The Inquisition requests the honor of your presence to witness the nuptials of

Lady Eleri Therese Catrin Trevelyan, Exalted Inquisitor, Blessed Herald of Andraste, Defender of the Chant, Hero of Haven, Honorary Champion of Ostwick

to

Ser Cullen Stanton Rutherford, Commander of the Inquisition Armies, Knight of Ferelden, Esteemed Member of the Order of the Ashes

Eleri, Cullen,

This is the draft for the announcement. Please respond with your approval promptly. Our guests must receive them with enough time to allow for travel arrangements.

Josephine

Josephine,

Defender of the Chant? Really? What was Cassandra thinking? And we'd both like to know what this Order of the Ashes is. I've never heard of it and Cullen suspects you made it up (sorry). Also (sorry again) he would like to know why we have to list all those "ridiculous" titles.

Elle

Eleri,

The Most Holy was thinking that your heroism must be recognized. She is not unaware that a word from you could have destroyed the Chantry. What would people have thought if Andraste's own Herald proclaimed the Chantry irredeemably lost?

You may inform Cullen that I most certainly did not make up the Order of the Ashes. It is a new order created by King Alistair of Ferelden. There are currently two living members, Cullen and Queen Annalie. The other member is Ser Havard, the knight who escaped Tevinter with Andraste's ashes and built the temple.

In regards to his other inquiry, I am not sure I truly need to respond. It is the proper way and we will do things properly.

Josephine

Josephine,

I know. Trust me, I know. Cullen's annoyed by the attention and being around my mother does not help. AT ALL. He doesn't have any real objection. I reminded him we should just be grateful (and we are) that you are handling this and not her.

We'll be leaving Ostwick the day after tomorrow. I'm close to convincing my brother, Garen, to come stay at Skyhold with us. At least until the templars get reorganized enough for him to be assigned.

Also, we might already be married. A little ceremony with just the two of us before the giant spectacle that will be the event of the age at Skyhold. I promise we'll keep quiet about it.

Elle

"They're here. They're here. They're here," Natalie squealed as she bounced up and down in the window seat. On any normal day, it would be a serious offense, but today her mother only waved her down and told her to hush. Tobi glanced up from his book and grinned with his younger sister. The siblings rarely shared an interest in anything, but this visit excited them both.

Mia wiped her hands on her apron before hanging it up on the hook by the door. She smoothed down her hair and prayed she didn't look too much a mess from the morning's labors. The farm didn't run itself. Caleb was still in the fields. He wouldn't take the morning off, but he had left her with a promise to back in early for dinner. Even with a couple elves to help with the work, they all still had mountains of chores. Her brother had offered her money, but they weren't in such dire circumstances that she would even entertain the idea.

Natalie climbed back into the window. "The horses are so pretty," she reported.

"Are they big?" her brother asked.

"Huge," she confirmed.

Mia went to the door. "Come on." She waved her children over. "Let's go say hello." After dusting off the dirt from Tobi's sleeve and straightening Natalie's sash, she opened the door.

The war horses were just turning down the lane to the house. They were far more magnificent than any of the old nags they'd had around the farm over the years. Sunlight glinted off the bright silver buckles on the tack. And the riders practically glowed in the reflected light of their deceptively simple garments. Mia knew fine needlework when she saw it. Her heart began to flutter.

In letters, it was easy to imagine her little brother as the serious, gangly youth he'd been the last time she saw him. The boy in her memories was completely different from this man who rode with an easy confidence. The bearing of a commander couldn't be mistaken. This wasn't just her obnoxious little brother anymore. This was a true knight, a hero. And the woman smiling beside him was far more than a name repeated in his letters. She was the Inquisitor, the Herald of Andraste. Mia's legs quivered.

She smoothed down her dress and squared her shoulders. If she kept thinking about it, she'd become too nervous to speak. She held on to Natalie's shoulder and directed her forward. "Tobi," she said, "go help Nel with the horses."

Cullen swung his leg over his mount's back and hopped down. He let Tobi take the reins while he went to Elle's side. He held his hand up and raised a brow. She narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she finally said. The irritation in her tone was belayed by her smile. He put his hands around her waist and helped her gently down. From everything in his letters and her playful annoyance, Mia guessed the woman usually jumped down perfectly well on her own.

Nel took the reins of both horses and started toward the barn. Tobi stepped to follow but the elf gave him a shake of the head and he stayed to gawk.

Mia bowed low. "Your Worship," she managed to say.

"Please don't," Elle said. "I'm not here as the Inquisitor. Or the Herald. Just Elle."

Slowly, Mia straightened. "Cullen?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

She rushed forward to embrace him, her once lost brother. "It's so good to see you. I thought you'd never-" She pulled away and wiped away the tears that had come to her eyes. "I'm very happy. Really," she assured.

Cullen stepped back and laced his fingers through Elle's. "Mia," he said with a smile, "I want you to meet my wife."

A/N I want to thank everyone who read, followed, favorited & reviewed. I was really unsure about this fic. Thank you for the little votes of confidence. It has meant a lot!