Shadow and Rose

by Lady Norbert

A/N: A few people have asked me whether any of the exciting new information that's been released for DA:I will affect this story as I have it planned. The answer is no. This story and its sequel are intended to go literally to the epilogue slides of the Awakening DLC for the original game; I'm not even really going to touch on DA2, except for a few of Alistair's random thoughts about refugees and suchlike. However, I am nevertheless doing my best to avoid too many Inquisition spoilers, just so they don't interfere with my headcanon in any way.

That said, what I have seen of it looks simply amazing. I'm going to do my best to have Alistair's diary all wrapped up before the release in October, so that I'm not distracted.

This is probably the most syrupy chapter yet, but I never denied being a hopeless romantic. ;) It's also the longest, I think!

Chapter Thirty: The Felon's Coat

Origins unknown, this cuirass fits like a second skin. It is ideal for a bard, spy, or assassin - making it unlikely that the previous owner parted with it willingly.

We left Redcliffe yesterday morning and are chugging along the Drakon River. It's just past midday, and we expect to be in Denerim around this time tomorrow. Everyone's settled in decently on the ship, for the short period that we'll be living on it, although I've noticed Elissa is spending a lot of time with Arl Eamon since we boarded. I suppose they're discussing strategies for the Landsmeet, if not the battle.

I'm fairly certain that what happened last night, just before dinner, wouldn't have been allowed to happen if she'd been in the group when it began. I'm writing it down as accurately as I can, but I probably haven't quite got all the words just right. Close enough, anyway. Personally, I think it's hilarious, and if you ask me, Morrigan got exactly what she deserved. After all, she started it. She was needling Zevran about whether he still intends to kill Elissa, and congratulating him on getting into her good graces, and then asked him questions about the Crows that he flatly said he wasn't interested in answering. "You get the most delightful wrinkle in your forehead when you are curious."

"I see!" She didn't like that at all. "You are impossibly frustrating, you know this?"

"I do." He laughed. "It is part of my charm, or so I am told. Come, my dear, why must we fuss at one another? Such sinister glares do you a disservice; yours should be a face that smiles."

"Do tell," she said dryly. I didn't quite know what he was on about, but I did notice both Oghren and Leliana listening a bit more closely; the five of us were all out on the front deck of the ship, the bow or whatever it's called, and I wondered just what mischief the elf was making.

"Has no one ever told you of your beauty?" he continued. "Perhaps it is not surprising, considering you have lived such a sheltered life; were you a woman of the city, you would be accustomed to men showering you with praise and gifts."

"I know as much of men as I need to," she returned. "I know when one is indulging in pointless flattery, for instance."

"It is flattery only if I exaggerate the truth to please you! I am but stating a simple fact!"

"Tell me," she said, and she sounded genuinely curious, "does this work on other women?"

"Most women are pleased to be told the truth of their beauty. Has anyone ever told you what marvelous eyes you possess?"

She rolled said eyes. "Do you not tire from these pointless exercises?"

"In Antiva, women are accustomed to being showered with the praise they deserve. Men should worship you at your feet as you pass."

"They don't find that incredibly annoying?"

"They are goddesses, receiving their subjects, just as you should be!" he exclaimed. I was beginning to feel rather nauseated, but I kept listening.

"I have no wish to be placed upon a pedestal," she retorted.

"But you deserve no less," he insisted. "You should be admired by painters, copied by sculptors, exalted by poets. Surely you know that yours is a beauty so exotic, it would turn the eye of the Maker Himself?"

That's when I saw it - there was actually a tiny flush in Morrigan's pale cheeks. "Well - I suppose I -"

"And there we are," said Zevran triumphantly. He turned to Leliana and Oghren with an expectant look on his face. "Well?"

"Fine," Oghren said with a sigh, "I owe you a flagon. Bastard."

"You are a master indeed, Zevran," Leliana said admiringly. "You win the bet fair and square."

"Much obliged, ser and madam." He looked so insufferably smug that I doubled over laughing.

"I hate you all," Morrigan declared through gritted teeth.

Elissa chose that moment to appear, to say that it was time to eat, but she paused as she took in everyone's expressions. "Er... did I miss something?"

"Nothing at all, my dear Warden," Zevran replied. As I passed him, he muttered, "Don't tell her."

Denerim is within our sights, which is almost disappointing in its way. I rather like the boat ride. I'm just packing up all my things now. Elissa's still secluded with Eamon, and I can't understand why they're not including me in this discussion if it's about the Landsmeet; I mean, shouldn't I be involved? But I trust her, and him too - though maybe not as much as I once did. I've had way too much time to think about things, and while yes, he was decent to me because I was Maric's... he wasn't really a father to me. Not that it was his duty to be, but who makes their ward sleep in the stables? I'm starting to think that my entire value to Eamon has been solely the possibility of my becoming king someday. And that makes me uncomfortable. Duncan, at least, valued me as an individual person; even Bann Teagan did.

