She couldn't tell Loghain. She wanted to, the words ready to tumble from her lips when, unmindful of where she was going, she crashed into him. But when he looked at her so warmly she found that she couldn't do it. With a sudden surge of anger, she swore that she wouldn't let the stranger in the dark ruin what was supposed to be a happy night. So she forced her lips into a semblance of a smile and sank readily into her husband's arms, hoping to erase the memory of that other touch.

Later, when she woke in the dull light of a winter morning trembling from a dream in which invisible hands had grabbed at her, she realised that she could not ignore the incident and hope to forget it. She felt like a coward for being so disturbed by such a small thing but that intimate, threatening touch had left her feeling vulnerable. Later, she thought, sliding closer to Loghain and pressing her forehead against his back. I will tell him later.

But when she woke again Loghain was gone. There was a perfunctory knock on the door before Meryl entered carrying a heavily laden breakfast tray. From the dark circles beneath her eyes, Elissa guessed that she had overindulged during yesterday's celebrations. "Good morning, my lady," she mumbled, looking queasy as she set the tray on Elissa's lap.

"Do you enjoy Midwinter, Meryl?"

"I did, my lady." She paused before adding, "I think I might have enjoyed it a bit too much."

"In that case, I believe I'll have no further need of you for the rest of the day."

For once Meryl didn't argue and simply thanked her before saying, "Forgive me, my lady, I was meant to pass along a message from Teyrn Loghain. He wishes you to go to him in the council chambers as soon as you're ready."

Elissa paused with a slice of bread halfway to her mouth. "The council chamber? Did he say why?"

"No, my lady."

Elissa all but threw her breakfast aside and scrambled from the bed. "A clean gown, Meryl," she ordered, yanking her nightgown over her head.

Just minutes later she arrived outside the council chambers. She hoped that she would be able to slip in quietly, but everyone except the king and queen rose to their feet as they saw her in the doorway. Every face at the great table that dominated the room looked worse for wear. Like Meryl, many had overindulged the night before. Normally the day after Midwinter was a lazy one. Council meetings were usually postponed until the next day unless they were in a state of emergency. Loghain caught her eye and indicated that she should take the seat next to his, and as she sat down the other councillors resumed their seats.

"Teyrna Elissa is here as her father's representative," Loghain explained.

"Why are the Couslands alone represented?" asked one of the councillors. "If not the banns, should not the arls be here at the very least?"

"No," said Loghain in a voice that would brook no argument. "Highever has the largest force of men outside of Denerim; the Couslands' support is vital."

"If indeed we need it," said Anora. "Nothing is certain yet. We do not wish to cause undue panic when the reports have yet to be confirmed."

"Surely the confirmation is a mere formality," interjected Cailan.

"You should pray to the Maker that the reports are wrong," said Loghain, an unmistakeable edge of impatience to his voice.

Elissa watched the exchange in silent confusion. She had hoped that someone would explain why she had been summoned but, seeing she was in danger of being forgotten in the argument, she discretely tapped Loghain's leg beneath the table. "You speak as if you wish to form an army. Is there to be war?"

"There have been sightings of darkspawn in the south."

"Darkspawn? I thought they lived below ground."

"They do," said Cailan, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Except during a Blight. Surely you've heard the tales, Elissa?"

"I would remind you that this is not a tale, Cailan," Loghain all but growled.

Anora shot a reproving glare at Loghain that he returned steadily. Elissa suspected that Anora privately agreed with her father but didn't appreciate him undermining her husband in front of the entire council. "What is to be done?" she asked, hoping to break the tension between father and daughter.

"That is what we 're in the process of deciding," said Loghain.

"We should assemble an army immediately," said the councillor who had questioned Elissa's presence in the chamber.

"Based on unsubstantiated rumours?" asked another. "That is ridiculous."

This remark triggered an outpouring from around the table. It took more than two hours for an agreement to be reached: scouts would be dispatched to the south to investigate the rumours of darkspawn. In preparation for the worst, Denerim's troops would be prepared to march and riders would be dispatched to the nobles ordering them to hold their soldiers in readiness.

Elissa left the council chambers feeling rather drained. The councillors were just as bad as the queen's ladies. Worse, in fact. At least the latter had some subtlety, whereas councillors who nursed grudges and animosities openly insulted their rivals during sessions. She had the sneaking suspicion that she would become far too acquainted with their hostility over the coming weeks. That dismal prospect, coupled with the looming threat of the darkspawn, knocked all thought of the previous night's unsavoury incident out of her mind.

