So, Alistair kind of got the shaft in the last story, "You Should Always Expect the Unexpected". I got some feedback to that effect as well, so I wanted to make sure he received a more respectful sendoff. I certainly hope I have achieved that in this story.

Also, in Awakenings, the Joining ceremony didn't quite feel right…what with the Seneschal all up in the Wardens' biz. Technically I don't agree that he would have been privy to the ceremony, and so, I modified things a bit.

Hope you enjoy…as always, reviews make me happy.

[insert standard disclaimer here]

Old Wounds, New Diseases

"I think we're finally done in here," Elirezara exclaimed to no one in particular.

The dark haired slender elf stood in the middle of the great hall at Vigil's Keep, surveying the newfound cleanliness of the room. More work than she thought possible had been completed in the previous five days. The entire Keep, exterior grounds and all, had been cleared of the evidence of the darkspawn assault on the fortress. There had been a somber cloud hanging over all involved as they recovered bodies of their fallen brethren, identifying them and sending word to families of their loss. Elirezara insisted a portion of the lands be devoted as a small burial ground for the Wardens and soldiers alike that fell.

In peace, vigilance.

Sadly proven so true at the Keep.

When the cleanup efforts were given hiatus to carry out several memorial services, families of those honoured arrived in droves. Many of the soldiers were Fereldan, however the Wardens were all immigrants to the country in service of their Order. There would be no time to honour their families by sending word of the deaths. Even if there had been, most of the Grey had already cut all ties to those they loved. And so Elirezara took their place. She wept for each and every one of her fallen brothers and sisters – bound by blood. Bound by the corruption.

Alistair stood at her side, providing strength when she needed it. Mhairi, Anders and Oghren remained close at hand as well, though not yet put through the Joining.

As the bodies were laid to rest and the cleanup resumed, she carefully avoided Alistair where she could. She had not yet had the courage to confront him regarding their argument. Her time was limited, however – he had plans to depart from the Keep once she settled in. He had also agreed to assist her with the Joining ceremony. She had only been through her own, and requested his help. When he agreed, it was with some hesitation. She wondered if it were because of the potential for further loss they would witness, or if it were too painful to remain in her presence.

The memories of all that had transpired ground to a halt as Mhairi approached her in the hall.

"Warden Commander," she announced, "the dwarves have managed to seal up the entry point of the darkspawn. There's the matter of the intruder we found that needs to be dealt with – he is being held in the basement of the barracks. Oh…and…"

Elirezara looked at her, waiting for the woman to continue.

"King Alistair has requested to see you."

The elf sighed. "Of course he has. I did promise him we would discuss some matters. I will be in my quarters should you cross paths with him again."

She headed to her makeshift office which had been doubling as her chambers at night. When she arrived and opened the door, she was greeted by a stack of paperwork left for her.

"Thank you Seneschal Varel," she mumbled to herself. She closed the door behind her, grabbed a few of the parchments that were piled high and fell roughly on to the cot in the corner of the room. She flipped through the few notes in her hands: correspondence from Weisshaupt; a statement of taxes due from the council at Amaranthine…already; some letters from farmers in the area asking for protection against darkspawn attacks; random pieces of junk that somehow had made its way to the Keep and accumulated. She wondered if life wasn't easier as she traipsed around the country fighting darkspawn – at least it had been easy to tell which battles to fight first.

She tossed the parchments aside, reclining until her back leaned against the cool wall of the room. She drew her knees up on the bed and started to wonder just what in the world she was going to say to Alistair. She hadn't given it much thought if she were honest with herself. No, she'd in fact done nothing but think about the fact that Anders were back in her life in all her waking moments. How could she not? He was her best friend. Her first love. Wait, could she admit that? Of course she could…he was the first to make her feel as though she was a person worthy of attention and that she mattered to someone. Of course he was her first love.

Oh, this is so unfair to—

"Alistair!"

She hadn't heard the knock at the door, nor the handle turning to open. Nearly jumping off of the cot at the sight of him, the parchments she had piled beside her floated into the air and down to the ground. She promptly crouched to the ground to begin picking them up. Alistair descended to a knee to help her.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said, looking up at her frenzied motions while she cleaned up the clutter. She reached for the items he had collected and snatched them from his hands.

"It's fine," she replied sharply. "I just wasn't expecting you. I mean, I was expecting you…just not so soon."

