Breaking the Divide - Cullen X Reader

6

"What do you mean you haven't found her?" Bottles rattled when Cullen slammed his fists onto the table. He glared at the scouts who had returned empty-handed, anger pulsing through him. The image of Y/N standing alone surrounded by the sinister glow of the corrupted templars had haunted him with every passing moment. He couldn't blinked without seeing her surrounded by blades of steel and lyrium, her magic faltering even as she fought. He should've been there. It had been his duty to protect her!

"She wasn't among the bodies at Haven, ser. At least..." The scout glanced to the others before staring down at her feet. "At least not as far as we could tell."

The burnt bodies. Cullen's heart fell at the thought of Y/N's corpse being among that pile of the dead. No. It couldn't be. She'd activated the trebuchet that had triggered the avalanche. Corypheus' army had retreated along with his dragon. There had been no time for her to burn. He clung to the thought, forcing it into a fact in his mind.

"If you haven't found a body then you'll have to look somewhere else," Cullen barked. "There may have been other tunnels or passageways like the one we took." He barely contained his snarl when one of the guards scoffed. His knuckles ached when he clenched his hands; he took a steadying breath. "The Herald managed to close the Breach, gather all the forces we have, and she stood alone against Corypheus. She is alive."

"Yes, ser," the cowed scout muttered, his head lowering as the tips of his ears turned pink.

Cullen dismissed them with a sigh and turned to study the camp. Scouts had been scavenging the remnants of Haven for supplies but hope was already failing. Y/N was the heart of the Inquisition. Without her... Cullen's chest tightened and his next breath came out as a wheeze. Snatching up his sword where it had been leaning against the table, Cullen strapped it to his waist as he began marching from the camp.

"Commander!"

Cullen didn't slow as Cassandra came up to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Further up into the mountains," he said. "If Y/N—if the Herald found a way to escape, I believe she'd be up there. It's one of the few places the scouts haven't already checked." She touched his arm and Cullen came to abrupt stop, his jaw clenching.

"Do you truly believe she's alive after all that?"

"...I have to."

Her eyes narrowed and he turned away from the intensity in her gaze. Y/N had to be alive out there. But each passing second would push her further towards the realm of death. Even if she wasn't hurt and bleeding, even if she'd found protection from the creatures in the mountains, cold and hunger would claim her eventually.

"If you're going to try and stop me, don't bother. I'm determined to find her—in whatever condition she may be."

"I understand," she said. "And I want to go with you."

Cullen frowned, mouth parting in a question he never voiced. There was no telling what they would find. Having Cassandra at his side would only increase the chances of Y/N's safe return. "Thank you," he said at last. She gave him a stiff nod before shouting at several nearby guards to join them. Cullen allowed a brief flutter of hope. He turned to the mountains, willing them to reveal the Herald's location.

Hold on, Y/N. We're coming.

Snow blanketed everything in an unending sea of white. Panting against the growing weariness in his body, Cullen counted each crunching footstep. One hundred. Two hundred. His ears rung, his neck burned, his head pounded with the aching desire for lyrium. He sucked in another cold breath and forced his legs to continue forward.