She knew she wandered, but she was numb and the days and nights blurred together until she had no idea where she was, or what day it was, nor did she care. Eventually, a small nagging voice in the back of her head said she needed to wake up and find Anders at least to let him know she was alive. She blinked at the sunlight and realized she was in the Korcari Wilds somewhere. A soft plume of smoke nearby made her wonder if Flemeth was there. Should she venture over? She was so tired...
"You seem familiar, could it be?" A familiar old voice seemed to echo in her mind. "Ah yes, the girl from the Chasind. So you've returned, and have forgotten any healing I taught you."
Claire wanted to just collapse in a heap and not wake up. "Mythal... so tired. The battle..."
"What did you say?" Claire felt the world flip upside down again as it faded from view.
A bird chirping outside woke Claire with a start and she sat up quickly, easing the aches and pains she felt with mana. After looking around for a bit, she realized she knew where she was, she was back in Flemeth's hut. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember what happened after she stopped being a dragon, but it was a blur full of emotions. She got up and noticed scarring on her left arm she didn't remember getting. She ran her other hand up the arm, feeling a sense of pain and tingling in the scars. The scars didn't stop, they kept going up and around her neck and chest, and up her face. From what she could feel, most of the left side of her face was scarred and some of the right side as well. She was missing a decent chunk of hair on her left side as well.
She sat there in shock for a moment before putting her armor on and walked outside. Flemeth was standing by a fire, looking grim, and Claire wondered if she should just become a bird and vanish.
"So you're awake." Flemeth said, her gaze still on the fire.
"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized I'd even gotten hurt." Claire said. "Thank you for helping me. How long has it been since the battle?"
"Long enough." The old witch turned to Claire. "You're lucky to be alive, you know."
"I... I don't know if lucky is the right word. I watched everyone else die. I don't even know how I survived, when I should have died with them." She touched the scars on her face again.
"Now that you've been given a second chance at life, what do you plan to do with yourself?"
"I need to do what I can to help stop the Blight. With the Wardens dead, we're going to need everyone we can get." Flemeth looked thoughtful, then nodded.
"There were two Grey Wardens who survived." She said. "They left here and went up north to Lothering with Morrigan recently, if you've a desire to catch up to them." Claire nodded, still feeling numb, then noticed Flemeth scrutinizing her. "You don't seem at all surprised. You already knew, did you not? You know a great deal, girl, and I am most curious as to how."
Blushing, Claire stared at the dirt. "I'm not sure how I knew they survived, I just had a feeling."
"Keep your secrets, then. Go, before I change my mind." Claire nodded quickly and became a wolf, running up the road in search of the Wardens, wondering what Flemeth would have done had she known the truth.
Claire was exhausted, still sore from her almost healed wounds, when she came across a large group of five darkspawn approaching a wagon full of people. Groaning, she steeled herself and ran in between the darkspawn and the wagon, shooting out a chain of lightning from her staff, frying two grunts in the process. She then focused on the emissary, launching spell after spell at it until it collapsed. Hearing a scream from behind her, she saw a hurlock had gotten up to the wagon, so she fire-balled it, then hit it with a stone fist. The remaining genlock started running away, only to get frozen in place and shattered.
Breathing hard, Claire turned to the survivors who were staring at her in fear. "Is everyone all right?" She asked. A woman in the back nodded slowly, still in shock.
"Th-thank you, my lady." The man in the driver's seat said. "Maker knows what we'd'a done without you! B-but if'n you don't mind, we best be going now. Thank you again." She was sure the thanks were genuine, but their fear of her was pretty strong as well, noting the nervous glances they shot her as they drove away. Most people probably had never seen a mage, much less had one use her full potential near them. She grumbled as she continued walking up the road.
Her thoughts slowly turned to Anders and she stopped short, realizing he probably thought her dead. She would have to seek him out that night to let him know what happened, that she was all right. Had he escaped? Had Uldred gone insane yet? She clamped down on her anxiety and kept walking, telling herself that there was nothing she could do at the moment anyway. What could she do? She could find Evan and Alistair, and pal around with them, or she could go do her own thing with Anders. Her sense of duty was nagging at her, even knowing that they didn't need her, and she found herself severely conflicted. Would they even want her?
