The next day, Azariah was getting ready to head out into the Blackmarsh with Nathaniel and Anders when Alistair asked if he could go with them. "Don't you have to return to Denerim?"

"Not for a few days. Do you not want me to go with you?"

"It's not that, it's just… who knows what we'll find there…"

"Azariah, I'm not worried." Alistair grinned, "Together, we've faced darkspawn, giant spiders, werewolves, blood mages, abominations… even dragons!"

Azariah laughed. "Point taken." She looked back at Nathaniel and Anders. "Objections?" They both said no, so Azariah let Alistair come with them.

On the way into the Blackmarsh, the four of them ran into a group of nobles along the road, led by Bann Esmerelle. "Queen Azariah… and King Alistair, too? Wow! This has turned out better than I could've hoped!"

"Esmerelle… I should've known you'd be the one behind this." Nathaniel said.

"Huh?! Is that you, Nathaniel?!" Liza Packton asked, surprised. "What are you doing with them?!"

"I'm a Warden now, and my loyalties are with Azariah."

"Traitor!" She growled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Traitor? Who are the ones who staged this so-called "ambush"? No, I'm not the traitorous one!"

"If your loyalties lay with your father's greatest enemy, then you are indeed the traitorous one." Esmerelle growled, and then glared at Azariah. "Rendon was good to us, good to me!"

"Ah, let me guess… you two had an affair?" Azariah asked, and Esmerelle looked almost shocked that she knew about that. "What? You thought it was a secret?" She sighed with a shake of her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not only are you stupid to have revealed yourself so soon, you have horrible taste in men."

"You are acting all high and mighty, but you've failed to realize that we hired the very best assassins in Thedas to take you down, and they're all around you!"

"Oh, I've noticed. The Crows are not as subtle as they claim to be, and you honestly think this is the first time someone has hired the Crows to try and kill me? Oh, if only…" She looked completely calm and collected as she took out her sword. "I would tell you to try and be a little cagier the next time you set up an ambush/assassination attempt, but unfortunately for you… there won't be a next time."

"Kill them!" Esmerelle ordered, and a huge fight broke out between the two groups, but the nobles and crows were no match for the four of them, and it wasn't long before everyone but Esmerelle was dead on the ground. However, she had one more trick up her sleeve, and out of nowhere, she managed to grab hold of Azariah and spin her around, pinning her back against her with a dagger to her throat. "Your smartass tongue can't save you now!"

Nathaniel drew an arrow with his bow and aimed it at Esmerelle. "Release her!"

"Not going to happen, traitor!"

"I'll shoot!"

"If you shoot that arrow, there's a good chance you'll hit her!"

Nathaniel shook his head and replied, "I can shoot an apple off a stump from 100 yards away, and I'm aiming straight at your head!"

"You're bluffing!"

"Try me!" He growled, lowly.

"Nathaniel, put that down!" Alistair ordered, "If you hit Azariah, I'll kill you!"

"Smart man, and I'd listen to him if I were you."

Nathaniel held his ground and kept the bow drawn, and Alistair ordered more forcefully. "Put it down, now!"

"If I give her an inch, she'll kill Azariah!" Nathaniel yelled back, still holding his ground.

"If you were so confident in your aim, you would've shot that arrow already!" Esmerelle said, "The fact that you haven't just shows that you aren't sure whether or not you'll hit me or your precious commander!"

"Shoot her, Nathaniel!" Azariah ordered, which just got the dagger drawn closer to her neck. "I trust you!"

Nathaniel suddenly let go of the bow string and the arrow went flying through the air with so much force that it went straight through Esmerelle's head and partway out the other end, and she immediately fell back, dead.

Alistair immediately ran over and hugged Azariah, and she returned the gesture. "Oh thank the Maker! I was absolutely terrified!"

"Wow! I guess you weren't bluffing!" Anders said, amazed. "That was a hell of a shot!"

"Why did you do that?!" Alistair yelled at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel straightened the top of his leather armor calmly. "Because, like it or not, Azariah is my friend, and I don't back down if someone threatens my friends." Nathaniel turned to walk away when he heard Azariah say "thank you", and he looked back at her, smiled, and bowed.

"Well, I guess that's the end of the conspiracy, then." Anders said, lightly kicking Esmerelle's body as if to make sure she was dead. He then turned his attention to Azariah, "I have to ask, though… how did you know that Esmerelle and Rendon had an affair?"

"I didn't." Azariah answered with a smirk.

