Chapter 38) Forest

Aiden POV


Round and round I went. Where would I stop? Only Shianni, Neria, and Soris knew. Because they decided to play tag and I was it. Or, I was supposed to be. Instead, I was just lost in the Alienage, somehow, and now staring at these strange looking puppies curled up in a drain. What were they doing there?

"Aiden!" I looked up to see Dad and Mom racing for me. "There you are!" Dad breathed, sweeping me up in a hug. I squirmed, wanting to watch the puppies more. "Aiden, stop moving."

"…Since when do wolves appear here?" Mom's voice was curious and Dad put me back on the ground as he went to her side. I pushed between them to look at the puppies again. "White wolves, too. Didn't Valendrian say those only appeared in the Brecilian forest?" Really?

"Well, let's get them to him." Dad took off his patched jacket and carefully wrapped it around the puppies. Mom helped as they squirmed, whimpering in protest of the movement. "Aiden, why did you stop to look at them?"

"Why not?" I asked back, tilting my head. "They looked out of place. I wanted to help."

"And this is why Valendrian wants to steal you." Huh? "Come on. Let's get them help, Aiden."

"Okay!"


I hated red. I really, really hated red. I would never call Mistress Layla a 'redhead' again. Orange, ginger, not red. Red meant blood. Blood meant injury. And injury meant… lots and lots of dead and I was going to be so, so sick and-

"Aiden." I whirled, pommel coming up to strike whoever it was in the head, but a shield blocked it. I… knew that shield, yeah? That was… Alistair's? "Okay, that was stupid of me. Middle of a panic and we were just fighting." Sure enough, his face peeked around the shield with a smile. I blinked slowly, not quite processing everything. "Aiden, if you can't hear me, I might be stuck leading, and we're going to get lost somewhere without pants." That startled a laugh out of me. "Good, your coloring is getting back to normal. You were a pasty brown color, not the nice light sepia." What color was 'sepia' again? Red-brown? It didn't come up a lot. "Focusing again?" I… you know what? I was.

"I can't tell if you're an idiot or brilliant." Though clearly not recovered enough to keep my thoughts in my head. "I… uh…"

"Oh, I've heard worse." That didn't make it better. "So, for future reference, any idea what causes you to spiral?" …Um… "Never mind. You can tell me later." The shield came down and Alistair's smile warmed, and I definitely tried to think if he was brilliant or lucky. "Werewolves have stopped attacking." Yes, because what had started all this was us walking straight into an ambush which resulted in separating the group. Hopefully not far. Though, now that I was looking…

"Why am I covered in more blood than you?" More red. I felt my skin crawl and some part of me really just wanted to jump in the nearest river to get it off, safety be damned. The rest of me logically pointed out that doing so here would be very bad, but…

"Because, for some reason, the werewolves didn't focus nearly as much on Elspeth, Sten, and me, especially compared to how they went after you, Cleon, and Morrigan." Prejudiced against elves and mages? Well, they fit right in with the rest of Thedas the… why was I thinking that? Now wasn't the time! "Strange how much like everyone they are!" Alistair's smile was strangely innocent and I just decided to ignore him to push the hair out of my face. I told myself that it was wet with only sweat. "Well, except the hating Qunari part. I guess they don't mind the wars nearly as much." I really couldn't help but give him a look and he had the gall to laugh. "Yeah, I know. Chantry likes holding onto grudges. Look at the verses they struck out. Shame. Shartan's was fun to read." …Wait, he read the… never mind. Later. "You look calm again. Are you?" Did he ramble all that to give me time to get my breathing even? Really?

"…Yeah, I think so." I just… wouldn't look down. I'd just hook my greatsword to my back and ignore the ground. "Did you see where the others went? I… didn't."

"Morrigan and Cleon went that way." Alistair pointed to a point a little ahead. "Might want to leave them alone." Alistair made a face and I couldn't help but chuckle. "I swear; she just wants to… suck his blood out or something."

