Title: Ghosts
Author: May Chang
Warnings: general, adventure, AU
Pairings: M!Shepard + Ashley, M!Cousland x Zevran
Disclaimers: Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect are the property of BioWare.
Author's Note: Shepard is a Paragon/Earthborn/War Hero/Infiltrator.
Part Twelve
Someone was cuddled against Shepard's back when he groggily woke up. His surrounding was unfamiliar and the commander frowned as he tried to get his bearings. He wondered what hostel he was in before Shepard remembered that he had stayed in an aravel last night. Sleepily Shepard looked over his shoulder to see Leliana still asleep, curled against his back. Dropping his head back down on his pillow, Shepard blinked at the wall of the aravel before he lifted his blanket and looked down.
Okay, I know it's been a while, but really? Shepard thought in exasperation. It had been almost a year since Shepard had been with anyone – and sex hadn't been on the agenda when he had been chasing Saren – but now that a warm body was pressed against him...
Shepard suppressed the urge to awkwardly clear his throat and gingerly scooted away from the bard and got out of bed. Making sure that Leliana was still asleep Shepard pulled a shirt from his pack and rubbed his face. Deciding against shaving for now, Shepard pulled out his knife from his pack and quietly exited the aravel. Glancing around the camp Shepard could see some of the Dalish already up and about. Some of the younger ones were doing archery practice while a few of the women were starting what looked like breakfast to the commander. Lanaya was also up with a basket on her back, heading into the forest with another young girl who had her own basket and two warriors.
Moving towards the river at the outskirt of the camp, Shepard took the time to relieve himself before settling down by the banks of the river. He splashed some water on his face, rinsed out his mouth before Shepard sat back to look at his surroundings, considering about what he was going to be doing today.
Shepard didn't get far in his thoughts when the sound of footsteps alerted him that he wasn't alone. He looked up to see one of the women arriving with a couple of buckets. The Dalish gave him a startled look and Shepard gave her a smile in greeting before he got up.
"Need help?" he asked, dusting off his pants. The elf smiled shyly at Shepard and handed him one of the buckets. They both filled the buckets and Shepard offered to carry the Dalish's bucket to which she refused before they made their way back to the camp.
"You are up early, Shepard," the Dalish said.
"It's habit," Shepard replied with a smile. "You are up early as well."
"It's habit," she answered with a giggle. Shepard chuckled as the two entered the camp, stopping to drop off the bucket of water at the fire. The elf smiled at him and Shepard gave her a nod before he trotted off back to the aravel. The sound of giggling floated through the air and he glanced over his shoulder at the women, noting how they all giggled as they looked over at him and whispered at each other.
"Good morning," Leliana said as she stepped out of the aravel. She look around him, spying the elven girls by the fire, giggling as they cast looks at him. Looking back at him, Leliana smiled at Shepard. "Ooh. I see you have some admirers. How cute."
"Yes, well," Shepard said with a shrug. Leliana just giggled at that and he decided to change the subject before Leliana said anything more. "So where is Denerim?"
"Denerim is to the north from here," Leliana replied after a moment. "It is the capital of Ferelden and it's bigger than Highever but it doesn't compare to Val Royeaux. I'm sure you'll get a chance to see Denerim for yourself during your stay here."
"Hopefully," Shepard said with a grin. They both looked over when one of the young Dalish children ran up to them to announce that breakfast was ready. Shepard nodded and with a quick glance over at Leliana, they followed the child down to the fire.
"So how do I get to the Tower from here?" Shepard asked as he and Leliana took a seat. Two girls came by with two plates for them, meat and fruit piled on it. "Wow this looks delicious. Thank you." The girl who had given him the plate turned beat red and, with a nod, scampered away, giggling with her friend as they threw looks over their shoulders at Shepard. The look Leliana was giving him was enough for Shepard to shoot her a dirty look.
"When we get to the road, you just need to follow the road west," Leliana said, popping a piece of fruit into her smiling mouth. "You should be able to make it to the village of Redcliffe in four, five days, and then from there you'll follow it up north to Lake Calenhad." She paused before narrowing her eyes at Shepard.
"You might want to keep your head down in Redcliffe," she added.
"Aedan again?" he asked with a sigh. Leliana giggled and took another bite of food, eyes twinkling. Footsteps approached the camp and Shepard turned to see a guard approaching with a human following after. The man – no, teenager – glanced over to give a nod of greeting to Leliana and a curious look at Shepard. Lanaya placed her food to her side and stood up, walking over to the kid.
"You are Keeper Lanaya?" the teenager asked, licking his lips nervously. "I have a message from His Highness King Alistair." He pulled out a scroll out of his bag and held it out to the Keeper nervously. Shepard idly wondered if the kid thought that Lanaya was going to set him on fire and nearly laughed at the thought. Lifting an eyebrow Lanaya broke the seal and began to read through the message. Her other brow rose up as she read then turned to look at Leliana.
