Dragon Age: King in Exile

Part Three

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King Cailan has written Alistair into the succession and is ready to recognize him publicly. Loghain will do almost anything to keep that from happening. The darkspawn give him the perfect opportunity. Alistair/Cousland, featuring F!Tabris.

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Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize from Dragon Age belongs to me.

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A/N: DAO recently celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this week! This was the first game that got me into modern gaming. It taught me how to play dual analog! I watched my husband play through "that game with the blood" until his city elf got dumped at the landsmeet. That was the moment I said to myself "I have to play that game."

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Eight days after the attack on Highever, Alistair and Elissa approached Ostagar. They could see a group coming to meet them, and it didn't take long to realize that Cailan was at the head of it, followed by the royal guards.

"Maker's breath, what has happened?" Cailan asked as soon as they were close enough, disregarding propriety completely. "Where is Teyrn Cousland? And Arl Howe?"

Alistair could see Elissa tense out of the corner of his eye.

"Arl Howe turned traitor and had his men attack the castle while we were sleeping," Alistair explained shortly. "Lord and Lady Cousland are dead." He swallowed thickly. Elissa's mabari nuzzled his leg.

"Maker!" Cailan gasped. "Such treachery…" He turned his head away for a moment. When he turned back, his eyes were hard. "Howe will pay for what he's done," he said. "I assure you, Lady Elissa."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, her voice shaky. "Fergus…"

Cailan looked pained. "I'm afraid your brother is not in camp at the moment. He took some of the Highever men to scout, and may not return until after the initial battle we expect tomorrow."

"Oh," she said softly. Alistair reached over to squeeze her hand.

Cailan gave the two of them a sympathetic look, then motioned for them to follow him into camp. "First things first—we need to get you set up with tents and supplies. The mess is down at the far end of camp," he said, pointing. "You can get a meal there if you wish. There will be a strategy meeting tonight that I would like you both to attend now that you're here, but until then, your time is your own. Once this battle is over, Fergus and I will discuss how to handle the situation." Cailan gave Elissa an earnest look. "Though your betrothal may not be public knowledge, I consider your family my own, Lady Elissa. You will be well taken care of, and this injustice will not stand."

Elissa nodded, unable to form a reply, and they continued on.

Alistair and Elissa waited as Cailan approached a group of guards, instructed two tents to be erected near his own, and spoke hastily to a woman who was clearly not a soldier.

The king turned to them. "This is Mistress Audra. She will look after both of your needs while you remain in camp. I apologize about the accommodations, but, of course we were not expecting you," he said.

Elissa and Alistair looked at each other and shrugged. The tents were quite a bit larger than the ones pitched by the soldiers, and in truth they both felt fortunate to have tents at all. They had spent the last week sleeping exposed to the elements, curled into each other on the cold, hard ground.

"Feel free to wander the camp," Calian continued. He indicated two of his guards. "Ser Royce will be your guard, Lady Elissa, and Ser Morton will guard you, Alistair."

Elissa frowned. "Your Majesty, is that really necessary?"

"Perhaps not," Cailan said with a small shrug, "But they will be at your disposal regardless, at least until they join their company for the battle tomorrow. If there is anything further that you need, please ask Mistress Audra. I will send someone to collect you both in time for the meeting this evening." With a smile he strode off, as he had much to do to prepare for the following day's battle.

Mistress Audra clapped her hands, gaining the pair's attention. "As we speak, I have someone gathering bedrolls for each of you as well as a few basic supplies. If you think of anything further that you need, I'll do my best to procure it for you. Now, his majesty has a bathing tent set up a small distance from the camp. He has given me leave to offer each of you a turn in it."

Elissa produced her first smile since the attack on Highever. "That sounds wonderful, Mistress Audra."

The woman smiled back and turned. "Follow me."

…

Teyrn Loghain's eyes widened, then narrowed at the sight of Alistair and Elissa as they approached the table for the strategy meeting. Loghain turned to Cailan. "What are they doing here? Those two are supposed to be safe in Highever!"

"Had you been around when I was looking for you earlier, you would already know," Cailan scolded gently. "Howe turned traitor and attacked Castle Cousland. My brother and Lady Elissa were the only two to escape. They came to me—as they should have—to bring news of the attack and seek my guidance."

