A/N: Many, many apologies for taking so long to update! I write this story as it comes to me, and sadly, my muse for this has been somewhat low. But thankfully, the little bastard has returned, and with fluffy ideas too! That last chapter doesn't count—I just looked at what I had so far and decided to finish it, and will probably go back later and add a chapter involving the Inquisition looking into the Orlesians and Agents that had taken part in the fighting. But for now, chapter 29, with an Inquisitor I introduced in some other chapter...not sure of its number, but I know it's Blue Eyes (Part One). Alex Trevelyan! I'll start using him more, as I prefer him to Arin on my playthroughs, and he's got more personality. And yes, I know what I said, but for real, here's chapter 29! Hope you enjoy it!

Clasping my arms behind my back, I stroll across the ballroom, doing my best to carefully avoid the same gaze I'm trying to get to. Leliana's eyes are roaming over everything, never settling on one person for more than a few seconds, but she sees everything. And even if she'll never say anything about what she notices, I'm more than willing to bet she does, in fact, notice every little detail. What I still want to know is how she stores all of it for later.

That being said, I'm well aware she's going to see me at some point, but that means she hasn't seen me yet, and I'm fairly sure she has. I think she catches my eyes once, and I see the corner of her mouth turn up in a smirk, but I don't know if she's looking at me or past me. Either way, she's seen me, to however small a degree, and my surprise that wasn't going to be a surprise is ruined. Eh. I shrug at the thought, trying not to smirk as I turn onto the side of the balcony she's occupying. It becomes more difficult with each step I take, nagging away at me as I go, and just when I'm about to catch her, she gets up and leaves.

I'm stunned for a moment, frozen in place as she so casually walks out towards the entrance hall, shooting me a taunting look over her shoulder. She slips out just afterwards and I scowl. That little... She's teasing me!

A hand smacks my back and the owner of it presents himself, grinning from ear to ear. The recently named Inquisitor, Alex Trevelyan. I've heard of the Trevelyans on a few occasions, but they've never been well-known. Not minor enough to be overlooked, but not important enough to be a household name in the Free Marches.

"Enjoying the Winter Palace, Warden?" he asks. "You look a bit flushed."

I shake my head. "Just a bit warm. It's stuffy in here." And it is. So many people packed into one room, no matter how well ventilated it is, only produces heat. Several doors to various balconies are open, allowing in pleasant enough breezes, but that only goes so far in the way of cooling things.

His grin broadens. "Oh, but of course."

I arch an eyebrow at him and fold my arms over my chest. "And what's that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"Nothing," he says innocently. "A mere observation."

"Who was I to think the Herald of Andraste would be willing to play games?"

He laughs, actually laughs, hard enough that he has to hold himself up with the table. Now both of my brows are raised, partially in concern, partially in amusement, and partially in confusion. Alex laughs himself to the point that he sits on a small couch, motioning for me to join him. Bewildered, I do, crossing one of my legs over it.

"You, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree," he says after calming down a bit.

"You'll have to explain."

He frowns so quickly that it's almost funny, the contrast in facial expressions. "With the Spymaster. I've already tried, but to no avail. She's married, and she'll use that as a shield to get you away from her, actually." I blink, blink again, and blink some more. Is he serious? He's not serious. He can't be serious. The idea of him being serious is so funny that I can't help laughing, but he apparently takes my laughter to mean something else. "I'm serious. I'm far more charming than you are, and she rejected me. Me!"

That hurts, but not enough for me to stop laughing. "Thanks for the advice," I say. "But I'll take my chances with your Spymaster."

He shakes his head pitifully. "Then I wish you the best of luck."

I don't think Leliana explained who I was to the Inquisitor. He had requested one of us come to the Winter Palace with the Inquisition, and gave Leliana run of the situation since she was the one to originally be concerned about us. I'd been in Adamant, assisting a few Wardens with collecting our dead, when the message appeared on one of our birds, addressed to me. Cyrus, the man Elissa had appointed to take command of the southern Wardens, forwarded it to me. And the day I showed up at Skyhold, I was greeted by the Inquisitor and a few of his friends, but ultimately, sent up to the rookery. There I was to "follow the Spymaster's orders until dismissed" and here we are. I suspect I'll be dismissed upon our return to the mountain fortress, but seeing Leliana, even so briefly, was well worth the trip.

