The Once and Future Queens

Anora was working away at her desk, writing out her responses to letters and requests from across her realm. She was doing it almost automatically. Over the years she had gained something of a sixth sense when it came to bureaucracy and she could recognise just how best to deal with most matters with but a glancing read.

It was a useful skill, one she intended to pass on.

"Mother?"

The quiet voice brought Anora's head up from her work. She smiled wide at seeing her daughter and heir peer her head around the doorframe, the mane and a part of Ser Lion were just in view as Eleanor clung to her favourite toy. Ser Cauthrien smiled warmly as she held the door open for Eleanor from outside the room.

"Hello, Eleanor." Anora enthused, immediately getting up and moving around the desk to pull the Princess into her arms. "Do you want to help your mother run the kingdom?" Anora asked with a smile.

Eleanor, still clinging to that old Orlesian lion toy in her arms, gazed up at her mother with wide eyes. "Err, ok?"

Anora resisted the urge to chuckle. "It's alright. I won't be showing you anything too hard." She reassured her daughter as the Queen manoeuvred back around to her seat at the desk. "But it's important that you learn about what it is to be Queen." She didn't intend to show her daughter all the particular responsibilities and intricacies of ruling a kingdom just yet, but Anora was keen to start that ball rolling.

"Ok." Eleanor murmured, her eyes drifting to the piles of letters, reports and other papers on the desk. She was most likely thinking 'what have I got myself into?' or some variation.

Anora supressed a smirk and settled her daughter on her knee. "It can seem a lot at first, but in no time you'll be able to deal with all these sort of things easily. Don't worry if it doesn't make a lot of sense right away, this is the first time you've seen this sort of thing after all."

"Ok, mother." Eleanor tugged at her lion's ear.

Anora could readily tell that Eleanor didn't really understand, but she was still a young girl after all. In truth, the reason Anora was already showing her daughter a window into the realities of being queen was in no small part down to paranoia. Anora had no intention of passing on anytime soon, but experience had taught her that life didn't always obey her carefully constructed plans. She'd never planned on the Blight ravaging her lands or marrying a Grey Warden after all. Though Eleanor would never be expected to rule if she was made queen that very same day, it didn't hurt to introduce her to the basics if she were indeed thrust into the role before anyone expected it.

"And you can ask me anything you like." Anora smiled.

"Ok." Eleanor considered for a moment before looking up at her mother. "Why is it called a kingdom?"

Anora blinked. "What was that dear?"

"Why is it called a kingdom?" Eleanor asked again. "If you're a queen and- and father's a prince, why is it called a kingdom? Shouldn't it be a 'queendom', or a 'princedom'?"

Anora blinked again. That was a question she hadn't thought to be asked. It was also one she had no real answer to.

"It simply is, dear. It was named that a long, long time ago." Anora murmured, hoping that non-answer would satisfy her daughter.

"Oh." Eleanor murmured, though Anora was sure she didn't really understand. "Was everything named a long time ago?"

"Most things, I'm sure." Anora smiled, stroking her fingers through Eleanor's dusty blonde hair.

"Was I?"

Anora chuckled. "No, not at all. Your father and I chose your name a little while before you were born. You have the names of both your grandmothers. Do you remember me telling you?"

Anora and Aedan had made sure to keep their own parents' memory alive through Eleanor. While the young Princess would never get to meet her grandmothers and grandfathers, she would know who they were and that they would love their granddaughter all the same. They'd also decided that in time, when Eleanor was old enough to understand, they'd tell her about how the Couslands and the Mac Tirs had been brought to blows during the Blight years. Even the parts about the Queen's father Loghain's crimes. As the future queen, Eleanor would of course find out eventually anyhow, yet Anora was keen that she learn about it properly and not through the gossiping of idle courtiers.

"Mm hmm." Eleanor nodded, smiling a little wider. "I'm named Eleanor for Father's mother, Celia for your mother."

