I had to change the way the Dwarf Noble Origin went on to better fit my story. Since this is an alternate universe, expect it to happen a lot.


THE LIFE OF A PRINCESS

Elezabeth

Elezabeth Aeducan was finishing the final touches on her armor when there was a knock on her bedroom door. The servant that was simultaneously doing her hair paused. "Do you want me to get that for you, your Highness?"

She nodded. "You may."

The servant laid down the brush and hurried across the chambers. Elezabeth did not turn to see who was at the door as she was busy examining herself in the mirror. The only makeup she had on was a dark red lipstick, as no more was needed to accent her natural beauty. Her curly, dirty blond hair that she usually had tied into a ponytail now rested on either shoulder. The iron armor she was wearing had belonged to her grandmother, though had she been preparing for battle rather than a meeting of the Noble Caste, she'd have put on her heavy silverite equipment instead.

Her most mesmerizing feature were her eyes. Her left eye was a deep blue often compared to lyrium, while her right eye was as brown as the earth itself. Elezabeth never wore eye shadow in fear of losing the glances she gained from her rare trait. The Shaperate had it recorded that the last and only other Aeducan to have been born with such eyes was Paragon Aeducan himself. Many people, including Elezabeth herself, claimed that meant she'd been favored by the Ancestors even before her life began.

From behind her, she heard the door finally open. She suspected who it was before hearing his voice confirmed it. "I've come to retrieve the Lady Aeducan."

"Right this way, sir."

In the mirror, Elezabeth saw her young servant reappear. Just behind her was Elezabeth's second, Gorim Saelac. He, too, was adorned in iron armor, though it was not as prestigious or old as hers. His iron sword and shield—both gifts from Elezabeth, though official from "House Aeducan"—hung on him well. He kept his red hair short and neat and his beard not unkempt, unlike most dwarves not belonging to the Noble Caste. His light blue eyes captured a room without any effort.

They'd captured her heart, back when they were considered little more than children. A romantic relationship between them would have been frowned upon by her peers, as Elezabeth had nothing to gain from mating with a member of the lower castes, unlike men who sought out noble hunters. For that reason, the love they shared was a secret to all but each other.

One of Elezabeth's fondest memories came to mind as she looked at Gorim, standing behind her with a smile stretching from ear-to-ear. It was of the night of her twenty-first name day, which was only about a month from today. It was the night she gave her maidenhood to Gorim, who had never slept with anyone before either. A warrior with hands as gentle as his had not existed before him.

Since then they had only slept together one another time. Elezabeth would have liked to do it more, but with each tumble in bed the chances of becoming pregnant became greater and greater. Mothering a warrior's child would be scandalous and give House Aeducan a bad name. As much as she loved Gorim, she refused to threaten her family's chances of staying on the throne. Piotin Aeducan, her cousin and member of the Warrior Caste, was proof enough of what resulted in a child birthed by royalty and anything less than Noble Caste.

As her servant continued to brush her hair, Gorim addressed her with a formal voice required to keep their love in the dark. "Greetings, my lady. You are dressed and almost ready to go. Excellent." He presented a dull-looking iron blade and a similar shield. "I couldn't find your grandmother's armor's matching dagger in the armory, but these belonged to one of your great-uncles."

"That will work," Elezabeth said in an equally-official voice.

The servant stopped brushing. "I am finished with your hair, your Highness. Is there anything else you require of me?"

"No, that will be all. You're free to leave." Elezabeth let slip a small smile as she added, "shut the door behind you when you leave."

The servant curtsied and did as she was directed. Gorim waited a few seconds after the door had closed before moving closer to Elezabeth. He placed the sword and shield on the dresser in front of her, leaving his hands free to caress her face.

At last she turned in her chair to face him directly. "I was hoping I would get to see you before the feast."

"And why would you not," Gorim asked, "my Paragon of Beauty?"

Elezabeth scoffed. "'Paragon of Beauty' my arse. Look at this." She gestured to her armor. "The deshyrs have seen me in my silverite before. I cannot fathom why my father would have me wear this instead; or, at the very least, my own sword and shield."

"Perhaps your father wishes to start a tradition? This was the armor your grandmother wore when Ansgar Aeducan ascended to the throne." He shrugged. "Maybe your child will wear one of your parents' set of armor, when he or she makes something of themselves. Besides..." he leaned in and kissed her. "Your beauty cannot be suppressed by something as trivial as hideous armor."

