Author's Note: Hi guys, this is the first fanfiction I've written in years that I've actually followed through with. So, as the summary says this is a self-insert fanfiction, but I wanted to try to make it as realistic as possible. Hopefully the characters aren't super whiny. The first couple of chapters will be slow just because I want to take my time to establish the characters in Thedas. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Anyways, happy reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Dragon Age.
Laura was the first one to become conscious. Her head felt like it was trapped in a vice. She hesitated to open her eyes. She knew as soon as she opened them she would have to deal with a headache. It was the feeling of wind against her face that made Laura eventually open them. It took a minute for her still groggy eyes to register that she was not staring at the ceiling of her basement, but the branches of a very large tree. It then occurred to her that she was laying on a bunch of leaves and tree roots instead of carpet.
Laura sat up quickly, letting out a hiss of pain and grabbed her head. The world was spinning and she almost vomited. She wondered how this had happened and where she was. The last thing the young woman remembered was watching The Avengers in her basement with two of her friends, while consuming a lot of booze.
She slowly got up and limped towards a nearby bush which she vomited in. She wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her sweater and stood up. Laura stared at the sight in front of her; an unending mass of trees. There was something familiar about this forest, though Laura could not remember why. She shivered slightly. The forest seemed to radiate something foul, which filled her with not only an uneasy feeling, but the feeling of being watched.
A groan from behind her brought Laura back to where she had woken up. Lying down nearby were her friends, Jennifer and Conor. Conor was still unconscious, but Jennifer was sitting up. She looked around with an expression that was a mix of confusion and pain. Laura rushed towards her friend who quickly spotted her
"Laura!" said Jennifer, "Holy shit, thank god you're here."
"Same," Laura replied, offering Jennifer her hand. Jennifer took it and slowly got to her feet.
"Where's Conor?" she asked. Laura pointed to him, unconscious a few feet away on the ground. Jennifer gave Laura a dazed nod. She gazed around for a few seconds, before running to a bush to throw up. Laura cringed at the sounds her friend was making.
She moved towards Conor and knelt beside him. She wanted to wake him up but didn't know how. She spent a minute staring at him before sighing and poking the side of his face. Nothing happened.
"That's probably not gonna work." Laura jumped at the sound of Jennifer's voice. She turned her head to see Jennifer standing beside her, arms crossed.
"How are you feeling?" asked Laura. Jennifer sighed.
"Like shit. You?"
"Same." The two friends stood in silence. They were both still staring at Conor, trying to figure out how to wake him up. Jennifer nudged him with her foot.
"Really?" said Laura, giving her friend a dirty look.
"What? I was out cold, you're gonna need to use some force or smelling salts to wake him up," said Jennifer.
"Yeah, but we don't want to hurt him any more than he already is," Laura said.
"Try kissing him." Jennifer's comment earned her another glare from Laura. "what like you have any better ideas?"
"He's not Sleeping Beauty" Laura said.
"That's for sure," replied Jen. Laura smiled slightly at her friends comment. Conor's eyes began to open.
"He's waking up," Laura exclaimed. Jennifer knelt down beside her friend to get a closer look at Conor.
"What the hell?" groaned Conor. He sat up, and looked between Jennifer and Laura, "Where are we?"
"No clue," said Laura.
"I'd say we randomly wandered into the woods while drunk, but there wouldn't have been any forests close enough," added Jennifer.
"Well, wherever we are, it's creepy as fuck," said Conor. Jennifer nodded in agreement.
"It also looks very familiar," Laura said.
"Can you two give me a hand getting up, I'm not feeling well."
"Sure," said Laura, standing up. She and Jennifer moved to either side of Conor and gripped his arms, helping balance him as he stood up.
"So what now?" asked Conor. Laura and Jennifer shrugged. The three were startled by the sound of a very familiar voice coming from behind them. Laura felt shivers run down her spine.
"Yes, what do you three intend to do now?"
The three friends turned around, and what Laura saw almost made her faint. Standing a few feet away was Morrigan, a character from the video game series Dragon Age. The logical part of Laura's brain said this was a very good cosplayer, who looked, and sounded exactly like the character. No matter how much Laura wanted to believe it to be true, she knew it was not. Silence surrounded the group of friends.
Morrigan, who obviously had become annoyed with the three's staring, shot them an annoyed look. "Are you going to answer me?" she asked, "Or are you simple?"
"Sorry, but what are you doing here?" asked Conor. Morrigan's expression was a mix of annoyance and confusion. It was obvious she thought the trio was stupid. However she decided to answer them.
"I am here because a few hours ago my mother and I saw a rip in the sky, followed by a blinding flash of light over this area of the wilds. I was sent to investigate. When I arrived I found three humans wearing strange clothing and talking with accents I have never heard before." Silence, again.
Laura could not believe it. Everything she had seen so far pointed to two things: Thedas was real and she was standing in the middle of it. She turned to her friends; both Conor and Jen looked shocked. Jen caught Laura's eye, and the young woman knew they were thinking the same thing: they were screwed big time. Laura could feel the blood drain from her face. Her palms started sweating and her heart thumped loudly in her chest as her brain processed what being in Thedas actually meant. She was saved from her mental breakdown when Conor spoke.
"You're Morrigan I take it then, and your mother is Flemeth?" spoke Conor. Morrigan looked at him suspiciously.
"How do you know of us? My mother is famous because of the legends told about her, but I am not mentioned in any of them."
"If you take us to your mother we can explain everything," added Jennifer. Morrigan turned her gaze on Jennifer.
"We mean you no harm," said Conor, "My name is Conor."
