9:30 Wintermarch 28th
I sat outside cleaning my weapons while Eren and Derek were looking inside the hut for Flemeth's grimoire. They already asked me about it but I didn't know where it was exactly. There was a chest but that was it. My head hurts.
"I can't believe we…we just killed the Witch of the Wilds." Leliana breathed out and sat next to me.
"I can't believe we're still alive." I replied. I looked at the 'corpse' of Flemeth. She wouldn't really die from this. She's going to come back. Even after Solas took her power, she didn't die. She has way too many fail safes to leave it at that. I saw the door open and Eren came back out with a thick grimoire in his hands.
"We came for what we needed. Now we will leave." Eren said.
"Well can't say that we didn't tell her so but we told her so!" Derek laughed.
"Now I'm dead sure I'm going to ask Morrigan to teach me how to shape shift." Talen rubbed his hands in glee.
"Let's be off then. There is no time to waste." Wynne said. We all agreed and walked out of the forest. I took one more look at Flemeth's dragon body.
"Even if you satisfy your need for revenge, in the end all you'll end up with is an empty home." I said quietly before following the others.
We followed through the forest, following an extremely worn down path until we ended up at the end of the Imperial Highway. There were few clouds in the sky but it wasn't a bad day. We walked until the Grey Wardens stopped.
"We'll have to go towards the forest and avoid Lothering." Eren said. We had to take the long way around. Leliana kept her focus on the ruined town. We were out on the outskirts by the time dusk hit. We camped near a stream where I practiced my fish catching skill again. I think the one thing I hated about this was the fact that my fingers felt like stiff bones at the end. Leliana sighed as she caught another fish.
"Lothering will get better in time Leliana." I said.
"I hope so." She said quietly. We went back to camp and I saw Alistair looking at a sword and dagger away from the camp.
"Something else from Ostagar?" I said, sitting next to him and he got startled.
"I…yes." He looked down. I sat next to him. He rubbed his thumb across the flat of the blade. "These were Duncan's. They were still on the body of the Ogre he fell. It was resurrected by a darkspawn necromancer. You know I didn't even think that they could resurrect their fallen. I've only heard of necromancy from Nevarra but darkspawn…I hate that they can adapt." Alistair explained.
"I'm sorry for throwing Duncan's name around when we were fighting. I know how much he means to you." I said.
"No I'm sorry for getting so heated. Zevran just pisses me off, no offense." Alistair chuckled.
"Don't worry about it. Can you tell me more of Duncan?" I asked.
"Sure." Alistair sighed softly. "Duncan was…a father to me. He was a father to all of us but…I didn't grow up in a real family. I was a bastard child and was taken in by Arl Eamon. Don't think I lived the life of luxury though, I slept in the barn. When he remarried I was sent off to a monastery to become a Templar. Duncan saw potential in me and conscripted me. The Mother was furious to hand me over." Alistair laughed. "When I was in the Grey Wardens, for once I felt like I had a real family." Alistair sighed.
"It's nice to finally know where you belong." I said. Alistair nodded.
"About your story…A part of me really wants to believe you but…it's hard." Alistair said. I smirked and laughed.
"Ah that's fine. I just wanted someone to understand I guess. If it was as easy as a boat ride, I wouldn't be here. I would be home with my family." I sighed.
"You miss them." He stated.
"Terribly." I replied.
"Can you tell me more about them?" Alistair asked. "You rarely talk about them."
"I try not to because I feel like my world would come crashing down." I tried laughing it off. Alistair leaned in with his eyes brimming with curiosity. "Ok, ok. Stop giving me that puppy dog look."
"The puppy dog look always works." Alistair laughed.
I cleared my throat and blinked away the tears. I chuckled lightly. "Let's see..."
I started to remember how their lives started. How tiny was my son in my arms. My daughter's oddly shaped head. How differently they both entered the world. My world. I smiled and fought back the tears.
"My son's name is Ace. We named him after someone that inspired me and my husband. He was so tiny when I gave birth to him. I had complications with him." I described, remembering how he couldn't even fit newborn clothes and the labor involved with him.
"Complications?" Alistair asked.
"I was losing fluid with him so he never had a chance to grow when I was pregnant with him. Because of that they had to induce me which means they forced me to give birth." I explained.
"That seems painful." Alistair cringed.
"Oh it was. I was stuck in pain for hours. I was miserable but I did it. It wasn't that happy moment that I wanted though." I frowned. Alistair looked intently. "I got post-partum depression."
"What is that?" Alistair asked.
"Depression that hits after you give birth. I was a wreck. The world was grey. I didn't enjoy being a mother. Bad couldn't even begin to describe it. No one was there for me, not even my husband. They all told me to suck it up. I was a mother. I couldn't focus on myself. Then baby number two hit." I explained. "I either had to keep her or get rid of her."
