Dragon Age Origins: A Grey Wardens Tale.
Chapter 16: Awakening.
Looming through the black smoke of flames as The Ogre's deafening roar echoes out over the skies as the monster was lifted up off the floor preventing a deathblow and flung out through the smoke to its death, the scarlet scales of an enormous creature manifesting from the smoke as a pair of large black eyes glared at Aeden's field of view, the shape of the creature vanishing as a single figure stood obscured by the smoke whilst the barrels' flammable contents were ignited causing more explosions; the bodies of Alistair, Neria and Kallian being lifted up into the air before all went dark.
Snapping open his eyes to meet the shine of a midday beam of sunlight peering through a hole in the thatch roofing; Aeden found himself laying in an old wooden cot with animals' skins covering him, flinching in pain as he found Elfroof leaves and a pasty substance pressed to his chest, left shoulder and right wrist, a bundle of old clothes set at the foot of the cot as three other cots sat empty; a feeling of dread washing over him as he could make out patches of dried blood on the cot closest to him.
"So it seems that you survive" spoke a voice from out of the shadowy corners of the hut; a tall yet slender woman in black and red robes that left little to the imagination as her cleavage was fully exposed though her yellow eyes peered through bangs of pitch-black hair tied back into a bun.
"You! You're… Morrigan?" Aeden stuttered as he struggled to recall the woman's name after their first and unpleasant meeting, blurting out Morrigan's name as he recalled Flemeth and her cryptic warnings.
"I'm impressed that you remember my name" Morrigan spoke though her condescending tone remained as she barely even acknowledged Aeden's wounds; her arms crossing as she crossed the hut with a wave of her arms as the unoccupied cots vanished on the spot.
"What happened? Where are my friends?" Aeden snapped up from the cot; flinching as pain wrecked though his left shoulder as the Elfroot Patch feel from his skin exposing a vicious scarlet scar that lined his shoulder muscles.
"They also survived; the two young Elves had received minor wounds, however you and the other man were near death" Morrigan spoke with little emotion; crossing the hut again as she pressed a fresh patch of Elfroot Leaf's to the scar, Aeden immediately feeling the pain fade as the natural remedy soothed his wound.
"How badly were Alistair and I wounded?" Aeden spoke with relief that Kallian and Neria had both survived the ordeal with relative injuries that didn't threatening their lives, his eyes looking down at his own wounds after seeing his scar.
"Quite badly, your friend was bleeding quite terribly; I did not think he would survive while you could have lost that right arm of yours as Mother had not repaired the bones with her Magic" Morrigan spoke of his and Alistair's healing with an uncaring tone as if she'd not cared whether the two Warriors had lived or died.
"Aren't you at least concerned about where Daveth and Jory are" Aeden asked; his eyes staring intently at Morrigan as his uncaring attitude greatly bothered him, invoking the names of the two Recruits who'd sadly lost their lives.
"Oh I already know what happened to them; dreadful fate" Morrigan gave a sarcastic nod of her head when Daveth and Jory were mentioned; speaking carelessly about their deaths that caused Aeden to stare in abject shock at Morrigan's indifference to life and death.
"How?! Nobody else was present for The Joining!" Aeden snapped angrily; flinching as pain shocked through his body as rising to his feet so suddenly had strained his tender wounds, Morrigan merely watching with an amused smile whilst observing Aeden's painful cry.
"That is not important; what is important is that Mother is waiting for you and I strongly suggest dressing yourself" Morrigan answered bluntly; her mocking smile never leaving her expression as she set down a bundle of clothes directly onto his lap ignoring his cry of pain as she's indirectly struck his wounds before turning and leaving the hut's interior.
Aeden looked down at the bundle of raggedy clothes set before him, only the undergarments and boots were his own whilst the breeches and tunic were old and matted like those a poor farmer or a beggar would wear, carefully dressing himself though his right wrist and left shoulder ached with dull pain only to step out into the midday sun and into the same lake-side clearing where Flemeth's House stood.