"Sometimes I think you know my family's history better than I," Elezabeth said with a smile. "And why would my child wear my armor? Commander of Orzammar's armies is a grand title, but not as grand as being Queen of Orzammar."

"You know as well as I that the Assembly will likely vote for you to take the throne instead of Trian when King Endrin returns to the Stone."

She did. Trian was popular enough, and he was the eldest child, but many nobles and members of the other castes were not fans of him. His temper was short and he was often rude to those he considered were beneath him. Elezabeth giggled to herself; Trian thinks everyone beneath him. He was a great warrior indeed, but the same could be said for all the Aeducans.

Elezabeth, on the other hand, was beloved by Orzammar. She treated all members of society with the respect they deserved. Other than the casteless, of course. Donations were regularly made by her to families in need. And though all the children of Endrin Aeducan had been privately trained by several of the more esteemed members of the Warrior Caste, Elezabeth had been trained by Gerolt Saelec: Gorim's father, and her father's second before his passing. Her outings with the Warrior Caste had given her plenty of enemies to fight and test her skills in the form of darkspawn. And I think I'd be a better queen than he a king.

Bhelen, her younger and better-tempered brother, was the least popular Aeducan. Not because he necessarily did anything ill-noted, but because his stance on the casteless was different than most of Orzammar's, and that made him disliked, though not outright-hated by the people. Elezabeth certainly liked him more than Trian, if only because he wasn't worried about her taking "his" seat on the throne.

But she did not like speaking poorly about any of her family. So instead she neutrally said, "the Ancestors will determine who is better fitted to run the city."

"And I'm sure they'll pick well," Gorim said with a wink. "Anyways, the King expects you to make an appearance at the feast, but it does not start until eleven o' clock; that gives us an hour before you'll need to go to the throne room. Most of the deshyrs and other nobles that were invited will likely show up early to brag about how much they are better than each other. At noon, as you know, begins the tournament in your honor at the Proving Grounds. Lord Harrowmont is giving young warriors a chance to test their mettle before tomorrow's battle."

Elezabeth nodded. The battle would be the first test of her ability to command an army. The front lines had apparently seen little darkspawn in the last few weeks, and her father, King Endrin Aeducan, was ready to take advantage of that. Elezabeth, leading a portion of Orzammar's army, would go in and clear out several mines lost to the darkspawn during the reign of her grandfather, mines not too far from Aeducan Thaig, which had only been rediscovered relatively recently.

And, if things went well, she would undertake a secret mission to uncover the Shield of Aeducan, which had belonged to Paragon Aeducan. Better still would be if she could retake Aeducan Thaig. The Assembly would make me a Paragon if I succeed.

"Rumor has it Harrowmont hopes you'll be swept off your feet if a well-placed nobleman wins the Provings," Gorim said. "From his house, of course.

Squeezing Gorim's hand, Elezabeth asked, "should we tell him I already have all the man I need?"

Gorim laughed at that. "Why not? I'll just wear a sign that says, 'assassinate me before Lady Aeducan marries beneath her.'"

She rose from her chair and scooted as close to Gorim as possible. "An hour, you say?" She wrapped her arms around him. "How do you think we should spend that time?"

"Well, as part of the celebrations, permits have been auctioned off to members of the Merchant Caste who wished to sell their wares here in the Diamond Quarter. We could go check that out," Gorim said teasingly, "like your brothers have."

"I was thinking of something that involved us staying in the room. And definitely nothing my brothers' can do."

"As much fun as that sounds, I don't think that we have enough time to tumble under the sheets and get you prepared for the feast. Not without the help of a servant, and servants can have loose lips if a sovereign gets thrown their way." Gorim winked. "Perhaps after the feast?"

"I'll hold you to it."

Releasing her hold on him, Elezabeth picked up the iron sword he'd brought her and slid it into her sheath. Then she lifted the shield and strapped it to her back with some help from Gorim. Her ensemble now completed, she said to him, "I guess we should go see these merchants... and try to avoid Trian in the process."

Gorim bowed. "With you as always, my lady."


As they passed by Bhelen's room, the door to it began to be opened from the inside. This confused Elezabeth, as Gorim had told her both of her brothers were out perusing the Merchant Caste's goods in the Diamond Quarter. But when the door was completely ajar, it wasn't an Aeducan in the doorway. It was a small red-haired dwarf, maybe in her late-twenties, with the brand of a casteless woman under her right eye.

