Alim moved a little quicker than usual as he made his way from Arl Eamon's study to the common area of the estate, feeling the weighty stares of each staff member he passed by. Reaching the main hall, he saw Alistair and Wynne standing off to the side of the room having a discussion. At least they were until they caught sight of him. They stopped and stared at the elven warden as he leaned up against a wall and closed his eyes, exhaling audibly in exasperation.

"Sounded like the arl took it well?" Alistair said sarcastically.

"Oh, yes, especially since we could hear him ranting all the way from here," added Wynne dryly.

Alim didn't open his eyes, but he smirked. "We may need to find a new place in Denerim to stay. I am half surprised that he did not order me thrown out on the street for supporting Anora."

Wynne shook her head. "Give him time to calm down, child. It sounds worse now than it really is. He still may not be happy with your choice, but I don't think he will continue to protest."

"Alistair, you owe me a couple now… one for getting you out of being king, and one for taking that beating from Arl Eamon for you."

The older warden laughed. "That's why you're our fearless leader and I'm not."

After Wynne excused herself and left the two wardens alone, Alistair asked, "Since you told the arl we're backing Anora, I take it your conversation with her was good?"

Alim shrugged. "To be honest, most of it was spent trying to feel each other out and trying to convince each other of our trustworthiness."

"I guess she thought it was weird that we were supporting her all of a sudden?"

"Yes, I am sure that was part of it. But it also did not help matters that right off I asked her flat out if I could trust her."

Alistair's jaw dropped in shock. "You asked the queen if you could trust her? Like, to her face? That couldn't have gone over well."

Chuckling lightly, Alim nodded. "And that was before I got angry and grabbed her arm by force. I think Erlina was only a few seconds away from planting a dagger in my back."

"Wh-what?" Alistair shook his head incredulously. "You're telling me you went in there and insulted and manhandled the queen, and she didn't order your execution?"

"I know… you cannot take me anywhere, can you? Then again, I distinctly remember telling you and Lel that I was hardly the cultured one in the group."

"So what happened after you finished dazzling her with your charm?" Alistair asked sarcastically.

"Believe it or not, we actually had a good talk. I think she understands and accepts where we are coming from, that we are no threat to her politically and just want her support against the Blight. Though she did ask that in the interest of clearly resolving the issue of succession, you formally renounce your claim to the throne. I told her I did not think you would object."

Alistair shrugged in indifference. "Whatever. Anyway, what of Loghain? Did you have to argue hard for his swift execution?"

Alim hesitated, biting his bottom lip while considering his words. When he didn't reply right away, Alistair sternly demanded, "Tell me you got her commitment to execute him in exchange for our support."

"Well… I… she… she pleaded with me… that we at least afford him the opportunity to retain his honor, even though she doesn't think he would take it."

Alistair was beginning to get concerned. "And what did she say when you told her no?"

"I…" the elf trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

"Alim! Tell me you told her no!"

"I…"

Alistair's voice rose even further, he was becoming frantic. "Tell me you didn't crap on the memory of Duncan and all of the other Grey Wardens that were betrayed by that bastard Loghain!"

"I… am s-sorry, Al-Alistair," Alim choked out in a pained tone.

"Sorry about what? What did you agree to?"

"Th-that we would only kill him if he refused to accept the decision of the Landsmeet and step aside."

Alistair became enraged at the revelation. "Damn you, Alim! How could you do that to the Grey Wardens, to me? I thought you said you were my friend!"

"I am…" the elven warden replied, his voice barely above a whisper in contrast to Alistair's ranting.

"Could've fooled me!" Alistair fired back. "Does being a Grey Warden even mean anything to you? And what about all of the times Loghain tried to have us killed? How could you possibly agree to let him live?"

Alim took a deep breath. "Look, even Anora does not think Loghain will take the honorable path when the Landsmeet goes against him. And when he doesn't, she is fine with us ending him."

"What the hell does that even mean, honorable path? All he has to do is lie and say he agrees to whatever! If he says he's sorry is she going to let him continue commanding Ferelden's armies like nothing ever happened?"

"I… I do not know," Alim admitted.

"I can't believe you did this!" Alistair screamed. "I only wanted one thing, justice! And you would deny me that?"

Tense silence fell over the room for several moments before Alistair blurted out, "You either get Anora to agree that Loghain dies regardless, or I'm taking the throne for no other reason than to make sure it happens!" He began to storm out of the room. Before he got far, however, Alim cleared his throat.

"No," he replied matter-of-factly.

Alistair stopped in his tracks, his head snapping back in the direction of his fellow warden. "No, what?"

Alim fought to control his emotion, which was badly frayed following two verbal lashings back to back. "No, I will not push Anora to change the terms of our agreement. As foul a taste as letting Loghain live leaves in my mouth, it was a fair compromise between what we wanted and what she wanted. And I told you back in my room that once I gave her my word I would not break it. I will not support you for the throne now, especially not when you are only throwing a temper tantrum about not getting your way."

"Temper tantrum?" Alistair seethed. "I'm the one here that remembers what honor is! I'm the one trying to make sure justice is served for the betrayal of our Order! How dare you call it atemper tantrum?"

"Alistair, if you were not willing to accept the terms I agreed to, then you should not have put it all on me to negotiate them. I did not hear you offer even once to come with me to meet with the queen!"

"Of course, foolish me thinking I could trust my supposed friend," Alistair remarked snidely. "I was supposed to expect you to stab me in the back, huh? Tell me, Alim, was it the same with Anora as with Leliana? Did Anora take you into her bed so you would willingly agree to whatever she wanted? Or did she have her maid do the deed instead?"

Alistair's remarks finally pushed the right buttons with Alim, and the younger warden's anger rose to match his friend's. "What? I did not sleep with the queen, you idiot! How can you even suggest that? And you will not stand here and accuse Leliana of using sex to make me do what she wants. She is not like that!"

"Oh, really? Have you already forgotten that she's a professional at doing just that? Good grief, man, you think everyone doesn't know she's playing you like a lute? Or did you actually manage to convince yourself that she really likes you?"

