Lost Beginnings [Wardens, Morrigan, Flemeth]

[Elissa Cousland]

Dreams. After Highever, nightly dreams had transformed from fleeting little things to horrific nightmares for Elissa Jayne Cousland. The images of her family being massacred never failed to replay through her mind, and she would always find herself jolting awake in tears and drenched in a cold sweat. But this dream, it had to have been the worst by far. Not only were there images of Highever, but becoming a Grey Warden had definitely twisted the horrors even more.

Orianna being ripped apart by an emissary's spells, Oren's throat slit by a Genlock rogue, mother shot by dozens of a Hurlock archer's arrows, and father... father impaled by the giant blade of the Hurlock leading this horde of Darkspawn. Suddenly the Archdemon itself was above Elissa, Alistair and Duncan's dead corpses in its claws while King Cailan's golden armor glimmered in the maw of the Old God. It was upon her before she could do anything, and then darkness...

The newest Grey Warden flew upwards into a sitting position, blue eyes wide with terror and cold sweat dribbling down her forehead. Shortly afterward an audible groan left her as pain flowed from her chest, causing her to look for the source. To her shock, she was bandaged up, and the pain was no doubt from her sudden movement. Still, no crimson was forming on the bandage so it was safe to assume she hadn't re-opened the wound.

Shaking her head in an attempt to rid of the haziness she felt, Elissa looked around slowly while her vision cleared. She was in some sort of hut it seemed, and a rather primitive one at that. Had the Chasind somehow saved her? And what exactly had wounded her so gravely in the first place...? Such thoughts helped her little as she was, and succeeded more in confusing her already mixed up mind. Rubbing her forehead, it was then that the sound of movement reached her ears. If this had been a more normal situation, the Cousland would have quickly rose to her feet and took the best defensive position possibly while demanding answers, but this was as far from normal as could be.

So instead of demanding answers, she simply rose her head up once more to view whoever else was in the room while asking in a hoarse voice, "Who's there?"

[/blockquote]

[Anceladar Firareth]

"Looks like we had the same dream, Shem" A voice flickered like a wavering candle in a breeze, emanating from a corner of the hut, closest to the door in case any surprises entered. It was a soft voice thick with a Dalish accent fitting a soft face that surrounded hardened hazel eyes. He was tucked in the shadows, hard to detect even by the most perceptible of eyes. There were no windows in the hut, but from the light coming from the single-room's only door gave a strong impression of late morning. "Or close enough"

He had awoken not long before his female companion, except he had been on a bear-skin rug on the floor, not a comfy bed, although he wasn't surprised the human got the comforts. His first move was to check his weapons before even his injuries. He was alive, that was clear but if he was to stay alive he'd need something to defend himself. The last moments before his rescue from the top of the Tower of Ishal were blurry, a flapping of wings after what seemed like hours of constant fighting. Anceladar never considered himself defeated, he watched the fellow Grey Wardens as well as the other companions, a mage and an archer, fall and even though he did eventually black out from exhaustion and would've surely died, he considered himself victorious...because he survived. He would have to mend his elven shirt, certainly, but other than fading bruises he seemed fine.

Having been awake the elf managed to get a grasp on the situation. They'd been rescued, that much was clear, but by who or what was unclear, as well as the why and the how. Surely there were more darkspawn in the main force than at that tower, even with Loghain's pincher attack they wouldn't have been reached in time. The other question was where? They were clearly not at the Ruins of Ostagar, but Anceladar hadn't ventured outside. Not because he was afraid, but because he was practical. He heard two female voices arguing animatedly outside and as confident in his abilities as he was, to rescue them from the top of that tower would've taken immense strength, and while a Shem companion wasn't ideal, it was all he had.

His black hair that just slightly covered his pointed ears caught what little light was in the room and seemed to shimmer a slight gold as he shifted his weight, the cold steel of one of his throwing daggers ready in his hand. He hadn't answered the female's question of 'who's there', he never even introduced himself at the Warden Ceremony, and the Keeper of the clan had given his name to Duncan otherwise Duncan himself might not have known either, and truth be told he had no intention of offering his name now.