"My lord Bhelen?" the dwarf had asked before she could see Elezabeth or Gorim. She widened her eyes in surprise once she saw she had the wrong Aeducan. "I am sorry your Highness. I... I'm sorry. I thought you were Prince Bhelen coming down the hall. I... forgive me."

She attempted to scurry away, but Elezabeth wouldn't have it. "Who are you, and why were you in my brother's private bedroom?"

Shy as the duster was, she stood her ground. "M-my name is Rica. Rica Brosca. I was in your bro-Prince Bhelen's room because... because I—"

Gorim cleared his throat rather loudly, interrupting the brand. "It seems she's one of your brother's newest... um, 'companions.'" He looked at the duster. "Prince Bhelen is out in the Diamond Quarter with Prince Trian, and will later be attending a feast being held in Princess Elezabeth's honor."

"Yes, of... of course. It was presumptuous of me to think that he would return to—I am sorry." She stared uneasily at Elezabeth. "I will show myself out, with your leave, my lady."

Elezabeth was all too happy to get the casteless dwarf out of her sight. "Yes. You may go." Rica moved quickly down the hallway, but before she disappeared around the corner, Elezabeth added, "try to stay by my brother's side at all times, if you ever find yourself here again."

"Yes, my lady."

And with that, Rica was gone.

Gorim chuckled once he and Elezabeth started walking again. "It appears Bhelen found himself a noble hunter."

"He wants to taint the Aeducan line with the blood of someone rejected by the Stone!" Elezabeth couldn't believe her brother could be so naïve. "What is he thinking?"

"Probably what all men who seek out noble hunters think: Orzammar is getting smaller every day. More dwarves need to be born if we wish to still exist generations from now. Any child they might conceive would be royalty like you, and would be recognized by his Ancestors and by the Stone."

"Unless he fathers a daughter." Elezabeth grimaced at the thought of that. "Then he will bring shame onto all of House Aeducan."

"I guess only time will tell."

The guards posted at the palace doors opened them for Princess Elezabeth and her second. They stepped out into the Diamond Quarter, home of all the Noble Caste and the Shaperate. The Diamond Quarter was smaller than most other parts of Orzammar since the Noble Caste was the smallest of all the castes. That meant more time and more effort had gone into making it the most beautiful section of the city. Elezabeth enjoyed the peaceful bliss of the Diamond Quarter, but even she could not stay here on a regular basis, unlike most of the nobles she knew; the Deep Roads was where the action happened, and as often as she could manage, Elezabeth would be out there fighting alongside the best of the Warrior Caste.

Almost directly outside the palace, and in front of Elezabeth and Gorim, were two dwarves involved in a heated debate. The one on her left, who shouted more than talked, she recognized as Brutin Vollney, a loud-mouthed and self-righteous member of House Vollney, one of the minor noble castes. Who Brutin was arguing with she did not know, but he wore the robes and had the mannerisms a Shaperate scholar.

"I'm sure we can work this out reasonably," said the scholar. "It's in the records. There's nothing I can do! Please, Mister Vollney, my work is accredited by the Shaper!"

"Your work is merely lies written by the enemies of House Vollney!"

"I write only what I find in the ancient records!"

Elezabeth strolled over to the dwarves, hoping to diffuse the situation before violence broke out on today of all days. Brutin groaned when she appeared, while the scholar looked happier than ever.

"Lady Aeducan! You can vouch for my work, can't you?" the scholar asked. "Your father loved my History of Aeducan: Paragon, King, Peacemaker!"

"Ah." She recalled the author of that book—a personal favorite of hers—to be a scholar by the name of Gertek. Having a name to put to the face, she added, "I greatly enjoyed your book as well, Gertek; I have a copy of it in my personal library."

Brutin pointed at the scholar as if he were a duster. "This... worm has written a book that slanders my house! He deserves to die for what he has written of Paragon Vollney!"

Though Brutin had no reason to lie, Elezabeth decided to investigate further, not wanting a possibly innocent man to be wrongly condemned. "That's a serious charge. What exactly has he written, Brutin?"

"He says that Paragon Vollney—known throughout the world as the greatest of men—was a fraud."

Elezabeth had to keep herself from laughing at that. With a straight face, she gestured to Gertek to give his side of the story, which turned out to be more of a history lesson.

