WELCOME

[Cullen]

Mages never seemed to know exactly how dangerous they were until it was too late. He’d seen them crumble under the seduction of demons and turn into monsters which could have rivaled the Blight itself had Ulred actually managed to create his ‘army’ as planned. That wasn’t an argument he wanted to get into with Alyss, because it was pure futility. They believed they had full control over themselves and could live freely, but the Order knew it wasn’t true. He personally knew the folly of it, himself, and considered the child safer for being terrified of mages. Cullen being the one to scare him out of his wits was excessive, however. He wasn’t there to make her day out miserable with pointless debate, so he kept his opinions to himself. “No, I was tired of being mistaken for your husband,” he neutrally told her the other part of the truth. “I should have been more disciplined than to let my frustration out as I did.” He didn’t make excuses for himself, and marked it mentally he’d not let it happen again. He’d never been particularly adept with women, although maturity had made him understand the fact and set it aside for a dedication to his duty. Templars didn’t often marry, and he seldom had an opportunity to mingle with anyone except those serving the Chantry, fellow templars or mages.

He stopped just behind her to look upward at the gently flapping banners and beautiful bronze likenesses of Andraste. It was far larger than they had in Denerim, and he’d never seen Val Royeaux. It might rival the one in front of them or even surpass it, although the bleaker part of his personality hoped he’d die young rather than be lost to lyrium fog and sent there to retire. He didn’t rush Alyss and let her take the time she wanted to look around.

[Alyss Wilk]

Alyss rolled her eyes, obviously frustrated, but didn't say anything about it. The moment had passed, and there was no use arguing with him about it. Finally taking her eyes off the huge building, she made her way inside. She gaped as her eyes fell upon a huge statue of Andraste. Multiple stories high and shined until it sparkled, it was a magical sight. It sat atop a large platform with staircases on either side. Even larger staircases lined the walls of the gigantic room, leading to the top floor where the other rooms of the Chantry were. The place was bigger inside than Alyss had imagined, despite all the rumors she had heard of its size.

"Wow... Are all the chantries in the Free Marches this big? It can't just be this one. If it is only this one, why is it so big here? What's so special about Kirkwall?" Nodding at one of the sisters passing by, Alyss walked further in, silver eyes darting from one thing to another. It was a lot to take in, and she was already lining up more questions to pester Cullen with, such as where all the different doors led to, and if Andraste would like having such a huge statue of herself, and what did sister of the Chantry do, anyway, and...

Her thoughts were interrupted as a Tranquil walked by, greeting them in a monotone. The sight sent a shiver through the mage. Alyss didn't fear much, but becoming Tranquil was one of them. You know, right under becoming an abomination. To lose all connections to the Fade, and with them all of your emotions... Even the idea of such a thing made her cringe. It was a fate worse than death. She felt sorry for any mage forced into it, and didn't understand those who chose it. She'd have to ask Cullen later about how it's even done... How one could be completely separated from the Fade was beyond her knowledge. Of course, surprisingly, she knew very little of the Fade, seeing as she'd only been training with the Circle for a year now. That made her wonder; how long had Cullen been with the templars? Yet another question lined up with the rest.

[Cullen]

Cullen knelt briefly to one knee before the image of Andraste, and for the first and only time that day, took his attention from Alyss for a few seconds. Lowering his voice and turning his eyes inward, he recited softly in reverence, “The one who repents, who has faith, unshaken by the darkness of the world shall know true peace.” Standing, he flanked Alyss once more, and actually smiled to the sisters and those who passed by them with kind words of blessing or to simply wish them welcome or a good day.

Keeping his voice low so as not to disturb anyone, he answered her. “I’ve only been inside this one. Val Royeux is probably even larger than this one, but I’ve never seen it. Coming to Kirkwall has been the first time I’ve been out of Ferelden.” The familiar smell of incense and low lights always brought a feeling of home and closeness to the Maker to soothe his soul, although the huge statues he always felt a little strange. He missed the smaller, more humble stone renditions from home, where these seemed almost gaudy in comparison. That might have been considered sacrilegious, and that they should exalt her in all ways possible, but she seemed almost overbearing as large as they’d made her.

