It was early when I opened my tent and slipped out. The sun just beginning to peak over the ruins. I sat down on the log next to the fire glancing around to see if anyone else was awake. I heard the sound of someone struggling with the ties on their tent.
"Oh come on you stupid thing!" I heard Alistair say.
I glanced over toward his tent only to see it wiggling violently. I couldn't help but laugh as he finally freed himself from it.
"Oh laugh it up!" He said pointing at me as he walked over.
"Were you stuck in that mean old tent?" I frowned up at him.
"Shut it." He said sitting down next to me crossing his legs at the ankle.
I giggled turning down to Mahia to scratch behind his ear. "You're up early." I said turning back to him.
"Yeah I can't sleep once that sun shines into my tent. What about you, you have a hard time staying asleep with that damn thing shinning in your eyes?" He asked motioning towards the sun.
I laughed. "No. My hound had to pee." I said looking down at Mahia who wagged his tail against the dirt sending a tiny dust cloud into the air. "Do you think we will see my brother Fergus while we are out in the Wilds?"
He shrugged. "Maybe I don't know. I'm sure he is fine. Freezing but fine." He smiled. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving" I answered.
"I'll go grab us something to eat." He stood up brushing the dirt off his butt before heading towards the chest next to Duncan's tent and pulling out a pan and two piece of meat, with two pieces of bread. He threw a deer skin water sack at me catching me off guard. I caught it barley, it slamming into my chest with a thump. I glared at him only making him chuckle as he threw the meat into the pan and placed it on the metal rack standing over the fire before coming and sitting back down next to me.
"Are you cold?" He asked rubbing his shoulders trying to cause friction for warmth.
"Yeah the fire doesn't help much does it?" I said mirroring his action.
"Hang on." He climbed into his tent returning a minute later with a large wolf fur blanket. He sat down next to me throwing it over our shoulders. We huddled together on the on the log watching the meat sizzle in the pan. Alistair slowly got up moving towards the pan and pulling it from the fire. He grabbed two plates and placed the meat onto them along with the bread he had pulled out earlier before coming back over and pulling himself back under the blanket.
"Here" He said handing me my plate.
"Thank you" I said taking the plate from his hands.
We ate in silence except for Mahia's loud chopping every time I would pass him a piece of meat. Alistair took my plate when we had finished putting them with the pan next to us.
"So, are worried about going into the wilds?" He asked scooting closer and wrapping the blanket tighter around him.
"No not really. I mean I grew up playing in them with Fergus. It won't be the first time I have been in them."
"Oh I see."
"Why are you?" I asked nudging him with my shoulder.
He laughed. "No this is like a walk in the castle court yard for me. Kill a few dark spawn recover some treaties maybe rescue a damsel in distress while I'm there." He said shrugging.
I rolled my eyes turning back to the fire.
"So you were really a noble woman?" he asked.
"Well yeah. My parents were Eleanor and Bryce Cousland, I'm their youngest." I said turning back to him. "Did you meet my brother Fergus when he came with our army?"
"Yeah actually, myself, Jory and Daveth ended up getting drunk with him before he left scouting. He mentioned you."
"Oh, and what did he say?"
"He told us about how skilled you were with your daggers, and about how you punched a man in the face after he asked you to join him in his private quarters." He laughed.
"He was forty five and I was seventeen, it was completely inappropriate. He deserved to be punched in the face. Maybe then he will think twice before being so disgusting." I said rolling my eyes.
"I would have loved to see that. You in a nice lands meet dress knocking some old man out for grabbing your rear. The lords and ladies gasping as he fell to the floor." He said laughing.
"If he would have grabbed my rear he would have been pulling my heel out of his face." I said looking towards him with a laugh.
"Even better!" He chuckled.
Alistair was quite funny. He made me laugh so hard that I fell backwards off the log holding my stomach with Mahia rushing over to lick my face. We sat in front of the fire laughing and telling each other about one another until Duncan emerged from his tent.
"Well good morning sleepy head." Alistair called to him. As he stepped out putting his hand across his forehead to block the sunlight.
"Good morning Alistair, Lady Cousland."
"Good morning Duncan." I called back to him.
He walked over to the chest pulling out a slice of bread before settling down next to us on the log. "Are Daveth and Ser Jory not up yet?"
We both shook our heads no.
"Alistair, would you mind going and waking them up?"
Alistair stood up letting the blanket fall from his shoulders and heading towards Ser Jory's tent. He called out to him and Jory answers immediately.
"I'll be out in just a moment." He called.
Alistair turned to Daveth's tent. He called out to him but with no answer he decided to just go into the tent.
"By the Maker, why are you naked?" We heard Alistair yell, causing me and Duncan to roll into a fit of laughter. "It's the middle of winter out there!"
Alistair appeared from the tent his cheeks bright red from embarrassment glaring at Duncan and I only making our laughter louder.
"I think I will go put my leathers on." I said still laughing as I folded up Alistair's fur and handed it to him before ducking into my tent to fetch my leathers.
