Dragon Age: Mages Wrath

Chapter 4

"Alister" Celeste said loudly as she neared his tent. It was night time now and the sky with lit up with stars, like its own nightlight. Celeste had been stewing about her cousin setting her on fire, and now she planned on talking to Alister about it, as soon as he got his lazy ass out of bed. "Alister" she yelled again. When he stirred awake he nailed his head on the metal pole holding the tent together.

"Oww" he grumbled rubbing just above his forehead. "What I was asleep what could you possibly be bothering me for" he asked somewhat frustrated that he had to wake up. He was having a good dream too.

"Your girlfriend tried to set me on fire. I suggest you get her under control before I have to fight back." Her arms were folded across her chest to emphasize her point about being mad. Of course being clueless Alister, he didn't notice.

"Wait what" he asked confused. What in the bloody hell were they talking about now.

"Your girlfriend Bethany Alister. Before you showed up when we were still in Lothering she tried to set me on fire. She was mad that I was ready to leave Lothering behind. If she had actually managed to kill me we would be one warden down, and you would have to fight this hoard approaching on your own. Is that what you want Alister? You want everything to be on your shoulders. We continue on the path we have chosen and that's what happens."

"That's not fair putting all the pressure on me and you know it. Besides I don't think Bethany was trying to kill you. She just wanted to send you a message that she was ticked off that you were going to leave Lothering without fighting. I'm not saying I agree with her tactics but I do understand why she did it."

"Well think about this Alister. What will happen if Loghain decides to rally his forces and take down the darkspawn?" She already knew the answer to that question but she needed Alister to understand exactly the predicament that they were in.

"If Loghain rally's his forces than he may have a chance to defeat the darkspawn." Suddenly fueling with rage Celeste stood and readied her foot to kick the pot of boiling hot water that was over the fire.

"Damn it Alister."

"I don't feel like it right now, besides your being mean." He folded his arms across his chest and tightened his legs in their criss cross formation, signifying he wasn't going to move. They were talking about Lothering, how did Loghain come up.

"I hate Loghain Alister and I will kill him but right now see the big picture. I need you to think."

"Fine" he finally growled out. "But if my head explodes from thinking too much I'm blaming you" his joking tone slightly slipping into the conversation. "If and I do mean if Loghain rally's a fleet to defeat the darkspawn than I can only imagine how powerful he will become after the darkspawn horde is defeated. He would be the most powerful man in Ferelden and that would be bad."

"Think more Alister. You know how racist Loghain and his daughter are. This rallying fleet will be all humans. You think a few hundred humans will be strong enough to take down the approaching hoard. I once heard Loghain say that the hoard was too dangerous for Cailan to be playing hero on the front lines. Loghain knows that the darkspawn are dangerous but he believes Ferelden can stand on its own."

"You don't believe Ferelden will be able to live past this blight do you" he suddenly asked. The question made her take a step back before she let out a deep breath that she seemed to be holding. How could she say this nicely? No there was no nice way to put it; she just had to say it.

"You were right Alister when you said that we needed the treaties to gather an army. In order to defeat this horde we need everyone's help and if Loghain strikes the horde first than you can say goodbye to Grey Warden's. We have to be the ones to stop this blight first. That is why Lothering doesn't matter. Think about all the lives that will be sacrificed to win this war if we try to help every single person. We might end up sacrificing ourselves. Look I'm not selfish Alister but I see the bigger picture and I need your help. I need you to trust in me, and I know that's asking a lot."

"Listen to yourself Celeste you're talking about ignoring everyone else's pleas. How can you just turn a blind eye to what's happening. Look I know you're right, we have bigger things to worry about but I am having a hard time letting it go." He paused and stood up before he turned his attention toward Celeste again. They needed to talk about something different now. "So where do you plan on going first. I know that you said mages will make a pivotal role in this war, so do we go to the circle."

"No right now we have to go to Denerim to warn people about Loghain."

"Ugh hello who is going to listen to a bunch of Grey Warden's? Loghain is more respected than we are right now and that means we can't clash against him. Didn't you hear Morrigan's not so brilliant plan to go after Loghain so we can handle the treaties in secret. Besides what are we going to say? Hi I am a Grey Warden informant and I just wanted to know how long before this whole world goes to shit because of the darkspawn."

"To shit" Celeste laughed before she set her arms to her sides. She took a few slow steps away from Alister before she brushed her fingers through her long hair. "Alister no one said gathering an army to defeat the darkspawn was going to be easy. We are all going to have to work together or we will surely fall." She paused again before she continued. "Get some rest Alister I'm sorry for waking you up. I need to go talk to Bethany. It's time she learn exactly what's going on." When Alister gave her a 'don't kill her' look she just nodded her head before he turned away.

She knew that she was most likely going to be a little rude to Bethany but what exactly was she going to say. She was aloof in her thoughts until she saw Bethany with her head down coming toward her. Well this was going to be good.

"I'm glad you're ok" Bethany said her head still aimed toward the ground. "I got an earful from my mother, and my sister, and now probably from you. Look I know what I did wasn't right but I was afraid that you would leave a world that I helped build to crumble to the darkspawn. I said I would help you because I thought I could help save people but you ran away." She brought her golden brown eyes up to look at Celeste before she got a little bit louder. "You left Lothering empty and with no defense. I will not watch you continue to evade innocents in order to reach your goals." Bethany didn't get a chance to continue as Celeste hit her with a nice right hook connecting with her jaw.

