As they threw the last of the darkspawn corpses into the horse drawn wagon, Lhiannon scowled in disgust for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. The day after her arrival at Vigil's Keep kept Lhiannon busy collecting the darkspawn corpses with a number of soldiers; they would haul them outside the fortress to be burned. She was grateful for the busy work, as it kept her mind busy and off the sadness of Mhairi's passing the day before. They burned her body late last night and afterward, Lhiannon returned to her chambers and fell into an exhausted sleep.

While she was working to gather and burn the darkspawn corpses, Captain Garavel and his soldiers were searching the rubble of several buildings for survivors of the assault. A number of people had been missing and a thorough search confirmed that many were indeed dead. Several survivors were found however, and Lhiannon felt her heart lightened when she heard the cheers of the soldiers when they brought survivors out of the wreckage. They were taken to the Vigil, where Anders would administer his healing magic and bind their wounds. Anders had also conscripted Nathaniel as his assistant; Nathaniel's knowledge of herbs from his squiring in the Free Marches had come in handy more than once that day.

Loghain and Varel were walking along the outer walls of the fortress, noting the damage and what needed to be done to repair it. They poked and climbed through the wreckage to see what could be salvaged for repairs. As they spoke with a dwarf near the battered gates of the fortress, Lhiannon led the last cart of corpses toward the entrance. She sensed Loghain's gaze on her back and turned toward him; he held his hand up in greeting and she wearily returned it.

The previous pile of darkspawn corpses was still smoldering when they arrived, the soldiers stationed there working to stay upwind of the foulness. The last of the bodies were thrown onto the pile and Lhiannon motioned for the soldiers to step back. She spoke the words to a fire spell, directing the flames from her hand to the moldering pile. The corpses quickly caught, sending a dark, oily smoke into the late afternoon sky. She knew the stench of burning corruption hung heavy in the air, but being so near the pile numerous times that day had dulled her senses; she was grateful for it. Nodding her thanks to the soldiers staying behind to tend to the pyre, she made her way back to the fortress; 'The Vigil', as Varel had called it. She wanted nothing more than a bath when she returned to her quarters at the Vigil. Her armor was streaked with gore, dirt, and soot; she feared that her skin and hair did not fare much better.

Until her quarters were ready, Lhiannon would sleep in a small guest room on one of the lower levels of the Vigil. Her office and quarters were to be on an upper floor of the fortress; Varel told her that they had belonged to Arl Howe himself. Before she claimed them, however, she wanted them inventoried and cleaned from top to bottom. It was her feeling that Nathaniel should be there as they worked; she wanted to give him the opportunity to claim anything he may consider sentimental. Nathaniel, however, was still feeling the effects of his Joining. She would wait until he was ready, she told him. He responded rather coolly that he would look through his father's chambers the next day and after that, she could do what she wished with the rest.

As the servants gathered water for her bath, she removed her armor and began to clean it, placing each piece on its stand as she finished. The servants arrived as she was placing the last piece on the stand. She thanked them gratefully and began to peel her underclothes and smalls off as soon as they left, grimacing as she compared the filth on her exposed skin to the unmarred skin beneath her smalls. She climbed into the tub, hissing as she lowered herself into the near scalding water but relaxing as the heat began to work the knots out of her aching muscles. She sat back with her eyes closed, finally relaxing for the first time that day. The water began to grow tepid after some time and Lhiannon reluctantly pulled herself out of the tub, giggling at her wrinkled flesh. Dressing in a simple longshirt and trousers, she left her chambers to find her companions, tying her damp hair behind her as she walked the halls of her new home.

She found Loghain in Varel's office, leaning over the desk where they were comparing notes of what needed to be repaired around the Vigil with what they had on hand to do so. Lhiannon knocked on the doorjamb, drawing their attention before entering and settling in a chair across the desk from where the two men stood. Loghain gave her a grin as she sat.

"Well, Varel, how bad is it?" Lhiannon asked.

Varel sighed, sitting heavily in his chair before he began. "There are a number of breaches in the walls, Commander, as well as significant damage to the gates of the fortress. The darkspawn attack was devastating. In essence, we are virtually defenseless."

Loghain settled himself into the chair next to Lhiannon, turning to regard her. "Varel says that we don't have all the necessary supplies on hand to make repairs. I believe this should be our first priority; securing the fortress."

