Disclaimer: I don't own DA:O or any of its characters.
A/N: Sorry for taking so long in posting this chapter. I was distracted by The Awakening, and then...well, playing it over and over. . Hope you enjoy!
Practice Makes Perfect
Ridiculous! I can't believe that bloody stubborn man, insisting that I'm going to be his. As if I'm some piece of property. Whendinner finally finishes, I'm ready to let out some pent up stress. It's all I can do to keep from running to my bed chambers. Luckily the king and Teagan are busy discussing something with Eamon, so I manage to escape unnoticed. I think about asking Zevran if he wants to join me in a sparring session, but decide against it. It's a bit late, and while I'm sure he's probably still awake, I feel the need to be alone after being surrounded by so many people. When I enter my quarters I strip out of the stupid dress I'd been wearing (how women can prefer wearing dresses to armour is entirely beyond me) and quickly slip into my battle robes. I search for the nearest guard, who just happens to be the same one that had brushed me off when I had been looking for the kitchen. What luck.
"Oy, big guy!" I say to get his attention. "Where's the practice room?"
The guard eyes my outfit. "It's down in the basement, my lady." He gives me further instructions, which are easy enough to follow. "My lady?" the guard asks just as I'm about to turn away.
"Yes?"
"I am truly sorry for disrespecting you the other night. Had I known that you -"
I hold up a hand. "Don't worry about it. I don't exactly come across as genteel, so it's hardly your fault for thinking what you did."
The guard lets out a breath of relief. "You are too kind, my lady." He bows deeply, and I suddenly feel incredibly awkward. I've never been good at having people bow and scrape for me. In Highever I had always insisted on doing everything myself. It drove Nan mad, especially when I'd try and prepare my own meals. Aedan's mabari hadn't been the only one to get scolded for breaking into the larder.
"Yes, well. I'm sure you have pressing guard things to attend to, so I'll leave you in peace." I clear my throat in a decidedly authoritative manner (yeah, right) and turn on my heel.
Backstab…duck…slide…jab…stab…I run through my typical training routine. Sweat has begun to bead and trickle down my forehead, stinging my eyes. I don't wipe it away. If this was a real fight any break in concentration could cost me my life. Though unless the practice dummy suddenly decides to spring into action, I think the odds of victory are in my favour. I toss the dulled daggers I'd been using to one side and begin a series of hand to hand techniques. I'll probably have bruises on my fists and knees from hitting the dummy, but I can't help but revel in the adrenaline rush that surges through me as I punch, kick and knee the splintering wood.
"If it weren't for the tits and arse, I'd swear I was lookin' at the Warden," comes a voice from behind me. I spin around and find…a dwarf?
I quirk an amused eyebrow. "Yes, last I checked my breasts were a sight better than the king's." I rub an arm against my sopping wet forehead.
"Wasn't talkin' about the king, I was talkin' about your brother," comes the dwarf's gruff reply. He runs his fingers through his shockingly red beard before grasping at a water skin at his hip. Judging by the slight sway to his stance, I'm guessing that it's not water in there…
"Ah, you knew Aedan, did you?" I approach the dwarf and hold out a hand. "Name's Elissa, what's yours?"
The dwarf grasps my hand and gives it a firm shake. "Oghren. And I more than knew him, we traveled together. When I heard that his twin sister was in the palace, I had to come and see for myself. Heard through the dwarf grapevine that you were quite a help to Orzammar after we left. Kept a lot of those sodding darkspawn at bay, did ya?"
I smile and shrug a shoulder. "I suppose I did, though it wasn't just me. I had a lot of help from the Legion and a few others who were brave enough to endure the Deep Roads." I tilt my head to one side when I notice for the first time that Oghren is wearing the same armour as those enlisted in the king's army. "So…you came to the surface to join the royal guard?"
Oghren lets loose a hearty laugh. "Naw, I became a surfacer to help defeat the Blight. When that little pike twirler was crowned king he made me the commander of his guard. Can't say that I blame him. Old Oghren here is a force to be reckoned with." I've immediately taken a liking to the dwarf. He reminds me of the simpler days beneath the surface, before Aedan died, before the Siren, and before I landed in this mess at the palace. "So I heard you came with the elf. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten himself killed. I never could figure out what your brother saw in him."
"He does come off a bit sneaky at first, I agree. But he's proven to be a very good ally, and maybe even a friend. He didn't have to come looking for me, but it was my brother's last wish…" I feel a wave of emotion wash over me, and it's so sudden that I choke out a sob, much to my embarrassment. I turn away from Oghren and hold my hand up to my face, shielding myself from his view. I half expect him to tell me to snap out of it. Instead he thrusts his skin of…whatever is in there under my nose. I take it from him and throw back a large swig. Whatever it is, it's strong. My esophagus burns from the potent spirit and I let loose a cough.
"Amateur," Oghren teases. I grin and take another swig before handing the skin back to him.
