Part 9: Live

Chapter 81: Finale

Aedan pinched himself on the cheek and winced. There she was, just as he remembered her, though Morrigan's black hair was longer now.

With Morrigan perched far above him, it reminded Aedan of their first meeting. The image of gnarled Wilds' forests flitted in his vision. Her, that mysterious stranger, who bore mysteries and knowledge, standing far above him,. Him, the lost young man in a strange new role. Had his journey started then? Maybe it when his family had died and Duncan whisked him off. No, that hadn't started it either. If he hadn't learned to fight from Teharel, Duncan would never have recruited him...but if he hadn't gone to that tournament so long ago and realized what an inadequate fighter he was, then he wouldn't have hired Teharel to teach him.

Maybe it started when his parents had read him bedtime stories. They'd tuck him in at night while the candle flickered beside him. His mother sat beside him and read him stories. He'd snuggle up in his wool blanket, enthralled by her myriad of voices, and she'd smile and ruffle his hair. Some were fables about mabari or mythical creatures, but Aedan had always loved the ones about dragons and knights and damsels. He had imagined himself killing the dragon, slicing at it with his sword, standing above the corpse while the crowds cheered and proclaimed him a hero.

No dragon remained- Aedan killed the Archdemon. The blight left the country on the brink of ruin. Thousands had been killed, countless sacrificed by Aedan's orders. From the story only concept of the knight and the damsel remained- if one could even call Morrigan that. If Aedan ever called her 'damsel' or 'princess' to her face, he was certain she'd burn his off. In the stories, the maiden had always embraced the hero, forever grateful to him for saving her. Sure, Aedan had saved her from death in battle, but she had done the same for him. They owed the other no blood debt. They had revealed their secrets to one another: her, the dark ritual, and him, his knowledge of the archdemon slayer's fate- so they owed neither any more secrets.

So all that stood between them-

"I expect you have questions," replied Morrigan, breaking Aedan from his reverie. Her eyes measured the distance between them and shot back at him.

Aedan swallowed and replied, "I do." His eyes glanced at his feet then at Morrigan's. One wrong step and she might flee. "Of course I do. These past two years, I've reiterated the same questions. Always one returned, whether sleeping or awake." Aedan wrung his hands, took a deep breath in, and looked up at Morrigan. "The question I didn't want to ask but I knew I'd have to ask." Aedan inhaled again. He had rehearsed this moment a thousand times. Him, a distance away, her, wearing that same outfit of red robes and stitched leather. He knew if he ever saw her again what he must ask.

Morrigan stood, awaiting for Aedan's question. She stilled her fidgeting fingers but they resumed in the silence that the man sustained. His eyes closed and he moistened his lips to speak. Aedan's shut eyes scrunched together while his fists tightened. His mouth opened. Morrigan swallowed. Her breath stopped while she awaited his words and her teeth clicked.

Aedan opened his eyes, his brow furrowed, his voice solemn with a rumbling gravitas he had only used regarding Archdemon, and asked the question that would decide his fate:

"How are you still wearing that outfit?"

Water dripped into the pools of the cave and their splashes filled the silence. Morrigan's eye twitched and she leaned her ear forward. "...What?"

Aedan pointed over at Morrigan's usual robes and frowned while waving about his surroundings. "Your robes have no insulation. How are you not freezing? It's a gigantic cave with icy pools of water." He breathed out into both his hands and gestured at the hazy breath in the air. "You can see my breath! Am I the only one freezing?"

"It's rather chilly," piped in Finn, rubbing both his arms and shivering. Ariane nodded alongside the mage.

Aedan threw his arms in the air. "Thank you."

Morrigan held up a finger while grinding her teeth."I-"

Gregory barked in reply to Aedan. His fur bristled. Aedan gestured at Gregory. "See, even he agrees, and he's covered in fur." Gregory turned and barked at Morrigan again. The witch narrowed her eyes at the dog. Gregory shrunk and whimpered.

Aedan scratched his chin. His head cocked sideways. "Easy access for breastfeeding is a plus though, I'll give you that."

The witch's eyebrows tightened and furrowed. "I-" A vein bulged on her forehead.

"Wait, did you bare your stomach the entire time you were pregnant?" Aedan grimaced, patting his own stomach. "That just irresponsible. What if the baby got cold?"

What little smile Morrigan mustered now twisted into a scowl while she massaged her temples. "Of course, of course, OF COURSE," she seethed, her voice echoing throughout the cavern and startling small bats into flight, "this is the first thing you say after two years!" She flung her arm forward in the air whilst she fumed. "Why did I expect you to be capable of a single serious conversation?"

Aedan held up a finger to shush Morrigan. "First, I'm seriously asking the question. Second, you're avoiding answering."

"Fine!" said Morrigan, her words accelerating,"I briefly wore maternity clothes, are you happy?"

"I guess." Aedan shrugged his shoulders. "From a visual standpoint, I've always liked the outfit, but you have to consider the kid. The getup is a little racy. What if while I grew up my mother always wore that?" The thought struck him and Aedan cringed and held out his hand. His tongue flopped out whilst he gagged. "Ugh. Just imagined my dead mother in your clothing. This is a weird day."

Morrigan's hand trembled. Her left eye would not stop twitching. "Funny, I just imagined your mother dropping you on the head as a child, as this current conversation suggests that occurred," she said through clenched teeth.

Whilst Aedan and Morrigan bickered, waving their arms at one another, Finn turned to Ariane."You said they loved each other, right?" he muttered into her ear.

