Chapter One:
The weather in Highever seemed to have changed since her last visit, a change that appeared unnatural. The winters were always bright and cheerful; now the skies were decorated with low hanging rain clouds that threatened downpours. Still, the view of the countryside was as remarkable as ever. Small farms littered the horizon, their crops almost bursting out of their fences. Fergus had done wonders for the land.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Fergus said after a long silence. "I only wish Mother and Father were here to see how we've regained and improved our lands."
"They would surely be proud, brother." His younger sister beamed at him. "You have done well for yourself here."
"And what of you, Seana? Queen of Ferelden! And the Hero of Ferelden! How does what I have done here even begin to compare with that?"
"It is not a contest, Fergus."
Fergus took a deep breath. "You are right, sister. Here you are trying to give me a compliment and I am doing nothing but making an ass of myself. Come, let me show you to your room." He held his arm for her to take. He showed her the renovations to the castle as they walked. The courtyard had walls constructed of rosebushes, in the middle stood a three tiered fountain topped with a child like angel figurine. Four statues of Andraste accompanied the fountain, each holding a clay pot full of white and red flowers. The grand hall had lavish crimson tapestries covering the walls. At the end of the hall over a fireplace hung a large painting of a dragon atop a tower on its rear legs, at its feet stood two warriors. There was so much detail in this painting, Seana could see the determination of the warriors, feel the heat of the battle, almost hear the roar of the dragon.
"This painting… it's… astounding."
"I thought you might like that." Fergus stated as he joined her at her side. "It is a representation of the final battle against the Archdemon. A tribute to my little sister." He could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she realized that it was indeed a painting of her and Alistair. "Would you like it? I'm sure that husband of yours would appreciate it as well."
"No, brother. I cannot accept this. It must stay here, with you."
"Then it shall remain here for as long as the Couslands rule this land." Slowly, Seana turned away from the painting to continue their walk. "Where is Alistair, anyways? I was hoping he would accompany you."
"He had some matters to attend to in Weisshaupt, but he is hoping to join us here soon." She could easily recognize where they were in the castle as Fergus had not done any remodeling in this part. The bedrooms were arranged just as they always were; the master bedroom at the end of the corridor, Fergus' old room to the right, hers to the left. She felt a pang of guilt as her eyes fell to the spot Dairren was murdered by Howe's men. It had been some time since then, but still she felt as though his death could have been avoided. "I see there are no changes here."
Fergus glanced around the room before replying. "I felt that too much has happened in these rooms. I didn't want to erase all the memories." Quickly, he spun on the spot to face Seana. "Well, what would you like to do? You've seen the castle… would you like to see the city or would you prefer to rest?"
Seana could see that he did not wish to reminisce the night his wife and son had been brutally murdered any more than she did. "What would you suggest?"
"We could go to a tavern, unless it offends your majesty." He answered jokingly. That was the brother she remembered, happy and making jokes without a care in the world. He always knew how to brighten up her day.
"That sounds just fine. A night on the town it is."
The chosen tavern was a fairly new establishment; the building was still decorated with ribbons and banners from the opening celebration. The atmosphere was unlike most taverns, instead of the usual multitude of men in a drunken stupor there was light, cheery music and laughter filling the air. A grand chandelier hung overhead, the light from the candles made the dangling crystals appear to be dancing. People gathered by the band and danced together, others enjoyed a hot meal or a cold brew. "It's better than I expected." Fergus stated. "I've been so busy fixing the castle and the city, I haven't had the time to stop in."
A young woman approached them. "Shall I fetch you a booth or a table? Or perhaps a seat at the bar?" She straightened out her apron as she waited for a response.
"We have no preference, m'lady." Fergus replied. She led them over to a table away from the crowds, overlooking the entire tavern.
"I know you." The woman said as they took a seat. Seana looked up at her, puzzled by her statement. "You visited my camp, during the Blight. My name is Gheyna, you helped me and Cameron."
