Campfire Tales
Big Miracles, Small Packages
I thought that since it was the Holiday Season, it might be nice to have a quick story concerning our favorite Grey Warden and his witch as they try to enjoy their first peaceful Santalia together. In addition to containing a deleted scene I had originally written for Fallen King, although slightly altered here, the story also puts a nice bookend to the tale of Dwemer and Morrigan. I hope you enjoy it.
The teyrn sat at his large desk in the castle study. It was time once again for Santalia and Fergus' desk overflowed with permits and requests that always accompanied this time of year. Every Santalia, the village of Highever threw a grand festival, and this season was no different. Bakers wanted permits to sell their wares in the streets as every path, be it stone or dirt, was guaranteed to be crowded with people as they descended onto Highever and picked the markets clean. Shops requested the teyrn send more of his soldiers into the village to keep the peace in case the crowds turned rowdy. Santalia might have great for everyone else; a boon for business and the feasting and spending of time with loved ones, but it was giving Fergus a headache.
Just when Fergus was sure his throbbing skull couldn't hurt worse, his ears caught the distinct sound of women bickering with each other. The angry and harsh comments originated out in the corridor, but they were getting closer, as if the argument were seeking Fergus out so that he may be tortured even further. The snide comments rang off the walls and hopped straight into Fergus' ears. His right eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
Suddenly a monstrous creature burst into the study. Fergus jumped back in his chair when he caught sight of it. It had four heads that barked loudly at one another and eight hands that flailed and waved erratically. It was the most terrifying creature known to man. It was four women, and they were arguing.
Fergus groaned and looked up at the women. He knew all of them. From left to right, standing in front of his desk were, Morrigan, Leliana, Dyana, and Edalweiss, and they all cast evil glares down at him that made the teyrn feel quite uneasy.
"Fergus, it would seem that these other...women...and myself are experiencing a bit of a ...dilemma." Morrigan said, her venomous tone thick and biting.
"Morrigan, can't this wait? I'm busy right now." Fergus answered. "Where's Dwemer?"
"He is unavailable at the moment, as you are aware. As is his norm, he has run off on some damned adventure leaving me utterly alone." Morigan countered, her voice changing from one of hate to a more seductive one.
"Please, Fergus" Morrigan pleaded while she stroked the teyrn's cheek with a slender finger. "We've nowhere else to turn for assistance."
Fergus sighed loudly and looked back up at the golden-eyed witch. "Alright, I suppose I can try to help if I can. But I need to make it quick."
"Thank you, Fergus. Your help is most appreciated." the witch chirped happily.
"So, what's the problem, then?"
"Well, as hard as it may be to believe, these...half-wits...actually consider their breasts to be as beautiful and perfect as mine are." Morrigan replied, causing the teyrn's jaw to drop straight to the floor.
"Uhm...Uhm..."Fergus stammered. "Excuse me?"
"You heard correctly. We want you to inspect each of our breasts and confirm that mine are indeed the finest of the lot."
"Hey!" Leliana shouted out. "Mine are just as good as yours are!"
From the far end, Edalweiss chimed in, "yours?" she said as if annoyed by the very idea. "Mine are the bounciest!"
And once more, the four women erupted into another round of bickering and arguing. Fergus cast a helpless stare over to the guard standing by the door, who shrugged back in reply.
"Ladies! Ladies, please!" Fergus said, urging calm. "I'm sure there's a better way to solve all this, one that doesn't involve yelling and shouting."
"There is." Morrigan calmly answered before reminding the teyrn of her previous idea. "You shall inspect each of our breasts, squeezing them with your hands to test their firmness, as well as giving each a visual inspection for overall look."
"Uh...yeah." Fergus muttered. "I...I can do that."
"Excellent." Morrigan said, smiling as she hoisted open her top to reveal her breasts, thrusting them out toward Fergus while the other women similarly bared themselves and formed a line.
Fergus rubbed his hands together, savoring the image as long as he could before his hand slowly reached out. He smiled wide, hardly able to believe his good fortune. He began to tremble with excitement. His fingers extended in anticipation of soon caressing soft, velvety flesh.
"My Lord!" a voice hollered, startling Fergus awake.
Fergus' head popped up from his desk, knocking over a stack of papers and causing them to spill all over the floor.
Fergus blinked as he stared around the room, realizing that he was now awake. "Ten more seconds!" he grumbled back to the castle servant standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry, My Lord?" the man asked back, confused.
"You couldn't wait ten bloody seconds before waking me? Just ten more! That's all I would have needed."
"My Lord?"
"Oh, never mind. What was it you wanted?"
