Alistair and the other new recruits, Daveth and Jory, were waiting by the gate for her. Linn clutched her staff tightly. The recruits and Alistair were being sent into the woods to fill three vials with darkspawn blood and to try to find an old tower. The gates opened with a loud creak, and Linn followed them outside with trepidation. It felt odd to explore the wilderness after those months inside the tower… But she knew that this had been the right decision.
As Linn had gotten further from the tower, her anger had started to dissipate… to become more manageable. The mark no longer demanded the blood of the living. In fact, it was too quiet. Almost like the calm before the storm. Howling shook her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see wolves closing in on Daveth.
Linn quickly gathered her magic and flung out lightning at the wolves. The wolf let out a scream of feral rage and focused on Linn instead. Linn flung fire at the creature, but that didn't slow it down in the slightest. Suddenly, Alistair stepped in front of her and cut the creature's head off with a single blow.
"My hero," Linn joked as the last of the wolves fell to the ground, but she gave Alistair a smile of appreciation.
"Of course, I am a Grey Warden after all," Alistair joked back before noticing the other trainees giving them a look. Alistair cleared his throat and said, "Well, that's over. Now let's continue on."
Linn took the lead as she heard someone in the distance. A man was on the ground, injured. Grabbing some bandages from her bag, she ran to the man and started cleaning his wounds.
"My scouting band was attacked by darkspawn!" the man sputtered out. "They came out of the ground. I've got to… return to camp…"
"It can wait just a moment. Let me finish bandaging you up first," Linn ordered gently with a gentle smile.
After Linn finished with his bandages, the man thanked her and began to stumble back to the camp. Linn watched him with worry. His wounds had been pretty extensive, and she was no healer.
"He'll make it," Alistair spoke up reassuringly, surprising Linn. "Camp isn't too far. You… you did good."
"Did you hear?" Jory asked with fear in his voice. "An entire patrol of seasoned men killed by darkspawn!"
"Calm down, Ser Jory," Alistair replied. "We'll be fine if we're careful."
Linn spoke up before Jory could retort, "It seems like they were likely surprised by the creatures… He'd said that they'd come from the ground? Maybe there's some kind of mine nearby…"
"And there may be an entire army in these woods!" Jory protested.
"There are darkspawn about," Alistair admitted. "But we're in no danger of walking into the bulk of the horde."
"How do you know? I'm not a coward, but this is foolish and reckless. We should go back."
"This is a part of our test, Jory," Linn reminded him. "And I doubt the squad had fire at their fingertips."
"Know this: All Grey Wardens can sense darkspawn," Alistair admitted. "Whatever their cunning, I guarantee they won't take us by surprise. That's why I'm here."
Linn gave Alistair a smile as Daveth stepped forward to persuade Jory. With a deep sigh, Jory clutched onto the hilt of his sword as they continued forward. A group of shambling darkspawn awaited them. The darkspawn had been focused on raiding the tents of the dead soldiers. The men rushed forward to attack them with swords as Linn provided magical back up. As the darkspawn went down, Linn felt… better. She felt oddly at peace, even with the screams and sounds of metal against metal filling the air. Was it the mark's craving for violence?
"Are you alright?" Alistair asked, and Linn looked at him to see the three men giving her a look of concern.
"Yes… I'm fine. Let's move on."
Linn took the lead when she noticed an odd flower. She bent down to pick the flower when she heard Daveth make a remark about women picking flowers.
"This flower can help creatures affected by the Blight," Linn informed him irritably. "How is it that you arrived to Ostagar before me and still know less?"
Daveth muttered something about being a warrior, not a healer; however, he didn't challenge her again. Linn watched him mutter something to Jory and glared at him with frustration. A part of her wondered if she could push him into the bog without anyone noticing.
"Is there someone at camp who needs it?" Alistair asked with concern, and Linn worked to get her temper back under control.
"A dog in the kennels… I just thought that I might as well, you know."
Alistair gave her a small smile before once again taking the lead. As they traversed the wilderness, they found more and more groups of darkspawn… and obtained the blood that they needed. There was an abandoned tower in the distance. Broken by battle and time. As they got closer to the tower, Alistair put a hand up.
"Be ready. Darkspawn ahead."
