I don't own Dragon Age Origins

"Yes mother it is me." Vanora said with tears rolling down her rosy cheeks.

"I thought I would never see you again, but the hero of Ferelden giving mages autonomy I hoped you would come home and you did!" her mother cried into her daughter's shoulder, how tall her child had gotten over the years.

"About the Hero of Ferelden, it's me. I'm a Grey Warden." Looking down at her mother she felt the woman go limp in her arms.

"Maura, have you seen my favorite shoes?" Aidan shouted sticking his head out from the second floor window. Looking down at he noticed his wife was limp in some mage's arms; the mage looked up at him with his color hair and green eyes like his wife.

"By the Maker!" making a run outside, there was his wife out like a blown torch which wasn't surprising since she had a habit of fainting when she was overly excited. The one thing he was surprised to see was his daughter at his door.

"Vanora I thought I would never see you again!" Aidan said in shock as he slowly gathered his wife in his arms. His daughter just stared up at him with tears in her eyes, an excited mabari stood next to her as if waiting to see what happened next.

"Father!" she blurted and the older man smiled. Time had been kind to Vanora's parents they didn't seem to age much both had a few specks of grey and laugh lines around their mouths but they were for the most part just as she remembered them twelve years ago.

"Come in for something to eat. Don't worry about your mother this happens often." Vanora nodded her head at her father's orders and followed him inside, Baron trotted in right behind her, proud that he was the one to accompany her home.

"All ships are delayed sir, I'm sorry." The attendant at the dock in Val Royeaux.

"Why?"

"Strong winds just hit all of a sudden it would be risky to even try to brave the waters with waves this strong. Between south of Oralis and the north of Ferelden no ships will be coming or going."

Gregior groaned rubbing his temples between his two fingers to ebb away his rising headache.

"Forty seven years another few days of waiting won't hurt." He mumbled to himself turning away from the dock to check into an inn until the winds died down.

Maura woke up about an hour later giddy as a child who just got a new toy seeing her daughter home. Before Vanora could get comfortable Maura ran out the house and down the paved road to get something, but refused to say what. While she was gone Aidan listened to her adventures while her dog sniffed the entire sitting room before taking a seat near the fire place.

"Vanora look at what I have here!" Maura said in a loud sing song voice, Aidan rolled his eyes, that woman could be really dramatic at times.

Two tall handsome men stood behind her one with a woman behind him holding an infant in her arms while another child hid behind her skirt. The other young man was grinning from ear to ear with his large arm wrapped around a very pretty elf.

Vanora immediately recognized these men, sadness swept through her not being to grow up with her brothers but they were here now and from the looks of things with welcoming arms.

"Big sis!" the larger brother said leaving his elf to hug his older sister. Adam grew into a large handsome man almost as big as a qunari. He had their mother's brown hair and father's brown eyes. Liam on the other hand was lean but well built; he had the same brown hair but green eyes like Vanora. After what seemed like an hour of hugging kissing and crying between the siblings her brothers finally decided to introduce the other guest in the home.

"This is my beloved, Rhoswen." Adam said with pride beaming at the lovely elf. The girl looked down at her shoes intimidated by the grey warden. Vanora had to admit the elf was quite lovely, silvery blond hair and bright blue eyes, she was tall for an elf, she was the same height as an average human woman. Liam introduced his wife and children to Vanora. His wife Willow curtsied politely the best she could hold a baby who didn't want to let go of her raven tresses. Willow had a beauty about her that was something akin to legends, pale skin jet black hair and natural blood red lips.

After a lively dinner with her lost family all she wanted to do was sleep. She hadn't seen her family in twelve years but she fit in with them as if she never left, sharing jokes with Adam. Playing with her niece and nephew with Willow and Liam while Rhoswen was convinced to sing an elven song for everyone by Maura.

