There was no way to describe the happiness Anora felt as she looked at her daughter, she didn't think she had ever loved anything as much as she loved this little girl. Eleanor was currently running about the gardens, picking flowers, singing a small tune that she had learned when playing in the market, the sun glinted off her curly copper hair, the same shade as her fathers, though she only looked like her father. Every piece of her seemed to have come from him, her long eyelashes, her full lips, high cheekbones, slim jawline, her little face was everything like him.
She was absolutely beautiful, though, just like her father.
Her dark green eyes lit up with excitement, and Anora glanced in the direction her daughter was looking in to see Cousland walking into the garden, a grin on his face. "Eleanor!" He cheered.
"Daddy!" She ran over to him, he easily took her into his arms, spinning her around before setting her back on the ground, one of his arms locking around her little shoulders before he looked at Anora.
"My Queen." He smiled.
The love in his eyes was something Anora still wasn't used to, it hadn't really come about until after their daughter was born. It was odd to think this man loved her so much, the marriage was only so he could keep an eye on her, but now, now he love between them was real, surprisingly so.
Anora had never meant to love him, but it happened.
She had woken up to Eleanor's crying, only a few months after she had been born, when she had gotten to her daughter's room, she found Nikolai singing to their daughter, his eyes full of so much love, and it was then that Anora knew she wanted to love this man.
The rest had come to her as easy as breathing, and the first time she had heard say that he loved her, was the moment she knew that she loved him too.
Anora reached out, gently cupping her husband's face before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. When she broke the kiss, she smiled at him. "I've missed you."
"Gross." Eleanor complained. "Grandpa! Mommy and daddy are being gross!" Eleanor ran away from them, and Anora turned to see her father scooping Eleanor into his arms, a wide grin on his face that Anora had once thought forever lost until Eleanor had been born, the joy on her fathers face was always there when his granddaughter was around.
"Father." Anora greeted.
She had been so focused on Nikolai that she had forgotten that, of course her father would be back now from whatever Gray Warden business they had.
"Anora." He smiled, walking over with Eleanor still in his arms.
"How was your business?" She asked.
"Fine, as always." Nikolai chimed in. "You have nothing to worry about, love." He smiled, but Anora could see through it. Nikolai had been doing a lot of missions for the 'Wardens', trying to find something, though he could never tell Anora what. Whenever he left, she feared it would be the last time she saw her husband and the last time her daughter saw her father.
"Grandfather, can you slay Arl Guerrin's son?" Eleanor's question broke Anora's darker thoughts, and she smiled at the question that had been asked so sweetly.
"Why would I do that, Ellie?" Loghain asked.
"His son, Tristan, keeps saying that we're going to be married, and mommy has been talking with his daddy about us getting married when I'm older. I don't want to marry him. I want to marry Sky!" Anora blanched at Eleanor's words.
"What's been happening while I've been gone?" Nikolai asked. "You're much too young to marry anyone, and that business is going to stop now." Nikolai said.
"That's hardly a fair choice, Nikolai. I was betrothed when I was her age."Anora argued.
"That's different, that was a choice your parents made, I won't allow that choice to be made for Ellie." Nikolai took Eleanor from Loghain, the girl looking pleased that her father was on her side. "Plus, she likes this Sky boy." Nikolai chimed.
"Sky is a girl, an elven girl." Anora informed him.
Nikolai arched an eyebrow before looking at Eleanor, setting her onto the ground, and taking one of her hands into one of his own. "Well, we should invite Sky and her parents over for dinner one night." Nikolai said. "Always good to know the future in-laws." He grinned.
"Nikolai!" Anora was drowned out by Eleanor's cheer, she instantly began to drag Nikolai towards the garden exit, wanting to go see Sky now, and invite her family to dinner.
"You might as well let it go, Anora. Eleanor is her fathers daughter and will only ever do things her way, the same as him." Loghain smiled and Anora couldn't stop her own smile.
"I know. My daughter is the spitting image and personality of her father, but that's not horrible. He's a good man, so I know my daughter will grow to be a good woman." Anora said.
"And a great queen, like her mother." Loghain wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders, and Anora smiled up at her father before following after her husband and daughter as they headed for the Alienage with equal excitement.
And Anora once more couldn't describe just how happy she was.