Chapter I: Leaving Thedas.
"I think she's… expecting you?" Spoke Ariane, the Dalish warrior in a quiet and somewhat uncertain voice as she glanced at him.
Aedan pursed his lips slightly at the uncertain question and responded in a quiet voice of his own. "She is."
He then began to approach the woman they had been tracking down with Legion, his faithful Mabari, accompanying him. As he moved towards her, he removed his helm from his head and heard Ariane say one more thing to him.
"Ask her about our book!"
He didn't say anything, but he would try to ask about her clan's book. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he doubted he would be given a chance to inquire about it.
Morrigan, the Witch of the Wilds, the one who had allowed him to cheat a certain death, watched him approach, but it was brief. Her yellow eyes shifted from him to Legion who had sprinted towards her upon recognizing her.
Legion barked at her, but they weren't ones of warning or threats, they were happy barks. He wagged his little stub of a tail, jumped and spun around all while Morrigan kneeled before him and petted him with a small, fond smile.
Once Aedan was a good distance near the steps that Morrigan was on top of, she stood up, and Legion returned to his side albeit briefly, for he wandered away not too long after.
She crossed her arms in front of her and spoke with a seriousness in her voice. "No further, please. One more step and I leave, for good this time."
There was a tinge of sadness in her voice at the end there, sadness that made him hesitant to respond.
"It—" He began only to frown at his words and say instead. "I've missed you, Morrigan."
For a moment her gaze softened, but it was only for a moment.
"We had an agreement," she started, her voice stern and her eyes no longer soft. "A deal which you are currently breaking."
"I know," he declared quietly, his voice tinged with somberness.
His response gave her pause and caused her lips to lower slightly into that of a small frown.
"You… Do you know what this is behind me?" She inquired.
"An eluvian?" Aedan answered.
"Indeed, it is." She told him. "I have gone through great lengths to find and activate this one in particular, for it will take me to another place, a place beyond this world and the Fade."
"What do you mean by that?" He inquired quietly with furrowed brows. "Beyond this world and the Fade?"
"It means what it means." She told him before pursing her lips. "Now tell me why did you come? Why did you break our agreement and why do you…" She closes her eyes and sighs before continuing on to say, "why do you still hold onto the ring?"
"Would it truly surprise you if I meant what I said earlier? That I missed you?" He asked in response.
"It would." She declared firmly. "Considering what you last said to me, it honestly would."
Aedan wanted to wince at that and in fact did. A part of him had been secretly hoping she would have forgotten their last moments together, but he knew she wouldn't. Morrigan wasn't the forgetful sort, she was more of the remembering and throwing it back at your face at a later date sort of person.
"I was upset, Morrigan." He told her, his voice barren of anger and only somewhat higher than a whisper.
Morrigan scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her once more. "You were more than upset, Aedan. You were angry, mad at me for offering you and your fellow Wardens salvation from what would have certainly killed one of you."
"I was," Aedan confessed somberly, "but that wasn't the only thing I was—"
He goes silent, unsure what to say at the moment, but knowing he needed to choose his next words carefully.
Morrigan must have known what he was contemplating, for she did not wait for him to continue. "That you were mad at? Angry with?" She inquired, a mix of curiosity and annoyance laced in her voice. "Yes, I know. News flash, I was with you from the beginning!"
Not the beginning, a small voice in the back of his head whispered. You weren't there when I lost my family and ancestral home.
He still remembered it well and had no doubts in his mind that he would ever forget what had happened that night.
A sigh passed by his lips before asking her seriously. "What do you want me to say, Morrigan? That I'm sorry? Because I am, I am sorry for all of what I said that day."
Morrigan stared at him with unflinching eyes for what felt like an eternity. It unnerved him and made him want to speak to her, to ask her to say something, anything really.
Thankfully, he did not have to, for she eventually did speak. "If you were anyone else I would not believe you and would have walked away!" Her gaze softens as does her voice, "but you are not anyone else, you are you."
A smile graced Aedan's lips as he said to her. "Thank you."
