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Tainted Dreams	By : wyldehart Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 3478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All characters and Dragon Age are property of Bioware/EA. I made no money, sadly.

Chapter List
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Alistair awoke first and pulled himself alongside his sleeping bride. He'd slept with his cheek pressed against her abdomen nearly the whole night since she told him she thought she was pregnant and that had left his neck sore. He rubbed it and stiffly laid his head upon the pillows he'd piled at the headboard over the years. The servant assigned his rooms kept redistributing the pillows across the bed every time she made it but Alistair and Elissa always piled them back up. They were soft against his cheek and Elissa's hair tickled his nose. He folded his arms around her from behind, holding her to him and just content to feel the warmth of her body and smell the spicy scent of her skin.
He was still marveling over her revelation from earlier this morning. She was pregnant. She had to be! If Mattea thought she was, then he had no doubt. Mattea had been running the Theirin household since before Cailan was a glimmer in his mother's eye and she had seen a lot over those many years. She was tough and crusty as stale bread and refused to treat the king and queen any more differently than she treated anyone else. It was for that reason that Alistair loved her. And she had known his family as if she'd been part of it. Mattea was a fountain of information about Maric and Cailan and after her duties were finished, she was always happy to tell him stories about them.
'Who will you be, Little One? A Gray Warden or the next ruler? Or both? I can't wait to meet you… We haven't even met and I already love you. Isn't that something?' He hated getting his hopes up but in the face of so much evidence, he had no doubt that he was right. Elissa, always wise, suggested caution while Alistair just wanted to believe. He'd never wanted anything so badly in his life. He sighed and contentedly nuzzled her neck. This was how they usually awoke. No matter how they fell asleep, Alistair always woke up first so that Elissa could awaken in his arms. This had been their way since long before Alistair became king. It pleased him to know that nothing had changed.
"Mmm… Mornin'…" Elissa muttered softly as she rolled over against him, her arms stretching wide. Her cheek was red and her vivid, red hair was everywhere. Her eyes were gritty with sleep and she had the cutest expression as she smacked her lips. Her husband hugged her close and laid his cheek against her breast. "Good morning, Love. I take it you slept well?" he asked with a smile.
"Mmph. You wore me out. I can't handle that much sex." That got him laughing at the irony of her statement.
"I'll try to be easier on you next time! So, Commander, anything pressing you have to do today?"
She thought about it and finally shook her head. Elissa would have to return to Vigil's Keep eventually but the seneschal there did such a remarkable job running things without her that she could afford to remain at court with her husband. "Oddly enough, I'm free!"
He grinned up at her in morning's early light and was almost bouncing with glee. "Well, I have a few little things on my agenda but nothing urgent. I have a proposal…"
"…Too late. I beat you to the punch…"
"…AH-HEM, My Love! You were stuck marrying me regardless, no matter who proposed first. So, anyway, I suggest we…"
"Oh really? This is news! So you were planning to propose to me? Marriage? All along?" She loved baiting him.
"… take a… What? Of course I was! If we had both survived the Archdemon, had you not told the court you would be my queen during the Landsmeet, I was going to take a more romantic course and do the whole 'on bent knee' and flowers thing, which you ruined in a bid to keep Anora away from me, something I am terribly grateful for. Now, may I finish?"
"Aww. I really wish I'd gotten that. Go ahead and finish while I fantasize about you proposing from one knee. Warden Commander or not, I am still a girl."
"Mmhm. So I've noticed! ANYWAY, I propose we take a day for ourselves after the business with your midwife is done. Just disappear into the Queen's Garden and soak in the spring and relax for the whole day. What do you say?" He raised himself up on one elbow to smile at her as she ran her fingers up his arm.
"Can you do that? Dodge the court, I mean?" Elissa asked, eyes wide, her smile teasing him.
"I'm the king. I can do anything I want to do. Anything, that is, short of defecting and joining a dance troupe."
