Morrigan's Ring
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or any of its characters. Or anything about it. Or BioWare.
The fire illuminated his tired, old face. He ran his gloved hands through his dark hair. He closed his eyes, taking in the peace and solidarity his campsite in the Bannorn had to offer. Thance Cousland had survived the Blight, had killed the archdemon and, unlikely to other men of his kind, lived to tell the tale. He was superhuman to all concerned, managing (with the help of his loyal crew, of course) to resolve the problems in Orzammar, end the curse plaguing the werewolves and the Dalish, defend Redcliffe and help rebuild the tower of the Circle of Mages. He had done so much in such a short span of time, even he thought it was impossible.
It had been three months since his departure from Denerim. Three months since Sten left for his homeland, three months since Alistair official became king, and three months since Morrigan left without a trace. With nobody but his trusty mutt by his side (he named the dog simply Dog, for then, the time did not call for creative animal names), he let himself wander around the world, occasionally bumping into a familiar face and sleeping in familiar places. Everywhere, he was recognized as the hero of Ferelden, and towns were always alive with activity and celebration whenever he would set foot there. But despite all of those, though, Thance couldn't help but feel empty inside.
Dog barked and whimpered, trying to rub against his master. Through the years, Thance had come to understand his pet's animal speech, and knew well what it meant when it barked. Thance smiled painfully, and stroked the mabari hound's head. Dog barked appreciatively, then attempted to strike a conversation.
"I'm alright, Dog."
Dog barked again. Thance laughed.
"It's okay. Loneliness is something I can live with. Being the hero isn't all that it's cut out to be."
Dog plopped on his belly and wagged his tail as he accompanied his master in watching the stars, strewn almost evenly across the inky black evening sky. Thance sighed. He wanted to speak the truth. He wanted it to be the truth, but it can't just be the truth. In any way he would look at it, Thance cannot just find Morrigan. He felt betrayed, and felt pity to himself. He loved Morrigan, and saw something in her despite Alistair's disgusting comments and insults directed towards her and Wynne's disapproving remarks. The night of the ritual, Thance just felt it was a win-win situation - he lives, and spends that one last time together with his lady love like all good hero stories before the final battle. But those came for a price, and he knew that.
Three months was a long time. He strayed and traveled far and wide, gathering information from his adoring fans and buying some from shady 'dealers', but so far, his progress was dismal. Thance Cousland could not find Morrigan, and he was on the verge of giving up.
He silently slid Morrigan's ring off his finger and looked at it, examining it closely, as if expecting to find a hidden switch that might offer him communication with her, or let him see where she was. He knew his search would be in vain. For how can he find Morrigan in such a little space if he can't even see her anywhere in the world?
Dog barked, causing Thance to slip in his meditative trance. He scratched the dog's ears and retreated into his carefully set up tent, leaving Dog outside to bark when necessary and watch over by the fire. The mabari hound stood proudly, standing guard and looking every bit the hero's guard dog.
Dog had excellent eyesight, and excellent senses, but he knew something was very much amiss when he smelled that smell and heard that noise. Dog's ears perked up and started barking fiercely, looking for the source of the familiar smell. He knew it all too well, but he was smart enough to know that she just wouldn't let herself out in the open, exposed to him. Dog barked like there were darkspawn approaching, then he leapt about and around the campfire. Thance, almost always half awake, scrambled out of his cloth tent, half dressed and eyes bleary.
"What is it, Dog?"
Dog barked continually, explaining the drastic situation. Thance's pale features frowned, and his eyes narrowed. "Let me sleep, please," he told his dog, then retreated into the tent. Dog whimpered apologetically then looked around the vast, dark expanse of nothingness that was the Bannorn at night. He just swore that she was there, somewhere.
Morrigan stood atop a hill - the perfect vantage point. From afar, she could see every inch of the campsite he had set up. She laughed mockingly - a laugh directed towards him. And yet, she couldn't help but feel so empty. Morrigan hugged herself, the wind picking up and causing goosebumps to appear on her flawless skin. She would have pulled her clothes on closer, if they weren't too much like rags. Her thoughts traveled back to that night. The love that they made - Morrigan squirmed in disgust at the thought of 'love' - was not without purpose. To him, it would be the only way to escape death. To her, it would be a way to bring back the old god.
Still, she couldn't help but feel that there was a certain spark that had traveled through her spine when Thance uttered her name lustfully, one last time.
Morrigan bit her lip, as she watched the foolish hound Thance kept as a pet, bouncing around excitedly, waking up the tired Grey Warden. Even with the considerable amount of distance put between them, the mabari could sense her presence, and a small amount of admiration for the dog crossed Morrigan's travel-worn features. More curious was when the dark-haired warden appeared yet again from inside his tent, wanting to find out what's wrong and, ultimately, being disappointed that it was a... trivial matter. A false alarm.
Morrigan sighed, and unconsciously rubbed her still seemingly flat belly (she realized pregnancy was too much of a chore for her aesthetics, and had cast a spell to make her seem like she wasn't carrying a child), and swore she felt a beat spread like ripples in the water over it. Morrigan watched still, as the dog, finally tiring of his excited antics, sat down and fell asleep. With a few syllables and good concentration, she silently appeared with a barely audible crackle inside Thance Cousland's tent, and offered him a chaste kiss on the lips, running her hand over his well-toned chest, missing the way she felt when they lay in bed together, at camp.
She leaned in close to his ear, and whispered ever so quietly, "Take care, my love."
Thance Cousland sat bolt upright at dawn. The rays of the sun barely even touched the sky. He heard the heavy snoring of his mabari hound outside, and rubbed clear his eyes. Thance yawned, and wiped off cold sweat from his forehead.
He swore he felt it.
The kiss.
The sensual traveling of her hands across his naked upper body.
And her voice - still rich, still ringing with the same melodic tones. Still familiar and angelic, and still harmonious, very much like the first time she observed his unclothed body. A masterpiece, she had remarked, before pushing him gently and running her tongue across his neck. Still as lovely as the first time they slept together.
And Thance swore it was not a dream. It was all too real to be a dream. Not drifting, not fading, not forgettable like the ones he had with the darkspawn. The sensation was too earthly to even be considered a dream. He swore the feeling and emotion were all too real.
Thance's fingers traveled to Morrigan's ring, her voice echoing in his subconscious.
"Take care, my love."
A/n: And that might be my first attempt at a DA ff. I kind of just felt that the ending provided to much potential material to garner a sequel, and while we clamor for one, fanfics are there to satiate the thirst. And so I wrote this. It's not excellent, but any means, but I hope it satisfies the cravings of those who took Morrigan as a lover. I think she admitted that she did love the male Grey Warden but was too afraid too admit it, and in the end of the game, I fancied she just wanted to see him again or something. But enough talk. Thanks for reading and don't forget to drop your two cents about my admittedly bad attempt at DA fanfiction! :)