This is my take on the already-announced project inspired by Crisium's use of the plot-bunny of Bann Teagan proposing to the female PC. While the main character is the same as in Seasons and the Fracture one-shots, the stories are separate. This should take place some time before the Landsmeet – ideally, the party went to search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes right after getting Wynne and are now stopping in Redcliffe on their way elsewhere. Otherwise, there would have been plenty of time for another romance to start fully, and the shenanigans to come need a little room for uncertainty.

General plot: Bann Teagan proposes to the female PC. Cue massive panic from the party, especially from a certain pair of love interests…

Everything save for Nimue Surana, my character, belongs to Bioware. Hopefully, I got the name of Teagan's bannorn correctly. If not, please don't sue!

Enjoy!

o.O.o

Surprises Ever After

o.O.o

It took returning to Redcliffe Castle for the third time for Nimue Surana to remember something she ought to have done right the first time.

Inwardly, she cursed a little as the hemline of her dress almost got caught in a heel of her delicate shoes. With Arl Eamon practically revived and safe, they had decided to rest for a day or two before heading out east to search for an encampment of Dalish elves. While the castle was hardly fit for any kind of representative occasion, at least the piles of bones and dead bodies had been removed by the diligent servants, who remained discreetly cleaning places even now, Nimue discovered when she almost tripped over one of the maids.

Of course, her costume (she refused to consider it anything else, because this had to be how thespians dressed when they wished to impersonate nobility) helped with the tripping. As they had arrived with great haste, her entire group had looked rather worse for the wear; battered armor, torn robes, weapons slightly chipped in places. Encountering dragon cults that believed their winged friend was the resurrected Andraste tended to have that effect on people. And while the last of these things could be remedied by a swift visit to the blacksmith (who was back in business and ever-so-grateful to help the saviors of his daughter) the clothing was a different thing; reparations took time.

And it went without saying that they should be provided with alternative attire, for the time being, but it wouldn't do to have the champions of Redcliffe prancing around in servants' clothing, Arl Eamon's voice echoed in Nimue's head as she took a right turn, though her bitterness had made it more patronizing than it had been.

Still… did they have to take her shoes as well? And replace them with these Orlesian… things?

Fortunately, she didn't have to run around much more, because she managed to spot the person she was looking for near the vault, conversing with the castle steward.

"Bann Teagan!"

It was certainly a sight, the lithe elven mage without any certainty to her movements, tiptoeing in ribbon-decorated shoes and holding a fistful of a heavy brocade gown out of the way as if it were a sack of potatoes. In more ways than one, though, because apparently, Isolde's maids had managed to corner her and make certain that she wasn't "an embarrassment to the noble family" (it had to be the case, because this was their favorite phrase, from what Eamon wrote in his letters. Orlesians.); her already very straight hair had been combed with a mathematician's precision, not a single strand out of place.

Dismissing the steward, Teagan gave her enough time to manage to cross the distance safely, though she did seem a little wobbly on her feet once or twice, her face scrunched with determination.

"Careful, milady." The mage always had a slightly confused look in her eyes when he addressed her as such, which endearing in comparison to the sneering superiority most noblewomen emitted. "Surviving onslaughts of darkspawn only to be conquered by a dress would be a most inglorious end for a Grey Warden."

"Lady Isolde lent it to me after your brother insisted that we are to be provided with new equipment before we head out." Nimue explained briefly, steadying herself with one hand against the wall. "How she managed to run all the way to the village in these shoes, I have no idea. I cannot walk properly in them."

"You can consider it a learning experience, I suppose." Hardly something that would come in useful when fighting darkspawn, but perhaps it could serve as a dexterity exercise. Most soldiers would likely be embarrassed by being made to run around in heels to be made more agile, so suggesting that as training for the guard was out of the question. "But you wished something of me."

Obviously, she hadn't come running (which would be enough to give the Orlesian maids pause) through the castle simply to show off this new skill.

Reminded of her goal, Nimue bobbed her head briskly. "Yes, indeed. It's unforgiveable of me, so I apologize in advance, but I forgot to return this to you in the aftermath of… well, everything." She raised her – for once glove-less – hand, and slid the single ring she was wearing off her right ring-finger. "Here." she said, handing it to Teagan. Only proximity showed that it was the Guerrin family signet ring, which had allowed her group passage into the castle last time.

