This is a work of fiction that I've been writing for Dragon Age: Origins. For those who haven't played the game, be warned as there may be spoilers in here. Also, I have not played the Witch Hunt DLC for the game, to which I understand a lot about Morrigan and what happens to her is revealed. Think of this as a fun little story I just wrote for the sake of it after finishing the game.
I hope you enjoy it, and reviews are greatly appreciated.


SafeHaven

Chapter 1

The Frostback Mountains were dangerous. Only the boldest of adventurers traversed the snowtopped mountains and weathered the harsh conditions of the range. A traveller may occasionally bump into a dwarf loitering near the entrance to the underground city of Orzammar. Casteless and aimless. But for the most part, the mountains were empty save for a few packs of wolves and bears that would hunt nearby.

Three travellers roughed the mountains, climbing over a particularly tall ridge. From the sky, they would look like ants; dots on the ground. But they were warriors. Legends of Ferelden. They had fought and killed the Darkspawn, they had fended off the Blight. They had earnt the right to be called hero. A windy mountain was nothing compared to the hardships that they had faced together. Leliana, the red-haired religious rogue scouted ahead of the group. Her armour was covered in a fur overcoat to keep her warm in the freezing conditions. On her back was a crossbow with a quiver filled with arrows, and strapped to her thighs were two sheaths, each holding elegant but sharp daggers that had been bloodied and then cleaned enough times to have killed an entire army of Darkspawn.

A few yards behind her, slowly scaling the mountain face and the snow were two men. One human, and the other an elf. The elf went by the name Theron. A Grey Warden, people looked up to him as their saviour, their leader. He was instrumental in stopping The Blight. Without him, Ferelden would be under the rule of the Archdemon. He wore a similar fur to Leliana. But instead, had a large shield and sword strapped to his back. The snow dusted his dark long hair with pinches of white.

Near him was the man, even more recognizeable. Alistair. King Alistair to be exact. His controversial rise into royalty had left a bitter taste in many noblemen's mouths. But there was no denying that the King of the common man was indeed popular among the people. But he wasn't that accustom to sitting on his throne and watching life pass him by. He preferred to be out in the wilderness, adventuring with other travellers like Theron and Leliana.

"There is a cave ahead, about half a mile away," Leliana shouted back to her two companions as she peered over the ridge, spying an entrance to some dark caverns, "it would be a good plae to make a camp!"

Rather than waste energy on shouting back, Theron simply smiled and nodded back. It had been a long couple of days. While he didn't like showing weakness or exhaustion to his friends, he was very much looking forward to a full meal and a good night's sleep for a change. Leliana climbed ahead out of earshot of the two Grey Wardens. It began to snow lightly, as a white powder sprinkled the mountains.

"I hate to say it, but I'm starting to miss the days of fighting Darkspawn," Alistair wheezed, "at least in those battles, it was on flat ground. Not up a gigantic mountain covered in snow and ice."

"You're the sissiest king I've ever met," Theron teased.

"And how many kings have you met exactly?"

"Okay, just you and Cailan. But he never complained about mountains or the weather," Theron replied.

"Ouch, that was cheap," Alistair said dryly.

"It was, I'm sorry," an awkward pause followed their trek for a moment before breaking it again, "but you're the one still alive so I guess you have the last laugh."

"True. But at least Cailan died for a worthy cause, fending off the Darkspawn and protecting his kingdom," Alistair said, his head held up high.

Theron paused, "you don't think being out here, searching for the Urn of Sacred Ashes is a worthy cause?"

Alistair turned to Theron, rolling his eyes, "I might have been stupid enough to agree to coming out here but that doesn't mean I'm a complete nonce. I know why we're out here."

The two men clambered up over rocks and stones, keeping a firm grip so as not to slip back down the mountain side. Theron remained silent, not answering his king.

"You're looking for her aren't you?"

"No idea what you're talking about. I think the lack of oxygen up here is messing with your head Alistair."

"Oh shut up, we're not up here looking for a dead woman in a vase, we're on a witch hunt aren't we?"

"So what if I am looking for her? She saved my life and helped us kill the Archdemon. I just thought a trip to the Frostback Mountains was in order so we could look for Andraste's Ashes and if Morrigan happens be around here then what's the harm in saying hi?" Theron reasoned as he puffed, climbing up to the ridge. It felt like they had been climbing for weeks, they were both exhausted.

"Oh I see, just a nice leisurely trip to the mountains to look for a dead god's ashes and the wicked witch of the wilds hey?" Alistair both jested and prodded for information.

"So what if I am looking for her? There's nothing wrong with that," Theron defended himself.

The two men crawled further higher before finally reaching the top of the ridge. They breathed heavily, sighing relief of finally making it to the top. Cold clouds exhaled from their mouths as they both wiped the sweat from their brow. In the distance, they saw a field of white. Snow beat down on a long rocky slope, and on the other side was a dark hole. A small entrance in the side of the mountain. It would be their camp for the night.

"Maybe not, but what about her?" Alistair asked. He nodded ahead of them several yards. The red haired Leliana waded through snow, leading the way towards the cave, completely oblivious to Alistair and Theron's conversation.

"What about her? She's good to have on these sorts of trips, you've seen her fight. I'd have been stupid not to let Leliana come along."

"Oh don't be so cold, don't talk about her as if she's a useful tool," Alistair bit back as they slid over the ridgetop and into a thick pillow of snow below, "I somehow doubt that she would have been so enthusiastic about coming if she knew you were looking for Morrigan."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, Morrigan was instrumental in defeating The Blight. Besides, we're primarily here to find the ashes, and obviously Leliana wouldn't turn that chance up," Theron replied.

"No, I'm sure she's happy about finding the ashes. But one has to wonder how excited she'd be if she really knew you were searching for Morrigan. You know, the woman you shared a bed with on numerous occasions and fathered a demonic love child with."

Theron rolled his eyes and groaned. He was tired of Alistair's constant curiosity and intervening. He was suddenly remembering why he bugged him so much during The Blight. But in all honesty, he knew that Alistair was right. Leliana would probably have left the mountain and gone home straight away had she known that they were searching for Morrigan up there. In response to Alistair's prodding, Theron simply picked up a handful of snow, rounded it into a ball and hurled it in the king's face. Alistair yelled, wiping the snow from his face.

"You know if you pulled that sort of thing in Denerim, you'd have a dozen guards in your face ready to chop your head off right about now," Alistair kidded, but there was some truth to his teasing. It would often slip the Warden's mind that Alistair, the clumsy, awkward, indecisive follower that hung around him for so many years was actually the king of all of Ferelden.

The two laughed it off and continued onward, following in Leliana's distant footsteps. But Theron's mind did wander. What would Leliana do if she found out the true purpose of their trip into the mountains? And if they actually did find Morrigan, what would he even say to her?