The dream was the same. She smelled of blooming flowers in the height of the spring, her mahogany hair spread around her like a halo. She gave me a gentle smile as she looked at me, love shinning out of the depths of her eyes and then within a blink of an eye she was gone like she was smoke disappearing through the wind.

I woke with a start and it took me a moment to recognise my own chambers, but I was not alone beside me lay the dark haired beauty who was peacefully asleep, the thin sheets barely covering her naked breasts, she was as beautiful as a rose but she did not compare to the jewel I had lost.

It had been weeks since my wife and Queen had abandoned me. I had forsaken the vows I had made before the maker the day I had married her she had said, I had shamed and dishonoured her she had said, but everything I had done. I had done for the sake of Ferelden.

To be a King I had to be selfless. I had to make sacrifices. Even if that meant breaking the heart of the only woman I would ever love.

I had missed the smell of the sea and the sounds of the seagulls above me and at one time it would have brought me great joy to be home but now nothing could take away the sadness from my heart.

"Sister" I turned and faced my brother as he approached me, my mothers gardens were as beautiful as they had been when she had been alive and since returning to my beloved Highever I spent nearly every waking moment here so I was not surprised my brother had found me but since my arrival their had been a change in him, worse than what was done to him since Oriana and Orian deaths. A new kind of fury one I had never seen in him before.

"Yes brother"

"You have received a letter" he replied

I recognised the seal of the King and took it with shaking hands. He had wrote to me every week since my arrival at Highever but never once had he relented to my wishes so here I stayed exiled by myself.

My Love,

Seeing those words pulled at my heart strings but I couldn't relent if I did what kind of woman would he think I was, what kind of woman would the rest of the noble families think of me.

I was the daughter of a Cousland. My mother would never have allowed such behaviour from my father and neither would I. Without reading no further I walked towards the edge of the magnificent walls that surrounded the great city of Highever and I stood for a moment staring out towards the Waking Sea while my brother followed me and I thrusted the letter towards him.

"What does he say?" I asked, I stood for a moment in anticipation.

"More romantic drivel dear sister" he replied carefully watching my face for a reaction

"He will not relent" I asked

"No, he says he cannot even though it pains you" my brother replied while I began taking back the letter from his hands and I said

"You can leave me now dear brother" he nodded before returning to the castle that had once been my childhood home, sometimes I asked the maker why he couldn't have spared me from this heartache and allowed me to die with my family instead.

I glanced along the expensive parchment until four words caught my eye.

Your Ever Loving Husband

It was then I allowed a single tear to fall along my cheek before throwing the empty promises over the edge watching it float towards the Waking Sea.

I felt it again the quickening like a flutter of wings within my womb but it was too late the Tyndall girl was already heavy with chid why would the King care for any child of ours when he already he would soon have his bastard heir.

I watched my beautiful son as he cooed in my arms, he had to be the most beautiful babe in all the kingdom but that didn't stop me wishing his mother was not who she was but the woman that even now refused to return to me. I imagined what he might of looked like if Elissa had been his mother instead of raven black hair he would have a mess of unruly mahogany hair and the eyes of the colour of the morning sky but alas that would never happen despite the many Eve's we had both prayed to the maker to give us a babe of our own.

"Your majesty it's time for the princes feed" the nursemaid announced and I carefully handed the boy to the woman.

Despite how much I loved the boy at times I couldn't help resenting him, he was the reason why my beloved had left, but then that wasn't true I had caused this, I had cursed myself to whatever time the maker had blessed me with without my true love.

Even now she refused to answer my letters. Even her own brother had refused my summons for him to come to Denerim. The gates of the city of Highever had been sealed and my own soldiers refused entry.

But I hadn't just lost her I had lost all those closet to us.

Leliana had returned to Orlais as the left hand of the divine.

Oghren now a Grey Warden was off on some mission and I doubted he would come anyhow given how close he had become to the Queen.

And poor Wynne was now in the arms of the maker. I was all alone except from Arl Eamon and his brother Bann Teagan but we weep what we sow.

"The child is strong" the healer announced and I smiled to myself. This child was the only light in my now dark world my entire reason for existing.

In a few short months this child would be in my arms, my own babe to love.

"Have you chosen any names" my brother asked from across the room

"Eleanor if it's a girl or Duncan for a boy" my brother smiled at my choices. I had been surprised Alistair had not given that name to his bastard son but he had chosen to call him Arthur but I chose not to dwell on that.

It had been quite a few weeks since he had last wrote to me hopefully he had accepted my decision I would not relent nor would I return to Denerim for him to parade his whore and bastard son around the castle constantly shamed for all to see.

"The king has summoned me to Denerim again" my brother announced. I looked across the room to my brother and replied

"You cannot put this off much longer, you must go"

"I cannot you have need of my here" I looked at my brother with pleading eyes

"Brother you must go or he will become suspicious and he will come here"

"The gates of Highever are sealed no one shall enter without my permission!"

"You cannot refuse the King brother"

"How can I look at the man and not want to put a dagger in his heart for all he has done to you" he seethed

"Brother that is enough talk of killing the King! You will go to Denerim and see what his majesty wants? And if he asked of me you will say I'm happy and healthy but do not wish to see him" by brother smiled at my command

"Yes sister Queen".