Just a shorty for tonight. It didn't fit with the previous chapter or the one to come. Next one will be considerably longer though and will be up tomorrow.

Thanks for the reviews! They always inspire me to get more chapters up. Lothering will most definitely go down differently but I doubt it'll be in the manner you expect and will have far reaching consequences... that is for next chapter however.

Enjoy! :D

Ashana felt something hot, wet and stinky breathing on her cheek and groaned, pushing it away. "Ew." she grumbled, opening her eyes to see a big monster of a dog panting down at her. She squeaked in fright and shot to the side of the bed.

The mabari whined and sunk low, looking up at her with big pleading puppy dog eyes.

Ashana calmed as she recalled slowly where she'd seen the dog before.

"Ah your eyes finally open. Your mutt has been stinking up the place for hours." Morrigan glared at the beast.

He growled at her back.

"We healed your mistress, do not take that tone with me!" Morrigan asserted primly.

"Morrigan? What..." she looked around and realized she was in the hut in the Wilds and not the army camp, she also realized she was naked and blushed.

"Oh tis nothing I have not seen before. Here." Morrigan tossed her clothes on the bed, "I got the blood stains out but alas it is in quite the state of disrepair, arrows tend to do that."

Ashana quickly got dressed, "What happened?" she asked softly.

"The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field. The darkspawn won your battle. It was a massacre." Morrigan kept her voice calm and without emotion as she shared the news. "Only a token force managed to flee."

"Do you know if any of the other wardens made it out? The King? Lana?" she frowned, "Wait you don't know Lana do you."

"I do know of Lana Cousland and yes she and her brother did manage to escape, they lead the survivors to Lothering. Your King was not so fortunate and from what I could see the wardens were already cut off before Lana could reach them. Your friend from the tower is waiting outside, he has not taken the news well. I suppose it would be unkind to say he has been behaving like a child." She frowned, the templar had been swinging from despair to denial since he'd been told.

"It would be unkind. The wardens were all the family he had left." Ashana frowned right back at the human woman.

Morrigan shrugged, "My mother wishes to speak with you outside."

"Were my injuries severe?" Ashana looked down at herself though she was dressed now, she could feel her muscles aching but nothing overly drastic, she couldn't remember what happened at the tower very clearly other than they had lit the beacon.

"Yes they were, though it was nothing mother could not fix." Morrigan again shrugged like it was no big deal, her tone nonchalant.

Ashana walked over to her and looked up at the woman, "Thank you Morrigan." she murmured every bit sincere and grateful to be alive.

Morrigan was quite surprised and didn't know how to really respond, "You are welcome, though mother did most of the work, I am no healer." she shifted uncomfortably and hoped the girl would leave sooner rather than later.

Ashana just nodded and quietly walked outside, the dog right behind her.

"See, here is your gray warden, no worse for wear as I said." Flemeth gestured to her, her tone slightly annoyed at Alistair.

"Ashana!" Alistair dashed over to her and Ashana squeaked as the big human scooped her up and hugged her. "I thought- I thought you'd died!" he moaned, almost crying at the sight and feel of her warm and well and whole.

Flemeth laughed, "That might change quickly if you insist on choking her to death."

Alistair almost dropped her as he realized what he was doing, "Oh, sorry."

Ashana quickly caught her breath, "I'm fine thanks to Morrigan's mother... uh, I'm sorry I don't know your name." she bowed her head politely to the old woman.

"Names are pretty things but pretty useless. The Chasind call me Flemeth." she shrugged.

Both wardens eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

"Flemeth as in the Witch of the Wilds? As in hundreds of years old? As in the most powerful apostate in Thedas?" Alistair gaped, horrified.

"Hmph, if you believe the tales. I care not for them." Flemeth shrugged, a motion it seemed Morrigan had gotten from her mother.

Ashana swallowed, "It doesn't matter who she is, she saved us and we've got to go to Lothering."

Flemeth chuckled, "Such determination!" the elf pleased her, there was something in her spirit that had been lacking in the others. However even she was not enough to face the Blight, they would need this Lana Cousland.

"Why? What's in Lothering?" Alistair frowned, he hadn't paid much attention to Morrigan or her mother since being told almost everyone in the valley, including the king, had been slain when Loghain quit the field.

"Lana and her brother, they managed to get some survivors out according to Morrigan." Ashana frowned slightly, "Didn't she tell you?"

"The fool was not listening." Morrigan called from the hut.

Alistair bristled, he really did not like that woman. "Okay so we find the Couslands then what? They're hardly in a position to help after what Howe did to them. They've been disinherited and dispossessed."