"That's right." Anora smiled, pressing a kiss to her daughter's head. She was more than a little proud that Eleanor remembered. "Now, shall we start with some letters?"

"Ok." Eleanor smiled.

Anora went through various letters with her daughter, talking her through the process of reading them thoroughly and considering each matter in turn before responding appropriately. Anora had previewed some of the letters beforehand so she could pick out some simple enough examples for a child to understand, while also providing a good range of the various different matters that could arise from day to day. Though there were a few surprises in store to keep things interesting, including a plea for aid in defending a noble's farmland from the vile scourge that was 'ravens'. Anora would normally have been quite content to simply bin such nonsense, but for the sake of Eleanor's education, she duly wrote a response politely rejecting the 'call to arms'.

Most of the other matters were much more dull, though certainly more important. Many were disputes, a few reports on bandit and criminal activity in the Bannorn, even a report of a suspected pirate ship sighting in the Waking Sea. Anora worked through them all and responded appropriately, adding to a list she kept on the side of the desk wherever she felt a garrison of troops was needed.

Aside from reports of trouble brewing, much of the work was simply reading letters of greetings, or 'petitions of favour' as Anora liked to think of them. There were many nobles, merchants and more besides who sought to gain the Queen's ear or her approval for one reason or another. It was seldom successful, but that didn't dissuade anyone it seemed.

Eventually, the Queen came across a letter from one Teyrn Fergus Cousland.

A slight smile crossed Anora's lips as she thought of recent events pertaining to her brother in law. After the attack on the royal family's carriage en route to Highever, Aedan had sent word to Fergus of the event and the royal family's apologies for not being able to get to Highever.

Fergus had surprised Anora with his response, through his actions, not words.

After responding with a letter of understanding, the Teyrn of Highever had personally led his men to sweep the countryside from Castle Cousland to Denerim itself in search of anymore bandits and brigands who may have escaped the royal guard's reach. From any other noble, Anora might have assumed that such an aggressive and proactive move was the prelude to an armed rebellion against her. From her brother in law however, she knew well that it was simply the Teyrn's outrage and wrath made manifest that anyone would dare threaten Fergus' beloved niece.

It had even taken Aedan riding out to meet his brother in the field, shouting some sense back into him before Fergus finally relented from his bandit crusade and went back home.

At least Anora was certain that she never need fear that anyone would dare rebel against Eleanor's rule, for fear of her Uncle's wrath if nothing else. Another plus was that the roads in the North of Ferelden were now much safer than they had been for years.

Returning her attention to the letter, Anora saw that it was beautifully decorated with fine, swirling lines around the paper's rim. In the centre was one sentence in flowing script:

'You are cordially invited to the wedding of Teyrn Fergus Cousland and Lady Matilda Halden.'

Anora smiled. "Do you want to go to a wedding, Eleanor?"

"Ok." Eleanor responded very casually, she was in the process of pulling at one of her little shoes. "What's a wedding?"

Anora chuckled softly. She should have known that Eleanor wouldn't have even known what a wedding was. "A wedding's a big event where lots of people get together to celebrate two people getting married. Look, your uncle Fergus is getting married." She held out the invitation for the Princess to see.

Eleanor gazed at the parchment and nodded in apparent understanding. Then she considered the invitation for another few moments. "What's 'married'?"

It was a perfectly legitimate question of course, especially from a child, but it still amused the Queen somehow. "'Getting married' is when two people declare their love for each other to the world, to the Maker even. It's like a big party, they invite all their friends and family to celebrate, there's a feast, music and dancing. You'll love it."

"Did you and father get married?"

"Yes we did." Anora smiled.

"But … I don't remember it." Eleanor frowned. "Was I there?"

Anora stifled another chuckle. "It was before you were even born, darling."

"Oh." Eleanor murmured. "What was it like?"

Anora paused, which had little to do with searching for the right words. Thinking back to her and Aedan's wedding day, the first things that came to mind were her recollections of picking over the awkward minutiae of the event: which flowers would best represent their familial and political ties, where she should place the lords and ladies at the dinner reception afterwards, and what sort of dress would best suit the wedding of a ruling queen.

