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pikapeppa · 5 years

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Cullavellan & FenHawke pirate AU: Rescue

Chapter 7 of Where The Winds Of Fortune Take Me is up on AO3!!

In which Piper goes to Estwatch and finds Cullen in a bind. Literally.

Let’s all take a bow to @schoute, whose art for this week’s chapter is just... exceptionally beautiful. [sheds many tears]

Read here on AO3! ~7500 words. (Psst, did some of you guys miss Chapter 6? I didn’t do a Tumblr post about it because I sprung two chapters on Schoute unexpectedly... make sure you didn’t miss one!)

- PIPER -

The rowboat’s oars glided through the water with barely a splash. Piper crouched at the bow of the boat, her eyes narrowed at the shore as they glided closer to the southeast coast of Estwatch.

The navy sloop was anchored about a half-mile from the northwest end of the island. The make of their ship told Piper that she was expecting about thirty men in total: likely twenty actually on land, with the rest guarding the sloop itself. Here on the southeast beach, there was no one in sight, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. On the plus side, it meant the navy men wouldn’t see their approach.

On the negative side, it meant they’d have to travel some ways inland or around the periphery of the island before meeting anyone, and that meant being farther from their escape route.

No one said we’ll need a quick escape, Piper reminded herself for the umpteenth time. After all, this could just be a normal navy duty and not something suspicious. It was still possible that Piper and the crew would discover Cullen and his men doing something normal, like recovering some of the pirate loot that was stashed on this swamp-ridden dump so they could restore it to its rightful owners.

It was unlikely – extremely unlikely, if her gut instinct was anything to go by. But still possible.

“What is the plan?” Fenris said quietly.

She glanced at him. “We split up,” she said. “You, Sera, and four others will come with me; we’ll go along the eastern coastline. One archer and one swordsman will stay with the boat. Kaaras will take the rest along the western coast.” She turned to face the rest of her fifteen crewmen. “We’re looking for information for now, not to fight,” she told them. “Remember, gauge your actions based on Commander Cullen. If he’s fine, then don’t attack. Defend if they spot you, but don’t attack. If Cullen is in trouble, though…”

“Hit ‘em where it hurts,” Sera finished. “Right in the dangle-bags.”

“Exactly,” Piper said. She looked at them all. “If nothing out of the ordinary happens, we’ll meet back at the boat in two hour’s time.” Two hours was about the time they would need to scout the island in full.

There was a murmur of ‘aye Captain’s, and Piper nodded in satisfaction before turning back to the island.

She idly ran her fingers over the pommel of her Orlesian épée. They would be pulling in to the shore in about two minutes. In two minutes, they’d be on the nasty island of Estwatch searching for Cullen to make sure he was all right.

In two minutes, after two long days of useless fretting, she’d finally be doing something.

Fenris spoke again, in a very quiet tone. “You will use caution when we find him.”

Piper shot him a sideways glance. “Careful, Fen. That almost sounded like you were trying to give me an order.” She smirked faintly to soften her words.

“I would not dream of it,” Fenris said dryly. “Not that you would listen even if I tried.”

“Damned right I wouldn’t,” she said cheekily. “Message received, though. You’d be sad if I died. Trust me, so would I.”

Fenris scoffed, and Piper grinned at him as the rowboat softly slid into the shore. She was the first off the boat, and she planted her hands on her hips as the others clambered onto the squishy sand.

“All right,” she said. She pointed toward the thick mangroves that covered much of the island. “Stick to the edges of the forest there for cover. If you’re spotted, try to hide rather than attack. If you have to attack, make them come to you.”

There was a general murmur of agreement. Piper turned to Kaaras. “Two hours,” she reminded him.

The lanky qunari saluted her with his signature boyish grin. “On my honour as a pirate, ma’am.”

She smirked at him, then jerked her head to Fenris and her handful of fighters, and they hurried toward the edge of the mangrove forest and slipped into the shadows.

Piper was utterly silent as she padded through the sludgy sand along the edges of the forest. Fenris and Sera were silent as well, though Piper noted with amusement that Fenris’s nose was slightly wrinkled as he padded through the mucky sand.

Piper smirked. “Your own fault for not wearing boots,” she whispered.

He sneered. “I don’t need them.”

Sera grinned and elbowed him. “Your face says ‘squish’,” she whispered. “Funny change from the scowl, that. Maybe get your precious feet dirty more often.”

Fenris pursed his lips and didn’t reply. Piper shot Sera a tiny smile, and they continued in silence for some time.

They made their way along the edge of the mangroves at a slow and measured pace, and Piper tried to ignore the buzz of agitation that was urging her to run. Much as she might not want to admit it, Fenris was right; their approach needed to be cautious. They needed to assess the threats so they could eliminate them with the minimum of losses, especially since this particular sortie was far from their usual acts of piracy.