"Aeden!" screamed Neria's voice as soon as Aeden had stepped outside; a sudden impact striking him and causing Aeden to cry out in pain as Neria had suddenly embraced him, Aeden catching a look at Neria and seeing that her hair remained stringy from not being washed and she'd been dressed in a simple, unassuming frock with walking boots.
"Aeden? You're awake!" Kallian's voice sounded second; the City-born Elf rushing and also embracing her friend as the fears that he'd had lost his life had not been realised, having seen his sleeping body laying like a corpse in the cot only hours ago.
"I am so sorry; are you still hurt?" Neria spoke carefully; spotting the patches of leaves on Aeden's body through his own clothes, her hands glowing a faint green as she pressed her hand to his left shoulder but the glow quickly faded as after three days she'd seemingly still not fully recovered her mana.
"I'll be fine… how were your injuries? Morrigan told me you both suffered minor wounds" Aeden spoke more easily as Neria's magic seeped into the wounds though the pain remained and likely the scar he bore was still etched into his flesh, turning his attention to the wellbeing of his elfish friends.
"I had a couple burns and a bleeding wound to the head, Kallian had some nasty bruising and burns" Kallian spoke up as Aeden placed his hands in hers and Neria's, Kallian also had Elfroot patches calming her burns but she appeared unharmed as far as Aeden's eyes could see though he saw that she'd been dressed in a simple dress and shoes much like those she'd been wearing when they'd met.
"Good to see you're still alive too, we thought you might not make it but seeing you back on your feet proves that your Maker smiles on you" Kallian spoke kindly and much kinder than Aeden had previously heard from her; speaking on The Maker since she was an Elf and believed in a deity separate from The Chantry's beliefs.
"Neria, Kallian… thank you, but where is Alistair?" Aeden spoke with a smile at how pleased he was to see his comrades and new friends alive after their struggle and failure to kill The Ogre though his mind had put the sight of the red-scaled Dragon down as a heat-induced hallucination.
"Just over there; he has been silent ever since he woke up, I awoke first and have been trying to wake you both but to no avail" Neria spoke before Kallian as she'd awoken before Alistair but before Kallian and Aeden; pointing him out as Alistair stood on the bank of the lake and having been dressed in the same sort of clothes that Aeden wore.
"Alistair… how are you holding up?" Aeden spoke; his right hand reaching out and tapping his shoulder though the pain remained whenever he moved his right wrist, Alistair's vacant eyes staring out into the distance until he blinked as the light of recognition returned as he turned to Aeden.
"I don't understand… we had over two thousand brave men and women, powerful Mages, the finest Warriors in all of Ferelden, The Ash Warrior Clans, the greatest of the Grey Wardens and we still lost… I just do not understand why we failed" Alistair spoke grimly; his voice hollow and devoid of any feeling or emotion except grief for all he'd lost, his comrades and people he'd looked up to and admired were all dead and he'd been left with nothing.
"Alistair… there was nothing that the four of us could have done, we'd done our duty in lighting the pyre and we fought as hard as we could against that Ogre and still barely survived" Aeden spoke mournfully though a hint of regret in his voice; he too had wished to fight on the battlefield but he stood sure that if they'd had been down on the field of battle then they too would be amongst the dead.
"It's still not good enough! I should have been down there on the battlefield! Fighting besides Duncan… beside Cailan as broth…" Alistair raised his voice as he shouted; his tone pleading for his lost comrades but halted himself upon mentioning Cailan that drew the interest of his fellow Wardens judging by the fact that all three raised their eyebrows at him.
"What was that you were about to say?" Neria spoke up; having noticed the facial structure between Alistair and Cailan was similar as if the two were related when they'd met but having been dismissed and dropped initially and yet Alistair appeared distressed and frantic that Cailan was now deceased.
"About what?" Alistair spoke with obvious false ignorance; a sense of sweaty nervousness causing his voice to tremble and his brow breaking out in a nervous beading sweat as he felt he'd might have revealed too much regarding a matter he did not wish to yet reveal.
