A/N: Wow it's been a long time since I've updated this one. Don't worry though, I'll try and update as much as my schedule will allow me. Thanks to all you who have been watching and…well…waiting for this long.
Ranthelis sat up, gasping for air. Suddenly a searing pain shot through his body and stars flew across his vision. He became light-headed and fell back down. To his surprise he didn't hit a hard ground, but a soft bed and a nice pillow. He shook his head for a moment and took in his surroundings once he could regain his focus. He appeared to be in some ramshackle shed with multiple animal pelts lying around, a fire was burning in a fireplace that was on the left wall, and there was a shelf with a multitude of books. There he saw a woman with raven black hair placing a few of them into the bookcase. It was someone he recognized but couldn't bring himself to say the name. Ranthelis' mind started to race, Keep calm, check your situation. He thought to himself. You're currently alive, that's good. You're in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar location so far as you know. You're with a person that has assisted you in the past and…well she's not bad looking actually. He shook his head, "Stay on topic." He scolded himself quietly. He slowly looked down at his chest to see that his armor and clothes were gone and in their place, bandages, quite a few of them too. He grunted and sat up much more slowly this time.
The woman heard Ranthelis grunt and turned to look at him with a slight smirk. "Ah, your eyes finally open." She said, walking towards the elf. "Mother shall be pleased."
The elf rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, not only was hi body in searing pain, but he had a splitting headache. "What happened to the Darkspawn?" He asked.
"You were injured, and then mother rescued you." She stated bluntly. "Do you not remember?" She asked then, tilting her head to the side as she watched the elf.
"Wait…" Ranthelis drifted off, remembering Loghain leaving the field. "What happened to the army? To the king?"
"The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field." Morrigan replied, a little hesitation in her voice as she thought of the right words. "The Darkspawn won your battle, those he abandoned were massacred. Your friend, he is not taking it well." She finished, almost with a shrug.
Ranthelis stopped for a moment, she said "he" so that removed Lucindae from the group, Lax and Darion were more hardened than that and he didn't know king Cailan all that well to mourn his death. He wasn't even sure who survived out of his party. What happened after the Darkspawn? Was he the only one still alive? Questions raced through his mind. "My friend…you mean Alistair?" He finally asked.
"The suspicious, dim-witted one who was with you before, yes." Morrigan replied in a matter-of-factly tone. "He is outside by the fire, along with the rest of your companions. Mother asked to see you when you awoke."
Ranthelis gave a sigh of relief at the mention of his friends still being alive. Though how did one aged woman save them when there was so many? He sighed and decided it best not to question, as the answer would probably bring up more questions. He looked up when he was done mulling things over in his head. "Thank you for helping me, Morrigan." He said with a slight smile.
The witch looked down for a moment, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "I…you are welcome." She said, not really knowing how to deal with the response. "Though mother did most of the work, I am no healer."
Ranthelis grunted and slid off of the bed, "I will go then." He said, his body screaming in pain with each step.
"I will stay, and make something to eat." Morrigan said, turning to the pot. She seemed to only want to speak what was necessary and cut out all the fluff of a regular conversation. She nodded towards a crate at the foot of the bed and Ranthelis nodded his thanks, walking over to it and cracking it open to find his armor and weapons.
After a few minutes passed of slipping on the leather very carefully to make sure he didn't agitate his injuries too much, he stepped outside to find himself in the familiar sight of Morrigan's hut. Outside he spotted Darion, Lax, Lucindae, and Alistair all sitting around the edge of the lake with a worried expression on their faces. They were all bandaged and looked to be in about as much pain that Ranthelis was in. Except for Morrigan's mother, who was watching the door of the hut when the elf stepped out. "See," she started reassuringly for Alistair. "Here is your fellow grey warden. You worry too much young man."
Alistair was the first to get up and hastily went Ranthelis. "You…you're alive." He said, breathing a deep sigh of relief. He gave a nervous chuckle. "We thought you were dead for sure."
Ranthelis shook his head and gave a weak smile. He rolled his shoulder to work out a bit of a cramp, only to find another twinge of pain. "I'm not, thanks to Morrigan's mother." He said, nodding towards the old woman.
"This doesn't seem real…" Alistair drifted off, looking out at the water. "If it weren't for Morrigan's mother, we would all be dead on top of that tower."
"Do not talk about me as if I am not present, lad." The old woman said, remind Alistair and Ranthelis that she was still there and watching.
"I-I didn't mean…" Alistair stuttered, regaining his composure quickly. "But what do we call you? Y-you never told us your name."
"Names are pretty, but useless." She replied with a sigh. The group raised their eyebrows as they stared at her and she shrugged. "The chasind folk call me Flemeth, I suppose it will do."
