There was finally a lull in the activity that had surrounded Zevran for the past few hours as healers and mages moved in and out of the tents that had been set up to house the injured after the battle. He found the sudden silence oddly soothing as he sat beside the bed that held his Grey Warden. At present, he was sitting quietly at Eriana's bedside, gently cradling one of her hands in his while the other gently stroked the soft skin of her wrist. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, simply holding her hand; time, it seemed, had lost all meaning for him. Time could be flying by, crawling by, or standing still; Zevran wasn't sure. His whole world was there, so close that he could touch it, yet, in a way, completely beyond his reach. Despite the feeling gnawing at his stomach, Zevran found an odd kind of serenity there, sitting beside his Grey Warden. He heard the rustle of the flap of the tent as someone entered, but he found it difficult to move his eyes from Eriana to see who had come in. Whoever it was would speak to him eventually, Zevran knew. Everyone wanted to talk to him, but Zevran wasn't quite ready to talk to anyone. Not just yet. So he just stayed there, holding her hand, gently stroking her arm.

"Zevran," Leliana said softly, gently laying a hand on his arm as she perched on the edge of bed where Eriana lay. "When was the last time you had something to eat?" Zevran shrugged, not quite able to bring himself to look at Leliana. She sighed and knelt down in the floor in front of him, her hands resting lightly on his arm. "Zevran, you've been sitting her for five hours; you must eat something. Sweetie, it's been a long day, and it does you no good to sit here and starve yourself." She brushed his hair back off his face, looking up at him, "You heard what Wynne said. She said it would probably be a day or so until she wakes, and you don't want her to wake to find you withered away from hunger and exhaustion, now do you?"

Zevran sighed and shook his head. He tried to bring himself to stand, but found it difficult to release her hand, even for a moment. Leliana smiled at him and patted his arm again. "If I bring you something here, would you eat it?" Zevran nodded. "Good, then I'll be right back."

Zevran listened to the fleet-footed bard leave, but didn't watch her go, his eyes still fixed on the unconscious elf beside him. "She's alive," he tried to remind herself. "You can see her chest rise and fall with each breath, each glorious breath she takes." But it was hard for him to look at her unresponsive face and not remember those long, torturous moments when he had first seen her laying in the arms of the Redcliffe knight. When the party first returned from Drakon, all Zevran had seem was her limp figure cradled in a human man's arms; nothing else in the world mattered to him. His whole world was thrown into a tumultuous sea of emotion, and he found himself unable to focus on anything else other than her. He was in a daze until Wynne's comforting hands reached out and drew him back from the precipice of despair.

"Zevran, Zevran, please look at me for a moment. Eriana is going to be fine."

Zevran blinked for a moment and looked up at the mage, trying to process her words. "Fine?"

"Fine," the elderly mage said, "When Loghain killed the archdemon, the shockwave from the explosion hit her pretty hard, but…"

"She's alive?" Zevran said; his senses slowly returning, he heard Leliana let out a relieved sob as she embraced Shianni who was also crying with relief. "Loghain killed the dragon?" Wynne nodded. Zevran didn't need to hear anything else. His Warden was alive; she had returned to him. He suddenly realized that it was not Loghain who was carrying her; it was a knight wearing the Redcliffe insignia. He had been so focused on seeing her seemingly lifeless form; he hadn't even noticed who was carrying her.

Before he realized it, he had crossed the space between him and the knight holding Eriana; taking her from the knight, he savored the feeling of having her in his arms again. Her head lulled against his shoulder, and he felt the soft tickle of her warm breath on his neck, the most precious and wonderful sensation he could imagine. Relief washed over him as he cradled her in his arms, the bitter taste of bile and the sting of grief and despair slowly fading away as he carried her back to the tent that had been set up for the Wardens and their companions. He had spent the next five hours just watching her sleep, trying desperately to forget the sick feelings that had greeted him on her return, waiting for her to open her eyes again. Try as he might to quell them, the feelings of panic and despair were still stirring in his stomach, almost as though he wasn't completely certain that she was still alive. That was why it was so hard for him to move away from her; on some level, he was afraid that if he left her, he would lose her again, and he was not going to lose her again, not ever.

