Loghain found his little wife undressing in their chambers when he returned, her petite form wrapped up in only a thin sheath of a slip that she must have worn beneath her robes. He studied her silently, grimly thinking of how to deal with his secretive bride. She hadn't lied to him and he had no proof that she'd been unfaithful. In fact…he wasn't even sure if he felt that she had been unfaithful. But she did have secrets. He'd known she'd keep some when he'd started this strange arrangement. Oddly enough, however, he found he didn't like it.

He shut the door quietly behind him and she gave a small jump and turned. He expected her to be frightened or to show irritation. Instead she sent him a relieved smile, holding up her shift to her bosom as the thin sleeves had already slipped from her arms. She ducked back a step, flushing slightly with that small smile of hers, her hand reaching back to brush over a small envelope he had not seen that morning. It carried a seal, from Red Cliff…which meant Eamon then. He was glowering at her and she was still smiling at him. Why? Wasn't she worried? Wasn't she afraid? Everyone else cowered when he glared at them…but she blushed.

What an odd woman he'd married.

"What's that? Something from that old fool Eamon?" Loghain asked, trying to push the memory of her small detour in the library from his mind.

She nodded, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her pointed ears. "Yes…suggestions for honeymoon locations," she said with a nod. She glanced up at him, smiled and turned, letting the shift fall to her waist as she sat and ran her hand down the list, pursing her lips. "It was waiting for me when I got here. Personally I'm finding his recommendations in poor taste. He lists Lydes to be of particular interest, but it's Orlais and I'm well aware of your feelings toward the country."

Loghain tilted a brow and stalked over to her, running his hand up her shoulder and placing the other on the desk to her side, capturing her against his frame. "You know…I don't believe you've ever voiced your own opinion on the subject of those masked fops. Do you have one? Or are you with-holding judgment until you have reason to view their depravity for yourself?"

She shot him a rather humorless glance out of the side of her eye and huffed irritably. "I do have an opinion, if you must know. I wish you had asked…might have saved us some trouble during the blight. "

"Really? And why is that?" he asked, his hand shifting closer to her neck, his thumb brushing the pulse that quickened at her nape.

He was impressed when she kept her cool. "I read much about Orlais when I lived in the Circle, mostly concerning Ferelden's war with Orlais, as well as the history of the Empire. And the history of the Chantry, of course. It was what I did for fun…reading history. It was the quietest section of the library. Nearly abandoned. Everyone preferred practical studies. But I wanted to know more about…" she paused and blushed, although he had done nothing, and seemed to hesitate before she continued. "…About the world outside the Tower."

He wondered for a moment what she had chosen not to say to him, what she had hidden from him once again; for she was omitting something from her little recounting. He leaned closer so he could murmur in her ear. "And what did you learn?"

Tearanae smiled at him coyly and leaned back so she could murmur in his ear this time. Perhaps by design, or else simply by accident, she granted him a rather excellent view of her exposed breasts…he felt his mouth begin to water. "That I do not particularly care for Orlesians …or their 'Game'. And that Chevaliers in particular leave a bad taste in my mouth…"

Loghain chuckled and traced his hand down. "Well…that is surprising coming from you. And here I thought you were effortlessly accepting and willing to overlook people's origins or short-comings."

Tearanae hesitated and sat up a bit to look him closer in the eye, although her hand shifted from the desk to grasp at the cushion of her chair. "I can be…but Orlesian attitudes are toxic. Their nobles treat lives like pieces in some board game…to give away at a moments inconvenience and—" she gasped as his hand found the space between her thighs and he stroked her.

She grew warm in an instant, ears and cheeks flushing. He could feel her pulse against his cheek. "And? Don't let me interrupt you…please go on. I find I'm quite enjoying this conversation."

She gave a breathless chuckle, chest heaving. "You…you would. It is just…life is not a game. People are not expendable. I…I would rather be called knife-ear…than some pet name like 'rabbit'. They…oh!" She exclaimed, her back arching and her eyes flying wide open as his finger circled her clit. She shuddered and he smiled, pressing his mouth to the erratic pulse in her neck. He kissed her and she took in a deep breath. "They…they are hypocrites, hiding behind masks and piety to excuse…their…their…"

"Depravity?" he offered, completely amused now as he slipped a finger inside her, watching her fall apart in his hands.

"Ye-yes. O-oh…" She breathed, biting her lip and watching his hand play with her, bringing her closer and closer to a sweet release.

