Just to get one point across...this is not WardenxAlistair, nope. My eyes are set on Zevran~ I have many scenes planned out all ready concerning everyone's favorite elven crow

Kneeling down, a hand stretched out to grab the stem of the large white flower as she used the other to break the stem. A brown eye scrutinized the deep red center and was pleased to find it had fit the description she received hours earlier by the Mabari trainer.

"Hey, are you quite done yet? Stand'in aroun' like this here in the wilds makes me skin crawl." The shifty eyed conscript complained looking down his nose at the only elf in the group. Aria turned her eyes from the flora to the man with his arms crossed. She tilted her head in the direction of the path ahead of them, the mushy ground, damp with moisture and smelling of swamp water was covered in a vague layer of fog. Alistair and the older soldier waited for her near the apex of a hill on the lookout for any approaching enemies.

The Korcari Wilds was known for its dank and dire atmosphere. Wrought with hidden dangers and ghostly rumors of demons, witches, and wild men…At least that was what she had heard and read about in the Circle. It had been at least three hours since Duncan had sent the new recruits out of the safety of wooden barriers to hunt down lingering Darkspawn in the dangerous swamp-like forest and drain them of their blood. It was a macabre task she grimaced, and she was honestly afraid and nauseous at what the darkspawn blood could have to do with joining the Wardens.

However, so far into their little field trip the only thing the group has encountered thus far was a bear and a small pack of grey wolves.

Standing, Aria tucked the sweet smelling flower into a leather satchel the trainer had given her before leaving Ostagar. She nodded back towards the rogue and joined the two other men who were tense and pale.

"Ugh…I'll never get use to this place no matter how many times I'm forced to tag along with someone." Alistair sighed as he sheathed his sword.

Aria shrugged.

"I kind of like it." She spoke up. The three men looked at her oddly.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alistair raised his brow.

"It's bloody scary in 'ere you daft woman!" the rogue complained as he shivered, there was a wolfs howl in the distance. Pink flooded her cheeks as the elf turned away to start walking down the path deeper in the forest.

"Sure, it's got the atmosphere that some kind of monster is going to pop out at you and rip your throat out—" Alistairs eyes bulged out a little at her off handed comment. "But it's that air of the unknown that makes me want to delve in deeper and find out if there really are monsters." She sighed.

"That's right…you are a Circle mage are you not Lady Aria." The eldest man asked from his perch on the hill. "Mages are not permitted to leave the tower, not even to go outside onto the island the tower is built on."

She nodded.

"That night Duncan came to recruit me, it was the first time I saw the whole sky filled with stars…" the elf tilted her head. "at least…not since before my gift was discovered."

"You mean you can remember when you were brought to the Circle of Magi?" Alistair asked curious. Aria turned her head to him as they walked a dubious look in her eyes.

"Did you think I spawned from one of the bricks that make the tower or something? I have parents too you know." Her comment was to the point, if a little offended, much different from the soft, often nervous stutter of her speech. The men flinched back for a moment in guilt. Alistair opened his mouth as if to say something, his finger held in suspension until he thought otherwise. An apologetic look crossed his face as he stared at then thin back of the young woman. That had been insincere of him…The elf was a mage yes, the powers of the fade able to bend to her will or take her over completely…but she was also still mortal. Her small frame, her full height not even reaching his shoulders, her tiny hands and eyes so deep a brown the honey gold flicks he noticed the first time he looked at them a stark contrast that made her eyes pop even in the dank Ferelden light. Everything about her seemed just so….small compared to him. He was no giant either, standing only a mere 5"9, so small, and so easy to overpower…

Alistair could feel his face burn as he coughed, ridding himself of such thoughts about the only female conscript.

"So you—" he cleared his throat as his voice cracked, the soldier looked at him in mild curiosity. "So what did happen? I mean—you don't, you know…have to talk about it if…um…it's just—"

"You don't here too many stories on the mages side about when they a spirited away to the Circle of Magi." The shifty eyed rogue poked the elf.

Thank you for your lack of subtlety for a rogue, Alistair wanted to groan.

