Chapter 6: Secrets

It did not take long for Alistair to find his way into the Dining Hall of Highever Castle, even though he had to stop and ask a maid for directions. Fergus was sitting down to lunch when he saw the young King sauntering slowly into the room. His face was grave, and Fergus immediately began to worry for his younger sister. He stood up quickly from the table, but Alistair held up a hand and spoke softly to him, "Fergus, Sophia is fine. For now, at least." The words that he spoke to not ease Fergus' mind. Alistair was worried. That was easy to tell from the look upon his face. "What do you mean for now? Alistair, what do you know that has you troubled?" The young king sat down at the long table beside Fergus, his gray-blue eyes looking off into the distance. He had known that this day would come. He had known that Morrigan would not do what she had promised she would do. But, Sophia had convinced him that it would be the best thing for them. And for a long time, he had thought she was right. He did not lose her in the battle against the Archdemon, and he would not have to deal with the fact that he would help in bringing another bastard child into the world.

But now, his decision to trust Sophia and Morrigan was hurting the one person he cared for more than anything else. Whatever blood magic Morrigan had placed on her had weakened her, regardless of how she tried to insist otherwise. He could not bare to think that he had made a deal with the devil to spend only a few months with the woman he loved. "Fergus, my friend, I do need to speak to you, but here is not the right place. Let's eat, and then we shall talk." Alistair did not know what he would tell his brother-in-law. He could not tell him of the "ritual" he had preformed with Morrigan. Fergus would be angry with him, even if he explained that he had only done it because Sophia had asked it. He ate quietly, his thoughts never drifting from Sophia. He would do anything to make sure that Morrigan never did anything to hurt her ever again.

Thirty minutes into a quiet meal, Fergus had become quite restless. Alistair knew something about what had happened to Sophia, and it angered him that he had not shared it with him early. Fergus would always be her older brother, and he would always worry after her. After their meal, Fergus lead Alistair into his study, closing and locking the door behind him. The room was fairly small in size, only a little bigger than a closet. The walls were lined with bookshelves and at the far corner of the room sat a oak desk, with a pair of chairs sitting across from each other. He took a deep breath as he moved to his desk, sitting down in his spacious leather chair staring at Alistair who sat down across from him in a plain oak chair. "What is it that you know, Alistair. Why is Sophia in danger?"

Alistair stood, his right immediately moving to his forehead as he walked to the other side of the room to the only window. It overlooked a garden and a courtyard, and he let his eyes wonder before turning back to Fergus. "First, I must ask that what I am about to tell you is never repeated outside of this room. Ever." Fergus nodded, his facial expressions showing a mixture of curiosity and anger. Alistair took a deep breath, not exactly knowing where to begin and how much he should really tell him. Sophia had obviously not told him anything, but they had agreed to keep it a secret. She probably would have found it just as hard to tell her brother as Alistair was. "Fergus, your sister should be dead right now."

"What do you mean? Dead? Why?"

"Have you ever wondered why Grey Wardens are needed to fight a Blight? It's because our blood is tainted by the Darkspawn from the moment we join the Wardens. A Grey Warden must be the one to slay an Archdemon, because otherwise the demon spirit that resides in the Dragon's will just jump from the dead dragon to another Darkspawn."

"None of this makes any sense."

"I know. But just listen – Grey Wardens have to slay the Archdemon, because if the demon tries to jump into our tainted body, our souls will battle it in essence killing the Grey Warden who killed the Archdemon. That is the sacrifice that we must make. Sophia would have died – if we hadn't found a way around it."

"A way around that? What could have possibly saved her?"

"The same magic that caused her to writhe in pain yesterday. Blood magic..."

Fergus stood, the chair he was sitting crashed violently to the floor. He approached Alistair, his face growing redder with angrier by the second. "Blood Magic? My sister would never willingly involve herself in Blood Magic! You better start explaining now, Alistair. I don't care if you are King, if you are responsible for my sister's pain, I will get my revenge."

Alistair turned back to the window, knowing that Fergus was right. Alistair was responsible. His conscious had told him from day one that sleeping with Morrigan was a bad idea. But, his desire to keep his fiancee safe from certain death had overridden his good sense. "A member of our companions was a Witch of the Wilds; an apostate mage by the name of Morrigan that came to Sophia the night before the battle. She told her of a way that both she and I could avoid death. It was a ritual, and the ritual would conceive a child inside of Morrigan."

His eyes moved from the window to look back at his angry brother-in-law, his face full of remorse and sorrow. Fergus' facial expressions also softened, realizing that it had not been Alistair's idea. Sophia had always been able to move people to do things for her, and it seemed as though Alistair was more tightly wrapped around her fingers than he had originally thought. "Sophia begged me to agree to it. I didn't want to – and I almost didn't. But, as soon as she asked me if I trusted her, my anger subsided and agreed to it. I didn't want to lose her anymore than she wanted to lose me. " He took a small step forward, not knowing if Fergus was going to kill him or not. At this point it didn't matter. If he lost Sophia, he would be as good as dead anyway. He was determined to find Morrigan before anything horrible happened to Sophie, even if it took months. He would search every inch of the Frostback Mountains if he had to.