Alim scowled angrily. In the span of a couple seconds, images and words from much earlier in their adventures flew across his mind's eye. Walking along the West Road, the sun getting low in the sky as the day of travel drew closer to the end. The elven warden and Orlesian bard walking side by side, discussing her lifestyle back in Orlais.

"Sometimes we must do terrible things to get what we want…" the bard admitted.

A short time later, a mischievous grin as she said, "Trust me, if I was manipulating you, you'd never know."

Alim shook his head, as if the physical act would clear the vision that just passed. "You are wrong…" he growled. He knew Leliana. She wouldn't do that to him… not to him.

Though Alistair did get frustrated, or perhaps even jealous on occasion that the bard's words carried greater weight with his fellow warden than his own or anyone else's, he didn't really believe what he was saying now. But the feelings of betrayal he was experiencing were spurring him to want to hurt Alim in return. Knowing Alim's confidence issues, casting doubt on his relationship was just the most obvious target to go after. So Alistair continued to cruelly attack his friend's confidence in Leliana. "Believe whatever you want," he said dismissively. "Last night she twice overruled your decision to come with me to see the arl and made you go back to the room. You admitted at breakfast what happened after that, and this morning you were back to being the dutiful puppy dog following her around and jumping at her whim. Hardly the first time that's happened either."

"Shut up, Alistair. It is not like that. If you want to be mad at me for compromising with Anora, fine. But leave Leliana out of it."

"Suuurrre… so you say. Lie to yourself all you want, but you're just another in a long line of suckers. Next time you're with her think about all of the other men she's bedded for her own gain."

Before Alim could stop himself, the instinct to physically lash out took hold and he swung hard, catching the unsuspecting former templar off guard with a left uppercut to the chin. The blow staggered Alistair back. "Shut. Up!" Alim shouted, glaring furiously at his friend.

Wynne and Oghren entered the room just in time to witness an enraged Alistair grab Alim's arm and twist it behind his back, then shove the physically slighter man face first into a wall. Wynne shouted for the two men to stop, but neither heard. Alim spun and swung wildly, a punch that Alistair stepped back to avoid before re-engaging with a vicious kidney punch that dropped the elf to his knees and left him gasping for breath. Alistair followed it up with a backfist to the side of his face that knocked him all the way down.

"Stop them!" Wynne yelled at Oghren.

"Why?" asked the dwarf. "They're men. Let them settle their own sodding issues."

Alim kicked his leg out hard, sweeping Alistair off his feet and dumping him on his rear. He jumped on top the slightly older man and got in a couple of solid punches to his face before the stronger warden tossed him off and scrambled to his feet. Wiping the blood from his lip, Alistair sneered at the elf.

"You fight this hard at your girlfriend just being insulted, yet you roll over like a dog at the betrayal of the Grey Wardens. You make me sick!"

Catching his breath, Alim shook his head. "At least I was strong enough to make a decision, instead of always running away from responsibility, like you!"

Wynne screamed, "What has gotten into you two?" in exasperation.

Alistair lunged at Alim, tackling him around the waist and driving him back into the wall. Alim gasped as the air left his lungs again from the impact. Reason had left him by this point, and he was trying to catch enough breath to get an incantation out for a crushing prison spell, while Alistair was winding up to nail him again. Suddenly the ground started rumbling and both men fell. They both attempted to stand back up, only to lose their balance and fall again.

"You children will stop right now!" Wynne screeched. Her earthquake spell on top of the already loud commotion had drawn quite an audience from the staff members and the wardens' companions that came to investigate.

Alistair stood up once the floor stopped vibrating, and scoffing he ominously declared, "Fine, we'll do it your way, but know I won't forget what you've done." He then stormed out of the room without another word.

Alim irritably shrugged off Sten's offer to help him up, getting up on his own and going down the hall to his own room, locking himself inside before collapsing on the couch in anguish.

-==0==-

"Excuse me, Bann Alfstanna?" Leliana asked. The bard and the witch were eating lunch at a table near the entrance of the Gnawed Noble Tavern when the Bann of the Waking Sea entered with Arl Bryland of South Reach.

Eyeing the pair of women warily, the bann replied, "Do I know you?"

Leliana shook her head. "Would you happen to have a brother that is a templar?"

Alfstanna's eyes narrowed. Irminric had gone missing some time ago, and she was suspicious of the Orlesian and the strangely dressed mage in front of her. "I do," she replied in an even tone.

The bard sighed in relief. "I was hoping so. My fiancé is a Grey Warden, and yesterday he found a templar imprisoned in the dungeon of Arl Howe's estate here in Denerim. He said the templar was suffering from lyrium withdrawal, but because of the situation Alim and his companions were in, he couldn't do more than unlock his cell to free him. The templar gave him his ring and asked that he give it to his sister Alfstanna."

Morrigan eyed the bard curiously at the reference to Alim being her fiancé, but she gave no other reaction besides a slight smirk. "I will never understand this need to bind oneself to another in servitude," she thought cynically.

Alfstanna's eyes opened wide in astonishment. She'd been trying to find out what happened to Irminric for months, and here it was dropped on her out of the blue. "Y-you say my brother is imprisoned in Howe's dungeon?"

Leliana nodded. "I was not there, so I am only telling you what Alim told me. But we are staying at Arl Eamon's estate. You can either stop by there to get the ring from Alim or I can have him meet you somewhere."

Alfstanna turned frantically to Arl Bryland. "I must go talk to the Grey Warden at once. I need to know if he truly has Irminric's ring."

Bryland nodded. "Of course, go. Our meeting can wait."

The bann glanced back at Leliana once again. "I-I am sorry… you said his name was?"

"Alim Surana," she answered. "He is at Arl Eamon's estate across the market square. He is an elf, though you may only recognize that from his height. He will likely be wearing a dark green hooded cloak."

After a quick thank you, Alfstanna bolted out the door, anxious to get to the Arl of Redcliffe estate.