"You mentioned King Cailan in the past tense; like he was somebody close to you personally" Kallian enquired; her eyebrows raised as she pried for more information as she gained a suspicion that Alistair and Cailan did in fact have a connection after Neria had spoken on how the two bore a similar facial structure, her questioning being halted by a sudden voice speaking from behind her.
"The fourth has awoken; at last" announced the voice of Flemeth; the old woman seemingly appearing from out of nowhere as the marshy mists hung over the lake's edge and steam rose from the cauldron of stew that boiled and bubbled over an open fire, her words interrupting the probing words of Aeden's.
"How long was I sleeping?" Aeden asked his question as he understood that his fellows were awake for some time before him but not by how long; earning a mocking expression from Morrigan as Flemeth looked to him with a look that one would give a selfish child.
"How selfish of you boy, all of you were sleeping for three days and yet not one of you are yet fully healed" Flemeth snapped in Aeden's direction; revealing how long all four of them had been sleeping though kept her magical inducement of their slumber to herself whilst she slumped onto a stool to attend to her cauldron much like their first meeting.
"She's right; I awoke first and then Alistair, Kallian woke up a few hours afterwards and now you" Neria answered; mentally recounting her own awakening and being given clothes by Morrigan but Flemeth had been nowhere to be seen though she'd sensed her magical power all over the lake-side clearing like she was present but unseen.
"Wait! Three days? What happened to The Grey Wardens? King Cailan? Surely Loghain marched into battle as soon as The Signal Pyre was lit" Alistair snapped with shock; having assumed they'd only been asleep for a few hours but to have been sleeping for three days proved too much for his fragile state to handle, recounting how Loghain as supposed to lead the second wave and it seemed impossible for The Darkspawn Horde to defeat both waves.
"It had been proven that your leader's did not heed my warning, I spoke to you that the threat was greater than they knew and they walked directly into the trap The Darkspawn had laid… and so did the four of you atop your little tower" Flemeth spoke with a tone of disappointment; her eyes leering out at the four surviving Wardens as they'd also walked into the trap.
The Four Wardens stared silently to each other; it had been surprising that a horde of Genlocks had ambushed them in The Tower of Ishal but The Ogre had been too much for them to handle after such an endeavour but the concept of The Darkspawn setting a trap eluded them though it had been odd that the door to The Top Floor had been locked.
"The Ogre was not in The Tower of Ishal by chance… The Darkspawn have changed since the last time they invaded the surface, they've learnt from their past defeats and used those lessons to utterly decimate your Order and The King, not one soul fighting on the front lines survived" Flemeth resumed; ignoring the silence as the fact that somebody had locked the door to The Top Floor prior to their ascent and wished for all four of them to die in a doomed mission.
Aeden sank to his knees after hearing this; his brother; Fergus had been fighting alongside The King and The Senior Wardens and now he believed that his last remaining family was gone, flinching slightly as a warm hand touched his wounded shoulder as Kallian stood by Aeden's side; helping him rise back to his feet with a wordless gesture of keeping her hand on his shoulder.
Flemeth gazed down at Aeden as he'd sunk in despair; silently observing his despair though she knew that many men and women had deserted the battle but she knew not their names nor relations as she did not care about the deserters and their fates as they'd have already long since left The Wilds or the nearby village.
"Flemeth; what exactly happened after The Pyre was lit? didn't Loghain turn the tide of battle?" Kallian asked; staying by the sides of her depressed friends but her own curiosity needed to be sated as she'd been barely conscious after being knocked down by The Ogre.
"Loghain? Ah! You mean the sullen-faced man in the silver armour; he saw your signal but turned around and abandoned the fight, ensuring his own life and the lives of his army; honestly a smart man considering the force you were up against" Flemeth spoke with an amused expression; her eyes only darkening when speaking of how their signal had been lit though the second wave had not entered battle as if she'd witnessed the entire event.
"That isn't possible! Cailan was the only son of his closest friend: King Maric, he'd never abandon the battlefield!" Alistair barked with clear irritation at Flemeth's claims, being sure that Loghain would have fought to save Cailan but the fact that the Grey Warden Leader's and The King now laid dead in the dirt proved that his knowledge was false.