"So, I did as Sophia asked and I – slept with Morrigan. The spell had seemed to work as nothing bad had happened after Sophia's sword stuck the demon down. But, now I fear that Morrigan is going back on her word to stay out of our lives by casting Blood Magic on my wife. I don't know what she is planning, but I want her dead. And this is where you come in, my friend."

Fergus seemed to understand what his King was suggesting to him. He wanted help, and he wanted it from his men. He also understood that Alistair could not possibly send his troops from Denerim. People would grows suspicious, and it would more than likely arouse more questions that answers. "I understand. You want me to organize a party to help you look for this apostate?"

"Yes, my friend. I will see her hang from the rafters of the Landsmeet in Denerim if that is what it takes to get her to leave my wife alone."

"Do you know where she may be, my King?"

"She is somewhere in the Frostback Mountains is all I know."

"What about the child? Do you – think it survived."

Alistair's face turned to one of the disgust, remembering what Sophia had told him after her collapse. The child was indeed alive and well, and he did not exactly know what to do about it. A part of him wanted to have it destroyed, but he did not think Sophia would want that to happen. She had a good heart. A better heart than Alistair could ever hope to have. All Alistair could do was nod at the question. But, a moment later he found his words, after deciding he would need to tell Fergus everything or nothing. He knew he was spilling all the Grey Warden secrets but he trusted Fergus. "Sophia saw that he had been born. Being a Grey Warden means having the ability to see things. Mostly, it is things about the Darkspawn in our sleep. But, I believe Morrigan sent her the message when the spell that she cast to cause Sophia even more pain. And all it did was anger me."

"Is that why you walked out of the tent the other night? Sophia told you what she saw, and it pissed you off?"

Alistair nodded, regretting the decision even more with the mere mention of it. Alistair had hoped that the child would not survive, as cruel as it had sounded. He had not wanted to be the father of a bastard, even with a woman that he did not love. It seemed had been more like his father than he would even like to admit, and that thought troubled him. Fergus stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder that knocked Alistair from his thoughts.

"I believe I have gained more respect for you here today, my King. You truly love Sophia with everything you have. Otherwise you would not have gone against what your mind told you."

"Thank you, Fergus, but I don't know if that is a good thing. I fear I may lose her even after everything I went through to prevent it. I feel helpless."

"Do not worry, Sire. We will protect her, and we will do it together."

Alistair was thankful for Fergus and his help. He gave him a small smile and nodded, praying the the Maker that Fergus was right. It would take a while to get together a big enough search party, so it looked as though he had Sophia might be staying at Highever longer than he had expected. It did not bother him, for the castle was a lot more comforting and quiet than Denerim's palace could ever hope to be. "Just promise me, my friend, that you will not speak to anyone about what I have told you or about our plans. Especially not Sophia." Fergus nodded, as the pair sat back down to start the plan to organize his troops.

Sophia awoke after a few hours nap to an empty bedroom. Alistair was no where to be found, and at first it frightened her. She sat up in the bed, her eyes moving slowly around the room. She knew that he was probably with Fergus out exploring the Castle or something, but the visions she had witnessed in her sickness had scared her, and she was still slightly paranoid that he would leave her. After slowly rising to her feet, she quickly dressed in a pink soft cotton dress with pink slippers, disregarding her originally planed outfit before her and Alistair's little mid-day romp in the sack. She could not remember falling asleep, but she could remember being cradled softly in his arms. She thought that a dress would be easier to move around in, as she was feeling more and more tired with every movement. And a dress would definitely be more comfortable to wear on the beach, which was where she was planning to go.

She sighed, and found herself walking out of the room, seeing Smokey laying off to the side of her door. The mabari hound barked at her, and she leaned down to pet him. She found herself feeling weak again, and she immediately sat down on the cold stone floor, the dog barking at her as she laid her head against the back wall. Perhaps it was too early to be leaving the comfort of her bed. She patted the dog upon his head as he laid down beside her, as he had been trained to do.

"Little Sister, are you all right?"

She looked up to see Fergus standing beside her, with a worried expression on his face. She smiled and nodded, as she looked around behind him to see if Alistair was with him. She was disappointed to see that he was not, and Fergus seemed to have noticed it. "Your husband is fine, Soph. He sent me to check on you."

"I don't understand, where is he?"

"He is out in the city. He went with Sebastian to get a tour."

Sophia looked down at the dog at her feet, trying to hide her disappointment. Even after the events of the morning, Alistair still thought she was weak and frail. And she was beginning to think that he was right. Something had changed with the spell, and she did not know how long it would take her to recover her strength. "He told me to tell you that he wants you to rest, and that he will see you when he returns." She smirked, chuckling slightly. It was an interesting turn of events to have Alistair telling her what to do. Ever since they had met, she had been the dominate one in their relationship. Even he had admitted to it, and Alistair had done everything that had been asked of him. The sickness had scared him more than she thought it would, and now he felt he needed to protect her. It would have insulted her if she did not know that he was only doing it out of respect and love for his wife.