Piper knew that rescuing Cullen was not her crew’s usual fare. She didn’t let anyone stay on the Lady Luck if they weren’t halfway decent people, but the fact still remained that they were pirates. Each of them had their own special reasons for being on the ship, but they also all shared two common goals: to escape the poverty or indignity of a ‘law-abiding’ life on land, and to provide for themselves. No one had signed up with the intention of altruistically rescuing handsome blond Commanders in distress. This little mission didn’t involve any kind of payout whatsoever, so by all rights, there was no reason the crew should be doing what she said.

She was lucky that the crew was so loyal to her and to the Lady Luck. It probably didn’t hurt that she’d promised to split her entire share of the loot across the crew for the next five raids, but still.

Really, if Piper sat down to analyze her own motives, there was no good reason for her to be setting out on this little rescue mission, either. Just as Fenris had warned, the risk was high and the payout was nil. But for Piper, being a pirate had never just been about the looting and the gold and the goodies. It had never just been about the sailing, either, though there was nowhere she loved being more than on the Lady Luck in the middle of the sea.

Being a pirate was freedom. Being a pirate meant giving people freedom. And if Cullen wasn’t one of the most trapped people Piper had ever met, she didn’t know who was.

He hid it well, with his firm commitment to duty and to keeping Kirkwall safe. And Piper knew that his commitments were genuine and heartfelt. But there was also a reason she and Cullen had become unlikely friends, despite their opposing lives and his deeply-rooted suspicion of pirates – a suspicion that had taken her multiple Kirkwall visits to start to melt. There was a reason he always took the time to chat with her, to hear her stories in jail and to hear her out when she had information to share.

Cullen was looking for a different perspective. He was seeking something different than the military life he’d always known. He might not have ever admitted it to her, but Piper knew him well enough to know this was true.

Cullen was a good man, and a lawful one. But unfortunately, what was law and what was good did not always line up. And based on their last encounter in the Chantry over a month ago, it seemed that Cullen was slowly – and painfully – starting to realize this himself.

“Listen,” Fenris whispered.

Piper stopped and held her breath. Sure enough, the sounds of voices could be heard up ahead along the beach.

They sounded to be about thirty paces away. The speakers weren’t in sight quite yet, shielded by the mangroves that were also hiding Piper and her companions from view. All she could tell from the voices was that they were stern, and there were more than one.

“Come,” she whispered. She, Fenris, Sera and their four companions silently moved closer until the voices became audible.

“I act on the authority of Admiral Meredith Stannard by proxy,” one unfamiliar voice announced. “I hereby–”

“You have no right,” the second voice interrupted angrily – a very familiar voice, and one that made Piper’s heart rate instantly spike.

Cullen. She pushed past Fenris so she could see, and her jaw dropped in horror.

Cullen was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back – the pose meant for criminals about to be executed. Eight navy soldiers were arrayed around him, alert but at ease with their weapons sheathed.

Cullen was staring up at his accuser: a grim-faced Navy man that Piper didn’t recognize, who was holding a piece of parchment in one hand and a heavy flintlock in the other. Piper listened in breathless horror as Cullen berated his captor.

“This is mutiny,” he railed. “This is utter injustice. This – it is a lie! You brought that blood lyrium on board! Meredith gave it to you, didn’t she?” He struggled against the ropes around his wrists and glared up at the Navy man. “I will see you imprisoned for this, mark my–”

The grim-faced man struck Cullen in the face with the butt of the flintlock.

The blood roared in Piper’s ears. She stepped out of cover with her own flintlock raised. “Hey, assholes!” she yelled.

All the soldiers turned to look. Behind her, Fenris muttered very quietly: “Venhedis.”

She shot the nearest soldier directly in the face, then the second closest soldier in the chest, then flung the empty flintlock into the face of the third-nearest soldier as he came running toward them. The officer stumbled back with a cry of surprise and pain as the flintlock bashed his nose, and Piper dodged past him toward Cullen.

Behind her, she could hear her crew yelling as they engaged the rest of the soldiers. Another soldier lunged at her with his sword drawn, but she dodged smoothly around him, slashing his back with her épée as she spun along his side. He stumbled at the cut, then lunged toward her again.

Their swords met with a clang of steel on steel. He shoved her back, using his weight to try and throw her off-balance, but Piper was well-used to such brutish tactics, and she was far more accustomed to fighting on sand than him.

And unlike honourably-trained Navy men, she had no qualms about using that sand.

She dropped to one knee, grabbed a handful of sand, and whipped the sand into her opponent’s face. He gasped and stumbled back, blinded, and Piper sprang to her feet and booted him in the chest. She delivered a vindictive slash to her enemy’s gut as she bolted past him toward Cullen.

