One pack of wolves, a body of a missing woman, three bottles of venom, an entire bandit crew, three black bears, and a nest of giant spiders later, their group was five sovereigns richer, Sten had a full set of heavy chainmail that fit him and a greatsword they'd found on one of the bandits, Leliana was admiring a bronze symbol of Andraste Aurora had found and given her, and Morrigan was already wearing the golden rope necklace Aurora had given her and trying to be discreet about how much she'd loved the gift.

Aurora, meanwhile, was tired and starting to grow rather grouchy, especially after the spiders. Maker, she hated spiders. She'd be happy to wipe them all off the face of the world if she could brave getting near enough to them to wipe them out.

As they neared the road out of Lothering, a small mob of farmers, pitchforks and all, appeared and gathered in their way.

"Andraste's flaming arse, what now!" Aurora swore, earning a shocked look from Leliana, a wary one from Alistair, and a snort of amusement from Morrigan.

"We done heard what was said—you're a Warden," the farmer at the front said, gaunt eyes boring into her. Aurora tensed. They weren't seriously going to try to... "I don't know if you killed King Cailan, and Maker forgive me, I don't care. But that bounty on your head could help feed a lot of hungry bellies—attack!"

Aurora quickly drew her sword, and suddenly she was back in the Alienage defending herself from humans whose only thought was to bring harm upon elves. That wasn't the exact case here, but that fear for her life as she was attacked because of what she was coupled with her instincts to fight back was what gave her the strength to fight back against the farmers who kept coming despite seeing their companions quickly fall from their blades. Alistair and Leliana obviously were only killing when the farmers kept coming at them with no sign of stopping, though Morrigan, Alaron, and Sten cut through them as soon as they charged without hesitation in as much as a kill or be killed instinct as Aurora. It was over quickly, and she looked down at the bodies of the farmers once it was over, shaking her head as she fought back nausea.

"Why would they attack us like that?" Leliana lamented.

"Desperation," Aurora said simply, gazing down at the closest body. Maker have mercy on her, she did not want the blood of innocents on her hands, whether they forced her to act or not.

Then again, didn't she already have so much blood on her hands? What was more?

Aurora reached up and clutched at her necklace from below the armor, taking a few steady breaths before she dropped her hand away, her composure calm and firm as stone once more.

"Let's just get out of here before more attack," Aurora said quietly, wiping her blades of blood and leaving the gruesome scene behind without looting any of them.

"Someone help us!" came a cry from up on the road, and all of them broke into a sprint with weapons out, though when they got close enough Alistair and Aurora ran a little faster, both of them feeling the burning pull running through their blood that meant darkspawn were ahead.

As they crested the top of the stairs to the road they saw a smattering of darkspawn—mostly Hurlocks, descending upon two dwarven merchants, who were cowering behind their crates. Alistair rammed into the Hurlock Alpha while Aurora blocked the blades of a Hurlock that was about to kill the younger of the two dwarves, kicking him away and quickly falling upon him. Alaron bit at the side of a darkspawn rogue, and Morrigan's spells were already flying through the air. As Sten joined the fray it quickly became apparent that having him join the company had been a smart move, as he cut through two darkspawn at once with one powerful swing of his sword. Leliana dashed away to take care of a darkspawn archer, and while Alaron joined Aurora to help defend the dwarves from two Hurlocks that had been about to finish the dwarves off, Alistair and Sten teamed up on the Hurlock Alpha. Alaron grabbed one of the Hurlocks by the ankles and dragged him to the ground, allowing Morrigan to blast him with fire—oh, that was a new spell—and roast him alive. Aurora cut off her foe's head and turned to see Sten bash the Alpha in the head so that it stumbled forward into Alistair, who shoved his sword through the eye-slot of its helmet.

A much faster battle than if it had just been Morrigan, Alistair, Aurora, and Alaron. And with hardly any injuries, she saw.

While everyone gathered themselves and checked for injuries, Aurora approached the merchants, who were getting to their feet now that the darkspawn were dead. The older one stepped up to meet her, pulling nervously at his rusty brown, braided beard before he seemed to smooth on his merchant's mask to talk to her.

"Mighty timely arrival there, my friend, I'm much obliged."

"You're welcome," Aurora said pleasantly, well aware that freedom was right there on the road...even though she hadn't quite figured out where they were headed yet—not that they would get too far, dusk was fast approaching.

"The names Bodahn Feddic, merchant and entrepreneur. This here's my son, Sandal. Say hello, my boy," the older dwarf said.

"Hello," the young, clean shaven one echoed in a childish tone.

"Roads been mighty dangerous these days. Mind if I ask what brings you out here? Perhaps we're going the same way," he said, eyes sparkling with opportunity. Aurora smiled at him.

"I doubt you want to travel with a Grey Warden. I've heard our presence isn't sought out by anyone other than bounty hunters, soldiers, and the usual darkspawn these days," she said as if she was discussing the weather.

"Grey Wardens, hm? My, that does rather explain a lot. No offense, but I suspect there's more excitement on your path than my boy and I can handle. Allow me to bid you farewell, and good fortune, though," Bodahn said with a flourishing bow.

"Goodbye," Sandal said in that cheery, innocent tone. Bodahn turned to his son.

"Now, then, let's get this mess cleaned up, shall we?"

Aurora took that as her cue to leave, continuing on along the road as her companions regrouped. "So, where are we headed first?" Alistair asked. Aurora sighed. Bluff called—she had no idea where to go first, she just wanted to get out of Lothering as soon as possible.

"Well..." she said slowly, racking her brains. "I think Orzammar can wait—it sounds like their only problem is that they don't have a king right now, and maybe by the time we get there they'll have picked someone. Considering the Templars have locked up the Circle Tower I'd say that problem isn't going anywhere any time soon. However, if Arl Eamon is sick, we may want to go there first to see if we can find a really good healer who may be able to help. On the other hand, we've got the Dalish in a forest rampant with werewolves and possiblly with Blight sickness in the clan."