I pulled them on before emerging and strapping my family sword and dagger to my back. I used the leather tie that I had freed from my pants that it had been holding up and used it to pull my hair up into a bun before lacing up my boots. Duncan was briefing Alistair on what the day would hold when Daveth finally emerged from his tent tightening his straps on his leather chest piece.
"I thought you would have been the one coming into my tent." He said looking over at me as he bent down to lace his boot.
I just rolled my eyes as I walked towards Alistair and Duncan. "Are we ready then?" I asked looking at Duncan and then to Alistair.
"Yes I think so. Alistair just remember these are your charges you are responsible for them. Make sure everyone gets back safely." Duncan said.
"Of course Duncan." Alistair replied.
We headed toward to the gate leading towards the wilds. The guard nodding to us as we walked past him. Seeing the wilds brought back so many memories. I remember hiding from Nan in a tree, playing hide and seek with Fergus, chasing Mahia after he stole my hat before a royal function but now they looked so different. Some trees were dead others had what looked like red fleshy tumors that would pop any time spraying us with blood and making us look like the ground around the tree.
I stopped looking around me. "Did you hear that?" I asked the others who had kept walking a head of me.
"Hear what?" Alistair asked turning around to face me.
I pointed forward as a wolf came charging towards us, Alistair quickly turning around and hitting it with his shield knocking it to the ground before driving his blade through it.
"Be on your guard there has to be more." He said placing his foot on the animal's body holding it in place as he pulled his blade out.
I jogged up to where they were standing just as six more wolves came charging from the shadows of the trees towards us. Daveth took one down pinning it in place with an arrow as Ser Jory swung his sword beheading it. Two were charging towards me, I caught one in the air thrusting my sword into its chest only to send me toppling backwards with it. I let go of my sword and tucked my body rolling onto my knees just as the second open its mouth ready to clamp down on my neck. I shoved my dagger into its open mouth breaking all the way through its head. The wolf fell to the ground dead. I kneeled on the ground catching my breath as Alistair and Ser Jory pulled the swords out of the bodies of their kill and Daveth went around collecting his arrows that were undamaged.
"You okay?" Alistair asked walking over to me and holding his hand out to help me to my feet.
"Yeah I'm fine, just a bit rusty." I answered shrugging and taking his hand pulling myself up.
I walked over to the two dead wolves that still held my weapons in their bodies. I collected them before returning next to Alistair and heading down the trail.
"Look there" I said pointing at the body in the little swamp laying face down his chantry robes torn where the wolves had been trying to get to his body to eat the meat.
We walked over checking him for something that could tell us who he was so we could notify his family.
"A letter." I said holding it up. "But it's to damaged to read." I said looking at the paper, the ink had smeared, and I could only understand a couple words. Not enough to figure out why this man was here and who he was.
I stood back up turning around with the group of men and heading on down the trail. Alistair pointed forward at a soldier who was slowly crawling towards us. I ran to the man falling down to my knees and helping him roll over onto his back.
"Maker what happen?" I asked holding his face in my hands.
He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Lady Cousland?" he asked in surprise.
"Caleb?" I asked finally recognizing his face. "What happened here?"
"We were ambushed by dark spawn. They killed some of the men, others they dragged off."
"Alistair grab the bandages out of my bag." I called pointing the bag I had dropped at their feet when I ran. "Where's Fergus?"
"He took a small group farther into the wilds." He said wincing as Alistair wrapped the gash on his leg. "He sent a messenger just to us just before the attack."
"When we get back to camp I will tell Duncan to send some men to collect him." Alistair said placing his hand on my forearm.
I nodded to him helping Caleb to his feet. "Come we will take you back to camp."
"No I'll be fine. It's not too far from here I should be able to make it. Thank you my lady." He said before turning and limping back the way we came.
"We are going to die aren't we?" Jory said turning to face us.
"Come now Jory don't be such a coward." I said pushing his arm.
"We aren't completely helpless." Alistair said shaking his head. "Being a Grey Warden means I can sense the dark spawn. I will know they are coming, they won't take us by surprise."
"You hear that Ser Knight" Daveth said to Jory. "At least we will be warned before we die."
We continued walking, finding another man in a chantry robe with a letter. This letter told us of a campsite where a lock box was hidden. I was supposed to retrieve it and take it to the man's wife Jenna in Redcliff. After picking up the lock box we followed the trails the man had mentioned that lead to a cache. Alistair found a chest between two Tevinter statues while we were following trails; we took what we wanted from it before heading back to look for signs. We ran into more dark spawn this battle harder than all the others we had encountered because they had a Hurlock Emissary with them which Alistair took down clearing the path for the rest of us. I quickly disabled the traps before running to help Jory take down a Genlock. We made our way to the cache picking up the things we wanted before grabbing a note off a soldiers body and following the directions to a pile of rocks and sprinkling the pouch of ashes he had on him onto the rocks. A demon appeared which only took a moment to take down. We found a pair of boots, I stuffed them into my overflowing bag and headed towards the Grey Warden tower which was surrounded by dark spawn. They didn't take long to kill taking down the weaker ones and then all of us surrounding the Alpha and killing him with ease.
