Life Endures, A New Generation Will Be Born (pt.1)

With the Archdemon dead, the darkspawn horde quickly crumbled. Most fled back into the Deep Roads. They would remain a threat in the years to come, but the Blight had been ended before it had even truly begun. Ferelden had been saved, and the entire kingdom rose up to joyously greet its new king and queen.

The Grey Wardens stood redeemed, and a new age had begun. But at what cost?"

##########

Denerim

Cheers began erupting throughout the streets of Denerim. Humans, elves, dwarves, mages and templars alike survived the darkspawn horde's onslaught and driven them out of Denerim when word quickly spread that the Archdemon was successfully slain by the Grey Wardens. While a few remained on the streets to finish off darkspawn who were unable to escape, others tended to their injured and fallen comrades while the rest began planning to rebuild what they have lost.

What remained of the coalition's forces sent an inquiry asking what became of the man who made it all possible. Their hero, Lord Aedan Sarim Cousland of Highever, second son of Teyrn Bryce Cousland and de facto leader of the remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden, had taken a few token force with him to combat the Archdemon Urthemiel atop the highest tower of Fort Drakon when one of its wings was severely crippled by Riordan, a Senior Warden from Jader who sacrificed his life to ensure the remaining Wardens had a chance of slaying the beast and ending the Blight before it reached its peak. Those who he had left behind to defend the gates were quick to venture to the fortress to learn what became of him.

When they reached the summit, each of the Warden's companions began searching through the rubble for any remaining survivors. Oghren and Sten found Shale standing over a pile of darkspawn corpses, repeatedly smashing their skulls until they "were liquefied" as she called it. Zevran and Bann Teagan found Wynne wounded but alive. Leliana and the mabari Hohaku found Alistair regaining consciousness and helped to remove rubble and darkspawn from on top of him. While the others searched around endlessly for Morrigan, the witch was seemingly nowhere to be found. Sore and disoriented, Alistair soon managed to get back on his feet with assistance.

"Where is he?" Leliana asked, showing signs of worry. "Where's Aedan?"

Alistair said nothing, only motioning towards the corpse of the slain Archdemon. The hilt of a sword seen embedded in the corrupted Old God's skull had fractured during the explosion, the blade itself nearly shattering when the final blow was struck. Looking past Urthemiel's blackened, broken bones laid about the broken fragments of heavy plate armor, tarnished burnt leather and tattered cloth that all lead up to where he last remembered Aedan to be at. Hohaku began sniffing the ground before tilting his head up to catch a familiar scent in the air hoping that it would point to his master's whereabouts. Hohaku's ears and tail perked up and he immediately let out a barrage of loud barking. As everyone was wondering what all the fuss was about, Hohaku dashed towards a rather large pile of rubble, stone laid upon stone, wood upon wood, and dust upon dust. Instinctively, he began digging. Taking cue of the mabari's instincts, the others began to remove the fallen debris as well.

'Maker's breath, don't you dare die on us now…' Alistair thought as he moved one fallen object after another. Observing to his left, he noticed Leliana was moving at a faster pace – indicating a possible sign of anxiety, stress or whatever else it could be called. All Alistair knew about Leliana's reason was of her sincere affection she has for Aedan. The close friendship two had developed over the course of their journey eventually blossomed into a serious romance. Nobody was more surprised by that fact than Aedan himself. Following what happened at Highever when Arl Howe betrayed and slaughtered most of his family, Aedan had begun to isolate himself from other people and avoided companionship whenever he could but overtime grew quite fond of his companions and thought of them as somewhat of a family, willing to risk his life to save those close to him on several occasions. Eventually Alistair found out his reasons for not wanting to form attachments one night:

("When Highever was lost and most of my family were slaughtered, I made a vow to myself that I would live only for revenge. To exact vengeance on the man responsible for the amount of pain he's forced me to endure every minute of every day. I can't even recall how many times I couldn't sleep because of what he did. I'm not like you, Alistair, nor the others. I know we've all been through so much hardship during the Blight and for a while I thought that by becoming a Grey Warden I could let go of my past and move forward. But in the end, I suppose I just couldn't. That pain will always follow me no matter where I go, no matter what decisions I have to make. That's why I can't permit myself to be close with anyone right now, why I can't risk of losing anyone we grow close to again.")