"I...think so?" replied Ariane.

"I'm just saying," said Aedan, flailing his arms up and down his body, "some leather armor, protect you from scratches and the such. What if you ever run out of magic reserves?"

Morrigan buried her face in her hand while she rubbed at her temples to ease her worsening headache. "Why did I expect that I could converse with you?"

"Conversation would imply you're on the other end listening, but clearly you haven't taken my comments to heart, so I feel like I'm talking to a wall. Communication goes both ways."

"I hear your comments and I have taken them to heart as a idiot's ramblings."

"Oh look, two minutes in and you've already insulted me twice." Aedan rolled his eyes. He held his fingers out and counted several seconds with them. "Here we go, minute three. Shall we keep up the current rate?"

Morrigan crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"That works too." Aedan sighed and waved his hand off. "Have it your way, woman."

"I will."

"Good."

"Fine!"

The two caught their breath from their shouting match. Morrigan brushed aside both a lock of raven hair and a bead of sweat from her forehead. "It seems as though the varterral gave you no trouble, otherwise you'd lack the energy to waste on that conversation."

Aedan shrugged. "Yeah, just the usual business." He stepped once towards the stairway. The witch retreated a step. Her palm jutted out before her and the mirror behind her pulsed. "Not one step further."

Aedan scratched his neck whilst breaking his gaze from Morrigan. He ground his front foot into the dirt below. His eyes glanced back up. "Rather cold, don't you think?"

"Tis the way things must be," said Morrigan, "Please...understand."

"You left without a clear explanation."

"I told you all you needed to know. Besides...were you not the one who let me go from that rooftop in Denerim?"

"I did."

"And yet you still chase after me?" Morrigan shook her head. "See, you will never understand me, and I will never understand you."

"Yet still you linger here. Vartarrel screams shook the entire Wastes. You had enough warning to leave. Why didn't you?"

Morrigan's gaze wavered. She bit her lip and swallowed. "You kept the ring," she whispered, the harshness wilting from her tone.

Aedan smiled, removed his right gauntlet, and waved his ring-bearing hand at her. "Not going to ask why?"

"I know why. Because you are...you."

Aedan pointed at Morrigan's hand. "You kept the one I gave you."

"I…" Morrigan glanced down at her hand. Her finger rubbed against the ring upon it. "Enough. T'would be better for us both if we remained on our separate sides. You are the Warden-Commander and I have my own duties." Morrigan shifted towards the mirror and her gaze wandered towards it's glass. She stared into the mirror but it still reflected Aedan below. The witch clutched her robe near her heart. "Our paths intersected and now must diverge. One final time. I must prepare the child for his eventual destiny...and more."

"More?"

"Change," said Morrigan. She looked at Finn and Ariane, her gaze cold and foreboding, then turned back to Aedan. "Change is coming to the world. There are those who are fight it, fear it, but still it comes. Sometimes change is what they need the most. Sometimes change...change sets them free."

Aedan said nothing to that. He mulled over her words in silence, rolling his tongue in his mouth. "Is that what you want? To be free?"

"What I want…" Morrigan glanced backwards at Aedan but whipped back to the mirror, "What I want is unimportant."

"But it's there isn't it?" said Aedan, "The want- because you're not just a Witch of the Wilds. You're not just the bearer of Flemeth's legacy. You're more than that."

"Acknowledging the want exists does not make it important."

"What you want is important to me."

"Simply because it is your desire as well."

"Is that so bad? We don't exist solely to carry out another's will. Their will doesn't change the world. We do."

Aedan lay on the ground once more, except now no Archdemon flew up above, and none of his family hovered over him. Dead hands clamored against his skin, pulling him deeper into the pool of blood below. Each time a hand grasped him, his old aches from scars and fractures eased away. His own blood trickled into the liquid beneath. Though a sword protruded from his chest, no pain plagued him. His chilled limbs were not overly so- it was like lying wrapped in cool linen sheets, sleepy after a long day.

And it indeed had been a long day. A long year. A long lifetime. His specters were right. Didn't he deserve to rest? Didn't he deserve to be free? he'd see them again: Father, Mother, Fergus, Oriana, Oren, Nan, Teharel. He could rest, free of pain and regret. His family would be just as he remembered them.

They would be...just as he...remembered them.

Just as he remembered them.

Aedan scrunched his brow. His heart twinged. Amidst the oblivion, a pain hummed in his chest. Why couldn't his specters remember Morrigan? It made no sense. Even though his final peace approached, Morrigan's face invaded his mind: her hair, mottled with blood, clinging to her sweaty face as she kneeled over him. Her tears restrained by sheer force of will, little droplets at the corners of her eyes. Trembling words stuck in her hoarse throat. So why couldn't they remember her?

Aedan reached up towards the abyss. Was he raising his hand in real life? Were his companions still hovering above? The other versions of him hadn't remembered Alistair either- his best friend, his brother-in-arms. Alistair, now the sole Warden, no doubt strolled his face through his tears. Leliana was bawling her eyes out. Gregory would lick his face, growling at anyone that approached Aedan's corpse.

His finger fidgeted as though stroking Morrigan's face. No, she'd have left by now. She had always planned to leave. He was no different. He expected his own death for months. Both doomed the relationship from the start- and that was fine. She had destinies to fulfill. He would return to his family.

Right before they had faced the Archdemon, he tried to tell Morrigan goodbye. Though Aedan hadn't said the exact word, for all intents and purposes he had upon his death. He had told her he was going home. He had accepted he was leaving them all. But he would say the word now, to end it. To bookend his existence. To go home.

