A small amount of tension still hung in the air that morning. I couldn't tell if Alistair was just sulking or if he was honestly mad that I wouldn't tell him why I couldn't speak of my nightmare. We went about our day as usual, eating breakfast in silence. It was shortly after we had cleaned off the table and started the dishes that a loud knocking came from the door. I moved to answer it, as Alistair was up to his elbows in soapy water. To my surprise Zevran was on the other side of it.

"Zev!" I declared, engulfing him in a hug.

The last year had been good to him. He was still in wonderful shape and just as tan as ever. It made me wonder if he had found some time to go to Antiva recently, as the snow had only recently disappeared from the ground in Ferelden. His hair was also quite a bit shorter now, and I couldn't help but wonder if Leliana had something to do with that. They had been spending a lot of time together before the winter set in, and it seemed evident to everyone but Alistair what was going on between them.

"It is good to see you!" Zevran exclaimed, returning the hug with twice the vigor.

I heard Alistair walk up behind me and quickly detangled myself from the Antivan Elf. Though Alistair knew I had always only been devoted to him, he was still uncomfortable with our relationship. Perhaps he saw Zevran as a threat because he was a fellow elf, or perhaps he was just afraid Zevran would somehow be able to seduce me.

Zevran, sensing the tension, walked right up to Alistair and engulfed him in a hug with the same vigor he had given me. Alistair turned about 50 shades of red, not really sure how to react. I couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at the big shield warrior being so put off by such a comparably small gesture.

"What are you doing here?" Alistair inquired, finally pushing Zevran away.

"Can't an assassin pop in unannounced on some old friends?" Zevran asked, feigning innocence (or at least as much as he could muster).

"So you came all this way to hug me?" Alistair retorted, sarcasm dripping from the sentence like maple syrup.

"Sadly no," the elf replied bluntly. "Although the hug was nice."

"So what did you come here for then?" I inquired before Alistair had a chance to say something that he might regret.

"I came to officially invite the heroes of Ferelden to Queen Anora's wedding," Zevran stated, trying to sound as official as possible, ending his invitation with a sweeping bow.

"Not interested," Alistair said, turning away.

I watched him walk into the bedroom and a small sigh involuntarily left my lips.

"When is it?" I asked, turning back to Zevran.

"It will be in 5 days," Zevran smiled. "I will look forward to seeing you there. Now I must be off to Redcliffe to deliver the same message to Arl Eamon."

"Thank you Zev," I said, walking him to the door.

"Good luck," he mouthed to me as he left.

I could hear Alistair sigh very loudly from the next room. I knew he was doing that in an effort to engage me in an argument. Rather than obliging him by asking what was wrong, I went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning the dishes. By the time I was done, Alistair had joined me in the kitchen.

"Do we really have to go?" Alistair whined.

"Yes," I replied, resolutely meeting his eyes. "We are the heroes of Ferelden. If we don't go it would look like we are snubbing her."

"And that would be….bad," Alistair hesitated, watching my eyes for a response.

"Yes, my dear," I kissed him in response. "Anora could be led to believe you are leading a rebellion against her, to claim the throne."

"Maybe I am," Alistair kissed me back, this time with a fire.

His kiss left me barely able to stand. It took all my strength and training to focus myself on the task at hand. I pushed Alistair back with one hand, using the other to steady myself on the nearby table. His eyes danced mischievously, as his mouth formed into that quirky smile that made me fall for him. It made me wonder when he learned to use that passion to manipulate me. I also wondered if he had used it before, perhaps more successfully.

"We should get ready to leave," I said, after I had regained by composure.

"Now?" Alistair sighed.

"You know it's about a 3 day hike, and I had hoped to have time to visit Shianni in the Alienage," I replied over my shoulder as I moved toward the bedroom.

"Fine, fine," Alistair relented, following me.