Catheryn stretched as she woke, wincing slightly in pain from the aches that seemed to scream through her body, causing every muscle to cry out in protest at such a wicked move, as though she were being tortured by some unknown force. She had had a wretched night, filled with visions of the Archdemon and the Darkspawn, unable to make out anything amidst the noise that they made, the crying, the groaning, it chilled down to the very depths of the soul and night after night, she had been plagued by similar visions, growing more weary as the lack of sleep took its toll on her young body. However, last night, more than any other night, she was able to take comfort despite the visions. She was not alone in them, she could sense Loghain by her side, just as she had done the night of his joining. She wasn't sure why she could sense his presence, for she had never been able to do the same with Alistair or with Riordan around, but, she took heart in the sensation, for it meant that she wasn't alone, she felt safe, as though he were watching over her, and, that, in those moments, he was allowing her to be close to him, to offer her mutual support to this infuriating, yet magnificent man.

Climbing out of her tent, she felt the ground beneath her move a little and staggered before she found her footing, a cough sounding from the deepest reaches of her chest, causing the others to spin around and look at her. She noted the look of concern on their faces but brushed it off. They had mostly heard her shouts as she had her visions and she was more than used to this reaction by now. She gazed around the camp, her eyes falling to Loghain, their eyes locking for a the longest of moments, a look full of understanding and knowing. They were not as distant as they usually were, they were still cold, but, Catheryn found that she could take more comfort in them at this moment than she had before. Before she could say anything, Riordan was before her, blocking her view of Loghain, causing her to blink up at him, shying away from the early morning light.

'I was beginning to think that you would not wake, we have been trying since first light. Is everything ok?'

'I'm fine, I was just tired, it's been an exciting couple of days and, then, the visions.' She peered at him, confusion etched on her face as she watched him study her. Shifting uncomfortably, her eyes fell to the rolls of parchment in his hand. 'What are those for?'

Riordan peered at the scrolls, as though he had almost forgotten about them and then beckoned to Loghain and Catheryn, both of whom followed without a word of protest. As she passed Loghain, she saw him give her a very concerned look. She raised an eyebrow, not quite following what was going on. Her visions hadn't been that bad in the night had they? Did everyone else think she was going mad? It would certainly seem that way, with the worried glances she kept getting from all over the place. Even Maric was much less frantic than usual and simply trotted by her side, rather than his usual friendly mauling of love.

Lowering herself wearily to the ground, Catheryn pulled her cloak tight around her, that was, as soon as Maric had wriggled his way between her legs and buried his face under her arm. Stroking his ear gently, she watched the parchments unravel to reveal maps of Ferelden, realisation coming to her, though she did not speak, instead, she coughed again and shivered slightly.

'We need to work out the quickest way possible to Ostagar and back to Redcliffe. Usually I would suggest going through Lother-'

'No, Lothering was destroyed by the Darkspawn not long after Ostagar. We would be walking into the dragon's pit if we went took that route. We need to head South and West over the Southron Hills, from there, we can head North to Lake Calenhad, that will give us a faster route to Redcliffe now that the Circle of Magi has resolved it's issues.' Catheryn fingered the map as she spoke, tracing the route that she believe they should follow, noting the silence as they listened to her suggestion.

Loghain listened to the young woman, he kept his face emotionless, but he was impressed by how much the young warden had picked up during her time as a warden. Despite her skill with a shield and blade, there was no way that such informed words could come from teaching alone. That meant that despite her fear, despite the endless fighting with Darkspawn and trying to escape those who wanted to claim the bounty on her head, she had picked up valuable information about the land and she had taken it in quickly. It showed remarkable intuition and some of the Generals he had known in his time would have had difficulty coming up with a response as quickly as that, especially given how little time she had actually spent experiencing these things for herself.