"I can leave," he offered, getting to his feet and pointing towards the door.

"No," she said, shaking her head. She stood up and crossed the room to place the parchment on her disorderly desk. "No, I've been avoiding this for long enough."

"Avoiding me, you mean," he said.

She sighed. "I suppose that I've been doing that too," she said. "I'm…sorry Alistair. I've been acting very childishly these past few days."

He shrugged. "Let's just deal with this then…get it all out into the open."

As she nodded, she closed the door behind him and looked around. "I, uh…don't really have too many places to sit. Not comfortably at least."

"The cot's fine," he suggested. "That is, unless you'd prefer not to share your bed with me even in that capacity."

She glared at him. "Alistair, that's not fair and you know it."

"Sorry."

This was going to be tougher than I anticipated, she thought.

They sat down gently on the cot; he with his legs sprawled towards the floor, she cross-legged facing in his direction.

"I'm not sure where to begin," she admitted.

"How about you start with why you're so angry with me all the time?" he proposed.

"I suppose I thought that was rather obvious," she replied matter-of-factly.

"It's not," he said.

When he finally turned his head to look at her, she locked her eyes with his.

"You broke my heart Alistair," she started. "You broke it and then followed up that move with the suggestion for me to be your mistress. Do you have any idea what that did to me? How that made me feel?"

He broke away from her look and stared at his feet. "I never suggested it because…why didn't you tell me about Anders?"

"One issue at a time," she replied.

He sighed. "When I suggested it, I did it because I couldn't see any other way for us to be together. And I couldn't see living without you," he said sadly.

She took one of his hands into hers. "Alistair, you know me. Can you truly see me living that life? Hiding in the shadows of the palace in Denerim…waiting for your Queen to be finished with you so that I could have my brief moments with you? Imagine all the shameful whispers I'd be the subject of." She looked away for a moment before continuing. "Believe me when I say this Alistair…walking away from you…from us…was the toughest decision of my life."

"But it seemed so easy for you," he protested. "Like you just took everything we had and threw it away."

"Alistair, I spent days waging an internal war over whether I wanted to help put you on the throne. I knew that as soon as I did…everything would change."

"Then why did you do it?" he questioned, his voice rising. "Why did you force me into this?"

As her head lifted to face the ceiling, she took a deep breath. "Because sometimes duty has to come before all else."

"Fuck duty," he scowled. "I never wanted this. I told you I never wanted this."

"And do you think I wanted the duty I was forced into? The duty that made me the only one responsible for the fate of our entire Maked-damned country? You weren't exactly helping me to make all the decisions, Alistair. I could have walked away and left this country to burn. But for some reason that I still don't understand, I decided to stay and fight. To fight for a country that didn't give me a second thought when it made the decision to lock me in the fucking Circle for my entire life. To fight for a people who would spit on me just as soon as look at me. So don't tell me that you're the only one that has been forced into something you didn't want."

Silence.

Alistair shifted uncomfortably on the cot, not daring to cast his glance in her direction. Had he done so, he'd have seen the fledgling tears that she quickly wiped away before they grew too large and dropped from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Elirezara," he said quietly. "You never spoke of that…why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what? How I hated everything that you actually represented? The nobility…the templars…"

"You know that I was never representative of either of those…" he replied.

"I know. But that doesn't mean you weren't a constant reminder," she said.

He looked at her then. "I don't know how to live without you now," he whispered.

"Alistair, when we met, there were a lot of circumstances that put us where we were," she said, facing him. "A lot of things happened that drove us towards each other. I've never been able to not consider that you'd have fallen in love with anyone that might have been in my position."

His face changed completely – he looked injured by her words. Though as the seconds passed, the look on his face softened slightly. "I…I suppose that maybe you could be right about that," he acknowledged. "But that isn't to say that I didn't…that I don't love you."

"I don't doubt that. Not in the least," she replied. "And I love you still. But…"

"But you can't live that way."

She shook her head sadly.

"What about Anders?"

She looked up at him.

"It's becoming quite obvious why you finally responded to me. It all happened after that night…at the Circle," he said.

"You remember that?" she asked.

"I'll never forget the look on your face that night," he said. "That was the night you were told he died, wasn't it?"

She nodded.

"And ever since that night, things were different between us," he continued. "You weren't as guarded. It was like you opened up to the possibility of loving me."

