Eriana was impressed when she returned to Vigil's Keep after spending a few days in Amaranthine. From the look of things, Varel had been busy cleaning up the remnants of damage left behind from the darkspawn attack, and the entire yard was bustling with activity. Voldrick and a company of dwarfs were working hard making repairs to the walls of the Keep while the sounds clashing swords echoed up from the practice fields. All around, humans, elves, and dwarfs, moved around, conducting business and finishing repairs. She wasn't surprise to see Varel standing by the entrance to the fortress, waiting for her as soon as they passed into the courtyard.

"Commander," he said with a bow. "My Lady, it is good to see you back. I trust your trip to Amaranthine was productive."

"Very much so, thank you, Varel. It looks as though things are going well here as well."

Varel smiled and nodded, "Well, we were fortunate in that the attack was rather quick, so most of the damage was merely superficial, a few aesthetic changes and we are as good as new." She noticed that Varel stiffened as the rest of the group filed in behind her. He shot her a cautious look then leaned in and lowerd his voice. "Is that Nathaniel Howe with you?" Eriana nodded. "But, I thought you sent him away."

Eriana smiled, "I did, but he stopped me on the way into the city and asked to join the Grey Wardens. We'll be putting him through the Joining later this afternoon."

Varel raised an eyebrow as he looked at the dark-haired man standing behind her. "Are you sure that this is such a good idea? I mean, after all that his family has done, some may see this as condoning his father's actions."

"I understand, but Varel, right now there are three Grey Wardens in all of Northern Ferelden. With all that is going on, I don't exactly have time to go out recruiting. He came to me and asked me for this opportunity, a chance to redeem his family's honor and to restore his name." Varel sighed and shook his head. "I know what you're thinking, Varel, but you're wrong. Nathaniel wasn't even here during the Blight. He knew nothing of his father's actions and had no hand in it; so why should he bear the punishment for it? Besides, he quite skilled."

"Do you trust him?"

Eriana shrugged, "I think so; he was very helpful in Amaranthine, and he seems sincere in his desire to help. I'm not sure I'd be willing to turn my back on him just yet, but I'll keep him around until he gives me a reason to doubt him."

"Well, he is skilled, a natural with the bow. I remember that much from when he was a child. I just hope this is a wise move, Commander; as much as I hate to say it, I'm afraid you're in no position to make mistakes, not so early in your rule." Eriana laughed. "What?"

"Nothing, hearing you call it my rule just sounds so odd," she shook her head. "If you had told me two years ago that I'd be running an arling, I would have thought you were absolutely insane. Fate is a tricky whore," she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the sudden pang in her chest.

"Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing, My Lady; forgive my impertinence. It's my job to point out the unpleasant things sometimes."

"And I appreciate it, Varel. I do understand your concerns, but I can't sacrifice what is best for the Wardens just for the sake of appearances." Eriana glanced around, "Speaking of appearances, this place really does look fantastic; I almost can't believe I'm in the same keep." Varel smiled at the complement. "Now, is there anything I need to do before our vassals arrive tomorrow?"

"No, not right now, I'll brief you on the particulars of the ceremony later tonight, after you've had a chance to rest," he said, taking her bags and handing them to a nearby servant. "Oh, and Master Wade said he wanted to see you as soon as you returned."

Eriana nodded and asked Anders to join her, instructing Oghren and Nathaniel to meet in a few hours for the Joining. She turned to the blond mage, "I bet he has your armor ready; I can't wait to see it," she said, leading the mage to the blacksmith's stall.

Wade's face lit up when he saw the commander approach. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite soldier in all of Thedas," he said, strolling forward and giving her a kiss on each cheek. "I see you seneschal found you, yes, yes. Now, I have something very special for you." He took her by the arm and led her into the back of their stall.

"Do you have Anders' armor ready?"

Wade looked a bit insulted, "The mage's armor; oh, yes, yes, of course, but that's not what I wanted you to see. I have your new armor ready and insisted that I be the one to give it to you. We didn't have it unpacked before you left."

Eriana was confused, "But I already got my new armor; Alistair had it sent to me weeks ago."

