Dragon Age: The Ferelden Chronicles

Chapter Sixteen

Varia winced as she lowered herself onto a rock at the side of the road, each and every muscle in her body feeling like it was on fire. She set her pack in her lap and began digging through its contents, looking for the strongest health potion she had on hand. While she knew it wouldn't be a permanent solution, it would likely provide her some comfort for the rest of their journey to the town Morrigan was leading them to - Lothering, she said it was called.

"Here."

Varia looked up from her pack and found Morrigan standing before her, holding out a small piece of what appeared to be the bark from some sort of tree.

"Well? Take it. You are in pain, yes?" Morrigan asked, holding it out closer to Varia.

"Maybe she's worried you're trying to poison her," Alistair remarked, snatching the bark away from the witch.

"While I know of many poisons which grow in the Wilds, I assure you that this is not one of them."

"And we're to simply take you at your word?" Alistair asked her with a short laugh. "What, exactly, have you done to prove your trustworthiness to us?"

"Believe me," Morrigan told him with a wicked grin, "if I wanted the two of you dead, you would already be dead."

"I find it very hard to believe you're giving this to her purely out of the goodness of your heart," Alistair insisted. "What's the real reason?"

"And I find it rather offensive that the first words out of your mouth since we left are an accusation of attempted murder," Morrigan retorted. "If you must know, however, one of the reasons Mother sent me along with you was to continue tending to your injuries. Neither of you are exactly in top form, after all."

"How badly were you hurt?" Varia asked Alistair, taking the opportunity to step into the conversation before it started coming to physical blows between them.

"I'm fine," Alistair insisted. "Morrigan's exaggerating."

"And you are lying to her," she asserted, then turned to Varia. "'Twas a close call for both of you. While the poison in your veins was more dire than the sum of his injuries, I daresay the better part of his body is still covered in bruises."

"Is that true, Alistair?"

Varia continued to watch him until he finally looked her way, but he quickly turned his gaze from hers and sighed, flinching almost imperceptibly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Stop worrying about me," he muttered, having seen the concern in her eyes. "I've taken worse beatings."

"Maybe we should have waited a bit longer before setting out," Varia mused, sighing before returning to the search through her belongings.

"Do not be ridiculous," Morrigan sneered. "You are not aware, but you were unconscious for two days."

"I was?" Varia asked, blinking at her in shock. While she had informed her earlier how sick she was from the darkspawn poison, Morrigan hadn't made any indication that she had been out of sorts for any real length of time - nor had Alistair or Flemeth.

"Don't look at me," Alistair said, throwing up his hands when she turned to him for verification. "I only woke up in the night before you. I had merely assumed it was still the day of the battle."

"Well, your assumption 'twas wrong," Morrigan told him before returning her attention to her fellow mage. "So, as you might imagine, the darkspawn horde has been gaining both strength and territory in that time. It will only be a matter of another day or two before Lothering is completely overtaken, I have no doubt."