Morrigan's gaze hardened once more. "It does not mean you are forgiven. What you said… It was…"
Hurtful, Aedan thought as he said to her. "I will spend the rest of my days trying to make it up to you."
Morrigan smiled happily, but that quickly vanished and was replaced by grimness. "I have errored, Aedan."
Her sudden confession was surprising, so surprising that he looked at her with confusion and curiosity.
"Errored?" He inquired, his lips curling downwards. "What do you mean?"
"I have… Underestimated my mother." She stated somewhat hesitantly. "I thought I knew what my mother was, but in truth, I do not. She is not what I assumed her to be. She is something else, something far worse."
"Are you… Is she…?"
"Yes, she is alive." Morrigan revealed. "Somehow she has found a way to escape the clutches of death."
"That… how can that be?" Aedan asked with a frown, completely dumbfounded by this revelation. "We had cut off her head and burned her body just to make sure she couldn't get possessed. How could she come back from that?"
"Tis be a good question and one I'm afraid I do not know the answer to." She declared with a shake of her head and a growing frown. "I thought I knew her, I thought what she craved was immortality, but I was wrong, so very wrong."
"If it's not immortality, then what is it she craves?" Aedan inquired, his voice leaking confusion.
It was then his ears were graced with a cry, not a cry of pain or shock, or even that one would make when charging their enemy. No, the sudden cry he heard was that of a child's, an infant's.
He looked at Morrigan who walked but a few steps away from the eluvian and bent down. When she rose, he saw in her arms a baby that was swaddled in grey cloth. It did not take him long at all to realize who this was and when Morrigan looked at him once more, Aedan found his answer to his question.
"Morrigan—"
"We do not have long, Aedan." She interrupted; her tone grim as she stared down at the infant in her arms whom she was gently trying to rock back to sleep. "Every second I tarry is another second my mother has at finding me, at finding him."
Aedan felt a lump in his throat as he moved towards them, a lump that made it hard for him to speak. He had quite the number of things to say but seeing his child, his son, made it hard to voice them.
"Have you… Does he have a name?" He inquired quietly as his attention shifted from the bundle in her arms to her face.
Morrigan was hesitant to answer. "He does," she said softly, "Kieran is his name."
"Kieran." He whispered as he looked back at the infant slowly drifting back to sleep.
"Do you disapprove?" She asked in a neutral tone.
"No, it is a good name, a strong name." He assured quickly with a small smile that earned himself a content nod from her. He stared at his son and started to reach out to him only to stop halfway.
"May I," he began only to pause and clear his throat from the lump he was feeling in it. "May I hold him?"
For a moment, Morrigan looked like she was about to say no, but in the end she said to him, "you may."
Looking at his son, Aedan carefully took him from her. The exchange of hands caused his son to stir from his drifting off, but Aedan was quick in his attempts to coax Kieran back to sleep.
His son did not listen to his gentle hushes and words, at least not at first, but after some time Kieran started to listen to them. Unfortunately, it wasn't too long after that he heard Morrigan say to him quietly.
"We have to go now."
The words made him frown. He did not want to part with his child, nor did he want to part from her. Still, despite the feeling he was experiencing, Aedan did not stop himself from handing his son back to his mother.
She looked at their son, and then at him with curled lips.
"A word of warning, Aedan. Change is coming to the world, many fear change and will fight it with every fiber of their being, but sometimes change is what they need the most, sometimes change is what sets them free."
With her warning given, Morrigan turned and started to approach the portal. She was about to step into it, when he called out to her.
"Wait!" He exclaimed, "wait!"
A part of him expected her not to stop and continue on and through the eluvian, but to his surprise she stopped and looked at him.
For a moment he said nothing and stood there with his hand still outstretched towards her, but after a while, he lowered his hand and said to her. "Let me come with you."
"You… no, it would be better if you remained here." She said with a shake of her head. "For you, for us both."
Maybe," Aedan said after some time of thinking about it, "but I do not want that. I want my years, the twenty-eight or so years I have, to be spent with you and our son. I do not want to spend them fighting countless hordes of Darkspawn, I've seen and fought enough of them for a lifetime already."