"Yes, the practical armor, a good suit, but not my masterpiece." He took her arm and led her to a covered armor stand in the corner of their storage room. "Here is my masterpiece, your ceremonial armor, Commander." Eriana gasped when he removed the sheet, revealing a shimmering elf-sized set of what looked like heavy metal armor. The Grey Warden griffon was emblazoned on the front, shimmering with a lyrium inlay. "It's beautiful, is it not, and light too. It looks as though it should weigh a ton, but it is as light as your normal armor. And you should have the same range of motion, provided you find yourself once again dueling at another landsmeet. Well, what do you think?"

"It's amazing," Eriana sputtered, then she grinned. "I'm going to look so tough in this."

Anders glanced over her shoulder. "You know; I'm kind of intimidated just picturing you in that. What kind of metal is it?"

"Ah, that's the beauty of it. It's dragon bone; that's what makes it so light and durable. The more decorative details are done in white steel and silverite, then I polished it so that it gleamed. I was quite pleased with the outcome, if I do say so myself; so pleased, in fact, that I simply refused to send it ahead with the other suit of armor. I wanted to see your reaction in person. So, do you like it Commander?"

Eriana threw her arms around the blacksmith and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Wade, I love it."

That was how Eriana found herself standing before her bureau the next day, encased in the sturdy ceremonial armor, trying hard to choke down the nerves that were threatening to consume her. Wade was true to his word; the new dragon bone armor was just as light and moveable as her dragon wing and drake scale armor was, but somehow it felt completely foreign to her. It just didn't feel right somehow to be clad in such a formal set of armor. Her handmaiden (Varel had insisted on retaining a handmaiden for Eriana, despite her protests – he claimed all noble women needed a personal handmaiden) Vanessa insisted on doing her hair and makeup for the fealty ceremony, so everything about her felt strange and foreign.

Eriana sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, her nervous blue eyes even more piercing than usual thanks to the blue eye makeup Vanessa had insisted on using. She ran her hand over the elaborate braids that were coiled at the base of her neck, trying to subdue wave upon wave of nausea that was bombarding her. Her nerves were beginning to get the better of her.

She sighed and closed her eyes. It was in moments like this when she really missed Zevran. No, that was a lie; she missed Zevran in every moment. It was a constant void in her life, a feeling she could subdue, but never completely numb. No, it was moments like this that she needed him, moments when she was feeling insecure and unsure of herself. He always seemed to know the right things to say to reassure her, to calm her fears. He was there for her before the landsmeet, before the battle of Denerim, before she left to face the archdemon, all the time giving her the confidence she needed to be successful. And now she was about to throw herself to the wolves (her vassals) and just like before, she desperately needed him. She tried to imagine his voice, imagining what he might say; as if imagining his words would somehow summon him to her. She longed to feel his breath on her neck as he whispered words of comfort in her ear, to feel the warmth of his presence behind her.

"Commander, are you okay." Her eyes shot open to find a nervous looking Nathaniel standing in her doorway. "I knocked, but you didn't answer. Varel sent me up here to … to see if you needed anything."

Eriana sighed, "He sent you here to fetch me, didn't he?"

Nathaniel shrugged. "Yeah," he said coming in the room and standing behind her. "A good thing, too because it looks like you were either about to pass out or make a break for it."

Eriana smiled sadly. "I'm just nervous, that's all. I really hate all this attention, especially when I'm around a big group of humans, no offense." She sighed, "I guess I'm just afraid they'll take one look at me and laugh me out of Amaranthine; I mean, why in Thedas would they ever take me seriously as a noble?"

"They won't." Nathaniel said flatly. Eriana turned and looked at him, unable to hide the surprised look on her face. "So don't try to be a noble; just be yourself. You're the Warden Commander of Ferelden, not some stuffy noblewoman. You have done things no one else in history has ever done. Why would you want to pretend to be something else?"

Nathaniel gently took her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. "Listen, there are a lot of members of the nobility who would never take you seriously if you showed up and tried to present yourself as one of them because, like it or not, many of them won't be able to see past your race. But there's no denying who you are and what you've done; make them respect you for that and you'll have their allegiance."

