The True Ruler

She knew it had been a mistake.

But what could she possibly do about it now?

She was as low as one could be, and still be a queen.

She should never have played it safe, her father was dead and now she was but a pretty image of a royal family for the people to look joyfully at.

She could never trust them, any of them, not any more.

Why had it turned out like this? Was this the Makers will after all? It shouldn't be.

Anora, with a fierce look in her eyes, were storming towards the doors of her husbands' study. She threw the door open, marched up to his desk and slapped the paperwork down onto the surface of it.

"War with Orlais! Are you insane Alistair, we cannot afford such a thing!" She yelled, the paper was a signed declaration of war against the border of Orlais, west of the frostback mountains. "We do not have the resources or the manpower for such a conquest, and even if we did, what do we have to gain from this!"

"I have gone over this with my counselors and our personal allies, there is a broad will to strike back at Orlais before they strike at us…" Alistair mumbled.

"Your council of old war heroes and noblemen doesn't have a grasp of what our limits are! I bet this is Marcus trying something again."

"Marcus has saved Ferelden more times than you can count on your hands… and feet… besides we also have very strong new allies to the north that-"
"Please Alistair, that new Fereldan Viscount in Kirkwall can't give any aid, they lost what little manpower they had left to spare when the mages rose up. And the supposed Prince of Starkhaven doesn't have control over his own city."

"You are underestimating Hawke, Anora; I haven't seen a determination that strong since the first time I saw Marcus himself take the warden joining – without flinching. We may be able to-"

"May! We may be able to lose just as much! This is madness frenzy, can't you wardens ever settle for peace?"
"In war Victory, in Peace vigilance, in Death - Sacrifice…" Alistair mumbled.

"This is not a blight Alistair, it is a rivaling nation that we can negotiate with; we don't have to fight something so uncertain…"

"I have made my decision." Alistair rejected her protests and signaled the guard. "Show my wife out of my study."

Anora but threw her wedding ring at the floor in response, it didn't have any emotional meaning to either of them, but she didn't really have any other way to react to this… This, betrayal. She went to her and Alistair's chambers; she looked out the window down upon the harbor. "The Sirens Call II" had just docked and the city was as busy as ever. She watched the raging ocean, as wet as the tears on her cheeks and as unpredictable as their nearest ally. Oh how Marcus Cousland must be screaming out in laughter by now, he was the first person she had ever met that seemed to always be a step ahead of her. Ever since he declared her married to Alistair in front of the entire nation without a minutes warning, and he had been one surprise after the other ever since. Killing her father, Teyrn Loghain, the Archdemon and then demanding Gawren in return as a gift for saving the nation. The Couslands were now the strongest line in Ferelden, having gained control of both the only two Teyrnirs in the country, they but monopolized border taxes, trading deals and alliances. Hell, even King Bhelen considered Marcus the true ruler of Ferelden, it was always him being called to Orazammar to settle disputes with them and not her or Alistair. The Circle too, ever since Alistair gave them autonomy they had been filtered into the Cousland alliances and the lyrium trade through that family. The chantry was furious but couldn't touch "the Hero of Ferelden," he was just as important a figure for the devote andrastians with his discovery of the Urn of Sacred ashes with the known scholar, Genetivi.

His armies were also thriving, using old contacts; he had invested in research to help his werewolf allies too, the peak of his personal army in Gwaren. The beasts had been left alone in the Brecillian forest surrounding the city ever since the blight ended; only Marcus could call them for aid. And so had he done a few times, and every time had been like something from story books, the strongest army south of Qunari lands were thanks to personal ties. But it was also impressive, not only the werewolves, the Dwarves were also ready to aid the Couslands should the need ever arise, with a core of new golems forged on some secret anvil him and Alistair had discovered deep beneath the ground, that combined with the finest mabari that anyone could breed, almost one hound per soldier in the army, it consisted more of beats than men as it was. The battle for Jader had surprised the Orlesians, just as Ferelden had pushed back the Orlesian assault, that tried to gain control of the entrance to Orzammar, just as soon had Marcus' enormous army killed the stationed soldiers, conquered Jader and included it in the West Hills Bannorn. It was the latest stories from the Bards, that seeing Marcus march into Jader with an entourage of Werewolves and Golems alongside King Bhelen had kept any resistance from the locals away.