Smiling gently, Arl Bryland nodded at Leliana and Morrigan. "Thank you for letting her know. She has been beside herself with worry ever since her brother went missing. I'd expect a fine reward if the Grey Warden does in fact have her brother's ring."

The bard returned the smile, but shook her head. "Alim would never take a reward for something like this." Morrigan rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

Bryland gave a somewhat skeptical expression, and was just about to excuse himself when a voice from the table behind him said, "I can attest to that."

The trio looked across the aisle to see a couple of older men sitting together. "Bann Sighard?" asked Arl Bryland.

Sighard nodded. "That Grey Warden matches the description of the one that also freed my son, Oswyn, from Howe's dungeon yesterday. According to Oswyn, he was still tied to a torture rack when the warden and his companions found him. Apparently he offered the warden a large sum of coin in exchange for his freedom, but the warden refused it and freed him anyway. Said something to the effect of not being willing to exploit Oswyn's misfortune for his own gain."

Bryland shook his head. "Howe made vipers seem personable, but kidnapping and torture?"

Snarling, Sighard angrily replied, "When I saw my poor boy's legs… I only wished Howe still lived that I might tear him apart myself!"

Leliana lightly cleared her throat. "What word is going around as to how Arl Howe met his end?"

Sighard waved his hand dismissively. "You can speak plainly. You want to know if Howe's death has been pinned on your Grey Warden, correct?"

Leliana smirked slightly, but nodded.

"I thought as much. Yes, Loghain is trying to convince anyone who will listen that the Grey Warden invaded Howe's estate and murdered Howe and dozens of others in order to kidnap Loghain's daughter. No one gives a damn about Howe, but some still want answers about Anora."

The bard smiled. "I would assure you that the situation with Anora is not as the teyrn is presenting it, but I suspect you will see that for yourself at the Landsmeet when Anora speaks for herself."

Bryland shook his head again. "These days, nothing seems to be as Loghain presents it."

-==0==-

"Sometimes we must do terrible things to get what we want…" the bard admitted.

Alim's interest was even more piqued than it had been. "Oh? Like what?"

Sighing, Leliana replied, "People respond favorably to those who they believe understand them. They seek approval, friendship, sometimes even love. This can be exploited."

"Exploiting their feelings?"

"Yes… everyone can be seduced by the right woman. The trick is in figuring out who that woman is, and becoming her. It's a treacherous game, but once mastered no one can resist you."

"And people do not figure out that you are manipulating them?"

"Not until it is too late, if they do at all."

Alim shook his head. "I would like to think I could see through it, but I imagine I would be no different."

Leliana giggled lightly. With a mischievous grin she replied, "They all think they're immune to my charms. Trust me, if I was manipulating you, you'd never know."

Alim shook his head, mentally kicking himself once again after that old conversation replayed in his head. He got even more frustrated at himself realizing that he felt an urgency to talk to her, to have her reassure him not of his place in her heart, but that things would be alright and that he made the right decisions. Alistair's words stung, and while the elf didn't think Leliana was manipulating him, he also couldn't make himself stop thinking about the possibility. Even more so, he couldn't deny the kernel of truth that he'd become very dependent on her, to the point of allowing her guidance and advice to almost invariably become his own decisions. He wondered if Alistair was speaking the truth when he claimed all of his companions thought she was plucking his strings so to speak.

The restless elven Grey Warden stopped only momentarily to wipe the sweat from his brow, growling at himself for letting his mind wander once again. He glanced up at the afternoon sky. The weather would begin turning cold in another month or so as autumn gave way to the beginnings of winter, but this was a warm, cloudless day with only a whisper of a breeze. But decked out in his full battle armor and wielding Spellweaver in his right hand and Vigilance in his left, the sweat pouring off of him was the least of his concerns. He was working out in the courtyard at the Arl of Redcliffe estate, going through one-steps - short series' of move combinations in response to an imaginary attack. He cycled through dozens of combinations over and over in mind numbing repetition. Mind numbing was exactly what he was going for though after the verbal dressing down he received from Arl Eamon followed by Alistair blowing up at him. It was a more productive means of suppressing the emotion he was experiencing than what he felt like doing, namely heading over to the Gnawed Noble Tavern to pound pints until conscious thought was washed away. He'd almost rationalized doing it anyway, thinking he could check if Bann Alfstanna was there, but he'd promised Leliana he wouldn't go anywhere and right now the last thing he wanted was to add her to the list of people upset at him. And that made him question even more if the bard was controlling him. So here he was, working on his fighting technique in an attempt to avoid thinking about these unpleasant things, silently saying the moves as he went through them.

"Left block, right slash, up block, left stab, right chop…"

"Duck, right thrust, step up sidekick, spinning right backhand slash…"

"Side step left, right pommel strike, left stab, right thrust…"

"Side step right, left backhand slash, spinning right chop, left stab, right block, left stab…"

"Getting better…" said a voice, interrupting him. "The synchronization between your hands is still rather rough, but your movements are becoming more fluid."

Alim nodded, turning to face the source of the comments. "Hey, Zev…" he said softly.

"You not get enough killing in yesterday?" Zevran asked, smirking in amusement.

"Not that… the only thing I'm killing here is time. Just restless…" He chose to leave his explanation at that. Sheathing his weapons, he grabbed his towel and began to wipe down. "How did it go at the alienage?"

Zevran shrugged. "Some strange things going on. A mystery illness no one seems to know anything about, just that some mages from Tevinter of all places have come in and are quarantining and treating elves."

"Tevinter? Really?"

"That is not even the most unusual part. The quarantine is very suspicious. People supposedly do not come back out once they go in, nor will guards allow anyone inside to see the quarantined. Tensions are rising as more elves are taken in without explanation."

Alim rubbed his chin as he thought about what his fellow elf was describing. "Suspicious, indeed. Sounds like something we should check out sooner rather than later."

"I was thinking the same thing. You want to go now? You are already dressed and ready."