"So do you think we should go to the elves first?" Alistair asked.

Aurora thought about it, scratching absentmindedly at her ear before she shook her head. "No...if we look at a map..." Aurora shuffled around in her pack for a few moments before unrolling the map she'd had shoved away in a corner, her gaze zipping across its contents. "Everywhere we need to go is here to the west, right? Except for the elves and Denerim."

Alistair nodded, brow furrowed as he stood next to her and grasped one end of the map to look as well. Aurora stiffened from how close he got, and he took a self-conscious step away to give her some breathing room. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Taking account all the chaos going on, while the Brecillian Forest is a little closer to Lothering than anywhere else, if we go to the Circle Tower first to get a mage, we'll be maybe two days away from Redcliffe, give or take, and that's if we manage to snag a boat to sail across instead of going around the lake. Once we go to Redcliffe we can see if we can help the Arl in any way. If the Urn is really the only way to help him, then we'll probably have to go to Denerim." At the odd look Alistair gave her, Aurora elaborated. "That note I gave Ser Donall spoke of a lead that Ser Henric had stating there was someone in Denerim who might have been hot on the trail of the Urn. It would probably be best to search for the Urn there if that is indeed our only hope, and either on our way there or on our way back, we can take a slight detour to see the Dalish and find out what's happening in those forests. Once that mess is all sorted out we can go to Orzammar to see the Dwarves, and hopefully by then they've settled their king problem."

Alistair nodded, tracing the path she gave them with his finger. "It would definitely save us from doubling back at any point, not counting any unforeseen complications in the future..."

"So, Lake Calenhad and the Circle Tower it is, then?" Aurora asked, rolling up the map. Alistair gestured ahead.

"Lead on," he stated with a smirk.

*************************************

Aurora led their group deeper into Thedas for some time, all of them moving in silence as dusk continued to approach. Aurora wanted to cover some ground before they camped, so she decided to push her luck a little longer.

Hoping for a distraction from her thoughts, Aurora moved to walk with Alistair. "So, Alistair, how did you become a Grey Warden?" she asked curiously.

"Same way you did. You drink some blood, you choke on it, and pass out. You haven't forgotten already, have you?" Alistair asked, smirking at her.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny. I mean before that."

Alistair chuckled. "Let's see, I was in the Chantry before. I trained for many years to become a Templar, in fact. That's where I learned most of my skills."

Aurora's brows furrowed, recalling a remark Alistair had made when they'd entered the Chantry to cash in on one of their Chanter's Board jobs about how Andraste could have been ugly with buck teeth for all the world knew. "You don't seem like the religious sort..."

Alistair laughed. "You're telling me! I was banished to the kitchens to scour the pots more times than I can count. And that's a lot, I can...I can count pretty high," he added with a light blush before he plowed on. "The grand cleric didn't want to let me go. Duncan was forced to conscript me, actually, and was she ever furious when he did. I thought she was going to have us both arrested. I was lucky."

"Why did the grand cleric want to keep you?"

"I wondered that myself. It's not as if she valued me highly. I think she just didn't want to give anything to the Grey Wardens, is all. The Chantry didn't lose much. And I think I can do more fighting the Blight anyhow rather than sitting in a temple somewhere. I'll always be thankful to Duncan for recruiting me. If it hadn't been for him, you know, I would never...I wouldn't have..."

The lighthearted mood quickly died, and for a few moments Aurora was at a loss for what to do. She swallowed her pride at the brokenhearted look she could see on this man's face and very hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. "He was a good man," she said softly.

Alistair glanced at her hand, surprised she was actually touching him but not about to complain. "He was..." Alistair ran a hand through his hair, and Aurora let her hand drop away from his shoulder as he continued to speak. "A good man who didn't deserve his fate. That much I'm sure of. Come on, let's go...I think I'm done talking."

Aurora nodded, stepping away to give Alistair his space.

****************************************

Their group came to a halt after they'd traveled for a while, and they all pooled their camping supplies on the ground. Bedrolls, cooking supplies, tent supplies, the whole works. As everyone started gathering their share of the tent supplies to set up, Aurora blushed a deep red, embarrassed as she hesitantly gathered her share of what she needed for the tent—after watching everyone else grab theirs—and picked a spot decently close to the fire. She'd never gone camping in her life—she had no idea what to do.

Trying to be discreet, Aurora watched Alistair out of the corner of her eyes, slowly copying his movements that she could see and hoping no one noticed she had no clue what she was doing. Apparently, she missed something, as she couldn't get the wooden rods to stand up like Alistair's, and then to make matters worse, she spent so much time on the rods that she fell behind.

Now she really was at a loss.

Aurora stared helplessly at the pile, face burning as she nudged the canvas with her foot. She hated feeling helpless and vulnerable, and this did not help. She was far too embarrassed to admit she couldn't set up a tent, and—

"Here..."

Aurora jumped about a foot in the air when Alistair's voice suddenly sounded behind her, and she stepped aside as he knelt down before the sad mess that was supposed to turn itself into a tent.

"First time camping?" Alistair asked as he started setting up the poles and tying them together. Aurora paid attention to what he was doing, determined to learn to do this herself.

"Yes, it is," she admitted. "I hardly left the Alienage...never even left Denerim."

Alistair glanced up at her, surprised, though he refrained from judging her. "Well...it appears you get the chance to explore Ferelden now. It's not the best time to do so, but...at least you get to see more of the country," Alistair offered, turning back to his work as he spoke.

