Fergus only waited a few moments after Alistair left before calling out, "Daynin!" The man appeared, standing at attention near the fire. Fergus swirled his drink in his glass, took a sip, then said, "Report."

With a nod, Daynin began. "I followed the Lady Cousland to the monument and hid myself, as instructed. When the king arrived, they both seemed nervous. He asked her where she'd been the past year. She gave the king more details about her time away than she gave you, Your Grace. She said that they held her in Weisshaupt because they feared she may have part of the Archdemon inside her, and they performed tests on her to determine whether or not this was true."

Fergus frowned as he listened to the details of these tests, growing angrier the more he heard. "How dare they treat her so!" He growled, then gestured at Daynin to continue.

"His Majesty inquired as to whether these Grey Wardens had found out about their secret, something to do with a person named Morgan. Neither of them gave any details as to what this secret might be, however. The king then asked the Lady Cousland where she went after Weisshaupt, and she said she had gone to Antiva, to see someone named Zevran. His Majesty seemed troubled by this and asked if the man was here with her, and the Lady Cousland confirmed that he is not."

"Hmm... The name Zevran seems familiar to me, perhaps another one of their traveling companions. I don't think I've heard anything of someone named Morgan. Is this person male or female?"

Daynin shook his head. "They gave no indication either way, Your Grace."

"Continue, then."

"The king told the Lady Cousland that he missed her, that he liked her longer hair, and that she was beautiful, after which he embraced her. His Majesty then kissed the Lady Cousland, and..."

Fergus held up a hand, and Daynin paused. "Daynin, while usually I require your full attention to detail, in this one instance I'll ask you to summarize. Just tell me the important part."

"Your Grace?" Daynin asked.

"Did he fuck her?"

"No, Your Grace, though it was a near thing?"

"How near?" Fergus asked. "Again, as few actual details as possible."

"Well... the king had the Lady Cousland's breast in his mouth, and his hand was up her skirt."

Fergus frowned. "Who stopped it?"

"The Lady Cousland. In fact, the king tried to convince her to continue," said Daynin.

"Damn fool woman," Fergus muttered under his breath, and Daynin was wise enough not to respond to that. "Did she act upset, after? Or did he, for that matter?"

Daynin shook his head. "No, Your Grace. His Majesty helped the Lady Cousland straighten her hair. He told her that he couldn't trust himself to be alone with her any longer, and then they returned to the castle."

Fergus leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the arm. So they wanted it at least, that was good. Perhaps they just needed some... encouragement. "Bring me that packet of satyrion powder, Daynin."

Once Daynin had done so, Fergus went over to the small cabinet set into the wall and opened the door. He ran his hands over the bottles, finally selecting a large decanter of brandy. He took it back to where he had been sitting and set it on a table. Taking the small packet of powder into his hand, he considered it. Normally just a pinch or two added to a glass of wine would do the trick, as he well knew. He'd used the stuff plenty of times himself, after all. With a shrug, he dumped half of the powder into the glass container and swirled it about, watching for it to dissolve. He then handed the decanter to Daynin. "Put this back, and make sure you know which one it is. I don't want you serving it to me by accident. Then, you are dismissed."

Daynin did as he was told, and he disappeared back into his room. Over the next few days, Fergus did nothing but observe his guests. Lyrina was spending most of her time with Jenya, which was good. However, when Jessimyn and Alistair weren't avoiding each other, they had that Leliana woman with them. One day, while the three of them were together in the garden, Fergus decided to join them. Perhaps he could find the answer to one of his questions.

They had been laughing when he approached them, but they quieted as he sat down near them. Jessimyn and Alistair were sitting on the same bench, while Leliana was sitting on one across from them. Fergus was pleased to see his sister and the king sitting very close to each other, their legs touching, though they moved a little apart when he arrived.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Fergus said, an easy smile on his face.

"We were just... reminiscing," said Jessimyn.

"It must be nice, to all be together again," said Fergus. "Do any of you ever get a chance to see your other companions?"

Jessimyn shook her head. "No, everyone else has pretty much gone their separate ways, back to their homelands, for the most part. Leliana here is the only one who returned to Denerim."

"And the others?" Fergus asked, keeping his voice casual. "What were all of their names again?"

Jessimyn replied. "Well, there was Wynne. I thought she was going back to the Circle Tower, though she wasn't there when I passed through. Oghren returned to Orzammar, as did Shale. Sten went back to Par Vollen, and Zevran returned to Antiva."

Fergus noticed Leliana give Jessimyn a strange look, but the bard didn't speak. Was there something she was leaving out? "Ah yes, I remember Oghren. He was the dwarf, was he not? And Sten was the qunari? I'm not sure I remember who Zevran was, though."

Alistair was the one who responded. "Zevran was the annoying little elf," he said, earning him a look from Jessimyn.

"Ah yes," said Fergus, trying to remain calm. "I remember now. Well, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll leave you to it, then." He stood, bowed to Alistair, and went back inside.

An elf? He felt himself getting angry. His sister would debase herself so far as to dally with an elf? And if that wasn't bad enough, it seemed that Alistair knew about it. Well, if he had any doubts about going through with the most immediate of his plans, they were gone now. Jessimyn needed to realize what was important, and that didn't include sleeping with everything that moved. No, what was important was that she renewed her relationship with the king. Without that, nothing else he had planned could come to fruition.

