Author's Note: I know it's an early update, next day to be exact, but I'd like to keep you guys hooked on the story. As the summary states, this story will be rated T for slight language and mild sexual content. In later chapters that will be moved up to an M rating for violent language, detailed sexual content, and other sexy thing I haven't quite thought up yet. If you like fluff, it will be good. I promise. In the last chapter you met Delenithra, learned about the ritual and it ended right up to the meeting Morrigan, right before you go meet Flemeth! Woo! Flemeth, Witch of the Wilds, scary old bat lady! I'm just kidding, Flemeth is actually pretty cool. Especially in Dragon Age II. This chapter might be a tad bit shorter than the first but not by much. I'm trying to keep every chapter at around seven thousand (7,000) to eight thousand (8,000) words. If it takes me a while to update after this chapter it's not because I'm abandoning it, it's because I have school tomorrow and school is so boring I have writer's block. Thanks to all of you who are taking the time to read my fan-fiction and please rate and review! Please PM me if you have any questions. Love you guys, Sydney.

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all characters and storylines except for Delenithra and the Warden recruits. Bioware is totally BA and I wish I could create video games half as good as they can.

(PS: I didn't specify this in the first chapter, which I should have but when writing is like this it's in present tense, set in awakening. But when it is in bold like this it's flashbacks to Dragon Age: Origins. This story may also be a bit AU in some parts, like Sigrun doesn't leave and either does Anders or Velanna. Nor does Varel die. In this story, the Commander saves Amaranthine but didn't send any guards or soldiers to outlying establishments so Vigils Keep was in okay shape. They are still in the midst of rebuilding after the fall of the Mother.)

Chapter Two: You're One of Us Now, Kid

"So you're saying that you actually met the Witch of the Wilds?" The young elven women questioned me with quite an interest for my tale.

"Oh yes! She was quite a woman. Even a bit frightening, if I don't say so myself," I smiled down at the women and the men. "If you don't mind my asking, recruit, what is your name?"

"Halena, Commander." Halena looked down at her hands, obviously intimidated by my high rank and presence. She was not used to being spoken to so politely.

"Halena, here you are family. You do not need to call me Commander if this is not a formal meeting. Call me Delenie. I know nothing of what the Alienage is like where you are from, but I know you are not treated very well there. Don't feel demeaned by any presence of another," I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she smiled appreciatively at me.

"Thank you, Delenie." Halena nodded at me and went back to listening.

"Can we hear about the meeting of Flemeth now?" Crischan, the sassy recruit from before, asked me with a tone of disgust and annoyance. I rolled my eyes at his impatience and continued on with my tale of the blight.

Morrigan led us quite a way back to the border of the Hinterlands and the road leading to the ruins of Ostagar. It was quite a long walk and the men were on their guard around the mysterious Chasind mage who had appeared just moments before. I was quite taken with her knowledge of the Wilds and asked her many questions about the herbs and such and she was delighted to answer, clearly flattered by an outsiders admiration of her wisdoms. She led us to a small hut in a clearing, surrounded by a small pond of muddy water. There stood an elderly lady, her hair grayed and her face wrinkled in old age.

"Mother, I have brought to you four Grey Wardens who are here searching for those treaties." Morrigan took her place next to her mother and spoke politely to her, as if intimidated by her presence.

"I'm not blind, daughter. I can see who you have brought," The lady scolded Morrigan harshly and caused her to blush and avert her gaze to a stone she kicked with her feet. "You are looking for the treaties? Take them."

"Why do you have them? You've stolen them from the tower!" Alistair scolded and accused the woman. She just brushed it off in annoyance and handed me the treaties.

"No, young boy, I have protected them from the wear and tear of the Wilds harsh environment." The woman took a step towards him and he stepped a few steps back. "You, does your elven mind give you an insight to what these scared men can't see?"

"I see that you are an old but wise woman who has protected these treaties, and with that I say ma serannas." I bowed at the woman with thanks and she smiled.

"Ma nuvenin, lethallan." Morrigan's mother repeated to me in Dalish. "Now Morrigan, escort these young Wardens back to the gates of Ostagar and quickly come home. We have much to do to prepare for the upcoming battle."