("Aedan, you're too hard on yourself! You shouldn't have to continue to push yourself just to get the job done nor should you have to carry such a burden by yourself. I know what happened to your family. You told me yourself, remember? It sounded like it was horrible, I understand that. No amount of words would be able to describe how much I won't be able to comprehend what you went through. But you have to understand that there are people here to carry about you, who worry about you.")

("As what is normally expected when one expands their numbers during a war. When a soldier or a farmer assumes that neither will live to see another day, each seeks out the need of comfort and closeness with all around them. It is both a gift as well as a curse.")

("Why are you telling me this?")

("There will be a new beginning waiting for us when this is all over, Alistair. Not just for Ferelden or for the Wardens, but the whole world as well. Each of us have our own paths to follow and mine is one neither of you should follow. This is the weight I carry, the burden of my command. Why everything I do is for the greater good. Perhaps for us all. I hope that someday you will understand.")

But that loner, stoic attitude eventually changed one fateful night.

("You are… our leader, and my friend, and… sometimes I think that m-maybe we could be more than that.")

No matter how much Aedan wanted to resist the desire for companionship, there was something in Leliana that captivated him. The fact that he was a Fereldan noble and she an Orlesian bard did not seem to make such difference to him anymore as the two shared their first kiss that night at camp. Everyone soon began to see a new change in Aedan they hadn't seen before, as he smiled more and became more social, allowing himself a respite.

("I love you, Leliana. And I will follow you to the ends of the earth.")

Alistair gradually shook these thoughts from his mind as he continued to watch Leliana desperately clinging on to hope that Aedan might still be alive underneath, fear being apparent on her face and her lower lip trembling. What came next shocked them. As the last rubble was removed from the pile, Aedan's bloodied body was discovered, covered in deep gashes and bruises.

"No," Alistair heard Leliana quietly whimper. "No, no, no, please no…"

Leliana took one look at her lover and covered her mouth to hold back a sob. Hohaku started whining and started using his snout to slightly nudge Aedan's shoulder and paw at him in a desperate attempt to wake his master, but to no avail. Even a few licks got no reaction from him. By the times their other companions tended to their wounds and came over, they were stunned to see Aedan's condition, followed by sadness that their friend was believed to be dead; he brought them all together and stood by them through thick and thin, never abandoning them and always willing to help them. As much as Alistair wished it was not true, both he and Aedan knew what Riordan said about what their duties as Grey Wardens were and what they were supposed to do in the event should he fail to finish the job.

At that moment, when things looked bleak, Aedan's chest muscles contracted and he suddenly started coughing up blood. All eyes instantly turned to look at Aedan in astonishment. He was alive, but was in bad shape. His chest briefly expanded as everyone around him heard Aedan gurgle, as if he was trying to draw breath.

At that moment, Alistair began shouting in an authoritative, yet desperate and fearful tone. "Someone get us a healer! Hurry! DON'T JUST STAND THERE AND DO NOTHING!"

Redcliffe soldiers began scurrying as quickly as they could, knowing full well that Aedan Cousland was both in critical condition and in need of immediate medical attention. Aedan's eyes began flickering as he faintly heard noises gathering around him. As the light began to slowly fade and darkness crept up on him, the last thing he hears before losing consciousness was a panicked feminine voice that he was so familiar with.

"Hold on, mon chéri. Just hold on. {Voice breaking.} You'll be alright. You'll be alright…!"

##########

Denerim Royal Palace

What remains of the Denerim marketplace and the Royal Palace were temporarily made into makeshift infirmaries to tend to the wounded. The soldiers who found Aedan and Alistair along with the others at Fort Drakon had them relocated to one of the city's designated areas for medical treatment, though they were tasked with handling Aedan with great care. From what they were told, he'd been badly wounded and was losing too much blood. They barely settled him down onto a long table and motioned for Wynne to begin treating him. Specializing as a spirit healer, a mage can focus on restoration spells and use the life energy acquired from benevolent spirits of the Fade to mend flesh and heal disease to bring comrades back from the brink of death.

Seeing Aedan's condition worsening with each passing hour lit a great fire in Wynne's eyes and only heightened her fierce determination to keep him alive.

