TWO

The men had been… less than diplomatic with Morrigan. Not much the same treatment they had given to me, a damsel in distress I suppose. While the men had been becoming more and more distrusting and abrasive, Morrigan had turned to me, using the same line I recognized word for word from the game. "Women do not scare as easily." Much to the surprise of my gaggle of warrior saviors, I had easily taken lead in navigating the conversation to convince her to bring us to Flemeth. I didn't remember the exact wording that had been scripted to my own personal warden, but I remembered the jist of it well enough and guided the situation into a more favorable direction. The regard of the men towards me had changed, apparently realizing that I was more than just a damsel for the first time since they rescued me. It was while Morrigan was leading us to her mother that Daveth gave me a long, sidelong look.

"Just what were you doing out in the wilds, anyway?" he asked, not withholding his accusatory and suspicious tone.

Unease swept through me as I realized I had to think quick on my feet and weave some kind of story. I had never been a great at making things up on short notice, which is why I had failed horribly in the improv acting classes my mother had forced upon me to try and "bring me out of my shell." I settled for half truths to guide my tongue as I hugged myself once more in the damp wilderness.

"Well, I didn't mean to be there at all," I answered carefully, hoping they took my measured words as trauma and fear rather than the unease that it actually was. "I've been quite lost and wondered around through the night. Its a wonder the darkspawn didn't find me sooner than they did." It was a vague response, but had given me enough time to come up with a proper explanation. "I was traveling when I was attacked by a group of bandits. Fleeing the war, really. Hoping to escape before it got too bad. Too late for that now." I grimaced, reminding myself that I was sick with the blight. "I managed to get away with nothing but the clothes on my back, but ended up stranded in the forest."

The group swallowed my words easily, though Morrigan cast me a short look that gave me the stark impression that she hardly believed a word I had just uttered. Of course, it would be her that would suspect my lies, rather than the testosterone driven recruits I traveled with, riding the high of rescuing me from my would-be horrible fate.

"Its a good thing Cousland heard you when he did," Jory remarked, clapping his brother-in-arms on the back.

"I heard the darkspawn," Aedan corrected, glancing back at us from his position at the head of the group. It seemed he was already taking charge, and Alistair allowing it, never being one to jump to lead if somebody else is willing to take on the duty- despite him being senior to the man. "I didn't know what they had, but it certainly sounded like a rallying cry, which would lead to what we needed."

Which would have been darkspawn blood, which they would not tell me, as it was a "warden secret." It was mostly silent, aside from slight question filled banter from the recruits to Alistair, which Alistair carefully paced around with poor jokes and sarcasm. Morrigan gave short, clipped remarks, with poor covers of niceties and etiquette. It was a bit of a walk since it wasn't disguised by a load screen and Flemeth was hidden away within the small hut when we arrived, not waiting out front. Morrigan had us stay outside while she went in to retrieve the elderly woman. She hobbled out the door, really playing up the "old woman" farce that I knew to be fake.

"Ah, you're later than I expected," she started, eyes looking onto me. There was a spark of fascination and something akin to greed that set my skin crawling.

"Are we supposed to believe you expected us?" Alistair quipped, ever the foolish and loudmouthed.

I began to ignore the idle banter; Flemeth's biting and cryptic words, Daveth's paranoid urgings, Alistair's sarcasm. It left my with little surprise when Cousland took the lead of the conversation, seeming to this time follow my earlier diplomatic example with Morrigan. Yet, before she bid Morrigan guide us back to camp, she pulled me from my reverie and requested a quiet word with me, under the shroud of "examining me for any injuries," as she was a healer, among other talents. My men reluctantly agreed and I numbly followed her lead into the hut, glancing around at the talismans and bottles riddling the walls and shelves.

"Undress, and I will give you better robes," she commanded, shuffling through a cabinet. "Tainted though you may be, it is unwise to stay in bloody clothes, especially those which you currently don, as they are from your old realm."