"Do you not have ears? He led his thousand soldiers back to your capital city while your King and Senior Warden's fought and died, their corpses still lie dead in the dirt even now" Flemeth spoke grimly; his withered face barely hiding as amused eyes as she told The Wardens of their superiors' deaths though left out the fact that Carrion Crows would have already feasted on the bodies of Cailan, Duncan, Claude and Dalila along with countless others.
The deathly silence hung over the four Wardens as the realisation dawned of the four; the fact that Loghain had turned his back on The Allies Army and The Grey Wardens and was likely responsible for the traps and locked door within The Tower of Ishal, Aeden and Alistair both expressing facial anger at the shocking reveal whilst Neria looked disappointed in Loghain's actions and Kallian merely shook her head at the selfish actions of somebody with too much power.
"Flemeth; how did we all escape? Last thing I remember before passing out is the heat of the flames" Neria asked her question and broke the silence but drawing attention to not only herself but to the thought-provoking question on how they survived; utilising the fact that Flemeth had taken a liking to her during their last meeting to have any questions about their seemingly impossible escape from death atop The Tower of Ishal.
"Flames that you conjured" Kallian reminded Neria; her tone being blunt and accusatory in that Neria was the reason they'd suffered minor burns as caused the explosion that could've killed them all.
"Yes; my flames… that burnt the barrels full of that flammable liquid" Neria confessed meekly; her cheeks blushing with embarrassment as she felt shame for foolishly starting the fire that could have killed them all even though she'd blown off one of The Ogre's arms.
"You all survived thanks to my Magic; some day you might achieve a higher level but you must first learn to not pass out upon using all your mana, such reckless abandon will only bring about a bloody fate" Flemeth spoke highly when speaking of her own magical might yet her tone was kinder when speaking to Neria directly; her smug smile curling high as she licked her lips as to whether to reveal her true powers or not to the budding mage.
Aeden stood to one side; he recalled seeing the maw of a red or scarlet scaled High Dragon breaking through the walls of The Tower's Top Floor, he had assumed The Dragon had been a hallucination by the heat of flames and the long battle wearing down his metal strength but hearing Flemeth speaking on how her magic had saved them he now thought that The Dragon may had been a construction of The Witch's power.
The clearing fell silent as The Four Wardens stood gathered; none knowing what to speak of now that they knew how they survived; only the sounds of rustling branches in the wind, the soft sloshing of the lake's water and the scent of the bubbling stew causing the stomachs of the four to audibly rumble.
Enough talking; after three days of sleep you'll need a hearty meal" Flemeth spoke as she turned the ladle in her stew; the air filling with the rich smell of meat, vegetables and the thick broth, the stomachs of The Four Wardens rumbling again upon receiving the rich scent of food.
"Thank you Flemeth" Kallian spoke first; being first to sit upon a stool as Flemeth passed her a wooden bowl of stew along with a wooden spoon, Aeden and Neria quickly joining her as Flemeth passed them bowls while Alistair remained standing only for his own bowl full of stew to float over and into his hands.
"Eat up! All of you" Flemeth spoke; almost shouting at The Four Wardens as she stood up to stand beside Morrigan, both Witches staring as The Four Wardens each held a bowl full of sweet-smelling stew while the two Witches watched.
"Shouldn't you two be eating too?" Alistair spoke; lifting his hungry eyes from the stew to meet the prying stares of Flemeth and Morrigan, speaking with scepticism on the meal strangely prepared solely for them.
"Nonsense! I made that stew for you four to eat, now eat!" Flemeth shouted; slightly offended by Alistair's words, her eyes glinting a fierce glow as Alistair backed down into a stool in fear of Flemeth's unknown wrath.
"if you are worried that we might have poisoned your food, worry not for why would I go through the trouble of saving your miserable lives just to kill you once you've woken?" Morrigan exclaimed in an offended tone of voice; turning her head as she looked down her nose at Alistair for his scepticism.