Aria shifted as they walked.

"….I was—am the daughter of Mathari and Zathris Surana. Servants to an Arl in the Northern region of Ferelden and his family." Aria rubbed her arm as she cleared her throat, as if that helped the thick lump in her throat.

"They met in the Alienage there…I was…five…when we discovered my connection to the Fade."

"Someone found out and alerted the Templars….T-They took me, locked my wrists in shackles with dwarven runes to prevent me from using magic and brought me to the tower."

There was a long silence in the group as Aria finished her recollection. It was spotty and she knew she left some things out.

"So uhhhh….I sense Darkspawn approaching?" Alistair mumbled through the tense atmosphere.

Aria smiled…he is such an awkward human.

An explosion of red hot, searing fire blew heat and earth into the dreary sky. The moist air filled with the smell of smoke and burning flesh.

The heat wave, strong as it was, knocked the browned haired woman to her back several feet away. Her vision blurred as tears and breath escaped her, causing her to choke. The ringing in her ears almost too loud to hear the cries of the men around her as they too were knocked back and roars of monsterous triumph came from somewhere ahead of the fallen group.

Too stunned to move as the heat of the fire surrounded her she wondered vaguely if being caught in an explosion was suppose to hurt so much. It was as if the claws of the darkspawn before her was holding her down and tearing the flesh from her shoulder and arms as she lay there motionless and silent. The high pitched screams of her companions and ringing in her ears the only accompaniment to her pain.

"Aria! Aria!"

Through the smoke and watery brown eyes the mage blinked, trying to se from where the voice was calling her. So disoriented was she that the voice of the Grey Warden seemed so small compared to the screaming.

Suddenly, her face became painted in hot liquid, her eyes snapped shut as the ground vibrated near to her and hot, jagged armor rubbed against her. She cracked open an eye to see a sword struck through the most horrid creature she had ever seen. It's flesh…if it could still be called that was mottled and discolored with blues and browns. It reminded her much of the time when she first entered the circle and Jowan had come to visit her late in the afternoon with bruises he warned her came from Templar's who didn't quite understand that ' teaching proper etiquette' did not include pushing one down a flight of stairs because they did not greet them properly. And its teeth—Aria squeezed her eyes shut as another high pitched scream came from somewhere so far off. Sharp, all filed to imperfect, violent points. They looked sharp enough to easily rip out the throats of their enemies.

"Aria, get a hold of yourself!" came Alistair's command as he grabbed for her arm with the free hand not reaching for his bloody sword.

The high pitched scream she learned, came from her.

The hand that wrapped around her thin wrist pressed down on the blistering heat that had been attacking her shoulder and forearms mercilessly. Her tears streamed down her cheeks then. She remembered exactly what happened the instant Alistair gasped and realized what he had done to her and changed his grip not to her arm, but to her wrist.

"Can you fight?"

His words were lost to her as her memories flooded back. She had just told them the day she was brought to the circle when Alistair warned of encroaching danger…And then she felt her ankle snap a hidden wire in the foliage around her.

The burning of her flesh brought her out of her head and into the reality of the situation. It was an ambush, and her weapons—her arms—were damaged.

Inhaling sharply she looked up at Alistair, pain so very evident in her eyes, the blond man couldn't help but flinched.

"…Can you fight?" he asked again more seriously, his large hand pressed so firmly against her waist. Despite the situation, she saw his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Aria looked out into the forest where a large, cracking stone archway and stream with vines wrapping around everything but a small bridge and the roots of tangled brushes were protruding from the earth that was the field of battle. Fire painted it all. The rogue and soldier the only two fending off the overwhelming numbers of the ambush. Both were no sooner knocked down by what she could tell was a very corrupt and ugly magic.

Her fists clinched even though it hurt to do so and pushed away from the Warden who supported her.

"I have to…I agreed to this." She cried and lifted her scorched arms. The blistering skin at her shoulder felt like it was peeling off her very muscles, yet still, she persisted and let the feeling of heat around her die as numbing blue fire erupted from her palms. Alistair starred in wonder at the blue Fade energy before turning his attention back to where their comrades were planted face first into a holly bush.

