DAO: The One Who Died
Written for a prompt at dragonage_kink meme: Exactly one year passes since the Warden's death to end The Blight, and this day causes each of his/her old friends to recollect all of their memories involving the Warden.
The One Who Died
She was impressed. Bunch of men, stumbling around, with a woman leading them, her voice brisque. She carried herself with confidence of someone who is used to be in command, and who is used to having their command heard and obeyed.
Unlike the biggest of men she also wasn't afraid.
When she showed herself to the group, she was wary, like the rest of them, but still managed to impress her, Morrigan, with show of manners more fitting a grand hall of a king, instead of some swamp.
Even her mother, Flemeth, had been impressed by the woman, once she returned to their hut. Morrigan thought that was part of the reason she brought the woman and one of the men out of Tower of Ishal, instead of taking the King from the battlefield.
Well, the fact that the woman, Thea, was obviously from noble birth, second only to the said - and now also very dead - King was just a bonus. It certainly softened her annoyance of pulling arrows from someone's flesh, when the said flesh was famed to have blue blood (which was a nonsense, but it had quite nice ring to it).
Then Flemeth had kicked her out with the Wardens, two humans and a huge slobbering beast they called "mabari warhound" and that was it. "You know what to do, girl," said Flemeth. Right, she knew. But that didn't mean she wwill be happy to do that.
The man, Alistair, was idiot. Sure, he knew how to fight and all that, but otherwise, he was completely useless. They had a dog in the party, and the beast wasn't the least intelligent member of the group - which was saying something in her opinion. She would enjoy mocking him, in all his naive stupidity - but the other Warden told her to stop, in that serious, calm voice which Morrigan found herself obeying without really wanting to.
The Warden sure had a thing for collecting strays. First, that crazy redhead, and then the Qunari giant from the cage. And the list of the strays she collected grew; it made her sick with the number of people who were suddenly around.
The mongrel who left half-eaten rabbit in her pack. The idiot who would make puppy eyes at their leader. The bard with hallucinations and weird dreams. The giant who believed all mages are to be chained. The holier-than-thou old biddy. The assasin who would bed everything that moves. The miniaturized golem. The drunkard of a dwarf. Herself.
All of them would probably follow them into the Black City itself, if she commanded them so. No, she wouldn't even have to command them - only ask, and they would go with her, with their friend, for she would go everywhere for them, too.
The speed of the Blight suddenly seemd to accelerate. The Landsmeet was called and they were back in Denerim, this time in house of Arl Eamon, checking on how much support to their cause they can muster.
"Some of these nobles are like vultures," spat the Warden when they left the Gnawed Noble, where most of the nobles went to 'chill out'. "If only my father would still be alive - together with Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan they would be able to get enough support against Loghain."
They still earned the support - but for that, they needed to steal into the Arl of Denerim estate, creep through the dungeons, free several people and kill the current Arl of Denerim.
"If it isn't the Cousland spitfire, still playing man."
From the group of men who had been with the Arl, he fell as last. She almost didn't recognize their leader, as she viciously stabbed the dead body, her breathing ragged before the dwarven drunkard and the assassin managed to drag her away.
"It's over, Thea."
It was the only time when just for the shortest moment that calm face broke into a grimace, as if the Warden was fighting tears. But she immediately stood straigh, cleaning her sword with piece of Howe's mage. "Let's go," she said quietly, "we got Queen to free and Landsmeet to call afterwards."
Alas, it was not meant to be so easy. First, the Warden succumbed herself to Ser Cauthrien, the second in command after Loghain and let herself to be dragged away in shuckles - to Fort Drakon. The look at the Queen's face showed them that yes, it indeed is time to panic and move quickly, very, very quickly.
The assassin and the dwarf got the Warden from the prison in record time, bringing the rather shaken looking Warden back. She never told him what happened in the prison, but she certainly seemed to become increasingly ruthless. She killed Loghain in the duel, pushed Alistair and Anora into marriage - only later Morrigan learnt that both of them had agreed to that beforehand - and united Ferelden under Grey Warden standard.
And Morrigan knew that her time was finally up.
She waited for the Warden to return to her room at Redcliffe, when they learnt the Darkspawn horde is, in fact, marching at Denerim, offering her a chance to live. Not for Alistair, not even for the Warden herself, but for her, so her friend could stay alive, and she could continue to call her that.
The Warden just looked at her for time stretching forever before she said one word. "No."
She left in a huff cursing the Warden for her idiocy and blindness of not being able to see this was her only chance to live - when she turned around one last time, to see the Warden standing in front of the fireplace, where she stood before, her head down and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Farewell, my friend," she whispered, knowing the Warden didn't hear her and changed into a small dog, rushing through the castle corridors into the wilds surrounding the arling.
The battle itself took place several days later, the Archdemon killed by the female Grey Warden in terrible fight on the top of Fort Drakon. Morrigan had been present to her funeral rites, small dog hiding amongst the crowd, whimpering at the sight of her dead friend lying on the catafalque.
