This is the sequel to my story Seeing Clearly. Dragon Age and its characters do not belong to me, but Delia and the others who have sprung out of my own imagination use its universe. I hope you enjoy this new journey! Please feel free to review!

Chapter 1: A New Reign Begins

The days following the coronation of King Alistair and Queen Delia were busy ones at the palace. Denerim needed many repairs and every able bodied person worked diligently to renovate damaged buildings and restore the city walls. It was fascinating to watch as humans worked alongside elves and dwarves as stone walls were rebuilt and debris cleared. Mages also helped by casting rejuvenation spells on those who tired and healing anyone who was injured during the work. A new respect between the people was built during the restoration process with strong bonds forged through mutual experience.

Trent and Zevran were given the responsibility for palace security. With Trent's experience as commander of Bann Loren's soldiers he easily took command of the palace guard. Zevran worked toward the personal security of the king and queen and started to build alliances with trusted supporters both within the palace and throughout the city. His contacts would collect information of all sorts, and Zevran would determine if anything posed a threat to his friends.

Oghren was given the rank of Captain and placed in charge of the company of palace guards who were responsible for the interior security of the palace. Trent put him in that command to be certain that his daughter and son in law would be carefully guarded by only the best men under command of someone completely trustworthy.

As Trent, Zevran and Oghren worked together to ensure the palace security, Wynne was organizing the magical needs of the palace. Even though she promised to remain at the palace until after Delia's baby was born, she wanted to be certain that there would be a trustworthy mage on site to care for her friends after she left. To that end, she asked First Enchanter Irving of the Circle of Magi if one of her students would be allowed to stay at the palace to care for the royal couple. Irving agreed readily. He had a great deal of respect for the king and queen as well as each of their friends who fought the Blight, however he also had a more personal reason for agreeing to her request. Kinnon, one of Wynne's most promising students, had been ill at ease at the Circle, and Irving felt it would be in the best interest of the young man if he had an opportunity to experience life beyond their protected existence.

Alistair and Aeden spent most of their days helping with the rebuilding of the city along with Sten and Shale. The fact that the king would work alongside his people, even though he would be surrounded by guards, made a huge impact on the citizens' morale. There didn't seem to be any job too menial for the king to perform, and his good humor as he worked helped to prevent complaints or disputes among the masses. It seemed that the new king could do nothing wrong in the eyes of his people, and they started to refer to him as "The People's King" as their respect for him grew by leaps and bounds.

Delia tried hard to deal with the loneliness that the rebuilding brought to her personally. Even Dairren and Leliana were busily trying to organize the palace's library, but wouldn't allow her to do much of anything in her "delicate condition". She tried to sit at a table and divide books into stacks by topic, but inevitably the baby would kick or the chair would become uncomfortable, so after a while she started to simply borrow books to read. There were quite a few Orlesian romance novels, and although they weren't particularly scholarly, they were a diversion from the boredom of her days.

After several weeks, Sten decided it was time for him to return to Seheran. Although they were all sorry to see him leave, they knew the Qunari warrior needed to complete the mission assigned to him by the arishok. Although Sten wished to leave without any sort of fanfare, Alistair arranged for a small send-off party the night before his ship departed for their friends. They didn't know if the group would ever be together again, and when Sten finally boarded the ship for Seheran even the stoic Qunari seemed to show his own feelings of loss via the frown on his face.

Aeden and Alistair needed to contact the Grey Wardens and decided to send a messenger to the wardens who were waiting in Orlais. They used the information given to them by Riordan as well as information found among his personal belongings after his death to determine where to look for them. It took several months before they finally received a visit from the Orlesian Wardens. By that time, the city life had started to return to something similar to normal. Merchants were hawking their wares in the market district and people were able to go about their normal daily chores for the most part. There were still repairs being done, and a complete rebuilding initiative had started in the alienage once the humans of the city realized how horrible the conditions actually were in the section.

It was a very hot day, and Alistair and Delia were busy holding court in the Great Hall. Most of what they had to work through were petty disputes, easily dispatched without taking much time, and Delia wondered why she was even in attendance. She had to wear dresses that were suitable for someone of her station, and with the heat and especially being as far along into the pregnancy as she was she was extremely uncomfortable. A servant made certain she had cool water to drink and they tried to fan the queen to provide as much comfort as possible.