It was nearing dusk when she smelled the smoke of a campfire nearby, and wondered if it was the Wardens. Resisting the urge to become a wolf, she cautiously got closer to the camp. The dog was there, staring at her as he sniffed the air, a questioning look on his painted face as if he remembered her scent.
"Something out there, boy?" Evan had walked over and squinted into the darkness, his expression suddenly turning defensive. "Who's there?" So much for having an option of turning back... Claire stepped forward, her arms away from her body, palms out.
"We never officially met at Ostagar, but I saw you there." She said. "My name is Claire, I fought alongside Duncan..." She couldn't read his body language very well in the dim lighting, but he seemed to stiffen.
"And what do you seek here?"
"Flemeth told me that two Wardens had survived and needed help, and I would like to help, if you'll have me." Evan pinched the bridge of his nose, then nodded.
"Yes... I won't turn away help, not when so much is riding on us now." He gestured towards the fire. "Come, tell us what happened. How did you survive?" Claire felt some relief, but as she looked at Alistair, she felt a huge amount of guilt fall on her. She stepped up to the fire, trying not to get too close to the man.
"I don't know how I survived, honestly."
"You mentioned Flemeth?" Evan asked. Claire saw Alistair's attention had focused on her and it made her nervous.
"Yes... I don't remember what happened after getting hit by the emissary who gave me these scars. There are... vague flashes of memory, but they could have been dreams. I woke up in Flemeth's hut this morning, and I don't even know how long it's been since the battle."
"You..." Alistair's voice cracked. "Duncan said you'd be fighting with the Wardens. You were there with him on the battlefield when... Y-you could have saved him..."
"Alistair..." Damn the tears, she couldn't stop them. "No one could have saved him. We were overrun! We saw the king get crushed and tossed to the side like a rag doll. We were barely able to see Duncan bring down the ogre that killed Cailan with all the fighting. We couldn't move, then he was struck down. When I looked at Cedrik, an arrow went through his skull. Alistair, I had to watch everyone else die around me, and I have to live with the fact I couldn't save anyone." She cursed her tears as she cried. He went back to staring into the fire and nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry." He spoke softly. "I just feel like if I'd been there..."
"You would have died alongside him." Claire sighed. "When I spoke to him before the battle, he somehow knew it would be his last. He said his time was coming anyway, he was going to succumb to the Calling soon."
"Yes, he mentioned that." He glanced at her, then changed the subject. "I saw you around the estate in Denerim, but we never officially met. I overheard Cedrik talking about you. Is it true you were a slave in Tevinter?"
She grimaced. "Yes, for too long. I wish I'd been able to escape sooner."
"I always thought the Imperium would be a great place for a mage." Evan said.
"They'll make slaves out of anyone if they can." She said. "Especially naive young foreign girls who are easily manipulated." She spat in disgust.
"Why did you go to Tevinter?" Evan asked.
"Flemeth said she couldn't teach me, but that I'd learn there. I think the old witch just wanted me gone."
"Yes... she did seem to have that sort of attitude while we were there." Alistair said. "I still don't trust her daughter."
"Oh Morrigan is fine." Claire said, glancing over at the witch, who had set herself far away from the others. "Technically, so is Flemeth, so long as you don't cross her."
"All the same, I'll be watching her." Claire stifled a giggle, then yawned.
"We don't have a tent for you, but I think we have an extra sleeping mat." Evan wandered over to a pack and brought over a blanket. "It's not much, but it should do you until we find something better."
"Thank you." Claire said, surprised. "And thank you for not turning me away. I've gotten used to being seen as a suspicious character."
"You never did anything in the months you were with the Wardens." Alistair said. "And... Duncan trusted you, that much was clear." She looked at the ground and blinked back the tears again. It would get easier over time, but she was still so sensitive, and the images of everyone dying still burned into her memory. At least Alistair didn't have that.