"What? But… then how…?"

"Simple. The way she said that he had been good to her immediately got me suspicious, so I tossed out the idea of them having an affair and the expression on her face confirmed it."

Anders laughed, "Why, you clever little minx!"

She shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "I've learned that sometimes using your wits to outsmart your opponent is far better than using your weapon to destroy them. Now that this is over, however, we still need to get to Blackmarsh, preferably before dark." The others agreed and continued the way down the road when Nathaniel walked up next to her to ask her something.

"Azariah, when you said you trust me… did you really mean that?"

"Of course I did." She smiled.

"Well… thank you for your trust, it means a lot to me." He said, giving her one of his rare, warm smiles.

When the four of them finally arrived at the Blackmarsh, the sun had set and the whole area was blanketed in a thick, creepy fog as the full moon shown over the landscape. "This place is as creepy and foreboding as a demon's nightmare…" Anders said quietly. "Why are we here again?"

"Because one of the Orlesian wardens came here looking for darkspawn, remember? We need to find him and see if he has any useful information about what is going on?" Azariah answered and looked at Nathaniel, who was simply staring at a dead tree, it's bark black and rotten and the branches long since been stripped. "What are you looking at?"

"Huh?" He asked, looking back at her. "Oh, nothing, really. I was just thinking…" He looked out deeper into the Blackmarsh. "My father used to tell me stories about the Blackmarsh when I was young. He said fowl magic killed everything here."

"What kind of fowl magic could've caused this?"

"I don't know. They never did find out what happened here. Once the monsters appeared, the Blackmarsh was abandoned." Nathaniel let out a small chuckle and added, "You know, when I was a boy, I used to dream about coming to the Blackmarsh and setting everything right… little boy dreams."

Azariah giggled. "I'm sorry, I'm just picturing a young you, looking all starry eyed and dreaming of being a hero; it's impossibly cute!"

Nathaniel looked at her with a smile on his face, possibly just a little bit happy about her calling him cute. "Isn't that what all little boys want? When I was in the Free Marches, I thought I'd come back to Ferelden to take control of my father's lands, but I think this is better. I mean, now look at me, a Grey Warden and battling both darkspawn and demons! Interesting!"

"If you like this, then stick around for more, because this seems to happen all the time." Azariah joked.

"Then the fun never ends, I suppose! Good to know!" Nathaniel's eyes lit up with excitement. "Anyway, let's get going. The haunted marsh awaits!"

"Wow… you sound way too excited about this." Anders mentioned, but Nathaniel completely ignored him.

–

Roughly a month and a half later, Azariah's work in Amaranthine ended after the "Mother" and "Architect" were dead, and she was getting ready to go back to Denerim. She was in the master bedroom of Vigil's Keep when she asked one of the servants if they could go and tell Nathaniel that she needed to speak to him. The servant nodded and went downstairs into the main hall where Nathaniel was talking to Anders and Sigrun. "Excuse me, Master Howe?"

"Yes?" Nathaniel responded.

"The Commander wishes to speak to you. She's up in her room."

Nathaniel nodded, excused himself from his current conversation, and went upstairs. He knocked on the door and waited for Azariah to say he could come in before he opened the door and closed it behind him. "You sent for me?"

"Yes, please… sit." Azariah said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk, and Nathaniel did as he was told.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Azariah chuckled, "Of course not. You're not in trouble." She sat down at the edge of the bed and looked back at him. "Quite the opposite, actually. I asked you up here to give you some news in person."

"What news?"

"Well, after thinking it over, I realized that the wardens will need a substitute Commander, so to speak, as long as I'm gone. I was wracking my brain all last night trying to think about who would be best to fill my shoes when I finally decided… it should be you."

"Me?!" Nathaniel asked, shocked.

"Yes."

"What makes you think I'm right for this?"

"Nathaniel, ever since you joined the wardens, you've done nothing but prove how capable you really are. You are brave, kind-hearted, loyal, and, most importantly, show the potential of being a great leader. The wardens need someone like you to lead them while I cannot."

"I…" Nathaniel was struck speechless. Never, in a hundred ages, would he have guessed that Azariah even remotely thought so highly of him. "I'm honored that you have such faith in me."

"You've earned that faith by your own hand. So, do you accept?"

"Yes." He bowed his head. "I will do everything in my power to lead the wardens in your absence, and I swear, I will not fail you!"

Azariah smiled. "I know you won't, that's why I'm trusting you in the first place."

