There and Back Again Ch. 087-088

He paled, looking around for someone to speak; no one did for an agonising moment. Sereda exchanged a barely perceptible nod with Kardol, who cleared his throat and fidgeted, drawing attention to himself but not saying anything. Bhelen looked at him, looked back at Sereda, and slumped.

"I would agree to dedicate myself to the Legion of the Dead, to commit to fighting the darkspawn, in an attempt to regain my honour and spare my child from shame by association."

Kardol stood and bowed. "I accept, on behalf of the Legion of the Dead. We will hold your funeral tomorrow, and you will no longer be Prince Bhelen Aeducan, but just Bhelen."

Sereda gestured to the guard. "Take him to the dungeon for the night. The Legion can collect him in the morning."

Kardol inclined his head in acceptance. Murmurs arose at the unusual arrangement; I thought it was only fitting, given how he'd had Sereda jailed before her exile.

Bhelen was hustled out of the Chamber by the guard. He looked back once, almost pleadingly, at Sereda, who finally nodded her head. The tension in his shoulders released, and he followed the guard willingly out.

"Next to the matter of the succession. To avoid future recurrences of the contention we've just experienced, I propose that the succession be recorded in the Memories, and that it need be changed in front of witnesses including the Shaper, the Assembly Steward, and at least three members of this Assembly."

They voted, and it passed unanimously.

"As such, I would like to declare my succession now, with all of you as witnesses."

Bandelore had parchment, a quill and ink, and a small table brought out for the Shaper.

"I declare the unborn child of my brother Bhelen as my heir, whether the child is male or female, until such a time as I have heirs of my own." Faren grinned broadly, and Sereda winked at him before continuing. "I propose a guardianship and regency for the child in the case of my death prior to his eighteenth year comprised of three members: Warden Faren Brosca, the child's uncle, Lord Pyrral Harrowmont, and Steward Bandelore. I also propose his mother, Rica Brosca, be adopted into House Aeducan where she may raise the child with my help."

"You propose we raise the female child of a casteless woman to the nobility? On what precedent?" shouted out one Deshyr.

"My Lords, change must come to Orzammar; whether we die out or progress is entirely up to us. Over the next few weeks and months, I will be bringing many proposals to this Assembly to change the culture by which we have allowed ourselves to decline. I suggest you think very carefully about what it will mean should you deny the changes. Our birth rates are dropping; too many of our warriors die in Provings, never mind those that fall to the darkspawn. Our merchant and smith castes are stifled by lack of trade. We are slowly going extinct. If we do not change, we will die.

"Allowing the child of a casted dwarf, regardless of gender, to assume the caste of either parent is the smallest of those changes that will need to be made. So yes, I propose to allow my niece, if the child is female, to follow me in succession, and her mother to be adopted to raise her properly."

Bandelore banged his staff again to restore order, as people began talking amongst themselves, or shouting out incomprehensible responses. When quiet was restored, Bandelore called for a vote on allowing Sereda's future niece (even though I knew it would be a boy) to be considered an Aeducan.

The vote passed, almost two to one for, but there was a definite hardcore group of dwarves who were against. I was surprised it passed by such a large margin, given how tradition-bound the dwarves always seemed, but Faren pointed out something I'd not considered – a good number of the nobles had children with casteless women, and their daughters were all living in Dust Town with their mothers, if there had been no male children. This would set a precedent for them to be allowed to acknowledge their daughters and mistresses.

The most surprising thing, for me, was that Harrowmont voted in favour. His expression looked like he was sucking on a lemon, but it seemed he took his vow to support Sereda seriously. His cronies looked as surprised as I, but followed his lead; I giggled, imagining that would be an interesting conversation later.

Sereda's succession wishes were recorded in the Memories, and the discussion turned to the Blight. Sereda confirmed Orzammar's commitment to aid against the Blight; she secured Kardol's agreement to send the vast majority of the Legion of the Dead forces, as well as agreeing to send most of the Warrior Caste. She made a motion to have any casteless who wished it to be tested for combat ability, and those who were able to fight would be outfitted and sent as a unit of their own; any who served (or the families of those who died on the surface) would be promoted to a new class Sereda proposed, essentially a lower level or subsidiary of the Warrior Caste. The motion passed easily; I guessed that the nobility were only too happy to get rid of some casteless to die on the surface, and hadn't considered what would happen to all of those people once the Blight was over.