"Thank you, all the same." She smiled, then moved away to find a place to lie down.
She looked around the Fade, anxious to find Anders, and wondering what he'd done while she had been out. Had Uldred risen up against the Circle yet? Had Anders escaped? She was feeling too anxious to think clearly, too many questions popping up in her head that she didn't have answers for.
"Claire? Is that you?" She whirled around and ran into Anders' arms. "Maker, I thought..."
"I don't know how long I've been out..." She said. "I only woke up today. I should be dead, but I promised you I wouldn't die. I told you I would keep my promise." He chuckled and kissed her head.
"How badly injured are you?" He looked her over, and she put a hand to her face. The skin felt smooth and normal, not like it was in reality.
"Ah, I apparently look the way I remember myself..." She concentrated and made herself resemble her physical body, noting the way Anders pulled back. "I got a face full of fire from an emissary after I tried to save one of the Wardens. I'm not sure what other injuries I sustained, but I woke up in Flemeth's hut again."
"So she saved you." He murmured, tracing a finger along her scars. "Does it... does it hurt?"
She shrugged. "A little. There are parts of me that are in a lot of pain, they still need healing, but otherwise I'm fine. How are you? Have you escaped the tower?"
He smirked. "Of course I have, you think I'd just sit in there while you were out risking your life?"
"I'm so glad." She hugged him tight. "Uldred has gone insane. I think he's going to try to destroy the tower with demons, and I'm just glad you made it out before that happened."
"Another vision...?"
"You should have seen him on the battlefield, Anders, he was insane with the power." Claire shuddered. "He's been smoldering, but he's also been trying to win other mages to his side. They said he's not himself, that he changed. It was easier out here for him I think."
"But surely he wouldn't do anything to hurt other mages."
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly believe that? That if he made a deal with a demon, he would spare all mages? I've seen demons... I've seen what they promise, and then what they do, and they tend to be different things."
"Fair point." He sighed. "Hey, now that I'm out, where should we meet?"
"I'm not sure where I am right now, honestly." She said. "I'm with Evan and Alistair, the last two Wardens in all of Ferelden... and they need help. It's up to them to unite the land against Teyrn Loghain, who has declared them traitors, and they have to raise up an army to fight against the Blight."
"How can two lone Wardens manage that?" Anders frowned. "It'd be easier for them to just give up and do something else."
"Could you really sit idly by, if you were a Warden, sworn to fight the Blight? They're the only ones who can defeat an archdemon. If they don't at least try, the entire country will be wiped out." He hugged her tight.
"I want you to stop fighting." He said. "I've only just stolen your heart, yet you still insist on seeking death..." She kissed him, smiling.
"I'm not seeking death, I'm seeking life." She said. "As soon as I figure out where we are, I'll let you know. I think we might be going to Redcliffe, to seek Arl Eamon's help."
"Then I'll head there." Anders said. "It's not too far from where I am."
"I'll let you know if anything changes, but for now, let's just... enjoy the peace in the Fade."
As the group walked to Redcliffe, no one really talked to Claire, though they gave her sidelong glances. Leliana seemed awkward around everyone, but was still energetic and put on a smile. Sten refused to speak to anyone and Claire figured he wasn't a big fan of her at all, her being a mage. She also noticed Morrigan casting glances at her, as if she couldn't remember who Claire was. Later, she approached Claire.
"You're that girl that stayed with us all those years ago." She chuckled. "I almost didn't recognize you."
"You've changed a lot, yourself, Morrigan." Claire smiled. "We didn't get on too well back then, me being an awkward teenager and all, but I have always liked you."
She pursed her lips. "I did not expect you to. You knew you were to leave us, and I felt no compunction to feel any attachment to you."
Claire shrugged. "I know. I don't really care if you like me or not. It's just good to see you're doing well."
"Debatable." She snorted as she looked at Alistair.
