Thank you for the interest that has been shown in this story so far. Since I'd like to give you all something instead of just a prologue, here is the next chapter in which the ball starts to roll. I also forgot to mention that this is a non-warden Elissa Cousland fanfic (so I'll add that into the summary) and because of this I'll mark it as an AU. Again, thank you to those of you who have shown interest in this story in its first week of life, this chapter is for you! And if you wish to leave a comment, please feel free to do so. I don't bite, and love to hear from you guys - and constructive criticism is always very much appreciated!

I gazed up at the horse with a look of mixed admiration and dismay as my brother stood proudly besides her. The mare was beautiful, there was no denying it. Her coat was a soft dapple grey with a white flowing mane and one white sock on her front leg but, the implications of accepting such a gift was not something that I wished to entertain. I turned to my elder brother with an agonised look tight across my features. "She is beautiful but…"

Fergus grinned; "Anamara is indeed a fine animal, sister."

"Yet, I cannot possibly accept her!" I cried, even though deep in my heart I so very much wanted to do so. My brother's face fell, and my heart twisted automatically in guilt. It was not Fergus's fault that I did not wish to accept the King's courting suit. I had always entertained the notion that I would never marry, unless for love, and had pressed my father and mother to allow me the time despite my twenty-one years of life, the right to chose my own way in life, and what I had truly wished to do was to become a healer. I had received a good education under Healer Hareth in the healing institute that was located in the capital, and had gained some experience in working with the seriously injured and dying during the Blight and wished to continue to do so. And yet, as I heard my brother let out a sigh, as a highborn lady with an ancient bloodline that spanned back as far as King Calenhad and since the execution of Queen Anora shortly after the Blight for conspiracy to murder the King, I was the only surviving daughter of one of the only two Teyrns in the country - I was more than eligible for a King to court me.

I flashed my brother with a reassuring smile. "I apologise Fergus, it is just that I am quite overwhelmed. It is all too soon since finding you and Aedan again and returning home, I fear that I am just not quite used to the prospect of receiving suits for my hand in marriage!"

Fergus's smile returned, although a part of me was rather pleased to note that he looked rather contrite. "And I am sorry that you, whom have dealt with enough already, have to face with another change." He took my hand into his own much larger one as he added, "But I promise you sister that you will not regret the King's courting suit; he is a good, fine man and our brother holds him quite highly."

I smiled but it did not reach my eyes. I had heard much about the new King from both of my brothers on our journey home to Highever, and had heard it all before about how much of a good man that King Alistair was, how kind he was, how handsome….The list was endless, and although I had been moderately surprised that my previously broody and surly younger brother had gushed on and on about the man whom he had declared to be more like a brother than a friend, I could not find it in me to take comfort in their words. Of course, I had no doubt that King Alistair was all that my brothers said and more but he was a stranger to me, and I did not wish to tie myself to a stranger – no matter how selfish that sounded when I knew that becoming Queen would bear a heavy responsibility that would most likely see my dream of becoming a healer ending if I married the King.

Something must have shown on my face for my brother had pulled me into a tight hug. "I promise you, Ellie that you will not regret courting Alistair. He is a good man, and I would never have accepted his suit if he was not." He gingerly pushed me back, his hands holding gently on my forearms as he added, "I would never do anything to make you unhappy."

And yet accepting a courting suit did make me unhappy, and as I sat and watched the young children play in the fields long after my brother had left me to bond with my new horse, I realised that the only way that I could persuade King Alistair to otherwise drop his suit in favour for another woman, was for me to behave in a way that would be considered so unappealing that he would be so inclined to drop out but how would I go about doing that?

I sighed. It was just my luck – I had always been a good girl; excelling in what my mother considered to be womanly arts of embroidery, sewing and overseeing the running of a household alongside my studies in art, history, mathematics and literature. I had always been a good Andrastian; I had never so much as stolen a sweetmeat, let alone killed anyone! And had always ensured that I had never so much as been seen talking to a man without one of my brothers or maids accompanying me; my virtue was still intact for I had never given myself to another, and…

I felt my lips twitch into a small smile. I had kissed a man with such abandon of the regal control that I had been instructed to carry since I was old enough to walk and talk that I was quite certain that King Alistair would be shocked to know that the woman whom he had chosen to court could be so open and unrestraint with a man who she did not even know the name of.

"Yes!" The words slipped out of my mouth as a cry that alerted the grazing Anamara nearby, to come over with a concerned snort as she nuzzled her great big head against my shoulder. "It's all right my lovely." I soothed her with a giggle. "It's all right."

Isn't it odd that no matter how much your heart grows heavy with anxiety of an impending date that the days and weeks that lead up to it goes by so quickly?

Several weeks after the offering of my suitor gift, I had just arrived back from another ride out in the countryside and was busy brushing down my mare when my brother's Seneschal had personally entered the stables to request that I drop everything that I was doing to attend to my brother. Fearing the worst, I had followed the short elderly man with haste only to grow impatient with the man's slow moving gait. "I thought that it was urgent, my Lord?" I had asked through barely concealed patience. The Seneschal had only ignored me, and only had spoken to announce my presence to my brother once we had entered the hall. Fergus had looked at me then, with a hint of wariness in his eyes before taking out a small piece of parchment from his surcoat.

"Ellie, this letter came for you from the desk of King Alistair's Seneschal, Arl Eamon." I had stood frozen in place as my brother read the contents of the letter. Aside from the usual formalities of status and inquires of health of the Teyrn, his sister and his household – the Arl had also written to inform us that the King accompanied by my other brother, two of his companions and several of his guardsmen would be travelling to Highever to formally meet the Lady of Highever: me.

