Fic: Happily Ever After
Title: Happily Ever After
Rating: Teen
Characters: Tabris, Zevran
Summary: Two elves reflect on the consequences of putting a Grey Warden on the throne.
Notes: This was originally posted on ff.net. Reposting on my LJ so I stop forgetting I wrote this. =)
Humans and Elves could be friends. Zevran knew that; most of his allies in the Crows had been human, and a select few of those allies could even have passed for friends in poor light. And everyone knew that men could have Elven lovers, if they so desired. But he had never heard of a human loving an elf, or an elf loving a human. It had happened once. If you believed the tales, it was the Elves' love for humans that cost them their immortality. These days, the humans were too arrogant, the Elves too aware of the cost.
Unfortunately, no one seemed to have told Maryn that. Love made people stupid, lust even more so, but a girl from the Alienage should know better. Humans were humans, and that usually meant they were bastards. In Alistair's case, that was true in more than one sense, but Zev had to admit that he hadn't seen this coming.
Alistair falling for Maryn, that had been easy to predict. She was the kind of Elf that was only meant to exist in stories these days and what man didn't love fantasies? And she was young for an Elf, even younger in matters like these, and a bumbling fool like the Templar was endearing enough for a certain kind of girl. And Zev had known, they had all known, that if the choice was placed in her hands, she would put Alistair on the throne. Because he was the only human she really trusted. Because he might actually try to do the right thing once in a blue moon.
Zev had been looking right at Maryn when she announced that Alistair was to be the next king. She'd known then, known even as she said the words, that she was dooming herself. A human might be able to love an Elf. A king, though, a king would have to marry some simpering noble woman and raise pure-blooded heirs. She knew that. Alistair, well, that was another matter. Alistair was impressively dim sometimes and Zev knew that the question of Maryn's place in his new life hadn't even crossed his mind.
And so the Arl had, no doubt, taken Alistair aside after the Landsmeet and explained matters to him. Maryn was a good woman, a good Grey Warden, but she would always be an Elf. Even if she slayed every Archdemon that ever existed, she would still only be an Elf. And kings could not love Elves.
He'd seen all of this coming. But he hadn't predicted just how quickly Alistair would give up on his supposed love. One conversation with an old man and that was it. Maryn was put back in her place and although that was not how Alistair meant it, it was how it was.
None of their allies were Elves; he doubted any of them would realise the full consequences of Maryn's decision until someone told them what Alistair had done. No one would realise how much pain she was in until they saw her again, and that would be too late. Zev found Maryn on one of the balconies, staring out at the city. She wasn't weeping, but her eyes were still red and puffy. He stood next to her, resting his forearms on the stone by hers.
"I am such a fool."
"Everyone should be foolish at least once in their lives," he replied easily. "Falling for a beautiful man at such a time as this? It is not so stupid."
"Falling for a human wasn't my mistake."
"Then what was?"
"Thinking he might actually fight for me." Maryn laughed, a horrible, humourless laugh that had no right coming from her. "But then what sort of man would choose an Elf over a kingdom?"
"The sort of man who deserved you." Zev took one of her hands in his own. "What do you need, my lady?"
"Tell me I did the right thing."
"I think you did the right thing for Ferelden. But the right thing for Ferelden and the right thing for the Elves has never been the same thing."
"Will it always hurt this much?"
"I don't know. I hope not."
Her father had seen this coming, Zev realised. When they'd all shared that meal, just two nights ago, at her father's house, the old Elf had seen this coming. Maybe not this exact set of circumstances, but he'd seen the way Maryn and Alistair acted around each other and he'd known that it would end with his daughter's heart broken. But, again, he'd probably expected the other human nobles to ruin it, not Alistair, or he would've broken Alistair's nose then and there, just like any good father would. Like Zev was sorely tempted to do, but Gods only knew what would happen to an Elf who punched a king.
"Zev?"
"Yes?"
"I know I said you could leave whenever you wanted, but... Would you mind staying until this is done?"
"This sort of adventure doesn't come along every day, you know. I would be disappointed if I didn't get to see how it ended. You, my dearest flower, are going to be part of history. It would be most inconsiderate of you not to share the glory."
Maryn looked exasperated all over again. "Was that a yes?"
"Yes." He reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "We will see this through together."
He could kiss her. Kiss her until she forgot about Alistair, until she stopped feeling his lips and started feeling Zevran's. But it would only last until she remembered again and then she'd be hiding from two of her companions in shame. Zev wanted far more than a single kiss from a woman as rare as this.
So he just stood there, shoulder to shoulder with his lady, and together they waited for the dawn.