"No, Leliana, Morrigan, and Scorch are not back yet."

"And? Let's just take Sten and Alistair."

Shaking his head, Alim replied, "I told Lel I would hang out here while she was gone."

The Antivan elf laughed. "My friend, I think in some ways we are not much different from golems." Seeing Alim's perplexed expression, he continued, "Except that we rather like our control rodsbeing handled."

Alim frowned. First Alistair, and now Zev was remarking about Leliana controlling him. "Is that how you and the others see it? That I just do whatever she commands me to? That she controls me through sex?"

Zev held up his hands. "Whoa, slow down, my friend. It was just a joke about men in general. Do not read so much into it."

"I… sorry… I am a little on edge."

"I can see. Did things go poorly with the arl and queen?"

Alim waved his hand. "Long story I'd rather not talk about right now."

Zev nodded. "Fair enough… I will leave you be then."

As Zevran began to walk off, Alim cleared his throat. "Hey, Zev?" When the former assassin turned back around, Alim asked, "Can we talk about yesterday for a minute?"

Zevran's face twitched slightly at the topic being raised, but he nodded solemnly.

"With Taliesin dead, the Crows would assume that you are also dead now, and stop hunting you, right?"

"This is true."

"What made you decide to follow after me at that point rather than simply leaving our group altogether? You have to know we would have let you go if you had done that."

"Is that what you expected me to do? Disappear?"

"I admit the thought crossed my mind, though to be honest I did not give the situation in general much thought because I was so focused on the mission."

"So if you would not have tried to stop me, are you saying that I am no longer beholden to you? I am free to leave if I choose to?" The Antivan's tone carried a hint of irritation to it. He was actually somewhat hurt at Alim admitting they would not have made an effort to track him down. It made him feel like Alim didn't care if he was with them or not.

Alim sighed softly. "Zev… you are a friend, not my slave. Your life is your own. I would honestly miss you if you left us, and hopefully it is obvious that I want you to stay, but I would never hold you here against your will."

"Freedom… an interesting concept. Something I've never actually experienced before."

"Even if I've never said it and I cannot pinpoint exactly when it happened, somewhere along the way I stopped thinking of you being with us as only a sworn obligation. Whatever oath there was in the beginning has long been null and void in my mind. With that said, the question remains… do… do you want to leave?"

Zevran waved his hand, smirking. "A man should always know what his options are. But no, you tend to get up to interesting things, meet interesting people, and are usually quite adept at killing them. And not to mention all the treasure, of course. So, I'm game to keep tagging along, if you are."

Alim grinned back, feeling relieved. "Sure, why not? Your priorities all seem to be in order." Alim and Zevran laughed together.

"My friend," Zev began, his expression becoming more somber, "I know it looked bad when I refused to fight Taliesin yesterday, but it was really a situation of being forced to choose between the two people that meant the most to me in the world, and the only decision I could live with was to not pick a side. With Taliesin gone, there isn't anyone or anything I wouldn't fight to protect you from. By your side I would willingly storm the gates of the Dark City itself. You will never have to doubt my loyalty."

Alim's eyes opened wide and he gulped at Zevran's impromptu confession, the light-hearted mood of a moment ago shattered. "I… I do n-not know what to say," he replied softly. "Th-thank you…"

Noticing Alim's expression, Zevran laughed lightly. "Yes, well, let's move on before this progresses to hugs and kisses and jealous bards that know as many ways to kill as I do catching us in such an awkward state."

"Uhhh… yes… let's…"

-==0==-

Alim entered Arl Eamon's study tentatively, unsure of why he had been summoned from his room. He hadn't taken the time to change yet, so he was still in his battle armor and armed. "You wished to see me?" he asked.

Eamon nodded solemnly. "This is Bann Alfstanna of Waking Sea. She was told that you had something that might have belonged to her brother." His tone was neutral, without any sense of irritation with the elven warden. Alim didn't know if he truly was no longer upset at him or if he was just masking his feelings in the well-practiced manner of a politician.

"By an Orlesian woman," Alfstanna added hastily. "She said she was your fiancée."

"Ahhh, yes, Leliana. Yes, I have your brother's ring, though I apologize for not being able to remember his name. Yesterday was rather… hectic you could say. I seem to recall it starting with an 'I', maybe 'Im' or 'Irm'-something?"

"Irminric…" whispered Alfstanna hoarsely. "May I see the ring?"

"Of course, let me go retrieve it from my room. I will be back momentarily."

Several minutes later, Alim returned to find Bann Alfstanna pacing impatiently while Arl Eamon attempted to make small talk. The warden held the ring out to the bann, who practically snatched it from his hand. Her expression was a swirling vortex of relief, fear, and anger.

"This is the ring I gave my brother years ago. Warden, as it was explained to me, Irminric gave you this ring in Arl Howe's dungeon?"

Alim nodded. "I apologize that I was unable to help him escape myself, though I did unlock his cell and gave him some lyrium to help with the withdrawal symptoms he was experiencing." He then explained to Alfstanna how he'd come to find Irminric locked up and the circumstances. She gritted her teeth in fury at her brother being imprisoned so Loghain and Howe could make use of the blood mage Irminric had previously captured.

"Should you need it, my lady, I would assist you in retrieving your brother from the Arl of Denerim estate," Alim offered. Seeing the stern expression she flashed at him, he raised his hands in front of him and gently added, "I require nothing for it, I assure you. Truth be told… I feel I am at least somewhat responsible for what happened to Irminric."

"Wh-what? What did you do, Warden?" Alfstanna practically growled.

Alim closed his eyes and bowed his head, sighing. "I… the blood mage… his name was Jowan. He… was my best friend growing up at the Circle Tower."

"Jowan!" exclaimed Eamon at the mention of that name.

"Wait, you are a mage?" she asked incredulously, noting his roguish appearance with drakeskin armor and armed with twin blades instead of the traditional mage staff.