The next morning, Azariah was waiting out in the courtyard for her carriage when Nathaniel come up to say goodbye to her, and he saw her and Varel talking. "Sorry, Commander, but are you sure that leaving the Howe in charge while you're gone is really the best idea? What if he tries to throw the wardens out and take back his father's land?"

"Yes, I'm sure, and it's my final decision." Azariah said to him in a stern tone. "I know you don't trust him, but just try to help him, please?"

Varel sighed, but conceded, bowing his head to her, "As you wish, my Queen." He turned and immediately spotted Nathaniel, which made him stiffen up for a moment, but then huff and walk passed him.

Azariah sighed, seeing that, "Sorry Nathaniel."

"It's okay, I know why he doesn't like me, and it doesn't bother me." He walked up to stand next to her and was silent for a moment before he spoke up again, "Well… I guess I'll see you when you decide to come back." He wasn't sure what else to say.

"Yes." She smiled at him. "It's been fun travelling with you."

He smiled back, "Likewise. I almost wish you could stay here, but I'm sure your husband needs you more than we do."

"I'm not worried, I know the wardens – and Amaranthine in general – are in good hands with you."

Nathaniel took her hand and gently kissed the top of it. "Thank you for your trust in me, it means more than you know."

Just then, the carriage rode up and stopped at the entrance. "Well, goodbye Nathaniel." She kissed him on the cheek. "I will see you again soon." She got into the carriage with her bags, and it left.

Nathaniel was shocked at just being kissed on the cheek by Azariah, but snapped out of his daze and watched as the carriage rode down the road and out of sight. "Goodbye Azariah…"

It took about half a day for Azariah to arrive back in Denerim, but when she did, she was surprised to see the people giving her a hero's welcome. She was approached by several people on her walk back to the palace who congratulated her on her victories in Amaranthine and offered their thanks and appreciations. She finally got to the palace and saw Alistair at the gate, waiting for her with a big grin on his face, and she smiled back at him, heading through the gate, and bowed her head to him. His response to that was to simply laugh and pull her into his arms for a warm embrace and passionate kiss.

"It is so good to have you home, my love!" Alistair said, happily. "I've missed you!"

Azariah laughed and kissed him again. "I've missed you, too!"

"Come on," He wrapped his arm around her waist and motioned towards the palace doors with his other hand. "Let's go inside and you can get settled in as you tell me what happened."

"Deal!" Azariah replied happily and walked into the palace with Alistair.

Meanwhile, back in Amaranthine, Nathaniel was walking around the walls outside the keep, but kept looking out over the horizon every few minutes. He sighed and leaned back against the stone tower, 'What is wrong with me?! Azariah only left a few hours ago, and yet, I'm already wishing she'd come back! Why am I missing her so much?' His eyes widened when he thought of something. 'Could I really be…? No! No, that's impossible!'

Back in Denerim, Azariah and Alistair were in their room with Azariah's mabari, Tucker, and talking as she unpacked when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Azariah asked.

"It's me." Amathyne said through the door (Yes, Iona's daughter, who Azariah had taken in when she and Alistair moved into the palace).

"Come in." Azariah said, and Amathyne did just that before running over and giving her a hug, and she laughed and returned the gesture, "It's good to see you, too! What have you been up to?"

"Not much, really. Just focusing on my studies, like you wanted me to."

Azariah ruffled her hair. "Good, I'm proud of you!"

Amathyne smiled as her eyes shined with happiness. "Oh!" She remembered and pulled out a letter, handing it to Azariah. "And this arrived for you a couple hours ago!"

"Thank you." Azariah took the letter and ripped open the envelope; it was from Fergus.

Azariah,

I heard about your adventures in Amaranthine, and I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you! You managed to save Ferelden once again! I am more than happy to say that you are my sister! Anyway, I'm writing to ask if you and Alistair would like to come here to Highever; I haven't seen either of you since your honeymoon. Please think about it.

Love, your brother,

Fergus

"Huh… hey Alistair, do you want to go to Highever in a few weeks?"

"Sure, but… why?"

"Fergus wants us to go and see him! Please? It has been a long time since I've seen him!"

Alistair smiled, "Of course we can go." He was rewarded with a kiss.

A couple weeks went by, and Azariah helped Alistair convince Eamon to handle ruling Ferelden while the two of them were in Highever. They were now up in their room and getting ready to leave when Azariah spoke up, "Alistair?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we could stop in Amaranthine on the way to Highever? After all, it's on the way."