Eriana sighed and turned back to the mirror. "You're right." She cocked her head and looked down at herself. "I just feel… strange, like I'm a different person. I don't know; do I look ridiculous in this getup?"

Nathaniel laughed, "Ridiculous? Far from it. That armor practically screams power and authority, which is exactly what you're trying to portray, but there is something slightly off about your look. May I?" He stepped up and carefully undid the elaborate braids at the base of her neck and swept her hair up into a high ponytail, letting the wavy hair cascade down the back of her neck. She shivered as his callused hands lightly brushed against her delicate and sensitive ears. "Sorry about that," he muttered as he finished securing her hair. "There, that's better; you look more like a soldier now." He smiled down at her, "Listen to me, you'll do fine. You've faced down dragons, right? So what's a room full of self-important nobles, huh?"

Eriana laughed, feeling a huge weight seem to lift off her shoulders. "Nathaniel, do you think you could do something for me?"

"Anything, Commander."

"Well, two things actually. First, you've got to stop calling me Commander when we're not in public. It's Eriana when it's just us Wardens."

"I think I can do that."

"Good, then secondly, I would like for you to stay out of sight, you know, in the shadows during the first half of the ceremony today. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything that may be out of the ordinary, anything that may be a sign of trouble."

"Are you expecting trouble?"

"Nathaniel, I'm always expecting trouble. I have an uncanny ability to find it wherever I go." She sighed, "Besides, I feel better if there's someone hidden in the shadows, watching out for things I can't see when I'm dealing with all this political stuff. You could come in about half way through with some excuse for being late."

"I'm sure I can think of something; don't' worry, I'll keep an eye on things for you," Nathaniel said. "And speaking of the ceremony, we had better get you down there before Varel sends Oghren or Anders up after you."

"You're right," she said grabbing her sword and placing it in the scabbard that rested on her hip. She took Nathaniel's outstretched arm and allowed him to lead her down into the main hall. "And, Nathaniel, thank you. You made me feel a lot better."

Nathaniel smiled and patted her hand, "Any time, Eriana."

The actual fealty part of the evening's festivities passed rather quickly for Eriana. She felt better knowing that Nathaniel was there, just out of sight, keeping a close eye on things. Somehow, the unease of facing her vassals was dampened by his unseen presence, and despite the visible presence of her guard, it was Nathaniel lurking in the shadows that made her feel truly safe. She listened as each of the noblemen and women stepped forward and gave the same oath of loyalty that she had given to Fergus Cousland only a few weeks before. They all seemed sincere enough in their declarations, but she didn't put much stock in their oaths. After all, most of them had been raised as nobles and, as such, were taught to lie the moment they were weaned from their nurses' teats.

After each Lord swore their oaths of allegiance to her, Eriana began to mingle through the crowd, taking time to speak to each of them individually. She didn't get an 'I want to kill you and eat your liver' vibe from any of them, but it was clear several of them were unsure of her ability to see to their needs.

She had made her way through most of the crowd and was speaking with Lord Eddelbreck when Nathaniel strolled into the hall wearing riding leathers, whipping dust from his hands. He gave Anders and Oghren a slight wave before making his way over to Eriana.

"Commander," he said, ignoring the surprised stares of the nobility, "I apologize for my tardiness. I had hoped to make it back from our scouting run before the ceremony began, but my party came across a fresh trail that I felt it was important to follow. Unfortunately, it disappeared before we could find anything of use."

"That's understandable, Warden Nathaniel, Warden business must come first in situations like this," Eriana said and gestured back to Eddelbreck. "We were just discussing what measures we should take around the arling to combat the increased darkspawn numbers."

"Oh, come now, Eddelbreck, surely you aren't complaining about your precious farm lands yet again," another man who was standing close by added, abruptly joining the conversation. "That's all you seem to talk about, protect the farmlands, protect the farmlands, and what should the rest of us do in the mean time? Leave the city to fend for itself?"

"Look, Thomas, the city has walls to protect it, and what will you do once the silos of grain and wheat are empty and the farms have been decimated?"

"The walls of our city protect the lives of our people. Crops can be resown, but you can't replace people so easily, am I right Commander?"

