Dislcaimer: I do not own Dragon Age or any of its characters.

A/N: I don't have much to add, so I'll just say reviews are welcomed.

The Hysminai

"Beside them Battle incarnate onward pressed

Yelling, and from limbs streamed blood and sweat."

Following the Blight, a beautiful red-headed bard who had travelled with the Wardens wrote a tale of their adventures. She had a great deal of help from each member of the party, and soon enough her tale was published and was sold in markets all over Ferelden. As the book gained popularity, it drew the interest of merchants in Orlais, and even Antiva. The original version numbered three thousand pages in length (the bard had a tendency to prattle on, you see), but eventually, a condensed version was published, and it sold even more copies than its predecessor. The bard donated most of her royalties to the Grey Wardens, and the rest she spent on setting up her own company of minstrels who travelled throughout all of Ferelden (but that's a story for another time). The name of the book was The Blight Warriors. The following is an excerpt from that book.

The Quests

The Circle was broken. The Warden proved herself a sympathizer of the mages, and helped in the initial rebuilding of the Mages' Tower. The abominations and demons had been a true test of the Warden's strength, but with the help of her friends, she was able to vanquish the evil that had plagued the Tower. It had been their first stop in their quest for allies. They gained a new friend in Wynne. Her assistance proved invaluable in times of combat, as well as down time for the Warden and her…delicate condition.

Redcliffe was their next stop. The undead littered the town. Luckily this mission proved much easier than their previous endeavor, and they discovered the source of the demonic outbreak: the Arl's own son. Rather than strike the boy down, the Warden opted to return to the Circle and seek the help of the mages. They were able to remove the demon from the boy, and the city was awarded a well-deserved respite. Alistair was eternally grateful to the Warden, and though she still referred to him as the 'silly, blond shem', she did so with a smile on her lips. She began to feel the stirrings of the child in her womb.

Through Denerim they found out about Brother Genitivi's research into the Urn of Sacred Ashes. Their trip to Haven was fraught with bloodshed. The Warden met her first High Dragon. It very nearly killed her. She and her allies ventured through the Gauntlet and finally came upon the Sacred Urn. The Warden took a pinch…and promptly passed out. Alistair carried her from the Gauntlet and stripped her of her armour. He was terrified to see the blood spilling down her thighs. It was then that Wynne intervened. Wynne knew that the Warden would never be able push the baby from her body. The birthing process itself could kill her. The Warden had sustained injuries that Wynne suspected may have caused internal bleeding. And so she made a decision. The screeching baby was cut from the Warden's womb…healthy and whole, much to the amazement of all those who'd witnessed the event. Wynne immediately set to work on the Warden. Travelling while trying to heal someone with mortal wounds wasn't exactly easy. Hours turned into days, days into weeks. The babe suckled from her mother's breast despite her comatose state. Alistair marvelled at that particular fact. He never would have guessed that an unconscious woman could breast feed. He stayed by her side day and night. He held the babe in his arms, cooing and promising that its mother would soon be well. The morning that she woke, Alistair had fallen asleep in the chair near the Warden's bedside, the babe nestled against his chest. The babe stared at the Warden through amethyst eyes.

"Alistair…" the Warden murmured.

He stirred and woke. "K-Kallian? Oh, thank the Maker…I thought…"

"The baby?"

"A healthy baby girl," Alistair smiled reassuringly.

The Warden reached out toward her child, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Adair…come and see your mama. You've been in my dreams for quite some time."

The Warden was surprised to discover that she'd been nursed back to health in Castle Redcliffe. She was even more surprised to discover that the ashes had actually worked. For three months she stayed within the castle walls caring for little Adair, but it soon came time to continue their quest for allies against the Blight. With a heavy heart she left her baby under the care of the Arl and his wife. They promised to guard the child with their lives.

Their next stop was the Brecillian Forest. The Warden had never seen a werewolf before, and frankly, she found them thoroughly frightening…yet surprisingly misunderstood. She found a certain kinship with the Dalish, and bonded especially with Lanaya. The two had been born amongst the shems. The Warden had often contemplated running off in search of the Dalish. She pledged that she would help the clan find a cure to their plague…only to discover that their Keeper had deceived them all. She had fully expected the Lady of the Forest to slaughter Zathrian, but she showed him mercy. Zathrian lifted the curse and thus ended the sickness that plagued his clan. Lanaya was to be the new Keeper, and the Warden had nothing but respect for the woman. She vowed to return.

