They left the palace with Isla and Zevran flanking Alistair, as seven of Zevran's men and Sampson followed behind. Alistair stopped and held his arms wide grinning as five children rushed to him in the courtyard.
"Uncle Alistair!" They cried. Isla watched him as he wrapped them all up in his arms.
"What are you doing here?" He asked smiling as the two youngest clung to him. He lifted the small girls in his arms and noisily kissed their cheeks.
"Mama said we could come over. She has company." The oldest one, a boy of around twelve, said with a frown.
"Company? Oh, right. Well, tell you all what. I'm heading out to the market right now, but why don't I have someone take a note to your mom and tell her you are going to stay at the palace tonight? We can have a campout in my room." Alistair said beaming as the two girls in his arms planted kisses on his cheeks. He looked down from them to Isla. "Isla, these are my nieces and nephews. This is Kendrick, he's the oldest. Then it's Noah and Elliot there. And these two little beauties are Olivia and Avery." Alistair said pointing out each of the children. Isla smiled at them each in turn.
"It is nice to meet you all." She replied. The smallest boy, Elliot, reached out and touched her hand.
"You're pretty." He said looking up at her with big green eyes.
She dropped to her knees beside him. "And you are very handsome." He grinned at her and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at Alistair as he sat the girls down. Zevran had disappeared and returned a few minutes later with one of the sweet older women from the castle.
"Come, children. I'll have lunch brought to the playroom while we wait for your uncle to return." She said bowing to Alistair.
"Will you come see us later?" Elliot asked catching Isla's hand as she stood back up.
"I'm the king's guard. I go where he goes." She explained. He smiled at her and followed the others inside. Alistair watched Isla as she watched the children leaving. She turned back to him and felt her smile die as he was staring at her intently with a slight frown.
"Forgive me, your Majesty. I should not have presumed that I would…" She trailed off as he shook his head and quickly squeezed her hand.
"It wasn't presumptuous. I'm glad they like you. They don't like strangers too often. I was just worrying about the fact that they seemed…a little…" Alistair frowned. He didn't like to think poorly of his sister, but she never seemed to take any interest in the kids. He gave her a large monthly stipend, had moved her to a nice house, given her a couple of servants and tutors for the children, but they never seemed to be very well looked after.
"Neglected?" Zevran suggested. He disliked the cold woman who was Alistair's sister. He saw her as the cold and calculating whore she was. She had seen Alistair's weakness for the children and used it against him.
"She is my sister." Alistair protested. He turned then and looked at Isla. "Would you mind terribly if we postponed the ride until tomorrow? I haven't got to spend anytime with them in several months."
"Whatever you wish, sire." Isla said bowing her head to him. She was flattered that he had chosen ridding for her. He smiled at her and nodded.
"Alright then. Let's go to Wade's."
Alistair was impressed with the armors and clothes that Wade had made or supervised the make of. He had a set for Zevran and one for Isla that were made out of drake scale and dragon wing. Then there was his new armor that was made out of the heavier dragon bone. He had also had new weapons made and enchanted for each of them. This would solve Eamon's latest complaint that Isla and Zevran didn't look like his guards should. As both were rogues, they refused to wear the scale or chain mail the other guards all wore. He had consulted with Wade and together they had come up with three beautiful sets of armor that suited each of them. He came out smiling and carried the armors in bags back to the palace. He couldn't wait to give them theirs, but he wanted to do it in private.
Zevran excused himself going back to his men's training as soon as they entered the palace, leaving Isla and Sampson following Alistair up to his room. He pulled her into her room and shoved one of the bags into her hands. "Open it." He ordered too excited to wait. She looked at him puzzled and moved to the bed. Sampson flopped down on the couch with a questioning huff.
"The kids are in the playroom. Maybe you can see them later." Isla answered him. He whined and moped. She smiled at him and shook her head. "I know you haven't had a child to play with in a long time." She then opened the bag and gasped at the beautiful clothing and armor.
"Alistair!" She exclaimed as she pulled out first the charcoal grey jacket that was similar to her green one. This one had fancy silver braided embroidery over silvery blue color trim edged all the seams of the jacket. It had braided knot silver clasp. She laid it down watching as it shimmered in the light. It was soft and slightly heavy, but still flexible and light enough for her to wear. "What is it?" She asked stroking the material.
"Dragon wing." Alistair said smiling. "Keep going." She smiled at him and pulled out a white shirt much like her black one and laid it down on the jacket. She pulled out the silvery blue boots and gasped in delight.
"They're beautiful! I've never seen this color of leather." She said as she pulled out the matching pants and corset.