"Goodbye," Aedan said. Nothing pained his heart as the word left him, yet the thoughts of his companions' faces still plagued him. His hand still stretched upwards.

"Goodbye," repeated Aedan. The silence remained. His companion's faces remained in his thoughts. His lungs failed him now- he tried to inhale in to no avail. Only one breath left. One word. He had enough for that.

He opened his mouth and his lips pushed out to make a 'g' sound, but he paused before doing so. A single face remained in his thoughts. His final breath left him:

"Morrigan."

When he said that word, the pain returned to his limbs. That word echoed in the darkness, reverberating in his eardrums. His chest palpitated. He gasped in for air. Just breathing sent spasms through his chest. His arm ached from swinging his sword but he kept reaching up. Images flittered in his mind of what could be: eating sandwiches with Alistair, making snide jokes with Shale. Raising his son together with Morrigan. Watching her smile, watching their son become a man, growing, laughing, living together.

Then the pain faded as the word disintegrated. Aedan thought of Morrigan again. The searing pain returned, but he kept thinking of her this time, kept picturing that way she'd turn away after he said something stupid and romantic and hide her smile. How on the battlefield she'd grin with such pride as she unleashed her magic. The way she'd never ask him to spoon or cuddle or hug but she'd mumble in a quiet voice and he'd embrace her and make her blush and mumble again. Her cooking, simple but filled with that hint of herbs that tickled his stomach. That mean laugh of hers, one that shouldn't make him happy but he always smiled at it. That scowl of hers, Maker he loved pissing her off and making her scowl. He could give up food if he meant he could see that scowl. Was it childish? Yes, Aedan couldn't deny that but it was more than just making her scowl, it was knowing where to prod and push. The witch knew, he knew, and between the two it was a dance, a twisted prideful waltz through the weaknesses they spotted in one another; she'd call him a glutton, a fool, a hopeless optimist, and he'd call her grumpy heartless, out of touch, fickle, but the dance would settle into a calm lull where they smiled and laughed.

Speaking of food, he hadn't taken Alistair to that fish sandwich shop in Denerim. The best fish sandwich Aedan ever had: practically a grease delivery system. A nice crispy fry, fresh mayo, and butter slathered in every nook and cranny of the bread. Alistair would love it.

What about the rest of his companions? Leliana had promised to compose a song about him. It'd be embarrassing and grandiose but she always sang so well so he never minded. Shale- he had started to soften that granite golem. Then there was that stupid nagging of Wynne, that rambunctious antics Oghren always delivered, Sten's deadpan expressions, Zevran's grand stories and boisterous partying.

And Gregory, what about Gregory, who would play fetch with him and scratch him in just the right spot under the chin?

The three specters wrapped their hands around Aedan's outstretched right. They dragged him down, refusing to let go. Despite the peace, despite the lack of pain, although he'd see his family again, Aedan had to utter his question: "I'll live it...exactly as it was?"

"Of course," replied the other versions of him.

Aedan paused. Tears now streamed down his face. "Didn't I already live it though?"

His specters paused. They knelt down by his side. "Please," said Pup, clasping Aedan's hand again. Now his younger self trembled with Aedan's hand in his own. "Don't you want to see them again? Don't you want the pain to stop?"

"Of course I do," sputtered Aedan, "but we did see them. Over countless years and moments. Sharing laughter, smiles, tears, pain. Moments became memories. If you had to ask me to choose between reliving memories...or living moments…"

Aedan wrenched his hand loose from Pup's. He was more than an existence that ended and began in Highever, stuck in a cycle of memories already lived. He could still be better. Still take a single step forward. Maybe one day he'd buckle under the pressure of the Grey Warden, or he'd crumble beneath his wounds and scars, or he'd look in the mirror and see a monster. But-

"They're worth it," gritted Aedan, mustering all the strength he could. And with each word he spoke, the pain returned. "She's worth it."

He pushed against the bloodied pool of limbs and bodies beneath him. The pain trickled back into his body: every bruise, every burn, every stab wound.. His punctured lungs gasped for air. The sheer pain overwhelmed him, pushing him limp back down. Blood gushed from his scars. Aedan gritted his teeth and flipped back onto his belly. His arms shook as he began to push himself back up.

His specters tried to push him back down, but as the pain returned to Aedan so did it to the three ghosts: Pup, the Warden, and the Hero of Ferelden writhed.

No, not ghosts, thought Aedan, reflections: distorted and fractured from his memories. He, Aedan, was the only one of them to remember Morrigan. The only one to remember his companions. Because if they were truly his ghosts, they'd remember all those people.

He shook free from the clawing limbs. "So I'll get up one more time." A single heartbeat echoed. The blood dripped from his mouth and splashed beneath. His arms shook as he pushed himself back up. "No! Not one more time." His heart beat again. "As many times as I have to." The third time rumbled in his ears.

"A man gets back up," wheezed Aedan, repeating the words of his father, "No matter how many times he's knocked down."

His heart beat like the wild drums of war, rumbling and pounding in his ears. The blood rushed back through his veins and every limb and sweat trickled down his flushed skin, yet through the pain and wounds, Aedan could picture them, all of them, still out there. Morrigan, Alistair, Leliana, Wynne, Shale, Oghren, Sten, Zevran, Gregory, and countless others.

"Because-" Aedan slipped in his own blood again but he slammed his right foot down and caught himself. His legs trembled like a newborn druffalo as he stood up.

