Aedan could not say what the best part of waking that morning was. Perhaps the crisp cold air against his bare arms and chest. Or the way the fur covers enveloped his lower body in warmth. Most certainly it should have been the soft breath of the woman lying at his side, her arm draped across him while her head rested against his chest. But in truth, it was feeling for the first time in years that he was truly home that made for the best morning he'd had in a long time.

Morrigan stirred at his side, mumbling in her sleep, her hand grasping at him, as if refusing to let go. It contrasted to how she had been when they were younger, so eager to run from him and everything they meant to each other. For Aedan, the happiness of the present made up for the sorrow of the past. Morrigan mumbled again in her sleep, incoherent this time, though in the past he had learned a great many things from her talking in her sleep. Her hair, done up in a braid for sleeping, trailed down his torso, moved slightly as she pulled herself closer to him.

How often had someone in the past told him falling for her was a mistake. If only they could see them now.

No...wait, bad timing. Maybe readjust the covers a little more, I'll just slide my hand down here, for modesty's sake...there we go, now we're in a position that I wouldn't mind using as an example to prove how wrong they all were about Morrigan!

This peaceful moment was but emblematic of the last ten years. Their life had proven any doubters wrong. Certain parts would possibly prove them right, but the whole of the thing proved his trust in Morrigan had always been warranted. Naively optimistic at times, but right in the long run.

It brought to mind the first time he had felt for her as he did now. The revelation had been as shocking to him then as it had been to his companions.

Aedan admitted that perhaps it had been a mistake to ask Alistair what he thought about their companions. He knew that the former Templar hated Morrigan. Still the stab of annoyance Aedan felt when Alistair called Morrigan...an impolite word, surprised him with its intensity. He schooled his emotions before he spoke. His parents had taught him, ferocity on the battlefield, diplomacy at all other times.

He liked Alistair, the man was a good friend. But it amazed Aedan how willfully blind Alistair was about Morrigan. Though, sometimes he wondered if the same could be said about him in regards to the witch.

"I think you're being a little unfair towards Morrigan," Aedan said.

Alistair fixed him with a surprisingly shrewd expression.

"So it is true...you and her."

Aedan sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, as he always did when he was agitated. It had been some times since Alistair had wandered in on him and Morrigan. He would have thought that moment was proof enough, but maybe Alistair had been hoping it was a one time thing. Or he was being willfully obtuse. But apparently the moment Aedan rose to her defense must have confirmed it all for him.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to notice," Aedan said. "But yes. It's true. It was not a one time thing. I have bedded her. Many times."

Zevran, who was checking his kit for rust, chuckled. "That's saying it lightly."

Alistair shuddered. "Yes, I remember. But why? She's dangerous, and you should know that!"

Not wanting to have this conversation, but having started it Aedan had no choice but to see it through. "Perhaps the danger is part of the appeal?"

Zevran laughed. "Ha! Finally someone agrees!"

"Besides, you're making a bigger deal out of this than necessary," said Aedan. "This thing between us, it's not serious. Not really."

"She's going to try to manipulate you," said Alistair.

Aedan waved a hand dismissively at this. "Give her the benefit of the doubt, we don't really know that. Besides, I grew up the son of a Teyrn, I've had my fair share of people trying to use me to get something they want. I'm perfectly capable of recognizing when it's happening. And besides, with Morrigan-if she is trying to manipulate me-it's bound to be something far more interesting than wealth or power." He snorted at the thought that had just occurred to him. "Or trying to get herself pregnant."

"Women would try to get pregnant by you?" Alistair asked, a kind of naive fascination flashing in his eyes.

"It happened all the time," Aedan said. "They hope that having a bastard child would entitle them to compensation. It wasn't a terrible idea, some nobles didn't care, but you did have a handful of them that cared enough about their offspring to support them financially."

"And did you ever..." Alistair said, his brows drawn together.

"Did I ever what?" Aedan asked. "Have any bastards? Not at all. Why do you..."

Alistair's expression made him stop. It was anger, but he also looked like he was about to be sick.

"Sorry," Aedan said. "I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have been so callous about it."

"It's a reality of life," Zevran said. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

"Still," Aedan said, placing a hand on Alistair's shoulder. "I should have been more sensitive."

"It is what it is," Alistair said, shrugging. "The two of us had very different upbringings."

"True. But anyway, the point being, don't worry about Morrigan. She's no danger to anyone here."

Aedan supposed it odd that the main thing he and Morrigan had in common was that both of them had been with several others before meeting each other. It afforded their time together a certain candidness that he had never experienced with anyone else. Where other women would always show some form of deference to his family's position, with Morrigan that never seemed to happen. Not that he wanted her to. It was refreshing to share a bed with someone that did not care about whatever noble rank he used to hold. It certainly had no effect on whether she kicked him out of her tent after she was done with him.

