Thanks to those who read the last chapter! I do want to know what you think but I do appreciate that you have taken the time to read the fic which is more or less why I put it up! Thanks again!

Chapter Two

The Wedding

Recently, I hadn't had much time in my life to watch the sun come up, like I had done when I was younger and still living in Highever. I remember waking when it was still dark and slowly sneaking through the quiet halls like a ghost and to the north tower, from which I could see the whole of Highever. The sky would be spread with dying stars, like diamonds pushed into a fading indigo velvet shroud, and at the horizon a faint pinkness would be rising, streaking the sky around it with purples and setting the clouds above ablaze with fiery orange and gold. The pink would spread and the stars would slowly fade with the onslaught of morning and after most of the darkness had been banished, my father would've joined me. We would stand in silence for a while, sometimes as much as an hour, until he sighed and would say "Come on pup, breakfast."

I was standing in the Royal Palace, atop the highest tower I could find, and for the first time since I had destroyed the Archdemon, I was watching the sun come up. Now that I was older, it looked different, less magical somehow, but at the same time, there was some sad beauty to it, especially after the Blight, when the sickness that had caught the land and had started to reach out to poison the sky had been halted. My sleep was filled with dreams, and I soon realised that after I had woken up sweating for the fifth time, I wasn't going to get anymore sleep. I was actually more exhausted than I had been when I finally did go to bed, so I decided to honour my old tradition while I was still an unmarried child.

I had been standing there for little over twenty minutes when I heard the trapdoor behind me open. A scream rising in my throat, I hugged the wall, staring down at the figure that was clambering out of the trapdoor. When it turned its eyes to me, the scream died in my throat, and a hot surge of disappointment flooded me, disappointment that was soon replaced with an indescribable joy.

Alistair blinked. "Lily!" He gasped. "What are you doing… it's barely dawn!" He approached me quickly and automatically pulled me against him, and he laughed a little under his breath. "I've missed you."

I nodded and clung to him. He was wearing a plain white tunic and I breathed in his scent hungrily, pressing my nose to the fabric. He smelled of honey, sweat and rust, leftover from the ornamental armour he would wear in court, but it was a mix that sent my heart into a frenzy. I remembered the smell of rust when we had first made love so long ago and I gripped onto him tighter. We had been living under the same roof for almost six months and this had been the first time we had been allowed to be so close. With a shock, I remembered that I was to be married in a few short hours and no longer would I have to wait months to show him affection. I looked up at him through my lashes, surprised to find that they were wet.

"Hey." He said, passing his thumb over my cheek to wipe a tear away. "None of that, love. Today's a happy day. Apparently. If you listen to Leliana going on about it, you'd think it was her getting married." I laughed and closed my eyes; more tears spilling down my cheeks. He pulled me against him again and rested his chin on my hair, looking out at the horizon. "If they're looking for us now, we're going to be in so much trouble." He said almost absently.

"Let them look." I murmured. "I'm very happy here. Maybe we should just live up here, where no one can find us and we can actually be in love without running for cover when we want to be alone." I missed it. Being so free and going wherever we pleased, seeing whoever we wanted. I was beginning to wish Alistair hadn't agreed to be king.

"They all want to be part of our big happy family!" He joked. "Though at the rate things are going, I might have to start beating a few courtiers with sticks. Some of them have been heard making some rather unsavoury remarks about you."

I grimaced. "Off with their heads." I grumbled.

Again Alistair laughed and he held me closer. "That's exactly what Zev said. He became oddly obsessed with the notion of a public execution. 'Defend your woman' he was saying." I must admit, Alistair pulled off Zevran's antivan accent almost perfectly.

"I can defend myself."

"Oh I know! Zev's the only one who seems to have doubts. I told him that even the darkspawn had to think twice before coming up against you. You can handle a couple of courtiers." He looked over at the horizon again and sighed. "Now that is beautiful." He murmured, gently turning me around.