We walked up to the broken chest at the base of the ruined tower, Alistair bent down moving the pieces away searching for the papers. "It's empty." He said looking back at me.
I bent down next to him confirming what he had said. "I thought it was sealed."
Alistair shrugged standing up and pulling me up to my feet.
"Are you a vulture I wonder" A voice said behind us. All four of us turned to stare at the women walking down the towers slope towards us. "A scavenger, poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned." She came to stop in front of us her hand on her hip. "Or merely an intruder coming to these dark spawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey. What say you hmm scavenger or intruder?"
"We are no intruders" Alistair said stepping next to me. "The Grey Wardens once owned this tower."
"Tis' a tower no longer, the wilds have clearly claimed the desecrated corpse. I have watched your progress for some time now" she said walking past us up the hill. "Where do they go I wonder why are they here." She came to rest leaning against an old pillar. "And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"
"Don't answer her she looks chasined which means others are nearby." Alistair said leaning into my ear.
"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" She said her arms falling down from above her head demonstrating the "swooping".
"Yes swooping is bad." Alistair said glaring at her.
"She's a witch of the wilds she is, she'll turn us into toads." Daveth said pointing at her.
"Witch of the wilds? Such idle fancy those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" She said shaking her head. "You there" she pointed at me "women do not frighten like little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."
"You may call me Morgan." I said to her.
"And you may call me Morrigan if you wish. Shall I guess your purpose, you sought something in that chest that is here no longer?"
"Here no longer?" Alistair said his accent heavy. "You stole them didn't you? You're some kind of sneaky witch thief." He said pointing at her causing me to chuckle at his choice of words.
"How very eloquent, how does one steal from dead men?"
"Quite easily, those documents are Grey Warden property" Alistair said becoming serious. "And I suggest you return them."
"I will not for t'was not I who removed them. Invoke a name that means nothing here no longer if you wish. I am not threatened."
"Can you tell us who took them?" I asked.
"T'was my mother in fact."
"Is this a joke?" Jory asked.
"If so it seems the truthful rather than funny sort no?" She said looking out into the wilds.
"Great she's a thieving funny weird talking sort of witch." Alistair said.
"Not all in the wilds are monsters. Flowers grow as well as toads. If you wish I could take you to my mother. It's not far from here and you may ask her for you papers if you like."
"We should get those papers but I dislike like this Morrigans sudden appearance."
"I say we go with her." I said turning to him with a shrug of my shoulders.
"She'll put us all in the pot she will, just you watch." Daveth whined.
"If the pots warmer then this forest it will be a nice change." Jory said folding his arms across his chest.
"Follow me then if it pleases you." She said turning around and walking down the hill.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Alistair whispered to me grabbing my arm and pulling me to the back of the group.
"We'll be fine Alistair." I said placing my hand over his and holding on to it.
He smiled before pulling away his cheeks red. I giggled at him and turned forward.
We were walking up to a rather sad looking hut surrounded by a swamp.
"Greetings… Mother. I bring before you four Grey Wardens who…"
"I see them girl, hmm. Much as I expected." The old women said looking past Morrigan as we came up to the little shack.
"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?" Alistair asked stopping next to me.
"You are required to do nothing least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight, open ones arms wide. Either way ones a fool. "
"She's a witch I tell you! We shouldn't be talking to her." Daveth whispered.
Quite Daveth, if she's a witch, do you really want to make her anger?" Ser Jory asked.
"There is a smart lad, sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things but it is not I who decides, believe what you will. And what of you" She said walking towards me. "Does your woman's mind give you a different view point or do you believe as these boys do?" She asked glancing at Daveth and Ser Jory.
"I'm not sure what I believe." I said shaking my head.
"Now that's a good statement if any. So much about you is uncertain and I believe, do I? Why it seems I do." She said laughing.
"So this is the dreaded witch of the wilds." Alistair said smiling.
"Witch of the wilds." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Morrigan must have told you that, she fancies such tales though she would never admit it. Oh how she dances under the moon." She laughed.
"They did not come to listen to your wild tales mother." Morrigan said rubbing her fingers on her temples.
"True they came for their treaties." She said turning around and disappearing into her hut for a moment. "And before you begin barking your precious seal wore off long ago, I have been protecting these." She said handing them to Alistair.
"You... Oh you protected them." He said taking them from her hand.
"And why not, take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them this blights threat is greater than they could imagine." She said going to stand next to Morrigan.
"How do you know all this?" I asked.
"Do I, maybe I'm just an old woman with a penchant for old molded pieces of parchment." She laughs. "Oh do not mind me, you have what you came for."
"Time for you to go then" Morrigan said waving her hand to the pathway away from the shack.
"Don't be ridicules girl these are your guest."
"Ohh... Very well then come I will show you out of the woods, follow me." She said walking past us.
I followed after her with Alistair close by my side. He stuck his arm out with a smile on his face. I smiled and wrapped my arm through his as we followed Morrigan back towards our camp.
