Title: The Girl With The Golden Mirror
Pairing: None!
A/N: As there seems to be a few re-tellings of Morrigan's first adventure outside of the Wilds, I thought I'd throw my hat in as well. This is just an idea that was nagging at me for the longest time.
)O(
For the majority of her years, Morrigan was content with her forest home. It was her safe haven; its creatures became her friends; its chaotic nature quickly taught the young Witch a great many things. Most of them harsh lessons, but lessons all the same. She took to observation; spending hours watching a small animal inch its way along the forest floor, searching for a meal, only to have a much larger creature snatch it up in its jaws before it even had a chance to fight back.
She watched these creatures, studying them until she could become as they were.
Survival of the fittest.
And Flemeth of course was the embodiment of these teachings. She was the essence of the Wilds itself; the power of a great beast trapped within the body of an old woman; frigid and unforgiving.
Yet even with the lessons provided to her by both Flemeth and the Wilds, Morrigan was still relatively innocent. She knew nothing of the danger she and her mother faced everyday. She knew nothing of the Chantry, or apostates, or maleficarum. All she knew was that sometimes strange men in plate armor and skirts would come after them, and she was to scream and run and lure them to their death by Flemeth's waiting hands.
It was a game to her, and it was fun for a time.
The Wilds were familiar. Morrigan knew every flower, toad, and tree. What she knew nothing of however were villages, cities, large buildings, all sorts of different people all living together. These things made her curious, and coupled with Mother's tales of the world of men, even made her daring.
"You must never venture beyond the Wilds," Flemeth had told her.
So Morrigan stayed to the shadows, disguised as a cat, and crept to the edges of existence.
It was a small village, with simple people and simple things. But it was the sheer quantity of things that shocked her. Wooden houses all squished together, more people than she'd ever seen before, and not one plant or blade of grass.
So this was a human city?
Morrigan observed them as she did the animals, never fully grasping their behavior. Studying them only led to more questions.
Then something changed. The people moved to either side of the road as the sound of hooves and wheels on an unsteady terrain drew closer. Finally she could see it: a grand carriage, pulled by two magnificent horses, painted in bright colors that signified the owner's noble status. Colors so pure and vibrant Morrigan had never dreamed of because they did not exist in the Korcari Wilds.
Slowly the carriage came to a stop, allowing her to see it more clearly. A woman emerged, clad in fine silks that Morrigan longed to touch. Though the image of herself in such a garment was almost as amusing as it was impractical. The young Witch gathered the courage to move closer, still in animal form, until she found herself looking into the carriage proper.
There were many fine things here; jewels as well as flowers, not like the ones in the forest which usually possessed some sort of deadly poison, these flowers were too pretentious and fragile; and of course there were more splendid silks. But by far the fairest item of all was a mirror poking out of the noblewoman's purse. It was bright as the sun and beckoned to her, daring her...
Flemeth didn't allow such things. She hated mirrors, and thus the only time Morigan ever got a glimpse at her own reflection was in the murky waters of a puddle or shallow stream, alone in the woods. She knew that Mother had once been beautiful, and that human children were made to believe she would steal their youth through their looking glass if they did not do as they were told.
Morrigan harbored no desire to take her mother's place, even if it was expected of her. For as long as she could remember, Flemeth had told her tales that gave her nightmares, and then scolded the little girl for it.
And, as any child would, Morrigan found herself desperately wanting the trinket if only because Mother had forbade it.
"Oh aren't you a pretty kitty..."
A voice startled Morrigan. It was the woman in silk. Instinctively, she hissed, causing the lady to cry out and back away almost too gracefully.
"Well, I see what you are now!" she accused. "You're a stray. You're a dirty little stray. I can see why no one wants you. You're probably diseased and-"
Morrigan shifted back into her human form, shocking the woman into silence.
"You were saying?"
She decided then that if she was already going to be found out, she might as well get what she came for.
"Thief!" the noblewoman screamed. "Don't let her escape!"
A crowd gathered immediately. "She's a Witch!" "Apostate!", "Blood mage!" voices accused with a mixture of fear and disdain, "Somebody call the templars!" another cried.
Morrigan made a run for it, clutching the mirror to her chest. She left a wall of fire behind her, buying some time if nothing else, as she made her way back to the safety of the Korcari Wilds.
Her heart was pounding, mana drained from casting the spell, muscles aching...
But she had won, she had survived, and that was all that mattered.
It was getting dark by the time she returned to their current home. She and Mother had lived here undisturbed by the templars for a few months, but after today, it was only a matter of time before the Chantry sent more after them and they would have to move again.
"Greetings, Mother."
"Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"Do not lie to me, girl. I taught you everything you know. You can't hide anything from me." Her eyes darkened. "You left the Wilds today." It wasn't a question.
"No, Mother."
"Do not lie to me!" She could feel the rage boiling in Mother's veins, and it was times like this when Morrigan wondered just how much of Flemeth was human. Still, admitting to it now wouldn't make the beating any more bearable.
"I did not leave the Wilds, Mother."
"You want fine things, do you? You want to dress up in silks and prance about like the queen of Ferelden?" She folded her arms and scoffed. "Beauty is fleeting. One moment you are the envy of women and the desire of men, to the point that kings wage wars over you, men will be unfaithful to their wives, some will even die for you. But then you wake up one day and 'tis gone and you grow up." Flemeth pursed her lips. "You are beautiful, Morrigan, but you are also innocent and foolish. You risk too much. You could have been killed and then I-"
She stopped mid-sentence and held out her hand.
"I did not leave the Wilds." Morrigan whispered, her head spinning.
"We can do this the easy way if you like, but this is for your own good, and it must be done. One day you shall understand and you will thank me."
She hoped that day would never come.
Her golden orbs spoke volumes of just how much she did not understand.
Morrigan shook her head. "I did not leave the Wilds!" she repeated.
Flemeth caught a glint of gold out of the corner of her eye. She was faster than she looked, and pried the mirror from her daughter's possession.
"You should be more grateful!" The mirror smashed upon the ground, shattering like the fragile thing it was, and taking her heart with it. All her hopes and dreams, and Morrigan's childlike innocence were lying at her feet.
Flemeth continued to scream at her but Morrigan was no longer listening; she was floating to the moon...
And for a while she cried, not only for the mirror but the piece of her heart that had broken along with it.
She gets a little older. And with age comes wisdom, then maturity, and freedom. Mother trusts her enough to go beyond the Wilds, if only to the closest village. She never roams too far after that day however.
Though secretly, Morrigan wanted to experience the world; mountains and oceans and large cities, like the capital of Orlais.
And when Flemeth sends her away in the company of the Grey Wardens, it is not how she wished it to be, but she has no choice.
Morrigan does not have ot say the words.
Her mother smiles and whispers, "You are welcome."