Rose Garden: Rose of Grace

Chapter 6

 We walk up to a small hut and an elderly woman is standing out in the front.

"Greetings, Mother. I bring before you four Grey Wardens who-" Morrigan starts.

"I see them, girl. Hmm. Much as I expected." The elder woman says eying the four of us. Morrigan stands besides her mother.

"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?" Alistair asks slightly amused.

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wide... Either way, one's a fool!"

"She's a witch, I tell you! We shouldn't be talking to her!" Daveth whispers loudly up to Alistair and myself.

"Quiet, Daveth! If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?" Jory asks hitting Daveth's arm.

"There is a smart lad. Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." The old woman says. She takes a few steps towards me and I feel my body tense up. "And what of you? Does your elven mind give you a different viewpoint? What do you believe?"

"I'm no fool, if that's what you're asking."

She laughed.

"If you must protest so quickly, perhaps I need not ask. So much about you is uncertain.. And yet, I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!"

"So... this is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds?" Alistair asks me skeptically. But I know this has to be her.

"Witch of the Wilds, eh?" The old woman muses. "Morrigan must have told you that She fancies such tales, though she would never admit it!Oh, how she dances under the moon!" She laughs. Morrigan however, is not amused.

"They did not come to listen to your wild tales, Mother."

"True, they came for their treaties yes? And before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these." She says as she walks to the table in front of the hut. She picks up several scrolls and walked back over to us.

"You!..." Alistair starts "Oh. You protected them?"

"And why not? Take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them this Blight's threat is greater than they realize." She hands them to me and I kneel down to get them situated in my bag.

"What do you mean the threat is greater than they realize?" I ask standing back up.

"Either the threat is more or they realize less. Or perhaps the threat is nothing! Or perhaps they realize nothing!" She laughs at her own humor. "Oh do not mind me. You have what you came for."

"Time for you to go, then." Morrigan says. All too happy to see us gone.

"Do not be ridiculous girl. These are your guests."

"Oh, very well... I will show you out of the woods. Follow me." Morrigan sighs. She leads us back to our camp and the men walk through the gates. I wait until they've gone and look at Morrigan.

"Thank you Morrigan."

"No need to thank me. You must go now. 'Tis getting late and you still have much to do." She leaves and I watch her disappear into the thickness of the swamp. I smile and head to the dog kennel first.

"The mabari is stable nt, but not improving. Without that herb, there's not much hope."

"You mean this one?" I remove the flower from behind my ear and hold it out.