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Chapter Text

After the archdemon’s defeat in late Bloomingtide, Denerim started the arduous task of clearing rubble, finding those that were missing or deceased, and beginning to rebuild the damaged or destroyed buildings. I had the grim task of helping to identify those who had been killed so their respective families could be notified. 

A massive sea of tents were erected outside the city for all who survived the attack. Dwarves, elves, and humans - commoners and nobles - were all scattered around; everyone helped to pitch in to clean and rebuild… and at night, we all fell into an exhausted slumber. Ali and I had no energy for lovemaking during those stressful days, but he held me tight in his embrace every night, grateful that we had both survived.

As we began to rebuild, I noticed that one person was missing from our group. Morrigan. At first, I was worried that she had perished in one of the battles - she hadn't been with us at the Tower. After hearing me ask, a lone Templar approached me and told me she had been seen after the death of the Archdemon. I asked him where, but he told me she had just vanished. I hoped Flemeth hadn’t taken her. However, I couldn’t leave and search for her. I just had to hope that wherever she was, she would be alright.

The next morning, I headed up to the top of Fort Drakon. Despite being dead for days (the stench was horrible!), I still managed to withdraw some blood from Urthemiel’s corpse carefully. It was placed into preserved vials Wynne had prepared so the Wardens would have a new stockpile for our vault. Alistair still had the vial of Andoral’s blood. He wanted to keep it safe for the time being. We would use Urthemiel’s blood first if any new people decided to join the Grey Wardens. We still didn’t know how to make the Joining concoction, but hopefully, we would get the information from another senior warden. Weisshaupt had also been notified of our success.

Now, there was the problem of what to do with the archdemon’s corpse. We couldn’t leave it to rot on top of Fort Drakon! It was much too large to move, and even if cut into pieces, it would still be difficult to carry down the tower. There was also the risk of it still spreading the taint. 

In the end, it was set alight by a large party of mages. A second group kept a shield of air around the blaze to prevent tainted ash from flying all over the city. Once the corpse was gone, the ashes and bits of bone were very carefully swept into large sacks. These sacks were carefully lowered off the tower by ropes and pulleys, then taken by cart to a deep closed-in ravine about half a day’s walk from the city and dumped. 

One of the biggest pieces of news that came as Justinian approached was the return of Fergus Cousland! We found out from him that just before the events of Ostagar, he and a few of his men had gone to scout the Wilds. They were ambushed by darkspawn, and all of his men were slaughtered. Fergus had suffered a major head wound, and the darkspawn had left him to die. After days and nights of intense pain and misery, he was rescued by some Chasind. They took care of him through fever and memory loss. They kept him safe as they traveled north to avoid the Blight. It had taken him all this time to recover fully.

He’d been devastated to learn of his family’s murders by Rendon Howe and had called for a blood price to be paid… until he found out that we had already done it for him, inadvertently. He thanked me and swore that once his lands were back in order, his voice would be ours in any future Landsmeet, and his troops would come to the Grey Warden’s aid if they were ever needed.

5th of Justinian

Eamon’s estate had miraculously escaped much of the damage in the Market District, so our group moved back into the rooms we had there. A few other arls, whose estates were not yet repaired, also stayed with Eamon. Bodhan and Sandal joined us as well. Being stationed in the city proper also allowed us quicker access to areas we needed to help rebuild.

Over the next week, Alistair assisted with construction alongside noble and common folk. I had the delightful task of helping to organize the very careful removal of the darkspawn corpses from the city. We took them by wagon to the same closed-in ravine where the archdemon’s ashes were and dumped the darkspawn bodies there. They were burned on days when the wind would not blow the stench back toward the city.

Once all the darkspawn had been destroyed, several other mages and I used magic to seal the ravine. Signs were placed with a warning not to disturb that area.

Also during this time, Ali told me he wanted to commission a sculptor to create a Riordan statue near the Grey Warden vault. Had it not been for his crippling of the archdemon, we may not have had the chance that had allowed us to kill it.

I pointed out that while that was a lovely idea, Niklaus Wolf - Swiftrunner - had also done the same. The archdemon had nearly healed itself when Niklaus transformed into his werewolf form and shredded his other wing, thus crippling Urthemiel once again. Many others had also died in that final battle. Ali hugged me and said he would make sure there was a plaque on the statue to honor all those fallen men and women.

