Nathaniel was lying face down on the bed, his head turned to the side and his eyes closed. Elissa was sitting on his hips and warming massage oil in her hands. Satisfied that the oil was warm enough, she started working on Nathaniel's shoulders.

"You needed this," she said quietly as Nathaniel groaned. She had found a particularly large knot and was working it out. She continued working on his shoulders until she was satisfied that the knots were loosened, and started down his right arm, finding small knots all over and getting them to loosen as well.

"Where did you find the massage oil?" Nathaniel's speech was slightly slurred. Elissa smiled as she wondered if he was drooling.

"Zevran keeps some on him at all times." This caused Nathaniel's eyes to crack open slightly. He peered at her from the corner of his eye but didn't move; Elissa had finished working down his arm and was now gently forcing the muscles in his neck to submit to her ministrations.

"You really do travel with interesting people. I thought our group was odd."

Elissa laughed as she started on Nathaniel's other arm. These muscles were yielding a bit more easily. "You have no idea." She finished quickly with his left arm and returned to his back, concentrating on the strong cords of muscle that ran the length of his back on either side of his spine, using liberal amounts of the massage oil as she worked. The silence was comfortable, punctuated by the occasional groan when Elissa found a difficult knot and leaned into it with her knuckles.

After some time, Elissa finished with Nathaniel's back and sat back on her haunches. "Do you want me to continue with your legs?" she asked softly. She got no response. "Nathaniel?" She leaned forward and stretched out, lying on top of him. She looked at him closely and realized that he had fallen into a deep sleep. Smiling, she tried to avoid disturbing him as she swung her leg off his prone form and pulled the blankets up to cover him and keep him warm. His breathing stayed deep and even, so she padded across the room to choose a book to read.

-0-0-0-

"I can't believe we hadn't noticed this!" Elissa pulled a lute out from the corner. It had been hidden between a bookshelf and the wall.

"We were otherwise occupied," Nathaniel reminded her with a smile. "I'm surprised you let me out of bed long enough to eat." Elissa shrugged at him even as she grinned, then sat on the sofa and began checking the tuning of the lute. "You play?"

"Only a little. My mother had an instructor come in when, as I think she put it, there was 'still hope that I might learn the softer arts.'" She smiled as she heard Nathaniel's snort and turned a peg while she idly plucked its matching string. "Leliana taught me some more in camp when we weren't exhausted from fighting during the blight. She's much better than me." She continued to tune the lute, then plucked out a few arpeggios. Nodding in satisfaction, she began playing a simple tune, humming the melody under her breath as she played.

"You have a good singing voice," Nathaniel remarked. "I never knew that about you."

"I'm out of practice." Elissa mentally went through the chords she remembered, fingering them and plucking through the strings. "Do you sing? Or play?"

Nathaniel chuckled. "My musical skills are limited to dancing. I couldn't follow a tune out of a burlap sack." Elissa looked up to see his eyes twinkling and grinned at him, then played the other simple tune that she knew from memory. It was a slow, relaxed dance that set a mellow mood.

"Maybe later I can ask Erlina to teach me some more," she mused. "Or, I can leave the playing to her and just sing." Nathaniel chuckled again and poured them a glass of wine.

-0-0-0-

Zev and Erlina arrived together to bring them their dinner. They brought enough extra to join Elissa and Nathaniel, saying that they thought the couple might enjoy a bit of company. Elissa and Nathaniel both smiled, so the foursome sat down and enjoyed a satisfying meal and a couple of bottles of wine together.

Afterward, Erlina took the lute and played some quiet melodies while the other three played cards. Elissa won the first few rounds, and both Zevran and Nathaniel teased her about cheating.

"I don't cheat!" Elissa straightened in her seat. She pretended to be offended. "I'm just really lucky."

"Just because we've never caught you doesn't mean that you are innocent, my dear," was Zevran's dry reply. Nathaniel covered his laugh by clearing his throat and they continued.

Soon after, the lock turned. All four of them stopped, wary, as the door swung open. They all relaxed once they realized that it was Alistair. He stepped into the room and locked the door behind him. "I didn't know there was a party going on. You should have invited me." He smiled at the four of them, then looked at the table. "Are you really going to play cards against Elissa? You know she cheats something awful."

Nathaniel did laugh out loud this time and Zevran raised an eyebrow at Elissa. See? "Humph." She crossed her arms in front of her and turned her head to the side, trying to suppress a grin. "Just remember how many meals we ate because I won at cards, Your Majesty."

"That's it!" Alistair crossed the room and sat down, a gleam in his eye. "For that, I'm going to make sure that I win the next round! 'Your Majesty,' indeed." He grabbed the deck and shuffled it before dealing. Erlina shook her head and continued playing the lute.

Elissa grinned. "Do you want to play for stakes?"

Alistair laughed. "No thanks. I don't want to explain to my fiancee where my pants have gone." He nodded to Nathaniel, who was seated on his left. "You go first."

