Cullen Romance

Cullen Romance is the het ship between Cullen Rutherford and The Inquisitor from the Dragon Age fandom.

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Cullen and the to-be-Inquisitor meet briefly on the field when Cullen mistakenly thanks Cassandra Pentaghast for closing the rift – the Breach. Cassandra informs him that it was not her, but rather “the prisoner’s doing,” gesturing toward the Inquisitor. Cullen looks to the Inquisitor and tells her he hopes they’re right about her, as they had lost a lot of people to get her there. As Cullen leaves with a group of soldiers, the Inquisitor silently watches him go.

A short time later, Cullen and the Inquisitor formally meet when Cassandra introduces the Inquisitor to the Inquisition’s leaders, addressing Cullen as “Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition’s forces.” Cullen tells the Inquisitor, ''“It was only for a moment on the field. I’m pleased you survived.”'' Before the Inquisitor leaves for the Hinterlands, Cullen suggests she use this as an opportunity to also expand the Inquisition’s influence while she’s there.

Sometime later, Cullen is training new recruits that have come to join the Inquisition when the Inquisitor stops by to talk. It’s here can the Inquisitor flirt with Cullen for the first time, claiming she’d love to hear his lecture, should he have one prepared upon Cullen asking for forgiveness when he cuts himself off on a rant. Cullen laughs and tells her, “Another time, perhaps.” The Inquisitor gives him a wide closed smile, leaving Cullen to fail at finding words, instead clearing his throat. Their conversation is however soon pulled apart when Cullen is informed of another matter at hand.

Handling his other duty, Cullen and the Inquisitor speak at the same location where the Inquisitor can ask him of his life before he joined the Inquisition. On the topic of vows within the Templar Order, the Inquisitor can ask him if he was expected to “give up physical temptations”. Cullen immediately becomes flustered at the question, before explaining that while Templars can marry; there are rules, such as the Order must grant permission. The Inquisitor asks him if he has, leading to Cullen telling her that he’s “taken no such vows”. Moments later, he asks if they can speak of something else.

Following the assault on the Breach with the Mages or Templars, the victory is short lived when Haven is under attack by Corypheus. The Inquisitor looks to Cullen for any sort of battle plan upon seeing Corypheus’ army come over the mountain. Cullen tells her that Haven is no fortress, if they are to withstand, they must be the ones to control the battle, before telling her to “hit that force”. He turns around to the people behind, telling them to fight with the Herald – the Inquisitor.

Buying time and back inside Haven gates, Chancellor Roderick informs them of a secret passage way. The Inquisitor stays back in order to distract Corypheus long enough for the people to be evacuated before causing an avalanche and burying his army. Cullen voices concern for the Inquisitor’s own escape, though when she does not answer him, Cullen tries to be optimistic about the situation instead, claiming that perhaps she’ll find a way to surprise it. A short time later, the signal is given that the people have made it out of the passage way successfully, leading to the Inquisitor making the attempt at burying Corypheus. In the process she is thrown back and falls down into icy caves. Cold and injured, she struggles, though is able to find a way out. Outside and in a blizzard, the Inquisitor walks on. Once she reaches a certain area, Cullen is the first to spot her and first to run to her.

Later that night, the Inquisitor is resting, only to be woken up to hear Cullen and the other advisors arguing. Following the battle of Haven, all hope seems lost. The woman sitting beside the Inquisitor, Mother Giselle, begins to sing the song “The Dawn Will Come,” leading to Cullen and the others joining in; that not all is lost. With new inspiration, the Inquisitor is able to locate a castle – Skyhold as the Inquisition’s new base. Not long into settling, the Inquisitor is officially declared as the Inquisitor. As she stands overlooking the people below, Cullen proudly stares up at her. When Cassandra asks Cullen if the people will follow, Cullen pulls out his sword, raising it high and hyping the people up. In return, the Inquisitor raises her newly acquired sword to a cheering crowd.

Not long later, Cullen is giving orders to scouts when the Inquisitor walks up to him, talking of Skyhold and the battle of Haven. She tells Cullen, ''“Our escape from Haven… it was close. I’m relieved that you – that so many made it out.”'' Cullen tells her he is too, before going quiet and looking down. As the silence drags on, the Inquisitor begins to walk away. Cullen speaks up again, informing her that he will not allow what happened at Haven to happen again, giving his word. From there, the Inquisitor can ask him if he left “anyone behind in Kirkwall”. Cullens explains no, that he made few friends there and his family is in Ferelden. Searching for more information, the Inquisitor clarifies, “No one special caught your interest?” Cullen simply claims that no, not in Kirkwall.