"I doubt that's what she wants to suck." And Alistair turned bright re… pink. Maybe I shouldn't have… "Sorry."

"N-no, don't be!" Alistair waved my apology away, even as he turned pinker. "I… uh… okay, let's just say I got the Chantry version of the Talk and it's awkward." …Right, Chantry raised. "Besides, not like I… um… have experience or anything, so…" He shrugged, and I did my best to keep from laughing. "Not that I mind, but it makes things even more awkward because I really only have that talk to go on and… and I'm just going to shut up now, okay?" If he wanted to?

"Let's fine Lady Elspeth and Sten." Alistair smiled sheepishly, for some reason, and led the way around the bend to where those two were. And, lo and behold, there they were. Some minor scratches, but surprisingly fine. I guess Alistair was right. They did leave them alone, for the most part.

"Oh, hello," Lady Elspeth greeted. Her bow was slung over her back, and her quiver was… full? How? …Did she remove them from the bodies? That… um… Oh, the scars on my neck throbbed in remembered pain. Even if corpses didn't… you know… feel pain… "I'm glad to see you're well." I… actually read that. It was a subtle, more subdue smile, but… huh. Either she was getting more open, or I was getting better. Was it prideful to assume the latter? "Sten and I cooperated to throw one over there." She pointed to what seemed to be nothing but trees. "He hasn't moved from there yet. He is breathing, though." I… was more confused by what she meant by 'cooperate'.

"They saw her bow and engaged her in close quarters." And Sten was explaining. Yay. "She dodged and I hit him with the flat of the blade," he reported easily. If not for the crossed arms, his posture really would've given the impression of military reporting… wait, that was what he was. I needed to think better. "She then provided covering fire while I removed their heads from their necks." I was definitely going to just take his word for that. "Will you question?" I… you know what?

"Yes, I will," I answered. He nodded… and I thought it was approving. "Track down Cleon and Morrigan, you three." Wait, I just gave orders to a-!

"That sounds good," Lady Elspeth noted. She gave me a small smile, and I slowly tried to calm down my racing heart. Okay, wasn't offended. Yes, leader, but why did I have to give orders? I took orders! Maybe? …I was going to stop thinking for a bit.

A brief glance back showed the three doing exactly as I asked, and I really couldn't get used to that. So, I sighed and slid made my way down to where Lady Elspeth had pointed. Just as she and Sten said, there was a werewolf at the base of one of the trees. Tall and strong, and conscious, just my luck. They watched me cautiously. Carefully. Okay. What do I do now?

"You speak to Swiftrunner." Aaaand the werewolf spoke first. Which… was never mentioned in the few stories I'd heard. A strange, growling and slurred speech, like they had only recently learned, and were still learning how to 'correct' it. "I lead my cursed brothers and sisters." So, the pack leader? Splendid. Now, if only I knew how to question people! "Turn back." Um… "Tell the Dalish you failed." There was more of a growl in the words now, which made it hard to understand them. "Tell them we will gladly watch them suffer the same curse we have suffered!" Oh. Yay. Vengeance. "Tell them we will make them pay!"

"Then why didn't you attack the children?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I saw Swiftrunner still at them. So, I continued, "I noticed. Not a single child even scratched." Based on how easily they played with Alistair, I'd even guess they had made sure to not get near them. "So why? Let's talk."

"Was it not Zathrian who sent you?" I never knew you could spit out a name so hatefully. "He only wishes our destruction. Never to-"

"I am not Zathrian." I was right. There was something more to this. Cleon was going to be mad… or betrayed. I hoped not the latter. There'd been enough betrayal. "I am not even Dalish. I was born and raised in the City, proud of my roots." They hesitated again, so I pressed on, "I want to talk. I want to know more about this Witherfang." I wanted to know what was going on.