"Leliana," she called out. Leliana placed her food aside and got up as two other elderly Dalish made their way over to the Keeper. The four of them moved to the side and quietly spoke as the messenger glanced over at the food. He shuffled his feet, glancing at the guard nervously then looked down at his feet.
"You had breakfast yet?" Shepard called out. The kid jerked his head up at Shepard, eyes wide and his cheeks flushing when his stomach gave a growl in reply. The guard next to the messenger gave the kid an amused look. "Have a seat, kid." The messenger looked at the guard as though for permission and the guard inclined his head slightly. He nervously sat down next to Shepard and mumbled a shy thank you when one of the Dalish women handed him some food.
"Um," the kid started as he began to tuck into his breakfast, "are you the Hero, sir?"
"...What?" Shepard replied. "Oh. Oh no, no, I'm, uh. I just look like the Hero."
"Really? Because there've been rumors in Denerim and Redcliffe that, um, that the Hero was dropped out of the Fade and all," the teen said, taking a mouthful of meat. Shepard could see the Dalish giving the boy an interested look then gave a shrug.
"Well, I don't know about being dropped out of the Fade—"
"And you brought with you a spirit of good luck. Some even say that you are a spirit of good luck," the kid continued. "HIghever's really turned around since Arl Howe's attack and a lot of people are moving there because it's safer there than Denerim, Gwaren and Redcliffe. And there's talk about Vigil's Keep, how it's getting a lot of trade and their soldiers' weapons and armors are all top-notch thanks to a windfall of gold the Warden-Commander received and—"
"I was only in Vigil's Keep for three days," Shepard protested. "And I am not a spirit of good luck."
"People," Lanaya called out as she, Leliana and the two men walked back to the campfire. "King Alistair would like to meet us near Ostagar – it would seem that he wants to show us the land that would be our new home." All eyes promptly shifted onto Shepard, the messenger giving him an "I-told-you-so" look.
"...that's a coincidence," Shepard said, ears starting to burn. "I am not a spirit of good luck!"
A messenger arrived with a scroll from King Alistair that morning for Fergus. Puzzled by what the king could want from him, Fergus accepted the message and broke the seal. As he began to read Fergus couldn't help but start to frown.
Anora had many supporters during her reign with Cailan before the Blight but during the events of the Blight, Loghain's actions had turned most of her supporters away. When Alistair had taken the throne thanks to Aedan, his first move as king was to have the former queen imprisoned in one of the wings of the castle so that she couldn't interfere. Personally Fergus was glad that Alistair had spared Anora's life as while the man disliked her, the king wouldn't have killed a woman just for being related to a traitor.
Nathaniel's face popped into Fergus' mind and he nodded absently to himself.
The missive was a bit of a surprise though to Fergus. He had assumed that Anora would be locked away in Denerim for the rest of her life, but it would seem that there had been some attempts by someone to assassinate the woman. Alistair had suspected Arl Eamon, something he did not like to think about but had to as the arl held no love for Anora, so he was sending Anora to Highever for protection.
"Andraste's flaming pyre," Fergus breathed, rubbing his forehead. Highever was working as well as before Rendon's Howe's attack, perhaps even more prosperous than before. The only major change that Fergus noticed was that the alienage's population seemed to have spiked over the months – possibly fear after what was done to the elves in Denerim.
Loghain you stupid bastard.
Fergus reached out and picked up a quill to write his reply to the king. Taking care of the former queen would be no problem to him, and he hadn't talked to her in a long time. To be honest Fergus rather admired the woman, knowing that Anora had been the real leader on the throne and some of the better changes in the law had been through her. Perhaps some time away from Denerim would be a good change for Anora.
Rolling up the parchment and sealing it with his seal, Fergus handed the scroll back to the message along with some silvers. The messenger saluted and left the study and Fergus gave a sigh and called for Calum.
"My Lord?" Calum said with a slight bow as he entered the study.
"Please prepare one of the guest rooms," Fergus said. "Lady Anora will be arriving to stay at Highever for a while." Calum blinked, the only gesture of surprise from the man before he nodded and left the room. Fergus tapped a finger on his desk and, after a moment, remembered that Alistair was sending a friend to keep an eye on Anora on her trip to Highever. He wondered who the person was before pushing it out of his head – Fergus still had a land to run.
The messenger left first with Lanaya's acknowledgement to meet the king near Ostagar. After that the Dalish began to pack, getting ready to move. Both Leliana and Shepard also got ready, Leliana teasing Shepard all the way about the girls and being a spirit of good luck.