The only real surprise from the people of Ferelden was his marriage with a very young elven girl named Amethyne that only recently had become sixteen. People had been surprised since he had been openly meddling with that redheaded Orlesian bard, but when she left for a position in the Orlesian chantry he hadn't hesitated to find that elven girl in the alienage and marry her. Alistair too seemed to be fond of elven women, that girl from the Alienage he had named Ban of the Alienage, another redhead, Shianni, had gained no small amount of his attention ever since she had started meeting up at court. It didn't really bother Anora herself as she felt no love for Alistair, so she had let it grow, perhaps a cheating husband could be more of use to her than a celibate one. She hadn't discussed it with Alistair himself, but it seemed that the two of them, as Grey Wardens, was unable to have children, or at least very unlikely to. She had never tried it herself with Alistair, but it always seemed odd to her that Marcus could afford to be lady lover for so long without one of them becoming pregnant. Finding the young elven girl had perhaps been a serious attempt at getting an heir for Gwaren, one that succeeded, but it also seemed like he felt he owed the girl something even though he had never spoken to her before actively seeking her out those few years ago. An heir had never been a issue for herself as she knew she couldn't carry one herself, but it may be one of Marcus' rein's few weak points as dyeing before having one would throw his family into uncertainty of who should succeed him, Anora's family was as entitled as getting them back as Marcus' brother Fergus was to succeeding him. The strangest thing in the whole new marriage was perhaps the amount of children, where none of his former lovers had had children with him; Amethyne had barely been his wife for a year before she started having his babies. Anora didn't trust that the children was his, but it seemed that the witch from his past had perhaps left him in on some secret they used themselves, forcing a pregnancy in place with use of blood magic, this of course was only suspicions, which Anora had many of.

"My lady?" A squeaky voice sounded behind her, with a sugar sweet accent, "You look pale today." Erlina stated and stood beside her lady, sharing her view of the capital.

"I'm okay Erlina, it is the country I fear for…" Anora replied.

"You have been the most vigilant one since your father dies, your time will come." Erlina assured her.

"I know that wardens don't live long, but who knows what can happen in the fifteen years they both have left to live, who knows if I am safe…" She shivered and went away from the window.

"Nothing will happen, you will have to be careful not getting too paranoid my lady, no one is trying to kill you."

"I am already dead Erlina." Anora sighed and sat onto her bed, "I don't have any say in anything that matters anymore, Marcus just has his way and my husband but nods aye like a trained dog to everything he suggests. They already have that Antivan Crow spy on me; he followed me all the way to Rivain when I was on state visit."

"Zevran is not out to harm you, he only watches you. If he was then… I have made sure that he wouldn't…" She whispered and looked down.

Anora noticed the hesitant tone in Erlina's voice, "you made sure? How exactly?" She crossed her arms and took a intimidating position.

"Well, my queen, he likes 'intimate relations' so I… Well I bedded him on his promise that he wouldn't go through with a killing order…"

"You sold your body to keep me safe!" Anora yelled in response. She turned around and wrapped her arms around herself. "You are my only friend Erlina, I cannot stand watching you sell yourself because a Antivan watches me!"

"Your friend, your majesty?" Erlina asked and hesitantly looked back up at her queen.

Anora turned back to the elf and placed her hands on the shoulders of the younger girl. "Did you think that chambermaid was everything you were to me, you are the only one I truly trusts. I don't want you to sleep with anyone just to keep me safe, I can handle assassins."

"But what if he does try to kill you?"

"He won't, he is watching me, but also protecting me, I'm only useful to Marcus as long as I stay alive and stand pretty at Alistair's side." Anora scratched her chin and smiled by this thought, "perhaps my way to the power lies in threatening to leave it all together?"

"I beg your pardon, my queen?"

"If I threaten to leave the country I can perhaps gain a bit of influence from Alistair and Marcus? Isn't it worth a try? My position is as weakened as it can get anyway…"

A not unfamiliar, but unwelcomed voice joined them; "ah, but that won't work my queen." Zevran stood in the doorway of the chamber's balcony, "it is a very simple matter, either you live as you do now, or you don't."

