Sereda opened her eyes, feeling bandages covering her body and a blanket on her bare skin. Above her, she saw wooden beams, hanging with herbs. She blinked, and sat up.
"Ah, your eyes finally open. Mother shall be pleased."
Sereda immediately recognized the voice as she turned to see Morrigan.
"What happened to the darkspawn?" Sereda asked. The last thing she remembered was taking an arrow to the shoulder.
"You were injured, and then Mother rescued you. Do you not remember?" Morrigan said.
Sereda tried to remember. "Wait… what happened to the army? To the king?"
Morrigan gave her a sympathetic look. "The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field. The darkspawn won your battle. Those he abandoned were massacred. Some of your friends… are not taking it well."
Sereda's blood went cold. "What happened to the Grey Wardens? And the king?"
From the other side of the room she heard Daylen's voice. "Darkspawn overpowered them, Sereda." She turned to look at him, as he continued. "No one survived. Everyone in Ostagar is dead."
"All of them?" Sereda whispered lowly.
"Mother is outside with your friends… She asked to see you when you awoke." Morrigan said
Daylen looked up at the witch. "Thank you for your help, Morrigan."
Morrigan flushed, seeming uncomfortable. "I… you are welcome, though Mother did most of the work. I am no healer. Mother is outside when you are ready. I will stay and make something to eat." She walked off to another part of the hut.
Daylen stood, and came over to sit on the edge of the bed. Sereda looked up at him. "How did she manage to rescue us, exactly?"
He looked in the direction the swamp witch had gone as he hesitated to speak. "You… are going to find it hard to believe."
"Who else survived?" Sereda asked.
"All of us that were in the tower. We even managed to get Barkspawn out. He's heavy." Daylen sighed as he held his head in exhaustion. "I was completely exhausted. It's all still a bit blurry. Some stragglers and a few of the ones on the outskirts of the battle may have gotten away. The valley is..." His voice became bleak. "Let's just say it's looking really badly."
Sereda closed her eyes for several moments, then took a deep breath and forced the tears away. "Is everyone alright?"
"Theron was badly injured, but he woke up an hour ago and is moving around. Everyone else was up in the sunrise." Daylen clutched his shoulder. "Theron's bow was broken in the fight and we certainly need to get him a new armor. As for you, we had to cut your armor off of you. Faren held onto his greatsword by some miracle." He chuckled as Sereda laughed softly. "I had to replace my staff, but apart from that everyone is fine."
Sereda nodded. "We need to resupply and gather new weapons." She then noticed that she was still only in bandages. "Tell me there are some clothes for dwarves."
"Luckily, there are." Daylen smiled as he handed her a dress that had been cut down to her size, then stood and faced the wall so she could dress. It fit awkwardly, but made her decent. "All right, let's go see what the Witch of the Wilds wants with us."
Alistair scrambled to his feet as soon as he spotted Morrigan, who had exited the hut.
"See? Here are your fellow Grey Wardens. You worry too much, young man." Flemeth assured as she turned to Alistair.
"You… you're alive!" Alistair examined Sereda with his eyes as he relaxed. "I thought you were dead for sure."
"I'm fine." Sereda saw how sad he looked. "I appreciate your concern."
"This doesn't seem real. If it weren't for Morrigan's mother, we'd be dead on top of that tower." Alistair turned towards her.
She scoffed at him. "Do not talk about me as if I am not present, lad."
"I didn't mean..." He shook his head. "Your name was Asha'bellanar, wasn't it?"
She laughed. "Not quite, but the Chasind folk call me Flemeth. I suppose it will do."
"The Flemeth from the legends?" Alistair's eyes narrowed, suddenly his voice full of mistrust. "Daveth was right—you're the Witch of the Wilds, aren't you?"
"And what does that mean? I know a bit of magic, and it has served you all well, has it not?" Flemeth pointed out.
"I suppose we should thank you." Kallian said as she got up from the fire.
"If you know what is good for you, I suppose you should!" Flemeth glared.
Sereda looked around at her companions. They looked battered, and worn, but alive. "We can't be safe here. Where are all the darkspawn?"
Flemeth shrugged. "The largest part of the horde has moved on. We are safe enough for now." She smiled. "Old Flemeth knows a thing or two about hiding. The longer you are here, the less that is true, however. These things will notice you eventually."
"We need to stop this Blight somehow." Daylen said firmly.
Alistair shook his head angrily. "We need to bring Loghain to judgment! Why would he do this?"
"Now that is a good question." Flemeth tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature. Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can outmaneuver. Perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is the true threat."
"The archdemon." Alistair realized.
Elissa looked at Alistair. "We should contact the rest of the Grey Wardens."
"Cailan already summoned them." Alistair said. "They'll come if they can." He sighed. "But I expect Loghain has already taken steps to stop them. We must assume they won't arrive in time."
"What is this archdemon, exactly?" Faren asked, folding his arms.
Flemeth gave them a solemn look. "It is said that, long ago, the Maker sent the Old Gods of the ancient Tevinter Imperium to slumber in prisons deep beneath the surface. An archdemon is an Old God awakened and tainted by darkspawn. Believe that or not, history says it's a fearsome and immortal thing. And only fools ignore history."
"What would the Teyrn hope to gain by betraying the king?" Theron wondered.
"The throne? He's the queen's father." Alistair mused, reaching for his sword. "Still, I can't see how he'll get away with murder."
"You speak as if he would be the first king to gain his throne that way." Flemeth waved a hand at him. "Grow up, boy!"
