Chapter Two
Enjoy Alistairs 1st Appearance! Beta's still needed 3
Needless to say, Fereldan food sucked. Flemeth made, by hand, a sort of venison type stew with cabbage and herbs from her garden. I usually have a pretty open palate, and can take on anything. She made it so it had a grey brown look and a less than chunky texture. I could only eat a little bit of it before I told her my stomach couldn't handle anymore. All she did was laugh, well cackle is more appropriate, take my bowl and toss it into a bin in the corner of the room.
"Did you find a name?" she asked suddenly. I paused, utterly confused.
"What?"
"A name. You need something for people to call you in this world."
"Kimberly Wolfe doesn't cut it?" I clenched my teeth. It wasn't something easy for me to give up, my name. It was all I had left form my life, my world.
Her eyes bore into me in a fashion I was sure she often used with Morrigan to get her way.
"I don't want to lose my identity entirely," I thought for a moment. " Kimila Wolf?"
"Sounds Tevinter, it suits you," she nodded briskly. I had expected some sort of fight, maybe even a joke or two. Her head turned to the door and she smiled slightly. "My guests are here, come and observe." I stood and followed her out, feeling completely unsatisfied in the hunger department. Outside we could see Morrigan leading four men behind her to the hut. The first one was dark haired and extremely European looking with a small beard, the second a tall dark blonde with golden tinted skin and bright amber eyes, the third was rat like in the way he walked, a thief at heart if not in nature, and the fourth was homely with red hair and a pudgy face but a serious demeanor.
"Mother, I bring to you the four Grey Warden come to-" Morrigan started to introduce.
"I have eyes girl. Much as I expected."
"Are we supposed to belive you were expecting us?" the dark blonde asked in a suspicious voice.
"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open ones arms wide… either way one's a fool!" She sounded even more ridiculous then I thought she could. Morrigan stood beside me, back rigid as she feigned relaxation.
"She's a witch I tell you! We shouldn't even be talking to her," the thief looked panicked, nervous. Suddenly it occurred to me that everyone I had met so far had British accents. Curious.
"Quiet, Daveth! If she is really a witch, do you want to make her mad?" the homely one snapped, looking equally put out. Flemeth grinned and opened her mouth to say something but I was suddenly hit by a fit of the giggles when I picture Flemeth turning into a monster and biting Daveth's head off. Everyone looked to me as if I had suddenly been the one to turn into a monster.
"Erm, sorry," I knew I was blushing.
"And are you another witch?" Daveth asked nervously.
"She doesn't look like a witch does she?" the Blonde one smirked in a friendly manner. " Not nearly as intimidating as Morrigan, or as batty as her mother!" I couldn't help but bite my lip to hold back more giggles.
"Kim…Kimila." It may have been that I was unused to an attractive man talking about me, or that I was really embarrassed. Probably the later.
"That's not very nice Alistair," the dark haired one finally spoke, frowning at his companion. Alistair, the blonde one, smiled and shrugged at me.
"And what of you? What do you believe?" Flemeth looked to the first man curiously.
"I don't know what to believe," he replied nonchalantly.
"A statement that posses more wisdom then it implies. Be always aware. Or is it oblivious? I can never remember. So much about you is uncertain…and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!" she was sounding crazier by the second.
"So, this is the dreaded Witch of the Wilds?" Alistair smirked at the dark haired one. I tuned her out after this point, watching the men with intense curiosity, particularly Alistair. In my world I never really had men pay attention to me, not that I assumed that was what he had done. It was just I wondered if I could have a relationship in this world. It wasn't like I was going to be able to head back to a dead body.
Finally Flemeth stormed out of the hut she had entered moments ago with the papers from earlier and handed them over to the dark haired man, whom I learned was named Jared.
"Thank you for returning them," Jared said with more politeness then was needed. I remember thinking that he was probably of noble birth or something, I hadn't any idea how right I was.
" Such politeness! Always in the last place you look, like stockings!" Femeth cackled. " Oh don't mind me. You have what you came for!"
"Time for you to go then," Morrigan looked more then ready for the men to leave.
"Already?" I chimed in.
"It is getting late and they have to return with their treaties, but feel free to go with Morrigan to take them back," Flemeth nodded.
"Oh, very well. Follow me" Morrigan walked off.
A little ways away I found myself between Jared and Alistair.
"So you arent related to them?" Alistair asked. I shook my head with a smile.
"G-Maker no!" I almost slipped but remembered last second to switch the deities around. " I am staying with them for..now. You could say Morrigan and her mother saved me." Morrigan looked back at me, ignoring the group following her, to give me a harsh look.
"So you are not a witch?" Jared shared a look with Alistair that was completely lost on me.
"No, not at all, why? Is that a bad thing?" I wondered. I didn't need anything else to set me apart from everyone else.
"You are a strange woman is all. You talk with an accent much like an elf, yet you are a human. You are staying amongst witches in the middle of a dangerous forest, but you have no means to protect yourself," Alistair frowned.
"Ah," so they had noticed my weight and foreignness after all. I winced, sighed, and shrugged.
"It's not really any of our business anyway," Jared quickly added, elbowing Alistair.