Sometime later, Cullen confesses to the Inquisitor that he’s no longer taking lyrium, a mineral-like substance that grants Templars their abilities. He explains to her he hasn’t taken it in months, not since he joined the Inquisition. He has asked Cassandra to “watch him,” that should his ability to lead be compromised, he’ll be relived from duty.

The Inquisitor can find Cullen engaged in a chess-like game with either Dorian or Leliana. Upon either leaving, Cullen invites the Inquisitor for a game. Accepting his invitation, Cullen goes off on how when he was younger his sister would best him all the time and how he and his brother practiced for weeks to finally beat her. Hearing of his siblings, the Inquisitor can ask about them, like where they’re from. As they continue to talk, Cullen mentions how this may be the longest they’ve gone without discussing the Inquisition, leading to the Inquisitor telling him “they should spend more time together.” Cullen looks up from the broad, surprised she had said that, though agrees – they should. As they play, the Inquisitor has three options regarding their game: let him win, cheat and play fair.

Let Him Win =


 * -|Cheat =

"I believe this one is yours. Well played. We shall have to try again sometime."
 * -|Play Fair =

- Cullen, when the Inquisitor wins the game by playing fair.

Sometime later, the Inquisitor walks into Cullen’s office, asking if they could talk alone. Cullen seems surprised; repeating “alone,” though quickly recovers enough to accept. The two proceed to walk outside for the battlements where Cullen nervously rubs the back of his neck, claiming “it’s a nice day.” From there the Inquisitor has four options regarding how to start a romance with Cullen:

Could You Care For A Mage? =
 * -|I Keep Thinking About You =


 * -|You Really Don’t Know? =


 * -|I want To Talk About Us =

From there, the Inquisitor asks what’s stopping him, with Cullen looking at her, telling her, ''“You’re the Inquisitor. We’re at war. And you… I didn’t think it was possible.”'' The Inquisitor states she’s still there and Cullen gently steps toward her, inching closer to her lips with his own, telling her “he wants to.” With their lips inches apart, their first kiss is interrupted by a scout, delivering Leliana’s report to Cullen. Cullen steps back, turning to glare daggers at the scout. The scout looks at both Cullen and the nervous-looking Inquisitor from behind him. Recognizing what’s happening, he begins to walk back for Cullen’s office, leaving the two alone again. Feeling the moment ruined, the Inquisitor begins to tell Cullen, “If you need to — ” She only gets so far before Cullen crushes his lips to hers. Cullen immediately apologizes, though also claiming how that was “really nice.” From there the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond to their kiss:

Don’t Be Sorry =


 * -| That Was Surprising =


 * -|That Was Perfect =

Upon entering into a relationship, Cullen and the Inquisitor can discuss it. The Inquisitor questions Cullen on how long he’s wanted to kiss her, leading to him saying, “Longer than I should admit.” From there, depending on whether the Inquisitor is a noble human or Dalish elf, the dialogue is different.

Noble Human =


 * -|Dalish Elf =

From there, Cullen informs the Inquisitor that if he seems unsure, it’s because it’s been a long time since he’s wanted anyone in his life, which he wasn’t expecting to find within the Inquisition. The conversation soon changes to what people will gossip about them, leading to Cullen voicing his annoyance. When asked if that bothers him, Cullen responses, ''“I would rather my – our – private affairs remain that way. But if there were nothing here for people to talk about, I would regret it more.”''

Sometime later, the Inquisition makes an attempt to stop the assassination of Celene, the Empress of Orlais, as her death would cause the “destruction of everything.” While at the Winter Palace, searching for the assassin, the Inquisitor can walk up to Cullen, asking him to “save her a dance.” Upon rejecting her, he has to do some hasty apologizing when he realizes how crestfallen she is at his abrupt rejection as he’s had to turn down so many invitations that he tells her “no” on reflex. When asked about Cullen’s attracted “following,” Cullen claims he doesn’t know any of these people and that they won’t leave him alone. The Inquisitor teases him about “not enjoying the attention,” leading to Cullen telling her, ''“Hardly. Anyway, yours – [clears throat] – yours is the only attention worth having.”''

A short time later, the assassin is revealed to be Empress Celene’s cousin, Florianne. The Inquisitor gives chase, not before commanding Cullen to protect the people within the ballroom.

Once defeating Florianne and speaking with Morrigan, the Inquisitor stands on the balcony of the Winter Palace, presuming have been gone for a long while as when Cullen finds her, he says, ''“There you are! Everyone’s been looking for you.”'' Cullen voices how he knows it’s foolish, but he was worried for her tonight. With the night a victory, he hears the people within the ballroom clapping, as well as music playing. He turns to the Inquisitor, saying, “I may never have another chance like this, so I must ask: may I have this dance, my lady.” From there the Inquisitor will have two options: accept Cullen’s invitation or decline Cullen’s invitation.