The words he had spoken to Riordan lingered on his tongue: everything a man does, everything he experiences, every fight, every loss, and every sacrifice, leaves its mark on him. All that makes a man at the moment when he does the most important thing a person does.

Choose.

If he chose to remain here, had he learnt anything from living? His family, no not just them, all his companions, had taught him to save people, to fight fear, to bring hope, to enact justice, to lead others, to have faith, to be strong, to love, and so many other things. If he surrendered here and now, he could accomplish none of those. If he laid down here and now, he hadn't reallylived his old life.

Living something meant it had to end. Things ended. His old life had ended. Yes, he would never get to say goodbye nor see his family again. He'd never have his mother and father bear-hug him and call him Pup. He'd never get to tell stories to Oren, or gossip with Oriana, or badger with Fergus, or eat Nan's cooking, or drink with Teharel.

And that was okay.

"Because-"

Because goodbye was just a word you told yourself. You could say it over and over but it would never reach their ears. It changed nothing. You'd still awaken tomorrow the same person. He could say it till the end of time, but it didn't matter. It didn't mean squat if you didn't let go. Saying goodbye didn't change things. He did. He had let go, and let his companions take care of Highever's corpses. He had let go and let himself cry. He had let go of his flask and struggled against the constant crutch for another drink. It wasn't about saying words or spouting platitudes. Aedan had trudged forward, bit by bit, forging a path ahead by his actions. His choices.

His companions, his friends, his Morrigan, they weren't gone: Aedan could still choose them. No, he'd always chosen this. He had chosen Shale over the Anvil. Leliana over his own fear of killing. Alistair over Loghain. He risked their entire mission by pursuing Flemeth for Morrigan. Instead of his guaranteed end, his way back home, his peace, his duty, Aedan had chosen one last night with the woman he loved.

Avernus's ability kickstarted in Aedan's veins. Sinew stitched itself back up upon Aedan's side. The left side of his vision returned filled with tears and blood dripping down his face. The heat rushed to his face and Aedan sputtered through his hoarse throat, "Because I want-"

He whipped his head up to finish his words but his phantoms had disappeared. The world swirled and light penetrated the abyss. Gravity slammed down upon him and the weight of his own body returned. He blinked and the sight of his companions, sans Morrigan, greeted him. He urged himself up but he fell back onto the floor of Fort Drakon and his companions, still speechless, reassured him down. Gregory barked in his ear and licked at his face and Aedan mustered the last of his strength to fling his limp hand onto the mabari's furry head to halt the onslaught of slobber. The vision in his left eye blurred but with his right he saw Alistair mouth incoherent words and wipe aside his tears.

Aedan chuckled but that agitated his side and the man's eyes widened and he clutched at his tender left side. He breathed in that noxious smell of fresh corpses and cinders. His nose wrinkled. Disgusting. He propped himself up on his arms and smiled at his sniffling companions. "Maker, who the hell died?"

"Not another step, or I will go." The tight cold facade her face tried to maintain trembled. Despite her warning, still Morrigan did not flee into the mirror.

"We could leave here today, both of us, alone," said Aedan, "We'd have our duties to attend to. People and even gods to save and kill. That's what we should do, because it's the right thing to do. We have to do it, because we're the only ones who can. We need to do it, because if not us, who else?"

"Then you understand."

"But I wouldn't be happier. You wouldn't be happier."

"That doesn't matter."

"It does matter. You matter. I matter."

"It would be easier for you. For me. For us both."

Aedan clenched his fists. "Right here, right now, you're in front of me. If we separated today, it'd mean I was too afraid to take your hand and chose the easy way out. That I fell back down, and lay there. That I was living a half-life.

"And I know one day we'll separate again. Maybe by circumstance. Maybe by choice. Who knows, maybe in the next minute you'll run through that portal and I'll never see you again. That's the fate of all things...all people...all families." Aedan's voice quieted. He stared beyond Morrigan, but only momentarily. He focused back on the woman before him. "But it doesn't make what was, what could be, what will be, any less precious.

"Morrigan, if I had to choose one thing in this world, one person, then...you know what my answer would be. Over and over again." Aedan paused. The scars in his right arm ached, from that fateful day in Highever. The puncture wound on his left side from the Archdemon stung. "If I had to relive all the suffering that created this moment, I would do it. You're worth it. You're worth it all."

Aedan looked down at the stairway. He took his first step onto it, glancing up to see whether Morrigan had moved. The witch stood motionless, rubbing at her arm and biting her lip. So Aedan began his ascent upwards.

"I want to wake up in the morning next to you." Aedan stepped forward, Morrigan stepped back.

"I want to tease you and irritate you and have you scowl at me." Aedan stepped forward, Morrigan hesitated.

"I want all of us, you, me, our son, to have dinner together and smile and laugh." Aedan stepped forward, Morrigan stood still.

One final step in the stairway. Aedan paused. His foot hovered above. For a moment, he thought to look backwards. Something called, but he heard no voice. Hands brushed at his back, though no one did. If he looked backwards, what specters would he see? One by one they came to mind. Branka. Zathrien. Howe. Marjolaine. Harrowmont. Loghain. The village of Lothering. Teharel. Adair. Nan. Oren. Oriana. His mother. His father.

Though his gaze focused on Morrigan, all his specters stood behind him, watching, staring. Yet that was just it- there were no specters. Nothing pulled down upon him, nothing tugged him away. Only the staircase he had traversed was behind him. No ghosts, just memories. Moments passed and gone, happy and sad, painful and elevating.

