All right. So I'll admit to being corrupted by the Dragon Age kink meme and posting some fics there. This is a longer AU fic I did, and I really like it, so I decided to share here. I won't pretend to be good at smut, so when it gets smutty, try not to laugh too loudly. My ego bruises easily. Rated "T" for now, will move to "M" later. As always, reviews are very much appreciated.
I do not own any rights to Dragon Age, its story or characters.
Setting: This is an AU work, the first of what will be a five part series. In this setting, Anora ends up as the Warden and F!Cousland married Cailan. Most events played out similarly to the game, with the exception that the Couslands were not slaughtered. How things ended up the way they are, will be explained a bit, but I'm not going to do a huge amount of backfill on the story. The story picks up as Anora and Alistair are preparing for the Landsmeet, and continues with the events that follow.
Chapter One
"It doesn't make any sense." Alistair frowned. "You expect us to believe that Howe, Loghain's right-hand man, kidnapped the queen—who just so happens to be Loghain's puppet—and she wants us to come rescue her? I don't know about anyone else, but this screams 'trap' to me."
He glanced skeptically at the elven servant standing next to Eamon, and then at his fellow Warden. Anora, too, was frowning at the elf.
"While nothing about my father surprises me anymore, what possible benefit could this have for him? He's been able to control Breonna so far. Why go through all this trouble for seemingly no gain?"
Erlina, the elf, nodded. "She said you would be dubious about the situation, but she beseeches your aid. Matters for my lady are not as simple as you might think. Please, Wardens, you must help her!"
Alistair, Anora and Eamon all exchanged looks. "Erlina," Eamon said, "please let us talk for awhile. We need to discuss in private."
She nodded and dipped a quick curtsy before hastening out the door. Alistair looked at Eamon. "Do you believe her?" he asked bluntly.
Eamon gave a half shrug. "Her story is plausible. Until we arrived in Denerim, I had assumed Breonna was colluding with Loghain, following his orders without question. Now that I've had a chance to talk to some of the other nobles, I'm not so sure. It concerns me that she hasn't been seen much lately, even before this 'kidnapping' and that Teyrn Cousland remains in Highever." He clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head in thought.
"I think we need to hear from the queen herself. And if she is indeed in danger, leaving her at Howe's mercy hardly helps our cause. Perhaps we can gain her support."
"Do you truly think Queen Breonna will support Alistair's claim to the throne?" Anora scoffed. "Be serious, Eamon. The woman likes power and will do what she can to hold onto her throne. She's probably hoping to use us to somehow strengthen her claim. A spike in my father's wheel, pawns to be played until we're no longer useful and then sacrificed or tossed aside."
Alistair glanced over at her. She seemed unusually antagonistic. He wondered what she disliked about the queen so much, and if it had to do with the woman herself or her position.
When he had learned she had once been betrothed to Cailan, he had been surprised, to say the least. It was even more surprising that she had been the one to call it off. With her love of leadership, he wondered, now more than ever, why she had broken off the engagement. She hadn't said much about it, only that she refused to be a hidden power—that if she were to lead, it would be under her own name and not so that the credit would be taken by a golden-haired fool.
He thought there might be more to it than that, especially given her reaction now. It was rare to see her bothered this much by a situation. Usually, she was all unflappable calm and the epitome of confidence. "Jealous?" he asked, mildly, testing her reaction.
Anora's icy blue eyes snapped over to meet Alistair's gaze. Things had been testy between the two of them for the last couple of months. They still shared a bed, but the earlier closeness they had found was gone. Anora was a strong-willed woman, and as Alistair had grown more confident and assertive, she had been growing steadily distant from him.
He missed the earlier closeness they had shared. After Ostagar, Anora had been a shelter in the storm. Her confidence, her calmness, her willingness to take over had saved him just as surely as Flemeth. Without her, he wasn't sure what he would have done, if he would have been strong enough to continue on his own.
With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. He should have remembered she didn't appreciate jokes like that anymore. The chasm that was growing between them bothered him. The past months had changed her, made her harder and he knew they were being drawn inexorably apart. But part of him would always love her and mourn what they were losing.