"I did," she said. "Before that, I was held back by…"

"Memories?"

"I guess that's what it was," she said.

"What exactly went on between you two?" Alistair could no longer hold the question in.

She took a deep breath. "We were kids in the Circle. I didn't have many friends. Actually, I didn't have any friends. Except for this one pain in the arse mage who for some reason kept pestering me all the time. That was Anders. At first, he infuriated me. He never took his studies seriously, was a flirt…wait, no…he went beyond flirting with everyone. I sometimes wonder if the only reason he took interest in me is because I never fell for his bullshit charms."

"But you did," Alistair countered.

"True," she admitted. "Eventually. We ended up spending a lot of time together. He became fiercely loyal to me for some reason. Defended me from some of the nastier girls there. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I never treated him differently whenever he was hauled back to the Circle after all those escapes. I was there for him when he needed it most."

"How many times did he escape?" he asked incredulously. "I've heard of apprentices making attempts, but repeatedly?"

"I lost count," she replied. "He was persistent, I'll give him that much."

"So, you were friends, but…something changed," he said. "I can see it in your eyes every time you talk about him."

She lowered her head slightly, to hide the blush creeping on to her face. "I'm not sure of the exact moment. We didn't even know what love was…" As her voice trailed off, her eyes focused on something beyond him…or perhaps nothing. "We felt safe with one another. We weren't mages…or outcasts…we were just—"

"Two kids…falling in love," he finished for her.

She nodded.

"Except two kids don't usually stay in love," he added.

"Alistair…I don't know where things stand right now," she quickly said. "But how I feel about Anders doesn't change things for us. I hope you understand that."

"Of course," he replied. "You've made yourself clear about that."

"Don't be sad, Alistair," she beseeched him. "Our lives are moving in different directions now. You were an important part of my life. You always will be."

They sat quietly together for a few moments.

"Why didn't you tell me? About him?"

"One doesn't admit to love in the Circle," she replied.

"That sounds like a trained response," he said suspiciously.

"It's a fact of life," she said, shrugging. "If the templars ever suspected just how strong our friendship was, I can't tell you what we'd have had to face. It was bad enough they knew we were close. But when we left the Circle that night, it felt as if that part of my life had ended. I didn't see the sense in bringing it up."

"I see," he responded, unsure of what else to say.

"And now…" she began.

"What will happen now?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I really don't Alistair. But I'll stay here to rebuild the Order. And you'll go back to Denerim…and Anora."

"Don't remind me," he grumbled.

"You need to give her a chance," she suggested. "She's an intelligent woman and she'll teach you much about ruling and being a leader for this country. I'd never have wanted to be second to her."

He looked at her, squeezing her hand tightly. "You would never have been second to her."

"Alistair…please don't make this more difficult than it already is," she pleaded.

He lowered his head until his forehead met with hers.

"I don't think that's possible," he said. "Please don't avoid me, Elirezara. Despite your decision…and what may happen in the future. I can't live knowing that we'd never see each other again."

"Alistair, you're the King. I'm Commander of the Grey," she said. "I'm sure you can think of more than a few occasions where it would be suitable to…summon me to Denerim…for something. If only to simply annoy your wife."

"Oh," he exclaimed. "Of course! Hmm, well I suppose there are some benefits to being King."

She shook her head, allowing a smile to cross her lips for the first time in the conversation. When he saw it, he lifted her face towards him by the chin, pressing his lips towards hers hastily. He feared it would have immediately been met with resistance from her, but to his surprise, she succumbed briefly to his advance. To his one last kiss.

He pulled away from her and stood up from the cot. He walked towards the door, but quickly turned to face her. "Tomorrow we will perform the Joining."

She nodded. He turned away again and began to open the door. Suddenly she jumped to her feet and ran in front of him. She threw her arms around him and held him tight. He nervously returned the embrace.

"Thank you Alistair," she whispered into his ear.

And then he left, the door closing quickly behind him.

Anders tossed and turned in his small cot, waiting for the night to give way to the dawn. He knew that as a conscripted Warden, he would be put through some sort of a test…an initiation the next day. He really just wanted to get it over with. Eli had also told him the King would be leaving after the ceremony – so there was that to look forward to as well. He was starting to worry over the many disapproving looks he was getting from the man. He'd never done anything to provoke those looks. Unless Eli said something…what could she have said to him?