"Why do you want to stop in Amaranthine?"

"Well, to be more specific, I want to stop at Vigil's Keep so I can talk to Nathaniel and ask him to come with us."

"Come with us? To Highever?" Alistair asked, staring at his wife in shock. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, he is the son of the man who killed your family, how can you be sure how your brother will react?"

"Honestly… I'm not entirely sure how Fergus will react, but I'm hoping to show him that Nathaniel is not his father."

Alistair sighed, but gave in. "Alright, Azariah, we can stop at Vigil's Keep."

"Thank you!"

After leaving Denerim, it took a few hours for them to arrive in Vigil's Keep, and when they did, Azariah got out of the carriage and headed inside with Tucker while Alistair stayed near the entrance. It didn't take long for Azariah and Tucker to find Nathaniel since he was in the courtyard with his sister Delilah and her husband, Albert. "Nathaniel!"

"Azariah? What are you doing here?"

"Alistair and I decided to stop here on our way to Highever to see Fergus."

"Well, it's always good to see you, Azariah!" Delilah said with a smile.

"Likewise!" Azariah replied, and Tucker barked to make his presence known. "Oh, and you remember Tucker, right?"

"Of course!" Delilah got down on her knees to be level with him and pet him. "Hi Tucker!" Tucker wagged his tail happily in response. Like Azariah, he had never liked Rendon, but always loved Delilah.

"So, you just came to say hello?" Nathaniel asked, a bit skeptically.

"Well, actually, no, not just that. We were wondering, well… I was wondering if maybe you'd like to… come with us?"

"Go to Highever?" He was astonished that she would suggest such a thing, and she nodded. "I don't know." He said, hesitantly.

"Why not?"

"After what my father did, it wouldn't feel right to even set foot in Highever again, much less, go and see the new Teyrn…"

"Aw, come on, Nathaniel. I'll be with you."

Hearing her say that she'd be with him gave him a bit of courage, but he still looked at his sister for guidance, and Delilah motioned for him to take Azariah up on her offer, so he sighed and replied, "Alright. Can I just go get some things first?"

"Of course, we'll be waiting by the carriage." Azariah said and headed back there after saying goodbye to Delilah and Albert, and a few minutes later, she spotted Nathaniel coming towards them with a bag, but what really caught her attention was what he was wearing. He wore a long grey and white shirt with gold buttons, black pants and boots, but he also had on a black cape with the hood over his head*. "What's with the cape?"

"I don't want anyone in Highever to recognize me, so the less visible I make myself, the better."

"No offense to your plan, but wouldn't that outfit just draw attention to you?" Alistair asked.

"Maybe, but as long as no one sees my face, it's fine."

"Nathaniel…" Azariah sighed with a shake of her head. "You don't need that. I promise, I won't let anyone touch you."

"That's nice of you, but I'd just feel more comfortable with it."

"Alright…" She sighed again before getting in the carriage, and the four of them left for Highever.

It took another few hours to get to Highever from Vigil's Keep, but when they arrived, they got out of the carriage and headed into the city. Nathaniel started to get a bit nervous when he heard people muttering about "the strange guy in the cape with the King and Queen", but he didn't say anything and just continued following them to the castle. The four of them went into the castle's entrance hall and saw Fergus there, talking to a couple of the guards.

"Fergus!" Azariah called as she rushed over.

Fergus turned his head and smiled, meeting his sister halfway and gave her a hug and swung her around happily, "Azariah! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too, big brother!"

Tucker jumped into the hug and licked Fergus's face, and he laughed, petting his head. "Hello Tucker!" Fergus then looked at Azariah proudly before turning his attention to Alistair, and he bowed as he said, "And to you, too, Your Majesty."

"You as well, my lord." Alistair replied, and Fergus laughed.

"I'm just teasing you, Alistair. We're brothers-in-law now, we don't need to be so formal." He then noticed the other person in the room, and looked at his inquisitively. He slowly walked over and got a closer look as Nathaniel looked back at him from underneath the hood; Fergus's eyes widened and he immediately ordered, "Kill him!"

"What?! No, don't!" Azariah cried as she got in between Nathaniel and the guards set to carry out Fergus's order.

"Azariah, do you have any idea who this is?"

"Yes, I know perfectly well who he is."

"You do? Then, may I ask why you are defending him?"

"Because you can't blame Nathaniel for what his father did! He wasn't involved!"