"His armor must be removed!" Wynne began barking orders at the soldiers. "Use whatever clean cloth or tissue you can find and apply a lot of direct pressure on his wounds to stop the bleeding!" she added as she began channeling her power to begin the healing process. Another mage walked in the room to assist in tending to Aedan's wounds while First Enchanter Irving tended the others.

Alistair found himself stripped of his armor so his injuries could be observed as well. When he was finished, he gently applied a little pressure on his right foot and slowly began to stand up. Leliana sat anxiously on a nearby bench, twiddling her fingers in a circular motion as she would take occasional glances at the room where she feared for her beloved Warden's life. She even tried to sit up, but Sten placed his large hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to remain seated. At that moment, an elven messenger raced over and relayed a message that Arl Eamon Guerrin, Fergus Cousland, and Arl Leonas Bryland asked for Aedan's progress. Queen Anora, whom Alistair was now betrothed to, had also begun asking questions. Found that he was unable to answer, Alistair motioned the servant to leave until he knows more and to ask any visiting dignitaries to remain patient.

Several hours have passed. Alistair, having left to prepare for the upcoming coronation, had been preoccupied looking over reports from numerous captains of casualties, the reconstruction efforts of the city itself and eliminating the last remaining darkspawn who yet linger within. Of all the districts within Denerim, the palace district and the alienage have been inflicted the most damage, yet most people remain confident they can be restored. Shanni, Soris and Cyron along with the city elves have already begun overseeing work towards the alienage while the city guard tended to the marketplace and others impacted during the final battle. No doubt Alistair expected the nobility to begin making demands that their needs be met as well.

All thoughts were soon abruptly halted when Wynne entered the room. Alistair couldn't begin to imagine what the elder mage would say, and prepared to expect the worst.

"How is he?" he asked.

"I won't lie to you, Alistair," she admitted rather exhausted, "Aedan remains in critical condition and unresponsive, even before our allies found him." Wynne closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before resuming. "We've tended to his injuries as best we could, but even I am not sure he will be able to make it through the night."

Alistair's fists clenched as he struggled to maintain composure. Before he could open his mouth to speak further, Leliana came rushing in upon hearing the news.

"What do you mean he might not make it? He'll pull through, won't he?" she asked, her face turned pale.

Wynne sighed. "If only fate would make it so. Believe me when I say that I wish there would at least be a small possibility that he might survive, but it seems the odds are stacked against him, Leliana."

"But he…" Leliana begun panicking before being abruptly interrupted.

"I've done all I can for him. I'm afraid it's in the Maker's hands now whether Aedan lives or dies."

Alistair felt his stomach twist in knots. He desperately hoped Aedan would pull a miracle; after they went through during the Blight, he had come to view his comrade-in-arms as a brother.

'You're the best friend I could ever have asked for, Aedan,' he thought. 'I would be dead if you hadn't saved my life a dozen times over by now. Well, now it's my turn to save you. So don't you even dare think about joining Duncan in the Void just yet… not now.'

##########

Two days have passed, and news of Aedan Cousland's condition remained the same. He laid in one of the two bedrooms and grew weaker each day, constantly being tended to by many Circle mage healers. There are days where he showed signs of improvement, as well as taking a turn for the worse. Leliana insisted upon being present and threatened any who tried to convince her otherwise. She sat at Aedan's bedside ever since they moved him into the room and took it upon herself to tend to her lover, cleaning him, feeding him and make herself useful to change his bandages, barely leaving other than to bathe and relieve herself.

Daylight soon shone through the window and peered into the room, causing Leliana to groggily wake up from her slumber; she couldn't even remember exactly when she fell asleep. Realization set in and she fretted about Aedan's condition, only relenting upon witnessing the slow rise and fall of his chest. Leliana soon brushed aside a few strands of his hair from the front of his face and placed her hand on his cheek.

"I know you probably can't hear me," she said quietly as she began feeling tears starting to sting the corner of her eyes, "but please… come back to me. What we have, what we've built, it kills me to see you like this. I know you wanted only to protect me and wanted nothing else in return, but I beg you: I want you here with me. I love you, Aedan. So don't die… please…"

She didn't remember spacing out after that, but a distinctive hand pressing on her shoulder seemed to snap her out of it.

"So, you're the girl I've heard so much about lately," a masculine voice said.