In fact, of the actual ceremony itself, Anora was suddenly surprised to find that she had little recollection of that day at all. She vaguely remembered walking up the aisle, reaching her new warden husband and even their first kiss. It was all hazy though, as though the acts and motions of the day weren't grounded by anything tangible. It was almost as though Anora hadn't actually lived her own wedding, more like she'd just pieced together her memories from someone else's account of what had happened on the day.

She remembered that slight apprehension that had settled in her stomach as she was walked up the aisle at least. She remembered silently worrying if she would indeed be able to make herself a good queen, even in spite of her husband's lack of … wait … her father had walked her up the aisle then. He had smiled at her with pride, settling her doubts before he threw a withering glare at her King and husband, a warning to keep his daughter safe.

It was her wedding to Cailan that dredged up those memories, not to Aedan.

Her wedding to Aedan meanwhile hung in the mists of her mind, unformed and uncertain. No matter how hard she tried to piece the fragments into a distinct and recognisable whole, she just couldn't do it.

Anora blinked rapidly as she remembered her daughter, gazing up at her curiously, awaiting an answer.

"It was beautiful, dear." Anora smiled, pressing another kiss to Eleanor's head.

"That's good." Eleanor smiled. "I think I'd like to go to 'getting married' then."

The Queen murmured softly. She was still pondering the haziness of her own memories and was silently glad that Eleanor seemed satisfied with her answer and was content to busy herself playing with her shoes. A horrible pit settled in her stomach, what kind of wife didn't even remember her own wedding?

"Mother?"

Anora blinked. She looked down to see Eleanor gazing up at her with those wide eyes.

"Can I go play now?" The Princess clutched her lion toy to her chest.

Anora blinked once more. She glanced at the piles of parchment upon her desk. They hadn't even worked through half of the things she'd hoped to show her daughter. Looking into her Eleanor's wide, blue eyes however, she knew what she would say.

"Alright, yes you can go play."

"Yay!" With that, Eleanor jumped off Anora's knee and ran to the door.

"Careful, dear." Anora admonished with a frown. There wasn't anything at all between the desk and the door that could hurt the little Princess of course, but the Palace was full of potential dangers to a lively child. The halls were filled with ornamental weapons and armour that could easily crush a small child if knocked over. Anora had felt it best to be careful. "Remember, don't run."

"Yes, mother." Eleanor dropped her gaze a little as she walked the restrained walk of someone who'd rather run. Once she'd rounded the door, Anora heard the running of little feet again. A moment later she heard the heavier, more metallic footfalls of Ser Cauthrien as she walked on after the Princess in hot pursuit.

Anora sighed. She shouldn't be surprised she supposed. Eleanor was still young after all. What essentially amounted to paperwork was typically not the preferred pastime of children.

After Eleanor had had her fill of royal matters for the day, Anora resolved to deal with the more intricate and more pressing matters of the day. Most of it was the same sort of things that she'd been showing Eleanor really, there were no crises on the horizon to deal with thankfully.

"Anora?"

The Queen looked up at the familiar voice to find her Prince and husband, poking his head out from around the doorframe with a smile. It was oddly similar to how Eleanor had appeared to her earlier.

"Is it safe to come in?" The Prince-Consort smiled.

"Of course." Anora sighed, giving a vague wave at the chair opposite her desk.

"Eleanor didn't last the day I take it?" Aedan asked.

The Queen sighed once more. "No, she did not."

"She's still so young, Anora. We can't expect her to take to all this bureaucracy so quickly." The Prince-Consort gestured to all the papers filed upon Anora's desk.

Anora frowned. "This bureaucracy is what enables the kingdom to operate smoothly, Aedan. This is how Eleanor will deal with her vassals on a day to day basis. The sooner she grasps this, the sooner she can master it."

"She's a child, dear." Aedan reminded her needlessly.