"N-not precisely. When the Assembly names a Paragon, that man or woman is then, by definition, everything one can aspire to be in the world. They form their own houses, and are revered as living Ancestors. But Paragons start off as men."

"Vollney was more than a man!"

Elezabeth sighed. "Brutin, you're acting like a fool."

"Am I? Would you allow this coward to slander your Ancestors?"

Gertek snapped, obviously fed up with the name-calling. "I have written no slander! Vollney became a Paragon by the narrowest margin in history—one vote. A vote mired in rumors of intimidation, intrigue, and outright bribery. The records of that vote are kept in the Shaperate and are a matter of fact. Not liking history doesn't make it any less true! "

"This scholar could teach you a thing or two, Brutin," Elezabeth told him.

"You're taking his side?" Brutin asked. "What if he published a book like this about your Paragon Aeducan?"

"Impossible," Elezabeth said. "Paragon Aeducan had only one deshyr not vote for him, and that man was killed and had his name stripped from history by the Shaper of Memories himself. He could not be any more different than your Ancestor."

"You dare disparage Paragon Vollney!"

She pressed her chest against Vollney's. She was just as tall as him, being at the average height of male dwarves. And even in her armor, anyone could see Elezabeth Aeducan was quite muscular, even by Warrior Caste standards.

"I dare."

Brutin stared daggers at her, but she'd mastered the art of cold expressions at a young age. Her different colored eyes could be made intimidating when she needed them to be.

"You've made a huge mistake," he said before stalking deeper into the Diamond Quarter.

Gorim sniffed. "That fool has no idea how weak his house is or how low he sits in it." He looked to Elezabeth. "Shall I have him killed, my lady?"

Elezabeth considered it. At last she shook her head. "He's not worth a blade."

"As you say."

"You've shown House Aeducan a friend to research, history, and the glory of our people," Gertek said merrily.

"You'd do well not to walk alone when passing the residence of House Vollney for a while," Elezabeth said. "Brutin's temper tantrum will blow over eventually."

"Of course." He bowed respectively. "Good day, your Highness, and thank you."


After running into a casteless dwarf inside the royal palace and dealing with a hot-headed dwarf, Elezabeth found bliss in walking amongst the vendors of the Merchant Caste. Her House had official servants to buy everything that they would ever need, so it was a nice change of pace to be able to pick and choose for herself.

Practically every sort of ware that could be sold was available in the Diamond Quarter that day. Everything ranging from armor, weaponry, fine clothing, and exquisite foods made both below and above the surface was laid out for the picking.

She wished she'd have brought her own money. Some of the silks she found were so beautiful and soft that it was hard for her not to just run off with them. Elezabeth could have charged the purchase to House Aeducan and promised the merchants their pay later, but Trian had a tendency to throw men and women in jail if they came around demanding money. Gorim offered to pay for the dress she'd had her eyes on, but she wouldn't allow it. It wasn't right for him to buy her things when she had much more money than he did.

"It's not about the money," Gorim whispered in her ear when Elezabeth rejected his coin. "I just want you to be happy."

"I already am." If she were the risk-taking type, she would have added a peck on the cheek after that. But she wasn't, so she didn't.

Elezabeth was having such a great time with Gorim that she wasn't all too surprised that Trian's sudden appearance ruined it. She'd forgotten that he and Bhelen had also decided to check out the wares, but remembered as soon as she saw her elder and younger brothers coming towards her. They had blond hair like her, though Bhelen's was a little darker and Trian's a little lighter. Trian wore his hair long and proud while Bhelen preferred style even shorter than that of Gorim's. Their beards, more or less the same length, though Trian had more braids in his. The crown-prince sported a suit of silverite armor not unlike Elezabeth's own, much to her annoyance, while the youngest Aeducan had on a set of lesser, but still well-made, red steel armor instead.

Bhelen was the first to speak. "Atrast vala, Elezabeth! How surprising to run into you among the common folk."

"Though not surprising to find you in the same place, little brother," Elezabeth said moderately. "I ran into a casteless woman coming out of your room not even twenty minutes ago."

Trian glared at the younger of his two siblings. "You're still going after that duster? Do you want House Aeducan to be the laughing stock of Orzammar?"

For once, Elezabeth agreed with him.

