Kieran hated being late to anything. It's why he made sure he wasn't late, even fashionably so, among the nobles arriving to Val Royeaux for the party the following day. His moustache and short beard were well-trimmed and groomed for the occasion. The outfit he wore was custom-made for this event: a blue and white patterned silk brocade shirt, the colors of the Grey Wardens that his father now ran, white pants with a grey trim along the sides. Blue and white leather boots made of snofleur skin as well as a griffon-shaped necklace completed the ensemble. Teyrn or not, he wanted everyone there to know where his heritage lay.

An open-air party right in the middle of the public square. How exhilarating, a voice whispered inside his head.

"They didn't have any in your day, Urthemiel?" Kieran spoke softly so as not to garner any undue attention. One of the side effects of containing the essence of the Tevinter Old God of Beauty within himself was the dragon's voice in his head, which hadn't manifested itself until his fifteenth birthday, along with other side effects, like permanently changing his brown eyes to a unique (and attractive) violet color. "Anyways, the party isn't until tomorrow, you know."

Then why are we even here today?

"I wanted to stop by the Grand Cathedral, pay my respects like all the other nobles will."

To the being that imprisoned me underground out of sheer jealousy. The irony is palpable, my boy. Kieran ignored the dragon's snide comment as he entered the Grand Cathedral and sat in one of its pews. Bowing his head slightly, he repeated a few verses of the Chant of Light in an undertone. Like his father but much unlike his mother, Kieran Cousland had a deep respect for the Maker (much to the chagrin of Urthemiel), and never left Highever or anywhere else he went without visiting its Chantry even briefly.

"Kieran Cousland?" A familiar-sounding voice behind him broke his meditations, and he turned around in the pew to face its owner. Who is she, Kieran? She's beautiful, almost as much as I. The newcomer wore a fancy Orlesian dress, the kind only someone very wealthy could afford. Her long brown hair was split into multiple braids, hanging freely down her back. Her particularly piercing eyes seemed so familiar to him…

"Avexis? Avexis Trevelyan, is that really you? How many years has it been?" He reached over to shake her hand, but instead found himself pulled into a very unexpected hug, making him blush slightly.

"Seven years," she said. Quickly remembering herself, she let go of him and bowed. "That is to say, it has been seven years since you visited Skyhold, Teyrn Cousland."

"No need to stand on ceremony now, Avexis. Call me Kieran, please."

"Only if you call me Vex."

"Very well, Vex. So I assume you and your father are here for the party tomorrow?"

"That's right. I…ah, stopped by to see the Divine, is all. But it seems she's not here."

"Could she be off with your father, perhaps?" Before Vex could open her mouth, he leaned in closer. "I know she's your mother. My mother deduced it the last time we visited Skyhold. Worry not, though: my lips are sealed," he whispered. He motioned to the door, and the two walked out and in the direction of the marketplace. Acting the part of the noble knight, are you Kieran? Hoping it will win over the fair maiden? She's already yours, boy, unless you truly cannot tell. Sometimes, Kieran swore, it was hard to tell the difference between his draconic companion and his own mother.

The marketplace of Val Royeaux was starting to take on its signature energy, as important figures from across Thedas were slowly but surely arriving. A Fereldan bann whom Kieran could not remember the name of nodded at them as they passed by. Two masked ladies pointed in their direction and giggled, no doubt gossiping about the duo.

Vex turned to face her companion. "Will the king be coming, do you know? I've never met him before."

"Uncle Al – I mean King Alistair won't be joining us, no. He hates Orlesian-style parties. I told him that this one would be different, but no…'I'd rather relive my first meeting with your mother again every day for the next year than attend another party in Orlais,' I believe his words to me were."

Vex giggled. "'Uncle Al', huh? You must be really close to him to call the King of Ferelden that."

"Yeah, I am. Wait, is that all you got out of everything I just said to you? That I call the king Uncle Al?"

She actually laughed this time. "No, it just stood out more. Anyways, as I was asking…"

Kieran rolled his eyes. "Yes, we're very close. The king is my father's best friend, after all. He and Aunt Anora don't have any children, so they've always treated me as if I was theirs. You could say that I see a side of them that few others get to. Whether or not that's actually a good thing remains to be seen."

"Same with my father. All most people see is 'Lord Inquisitior Trevelyan, Herald of Andraste, Hero of Thedas', while all I see is a sarcastic mage that just so happens to be both the Inquisitor and the man who raised me."

Now it was Kieran's turn to laugh. "Speaking of fathers, I have to go find mine. He wasn't too far behind me, according to Mother. Until tomorrow, my Lady Trevelyan." He bowed and flashed her a smile that made her blush as she curtsied.

In my time, a woman that beautiful would serve at my temple, attending to my shrine and my worshippers. Do you plan for her to fulfill that same sort of role in your castle's quarters? Urthemiel hissed.

"Quiet, you. Yes, she is beautiful, and full of life. But I hardly plan on bedding her. You know I'm not that kind of man."

You, on the other hand, would have made a poor servant of me, with your attitude and view of life.

"Shut up, dragon," he mumbled. Try as he might, though, he couldn't get Vex off of his mind. Something about her just…stirred something in him. His uncle, father, and even his mother had all tried setting him up with women, but even as he approached his thirty-third year he never had a relationship that lasted long enough to transition into marriage. The closest he'd got was an ill-advised relationship with a dwarven Legionnaire he'd met in the Deep Roads, and that didn't survive his return to the surface, and neither did she, unfortunately. It was too early to tell, but perhaps he should get to know Avexis Trevelyan, he wondered as he searched the growing crowd for his father.

A/N: Hey all, sorry for the slow start-up to this story. I hope you're enjoying the characters so far, this is just the groundwork for what's to come, and a way to introduce to the decisions I made across my three Dragon Age games. Chapter 4 is coming soon!

- R.B.