After a particularly frustrating adjudication, Alistair called for the next case.

The Crier opened the doors as he announced, "The Warden Commander of Orlais, Gerod Caron, and his second, Elyon Andras."

In walked the two wardens. Their eyes showed some agitation as they scanned the personnel surrounding the royal couple. Immediately they focused on Aeden, but seemed puzzled as they approached Alistair.

"Greetings, Your Majesties. I am Warden Commander Gerod, and this is Warden Elyon. We were delighted to receive your invitation to Denerim. The men of our order were most pleased when we… felt the demise of the archdemon, and we are glad to see how well you and your people have recovered. The recovery from the Blight seems to be progressing quite quickly, faster than we expected."

The Warden Commander bowed deeply in front of the royals, flashing a sultry smile at Delia. Delia immediately reached out with her talent and found that although he was clearly there on Grey Warden business, the man had no decorum when it came to women. Inwardly she laughed – Zevran had been very good at training her to deal with such a lecherous man. She couldn't wait to watch how Leliana would torment him – the entertainment certainly had only begun!

"Well met, Gerod and Elyon. Indeed, the Maker himself has smiled on Ferelden and we are blessed to see the land recovering so well from the taint. I trust you had no difficulty on your journey?" Alistair also had noticed the man's roving eye and was trying to abate his anger.

Gerod smiled, keeping his eyes on the two women. "No troubles at all, my liege." He looked at the king and then Aeden before continuing. "It is rather amazing that you were able to defeat the archdemon with as few wardens as you had. Tell me, does Riordan live?"

Aeden shook his head. "No, Riordan died after falling from the archdemon's back. He was able to destroy the dragon's wing in the process, grounding the beast so we could more easily fight it."

Gerod's eyes narrowed. "Then who took the killing blow? Wasn't there another warden with you?"

Aeden was suspicious of the warden, but decided to be honest. "There was… is a third warden. King Alistair was the warden who took the killing blow."

"King Alistair?" Elyon was shocked. "But I feel…"

"Hush, Elyon. Do not speak out of turn." Gerod's gaze went to his second in an unspoken warning. Turning again to Aeden he asked, "I believe we must have a meeting among Grey Wardens alone. Do you have any proof that you, King Alistair, are indeed a Grey Warden? It is… unusual to have… royalty among our order."

"Ye-es, I believe we have a copy of Commander Duncan's Joining Record among Riordan's personal effects. I will have one of the servants show you to your quarters and we can meet after dinner in my study. I'm certain your men would appreciate a warm bath and an opportunity to relax after your travels." Alistair summoned Seamus, the palace Head of Staff, to his side and asked that he personally see to the wardens' needs.

As the servant bowed to his king, he looked at the wardens. "If you sers would follow me, please." Seamus turned and walked toward a side door. The wardens bowed to the king and queen, Gerod's eyes again passing over Delia in an ungentlemanly fashion. As Gerod and Elyon turned to follow Seamus, the Warden Commander had the audacity to wink at the queen. Delia didn't give the man any response, but once he was out of the room and the door closed she couldn't help herself but to look at Leliana and burst out laughing.

"My, my, but that man seems to think he is something special, doesn't he?" She laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes.

Leliana also seemed to feel the same way about the man. "Yes, he is quite taken with himself. Perhaps I should keep an eye out for him. I'm afraid he could try to cause trouble while he's here."

Alistair frowned. "How can a man rise to such a position and yet be so bold to attempt to flirt with the queen of Ferelden, especially when her husband is sitting right next to her? Does he really expect it would go unnoticed?"

Delia put her hand on top of her husband's. "He is Orlesian, Alistair. They do live in a very different political arena and his emperor and empress are known to have their dalliances. He simply has to learn the hard way that I am not Orlesian and am most dedicated to my king and that our marriage is not simply a matter of politics. I believe he has conveniently forgotten the mistrust that exists between Ferelden and Orlais. Very few women here will fall for his… charms."