At the mention of that name everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "The Flemeth?!" Alistair blurted out. "From the legends?" He slowly stepped back, fear in his eye. "Daveth was right, you're the witch of the wilds aren't you?"
"And what does that mean?" Flemeth asked, seeming a little agitated and amused at the same time. "I know a bit of magic, and it has served all of you well, has it not?"
"I…suppose we should thank you." Lucindae said, standing up to meet the old woman.
"If you know what is good for you, I suppose you should." Flemeth said, almost seeming to hold back a laugh.
"Is there some way we can repay you?" Lucindae continued, looking around nervously.
Flemeth gave out a loud laugh at that, she shook her head when the girl looked to the ground with a deep blush on her cheeks. "All that I wish you to do is what you are meant to do." She said when she finished. "It has always been the grey warden's duty to unite the lands against the blight, or did that change when I wasn't looking?"
"The land is hardly united, thanks to Loghain." Darion replied sourly, glaring into the water as he glared down at his reflection. Ranthelis sighed, knowing that his companion had gone through many betrayals in the last few days. He understood his anger.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Alistair growled. "Why would he do it?"
"Now that is a good question." Flemeth said as if that was the first intelligent thing Alistair had said since he got here. Her face turned to the ground in shame as her smile disappeared. "Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature." She looked up, her expression normal again. "Perhaps he believes the blight is an army he can outmaneuver, perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is the true threat."
"The archdemon." Alistair stated, expressing the thought that everyone in the party had.
"What is the archdemon, exactly?" Lax asked, finally hopping into the conversation and being tired of being left in the dark.
"It is said that long ago, the maker sent the old gods of the ancient tevinter imperium to slumber in prisons deep beneath the surface." Flemeth explained, seeming to have this information completely memorized. "An archdemon is an old god, awakened and tainted by Darkspawn." She sighed as she saw Lax's confused face staring back up at her. "Believe it or not, history says it's a fearsome and immortal thing, and only fools ignore history."
"Then we need to find this archdemon." Ranthelis stated, knowing full well that if they didn't they would die by Darkspawn anyways.
"By ourselves?" Alistair asked in disbelief as he turned to the elf. "No grey warden has ever defeated a blight without the army of a half-dozen nations as his back. Not to mention…" His eyes shifted away from everyone as he shook his head. "I don't know how."
"How to kill the archdemon, or how to raise an army?" Flemeth asked, an amused look coming to her face again. "It seems to me those are two different questions, hmm? Have the wardens no allies these days?"
"I-I…I don't know!" Alistair exclaimed. "Duncan said that the grey wardens of Orlais have been called, and Arl Eamon would never stand for this, surely."
"Perhaps we could go to him then." Ranthelis said, already trying to piece together a plan. They had the treaties and Eamon sounded like a good possibility.
"I suppose…" Alistair sighed, regaining himself. "Arl Eamon wasn't at Ostagar, he still has all his men, and he was Cailan's uncle! I know him. He's a good man, respected in the landsmeet. Of course!" He shouted. "We can go to Redcliffe and appeal to him for help!"
"Keep in mind, Loghain was an honorable man." Darion said, giving them a sick reminder of what happened at Ostagar.
"The arl would never do what Terryhn Loghain did!" Alistair replied, seeming to get very offended. "I know him too well." He slowly drifted off. "I still don't know if…Arl Eamon's help would be enough. He can't defeat the Darkspawn horde all by himself."
"Surely there are other allies we can call upon." Lucindae said, trying to grasp some glimmer of hope from this situation.
"Of course!" Alistair said, snapping his fingers. "The treaties! Grey wardens can demand aid from dwarves, elves, mages, and other places! They're obligated to help us during a blight!"
"I may be old, but dwarves, elves, mages, this Arl Eamon, and who knows what else, this sounds like an army to me." Flemeth said, pointing out the obvious for Lax's sake, who eventually got what they were talking about and a sudden wave of realization came upon him.
"So can we do this?" Alistair asked, looking around at his companions. "Go to Redcliffe and these other places and…build an army?"
"Why not?" Ranthelis asked with a shrug. "That's what grey wardens do."
"So you are set then?" Flemeth asked, looking to the group to see how convicted they were in doing this. Especially Darion, who appeared to want to bring down Loghain no matter what. "Ready to be grey wardens?"
"Yes." Lucindae said with a newfound hope. "Thank you for everything, Flemeth."
"No, no." Flemeth said with a smile. "Thank you. You are the grey wardens here, not I. Now, before you go, there is yet one more thing I can offer you." She looked to the hut where Morrigan was just exiting along with everyone else.
"The stew is bubbling, mother dear." Morrigan said sarcastically. "Shall we have five guests for the eve, or none?"
"The grey wardens are leaving shortly, girl, and you will be joining them." Flemeth stated, not even hesitating when she spoke.
