The Arrangement

Under pressure, Alistair is desperate to find a suitable Queen. Only that his choice is a highly unusual young noble woman and a new danger threatens Alistair's very life- Luckily Aedan Cousland is here to help. AU. M!Cousland Warden, Alistair, Non-Warden F!Cousland and the rest of the gang!

Hello everyone, I just would like to thank you for the support and for putting up with the awkwardness from the last chapter - I personally was not happy with it. So I hope that this chapter will make up for any laxity that may have been felt in the previous chapter. Also, I have come to the embarrassing realisation (after re-playing through the game) that I have spelt Wynne's name incorrectly. I am debating whether or not to go back through the chapters and fix the error, so if you receive a notification of updated/new chapters that have been added in the near future then it is because of that, so sorry about that. Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading. =)

Chapter 8: Confliction

'' The psychological opposition between two people, that oft leads to a state of emotional tension''

000

''Arl Eamon, it is good that we can finally talk.'' Anora declared as she was shown into the study.

''Anora it is a pleasure to see you again,'' Eamon gravely said from behind the solid oak desk as he gestured for her to take a seat. She sat down upon the padded chair, consciously aware that he had placed her in the most awkwardly uncomfortable chair in the room.

After a brief moment of shifting her skirts so that she could have some form of comfort, Anora broached the subject, ''I will be blunt. After her performance during the banquet the other night, I firmly believe that Elissa Cousland is unfit to be Alistair's queen.''

Slowly, Eamon shook off his spectacles and clasped his hands over the desk – a gesture which Anora found annoying and unnecessary. ''I am unsure where you have received your information Anora but Elissa Cousland is merely a guest here in Denerim, until such time Teyrn Cousland returns to Highever.'' He stated calmly.

Anora almost scoffed at his carefully chosen words, ''Do you think me so lowly, so blind that I do not understand what your ploy is Eamon? Elissa Cousland is not a suitable queen for Ferelden.''

''I am confused as to where you received your information, Alistair has no intention of marrying her.''

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes in irritation at his blatant attempt to deceive her. ''My informants tell me differently. And if you think that I will allow Ferelden to be destroyed by putting an inexperienced girl onto the throne, then you are surely mistaken.''

Arl Eamon fell silent as he considered her words. At last he spoke again. ''What do you want Anora?''

''I shall put it simply. I wish to rule Ferelden at Alistair's side. The kingdom knows and loves me. I am an able administrator and with my experience I would be able to assist Alistair in more complicated matters. I am also the daughter of the Hero of River Dane, and I am back by many lords and ladies who were and are my father's most loyal of banner-men. I can give peace to the realm, and provide sons for the throne after Alistair dies.''

''You speak of sons Anora, yet you were not able to provide any heirs for Cailan.'' Eamon pointed out dryly. ''Yet, what you say is true. You have proven yourself to be an able ruler during the five years that you ruled in my nephew's place. Ferelden's people know you and love you but can we not say the same of Elissa, if the people are given the chance to know her, and she proves herself to be an able administrator?

''You are your father's daughter, and that is why I do not trust you to rule at Alistair's side.'' He declared, his steely eyes mirroring her own, ''and that is why Elissa Cousland will be prepared to take her place as Alistair's queen.''

000

She did not know how long she sat there but as the hours passed, Elissa found her thoughts in disarray. Whatever she had first felt about the kiss had left her feeling conflicted. She had paced her room for some time after he had left, both fuming over his audacity, and remembering all too well how it had felt to be held in his arms whilst his warm moist mouth caressed her own. More than once, Elissa found her fingers ghosting across her lips, as if to reassure herself that she had not dreamt it. And although she was angry with him, some small part of her actually seemed thrilled by what had happened. What he had done to her, had awakened dormant emotions that she had not known to have existed, and yet she was not at all sure whether she liked it.

Why had he kissed her? Could he not have left their friendship the way it had been without further complicating it? Elissa growled in frustration as her thoughts wondered, resolving that she very much needed to avoid the man as much as possible in order to puzzle out her own complicated emotions.

To avoid him, Elissa had begun taking longer hours whilst working at the orphanage. The matron was, to say the least, very surprised when Elissa had turned up in her office the next morning, bright and early. She had listened without a word as the younger woman explained her wish to spend more time with the children. When at last Elissa had concluded her pitch, the woman had studied her for several long moments before she spoke. ''I do not know the full extent as to why you wish to expand your hours child but I know that the children will be happy to be spending extra time with you, especially Sara and Marwen.''