"Yes mother." Morrigan gestured for us to follow her down the path. It wasn't a very long walk back to the gate and she quickly left us, running off into the cover of trees.

"Well, that was easier than I expected. My joining preparation was not quite as exciting. Anyways, we should probably get back to Duncan and get this show on the road." Alistair smiled warmly at me before leading the way back to the Grey Warden camp. There stood Duncan, speaking with one of the king's knights. He turned and acknowledged us, bid the knight good day, and gathered the supplies from Alistair. "Take them to the temple, where we will begin the joining."

"And that is where I stop for right now, recruits." I stood up and stretched, my bones in my back cracking and my shoulders popping.

"What?! You haven't even gotten to the joining yet." Crischan glared up at me before standing and pointing a finger at my chest. "This is a bunch of bullshit isn't it? You're lying to us. None of this ever really happened the way you said it did, did it?"

"Mr. I'm So Much Better Than Everyone Else, you can believe what you wish, but you know that this is all true, for you have heard the song sung from the bard who accompanied me and the tales of all of those who have met me," I patted him on the head, messing up his hair before turning and walking away.

"You really shouldn't insult the Commander like that, you jerk. She really is a remarkable woman," I heard Halena's voice rise over the quiet whispering of the group of recruits.

"Why not? She's nothing but a disgusting abomination and an elf at that," Crischan turned on his heel, running smack into Nathaniel.

"Excuse me? What did you say about Delenie?" Nathaniel's voice was angry, something that rarely ever happened.

"I didn't say anything about her. I apologize. She's a wonderful lady!" Crischan cowered from Nathaniel's glare.

"You know not of what she's done or what she's lost, and before you go insulting her, you will learn that before making opinions," Nathaniel knocked his body to the ground and kicked dirt on him. He turned on his heel before turning back and spitting directly in his eye. "Piece of shit."

I laughed as I made my way back into Vigils Keep. The sun was high in the sky, showing that it was about midafternoon. I made my way into the kitchen where the chef was hard at work, cooking a massive amount of food big enough to feed six Grey Wardens, whose appetites were already large enough as it is, plus the knights, guards, recruits, and other staff on shift. Here in this big fortress, we were all one big family. We took care of one another and worked hard to meet everyone's needs. Though today was a hard day seeing that I had the Banns from all over Amaranthine coming to the throne room to give me gifts and tell me of the situations from the surviving darkspawn. This was stressful for I wish I could help everyone, but I could not. I only had so many guards to dispatch.

I ate what was being served; potato and cheese soup along with various pieces of fruits and vegetables. It was one of the meals we ate on a regular basis while traveling around Ferelden trying to aid everyone in the Blight. It made me thing of Alistair and how everything that was plain and grey made him happy because it's what they served in the Chantry, but on the rare occasions that we would have enough coin to purchase food to make a decent meal, he would be ecstatic. Sometimes Alistair would even jump up after dinner and dance around. He even sang, not well of course, about the delicious flavors that were coating his tongue.

Those were good memories. When we would take a break from all of our traveling and battling and stay at an inn that was located in the various villages we were in. We would drink, eat until our bellies were content, and then laugh and sing all night. We would sleep in until we could sleep anymore and then eat again. The inn in Denerim was probably one of my greatest memories I could ever remember that involve being in the same room with Alistair. We were all drunk as a dwarf in Orzammar, especially Oghren, and we were sitting around a table singing and Alistair was dancing with Zevran. These moments were the only moments the two boys were not fighting.

"Lalalala! Something about a wench who was very fickle! She smelled like a pickle and was always on her back!" Zevran's voice cracked at the last note and we all laughed obnoxiously. Oghren was banging on the table, Leliana lying in the floor rolling around, clutching at her chest, and even Morrigan was laughing as much as she can. We weren't on guard anymore. Sten stood at the top of the staircase, looking at us with a bemused but serious expression on his face. We were all dressed in comfortable clothing, the women dresses and the men comfortable pants with unbuttoned shirts. Many of the girls in the tavern were looking at the handsome boys; Alistair, Oghren, and Zevran. Our weapons were up in our room, the only thing we were wielding was large cups of ale and the laughter in our chests. Leliana stood and asked one of the women working at the tavern to dance; this is when the rest of our party figured out her romantic preference of women. I had known this already after realizing her various attempts to flirt with me, but they figured it out after the redheaded bard had taken the women upstairs into her room and we later heard the screaming moans of pleasure coming through the floor.