"You actually contemplated getting rid of her?" Alistair wondered. I nodded.
"Yeah. Everyone was so angry at me. How could I get pregnant 5 months after Ace? I almost went through it too but then, it could have been my imagination, but I swear I heard her voice. She told me, 'It's ok. I can wait until next time.' It broke my heart. So, against everyone's wishes, I kept Alice She was the greatest decision I have ever made. My depression broke with her. They were so different too! He was tiny, she was huge! They both had jaundice though and had to be away from me for a time. But when I got them? It was like everything was right with the world. My son's dimples when he smiles and when he furrows his brow? He has this indentation on his forehead! It's so cute! And my daughter was just beginning to walk. She's so fat and adorable. Her hair is curly like her father's. It's such a bird nest, you can't control it. We call her the Turkey because when you put her legs and arms together, she looks just like a turkey waiting to be roasted. So fat." I gushed about my kids.
The more I talked about them, the more I felt like they were real. It was if I could reach out and feel the fuzzy head of my son or maybe the hands of my daughter. No matter how much time has gone by, I still remember them and their quirks.
"How did you husband feel about all of this?" Alistair put his chin on his hand and put his elbow on his leg.
"Well he wasn't ready at first of course. He was a little selfish when my son came around but we got used to it when my daughter came. We had gotten our first house for her too and everything seemed to fit. It was amazing. He loved me for my decision to have her. Ace Dragon, Alice Delilah are my world and they were his too." I explained.
"Dragon? You seriously named your son after a mindless beast?" Alistair chuckled.
"Yes and they aren't mindless." I stuck my tongue out. Alistair laughed.
"You make them sound so real. I would like to meet them, if I could." Alistair sighed.
"I wouldn't bring them in this world if I had the chance. They are too many things that can go wrong." I shook my head. I let out a deep breath and stared at the beautiful twinkling stars. "Thank you for letting me talk about them."
"Any time." Alistair nodded.
"You want to eat? Leliana and I got more fish." I offered.
"In a minute, I would still like to pay my respects." Alistair said, looking down at Duncan's weapons. I nodded and patted his head absentmindedly. I felt like we reached an understanding through our images of our families. It made my heart feel lighter. I hoped it would do the same for Alistair. I started helping make the tents when I heard a familiar creaking sound. Alfred came running in at full speed toward Eren while a raven shape shifted into Morrigan. Soon after she arrived, Bodahn came into the scene.
"Have you recovered mother's grimoire?" She asked. Eren got up and retrieved it from his pack. Morrigan, for once, had a sincere smile on her face. "I cannot thank you enough!" She breathed out.
"Then it's best you start on reading. It will be interesting to see how strong you can get." Eren smirked and slightly tipped Morrigan's chin before going back to his spot in front of the bonfire. Alfred barked around him while I noticed that slight tint on Morrigan's cheeks. She noticed my stare.
"Would you mind?" She huffed while going off to make her own tent. I rolled my eyes. Good feeling from talking about my family gone.
"Ah my friends! How was your trip into the Korcari Wilds? Do you need to replenish any supplies?" Bodahn came. Alfred went to Sandal and jumped around him.
"Yes, do you happen to have shields?" Alistair went up to talk to him.
"Of course I do my boy! Come have a look at my selection!" Bodahn showed him what was inside the cart. I went over to Morrigan who was getting her camp ready and she glared at me.
"I am about to uncover mysteries of my mother that I could not even begin to fathom. If you need a question to be answered, it would be best if you asked that harping enchanter that is in our group." Morrigan huffed. I got my pouch and took out the marble.
"Your mom was extremely interested in me." I mentioned.
"Of course she would." Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"Right before we left and killed her, she gave me this. Do you know what this is?" I asked, holding the marble in my hand. I noticed that it wasn't as warm as before and the flame was gone. Morrigan looked at it warily before grabbing it.
"Strange. This has remnants of mother's essence. And you said she gave this to you willingly? Did she explain anything about it?" Morrigan asked.
"She was being extremely cryptic and wouldn't give me a straight answer. She said that either it was a part of her or a link, a destiny, a choice. She told me it should serve me well but, other than that, nothing." I shrugged. Morrigan pursed her lips. I know that she doesn't like not knowing things.
"Would you mind if I held onto it? Perhaps there is something in mother's writings that may give us answers." Morrigan said. I shook my head.
"No, she gave it to me for a reason. I might as well keep it around me. If something does happen though, you'll be the first to know." I said.
"Fair enough. Now, leave me be." Morrigan gave me back the marble and went to setting up her camp. I sighed and put the marble back into my pouch. Everyone was already eating and I saw Alistair trying to haggle with Bodahn.
"No deal." Bodahn shook his head.
"I knew I should have saved more from my stipend." Alistair moaned.
"What is it? Not enough money?" I asked.