All around them, conversations hushed and heads turned toward Eriana. "Both of you have very valid points. Thomas, was it? Thomas you are absolutely right to say that the city needs defending; it is the very life and heart of our arling. But Eddelbreck is right as well, the city is well fortified; I know, I saw it just a few days ago. The numbers in your guard were a bit low, but you can fix that quite easily. You have a huge untapped resource in your city that could help you make great strides on the way to greater security."

"And what resource is that, My Lady?"

"Your Alienage." Eriana heard the scoffs and laughs from the nobles around her.

"The Alienage, Commander, are you suggesting that I put the defense of the city in the hands of the elves?"

"Not entirely, but if used properly, the elves in your city would be a great asset if you would let them. It is their home, too after all. They would defend it with as much passion as your human guards, believe me. Train them as archers and position them along the battlements of the city; let them serve as lookouts. Elves have better eyesight than most humans and a natural dexterity that makes them ideal archers. For every elf that you train, you could send another guard to the gates or to patrol the city; it would increase security and give you a new pool of talent from which to recruit. Then we wouldn't have to pull guards from the farm lands and the trade routes to ensure order here; we maintain the safety of the city while ensuring commerce and agriculture remain productive. Everyone wins."

The nobles around them murmured their approval, but Thomas seemed unconvinced. "But what makes you think elves would be capable of fighting when push came to shove? And I mean no offense here, but you are a Grey Warden. We can't judge what all elves can do based on your abilities."

Eriana smiled, "True, but I was just an elf living in the alienage when I was recruited to join the Wardens. You would be surprised what we elves can do with a little training. We're not quite as helpless as you may think. I'll tell you what, after this is over, why don't you come to the training yard, and I can prove my point."

Thomas agreed, so after the reception was over, Eddelbreck, Thomas, and a hand full of other interested nobles met Eriana and the Wardens at the practice fields. Eriana started with a hand to hand combat demonstration with her and Nathaniel. In the back of her mind, she wished Zevran had been there to show them what an elf who wasn't a Warden was capable of, but in his absence, Nathaniel had to do. After the two Wardens faced off a few times, she asked if one of Thomas's guards wanted to try. A big, burly man with a sword and shield stepped forward, eagerly.

Nathaniel stepped up behind her, "Careful, Commander. This one looks like he means to hurt you; even with sparring weapons, I have a feeling he could do some damage."

"Thanks, Nathaniel, I know his type, big, strong, and anxious. This one should be a piece of cake."

Eriana strolled into the center of the ring and faced the guard, rocking up on the balls of her feet and spinning the daggers in her hand, waiting for the attack. The burly man raised his sword, and ran toward her, bellowing a vicious war cry as he came barreling toward her. Eriana grinned and at the last moment, moved gracefully to the side as the huge man stumbled past her. She spun around, readying her weapons, waiting for him to attack again. This time, she met his sword, parrying off his attack before spinning behind him. As she expected, he followed her with his shield, hoping to hit her and throw her off balance. All it took was a brief tug on his shield and down he went; the entire duel lasted less than a minute.

"As you can see, elves are perfectly capable of learning the skills to defend themselves and our city. What we are missing in reach and strength, we make up for in speed and agility. Trust me, this will strengthen you guard force and give the city added security." She looked over at Eddelbreck. "With your permission, Ser, I would like to borrow your servant for one more demonstration," Eriana said, motioning toward the young elven man with the nobleman to come forward. Taking the elf to the side, Eriana and Nathaniel quickly instructed him on the basics of archery. The elf took to it quickly, and after only a few minutes of instruction, he was consistently hitting the target, much to his and his employer's surprise.

"Now, not every elf will pick it up this quickly," Eriana said, turning back to the shocked looking nobles, "but if you simply give those who are interested an opportunity to try, you may be surprised to find some very promising fighters."

Ser Thomas smiled, "You know, I'm sorry to say I've never considered it, but you do have a point. If I do this, we wouldn't have to pull troops from the outlying areas of the arling and still improve security in the city. I like it, thank you, Commander. I think this arling is in good hands now, thanks to you."