Elissa's eagerness perked up as she entered the common room, all eyes turned on her as she shared a few tentative smiles with some of the older children whilst the small group that she had befriended when she had first arrived beamed warmly at her. After a moment, Lily, Merrin and Kaid turned back to their game whilst Sara tugged at her hand. ''Come. You can read a story to me and Marwen. We picked one out for you to read to us.''

Elissa laughed at the little girl's eagerness as Sara dragged her to a nearby chair where her sister sat. Then Sara insisted that the three of them crowded into the same chair, before she ran to fetch the book that interested her leaving Elissa with the younger girl. ''Hello Marwen,'' she greeted with a smile, ''do you know which story Sara has chosen for us to read together today?'' The little girl stuck her thumb back in her mouth and snuggled into Elissa's shoulder.

It was a bit uncomfortable, squeezed all together like that, but with the two girls curled into her, Elissa felt for the first time in a long while that she was happy, and no longer noticed the discomfit. Reaching to take the book in Sara's hands, Elissa nervously cleared her throat and then launched into a tale of a beautiful princess, a dashing white knight and a ferocious dragon. As she explained the story, Marwen snuggled deeper into Elissa's shoulder, closing her eyes whilst she listened to the tale. Tenderness welled up in Elissa, causing tears to prick at the corners of her eyes. She had enjoyed spending time with her nephew, but their interactions had been infrequent enough before she had left for Waking Sea, that afterwards when she had received the news about her family's murder, she had not really been able to respond to his loss in such a personal emotional way. But with these two girls, something deep inside her was touched, and she wanted to weep for their loss at losing their parents so very early on in life and also weep for joy at spending such precious moments with them. Involuntary she tightened her arms around them, pressing a kiss on top of Marwen's tawny coloured curls, and turned her attention back to Sara's story. A few moments later, it concluded as Sara announced, ''the end.'' And, with that, she snuggled back down in Elissa's arms and gazed once more at the illustrations in the book.

Elissa glanced up briefly to check on the other children, noticing with surprise that they had fallen silent in their individual games as they had listened to the story as well. She smile shyly, and launched once more into another story, whilst at the same time enjoying the special bond that she had formed with the two sisters.

As the days progressed, she managed to stick to her determination in the matter rather well. The servants were quite willing to bring her dinner to her room when she knew that Alistair would be present at the dinner table, and she was only forced to face him when they passed each other in the corridor. That, however, was usually such that she would hurry well away from him, and avoid any attempts at conversation on his part.

But as she continued to avoid him, Leliana began to notice that something was not quite right, and had often come to her room to speak to her quietly about her frosty behaviour towards the king.

''Elissa,'' the redheaded bard began, ''I am unsure of what has caused you to be upset with Alistair but surely it is possible to forgive him, no?''

Elissa flushed but maintained her silence as the older woman continued to inquire. ''If Alistair has done something terrible to hurt you, I know from the bottom of my heart that he did not mean to do so. He does not have a mean bone in his body.''

''It's not that,'' Elissa blurted out.

Leliana raised her eyebrows, watching as Elissa blushed anew. ''Then what is it?'' she asked curiously.

''He...he kissed me,'' Elissa replied, as she shifted uncomfortably.

''He kissed you?'' Leliana repeated incredulously before falling silent as she pondered the information, and at lengthy broke into a beaming smile. ''But this is excellent news, Elissa!''

Elissa blinked in surprise at the bard's response, ''But...but I...''

''What is troubling you?''

Elissa sighed, ''I...I am just so confused and so angry that he could make me feel so many different emotions that I do not know what they are based on a whim.''

Leliana shot her a gentle smile as she leant in close to take the younger woman's hand, ''Elissa, it is understandable as to why you are feeling like this. I want you to know that it is perfectly natural to feel such an array of emotions that you have not yet before experienced.'' She paused, then added, ''I know that if a man had kissed me so very out of the blue, I too would be confused and upset that he had overstepped the bounds of propriety but Alistair meant no disrespect.''

''Are you sure?'' Elissa asked hesitantly, ''what if...what if he was only teasing me?''

Leliana blinked in surprise, ''He would never tease you like that. Alistair is a good and kind man. He takes love very seriously.''