“Good day, Knight-Captain,” an elderly woman in the robes of the Chantry greeted them. “We did not see you in service today.”

“I was on duty early this morning.” Cullen’s entire demeanor had changed, like a glacier falling off of it as he became relaxed and even friendly. “Next evening Chant, I’ll attend,” he promised her.

“Good,” the woman told him and smiled at Alyss without cringing or glowering down her nose at who she assumed must be a mage by the fact she was being herded about like a templar. “You too, if you like. All are welcome here in the Maker’s house. Dear,” she told Cullen indulgently, “you’re standing on the hem of her robe. Let the poor child breathe.”

Looking down, he had the decency to square his shoulders then take a step back when he saw it was true.

[Alyss Wilk]

A thin eyebrow quirked as the mage watched Cullen in his 'natural habitat'. The man seemed more relaxed, and not as ready to maul the face of anyone who approached. It was calming, and made Alyss much more comfortable, though she knew he'd never be this way around her alone. Damn templars. Always so stubborn. If only they'd loosen up a little and think of something other than some impending doom that every mage is going to spontaneously combust when they've got their backs turned.

While not being all too religious herself, Alyss respected those who dedicated themselves to something like that. She believed in the Maker, but she didn't think he was ever coming back. Humanity had its chance to impress, and failed horribly, so now he was off with some other new creation or something. Not even some chant will bring him back now. Still, a small prayer every now and then never hurt anyone. Especially if it made them relax enough to crack a smile. Boy, he sure did have a pretty smile.

An elderly woman in Chantry robes interrupted her thoughts. A frown graced Alyss' features when she realized she was the reason Cullen had not been able to visit the Chantry this morning. Or at least she thought she was. Maybe she could make it up to him somehow. Maybe... get him a nice hat? Or maybe he's got a sweet tooth. But she didn't know how to bake a cake..

Mind wandering again, Alyss was brought back to reality when the woman addressed her. While other mages might have been surprised by the woman's friendliness, the behavior was not unfamiliar to Alyss. She'd been an apostate most of her life, and her magic was known to only a select few. Though that didn't mean she didn't appreciate the welcome. She smiled back at the woman, bowing her head slightly. She resisted the urge to snicker at her comment to Cullen. "Thank you, messere. Maybe I'll be able to make it to the next service. Of course, that's if this guy," she gestured towards Cullen, "ever lets me out and about again." She allowed herself a light laugh, glancing over her shoulder at Cullen and giving him a playful smile. He was finally being himself for a moment, and she was not about to let that opportunity slip away.

[Cullen]

“He had better,” the Mother told them both. She wrinkled the corners of her lips in a scowl which was purely for show and humor. Well into her declining seventies, she'd learned not to take even the good templars too seriously. “Or I’ll have to have a word with him, myself, and the templars are employed by the Chantry, aren’t they, young man?” Her bright amber eyes twinkled beneath wisps of white hair which she kept tidy behind her in a simple hair style.

Cullen’s lips broke into a grin, but he would never deny anyone the opportunity to worship at the Chantry. As it was the house of the Maker, he doubted Meredith or Orsino would deny them the courtesy, either. “I’ll bring you here as often as you want,” he told Alyss seriously. He’d always been a devout person, but faith had been all that sustained him in the bleakest moments of his life. Like his binding to the Order, he’d become closer to his religion as well. Perhaps if the mages learned more about the Chant, they might be less subject to the whispers of the demons.

“Well, I’m sure you two have other stops to make.” The Mother caught sight of the package Alyss was carrying with the dress, and the small parcel of food which Cullen still had with him. “I will not keep you away from it with my idle talk, and I should find Sebastian. He’s been so helpful about moving books... what a sweet young man.”

“Do you want to go upstairs?” he asked Alyss before they went on to Viscount’s Way. It was the last decent stop where the area would be well patrolled and safe, as opposed to the other areas he was hoping to avoid. There wasn’t much to see up there, except prayer benches, bookshelves, and more incense, but they could get a closer look at the statues if she was interested.

[Alyss Wilk]

Alyss snickered. She liked this Mother. Finally someone who could put Cullen in his place, as well as a smile on his face. He really needed to smile more. It was such an adorable smile. "Hmm.. Maybe I should hang around you more often." She gave the Mother a playful wink before bowing her head. "It's been a pleasure."

