A/N: Dragon Age, its characters, and its world are of course property of Bioware. Also, just FYI I have never written fanfiction before; in fact, I've rarely done creative writing, so constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Prologue

With a sigh, Kianni Tabris stood up from the chair in front of the vanity, glaring at herself in the mirror. Normally, she was not one to obsess over her appearance, but today was not a normal day. The Blight was over, and today would be the coronation of the new King of Ferelden. Since the king happened to be her lover as well, she wanted to look her best for the ceremony. Not that she was worried about his opinion, since he had seen her covered in dirt and gore frequently enough, and still loved her. However, she knew that appearances would matter to the nobles, and she was hoping to minimize any scandals around her and Alistair.

Ironic that I'd actually care about those stupid shem nobles' opinions! She thought to herself. It's quite the leap, going from killing the arl's son to openly trying to impress them...but for Alistair, it's worth it.

Suddenly the door to her chamber was flung open, and two redheads, elf and human, burst in giggling. "Cousin! Aren't you ready yet?" teased Shianni. "I've never seen you take more than two seconds in front of the mirror before!"

"Well, it's not like I make a habit of going to royal coronations! In fact, I never have before, and probably never will again." replied Kianni.

"True, but I'm still surprised you care that much about it. It's hard getting used to how much you've changed in this past year."

"What can I say? Saving the world can really change a girl, you know!"

"Oh, and I suppose a certain handsome Warden has absolutely nothing to do with it, hmmmm?" Leliana asked, unable to stop herself from smirking.

Kianni blushed slightly, causing Leliana and Shianni to start giggling again. "Have you two been drinking, already?"

Shianni said, "Well...we kind of snuck into the kitchen, and they had this absolutely wonderful Orlesian wine, and so..."

"We saved you some though," Leliana added, pulling a halfway full bottle from her bag and passing it to Kianni.

"I guess I can't complain then," Kianni said, reaching for the bottle and taking a swig. "This should help with the nerves. Would you guys help me finish getting ready, please?"

"Ooh, can I do your hair?" asked Leliana.

"I'll do your makeup then, cousin!" exclaimed Shianni.

The girls chattered away while they got ready for the celebration. Finally, all three were ready to go. Leliana was dressed in an elaborate pale blue Orlesian silk dress to match the blue satin shoes Kianni had given to her while on the road. Shianni was dressed a bit simpler, although still in her finest dress. Kianni had on a beautiful silk dress that had been made for the occasion. The bodice was made of dark blue and was tightly fitted to her form to accentuate her bosom. Her long flowing skirt was made of shimmering silver, and did an excellent job of hiding the omnipresent dagger strapped to her thigh while still looking beautiful.

The coronation was held in the Landsmeet chambers. Kianni stood nervously amidst her companions from the Blight as Alistair gave his speech. I knew he had it in him, she thought to herself, even if he didn't know it himself! As the applause swelled around her, she realized she had gotten lost in her thoughts and quit listening to the speech. Suddenly, she realized everyone was looking at her and Leliana was elbowing her and motioning to the stage. Kianni blushed and made her way up to Alistair-King Alistair, she reminded herself.

"…Is there any boon you would ask of Ferelden's king?" Alistair asked her formally.

Kianni thought for a moment. Obviously, she hardly needed to ask for anything for the Wardens; king or not, Alistair was still a Warden and would never neglect their needs. But before she was a Warden, she had lived in the Denerim alienage. The day of her almost-wedding was as fresh in her mind as if it had occurred the day before, yet at times seemed like someone else's tale. And when she had returned to the alienage later and discovered the Tevinter slavers, she had learned that many elves thought she had abandoned them when she'd left to become a Warden.

No one can say that I have abandoned my people a second time, she vowed to herself, and took a deep breath. Looking into her lover's eyes, she announced, "I would like my people to be treated fairly for once."

Alistair's brows furrowed for a second as he said "Absolutely," then something perked up in his eyes and he smiled. "That's an excellent idea. I would like to create a new position so that the elves can be represented in the government. What would you say to becoming bann of the alienage?"

Kianni's eyes opened wide in surprise, and she smiled back at him. "I would be honored, your Majesty."

"Excellent! Also, I would like to grant the lands near Ostagar and the Korcari Wilds to the Dalish, so that they may have a homeland once again. So tell me, what are your plans? I assume you'll be staying on in Denerim?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Kianni said clearly, then lowered her voice and smirked while she said "I think you might need some help."

"Well, I didn't want to be too obvious about it…" Alistair said quietly to her, then turned back to the crowd and announced that their hero would be going outside to greet the people shortly.

Once everyone started milling about and talking amongst themselves, Kianni and Alistair had the chance to talk less formally. "And I thought you were beautiful in armor! You look absolutely stunning in that dress. I just might have to get you some more…" he said thoughtfully, his eyes running up and down her form.

"You don't look so bad yourself, your Highness!" she replied flirtatiously with a wink.

"Well, my lady bann, if you say so, but I can't wait 'til this formal thing is over!" he replied with a half-smile, half-grimace.

"Meet you upstairs later then?" she asked hopefully.

"Definitely! I'll be waiting," he said seductively. "In the meantime, your adoring public is awaiting your appearance. The guard at the main door will escort you."