Chapter 1

"Tis it not your concern, oh empty-headed one?" Morrigan's breathy yet snarky voice brought me out of my daydream. Alistair and Morrigan were going through their usual banter again. To be honest, I welcomed the humorous conversations between the two, especially during such grim times.

"Just, leave me alone, you, you witch," Alistair lamely retorted. He was clearly losing the battle of wits again with Morrigan and I was far from surprised.

"Ooh, such clever wordplay leaves my mind in a state of stupor," Morrigan said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Sarcasm: her favorite tool when it came to words, and she always utilized it well. I couldn't help but crack a smile at what I was hearing, At times, I'd have to stifle an outburst of laughter with a hand as I walked on ahead as they continued to bicker. I remember thinking it was sexual tension which caused such a rift between the two, but I later realized it was purely because of the fact Morrigan liked to torment Alistair as if it was simply a hobby of hers - like knitting.

"Those two going at it again?" Oghren said in a slight drawl, obviously drunk even though it was only eight in the morning. He looked up at me with one of his eyes half-lidded, making him look like a caricature of a drunk cartoon.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "Those two will always find something to argue about as long as they're together." Even as I said this, I could still hear them faintly arguing in the background like two drunkards babbling at a bar.

"You are simply an insufferable human being," Morrigan huffed.

"Oh, this coming from a Witch of the Wilds with a fire-breathing dragon for a mother and animals being the only friends to her name," Alistair winningly replied.

Oh man, did Alistair finally score a point in one of his arguments with Morrigan? My limbs stiffened after hearing Alistair's scathing comment. What would Morrigan do to him now? Butcher him and feed him to Dog? Or will she really swoop upon him and turn him into a toad? This, I had to see.

"Hmph," Morrigan scoffed. "Oh, how lovely, little Alistair finally grew a pair in his virginal knickers."

Ooh, I spoke too soon.

Alistair's face grew a dangerous shade of red and all he could do was sputter nonsensical sentences. Winner: Morrigan.

Oghren was chuckling like the drunken maniac he was upon hearing Morrigan's retort. "Ahahahaha! Virginal knickers!"

I looked at Alistair and saw the defeat on his face. Poor guy, he actually believed he could beat Morrigan in a battle of words.

Morrigan had a self-satisfied smirk on her face as we continued to walk onwards to Denerim. When we were nearly there, we decided to settle in at camp to ready for the final stretch of the journey. Morrigan, as usual, set up her camp as far away from the rest of us as possible. In the beginning, I felt slighted by this obvious display of disinterest from her. I had even went as far to approach her about my concern for her anti-social behavior, but this only infuriated her and always ended with my clothes being singed by her flames. But as time went on and I understood Morrigan more and why she did and said certain things, I did not take her isolation the wrong way.

I sat amongst the rest of my companions before the fire and mindlessly stoked the flames in the pit. They roared with a fury and I was left in awe by how easily they were provoked. By simply poking and prodding the core of their creation, they could rise as high as Sten's height. Amazing. They reminded me of Morrigan's own flames she'd conjure with her hands whenever her temper would be tested - simply amazing.

Alistair still looked glum at what Morrigan said earlier, so as a cheer-up gift, I handed him a statuette I had bought earlier. It was somewhat crudely made, but I figured the knight's features resembled Alistair somewhat, so I bought it on a whim. Sten's frown deepened when he witnessed me buying the useless thing.

"Waste of coin," was all Sten said before he turned away to frown at something else in his vicinity.

I had bought it anyway, thinking a statuette would be the perfect gift for Alistair if he ever got into one of his funky moods again. I noticed he'd act like a little child whenever we'd step into a shop full of these colorful statuettes. I suppose, he was still a little boy at heart, hence his naïve and immature views on the world.

When I handed him the gift, he smiled wryly at the dopey expression painted on the knight's face. "Just as brainless as me this guy, huh?" Alistair mused sadly.

I looked down at the statuette and smiled. "Not brainless, just a nice guy." I patted him on the shoulder and Alistair lightened up somewhat.

"Thank you, Rose," he said, and looked down at the miniature knight. "Odd how this knight is painted with such a whimsical expression." He turned the statuette in between his fingers before the fire as he gazed curiously at the knight's care-free grin.

"I suppose it means not all knights are the stereotypical tough, serious guys after all," I said.

Alistair's face was riddled with doubt at my theory, but he continued to smile. "Maybe you're right."

"Alistair, I'm always right," I playfully said, and patted him once more on the shoulder before I got up and bid everyone goodnight. As I headed back towards my tent, I could have sworn I saw Morrigan staring at us with a curious look on her face, but it was too dark to tell for sure. Before I went inside my tent, I looked once more towards Morrigan's crude, makeshift area, but she was nowhere to be found.