Chapter 32

Alistair and Alex waited outside the doors of the Landsmeet patiently waiting for their cue to enter. They had arrived in Denerim a few days before the Landsmeet under the cover of night and had been staying at the Denerim Warden Compound. Only a handful of Wardens knew that Alistair was alive. The only nobles that were aware of his return were Teagan and Fergus and they were expecting his appearance at the Landsmeet. Darrian had felt that the shock of his return would play into their favor when it came time for the vote.

It had been Zev's suggestion that they when Alistair and Alex entered the Landsmeet that they should be dressed in attire that made them look like royal couple that they intended to be. Alistair glanced over at his beautiful wife she definitely looked very regal. She wore a royal blue velvet gown that had a tight gold brocade bodice that emphasized her lovely cleavage without her breasts being overly exposed. The blue in the dress brought out the deep pools of blue in her eyes as the sparkled against her raven black curls. By the Maker, she was the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen and he was the luckiest man alive to have her as his wife. He matched her attire in gold brocade tunic with royal blue accents. The two of them definitely looked the part of the King and Queen and hopefully their appearance would help win the nobles over.

Leliana's hand maid appeared from a side door and approached them. "My Lord, my Lady, I have been given word that it is time."

Alex smiled at the young elf, "Thank you." She then looked at Alistair, "Are you ready, my King?"

Alistair drew in a deep breath, "As ready as I'll ever been." He grasped her hand and swung open the door to the Landsmeet as he entered he heard Eamon raging on about commoner's blood. As Alistair strode into the room with his hand firmly held by bride's hand there were loud audible gasps and cries of recognition. Eamon paused in his rant to see what the commotion was about. The nobles on the floor began to part and an eerie silence fell over the crowd as Alistair and Alex made their way up to the dais.

Eamon had turned white as ghost as Alistair approached him. "What kind of mad magic is this?" Eamon asked.

"It's no magic, Eamon. It is I, Alistair Theirin, your King," Alistair said and the nobles once again began to gasp in shock.

"I-I don't believe it. D-Darrian said you were died. He claimed that darkspawn had been taken you into the Deep Roads," Eamon stammered.

"That much is true," Alistair replied calmly. "However, once we were in the Deep Roads we were rescued by a group of Teventer Magisters who had been tracking us for the sole purpose of kidnapping those that had been involved with the threat that I aided the Wardens with. While eliminating the threat several Teventer Magisters were killed and the brothers of their Order vowed revenge for that act. The magisters saved Anders and I, but then kidnapped us and took us to one of their secret temples. They also kidnapped Alex from Redcliff and they would have kidnapped Darrian, Nathaniel and Oghren if the opportunity had arisen. Eamon, didn't you ever wonder why Alex had disappeared so quickly? Or were you just relived that she was gone?" Alistair inquired.

"I a-assumed that once the announcement of your d-death had been made that she had gone back home," Eamon stammered again.

"Without a word or even a note of gratitude for your hospitality while I was ill; that would have been very rude on my part don't you think," Alex replied softly.

"I didn't think…I'm sorry," Eamon muttered.

"Well, it's a good thing that Darrian found her disappearance highly suspicious. He began to investigate and it led him to a Teventer's Temple just north of Starkhaven. It was there that a handful of Wardens recued Alex, Anders and I," Alistair said.

The room once again broke into an uproar as nobles began to demand that Ferelden declare war against the Imperium for such an open act of hostility towards a Ferelden King. Alistair once again calmed the room of nobles down, "The Imperium was completely unaware of the actions of these zealot magisters and truth be told the magisters were unaware that I was the King of Ferelden. They assumed that I was a Warden and I thought it was best for our safety to allow them to continue in that belief. There is no need to seek retribution against zealots because when the Wardens rescued us the killed all of them. However, truth be told the magisters were not cruel captures. The kidnapping was required by their Order's code of honor, but they held no ill will towards us. They treated us with fairness and kindness. They gave us comfortable living quarters and decent meals. They allowed us to go out once a day for fresh air. They had magical enchantments placed around the entire temple making it virtually impossible to escape and even if we could have escape they had used blood magic to place a tracking device in our blood which would have led them right to us if we ever got free." The blood tracking idea was Anders from a Smallville episode he saw and it definitely made the story sound more believable.

