After taking care of a few errands for Ignacio and the Mages Collective, Eriana was ready to head into Denerim, ready to face the nobility and make Alistair king. When they arrived in Redcliffe, Eamon's staff was busy packing and making perperations for the move to Denerim. The courtyard of the castle was full of knights and dwarfs who were sparing and training. After checking in with Eamon, Eriana and Zevran made their way back into the courtyard. They quickly stole into the shadows along the edge of the training area in order to garner a bit of privacy and evaluate the gathered troops.

Eriana leaned against the wall in one of the shadowy alcoves scattered around the yard. "I've been thinking; it would be smart if we sent some people ahead with part of the household staff tomorrow. It will probably hard to get the nobles to open up once we get to the city ourselves; they may be more chatty before we get there."

Zevran nodded, "That is probably a good idea. Who were you thinking of sending, my dear?"

"Well, Leliana, obviously; we could get her to work in the tavern so she can do her thing and spy on the nobility who come in there." She paused for a moment. "We would need to be discrete, so we couldn't send Sten or Shale. Ogren would be good for security's sake, but he's as discrete as an archdemon." Eriana glanced up at Zevran. "I was kinda hoping that I could convince you to go with her."

Zevran's face suddenly became very serious, "No, absolutely not."

"Why not, Zev; it would only be about a week and a half before I got there. You know how to move around unseen and get information."

"I said no," he said as he leaned over her, his hands on the wall on either side of her head. "And not because I do not want to sleep alone for a week," he said, kissing her lightly on the nose. "I fear what would happen to you were you deprived of my presence because you, my dear Warden, have terrible luck."

"Hey! I do not."

"Hum, let us review, shall we?" he said with a sly smile. "Were you not recently infected with a disease that would have transformed you into a werewolf?"

Eriana sighed, "Yes, but…"

"I am not finished. Before that you were nearly killed by those darkspawn when we were suddenly ambushed in the woods, you were ensnared by a demon in the circle tower, knocked out by Alistair in Orzammar, and you broke your wrist after we finished off Flemeth."

"Okay, that one wasn't my fault," Eriana said defensively. "I lost a lot of blood in that fight and was a bit woozy anyway. Plus, dragon blood is really slippery." She said as she crossed her arms and glared up at him. "But what does my luck have to do with anything? If I recall correctly, you were there for all of those things."

"Yes that much is true, but, as you have said before, I live a charmed life, remember. Good luck seems to follow me wherever I go, no?" he said with a smile. "Perhaps my mere presence has canceled out the worst of your luck. My good fortune has probably kept you alive."

"So if you were to leave…"

"Yes, if I was to leave, the entire darkspawn horde would likely fall upon you just before the ground opened beneath you, dropping you into the deeproads forever," he said with a grin. "Besides, having a bed warmer seems to have stopped most of your bad dreams; surely you don't wish them to return."

"Fine, I'll sent Morrigan with Leliana; I'll just have to make sure she wears something less garish," Eriana conceded.

"Thank you," Zevran said as he moved in closer to her, dropping his hands to her waist and placing a light kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him, looking into his amber-colored eyes. She realized, she had to disagree with him somewhat. Standing there securely in his arms, the taste of honey and spices on her lips, she couldn't imagine that she was the unlucky one. Fortune had truly smiled on her when it brought Zevran into her life.

The two elves stood there in each other's arms, hidden in the shadows of the courtyard for some time while the soldiers continued their training around them. Two of the Redcliff knights stopped in front of them, watching as a few pairs of knights worked in the sparring ring. "Hey, did you get a look at the Grey Wardens when they got here today?" said one of the knights, a tall man with short, dark hair.

"Yeah," his lighter haired companion answered, "especially that pretty little elf; man I'd like to serve under her, or over her, or behind her," he said with a lusty laugh. Eriana rolled her eyes and felt Zevran stiffen beneath her hands, and she looked up to see his jaw clinch, his eyes narrow angrily.

"Ha ha, I know what you mean. Did you get a look at the tail of that chick; man, I'd follow that thing all over Fereldan. I mean the way those hips swayed as she walked up the steps, I can see why she has all those men following her." Zevran's hands moved to his daggers, but Eriana held on to his arms and just shook her head. They needed these troops to fight darkspawn, and this simply wasn't worth it.

The light haired knight was talking again, "But the other Warden, I heard that he was Maric's bastard, and you know how the king felt about elven sluts." Eriana herself stiffened at that, but kept a firm grip on Zevran's arms. The assassin was taking deep breaths and was clearly getting more and more angry. "I would bet you silvers for sovereigns that he's bedding her just like his old man and his elf."