Well, either she didn't explain who I was further to the Inquisitor and his other advisors, or she did give my background and full name, and just didn't do Alex the courtesy of explaining that much. Still, he has no idea, and that makes it all the funnier.

I get up, straighten out the blue and silver dress shirt, and make my way towards the doors Leliana had fled through a few minutes ago. I pass a crowd for the double handles, but the instant my fingers grasp the iron, a hand falls on my extended arm. It's covered by a dull gold glove, but I still manage to recognize her touch, and turn to see her bemused expression as she takes a few steps back into the ballroom.

"Where did you come from?"

She's smirking. "I never left. I just...blended in."

"Oh, so you're doing that...bard thing again," I say, raising a brow yet again.

"No, just waiting to see if the Inquisitor was still pining," she replies with a shrug. "I knew if I looked like I had left, Alex would stop you and try to convince you from coming after me. It's actually kind of sweet in an odd way."

"Why didn't you tell him we're married?"

Leliana shrugs again. "Josephine and Cullen know, and I don't think he'd be so...friendly if he knew exactly who you were. Besides, I hear him and Dorian talking more often than not, and if anything, he's actually trying to keep you from the 'heartbreak' he suffered."

I frown. "What did he do?"

"Nothing," she says. "Just constant flirting, but you know I can more than handle unwanted attention."

I sigh and shake my head. "Well you got that right."

"Oh?"

"At this point, I just figure it's safer to admit you're right and I'm wrong than to even attempt arguing," I say, smiling faintly. "It's not worth fighting over constantly."

She snorts a laugh, rolling her eyes, and waves for me to follow her. "If it's at all reassuring, I saw Alex with Dorian earlier, dancing. I don't think it's much of an issue anymore, but him truly trying to be as kind as possible."

"They're fitting," I say absentmindedly.

"And why do you say that?"

I shrug as I follow her out onto an empty balcony. "Nothing specific. Just a few comments I've heard from the both of them, and they sound to be of like minds. What, don't you think the same?"

She leans against the bannister, sighing as she looks at the garden on the other side of the courtyard we're currently hanging over. "I have my suspicions about Dorian, but that means nothing until he acts in such a manner that I can do something about it."

"What's wrong with the man? I know it's not him being a mage. Is it about him being from Tevinter?"

"Yes and no," she says. "I've never had a problem with the Vints I've met before. Krem is fine in my opinion." I raise a brow in confusion. "He's one of the Iron Bull's Chargers and he's from Tevinter. But what I've dug up on him says he has no reason to be spying on us for the Venatori."

"And Dorian does?"

"Dorian wants to restore his home, but he claims to want to do it through other means than these fanatics," she explains. "So far, he's done nothing but aid the Inquisition, so I've done nothing against him, but I still watch."

I nod and follow her gaze to the garden. She's been staring at it since we walked out here, and after a moment of searching, I can see why. Her friend is speaking with one of the noblemen. I'm not entirely sure that's Josephine, but I can assume it is just by the intensity of Leliana's stare. Her eyes are glued on the man, never wavering, and I sigh.

"Do you ever stop working?" I ask.

Leliana blinks and her eyes flick over to mine. "Of course I do. I have to sleep, don't I?"

"Why do I get the feeling you hardly do that?"

"Because you know me so well," she replies. "Why do you ask?"

I shrug a shoulder. "We've been here all day and all you've done is sit and listen to gossip. And now we're outside, but you're intent on making sure Josephine isn't about to be assassinated."

Her brows knit together as her eyes return to the nobleman speaking with her friend. "Aedan, I know or have heard of everyone in this building at least once in my life. That man...I don't even recognize him."

"Then why aren't you over there making sure she's safe?"

Leliana shrugs after a moment of thought. "Because I'd rather be here with you, and Josie can defend herself from one man. And after Corypheus' failed attempt at Empress Celene's life, the guards are watching everyone they can see."

I shake my head in amazement. "I'm still wondering why they'd keep the party going after something like that."

