This is another long one, I hope you will forgive me. But if I had split it, you wouldn't have found out what happened to Aedan today...
Reflection
Alistair and his companions arrived in Haven the evening after the warden’s battle.
After landing in Highever, Alistair, Zevran and Leliana had set off immediately for Haven. Oghren and his contingent of Ferelden’s army accompanied them. They traveled as swiftly as their number allowed, stopping briefly at the Circle Tower and again at Redcliffe Castle where Alistair was enthusiastically greeted by Bann Teagan.
The companions spent the evening with Teagan where it was confirmed that Aedan had passed through about four weeks earlier and that he appeared to be routing the darkspawn. Merchant trade had been restored along the West Highway and no travelers reported having seen darkspawn recently.
Alistair was heartened by the news. Not only did it appear that Aedan and his wardens were being effective, they were serving Ferelden well.
The companions journeyed toward Haven the next day. As they approached the foothills, Leliana stopped Alistair with a light touch upon his arm.
He turned with a, “Hm?”
“Alistair, I think Aedan is also headed toward Haven,” she said. Leliana had the amulet in her hand and she was looking toward the mountains, her face pensive.
Alistair held out a hand and she obligingly pulled the amulet from her neck and dropped it into his waiting fingers. Zevran stepped in closer to listen to their conversation.
Alistair rubbed his thumb across the gem and his attention was immediately pulled toward the Frostback Mountains. He frowned. “Why would Aedan be heading toward Haven? Perhaps he has heard news of the Orlesians arrival?”
This possibility seemed unlikely. Alistair well remembered the days the companions had spent traversing the wilderness. The only news had come from inns and merchants, neither of which would be readily available south of Redcliffe. He handed the amulet back to Leliana and returned his gaze to the not so distant peaks. The companions moved off and as one they unconsciously picked up their pace.
They encountered their first darkspawn as soon as they entered the foothills. It was a small band, easily dispatched by Oghren’s soldiers. The second band was further up the mountain side and slightly larger.
At camp that evening Alistair spoke to his companions as they sat about the fire.
“I fear Aedan’s suspicions regarding Morrigan might be right.”
Zevran raised his brows and Leliana looked troubled. Zevran asked, “Can you sense any more darkspawn, Alistair?”
Alistair nodded. He’d been on edge all day. The taint was all about them, faint, but pervasive. He nodded toward the mountains looming over them. “It is strongest up there, we are moving toward the bulk of the…” he hesitated, then said what he’d been thinking, “horde.”
They shared a disturbed look. Leliana put her hand to the silver heart about her neck and stroked it absently. As her expression did not change, Alistair could only assume that she felt Aedan and that his presence was where they expected him to be.
The following afternoon Alistair felt a drastic shift in the taint and reported it to his companions. “I believe the wardens fought a large battle today…the taint is all but gone.”
He looked pointedly at Leliana who pulled out her amulet and searched for Aedan. She looked up, her expression relieved, and said, “Aedan lives.”
They encountered the odd darkspawn the next day, a genlock that burst from between the trees lining the path and a pair of hurlocks thundering down the path toward them. They reached Haven late in the afternoon and stepped from the path into the village with trepidation.
Alistair stopped and Leliana bumped into him from behind. She stepped around beside him and she too stopped. Zevran similarly froze and when Oghren crested the hill he exclaimed, “By the stone!”
The village square was littered with bodies, darkspawn bodies. At a glance there were close to a hundred of them and there was no mistaking the hulking corpses of the three ogres. Leliana’s hand flew to her mouth and she made a whimpering sound. They heard a shout.
“Alistair!”
Looking across the square to the path leading further up the hill Alistair spied Rolf, who was posted as a sentry. The companions and soldiers edged around the gruesome piles of bodies and walked over to meet Rolf.
All Alistair had to do was hold out his hands and raise his brows and Rolf nodded back toward the darkspawn and said, “You missed all the fun!”
Leliana cleared her throat and Alistair quickly asked, “Is the Commander about?”
