Chapter 19 – The Last of Their Kind
Serena had never felt so terrible in her life. Everything hurt. Parts of her body she didn't even know could hurt were now battling for the most painful injury award. She looked around, her head swimming.
"Ah, your eyes finally open." A dark haired woman came to stand by her bed, peering curiously into Serena's face. "Mother shall be pleased."
"W-what... happened?" Serena's voice sounded craggily, like she hadn't used it in days. "Who... How... how bad am I hurt? Have I been asleep?"
"Asleep? No." The woman's yellow eyes narrowed as she stared at Serena. "You have been unconscious for a little over two days. Your injuries were... quite severe, but nothing Mother couldn't heal, for the most part."
"A-and the darkspawn? Where are they?"
The woman paused, taking a seat at the edge of Serena's bed. No, wait, not Serena's bed... whose bed was this? Where was she? Was this the woman's house? "You were injured in the tower... and then Mother rescued you," the woman replied. "Do you not remember?"
"Wait- what? What happened to the... army?" Serena shook her head, trying to clear it. "The king?"
"The man who was to respond to your signal..." The woman sighed, as if this was unpleasant news she wished she did not have to relay to Serena. "Quit the field... The darkspawn won your battle." She waved a hand and Serena felt a wave of magic wash over her and she instantly felt stronger.
She turned again; those yellow eyes locking onto Serena's blue ones. "Do you... remember me at all?" she finally asked.
"I... yes. From before. We..." Serena paused, thinking hard. "You're... the woman from the woods. You helped us before." Another long pause and Serena could see the woman was waiting for her to continue. "M-morrigan. You're Morrigan."
The woman, Morrigan, raised her eyebrows, a small smile twisting her lips. "Correct. I am impressed." She waved her hand, and there again was the magic, wave after wave of warmth radiating over her. Serena leaned back, relief settling across her face.
"I'm no healer, but that should ease some of your discomfort."
"Thank you," Serena gasped. "For... everything." She closed her eyes, feeling the tears squeeze out unbidden and slide down her face. "Did anyone... survive?"
"Ah," Morrigan sighed. "Your general... hmm." She seemed to be searching for the right words. "Those he abandoned were massacred. Your friend... he is... not taking it well."
"My f-friend?" Serena rubbed her forehead with one hand. It felt like her head was slowly coming out of a thick fog. "My... Alistair!" She sat up quickly, stumbling forward out of the tiny wooden bed. Morrigan immediately moved to the side to avoid being bumped to the floor.
Serena stood, swaying gently on her feet. Her shoulder, stomach and right leg were all heavily bandaged and stiff to move. She could feel the bizarre sensation of the magic trying to knit her back together. She knew she should have probably stayed down, but she had to see him... had to know...
She fumbled at the door, looking back at Morrigan. "I'm sorry, I-"
"'Tis fine," the witch replied, waving a hand. "I assure you, he was much better off than you. He is outside by the fire. Mother asked to see you when you awoke."
"-Have to see..." Serena pulled open the door and light flooded her vision. "Alistair?" she called, her voice edging on desperate. "Alistair? Are you..."
"Serena! Oh, Maker, I thought you were dead! I'm... I'm over here!" He moved and then she could see him, a dark figure moving towards her as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"I thought you were..." she mumbled into his neck. "I thought I'd lost you, too..."
"You were so hurt," he whispered into her hair. "I thought you had died. Why did you jump in front of me? You could have died, Serena! You could have... I could have lost you-" He paused his quiet diatribe when he realized his shoulder felt wet. "Serena..."
"They're dead, Alistair. Duncan, and Cailan," she sobbed; her blue eyes were jewel bright with tears. "She said they're all d-dead and I thought... I thought I'd lost you, too..."
He nodded, pulling her back to him. "I know, I'm sorry..." He stroked her hair as she cried, almost feeling overwhelmed himself. "It's okay, Serena. I'm here; I'm here with you. I'm sorry I said... I'm so sorry. We're... we're okay now."
He rested his cheek on top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. He wished this moment of closeness had been about something else, something happier. Instead, it was filled with fear and betrayal and mourning... They'd lost so much in the last few days, and Serena had lost even more before that. He longed to shield her from any more pain, and yet here they were again. Some white knight he was turning out to be.
After a few minutes, he felt her shaking ease and she straightened. Serena rubbed her face, wiping away any stray tears.
"I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, but I just-" She dropped her head and another tear slid down her face. Alistair moved and suddenly she was wrapped tightly in his arms again. "Alistair, I-"
"I know, Serena," he said, his hand rubbing the small of her back. "I know. It's alright."
"Perhaps... she would like to put on some clothing?"
Alistair looked up, his eyes narrowing angrily at the witch as she leaned against the open doorframe casually. "I just say so, because, well..." She grinned, nodding at Serena.