He still couldn't believe she was alive. It was like the whole world stopped for brief moments when he saw her face again. He had never been able to explain to himself just why he felt the way he did about her, but he knew that it didn't matter how far apart they were – he'd never forget her. Never stop thinking of her. Never stop loving her.

As he sat with his thoughts, staring into the darkness in the room, a guttural scream pierced the silence of the night. He jumped to his feet and ran to the door. As he threw it open, one of the soldiers on guard overnight was already making his way down the corridor towards the sound.

"Stay in your room," the soldier warned.

"What was that?" Anders asked.

"Came from the Warden Commander's room," he replied.

Without a second's hesitation, Anders ignored the man's warning and ran past him towards her room. He quickly opened the door to see her sitting straight up in the corner of the room on her cot.

"Eli?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

She was breathing heavy, and the light from the corridor's candles fell upon her, highlighting large beads of sweat on her face.

"I…nightmare," she said. "It was a nightmare."

Anders quickly called off the assistance from the guard, who retreated back down the corridor. He entered her room and closed the door behind him. He approached her slowly and sat at the edge of the cot, careful not to land upon her legs.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Anders, don't be silly," she said, attempting to downplay the deep fear that had blossomed inside of her. "It was only a nightmare."

"I've never heard a scream like that before," he said. "Okay, I've heard myself scream like that before. Once. When I was trapped in the cells of the Tower. That was not a good sound, Eli. What happened?"

"I…I don't know if I can put you through the initiation tomorrow," she said, her voice wavering.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I can't lose you again, Anders," she said, her hands grasping at his night shirt. "I can't put myself through that."

"Lose me?" he repeated. "You're not going to lose me."

"No…you don't understand. You don't know what can happen," she exclaimed. "Promise me you'll just go. You'll get out of here before dawn."

He sighed. "Eli, I'm not running away from you again. I'm tired of running. I can't do it anymore. Besides, wouldn't that mean you'd be losing me again?"

"I don't want you to die."

He peeled her hands off of his shirt and held them. "I'm not going to die, Eli. You had a nightmare."

"You don't understand," she said, sniffing loudly. "Not everyone survives this."

Balling up the sleeve of his shirt slightly, he dabbed the sweat off of her forehead. Placing his hands at the side of her head, weaving his fingers into her hair, he gulped deeply before speaking.

"If I don't survive this," he whispered, as he peered into her eyes, "then at least you'll be at my side."

As the look on her face became pained and her lip quivered, he quickly pulled her close and held her tight. He felt her grasp on to his arm again. She gripped his arm so tightly that he worried about losing feeling in it. She was shivering, though not from cold, but from her fears of the day that lay ahead.

"Eli, you should try to go back to sleep," he said.

"Please don't go Anders," she begged. "Stay with me right now."

"I don't ever want to leave you again, Eli," he whispered into her ear.

"Then stay with me tonight," she insisted. "I need you here."

The rush of emotion that flooded his mind was incredible. She needed him. Hearing her say those words sent chills down his spine while simultaneously heating up the blood in his veins. No sane man could refuse.

He responded to her by releasing his hold on her and pulling back the light cover from the cot. She smiled weakly at him; the fear on her face beginning to dissipate. He got to his feet and stood at the end of the cot, looking down at her.

"This is a particularly small bunk you have," he said. "How am I going to—?"

"I'll move," she said, getting out of the bed.

"Ah, better," he replied. Once he situated himself on the cot with his back to the wall, he looked back up at her. "But I don't know how you're going to get in here now."

"You've forgotten how small I am," she said, almost allowing a giggle to escape.

She quickly joined him on the tiny cot, curling into his body as he pulled the cover up over them both. His arm instinctively wrapped around her, attempting to shield her from further nightmares when she would fall back asleep. Her breathing became less rapid; her shivering ceased. She was starting to feel whole again.

"I've also forgotten just how…" he began.

Trying to turn her head to see him in the dark, she waited for him to continue.

"Just how what?" she asked when he remained silent.

"Nothing, Eli," he said. "I've just missed being with you like this."

She turned her head back to face forward. "Me too."

As the two lay curled together in a quiet stillness, their minds slowly attempted to wind down from the manic thoughts of suddenly being together again. They felt safe…secure…accepted. As though she would always be able to protect him from the templars. And he would always be able to heal her injuries and pains.