He was slumped forward on his knees – still upright but barely, with his head hanging low. She darted a frantic look around the beach as she drew close; all the other soldiers were either dead or engaged with the rest of her crew; Fenris was fighting two men at once, silently as was his norm but with a vicious snarl on his face.

She skidded to her knees in the sand beside Cullen. Fuck, fuck, he was unconscious.

She grasped his shoulder. “Cullen,” she gasped.

No response. She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook his shoulder roughly. “Cullen,” she hissed, and she patted his cheek, noting idly as she did that his stubble was longer than she’d ever seen before.

He still didn’t rouse. She gritted her teeth, then pinched the juncture of his shoulder and his neck hard.

His head jerked up with a grunt of discomfort. “Wha…?”

Piper forced herself to breathe. “Hey,” she said. She stroked his cheek gently to make up for the pinch, and when he finally turned his head to look at her, she smiled.

“Hello, Golden Boy,” she purred. “Did you miss me?”

He stared at her, then blinked hard as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. “P-piper?” he said.

A slow, lopsided smile was lifting the corner of his gorgeous scarred lip. A nasty gash over his eyebrow was leaking a slow trickle of blood, and Piper’s heart swelled with an undeniable rush of tenderness as she wiped the blood away from his eye. Mythal’s mercy, he looked fucking exhausted.

“Captain Mad Piper, at your service,” she confirmed. She shuffled around behind him and grabbed her Rivaini dagger from the strap at her thigh so she could cut the cruel ropes around his wrists. “Come on, let’s get you–”

Someone grabbed her dagger-bearing wrist. “Got you, you knife-eared whore!”

She ducked down toward the enemy’s hand and bit it hard.

The man holding her yelped and released her wrist. Piper sheathed the dagger and grabbed her épée in the same fluid movement, and by the time her assailant lunged toward her again, she was on her feet with her sword raised.

Their blades met with a cacophonous clash, and Piper met her assailant’s gaze.

It was the grim-faced man who had struck Cullen unconscious. For a split second, Piper saw red.

She snarled as their blades slid apart, then lunged at him in a fit of rage. He parried her thrust and pushed her back, then lunged at her in turn.

She deflected his lunge and tried to wrest her blade away, but this man was larger than the others, and he pressed toward her with strong, hard swings and slashes. She backed away from him, deflecting his thrusts with both hands on her sword for extra support. The impact of each hit rattled up through her wrists, but she gritted her teeth and allowed the discomfort to fuel her fury.

The grim-faced man surged toward her, and Piper dropped swiftly to her knees to duck the lunge, then swept her sword up along his side as she rose to her feet behind him.

He stumbled, free hand flailing around to grasp his wounded side, and Piper bared her teeth. “Come along then, poppet,” she panted. “Try that again. I fucking dare you.”

He glared at her, his chest heaving for breath, then slowly and painfully straightened before lunging at her again.

Piper backed away once more, taking his slashes and lunges in stride to wear him out. When his flank and ribs were soaked in blood, she knew it was time.

He grasped his sword with hands and lunged at her with a desperate roar. Piper dodged aside and grabbed his wrist, then smoothly slipped under his arm and twisted.

Propelled by his own momentum, he flipped head over heels and landed hard on his back. Piper instantly kneeled on his chest, making certain to place a brutal pressure on his wounded side.

She leaned in close to his ugly, sweaty face. “When you decided to take me on, you forgot one very important thing, mate.” She grabbed her dagger from her thigh sheath and laid it lovingly across his throat. “I’m Captain Mad Piper.”

She split his throat with a swift slash, then spat in his choking face for good measure. Satisfied, she rose to her feet and ran back to Cullen, who was watching her with wide eyes.

She slashed his bonds swiftly, then helped him to his feet. “Can you walk?”

“I – y-yes, I’m fine...” He took a faltering step then stumbled into her, and she braced herself against his muscular weight with a grimace.

“Maker’s breath,” Cullen muttered. “I’m – forgive me, I – my head…”

“It’s fine, you’re fine,” Piper panted. She wrapped her arm around his waist. “Come on, Golden Boy, let’s get you moving.”

A moment later, Fenris was at her side. “Piper,” he snapped. “There are more coming. We need to run. Now.”

“Fenedhis,” she cursed. “All right. How did we do?”

“Valorin is dead,” Fenris said bluntly. “Two others are wounded, but not badly. I sent them ahead to the boat already. Sera will cover our retreat.” He darted over to Cullen’s other side and took most of the commander’s weight.

“Damn.” Piper scanned the beach regretfully until she spotted poor Valorin’s body facedown in the sand, then glanced back at Sera. The archer’s ironbark bow was half-cocked, and she was doing a quick little shuffle-step to keep up with them as they hurried away.

“Wait,” Cullen said blearily. “Stop for a moment, I must–”

“There is no time!” Fenris barked. “They’ll soon be upon us!”

