And this chapter is why you are one of the best writers out there. You have taken a woman who had begun to believe her own hype, whose sense of entitlement and self-importance were stripping her of her ability to inspire her people and thus command through respect, and humanized her with a few well chosen words and actions. She was in danger of completely losing herself as well as losing any chance at earning respect from her Wardens.

This entire chapter built upon this theme, her self-aggrandizing, with subtle (and not so subtle) words and actions. Sigrun's behavior towards her in the makeshift dining hall shows that work to mend trust are needed but instead of seeing and acting upon it, Aurora only adds to it as she takes what is she feels is her due without permission or thought, and compounds it by chiding Carver and Sigrun about trust when she has yet to establish that very thing with her Wardens.

Clearly she has Carver under her spell but it wasn't evident that any others were. And this is not a slap at Aurora. She has been through so much for someone her age that it's easy to forget she is still very young. And yet older than her years in so many other ways. She has lost sight of herself, it seems and throughout the early part of this chapter, I kept holding my breath, waiting for her carefully constructed arrogance to slap her upside the head.

Her utter belief that she will get whatever she needs because she is the Hero of Ferelden, moreover she is Ferelden (I loved this line) illustrates just how much she has lost of herself.

The porridge scene was the ultimate act of a woman who firmly believes her own immortality, her own strength, and is willing to show the Wardens that they had better respect her because she can even conquer death. This entire scene was mesmerizing and the by-play between Nathaniel and Aurora very, very well done. The consequences were far less than they could have been and demonstrate that she is not only mortal but also still headstrong and sometimes her own worst enemy. Loghain's words were harsh but honest and his disappointment clear. The last words her father spoke to her were heartbreaking and go to who Aurora is and why she is. This little scene was just awesome and deeply profound. It was very humanizing without being heavy-handed or ridiculous. This was nuanced, subtle and very, very powerful.

The scene of her hiding out in her room after Loghain's very honest appraisal was wonderfully done. The notion that GW's are not meannt for solitude and why, her physical discomfort at such and her lack of feelings, her feeling as though she was lacking were beautifully done.

The ending lines were the perfect end to a chapter that I consider one of your best as it reminded me of the very first time I stumbled onto the story and thought: Now this is someone (Aurora) who is at once amazingly adult beyond her years and yet incredibly childish at times. I think I'm going to love her.

Awesome, just awesome.

Well done. Awesome chapter.

"But they couldn't ignore Aurora Cousland's pleas. She was the Hero of Ferelden. Moreover, she was Fereldan. And what she wanted - whether it was repairs to her keep - more farmland - a larger army - more money - she would get." I think this summarizes Aurora very nicely. Come hell or high water, good or ill, she *will* get what she wants. It's the nobility coming out in her, methinks, both to her benefit and detriment.

The "eating contest" and Loghain's chastising of her afterwards may have stung, but in reality, Aurora needed to be put in her place. Who better to do it than the person closest to her (other than Dane, of course, and he can only do so much). Whether she takes to his words or not is yet to be seen. Aurora isn't perfect, nor do I wish her to be, and every once in a while (as much as I love her), she needs a comeuppance.

Loghain is absolutely right: respect is earned, not an entitlement or a right. Aurora's noble birth may entitle her to some things, but the earnest respect of those she commands is NOT one of those entitlements. The more she isolates herself from her Wardens and her duties, the harder and longer it will be for her to earn that respect. Nathaniel, as much as she despises his lineage, should be one of the first ones she should work on. If she can garner his respect even after both of their transgressions, the other Wardens will likely fall in line. I love Nathaniel, prick though he may be. He runs very deep and with just a little guidance, can be one of the best Wardens Aurora will have in her tutelage.

Now if they all could just get past their nasty stubborn streaks...

Carver shirtless? Bring it on! I love me some eye candy.

Well done, icey my dear. :)

I just wanted to say that i adore your writing and this story. You are so talented.

Awww: what a great glimpse of our intrepid heroine. Loved this line: "I am going to pack right now! And find a saddlebag big enough for Dane!"

And this: In truth, the girlish delight at the fashion never waned. Gone were those horrific moments of self-crippling doubt when she stared in the mirror and saw nothing but a tall, dumpy looking girl wrapped in a burial shroud of dusky pink lace. Now she was a svelte woman of the world! This shows that she is slowly coming into herself as a powerful woman, even at this early age.

And that is followed by the harsher realities of society with her growing awareness that she would never be accepted by the Denerim Wives. "Not cruel, at least not outright"...perfect in its honesty and simplicity.

Pouring the tea all over, I could feel the pain and bitterness at how cruel the women were, how humiliating it all was for her.

And bravo for Aurora standing up to Habren. While not perhaps politically correct, it was a damned fine piece of work. As well, a necessary political lesson for a very steamed Aurora, I think. Perhaps the beginnings of the politics that she will need later in her life.

Brilliant interaction between Gene's amazing Rilian and the incomparable Aurora.

A wonderful interlude!

