Bioware owns Dragon Age and all the characters, I own Jaya, though...
The King's Rose
Chapter 36: The Fate of All
Jaya yawned and got ready for the next day of the Exalted Council before deciding her husband needed a wake-up call. She leaned over to kiss him, only to let out a squeak when he pulled her closer, the morning kiss turning into a deeper one that she had to break for air before she giggled. "You were awake, weren't you?"
"Hmm. Hard not to with you getting up, love. Good morning." He said, yawning in between words.
"Good morning, my husband. Day two of being stuck in Orlais... Hopefully heads have cooled off." She replied as she helped him get changed and placed his crown on in the same moment he did hers. She looked at the two of them in the mirror and couldn't help but feel like she was young again and had just married him. "Now we look like royalty."
"Does that mean we were acting before? Could've fooled me." He joked as they once again were escorted to their seats, noting that Silvana must've slept in or something as Josephine was anxious to get started.
"Please, something must be done." The Orlesian representative said. "But we cannot lose the Inquisition now. We stand on the brink of war with the Qunari."
"Yes, because this 'Solas' provoked them in the first place." Alistair countered.
"The Inquisition did not cause this threat. We informed the summit of the danger-" Josephine began.
Jaya tilted her head. "The danger that was caused because of the spies in your organization, if I recall correctly."
"Without our organization, none of us would be here to complain." Leliana reminded.
Jaya exhaled while rubbing her forehead. "No one has forgotten what you have done, least of all me. I truly thank you for keeping my kingdom safe for eleven years, but Corypheus is two years dead."
"If the Inquisition is to continue, it must do so as a legitimate organization, not a glorified mercenary band."
Jaya's eyes widened at seeing Silvana's missing arm, worried about what happened while she was going off at the advisors. The look on her face made her pause in her thoughts. 'Silv's...' Her mind went silent, instead focusing on the Inquisitor herself.
"Inquisitor?" She asked as Silvana held up a book.
"You all know what this is? A writ from Divine Justinia authorizing the formation of the Inquisition. We pledged to close the Breach, find those responsible, and restore order. With or without anyone's approval." She then faced the four leaders. "You're right, Queen Jaya. We are dangerous. We've been deceived, and we've made mistakes. You're right as well, Duke Cyril. These are the growing pains of a young organization in need of guidance. But you would both have the Inquisition bow to your agenda, and that is precisely what we cannot do. The Inquisition will act as Divine Victoria's personal honor guard. Answering directly to her, we will transition from a military force into a peacekeeping organization. My own adventuring days may be done, but the Inquisition - and its mission - will continue." With that, she turned and left.
Jaya laughed lightly. "Spoken like a true noble... And it took me years to regain that ability. Well said..." She nodded in agreement with Silvana's words. "Duke Cyril... Apologies for what I said earlier. And give my best to Celene, will you? I hope she can visit soon."
"Will do, Your Highness." He bowed and took his leave.
Jaya walked over to Silvana with a sheepish smile. "I apologize for my attitude. It wasn't one suitable for a noble like me."
Silvana smiled and giggled. "Leliana said you weren't one to hide your thoughts."
"She did?" She sent a glare towards her best friend, who merely smiled in kind as Jaya faced Silvana once again. "By the way, congratulations are in order. I knew Cullen had it in him."
Silvana glanced at her own spouse before smiling. "It was the most awkward way to ask, but, I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Awkward, huh? Sounds familiar." Jaya smirked at the embarrassed Alistair as Hawke and Anders joined. "Melora... Did you have any awkwardness when Anders proposed?"
Melora burst out laughing. "Yeah, you can say that. It was a mess that ended up with me winding up wet while Anders looked like he hit a cat."
Alistair went to the other two men's side and shook his head. "Why couldn't we do it right?"
Anders shrugged. "Perhaps that's what they love about us?"
"I think it's our charm... Maybe..." Cullen suggested. "Say, Anders and Alistair. Can I ask something?"
"We might answer." Alistair said.
"Depends on the question." Anders agreed.
"What can I expect if Silv and I have heirs?"
Anders and Alistair both chuckled as Alistair spoke. "I'll say one thing: don't anger her. Just because she has one arm doesn't lessen blows if she gets angry... I was nearly beheaded twice in one day because I asked her about what she wanted for dinner." He shuddered. "Since that, I've learned to not talk back to her."
"She seemed scary in Ameranthine." Anders said.
"Now I know, she's just like anyone else, but with claws."
"When I met her in the Circle, she seemed like she's led before." Cullen said.
"Nope. She never led anything until the Blight. Even then, she had to look intimidating just to keep up appearances." Alistair said.
Melora giggled. "No way. You did that, too? I thought it was only me."