Accept =

Cullen and the Inquisitor share a private dance on the balcony for a while until the Inquisition is ready to leave the Winter Palace.
 * -| Decline =

Cullen wraps an arm around the Inquisitor’s shoulders, bring her in close. In return, the Inquisitor gently lowers her head onto his shoulder. The two stand in silence, overlooking from the balcony until the Inquisition is ready to leave the Winter Palace.

Sometime later back at Skyhold, the Inquisitor walks into Cullen’s office. Seeing him not there, a scout informs her that he’s gone to speak with Cassandra. Upon finding him and Cassandra, the two are engaged in a rising argument that stops when the Inquisitor steps in. Cullen looks to the Inquisitor with a defeated expression, before walking out and telling her, “Forgive me.” Cassandra tells the Inquisitor that Cullen is no longer taking lyrium, which the Inquisitor confirms Cullen had informed her off previously. Cassandra explains that Cullen has asked her to recommend a replacement for him, which she had refused as it’s not necessary. She then asks the Inquisitor to talk with him, before leaving herself.

The Inquisitor enters Cullen’s office where Cullen throws his lyrium box in frustration, narrowly missing the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor stands and listens to Cullen as he goes off on a long rant of his Templar life, how he wants nothing to do with it, though also how he won’t give less to the Inquisition, then he did with the Chantry, ending with how he should be taking lyrium. The Inquisitor tells him that “this doesn’t have to be about the Inquisition,” asking him if this is what he wants. Cullen tells her no, though also tells her these memories have always haunted him and should they become worse, should he not be able to endure this. From there, the Inquisitor cuts him off with her response: don’t give up or don’t risk it, take lyrium.

Don’t Give Up =


 * -| Don’t Risk It, Take The Lyrium =

Depending on what the player had chosen, there are two different scenes: Cullen feeling better, having not taken the lyrium or Cullen obtaining a new sword after taking lyrium.

Feeling Better = Cullen stands on the battlements, overlooking the view surrounding Skyhold when the Inquisitor walks up from behind. Cullen thanks her for seeing him, before stumbling over his words, attempting to ask her if there’s anything he could do for her. The Inquisitor is just glad to see him feeling better, which Cullen confirms yes, he is. Cullen tells how he’s never truly told anyone what happened to him at Ferelden Circle. He continues to say how he was not himself after that and how his anger had blinded him, leading him to not be proud of the man that made him. He voices how with the Inquisitor being a Mage and how he viewed Mages, he fears he would have not cared for her back then and the thought of that sickens him. The Inquisitor responds how she likes “who he is now.” Cullen is surprised, questioning even after all his past mistakes. The Inquisitor steps into his space, telling him, ''“Cullen, I care about you. You’ve done nothing to change that.”'' The Inquisitor finds Cullen looking for a new sword. He tells her there are Templars who have been through worse than he has and once their sacrifices are made, is there no end? He wants to be free of lyrium. The Inquisitor informs Cullen that they’ll find a way to help him after the war, telling him, ''“But there must be a safer way. When this war is over, we’ll look for it. I promise.”'' Cullen accepts this with a dull expression before going back to sword selecting.
 * -| New Sword =

The player must choose the “Cullen will keep taking lyrium for now” option to ensure the romance continues, otherwise Cullen will break up with the Inquisitor.

Sometime later, the Inquisition has dealings in Ferelden. Cullen hopes the Inquisitor may accompany him, should she be able to spare the time. She asks if there is something wrong, that would require her to attend, leading to Cullen telling her no, that he would “rather explain there.” The Inquisitor accepts and Cullen goes to make the necessary arrangements for their trip.

They arrive to a lake and walk down the only dock. The Inquisitor asks where they are, with Cullen telling her, ''“You walk into danger every day. I wanted to take you away from that. If only for a moment. I grew up not far from here. This place was always quite.”'' From there, the Inquisitor has four options regarding how to respond:

Were You Here A Lot =


 * -| You’re Alone With A Mage =

From this dialogue choice, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond:

"I should hope not."

- “Good” option.


 * -| You’re Really Taking A Break? =


 * -| Plus We’re Alone =

They stand in silence on the dock, taking in the sounds of the lake, when Cullen finally speaks. He mentions how the last time he was there at the lake, was the day he had left for Templar training. He continues to say that his brother had given him a coin, claiming it was for luck, though also mentioning how Templars are not supposed to carry such things as their faith should see them through. From there, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond:

Faith Is Better =


 * -| So You Broke The Rules? =


 * -| You’re Not Very Lucky =

The Inquisitor smiles down at the coin in Cullen’s hand, before looking up to smile at Cullen. Cullen takes the Inquisitor’s hand, placing his palm over hers, saying, ''“Humor me. We don’t know what you’ll face before the end. This can’t hurt.”'' From there, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond. No matter the choice, Cullen and the Inquisitor share a kiss.