Rolf caught sight of Leliana then and his expression quickly lightened, then darkened.
Alistair felt a crawling along the back of his neck and thought, Uh oh…
Rolf said, “Leliana, it’s good to see you. I am very happy to see you safe…and well.” The warrior’s eyes quickly glanced at her midsection and he blushed.
Leliana smiled graciously and said, “I am well, Rolf. Please, is Aedan about?”
Rolf shook his head slowly, “The Commander, Damien and the witch all disappeared last night.” He glanced from Alistair to Leliana, “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more…” he shrugged, “We just don’t know. Head up to the Chantry, Philippe will fill you in.”
They walked up the path to the Chantry and were greeted by an Orlesian warden posted as sentry outside the heavy wooden doors. A collection of wardens were seated about a table in the centre of the large space, a map spread before them. Several heads turned as the door opened and exclamations of greeting and welcome followed.
Philippe stood and strode over to Alistair, grasping his arm in greeting, his face split with a wide smile.
“Alistair,” he said, “It is such a pleasure to see you safely returned from Orlais…I take it you followed Damien here?”
Alistair returned Philippe’s greeting but couldn’t help frowning as he answered, “Yes. I understand he, Aedan and Morrigan are missing?”
Philippe’s expression clouded, “Since yesterday evening. But we will find the Commander and deliver that bastard Damien to you for justice!” he said.
Alistair said, “Ah, Philippe, I will not meddle in the affairs of the Grey Wardens. I trust the Orlesian wardens will be interested in his capture however.” He couldn’t help his grim expression as he said that, then he continued, “Besides following Damien to Haven, I have come to deliver on a promise.”
Leliana stepped forward and Philippe moved to meet her, grasping her by the shoulders and leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Ah, Leliana…words cannot express…”
Leliana hugged the senior warden fondly and was in turn hugged and made much over by the remaining Ferelden wardens. Her own expression was one of worry, however, and as soon as she could disengage, she asked of the wardens, “Please, tell us what you know of Aedan?”
Philippe invited them to sit and related the story of the battle fought the previous day, followed by the standoff with the Orlesian wardens and Aedan and Damien’s subsequent disappearance. It was assumed they must have chased after the swamp witch as she had also not been found. Two of the Orlesian wardens had proved intractable and were being kept in the room where Alistair and Aedan had found brother Genitivi the year before.
Philippe indicated the map and together the wardens and companions studied the area that had been searched. Alistair glanced toward the small high windows placed in the alcove at the back of the chantry. It was nearly full dark. They would not accomplish any further searching this day. If Alistair did not trust in the amulet Leliana was wearing, he’d have been more worried. As it was, he had to hope that they could use the magic to good effect the following day.
When turned back to the room, he noticed Leliana slipping outside through the large front doors. He followed. She was standing behind the chantry, taking in the view of the valley below. The pendant was resting in her palm and her cheeks glistened softly, wet with tears. Alistair stepped back, not willing to intrude, but she heard him and turning her head said, “He’s out there, Alistair, I can feel him. We’ve come so far…”
Alistair stepped to her side then and slipped an arm about her shoulders. Leliana leaned gratefully against him and together they gazed into the shadowed valley.
--=0=--
Aedan opened his eyes and saw stars. He was lying on his back and the night sky was spread above him, inky black and dotted with pinpoints of light. He could feel the warmth of a fire and hear the crackle and pop and turned his head towards the soft glow. It hurt. His neck was stiff and his head swam and pounded. He groaned.
“Saving your life appears to be a hobby of mine,” said a familiar voice, Morrigan’s voice.
Aedan groaned again and tried to lift his hands to his face. Apart from a twitching in his shoulders, he found he was unable to move his arms. Trying again he managed to inch one arm over his chest, but the effort was great and he simply rested it there, grateful to have felt it at least. He tested his legs and though he could feel them, they did not move.
Morrigan spoke again, “You broke nearly every bone in your body Aedan. I’ve done what I can, but as you know, healing is not my specialty.”