He realized, in that moment, he could probably get the truth out of her when she was lost in him and vulnerable. And he did want answers from her…so many answers to so many questions. Did she have anything to do with the goings-on in Kirkwall? Did she still love that Alienage brat and the Antivan assassin he ran off with? What was she trying to stir up with that mage from Soldier's Peak? Who were the men who had loved her before and left her if her pair of rogues were not the only ones? How much knowledge did she still receive from the Divine's new Left Hand? Did she love the Howe boy she had sent off to Kirkwall? Why did she continue to hide things from him? Why did she pause and blush when she spoke about studying history before?

"Tell me, my little waif…what did you really want to know more about when you read those books in the circle tower? I believe you lied to me before…" he purred into her ear.

She glanced at him in surprise and embarrassment, her cheeks coloring. She gripped the cushion beneath her harder and ducked her head away. "It…it's nothing," she muttered, tripping over the lie. His lips twitched into a smirk…he had her. He began to pull his fingers away. She made a soft sound of displeasure and glanced back at him. "No…maker please…don't stop."

"Then tell me the truth." he drawled, pouring the words into her ear as his hand lingered.

She whined and raised her hands to cover her face in utter shame before she slowly lowered them and glanced up at him with a look not unlike a young maid confessing of some unfortunate infatuation. "You…you came to the tower once…when I was very young…still an apprentice… I…I thought you were so handsome and I…I wanted to know more about you. The legendary Hero of the River Dane…I read about Orlais because…because someday I wanted to serve beside you…against them." She blushed and abruptly stood and stepped away from him, clutching her arms around herself and appearing fragile.

He straightened slowly, more than surprised by her admission. She had admired him…she thought he was…handsome? Him? Impossible; everyone loved Maric. He was always the one people feared or respected. He had never had throngs of adoring women the way Maric had. And yet…

"Please! Forget I said anything. I was…it was a youthful infatuation and…and just ridiculous day dreams. They…they meant nothing." She let the words rush out because she was mortified…but he couldn't stop smiling. He knew she didn't mean a word of them.

"Nothing at all? So you had no girlish fantasies of me? Perhaps…in your mind… I would fall for the young, talented mage who shared my distaste for the Orlesians?" He theorized, grinning as he saw her flinch and turn, staring at him speculatively…and with no small measure of red across her features. He slipped in closer, a hand catching her waist. "No fantasies where I saved you from Chevaliers? No day-dreams of the way I would kiss you…" He turned her and saw her resistance falter and then fail altogether. She was smiling slightly but still embarrassed… he was, apparently, well on track.

He pressed his mouth against hers, deep and passionate but slower than perhaps she would have liked. He pulled away and grinned. "No thoughts on how I would sweep you off your feet… and carry you to my bed?" He knelt and she let out a sharp squeal of laughter as lifted her suddenly, cradling her small form easily in his arms.

"Was I gentle, my lady? Or did I tear your clothes with my teeth?" He growled. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, kissing his jaw and releasing a soft sigh.

"Whatever my dreams…they do not compare to the reality."

Loghain woke up slowly the next day, his head heavy and several of his muscles aching from his enthusiastic love making with his wife the night before. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, thinking to find her awake already and tending to the day's matters. Instead he found her still asleep, curled up beside him, hands clutched near her face as her hair lay all astray. She looked like a porcelain doll lying there beside him, she barely seemed to move save for the gentle rise and fall of her side as she breathed. He found himself gently brushing her hair back from her face, fixing the silken strands into something far more manageable.

He had been more than happy to satisfy and relive any fantasy he assumed she might have made of him in her youth the night before. He wondered now on which of his few trips to the Circle's Tower she might have seen him, mostly because he was beginning to question how young she truly was. Perhaps if he asked Irving? The First Enchanter was still present at the castle, giving advice to the King and Queen on matters concerning magic and the politics within the various circles. He believed that the Knight Commander was still present as well…and thankfully Gregoir had always been easier to talk to than Irving. At least, Loghain had always thought so.

He slipped carefully and quietly from the bed, letting his wife stay asleep for as long as it pleased her. He washed and dressed himself quickly and quietly then slipped from his chambers without once disturbing the young elf. He traveled from the royal apartments, stopping only once at the kitchens to discreetly grab a bit of toast for a fast meal as he went. His search seemed a bit fruitless at first until he found the old Templar. Out of his armor for once, a cup of tea and kettle beside him, a letter in his hands Gregoir appeared quite relaxed, a far different attitude from the last time Loghain had seen the man. Across from him sat Irving, peaceably reading a scroll of some sort as he sipped at his own cup. Both men appearing at ease as they spoke about something.