Leliana jumped and turned to face who it was, but to her astonishment, it was from someone she never thought to meet in person. The man before her stood in clad, shining armor which indicated he is of noble birth, but his facial features were similar to Aedan's as well.

"Fergus Cousland," he introduced. "Aedan's brother."

Leliana's eyes widened at the surprise that the man standing in front of her was a member of Aedan's family, as well as knowing that Fergus is the rightful heir to the Highever and will formally assume the role of Teyrn sometime soon. Quickly drying her eyes, Leliana curtseyed.

"Your Lordship," she bowed, sniffling slightly, "I… I'm sorry for not recognizing you sooner."

Fergus lowered his head slightly. "It's fine. I'm rather used to it…" he said as he slowly walked over to Aedan's bedside. Looking down upon his brother, Fergus felt a pang in his gut as he wasn't hoping for a family reunion of this stature. He never made it to the battle at Ostagar while Aedan underwent the Joining and hasn't heard from him since.

"When I heard that my little brother was not only a Grey Warden, but also leading Ferelden into battle? I was surprised, to put it mildly."

Leliana observed him. "He looked everywhere for you."

"I know," Fergus nodded, "but I doubt he would have. I never made it to the battle at Ostagar; I was scouting with my men before we were ambushed by darkspawn. Most of us were killed, while I woke up in a Chasind hut wounded and feverish."

"Maker," Leliana gasped.

"When I finally able to make it out of the Korcari Wilds, you were already marching on Denerim. I tried to get word to Highever, but I assume Aedan's already told you about it."

Leliana was saddened. She remembered Aedan telling her every detail of what's happened at Highever that led to him becoming a Grey Warden. Betrayed from within by someone you thought you trusted, only to have them take advantage of it and slaughter almost everyone you love… it scarred him emotionally because of it. Leliana had no idea and when she learned, she never felt so shocked and sick. It would've explained that was the reason why he wasn't interested in talking about his past. The pain was unimaginable.

"He did," she admitted. "He told me everything what's happened. I'm sorry, milord. About your parents, about your wife and son…"

Fergus's face immediately expressed great sadness upon hearing Oriana and Oren mentioned. His brought one hand to his mouth before sliding it down to muffle the sound of a muffled exhale. "Yes, I'm… trying not to think too much about them," he said quietly. Fergus turned to look at Aedan before diverting his eyes to Leliana again. His face instantly became dark. "Howe was a greedy, traitorous bastard! I just wished I'd been there to help my brother kill him!"

Leliana was taken aback by Fergus's sudden outburst. Apparently he too was afflicted with nearly the same insurmountable pain as Aedan had. She slowly stepped forward and gripped his shoulder.

"I understand the pain you're going through, Your Lordship," she said, "but revenge will not bring them back. Take at heart knowing that your wife and son will always love you, and will always be a part of you. Accept your failings, your pain and your guilt and move forward. Your family would want you and Aedan to be happy."

Fergus sighed as he began to calm down, "I know. It's just… I miss them so much. I wasn't there when it all happened, but my brother was," he admitted as he returned to Aedan's beside. As he placed one hand on his brother's shoulder, he glanced back at Leliana.

"I envied him, you know?"

Leliana looked confused. "Envied him? Why?"

"As the eldest son of House Cousland, I was groomed to succeed father as the next Teyrn of Highever. Expectations were high for me. But in our… misspent youth, I slacked off and pulled pranks just to get a rise out of our tutors," he began, chuckling as he began reminiscing. "The looks on their faces was priceless!"

Leliana gave a small smile as she listened to Fergus telling his story. In a way, it reminded her of how Alistair acted throughout their journey.

"But Aedan…" he continued, stopping slightly before continuing, "what my brother did, anything our parents and tutors threw at him as they did with me, he made it look… easy. Like it was nothing. Wherever task I had trouble, Aedan surpassed me in every way possible. It was also at the same moment where I heard rumors that he might become Teyrn instead of me. I bitterly came close to conceding defeat, that was superior to me in every way, but my little brother always told me that family is more important to him than 'petty competition that naturally creates sibling rivalry.' We became close ever since."

"Sounds like you two were a handful," Leliana remarked.

"Yeah. We were. Well, mostly me," Fergus laughed. As he turned to leave the room, he stopped midway and asked the big question. "How serious was it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How serious was it between the two of you?" he asked firmly.