Because I want to-

The words he hadn't gotten to scream after the Archdemon's death, before his specters had faded, lingered on his tongue. The words Aedan never thought he'd have to scream, the words that he always wanted to scream, because he knew the reason why his parents had saved him that night, so long ago: not to kill an Archdemon, nor to avenge their family, but the thing they desired most for him, the thing he had wanted the most for them. The only thing you wanted for someone you loved.

Aedan's heart clenched.

Because I want to-

His foot stepped onto the platform. He stared Morrigan straight in the eyes. The words ached and heaved in his throat, but he willed them forward.

"I want to live, Morrigan."

At those words, Morrigan froze. Aedan's foot lay rest upon the same ground as hers. No longer did she stare down, but up at the taller man.

"Do you?" Aedan asked. As Aedan approached Morrigan, she hesitated but didn't retreat. Aedan removed his gauntlets, then cupped Morrigan's cheek with his right hand.

"Because for me, right now, in this moment-" Aedan stroked her cheek with his thumb. An electric jolt ran down from his fingers through his body. Morrigan's finger kneaded at the fabric at her side, and the rise and fall of her chest hastened. The beat of Aedan's own heart echoed in his ears, till they almost blocked out the next words he said. "-living means that I kiss the woman I love."

Morrigan's lips quivered. She swallowed and her throat trembled. Her glassy gaze stared into his eyes. Her hand rested on his armor. Fingers wandered away from the cold steel towards Aedan's warm neck. Aedan moved in, grabbed her by the waist, and stopped his lips inches away from hers.

"So that's what I'm going to goddamn do."

Aedan plunged his lips up against Morrigan's. Through closed eyes he saw nothing, but felt the tug of Morrigan's hand at back of his neck and parting of her lips while she pressed them back against his. He savoured those lips: dark, rich, and sweet. Morrigan's tears trickled into her mouth and their salty taste slid onto Aedan's tongue. Her fingers dug into the back of his neck, almost painful, but her grip loosened: Morrigan broke first, having forgotten to breathe. A little moan escaped her lips while she gasped for air. Even while they breathed their lips clung together. Only a few breaths in, Morrigan dove her lips back into Aedan's and clutched her arms around his neck. Her left leg floated up as Aedan pulled her in by the waist and his hand pressed against her bare back. This time she remembered to breath through her nose and the two kissed for awhile until Ariane and Finn coughed and turned away. Aedan and Morrigan heard the coughing and halted in their embrace. Their eyes shot open and the two looked at one another. Morrigan stifled a laugh. Aedan smiled and wiped aside the tears streaming down Morrigan's face and chuckled. Morrigan's fingers dabbed at the corner of Aedan's welled up eyes. Her head rested in the crook of his neck whilst she nuzzled against him. She took deep breaths in to slow her breathing. Morrigan let out one last trembling breath that lingered against Aedan's skin.

Morrigan placed her hand over Aedan's. "Then come, my love." Her mouth pressed up against his skin, so Aedan could not see her expression, but he felt her lips drag against his skin and turn to a smile. "Let us face the future together."

Aedan held her tight and nodded. He smiled, and hugged her with both arms, hoisting her up. Morrigan's feet dangled in the air. Aedan swung her in a circle, laughing. For a moment Morrigan slammed her arms against Aedan's chest to stop, her face reddened. Aedan set her down with a grin. Gregory bounded up to Aedan and wagged his tail. He barked at Morrigan. Aedan gestured down at the mabari. "Can he?" he asked, beaming.

Morrigan looked down at Gregory, up at Aedan's pouting lip, and sighed. She knelt down- Gregory bounded to her. She scratched the mabari under the chin. "I figure I'm already bringing back one dirty mongrel with me, might as well bring another."

The dog barked back up at her.

The witch glared down at the mabari. "However, you must behave yourself. This means you cannot eat all my herbs, as you always did. Many of those are for the child, do you understand?"

Gregory whined and licked at Morrigan's ankle. The witch rolled her eyes and pulled a small bundle of herbs from her bag and offered it to the mabari. Gregory slobbered at her hand whilst feasting. Drool dripped off her fingers. Morrigan cringed. She wiped her hand on Aedan's armor. He frowned and swerved away from her but Morrigan had already wiped the majority of the drool onto him.

"What? He's your dog," said Morrigan.

"Fair enough. And, by the way, I'm not a dirty mong-"

As he flicked off Gregory's drool, Aedan caught glimpse of his greaves, covered in varterral blood. "I'm not a mongrel."

"Clearly you've never watched yourself eat in a mirror," muttered Morrigan.

"I heard that."

"Oh, good. I feared I stuttered."

Aedan snorted at the remark. Morrigan smirked. Aedan smiled back and planted a quick kiss on her lips. He whistled over at Gregory and pointed at his bag. Gregory's jaws gripped Aedan's satchel and the mabari barreled to him. Aedan and Morrigan walked towards the glowing Eluvian together.

"Oi, her book." Aedan jabbed his thumb over at Ariane.

"Fine." Morrigan rolled her eyes. She gave a small wave to Ariane and pointed over to an abandoned tent. "Your book, elf, is over in the camp there. Tis intact. If anything, I've left it cleaner than how I found it."

Whilst Ariane rushed over the camp and retrieved her book, Finn said, "What, you're just leaving? Like that? "What about the Wardens? What about Ferelden?" Finn's eyes widened. His face went pale."Oh Maker, they're going to think I killed you somehow. Of course, the mage gets blamed for it all. They'll send me to prison, have me made tranquil, Maker I hope they at least keep the cells clean. Oh, I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it."