-0-0-0-

She awoke with a start, gasping as she shot up in bed. She took a moment to catch her breath and shook her head to try to clear it of the nightmare.

"Bad dream?" Nathaniel's sleepy voice washed over her. He rolled onto his back and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands as the sheet fell down around his waist. At her nod, he continued. "Been a while since you had one. Want to talk about it?"

"I dreamt about Fergus, I think." The dream was already fading, so the details were hazy. "I think it was about the Landsmeet. Something bad happening."

He nodded, still too groggy to be truly articulate. "Caused by your worrying about the Landsmeet, do you think?" She pondered on this as he laid down. He put his arm around her and pulled her back under the covers, arranging her body so that he was spooning behind her with her head tucked under his chin.

She felt his breath, warm on her head, as she answered. "Probably," she said with a yawn. His breathing was already evening out and it took her only a moment to fall back asleep in the warmth and security of his arms.

-0-0-0-

They had just finished making love a few minutes earlier, the sweat evaporating off their bodies and changing the cool damp air from a comfortable sensation to a chilly, clammy discomfort. Elissa shivered and pulled the blankets up around them while they talked. With the rain pouring down on the roof and the blankets keeping the chill out, it was a perfect day to stay cozy.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Elissa traced circles on Nathaniel's chest. "What about?"

"Some of the rumors I'd heard about you during the blight. I was wondering which ones were true."

"This should be fun. What did you hear?"

"For starters, the walking and talking statue. True?"

She laughed. "That is true."

"Really?" He sounded incredulous. "Huh. All right. I thought that was an exaggeration. What about the Qunari?"

"What about Sten?"

"Was he really eight feet tall and had red eyes?"

A laugh. "No. More like seven feet tall and he had purple eyes."

"I heard he murdered an entire city with his bare hands."

She shook her head. "No. He did murder a family before we met him. He fought with us to atone for it."

"The arling full of walking dead?"

"True. That was Redcliffe. Teagan held them off somewhat before we got there looking for Eamon."

He shook his head. "Truth is stranger than fiction. I suppose the werewolves happened then as well."

"Yes. They were cursed. We were lucky enough to convince the keeper to lift the curse."

"The entire cell of Antivan Crows?"

Elissa laughed again. "No. We faced some Crows twice. The first time was when Zev accepted the contract from Loghain-"

"You mean my father."

"Probably, but Loghain ultimately approved it. Anyway, there was a group then, maybe a dozen? I don't remember. Then later, Zev's friend Taliesin came to try to finish Zev off for failing the job and he brought some more. So together there were maybe twenty, twenty-five or so. Hardly an entire cell."

"Zevran's friend?"

She nodded. "Apparently. They had done several jobs together before Zev left the Crows. I guess his friend took it personally."

He shook his head again. "I'm glad he survived," he said softly.

"I am too." She ran her hand over his stomach, being careful to mind the ticklish spots.

"Did you really crown Orzammar's king yourself?"

She sighed. "Yes, I did. They wouldn't give us troops for the blight otherwise."

"So much for staying out of politics."

"I know." She sighed again. "The worst was when we had to kill Oghren's first wife."

"...What? Wait, never mind. I can't believe anyone was crazy enough to marry him in the first place."

She chuckled. "He did say that he thought she'd always been a bit … touched. Still, it was hard to do, and he was there and helped us do it. He's never really gotten over her, although I suspect it was for the best that she died in the Deep Roads."

"What was she doing there?"

"Chasing after an obsession. She managed to get her and Oghren's entire house annihilated trying to recover lost technology."

"What was the technology?"

"Golems and their construction, and their … control rods." Her hand had slipped farther under the blanket, and the hitch in his breath gave away the fact that he noticed what she was doing and, more importantly, approved of it.

"That innuendo was horrendous." He smiled at her.

She smiled as she brought her lips to his for a kiss. "Yes, it was." They stopped talking for a while in favor of pursuing more pleasurable activities.

-0-0-0-

Nathaniel wouldn't. Stop. Pacing. The analogy of a caged animal was a perfect way to describe his movements. Elissa was glad they would only need to stay in the room for another day, because if they stayed there for much longer, she would worry for Nathaniel's mental state. As it was, the inactivity and the inability to leave the room were making Elissa feel a bit twitchy as well.

"Let's spar." The words came out of her mouth before she realized she'd thought of the idea, surprising both of them. "I think we have enough room if we move the furniture to the walls."

Nathaniel stopped and looked around the room, considering the idea. "Let's." He pulled one of the chairs over by the bookshelves. "It's better than waiting, and we could both stand to hone our hand-to-hand skills." Elissa stood and helped him move the furniture, then they rolled up the rug and placed it on top of the sofa.

Finally, they squared off against each other. They had decided against using weapons since there was no healer nearby. It would have to be enough to practice the forms without using daggers or swords.

When Erlina arrived several hours later with their supper, they were both exhausted, sweating profusely, and in much better moods. They ate a large meal and went to sleep early.