"Well, I never thought that about our little Chantry sister, but hey! She gets more women than Alistair ever has!" Oghren slammed his hand on the table and we all started laughing, causing Alistair to blush a violent red. I wrapped an arm around his waist and continued laughing.

"Hey Alistair," My voice slurred, caused by severe inebriation, "You're still a lot prettier than she is!" I placed a wet sloppy kiss on his cheek and he blushed even brighter. The whole group broke into a laughing fit again.

"Delenie, you wench, dance with me!" Oghren jumped out of his chair and grabbed my hands spinning us around in circles. "Lalalala! One, two three, oh one two three, that's how many steps I have to take so I don't fall. I'm so drunk!"

I laughed and danced with Oghren as I saw Zevran take Alistair's hand and lead him over to the bar. Zevran was speaking to Alistair with a sly look on his face and Alistair was shaking his head, repeatedly saying no. It was obvious that Zevran was trying to convince our innocent Templar to do something he didn't want to, but Alistair was impressionable. With just the right amount of pushing, you could break him into doing absolutely anything. Zevran handed Alistair two mugs of ale and jerked his head towards me. Alistair shook his head, cussed something at Zevran; who laughed of course, and started to walk towards me.

"May I uh, what's that word, uh, well…ah yes! May I cut in?" Alistair's voice was shaky and nervous but he spoke with pride.

"Yes you can, but I'll be taking these," Oghren grabbed the two mugs of ale and went back to the table. Alistair took one of my hands and placed his other on my waist. I did the same but placed my right hand on his shoulder and we danced around in silence to the melody coming from the gentle mouth of the bards. Zevran was throwing silvers at them yelling at the girl to take her clothes off, just like Zevran does.

"Those drinks were for us, sorry." Alistair looked down at his clumsy feet. "If I step on your feet, I'm sincerely sorry. It's because I'm nervous and I have two left feet and I never learned how to dance and I just…" Alistair swallowed hard, "Never mind."

"You just what?" I whispered in his ear and he just shook his head. "Alistair, we're a family here. You can tell me anything." I pulled back to look into his eyes and he stopped spinning and just looked into his eyes. It was gold and emerald, the most beautiful combination eyes could ever make.

"Maker's breath, are you beautiful…" Alistair tucked a strand of mahogany hair behind my long pierced ears. "I just feel so tongue tied around you. Your beauty is like, I don't even know. I can't compare your beauty to anything that is of this world because there is nothing that even closely resembles it. You're the only light in this darkness right now. I never thought I could feel this way about anyone before, but I feel this pull towards you. At first I thought it was just the taint but now I realize it's something more. I've never been drawn to any other Warden before. You're just so beautiful and I want to tell you exactly how I feel and I want to show you, but I'm all hands and I'm all tongue tied words and I just…"

I leaned up on my toes to press my lips to his. I couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or the lack of sleep giving me this courage but I felt it surging through my veins. My arms lifted to wrap around his neck and I closed my eyes and kept my lips pressed firmly to his. Alistair was shocked into place for a few seconds and a glance from Zevran that caused him to loosen up and wrap his arms around my waist and close his eyes. He let his body melt into mine and I felt something I've never felt before. My heart was beating at twice times its normal rate, which is already fast enough because of the taint. I thought I was going to explode. His lips left an electrifying current that shocked all of my nerves into submission and my body fell into his. I can't even recollect how long this kiss must have laughed but it's the only time I've ever really felt the safety of being wrapped in someone else's arms. I let all my worries come out into this kiss.

I pressed my fingers to my lips and smiled, a few tears slipping from my eyes. Memories like that only happen once in your lifetime and sometimes they don't even happen. I was lucky to have moments like that every week with Alistair. He was quirky and sometimes a bit to cliché but it was my favourite thing about him. I always had fun when I was around Alistair, even if we were in the most dangerous of situations. He made light of everything we did by either teasing Morrigan or making fun of Oghren's stench. Sometimes he just talked about cheese, and I loved it. I loved everything about him.

