A Candle in the Darkness (A Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfiction)

A Few Decisions Different

2 Justinian, 9:42

Antonia was at her desk, in the middle of a letter to King Alistair of Ferelden thanking his troops for their assistance in the battle in the Arbor Wilds, when she heard a familiar light, quick tread on the stairs. She looked up, smiling, to see Dorian's face appear above the half-wall. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Do you know what your beautiful man is doing right now?"

"If he's not sitting in his office scowling at paperwork—and the soldiers who brought it—I couldn't tell you."

"He's out there on the training ground trying to bash himself to pieces against Mount Bull."

Antonia frowned. "I would have hoped to be consulted if we were going to be trading partners." She had to laugh at Dorian's expression in response.

"Please, my dear. Don't put those images in my head. Entirely too ... distracting." He grinned.

She considered the idea, and shrugged. Perhaps it was because she'd never found the Iron Bull an object of particular attraction, despite her affection for him, but the idea of him with Cullen did nothing for her. "So what exactly are they doing?"

"You know the thing where the Iron Bull bashes himself against the nearest target and tries to knock it down?"

Antonia couldn't help wincing; she had been the nearest target once or twice. "And Cullen's the target?"

"He's doing the bashing."

Getting up, she walked to the balcony and looked down. Sure enough, Cullen was in the process of wearing himself out against the very solid bulk of the Iron Bull. "Oh." Suddenly it occurred to her why he was doing that; he must have been to see Samson.

"Should we go make that stop?" Dorian asked, clearly concerned.

"No; I imagine he needs to get it out of his system. Tell Bull I said thank you later, will you?"

"He was happy to do it; he likes Cullen. Likes him even better shirtless."

Antonia grinned. "Don't we all."

"Braggart."

Dorian stayed to tea, and when they had finished Antonia walked him downstairs and then made her way up to Cullen's office, seeing that he was done trying to knock down the Iron Bull. She hoped the exercise had done its work; but as she knocked on the office door she could hear a loud, rhythmic thunk inside. Opening the door on Cullen's invitation, she found him in the act of throwing a knife at a hastily assembled dummy in the corner. More surprising than finding him throwing knives, something she'd never seen him do before, was finding that all the ones he had already thrown were clustered around the heart. She wouldn't have imagined he possessed that particular skill.

"That's new."

He glanced briefly at her, and threw another knife. This one embedded itself square in the dummy's face.

"I really didn't know you could do that. I can't do that."

Cullen grunted, retrieving the knives and starting to throw them again. "I've been to see Samson."

"I assumed as much."

"And I got nothing. Can we pack him off to Kirkwall now?" He threw another knife.

Antonia crossed her arms. "Not yet."

"You said once. I went once."

"And clearly you're satisfied with the outcome," she said, letting the sarcasm drip from her tone.