"Of course you would know," I bit out, shaking my head. "So this is real then? Not just some bad dream?"

"Tis no trick of the Fade, I'm afraid. I can smell it on you, like wet on a dog. Now, I bid you undress, did I not?"

I decided it better to do as she wished, reminding myself that although she always served her own purposes, they hadn't proven evil thus far. Well, aside from raising daughters only to possess; though that was fueled by self-preservation rather than a want to do wrong. No matter, she was right in that I needed to change into something more appropriate for the circumstances and less covered in the taint. Stripped down to my underwear, she helped to clean my skin of any residual blood and muck before offering me the clean clothes. It was nothing as fanciful as Morrigan's attire, neither as drab as her own current outfit. It was rather a simple tunic and vest, along with trousers, which would be tucked into the boots at the calf. She offered a scarf along with it, which I adorned around my neck, tucking the ends into the vest. When dressed, I leveled my gaze at her, curiosity peaking.

"Do you know how I got here, or how I might get back home?" I questioned, adjusting my outfit a bit here and there until it suited me more comfortably. Flemeth only shook her head, offering a small smile.

"I only can say that you are here now, by whatever manner of travel, and now you have a role to play," she stated in her cryptic way. Her eyes settled onto mine, holding many more secrets than even I knew, I was sure. "And I believe that if you do not hurry now, you may never fulfill that role. The sickness quickens within you. You need be on your way."

The taint. My stomach curdled, the pain in the back of my head growing stronger, a dull ringing in my ears beginning to sound. She ushered me out of her hut in a way much too like that of an old, downtrodden woman, and I allowed her to act her given role for the time being, the dread filling my thoughts. I knew what my only hope of surviving this would be and had only hope that Duncan would offer me a chance to partake in the joining and even more hope that whatever force had brought me here intended me to survive it. There was so much left to chance in my current situation, and I had never cared for things to be left to chance. I much preferred the certainties in life. Plans set in stone, carefully thought through decisions. Leaps of faith were not my forté.

After the small deviation on my account, things proceeded as I remembered. Morrigan was commanded to lead us back to Ostagar, during which she and Alistair bickered almost relentlessly. I couldn't help my musings of them being secretly attracted to each other, no matter how overdone and cheesy the idea may be. The game itself was quite old and, after all, you could force them to sleep together and create and old god baby, right? Although against my own, personal preferences, I was never opposed to witnessing a rivals-to-lovers romance.

Then, we were at the gates of Ostagar, and Morrigan was gone with the wind. The men were left in wonderment of her disappearance, though it was about what I had expected had occured between the load screens. The guards at the gates briefly questioned my presence but took Alistair's word easily enough and allowed him to guide me to Duncan.

"Ah, a moment before we return to Duncan, please?" Cousland spoke up, motioning towards the kennels. A memory of the sick dog sparked in my mind. Did he have the flower, I wondered? The motioned guided my gaze around the camp. It was the cusp of dusk and many abandoned campfires were scattered around. Tired troops were slowly wandering towards the litter of tents. I could see ramps, leading to what I recalled to be where the mages and the templars had set up their base of operations. I inhaled slowly, instantly regretting it. It reeked of sweat and wet dog. The idle background banter had not been an exaggeration. Did all of Fereldan really stink like this? Or was it just the war camps, thick with the mabari?

"Would you mind very much if I accompanied you?" I found myself asking. My nerves were rearing their ugly head and I would much like to be around the hounds, as animals had always helped to soothe me. Cousland nodded his reply before tilting his head toward the kennel and turning to walk with me.

"There's a sick hound," he began to explain to me on our short walk to the kennel master. He offered up the blossom, the master thanking him and setting to work making a paste of the bloom. I watched with intrigue as he ground it up. I had never gotten to see this in the game. It was simply pass off and leave. "I managed to help muzzle him, but he put up quite the fight. Apparently, the flower is the only cure for his ail."