Catheryn flushed as both of them stared at her, shifting under their gaze,wondering if she had come up with some useless plan that would only work in the wildest of fantasies. However, Loghain reached forward and took the map, looking at the route she had traced with her fingers. He studied it for a moment, before gazing at her, his face not betraying any thoughts that he had.

'If Lothering is truly lost, we risk running into Darkspawn in the woods and trees from the South Reach-'

'Then we veer East slightly and make our way through the protection of the Brecilian Forest. The Dalish have kept the Darkspawn at bay for now, the forest will be a safer route if needed.'

'But the Dalish aren't exactly welcoming to humans...'

'The Dalish have pledged to join us in battle for the Darkspawn. Many of them will be making their way to Redcliffe as we speak, however, there will be some left behind and they will be skilled enough to keep the forest as safe as possible.'

Again, Loghain found that he couldn't help but stare at this remarkable young woman, listening to her give counsel that would be suited to someone who was twice her age, someone who was battle worn and hardened against all the things that war could throw at them. She was speaking as though she had been fighting all her life and it was still hard to believe that only a year ago, she was in the training area at Highever, daydreaming about battle and gallant knights. However, the moment was replaced by concern as Catheryn coughed again and Loghain saw a shiver run through her entire being.

'Catheryn, are you sure everything is alright...?'

Slightly surprised by the warmth and tenderness in his voice, she blinked a couple of times and then gave a soft smile, nodding her head slowly as she tickled Maric's ear.

'I'm fine, just tired, last night was not exactly filled with a restful sleep.'

Her warm brown eyes locked with those icy blue depths once more, a silence falling between them, one filled with understanding. The look lingered for a long time until Riordan coughed awkwardly, Catheryn flushing deeply once more as she pushed herself up, much to the protest of Maric who had just been falling asleep.

'We should start making our way, we need to make as much time up as possible, to give us enough time to get the missives off.'

Noticing Loghain's shoulders tense, Catheryn simply nodded to Riordan, trying to keep the subject as far from the topic of conversation as possible. She already knew that he had agreed, very reluctantly, to help, and she didn't want to push the issue by having constant reminders about the mission. Perhaps, if he tried to forget about it, the very thought wouldn't taste as bitter to him. She caught his eye once more, apologising silently to him before making her way back over to the others to begin packing up their equipment.

'This will take us too close to my mother for comfort, we have to find another way.'

Catheryn peered at the speaker, her own eyes somewhat distant as a familiar argument started to take hold. Sighing softly and wincing slightly from the pain in her chest, Catheryn returned to tying the tent up as tightly as possible, finding this a much more interesting chore than the conversation that was about to take place.

'Ah, I see you heard. We cannot risk too many fights with the Darkspawn because you are afraid of your mother.'

'If you had had a mother like mine, you'd be scared of her too.'

Standing up a little too quickly, Catheryn swayed on the spot, closing her eyes tight before she focused on the cool gaze of Morrigan, noting the resolve hardening in the young woman's eyes. Letting out a soft sigh, Catheryn picked up the tent, returning her focus to Morrigan, more to stop the world spinning around her than anything else.
'We don't have much other choice. Didn't you promise to come with us to stop the Blight?'

Morrigan's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed, peering at her with a distinct amount of coolness as the words sank in and Catheryn knew full well what was about to come from the lips of the mage.

'I did, but that didn't mean I would follow you on foolish missions. I will find my way to Redcliffe and wait for you there, that is, if you don't die at the hands of the Darkspawn or my mother.'

'Very well, I cannot force you to stay with us. Take care and we will meet you at Redcliffe.'

Catheryn's tone made it absolutely clear that she wasn't about to argue or try and beg Morrigan to stay. She was powerful yes and, she had saved their lives with her skills on countless occasions, however, the journey and mission ahead was too dangerous to continue on without everyone being completely dedicated to getting it done. They had no time for doubts or fears, however real they may be, not with an entire Country at stake. Morrigan gave one final glance before moving off, Catheryn returning to her tent without a second glance.