As Loghain drew nearer, he could hear at least the tail end of their conversation as he approached. "—she's going to return at some point I hope? Minrathous and the College can't keep her attention forever."

Irving chuckled and shook his head, setting down his book to look at the old Templar. "Wynne will return when she's ready. In the meantime she has sent us a great deal of research."

Gregoir scoffed and slapped down his letter to shoot Irving a glare. "You mean she has sent you a great deal of research; she has only sent me a few curt letters."

Irving chuckled and sipped at his tea, "Well, perhaps if you were a bit more polite with her she would—Ah! My lord Loghain…" Irving interrupted himself, his smile falling as he caught sight of the Teyrn.

Gregoir looked up as well and sat further up to attention. Loghain held up a hand as he approached and gave a nod of his head. "Knight Commander, First Enchanter. I wondered if I might speak to you… concerning my wife."

The men exchanged a glance and then Gregoir sat forward, clasping his hands over his knees. Irving meanwhile, folded his hands on the table and looked about as attentive as a man of his age could. "How may we help?" Irving asked, congenial as ever.

"After speaking to her last night I was…wondering her age." He said hesitantly.

Gregoir blinked in surprise and Irving's bushy brows rose high as his smile became a complex twist of his lips. The old mage cleared his throat first and had the decency to look bashful while the old Templar Commander simply continued to stare. "Her age, my lord? I…is something the matter with her age?" he asked.

Loghain tried not to let his impatience nor his embarrassment show. This was not exactly the sort of conversation he was at ease with. More than that, he hated it when people asked him questions concerning his motivations. He wanted to know something; wasn't that enough? Must they delve into his every reason behind knowing? "There is nothing the matter with it," he snapped, "I simply wish to know her years. She has not told me herself and I have always been told it's only a foolish man that asks a woman her age. I am no fool, gentleman, but I am curious. So, if you would," he stated firmly, crossing his arms and looking at them with his best stone-faced glare.

Irving made a few muttering sounds and stroked at his beard in thought. "She arrived to us ten years ago wasn't it?" he muttered thoughtfully.

Gregoir scoffed and lifted his tea cup, draining it before shooting Irving a scolding glance. "Twelve. It was twelve years ago, you old fool."

Irving sputtered indignantly and shot Gregoir a mild glare before he sighed and relented. "Yes, well, your memory is sharper than mine. It must have been twelve." He thought for a moment longer and chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "She was quite the wild little thing when they brought her in."

Gregoir nodded, although he seemed less amused by the warden's apparent wild youth than the mage. "Yes, she looked to be ten summers old then…but it is harder to tell with elves."

Iriving nodded absently, "Yes, yes it can be. She spoke to me of the time before she came to the tower on very few occasions. She'd been living with the Dalish although she spoke as if she wasn't truly one of them. They found her I believe at…what was it…Ah yes, she said they considered her to be a mere eight summers old and treated her as such."

Loghain stared at both men in interest; he was learning much from this little exchange. "How on Thedas did she come to the circle if she'd been living with the Dalish?"

Gregoir sighed and looked pensive, sitting back in his chair and propping his chin on his hand. "It's a bit unfortunate, honestly. She was caught showing a young noble's son a few spells. She ran at first until the boy she'd been playing with tried to assist her and wound up hurt. She lashed out at the Templars in his defense and although she made it back to her clan the villagers were demanding blood. The Keeper offered to go in the child's place but that night Tearanae came of her own volition and demanded to be taken to the tower that night. The Templars left, the villagers were appeased, and the Dalish clan had no choice but to leave or suffer further reprisals."

Loghain felt something like pride stir in the back of his mind. So young and already ready to sacrifice everything for others. It almost seemed like destiny that she had found her way into being a hero. However, he was still unsure of her actual age. From the sounds of it, she was older than he'd first thought. Not in her teen years as Alistair had been when he'd taken the throne. In her twenties then, perhaps. Still quite young, and younger than him by half. Although she might be older still if either the Dalish or the Templars had been off in their estimation of her age. Abruptly Loghain was pulled from his thoughts as Gregoir laughed and shook his head.

"Do you remember when Cullen first came to the tower and she started to flit about him like a little butterfly to draw his attention?" Gregoir asked, grinning at Irving.