"An arcane warrior to be precise, but yes, before I was a Grey Warden I was a mage of the Circle of Magi." Alim then told the story of how Jowan came to him shortly after his Harrowing and with the aid of his girlfriend Lilly tricked Alim into believing Jowan was falsely accused of dabbling in blood magic and was going to be made tranquil as a result. And then from there how they convinced Alim to help destroy Jowan's phylactery so he could escape the Circle Tower with Lilly to go off and start a new life.

"I… see," said Alfstanna at the end. "You meant you were partly responsible for Irminric's imprisonment by helping this blood mage escape from the Circle of Magi in the first place."

Alim sighed deeply. "Yes… and for that you have my sincere apology. Helping Jowan was easily the worst mistake of my life. After Loghain and Howe's men took him from your brother's custody, they sent him to poison Arl Eamon, which he did."

Alfstanna gasped. "Eamon, is this true?"

Eamon nodded solemnly. "Yes, my dear. Loghain would have the nobles believe I was merely ill, but I was poisoned by his blood mage. It would have been fatal, if not for the extraordinary lengths this young man and his companions went to in order to find the cure."

"If it is any consolation at all, my lady, when I discovered Jowan at Castle Redcliffe I had Bann Teagan execute him. And my offer still stands to go back and get Irminric for you."

The bann scowled angrily once again before exhaling audibly. "If Loghain thinks he is going to sway the Landsmeet when he has been up to this sort of evil, he is sorely mistaken. Warden, you have my gratitude for helping my brother and for being so forthright. I know… I know it was a difficult admission for you, one you could've easily omitted since it would be very unlikely I'd ever find out otherwise. Know that I won't hold your role in helping the blood mage escape the Circle against you. I can see that you truly regret having done it, and more importantly that you have done much to make up for it."

"Thank you, my lady," Alim replied softly, bowing his head briefly.

"I do have my own private army," Alfstanna added, "so while I do not expect any resistance at the Arl of Denerim estate, I shall be prepared if there is. But I appreciate the offer anyway, Warden."

-==0==-

Morrigan and Leliana arrived back at the Arl of Redcliffe estate shortly after dinner. While the witch was glad to get her shopping finished with a minimal amount of badgering from the bard, she'd also had to suffer going to many more places than she would've on her own. Morrigan took the approaching elven handmaiden greeting Leliana as her cue to go her own way. That left Leliana to talk to Erlina, who invited her fellow bard to evening tea with the queen. Leliana was curious as to why she was being invited alone, but readily agreed. She'd just purchased a new dress and shoes on her shopping expedition with Morrigan anyway, and it would be the perfect occasion to wear them.

Realizing that the time it would take her to get ready was roughly what she had, Leliana strode quickly through the main hall and common area. In her haste she nearly bowled over Wynne, who was on her way from the dining hall back to her room.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Wynne!" exclaimed Leliana, reaching out to help steady the older woman's balance.

"Think nothing of it, child." With a grave expression, she asked, "Have you heard yet about the wardens?"

Leliana shook her head in confusion, with slight trepidation forming from the manner in which Wynne asked the question. The old mage sighed before giving her the rundown on what she knew, that some decision Alim made sparked an argument between the two and had led to fisticuffs. After hearing what happened, Leliana scampered down the hall to her room to hopefully find Alim in addition to getting ready to visit with the queen.

-==0==-

The bard growled in frustration at the note she found on the bed. It was a single sentence from Alim, stating simply that he was in the estate but off where he could be alone for awhile. She really wished now that she'd run into Wynne before Erlina, otherwise she would've put off meeting with Anora until the next evening. But since cancelling now would be poor etiquette, she hurriedly bathed and got dressed. Finishing ahead of schedule, she left the room and asked several people if they'd seen where Alim went, but no one had any ideas. That frustrated her even more. Knowing she was short on time, she opted for the next best alternative.

"Go away!" shouted Alistair in response to the knock at his door. The knocking became more insistent, only to be met by silence from inside the room.

Alistair, sitting on the couch with his head leaned back, opened his eyes, his jaw dropping open in incredulous shock at the door slamming behind the redheaded Orlesian now standing in front of him. "Hey! Th-that was locked!" he exclaimed.

"You are right, it was locked," she replied matter-of-factly, placing the hairpin she'd used to pop the lock back into place in her hair. "Start talking."

"Didn't your boyfriend already explain everything?" he asked sarcastically.

Leliana frowned briefly. "I have not seen him, and I am short on time before I need to be somewhere. What happened, Alistair? I only know what little bit Wynne knew."

The former templar scoffed, standing up and beginning to pace. "He sold out the Grey Wardens!"

Leliana's eyes opened wide. "Wh-what? How?"

"By agreeing to let Loghain get away with his crimes! I can't believe after all we've been through that he'd just spit on the Grey Wardens like that, on Duncan's memory! How can being a Grey Warden mean so little to him that he'd betray the Order like that? How could he turn on me like that?" His voice rose and got more and more frantic with each sentence he uttered.

"Wait… Alistair, slow down… being a Grey Warden is very important to Alim. What did he do that caused you to think all of this?"

Alistair glared at the bard. With her new dress and its low scooped neckline, for the first time he noticed Alim's warden amulet around her neck. He scowled while pointing an accusing finger at her. "If being a Grey Warden is so damned important to him, why are you wearing his amulet? That's supposed to represent his commitment to the Order. Some commitment, huh?"

Leliana felt her own anger rising, but fought to push it back down. Getting into an argument right now wouldn't help her get the answers she was looking for. So she decided to placate his ranting. "If you must know, a couple nights ago Alim asked me to marry him. It was on the spur of the moment and he didn't have a ring, so in its place he gave me this. For the sake of privacy I will not repeat his words, but I assure you he was very clear that what this amulet represents is very dear to him."

Alistair's expression shifted from budding rage to uncertainty. "I… uhhh… and you… said… yes?"

She rolled her eyes at Alistair's question. "Of course I did, do you truly believe I'd be wearing his amulet if I said no?"

"I… I suppose not…" he admitted.

Leliana studied the warden's perplexed expression. "This surprises you, yes?"