“Come on, Cullen, let’s go,” Piper said encouragingly. “I’ve got your back, it’s all right–”

“I should be armed,” Cullen snapped. He pulled his arm from around Piper’s shoulders and turned around, swaying slightly as he did. “I cannot expect – expect you to guard my back without…”

He trailed off, and Fenris rolled his eyes in total exasperation. “Fasta vass. Stubborn humans,” he complained. He shoved his own sabre into Cullen’s hand, then glared at Piper. “Get him moving. I will aid Sera.”

“Be careful, Fen,” Piper said seriously.

He nodded brusquely, then bolted toward the nearest dead navy soldier and started rummaging for weapons.

Piper turned to Cullen, who was adjusting his fingers around the bloodstained sabre. “All right, Golden Boy, you’ve got your big sword now. Want to show me how you can use it?” She wiggled her eyebrows and tried not to show her worry. Cullen might want to help, but Piper wasn’t sure how much help he would be when he was having trouble running in a straight line.

“There’s no need for concern, Piper, I am very… very well-trained in swordsmanship,” Cullen said tiredly as they ran along the beach.

She pressed her lips together. He hadn’t noticed the innuendo in her words or in his own reply. He really was off his game.

She reached out and took his hand as they ran. No harm in giving him a little extra support.

Before long, the rowboat was in sight, and Piper’s frustration mounted as she spotted Kaaras and his company fighting a handful of navy guards. Another of her people was dead on the sand, but Kaaras and the others had managed to take down more men than they’d lost.

“Come on, Cullen, almost there,” she said in the lightest tone she could manage.

“Is that your boat?” he panted.

“Yes,” she said. “Just have to fight off your little friends and then we’re home free.”

“If I may,” Cullen said. Then, to Piper’s shock, he bolted toward the boat.

Piper gaped at him for a split second, then darted after him. Before she could do more than pull out her épée, he’d slashed the backs of two unsuspecting navy soldiers with Fenris’s sabre.

Kaaras leapt back in alarm, then relaxed slightly as his eyes fell on Piper. “Captain,” he greeted, then spun on his heel to parry another soldier’s blow. “I’m ready to be well shot of this place, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she bit off. “Just need to hang on a minute for Fenris and Sera...” She glanced back in the direction they’d come, relieved when she was Fenris and Sera running toward them. But Sera was shooting arrows every few steps, which boded poorly; that meant the navy soldiers were still in pursuit.

She turned back to her crew, and her heart leapt into her throat. Cullen was on his knees once more, and a navy soldier was crouching beside him.

She ran toward him with her sword raised, but Cullen held up a hand. “Stop!” he yelled. “It’s all right, Piper, it’s–”

“It’s me, Captain Lavellan,” the soldier said hurriedly.

Piper stared at him, then lowered her sword. “Rylen? I didn’t recognize you without the goose egg on your forehead.” She darted another look around the beach. The immediate skirmish was done, leaving them with a handful of dead navy soldiers, two dead crew, and four injured.

Fenedhis, she thought angrily. That was more casualties than she’d wanted. No point beating herself up about it now, though.

She glanced over at Fenris and Sera, and was relieved to see them only ten paces away. “All right, crew, get your asses on the boat,” she barked.

Kaaras began swiftly helping the injured onto the boat as Fenris skidded up beside them. “There are more coming,” he panted. “We couldn’t hold them off.”

“Bloody shite-nut tit-heads,” Sera swore. “Waste of arrows, waste of breath!”

Piper grimaced at Fenris. There was a thin sheet of blood trickling from a shallow gash on his right shoulder. “Are you–”

“It is nothing,” he snapped. “Let’s move.” He grasped Cullen’s arm and hauled him to his feet.

“Easy, Fen,” Piper said warningly. “He’s hurt.”

“No, it’s – don’t concern yourself with me,” Cullen said soothingly as Rylen and Fenris helped him into the boat.

Piper wasn’t remotely reassured. His speech was slightly slurred, and his bloodied face wasn’t nearly as sweaty as it should be, considering what they’d just been through.

He needs water. Her anxiety spiked higher still as she looked desperately around the beach. Everyone was on the boat now aside from herself, Sera, and Kaaras.

“Sera! Get that tiny ass of yours on the fucking boat!” she barked. She jerked her head at Kaaras, and they began pushing the boat out into the sea.

Sera leapt from the shore straight onto the boat, and Piper and Kaaras hopped on board as well, and a moment later they were rowing their way back to the Lady Luck.

It was not a moment too soon. They were just over ten metres out from the shore when a handful of navy guards came running from the eastern side of the small island.

Piper sighed in relief. With every strong stroke of her crew’s oars, they moved another two metres from the shore. There was little risk of getting hit by a bullet from the average navy flintlock at this range.