After finishing lunch, I took my leave into the throne room. Still dressed in my gown, Seneschal Varel and the Banns from all over Amaranthine looked at me with surprise. They weren't used to seeing me dressed so nicely, as I usually went to these things dressed in my armour. I smiled at Varel and sat in my seat waiting for the first person to rise and speak to me.

"This is the Guard Captain of Amaranthine; he would like to speak to you about training new guard recruits." Varel whispered in my ear and waved the Captain forward.

"Commander, many of the guards were lost in the siege at Amaranthine and we need to begin training immediately. If you could spare a few of your guards to help in the training, we could move along much quicker." He bowed his head at me.

"Of course you may. As Arlessa and Commander my job is to protect my people as best as I can. Take a knight of the Silver Order and one of my own personal guards to come with you right now. Their expertise will help you along greatly. If you are in need of more, please do not hesitate to send word," I glanced at my guard Gregory and at one of the knights by the name of Connor and gestured towards the Captain. "You two, pack up your belongings and head with the Captain back to Amaranthine. You are to return when you finish training recruits."

"Yes, Commander." The two left their posts and followed the Captain and his guards out of the throne room.

"Next is a qunari male by the name of Sten. He would like to request a spot in your order." Varel gave Sten permission to come forward. In front of me stood a dear friend of mine; tall and built—a normal qunari—he was one of my men who helped me defeat the blight.

"Good afternoon, Commander, I see…" Sten's deep voice sounded in my ear and I stood, cutting him off with a tight hug. Surprised, everyone gasped except for Sten. He kept his composure and wrapped his large arms around me and squeezed me tight.

"You don't even have to ask, Sten. You know you're always welcome among the Wardens." I pulled away from him and grasped my composure, smoothing my dress and pulling my long hair over my shoulder. Sten smiled his signature smile, it pulled at one corner of his mouth slightly, but his smile was all in his eyes. "You can go right outside and meet with the other recruits. Oh, and if you meet a recruit by the name of Crischan, make sure to scare the life out of him."

"Will do, Commander, will do." Sten bowed and took his leave.

"That will conclude this meeting today. The Commander has a busy night ahead of her and needs all the rest she can get so she is perfectly composed. You're all dismissed." Varel shooed them with a flick of his wrist and they all left. I stood and ran off into the kitchen and pulled out our collection of cookies and put those on a platter, bringing them out to Sten. Cookies were his favourite thing about Ferelden.

"Sten, you're always in such a bad mood. You need to live a little; have all the whores at the brothel and eat cookies," Zevran spoke to Sten as we sat around the fire eating potato soup. His thick Antivan accent made the whole conversations sound a tad bit more inappropriate than was meant to. Zev thought he was giving Sten honest advice, but we all knew Sten didn't understand it.

"I don't understand what you're saying. What are whores and what are cookies?" Sten's voice had a deep questioning and confused tone to his usual monotone voice.

"Ah, my friend, this is why you are so boring! You don't understand the wonders of the world!" Zevran stood up and ran into his tent, pulling out his cookies from his pouch. "These, my friend, are cookies. They are delicious pastries made out of flower and sugar and chocolate." He handed one to Sten and he looked at it with disgust before taking a bite.

"Oh my, this is delicious. Why is this simple pastry so simply delicious?" Sten finished the cookie and grabbed the rest of them from Zevran, eating them quickly, not stopping to savor the flavour. "I'm kind of excited to find out what whores taste like now."

That's when we all stopped eating and got really quiet. Sten just continued eating his cookies and was really confused when I burst out in a painful laughing fit of laughter. Following my lead, Alistair, Zevran, Leliana, and of course Oghren and even Morrigan started laughing hysterically. Sten paid no attention to the hysterics that were ripping from our heaving chests. I fell off of the log I was sitting on and tried to grab onto Alistair to catch myself, but he fell back too and landed on top of me which caused us to all laugh harder. By the time we were done laughing all of us were out of breath and our stomachs hurt terribly. Trying to compose ourselves, we all sat back down and tried to catch our breaths.

