Chapter 90

Sten bent down and hefted Aedan onto his shoulder, and others followed suit, with Eamon carrying Alistair, and Irving directing a soldier to pick up Emma. The small party made their way through Fort Drakon until they found a dormitory with four beds. The Wardens were laid on the mattresses, and Irving got to work. He nodded to himself as he checked Alistair's pulse, and then Aedan's, however, a slight frown appeared between his eyebrows when he checked Emma. "It's very weak." A pale glow appeared around his hand as he placed it above her head and moved it slowly down the length of her body.

A groan drew Eamon's attention, and he quickly moved over to Alistair, who slowly sat up gingerly holding a hand to his head. "What hit me?"
"The Archdemon, in a manner of speaking," the Arl replied.
Alistair's eyes opened fully as the events of the last few hours came back to him. "Aedan and Emma, are they..."
"Right here, although I feel as if I've been knocked through a wall," Aedan rasped as he also carefully sat up, holding his forehead. When Emma made no reply, the two Wardens looked over to where she lay with Irving leaning over her. A cold feeling of dread swept through Aedan's body. "Is she going to be all right?"
He winced as he pushed up from the mattress and walked over to Emma's side, then he saw her skin and his legs buckled. Alistair managed to catch him and seated him in a chair. "She's still alive, just give her time."
Aedan shook his head. "No, you don't understand, look at her, she's almost translucent."
Alistair glanced over and noted the visible veins beneath the pale skin. "That happened to her back in the Deep Roads, but she came back to us then, and I'm sure she'll do so this time." Aedan couldn't tell them what he knew about her unique situation, but in his heart, he knew he was watching Emma fade from this world.

After laying Aedan down, Sten had left the room. He returned a few minutes later. "I have a horse and cart outside, perhaps it would be better to leave this place."
Irving finished his healing. "I've done all I can. I agree that it would be best to move her to somewhere more comfortable."
Aedan stripped a blanket from a bed and wrapped it around Emma before lifting her into his arms and leaving Fort Drakon. Eamon declined a ride, saying that he needed to go and check on the situation with their army, so Irving and Sten sat up front, while the Wardens seated themselves in the back. Alistair suggested they head to the Arl of Denerim's estate as it was closer and less likely to be damaged since there hadn't been much fighting in that area.

The party approached the front door, 1`pleased to find the residence relatively unscathed by the battle. There were even a few servants around, preparing the place for the new Arl, whoever that might be. Aedan was shown to a room and went straight to the bed and carefully placed Emma on top of the covers. There was a strong odour of blood and sweat still clinging to him so he stripped down and washed before dressing in his everyday clothes. He looked over to Emma and noticed she was in a similar state, so he found a maid and asked for a fresh jug of water.

He filled the new bowl, which the maid had thoughtfully provided, and began to gently strip Emma down. The actions reminded him of their last night together when he'd undressed her and made love to her. He wiped angrily at the tears which fell from his eyes and continued with his task. Whilst he carried out the mundane actions, he spoke to Emma. "Come on, love. You promised to return to me. You can't leave now just when we have time to be together." He ran gentle fingers across her cheek. "Come on, Angel, fight for us." When he'd finished, he dressed her in one of his shirts and freed her hair from its tie, so that it hung loosely over her shoulders, then he pulled the sheets over her cold body, climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