"We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we may be held prisoners in this temple for years if not longer. During our time together Alex and I had fallen in love so as an act of good-will the magisters allowed Alex and I to marry." Alistair had expected the last bit of information to cause a stir but the tumult that erupted shocked even him. He knew that this part was going to be the hardest part to sell to the nobles which is why it had been extremely important to find a Reverend Mother that could be paid to say that she had performed the wedding ceremony for Alistair and Alex. Darrian contacted Brother Burkel who owed him a huge favor and as luck would have it the Brother knew of an Orleasian Reverend Mother named Sophie whose Chantry was in desperate need of repairs and whose people were poor and starving. Reverend Sophie was willing to bend the rules some if it didn't bring harm to anyone and in if it would also benefit the members of her Chantry.

Alistair once again held up his hands and room became quiet. "After our rescue I knew that the news that I had married would be not be received well and that it might cause disaccord; which is why I have asked Reverend Sophie to join us today."

The doors to the Landsmeet opened and elderly, yet elegant Reverend Mother walked in and the room broke out into whispers. Mother Sophie made her way to the front of the room and Alistair invited her up onto the dais. The Mother slowly climbed the stairs and turned to face the crowd. "Mother Sophie, could you explain to the nobles in this room how we meet?" Alistair asked.

Mother Sophie smiled warmly at Alistair and Alex and then at the crowd. "Certainly, I was doing some missionary work in Tantervale when I was approached by a Teventer Magister who asked if I would travel to Starkhaven with him to perform a wedding ceremony. At first I told him no because that was easily a five day journey. I also told him that Starkhaven had its own Chantry and the Mother Realla would be happy to marry the couple. The Teventer Magister insisted that the couple wanted their wedding to be a quiet, simple affair and that if it was held by the Starkhaven Chantry that it would be anything but quiet and simple. The Teventer Magister offered me twenty sovereigns for my troubles. My Chantry is in dire need of repairs and the sovereigns he offered would be most helpful with those repairs so I agreed. So before I performed the ceremony I meet with you and Alex. I briefly counseled both of you that marriage should not be entered into lightly and that all good marriages where built on the foundation of love, trust and communications and then I performed the wedding ceremony."

"And besides the counseling and the ceremony did anything else transpire between us," Alistair asked.

"Why yes, when we were alone during your counseling session you handed me a piece of parchment and you told me not to open in until I was back in Tantervale. I did as requested and once back in Tantervale I read the letter. It stated that you and Alex had been kidnapped by the Teventer Magisters. You requested that I contact Commander Darrian of the Ferelden Grey Wardens and let him know your whereabouts. Which I did immediately by sending word to him by bird messenger," Mother Sophie concluded.

Alistair smiled at her, "Thank you, Mother Sophie. The Reverend Mother has traveled a great distance to be here today and I am sure she would like to rest. Before I let her take her leave would anyone care to ask her any questions?"

Eamon immediately stood up, "Mother Sophie, did you not wonder why the marriage of these two would cause a stir in the Starkhaven Chantry?"

"Twenty sovereigns caused me not to wonder," Mother Sophie replied bluntly.

"Even so, you had to be curious," Eamon retorted.

"Twenty sovereigns will feed ten families in my Chantry for a year. So when I met the couple and saw that they weren't under any duress and that both were willing participants I curtailed my curiosity," Mother Sophie replied sternly.

Eamon had no reply so Alistair thanked the Reverend Mother for her time and effort to be there.

Once Mother Sophie left the room Alistair said, "As you can see the aid of the Reverend Mother is what eventually led to our freedom."

Eamon turned to the nobles in the room, "Well, given the circumstance of the wedding I am sure that the Denerim Chantry would have no problem annulling the marriage."

"NO!" Alistair's voice boomed out stopping Eamon dead in his tracks. "I married Alexandria because I love her and I can't imagine spending a day without her in my life."