"Why was that so funny? Do whores taste bad or something?" Sten looked at us in complete confusion and the laughing fits started again.

I carried the cookies out to the courtyard where Sten was standing, watching knights' and the recruits' conversations with one another. I tapped him on the back and he turned, looking down at the platter I was holding in my hands. He looked down at me and smiled, taking one cookie and nibbling on it. I pushed it towards him and his smile grew bigger, reaching his eyes with an obvious glimmer. He took the platter and handed me a cookie, sitting down before starting to eat them.

"It's really great to have you here, Sten." I gave him an awkward one armed hug before pulling back. "It's been awfully lonely around here."

"I don't know how. This place seems to be mighty crowded and full of excitement." Sten looked at me, his mouth full of cookie.

"Everyone is so on their guard around me, kind of like you were when you first joined our group." I took another cookie and nibbled on it. "Now you're a lot more open with me than you are with most people, but they, they just won't change. It's like they're afraid of me."

"It's because they know what you've gone through. You've done the unthinkable, lost everything you ever had just to protect Thedas. They don't know what to say or how to act around you. You're their hero, their superior." Sten looked over at me and smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "How have you been doing anyways? Since, you know…"

"It's been hard, Sten. We went through this whole Blight thing together and it seems like everyone has just forgot about him. Alistair is the real hero. He made the final sacrifice that ended the blight. It wasn't me." I threw my arms up in exasperation. "I'm so sick of this 'Hero of Ferelden' title! I'm not a hero. I'm a Grey Warden. I did what I was supposed to do. It was my duty. I didn't do it for the honor. I did it because it was the only way I would find my clan and I didn't find them alive."

"You are a lot of people's hero, Delenie. You rose up, as an elf—a Dalish elf at that—and showed that you have more honor than most humans have to this very day. They used to reprimand you and insult you on a daily basis and you showed them that you are just like anyone else; possible of greatness." Sten took my hands in his. "You are our hero. Not because you defeated the blight, not because you are a Grey Warden—you are our hero because you showed us that in the most desperate of situations there is hope that someone will rise to greatness to end the despair."

"Sten, when did you become such a poet?" I smiled, wiping away the tears that were escaping from my flooding eyelids. "Thank you. I really needed that." I threw my arms around his neck before standing up. "I have to go prepare for your joining. I'll meet you and the other recruits at the sanctuary at dusk."

Dusk came and I prepared for the Joining ritual. In the silver gauntlet I poured in the blood of the darkspawn vials and a drop of Archdemon blood into it. The liquid sizzled like it boiled and I could sense the taint running through it. Nathaniel, Sigrun, Oghren, Velanna and Anders led the recruits into the room and up to the altar where I sat the gauntlet. Sten was at the front of the group.

"Before we start, we will say a few words that were said at their ritual and the joining's that went on before them." I grasped the cup in my hand and looked down into it before starting to speak. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.*" I sat the cup back down and looked up at the recruits. There was fear in a few of their eyes and I nodded at my wardens who stood barring the door. "You can't back out now." I held out my hand and gestured towards Halena. "Halena, come forward." She stepped forward and I handed her the cup. I nodded as she lifted the silver cup to her lips and took a single sip of the mixture. I grabbed the cup from her as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the floor. The recruits gasped.

"She will live." Varel had checked her pulse and I could sense the taint flowing in her veins already. Her body was trying to fight it off but as it mutated her cells, her body accepted it.

"Crischan, come forward." I held out my hand and he rolled his eyes at me, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. His eyes rolled back, he screamed and he started to cough up the darkspawn blood. His body seized and hit the floor. "I'm sorry, you were too weak." I continued with the joining. Three more had died. A thief from Amaranthine named Coro, a banns daughter named Elena, and the son of a powerful merchant named Dame. Six had survived, including Sten. The survivors were; Halena, Damien, Gregory, Misha, Zane and Sten. I gathered the blood from the dead and filled up five amulets for the survivors. They were taken to their quarters to rest, each one with a Warden's Oath placed around their necks. The bodies were cleaned up by Varel and his associates, the blood scrubbed up by Nevara and the other servants.