Serena pulled back from Alistair, her face flushed. She looked down and Alistair noticed for the first time she was just in her small clothes, albeit so heavily bandaged in some areas they could have easily passed for clothing. "Yes, I... I wasn't thinking. Excuse me." She ran past Morrigan into the tiny cottage as the witch chuckled softly.
"So, Alistair, is it?" The dark haired woman slid along the side of the derelict little hut as Serena disappeared inside.
"Yes. It is." Alistair crossed his arms over his chest, hoping his posture clearly conveyed that, no, he did not want to talk, certainly not to her. And how long had she been standing there, anyway?
"I see you, and the girl..." Her voice was slow and velvety. He imagined it was what an animal, perhaps some large cat of some kind, would sound like if it could talk. "But what became of your other two fellows, I wonder?"
"Daveth and Ser Jory didn't make it through the Joining ceremony," Alistair replied curtly, mentally cursing himself. Why was he even answering her questions?
Morrigan smiled slyly, her bright yellow eyes reflecting the early morning sunlight. "The fat one was a coward anyway," she said lightly. "So... what do you two plan to do now? You were the only two my mother could save, although I am sure others may have escaped into the trees... It was..." Morrigan paused, and for the fist time Alistair could see true emotion in her eyes instead of the ever-present mocking. Was that... terror?
"...Pure chaos," she finished. "I have never seen anything like it. And I have seen many things in the Wilds.
"Yeah? I bet the squirrels around here get into some dirty business," Alistair said, rolling his eyes.
"Jest if you must, but these woods can be treacherous to navigate without the proper guide."
They glared at each other for another moment until the door to the cottage opened again and Serena stood there, back in her ripped and bloodied armor. Alistair winced when he saw the gash across her stomach, the white of the bandages showing through. Her eyes locked on his and she nodded, coming over to stand beside him.
"I'm fine now," she said softly, her hand on his chest. "I was a little... well, I was a lot roughed up... but I'm fine now. Really."
Alistair put a hand over hers and sighed. "I know, I just-"
"You worry too much, young man," said another new voice. They both turned as the old woman from before came around the side of the house. Behind her, there was a quick bark and Peanut appeared, chasing two terrified squirrels up a nearby tree. "What a delightful thing," the woman cooed.
"If you can stand the fleas," Morrigan added, rolling her eyes at the dog.
"This doesn't seem real. If it weren't for Morrigan's mother..." Alistair shook his head. "We'd be dead on top of that tower, I'm sure of it."
"Do not talk about me as if I am not present, lad," the old woman snapped.
"He didn't mean anything by it," Serena said, stepping in front of Alistair and smoothing over the awkward moment. "But we... don't know what to call you. You never told us your name."
"Names are pretty, but useless," the woman replied. "The Chasind folk call me Flemeth. I suppose it will do."
"The Flemeth? From the Legends?" Alistair said from behind her. "Daveth was right- you're... the Witch of the Wilds, aren't you?"
"And what does that mean? I know a bit of magic, and it has served you both well, has it not?"
"I'm sorry, but why did you save us?" Serena asked.
Flemeth laughed, as if she found their survival hilarious. "Well, we cannot have all the Grey Wardens dying at once, can we? Someone has to deal with these darkspawn." She calmed herself, her yellow eyes suddenly intense. "It has always been the Grey Wardens' duty to unite the lands against the Blight. Or did that change when I wasn't looking?"
"The land is hardly united, thanks to Loghain..." Serena muttered.
"That... just doesn't make any sense!" Alistair put a hand to his head, rubbing his temples. "Why would he do it? He abandoned us all..."
"Now that is a good question," Flemeth replied. "Men's hearts hold shadows much darker than any tainted creature. Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can outmaneuver. Perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is the true threat."
"The archdemon," Alistair said slowly, and Flemeth nodded.
"You're not as stupid as you look then," Morrigan said softly from behind Flemeth. Serena turned to look at her, but the woman only smiled, a quick flash of teeth.
"What is the archdemon, though? That dragon... thing?"
"It leads the horde," Alistair said. "Without it, the darkspawn stay below the ground, unable to organize enough to attack our land."
"It is an Old God," Flemeth added. "Awakened and tainted by the darkspawn. History says it's a fearsome and immortal thing, and believe that or not, only fools ignore history."
"Then..." Serena paused, thinking hard. Her head still felt fuzzy from her injuries and the mixture of different magics. "Then we need to find this archdemon."
"By ourselves?" Alistair's voice was incredulous. "No Grey Warden has ever defeated a Blight without the army of a half-dozen nations at his back! Not to mention... I don't even know how!"
"Color me surprised," came Morrigan's sarcastic drawl. She rolled her eyes and slipped back into the house out of sight.
"How to kill the archdemon, or how to raise an army? It seems to me those are two different questions, hmm? Have the Wardens no allies these days?"
"I... I don't know. Duncan said that the Grey Wardens of Orlais had been called..." Alistair began to pace. "And Arl Eamon would never stand for this, surely."
"The Arl of Redcliffe?" Serena asked. "Would he believe us over the teyrn?"