The Wolf clan was devastated at Niklaus’s death and how many others they had lost. Out of the thirty and two werewolves that had helped us fight the darkspawn, only ten and eight remained. Rather than keep what remained of their pack together, they decided to scatter themselves throughout Ferelden… passing on the stories of their heroic leader and the mighty battles they had fought, won, and lost in. 

Kardol and the Legion of the Dead, along with most of the dwarven warriors, left right after the battle, but a few stayed to help with security and rebuilding. Harrowmont did send us a messenger bird stating that he was sending more dwarves from the smith and building castes to assist with construction.

Caridin and his golems had also wanted to leave right after the battle, but Shayle managed to convince them to stay and help with the heavy lifting and removal of rubble. Reluctantly, he agreed. Once the work was finished, however, they all vanished. We assumed they had returned to the Deep Roads. 

Much later, we would hear from Harrowmont that the area where the Anvil of the Void had once been was completely buried under massive tons of rubble, and Caridin and his golems were never seen again.

Despite their usual disdain for the City Elves' choice of living under human rule, Lanaya and the Dalish stayed and helped start the Alienage reconstruction. The majority of their homes and shops had been destroyed by the archdemon’s flames, along with the vhenadahl. A new, suitable sapling was found and planted. Lanaya then blessed it with magic so it would grow quickly and be strong and healthy.

Alistair and I worked carefully with Shianni and Valendrian to create a better layout for the Alienage’s buildings, and soon, we marked off places for actual roads and bridges to be constructed. Rocks from destroyed buildings would be pulverized to create cobble for new streets, and wells would be sunk to make clean drinking water available to the City Elves. Though he was not officially king, Alistair – along with Valendrian’s approval – named Shianni as the first ever bann for the City Elves so that in any future Landsmeets, they could have their voices heard. 

It would take many years to complete everything, but this was a great new start for them. 

14th of Justinian

“Alistair, may I have a word with you?” Eamon stepped out of a small bedroom in his estate.

“Uh… sure. I was on my way to help Leliana and Wynne with some food distribution, but I could spare a moment. What do you need?”

“Would you come into this room?”

“Why?” Ali asked, now curious.

Eamon sighed. “It is now time for you to fulfill your promise to me. The Blight is over, and we must focus on finding your queen.”

Alistair blanched. He lowered his voice and whispered, “But I told you… I’m infertile. What difference would finding a queen do now? I can’t make an heir.”

“That is why I have a good healer in this room. She will check you out and see if… what that Joining thing did to you was permanent. Perhaps Duncan was wrong?”

“Why would Duncan have lied to me?”

“I never said he did,” Eamon calmly replied. “But perhaps… as Maric’s son… and as part of the great Calenhad’s line… Maybe things turned out… different for you?”

“I don’t see how…” Alistair began, but he saw Eamon’s cheeks and forehead starting to turn red - a sign he was getting angry. Ali closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Alright… alright. I’ll let this healer examine me.” He turned a light pink and asked, “They will be discreet? I’m really not comfortable about this, you know… being poked and prodded like I’m some prize stallion.”

“The healer is blind. I began making inquiries after our discussion on the night of the party. I had to search long and hard to find someone like them.” Eamon bit his bottom lip, then said, “I certainly couldn’t have them knowing who you are and blabbing to all the nobles about this… situation.”

“Very well,” Ali muttered. “Let’s get this over with quickly.” 

He began to walk to the door when Eamon grabbed Alistair’s elbow.

“When you go in there, do not speak to her. Though she is blind, there is always the possibility she may know your voice.”

Alistair nodded and walked into the room, followed by Eamon.

Whew! I am glad that is over! Ali thought as he headed down the hallway. What an awkward experience! At least she told Eamon I was fine! He then beamed. I am fine! I can have children! Just as quickly, his smile faded. But now that means Eamon is going to be even more aggressive about finding me a ‘proper queen’... and the only one I want to have my family with is…

“Oh!” Alistair gasped as he bumped into someone. “I’m so sorry… Kylara?”

“Yes?” I chuckled. “It’s okay. Apparently, neither of us was looking where we were going.” Alistair was silent for a moment, making me wonder what was going through his mind. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

 He gave me a sudden smile and replied, “No. Nothing is wrong. As a matter of fact, I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything.”

“Would you send a letter to Weisshaupt for me? I want you to ask them if any Wardens were able to have children after their Joining? Tell them it is urgent. I need a reply as quickly as possible.”