The surviving Wardens awoke about two hours later as the sun had just finished going down. Velanna and Nathaniel brought them down to the dining room where a feast was served for them to celebrate. There were all different types of poultry and beef. Wines and fruits and vegetables decorated the table. I smiled as they came in; congratulating them on their strength as everyone sat and ate. The new Wardens were surprised at just how hungry they were and it caused a giggle to rise up in my throat. I lifted my fork and tapped it on my wine glass, causing everyone to look up.

"I'd just like to congratulate you on surviving your joining. Becoming a Grey Warden takes true strength and vigilance and you showed that tonight. The amulets around your neck are called a Warden's Oath. We all wear one around our neck to remember those who have died making the same sacrifice you did." I smiled and took a drink of a delectable grape Antivan wine. "Around your senior warden's necks is the blood of a young woman named Mhairi."

"Who is around your neck then?" Damien asked me. Damien was an older man, late twenties with long dark hair pulled back at the name of his neck and bright blue eyes.

"Well now I can finish telling you this story. I can tell you about my joining now." I took another sip of wine before continuing with my story I had started earlier.

We gathered around the small altar in the ruined sanctuary. Alistair stood with Duncan as they mixed something together and Daveth and Jory were arguing about how it was wrong to keep the joining such a secret. They complained about being sent out into the wilds and being faced with grueling tasks. I kept quiet knowing that there was an obviously good reason for why the joining was kept such a secret.

"Come along." Duncan gestured to us to step up towards the altar. Daveth went first up in line. "We will speak but a few words before we start. They have been said since the first joining. Alistair if you would."

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.*" Alistair's voice was sullen and calm, his composure kept well.

"Daveth come forward." Duncan handed Daveth the cup of darkspawn blood and he took a sip of it. His eyes rolled back into his head and he coughed and seized before falling to the floor dead. Sir Jory backed up against the wall, eyes wide and full of fear. "Sir Jory, come forward."

"No. I won't do this. I have a wife and a family back in Highever. I won't do this, you can't make me!" Jory unsheathed his sword and held it out towards Duncan but his hands were shaky.

"I'm sorry, Sir Jory," Duncan whispered as he held out his dagger and stabbed Sir Jory in the stomach. He went down with a gurgle and his blood seeped out in a pool around him, his eyes wide open and still struck with fear. "Delenithra, come forward."

I nodded and took the cup from him, taking a large sip before swallowing. The blood of the darkspawn burned as it slid down my throat, coating the cartilage ridges. It coated my tonsils and I kept swallowing but it felt like it was eating away at my internal organs. The blood burned as it coursed through my veins, my heart raced and felt as if it would beat straight out of my chest. I clutched my chest, falling to the ground, barely able to catch myself with my one free arm. I felt my strength draining as my eyes rolled back and my body felt like it was on fire. I vomited up what I had eaten just hours before and kept gagging before falling down unconscious.

When I awoke, I was back in my tent with a blanket wrapped tightly around me. Around my neck was an amulet filled with a deep red liquid that give me a sense of evil and I felt the warning coasting through my veins. I sat up and exited the tent, seeing Alistair and Duncan sitting there waiting for me to wake up. Alistair turned and smiled at me and Duncan did the same, though the smile did not quite reach his eyes.

"I'm glad you're alright. I remember my joining. Brutal, am I right? Ah, but two died at yours and one only died at mine. That's what around your neck. It's called a Warden's Oath. We take the blood of those who have died making the same sacrifice that you have and put it in a vial so that you always remember that you were the strong one." Alistair pulled me into a hug.

"Yes, congratulations child, though we do not have time to waste. We must meet with the King immediately to discuss the plans for the upcoming battle." Duncan gestured for me to follow him and I did, leaving Alistair's smiling face behind at camp.

"Eamon just wants in on the glory, I promise you that." The young blonde king sat there discussing battle plans over a map with an older darker haired man named Loghain. "You must be the new Warden! Welcome aboard! We need all the wardens we can get."

"Your faith in the Wardens Cailan will be the death of you." Loghain scolded his father-in-law and his regent.

