Epilogue – Loose Ends

Nuada POV


Laughter caught my attention, and I looked down at the courtyard to try and find the source. To my surprise, Fergus was, along with Anora. Cailan's face was bright red, making me think the two of them were teasing him again. It was a sight that was slowly becoming more common here in strange Highever, but it was still so strange to see Fergus so relaxed.

But I was glad for it. I was glad he, at least, was happy with those two. I hoped he could always be happy with them. I would make myself stronger so that he could. That was my silent vow, as a brother, and as a Cousland.


With a groan, I tossed the letter into the garbage as I walked down the hall. It had been four days since the Archdemon had died, and I swore there were at least forty messages from this Warden Blackwall of Orlais. He was apparently high-ranked there, and demanded answers for how Cleon survived killing the Archdemon. It wasn't like I had the answers. Cleon was still unconscious and the only other person who might have known what was going on, Morrigan, had disappeared the day after everything.

I smiled at the servants as I passed by, and looked around the castle. It had taken two days to clean the place enough for it to be livable again, and Denerim itself was still broken and scarred. But, the civilian death toll was far smaller than we could have ever hoped, and casualties in general were light. When you added in that this Blight had lasted less than a year, less than six months even, you realized that this was the least devastating of Blights. I had a very bad feeling that people were going to look to this Blight as 'proof' that Wardens were relics and used as a justification for them not needed for the coming age. Of course, that would be a while. Right now, everyone still remembered that four of the 'heroes' were Wardens, and that their rapidly-becoming-beloved-king was also one.

Quiet murmurs told me that I had reached my first destination, and I peeked into the study. Alistair and Elspeth were already at work, talking with some of the Banns and Arls to coordinate supplies. It might have been a short Blight, but it had devastated Fereldan. If Orlais wanted to invade, they probably could. But I doubted they would. After all, Fereldan had a reputation now, one for the impossible. It had thrown off Orlais's rule, and now, it had defeated a Blight in less than a year, when the next-shortest Blight, the Fourth, had lasted ten years. We would be safe until we recuperated, especially since Elspeth knew Empress Celene rather well.

Elspeth was the first of the group to notice me, and she gave me a small, warm smile. I could see she was tired, but she found something relieving about it. After all, this was what she had studied, not war. She was finally firmly back in her element and she couldn't be happier.

She nudged Alistair to let him know I was here, and Alistair flashed me a grin before subtly rolling his eyes. He wasn't quite in his element, but I could tell he was having fun learning. He waved me on, silently reassuring that the two of them were fine and I didn't need to throw my weight around as King's Champion, Teyrn of Gwaren. I'd have to visit there in the coming months to see what would need to be done. If I had to rule, then I wanted to rule well.

It was a mentality Layla had too. With Howe officially declared Oathbreaker, his family had been completely removed from the line of inheritance, leaving Amaranthine to Fergus. He had promptly given Amaranthine to the Wardens, citing that Vigil's Keep would be a much better fortress for building up the organization's strength than the old keep. While we would keep it too, that keep would be geared more towards magical research, with Avernus continuing his work ethically in his tower. All of that meant, though, that a Warden had to serve as the ruler, and in an effort to split the burden and power, Aiden had chosen against being the Arl of Amaranthine. He thought he would have more freedom as the Warden Commander of Fereldan, a title officially given directly from Weisshaupt, if he wasn't tied to the politics. Since Cleon was already being called the 'Hero of Fereldan', slayer of the Archdemon, that left Layla to take up the title.

As I thought through all the changes and duties the coming months would bring, my feet took me to the… 'guest room', where Anora was 'staying'. Really, she was a prisoner until someone decided what to do with her. Thanks to Loghain being declared traitor, she had lost all her 'political power', and there were many who thought her a threat to Alistair's rule. At the same time, though, she was a beloved queen, and known in foreign courts. I knew Elspeth, at least, hoped that she could serve as an advisor. Alistair was far quieter on the issue, but I thought that he wanted her to live, if only to show her personally that he could be a good king.

I knocked on the door and waited until I heard a 'come in' before opening it. To my surprise, I found I wasn't the only one visiting Anora. Fergus was here too. "I'm sorry to bother," I said, stepping inside. I frowned, though, as I noticed how tense both of them were. "Then again, maybe I should say, 'hi, I am the convenient interruption.'"

"Haha, maybe," Fergus replied. Though he remained tense, his smile was fond. "I do need to get back. Anora?"

"I will think carefully on it," she answered. Her voice was neutral, and her expression was guarded. But she did let it soften with a slight smile. "I thank you for even considering it, I suppose." Fergus's only response was to laugh, before departing, shutting the door behind him. As soon as it clicked, Anora slumped briefly, like a puppet shorn from its strings, before drawing herself up again. "Did you need something, Nuada?"

"I was just coming to check on you," I told her, taking Fergus's vacant seat. Cold tea hinted that while their conversation had started friendly, it had ended tense. "What happened?"

"He proposed." …Well, there were about ten thousand things I expected, and none of them were that. "He was very logical about the whole thing, with just the right amount of emotion in his argument. It's clear he'd been thinking the whole thing carefully."

"Well, that's how Fergus is. When he really cares, he's as careful as they come." I studied her expression. "Do you want an ear? I have two working ones."