Aurora smiled faintly at his attempt at conversation. "Well, I suppose I'll take what I can get." Alistair chuckled softly, letting the tent claim his attention while Aurora peered over his shoulder to watch. He shifted out of her way several times to let her see what he was doing, and she was grateful that he'd noticed she was watching to learn and was making that a little easier for her.

Once he was finished, Alistair stood and stretched. "There we go. You know, if you need help, all you have to do is ask," Alistair said pointedly, causing Aurora to blush once more.

"I'll...keep that in mind," she said, embarrassed. "I'll just...I can handle dinner tonight," she managed to get out, ducking away while Alistair laughed softly to grab their bag of food and see what they had and see if she could make something decent for everyone. The campfire had already been set up, so her job was already a little easier. While she was sorting through the vegetables they'd bought, Leliana appeared from the forest with a rabbit in hand, which lifted Aurora's spirits considerably.

Within no time, Aurora had a delicious looking rabbit stew cooking over the fire, and she stood with a stretch, looking around the campsite now that it was set up. Leliana, Alistair, and Aurora all had their tents gathered around the fire while Sten's sat still nearby but farther than the rest, and Morrigan made her own camp far from the others, complete with her own campfire. Aurora felt a twinge of disappointment that the mage wouldn't be joining them, but shrugged it off. If Morrigan preferred it that way...

While the stew cooked, Leliana chatted idly with Aurora, inquiring about each other's rogue skills. That conversation led to Leliana mentioning that she was more of an archer than anything else, which in turn led to Aurora handing over her bow and arrows for Leliana to use, though she suggested the woman keep her daggers on her belt, just in case. Leliana seemed rather happy at the change in weapons, and Aurora was content to let her have the bow. It was one less thing for her to carry, and she felt that perhaps Leliana would be able to put the bow to more use than Aurora would.

It was a quiet dinner for the most part, none of them knowing each other well enough to make comfortable conversation yet, though it seemed a mutual consensus that they liked Aurora's stew, of which she was proud. She'd cooked quite a few meals at home, so she wasn't clueless.

They set up a watch schedule, with Aurora volunteering to go first, then Alistair, and then Leliana. While Aurora cleaned up the dinner mess, she heard a wagon approaching, and looked up in surprise to see the two dwarves from Lothering pulling into their camp. She set aside what she was doing to approach the two, reaching their cart just as the older one—Bodahn—was getting down from the cart.

"Ah! It's good to see you, my timely rescuer! Bodahn Feddic, at your service once again," the dwarf said with a wide smile and a bow while the others watched them curiously from around the campfire. "I saw your camp and thought to myself, What safer place to rest for the evening than in the camp of a Grey Warden? I'm perfectly willing to offer you a fine discount for the inconvenience of our presence. How does that sound? Good? Yes?"

Aurora took a moment to consider his offer. It did sound rather rewarding, having their own merchant traveling with them, she could ask if they could put their equipment on his cart, a discount was always welcome...Aurora chewed slightly on her cheek, then nodded.

"You're free to stay. Just mind yourselves—I would hate to see you hurt," she warned them, and Bodahn broke into a wide smile.

"Wonderful! Thank the kind lady, won't you, boy?" Bodahn said, turning to his son Sandal.

"Thank you, kind lady," Sandal echoed.

"We won't be a bother to you and your companions, I assure you," Bodahn promised. "If you should need enchantments, simply talk to my boy. Otherwise, come speak with me."

Aurora spent a few more minutes with him discussing travel arrangements, and did get him to agree to store their equipment on the cart, much to her pleasure, then spent the rest of her time browsing over what he had to sell. She saw a manual on rangers that caught her eye, though she didn't have nearly enough to buy it, nor did she have enough for the beautiful bow Bodahn had—nor did she believe she'd ever have enough. Still, it was nice to know he had quality supplies, and he had everything they'd need for trap, potion, poison, and grenade making, not to mention all the health poultices and injury kits she saw he already had.

This would be a fine arrangement between them, for sure.

She returned to the campfire to finish her cleaning and put her stuff in her tent, doing so as quietly as possible for the sake of the other three. Once finished, she settled down on a stump and stared off into the woods, listening to the sounds of the forest around them. Alaron padded up to her and laid down at her feet, earning a smile from her as she absentmindedly ran her fingers along his fur.

****************************************

When the time came to switch with Alistair, she carefully rapped on his tent until the soft snoring she heard within stopped, hissing his name quietly through the canvas. She heard rustling and, believing that meant he was up, she crossed the camp back to her own tent and settled down, allowing Alaron to come inside after he whined softly. After snuggling close to her new mabari, Aurora easily slipped into sleep.

*****************************************

Cloying smoke and the stench of death surrounded her entirely, standing on a surface that burned with the heat of a thousand raging fires. The heavy beating of some powerful force cutting through the air cause the wind to whip around her, and Aurora looked up to see the dragon from her joining perched on a jagged cliff up above, letting out a feral roar that seemed to shake the very ground beneath her. She tried to rip her eyes away, but she couldn't, even as she heard the marching behind her, the sounds of growling, rabid darkspawn rushing towards her, closer, closer, soon they'd be upon her—

Aurora woke with a gasp, a light sweat drenching the clothes she'd worn to bed and Alaron peering at her worriedly. He whined softly, and Aurora gently rubbed his head to comfort him. "It's all right, Alaron," she murmured, though she didn't feel that way. The tent felt too stuffy, too hot, too much like that place with the dragon, so she crawled out of the tent, Alaron close behind her as she stood and stretched, rubbing her eyes.

"Bad dreams, huh?"

Aurora dropped her hand and opened her eyes to see Alistair sitting on the same stump she'd claimed earlier, gazing at her from across the fire with understanding clear in his eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, thinking back to the dragon and the sensations from the dream.

