Anders and I managed to force ourselves to return to the banquet. It was that or leave completely, since our kissing and pawing at each other in the hall was beginning to attract attention. "So—"

"Yes, we can dance now," Anders said, laughing. Unfortunately that didn't quite work out as the moment we returned to the ballroom proper we were inundated by people wanting to talk to us. "This is horrible," Anders whispered after the tenth person we barely knew offered us congratulations. "We can't even walk ten feet without someone stopping us! Who told everyone already?"

"I know!" I whispered back after smiling and thanking someone else. I think it was a brother of the Bann of… somewhere. I think I'd met them once before. Maybe.

"Is this… will it always be like this?" he asked. I looked at him and shrugged. "Right. You wouldn't know, either," he admitted.

Leliana caught my eye and must have realized we were both on the edge of running from the room before someone was accidentally frozen solid. She ran over and grabbed me by the arm, offering apologies to the nobles as she guided Anders and I back to our table. Surrounded by a wide buffer of our friends I sighed with relief. "They're all... looking at us," I complained.

"His fault," Oghren said. Felsi smacked him on the head and he grumbled. "What? It is. Sparklefingers is the one who decided to spring this in the middle of every sodding noble on the surface."

"Alistair made me," Anders protested. "I didn't want to ask here."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "You didn't want to ask at all. How long have you been carrying that ring with you?"

Anders shrugged and mumbled something. "Can we talk about something else?" he finally said, flagging down a passing servant and grabbing two drinks from her tray. She congratulated us before moving on.

"Agreed," I said, sipping the wine.

"No!" Leliana exclaimed. "It's so exciting! What will you wear? Will it be in the Chantry here, or in Amaranthine? How many people will you invite? Oooh, can I help you plan everything?" I stared at her in growing horror. "Hm. Perhaps we should start small," she mused, no doubt realizing I was ready to hide under the table and refuse to come out until everyone was gone. "Can I see your ring?" I gingerly held my hand out and she examined it. "Silver?" she said finally, surprised.

"I like silver," I answered. "Most of my enchanted rings and amulets are silver."

"Yes, but gold is so much more traditional," she protested. "This isn't some ring to make your spells better!" She shook her head. "And what is this stone? It's blue. Diamonds aren't blue."

"It's a sapphire," Anders said. "Blue is her favorite color. And we all know how much Maggie loves tradition," he chuckled. "Besides, it actually is a ring to make spells better. I enchanted it myself."

I hadn't even noticed that and pulled my hand away to take a closer look. "Lightning?" I asked. He nodded and I couldn't help but smile. "That's perfect," I said, brushing my fingers against his cheek. I preferred frost spells, but Anders always went to lightning when he wanted to cause damage. I couldn't help but associate that spell family with him, it seemed fitting.

"I know," Anders said with a grin, looking very proud of himself.

"You are hopeless," Leliana said with a laugh. I laughed with her and looked around. Most people were starting to trickle out, Alistair and Elissa had already left to spend their wedding night alone. They still had the coronation to go to the next day, after all. Anders poked me in the side and I grinned. We quickly wished everyone goodnight and bolted for the door before anyone else could stop us.

We passed a couple templars who turned to glare at us as we cut across the palace grounds. Neither of us were wearing robes but, as Anders often said, the big 'I'm a mage' sign we wore never really went away. I called out "Grey Wardens" before they could turn on us. They grumbled and we went on our way, ignoring them. We made it to the compound and nodded to the seneschal before slipping into our own tiny room. Anders locked the door and turned to grin at me. I giggled as he pinned me against the wall and started pushing my dress up. Having a better idea after a moment he abandoned that attempt and turned his attention to his own wardrobe instead. "Damn pants," he muttered, fumbling with the ties. "This would have been the perfect time for robes."

I giggled and dropped my underwear on the floor. "Bed?"

"Eventually," he said, finally winning his battle against the formalwear. A hand slid under my dress and up my thigh. Anders gave an appreciative growl as his fingers discovered I was already slick. I moaned and began moving my hips against his hand. He removed his hand after a few minutes and began pushing my skirts up over my hips. I grumbled in frustration.

