Love makes fools of us all - even heroes, even the witches who love them. But there lies the greatest paradox of her life; her love for him caused her to flee from him, to ready their son without endangering his sire; and yet she would now claw through the dead and decayed flesh filled tunnels of the deep roads to save herself from loosing him.

Cormack was enthralled by the entire experience; almost giddy with anticipation of seeing his father, and only mildly curious about why he had left them. His mommy told him his daddy was an important hero. Cormack like that... a lot. Daddy left to help people - he wanted to do that to; like when he helped the pretty elf girl; she was nice... just like mommy. It was a fun trip they were on; this part of it was... familiar. He was making all kinds of friends - the eight legged crawly kind, forty-five in all - so far.

The pair was led by Morrigan's twin to Aeden's ring that she had given him when she had finally accepted that she was in fact desperately in love: a one-sided beacon she gave him to lead her to him, and remind him of her. It would be glowing now; he would noticed... if he hadn't been preoccupied.

The Darkspawn had held the thaig for some fifty-five generations, and counting. Aeden had decided that his group of Wardens should investigate. He had brought the hand-picked crew himself: Nathaniel Howe, Oghren, plus three newer recruits - a veteran Dahlish elf from the Battle of Denerim, one new Dwarf recruit from house Dace, and a young, gifted, female malificar from Kirkwall discovered by Anders while on an expedition to the deep roads (Maker help him if Morrigan found out about 'her' being in the squad; he would never betray his true love, but she was Morrigan).

He had added to this considerable group of fighters a squad of the 'Legion Of The Dead' and he felt they had the best chance of clearing it out.

King Behlen's Golem force had been sent in, but had never came back; strange for a group that had single-handedly wiped clean three brood-mother dens in less than a week.

The initial assault had gone as expected, they had scraped a few giant spiders that had lined the walls leading to the thaig off their boots, but it wasn't until they entered the thaig proper that they felt they had made a logistical error - there was no thaig, it was all Darkspawn... thousands.

"Gotta' die of something," Oghren belched in happily, and took a deep swig of his horn flask, "they just get to die of us."

Aeden grinned, "Better than being torn apart by your infant son for making love to his mother."

Ogren spewed his drink, and nearly choked, "SAY AGAIN?"

Aeden laughed, "Morrigan, she likes it, 'rough', and would get... vocal. Cormack thought I was hurting his mommy."

"I knew she was a screamer. Braggart. Rub it in," Oghren grumbled, "had she had me, she never would have had that kid."

"Yeah," the female mage chimed in, "she would have gone for girls."

The crew snickered.

"Bethany, is it?," Nathaniel said with a charming smile.

"Yes Mr Howe?," she said, respectful of the senior warden.

"Please, call me Nathaniel, and let me just say you are not only a remarkably talented healer, gifted mage, and astonishingly lovely young woman... but a profoundly intelligent one."

They all laughed.

"Yeah," Oghren rumbled in agreement, "she has a great ass."

"As opposed to you... who simply is one," the young Hawke responded with a smile.

They all laughed louder: the Darkspawn heard them.

"Bethany," Aeden laughed, "it is truly a great honor to die horribly in your company."

"Not to break up a good time," the elf said, "but those ugly gents think Bethany and I are cute; but a little thin. Im not interested in having any part of any male anatomy shoved down my throat, or elsewere - involentarily. SO, Oghren,darling nug humper... less talk, more block," she moved in behind the legion of the dead troops as they moved into the advancing front line of the darkspawn.

"Hey! Ariani! that's MY horrible, pointless death your taking!," Nathaniel screamed and took position beside the Elf.

The two ace archers fired two arrows at a time, each. The advancing darkspawn soon found themselves impaled in their chests, knees and heads as they rushed in; the ones that followed immediately behind trampled their fallen brethren and fell on to the spiked shields of the dwarves, as well as got gutted by the dwarves swords as they stabbed from behind the shields.