"Ignore him, he has no idea what he's talking about." Cailan reached out to shake my hand. "You play a very key role in our success tomorrow. I will be sending you and Alistair to the Tower of Ishal to light the beacon that will signal Loghain's men to charge."

"Of course, your majesty." I curtsied before being dismissed by Duncan to go find and give the news to Alistair.

Alistair was angry of course. Angry that he wasn't going to have in on the glory when the defeated the darkspawn at this battle. Duncan convinced him it was for the best and then he made some hilarious comment about never dancing the Remigold in a dress. He said that it was his way of making a stand. I laughed and he winked at me and my heart stopped for a brief second. Duncan told us the plan and by dusk we were on our way.

The tower was crawling with darkspawn. They were everywhere. The guards that were meant to light the beacon were dead; suspended from the ceilings or impaled on various pieces of wood. It was a hell house. There was blood everywhere and concentrating was hard when you had the constant pull of the taint in your blood. Being around darkspawn was a constant physical pain. It burned in your veins and you could feel the pressure pulling in the direction of where the darkspawn were located. I understood why the Grey Wardens didn't tell their recruits about the joining and what being a warden was like. It would frighten them away.

We reached the top of the tower and we had surely missed the signal. The ogre that was sent to guard the tower wasn't a hard target to bring down, not with Alistair and mine combined strengths. We took it down in no time and lit the beacon, even though we were surely late. As the battle surged on below us, darkspawn swarmed the tower, surrounding us and overpowering us. The last thing I remember was being shot with an arrow and it hitting my shoulder. I fell down and the pain had knocked me unconscious.

I awoke in the bed that I was positive wasn't mine and I was wearing nothing but my small clothes. I sat up quickly in embarrassment to see Morrigan tending to my wounds. She was smiling at me and bandaging up my torn shoulder.

"Ah, you're awake. Mother will be very pleased." Morrigan handed me my clothing and my bear pelt before leaving the room and letting me dress. "She'd like to see you when you're ready."

I dressed and made my way out of the hut where Alistair stood looking into the muddy pond. Next to him stood Morrigan's mother who patted him on the shoulder and pointed at me. Alistair turned and ran up to me, his eyes full of sadness and despair, and encased me in a tight hug. I felt a pain in my shoulder but ignored it, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Thank the Maker, you're alive."

"Thanks to Morrigan's mother I am." I smiled at him as he released me.

"Don't speak of me as if I am not here." Morrigan's mothers' look was crossed and annoyed.

"We don't know your name. What would you like us to call you?" Alistair asked her apologetically.

"Names are pretty but unnecessary. I guess you can call me Flemeth." Flemeth smiled at us and a spark of surprise lit up in Alistair's eyes.

"The Flemeth? The Witch of the Wilds?" Alistair was shocked and shook his head to clear his mind. "I guess we should thank you."

"You should if you know what's good for you." Flemeth turned to me. "You should probably know what happened with the battle."

"Loghain abandoned them. King Cailan and Duncan…they're both…" Alistair's voice cracked. "Dead."

"How could he do such a thing?" My voice was full of rage. "Cailan and Duncan were good men."

"There is obviously some deeper meaning behind this, but for now you have to focus on the blight." Flemeth intervened in the conversation.

"You're right. If we stop the blight we can bring Loghain to justice. But how?" Alistair looked up at the sky and sighed in exasperation.

"The treaties! We can gather an army!" I blurted out.

"That sounds like a very smart idea. Those treaties obligate the Dalish, the Circle of Magi, and the dwarves of Orzammar to aid the Grey Wardens in the case of Blight. It would be a very intelligent choice to use those treaties." Flemeth looked over at Morrigan who was coming out of the hut.

"We should also go see Arl Eamon of Redcliffe. He raised me and he's a good man with a powerful pull on society. He could help us raise awareness about Loghain's treachery." Alistair was nodding his head.

"The stew is bubbling mother. Should we have two guests for dinner or none?" Morrigan looked to her mother who smirked.

"We will have none and you will be leaving with the wardens." Flemeth looked back towards us and smiled.

"Very well, I will…Wait. What?!" Morrigan groaned and looked at her mother in shock. "You can't be serious."