Later, she would gaze upon the golden mirror the Warden, Thea, gave her so long ago - and the female figure, engraved into its handle, would look exactly like her friend, giving her a small smile.
The One Who Died
She was impressed. Bunch of men, stumbling around, with a woman leading them, her voice brisque. She carried herself with confidence of someone who is used to be in command, and who is used to having their command heard and obeyed.
Unlike the biggest of men she also wasn't afraid.
When she showed herself to the group, she was wary, like the rest of them, but still managed to impress her, Morrigan, with show of manners more fitting a grand hall of a king, instead of some swamp.
Even her mother, Flemeth, had been impressed by the woman, once she returned to their hut. Morrigan thought that was part of the reason she brought the woman and one of the men out of Tower of Ishal, instead of taking the King from the battlefield.
Well, the fact that the woman, Thea, was obviously from noble birth, second only to the said - and now also very dead - King was just a bonus. It certainly softened her annoyance of pulling arrows from someone's flesh, when the said flesh was famed to have blue blood (which was a nonsense, but it had quite nice ring to it).
Then Flemeth had kicked her out with the Wardens, two humans and a huge slobbering beast they called "mabari warhound" and that was it. "You know what to do, girl," said Flemeth. Right, she knew. But that didn't mean she wwill be happy to do that.
The man, Alistair, was idiot. Sure, he knew how to fight and all that, but otherwise, he was completely useless. They had a dog in the party, and the beast wasn't the least intelligent member of the group - which was saying something in her opinion. She would enjoy mocking him, in all his naive stupidity - but the other Warden told her to stop, in that serious, calm voice which Morrigan found herself obeying without really wanting to.
The Warden sure had a thing for collecting strays. First, that crazy redhead, and then the Qunari giant from the cage. And the list of the strays she collected grew; it made her sick with the number of people who were suddenly around.
The mongrel who left half-eaten rabbit in her pack. The idiot who would make puppy eyes at their leader. The bard with hallucinations and weird dreams. The giant who believed all mages are to be chained. The holier-than-thou old biddy. The assasin who would bed everything that moves. The miniaturized golem. The drunkard of a dwarf. Herself.
All of them would probably follow them into the Black City itself, if she commanded them so. No, she wouldn't even have to command them - only ask, and they would go with her, with their friend, for she would go everywhere for them, too.
The speed of the Blight suddenly seemd to accelerate. The Landsmeet was called and they were back in Denerim, this time in house of Arl Eamon, checking on how much support to their cause they can muster.
"Some of these nobles are like vultures," spat the Warden when they left the Gnawed Noble, where most of the nobles went to 'chill out'. "If only my father would still be alive - together with Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan they would be able to get enough support against Loghain."
They still earned the support - but for that, they needed to steal into the Arl of Denerim estate, creep through the dungeons, free several people and kill the current Arl of Denerim.
"If it isn't the Cousland spitfire, still playing man."
From the group of men who had been with the Arl, he fell as last. She almost didn't recognize their leader, as she viciously stabbed the dead body, her breathing ragged before the dwarven drunkard and the assassin managed to drag her away.
"It's over, Thea."
It was the only time when just for the shortest moment that calm face broke into a grimace, as if the Warden was fighting tears. But she immediately stood straigh, cleaning her sword with piece of Howe's mage. "Let's go," she said quietly, "we got Queen to free and Landsmeet to call afterwards."
Alas, it was not meant to be so easy. First, the Warden succumbed herself to Ser Cauthrien, the second in command after Loghain and let herself to be dragged away in shuckles - to Fort Drakon. The look at the Queen's face showed them that yes, it indeed is time to panic and move quickly, very, very quickly.
The assassin and the dwarf got the Warden from the prison in record time, bringing the rather shaken looking Warden back. She never told him what happened in the prison, but she certainly seemed to become increasingly ruthless. She killed Loghain in the duel, pushed Alistair and Anora into marriage - only later Morrigan learnt that both of them had agreed to that beforehand - and united Ferelden under Grey Warden standard.
And Morrigan knew that her time was finally up.
She waited for the Warden to return to her room at Redcliffe, when they learnt the Darkspawn horde is, in fact, marching at Denerim, offering her a chance to live. Not for Alistair, not even for the Warden herself, but for her, so her friend could stay alive, and she could continue to call her that.
The Warden just looked at her for time stretching forever before she said one word. "No."
She left in a huff cursing the Warden for her idiocy and blindness of not being able to see this was her only chance to live - when she turned around one last time, to see the Warden standing in front of the fireplace, where she stood before, her head down and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Farewell, my friend," she whispered, knowing the Warden didn't hear her and changed into a small dog, rushing through the castle corridors into the wilds surrounding the arling.
The battle itself took place several days later, the Archdemon killed by the female Grey Warden in terrible fight on the top of Fort Drakon. Morrigan had been present to her funeral rites, small dog hiding amongst the crowd, whimpering at the sight of her dead friend lying on the catafalque.
Later, she would gaze upon the golden mirror the Warden, Thea, gave her so long ago - and the female figure, engraved into its handle, would look exactly like her friend, giving her a small smile.