"Because it's not a proper Orlesian event until there's an assassination attempt," Leliana says, smirking faintly. "Now is when the real fun supposedly starts."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning now is when the nobility relax a bit and start to share the best secrets," she whispers. Her tone is almost conspiratorial, and she leans in to say it like the statement itself is one of those secrets she just told me about.

I return the grin, rolling my eyes. "Now I'm wondering why you aren't inside to hear these secrets of yours."

"Because you're more important." It comes from her easily and she doesn't even blink, that admission, and she's looking at me like she's waiting for me to do something about it. The problem is, I'm not exactly sure what I should do about it.

"More important than the Inquisition?" Teasing her probably wasn't my best idea, but she laughs and shakes her head, amused.

"I can't be even a bit selfish?" Leliana asks.

"Well..."

"Well what?"

"I could be persuaded to let this one thing pass," I say. "But it'll cost you."

She raises a brow. "And how would I go about persuading you?"

I tap my chin and make a noise in my throat, doing my best to look like I'm seriously thinking about it. "It's going to cost you a few minutes of your time."

"And what will I be doing?"

I know exactly how she's looking at me just by the tone of her voice and I refuse to let her win so easily. "No, don't do that to me in public."

She laughs. "It's hard to resist when you look like you haven't been crawling through a battlefield for hours on end."

I smirk. "Too bad for you we're not going to be alone for another fortnight at the least."

"I'll live. Now, continue. I want to be forgiven for being so selfish as to put you before the Inquisition."

I make a thoughtful expression again. I already know what I'm going to do, or rather, ask, but it's amusing to see her watching me so intently. "Oh, I have the perfect idea." Leaning down so my lips are right next to her ear, I whisper, "The very sight of you takes my breath away, and since this is as close to 'alone' as we're going to get..." I kiss her once, but it doesn't last nearly as long as I want it to. We draw it out as long as we dare, long enough to get the point across, but brief enough that rumors don't start circulating, or that people actually catch sight of us. This might be Orlais, but there's some form of propriety, and while how good I look to the Orlesians doesn't matter, it matters for her.

"I'm going to miss you," she says softly, burying her face in my neck. I smile faintly and hug her to my chest. "Remind me why Cyrus needs you with the Wardens."

"For the Fereldans," I reply. "They don't listen to him as well as they listen to me, and all we do is relay Elissa's orders to the rest of them."

She makes a noise in her throat, irritated. "I... Can I tell you something? It's...it's important."

"Of course."

"I...I might become the next Divine, Aedan." I know that. I also know Alex is supporting her. That doesn't mean I like the idea of it, but she wants the same thing my sister is fighting for, and if Leliana can change the Chantry without anymore bloodshed, who am I go argue? "And I'm seriously considering it, but..." She seems stuck on her words, but I don't pry. It's several more moments of listening to the sounds of the ball before she speaks again. "There's a greater chance that I'll be set aside if we..."

She doesn't need to finish that statement.

"Do you really want this?" I ask after a moment. "Do you really think you could make a difference?"

"Yes."

I let go of her and give her a sad smile. "Then don't worry about it. Just do what you think is right. And besides, rules can be changed."

She lets out a laugh, a pained one. "For now, I'd like to forget what I just told you. You're right anyway, but there remains the fact that I'm a Warden, the Spymaster for the Inquisition, and I'm one of your sister's Agents. The Chantry despises the existence of the Agents of the Maker, so there's a good chance they'll choose Cassandra instead, regardless of who is being supported by who."

"Then there's only one thing left to do," I say. I take a few steps back towards the ballroom and extend my hand, smirking faintly. "Would you like to dance, my lady?"

Leliana's brows go up. "You're saying 'my lady' now?"

"It only seemed proper for a woman of your stature."

She laughs. "I would be honored, Lord Cousland."

My grin broadens. "I haven't been called that in...ten years."

"Is that all right?"

"I'm smiling for a reason." Not because I have a fondness for the title, no, but because I can be called it. I lied when I said I haven't been addressed as such in the last decade, but that was the first time I heard it and didn't cringe, or feel a jab of pain in my chest. My sister doesn't seem to have been bothered by the massacre of almost everyone in Castle Cousland for years, but if I look closely, I can see the same hurt when Howe or our father is mentioned.