-0-0-0-

"What do you mean, I won't be at the wedding?" Elissa's voice rose in volume as incredulity took over. "I promised Alistair that I would come, and I promised Alfstanna that I would bear witness for her!"

Zevran sighed. "My dear, you will be at the wedding. Leliana is taking your place there and will be standing in for you."

"It's not the same," Elissa grumbled to herself, mostly. "This is not a good idea, Zev. I'm fairly certain that Fergus will notice that she is not me. Worse, what if he doesn't and he starts an argument? Putting her that close to him, in a public place?" She shook her head. "It's asking for trouble. Not to mention that this could be the basis for an annulment!"

Zevran crossed his arms stubbornly. "You must trust me, Elissa. The Grand Cleric knows that Leliana is standing in for you, and she understands the need for discretion in the matter. And Fergus has agreed to go along with this, for everybody's sakes."

That's because it makes life easier for him. He won't have to stand there and pretend he's glad to see me. Elissa realized the thought was uncharitable even as it occurred. At least she hadn't voiced it. She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Can we trust the Grand Cleric on this?" The thought that there were too many people who knew that Leliana was not-Elissa bothered her, even though she and Nathaniel would be out of the locked room the next day. It was still too much time for Bad Things to happen, and she didn't want their plans blown because of discovery of their ploy. Not to mention that she was starting to feel distinctly helpless in the entire situation. "I trust you, Zev. It's everyone else that I worry about."

Zevran's face did not change much, but his tone softened. "I know this is difficult for you, my friend. But we are so very close to having what we need. We just need for you to be patient for a little longer, and then we will be able to have Vaughan right where we want him." He chuckled darkly. "After the Landsmeet begins tomorrow, everything will fall into place. I swear it."

"Can you tell me in what you plan for tomorrow, at least?" The lack of information they'd been given about Zevran's plans was maddening all on its own.

"Alas, I cannot." Zevran shook his head emphatically. "We need for you to respond genuinely to anything that happens. Simply know that I plan to have our friend by the short and curlies, yes?" With this, Zevran's face transformed into a wicked grin. "No matter what happens, we will be ready for tomorrow." He turned to go. "Erlina and I will come by to escort you to the Landsmeet chamber early. Be sure to dress nicely, both of you." He unlocked the door and let himself out.

Elissa sat on the sofa gracelessly and put her chin in her hands. She let out a frustrated sigh. "This is annoying," she complained to Nathaniel, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa. "I feel like they're all inconveniencing themselves for me. Alfstanna really wanted me there, and if people find out … Politically, this could be really bad for everyone involved."

She felt Nathaniel shift closer to her and smooth his hand over her back. "Yes, it is annoying," he agreed. "But you know that they understand. I'm just glad that Fergus understands the need for all this and is going along with it. A month ago, I doubt he would have agreed to this."

Elissa turned her head to look at him. "I suppose," she said unhappily. "Still, I feel like I'm letting people down. I'll be glad when this is over and we can go back to worrying more about darkspawn than humans."

Nathaniel chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "You won't hear any arguments from me on that point, love. At least it's only one more day."

-0-0-0-

"Are you ready?" He was pulling his boots on as he asked her. She looked herself over in the mirror; the gown, gold and cream with brown accents, fit her frame perfectly, thanks to Erna's excellent craftsmanship, and reflected Amaranthine's colors beautifully. Elissa had made sure to keep the gold and cream colors prominent to emphasize those same colors in Ferelden's heraldry as well; she figured the subconscious deference to Alistair's reign would only help that day. She checked to make sure her hair was smoothly pulled back into its customary bun. Not a hair was out of place. She turned to look at Nathaniel.

He had chosen his outfit wisely too, she thought. Since she was representing Amaranthine in the Landsmeet, he had chosen to wear the royal blue and silver colors of the Grey Wardens. It didn't hurt at all, she thought, that those colors suited him perfectly. "I'm ready," she replied. "As ready as I'll ever be, at least." She walked across the room to him as he stood. "What about you?"

After a week of mostly-relaxing, the calculating look was back in his eye. He studied her face, then cupped her chin with one hand. "As ready as I can be, considering." He paused for a moment. "Love, if things don't go as planned ..." He looked worried.

"They have to. If they don't, at least we'll be together." Elissa was unwilling to even think about the consequences if things didn't go well. "did you put the knives in your boots?"

Nathaniel nodded at her. "Of course, and in my vest. You?" She nodded; not only did she have the throwing knives hidden in her boots, but Erna had designed hidden sheaths for small daggers in her corset. Still more were hidden in her skirt, cleverly sheathed in slim pockets designed for such a purpose.

Nathaniel's eyes grew determined as she straightened herself. The change in his posture mirrored her own assumption of the regal, haughty noble role. He offered her an arm and she took it as the door opened. They walked out of the tower with Zevran and Erlina flanking them, heads held high and projecting an air of confidence. They would need it that day.