Doom Upon All The World

Chapter 54: The Fury of the Wilders

Morrigan was furious when she found out. How dare that rotten Nightengale! She has trouble containing her rage as they watch the army troop up the hill. It had been months since Leliana left and five more since Gilderoy made his threat. But this, now, oh this only makes things far worse. The time that Morrigan and Kieran have spent in Skyhold has been less than entertaining. She half expected that little mage to turn himself into an abomination by now. It was a miracle he lived through that altercation with the memory spell. Poor, inexperienced little mages. Always mistaking embrium for something that it isn't. 

She shakes her head as she stands at the gates of Skyhold. The demon, ghost boy hadn't lied. The spymaster had gone for help. Clearly she found some. Morrigan detests the form it comes in. All the hard work she has done to make sure that this never happened and here they stand, on the precipice of the inevitable. It matters not that this army stands ground here. It is small, unimpressive. The only thing the Nightengale earned by recruiting them is more names to add to a list that no one will ever see. They will all die in the coming battle. She and Kieran will have no part in it. Even if Leliana has brought who Morrigan believes she has brought.

She recalls days of old, days in service to the Warden. Those days are more than twenty years gone now but she remembers them like they were yesterday. She recalls dark moonlit nights in a large camp in a woodland clearing. She would watch from a distance but their conversations were loud. Every word reached her finely tuned ears. Every word and every noise that came from their tent. It was sickening, in the cutsie sense, but sickening nonetheless. She remembers the feud, the love triangle that seemed to be there, or that a certain blond, grey warden thought was there. He was jealous of the Warden's relationship with Leliana, thought there was something more than friendship there and it scared him, enough to ask the Warden to make things clear to the Nightengale. She did and the Warden and her lover moved on. Morrigan was not aware however that after that, these two remained on good terms. 

Cassandra, Cullen, Maeve, and Solas stand with her at the gates as the troop of Denerim guards and soldiers march up the hill. They had not expected so many people. Leliana had promised help but never did they expect a battalion. Morrigan watches with a shake of the head. "This is a terrible plan." She mutters. The other four look at her with wide, confused eyes. It is clear they don't understand. Why would they? Then Cassandra's eyes narrow as her hands move over the protruding growth of her unborn child. She steps away from Cullen and towards the Wilder woman. "There are tales of your time with the Wardens, Morrigan." She says. This attracts the interest of the others. Maeve crosses her arms and Solas puts his hands on her shoulders, kissing the back of her head as Morrigan feels the chastisement coming on. Cullen stands in the way he always does, slightly turned away from the action, his eyes lingering on the matter at hand, his palm over the pommel of his sword hilt, resting it there confidently. 

They all observe the mage and seeker as they begin to converse. "Are you uncertain of Leliana's actions because you think that the man she has brought with her is as daft as you say or because he is the father of your child and you simply do not wish him to be here?" Maeve tries to conceal her smile at this as Cassandra stares the witch into submission. Morrigan and Cassandra are cut from the same cloth when it comes to personality. They are both stubborn, hard headed, set in their ways. Neither likes very much to be told what to do. Both are strong-willed, independent women. Cassandra is more open heart though. She cares deeper than Morrigan does and her anger is not nearly as short leashed, though it is cause for warning at times. 

They stare at one another, a battle of the wills, and Morrigan caves first, scoffing at Cassandra's scowl. She looks down the hill and there he is. She could make him out anywhere. His blond hair shines in the spring sun, but the slivers of gray are beginning to shine through it. His work has stressed him. She thinks how things could have been different were he still a Warden. He would not be here. He would be dead. He will die eventually of course. The taint will take his mind and body as it took many before his. But had he been a warden at the time of the Inquisition, still in the order, he would have helped Hawke. He would have died in Stroud's place. She shivers at the thought. A part of her hated him during the blight. Not for the reasons that everyone thought though. It was more. It was jealousy. 

Then that one fateful night when he made the decision to go along with the old god ritual, she had what she wanted. Still, it did not belong to her. He ran right back to Quinn afterward. She remembers the self-pity she felt in her gut once he'd gone. She would not deny the fury she felt in learning that the Hero of Fereldan had died though. She may have been jealous of her but she was her friend in the end. They were sisters nearly. Her death was a shame. A great loss to Thedas. 

"He is Kieran's father, yes. I never imagined that I would have to be nearby when the time came that the boy made his acquaintance though." She mumbles. Cassandra sees the fear in the dark haired woman. "Make whose acquaintance?" A voice breaks out behind them. Everyone jumps at the sound and Morrigan's aren't the only eyes that go wide when they find Kieran behind them. He leans against a short tree, his staff at his back, his arms against his chest and his ankles crossed. He tosses his head back with that grin and Morrigan purses her lips. Gods, he looks just like him. She takes a breath and turns toward him. "Your father." She states plainly. Kieran barely flinches. His brow furrows in the slightest but his smirk does not falter. "The king? Alistair Theirin?" He questions seeming quite calm. Morrigan only nods, stunned by his unaffected composure. He nods, considering this fact. "Alright." He says simply and begins to walk towards the exit. Morrigan takes a step in his direction. "Kieran," She calls after him. He stands just outside the gate and stops, turning to his mother. He raises his eyebrows in question. 

"Where are you going?" She asks him. His lips curl up in one corner, forming that starling smile, that striking grin. "To meet the man you have kept me from my entire life. I want to meet my father. Will you object or will you come with me mother?" He holds out his hand to her. Morrigan chews the inside of her cheek. She looks between her boy's face and his extended palm. She seems to consider his offer for a few moments. "How bad could it be?" He grins as he speaks, trying to tempt her into it. Very bad, she thinks to herself. Morrigan shakes her head and retreats back into the halls of Skyhold. Kieran sighs but smiles to the rest of them. "Wish me luck." He says and wanders down the hill confidently.

He reaches Leliana and Alistair fairly quickly. They linger at the back of the battalion, making sure there are no stragglers or any of Gilderoy's men. "Is this one of yours, Leliana?" Alistair asks, his hand at the hilt of his sword. She grins at the boy then at Alistair. She stops, puts her hand on Alistair's sword arm, telling him to put it away. He looks confused as Leliana observes the young man. "Actually, he's one of yours." She chuckles as Kieran nods to them. "Alistair. This is Kieran. Your son." She tells him with more cheer in her voice than she had in some time. Alistair is taken aback for a moment. He looks over the young man standing before him. Kieran holds out his hand as he steps forward. Alistair ignores it. He steps toward the boy he knows now to be his only kin. In less than a second, he embraces the child he knew he always had but was never allowed to know.