"I swear. I couldn't go more than one room without hailing down a cheese platter." Jaya reminisced her pregnancy before frowning. "Say... Silv... About Cullen... Has he, you know, stopped?"
Silvana nodded. "A long time ago now. Right before we defeated Corypheus. He's gotten better, though in the past two years."
Jaya sighed. "It was difficult for Alistair the first years after he stopped. But, he says it's like he never was a templar."
"I can't imagine what they go through... As a mage, we need to have lyrium to be, well, us." Melora sighed as they watched their husbands talking before grinning. "Say, Jaya, have you played Wicked Grace?"
"Well, yes. I played it often as a child with my brother and father. They would say I played as well as a man did." She said before giggling. "Oh, do tell me it's what I think it is..."
Even Silvana burst out giggling. "If it is, I'm in... Just need to remember who our men are, eh?"
"Easy to figure out." Jaya said proudly before they began giggling again as their husbands joined them.
"Maker's breath... Women giggling, never a good sign." Alistair sighed. "What now?"
"Just thinking of having a fun game of Wicked Grace before we head out." Jaya said, seeing Cullen pale. "Something wrong, Commander?"
"No. I said I wouldn't play again." He said as Varric appeared.
"Curly, Blondie, King Silly, Lucky, Hawke, Queen Bee." He said.
Hawke pretended to pout. "What happened to my nickname, Varric? I'm hurt."
"Sorry, Hawke. Can't help it, habit." He apologized. "I heard there might be a good old game of Wicked Grace? Shall I let Ruffles know?"
"Might as well." Jaya agreed, smiling at the obvious shock on Cullen's face. "Relax, Cullen. Perhaps this time will be different? After all, it's just friends having one last party." They got a big enough table for everyone to sit, the women opposite their husbands, of course. Josephine dealt the first hand and it was apparent the stakes were different than when she was a child. Each hand dealt had someone fold, until it was just a select few. "... and then Fergus would go about the entire day acting like a 'prim' nobleman for the rest of the day. Our mother nearly had a heart attack while our father broke out laughing. He never lived it down since that day."
"I'll never look at your brother the same way again." Alistair laughed.
"Man, it sounds like fun." Melora giggled.
"Surely you have a story or two, Hawke. I mean, besides those I know." He asked. "Perhaps you can tell us about how and when you and Blondie eloped?"
"Not happening." Melora said. "I do have one about Carver when he was much younger..." She began telling the tale and it had everyone laughing by the end of it. "Don't let Carver know I told you. He'll never let me live it down."
"I know I want to live." Varric said between laughs.
Jaya shook her head. "He can find out on his own. I'm not telling." She sighed before covering a yawn. "Now, there's a long travel ahead, so..."
"I believe I can tell your bluffs, Your Majesty." Anders teased.
She clicked her tongue. "Anders... Ladies have no bluffs, so that is incorrect. Or shall you test this theory?" She laughed after he lost all his clothes. "Told you, Anders..."
"Warned you Blondie..."
"Here I thought my advise would help: women are tricky." Alistair sighed, shaking his head.
"Oh? We're 'tricky', husband? Do tell..." Jaya said with a deathly calm tone while Melora and Silvana shared the stony stare. Shaking her head, she stood in unison with the other women and turning to leave, clearly not showing any signs of her thoughts, nor did the others. Once they were far enough, she huffed. "Honestly, that man is infuriating. I guess I'll give him a chance to apologize."
Melora deflated. "Anders is no better..."
"Same with Cullen..." Silvana said as they leaned on a railing. "Why do we love such infuriating men?"
"Because they make us laugh?" Melora suggested.
Jaya shook her head. "No. I think it's because they make us who we are and love every part of us, scarred or not, magic or not, two arms or none." She said whimsically.
"Careful, Your Majesty. Your age is showing." Melora chuckled.
"Is it? I can hardly tell." She chuckled in return as she saw the scar from the Breach. "Still find myself thinking I'll wake up and it'll still be the Blight. But, I still say that my limelight is well past it's peak. I'll bow and exit the stage, as Leliana once said."
"Same here. I've done my part for Thedas." Melora agreed. "This way I can focus on raising Beth and Malcolm without worrying about if a war will break out."
"And Eleanor and Duncan may be teenagers, but I need to lend them what my mother lent me: wisdom." Jaya agreed before turning thoughtful. "To be honest, I kind of missing having that feeling of carrying a child. The twins were a miracle to begin with, because, unlike Alistair, my taint was removed when I killed the Archdemon... Though I do have that potion. I'll ask him on the way, since he did say the only thing he hated about that fact was the 'whole dying-early thing.'" She quoted him perfectly, smiling at the memory.
