Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Dragon Age: Origins or Awakenings. Those rights solely belong to the developers and writers of the game. I am merely just a fan enjoying the wonderful world in which they created. Thank you Bioware and everyone else.
Chapter 1
He shoved his dirtied hands into the cold mountain stream to wash away the day's work. His fingers scrubbed every crack and crease, every discolored part of skin, and every reminder of the killings that took place hours earlier. In this cleaning, a golden ring slipped off his finger and sank to the bottom. The ring glinted from the moonlight and his eyes stared at the gift, at the only thing left between him and her yet he wanted to leave it there. He wanted to free himself of these emotions that he had never felt outside of the Circle, these emotions that one of his mentors in Wynne had warned him about. He wanted to stand up and walk away, stand up and walk away from the only reason he was alive today. All these wants and regrets barged into his mind and yet he picked the ring up and slipped it on his finger. That was the end of the Warden's night, he'd go sleep in his tent alone with his other two companions still enjoying the night over a bit ale.
In the morning, The Warden, Andrus, was the first to wake. He sat on a log near his tent with a map of Ferelden across his lap. With a hand on his chin scratching through his goatee and the other hand's fingers tracing their path south along the Frostback Mountains, he plotted their way toward where the Korcari Wilds and the mountains met. There was his goal, given by both a mission and his personal desires. Though he knew his desires were, in all likelihood, not going to be met. She had no reason to be in the Wilds after all; not with the looming threat of her mother possessing her or the 'child' he was told that would come into existence.
"Up early, I see." A strong voice said from behind Andrus. "It seems the ale didn't get to ye. Hmm, perhaps I should have brought stronger drinks from Orzammar but I figured you humans wouldn't be able to handle…especially you mages."
Andrus looked his dwarf friend in Gordon. He was shirtless, showing off his dwarven great beer-bellied physique and hairy chest to go along with a long brown braided goatee. Unfortunately for Gordon, his shimmering bald head didn't have the same great follicles.
"I didn't drink last night, Gordon. I didn't feel particularly in the mood." Andrus said.
"You've been down." Gordon sat on a log across from Andrus. "I think I know why too."
"You say so?"
"Aye, my friend…you've missed the Circle! You miss all them books, and spells, and mage women. That's the problem." Gordon picked up a stick and pointed it at Andrus to imitate a wand. "Ahhh, what's a name of a spell chant thing you people do? Perhaps my spell can make for good feelings in you, friend."
"If a dwarf could have magic, I'd fear for the lives of all people in Thedas." Andrus smiled at him.
"Well hell, could you ah, repeat to me the history of the Tevinter people…or mages in particular." Gordon chuckled. "I think the world already fears your kind anyway."
"Point taken." Andrus shook his head and stared at the ground for a moment before looking at Gordon again. "I don't miss the Circle. I spent most of my life there…I think it's about time I got out and explored like I am now."
"Denerim then? The Pearl is hotspot, you miss that?"
"Heh, Immediately after The Blight, I spent three months in Denerim…politicking with Alistair and the other families. I don't miss Denerim and I'm quite certain about that. Though, The Pearl is a fun to place to spend time."
"Oh when I was in The Pearl…the things I saw and felt and did." Gordon laughed and stared up at the sky remember the good times.
Andrus sighed as he folded the map back into his backpack. Looking at the other tent that was still inhabited by the last of his group, Andrus asked, "Is she well?"
Gordon stood and shrugged as he made his way toward his tent. "She drank more than she could handle that's for sure. Was up all night holdin' her hair back, like a gentleman." Placing on his cotton shirt, he then reached and pulled up his Orzammar plate mail and fastened it on. "She's a tough one; you'd expect that from a rogue."
Andrus was at her tent now, and he slowly opened it to see her with her bare back to him. His first reaction was to turn away, but she wasn't even moving from the cold that swept into the warmth of the tent. That kept him pushing forward. Crouching into the tent, he tapped her arm. "Odette?"