She turned to face the crew. “Nice work, everyone,” she said. “We’ll celebrate the lives of our lost friends tonight. I’ll break open the casks of the good Tevinter wine.”

There was a general murmur of appreciation from everyone, including Fenris. Piper smiled at them, then carefully stepped over to the bench where Cullen was slumped forward with his elbows on his knees.

She smiled at Rylen as she sat on the bench across from them. “You’re lucky to be alive, Lieutenant. I almost cut you in half.”

“I appreciate the restraint, Captain Lavellan,” Rylen said dryly. “I’m glad to be alive. We both are.”

I knew something was wrong, Piper thought to herself. I knew it. But she couldn’t feel any satisfaction with her instincts when Cullen was looking this unwell.

He’d been silent since getting on the boat, and his head was hung low. With an ache of sympathy in her chest, Piper reached beneath the bench and pulled out a waterskin, then popped out the cork and offered it to Cullen.

“Here you go, Golden Boy,” she said softly. “Drink this. Slowly.”

He lifted his head and offered her a very feeble smile. “I can only pray that isn’t rum.”

She laughed. “Normal boring water, I’m afraid.” She gently brushed a stray curling lock of hair from his forehead. “Take it, you cheeky ass.”

His smile broadened slightly. He took a small sip from the waterskin and grimaced – likely from how warm it was – but he took another small sip, and Piper watched him carefully as she rifled under the bench once more.

He was so pale, and his pallor only served to highlight the dark circles under his eyes. She swallowed hard, then handed a second waterskin to Rylen before turning away to look at her crew. The injuries were relatively minor, it seemed; the worst of them was a shallow slash along the length of Loranil’s ribs, and Sera had somehow managed to get herself a black eye, but the others were looking relatively unhurt as they sipped from their waterskins and – yes, a couple bottles of rum. They seemed in relatively good spirits, despite having lost two men on the beach.

Fenris was rowing the boat with three others, and his slashed right shoulder was slowly leaking blood with every pull of the oar. Piper stepped over to him. “Here, let me do that,” she said.

He shook his head, and Piper frowned. “Fen, let me row the fucking boat. Go put pressure on that wound.”

He shot her an annoyed look, then relinquished the oars so she could take over. Piper sat on the bench and wrapped her fingers around the oar. “How many did we take down?” she asked.

“Eight dead, three wounded,” Fenris grunted. He pressed his hand to his wounded shoulder.

Kaaras grimaced. “Vashedan. It sounds like you ran into most of them. We took down five in total before you showed up.”

Piper pulled on the oar before shooting Cullen and Rylen a wry glance. “Hope you boys don’t mind us taking out your so-called comrades.”

Cullen silently rubbed his forehead, and Rylen replied. “I can’t blame you for your actions, seeing as you saved our lives,” he said. “Some of them were just following orders, Maker save their souls, but…” He shook his head. “Alrik and Varnell were dirty, that’s certain. I only wish they got their comeuppance.”

“They did,” Cullen said. “Piper killed Alrik. Fenris killed Varnell.”

She looked at him. His face was still half-hidden in his hand, and it occurred to her that maybe he was angry at her about the navy soldiers’ deaths. Some of them were surely just following orders, after all.

She felt a tiny pang at the thought that he might be angry, but she pushed it aside. She didn’t regret killing them. If she and her people hadn’t shown up right when they had…

A shiver ran down her neck at the thought. Those bastards dared to lay a hand on Cullen? She’d given them exactly what they deserved.

A minute later, they pulled up beside the Lady Luck, and a rope ladder rolled down the side of the ship. Piper watched as Rylen helped Cullen onto the rope ladder. Then she took Rylen’s arm and pulled him aside before he could climb the ladder himself.

“How did you get away from them?” she asked quietly. “If it turns out that you’re a double-crossing rat, you’ll get a blade to the gut, I promise you that.”

Rylen’s eyebrows rose, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch. “Cullen fought them so I could get away,” he said evenly. “They were ready to execute us both. Some trumped-up charge of treason.”

Piper gaped at him, then laughed out of sheer surprise. “Cullen? Treason? That’s–”

“Completely false, yes,” Rylen said. “Seems that someone didn’t like him poking around at things they’d rather leave untouched.”

“Is this about the blood lyrium?” she asked.

Rylen’s eyebrows rose even higher. “He told you about that?”

Shit, Piper thought. Cullen hadn’t told Rylen that she knew about the blood lyrium problem, it seemed.

But then that meant... That meant that Cullen had kept his promise not to tell anyone about the Darktown docks.

A fluttery burst of warmth filled her belly. She carefully bit back a smile and released Rylen’s arm. “I heard him mention it when he was yelling at those assholes back on the beach,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, after all.

