Five days later [Note: To make up for the late update, I've made a new cover image! A full-size un-cropped image can be found on my deviantart account: Musicalrain0]

In the days following Olisa's appointment with Orsino, both Olisa and Cullen faced the reality of what had transpired – what that meant for them as a couple. They were not married, they were not engaged to be, and yet they had to handle the realization that if they were to become those things, they couldn't be more. They couldn't be parents. They couldn't be grandparents. They couldn't have the children that they both, in small ways, have admitted to wanting.

It wasn't completely true of course. Marianna had pointed it out to her very distraught sister when she arrived home later that day. Marianna had helpfully suggested that, if they were really so desperate to move forward with their lives despite the crazy state Kirkwall is in, they could adopt a child in the future. They could save a child from the coterie, prostitution, starvation, and crime. Despite it being a few years after the Blight, many homeless Ferelden children wander the streets of Darktown. More are born to poor parents, abandoned when circumstance forces their parents to push them aside, or when their parents have died due to infirmity. It is a startling reality and affects both Fereldens and Kirkwallers, both elves and humans. It affected the dwarven castes as well, but to a much smaller degree due to their, more often than not, stronger family units and ties.

Olisa took comfort in the knowledge that she could help a child in the future. She still hoped for a miracle to come about for her own internal damage, however. Maker knows she's had her share of bad times. Good is bound to come about, right?

Well it did in a way, though not exactly how she had wanted. Her despairing hopes for extending her family in the future were augmented when she discovered she had a cousin – Charade. Her family grew in the minutes following Charade's explanations upon their first meeting. Olisa was shocked at first, needless to say. Marianna even more. The warrior had cursed left and right, swearing that when things weren't complicated enough they became even more complicated. The sisters had encouraged their estranged cousin to seek out her father. They wanted her to be a part of the family, after all she is their cousin despite how little they know each other. She even looks like an Amell, with the same brown hair of Lizbeth and their late mother, Leandra. And then there's the fact that she's an archer. A skill both Olisa and her mother had possessed, and one that Amells were known to harbor, other than their magical blood.

Olisa pushed her worries about her fertility aside to focus on her cousin for the next two days. Charade had sent a note to her newly discovered cousins following the eve after she visited her father, and the Hawke sisters took it upon themselves to get to know her better. She was all alone following her mother's death, and they didn't want her to feel that way now that they knew of her existence.

It was late in the evening, the fifth day after Olisa's appointment at the Circle and third after meeting Charade. Olisa, Marianna and Charade were chatting in front of the fireplace in the library swapping stories of varying degrees of believability, when they heard a heavy knock at the front door. Bodan answered it as always, and shortly after Cullen came into the library with a troubled frown on his face. Olisa swiftly stood and embraced him, being more than a little tipsy, and introduced him to Charade.

"Cullen! Look! This is our cousin! Gamlen was married, did you know that? This is Charade. We met her two? No, three days ago." Olisa had a wide grin plastered on her face with a giddy glint to her eyes. She hadn't seen Cullen in a few days, due to pressing duties and unmanageable schedules on both ends, but when she looked up into his face and saw the look there, she internally winced at her own ineptitude. "Cullen, babe. What's wrong?" She asked with concern clearly laced into her words.

Marianna got up from her seat dragging Charade up with her, "Have I ever showed you my room?"

"No..." Charade answered with her confusion inflecting into that one word. She cast a glance at Olisa and Cullen before she was bodily dragged from the library by the warrior.

Olisa blinked after them, her tipsy mindset quickly dissipating as it was replaced by worry. Cullen hardly ever looked so drawn. Her mind went through the possible scenarios ranging from Meredith to her own condition.

She repeated her earlier question, "What's wrong Cullen?"

He exhaled slowly through his nose, "I received a letter today from the Ferelden Circle."

Oh no, Olisa thought. Why would they contact him? Is something wrong? Did something happen? Is he being transferred?

"What..." she couldn't help her voice from cracking. "What did they say?"

He looked down at his love's now blatantly worried face, and tried to school his features and hurry and say what he needed before she worried herself sick without even knowing the cause. "My... mother has died." The last word was said on a whisper. He thought he was an orphan. A foundling the Chantry took pity on and raised when none could. He didn't even have a family name; always being called by his given name. One given to him by the very Chantry that raised him. Well, he amended, it seems I do have a family name after all.

