Kallian Maria Cousland. Second born of the Teryn and Teryness of Highever and younger sister to her overprotective brother Fergus. Her life was simple and happy as she grew, until the day that Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine had betrayed her family and slaughtered all but her. Luckily her elder brother Fergus had been leading a score of soldiers to Ostagar and had been spared the torture of having to leave their parents behind to be murdered in the larder of the castle kitchen.
The Grey Warden Duncan of Highever had invoked the Right of Conscription when Kallian had refused to leave her parents and had forcibly recruited Kallian at her fathers request, so that she could train and take down the man who had cut her family in half. But at the battle of Ostagar, Teryn Loghain had betrayed King Cailan and the Wardens, taking his soldiers in a retreat from the battle. King Cailan and Duncan perished in the battle.
With only her elder Grey Warden, Alistair, at her side, Kallian recruited allies from the Dwarves of Orzammar, the Dalish Elves of the Brecilian Forest, and from the Mages at the Circle of Magi on Lake Calenhad. With this army behind her, Kallian and Alistair took Loghain down, to punish him for his treason to Ferelden, and killed him, putting Alistair, the bastard brother of the deceased King Cailan, on the throne.
But their battle was far from over. They still had the Archdemon to contend with. Without the Archdemon, the darkspawn who plagued the land would have no leader and would eventually disappear back into the Deep Roads they had emerged from. Before the battle, Alistair had proposed to Kallian who he had fallen in love with as they journeyed with their several companions against the Blight, and she said yes. In the final battle, Kallian was the one to take the final blow against the Archdemon, and almost lost her life in the process. But she survived against all odds. She, and all her companions that she had come to see as extended family, had saved Ferelden.
Kallian couldn't believe it. She was with child. She merely thought she had food poisoning when she had woken up and emptied the contents of her stomach into the nearest bowl that morning at breakfast. The mere smell of the porridge that had been placed in front of her had made her completely nauseous. So at Alistair's insistence, Kallian had gone to see Wynne, to see if there was anything she could give her to help with her upset stomach. He didn't want his wife to suffer if it could be helped, he said.
Recalling those words, Kallian couldn't help but smile to herself. He was such a worrywart sometimes, though that was something she loved about him. Shaking her head, Kallian thought back on her meeting with Wynne that afternoon. It should have been a normal visit. Show up, catch up with Wynne, and get a remedy for her stomach.
But Wynne had insisted on giving Kallian a once-over, her motherly instincts towards the younger woman shining through. Wynne knew she worried a little too much, but after Kallian had defeated the blight and had almost lost her life in the process, Wynne felt justified in a little bit of coddling towards her. While checking her over, Wynne had made a startled noise because something everyone had assumed was impossible had happened.
"My dear girl… This is no case of food poisoning." Wynne had announced this with such a smile that Kallian had looked at her with a confused smile of her own.
"What do you mean, Wynne? What else could it be?" Wynne placed her hand softly on her friends stomach and smiled with happy tears in her eyes.
"Well my dear… you and Alistair… you're going to be parents!"
Kallian had been in such shock that she hadn't even been able to give Wynne a proper goodbye as she left. Now she was back at the palace, and was unsure as to how she was going to tell Alistair as she began the trek up the staircase to the room she shared with her husband. Of course, as King of Ferelden, Alistair had been expected to conceive an heir, but… it was supposed to be impossible for two Grey Wardens to conceive a child together.
The child would bear the taint that ran rampant through both parents veins, so the King and Queen had not given it much thought yet. Kallian knew it had been tried in the past to conceive a child between two Wardens, but to no avail. It was assumed that the taint then made the female Wardens infertile after the joining. Biting her lip, Kallian nodded her head at Arl Eamon, Alistair's uncle, as she passed him in the hall.
"My Lady? Do you have but a moment?" He asked suddenly, and Kallian nodded eagerly. She welcomed any postponement of having to tell Alistair for she still had yet to figure out just how she was going to tell him.
"Of course Eamon. What can I do for you? And you know you don't have to be formal with me." Kallian instinctively rested her hands on her stomach as she smiled at the elderly Arl, which Eamon had noticed that morning had a slight bulge, barely noticeable but still there nonetheless.
The Queen was with child, though only he and her brother Fergus had noticed. The King of course had been too preoccupied with his Queen's hindquarters that morning when she had been walking away to notice.
"The King has been looking for you my dear girl. As has your brother Fergus. They are gone mad with worry as rumors have been spread that you had perished on your way to Wynne's." Kallian sighed heavily and wrung her hands in front of her.
"Of course they did. I'll go find my husband as quickly as I can." Forcing a smile onto her lips, Kallian brushed past Eamon and felt a feeling of distress build up within her chest. She had no doubt Alistair would be ecstatic. But…
"There you are Love!" The distress within Kallian dissipated quickly as pure love rushed to take its place as her loving husband came running up and holding her tightly against his armored chest. "
I'm fine Alistair. I promise. But I can't breathe honey." Kallian chuckled lightly as Alistair pulled away with flushed cheeks but left his gauntleted hands resting on her hips. They had been married for almost a year and yet she hoped he never grew out of that adorable habit of flushing when she teased him.
"Alistair… We need to talk." Taking his hand in hers, Kallian smiled in utter contentment when he leaned down and placed a tender and loving kiss to her forehead. She never felt more loved and safe than she did when they were together.
"What is it my dear?" Alistair stared down at his beautiful wife, taking off his gauntlets so that he could properly caress her cheek with his bare hand. Maker he was a lucky man.
"…There's no easy way to say this… so… Alistair. I'm with child. " Before Kallian had even finished speaking, Alistair had swung her up into his arms and planted a swift kiss to her slender lips. Pulling back, Kallian was slightly dizzy as she looked up at her husband.
"My dear Kallian… Nothing makes me happier than to hear that." He murmured, kissing her cheek gently.
"But… we don't even know if our child will be able to live normally. They will bear twice the taint that rests within us." Kallian remarked in quiet despair but Alistair simply shook his head.
"It matters not if they are normal my dear. They will be beautiful, resourceful, and amazing, just like you. Everything will be fine, for the Maker has blessed us with this child and would not make them suffer so. The Maker has spoiled me this past year. Firstly by bringing you into my life, then us being married… and now this. Could life be any more perfect my dear?"