##########

Now that Aedan was back on his feet, there was now the matter of attending the Landsmeet. With both Alistair and Anora coronated as co-monarchs of Ferelden, he has begun receiving a royal summons to attend. Even with several bandages remaining around his forehead, forearms and left cheek in addition to almost wobbly legs, Aedan dressed into formal clothing as one would normally expect from a member of the noble House Cousland. He wore his family's traditional clothing: a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt with golden embroidery and a pendant once more containing the green laurel sigil and dark violet pants.

Several royal guards were waiting for him outside his quarters, along with Leliana. Together they helped him on the walk to the Royal Palace. When the doors were pushed open, inside were several noticeable dignitaries from across the Bannorn like Arl Eamon, Bann Teagan, Fergus Cousland, Arl Bryland, Bann Alfstanna and Bann Sighard as well as the rest of their remaining companions: Shale, Wynne, Oghren, Zevran, Sten, and Aedan's canine Hohaku, with the exception of Morrigan who mysteriously disappeared after the final battle.

Alistair, now crowned King of Ferelden, stood in the center of the throne with Queen Anora and Eamon standing beside him. He cleared his throat and clapped loudly, silencing the commotion as all eyes turned towards their monarchs.

"My friends," he began addressing the nobility, "we are gathered to celebrate those responsible for our victory. Of those who stood against the darkspawn siege at Denerim, there is one in particular who deserves… commendation."

Alistair motioned at Aedan to step forward. As he made his way up the steps, Aedan curtseyed and knelt before his new king.

"The one who led the final charge against the Archdemon remains with us still, an inspiration to all he saved that day. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Lord Aedan Sarim Cousland, the Hero of Ferelden and the first Grey Warden to defeat the Blight since Garahel four centuries ago."

Applause and cheers followed suit. Aedan's ears were busy adjusting to the loud volume, and his eyes caught the sight of Leliana and Fergus, who were seen smiling and clapping in the distance.

'Sometimes I can't tell whether they're actually proud of me or simply adding to the commotion just to annoy me,' he shrugged.

The king and queen motioned for their hero to rise as things began settling down once more.

"My friend," Alistair continued as he patted Aedan's shoulder proudly, "it is hard to imagine how you could have aided Ferelden more. I think it only appropriate that I return the favor. Is there any boon that you might request of Ferelden's king? If it is within my power, I will grant it."

At first, Aedan considered not wanting a reward for what's happened. As an ardent royalist, he would not have even begun to think of what desires to ask of the royal court. He was content with what he had, but he soon realized that there may be something he might ask for after all.

"Your Majesty," he begun, "a man whose duty is to ensure the well-being of his country out faith, trust and loyalty, the desire to protect those precious to him, has relatively little to ask for. But if you will have me, I only wish to continue serving the crown… a task which all sons and daughters of Ferelden have always done since the era of your ancestor, King Calenhad Theirin the Great."

Alistair nodded in acknowledgement. "Then I hereby appoint you Chancellor, to serve as my advisor in the years to come."

A murmur of appreciation rippled through the Landsmeet and the people accepted the appointment with cheers and appreciation. Aedan also heard Alistair quietly mutter, "Maker knows I'll need it."

The crowd soon fell silent again as Alistair cleared his throat, his expression becoming serious once more.

"Let it also be known that the arling of Amarnthine, once the land of Arl Rendon Howe, is now granted to the Grey Wardens. There they can rebuild, following the example of those who went before them."

'There's some justice in that I think,' Aedan thought, noticing that his brother Fergus was probably thinking the same thing. A man who betrayed his father Teyrn Bryce Cousland, seized lands and titles that were not his as well as siding with a traitor and regicide during the civil war who showed no remorse or regrets for his actions, it's funny how karma comes around. Now the Howe family had their lands and titles stripped from them, reducing them to mere commoners and pariahs.

Alistair bowed his head a moment, the nobility followed suit as they gave their thanks to the Wardens who fell at Ostagar and those who survived to save them. Once the ceremony was over, the feast could now begin. The king, however, pulled Aedan aside.

"What are your plans?" he asked. "I assume that, as Chancellor, you'll be remaining here in Denerim?"

Aedan nodded. "Believe it or not, Alistair, but I think you'll be needing my help for quite some time. Until you're sure you can handle this on your own."

