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Chapter 25 - The Coronation
"You what?" Alistair thundered at Aedan. His face looked murderous. "Do you realize what you've done? How could you have trusted her?"
"Alistair! Don't make him feel worse than he already does," Azure pleaded. "It saved his life, and that is what is important, my love."
"Yes, never mind she is going to have his demon baby," Alistair replied sarcastically, still looking at Aedan, who fidgeted uncomfortably.
"She told me that the child would not be evil. She stressed this," Aedan shot back.
"And you believed her? Maker's breath!" Alistair said, lifting his hands to his head. They automatically went to his hair, and he ran his fingers through it in desperation.
He shook his head, and walked to the chair in his study, sinking into it, a worried frown on his brow.
"So let me talk to the wardens from Weisshaupt," Aedan said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "I'll explain what happened."
"What, you're going to tell them the truth?" Alistair asked, his voice weak.
"Well, what other option is there?" Aedan asked. "Do you want me to lie about it? And if you do, what do I say to them? What would honestly convince them?"
...
Try as he might, Alistair did not get much sleep that night. He had fallen asleep earlier with Azure in his arms after a passionate session of love-making, but now lay awake, tossing and turning on the bed. He knew it was probably due to nerves because of his impending coronation the following day, but also realized that the whole conversation with Aedan and what he had revealed was the true cause of his insomnia.
He turned to Azure and a gentle smile appeared on his face, as he watched her sleeping face. Taking care not to wake her, he stood up and walked quietly to the fireplace, his bare feet hardly making any noise on the carpeted stone floor. He stoked the fire and put in more logs as quietly as possible then stood there for a moment, looking into the flames.
The whole burden of becoming king suddenly weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He was thankful that Azure was by his side, and that he had her in his life. He thought about what it would mean for her brother to suddenly be taken from her side by the Wardens and hauled to Weisshaupt and he shook his head sadly. No, he couldn't let that happen.
Azure stirred in her sleep, mumbling softly under her breath and he turned and went to the bed, slipping under the sheets quietly. She nestled into his arms and a sigh escaped her smiling lips. He smiled and held her, placing soft kisses on the crown of her head and onto her hair.
"Can't sleep?" She purred.
"No. I guess it's because of the big day tomorrow..." his voice trailed off, and he fixed his gaze on her.
She stretched, oblivious of what her naked body did to him, and he felt the sparks in his stomach travel quickly to his groin.
Her green eyes were looking at him seductively now.
"I think I know what would help you sleep, Your Majesty," she teased.
Alistair gave her a wicked grin, and sank into her softness as he crushed his lips upon her.
He slept like a baby afterwards.
...
Alistair turned to face the nobles in the room who were cheering. There was quite a crowd of people. He raised his hand to all, waving it slightly, acknowledging their apparent happiness at having a king again.
When the cheering had died down, he cleared his throat to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a couple of announcements, before we all set out to the coronation feast."
There was a bit of murmuring around the crowd of nobles, but that died down when Alistair raised his hand gesturing for silence.
"First of all, I wish to present to you all my betrothed, Lady Azure Cousland. She will become your queen in a very short time," he ended his announcement with a grin, and held out his hand to a lovely young woman dressed in a beautiful burgundy and gold gown, who smiled slightly and walked up the stairs to kneel before him. She took his proffered hand and stood up blushing and smiling. His heart skipped a beat. He kept his hand entwined in hers after that, and gave her a loving look before turning once more to the nobles.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have survived a Blight. None of us would be here, were it not for the one who slew the archdemon and ended the Blight. May I present to you the Hero of Ferelden, Aedan Cousland."
The nobles broke into louder cheers than before, and the applause was deafening. Aedan came up the steps to kneel before Alistair also, and Alistair grinned down at him. Aedan straightened up and grinned back.
"My friend, it is hard to imagine how you could have aided Ferelden more. It is only fair that I return the favor. As a reward, I offer you a boon of your choice." Alistair grinned.
"I only wish to continue to serve the Grey Wardens, Your Majesty."
"I suspect they will be overjoyed to hear that," Alistair smiled, glancing briefly at the two Wardens from Weisshaupt before turning to face the crowd again. "Let it also be known that the arling of Amaranthine has been granted to the Grey Wardens. There they shall rebuild, following the footsteps of those that came before them."
Turning to Aedan he asked, "What are your plans?"
"I don't know, Your Highness. I'll have to discuss them with the Grey Wardens," Aedan said.
Alistair smiled. The wardens from Weisshaupt were looking a bit surprised at what they were witnessing. Apparently they had thought that Aedan would choose to remain in court.
"A final announcement, if I may," Alistair said loudly. "I have the honor of presenting Teagan Guerrin, as my Chancellor and Lead Advisor."
Teagan, who was standing behind Alistair, now stood in front bowing to him.
The crowd applauded automatically, though there was some murmuring. Both Teagan and he knew that this would happen, as there were nobles amongst them who had wanted to become advisors to the crown themselves.
A voice boomed out from the midst of the crowd. "Your Majesty! May I have a word?"
Alistair turned towards where he thought the voice came from. A thin man dressed in dragonbone armor was approaching the steps, but before he could arrive to his destination, both Azure and Aedan gasped. Azure ran to the man as he opened his arms to her.