Lhiannon nodded, her gaze landing on both men. "Agreed. We have to also grow our ranks, but defense is also important." She turned her attention back to Varel. "What do we need to get the fortress repaired?"

"I spoke with our stonemason today, Voldrik Glavonak. He needs granite to reinforce the walls and gate; he knows of a source nearby, so thank the Maker for that blessing. He also needs men to help gather the granite and repair the walls. There is one problem though."

Lhiannon raised a brow at him and smirked. "There's always a problem, isn't there?"

Varel scoffed humorously at her, settling back in his chair. "Truer words were never spoken, Commander. The problem is that the coffers of Vigil's Keep are running low. Voldrik says he needs eighty sovereigns to hire the men and procure the supplies to repair the keep."

"Bloody thief," Loghain muttered from beside Lhiannon, whose eyes went wide with Varel's disclosure of the cost. "Eighty sovereigns?" she gasped. "Maker's breath, are we that desperate for help here in Amaranthine?"

"When you are the only stonemason around, you can name whatever price you wish," Varel sighed. "The law of supply and demand."

Loghain rubbed his chin in thought. "I do have some funds with me that I brought from Gwaren. Much of it is in Denerim, but I do have some here with me."

"I also have funds with me," Lhiannon said, twisting a loose lock of her hair among her fingers. Loghain watched her fingers move, mesmerized by their deftness. He found himself hoping her fingers would be twisting through his hair soon and he smothered a grin with his hand. "I have enough to get Voldrik started," she continued, earning raised brows from both men.

"You have eighty sovereigns with you now?" Loghain asked.

Lhiannon shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "I'm a saver. I won't have much left afterwards, but if that is what is needed to get the repairs going, then I'll gladly give them to Voldrik."

Varel smiled, leaning forward to put his forearms on his desk. "That is very generous of you, Commander. I will summon Voldrik here in the morning and we can get him started."

Lhiannon looked to both men as she stood. "Then the responsibility of repairs will lie with the two of you. I thank you both." She returned her gaze to Loghain. "I will see you later, yes?"

Loghain nodded. "Of course, Commander."

True to his word, Loghain knocked on Lhiannon's door a short while later after having taken a bath himself. She answered the door in her dressing gown, the front open enough for Loghain to see the creamy flesh of the tops of her breasts. After bolting the door behind him, she welcomed him with a deep, languorous kiss, her hands holding his face to hers before slowly running down his neck to his shoulders. Before long, her dressing gown was sliding off her body to pool on the floor and Loghain's smoldering hands and mouth were roaming her skin with reckless abandonment, plundering her body in his urgent need. The thunderous passion she had awakened in him made him feel young and more alive than he had felt in years. She was the air he breathed, the light in his darkness, the warmth that filled his soul. As she welcomed him inside her body, Loghain found that he was content to burn in the fire she had ignited within him.

Lhiannon sat at her desk in her office, scowling at the pile of paperwork that seemed to be multiplying like rabbits on its surface. In the two weeks she had been at Vigil's Keep supervising the rebuilding and cleanup efforts, the paperwork never seemed to stop. She had been shuffling papers from one pile to another all day and she was becoming famished. Her office and chambers had finally been cleaned and readied for her. She had asked Nathaniel to go through the rooms and his father's possessions for anything he may want to keep. He had half-heartedly poked through the items there, taking a number of things to his chambers in another part of the Vigil. He was still aloof to Lhiannon, not wanting to engage in any sort of conversation outside of Grey Warden matters; even then, his words were few. Once he had finished going through the belongings, Lhiannon had the rest hauled out of the Vigil, leaving them outside for anyone who wanted them. It only took a day for the belongings to find new homes.

A knock at the door drew Lhiannon's attention away from the paperwork and she found herself grateful for the interruption. "Come in," she called out.

Varel entered the room, his armor gleaming brightly in the light of the wall sconces. "Commander," he began, his voice conveying concern. "I have an urgent matter from the city guard in Amaranthine."

Lhiannon dropped her head into her hand and rolled her eyes at Varel, a smirk playing across her face. "What isn't an urgent matter in this arling?"