"Patience," Anders chuckled, picking me up by the backs of my thighs while I fumbled with my dress. I sighed with pleasure feeling him push into me.

Knowing the others were still at the banquet and everyone else had spent the night on the town joining in the local celebrations I didn't bother muffling my cries. "Harder," I begged, clawing at his shoulders through his doublet. Anders complied, and a picture fell off the wall a few feet away from where he had me pinned. We both paused and looked over before giggling.

"Deal with that later," Anders mumbled before returning his attention to me. I tugged at his hair, releasing the ponytail so I could twist my hand through it. He chuckled and slammed into me hard enough I could hear my dress rip where it was rubbing against the rough plaster wall. Gasping out "again," I squeezed my legs tighter around his hips. With a loud moan he complied and I cried out, throwing my head back and barely feeling it strike the wall before going limp. He kept going, though, causing me to gasp or cry out with every thrust, my nerves overwhelmed enough that I shook. Eventually Anders gave a guttural shout before sinking to his knees, still holding onto me. "I think I ruined your dress," he said after a moment of silence where we both fought to catch our breath.

"It's a stupid dress," I mumbled, holding tightly to him. "I'd rather just wear robes to these things."

"So tomorrow you will," he chuckled. We sat together on the floor, arms wrapped around each other tightly. "You know," Anders said eventually, "we must look absolutely absurd. Half dressed."

"So, should we fix our clothes?" I laughed.

"There's a thought," he said. "However, another thought is to get rid of the clothes completely. And relocate."

"You are an absolute genius," I giggled, untying the laces of my dress and tossing it aside. "No wonder I love you."

"I do try," he said. Anders looked at me, now completely naked, on his lap. "Um, Maggie?"

"Hmmm?" I said, leaning against him once more.

He sighed. "I can't believe I'm about to say this," Anders said, "but you need to get off of me."

I laughed and stood up, crossing the room and crawling into bed while he ditched his clothes. "You ripped my doublet," he said, tossing it to the floor. "You need to cut your nails shorter or I won't have anything left without holes in it!"

"So you can wear robes, too," I said, snuggling under the blankets next to him.

Anders chuckled. "Nathaniel is going to turn that fantastic shade of red when we both show up waving our mage flags."

"I'm pretty sure most people know," I said. I gasped then, remembering suddenly what I'd managed to never forget in the years Anders and I had been together. "Maker's breath," I groaned. "Where are we going to find a Chantry that will even let us in the door?"

He sat up and looked at me with a proud grin. "It's all in hand," Anders assured me. "Alistair spoke to the Grand Cleric."

"Really?" To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

"Really," Anders said. "I'd been using that as my excuse for, you know, being a coward and all." He grinned at me. "He asked her today. And then he threatened to smite me if I didn't say something."

"So Alistair already knew?" I said, surprised.

"I may have said something last night. While drinking, though, so it barely counts."

"Who else?" I asked.

"Well, Teagan and Eamon where there last night, so they heard me. Oghren already did before we got here, obviously," he said. I raised an eyebrow and giggled. Anders had teased me for accepting romantic advice from Oghren years earlier, now it seemed he was doing the same. "Nathaniel, since he was with me when I got the ring—"

"When was that?"

"The last time we were in Denerim, when you and Ronan got drunk while Nathaniel and I went shopping."

I gasped. "That long ago?"

He shrugged. "Well, I kind of got it on a whim. I just thought it would be something you'd like. He's the one who asked if it was an engagement ring. Besides the whole not-gold and not-diamond thing."

"I don't like gold or diamonds," I said.

"Well, I know that," Anders said. "So anyways, that made me think. And I just kind of put it in my pocket and left it there while I thought. For several months."

"Anyone else?" I asked him.