Leliana came up beside him and perched on the edge of Eriana's bed, handing Zevran a bowl of stew and putting a wineskin on the ground beside him. "Here, Zev, eat. I'll hold on to Eriana while you eat something," she said with a grin. Zevran smiled up at her and thanked her for the food, reluctantly releasing Eriana's hand so he could eat. The stew felt a bit heavy on his stomach, but managed to choke down several bites while Leliana watched him with an amused look on her face.

As he was working through the bowl of soup, the flap of the tent opened as Sten and the knight from Redcliffe came in. "It's Ser Brendan, right?" Leliana asked. The knight nodded, looking slightly nervous. "Come, in, come in, please."

"I just came to see how the Warden was doing," Ser Brendan said as he moved into the tent. "She was amazing up there; I've never seen anything like it."

Zevran smiled down at the sleeping Warden, "You weren't with her when she defended Redcliffe, then?"

"No, Ser, I was searching for the Sacred Ashes at the time, but I heard stories. I always thought that they were exaggerations, you know? But after watching her with that dragon, Maker's Breath, I have no doubt that they were completely true."

Leliana leaned forward, "Do you think you could tell us what happened up there? Ogren and Wynne were so exhausted when they got back, we just let them rest."

"Well, we didn't join them until they were already fighting the archdemon. The Wardens were bombarding that thing from a distance with a ballista, so we focused on the smaller darkspawn, trying to keep them away from the Wardens. It took them a while, but the Wardens finally brought that thing down. Then the strangest thing happened. The two Wardens just started talking, arguing about who was going to kill it. I mean, I understand now, but it was really confusing at the time."

Zevran looked up at the knight, "So neither of them wanted to kill it?"

"No, that was the weird thing, they both wanted to kill it." Zevran gripped the wineskin tightly, but didn't say anything. Of course she would insist on killing that thing. "I thought for sure she was going to do it for a moment, but Loghain grabbed her just before she took off toward it and asked her to let him do it."

"Did you hear what she said, why she insisted on doing it?" Zevran asked.

"Yeah, she said it was her duty and that it would be selfish of her to expect him to do something that she wasn't willing to do."

Zevran looked up at the knight, "Selfish? She said selfish?"

The knight nodded, "Yeah, she said it several times. Said it was her duty as senior Grey Warden and that if she wasn't willing to do it, he'd be right about her."

Zevran closed his eyes and tried to calm the rage that was growing in him. "Damn it, Alistair," he thought to himself. He knew that Alistair's accusation had upset her, but the fact that she was willing to die to prove her honor…he could literally kill the king right now. So it was definitely a bad time for Alistair to choose to waltz into the tent. It took everything in him not to get up and break the newly appointed monarch's neck, and that must have been obvious because Leliana placed a firm but discrete hand on his arm and Sten moved around to stand behind him.

"But Loghain," Ser Brendan continued, unaware of the King's presence, "insisted that he be the one to take the last hit. He said that he had done so much wrong that he wanted to finally do something right for Ferelden. He seemed pretty sincere, too, like he wanted to right his wrongs. They argued a little longer, both claiming it was their duty, but in the end, Eriana agreed and let him go do it."

"So Loghain gets the glory and everyone will conveniently forget that this was all his fault," Alistair said, bitterness and anger seeping out of every word. Ser Brendan stumbled to his feet to give a hasty bow to the King as Alistair strolled forward. "I can't believe she would do this. The Warden who ends the Blight is remembered forever as a hero, and she let him kill it."

Zevran's eyes narrowed, "What would you prefer, Your Majesty?"

"She should have been the one to do it," Alistair bellowed, pointing at the unconscious elf. "Instead, she let him take the credit. Now the man who allowed the Wardens to be destroyed is the one who will be honored among their ranks forever because she allowed him to….Hey!" Alistair shouted as he found himself covered with the remains of Zevran's meal as the bowl that held it clamored to the floor. "What was that for?"

Zevran found himself being held back by Sten, Leliana, and Ogren, who had woken up amid all the shouting. Wynne was making her way over to Alistair, trying desperately to silence him, but the damage was done. Zevran was furious. "He doesn't know, Zev," Leliana was whispering in his ear, struggling to keep her hold on him. "He doesn't understand."

"Well, that's his own fault," Zevran shouted. "She tried to tell him, but he would listen."