"Ow! Hey…" Alistair whined and rubbed his arm.
"Probably a trapped spirit used to lull strangers into comfort," Daveth muttered behind us. He very obviously was not attempting to keep his words hushed. Before anyone could reply Morrigan whipped around and pointed to a gate set up along the border of the woods.
"We are here. Time to go Kimila," she took my arm and led me away.
"It was nice to meet you!" Jared called.
"Twas indeed," Morrigan said darkly. I turned my head and smiled at them as I stumbled to keep up.
"Are most men that handsome in Thedas?" I asked coyly. She snorted and didn't reply.
OoOoO
It was getting dark and the sounds of marching and voices being raised echoes through the forest. Fires lit over the treetops as I looked out form my perch in front of the hut. Flemeth hadn't stuck around until we got back, so Morrigan and I waited.
"What's going on?" I stared up, a foreboding sea of sky.
"A battle. The Kings men hope to fight and win against a sea of darkspawn," was the short reply. Morrigan was uneasy by the atmosphere, I could tell because she suddenly could turn into a wolf and pace, turning back when a noise startled her.
"Will we be safe here?" I asked nervously.
"Of course, we are neither close enough to the battle, or helpless," she looked at me, " at least not both of us." Low blow, bitch.
It got darker, fast, and the sounds got louder, a stench fell thickly upon the hair. Bone chilling screeches filled the air, but I hadn't seen anything that resembled the darkspawn Morrigan had explained to me. A tower far into the distance caught my attention as the beacon lit brightly at the top. Only, moments later a large shape flew at it. I couldn't quite make out what it was, as soon as I tried to look closer Morrigan was at my side and jerking me into the hut.
"Morrigan!" I hissed, her grip was too tight.
"Wait here until Mother and I come in."
I could only nod my head obediently. Independence was a distant dream for me. It had only been a day and I was already feeling more distant from my past life. With no idea what was in store for me, I was totally at the whim of the Witch of the Wilds and her daughter. I sat next to the hearth and watched the flames. There was a sudden gush of wind that rocked the flimsy hut, the sound of giant wings, and then Morrigan talking to someone.
"Inside, now!" Flemeth barked. I met them at the door as they carried in a body. I could just barely recognize the face of Alistair. He had what looked like twenty arrows lodged into his body. His shield was still strapped onto his arm.
"Oh my god!" I helped them put him on the bed. Flemeth wasted no time in removing his shield and armor, her strength twice that of a grown man, her fingers as swift as a humming bird.
"Morrigan, you take out the arrows and I will heal the flesh. Kimila," she didn't even look at me. " Get some water and a rag and wipe up any blood that gets in our way. We have to hurry."
I went to the hearth and found that our dishes were magically clean, so I went to their water supply and filled the bowl. I had a hard time finding a rag, a clean one anyway. When I got back Morrigan was already working on her third arrow, the only one left in his lung. Flemeths hands and eyes glowed as she healed the wounds. This type of magic was less off setting then the animal transformations I had seen. I could only stay out of their way and occasionally clean off some blood. His shirt had to come completely off, I felt sick to my stomach. I had never seen so much blood before, he was covered in gashes and scars.
It was an hour before the arrows were removed, but still we had more to go.
"His arm is broken," Flemeth said calmly, never once breaking a sweat on the hot room. "Kimila, you will have to hold his shoulders down and keep him from moving too much." He had been in and out of consciousness, delirious with pain.
"Right," I moved to where his head was, behind the bed, and set my hands firmly on his shoulders.
"Morrigan, you will have to set it so I can put all the piece of bones into place. I cant heal it like it is or it will be useless."
Morrigan nodded and went straight to it. As her hands moved his arm into place, I could feel him start to jerk under my hands. I pushed down harder, watching his face. He was in so much pain, I wished there was something I could do for him. I wished I had some good old fashioned Tylenol. Flemeth was a skilled healer, so it only took twenty minutes or so to fix his arm. He was finally completely passed out so I let go of him. With the three of us together we could move him off the bed onto a cot near the hearth. Morrigan replaced everything on the bed.
"Mother, will you tell me what has happened? How did the battle fare?" Morrigan stared her mother down. Flemeth sighed.
" We should let the girl get some sleep, we will talk outside. The cot is yours Kimila," she told me. I didn't get the chance to say anything, not even a thanks, before they were gone. There was little chance of me passing out right after everything that had happened. I decided to sit beside Alistairs cot and see if he was ok.
Not that I didn't trust Flemeths healing abilities, but I didn't entirely. I sat down and set my hand against his forehead. No fever. I checked his pulse, not really knowing what to look for. It was pretty strong still. I looked over his bare chest, seeing old and fresh scars. This new world I was in was violent, and cruel. I remembered the other men he had been with and wondered sadly if they too were dead. Not that I would miss seeing Daveth again, but Jared had been nice enough. The homely guy didn't seem to bad either.
As I sat there, watching him and thinking about everything, I became drowsy. I pulled myself to my feet and collapsed on the bed.