Varel returned her smirk. Lhiannon found that his face was not only pleasant, but held a certain boyish charm to it. She found herself instantly fond of her seneschal, knowing instinctively that he would act in the best interests of the arling. Her gut was rarely wrong about these things. "Unfortunately," he began, "it seems that everything is urgent lately. With the vacuum left behind after Arl Howe's death, many problems he brushed under the rug are beginning to show themselves."

"Such as?"

"As you know, there have been smugglers running rampant in Amaranthine with the troubles in the Wending Wood."

Lhiannon sat back in her chair, studying Varel closely. "What is the Bann of Amaranthine doing to help? What's her name again?"

"Bann Esmerelle. I believe she's waiting to see what you do," Varel said, a look of disgust crossing his face. "She was one of Arl Howe's biggest supporters; he lavished many privileges on her. Rumor also has it that she was a lover of his. No doubt she's not lifting a finger to help in Amaranthine, since you were the one to kill her benefactor."

"A minion of Howe's? Wonderful. Sounds like we'll be good friends," Lhiannon groused, the sarcasm clear in her voice.

Varel gave her a small chuckle. "The city guard have been trying to track down where the smugglers' base of operations may be, but they are not having much luck. They would like you to investigate as soon as you can."

Lhiannon nodded. "Of course. I shall take some Wardens with me to Amaranthine at once."

Varel shifted on his feet, crossing his hands behind his back. "You may want to put that off a day or so. The nobles will be here tomorrow to swear fealty to you. We will also have to hold a session of high court as well."

Movement just outside the door caught Lhiannon's attention and she saw Loghain poke his head in but immediately move to leave when he saw Varel there. "Loghain, wait," Lhiannon called out, standing and gesturing him inside her office. "Come in. I will want your advice on the matter that Varel and I were just beginning to discuss."

"Of course," he drawled, entering the room and standing next to Varel, greeting him with a nod. He was dressed in his typical longshirt and trousers had been holding a rag and polish in his hand; Lhiannon surmised that he was going to work on his armor. Loghain was very particular with both his weapons and armor, cleaning, polishing, and sharpening them at every opportunity. That was most likely why his River Dane armor was still in such pristine condition after so many years. Lhiannon moved from behind her desk to the front, sitting on the edge and smoothing her long skirt as she looked at her two most important advisors.

"Varel tells me the nobles will be here tomorrow to swear fealty," Lhiannon told Loghain. He raised his brows and scoffed at her. "The favor currying begins," he remarked dryly.

Lhiannon chuckled and turned her attention to Varel once more. "Anything in particular I should know about them?"

Varel rubbed his chin in thought. "Bann Esmerelle, other than being the Bann of Amaranthine and rumored lover of Arl Howe, is the most powerful noble you will have to contend with. She will fight you tooth and nail on everything, just to oppose you."

"She had been involved with Howe at one time," Loghain said. "He bragged about it on a number of occasions, especially when he was drunk."

"Wonderful. Who else should I be aware of?" Lhiannon asked.

Varel went to the map of Amaranthine that was mounted to the wall. He pointed at an area just off the North Road west of Vigil's Keep. "Lord Eddelbrek owns a great deal of land in the countryside and is well regarded among the farmers in the Bannorn; they looked to him as a voice of reason in the past year. He held no love for Arl Howe. There will be other lords and nobles here also."

"Well then, Varel, please make sure all is ready for them," Lhiannon said, sliding off the edge of her desk. Varel saluted her and left, leaving Loghain and Lhiannon to themselves.

Lhiannon turned to Loghain. "As soon as court is done, we will need to head for Amaranthine to deal with the smugglers there."

He gave Lhiannon a deep scowl; he hated smugglers and criminals almost as much as he hated some of the nobles. "As you wish," he nodded. They heard the dinner bell ringing and Lhiannon began to move off toward the door, a smile lighting upon her face. "I haven't eaten all day. Come, we'll talk at dinner."

Loghain set his polish and rag down on Lhiannon's desk and followed her out the door, pausing as she locked it behind them. She moved quickly down the stairs leading to the lower levels of the Vigil and Loghain thought he could hear her stomach rumbling in anticipation from where he walked behind her.

They entered the dining hall and piled their plates high with roasted meat, potatoes, and bread. They set their plates down at a table and Loghain went off to grab them each a tankard of ale. Not one to stand on ceremony, Lhiannon began to ravenously attack her place.