With the blossom ground to a paste, the kennel master began to remove the muzzle, only to be greeted with furious growling and barking. "Come on, pup, you need to eat it!" the man grunted, trying to force the snout of the dog into the bowl. The dog wormed his way out of the man's grasp, snarling at him and backing into the corner of his pen. With a sigh, the man gave Cousland a small look. "I'm afraid your effort may be for naught, as I can't get the hound to eat it."

Cousland began to opened his mouth, but words tumbled from mine faster. "Can I give it a go?" I asked in a hurried tumble of my tongue.

The man shrugged with a short remark of, "it's the loss of your fingers."

I ignored the comment, taking the bowl from his grasp and slowly entering the pen myself. Cousland leaned on his elbows, putting his weight on the fence. I crouched on the ground, making soft sounds to beckon the hound. The snarling began to quiet as he edged near to me, sniffing my outstretched hand.

"There you are, boy," I crooned, softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just want to give you something to make you feel better."

The mabari gave a small huff and snort in acknowledgement, before moving closer and pushing his snout into my face, taking a few more sniffs. He gave another snort, splattering a bit of slobber across my face. I wiped it off with the back of my hand before scratching the top of the dog's head. Carefully, I scooped up the paste with my fingers of one hand, the lifted a lip with the other. Despite the disgruntled growling that escaped the hound's throat, I smeared the paste across his gums. A thick tongue licked at it to remove it. I glanced up at the kennel master, who motioned that the dog needed all of it, before continuing the process until all of the paste had been smeared on its gums and resolutely licked off and consumed. Upon completion of my task, I rose and left the kennel, much to the displeasured grunting and snorting of the mabari.

"I reckon that one's chosen you," the kennel master informed me. "So long as he heals up fine, I'd say its yours now. You can check back with me after everything's all settled to collect your new warhound."

Despite myself, I beamed at the prospect. If things progressed accordingly- and I was allowed to partake in and survive the joining- I would indeed have myself a warhound. With a small chuckle, Cousland ushered me back toward our companions, and with that, on to Duncan to explain my situation, and, with any luck, get on with the joining.

Duncan regarded me immediately upon our approach, the surprise evident on his face. I took in his form with mild fascination, revelling in the differences between the somewhat blocky rendering and outdated graphics and reality. His most prevalent feature was absolutely his beaked nose, though it didn't detract from his almost fatherly aura. His eyes were tired and kind, his beard masking most of the lower half of his face. His piercings glinted in the firelight and his height and stature would be intimidating if it weren't for my own knowledge of his personality.

"Who's this?" he inquired, looking to Alistair for explanation. It was Cousland, however, who answered.

"She was lost in the wilds, ser," he answered, stepping forward, much like I would expect an army troop to approach an officer. "Robbed and left stranded, and under attack by darkspawn when we found her. She contracted the blight, ser, and we were hoping you would know what to do with her."

A hand rose to his dark beard as he regarded me, contemplation flickering through his eyes. "Indeed," he murmured, tilting his head. Decision marked his expression, hard resolve turning his stance. "Can you fight?"

"Minor self defense," I responded, somewhat hesitantly. "Mostly hand-to-hand, but I was taught some archery. Never against a moving target, but I was decent."

A short nod, as though it confirmed what he had already thought. "Very well," he started, turning to the chalice behind him. "We were not prepared for an extra recruit, but we will make due with what we have. The ritual these men were about to partake in- it can cure the taint." I heard what hung in the air, left unsaid. It could cure the taint to an extent. It had, however, a thirty year expiration. "I can help you, so long as you become a grey warden. You must take vows, swear yourself to our order- and our cause."

"Battling the Blight," I stated, leveling my gaze up at his. I sighed, tugging at the hair that had fallen out of my bun. "Given my current situation, I think the choice is quite obvious. Alright, I'm with you, then."

"Very well," Duncan gave a small smile. "Welcome, miss?"

"Arissa," I stated, with a small nod of introduction.