The sun had started to crest the hill, and its golden rays had stretched upwards into the sky, touching the bellies of the fluffy white clouds that had begun to roll in, and causing them to sparkle with gold. The sky went from indigo, to blue, purple and then finally that pale pink that I so loved. I gasped and felt Alistair wrap his arms around me, pulling me close to his body. "Not half as beautiful as you though," he whispered. "I love you, my Reniselille."

And for the first time, I did not mind that he had spoken my real name. Because it was true, and I was his.

I soon discovered that Leliana, the sweet orlesian bard, had the soul of a tyrant. As soon as they had discovered me and Alistair on the tower, she had pulled me away from him so hard that she almost jerked my arm out of its socket. She had then dragged me through the palace and down into a room I had never entered, which was almost completely devoid of any furniture aside from a vanity against the wall, on the far side of the spacious room. Wynne and the others were already waiting.

"Sit." Leliana demanded, pointing at the chair imperiously. I sat.

"Don't move." She grumbled as she left the room. I didn't dare even blink. Instead I shot a fearful look at Wynne. She laughed.

"She went to wake you about an hour ago, and when she found you were not in your bed, she thought you'd managed to escape." She told me, obviously amused by the whole situation. "She almost tore this place apart trying to find you when one of the guards told her she'd seen Alistair creeping up toward the east tower."

I was still in my nightgown and I was beginning to feel a little cold but I didn't allow myself to shiver. It was my own fault for venturing out half-naked. When Leliana returned, she was carrying a huge box in her hands and two young maids were carrying my wedding dress between them. Two burly guardsmen followed, carrying a mirror that looked even taller than my old friend Sten and two times as wide, and I began to relax. At least I'll be able to see what I looked like before I was presented to Alistair. My stomach did a funny little flip.

I waited patiently as Leliana and the girls began their work. As Leliana applied strange powders and liquids to my face, especially around the eyes and over my lips, three aged women meticulously twisted, braided and lifted my hair into some sort of over-complicated arrangement on top of my head. One of the women shuffled over to the box and pulled out a smaller, more ornate box, and then shuffled back to where her fellows her holding my hair in place. She then opened the case with flourish, and carefully lifted an intricate mesh of silver from inside. It took me a moment to realise that it was a glittering tiara, which was so perfectly made that even by looking at it; someone could tell that it was a priceless treasure, complete with perfect sparkling sapphires along the bottom and one in the shape of a teardrop that would rest upon my brow. It was magnificent. The old woman gently placed it upon my head, and as one, all three women took a step back.

"When you take that off, your hair will become undone, and will flood down in a general–" She motioned with her hand "-that way, direction, and should rest over the shoulder your wedding dress will not cover. Should be perfect for when you and Alistair retire tonight." I couldn't help the blush that rose through my cheeks. It was all very well and good having sex with someone you loved, but having such activities scrutinised and even encouraged, went a little beyond my comfort barrier. After all, Alistair was the first person I had slept with. The only person...

"Very nice Alyson," Leliana approved, stepping back to admire the affect. "We've finished the make-up, and now we just need to get her in her dress. Did you find the shoes?"

The shoes were plain, but at the same time, beautiful. They looked like the little pumps my mother always tried to make me wear when I was younger, pure white and covered in silk, the only embellishments were six or so sequins sewn into the side of the shoe, shining like oil on water.

It took an hour to fit me into my dress, and as I stood on the stool, being prodded and poked by these quite scary women, I wondered if every woman went to her wedding feeling violated and overly irritated. I did not like being poked and I certainly didn't like having my wrist slapped as I reached up to touch my hair. I was beginning to understand what Morrigan was talking about offensive intrusions as she so aptly called it. I was beginning to feel sticky, and that didn't help with my already fried nerves and I was starting to fidget. I wasn't prepared to get married, not like this.

A cool breath of air touched me, and flooded between my skin and the folds of silk that was pressed against my skin, cooling my breathing and allowing my tensed body to relax. I looked down at Wynne and she smiled up at me, wiggling the fingers of one hand, and I smiled my thanks, even as Leliana hopped up on the stool with me to tie up the bodice.

