I always say this but I do have to say sorry for the length of time between chapters. My naughty muse decided to go play somewhere else for a while, then came back with the idea of another story so have been exploring that as well. If you are interested, 'All that Glisters' is up on FF now :)

But happily, here is Chapter 22, the calm before the storm ;)

Huge *hugs* and thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my story, it humbles me to know you do and I appreciate it. Thank you also to the reviewers who make my day!

A shout out to the Cheeky Monkeys who make me laugh on a daily basis - you all rock!

Last but not least there are my zany, lovely and wouldn't-want-to-be-without beta's: Jinx1983 and Bonkzy. I love you guys and thank you! *HUGS*

Right I shall stop wittering now and let you read ;)

Chapter 22

Lyssa came aware slowly, her mind a little foggy from a deep and comfortable sleep. She could feel an unaccustomed weight on her chest and a slight soreness in her lower body. She fumbled at her chest to see what the heaviness was and gasped in pain as her hand came into contact with a breast. Only it couldn't be hers. The pain brought her fully awake and she looked down.

"Holy Maker," she breathed.

"Ah, you are awake!" Alistair said from a chair by the fire. He had a huge smile which she couldn't help returning and she held out her hand to him. He came to the bed, carefully sitting beside her. "I see you noticed," he said with a teasing grin.

She looked down again and shook her head, "I think these belong to someone else!" she declared. She pulled her sleeping shirt away and gasped again, "Oh, crap! They are mine."

"Anders said it's normal so don't worry, you are just umm... well, ready to feed the babies."

"This is normal?" Lyssa asked in shock, still staring at her engorged chest. "Please tell me they don't stay like that!"

"Would that be so bad? You look very fruitful."

"If you are comparing them to watermelons, I may have to hurt you," Lyssa said.

"You are always threatening that, but have yet to do so," Alistair said smugly then yelped as Lyssa pinched his arm.

"I believe I have two children to meet," she said sweetly, then winced again, "and apparently feed."

Alistair pouted cutely, but kissed her forehead and left the room.

He returned with Anders, each holding a precious bundle and she felt her heart contract at the sight of them.

Rosa bustled in after them and beamed at Lyssa, "Good morning, Your Highness, I expect that you are about fit to burst after almost a day of sleeping, so lets get that attended to." She glared at the two men who had the grace to look a little ashamed.

Lyssa could feel the soreness more in her nether regions now as she moved and she wasn't even going to think about how her chest felt. She felt sorry for cows if this is what they felt like all the time. Rosa helped her attend to the most basic of needs and led her back to bed again.

In the time it had taken, the bedlinen had been changed and an alarming number of pillows had appeared. Lyssa blinked.

"It will make sense once we have you settled," Rosa smiled.

In short order, the efficient midwife had Lyssa settled, supported by a nest of pillows and Anders brought his bundle to Lyssa.

"Your son, Your Highness," he said simply, carefully settling the little boy into her waiting arms. His little face was screwed up intently and he was just starting to fuss.

She looked up at Rosa helplessly.

"Don't worry, you're not hurting him. He's just hungry,"

"Are you sure? I'm not holding him too tightly am I? He's so tiny," she said anxiously.

"You're doing fine. But I would suggest feeding him soon, otherwise he might just show you how strong his lungs are," Rosa reassured her.

Lyssa tugged at the laces of her sleeping shirt with one hand and bared a breast. Rosa showed her how to hold the little boy while putting him to her nipple. At first he didn't show much interest and was making little whimpering noises and Lyssa looked anxious again. "I think I'm doing it wrong!" she said.

She could hear her daughter starting to fuss from Alistair's arms and started to feel overwhelmed. She looked down at her son and was startled to see she was starting to leak milk to the sound of his soft cries. She tried again, this time to her relief, he found her nipple and latched on. An expression of complete amazement crossed her face and Alistair laughed and came to sit on the bed with their daughter.

"What does it feel like?" Alistair asked curiously.

"It... HURTS!" she said suddenly.

Rosa smiled in sympathy. "It does do the first few times, it can continue to be so, but there are things we can use to ease the discomfort. There is also the option of a wet-nurse..." Rosa said but was interrupted by Lyssa's fierce "No!".

"I will endure whatever I need to, for them," she said, looking down at one of her miracles, his little face scrunched up, eyes closed and suckling for dear life.

Their daughter's whimpers were increasing steadily in volume and Alistair was rocking her slightly. She wondered suddenly how he had become so comfortable with the babies. Then she'd realised what Rosa had said.

"I was asleep for a whole day?" she asked.

"Yes, the healing I had to do plus everything you went through... I'm a little surprised you were only asleep for a day," Anders said. She found it oddly amusing that as bold and flirty as Anders could be, he was the complete professional right now and had been since her labour had started. Come to think of it, he had been oddly subdued for a little while now and she reminded herself to ask him about it.

All thought went out of her head as her son released the nipple which sent a sharp pain through her. Maker, she'd had no idea about most of this, believing she would still have enough time to learn. She smiled ruefully to herself, best laid plans.

"Has he had enough?" she asked worriedly.