"I don't know what?" Alistair barked, whipping bits of meat and vegetables off his face and out of his hair. "What in the Black City are you talking about?"

"Alistair," Wynne said gently, "The Grey Warden who kills the archdemon dies. The soul of the old god enters the Warden and destroys them both." The moment she said it, the blood seemed to drain from Alistair's face. For a moment he looked at Eriana, horrified; then he looked at Zevran.

"I swear, I didn't know. Zevran…"

"Don't you dare try to apologize to me," Zevran hissed. "I'm not the one you need to apologize to. The person you need to apologize to is lying right there, your best friend, your sister. Do you know she was going to die to prove to you that she was willing to do the honorable thing? Your temper and arrogance almost cost me everything that matters to me."

"How…I didn't…how long has she known this?"

Zevran was about to answer, but Leliana gently hushed him and guided him back to his chair. "Apparently, she suspected it for some time, since before the Landsmeet. Riordan confirmed it for her and Loghain just before we returned to Denerim."

"The Landsmeet? So she knew. That's why she spared Loghain, to save herself."

"No, you ignorant fool," Zevran snapped again. "This was never about her. This was about you, Your Highness, about you and your nation. She wanted to protect you by putting as many Wardens between you and the archdemon as possible. I heard her say it over and over; Alistair must survive this; he has to become the King; we have to shield him from this. And you repay her by calling her a selfish whore."

Alistair took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, Zevran, I swear I had no idea. I promise, I will make it up to her. I swear it."

Zevran reached out and took Eriana's hand again, refusing to look at or talk to Alistair anymore. Alistair could have his forgiveness after she was awake, after she returned to him, but until then, the King was dead to him.

"Alistair, you better go," Wynne said, gently taking the young King by the arm and leading him toward the tent's entrance. "Just give them some time, okay."

"Wynne, I swear, I didn't…"

"I know, Dear, but that doesn't really matter now. Once she wakes up, he'll be okay."

Alistair spared one final look back at his former companions before quietly slipping out of the tent, leaving them to their vigil at Eriana's bedside.

Eriana slowly opened her eyes, careful not to move any part of her stiff, aching body. She felt like she had been trampled by the archdemon, a herd of brontos, and an army of golems, but she was alive. She glanced around the room, unsure of where exactly she was. The high ceilings and stone walls suggested the palace, but she couldn't be sure. Zevran was sitting at her bedside, his head resting on the mattress as he slept. Eriana reached down, and lightly brushed his hair, careful not to wake him.

"Good, you're awake," the gruff voice of Ogren whispered from the other side of the bed. "We were starting to get a bit worried there, Warden," he said as he walked over and handed her a wineskin.

"Thanks," she whispered as she took a drink. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days. We've all been taking turns sitting up with you. Alistair had us moved into the palace yesterday." He nodded toward Zevran, "He's not left your side for a moment."

"Is everyone okay?"

"We're all fine now, thanks to you and Loghain."

"Where is he?"

"His body is resting in the Chantry. The funeral is tomorrow, so it's a good thing that you woke up when you did. They really wanted you to be there, but were afraid to wait much longer."

"The archdemon?"

"Dead, we collected the blood and bones pre your instructions. They're stored in the Warden compound."

"The darkspawn?"

"They're gone too. Disappeared as soon as the archdemon died. It looks like you did it, kiddo; I can hardly believe it."

Eriana relaxed, "No, we did it. There is no way I could have done it without you, all of you. I can't believe it's over." She glanced down at Zevran. "What about my family?"

"Shianni is around here somewhere; she was waiting for you when we got back to the gates. We sent a messenger after your father and brother, so they should be here in a day or so."

"Good," she said, leaning back against her pillow. "Wait a second," she said, a realization dawning on her, "did you say Alistair had us moved to the palace?" Ogren nodded, a big grin crossing his face. "Andraste's knickers, how did that happen? Doesn't he hate me?"

"Not anymore," Zevran said as he sleepily raised his head. "We had a chat and he came to a bit of a sudden realization." He stood up and gave her a quick kiss and pulled her up to a sitting position before moving behind her on the bed. Eriana sighed and leaned back into his chest as his arms wrapped around her.

"By chat you mean…"

"He threw his stew at him and yelled at him until the King was on the verge of tears," Ogren said with a laugh. "I guess we were all lucky there was nothing pointy nearby or we'd be busting him out of Drakon for regicide."