OoOoO
When I woke up it was really sunny, and for a ephemeral moment, I thought I was in a hospital room. Then I recognized the ceiling as a thatch job, and the wood walls were uncharacteristic of any medical building I had ever seen before.
"You are awake then?" Morrigan stood near the hearth, looking at the bookshelf. I noticed that Alistairs cot was no longer near the hearth.
"Yeah, sorry if I slept too much," I grumbled. I am not personally a morning person.
"Mother wants to see you when you get the chance," she replied tersely.
"Whats she want?"
"I believe it has something to do with the surviving Grey Warden." I tried to remember what that was. A group of fighters who fucked griffons? No, something like legendary heroes who stopped blights.
"He was the only one to survive?" I asked.
"The man who was meant to get the signal quit the field. Everyone was killed. Mother managed to rescue the one." She was beginning to sound irritated.
"Thanks Morrigan," I tried to stand and get my balance, only to succeed and falling back for a minute to wake up. Eventually I forced myself to get up and stretch.
"I'll make something to eat then," Morrigan was already shifting through the dishes. I nodded, even though she was looking, and left the hut.
Flemeth stood outside with Alistair, who was staring across the land into the forest, back turned to me.
"And see here, she is awake now," Flemeth smirked at me. I fought the urge to flip her the bird. Alistair didn't turn to acknowledge me, and I didn't blame him. All of his comrades, friends, his people. They were dead on that field. "Maybe you can talk our Grey Warden into listening to reason." Flemeth went into the hut.
"Who am I? Doctor Phil?" I mumbled. I mustered the courage to walk up to his side. I just stood there for a long moment, before looking at him. He had this sad, distant look, like a lost puppy. My heart melted.
"I'm so sorry for you Alistair," I said sensitively. He looked to me, as if he just realized I had been standing there. He didn't reply, a puzzled look on his face. "You have forgotten who I am already?" Not that I wouldn't have understood if he had.
"No," he shook his head. " Of course not, I just…" he peered at me speculatively.
"What?"
"Was Daveth right before?" he asked abruptly. I gaped at him. What was he talking about. "Are you a spirit? A ghoul?" he added.
"Not that I know of no," I shrugged. It was the truth. " I suppose spirits are supposed to be foggy or something, and I have to idea what in the makers name a ghoul is." A small chuckle escaped his lips before he looked sad again.
"I just though…I can sense the taint in you is all. Maybe I'm just too upset to sense anything right now." The melancholy was contagious.
"Do you want to talk? I don't know exactly what happened, or who you…lost, but I know talking about things can help," I offered this lightly, not wanting to push myself on him. He didn't even know me outside of my name, he had absolutely no reason to trust me.
"Another time, maybe I can tell you more. For right now all that is important is that I am the only Grey Warden alive, and there is a blight that will go undefeated. More then just my friends will die," he shook his head glumly. I raised a hand and set it on his arm to comfort him.
"That is not quite true," Flemeth said from behind them. She was worse then a cat the way she could silently sneak up on you. We turned to her and my hand dropped.
"Huh?" Alistair shifted his body to cross his arms.
"You are not the only Grey Warden alive in Fereldan."
"They all...died last night!"
"Well, the ones in the battle were. Your friend the new recruit almost survived, but all I could manage to salvage was his gear and packs," she set nudged a pile of things at her feet.
"Then what are you-"
"Patience boy," Flemeth warned. Alistair shut his mouth and watched her wearily. She looked at me. "You felt it in her, the taint. Kimila here is very much a Grey Warden of sorts. She never went through the joining, nor does she exhibit any of the rewards of being a Grey Warden, but the taint is there, the arch demon blood is in hers."
"Eh?" was all I managed.
"That is not possible," stated Alistair stiffly.
"I believe we have already had a conversation about believing boy," she smirked. He winced and didn't say anything.
"Is that why…was this your plan all alone!" I asked angrily. I felt used, scared, sick. The word taint sent chills down my spine, and the idea that somehow I would be expected to be a Grey Warden made me sick.
"Even if she is, we hardly stand a chance against a blight, an archdemon!" Alistair looked far from convinced of anything.
"And I supposed you and your fellow Grey Wardens used your treaties as fuel for your fires?" She asked.
"Your right! The treaties demand aid from the mages, elves, and dwarves in times of a blight! And Arl Eamon! The Arl of Redcliffe would surely help us get aid against Loghain!"
"Mages, elves, dwarves, this Arl Eamon. That sounds like an army to me," she smirked.
"So can we do that? Build an army and stop the blight?" Alistair looked so eager my heart hurt. I wished I could be so eager. Truthfully, I was scared shitless. What did they expect of me?
"It wont be that easy you know, plus you cant expect ME to be of any use!" I hissed.
"Don't sell yourself short," Flemeth smiled. It was about a reassuring as a knife against my throat would be. She wasn't going to give me a choice on the matter. I knew there was a reason I didn't trust her.
"So Mother," Morrigan came out of the hut, "Shall we be having a guest for dinner or not?"
So I am hoping to have time move a bit faster now, more stuff is going to happen. Next chapter is Lothering! From here on each chapter will be another part. So After Lothering will probably be either Redcliffe or Circle of Magi.
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