Alistair gave a slight nod. "I-I didn't think you were that serious towards him."

It took her a moment, but she caught on to the real meaning behind those words. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Alistair, right now I don't have the time to set you straight. Tell me, what is this betrayal you spoke of?"

Alistair sighed heavily, shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe it. "He told Anora that Loghain doesn't have to die if he accepts the Landsmeet's decision against him."

"And you see that as betrayal?"

"Of course it is! Loghain is responsible for Ostagar! He has tried to ruin the name of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, tried to have us exterminated like vermin! Letting him live is a betrayal to all the wardens we lost because of him!"

"Last I knew, Alim was insistent that Loghain die as part of any agreement to back Anora. Did he say what changed?"

Alistair shrugged. "He just said it was a compromise between what we wanted and what she wanted. We weren't really discussing things rationally by that point." He chuckled sarcastically. Leliana took his laughter to be in reference to his previous comment, but it was actually from Alistair realizing how easily the bard had both defused his anger and taken control of the conversation.

"I… see… So, what caused the argument to turn physical?"

Alistair coughed, averting his eyes from her gaze. "He got mad at something I said and sucker punched me."

"What did you say?"

"Ummm… it isn't important now…"

"Of course it's important! It is not like Alim to do something like that, especially not to you. I am trying to understand what set him off."

"I-I do not want to s-say."

Leliana frowned. "Alim loves you, Alistair. It must have been pretty bad for him to hit you over it." After half a minute of silence ensued, she decided not to press. Changing the subject, she remarked, "I have to go now, but before I do I wish to remind you that the Blight does not care about politics or personal feelings. Whatever hostility you and Alim hold for each other right now, you need to get it resolved, or at least figure out how to set it aside for the greater good." She then turned to leave the room.

Alistair sighed in exasperation. "Wait…" he requested just as she gripped the doorknob. Leliana glanced back at the warden, silently prompting him to continue. "I… I know you'll just hear it from Alim anyway…"

"Hear what?" she prodded gently when Alistair didn't continue right away.

The former templar blushed in embarrassment. "I-I am s-sorry… I… you must understand that I wasn't thinking clearly, I w-was so angry at Alim that I just wanted to make him hurt like I was." He sighed, pausing again.

"Alistair…" prodded Leliana again, with a little more impatience in her tone.

Alistair rubbed his face before resting his forehead in his hand. Without looking up at the bard, he softly admitted, "I basically told him your relationship was a lie, that you were only using him for personal gain and that everyone but him knew it." He held his breath in anticipation of the expected outburst, only to be bewildered when all he heard was the soft click of the door closing. He tentatively opened his eyes and looked up, discovering that she was gone.

-==0==-

Despite her anxiety over Alim and Alistair and her uncertainty over why the queen invited her to tea, Leliana was a professional at portraying what she wished others to see, capable of easily putting on a mask at a moment's notice to reflect the proper mood for the situation. Standing outside the door to the queen's suite, she buried her real emotions and transformed into a cheerful minstrel slightly awestruck at having the personal attention of the Queen of Ferelden. Satisfied, she knocked on the door, and was admitted moments later by Erlina.

Queen Anora was already sitting on the couch in the sitting room. Judging from the tray on the serving table off to the side, Erlina had been in the process of setting up. "Good," Leliana thought to herself, "I am not as late as I'd feared." Leliana curtsied to the monarch, a traditional greeting of respect, while remaining silent until the queen addressed her.

Anora smiled brightly. "Leliana, you look very elegant this evening. I hope my invitation did not cause an undue burden in preparing?"

Leliana giggled lightly, returning the queen's smile as she shook her head. "Not at all, Your Majesty. Traveling as an adventurer does not afford many opportunities to dress up, so this is a delight for me."

Anora waved her hand, laughing while gesturing for Leliana to sit down. "Please, 'Anora' is fine. I understand what you mean, I feel the same on the rare occasion I get to don armor and a mace anymore."

"A mace, eh? I've always been a dagger kind of girl myself."

Anora laughed again. "Oh, I'm not nearly as dainty as my appearance would suggest. I was quite the tomboy growing up, much to my father's chagrin. I used to drag Cailan into all sorts of trouble when we were kids. I was much more adventurous than he was."

Leliana laughed along with the queen. "Did your father not approve because you were a girl?"

Anora nodded. "He was always worried about appearances, that the nobility was going to insist on Cailan being matched with someone more ladylike. Having been granted a noble title for being a war hero rather than being born into it, I think my father was overly sensitive that other nobles viewed him as a sort of junior member of the club so to speak, something that never sat well with his personality. Even once he acquiesced to me receiving formal weapon training, he insisted that I learn the shortbow because it seemed most appropriate for the noble lady he desperately wanted me to be."

"A pretty weapon that is easy to learn and does not require one to get dirty to use," Leliana replied knowingly.

"Yes, so naturally I took up the mace, the most inelegant, unladylike weapon I could think of. Later on I did learn the shortbow as well, but only after I'd gotten my way and because I wanted to."

Leliana laughed gleefully. "How did he take it?"

"Oh, about as you'd expect from a man accustomed to everyone bending to his will. But even though he didn't like it, in the end I think he realized that I was a lot like him, and he respected that I wouldn't back down from what I believed was right. He told me that was an admirable trait for a future queen."

"Yes, though usually that is to the chagrin of the nobility, who prefer more malleable monarchs."

"True. They are not all bad, though you have to watch out for the ones that will smile to your face while sliding the knife into your back."

Nodding in the direction of Erlina off to the side, Leliana replied, "And that is why a trusted bard is worth every sovereign their services cost."

"Very astute, my dear. You certainly understand the realities of political life."

Leliana smiled. "Occupational hazard you could say. I've served royalty and nobility before, and you learn quickly that it is not only your patron you have to look out for, but yourself as well. Once you are discovered for what you are, it is usually best for your long-term health to disappear for awhile."

