Morrigan had come from the corner of her room, as if she had been watching the female Warden the entire time. Which had been mostly true. When she wasn't wondering why her mother rescued the two wardens and the mabari that had been nearly inseparable from the female Warden. What was her name? Elanda? Sounded right. If nothing else she could wait for the bumbling distraught moron outside to spout it.

Flemeth had gotten one of the Wardens up hours ago, though his wounds were not so grave. Elanda had nearly touched the beyond had it not been for Flemeth's nearly unlimited, inhuman amount of knowledge.

Currently it was irrelevant now, as the female Warden had opened her eyes, nearly in shock.

'Twas expected, last she saw she was in a tower.

Things were changing. That Morrigan did know.

"Ah. Your eyes finally open. Mother shall be pleased."

Elanda wiped her forehead, not that it did much good. Her body was in awful shape, or at least that's how she felt. She looked at her body, the large wound on her arm was gone, her fingers hurt to move them, but she could move them, she wasn't picky. And most of all, she felt her ribs, and painfully releasing a sigh of relief, she was thankful that her ribs weren't crushed.

"I... What happened?"

Morrigan raised a dark eyebrow, "You were injured and then mother rescued you. Do you not remember?"

Elanda's stomach dropped when Morrigan told her of the fate of Frederick and the army. The fate of King Cailan... And the fate of Duncan.

Loghain walked away. She, Alistair and Frederick had lit the beacon. It was supposed to be a won battle. But instead of charging and flanking the darkspawn... Loghain had betrayed his king, THEIR king by retreating.

Elanda's body refused to move. Refused to stare at anything except Morrigan's boots. She had to carry on, right? She had to stop the Blight. It was her responsibility now, wasn't it? How could she do it alone? Where did she start?

Questions buzzed in her head.

Morrigan sat next to Elanda, though neither of them were sure why. Morrigan folded her hands delicately in her lap, "Mother managed to save you, your Warden friend and your dog. Though it was a close call." She used the gentlest tone she could muster. And Elanda was grateful for it, and even more grateful that Alistair was alive as well. She wouldn't be alone, "What is important is that you both live." Morrigan added.

Elanda's family was dead, Fergus too now, more than likely, Frederick was dead, Jory was dead, Daveth was dead, the king's forces were dead, the King was dead... Duncan was dead... How was anything fine? How were they going to be fine?

Elanda choked down her despair and rage with the cup of water that was on the bedside table. It felt good to have a cool liquid go down her throat. Even if all she wanted to do was roll over and die. Self pity would come later. It would have to.

"I must admit... You are taking all of this information better than your friend."

Elanda closed her eyes and took another sip. How were they supposed to take it?

"I... It's... A lot of feelings all at once." She admitted, not taking her eyes off of the clear liquid that still lay in the cup.

"I shall take your word on the matter, he has veered between denial and grief since mother told him."

"I can't say I feel that much different." It's unbelievable how one moment can make everything completely flip upside down and completely fall apart.

Morrigan only nodded, like she was listening to some... Experiment. "He is outside by the fire." She said, her voice still slightly gentle, but in a 'by the way' sort of tone, "Mother asked to see you when you awoke."

Elanda nodded and downed the rest of the water, "Thank you for healing me, Morrigan." Elanda got up and began to put on her long sleeve tunic, breeches and then strap on her armor.

"I... You're welcome." She sounded like she did not expected that, and perhaps being out here most of the time, she didn't, "Though mother did most of the work, I am no healer."

"Thank you, regardless." Elanda said, strapping on her boots now, lookng in Morrigan's golden eyes.

Morrigan let the smallest of smiles grace her face as she nodded in respect.

Elanda sheathed her sword again, strapped her shield onto her back and ran a hand through her dark, now messy red rose hair, trying to at least calm her hair, and her nerves before going outside and masking everything.

When she could no longer avoid going outside, she opened the door.

Opening the door wasn't so difficult, but her eyes adjusting to the bright morning sun from the dimly lit hut was difficult as her eyes took a moment to regain sight.

As she did she saw Alistair sitting next to Ares, the warrior's head hung low and a hand limply placed on the mabari's head, which was placed sadly on the warrior's leg.

If tragedy hadn't occurred, it would've been cute.

Elanda looked at Morrigan's mother and gently nodded, as if to say 'good morning'. Morrigan's mother smiled for a moment before making a small head movement towards Alistair, Elanda nodded again, thankful and understanding playing upon her face. She sat on the side of Alistair and waited for him to notice.

Ares' eyes brightened at the sight of his mistress as he nearly leaped over Alistair, causing the warrior to nearly fallover.

