By the end of the week, they had settled into a routine. After breakfast, Elissa and Nathaniel would take turns training the rest of the Wardens how to run an arling, while the other actually ran the arling with Seneschal Kylon. Erna, now very busy with her fledgling seamstress business, spent the days sewing away, dragging off unwitting victims for clothing fittings as needed. Everyone would meet for lunch, then afternoons were for weapons and military training, with Oghren training the melee fighters and Nathaniel training the bowmen. Elissa would take this time, when she wasn't practicing herself, to deal with bookkeeping and correspondence, working one-on-one with one of the other Wardens to continue their training. During training time Anders would practice his spellcasting or make potions or enchantments as needed before getting some one-on-one practice with Oghren on using his staff as a defensive weapon. They would all meet again for dinner, and after dinner each person was left to his or her own devices. They would sometimes socialize, or take quiet time, or finish whatever still needed completing during the day. The rhythm they all found was comforting for Elissa in particular, who had missed this sort of normalcy from her time at Highever. She was pleased that it only took everyone a week to adjust to their new schedule.

That night, Nathaniel propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Elissa in the near-darkness. "I think I'll go to Amaranthine tomorrow," he murmured. "I'd like to meet my nephew and see my sister."

Elissa smiled. "That sounds good. You should take Anders with you, and maybe a couple of the others. They'll be glad to have something different to do."

"You won't be coming with me?" Nathaniel sounded surprised.

"I would love to, but I can't." Elissa sighed heavily. "I promised Erna that she could have me for extra time tomorrow to do the final fitting on that purple dress," she smiled at Nathaniel's noise of appreciation, "and I also promised Lord Eddelbreck that he could meet with me personally tomorrow. He wanted to go over the projected harvest numbers and I think he's going to ask me to lend him some soldiers to help the farmers harvest the crops."

"Oh, right. I'd forgotten about that," Nathaniel mused. "I can postpone the trip for a different day if you want to go?"

"No, you should go. You've been too long without seeing her as it is." Elissa reached a hand up and stroked Nathaniel's face. "Tell Delilah that I'm sorry I couldn't come, would you? And I'll try my hardest to go with you the next time." She grinned in the dark. "I'd just end up taking the baby away from all of you and not letting anyone else near, anyway. This way you'll actually get to hold him."

Nathaniel chuckled. "It would be unseemly to be jealous. Of my nephew, that is," he agreed. Elissa laughed quietly. Then he leaned forward and whispered, "Well, since I'll be leaving early, I guess I had better take care of good-byes now." Elissa's response was cut off before it started, turning into a sigh as Nathaniel reminded her how skilled he was at making her forget what she was going to say.

-0-0-0-

"So, what you are looking for is really just additional patrols?" Elissa and Lord Eddelbrek were looking at a map of the arling together. "Say, here?" Elissa pointed to a spot on the map, "and maybe … along here?"

Eddelbrek nodded. "That would be most helpful. The patrols we have seen come through have definitely helped, my lady. On the main roads where the soldiers patrol regularly, the crops have remained largely untouched this season. It's the farms that are off the side roads that have had issues with pilfering."

Elissa leaned back a little and put her chin in her hand, supporting the arm with her other hand. "Hmm... how much loss do you think you're seeing? If it's not too much, it might make more sense to spread out the patrols we already have. I know it's not ideal, but I simply don't have the recruits that I need yet. If it makes everyone take just a tiny loss instead of a few farms taking a huge loss, it might make more sense to redistribute until I get more men trained."

Eddelbrek looked askance at Elissa. "I'm not sure I like the idea, my lady. We have a few farms where people are very unhappy, yes. But to anger the rest of the farmers … I'm not sure that either you or I want that to happen. We need to keep them from moving away." He sighed. "Those farms that are seeing theft are seeing a lot of it. If we spread out the troops instead of augmenting them, you'll end up with another revolt on your hands like the unfortunate one you had last year during the food shortage."

Elissa nodded thoughtfully and leaned forward to look at the map again. She puzzled over it a while, then turned to Eddelbrek. "How about this? Instead of spreading out our patrols thinner over the roads, what if we got the farmers who are having the worst issues to act cooperatively?"

"I beg your pardon?" Eddelbrek looked confused.

"Here's my idea. After harvest season, most of the farmers are looking for work or resting, right?" At Eddelbrek's nod, she continued. "I propose that the farmsteads each send us their able-bodied men and women to train in weapons and basic fighting. Not permanently," she raised a hand to stop the coming objection, "but during the off season. They can help patrol their own lands by taking turns policing the side roads, we gain an instant militia if the unthinkable happens and another war breaks out, and it will overall cost both the keep and the farmsteads far less in taxes and grain percentages than if I tried to actively recruit soldiers just for patrolling the roads. That way I can spread out my highly-trained men more – each patrol can have one or two of my existing men, but the farmers can make up the difference – but none of the farms should see a serious increase in thievery and the farms that are hurting the worst now will have protection." Elissa leaned back again and watched Eddelbrek as he thought about what she said before adding, "I wouldn't be able to pay the farmers, but I would be able to offer them free training and maybe I can even figure out how to get them basic equipment."

Lord Eddelbrek pondered Elissa's proposal for a minute. He started out slowly, but warmed up as he spoke. "That might work, but instead of saying that you're giving the farms free training, how about you increase the taxes for all the farms to cover the expense, then offer a discount on those taxes for those who volunteer to train and patrol?"

Elissa smiled. "You think like a merchant, Eddelbrek. I like the idea, though. That way it encourages volunteers while paying for the extra weapons and equipment. Let's keep the increase as low as we can manage, though; the arling can use the money, certainly, but I don't want to beggar these poor folk just as they're starting to feel like they're getting somewhere."