As the scouts crept from the city, preparations began. If a large force was discovered they could not afford to linger. The councillors muttered that this was a bad season to wage war, and Elissa was inclined to agree. The frozen ground was more difficult to traverse and food was scarce. If an army could not be fed, it would resort to plundering the land. Thankfully the harvest had been a good one and the winter not too hard, so finding enough food to feed an army would not mean starvation for others. Orders for weapons and armour, food and canvas, flooded from the palace into the city, while existing stores were inspected, supplemented and repaired.

Archery contests were held throughout the city, attended by representatives of the king. That the prize for proficiency was recruitment into the army seemed to deter no one. Youths gathered every morning, with red fingers and breath hanging in the air, clutching old but well cared for bows and hoping to prove themselves. The feats of arms were not restricted to the city. While the council, headed by Anora and Loghain, worked day and night to put the kingdom on a war footing in a very short time, Cailan presided over mock duels. The rewards were higher for those who won here. The victors would act as Cailan's companions on campaign and would ride into battle at his side. If they distinguished themselves there, there was a good change that the king would reward them.

A little over a fortnight after the scouts were dispatched, Elissa and Loghain were woken by a hammering on their door. She jerked awake, eyes flying to the window where a patch of dark sky could be glimpsed through the half closed drapes. It was still night, too early for even the servants to be awake. She fumbled to light a candle, trying to contain the anxious fluttering in her stomach. Whoever was knocking at the door, their message could not be good. People did not rouse teyrns in the middle of the night to tell them that all was well. By the time the candle spurted to life, Loghain had yanked on a pair of trousers and was striding to the door. Hand on the handle, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was covered by the sheet before opening it.

The man in the doorway looked on the brink of collapse. His boots and the hem of his cloak were caked in mud, and he swayed slightly where he stood. He thrust a rolled up piece of paper into Loghain's hands, adding a respectful "My lord" as an afterthought. Loghain unfurled the paper and Elissa did not need to read it to know that it contained bad news. The sudden tension in her husband's shoulders told her everything she needed to know. "Does the king know?" he asked gruffly.

The scout jerked his head. "His Majesty sent me to you."

"Go to the kitchen and get some food," ordered Loghain. "But don't sleep yet. Go to the council chambers as soon as you're done; we may have questions for you."

Nodding, the scout staggered away. Elissa, watching him go, wondered whether he would be coherent enough to answer the councillors. Then the door slammed shut and her attention was drawn back to Loghain and the letter he held. He didn't spare her a glance as he continued to dress but said without preamble, "The sightings have been confirmed. Darkspawn are massing in the south."

"So it is to be war then," she said, a slight hitch in her voice the only sign of the fear that gripped her, sinking its cold fingers under her skin.

"Yes," he said shortly. "You need to dress. I want you at the meeting too."

She complied automatically, her mind veering off onto frightening paths. She had not lived through a war but she had heard horrific stories from those who had. They didn't speak just of bloody battles, but of those who had never wielded a weapon being brutalised and butchered in their own homes. They suffered at the hands of the Orlesians, fellow humans who were meant to possess reason and compassion. If they had inflicted such cruelty, what would mindless monsters be capable of? For all that it made her feel small and selfish, she was grateful that the length of the kingdom separated her family from this threat.

When they arrived at the council chambers she couldn't comprehend Cailan's ill concealed excitement. Everyone else, having been woken at the dead of night to such awful news, looked rather haggard, including the usually immaculately presented Anora. The king, however, grinned around at everyone, talking animatedly about legends and past victories over the darkspawn. His attitude irritated Loghain and Anora as much as it baffled Elissa. A few well chosen words from the queen persuaded Cailan that his presence was more urgently needed elsewhere. He needed to prepare his people, to decide how he would break the news and rally the troops already assembled in the city.

Elissa expected the council to be troubled by the departure of the king at such a crucial moment but they barely seemed to notice, deferring to Anora without question or comment. This, she suspected, was how the royal couple worked. Cailan charmed his people, winning their respect and confidence, while Anora saw to the actual running of the country.

With Cailan gone, everyone turned their attention to the exhausted scout who looked like he was about to slip off his stool. They quizzed him endlessly on the details of his letter. How many darkspawn were there? Were they well armed? Did they show signs of stirring from their current position? Fortunately for the poor man, as the day wore on the other scouts trickled back into the city. He was finally allowed to go to bed as a series of weary and travel worn men and women took his place.

The picture that emerged was both hopeful and worrying. The darkspawn were few in number, although it would still require a small army to defeat them. The worrying news was that this force was likely only a vanguard. Darkspawn might be a constant problem for the dwarves, but they only strayed to the surface during a Blight. If they were indeed facing a Blight more would certainly follow. As such, it was quickly decided that they would not throw the full force of their army at the enemy. "It would be foolish to waste out resources on so small a foe," said Loghain. "We must hold the bulk of our soldiers in readiness for the army that will emerge from the Deep Roads."