"Jowan," Anders said. "I kind of had no choice there, though." I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to go on. "Well, I've been thinking about it. Quite a bit, actually. More than I suspected, perhaps, since when we went into the fade apparently the version of you he met thanked him for coming to our wedding and, um, introduced him to my parents." He sighed. "I don't know, I was thinking about them, too. They were always so happy. They were in love, but they were friends, too. It seemed like we were always laughing and having fun at home. They were… like us." He sighed. "I know you were taken away too young to really see anything like that with your family. I guess part of me always wanted that kind of life, though." Anders didn't seem to be finished, so I didn't say anything and waited for him to go on. He wasn't really talking to me, just talking while staring off into the distance. He made a face before continuing. "It just frustrates me that whenever we travel anywhere someone assigns me a room I never use, whenever we get new recruits they assume we're married and when they find out we're not make… comments."

"They do?" I said, shocked. No one had ever said a word to me, not even Nathaniel, who made a point of telling me how my behavior would be perceived by others on a regular basis, other than a single crack about the "order of equals" only days after I arrived in Amaranthine, before there was really anything going on to speak of.

"Well, not to us," he said. "But Jowan's heard more than one wonder just how available you or I might be. It isn't an uncommon attitude."

"I didn't know," I said. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Jowan told me when I talked to him about the fade. He said I'd better do something before some girl made a pass at me and you froze her solid in a jealous rage."

I laughed at that. "He did not!"

"He did!" Anders insisted. "Of course, he also pointed out how surprising it was that I hadn't done that to some hopeful young man yet myself."

"That I can believe," I said.

"It's tempting," Anders said with a grin and a dramatic flash of lightning in his hand. "I know we'll never be normal. The little house somewhere, kids, whatever. And that's… that's fine. I don't think either of us would be cut out for that life even if there wasn't so much preventing it." I squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture. While I had no doubt I wouldn't be cut out for that kind of life, I could see Anders managing it very easily. I suspected he knew as much, too. "This is just… a bit closer to that, you know? I'm tired of people being dismissive of us because of one stupid bloody ceremony any dimwitted moron in Ferelden can have."

"That makes sense," I said finally. While I couldn't claim to see what the big deal was with saying a few words in front of some priest, if it mattered to him I'd do it. I couldn't claim the way people looked at us when they realized we weren't already married didn't annoy me on occasion, either. "Just… one thing," I said. He looked over at me, a nervous expression on his face. "It doesn't have to be big does it? Like… all this today?"

"Andraste's knickers, no," Anders said, sounding relieved. "For all I care we can sneak off and tell everyone after."

"That's allowed?" I asked.

"I think, for us, the Chantry would prefer that," Anders said. I sighed with relief. Anders shook his head at me and reached over, pulling me closer to him. "We don't have to decide anything tonight," he reminded me. "Now quit distracting me from the naked woman in my bed."

I decided that just had to be a challenge.


The Denerim Seneschal woke us the next day with a knock on the door. "Commander," he called from the other side after I'd mumbled an acknowledgement that I was awake, "a messenger from the King is here, he wants to meet with you before the coronation. Official business."

I groaned and crawled from bed, cleaning as quickly as I could before digging out clean robes and dressing. "Hopefully I won't be long," I told Anders who was still half-asleep. He mumbled something and kissed my hand before falling back asleep.

I followed the messenger back to Alistair's study, where they knocked on the door and quickly disappeared. I was surprised to see Fergus Cousland open the door to admit me. Eamon was already seated by the fire, Alistair and Elissa curled up on a couch together. "Morning," I mumbled, still exhausted, before dropping into a vacant seat. "Something wrong?"

"Not at all," Eamon said. "But we wanted you involved in this."

Elissa stood up and reached for my hand, examining the ring without asking. I'm fairly sure I was blushing, already sick of the extra attention. "Pretty," she said finally.

I nodded. "Anders has good taste. Better than me, to be honest." Did they drag me from bed to talk about jewelry?

"Don't worry, we didn't get you up this early to gossip about weddings," she said with a grin. I guess my expression made that thought fairly obvious. "Fergus and I had a plan, but we need your help." I perked up, curious.

