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It was decided that they would stay a day or two. A raven was sent to Leliana to assure everyone at Skyhold that the Inquisitor had been found, she was safe and that they were returning. Well, perhaps not so much decided as dictated and there was no disagreement.
She didn’t remember him moving away from her while she slept, but when she opened her eyes, it was Cullen she saw back-lit by the morning sun. She found it hard to look away from the shining halo the light made of his hair and the warmth that seemed to be pulled in from the sun only to shine from his eyes and smile.
“Ma hanin.” She whispered quietly, reaching up as if to touch him, but stopping short. “Elgara emma na.”
“I thought you might like some tea.” He shifted slightly, balancing as he held out a mug. His brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of her words. It was the confusion in his eyes that reminded her where she was and with whom. For just that smallest moment, she felt like she was home, home travelling in an aravel, sleeping under the stars and waking with the sun. She was at Lake Celestine, with The Iron Bull’s Chargers and Commander Cullen. A little bit of the warmth went out of her morning. She sat up and accepted the tea with both hands, bringing it to her face to smell before taking a sip. It’s comforting scent wrapped around her and she sighed with contentment, settling against the tree trunk and smiling up at him.
“Ma serannas.”
“That one I understood.” The wrinkles between his brow moved down to the corners of his lips as his smile widened with recognition and relief. “What did you say before?”
“Oh.” She took a longer sip of her tea this time, hoping to hide her blush behind it. “’Your glory. The sun is within you.’ With the sun behind you, for that moment, it looked almost as if you were glowing.”
He sat down next to her with his own mug, repeating the words a few times until he got them right, and she corrected him on the pronunciations as he needed. She had been pleased when he’d asked her for lessons in Elvish as that gave her a reason to spend time with him. It also meant she had to watch what she said around him, because he would ask about it. Sometimes it leds to her being embarresed, like now. He seemed to ignore those times, though, just concentrating on the words, as if it were another lesson and not a moment. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. She gave a mental shrug and kept sipping her tea.
She let her breath out slowly, enjoying the quiet peacefulness of the morning, then sat up straight and looked around, confused. The Chargers were also sitting around enjoying a leisurely breakfast lakeside.
“What’s wrong?” Cullen sipped his drink, watching her go from relaxed to startled. He didn’t seem concerned that they weren’t moving yet. In fact, he almost seemed to to be studiously relaxed.
“No one’s packing, tearing down camp.” She looked at him, her brows furrowed this time. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh that.” He leaned back and she watched him grin at her, slow and lazy. “I sent a raven saying that we would be delayed, but that everything was fine. I decided that you, and the Chargers,” he gestured at the camp in front of them, “needed a day off. Or two.” He gave a shrug as if there was nothing else in all of Thedas to do except enjoy the day. She gave a delighted little squeek and leaned in to give him a hug.
“Well that is a pleasant surprise to wake up to. Thank you, Cullen!”
His responding chuckle reverberated through his chest and vibrated against her cheek. “I am told it is something that everyone must do from time to time.” His voice was soft and warm, right above her head. She could feel his breath as he spoke, stirring the hair on her head, smell the spice of his tea on his breath, and she breathed deeply.
The morning was spent with the Chargers, talking, laughing, all of them luxuriating in the knowledge that today they had no tasks, nothing to do, no deadlines to meet. Easy laughter filled their clearing and echoed off the lake. A few set up fishing poles a little ways away, but not out of hearing range. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, some stretched their full lengths on the ground in the woolens they wore under their armors, soaking up the bone-melting warmth. Others wandered away, interested in exploring their current surroundings. She and Cullen stayed in the camp, watching all the relaxed activity.
As noon approached, she gathered up the fishes that had been caught and started frying them over the campfire, using some of the herbs and berries she’d found around the outskirts of the clearing. The smell of cooking food brought the others back, bringing their own findings that they donated, if it was edible.
Well-fed and relaxed, she leaned against her pack, a little drowsy, happy and content. A half-forgotten song from her childhood bubbled up and she started humming it without thought as she combed through her hair.
“What is that?” Cullen sounded as drowsy as she, and rather than tell him, she started singing, quietly at first, not remembering all the words, but with growing confidence as it came back to her. After she finished it, she began again, this time slower, having him repeat after her. It had been a teaching song that was also sang by mothers to ease their children to sleep, or to give comfort. A couple of the Chargers came over and were learning it too.
They were all so focused on the song that they jumped and, as one turned to the lake when there was a loud splash. The remaining Chargers were on the bank, pointing and laughing at as a spluttering Krem surfaced with much thrashing and splashing. There was a lot of good natured yelling and laughing, perhaps a threats might have been tossed about as one of the other Chargers was picked up and thrown unceremoniously into the lake alongside Krem. She laughed - surprised, free and honest and beside her, Cullen laughed softly. She stopped and listened, enjoying the sound of his laughter. Suddenly she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, grinning impishly at him.
“Would you be shocked if I slipped into something more comfortable?” She didn’t wait for an answer but stood up and slipped out of her overdress. She reached down and grabbed his hand and pulled. “Come on, Commander. We can’t let the
Chargers have all the fun!” And she was pulling him up, and was dragging him to the water.