Anora nodded. "Since we are on the topic of bards, I am sure you are at least somewhat suspicious as to why I invited you to tea. You wouldn't be very good at what you do if you weren't, and my understanding is that you are very good at what you do."

After Leliana nodded politely, Anora continued, "I have no desire to attempt to deceive you, Leliana. I admit that I have an agenda, but I will not hide it from you and I seek to earn your trust. Erlina has learned much already, as you would expect, but you are a part of Alim and Alistair's inner circle, privy to much more than an outsider could find out on their own. Alim gave me his support this morning, but I am also aware that he and Eamon and then he and Alistair had quite loud altercations over it afterwards. Now, I don't doubt Alim's word, but I'm curious as to what sway he really has over Eamon, and how Alistair's reaction might play into what they do at the Landsmeet."

Leliana sighed, but was somewhat relieved that at least for now the queen wasn't asking her to go down a road she was unwilling to travel. She took a drink before explaining, "Truthfully, I was not here most of the day and I have not been able to talk to Alim since I got back. I did talk to Alistair in private before I came to see you. The fight between the wardens was because Alim compromised on the issue of your father. You know they both hate the teyrn with all of their being for what he did both to their Order and to them personally. Since I haven't talked to Alim since this morning I do not know what caused the change of heart, he previously was very insistent that Teyrn Loghain be executed as part of any agreement. But I do know that Alistair saw the compromise as a betrayal of him personally and the Grey Wardens as a whole."

"I see…" said Anora, frowning. "Will Alistair go against Alim now and fall back in line with Eamon's plans?"

"I do not believe so, but I also did not specifically ask him. I was short on time and admittedly more concerned with other aspects of their fight. You should know that because of his upbringing, Alim is slow to trust and tends to be cynical about the motivations of others. So as far as Arl Eamon goes, Alim had always been noncommittal when the arl spoke of his plans. Not that the arl noticed, because he has always wrongly assumed that Alistair was the leader of our group rather than Alim."

Anora nodded, inwardly pleased that Leliana's assertion backed up what Erlina had suggested earlier in the day. "Hmmm… what happens if in his discontent, Alistair does agree to try for the throne?"

Leliana's expression turned grim. "Then… things get very ugly."

"Ugly?"

"Yes… perhaps I am biased in my assessment, but Alim's honor is impeccable. He gave you his word that he will support you, and he will not break that… even for Alistair. In addition to the support you already have, I helped Alim secure Bann Sighard and Bann Alfstanna today. I do not know who is left for your father and Alistair to obtain, but depending on how firmly entrenched they are… it could be difficult for any one candidate to secure a majority."

Anora considered her next words. "I admit I find it difficult to understand how Alim is described as one who will not go against his word when it seems he already has. I mean, did he not support Alistair's bid for the throne previously?"

Leliana nodded, understanding Anora's confusion. "He did, because he loves Alistair like a brother. But Alistair has been adamant about not wanting to be king. So by supporting your candidacy, Alim is directly supporting Alistair's desires even though it conflicts with what the arl wants. And Alim does understand that Arl Eamon's push for Alistair doesn't lack for personal ambition."

"Do you see Eamon the same way?"

"I see the arl as one who finds the prospect of being the monarch's chief advisor very alluring, but he doesn't strike me as a man who will pursue it at all costs. He seems an honorable man who would rather Ferelden be united even if it means a lesser role for him personally. He may yet try to convince the wardens to change their minds, but he will not be able to and once the Landsmeet comes I believe he will support you."

Anora nodded. "You appear very confident in Alistair's allegiance to Alim. I hope for all of our sakes that you are correct about that."

Smiling gently, Leliana replied, "It is difficult for those outside of our group to understand just how much Alim affects and inspires all of us, especially since most do not take the time to see past his exterior."

Anora frowned, bowing her head slightly as she remembered her own reaction to Alim's physical appearance.

"He is a beautiful person, with such a big heart," Leliana added softly.

"He seems the type of person that you find yourself wanting to be around, where you almost can't help but want to discover everything about them."

Leliana raised an eyebrow curiously at the queen's statement, causing her to chuckle. "My meeting with him this morning began rather roughly you could say, but I realized afterwards that by the end I found myself quite fascinated with him. Even if his appearance was… startling… at first, he has a charisma to him that shines through it."

"You got him to take off his hood?" she asked in surprise.

Nodding, Anora replied, "Alim certainly does not have your social graces, Leliana. He started off by asking me point blank if he could trust me."

"Wh-what?" Leliana gasped.

"Yes, and then said I needed to tell him to his face that I'd be honest with him. Naturally I retorted that if he wanted that then he needed to at least show his face where I could see it."

Leliana shook her head. "Ugh... that was not appropriate of him, distrustful of people in authority or not. So you saw his wounds, yes?"

Anora nodded, frowning sadly again. "I… I was not expecting it and reacted poorly, as I imagine many people do." She described what she did and how Alim reacted by snatching her hand away from her mouth and placing it on his ear, eliciting another gasp from the bard.

"Please tell me he apologized for that," Leliana whispered, still in disbelief.

Anora waved her hand dismissively, indicating it was of no concern to her at this point. "He did, and I apologized to him as well. But even with that start and that I admittedly asked him here for selfish reasons, I took a genuine liking to him. So I did see a glimpse of the charming personality you talked about."

After talking to Anora for another hour or so about all manner of things, Leliana politely bid the queen goodnight and left. With her commitments out of the way, she was left with only a single-minded focus – find Alim. When she discovered he still had not returned to the room, she began prowling the estate, interrogating everyone she came across and leaving no room unsearched.

-==0==-

"How did you find me, Lel?" Alim asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Leliana's eyes opened wide in astonishment. It had taken her awhile to figure out her warden was up on the roof, and maybe five minutes had passed since she'd stealthily made her way up through the access hatch. She was a rogue attempting not to be heard, and she couldn't imagine that Alim had actually heard her approach from behind in bare feet and silently sit down ten feet away. She had even been careful to still her breathing as she quietly observed him sitting on his cloak stargazing at the clear night sky. She was wracking her brain trying to figure out what might have given her away when he chuckled at her lack of response.