"Whoa, Lhi. Slow down. I don't want to have to heal you after you choke on your dinner because you were wolfing it down too fast," she heard Anders laugh at her as he passed by with his own plate of food and tankard of ale. He sat down across from Lhiannon, glancing around to see where Loghain may be.

"So, Lhi. I hear you and Loghain are…friendly." He took the index finger of one hand and moved it in and out of a circle formed by the thumb and forefinger of his other hand, his eyebrows raised and a smirk playing across his face. Lhiannon's eyes went wide and then narrowed at him. "I wouldn't let Loghain see you do that, Andy. He'd likely snap you in half." She paused, grinning at him. "And I wouldn't stop him."

"What, and ruin the robes I so meticulously cleaned after we ran the darkspawn out of here?" He gestured to an area on the sleeve of his robes. "Do you know how long it took to get the blood out of this?"

Loghain returned with their ale and sat down, giving Anders a curt nod. Anders waited until Loghain looked down at his food before making his finger gesture again. Lhiannon kicked him under the table. Hard. Anders jumped, which brought Loghain's attention to him. He gave Anders an irritated look before returning to his food. As Lhiannon finished giving Anders the evil eye, Nathaniel brought his plate over to the table and sat next to him, quietly beginning to eat.

Lhiannon had noticed that Nathaniel had gravitated toward Anders in the time since he became a Grey Warden. Anders had an easy, laid back personality that seemed to draw people to him. More than once Lhiannon had observed Nathaniel and Anders together in the main hall, with Nathaniel pointing to the paintings of his ancestors and discussing them with Anders. She had even seen Nathaniel smirk at one of Anders' quips. She was glad that he was coming around to someone.

"Well, since all of you are here," Lhiannon began between bites of food. "The nobles are coming tomorrow to swear fealty and for high court. After that, I would like the three of you to join me on a trip to Amaranthine to deal with some smugglers there."

Anders wholeheartedly agreed, excited to finally see some action. Nathaniel gave her little more than an acknowledging grunt. Loghain nodded his approval between bites of meat, since he had already agreed to go. Lhiannon returned to her own meal, doing her best to quell the rumblings of her stomach.

"What do you know of these smugglers?" Nathaniel asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Not much at this point," Lhiannon admitted once she swallowed the mouthful of food she was working on. "Varel said a city guard from Amaranthine came to ask for our help. With the problems in the Wending Wood, Amaranthine has seen an increase in smuggling. The guards aren't having much luck finding leads. They're hoping we can."

"And I take it good Bann Esmerelle isn't lifting a finger to help?" Nathaniel said, taking a drink from his tankard of ale.

"Varel doesn't think so."

"She'll have no love for you, Commander," Nathaniel said, placing his tankard on the table and looking her in the eye. "I remember her well from when I was a child. She is a cold woman."

Loghain scoffed, remembering some of the stories Rendon Howe told, and picked up his own tankard. Nathaniel's eyes went to Loghain's, looking at him accusingly. "Something you want to add, Your Grace?" he sneered at Loghain.

"Nothing you would enjoy hearing, boy," Loghain commented over the top of his glass.

Lhiannon raised a hand to quell the rising argument. "Gentlemen, we need not argue amongst ourselves. We will head to Amaranthine once tomorrow's business is finished."

"What other business will there be tomorrow, Lhi?" Anders asked.

"High justice, from what Varel tells me."

"Interesting," Anders cooed. "I've never seen high court like this before. The only so called justice I've seen is when the templars dragged me back to the Circle. That was hardly exciting."

"It grows tedious quickly," Loghain grumbled, finishing the last of his meal.

"Being dragged back to the Circle? Oh, I agree," Anders chuckled. "After the third or fourth time, it just wasn't as much fun as it used to be. I thought they would at least give me credit for trying at some point."

Lhiannon looked at Anders, a small smirk crossing her face. "Still wearing my earring, I see."

Anders reached up, fingering the gold earring hanging from his ear. It was fairly wide, with designs etched into the metal. The designs looked dwarven. Loghain looked up at Anders warily before turning toward Lhiannon with a brow raised. "Your earring?"

"Oh, yes, it was hers. There's quite a story behind how I got it," Anders said, taking a large draw off his tankard of ale.

Lhiannon put her elbows on the table, resting her head in her hands. "Well, are you going to tell them how you received it or shall I?"