She also easily obtained the approval necessary to commission Caridin to find golems in the Deep Roads and reactivate them, as well as research ways to remove the need for control rods. The dwarves had seemed disappointed at the loss of the Anvil of the Void – and why wouldn't they be? They hadn't seen the consequences – but that disappointment was wiped out at the prospect of finding a golem army some other way.

Shortly thereafter the Assembly was called to a close. I didn't think the Deshyrs could have stood any more revolutionary ideas out of Sereda, so it was probably a good thing. Sereda invited us to a gathering of the nobility at the Palace that evening, and we gratefully accepted.

Chapter Eighty-Eight: *Unexpected

We went back to the estate with just enough time for all us girls to get ready to go out. Gorim came with us, to my surprise; I assumed he would stay with Sereda. Leliana, Solona, and Morrigan had been shopping while the rest of us had been in the Deep Roads, and each had a beautiful silk dress of some sort or another to wear; I had my burgundy and gold one from Denerim that I'd never worn.

The guys all went and bought dressy clothes while the girls got ready. We all congregated in my room, as it was the largest. It took both Leli and Solona to get me in my gown, but I had to admit it was worth it. Once on, with the laces done up and corset in place, it looked amazing. I spun, admiring myself in the full length mirror Mistress Leta procured from somewhere. I had cleavage, a narrow waist, flaring hips...the sleeves emphasized my muscular arms (muscles! Who'd have thought the fat business consultant would ever have muscles?) and left my pale shoulders bare.

Solona's dress was elegant, a green silk that looked lovely with her blonde hair and milky, freckled skin; Morrigan's was tight-fitting and black, showing a lot of cleavage, but less than her usual robes. Leliana's was a lovely royal blue, in a similar style to mine. Both the bard and I had significantly less cleavage than either Solona or Morrigan, so rather than flaunting it, we were faking it. But it worked, and there couldn't have been a more attractive group of women for miles.

Leli then spent forever messing with my long, curly brown hair. She piled it on top of my head in a complicated knot, with tendrils and curls escaping to frame my face. Sitting still for long enough was driving me crazy, but again, worth it in the end. She then artfully applied some makeup – kohl around my eyes, some rouge overtop of some sort of foundation, and a light powder to hide the sheen. The other girls did their own hair and makeup, and looked beautiful. I wondered what Anders would think of the pale, ethereal Solona – I was sure they'd never dressed up like that in the tower.

Finally ready, we filed out of the room and headed to the Dining Room. All the men were there waiting, as well as Caridin and Shale who had elected to stay in the Estate while they planned their foray back into the Deep Roads. I followed Leli through the doorway, and she stepped aside, revealing me to the room. Aedan smiled broadly, looking proud, and winked at me; Zev whistled, making me blush. Alistair appeared thunderstruck; he stood up, mouth agape and speechless as he stared at me.

He looked good; in a black doublet with burgundy and gold piping to match my dress over dark trousers, his muscles bulged against the fabric, and his hazel eyes shone. He'd had his hair cut, and had shaved; I noticed vaguely that all the men had, but really only had eyes for Alistair. I walked up to him, and he instinctively reached out for my hand; I laced my fingers with his and just waited for the shock to wear off. I was blushing at the attention, and could feel everyone's eyes on us, waiting to see what Alistair would do.

He tried to speak a couple of times, but eventually just leaned forward, tilted my chin up with his free hand, and kissed me. The kiss deepened as he pulled me closer, his hand slipping behind my neck to hold me in place while his tongue swept through my mouth, leaving me breathless. When he released me, I heard the cheering and catcalls I'd blocked out during the kiss, and blushed again.

Leliana tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to look at her; she examined my hair briefly, and then my face, especially my kiss-swollen lips. "I knew you didn't need lip colour."

I laughed nervously, while Alistair cleared his throat, blushing awkwardly. Finally he offered me his arm, and I took it gladly. When I turned, Anders was staring at Solona with an expression twisted with both disbelief and torment, while she pointedly ignored him. My heart ached for them both.

Everyone finally ready, we set off to the Royal Palace. "You look amazing," Alistair whispered, and I blushed again.

"You clean up pretty good yourself. Makes me want to skip the party altogether."