"I don't care if he was or wasn't involved! No Howe is allowed in Highever again, ever!"

"But Fergus…"

"That's enough! I won't debate this!" He glared at Nathaniel and said, "Now leave, or I will have you killed!"

"Fergus, if you would just listen to me!" Azariah sighed, "Just give Nathaniel a chance, please? You can trust him, he's on our side! He's even saved my life!"

"You saved her?" Fergus asked, skeptically, and glared even harsher. "Why?"

"Because she's my friend, and done nothing but help me since we saw each other again in Amaranthine." He slowly put his hood down. "I didn't expect you to trust me, but I still came because I was hoping that you'd at least give me a chance, like your sister did."

Fergus growled and started pacing back and forth as he thought about what he should do when one of the guards spoke up. "Forgive me, my lord, but if I may… if he truly has saved your sister's life, then you are in his debt, and your father always made a point to say that debts must be paid."

"Hm…" He glared back at Nathaniel who just stood there, waiting for whatever he decided. "I will follow my father's rule… for now. You can stay, but not here! You will leave this castle, and I don't want to see you within its walls again; you can stay at an inn or something!" He then turned his back.

"You heard the Teyrn, out." One of the other guards said as he and yet another guard grabbed Nathaniel and guided him to the doors.

Nathaniel managed to glance back one more time and saw Azariah looking at him sadly as she sighed. Once he was gone, Fergus spoke up again, "Has your heart gone soft, Azariah? When Rendon was still alive, you would've killed him on sight."

Azariah turned to face her brother and walked up towards him. "When Rendon was still alive, he had control over Highever! But with his death, also died my hatred for any Howe."

"Enough to bring one back here?"

"I know you're hesitant to trust him, I'll the first to admit that I was hesitant, too, but ever since he's become a warden, he's done nothing but show me that I can trust him. I asked him to come here so you could see it, too."

"It's going to take a lot more than him having the balls to come back here to make me trust him."

"I know, but just try? Please? That's all I ask."

That evening, Azariah left the castle and headed into the city, and she asked around to see if anyone had seen Nathaniel, and she was pointed towards the cemetery. She got there and started looking around when she spotted him by her family's crypt, and she walked over, "Nathaniel?"

"Oh, hi Azariah."

"Are you okay?"

"I guess so. I just came to pay my respects to your family." He placed a vase full of flowers on the crypt's steps, then kneeled on one knee and began praying.

"I didn't know you were religious, Nathaniel."

"I may not go to the chantry very often, but I still believe in the Maker." He finished his prayer for her family before standing back up. "I'm sorry that they're gone… I know they were good people."

"They were…" Azariah said sadly, but then looked at Nathaniel and smiled. "But I know that there are also good people in your family, like you and Delilah."

"Am I, though?"

"What?"

Nathaniel turned to her, his grey eyes filled with guilt and doubt. "Am I really a good person? When I got back to Ferelden, I was so ready to see you dead, before I even knew the whole story, but you… you've done nothing but treat me with kindness despite that. So, which of us is really the good person?"

"Nathaniel…" She sighed, and much to his surprise, hugged him. "You are really too hard on yourself, you are more than you make yourself out to be." She pulled back a bit to look him in the eyes. "I will tell you the same thing I told my friend, Leliana, once: bad people don't worry about not being good."

Nathaniel smiled. "You always know just what to say, don't you?" He hugged her back. "Thank you."

Not too far away from them, Fergus watched in shock as they hugged, having followed Azariah when he saw her leaving the castle. He sighed as he leaned back against the tree and looked up at the stars. 'Father, I don't know what to do… Nathaniel is Rendon's son, the very person who took you, mother, Oriana, and Oren away… how can I even begin to trust him?' He silently asked.

Over with Azariah, she gave Nathaniel a smile after breaking the hug, and then, handed him a few coins. "Here, take this and go rent a room from the inn by the market. I will come and see you tomorrow, and maybe, I can convince Fergus to spend some time with you, too."

He nodded, "Thank you. I will see you tomorrow, then." He took her hand and kissed it. "Goodnight, my lady."

Azariah smiled and curtsied. "Goodnight to you, too, my lord." She teased and walked away.

Nathaniel smiled as he watched her walk away, and then glanced down at the coins in his hand. 'I suppose I could stay a few days… for Azariah, if nothing else.'

––

Hey, everyone! Well, there's the second chapter! I re-wrote part of it, because I came up with some new ideas! Nice reviews make me happy!