"Well, I didn't want to come right out and say it…" he shrugged, "but I'm relieved you'll be nearby. There's also a group of Fereldan citizens waiting outside to get a look at their hero. I suggest you make at least a brief appearance before they storm the gate. {Chuckles.} Just tell the guard at the door when you're ready."

"Well, we wouldn't that to happen now, would we?" Aedan joked.

The two men laughed at such possibilities. They soon quieted down and the facial expressions showed how exhausted they've become.

"So we made it," Alistair exhaled. "I'm impressed, aren't you?"

"We all had a role to play. None of it would have been possible if not for everyone's contribution, though I must admit it did involve some arm-twisting."

"The odds were completely against one of us actually getting to the Archdemon… but of course you would make it. I knew you would. I just don't understand how you're still alive. I guess Riordan was wrong?"

'Of course he would ask as well,' Aedan dryly thought to himself. 'But perhaps he too deserves the right to know.' He looked at Alistair and shook his head. "It was Morrigan. Her magic saved me."

Alistair raised an eyebrow, confused as to how it was actually possible. "I had no idea. I suppose that makes sense. Speaking of Morrigan, do you know where she went? I'm told she vanished right after the battle. No goodbyes or anything."

"She didn't want to be followed," Aedan answered.

"Very dramatic," Alistair said sarcastically. "I don't imagine she'd be easy to find if she didn't want to be." His question answered, Alistair brought up another related topic. "The rest of the Grey Wardens from Orlais have already sent… questions. Questions how you managed to survive slaying the Archdemon. What should I tell them?"

"That a maleficar saved me and then ran off?" he quietly replied, his tone harsh. "I'm not sure any of us would want that. Or Morrigan, even."

Alistair relented, sighing. "I know. I suppose I'll just keep that to myself. I can shrug and look stupid. It's a talent. At any rate, I can see Arl Eamon giving me that look. More king stuff, I suppose. It can never wait."

"Nothing is ever easy," Aedan insisted.

"I suppose nothing ever is. And, if I don't get the chance some other time… thanks."

"For what?"

"For everything. I'm king now… and that means things will change. I guess we'll see in due time. I'll let you get to your adoring public. They want to see the hero of Ferelden, and who am I to keep them waiting?"

Aedan nodded and Alistair left to speak with Eamon. No doubt others of the nobility requested his attention as well, but perhaps Aedan wasn't expecting Queen Anora herself to speak to him as well. They hardly saw eye-to-eye most of the time when he broke her out of Howe's estate, the way she sold him out to Ser Cauthrien and fled, and when he personally carried out the execution of her father Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir despite her pleas… Still, Anora remains queen and Aedan showed every ounce of courtesy as he could muster.

"Allow me to offer you my personal congratulations, Warden," Queen Anora said. "I must admit that while I did not share my father's pessimism regarding the Grey Wardens, I had my doubts that such a small number of you could be victorious. Yet here you are."

Aedan looked at Anora, folded his arms and spoke, "We are the only ones who can slay Archdemons, Your Majesty. Without the Grey Wardens, the Blight would have swallowed the world. Without us, there would be no more Thedas left to defend. Whatever Loghain's reasons about our order were, he was wrong. Though I suppose all that matters is that in the end, despite our small numbers against what seemed to be impossible odds, we were lucky."

"The Maker smiles upon you, or so they are saying. Luck and destiny are two branches off the same tree," Anora seemed to agree. "Tell me something," she asked, gesturing to Alistair. "Is Alistair always… like that?"

Aedan turned to look back at Alistair, who is seen chatting with Arl Eamon. He had known him to be a gullible buffoon when they first met and Aedan had to rather firm and harsh with him after the disastrous encounter with Goldanna. Though he meant well, Aedan needed to groom Alistair to take himself more seriously and allow himself to become more serious and independent without anyone holding his hand or make decisions for him.

"There can be moments where Alistair seems to share a certain… similar personality traits like his brother Cailan, he is still a good man."

"And he may yet be a good king," Anora admitted. "To be honest, he has surprised me with his eagerness. Still, his jokes… if one can call them that… are already giving me headaches."

'You think they're giving you headaches now,' Aedan mused, 'just try enduring that for almost a year!'

"Ah, well," Anora sighed. "His heart is in the right place. In that he reminds me of Cailan, which is no failing. Now I see Arl Eamon gesturing to me. There is more work to be done. I must take my leave of you, I fear."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"Enjoy the rest of the celebration, Warden. I shall speak to you again before the day is done."