Bidding the woman goodbye, she turned back to Cullen, shaking her head. "I don't need to see anymore in here. I wanna see the keep! Is it bigger than this place? Can you ride through it on ponies? If so, we definitely need to do that." She smirked a bit as she walked past him out the giant, ornate doors of the chantry. As they walked in the direction of the Viscount's keep, Alyss' stomach began to protest again, although this time for something sweet. Glancing around the street, she was disappointed to see that there were no food stands around. Oh well. She'd have to wait until she got back to the Gallows. Hopefully the cooks finally decided to make something decent for desert. Like cookies. Mmmm... Cookies..

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Alyss remembered the long list of questions she had. She didn't know how long the walk to the keep was, but now was as good a time as any to start learning a bit more about the stubborn templar. "So Cullen, how long have you been with the templars? Did you always want to be a templar, or was it something your family pushed you into?" Family. She again wondered if he had one. Were templars allowed to marry and have children? Surely with all their duties they wouldn't have time. Or did their families live with them in the Circle? Alyss sure hadn't seen any children or people who weren't mages or templars.

[Cullen]

“No ponies,” Cullen told her with a head shake, and he became more guarded as they went outside, watching their surroundings carefully for any threat or avenues of possible flight. “In fact, there aren’t any in the city that I’ve seen. I haven’t been on horseback in a long time, although I learned to ride before I joined the templars.” He liked horses, although it wasn’t something he was actually aware of in the front of his thoughts, because it was too subtle. He was raised in Ferelden, so understanding dogs came naturally. That didn’t account for the crumbs for the birds, feeding the squirrel his apple core, or the fact he always enjoyed horseback riding, rare that it was. “If you obtain permission, perhaps I can take you for a ride outside of Kirkwall.” Her animal would have to be slower than his in case she tried to use it to run, and he’d need to look around the area, first, to assure himself there wasn’t anywhere she could slip his grasp if she tried. So far, she’d been well behaved, but he had his duty and orders to upkeep. “I went into the templars because I wanted to, and have been in the Order for nine years.” His promotions had been quick for someone his age, but he attributed that to discipline and a side benefit he wouldn’t have asked for simply because he’d survived and there were so few Ferelden templars to the Circle. “My family were commoners in a Westcross village under Ban Alfstanna. I received most of my training and my first post at the Ferelden Circle tower. There were three of us who went through training together and shared a room. Drass died in the Tower, but Andon was sent on another assignment before it Uldred’s attempted coup.”

If Ferelden was described as brown, Kirkwall could have been described as grey, almost foreboding compared to the open market of Denerim. The front of Vicount’s keep was accented with a enormous marble statue which Marches seemed to be so fond of. A giant birds of prey loomed over, looking as dour as it large. Perhaps they were fond of birds the way Fereldens were of dogs, but Cullen had never seen a falconer, even among the nobility, yet. An obscure decoration with swords and tiny green tiles was underfoot as they approached the door under the watchful eyes of a pair of city guard. He hadn’t any idea what that meant, either. Horseback riding was strangely appealing to him, although he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because although he was accustomed to being hemmed in by stone walls the same as his charges in Ferelden, they could look out over the lake occasionally. It didn’t feel as hemmed in, although scenery could never replace security.

[Alyss Wilk]

Alyss feigned a frown at his mention of the lack of ponies. "Darn. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to hope for the best and pray that I get permission for a horseback ride along the beach or something." She gave him a warm smile with that. Maybe some time out of the city would loosen him up a bit; or possibly make him even more edgy. Either way, it was worth a try, if she could get the permission for it.

"Why did you want to join the order?" she aked, genuine curiosity shining in her silver eyes. She always wondered what drove templars to their cause. Was it that they feared mages would harm those they loved? Were they simply following their religion? Or something else entirely? Or maybe they were in it for the ladies. Chicks dig men in uniform.

