The Thane (Cullen Rutherford AU)

Chapter 7

With a giggle, I climb out of the stone bathtub and I start to dry myself off. "How embarrassing," I mumble, grabbing the robe. Luckily, Branson didn't see my body. After a few minutes, Cullen returns.

"Damnable Branson," he mutters, rubbing his face. "We're already late." He hurries back to his room, wiping himself off and finishing his morning routine before getting dressed. I run after him, trying to get myself ready too. We both hasten to get dressed, but Cullen pauses when he sees the clothes Vera has given me.

"What?" I inquire, combing my hair.

"Those clothes...they're what the wives of the Thane wear," he answers, his eyes scanning me. We walk out to the throne room together, followed by Cullen's siblings. I'm thankful I'm the only woman of the harem to be in attendance.

Cullen assumes his throne, once more resembling the barbarian god of old lore, and I am pulled onto his lap, his elven prize. His rough hand rests on my thigh, threatening to crush any man that desires to touch me. And nobody, not even the visiting hunter, would be stupid enough to do that, especially with Cullen's glare.

The Thane of Stone-Bear strolls out casually, his boot-clad feet loudly stepping on the stone floor. He grins at us, his tawny eyes gleaming, bright shock of hair shining in the sunlight. "Thane Cullen. It's been a year since I've visited. I see you've found a bride? A very pretty one, it seems," he muses, gesturing to me.

Cullen's grip on my thigh tightens slightly. "Yes, I have. No ceremonies have been arranged yet," he fibs.

"She's small. How doesn't she split in two when you-"

"My bedroom routine with my bride is none of your concern. Now, you brought a hunter with you. I assume that this is for a marriage proposal," Cullen begins, pointing to the hunter and urging him to step forward. "Alistair, it's been so long."

"It's nice to see you again, Cullen. Now, for the formalities of this. My Lord, I have come to ask for the hand of your sister Rosalie," Alistair announces, leaving everyone shocked. Rosalie's cheeks turn a bright pink, but Cullen, he looks ready to kill. His fingers dig into my thigh, nails threatening to pierce my skin.

"Cullen," I whimper, grabbing his hand. His copper eyes soften when he realizes what he did, and he releases his grip on me.

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm so sorry," he whispers, leaning down and kissing the crescent shaped lines on my thigh.

His arms wrap around my waist as he whispers apologies in my ear. One hand moves to massage the marks while he calms himself down. "Rosalie, do you consent to the proposal?" Cullen asks, his eyes flicking over to his younger sister.

Rosalie ponders for only a moment, but grins. "Yes Cullen. I do," she answers, her voice sweet, like a bell from the chantry. The twinkle in her eyes, and Alistair's wide grin, softens Cullen even further; they love each other, and who is he to stand in the way of their happiness?

After a few hours and more meetings, we finally get a break for lunch. Once we are in private, Cullen embraces me, his smooth skin warm, and the scent of elderflower and musk filling my nostrils. "I am so sorry. You know I didn't mean to do that, right?" He asks.

"I know," I reply. Cullen pulls away, his hands going to my cheeks before his lips press against my light blue vallaslin. He continues to whisper apologies, his fingers ghosting across my skin. "Since we have some time, would you like to write your letter to the Inquisition now?"

"Sure. They should know that I'm alive and well," I answer. Cullen's hand rests on the small of my back as he escorts me to his chambers. "Don't we have to be dining with Thane Stormbringer?"

"Not yet. He's sure to be looking around the place right now, seeing if anything has changed. That will take longer than it will to write your letter," Cullen replies.

He stands nearby, watching as I dip the quill into the ink bottle. My chocolate eyes scan the blank parchment page before me. How exactly do I calmly say "Hey everybody! Don't worry, I'm not dead. I'm just stuck in an Avvar settlement, in the harem of a sexy Thane, with women who want to kill me. Please send cookies and the shard I was looking for!"?

Somehow, I find the words to summarize what happened, and the letter is sealed off and sent via raven. We both pause when we see the emerald glow of the anchor on my hand. "The text. It was with me when I was captured. And Filarion too. Cullen? Do you know if they kept any of my personal items, or my horse?" I ask.

"Your horse is in my personal stable. And your items have been locked away. I can have them retrieved for you if you would like. But we have to go back for lunch," he answers, and the glowing stops.

We return to the main hall, where servants have set up for everyone to eat. The Thanes sit side by side, with Alistair and Rosalie to Stormbringer's left, while I'm seated to Cullen's right.

After some time, Cullen turns to me with a wide grin. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me close to his strong chest. "I'll inform you on the Avvar customs later, right now isn't the time. Thane Stormbringer, Alistair, and I are going horseback riding. Would you like to join us later?" He questions.

"I would like that," I reply.

A few hours later, we set out on the trail with our horses. And I'm so glad to be reunited with Filarion. He whinneys when I run my fingers through his silky, soft mane. The people in the stable have really been taking care of him. At Cullen's behest, my bow and arrows were returned, along with the other items taken from me at my capture. A large red lion, growling, passes us as we trot along.

"Samira, look. I seem to have found the pelt I've promised you," Cullen says, dismounting from his coal black horse. He draws his sword and follows the creature through the trees. Thane Stormbringer, Alistair, and I wait in silence, listening for Cullen. The sound of a fight breaks loose, and we all dismount our horses. I sprint to the area where Cullen disappeared, them following me, the snow-covered ground crunching beneath our boots.

Upon our arrival in the wooded glen, Cullen and the lion are circling each other. He turns to me. "Samira! Go back!" He yells before the lion pounces, clawing at his chest. Stormbringer and Alistair run to help Cullen, and I draw my weapon. The beast has Cullen pinned to the ground, his sword tossed away.

The arrow is attached to the string, and I pull back, and release it, piercing the lion through the eye. It dies, collapsing into Cullen.

"Cullen!" I shout, running over to him. I push the carcass away with all of my might, revealing the wounded Thane underneath. "Cullen? Cullen!"