Lyra swore loudly, and held her head as she sat up. "….By the dread wolf, my head hurts like fu-"
"Oh good, you're awake." Morrigan's voice halted her midsentence, which, all things considered, was probably a good thing, given the amount of swears Lyra knew.
"Morrigan..right?" Lyra's head was throbbing and she could barely think straight…visions had filled her dreams. Horrific visions of things to come.
The Mirror? It must have been the mirror…
"That is correct, lest you had forgotten." The Witch said with a small smirk.
"What happened..last I remember Luna killed an Ogre.."
"Ah yes..the skittish mage. You'll be happy to know that she's alive. The dwarf too…although I must warn you, she has been drinking most of mothers wine…and all of her mead and ale."
Good job on not fitting the drunken dwarf stereotype there Natia Lyra thought. "And Alistair?"
"The man? Oh..he's alive too.."
"How..?"
"My mother turned into a giant bird and took you away in her claws." Morrigan said in a vague deadpan.
"Right…I'm probably concussed enough to believe that.."
The following events were, surreal. Natia had to admit.
First, Morrigan's Mother was Flemeth, whoever the fuck that is. Judging from Lyra's shocked look and calling her Asha'bellanar, coupled with Luna and Alistair's disbelieving looks…someone massively important. Silly surfacers.
Second, she 'gave us' her daughter to help us stop the Blight. She then gave Alistair the treaties (which Lyra swiftly took for safekeeping) and then the small band had set off on their epic adventure!...
Third….
Solona giggled as the massive Mabari hound licked her face. "Stop! Stop! It tickles..hehe…"
"A dog." Natia deadpanned.
"A Mabari!" Solona chirped.
"…It's a big, slobbery dog."
"Yep!"
"…You surfacers need serious help."
Morrigan had a small smile on her face when they reached Lothering. It meant that she might see Jarred, and if there was anyone she wanted to be with on this journey it was her l-
"Goldie! Wake up!"
Morrigan scowled at the black haired dwarf. The mark on her face looked like a reversed 'Z', and was a bloody brown colour. Her mother's tomes said that the dwarves did this only to those deemed 'Casteless'. Rejected by their God-Ancestors, they were worth less than dirt. She'd be a good ally..but..
"My name is Morriga-"
"Yeah yeah, I know Goldie. You know this town?" Natia asked.
"Yes, actually. It's called Lothering. It is merely a small stop on the King's Road. Most of the people here do not even realise how major a route they live by."
"Ahah…I wonder if that random soldier lives here.."
"Which one?"
"Jarred Hawke" Natia said, putting on a poor imitation of Jarred's voice.
Morrigan did her best not to react. But it reminded her that she should make sure that his family could prepare…
Lyra headed to the inn and took Solona, and her new hound, with her. Alistair had, quite rightly in this case, pointed out that taking a mage into the chantry was a bad idea. Morrigan had gone to keep Natia out of trouble and Alistair himself had gone alone to talk with the Revered Mother.
Which left Lyra with the youngest two members of their merry band.
Whichever of the Elven Pantheon she managed to piss off, she was sincerely sorry.
Solona pushed the door open….only to be greeted by half a trio of Loghain's men. When she made a move to go and talk to them, Lyra stopped her.
"Luna. Don't."
"Don't what?"
Lyra shot Solona a look.
Loghain's men turned and their jaws dropped a they spied the Griffon symbol on both Solona and Lyra's armour. "Wardens…you killed the King!"
Lyra sighed. "Really? Is that the lie he's made you swallow?"
The response of the soldiers was to draw their swords.
Lyra was about to draw her dagger, but the last person she expected to see stopped her.
A Chantry Sister…
"Gentlemen! Surely there is no need for violence? These are no doubt another pair of lost souls seeking save hav-"
"Stay out of it –sister-, else you share their fates."
Lyra sighed, and in a very swift movement, pulled her bow free, and notched an arrow into it, and levelled it with shoulder of the lead soldier. "Three."
"What are you doing?"
Solona smiled, and created a fireball in one hand. "Two."
"Now you're counting?"
"One." Both women said, and fired.
Two of the soldiers dropped their blades and held their now wounded shoulders.
The Sister smiled "Now, we can end this and move on."
Lyra walked over to the Leader and stared into his eyes. "Take a message to Loghain. Three words. We are coming."
The soldiers nodded, and rushed out of the inn as fast as they could, leaving their swords behind.
Lyra then turned to the Chantry Sister. "..Thank you...for trying, at least…"
"He was right though, wasn't he? You are Wardens?"
"..Yes."
"You're trying to fix things, so that's why I'm coming with you."
"…Okay."
"I have medical training and I….Did you say yes?" Leliana said, blinking
"Only if you tell us your name, Sister." Lyra smiled.
"I am Leliana."
"I am Lyra, this is Solona and…"
The Hound panted happily.
"….The Hound."
"Nice to meet you both!"
"Luna, grab their swords and bring the Hound, we need to get moving to the meeting point."
Morrigan had, possibly unwisely, left Natia to her own devices, and headed just outside of town to a small farmstead. She cautiously walked to the front door, and knocked six times in quick succession.
A woman, not much older than Solona, answered the door. She had black hair, pale skin and sparkling blue eyes.
A smile formed on her face as she recognised Morrigan. "Hello Mori."
Alistair was already waiting for Lyra's group when they arrived.
"Oh good. You've stayed out of trouble…who's the Chantry sister?"
"Leliana, our new medic." Lyra said in a vague deadpan. "And we've got bad news…the Grey Wardens are now wanted…for regicide."
Alistair's face paled.
"Awhh come on! It's not so bad! We've got the treaties, each other…land to travel.." Solona said wistfully.
"Luna you're…..actually absolutely right." Lyra commented.
"It is pleasant to see most of us are here." Morrigan's voice snapped the group out of their daze.
"Morrigan…where is Natia?"
"I had a more pressing matter to attend to, Natia swore she'd stay out of trouble."
At that moment, the meeting was cut short when they spotted Natia, accompanied by a giant of a man running to them…followed by what looked like pretty much the entire town…and they were pissed.
"Move yer arses!" Natia yelled as she passed them.
The rest of the group swiftly followed suit.
Far away, in a field near Highever, a hooded woman wearing leather armour, and a blood red cloak slowly made her way east, to Denerim, a falcon circled above her.
She carried the ancestral sword of the Cousland family…and a shield that had once bore the sigil of the Howe's, but had since been scoured clean of the red bear.
She had a bloodied bandage was wrapped around her head, covering one eye. Her auburn hair was cut short, and her face was the epitome of hate.
Seventeen year old Evette Cousland was going to kill Rendon Howe, and avenge every single one of the deaths he had caused….no matter how many people she had to cut down to do so.
And she knew exactly how she would do so.
Up next, the Orzammar Arc begins!