"Hm! I like the idea. Breakfast first, though. After what you did to me last night, I have a lot of energy to recover!" she laughed.
He opened his eyes wide, snorting with laughter. "Me? What I did to you! Oh ho! What I'm going to do to you, you mean."
"And what's that, my King?" came the coy reply.
He reached over and proceeded to tickle her until she was screaming with laughter. It is whispered among the servants that the Royal Chambers had never been so lively since before the reign of Alistair and Elissa Theirin. As true companions, they laughed, loved and lived more loudly and more happily than the last two monarchies. It was refreshing and also a bit embarrassing at times. Neither one believed in withholding their cries of pleasure and seemed to enjoy being overheard. And you could always hear them laughing. Mattea had long ago given up trying change them.
At court, they were quiet, calculating and they listened to every word they were told. Those who came to air grievances were given as much consideration as those with Darkspawn problems. But as professional as they were, if one watched closely, body language suggested just how close they really were. There was always a secret smile shared, or a small touch of hands or the closeness of their bodies as they listened. Some things Elissa handled and others Alistair dealt with. Because of Elissa's experience with many of the northern nobles, the King relied heavily on her assessment of them and often deferred to her when necessary. He also deferred to her when it was the Warden Commander they needed. It happened often enough that Alistair would sometimes start by asking whom they needed.
Theirs was a partnership forged from love and the timeless bond of blood and friendship. They had saved one another's lives countless times and never took for granted the time given to them. That's not to say they didn't strive for a "cure" to the poison that made them Gray Wardens but they were content in the reality that they only had a short time together and planned to make the most of it. As a couple, it made them stronger. As the ruling couple, it made them a force to be reckoned with. Though many of the nobles disapproved of the close bond between them, none could fault its success.
They entered the kitchen wearing simple attire for the royal couple. She was in one of Alistair's long, blue shirts, loose and un-tucked, a pair of soft breeches and house-shoes and he was in a white linen shirt, unlaced half-way down his torso and tucked into fine, black pants and soft leather boots. She looked like she'd just awakened with disheveled hair and a sleepy grin. He resembled a classic pirate. Behind her, Mattea heard a serving girl sigh as she ogled him. Well, he was handsome, she would grant him that. "Still don't like dining with the court, I see." Mattea clucked as they entered the palace kitchen.
Alistair held Elissa's hand and waited for her to slide onto the stone bench at the small kitchen table before joining her. "We are dodging the Nobles today, my lady. If we show our faces, I'll have to go to work."
Mattea snorted and took two plates loaded with food from the woman working the massive stove. "Eat up. I'm sure you two have something planned. Elissa, have you considered what I suggested, yet?"
"Yes! We would like to see her. Do you know where in the Alienage she lives?" The old woman looked at Elissa and winking, she said. "No need, Child. I've already sent for her. She'll be here soon. So, anymore nightmares?"
Alistair chewed on a big piece of bacon and nodded. After washing it down with some warm milk, he added, "They're nasty. They seem to be the same ones just more intense. The Landsmeet one is particularly foul. It's me being ass to her. I can't imagine ever being that mean to anyone, let alone the woman I love. Darkspawn maybe… Or Morrigian. It was easy being an ass to her… Fun even!"
Mattea raised an eyebrow at the name. It was familiar because it was often the butt of some of Alistair's most snide comments, though she couldn't remember if she'd even met the woman. She shook her head and voiced her opinion while she cleaned. "I rather suspect it has a lot to with the expectations of that day. What Elissa did was unprecedented. She was likely terrified that you or the court would object to her as your queen, Alistair. As fate would have it, she was well-liked and well-received and it helped that you do love her. But those 'what-ifs' linger and have become a demon themselves. Add that to the jumble of mixed emotions caused by her… Condition… And you have a recipe for sleepless nights. How are the eggs?"