[Elissa Cousland]

A hardly familiar, yet still recognizable, Dalish accent met the girl's ears causing her blue eyes to blink and then flicker to the source area. The shadows hid the elf, but she did not need to see him to know who he was now. Images rushed to her mind, recollections of the Tower of Ishal starting to place the pieces together. Sharing a triumphant smile with Alistair and her fellow Wardens before an arrow struck her chest and all went black. Which meant they had somehow been saved.

Shaking her head to free it from the trappings of her sudden memories, Elissa rose to her feet and glanced about for her belongings. She was painfully aware that she had little clothing on, but made it a point to herself to not get embarrassed as she was prone to being. Her cheeks defied her only slightly, but the shadows would be on her side as they hid the color for the most part. Catching sight of her leather armor and daggers, a slight wave of relief entered her and quickly she armored herself and placed her weapons in their proper places. Properly dressed and protected, she once more felt like the proper Cousland fighter that she was, which was a great calming factor for the girl.

Shifting towards the Dalish man once more, she caught sight of the odd golden shimmer his dark hair produced. Though she still could not see all his features, Elissa offered a smile of sorts in hopes of lightening the mood. She knew he disliked her company, and "shemlens" in general, but she had been taught and truly believed that all were equal. It was idealistic and many nobles scoffed at the idea, but Couslands were never ones to succumb to general beliefs if they did not seem right.

"I don't suppose you know where we actually are?" she asked, not taking the precautions it seemed he was taking in the case of a surprise attack or something of the sort. Elissa figured if they were alive now, then there was a reason, and like it or not they would have to find out. So instead of hiding in the shadows or keeping a careful eye on the door, the rogue simply sat down on the edge of the bed and waited to see if Dalish man would answer her question.

[Morrigan]

"You are in the Wilds,"[/font] Morrigans voice flew forth like a crack of lightning. "I trust the two of you are doing well?"[/b][/font]

As Morrigan had entered the room she walked toward the fireplace, where stew was cooking in a large cauldron. She stoked the fire momentarily, and began to stir the food with a large ladle. She had not forgotten that the larger, stupid man had awoken before them, nor had she forgotten their earlier meeting out in the ruins of Ostagar. They had been seeking documents. Truth be told, she hadn't been paying much attention; she cared not for these people and their quest, though she did not seek to hinder them.

Morrigan glanced back at the two injured Wardens. Flemeth seemed to have some sort of concern for these people and the task that lay ahead of them, though she had not shared her feelings on the subject.[/font]

"The stupid one is waiting outside with my mother. He is quite concerned with the state of his comrades. I suggest speaking with them."[/font] Morrigan did nothing to hide the uncaring tone of her voice as she spoke to the two Wardens. She continued to stoke the fire and stir the stew alternately until they left the room.[/font]

[Anceladar Firareth]

Anceladar had been a split second away from striking when the door opened but that slight glimpse of stark raven hair which seemed to have the slightest tinge of twilight purple stayed his hand, but he didn't sheathe his dagger. He recognized her, even though he'd kept his distance their first meeting, they'd just finished up a small horde of darkspawn in the wilds and Anceladar had taken out a good deal from long range, so by the time he'd arrived at their jolly conversation it was already half finished. Still, elven eyes were bested only by the hawks in the sky and he was able to make out most of the dialogue by the reading of lips alone.

But the wilds...he knew exactly where they were, Morrigan's mother's house, which meant they weren't far from Ostagar. The "Stupid one" as the witch so eloquently put, could've been any number of people, Warden or otherwise, had they not died at the tower, and the only remaining person it could be was Alistair. So he was alive, and he sensed no immediate danger from Morrigan or her mother. He was still uncomfortable being around two persons of unknown power, witches or otherwise. Anceladar merely grunted a response as it seemed their 'savior' had no further interest in them, he would respond in kind as he walked out the door.

The wilds were a place he could get used to, if he must. It was a far cry from the mystical forests he called home, as much as nomads could call any one place home. It was desolate and chaotic but oddly peaceful as all nature was. It felt as if it was always covered in either a dim mist or heavy overcast skies, although that was just his impression, and the long shadows even at noon could give any ranger worth his salt a place to disappear. It wasn't any wonder two apostates could live undisturbed for so long.