Loghain cleared his throat. "Of course, Your Majesty. My apologies."

Warden Commander Duncan approached Elissa. "I am sorry to hear about your parents, my lady. I knew your father to be an excellent man."

"Thank you, ser," she said, a slight waver in her voice.

Alistair and Elissa paid close attention as the strategy was laid out, but when it was fully explained, Alistair only had one remaining question. "Will Elissa and I be permitted to fight?"

Cailan and Loghain shared a look. Loghain shifted, saying, "Perhaps you could send them to light the beacon. While not a dangerous task, it is certainly a vital one. That way we will not have to rely on the Grey Wardens to do so." He shot Duncan a mistrustful look, which the warden ignored.

"I would still like to send my newest recruit with them, general. She has not had time to train with the rest of the wardens yet."

"If you must," Loghain said grudgingly. "Before the battle, you must instruct all three of them in the signal that they will be waiting for."

"It's settled then!" Cailan said. "Alistair and Elissa will light the beacon, and I will march in the vanguard with the Grey Wardens."

Alistair and Elissa exchanged a look of alarm. Loghain's frown turned thunderous. "You risk too much, Cailan! The darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to play hero on the front lines."

"If that's the case," Cailan countered, "Then perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us after all." He raised a brow, baiting the general.

Loghain's glare intensified, and he turned and stalked off without even a pretense of a goodbye.

"He'll get over it," Cailan said, eyes on the teyrn. "He always does. Now, perhaps you two should go with Duncan so he can instruct you on your task. Alistair," he said, turning to his brother. "Come by my tent once you're done."

Duncan led them over to the grey warden camp, stopping once he reached the bonfire in the middle. "Kallian," he called, and a small brunette elf seemed to melt out of the shadows.

"Commander?" she said coolly, and Duncan introduced them all before beginning to explain their task.

While Alistair and Elissa were annoyed to be kept out of the fighting, neither was willing to outwardly protest. Kallian had no such reservations.

"So you're saying I won't be in the battle?" she cried. "That's bullshit!"

"Kallian," Duncan said warningly, and the elf bowed her head.

She let out a huff. "I'll do whatever you ask of me, Commander," she said, but her voice was grudging.

"Thank you," Duncan replied dryly. "Now why don't the three of you get to know each other before you have to work side by side tomorrow?" He slipped away, the ghost of a smirk on his face.

Kallian looked them up and down, one after the other, and then at the guards who were still tailing them. "So I have to babysit two spoiled nobles?" she asked, looking disgusted as she twirled her daggers.

"Alistair is an incredible fighter," Elissa protested. "The warden commander would have recruited him, but the king asked him not to."

Alistair looked at Elissa in surprise. "Truly?"

She nodded, smiling. "His majesty told my father that. King Cailan was very proud—you know how he respects the Grey Wardens."

"So just one spoiled noble then," Kallian corrected.

"Hey, Elissa is an excellent shot," Alistair argued. "We'll both pull our weight. You'll see."

Kallian rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated curtsy. "As you say, Your Highness." She sighed. "Not that there will be any fighting anyhow." She looked disgruntled at the thought for a moment before focusing back on the two in front of her. "Have either of you fought darkspawn before?" she asked. "If there is fighting, I can't have you two panicking at the first sight of them."

"We haven't," Elissa said, "But I can't imagine killing monsters will be harder than killing people." She reached for Alistair's hand and squeezed it, remembering both how easy and how hard it had been.

"Whatever," Kallian said, tossing a dagger and catching it. "Just be at the mouth of the bridge by the time the battle starts." And she walked away.

Alistair turned to Elissa. "Well, that was a breath of fresh air," he said wryly.

Elissa laughed. "Yeah… tomorrow is going to be interesting. Come on. We should head back to the royal encampment. Cailan wanted to talk to you."

Alistair tensed, and Elissa squeezed his hand. "He's your brother. I'm sure he only wants to know how you are."

He shrugged, giving Elissa a rueful smile, and the two of them walked back in silence. Alistair paused as they reached the tents. "Will you be alright by yourself?" he asked awkwardly. They had hardly been apart since they escaped Highever Castle.

"I'll be fine." She smiled bravely. "I have Kitty with me, after all," she said, indicating her hound laying just outside her tent.