“Sure. I can do that.”

“Thanks, my love. I appreciate it.” He glanced around the hall and then said, “I need to get some things done. Let me know as soon as you receive the reply, all right?”

He leaned down and gave me a quick but tender kiss. Then he left.

On my way to the relay station, I wondered why Ali wanted me to send this letter. Was he trying to prove to Eamon that he couldn’t father a child and, therefore, marrying a noblewoman was a waste of time? Was this how he was going to convince the nobles that we could stay together? With a faint flicker of hope, I hoped that Weisshaupt would say that.

I entered the station and asked for a pen and some parchment. After writing down Alistair’s request and paying the fee, they sealed the parchment into a leather tube and tied it onto a hawk’s leg. The bird's trainer instructed the bird where it had to go, and then it was released.

I was about to leave when the head clerk of the station asked me to stay.

“I have a letter for you, Warden Kylara. It arrived some months ago, but you had already left the capital… and we didn’t know where to find you.” He handed me a leather tube with scorch marks on the outside. I looked at it with curiosity. “It is a miracle it survived the attack on our city and only has a few marks on it. Many messages were burnt completely.”

“Where did this come from?” I asked.

“Kirkwall. In the Free Marches.”

“I don’t know anyone from there, though,” I replied with confusion.

“Well, it was addressed to you. Your last name is ‘Amell’ isn’t it?”

“Yes. That is my last name.”

“It is yours then.” He turned to the next customer, thereby dismissing me.

I headed back to Eamon’s estate. It was nearing sunset, but I had a little spare time before reporting to the kitchens to help cook the evening meal. Sitting on a bench in the courtyard, I opened the tube and took out the letter. Scanning to the bottom, I saw it was from Leandra Hawke!

𝑀𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝒦𝓎𝓁𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒜𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓁,

𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝑜𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝐹𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃, 𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑒𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝐼𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒽𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝑜𝓉, 𝓅𝓁𝓊𝓈 𝒶 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑜𝒶𝓉 𝒿𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓎, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝓀𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒮𝒶𝒹𝓁𝓎, 𝓌𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓎, 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓈𝓅𝒶𝓌𝓃 𝐵𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉… 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒢𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒…

A sudden tear dripped from my cheek onto the letter. I hadn’t gotten the chance to know Bethany well, but what I remembered of her was a sweet, shy girl the same age as me. How awful that she had somehow succumbed to the Blight. I wiped my eyes and continued reading.

𝒲𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝓀𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓁𝓎 𝒢𝓊𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇 79. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓇𝑒𝒻𝓊𝑔𝑒𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝐹𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃, 𝓌𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃’𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒾𝓉𝓎! 𝐻𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒶𝒸𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒢𝒶𝓂𝓁𝑒𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝐿𝑜𝓌𝓉𝑜𝓌𝓃. 𝒞𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝒢𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝒹𝒹 𝒿𝑜𝒷𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝓈𝓂𝓊𝑔𝑔𝓁𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝓊𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓎. 𝐼𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒. 𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽.

𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓂𝓈. 𝒲𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓋𝒾𝓋𝑒. 

𝑀𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌… 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝟤𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓃𝓈, 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒶𝑔𝑒. 𝒲𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎.

My eyes widened upon reading that line. Family? Garrett and Carver were my cousins? Why did I not know of them before this? Did I have any other family? What of my mother? My father? 

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓈𝒾𝓃. 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒. 𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒷𝑜𝓇𝓃 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝒾𝓇𝒸𝓁𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒪𝓈𝓉𝓌𝒾𝒸𝓀. 𝒮𝑜 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒸𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓉𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝓀𝒶 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝓊𝓈𝒷𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝒻𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒷𝑜𝓇𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃. 𝐼 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝒻𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇… 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒾𝓃 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝑒. 𝑀𝓎 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓌𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝐹𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃.

𝐼 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎’𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝒽𝑜𝓌, 𝐼 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓉 𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉.

𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓊𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀. 𝒩𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒’𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽. 

𝑀𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝒢𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉, 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔…

𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸, 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓷 𝓚𝔂𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓪! 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓼𝓸 𝓰𝓵𝓪𝓭 𝔀𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓛𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓯𝓾𝓵! 𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓘 𝓶𝓮𝓽? 𝓐𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓻? 𝓘 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮 𝓼𝓸. 𝓗𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓼𝓸𝓻𝓽. 𝓣𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓲𝓶, 𝓘 𝓼𝓪𝔂, ‘𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸!’

𝓟𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮… 𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓯𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽. 

𝓘 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓾𝓼 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴. 𝓜𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓼𝓹𝓪𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓮, 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓽 𝓾𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓚𝓲𝓻𝓴𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓵!

𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝐿𝑒𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓇𝒶 𝒜𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓁-𝐻𝒶𝓌𝓀𝑒

I put the letter down. My mind was spinning, and my temples throbbed. Glancing back at the letter, the word ‘family’ kept jumping out at me. I had cousins! I had one older brother! And the way Leandra phrased it, I might have more siblings! But why could I not remember this until I had seen it written down? The more I tried to think about it, the more my head ached.

Maybe I should go and see Wynne… I thought. I started to get up but it made my headache worse. I sat back down, tears in my eyes.

Just then, Irving rounded a corner. Seeing I was in pain, he quickly shuffled over to me. “Ah, Kylara. What has happened?” He placed his hand on my forehead and murmured a spell. The pain eased enough so that I could talk.

“I didn’t know you could heal,” I mumbled.

“I am a man of many talents in the arcane. Yes, I can heal, but nowhere near as good as Wynne.” He spied the letter on my lap. “What is this? Bad news?”

I handed him the letter. I watched as his eyes scanned it and heard him say, “Oh.”

“Why can’t I remember having a family, First-Enchanter? I have no memories of my childhood earlier than the age of eight.” I then paused, seeing a myriad of expressions cross his wrinkled face. Then I remembered something. “You and I had a similar conversation when I was ten and six. I asked about the same thing, and you told me you would explain it when I was older.”

His face was sad, tears misting his dark brown eyes. “We did have that discussion. I am sorry that I kept putting it off in telling you, Kylara. But even at ten and six, you still seemed so vulnerable… so I chose to hold off a few more years. I figured that when you passed your Harrowing, you’d be ready… But then we had that incident with Jowan, and Duncan conscripted you. Then Uldred’s attack…” he trailed off.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I shouldn’t have kept it from you this long, but… I placed a memory block on you when you first came to our Circle.”

“Why?” I gasped. “Was there something wrong with me as a child?”

“In a way, yes. You see, Kylara dear, your magic was extremely powerful for someone at the age of eight. According to the Templars who had brought you to our Circle and a letter from your father, you had reacted poorly to the news of your older brother being sent to the Circle at Cumberland. You lashed out, telekinetically pushing everyone away from you and shattering plates, bottles, and the widows of your home. Your father feared for your safety and asked the Templars, who were already there, to escort your brother to do something. They subdued you and put you to sleep. You were brought here to Kinloch. In his hastily scribbled letter, your father asked that your memory be blocked, fearing that if you remembered what had happened, you’d react that way again… and possibly summon a demon to you unintentionally.”

“I was that strong?”

“Kylara, you have always been a very powerful mage. Truly, I hadn’t wanted to keep the block on for so long, but it took you quite a while to gain the control you needed.”

Worried, I asked, “Am I safe now?”

Irving gave a small chuckle. “You passed your Harrowing with no troubles. Greagoir knew of your strength and had prepared a very powerful demon to tempt you. You refused it. You didn’t allow it to escape through you. Since then, you battled the demon within young Connor… and I heard from Wynne how you saved a child from potential possession in Shadmoor. I think that pretty much tells me all I need to know.”

“Then this memory block can be removed?”

“Child, it already has. It was not how I intended, but it is gone now.”

“Can you tell me anything about my family?”

Irving smiled. “I can. You have two older brothers and two younger sisters. All of you are mages. You were all sent to different Circles because your family kept moving around. Leland, your oldest brother, is twenty and eight. He is still at the Ostwick Circle in the Free Marches… so your cousin Leandra was correct there. Your next brother, Augustin, is twenty and two. He is in Nevarra, at the Cumberland Circle. From your father’s letter, the two of you had been very close. It was him being sent away that triggered your own abilities.”

“What about my sisters?”

“Gisella is ten and seven. She was sent to the Jainen Circle when her abilities manifested.”

“Jainen? But then that means… That red-headed girl I saw! She is my… sister?”

“Yes, Kylara. You were quite perceptive about her. That was one of the reasons I stopped you from trying to meet her. I thought it might remove the memory block prematurely… and we were getting ready for the battle here. I was worried that might harm you, especially when you needed to focus on your job as a Grey Warden.”

“Will I be able to meet her now? Before she heads back?” 

“I can arrange that for you, yes,” Irving replied. “As for your youngest sister, she is ten and three. Her name is Juliana, and she is in Val Royeaux. You likely have very little memory of her, even with the block gone. She was only a year old when you came to us. It is possible Gisella can tell you more of her than I could.”