An hour of silent consumption filled the lakeside glade; The Four Wardens gave in to their basic desires and began their consumption of Flemeth's Stew; the rich flavour of the broth and the familiarly bland-tasting Nug Meat warming their stomachs and hearts, the soft vegetables easy to chew whilst the felt the warm sensations of a satisfied stomach as they finally put their bowls down after each having been served a second helping.
"Is there anything left at Ostagar? Nothing that we can recover before setting out?" Aeden asked; breaking the silence once the four bowls had been emptied after each one of The Four Wardens had each consumed two bowls full of stew each and leaving the bowls on the stools as they stood fed and ready to embark on the path to their journey.
"Sadly no; there is little of value remaining that shall be of any use to you" Morrigan spoke gloomily; little emotion for the fall carrying over in her voice as she dismissed any notion of returning to Ostagar though she knew that one Locked Chest had been left undisturbed within the camping grounds of Ostagar.
"What of our armour and equipment? Was there anything recoverable at The Tower or The Battlefield?" Alistair asked; he knew that after three days that Loghain and his procession of Knights will have likely arrived in or was close to Denerim, the path behind them would be overrun with brigands, cutthroats and anyone looking to murder or rob anybody for their own benefit and would be in need of armaments for their defence as Neria's Magic would not be enough.
"Alistair's right; we need at least one weapon" Kallian backed up Alistair; knowing the importance of having a blade as she'd likely be long dead if she had not robbed a weapon from her captors in order to fight back.
"There was not much to recover atop that burning ruin you called a tower and your own equipment was too damaged from your fighting to be of further use, but I did recover this amidst those flames" Morrigan spoke nonchalantly with a hint of disinterest; seemingly pulling a sheathed sword out from thin air though the rustle of dead leaves hinted that the weapon had been hidden under a pile of leaves until necessary.
"The Cousland Family Sword… how?" Aeden reached out; his fingertips gracing the grip of his ancestral sword and surprisingly felt cool to the touch, the flames had done no damage nor melted any part of the weapon that he would see though the sheath as burnt, cracked and crumbling.
"This rune inscribed in the blade; as long as a living Cousland survives, the blade will endure though I sense if this blade is lost or broken again, the blade will be broken forever" Flemeth spoke as she observed Aeden draw a few inches of the blade from the broken sheath; a faint yellow light shining close to the cross-guard that indicated where the rune had been placed.
"Tis better to have one weapon than none at all" Morrigan remarked in her typical condescending tone, her ruby red lips constantly curled into a mocking smile as she watched Aeden move to draw the weapon whilst Neria and Kallian looked on with interest whilst Alistair looked disappointed in there only being one weapon between the four of them.
"Flemeth… thank you" Aeden spoke as he fully drew his weapon; the damaged sheath crumbling to shards and dust in Flemeth's hands, Aeden admired his weapon alongside his friends until he attempted to swing the weapon but flinched in pain as his wounds ached after not fully healing.
"You may arm yourself with a sword in your dominant left hand but you are not yet fit to carry a blade, you are still much too weak" Flemeth spoke; his eyes staring with an emotionless stare as Aeden dropped his own ancestral weapon to the ground.
"Flemeth is right; you're wounds were greater than any of ours, you should choose somebody to defend us in your place" Kallian spoke up; having been witness to Aeden's defence of her when The Ogre could've killed her, knowing that his right arm had suffered damage that had still not fully healed.
"Very well… I cannot wield this weapon until my arm is fully recovered, Alistair… will you defend us?" Aeden spoke with reluctance as he could not currently carry his own blade, lifting the Family Sword up with his left hand just enough to carry the weapon before holding his grip out to Alistair upon meeting his astounded expression.
"I would be honoured to carry your weapon" Alistair answered honestly; reaching out and taking the grip of The Cousland Sword into his right hand, feeling the weight of Aeden's trust as such an important weapon carried its value into his heart and mind.
"I'll do all I can too… I may not have my Elm Staff but I can still use my Magic" Neria spoke up; twisting her right hand in a circle as a small yet radiant flame ignited in the palm of her hand, closing her fingers around the flame as the Primal Spell shifted from Fire to Ice as glittering pieces of diamond dust shimmered around her hand before ceasing her display.