"Rica is a beautiful and talented woman. It's not her fault that she was born casteless." Bhelen folded his arms across his chest. "Neither of you have children. I am the only one doing my duty as an Aeducan to continue our line."

Elezabeth could see his point. "Well... at least you have good reason for engaging with a noble hunter."

Trian, however, could not, or refused to. "There are plenty of women from our own caste that would kill to have an Aeducan child. Were none of them good enough for you?" Before Bhelen could defend himself, Trian quickly turned his attention to Elezabeth and started ranting at her. "Should you not already be at the feast? A feast, mind you, that Father had arranged in your honor."

"The feast does not begin until eleven, Prince Trian," Gorim said. "Lord Harrowmont told me that we'd not need to show up until—"

"Silence!" shouted Trian. "If I want the opinion of my sister's second, I will ask for it."

"Yes, your Highness," Gorim said through gritted teeth.

Refusing to see her boyfriend harassed in such a way, Elezabeth said, "do not ever speak to him like that again, Trian," she said.

"I can speak to anyone however I wish." Trian puffed out his chest, though it failed to intimidate Elezabeth. "You will not forget who will be king when Father returns to the stone."

Not if the Assembly has its way. "And you will not forget who commands Orzammar's armies today," Elezabeth said.

Trian sneered. "Not for long. I expect after tomorrow I'll spend much time apologizing to the heads of the Noble and Warrior Houses for the deaths of their children under your incompetent command. Father will realize his mistake soon enough."

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it, Trian?" Bhelen asked.

"The truth is often harsh, Bhelen; that doesn't make it any less true."

Elezabeth suppressed a smile. She thought it funny that his words were somewhat similar to that of the scholar Gertek's.

Trian returned to Elezabeth. "If I am to be forced to attend the feast, you most certainly must be as well. Go. Now."

Elezabeth frowned, her hidden smile now nonexistent. "I will go when I please, and not a second sooner."

By this point, she could tell that Trian was pissed. Not that she cared. Bhelen, who stood slightly behind their shared brother, was clearly trying his best not to laugh. Elezabeth had always felt a little sorry for him being Trian's second, as that was a job she would flat out refuse to do.

Trian took a step forward. "I'd advise you to watch that tongue, dear sister. Father will not live forever." He moved past her and started down the street towards the royal palace. "Come, Bhelen," he said in his stern 'I'm-not-asking' voice.

Bhelen shrugged. "See you later, 'Beth." He hurried to catch up to Trian, who was stomping his feet as he walked like a child not getting his way.

Elezabeth and Gorim quietly watched them walk away. It wasn't until they were gone that the silence was broken. "That was fun," Gorim said. "Nothing like being talked down to by the next king."

"I'm sorry about what he said to you."

"I'm sorry you're related to him."

Elezabeth giggled. "As am I, Gorim. As am I."


At quarter-till-eleven, Elezabeth Aeducan and Gorim Saedac made their appearance in the throne room. The room was already packed with all the deshyrs of the Assembly and other noteworthy nobles who had been invited to partake in the feast; most of them Elezabeth did not recognize, as she liked to stay out of the dangerous world of politics as much as she could. Mountains of food and drink had already been set out on the dining tables, though no one dared consume any until King Endrin allowed it.

Elezabeth rested her hand on her new dagger, hanging loosely from her belt. It was the only keepsake she'd come away with from all any of the merchants in the Diamond Quarter. It was a well-crafted blade, but the dagger's merit came from the lightning enchantment it had. She'd gotten it for free, as the merchant knew that her being seen with one of his wares would fill his pockets with gold in no time.

She picked out familiar faces as she looked around the throne room. Trian and Bhelen were near the throne, discussing something with Lord Pyral Harrowmont, High-General of Orzammar and her father's second. Located in the center of the room was Lady Helmi, one of her late mother's closest friends.

Despite Elezabeth not being acquainted with most every dwarf in the room, a couple of men she was certain she'd never met before. She knew this because they were humans. Normally humans that visited the city were not permitted to leave the Orzammar Commons; exceptions were only ever made for notable humans.

Judging by these humans' armor and weapons, and the fact that members of her own race almost seemed to be lining up to talk to them, she guessed them to be Grey Wardens: surfacers sworn to fight the darkspawn. Similar to the Legion of the Dead in that their duty was one that ended only in death; in the Legion's case, their second death. Past Aeducans had found honor joining their ranks, so she like many dwarves greatly respected them. The Grey Wardens were unlike many organizations because they accepted people of any origin and of any race. If going to the surface did not make her lose her connection to the Stone and the Ancestors, she would join them in a heartbeat.

