watch?v=yFRjzGCe2P8The world slowly came back into focus, ears ringing and the back of her head throbbing painfully from where it had smacked the stone floor. Still dazed, she managed to push herself up into a sitting position, the sound of metal scraping stone drawing her attention to the templars picking themselves up… and the very sharp voice of Knight-Commander Gregoir shouting at the First Enchanter. The memories flooded back in an instant and she felt her stomach twist itself into a knot and she retched, though nothing heaved out.
"And you!" Gregoir snarled, the sound drawing his ire in your direction. "Freshly Harrowed and already flouting the rules!"
"Awina was acting under my orders, Gregoir." Irving protested as two Templars grabbed her, roughly, by her arms and hauled her to her feet.
"And you think that excuses her?! Because of this… freak, a blood mage has escaped. Look at all he's hurt."
All she could do was stand there as a templar stood closely at her elbow. The fighting continued, Gregoir yelling Irving down every chance he got. Lily was shackled and led away to be shipped off to Aeonar the next day but Awina's fate was still undecided. A third voice rang out over the argument, silencing the Knight-Commander. It was Duncan, the Grey Warden that had come to stay. His steely gaze seemed interested in her but she paid little mind until she heard him say her name.
"I will take Awina. She shows promise and her talents would be wasted as a Tranquil." Gregoir says.
"What?! No!" Gregoir nearly screamed, his voice already red with his anger. "She will not be rewarded for her treachery to the Circle!"
"Then I will invoke the Right of Conscription and you will have no choice." Duncan threatened though his voice remained level.
"You… you have no right!" Gregoir sputtered even though he knows the Grey Warden is right. "You will not take her!"
"Duncan is right, Gregoir. Once he invokes the Right…" Irving said.
"You planned this from the start!" Gregoir accused the old man, jabbing his finger against his chest.
Awina faltered when Duncan approached her, ignoring the argument happening behind him.
"You are a Grey Warden now. Come dawn, we will head for Ostagar."
Awina wasn't sure what that meant but it did mean this was no longer home. Tranquility would have been better than this banishment. Thrown from the Circle, all that she had known, and forced to be another pawn in war.
She had read stories about Ostagar and the surrounding Kocari Wilds but to actually be here was a dreadful experience. Duncan barely allowed her time to take in the surroundings of the war camp before pressing her into the responsibility of her fellow recruits and another Grey Warden, Alistair. Before nightfall, they were to hunt Darkspawn and collect their blood and Awina had never experienced battle before. Mages were trained in field work but she had not been prepared for actual field work and Darkspawn… they were more the nightmare than the stories made them out to be. Daveth stayed at her flanks, daggers expertly held in his hands as she cunt down any of the twisted creatures that got past Jory''s blade and Alistair's shield. However, their quest for these 'documents' Duncan wanted them to retrieve led them in conflict with a Darkspawn mage.
Awina stumbled back as she barely blocked a bolt of ice being thrown at her, her boots getting tangled in the mire of the swamp. She screamed in panic, fear taking control as a Hurlock broke past the two men and came charging forward, black bile frothing at its mouth as it sought to take advantage of the opportunity. An arrow suddenly sprouted from its chest, then its throat and the beast stumbled to the ground before her.
"Awina! Maker, are you alright?" Daveth called, Alistair and Jory rushing back as having beat back the last of the Darkspawn on the hill.
Overwhelmed, Awina broke down in tears and just sobbed in response just as she was helped to her feet. Alistair wrapped an arm around her and let her take a few moments to collect herself before they pressed their way up to the decayed tower. There was barely anything left of the stone work and all they found of the chest was rotting remains of wood and rusted metal. If there had been parchment inside, it was long gone.
"Damn, what are we supposed to do now, Alistair?" Daveth asked. "Those papers are long gone."
"Maker…" He grumbled, arms crossed as he paced back and forth.
"What do we have here? Scavengers looking for something that is here no longer." A sultry voice called out in the silence of the swamp.
Awina stared at the woman coming down the decayed stairs, somehow having snuck up on them. She was dressed similarly to the Wilder folk, a staff decorated with raven feathers and bones in one hand. She radiated energies of the Fade, her power stronger than those of the Darkspawn they had encountered earlier. Golden eyes fell on her but was distracted as Alistair stepped forward.
"That's a witch." Daveth whispered in hushed fear. "A Witch of the Wilds."
"Who are you?" Alistair demanded, sword and shield at the ready.
"Didn't you hear your friend?" The raven-haired woman sneered at him, standing quite proudly before them. "Surely you do not frighten like these men. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."
"I… I'm Awina." She piped up, her voice shaky with terror.
"You may call me Morrigan and your friend is right. I am a Witch of the Wilds but you have nothing to fear from me." She retorted, apparently pleased with the meek response. "You came searching for something… something that is here no longer."
"And what do you know of what we're doing, witch?" Alistair challenged.
"Tch. I've been watching you since you stepped foot in the wilds and it was clear as day that the Darkspawn were not your focus. You are looking for whatever was in that chest." She chuckled, rolling her eyes as Alistair flushed angrily. "The wards on them failed years ago. My mother has been keeping your precious parchments safe."
"W-what?" Alistair exclaimed with surprise. "Your mother? Well… why would she do that?"
"I would not know. You'd have to ask her yourself." Morrigan huffed, looking quite bored.
"She's a Witch of the Wilds!" Daveth hissed again though Morrigan could clearly hear him. "We can't trust her. She's curse us and pop her into her pot for a stew."
"Ugh." Morrigan groaned, clearly unimpressed with Daveth's fairy tale fears. "And what of you, Awina… are frightened of childish stories such as them?"
"I... " She retorted, uncertain of her answer. She was scared, yes, but something about this woman… about the power radiating off of her drew her curiosity like a moth to a candle flame. "We should go with her. Duncan wants us to bring those treaties back and we already have the blood."
"Awina, are you sure?" Alistair asked, the group seemingly deferring to the mageling without even thinking.
"Not really but we have to get those papers before the attack, whatever they mean to Duncan."