“Ah,” Rylen said. He sighed. “Well… I’ll leave it to the Commander to decide how much he wishes to tell you of that. May I…?” He gestured politely to the rope ladder, which the rest of her crew had already clambered up.

She waved for him to go ahead, then followed him up the ladder and onto the deck. Most of the crew were milling around, sharing news and bustling around to get the ship ready to weigh anchor. Varric and Dorian were talking quietly nearby, and Cullen was sitting on a bench with Anders seated at his side, while Rynne was seated on another bench beside Fenris.

Cullen was staring at Rynne with wide, bloodshot eyes. His gaze darted to Piper’s face as she approached. “What is – why is – did you kidnap Lady Rynne?” he blurted.

Rynne burst out laughing. Piper folded her arms and wrinkled her nose. “Well, that’s insulting.”

He winced apologetically. “You’re right. I – I apologize, Piper, that was…” He trailed off, then flinched slightly as Anders dabbed the wound over his eyebrow with a clean cloth. “I am sorry. That was… rude of me to… Maker’s breath.” He gently waved Anders off and lowered his head.

Anders looked up at Piper with a frown. “He’s dehydrated and fatigued. He needs salts and fluids. And food. And sleep.” He scratched his chin. “Miracle he’s still conscious, really.”

He’ll get whatever he needs,” Piper said firmly. She turned to Varric. “Get someone to tidy up Valorin’s and Lia’s bunks. We lost them today,” she said softly. “Cullen and Rylen can take their bunks until–”

“No,” Cullen said suddenly. “I can’t, um. I… I would rather stay on deck, if it wouldn’t be an imposition.”

Piper frowned. “What? Why?”

Cullen ran a hand through his hair, which was starting to curl. Rylen took a small step closer to her. “The Commander has a… dislike of confined spaces,” he said quietly.

But most ships are confined spaces, she thought. Then she realized with a pang that this was probably one of the reasons he so disliked being at sea.

She crouched in front of Cullen and gently patted his knee. “Take him to my quarters,” she told Anders. “He can have my bed until he recovers. We’ll figure something else out later.” The captain’s quarters were spacious with large windows; Cullen would likely be comfortable there.

“No,” Cullen protested. “Piper, I can’t, I don’t want to impose–”

She rose to her feet. “You’re on my ship now, Golden Boy,” she announced. “You’ll follow my orders, or we’ll throw you overboard.”

He looked up at her, then sighed in defeat and allowed Rylen and Anders to help him to his feet, and Piper’s worry only increased. Cullen was usually so stubborn. To see him giving in so quickly…

She nibbled the inside of her cheek as Anders and Rylen took him away. Then Varric patted her elbow. “He’ll be fine,” he told her. “Anders will patch him up. In the meantime, uh… do we need to, you know, get out of here at speed?”

She looked down at him questioningly. Then Dorian spoke up. “What he means is if we should be worried about pursuit by that charming little navy sloop on the other side of the island.”

“Oh,” Piper said. She snorted dismissively. “No. We killed thirteen of their men on the island and injured three more. At most, they’ve got fourteen or fifteen able-bodied fellows left.” She shrugged dismissively. “They’re fucked. But let’s get moving anyway. This place is a shithole.”

Dorian snorted delicately. “I concur wholeheartedly. Swamps have never agreed with me.”

“You didn’t even come off the ship,” Piper retorted.

“I know,” he drawled. “Imagine how disagreeable I would have been if I had.”

Piper scoffed and pushed him back toward the officer’s quarters. Varric chuckled and wandered off toward the helm, and Piper turned toward Fenris and Rynne.

Her eyebrows leapt high on her forehead. Rynne was very carefully stitching up the wound on Fenris’s shoulder. More surprisingly still, he was letting her stitch him up. He only permitted Anders to patch him up when his wounds were quite bad indeed – which admittedly didn’t happen often, but still.

Piper’s eyebrows rose even further as she watched them. Rynne’s frowning face was a picture of concentration as she pulled a curved needle and thread through Fenris’s tawny skin. Fenris’s serious gaze, however, was not on his own wounded arm, but on Rynne’s face.

He glanced up and caught Piper staring, then scowled and looked away. Rynne looked up at his movement, then beamed at Piper. “Anders taught me how to clean and stitch a wound!” she said brightly. “He showed me how the human heart works, too! Fenris is my first patient.” She smiled proudly at him, then her smile faded into worry. “Maker, I hope this doesn’t leave a scar.”

He shrugged irritably with his left shoulder. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered.

The tips of his ears were pink. He wouldn’t look at her or Piper. Rynne, however, was undeterred by his mood; she pulled another careful stitch and smiled charmingly at him. “Well, if it does leave a scar, never fear. All proper ladies are fond of battle scars.”

“I suppose I am fortunate, then, that you are no longer a proper lady,” Fenris said flatly.