"I'm Laura, and this Jennifer," said Laura pointing to herself and then to her friend. Morrigan stared at the three, assessing their threat level. Laura shrunk under Morrigan's gaze. The apostate's golden eyes were piercing, and her calculating stare unnerved Laura slightly.
Deciding that the trio posed no threat Morrigan sighed and said, "Follow me, and keep up."
Keeping up with Morrigan was easier said than done. The thick vegetation and uneven footing caused by rocks and tree roots did not hinder the apostate. Morrigan seemed to seemed to glide over them. "She like an elf," Jen had muttered to Laura ten minutes into their journey. The three friends had a harder time making their way through the wilds. They were used to traveling long distances by bus rather than by foot. More than once one of them tripped or did a face plant. The journey to Flemeth's hut took three hours of fast walking, and by the end Laura was sure she was going to collapse. Flemeth was waiting outside when the group arrived, which Laura found a little unsettling.
"Hello mother," greeted Morrigan. Flemeth only nodded in reply before turning her attention towards Laura and her friends. The young woman felt her blood run cold. While Flemeth appeared to be a haggard old woman, there was an aura of authority and power around her. Though her eyes were the same golden as her daughter's, Flemeth's were reptilian with something far more dangerous behind them. Her gaze seemed to reach straight into Laura's soul. After examining the trio, Flemeth smiled, which creeped Laura out even more.
"I see you have brought some very important guests back from your trip into the wilds."
"Important?" Morrigan repeated, obviously shocked. Laura, Conor, and Jennifer exchanged looks of confusion between each other.
"Come in, the hours grows late and we have much to discuss." Flemeth said, ushering everyone into her hut. Laura took a deep breath and entered.
Flemeth's hut consisted of one room, but even Laura could see it was well built. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling along with fresh game and rabbit pelts. Pushed to the back wall were two small beds, and a chest. On another wall was a fire pit with a fire burning and a pot hanging above. In the middle of the hut was a long table filled with tools for creating potions along with tomes. There were enough stools for the friends along with Morrigan and Flemeth to sit around the table, which surprised Laura. The young woman could smell what was being cooked, and it reminded her she hadn't had anything to eat in hours.
"Now I am sure you three have a lot of question for me," started Flemeth. Laura nodded. There was an uneasy silence. No one knew where to begin, so Flemeth spoke again.
"I know you are not from this world, but what I do not know is how you know of me or my daughter."
"How do you know we're from another world?" asked Jennifer. Flemeth smiled her creepy smile again.
"You were brought here through a temporary rip in the veil," answered Flemeth. Laura nodded in understanding, that made a lot of sense, especially since tears in the veil were a common thing within Dragon Age.
"But why did the veil rip on our side, and why us?" asked Laura.
"I do not know child," answered Flemeth.
"So what, we're supposed to stop the Blight or something?" asked Conor.
"That is the best explanation, since you three know what is about to occur in Thedas. "Tell me, why is that?" replied Flemeth.
"There's a tale called Dragon Age where we come from. You and Morrigan are in it. The only problem is, depending on who tells the story the events differ, along with who carries them out," Conor explained.
"I see. And Morrigan and I remain constant through each retelling?"
"More or less." Conor replied. Flemeth nodded.
"So we're actually in Thedas? This is real?" asked Jennifer.
"What is real young one? Reality is fluid and changeable."
"Touché."
"Now, you know my name and Morrigan's but I do not have yours." Said Flemeth. Laura and the others each introduced themselves.
"What an interesting group. I was not expecting a mage to be among you," said Flemeth. The three friends let out a collective 'what?'. Laura and her friend looked at Flemeth, shocked and confused. Flemeth set her eyes on Laura, who backed up in her chair.
"Do you not have mages where you are from?" asked Morrigan, speaking for the first time since entering the hut.
"No we don't," said Laura.
"Odd," noted Flemeth, her eyes still trained on Laura.
"So, I'm a mage?" asked the young woman. She felt both excited and an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Yes, and the fact you do not know how to use your powers is an inconvenience, for I do not have time to teach you before you leave," answered Flemeth.
"When are we leaving?" asked Conor, "and where are you sending us?"
"To Lothering."
"Hasn't Lothering been destroyed?" asked Laura.
"Not yet," Conor said, "Because Morrigan is still here." Conor whispered the last part.
"Correct," said Flemeth.
"What year is it exactly?" asked Conor.
"Year 30 of the Dragon Age, if you're wondering when in the Blight it is, it is at the start. King Cailan has just set up camp at Ostagar."
"I was wondering about the lack of darkspawn we came across on our way here," Jennifer commented.
"They are surrounding the area around Ostagar, and this hut is protected by my magic. The darkspawn are not so numerous yet, you should be safe when you leave tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" repeated Conor.
"Yes, the sooner you leave the better, it is a couple days journey. Morrigan will guide you there," said Flemeth.
"What!" exclaimed Morrigan.
"Quiet girl. These three are important to the fate of Thedas, I cannot have them murdered before they complete their task. Now go check on the stew."
"So there is a plan for us, or at least you have one," said Jennifer.
"Clever girl," said Flemeth. Laura didn't know if the witch was being sarcastic or actually giving a compliment to Jennifer.
Flemeth continued speaking, "You three know what is to happen, I want you to make sure events occur in a way that benefits Thedas."
"And yourself," added Jennifer. Flemeth turned her gaze to the young woman, who seemed to shrink in her spot.
"I will gather what you need for the journey, then we will eat, and you will sleep. You will be leaving at dawn tomorrow," said Flemeth. The three friends nodded in understanding.
The night passed by in a blur for Laura. She and the others did not speak, each caught up in their own thoughts. All she could think about was her family and if they noticed she was gone, and how likely she would never see them again. Laura ate the stew Morrigan made but did not taste it. She went to bed full of dread for what was to come.