A/N: I would like to thank you for all the follows! This kind of thing really make my day better :)

Some little notes before we start:

First, I'd decided to take a break with the songs before the chapters. They will be used only in special occasions.

Second, there will be no chapter next monday. Maybe I can manage to post, but I can't promise anything.

Third, Thank you, dear reader, for being with me ;)

Credits:

Portuguese Beta: Rohh Lael

English Beta: wintryone

Artwork: goo. gl /f0ys5 (without the spaces or check my profile)

Disclaimer: Dragon Age Universe belongs to Bioware.

Chapter 6

A Little Light on my Path

.

Noah

Maker give me patience.

Because I lost mine long ago.

Why was finding single person was so damn hard?

I've searched everywhere. All the places I could think of - in every alley, in every corner, and nothing.

I was in the Mage's Quarter when I'd received the wonderful information that he was running around the camp, delivering messages. And where he was supposed to be right now?

I headed to the location they had indicated and I was angry for a good reason. Was I asking too much? Expecting the people to stay focused on their obligations?

While I was climbing one of the stairs, I'd seen the elf standing in one of the hallways. I'd noticed her expression - She didn't know where to start.

I'd remained on the stairs on purpose, waiting. Once I was sure she had seen me and started to follow me, I'd resumed my walking. The sooner we could get rid of the paperwork, the better.

I was not sure if I had slowed my pace or if she had ran, but we reached the spot almost at the same time. I did notice that she wasn't limping anymore, which was probably a good sign.

Anyway, we arrived in the middle of an argument between a man whose appearance matched Alistair's description and a mage I didn't know. I just watched from afar, not worried about the details. In the corner of my eye I could see that the elf was no more patient than I was.

In the end, the mage left the place, angry as if the warden had slapped his mother in the face. Alistair, on the other hand was smiling like a kid.

"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together," He said with a smile.

I crossed my arms and started to stare at him. Was he stupid?

The elf didn't need to say anything – I knew she thought the same thing.

"Uh ..." That stupid smile slowly faded when he realized that we weren't going to say anything. "You know, I was just ..." He lowered his head scratching the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Don't worry," the elf said. And here I was, thinking that for the first time we were going to agree on something. "Once this is over, they'll start to kill each other again." The elf told the truth, but I would rather she had stayed silent.

"The positive side is not as positive as it seemed, right?" There is no 'positive side' and he was the only one that did not realize that. Stupid.

The elf remained silent this time. Very nice.

"Wait," he said looking us over, from head to toe. "We haven't met yet, right? You guys don't not happen to be mages, do you?" Another stupid smile.

"This," I said pointing at our garments. "Looks like a dress to you?"

"Point taken ..." He swallowed his smile again. "You must be Duncan's new recruits. Sorry, I should have recognized you before."

"How could you know?" I asked. My height and my voice made him flinched slightly. It was almost imperceptible, but a real man knows how to recognize this kind of thing.

"The rumors arrived before us," the elf said sharply, without looking at me. "I have found that there's even a bet about my competence among the guards." She was visibly irritated.

"Tell me who is responsible," I said. She looked at me with surprise, her eyes slightly widening. Hah! This was like letting the child taste the sweet before removing it from its mouth. "So I can place my bet, too. Easy money is always welcome." I saw her rolling her eyes and I could not stop the small smile that formed on my lips. Mocking her always improve my mood. A little, at least.

"Duncan spoke with great enthusiasm about both of you in his letter. The elf from Denerim and the Lord from Highever." Alistair continued, ignoring the last part. "My name is Alistair and as a Junior member of the Wardens, I will be responsible for the preparation prior to your Joining."

"I'd rather take care of my own preparations," I said. This must be a joke!

"I'll try not to embarrass you," He told me, that stupid smile back on his face, but his eyes were a little ... Sad perhaps?

"Ahem," Kallian cleared her throat. "My name is Kallian and the frowning guy is Noah," she said with less outrage in her voice. Great, now she was being nice to the idiot!

"Nice to meet you," Alistair said, relief written all over his face. I said nothing, but I could see that the elf nodded "You've met the other recruits?"

"No," she said, "I did not even know that there were others."

"No problem. They must be ready, maybe they're even with Duncan." He motioned for us to follow him.

And we did. The good part was that the other two recruits were with Duncan and apparently were ready for the preparations. It was relatively easy: Go to the Kocari Wilds, take four blood samples of Darkspawn and some papers from some Grey Warden building. Alistair would be our guide. Wonderful…

But the strangest thing happened when we were leaving the camp.