"I know that." Anora murmured with a glare. "But she is also the heir to the throne. Aedan, we have to make sure she is ready for that responsibility. The day she becomes Queen … I won't be there for her, I won't be able to hold her hand. I won't be there to protect her from the wolves."

"I know that, Anora, but we have so much time ahead to prepare her."

Anora sighed. She knew her husband was right of course, but that didn't make her worry any less. Who knew what lay around the corner, after all? Anora herself had suffered an assassin's attack once in the very halls they resided in now. She quickly banished the thought before the image of her precious daughter's lifeless body came to mind.

"Besides, neither you nor I are going anywhere any time soon." Aedan smiled. "And even if, Maker forbid, something where to happen to you, you know I'd never let anyone take advantage of Eleanor. If anyone tried, I'd kill them with my bare hands if I had to."

Anora reclined in her chair a little, taking a deep breath. "You know, I never thought hearing such barbaric words from my husband would bring me so much comfort." She admitted with a sly smile.

"I aim to please." Aedan winked at her playfully. "But I'm serious, Anora, I won't let anything happen to her. Nor will Cauthrien for that matter, nor Fergus."

That brought Anora even more welcome relief. She was glad that Eleanor had so many people around her who she knew would do their upmost to secure her safety and her rule.

"So stop worrying." Aedan smirked a little. "That's an order."

Anora frowned dangerously. "How dare you give an order to your Queen?" Though she knew the slightest hint of a smirk broke through her façade.

It was strange really. There was a time where she once would have either had him banished from the palace or arrested for such a remark, even as she knew it to be a joke. Time had changed her it seemed, or perhaps it was simply family life that had done it.

"As the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, I think you'll find that my authority supersedes royal law, your Grace." Aedan put on a faux air of respectability for his proclamation.

Anora rolled her eyes with a sigh. She knew that he was technically correct of course, but only in the matter of recruiting new wardens. Still, it was an interesting notion. Anora wondered what the outcome would be if Aedan tried recruiting someone against his wife and queen's wishes, Ser Cauthrien, for example. Most likely a fair bit of arguing and maybe even the – temporary, of course – revocation of certain bedroom privileges.

"So then, how was Eleanor at running the kingdom?" Aedan changed the subject with a smirk. "Did she start any wars?"

Anora resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "Don't be silly dear."

Aedan chuckled. "Well, did she stay awake at least?"

"She did as a matter of fact." Anora smiled in something like triumph. "She was asking questions and everything."

"You don't say." Aedan's eyes widened a little, perhaps equally surprised as impressed. "What was she curious about?"

Anora's smile fell a little. "She asked me about our wedding."

"Oh, is that related to the running of the kingdom?" Aedan raised a confused eyebrow.

"It came up with Fergus' wedding invitation." Anora waved vaguely.

There was a pause. Aedan leaned forward slightly in his seat. "Anora, is something wrong?"

Anora bit her lip. She leant forward, elbows on the desk, hands clasped before her as her fingers rubbed into her knuckles. "Aedan, do you-" She started in a murmur before cutting herself short.

"Do I what?" Aedan asked, more confused now.

Anora considered for a moment. She looked into her beloved husband's eyes, and he looked back at her with such a genuine care and concern. He really did care for her, right to his very core. She felt it in every fibre of her being. No one had ever felt that way about her. She was a Queen of course, and she was loved by her people as such, as a figurehead and as a symbol of Ferelden in the world as much as the leader of the kingdom. She still believed that Cailan had loved her, in his way, even if it hadn't been the sort of love to foster a true loyalty and respect. She'd also been loved by both her parents she knew, even if they hadn't always shown it as other families might. They had both been practical people, not ones to give much thought to sentimentality.

Yet it was Aedan, only Aedan, who had ever looked at her like that, like he was doing right then and there. Only Aedan loved her and made her feel loved like that.

"Do you … remember what our wedding cake was like?" Anora smiled a tad sheepishly.

Aedan blinked. "Our cake?"