Morrigan merely rolled her eyes at Neria's display while Aeden and Kallian sat in awe of Neria's abilities, Flemeth merely smiled widely as she watched Neria will a keen interest that bordered on an unknowable desire.
"Can I just ask… why are we dressed like farmers and beggars? Wouldn't we be better equipped to have some armour?" Alistair enquired; glancing down at the tattered clothes he'd been given to wear, the feel of the clothes felt strange to him as since becoming a Warden he'd only ever dressed in his Spintmail Armour and his old Templar Robes for casual-wear.
"Are you as stupid as you look? If you four are parading around in full armour without belonging to any regiment will just draw attention, dressed as you will draw far less attention" Morrigan stared at Alistair with shock at his blatant stupidity before speaking, her words spoken with a cutting tone that Alistair lowered his head in shame upon realising his failure to realise the purpose of these clothes.
"That… actually makes sense; Alistair and I will pose as farm-hands on the run from The War, my gratitude goes to you Morrigan" Aeden glanced down at his own clothes and realising that such garments would indeed protect him from detection for as a Noble he'd carry himself with the distinction of a High-Born but while in his current attire; an outfit that will cast wool over the eyes of anyone who didn't already know his identity.
"At least some of you have some brains" Morrigan commented with the first appreciative motion she'd made by nodding her head to Aeden as she'd spoke directly to him; her red lips curling into a smile as she'd spoken the first thing that barely resembled a compliment since they'd first met.
"Ouch… seriously; ouch" Alistair remarked with a hurt tone; cracking a grin though his false bravado was easily see-through before falling silent once again as his eyes fell down to the exquisite blade of The Cousland Sword.
"What about us? As Elves we attract a little attention" Neria spoke; noting that Aeden and Alistair could pass for mere Farmers in their clothes but she and Kallian would stand out with their pointed-ears.
"Honestly Neria… I figure that you should only use your Magic in situations that call for it, it'll only attract unwanted attention if you're firing off Fireballs and Lightning Bolts" Alistair spoke first; speaking on the real threat that Neria's Magic presented for if Templars found out she's a Mage then they'd either be arrested or dragged to The Circle Tower where Neria's own identity would be revealed.
"That's fine; I shall be the simple girl who lived across the valley" Neria chimed happily; choosing a stereotypical girl-next-door ruse for herself from a silly romance tome she'd read In her youth that had been one of many tomes smuggled into The Tower.
"And Kallian… I was thinking…" Aeden nodded to Neria as she cheerfully hopped on the spot as he turned his attention to Kallian only for his words to be cut off before he could finish.
"Don't you dare say act like a serving girl! I've worked that job and it's so degrading" Kallian snapped at Aeden before he could finish speaking; crossing her arms for form an X formation, speaking on her first job in The Gnawed Noble Tavern where she'd served drinks to patrons only to never be tipped nor thanked even once.
Aeden stood impressed that she wasn't showering him with profanity nor assaulting him though he understood her misgivings; since opting to pose as a farmer, "If you find it agreeable… I'd like you to pose as my betrothed".
"What? That's ridiculous… I'd never settle down with a Human and a Noble at that!" Kallian shouted at the preposterous suggestion from Aeden; crossing her arms across her chest as she turned away not noticing the shifting stares that Morrigan and Flemeth were giving her.
"Alright then… forget I suggested it" Aeden held up his good hand in surrender as he retreated back to his stool but failing to notice the stares from Flemeth nor Morrigan; seating himself and sighed heavily while Alistair stood idly with Aeden's Sword.
With Aeden's Family Sword held tightly in Alistair's own right hand; Neria, Kallian and Aeden collectively stood up from the tree stump seats in preparation to leave, setting the wooden bowls down on the stumps as they bowed their heads in thanks to Flemeth as she stood with a bundle of scrolls in her hands that all of The Wardens could have sworn were not in her hand's mere seconds ago.