"Well met. My name is Duncan, and I suppose you've been acquainted with my recruits." I nodded. "Let us begin the ritual then. The mages are ready."

It went on as I recalled, Alistair stepping up to say a few words as Duncan concocted the mixture of darkspawn blood and archdemon blood. Just as I remembered, Daveth went first, Duncan instructing him to drink all that had been divied into the chalice, as we had to be sparing so there was enough for all. My stomach lurched as I remembered how this proceeded, having not been prepared for the reality of what I was about to see. The man convulsed, standing first, then collapsed as he heaved and wretched. I held a hand to my mouth, swallowing my horror. I had never actually watched someone die. I suppose that was about to change. After more convulsing and heaving and grunting, his body stilled. Alistair knelt, holding a finger to his neck, before shaking his head.

"A shame," Duncan sighed, gaze lowering. "Jory."

And just as it had previously gone, Jory tried to desert. And he was struck down. The sound of the sword, ringing and it pierced his armor, then the squelch of it ripping through his flesh, was not something that any game cutscene could prepare me for. A shudder ruptured through my body and I sat, unable to support myself on my quivering legs. Cousland caught grip of my shoulders, steadying me through my collapse. I waved away his hands, trying to stay myself. I would be fine. There was more to come yet.

"Cousland."

Giving me a short, hard nod, he pulled from me and took the chalice in his gauntlets, taking a deep breath before downing its contents. Like Daveth, he collapsed and convulsed. Fear rattled through me. He had to survive this. He was meant to. After he stilled, Alistair kneeled, holding fingers to his neck.

"Alive," he breathed, shoulders sagging in relief. "With any luck, he should wake shortly. Should we finish up?"

Taking the hand Alistair extended to me, I rose. I approached Duncan, shakily. "I'm dead either way, I suppose," I ground out, taking my share into my hands. The smell wafted up at me, making we want to gag already. I swallowed back the feeling, lifting the chalice to my lips before tipping it back, along with my head. It thickly slid down my throat, the taste burning upon my tongue. The bitterness and metallic taste were familiar, but a new sourness curdled my taste buds. It stung my throat, burning and searing. I wasn't aware of anything accept the white that swallowed my vision, and then the black.

Then, the teeth, glinting in the moonlight, the maw right before my face. Lips curled in a snarl, one tooth already the size of my head. A huff of hot breath, knocking back tendrils of my hair, bringing my gaze up the dark lips to the deep nostrils, and further up, to the dark gaze. Eyes, large and glaring slits at me, directly at me.

"I come for you."

It was an echoing, multi-toned voice that rumbled deep into my chest. It resounded into my eardrums, shooting an aching, sharp, burning pain through my head. I couldn't make a sound, only writhe at the pain.

And then I was waking, pushing myself into a sitting position, panting and huffing, trying to catch my breath, to anchor myself back to reality. Hands guided me up, supporting me as I stood. Duncan nodded to me, relief evident on his face. Two lost, two survived. He began to explain to Alistair and Aedan that the king wanted a meeting. Memories rang through my mind of what was to come. I could warn them, I realized, still gathering my wits about myself. I could try and save the king, try and rewrite the story- but something in me knew that that was not the part I was to play. King Cailan was a fool, too eager, too confident. The direction things would take, if I could guide them right- Alistair, though a reluctant king, was still a good one. Better than the alternatives.

I finally had gathered myself enough to stand on my own and pull away from the two men guiding me. I wouldn't change the course of things- not yet. I had to bide my time, watch and guide. Hopefully, it would all turn out for the best.

As you can probably tell, writing whats already in the game bores me. This was a quick addition, I'm pile-driving through the beginning as much as I can, as I feel its the most boring and repetitive part. At the moment, its about the same as every other woman-in-thedas fic out there, but I do promise that it will diverge soon. Bear with me.

If you want a sneak peak at my plans and when we'll get off-road:

we'll be sticking to the in-game story until we get to the circle tower and kinloch hold. About there, things will take a turn.