"…Witherfang is the first and eldest." They actually relaxed, so I tried not to wonder why 'first' and 'eldest' were supposedly different. "This forest is his home, and you will never see him." Well… "If you are lucky." Right, now I was definitely going to see him. Our group only had enough luck to not die in bad situations. "Witherfang only appears to those who fate has marked for terrible and glorious destiny." I remembered King Cailan stating the battle of Ostagar would be 'glorious'. It felt like a long time ago. "Turn back now." I…

"I can't retreat, but I don't want to fight." How could I get through to him?

"I do not wish to fight either." Wait, really? "But we cannot trust you." …I could understand that. "Run back to the Dalish. The forest has eyes of its own, and will deal with intruders as it always has." Um…

With a powerful leap that told me they'd just been waiting to see what we'd do, Swiftrunner disappeared. In a blink, I had no idea where they were. Great. Back to wandering or something.

"Aiden!" I looked up and saw Cleon hanging off a tree trunk, hand outstretched. I took it without hesitation and he pulled me back onto the path. He had bandages on his arms, and a scab on his neck. Nothing that looked like a bite mark, thankfully. "Sten said you were interrogating," he said. I sighed and shrugged; he grimaced in reply. "Nothing?"

"They don't want to fight, they hate Zathrian, there is definitely more to all of this than we were told, Witherfang is definitely around here, the forest is guarding them, and basically we're in the middle of trouble again," I rattled off with another sigh. The unspoken 'and there is no one to drag us out of it this time' echoed harshly in my head. Why couldn't we just follow? I didn't want to lead. I didn't want any of us to lead. "So, two new things, three confirmed things." I had a headache. "How are you and Morrigan?"

"As you can see, I'm just fine." Cleon held up his hands for emphasis, and smiled wryly. "If you pay attention, you can hear Morrigan grousing about flea-bitten mongrels that don't deal well to ice and entropy." What in the Void was 'entropy'? Still, he was right. A moment's quiet brought Morrigan's familiar complaining on the wind. "Since the area looked secure, figured we'd bandage up." Good idea. Just…

"There's… no bodies around, right?" Cleon blinked slowly at me, and I wasn't sure how to explain the sick feeling in my gut at the thought of seeing more red, the feeling of suffocation. …Which I'd probably see more of because injuries and… I needed to stop thinking. "Clear?"

"Yeah…?" Cleon still looked confused, but thankfully just shrugged. Maybe attributed it to 'city elves'. "Ready to join."

No. "Yes."


After some quick bandages, and checking to make sure none of the werewolves actually bit any of us, we were back to wandering the woods. Cleon, being the only one of us who could tell the paths apart, was leading the way. As much as he could when he and Morrigan were openly flirting today. At this point, I was thinking Cleon was playing the 'prey' until he caught Morrigan, instead of Morrigan being the one chasing. I didn't know, though. I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

Sighing, I glanced around, trying to get a feel for things, and saw Alistair and Lady Elspeth standing close together behind me, making some mention of trees or leaves or… something. Whatever the conversation, it certainly held their attention. Neither seemed to notice how close they were. I wondered if they would, but decided against drawing notice to it. I had no idea just what direction they were heading, and it was probably best to stay back for now. So, with them accounted for, that left…

"Aiden." Sten. Who really liked just appearing beside me. "Why are we wandering the woods?" he asked. I think it was 'ask'. It might've been 'demanded'. Trying to differentiate almost distracted me from the fact that I really didn't have an answer. "You are a Warden, yes?" Unfortunately. "Your job is to defeat the Archdemon, not frolic among the trees." Doesn't he go to Lady Elspeth for questions like this? Or did he think she wouldn't have an answer because she wasn't a Warden?

"Because until the Archdemon shows up, we don't have a damn clue where it is," I growled. Frustration slipping through. Damn it. "Just that it's underground, in the Deep Roads, which literally span continents." I gave him a look, glowering up in his eyes. "So, it is better to find allies to help us with our job. And by helping them, we make them owe us personally, instead of just owing a treaty." Wow, I just came up with the most manipulative excuse ever. Since when did I think like this?