"Anders said he just misses the times when you recruited him into it." The Champion said with a smile. "We need a girl talk about things."
Jaya nodded. "Oh, I know. How about you and Anders, Hawke? How did it go the first time?"
"Well, call me ironic, but it was magical. He fought my flirting every step of the way, but when it happened, meow..." She said with a wily grin. "He warned me, but I never backed down..."
Jaya and Silvana giggled as Jaya spoke. "Do tell me he still... follows orders.." She coughed slightly, sensing their husbands were out of the game room now and heading their way.
"Mhm~ He even comes up with his own orders." Melora winked, getting both the queen and Inquisitor to laugh. "What about Cullen?"
"Well, a little awkward, considering it was both of our first times... But, the second one... I was amazed I still could walk.." Silvana said before looking at Jaya. "And for Alistair?"
"Once he got the hang of it, it was amazing. Though, he really likes leading now." She said as they burst out in giggles again.
"What's all the giggling for?" Cullen asked, curious.
"We're just talking." Silvana said, giggles still coming through her words.
"And what about?" Anders asked.
"Just about your performances and things." Melora said. "Have to make sure each of us are being treated good, right, Jaya?"
Jaya nodded, fighting her laughs. "It's healthy to talk to others about it, after all."
"Our... Maker's breath." Alistair rolled his eyes upward as he figured it out. "What is wrong with you women?" When it hit Anders and Cullen, they mirrored his eyeroll before Cullen blushed. "Hopefully, your talks are done. We should be heading back, wife."
"Aww... Well, we'll keep in contact, alright?" Jaya hugged the two other heroes before walking with her husband towards the carriage that would take them home. "You know, it was just curiosity, right...? I bet you guys talk about it, too."
"At this point, I've accepted it. But, I don't believe Anders or Cullen have yet." Alistair replied.
"Now that you mention it, they are fairly new to the whole 'marriage' thing. We've had at least fifteen years to perfect it." She reminded.
"Fifteen long years being with the woman I love more than life itself is certainly worth any bumps." He agreed, kissing her cheek softly.
"Speaking... Before you and the other two joined, we were all remembering the feeling of carrying a child. It made me feel even older." She giggled softly at 'being old'.
"I had a similar conversation with Wynne about age. She said 'With lip like that, son, you'll be lucky if you live to be half my age.' And I laughed a little on the inside." He said.
Jaya laughed a little. "Well, if it helps anything, Wynne told me that how we were acting back then 'was too sweet for my tastes.' Then she said that she should also be knitting lace hearts and fuzzy blankets with animals on it." She remembered the conversation as if it were yesterday and had to frown slightly. Back then, Wynne had told her to break things off because 'love is ultimately selfish' and that she would have to 'make a choice between saving your love and saving everyone else'. For weeks, Jaya stopped talking to the elderly mage due to being in utter emotional turmoil. "Can you believe she even put doubts into my head? She said I might've needed to make a choice between saving you and saving everyone else..."
"Now she understands that wasn't true and I'm glad for that." He said, making a mental note to bring that up with the mage one day. "She did tease me a lot about being 'enraptured' by you."
"Oh, did she? What did she say?" Jaya had to know this, a sly grin on her face.
Her ex-templar, however knew where her mind went and decided to cater to the curiosity. "She happened to catch me looking at your lovely arse and said so. I, at the time, was so frazzled at getting caught that I denied everything, all while she had this smug grin that you now seemingly have, wife."
"Me? Oh, I never have a smug grin, husband... Just one that knows that you love looking at my arse as much as I do in the mirror." She giggled softly.
"I, of course said I didn't see anything, which had her grinning even more when she said 'Certainly'. That made me realize she was secretly a schemer to the bone." He did a poor Wynne impersonation, which caused his wife to laugh even harder.
"What else did she say? I remember seeing you get flustered one day we were travelling."
"She decided I didn't know where babies came from and almost gave me 'the talk'." He said with a sigh at his younger self being rather defensive about their relationship.
"Poor Alistair..." She said with a giggle and cuddled up to him, earning a eyeroll similar to what Duncan had done when she met his tease with her own, realizing that they would get along just fine.
I imagine that Jaya, Melora and Silvana would get along rather well in my canon... Jaya, Melora and even Silvana have this weird sense of humor and teasing towards their other halves that it would be rather interesting to see if they ever meet... But, I doubt it... They'd have to find so many VA's for the Warden, whereas Hawke had only one for each gender... I think the Inquisitor also only had two, depending on how they were made... Oh well, Dragon Age: 4 or DreadWolf (Dread Wolf?) will hopefully have answers.
~~Kiwi~~