"I think so, they won't feed for long at first but it will likely be frequent," Rosa answered. She showed Lyssa how to support the tiny boy and rub his back and she giggled as a very tiny burp issued from him.

"He takes after you already, Alistair," She teased.

"Hey!" he replied and laughed. As their daughter started to wail in earnest, he winced. "Are you ready for the next yet?"

"I think so, she sounds hungry!" Lyssa exclaimed. She took her daughter and would have put her to the same breast but Rosa suggested using the other, as it would offer relief from the pressure of milk. She bared the other and repeated the actions, a little more awkwardly for having to reverse the way she held the little girl but it was also easier having done it once already. The pain was excruciating this time but she persevered and the little girl contentedly fed, her suction stronger than her brother's had been.

Alistair was now cradling their son, and as he watched Lyssa with their daughter, his smile was tender and his eyes a little misty.

"So... we never did get the chance to talk about names did we?" he said softly.

Lyssa looked up from the tiny girl to smile back at him.

"No... any ideas?" she asked.

"I do actually," he said. Then looked down at their son. "I'd like to call him Alyssander," he said.

Lyssa couldn't help but tear up, so many emotions flowing through her.

"A combination of our names?" she asked.

"Yes, I couldn't think of anything more fitting seeing as they are a combination of us both."

"I love it, Alistair." She reached out her free hand and stroked the little boy's cheek. "Hello Alyssander," she whispered.

"What about this little lady? I thought you might like to name her, actually," Alistair continued.

Lyssa stared down at her suckling daughter for a moment then said. "Hannelie... I'd like to call her Hannelie."

"Hannelie... I like that. I get the feeling it's important to you though?" he asked.

"It is, Hannelie was... someone who I couldn't have made it through life at the circle without. She was my best friend and confidant and made life bearable," she said quietly.

"Was?" Alistair noted. "What happened to her Lyss?"

"She didn't make it through her Harrowing," she said simply. Alistair was quiet for a few moments, watching their daughter feed.

"I think it's a fitting name then. She helped you through the circle and in a way brought you to me. I will be eternally grateful for that," he said.

Lyssa smiled through tears at her husband and then her daughter.

"Hello, Hannelie," they both said in unison.

Lyssa gasped again as Hannelie unlatched from her breast and she repeated the process of rubbing her back until a very unladylike burp sounded.

Anders took Hannelie from her and she covered herself and re-laced her shirt. Her breasts were incredibly sore both from the pressure of milk and through the babies feeding, but she had an odd sense of fulfillment. She knew there were going to be trials ahead and situations to be dealt with but at this moment in time, with her husband and children with her, she couldn't have felt more at peace.

~0~

The next few days seemed to pass in a blur. Lyssa was determined that she would see to the babies as much as she could and both she and Alistair wanted them sleeping in their bedroom while they were so young. Thankfully there was a lull at court and most issues, Teagan could deal with. People were also very understanding if the King suddenly started yawning at them.

For the moment, they always seemed to be responding to one cry or another. Often the babies would set each other off and while Lyssa had to grit her teeth occasionally, she wouldn't have changed it for the world.

She had just finished feeding Alyssander when Alistair suddenly slammed through the bedroom door. It made her jump which in turn made their son jump and his protesting wails suddenly filled the room.

"Alistair what the..." she said, her heart racing.

"Maker, I'm sorry Lyss! I just received some information about Zevran's attack and I'm furious." He went over and took Alyssander into his arms and talked to him soothingly as he walked around with him.

"Yes, Daddy's sorry, he's a big meanie who forgets to be quiet sometimes," he said in a quiet tone, manfully ignoring Lyssa's giggles at his choice of words.

The little boy finally settled and he was getting sleepy, so Alistair carried him over to the large crib where Hannalie was already peacefully asleep.

"Our little darling fed already?" Alistair asked, drinking in the sight of his children. Theirchildren.

"Yep, fed well and almost fell asleep still latched on," Lyssa said in amusement.

"Is the ointment Rosa gave you helping?" he asked, concerned. He knew she was still having a lot of pain on feeding but the fact she never really complained, made him love her all the more.

"Yes, which I'm delighted about" she grinned. "Takes it from 'arrrgh' to merely 'ouch'. I can deal with 'ouch'." She got off the bed and stretched, enjoying Alistair's appreciation of the act. Five more weeks she reminded herself... Five loooong weeks.

She wandered through to the sitting room where she and Alistair could talk and not risk waking the children up. He followed her, closing the door behind him and she stifled a squeal as he scooped her up and then sat on the couch with her in his lap.

"Well hello there, Your Majesty," she grinned. He kissed her, then sighed and sat back. Lyssa squirmed to make herself comfortable, perhaps a little more than was necessary and smiled innocently as Alistair's face heated slightly. She managed not to grin outright when she felt his body react to her movements.

"You... are a minx," he accused, his eyes narrowed.

"What?" she asked mischievously.

"You know perfectly well what, so don't try and play the innocent with me," he said, tweaking her nose.

"I'm sorry. Did I accidentally sit on... your mighty sceptre?" she giggled.