"Run me over next time." Alistair sarcastically remarked, bitterness in his voice before his eyes brightened, seeing her, she weakly smiled, and he gave her one of his lopsided smiles, it was weak, but it was there, "You're... I'm so glad you're alive." His voice was breathy, like the wind had nearly been kicked out of him, "I thought... I thought you were dead for sure."

All of the smart remarks she could make bounced through her head, but her throat couldn't conjure the words. "Not today, it seems." She said simply, her voice low.

Alistair looked back to the swampy waters, "This doesn't seem real. None of it." He put his head in his hands.

She hesitated for a moment to put her hand on his shoulder. But it found it's place there none the less. She couldn't let him go through this alone.

She wouldn't forgive herself. She felt like she had left so many people just to die. She swallowed hard and continued listening.

"I just know if it hadn't been for Morrigan's mother, we'd be dead on top of that tower too." He looked into her eyes, an inconsolable grief. That's what she saw.

An inconsolable grief... That's another thing they shared now, on top of being Grey Wardens.

"Do not talk about me as if I am not here, lad."

Elanda wanted to talk to Alistair about everything that had happened. How he felt what was going through his mind... Perhaps now wasn't the best of times to ask for his bleeding heart.

Elanda took her gaunleted hand from his shoulder and stood up, offering a hand to him.

"This time... Don't pretend to trip." She whispered with an attempted smile.

At first his face was blank, and his smile soon seemed to understand, "I don't know what you mean." And grabbed her hand.

She let a small chuckle fill her chest, "I'm onto you." And she lifted up the Junior Warden to his feet.

"You say that now." He grinned back. Now standing on his two feet.

Her stormy grey eyes went downcast for a moment and Morrigan's mother coughed quietly, bringing the two back to the dreaded reality.

Now he knew he wasn't imagining it. She was hesitant in pulling her hand away from his. After losing Duncan at Ostagar he didn't want to lose her. It was nearly bad enough that she almost did die from the Ogre. He just wanted to hold on the tighter, so he didn't lose the only Grey Warden he had left.

"I didn't..." He didn't know who he was talking to, he had three candidates: talking to himself, which was likely, given he had spent the entire morning doing so; talking to her, trying to get her to open up, especially now, they were the only Grey Wardens left in Fereldan, and she looked like she had the world on her shoulders; or Morrigan's mother, the woman who had saved them from the tower... After a moment, he chose to speak to the latter, "What do we call you? We never got your name."

She was amused, as was her common tone, Elanda didn't think she had another emotion other than 'infinitely amused', "Names are pretty, but useless." She shrugged simply, "The Chasind folk call me Flemeth. I suppose that will do."

After a moment of Alistair being bewildered that this was THE Flemeth, they moved past that, after Elanda thanked her, then turned to Alistair. She was completely lost on what to do. The Blight needed to be stopped, yes. And now... Loghain and Howe needed justice to be served to them.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to tell herself that the Blight needed to be stopped before any sort of... Justice or revenge was enacted. Duty as a Grey Warden, first.

Flemeth's tone seemed to change from amused to curious, "It has always been the Grey Wardens' duty to unite the lands against a Blight," She said tilting her head slightly as if a speck on Elanda's armor had become quite interesting, and then she looked at the two of them in the eyes, "Or did that change when I wasn't looking?"

"The land is hardly united now." Elanda growled, balling her fists, "Thanks to Loghain."

"It doesn't make any sense!" Alistair was as frustrated as she was, maybe more so, "Why would he do it?"

When Elanda turned to him to reveal in fact she had no answers to give him, Flemeth spoke up, "Now that is a good question." She smiled, as if she was patting a dog on the head, "Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature."

Elanda heard the hatred in Flemeth's own voice. Flemeth was old, it took no man of knowledge to know that. But how old was she really? Elanda had read the tale of Flemeth, it was a common read when she was angry growing up. How long exactly has she had to contemplate what lurks in the hearts of men?

Though... The actions of the few hardly define the hearts of many. Just knowing that any man is capable of such treachery is enough knowledge to hold a grudge for many years. Perhaps anger over several lifetimes?

"Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can outmaneuver. Perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is a true threat."

Elanda's grey eyes widened, she understood now. What Flemeth had said before, 'Either the threat is more or they realize less. Or perhaps the threat is nothing! Or perhaps they realize nothing!'

Duncan realized the Blight was a threat. Cailan wanted to believe it was a blight. Loghain believed it was just a darkspawn raid and the Grey Wardens were having them on.

They were all wrong.

It was a Blight, but it was so much more now.

She looked at Alistair for a moment when she realized that they were not only dealing with a Blight. But they were going to have to deal with the civil war now that Cailan was dead.

Flemeth's met hers and a smirk graced her face. Flemeth knew. She knew all along.