Aedan Cousland stepped onto the battlements of Skyhold and breathed in the fresh mountain air. The sun was beginning to set, casting shadows around the keep and turning the sky a brilliant shade of orange. The summer months were coming to an end and a slight chill in the air held the promise that fall was just around the corner. The residents of Skyhold had been busy all day preparing for the arrival of King Alistair the following day, and everyone was hurrying to finish the last minute preparations.

It was days like these that he was reminded of his home back in Highever, when he would walk the castle walls looking out at the landscape with his brother, while their father talked to them of the past, and their future.

Fergus was destined to inherit Highever and all of its responsibility, and Aedan was only too happy to step aside and leave him to it. That did not mean that Aedan was not expected to live a life free of duty to his house however. Aedan had been trained as a warrior from the time he was old enough to hold a sword, and when the time came he would be expected to take his place at the head of Highever's army.

Aedan and Fergus stood on either side of their father as he spoke to them about responsibility, not only to their family but to their people as well.

"We must always remember that the power we hold must never to be used to hurt others. It is our responsibility to care for our family as well as our people. They look to us to protect them and provide for them, no differently than that of any other family. There will come a day when I will no longer able to continue my duties as Teryn, and on that day our people will look to you boys to continue to care for them. I hope that you give those under your charge no less than your all."

Little did Teryn Cousland know, that just two short years later, that would be just what would happen. His parent's last words to him still haunted Aedan.

Goodbye Darling...

You do us both proud...

Aedan leaned against the battlements of Skyhold and closed his eyes as a soft breeze blew against his still youthful looking face. Twenty-three years had past since that night, and Aedan still wasn't sure if he had lived up to his parent's expectations of him. He was known throughout Thedas as the "Hero of Ferelden" and had saved an entire kingdom from a blight, but he couldn't be a hero when it counted, he couldn't save his family.

Fergus was the current Teryn of Highever and had proven to be an adept leader. Aedan felt an unspoken amount of guilt when he thought of his brother left to run the castle alone. He had even written to him asking Fergus to allow Aedan to help him in whatever way he could. Fergus had replied that his duties were to Highever and Aedan's duties now belonged to his family. Fergus had even ordered him to remain with his family and under no circumstances would be return to Highever without being accompanied by his family. Aedan still had a hard time thinking of himself as a father, and often found himself wishing that his own father were still here to offer him advice.

Ember Cousland had just passed her fifth name day, and as Aedan watched her as she excitedly received one gift after another, he found himself wondering where the time had gone. He still remembered the feeling he had when he first held her in his arms when she was just minutes old. He had gently kissed her head as tears rolled down his face and he knew that despite all of his achievements and titles, this was his greatest accomplishment.

"Papa!"

Aedan couldn't help but smile as he heard his daughter's voice. He turned around and saw his small daughter running toward him at full speed. He scooped her into his arms and she tightly hugged him around his neck. She giggled as he kissed her cheek, the stubble on his face tickling her cheek. Aedan was convinced that she was looking more and more liker her mother everyday. He shoulder length hair was the same shade of red as her mothers and her eyes were the same shade of blue that still made Aeden lose his train of thought when he looked at Leliana. Ember even had the same disapproving stare that Leliana so often gave to Aedan when his humor failed to amuse her.

"What's the hurry, Pup?" He said, using the same nickname that his father had called him by in his youth. "You know your mother hates it when you run on the battlements."

"Yes, but you don't Papa, and Mama isn't here."

"Is that so?" Came Leliana's voice from behind them making them both jump.

"Maker, I hate it when you do that." Aedan said.

"Darling how many times have I told you, no matter how desperate your escape attempts are, there is no place in Thedas where I won't find you."

"And tell me," Aedan said eyeing his daughter "what has your mother demanded of you that is so terrible that you wish to flee the castle?"

"A bath!" Ember whined loudly. "I just took a bath yesterday!"

"And if I let your bathing habits go any longer than that you will begin to smell worse than Iron Bull."

