When Fate Summons (a Dragon Age fanfiction)

The Party Camp

The following day was the long-awaited celebration of Anawyn's ninth birthday. Thora had restrained herself as much as she could, but given the number of times over the past six months she had feared Anawyn would never see another birthday she couldn't help going overboard just a little bit. So she had organized a large fair, open to the whole city, with traveling minstrels and jugglers and puppeteers and games and contests and all sorts of food.

Thora found Oghren at a food stall, working his way through a gigantic sausage. He smacked her on the back. "I'll say this for ya, Thora—you know how to throw a sodding party!" He swallowed a giant mouthful of sausage in a single gulp and washed it down with a tankard full of ale.

"How goes it, my friend? Has your homecoming been everything you hoped for?" Thora asked.

Oghren chortled. "Felsi's hot as a soddin' volcano. She—"

"That is not what I meant, and you know it. Save the act for someone who doesn't know you as well as I do."

"Aw, Thora." He sighed. "All right. I told 'er what you said to say, that I missed 'er and I like 'er a lot better'n I did Branka."

"And?"

"She laughed. Then she kissed me an' told me never to go away again."

"Sounds like a success, then."

"Soddin' Stone!" Oghren downed another tankard full. "Ya know, sometimes ya know what yer talkin' 'bout, girlie." His pigtailed daughter ran by and Oghren wandered after her, leaving Thora to shake her head. No one else ever called her 'girlie' or even thought about it. For all his eccentricities, she didn't know what she'd do without him.

As the day drew on, the frenetic pace of activity slowed—people began to trickle back to their homes. Shortly there would be a feast for the Grey Wardens and selected guests. Thora spent most of the later hours of the afternoon trying to corral the two girls, who had overdone it on the caramel apples and the rock candy and were rushing around burning off all their sugary energy. In contrast, Duncan's behavior was much more subdued—all he did was challenge every person in armor to a duel with the wooden sword Jens had made for him. Several of them even obliged the little boy, and great was the imaginary carnage dealt by the little Prince with his wooden sword. Thora could see why Alistair thought having sisters would be good for the boy—Anawyn would never let Duncan win even a play duel, but who other than a sister could get away with beating Ferelden's only Prince?

Once the children were all inside the keep being washed and dressed for the feast, Thora took a moment on a garden bench in the twilight to relax. Alistair had been surrounded by guards and citizens all day, a choice they had made together. It was good for the people to see that the King was back amongst them, his same charming self. Still, she looked forward to sitting down next to him at the feast ... and even more to bringing him back to her room again afterward. The previous night might have been chilly outside, but with Alistair in her bed it had been hot as summer.

Thora heard a murmuring sound from not far away—clearly she wasn't the only one enjoying the waning of this crisp fall day. A man's voice followed the murmur. "You've made me the happiest man in Thedas today. I swear to devote the rest of my life to your pleasure." Ser Perth, Thora thought. She should probably move, but she was intensely curious whether he was saying what she thought he was saying. She stayed where she was, listening for Leliana's voice.

"Are you sure this is what you want? You know I have not always been what most men would want. My past—"

"I know everything I need to know about your past. I know you, Leliana." Perth's voice was impatient, but still retained the gentleness that was such a part of him. "We've danced around each other for too long. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I don't want to waste any more time."