Claire laughed. "Hah, well, as well as can be expected while wandering around trying to piece the country back together with one who would rather be sitting and eating cheese all day... At least you have Evan. He seems pretty capable, especially for being fresh out of the Circle and having all this dumped onto him."
"Yes, well, we shall see." Claire looked over and could see the spires on Redcliffe castle rising in the distance. It wouldn't be long before Alistair made his speech. She must have spaced out because she didn't realize Morrigan had moved on, and Leliana was looking at her oddly.
"You look lost in thought." She said. Claire nodded.
"Just looking at the castle, and wondering what's going on in it." She said. She already knew, but she wasn't going to let anyone else know. Not even Anders. "From here, everything seems so quiet, you wouldn't even know there's a Blight going on, aside from the sky."
Leliana nodded. "The peace before the storm. But I have faith in the Maker that we will defeat it."
Claire chuckled. "We will. Two Wardens and a handful of random people? We can do it, easy." Leliana looked at her suspiciously.
"Think what you will," She snapped. "But you will see."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as mocking." Claire said. "It won't really be easy, but I do believe we'll win. I just find it funny how small we are right now. We have the two newest Wardens, a Sister who talks to the Maker, a murderous qunari, a witch of the wilds, a dwarven merchant and his son, and me, another apostate."
Leliana's expression softened a little as she nodded. "I see, yes. We are a rag tag team, aren't we?"
"Isn't that what legends are made of?" They were interrupted by Alistair talking to Evan about being a prince.
"A prince, eh?" Claire murmured to Leliana. "It is like a fairy tale..."
Claire was too preoccupied looking for Anders to pay attention to much that was going on as they arrived in Redcliffe and were asked for help defend the place. She paid more attention while Bann Teagan was talking, but there was no focus on her so it didn't matter. Evan, of course, agreed to help out, to which Morrigan rolled her eyes. Claire later heard Evan trying to explain why it was a good idea, but she wasn't sure it helped. She could tell he had started to like Morrigan, though.
The sun was getting low, and Claire hadn't seen Anders anywhere. She was beginning to hope he didn't make it until after the walking dead was dealt with. That night, there was no sleep. She did what she could to fight against the corpses, but it was horrifying. Darkspawn were one thing, but the corpses used to be human, and seeing the sheer amount of death that had occurred... But they succeeded in not losing a one that night. Claire spent a great deal of time healing those she could, but neither Morrigan nor Evan were healers so she was on her own, and she was proud of how well they all did.
The first minute she got a chance, she crashed and went into the Fade to talk to Anders. He had his arms crossed as he stared at her.
"What?" She asked, getting defensive.
"'Go to Redcliffe!' She said." Anders said sarcastically. "That place is crawling with the undead! They were just pouring out of the castle!"
"Yes, we found out when we arrived." She crossed her arms. "What, you think I purposefully sent you into danger? Really? Look, I just got done trying to save everyone in that village – and we did, thank you very much – so I'm not in the mood to fight with you right now."
"I... no, it's not... argh." He put his hand to his head, frustrated. "I didn't know you were there, else I would have helped more, it's just... what is going on with this world? Undead everywhere, darkspawn rising again, rumors of the Circle being overrun by demons, civil war... I get out of solitary confinement and the world has gone completely mad!"
"I wish I knew." Claire sighed. "Even for all I do know, I don't know that. I just hope we can figure this mess out. All those people..."
"And you just go rushing into it head-first!"
"Can I at least get a hug before they wake me up?" She put her arms out, her expression sad and exhausted.
"Anything for you, my dear." He hugged her gently, but firmly.
"I can't imagine this is easy for you." She said. "You weren't even able to get used to a normal world before this one went crazy. I'm just so glad you got out of that place beforehand... is it true then? The tower has fallen?"
"Well, I wouldn't say fallen, but rumor is they're not letting anyone in or out."
"This doesn't bode well at all. It's almost like everything is falling apart."
"Just make sure you don't, yes?" He chuckled. "I'll come find you in the morning."