"You have been itching to get out of the wilds. Here's your chance." Flemeth chortled.

"Very well mother, let me gather my things." Morrigan cussed under her breath and left into the hut to gather her belongings.

"I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth but, do you really want to bring her along?" Alistair looked at me with a pleading look.

"She will be useful to us and we need all the help we can get," I assured Alistair with a calming tone.

"I'm ready. Remember mother that the stew is on the fire. I don't want to come home to a burnt down hut," Morrigan came out with a bag over her shoulder.

"I'm old but not incompetent, Morrigan!" Flemeth scolded her with a smirk.

"I know, I just…" Morrigan tried to rebut.

"I know my dear, please try to have fun." Flemeth dismissed us and left to enter her hut again.

"I have a few ideas for where we should go, but if you'd rather I be your silent guide, so be it." Morrigan looked towards me with annoyance.

"I have no problem with your presence if Alistair doesn't." I smiled at her and then glanced at Alistair.

"Well from the scowl he's giving me, I doubt he enjoys this, but I think we should head to Lothering first. We can stock up and rest there and figure out our next step." Morrigan pulled a map out of her bag and pointed to the location on the map.

"And that's where we went. We headed to Lothering which is where we met the bard who wrote the Ballad of the Grey and your fellow Warden Sten," I smiled at them and raised my glass in the air. "I'd like to propose a toast to you all. Your sacrifice will protect us from future darkspawn threats. We know that there is another blight on our tails, but you will help to prevent it drastically. To the Wardens! You're one of us now, kids!"

After dinner we all went to bed and I prepared for tonight. We were attempting the ritual tonight when the moon was the highest in the sky. I dressed in a warm gown with a fur robe over it and grabbed my staff and altar knife. I left out the side door, trying to avoid the guards who would try to follow me. In the backyard I met up with Velanna, Anders and Nathaniel. Nathaniel was shaking for obvious reasons and I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug to comfort him, but more to comfort myself.

"Are you ready for this, Nathaniel?" I asked him, holding him at arm's length and he nodded. I pulled out the altar knife and held Velanna's hand. "With this knife I will use half of this man's life force to bring myself into the Fade." I took Nathaniel's hand and sliced the knife across his palm, the blood pouring out of the wound. I summoned the spell to bring myself into the Fade and felt the pull out of this world ripping my soul from my body.

I looked around at where I was. The sun was high in the sky and the grass was green, a river flowing through a break in the soil. Standing there gazing over at the creek was a young man. From the back he had the shape of Alistair's magnificent physique. I called out to him but he didn't move even an inch. I kept calling his name but his image got farther and farther away. I ran after him, my arms outstretched for his embrace.

"Alistair, please! Come back!" I fell to my knees, my arms still outstretched, tears pooling up in my lower eyelids. "It should've been me who died. Why would you do that?! Just come home!"

"Oh my, what have we here?" I looked behind me to see a desire demon standing there. Her clawed hands were rubbing her breasts, teasing her nipples. She was naked except for a few dark scales that covered the apex of her thighs. My eyes widened at the sight and I blinked repeatedly.

"I require your assistance." I kneeled down and bowed my head towards her.

"I already know what you want, my child." She lent down and placed her hand under my chin, lifting it so I looked up at her face.

"You do?" I was shaking, the nerves wracking through my body.

"You want him back." The desire demon smiled seductively at me, grazing her lips against my ear. "You will do anything to get him back." She licked my earlobe. "Will you do anything? I mean…anything?"

"Yes, I will. I swear." I was shaking. I shouldn't be doing this. I can't back out now.

"I want you to kill that female Warden of yours. I want you to let me possess her body." She licked her lips, teasing her nipples again. "Halena, yes her. Kill her and bring her to the grave of your loved one." I shouldn't do this. It isn't right. I'm already a maleficar. Will I kill her for this? No. I won't. "Will you do this?" No. No I won't. I will not kill an innocent woman for my own gain. "Well will you or not?!"

"I uh…" Just say no already! Say no! "Yes. I will."

To be continued….

Author's Note: And cliffhangers! Rate and Review! I love you guys! -Sydney