When Bethany slammed against the ground Celeste charged a lightning spell in her hand and pointed it toward Bethany who hadn't got up yet. "I don't think you can block me like I did you. You don't have to like what I'm doing but don't you dare question my motives. If we have to stop to save everyone than we will lose a lot of good people because we couldn't end the bigger threat, is that what you want. If I have to sugar coat everything for you than why are you really fighting this? Your young and pretty don't tell me this is all about impressing Alister."

All anger flooded from Bethany's face before she turned red and started to stutter. "I…why would I…Look I was just…you know it's just…ugh why do you do this. Do you enjoy torturing me cousin." Ok yes she did love flustering her cousin but that wasn't what this was about.

"Don't be naïve Bethany. This isn't a trip about falling in love. This trip is about saving Ferelden partly from itself and partly from the darkspawn."

"Why do you seem to be the only one who knows what's going on? Is everyone else so stupid they can't figure it out?" Bethany growled as she pushed Celeste's arm away and stood up to her full height, and started charging one of her fire spells in her hand.

"I'm not the smartest person but everyone else has their own distractions keeping them from seeing the truth. Your distraction is Alistair. Alistair's distraction is his grief for the dying and for death of Duncan the leader of the Grey Warden's. Sten and Morrigan seem to be the only two not clouded in their judgment on how we are going to win this. Bethany there are going to be losses we can't avoid that but we have to win. Ferelden has never faced something like this before, and if it's not handled careful this whole country will fall into a kind of chaos that it cannot be brought out of. Please Bethany open up your eyes, and see what's going on.

Cousin I don't want hurt you and you don't want to hurt me. We need to work together. Your sister trusts me why can't you." Bethany slowly lowered her hand before she nodded her head toward her cousin.

"Wars always have high cost I guess I just need to learn that huh. Just because I understand what you're doing cousin, doesn't mean I like it ok." When Celeste nodded her head Bethany started to walk away back toward her sister. Celeste let out another breath that she didn't even know she was holding. She must really hate having these conversations with people. Why else would she be holding her breath when she was talking with them? Celeste ran another hand through her hair before she walked toward Morrigan's tent that was in the distance away from everyone else.

"Morrigan can we talk" Celeste asked her. She stood a few feet away from her with her arms folded across her chest, a common Celeste trait.

"Ah if tis isn't the mysterious mage who came from the circle. I don't suppose tis something you learned at the tower" Morrigan questioned.

"I'm guessing you're talking about my little display of magic we had at Lothering. Yes I did learn it the tower but not from a teacher."

"Tis most fascinating tis it not. You escaped the circle but you're never really free. Why tis that. So you must have felt liked a bird locked in a cage I'm guessing."

"Yes but why are you so curious about the magic that I can do. Surely your mother must have taught you something stronger than the simple spell I did."

"I suppose. My mother did teach me much. She kept a huge portion from me though. Tis most infuriating sometimes to be left in the dark." Morrigan folded her arms across her chest and walked a few feet from the fire pit. When Celeste turned on her heels Morrigan continued. "Old magic must be upheld. Tis not surprising that you want to know secrets that your circle would not tell you. If tis twas not the circle how did you so learn then."

Celeste rolled her eyes before she looked down at the ground. Morrigan had such a harsh way of speaking. It was hard to know what she really meant. Her comments often held some kind of second meaning behind them. "Where else do you learn Morrigan but books? I found some books that had notes written by long dead apprentices. What better way to learn secrets than by the finders of secrets."

"I don't understand. How did they not found out? Tis not true you were in a tower with watchful eyes."

"I was careful. Very careful actually. Little did I know that the man who I was learning with was a blood mage. I won't lie there were times were I wanted to use my learned magic to escape but I knew that I had nowhere to go. My mother's name is Revka but I had no idea where she was. I feel lucky enough to run into my aunt and cousins. Mages will make all the difference in this war. I hope that we can all learn some kind of secrets to keep ourselves protected. The more natural our magic the better."

While Celeste was busy talking to Morrigan her cousin Bethany was talking to the Grey Warden Alistair.

"Alistair can we talk please" Bethany said crouching down a little as Alistair was lying in his tent.

"Why is it that everyone is here to wake me up? I was having such a good dream about getting mauled by a bear" Alistair and his usual sarcastic tone said.

"Look Alistair I know that Celeste talked to you and your probably stark raving mad but I'm sorry. It was naïve of me to think that Celeste was the reason for all the problems it's just…"

"I know" Alistair said sitting up a little. "I know why you fought back Bethany but I don't condone what you did. If you make such a big display again you put the whole world at risk, not just yourselves. If the Lothering Templars had found out who you are they would have killed you for being an apostate or sent you to the circle. You have to be careful Bethany in your decisions. You're young and beautiful but you have to watch what you say."

"You think I'm beautiful" Bethany questioned blushing.

"Did I say that? I'm just going to…You know I'm…I think I'm quite flustered you know" he said turning away. 'Damn now she knows' Alistair thought to himself. This was definitely going to be an intriguing next couple of days.

Sorry the chapter is shorter than the last one guys. I didn't want to really jump into a quest when there was a lot of talking and discussing that I had have from the past couple of chapters. The next chapters will have more adventure I promise.

To anyone who is reading my Naruto Kumo Nin the next chap will be up in the next couple days. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and any chapters in the future.