Ariane patted him from behind, the book tucked under her arm. "Relax, Finn. We'll be fine."

Aedan tilted back his head while scratching at his hair. He smiled down upon his two companions. Aedan pondered for a brief second, then chuckled and shook his head. "You know what? For once, I'll let the world figure out it."

Morrigan leaned her head against Aedan's shoulder, while the two approached the eluvian. Morrigan pressed her hand against it. The doorway alit. Aedan squinted at the blinding light. Gregory bounded into the doorway first. The mirror crackled and lightning sparked from it. Morrigan tugged on Aedan and nodded.

As Aedan stepped into the portal with his arm wrapped around Morrigan, he flashed a final smile at Ariane and Finn. "And if you have to tell them something, tell them-"

"-tell them I'm happy," said Ariane, as she finished her story to Fergus and the rest.

She and Finn sat across from Fergus, Leliana, Oghren, Sigrun, and Genitivi. Tapster's Tavern quieted in the afternoon: a calm before the storm of the drunken nights, one that allowed Fergus and the others to hear Ariane and Finn's story in peace. The two had sought out Fergus after returning from the Dragonbone Wastes: at very least, they thought he should know Aedan's fate.

"So he's gone." Fergus gave a lopsided smile. He looked down at his glass of whiskey. The liquid shifted within. He took a small sip from it while pondering the story in silence.

Leliana turned to Oghren. "What about the wardens? Think they'll let him just run off like that?"

"Bah! Aedan hasn't run off," Oghren chuckled and twirled the end of beard. He glanced at Sigrun and elbowed her. "He's just on an extra dangerous mission. By the Stone, who knows how long it'll take him to complete it. Isn't that right, Sigrun?"

"Oh, yes, indeed...now there's...uh...two headed talking darkspawn. Twice the talking!"

"We'll work on the story later." Oghren nudged Sigrun whilst grabbing his pack. "Come on, let's bring the news to Vigil's Keep."

As the groups departed off: Finn and Ariane, to places unexplored, Genitivi, back to the Denerim chantry to compile his writing, Oghren and Sigrun, back to the wardens, Fergus and Leliana were left alone in Tapster's Tavern.

"So what now for you?" Leliana finished off her ale and prepared to leave by putting on her coat.

"The Denerim Cousland estate is still here, I'll take care of some business in Denerim and stay there. Someone should tell Alistair about what happened as well. After that I'll pack it in for the night."

"Knowing Alistair, he'll be giddy and sad simultaneously."

"How about you?" asked Fergus. "What next?"

"The Divine has asked me to return and run more of her operations in person, so back to Orlais."

"Think you'll miss Ferelden?"

Leliana smiled and inhaled the familiar Ferelden scent. "I'm sure the Divine will assign me a variety of missions that will take me back here."

Fergus thought of his brother, and pictured his last smile as he had entered the eluvian. He had not been there, but he could picture the smile. Wide from cheek to cheek, his eyes almost squinting, the hint of a laugh escaping him.

When had Fergus last seen Aedan smile so? Fergus paused, and remembered the day he had left Highever for Ostagar. He had joked about wenches in front of his mother and his son, and Aedan had grinned. Fergus snorted at the thought of it.

"I like that smile," said Leliana.

Fergus's eyes darted at the sister. "How'd you know what I was thinking about?"

"I didn't." Leliana leaned over the table and poked at the corners of his mouth. Fergus put his hand over his expression, felt it up once, and chuckled.

"You know, I might stick around here for awhile before turning in. Find a pretty girl and ask her to have a drink with me." Fergus laughed and scratched at the back of his head.

"Might as well live a little," mused Leliana.

The two paused and looked at one another. Fergus coughed and willed up his courage. "Leliana," asked Fergus, "Want to have a drink with me?"

Leliana's eye widened for a brief moment, but the sister leaned in and smiled at Fergus. She waved over at the waitress. "Another of the same scotch for him, and a glass of red wine for me...bartender's choice." With none of the usual crowd around, the drinks arrived in but a minute. Leliana removed her coat and raised her glass to Fergus. Fergus raised his glass up to Leliana's. "A toast to Aedan, then," said Leliana, "To my friend."

Fergus's glass clinked against Leliana's. "To the-" said Fergus, before halting. Fergus considered the titles his brother wore: Pup, the Warden, the Hero of Ferelden. Though as a child Aedan had dreamed of a glorious title, in recent years he had just asked people to call him Aedan. He'd like something simple. Aedan hadn't fought for complicated reasons: he had people he loved, and so he fought for them. That's what he'd always done, before, during, and after the Blight.

Fergus nodded at Leliana. "To my brother, a warrior."

Gregory napped beneath the shade of a tree. Aedan stroked the fur between his ears. Gregory grunted in his sleep, his ear twitching.

"This one seems larger than the others," remarked Aedan. The three of them had passed through several mirrors. One had led to a floating walkway of stone and magic. Another had led to an underground cave. Morrigan had led them a final resting place: a vast meadow stretched out before them. Sparse trees littered the surroundings. Aedan watched the green grass rustle in the slight wind. "How do we even get wind in here? Or light?" He glanced at the small tent next to them. His fingers drummed against his thighs.

"The ancient elves were nothing if not resourceful. It took awhile, but I scouted a suitable location to habitate in. Clean water, fertile soil, and plenty of sunlight." Morrigan nudged Gregory's paw with her foot. His ears twitched, but still the mabari slumbered. "He fell asleep quickly," said Morrigan as she lay her pack down upon the ground.