"Can you handle that Emissary alone?" he asked, though his soft, almost puppy-like voice was almost inaudible to the ringing in her ears. She pushed back another scream of agony but did not yet trust her voice to speak. So she nodded. Even though she was entirely sure the creature he called an Emissary would kill her.

She's only fought two true battles in her life. Her Harrowing, where a demon of rage so selfishly wanted her body all to himself, and in the bowls the Circle of Magi against ghosts and guards to hunt down her childhood friends' phylactery. But this…this was war. Aria had no experience, no idea as to what to do, she had little to no experience in using her magic for actual combat. So when sharp needles of that ugly green magic came at her with the speed of a bat out of hell, Aria does the first thing that comes to her mind and dives for the ground.

In retrospect, she will have learned her lesson about dodging life threatening attacks by diving to the ground. It doesn't work as well as you would think.

The elf whimpered as her burned appendages screamed at her in spite and the edges of her golden mage robes were decimated. Looking up at the enemy she gulped as it proceeded to close the gap between them.

"No!" She shrieked in wide eyed panic. Her arms reached out in front of her and caught the ground in blue fire-like energy, creating a barrier. It stopped the Emissary, but not for long, so as soon as she found herself on her feet and grabbing the staff that she remembered she still had, she was holding it up just in time to block a hit from the darkspawns claws. The woman grunted in effort and sucked in a breath, staring up at the enemy and letting all her power gather and coil into one place until it sprung from her. And just as the explosion had knocked her back, her spell had knock the Emissary back and to the ground just in time for the older soldier to impale it with his long sword.

With the darkspawn around them dead Aria breathed a sigh of relief before sinking to the ground. Her body shook; she was taking part in a war. A bloody, deadly, scary war, it was finally hitting her with what she agreed to follow Duncan for. He was asking her to do this, asking her to give up the safety of the Circle, despite its many flaws and the sure chance she had of becoming Tranquil—or execution- after the stunt she pulled with Jowan and the Chantry woman.

Duncan was asking her to kill for him and an order of warriors she only read about in books.

Oh….

A sinking feeling hit the elf as the burning in her body turned to coldness. Sweat as cold as icicles broke out around her forehead, neck, and hands. Suddenly the blistering flesh was nothing.

She was going to be sick.

"Tha's the last 'o it!" the cowardly rogue spoke up as he held containers that dripped with dark liquid. Darkspawn blood she realized. Her vision went white for a moment and she vaguely recalled Alistair running up to her in concern before she shoved him away to make haste for a pile of rubble to shield her shameful form as she vomited what little contents she had in her stomach before leaving Ostagar's mangled fortress.

The men of the group stared off to were the fledgling mage had run off to. They heard the choking and respectfully turned away to busy themselves with the monstrous bodies and untangling the corpses of some men hanging from the trees.

Alistairs skin was pale as he caught his reflection in the murky waters nearby. His hair ruffled and armor dripping with blood. A little worse for wear but unfazed. He was accustomed to the fighting already; he had already been trained to fight in the first place. Killing was of no consequence to him since he knew he was doing it to protect the innocent.

Dry coughing from the other side of the clearing where Aria had fled to too clear her stomach of all its contents from one fight reminded him of the position she now found herself in. He couldn't help but pity her. She was a naive and innocent child, unused to the life outside the Circle where everything was provided for her, where combat was not in her vocabulary, nor the willingness to take anothers life. Yet, he now understood why Duncan had chosen such a young girl for a conscript. Her magic was a wonder. Powerful enough to knock back a darkspawn almost twice her size without any such training in combat prior, she was a natural; maybe even a protege, though that had yet to be seen.

There was silence now. Aria's coughing fit after getting sick was over and now she just lay there in the dirt on her hands and knees. Wide eyes stared at nothing in particular as she willed the disgusting taste left in her mouth to disappear.

She couldn't do this. It was going to break her. She sniffled as the tears hadn't stopped. If it didn't break her, surely becoming a Grey Warden would be the death of her.