What are the Grey Wardens doing here? Wardens were notorious for being found scouting out the Deep Roads, but they didn't frequent Orzammar nearly as often.

Try as she might to mingle with her fellow nobles, her eyes always drifted back to the group of Grey Wardens. She'd spoken with humans before, such as the previous king of Fereldan, Maric Theirin, when she was a child and other important men and women from the surface. But these were Grey Wardens, and according to her father, their numbers were declining due to a surfacer conception that the darkspawn were eradicated completely. Who knows when she'd get another chance to speak to one, if only for a moment?

Not long before the clock in the throne room would read elven, and the feast would begin, Elezabeth succumbed to her curiosity. Walking away from a dull conversation with Lord Ronus Dace about surface dwarves, she and Gorim found themselves in front of the leader of the Wardens. He was a man who looked near the age of fifty, but still had the body of a healthy and able-bodied warrior. His beard was thick enough that it would fit well on a dwarf's face, even with the strands of grey that could be seen. Compared to the fair-skinned complexion almost all dwarves shared, this human's skin was rather dark.

Much to Elezabeth's delight, the Warden smiled briefly when she stopped in front of him. He bowed and addressed her with a strong, confident voice. "Greetings, my Lady Aeducan. When I learned this feast was made for you, I had hoped to meet you myself. This is an honor."

Elezabeth offered the human her hand. He shook it firmly. "The honor is mine, Warden," she said.

"You may call me 'Duncan' if you prefer," the Warden said. "I had the opportunity to meet with your father when the Wardens and I arrived this morning. He speaks highly of you; he says you may be the most skilled warrior in all of House Aeducan."

"My father honors me," Elezabeth said. Not wanting to appear too bashful, she added, "though there is a reason he picked me to become Orzammar's newest commander and not one of my brothers."

Duncan nodded. "That I have no doubt of." He sighed. "We need more Grey Wardens like you. Dwarves have the most experience of all races when it comes to fighting darkspawn, yet these days few Join us. In previous times, this was but a mere inconvenience. But now, it is a problem."

"Why is that?" Elezabeth asked.

"Tomorrow's battle has been made possible by the lack of darkspawn in the Deep Roads, I assume?"

"It is."

"The Deep Roads, though far from empty, are clear than they have been in four hundred years because the darkspawn now plague the surface." He paused, as if he did not want to say anything else. But he did. "A Blight has begun. Soon the fight must go beyond the Deep Roads, lest the darkspawn threaten all the world."

Confused, Elezabeth asked, "if a Blight has begun, why are you and these other Wardens here, under the surface?"

"As I said, dwarves are a major asset when it comes to fighting the darkspawn. We've come to recruit any and all dwarves we think might be able to Join the Grey Wardens."

Elezabeth smiled. "Well Duncan, you couldn't have picked a better time to come to Orzammar. Today at noon there'll be a Proving in honor of my promotion. The best of the Noble and Warrior Castes will be fighting today. Whoever the Ancestors show favor to is someone that you'll want on your side against the wretched Blighters."

"That is a good idea, your Highness. I hope you won't mind if I claim it as my own," Duncan said with a small smile. "Shall you be fighting in the Proving?"

She shook her head. "I'll be up half the night sorting out the battle plans for tomorrow. I'd rather not do that with a bunch of aches and pains."

"That is wise."

"Would you and your men like to sit with the Noble Caste at the Proving Grounds?"

Elezabeth could see the other Wardens would like that, but Duncan dashed their hopes. "I thank you for the offer, but the Grey Wardens have their own private section closer to the arena itself."

"Oh." She found herself strangely saddened by that. But she refused to let her show it. "I must get going. My father is to officially name me 'commander' before the feast begins."

"Well met," Duncan said.

Elezabeth and Gorim turned and headed towards the throne. Gorim discreetly nudged her. "You seemed to like him a lot."

"Do I detect a jealous tone?"

"If you do, it must be from Trian. He won't admit it, but he knows you've got just as good, if not a better chance of ruling Orzammar. Being made commander of Orzammar will only bolster your support in the Assembly."