"It...seemed so real..." she murmured, staring into the flames of the fire absentmindedly and wrapping her arms around herself. Alaron lied down at her feet, looking up at her with worried eyes as Alistair spoke again, voice soft as he explained.

"Well, it is real, sort of. You see, part of being a Grey Warden is being able to hear the darkspawn. That's what your dream was—hearing them. The archdemon, it...talks to the horde, and we feel it just as they do. That's why we know this is really a Blight."

Aurora looked up at him, meeting his gaze from across the fire with a slight frown. "The archdemon? Is that the dragon?"

Alistair shrugged. "I don't know if it's really a dragon, but it sure looks like one...But yes, that's the archdemon. It takes a bit, but eventually you can block the dreams out. Some of the older Grey Wardens say they can understand the archdemon a bit, but I sure can't." Alistair shook his head, holding her gaze. She was surprised by how much his expression softened, the flames flickering in honey eyes that seemed trapped between bronze and gold. "Anyhow, when I heard you thrashing around, I thought I should tell you."

His voice turned gentle, nothing but open understanding in his voice, eyes, and the comforting smile he offered her. "It was scary at first for me, too."

Aurora nodded, casting her gaze down. "Thank you, Alistair...I appreciate it," she said quietly. Alistair flashed her a fuller smile.

"That's what I'm here for: to deliver unpleasant news and witty one liners."

His words actually pulled a laugh from her despite her somber mood. "Well, in that case, I'm glad to have you along, Alistair," she chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She still had her bun in, though it seemed she'd have to fix it in the morning before they set out. Alaron nudged her arm with his nose, claiming her attention as she kneeled down in front of him, gently scratching behind his ears. "There, I'm not ignoring you, I promise," Aurora told him softly, glancing back up at Alistair to catch the other Warden smiling at her.

"Is it okay if I sit out here for a little while?" she asked softly, casting her gaze away so she didn't see his reaction. She didn't like showing weakness in front of the human—in front of any human—but she also didn't feel like returning to the small tent yet. It was best to wait until she was sure she could handle the confined, dark space.

"I don't see why not," Alistair replied. Aurora nodded, shifting to take a seat by the fire. Alaron stretched out to sit right beside her, his heavy body extra warmth and a source of stability she leaned against.

Aurora curled up with the mabari, laying her head against his shoulder while she stared into the fire. Alistair said something, but Aurora hadn't been paying attention, so she looked up, blinking at him owlishly.

"I'm sorry...what did you say?" she asked, embarrassed. Alistair wasn't insulted, patiently repeating himself.

"You should smile—laugh—more. It suits you," Alistair commented. When she shifted uncomfortably, he sighed, sounding disappointed. "I mean that as a compliment."

Aurora didn't meet his gaze. "It's not you, just..."

"Just humans in general...men especially," Alistair said with a sad smile. "I've noticed, and whatever's caused it...I'm sorry. I won't bother you anymore, then."

Alaron whined as Aurora felt a flash of guilt, but she didn't say anything in reply, remaining with Alaron and allowing her gaze to stay fixated on the flames. Alistair's words, however, stuck in her head, going around and around in a never-ending loop. While the thoughts swirled, she watched the dancing flames, feeling the rise and fall of Alaron's chest until the combination lulled her into an uneasy sleep filled with blood, violating hands, screams, and lecherous human men.

*********************************************

Alistair did his best to let the elven woman have her privacy when she was simply on the other side of the fire, keeping his gaze fixated on the forest outside the boundary of their camp. The only sound was the occasional rustle as Aurora moved amid the normal sounds of the forest at night. He did glance back at one point just to check on her to see that she had fallen asleep against Alaron. Unfortunately, she didn't look at peace in the least—the sleep she was getting now seemed to be just as stressful and nightmarish as before she'd come out of her tent, though she wasn't thrashing...yet. Every now and then she'd twitch, head tossing slightly while her lips occasionally tremble to form abstract words with no sound.

He was going to keep to his word and leave her be, but the further she slipped into her dream, the more distressed she seemed to be. Finally, when Alaron whined in time with a whimper from Aurora, Alistair stood and made his way to the woman's side. Very carefully, and praying she wouldn't wake up and try to hit him or something, Alistair kneeled beside her and placed his hand on her back, starting to rub soothing circles and murmuring the usual phrases of comfort. Slowly, she settled down, relaxing against Alaron, who was watching Alistair closely around his mistress. Absentmindedly, he noted that the bruises he'd glimpsed that day back in the Korkari Wilds were gone, and while she'd changed into simple clothes to sleep in, she still wore the Joining pendent...

And had added a bloodstained gold ring of a rough design to sit on the leather necklace next to the pendent.

Resisting the urge to touch the band out of curiosity, Alistair felt her tremble under his hand as a breeze wafted across their campsite, and he sighed, shifting to pick her up. Hoping he didn't accidentally wake her, Alistair carefully picked her up and made his way to her tent, depositing her gently on her bedroll inside and pulling the blanket around her. Alaron padded around him to lay down beside his mistress, and Alistair playfully tousled the fur on the hound's head before he ducked back outside and resumed his seat on the log to keep watch.

Whatever had happened to the woman, he hoped she would find some peace on the matter, for her sake.

*******************************************

When Aurora woke the next morning, she was confused to find herself in her tent instead of outside by the fire. Alaron lovingly licked her face while she looked blearily around at the canvas that sheltered her from the outside world, one hand running absentmindedly through her hair and making even more of a mess of her bun.

"How did I get in here, hmm?" she asked Alaron quietly. The mabari barked happily at her, and Aurora gently scratched under his chin, earning a happy expression from the mabari complete with a tongue lolling out of his mouth. Still frowning, Aurora looked around and shook her head for the answer as he mind went back over the events of last night.