"The breeze shifted and I caught wind of your perfume. I have no idea how long you have been here though."

Leliana giggled lightly, filing away that mental note for later while standing up and going to join him. She sat down behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling him backwards into an embrace. The bard frowned though when she felt him stiffen uncomfortably in response and briefly resist her pull before giving in. Even then he did not seem comfortable with her holding him.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked gently.

"Desperately…" he admitted. "But that is part of the problem."

"I do not understand. Why is that a problem?"

Alim sighed. "How much do you know already?"

"You mean about you and Alistair, yes?"

"Yes…"

"Wynne told me what she saw happen when I came in, and then when I couldn't find you I sought out Alistair before it was time for me to have tea with Queen Anora. He told me enough, including admitting what he said that caused you to hit him."

"W-wait… you had tea with Anora?"

"Yes, I came from there a short time ago."

"Were any of the others there, or was it just you?"

She knew he was connecting in his mind what Alistair told him to why Anora invited her to tea, and realized her answer was only going to reinforce it. "I was the only one invited," she replied. After half a minute of silence she felt Alim shudder a couple of times. "Tell me the truth," she demanded in a hoarse whisper, "do you believe what Alistair said?"

"That I am just the latest in a long line of suckers you've bedded for personal gain? Not at all. Of course, you said it yourself I'd never know if you were manipulating me. But no, I honestly do not believe you are. You know it would absolutely destroy me if this was all a lie… and maybe the old Leliana was capable of such cruelty, but the woman sitting here with me now is not. Besides, like I said last night, I know you really love me because you demonstrate it time and time again through your actions."

Leliana felt relieved at his answer, but knew something was still wrong. "My dearest one, I can tell something about me is still bothering you. Please tell me."

"It… it is stupid… I should not care…"

"Then it should be easy to move past, no?"

Alim shuddered again. "I… I f-feel like everyone thinks you control me, and... I cannot really dispute it."

"So you believe that as well, yes?"

"D-do not get me wrong, Lel, I do not believe it is anything you do consciously, or with any sort of agenda, or anything like that. It is me that is the problem, I trust you so completely that I do not question anything you say and just go along with it. And earlier when I said wanting desperately to talk to you was a problem, it is the same type of thing. I am so dependent on you now that I hardly know how to function without you."

In a quiet voice, Leliana replied, "It is not so very different for me, even though I swore to myself I'd never let it happen again after Marjolaine."

"I-I do not actually want it to change, to be honest. And I cannot even make up my mind if that is a bad thing or not." Alim chuckled humorlessly.

Leliana giggled softly in response, brushing his hair to the side with her hand and kissing him along the nape of his neck. "Do not worry so much about it. I follow you, not the other way around. And look at it this way, if I was truly controlling you, you'd never have gotten away with the decision not to take me with you yesterday. And it was actually your decision for me to go with Morrigan this morning. As you noticed, I was torn about what to do, so you made the decision for me."

"I…I guess you are right."

"Feel better now?"

Alim laughed lightly. "See, I told you it was stupid."

"No, not stupid. The fact that others see enough to make them assume or believe I control your decision making means I must be mindful not to allow myself to be used as a means of getting to you. And truth be told, knowing how much influence I have with you, I must be more mindful about not offering unsolicited opinions and advice in certain situations. I do not wish to exploit your trust."

Alim extracted himself from her arms and legs long enough to turn around and face her, easing her back and lying on top. "Thank you for being so understanding," he whispered, kissing her. "And yet again proving how much you love me," he added, kissing her again.

"Mmm… you are so sweet," she mumbled between kisses.

"Je t'aime, ma très chère Leliana."

The bard gasped lightly in surprise before giggling. "I love you too, my dearest Alim," though now I want to know what other Orlesian woman has been sweet talking you for you to learn that."

Alim chuckled. "Nothing so scandalous, I assure you. I simply asked Erlina how to say 'I love you, my dearest Leliana' in Orlesian."

Leliana smirked. "You learn anything else interesting?"

Alim grinned mischievously. "I thought about asking her to translate some of the things I've heard you say when we are intimate, but decided that was probably a bad idea."

Leliana's expression turned to one of horror. "Umm… yes… a very, very bad idea," she agreed quickly. Alim couldn't help the giggling fit that started at her reaction, which in turn caused her to start giggling again along with him when she realized he was only teasing.

Unspoken in the light-hearted moment between them was the relief both felt. For Alim, it was relief that Leliana not only didn't get upset or defensive at the assertion that everyone thought she for all intents and purposes controlled him, but that she intended to make sure his dependency on her didn't get exploited by her or anyone else. For Leliana, it was relief that Alim hadn't allowed Alistair's remarks to cast doubt on her or cause him to regress in the confidence she was working so hard to build up. She'd left Alistair's room without saying anything in response to his admission not because of what was said about her, but because the thought that his words might actually have shaken Alim's fragile self-esteem made her want to kill Alistair herself. After seeing her warden handle it better than she worried he would though, and Alistair's rather contrite tone near the end of her discussion with him, she hoped the two wardens would quickly make up and put this incident in the past. Leliana was personally willing to let Alistair off the hook at this point and move on. But as she thought deviously to herself, she wasn't above making him sweat a bit about it first.

.


AN: To think when I started this chapter I actually thought I was going to get us through the alienage :-) To be fair though, I had been going back and forth on whether to have Alim tell Alistair about his compromise with Anora right away like I did here, or to have it work out such that Alistair didn't find out until the Landsmeet. I think the latter would've been more fun to write from an author point of view, and if I had done that I probably would've gotten to the alienage. But I think having it here serves the story/characters better. So the elves will have to wait until next time!

Special thanks to Ledilettant for confirming my French translation in the last conversation of the chapter! I don't speak it myself, and while online translation tools usually get you in the ballpark, it's hard to trust that they'll phrase something the way a native speaker would :-)