Well, I just woke up and it's Saturday here…so before I go on another all day binge to try and get a different ending (damned Perfectionist achievement!) I decided to post another Chapter. Yes, I feel KIND of guilty for leaving so much open, and the reviews always spur me on to write more and more! So! That being said, spoiler warning.

DISCLAIMER: You know the drill, Dragon Age belongs to Bioware, Aiden belongs to me.


Chapter 5

Aiden stood awkwardly in the shadows of the Camp, watching as Morrigan warmed herself by her fire in solitude. Should he go? Should he give her the mirror? What would she say? She had told him stories of it and from what he could tell it mirrored the one that Flemeth destroyed years ago. Courage had never been his strong point, but calling on the inherent bravery he wielded when he stormed Arl Howe's castle he walked from the shadows, his hands behind his back with the mirror as he approached Morrigan. Stopping by the fire he said nothing, looking into the crackling flames.

Morrigan looked to the Elf, her amber eyes narrowing and a small smirk playing on her lips as she watched him stand there so obviously uncomfortable. Oh this would be fun. "Can I help you, or is the fire at the rest of camp radiating cold?"

Aiden looked to her, blinking his green eyes. "Er..no! I just figured I'd…come and see how you were!"

Morrigan nodded. "Right, right. Well, I must say, after seeing how you fight, I am rather uncomfortable with your hands behind your back. So if you could, please keep them where I could see them."

The sly smirk came to Aiden's lips. Finally, he was in his realm. "Oh? What's wrong? Scared I came over here in hopes of slaying you while you slept?"

"More scared for you, I'm afraid. But enough of this. Show me your hands," Morrigan replied, her tone rather severe but the smirk on her lips showed otherwise.

Aiden nodded softly before he brought them around, producing the mirror to her as he looked downward. "Er…this is for you. I found it in Orzammar…and I thought of you?"

Morrigan watched him present the mirror and she took it tenderly. It..made her smile, and for the life of her she could not figure out why! Was it the gesture…the fact that he found an exact copy of the mirror she had lost? Was it the fact that this man was known for talking even the most strong willed people into his way of seeing things, but here he was…stumbling over his words like that fool Templar! "I…this is….where did you…this is…a nice gesture…thank you. But surely you did not come here to just give this to me and leave. You must want something in return."

Aiden blinked. Something in return? Well..not really. He hadn't thought about it. He got a better reaction than he first expected at least…"Um..no, it's fine. It's a gift, for a beautiful woman." Aiden said this with a small grin and nodded. "But…I should get back…it's rather late and I spent most of the evening trying to figure out if I should give it to you or just raid your tent and place it under your pillow."

Morrigan regained her coy smirk. "Oh? So raiding my tent was your alternate plan? Do you have any ideas to the things I would do to those who broke my privacy? I think not."

Aiden blinked. "….right then! Indeed..over here…" He pointed over his shoulder and turned to leave, though the small hand on his leather adorned wrist stopped him.

"I think not, little man. You, are sleeping here tonight."


Slowly the dream washed away and Aiden felt a small tinge of pain in his chest, then his sides, and finally his head before he fully came to consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and he moved to sit up, though a rough hand forced him back to his back.

"No. You lie down until your wounds are healed," came a rough voice and Aiden managed to make out the large form clearly.

"S,Sten? W,what the hell," Aiden began before the grim faced warrior regarded him with an icy glare. "Right….we'll talk later I suppose."

Sten looked at him still before he spoke. "I did not think that you were so weak, kadan, to have arrived on the shores close to death. Tell me. What happened."

The bluntness of the way Sten spoke brought a small smile to the Elf's lips.

"Is something funny? Do you mock me?"

Aiden chuckled before he shook his head. "No…it's just good to see you again Sten."

"Stop stalling," Sten shot back.

Aiden nodded and closed his eyes. "I was…chasing after Morrigan. Or at least following her trail, and it took me to the Circle of Magi. There…we were deceived by Irving and I tried to escape after being struck rather hard by a Templar. I failed."

Sten looked at him for a long moment, his face ever the stoic grim set it had always been. "That's it? You were bested by magic wielding beasts to chase that woman?" Aiden nodded and Sten leaned back. "Your friend Alistair told a different story."

"Alistair? He's here? Wait..where's here," Aiden asked, trying to sit up again, though Sten forced him back down with nothing more than another icy glare.

"Yes. He washed ashore several days before you did, and he awoke sooner. His wounds were minor. And you are on what you call the northern islands in your tongue. Rest easy, kadan. We have much to discuss when you are well."

