A very distraught father paced the halls outside of the healer's chamber. He paused again to look at the blue and olive banners that flew in the wind above the high turrets of the keep. A storm from the Waking Sea was long overdue shown by the grey skies giving their customary omen, a distant thunderclap, but this didn't phase the man. Something usually more subtle drew the man's gaze to the door. Noise from the chamber seemed to suddenly abate and he quickly made his way to the portal, hopeful that his next child had been finally brought into the world. He hovered patiently as the pause in the groans and cries of a woman in distress continued, only to hear them begin again with his wife's pain and fatigue more apparent in each breath. The now even further distraught man quickly resumed his route. At three paces aside the door-frame, he'd pivot and reverse course, and continued for several circuits until a flash of amber hair quickly retreating behind the corner of a building caught the man's eye.

The man scowled after catching a glimpse of his first son peeking around the corner of the freestanding hall. The lad was barely four and already too interested in things beyond his years. Whenever Maric and his boy visited them, Fergus always tried to take his daggers to play that they were swords. With his boy's size, it wasn't too difficult for him to pretend he was some great knight on a personal quest from his King, whom Cailan was glad to portray in his father's stead. He'd hoped that that wouldn't have to pass while his son lived, but knowing better.

The nobleman spun quickly as he heard that his wife's cries had again abated. However there was no silence to replace them, as the squall of a newborn overtook the cries of joy from its mother. He couldn't open the door to the healer's chamber quickly enough though the Templar held the door until the healer had finished the worst of the work. When the rather immovable mage-watcher finally opened the door, to the teyrn's relief, the midwife who had helped his wife brought his swaddled child to his outstretched arms.

"Bryce," Eleanor nearly wheezed, half way across the rather spacious chamber, propped against a cheap mattress of straw stuffed cloth, and clearly exhausted, though the ecstacy and pride of seeing her husband cradle their child in his arms clearly shone through her tired visage. The magus who had done her best to aid the midwife and Teyrna rose from her seat behind the new mother, and the accompanying Templar eyed the mage suspiciously but made no moves toward her. The midwife finished for the teyrna who was barely awake.

"Your lordship, I present your daughter, the new teyrnessa of Highever." Much to the man's surprise, his wife had borne him a daughter. The midwives he'd brought for Eleanor had been convinced that the teryna was expecting another boy, but it mattered little to Bryce Cousland; he would dote over his daughter much as his wife had done over their son. The Teyrn's child cried even though held to her father's warmth in his firm embrace.

"Shh, sh shshshhh, pup, all is well, your mother and I are both here. See, she's right over there." His calm voice easily soothed the newborn teyrnessa. Teyrn Cousland held his daughter close walking and then sitting next to his better half. His wife practically beaming at her husband and new child.

"I have waited long to see your face, little one. You have brought joy to your mother and I, and I soon think you'd bring that same joy to your people. That much is long overdue." Bryce spoke then to his wife, "I suppose the easy part is over now, love."

"Rich, coming from the man who..."

"Paced outside for seven hours while you got to sit down here," Bryce chuckled as he was swatted by Eleanor. Bryce knew his wife had struggled bringing the young one into the world, but now was a time for levity and happiness. The distant storm made itself known again before the Teyrna spoke

"What should we name her, Bryce?"

--

The Revered Mother, Mallol, from Highever town had been making a her way to the castle when she received the teyrn's summons in the early dawn, She had authorized the Templar and resident healer from a nearby local Chantry Monastery to come to the Teyrna's aid. The entire hold had been waiting with baited breath for news on the Teyrna and the then unborn child. She was glad that she had received summons when she did. Even with the time she had gained, the waiting for the Templar and healer more than took its toll over two days. She had finally settled in at the castle's tucked away chantry for an afternoon prayer when the young Templar re-entered the sanctuary, mage in tow.

"The Teyrn comes with his Wife and daughter to have them blessed, Revered Mother." She remembered being called a year earlier to bless mother and newborn only to give the infant it's last rites.

"Wonderful, Ser Boris, Show them in when they arrive." The Revered Mother readied the altar in the Chantry to hold a newborn babe. It wasn't everyday that their liege welcomed another heir to his holdings, and the political implications of said infant being a girl were nothing light. Teyrn Loghain had had a daughter nearly 7 years earlier and Would doubtlessly try to curry favor with Maric by promising her to Cailan, but now Bryce Cousland held a much better, much younger asset wrapped in soft Amaranthine wool.

The Revered Mother offered a silent prayer in memory to those who had died securing Ferelden during the war against Orlais, hoping the Maker would cast his gaze upon the Noble House of Highever to watch over its newest addition. She would repeat the sentiment later in front of the Teyrn and Teyrna. Her prayer was interrupted by the door's opening and she rose and turned to seen those entering the Chantry.

The Teyrn and his wife were preceded by a spry but aging knight wearing a suit of dull grey and navy splint-mail, sans the bascinet he held between his hip and hand. The dark haired man quickly moved to hold the door into the castle chantry with a single arm. It was wholly unusual for someone of that rank to precede the second most powerful man in Ferelden into any room, much less a Chantry in his own castle.

The Revered Mother began to scowl and prepared to scold the knight for intruding on a family's personal affair, but Bryce's reaction held the priestess's nagging in check, as did the glimpse of a Gryffon on the higher part of his breastplate.

"Ser Duncan...".

"An honour, as always, Teyrn Cousland, I hear congratulations are in order."

--

OOC: Just testing the waters with this, we'll see how things go from here. Reviews and Faves will prompt me to write more, please leave any feedback, I appreciate the time you took to read it.

Just showing Bryce Cousland some attention with this. I wanted to flesh out more of the character of Ferelden's second most powerful man, Until that unpleasantness at Ostagar. His dedication to his family was really just passed over in game and the man's political savy and moderation in disputes has to be impressive for the Cousland family to be so well respected over the tenure of the teyrn's reign even to Howe's eventual betrayal.

As for good ol' Duncan, He, even as a senior Warden would have to play the game of pleading for patrons for the Grey with their recent readmission to Ferelden in order to secure funds and grounds for a compound, twenty years to make Warden-Commander? I think Duncan could do it.

This is set around twenty years before the 5th Blight by-the-by.

Edit : just some typos, names, and flow of sentence issues corrected