The dark headed one laughed, "That's probably why he lets her lead; either that or he just enjoys the view from behind. I wonder if his royal highness would be willing to share."

"Even if he wasn't willing, I'm sure she would be. You know how those elves are; they're willing and ready for a big strong human."

Eriana had had enough. Pulling Zevran close to her and whispered in his ear, "Why don't we show them whose elf I truly am?"

Zevran raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"We could give them a sparring demonstration," she said with a wicked grin. "You know, like the demonstration Isabela gave us in the Pearl when she taught me to duel."

"Ah, yes," he said as the anger seemed to melt away. In the last few months, their travel companions had stared joking that their sparring matches seemed more like foreplay than actual training. Eriana had found it amusing; after all, with Zevran, nearly everything was foreplay. But her companions did have a point; their sparring had become almost a very intimate practice in the last few weeks.

Emerging from the shadows, the two elves quickly jumped the enclosure and moved into the sparing ring. "Duel daggers?" Zevran asked as Eriana picked up two training daggers.

She grinned, "What can I say; I want to keep you close."

Gracefully, the pair moved to the center of the ring, sending the knights who were already in the ring toward the edges of the enclosure. For a brief moment, the edges of their sparring blades touched, and then the duo began to move slowly around each other. They started out purposefully slow, stretching their muscles, each one getting a feel for the other. Zevran would lunge forward, and Eriana would spin gracefully out of the way, moving behind him to attack only to have him parry behind his back. Together they moved lithely back and forth across the yard with the grace and beauty of Orlesian dancers, their eyes locked passionately on each other, looking away only when they spun out of the way of their sweeping blades, but never for longer than a few moments. After a few minutes of their slow, sensual, deadly dance, Zevran winked at her, and the sparing truly began. They held nothing back, matching each other blow for blow and blocking every move the other made. After months of sparring, the two moved as a single unit, each aware of the other's tricks and moves. Around them, the mouths of the knights fell as they watched the elves fight, their blades cutting through the air so quickly that they became blurs in the air around them moving like hummingbird wings. She could feel her desire for him growing, and judging by the hungry look in his eye, so did his. The fight continued on for several minutes until Zevran made a small mistake, a missed step, and Eriana capitalized, sending him tumbling to the ground. He cursed softly as she perched on top of him, a broad smile playing across her lips.

Quickly he pulled her down to him, his hot breath caressing her ear, her body pressed against his. "Direct me to the nearest bed before I take you here and now," he growled.

She laughed as she sprang up and pulled him to his feet. The knights around them were still standing in a stunned silence. She flipped the daggers across the sparing yard sticking them into the ground at the feet of the two lewd knights who were both looking very hot and bothered. "Still wondering why they follow me?" Eriana said over her shoulder. She shot the blond knight a smug grin before turning and giving him an eyeful of the rear he had so recently admired as Zevran's arm slipped around her, and he pulled her toward the castle. At the top of the steps, Leliana and Ogren were laughing.

"That was one of the most sensual things I've ever seen," Leliana said. "It's like you were purposefully being provocative."

Ogren laughed, "Have you ever known this one not to be provocative?" he asked, jerking a thumb toward Zevran. "Hehe, look at those guys; they look like they're about to burst into flames."

Eriana grinned, "Well, it served them right."

Eriana and Zevran spent the rest of the week working with their companions and the Redcliffe knights while Alistair and Eamon prepared for the Landsmeet. Ser Perth had approached her earlier in the week, impressed by what he had seen, and asked her to help train the knights on dealing with rogue fighters. When they complained that her methods were dirty and unfair, Eriana pointed out that they would be fighting in a Bligh not a grand tourney and they shut up. The week had been very productive on all sides, and she was feeling more confident as they prepared to leave. However, Eriana was met with an unpleasant surprise the morning that they left for Denerim.

"Horses?" she said, glancing up nervously at the huge beast in front of her.

Alistair laughed, "Yes, horses. Come on, Eriana, you can't tell me that you are afraid of a horse."

Eriana shot him a dirty look. She almost snapped that not everyone was raised in a stable, but she didn't want to insult Eamon or Alistair. "It's just…well, I've never ridden a horse. I mean, we didn't exactly have horses in the ailenage." She glanced up again at the animal again, biting her bottom lip. "It's just so tall." She looked over at the carriage where Isolde, Wynne, and Ogren would be riding, and decided that there was no way she was riding all the way to Denerim in there.

Zevran wrapped his arms around her, "You can ride with me, mia cara. I happen to be an excellent horseman, and I can only imagine how eight hours with you in my lap would feel."