At that moment the clock in the heart of the throne room rang eleven times. The numerous conversations that had been going on were no longer by the end of the last gong. The nobles and deshyrs, including her brothers, and the Grey Wardens converged in front of the throne. Even Gorim had to leave her side, else make it seem he thought himself better than the Noble Caste. Elezabeth stood alone between the group of nobles and her father, King Endrin.

King Endrin's robes were much fancier than those belonging to the Shaperate, for obvious reasons. He was strong enough to equip armor, but rarely did so. He'd stopped wearing his heavy crown once the last of his hair had turned from dark blond to silver. Anyone could see bits of Trian and Bhelen in the king's face, but the only thing he and Elezabeth shared were the blueness of their eyes—in her case, eye—as she was a spitting image of her mother. His beard mostly hid his proud grin; many nobles considered her the favorite of his children. She hadn't thought so until he announced she would become a Commander. If I really were his favorite, he would name me his heir, not Trian.

The king did not have to raise his voice to be heard, as no one would think of speaking over him. "Atrast vala, my daughter. How fine you look in your grandmother's armor. She and all the Ancestors watch over you proudly." He looked up at the group of nobles. "Lord, Ladies, I thank you for granting me a moment of your time. We are here today so I may present to you Elezabeth Aeducan, my second eldest child: blessed by the Stone and born of the blood and eyes of the Paragon Aeducan. Who would pose a question to the prospective commander? Who seeks to know her better?"

She looked over her shoulder. No one stepped forward. Lord Ronus Dace looked like might, but apparently decided not to.

"No?" King Endrin paused, giving the nobles one last chance to speak. "Very well then." He returned his eyes onto Elezabeth. "My daughter, do you swear by the Stone and to the Ancestors that you will command Orzammar to the fullest of your capabilities?"

"I swear," she said loudly.

"Do you swear that you will fight Orzammar's enemies wherever they might lurk?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to prove yourself worthy of the name Aeducan?"

"I swear."

"Then I, Endrin Aeducan, son of Ansgar Aeducan and King of Orzammar, shall have you bestowed with the title of commander."

A roar of applause came from the nobles. Congratulatory cheers, a few whistles, and a lot of clapping. Elezabeth faced them all and bowed, just like she had practiced many times in the privacy of her chambers. Gorim, who was at the head of the group, was roaring the loudest. Not too far from him were Bhelen and Trian. Bhelen was clapping lightly with smile upon his face, while Trian simply glared at her. She took it, knowing full well that he would kill to be in her spot.

"Tomorrow, our newest commander will lead part of a mission to strike a great blow to the darkspawn," King Endrin said once the applause died down. "Not only does this recover access to some of our most important mines, but it also allows our honored guest Duncan, head of Fereldan's Grey Wardens, to strike far into the Deep Roads."

Duncan waved from within the crowd. It was unnecessary, as he was the tallest person in the room besides the other humans.

"We are honored to have you with us, my friend." He now addressed all who stood before him. "You all may now feast and drink, but do so quickly. The Provings begin at noon, and I expect all of you to be there."

And with that, the large group dispersed to the tables. Only Gorim resisted the urge to charge at the free food and drink, choosing to join Elezabeth in front of the throne instead.

"Gorim," said King Endrin, "you have yet to have failed my daughter. Make sure that tomorrow is no different."

"It will not be, your Majesty," Gorim said.

"Good." He looked at Elezabeth. "Lord Harrowmont—and I, to an extent—hope that with your announcement as commander, and after tomorrow's hopeful success, marriage proposals will begin piling up outside the palace. You can have your pick of a husband, though a strong alliance would be preferred."

"That's... good news," she said with as much false enthusiasm as she could muster. She dared not look at Gorim, who she would marry if it were allowed, in fear of exposing their love.

"You two may go eat," King Endrin said. "Make sure that you don't fill to bursting and end up missing the Provings. Perhaps the Provings will be recorded as the best Orzammar has ever seen."


Author's note: Thanks to Sphinxes, Apollo Wings, and Pandaman320 for review on the first chapter, and to everyone else who gave "The Dwarves of Grey" a favorite and a follow.

I am considering having all origins appear in my story, though I am still on the fence about it. If you have an opinion on that matter, let me know in a review or private message. If I do end up doing all origins, the main focus will still be on Darik and Elezabeth.

Please show your support by reviewing this chapter. And if you see any spelling/grammatical errors, please let me know. I am a terrible editor!