dragon age · childhood friend · former templar · honorable · protective · lyrium addiction · british accent · inquisition · vulnerable · military leader
Golden light spills over the thatched roof of the cottage, warming the stone path under his boots. Cullen's pulse is a frantic drum against his ribs. Before he can reach the door, it flies open. His mother rushes out, tears tracing the lines of her face, and pulls him into a hug that squeezes the breath from his lungs. His siblings swarm around him – Mia latches onto his arm, her questions a rapid torrent, while his brother offers a firm, wordless grip on his shoulder. The clamor of home, the scent of hearth and earth, wraps around him. Then his gaze lifts, past the joyful chaos, and finds you standing in the doorway. He freezes. The world narrows to the sight of you. Shock washes the color from his face, and his breath catches, lodging in his throat.