"I see." I braced myself for a counter, but known came. Instead… "Why have you not sought treatment?" For… uh… what?

"I… have bandaged myself, yes?" I held up my arms for emphasis. Well, more like Alistair bandaged me, but that was neither here nor there. "See?"

"I meant for your mind." Huh? "Why have you not sought treatment for it?" Um… was he talking about how all of us were insane? "You suffer from Soldier's Heart." Uh… and that was…? "Panic attacks, nausea, avoidance of certain triggers." Okay, I had to admit that did sound a little bit like me, but that was… it was… "Some of the symptoms of Soldier's Heart." It was just in my head! …Right?

"Well, how does one go about getting treatment for it?" Better to just ask. "I'd never heard of it before." Though it did remind me of when Lady Elspeth mentioned 'battle dreams'? "And I doubt they'd help an elf."

"…Everyone here is backwards." Ahaha… ha… "I will teach you exercises used to settle the mind." Huh? "It will help you." Uh… sure? "Ah, they've separated." Who? Well, a glance ahead showed Cleon and Morrigan still playing, so I assumed he must be talking about Alistair and Lady Elspeth. "I should go." Uh… okay…? Sten, force of nature who listened to no one. I just needed to hope his 'calming exercises' wouldn't make me nearly as angry as his sparring matches did.

"Aiden?" I blinked and saw Lady Elspeth approaching, keeping her distance until I nodded. "You seem confused," she whispered as she came to my side. A glance back showed Alistair was now the victim of one of Sten's lectures. Ouch… "Is everything all right?" No, we were in the middle of a giant forest, chasing down werewolves, and being used by someone for something we don't even understand.

"Yes, I am well," I lied. I wasn't sure if she believed me, but she nodded like she did. "Was there something you needed from me?"

"Actually, yes." She looked up at me, right at me, even as we walked. "I've a question, a serious one." Uh oh. What did I do? "Frequently, when I have asked elves in the past about how we are treating them, I got praise and reassurance." Well, yes, because- "Was that because they were talking to my face, because we are better than the alternatives, or because my family was actually helping?" And all my thoughts froze. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, and I couldn't think of the words. Yes, appreciated the equal opportunity. Yes, appreciated the access to education. But… but the small alienage and… but I couldn't say that to her face! She was a noble! And, more importantly, the Couslands really were one of the only noble families who even tried to help us elves! Who were fair in the judicial system! "I see." She gave me a wry smile, and I wondered what she gleaned from my silence. "Please tell me, later, when you are more comfortable, whether it was the first or second." …I had no words, and she was… okay with that. I think. Maker, I hoped.

Regardless, she ran up ahead, to talk with Morrigan and Cleon, Cleon smiling and Morrigan sulking at the flirting coming to an end. Or, at least, Morrigan sulked until she caught sight of something on a nearby hill, and dragged Elspeth with her to investigate, leaving a baffled Cleon. Um…

"That was weird." Alistair and Sten jogged to catch up to me, and the three of us joined Cleon in watching the girls disappear behind some foliage. "Don't suppose she said anything?" Alistair asked. Cleon shook his head. "Of course not." To be fair, Lady Elspeth was also very bad at explaining things unless you asked directly. "Hey, is that a camp?" What.

I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, but no, Alistair was right. Just around the bend, still within sight of where Morrigan and Lady Elspeth went, was an old, abandoned campsite. How… strange.

"We should look around," Cleon suggested. He was already poking at a discarded pillow. "Maybe we'll find some clues to where we need to go." Or just get some well-needed rest. I was so tired of trees. "There's definitely something here. I can sense it." I needed to get clarification on that. Later. "Might be bad." Of course it was.

"Oh, is that what you're doing?" And there was Morrigan, poking her head out from the bushes. "Well, while you're poking around random pieces of junk…" Alistair wasn't the only one who gave Morrigan a dirty look then. "Elspeth and I found something truly interesting," she continued, easily ignoring the glares. She pointed up the hill towards… a gravestone. Gravestone. What? Were we graverobbing now? "The script is old." Okay?