She'd had a nightmare, gone outside, talked to Alistair for a short time...and fallen asleep by the fire on Alaron. So...if she was back in her tent, and Alistair had been the only other person awake, he must have been the one to put her back inside her tent.

Aurora blushed deeply at the thought of being carried by the human man, not sure if she was grateful for the gesture, embarrassed, or downright horrified. Though...she shouldn't really be horrified, at least. She knew enough about Alistair she knew he wasn't about to take advantage of a sleeping girl. Well, she hoped so, anyway. Nothing felt or seemed off.

Just to be sure, Aurora stripped down and gave herself a quick once-over, making sure there were no new bruises or marks that shouldn't have been there before she finally relaxed. As she slowly pulled on her clothes, she thought about the gesture, however small it may have been to Alistair. At least, with this discovery, she knew she could trust him not to be the vile human male vermin that she'd had the misfortune of knowing most of her life. Since she'd known him he'd respected her wish to remain untouched unless absolutely necessary, had kept his distance, and had been nothing but kind and patient with her, even showing he did care whether she was dead or hurt or all right. It actually made her feel a little badly for how coldly she'd treated him at times, but at the same time, she had treated him so for her own sake. She'd rather have been cold to him a few times and hurt his feelings here and there, than finding out the hard way she'd put her trust in the human man too quickly and found herself cornered by another Vaughn...minus the noble part.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Aurora kissed the top of Alaron's head and sent the mabari outside her tent while she packed up her things and got dressed and armored.

***************************************

Leliana smiled at Aurora as she left her tent, the red-headed woman sitting by the fire already making breakfast—perhaps the food had been what woke her. It seemed Alistair was still asleep, Sten was off on his own away from camp but still in eyesight, and Morrigan seemed to be up as well, moving about her isolated camp.

Tentatively, Aurora approached, taking a seat on the ground beside Leliana. "So...this vision of yours..." Aurora stated slowly, picking at the grass beside her while she looked at Leliana.

"I knew this would come up sooner or later," Leliana stated with a sigh, tearing her eyes away from her cooking to meet Aurora's gaze while she spoke. "I don't know how to explain, but I had a dream. In it there was an impenetrable darkness—it was so dense, so real. And there was a noise, a terrible, ungodly noise. I stood on a peak and watched as the darkness consumed everything...and when the storm swallowed the last of the sun's light, I...I fell, and the darkness drew me in."

"That sounds a lot like what's going on right now...metaphorically, anyway," Aurora stated quietly, earning a nod from Leliana.

"I suppose I did dream of the Blight. That was what the darkness was, no?" Leliana shook her head, then continued with her explanation. "When I woke, I went to the Chantry's gardens as I always do, but that day, a rosebush in the corner had flowered."

At Aurora's puzzled expression, Leliana smiled. "Everyone knew that bush was dead. It was grey and twisted and gnarled—the ugliest thing you ever saw, but there it was—A single, beautiful rose." Leliana sighed as she seemed to remember the beauty of this particular flower. "It was as though the Maker stretched out his hand to say, 'Even in the midst of this darkness, there is hope and beauty. Have faith.'"

Aurora looked away to the fire, frowning. She hadn't yet found her rose in all this darkness—she doubted she would, but she liked to think that maybe, just maybe, there was still good to be found in this bloody, cruel world. "I'd like to believe that...but still, why did this make you want to help me?"

Leliana turned to her cooking to make sure she wasn't burning whatever she was making in the pot over the fire. "In my dream I fell, or...or maybe I jumped. I'd do anything to stop the Blight. I know that we can do it. There are so many good things in the Maker's world. How can I sit by while the Blight devours...everything?"

Aurora smiled sadly. "I can't sit by either. I don't think it's in my nature to sit by and let bad things happen."

Leliana chuckled. "That is why you are a Grey Warden. But that is enough talk of darkness and death for this morning, no?"

The two turned to idle chatter after that, like the night before, and as the food came closer to being done, Alistair finally emerged from his tent, fingers idly brushing through his hair to temper his bedhead. Aurora gave him a hesitant smile when he looked her way, and after a moment of surprise the man returned the smile, taking a seat on the other side of the fire across from her.

"So, what's the Chantry Sister serving us this morning?" Alistair asked, arm propped up on his knee.

"Pheasant stew. One raced by earlier before anyone woke up. I thought we could have it for breakfast," Leliana said cheerfully. Aurora brightened.

"Really? I didn't think to ask."

"Oh, do you like pheasant?" Leliana asked curiously. Aurora hesitated.

"Well...I haven't had it since I was a little girl—my mother made it for me once for my birthday when we had a little extra coin. I don't remember what it tastes like, but I remember thinking it was the best meal I'd ever had."

Aurora became self-concious of the curious looks she was getting from the two humans, and she shifted uncomfortably. "What do you normally have back home?" Leliana asked.

Aurora cleared her throat, turning red under Leliana's stare. Alistair had enough decency to suddenly find interest in a stain on his trousers, though she knew he was still listening. "Whatever we found, usually whatever we could grow. Every now and then we could afford some chicken, though we had 'rabbits of the city' more often than not."

"Rabbits of the city?" Leliana echoed, and despite her belief that it was impossible, Aurora managed to blush even more. She thought her face might burn off if Leliana kept at it.

"Rats," Aurora mumbled out, wanting desperately to disappear into the ground.

"Leliana, I think you're about to burn our breakfast," Alistair suddenly cut in, staring in concentration at the pot over the fire, jaw tense.

"Oh!" Leliana exclaimed, quickly removing the stew and checking to make sure it was still good. While she was distracted, Aurora caught Alistair's gaze and mouthed a quick 'thank you,' still blushing. He gave her a sympathetic look, but didn't say anything.