Afterwards, with Connor being possessed and help from the Circle required immediately, she had completely forgotten about even wearing it. Despite the gold band's rather massive design, it seemed to fit her hand quite well, contrasting with the dark green of her gown.

"There isn't any need to apologize; I, too, forgot about it." Teagan smiled grimly as he took the ring from her, noticing that her hands were rather cold. "Strange, when there are so many other things I would wish to forget about the whole affair, if I could. At least Connor was granted the mercy of remembering nothing. I cannot imagine how he would have dealt with the experience otherwise."

"It is a sign of his magical power that a demon this strong sealed a contract with him and actually seemed to intend to keep it." Nimue grimaced a little, sheepishly understanding that this might not be a fact a Chantry-schooled noble would like to be told about his nephew. "I know that isn't much consolation in light of all that happened, but I think that much good can yet come of him, if he is properly trained."

Fortunately unlike with Connor's parents, who could have been more emotionally affected by such words, Teagan could understand and appreciate a trained mage's point of view. Experiencing first-hand the kind of control demons could exert over the unaware had been an experience he wasn't likely to soon forget. Besides, he had at least the slightest emotional distance, allowing him to step back and view things in perspective.

"Isolde's actions were foolish and reckless, but I suppose a mother only thinks with her heart."

Nimue, to whom the concept of being either frightened child or concerned parent was foreign, looked away momentarily. "I wouldn't know."

"I apologize; I know apprentices are taken from their families at a young age."

"I…" Being apologized to by a noble was something that very easily managed to crack her concentration, even more so than polite conversation with one. "That's kind of you, but not necessary. The memories are distant now, more colors than actual shapes and sounds. Any pain can fade over time."

Despite the somewhat uncaring nature of those words, Teagan found himself smiling. Strength acquired through conviction. There was a trait to be admired. "You are a rather pragmatic woman, I see."

How fortunate that she had not chosen to follow a pragmatic path in her dealings with the problems in Redcliffe.

Unsurprisingly (because by now, her lack of refinement in the sense of not being able to distinguish compliments or even pleasant nothings had become obvious to him), Nimue shrugged, as if it were nothing. "It does no one good to dwell on it. I would have nothing in common with any family I might have." Those were Morrigan's words, but it was a sound justification. And true in her case. "But I'm certain Lady Isolde will be allowed some rare visitations, if she wishes. The Circle will need to rebuild."

Perhaps the first claim was a lie, considering that strong attachments to family members could lead to emotion out of control… and what Connor was willing to do to preserve his father's life had been made more than obvious. But certainly Connor could prove instrumental in the future, with his raw power and the right training.

Teagan had spoken to some of the Circle mages before they had set out to return to their tower, including the First Enchanter. It was from Irving that he had also learned a great deal about how Nimue had come to be a Warden and perhaps a little bit about her nature as well. Overall, the image he was being presented with was entirely pleasing.

"Yes, I understand that what happened there was quite a tragedy. So much destruction, and for what? A coup that only wastes our time and resources, which could be better spent battling darkspawn." With a sigh, Teagan decided to not pointlessly waste time with anger at a situation that would hopefully soon be rectified. "But let us not speak of such things in the rare moments of peace." Instead, he could now finally play the courteous host Nimue and her companions had likely been hoping for when they had first arrived. "Would you like me to show you around the castle? I imagine you've had little time to have a look around, battling enemies as you were."

Nimue blinked, but the smile she let spread across her features was hardly ungrateful. Perhaps they had a nice large library where she could sit down and not be forced to run around in heels…

"I'd be happy to, but I will slow you down in this get-up. I can barely walk, but my friend Leliana would be delighted if she saw me dressed like this." The response to this was, to the mage's utter bafflement, an offered arm. After a moment of uncertainty, she hesitantly accepted it.

It was almost like teaching a child how to walk, but leading the mage and showing her how she may best place her arm to shift her weight accordingly should she slip remained oddly endearing instead of tiresome after a while. Nimue walked carefully, as if considering each step, but didn't stop the conversation at any point and remained keenly alert of whatever they passed.

"I was under the impression the robes mages customarily wear are rather similar to dresses."

"Yes, but robes are made for comfort as well as usefulness. Dresses seem to be made simply for appearance's sake. Sometimes not even that." Nimue added, glowering a little at the ridiculously wide outer sleeve of her gown that kept sliding down her arm no matter how many times she tried to push the excessive fabric away.