"It looks like ancient Tevene script!" Lady Elspeth stood up next to Morrigan and revealed another surprise of the day. Her stoic mask was replaced with a look of clear excitement. Flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes… I tried to think of a time, at all, I'd seen or even heard of her acting like this, and came up blank. "By studying it, Morrigan thinks we might be able to glean some knowledge about the battles that were fought here in the past and…" Realizing we were all staring, Lady Elspeth snapped her jaw shut, and noticeably drooped "I-I'm sorry." For what?

"Why?" Cleon asked, echoing my thoughts. "That was the first time you acted your age that didn't involve you snapping at me." Cleon, was that really a thing to bring up?! "Not that I can talk, mind. I'm younger than you, I think." …How old were we all? Who was the oldest? Someone with experience take over please. "You two go have fun doing whatever. Someone needs to stand by in case you wake something up, though." …The nonchalant way he said that made me really wish I was back in the Alienage with Valendrian, Shianni, and Soris.

"Alistair, you go," I sighed. Alistair nodded, not bothered by the order. "Sten, keep an eye on both groups." And he nodded, not bothered either. Why were they listening to me? I didn't know what I was doing. "Let's investigate, Cleon."

Our group fell silent, listening to the wind blowing through the leaves and the movement of small animals in the bushes and flowers. I shifted through the ashes of the campfire to find nothing interesting and moved to check inside the haphazard tent all but falling down. And I felt… sleepy all of a sudden. Why did I feel… so sleepy…? That made… no sense… I was tired, but not… what was… going…? I…

As screams echoed through the air, slamming into my ears, all I could think of was how stupid we were, and how much I wished Master Duncan had survived so he could save us.


I blinked slowly, not quite sure of what I was seeing. I thought it was a little bit of sunlight, filtering through leaves, but that… couldn't be right. Wasn't I supposed to be dead? And either in the Void or by the Maker's side? Did the Maker live in a forest? Why?

"Looks like you're awake." It took a moment for my eyes to focus on the face that appeared in front of me. An elf with markings on his face like I'd seen many of the Dalish, but his clothing was different. Different Clan? "Can you hear me?" I nodded and instantly regretted it because of the pounding in my head. "Ah, here." There was a bit of glowing, and when it faded, it took the pain with it. "There we are." The elf smiled, and bowed a little. "Can't believe I forgot that little trick. Wynne would scream at me, again." Who? I… knew that name. Layla had said it. "My name is Aneirin. I'm a bit of a wanderer. Dalish and Circle trained." That sounded like a weird mix. "You are your friends are safe. I found you in time, and, though it might sound prideful, I was taught by one of the best Spirit Healers in the Circle before I ran. I still remember most of what she taught me." I was more focused on how I could slowly feel the rest of my limbs and being relieved they were attached. "You and your comrades fell victim to a demon's trap." Morrigan, weren't you supposed to know how to… I don't know… make people not fall to that? "If you're wondering how I found you all, I just followed the screams." I was more wondering where I was, but that was nice to know too.

Carefully, I pushed myself up, finding that I was laying on some animal skin turned into a blanket. Little strange, but I wouldn't complain. I glanced around and mentally counted all the sleeping bodies. No one missing. Good. But what all happened? How did we end up in a campsite that was very much intact? And why was there a set of armor not far from me? Where had that come from?

"Your friends disturbed the Revenants that guarded that, by the way." What was a revenant and why would it be guarding armor? "Seems you stumbled on the legendary Juggernaut armor, if I read the script correctly." The… the what?