I heard a dog crying from one of the areas reserved for the Mabari hounds. It sounded like it was really suffering. I did not think twice and went to the place without a word. I could hear the elf saying that she would return soon and when I noticed, she was right beside me. I think that, by the sound of steps I'd heard, the others followed as well, but didn't bother to check.

The Kennel Master was rubbing his head when I arrived. He was so lost in thought that he did not see me approaching him.

"Ser," I said looking at the Mabari that had probably been yelping. It was different from the others - It had a snow-white pelage with gray ear tips and big and bright violet eyes. He was lying on the ground, looking apathetic. "What happened to him?" I pointed in its direction.

"Ah, hello friend," he said, shaking my hand. "This little boy is sick. I have no idea what it is."

"He seems to be suffering," the elf said, as she perched on the fence.

"He is. He is also very skittish, too. I cannot get close, he doesn't let me," The Kennel Master said, leaning on the fence. He suddenly turned to me, with a different glow in his eyes. "Can you try to calm him down?"

"Can I?" I asked hesitantly. He nodded, opening the gate.

I entered the enclosure and approached him, slowly. I could see that he was crying softly, his back raised and lowered so quickly... I knelt in front of him and put my hand near his nose. He sniffed hesitant, but gave a slight tail wag that I interpreted as a sign of approval.

I sat beside him and he put his head on my leg.

"Very good," The Kennel Master said, "It looks like he likes you."

I smiled, I could not help it. While I was stroking his neck, I remembered my old Mabari. It was so full of life, always eating my clothes. And the furniture. And our food, too.

My eyes burned a little with the memories. Poor Estúpido*, died in my arms protecting me during Howe's invasion.

Before you ask, no, my dog was not stupid. Estúpido* was his name. But take it easy, I was only seven years old when my father gave him to me. It is not always a good idea to let the kids be responsible for naming the family pets.

But I was not a fool. I knew the Mabari's imprint very well, and although he was more comfortable in my presence, his attention wasn't with me. His violet eyes were fixed on the golden eyes leaning against the fence.

"Elf," I called, looking at her, "Come here."

"What for?" she asked, confused.

"Do not argue. Trust me." I could see the mix of emotions crossing her face: disbelief, distrust and even a bit of sarcasm. But she did not question me – she shrugged and slowly entered the enclosure. I made a sign with my head for her to get down.

"Let him smell you," I continued. "Show that you will not hurt him."

"Okay." She reached out slowly near the dog's face, mimicking my previous move. He smelled her as well, but instead of wagging his tail, he put his head down on the Elf's palm, stirring so that it touched him. "Hey boy," she said smiling and he wagged his tail in response.

I smiled.

I was right, he had chosen her.

While the Mabari was distracted, I stood to take a good look at him. The Kennel Master said that in the Wilds there was a flower that could solve the problem. Since we were going there, I said we would take a look.

"You will get better, boy." I saw her smiling, leaning her forehead against his while she stroked his 'cheeks'. "I promise." The dog did the best he could to make a sound closer to a bark and wagged his tail, happily.

Like I said, I'm not a fool. Even with the Mabari distracting me, I could hear the comments of the other two recruits. They were restless, impatient, but I pretended I did not notice them. I'd also pretended not to notice the stupid grin that appeared on Alistair's lips as he watched the elf.

Kallian

I was scared. The way the dog stared at me while I was on the fence ... It was like he was looking directly into my soul, calling me.

When Noah called me, I found it strange. He called me to come close with serenity, a certain ... Kindness… in his voice. He looked at the dog with a tenderness that surprised me. And of course, I could confirm that Noah was definitely bipolar. He had a few bouts of humanity when I least expected. I mean, he was visibly pissed until I started to pet the dog. I think it must have been a Mabari effect because I myself stopped thinking when he put his head in my hand.

The dog was suffering, but he had so much energy in those eyes. He wanted to live. And I was more than willing to help.

The truth is that I never had a pet. I always wanted one but never could afford to have one.

The Kennel Master explained that this connection I'd felt between us is called imprinting. And that if he got better, he was very likely to start to following me around. I was not sure if I was in any condition to take care of another living being, but I thought I would let time give me that answer. All I could do was smile as the little boy rubbed his forehead against mine.

When I looked back, the first thing I saw was my little group staring at me. Noah had a satisfied expression; Jory was bored; Daveth had a mischievous look typical of Shems who had not seen a woman for a while and Alistair was smiling. It was not like the sadistic smile of Vaughan or Daveth. It was different ...

