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The last time Cullen had really been to a market was at Honnleath, a few days before he officially joined the Templar order. He had been there with his mother to buy food for what would be their last meal together – but of course, at the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. He was excited to eventually follow the path he had dreamt about for so long, and he was more interested in wandering between the colourful stalls than keeping track of his mother’s purchases.
As far as he could remember, he had always enjoyed Honnleath’s market. The bustle reigning at the central place was quite stimulating for a kid, an amazing cacophony for the senses made of men’s strong shouting, spices’ foreign smells, strange animals and odds and sods. A pair of eyes clearly wasn’t enough to look at everything, especially when his parents were dragging him along as to not lose him behind baskets taller than he was.
They were fond memories, but since then he didn’t really have the chance to have a peaceful walk in a market and simply gaze at everything. He did try to go to Kirkwall’s market once or twice, but never truly managed to let go of the knight-captain’s title and walk simply as Cullen. And truth be told, he didn’t have the chance to do so either since he had been named Commander of the Inquisition – too much work, lyrium withdrawal, too much work again. As some people said, whether it was teasingly or in concern, he barely got out of his office apart for sustenance, the advisors’ meetings, some training and sometimes a game of chess or two.
He was improving, though, mostly since he was in a relationship with the Inquisitor; he enjoyed joining everyone for meals or games more often, but wandering in the market was certainly not a habit of him. Which is why he was the first surprised when he decided out of the blue to leave his office mid-morning to have a walk in Skyhold’s courtyard and look at the merchants’ stalls. It was a very nice day, sunny but not too hot; the market was busy but not too crowded, and as soon as he got there, Cullen felt his shoulders relax. Hearing people calling out to their acquaintances, shouting prices and selling their products was rekindling old memories. Walking slowly, he answered the greetings he received with polite nods. Even if nothing really caught his eyes, this little outing was very nice.
And then, as he was about to go back to his office, his thoughts clearer and his mood uplifted, a flash of colour suddenly caught his eyes. He wasn’t sure what it was, at first, but as he came closer to the shop he realised it was a very simple ribbon. It seemed to be made from cotton, even if he didn’t know enough about fabrics to be entirely sure. What had grabbed his attention, however, was its mesmerizing colour: a deep teal hue, green and blue skilfully mixed into one – a tint that reminded him right away of Aodren’s unusual and beautiful eye colour.
“Please, Commander, don’t hesitate to have a closer look,” the merchant said kindly with an inviting movement of the hands.
Cullen took his gloves off before taking the ribbon in his hands cautiously, appreciating its natural softness. It really was a simple ornament, but beautiful, and it would make Aodren’s silky hair stand out without a doubt while reminding of his eyes. He could already picture his lover using it to tie his hair into a braid or a bun.
“It’s a very nice colour,” the person said softly, but there was without doubt a discreet sparkle of amusement in their eyes. “It will match our Inquisitor’s eye colour wonderfully.”
Cullen hummed thoughtfully, a bit too lost in thoughts to fully understand what the merchant had just said – but when he did, he lifted his head right away with his eyes wide.
“I…! I meant that the colour is nice, indeed,” he stuttered, knowing his embarrassment was certainly an avowal in itself.
The other smiled knowingly, but luckily didn’t push the matter further. The relationship between the Inquisitor and his Commander was like an open secret, not official but very much known. People were polite enough to pretend they didn’t see them discreetly hold hands or share a kiss on the ramparts – everybody seemed to agree they were kinda cute, acting like teenagers finding love for the first time.
“Ahem,” Cullen awkwardly cleared his throat, rubbing his neck in an automatic gesture. “I’ll take the ribbon, please.”
“Should I wrap it?” the merchant offered.
“Yes, thank you.”
They did it diligently, and soon enough Cullen had the gift in hands and the merchant their money.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you again,” they said with a teasing gleam in the eyes.
It was with a wildly pounding heart that Cullen went back to his office, his cheeks burning too much to be only the sun’s fault. From memory, it was the first time he was buying something for Aodren, and it was equally exciting and stressful. What if his lover didn’t like it? Maybe he should have asked beforehand – but it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, would it?
He placed the small package on his desk with a sigh. He wouldn’t see Aodren alone before dinner, so he may as well get back to work and not linger over it.
He managed to not think too much about the gift until the evening meeting with Leliana and Josephine, pushing it in the background of his thoughts to focus on his work instead. But as soon as he entered the room, he heard the giggles of the two women, and a quick glance at them confirmed they were both wearing lopsided smiles. Cullen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The meeting would be very long.
“Right, what’s going on?” he groaned.
“Oh, don’t play shy Cullen,” Leliana grinned. “We know.”
“You know what, exactly?”
“That you have a gift for our beloved Inquisitor,” Josie answered, her tone soft and almost dreamy. “It’s such a cute attention, did you give him yet?”
“I didn’t see him since this morning – but that’s not the point,” Cullen replied with an annoyed tone. “Maker, I can’t even buy something for my boyfriend peacefully.”
He had barely finished his sentence that he knew he had said something wrong, because Josephine started cooing right away.
“Oh, you call the Inquisitor your boyfriend, that’s adorable,” she smiled while Leliana was nodding approvingly next to her. “You two make such a lovely couple.”
He answered by burying his face in his hands to hide another groan, making his colleagues laugh even more. He truly didn’t deserve this.
Luckily, they didn’t make fun of him afterwards, focusing instead on the matters they had to deal with. It was only when he left them to go back to his room that Leliana let out an “Enjoy your evening!” with a teasing voice, but he simply decided to pretend he hadn’t heard her.
Aodren was already there when he closed the door behind him with a sigh of relief, chuckling at the defeated sound.
“It seems you had a rough day, vhenan,” he greeted him, leaving the seat he had been on to join him.
“You don’t say,” Cullen retorted, embracing him tightly to kiss him. “How was yours?”
“I’m fine now that you’re here,” Aodren brushed back some curls that had fallen in front of Cullen’s forehead. “I’ve heard some rumours, though,” he said with a tiny grin. “You’ve been to the market.”
“Oh Maker,” Cullen whispered. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”
Aodren chuckled again, rubbing his nose against his.
“You know people love to gossip,” he said softly. “Especially when there’s a love affair. If I can reassure you, I don’t know what it is you bought,” he added.
“It’s nothing particularly fancy, but it made me think of you.”
Cullen led him to the desk, where the package was clearly displayed, and gave it to him. Aodren took it with a curious hum, observing it closely before opening it. His eyes widened when he took the ribbon out of the wrapping paper, touching it gently while a smile was stretching his lips. Cullen cleared his throat, a bit anxious about his reaction.
“Do you like it?” he asked shyly.
“It’s beautiful,” Aodren nodded, facing him with a bright smile. “Thank you.”
“May I?”
Aodren spun on his heels to give him access to his hair, allowing him to tie the ribbon at the end of his braid. Cullen took advantage of their position to kiss his neck, making him giggle quietly.
“It suits you perfectly,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to see you walk around Skyhold with it ornamenting you.”
“If you were hoping for the gossips to end, you’re missing your point,” Aodren retorted with a laugh.
“I don’t care,” Cullen said stubbornly. “Let them know you’re mine.”
And Aodren did, wearing the teal ribbon proudly every day after that.