“When can I meet… Gisella?”

“I’ll need to track down Aristeo and ask him. Give me a few days.”

“Alright. Thank you, First-Enchanter, for explaining it all to me. I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am to have a family to call my own finally.”

17th of Justinian

I had a small table set up in Eamon’s courtyard with tea and pastries. Shortly after high sun, my sister walked in looking very nervous.

“Gisella?” She nodded. “I’m… Kylara. Your sister.”

“Yes. I know.” She sat down at the small table.

“Tea?” I asked.

“Sure.”

As we waited for it to steep, I asked nervously. “What do you… remember of me?”

“Well, um… I was only five when you were taken to Kinloch… so I don’t remember much. We played together as siblings… and you helped me a little bit with Juliana right after her birth. I do remember hiding in the bedroom with the baby when your magic manifested. You were… a bit scary.”

“Oh. I-I’m sorry.”

“Father just said you were sad and scared because the Templars were taking Augustin. You were closer to him than me.”

“First-Enchanter Irving told me that, but I still don’t remember much.” I picked up my tea and sipped. “He says more will come back to me as time passes,”

“I can’t tell you much of our brothers. Leland was already gone before I was born… and I wasn’t as close to Augustin as you. You and he liked playing dress-up together.”

I tried picturing this in my head, and a brief memory flashed of me painting a young boy’s hair pink with my paint set. Then our father walked in… and laughed. The memory faded then, but it made me smile.

“What about our mother and father?” I asked.

“Father was the one who took care of us mostly. Mother was heartbroken when her first child was taken… she never really recovered from that. But she did try to be happy for us. However, the night Augustin and you were taken, she became bedridden. She… died… when I was seven and Juliana was three.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I murmured. 

“I… sort of blame myself for it, sometimes. I was just starting to show signs that I was also a mage… My magic didn’t fully come for another three years… but being the fourth of her five children to have magic. I guess it was too much for her.” Gisella sniffed and wiped a tear away. 

“Don’t blame yourself. None of us could control the fact that we all be mages. Sometimes that happens in a family.” I handed her a handkerchief. “Do you know of our cousin, Leandra?”

“Father mentioned her a few times. She has some mage children, too, right?”

“Garrett, the oldest, is a mage. His younger sister was also one, but she recently died… from the Blight.”

“Oh. That is terrible.”

“Seems we have quite a lot of tragedy in our family, don’t we?” I offered her a scone, which she took. “But we can make the best of it now, right?” I smiled. “You fought very bravely during the battle. I saw you a few times during the fighting.”

“Yes. I saw you, too. You are indeed a very powerful mage.” She paused, then asked, “But why were you fighting with a sword instead of a staff? I’ve never seen any mage channel spells through a sword.”

“It is quite a long story. Do you have time to hear it all?”

“First-Enchanter Aristeo told me we are leaving tomorrow, but I still would like to hear this tale. I can stay for a while longer. You probably have a lot of amazing stories about being a Grey Warden.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve had quite a lot of adventures…” I began.

Gisella was able to stay until the sun began to set. Before she left, she had provided me with the information to contact all of my family. She did tell me that Juliana wouldn’t know me as she was just a baby when I left but that she’d write an introductory letter to her on my behalf. I thanked her and promised I’d write to everyone soon.

As she left, Ali came out and embraced me. “So, that was your sister?” he asked. 

“Yes. Apparently, I have quite the extended family,” I said with a smile.

Ali sighed. “My brother is gone… and now I only have a money-grubbing harridan for a sister…”

I looked up at him and said. “She doesn’t matter. You have me… and now you’ll have my family, too. I know they will love you as much as I do.”

Giving me a small smile, Ali touched his forehead to mine. “Thank you, Kylara. You always know just what to say to me. I love you.”

20th - 28th of Justinian

Solace was almost upon us. By now, most people in Denerim had homes to return to, but many people were still living in tents outside the city walls. Harrowmont’s builder and smith dwarves had arrived, and new buildings and homes were being constructed daily. There was hope that most - if not all - would be in proper homes before winter, but we knew thousands of people outside the capital would need food and shelter before the snows came.