Alistair paused as he stepped forward to directly address the nobles in the room. "Today, this Landsmeet has a very important decision to make. Today, you can choose to place Fergus Cousland and his bride, Leliana, on the throne. Personally, I believe Fergus would be an excellent choice. He is already Regent of Ferelden and he the second highest ranking noble in this country. Or today, you can give the throne back to me. I am from the Theirin bloodline. My father was King Maric and my brother was King Cailan. I will gladly take back my Father's throne, but only with my wife as Queen. It needs to be clearly understood that whoever you choice to be your Sovereign Ruler, from this day forward the discussion of the nobility of the Queen will no longer be up for debate. Your Queen will either be a commoner who recently has risen to the status of a Bann or a Contessa of noble birth from the house of Seymour. The discussion and the debate will end today! And from this day forward, I don't want to hear so much as rumor or whisper regarding the noble status of the Queen!" Alistair exclaimed with such an air of authority that several of the nobles stepped back in awe. Alistair than lowered his voice and stated, "Those are your two choices that is unless someone here can offer a more logical choice for the throne." Silence fell over the room and no one spoke for several minutes.

Bann Teagan was the first to speak, "It is my belief that although Fergus has done an outstanding job ruling as Regent that the Ferelden throne belongs to the Theirin bloodline and therefore Alistair should remain on the throne with Alexandria ruling beside him as Queen Consort." A loud cheer went up from the room.

Fergus then stepped forward, "I second Bann Teagan's conviction and would like to put it to a vote."

One by one all of the Ferelden nobles voted to place Alistair and his wife Alexandria on the Ferelden throne - the vote was unanimous. Alistair took his wife's hand and stepped forward and aloud cheer went up. Alistair gestured for the crowd to quiet down. "I believe that this calls for a celebration. Tonight in the Palace Grand Hall we will feast and dine so that all of Ferelden's nobles can meet their new Queen."

Another loud cheer went up from the crowd. Alex leaned over and said, "That was inspirational. You maneuvered them right where you wanted them, Love. It was sooo hot and…"

"And sexy?" Alistair interrupted.

"God, yes! I have plans for you, my King," Alex exclaimed.

Alistair grinned, "If they are half as dirty as the plans I have for you I know how we will be spending the rest of our afternoon."

Unfortunately, Alistair and Alex spent the rest of their afternoon greeting nobles, shaking hands and kissing babies. Exhausted they finally made their way to the royal study where Darrian, Zev, Anders and Eva waited.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Anders yelled out as the royal couple came in.

"It was very impressive. I didn't know you had it in, but I'm glad to see that you do," Zevran said.

"I thought you were going to run that Arl guy through with your sword when he suggested having your marriage annulled," Eva laughed.

Alistair approached Darrian, "Thank you. Once again, I owe you for giving me the throne."

"Yes, but this time you actually wanted it and this time you won't be under Eamon's thumb. I like the idea of Teagan remaining on as your Chancellor. He will aid you far more then Eamon could. Eamon always viewed as the little boy he sent to the Chantry. While, Teagan views you as the man that helped save his village, helped end the Blight and then became his King," Darrian replied.

"So has Mother Sophie safely left Denerim?" Alistair asked.

Darrian nodded with a grin, "And with a little extra gold to ensure her silence. She said if you ever need her assistance again that you have an ally in her."

"Good to know. You never know when you need a friend in the Chantry. I believe that we should set up a yearly contribution to her Chantry," Alistair replied.

"That is a very wise decision," Darrian said.

"So tonight is to be a night of debauchery. Will there be scantily clad women?" Zev asked.

"This is still Ferelden, Zev…so no," Alex giggled.

xxXxx

The first several hours of the celebration were spent with Alistair introducing Alex to all of the nobles and explaining the different areas that they controlled and who they were related to. There were so many that it had begun to make Alex's head spin. She leaned over and told Alistair that she needed a drink. He told her he could have a drink brought to her, but she needed a break and insisted on getting it herself. She walked over to punch bowl and Eva joined her. "Don't you want something stronger than punch?" She asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I will forget who half of these people are if I begin to drink," Alex replied.

"And that's a bad thing," Eva retorted.

Alex laughed, "Maybe not."

Alistair strolled up to them, "Finally found a moment to escape."

"Are all of Ferelden's parties this boring? Eva asked.

Alex began to laugh. "N-no…" Alistair began, but Alex shot him a look. "Well, maybe, but it's not like we can have a DJ here spinning records."

"What is a DJ?" Zevran inquired as he and Anders approached the group

"It's someone who orchestrates music for a party," Alex replied.

"Like a band leader," Zevran mused.

"Similar to that," Alex said.

"We might not be able to get a DJ, but you are the king, you can find a better band than a harp player and violinist," Eva said.