Anders waved his hand toward Lhiannon. "By all means, go ahead."

Lhiannon took a sip from her own tankard, setting it down gently before she began. "I had gone on a trip to Orzammar with the senior mage that I was apprenticed under. The proving ground had just been expanded and they needed a basin enchanted to provide water for the fighters. It's a simple enchantment really, and my mentor took me there because she knew of my talents with elemental spells."

Anders nodded emphatically, looking at Loghain and pointing toward Lhiannon. "She really is very good at elemental spells—the best I've ever seen. You should see that juggling trick she does with stones…"

Loghain rolled his eyes at Anders, scoffing and shaking his head. Lhiannon glared at Anders. "Can I continue?"

"Oh," he said sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders and holding a hand up. "Sorry."

"Anyway," Lhiannon continued, "the dwarf in charge of the proving ground was very happy with my work and made sure I received a small payment for my enchantment; most of the time, the sovereigns the mages earn go back to the Circle. I was so excited to have made a little money for myself. My mentor and I were in the marketplace when I saw one of the proprietors selling jewelry." She reached up and fingered the two earrings in each of her ears. "Earrings are my weakness."

Anders nudged Loghain with his hand, a sly look on his face. He pointed a finger to his head. "Make sure you keep that one locked away in that head of yours for later."

Loghain simply glared at Anders until the mage turned his gaze back to Lhiannon.

"I found this fantastic pair of dwarven earrings; gold with dwarven runes carved into them. I bought them and immediately put them in, wearing them all the way back to Kinloch Hold.

"We didn't get back to Kinloch Hold until late at night, so I went to bed right away, taking the earrings out and leaving them on the table next to my bed. The next morning, Anders came bounding in to my room asking how the trip to Orzammar went."

"I never went to Orzammar when I fled the tower," Anders chattered to Nathaniel, who rolled his eyes. "Too dour for such a handsome fellow as myself." Lhiannon had to stifle a giggle as Nathaniel rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Anyway, I showed Anders my earrings while I was telling him about the trip. He picked one of them up and was admiring it as I chattered away."

"I told her they looked superb and that she was lucky I didn't have my ears pierced; I would be stealing them in a heartbeat. Before I escaped from the tower again, of course," Anders said, winking at Lhiannon and fingering the earring in his ear.

Lhiannon took another drink of ale as Anders talked, waiting for him to finish before she continued. "After I told him my story, he was telling me that he had been working on elemental spells the day before. Anders' specializes in healing magic, but he's also quite good at the other classes of magic."

"I always teased her about her lack of skill with healing magic," Anders explained. "But where she was lacking in the healing arts, she more than made up for in elemental magic and I always wanted to try and beat her skills there too."

"So, he's holding my earring telling me that he was working on his fire magic the day before and that he's sure he can cast better spells than I could. He set the earring on the floor and told me he could heat it up until it glowed."

Anders winced at the memory. "She looked at me with absolute horror on her face, but I was insistent and before she could stop me, I held out my hand and began to chant the spell."

Lhiannon snorted indignantly. "What he didn't tell me was that though he could chant the spell, he still hadn't mastered controlling the spell. Before I knew it, the earring began to glow red-hot and melted into slag on the stone floor. Anders couldn't break the spell so I did the only thing I could think of to break it."

"What did you do?" Nathaniel asked warily. Both he and Loghain saw the grimace that crossed Anders' face.

"She grabbed the other earring, tackled me to the ground, and shoved the post through my earlobe," Anders said, grabbing his ear as if she had just completed the act. "It broke my concentration all right. It hurt like bloody hell too; she never even froze it first so I wouldn't feel the pain."

"You shoved the earring through his ear?" Loghain asked, turning to Lhiannon and raising his brow at her. He looked amused.

"I was mad," Lhiannon admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. "It was the first thing I thought of. We were still teenagers; rational thinking wasn't really part of our reality then."

"Punching him in the face didn't occur to you?" Nathaniel asked.

Lhiannon grinned at him. "Not at the time. After the fact it did."

"At least she let me keep the earring," Anders said sheepishly, his exaggerated pouting bringing a smile to Lhiannon's face.

With a sigh, Lhiannon wiped her mouth with a napkin and tossed it on her plate. "Well, gentlemen, I do have work I must return to." She turned to Loghain. "Would you care to join me?"