Alistair was a weird guy. The way he acted. Noah definitely didn't like him. And I did not trust him any more than any other soldier in this damned place. However, his gaze was not like the others. And he also did not treat me badly. Yet.

"You will get better, boy. I promise," That's what I said. And I knew that by the glow of his violet eyes he understood me.

I was totally in love with the little one, but I knew that duty was calling me. So I stood and headed to the woods.

Noah

Stupid.

It was just pathetic.

I know I'm using the word 'stupid' too often, but I'm not in the mood to worry about it. Actually I'm not in the mood for anything.

I had a very nice nostalgic moment with the small Mabari, but as soon as we left my head heated up again.

That guy pissed me off.

He was supposed to be our guide, but all he did was following us around and give directions. He showed no leadership at all. There was a time when I got pissed and took the map from him, taking the reins of the situation. I've always been good with maps. Besides my knowledge of herbalism, I had experience in cartography as well.

Not long after that, we encountered our first obstacle: wolves.

Neither the stupid guy nor the elf were as useless as they seemed. The elf fought very well, even with that lame leg. However, for a rogue, she was not a sneaky person. I think I made less noise than her.

But the stupid - I have to indoctrinate myself to call him Alistair or something else. My Mabari must be turning in his grave right now - made good use of that shield.

As for the other recruits ... Well, they were surviving, and I think that's what matters.

Kallian

I was still in shock.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I accepted this Grey Warden thing.

I followed the group at a slower pace, on purpose, to build a safe distance and think a bit.

What the hell was I doing?

I was so distracted looking at the stones on the ground that I did not realize Alistair was approaching me.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, looking at his mild expression. He had a curious look on his face.

Something in my expression encouraged him to continue. "When I saw a Darkspawn for the first time, I was scared. It was not like I'd expected and I was not eager to run into another one anytime soon."

"But I'm sure you didn't freeze like I did," I said, reminding him of my reaction when - what I'd found out later that it was a Hurlock - struck me. I was on the ground waiting for the coup de grace, unable to remember how my arms worked. The next thing I saw was his body was breaking in two, flying sideways violently after being hit by Noah's sword.

"You're crazy?! You could have killed me if you missed!" I remember saying that to him after realizing that he had thrown that huge sword of his spinning it from about six feet away, like a boomerang, dart or something like that. "You would have died anyway if I had not done anything," was what he told me.

I could not look at them after that. I was too ashamed of what had happened.

"No," he replied. "But your reaction was not the worst, that I assure you," Alistair whispered and I was grateful for this initiative to keep the conversation only between us.

"I did not expect that. It doesn't look like anything I was told about," I admitted quietly.

"There's nothing someone can say that will really prepare you for this kind of situation," he continued, looking forward. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

He spoke with such conviction that for a moment I almost believed him.

After walking for what seemed like half an hour, we found another group of Darkspawn - a Hurlock and Genlock on the front line, two archers at the rear and far away from them, an emissary.

A mage.

Alistair took the lead, getting the majority of attacks on his shield. Daveth and Jory took charge of the archers and Noah engaged the Hurlock. They were very skilled, but my attention was elsewhere.

I ran as fast as I could - or faster than my bad leg let me - toward the emissary, as silently as I could so he would not notice me coming. Stealth was not my specialty. My mother said I was reckless, impatient, and it was true. Well, part of the truth. But at the time, it was working.

When the emissary noticed me, it was too late for him. His magic scratched my shoulder, but did not stop me from twisting his arm and cutting his throat.

Although he was dead, the touch of his magic on my skin still gave me the chills. I have not felt anything as disgusting as that since...

I pushed that thought away when I noticed the others approaching. With this Darkspawn group, we would have enough blood for Duncan's task.

Noah

I do not know how anyone really expects that a document would stay in the same abandoned place for decades without anyone even thinking about stealing them.

We were already almost three hours into the forest when we found the tower - the rest of it. And it was not long before we realized that nothing was left there.

I sat on one of the rocks and sank my face in my hands. That would delay us a lot, not to mention that if I had any hopes of meeting with Fergus, now I had none.

I looked through my fingers and saw the elf sitting too. She was clearly in pain, her forehead damp with sweat. She took the last leaves of the herbs and chewed them.

The others did not seem to notice it, since they'd continued grumbling about the complete waste of time this whole mission was.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A female voice came from behind one of the pillars. "Are you Intruders? Or mere Scavengers?"

"This tower is owned by the Grey Wardens," I said getting up and pointing my sword in her direction. I could see Daveth and Jory trembling when they saw the staff on her back.

Witch or not, she couldn't do anything without her head.

