The Thane (Cullen Rutherford AU)

Chapter 10

I rush over, kicking the dagger away and pinning her to the ground. Cullen sprints off to alert the guards, and possibly, waking the whole hold in the process. My hands squeeze Floria's wrists tightly, and she winces, her face twisting in pain.

"I...I was supposed to be his bride! His favored! His queen! You took that from me. Don't you know who I am? Floria Trevelyan, daughter of Duke Edward and Duchess Amelia Trevelyan! Knife ears like you are servants in my household, slaves in Tevinter, and whores in brothels! All your people know is savagery! You have no reason to exist!" She snarls, attempting to push me off of her.

Her long fingers grasp my wrists, and a surge of power flows from her fingertips and into my body. Shocks...first a tingle, then it quickly escalates. Is this what getting struck by lightening feels like? The pain...it hurts just a little bit less than the anchor; it feels like a thousand little knives stabbing me over and over.

All I can do is scream. Burnt flesh- my flesh- permeated the air, along with smoke. When Floria let's go of me, I fall off to the side. The clang of a knife- that's all I hear before I black out.

To my surprise, I wake up, gasping for breath, cringing at the soreness of my wounds. My forearms are bandaged up in white, the ivory color contrasting against my tawny skin. "Samira, you're okay." I turn to see Cullen sitting beside me.

"Cullen," I whisper, before he clambers over to my bed, furs shifting as he makes his way to me. His golden corkscrew curls fall onto his face as he kisses my forehead.

"You were out for two days. How are you feeling?" He asks, smoothing my hair out of my face. I shrug a bit, then Cullen gently touches my cheek, as if I'm porcelain. And in his eyes, I probably am. "I thought that I lost you. It-it scared me. I-I don't want to lose you, Samira," he whispers.

When I look up at Cullen, I see an emotion in his eyes that I never thought I would- fear. "Cullen, I'm here. I will never leave you," I reply, my hands going to touch his face. His soft lips press against my forehead again, and my heart flutters in my chest.

"I love you," he says, hugging me, and I pause.

"Y-you do?"

"Of course I do!" Cullen answers, pulling away to look at me.

A wide grin crosses my face as my heart pounds in my chest. H-he loves me. Me, of all people. "I-I love you too," I reply. Cullen smiled and leans down, his lips hovering above mine.

"May I?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. The kiss itself is short, but neither of us cares. Cullen's focus goes to my bandages. He removes them, revealing charred skin shaped like hands- Floria's hands.

"The augur made a cream from elfroot to heal your wounds," he says, taking some of the cream and applying it to the burns. I wince at the pain, and Cullen becomes even more gentle with me. After carefully applying the cream, he wraps new bandages around my wrists.

"Shouldn't you be working right now? I can't keep you away from work for too long," I begin.

Cullen smiles at me and replies "I've had runners bringing me what I need."

"What will happen to Floria?" I ask.

"In two weeks time, she will be tried for assault and attempted murder. That will be the perfect time to prove that she has lied about carrying my child. The augur will speak to the gods on her fate, and we will pass on the sentence," he answers.

"I'm afraid that I don't know much about Avvar customs. I feel like I should ask," I suggest.

"That's a great idea, actually. I'll start with the marriage customs, since...well..."

"What is it?"

"I-I want to get rid of the afoka. Samira, I want you to be my bride."