It didn't take long after that, and I was finally allowed to stand before the giant mirror and see what they had all done to me. The result took my breath away. I was glad of my choice to grow my hair, because now those three women had managed to somehow curl the main body of it, but in a way that it was not loose, and somehow held up by the tiara. Elegant braids looped and twisted about my head, clinging to the tiara and if it had been done in any other way, it would've just looked like an over elaborate mass on top of my head, but it was elegant, and beautiful, and it complemented the dress perfectly.

I found I had been wrong about the dress. It was white, there was no contesting that, but at the angle I was looking at it now, the light streaming through the narrow windows had turned the lower stretch of the skirt into a beautiful ice blue, the same blue that had been painstakingly sewn into the bodice in an intricate vine-like pattern. The skirt was ruffled, beautifully, and the train stretched for several metres behind me, where Leliana was gently unfolding the material. Then, with infinite care, the little girl, Kathlena, who was lifted up by one of the younger helpers, threw the white gauzy veil over my head and let it settle.

Half the city had been summoned to attend the wedding, and those who were not important enough to attend had congregated outside, so they could all say they were 'present' when the King married his betrothed. So the streets leading up to the Royal Palace of Denerim were, in short, packed. There had been a few arguments as to where the royal wedding was to take place but Alistair had put his foot down – several times but no one listened until he threatened to hold the wedding in Orlais – and so it was going to take place in the grand hall in the Royal Palace, and not the Chantry like some people had wanted. The revered mother included.

So as we waited in the room, which I soon realised was an antechamber just off the main hall, I heard hundreds of footsteps as people slowly meandered into the Grand Hall, that was supposedly decorated wonderfully for the occasion. If it had been, Alistair wouldn't have had a hand in it, but I highly suspected some of the more frivolous members of court.

It did not take half as long for Leliana and Wynne to get ready. Kathlena was already dressed in a lovely little lavender dress, and daises and violets were braided into her thick hair. She looked adorable. Leliana had followed the lavender vein, but her dress was longer, sleeker and far sexier. It had a long slit up the right side, where it flashed the flesh of her leg in a very tantalising way, no matter how orlesian. Wynne was to give me away, as I had no parents anymore, and her dress was a simple white affair that rose around her neck with a thick wealth of lace, and her hair, for a change, was down.

A low buzz of conversation was beginning to flood from behind the door, signalling that many guests had already taken their seats, and were already waiting for the ceremony to begin. I listened to the buzz for three whole minutes before the music began and Kathlena resolutely walked to the door to the main hall. She pulled open the door and took a brazen step out onto the carpeted aisle.

The first thing I thought was how could so many people cram into the hall in such a small amount of time, and my second thought was forget this, I'm going back to bed. I didn't deal well with crowds. I took a deep breath and followed her, keeping my eyes lowered like I had been instructed, while keeping my back straight and holding the bouquet of flowers that had been pressed into my hand about a minute before the doors had opened. There was a gasp that ran through the rows of onlookers as we passed them, but I could not tell whether that was because of me, or because of Leliana's risqué dress, merely because I was not looking. I wanted so bad to glance up and look over to my husband to be and let his eyes soothe my frantic heart, but I had to wait until I had reached the altar. One more step closer. One more step.

It seemed impossible, but with every step that I took, it felt like I was drawing further from my Alistair, that I was dragged away from him, even though I couldn't see anything but the crimson carpet I was slowly walking up. I guessed that I was the very vision of patience of serenity, yet inside I was screaming. I wanted nothing more than for this ceremony to be over.

After what seemed like centuries, I finally reached the altar where the Revered Mother and my husband to be were standing close by to one another, Arl Eamon standing beside Alistair like his own personal knight. Slowly, I raised my head and stared into the face of my beloved.

He was crying. Fresh tears were flooding down his cheeks, although his face was composed, and he gave me a tiny, weak, and a little apologetic, smile. I lifted my left hand slowly and he quickly grasped it, using the movement to mask how much he was really shaking. His palms were sweating.