Before everyone left, Eriana made her way over to the guard who had agreed to fight her. "I wanted to thank you for your cooperation today, Ser; not everyone would be willing to participate. I guess you haven't had the opportunity to fight against many rogues, right?"

The guard smiled, "That's true, but I was happy for the opportunity. I mean how many people can say they were bested by the Hero of Ferelden? I was there, you know, when you defeated Loghain; I knew full well what you were capable of." He laughed, "I just didn't expect you to beat me quite so quickly."

"Well, I fight dirty; just remember that next time you go up against a rogue."

He smiled, "Rematch next time we're up?"

Eriana gave him a pat on the shoulder, "You got it."

"That was a really smart move," Nathaniel said to Eriana as the two of them stood on the fortress walls, watching the remaining nobles leave. "You managed to please everyone involved in that dispute and still managed to get what you wanted." He grinned down at her, "And you were nervous about dealing with those wolves; I think you're better at this than you realize."

"Well, I worked at the Gnawed Noble Tavern through my teen years, so I guess I learned a thing or two about politics there." She turned and the two began walking along the battlements. "I wanted to thank you, Nathaniel, for all that you did for me today. You filled a big need for me today, and for that I am grateful. I guess I had just gotten so used to having someone fill that role; it's been a bit of an adjustment not having him there."

"Your assassin?" Eriana nodded. "For what it's worth, you were right to have someone watching from the shadows. I didn't want to say anything till they were all gone, but there is already some talk of discontent among the nobles. I wasn't able to pinpoint who the source of the rabblerousing was, but there is definitely someone among your vassals who is trying to garner support against you."

Eriana glanced up, "Did you overhear anything specific?"

"No, it didn't sound like they had anything specific planned out; I think that whoever's behind this was just trying to determine how many people were willing to make a move against you, well, against us."

"So, what kind of response did they get?"

"That's hard to say. There are definitely several people who aren't happy about this, but most of the banns seemed willing to see what you are capable of. They seem to respect what you did during the war and are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Eriana sighed, "Well, that's good to know; only some of my vassals seem to want me dead."

Nathaniel chuckled, "Welcome to the life of a noble, Eriana. You've not really arrived until someone wants you dead."

"Then I must have arrived a long time ago; I've been dodging assassination attempts for over a year now, and I have to say, it's getting a bit old."

Nathaniel glanced down at her, "Um, weren't you about to marry an assassin?"

"Yeah, but he stopped trying to assassinate me a long time ago," Eriana said with a sad laugh.

"Hey, if you're worried about this, don't. You're surrounded by people who will look out for you. Oghren would take the legs off anyone who tried to hurt you, you know, and Anders, well, I'm pretty sure he'd fry just about anyone who came after you."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Nathaniel said slyly, "I'd take them out before they even knew I was there."

"I feel safer already," Eriana said with a laugh. She leaned against the battlements in front of her and looked out into the forest. "You know, I have to say, you are a bit of an anomaly to me, Nathaniel. It's rare to find a nobleman with your particular set of skills."

"What do you mean?"

"It's only that most noblemen I've met have the exact same style of fighting. It's almost as if noble boys are handed a sword and shield the moment they're weaned and taught to smash things. It's like every father wants his son to subscribe to the 'I'm man, I bash things with a sword and slam things with my shield' school of fighting. You're the first one I've met who has any subtlety or stealth."

Nathaniel glanced down at her, "You did meet my father didn't you? Could you ever imagine my father teaching me to fight like that?"

"True, you got met there," she said with a sigh. "So what do you think their strategy will be; I mean how do you think my enemies will come at me?"

"I'm not sure; if they're anything like my father, it will be a direct attack, something that we will see coming. You don't need to worry about a thing. Well, don't worry about the things we can handle; you have an arling to run and darkspawn to eradicate, that's what you get to worry about."

"Thanks, Nate, I feel better already."

I hope everyone is having a good Christmas week! Thank you to those of you who took time to review this week Eva Galana, Kainen-no-Kitsune, Jen 4306, and CynderJenn. Also thank you to everyone who added alerts and faves: Hirdas, Neverstar, and Hetekos.

Thank you all for reading! Let me know what you think.