"Thanks," I say softly. "I needed that."
"Don't sweat it," he replies. He's about to say something else when he's interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. We both glance up at the doorway as a guard enters.
"Commander," he bows respectfully in Oghren's direction. He turns to me. "Teyrna Cousland, I have a message from the king. His majesty wishes to see you in his chambers as soon as possible."
I manage to keep from rolling my eyes. "He's holding a meeting? At this hour?"
The guard shifts uncomfortably. "No, my lady. I do believe that his majesty wishes to speak to you in private." Oh, so that's it, is it?
I scowl. "Please inform the king that any matter he wishes to discuss with me can wait until morning. I will be happy to meet with him in his study first thing tomorrow. You may also add that contrary to what he may think, I am not the kind of woman who jumps between the sheets just because his majesty asks." Oghren chuckles beside me.
The guard pales visibly. "I-I'm not sure if that's a message I can repeat, my lady." I sigh and look around. There's a desk of sorts propped against one of the walls. Obviously it's there to keep inventory of the practice weapons, or some other administrative matter. Regardless, it has what I'm looking for: a quill and some parchment. I scrawl out what I'd told the guard and fold the parchment in two. I hand it to him.
"Here," I say. "Give him this instead. That way you don't have to worry about him chopping your head off." He bows to both of us and leaves.
"You sure have a lot of stones, blowing off a king," Oghren chuckles. "Can't say many other women would do the same in your position."
"Just because he's the king doesn't mean that he can order me into his bed," I snap. "I'm not that easy."
Oghren tugs at his beard idly. "You know what? He wasn't always as direct as he is now. Especially when it came to women. When I first met him, he'd fall over his tongue when he tried to talk to a woman. Then your brother started to work at him, and after a while he got more guts. When I first met him, the king was a sodding chantry boy. Now…" he cocks an eyebrow. "Well, can't say I blame him. Nothing hotter than a woman that can scrap."
"Well, he's barking up the wrong tree. I told him before, I have bigger things to worry about. Pretty soon I'll be heading back to Highever."
"Heh, not if the little pike twirler can help it. You may be calling this place your home instead," he wiggles his eyebrows at me.
I blink several times. "What?! That's ridiculous! He wouldn't have me be a bloody concubine, would he?"
"Who said anything about a concubine? I think the king plans on making you his little wifey. Til death do you part, and all that garbage."
That sends me reeling, to say the least. Were the king's intentions so transparent that even Oghren could see them? I wonder if perhaps he's been talking to Zevran about all of this. "He barely even knows me! You can't want to marry someone you don't know!"
Oghren grunts. "That's just my opinion. I don't know much about human politics, but from what I gathered, you're almost as important as the king, right?"
"Well, not really. I mean..I guess in a way I am. There are no other nobles that carry the same title as I do, but that doesn't mean -"
"Wouldn't it make sense for him to marry you?" He's got me there, and I'm surprised to discover that my feelings are a bit hurt. A part of me had hoped that Alistair was pursuing me because he was actually interested in me. To everyone else it probably looked like he was only giving me that attention so that he could gain my favour and take a queen that the rest of the nobility would approve of. I wonder if Eamon put him up to this. Either way I'm feeling very put out, and I want nothing more than to be alone to wallow in my own stupidity.
"I think I'm going to turn in for the night," I say sullenly. "It was a pleasure meeting you Oghren. I hope we run into one another before I head back to Highever."
Oghren fixes me with a knowing smile. "I doubt you'll even make it there. I'll probably be seeing more of you around here than you think. If you wanna trade horror stories about Orzammar, head over to the Gnawed Noble Tavern pretty much any night and I'll be there."
"You can count on it," I reply. We shake hands once again and I head off for my room. Usually I'm too pumped up to even think about sleep after a workout, but given the day that I've had I'm almost asleep on my feet. I make it to my room in time to crawl into bed without bothering to change into a night gown. I'm in a deep sleep before my head even hits the pillow.
Thump thump thump thump!
If this is someone's idea of a joke, I'm really not impressed. I glance out of my window. It's still dark, so I mustn't have been sleeping for very long. More pounding at the door.
"Andraste's blood, hold on!" I throw back the covers and wearily head for the door. "What?!" I yell as I swing the door open. I'm met by a piece of parchment being thrust into my face.
"What in the name of the Maker is this?" asks the angry king standing at my door. I guess he got my note. I snatch the paper away from him.
"I'm sorry, was there something that you didn't understand? Let me be more blunt: I don't appreciate having guards come to ask me to your bedroom for a midnight rendez-vous," I reply scathingly.
Alistair's eyes narrow as he regards me. "Look, that wasn't how I meant it. I actually did want to talk to you."
"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?"
"I'm being serious!" he snaps. "You know, blowing off the king isn't a trivial matter. You undermined my authority in front of that guard."