Eventually the rhythmic breathing of one acted as a lullaby for the other and they fell asleep. Soundly…together…

"If that's everything you need, Commander, I'll take my leave."

"Yes, Seneschal," Elirezara replied. "Thank you for your help."

As the man walked towards the exit of the main hall, she looked at the expectant faces of the three would be Grey Wardens in front of her. She looked at Alistair with wide eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "but we'd better get this over with."

She picked up a large urn and began pouring its contents into a smaller goblet that stood next to it. The dark, thick, almost syrupy liquid all but oozed into the container. As she prepared two other goblets, she heard Alistair preparing the three for the ritual. He spoke the words that were always spoken…

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant."

For if we do not, this place will not be the only site of such destruction…

"Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn."

The duty that drives us to do that which we would never have otherwise…

"And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Tightness gripped her stomach.

"And that one day we shall join you."

Her eyes darted around, meeting with those of Anders. He took a breath and attempted to manipulate his face into something of confidence.

Alistair looked to her and she nodded. Stepping forward, she called Oghren to stand in front of her. She handed him the first goblet. He took it into his hands, sniffed its contents a little and made a strange face. Shrugging, he threw his head back and swallowed the entirety of the mixture. He wiped his finger across the goblet, collecting the last few drops within it, and stuck his finger in his mouth.

"Hmm," he said; then belched. "I think I need to sit down." He promptly crashed to the ground into a heap, but breathed normally, almost as though he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Alistair raised an eyebrow as he looked at Elirezara. Slight disbelief flashed across her face as she witnessed the dwarf finish the ritual, followed by relief at his survival.

Mhairi was called forth next.

"Commander," she said, "it is an honour."

Elirezara nodded and handed her the second goblet. She took its contents into her mouth and swallowed hard. The putrid taste of the blood caused her face to contort and she wavered a little while she waited for the solution to leave her mouth completely. Seconds passed and Elirezara held her breath. Suddenly the woman in front of her experienced a violent spasm and she doubled over, clutching her abdomen in pain. They could do nothing but watch and wait until it was over; until the taint that was moving about her body killed her.

The elf kneeled down by the woman's side and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mhairi."

She did not stand for long moments, attempting to postpone Anders' partaking of the solution that could kill him in the same manner it did Mhairi. As she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, she felt Alistair place his hand upon her shoulder. She put her hand atop his and looked back at him. They did not speak as he helped her back to her feet.

Shaking as she did so, she picked up the final goblet, nearly dropping it in front of her. She was not ready to send Anders to his death. Silently – and against her own faith, or lack thereof – she began to pray. To the Maker, to the old elven gods of the Dalish, to anyone that might listen.

Anders reached for the goblet that she held before him, though she would not let it go.

"It's okay, Eli," he said with a hand over hers. "You can let me do this."

As she loosened her grip, she felt herself grab the man's hand and their eyes met. He looked fearful after witnessing what befell Mhairi; but did not back down. He mouthed the words 'I love you' to her, pulled away from her hand and quickly drank the mixture. He immediately coughed as the sticky substance hit the back of his throat. The seconds ticked by as an eternity as he waited for a reaction…any reaction. Unexpectedly, he crashed down to the floor, landing on one knee. He grabbed at his head, holding it as his eyes flew open displaying near-lifeless orbs. His entire body trembled.

Elirezara made to move towards him, to catch him – to hold him as she feared it was his end, but Alistair caught her by the wrist and pulled her back.

"Wait," he said quietly.

She paused; her breath catching in her throat. And suddenly all was quiet. Anders fell off of his knee backwards on to the ground. His breathing slowed to a normal rate and the shaking stopped. She turned towards Alistair, who took her into his arms.

"It's okay," he said into her ear. "He's going to be okay."

She breathed deeply, stopping herself from becoming a tear-stained wreck in front of the King.

"Thank you for staying," she said. "I don't think I could have gone through this by myself." She looked down at Mhairi's lifeless form on the ground.

"I'd never have let you do this alone. No Warden should face this ritual alone," he replied. "I will fetch the Seneschal."

She nodded and he left her to stand guard over the now-Warden survivors – and the one who had passed. As Anders lay in a heap on the floor, she crouched down next to him and took his hand.