But while Orlesian fashion sense remained questionable to him even after years of having one as a sister-in-law, even Teagan could appreciate too much embroidery when the right person wore it. "I doubt that it would be necessary for a dress to magnify what is already present, milady."

"You don't have to call me that. Milady, I mean. I'm never quite… used to it."

She had obviously intended to say that quite a while ago, but never really knew how to breach the subject. It was probable that no one had addressed her as such – what did mages call one another, aside from apprentice or senior enchanter, in any case? And how would templars address them (should they ever need to) if not as either mage or maleficar?

"The world is coming to ruin indeed if courtesy is not expected and what should be natural causes one unease." Their close contact allowed Teagan to feel some of the tension leave his companion – as long as she wasn't certain that her next step would result in a fall, she was unlikely to be able to relax entirely.

"You are kind." She almost mumbled the words, which almost left a strange taste in her mouth. Accusing someone of this was most uncommon for her. "Perhaps too much so."

"I understand that you come from a place where few showed you any courtesy or kindness."

Your magic is a gift… but it is also a curse.

After years of being treated like a wild animal that wasn't yet entirely housebroken, those words had seemed hypocritical at first. The first of them, anyway.

"I might not have deserved it."

I'm disappointed in you…

"I doubt that." The gentleness in Teagan's tone actually touched something in Nimue, who would have viewed the opinion of someone who hadn't experienced being brought up in a circle as patronizing or biased without a second thought.

"If I may be so bold…" Now this was a certain sign that she was letting her guard down, because nowadays, when Nimue wanted something, she didn't worry about politeness; she asked, and if that didn't yield results, she demanded and ordered. "Could you tell me about your home? I wasn't… allowed to leave the tower and I've come to like at least hearing tales about the world."

"I'm afraid nothing I can tell will be as exciting as you may hope."

"Excitement isn't what I crave." It was very likely that she had all the excitement she could ever want or need. "I wish to know the world, now that I'm part of it."

Surprised but genuinely flattered, Teagan gestured towards a bench in the sitting room they passed. The mage, grateful for a reason to sit down and possibly even relieve her already-aching feet of the lovely but impractical footwear, wasted no time and carefully disentangled her arm from her escort – oddly enough, their proximity hadn't bothered her in the least – and claimed one end of the bench with a curious and attentive expression.

It was strange to have to describe to someone where Rainesfere actually was.

However, even the most mundane details about the bannorn seemed to fascinate or at least interest her. She was a good listener, posing only occasional questions with surprising insight or a perspective entirely different than that of an ordinary person – a casual observer – might. And she never tired or made an effort to change the subject, genuinely eager to learn more after the long confinement in the tower.

For how long must a person be trapped in a single place to learn to appreciate the everyday, the ordinary, the plain? But Teagan supposed that their definitions of normalcy would vary greatly, influenced by the environments in which they had been brought up.

However, this brought another fact to his attention; this keen interest in events noblewomen would usually consider beneath their notice placed her ahead of them in his eyes, not merely as a warrior, but as a person as well.

"It sounds wonderful." And she said it with utter earnestness, like a child listening to a fairytale might. Surely it was a sign from the Maker that there was yet hope, if innocence and beauty – yes, beauty, both stemming from that innocence and separated from it by wisdom acquired by a very short time – could still exist in such a desolate and dark world.

"Only in comparison to the carnage you've witnessed here." Teagan noted ruefully. His own land was not unaffected by the Blight, though it wasn't as severe as the disaster of Redcliffe and he would have to return there soon after the planned Landsmeet or at least send word about the state of things. "Not all of the duties I have there are as simple to carry out as they should be and there are times when the effects take a long time to reach their intended target."

While not that well-versed in politics, Nimue nodded. "I understand that too well. Thank you for telling me."

And the words were filled with more emotion than she could consciously express, with gratitude for something people could dismiss as nothing. Had an observer only listened to her voice and forgotten what she was – be it Warden or mage, as it amounted to the same thing in this case – she could have easily been mistaken for a noble. But perhaps the mistake was with the world and not with her and there was yet a remedy for that.

"May I ask… where will you consider home once the Blight is over, milady? Do you have some place to go back to?" Teagan could see that someone who yearned for the world she had never seen would never consider returning to the Circle tower, even if she were to reign there. Better to be a beggar and free than a queen in a cage.