"Cheesy! Mattea, you are amazing." Alistair said in between happy bites. Elissa smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "No sauce, Mattea. Thank you. When this is all over, I want that sauce again! I hate that I can't eat it." Mattea looked up from where she was scrubbing a counter and cast a glance over their shoulders. In the door-way stood a frail elf-woman, stooped over and clinging to a twisted staff of iron bark. She had the withered appearance of great age and wisdom, like a wizened tree still clinging to life after many battles with nature. The odd thing about her was her hair. It was as black as midnight and flowed down her back to drag along in her wake. It seemed to be her only vanity as she was otherwise dressed in rags.
Mattea cleared her throat and nodded. "She's here. Ladies! Let's leave the King and his bride for a bit. Enjoy your day off, Your Majesty. You haven't taken one in a long time. We'll have lunch sent to the Queen's Garden around noon and I'll have the Seneschal manage everything – and everyone- for the day." They slowly exited the half-cleaned kitchen through another door on the other side of the windowless room.
"Thank you, Mattea. You are simply amazing." Within moments, they were alone with the elf, a Dalish, the king thought as he jumped up from the bench and offered the Midwife his hand. Elissa rose slowly, shyly to stand beside her husband. "Ah, hello, Healer! Can I…?
The ancient elf waved his hand away as she limped slowly to stand before Elissa. Her gnarled hand reached out and she laid white, twisted fingers on the young woman's belly. She closed her eyes and pursed her thick, wrinkled lips. Power flowed through that hand and revealed things that only the elf understood. For Elissa, there was a tingling sensation and a momentary connection to the healer. Whatever she saw, whatever she felt made her smile slightly. It took only a moment and she then broke off contact. She limped carefully to sit on the bench and exhaled slowly while her patient held her own breath. "With child, yes you are. But danger stalks you. Healthy the life within that is made by two Gray Wardens. Troubled pregnancy to cause the girl great discomfort but problem for new life is it not. Nightmares only beginning."
"I can… do my duties? Fighting if I must? Travel to Amaranthine as necessary?" The old woman raised her sightless eyes to meet those of Elissa. Her expression was unreadable. "Life is strong but Darkspawn sense tainted blood. Harm to mother greater than to life. It's up to you, Monarch, to defend your wife. Do what you must. I must go." The old elf started to push herself back to her feet and faltered, sitting back down.
Elissa gazed at her husband as he softly asked, "How far along is she? How long until we meet the baby?"
The old woman turned her head back in Elissa's direction. "Time has meaning only to those who wait." She scoffed. "Very well. Your wait is some six more waxing and wanings."
'Six months! I'll be a father in six months!' Alistair helped her rise and tried to get her to accept aid back to the Alienage but she waved him off with a careless gesture. "Stop fussing, boy. Appearances weaker than my will." He watched helplessly as she brushed past him and barked at a guard who reached for her hand. Within moments she was gone as if she'd never been. "Well, my lady! We have the news we were waiting for. Are you…?" He turned to take Elissa's hand and hold it but when he looked down at her, he realized she was crying. "My love? Are you alright?"
"It's really true… We did it. I have a new life inside me. How amazing is that? Can you believe it? Two Gray Wardens?" Her eyes wide, tears spilling forth as she drifted toward him. Her hands were clasped over her stomach, holding it in awe.
His voice was a whisper as he pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek against hers. "I never doubted. From the moment I saw your belly, I knew. So! When do we share the news? I think we should tell the Court soon so that they'll stop throwing girls at me."
"You like the attention. Don't pretend you do not," she laughed.
As they linked arms, laughing on their way back down to the wing of the palace where their rooms were, a guard walked up to them. He ignored their underdressed appearance as he snapped off a salute to them both. "Commander, Your Majesty. Greetings. I have been sent to inform you that there is a visitor in the reception hall awaiting the Warden Commander's appearance."
Elissa blinked. "Me? But why ever for?"
"He is Orlesian, Commander, and has come a long way to see you. Will you see him?"
To Be Continued…
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Tainted Dreams