"Then come, my love." He heard Morrigan say after what felt like an eternity of waiting for her to say something. "Let us go to this place beyond this world together."
With that said they stepped through the eluvian with Legion following after them not too long after and right before the portal closed.
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His father's faithful friend, Steffon Baratheon had not been successful in acquiring him a bride. However, that did not mean he returned from Essos with nothing. Despite failing in the task he had been given by Rhaegar's father, the King of Westeros, the Lord of Storm's End claimed to have brought back a few treasures from Old Valyria.
What these treasures were, Rhaegar knew not, but he would not deny that his interest had been piqued. What they had from Old Valyria had been lost through the ages. Some of it had been stolen from thieves and such, but the majority of it all had been lost because of his family.
The dragons they had brought to Westeros? Lost because of infighting.
Their Valyrian Steel swords? Lost because of King Aegon the Unworthy legitimizing all of his bastards.
Their trinkets, scrolls, and books? Lost in the Tragedy of Summerhall when King Aegon the Unlikely attempted to bring back dragons.
The thought of it all made Rhaegar sigh. There were some books and scrolls that remained as well as a few trinkets, but what they had was little and would be of no help against the darkness that was coming.
The mere thought of the darkness made him shudder, but he would not dwell on the thought of it for long, for he soon heard a knock on his door. He turned his head towards it and said in a quiet yet loud enough tone. "Come in."
The door was opened after that, and he was met with the sight of a man in white armor wearing a white cloak. He had purple eyes, short black hair, and strapped to his back was a greatsword.
"Ser Arthur," said Rhaegar quietly with a slight smile. "Is it time?"
"Yes, my prince." Ser Arthur said with a nod of his head. "The feast will be beginning soon."
Not saying anything, but nodding his head, Rhaegar stood from the wooden chair he had been sitting in and began to move. He walked past his friend, who had closed the door behind him, and followed after him like a white shadow.
For a while there was silence between the two of them, but that had come to an end when Rhaegar asked. "How was my father, Arthur?"
"It is difficult for me to say, my prince." Ser Arthur answered after a few seconds. "His Grace was… His Grace was not happy with Lord Baratheon failing in his task. He was angry, but he believes that the Lord Hand had a hand in his failure. His Grace has… He has come to the conclusion that the Lord Hand had sent assassins to Essos to murder all of the proud Valyrian women."
"Does he really think that?" Rhaegar quietly inquired in a tone full of nothing but disbelief.
"He does, my prince." Ser Arthur told him sternly, which made him do a small, audible intake through the nose. "He… Earlier at the Small Council meeting, His Grace made his belief known to the Lord Hand and his Small Council. His Grace accused Lord Tywin of plotting against him."
Rhaegar sighed and said as they rounded a corner and walked down a slanted hallway. "And how did the Lord Hand take my father's accusations?"
"Not well. He offered to resign as Hand of the King if His Grace truly believes him to be conspiring against him, but His Grace refused his offer. Said that he'd rather keep him close than afar." Arthur stated.
"I see," said Rhaegar after some time of thinking. "Tell me, was Lord Baratheon there to witness this all or no?"
"He was not, my prince." Arthur answered with no doubt a shake of his head. "Lord Baratheon was personally overseeing the transportations of the Valyrian treasures he brought back."
At this, Rhaegar nodded and began to think about the decaying relationship between his father and Lord Tywin Lannister. He frowned slightly at the thought and wondered if it would ever return to what it once was.
Foolish thinking, Rhaegar thought before beginning to wonder if his father would ever replace Lord Tywin as Hand of the King, for it was rumored that his father planned on replacing him with Steffon Baratheon, but seeing how his father denied Lord Tywin of resigning he was unsure.
Perhaps he wants to make a scene out of it, something the Lords of Westeros will never forget.
The thought of that made Rhaegar's head ache terribly.
Why can't things be simple? He wondered with sadness. Why does my father do what he does? The dragon needs three heads, not a war with Westerlands.