Love? Elissa paused, ''I...I don't know if I love him.''

''Well, does your heart feel fluttery yet full whenever you look at him?''

Elissa flushed, ''I...I'm not sure.''

''Did you dislike his kiss?''

''No...Not really...I...''

''Alistair would never hurt you Elissa,'' Leliana told her reassuringly, ''but I think it is important for you to realise your own feelings, and the only way for you to do so is for you to not avoid him. He is hurting when you do so. He too has never been in love before, and this is also very new to him.''

Elissa's eyes widened in astonishment; Alistair had never been in love? The idea was so inconceivable that she had to choke down a nervous giggle. ''Is he truly hurting?'' She asked instead.

''Yes,'' the bard's light coloured eyes regarded her with uncharacteristic seriousness, ''and I think it would be best for you both to reconcile. All this tension is not good for either of you.''

000

''Is it my imagination or is my sister rather upset with you, Alistair?'' Aedan inquired with a raised eyebrow, as he watched his friend flush a deep shade of red. He had not missed her cold manner towards his fellow Warden whenever they had passed in the corridor nor had he failed to notice her absence at the dinner table whenever Alistair was present, and though he had refrained from commenting on it there and then, as the days passed by he had soon begun to realise that this new state of emotional tension was uncomfortable for all parties involved.

Alistair flinched, then replied, ''She is. I made a mistake...overstepped my bounds. I didn't mean to make her so...upset.''

Aedan lifted an eyebrow, and leant in as he asked curiously. 'What did you do?''

''I kissed her,'' Alistair replied reluctantly, shying away from his friend's eyes. Such a thing, he knew that brothers tended to respond harshly toward when it came to their sister's honour.

To his surprise and vast relief - although Alistair would not admit to the latter – Aedan laughed in amusement. ''You kissed her?'' He repeated, as though the notion had come at a surprise, ''And Lis actually let you?''

''She did,'' Alistair confirmed, still bemused at his friend's reaction. ''Wait, aren't you upset? After all...I mean, I did kiss your sister.''

''Ha! No wonder she's been such an ice queen these last few days. This is excellent news, Alistair! I must confess, I did not think this betrothal idea of yours and Eamon's would actually work but by all accounts it seems to be working well.''

Alistair gaped at him still in shock. ''So...you are saying that you do not mind that I kissed her?''

''Mind? Ha! Kiss her again if you want.''

''But...Aedan, I besmirched your sister's honour. I shouldn't have kissed an innocent without-''

The older man leant forward, ''Tell me Alistair, why did you kiss Elissa?''

''I kissed her because I wanted to,'' Alistair replied, his tone wobbly but defiant, ''I've wanted to since I met her. She was just so infuriating and yet so different from the other ladies at Court. I wanted to know her...feel her.'' He paused before quietly adding, ''But I didn't think that such feelings would hit me hard.''

Aedan sent him a gentle smile of reassurance as he told him, ''I know how that feels - the uncertainty and the wanting so terribly that it hurts.''

''Morrigan.''

''Yes, Morrigan.'' Aedan Cousland exhaled softly as he fingered the ring that lay hidden under his clothing, ''She was so infuriating. So wild and yet so fragile. She was so different from the girls that my mother often forced me to meet that from the moment that I met her, I just wanted to know her. And I found myself lying awake in the long hours of the night thinking...wondering what she felt like, how she tasted...and if she felt the same.''

For a moment, Alistair was speechless. He had known that something was going on between his friend and the witch but to hear Aedan talk about the woman, he was surprised how similar their circumstances were.

''What should I do?'' Alistair asked, breaking the silence that had started to grow between them.

''You should make amends, all this emotional tension is not good for any of us,'' Aedan said as he shot Alistair with a wicked grin on his face, ''and don't forget to kiss her again.''

And there we go, Alistair has not as of yet 'licked a lamppost in winter' and is also feeling insecure. Originally, I planned to have Wynne give the 'talk' but I felt that having Aedan give some much needed brotherly advice after his blow up in the last chapter was much needed for their relationship to be mended, so I do hope that that actually worked out well. Also, reference to Aedan/Morrigan pairing will also play a factor in later chapters.

In case anyone is interested about the children's ages:

Kaid – 9

Merrin – 12

Lily – 10

Sara – 8

Marwen - 4

Stay tuned for next week's chapter -JP