Loghain tossed his napkin on his plate and with a nod to Nathaniel and Anders, rose to join Lhiannon. She turned to bid good night to them and saw Anders nudge Nathaniel with his elbow, making gestures again. Nathaniel snickered along with Anders. Lhiannon whispered a small lightning spell and with a flick of the wrist, shot it at Anders' hands.

"Ow! Hey! That wasn't very nice," Anders groused while Nathaniel continued to snicker beside him.

Loghain turned and gave Lhiannon a puzzled look. "What was that all about?"

Lhiannon shook her head and took Loghain by the hand, leading him out of the dining hall. "Anders was just being childish. Again."

Lhiannon led Loghain down to the armory, where the dwarven smithy was cleaning up his work area and readying to leave for the day. He saw them come in and came out from behind his workbench with a hearty greeting.

"Commander! I was making ready to leave for the day! I have your order back here in my storage room."

Lhiannon smiled in greeting. "You have it finished already? Varel was right when he said you were an efficient smithy."

The dwarf laughed, his hearty baritone voice echoing through the small storage room. "Oh, aye. Varel and I go back a long ways, Commander." He brought out an armor stand with a gleaming set of white steel armor, dark in color despite its name with silver trim and the Grey Wardens griffon emblazoned on the chest plate. Loghain noticed that the set was made for a woman's shape.

Lhiannon whistled appreciatively when she saw the armor, running a hand down the cool surface. "This is magnificent," she breathed. "It's almost a shame to wear it into battle."

The dwarf had returned to the storeroom and brought out a second set of armor, also white steel and made in the Grey Warden fashion. Loghain regarded it and turned to Lhiannon, who was grinning at him.

"As the Warden Commander, there are certain privileges I enjoy; commissioning armor for my Wardens for instance. I didn't want to use the Orlesian type or their leftovers, so I had the smith here design armor for us. Ferelden armor made with Ferelden steel and Ferelden hands." She indicated the larger set of armor. "This is for my Second."

As Loghain appraised his new armor, Lhiannon turned and settled the bill with the dwarf. The smith had also brought out padded underclothing for the armor and told Lhiannon that if they needed any adjustments, to please let him know. Lhiannon also ordered him to fashion several additional sets of armor for the Grey Wardens and to have his apprentices deliver their armor to their quarters first thing in the morning.

"Where did you find white steel to have the armor commissioned?" Loghain asked her as they left the armory.

"The smithy had some here. He has a small source of the metal nearby."

"Clearly, the smith is talented. I shall miss wearing my River Dane armor every day though."

Lhiannon took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's part of your past. While that is a good thing, we also need to look to the future. We are Grey Wardens and I want us to look like a force to be reckoned with. "

As they walked through the halls of the fortress, Loghain stopped by his office for a few minutes while Lhiannon continued to her quarters. He wanted to straighten up the paperwork on his desk before going to bid goodnight to Lhiannon. As he was filing his paperwork away, a knock on the door drew his attention.

"Enter," he called out, pushing a drawer closed as the door opened and Nathaniel entered. "May I have a word with you, Your Grace?"

Loghain sat at his desk, indicating a chair for Nathaniel. "First off, when I am here, you need not address me by my noble title. I am a Grey Warden, and thus, have no title here. You may address me as either 'Warden' or by my name."

Nathaniel looked at Loghain with both wariness and suspicion. "Tell me of my father's last days."

Loghain sat back in his chair, his cool gaze trained on Nathaniel. "Are you certain you wish to hear this?"

"I'd rather hear it from you than from our illustrious Commander," Nathaniel snarled. The thought of his father's murderer running rampant in his arling and home still made Nathaniel's blood seethe with anger and thoughts of retribution race through his mind. Where was the justice for her?

Loghain sighed, never taking his gaze from Nathaniel. "He came to Denerim after Cailian's death, offering his services to me while I tried to keep the kingdom together as regent. I delegated certain matters to him while I worked to secure the borders from the Orlesians."

"What of the Commander?" Nathaniel asked. "How did she become involved?"

Loghain shrugged. "I thought the Grey Wardens to be agents of the Orlesians. Most of them were killed at Ostagar, but the Commander and the King survived. I wanted to know what the Orlesians' plans were and I told Rendon to find out. They were captured as they went to your father's estate to rescue the Queen; he suggested taking her there and pinning the kidnapping on Arl Eamon."