The old mage chortled over the rim of his tea and nodded. "She would call on him to carry books for her if I remember."

Gregoir chuckled and shook his head. "She teased him relentlessly. Poor sod never stood a chance. "

"Cullen?" Loghain asked as calmly and without jealous speculation as he could.

Both men turned to him as if surprised he was still there, as if they'd forgotten his presence falling into their reveries as they had. Gregoir had the decency to look humbled and a shade embarrassed, although Loghain could tell it wasn't not for the Templar's own sake that he rubbed at his neck. Irving on the other hand had the audacity to look smug. "A young Templar at the tower. He fancied our young warden until Uldred's attack upon the tower. He's off in Kirkwall now serving as Knight Captain under Knight Commander Meredith if I remember correctly."

Gregoir scowled and made a rather unflattering noise of disapproval, hand clenching by the table. "Insufferable woman. Do you know she sent me a missive with notes on how I might improve my command? Feh, The Seekers have never had cause to investigate the Ferelden tower and she has the gall to say she knows better?"

Loghain lifted a brow and smirked slightly, "Some tensions there I take it?"

Gregoir gave a low grumble and a slight nod, "Yes, you could certainly say that. Although the King could tell you more, from the sounds of the talk last night he may be visiting the City of Chains soon." The old Templar paused and then grinned wickedly over his cup. "I wonder if I could convince him to give Meredith a few pointers on how to run a circle full of mages. Since she only seems capable of running a circle of tranquil."

Irving shot Gregoir a mild glare, "Gregoir, that is hardly fair."

Loghain gave a simple shake of his head and a tight smile. "Thank you for the insight gentleman, but as I have no taste for politics anymore I think I shall take my leave."

Both men studied him carefully and gave polite nods as Loghain turned to leave. He'd hardly gone three steps before he could hear them bickering over the politics of the circle and the Templars.

The days that followed became something of a quiet blur. The Wardens left, sent off on duties ordered by their Commander and her superiors far to the north in Weishaupt. To Loghain's surprise his wife included him in much of it. He was, technically, a warden after all, she had reasoned. Why shouldn't he be involved in their functions? It gave him some insight into her focus and what she desired the Wardens to do and be capable of. They were still in need of numbers although the Orlesian Wardens promised the aid of a fine recruiter by the name of Blackwall to assist in their efforts. In the meantime Tearanae had her wardens patrolling for any darkspawn activity. She'd set Oghren, the drunken dwarf who made so much of an ass of himself, to training new recruits and watching the coasts of Amaranthine while she was away. Oddly enough he seemed well suited to the role.

Another dwarf, this one far more tolerable, named Sigurn was tasked with scouting out rumors of darkspawn activity both on the surface and below. Although Orzamar and her king Bhelen were proving more capable and adept at defending their lands and borders than they had in centuries, it seemed Tearanae did not trust the King's reports. Loghain could tell that she wanted to track the darkspawn's movements; whether to learn from them or else find a place to strike that would greatly reduce their threat he could not tell. It was a wise tactic none the less and Loghain respected her for it and endorsed it heartily.

The last remaining of the Commander's inner circle was the Dalish elf, the woman that seemed to cause everyone's skin to prickle in distaste wherever she went. Although she found it difficult at first to place her, eventually Tearanae settled on having the woman study and assist the lands in recovery from the Blight. Her knowledge of the wilds, nature, and now the blight made her surprisingly well suited. Before she left, Loghain watched with amusement as his young wife burdened the other woman with book after book, study after study, and poultice after poultice concerned with the growing of plants. Loghain could see the way the Dalish mage seemed to grow more agitated and irritated with each new instruction the Warden gave her. Finally the blonde elf snapped, claimed she did not need to be lectured to or bothered over to ensure she did her job correctly, and stormed off. Tearanae pursed her lips at that and almost looked insulted until the moment passed and she watched her friend go with a small, wistful smile.

It wasn't long after the Wardens had all gone their separate ways that the King announced his own plans to sail to Kirkwall, apparently to speak to the Seneschal there and see to the conditions of the Ferelden refugees. It was Anora's idea most likely but Alistair seemed pleased by it. The idea of a Theirin king sailing off into the unknown made Loghain nervous, lingering memories of how Maric had left them still itching at his skull. Tearanae was little better; she practically turned Alistair's staff and ship upside down making sure that they fit her safety standards. She set up more wards than Loghain had ever seen in his long life and went over them three times before she was finally convinced to let things be.

