Chapter Text
When Cassandra Pentagast came to Kirkwall and offered Cullen a position in the not-yet officially formed Inquisition she talked about the unpredictability of the conflict. They expected possibly years of troubles mostly in Orlais and Ferelden but they couldn't be sure other countries wouldn't follow. She was trying to prepare him for any scenario ranging from short but brutal to long and tedious but the one scenario none of them had prepared for was the one that came to pass. Divine Justinia called a Conclave and the fractions, tired of fighting, had reached a consensus.
So, merely months after leaving Kirkwall, Cullen found himself stranded in Redcliffe. He had been staying with Leliana, because although he hated having to rely on the kindness of someone he barely knew, the only alternative was his sister and that wasn't going to happen. Not if he could help it.
However, it became more and more obvious that he'd have to come to terms with that last option sooner rather than later because even six months after the Conclave and after applying to basically any job he could find in the papers or online, he was still unemployed and what little savings he had were quickly running out.
"Have you heard from that security job?" Leliana asked as she was forcing him to eat some Antivan take out that she had brought with her when she returned from her job.
"Mhm," he hummed as finished the bite before really answering, "Same as every other job I applied for. Thanks, but no thanks."
She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry people make it so difficult for you, Cullen."
"I get it." He shrugged. "Nobody quits being a Templar. Either you die a Templar or you got kicked out and let's be honest, anybody who's been kicked out is a fuck up. I've never heard of someone who turned their life around after getting the boot."
"You quit." Leliana pointed out. "You decided that you wouldn't blindly follow orders anymore."
He shrugged, stabbing at his food. "Either they think I'm unreliable or they don't want to mess with the Chantry. I don't know. All I know is that that gap on my resume is getting longer and the longer it gets, the harder it is to find a job. Not to mention that the Templars didn't exactly teach me any marketable skills. My rank means nothing out here."
"Didn't you train some of the recruits?" Leliana asked, staring into the middle distance for a moment.
"That was part of the job, sure." He confirmed and a grin spread on her face.
"Oh, I have just the job for you! A friend of mine runs a youth centre. They do everything from afternoon activities to taking in orphans. He's looking for a new hire for sports."
Cullen mulled it over for a second. He had always enjoyed working with recruits, especially the young ones but then he shook his head before he had a chance to get attached to the idea. "Orphanages are always Chantry-connected. They won't hire me."
Leliana grinned. "This one isn't. It's the only one with absolutely no Chantry ties and believe me, it pisses a lot of people off. Al's not worried about offending the Cleric."
Cullen raised his eyebrow. "And you, the Left Hand of the Divine, have no problem with that?"
"I've known him long enough and went through enough with him by my side to know that some things are more important than the Chantry. Don't tell Cass I said that." She pointed a threatening finger at him, making him huff a laugh. “Al’s a good guy and I’m sure you two would get along really well.”
"Ok, fine. There's no harm in applying, I suppose."
~*~
That same evening Cullen sat at the small desk in Leliana's guest room, googling the Better Start Foundation. At first it sounded pretty much like any other charity, but soon he noticed the subtle jabs towards the Chantry.
The overall goal of the Better Start Foundation and all its daughter organisations is to help underprivileged and/or discriminated young Fereldens to get a better start on life without the expectation of anything in return. We have no affiliation with any religious or military organisations.
We strive to offer every struggling child, young adult or parent as much help as they need, whether it's just help with filling out the right forms, someone who listens or a roof over their heads, we will do our very best to help you get what you need.
Everybody is welcome. We respect all forms of faith, race, gender and sexuality. We are all people of Ferelden and everybody deserves a better start .
Cullen was impressed by what he found under the link our endeavours. There was the Better Start Home for Children, the Better Start Youth Centre and the Better Start Support Office, which apparently offered parents help with bureaucracy but also helped people get in touch with medical professionals or legal councils or any other service the foundation didn't provide themselves. There was also a scholarship program, several fundraisers with different agendas and they were working on opening a homeless shelter.
And apparently everything was run by one person. CEO Alistair Harris. Cullen was surprised to see the picture of a man his own age, somewhere around thirty, with reddish blond hair artfully tousled to look almost accidental, an elegantly aquiline nose, warm hazel eyes and a bright, honest smile. He found himself enthralled by the kindness and humour that sparkled in those eyes and he had to force his eyes away from the picture to read the short blurb underneath.
Alistair Harris was raised in the Chantry and served his country during the fifth Blight. When he unexpectedly inherited a fortune from his estranged father, he decided to use his wealth to give back to society. Being no stranger to poverty, loneliness, war and loss, Alistair dedicates his life and fortune to help those most vulnerable members of our society, children, so they might not have to endure the pains and sorrows he had to endure.
That man sounded too good to be true, Cullen thought. The foundation was started about five years ago, which would make Alistair Harris what? Twenty-five, maybe? Cullen had a hard time to believe that a twenty-five year old that was given a fortune out of nowhere would use it to help children. Then again, Cullen knew first hand how much traumatic experiences like war could mature a person. Most people were quite surprised to see a twenty-two year old promoted to Knight-Captain, after all.
He shook his head to clear it of dark thoughts and finally clicked on the job listing. Looking through he only found one listing that had anything to do with sports, management of gym and trainer. Cullen gulped as he read through the requirements for the job. While he was quite sure that he had enough experience to actually do the job he technically had none of the qualifications. However, Leliana had told him to ignore the requirements and apply anyway, so, with a resigned sigh because he was sure he'd just get another rejection, he followed the link to apply.