Those towns who had survived the Blight helped take in as many displaced villagers from the south as they could, but word was that many others were fleeing to places such as Orlais and the Free Marches, like Leandra, Garrett, and Carver. I was sad they were living in poverty and hoped things would improve for them. After not knowing I had a family for so long, I immediately wrote back to Garrett and Lenadra. I also wrote letters to both of my brothers. I would wait to write my first letter to my youngest sister for now as she had no memories of me… but I hoped we could become closer someday. I didn’t want to lose contact with any of my family ever again!

Now that the city was back to a mostly ‘normal’ state, the nobles decided to go ahead with the coronation of the new King. They figured it would help to provide stability in these troubled times. 

Anora was given two choices. Stay in Fort Drakon, or swear fealty to Alistair as the new king. Eamon told her if she took the latter, she would have her father’s Tenyir of Gwaren to rule over. Though it was clear that she was not happy, she accepted his offer and said she would swear her fealty during the upcoming coronation. 

With the palace now fully restored (it and the Chantry had been among the first buildings to be reconstructed), Ali, Eamon, Teagan, Isolde, Connor, and our party were now staying in rooms there. I was placed into a nice guest room, but Ali was in the royal suite reserved for the ruling monarch. My room was in a completely different wing of the palace. Over the next several days, with so much going on that required Alistair’s attention, I felt extremely isolated from him. My friends all tried to keep me cheered up.

Only one major noteworthy event happened during this week. The letter I had sent to Weisshaupt had been answered! The news was strange and interesting… There had been one recorded incident of a Warden female becoming pregnant and delivering a healthy baby. Mysteriously, after the birth, she had been ‘cured’ of the taint that was every Warden’s eventual death sentence. Because of that, she had been dismissed from their ranks. No further information was provided about her - or what had happened to her child. I managed to get a servant to take the letter to Alistair so he could read it for himself.

29th of Justinian – Alistair’s Coronation Day

Finally, it was time for the coronation! The day was bright and sunny - a sign of hope for many. As the one who had slain the archdemon, I was a big part of the ceremony. Our entire group was there, even Shayle, though she seemed a bit uncomfortable standing among so many humans. However, there was one thing that troubled me. Even as the now famed “Hero of Ferelden,” I still was not allowed to stand close to Ali. It irked me that Eamon still considered me unworthy, and I could see that reflected in my love’s face as well.

The coronation itself went very smoothly. A seamstress had spent the last few weeks making the traditional Ferelden leather and fur outfit for Alistair to wear during the celebration... and once I saw him in it, I was amazed at the transformation. He looked incredible. He had also been growing out his goatee again over the last few weeks, and now it was mostly filled out. Gone was the sweet, boyish face I had known over the last year. He stood, tall and proud, on that dais... every bit of him a man.

Once he had said his vows to the Revered Mother – that he would do his sacred duty as the new ruler of Ferelden – the gold and ruby crown was placed on his head. His eyes then sought me out, and he gave me a big smile.

He addressed the gathered nobles. “My friends, we are gathered here not only to celebrate my coronation as your new King but to give credit to those responsible for our victory over the darkspawn. Of those who stood against the siege of Denerim, one woman in particular deserves commendation... The one who led the final charge against the archdemon – who risked her very life to slay the monster – remains with us still! She is an inspiration to all that she saved that day!” Ali beckoned me to stand next to him. Smiling shyly at him, I did. Then he announced, “Lords and Ladies, may I present to you Kylara Amell. Circle Mage, Grey Warden, the Hero of Ferelden... and my future wife!”

A collective gasp suddenly went around the entire court.

Did he say what I think he did ?! I looked at Alistair with surprise, thinking he had to be joking! No one was going to accept me as Queen !

Eamon strode up to Alistair and whispered angrily, “What are you doing?! She is not of noble blood!”

My love did not back down. He stared at the man who had been like a father to him and shook his head slightly. “I am doing what I know to be right... in my heart and mind.” 

Then he announced to all who were gathered. “I know that she is a mage. I know she is not of noble birth! But this should not matter!” He paused for a moment and took my hands into his. “I have spent the last year traveling all over Ferelden, working with this amazing woman beside me! We fought together, bled together, and she has saved my life more than once! I almost lost her, due to my own selfish actions... and when I realized this, I swore, ‘never again’! She and I have been through so much together that I know no one else will ever understand me better! I love Kylara Amell... and I always will!” 

He then looked over at Sten and gave him a small smile. “A friend once wisely said to me that blood is merely a fluid within our bodies – that an individual can be noble with their thoughts and their deeds in service to others. So I stand before you all now and tell you this. If the one woman who saved every single one of us that are standing here now... If she is not worthy enough to be my wife, no one will be!”

