BioWare owns all except everything I made up. : )
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the action packed WTH moment with the darkspawn who are not behaving the way they are supposed to after a Blight is over. And yes, a shameless pull at your heartstrings letting the "filthy mongrel," as Morrigan likes to call him, get hurt, and then there is Morrigan's little bombshell, ROFL! So, some girl talk is in order, which you know Morrigan is going to love so much, especially when it involves two of Morrigan's favorite women in all of Thedas, the Mage and the Bard. Oh yes, hilarity should ensue, or at least it will if I write it well enough. : )
As this is a Morrigan heavy chapter, a shout out goes to beanball's "Orbs of Aristani." His portrayal of Morrigan is wonderful. It is a Warden/ Morrigan pairing set after the Blight, he has her personality nailed. He keeps her true to her essential nature, while letting her grow, change, and become more rich and real. I really like it, so it is a must read if you are a Morrigan fan, not to mention the plot is exciting and fun. And Swoopers will be pleased with his Ali, and Leli lovers will like his version of the redhead, please, give it a read. Also "Bloodlines" by TXRanger, a very well done noble origin with more meat and personal twist, please give it love too.
A shout out to Night Hunter MGS for a great idea from his review, I just had to use it, my clever friend. : )
And thank you all, lurkers, reviewers, and the people who put my story on favs and alerts, I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it. Just today my story got added as a fav and for alerts by new people, to you all my sincerest gratitude too, you all make it so much fun to write. : )
Blessings!
"'Tis no laughing matter, did you not hear what I said, the man is insane!" Kai was laughing so hard tears were pouring out of her eyes and her ribs hurt. "One would think his own sister would be more concerned about this...this debacle!"
Kai sneaked a look at the witch from under wet lashes. Morrigan was pale except for two flaming red spots high on her cheeks, her hands were clenched in fists, and she was tapping one black-leather boot toe on the stone floor.
Before Kai could answer, there was a knock at the door, and it opened without the person on the other side waiting for an invitation to enter. Leliana, carrying Schmooples in her arms, entered and was followed by Wynne who had her bag of healing potions, bandages and the like. Wynne shut the door with a little click before going to the table and setting the bag down. Kai knew for a fact that Wynne was using bandages as an excuse to join in on what was going on, and Leliana was a spy, trained to watch and observe. Kai suspected Leli might know more about what was happening with Morrigan and Fergus than she herself did.
"I doubt that, my love, remember the dream I interrupted, it was on the romantic side, not the steamy side, thank the Maker. I think witchy-poo is in lo-ove." Alistair's voice sounded with mirth, and Kai gave him a mental smirk. Before she could comment back, she was interrupted by Leli.
"Oh, Fergus isn't insane, he's in love with you." Leliana set Schmooples down, patting the nug before clasping her hands in front of her chest, looking like a little girl presented with a new doll, "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Isn't it a miracle," Wynne's acerbic tone broke in.
"I believe I was having a private conversation with my sister. In case you and the dimwit didn't notice the door was closed, closed is the state in which the door prevents one from seeing into the room." The witch added helpfully, as she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she addressed the two newcomers.
"Aw, don't be like that, Morri, it has been obvious how you and Fergus feel about each other." Leliana bounced up and down and smiled a brilliant smile while batting her eyelashes at the witch. Leli knew how much Morrigan hated the bard's shortening of her name. She especially liked to do once she figured out how much it annoyed their companion. "He obviously adores you. He's handsome, funny, sweet, kind, and the Teyrn of Highever. What more can a girl ask for?"
"Bah, 'tis amazing you notice the sun rise, bubble head that you are." Morrigan narrowed her eyes at the pretty bard. Anyone else might have run from that look. Kai called it "Morrigan's Stare of the Basilisk." It used to give Alistair, in particular, the sudden urge to go to his tent or up a tree or into a lake – anywhere to get away from the witch when she stared like that.
"It still makes me want to run and hide, and I'm in the Fade!" Kai could feel Alistair's shudder, "I think this is where I go and play chess with your father, even being interrogated by your mother would be better, good luck, my love."
"Coward," Kai teased him.
"Definitely, I admit it, love you," and then he was gone.
Kai laughed harder, and Morrigan rounded on her, Kai held up her hands in surrender, "I was laughing at Alistair, I swear, you scared him away, sister."
"Well, at least something is going right for me today," Morrigan's brows drew down further in a scowl.
Kai picked herself up from the floor and dusted herself off, she went to the tub and turned off the hot water and turned on the cool, adding bath salts and mixing the water. "I am going to take a bath while we talk. I want this blood off of me." Kai started undressing and got into the bath, grabbing the scrub brush and some scented soap. "And as for my brother falling in love with you, I did notice you two snogging in the Great Hall, so, why is this such a surprise?"
"'Snogging' as you call it, yes, after the said snogging, I expected him to sleep with me. Am I not young, am I not beautiful? Other men have wanted this body, but your insufferable brother merely continues to kiss me. I have tried to get the man into bed, and he tortures me with refusal after refusal." Morrigan began to pace, "He does these amazing things with his mouth on mine, and his tongue..."
"WHOA, HOLD IT," Kai motioned for a time out before sticking her fingers in her ears, "La-la-la-la can't hear you, Andraste's flaming knickers, I need Oghren's special brew to help me do a mental wipe, now, ugh!" Leliana giggled with her hands over her mouth as she sat at the table in the room, even Wynne let out a low chuckle. Kai rolled her eyes at them before continuing, "So, he just kisses you, and then, Maker, I may regret asking this, what?"
