With the Inquisitor leaving for Emprise Du Lion the following day, Josephine had called one last meeting of the war council to go over the plans for their upcoming trip to the Winter Palace.

Fae had woken early and presumed she'd be the first to arrive in the War Room to claim a few moments of relative quiet. No such luck; Cullen was already there, reading reports. He glanced up when she entered and nodded politely to her, and she nodded back, taking her usual place. "Morning."

A few uncomfortably silent minutes passed. "Sister Leliana tells me you've been able to identify the keys used in the Winter Palace," Cullen finally said, not looking up from his papers.

"I have."

"Well done."

"Thank you." Fae fussed with the buttons on her sleeve. "It's funny," she said after a few moments. "Leliana used to tell me stories about the Orlesian court. Thought it sounded beautiful, like a fairytale. The big dresses, the food, the dancing."

Cullen chuckled despite himself. "I find the thought of Leliana telling fairytales an odd image."

"…Yes, well, you didn't know her back then."

"We did meet, technically," Cullen corrected her, albeit reluctantly. "She was with the Hero of Ferelden at Kinloch Hold."

"Oh. Right."

A few more minutes passed in silence, broken only by Josephine's court heels clacking on the stone floor. "Good morning," she smiled. "I believe the others are on their way."

Vivienne arrived next, followed by Ellethir, and lastly Leliana, who was intently reading a letter even as she navigated around the war table to her usual place.

"Anything interesting, Leliana?" Ellethir asked.

"My apologies, Inquisitor," Leliana replied, rolling the letter up neatly. "I have received good news, and I thought it was worth sharing it here, given its significance to Ferelden. King Alistair has announced his engagement to be married."

"What?" Fae exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up. "To who?"

"Lady Elissa Cousland," Vivienne said approvingly.

"A Cousland?" Cullen sounded equally surprised. "I thought the Cousland line had ended."

"You have spent too long in Kirkwall, Commander. The Cousland line still endures, even after what they've been through."

"What happened to them?" Ellethir asked.

Cullen hesitated. "It's a sad tale."

"Indeed," Leliana agreed, passing the letter to Ellethir. "But perhaps one that will have a happy ending after all. In the early days of the Fifth Blight, Teyrn Bryce Cousland was commanded to marshal his forces to aid the king's army at Ostagar," she explained. "He called together both his forces in Highever, and those of Amaranthine, their ancestral neighbour which was ruled by Arl Howe."

"Arl Howe. I remember that name," Fae said darkly. " He was the one who ordered the Purge on my alienage during the Blight."

Ellethir paled. "Your alienage was Purged? I'm so sorry, Fae."

"Arl Howe was responsible for a great deal of anguish," Leliana nodded solemnly. "Cousland and Howe were to ride out together, but when Howe arrived, he told Cousland that his forces had been delayed and were still a few days' ride behind them. So, Cousland sent his son and heir, Fergus, to lead the Highever militia and ride ahead that night, while he would wait with Arl Howe for the Amaranthine militia, and ride out with them. But Arl Howe had lied. He had indeed brought at least some of his men with him, and had them hidden nearby. On his order, they attacked Castle Cousland in the middle of the night. It was a massacre."

"By the Creators…"

"Both the Teyrn and the Teyrna were killed, as well as Fergus' wife and their young son. No one was spared, but Fergus' younger sister Elissa, and one of the Couslands' sworn knights, Ser Gilmore, managed to fight their way out and escape. At the time, nobody knew that they had survived. They stayed in hiding until the end of the Blight- they even went in disguise to the Landsmeet, can you believe it?"

"It sounds very romantic, a young noblewoman on the run with her dashing knight?" Josephine was captivated.

Vivienne smiled back coyly. "Many others thought the same- Ser Gilmore is from a minor noble family, but after what they'd survived together, many thought they would marry- the Couslands are already at the top of the noble hierarchy in Ferelden, aside from royalty, so marrying down would not be unexpected. But they never did."

Leliana cracked a smile. "And then, a few years ago, King Alistair wrote to me to ask if I knew Elissa Cousland well. And whether she liked roses."

"What about Fergus?" Cullen frowned. "Did he survive Ostagar?"