"Well, I don't have to like it… or him for that matter." He looked at the door where the warden had exited and his eyes flashed with annoyance. "At least we're done with this business for the day. Why don't we go to our quarters and I'll try to help you be more comfortable, my love." He stood and held his hand to her.

They walked hand in hand back to their rooms. On the way, Alistair spoke to Dougal, the head servant for the royal wing, and asked for a bath to be drawn in their chambers. The man immediately set to work, and before long the bath was ready and Alistair and Delia were alone.

They bathed, feeling much better after removing the sweat from their bodies, and dressed in simpler clothes for the evening. It was a relief to Delia to be in the soft linen dress after the heavy court attire she was forced to wear that afternoon. Alistair had also changed to a pair of linen breeches and a soft linen tunic. The two had some rare time alone before dinner, and Alistair decided to take her to the garden where they could sit quietly under a tree and feel a bit cooler.

They walked out to the garden, Alistair with his arm around his wife's waist, and sat on their favorite bench under a willow tree. The roses were barely still in bloom, and Alistair picked one for Delia, earning a smile and a kiss from his love.

"You know, I still have the first rose you gave to me," she said to him as she leaned against his strong chest. "You were so adorably shy back then."

He pulled her close as he chuckled into her ear. "I'd like to think that I was irresistible." He kissed her cheek and nuzzled into her hair, smelling her familiar scent of roses and lavender.

"That you are, my love, so I had best be careful to keep any other women far away from you. I don't want to share." Her arms held his arms tighter around her.

"There are other women? I had no idea…" he teased. "You capture my attention in such a way that I can hardly see anything else."

Delia moved her hand to his cheek. "That's only because I'm as large as a great bear."

"You have never been more beautiful. I can't wait until little Duncan is finally born and we can be a proper family." He turned his head and kissed her hand. His mood darkened as thoughts of their visitors entered his mind. "Might I ask you something? What do you think of the Orlesian wardens?"

Delia thought for a moment. "I believe they are here on warden business only. There is nothing that I could 'see' that would show that they are Orlesian pawns. Gerod is rightfully confused because he cannot sense the taint in you. I believe that is what he wishes to speak to you about tonight."

Alistair frowned again. "And what about his behavior toward you? Do I have to worry?"

Delia turned to face him and kissed him warmly. "You have nothing to fear as far as I am concerned. He wouldn't dare to be too forward with me, as he could cause huge problems for the cause of a Grey Warden presence in Ferelden. He may flirt and be obnoxious, but I can handle him. Maker knows that I've had enough practice between Zevran and Teagan as well as other students back in Antiva."

Alistair looked surprised. "Wait… what? Others at your school? I don't believe you've ever mentioned any other men flirting with you in the past…"

Delia put her hands on each side of his face. "We've never really talked about anyone from Antiva because there was only flirting, and it was always one sided coming toward me. I was never interested in anyone but you, Alistair. You, my love, have nothing to worry about. You will always hold my heart."

As he pulled her into a hug he nuzzled her hair again, breathing in her comforting scent. "Good to know. I love you with all my heart as well. I suppose we'll just have to see what Gerod has to say later."

"In the meanwhile, Alistair, let's just enjoy having this time. Maker knows I've had little opportunity to see you during the daylight." She snuggled into his chest. "I've missed having much time for us. We had more time together while we were facing the Blight."

He sighed sadly. "You're right. You know what? I will speak to Teagan and have him put time into my schedule for my family. I need time for you, and when Duncan is born he'll need my time as well. Would you like that?"

She looked into his eyes, his loving gaze as sincere as ever, and she smiled again. "You know I would love that. I can never spend enough time with you."

"Then it's settled." He kissed her gently, but expressively. "I'll speak to Teagan at dinner."

They spent the remaining part of the afternoon simply being together, smelling the roses. Delia couldn't remember any time quite as perfect as she felt her husband's embrace and his warm breath. She was truly a very lucky woman and she would never take what she had for granted. This man, her husband, would be a fantastic father to their child, she just knew it. She couldn't have asked for a better man, a better life, and she was more than grateful.