"Fergus!" She yelled, and embraced him tightly. Aedan ran down and gave his brother a bear hug as well, while Alistair stood looking down at the scene, smiling happily.
"Fergus Cousland?"
"Your Majesty!" Fergus stood straight and regarded the new king with a smile on his lips.
"I am relieved to find you are unharmed! This is a most wonderful surprise," he grinned.
"I am surprised too, Your Majesty. I never thought I'd arrive to see the coronation, and when I heard you announce you are marrying my sister, well, that totally surprised me as well," he flashed a brilliant smile, not unlike the ones that Aedan and Azure had given him in the past.
"We have much to talk about," Alistair grinned at him. "We will do so during the celebration. Before we go, I would like to ask for someone else to come before me." He gestured to the guards. "This will take but a moment of your time, Lords and Ladies."
The crowd started to murmur and shifted restlessly. While the guards were gone, Fergus, Aedan and Azure chatted for a bit and hugged again.
After a few minutes, Azure went to stand beside Alistair's side, a brilliant smile on her face as she took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
The side door to the throne room opened, and the guards flanked a blond woman who stood before the king. The crowd's murmurs increased in volume. Teagan had a worried frown on his face.
Alistair raised his hand, asking for silence. The murmurs subsided and everyone stood and waited.
"Anora Mac Tir," Alistair's loud voice carried across the throne room. "You have been brought here before me because I wish to ask you something, hoping you have had time to reconsider." A pause, as Anora regarded him with her icy blue eyes.
"Do you swear fealty to your king? If you do, you will be pardoned and released."
"I will never swear my fealty to you. Not all the nobles hold you in their esteem," Anora said in a clear voice. There were audible gasps amongst the people.
Alistair's gaze saddened.
"Very well. Anora, you will be imprisoned at Fort Drakon for another week until the nobles and I gather here once again to sentence you. Guards, take her away."
The whispering started immediately, and as she was led out of the room, a cry was heard at the very back.
"Long live the Queen!"
Alistair had his eyes on both Zevran and Leliana. A brief nod and they disappeared among the crowd.
...
Senior Warden Jonas Pernin stood before Aedan and the king, while his companion fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Ah, Warden Aedan, I finally catch up with you. You are a hard man to find," Pernin said smugly.
"Senior Warden Pernin, it is an honor to make your acquaintance," Aedan's head inclined briefly. Alistair knew that it wasn't an honor for him at all, and fought back a smile as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say and do.
"I will be direct. We have been sent here by the First Warden to inquire about your - er- ability to have survived after killing the Archdemon. You know very well that the Warden who deals the final blow dies, yet you are standing here before me. Truly a miraculous feat in itself, is it not?" His face wore a smirk as he regarded Aedan, his eyes narrowed. He looked like a snake, readying himself for the final strike.
Aedan said nothing to this, but he did grin at him, which wiped the smirk off the Senior Warden's face.
"I find it really fortunate to have escaped my death, really," he chuckled. "Maybe the Archdemon decided that my soul was too much for it to handle?"
Pernin scowled at the man's levity and Aedan's grin deepened. Alistair fought back a smile.
"If you do not give me the answers I seek, I will be forced to take you ba-"
"I wish to suggest something if I may?" Alistair's voice interrupted him and the Senior Warden stared back at Alistair incredulously. Evidently, he was not used to being interrupted.
"It occurs to me that there will be a need of rebuilding the order in Ferelden. I have, after all, just granted the arling of Amaranthine to the wardens of Ferelden. Sadly, there are only two of us here and I am the king, so it is impossible for me to take up this task." Alistair said, keeping his emotions in check. "I hereby appoint Aedan Cousland Warden Commander of Ferelden, as I am not able to take the title. I'm sure that the First Warden will be relieved when he receives my missive which I sent out to him early this morning informing him of this decision. After the Blight and with so many darkspawn still in Ferelden, it is urgent that new wardens be recruited given the circumstances. I am merely alleviating the situation and saving him from a needless headache of finding a suitable Warden Commander for the task."
Senior Warden Jonas Pernin stood before the King of Ferelden and for the first time in his life found himself at a loss for words.
Alistair moved in for the kill.
"I'm sure you will agree that it would be impossible for you to take him to Weisshaupt, without first getting a reply from the First Warden. It would be a terrible and grievous mistake on your part to leave Ferelden in the hands of a warden who cannot rebuild the order and must rule the nation as king. It would pose a problem for the order, should anything tragic come to happen while the warden who survived a Blight and saved Ferelden and Thedas from a tragic end, is taken away from the land and people he would readily choose to defend, don't you agree? I strongly suggest that we wait for the First Warden's reply, before taking the matter any further."
Alistair did not suppress the smile this time.
"If you will excuse us, we have to mingle with the guests. The Hero of Ferelden has a lot of mingling to do, as there are many grateful people here who wish to express their gratitude," Alistair bit back a chuckle and inclined his head to the two men.
"Please enjoy yourselves in the meantime."
The look on the Senior Warden's face was priceless. The junior warden that stood behind him was grinning.
It seemed to them that the Senior Warden was not a very popular man at all.