"They aren't leather. They're drake scale. Much tougher than leather. And prettier. Wade said the color is periwinkle, but that sounds…strange to me." Alistair shrugged. Isla pulled out the last item and smiled at it. It was a charcoal grey cloak that would fall to her knees. It had three long sets of silver buttons. The two over the arms could be unbuttoned to make it easier for moving around it. "Wade said it's a new style from Antiva. A riding cloak." Alistair explained.
"Thank you, Li. I love them." She said smiling at him. "I can't believe you did all this though."
"There's more. Here." He said handing her the long sword and the matching daggers. All were enchanted with cold and lightning. They crackled as she stroked them.
She looked up at him smiling. "I don't know what to say. They're too much. How can I ever repay you?" She asked.
"They aren't too much. You are guarding me. And helping me with the nobles. And I want to know that you're safe. And if you really want to repay me, you could come over here and kiss me." He said holding his arms out to her. She smiled and set the weapons down.
"I think all of that deserves more than a kiss, but seeing that your nieces and nephews are waiting for you, perhaps I can properly thank you some other time." She suggested sliding her arms around his neck. He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It is good to be king sometimes." He laughed. "Do you want to change into something less armor-y and we can go see them? Or do you want to not go? You don't have too." He said feeling flustered. Seeing Isla with Elliot had made him ache for one of their own. And the fact that she was missing out on time with her own niece and nephew bothered him more than a little. He had to find some way to help her remember.
"I still have to go as your guard, Alistair. But I would like to go, if it's alright with you. I can wait outside the door if you would rather have some alone time with them." She said worrying that he might not want her there. He clasped her hand and kissed it.
"I want you there. Seeing you with them made me happy. They're really wonderful children. I don't have much family and I had none growing up, so I want to spend as much time with them as possible. Come on."
"Alistair, why is there a playroom at the palace? There hasn't been a child here in over thirty or so years." Isla asked as they started out of his wing towards the playroom.
"I had it and rooms set up for them after the Blight was over. Their home had been destroyed and I had hoped that Goldanna and I would be able to have a relationship. But she wants nothing from me but my money. The kids though…they seem to like me." Alistair said with a shrug. Isla could see how much it hurt him.
She laid a hand on his shoulder, making sure they were alone. "You are a wonderful man, Alistair. And they love you."
"Are they the only ones?" He asked moving her back to a dark corner.
"Hmm. I don't know about Zevran. He seems to like you a lot though." Isla said smiling at him.
"I was more asking about a certain beauty who likes to torment me." He said trapping her between his arms as he leaned into her.
"And what beauty would this be, sire? Eamon has paraded enough of them past you." She said and Alistair could hear her annoyance in those words.
"Jealous?" He asked grinning. She crossed her arms and frowned at him.
"I know that you will marry someday. That is why I'm glad Zevran is working so hard to train his men."
"Why?" Alistair asked not liking how this conversation was going.
"So you can choose someone to replace me." She said not meeting his eyes.
"Replace you?" He asked feeling like his heart was going to explode.
"I said I understood what this was. I knew you would have to marry. But I cannot sit here and watch it. I will leave when you chose a bride. I love you, Li. Don't make me watch that." She said looking at him then. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her tears away.
"Isla, I love you too. Marry me." He whispered moving to kiss her.
"What?" She asked shoving him back and looking at him horrified.
"Marry me." He said again frowning at her.
"Be serious, Alistair." She said angrily.
"I am." He said with a sigh. He shouldn't have done this. Now she was going to be mad.
"You can't marry me. You have to marry a noble." She said frowning at him.
"And you don't know that you aren't. I think you must be. You know too much about them not to be one yourself. And it doesn't matter if you aren't. I am king. I will decide who I marry. I love you, Isla. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have children with you. Say that you will marry me." He begged pulling her into his arms.
"Alistair…" She held onto him and shook her head. "I want that more than anything, but…please don't do this. I need to know who I am. Don't ask this of me yet. After we know who I am, if you still want to marry me, I will agree to be your wife."
"No matter who you turn out to be, I want to marry you. I have been headed down this road since you saved me from the darkspawn. I hadn't ever kissed anyone before you. I have been waiting for you my whole life. I love you, Is." He said and kissed her. "But I will give you time, if that is what you are asking me for."
"Thank you, Li. I love you too." She said and kissed him again. Sampson whined and nudged her. She looked down at him and smiled. "He's wanting us to hurry and get to the children. He's a bit of a sucker for kids." Isla laughed as Sampson barked again.
"Well, then, let's not keep him waiting. I think they will be excited to see a mabari up close." Alistair said taking her hand in his as he opened the door.