"I'm sorry about your friend... I'm sure this Andon is safe, though, and hopefully you'll be able to se him again." She offered him a comforting smile. She knew her words didn't mean much, especially coming from a mage, but it was all she could offer. She truly felt sorry for what Cullen had to go through because of magic and understood his paranoia with it, but to assume that every mage was going to turn to blood magic at any moment was a little extreme. She couldn't speak for all mages, but she knew that she herself would never turn to such a thing, even in the most dire situation. The mere thought of it sent shivers down her back.

Alyss was pulled from her toughts as they began to ascend a huge staircase linked with giant pillars and tall buildings. When they finally reached the top, what looked like a giant raven with its wings spread wide stuck out from above the door to the keep. It was an odd sight to her foreign eyes. Was this a thing in Kirkwall? She hadn't remembered seeing it anywhere else... Or if she had, she'd forgotten or barely noticed. These Marchers always had strange tastes.

After staring at the large bird for a few moments, Alyss made her way inside. The keep reminded her much of the Chantry; high ceilings, many staircases to different levels, a billion doors leading to Maker knows where, and of course, statues. While none were as big as the one of Andraste in the Chantry, there were quite a few of them, almost all seeming to be of birds of prey. What was it with Marchers and their birds? Sure, Fereldens loved their mabari, but never went this far with it. It was surprisingly busy inside, filled mostly with nobles and the like trying to get an audience with the Viscount. Guards were posted at the bottom of the stairs as well as by the main door on both sides. She felt oddly uncomfortable here, while when she was in the Chantry she felt soothed, almost at home. Her train of thought was interrupted when an infuriated noble stormed past them, shoving her aside. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" she said, glaring at the man. Returning the glare, the man said, "Do not test me, wench! I'm not afraid of your little body guard, either!"

[Cullen]

((I apologize in advance for the typos. As you know from IRC I can't spall, and this computer has no spell check feature. ))

"When I was eight years old, I talked to one of the templars who was at the Chantry," he told Alyss, going well back beyond his experiences in the Circle to a time in his life which was truly innocent. "He had come to pray and join the Chant, but it was the first time I'd ever met one of the knights personally. He took some time talking to me, and told me what the templars did within the Order. It wasn't hunting mages or Abominations which interested me as much as the way he described what it meant to be a templar. I never understood it completely until much later, but he was the one who inspired me. It wasn't until I was fourteen that my parents allowed me to actually go into training at the templar branch near Denerim." Ironically, he and the king of Ferelden were almost the same age, and would have crossed paths had they not been in two separate cities. "Anyone in Ferelden can be a knight by birth, but I wanted to do more for the Maker than go to services. My instructors told me I had a strong will which gave me some natural resistence to very low levels of blood magic." It hadn't been enough to keep them out of his mind when they wore him down, but it had been what allowed him to survive. That alongside his faith.

Cullen actually smiled back at her, although most of it was in old memories of Andon which had managed to endure without being tainted. Misery and Uldred's lickspittles hadn't been interested in Andon when they had his secred shame and inner daydreams of Solona to twist. "I'm sure Andon is fine, and serving somewhere else. He was always the best of us, and my old Knight-Commander favored him. I always thought he'd replace Greagoir someday, and we'd all still be living in Kinlock Hold." The smile turned bitter before it faded. "The Maker obviously had other ideas." Uldred had, in a perverse way, woken Cullen's ambition and stirred it's fires. Where the young templar had once been naive enough to try and smooth relations out between mage and templar, believing he'd spend his life in mid-rank, he'd began to climb the ladder to Knight-Captain with a voracious determination. He wasn't sure he and Andon would even recognize one another any more.

He thought it was the Orlesians who were originally responsible for the huge seat of office, and he could believe it. Like most things Orlesian, it was pretentious and huge. People were everwhere, many of them absorbed in their own affairs. It almost made him dizzy, like trying to pick out one bee from the entire hive. This was generally considered the domain of the city guard, and he noticed many of them standing at attention, flanking doors or posted strategically throughout. He'd heard some rumors around the templar barracks about tensions between the guard and themselves stemming back to Meredith and the Viscount, although he hadn't uncovered what it was all about, yet. Cullen actually respected the city guard for the job they did, and had no quarrel with them, because they were upolding many of the same laws he was.