##########

Now that his one-to-one conversation with the King and Queen of Ferelden is over, Aedan had garnered more free time on his hands although custom demanded a nobleman of his stature to mingle with the nobles gathered at the Landsmeet.

Eamon apparently got his attention and waved Aedan over. Of course Aedan was more than happy to see to one his strongest allies who helped him made deposing Loghain possible, out of both political and personal reasons of his own.

"It is over," the Arl of Redcliffe said, still taking it all in. "I can barely believe it. You stopped the civil war and then defeated the Blight. On behalf of Ferelden, allow me to thank you. It truly cannot be said enough."

"It's all part of the job description when comes to being a Grey Warden, my lord," Aedan chuckled. "Fighting darkspawn, stopping Blights, saving the world… it's what we do best."

Arl Eamon laughed at the young lord being able to be himself for the first time. "So I'm learning. It's good that you're staying here in the capital. The hero of Ferelden will have influence, and there is much to be done. Myself, I will be returning to Redcliffe. There is much to rebuild there… and since you are to be Chancellor, there is no need for me to remain. Connor seems well enough, but Isolde… she does not wish to go back. I may yet leave the land to Teagan, in fact."

"I suppose I can understand why, given what's happened," Aedan replied. The memories of the undead assault on Redcliffe still remains fresh on their minds. But Eamon seemed to want to forget the nightmares of the past, and allowed himself to be a husband and a father publicly.

"I… cannot thank you enough for saving them. They are the joy of my existence."

"You're quite welcome. It's good to know that we could save them, and not lose anyone…" The way Eamon talked about his wife Isolde and their son Connor, it reminded Aedan of the bond he had with his own family.

"Tell me…" Eamon continued, "have you noticed anything… strange about the lad? He seems… quiet."

"Considering what he's been through?" he answered. "I imagine that Connor must still have some recollection of what transpired back at Redcliffe when we first arrived, and it could be possible that it's a subject he does not wish to bring up let alone discuss. Such a traumatic experience for a boy his age shouldn't have gone through it…"

"Ahhh, you are no doubt correct. It is my imagination, I am sure," Eamon determined. "But here I am rambling on. I shall let you get back to your celebration, Warden. Enjoy it while you can."

Aedan nodded and bowed respectfully to Arl Eamon before venturing into the crowds once more. He also had a brief chat with Arl Bryland, where he told him that Bryce would have been very proud of him for what he's done. Aedan accepted his words kindly. He served as a squire under Arl Bryland when he was sent to the arling of South Reach at four years old and made quite an achievement for himself during the next five years. When his training was over, Bryland sent him back to Highever with a letter of praise to the teyrn, expressing how he was most pleased with the boy.

As he continued eyeing the crowd, he noticed Fergus talking with Bann Sighard and other lords of bannorn. Aedan hadn't spoken to his brother since the day he left Highever with most of their father's soldiers to fight at Ostagar before that devastating night which still haunts him. Still, Fergus was the only other family member of House Cousland he has left. Slowly he made his way towards him, and Fergus seemed to have noticed his approach and waved off the other lords still wishing to have a moment with their new teyrn. The two brothers embraced each other in one big hug, and sat down.

"Father…" Fergus mentioned proudly, "he would have been so proud of you. I know I am. You've done good."

Aedan seemed rather somber as it brought forth painful memories of their parents. "What happened to you, Fergus?"

"I never made it to the battle at Ostagar," he began explaining, repeating the story he told Leliana several nights before. "We were still scouting in the Korcari Wilds when we were attacked by a party of darkspawn. Most of my men were killed. I woke up two weeks later in a Chasind hut, wounded and feverish. By the time I was able to sneak out of the Wilds, you were already marching to Denerim. I tried to get word to Highever. Though… I suppose you already knew what happened there already."

"I know," Aedan answered in a split second. "I was there. I've seen the devastation of Howe's treachery firsthand. All of those innocent people… {Sigh.} Father, mother, Oriana, Oren… there's not another day that goes day by when I still can't believe they're all gone…"

Fergus sadly nodded. "Yes, I'm… trying not to think too much about them. At least Amaranthine now belongs to the Grey Wardens. There's some justice in that, I think."

"All we can do now is to let go. For real, this time. As a wise woman once told me, 'accept your failings, but do not let them govern your life.' The time to do so is now."

"You're right. I need to go back to Highever and see if I can clean up the mess Howe made of it. I will see you soon, I hope?"