"If I had wanted to be queen, Alistair," she said coolly, "I would have been, and you well know that. I didn't want to be tied down like that then, nor do I now. That I'm not queen right now was my choice and I don't regret it. But that has nothing to do with the fact that Breonna hardly seems like a trustworthy ally or source of information."
Arrogant and commanding as she could be, Anora looked for and seized any advantage to be found. So he appealed to that side of her nature.
"I say we do it." He ignored her glare. "What could it hurt? We can at least see what she wants. If she supports us, great. If not, she'll be where we can keep an eye on her. If nothing else, we take away something Loghain can use against us. We're going to need all the help we can get at the Landsmeet and the queen would be a powerful symbol."
She pursed her lips in thought, a slight crease forming between her brows as she mentally weighed all the pros and cons..
"And," he added, almost as an afterthought, "if she really is in danger, it wouldn't be right to leave her there."
"Ah, yes, the honorable knight charging in to save the day. How could I have forgotten that?"
"Anora…." If there was one thing he hated that about her, it was that—her willingness to mock or belittle the part of him that wanted to save people. That has also grown more pronounced lately. They were Wardens, for the Maker's sake. It's what they were supposed to do, yet she seemed all too willing to ignore that lately.
"Wardens, please!" Eamon cut off the impending argument. "There's risk involved in this, and the longer you wait, the more it grows. If you're going to do this, I suggest you do it soon. For what it's worth, I think Alistair's idea has merit. We gain nothing by not helping, and while it is a risk, aiding Queen Breonna could gain us an invaluable advantage."
"Fine," Anora snapped. "Let's go rescue Her Most Royal Majesty and see if she's of any use to us."
Alistair shook his head as he followed Anora out of the door to where Erlina waited. He would continue to follow her lead for now, despite how confining he found it. He wanted to be more, do more, and he chafed against the restrictions she continued to set, for all that she seemed to encourage him to want the throne
She could only push him so far before he would push back, and hard.
In the end, getting into the Arl of Denerim's estate had been easier than they all anticipated. Erlina's disguises had allowed them to slip in and mingle unnoticed. Discovering Breonna trapped behind a magical force field had required them to find and kill the mage responsible. That in turn had led to the slaying of Arl Howe and the discovery of Riordan.
Alistair and Anora had both been pleased by that. The loss of Howe would weaken Loghain, and another Warden, especially an older, more experienced one, was like a gift from the Maker.
Once they had freed Breonna, they moved to exit the estate quickly. They had almost made it out, when they entered the last room and were confronted by Ser Cauthrien and guards.
A lot of guards.
Beside him, Breonna stiffened, and Alistair felt a stab of anger that this had been a set up. Looking past the queen to Anora, he saw she looked equally as angry. They exchanged a quick glance. They had been together long enough that they each knew what the other was thinking.
If they fought here, and Breonna was hurt or killed, they would lose most, if not all, credibility in the Landsmeet.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his hand away from the hilt of his sword. Anora stepped forward to surrender. "Get her back to Eamon's," she hissed at Zevran and Leliana. They nodded and as Cauthrien's men moved to arrest them, the rogues hustled the queen outside. Cauthrien watched them go with narrowed eyes, but did not stop them.
Unwilling to wait for a possible rescue, they had taken the first opportunity to escape. Alistair regretted the deaths of the guards who were just doing their duty, but he didn't think things would have gone very well if he and Anora had simply waited in their cell for Loghain to decide what to do with them.
Their return to Arl Eamon's estate was met with glad surprise. The rest of their companions had been getting ready to head out to rescue them, and were relieved that it wasn't necessary.
Alistair knew Eamon would want to talk about what had happened at the estate and what they should do now, and wondered if he could put the arl off long enough to grab some food, a bath and maybe a nap. His musings were interrupted by the sound of Anora's angry voice.
"I suppose your little plan didn't work out quite the way you wanted."
He looked over. Face set in anger, Anora stood before Breonna, arms crossed over her chest.
Breonna lifted her chin slightly, not giving ground or backing down. "There was no 'plan' beyond escaping from the estate. I didn't know Ser Cauthrien was going to show up. If I had, I would not have asked you to endanger yourselves that way."
