The Final Chapter of Jenra's story is here! But stay tuned as we continue our adventures in Thedas!

Chapter 48: Witch Hunt-The Farewell

Morrigan was unlike any woman I had met before, an uncanny beauty that rivals that of Andraste herself, a tongue as sharp as any blade, and a nature as mysterious and untamed as the wilds she hailed from. She was a witch of the Wilds and the daughter of the infamous Flemeth…I had heard the tales, all of Thedas has, the tales of the daughters of Flemeth tell of twisted, monstrous women who can kill a man with fear. But it is strange despite the stories; I had never felt such a thing from Morrigan...yes she was a dangerous woman and yes she could be cruel with her words but as I gotten to know her I found that she had a kindness in her that she hides from others and even from herself. Soon we became close…very close, and although she had her own plans, she could not deny the feeling we had for one another. On the eve of battle with the archdemon, we made love and a child came into being, our child. After the battle, Morrigan disappeared but I always thought about her and our child. When Alistair's men spotted her, the feeling I thought buried resurfaced. I would find Morrigan and this time I would not let her go.-Jenra's Journal

The Nest

The party continued on into the center of the lair, Fenrir started to bark and grew excited. "What's with your hound, Jenra?" Finn asked. Fenrir soon ran off ahead of them, in the distance they could see a large mirror held in place by two large statues. In front of the mirror was a beautiful young woman, dressed in loose robes that showed off much her body. She was pacing as if she was waiting around for something or…someone. Fenrir came up to her and greeted her as one would an old friend; the woman went down on one knee and smiled as she pat his head. She then gazed forward with a serious and melancholy face for this was a bittersweet moment for the warden and the witch.

"Is that…?" Ariane asked.

Jenra nodded. "Yes it is, Ariane…Finn, I like you to meet Morrigan"

"The Eluvian! And it's…glowing? We should…" Ariane held the mage back as she saw Morrigan walk towards the mirror and stroke it, the Eluvian made waves like water. The witch then looked back at them.

Ariane looked at Jenra. "She's…expecting you" Jenra walked toward the Eluvian, Fenrir went to his side. Morrigan turned around and crossed her arms; she looked away for the moment. Then she locked eyes with Jenra, there was sadness in them.

"No further, please…" she said. "I assume you know what this is"

"I have gone to great lengths to find and activate this portal. Give me reason and I use it, you'll not be able to follow"

"Then why haven't you left, if that's true?" he asked.

"I remained because I sensed your approach" Morrigan then gazed at Jenra's finger. "You kept the ring, tell me: why did you come?"

"I thought it would be obvious…I couldn't let it end like that" Jenra said.

"We had a deal…a deal you are breaking" she said softly. "What can you hope to gain by coming here now?"

"The woman I love"

"Still the same sentimental fool, I see…" Morrigan said. "I will never understand you and you will never understand me"

"We helped each other even so" Jenra said.

"Yes…I suppose we did" the witch then sighed. "I would not even know where to begin explaining"

"Then explain this…where is the child?"

"He is safe…" Jenra took a step back as if the breath taken out of him, he has a son. "…and beyond your reach" Morrigan said. "All you need know is that the child is an innocent. He knows nothing of the destiny that lies before him"

"That's not good enough"

"Because the child is yours, I understand" Morrigan then turned away. "I will not share my plan with you, I dare not. If your trust is insufficient, then your anger will have to do" Anger boiled within Jenra; this was always the most frustrating thing about her…the vagueness, the riddles. Did she think so little of him that he wouldn't understand or help? The doubts came back and soon his anger came out.

"Why did you betray me?!" Morrigan was taken aback this time and she gave him the coldest of glares.

"I never betrayed you; I left, just as I said I would"

"Because you left me no choice!" Jenra yelled.

"And what choice did I have? How was I to know that the battle with the archdemon would come so soon?" she asked. "And when it did, I came to you. I needed you, yes, but I also did not want to see you die"

"And here you stand, alive. So do not speak to me of betrayal" The two of them were silent for a while, unable to look at each other…even after all these years the emotions of that day was still raw. "Then allow me to provide you a warning" Morrigan said. "'Tis Flemeth you should beware of, not me. Hunt her, if you hunt anyone"

"Flemeth?! But she's dead!" Jenra said shocked. "I struck the killing blow myself!"

"My mother has always been a master at cheating death, and more. She is no more finished than I am" Morrigan came down the stairs, her eyes switched from anger to fear. It was an emotion Jenra was unaccustomed to seeing from the witch and it unnerved the warden to no end. "I thought I knew what Flemeth planned. I thought what she craved was immortality"

"And yet I was wrong, so very wrong" she said. "She is no blood mage, no abomination…she is not even truly human"

"The ritual was but a means to an end, a herald to what is to come"

"Why? What is going to happen?" Jenra asked.

"Change is coming to the world and the fear of it is as primal as death itself. Many will fight it with every fibre of their being" Morrigan said. "But sometimes change is what they need most, sometimes, change is what sets them free"

"And is that what you want? To be free?" Morrigan hesitated to answer.