"You might require these if you are to complete the journey that's been set before your feet" Flemeth spoke up; stepping closer to Alistair as she offered a set of three Scrolls that Alistair swore were not in her hands the entire time they'd been conversing until he spotted the Silver Griffon Seal present on the cloth sealing the scrolls together.
"The Treaties?! I thought I gave these to…" Alistair spoke with abundant shock; lifting The Treaties from Flemeth's hand and eyeing the ancient Warden Seal at the bottom of each of the three documents.
"I believe the last time you bore witness to these scrolls were them entering the hands of Ser Duncan; after his death I recovered them as you shall have need of these scrolls in your long journey" Flemeth spoke with an enigmatic smile; her hands closing behind her back as a mystical shine glimmered in her eyes as she stared at Alistair and Aeden.
"The only question remaining… besides how you came to possess these Treaties once again… is what we do next" Neria spoke up; cutting in-between Aeden and Alistair thus breaking Flemeth's stare, leaning into Alistair as she stole a long look at The Treaties to see what was inscribed upon the documents.
"We travel for Denerim as soon as possible! We need to expose Loghian as a traitor to the crown! Only then can we gather the army necessary to defeat The Blight" Alistair spoke first; getting his words out before Kallian could who stared at Alistair with a look of distaste, Alistair speaking with visible desire for vengeance for the fates of The Grey Wardens that Aeden picked up on immediately.
"No! we can't go to Denerim until we have some allies of proof of his treachery, if we go to Denerim now then we'll only be killed" Aeden barked loudly; vocally apposing Alistair's desire for vengeance as he knew exactly what would happen to them if they even dared to go anywhere near Loghain and Queen Anora without sufficient proof backing their claims.
"You can't possibly be sure of that Aeden" Alistair snapped whilst ignoring the amused expressions on Flemeth while Morrigan vanished into the small house, his grip of Aeden's Family Sword tightening in his right hand while he held the Treaties in his left.
"And it's just our word against his own; we require proof to bring down Loghain as he is the father of Queen Anora, plus with Cailan dead then she is the ruling monarch; she'll order us to be executed in light of our accusations no matter how true" Aeden continued; speaking on their current matter and explaining their impending fate if they were to forego The Blight in favour of attempting to expose Loghain though the thought of being executed sent chills down his spine.
Kallian visibly expressed her disheartened face as the prospect of returning to Denerim might have provided her with an opportunity to see her family again after being torn away from all that she knew but she knew Aeden was right; they'd be killed before they'd be able to so much as leave the city's walls if they were to execute Alistair's foolhardy plan, "I agree with Aeden… we'll just be throwing our lives away".
"I agree with Aeden too… I would like to see more of Ferelden before we confront Loghain" Neria chimed in; her childish and carefree personality returning to her after a bleak situation and the worrisome events of their three-day sleep resolved with their survival having been positively resolved.
"Fine… you are right, forget I even proposed the destination" after a long silence Alistair admitted defeat; turning away as his face contorted into a disgraced and defeated frown so his fellows would not witness his moment of shame.
"Oh there is so much more you need to accomplish before you can enter the City of Denerim; you shall soon realise this for yourselves" Flemeth spoke with her usual cryptic tone of voice, her eyes carefully looking into each of the eyes of The Four Wardens to let her words sink in.
"What do you mean? Do you know what these Scrolls are even for?" Kallian spoke questioningly; her ability to read having been only taught to a basic extent so she'd be able to work a variety of jobs involving labour but she could read little of what was inscribed on The Treaties.
"You ask too many questions; the path you must walk awaits and the first step is always the hardest to tread" Flemeth waved her hand at Kallian's questioning tone; exclaiming and dismissing the many questions she'd been presented with for the day and instead giving a idiom regarding the beginning of their impending journey.
"Well Mother; if our guests are staying another night then they may have to sleep in the mud; though I do not believe it shall be a restful respite" Morrigan spoke as she emerged from The Hut and broke the silence between Flemeth and The Wardens; meeting a stare from her mother for Morrigan's own well-timed entrance.
