Alistair was half-hidden under a pile of paperwork stacked on his desk. I knocked on the door and entered without waiting for him to reply.

"So when do you leave?" he asked.

"How did you know?"

"Mags, you're obviously bored out of your mind. And word gets around- letters back and forth between you and the Wardens. I'm not as dumb as I look." He grinned up at me. "Taking the Commander post?" I nodded. "So, is this an official meeting, then, Miss Warden Commander?"

"Um, maybe?" I answered. "I made a list of what I need. I figured we could base ourselves at the old fortress?"

"Soldiers Pass?"

"Yeah, the Drydens are still keeping up on it. They don't go inside, though, so I would need to see how that looks firsthand. If the veil is closed or not." We had driven demons out of the building a year earlier, and I didn't entirely trust it to be safe.

Alistair made a face. "Maker, no. I'm not letting you camp out up there like the Wardens are some state secret. First off, it's a horrid location- completely out of the way, recruits won't even be able to find you. Second, it's not safe, the veil is stronger, but not strong. That old nut Avernus told us himself. And third, the building hasn't even been occupied for two centuries. It would need a fortune in updates." I sighed.

"I know, Alistair. But we need someplace to go. The small quarters allocated to the Wardens in Fort Drakon were destroyed in the blight, and don't hold more than a dozen people anyways. I have to rebuild the order. This can never happen again."

He nodded. Being the only two Wardens in Ferelden was terrifying, made all the worse since we were both new recruits. Neither of us even knew why Wardens were necessary until the night before facing the archdemon. "Well, let me see your list." I passed it over. He glanced at it and snorted. "Mags, this says 'food, money, linens, weapons, armor, robes, decent cook.'" I nodded.

"Did I miss something? I wanted to get custom armor and robes for all the recruits who passed the Joining, something with griffons like they have elsewhere, but I thought it might be too extravagant."

"You're outfitting a fortress, not a group of ragged travelers," he sighed. "Let me get someone from the guards to work on this, OK? They'll know what you will need." He thought for a second, and grinned. "How do you feel about Amaranthine?"

"It's, um… north of here?" I'd never been there, and only knew it was the territory once controlled by the late Arl Howe. The 'late' part would be my doing, and rightfully so. "I hear it's warm there? Well, warmer. Jowan once said it was as far as you could get from the Circle and still be in Ferelden, so I guess my opinion would be positive now that the Howes are gone."

"I have an idea, but I need to talk to Eamon about it first. For now just plan to leave in seven weeks. I'll have more details for you after the Landsmeet next week, then you can do whatever you need to do."

"Seven weeks? Why so specific?"

"The anniversary of the blight, remember? People will demand you make some kind of appearance. We'll just roll it all in to you becoming the new Commander, too." I groaned. "I know, I know," he said. "This way you only have to deal with one parade instead of two."

I had to agree he made a good point. "When did you become so take-charge?" I laughed.

"I had no choice: some crazy mage made me King."

I didn't attend the Landsmeet, but by the evening gossip was flying around the palace about the King pushing some huge order through. I wandered by his study again.

"Mags!" He greeted me. "I was just about to hunt you down." Eamon was sitting near the desk, papers in his lap. I joined them, dragging a chair to be near the fireplace.

"Everyone in the palace is gossiping about something big at the Landsmeet. What happened today?" I asked.

"Well, Amaranthine? You remember I mentioned it?" I nodded. "Since the Howe family was stripped of all titles the Arling is vacant. I've convinced the Landsmeet that it should be handed over to the Grey Wardens."

"Maker's breath," I gasped.

"Don't thank me yet, there's more."

Eamon stood up, passing a sheath of paperwork to me. "Since the Wardens will effectively control the Arling of Amaranthine, and you are the commander of the Wardens, this makes you the Arlessa. There will be a seneschal who can handle the day to day affairs of government, but you are required to attend the Landsmeet representing your territory."

"Wait, no. No, this can't be." I refused to look at the paperwork. "Even if I knew a thing about politics, which I don't, I'm a mage, Eamon. Mages can't hold titles. And even if I wasn't a mage, Wardens give up their name and titles after the Joining." I glanced at Alistair. "Well, normally."

"Welcome to my world," Alistair smirked.

"The Chantry won't like this," I remarked.

"They've already registered a complaint. I think they were hoping you'd return to the tower, take over for Irving eventually." I snorted.

"Take over for Irving? They wanted to make me tranquil if Duncan hadn't been there, or worse. If I go back there no one will ever see me again. Screw the Chantry." Eamon coughed uncomfortably at that point so I shut up before I really put my foot in my mouth.

"Anyways," Alistair said, changing the subject. "How do you plan to recruit?"

I froze, I hadn't thought that far ahead. "I suppose I could send letters to our old allies, let them know where I am and that I'm recruiting? That, and keep an eye out for people, like I did before."