I think that if I do become king, I'm going to invite Teagan to be part of my council. I've heard how he stood up to Loghain, and I saw firsthand what he did in Redcliffe during his brother's illness, and I just think he's the sort of man I'd like to have at my right hand. Eamon can go back to Redcliffe and be with his wife - still a respected courtier, still an honorable citizen of Ferelden, but nowhere near enough to hold my strings and make me dance.

Well, we've arrived at Eamon's Denerim estate, and we were welcomed at the gates by Loghain himself, along with Ser Cauthrien and Arl Howe. I can only imagine what went through Elissa's mind when she saw him. They had a spat almost immediately about the fact that she's the rightful Teryna of Highever, and Cauthrien told her to be quiet when her betters are speaking, which is absurd because Elissa has no betters. But I digress. Loghain and Eamon quarrelled about the necessity of the Landsmeet and the intention to put me forward as candidate for the throne instead of Anora. Then they left, and we got back to the business of settling into the estate. I don't have a word contemptuous enough for the three of them.

From there, the day became infinitely more pleasant.

I admit it would be fun to know just what went through the minds of Arl Eamon's servants when he told them what to expect. The comments of the headwoman indicate that he didn't give them very much notice, but he must have given at least some warning about the kind of guests they'd be entertaining. Five humans and a dog may be welcomed anywhere without so much as a raised eyebrow, even if one of them is an apostate mage. An elf and a dwarf aren't too unusual by themselves, although together they're a little stranger, and added to the five humans they're even moreso. Then you throw in the Qunari warrior, and the stone golem, and - well, it's hard to blame people for the peculiar looks they give us.

But Eamon must have warned his staff pretty well about that subject, if nothing else, because no one batted an eyelash at our arrival. There were rooms prepared for everyone (except Shale), and even though we all have to share, they're very comfortable. Sten and I aren't far from the room where Elissa, Morrigan and Toby sleep. I wonder how Eamon figured out that Morrigan would almost definitely object to sharing her quarters with anyone but Elissa; maybe Elissa mentioned something to him about it during the journey, when they were having so many private discussions.

The headwoman who showed everyone to their rooms advised us that it was two hours until dinner, and we were welcome to relax however we liked until then. "There's plenty of guards about, so none of you need come to table in your armor," she scolded. "The arl would rather you didn't, I think, and he says the arlessa troubled herself to send some fresh garments along for each of you. I'll have the pages bring them up to your rooms with the rest of your things."

I have to say, it was nice of Arlessa Isolde to send us clean clothing; it's a refreshing change from wearing armor almost all the time, and our plain clothes from Soldier's Peak don't feel quite appropriate to the setting. She sent a black velvet doublet for me that I like more than I want to admit. She turned out to be a pretty good judge of sizes, too, although Sten's outfit is a little too big. I guess that's better than too small, though.

"Is this an affectation of your culture, Warden?" he asked me, tugging at his sleeve.

"Of our nobility, I guess it is."

"Your country continues to perplex me in myriad ways."

"That's all right. It perplexes me too."

"And yet you intend to rule it."

"I don't intend anything. But I guess it would be better for me to do it than Loghain."

"Why you and not she who already leads?"

"Good question." I assume he meant Elissa, although now that I think about it, the phrase could just as easily have applied to Anora. Either way, I suspect that the woman in question would do a better job than I would, but I think I'd better keep that to myself.

I could hear some giggling as I stepped into the hall, and saw Morrigan exiting her room. I guess I wasn't too surprised that she was wearing the same clothes as when we first met her in the Wilds, instead of whatever Isolde sent for her to wear. "You clean up decently," she said, sizing me up.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Do not grow accustomed to the phenomenon."

"What's with all the laughter?"

"Leliana is teasing your beloved about how you will react to the sight of her in a dress." She looked back into the room and called, "Prince Charmless is waiting, if you're ready."

"Almost," Elissa called back.

Leliana emerged first, still smirking a little. "Being here makes me feel almost like I'm back in Orlais," she admitted. "This is such a lovely estate."

I chuckled and turned to look at a painting hanging on the wall opposite - a portrait of my grandmother, Moira the Rebel Queen. I think I have her nose. But I was distracted almost immediately by Elissa's voice behind me. "I hope someone warned the cook about the appetites she has to contend with while we're here. Especially mine!"

I turned around to watch her walk out of the room. Well. I didn't know what to expect, but I always think she's beautiful. Always have. Lady Isolde had found a gown in the same shade of blue as Elissa's eyes, so they were brighter than usual. She had washed her hair in the bath, and left it hanging loose down her back instead of braiding it again, and there were coppery lights shining in the brown. She looked every bit the teyrn's daughter; but for the Warden's Oath pendant still hanging round her throat, no one could have imagined her for a warrior, much less such a formidable one.

"Love," she greeted me, "close your mouth before you catch flies."