"I'm a gold away from getting a proper shield and I've already haggled from the enchantment placed on it." Alistair said.
"Enchantment!" Sandal clapped his hands.
"I know I owe you a discount for saving the life of me and my boy but I am a business man." Bodahn nodded.
"Just one sov?" I asked.
"Yes." Alistair sighed. I reached into my pouch and gave it to him.
"We can't have you without a shield." I chuckled.
"Oh thank Andraste for your kind my lady!" Alistair bowed. I rolled my eyes but laughed.
"Sure." I went back to camp and sat next to Leliana.
"You can be cute sometimes." Leliana giggled.
"Oh shut up and pass me a fish." I stuck out my tongue.
"You and Alistair were alone for some time. What were you talking about?" Leliana gave me a smirk.
"Nothing what you're thinking and I'll tell you later." I said.
"It won't be a long trip to Redcliffe from this point. A day and a half at the most." Talen went on to munching his second fish.
"And then Eamon would be on our side!" Derek laughed.
"So long as we don't get any unexpected visitors." Eren scoffed. Speak of the Devil and he shall come. Another wagon showed up to our spot.
"Ah Levi! I thought you would be in Denerim by now!" Bodahn called out to him.
"Well after hearing from the grape vine you were following Grey Wardens, I decided to follow as well." I saw a man with a horse pulled wagon. He got down from his horse and Eren immediately got up.
"A friend of yours Bodahn?" Eren was on the defensive.
"Acquaintance as all merchants are. I would like you to meet Levi Dryden. Handles well in this country." Bodahn said.
"Oh there's probably no need to introduce me. I'm sure Duncan might have mentioned me before." Levi said. Alistair came up and looked at him.
"Hm, I can't seem to recall Duncan saying anything about you." Alistair shrugged.
"Ah really? Nothing about little old me? Well he's not getting his discount the next time he comes around." Levi huffed.
"He's dead." Eren stated.
"I know." He sighed. "He was a good man. In fact, I was hoping that little tidbit of gossip was wrong but I guess Andraste didn't hear my prayers. As such, I must ask you Grey Wardens for the favor that he promised me long ago." Levi said.
"Not interested." Eren scoffed.
"Would you be interested if it had to do with the last outpost the Grey Wardens held before they were banished from Ferelden 200 years ago?" Levi offered.
"The last outpost?" Alistair wondered and Eren now listened intently.
"Yes my multiple great times grandmother was Sophia Dryden. She was the last Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden before they banished them. Duncan had promised me to join me to reclaim the tower to find out my Ancestor's innocence. I don't believe she wanted to take the crown. I believe she was forced into this by the King during that time. I will make it worth your while so long as you agree of course." Levi explained.
"So what's in it for us?" Talen came up.
"Food, equipment, as well as a sort of base of operations should we reclaim it, after the Blight is ended of course!" Levi offered. I listened in as I finished my fish. As soon as he said all of that, I saw the gears in Eren's brain working. It would be best to gather up good equipment and a place to call our own.
"Fine. We will accompany you." Eren said.
"Thank you good Ser. I have a map towards Soldier's Peak. As soon as your group is ready, we should leave in the morning." Levi said. Eren followed him to the wagon to review the map while the rest of us got together to get some sleep.
Soldier's Peak huh? Levi is going to be disappointed big time.
9:30 Wintermarch 29th
It would take us a near week to get to Soldier's peak since we're trekking from Lothering all the way near the Storm Coast. Not only that, it seems that there was a series of tunnels we'd need to take to get there too. The good thing was that now we had a wagon to sit in. The others could also sit on the cart that Bodahn had.
Derek hung out more with Bodahn. He wanted to hear more about Orzammar and its situation. It seems like the youngest princess was getting ready for her own expedition in the Deep Roads. That's another origin confirmed.
Alistair and Eren were both hounding Levi for more information, Alistair especially. Unfortunately, Levi couldn't give them more besides what led to the banishment of the Grey Wardens. Sophia and her cousin were both vying for the throne. Sophia was popular for the crown but Arland won. He had her imprisoned when she wouldn't stop but, with the people backing her, he didn't execute her but instead forced her in the Grey Wardens.
The Grey Wardens flourished under her command as she made the nobles give them more funding and had more people joining than ever. Once King Arland started to use his power to silence those that opposed him, she decided to put a stop to it. The rebellion started, Grey Wardens who were neutral went to Orlais, and then the siege of Soldier's Peak started. Everything culminated into the Grey Warden's banishment.
Of course I couldn't tell Levi any of this since I wasn't supposed to know any of it. It would save us a heap of trouble but having a merchant friend wasn't so bad. He had loads of food that made the rest of the group happy. Eren was up front with Levi, Alistair, Wynne, Talen, and Sten were in the wagon. Alfred, Derek, and Leliana were on the cart with Bodahn. Zevran and I were the only ones walking.
