"You only said that to make me feel better, didn't you?" She asked, completely catching Alistair off guard.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, when I killed Howe. You said blood can only be repaid in blood."
"I believe I said it can sometimes only be repaid with blood. What's your point?"
She wasn't sure why she had brought it up. He didn't exactly lie, so she couldn't see why it mattered.
"So you were saying about our companions?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, so…I told you about Leliana, right? How about—"
"What about Morrigan? Has anyone seen her yet?"
"Scouts report that they might have seen her somewhere near the Frostback Mountains, but it was night and there was a terrible storm, so it's hard to say."
She nodded and yawned, wriggling into a more comfortable position, and nodded off to sleep.
She wasn't quite sure if she was dreaming or just daydreaming before she went to sleep, but Elsie stood in the Chantry in Denerim, wearing a beautiful, custom made gown. She held in her hands the most beautiful flowers one could ever hope to find in Fereldan, and standing next to her was the best man she could ever ask to spend her life with.
"I love more than any other being in the entire world Elsie. Will you be my lawfully wedded wife?"
"I will, until the day I die." She replied.
Something didn't sit right with her. This wasn't her wedding, she didn't wear a gown as nice as this. And these flowers weren't so…colorful. She dropped the flowers to the ground and watched as they wilted and died before her eyes. Non-mages don't have control in the Fade during a dream.
"What is going on here?" She screamed as she looked for a mirror.
She gazed into the reflective glass and could not believe what she saw. Her skin was pale as a corpse, and she had dark blotches all over her face. Her eyes were clouded over and she couldn't move.
"We have to go now." Alistair whispered next to her. When she looked at him, he had the same disease she did. "We have to look for the Old Gods."
"No, this isn't…right." She moaned, feeling herself getting weaker.
She felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper into water, unable to come back to the surface no matter how much she flailed. She eventually gave up and felt herself sink until a pair of slender arms grabbed her and yanked her to the surface. She coughed and sputtered and saw Morrigan's face.
"You have to run!" She cried, brandishing her staff at a Genlock.
The Chantry image wavered until it slowly began to dissipate into some location within the Deep Roads. Morrigan was behind her, burning the darkspawn with a fire blast from her staff. Her small feet were carrying her closer to the door with every passing second. She stood in silence, staring at the door, then back at Morrigan.
"You have to go through that door, that's your way out!" She screamed, blasting darkspawn away so she could escape.
Her fingers grazed the door. The world that lay beyond seemed vile and pointless. Her purpose was clear.
"I can't leave, I must stay." She moaned.
Morrigan let out an explosive sigh, unable to believe she was hearing this from her so-called "friend." They had tough times together, and while she didn't exactly approve of her relationship with Alistair, Elsie was always there to listen. She would never tell her this, obviously.
Morrigan forced the door open and gripped her friend by the shoulders.
"You have to leave, and you have to resist the call." She said before she threw her out the door and back into the real world.
Elsie just seemed to lay there on the bed, completely unmoving and barely breathing. The healers of the Circle were working as hard as they could to figure out what went wrong. She laid down to take a nap, then suddenly her body jolted hard, then she cringed as if in pain. When Alistair tried to wake her, she stopped breathing. First Enchanter Irving explained to Alistair that he managed to get her to breathe, but he wouldn't know when or if she would wake up. He pulled up a chair next to her and held her hand.
"She seems…distressed." Alistair pointed out as her eyelids fluttered.
She didn't wake, but let out a soft moan. Her toes twitched ever so slightly and she relaxed again. Alistair removed his gauntlet and held her hand once more. She was cold as ice and white as snow. It wasn't that abnormal, she always complained she would get chills easily and she was always pale. She used to laugh and blame it on the cold climate of Fereldan. Suddenly her eyes opened and she jolted up in the bed, looking at her hands with fright, then she locked her gaze on Alistair.
"Are you alright?" He asked quietly, standing up to comfort her.
"Where's Morrigan?" She asked. "She was right there with me, and…"
"Morrigan? Elsie, she's gone. She's been gone a long time, no one knows where she is."
She paused, letting it sink in. It had seemed so real, she was right there with her.
"Alistair, I think we need to talk about this baby."
Before she could continue, First Enchanter Irving walked into the room to check on her. He waved a glowing hand over her abdomen and gently laid her back down onto the bed.
"The baby seems to be alright, but it's you I'm worried about." Irving sighed, placing his hands behind his back.
"I had a dream. Well, more of a nightmare really. It was my wedding, but it was…strange."
"Strange how?" Alistair asked. "I don't understand."
"I don't either, to be honest. Morrigan was there, and she pushed me away. There were darkspawn everywhere and it seemed almost like my calling."
"You keep mentioning her, I don't understand how—"
"There has to be Grey Wardens that know of this. Can't you think of any?" She pleaded.
"I'll send word to Weisshaupt Fortress and Orlais, but I can't guarantee anything. I've never heard of anything like this. You're a new Warden, your calling shouldn't be heard for at least another twenty to thirty years!"
She laid back on the bed and rested her hands on her stomach, desperate to feel a tiny pulse, but instead feeling the dark taint inside herself.