"Yes, Eleanor wanted to know." Anora rubbed at her mouth with a mild smile. "I … I'm sorry, but I confess I just can't remember it all."

"I'm not all that surprised. I think it was awfully dry and tasteless to be honest with you. I've still no idea why you hired that baker." Aedan chuckled. "Of course Eleanor would want to know."

"Well, you know how kids are." Anora smiled even as she felt her chest tighten and her stomach fall. Her husband remembering such details only made her feel worse about the gaps in her own memory.

"Of course." Aedan shook his head with another chuckle. "Bless her."

"Indeed." Anora smiled thinly. "I suppose I ought to make it sound better when I tell her, for her sake."

"Maybe, although she'll probably be jealous that she missed out on cake, however it tasted." Aedan smirked.

The Queen chuckled. "True, maybe I should try bribing her with cake to get her to sit still for an hour or two."

"Well, I'd suggest you don't try to drag her back into the world of ruling for today at least." Aedan warned softly. "Let her take a break for the rest of the day, she's done enough, don't you think?"

Anora frowned. "You make it sound like I'm being unreasonable here for wanting her to do more."

"Not my intention." Aedan shook his head. "I'm just wary of what it might do to her if we push her to do too much too soon."

Anora sighed. "I'm aware of that, Aedan. I don't want to put too much on her, but I also don't want her to be at all unprepared for what will become her life. She will be queen one day. I trust you've at least picked up that it's not the most simple of tasks."

"Nor is being the heir to the throne." Aedan added with a sly smile. "All these expectations we have can't be easy for her to deal with, knowing that one day she'll have the responsibility of leading the realm."

Anora dropped her gaze as she considered. She hadn't really thought about it in that way before. From as early as she could talk, Eleanor had surely been well aware of the lofty role that awaited her one day. Anora and Aedan had done their best to deal with the matter carefully so as not to foster any arrogance or unruly pride in their daughter. Yet Anora had never quite considered how the fact of it alone might worry Eleanor. It was quite a responsibility after all, and to know that it was an inescapable destiny …

The Queen cursed herself a fool. She recalled the time when Eleanor had declared her wish to become a Grey Warden. Though it had startled her initially, she'd just brushed it off as the whims of a child, to be forgotten about as soon as Eleanor began to mature and understand the realities of the world around her in full. Perhaps her daughter's reluctance for the crown still held on though.

"She is still my heir." Anora murmured, brow furrowed in concern and a little discomfort. "She will inherit the throne one day, there's no getting away from that."

"Maybe not, but her whole life doesn't have to be geared around that."

"What are you saying exactly?"

"Just go spend some time with her." Aedan smiled. "Just be her mother for the rest of the day, not her Queen."

"I'm always her mother." Anora sighed. "Nothing will ever change that."

"I know that, but does Eleanor?" Aedan asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know if you know this, but when you're teaching her how to rule, you're acting like a queen, not a mother, you're rather like you are with your vassals, not you're daughter. You tell me, when you had her in here with you earlier, did she look up to you like she usually does?"

Anora was about to throw a dangerous scowl his way and a barbed word or two, but instead she conceded with a sigh. "No, she did not."

Aedan reached over to hold his wife's hand in his. He gave her a squeeze. "Go be with her. Trust me, what little girl doesn't want to spend some quality play time with their mother?"

xxx

The Queen had decided to heed her Prince-Consort's advice. If nothing else, she couldn't deny that she wanted to just spend some more time with her precious daughter.

Yet Anora sighed as she paused on the threshold before the door to her families' private lounge. Normally, the Queen of Ferelden wouldn't even think twice about entering any room within her domain, yet here she paused. She could hear Eleanor murmuring something happily, Ser Cauthrien was there as well, speaking softly to the Princess.

It wasn't nerves as such that gave Anora pause, but she wasn't at all sure how to handle the situation that was her daughter growing up. With any one of her vassals, she could easily appease, outmanoeuvre, or even ostracize them if necessary. She wasn't overly concerned with their thoughts and feelings beyond their loyalty to her.