"He's tired. I'm tired. We did just kill a mythical creature from elven legends." Aedan groaned and stretched his arms out. "No big deal."

"Yes, how very impressive." Morrigan patted at Aedan's shoulders. "Come...take off your armor. You're covered in blood."

"My armor?"

"Your armor."

Aedan looked about at the clear skies. He was in a land unknown, one separated from Ferelden. His mind calculated the possible dangers, racking and pondering. In the midst of his thoughts, he glanced at the frowning Morrigan. He smiled at that familiar frown.

"What?" asked Morrigan.

Aedan shook his head. "Nothing." One by one he removed all his armor, and stacked it in a neat pile. The armorless Aedan peered around while Morrigan approached from behind.

Morrigan brought her nose to his shirt and sniffed. She covered her nose, holding back a gag. "Do you have a spare shirt?"

"Why?"

Morrigan pointed at Aedan's pit stains and the ripped fabric. The sweat and rigor of the battles that brought him here had taken it's toll.

"There's one in my bag." Aedan reached for his pack. He jumped as Morrigan's hands reached beneath his shirt. "I can take the shirt off myself," he said.

Morrigan's eyes met his and pouted. Aedan raised his arms up in compliance. Before taking off his shirt, Morrigan leaned in and pulled apart the eyelids of Aedan's left eye. "It's a different shade of brown."

"Yeah, well, regenerating an eye isn't my expertise, so I'm just glad it grew back at all."

"So you grew back an eye? You never cease to bewilder me."

Morrigan pulled the shirt off Aedan. While Aedan rummaged in his pack for the spare, Morrigan caught glimpse of Aedan's left side. Her hands brushed over the massive scar tissue and pinkish, distorted flesh. "I told you to stop getting more scars."

"I got bitten by an Archdemon then cauterized the wound. I'm lucky it's just a scar."

"Ugh. Couldn't Wynne have done something?" Morrigan poked at the warped flesh.

Aedan winced as her fingernail poked a tender spot. "Apparently for something this bad, it requires daily healing magic, and she went off to Tevinter with Shale."

"We'll have plenty of time for that then." Morrigan leaned in and pecked Aedan on the lips. She paused and leaned her forehead against his. "Perhaps time for it now."

Aedan kissed her back, but before doing so Morrigan saw his eyes wander towards the tent beside them. After they broke from their kiss, she smiled and nodded towards the tent. Aedan gulped. "If he's sleeping, I can wait," said Aedan. "I'd rather his first impression of me not be the ass who woke him up."

"No, I know you. I'll wake him up...but just a moment for the two of us. Tis rare that he sleeps so soundly." Morrigan tugged on Aedan's sleeve and gestured at his legs. Aedan obliged and opened up his legs, and Morrigan sat down with Aedan behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, but Morrigan tugged them closer around herself. The two said nothing as they sat there, basking in the other's warmth.

He understood. Two lives now intertwined with a third. They'd still have their own moments, them two, but their lives would never be as they were during the Blight. Different wasn't bad though. Change was inevitable.

Aedan broke from their embrace and nodded at Morrigan. The witch paced into the nearby tent while Aedan put on his clean shirt. Aedan wrung his hands outside, taking deep breaths in to slow his heartbeat. He looked down at the ground, his heart racing, his hands a little clammy.

"Aedan?"

"Hmm?"

Aedan looked back up. In Morrigan's arms was a small child. Aedan froze. The sleepy child yawned and stared at Aedan with curious eyes. Morrigan sat down next to Aedan with their son in her lap. "This is our son, Kieran," she whispered.

"Really?" Aedan chuckled. "Kieran?"

"T'was the only name I could think of that we'd ever agreed upon." Morrigan stroked the top of Kieran's head, where a little tuft of dark hair had sprouted. Kieran looked up at Morrigan. Morrigan scratched under Kieran's chin ."This is your father. Can you say that? Fa-ther." The small child mumbled and giggled. Morrigan smiled and handed him over to Aedan.

Small. So small. So much lighter than his sword and shield. Aedan cradled the child like a snowflake. Kieran rustled in his hands. Aedan froze and his arms tensed up. Morrigan wrapped her hands around Aedan's, guiding the child closer to him. Kieran gurgled and giggled, and reached towards Aedan. Aedan cradled Kieran in one arm, and wiggled his finger before the child. Kieran clasped both hands around Aedan's. Something stuck in Aedan's throat. He tried to exhale the words but only a croak ebbed out.

"Look at that." Morrigan rested her head on Aedan's shoulder. Her arms snaked about his shoulders, tugging her warden close. "After all our time together, I've finally managed to leave you speechless for once."

Aedan's eyes welled up while playing with Kieran. He wriggled his fingers mid-air and Kieran squealed in delight. His soft baby fingers batted at Aedan's calloused hands. Aedan tried to say something again, but it only croaked out of him.

"Did you want to say something?" asked Morrigan.

"I...just...gah." Aedan held his hand to his mouth. Kieran mumbled back at him. "I just haven't said it in…" Aedan opened his mouth again, but his words caught in his throat as tears dripped down his cheek. He couldn't stop smiling at the child before him.

Morrigan nuzzled against Aedan. "It's okay...I'll say it for you then." Aedan's hair ruffled up against her face and she took a long breath in. Morrigan shut her eyes and Aedan's heartbeat thumped against her arm. Her head rested next to his. "Welcome home."

Aedan nodded through his tears and hugged his family tight.