"This is no longer a tower and the forest was in charge of taking the remains of its rubble. I've been following you for a while, wondering 'where they would go?' or 'what they were doing?' Tell me, what do you intend to do, coming to a forgotten place like this in my forest? "She said walking towards us. The elf was holding her daggers tightly, facing the apostate with a penetrating gaze. The same look she gave to the Darkspawn emissary.

"Excuse me, but I think I missed the part where it says that this is your forest," the elf said taking a step forward.

"So I think that you should start paying more attention to things," the witch smiled. "Especially when the subject is related to documents as valuable as the ones brought from this ruin long ago."

"You stole them! You... You... witch thief!" Alistair said. Honestly I do not know why he opens his fucking mouth.

"Oh, how eloquent you are. Tell me all Wardens share such limited intellect?" Hah! I liked her.

"He is an exception," I said suppressing a smile, "Every good family has a black sheep," she smiled. I noticed that the tension eased a bit on both sides. Except the elf, who kept the defensive and defiant look on her face. She was so focusing in whatever she was doing that does not seem to be paying attention.

For once I would have liked to know what she was thinking about.

"Prove me wrong then Warden. Say your name and I'll give you mine." She said approaching and I lowered my sword - not a guard – in her response.

"Noah," I replied as she stopped in front of me.

"Very well," she said crossing an imaginary line that went from one of my shoulders to the other, in a provocative way. "Call me Morrigan if you want."

Her low-cut clothing, the hump of her hips as she walked, her eyes filled with ulterior motives, the malicious tone of her voice ... Everything about her inspired seduction. She was a beautiful woman, no doubt, and she not only knew that but she used this to her advantage.

But I'm not the kind of man who gets fooled by a woman's body.

"All I want is information," I growled, pulling my shoulder out of reach of Morrigan's fingers.

"Straight to the point, huh? I like that in a man." She said walking back to her original position, "And you, little elf?" She returned her gaze to the redhead. "You became suddenly awful quiet, just staring at me. From what you said earlier and as the woman in the group, I thought you would lead this conversation. Did I scare you? Or you're afraid that I'll turn you into a mushroom like these scared boys? "Morrigan made a small gesture, referring to the other three.

"We will talk as soon as you undo the energy field around us." Energy Field? What the hell she was she talking about?

"Oh, so you noticed." Morrigan looked uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about?" Alistair asked.

"My Protection." Morrigan paused, staring at us. "A girl cannot trust in strangers, don't you agree?"

"I completely understand," the elf replied, "But you have my terms."

"How about your daggers?" Morrigan asked.

"My Protection." the elf said. The apostate laughed.

"Fair enough," She turned her wrist and a loud explosion happened around us and blew a cold breeze. So she really was playing with us. Bitch.

The whole question was: How had the elf known that?

"So, will you tell us what we want to know?" The elf said lowering her daggers. Her gaze, however, was unchanged.

"I did not steal your precious documents," Morrigan said crossing her arms against her chest.

"You wouldn't make this whole scene if you knew nothing," I said losing my patience. Enough with the games.

"It's true that I know. Indeed, my mother was the one who took them." She confessed, pleased with the surprise of the group, "Follow me."

Kallian

During our walk back to Ostagar, I reflected on what had happened.

First, her mother was crazy. Not the good kind, to be clear. Dangerous kind of crazy. And I did not need to know that she was the Witch of the Wilds to reach this conclusion. Just the atmosphere of the place made me want to vomit.

In the end, she had returned the documents. But the "I was protecting them for you!" story did not hold true - Sorry, but I do not believe in altruism.

The worst part was to discover - or confirm, whatever - that two of my mates were cowards.

Daveth and Jory were unable to form sentences without stuttering. No attitude at all. Alistair dared to speak, but inside I could see he was scared. As for Noah ... Well, he kept being himself, and I do not believe that he will ever change.

By the way, I lied. The worst part was going to the healer that Duncan had indicated – Wynne was her name. A lady very friendly for a mage – and to find that even with the infection gone - thanks to Dalish medicine - and my wound healed, I should feel a little pain for a few days until it return to normal. Oh well.

But not everything was lost.

Ready to hear the best part?

Between my fingers were the white flowers that would heal the Mabari. It was the first time since my life had turned upside down that I felt truly happy.

I smiled as I walked toward the Mabari Quarter - The last stop I would make before my Joining.

*Estúpido: It's the portuguese word for Stupid, in english. I'd created Noah based on my boyfriend's gameplay, so I'd decided to keep some of his characteristics like the Mabari's name and his deep hatred for Alistair.

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