The hut sat snugly between the hills behind them and a lake before them, sprouting cattails and brimming with life. In the distance one could see ruined structures such as the tower where they'd first met Morrigan after finding an empty chest that had supposed to hide the treaties of the Grey Wardens. He could see Alistair looking out over the lake looking none the worse for wear. "You're durable for a Shem." His voice seemed to hold only a grudging contempt. He and the other Warden had decent skills in battle, it was uncertain who scored the final blow on the ogre at the tower, Alistair's deadly lunge, Elissa's daggers or Anceladar's precision arrows. He was missing a chunk of those arrows, his quiver was unfortunately light, but there was nothing he could've done about that, he couldn't have retrieved them in the thick of battle.

Elissa's Mabari Warhound seemed to be keeping Alistair company, and animals were a better judge of danger than most two-legged creatures so the fact this dog wasn't threatened allowed Anceladar to finally put away his dagger.

(Sorry for a wee bit of powerplaying, seeing as Alistair is an NPC and Elissa's Mabari hadn't been mentioned yet (Also the dog is always outside if you're the human noble anyway) I thought it would be ok. I can change it if you wish)

[Elissa Cousland]

[OOC: I've no problem with the slight powerplaying of Dog. xD It was pretty much what I planned to write anyway.]

Elissa's attention was immediately stolen by the witch she had met once before during their quest to gather some ancient Grey Warden treaties for Duncan. She recalled the meeting was nothing less than stressful, considering Alistair and the two who didn't survive the Joining, Jory and Daveth, were extremely distrustful of the dark-haired woman. Not that she had thrown her trust into the witch either, but she had still held her calm in the situation. Morrigan was her name, if she wasn't mistaken. It was obvious the woman had little interest in conversation, but at least she said more to them than her comrade had bothered.

Seeing him leave from the corner of her eye, she sighed slightly and stood. Smiling slightly toward Morrigan, the Cousland bowed her head slightly and said in an earnest tone, "Thank you for rescuing and healing us, Morrigan. Else we'd be dead in that tower, which is a reality we're lucky to have not faced." Though the woman was still nothing more than a stranger, Elissa was grateful that she woke here rather than dying in the tower or worse. Turning then, she took her leave out the door.

As the light of the sun met her eyes, causing her to squint for a moment until they adjusted, she wondered how far off the Darkspawn horde truly was. But before she could think more on that thought, Elissa was attacked by a giant beast whose tongue found her face and whose brute strength had nearly pushed her off balance. This insanely loving creature was none other than her closest friend, and only one left of her family as far as she knew, Cross the Mabari Hound.

"Cross! Hello, silly boy," Elissa grinned widely, petting the top of his giant head and effectively getting him down before he actually managed to pin her and slobber her face up entirely. Kneeling down she gave him a huge hug and kissed the top of his nose, glad to see her hound was safe just like he certainly was at seeing his mistress alive.

Still petting him, she glanced over the Mabari and caught sight of Alistair as well which sent yet another wave of relief through her. He had been friendly to her at Ostagar, and had made the prospect of becoming a Grey Warden much less irritating than it had been originally after Duncan saving and basically conscripting her at Highever. The former-Templar was a goofy, light-hearted fellow which was what she had needed. "Nice to see you're alive and well, Alistair!" she smiled.

Not to say Duncan's company wasn't nice, but she had resented him initially for not being able to do more for the Couslands which made things harder in the beginning. She hadn't talked about it since then, and made a point of it not to get noticed for her name in Ostagar, only Duncan and King Cailan knowing. However, they weren't here, which could have meant several things.

"So... what happened?" Elissa finally asked, peering at Alistair, having forgotten in the midst of all her relief that Morrigan said Flemeth would be outside as well.

[NPC]

Alistair sullenly ignored the Dalish man's comment. Flemeth had already explained to him the betrayal that occurred during the stand at Ostagar. His brother, King Cailan, and his trusted superior, Duncan, were both dead along with the many brave soldiers that fought with them. He was enraged and saddened, and he knew that his comrades could see it on his face.

"Loghain betrayed the King," Alistair said simply, eyes pointed toward the ground. "He left all those men and us to die in battle. We owe this woman our lives," he gestured at Flemeth here. She was standing beside him, having just informed him of the King and Duncan's fate.

