I awoke to the sound of Leliana and Morrigan speaking to each other as the tone of their voices rose in pitch.

"And so the Bard must interfere and prove her usefulness in some way, though just how useful remains to be seen. And then they will wonder why the Grey Warden has died of infection."

"You are dramatic today, Morrigan. Has something gotten into your unmentionables again? Did Mabs leave you another present?"

Morrigan feigned a laugh and stung back.

"I believe you have the reputation for getting into all unmentionables here, do you not?"

I looked at both of them and realized I was in my tent and I must have made some noise because they both looked at me.

"Now you have gone and woken her up- perfect, Leliana. Why don't you rub some salt into her wounds as well?"

The bickering between the two women continued as my eyes closed again before I passed out.

My eyes opened to the sight of Morrigan kneeling next to me, readying bandages and then leaning over me.

"Ah, you are awake finally. I thought you would snore the entire time I was in here."

"Morr..."

My throat was dry and my voice cracked and I had to cough for a bit.

Morrigan brought a skin of liquid from next to her and held it to my lips, giving me some water to wet my throat after I was able to stop coughing.

I nodded my thanks and she nodded back.

"Morrigan, how is... everyone?"

"If you are asking if anyone perished during the fight, no, they did not. But you nearly did, allowing yourself to be skewered by those beasts. I thought you were supposed to be good with your sword? Seems more likely that you would just fall on it."

I groaned and knew things were back to normal as Morrigan berated me.

"It is good to see you again as well, Morrigan."

Morrigan chortled and leaned over me to apply the bandage to the wound on my stomach and I winced at the contact.

"I have closed your wounds from the outside as best as could be done but the blade was twisted and there is much internal damage. The only thing that you can do now is rest and continue healing, though there is still a chance you will die."

Morrigan began putting the medical supplies away and I touched her arm.

"Thank you."

Morrigan looked at me for a moment.

"'Twas nothing, really. I am no healer, you are simply lucky that I do know the one healing spell. The rest of them are destructive and so very delicious."

I shook my head and giggled as I caught the glint present in Morrigan's eyes, always there whenever she talked of magic.

"I meant for what you did back in Redcliffe. I want to thank you before it is forgotten with all else we have to do. You saved Connor's life by entering the Fade by yourself when you did not have to."

"'Twas because you ordered me to do so."

"That is not true, Morrigan. You are not a slave, you are here by your own free will and you chose to fight for Connor's life along with the rest of us. Be proud of yourself because I am."

Morrigan just watched me but offered no response so I was not sure what else to say.

"I just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you did for him and that he also wanted to thank you."

"Did he now? Why did I not see him before we left the castle?"

"I saw him in his room only briefly; he was tuckered out by the whole ordeal and was asleep before I could finish speaking with him. But he did ask me to thank you and... where is my pack?"

Morrigan looked around and found it near my feet but did not move it towards me.

"Here."

I attempted to bend down to retrieve it but pain shot through my body and I winced.

Morrigan clucked her tongue and got it for me, dropping it onto my lap unceremoniously.

"Thank you."

Morrigan finished packing the supplies away and stood up, feeling that she was done here but I stopped her.

"Wait a moment. Connor wanted you to have this."

I dug around in my pack and found what I was looking for, pressing a golden horse figurine into Morrigan's palm.

Morrigan looked at the figure and did not say anything for a moment but then snapped back to her usual self.

"Whatever will I do with a child's toy? I have no need for such things."

"I thought not, but I kept my promise to deliver it to 'the pretty lady in the black robes'."

I smiled as Morrigan laughed at Connor's description and then appreciated it.

"Well, the boy has eyes, does he not?"

I nodded, tossing my pack back down towards my feet.

"Truly, for one so young, he already has great taste."

Morrigan's guttural laugh filled the tent as she headed towards the exit.

I would not keep Morrigan any longer. I knew that she grew anxious around people if with them too long. It made me wonder why she had gotten bandage duty in the first place.

"And thank you for saving my life."

I lay back down and Morrigan turned back to me, smirking.

"You are... welcome. Do try to avoid the blades next time, hm?"

And with that last jab, Morrigan left my tent, leaving me alone in my thoughts and to sleep once again.

Morrigan walked back to her fire, holding the toy horse in her hand but did not look at it until back in the safety of her own camp.

The boy had been an idiot for opening the veil but he was young and he had only bargained with the demon in exchange for his father's life.

Morrigan tried to imagine what it would feel like to care about someone so deeply that you would offer your own life to extend theirs.

She could not and it made her angry.

She could not feel much of anything.

She hated Flemeth more at this moment now than any other in her life.

Now the Circle would have at the boy and he would grow to be yet another caged animal as all mages at the tower were.

Had I truly saved him?

She sat down on her bedroll, alone at last, and opened her fingers clutched tightly around the figure and she looked at it.

It was a golden metal figurine of a horse and quite heavy for its size. The horse wore no saddle, just a bridle and it stood proudly, as if waiting for its master to arrive and together they would ride off to do glorious things together.

Morrigan had seen horses like these in Lothering as people had traveled through and she closed her eyes and pictured the horse in front of her, majestic and white, and she spoke soothing words to it.

She had always wanted a horse of her own; she thought they were beautiful creatures and they had always fascinated her as they seemed in service to their masters yet they also retained their sense of freedom at the same time, just as she had felt with Flemeth all those years in the Wilds.

Mother never owned me but she certainly tried controlling who I became.

She never did succeed.

Once, while she was prowling the woods as a wolf, Morrigan had watched some travelers on the road as their horse was giving them trouble and the man had struck the horse in anger, trying to control it and in turn the horse had trampled him underfoot, killing him.

And that is exactly what he had deserved.

You cannot control that which does not belong to you.

Eventually, everything turns on you, so never let it in.

This is what I know to be true.

Morrigan settled down into her bedroll, still holding the figurine and was fast asleep as her head hit the pillow.