Politics brought out the worst in people as surely as did cheap ale, and in Ferelden they often mixed the two in the Gnawed Noble. At least they didn't do that in Kirkwall. Alyss would have done better to mind her tonuge, but the more he was around her, the more he understood that wasn't her nature. Stepping halfway between the pair, he didn't directly block Alyss or loom over the nobleman, but he still took a protective stance. It was his duty to make sure no harm came to her as well as keeping her from instigating, escaping, or Maker knew what else. "I'm not her bodyguard, Serrah," he told the nobleman evenly. "I'm her escort. We're only here for a visit to see the architecture." He certainly wasn't going to draw steel agains an unarmed man, but as slim as the possibility was, he'd protect Alyss if the nobleman wasn't as unnarmed as he looked. "You seem to be in a hurry," he offered with a polite diplomacy, watching the man's hands as well as his eyes and expression. "Don't let us interfere with your errand here at the Keep."

[Alyss Wilk]

The man glared at Cullen for a few seconds before finally grunting and turning away from the two, mumbling under his breath as he left the keep. Alyss glared after him, sticking her tongue out playfully when his back was turned. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she folded her arms across her chest and turned back to face the bulk of the keep. "Nobles."

Walking a bit farther in so that they weren't in the way of the entrance, Alyss noticed the large amount of people waiting to see the Viscount. She frowned in curiosity, her head tilting ever so slightly to one side. "Wow. I never realized so many people needed to see the Viscount," she said, again mispronouncing the foreign word. "Does he ever get a break from it all? Like, some time to take a trip with the family or something?"

She didn't know much about Viscounts, and wondered if they were any different than kings or arls or what have you. More importantly, why did they even use that title, if it was Orlesian? Why did they even use it in the first place? Turning to Cullen, she asked, "Why do they call him the Viscount? Isn't that Orlesian? Shouldn't he have some Marcher title or something?" Obviously, Alyss knew very little of the history of Kirkwall. What little she knew was from rumors and the occasional book she picked up about it in the Circle's library, but those were always so boring. Why would she read about Kirkwall when she could be studying some new spell or reading about dragons? Dragons were much more interesting.

[Cullen]

"Good luck getting in," a woman told them contritely, practically preening her feathers like a fat pigeon on a sill. "I've been waiting all day!"

Cullen hadn't any intention of getting either of them an audience with the Viscount, or know much about the man. "You would think they'd take another title," he agreed with Alyss. "It's Orlesian, but they never seemed to have assigned another name for it. They're also very fond of birds, aren't they?" The pillars were huge and shining bronze or brass, and more avians. "I'm not sure how much family the Viscount has, aside from a son who has come of age." Not having been in the city long, himself, his understanding of the political structure was something he'd have to learn, given time. "The nobles here are different from Ferelden." It was hard to put into words, but they seemed to think more of themselves than even the king. Cullen met Alistair, albeit briefly, before he was ever on the throne. He'd been with the Hero of Ferelden when they'd found Cullen in Uldred's trap. Teyrn Loghain, whatever is crimes later, was a peasant before he was a noble. The Couslands, the Howes, and many of the others had fought the Orlesian occupation alongside the merchants and the lower born men. It was hard to imagine the Marcher nobles picking up swords and defending their lands with the same vigor.

His mind wandered back to a prospective horseback ride, and enjoyment of something he hadn't done since... At least five or six years. His leisure time in Ferelden had been spent at the little village outside Kinloch Hold because it was the closest. Not being one to drink much, he'd stayed inside the tower in his time off as often as he'd left. Torrin was a master at chess, and one of the few people who was stratigic enough that he was a fierce opponant. He passed his free time socializing among the mages, his fellow templars, playing games or reading as often as going into town. Some branches of the Order kept horses, or so he'd heard, particularly rural ones. It might have been more natural for him to have been assigned in such a place, but his willpower had put him at the fore for Circle duty.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" he asked her, bringing his silent muses out. Another way to make sure she wouldn't go running off would be to park her in front and himself behind her on the same animal. It was how his mother had taught him to ride not long after he could walk. That might not be comfortable to her, considering propriety, but it would be safer. The thought she was a woman didn't enter into his mental picture past the fact he wouldn't have wanted her to feel like she was being threatened not because he was a templar, but because he was a man. There were always rumors about what some of the Hunters did before they killed or captured the apostates. He hoped they were only rumors, but corruption lay everywhere there was humanity. That, unfortunately, included the Order.