Rhoswen was the sister of the elf boy the village wanted to kill for being a mage and supposedly ruining the crops for the spring. Vanora had been walking with her father had seen the crowed surrounding the boy on the way home and decided to intervene. As her father threatened to flog every person in the mob if they didn't leave the boy alone one of them tried to stab the boy from behind Aiden when he wasn't looking. It was Vanora who saw this and used a fire attack to singe the man's hands. The mob still thought that he did it and tried to attack till they saw Vanora cast another spell in her little hands and the mob backed away. Two weeks later templars came and took her from her mother's arms while her father almost got himself killed trying to protect her.

She still had her old room but all her things were packed in a storage chest, Aidan said that it pained them to look at everything when she was taken away by the templars. Finally getting out of her sweaty clothes Vanora dozed off to sleep listening to the sounds from her home.

"So is the king as handsome as they say?" Willow said leaning close to Vanora so her husband wouldn't hear. Rhoswen's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink while Vanora gave a curt yes to her sister in law's question.

"I heard that he gave the alienage a bann giving them a seat at the landsmeet." The elf said smiling with pride.

"I also heard he's rebuilding the Denerim alianage and giving them all long deserved rights." Willow said with excitement. Ferelden was changing for the better and Vanora was glad that she was the one who initiated it.

The women chatted in front of the house watching the children play with their uncle and father. Maura was cooking lunch for everyone and Aidan was fishing for Coastland pearl crabs, Vanora's favorite for dinner.

"I bumped into brother Ernes, he said he heard from a noble arriving at port that their will be a ball to find the king a bride." Willow said before she saw her youngest Nissa fall into the dirt and ran over to see if she was hurt. The babe didn't cry only stared up at her mother and grabbed a handful of hair and decided it was time for a nap. Her husband didn't seem at all concerned about the fall which angered his wife even more.

'Already, he was whisked off to get married.' Vanora thought to herself. Shrugging off her jealously of what could never be she turned her attention back to her family.

"She has a temper you know when it comes to the kids." Rhoswen said as she glanced at the angry mother.

"I see…"

"She might not let him sleep in the bed tonight, she'll make him sleep with the kids or he makes his way to your parents."

Vanora laughed at the image of her brother sullen knocking on the door at night looking for a place to sleep because his little pretty but angry wife kicked him out.

"I need to go to town and buy some girly stuff."

"Girly stuff?" Vanora repeated.

"That's what Adam calls it; you know lotion scented candles and the like. He started buying me those things when he was wooing me."

"Adam the same boy who put twigs in my hair and said I looked just like a blight wolf?"

Rhoswen burst into a fit of giggles, "A blight wolf? That was really mean." Calming down she asked for the warden to join her because she said the walk would be dreadfully boring without company.

"Take your pick your majesty." One of the servants said with a sly grin. Most of the servants in the palace had gotten used to Alistair's "common touch" he had with everyone and it was refreshing to work at the castle and not ruffling the king's trousers for not showing respect properly.

The king was already turning a few heads as he made his entrance; he came to the ball with a date. Ann was dressed in a fine dress that she made herself and her hair and makeup were done to perfection at the king's expense. He asked her to help her weed out the vultures from the doves so to speak.

"You look lovely." Alistair whispered in her ear causing the woman to blush, something that only her late husband could do.

"Thank you, your majesty." The king rolled his hazel eyes at the use of a formal title from Ann. Her sharp eyes saw the look and spoke again. "Thank you, Alistair."

Out of the many shocked nobles looking at their king with a commoner on his arm was Earl Eamon, of Redcliff was always about appearances but he was a good adviser.

"How about the blond?" Alistair asked pointing to the buxom blond talking to Earl Wolfe in the crowd.

"No, Mary told be when she asked her if she needed anything she made all these crazy demands about having a basket full of cupcake tops no bottoms." Numerous nobles stayed at the castle for the event while others rented or had other accommodations. All the servants were doing double shifts and temporary help were hired.

"How about the red head?"

"She is pretty, I haven't heard anything about her, she has child bearing hips too." The last part of her evaluation made him blush. Ann smiled and nudged him towards her.

"Hello my lady."

The red head turned and released the most annoying disturbing laugh, which made him visibly flinch.