END

Author's Notes

And we're done. Ironically, considering some of the stuff I wrote about in Aedan's story, as I write this final author's notes I'm enjoying a nice scotch I picked up- thought I'd treat myself. I started this thing about five years ago, and it's finally finished. At least a cause for a little celebration. Part of me is very happy to see this finished...another part very sad.

So, in regards to Bloodwolf432's question: why the human noble origin? (P.S feel free to skip this part if you'd rather just hear what's next for me and read review replies, its a couple paragraphs down).

I'd actually never heard of Bioware until DAO: one of my friends offered to split the cost of the game and convinced me to buy it. My first DAO playthrough was actually not a human noble, but a elven mage. My logic was "if I'm going to be playing in a fantasy world, I'm going to be anything but a human, and I'm going to use magic." And it was fun. Morrigan infuriated me to no end disapproving of everything I did. I romanced the nice, sweet Leliana. Killed an Archdemon. It was a good game.

I put the game down for awhile, then started a new playthrough maybe a month or two later. So I decided to go for Human Noble, figuring I'd mix it up. I didn't even care enough to change the name from the default, Aedan.

Playing a human noble playthrough and romancing Morrigan was completely different and I enjoyed it far more then my first. The ending where she leaves was heart-breaking (damn you Gaider), and the Landsmeet with Howe and Loghain was completely recontextualized. I like the match of the Human Noble and Morrigan, namely because they're so different. Aedan is from an affluent background, well-liked, and surrounded by family, and Morrigan is the opposite. Yet somehow they find their way to each other.

At some point it occurred to me how fragile the Warden must be, mainly because of the Origin I was playing. Aedan just lost his family. Yet all the time in DAO, you're told the Warden is invincible, this unstoppable juggernaut of destruction that the Archdemon had no chance against…and people kept repeating the name the Warden of the Hero of Ferelden like they were some mythical hero...but they're not. They're just some schmuck who got rescued by Duncan and forced into bearing the responsibility of the Blight upon their shoulders by circumstance. And I started to ask question: how would it feel to be them? To have that weight upon their shoulders. They'd have to buckle. They'd have to struggle. And the human noble, in addition to dealing with the Blight, he had to deal with the loss of his family and the tarnishing of his name. What does a man who's lost everything have to fight for? How does he move on?

Questions and questions piled up, and the answer I came up with eventually formed the beginnings of a story in my head. This stupid idea rattled around in my head for hours on end and I had to get it out, and writing was the only way I was capable of doing so. And that's really the reason I wrote this story.

For those of you wondering what I'll be writing next, I'm going to be doing an Alistair and Anora spinoff fic. I'd like to give it a few months to brainstorm and let the ideas simmer- when I write this, I'd like a clear idea (beginnning, middle, end) where I'm going with this and what the themes are. I don't have as clear an idea what I'd like to write about as I did with Warrior, so this'll require some active thinking and questioning. But this is coming. I'll add an extra chapter here at the same time I post the Alistair/Anora fic, so you'll know when the new fic is up.

That being said, don't expect it for a couple of months or so (though you all have waited for chapters from me for longer than that haha...sorry). PAX East, Torment: Tide of Numenera, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and my first vacation in two years are all up on my docket. In the downtime for the next few months will be spent doing a post-mortem on Warrior and fixing up some of the earlier chapters for style and errors. I'd also like to get around to actually reading other people's DA fanfiction...despite writing it, I actually read very little of the fandom. Maybe plow through my games backlog as well. For the first time in awhile, I don't have this fic occupying my mind. Should be a nice change of pace.

Replies below, along with a final note at the bottom.

Urazz: I know, sorry for such a tease of a chapter. Hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for reviewing over the past few years, and I hope you enjoyed the story.

Iva4e7y: Like I said above, I'm doing an Alistair/Anora fic next. Glad you've enjoyed the fic over the last two years. I hope you enjoy the ending!

Mordreek: Haha sorry about the eye stuff. I just found it a little fun for Aedan to making light of his grievous injury. Thanks for reviewing over the last few years: it was always great to hear your lengthy thoughts on the chapter and more. Hope you enjoyed the final chapter.

Maryz Fayner: I think the reason Aedan downplays what he saw is that...it doesn't particularly make sense to people who don't know him well. He's not a big 'sharer' in general, save for Morrigan. As for the Warden calling Aedan indecsisive, I don't believe Aedan was ever indecisive, but this is Aedan's negative view of himself reflecting through the Warden.

Thanks for all the reviews you've left and all the errors you've pointed out, and when I go back and edit things I'll make sure to incorporate some of your comments. It's good to have a critical eye. Hope you enjoyed the fic!

C0rrupted1: I had considered including more of Witch Hunt, but as I wrote out those bit, I realized that it didn't really focus on what I wanted. Originally there was going to be more Finn and Ariane content, but I didn't want to detract from the overall story focusing on two recently introduced characters. Hope you enjoyed the conclusion, and thanks for reading!

Bomberman4242: No prob. Like I said, enjoying a nice drink myself right now. Hope you enjoyed the conclusion. Thanks for reading!

Lastly, one final thanks to everyone whose read and reviewed this. It's meant a lot to me these past few years. I don't think I could have finished this without you all. Sometimes I struggled with balancing my life and writing. Some chapters just never seemed to come out the way I wanted. But knowing that somewhere is out there reading and enjoying the stuff I churn out kept me writing. You guys put up with my stupid delays and typos but still kept reading and I'm forever grateful for that. Truly, truly, thank you.

Hope you enjoyed.