Thank you…thank you for surviving…

Alistair returned to the great hall and saw Elirezara near Anders, waiting for him to come to. A twinge of jealousy flickered within him as he recalled the many times he awoke from unconsciousness after a battle to her face above him. The concern etched across it always replaced by relief when he opened his eyes – he would likely never experience that again from her. He had a hard time forgetting about what he had seen that morning; the embrace between the two mages as Anders exited her room. He didn't know what happened, if anything, but he refused to believe that she would have lied to him about her feelings. He believed that she did truly still love him, and even if Anders was back in her life, he still had that. Perhaps she was right about Anora – he had a lot to learn if he was to be a useful ruler. And the woman had been trying to make life more civil since their betrothal. He continued forward when he heard the Seneschal's footfalls behind him.

She had no idea how long she had been bent over him like that, but eventually noticed that Alistair had returned with Seneschal Varel and several guards who began to assist with Mhairi's body. She would be given burial as a full Grey Warden. She'd have been proud of that.

When the guards had taken Mhairi's body away, Oghren woke with a start. He bolted up and looked around with groggy eyes.

"Hey there Alistair," the dwarf shouted. "By the Stone! Did you finally win a drinking contest against me?"

Alistair shook his head. "Unbelievable," he mumbled. "Oghren, do you not recall what you just went through? How you're now a Grey Warden?"

"Huh?" he exclaimed. "Oh, right. Yeah, now I remember. That shit sure packed a punch."

"Welcome," Elirezara said, offering her hand to help him off the ground.

He looked around at his surroundings. "Why's the man skirt on the ground like that? And where's Mhairi?"

She shook her head, at least thankful that he finally recalled the woman's name correctly. "She did not survive. And we are waiting for Anders to awaken as you did."

"Hmm. Too bad about her. Seemed like a good kid," he grumbled. "I'm hungry. Where can I get some grub around here?"

Alistair looked at her and forced a smile. "Come with me Oghren. We'll find you something." The two headed out in search of food and she heard Alistair begin to explain some things to the dwarf. "And you should get used to that appetite there, dwarf. It's going to get worse. I'm sure Elirezara will tell you all about these new things you'll…" His voice trailed off as they left the hall, and she was happy to be left alone with Anders again.

When enough time had passed that she began to worry about Anders, she noticed he finally began to stir. He grabbed at his temple and groaned. As his eyes opened, he saw her sitting next to him, waiting.

"Hi," he said quietly.

She smiled. He attempted to sit up, and reached for her to help him. She obliged, and when he sat up, she did not let go of his hand.

"So it would seem I survived?" he questioned.

"You did."

"As if there was any question," he scoffed.

"Mhairi didn't," she said somberly.

"Oh," he replied. "Sorry about that…"

"Not everyone survives," she said. "Perhaps you see why I was so hesitant now…"

He nodded. "So…I'm a Grey Warden now." It wasn't a question.

"It would appear that way," she replied.

"Strange," he said. "It doesn't feel as different as I thought it would."

"Give it time," she said knowingly. "Things will change."

A smile spread across his face. "I don't have to worry about the templars anymore."

"They have definitely dropped on your list of groups to worry about," she chuckled. "Replaced of course by darkspawn, thieves, and all around general nuisances that everyone has to worry about when they live outside of a Circle."

"Ha! I can handle that," he said. "Besides, this place is great! It's big and open, and there are trees and there's grass. And I can go outside whenever I want!"

She smiled at his enthusiasm.

"And you're here," he finished. "I'm happy to fight a darkspawn or two just to be by your side again."

"There will likely be more than one or two," she quickly reminded him.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he said. "I've seen the way you fight them. I'm almost excited to get started."

"It's not all fun and games, Anders," she said. "I hope you're not disappointed."

"How could I be disappointed? I survived and I'm free," he said. He pulled her close and hugged her. "And it's all thanks to you, Eli."

She cringed at the thought of all of the negative things that being a Grey Warden would do to his sunny disposition. But that could wait for another day. At that moment, there were more important things to deal with – such as the intruder in the Keep that was apparently bent on killing her. She would have to investigate that and thought perhaps Anders might want to come along to help. How novel…the two of them working as a team like that. She smiled as they got to their feet and started on their way.

"Come Anders. We've got some work to do!" she declared.

"Yes, Warden Commander," he said with a grin.

Yup. She could definitely get used to that.