The Landsmeet

Sheera stormed into the back room at the Landsmeet. "What do you mean we are through? I just saved your ass Alistair. Keep one ass alive and save countless others."

Alistair glared. "I cannot believe you let Loghain live. You claim to love me."

"I let your future wife's father live so that you don't start this whole sham of a marriage with his blood all over it." Sheera stood her ground.

"I couldn't care less if Anora looked at me and blamed me for murdering her father, the wedding was going to happen one way or another, but we are through." Alistair spit out.

"You really think that she would have forgiven you for killing her father? Do you think she would just sit back and eat breakfast and…" Sheena paused, the air sucked from her lungs. "Do you think she would have children with the man who stabbed her father? And me, she said she was ok with me being here, but if I had taken the final blow she would have made our life miserable."

"Well it is a good thing you decided to make my life miserable to spare her the effort." Alistair bit back.

"I don't know why you are so angry, we got what we wanted; let's give this sometime so that we do not say something that we will both regret more than what was already said. I love you Alistair, I was willing to remain at your side while you married someone else. Does that mean anything to you?"

"No, not anymore, " Alistair spun and walked out the door.

With Alistair gone, her beautiful man, Sheera felt herself fall to the ground sobbing into her hands. She thought she was doing the right thing. Anora loved her father, and the gift of mercy from the future Kings mistress would at least start them out on friendly terms. Hadn't she talked to Alistair ahead of time? No, there had been no time, who would have envisioned an opportunity like this?

Was there another option? No, Loghain had to live to keep Anora happy. Blasted foolish woman, she looked down at her from day one. Sheera was an elf, dark hair, green eyes. Alistair had been smitten almost right away. Together they had grown close on the road, but it was soon decided that they could not marry. Alistair would be King, and the people would never accept a Dalish Elf as Queen. That was ok once Anora agreed that she would turn a blind eye to her remaining at court as long as they did not shove the relationship in her face as Cailen often had.

"Warden we need to get going." Sten barked behind her.

"Leave me alone you big jerk, if you want to leave so badly you go." Sheena cried even harder. Now Sten was yelling?

"Warrior's don't cry." Sten declared as he lifted her up off from the ground.

"I... am... not... a... warrior..." Sheena cried out, "I am a rogue and a damned good one, I can pick locks, and shoot a bow and I use daggers."

"That foolish man has left you, good; we have too much to do. He is to be King and you are not going to be Queen." Sten once again pointed out the obvious.

"Are you planning on carrying me all the way back to camp?" Sheena hiccupped through her tears.

"Yes, now settle down, your squirming makes my arms hurt." Sten said and in a softer voice. "Alistair has never been good enough for you, he is weak and foolish."

Sheena smiled and rested her head against his broad shoulder. Camp was another mile away. She could not go back to Arl Eamon's house tonight with Alistair. He would never forgive her, it was the right thing to do, and she lost everything she loved.

One Month Later:

Sheena pasted on a smile as Anora and Alistair got married. It amused her to no end that while she had been the first woman to sleep with him, Alistair would be stuck knowing he slept with Morrigan the rest of his life. And on top of that, he needed to produce an heir with Anora. Sheena should get an award for how far he had come along in intimate matters.

"You need to stop reaching for your daggers, warden, you left them at camp." Sten whispered in her ear.

She smiled and leaned closer. Sten had been her rock in all this crap. After the wedding she was going to escort Sten back to the boarder of Fereldan. He was willing to go alone, but Sheera could not bear the thought of remaining anyplace near Denerim. Once again she reached back and Sten took her hand in his. He was strong and it did not take much for her to realize she would not be able to get her hand back.

Finally the ceremony was over; she had enough of the parties, and celebration. Morrigan got to sneak off with Alistair's child, that bitch, why did she get Alistair's baby? Her hands clenched as everyone stood to congratulate the new couple. Loghain hugged his daughter and shook Alistair's hand. The death glare Alistair gave the man was not hidden.