Seana examined the girl closely. She was elven with reddish hair that fell over her shoulders; Seana remembered it being pulled back into a ponytail. "I remember you. How have things been?"
Gheyna placed a hand on her hip. "Cameron never made it into the hunter rank, and because everyone in the camp already knew that he and I were in love we were both considered failures. We moved to the city to get away from all those judging eyes. I almost don't believe that I once followed those traditions. Your visit to us opened my eyes to a different way of thinking. So now Cameron and I are making a living here."
"I am glad to hear that I could help. I'm glad that you two are happy." Gheyna beamed and somewhat danced away.
Fergus and Seana stayed at the tavern until the early hours of the morning sharing stories over pints. When they did leave, Fergus clung onto Seana for support. "You should learn to control your ale better, brother." Seana said as she half dragged him across the town square. She paused and set him on a nearby bench to give her shoulders a rest. Fergus slumped over to one side, a few nods from sleeping. Seana turned and looked up into the sun rise. The sun barely broke over the mountains, casting a pink and orange tint onto the clouds. She thought back to the Blight, waking up next to Alistair in their tent, walking out into the first light of a new day…
She was so lost in thought that she failed to notice Fergus stumbling towards her. "Seana, we have to… get back to the castle…" he mumbled. She grasped her brother's arm once again and led him to the castle gates.
Seana tossed and turned for what seemed like an eternity. She could not help but wonder if her husband was alright. She had not heard from him since he left, despite his promises of constant writing. She rose from her bed, giving up on a good nights sleep. Though the castle was very dark, she had no problems finding her way to the larder, perhaps because the route had remained unchanged but the more probable explanation being the taint gave her the ability to somewhat see in the dark. She put a pot of water over the fireplace to start boiling; she always enjoyed something hot on nights she couldn't sleep. As the water heated, she perused the larder. Without knowing what she was looking for, she grabbed potatoes, celery, carrots and a chunk of meat and began chopping them into coarse, uneven pieces. As she worked, she hummed an old lullaby her mother used to sing to her.
While her stew cooked, Seana admired the newly added trophy room across the hall from the kitchen. Fergus had hung the family shield and sword as the center piece of the room, a banner with the family crest hung on either side of the set. Other trinkets were arranged as displays, helmets from some of Father's battles, armor that Mother collected over the years, weapons that had obviously been taken from fallen enemies. There was one display that drew her eye, a large blade with a bejeweled golden hilt. Upon further examination, Seana noticed that the hilt was in the shape of a dragon, its wings spread out to either side of the blade. The eyes were a made of a sapphire of the deepest ocean blue, a row of flawless diamonds extended from nose to tail.
She heard a crack from behind, barely a second passed before an arrow missed her head and stuck itself in the case of the dragon sword. Quickly she turned to face whoever fired the shot, but there was no one. Seana cautiously stepped into the doorway and looked out into the walkway. It was empty. She returned to her stew, the kitchen remained empty aside from her. As soon as the stew finished, she poured it into a large container to keep until someone else would want some, giving up on the idea of eating the stew. More cautiously than before, she made her way back to her room and lay back down on her bed. With some difficulty she finally fell asleep.
The sky was still dark when she awoke, but it was not her choice that she was awake once again. Just as curiously as the arrow, a small dagger now found its way into her bedpost. Seana couldn't help but shriek in surprise, but that was enough. Fergus barged into her room seconds later screaming, "Seana! What is it? Are you alright?" His eyes fell on the blade, glinting in the moonlight. "An assassination attempt? I will alert the guards. We will catch him." Fergus made to dash from the room.
"Send word to my husband!" Seana called after him. Fergus paused at the doorway and gave a curt nod before sprinting off to the closest guard. Seana yanked the dagger from her bedpost and held it in the light. The blade glimmered elegantly; the hilt had a spiral pattern that led her eyes to a small insignia at the bottom of the blade. It seemed familiar, though she was sure that she had never seen the dagger before. Still she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew the owner of the weapon.