"Does that mean I can sleep in the stables with the horses like Bull does when he drinks the juice that Oghren brings?" Ember asked excitedly.

Leliana looked to Aedan expectantly. "Feel free to step in whenever the desire takes hold."

Aedan rubbed his chain thoughtfully. "Tell you what, Pup. If you promise to submit to your mother's demanding bathing requests, then I promise to bring you along the next time I go to Denerim."

Ember's eyes lit up the way they always did when she was promised with a trip outside Skyhold's walls.

"You swear?" She asked, holding up her little finger.

"I swear." He said, grasping her little finger in his.

"Bribery was not exactly what I had in mind, Darling." Leliana said with a slight smirk on her face.

"What?" Aedan said shrugging his shoulders. "Hawke has to pay his son to take a bath. Besides, I wouldn't call it bribery, more like negotiating."

"Well, I suggest you take your daughter inside before you have to negotiate sleeping in our bed rather than the stables tonight."

"How come everyone else gets to sleep in the stables?" Ember whined as Aedan carried her towards the stairwell.

Leliana turned to follow them inside the keep, but paused as something in the courtyard below caught her attention. A hooded figure stood in the shadows of a large oak tree in the courtyard. To anyone else it would be almost impossible to see from this distance, but Leliana's eyes were trained to spot anything out of the ordinary, no matter how obscure. As she stood staring at the figure, she had a sense that whoever it was was staring right back at her and the thought sent a chill up her spine.

"Something wrong Love?" Aedan called from the doorway.

Leliana took her eyes off the figure for only a fraction of a second, but that was all the time the stranger needed; when she looked back the figure had vanished. Leliana did a quick sweep of the area but could not find a trace of the stranger.

"Leliana?"

Aedan's concerned voice brought her back to reality and she turned back to him offering a small smile. "It's nothing. I will meet you inside, I just want to enjoy the fresh air a bit longer." Aedan raised an eyebrow but nodded his head and disappeared into the depths of the keep. She felt a slight pang of guilt but pushed it away, there was no sense in alarming him when she wasn't even sure there was cause for alarm yet. Nevertheless, she would consult with Cullen about adding more soldiers to the night watch over the next few nights, if only for her own peace of mind.

It was well past midnight and the residents of Skyhold had long ago gone to bed. The keep was silent, with only the occasional sound of a wild animal echoing in the night. The night was peaceful, but no matter how she tried, Leliana could not find the sleep that eluded her. She and Aedan had retired several hours earlier, and even after their enthusiastic love making that had left them both exhausted, she still could not relax enough to fall asleep. She could not shake the unsettling feeling that she had been left with after seeing the mysterious figure in the courtyard.

She had to stop herself several times from awakening Aedan and voicing her concerns. It was not that she was was worried that he would dismiss her concerns, she was more concerned that he would be sent into a panic and over react to the situation. He was fiercely protective over his family, and who could blame him? She had met this man right after he had witnessed the murder of his family. He had been a broken shell of a man, and it had taken her a great deal of effort to break past his walls. She thought back to the night she had finally broken past his walls and she saw his fear and vulnerability.

They had just left Redcliffe castle, after several hours of arguing about what to do about the then possessed Connor. Their party was divided on how to go about the situation, half of them seemed to think it was best to simply execute the boy and be done with it. The other half, Leliana included, thought that killing a child was out of the question.

"Enough!" Aedan shouted.

"We will seek out the mages. The tower is only a day's journey from here and if there is a chance to avoid further bloodshed then we will take it."

Morrigan began to protest but a look from Aedan had silenced her. None of them had ever seen him take charge in this way. They had all accepted him as their unspoken leader, yet he had never been so assertive when it came to making decisions.

The next day they traveled in silence, but rather it was from exhaustion or tension, nobody could say for sure. The sun had fully set before they finally made camp, all of them grateful for the chance to rest. Morrigan wandered off to find her own area as usual and Alistair busied himself with making a fire. Sten had wandered off in search of fire wood and Zevran had somehow managed to pitch his tent up within minutes and had disappeared inside.