"What I want…is unimportant now" she said sadly. The witch turned and walked towards the Eluvian and Jenra followed. "I cannot tarry long; the time has come for me to go"

"Take me with you" Morrigan looked at Jenra with eyes wide; again this man surprises her. To plunge himself into the kind of unknown that would drive most mad and Jenra is willing to do it with hesitation or fear…he truly was a fool. But then again maybe it was that kind of daring foolishness that made her fall for him.

"Jenra…you cannot know what you ask" Morrigan said. 'Twould be better if you stayed. For you, for us both"

"You are the most stubborn, frustrating woman I have ever met…but I can't imagine life without you" Jenra said. "I want to be with you, no matter what" A small smile formed on the witch's mouth.

"Then come, my love. We will face the future together" Morrigan came into his embrace and kissed Jenra's lips…it felt good to feel his skin on hers once again. She turned to the Eluvian and touched it. "Mythal enansal andran atish'an" The purple aura of the Eluvian shattered and showed a world beyond anything Jenra had seen. Jenra looked back at the young mage and elf.

"Ah, before I forget…Morrigan, the book if you please" Morrigan gave up a large tome written in ancient elven, she was more that done with the tome. "Finn, Ariane…this is where we part ways, thank you for all your help" he said. "As promised" Jenra sat the tome on the ground. Morrigan and Jenra smiled at one another and pass through the Eluvian with Fenrir close behind. In a bright flash, they were gone and the mirror went silent.

The Imperial Highway

After retrieving the Dalish tome, Ariane and Finn headed topside. When they left Drake's Fall, they saw gruesome sight...corpses upon corpses. The dragon cultist fought against the varterral and succeeded in killing with the cost of many of the cultist and their dragons lives. The wastes were back to its eerie silence and the duo left the wastes before that changed. Ariane looked at the tome. "A long time coming…but the Keeper will be happy to see this" Ariane said. "So mage I take it you will want go back to the warm and dryness of the circle"

"Eh, nah" Ariane looked at him surprised. "I think I'll continue traveling with you, Ariane" This had certainly been an experience for the mage, he was not used to rolling around in the mud or fighting for his life but he had been changed. And seeing all of the wonders of Thedas up close was much more engaging than seeing it in a book. Now that Finn tasted freedom for the first time in a long time…he now understood why that Anders guys tried so hard to escape.

"You know if you do this, you'll become an apostate" the elf said. "They'll send Templars after you"

Finn had a big grin on his face. "Fine by me, until they're able to catch me…there's so much I want to see" the mage then grew serious. "Hmm, do you wonder what Jenra and the hound are up to right now?" he said. "I mean, who knows what goes on inside of an Eluvian"

Ariane looked up in the sky and gave a small smile. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about them…I think they're just fine"

Finn raised a brow. "Really? How do you know?"

"Women's intuition"

Unknown

"Maker's Breath…" Jenra said in awe. It was unlike anything he had seen before. He was in clouded world that was littered with strange tree like structures and hundreds or perhaps thousands of Eluvians all in different shapes, sizes and designs. In the distance was large buildings covered in mist, so close and yet far away. "Is this…?"

"The Fade? 'Tis not, it is a plane beyond that realm and the waking world" She described this would as pockets within the Fade with their own rules of reality formed by ancient elves from the fabric of time and space. It's true name was lost to time and so Morrigan gave it a new name: The Crossroads. "This nexus was to the ancient elves as the Deep Roads were to the dwarves or the Imperial Highway was to the old Imperium and the people of today" she said. "They ancient elves left no roads, only ruins hidden in far-flung corners. This is how they traveled between then"

"As you can see, most of the mirrors are dark: broken, corrupted, or unusable" Morrigan said. "As for the rest…a few can be opened from this side, but only a few"

"Amazing…if the elves could do all of this" Jenra said.

Morrigan nodded. "Yes, it seems remarkable that the Magisters of the old Imperium could ever challenge them" she said. "But alas, this plane is not long for this world…I can sense the decay and it is rapidly spreading"

"Are we safe here?"

"For a time, yes" Jenra, Morrigan, and Fenrir headed into one of the buildings. The inside was full of books, very old books…knowledge is power and nowhere was truer than Arlathan. Jenra could only chuckle, of course his love would find shelter in a library. As they went deeper in, Jenra could hear the crying of an infant and soon his heart beat was anticipation. Morrigan came forward to a crib next to a bed, with a gentle smile picked up the child and walked towards Jenra. "Jenra, I would like you to meet your son"

She handed the child over to Jenra; he had skin that was a mixture of Morrigan's ivory and Jenra's ebony skin. He had light brown hair that he no doubt inherited from Jenra's father. The boy then opened his eyes…he had his mother's golden eyes that marked him as the son of the Witch of the Wilds. He smiled and cooed as he reached of Jenra's face. Tears ran down the warden's face as he gave a joyful smile. "Hello there little one, I'm your father" he said. "Morrigan have you named him?"

"I have, his name is Kieran" Kieran Cousland would go on to have a life of trials and tribulation as a herald of the new age but he would face it with great courage thanks to his beloved parents, the Witch of the Wilds and the Hero of Ferelden.

A moment's peace, a just reward. As always Review and Comment!