"A suit of armor infused with lyrium and blood magic, named for the golems that guard the gates of Minrathous." Blinking slowly, I turned to see Lady Elspeth had not only woken up, but had already crawled next to me, studying the armor with bright eyes. "It was fashioned by the Magister Harach for Alaric, his friend and general, and Alaric returned the favor by winning many victories against the Clayne." The Clayne were…? "However, Alaric's lieutenants killed Alaric, and Harach, in fury, used the last of his life and blood to slay and bind them to guard the armor." Um… "Oh, the Clayne were a powerful Alamarri tribe that used to dominate the lowlands here." Oh, okay. Now that I had a basis, this was really fascinating. "They united under King Calenhad to form modern Fereldan."

"You're really adorable when you're rattling things off like that." That absent comment came from Alistair, and Lady Elspeth stared at him in confusion over it. Not that Alistair noticed. He was busy poking the armor. When had he woken up and made his way over to me? "Well, it seems safe," he noted. I must've made a noise as he looked at me. "Oh, just checking for nasty little traps or something. Excess lyrium. That sort of thing." Oh. Lovely. "Not seeing anything, though." Well, good. But what were we supposed to do with it?

"Since your companions slew the Revenants, the armor is yours," Aneirin 'helpfully' informed us. I wanted to glare, but he was busy helping the others up. "So, have fun!" Maker, I wasn't sure if I liked or hated him.

Still, I sighed, and looked at the armor myself. Heavy and massive, so that automatically meant Alistair, Sten, or I would be wearing it. Lady Elspeth mentioned a magister had made it, so I was going to assume it wasn't going to fit an elf. Or a qunari for that matter. So, that meant…

"Alistair, see if it fits you." Alistair looked at me as if I was insane, so I repeated, "Alistair, see if it fits you." He opened his mouth to protest, but I really didn't want to deal with it. "It's got the best chance of fitting you, and if we're keeping it, we're not carrying it around." It wasn't as if we had some infinite storage backpack or something we could stuff pieces of armor in. "So, see if it fits." Now, please.

As Alistair sulkily listened to me, with Lady Elspeth helping him with the straps, I watched Aneirin carefully tend to Morrigan, Cleon, and Sten. Cleon seemed to even know Aneirin, striking a conversation easily. "Yeah, we're helping out the Clan near here," he was saying. I kept silent, just listening and watching. What part of the forest were we even in now? How did Aneirin move all of us? Magic? "We're hoping to get the aid of the Clans to help fight the Blight." Less 'hope', more 'we have no idea what else to do'. "Some of our other comrades are at the Tower." And hopefully having an easier time than us!

"The Tower, huh?" Aneirin hesitated before nodding to himself. "If… might I give you a necklace and message to give to a mage?" he requested softly, hands busy mixing some sort of paste in a bowl. Huh? "I'm sure she's still alive. Wynne was always full of fire." Now I remembered that name! She was the mage who… had been with the healers at Ostagar and… uh… "Please? I very much regret never apologizing to her." Cleon and I exchanged an awkward look, but both of us nodded. What else could we do? Especially when he smiled in relief. "Ma serannas!" I just hoped she survived to make it to the Tower. If she did, I was sure everything would be fine. …Okay, maybe not so sure.

Shaking my head, I noticed Morrigan watching Aneirin work with curious eyes, so different from her normal haughty air. Huh. She must appreciate good worksmanship. I chose not to comment, and instead paid attention to Lady Elspeth and Alistair. Both were standing now, and I was pleased to see the Juggernaut armor seemed to fit Alistair quite well. Or, at least, I assumed. Certainly, neither was frowning at the armor. Though, it seemed like a set Alistair would have trouble putting on himself. Maybe I should just let Lady Elspeth always do it. Force them to make decisions and… okay, where were these thoughts coming from? I never did things in the Alienage, did I?

With a groan of protest, I pushed myself up and stretched carefully as my muscles keened bitterly at the change in position. As I did so, I saw Sten doing the same, and Cleon tucking a letter and amulet in his pouch. When had Aneirin written… did he have it written already? Just in case? Wow, what sort of regret did he have to do that? Morrigan was folding something in a small piece of paper, while Aneirin passed her more. Okay, what was that?