Leliana was perplexed as to whether or not to provide details, but because Fergus was her lover's older brother, she felt she had to be straightforward and honest. No hiding secrets.

"When we first met," she begun, "he wanted nothing to do with companionship and always kept to himself, insisting that we focus on the task at hand. I thought that he was… stern, if not considerate. But after what Alistair told me what happened at Highever that led to him becoming a Grey Warden, I realized why he was going through. The fear opening himself to others because there could be a risk of it happening again?"

"That sounds like him," Fergus murmured, "but that still doesn't answer my question."

Leliana felt herself tense up, closing her eyes and delved into deep thought that brought forth pleasant memories of her special moments with Aedan.

("Before the Wardens, before Ostagar, I lost everything. Everyone. I was at my lowest was Highever was overrun by Howe and his deception. But you… all this, what we have, it means more to me than you could possibly know. You saved me, did you know? You helped pick up the shattered remains of who I used to be and put me back together. You are special to me. I love you, my dearest Leli. And I'm forever grateful for everything you've done by being here with me… at my side.")

Leliana opened her eyes and glared at Fergus, a rekindled spirit ignited within her.

"He's done so much for me, even after knowing everything I've done in the past. He's stood by me and even protected me from Marjolaine when she tried to kill me without showing any concerns for his safety. As time passed, I noticed something I haven't felt in quite a long time. I haven't felt this close to anyone since I was forced to flee from Orlais three years ago. When I stepped out of the Lothering cloister, I wasn't sure where I would end up. In the end, the Maker Himself rewarded me for my faith," she added as she glanced to look at Aedan. She smiled. "I found him. What we have together is more than just intimacy. It is understanding, faith, trust… all these values that make us who we are. Aedan didn't care of my personal history, nor did he care I am Orlesian. He accepted me and loves me for me, not where I came from or what I look like. This is where I belong. He is who I belong with. So to answer your question, Your Lordship, yes. What we have is serious. And I won't let anyone tears us apart. Even if it's his own brother."

Fergus glanced at Leliana, studying her over but was unaware of how much devotion and affection made her loyal to his brother. In a way, it reminded of his relationship with Oriana during their first year of courtship.

"I believe you," he eventually relented. "Just understand that Aedan is now the only family I have left. I do not wish for my brother's feelings to be hurt. He's been through so much, more than I have. You'll take care of him for me, won't you?"

"Yes, Your Lordship," she answered.

"Then I leave my little brother in good hands," Fergus smiled and left the room.

Leliana felt proud of herself, yet also mentally berated herself for nearly raising her tone of voice to near accusatory on the man who comes from a very powerful and prestigious noble family. Whatever weight she might have felt on her chest has become lifted as she once again returned her gaze to her sleeping lover, taking pleasure in watching his eyelids flutter for a moment and falling still again as they had done before after their passionate lovemaking sessions. She placed one hand over his and gave a gently squeeze.

'Maker,' she thought amused, 'tout à fait la famille que vous venez de, chère.'

##########

Nearly a week and a half has passed, yet things remained somewhat the same. The date of Alistair and Anora's coronation would take place next month. Leliana remained tending to Aedan's care and still scares others away, but one day she felt sick and briefly left to the nearest privy. It was at that moment that Leliana realized something that could change her life forever.

She went to see a healer to help her with something she refused to discuss in public. When she quietly confessed to feeling increasingly more nauseous and fatigued while at the same time speculating possible hormonal changes, the healer agreed to check on her. Using unused linens and cotton, the healer took a blood sample and brought it to the table for further examination. Enhancing the damp material with magic, the healer asked how long it's been since her last menstrual cycle. Leliana's eyes widened and she gripped the sheets, showing concern at what this could possibly mean. Eventually she confessed to almost two.

As the healer theorized and placed pieces of the puzzle together, it dawned on him as it was linked to one scenario. He told her what this meant and revealed what Leliana had now come to suspect.

She is pregnant.

While her stomach hadn't shown any signs of bump development yet, Leliana immediately felt worry fill her being as she slowly came back to Aedan's room.

"Please, wake up," she pleaded as she steadily placed her hand on his shoulder. "I need you… Now more than ever…"

She needed to tell Aedan. She had to tell him. But what she is afraid of is that he might not wake up so he could know the truth she wanted to reveal in person.