With Eleanor however, Anora had too many concerns to keep track of.

She wanted her daughter to become a good queen herself one day. She wanted Eleanor to be true to herself and her beliefs, whilst also being able to respect the traditions and sensibilities of Ferelden and her people however they might change in the future. She wanted her daughter to grow to be tough enough and strong enough to handle the harsh brutalities of the world around her, yet she also wanted to keep her safe and protected at all costs. Above all, she wanted her daughter to be happy.

Anora found that she had no idea just how to achieve all of these things. She feared that one wrong step, or one wrong word at the wrong time could tip the scales too far in any direction. As surely many of her age, Eleanor was a curious child. Like a sponge, she absorbed everything about the world around her. Anora wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she had already picked up on her mother's silent concerns, even if Aedan nor anyone else had.

Still, Anora hadn't become Queen by dallying, nor by hesitating to do what she thought was right. She had made mistakes as a monarch, and would surely make more during the rest of reign. She would no doubt do the same as a mother, yet she trusted in her family. They would always prevail, no matter the challenges that lay before them.

The Queen sighed once more, before opening the door and stepping through.

Anora smiled immediately at the sight of her daughter hunched over a small coffee table, working away on something while Cauthrien sat nearby watching over her.

"That's lovely, I'm sure she'll love it." Cauthrien smiled at the Princess.

Eleanor didn't respond above a murmur, so fixated she was on her work.

The Queen shook her head with a fond smile as she stepped into the room. "Hello Eleanor." Anora smiled, peering over the Princess' shoulder at her handiwork. "What are you working on?"

"No! It's not ready yet!" Eleanor protested, immediately throwing both arms over her project.

"Is that right?" Anora smiled with a sage nod.

Despite Eleanor's best efforts, Anora had already seen that it was a picture of some kind, with roughly sketched figures that looked vaguely like the Queen herself, Prince-Consort Aedan, Ser Cauthrien and Princess Eleanor herself. The Princess was riding astride what was surely a six to eight foot tall Ser Lion. It was difficult to gauge heights at a glance and when all the figures appeared to have gained between two to three foots worth of neck.

Anora decided not to spoil the 'surprise'. "Well, could I see it when it's done please?"

"Yes, but only when it's done!" Eleanor scowled warningly at her mother. It was an expression that she had surely inherited, whether by blood or by copying her mother, Anora wasn't sure. Unfortunately for the Princess, it was far more cute than threatening.

"Ok, I can't wait to see it." Anora smiled, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her daughter's cheek.

"No looking!" Eleanor protested once more.

"I'm not. I'm not looking." Anora chuckled lightly, stepping back to grant Eleanor some space before moving over to join Ser Cauthrien on the settee.

Eleanor kept a suspicious eye on her mother before shuffling round to shield the picture from her mother's view.

Anora shook her head with a warm smile. She had wanted to spend some time actually interacting with her daughter, but Eleanor seemed happy enough on her task and Anora didn't want to discourage her.

"I hope she hasn't been any trouble at all?" The Queen murmured to her bodyguard, too quietly for a little Princess' ears to pick up.

"Not at all, your Grace." Cauthrien shook her head softly with a smile. She nodded towards the Princess and her picture. "She's been too focussed on her project over there to do much else."

"So I see." Anora smiled as she watched Eleanor carry on her task with the utmost focus. A part of her wished that the Princess could apply herself to the same when learning how to rule, but Aedan's words still lingered in her head. Eleanor was still very much a child, with a child's priorities. As much as Anora was keen for Eleanor to get to grips with the trade of ruling, she realised that she didn't want Eleanor to have to miss out on her carefree youth.

"It's been perfectly quiet and calm here, Your Grace." Cauthrien murmured.

Anora eyed her bodyguard. "I hope this hasn't been too much, looking after Eleanor this afternoon?" She remembered a time not so very long ago when Cauthrien was distinctly uncomfortable in Eleanor's presence, especially when trusted to be alone with the infant Princess.