Bethany cast a spell that literally drained the health from the advancing darkspawn and used it to heal the wounds being inflicted on the dwarves. Basically, as long as the darkspawn sent in infantry to attack the dwarves, their archers could do them no harm.

"Gotta hand it to ya Warden Commander," Oghren said with a fart, "You sure surround yerself with foolishly suicidal people, good company though. Hey, think we can end this private Blight before it reaches Denerim? there's this bar maid who gave me the eye there and I...'

"What about the mother of your child?"

"Your one to talk." It was Morrigan, pupils dilated, and transfixed on Aeden. The three turned to her as the dwarf recruit engaged a Darkspawn Shrek. Morrigan incinerated it, "and for the 'memories' dwarf , I'm a 'moaner'."

"Of all the darkspawn infested thaigs in all the deep roads, and she had to...," Aeden mumbled to himself.

"Are her fun bags bigger?" Oghren noted in happy astonishment, "Man! at last a practical use for magic I can get in back of - or - in front of. I'm good either way. I knew she was a smart piece of trim."

Cormack stepped from behind his mother.

"Yeah, genius," Bethany noted, "brings a five-year old into the deep roads."

"Hmm," Morrigan said as she approached and caressed Bethany's hair, "a raven haired Malificar, so good to see you stay consistent," she said to Aeden.

"I though you said these," he pointed to the Darkspawn, getting soundly routed as they tried to cross the bridge against the shield wall of the dwarfs, "Were a bad influence on our..."

She closed his mouth with her own with a long, soft, deep, wet kiss, "Mmmm," she moaned, "What was it the lovely elf said?," she sighed as she pressed her crotch to his hand, "Less talk more..."

"To think I was worried about the Darkspawn's influence," he sighed.

She smiled, "I can feel 'you' coming under my considerable influence; hopefully not premat..."

"I'm afraid there's a problem with getting a room in this town," he interupted as Cormack looked on innocently.

"Let your lovely gift to me find us a vacancy. Watch, my love," she said in a moan as she moved her mouth away long enough to speak to their son, "Darling, clean out the city."

Cormack smiled, "Ok mommy," and stepped up to the shield wall.

"Someone get this kid out of here!," one of the legion shouted.

"It's ok," Cormack said happily, "get down."

They dropped behind their shields.

Cormack looked to the lava under the bridge, and smiled, " Watch mommy!" He lifted his arms, as if flapping his wings... and the lava rose.

The Darkspawn turned and backed away as the lava reached out for them teasingly... and then surged.

Cormack's arm gestures were mimicked by the lava as it surged in waves that swallowed the Darkspawn ranks.

A Genlock archer glanced him.

Cormack lifted his arm above his head, and the lava rose in a swirling pillar to the roof of the thaig, causing the remaining Darkspawn to flee. Just for good measure, he looked to the shield wall and said, "clean," and with that... the dwarf shields flew off, whirling like rotor blades, and decapitated any lingering Darkspawn. This continued till he looked away from them; at which point they fell.

"There have to be at least fifteen hundred left," Nathaniel asked, "why run?"

"Who cares!," Ariani shouted.

"Yeah Howe," Ogheren asked as he stepped forward, "If you want to, go ask em, I recommend bringing the little fella... man I love sayin' that."

"So," Morrign said softly as she placed Aedens hand on her right breast, "feel how a-flutter my heart is? Wanna take advantage of me? We have a whole city to defile... what, beside me, do you want to explore first? the young malificar? I may not have been open to the pirate whore or even the killer turned annoying bard, but I like her."

"By my sodding ancestors, I like her more and more," Oghren moaned.

"Are you still alive? I was confused by the scent," Morrigan stated bluntly.

"Well," Ogheren giggled licentiously, "you would have to be a golem to be confused by yours."

"Class dwarf," Nathaniel said with a grin.

"Shut up burglar boy," Oghern said, "What is it with you human wardens and the mage chicks? Man if you were any sweeter to young Hawke eyes over there you'd spit honey. Now lets go violate the corpses... err loot em. Heh."