"I see he is now barking orders. He grows more and more like a King ever day."

"He only wants to keep you safe, Little Sister. As do I."

She nodded, accepting the hand that was offered to her. "Regardless, dear brother, I wish to go to the beach. I have not seen the ocean since I left Highever. Will you go with me?"

Fergus smirked, knowing that her husbands "orders" would not keep her inside. Sophia had always been one who enjoyed being outdoors, and the beach had been one of her favorite places as a child. They had spent ours playing together by the ocean waves, and he found that he could not say no to her request. Alistair would be angry with him, but no harm would come to his sister in his prescience. "All right, we will go. But, if you find my head on a stick outside the palace one day, you will know who did it."

She laughed and shook her head, smiling up at her brother as she leaned against him. Fergus seemed different from before, like he knew something about her that she had not told him. Fergus could not know about Morrigan. Alistair would not have shared that information with anyone. But, as they made there way down the steps towards the front gate and towards the city of Highever, she began to wonder more and more if Alistair had told Fergus everything and then told him to watch her himself and not have some guard do it. She thought she should be angry with him, but she felt a bit calmer in knowing that her brother knew her darkest secret.

It only took them thirty minutes on horseback to reach the beach. They traveled the same beaten path they had taken as children. It was one the not many people knew about except for those that lived near the castle. As soon as the salty air hit her face, she felt better than she had all day. She felt more and more like she was finally home, and the air seemed to revive her strength and energy. Smokey trailed behind her as she sat down on a sand covered rock, taking off her slippers abandoned atop the rock. She found herself running towards the water, with Fergus chasing after her. She giggled and laughed as they played in the ocean as though they were children again.

After several minutes of splashing and giggling, she turned to see her mabari running off towards the rock. Her heart smiled as she saw that Alistair had discovered where they were, and was now sitting on the rock she had left her shoes on, a smirk growing across his face. He looked as handsome as she had ever seen him, wearing only a purple and gold ruffled shirt that opened to reveal the top portion of his torso, and a pair of leather pants with his leather boots. Alistair patted the dog's head as she sauntered towards him, a small smirk of her own forming on her face. She had been afraid that he would be angry with her, but as she approached he held a tremendous smile upon his face. "Sebastian told me I might find you two here. I thought I told you to stay in the castle."

She smirked as she sat down on the rock beside him, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke, "What can I say, I am good at giving orders but not so good at following them." He wrapped an arm around his wife, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Regardless of what he had asked her to do, he was glad that she had not listened to him. She had not looked so alive and happy since the moment they had been married. She had always told him of how she longed to come home to Highever just so she could play in the ocean. The water of the Amaranthine ocean was different here than it was near Denerim. It was much bluer, and he could see why she enjoyed it. Alistair turned to Fergus who had just joined him and Sophia, a worried look upon his face. "Thank you for keeping her company, Fergus, but I think I can take it from here."

Fergus nodded, and bowed to him before giving his sister a quick kiss upon her forehead. He headed off towards the path, leaving the pair alone. Sophia's eyes had moved back to the ocean, watching it dance as it crashed upon the beach over and over again. It was a beautiful sight, but as she turned to look back at her husband, she had a feeling that he had barely even noticed it. "Are you staring at me again, husband?"

"How could I not? You look gorgeous with the sunlight bathing your face and hair, my pet."

"As do you, dear husband. But, your words are but a diversion to keep me from being angry at you for sending my brother to act as a bodyguard for me."

He could only smirk at her statement, mentally kicking himself. He should have known better than to think that she would not see through him. Sophia knew him better than he even knew himself, and sometimes that fact scared him. He laughed as his right hand moved towards her cheek.

"I can get nothing past you, can I, Pet?"

"No, I do not believe you can."

She smirked as she leaned in to kiss him softly upon his gorgeous mouth. She was not really angry with him anymore. She knew that his actions were put in place in order to prevent her from coming to harm. But, she still wished that he would believe that she was fine, and that everything would quickly return to normal. Their tongues danced an all familiar dance before she moved away, her face growing serious.

"Alistair, I am fine. I feel better, and you do not have to coddle me as thought I am a child. Trust me, love, please? I know how to take care of myself."

"I know, Love. I just – do not wish to lose you."

"I am not going anywhere anytime soon, my King. Whether or not you like it, you are stuck with me."

He smirked, pulling her closer to him as he nodded. He would agree to giving her her freedom, but he would have her watched if not by him than by Fergus, regardless of what she asked of him. He would not let harm come to her, especially not from that bitch Morrigan. They spent a several moments kissing before she got up and ran back towards the sea, taunting him to come after her. They spent their afternoon at the beach, enraptured with each other. Alistair did not know how much longer he would be able to spend days like this with his bride, as his plan to seek revenge on Morrigan was falling into place. It would only be a matter of days before he would depart Highever to follow the only lead he had. He silently prayed to the Maker that their would be no more surprises. Little did he know how wrong he was, for the pair would soon be visited by the Grey Warden's of Orlais – and by Morrigan.