I used to be jealous that she was the one to kill him. Now it's a matter for the past, a matter I'd rather not think of and be glad that it's done with. I could be resentful and bitter over what happened. I could be the same man I was when we first joined the Wardens, cold and snappy, or I could be the man Leliana made me want to be. I prefer the latter.

Frowning as I lead her back inside, I pause at the doorway. "Have I ever told you that you're the reason I'm not the same man I was at the beginning of the Blight?" She just blinks, stunned to silence, and shakes her head numbly. "I take it you didn't expect me to say that," I whisper, smirk returning. "But it's true. You made me want to smile instead of being bitter and angry all the time. You made me laugh, and after a while, I realized that..." I trail off, heart racing, and I notice that my hands are sweating. I silently thank the Maker that the both of us are wearing gloves and I squeeze my eyes shut, nervous. Why is it so hard to say?

Leliana seems to have recovered her wits. "That...?"

I take a deep breath. "You're my reason for living, Leli. If I didn't have you, I wouldn't have done that stupid ritual with Morrigan, and I would've made sure my sister wasn't the one to kill the Archdemon. It sounds...very backwards, but I didn't have anything when Highever was destroyed, and...well..." I shrug sheepishly. "I don't know how to say it. But I know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you, and you can always come to me if you need me."

She stares at me for a few minutes, just stares, searching my face with her eyes, and after a while, she takes my hand and pulls me back outside. I frown in confusion, but allow her to take me where she will, and we stand face to face in the center of the same balcony.

"In there, we have to dance with the group," she says softly. "But out here, we don't have to look so ridiculous."

I manage a wry grin. "You think the dancing is ridiculous?"

"Not as much as you probably do, but yes," Leliana admits. "I've spent far too much time in Ferelden and falling into your patterns."

"Well, you're Fereldan," I say. "You even look like it. What Orlesian has eyes the same shade of blue as you? What Orlesian has the same face shape as you? They're Fereldan features, not Orlesian. Your accent isn't what defines you, and you know that."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm Orlesian, Aedan."

I shake my head. "What happened to the woman who said she was Fereldan?"

She shrugs. "I've accepted that I'll be considered Orlesian regardless of my background."

"I'm Fereldan," I say. "My family is Fereldan. Last I checked, we're married, and you have a Fereldan background. You're Fereldan."

"It doesn't matter that much anymore," Leliana says. "And they're starting to play something not distinctly upbeat."

"Thank the Maker," I breathe, and she laughs.

"Here," she orders, pulling me closer. "I wanted to dance like normal people instead of those who have nothing better to do than make a point by dancing." She straightens me out (I'm not a good dancer, though I never had much choice of learning thanks to my mother) and rests her head against my shoulder. I let her take the lead at first, but once I settle into the pace of the music, she concedes control and I'm the one leading. I don't much care for the music, but I know she grew up with Orlesian music, and I know she likes it, so I keep my mouth shut about how there's too many pauses and just enjoy getting to hold her. It's been so long and I've done my level best not to think about what I'm missing by being away, but now that I have her in my arms again, I'm not sure I can bring myself to leave.

"You know, I'm still not used to loving someone and having them love me back."

She sounds small, but that doesn't faze me. "You'll get used to it eventually. Someday I'll say something stupid and sappy, and you'll just smile and laugh. Someday my words won't matter anymore."

"They'll always matter," she whispers. "Don't you understand how scared I was when you left? I thought you'd find someone else and I'd be forced to move on while you loved them. I'm still afraid you will, even with me here. I keep thinking you'll get bored of me and set me aside."

"Why would I do that?"

"I know you won't, but it still nags away at me all the time."

I sigh and press a kiss to the top of her head. "Leliana, I know what Marjolaine did to you, and I know what you're used to, coming from being a bard. But I'm not going to hurt you, and I'm never going to have sex with you for my own personal gain. I love you more than Alindra's soldier loved her, and I'm never going to leave you for someone else."

She makes a noise in her throat, one that I think is reminiscent of being content. "Tell me again."

"I love you." But words can't express how much.

"I love you too."