Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon age or any of it's characters. I have only borrowed them. The one thing I do own is my storyline.

when you love someone - you'll sacrifice

you'd give it everything you got and you won't think twice

you'd risk it all - no matter what may come

when you love someone

you'll shoot the moon - put out the sun

when you love someone

When you love someone – Bryan Adams

"In the eyes of the Maker, we have joined this man and this woman. May he watch over them and guide them in their path."

A loud, cheering roar was her from the audience and Celia looked at her husband. Alistair was uneasy, she could tell from the look in his eyes. He didn't like formal events much and every fiber in his body screamed that he would rather be somewhere else. But he tried his hardest and with a faint smile, he leaned down and kissed her. As he pulled away he whispered:

"I can't wait until we're out of here."

Then he blushed and Celia felt her cheeks warm up. She too could not wait, but she wasn't sure it was for the same reason as Alistair. Unlike him, she had grown up amongst the nobilities. She had been raised as a noble, even though her father probably had been more lenient to her than any other noble father. She had been able to get away with almost anything. And not many of the other female nobles she had met had been trained in combat. Truly she wondered if her father hadn't hoped for another son, yet he never really showed it. She looked over at the crowd, but the two faces she longed to see more than any other would never appear in that crowd. It made her sad.

"Makers blessing on us all," finished the revered mother and Celia was pulled back to the present.

Celia smiled and when Alistair offered his arm, she took it.

"Well then, husband. Let's see this through," she whispered playfully.

Alistair smiled and they faced the congregation. Almost as a given Alistair's face lost almost all colour. Celia squeezed his arm slightly. He seemed to muster a small flicker of strength, cleared his throat silently and sighed.

"Well then, friends" he said with a hint of quivering in his voice, "let us celebrate!"

Another cheer from the crowed was heard and it continued as they walked down the aisle together.

"Never did I think you could look more beautiful then you did that day, covered in blood, with the Archdemon slain beside you," Alistair whispered. "Yet today when you walked in I was stunned."

"You though I was beautiful when I was covered in blood," Celia asked with a smirk.

Alistair laughed.

"You are always beautiful." He groaned and a faint blush spread cross his cheeks. "Maker, I sound like a fool. I'm going to be quiet now."

"You be no such thing, and don't insult my husband, calling him a fool."

They both smiled.

"You know I like it when you call me beautiful."

"You mean you like it when I stumble on my words and blush."

Celia laughed.

"That too. But I really like it when you compliment me. More than if anyone else would. Is that so bad?"

His face turned even redder.

"No, love. I just wish to move past this all. And I bet the people of the city would gossip for a long time about how their king was blushing at his wedding, and that was before he even made it out of the chantry. In fact I think the fact I helped stop a blight might be overshadowed by that very juice piece of gossip."

"Oh, ever so dramatic. But I get the hint, love. I'll stop." She smirked. "For now."

"You evil, evil woman," he laughed.

The celebrations that followed were no less than grand than the wedding had been, but such was probably the case when the King married, even if he had only been on the throne for a very short time. In the castle alone it lasted long into the night and as soon as they saw an opportunity, the newly-wed couple snuck off to their chambers. Finally alone together, Alistair let himself to relax. Celia moved close to him and kissed him. When Alistair answered her kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing herself closer to him. She felt his trembling hands over her body and sighed in pleasure. Then suddenly he froze and she leaned out of the kiss and looked at him.

"Something the matter dear?"

He sighed.

"Here we are again and I am still a bumbling fool, who's all hands. Why can't I be better? I want to be better for you. As much as I had hoped for our first time to be special, it seemed more like something we rushed into, fearing that there would be no time later. And when I couldn't make it special the first time, I had wanted this day to be perfect. And here I am…"

Celia silenced him with a finger over his lips.

"I love you Alistair. Every day with you is special and perfect. I don't feel we rushed into anything and for all we knew back then; one of us could've died. I wouldn't care less about if you were the worst lover on earth, which I might add you are not. In my life there have only been you and will only ever be you."

He bowed his head.

"But you haven't been the only one for me. I mean you're the only one in my heart and there will…"

Again she placed her finger on his lips.

"I know Alistair and I am sorry."

Alistair backed away with shock in his eyes.

"What do you mean, "you're sorry"? I was the one who slept with… with… and that even after I told you how much I loved you and never would be with another woman."

"But you did it because I asked you too. Because I was scared and selfish. I could not let you die and leave me alone. I didn't want to lose you. And I was afraid that if I died…"

"But I could've said no. I could've told Morrigan to…"

"Alistair," Celia said softly and put her hand on his cheek. "Did you sleep with her cause you wanted to?"

"What? NO! What ever would make you think that?"

"Then why did you?"

"What?"

He walked away, wandered around the room, trying to put words to the anger and the pain he felt at the moment. Then he stopped and looked at Celia.

"First you say you're sorry that you made me do it and then you ask me why I did it. I did it because you told me to."

"No. I mean… why did you do as I said? Why did you listen to me? If you didn't want to sleep with her, why did you?"

"Are you saying that's what I should've done? Walked away from it all. One of us would most certainly be dead now if I had. I…" His voice broke off. "I wasn't able to let you go. Let you die. I was selfish too."

Looking at her husband's tormented face, Celia raised her hand as to comfort him, realizing he was too far away from her. She quickly stepped toward him, removing the distance between them. She placed her hand on his cheek.

"Then all is as it should be. I do not blame you and I will not dwell in the past. We did what we had to do and what we thought was right. Now we stand here and we have new decisions to make."

Alistair placed his hand over hers on his cheek. Then he stepped closer to her, removing what space was left between them.

"Thank the Maker for you, Celia. I'm sure anyone else would've left me by now. Yet here you are."

"And I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," he whispered and then he kissed her.

End chapter 1