I Don’t Need Luck =


 * -| Thank You =


 * -| I Want You To Keep It =

Sometime later, Cullen is giving out orders to his subordinates where upon seeing the Inquisitor standing in the back silently watching him work, he momentarily loses his train of thought. He recovers quickly however, before smiling at the Inquisitor. With the orders given out, the people leave his office, leaving Cullen and Inquisitor alone. As Cullen closes door, he pushes both hands on it in a tired gesture. From there, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to start a conversation:

Tired? =


 * -| Feel Like Escaping? =


 * -| Duty Comes First =

Cullen walks for his desk, stating that when the Inquisition had started, he had not considered much beyond their survival, though now claiming “things are different now.” When asked what he means by the Inquisitor, he tells her, ''“I find myself wondering what will happen after. When this is over, I won’t want to move on… not from you. But I don’t know what you – this is, if you, uh…” The Inquisitor steps in to his space, putting herself between him and his desk, telling him, “Cullen. Do you need to ask?”'' Cullen looks down at her, saying he “supposes not,” when the Inquisitor knocks over a wine bottle sitting on the desk. It shatters on the floor, making the Inquisitor gasp. She looks to Cullen, worried he may be upset given what a workaholic and control freak he is. Instead, Cullen smirks at her, before shoving all things off of his desk and gently pushing her on and across it, before he lies on top of her.

The morning after, as the Inquisitor is dressing herself on the side of Cullen’s bed, Cullen wakes from a nightmare. Seeing the Inquisitor’s reaction to Cullen’s own not-so reaction, Cullen leans up in bed and cups the Inquisitor’s cheek, claiming that he “didn’t mean to worry” her. From there, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond:

I’m Here For You =


 * -| You Can Relax, Cullen =


 * -| You Didn’t =

Cullen and the Inquisitor gently headbutt, when Cullen says, “You are… I have never felt anything like this.” From there, the Inquisitor has three options regarding how to respond. No matter the choice, Cullen and the Inquisitor share a kiss.

I Love You =

"Neither have I, but I like it. [kiss]"
 * -| Me, Neither =

- The Inquisitor, to Cullen.

"Then I’ve succeeded. [kiss]"
 * -| That Was The Plan =

- The Inquisitor, to Cullen.

The two hold gaze, before Cullen gives the Inquisitor a slight nod of his head to assure her that he’s okay. When he does, the Inquisitor gets up from his bed and walks out to attend her duties of the day, leaving Cullen smiling as he lies back down on the bed, watching his love leave.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

 * As Cullen leaves with a group of soldiers, the Inquisitor silently watches him go.
 * Cullens tells the Inquisitor he’s “pleased she survived”.
 * The Inquisitor smiles at Cullen.
 * Cullen gets flustered at the Inquisitor asking if he’s celibate.
 * Cullen voices concern for the Inquisitor, before trying to be optimistic about her situation.
 * Cullen is first to spot the Inquisitor on the snowy mountain, being the first to run to her.

Dragon Age: Inquisition
"But what of your escape? [no answer from the Inquisitor] …Perhaps you will surprise it. Find a way…"

- Cullen voicing concern for the Inquisitor, before trying to be optimistic about her situation.

"If I seem unsure, it’s because it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anyone in my life. I wasn’t expecting to find that here. Or you."

- Cullen, feeling slightly insecure.

Fanon
Cullen Romance is an extremely popular ship within the Dragon Age fandom. Cullen is only romanceable in Dragon Age: Inquisition. He can become involved with a female human or female elf, which left fans disappointed that males or the other two races can’t romance him. Nevertheless however, his romance is beloved by many and often seen as the most genuine.

On AO3, Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford is the most written ship within the Dragon Age - All Media Types tag. Cullen’s human romance (Female Trevelyan) is the third most written ship, and his elf romance (Female Lavellan) is the eightieth most written ship.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Inquisitor/Cullen tag on FanFiction.net
 * Inquisitor/Cullen tag on FanFiction.net
 * Inquisitor/Cullen tag on FanFiction.net
 * Inquisitor/Cullen tag on FanFiction.net

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * Cullen can only be romanced by female humans (Trevelyan) and female elves (Lavellan).
 * Cullen is one of the few romance options whose romance can be initiated before the completion of his personal quest.
 * Originally Cullen was not going to be a romance option in Dragon Age: Inquisition, however his role as a love interest was changed when BioWare extended the game’s development by a year.