A/N: Thank you for all of the favorites and follows to my stories! I appreciate it, but I would really like some feedback on any of them. Thanks!
"Ana!" Alina wrapped her arms around her sister and crushed her to her chest. "I'm so happy you're okay!"
"Alina, put me down!" Ana squirmed but she couldn't break the death-grip of her sister.
"Ok, I'm glad to be okay as well, now put me down!" Finally, she was released and allowed to suck in some air.
"I thought you were dead." Alina said.
"As you can see," the rogue gestured to herself. "I am not." She looked up as Flemeth joined them. "Thanks to Flemeth." She noticed Alina take a wary step back but her attention was turned to the strange look that Flemeth was giving her.
"What do you remember about your rescue?"
"Very little, a couple of arrows being shot into my chest and a giant bird. Why?" Ana narrowed her eyes at the old woman who did the same.
"Thank the Maker!" Alistair interrupted. "You're alive."
"No kidding."
"What about the king? And the army? What are we going to do?" He looked between the sisters.
"Loghain betrayed the king and left our brethren to die," said Alina. "He must be brought to justice."
"Or we should take care of the Blight, since it could, I don't know, destroy the world!" Ana said.
"We could go to Redcliffe. Arl Eamon will listen to me. We could use his support at the Landsmeet to gather allies to fight the Blight." Alistair agreed.
"And turn them against Loghain." Alina added.
Flemeth chuckled. "It seems you're all set then."
Morrigan chose that moment to return and inquire of whether they would have guests for dinner. Flemeth smirked. "My daughter will accompany you as well. Her magic and herbal abilities will be useful."
"Have I no say in the matter?" Morrigan interrupted. "Do you intend to just thrust me into the arms of the first people we have met?"
"Oh hush girl." said Flemeth. "Stop complaining. You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years, now is your chance. Take it." She looked at Alina. "Do you understand, Warden, that nothing should befall my daughter or it will be your head on a pike."
"She'll not come to harm with us." Ana said before her sister could reply.
"Good, then you best be off."
The four packed whatever provisions the old witch could spare and made to leave. "Would you have me as silent guide to Lothering?" Morrigan asked.
"I'd prefer you speak your mind." said Ana, again before her sister could reply. The Wardens started off while the witches said goodbye to one another. Then the official journey began…
Morrigan trailed behind the others, silently observing her new companions. The giant female, Alina, in all her "nobleness" was sickening. She appeared to be the apparent leader and yet her sister, the rogue hardly listened to her. Only in battle did they seem to cooperate with each other. Ana was clearly a natural leader, but allowed her sister to make the decisions, that is, until she disagreed with them. The woman still intrigued her greatly but she had yet to find a reason to converse with her. Morrigan was not one to hold her tongue or to be intimidated by another but she found herself oddly disquieted and at ease by the woman's presence.
"Morrigan!" Ana's voice jerked her out of her stupor and she scowled at being startled.
The rogue dropped back to walk beside her. "Tell me, do you know anything about darkspawn?"
"Only what your chantry preaches."
"What, the Black City?" She laughed and flipped her hair off her shoulder. "I do not believe in the Chant of Light. It's all a bunch of rubbish. They pray to a prophetess they burned and a god who has abandoned them, not once, but twice."
"I am surprised to hear you think so." said the witch with a slight smirk. "I would not have thought it about you."
"Because of my noble sister? We are nothing alike, as you can see." Ana gestured to the armor-clad blonde with her massive sword strapped to her back. She and Alistair were actively engaged in some sort of discussion about Templars. "I despise the Chantry, and the Templars. Anything that tries to constrict the freedom of others should be destroyed."
Morrigan could not hide the surprise on her face and Ana smiled, but it quickly faded as she suddenly wiped around. She scanned the treeline.
"What's wrong?" Morrigan asked, following her gaze but seeing nothing.
"I just feel I'm being watched." Ana continued to look for another moment before turning around and starting to to walk again, this time faster. Morrigan looked back as she matched the rogue's stride and managed to glimpse a large white animal disappear into the woods. Moments later, a long howl rose into the air, followed by barking as two mabaris, one brown, the other black came racing up the road. Behind them was a large darkspawn pack headed by a Hurlock Alpha.
Ana drew her blades and ran straight through the midst of them, slitting the throats of two as she passed, heading straight for the emissary. Alina met the Alpha head on while Alistair and the dogs took care of those who sought to attack her from behind. Morrigan picked them off from a distance but her focus was momentarily shaken when she spotted Ana actually dodge a blast from the emissary's staff. Never before had she seen a person who could dodge magic, and do it so effortlessly, as she watched as the rogue leaped squarely on top of the darkspawn and stabbed in the chest with both weapons. But it was too late for her to realize that it was a trap. A spell of paralysis had been set up around the creature and as soon as she landed, the ground around her began to glow green.
