doing in the Skyhold exactly? Work in the stables?”

“Eh…heh, do I look like I work with horses?” she laughed mirthlessly. “Actually, no. I don’t work in the fortress at all. I’m…in the inquisition. Newest recruit,” she smiled at him and the smile froze on her lips when his head snapped to her quickly. “There are things I am actually good at,” she informed him with a slight frown.

The defiance in her voice amused Cullen to no end. From the look at her it was difficult to tell she was anything but this clumsy. “Why didn’t the guards help you catch her?” he asked instead, smiling to himself as her expression changed.

The determined scowl was wiped off her face altogether and she chuckled. “They were busy laughing,” she admitted and suddenly something on the other side of the deserted plain caught her attention. And he frowned under the helmet. “Laughing?” he asked, carefully keeping his emotion from his voice.

She made a subtle gesture with her hand and her poster changed all at once. Her tensed muscles relaxed and just as she looked rigid and awkward on the top of the mare a second ago, it seemed like she gained some riding skill from the thin air now. She smiled to herself; not all spells required her staff. “Yeah, not that I blame them, mind you,” she said, finally facing him. “You see, one of the stable boys was teaching me how to take care about them,” she started saying, patting her horse’s neck like she wasn’t frozen from fear of falling a minute ago. “I am not important enough to have someone do it for me, so I thought it could be useful. He helped me with the reins, but the saddle…” she paused and shook her head, her cheeks colouring slightly. “I thought I had it right. I said: Hey, that wasn’t that hard!, and then slapped her rear.”

She couldn’t see Cullen quirk his eyebrows.

“She screamed and rose on his hind legs and then she was outside the stables. I ran after her, screaming too and flailing my arms, which obviously scared her even more. By the time she ran outside, the guards were leaning against their spears for support and I swear the one on the right side of the gate was crying from laughter.”

“Interesting,” he mumbled. “Here, we’re almost there.”
She blinked at him when he offered her the reins. She took them hesitantly. She started taking a breath to protest, but he mutely pointed at the Sky hold not far from them. She nodded and hoped her agility spell was good enough to make her look like she actually knew what she was doing. She was about to heel the horse, but she had decided to simply follow the knight and sett off before she managed to move. The two horses walked slowly side by side as they walked up the slope towards the large gate.

And she found herself gaping again.

As soon as they spotted them, the guards hauled themselves into attention, fixing their armour and helmets, grasping their weapons and shields firmly. She could hear silent swear words coming from their way as well as metal on metal sounds. She paled. “Oh no,” she mumbled. “Please, don’t tell me you’re someone important.”

“As you wish. I won’t,” Cullen smiled. His eyes watched the closer guardsman as they passed them by. And when they rode in the large courtyard, Anastasia could see that all the guards were standing straight.

With another quiet order he stopped the horse and hers halted, too. She followed suit when he dismounted, though she did cast a fleeting look towards the stables on the other side of the courtyard. She watched the knight grab both reins and shove them into hands of one of the guards standing at the gate from the inside. The one on the right, Anastasia noticed with a small smile. “Take care of them and report it when you’re finished,” he said simply and didn’t even spare him a second look as he strode away in heavy steps, metal clinking and all.

Anastasia paid the guardsman a guilty smile and hurried away as well, but unlike the knight her movements were silent. Her steps lead to a bucket of rain water so that she could wash her face at least before going through the hold itself.

“Serrah Trevelyan! Serrah Trevelyan!” The elven stable boy ran towards her. “Your stick!” he shouted from the distance, showing her what he was holding. She smiled and quickly dried her face against her sleeve. “Oh, thank you, my dear. But it’s a staff, not a stick,” she corrected the young elf when he handed it to her. As soon as her hand touched it, she let the magic flow through both her and the enchanted wood and the small stick glowed white as it elongated. The elf gaped at the white crystal that suddenly appeared there and his eyes slid down the length of it as she stabbed the ground with its end. The crystal, now at her eye level, flashed white once more as she dispelled the agility spell and she could feel a soft breeze wash over harmlessly her as she did.

She was holding an ordinary stick again when she spun towards the stairs leading up to the fortress and froze. That knight was standing at its top, stopped by the sound of a familiar name; he’d spent enough time in the Free Marches to recognize it. He’d taken off his helmet and his short, curly fair hair caught the afternoon’s sun. She smiled at him when they eyes met, but then she made the mistake of focusing her gaze on the lion helmet under his arm. She made an involuntary step back and the smile froze on her lips when she noticed the gauntlets for the first time. He was a templar.

 

It's not exactly an elaborated story, but it could be called a one-shot I hope

 

Welcome!  I love reading other's creations

[The Elder King]

Morning everyone!

Morning! Though it's already 5:41 PM where I live .

[Azucuache]

Morning!