[Alyss Wilk]

Alyss nodded, staring up at all the various avian statues. "Yes... Wonder if it symbolizes anything; the birds, I mean. I'd say freedom, but we all know that's not true." Despite knowing so little about the city, she did know that it used to be a major slave-trading city; quite the opposite of freedom. Maybe they symbolized being birds of prey.

A slight frown made its way across her features at Cullen's mention of the Viscount's family. "Poor guy. He must feel very lonely then, with so little family. I hope his son visits him a lot. Wonder if the son has children.. Then the Viscount would be a grandfather! That'd be so sweet." She smiled at the idea. While besides her parents, Alyss didn't have much family of her own, she felt that family was very important, and loved hers to death. Even now she carried items they'd made for her, such as her favorite green vest and the leather collar around her neck. If only she knew what became of them after the Blight...


Cullen's question pulled her from her thoughts, causing her to blink in a moment of confusion. "Huh? Oh, yes, I do. Quite well, actually. Spent a few years travelling across the country, and if I hadn't known how to ride a horse, things would've been a wee bit more difficult." She gave him a smirk with that. It was odd that he'd bring up the topic of horses again, seeing as she'd only mentioned them playfully. Guess the idea lingered longer than I expected...

"Why? Do you ride, yourself?" she asked, putting on her best innocent smile. It was a simple question, but one that offered her the chance to learn more about this oh so closed templar. He'd given her a window of opportunity, and she was more than happy to take it.

[Cullen]

"They do seem fond of powerful imagry here. The statues in the Gallows are potent symbols, but I do not know why they're so fond of the birds, either. Perhaps it's something they admired or was once an important part of their culture. If they're left from the Orlesians, who can know?" He wasn't old enough to have the bitterness of his elders against the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden, but there wasn't any denying at least some disgust for the decadance and shallowness the country was known for. Ironically, the Chantry was strongest there, as well, making it two extremes bound together into one land.

For once, he answered her readily about equines, although he gave her a bland glance which studied her anew for probable escape risk. She'd been very well behaved thus far on their journey, but he never took that for granted. "I was raised around horses and learned to ride shortly after I could walk. My mother taught me, and my family raised horses for sale through Feredlen after the Orlesian Occupation was ended by King Maric. They supplied anything from plow animals to steeds which went to places like Highever. Originally, I might have been chosen for a Knight-Hunter position or a more rural outpost had my instructors not noticed I had a high willpower. My natural resistence to being controlled by magic ultimately stationed me at the Circle Tower." It was also why he could be coherced by the Blood Mages but didn't buckle under their actual control. Their tortures were more subtle for him, and he was forced to watch as they used his fellow templars to dispicable sickening acts performed on the mages, or occasionally each other. Letting those hateful memories slide to the back of his mind, he focused on the older recollection of hay, straw, and musky horse. "It was something I always enjoyed, but I seldom have the opportunity to ride any more."

[Alyss Wilk]

Alyss cringed, images of the slave statues in the Gallows flooding her mind. That was one thing she couldn't stand about Kirkwall. The city seemed to practically scream its past wherever you went, and it wasn't as if that was something pleasant to think about. Why someone would go through so much trouble to make slaves feel like just that, slaves, was beyond her. And then to put the mages in such a place... I mean, really, would it really have been that hard to stick us somewhere else, or maybe build a decent tower? Would've taken longer, but even if it were of the lowest quality it would be better than what we have now.


"Bah. Too many factions have lived in this damned city. First Tevinter, then Orlais, now Free Marches, or what-have-you. It's all so confusing... How any one person can remember it all is beyond me. I'm having enough trouble trying to grasp the whole Hightown, Lowtown situation." Alyss loved learning about new and interesting cultures from around Thedas, but Kirkwall never peaked her interest. Maybe it was because of how things began there. It wasn't exactly like she got a pleasant welcome. Nonetheless, it was her home now, and since she wasn't going anywhere any time soon, might as well learn the history and such. If only it weren't so depressing... Seriously, they need to add a romance or silly story in every once in a while.