Leliana nodded. "He did. Fergus and his men had been sent on a scouting operation in the Korcari Wilds. By the time they returned, the battle was already underway, and Loghain's forces had already abandoned the field. Fergus was wounded in battle, but he was found by a passing Chasind huntsman. They took him back to their tribe on the outskirts of the Wilds, and he managed to recuperate, although their camping ground itself didn't survive the Blight; the corruption spread from Ostagar quickly, so the tribe remained on the move until news arrived that it was over. Both Fergus and Elissa had believed the other was dead—the surprise reunion at King Alistair's coronation was…very touching. That's where I met her myself. And Fergus, now Teryn Cousland, returned to Highever to begin rebuilding what had been lost, while Elissa decided to stay at court."

"And now we know why," Josephine sighed. "She fell in love."

"And the feeling was mutual; King Alistair sent me a letter while he and the Inquisition were both in Redcliffe- it seems Elissa already wanted to marry, but he had refused."

"No!" Josephine gasped. "Why?"

Leliana glanced at Fae, who returned the look with one of confusion. "Grey Wardens cannot sire or bear children. Unless that changes, Alistair remains without a clear line of succession. As his closest living relative-titled relative, that is, Bann Teagan Guerrin is his heir apparent, but Teagan himself has no children as yet."

Fae thought of Morrigan's baby- that must be what Leliana's look had been about. She remembered Morrigan telling her plainly on the way to the docks that Alistair was the father of her child. But, come to think of it, she distinctly remembered that Morrigan and Alistair hadn't got along well at all. And, unlike then, she knew now how children came to be. And if Alistair couldn't sire a child… Hmm. She made a mental note to question Leliana about this later. She was missing something.

"What changed the king's mind?" Ellethir asked.

Leliana held up the letter again. "This official announcement implies that Neria may have finally have found the cure she's been searching for- or she knows it's only a matter of time, and has informed Alistair as much."

Fae gasped. "She's done it? Really?"

Leliana's expression sobered instantly. "It would be wise to keep our hopes in check, given the enormity of what that could mean for the Wardens, and we cannot allow any talk of Warden business to leave this room. The news of a royal engagement will spread more quickly than wildfire, however, so I thought it prudent to explain the circumstances to the Inquisitor in full."

"I appreciate it, Leliana." Ellethir stood up a little straighter. "My only news is that Madame Bertin is currently modifying the underside of my ballgown's skirt to include pockets in which I can hide the keys- the halla statuettes Fae has identified. All of our spies and scouts in the Winter Palace will swipe as many as they can spare without arousing suspicion to send our way. The more we have, the better our chance of finding leverage we can use."

"If we take too many, it will be noticed," Cullen warned.

"And your dress will only be able to hold a certain number of them," Vivienne added.

Ellethir mussed the back of her hair. "That is true…"

Josephine's quill tapped her clipboard. "We must also go over what will happen on the day, one last time. We will depart with our retinue in the morning and travel through Emprise Du Lion to Halamshiral, where Comte Pierre has generously offered us the use of his estate to prepare ourselves. We will then be taking coaches loaned to us by Grand Duke Gaspard from Comte Pierre's estate to the Winter Palace itself, arriving at precisely eight o'clock in the evening. We will be presented to the Empress sometime within the first hour, after which we are free to mingle. However, as good manners dictate, we must all return to the ballroom at least once an hour, after the Chantry bells are rung. At midnight, the Empress will give a final address, and then withdraw for the official negotiations, leaving guests to either make their departure or retreat to their apartments in the guest wing for the night. We will have rooms allocated for our use."

"Very good. Then the only topic we have yet to cover is Emprise Du Lion," Leliana folded her arms.
"Are you prepared for tomorrow's crossing, Inquisitor?"

"I believe so, although the reports of the Venatori presence is concerning, especially in conjunction with red lyrium sightings. And more Rifts."

"My latest reports say that it's spreading," Cullen confirmed. "We must figure out how it's spreading, and how to halt it, but we don't have much time to work with. Being able to safely reach Halamshiral will be the least of our problems if the situation in Sahrnia is worse than we fear."

"Well, on that happy note," Fae said tiredly. "Meeting adjourned?"

Ellethir nodded. "I'd say so. I will see you all again soon, with any luck."