With a sinking feeling that had only grown with each word that my brother had read out, I could not help but feel as though I was akin to a moth and a flame. My fate was all but decided for me, and there was nothing much that I could do but to accept it. And yet, my plan – although rather sketchy and unformed at best could be the breaker of chains that would see me free of a man who I did not wish to marry.

"Ellie?" Some of the joy that I had been feeling must have been displayed on my face as my brother had looked at me with a small bright smile. "I know that it may seem very difficult but I am so very proud with the way that you are taking this suitor business with a much more lightened heart than you had displayed several weeks ago – I know both Mother and Father would also be so proud of you."

My heart had sunk at his words. I had been away in Denerim when the news of Arl Howe's betrayal and murder of my family had reached me. I had felt so heavy with grief and despair that I had not even had the chance to hug my Mother one last time or kiss my little nephew goodnight after having read him a bedtime story. It had been difficult whilst in Denerim to go about my education as a healer, and although Healer Hareth and the other acolytes had always sought to keep me company it was just not the same as having family around you. "I wish that they were still here; Oriana and Oren too. Brother Aldous, Nan, Ser Gilmore…" I had choked back the tears that were threatening to fall as my brother's arms encircled around me to pull me into a hug.

"Please, don't cry Ellie." He had murmured soothingly. "We are still together; Aedan, you and me – and whilst we will never forget those who died, we have to look towards the future."

And that future was in the form of the King. I had gently pulled myself out of my brother's embrace and asked, "When will the King's retinue arrive here?"

Fergus had smiled warmly, "Aedan will arrive a lot later than King Alistair's party does, as he has been made Warden-Commander of Ferelden and Arl of Amaranthine."

I had gaped at him in shock with a feeling of dismay wash over me, for I had been looking forward to seeing my brother again. "This was not mentioned in the letter!"

He had lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair, the chestnut coloured hair that we had all inherited from our father, out of his eye, "I received a letter early this morning but before I could tell you the good news, you had already gone for your ride."

I had folded my arms, "And when will the King's party arrive?"

"In three weeks time..."

And those three weeks were just about up! I stood uneasily on the castle walls, looking out towards the land in the direction that I knew where the capital lay.

"Are you all right, milady?" A guardsman asked me with a small furrow of concern on his broad features. "You're looking rather pale there, begging your pardon milady."

"I'm feeling rather faint." I whispered, as I turned my gaze away from the direction of the road. "I think that I will visit my mare."

"Perhaps, going for a short ride might do you some good milady?" He said kindly, "It's not good to keep yourself cooped up too long, and you're always going out."

"Thank you." I replied, mentally searching for the man's name, and hoping that the one that I had selected was the correct one. "Beron, is it?"

The guard straightened a little bit with a proud air, "It is milady."

I shot him a grateful smile before walking down the steps and towards the stables. The castle's stables were small and only for the use of the Teyrn, his family and their most important guests. Down the line, I patted and offered Fergus's bay war horse a piece of bread before coming to greet Anamara in her stall. The dappled grey mare whinnied a soft greeting upon seeing her mistress, and soon my pockets were empty of the two pieces of bread that I had saved during breakfast.

"I am so happy to see you, my darling." I laughed as she arched her great head to rub against my side. "Would you like to go for a ride? We haven't done that for a long time."

Anamara snorted, and I took that as a yes. "Let me call a stable boy to saddle you and I shall go and get ready."

I let out a deep breath as the mare trotted down the cobbled road that led just outside the small village that was located just outside Highever Castle. Beron had been right, it was a good idea to get out and get some fresh countryside air. I felt better already, even though I knew that I was only days, even hours away from meeting my royal suitor for the first time.

"Good girl, Anamara." I murmured absentmindedly to the horse as my thoughts turned to what I had now dubbed as my salvation. I had spent many nights thinking, planning and drawing out diagrams in the hope that I could dissuade the King from considering me as a potential bride. It was not as though I hated or disliked the man but I did not wish to marry a complete stranger, especially one with such a grave responsibility attached to him.

Suddenly, I heard the harsh clapping of metal on stone as a half-a-dozen horses surrounded us. I tightly controlled Anamara as she started to rear in alarm as soldiers slowly unfurled their spears towards us. "You there: boy!" A rider entered the circle in front of us. "Who are you and what are you doing with that horse?" He was clad in silver armour with gold enamel in the shape of what looked to be wings on his chest plate. I looked behind me, half-wondering who it was that he was talking to before realising with a sinking feeling that I had my brother's old work clothing, and a brown cloak with a long archer's hood over my head that probably obscured most of my face – needless to say, I probably didn't look much like the highborn lady that I was supposed to be. I straightened in the saddle as I turned a cool haughty gaze towards the man who was obviously their leader and pulled back my hood.

A gasp echoed from the crowd, and their leader's eyes widened behind his helmet but he betrayed no other reaction. "As you can clearly see, I am not a boy my good Ser." I paused to regard him with cool blue coloured eyes. "Who are you and what are you doing on my brother's lands?"

"Ah-ha, I think that this must be the young woman who you are intending to marry is it not my friend?" A heavily accented Antivan voice called from somewhere in the crowd.

I froze in horror, and watched with growing dread as the leader removed his plumed helmet. Tawny coloured strands of hair peaked out untidily from where the helmet had pulled it up, and the face that looked at me with a growing appraising smile on its features was something that had made me feel as though I was the only one that it was meant for. In dismay, my eyes met his own and in that moment I knew that I had not only met my suitor; King Alistair Theirin I of Ferelden but the man who I had kissed so roughly in the Chantry several months before.

"Lady Elissa Cousland, it is a pleasure to meet you." He beamed, and I had no other recourse but to reply in kind.