Rynne burst out laughing, and Fenris smirked very slightly before catching Piper’s eye and looking away again with a scowl.

Piper wrestled her face into a supportive smile instead of the smug smirk that wanted to spill across her face. She wondered how long it was going to take before Fenris admitted his fondness for their lovely new crewmate. He’d never before admitted to liking, well, anything.

“That’s great, Rynne,” she said. “Anders needed a good assistant. Considering how much blood we spill, we’re a pretty squeamish bunch when it comes to putting it back where it belongs.”

“Oh, I’m not squeamish at all!” Rynne said. “Not about the healing bit, at least. Now the spilling bit, however: that’s a different story. We’ll have to see what happens when a certain handsome master-at-arms finally starts teaching me some fighting skills.” She shot Fenris a pointed look as she threaded another stitch through his skin.

He rolled his eyes. “Fasta vass, Hawke, be patient.”

“Oh Fenris, haven’t you realized yet?” she purred. “There isn’t a patient bone in my body.”

He scoffed and looked away again. Rynne winked at Piper, and Piper smiled broadly at her before turning away.

“Weigh anchor in two minutes!” she bellowed to the ship at large. “We head for Llomeryn, and tonight, we drink to our fallen friends!”

The crew called their assent and their approval, and Piper strode toward her cabin, throwing a quick wave of thanks to Varric, who was manning the helm.

She slipped through the door to her quarters. Cullen was sitting on the velvet-upholstered couch with a stein in his hands, and Anders was standing over him with his arms folded.

He looked up and nodded at Piper. “Once he finishes that infusion, he can sleep,” Anders told her.

She nodded and squeezed his shoulder in thanks, then carefully settled herself on the couch beside Cullen.

Cullen looked up at Anders. “What is in this infusion?” he asked.

“It’s a mixture of beer, fruit juice, elfroot, and some melted beef fat from the dinner drippings,” Anders said.

“I see,” Cullen said slowly.

Piper poked his arm playfully. “Secret pirate recipe. Drink up. It’s good for you.” She looked up at Anders. “Does he have any other injuries?”

“Surprisingly few, all things considered,” Anders said. “Some scratches, some bruises that’ll be sore for the next week or so. It’s mostly the dehydration you need to worry about.” He folded his arms and eyed Cullen critically. “You’re lucky you’re not delirious, you know. I’d expect someone in your condition to be seeing dogs made of bubbles chasing their tails around a maypole made of wiggling caterpillars.”

Piper stared at Anders. “Well, that was a weirdly colourful example.”

“What can I say? I’m a colourful doctor,” Anders drawled. He nodded in approval as Cullen gulped down the last of his infusion, then looked at Piper. “More fluids,” he said. “Half a beer for every cup of water he drinks. I’ll check on him in the morning.”

“Thanks, doc,” Piper said. Anders tipped her a casual salute, then left her quarters and closed the door behind him.

Piper turned back to Cullen. He was slumped on the couch with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He looked tired but relaxed, and Piper contentedly watched the slow beat of his pulse in his throat for a moment.

Then she cleared her throat and tore her eyes away. “I hope you’re not mad about us killing your navy mates today,” she said.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes, and Piper pushed on. “Maybe some of them were just following orders, but they were bad orders. No one should have to follow orders that force them to do bad things.”

Cullen licked his dry lips. “And if you don’t realize the orders are bad until it is too late?”

Piper shrugged, then kicked off her boots. “Usually I get a gut feeling right away if something is a bad idea or not. But maybe I’m just lucky to have great judgment.” She grinned at him and folded her legs up on the couch.

He smiled slightly, but his expression was sad. She sobered and tilted her head. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly. “Aside from the fact that your asshole comrades betrayed you and tried to kill you.” She grimaced. “Guess I just answered that one for myself.”

He chuckled softly, then ran a hand through his charmingly curling hair. “I am simply… astounded,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows. “By what?”

He didn’t speak for a moment. Then he met her eyes once more. “I did not expect to survive this journey,” he said quietly. “I… truly, Piper, I thought… I thought I was going to die on Estwatch.”

A chill ran down her back at the very thought. She shifted slightly closer to him. “What, you didn’t expect a dastardly pirate to come and help?” she joked gently.

“Truthfully, I didn’t expect anyone to help,” he said.

His voice was soft but matter-of-fact, and it broke her heart. To think he’d been on that awful island expecting to die, expecting no one to come to his aid even though he was just trying to do the right thing about the blood lyrium…

He sounded so resigned. Worse yet, he sounded so lonely.

She took his hand, but he spoke before she could. “Why did you come?” he asked. “In fact, I – how did you even know where to come?”

“Rynne told us where you’d been posted,” she said. “Her brother told her.”