Rhaegar sighed, causing his old friend to say to him. "Is everything, alright, my prince?"
"… For now." Said Rhaegar with a sigh. "For now, everything is alright."
Let us hope it will remain that way for a long time.
With that thought in his head, Rhaegar and his white shadow continued to the great hall in silence.
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The first thing Aedan felt and saw when he followed Morrigan through the eluvian was a bright light and a sudden and sharp pain. The pain he felt was enough to make him wince and grit his teeth, while the light made him raise an armored arm and cover his eyes.
"Oh, I forgot to mention you may experience some… discomforts when you first step through the eluvian." He heard Morrigan say.
"Thanks for the warning." he muttered as he gazed at the ground beneath him and the pain he felt slowly subsided. "How is Kieran?"
"He is doing fine, my love." She answered. "This isn't the first time he has been here, and even then he did not suffer what you are suffering right now."
"Is it because…?" Aedan wondered only to fall silent mid-sentence as his eyes began to adjust to the light.
"Because of what he possesses?" Morrigan finished as he lowered his arm and saw that she was looking at him. "I am not sure, but I believe so. It could also simply vary for each person, for unlike you I did not experience all of what you're experiencing now."
"What did you experience then?" Aedan inquired with furrowed brows.
"Nothing." She answered with a smile on her beautiful face. "Neither me or Kieran dealt with any discomfort."
"Then how did you know I would experience some sort of discomfort?" Aedan wondered curiously.
"By reading," She revealed, her smile growing slightly.
Aedan said nothing at that, instead he turned his gaze to Legion who hung his head low.
"Looks like Legion experienced these discomforts as well." He said, earning his Mabari's gaze and a bark that could only be considered as him agreeing.
"Indeed," Morrigan affirmed quietly.
A silence passed after this, one that Aedan used to take a look around. It wasn't very long after he started to glance around did he lower his lips a little and say in a loud enough voice for Morrigan to hear him. "Is this the place you spoke of? That is beyond our world and the Fade?"
Morrigan didn't respond to his question, at least not at first. It was after she had taken a few steps forward, towards elven ruins, did she reply to him.
"This place is beyond our world and the Fade, but it is not the place I spoke of." She said as she turned to face him with Kieran in one arm. "This place is more or less a bridge to it."
"A bridge to it?" He asked.
"A gateway, passageway." She said nonchalantly as she turned back around. "It is what lies between our world and the other one."
"I see, and how do you know this?" Aedan inquired somewhat hesitantly.
"Look around," she said, her back still facing him. "See all these eluvians? Well, they all lead to here from somewhere in Thedas. The reason why is because in the heart of this ruin lies another eluvian, one that I have been putting mana into over these past few weeks."
"Are you—"
"No, I am not." Morrigan answered before he could finish. "Truth be told I am exhausted, but I have been pushing myself for the safety of Kieran."
A silence passed after this declaration, one that lasted for no more than a few seconds before being ended by Morrigan who said. "Let us go, it would not be wise to dawdle here, and I am more than curious to see this place I spoke of."
"Lead the way then," was all Aedan said before donning his winged helmet and following closely behind her with a hand on the hilt of the blade attached to his belt.
After walking through the ruins for what felt like an hour, Morrigan said to Aedan. "It is not too late to change your mind, my love. We can still go back."
"Thanks, but I have a question instead." Responded Aedan, causing Morrigan to look at him curiously, which he took as his sign to continue speaking. "How will we survive there? I mean, what if this place we seek is as barren as this place?"
"If we find it to be uninhabitable then we simply turn around and go back the way we came, Aedan." She told him. "But the odds of it being that are low, my love."
"I see, and what makes you say that?" Aedan inquired.
"A feeling," she answered with a sly grin that disappeared shortly after and was replaced by seriousness. "The heart of these ruins is just up ahead, but before that are you sure you truly want to do this? You are the Warden-Commander of Ferelden."
Aedan frowned as they came to a stop and said after a while. "No I'm not. A part of me feels that what I'm doing is… wrong. That what I'm doing is abandoning Alistair and the others."