"You didn't think my father would send someone after you? Especially if Howe was acting on his own?"
"I suspected he might, which is why I sent Erlina to you as swiftly as possible. If credit for my rescue had to go to anyone, I preferred that it go to you.
"And…thank you for coming to my aid." The words were delivered stiffly, as if the queen were unused to delivering such thanks. She looked up, over Anora's shoulder. "Thank you, Warden."
Brows lifting in surprise, he just nodded.
Breonna turned to Eamon. "We have much to discuss, Eamon. We should attend to that as soon as possible."
"Why don't we allow the Wardens some time to recover from their ordeal? We can discuss matters over dinner. I trust that will be suitable?"
"Yes, that will be fine. At dinner, then." She inclined her head to him, and then to each Warden in turn.
When she had gone, Eamon turned to the Wardens. "We'll need to see what she wants. If she's willing to help us, taking Loghain down may be easier than I had hoped.
Dinner was a quiet affair, with little conversation until after the plates had been cleared. "All right," Anora said, "what do we do now? I assume since we rescued you, Breonna, that we'll have your support at the Landsmeet."
Breonna hesitated briefly. "Yes, of course. But I'd rather hoped to discuss that I might have your support at the Landsmeet in turn."
Eamon frowned. "Do you mean you want us to support your claim to the throne?"
"Yes. It's my understanding that you intend to put Alistair forward as heir and challenger to the throne." Eamon nodded. "Do you truly think that is wise?"
She looked over at Alistair. "I mean this as no disrespect. From what I know of you, you are a good and honorable man. But you have no experience with ruling. You know this to be true. I have no reservations about you as a person, but as a king? I cannot say I think this to be a good idea."
"You underestimate him, your Majesty. With a few months experience, and the right people guiding him, he'll do just fine."
"Be that as it may, Eamon, what Ferelden needs right now is not 'fine.' I have ruled this country very well for the last few years. I don't think it's in Ferelden's best interests to remove me."
"You just want to hold onto your throne," Anora scoffed.
"And is that so wrong? Haven't I earned that? I have always done my best for Ferelden, and acted in her best interests. I believe that allowing me to remain queen will continue to do that."
"And allowing my father to do what he's done has been in Ferelden's best interest? You haven't been able to stop him, nor does it appear that you've even tried. Why should we let you keep your crown after that?"
"What would you have me do?" Breonna asked, a note of frustration creeping into her voice. "A civil war had already started, and I've been doing what I can to keep it from spreading and growing worse. If I had spoken out against Loghain, my father would have gathered all his allies, and gone to war against Loghain. The fighting would have engulfed the entire country, and we cannot afford that right now.
"As it stands right now, the only reason my father has not yet done so is because I have begged him not to. That's another reason why I asked for your help. Had word of what Howe did had gotten out, my father would have marched and I would have been unable to stop him."
She shook her head. "Perhaps right now is not the best time to discuss this. I am out of sorts, and you have all had a very long and difficult day. We still have time before the Landsmeet, and there are other things that need looking into. Let's meet again tomorrow." Breonna rose, and the others hastily got to their feet.
"Again, thank you for your rescue today. Sleep well, Wardens, Arl Eamon."
She swept from the room quietly, all grace and dignity. Anora laughed softly. "The same as she ever was. She won't help us, you know. If you're determined to put Alistair on the throne, she'll turn on you at the Landsmeet. For all her words about wanting to oppose my father, she will back him if it means she remains queen.
"She did have one good idea, though. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Eamon."
"A moment, Alistair," Eamon said before he could follow Anora out. He nodded and reached out to touch Anora's shoulder as she walked by. She shrugged his hand off, however, and he suppressed a frown. He had hoped her anger at his earlier comments had worn off, but that didn't appear to be the case.
After Anora had left, Eamon turned to him. "Alistair, I'd like you to talk to Breonna."
Alistair laughed. "I don't think that's a very good idea. I'm hardly a neutral party."
"I know. I had hoped Anora would be, as she usually seems quite logical, but it seems not. Please, talk to Breonna. She's a good woman, and if there's a way to reach a compromise, it might be our best option."
"You aren't afraid I'll just tell her to take the throne?"