"Ana!" Alina cried, shoving away the Alpha to come to her sister's defense as the remaining darkspawn moved in for the kill. She needn't have bothered because a familiar streak of white flew the air and landed on the Alpha, jaws closing around the creature's neck before it was savagely ripped apart. The wolf was massive, twice the size of bereskarn. Strange bright silver markings flowed along its fur and dark, intelligent eyes scanned the road. It fell upon Ana and it leaped toward her, stopping just in front of her.
Alina cleaved three darkspawn in half in a desperate attempt to reach her sister. Alistair and the dogs were trying to do the same. Morrigan was the closest, yet she was more intrigued by what kind of wolf this was than anything. She launched a fire blast at the ground directly in front of it. The wolf's fur caught fire, but it barely noticed, so intently was it staring into Ana's eyes. It suddenly barked, disrupting the paralysis spell and licked the rogue's face before suddenly bounding off into the woods, leaving just as suddenly as it had come.
"Are you alright?" Alina asked as she helped Ana to her feet.
"I'm fine." She bent to retrieve her blades and examined them before looking at her sister. "Are you as confused as I am?"
"About the whole wolf thing? Hell yeah." came the reply. "Why didn't it kill you?"
"I don't know. It was like it was...playing." Ana shuddered and sheathed her weapons, they would need to be cleaned and sharpened later.
"What about these two?" Alistair called as he patted the dogs on the heads.
"They warned us about the darkspawn." said Alina.
"That they did." Ana agreed. She stepped forward and crouched and offered her hand. The black dog approached her warily and sniffed her hand that she of them had to be pure blooded. They were massive with well defined muscles.
"Looks like it's full blooded. And properly trained as a wardog." Morrigan commented.
"You may be right." She looked up at Alina. "This one's mine. What shall I call him?" She looked back down at the beast. "Do you remember the dog from that fairy tale Nan used to tell us?"
"Hohaku." said Alina.
"That will be his name." Ana scratched the dog's ears.
"Hohaku was too prideful and attacked the chief of his village and was eventually chased out."
"He was also brave and cunning." The rogue rose to his feet. "He will do." She turned to Morrigan. "Your skills are quite impressive. But I think we should see what the darkspawn were carrying and be on our way. Shall we?" She strolled over to the dead alpha with Hohaku at her side.
Morrigan silently cursed the heat that threatened to color her cheeks and bent over a darkspawn body to conceal her discomfort.
Lothering proved to be a dump, overflowing with refugees. They made short work of the "highwaymen" at the gates. then the group split up in order to find ways to help the refugees and to make some coin for equipment and supplies. Ana, Hohaku and Morrigan killed the bandits and bears and wolves in the surrounding area to collect five sovereigns that was spent on a new staff for Morrigan, food, kaddis and a harness for Hohaku. As Ana was painting the war dog with the paint, Alina, Alistair and Knight, Alina's name for her new dog, returned.
"Something's happening in Redcliffe." Alina said. "Arl Eamon is sick or something and the castle is closed off. Some knights had been dispatched but never returned and apparently they were searching for something called the Urn of Sacred Ashes."
"The Sacred Ashes of Andraste." Alistair added.
"We should head to Redcliffe to confirm this. Maybe we can take control of Eamon's soldiers without his input." Ana said, wiping her hands on the ground and then dusting them off. "Doesn't he have a wife?"
"We can't get support from the other nobles without Arl Eamon."Alistair said. "Eamon's knights won't be enough."
"Isn't that the point of the other treaties?" Morrigan asked.
"They still won't be enough if the others won't give us a decent amount of soldiers." Alina argued. "I agree we should confirm this, but we may have to go get the Ashes ourselves."
"Provided they're real." Ana crossed her arms.
"Do you doubt my judgment of character? The man was a knight." Alina crossed hers as well.
"As a matter of fact I do. You seem to think that everyone is as noble and kind and as gut-wrenchingly giving as you."
"And the rest are as indifferent to the needs of other people and selfish as you?"
"I think about my own survival, yes. That's what we're supposed to do, survive. That's what we have to do now. A Blight is upon us and you're worried about one man."
"One man who condemned an entire army, the King of Ferelden and our brethren to die."
"Your King, Your brethren."
Alina sighed. "Duncan saved us, do you at least feel sorry about his death?"