"Well, breakfast is ready," Leliana stated sheepishly, evenly distributing the food between the five of them. Sten took his without a word and disappeared back to his isolated place, though Aurora stood, volunteering to take Morrigan's to her. The woman looked up as Aurora approached, those amber eyes studying her sharply while Aurora held out the bowl like it was some kind of peace offering.

"I don't know if you already found something, but Leliana cooked up some pheasant for breakfast," Aurora informed her. Morrigan gave a stiff nod, taking the bowl from Aurora without a word. For a moment, Aurora was torn between just leaving Morrigan to her solitude or trying to make conversation. Maker knew she'd already embarrassed herself in front of the others. Deciding she'd risk injury to get to know Morrigan a little better, Aurora decided to linger. "May I join you?" Aurora asked tentatively, fully prepared for Morrigan to send her on her way. Morrigan paused, but to Aurora's surprise, she nodded.

"If you must," Morrigan said stiffly, and Aurora took a seat on the log before Morrigan's fire, keeping a respectable space between them so she wasn't encroaching. They ate in silence for a few moments before Aurora spoke again, thinking back to the conversation they'd had in Lothering.

"So, life in the Wilds must have been very lonely," Aurora commented, hoping Morrigan didn't see the conversation as pointless chit-chat.

"At times, perhaps," Morrigan said thoughtfully. "A world full of people and buildings and things was all very foreign to me. If I wished companionship, I ran with the wolves and flew with the birds. If I spoke, 'twas to the trees," Morrigan finished simply. Aurora mulled that over, thinking of her own love of nature that probably came from being locked up inside of the Alienage for so long before letting out a soft sigh.

"That sounds wonderful..."

"For a time," Morrigan admitted. "But one can only remain a child for so long. I recall the first time I crept beyond the edge of the Wilds. I did so in animal form, remaining in the shadows and watching these strange townsfolk from afar. I happed upon a noblewoman by her carriage, adorned in sparkling garments the likes of which I had never before seen. I was dazzled. This, to me, seemed what true wealth and beauty must be. I snuck up behind her and stole a hand mirror from the carriage. 'Twas encrusted in gold and crystalline gemstones, and I hugged it to my chest with delight as I sped back to the Wilds!"

Aurora was surprised by the slight, wistful smile that graced Morrigan's face as she spoke of the mirror, eyes sparkling despite her usual effort to hide such emotions. It made Aurora smile as well as she listened to the woman tell her tale. "What happened then?"

"Flemeth was furious with me. I was a child and had not yet come into my full power, and I had risked discovery for the sake of a pretty bauble. To teach me a lesson, Flemeth took the mirror and smashed it upon the ground. I was heartbroken."

Surprised by the turn of the story, and sorry for her, Aurora frowned, feeling sympathy twinge inside her. "But you were just a child," Aurora commented softly.

"And a foolish one. Flemeth was right to break me of my fascination," Morrigan said sagely before switching to a confident tone. "Beauty and love are fleeting and have no meaning. Survival has meaning, power had meaning. Without those lessons, I would not be here today, as difficult as they might have been."

Aurora's frown deepened. She didn't think she agreed entirely. To her, beauty in the world was something she cherished when she found, and love...well, she wished she could have it, but with the way her life was she probably never would. She did understand the concept of survival, that was a lesson she had learned well the hard way, and she'd also learned to build her strength so she would have enough power to survive. It was a cruel, harsh world for elves—different in cruelty and harshness than Morrigan spoke of, but similar enough that she could see where the woman was coming from. Aurora looked at Morrigan, feeling a new...kinship of sorts to get a glimpse at why the woman was the way she was.

"They made you stronger, didn't they?"

Morrigan gave her a pleased smile that Aurora had not shunned Morrigan's conclusion of the events of her childhood. "They did indeed. To return to your original question. Perhaps my time in the Wilds was indeed lonely. But such was how it had to be. I find myself at times wondering what might have become of the girl with the beautiful, golden mirror...but such fantasies have no place amidst reality."

"No...I suppose they don't. There's no point in thinking of what could have been—it doesn't change anything or get one anywhere," Aurora agreed, idly pushing a soggy cabbage leaf around the bottom of her now-empty bowl.

"I am surprised that you agree so readily with my conclusion," Morrigan admitted after a few moments. "I took you as a woman who would hold things such as love in high regard."

Aurora smiled wistfully at her. "Well...I'll admit I wish I could afford to value and possess such a thing as love, but growing up in the Alienage forced me to learn similar lessons at a similarly early age. Going out of one's way to be beautiful only increases the chance of being jumped by some lecherous human man, love only makes the loss that much harder when a human inevitably comes along to destroy everything, and you're not likely to find it in a culture where arranged marriages happen if the elder of the village even manages to get a permit for the marriage. As for survival and power...as much as I want to believe in compassion and mercy, and I extend it when I can, I know the world is not so kind-hearted. Survival is the every-day game for an elf in a human's world, and you won't survive if you're not strong enough to fight back, and hard enough to be ruthless when you have to. If I hadn't learned similar lessons, I wouldn't be here today, that I know for a fact."

Morrigan studied Aurora intently, as if gauging the sincerity of Aurora's words before she nodded. "Well said, Warden."

Aurora smiled slightly at Morrigan, then stood and gestured to her bowl. "I can take that back with me—now that we're done with breakfast we should start breaking up camp to get on the road."

Morrigan nodded, falling back to her usual indifferent and aloof self—Aurora wondered briefly if the others saw her that way as well. "I shall be ready in the hour."

Aurora smiled at her, then made her way back to the others, still smiling faintly as she handed Leliana the two bowls. Leliana happened to glance down, and she practically cooed, eyes sparkling. "Oh, I love your boots! When did you get those, I don't remember you wearing them yesterday!"