"Sorry. Just thinking what a lucky man I am." She smiled, evidently pleased, and took the arm I offered her. Morrigan rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. We followed her and Leliana down to the dining hall, where the others had already assembled, and when Elissa and I stepped into the room, the conversation quite simply stopped. Abruptly, they all stood up (except for Shale, who was already standing off to one side), and none of them could stop looking at us for some reason.

I walked Elissa to her place at Eamon's right hand, before taking my own seat opposite her. Dinner itself was uneventful, except that I found myself occasionally missing my mouth with my spoon while I was watching Elissa. After the plates were cleared, Eamon indicated that everyone should rise, and some of his servants came and moved the table and chairs to the edges of the room. "I have a surprise - a gift for all of you," he said, smiling. "I know that the past several months have been full of work and heartache. You have saved many lives, including mine, and at great personal expense. So I took the liberty of arranging an evening of pleasantry for you."

Once the furnishings were moved, a small cluster of musicians filed into the room and settled in a corner with their instruments. "A revel?" Leliana sounded excited. "I don't think I've been to a revel since before I went to Lothering!"

"What sort of music will they play?" Zevran asked. "Do you suppose they might know any of the tunes of Antiva?"

As it turned out, the musicians knew several songs from Antiva, Orlais, and even Orzammar as well as Ferelden, which makes me think that Eamon hired them specifically to cater to the backgrounds of our group. Zevran was thrilled to find out that they could perform something called the mirella.

"I know that one!" said Elissa, and everyone looked at her. "My brother's wife Oriana was from Antiva," she explained, seeing the surprise on our faces. "Whenever we had a revel in Highever, my father employed musicians who knew how to play some Antivan dances. She taught us all to do the mirella."

"Well, then, my fair lady, will you do me the honor?" Zevran bowed low.

"Gladly."

The mirella turned out to be a complicated thing that I don't think I'd ever even attempt. Zevran and Elissa stood side by side, hand in hand but both facing forward, and with every drum beat they made a different step. It was sort of like they were skipping in place, but the skips were a bit odd, and then in between some of the skips there was spinning. I know I'm not describing it very well but I just don't know the words to do it justice. I loved watching her, though. She had a sort of happy glow about her; maybe the whole thing reminded her of good times in Highever.

Leliana begged next for a dance from Orlais, and persuaded Elissa and also Wynne to do it alongside her. What did she call it... the rosenant, or something like that. She tried to get Morrigan to do it too, but Morrigan refused. Shocking, that. Anyway, Leliana was in the middle, so the other two could copy her movements. This dance was slow and involved a lot of sweeping arm movements and delicate posturings. They looked very elegant while they did it. "Usually," said Leliana, "while this is happening, the men who are partnering the women are doing their own half just opposite us. But I do not think any of you know how it would be done, and it has been so long that I doubt my own ability to teach you."

We did some Ferelden dancing, mostly group circle dances. I've never been very good at dancing in the first instance, and Zevran really put me to shame. But I tried. Sten and Oghren chiefly watched; I don't think the players knew any Qunari music, and although they did play a piece Oghren identified as being from Orzammar, he didn't seem to want to dance. "I'd rather watch," he said in a gleefully irreverent voice, his eyes more or less glued to Leliana's hips.

Sten was also watching, but not in the leering way that we've more or less come to expect from Oghren. "Your celebrations are not like ours," he remarked thoughtfully.

"Do you dance, in Par Vollen?" I asked.

"Occasionally. But not like this, with no purpose to the dance at all. This is mere trifling amusement," he said. "Our dancing is done for particular occasions. And the movements all have meaning. I suppose it would be easiest to say that our manner of dancing tells a story."

Wynne chose that moment to pull me away from the conversation. "Can I offer you a suggestion, Alistair?"

"Of course."

"Well, I've been in the world a lot longer than you, you know, so I sometimes observe things that you might miss," she said sweetly. "What I happen to have noticed tonight is that there is a very lovely Grey Warden who I think would be extremely happy if you asked her to dance."

"I'm not good at this, if you haven't noticed. Dancing, I mean."

"You just haven't had as much practice as some - I don't imagine they do a lot of dancing in the Templars." She chuckled. "Probably not in the Grey Wardens, either."

"Considering that Elissa's the first female Warden in Ferelden since I don't know how long? No, not much at all." I had to smile.

"Well, even if you don't do it perfectly, I think she'd like to dance with you all the same. Are there any dances that you know?"

"Um." I scratched my head. "There's that one - where you do a lot of circling, and the partners hold each other by the waists - do you know the one I mean?"

"It's called the marlen, if I remember correctly." She nodded. "I'll ask them to play it, and we'll get Zevran to dance it with Leliana so you're not alone out there."

I was a bit surprised, but Wynne was right. Elissa did look really happy when I asked her to dance with me. "Of course I will."

"I want to apologize in advance if I step on you."

I didn't, amazingly enough. Maybe it's because I was more focused on watching her, looking into her eyes. I just sort of did what she guided me to do (a bit like every other day, really) and it worked. I don't think I've ever seen her look like she did tonight. More beautiful than ever, happier than ever. I really have got to be the luckiest man in the world.