"What happened then?"

Loghain paused, lowering his head briefly before returning his stony gaze to Nathaniel. "Your father tortured them to find out what they knew about the Orlesians. They knew nothing, as they weren't acting on the Orlesians' behalf. The Commander and the King escaped. Your father confronted them and died in the subsequent fight."

Nathaniel's face twisted into a snarl; Loghain saw him ball his fists and tense his body as if he were preparing to launch himself across the desk. "You lie," Nathaniel snarled.

Loghain waived a hand in the air. "Believe what you wish, but I assure you, he did. And they weren't the only ones. He captured and tortured other nobles; sometimes for information and sometimes just for his own twisted pleasure. He also betrayed and killed most of Teyrn Bryce Cousland's family."

"Impossible," Nathaniel spat, his fists visibly shaking. "Teyrn Bryce was one of his best friends."

"Whom your father killed to gain his land and titles. Being Arl of Amaranthine wasn't enough for him. He declared himself Teyrn of Highever, Arl of Amaranthine, and Arl of Denerim. It would not have surprised me that if he survived, he would have made a move for the crown itself in time."

Nathaniel quickly stood, his chair clattering over behind him. He moved menacingly toward Loghain, who sat calmly at his desk, unperturbed by Nathaniel's murderous look. "I don't believe you. Perhaps it was you and your influence that led my father astray."

Loghain shrugged. "Believe what you wish, boy. I have no reason to lie to you." He paused as Nathaniel turned to leave. "And if you are entertaining thoughts of revenge against the Commander, I would suggest you think again."

Nathaniel turned back to Loghain and snarled at him. "She's just a mage. They die even easier than warriors."

Loghain scoffed and chuckled. "If you think she's just a mage, then by all means, try. Even if you managed to get past me first, you would find her a far more difficult opponent than you ever imagined. She bested me, a high dragon, and an archdemon, not to mention masses of darkspawn." Loghain stood, nonchalantly gesturing at Nathaniel. "But if you think you are formidable enough, then by all means, try. Now if you don't have anything further, get out."

Nathaniel turned and left Loghain's office, conflicted by what he learned. He could not believe his father would stoop to such depravity. He may have been a gruff and abrasive man, but he was no torturer, no schemer. No murderer. Nathaniel wished he knew what had happened to Thomas and Delilah. Since they had remained in Ferelden, they would be able to refute the stories Loghain and Lhiannon had told him. Perhaps when they went to Amaranthine, he would try to seek them out, hoping against hope that they survived the Blight. Until then, he had no choice but to perform his duty to the Grey Wardens and to the commanders he barely trusted.

Lhiannon opened the door for Loghain at his knock, bolting the outer door to her office behind him and leading him into her living quarters. She began to light the wall sconces in her room with a flick of her wrist as Loghain stoked the fire in the fireplace. He sat on a large sofa when he finished, putting his legs up and reclining while he watched her move about the room. As Lhiannon walked by to light the sconces on the other side of the room, he reached up and quickly pulled her down to recline in front of him. She gave a startled gasp and then laughed as his arms wrapped around her waist. She settled her back into his chest and could feel his heartbeat through his shirt.

"Are you ready to face the wolves tomorrow?" he asked, leaning so close that his breath tickled her ear and made her earrings gently tap one another.

"Can one ever be ready for them?" she asked, sighing heavily. "I hope I am."

"Just remember, you must be firm with them. Be also fair, but most certainly firm. You must also remember that sometimes one must be made an example of, if only to discourage similar behavior in the future."

"Or I could exile them," she giggled as he leaned his head forward to nibble on her ear. She squirmed in his arms, the tickling sensation running through her nerves. "You are hardly helping me prepare for tomorrow, Your Grace."

"Am I distracting you? I do apologize," he murmured into her ear, caressing it with his lips to make her giggle madly. It was a sound he could listen to until the Maker called him.

A/N: As always, thank you to all you who read, lurk, bookmark, alert, favorite, and review. I appreciate your continued support and encouragement. And thanks to Gene Dark for telling me my private messaging wasn't turned on (in the words of Homer Simpson...DOH!). So send me a message if you feel so inclined!