"Good evening your majesty." Lady Abra said extending her hand for him to kiss. Alistair couldn't be mean and run like he wanted to so he exchanged brief pleasantries before Ann noticed his discomfort and made up an excuse to Lady Abra so he could get away.

"You're a life saver."

"I know."

He tried talking to Bann Alstfanna but she was engrossed in a naughty conversation with another female noble in the corner. For the most part he didn't need to make introductions to the women since their noble parents were doing it for them. Tossing their daughters at the new king as if they were expendable. Some of the older ladies flirted with Alistair since they were getting old in their child baring years or their parents pushed them to do so.

Out of all the female nobles in attendance besides Alstfanna and the woman she was talking to one other noble gave him no attention. The one woman had her attention on a painting of King Maric looking down he noticed that she was holding a little girl's hand.

"How about her?"

"Oh she's the late Lord of Brandel's Reach daughter. That is Lady Brandel."

"How does she treat her people?"

"Quite well from what some of the elves tell me, she seems to take special interest in them, rumor has it that her mother was an elf."

"You don't say. So if I wooed her it would get Eamon's britches in a bunch?"

"She is the ruler of the whole island, of noble blood. She has a reputation for speaking her mind though which grates some of the other noble's nerves… yes she would ruffle some feathers with her sharp tongue."

Smirking to himself he made his way over to the lady in red. She was stunning nothing like he would expect the lone female ruler of an island to be. She had long black hair falling down her shoulders in soft waves to the small of her back. Deep sapphire eyes stared intently at the painting as if searching for a flaw, her skin was a beautiful soft tan color which made her stand out even more in the crowd of pale nobles.

"Sweetheart this is King Maric, he freed Ferelden from Orlasian occupation." Lady Brandel said looking down at the child holding tightly to her hand. The little girl nodded her head, her blond curly hair bounced along with it.

'Maker, even her voice sounds beautiful!'

"If you like it so much I'll let you have it." The king said trying his best to sound charming, wooing women was not something taught in the chantry, it made him wonder how he won Vanora over in the first place. Lady Brandel raised a very smooth eyebrow at the man; every noble in Ferelden had at least one portrait of the legendary king.

"I have one at home, much smaller and less imposing." Arlessa Brandel turned her attention away from the painting to the crowed of boring nobles.

"These formal affairs are rather boring, I'd rather be sparring or in a lively tavern." That remark threw Alistair off guard, very few women wanted to play with sharp weapons and drink ale.

"If you weren't looking after the child I would suggest we go."

"You flatter me sir…?"

"Alistair." Reaching his hand out for hers to kiss. The arlessa looked surprised finding out she had been talking to the king himself.

"King Alistair, why would a man like you want to sit in a tavern with commoners?"

"A man like me?"

"A king." She clarified.

"I wasn't raised as a noble; I was training to be a templar in the chantry."

"Chantry boys don't go to taverns."

"True but I have a wild dwarf friend who loves to show me off in taverns. Shouting that he is friends with the king always earns free drinks."

The arlessa laughed, not a fake giggle that most women give trying to be demure and refined. It was a barely audible snort followed by a dainty laugh.

"I have a brother who does the same thing."

"I do enjoy talking with you, may I know your name?"

"You haven't heard of me? The annoying brat of Brandel's Reach who won't keep her mouth shut? My name is Ennya." She said with a smile.

'She even has nice teeth!'

"And who is this lovely lady, your date?" Alistair asked looking down at the pretty little girl who was staring at him.

"This is my daughter Keira. Say hello my dear." the little girl gave the king a bright smile and curtsied.

"So is there a way I could get to know the both of you more? I'm ready to call an end to this whole affair."

"He's nice mommy!" Keira chirped, tugging on her mother's dress.

"Hm, well how about tomorrow then, I am staying at the hotel above The Wonders of Thedas shop. I've never been to Denerim you can show me and Keira around."

"Kiera, would you like to see the city?" he asked.

"Yes, your majesty."

"Call me Alistiar."

Another chapter done please review