There were footsteps coming from behind her, Aria tensed. A reassuring voice, however, eased her burning shoulder as she brought herself to sit up.

The masculine hand handed her a dirtied cloth to wipe her mouth. She thanked them silently.

"When you're ready we have one more stop to take before returning to Ostagar." Alistair spoke as he rubbed her back as if she were made of glass. She wouldn't be surprised if she was now though, to be honest. At this point…nothing would surprise her.

"….Does it get easier?" she whispered to the Warden, so tiny, as if she were once again a child up against the Templars. Alistair thought about it some before shuffling through his leather satchel at his belt to take out a tiny jar of ice salve. He handed it to her.

"It…does…if you find the right reason to carry on and shoulder the burden. Death is hard, whether it be an enemy or friend…we just find ways of coping with it and knowing it was for the right reason." He told her.

"I'm sure you'll be able to do this for the right reason too. You have a power strong enough to protect many people….that uh…that much I believe in." The blond Warden stood straighter to leave before the elf caught his arm and looked up at him. Her complexion still sallow, but gifted with a very small, thankful smile.

Alistairs breath caught in his throat and his palms sweat in his leather gloves.

"Thank you Alistair…I'll be ready in a moment."

The man nodded stiffly before giving her the privacy to smother her shoulder and arms in the cooling salve.

Her clothes were pretty much a lost cause, the left shoulder pad and sleeves had been burnt off in the explosion and the ends were frayed, the golden sheen gone now and replaces with dirty splotches of swamp mud.

Luckily, they had found some clothing in a catch someone had left hidden away at the end of a stony path. The men thought it only right she find something in less tatters to wear….However, she was sure none of them intentionally knew it had been so tight fitting around her hips and thighs. Aria herself almost forgot she had hips at this point until she dressed in the deep forest green robes with thin gold ropes around her waist and leather neck protector. The shoulder guards of dark animal fur aggravated her burned shoulder, but it at least protected it from further damage, as did the leather arm bands that most certainly would be stained on the inside permanently from the ice salve treating her burnt arms.

Embarrassed as she might be, freeing herself from the modesty of her Circle robes, she had to admit the ease of mobility with her pale legs free of the thick cloth and into deep green, tight pantaloons with boots with golden embroidery was….liberating. She found herself never wanting to go back to thick formal robes ever again.

The group, lead by Alistair slowed to a walk as more ruins appeared up ahead of what Aria was sure was once a beautiful building.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"Duncan wanted us to retrieve some old treaties from a sealed safe deep within the Wilds. They are in an old tower once controlled by the Grey Wardens. He said something about them being an agreement of some sort with the Grey Wardens. He thought we might need it in the upcoming war if things get…dangerous." He explained as the four came to a pile of rubble. Looking on and around the ruins, Aria noted the rising stone path that at one point must have lead up to a second floor.

It was then the wondrous and venomous voice of a woman broke their curious silence and all eyes turned to the ramp that now lead to nowhere.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

A woman, young, and clearly confident in the way she sauntered down the ramp as she spoke told them she was quite use to the dank and foggy forest.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder?" she asked in that wondrously cold voice Aria could admit she liked. She tilted her head in curiosity.

"A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?"

Aria saw the tension and confusion in the men around her, and though she felt a similar unease as the woman stalked towards them, and her own feebleness and unsure emotions of the situation must have been choking the air around them, she stepped forward to join the stranger on even ground. Her hands clenched the other even as dull pain shot through them.

"Or are you merely an intruder, in these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" the dark woman pondered, crossing milky arms under full breast that were shielded from view with only a steep dropped neckline and hood. Beads in an elaborate necklace adorned her neck and let pieces dangle down her chest. When the woman stopped and lifted her head, the pale light of the forest illuminated dark, serious eyes and black hair mostly still hidden from view, her lips full and painted a deep violet-red, start contrast from her own grey-purple she painted hers with. The woman nudged her head towards Aria with a bored expression.

"What say you, hmm? Scavenger, or intruder?"