A groan left her mouth and she pulled her sheet over her shoulders. "I'm never drinking that again…" Her voice was faint.
Andrus patted her shoulder remorsefully, "We must get moving…I'll give you a few more minutes but start breaking down as soon as possible."
"Ugh, the Maker…have some bloody mercy, Andrus."
He gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder for half comfort's sake. "We have a job to do."
She rolled onto her side then and watched Andrus with hooded eyes. Reaching for her sheet, she clasped at it to make sure she wasn't baring her chest to him. Her Orlesian accent slurred, "You shouldn't barge in on a woman like this…no matter how lethargic and incapacitated she may be, Warden."
"Very well, don't drink if you can't handle your ale." He left her tent to attend to his own. There he began putting his chainmail on along with his enchanted blade. Though he wanted to be patient with Odette, they didn't have the time. It was morning and the caravan was to be only a few hours walk from where they were. The caravan had been waiting for the Warden and his party for days now and that was where his obligation was first and foremost important.
When the party was finally on the path, they kept silence for the most part, only speaking when they had too. Silence made for more stealth which also assisted Odette offhandedly by keeping the stark strains of sound from making her ears bleed. The path wasn't an easy walk either; the southern portion of the mountains was riddled with steep drops and debris riddled pathways. As the altitude consistently declined breathing did fortunately become easier yet with decline came more crevices to maneuver around. The walk was taking far longer than Andrus hoped for and he cursed himself for being too patient. He felt that even though he was free from the confines of the Circle, the new bindings of being a Grey Warden now constricted him in a different fashion. That was one of his excuses for making the choice that he did, the maleficar; that and the profanity of love.
After another hour of travel, Andrus and his party could finally see the caravan's campfire smoke and ruined wagons sprawled below them. Climbing down the side of a small incline, they approached carefully. The caravan was to be made up of four wagons according to the briefing Andrus received at Orzammar but he could only see two wagons that were useable. Broken axels, wheels, and debris covered the back half of the convoy; it was quite obvious that something went viciously wrong. The scorched ground looked to have a small crater dug into it and the smell of cooked flesh still lingered in the air. There were no people around but the sound of chattering and rustling rocks echoed into Andrus' ears.
Andrus could feel the magic in the air as well; it tingled in his bones and raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Pulling out his sword, he turned to look back at Gordon and Odette and shook his head slightly as they both withdrew their weapons. Gordon gripped onto his handaxe and shield with eyes that watched the dead trees and bushes to their left. Odette spun her dual short swords in her hands before fading into the rocks and dirt. Andrus looked forward, channeling a faint aura around his body as he began taking steps toward the caravan.
"Attaaack!" A voice shouted from the mountain side.
Five men fell from the cliff side, their cloaked bodies showing themselves as the landed on the rocky ground. They began to circle the group strafing to work toward flanking the party of three but Andrus and Gordon kept their backs to each other. As the enemy rogues started their charge toward the two warriors, one of the men's chest exploded as two swords broke through him. His blood covered Odette who kicked his body off her blades; she then ran toward the other four who were engaged with the rest of her party. Andrus caught the swinging blade of one of the men with his sword and pushed the enemy away. He then spun his body around, with a fist glowing with the beginnings of a spell, and shoved a surge of electricity into the man's face. The man's scream ended as quickly as it started, his head burst in half and his body twitched to the ground. Gordon's brute strength overpowered the two rogues who tried to bout him. With his shield, he rammed the blunt edge into the knee of one of them before slapping the other off balance with the shield's face. Then, with his axe, he came down onto the off balanced rogue's collarbone, partially severing the shoulder and digging the blade into the man's chest. After he pulled the axe from the dying rogue's body, he swung the pointed end of his axe into the head of the immobilized enemy.