Aurora blinked and looked down in confusion, noting that she had indeed pulled on her mother's boots instead of the leather boots she'd worn through the Korkari Wilds and through Lothering. "Oh, ah...they...my mother made them for me. I didn't want to ruin them in the swamps so I wore the other boots through the Wilds," Aurora said awkwardly while Leliana admired the boots and trailed a gentle finger along the vine pattern her mother had stitched into the leather.

"They're absolutely darling!" Leliana squealed, beaming up at her. "Could I possibly convince her to make me a pair if I ever meet her, they're beautiful, and sturdy, too!"

Aurora sucked in a sharp breath, going rigid from the pain of a memory seared forever into her mind. "She...died...when I was younger," Aurora stated haltingly. Leliana's jubilation immediately disappeared, and the trio around the campfire suddenly became very quiet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize—" Leliana began to apologize, looking horrified at her insensitivity.

"It's all right, you didn't know," Aurora assured her, managing to give the woman a weak smile, which pacified her somewhat. "For what it's worth, I'm sure she would have loved to make you a pair once she got to know you."

Aurora heaved a sigh, one that usually appeared when she knew she was about to carry out a task that would take a while. "Well, we better pull up camp and get on the road—the sooner we get a healer to help Arl Eamon, the better," Aurora said with a nod, her words shaking the other to into action.

*******************************************

It was much easier to take apart the camp than it had been to set it up—a sign she might be better at destroying things than creating them, unfortunately—and as agreed, Bodahn made room on his cart separate from his wares for all their camping supplies. Aurora thanked him again for allowing them to store his stuff there instead of having to carry all of the supplies between the five of them, then took point with Alistair in leading the group to Lake Calenhad. It was quiet for a while, enough so that Aurora allowed herself a moment to appreciate that the boots her mother had made her were much more comfortable than the leather ones she'd been wearing the day before.

However, after a while spent walking next to Alistair, she began to feel self-conscious about the previous night. He had, after all, carried her into her tent after she fell asleep without any funny business, had shown a perceptiveness she had not expected from him about how she was acting around her traveling companions, and now her compassionate side was kicking in. She'd shunned an honest compliment from him not for the first time, and couldn't help but wonder if all those times she'd pushed aside his compliments or helping hands out of suspicion she'd been throwing peace offerings or attempts at friendship from the man back in his face. At the very least, she felt bad for how harshly she'd treated the kindness from a man whose race normally only abused and oppressed her people, and wanted to try and apologize and properly explain herself—without going into the details of Denerim, at least—before she accidentally made him another elf-resenting human. It was best not to nurture animosity where there need not be any. Whether her actions had been out of well-justified suspicion and self-preservation or not, an apology was owed...and Alistair deserved a chance to prove he wasn't like the rest of his people. At the very least, some sort of truce had to be made—they were, after all, the only Grey Wardens left in Ferelden.

"Alistair?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

Alistair hummed in response, so Aurora continued. "I, uh..." she paused to clear her throat, realizing in that moment as she scratched nervously at her ear that she'd never apologized to a human before. "I wanted to apologize..."

Alistair shook his head and interrupted her before she could go any further. "You don't need to apologize, really—"

"Well I want to," Aurora said shortly, cutting him off in turn. "And I've never apologized to a human before so I'd ask that you not make it a chore to do so, please?" Aurora pled, somehow successfully avoiding making that last part sound too rude. It seemed to placate Alistair rather quickly, and she wondered if she should use the 'I've never insert action here with a human before' more often. She sighed in relief, then tried again now that he was listening and wasn't going to interrupt her with insistence she not apologize—this was something she needed to do, if only for the sake of her good conscious.

"I haven't really had any...good experiences with humans before, and while I may have the right to be cautious because of those experiences, I've been...unfair, to you. I didn't really give you the benefit of the doubt or any kind of chance when we first met, and that was wrong of me. I should not have been so callous when you've done nothing to have my...anger and resentment directed at you. You've done nothing wrong, and I don't want you to think that you have. The way I've acted is because of me, not you, you haven't done one thing to earn my ire. I shouldn't be so quick to condemn based on a race or I'm no better than the people who've made me bitter because of the same thing. I'm usually not so bad about that sort of thing—we just met at a really bad time for me. I just needed the time to know for sure that I could trust you, though that still doesn't justify my brisk attitude, and I ask that you don't hold it against me in the future."

"Apology accepted," Alistair said rather graciously. "Though you really didn't have to. I figured you had your reasons, and while I'll admit there was some confusion at first I realized it wasn't me—at least I hoped it wasn't me. But still...thank you for clearing that up."

Aurora blushed lightly. "And thank you...for putting me back in my tent last night."

"Who, me? Why are you so sure that was me?" Alistair asked innocently, and Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Because, you're the only one who was awake strong enough to pick me up."

"It doesn't have to be me—you're such a little thing, Leliana could have put you back in your tent, or even your mabari," Alistair returned without missing a beat.

"All right, genius, don't push it," Aurora warned, though her slight smile gave her away, and Alistair grinned.

"I'm sorry, you are little—but ferocious! Please don't hurt me," Alistair quickly added, and Aurora laughed, feeling her load lighten if only for a few moments.

"All right, I'll let it slide this time," Aurora responded, clasping her hands behind her back. Alistair looked rather pleased with himself after that, and a comfortable silence settled between them as they continued to lead their little group.

After a while, Aurora grew restless with the silence again, and she spoke up with a question Alistair had raised in her mind but she'd almost forgotten about. "So...you said that Arl Eamon raised you?"

Alistair suddenly became evasive, putting on a surprised expression. "Oh, did I say that? I meant the dogs raised me. Giant, slobbering dogs from the Anderfels. A whole pack of them, in fact," Alistair said so seriously and with a nod so full of certainty Aurora couldn't help but smile and play along.