Aiden stood from is bed, days later, adjusting the dragon scale armor just as he had months prior when he left Soldiers Peak. Missing this time, were the weapons that he had used to fel the Archdemon and he had to say…he felt incomplete. He hadn't seen or even heard from Alistair, which he thought odd, though not surprising.

Exiting the room he went down the hall of the large house and followed Sten's instructions to exit the house. Outside, he saw that the area around him was akin to that of a jungle…warm and humid, though even in the morning air. He saw both Alistair and Sten attending to a smoldering fire and approached them.

"Ah! You're awake! I'd have come to see you, but Sten the Emotionless here wouldn't let me," Alistair said, turning to his friend, though disregarding the glare that Sten shot at him. "Good to see you're well…I had feared the worse…"

"What about you? I know why I lived the poisoning, but…," Aiden began and Alistair grinned that usual grin.

"Oh? Come now. I'm Alistair the Impenetrable! No flimsy herbs are going to take me down," Alistair said, earning a wary look from Aiden and he sighed. "No fun. Alright. The mages, however smart they feel they are, are rather horrible with poisons. The one they used was nothing more than a heavy sleeping tonic. After you burst out the door I managed to knock out the Templar that had me and went to help you, but it was too late. I was already feeling sluggish and that Templar took me down as well—but not before I managed to get these for you!" Alistair presented the two daggers to Aiden and he noticed that the usual flames on them were gone, and though the blades were undamaged it was obvious their enchantments had been damaged.

"My daggers! How did you," Aiden asked, taking them quickly and looking them over.

"Oh sure. No, 'thanks Alistair for getting them for me' or anything," Alistair said, chuckling some. "I heard you drop them when you were rolling about like a beached fish. Though the enchantments seem to have been damaged since I was tossed into the lake with you."

"Thanks, friend" Aiden said, sheathing the blades and clapping his friend on the shoulder, "but how long have we been here."

"Three weeks total," Sten cut in, standing from the fire and nodding to several other quanari who had gathered to look at the elf. "Enough talk. Now comes the time for action, kadan. I once told you that there would come a day when we would bring the qun to Feralden. I told you I did not want to see you on the battlefield, but that was as an opponent. I ask you this: Aid me and my brethren in this fight and you shall have free passage back to Fereldan."

Aiden blinked and Alistair merely gaped before he spoke. "You want us to help you…in a WAR against Ferelden? I told you! He's crazy," Alistair said, looking to Aiden and gaining another death-glare from the qunari.

Aiden shook his head. "No…war isn't what he meant. The qun is the qunari religion, Alistair, much like the Chantry is to Ferelden. He means to go and destroy the Chantry…that is all. Am I right," Aiden asked, looking to Sten and the giant nodded.

"Yes. Pointless slaughter of your kind will solve nothing and cause only problems. We seek the destruction of the Chantry and nothing else. I ask this again, kadan: Will you aid me?"

Aiden looked to Alistair and could tell the former Templar did not like the idea at all. "Alistair, over here if you please," Aiden said, motioning for Alistair to follow him a few paces away.

"No! Before you even speak, no, Aiden! I can't go back and destroy the Chantry! Do you even KNOW what that means," Alistair asked, his voice high and Aiden cut a glance to Sten who merely folded his arms.

"Look…we have no way back to Ferelden. I, though my opinions are my own, could care less about the Chantry. But what if….what if we just tell him we will only help against the mage tower? I don't know about you, but I have a score to settle with Irving. If you don't want to help, old friend, I understand, and I'm sure I can talk Sten into giving you a ride back either way. But know this, I have no intention of helping an all out war."

Alistair looked at his friend, wary. It seemed deception had played a part in the Chantry so far, and even Ferelden's history when it came to Loghain. He sighed. "A,alright…but…not an all out war. I will help you at the mage tower but that's it. After that we leave and continue looking for Morrigan."

Aiden nodded and motioned for him to follow, going to Sten. Explaining the situation to the qunari, Sten merely cocked his head.

"After the mage tower you will not fight for the Chantry's sake," Sten asked, his arms still folded.

Aiden nodded. "Yes. After we help you at the mage tower we will be back off into the wilds, looking for Morrigan. I have no interest in fighting against you for the sake of the Chantry," Aiden said. Alistair rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He did not like where this was going.

"And the Grey Wardens," Sten asked.

"Are only concerned with the Blight, Sten. Getting involved in political affairs will sacrifice the neutrality of the Wardens," Aiden replied and Sten nodded.

"I shall go speak with the arishokk. Get on the boats," Sten said before he abruptly turned and headed towards another house.

Aiden looked to Alistair. "Ever the silver tongue, eh?"

"Oh, I so do not like where this is going," Alistair said, hanging his head.

And that's all for that chapter! Mayhap I'll post another today, maybe not. We shall see! Enjoy! ^^