Eriana rolled her eyes. "Okay, but you better catch me if I start to fall," she said as Zevran helped her up into the saddle.

The trip to Denerim was rather uneventful. There were no darkspawn attacks, no bandits waiting; all told, it was the easiest journey Eriana and her merry band of adventurers had experienced. But something was bothering Eriana. She couldn't get the conversation between the soldiers out of her mind. Frustrated, she decided to talk to Alistair.

"Listen, Alistair. When we get to Denerim, you need to be careful about how you treat me." He glanced down at her, confused. "What I mean is, you need to look like you're the one in charge, not like you're counting on me to make the big decisions."

"But I am," he said with a grin.

"Yes, I know, but it can't appear that way once we get to Denerim. You need to be the king from the moment we enter the city, and the nobility can't see you looking to me to make the decisions for you."

"What would be so bad about that?"

Eriana sighed, "Alistair, what do you see when you look at me?"

"I see a Grey Warden, the leader of the Grey, actually."

"Now," she said, "look at me as a noble would."

Alistair looked down at her, confused. "I don't understand. Why would that change anything?"

Eriana huffed and looked over at the Arl, "Eamon, what do you see when you look at me."

Eamon cocked his head, assessing her. "I see an elven woman who is dangerously close to the king. She is beautiful and alluring and is possibly using that to ensnare or manipulate the king. If he is allowing himself to be influenced so easily by her, it shows him a weak leader indeed. If she isn't using him, then he is likely using her. Either way, it is a base and disgraceful arrangement, conduct unbecoming of the King, for sure."

Eriana smiled, "Thank you, Eamon." She glanced back at Alistair, "You see? In public you have to be the king all the time. The nobles can't see you as weak and indecisive or you will never convince them to elect you. In their eyes, I'm a danger; this country's history with elves and their kings is not a good one, you should know this. You can't let it be known how much you defer to me, ever."

"Surely it's not that bad," Alistair said and Eamon just rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, Alistair, I've been an elf all my life. I know how things work. As soon as we enter the gates of that city, you have to exude kingliness."

And Eriana was right. The moment they arrived, they were greeted by a rather hostile Arl Howe and the Regent, Loghain. The encounter went down exactly as Eriana had anticipated. Howe was smug, Loghain was angry, and Eriana was called a churl. Alistair, however, was quite a surprise; he stood up to the older noblemen with confidence and did not appear intimidated by their threats. She was very proud of him; perhaps he would make a descent king after all.

After they got settled into their rooms, Eriana and her companions met with Eamon and Alistair to discuss strategy for the landsmeet. Leliana had returned to the estate with information from her days spent working in the tavern, and she and Zevran were quietly discussing what she had learned at a table by the door. They were discussing their plans when the door was suddenly flung open and everyone sprung into action. Ogren stepped in front of Alistair and Eamon, his double bladed ax in his hands, while Zevran and Leliana quickly drew their daggers. Eriana's bow was pulled taunt, the notched arrow pointed at a small, frightened looking elven woman who had just appeared in the doorway.

"Oh please, you must help me. I come on behalf of Queen Anora; she has been captured by Arl Howe."

Erlina, who claimed to be the Queen's handmaiden, quickly explained her situation, claiming that the Queen was being held prisoner in the Arl's estate and that he would kill her if they didn't rescue her. If she died, the nobles would blame Eamon for her death. Erlina wanted the Wardens to break into the estate and rescue the king by disguising themselves as guards and infiltrating the home. Eriana didn't buy it. The woman seemed too calm, too precise for her liking. She glanced over at her two friends by the door, both still clutching their unsheathed daggers, both glaring at the intruder with suspicion in their eyes. Something about this smelled fishy, Eriana just knew it. Reluctantly, she agreed to help the queen, saying she would meet her in a few hours by the estate.

As the group broke up, Eriana looked at the other two rogues and jerked her head toward her room. Leliana and Zevran followed after her.

"You know this is a trap," Leliana said the moment the door closed behind them. Zevran nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but it's a very good one," Eriana said with a sigh. "There is no way we can risk it. We have to go in after her." She rubbed the side of her head with her hands. "I simply can't see any way around it."

Zevran looked over at her. "Who else are we bringing?"

Eriana raised an eyebrow, "We? You seem so sure that you are going with me."

"Yes, we. You and I, and may I suggest Ogren and one of the mages, just in case."

"Sounds like a plan, Zev." The Arl of Denerim's estate. It had been a very long time since she had been there, and she was not that eager to return any time soon.