"Oh? That must have been tough for them," Aurora said sagely, nodding in agreement.

Alistair gained a sly smile, seeming rather pleased that she was going along with his joke. "Well, they were flying dogs, you see. Surprisingly strict parents, too, and devout Andrastians to boot."

"That is what they say about Anderfels natives," Aurora stated thoughtfully.

"That, and that they make a great deal of cheese. Funny, but the dogs never mentioned cheese. As a matter of fact, if you said cheese around them, they'd start growling—isn't that odd? Or did I dream all of that? Funny the dreams you'll have when you sleep on the cold, hard ground, isn't it?" Alistair mused before turning a curious gaze on her. "Are...you having strange dreams? Besides the obvious last night, of course."

Sensing the perfect opportunity to get revenge for his evasiveness with some evasive maneuvers of her own, and to completely throw him off, Aurora managed to keep her expression completely neutral and serious. "Only ones where we're making mad love in my tent."

The idle thought went by that, at least for Alistair, that would seem very out of character of her. Well, now was the perfect time to learn she had a wicked sense of humor, no?

Alistair practically choked at her answer, blushing profusely for a few moments. "I, ah...oh, I think I...completely lost my train of thought," he managed to say, scrambling for composure while Aurora grinned in triumph. "Oh, there it is," he said as an almost afterthought.

"Let's see, how do I explain this..." Alistair mused until his face was finally free from its blushing and he could speak without the shocked stutter anymore. "I'm a bastard! And before you make any smart comments—the fatherless kind," he suddenly stated rather seriously, and the smile faded from Aurora's face. Well...she hadn't expected that.

Alistair sighed. "My mother was a serving girl in Redcliffe Castle who died when I was very young. Arl Eamon wasn't my father, but he took me in anyhow and put a roof over my head. He was good to me, and he didn't have to be." As he spoke, he helped Aurora step over a rather large fallen tree—they were walking close enough to the road to see it and Bodahn but within the trees to stay out of sight, just in case. Aurora hardly even noticed the action in the moment, so focused was she on what he was saying. "I respect the man and I don't blame him any more for sending me off to the Chantry once I was old enough."

Aurora nodded along with his explanation at first, taking it all in silently, though the way he phrased the last sentence piqued her curiosity. "But you blamed him then, I take it?"

"I was young and resentful, and not very pious. Of course I blamed him. I remember screaming at him like a little child. Well...I was a child, so I doubt he was surprised," Alistair said with a sigh before suddenly backtracking in his story to explain something. "Arl Eamon eventually married a young woman from Orlais, which caused all sorts of problems between him and the king because it was so soon after the war...but he loved her..." Alistair said distractedly, staring at some spot in the distance before he shook himself.

"Anyhow, the new arlessa resented the rumors which pegged me as his bastard. They weren't true, but of course they existed. The arl didn't care, but she did. So, off I was packed to the nearest monastery at age ten. Just as well. The arlessa made sure the castle wasn't a home to me by that point. She despised me."

Aurora frowned, feeling a pull at her heartstrings for the man before her. He spoke with such a candid attitude about it, but she could see the old pain in his eyes, and she felt a resentment towards the woman she didn't even know. "What an awful thing to do to a child..."

Alistair shrugged, though she could tell it really did bother him, even if he didn't say so. "Maybe. She felt threatened by my presence, I can see that now. I can't say I blame her. She wondered if the rumors were true herself, I bet."

"Still..." Aurora murmured.

Alistair grew quiet for a moment, and she noticed he was looking down at her boots with an almost...mournful look on his face. "I remember...I had an amulet with Andraste's holy symbol on it. The only thing I had of my mother's. I was so furious at being sent away I tore it off and threw it at the wall and it shattered." Alistair paused for breath, taking a moment to gather himself and shaking his head. "Stupid, stupid thing to do..."

Aurora felt for him—if she ruined the boots she now wore in a fit of rage and lost all she had left of her mother...well, she'd be devastated, to say the least.

Alistair was talking again, so Aurora did her best to halt the thought process so she could continue listening. "The arl came by the monastery a few times to see how I was, but I was stubborn. I hated it there and blamed him for everything...and eventually he just stopped coming."

He looked so sad, Aurora was moved to try and comfort him. "You were young," she said gently, not saying a word about how he was still gazing distantly at her boots. Alistair seemed to shake himself out of his stupor at her words, and flashed her a dazzling smile she now realized he was giving her to hide the pain.

"And raised by dogs. Or I may as well have been, the way I acted. But maybe all bastards act like that, I don't know," Alistair said with a shrug. "All I know is that the arl is a good man and well loved by the people. He also was King Cailan's uncle, so he has a personal motivation to see Loghain pay for what he did. Anyway, that's really all there is to the story."

"Well...I'm glad you shared it with me," Aurora returned graciously. Alistair gave her a crooked smile.

"Really? Not the reaction I would have expected with me sharing my little sob story. I'm sure I sound like the pampered brat whining that he stubbed his toe to you," he said with a chuckle. Aurora shook her head.

"Not at all. Everyone has their share of tragedy in their lives—some tragedies are more extreme than others, but the...emotional impact can still be the same," she replied carefully. Alistair studied her closely for a moment, but seemed to decide to take the lighter conversation path.

"You're keeping a lot of wisdom tucked away with all that silence of yours, you know that?" Alistair asked. Aurora smiled weakly.

"I grew up early, and I learn fast," she said simply. Alistair snapped his fingers.

"So that's the secret to high intelligence! If only I'd known sooner, I wouldn't have ended up such a drooling idiot," Alistair tsked, and Aurora laughed.

"Don't go spreading my secret, now—this stays between you and me," she joked, and Alistair smiled at the rare sparkle in her eyes before giving an exaggerated bow.

"As you wish, My Lady."