Eamon gave him a long look. "We've had this discussion, Alistair. You'll be a fine king. And you've never abandoned your duty before, so I don't expect you to start doing it now. Ferelden deserves a Theirin. You are the last of the Theirins. You might not think it means much, but the line of Calenhad carries a lot of weight with people."
Alistair's lips twisted. He disliked when Eamon made that point. There should be more qualifications for being king than what happened to flow through your veins. But then there was the part about duty. He didn't fully trust Queen Breonna—none of them did. She had allowed Loghain to do as he wished, unchallenged. As capable an administrator as she was, Ferelden deserved someone who would fight for her.
And if he were being honest with himself, the idea of being king was significantly more appealing now than it had been when Eamon first suggested it several months ago.
He sighed. "All right. I'll talk with her. I can't promise anything, though. Maker knows if she lies to me I'm probably not going to be able to tell."
"You'll be fine. Thank you, Alistair." Eamon clapped him on the shoulder and left. Alistair scrubbed a hand through his hair. As he walked through the hallways to the guest room where Breonna was staying, he thought about the situation. What he could possibly offer Breonna to make her step aside and what compromise would be agreeable to everyone?
Breonna and Eamon were both right, in a way, though neither solution was perfect. He laughed ruefully. What they really needed was someone who combined both he and Breonna in one person. Too bad they didn't have that.
He stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the hallway.
They didn't have that combination in one person, but they did have two people who could be…joined. No. No, no, no. That idea was insane. He should just forget he ever thought of it. There was no way it would ever work.
Why not? a voice in his mind asked, and as much as he tried, he couldn't shake the idea. It clung like a burr, burrowing into his thoughts and refusing to leave. With a groan, he began to actually think through the idea. That was something else he had gotten better at over the last few months.
He wanted to stop the fighting. It was stupid, even without the Blight to worry about. Either candidate would ensure that Ferelden was united behind one ruler.
But he didn't know the first thing about being king, despite what Eamon said. He knew himself well enough to know he would try his hardest, and that with effort, he would probably even be a good king. But Breonna, as a teyrn's daughter, had been born to this sort of thing. And she had five years on the throne. However good he became, she would be better and would start that way.
The other consideration was that he really, really didn't want Loghain to win. Whatever Breonna promised, unless he was king, there was no way to ensure justice was done. And despite what Anora had said in the past, he had his doubts that when the time came she would be able to stand by as judgment was passed on her father.
He couldn't believe he was even contemplating this. He didn't even know the woman, and was considering marrying her. Well, she would have to agree first, but he suspected if it let her keep the throne she might agree to just about anything.
Who knew? It might even be enjoyable. She was a beautiful woman, and while reserved, didn't seem to be an unpleasant person. Maybe with a little time, once he got to know her better, she would loosen up.
That still left Anora. She'd made it quite clear she didn't want to be queen, did not want to spend her life trapped in some gilded cage. He ground his teeth at the irony of it. The woman raised from birth to live in that opulent prison firmly rejected it, but he, bastard prince, taught all his life this was never an option, was supposed to just fall into line and accept this new course his life had taken. Anora encouraged it, and he still wasn't sure why. If he became king, and she refused to be queen, then what did it mean for them? That question had been on his mind for a long time.
Still lost in thought, he found himself in front of Breonna's door. He knocked, and rocked back on his heels slightly as he waited for an answer. A few moments passed, and the door swung open to reveal the queen of Ferelden, who was clearly preparing for bed.
Breonna's green eyes widened slightly when she saw him. Her long brown hair, undone from the loose knot she has worn it in, spilled down her back. This close, Alistair was profoundly aware of the differences between her and Anora.
Both had fine, delicate features, but Breonna's face was a bit more square, jaw and chin set in more stubborn lines compared to Anora's oval face. Physically, they were of a similar height, though the queen was perhaps a touch shorter. And while Anora was all lean grace and speed, Breonna was softer, slightly rounder of breast and hip.
"Alistair?" He looked back up at her face, realizing belatedly it was the second time she had called his name. "Can I help you?"
Covering the moment of awkwardness with a smile, he said, "I was hoping we could talk, your Majesty."
AN: Forgot line breaks. -.- Edited to fix.