"I suppose... Arl Eamon wasn't at Ostagar; he still has all his men. And he was Cailan's uncle on his mother's side." Alistair shrugged. "I know him. He's a good man, respected in the Landsmeet. We could... go to Redcliffe and appeal to him for help?"
"We'll need more than just one castle's men, though, and with Highever lost..." Serena sighed, her mouth turning into a frown. "What about the Circle of Magi? They sent people to Ostagar, surely they would help us?"
"Of course! The treaties!" Alistair smacked his knee, his hazel eyes losing some of their gloom. "Grey Wardens can demand aid from... from dwarves, elves, mages and I don't know... other places! They're obligated to help us during a Blight!"
"I may be old, but dwarves, elves, mages, this Arl Eamon, and who knows what else... this sounds like an army to me," Flemeth said, a smug look on her wrinkled face.
Alistair turned to Serena, his face more hopeful than she'd seen it all morning. "So... can we do this? Go to Redcliffe and these other places and… build an army?"
"I don't see that we have much of a choice, Alistair, we're the only ones left in Ferelden..." Serena sighed, pushing her bangs back from her face. "Besides, what else are we going to do? Stand around here and wait to get our deaths handed to us by those monsters?"
"So you are set, then? Ready to be Grey Wardens?"
"Yes," Serena replied, nodding at the old woman. She hoped her voice sounded more confident, because she certainly didn't feel very certain. She just felt like… one big bruise. "Thank you, Flemeth. For everything you did for us."
"No, no, thank you," the old woman replied, her hands waving them off. "You are the Grey Wardens here, not I." She turned back to the house just as Morrigan was coming back out and smiled. "Now... before you go, there is yet one more thing I can offer you."
"The stew is bubbling, Mother dear. Shall we have two guests for the eve or none?"
"The Grey Wardens are leaving shortly, girl. And you will be joining them."
"Such a shame... What?" Morrigan turned on her mother, her normally mocking face narrowed in anger and surprise.
"You heard me, girl. The last time I looked, you had ears!" Flemeth laughed again, and Serena exchanged glances with Alistair. 'What if this woman is insane?' that look clearly said. "You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years. Here is your chance. As for you, Wardens, consider this repayment for your lives."
"I... um... thank you. We're happy to have her with us," Serena said, curtsying to the old woman.
"Are you sure about this?" Alistair whispered to her. "Outside of the Wilds she's an apostate! Won't this sort of... add to our problems?"
"We need all the help we can get, Alistair. Plus, she's a mage. A talented one."
"If you do not wish help from us illegal mages, young man, perhaps I should have left you on that tower?" Flemeth remarked.
"Ah, point taken," said Alistair, his face flushing.
Morrigan seemed to still be grappling with the quick change of events. "Mother... this is... not how I wanted this. I am not even ready-"
"You must be ready," Flemeth said sternly. "Alone, these two must unite Ferelden against the darkspawn. They need you, Morrigan. Without you, they will surely fail, and all will perish under the Blight. Even I."
"I... understand," Morrigan said finally, her eyes dropping to the ground.
"And you, Wardens? Do you understand? I give you that which I value above all else in this world. I do this because you must succeed." The witch's eyes bored into Serena's, willing her to believe.
"She won't come to harm with us," Serena said solemnly. She saw Morrigan eye her various bandaged body parts wearily, shaking her head.
"Allow me to... gather my things, if you please." Without waiting for a reply, Morrigan turned on her heel and disappeared back into the cottage.
Serena and Alistair stood around uneasily in the area in front of the hut, unsure if they should say anything to the old woman. Peanut, apparently spent with chasing the squirrels, padded up to Serena and nosed her hand. Other than a long pink scar that was healing nicely along his shank, the hound appeared to be otherwise unharmed.
"You are one lucky mutt," she whispered to the hound, leaning down and stroking his soft fur. "How do I nearly get my arm taken off and you've got barely a scar on you?"
The door to the hut opened again and Morrigan stepped out, a knapsack over her shoulder. "I am... at your disposal it would seem, Grey Wardens. I suggest a village north of the Wilds as our first destination. 'Tis not far, and you will find much you need there." She glanced between Serena and Alistair, shrugging. "Or, if you prefer, I shall simply be your silent guide. The choice is yours."
"No, no, that's fine," Serena said. "I would prefer if you spoke your mind." Beside her, she heard Alistair groan.
"You will regret saying that," Morrigan said with a laugh. Flemeth came to stand by her daughter, putting one hand on her shoulder, to which Morrigan rolled her eyes. "Dear, sweet mother... you are so kind to cast me out like this. How fondly I shall remember this moment."
"Well, I always said, if you want something done, do it yourself, or hear about it for a decade or two afterwards." The old woman backed up from them, shooing them with her hands. "Now, go! Save the world and such! And do try to have fun, dear!"
Serena hiked her own pack up onto her back and saw Alistair do the same. With a small awkward wave to the old woman, they headed out into the Wilds, Morrigan leading the way.