As the days continued to pass, Fergus watched the tension between Alistair and Jessimyn grow. He couldn't understand how Lyrina didn't notice, but then, it seemed the queen's attention was focused solely on keeping Leliana and the king apart. Perhaps the bard served a purpose in being here after all. He'd had Daynin listen in on some of the meetings between his wife and the queen, just to make sure she wasn't suspicious of anything.

"They talked mostly of your son, Your Grace," Daynin had told him. "But then the queen mentioned the Lady Cousland. Her Majesty said she wished she knew her better, as the Lady Cousland seems like an interesting woman, but also considering how close she is to the king. Your lady wife asked the queen if that bothered her, the king being surrounded by so many beautiful women."

Fergus clenched his jaw. "And what did Lyrina say to that?"

"The queen said that the bard, Leliana, made her a little nervous, as she couldn't be sure the two of them hadn't previously been involved. The teyrna asked the queen if she was feeling a little jealous, though she asked it in a teasing sort of way. Her Majesty said she worried that the king might expend his seed elsewhere, when it should be used to procure an heir. She said this in many more words than I've just used, and she seemed embarrassed as she said it. Your lady wife then asked the queen if she loved the king, and Her Majesty said she did not know, that it was too soon to tell. The teyrna claimed she already knew that she loved you very much, and..."

Fergus waved a hand. "That's hardly important. Did either the queen or my wife say any more of my sister?"

"No, Your Grace. From there, the conversation took a more personal turn. They spoke at length about yourself and the king."

Fergus frowned. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"No, Your Grace," said Daynin. "All of it was complimentary."

With a nod, Fergus gestured to his manservant. "You are dismissed, then."

A few days before the party was set to depart, Fergus asked his sister to see him in his sitting room after dinner. "You wanted something?" She asked when she entered.

He smiled at her. "Can't a man just want to spend time with his sister, especially knowing that she's going to be leaving in a few days?"

"Any other man? Probably so. You, however, tend to want something when you ask to see me."

Fergus gestured to a chair. "I'm just curious as to what you intend to do once you reach Denerim."

"My duty," she said as she sat. "I am a Grey Warden, lest you have forgotten. I may stay at the compound in Denerim if needed, I may travel to Amaranthine, or I may attempt to do some recruiting. It will depend on how things are in Denerim, when I get there."

"Duty..." said Fergus. "And what of your duty to the king?"

Jessimyn gave him an exasperated look. "What is that supposed to mean, Fergus? Alistair is my king, it is true, but Grey Wardens do not serve individual monarchs. You know this."

"Of course, of course," he said. "I'd just hate for you to get... distracted. You know, running off to a foreign land so you can go fuck some elf."

Her face reddened with anger. "How do you... how dare you speak to me so! How dare you even imply..."

"Oh, I know all about Antiva," said Fergus calmly.

Jessimyn straightened. "You know nothing, Fergus. You understand nothing. I will not discuss anything like this with you."

"There's just something that's been bothering me," he said. "You know, with all of this talk of duty..." Fergus hesitated, knowing what he was about to say would hurt her. But, he knew it was necessary. "I just wonder if maybe Oriana and my little Oren would still be alive, if you hadn't been too busy fucking that Dairren fellow to notice what was going on in the castle."

Jessimyn reeled, flinching as if he'd struck her. "Fergus..." She said, burying her face in her hands. "Oh, Maker. Why would you say that? You know I loved them as much as you." When she looked up at him, there were tears on her face.

Fergus pitied her then. It took a lot to make her cry. He hadn't wanted to upset her, not truly, but some things were greater than her feelings. "That was cruel of me, Jess. I'm sorry," he said, and he actually meant it.

"Is... is that what you really think? You know I would give anything, do anything..."

"No, Jess, I... just want you to always remember what's most important."

She stared at him for a long while, reaching to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hand. "You would lecture me... No. I'm going back to my room now."

"Wait, Jess, stay," he said. "Have a drink with me. I'm sure you could use one."

"I could use one, that is certain. But I do not wish to share it with you," she said as she moved towards the door.

"Wait," he said again, going to the cabinet that held his own personal stash. He pulled out the brandy he'd been saving. "Here, take this. It's better than anything you'll find in the kitchens. It's the least I can do."

She hesitated before taking the decanter from his hands. The door slammed shut behind her as she left. Fergus waited until he heard her own door open and shut before he left his sitting room, making his way down to the guest area of the castle. He found Alistair in the study and was pleased to see that he was alone.

"Your Majesty," he said with a bow. "Where is the queen, if I may ask?"

"She has retired for the night," he said.

"Ah," said Fergus. "That is good. You see, I..." He had the decency to look contrite. "I actually had a favor, something I was hoping you might help me with." At Alistair's raised eyebrows, he continued. "I fear I've made an ass of myself, and I've upset my sister a great deal. She has locked herself in her rooms, and she won't speak to me. I was hoping you might... go check on her. You are the only other person here that she trusts, and I just want to make sure she's all right."

The hesitation on Alistair's face was clear. "I'm... not sure that's a good idea, my going to her rooms."

Fergus nodded. "I understand. I wouldn't want any gossip started. If you're willing, we could walk up there together. You are often enough in my own sitting room that any who see us will assume that's where we are going. There shouldn't be anyone in the family quarters to see otherwise." At the king's continued reluctance, Fergus added, "Please, Your Majesty. I'm very worried about her."

Alistair finally consented, and the two men walked together to the hallway where the Cousland rooms were. After making sure there was no one around, Alistair went to knock on Jessimyn's door, and Fergus went back into his own rooms. Once inside, he couldn't help but smile to himself.