With nearly all of her friends leaving her, Loghain began to see a difference in his wife. She slept little, often waking up screaming in the middle of the night. He tried to soothe her, although that had never been his strong suit, and some nights she would turn whatever Nightmare she had experienced into a passion for him he had a hard time quenching. This was not her only odd or discomforting behavior; since spending time with the Wardens and becoming one himself, he had learned that his appetite was often the rival of a starving bear. His new wife and those that followed her were little better. With so many of them in the castle, the larder had nearly been pushed to its limits. Thankfully the wardens had done their best to help the kitchen staff by going out hunting whenever possible. But now, Tearanae barely seemed to eat at all, preferring to spend a great deal of her time pouring over reports, old journals, and studying magical tomes so thick or vast that it nearly took Loghain's breath away.

The more people who left her side, the worse she became. Like a woman obsessed, there were days where she never left her study at all, losing herself in the thick books and dusty air of her study. Eventually Loghain began to lose his patience for her sulking behavior. About a month and a half after their wedding, when he had not seen her in their quarters for close to a week, Loghain lost his temper altogether.

His path up and down the halls had people fleeing his presence like a flock of birds suddenly taking wing as a hound flushes them from the brush. They scattered so quickly at the sight of his dark look that some of them tripped over themselves in their effort to get out of his way. He practically snatched the people he needed and snarled out orders so ferociously that people winced as they fled to see to them. Whispers sprung up as he left, of course, but he had no time nor interest in listening to them. He watched as his plans were carried out to the letter and then, when all was done, he stormed through the palace to the study where Tearanae had locked herself away.

He slammed open the study door with little pretense or mercy, his lips twitching into a frown as the warden commander gave a startled jump and quickly brushed her unkempt hair away from her face to stare at him almost in shock before her brow furrowed. "Loghain, what—?" she began but before she could continue he crossed the room in three long strides and reached down to almost roughly pull her from her chair, slinging her over his shoulder and carting her from the room. She made a sound of protest and surprise and tried to push herself up and gain purchase on his shoulder. He simply jostled her a bit unmercifully so she would immediately hang off of his shoulder like a sheath of wheat. "What—?! What are you—?! What's going on?!" she sputtered, breathless misunderstanding ghosting over her words as she continued to wiggle in his grasp.

He jostled her back into place once more and secured his hold upon her. "You, my lady, have been neglecting your duties for too long. As such I am here to remind you of them." he growled at her.

The elf stilled in his grasp and pulled herself up to glare at him indignantly. Ah, there was the fire he remembered. "What?! And which duties might that be? I have seen to every missive and issue brought to me and—"

Loghain huffed and carried his wife down the steps of the palace, then on toward the stable doors, glancing up to see that his orders had been followed beyond expectation. Good, it seemed he hadn't lost his touch. "I am not speaking of your duties as an Arl or as Commander of the Grey."

The elf grew still again and mulled this over her mouth twisting into an almost curious expression as she thought over what other duties she might possibly possess. "If I have not been failing in those duties, then what duties could I have possibly been neglecting?"

Loghain gave a low growl as he carted her outside and finally lifted her from his shoulder, although he refused to release her completely. "You have been neglecting your duties as my wife. While I could stand to lose you to some other man who captured your fancy, I will not stand idly by and allow a damn stack of books to steal away the whole of your attention."

Tearanae turned a searing red in the face and opened her mouth as if to retort only to shut it again as she couldn't seem to think of anything to say. She ran a hand over the side of her neck and made a light sound of near indignation that stammered away as she realized his point and seemed to grow even further embarrassed at the notion. "I—! So that's…" she took a moment, hiding her face behind the sleeves of her robes and then glanced back at him, the tiniest of smiles falling upon her lips. "So where are you taking me?"

Loghain gave a victorious smirk and popped open the door of the carriage that had been waiting for them, lifting his wife up to carry her inside. "We, my dear, are finally going on our honeymoon. Where you will have no choice but to spend your time away from your books and sheaths of paper."

Neross: Quick note and big thank you to my new Beta reader JennaUtenna who helped so much with both this chapter and with an updated version of Chapter 9. Without her I probably wouldn't have gotten this out this quickly. Although we screwed up a bit in the whole editing process there for a bit but it's okay because we finally found Chapter 10 and got it out and that's what matters. Hopefully the next one will be up faster. Hopefully. I might take a break to pop back on one of my other stories so I can get one or two of those finished.