The last rouge disengaged from Odette as he saw his comrades drop so easily to the Warden and others. The rouge didn't look too concerned with them; instead, his eyes widened when he looked up toward the cliff side and shouted, "No! Wait please!"
Andrus, seeing everything light up with a hint of orange, slammed his hand onto the ground. A field of magic shrouded him and his party as flames roared around them; the noise of the flames pressing against his force field blared like a deep horn bellowing from the depths of the earth. Once the flames came to an end, the force field faded and Andrus collapsed to the ground. He gathered himself to his knees quickly, watching the flaming body of the rogue running frantically by his party before plummeting to the ground. Turning to look toward the cliff, he could see three mages—two of them with their hands high to cast another spell—the main one was wearing a cowl and grinning down at them.
"Spread out!" Andrus ordered.
Another blaze of flames whipped toward them. Andrus dove to his right and was thrown further by the force of the explosion behind him. The force of the blow knocked the wind out him and the crash to the ground dislodged his enchanted blade from his hands. Rolling onto his side, he glanced over the battlefield to see that Odette and Gordon had move out of the way just fine.
Gordon stuck his shield in the ground and crouched behind it, "Andrus, I don't see a route up there!"
Lifting from the ground and scampering to grab his sword, Andrus looked toward Odette who just barely dodged another shot of flames coming toward her. "Your bow Odette!"
She had already begun pulling her short bow from her back before Andrus finished. Her body disappeared into the scenery again and she was off to make another move. They were going to be tough shots, the rocks surrounding the mages made for great cover but arrows would help.
Looking back at the mages, Andrus saw as one of the mages finished his spell. The ground underneath Andrus' hands began to frost and knowing what was to come, he rolled back out of the way. Pillars of ice rose from the ground freezing everything in its midst and as he dodged the spell and got to his feet, Andrus let out a shout of frustration. They planned a smart ambush, those mages did; they kept pushing Andrus and his party, putting them on the defensive long enough to have a constant barrage of spells coming down onto them. Stepping forward, Andrus wasn't going to allow them to keep up their pace. He waited for a moment until he saw Odette's arrows fling toward the mages; this forced them to interrupt their casting by ducking behind the rocks. The main mage stood his ground though, he rose his staff into the air and casted another spell to try and rain more flames down onto Andrus. This is when Andrus made his push. Calling for another force field, he used it to block the majority of the fire, however, just before the fire would end and his mana would wane, Andrus shot a firebomb toward the mages as well. Smoke and debris filled the cliff side where the mages stood but as it cleared, the mages stood on their hill with only a bit more dirt on their clothes.
The main mage looked at his comrades and chuckled; he then looked toward Andrus and shouted, "And you are Ferelden's finest?"
Andrus stood from the ground, sheathing his sword and folding his arms across his chest. He watched the mages with a grin, just as the cowled one had done him earlier. The ground began to rumble, and the mages on top of the cliff were engulfed by the ground as it collapsed and swallowed them in its rocks as it all came crashing down to the ground many feet below.
Dropping his arms to his sides, Andrus let out a long sigh. Odette and Gordon were already checking the rubble to make sure that the mages were indeed dead; they were a smart two to have with him and Andrus was please to have them on his side. Now, he quickly moved toward the two wagons that were still in tack because, even though those mages seemed to be very dead, he could still feel magic in the air. Standing near the first wagon, he placed his hands on the wagon bed but even though the feeling was far stronger than just a few steps ago, he knew it wasn't coming from the wagon near him.
"Andrus, what are you doing?" Odette asked, as she stood onto of the rubble with her hands on her hips.
He glanced at her and shrugged, "Just checking for the wagons for papers. It's obvious the prisoners escaped since we must have just killed them." He lied but she didn't need to know his true reasoning.
Taking his steps toward the lead wagon, Andrus listened to Gordon speak. "They must have just killed the guards recently. We only came to assist them with the transport since their Templars had suddenly become ill."