"It's tradition for the king to grant his bride a boon on the day of her coronation," Alistair said. I nodded, still not sure what this had to do with me.

"There's nothing I need," Elissa said. "I married a wonderful man yesterday and I'm going to be Queen of Ferelden in a few hours, what could I ask for? Most ask for a better title for their families, but, well, Highever is second only to the crown as it is. Fergus had a wonderful idea, though."

"You heard about what happened to me on the North Road?" he asked.

"I did," I said. "Pardon me for saying, but you really shouldn't be on that road alone as it is. I wouldn't even ride the North Road by myself, and I kill things for a living! You should travel with guards!"

"I know," he said, looking embarrassed. "I've heard all this from her, believe me." Elissa nodded violently in agreement. "Well… if your people hadn't come along, I hate to think what would have happened. They saved my life, I have no doubt of it." He paused for a moment. "Nathaniel saved my life. He took an arrow for me. Our healers were able to fix him up, it was just a shoulder wound, but if he hadn't stepped in it would have gone right through my heart." I gasped. Nathaniel hadn't told me that part. Fergus nodded in confirmation.

"So, you know the Amaranthine controlled by the Wardens isn't as large as what Howe once owned," Alistair said. "A third of the Arling was given to the Couslands, and Highever expanded, because they suffered so much at his hands directly." I nodded, remembering Eamon explaining that to me before I left to take over.

"I'm going to ask that the Howe family be restored," Elissa said. "Fergus is going to grant them the portion of Amaranthine that is now in Highever. We wanted to know if you would be willing to break the arling up further."

I gasped. Nathaniel would be beside himself. I also felt my stomach drop. Would he leave us to take up running the family's new land? I couldn't keep this from him, though. Not out of selfishness. "As long as the Wardens retain the Keep and Soldier's Peak in the coastal mountains you can take everything else, for all I care. I'd just need the normal tithes then to keep the order running since we wouldn't get tax revenue."

"I figured you'd say that," Alistair said, smiling. Eamon pulled out a map with lines drawn on it. It spit the Arling from east to west along the North Road. By the new lines we would retain Feravel Plains and the city of Amaranthine, as well as most of the northern coastline, while the Howe family would regain control of Knotwood Hills, the whole of the Blackmarsh peninsula, the Hafter River, and the Wending woods.

"Most of the revenue comes from the city," Eamon said. "You should be no worse off than before, since your forces won't be spread as thin." I nodded in agreement, not entirely understanding the financial details but knowing Eamon wouldn't have reason to lie to me. "This will also allow the new Arling access to the Amaranthine Ocean."

"Is this all right with you, Mags?" Alistair asked.

I shrugged. "You know I hate that political stuff. I can't stand being an Arlessa, or acting Arlessa, or whatever, and it does distract from my real job. Just tell me where to sign."

"What do you think he'll do?" Alistair asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't want him to leave us, but I won't stop him if he wants to. Having his name restored will mean the world to him." I sighed. "If it comes down to it, I can make Sigrun my new lieutenant, unless she goes with him. If she does, I can name Rose."

"You have some preference for rogues?" Alistair laughed.

"Most warriors aren't taught to lead or give orders. Not at the stage we get them, at least. Generals have years of experience usually, and none of my people have that. Rogues are better at thinking on their feet and acting without waiting for orders from someone else, it's a key part of their training." I shrugged. "Keep in mind, I can count the Wardens over thirty years on one hand. We basically had to start from scratch, almost everyone is under five and twenty."

"Sound reasoning," Eamon said, actually sounding slightly impressed. He set out several papers. I signed each with my name and title and, once done, excused myself so I could get breakfast before I started gnawing on the furniture. Since it was several hours before the coronation and Anders was in all likelihood still sleeping, I headed over to the alienage, grabbing a snack on the way. I had letters to drop off from Aidan and several other Wardens. I didn't expect Shianni to be up, but I could slip it under her door.