“Ah,” Cullen said. Then his eyes widened and he sat up slightly. “Rynne. She – why is she with you? You didn’t say. Did she…” His eyes widened even further. “She ran away, didn’t she? But that means…” He frowned at her suddenly. “You returned to Kirkwall,” he accused. “Even though I warned you how dangerous it was?”

Piper laughed and ran her hands through her hair. “Oh please, when has a little danger ever put me off? All it does is add a little spice. A teaser, if you will.” She winked at him.

His cheeks went pink, and Piper grinned at him, pleased that he was finally noticing her innuendo once more.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I… that is – er.” He cleared his throat, then frowned at her again. “It’s not – you shouldn’t have… and to take a citizen of Kirkwall with you—”

“She’s not a citizen of Kirkwall anymore,” Piper interrupted firmly. “She’s a member of the Lady Luck now. Part of the ship, part of the crew.” She poked him playfully in the chest. “You could be too, if you wanted. I can always use a man of your… size.” She ran a salacious look along his body.

His face turned bright red. “A kind offer, but I… I don’t think… not appropriate,” he muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back on the couch to close his eyes once more. “It’s a lot to think about, and…”

She chuckled. “It’s all right, Cullen. I was joking,” she assured him. Although now that she thought of it…

What if Cullen did join the Lady Luck? She knew he felt trapped, even if he couldn't admit it. She knew that someone important in Kirkwall was plotting to kill him. What if he did join her crew instead of going back to Kirkwall?

The thought of Cullen joining the Lady Luck spiked a silly little leap of excitement in her chest, but she forced herself to ignore it. Cullen would never join the crew. He was too rule-bound, too by-the-book. He might be willing to acknowledge Piper as a friend, but for Cullen himself to become a pirate…

It was too far-fetched. Best to keep her statement as a joke. She patted his shoulder and rose from the couch. “You really should get some rest. Now–”

He opened his eyes. “Wait, please,” he hurriedly. “I…” He swallowed. “You needn’t leave.”

A rush of tenderness filled her chest. He must really have been feeling alone these past few days if he was asking her to stay. “I wasn’t going to leave,” she said gently. “I was just going to tell you to get that handsome ass off the couch and into my bed.”

Once again, a charming flush spilled across his cheeks, and Piper threw her head back and laughed. “Oh Cullen, not like that,” she chuckled. Not anyway, at least, she added in the filthy privacy of her mind. “I just mean to sleep. You really fucking need it.”

“Oh,” he said blankly. “No, of course, I – but… er, no,” he blustered. “I – there’s no need. I will sleep here.” He settled back on the couch and yawned into his hand, then snugly folded his arms.

Piper frowned. “What? No. Seriously, you can use my bed.”

He shook his head. “Thank you, but no,” he said softly. “You have done more than enough for me. It would be dishonourable to steal your bed as well.”

She snickered. “Dishonourable? What is this, some kind of duel between Orlesian chevaliers?”

He didn’t reply. She looked at him quizzically.

His eyes were closed, and his face was relaxed. He was asleep. In the space of about three seconds, he’d fallen asleep.

She bit her lips to stop herself from laughing, then tiptoed over to her bed and picked up one of the many woven throws. She carefully arranged it over Cullen’s sleeping form.

He didn’t move. Piper tiptoed around the room, fetching a quill and a pot of ink and the captain’s logbook before settling on the couch beside him to keep him company in case he awoke.

She carefully tucked her feet up on the couch, then opened the logbook and prepared to write about the day’s events. Then she remembered that she hadn’t answered Cullen’s question: his question about why she’d come to Estwatch in the first place.

She admired his sleeping face. His breathing was deep and slow, and his colour was already looking better, though she suspected it would take more than a single night’s sleep to wipe away the dark rings beneath his eyes.

The truth was that she’d come to Estwatch for the same reason that she kept coming back to Kirkwall. She carefully shifted the captain’s logbook to the floor, then edged closer to Cullen’s peacefully sleeping form.

“I like you, you handsome silly human,” she whispered. “Very much, in fact.” She leaned in and gently kissed his cheek.

He sighed quietly in his sleep. When Piper pulled away, there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips.

She smiled to herself. She smoothed a lock of golden hair back from his forehead, then settled back on the other side of the couch and picked up her logbook.

Cullen would probably want to be dropped back off in Kirkwall once he’d recovered. But for now, he was here, and she would enjoy this time with him while she could.

For now, Piper would enjoy a moment of peace with her Golden Boy.

#cullen #cullen fic #cullen rutherford #pirate au #where the winds of fortune take me #piperford #cullavellan #cullen/lavellan #cullen x lavellan #fenhawke #fenris #fenris/femhawke #fenris x femhawke #fenris/f!hawke #fenris x f!hawke #fenrynne #pikapeppa writes #schoute draws #pikascout

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