"No, not at all, Your Grace." Cauthrien smiled genuine. "I live to serve."

Anora didn't doubt it for a second, but didn't like to push that loyalty to its limits, particularly in her most trusted servants such as Ser Cauthrien. Still, the Lady Knight didn't seem to be harbouring any misgivings beneath the surface, so she didn't pry further.

"Here! It's finished!" Eleanor piped up suddenly. The little Princess snatched the paper up from the table and practically ran over to where her mother and Cauthrien were talking.

"Is that so?" Anora smiled. "Can I see it darling?"

"Yep!" Eleanor beamed wide and proud as she held out the picture for her mother's approval.

Anora had to bite the inside of her lip to keep herself from smiling too much.

The Queen had certainly received more accurate portrayals of herself in her time, or at the very least, more symmetrical versions. In Eleanor's depiction, Anora's right eye was about three or four inches higher than her left. Her ears also stood out like tea saucers, and her hair was a rough haze of yellow that clipped through her neck and dress. Still, it was very clear who it was supposed to portray.

The same could be said of Aedan drawn at Anora's side. That was even though he had either tripled his muscle mass or had become obese. At Anora's other side was Cauthrien, who was somehow thinner than some of the trees in the background. At the very least, all the figures were smiling wide and happy.

Altogether, it was the very best portrait Anora had ever seen.

"It's beautiful dear." Anora smiled wide and proud herself.

"You like it?" Eleanor's eyes lit up even more, if that were possible.

"I love it." Anora reached out to pull her daughter into her arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Eleanor giggled happily. She turned the turned the picture towards Cauthrien. "Look Aunty Cauthrien, look!"

"It's wonderful, Princess." Cauthrien smiled. "I told you she'd love it."

"Where do you want to put it?" Anora asked with a smile.

Eleanor shook her head. "Uh uh, it's for you!"

"For me? Well, I'll have to give it pride of place somewhere, won't I?" Anora considered for a moment with a most serious expression of deep thought. "How about I put it up in my study?"

"Ok!" Eleanor smiled wide and proud.

Anora couldn't help but chuckle and she brought Eleanor into her arms to hug once more.

"Your Grace."

Anora looked up to see a newcomer to the conversation. One of her servants was stood there, holding out a letter towards her with head bowed.

"A message of utmost importance."

The Queen accepted the letter with a nod in thanks. She deftly broke through the seal with a finger before unfolding the parchment to read. She read it. Then, she read it a couple more times just to make sure she'd understood it correctly.

"Maker's breath." Anora breathed.

"Huh?" Eleanor murmured.

"It's nothing, sweetheart." Anora put on a smile and pressed a quick kiss to her daughter's head. "I just need to go see if I can find your father."

"Is everything alright, your Grace?" Cauthrien was already getting to her feet.

"Everything's fine." Anora smiled automatically. "Please look after the Princess a while longer, I just need to go find my husband."

"Of course, your Grace, as you command." Cauthrien was clearly concerned, Anora could read it in her bodyguard's eyes, but she had the presence of mind to at least hide it for Eleanor's sake.

"I'll be back soon." Anora smiled once more reassuringly at her daughter before making for the door.

It didn't take long for Anora to find her husband. As could be expected, Aedan was out in one of the courtyards, the one he often commandeered for training purposes. Anora first spied him from one of the palace's windows, battling back and forth with a pair of palace guards.

In most other circumstances, Anora might have been tempted to stop and take a moment to admire the display, her husband in a simple shirt and breeches to allow for easy movement as he danced rings around his opponents. He certainly cut a dashing, even somewhat roguish figure in that attire, and the way his muscles worked and wound under skin was certainly something to behold.

Anora snapped herself out of such thoughts. The situation struck in ink on the parchment in her hands was deserving of a cooler, more professional head.

Before the queen even managed to approach her husband, Aedan had disarmed his opponent with the shrill clashing of steel heralding his victory.