"How dare you speak threats to Queen Anora!" Erlina gasped out, stepping in front of her.

"Ah, my dear Erlina, yours was a body slimmer than I had for some time, how about a rematch, yes?" He winked to her, who but shivered and ignored his gaze, then he returned his attention at Anora. "But, back to business, I say this even though I shouldn't but I do so like to tease women – especially powerful women!" He giggled and continued; "you are only useful to Marcus while you do as he wants you to, as soon as you either try to gain power or try to leave what you have behind your life will be forfeit for you are of no more use, if not by my hand then by another's, he has many contacts and he controls the borders."

"He can't seriously think that I am expendable like that!" Anora hesitantly argued.

"Perhaps not in the same fashion, you are a… Worthy expendable, the sorrow from the loss of a queen can be used to guide the people towards a goal."

"What goal?" Anora asked. She did know however what Zevran was getting on to.

"If, let's say an orlesian assassin killed you, then your death can be lead towards the Orlesians, the people will then – more than they already do of course – want Orlesian blood for the deed. It's quite the same as the mage uprising in Kirkwall; that started with one mage destroying the chantry and the entire circle getting annulled with the help of the champion and his templar brother, Garrett and Carver Hawke, I was there – quite exciting!"

Anora pointed at Zevran now, "then why did Marcus spare me in the first place, or you, you tried to kill him!"

"Ah, well, let me give you another example: Two striking individuals try to kill the Hero of Ferelden, one a marvelous Assassin with many great skills, another a fearsome thug from the dreadful Howe family, Nathaniel I think he was named." Zevran grinned and continued. "I was out to kill him as a part of who I was, a crow. I didn't have much say except I accepted the terms of the contract, Marcus recognized this and changed my role to being in service of him, this works for us both, I get coin, women, men and all the food I can eat – I even got a small mansion in Gwarven, but that is too obvious a place to stay, gets you killed – Anyway, we offer each other something the other needs, but in sparing me our personal relationship also grew trusting over the course of years we worked together, we trust each other now, while we still work on the old terms, it's beneficial both ways, in all ways. Nathaniel however was out to kill Marcus for his own personal revenge, very dangerous and therefore he had him hanged immediately, better a bit paranoid and safe than reckless and dead as I say. You were the same case to begin with, he recognized that your want for power was stronger than your love for your father and therefore he promised to marry you, this however let him set a plan in motion to entangle you into a position with no power but with you still present to keep the other half of the people loyal to the crown! Genius!"

"But..." Anora sobbed while Zevran got a breath, "he took all I wanted away from me, how can you compare your mutual beneficial partnership to my tie to the crown by marriage?"

"To begin with you battled for the upper hand against each other, Marcus always planned on having you killed when he won that, however over the years he also found a kind of respect for you, so he decided to give you the role of the pretty wife, and perhaps you will get back your power when he and Alistair go back to the deep, by then he won't care for what happens to Ferelden, he just wants power." Zevran picked up a hand mirror from the floor and looked at it. "Your bargain is your life, if you ever do anything stupid you will – and I mean it – you will die." He placed the mirror down onto one of the rooms desks and climbed back onto the balcony and disappeared from sight. "My suggestion would be to either live with what you have or go down fighting from what position you can."

Anora knelt down and closed her sobbing head in her hands. Erlina was quick to offer her mistress her comfort. After a brief embrace they got up again and Anora looked into the mirror on the desk. "Then let's get to it," she said. "Let's show Marcus how we work intrigue in the court of Kirkwall." She handed Erlina the mirror and walked determinedly down towards Alistair's study, she wouldn't be remembered as the Therin's pet wife.
Erlina calmly hugged the mirror and whispered to herself, "I will always be there for you my queen."

Okay, so this is my newest one-shot fanfic, hope you liked it.
Originally i had written a very long detailed fic about how DA:O ended out with the same Therin/Cousland partnership and so on, but that became more of a "Anora's telling the story" than "This is a story about how Anora feels".
So now after i have played DA:2 too, i rewrote the whole thing while camping in Sweden, i aplogixe for typos, this notebook keyboard sucks.
I liked to give the ending my own touch as it seemed to me like DA:2 spitted on everything that made DA:O unique, so i hope you like the power hungry Cousland i made.
/Over and out!