'Look after her...someone will have to when I'm not around.' Surprised by the words, Catheryn looked around only to find Morrigan stalking off into the distance, with Loghain now standing beside her. Her brow furrowed slightly as she watched her go, a pang of guilt now setting in.

'You handled that well, you were right when you said that we couldn't risk the change in plans, just as you were right with the course that we should take.'

Catheryn smiled weakly at him, going to pick her tent up, only to find that he had taken it from her and placed it over his shoulder, giving her a long look.

'It doesn't make it any easier to lose someone who is vital to the group.'

'We never like losing our companions in times like this, no matter their influence on the group, however, we also cannot take the risk of changing plans because it does not suit someone. Do not be too hard on yourself, you have more wisdom than you give yourself credit for. Your father would have been proud if he could see you now.' Loghain turned on his heel after one last lingering look, leaving Catheryn in silence, pondering over his words as her body gave out another cry of pain, the shivering causing every muscle to contract.

Sitting down on a log, Catheryn watched the others carefully before she set about removing her pauldrons. The wound on her shoulder had reopened and the blood that caked the bandage was now almost black. That, coupled with being caught in the storm before was probably the cause of the sudden illness. But, she knew that they couldn't afford to stop, not with this new challenge ahead. There would be no time to get to Redcliffe for aid and to Ostagar, and, that was something that she couldn't allow to happen.

Loghain busied himself with the horses, making sure that both his and Catheryn's were in good health and strapping the bags on to the saddles. He and the stallion had reached a mutual understanding. Loghain was the one in charge, and there could be no doubting that. It meant that his horse was much more tolerant and accepting of him, his heavy armour and the supplies that they had with them. He found himself lost in thought once more, his eyes falling to Catheryn as she adjusted her armour.

'I'd be wary if I were you, our young warden is not so easily moved in matters of the heart.'

Loghain started, turning to face the redhead as she approached him, her Orlesian accent causing him to stiffen slightly, the mistrust edging into his subconscious as she spoke.

'Is that so?' He kept an uninterested tone, though, it seemed that she could see passed them, her blue eyes glancing in Catheryn's direction before she looked back at Loghain.

'She is kind and she is warm, but when it comes to her heart, she is, guarded no? She was with Alistair for over a year and he never got close to her, she would not let him. It were as though her heart had already been stolen by another.'

'Well, whoever it is, or was, let us hope that he realises how lucky he is.' The slight twinge of joy that her initial words had brought to him were suddenly overcome by a great, sweeping jealousy that almost surprised himself. It pained him to think that she had anyone else on her mind, that her heart belonged to some unknown who clearly wouldn't be worthy of her.

'They say that everything that happens is a sign from the Maker. The blight, Ostagar, the landsmeet and then, getting lost with only a battle worn hero to save her? It makes you wonder if those words are true no?'

With the last question hanging in the air, she moved from his side as quickly as she had appeared, and a frown traced it's way across his face. He did not believe in the Maker, nor did he believe in any of the nonsense that was spouted by those who did. He held about as much trust in those words as he did in the words of mages, another group that he had a great mistrust and dislike for. Magic was unnatural and shouldn't exist. There was no way to protect yourself from magic, not truly, and it had a horrible history of consuming those who did use it. Everything that had happened up until now had been sheer coincidence and, his growing affection for Catheryn was down to nothing more than the way she had carried herself over the last few days. She had the ability to make him forget about everything, about his past, about his poor choices and made him feel like he was capable of being a good man once more.

However, he was aware that she was so young, with so much ahead of her once this fight was over with. Whilst being a Grey Warden may be a death sentence, he was determined to do whatever it took in order to ensure that she outlived him, and that the years ahead of her were as happy as they could be. She deserved someone who could give her a complete and happy life, someone who still had their whole life ahead of them and not someone who had been so battered and bruised by the years that had gone by. Even if the thought caused his heart to ache, the kindest thing he could do for her was to make sure that the fading line between them was never crossed.