Several loud shouts erupted around us all at once. To my shock, there were a lot of people who seemed to approve of what Alistair had just said.

However, there were just as many of the old traditionalist nobles arguing against this. Bann Ceorlic – one of the few who had supported Loghain during the Landsmeet – was among the loudest. Naturally, I heard Anora’s high-pitched whine as well.

Eamon shouted for order. It quieted down but for a few uncomfortable coughs. He then announced, “Lords and Ladies, I would ask all current ruling nobles to please come to the meeting chamber with me. We will quickly discuss and vote about this... unorthodox situation.” As they all began to file into a room on the left of the audience chamber, Eamon beckoned to Alistair as well. “Your Majesty, if you would also join us?”

Ali gave a crisp nod to him. He quickly kissed me softly and murmured, “I will convince them. Don’t worry, my love.” He then followed Eamon into the meeting chamber.

After the doors were sealed, I sat down on the stairs leading up to the dais. I was shaking with both nerves and fear. He seems so confident... but I know some of the older nobles won’t budge from tradition! What will happen to us... to me ... if the vote does not go in our favor ?

Leliana came up and sat down next to me. “Wow, I was not expecting Alistair to do that! He was so bold, standing up to Eamon and the rest of the nobles like that!”

“But Leli! I am a commoner! A mage! The nobles won’t agree!”

Before she could answer, Oswyn slowly walked up the stairs. He was still using a cane to help support him. I stood up and greeted him. “Oswyn! How are you doing?”

“Getting better every day, thank you. I know my father will always be grateful that you got me out of Howe’s dungeon.” He smiled, then said, “I know he may seem like one of the more traditional nobles, Warden Kylara, but I think even he was swayed by what the King just said. I am sure you have more support than you realize.”

I was about to answer him when the meeting doors abruptly opened, and everyone began to file out. Not one person had an expression that I could read as good or bad.

However, Ali had a slight frown as he came to stand beside me. Dread began to fill me.

Without a word, Oswyn’s father came up and assisted his son down the stairs and back to the main floor.

Eamon stood in front of me. “The vote was tied...” He shook his head. “I am sorry, but- ” he started, but then a voice spoke from the floor.

“Arl Gallagher Wulff of West Hills requests the floor.”

Eamon nodded at him.

He walked forward, cleared his throat, and looked straight at me. “I voted against it because I want to know why you – as a commoner and a mage – just think you can waltz in here and marry the King. Hero of Ferelden, you may be... but you can not be our Queen.”

I looked at Alistair. He gave me a nod, encouraging me to speak up. “I-I know I can not be Queen. I know where I stand on this political spectrum. But... I love him. Why can’t we just... be married?”

Arl Wulff’s bushy eyebrows went up. “You would give up any claim to the throne?”

“I don’t claim anything in that regard. I never did.” I replied, my voice becoming more confident. “I just want to live my life with the man I love... for as long as we have with each other.”

“So you would be satisfied with just being his consort?”

“Yes.”

“And what of heirs? You both are Grey Wardens. I have heard that Grey Warden females are typically infertile. Would not our King have a better chance at producing an heir if he were with someone who was not tainted as he is?”

Now, Alistair’s request to me a few weeks ago made sense, and I was glad he had had me send the letter to Weisshaupt. I swallowed nervously but then slowly replied, “At the king’s request, I had sent a letter to the Grey Warden headquarters in the Anderfels to ask if any Wardens had succeeded in having children after their Joining. I got a reply back that confirmed one instance.”

“Only one?” Wulff’s eyes narrowed. “Not exactly putting odds in your favor.” 

“They only searched back about fifty years. Warden history goes back thousands… and the king had requested a fast answer.” I explained. “So there was one. A Grey Warden woman did get pregnant... and after she gave birth, the taint was completely gone from her. None of her fellow Wardens could figure out how...”

“Was the father also a Grey Warden?”

“We don’t know. The letter didn’t tell me that.”

“What is your point?” Wulff asked me.

“I am saying that all I want is a chance. I love Alistair. We are both young... and despite the taint, we are both healthy. Why can’t we try?” I wasn’t about to mention that Ali and I had already been having sex for nearly a year, and nothing had come of that. I could see that the old arl still wasn’t convinced, so I gave one last desperate attempt. “Would you give us two years? If there is no heir by then, I will... step aside.”