Eriana glanced over her shoulder at Zevran, "My hero."

"Anything for you, mia cara. And now, our newly appointed monarch feels quite guilty as well as eternally indebted to you. I'd very well say you could get anything you want out of him."

"I have everything I want right here. The Blight is over, everyone I love is alive, and we don't have to fight a civil war. What else could I ever want?"

"How about a little of Ogren's special brew?" said Ogren, pulling a swelling wineskin out of his pack. "I've been savin this for just the right occasion. Why don't I round up the Blighters and we celebrate?"

Eriana smiled, "Blighters, huh? I kinda like the sound of that."

Eriana and her companions spent the rest of the day celebrating her recovery and the destruction of the archdemon. Wynne still insisted that she remain in bed, claiming she would need her strength for the funeral tomorrow and Alistair's coronation later in the week, but other than that, the mood was light and happy. About an hour into their impromptu party, Alistair himself arrived and promptly began blubbering apologetically, begging for Eriana's forgiveness.

"Alistair, there is nothing to forgive. I understand why you acted the way you did."

"But those things I called you, the way I acted, I was such an ass. How could you ever forgive me?"

"Alistair, you had every right to be angry with me. I took your worst enemy and made him your ally; I didn't expect you to accept it easily. And as for the things you said, I know you didn't mean them; you just let your emotions get the better of you. It all worked out in the end, though," she said as she gave him a big hug.

Alistair seemed relieved, "Good, if something had happened to you, I would have never been able to forgive myself for letting things end the way they did. I can't believe that I almost lost my best friend to my own stupidity."

"Well," said Zevran with a smile, "now that we have that worked out so nicely; there is one more matter that we need to discuss. About your hair…"

"Ugh, I like my hair the way it is, Zev."

"Hey, you called him Zev!" Leliana squealed with a giggle. "Does that mean you're friends now?"

Eriana glanced between the two men who both shrugged. "I guess so," the King begrudgingly answered with a smile, "but that doesn't mean I need any 'friendly' advice from you about…you know, certain topics."

Zevran shrugged, "Your loss, but I'm sure Anora would appreciate it."

The rest of the evening passed quickly for Eriana as she enjoyed her time with her friends. It was late in the evening before the last of them left, leaving Eriana and Zevran alone at last. The moment the door closed behind Leliana, Zevran was on her, his mouth and hands searching over every inch of her body.

"My beautiful Warden, you have no idea how wonderful it is to see your lovely eyes again," he whispered to her as he kissed along her ear. "I have missed you more than words can tell." He pulled back and stroked her face. "There was a moment there when I thought I had lost you. When I saw you cradled in the arms of that Redcliffe knight, I thought it was Loghain who was carrying you and that you were gone from me forever. It was nearly unbearable."

"Oh Zevran," she said, wrapping her arms around him, drawing him close. "I am so sorry to put you through that; if there was any other way…"

"Shh, my dear, it all worked out in the end yes? And now you are the hero, a dashingly beautiful hero, if I might add. The people of Ferelden will bow at your feet." He left a trail of kisses down her jaw line and settled at the bottom of her neck, kissing the tender skin along her collarbone. "I will be happy once all this pomp and circumstance is over, though, and we can begin to move on from this."

"Ready to settle down, my love?"

"Settle down! Do you honestly believe you will ever settle down? No, but I am ready to follow you where ever you go. It will be nice to travel without the constant threat of darkspawn attacks and Alistair's cooking, yes?"

Eriana laughed for a moment. "Are you sure this is what you want? You know life with the Wardens is not likely to be easy."

"Ah, but when the rewards are so great, who worries about such difficulties. I am afraid you are quite stuck with me, mi amora."

Eriana drew him down and kissed him, savoring the feeling of his body against hers. "I think I can live with that."

Okay, so I'm sorry about doing that to you all in the last chapter, but come on, how could I kill her off just like that? I'll probably have an epilogue up in a few days, and then I'll be starting a new story following Eriana in Amaranthine and beyond. I just wanted to give everyone who has been reading and reviewing a heart-felt thank you. This is the first think I've written in years, and it has been so wonderful to know that you all have enjoyed my story. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

Let me know how you all liked this one.