"…If we are speaking honestly then you are abandoning them." Morrigan stated after some time as she stared at him. "You are the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, their leader, and instead of being with them; you are here with me, leaving the world we know as Thedas."
At this, Aedan sighed and turned his gaze elsewhere. It wasn't long after he did this though did he feel Morrigan's hand grasp his.
A moment passed of him glancing at their hands and at her face before looking away again and saying quietly. "Do you think they'll forgive me or at the very least understand my reasoning for leaving?"
"Yes? No? Maybe?" She said after some time. "It is hard to say."
"Would you?" Aedan asked as he looked at her.
Morrigan met his gaze and said, "probably. I have already forgiven you for something if you recall."
Aedan smiled, albeit briefly. "I guess I'm just going to have to hope that they will."
"Indeed," was all Morrigan said in response.
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"Last but not least, my king, I present to you a mirror! Acquired from the Valyrian Freehold five hundred years before the Doom of Valyria." Lord Steffon announced as the eight burly men that brought the mirror into the great hall stood it up and removed the white cloth that covered it.
Rhaegar listened to the court murmur about the mirror, which was well over nine feet tall and three feet wide, but his eyes were on his father who was scowling at his final gift from his cousin.
"A mirror from Valyria you say?" His father said, his voice laced with skepticism as he stared, nay, glared at it.
"Yes, my king." Lord Steffon answered with a nod of his head.
His father's scowl deepened as he said, "I can't even see my reflection from here, Steffon. Are you sure this is what you say it is and not something else?"
There were a couple amusing and awkward chuckles at this as well as a few japes from his father's council, but it seemed Lord Steffon didn't mind them or the question, for rather than turning red with embarrassment or tugging at his collar nervously, he grinned.
"There is a reason for that, my king." Lord Steffon said before moving over to the mirror. "Watch."
Rhaegar glanced at his father who had crossed his arms in front of him, a frown still on his face, before turning his attention back to Lord Steffon who stopped in front of the mirror.
The Crown Prince would then watch Lord Steffon reach out and touch the black glass and see it turn from black to a dark blue and light up the area before and around.
Fascinated murmurs were given after this as well as a handful of applause, but before he could join in on the polite clapping Lord Steffon said. "This isn't supposed to happen."
At that, Rhaegar furrowed his brows a little.
"What isn't, Steffon? What have you done!?" His father demanded, traces of worry and fear in his voice as Ser Harlan and Ser Jonothor moved closer to the mirror, their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to be drawn.
Lord Steffon took a step back from the glowing mirror and said as people started to get up and out of their seats."It… It's supposed to turn from black to white and show my reflection only. How it-"
Whatever else Lord Steffon was going to say died in his throat when he saw a man, woman, and dog emerge from the mirror.
The man was cladded in silver armor and wore a silver cape on his back along with a longsword and shield. He had strapped to the right side of his waist another sword albeit this one shorter than the one on his back and on top of his head was a silver full helm. On the center of his armor was what Rhaegar believed to be his sigil, which he was unable to make out from this distance.
Meanwhile the woman wore an assortment of clothing and had in her hands an infant. She had short black hair and yellow eyes. Her upper clothing consisted of a red robe and black strings with black feathers and colored stones while her lower garments consisted of a black skirt, black leggings, and black boots. On her back was a long, black stick that had black feathers and a black talon.
As for the dog, he was big and full of muscles. He had pointy ears, brown and gray fur, and a short stubby tail.
For a moment nothing happened, everyone seemed to stand still and stare at the people who came out of the portal, but then the shouting started, followed by the unsheathing of several swords.
As the world descended into panic around him, Rhaegar could do nothing but stare at the man and woman and wonder. Who are you?
Author's Note: I'm not a huge fan of that ending, but it got what I wanted, so I can settle with it. I will probably do some tweaking here and there because it can always use improvements, but besides that yeah.
I hope you have enjoyed what I have written and if you didn't then I'm sorry to hear that. I don't have an update schedule, but I will try to be consistent.