"Your guests are arriving. Shall I have them await you in the dining hall?"
"Yes. And tell my brother I'll be there shortly."
"Very good, My Lord." the servant replied with a bow before he turned and left.
Fergus stood, rubbed his face with his hands, and took a deep breath. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times, trying to tame it a bit and make himself a bit more presentable. He gave a few jerks to his clothing to straighten it, and started out the door.
Once he arrived in the dining hall, Fergus found all his guests already sitting at the long table, waiting for him. His brother, The Grey Warden, and his family, accompanied by Morrigan's aunt, Aniel and her teenage son, Stephen, sat on the right while Arl Eamon, Arlessa Isolde, Edalweiss, and Bann Teagan sat across from them. At the far end of the table, Alistair sat alone.
The witch, Morrigan, whose belly was round with child, found the arrangement to be rather entertaining. She giggled and chuckled to herself as she watched Eamon scold and lecture Alistair on numerous topics ranging from political tactics to hygiene methods. Meanwhile, Edalweiss bore the brunt of Isolde's constant quips about the small woman's actions and posture. Everything it seemed, was fodder for ridicule. Alistair and Edalweiss exchanged looks that clearly showed their mutual torment.
"You never pay attention, Alistair!" Eamon preached while Alistair slumped down into his chair. "Your lack of focus will be your undoing. Mark my words."
While only a few feet away, Edalweiss would endure Isolde's squawking. "No, no no. That is not how a proper lady sits. A proper lady does not slouch. Look at me, see how rigid my back is?"
For a few seconds it appeared as though Edalweiss was seriously contemplating the use of one of the sharp knives that lay on the table in front of her. Instead, she grit her teeth and formed her face into a tight frump, as she attempted to struggle through the onslaught.
"Family and Friends..." Fergus said aloud, ceasing all other conversation while all eyes became fixed on the teyrn. "I want to thank each of you for making the trip to my humble home."
Reaching out and grabbing a goblet of wine from the table, Fergus held the drink high in the air and continued. "For what does a man have if he has neither friend nor family with which to spend such a special occasion as this."
"Here, here!" those gathered around the table boldly replied in unison, save for the witch who said nothing. Morrigan found the constant ceremony to be a nuisance and was interrupting what was otherwise a good meal.
Beside the witch, Seth squirmed atop a stack of several books that were placed under him so that he might be high enough to reach the table. After a few minutes of twitching about, Morrigan would tap the child with her hand and give a stare that instructed the boy to remain still and eat his supper. Still, it wasn't long before Seth's desire to move would get the better of him and he would start to twist and shimmy once again.
"You shall cease your fidgeting." Morrigan commanded, using her most authoritative voice.
"Let him be, Morrigan. He can't help it, he's just excited." The Warden interjected. "This will be the first Santalia that he'll remember when he's older. Do you really want his memories to be of you poking at him?"
"'Tis no excuse for not showing proper etiquette. Restraint is perhaps the harshest of all lessons, but one that is best learned early." the witch countered.
The Warden placed his hand gently against his witch's arm and looked deep into her gold orbs, and asked, "just this one time, can everything not be about lessons? Can't we just let him have one night where he's allowed to be excited? He knows about the festival tomorrow and he can't wait."
Morrigan's eyes formed into a fierce stare. "You shall not paint me as the evil parent." he spat back, annoyed. "I am merely trying to instill structure into our son, or would you prefer our offspring to be raised as wild as the wolves?"
"That's not what I was trying to do and I'm sorry you took it like that. I was just asking that for this one night...just this once...can we maybe ease up some?"
Just then, The Warden's attention was grabbed by the sight of one of the servants approaching the teyrn. The man bore an uneasy look on his face as if he was about to deliver some odd news.
The servant leaned toward Fergus and said, "I do apologize, My Lord, but it appears there's a bit of a problem."
"What sort of problem?" Fergus asked in return.
"The kitchen staff are insisting that several pies have gone missing, My Lord." The servant informed.
"Missing pies? That is odd."
"Not to worry, My Lord. I have the situation well in hand. I told the cooks that pies do not simply go missing, they have to been in the kitchen somewhere. I'm sure they'll turn up in no time."
At the same time the servant was speaking to Fergus, The Warden noticed Edalweiss casting a glance to someone hiding behind one of the marble pillars that lined the room. She looked like someone who was hoping not to get in trouble over something as her hand urged whoever it was to stay put and out of view. The Warden looked over to catch a glimpse of a thin fishy tail ducking back behind a pillar before turning invisible.