"I don't even know where that came from," Shepard groused. "They're all coincidences." He slung his pack over his shoulder then donned the cloak, turning to look at the bard.
"Coincidence or not, people are going to keep talking," Leliana said with a smile.
"Yeah, well, if the Circle suddenly gets a windfall of gold, I'll eat by boot." Leliana giggled as they exited the aravel and made their way to Lanaya. The Keeper was also packing her belongings but she looked up when they arrived. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her robes and gave them a nod.
"You will be heading out soon?" Lanaya asked.
"Yes," Leliana replied. "Thank you so much for allowing us to stay, Lanaya."
"Thank you," Shepard added with a grin. Lanaya smiled then turned to one of the large trunks, opening it and taking out an amulet.
"Here," she said, handing it to Shepard. Shepard automatically took the object, seeing that Lanaya had given him a strange-looking necklace. "It's called a Spirit Cord. I hope it serves you well, Shepard."
"Uh, sure," Shepard answered. "What did I do?"
"You brought good luck to the Dalish," Lanaya said with an impish smile and, with a nod to the commander and Leliana, went back inside her aravel. Leliana gave Shepard a look, arching her eyebrow and Shepard scowled.
"I am not a spirit of good luck!" Shepard growled.
"Of course you're not," Leliana said lightly.
They parted way at the first crossroad after leaving the Brecilian Forest, Leliana heading north and Shepard to the west. Lanaya had provided them some supplies for their travels, and after Leliana gave him a hug, they went on their way. There weren't many travelers on the road and by the second day Shepard figured that it had to do with the burnt remains of a village. Something was off about the area and, after taking some time to explore the place, Shepard figured it had to do with the fact that nothing was growing. The village had to be have been torched a few years ago yet the commander had yet to find anything green growing in the ruins.
"What are you doing here?" Shepard jerked, turning to the voice. A heavily-pregnant woman was standing behind him, a staff in hand and her face hooded. He considered pulling off his own hood but decided against it – the good luck spirit rumor would require Shepard to rub her tummy for a good birth or something.
"Just exploring," Shepard called out, looking around. "This place is off, you know. Something should have started growing." The woman seemed to study him.
"This is Lothering," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Things won't be growing here for years or until someone burn away the darkspawn taint."
"Ah." Shepard had no idea where Lothering was or what it had to do with darkspawn taint. He looked away from the woman, looked around the ruined village and then nodded. "That's too bad." The woman snorted and began to walk through the village, heading south.
"Will you be alright?" Shepard called out. The woman stopped and turned to look at Shepard.
"I can take care of myself, if that's what you're asking," she replied waspishly. Shepard shifted his hood back slightly to get a better look at her and frowned, unsure how a staff would make a difference. The woman stilled then spoke again, voice suddenly suspicious. "I know that face."
Damn it, Shepard thought with a mental grimace. The woman walked up to him, pulling back her hood to expose a beautiful face and golden eyes, and she studied his face.
"So you're the rumored Hero dropped out from the Fade," she said, amusement coloring her voice. "You're nowhere as large as he was."
"Wait, you knew him?" Shepard asked in surprise.
"You have the same air as him," she said. "At least you don't make juvenile jokes with every breath. I suppose you are on your way to Highever. If so, you are going to wrong way."
"Well, I'll eventually head back to Highever, but for now I have an appointment at the Circle," Shepard replied.
"I see." Shepard had the oddest feeling that the woman was sizing him up for something. She suddenly smiled and Shepard was instantly on guard. "Perhaps a trade can be arranged. You seem the type to honor agreements."
"Okay?" Shepard answered cautiously.
"I have, in my possession, a set of armor that would be more suited for you," she announced, dropping her bag and pulling one of the packs off of it. "It has been enchanted by some very powerful runes." Shepard blinked in surprise as he took the pack and looked inside. The black armor was resonating with some sort of power and Shepard had a strange feeling that he needed this armor.
"Arlght, what can I do for you," he replied, refastening the pack and tying it to his own.
"In three months, come to Ostagar," the woman said as she slung her pack over her shoulder. "I have a promise to fulfill and you will be delivering it for me." She raised a hand and Shepard's eyes followed down to watch her pat her stomach, a faint smile on her face.
"You may call me Morrigan," the woman said, looking up at the commander. "What shall I call you?"
"Shepard," he replied. "Are you sure you don't—"
"I will be fine, Shepard" she replied. "And I will see you again." Shepard watched as the woman turned and walked away when a sudden gust of wind blew into his face. When he opened his eyes Morrigan was gone. He took a couple of steps forward, seeing that Morrigan's footprints had mysteriously disappeared. Looking around the ruins Shepard rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.