"Of course I do." Ana said. "I am sorry that he had to die. He seemed to be a good man and I wish things had worked out differently, but at the end of the day, he's dead. We're alive and in the middle of a Blight. We've grieved but its time to move on. Think of it as selfish and indifferent, but if we keep trying to help every poor person we meet, we won't have coin. If we keep giving the fucking Chantry five sovereigns every time you pass one, then we'll have no coin. We cannot win this Blight with you throwing away all of our money that we need for supplies, weapons, and armor. I'm thinking about keeping us alive. We need to stay alive to save the world. What good is saving a single family, when it could threaten the rest of the world?"
Alina sighed again. "I need a drink." She stormed off to the tavern. Morrigan exchanged a nod of respect and maybe...admiration... with Ana before following. As soon as they entered Dane's Refuge, they were confronted by some of Loghain's lackeys. Ana was fully prepared to slice the throat of every single one of them when a cloistered sister approached them. She was scrawny and innocent looking with short red hair. With a distinct Orlesian accent, she tried to talk things down, as did Alina, but Ana, annoyed with their attempts to convince the head soldier, simply slit his throat in one quick practiced motion. The wardens made short work of the rest of his followers.
"Who are you?" Ana asked, placing one of her blades against the sister's throat.
"Ana." Alina cautioned. "Relax, will you?" The rogue took a step back but didn't sheathe her blades. She'd seen the woman fight. She was no cloister sister.
Alina helped the woman to her feet. "I'm sorry for my sister. She is very distrustful at times. Thank you for what you tried to do. May I ask your name?"
"Leliana."
"Alina."
"It was no problem. I knew you could take them. I hope you will not think this too forward, but I would like to help you on your quest. Those men called you wardens, did they not? I was instructed by the Maker to assist you in saving the world."
Ana rolled her eyes. "We do not need the Maker interfering in our lives."
"Forgive her, but can you...elaborate?" said Alina with a slight smile.
"Oh, of course, I know this must sound a little strange. I had a vision of the Blight and the Maker told me to help you." Leliana tried to explain.
"If you want to help, you should help the people here."
"No, I must go with you."
Alina offered a smile before looking at Ana.
"Oh no. You cannot be fucking serious."
"Ana."
The rogue ignored her as she stormed out of the tavern. Alina turned back to Leliana. "Welcome aboard, I guess. We cannot turn away help when it is needed. May I buy you a drink, and perhaps discuss this vision of yours?"
"That would be lovely."
It was Morrigan's turn to roll her eyes and quickly left as well to find Ana. She found the rogue talking with a large man in a cage.
"Well, it is my job to defend against the Blight. You're more than welcome to join me. I could use the extra sword." said Ana, having to tilt her head nearly all the way back to look at the man.
"Then I shall follow you until I have reached my atonement. But the Revered Mother in the Chantry will not simply let me go free, not after I slaughtered an entire family."
Ana scoffed and smiled. "Of course not." She stepped up to the cage door and easily picked the lock and opened it. "But her permission is not really required." The Qunari stepped forward and Ana handed him a full suit of heavy chainmail and a steel greatsword, all of which are items they took off the dead bodies of bandits. The Qunari had just finished outfitting himself when Alina and her companions returned.
"What is this?" She demanded.
"You have accepted another into our folds. So have I." said Ana as she inspected their newest comrade's armor. "This is Sten. Sten, meet Alina, Alistair and Leliana." She smiled and looked at her sister.
"Were you not the one complaining about spending coin?" Alina asked. "And yet you would give away armor worth at least two sovereigns."
"First, giving money to the fucking chantry is not spending it. Second, Sten here will be accompanying us on our journey. Third, you did not seem to mind buying your new girlfriend new armor and a bow."
"This man is a murderer! A killer! I will not allow him to come with us."
"Have you not killed? Murdered? He will come. You do not have a choice in this matter, Sister." Ana looked at Sten. "Shall we? The Bannorn awaits."
"So we are the silent followers?" Alistair muttered.
"No, you are the slobbering fool that stares at his navel." Morrigan said, walking toward Ana. "Lead on, I am sick of this wretched place."
"I agree." Ana smirked.
Alina sighed and pushed her way forward. The group set out again and with the angry pace set by the golden warrior, they reached the Bannorn in only minutes. Their arrival was hampered by the bellowing of darkspawn as they preyed upon a pair of dwarves.
"Sten, if you will?" Ana stepped back as the qunari unsheathed his greatsword and dove straight into the middle. He wielded the weapon with practiced ease and easily slaughtered the creatures. Even the alpha fell without difficulty.
"Excellent addition." Morrigan said.
"Thank you."
The dwarves, Bodhan and Sandal quickly persuaded the wardens to allow them to come with them. It required some persuading from Ana, since the patron of goodness did not want to put them in danger. She eventually consented and their journey began again.