The Warden smiled to himself as he looked around the room. Everyone gathered there had been through terrible hardships over the past several years. Since the fateful night that started him on his path, The Warden's life had had little peace. However, in the months since Alistair returned to the throne, things were quiet. The Warden looked through eyes of hope for the first time in a long while.
He and his witch had enjoyed the time together, although Morrigan still complained about the excessive amount of doting he bestowed upon her. She would sometimes proclaim that she wished another great disaster would grip Ferelden so she could have some peace. The Warden wasn't fooled, however. He knew that Morrigan loved it when he showered her with attention. She rarely fought when his strong hands rubbed her aching back and tired feet, nor did she refuse the meals he prepared for her.
All this, The Warden thought as he tried to fully absorb the scene, was probably the best gift he could have imagined. There wasn't any way this moment could be any more perfect.
"Oh, no!" the witch gasped from beside him.
The Warden knew the witch's tone well. It was the one she used whenever something was seriously amiss. "What's wrong?" he asked her in a hushed whisper so as not to arouse the others suspicions.
"I...I believe my water has just burst."
"What?" he shot back in return as if what she said was the last thing he'd expected to hear.
"I'm sure of it. My chair is soaking wet, as is the floor at my feet."
"Oh shit!" The Warden exclaimed loudly, attracting curious stares from the rest of the room.
Instantly, he sprang up and pulled Morrigan's chair away from the table. She raised her arm up to grab his for support as he snatched her up from the chair and into his arms in one quick motion. The witch, expecting merely assistance and not being lifted into the air, protested his actions with an icy glare.
"Dwemer, put me down this instant! I am not merely some parcel you may lug about at your convenience.
"Don't argue with me right now. I'm taking you someplace comfortable and familiar." he replied.
The witch grunted when she realized he wasn't about to release her as he barreled up the stairs toward the door, with the others wondering what all the excitement was about.
"What's going on?" Fergus asked.
"Morrigan is having the baby...now!" The Warden shot back as he kicked the door open and rushed out of the dining hall.
When she heard The Warden's words, Aniel's eyes grew wide. She tossed her napkin down on the table, jumped up from her place, and charged off after The Warden, shouting, "I didn't come all this way to help you with the baby only for you to have it without me!"
All other action in the room came to an abrupt halt. Each looked at the other briefly before they too leaped from their chairs and clamored for the door. They scampered down the corridor after Aniel who was in close pursuit of The Warden and his witch. The castle guards witnessed the odd procession of The Warden carrying his witch rapidly through the castle, while being followed by an older woman who seemed to be one the verge of fainting and begging for The Warden to wait up, and lastly by the gathering of the teyrn, with his nephew in tow, and the guests, who were giddy about the event that was about to take place.
Before long, the spontaneous parade came to the only place in the entire palace that The Warden thought Morrigan would be most comfortable: Their old chambers from when they used to live at the castle. He knew the room would be familiar to her and she might be inclined to relax more.
Aniel ducked inside the room just behind The Warden. She watched as he laid her gently down onto the large bed they used to share. As soon as he was finished, Aniel immediately grabbed him by the back of his shirt and began to escort him to the door.
"Out!" she barked while the two castle nurses arrived and slipped past Aniel and into the room. "This is no place for a man. This is women's work. Wait out here with the others until you are called."
"Please...take care of her for me." The Warden pleaded, figuring that no matter how much he wanted to, it probably wasn't best to argue.
"She is the only link I have to my sister." Aniel reminded while she closed the door, finishing with, "she's in good hands." as the door shut tight.
The Warden's insides tied themselves into tight knots in his belly. He'd been there when Seth was born and had taken a much more active role in his delivery. But that was mainly out of necessity more than anything else. As much as he wanted to be in there with Morrigan, he knew she was getting much better care this time. The nurses had helped birth numerous children to the castle's inhabitants, and Aniel had children of her own as well assisted in several births. Of course Aniel wouldn't have been kept out of that room for anything. She had almost taken over the entire process ever since she arrived to help look after Morrigan several weeks previous.
Eamon, Teagan and the others talked among themselves about joyous occasion, with Fergus offering his brother a hearty, "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon." before adding with a smile, "that's when the real fun begins."
But The Warden couldn't help but worry. His family was his entire life. Morrigan meant everything to him and he greatly feared losing her. He remembered how grueling child birth had been before and his mind deceived him into thinking this time might be even worse.
He would alternate between pacing back and forth and leaning against the wall while he waited impatiently. The witch's loud screams of pain that emerged from behind the thick wooden door would call to him and only made things worse; all the while his connection to her relaying her experience to him in vivid detail. Every part of his body beckoned him to go and save his witch. But as much as The Warden wanted to barge into the room, he resisted. He was forced to admit that maybe this time he wasn't the best person to care for her.