The question caught Nimue off-guard. "You have more confidence than I – I didn't really think that far ahead. There is a fair chance that I will die." she admitted, "But… if I should survive… I have no intention of returning to the Circle." That was the only rule she hoped to abide by. Now, she was just grasping at straws. "I suppose I could go seek out the rest of the Grey Wardens, but I don't know if I'd want to continue like this straight away. I suppose I'll just cross that bridge if I get to it."

"Don't you wish to devote some time to your own happiness?" Maker knew that she deserved it, especially considering the monumental task ahead of her. "Perhaps… settle down somewhere and live the way you please?"

This was a suggestion no one had ever made to her, that much was obvious from the uncertainty in her eyes. "I didn't think anyone would ever consider that." Nimue finally admitted. "I doubt many would take kindly to a mage trying to live as a normal person. No one would like to have such a neighbor.

Subtlety would be wasted on this woman, Teagan realized, because she hadn't yet learned to recognize it well. Someone had gone to great pains to ensure that she always thought of herself as a mage first, anything else second, meaning that anyone and everyone who wasn't a mage like her had to resent her for it. Isolde would certainly raise hell if the templars tried to do the same to Connor, because, title-less he may become, he was still her first-born son. But it was a great crime against anyone, especially those of the mages who could be so much more.

"But perhaps, if you were… offered the opportunity?" he suggested gently, watching the confusion and then uncertain perhaps-realization she was experiencing. When unguarded, Nimue was very easy to read.

"I… don't understand." Her voice had become small; this must be what she had sounded like when first told that she would spend the rest of her life sealed away from the world. "What do you mean?"

If he had known that things would evolve in this direction, Teagan certainly would have prepared a better way of suggesting this to her, something a little more grandiose. But perhaps that was for the best, because too much planning could very well lead to one believing that they knew their enemy before the battle had been won, which certainly wasn't the case.

"I had hoped for a better time to say this, but I don't think any of us can devote much more time to matters unrelated to our duties. Milady…" The title still seemed to unnerve her. "You would do me a tremendous honor if you were to return to Rainesfere with me… as my wife." he added softly, just in case she didn't understand yet.

With these words, Bann Teagan succeeded in stunning Nimue Surana to speechlessness, something which would be considered a historic achievement by all her tutors and acquaintances at the Circle tower. In fact, most of its residents would have likely congratulated him on this and then organized an alcohol-free party (mages were forbidden to drink anything even remotely able to mess up their soberness) where the circumstances of this could be discussed over and over.

Certainly this wasn't a reaction a man expected or hoped to provoke in a woman he was proposing to; Nimue went utterly still, her eyes appearing too large for her face and her lips slightly parted. It was almost as if she wasn't even breathing, but thankfully, her shoulders continued to rise and fall by the tiniest fraction of an inch. If she wasn't already sitting down, she would have obviously done so after this. In fact, at first, she looked ready to faint.

"You… I…" Words were escaping her without any context. This wasn't supposed to happen, certainly, because she wasn't a princess in one of those fairytales she had heard others speak of and therefore this wasn't real, because it couldn't be. "I'm a mage." she said finally, breathlessly.

Having anticipated this argument as the first she would throw, Teagan's smile was utterly peaceful. "And, as I asked you before, that hardly poses an obstacle to marriage, does it? You can marry, if you wish."

"There is the underlying expectation that no man will ever ask." Nimue said quietly, glancing down at her hands. If she still had any rings on her fingers, now would be the time when she would pick one and start twirling it around, possibly switching it between several fingers.

"Milady, you are always defying expectations." And certainly expectations were being defined here, because she had been brought up to sell herself far too short, believing that she couldn't aspire to much when it came to lifetime companionship. "Permit me to do the same for once."

"Nimue. You are… you are asking to m-marry me, so I think you have the right to use my given name." she clarified, if only to say something, because everything she had been taught was screaming at her that this was wrong and unreal and obviously some kind of figment of her imagination she had yet to see through.

Marriage.

Marriage.

This offer was most certainly something Teagan considered a good sign, even if things were likely to go slow from this point onward. "If you wish, I would be honored. Do you have any other concerns?"

"I don't think… I wouldn't know how to be a noblewoman." She wasn't even able to be addressed as milady without feeling that something peculiar was going on. "You must understand… I've spent most of my life in a sealed tower."

"You were able to bring together people that would never have cooperated otherwise. Compared to that, I don't think any court etiquette will be difficult for you to adapt to."

"Yes, but the court would not adapt to me so easily." With two small movements of her petite hands that would have horrified the Orlesian chambermaids, Nimue brushed the hair framing her face behind her ears, revealing the most obvious mark of her race. "I'm a little short to pass for a human woman, even if I should cover these up."