The Warden's Rest looked rather cozy to Shepard when he finally arrived in Redcliffe Village a couple days after Lothering. Dropping off his pack in his room, Shepard kept the hood on when he went back down for a meal. He noticed many of the patrons eyeing him curiously when he sat down and ordered some food, but thankfully no one came by to ask why he was still wearing his cloak. It had been a good thing that no one had paid him much attention as a minstrel had begun to sing about the deeds of the Hero of Ferelden that night.
Shepard was sure that the man was embellishing Aedan's deeds in the song – as if the man could have taken on five high dragons the size of the chantry with just a sword, a shield and a dog. Still people adored the dead warrior and Shepard couldn't help but wonder about the man as he listened. Perhaps when Leliana came by Highever again he would ask her about Aedan.
When Shepard retired to his room for the night he pulled out the dark armor that Morrigan had given him. It was pretty decent light armor, definitely lighter than the splintmail he now wore. It took a moment for Shepard notice the red stripe lined down the right arm of the armor.
Huh. Well, will you look at that, Shepard thought in surprise. The pregnant woman had practically given him the Ferelden version of his N7 armor. Tracing a hand over the red stripe Shepard could feel something coming from it and wondered if it had anything to do with the enchantment. After a while Shepard put away the dark armor, undressed and turned in for the night. If Leliana was right he should be able to make it to Lake Calenhad by nightfall tomorrow.
Fergus was in the main hall with two guardsmen when Anora arrived in to the castle that night. The woman looked around the hall, tightening her shawl around her before looking at Fergus with a cool expression.
"Teryn Cousland," she greeted with a formal bow. Fergus mentally grimaced at how cool Anora was acting towards him. He hadn't been there during the Landsmeet so of course Anora would be cold to Fergus seeing as he was the elder brother of the man who pushed her off the throne for her reluctant half-brother-in-law.
"I have readied a room for you," Fergus said then flicked his eyes over to the guards. "I understand that His Majesty had sent a friend of his to keep an eye on you?"
"That he did," the Orlesian maid muttered, casting a dark look at a dark-hooded figure behind them. Fergus could see the person flash a smile at him and gave him a bow.
"Mm, I see." Alistair must not trust Anora at all if he would send a good friend to keep an eye on her and her maid. "Then please follow me, my lady. Allow me to show you to your rooms."
"How nice of you," Anora said, her tone still chilly. Alistair's soldiers all gave the teyrn a bow and left for the barracks – they would be heading back to Denerim the next morning. The two guardsmen followed after the deposed queen and her maid as Fergus led the way out of the main hall.
"Teryn Cousland, yes?" the guard called out. Fergus glanced back at the man, surprised to hear an Antivan accent. It also sent a pang into Fergus's heart as he thought about Oriana and he clenched his fist to keep his expression neutral. "Perhaps after the lady has been settled, we may talk."
"Of course," Fergus replied smoothly. He caught the look from Anora, her eyes softening just a bit before she looked away. "We can talk in my study." The Antivan gave a nod and Fergus opened the door to Anora's quarters. Two guards took their stations by the doors and after checking that Anora and her maid were set, Fergus left the room with the Antivan at his back.
"Mm, you really shouldn't turn your back on an Antivan," the man said in amusement. "You never know if they're a Crow or not."
"True," Fergus agreed with a chuckle. "But then again I suppose I've gotten use to being around Antivan women."
"Ah, yes," the man replied with a nod. "They are all smiles in the front and holding a knife in the back." The Antivan pulled back the hood to reveal tanned skin with a tattoo on his left cheek, blond long hair and pointy ears. Fergus opened the door to his study and walked in, heading for the cabinet to the side to take out a bottle of Antivan brandy.
"Might I ask who you are?" Fergus started as he took out two tumblers and poured the brandy.
"Zevran Arainai, at your service," the elf said with an impish smile. "Formerly of the Antivan Crows and currently playing guard for Lady Anora. Ah, wonderful, Antivan brandy, yes? A little bit of home."
"Oriana's favorite," Fergus said as he watched the assassin take a sip of the brandy. "So you are my brother's lover." The impish smile disappeared from Zevran's face and he nodded as he turned to study the bookshelf. In that moment Fergus felt that Zevran was hurting just as much as he was and the teyrn sat down in one of the two chairs before his desk. Zevran turned to look at Fergus who motioned for him to take the other seat and, after a moment of hesitation, sat down.
"Let's talk," Fergus said with a smile. "I want to hear about you and my little brother."
Urgh, I was attempting to get Shepard to the Tower and back to Highever as soon as possible but then Anora smacked the back of my head with a plot bunny and I got derailed. Damn it Anora!
I think I need some crit on the Morrigan part as I still don't think she sounds like Morrigan at all. Is she not bitchy enough or something? :-\