Linn gripped her staff and readied a spell. Sure enough, darkspawn soon came rushing forward. Linn stayed toward the back of the group, using her spells to provide cover for the others, but the darkspawn seemed to have figured out that she wore the least armor. They pushed down Jory and Daveth and ran at her. Linn panicked at the horde turning toward her and reached out to search the area with her magic. The echo of broken steel in the ground all around her gave her an idea, and she quickly muttered in Enochian.
The angelic words focused her powers. Linn concentrated, and her magic pulled the blades from the ground in a whirlwind of steel. The darkspawn barely had time to react as old rusted swords and spears pierced them, pining some of them to the ground. The closest darkspawn let out a scream of rage and ran at Linn. A small blade landed at Linn's feet, and she picked it up to point it at the beast. It was over in a matter of seconds. Linn's body reacted without her even needing to think. Blood dripped down the sword. The darkspawn went limp and fell to the ground, and the mark on Linn's shoulder… it was satisfied. The anger inside of Linn had dissipated, replaced by a dark satisfaction.
"I've never seen magic like that before," Daveth said with a look of horror.
Jory didn't say what he was thinking out loud, but he didn't have to. The word "witch" was in his eyes as he took a step back from Linn in fear. Alistair stepped in front of Linn, blocking the others from her view.
"Hey now! We're all here to fight darkspawn. Let's focus on that… and let's keep moving. There might be more lurking around."
"I thought that you could tell when they're close!" Jory shouted and looked around the woods.
"Yes… when they're close enough. So let's get a move on."
Alistair took the lead, and Linn followed closely behind him. After she found out more about the darkspawn, then she would need to leave this place quickly. She didn't trust Jory or Daveth, and she knew the look in their eyes. They had already decided that she was a monster. It was only a matter of time before they turned on her.
Old battle-torn pieces of walls and stairs lay around them as they ventured further into what must have been a keep at some point. A chest lay on the ground surrounded by the rubble. Linn bent down and opened the chest. There was nothing inside.
"Well, well, what have we here?" a woman's voice came from the forest, and Linn quickly shuffled to her feet. "Are you a vulture, I wonder? A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder… coming to these darkspawn filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey? What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"
A woman with dark hair watched the group closely. Linn glanced at her companions, who all looked too shocked to speak. Jory looked like he might even faint.
"Neither," Linn spoke up quickly. "We were just here to collect the property of the Grey Wardens. This tower is… was their tower after all."
The woman smiled and replied, "And yet the Wilds have already claimed this desiccated corpse of a 'tower'… I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where will they go,' I wondered, 'why are they here?' And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"
Alistair quickly spoke up, "Don't answer her. She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby."
"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" the woman asked with amusement.
Daveth called the mystery woman a 'Witch of the Woods', and Linn could feel her temper slowly rising again. She interrupted him without a look in his direction,"You said that the 'bones' are 'cleaned'... There were supposed to be treaties in that chest. They're incredibly important… and the Blight affects everyone, even people in the Wilds. Do you have any idea where they are or who took them?"
"Ah… asking the right question… After all, women do not frighten like little boys. I shall tell you, but first… Tell me your name, and I shall tell you mine."
"Linn… It's… nice to meet you."
"Well, that is a proper civil greeting, even here in the Wilds," the woman said with delight. "You may call me Morrigan. It was not I who removed those documents you are seeking. 'Twas my mother."
"Can I meet her?" Linn asked as she could hear the men's whispered disapprovals.
The woman's eyes shone with approval as she agreed to lead them to her mother. Linn could hear Daveth trying to persuade Alistair to not follow. Without looking back, Linn followed the woman deeper into the Wilds. The sound of heavy footsteps behind her told her that Alistair had convinced the others to follow. As they neared a hut, Linn could hear them whispering amongst each other.
An older woman waited by the hut as they approached. Linn could feel the woman's eyes, judging them… probing for weaknesses. Holding her ground, Linn stared back at the woman to meet her challenge.
"Greetings, Mother. I bring before you four Grey Wardens who–"
The older woman interrupted Morrigan, "I see them, girl. Mmm. Much as I expected."
"Are we supposed to believe that you were expecting us?" Alistair asked.
"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wide… either way, one's a fool."
"She's a witch, I tell you!" Daveth whispered. "We shouldn't be talking to her!"
To Linn's surprise, Jory spoke up, "Quiet, Daveth! If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?"