"Agreed, my lady. Your father would be proud of you if he could see you now." At this, Elissa smiled her thanks. Lord Eddelbrek stood and bowed to Elissa. "I shall take this to the farmsteads and get back to you so that we can work out the details."

"Thank you, Eddelbrek. And please give your regards to your family for me. I understand congratulations are in order for your daughter?"

"Why, yes! The wedding will- "

Just then, Erna burst through the door excitedly. "Elissa! It's done! You just have to … oh." She came to a sudden halt. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in a meeting."

Elissa smiled at Erna. "It's all right, Erna. We were just finishing up. Lord Eddelbrek, may I present to you Erna, whose brother is one of our new Wardens. Erna here is our new seamstress for the keep." Eddelbrek nodded to Erna, who looked at Elissa helplessly, flustered as to what to do. After a moment of indecisiveness, she bowed to the lord, who chuckled.

"I take it you're from Orzammar, young lady?" At Erna's hesitant nod, he chuckled again. "It's all right. Surface customs must be strange to you, after all. I'm not offended." At this, Erna relaxed. Eddelbrek turned to Elissa. "A seamstress, you say? And a dwarf, at that! Dwarven craftsmanship is certainly renowned for a reason. Why, my daughter is still looking for a good dressmaker to sew her wedding gown. How is Miss Erna's work?"

Elissa grinned. "If you care to wait in the hall for a moment, Lord Eddelbrek, I can show you. It looks like Erna brought my new dress down here." She indicated the garment hanging on Erna's arm.

Eddelbrek nodded and went to wait in the hall, and Elissa closed the door while Erna smoothed out the dress. They quickly got Elissa changed into the garment and invited Eddelbrek back into the room. His eyes widened at the sight of the completed dress. "That is impressive work, young lady. Tell me, are you available to make a dress for late winter?"

Erna looked at Elissa helplessly again. She doesn't know the seasons yet, right. Elissa nodded to Erna and said, "That's about five months from now. Once we get back from the Landsmeet you would have three months to work on the dress." Elissa turned to Eddelbrek. "Erna just moved here from Orzammar, so she hasn't had the opportunity to see all the seasons yet." Eddelbrek's look went from confusion to understanding immediately.

Erna, for her part, smiled and bowed again. "I can certainly make a dress by then! Maybe ..." and she looked at Elissa uncertainly again, who nodded encouragingly, "maybe I can meet with your daughter after the Landsmeet to talk about what she would like to wear, and I can take her measurements then?"

Eddelbrek agreed that the timing would be suitable, so they made preliminary arrangements before he left. After a servant showed him out, Erna turned to Elissa and jumped up and down. "My first real job! I'm so excited!"

Elissa laughed. "Be prepared for a lot of requests after we return from the Landsmeet. Once everyone sees the Wardens wearing your work, you will be in high demand." At this, Erna's eyes opened wide and she ran off, babbling to herself excitedly about measurements and materials and a workshop and designs and a thousand other things that she was thinking of at the time. Elissa shook her head and smiled before closing the door, then set about the task of unlacing herself from her dress and changing back into her tunic and breeches.

-0-0-0-

"It's too sodding quiet today," Oghren grumbled for the fifth time as he picked up his tankard and took a long drink from it. "I'm bored. Where's the sodding action?"

"Be careful what you wish for," Elissa murmured, smiling without looking up from the page she was examining. "Besides, I'm almost done." She picked up a quill and crossed a couple of words out, then wrote a new phrase above it. "There. Your writing is getting better, Oghren. And I have to say, your daughter is going to know just as much about fighting as you by the time she's ten." She looked up and handed the page back to Oghren, smiling again.

Oghren looked at it. "Hey, you crossed out a lot less on this one. Not bad." He looked up at Elissa, his eyes twinkling. "Felsi said she's talking pretty good and she runs all over the place now. I figure this time next year I can put a sword in her hands." He rumbled out a laugh. "The first boy who tries anything with her is gonna be in for a big surprise."

At this, Elissa had to laugh. "You sound like a father, Oghren!" At this, Oghren straightened a little and looked pleased with himself. He got up from his chair, taking the page with him.

"I'm gonna rewrite this and then check on my still again. Then maybe I'll leave a surprise for ol' Sparkle-Fingers in his room for when he gets back." He grinned, the look of mischief in his eye unmistakeable. "Serves him right for leavin' me here to be bored." He guffawed to himself. "Maybe I can take some catnip and-"

"Don't tell me! I don't want to have to lie if he asks me about it!" Elissa laughed again as she got up from her seat. "If you don't tell me then-"

Just then, one of the guards came running into the study. "Commander, you need to come to the front gate, and quickly!" Elissa raised an eyebrow and looked at Oghren, who shrugged. She followed the guard, who started running back to the front of the keep. Oghren followed close on her heels.

"What is it?" she asked while they ran.

"The other Wardens were spotted coming back, and in a big hurry," the guard panted as he ran. "They have a wagon with them."

"Already?" Elissa didn't expect to see anyone back from Amaranthine until the next day. Concerned, she picked up the pace and passed the guard. Idly she noted that the guards needed to train more if she could pass them running that easily. "They've only been gone for several hours." She lost the guard's reply as she ran outside to see what was wrong.

The other Wardens hadn't made it as far as the keep yet, but Zevran came to the front gates on a horse, riding it at a full gallop. Elissa motioned to the guards to let him enter and he pulled up short, dismounting in one jump as the poor creature panted and shook, foaming at the mouth. He strode to Elissa and took her aside.

"What's wrong, Zev? What happened?" The look on Zevran's face, purposeful and angry, was so completely the opposite of how he presented himself that she went instantly into a state of alarm.

Zevran shoved a scroll into Elissa's hands. "Our enemies have made their next move," he said grimly. "They attacked Nathaniel's family."