Sleeping Arrangements

Chapter 26

"the future queen"

Alistair looked down from the balcony into the garden. Elissa and Wynne sat closely on a bench, whispering frantically. There were small gestures and knowing glances passed between them and Alistair squinted. He wasn't sure what they were talking about but it gave him a knot in his stomach. Elissa shook her head slowly and rested it in her hands as Wynne squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. He wondered if he should go down there and intercede, but his body remained uncontrollably motionless. Wynne was saying something. He was certain it was some sort of practical advice from the way she was sitting. He had been on the receiving end of that far too many times to not recognize it. Elissa seemed to slowly accept her words and raised her head once again to look at the older woman. Their conversation continued with Elissa asking short questions and Wynne providing lengthy responses. Alistair was fairly certain the mage was smiling, but he couldn't be sure.

"Are you ready to begin?" Adelaide asked when she finally found the king.

He kept his eyes set on the pair of women. "I was waiting for Elissa."

The party planner followed his gaze. "It seems she will be a while longer. Come, we can begin without her." He sighed and followed dutifully.

In the meeting room he leaned his elbows against the table in a most uncivil way. Adelaide looked at him across the heaps of fabric samples and table setting mark-ups with a disapproving stare, but he had grown used to it by then. She sighed, knowing she would get no more from the king than the lackluster enthusiasm he was giving at the moment and continued with her speech. "You still need to decide upon a theme, and color scheme, and fabric samples, and…"

At that moment the doors opened and Elissa waltzed in, head held high in regality. She smiled at her betrothed reassuredly, clearly recovered from whatever distress her conversation with Wynne had caused. He could sense reluctance beneath that grin but knew this wasn't the time to dwell on it. "Lady Cousland," Adelaide greeted, "So good to finally meet you. Your future husband has not been particularly… cooperative."

"Yes," Elissa sent Alistair a disapproving look that he knew was all in jest. "He can be very stubborn. But I am here now and I have a lot of ideas."

"Of course, your ladyship," Adelaide bowed her head diligently and dipped her quill in the nearby ink and readied her hand above the blank parchments.

"The wedding will be in spring," Elissa announced with conviction.

Adelaide smiled. "Certainly, and we could order daffodils and lilies..."

"No," the younger woman stated hardly, much to Alistair's surprise. "The wedding will be this spring."

"But… That's less than a month away!" the planner responded as she formulated the math in her head.

Elissa remained unchanged. "Am I not the future queen? Do I not deserve the wedding I've planned since my childhood? I am marrying the king, after all!"

Adelaide couldn't find an argument in this. "My lady," she started respectfully, "This is not something simple you ask."

Elissa's eyes sparked. "You think I don't understand that which I ask? The wedding will be this spring, and if you cannot accommodate my wishes I will find someone who can."

The color faded from Adelaide's face and Alistair felt slightly guilty. The woman was pushy and determined, but that was all a result of her taking her job very seriously. She swallowed and lowered her eyes. "Of course, my Lady. I will make the accommodations in due time."

Elissa grabbed the pad of paper Adelaide had been writing on and Alistair gasped in shock. He had considered many times how to get the woman to shut up but taking her writings from under her nose had never even occurred to him. The future queen read the notes carefully. "The colors will be blue with silver trimmings – an homage to the Grey Wardens. All of the nobles of Fereldan will be invited; Teryn Fergus Cousland, Arl Teagan…" She paused and looked at Alistair questioningly. "Arl?" Alistair made a gesture that promised he would explain later and she continued. "And if you can somehow track down our fellow veterans of the Blight their attendance would also be most welcome. Roses…" She smiled. "I like that. But make them white so they won't contrast with the blue linens." She thrust the paper back into Adelaide's arms. "I'll leave the rest to your discretion." Another thought suddenly occurred to her. "Except… I want my war hound there."

Adelaide smiled as much as she could manage. "It is Fereldan, after all," was all she said before exiting the room, defeated.

Alistair approached his fiancé, astonished and unnerved all at once. "You certainly know what you want," he commented quietly. Elissa sighed. She seemed tired, which worried Alistair. She stared at him and bit her lip while considering what to say but the proper words never came to her. He finally relieved the pressure to speak by offering, "Would you like to take a walk?"