"There's a smart lad," the old woman said. "Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." The woman turned to Linn and asked, "And what of you? Does your woman's mind give you a different viewpoint? What do you believe?"
With a sigh, Linn replied, "I believe that you know more than you'll tell us… and the only advice that you'll give us will be cryptic at best. I don't care if you're a witch or not. We're here for the treaties… What do you want in return for them?"
The woman looked at Linn with wary approval but retrieved the treaties. She explained, "I need nothing for them… except for your Grey Wardens to realize the severity of this Blight's threat. Before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these."
"You… oh. You protected them?" Alistair asked, clearly confused.
Linn thanked the strange woman and took the treaties from her outstretched hands.
"Such manners! Always in the last place you look. Like stockings!" the woman said with an amused laugh, but her calculating eyes never left Linn's face. "Oh, don't mind me. You have what you came here for!"
"Time for you to go then," Morrigan spoke up quickly and with enthusiasm.
"Do not be ridiculous, girl," Morrigan's mother chided her. "These are your guests."
Morrigan sighed and replied, "Oh, very well. I will show you out of the woods. Follow me."
Despite the boys' clear desire to be out of the woods, they gave Morrigan a wide berth as they followed. Linn kept close to Morrigan and studied how she navigated the woods. She may need to know how to move quickly through them should she need to escape. Morrigan turned to her with a smile as though she knew what Linn was doing.
Linn checked behind her to see what the others were doing… and if they were still following. The boys were talking amongst each other in hushed tones. Taking a deep breath, Linn continued keeping pace with Morrigan. It was unlikely that Linn would be here for much longer. She could study the darkspawn on her own if she needed to do so.
"You are not like the others," Morrigan said in a low tone.
"Are you referring to our brave soldiers back there or mages in general?"
Morrigan laughed and replied, "Both. You were not a part of their Circle for long, were you? No… there is much of the Wilds in you… despite never entering these woods. How strange."
"No… I… I had other teachers before the Circle. I went there to learn, and… they didn't have what I needed."
"And you believe that the Wardens do?"
"No, but I hope so. There has to be a way for them to fight the darkspawn without succumbing to the corruption. I just need to find it."
Morrigan watched her with appraising eyes before her eyes flickered to the boys to make sure that they were out of hearing range.
"Should you… need to make a hasty exit, I'm sure that my mother would be willing to assist you. She quite likes you… which is rare."
"An honor," Linn replied with a joking smile which Morrigan returned. "And thank you… for leading us back."
"Well, you were my guests… And do take care," Morrigan said and pointed to the Ostagar gate now in view.
As Morrigan disappeared back into the woods, Alistair caught up to Linn. The other two still kept their distance as they walked through the gate. After they had given Duncan the blood, they took a break as Duncan began to set up the "test". Linn leaned back against a tree but noticed Alistair pacing around a few feet away.
"If you want to ask me a question, you might as well do so now," Linn spoke up wearily. "If I don't survive your Grey Warden test, then you'll never have your answer."
Alistair cleared his throat and took a seat next to her.
"I… uh… I was just wondering what the two of you… were, you know… talking about?" Alistair asked hesitantly but without judgment.
"Just woman matters," Linn replied without missing a beat. Alistair's face went slightly red as he seemed to be wondering what that would entail. "I'm just kidding… she was just curious about my time as a Circle mage."
"Oh," Alistair said with a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just was… I know that the other recruits are…"
"Wary of my witchy ways?"
"Ah… I guess that sums it up. Not that I think– I'm not saying that you're a witch! You're very normal for a mage– Wait! I didn't mean that either!" Alistair took a second to pull himself together before he explained awkwardly, "I just meant that mages… don't really like me much. It's like they can feel the Templar training… Anyways, I just wanted you to know that I'm happy you decided to become a Grey Warden."
Linn touched his arm gently and reassured him, "You're not offending me. If anything, it's fun to watch you keep digging yourself deeper… but that's because I know you don't mean anything bad by it. Besides, I think you're very normal… for a Templar trained Grey Warden."
Linn gave him a smile which he returned with a chuckle.
"I hope… I wish you good luck with your test," Alistair said in almost a whisper.
Linn took a deep breath and stood up as Duncan came down the walkway to summon his new recruits for their test.