"Wait." Thalia said to Dorian, Varric, and Cassandra. Her breath caught in her throat as she approached a limp figure, surrounded by red lyrium.
"No, it can't be." She whispered. "Cullen?" Thalia called out. His head slowly lifted up, his blonde hair in much disarray. But what disturbed Thalia the most was the red glow in his eyes, no sign of his almond brown ones.
"Heral-Thalia!" Cullen croaked in disbelief. "You-You're alive!" Thalia nodded numbly. It felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "Yes. I never died, Cullen. Dorian and I were sent into the future...your present." She said quietly.
"I'm sorry." Cullen said. Thalia winced at how broken and tortured his voice sounded.
"Don't do that to yourself, Cullen. It is not your fault. It's this Elder One's, whoever he or she is. But I promise that when we go back to our present, I will not allow these events to take place. You have my word." Thalia promised.
Cullen met her gaze before snarling in pain. "The lyrium...it's killing me." He groaned, his voice seeped with anguish. His eyes trailed down from her face to her sword. "Thalia....please." She gently placed her hand on his cheek.
"Okay." She whispered, not looking at her sword as she readied it and plunged it into him. A small gasp passed Cullen's lips, his breath ghosting along the top of her ear to the side of her cheek.
"Now you can sleep peacefully, Cullen." She choked out.
"Thank you." Cullen murmured weakly. He sounded...relieved.
"Goodnight, Cullen." She whispered as he let out a final breath and closed his eyes. Thalia slowly pulled her hand away from Cullen's face as he fell to the floor.
"He never stopped searching for you." Varric spoke up. "You meant a lot more to him than you realize." Thalia let her gaze rest on Cullen's face for a moment then turned away, blinking tears away.
"Who was he?" Dorian asked.
"He was...a good man. The best I've ever known."