Aria shook her head.

"We are neither, the Grey Wardens once owned these parts. We are merely retrieving what was left here." She answered surprisingly calm. The strange woman scoffed.

"Tis a tower no longer. The Wilds have obviously claimed this desecrated corpse." The woman walked closer, circling the group as if to size them up.

"I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go' I wondered, 'Why are they here?'"

"…and now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long…Why is that?" she asked.

Aria heard one of the men gulp. She blinked, was about to say something when Alistair gripped her uninjured shoulder sternly.

"Don't answer her" he muttered, "She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby."

A whaspy chuckle from the woman interrupted.

"Oh~ You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"

"….Yes. Swooping is bad." He muttered at her glaringly.

"She's a witch 'o the Wilds she is! She'll turn us into toads!" the shifty rogue interjected fearfully as realization dawned on him.

"Witch of the Wilds?" the woman scoffed.

"Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" she asked. Aria furrowed her brow at the rogues accusation. Was she some witch from those scary wives tails the older mages would tell her. She could hardly believe it, but then again…she did just inadvertently sign up to join a war.

Once more her eyes locked with mysterious hazel ones.

"You there, Women do not frighten as easily as little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."

"Of course," she agreed, though it was a long stretch to call her unafraid, she had spilt her guts out at the sight of just one dead darkspawn after all only twenty or so minutes prior to their meeting.

"I am Aria Surana, it is a pleasure to meet you."

There was a snide smirk.

"And you may call me Morrigan, if you wish. Shall I guess your purpose? You sought whatever was in that chest, something that is here no longer?"

"Here no longer?" was Alistairs incredulous reply.

"Alistiar…" Aria mumbled, catching him by his arm before he could stomp forward to confront the witch. He ignored the elven mage however and pointed an accusing finger at Morrigan.

"You stole them didn't you?"

Morrigan raised a graceful black eyebrow.

"You're…..some kind of…sneaky…witch thief!" he stuttered on his attempt at an insult. And even though considering the position they were in, Aria couldn't help the tiny snort of amusement. Morrigan seemed to have less of an amused reaction and more of the same boredom a raised brow shouldn't possibly be able to show.

"How very eloquent. How does one steal from dead men?"

"Quite easily, it seems." The blond man muttered. "Those documents are Grey Warden property, and I suggest you return them." He challenged in an authoritive voice.

"I will not." Morrigan sounded offended. "Twas not I who removed them. Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer, if you wish. I am not threatened."

Alistiar's stern looked seemed to have shattered then and filled with confusion.

"Then could you tell us who did remove them, if you can?" Aria asked politely.

"Twas my mother in fact." The witch stated matter of fact.

"Wait—"Alistair interjected. "Your mother?!"

Morrigan sighed.

"Yes, my mother, you daft man, did you think I spawned from a log?"

Aria hoped Alistair wouldn't grace that with a comment.

"A thieving, weird, talking log, perhaps."

The human proved her wrong.

The witch leaned against one of the crumbling pillars that once use to be a part of the decrepit tower as if gracing this man was a physical labor that left her unable to stand because of the stupidity that escaped his lips.

"Not all in the Wilds are monsters, flowers grow, as well as toads."

"If you wish, I will take you to my mother. Tis not far from here, and you may ask her for your papers, if you like."

Grudgingly, Alistai turned to the group.

"We should get those treaties, but I dislike this…Morrigan's sudden appearance, it's too convenient." He muttered. Aria furrowed her brow again.

"We don't have much of a choice right? I say we go with her, she seems nice enough…no one's turned into toads." She pointed out. The rogue made a strangled noise. The other merely shrugged and accepted Aria's reasoning.

"Follow me then, if you please."

I cranked this chapter out a few hours after I got off work and didn't finish until 1 pm the following morning, praise me lol, cause i need to get up early for work and make a shit tone of sandwiches for a lady having a party.

Ahhhhh, I cannot wait until Zevran makes his first appearence~ I can happily say there will be a few appearences of him before he actually joins the warden too~ High five for stalker Zevran! ( w )/