They drew up a list of nobles who would be required to provide troops for the first stage of what would almost certainly be a long campaign. Most of them lived close to Denerim. Speed was vital and their soldiers could be assembled faster than any others. She was relieved when her father's name did not appear on the list. Not that his safety would be guaranteed for long; he, along with the others spared from the first round of fighting, would be expected to have their troops ready the moment the king requested them.

After that decision was made, letters to the chosen nobles had to be dictated and dispatched with the utmost speed. There were mounds of paper to pore over as they tried to work out whether the provisions they had already amassed in preparation would be sufficient. When they were short on something, hasty calculations had to be made and messengers dispatched to the market to place urgent orders. They didn't leave the chamber all day, gulping down their meals at the same table where they planned war. The work was relentless, and by the time they finally departed for bed the sky was dark again. Somehow the whole day had passed them by.

In bed Elissa hovered on the verge of sleep. The long day had exhausted her but sleep remained tantalisingly out of reach. Loghain must have been disturbed by her restlessness because he said, "There's no need for you to worry."

She heard the weariness in his voice and felt a twinge of guilt that she was keeping him awake. "Never mind me, go to sleep. Tomorrow will be no easier than today."

Without warning an arm slid beneath her and hoisted her up, depositing her in an undignified sprawl on his chest. "I will mind you," he rumbled in her ear as she pushed her now rumpled hair out of her eyes. "You're frightened and there's no need. Bryce and Fergus don't have a place in this battle; they won't come to harm at Highever."

"And what about you?" she demanded. "Are you going to tell me you're in no danger on a battlefield?"

There was a brief silence in which she wondered whether he had fallen asleep, then he tilted her face to his and captured her lips in a kiss that was almost sweet. When they parted she opened her mouth to speak but he cut across her before she could begin. "Would you like to go to Highever?"

"Highever? Why?"

"I thought you might feel more comfortable with your family while I'm away."

For a moment the temptation was almost overwhelming. This was the longest she had ever gone without seeing her family. Orin seemed to grow overnight so he probably would have spurted up since the summer. Fergus would have to think about beginning his martial training soon. She imagined herself playing a part in it, teaching him to wield a dagger as quickly and effectively as his father would teach him to swing a sword.

She shook herself from her domestic fantasy and said, "No. My home is here now. I won't leave it because the next few weeks will be hard. But," she found his hand and kissed it before placing it on her waist, "thank you for asking."

"If you change your mind..." he began, voice now thick with sleep.

"I won't," she said firmly.

More than a week later, Elissa was awake to see the sun rise on the morning of the army's departure. Born after the expulsion of the Orlesians, she had never seen her parents march to battle. There had been skirmishes over the years, some of which she had been involved in. They were largely with bandits, ill equipped and poorly organised men who attacked travellers or villagers on Cousland land. She had never feared losing a loved one to them.

She rose before Loghain and dressed quickly, creeping from the room to summon the food and hot water she had ordered to be made ready the night before. By the time Loghain woke a hot, scented bath awaited him. She had no illusions about the state of cleanliness in an army marching to battle. He wouldn't have a chance to bathe properly until he returned to the palace. While he washed she talked determinedly about anything other than darkspawn. Once he had been lathered and rinsed she directed him to a seat by the fire and presented him with a breakfast of his favourite foods. He looked down at the plate and raised his eyebrows. "You're being suspiciously nice to me."

"I am choosing not to be insulted by that."

"Then I know something is wrong."

"Can I not treat my husband well on the morning he marches to war?" she said tartly.

"So that's it," he said, setting his breakfast aside. "You are worried."

"Is that wrong?"

"No, but I'm no unblooded whelp riding off to my first battle. Neither is this the worst opponent I've ever faced."

"This is different," she said heatedly. "This is not a human foe."

"A blow from my sword will still kill them."

Seeing that she wasn't comforted, he beckoned her over and gestured for her to sit on the arm of the chair. He hadn't dressed after the bath and wore only a towel, leaving his chest and arms bare. He took her hands and directed them to trace the many scars that littered his skin. "What do these tell you?" he asked quietly.

"That you have been hurt."

"That I have survived."

She was not comforted by the physical evidence of the many times he had been wounded. But she hoped the scars served as a reminder to him that he was human, and just as likely to fall to a blade as a darkspawn. To most of Ferelden he was a hero, more symbol than man, and sometimes she wondered if he believed the myth of his invulnerability. "Be safe."