Thank you for this. To bring two characters together from two of my favourite stories is excellent. I'm reading Death and the Maiden also and wondered if the character was the same as the description was perfect for her.

I do hope they meet up again perhaps as they are a good foil and I think possibly someone to keep Aurora on her toes lol.

Thanks for sharing as always hun

Take care

Naomi xxx

Yay! I always love the flashbacks involving teenage Cousland. Ah. . . I'm gonna go play Dragon Age now.

Burn! Aurora's such a delightful shrew, not standing for any of Habren's nonsense! I bet at least Loghain was secretly amused, since her Dad was too busy being a political stick-in-the-mud XP

Second review of the chapter! :) I wanted to say how much I love Aurora and these glimpses of her as a young girl: always different facets that make up this fascinating character. Your greatest triumph is, for me, creating a character whose flaws are deeper and more jagged than emotions and tears. How do you show the human side of someone too brave to cry and too tough to show weakness? By making her endearing, lovable, clumsy, brash, manipulative, charming and a defender! I loved the Denerim Wives: the hideous moment when Aurora spills the tea made me wince...and I shared her joy when she finally found dresses that fit and flattered: "gone were those horrific moments of self-crippling doubt when she stared in the mirror and saw nothing but a tall, dumpy looking girl wrapped in a burial shroud of dusky pink lace". I think we've all been there! Seeing Bryce use The Tone (all Fathers know that one!) and Aurora winding him round her little finger with her luminous grey eyes was adorable. I don't think I've ever seen the Cousland-Bryce relationship so vividly brought to life. And I loved the Aurora-Ril dynamic. There is definitely more than a hint of the early Loghain-Maric, in that Loghain distrusted everything Maric stood for, yet was won over by his persistence and charisma. The best example was Ril being up on her Elvenness over the cost of Aurora's dress (a little hypocritical there, Ril - how many Elves do you think the red silk apron and gold thread would have fed?) and Aurora speaking to her with an unselfconsious, unapologetic teasing that Ril would find infinitely preferable to the kind of bleeding-heart charity dished out by the Chantry. Aurora is an unapologetic blue-blood who wants a spar, and as such treats Ril as an equal without even trying...

Ril lives on the page - it's been my best moment as a writer to see a character of mine take on a life outside the one I gave her...you not only captured her perfectly, you went one better and wrote Ril AS SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN had she been Habren's servant for three years instead of two months. Three years of the horrible little brat has forced Ril to build up that dead-pan wall of nothingness...and the moments where the real Ril shines through, reluctantly: "Rilian's smile hovered between splitting her face and barely lifting the corners of her lips, as if there was some internal battle being waged" really touched me.

Likewise these Interludes are, in some ways, glimpses of the real Aurora. Warden-Commander Aurora has seen her family murdered and been powerless to stop it, been tortured, been forced to swim with the sharks of Celene's court and Weisshaupt. It's no surpise to me that she copes by brittle pride, enormous vanity, a need to remain in control at all times and a belief in her own legend. It's a subtle, very convincing character-study and her flaws - even the shocking death of Delilah Howe and the whipping of Nathaniel - make me like her more, not less. I've seen her trying to recreate the family she has lost by girly moments with Celene and engineering the Leliana-Fergus pairing, and been totally convinced.

Fave moments: anything with Dane! Aurora suffering through the tea "in soggy silence" (lol - I felt for her!)The way you wove in Ril's flight motif with the birds and winged vines. Princess Pointy Ears (I can't believe you worked that in!)Lady Lorna's lunches. Bryce versus Aurora. The Loghain cameo. Gah - far too many to be quoting back at you!

Wonderful chapter. And yay for Nathaniel snark and brinkmanship coming soon!

What a brilliant chapter! It was so interesting to see Aurora as a bored, restless teen, struggling with that awkward period before she completely grew into her looks; in short, before she had a real purpose. She was never going to be a society gossip-any more than Eleanor was. Of course what she did to Habren was going to have repercussions, but to a certain extent the adults would blow it off as childish wrangling. No doubt the Arless told her husband what a spoiled little bullying tyrant Aurora Cousland was, and Leonas assured her that she would grow out of it!

I so liked meeting Rillian in this different context. Now you have me thinking about her and wondering what happened on the day Duncan wasn't there. It's hard to believe that someone as resourceful as Rillian was killed. Did she stay? Did she run? Did she, Maker forbid, get taken by the Tevinters?

Haha I loved the elf and shall check out her story when my phone isnt almost dead. Your updates brighten my long hours on the road. Thanks so much for your brilliance!

Awesome! Thanks for the update!

K9

Excellent!

Haha I loved the elf and shall check out her story when my phone isnt almost dead. Your updates brighten my long hours on the road. Thanks so much for your brilliance!

Interesting new chapter! Young aurora is always surprising me with what she does next. I'm so glad Habren got what was coming to her. And it seems like Aurora has a new friend. :)

What a nice little flashback. "Denerim Wives" - LOL! And it's very satisfying to see Habren getting a taste of her own medicine.

Now will we get to see Aurora and Rilian spar?