Her eyes wandered to Aedan, as they so often seemed to do and her face fell slightly. His shoulders were hunched over in exhaustion and the dark circles under his eyes told her that he had slept even less than the rest of them had, which was to say, none. Even his Mabari hound Mathias seemed to be feeling the effects of his master's state, and curled up at Aedan's feet, his eyes closing heavily.

Aedan dumped the rest of the water from his canteen over his head and rubbed his eyes furiously. He shook his head and water flew everywhere, including the area where Alistair was attempting to start a fire.

"Hey, watch it!" Alistair protested loudly.

Aedan offered a small smile. "It's just a little water. What will happen if you are required to light a fire in a rainstorm?"

"I was just planning on pissing off Morrigan enough to shoot a fire bolt at me and stand where we want the fire to be."

"As long as you have a plan." Aedan said stretching. "We'll take first watch. The rest of you draw straws or duel or whatever for next watch and come get us at midnight." Mathias rose to his feet and followed his master as he disappeared through the trees."

Leliana watched them leave and wondered if she should offer to take watch with him. She shook her head and sighed knowing that he would insist that she get some rest. She busied herself with setting up her tent and as she lay on her bedroll the exhaustion she had felt from the previous two days seemed to vanish and she soon found herself lost in her thoughts.

Several hours past and Leliana soon gave up any hope of sleep. She grabbed her bow and her cloak and exited her tent, if she was not going to find sleep she might as well put her insomnia to good use. And she couldn't lie, the idea of spending a few rare moments alone with Aedan was not at all unappealing. The fire was burning low and the rest of the party seemed to have retired. Leliana headed to the line of trees that Aedan had disappeared behind several hours earlier. It took only a few moments to find Aedan and his faithful war hound. They were sitting by a small river, and Aedan was skipping rocks across the water.

Mathias' ears perked up as she approached and he sat up and gave her a small bark in greeting. Aedan turned around and gave a small smile that seemed to take all of his remaining energy.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked as she came and sat next to him.

She shook her head and wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "It's strange, it's almost as if I am too tired to sleep."

Aedan nodded in understanding and she found herself wishing she hadn't spoken. No matter how tired she was, it was nowhere near what this man must be feeling. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither one of them knowing what to say. What kind of a bard was she that she could not even make simple conversation? She tried to blame on the exhaustion they were both feeling, but she knew that there was more to it than that. Making small talk around Aedan seemed to be getting more difficult by the day. Thankfully it was Aedan who broke the silence first.

"I wanted to thank you, for standing by me back at Redcliffe. The others are right, it would be easier to simply kill Connor and be done with it. But it was comforting to have someone stand by decision."

Leliana was slightly taken aback but offered a small smile. "For what it's worth, I think you are doing the right thing."

"I hope so."

Aedan sighed and ran his hand through his short straw colored hair.

"Is everything okay?" Leliana asked with genuine concern.

"I'm just, very tired. I feel like my life has been one very long day these past few months. I can no longer tell what's real and what's been a dream, and I worry that it affects my ability to lead, that the decisions I make are for the wrong reasons."

"You worry that you are trying to save the life of a young boy for the wrong reasons?" Leliana asked slightly confused.

Aedan was silent for a few moments, and Leliana wondered if he was going to answer at all. Aedan looked at her and she felt a rush of sadness as she noticed for the first time how much older he looked than his twenty years.

"Have you heard of the Couslands of Highever?"

Leliana nodded. "Teryn Cousland is one of only two Teryns in all of Ferelden is he not?"

"He was. He was also my father."

Leliana felt her eyebrows raise in surprise. "You are the last of the Couslands?"

Aedan gave a stiff nod. "I'm not sure how much the name means anymore, but yes. My father was the Teryn of Highever, until Arl Howe betrayed my family and murdered them in cold blood. It wasn't just my parents; it was the servants, the soldiers, even the ancient cook. Nobody was left standing."