"But Lana's really smart she can help us. We've got to stop the Blight and we'll need all the help we can get, especially if it is just the two of us left." Ashana asserted quickly, though the words were heavy on her heart.

Alistairs eyes glistened with unshed tears at the reminder, "How can we stop a Blight? It's never been done before without the armies of a half dozen nations. I don't even know how we're supposed to kill the archdemon!" he whined.

"Well that seems to me like two different problems, how to raise an army and how to kill the archdemon." Flemeth pointed out, hoping to lead them to a certain item Alistair had tucked away in his breastplate.

Ashana clicked her fingers and pointed at him, "Didn't Duncan give you the treaties? Mages, elves, dwarves, that'd be a good place to start right?"

"Very good indeed, sounds to me like you've got the beginnings of an army right there." Flemeth nodded in approval, yes the elf was indeed worth saving.

Alistair's expression lightened, "Of course! And we can go to Redcliffe as well, Arl Eamon's men weren't at Ostagar, he'll still have all his forces and won't stand for what Loghain's done."

"Well then, are you ready to go off and be wardens?" Flemeth smirked smugly, looking from one to the other.

"Can we do this? Can we really do this?" Alistair scratched his head.

"With Lana's help we can." Ashana nodded confidently, she looked to Flemeth, "Thank you for your help and saving us."

Flemeth held up her hands and waved them, "No, no, the thanks will go to you Wardens. But there is one more thing I can offer you." she smirked as Morrigan strode out.

"The stew is bubbling mother, shall we have two guests for the eve or none?" she asked, smirking at the wardens.

"The wardens will be leaving shortly girl," Flemeth's smile widened smugly, "and you will be joining them."

"Such a shame..." Morrigan began but her head whipped around to her mother in shock as she realized what her mother had just said, "what!" she exclaimed.

Flemeth chuckled, "You heard me girl, you had ears last time I checked."

Morrigan was appalled, "But mother I'm not even ready, this is not what I wanted!"

"You've been itching to get out of the Wilds for years, and you must be ready. The wardens cannot unite Ferelden against the Blight without you." Flemeth insisted gravely, no more mirth in her eyes but stern warning.

Morrigan knew that look, that was a look you never argued with.

"If Morrigan doesn't want to come..." Ashana felt very uncomfortable having the woman forced out of her home for them.

"Her magic will be useful and she knows the Wilds, she can get you safely past the horde." Flemeth nodded to Ashana.

"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but won't her magic cause problems? I mean outside the Wilds she's an apostate." Alistair frowned, every bone in his body was screaming bad idea, bad idea.

"If you didn't want help from us illegal mages I could have left you to die in the tower." Flemeth shot at him in annoyance.

He blanched, "Point taken."

Morrigan sighed, "Allow me to get my things." she returned to the hut with Flemeth right behind her.

"You know this is a bad idea right." Alistair muttered to Ashana.

Ashana frowned, "No I don't know that. I think Morrigan will be very helpful, she knows magic not taught in the circle."

"Because it's illegal." Alistair pointed out in a hushed voice.

"No, because closed minded people didn't like the power mages have. I'm not talking about blood magic, she's not a blood mage, her hands and wrists have no scars you can see that perfectly clearly." Ashana pouted.

Alistair swallowed, her arms were indeed blemish free and they weren't the only things you could clearly see. Her scant top didn't leave much to the imagination at all.

"Things like changing her form is what I meant. She can turn into a wolf and I'm sure there are other things she can change in to. That kind of magic will be very useful. Not to mention I have no idea how to get out of the Wilds, do you? Could you get us to Lothering without running us into the horde?" she challenged.

"N-no. Okay, okay, I give up you win, she can come." Alistair resigned himself to the fact the evil she-witch was going to be joining them.

A little while later Morrigan and her mother returned, she had her staff and a satchel over her shoulder. "Very well I am ready, if you would prefer I can be your silent guide." she offered dryly, not relishing this journey at all.

"No, I'd prefer you spoke your mind." Ashana shook her head at the offer.

Flemeth laughed, "You will regret saying that!" she guffawed.

"Dear sweet mother," Morrigan's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "I shall look back upon this day you cast me out with such fondness."

"Oh get over yourself girl." Flemeth rolled her eyes.

"Do not forget the stew boiling, I would hate to return to a burnt down hut." Morrigan sniped.

"Tis more likely you'll return to one trampled by the darkspawn, me along with it." Flemeth scoffed, crossing her arms and looking at her daughter pointedly.

Morrigan paled, "I... that is not what I..." she stammered.

Flemeth softened, "I know. Tis time for you to go." she nodded towards Lothering.

"Goodbye mother." Morrigan murmured then without another word turned and began leading the wardens away from Ostagar and the horde.