"And then nothing," Morrigan flapped her hands, "He deposits me at my bedroom door, then next day I find a gift of some sort in my room or on the door or by my plate at breakfast, lunch, or supper. 'Tis always something I will like, a jewelry box on my nightstand, a bracelet on the door handle, a pendant in my empty plate, a hair comb hidden in my napkin. He takes me for walks around Highever, or we go for rides, he sits with me in the garden and reads to me. I thought he might want to have sex away from the prying eyes and the busybodies that abound in this place." Morrigan looked a pointedly at Leli and Wynn as she said this, "But 'tis not his plan, and 'tis most maddening!" Morrigan again stood before Kai with her arms crossed and a scowl on her beautiful face, "'Tis my conclusion that your brother is insane and wishes to drive me so as well." Morrigan hugged herself tightly, "When I confronted him on this vexatious behavior, 'tis then he told me he is in love with me."
Kai laughed as did Leliana and Wynne, "Yes, I see the evil monster's plan, hanging is too good for him!" Kai grinned at her sister.
"He isn't taunting you, nor is he trying to drive you insane, child, he's courting you, he's sparking with you, he..." Wynne was interrupted by the pretty bard.
"Oh Morri, he is trying to win your heart," Leliana giggled in delight.
Morrigan's eyes got wider, "What in the world would the man need with that when he can have this body in pleasure? 'Tis foolish to want love, especially from one such I," Morrigan blushed and looked down.
Aha, Kai understood now, Morrigan was afraid. So, Kai pointed out to her sister that she was afraid that she was unworthy, afraid she would disappoint Fergus and that he would leave her. Just as she had been afraid that Kai would die and Morrigan would lose the only person who had loved her for herself, until now, it seemed, apparently loving the witch was a Cousland family pastime, now.
"Then 'tis proof 'tis a Cousland family mental illness, you are both mad! I don't want to be in love, so 'tis certain that I am not in love!" And then she did something Kai had only seen her do when they had been reunited, Morrigan's eyes started to fill with tears, "He will just wake up one day and realize that he is a fool and cast me away."
Kai got out of the bath and dried herself off, wrapping the towel around her before going to Morrigan and putting her arms around the witch's slender shoulders, "I can assure you, sister, he will not send you away. I have not sent you away, why would he?" Kai just kissed her hair, "Morrigan, you deserve to be loved, and I have always loved you, even when you left. I may have been angry, but I have never stopped loving you, my sister. It might be a good thing for you if you stop treating everyone, and the world at large, as if we are all Flemeth. Your mother is a right royal, demonic, self-centered bitch, and quite frankly she never deserved a daughter as wonderful as you. I didn't befriend you because of your powers, even though they were sorely needed and very formidable. You can rest assured that Fergus does not love you because of anything you can give him or do for him, he is trying to prove that to you. He, like me, wants you for you and nothing else. I think that scares you because you think so little of yourself, despite your ego in other areas, I think you are afraid of seeing the real Morrigan and not the one Flemeth tried to make you into, a powerful sack to be filled." Kai hugged her tighter, "Besides the snogging, I did notice you two talk a lot, did he tell you about Oriana and Oren?"
Morrigan nodded, "What if I come up wanting, how can I compare to a nice Antivan girl who was raised in polite society? 'Tis not how I was raised, I spent my time in the Wilds. I will be the ruin of him! He cannot have me around those other foolish nobles and their fluffy bits they have for wives, I care not what they think of me, but 'twould look badly on him, 'twould it not? I cannot let him do that!" Morrigan fisted her hands in her lap, "'Twill not be I who causes him to fall out of favor, I will not let that happen!"
Kai grabbed Morrigan's hands and made her unclench them. "Morrigan, my family, Fergus included, never cared what the other nobles thought. That nice Antivan girl he married, it was a huge scandal at the Landsmeet. He had turned away all the nobles' daughters in favor of an outsider, he had married a foreigner from a country filled with hired assassins, no less. He put a non-Ferelden one seat away from the throne, and they all took it as an insult, believe me. But he met her and fell in love with her, and he married her with my parents' and my blessings. It all blew over in the end, other than the occasional snide comment at the parties or Landsmeets we had to go to. But my family never gave a tinker's damn what those other blowhards or their simpering little wives thought. So if marrying and Antivan over a Ferelden girl didn't ruin him, then marrying you won't either, and you forget, Anora won't be queen if we have anything to do with it."
Morrigan leapt up from the bed, her eyes even wider,"Who says I want to marry the man?" And the witch spun around and began pacing again.
Kai decided on a different tactic, she widened her eyes, raised an eyebrow at Wynne and Leli, and then nodded her head at Morrigan's back. "Well, I suppose you're right, sister, I mean who would want that lame-brained brother of mine. You know he is one of the most annoying creatures in all of Thedas."
Leli took her cue, "Oh, I don't know, I think he is one of the most wonderful men I have ever met. If Morrigan isn't interested, well I certainly am." Leli batted her lashes while making fanning motions with her hands, "I am definitely setting out lures, I bet he has great hands, and Morri says he is a great kisser."
Kai felt herself blushing, oh Maker, what had she started? These were not the mental images she wanted of her brother. Did she say Oghren's special brew, sod that, she was going to need the hard stuff, lichen ale all the way.
Leli continued, "I think he is fantastic, I bet I could get him to marry me instead."
Morrigan's face changed into the basilisk look again, but it was layered with a colder fury than Kai had ever seen. The witch's hands were glowing with a blue flame, "If you even so much as look at him, you red-haired, fuzzy-brained trollop, I will set you on fire and then will take your ashes and piss on them."
"Um, Morrigan," Kai asked her softly while looking at the witch's face and then deliberately at her hands, flickering with an angry cobalt energy. "You know what this means don't you?" Kai took a chance and grinned at her sister.
"Damn and blast, I am in love with him!"