Alistair turned towards her, his voice angry. "If Arl Eamon knew what he did, he would never stand for it! The Landsmeet would never stand for it! There would be civil war!"
"Arl Eamon?" Elissa rose to stand next to Alistair. "Arl Eamon Guerrin of Redcliffe?"
Alistair looked back at her thoughtfully. "I suppose… Arl Eamon wasn't at Ostagar; he still has all his men. And he was Cailan's uncle. I know him. He's a good man, respected in the Landsmeet." He snapped his fingers. "Of course! We could go to Redcliffe and appeal to him for help!"
Faren folded his arms, not sure if to trust another close ally of the king, considering that his own general had left him to die. "Keep in mind that Loghain was also an honorable man."
Alistair glared, offended. "The arl would never do what Teyrn Loghain did. I know him too well." He took a breath. "I still don't know if Arl Eamon's help would be enough. He can't defeat darkspawn horde by himself."
"We need the rest of the Grey Wardens." Sereda pointed out.
Alistair sighed, wiping his face. "I don't know how to contact them, or if they're even on their way. We need to do something now."
"What about those treaties Flemeth gave us?" Daylen asked.
Flemeth gave him a sidelong look, and smirked. "See? There is a smart lad."
"Of course!" Alistair smacked himself in the face. "The treaties! Grey Wardens can demand aid from dwarves, elves, mages, and other places! They're obligated to help us during a Blight!"
Flemeth crossed her arms. "I may be old, but dwarves, elves, mages, this Arl Eamon, and who knows what else… this sounds like an army to me."
"Why not?" Sereda questioned as she looked at her companions. "Isn't that what Grey Wardens do?"
"So you are set, then? Ready to be Grey Wardens?" Flemeth challenged.
"Yes. Thank you for everything, Flemeth." Daylen bowed.
"No, no, thank you." She waved her hands dismissively. "You are the Grey Wardens here, not I. Now..." An odd smile lit her face. "Before you go, there is yet one more thing I can offer you."
Morrigan emerged from the hut. "The stew is bubbling, Mother dear. Shall we have guests for the evening, or none?"
"The Grey Wardens are leaving shortly, girl. And you will be joining them." Flemeth ordered.
"Such a shame—What?" Morrigan blurted out as soon as she had processed what her mother had said.
"You heard me, girl. The last time I looked, you had ears!" Flemeth threw back her head and laughed.
Sereda looked at the dumbstruck young witch. "Thank you, but if Morrigan doesn't wish to join us..."
Flemeth overrode the objection with a careless gesture. "Her magic will be useful. Even better, she knows the Wilds and how to get past the hordes."
"Have I no say in this?" Morrigan protested, glaring.
"You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years. Here is your chance." Flemeth said coldly before turning to the group. "As for you, Wardens, consider this repayment for your lives."
Theron looked at Flemeth with a raised eyebrow. "Was this your idea all along?"
Flemeth crossed her arms. "Pardon me, but I had the impression that you Wardens needed assistance, whatever the form."
Alistair stared. "Not to… look a gift horse in the mouth, but won't this add to our problems? Out of the Wilds, she's an apostate."
Flemeth raised an eyebrow at him. "If you do not wish help from us illegal mages, young man, perhaps I should have left you on that tower."
"Point taken." Alistair admitted reluctantly.
"Mother… this is not how I wanted this. I am not even ready—"
"You must be ready." Flemeth ordered with a tone that left no room for an argument. "Alone, these people must unite Ferelden against the darkspawn. They need you, Morrigan. Without you, they will surely fail, and all will perish under the Blight. Even I."
"I… understand." Morrigan said as if she had swallowed a lemon.
"And you, Wardens?" Flemeth looked at Sereda. "Do you understand?" Her eyes went to where Daylen was standing next to the dwarven woman. "I give you that which I value above all in this world. I do this because you must succeed."
"I understand." Sereda nodded.
Morrigan looked very annoyed, but let out a forced smile on her face. "Allow me to get my things, if you please."
Morrigan went out from the hut with two small packs. She threw one at Daylen, and he caught it easily before strapping it to his shoulder. "I am at your disposal, Grey Wardens. I suggest a village north of the Wilds as our first destination. 'Tis not far, and you will find much you need there." She twisted the staff in her hands and gave her mother an annoyed look. "Or, if you prefer, I shall simply be your silent guide. The choice is yours."
"No, I prefer sure you speak your mind." Daylen offered.
Flemeth laughed. "You will regret saying that."
Morrigan looked at her mother with resentment. "Dear, sweet mother, you are so kind to cast me out like this. How fondly I shall remember this moment."
Flemeth shrugged. "Well, I always said if you want something done, do it yourself, or hear about it for a decade or two afterwards."
Alistair looked down at Sereda uneasily. "I just… do you really want to take along because her mother says so?"
Elissa placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need all the help we can get." She said, though she gave Morrigan a distrustful look.
Alistair sighed. "I guess you're right. The Grey Wardens have always taken allies where they can find them."
Morrigan looked at Alistair in annoyance. "I'm so pleased to have your approval." Her tone was full of sarcasm.
"I think we should get underway." Sereda said.
"Farewell, Mother. Do not forget the stew on the fire. I would hate to return to a burned-down hut."
"Bah." Flemeth waved a hand at her. "'Tis far more likely you will return to see this entire area, along with my hut, swallowed up by the Blight."
"I… all I meant was..."
Flemeth smiled. "Yes, I know. Do try to have fun, dear."
And on that happy note they left the shack into the great unknown and the journey had just begun.
