"That man is a wanted apostate and a murderer!" a female Templar is bawling as Lynx crosses the ravaged courtyard, "I demand he be handed over for execution!"

Correctly surmising that Anders is the target of the woman's ire, the elf blood moves to block the fanatic's view of the new Warden, "This man is a Grey Warden Ser, so I suggest that you change your attitude before I decide to do it for you."

"You can't speak to me like that!" the hag shrieks while angrily bouncing in her saddle.

"As Lieutenant Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens, I can talk to you however the fuck I see fit when it concerns wild allegations against members of my order," Lynx fires back heatedly before turning and dipping her head at the queen, "As good as it is to see you again Highness, I'd suggest you dismiss the bitch before you end up with a Templar cooked extra crispy. We have had a bad couple of days and none of us are in the mood to deal with superstitious idiots who fling unsubstantiated claims at our people."

Anora's lips curl with a hint of a smile as she dismisses the Templar, then looks at the older woman, "As brutally honest as I remember Lt Commander. I must admit my surprise though, seeing you again, considering the rumors that drifted out of Antiva after their port and nearly a third of their city was razed to the ground."

Lynx recounts the tale she'd spun for her husband as she leads the Ferelden queen into the damaged castle. Anora tries to dissect the other woman's story, but the mages tale is as flawless as a polished jewel.

Unable to find any cracks big enough to chip at, the human chooses to change the subject, "Tell me what happened here."

She listens intently while Lynx, Zevran, and the others recount the events of the darkspawn attack, including their encounter with the talking darkspawn.

"How can I help you?" the monarch's sense of duty kicks in after the Greycloaks go quiet.

"We need money and supplies," the mage instantly responds and gestures towards some of the damaged buildings, "As you can see, our predecessors did their best with what was afforded to them, but it wasn't enough. The darkspawn tunneled their way under the walls of the keep, which is how they got in, so we have to investigate that, the surrounding area, and most likely all of the ruins we find between here and the bannorn. We won't get very far at the moment though, with every coin in our coffers being drained by the repairs alone."

"I will do what I can," Anora agrees, then her face twists with a frown, "With our efforts to build smaller towers for the mages and aiding the elves in their emigration to the Hinterlands, most of our excess funds have already been spoken for. I'll have the accountants go over the numbers again and see if we'll be able to send a few more sovereigns in your direction. Is there anything else you wished to discuss before I go freshen up for dinner?"

The hedge mage shakes her head, "Nothing that can't wait for now Highness. I'll see you at dinner."

After escorting Anora to her room, the couple slips into the chambers Varel had set aside for them earlier.

"Something has changed about that woman," Lynx muses after she washes and dons her soft black leathers, "I can't put my finger on it though. Thoughts?"

Her assassin flashes a patch of rippled abdomen as he pulls a mint green tunic over his head, "She is a woman in love, you can tell by her smile...and the way she was walking. That stiff legged gait was definitely caused by more than a long carriage ride dea."

"Well, maybe getting laid will make Anora more amicable to our plight," his wife raises her mace and dagger end to end, then murmurs the words to fuse them back into her staff, "There. I told you that enchantment would work."

Zevran smiles up at his wife as he sits and tugs on his boots, "I never doubted your skill, only the delusional mage whom you learned the spell from." He stops to tuck a few blades into hidden sheathes that are scattered across his body before offering his arm, "Let us go dine with a queen mi amore, and we can even play a little game while we eat."

She lifts one pale eyebrow as she takes his arm, "Which game would that be?"

"Which man in Anora's entourage is responsible for the regina's defrosting?" he smirks, "Because when we find him, I'm going to arrange a gift of thanks on behalf of the citizens of Ferelden."

"You are an evil man Zevran Arainai."

The elf leans over and kisses her thoroughly before flashing her his most charming smile, "You wouldn't have me any other way."

Translation-

regina-queen