"Five weeks," he muttered to himself.

Lyssa felt a little bad, she was teasing him, knowing full well she couldn't do anything about it... or could she.

She slid off Alistair's lap and went and locked the door to the suite. Alistair looked at her with an eyebrow raised and then grinned as she grabbed a cushion and threw it on the floor in front of him. She dropped to her knees and as her hands went to work on the laces of his breeches, she smiled up at him "Five weeks... for us," she said, "but I know a few things we cando, I wouldn't want you getting frustrated after all, that would be bad."

"Maker's breath," he gasped as she lowered her head.

~0~

Alistair was now feeling decidedly more relaxed and lay on the couch, Lyssa in his arms as they bantered back and forth.

A knock at the door had them grumbling at being interrupted of the first peace they'd had since the babies had arrived.

"Tell them to go away," he said.

"Is that a royal command?" Lyssa asked archly as she wriggled until she'd pushed Alistair off the couch.

"He-ey! That's unfair!" he complained.

"Unfair? I feed our babies with my body, that wins any argument," she said with a grin.

Alistair looked at her with a mock scowl, "Yes, but that's not going to work forever and I will remember these.. these.."

"Atrocities? Outrageous acts of a wilful wife?" Lyssa suggested, peering over the edge of the couch.

"Minx!" he accused and she happily agreed.

He got to his feet and went to open the door, muttering as he did so.

"Zevran!" he exclaimed, seeing their friend standing there. He looked back at Lyssa who had grudgingly sat up and made herself presentable. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come in!" Alistair said, stepping back.

"I hope I am not disturbing you... too much," Zevran said with a smile, looking the King up and down and noting his dishevelled appearance. "Is this a good time?"

"It is now, a little earlier, not so much," Alistair said then coughed as Lyssa laughed.

"I brought someone to meet you, with your permission," the elf said, looking a little nervous.

"When have you ever needed my permission, Zev?" Alistair asked curiously.

"Well there is always a first time for everything, no?"

Zevran stepped to the side and Alistair curiously waited as he heard hushed voices. He grinned suddenly as he recognised the other.

"Please come in Bann Shianni," Alistair said pleasantly. The voices went quiet and then Shianni appeared, with Zev hovering behind her.

Alistair moved over to the couch and Lyssa and gestured for them to sit down themselves.

He could see Zevran was nervous but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.

Zev stopped in the middle of the room and took Shianni's hand. The two elves looked at each other and smiled.

"May I present, Bann Shianni... my beautiful wife," Zevran said proudly.

Both Alistair and Lyssa were shocked into stunned silence.

"Maker!" Lyssa finally sputtered and raced over to them both.

She smacked Zevran lightly before hugging him, "You could have warned me! When was the wedding? Why wasn't I invited?" she demanded. She embraced Shianni fiercely and gave her heartfelt congratulations.

Alistair grinned broadly and simply hugged them both at the same time.

"Well? I don't seem to recall you asking for permission from your King," he said, trying for a serious tone but failing.

Zevran gave his charming shrug, "You were both a little... preoccupied with babies, we thought it best to get it out of the way without troubling anyone."

"Get it out of the way?" Shianni snorted wryly. "And you, such a master of words."

Zevran blushed. Alistair didn't think the elf was actually capableof blushing and filed that away for future use.

"The truth is, Your Majesty, Your Highness..." she stopped and blushed, as both Lyssa and Alistair protested at the use of titles. Shianni blinked but nodded.

"The truth is... it was I who wanted a quiet ceremony, after... after what happened, I didn't want any fuss, I just wanted to be with him. No more hiding or sneaking about," she said, looking up at Zevran.

He sighed dramatically. "But the hiding and sneaking about was so much fun," he said but Alistair could see in his eyes the emotion he was holding in check.

"We couldn't be happier for you both," he said, with Lyssa echoing her agreement.

A wail sounded from the bedroom, shortly followed by a second voice. Lyssa rolled her eyes humorously at Alistair.

"One starts, so does the other, it's like a chorus when it gets going," she said. "Would you like to come and meet them Shianni?" she asked with a friendly smile.

The elf smiled "I would love too, Your... Lyssa," she corrected herself as Lyssa shook her head with a grin.

"Good, you can hold one while I deal with the other," she grinned and took Shianni's hand and they disappeared through the bedroom door and shut it behind them.

"Wow, Zevran, a married man," Alistair said, "I can honestly say I was not expecting that!"

"Myself either, had you asked me a week ago. Life has a way of pointing out the obvious... especially when said point is at the end of a dagger. She is a remarkable woman, Alistair, all fire and temper. I never thought I would marry but yet, here I am, and happy to be so." Zevran looked at the bedroom door, a soft look in his eyes.

Alistair smiled as he knew that look, he wore it himself often enough.

Alistair sighed, sorry he had to break the happy mood but he had let himself be distracted by Lyssa's good mood and... tender ministrations, but really, this was the man he should be talking to.

"Zevran... we need to talk," he said softly.

The elf looked back at him and saw the serious look in his eyes and immediately understood.

"Yes, my friend, we certainly do."

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