"And that is why we're going after the werewolves." …When did Cleon explain everything to Aneirin? Or did he give him the abridged version? Probably that. "Which is why we're in the forest in the first place, " Cleon added with a grimace. Didn't he like this place? "It's… much different from what I remember." Oh, not what I wanted to hear.

"I see," Aneirin laughed. He passed Morrigan the last of whatever he'd been making. What was it?! "Well, if you're seeking the werewolves, then you'll need a way through the fog that guards their ruins." Fog? I guessed it was something magical. Or maybe the werewolves just dismembered everyone when they were disoriented. "The Grand Oak can assist you." The… the what? I almost asked, but Cleon simply nodded as if expected it. Maybe it was a strange name for another mage who lived around here? "But it's hiding." Of course. When was something easy for us? "His acorn was stolen." All this for an acorn? Weren't there many all over the place? "Personally, I think it's that hermit who's made his camp nearby." Thank the Maker Aneirin was willing to help out without making us do complicated quests first! "If I'm right, then when you find it, just continue down the path and the Oak will appear to you." How were we supposed to know which acorn it was?! This made no sense…

"Understood." GLAD IT MADE SENSE TO YOU, CLEON! "Ma serannas, Aneirin," Cleon murmured, bowing slightly with a hand over his heart. The rest of us mimicked the bow as best as we could, just in case this was a proper Dalish custom. "We are very grateful."

"It was my pleasure." Aneirin bowed in return, just the same, and I decided to ask Cleon, later, the importance behind the bow. Just in case we'd have to do something similar to our Dalish allies. If we got the Dalish as allies at this rate. "Safe travels." Something told me our travels would be anything but safe.

Still, all of us knew to be polite, and we all smiled and nodded as we departed, Cleon leading us down the path again. And Cleon expertly found the camp Aneirin mentioned. With the hermit. Muttering to himself.

"Oh, look! Not werewolves or spirits!" Oh, he was looking at us now. "What are these woods coming to?" What in the… I was confused. I was so, so confused. "Ah, questions… questions… they said they made me mad!" Sir, I really think you need some sort of help. Not in the woods. "Won't you play a game with me?" What. "Ask a question, get a question. Give an answer, receive the same." A… a question… game? Maker, this wasn't the time for games. I had a headache and just wanted to get moving.

And, apparently, Sten agreed with me. With one fluid motion, he unhooked his greatsword and swung, easily splitting the strange man's skull. I flinched away from the red, red blood and looked up to the leaves above head. I probably shouldn't have. It was unnerving how they didn't so much as sway, like they didn't care that a murder just happened at their… was I really thinking the trees sentient? I needed to get out of here.

"Ah, good, Sten dealt with the crazed mage," Morrigan deadpanned. I just blinked in confusion at the word 'mage'. He'd been a mage? "I think I found the acorn." She held it up with a dry look, like she couldn't believe what was going on. Honestly, I doubted any of us did. All of us had baffled looks. "It has some strange power within it." Why would an acorn have any sort of power? "So, shall we continue on and pretend this never happened?" Sounded good to me.

I took a few steps down the path, or what I hoped was the path, and tried to figure out what exactly we were supposed to do to find the strange mage with the stranger name. A creak caught my ear and I suppressed a groan as I realized a tree was swaying a great deal. Was it about to fall? That would be my luck.

"Hmm…" W-where was the voice coming from? "What manner of beast be thee?" It was very low, and very high, but all I saw were trees. "To come before this elder tree?" Wha…?!

I could only stare in utter shock as the oak tree in front of me suddenly turned, leaves rustling with each movement, and I could see a distinct face peering down at us. I… uh… um…

Well, what did you know? Something that creeped me out more than ogres and Archdemons. I really, really could've gone my whole life not having that topped, thank you very much!