"Barely." She smiled slightly at the little joke, but it soon faded for uncertainty. "Did he plan all of this?" I knew what she was asking. She wanted to know if Fergus had purposely arranged for her to lose the crown, so that he could propose and make her the Teyrna of Highever. Such a thing would be best for our people, after all. Fergus had never planned on inheriting. We had both assumed Elspeth would have taken over after Father retired. He'd need the help, and Anora was skilled. He'd also need help with Oren, and Oren adored Anora. It was easy to see the steps: back her into a corner and offer her 'safety' in the form of his name. No one would think of harming her, not with so many Couslands holding very real power.

Still… "I'd like to think he didn't." I smiled at her and, tentatively, she smiled back. "I'd like to think that this is something he came up with in the past few days, and proposed because he knows that it would be a good option for you both. I'd like to think that even now, he's thinking of other ways to make sure you continue to be safe." I shrugged. "I suppose you'll have to come up with your own conclusions, though, and make your decision based on that." I made sure my voice was firm. "But, no matter what, even though I have my issues, you are my 'sister'. Do not forget that."

"…Thank you, Nuada." The words were simple, but her tone conveyed how much she appreciated it, especially now.

"Do not forget that you are also Elspeth's. I promise she only accepted-"

"She loves Alistair." Anora's smile softened and warmed. "Do not fret. We already had a discussion about it. It is better than being cheated on again, or dealing with the knowledge that my husband does not think only of me."

"…Cailan thought of you more than he did anyone else." I hesitated before continuing, "he was going to have a Circle Mage check his health, to see if the…" That would be the wrong word. "He wanted to see if he was sterile, and that was what led to you two not having an heir." She looked startled. "I also know that while he was considering an annulment to the marriage, one of his motivations was hoping you would be happier."

"…That idiot…" Anora's voice wobbled, and she covered her face to hide how her eyes filled with tears. "That idiot… always thinking of the wrong things…"

"You never hated him for it."

"I could never hate him. Even with everything, I never could." Her voice cracked then and she slumped in her chair. "I wish we had gotten to have one more talk. I wish I had told him that."

"I know." I stood up and patted her on the shoulder. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" I wondered if this was the first time she'd let herself cry for Cailan. So much had happened afterwards that I could believe it.

"Please." She dropped her hands to smile at me through the tears. "Thank you, though, for telling me. It does… make me feel better knowing he thought of me."

"I figured." I smiled back and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind me.

Layla was waiting for me. "Is she okay?" she asked softly. I couldn't think of how to answer, so I just shrugged. "Right, that was a silly question." She came over to kiss me on the cheek. "Well, would you like some good news?"

"I always love good news from a pretty messenger," I teased. She scowled and batted my shoulder. "So?"

"Cleon is awake." He was?! "Do you want to go see-?" She laughed as I didn't even wait for her to finish, and followed after me as I ran down the hall. I ended up taking two shortcuts to get to Cleon's room even faster.

I burst inside, noting the cheer and relief in the air. All of our friends, save Morrigan, were crowded around Cleon's bed. 'Oh, hey, there you two are,' Cleon signed with a smile. 'Were you two busy?'

"Alack, alay, woe is me that your awakening come at such a time!" I joked, unable to keep from laughing. Layla squeaked, and covered her apple-red face. "More seriously, I was just checking on things. If anyone was busy…" I glanced around, and noticed Elspeth and Alistair in the corner. "Well, you can see for yourself. They brought their work with them."

"It's things that they wanted our opinions on anyway," Aiden explained. He was sitting in a chair next to Cleon's bed, looking relaxed for the first time in days, with Zevran and Leliana on either side of him. "You just missed Sten and Wynne barely keeping Zevran and Oghren from singing some bawdy songs."

"Well, that's a shame." I took the other chair next to Cleon, while Layla just decided to sit on the bed itself, poking Cleon's cheek. "How's his health?"

"Wynne says he's fine, though he's in dire need of food." He pointed to Wynne and Sten talking quietly. "They're coming up with a menu for him." He glanced at Cleon. "Though, I suppose an explanation will have to wait?"

'I am a little too dizzy at the moment,' Cleon signed. His hands shook slightly. 'Everything is rather pretty blurs. I just knew Layla and Nuada came in because of the distinctive blurs.' His smile warmed though. 'But, hey, we are alive and together, and that is way better than we hoped.' That was true.

"Well, in that case, I do believe it's time to finally break out the good alcohol," I declared dramatically, jumping to my feet. I grinned as Wynne gave me a stern look. "Come now! Alcohol makes everything better! Just ask Oghren!" The room filled with laughter. "I'll be back! I know where the good stuff is kept." If it had moved, then I could just ask Loghain. He wasn't here, of course, but I doubted he'd mind sharing some of his own stash for such an occasion.

As I stepped into the hall, I noticed something strange. There was a cat in the middle of the hallway, too sleek to be a simple mouser, but no collar to denote it as a pet. More to the point, though, the cat had dark black fur and glittering gold eyes. It reminded me of all the way back in the Wilds, long before this crazy adventure began, when we were in the old ruins and looking for the treaties.

"Morrigan?" I called softly. The cat meowed in reply, eyes too sharp and serious. "Yeah, he just woke up." She hadn't left, had she? She had waited to make sure he was safe. "Do you want to-?" She ran off, and I sighed. "I suppose that is a 'no'." Still, she had waited. Whatever would happen to them in the future, that alone made it pretty clear to me that she had truly loved him, and he, her.

So, I shrugged, made sure my smile was in place, and continued on my way. Today seemed like a perfect day to get delightfully drunk, after all.


Next Chapter – Final Chapter with Cleon