Their last stop, Orzammar, was perhaps the most difficult. Political unrest…dwarves rallying around them to curry their favour…the pretention of the dwarven nobility. It made Kallian sick. To be concerned with such trivialities when a Blight was imminent…but in order to gain the dwarves' support, she had to step in and play their game. She threw in with Harrowmont who was, in her opinion, the lesser of two evils. She just couldn't stand Bhelen's slimy demeanour. He reminded her of him. They cleaned out Jarvia's criminal carta…they even travelled to the Deep Roads and fought more darkspawn than she thought imaginable. All the while a new friend fought by her side, a crazy, drunken, dwarf. She didn't know why, but the Warden had taken an immediate liking to him. He wasn't a shem, and he seemed honourable. As much as she tried to relate to her other companions…she just couldn't get past the fact that they were humans. She knew she was being irrational, but she just couldn't let go of the past. That didn't stop her from fighting by their sides, risking life and limb to protect them. The only human she actually did warm up to was Alistair…not in a romantic sense of course, but they shared a bond. He was like the older brother she never had. He taught her the ways of the Templar, she taught him the ways of the Champion. For some reason, in her eyes, he wasn't human, he was just Alistair. He respected her more than any other, and during their dark journey through the Deep Roads, he offered her quiet support. He knew instinctually how terrified she was. After defeating the broodmother, which was possibly the most revolting…disgusting…repugnant…thing that the Warden had ever laid eyes on, they trekked through to the Anvil of the Void. They met Branka, who was quite obviously insane. Even Oghren could see that. They passed through all of Caridan's tests, and were quite shocked to meet the paragon himself…only he had been made into a golem. He begged them to destroy the Anvil, explained the horrors that it had caused. The Warden couldn't help but agree…Branka, on the other hand, felt differently. Oghren asked the Warden to spare his wife, but the Warden had to refuse his request. They returned to Orzammar with a crown for the new king, and the Anvil destroyed. Harrowmont was made ruler.

They faced several trials in Denerim, and then there was the dreaded Landsmeet. The Warden learned of the issues in the Alienage after rescuing Anora, whom she hated on sight. She was finally reunited with her family, and since the Arl had brought Adair to the Redcliffe's Estate, her family was invited to meet the newest member of the Tabris clan. They gained favour with the nobles, and the Landsmeet was a success. Alistair was named king…and much to the Warden's delight, he'd actually warmed to the idea.

On the eve of the final battle, Morrigan came to the Warden with a proposition: let her lay with Alistair so that the witch could conceive a child. This would ensure that the Grey Warden who struck the killing blow against the archdemon would survive. The fetus in Morrigan's womb would absorb the demon's soul. The Warden was uneasy with the idea, and felt it should be up to Alistair to decide. At first he thought the Warden was joking, but once he understood the severity of the situation, and all of the risks involved, he knew that he had to sleep with Morrigan. He was not afraid of dying…that wasn't the issue. He couldn't let his fellow Warden perish…he loved her; she was the family that he'd never been able to have. Sleeping with Morrigan was a small price to pay for the safety of his surrogate sister.

And so they fought the archdemon, a battle for the ages. King Cailan would have been proud. Alistair, Oghren and Wynne fought alongside the Warden, and after hours of excruciating injuries, moments where they thought all was lost, the demon was struck down…the Warden delivering the final blow. The skies erupted with a blinding light, and the darkspawn retreated, their leader vanquished. The cheers of the men on the battlefield could be heard for miles. Those on the rooftop of Fort Drakon hoisted the bruised, bloodied - and smiling - Warden onto their shoulders. They dubbed her the Hero of Ferelden. It wasn't long before Alistair was officially made king. Smiling nobles and elated countrymen marked the coronation ceremony.

The Warden knew she had no place amongst them. When the king offered her a boon, she asked that the Alienage be made into a proper arling, and that her cousin Shianni be made the arlessa. This upset a few of the nobles, just as the Warden had suspected it would. The king, however, agreed to the Warden's request. He asked her what her plans were. She could see from the look in his eyes that he wanted her to stay with him in Denerim. She smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I love you. You're the only human that I trust with my life; and that's the problem, your Majesty. You're the only one. I think it would be best if I take Adair and travel the lands. In the end, I think you know where I'll wind up. But please don't tell the others. They just wouldn't understand, and I don't want them to come looking for me."

Alistair nodded, eyes shining with tears. He tucked a strand of ebony hair behind her pointed ear and cupped her cheek. "Farewell, sister. It has been an honour. I know our paths will cross again."

The Warden pulled the king into a tight embrace. "That they will, your Majesty. That they will."