He's right about that part. I probably should have found a more tactful way of telling him that I wasn't thrilled about his impersonal bedroom request. "You're right, I'm sorry." I say softly.
He sighs and his expression softens. "No, I know how it seemed. I apologize for that. Please, may I come in?"
I chew on the inside of my cheek, then finally open the door fully and let him in. "Now, what was so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning?"
"Well, I suppose it could have waited, I only sent for you because I was afraid that I'd be too busy to see you tomorrow. The thing is, I wanted to have a monument built for one of the Wardens that fell in Ostagar. His name was Duncan, and he told me that he came from Highever. I was hoping that you would be alright with us building it on your land." The look he gives me is so vulnerable that I almost forget that he's the king. For that one moment he seems so hopelessly sad that I want to throw my arms around him and comfort him. I give myself a mental slap for being such a soft touch.
"Of course you can. You needn't have even asked me, you are the king after all."
"I know, but I just thought it would be courteous to…" he takes in my bedroom attire. "Do you always sleep in your battle robes?"
I smile despite myself. "Oh sure, you never know when there'll be an attack on the castle. Always be prepared, that's my motto."
"I think you would scare off any bandits by showing them your hair," Alistair jests. "It's in quite a state of disarray, to say the least." He reaches out and runs his fingers through my hair, smoothing it down. I feel goosebumps erupting on my arms from the sensation of his fingertips gently running over my scalp. He's staring down at me, and the heat from his gaze sears into me. We're treading in dangerous territory, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to resist the temptation if we go any further. I take a step back and turn away from him.
"I should probably get back to bed," I say. Alistair doesn't reply. I'm about to turn back around and shoo him off when I feel one strong arm wrap around my waist, pulling me against him. My back presses into his broad, muscular chest. I should pull away, I should protest, but Maker, he feels so good and it's been so long since I've been intimate with a man. "Alistair," I whisper. "We shouldn't…"
"I don't care what we shouldn't do," he murmurs into my ear. "I want you, Elissa…" he begins to nibble at my earlobe, and I inhale sharply. He kisses along the crook of my neck, and I let my head loll back against his shoulder. I reach up and run my fingers through his short, blond hair. "Maker, but you're beautiful," he whispers huskily. He's about to spin me around in his arms when we're interrupted by a sharp knocking at the door.
"What now?" I groan. I pull away from Alistair, who lets loose an aggravated growl, and wander to the door. I open it and find Zevran standing there. "Zev? What's going on?" I ask.
He looks past me and sees Alistair standing in my room. "I'm terribly sorry, my dear. Had I known that you were entertaining a guest, I would have waited until morning."
"It's, uh, not what you think," I say lamely. He raises his eyebrows at me. "Never mind. What can I do for you?" I step aside and gesture for him to enter. He glides past me and stands in between Alistair and I.
"Your majesty," he bows his head in Alistair's direction. A small smirk curls on his lips. "I must say that I am not surprised to find you here. I saw your battle with Elissa at the tournament. If a woman as lovely as she bested me in a fight by straddling my chest, I would be eager to jump into her bed as well." He winks at Alistair, who simply rolls his eyes.
"Is there a reason why you're here, Zevran?" Alistair asks while folding his arms over his chest.
Zevran nods. "I'm afraid that I have some unsettling news. I was spending my evening at the tavern, when I heard a pair of nobles discussing their outrage at the king's recent decision regarding the Circle of Magi."
"What else is new?" I say.
"No, were that the only issue I would not have bothered telling you. They obviously did not wish to speak openly, and retreated to one of the back rooms. I followed behind, keeping to the shadows. I managed to overhear most of their conversation from my position at their door. Apparently those that disagree with this recent ruling about mages will be meeting in secret to discuss ways that it can be overturned," Zevran turns to me. "Your name came up, my dear. It would seem they hold you responsible."
I snort derisively. "I'm hardly surprised. They need a scapegoat, and since I just showed up, who better to lay the blame on?"
"I thought it best to warn you. Perhaps you should be on your guard for the next while. At least until you return to your home in Highever," Zevran advises.
"I'll have a guard positioned outside her quarters," Alistair says.
"What? No! That's absurd. Not only is it beyond excessive at this point, but it might tip them off to the fact that we know what they're planning. I think it's best if we keep our cards close to our chests," I point out. "I can handle myself just fine."
Alistair sighs. "I don't know, Elissa. I'm not sure we should be playing games if your life is in danger."
"My life is not in danger. I doubt they'd go so far as to assassinate me," I reply. They both give me a pointed look. "Okay, maybe they would. But still, it's too soon to take those kinds of precautions. I'll stay on my toes, I promise. Now, if neither of you have anything else to add, I think I'd like to actually get some sleep tonight." After a few protests I manage to usher them both out of my room.
As I drift off to sleep, I make a mental note to stab anyone that dares to knock on my door before morning.