He was grateful that Flemeth had saved them. He could imagine many a worse fate for three Grey Wardens. Knowing that Teyrn Loghain was Queen Anora's father and the General of Ferelden's armies, Alistair could only guess at what fate lay ahead of them as soon as the Crown was made aware of their survival.

He could not imagine why Loghain would betray Cailan in such an obtrusive manner. Cailan was married to his daughter, and Alistair was sure that Cailan's survival could only benefit the Queen. He pondered on this for only a moment before realizing the awkwardness of the situation.

Alistair raised his eyes to meet those of his colleagues and heaved a deep sigh. "I'm so happy you two are alright, I was beginning to think that these witches were lying to me." He smiled slightly at Elissa, and then at Anceladar in turn. He was incredibly relieved. He couldn't help but think that things could have been much worse. They could all have ended up dead.

[Anceladar Firareth]

Anceladar leaned back against the outer wall of the hut, a casual stance demeaning his lingering unease at seeing the old woman again. He was certain he recognized her, and not just from their last meeting. The news hit him hard, although not as hard as it had hit Alistair it seemed. He knew things had gone badly, but not that badly, and the fact they were betrayed..."The human shows his true colors when it matters most, how predictable. I have an arrow with his name on it" Anceladar scoffed, digging the toe of his boot into the soil.

"You couldn't get rid of me that easily. Never again shall we submit." He pushed himself off the wall and stood before the old woman, and in a moment of clarity he knew exactly who she was. His eyes widened for just a fraction of a second before he politely did a half bow. "Ma serannas, Asha'bellanar, for the treaties and our lives. How may be repay you?"[/color] His high and mighty tone had evaporated, if only temporarily, and one could see his true side, a side where he is polite and respectful.

Asha'bellanar, many myths revolve around her, this Woman of Many Years, not all of them pleasant, but it was best not to make her angry.

[Elissa Cousland]

As Alistair spoke of the grave events that had occurred at Ostagar, Cross let out a whine and sat back on his haunches, looking upset. His mistress's response was not so different.

Elissa's entire demeanor seemed to slacken, her cascade eyes reflecting the shock at her fellow Grey Warden's words. "Cailan and Duncan...?" she couldn't even bring herself to say the words, mouth growing dry and throat tightening at the thought. Her King, and once childhood friend, had been betrayed by the man who had fought beside his father for Ferelden. The revered Loghain Mac Tir, the only other Teyrnir besides the Cousland family. Yet, she would have never expected Arl Howe to betray her family either. Perhaps this was not so surprising... No, the game of politics and the nobles who played it always had their own twisted reasons for their actions, her life as Teyrn and Teyrna Cousland had taught her as much.

"It could probably be assumed, then, that Loghain will use Anora's queenship to his advantage as well," Elissa muttered coldly, disgust dripping from each word. The respect for Teyrn Loghain she once had was easily thrown aside, as well as the impending grief she was starting to feel. For now, she would ignore it all and simply focus on the task at hand. She could grieve quietly for her King, Grey Wardens, and family later on as she had been the past few weeks before all this had happened.

Alistair snapped her from her thoughts again as he attempted to show some sort of happiness despite their situation. Elissa smiled weakly back and then watched as the Dalish man turned his attention suddenly elsewhere. Raising a brow, she followed his direction towards the elderly witch from before, Morrigan's mother. Part of her was utterly shocked at his sudden display of respect, but she didn't let it show. Instead she simply turned her body completely to face Flemeth and spoke, "Thank you for rescuing us- I'm afraid I don't know what to call you, however." While the true name meaning of Asha'bellanar was lost on her human ears, the girl did feel there was a lot more to this old woman than she had initially thought.

[NPC]

Flemeth let loose with a wild laugh. Ever since she had taken up residence in this unexplored and feral wasteland, not a man she'd come across had second guessed who she was. It was obvious that the Dale knew exactly who she was, the term he used -- Asha'bellanar -- only further proved that fact.

"Many simply refer to me as Maleficar, but some call me Flemeth," she said simply. Having been around for so long, the old woman found amusement in the strangest things, her inflections were odd, to say the least.