His muscles tensed beneath her fingers. "I will do whatever Ferelden requires of me."

"I expect nothing less. I am merely requesting that you attempt to avoid impalement on sword or arrow. I will be most displeased if an army of darkspawn arrives at Denerim bearing your head on a pike."

"I must leave before your honeyed words entice me to stay," he said drily. Brushing her hair away from her face, he pulled her into a slow, tender kiss that she found far more reassuring than anything he had said. Surely, she reasoned, the embrace would have been more intense if he thought he might never return.

After he had devoured his breakfast she helped him into his armour. She handled it carefully, almost reverently. Loghain would have rolled his eyes if he had realised, but she didn't care. She knew the history of the armour, what the sight of it meant to the people of Ferelden. When he was equipped she straightened out her gown and donned a cloak, ready to bid him farewell at the city gates.

At the palace doors Elissa straightened her back and banished any sign of doubt from her face. She would not show her fear to the people of the city, whose loved ones were marching off to an uncertain fate. In the courtyard she found Anora magnificently attired. The queen had chosen not to wear her crown, but her rich, fur lined cloak and the jewels gleaming at her neck screamed wealth and power. She would hold the reigns of the kingdom while Cailan was at war, and she wanted to make it clear to any opportunists who might use her husband's absence to grasp at power that she would not relinquish an inch of her control.

There was only a small force at the palace doors consisting entirely of nobles, the men and women who would take charge of the soldiers and act as Cailan's companions on the road. The bulk of their force, which they would join now, waited outside the city gates.

Elissa held her breath as she hoisted herself onto her mount. She had made no attempt to improve her horsemanship since their arrival in Denerim, and she had never tried to learn the art of riding whilst wearing a cumbersome gown. Today of all days she dreaded becoming entangled in her skirts and tumbling into the dirt. Though she did not manage it with Anora's grace, she lifted herself onto the horse without mishap. As they began to move, she found her horse to be a placid animal, barely needing any guidance from her. Silently she thanked whoever had noticed her nervous riding and arranged such a tranquil animal for her.

The streets, to her surprise, were not lined with unhappy, strained faces. She was supposed that was partly due to the stream of money that had poured from the palace over the past few weeks. People had profited from the king's need for food and supplies, and for those merchants and smiths who were following the army the gold would continue to flow. But there was no doubt that his people's ease was largely thanks to Cailan. In his golden armour he looked like he had stepped out of a legend. He smiled at everyone around him, the tension in his frame clearly born of an eagerness to depart rather than fear. The people gathered to watch their progress responded to him warmly, greeting his smiles with cheers. In comparison to the rebellion of thirty years ago this was a simple battle against an enemy that was small in number and indisputably evil. To many it must have seemed that victory was already assured for their golden king.

Outside the gates the king and queen dismounted and one of the councillors hurried forwards bearing a richly carved box. It contained the king's seal, used on every charter and pronouncement issued from the palace. "While I am absent, the queen will rule in my stead," called Cailan loudly enough for everyone assembled to hear. This was largely for the benefit of those councillors who were remaining at the palace. There was no question that the people would except Anora, daughter of their hero, as their ruler, but the more ambitious members of the council might seek to extend its power.

While Cailan launched into a speech, Elissa's eyes slid to Loghain to find that he was watching her too. She wondered whether he was weighing her up. After all, she would assume his power just as Anora would step into Cailan's role. Did he have faith in her or did he worry she would crumble? Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face because he frowned and raised his hand pointedly. For a moment, uncomprehending, she just stared at him. Then she realised that beneath the gauntlet he wore the ring of their combined devices. She pressed her hand to her chest, laying her palm flat against her pendant where it lay hidden beneath her cloak. He nodded infinitesimally and she smiled widely, grateful for this reminder that he did indeed have faith in her. She strove to contain her grin, aware that it was inappropriate when her husband was riding to war, but it was difficult when Loghain's lips were twitching too.

She hastily returned her gaze to the king and queen and realised that she had missed something important. The seal had been passed into Anora's hands, and Cailan was drawing his speech to a close. "I do not doubt that my wife will be a wise and good queen, and that our councillors will support the decisions she makes on my behalf."

Anora sank into a deep curtsey. "I will not disappoint my king."

Cailan smiled brilliantly at her before mounting his horse again. Anora, after passing the seal back to the councillor, did the same. The king signalled and someone nearby blew a horn sharply. It was the sign to move out: Cailan trotted away first, flanked by Loghain and his chosen companions, then the rest of the army gradually moved after them.

As she watched the army disappear, despite all of Loghain's assurances Elissa couldn't help but wonder whether her marriage would end before it could truly begin.