Chapter 9
~Lost in Dreams~

Morriana

My eyes opened and I realized I was in a house. But not just any house. I shot up and looked around. The familiar floors and walls and the smell were recognized by memory. I realized I was home. I tried to think how I got here. But then, I couldn't figure out what the last thing I remember was.

"Cousin, you're awake." That voice… I could always know that voice, even if I was deaf. I jumped out of bed and embraced Shianni and she laughed. "Andraste's ass, what's wrong with you?" she said. I let her go and looked at her face.

"Shianni, I… what am I doing here?" I asked her. She chuckled this time.

"Don't you remember?" I shook my head. "You decided to be the funny one and climbed the tree in the center of the Alienage." Yes, that does sound like something I would do. "You lost your grip and fell. You've been out for a long time. You seem to keep mumbling weird things and kept crying. I wondered if you were having a nightmare. We all did." Then I started remembering the wedding and being captured and Nelaros and…I looked up at Shianni.

"Wait, what about Nelaros? And Soris and Valora?" Her face fell.

"They aren't supposed to be here for another month. Maker, how hard did you hit your head? We heard you talking about Vaughn, and then you shouted my name. After that you began screaming and crying. We started thinking you had a concussion or something." Now that she mentioned it my head started hurting. It soon began hard to concentrate. I felt a bit dizzy so I quickly sat back down on the bed. "Carful, cousin. Take it easy."

"Did I talk about anything else?" she thought for a moment.

"Well you mentioned a Blight and Gray Wardens. I also heard you name some. Duncan and… Alistair, I think it was." I thought on those names. But when I tried to think my head began pounded. Right, best not do that for a bit. "Say, why don't we go sit outside with Soris? Your father won't be back until later." I nodded and we went outside.

The day was bright and not a cloud in the sky. I took a deep breath. Sure the Alienage always smelled like filth, but it always meant home. Soris was sitting under the tree I supposedly feel off of. He was just relaxing and then looked up at us as we came to him.

"Mori," he said, happily. "It's about time you woke." I laughed and sat next to him. Shianni sat next to me and it just seemed to be the three of us there. Shianni brought up a funny memory of something stupid I did when we were younger. Although, saying I can't be stupid at least two times before I even say "good morning" would be a lie.

Soris and I broke out laughing and everything seemed normal and my headache and "weird dreams" just seemed distant. She was just about to launch into another memory when someone called out to me.

"Morriana?" I knew that voice. But I couldn't place it. I stood and walked around the tree to see a man and suddenly I knew him. Alistair walked up to me. "Maker, I thought I'd never find you." He said, sounding relieved. My brows furrowed and I didn't know why he was looking for me. "Come on, we have to go." He grabbed my arm and was about to pull me away when Shianni and Soris got up and came to us.

"Hey, shem, let her go!" Shianni shouted. Alistair pulled me around him and took out his shield.

"Stop!" I shouted, coming back around him. "Alistair, what's going on?" I asked him.

"Think, Morriana." He told me. "How did you get here? What's the last thing you remember?" I tried to think, but everything was fuzzy. I looked at him, still confused.

"I don't understand." I said.

"You're in the fade. That demon sent us here, along with Sten, Wynne, and even Orrick." Those names…I remembered them. Then it all rushed back to me. Everything until the demon sent us here. I turned to Soris and Shianni.

"They aren't really… real, are they? They're not really my cousins? And my father is here either, is he?" I asked. He shook his head.

"What?" Soris said. "Of course we're real, Mori." I looked at the ground and noticed it was now foggy. I looked around me and the scene that was the Alienage was falling away. I knew now, if I wasn't convinced before, that this was all false. I looked back at "Soris" and "Shianni" then back at Alistair.

"I don't care." I told him. Here, there is no Blight. Here I have no troubles. It is as if those horrible events never occurred. This was like my chance to start over.

"What?"

"Alistair, go without me. But I want to stay."

"Why?" he shook his head.

"What's the point in going back? I can't redo what I messed up. I can't fix my mistakes. I can't go home. So what's the point?" he put up his shield and gently put his hands on my shoulders. Strangely, I do not flinch or feel any discomfort at all. In fact, his hands on my shoulders make me feel…safe. Secure.

"Morriana… they are not really your cousins. Your real cousins are wherever your home is." I look at his pleading eyes.

"I can't go home. What's the point in fighting the blight, anyway?" He slightly smiles.

"To end it and make sure your cousins and father are safe. Morriana, if we don't end this blight then the darkspawn will spread and attack. If they get to the Alienage, then they will kill them. I know you don't want that, right?" Just the thought of what those blasted darkspawn would do to my family makes me nauseous. I shake my head. "Then we have to get out of here."

"No!" Shianni and Soris scream at the same time. "She is ours! You will not take her from us!" I spin around to see them transform into other demons and I take out my blades, and take a bit of comfort in knowing I actually won't be harming my family. Alistair took the demon that had been Shianni and I took the one that had been Soris. I stabbed it through the middle and turned as Alistair bashed his demon with his shield and brought his sword down onto its chest. He looked back at me and I sighed, putting my weapons at my back.