"Have I ever told you how ridiculous of a name that is for a dog? Where's the dignity?" he teased.

Elissa rolled her eyes. "I thought it was a hilarious joke when I was twelve. I'm used to it now. You are too, boy, aren't you?" She turned to the dog, giving him a smile.

The dog gave a long-suffering huff and laid his head down on his paws.

Alistair laughed. "That settles it. I'm calling you Kit. That's a better name, isn't it?"

"We'll see about that," Elissa said, shaking her head. "Now stop stalling and go see your brother."

Alistair was nervous as he approached the king's tent, but he was let inside immediately by the guard and greeted warmly by his brother. Cailan first asked for a more detailed accounting of the attack on Highever. Cailan's expression was grave as he listened, stalking about the large tent in anger at a few points during Alistair's story. Alistair did his best to reign in his grief, but he could see in Cailan's eyes that his brother knew how much this had hurt him.

"I assure you," Cailan said, "Once this is over, Arl Howe will hang and the Couslands will be restored to Highever." He looked Alistair in the eye with a pained expression. "I know that doesn't make up for the loss of Bryce and Eleanor, but it's the least I can do. Is there anything I can do for Lady Elissa?"

Alistair shook his head. "The only thing that will help now is to reunite her with Fergus. And if I could stay nearby…" He paused and blushed.

Cailan grinned. "I see your betrothal is going well! I'm glad. I thought you two would suit."

"We do," Alistair said, and he blushed even harder.

Cailan couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I won't press. But I am happy for you, brother."

They went on to discuss what he'd been learning during his time in Highever, the plans for the spring landsmeet, and anything else that came to mind. Eventually, Cailan stretched and yawned. "Well, you'd better get to bed, Alistair. We are doing battle tomorrow, after all."

Alistair got up, but paused before he left his brother's tent. "Cailan…" He hesitated. "Are you sure you want to be on the front lines tomorrow?"

Cailan's expression turned serious and he took a few steps away. When he spoke, his voice was contemplative. "You never experienced what it was like to grow up under our father's shadow. He was a war hero who freed us from the Orlesians. His legacy is a lot to live up to." He turned back to look at his brother. "When I ascended to the throne, there were many who did not believe I could take his place. I need to solidify my rule, Alistair. I need to be taken seriously."

Alistair was shocked by all he'd heard. "It's been five years! Surely any fears have been laid to rest by now."

Cailan shrugged. "I hear no more murmurs of discontent but for my lack of heir. And yet, I don't feel that my position is as secure as it could be. I need to prove myself. I need to be in the vanguard tomorrow."

"I understand," Alistair said with a sigh. "I just…" He paused. "I don't want to lose you." He began to ramble. "I mean, Elissa's family felt like mine already and they're gone, and you—"

Cailan held up a hand to stop him. "I understand, Alistair. I have every intention of surviving tomorrow's battle. The plan is solid, and I'll be surrounded by the best warriors the wardens have to offer. Everything will be fine." He patted his brother on the back. "Now get some rest."

Alistair headed back to his tent, still feeling unsettled. He changed into a new pair of loose drawstring pants that Mistress Audra had acquired for him, and laid down on his bedroll to try and sleep. No more than a minute or two after he had laid down, he heard a scratching sound just outside his tent.

"Alistair?" came Elissa's whisper.

He moved to open the tent flap. "Elissa! Is something wrong?"

She was blushing slightly in the firelight. "Can I come in?"

He immediately motioned her inside. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

She shook her head, and he put an arm around her. "You can stay if you want."

The relief in her eyes was all the thanks he needed. "Come lay down," he said, and they got into the position they had slept in during their nights on the road. He stroked Elissa's hair and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered, and closed her eyes. She seemed to fall asleep within moments. But Alistair was more awake than ever.

He told himself to relax. This was no different than all of the nights leading up to it. Except it was different. He could feel her body through the thin nightclothes she wore. No armor lay between them anymore. His body was beginning to react to her nearness.

Darkspawn, he thought. Think of darkspawn. No, now he was only thinking of watching Elissa fight. Maker, she was a beautiful sight. He tried again. Grand Cleric Elemena! Yelling about my attitude again. Insufferable old bat. Finally!

He sighed in relief and settled in. He needed to get a good night's rest. They were fighting darkspawn tomorrow after all.

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