Leliana listened in horrified silence to Aedan's story. She knew that he was from a noble family, but she had assumed it was a small family who owned a small bit of land. She had no idea that he was from one of the most prominent families in recent history.

"My nephew, Oren" Aedan continued "he was only six years old. What kind of a monster slaughters an innocent child? I held him while he took his final breath, his eyes were begging me to help him and I couldn't. I couldn't save my my family, I couldn't save my brother's family."

Leliana felt silent tears rolling down her face as she listened. The man sitting next to her had had his entire life ripped away from him, and now he had been charged with saving a kingdom who had condemned him.

"I know the pain of losing your family. I can't stand by and let a family be ripped apart, I can't allow a mother to bury her child and deny a child a chance at life at in this fucked up world. I worry that my decisions are fueled by my own anger and failure. I worry that my past is clouding my judgement, and I will take the option I think is right rather than the most logical and beneficial to everyone."

That was the moment Leliana felt her feelings for him change. Here was a man who had suffered in a way that most people could not even imagine, yet he was concerned for the well being of those around him. He was not concerned for what was going to benefit him, but all of those who depended on him.

Leliana rested a reassuring hand on his arm and a small chill rose up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

"I do not know what the Maker has in store for us. But I have faith in Him, and I have faith in you. I truly believe that he led me to you, and I will always stand by you."

And she had always stood by that promise, and now even after so may years, Leliana found that it was the best decision that she had ever made. She had never felt more secure, more protected and more loved than she did when she was with him. She had never imagined herself having a family before him, but now she could not imagine her life any other way.

But the memory of the previous evening and the unidentified stranger still haunted her, and she knew that if she did not check on Ember she would find no sleep this night.

Leliana untangled herself from Aedan's arms and gently kissed him on the forehead. He smiled slightly in his sleep and her heart swelled. After all that they had been through it was almost overwhelming to think that they had finally found happiness and love with each other. She slowly got up from the bed and quietly dressed her self before slipping silently from their quarters into the deserted hallway.

The torches lining the wall were burning low, casting long shadows along the hallway giving an almost forboding atmosphere. She turned down the hallway to her left and stopped in front of Ember's quarters. She suddenly felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and her heart began racing at an unnatural speed. She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself.

Why are you so nervous? She scolded herself. She is fine. Despite her attempts to reassure herself, her palm was noticeably damp as she reached for the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open.

It took only moments for her eyes to assess the situation. Ember's bed, empty. The large window overlooking the courtyard, open. The wind blew through the open window causing the silk curtains to blow in the air like a ghost. The small doll that Leliana had bought Ember on her last name day that she now insisted on sleeping with every night was laying fade down in the middle of the floor.

Gone...

Leliana felt her breath catch in her chest. She walked almost in a trance to the doll and picked it up silently.

Gone...

A horrified scream echoed throughout the castle halls, jolting Aedan awake. It took only seconds for him to dress and exit the room upon seeing Leliana's absence. His sword was gripped firmly in his hand as he ran the length of the hallway towards the commotion.

His heart dropped when he saw his daughters door open and he suddenly had flashback to Highever. He silently sent up a prayer to the Maker that he would not find his worst nightmare in the next room. He held his breath and entered the door and surveyed the scene before him.

Leliana was on her knees hunched over and hugging herself tightly. The window was open and Aedan shivered with a chill that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Leliana?" Aedan said in a voice he did not recognize as his own.

Leliana turned to look at her husband, tears flowing down her face. "She's gone."

The sword Aedan was holding fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He silently crossed the room and knelt down next to his wife. She threw herself into his arms and he buried his face in her hair and tried to think of something, anything, to comfort her. But the words wouldn't come, and for the second time in his life he was powerless to help his family. For the second time in his life, the thing that he loved most was wrenched away from him.

This time, however, it would not end the same way. He would find a way to bring his daughter back, even if he had to face the Maker Himself.

"We'll find her." He said, not sure if he was reassuring Leliana or himself more.

"We'll find her."