With the help of the poet tree… I did not just think that pun. Urgh… regardless, with its help, we made it through the fog easily. So easily I wondered what it was supposed to do. Still, though we made it, there was definitely… well, there weren't werewolves. There were signs of them all over the place. Half-eaten carcasses, furrows in the ground and walls, droppings… but no actual werewolves. Where were they? Were they preparing an ambush?

"Careful, everyone," I whispered as we walked through the entry room, kicking up dust. I was scared to talk any louder. "They know this place better than us." Much better. "Search for a path." Because we had nowhere else to go but forward at this point. "Sten, guard the entrance in case they come from there, please."

Perhaps sensing the need for quiet, no one argued. We all spread out, walking slowly, covering our mouths as the smell of dust mingled with the strangely lovely scent of fresh flowers. So, even in these broken ruins, things would grow, huh? That was rather comforting.

A bit of vines and sunlight caught my eye and I turned to see a door all but hidden at the bottom of a leaf and petal covered staircase. Slowly and carefully, I headed down, slipping every few steps as the debris shifted unexpectedly.

The door was warm when I placed my hand on it, and the handle shone. It had been used recently. I knew it had to be. If not, it would've been dull and tarnished. I'd spent enough time polishing doorknobs to know that.

But it would turn when I tried. Locked. And, when I placed an ear against the door, I heard other things shifting on the other side. Barricade. This was the way. Okay, so, if Morrigan cast a spell to weaken it, then Alistair, Sten, and I could take turns to knock everything down and-

"Is someone there?" That… sounded much different than Swiftrunner. Low, feminine, with a strange little echo to the voice. Like they were speaking from far away. "Hello?"

"Ah, yes?" I replied automatically. I glanced back and saw none of the others were near. Leaving me to converse with strange woman through a door. Right… This day was just full of weird things.

"Splendid!" Well, they did sound delighted. "I do not know your voice…" Sorry? "Tell me. Is Mahariel's son in your group?" Mahariel? …Wait, wasn't that Cleon's last name?

"Do you mean 'Cleon'?"

"Yes!" They… sounded really relieved. Cleon, who did you all know?! "Listen to me." Well, my only other option was to walk away, so… "The door is barricaded." I figured that out already, thank you. "There is a long way around." Why would I take the long way when the short way was a spell and a hundred bruises away? "It will buy me the time to calm Swiftrunner and get him to agree to parley." …Okay, they were trying to help us do this relatively peacefully. If it meant not seeing more red

"Okay." I nodded, even though I knew they couldn't see. "I'll do that."

"Thank you! Ma serannas!" Um… "What is your name?" Uh…

"Aiden Tabris." Why?

"Tabris?" The person chuckled. What was so funny about my family name? "Being of Free Will. You will be a fine leader, with a name like that." W-what was she talking about? Yes, Cleon and Lady Elspeth 'named' me leader, but… "I'll be waiting. Hurry."

I opened my mouth to ask more, but there was a sound and I thought she might've disappeared. Okay, either I was talking to a ghost or someone just offered to help. Both, at this point, were equally likely.

"Aiden!" And that was Morrigan yelling for me. "There is a path!" That must be the long way. "Are you sleeping?" Yeah, no.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and climbed the staircase again. What a strange, strange… something. I wasn't even sure I could refer to it as 'day' at this point. Because something told me this sort of thing was going to get very normal, very quickly, and I wasn't sure how much I liked that. If it did, then the Alienage wouldn't ever feel like home again. Not like I could return there anyway, but…

I had a headache. Hopefully someone had a remedy in the packs.


Author's Note – I simultaneously love and hate the Brecilian Forest. I really, really do. So much lore, not a lot of plot, but not nearly as convoluted as the other two for GETTING to said plot. Juggernaut's description comes directly from the codex. Yes, Aneirin is here. Shifting things about to indirectly fulfill Wynne's companion quest. Aiden really feeling how unprepared he is for these responsibilities.

Next Chapter – Exploring the Tower with Nuada