Aedan closed his eyes and the world wheeled sickeningly around him as he recalled the fall from the cliff. He had let go of Damien and reached for the rock as he fell past. He clearly remembered the clash and scream of metal against the outcroppings and narrow ledges as he’d hit, bounced and scraped his way down. He remembered his arm breaking and one of his legs. He doubted he would ever forget the snap and the flare of pain as his bones had given way. After that was just the rush of air and the darkness. He opened his eyes with a short gasp.
Morrigan continued, “What possessed you to grab onto that Orlesian warden, Aedan? Truly you are the most curious man I have ever met.”
Aedan cleared his throat and attempted to answer, but of course, all he could do was grunt as he wondered if there was any part of his body that did not hurt. He heard Morrigan move closer and she slipped her fingers beneath his head as she helped him take a drink. He chanced a look down at himself. He was tightly and rather neatly bandaged nearly from head to foot.
Clearing his throat again he asked, “Why did you save me Morrigan? I came here to kill you.” He noticed he didn’t sound very convincing, or threatening. His voice was soft, quiet.
She chuckled and answered, “As I have said, you are something of a hobby.” Her voice was more serious when she continued, “Ferelden is not done with you yet, Warden. If you had not come after me, I might not have had to save you a third time. Shall we talk about why you came after me?”
Aedan turned his head a little so he could look at her as he spoke, “The child, Morrigan, I trusted you…but it was a mistake, all of it.” As he spoke Aedan again felt that curious absence of the rage and fury he’d harbored for so long. Beside the continued emptiness he was just weary, as if tired of life itself. And now he was lying Maker knows where, broken, and in the company of a maleficar. It just didn’t get any better than this. He sighed and cursed softly, then sighed again. A single small tear of defeat leaked from the corner of his eye and lacking the strength to wipe it away, he let it roll down his cheek.
Morrigan had her hand to her belly and she was caressing it. She had donned a loose robe and for that he was grateful, but it did little to hide the obvious swelling. He turned his eyes away and contemplated the stars before speaking again.
“The darkspawn are drawn to you, to the…child. We followed them here.”
“I am not what draws them here, Aedan. If you will remember, dragons dwell within these mountains, perhaps one of these is calling to them.” She paused and then added thoughtfully, “Or perhaps something else drives them. Someone does seek me and it is for that reason I must leave. I had hoped to give birth before I traveled, but it cannot be helped. That village is no longer the ‘haven’ it was.” She chuckled softly at her words and sat back, her head disappearing from his view.
Aedan turned his head toward her again, “Damien, that was who sought you?”
“No, he was just another lovely surprise!” She answered.
Aedan shook his head and immediately regretted it. After the stars stopped spinning he said, “You would have me believe this is all coincidence?”
“You came here of your own volition, Aedan. You were not invited. Neither was your Orlesian friend. I would rather call it unfortunate timing.”
Aedan remained silent and thoughtful. He had come here with such purpose, but had been thwarted at every turn. He thought about Morrigan’s words. He longer felt the compulsion to kill her. He wasn’t sure if it was his grave injuries or her words. She had always proved herself a trustworthy companion. She had no reason to lie to him now - he was hardly a threat, lying here broken as he was. Was it possible that he had simply strung together every unfortunate event of the past eight months and apportioned blame to himself? Was his guilt really that great? In the absence of his constant companions, rage and fury, Aedan felt he was thinking clearly for the first time in months.
He had always known he should have told Leliana about the ritual as soon as he’d had the opportunity. he could have saved himself, and her, much sorrow. Though a part of him would always feel responsible for the loss of Leliana, he recognised it was not truly because of Morrigan’s ritual. He would never get over the loss of his wife, the love they shared, the child they had conceived, but he knew that his self destructive behavior was done with. He would honor her memory by freeing Ferelden from the grip of the darkspawn. He would be the man she had followed and believed in.
