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"Should we, brother?" Branson asked, pure mischief all over his face as he watched the others swimming and chatting in the water.
Cullen rolled his eyes, settling on his elbows and stretching his long legs out on the grass. "I'm about to become a templar and I'm thirteen, I'm too old for such nonsense."
"Maybe so, but I'm not." Branson jabbed Cullen with his pudgy elbow, leaning in and practically vibrating with excitement. "Just think of the splash I'll make!"
Cullen looked at Mia and her prissy girlfriends bobbing in the lake, their hair somehow still dry and carefully coiffed high upon their heads, some even wearing rouge, and imagined how livid they would be if they were to get soaked in front of the lads they were with. Every once in a while one of the young men would splash a little water their way and the girls would shriek in protest, but the way they all posed and preened and flirted was such a charade. He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with any of that at the monastery.
A dark smile spread across Cullen's face. "It would be a nice memory to take with me. I double dare you."
Branson hopped up off the ground and jiggled his belly. "Yes! It'll be the biggest one ever." Cullen didn't doubt it, his brother had experienced quite a growth spurt lately. Apparently their father had gone through a similar phase at that age. Branson took it in stride, telling everyone there was simply more of him to love. He also enjoyed outweighing his lanky older brother when it came to their wrestling matches.
Rosalie came running over and latched onto Cullen. She'd been especially clingy ever since he'd told her he was leaving, but he didn't mind. "What are you talking about?"
"Here, sit and watch. This is going to be good." He unwrapped her from his torso and patted the ground next to him.
Branson took a deep breath and stared at the pier, like he was facing down a foe in battle. Mia and her friends were none the wiser.
He backed up almost to the trailhead and broke into a sprint. His feet smacked down on the the pier and still the teens didn't notice him, completely absorbed in their own little world. When he reached the very end he launched himself high into the air, higher than Cullen had thought possible, his body aimed right at the middle of the group.
"Oh!" Rosalie exclaimed.
Branson tucked his knees in and held on tight as he descended, and by the time they saw him coming it was too late. He landed like a cannonball in the midst of the group, creating a giant circular wave around him and drenching all in his path. There was a brief moment of gasping and sputtering before the screeching began.
"BRANSON! I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" Mia was almost snarling, her formerly perfect bun lolling limply to the side like a drowned rat. The boys didn't seem to mind but the girls were furious, wading to the shore and wailing things like "Well, I never!" and "Little brat!" and "My hair!".
It was more glorious than Cullen could have hoped for. He fell over laughing, clutching his stomach with Rosalie cackling next to him. He didn't let up until Branson came running over, dripping wet.
"Did you see it? Wasn't it glorious? Oh brother, I wish you could have seen the looks on their faces just before I landed - priceless!"
Cullen rolled over onto his back, still giggling. "I'm just sorry I'm not going to be around to witness Mia's payback, because it won't be pretty."
"What did I miss?" a shrill voice called out.
Cullen sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. It was Sylvie, stomping over in a dress that was much too large for her.
"Hi Sylvie!" Rosalie squeaked before turning to her brother. "Branson, show me how to do that puh-lease?"
"All right, come on. We can do one together!" They scampered off.
Cullen stood to greet Sylvie. "Branson just soaked Mia and her ridiculous friends, absolutely ruined their hair. It was a thing of beauty, you should have seen it." He looked over at the teenage girls on the opposite shore, scowling and fussing with their hair while the lads assured them that they still looked as pretty as ever.
Instead of laughing along with him, Sylvie frowned. "That wasn't very nice. They might have worked very hard on looking nice for those boys." She fidgeted with one of her braids and stepped closer. Something red was smudged on her tan cheeks.
"Er, I think you have something on your face."
She rolled her eyes, as if he'd said something incredibly stupid. "Yes, I know."