"Of course you will, brother," Aedan said. "If I can get away that is."

"Good," Fergus smiled. "Highever won't be the same without… everyone around. Take care of yourself, you hear? Or I'll find you and nag you like mother did until you're ready to tear out your hair."

Aedan shrugged at Fergus.

'Don't even say such things!' he mentally rebuffed.

He soon left Fergus's side to mingle once more, though out of the corner of his right eye Aedan noticed Leliana waiving him over while one hand remained on her stomach. The sight of his Orlesian lover and their unborn child brought a smile to his face, more as of lately since the mere imagination of starting a family with the woman he adores so greatly was more than he could possibly comprehend.

Aedan embraced Leliana, giving her a warm hug, one she gave in return.

"So here we are," she said. "The conquering hero has won the day, and now he takes his bow and exits the stage. A fine ending."

Aedan raised an eyebrow and smirked as he pulled Leliana close, his hands at her waist and placing the other on her stomach. "Ah, but doesn't the hero get his girl? I'm sure most authors would include such a happy ending in their stories, after all."

"Yes," Leliana laughed. "Yes, he most certainly does."

He nodded in amusement and leaned in to give Leliana a kiss.

"You know, I can't help now but think of my vision. The Maker sent me to help you, and look what you did. It's a miracle; it truly is."

"Whatever it might have been," Aedan answered, "I couldn't have imagined a better ending than this right here. Such rare moments like these are hard to come by, wouldn't you say?"

Leliana nodded, resting her head on Aedan's shoulder. "I agree, ma chérie. It's like one of those fairytales Lady Cecilie would recite to me when I was a little girl. Only this time, it's really happening. With the violence over, we can finally look forward to what is soon to come. All three of us."

Leliana added as she begun rubbing her slightly swelling belly.

'The three of us… it is as it should be,' Aedan lost himself in dream. His thoughts were soon interrupted as he felt Leliana shift against him.

"I won't lie when I say I felt afraid during that dreadful moment," she continued. "When we saw the explosion at Fort Drakon, when we heard of your… condition, I'd never felt so afraid for you. And the moment when you awakened, it was like coming out of a dream. Sometimes the Maker is kind."

"And sometimes fate is often mistaken for luck, but I digress." Aedan corrected. "With so much devastation, there will be a reconstruction and relief effort to major cities that suffered under the Blight. That will take time. But for now, I'll be busy devoting my time entirely to you."

Leliana hugged Aedan, taking in his scent as he continued talking.

"You know, given everything that's happened between us, I think back to how we first met at Lothering… and here we are. A Fereldan noble and an Orlesian bard, traveling across Ferelden making friends along the way while standing united against a common foe. And you are the woman I love, as well as the mother of our child. How did that happen, I wonder? Know that no matter what happens next, or whatever fate has in store, Je serai toujours à vos côtés."

"Aedan…" Leliana said softly. Touched by such devotion, as well as the promise of wanting to take care of her and their child was a lot to take it, one she accepted gladly. "So…" she purred as she looked up at him, her accent being more noticeable, "if I heard right, you'll be staying here in Denerim. As it so happens, my plan is to do exactly the same thing."

"I was hoping you'd say that, Leli," Aedan added. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you, after all."

"Glad we worked that out, then," Leliana giggled as she planted a kiss on Aedan's cheek. "At any rate, I should let you get back to your celebration before someone drags you away. I look forward to seeing you again afterwards."

"As do I, Leli," he murmured. Before taking his leave, Aedan leaned forward to whisper in Leliana's ear. "Also, be sure to meet me at my estate within the city tonight. I have… a surprise for you."

"Oooh, what is it?" she asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Now, now, pretty thing, if I told you then it wouldn't be a secret now, will it?"

Leliana rolled her eyes and nodded, as Aedan went to mingle with the crowd some more before eventually being led out by some of the guards. But what was now whispered into her ear has her more curious about what her lover has in store for her? What could it be? And might it have something to do with their unborn child?

A/N: By far the longest one I've written… bah! The celebration, mingling with the nobility, and an intimate moment between two lovers with the promise of a new tomorrow. But what is the surprise our hero has in store for Leliana? Wait until the next chapter to find out. Until then, keep sending me feedback and what you'd like to see next and thank you again for your support.

Translation(s): "Je serai toujours à vos côtés." = "I will always stand with you."