Olisa's mouth hung open in her surprise, and she had to remind herself to close it before she asked, "Your mother? I thought you were a foundling."

He sighed and barely repressed the urge to pace. "I thought I was too. I-I just found out I had a... m-mother when I read this," he reached into a pouch hidden by his sash, and handed Olisa a slightly rumpled letter.

She briefly scanned the letter, and read out loud a portion of it, "'...our deepest condolences. May the Maker and His Bride forever watch over the late Senior Enchanter Dorinda Roy. A strong mage of substance surviving both the darkspawn at Ostagar, and the bloodmage incursion following. She forever will be commended for her efforts at the Capital during the Blight. Her honorable nature never faded, even when she sacrificed herself to save an apprentice when a spell went rogue.'" Olisa stopped reading, and looked up at Cullen with wide eyes. "Did... you know her while you were there?"

He nodded and sighed. "I knew of her, but I wasn't... familiar. I h-had no idea that she was my m-mother." His stutter was making itself quite apparent the more flustered he became. "I had no idea I even had a m-mother, let alone that she was a m-mage." He couldn't help himself, he had to pace now. "S-senior Enchanter Dorinda specialized in primal m-magic. I-I remember her demonstrations to the ap-prentices. She... her hair was lighter th-than mine. She... now that I know, we did look s-similar. She..." He trailed off as he lost himself to his thoughts, and began pacing in earnest.

"Did," Olisa corrected herself. "Do you know who your father is?"

He shook his head roughly, "No. He could be another mage... Or a Templar. It-it wasn't unheard of for... dalliances between Templar and magi."

Olisa walked up to him, and placed both of her hands on his shoulders to stop his fevered pacing. He scooped her up into his arms, placing a passionate kiss upon her lips. When he pulled away from her, his eyes were wide, his skin pinkish from his rampant emotions. He placed a softer kiss on her lips.

"If... I had wanted the Circle annulled w-with the bloodmages. I-I would've killed my m-mother had... had they listened to me."

Olisa hugged him to her and whispered reassuringly, "You didn't know. And your mind wasn't quite right then either. You were tortured, facing things no one should. And you didn't. You didn't kill your mother."

He sighed and clung to her tighter, "But I h-had wanted..."

"But you didn't," she said more firmly. "And your mother lived for a few more years. She was a hero by the sounds of it too. You should be proud that she was your mother."

He nodded, "I am." They stood in silence for a time after that, standing securely in each other's arms.

Cullen bent his head and placed a soft kiss on the top of Olisa's hair. She looked up at him, and he stroked her face with his armored fingertips. "Maker... I want," he closed his eyes. "Olisa, will you," he swallowed heavily and swooped down to rest on bended knee. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife Olisa Hawke?" He was immensely proud of himself that he didn't stutter. He had wanted to propose for some time. Had been waiting for the right time. But when was the right time? If anything, the things that have been happening in their lives recently proved to show just how fragile life was. He didn't want to waste any more time.

Olisa's eyes widened, and she pretended that she didn't hear the surprised squeak coming from the hallway – likely Marianna, Charade, Orana, or all three. Due to her earlier slight inebriation, or so she reasoned to herself, she felt tears coming to her eyes. She threw herself at Cullen, throwing her arms around his neck. She nuzzled into the side of his face, "Yes, yes Cullen."

He breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her close to his armored chest. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, "Maker! I don't have a ring!" Olisa's loud chuckle could be heard throughout the estate.

…...

Note as of 4/21: I cannot apologize enough for the late update! I had a fever last weekend (so if you messaged me last weekend you might have noticed I was a little loopy from the cold medicine, lol) and then once my weekly classes started back up, I had my semesterly panic attack. I swear, I never had panic attacks until my senior year of uni. So, suffice to say, I wasn't really up to writing. Anything, really. Also, updates may slow and/or be sporadic as this semester nears its end. You know; end of semester papers, presentations and cumulative finals take a little time to deal withhence my earlier panic attack. ;) Thank you all for waiting patiently! I hope things get back to normal once this semester's hurdles are crossed.

P.S. Next chapter will cover the mission: A Murder of Crows & Zevran's entrance! :D Oh, and I've updated my profile image to one of me in my favorite ewok-like hat. :3 I have had way too much caffeine...

Additional note as of 4/22: I kid you not, I tried to post this yesterday morning and my wi-fi crashed! :o Loads of bad-luck recently....