To her utter surprise, at this, Teagan gave a well-meaning but hearty chuckle. "You seem to be destined to lead Ferelden into battle against the darkspawn and do so without fear, yet you believe you won't win any favors with the nobility." Life was ironic like this sometimes. Irony was that all these protests were quickly becoming reasons why she could very well be the right woman for him, not simply for his people.

"I will be honest with you, Nimue. The husband or wife of a Bann has no formal title. They are integrated into the nobility, yes, and are addressed accordingly. But they have no voice at the Landsmeet other than through their spouse." the bann explained plainly, smiling afterwards. "And, if I may speak freely with you, I care little about what the Landsmeet thinks on this account. I serve my country the best I can and allow myself only the slightest selfishness for the happiness I feel anyone is entitled to."

He would marry a mage and an elf and a Grey Warden and a commoner… because none of that mattered to him. Nimue could only stare.

"Milord-"

"Please, we are friends here. If I am allowed to use your name, the same courtesy should automatically fall to you."

"But… you know so little about me." That was the weakest of her objections so far. Besides, the reverse was truer, or had been before today.

Yet if she believed this to be true, there were yet ways to assuage her.

"You are brave and kind, willing to risk much for the safety and happiness of those that made mistakes." At long last, Nimue's pale cheeks reddened, because though this was a list of qualities and characteristics - hardly a flowery compliment – Teagan spoke with such absolute certainty that it served better than flattery. "You are cunning in your planning and wise in your counsel. And, perhaps most plainly, you are unquestionably lovely."

And, not least of all, there were others who would no doubt seek her attentions if given enough time due to one or many of these aspects of her. It was better to establish one's position ahead of time.

"The Maker blessed Redcliffe more than once when he sent you here; you saved the village, Connor and Isolde, and now even my brother. The Guerrin family is in your debt… and would welcome you warmly, I'm certain."

"I don't really think Lady Isolde would appreciate having a mage in the family."

"Even if she didn't, which I doubt, considering your efforts, we wouldn't be living with my brother's family." He could actually picture Isolde being very happy with the situation and trying to persuade Nimue to take on Connor as an apprentice herself, so that he wouldn't have to be sent among strangers in a distant tower. "You would meet each other at family gatherings and formal occasions, at the most. It is not only debt that made me choose you, Nimue." Teagan added, in case she would try to point this out. "I would be hard-pressed to find a woman more agreeable than yourself. And I do care about you, despite our short time together."

Gently, he took one of the no longer cold hands into his own, feeling not the touch of a mage, an elf, a Warden or a commoner, but the touch of a woman, flesh and blood just as he was. She didn't attempt to draw it away.

"I believe falling in love with you wouldn't be as difficult as you seem to believe."

In the moment when all masks and barriers fell, almost no one would have believed that a fearsome slayer of darkspawn was the woman who had been rendered immobile and silent by words that could have easily inspired joy in many a different female.

"You are entirely serious about this." It wasn't a fantasy or dream, apparently, because the warmth holding her was ever-present and she had no further cards to play. "I… it is likely that I will not survive to see the Blight ended. I wouldn't want… you could come to regret this."

"Missing the opportunity to ask you is the only thing I could possibly regret, milady." Again, there it was, the word that continued being like a splash of cold water to her face. "And if it should come to that," Maker forbid, because that would mean death to them all, "I will know that I was simply unworthy of a woman who sacrificed everything for her country." Perhaps this wasn't exactly how she felt about the issue, but the words had an effect on her, quickening something near her heart that wasn't supposed to exist anymore. "Would you do me the honor of considering accepting, at least?" Teagan added when it became clear that she was utterly unable to even make herself think about answering.

"I… yes. Yes, of course. I will. Consider it, I mean." It was as if something in her head was screaming, only to be outshouted by another voice and another, each telling her to do different things, from running away screaming to kissing the man then and there. Every single one of these choices was something she would come to regret. "I will try to have an answer for you before we leave for Denerim."

Afterwards, once they parted, Nimue took off her shoes with infinite patience and blindly sprinted off to find Wynne, because she needed someone to shake her and tell her what to do.

Leliana, who had been passing the chamber and overheard most of the conversation that was crucial, was long gone and already deciding what to do about this most interesting new development.

o.O.o

AN: Now that the fluffy part is over, let the shenanigans begin!