"Oh, sorry." It dawned on him that she was wearing rouge, just like Mia's silly friends were, but unlike theirs hers was smeared on her face like warpaint. Why would anyone wear makeup to the lake? Had all the village girls gone mad?
"It's all right." She glanced at him then looked to the water. "Aren't you going to swim?"
He shrugged. "I think I got my fill, and I'll have to head back soon to prepare for the journey. Are you?" He eyed her dress, noticing that it was a little formal for the outdoors.
She shook her head. "No. I just wanted to come and see you, before you leave." She smiled and shoved him playfully by the shoulder. "So, are you excited?"
He nodded. "Yes, very. And nervous, to be honest." He blinked; he hadn't admitted that to anyone, not even his parents.
"Well, I don't think you should be. I just know you're going to be the best templar ever." She held her chin up and shot him a toothy grin. He recalled his mother saying that Sylvie's body would catch up to her features someday. She was always saying odd things like that.
"Thanks."
They stood there side by side and watched Branson instruct Rosalie on how to master the perfect jump.
"Cullen, I'm really sorry, but I can't stay. My father needs my help with a big order." Her enormous green eyes quivered. "You're not cross, are you?"
He was a little disappointed. Even though a lot of the other kids found her outspoken behavior off-putting, he rather liked that about her. She could be bossy, sure, but Cullen could be just as stubborn and somehow they found a balance. But with her mother out of the picture, her father counted on his daughter to help with his baking business.
"Of course not. I understand. I'm glad you were able to stop by." He smiled awkwardly.
"Good, because I would really hate it if we parted on bad terms." Her face fell. "We...might not ever see each other again. It's strange to think about."
"Yes, it is." They let that sink in for a moment.
"I wanted to give you something." She crammed her hand into her pocket and held up something shiny between her thumb and forefinger. "It's a coin; you know, for luck."
He furrowed his brow. "I can't accept that. Don't you need the money?"
She rolled her eyes; she did that a lot. "Cullen, I know you're going to be a noble Knight soon but you don't have to start acting like it already. Just please, take it." She grabbed his hand and placed the coin in his palm. He caught a glimpse of Andraste before Sylvie closed his fist around it. The feel of both her hands wrapped around his made him blush for some reason.
"Keep it safe, and it will keep you safe." She threw her arms around his neck so suddenly that by the time he registered what was happening, she had already retreated.
"Thank you, I shall." He was touched by the sentiment. His other friends hadn't even bothered to show up. Come to think of it, they had been avoiding him lately.
This time his smile wasn't forced. "Take care, Sylvie. Maker watch over you."
"You too, Rutherford. I'll keep you in my prayers." It was something that people said to each other and most meant it, but he knew she wasn't the praying type.
Sylvie grasped the too-big dress as it began to slip off her shoulder and hiked it back up. She gave him one last light punch on the shoulder and walked away, moving ungracefully up the trail.
Branson and Rosalie came back over, wet feet slapping on the ground. The girl threw herself at Cullen.
"Did you see me just now? I almost did it just like Branson!" She did a little jump.
"I did!" he fibbed, gently pushing her soaking wet body away. "Very impressive. Now go dry off."
"Brother, you dropped something." Branson stooped and picked up the coin, turning it over. "Where did you get this?"
"Oh, Sylvie just gave it to me. For luck." He held out his palm.
Branson scoffed as he deposited the coin into Cullen's hand. "A coin? You'll need a lot more than that to protect you from those wicked mages." He raised his arms and pretended to shoot spells at him, complete with vocal effects.
Cullen dropped the coin in his pocket. "All right, enough of that."
"Look at you, already acting like a templar, so serious," Branson teased, yelping when Cullen snapped his ass with the towel.
It wasn't until Mia told them it was time to leave that his new reality started to sink in. In mere hours he would officially be a templar-in-training and life as he knew it would never be the same.
As they headed home, even though he was more excited than sad about leaving, he took a moment to enjoy the sight of his siblings bickering one last time.