The mage blinked when she realized Cullen had been talking. How rude of her, letting her mind wander when someone was trying to answer her question. "Wow. You were quite the stable boy then, weren't you?" she asked, finally turning back towards the large door of the keep. Once outside, she gave a smile and a small nod to the guard stationed there before descending the steps. She wasn't sure exactly where she was going, but she'd had enough of the huge building. It was a bit overwhelming for her; too many people crammed into one place, all trying to have their needs met. For now, she just walked along the streets, ready to follow Cullen if he were to point them in a specific direction.

"Say, if you could go back to a life like that, one where you're raising and selling horses, would you? I mean, it's not like you can make much of a life as a templar. What if you wanted a family of your own? Can't exactly settle down here in the Circle. But hey, if you ever want to go for a ride, let me know. I can give you an excuse to leave the city." She gave him a wink, a mischievous grin stretching across her features. While the offer could be taken as more one for his pleasure, the idea of riding along the outskirts of the city sounded so refreshing. Kirkwall was so stuffy, and with little to no nature throughout it. Maybe if she dragged Cullen out for a ride he might loosen up enough to let her walk around a little, maybe even lay in the grass... Well, if the Marches even have grass. I don't even know what kind of trees they have here. Damn templars. Why couldn't they have let me at least see the providence that would be my new home if only for a moment? The mage mentally shook herself for getting so distracted again, almost running into a rather large man walking by.

[Cullen]

It was still at least an hour before noon, and they'd exausted the areas he deemed safe enough to escort her. She'd been promised a full day, but that only left the options of retracing their steps or exploring more of Hightown. There, they'd be bombarded with more merchants irritating him and tempting her with sales he hadn't the gold in his pocket to cover. There were other areas of the city, of course, but Lowtown was out of the question. The docks were not very scenic, and he didn't have any desire to get nausiated in a boat any time again in his lifetime. He certainly wasn't going to allow her into Darktown, which was a place Knight-Commander Merideth had specifically instructed him that she didn't send templars down there for fear of their lives. He certainly wasn't going to allow Alyss in the area, with or without him.

The Coast was out of the question, even if it wouldn't have carried the reputation for trouble which it did. Although he'd once secretly found the story amusing that Anders once jumped in the lake and swam for freedom, leaving behind templars who would have sunk to the bottom of the lake and drowned, any humor he'd once found in it was dead. That, by his estimation, was just another way the Fereldens had been too lenient. Such an escape never should have been possible, particularly for such a young boy. He wasn't going to leave that sort of window of opportunity open with an entire ocean in front of them.

Sundermount had a relatively peaceful tribe of Dalish camped on it, but there were other, open areas where they could go. Perhaps he'd look into horses if it was convenient and the situation would be properly monitored.

"You say that as if templars don't marry," he answered her, although he wasn't offended. "Although it isn't very common, if I found the um ... right young lady, I'd consider it." The subject was one of the few where he still had a certain amount of trepidation. Templars, mages, and anything which fell under the shelter of his duty were all managable, no matter if the person was man or woman. In the case of mages, he barely noticed the difference between the two except in thoughts like he had earlier that he wouldn't have wanted to make Alyss feel uncomfortable.

To think about courting a woman, however, still made his palms sweat. "She would have to understand my duty to the Order, of course, and understand my commitment wouldn't allow me to be home with her very much." There was also the lyrium, and the possibility his life would be shorter. "I never missed having a family, but if I had a wife who wanted children, we would. Some templars take certain ... vows, but I never did" Unfortunately, that didn't manage to cancel the fact he was shy, and ladies who were willing or capable to share that kind of life with a templar were few. The lack of social skills made the prospect of his ever inviting a woman under his blankets even worse. The thought made his ears heat up along the ridge and he cleared his throat. "I don't regret it," he told her instead. "Even with what happened in Ferelden, I'm glad to be in the Order where I have a chance to make a difference. I'd never have gone back, even if I could."

He veered back toward Hightown long enough to find a merchant who could sell them something to eat again. If they were going to be out until before dusk, they'd get hungry, and he planned on taking her outside the city for awhile. It was no greater a risk in losing her there than it was inside the city with throngs of people and places to hide.