She shifted her weight slightly, pondering on something unbeknownst to the people surrounding her hut. The sun was just beginning to wane in the sky, she supposed that the Wardens should get on their way before the day drew on much longer. She looked around the swamp momentarily before continuing.

"You Wardens have many a more important task ahead of you than seeking righteous revenge against a greedy noble. I would suggest being far more careful, lest you need saving once more, and I may not be here to do it."

She knew in her bones that the Wardens would succeed in their quest, but she also knew that they would need every person that they could convince to help them along the way. This was the perfect quest to send Morrigan on to test her strength.

As the door to her hut, and home for many hundreds of years opened to reveal her beautiful daughter, she hatched a plan.

"The stew is nearly ready, mother. Shall we be having company for dinner?" Morrigan said, looking at her mother inquiringly.

"No, my daughter, and you shall be accompanying them in their quest. You've been whining about getting away from the Wilds for so long, this is the perfect opportunity to do something useful with yourself," Flemeth replied shortly. She knew her wishes would meet a slight protest, but in the end, necessity and common interest would win over any argument that they could pose.

[Morrigan]

Morrigan stood looking at her mother in shock. She was stuck with a stupid templar, a nosey noble and a tempermental Elven ranger. This should be fun.

She was not wont to disobey her mother, a trait that had been drilled into her time and again. She simply looked at the situation, and realized that if the Wardens would have her, she had no real choice in the matter. Indeed, if she did not accompany them, they could very well fail in their task and the whole of Thedas would be invaded by the Darkspawn and life as she knew it would change forever. Try as she might, she could not say that her mother was wrong; she had been longing to leave their humble home in the midst of wild and overgrown nowhere to strive after more luxurious things. Although this quest was not by any stretch something to be viewed as luxurious, it was an excuse to escape the understated and dangerous wilderness in which those Maleficarum lived.

Morrigan shifted her weight onto one foot, and then the other as she stared in awe, thinking these things. She stood with her mouth open for just a moment before beginning to speak.

"Well if the Wardens will have me, I suppose I don't have much choice," Morrigan responded incredulously. She figured at this point that she really should have been paying more attention to these Wardens and their quest. She'd known of the stand at Ostagar, having scouted it as a wolf long before the actual battle had occured.

Morrigan rocked back on her hip with her hand out toward the Wardens, as though she were posing a question -- would they have her along for the ride?

[Elissa Cousland]

[OOC: So for the record, sorry I didn't post. But to help me out, can someone let me know next time if they are going to skip their post if it's before mine so I know to post? Just so I don't wait and then realize I should be posting. xD; ]

Elissa's mouth went agape slightly when Flemeth revealed who she was. Part of her wanted to laugh incredulously at the claim, but the other part of her knew it made perfect sense. How else would they be standing here alive? They had no chance of survival otherwise. "The Flemeth," she muttered quietly, staring at the witch. She wasn't sure if she should be honored or terrified. Nan had told her the tale of Flemeth several times, and each time it had chilled a much younger Elissa to the bones.

As the old witch continued on with the subject of the Grey Wardens' task, Elissa swallowed down her slight fear and listened. Before, their task had seemed a lot more achievable and less threatening. But that was when they had Duncan to lead them and teach them. Now they were just some novice Wardens who hadn't the slightest knowledge needed to defeat the Blight by themselves. "Well, Teyrn Loghain will have us killed if he discovers we still live," she said, uncertainty filling her, "How are we supposed to stop an entire Blight with only a very small fraction of what we had before in numbers and support?" Her life as a noble was kicking in, screaming they had no chance with how things looked. But her stubborn attitude refused to give in completely to that feeling, because it was their duty as Wardens and her's as a Cousland to figure out a way.

Cross let out a short, soft bark while looking up to his mistress. It was obvious the Mabari believed in her, and in the group.

"Sorry," she sighed, "Just not sure how we're supposed to do any of this with such a high number of odds stacked against us."

Then came Morrigan from the hut, inquiring about the number they'd have for dinner. Flemeth's response was one that nearly made Elissa's jaw drop to the ground however. Her hazel eyes snapped to the legendary witch's daughter, wondering just how she would respond. To her amazement, the woman did not outwardly protest. "I- if you're... willing?" she stumbled over her words slightly, but then proceeded to recompose herself quickly and add, "We do need all the help we can get."