He looked down at me, eyes darkening with desire. "I will if you will."

"I'm pretty sure Sereda would kill us."

He huffed in annoyance, and I giggled.

We arrived at the Palace and were announced; Duncan entered first, and the rest of us trailed in after. The Palace was somewhat like the rest of Orzammar – stone walls, stone floor, stone ceiling – but was considerably more ornate than the rest of the city. There were elegant tapestries decorating the walls, some depicting various scenes from dwarven history, others just beautiful abstract patterns. The floor was covered in places with mosaic tile, and the ceiling had elaborate designs in what looked like gold filigree.

Sereda greeted us as we entered, wearing a beautiful gold and white gown and her crown; she looked lovely, and serene. Getting things sorted out and back into the Palace obviously agreed with her. She took Duncan's arm and dragged him around to meet everyone, while the rest of us spread out into the crowd.

There were a lot of nobles present, several of which I recognised from the Assembly, and some who I didn't; many of them greeted us warmly, but a noticeable minority sniffed and turned away, rudely ignoring us. Almost all of them treated Faren as if he didn't exist; I was offended, but he seemed to find it amusing. Gorim muttered names to Aedan – I tuned them out, knowing I'd never remember later anyway. Kardol was there – Sereda had confronted the Shaperate about the temple in Bownammar, and they would apparently reinstate the Legion as a noble house.

Some of the dwarven men kept shooting salacious looks at Morrigan, Leli, and Solona; those that looked too hard at me suffered Alistair's glare, and soon ceased. Leli used it, making rounds, laughing and flirting, every bit the bard; Morrigan returned every gaze with a frosty glare, while Solona just ignored it and stood aloof and alone.

Wine was being served on trays by servants dressed in uniform; I helped myself to a glass. It wasn't as good as the Antivan wine Zevran found for me in Denerim, but it was acceptable. Alistair grabbed himself a mug of ale from a bartender standing near a keg in one corner. It was nice – weird, but nice – to be able to just relax and enjoy ourselves for a night. There was a formal dinner for us and a few of Sereda's most noticeable supporters; she'd obviously warned the kitchens about Grey Warden appetites, and there was enough even for my ravenous group of friends. Despite being hungry, I was only able to eat a little before my dress felt too uncomfortably tight to continue.

Faren introduced us to a very pregnant Rica, who wore a simple silk dress and tried to stay hidden for the most part. She appeared flustered and nervous, not used to noble company in such large numbers, and returned to her chambers after only a few minutes. Faren escorted her, taking the opportunity to catch up.

After dinner there was a dance and more schmoozing. Alistair and I twirled inexpertly around the dance floor, laughing and giggling to ourselves, and then watched as the others took turns dancing with Solona and Leli. Sereda claimed Gorim for one dance, and it was obvious that every dwarven eye was on them the entire time. She looked blissful in his embrace; he just looked uncomfortable. The gossip around the room certainly wasn't very supportive, though there were a vocal few who didn't think it was anyone's business who the Queen danced with – or slept with, for that matter.

After a while, the group of us found ourselves mostly alone in a side chamber where we could relax and chat, away from the music and judging eyes. There were a few chairs, claimed by Duncan and the other girls. Alistair stood with his back against the wall, his arms around my waist as I leaned back against his chest. Leli was the last to join us, trying to detach herself from a visibly drunk dwarf who was a little too handsy. Once she arrived, and our group was alone in the room, Alistair walked us over to the middle of the room before clearing his throat. Everyone stopped chatting to look at him expectantly.

"I know that you all know how I feel about Sierra," he began, putting his hand up to stop anyone from commenting, "and no, Oghren, I am not going to discuss what I do with her legs, so just drop it now," I choked, wondering when they'd had that discussion, "and I tell Sierra all the time how much I love her. However, I think it's maybe time that everyone knows, and I want to make it official before I mess it all up again."

Everyone chuckled, and he blushed.

He took my hands, and knelt in front of me, leaving me suddenly breathless, unable to move or speak, completely stunned. "Sierra, you are the best thing that has or will ever happen to me. Even with all the death, and fighting, and tragedy, you found me, and made me into a better person. You forgave me my mistakes, when I clearly didn't deserve it. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't want to have to imagine that, not ever. So I was...I mean, I'm sort of hoping..."