-x-

Emma couldn't tell whether her eyes were open or not because darkness surrounded her. There were no sounds, no sensations... only a weightless void. She remembered the constant cycle of images that had flashed before her eyes, followed by the thought that she was dying, then there had been a loud booming noise, and now she drifted along in this nothingness. Shouldn't there be a light at the end of the tunnel? Was she supposed to have done something when they killed the Archdemon? Maybe Flemeth should have given her an instruction manual along with the potion; she snorted at that thought and was disturbed by the lack of noise that accompanied the action. Emma didn't know how long she'd been floating in the darkness as time seemed to have no meaning here, wherever 'here' was. Then, out of nowhere came a voice... a familiar voice.
"The Archdemon, in a manner of speaking."
She perked up at the sound of Alistair and Eamon's conversation. Desperately, she tried to reach out to the voices but they faded away, like a radio with bad reception. However, she didn't let that stop her but kept moving in the direction from which she'd heard Alistair. She had no idea if she actually was moving, but she definitely felt as if she was in motion, rather than the static floating from earlier.
"...been knocked through a wall."
Aedan! She pushed herself harder, frantic to reach him, to hold him, however, the connection had again become severed. Come on, Aedan. Talk to me!
She waited, but there was only silence. However, she moved steadily on, hoping that she was still heading in the right direction. It felt like forever before she heard him again, and this time he sounded closer. "Come on, Angel, fight for us."
I'm trying, damn it! Frustration lent her an edge, and her speed increased, but then she suddenly halted, feeling an overwhelming urge to look behind her. Slowly, she turned and an image materialised in front of her. It was the hospital room but with one major difference - her body had disappeared. The sheets were crumpled, and the intravenous needle hung loosely from the bag of fluid suspended above the bed. Filled with elation, she turned back towards Aedan, knowing that her ties with the other world were now permanently cut.

-x-

Aedan's eyes burned with exhaustion as the day's fighting finally caught up with him, but he refused to shut them even for a second. If he didn't have much time with Emma, he wanted to make sure he spent every possible moment with her. He interlaced his fingers with hers and was shocked to feel some warmth from her skin. Lifting her hand he noticed the healthy-looking pink skin. Hope filled him, and he gripped her hand tightly.
"Come on, Angel. Come back to me."
Her fingers twitched in his hold, and he leaned close to her ear. "I love you, Emma Summers."
"Love you, too," she murmured as her eyelids fluttered open. Firm lips pressed against hers, and she sighed softly at the familiar taste and feel of him.
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered in a voice thick with emotion. "I can't believe you're here with me."
She stroked a hand through his thick, black hair while taking in her fill of his deep blue eyes. "And I'm here for good."
"You're sure?" She nodded, her face alight with happiness. He almost crushed the air from her lungs with the strength of his embrace as his lips covered hers once more for a longer, deeper, loving kiss.

They shifted into a sitting position, and Emma asked the obvious questions. "How did you get your hands on the potion? And who told you I'd been lied to?"
"It was Morrigan who collected the vial from our room. She handed it to me after the fight with the ogres and Emissary. She told me that her mother had lied to you and that we would be safe even if you drank the potion."
Emma frowned. "But how did she know? She didn't even know that Flemeth had given me the vial."
Aedan stroked a hand over her arm. "I asked her the same thing. She was a bit vague with her answer and just said someone visited her while she was sleeping."
Emma turned a little to face Aedan. "Do you think Flemeth had a change of heart?"
He shook his head. "No, I got the feeling that Morrigan didn't know who her visitor was."
"Well, I'd like to thank whoever that stranger was. I guess Morrigan left right after the battle was over?"
Aedan nodded. "Yeah, Sten said she shape-shifted into a bird and flew away. Luckily, Shale wasn't present, or that could have ended very badly." Emma laughed and cuddled closer into Aedan's warmth. "Is Alistair okay? And everyone else?"
"Alistair's fine. He's probably getting some sleep right about now. And I'm sure they're all fine, it's just a bit too early to know. So, what shall we do now that the Blight is over?"

He watched a gleam of excitement grow in her eyes. "Oh, there's so much to do, and so many places to go. We'll be kept busy."
He nuzzled at her neck. "Not too busy, I hope?"
She chuckled and her face softened. "I'll always have time for you, love." They talked for a while about their plans until their eyelids drooped, and then, for the first time in ages, they both fell into a deep, untroubled sleep with the certain knowledge that they would wake up next to each other.