"I believe an extra member to your little party may prove beneficial to your quest; you will need strong allies in the events to come, the first hurdle of which will come much sooner than any of you know"
"Oh Mother; you and your… I beg your pardon?!" Morrigan smiled wistfully at Flemeth's suggestion before taking a step back as her face expressed shock and confusion as the realisation dawned upon her mind that she was being offered up as a comrade to The Four Wardens.
"Wait, what?" Aeden straightened his shoulders with a flinch of pain from his wounds as he prepared his body for the long walk when his feet halted upon hearing Flemeth's offer; he couldn't deny that Morrigan was indeed powerful for two Mages would likely attract more attention when Neria was willing to conceal her abilities while Morrgan would likely not agree to such ruses.
"You cannot be serious?!" Alistair; like Morrigan; did a double-take in shock and confusion that Morrgan was likely going to be a travelling companion for the foreseeable future, a cold shiver running down his spine at the very thought of being stuck with Morrigan.
"Oh but I am Young Wardens; my daughter will be a great asset to your journey and you'd be unwise to turn my generosity down" Flemeth again spoke as her dried, withered lips curled into an unknowing smile; her eyes peering through them as if she already knew facts about their journey that The Four Wardens did not and relished in that knowledge.
"Mother; shalt you not consult me regarding this matter?" Morrigan spoke with an uncharacteristic plead in her voice that none of The Wardens had seen prior; knowing Morrigan to always be at odds with anyone who was closest to her at the time, Morrigan's yellow eyes staring deep into Flemeth's for a long silence before Flemeth finally spoke again after a wordless exchange.
"Nonsense Morrigan; you have been complaining about living here in The Wilds for many years, and now an opportunity for you to leave here arises and you object?!" Flemeth slapped Morrigan across the right cheek; speaking harshly as if speaking to a child who did not know the world's nature, speaking on Morrigan's own desires to leave and bringing those desires to light.
Aeden looked to his friends; seeing that each stood wary of Morrigan's inclusion, Alistair appeared nervous and around such a woman while Neria looked simultaneously pleased to have another Mage to learn from and displeased that the newest member was another woman, and Kallian appeared as indifferent as she always did, "I can see we don't have much of a choice here, we would be honoured to have Morrigan as a travelling companion; since you know our terrain better than any of us… we ask that you guide us to Lothering".
Morrigan shot Aeden with a look that expressed her bitter disapproval of his audacity to accept her without her consent as well as asking her to lead them when she thought about leaving them into the path of a herd of hungry beasts or into whatever deadly groups of Darkspawn that might still be present in The Wilds.
"Well Morrigan; these fine Wardens are honoured to have you in their group" Flemeth shot Morrigan an amused glance out from the corner of her eyes; her lips curling into an approving smile while Morrigan grit her teeth in frustration at The Warden's acceptance of her joining them before calming herself with a deep breath.
"If I must go then let it be so; let us leave as I would like to at least arrive in that little village before dusk" Morrigan spoke with exasperation; twisting her hand over a pile of dead leaves as a Blackwood Staff carved with a twisting snake pattern in the wooden shaft rose from the pile and into her hand.
"Farewell Grey Wardens" Flemeth spoke as the group of five began their journey while joining her hands together as the leaf-encrusted mud path seemingly appeared before the group leading them to where they would need to go; speaking again to herself once the group were out of earshot, "We shall meet one more time before the end".
Taking the first step with reluctant step onto a path of dead and dried leaves; Alistair, Neria and Morrigan took up the lead as they wielded the only sword they had in addition to Magic, while the unarmed pair of Aeden and Kallian walking at the rear, only the sounds of the wind in the bare branches and the crunch of leaves in the mud under their steps echoed as the group began their journey.
While walking at the rear of the group; Aeden and Kallian glanced over their shoulders to the lakeside hut only to find that though they'd only just left the site of Flemeth's Home they felt shocked that the hut had vanished leaving only the same muddy swamp they'd seen the last time with no trace of the lake, the hut or Flemeth herself behind while they treaded the first steps of what would be a long and arduous journey.