Before Sheena could move, she found herself being dragged from the room. Her large guard was tugging her toward the door. "Sten, I cannot leave yet, have yet to greet that royal bastard and his bitch queen." She snarled, as Sten covered her mouth with his own and picked her up and finished bringing her out of the large ballroom while kissing her.

A wave of gasps followed the pair as they left, Sheena could not help but kiss Sten back despite the shock. When they got to a private garden Sten pulled his lips away and dropped her to the ground. "If you are going to have a temper tantrum have it here."

"Why did you kiss me?" Sheena asked in shock.

"Why do you persist in acting like a child over that foolish man? I never believed I could have so much respect for someone who did not follow the Qun, and now you are proving that I was right at the beginning." Sten said in his hard to read voice.

"But you kissed me, why?" Sheena stood looking at Sten.

"It meant nothing, I could not think of how else to get you out of the room. Now get it all off your chest." Sten said, "Say everything you want to say to the king, hit me if you need to, and when we are done we will go back in the room and you will act like the Hero Of Fereldan that they want to see.

"What do you want me to say Sten? I love that man, still I love him, and what does he do, he marries that bitch and sends me away." Sheena punched Sten's stomach.

"I told him keep that evil ass alive for his wife and Alistair acts like I told him to sleep with him too. He did not seem to have a problem with sleeping with Isabella." Sten groaned as he took another punch to the gut and a kick to the shin.

Sheena dropped to the ground and started crying. She could not do this anymore. Her shoulders shook until she felt Sten's strong arms once again lift her up and brought her to a bench. "Kadan," His voice soft and soothing, "You must stop beating yourself up over this. You are beautiful, the only thing in Fereldan that has any beauty at all. If Alistair cannot forgive you, he does not deserve you."

Sheena turned her head into Sten's shoulder and sobbed as he whispered words to her in his own language. She could not understand any of it, but his hands rubbed her back, and his breath tickled her ears. Slowly her sobs quieted and the crying stopped. Sten continued to rub her back long after she stopped crying, but neither could tear themselves away.

Sheena heard the sound of guards walking toward them and she wiped her eyes and got off Sten's lap. When she turned to face the guards she realized Alistair had found his way to the garden, with several guards. "Sheena, I was worried when you disappeared."

"Do not worry about me Alistair, you made your choice." Sheena's breath caught in her throat as she noticed how thin Alistair looked, and how tired. They had planned to do this together, and now he would be alone. She turned before he could see the turmoil in her eyes.

"I know why you chose to save Loghain, but I cannot, I cannot repeat the actions of my father with that man alive under my roof." Alistair's voice tender for the first time since their argument at the Landsmeet.

"It is not too late to send him to Orlais to become a warden Alistair." Sheena sighed as she said it and braced herself for the anger that was sure to follow. Instead a broken cry came from behind her.

"He killed my brother, he killed the men who became my brothers, my family, and he killed the only man who ever wanted to be my father. I would rather live with him, and eat breakfast with him every day than give that man the honor of joining the wardens. Sheena I will love you forever, but do not ask that of me." Alistair's hand swung her around to face him.

"This is my punishment for making you sleep with Morrigan, I should have chosen to die, I should have made you stay where you would be safe and just do what needed to be done." Sheena, wiped her eyes.

"Oh my love, never," Alistair stepped closer and pulled her toward him. At first Sheena was shocked when he kissed her, but her body remembered his touch, his taste. She wanted more but he pulled away. "I am sorry, I cannot… I just got married. Sten take her away, take her someplace and keep her safe for me."

Sten stood and gathered Sheena before she could collapse. "I will take her away, and I will keep her safe, but not for you. You do not deserve her."

Sheena found comfort in Sten's arms once again. As Sten walked away carrying her she heard Alistair for the final time. "You are right, I never did." There was a pause, "Back to the party men, we have royals to impress." The last sound she heard was Alistair and his guards heading back to the castle.