His opponent, one of Anora's knights, held his hands up in defeat.

"My, that was a fine duel, your Grace." The knight exclaimed,

"Indeed it was, though you do yourself too little credit Ser Gyles." Aedan smiled back graciously.

"Aedan." Anora began, cutting into the conversation before it could begin.

"Your Grace." Ser Gyles bowed his head low to his Queen.

Aedan meanwhile smiled warmly at the sight of his wife.

"Would you give us a moment please, good Ser?" Anora asked.

The knight bowed respectfully to Aedan and Anora both again before turning to leave.

The Prince-Consort cocked his head slightly at his wife with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure, my dear wife?"

Anora didn't smile as she might usually have. "Aedan, you need to see this." She held out the letter as she reached him.

"Is everything alright?" Aedan asked, a hint of concern tinging his features. "You look troubled."

Anora breathed in deeply through her nose. "Yes, I'm fine. I just think you really ought to read this."

His concern only mounting further and further on his face, Aedan dutifully took the parchment that was offered and read. His brow furrowed, he wandered over to a nearby bench and set himself down heavily. Anora followed him and sat at her husband's side.

After a quiet minute, Aedan looked up, his face a visage of shock. "Is this real?"

"It appears so." Anora stated, keeping her face neutral.

Aedan shook his head with a weary sigh. "Anders … what have you done?" He murmured, more to himself or perhaps the Maker even.

"I'm so sorry, Aedan." Anora offered.

"I can hardly believe it. After all this time, he was just across the sea?" Aedan shook his head again, eyes running back over and over the words in his hand.

Anora could hardly believe it herself. Not only that Anders had seemingly been so close to Ferelden all this time, but that the jovial, carefree mage could turn into a terrorist. The Kirkwall Chantry destroyed, the city itself thrown in disarray. Madness all round.

"I never thought he'd do anything like this. Maker, I never thought he was even capable of something like this." Aedan shook his head in disbelief. "Why?"

"I don't know." Anora sighed. She eyed with a knowing scowl. "But I know that this has nothing to do with you."

"Anora, I-" Aedan began.

"No, Aedan. You will listen to me." Anora cut off her husband, her eyes set in steel. "You tore yourself up for years after he betrayed you, and he did betray you, it was never the other way round. I will not stand by and let you blame yourself for this. Not now, not ever." She snatched the parchment from his hands and brandished them before him. "These are Anders' crimes, not yours."

Aedan regarded his wife carefully for a long moment before chuckling softly. He gazed at her with such affection "You know I still wonder, why did the Maker ever decide to bless me with such an amazing wife?"

The Queen blinked in almost surprise. She was just setting herself up to counter any self-deprecation she was certain was forth coming from her prince. "I think the Maker had little to do with it, husband." She smiled, certain her cheeks were blushing a little. "Though I do appreciate the sentiment."

Aedan gave her a warm smile. Then he plucked the letter back from Anora's hands and read it again. He shook his head with a grim expression. "Maker, this isn't good. The templars won't just sit back idly after something like this."

Anora nodded glumly in agreement. "Once word of this gets out, there could be could well be panic in the Circle. I'm sure the mages will fear a reprisal. We'll need to take steps to ensure things don't get out of hand."

She was thankful that word had reached her so quickly. The letter was dated only a few days prior. Although, Anora had no way of knowing just yet if the news had reached across Lake Calenhad to Kinloch Hold. Whenever it did reach them, the mages there would most certainly be fearful of the Right of Annulment, the not so figurative axe hanging above their necks.

"I'll go." Aedan looked up from the sheet once more. Anora didn't even to ask to see that he was thinking the same thing she was. "I helped stop the Right of Annulment once. I'll do it again if needs be. I'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Maker knows how the templars will react to this."

"I'll make them see reason." Aedan looked back down at the letter with a weary shake of his head. "Maker, it seems like the whole world's going mad."

"I fear it's already been that way for a while, Love." Anora smiled humourlessly.