To my surprise the alienage was a buzz of activity when I arrived. She was awake, and directing people in swapping the white and blue ribbons and banners for red and gold ones. I waved to her, any strange reactions I may have received as an unknown human walking into the alienage were cut short when she returned the greeting. I suppose I wasn't as unknown as most, though.

"I have mail," I said after we exchanged greetings. "The top is from Aidan to you, the others are from other Wardens to their families."

"About time he's written," she said. "Rose told me he survived but I was starting to worry!"

"Is she around?" I asked, curious.

"Somewhere. I saw her last night with that other Warden… can't remember his name. They could barely walk straight, so I suspect they're sleeping it off at her parents' house." Shianni suddenly looked guilty. "I hope I didn't just get them in trouble."

I chuckled at that. "No shame enjoying their time off."

She grinned at me. "So I heard your big news last night, but you snuck out before I could say anything. Will I get an invitation?"

I blushed. "I don't even know if we're going to have a big… thing. We kind of want to just sneak off and get it done." I hoped she wasn't offended by that.

"Can't say I'm surprised," she said, sounding more amused than anything else.

We talked a while longer until I realized the others would be getting up. "If you see Rose and Roland can you let them know to meet us at our compound if they want to go to the coronation?" I asked before taking my leave.

Anders was just getting up when I returned. In a quiet voice I told him about my meeting. "Do you think he'll leave?" he asked me after a moment. Like me, Anders had reacted first with happiness for Nathaniel before the worry kicked in.

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe. I don't think he could stay with Sigrun if he's an Arl, though. That could keep him with the Wardens."

He nodded in agreement. The nobility would react to a tattoo-covered casteless dwarf among their ranks with almost as much friendliness as they had to a common-born mage. "I guess we'll see."

There was a commotion outside our door. The two of us walked towards the front room to see what the shouting was. Rose and Roland had returned, and were in the middle of a loud argument. "Problem?" I asked.

"I'll say," Rose replied.

"Rose, what's the big deal?" Roland said before she could continue. "It isn't going to change anything."

"Andraste's ass it's not," she snapped. Everyone else had come out to watch. "We went out for some drinks last night. There was a big party in the alienage, tons of ale." I nodded, waiting to see what was wrong. "I don't remember what happened, but when I woke up this was in my pocket!" She violently flung a piece of vellum down on a table. I picked it up and started laughing.

"You're kidding!" I said, passing it to Anders who chuckled before showing the others.

"Fine, laugh it up," she said. "It doesn't seem right. We were drunk! Shouldn't they have just… turned us away?"

"Maybe you hid it well?" Sigrun suggested. Rose glared at her.

Oghren chuckled. "We had a saying back in Orzammar. In ale there's truth." He shrugged. "Maybe you just had to get drunk to do what you wanted."

"I hate that saying," Felsi said. "Is there something in the water here or something? First those two, now this?"

Rose looked over at me. "What, you two got drunk and eloped, too?"

Anders snorted. "No, I can't say we did that." I held up my hand. Roland grinned and clapped Anders on the shoulder. Rose narrowed her eyes at me.

"I'm blaming your influence for this," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "So get it annulled if you're that upset." Roland looked pained at this suggestion and, unsurprisingly, so did Rose. "Yeah, that's what I figured," I laughed. "Come on, we need to go clap for our new queen."

"You're wearing that?" Nathaniel said, taking in the sight of Anders and I in mage robes.

"My dress got ripped."

"So did my doublet," Anders added.

"How?" he asked and then quickly raised a hand. "Never mind. Do not answer that." He sighed. "Well, it's not like everyone doesn't already know you're mages. I just wish you didn't feel the need to rub it in people's faces constantly."

"Come on," I sighed. "Let's just go. I want to get decent places to stand. The Landsmeet chamber will be packed."

"Why do you care so much?" Nathaniel asked. "I thought you hated politics."

"It's exciting," I said neutrally, turning to walk out the door so he couldn't see my face.


Thanks so much to everyone who weighed in on the last chapter. I love reviews, and I'm so happy it came as a pleasant surprise (or not-so-surprising surprise)