"Such a shame." Morrigan started, apparently not hearing what she said. Suddenly her eyes widened as she turned to her mother. "What?!"
"You heard me girl." Flemeth replied calmly, despite Morrigan's sudden burst. "The last time I checked you still had ears."
The group looked around for a second, unsure of what to say. Then Lucindae stepped forward, "Thank you, but if Morrigan doesn't want to join us…"
"Her magic will be useful." Flemeth said without missing a beat. "And even better, she knows the wilds and how to get past the horde."
"Have I no say in this?" Morrigan asked angrily, her hair almost appeared to be standing on its ends.
"You have been itching to get out of the wilds for years," The old woman stated, still not appearing to get frustrated or angry. "Here is your chance. As for you, wardens," She continued, turning to the others. "Consider this repayment for your lives."
"Very well, we'll take her with us." Darion sighed as he shook his head.
"Not to…look a gift horse in the mouth." Alistair started, eyeing Morrigan up and down for a moment, suspicion in his eye. "But won't this add to our problems? Out of the wilds, she's an apostate."
"If you do not wish the help from us illegal mages, young man, perhaps I should have left you on that tower." Flemeth stated, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.
"Point taken." Alistair grumbled.
"Mother…this is now how I wanted this." Morrigan said, almost pleading now. "I am not even ready-."
"You must be ready." Flemeth said, cutting off her daughter. "Alone, these five must unite Ferelden against the Darkspawn. They need you, Morrigan. Without you, they will surely fail, and all will perish under the blight. Even I."
Lax grumbled something under his breath as Flemeth said this. Ranthelis quickly slapped the back of his head to shut the dwarf up. "I…understand." Morrigan sighed, eventually giving in. Thankfully they had not heard Lax.
"And you, Wardens? Do you understand?" Flemeth asked, turning to the Grey Wardens now. "I give you that which I value above all in this world. I do this because you must succeed."
"She won't come to harm with us." Ranthelis promised, bowing low before anyone else could speak.
"Allow me to get my things, if you please." Morrigan sighed, turning to go back to the hut.
Flemeth shrugged, quickly following after her daughter as she left for the small shack. At this point Lax turned to Ranthelis with a devilish grin on his face. "You have a crush on the witch girl, don't you?"
Ranthelis cleared his throat for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh…what are you talking about?" He asked, taken off guard for the first time in a while.
"Don't play dumb with me, elf. You like her!" The dwarf continued, teasing Ranthelis for a while.
After a while of teasing Morrigan stepped out, her arms crossed. "I am at your disposal, Grey Wardens." She started. "I suggest a village north of the wilds as our first destination. 'Tis not far and you will find much you need there. Or, if you prefer, I shall simply be your silent guide. The choice is yours."
"No, I prefer you speak your mind." Ranthelis chimed in, much to the stares of Lax and the rest of the group.
"Haha," Flemeth chuckled, shaking her head. "You will regret saying that."
"Dear sweet mother." Morrigan spat. "You are so kind to cast me out like this. How fondly I shall remember this moment."
"Well as I always said," The elderly witch started, seeming to ignore the comment. "If you want something done, do it yourself…or hear about it for a decade or two afterwards."
"I just…" Alistair started, his mind trying to wrap around what was happening. "Do you really want to take her along because her mother says so?"
"Oh get over yourself Alistair." Lax grunted, punching the human's leg and causing him to bed over and grab at it.
"If you are worried that I will summon demons and transform into an abomination, I assure you I will at least wait until you are not looking." Morrigan stated sarcastically.
"I like this girl." Lax said, nudging Ranthelis. "I think you should go for it."
"Shut it." Ranthelis replied, flushing slightly.
"I feel better already." Alistair replied to the witch, rolling his eyes.
"Let's just go." Darion sighed, rubbing his temples. "I've had enough of this banter."
"Farewell mother…" Morrigan said, shooting a glare at Darion for interrupting her. "Do not forget the stew on the fire, I'd hate to return to a burned down hut."
"Bah, tis far more likely that you'll return to see this entire area, including my hut, swallowed by the blight." Flemeth replied harshly.
"I…all I meant was…" Morrigan started…looking genuinely hurt by the comment.
"Yes, I know." Flemeth said, sighing as she shook her head. "Do try to have fun dear."
Darion sighed and nodded to the group. "Let's go…we have a long way to go. Morrigan you know the way better than all of us so you go ahead."
"Very well." Morrigan sighed, indicating for them to follow. "We shall go to a small town of little importance called Lothering. There you can get whatever you need for the journey ahead. Let us go."
"I bet you're looking forward to the adventure now." Lax said, nudging Ranthelis again.
"Moreso than you think." Ranthelis chuckled, out of earshot of Morrigan as she walked in front of them.