Alistair groaned. "So the Ferelden Wardens will be composed entirely of apostates and crazy people? Sounds interesting. Disastrous, but interesting."

"Hey, it worked last time!" I groaned. "I don't know, to be honest. I can fight, I can kill, I can plan an attack, I can make people who would normally beat each other to death get along. But I have no idea how to recruit or govern. I know we needed a base but I'm worried I'll just screw this all up and make a mess for you."

Eamon stood up to put a hand on my shoulder. "Stop worrying, you'll do fine. If the Wardens were concerned they wouldn't have held the post open for so long waiting for you. You find your recruits, train them, and point them at the darkspawn. The seneschal will take care of the politics and housekeeping."

Alistair nodded. "I think starting with our allies from the Blight is a good place. Word will spread, once people know you're recruiting you'll have to start turning them away at the gate. Come on, you were so ready to take on the Blight with no resources and no clue, why so nervous now?"

"Because I was young, idealistic, and foolish? And I worried that if I didn't do Warden things someone would send me back to the tower?"

Alistair laughed. Eamon looked nervous and I regretted my words instantly. I had forgotten his son was just sent to the tower. "I was a troublemaker, Eamon. I pranked my teachers, snuck around after curfew to meet boys, and stole from the Templars. I cheated off Jowan to pass healing, and he cheated off me to pass primal, and we once set the First Enchanter's desk on fire by mistake. Shoot, I helped him escape the very day after my Harrowing. It was bad for me because I wouldn't follow the rules. Connor won't have a problem, trust me. He's not the nightmare child I was."

"I think we can leave all that out of your official biography," Eamon replied, but he looked relieved.

"Thank you, Eamon. Do you mind if I speak to Alistair alone for a moment? Warden business." He nodded and excused himself, but only after I signed the paperwork officially leaving me in control of the arling.

"What's wrong," Alistair asked when we were alone.

"How did Duncan do it?"

"Do what, Mags?"

"Find people, become their friends, treat them kindly, all the while worrying they might not survive, and if they did it would be… this?"

"Do you blame him?" Alistair sounded concerned.

"No, not at all, I wish I knew how to be more like him. But it was a Blight. Without that asking people to sign on to this, to poison themselves and die young- if they survive the joining- seems cruel. I mean, I can't even tell them the risks."

Alistair stood up and walked around his desk. "We do what we must. In peace, vigilance."

"I wouldn't change becoming a Warden, but I had nothing to lose. When you told me and I said I'd take thirty years of freedom over a hundred locked in the tower I was serious, and when I was conscripted I don't even think I had that option. I honestly think the Chantry would have killed me. I don't regret it for an instant. But how can I make that choice for someone else?"

"I wish I knew."

I sighed, remembering the sound of Daveth's body hitting the stone at Ostagar, and Duncan's mournful apology.

"Are you ready to leave?" Alistair was standing in my doorway holding a package.

"Just about," I say, trying to cram one more thing in my bag.

"Andraste's Ass, Mags. I'm heading out there a day or so with an entire contingent of guards. We can bring more up then. We'll have a whole wagon with us."

I gestured to the corner of the room where my normal clothing, books, and other items were packed. "I had been hoping you would say that. This is just my robes, enchanted rings, and amulets."

He thrust the package at me. "You'll need to make room, then. Guess what this is!"

I took the box and looked at him. "It's a box? For me?"

"Yes, Maggie, a box. I thought you could use one. Darkspawn are terrified of boxes, after all. Haven't I told you?" I looked at him blankly. "There's something inside. You act like no one's ever given you a gift! It's a going away present."

I thought back. Zevran had given me an earring once, true, and a slightly creepy story to go along with it, but other than that… I ran to Alistair and threw my arms around him. "Thank you," I said.

"Usually you open the present and then thank the giver." He looked at me. "You have been given gifts before, right?" I shook my head. "Not even on your birthday?"

"Alistair, I went to the tower at four, I don't even know when my birthday is. I know I'm about five or six and twenty, but that's all." He blinked, jaw open.

"Maker's breath… All right, that's going to change, I promise you." His sunny face contorted for a moment in anger. I watched as he forced it back, replacing the smile. "Anyways, open it!"

I peeled back the blue wrapping and lifted the lid. Blue and gold fabric sat inside. I felt power emanating from the enchantments as I unfolded it.

"Tevinter robes!" I shrieked, "oh Maker, and a matching cowl!"

Alistair grinned. "Look closer." They were both embroidered with griffons. Seeing me grin he replied "You're not the only one who can get deliveries from Weisshaupt."

"They're perfect. Thank you, Alistair. Really. Now I'll at least look like I know what I'm doing."

"You like them?"

"I'm kicking you out now just so I can put them on to wear today!"

"I could make a lewd comment here, but you'd call my bluff, we would have this whole awkward-thing-moment, and I'd end up blushing through the entire procession out of the city, so I think I'll just meet you downstairs."