"I am surprised you didn't join the others in the wagon." Zevran inched closer to me. I walked further away.
"I didn't want to." I shrugged. "Besides, I decided that you'd be lonely without company."
"Ah already thinking of me are you? Should I leave a spot clear for you in my tent?" Zevran suggested.
"Sure, I'll see Alfred with you. Careful, he loves snuggles." I joked. Zevran chuckled.
"No, I would rather have poison ivy in my unmentionables. That dog is rather rank." Zevran shook his head.
"Don't let him hear you. He's a bit sensitive about his smell." I said.
"I will do my best not to insult him. There is something I did want to speak to you, however." Zevran said. I saw his demeanor change slightly.
"Ok?" I wondered.
"When we were fighting the witch turned dragon, I had noticed that your fighting style is extremely crude. Didn't you say you had training?" Zevran asked.
"I had training yeah but never anything against a dragon. I'm not one of those dragon hunters from Nevarra or something." I mentioned.
"I wouldn't think it." Zevran chuckled. "There is a certain hesitation in your blade however. I must ask, have you ever used your blade against another person?"
"If you're talking about going up and sparring then yes." I said.
"Let me put this in honest terms, have you ever killed someone?" Zevran asked. I glared at him and walked faster. "I assume from your reaction that you have."
"What's your point?" I gritted my teeth in annoyance.
"I believe you might be having performance anxiety." Zevran chuckled. I quickly turned toward him and glared.
"Unlike you who grew up with death Zevran, I had a relatively normal life. Then the one time I decide to kill was to help Eren and my friend." I clenched my fist as I remembered Rael's face. "In the end, I was left behind though. No thanks and no appreciation. I went and butchered my code for someone who dumped me in the end. Forgive me for not being enthusiastic in killing people." I angrily explained before following the rest.
"You place too much faith on others. In the end, you should swing your blade for yourself." Zevran said.
"I was forced to pick up the blade. Eren didn't want me to be useless when he went on his rounds." I explained.
"Then you don't like combat I presume?" Zevran said.
"Haven't you listened to anything I've been saying? I was a simple wife with nothing to worry about until I came here. Then I had to learn how to fight just so I can survive. I don't want to fight but I have to. It's not something I enjoy." I scoffed.
"You will eventually come to a time when that hesitation will either kill you or one of our group. Could you even look at yourself when that time comes?" Zevran said sincerely. I looked at him and remember Rena. So that's why he wanted me to get stronger. He didn't want the same thing happening to me.
"I…I don't know how. I remember them you know? The people I kill. I can remember their faces. I can remember the surroundings, the sky, the smells, everything. When we're fighting darkspawn or creatures its different but people? I…just can't. I want to save people." I sighed.
"This country is on track for a civil war. There are many sides to this conflict not counting the fantastical Blight side. It would do you well to abandon your hesitation." Zevran suggested.
"Well unless you have a sure way of helping me then there's nothing I can do." I sighed.
"You are very pure and, for someone like you on this journey, it's not a compliment." Zevran mentioned. I bit my lip from saying something extremely crude.
"Why do you care?" I said instead.
"Because I would rather have the dog watch my back than an unwilling blade." Zevran said.
"I can hit you where it hurts. That I have no problems with." I cracked my knuckles.
"Oh no, I would rather you not." Zevran chuckled nervously.
"Even if you're being extremely callous Zevran I get what you're saying. So I appreciate it, but the next time, how about you apply a little more tact so I don't have the want to crush those things you call jewels." I glared before walking ahead.
"Fair enough." He chuckled.
Beta'd by FearaNightmare and Syutaku!
Ah that was a tasty break but I love this story so much I just can't stop writing it! Though I did do a boo boo and started thinking of other ideas...I might get a poll up for a few ideas but we'll see. I finally included some information about my family thanks to a suggestion to one of my reviewers (you know who you are! :3 )
Thank you Amberlyn0007, NexUmbra, StormTigerXXL, QuoteMyFoot, Miymaou, Trotula, and remaogumi for favoriting/following! I appreciate all of you!
Chimera Spyke: I think she was being too preoccupied on actually staying alive to even think about burnt hair lol
WindBear47: Because it's annoying like that xD
KoraKendalls: Oh! Thank you for that tidbit. It seems I remembered incorrectly. Though in the Orlais book (I can't remember the name right now) I did read that she also wanted to expand through marriage.
Guest: Yes there are horses in Ferelden but horses require maintenance and money, both are not available to the Grey Wardens. With their bounty, I doubt anyone would give them horses either. The reason why they don't split up either is because they would be sitting ducks if a large force surrounds them. There's safety in numbers. I hope that answers that :3
Syutaku: I'm glad you like the fighting scenes!
Please Review! :D