The Revered Mother cleared her throat. "We gather today, under the gaze of the Maker, to bear witness to a very special union, not only the holy union of a man and woman but of our king and his chosen consort..." I was barely listening. I was staring at Alistair's face hungrily, trying to forget where we were and what we were doing, wrapping ourselves in the little bubble we had been in this morning on the tower watching the sunrise. His hand became surer on mine. I drew in a deep breath and smiled, his lips quirking upward to match mine. It was okay. We were serene. I hadn't even noticed what he was wearing, only that it was metal and ornamental, and stank of rust.

WOOF! I froze.

Oh dear god. The Revered Mother's speech faltered and a ripple of muttering expanded from where we stood. Alistair winced and held onto my hand tighter. I tried to ignore it and no more barking ensued.

The Revered Mother cleared her throat again and continued with the passage.

WOOF!! WOOF WOOF! Grrr!! WOOF! I knew it was too good to hope he'd be good for one minute. I half turned my head and my eye met those of my Mabari Warhound, Tynian. His stumpy tail was going, his whole backside thrashing manically, before he let loose one last bark and charged up the aisle, from where a Kennel Keeper was trying to keep the beast in check. Is should have known that that weedy little man could not stop Tynian when he really wanted something. The revered mother gasped and took a step back, almost hiding behind the altar as Tynian continued his charge, barking happily as he did so. Alistair and I exchanged a fearful look before Alistair clenched his eyes shut.

The force of impact was phenomenal. My Mabari had formed a soft spot where my betrothed was concerned, and it had been a game to Tynian where he would quickly close the distance between himself and Alistair as fast as possible and bowl him over. Obviously the long open aisle was too much temptation for my dog and he just had to get Alistair back for stepping smartly to the side the last time he tried it so many months before. In fact I had a sneaking suspicion that Tynian knew that it was the wrong time to play. Alistair was thrown to the floor, and Tynian stood on his chest, barking smugly before bending over and giving his face a sound licking. He then leapt down and trotted quite happily back to where the Kennel Keeper stood, who was obviously having serious thoughts about leaving before the king realised whose fault it was that Tynian wasn't kept in check.

A strained ripple of laughter went through the crowd, which increased when Alistair stumbled to his feet, laughing sheepishly also. The Revered Mother, however, did not look impressed.

When she finally managed to finish the passage, she glared between Alistair and I, as if daring us to make any issue about it before she carried on with the service. "Does anyone here present know of any reason why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony?" She announced to the crowd.

"If anyone does, there's going to be a few executions," Alistair joked, just loud enough for me and the scowling Revered Mother to hear. My dog barked again, and the crowd chortled. The Kennel Keeper suddenly decided that it was time to remove the dog from temptation. The Revered Mother motioned to Alistair and he gently took both my hands, obviously trying to see my face through my veil.

"Reniselille." He spoke my name like a prayer. "When I first met you, our whole existence and that of Ferelden itself had been cast into doubt and darkness. We were both Grey Wardens, set out to fight the Blight at our doorstep, and we had been thrown together without anything that seemed like a thought, to fight something that was so much bigger than any of us." He held my hands tighter. "In that dark time, you became my guiding Light, everything about you just felt like home to me, you gave me hope. You gave me laughter. You gave me something that no one else could. Your Heart. I loved you from the very moment I saw you, it just took my heart a while to catch up with the enormity of what you meant to me. And now you're about to be mine, and I promise you, I will love you until the day I die. Even beyond."

I wanted to weep. He was speaking from his heart, and with every word he uttered, I knew they were as true as the ones that had followed. I took a deep breath even as he gently pushed a ring onto my finger, his eyes never leaving mine.

I swallowed a sob before it could escape. "My Alistair." I whispered, hoarsely. I cleared my throat and started again. "There have been many times where I have almost lost my way. I remember standing on the brink of terror trying to fight back hysteria and fear and feeling myself fail. And then I'd remember you. Alistair, you are my whole world, and you always have been, even before I knew someone could mean that much to me. Alistair, I promise to be the best wife a husband ever had. I will be the strength in your back and the steel in your heart. I will be the carrier of your burdens and the mother of your children," Alistair's eyes began to water again, as mine threatened to do the same. "And I will never stop loving you. You are my world, and I am safe in your heart." A single tear drifted down my cheek and Alistair reached out to me but I gave a miniscule shake of my head. "Wait," I mouthed.