He accepted also that though saving Alistair’s life, keeping him on the throne, was important he had saved his own life as well. He had not been willing to let go right then. It had been a selfish impulse, that of a boy perhaps, rather than a man. He really had done this for himself. But with all honestly, he could not imagine a man who when confronted with that choice, might have declined. Perhaps that’s why most heroes only existed in tales. With the acceptance of his motivations his guilt finally began to dissipate somewhat. He was finally letting it go…
He tried to articulate some of his thoughts, saying, “I saved my own life with this bargain, Morrigan, nothing more. I had thought I did this with such noble intentions, but it has brought me nothing but grief.”
“You are a good man, Aedan, was your life not worth saving? Would a selfish man care such for a baby he will never see? Would a selfish man choose to serve his country over his own wife and child?”
Aedan replied, his voice barely above a whisper, “But now she is gone.”
Morrigan’s voice was properly somber when she replied, “And for that I am truly sorry.”
He glanced at her and saw that she was sorry, her eyes downcast and her hands clasped loosely in front of her robe.
She continued, “Leliana was a delight to us all, Aedan. It was not hard to see how happy she made you. You even became less guarded toward me. Without her influence I believe we may never have become…friends.”
Aedan looked at Morrigan and said, “She was very fond of you, Morrigan. Do you remember the mirror I gave you? She found it in Orzimmar and remembered the story you had told. She bade me give it you though.” His voice caught as he delved into his memories of Leliana, remembering her utter sweetness, her thoughtfulness, her mission to bring peace amongst the companions. He continued, “She wanted us to be better friends. She said we needed you…”
Morrigan was silent at that and her face was wistful, perhaps a little sad. Her eyes caught his and she abruptly schooled her features into a more reserved expression and said, “I think it is time for me to use my one healing spell on that other arm of yours. You can thank Wynne and her insistence that I learn one of her spells that I’ve made any progress beyond bandaging…”
She focused on his other arm then and Aedan grimaced and bit his lips against the sensation of bones knitting together beneath his skin. Just as he was about to yell with the agony of it, she was done.
She sat back and clasped her hands to her stomach, her face tightening. Then her face relaxed and she took a deep breath.
Concerned, Aedan asked, “Morrigan, are you well?”
She nodded, “He grows impatient is all. T’will not be long now.”
Aedan flexed his other arm and, though it was stiff, it no longer pained him quite as much. He wondered just how many of his bones Morrigan had moved back together before he had awoken and shivered. He said, “I should thank you, Morrigan, I still do not understand why you would care so for me, put me back together like this…”
“Despite what you think, I am not heartless, Aedan. I care for you a great deal. I could have offered the ritual to Alistair, you know. I chose you because I wanted you to be the father of my child.”
Aedan thought on that for a minute then said, “You do not risk him by healing me…I hope,” then after a second added, “You say ‘he’ when you speak of the babe, you know it will be a boy?” He was pained and elated by the idea at the same time. He understood that this might now be his only child.
Morrigan nodded, “Oh, yes, I have known for a long time. We ‘talk’ after a fashion…”
Aedan asked quietly, wanting and yet not wanting to know, “Have you chosen a name for him?”
“Do you really want to know, Aedan? I will not go back on our agreement. Once I am done here,” she swept a hand toward his legs, “I will be gone and you will not be following me.”
Aedan dropped his elbows to his sides and used them to push himself up a little, sick of lying on his back. Morrigan leaned forward to assist and together they shuffled him backwards to lean against a rock so that he was reclined rather than flat. The movement hurt his legs terribly, but after the pain ebbed, he looked directly at the swell of Morrigan’s stomach. Her hands rested there once again, protectively and possessively.
“Where will you go? Who is after you if it was not Damien?”
Her voice then dropped, her casual tone completely gone when she continued. “The one who seeks me is still on his way…I have only met him in the Fade. It is the most curious thing…a darkspawn who talks.”
Aedan’s brows rose in alarm, “…talks? As in…words?”
