Cullenâs Time Off - DA Gift Exchange
Hello! @kemvee is the person I wrote for @dagiftexchange this year, and I wrote this for her! This fic is for general audiences, and itâs about what Cullen desperately needs, some time off. You can read it here under the cut, or if you prefer, you can read it on ao3! I hope you enjoy!
Cullen panicked slightly when he opened his eyes, and saw wooden walls instead of stone. Then he remembered that he had finally agreed to take a vacation, and was in a cabin that Josephine had helped him rent for a few days. He relaxed back into the mattress which was far more comfortable than his own bed back at Skyhold. He didnât stay there for long, though, before sitting up and pushing himself out of the bed.Â
He stretched and padded over to the small wash basin and mirror. He knew heâd have to shave today, so he set up his kit the night before on the table next to the basin. He tried to only focus on the lower half of his face as he shaved. He checked his face for nicks before turning back to his bed, and started getting dressed. He grabbed the pot of hair pomade he had buried under his clean clothes. He carefully styled his hair even though no one, but Lelianaâs agents would be seeing him.Â
He thought about the looks of relief on everyoneâs faces as he sat down to eat breakfast. He was half convinced that they wanted a break from him more than they were worried about his health. He had been a little worried about Skyholdâs safety at first, but the look Leliana gave him terrified him enough to not second guess his decision. If anyone would be able to handle all of Skyholdâs security, it would be her. No, what really worried him was the look of pure glee on Seraâs face. Leliana wouldnât stop her, not because she couldnât, but because whatever Sera had planned, Leliana would find it amusing.
He pushed the thoughts of whatever chaos Sera would sew away as he finished cleaning up. He was on vacation. It was time for him to relax, not worry. He grabbed his sword, which was sitting next to his bed, and headed outside where several training dummies had been set up. Josephine had been hesitant to agree to that part, but after talking to everyone else she made sure they would be there. He could take a break from being commander, but he could never take a break from being a warrior. The training that came with it had been one of the few things that had been truly good for him. It made him feel better, more at peace when nothing else would.
He took a deep breath as he stepped out into the Fereldan countryside. The lowlands werenât as cold as the Frostbacks, but could still get quite chilly. Not that he minded. In fact he loved it sometimes. He got used to the warmth of Kirkwall eventually, but for a long time the warmest days there made him feel a little out of place.
 He caught a glimpse of movement not too far away. He barely caught the personâs face, but he was pretty convinced that it was one of Lelianaâs agents. He wouldâve thought that they wouldâve been a little more discrete, then again it wasnât like they were spying on him. At least it wasnât their primary job anyway.
He didnât bother attaching the sheath to his belt, so when he unsheathed his sword he just tossed it to the side. He went through the motions of training, the familiarity of the actions putting any uneasy thoughts to rest. He focused on the noises the sword made as it cut through the air, on the sting of the cold air on his face, on the feeling of the grip in his hands. He kept going till he felt like he was overheating, and his arm was about to fall off. He picked up the sheath, and headed back inside to wash up.
He felt the lyrium cravings coming on just as he finished washing up. The moment the headache started, he knew what was happening. The healers at Skyhold had sent him with some potions to make dealing with the symptoms of his lyrium withdrawals easier. He managed to dry himself off before the aches got too bad, and he downed the potions with shaking hands. He sat on the floor with his eyes closed, and waited for them to work their magic. He thought the potions were working faster than usual as the pains turned into dull throbs before disappearing entirely. It was something to mention to the healers when he got back Skyhold.
Once he was dressed, he turned to the bookcase in hopes of finding something interesting to read to distract himself with. He couldnât remember the last time he had read something other than a report. He groaned when he saw every single one of Varricâs books on the shelves. Whoever set the place up was either a super fan, or had an odd sense of humor.
He chose one of the few that wasnât by Varric, and headed back outside. He sat on the bench that was set up just outside the cabin, and opened his book. It was a lot harder to sink into the book than it wouldâve been years ago, and he struggled to read it like a book and not a report one of the messengers had just handed off to him. It also didnât help that the book wasnât particularly interesting. After a few chapters he felt himself starting to doze off. He tried to fight against it, but eventually, much to his embarrassment, he fell asleep. It was a dreamless sleep, and the most restful he had had in a long, long time.
When he woke up again, he saw the sun just starting to sink behind the trees and mountains in the distance. His body was a little stiff and a little sore when he woke up, but his mind felt clearer than it had in years. Maybe it was the lowland air. Maybe it was the fact that he didnât have a million different battle plans running through his head. He decided it didnât matter. He looked towards the east before he headed back into the cabin to make himself dinner, and saw storm clouds. Just in time, he thought as he walked inside.
He wasnât the worst cook in the world, but he also was by no means the best. Everything he made was edible, and tasted the part, but he could never figure out how to make it good.
He let his hands warm up in front of the fire, before he fetched the pot. He didnât realize how cold they had gotten until he was standing in front of it. He hummed part of the Chant to keep time as he cooked. He remembered his mother doing the same when he was little. She told him what parts to start and stop at to make sure the food wasnât under or overcooked. He grabbed a bowl and ladle when he got to the right verse of the Canticle of Transfigurations. He doubted he got the recipe he got from Blackwall right when he tasted it. It tasted off, but not in a way that would make him sick so he kept eating.
His evening after dinner was as eventful as the day. He caught up on some of the chapters he couldâve read if he hadnât fallen asleep after he finished cleaning up. He realized that he probably shouldâve picked up one of Varricâs books instead as he finished the chapter as the author wasnât very good. He got up, and put it away when he felt sleep calling to him. He knelt in front of his bed, and said a quick prayer and slid into his bed. It was odd not having to brush leaves and other things off of his bed before he could lie down, then he realized that that was odd in of itself. He heard the distant clap of thunder as he started to doze off. He hoped it was as nice as his accidental nap earlier, because he was more relaxed this time.
***
Cullen was grateful to see that Leliana had kept up her promise and that Skyhold was still standing as he walked into the courtyard, but he felt more than that. His week off had been nice, and he felt calmer than he had been in a long time, but walking into the courtyard and seeing the organized chaos of the keep. He even smiled instead of groaning when he saw Cole run by with an armful of chickens while Sera chased after him yelling various obscenities. The only thing he wasnât looking forward to was the chorus of âI told you so.â