He nodded and then glanced at the Revered Mother, who was obviously having trouble not tearing up herself. "My Lords, Ladies and esteemed guests... under the gaze of the Maker, I pronounce this couple husband and wife, King and Queen." She smiled. "You may kiss the bride."

"Finally." I saw Alistair mouth, and he grasped the veil and flung it from my head, but he did not wait to watch it drift lazily to the floor. Instead he leant forward and pressed his hungry lips to mine, his arms finding my body and pulling me against him forcefully. I felt the tremor in his kiss, that told me that he couldn't believe I was his, and the hungry need that was beginning to leave me breathless. I found that I just could not wait for today to be over and I could finally be in his arms as his wife, and feel him make love to me, as my husband. My whole body was trembling with desire as he pulled away, and by the look in his eyes, I could tell that I was not the only one who could not wait until tonight.

The cheers that had erupted when Alistair had claimed my lips with his own took a long time to die down, but as we left the Grand Hall, hand in hand, I barely even heard the noise at all. For inside, I was singing.

I was very relieved to see that before the wedding party in the brief moment where Alistair and I had been separated, someone had helped him out of his ornamental armour and he was now wearing an elegant blue doublet and black hose. It had started to worry me how he proposed to get out of it and keep the romantic atmosphere intact once we had retired for the night, but it was obvious that my husband had thought ahead, which was so unlike him. I suspected outside assistance.

Once the party began, all I wanted was for it to end. I loved the well wishers, and the impromptu dances I shared with Leliana, Wynne and some of the palace maids, even Zevran, and I didn't grow tired of people telling me how beautiful I looked, but I just wanted my personal time with my new husband. The only husband I would ever have. Finally, after hours upon hours of dancing, eating and drinking and talking, the revellers had begun to meander out of the halls and into the gardens surrounding the palace, which was the unofficial signal that it was time for the royal couple to retire.

We managed to get up the stairs in a nice sedate manner, but with each accidental brush of our skin, an electric current seemed to race through us, and we would increase our speed, only to slow down for the sake of appearances. Alistair knew where we were going, and so he led us to the royal chambers, his eyes continuously flicking to my face. My hair, amazingly, had still been held up by the tiara, and I was beginning to become quite excited about the effect my loose hair would have on my husband. I smiled.

I barely noticed the bed when we walked into the chambers, I barely noticed anything, because I was too busy waiting for the click that would signal the door being closed and locked, our own private haven secure.

Click.

Instantly, his lips crushed against mine, and his arms formed that crushing hold on me once again, his body filled with the need that had beset us both since this morning. I kissed him back ferociously, my hands snarling in his short hair, even has his hand lifted up to pull the tiara from my head. He leant back a little as he removed it and my hair slipped from the intricate design the ladies had painstakingly weaved it into and it flooded down my back in elegant ringlets, stopping Alistair's breathing completely.

I don't think there are really any words for what happened to me that night, aside from the very real change that occurred inside of me. I had always been in love with Alistair, but now he was mine, and the hold I had on him was almost tangible, was far more real than I could ever expect. I lay on the bed with Alistair's body covering mine, the sweat slick between us as he rocked, softly, so unlike how he had been a few moments before. My breathing was deep, and I was obviously struggling to get my breath back. He gently kissed my throat, one of his hands trailing lingeringly over my breasts. "I love you." I whispered softly to him, and I heard and felt him chuckle against my skin.

"And I love you, my queen." He murmured, the vibration of his voice making my body arch a little, a little gasp escaping my parted lips. He groaned appreciatively and gently nibbled before jerking back into his former rhythm. I did not know what my life with Alistair would hold, I only hoped that I would continue to love him above all else. But then, how could someone place the love of their lover above the love of something that is just as important? My life was never simple, and after the Blight had been defeated, I thought I would reach some normality. It seemed I was destined to lead a very strange, but strangely satisfying life.