She raised a hand as if to sweep her fear away and replied, “Perhaps it is just a fancy of mine, dreams brought on by…” she indicated her stomach. But she looked worried. She continued, “Once he is born, I can teach him much, even as a babe. He will learn to shield his mind as I do. We will be safe.”
She seemed convinced of this and Aedan nodded quietly. He did not know what to make of her words, her fears. He did not understand the Fade…he would leave it to her to interpret.
After a thoughtful silence during which they both contemplated the fire, Morrigan indicated it was time to try healing one of his legs. Before she began she apologised to him, saying, “This will hurt, Aedan, I will see you when you wake up.” With a quick spell she put him to sleep first.
When he awoke the stars had dimmed and the air was cool and damp. The fire was low and Morrigan was curled on her side next to him. She opened her eyes when he moved and asked after his leg. He moved it and groaned. She said, “It may be a day or two before it feels properly mended.”
He nodded, biting his lip against the deep ache. He then asked, “Morrigan, what became of Damien?”
She glanced up at him and studied his face a moment before answering, “The Orlesian? I could not save both of you, Aedan. I caught you before you hit the bottom…unfortunately not before you’d managed to hit every ledge and outcropping on the way. You always have been very...thorough. Damien was not so…lucky. I left him at the bottom of the cliff. I did cover his body…” She shrugged.
Aedan accepted her answer and looked down at his legs awhile. Morrigan had left them encased in the tightly wrapped linen, insisting it would help the healing process.
Morrigan sat up and smoothed her robe over herself and regarded him solemnly. She glanced toward the slowly lightening horizon and then back at his legs and said, “I’m going to heal your other leg now Aedan. You still have many injuries, but with your legs you will make it back to Haven.”
Pointing toward a break in the distant trees that formed a corridor between the forest and the cliff, she said, “Follow the cliff face around for a day and you will come to the lake beneath the village.”
He looked back toward the cliff, only just visible in the grey light. He could not see the waterfall and asked after it. She pointed in the opposite direction and said, “A few hours that way.”
He turned back to look at her and saw her expression was somewhat pained. He asked, “Morrigan, what troubles you? Is it the babe, are you well?”
She shook her head and replied, “We are both well, Aedan. I’m going to put you to sleep again before I attempt to heal your other leg. When you awaken, I will be gone.”
Aedan felt a twinge of regret at her words though he knew she had to go. He wasn’t sure he would ever quite understand her motivations, but he couldn’t help feeling the goodness in her. He had been afraid of Morrigan for so long simply because he did not comprehend her. He recognised that she perhaps warred with herself as much as he, but he did not pity her that. She was the stronger and he felt she better knew her own mind. He began to feel a sense of relief that he had not killed her and that he had not taken away the one thing in her life that seemed to bring her such joy. Having had it himself for a short time, it was a joy he understood, that which a child could bring, and though he envied her, he no longer begrudged her that pleasure.
He met her eyes and said, “Be well, Morrigan…and thank you.”
She blinked and nodded, biting her lip. When her eyes opened again, they were moist and she blinked rapidly. She started to speak, stopped, and then said, “Cian. He will be called Cian.”
Aedan drew in a breath and said the name softly to himself. When she raised her hands to begin casting her spells Aedan quickly said, “Wait!”
She stopped and glanced up, questioningly.
He reached behind his neck and pulled his amulet over his head. He held it out to her and said, “This is Reflection. It was given me by my father.” He paused, running the leather cord through his fingers and then pressed on, “Will you take it for him…” He lowered his hand, studying the simple pendant, already feeling its absence. He said quietly, “He doesn’t have to know…”
Morrigan’s fingers reached forward and she touched the amulet. Then she gathered it up and held it in her closed fingers. She looked up at him and said, “He will know this gift is from his father. I will tell him, Aedan.”
They stared at one another in silence a moment longer and then Aedan nodded. Morrigan raised her hands and he slept.
Modifié par Sisimka, 20 février 2010 - 05:28 .
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