"How did you get away?" I asked him.

"The demon tried to show me. . . someone. But, somehow I just knew it wasn't them."

"Who?" He shrugged.

"Later." I nodded and looked at the fallen demons.

"Okay Alistair, take notes: dear not to self, kill every demon we see." Alistair chuckled and folded his arms.

"I don't think you can have someone else be your 'not-to-self'." I sighed, almost dramatically.

"Fine. But we should still do like I said and kill every abomination we see." he thought for a moment then shook his head.

"But you said 'demons'." I looked back at him. I began to walk off but stopped when I heard Alistair's voice.

"Thank you note-to-self." He opened his mouth to say something but then started laughing.

"Very funny, Morriana." I smiled and, for some reason, joined in on his laughing. Then, he stopped he gave me an odd look.

"What?" I asked, smile still on my lips.

"You need to do that more often." He stated.

"What? Have someone else as my note-to-self?" he chuckled and shook his head

"I mean laugh, smile, and joke. Maker, since we met you've been like a husk and so distant. And. . . sad." I suddenly realized what he meant and looked at the faded ground and my face feel, shame filling me. I don't know why I made the joke. Especially to him. "No, there you go again." I look up confused. "You're frowning. Don't do that, it doesn't fit you." I blushed and he smiled shyly. "I think you should smile more often." I shook my head, and turned back around.

"Come on. We need to find the others."

Alistair

I wasn't sure why but I liked the sound of her laugh. I hadn't meant for what I said to sound flirty, but, apparently, she noticed. But the way she smiled… it just make me smile.

Either way, we walked on from where I came. She nodded and we walked on until everything around us changed and we found Sten. His dream was being back with some of his people, but he seemed to now it was a dream. Morriana talked some sense into him and we fought the two qunari-impersonators. Upon killing the demons that tried to hold Sten, he came with us to find Wynne.

When we found her, She had thought all of the mages at the circle were dead and she felt responsible. When Morriana tried talking to her Wynne practically yelled at her and was clearly angry at her. But Morriana was patient and convinced Wynne that they could still save the Circle. When Wynne finally came to see the truth, she, too, followed us. Orrick just had to be woken and attacked Morriana with kisses. Once again, I heard her laugh and I started smiling. Suddenly, everything blurred us and when it all became clear we found ourselves face to face with the demon who'd sent us here.

"Ah, I see we have escaped prisoners." It said then laughed. Annoyed, we brought out our weapons.

"I prefer my freedom, demon." Morriana snapped at him.

"If you go back quietly I promise to do better and make it to your satisfactory."

"Killing you is all the satisfactory I need." She spat at him. It growled at her.

"Then face your doom!" The demon began glowing and then it caused some sort of explosion that blew us all back. It formed into an ogre and charged at us. We got back up and Wynne jumped back to casts healing spells on us. I bashed my shield into its knee, but it hit me away. I immediately came back and stabbed it in the back of its knee. Morriana and Sten fought it from the front until is transformed again. It went from an ogre, then a rage demon, to an abomination, to a shade, then became its original form, shouting "face me and die!"

It roared at us and we began to attack it this last time. As Morriana tried to swing at it, it dodged and used its magic to push her back. She flew across the ground and skidded. Wynne came over to try to heal her, but Morriana pushed her off and got back into the fight. I blocked its blow with my shield and stabbed it in its chest. I pushed it off with my shield and Orrick lunged at it to knock it off balance, so Sten came behind it, slamming his great sword down on it.

Wynne came to us and suddenly the mage, Niall, appeared in front of us.

"You defeated the demon. I never thought…I never expected you to free youself. To free both of us. When you return… take the Litany of Adralla from my…body. It will protect you from the worst of blood magic."

"Your body? Aren't you coming with us?" I asked.

"I cannot go with you. I have been here far too long. For you it will have been an afternoon nap. Your body won't have wasted away in the real world while your spirit lay in the hands of a demon." Morriana shakes her head.

"You think you are going to die?" She ask.

"Every minute I was here the sloth demon was feeding off me, using my life to fuel the nightmares of this realm There is so little of me left. I was never meant to save the Circle, or… survive its troubles. I am dying. It is as simple as that."

"No, I can heal you…" Wynne starts but he shakes his head.

"Thank you. But it is too late for me. I do not fear what may come. They say we return to the Maker in death, and that isn't such a terrible thing. My only regret is that I could not save the Circle. But you… you can. I'm not a hero. Perhaps trying to be one was foolish."

"At least your death will not be in vain. You tried to save many lives, and to me that counts." I tell him.

"Normal people can do extraordinary things." Morriana says. Niall smiles at her.

"Before I was taken to the Circle, my mother said I was meant for greatness, that I would be more than my assessors could have dreamed of. I hope I haven't disappointed her."

"You didn't Niall. I'm sure she would have been so proud of what you have tried to do."

"It is time for you to go now. Destroy Uldred and end this." We nodded and then everything began to fall away.