The hours dragged by and Morrigan's cries grated deeper into her husband's nerves. The teyrn and his guests dispersed and gone to bed, leaving The Warden alone in the hallway to listen to his witch's ordeal. She was sounding weaker and more tired. She was obviously running out of energy left to give. The Warden knew the child had to come soon, before his witch was pushed past what her body would accept. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth with nervous agitation.
Suddenly, the witch let out a yell that could have shaken the dead in their graves. Morrigan howled out in pain louder and longer than before. Shivers ran down The Warden's spine and his hands began to shake.
"Morrigan..." he muttered.
For long seconds everything was quiet. He could hear nothing coming from the room beyond the door. Hard worry came over The Warden. He could feel that his witch was weak and wracked with agony. His breaths became short and strained while his heart raced in his chest. And just when he could resist the urge to break down the door no more, he heard it.
At first it was soft. Hardly even loud enough to be a sound at all. A small cough was all it was. Followed by another. Then The Warden's ears were treated to a sound that rang like music. It was the sound of an infant tasting the air for the very first time. His son had finally arrived.
The Warden slumped down against the wall and let out a long sigh of exhausted relief. He looked over at one of the guards and beckoned him to have his son brought to him. Seth would be anxious to meet his new sibling and soon it would be time.
Just as Seth was bringing escorted down the hallway by his uncle, the door to the bedchamber opened and Aniel stepped out. She looked tired and frazzled, but she was smiling. As Aniel dotted her forehead with a handkerchief, the two nurses emerged from the room, their smocks stained and bloodied, and excused themselves.
"Congratulations." Aniel said, her hands reaching out to clasp The Warden's hands. "You are the proud father of a healthy baby boy."
"Morrigan...?" The Warden asked.
"Both mother and son are resting comfortably." Aniel confirmed with a nod. "You can see them, but you have to be quiet. I think it's about time for you to go introduce yourself to your son."
The Warden gave the woman's hand a good squeeze, saying, "thank you, Aniel. For everything."
"That's what family is for." Aniel replied, beaming a warm smile.
With Seth's hand firmly held in his, The Warden slowly walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark. The morning sunlight hadn't yet penetrated the window and only the soft glow of two small lanterns lit the room. After a few moments, The Warden's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and he saw Morrigan lying in the large bed; her eyes appeared to be closed. Bundled up under her arm was something wrapped in a small blanket that cooed and wiggled. As he approached her and sat down on the side of the bed, her eyes opened and her face lit up, although it was quite evident that she was very weak.
"I have bore for you a son." Morrigan said softly. "He is strong, like his father."
"You shouldn't try to talk. You need to rest." The Warden replied while he stroked her arm with his hand.
"And rest I shall. For now, however, 'tis time to meet your son." the witch countered, offering up the small bundle in her arms for The Warden to inspect.
"What did you name him, or do I even need to ask that question?" he teased.
The witch tried to form her face into a scowl, but couldn't hold in her giggle. "Ass." she quipped. "I have named him what we agreed upon long ago."
"You mean what you said we were going to name him?"
"I was not aware there was a difference." the witch retorted. "His name shall be Lucas."
The Warden raised his eyebrow at his witch and shook his head. He pulled back the thick ball of cloth to reveal a tiny infant face staring back at him with ice blue eyes. The Warden allowed his finger to caress the smooth skin of the newborn's face. A tiny hand rose up, reached out and grabbed his finger, gripping it tightly. Lucas yawned wide while his small eyes closed and he fell fast asleep.
"Come say hello to your new baby brother." The Warden said as he lifted Seth up onto his lap. "His name is Lucas."
"Hi, Lewkis." Seth greeted in his toddler-speak. But soon after, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"How come he don't say anything back?" Seth asked his father.
"Your brother is far too small to talk yet. Give it some time. You two will be having long conversations with each other before you know it."
Seth looked down on his brother, still unconvinced that this miracle was a great as all the adults were making it out to be. Little did the youngster know that in the coming weeks and months, his share of time with his mother was going to drastically decrease while she devoted her time to caring for the new baby. Still, even though Seth was too young to appreciate the gift his mother and father had gotten for him that Santalia, he would remember the night long into adulthood. By then, he learned the value of what his parents had given him and cherished it deeply.
"And now we are four." Morrigan said, smiling at both her sons.
Her eyes shifted to look at her warden, who smiled back warmly. "'Tis because of you that I know this joy." she whispered to him.
He leaned down so that his head gently touched against hers. He closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of her skin against his and replied, "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you."
"Impossible man."