[Anceladar Firareth]

The shem name meant nothing to the elf, but at least the humans recognized the living myth and the great luck they had in being found by her, and the great peril they'd be in if they upset her. The stories were vague on whether Asha'bellanar had a living daughter, but regardless of the stories, anyone who grew up under the tutelage of such a legend would be just as deadly.

"As you wish Asha'bellanar. Should we assume our debt paid or shall we add this to our list?" He said, knowing full well the slight tongue and cheek in his remark, despite being reasonably innocent in its intent. Anceladar didn't care about the daunting enormity of their task, the slim odds. The odds of being born a free elf were just as slim, and the odds of such a free elf living to old age were slimmer still, and then the idea of finding their lost history and restoring the elves to their true place in Thedas was near impossible. Anceladar was not new to small odds. He considered his life as an elf ended as soon as he left his clan, and his life as a Grey Warden seemed doom and gloom from the outset.

The elf was torn between being both for and against the notion of Flemeth's daughter accompanying them. For one, they hardly knew her, despite she was a shem, and a mage, and dangerous. Then again, that being dangerous could definitely be of help. It seemed their little lordling was also at a similar predicament about their proposed new companion. "It seems that if we don't accept we'd be shadowed throughout our journey anyway. She looks like she'd need far less protecting than...well, most shems"

[Morrigan]

"Debts are petty," Flemeth spoke shortly and disappeared into her hut, not bothering to bid her daughter farewell.

Morrigan assumed that her mother understood something that the Wardens and herself did not. Ah, well, they should be on their way regardless.

The young witch dared a glance at the blonde man sitting on a hay bale against the side of her hut, who was, she assumed, having a hard time keeping his mind off of his greif. She did not venture forth with a snarky remark, the man had only just learned of his Commander and King's deaths. No, she instead turned toward the elf and decided to aknowledge his remark.

"I should thank you for the veiled compliment, elf, though I shan't be needing any protecting," Morrigan was very assured in her abilities and was positive that if anybody was going to be doing any protecting, it was her.

Morrigan took one last look around her childhood home, the ever-changing swamp, full of wildlife, the treeline surrounding the small hut where she lived with her mother, she'd played with the wolves in that very treeline her entire life. Finally, she chanced one more glance at Alistair before speaking to the group overall.

"Perhaps we should venture to Lothering before we run out of daylight?"

Sorryyyy that took so long, family troubles/cleaning... but it's up now! yay!

[Anceladar Firareth]

(No worries, everybody has their fair share. Expected Morrigan to be...well, meaner. I'll have Ance fill the gap. )

"I do believe that is our cue to leave, it seems our welcome is exhausted. Suits me just fine, I've been itching for action since Isshal" He muttered half to himself as he pushed off the wall after Asha'bellanar entered her hut and didn't seem to be coming out again. She may be an old powerful legend, but she was still a human, as was her daughter. As he walked past Morrigan he slanted his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye, "That will make a nice change.

Lothering. He knew of Lothering, his clan briefly traded with them not too long ago, and even if they hadn't he'd spied it on his way south to Ostagar. He paused for a slight second, looking at the oldest Warden in their group "Oy, Shem, I understand these are rough times, but you're not doing anyone any favors sulking, especially not Duncan. Unless you plan to drown the Darkspawn in a flood of tears turn your grief into something useful. I certainly won't be picking up your slack and if you think I'm carrying you the whole way you're sadly mistaken" he scowled. He turned to Elisaa, the little lordling, "I'm scouting ahead to make sure the way is clear, I'll leave markers"

And with that he unhitched his bow, the Sorrows of Arlathan, from his back, holding the longbow that was just slightly taller than he was in his left hand, the dim sunlight seeming to make the silver-gold bow shine and the elvish markings seemed to dance of their own accord. He started to jog off into the distance, sticking to the shadows. If one took their eyes off him for even a second it would be near impossible to find him again. He headed for the hills, the incline giving him a good view of his surroundings and scouting the fastest yet easiest path. The Darkspawn horde seemed to have moved on, but their presence was still here, he could tell even if his Warden senses hadn't alerted him already.