He took a deep breath and let go of one of my hands, reaching into a hidden pocket in his doublet. When he brought it back out, he held a gold ring, with a small diamond solitaire in the centre of a setting that looked like a rose. "Sierra, will you marry me?"

I stood there for another moment, too shocked to respond. I had truly never expected to get married; growing up, all I saw were broken homes with broken children, and those who were still together were miserable. I'd never even wanted that, love, marriage, babies, the whole bit – not until I met Alistair. Since we'd gotten together, I'd allowed myself to feel hopeful for the future, but never really stopped to think about what that future would look like. Marriage? Where would we live? Would we have babies? Looking at him, gorgeous face upturned, serious expression turning nervous, biting his lip anxiously, I realised that none of that mattered. Where he was, was home, and I would gladly do anything just to have him be mine forever.

With a sob, I threw myself into his arms. He scooped me up, getting up from the floor in one smooth move; I had my arms around his neck, clinging like I'd never let go.

"I assume the lady agrees, yes?" Zevran commented drily, and everyone chuckled.

I continued to cling to Alistair's neck, but loosened my grip enough to come face-to-face. We pressed our foreheads together as tears streamed down my face; I mentally cursed the kohl-liner Leliana had applied around my eyes, as I was sure it was probably running down my face. "Yes." I kissed him, feeling his arms tighten around me briefly. "Yes, yes, yes." I punctuated each acceptance with a kiss. My tears stopped flowing, and he slowly lowered my feet to the floor; I still clung to him, face pressed into his chest, breathing in his scent – the scent of safety, of love, of home. Finally he took my hand, sliding the ring onto the appropriate finger on my left hand. It was a perfect fit, and looked absolutely gorgeous.

"I wanted to get a bigger diamond, but Leli talked me out of it," he whispered.

"It's perfect. Bigger would have been very impractical, not to mention gaudy. I should have guessed Leli was involved." I grinned, and Alistair returned my giddy smile. "I love you. I can't believe you pulled this off without me knowing!"

"It was meant to be a surprise." He kissed me gently. "I love you, my future wife. Wow, that sounds sort of...Wife. Wiiife. Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to."

I giggled and pulled him in for another kiss. When I finally looked up, everyone was smiling at us; Duncan's and Aedan's eyes were suspiciously bright, and Leliana and Solona had each shed a couple of tears. Anders' jaw was clenched, looking jealous and forlorn; I couldn't bring myself to be sorry for him at that moment.

Aedan pulled me away from Alistair – my betrothed, and how weird is that – to grab me in a bear hug. He then turned to Alistair, holding out his hand; the men grasped forearms. Aedan pulled him closer in an awkward man-hug, and I heard him whisper, "You hurt her and I'll end you."

Alistair replied, "I know. And I'll hold you to that."

I rolled my eyes and punched both of their shoulders in exasperation. "I'm standing right here, you know!"

Aedan grinned at me and stuck out his tongue; the three of us broke up laughing.

We were both hugged by the rest of the group – well, except Sten, of course, who just nodded his head gravely, and Morrigan, who wouldn't initiate a hug, especially with Alistair, for anything. And Oghren, who was in a drunken sleep under the table, again.

When Anders hugged me, he apologised for his envy; I didn't hold it against him. I could understand. Poor Bel blushed so hard and stuttered so badly when he tried to congratulate us that I ended up rescuing him with a hug.

Sereda joined us briefly, wishing us well; she spent a couple of minutes talking quietly in the corner with Gorim. I couldn't hear what was said, but it wasn't good. He just kept shaking his head, and she got more and more agitated until she finally broke out in tears. He reached up and stroked her cheek gently, wiping away the tears, and then finally turned and walked away, hunched over like he had gained fifty years in ten minutes.

My happy night, my happy ending, wasn't going to be happy for everyone, it seemed.

Shortly thereafter Alistair and I excused ourselves; we got a lot of knowing glances and winks as we left, but I didn't care. Everyone knew what we were going to be doing all night, and I couldn't find it in me to be bothered by that at all.

Offering me his arm, Alistair walked me back to the estate; if I hadn't been holding on, I was sure I could have floated there on my own personal cloud. Mistress Leta was waiting up in the dining room; when we walked through the door, she demanded, "Well?"