"Well, it was a last minute idea," Alistair said defensively. "How about for the next party you're in charge of the entertainment."

"Ohhhh, I wouldn't do that," Alex said.

"Why not?" Alistair asked.

"Deal!" Eva declared before Alex could answer.

"Big mistake," Alex stated.

"What? Why?" Alistair asked again with growing concern.

Alex began to giggle as she started to tell the tale. "Well, it was end of our first year at med school and the weekend before dead week…"

"That sounds intriguing. What is dead week?" Zevran questioned.

"It's the week before finals and due to all the late night studying the atmosphere on campus becomes eerily silent," Eva explained.

"Because of all the studying the weekend before dead week starts is known for having wild parties. So Eva got it in her head that to solidify our party reputations…"

"I believe I said party cred," Eva interjected.

Alex rolled her eyes,"Would you stop interrupting the story?" Eva gave a reluctant nod. "So Eva thought that we would have the wildest party of them all. She put up posters all of campus inviting everyone to this party and she called it EVEX-a- polloza…"

"EVEX-a-polloza?" Anders asks.

"Yeah, after the first two letters in my name the last two letters in Alex's name. I thought it was very ingenious," Eva explained.

"Anyways we had to have had at least two hundred students at our house. At some point someone thought it was a great idea to go streaking in the quad," Alex said.

"Streaking?" Zev asked again.

"That is where someone takes off their clothes and runs naked through a public place," Eva explained.

"Maker, I really do need to visit your world!" Zev exclaimed.

"Somehow and to this day I don't know how she even managed it she was able to get Snoop Dog to perform at the party so now she thinks she's an entertainment booking whiz kid," Alex stated.

"Snoop dog? What kind of dog is that?" Zev askes

"No, Snoop dog is a rapper," Anders said. Then he began to bounce back and forth with his arms swaying as he rapped,

"Thinkin of a master plan
Cause ain't nuttin but sweat inside my hand
So I dig into my pockets, all my money is spent
So I dig deeper, but still comin up with lint"

Alex and Eva broke out into hysterically laughter, in between breaths Alex gasped, "T-this is your i-influence. Y-you've corrupted him."

"Take heed 'cause I'm a lyrical poet," Anders recites and they broke out into new rounds of laughter.

"You have to promise, Alex that will take me the next time you go home," Zev pleaded.

"I promise, you are first on list," Alex said as she tried to control her giggles.

"Alex, maybe we should find someone else to be responsible for the entertainment," Alistair said warily.

"If you want Denerim to still be standing in the morning I think that is an excellent idea," Alex replied.

"Alex, so who is the pouty red head that has been shooting daggers at you all night?" Eva asked as she pointed at the beautiful noble that stood near the fountain.

Alex and Alistair looked in the direction that Eva pointed. Alex smiled, "Oh that was my arch nemesis, Giselle."

"Gazelle?" Eva amused.

"No, Giselle," Zev corrected.

"Arch nemesis, huh? Do tell" Eva said.

"Well, Giselle had very clear designs on marrying Alistair…"

"As did our lovely foreign traveler," Zevran interjected.

"No I didn't," Alex replied.

"You didn't," Alistair said as he feigned a stab to the heart.

Alex laughed, "Well, not at that time anyways. So Giselle had no intentions on letting a foreigner marry the Ferelden King and she employed every dirty trick in the book to snag the handsome King. As a matter of fact, I do believe, Alistair, that you and Lady Giselle shared a passionate interlude," Alex cooed teasingly.

Alistair's face began to turn red, "I did not."

"Oh really, was it the trees in the royal gardens that had your doublet disheveled and put lipstick on your lips and neck," Zev chortled.

Alistair paused and considered his response before he replied, "Well, it just took one kiss from the lovely lips of my bride to show me the error of my ways."

Zev chuckled, "Nice recovery."

Alex suggestively smiled and pulled Alistair towards her. "Nice recovery indeed," she sighed as she passionately kissed her husband.

When they broke apart Alistair asked, "Was that for my benefit or Giselle's?"

"Does it matter?" Alex asked.

"No, it really doesn't," Alistair replied as his arms slid around her waist, he drew her tightly against his chest and feverishly kissed his Queen.

Eva burst out laughing, "That's awesome, you just made Gazelle faint."