Once he was close to the lead wagon, he could feel the magic pulsating from it. Its strong presence began giving Andrus a headache but he fought forward. Touching the wagon bed, his hands went cold and numb from the power; he now knew that whatever was inside was something far more powerful than anything he'd encountered recently. It's aura was cold, withdrawn, and dark—it felt as if it he were surrounded by hundreds of sullen abominated souls. Its sadness made him grit his teeth as he wanted to pull away but he knew he couldn't, this was his mission.
Lifting the covering, he peered inside and saw a silhouette of a humanly figure sitting in the far end. Its head was down and it was rocking to and fro whispering incoherent nothings to itself. Its hair hung down to the wagon bed floor and it smelled like the vials of Darkspawn blood he had to carry to Duncan that long while ago.
He couldn't speak or move; his mind tried to put together what to do but he couldn't think right. Andrus was suddenly beginning to feel lightheaded and his muscles were slowly giving out but he could see the world around him fading and becoming dimmer. "No…" He forced those words from his mouth and the being reacted.
The head of the creature snapped upward staring at Andrus with eyes as white as the moon. Immediately, his sight of the real world was diminishing into the twisted structures of the Fade as it formed around him. Piece by piece, he could see the real world leaving; he could see himself leaving his body as he slipped away from what he knew he had control of.
"Is this truly how you have decided to end it?" A familiar voice spoke to him. "By falling to the trap of an old wench…apostate…like this. You handled my mother far better than this I must say."
Andrus' eyes widened as he heard Morrigan's voice.
"You can't speak, can you?" She sighed. "Tis probably best that is the case. Andrus, the wench is trying to trap you in the Fade. You are being pulled into the other world now but, thankfully for us, you are an arcane warrior and it is taking longer than she would like."
Andrus turned his head toward the shady figure that held the same shape as Morrigan and as it got closer, he could see that it was indeed her.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and stood him upright since he was floating in the shifting realities. Turning her head and removing one of her hands from his shoulders, she looked toward the image of the wagon that was still there and pointed at it. "Force yourself back into our world, do not disappoint me by being so weak…I'll need you to stay strong, Warden."
Andrus never looked away from her, even as she pointed toward his exit and he knew she could feel him watching her. After a moment, she did look up at him with a slightly concerned yet pissed off look on her face, "Go Andrus!"
Pausing, she shook her head and placed her free hand on his cheek and stared into his eyes, "Go." She ordered; her hands slowly slipped from his body as she began fading away as well.
With her leaving him, he broke toward the shrinking image of the wagon. Jumping through, he saw his own body lying on the ground and he fell into it. Immediately, he felt the weight of the real world back onto his body and he began gasping for air. Gordon held him down and Odette held a canteen to his mouth when he needed it.
"Breathe Andrus." Odette pleaded.
Focusing his eyes on the world around him, he glanced at Odette then to Gordon but in the corner of his eye he noticed a small black bird perched on the top of a wagon. Turning his head to look at it, he realized that it was a black crow looking down at him. Lifting his hand to reach for it, it flew away into the blinding light his eyes weren't yet ready to adjust to. Closing his eyes, he sighed because Morrigan had saved his life again and because he could feel that the magical feeling from the creature in the wagon was gone. Both of his goals continued to elude him, both continued to run and he knew that he was going to keep chasing, no matter how much he wanted to turn away.
Chapter 2 preview: The mission is now clear to Andrus, the special package being shipped to the southern prison of Ferelden is the woman he encountered in the wagon. That woman is now gone, and he has to begin the journey on finding out where she is while searching for Morrigan at the same time.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! Was and am a bit worried about the Morrigan dialogue since she is a very particular character; I tried to stay as true as possible to what I think she might say. Also, there will be a few appearances of old DA: Origins favorites since this story is taking place before DA: Awakenings (since I haven't played that yet). I also hope Andrus is coming off like I'd like…please give me your opinion on him as the story goes to see if my idea of him is working as well. Thank you all for reading!