The Return

Mother was understandably furious.

“You spoke with humans? My child, have I taught you nothing? You cannot trust them! What if they had seen you perform magic? You would have been dragged off to the Circle, left to imprisonment and servitude! Oh, this is all that damn idiot Alistair’s fault! His idiotic ways condemn my progeny! If only she had been male—“

“That was the man’s name!” Ceridwen exclaimed suddenly, interrupting her mother. “The man in the woods, she said his name was Alistair!”

Mother became eerily silent, and the forest seemed to shrink with her. “Alistair. And he traveled with a woman, you say? Tell me about this woman.”

“Oh, Mother, she was just lovely! I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful! And she was so kind, and so strange! She could tell who I was, even in my rabbit form! Oh, and Mother, she said she knew you, and she gave me this mirror—“

“Let me see it,” Mother snapped, and grabbed the mirror from the child’s hands. “Oh. It is her. Only she would...I knew...what did she say, child?”

It was amazing how quickly Mother could shift in moods. “She said her name was Adora, and she wanted to speak with you. She said she was going to Highever, and...Mother?”

Mother was silent, and seemed to be deep in thought.

“Mother?”

“Hush, child.” Mother sighed, and rested her hand against her forehead. “Adora never did know when to leave enough alone...but for her to use you to carry a message...Very curious, indeed.”

Mother became like this some days, days when she talked to herself and cursed the names of people Ceridwen didn’t know existed. Until today. Today, Ceridwen knew who Adora and Alistair were, knew they were real people. She wondered if that damn mutt, if Flemeth, if that Orlisian whore Leliana were real people, too. She wondered how Mother knew them. She wondered if it mattered.

“After all this time...well, child, the cat is out of the bag. No point in hiding from Adora, she’ll sniff me out eventually. That little rouge has a nose for trouble, I swear...It seems we need to head to Highever, and quickly.”

Ceridwen’s eyes widened. “We are leaving, Mother? The both of us?”

“Yes yes. You’ve started this mess, and you are going to own up to your actions. Let’s just hope it doesn’t damn us all.”

Ceridwen paused. “Mother, did I do something wrong?”

Mother stopped and sighed, pulling Ceridwen to her side. “You could not have known. And it does not seem like Adora is angry. She always was too forgiving for her own good—we shall see, child, we shall see.”

Highever was wonderful in the fall. All of the leaves changed colors, and there was a pleasant crispness in the air that stung beautifully.

The people there, however, left much to be desired.

“Lady, if you do not leave the premises I will be forced to take invasive action in order to protect his Majesty King Alistair the Brave.”

Mother merely snorted. “King Alistair the Idiot, more like it. Let me through, guardsman, or I will make your head explode into a thousand pieces and let myself inside.”

For a second, Ceridwen thought a battle was about to begin, but then the beautiful lady appeared once more at the top of the stairs. “Morrigan, if you insist on killing my guardsmen, I’m afraid I won’t be able to invite you inside for tea.”

The lady seemed fuller and healthier in Highever, the chillness flushing her pleasant face beautifully. Her stomach was even larger than it had been a few weeks ago, noticeably round and full of life. She was smiling, and for the first time in a while, Ceridwen saw her mother smile back.

“Adora. I see the lout finally managed to knock you up. It only took him, what, ten years? I know he’s horrible in the sack, but you think he would have figured it out by now.”

The woman’s smile faded softly. “Morrigan. I see you are as pleasant as ever.” Just then, the lady descended the stairs and embraced Mother warmly. “It’s been a while, old friend.”

“It would have been longer still, had you not chosen to seek my daughter out.”

The lady clicked her tongue childishly. “Now now, it was your daughter who sought me out, not the other way around. I just invited you over for tea. Now come inside, you two. Morrigan, it seems we have much to discuss…”

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. The world needs more DAO fanfiction, it’s true...I’m just doing my part.

Though more reviews always help, of course. :D

jak