Little Bryce and his daddy are causing a ruckus? No! Not them! XD I do not own Dragon Age or Alistair Theirin but I do own Elle, Bryce, and Leliana.
Laughter filled the air as father and son ran through the palace halls. Many of the guards watched with amusement whereas the maids tittered and sighed in exasperation. "You can't get me, Father!" yelled Bryce, happily. He grinned at the sound of his father's chuckling. "We'll see about that, won't we, Bryce?" Alistair retorted cheekily, his pace quickening as he followed his son through their home.
Suddenly, the king was taken for a surprise. He had just been about to grab a hold of his rambunctious child when another figure stepped out in front of them. Queen Elle Cousland-Theirin, his wife and Bryce's mother, started at them rather pointedly. Alistair and Bryce came to a complete stop, both breathing heavily, and gave her a small crooked grin. Elle couldn't help but smirk but the sparkle in her eyes said it all. They were definitely in trouble.
"I see my two boys have decided to go on a rampage through the palace. You startled poor Nissa again." The Queen scolded, eyebrow quirked. Bryce shrugged, wincing at his mother's fierce glare, and looked back toward his father. "We were just having a bit of fun. We didn't mean to harm anyone." He pleaded, giving her the very same puppy dog look Alistair had taught him many years ago. Alistair joined in with one of his own and swooped in to capture his wife's hand for a kiss. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you, love. At least look at it this way. We broke the monotone of the simple palace life." He joked. Elle couldn't help but laugh at their looks and softened. She said softly, "I just can't take you two seriously when you give me those looks." A pause. "Of course both of you know this so you never fail to use it." Alistair and Bryce grinned proudly.
Elle gave her husband a small peck on his lips before moving to hug her oldest child. "Bryce, why don't you go find your sister and show her the stables while your father and I have a small discussion." She suggested. The boy frowned slightly at that, not too happy with being sent away, but nodded. "Yes, mother." Bryce gave her a quick hug before running off, Alistair and Elle watching in bemusement. She sighed and glanced at Alistair. "He gets that from you, you know." The king smirked but sobered slightly, asking, "So why did you send him away? Is your sister and her husband coming for a visit?" A grimace appeared on her face but disappeared rather quickly. "Well, yes, but I'm afraid it's much more important than that."
Alistair stared at her curiously. What could be the cause of her now solemn face? A moment passed before a small smile appeared on Elle.
"We're going to have another baby."
It took several moments for that to sink in. The king blinked, his mouth opening but no words would come out.
Then the entire palace, Bryce and his sister Leliana included, could hear the whooping shouts of joy coming from the king as he spun his now giggling wife around.