“One,” Eamon suddenly spoke. “I will allow one year for you to try. Will that appease any of the naysayers present?”

Wulff nodded. “The young King’s speech was not without its merits... and as you are also willing to cast aside any ambitions you may have had to the throne, I will withdraw my ‘nay’ vote and will cast it as ‘yea’... for now.”

I heard Alistair breathe a small sigh of relief. I knew he was not happy about the deadline that we’d been given, but it was still a small victory for us.

The next several hours were spent in celebration. There was food and dancing. Alistair was once again taken from me by Eamon, this time to officially “meet” all the nobles who were here. Eamon had him dance with some noble women, and I think the only one who had a bigger frown on her face than me was Anora. 

Rather reluctantly, she had sworn her fealty to the King during the coronation and would be leaving for Gwaren tomorrow. I didn’t know much about the place other than it was marshland and a fishing town. I would have thought Anora would have memories there of her childhood, as that was where she had grown up, but perhaps she had gotten too accustomed to the luxurious life of Denerim and being Queen. I guess going back to being a teryna was a huge step backward in her eyes.

I saw that most nobles had stopped eating by this point in the evening, but there was still a ton of food on the tables. I beckoned a servant over and said they should send all these leftovers to those still living in tents outside the city. She said she would ask the King or Arl Eamon if it was all right. I knew Ali would say yes, as the idea of wasting so much when many were hungry would not make him happy. I could only hope Eamon would agree.

Time passed, but eventually, I saw the servants gathering up all the leftover food and taking it out of the palace. I sighed in relief. This would certainly help the common folk approve of their new King. 

I could see Ali was still busy with the nobles. He had a huge smile on his face, and I could see the flush of alcohol warming his cheeks. I decided to leave him for the night. I knew he would eventually find a way to be with me again; after all, Eamon had finally approved, but I guessed it would be another time. Tired, I stifled a yawn and headed to my guest room.

After a long, relaxing bath, I was sitting in a dressing gown at the vanity, brushing out my hair. I decided to braid it before heading off to sleep, as it would dry into soft waves by morning. Once finished, I got up and stood by the fireplace. Tired as I was, I really didn’t relish another night alone. I sighed.

A soft, warm voice I recognized all too well suddenly murmured, “Why the sigh, my love?”

Turning, I saw Alistair standing behind me. He was in a dressing gown of his own, but it was a deep red velvet and lined with fur. I also noticed it was untied, and I could see his strong, gorgeous, naked body… his semi-hard cock already starting to poke outward.

Stammering for words, I mumbled, “I just thought… that you’d be… elsewhere… tonight.”

He embraced me and replied, “The only place I need to be now is with you.”

“How… um. How did you get in here? I never heard the door open.”

Now Ali gave me a sexy smile. “You mean to tell me you weren’t aware of the secret passage between my room and here?”

“Secret… but the royal suite is in a completely different wing of the palace!” I was sure there was shock on my face. “How did you find out about it?”

“It is a bit of a walk, but the kings of the past couldn’t very well have their mistresses in the same wing as their Queen,” he kissed me. “As for how I knew about it, I’ve been exploring almost every nook and cranny in this place since we’ve been here. It was one of the reasons I had them put you here. I just haven’t had the chance to use the passage until tonight.”

“This… was a room for a King’s mistress?”

Ali nodded. “There is also a passage from the royal suite that leads to another bedroom. One for a Queen’s lover! However, you are not my mistress! You will be my wife, and I am here to escort you to the royal wing tonight! No more separate rooms!”

“But Eamon…”

“...has given his ‘approval’ - such as it is - so I say right here and now, Kylara, my dearest. I love you, and I have a desperate urge to feel your body against mine again.” Smirking, he added, “We also need an heir. Now that we no longer have the Blight and darkspawn to stress over, I think we should get started on that as soon as possible, yes?” He thrust his hard cock up against me, and I shivered with lust. It had been far, far too long since we had last been intimate. I wanted him… I needed him.

I smiled and took his hand. “Lead the way.”

He shrugged off the velvet gown and let it fall to the floor. He grinned. “Mmm, you know what? I’m too impatient to wait. Let’s start here, and then we will christen the royal bed… over and over. Sounds like a good plan?”

I quickly stripped out of my dressing gown, led him to the bed, and purred, “Your wish is my desire.”

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