He certainly had no problem with the arrangement. After fleeing Highever he did not want any kind of emotional attachment. Especially now, when they could all be dead the next day. His time with her provided a release. A moment where there was only the two of them, and everything beyond the walls of her tent ceased to exist.

That was all it ever was. Morrigan asked for no companionship, and provided none. They talked, but it seemed to him that she was never that interested in conversation. Not when there were better things to do, alone in her tent.

This did not bother Aedan either. The rest of his companions, for the most part, were more than happy to spend an evening or their daily march conversing.

"Tell me," he said to Leliana one day. "You spent some time in the Orlesian court, didn't you?"

"For a time," Leliana said. "Was there something you wanted to know?"

"Not anything in particular," Aedan said. "I was more curious. I've heard stories about the Orlesian nobility, but never really believed them, because I was hearing them from other Fereldans."

"Oh? What kind of stories did you hear?" Leliana asked.

"Mostly about the parties," Aedan said. "How everyone was required to wear a mask. And nothing else."

Leliana laughed. "But if you wore nothing else, then you wouldn't be able to wear a dress. That would be a waste of perfectly good fashion."

"Well, I imagine you'd still be allowed shoes. You could get a little fashion in there."

"Oh yes," Leliana said. "They really do have wonderful shoes."

"We have good shoes in Fereldan," Aedan said. He really did not care about shoes, but there was such a thing as national pride.

Leliana looked down at his muddy boots, then back up at him. One eyebrow raised. On the verge of laughing, she said; "Fereldan has well made boots. But they are not very pretty to look at."

"Neither are feet, so why bother wrapping them in a fancy package?"

"Oh you would be surprised," Leliana said. "There are quite a few feet fanciers in Orlais."

"What, really?" Aedan said, surprised.

"Yes, really, you'll find that in Orlais if something exists on a person, there is someone that fancies it."

"Strange," Aedan said.

"Do you not have anything you fancy that no one else does?" Leliana asked.

"Not really," Aedan said. "I'm Fereldan, we tend to be more straightforward about romance."

"Yes, I've noticed," Leliana said, with a wry expression.

"Yes well," Aedan said. "And what about you? What do you fancy?"

"That's a little personal, isn't it?"

"You asked me first," Aedan said. "I know you like shoes, what about feet?"

"I don't have any particular love for feet, just because I love shoes does not mean I automatically feel the same way about feet."

"Then what is it that tickles your fancy?" Aedan asked.

"I don't have any particular thing that I fancy," Leliana said. "But I do like someone brave, and kind. And trustworthy."

"You poor thing, you must have been starved in Orlais," Aedan said.

Leliana slapped him on the shoulder, but she was laughing as she did so. "That was not kind."

"I'm Fereldan," Aedan said. "We're allowed at least one joke at Orlais' expense per day. And if they want to complain, it's their own damn fault."

"Well, yes," Leliana said, laughing again.

It felt strange to be laughing. And it had been some time since he'd felt inclined to just talk to someone. It felt almost like the time he spent with Morrigan. A small moment where all the world consisted of himself and the person he was talking to. Not nearly as distracting as his time with Morrigan, but it did the job while on the move.

Morrigan, while fine with sharing a kiss or two while on the road, drew the line at anything further until camp had been made. He tried to engage her in conversation, but could never be certain if she enjoyed talking to him.

For a time it seemed like all was well. When not focused on the task at hand Aedan found things to distract his mind with. Memories of Highever still burned in his mind, but finding ways to while the hours away allowed him some respite. All the better that he had ways to fill all hours of the day.

Until one evening, when Morrigan glared at him the moment he approached her tent. He liked to consider himself good at reading the moods of women. And the way her nose wrinkled, and her eyebrows turned downwards, as if they were trying to meet in the middle, told him something was wrong.

"Is everything well?" He asked Morrigan.

She scoffed, and rolled her eyes, as if he had said the worst thing he possibly could have, and she'd been expecting him to do so all along.

"I notice that you are foolishly spending a great deal of time with that girl," Morrigan said. Adding, after Aedan frowned in confusion. "The bard."

"What of it? We've just been talking," Aedan said. And immediately wished he had spent more time thinking of his response. For just a moment after he said it, he was almost convinced that she was going to pounce on him and tear his eyes out.

"Have you? And you haven't seen the way she looks at you, when she thinks no one is looking? Oh, I'm not opposed to...the girl. She seems...agreeable enough. For the sort of man who likes that sort of thing. My point is," said Morrigan, slowly enunciating each word as if talking to a simpleton. "That you and I have shared a bed together. It seems hardly fitting to have you doting upon that girl at the very same time, does it?"

This time Aedan did not respond immediately. Not so much because he knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but rather that he had far too many things he would like to say. First and foremost was the fact that Morrigan seemed to have misunderstood his intentions towards Leliana completely. And yet, somehow a more pressing thought intruded to the foreground, and slipped past his lips before he could properly consider it.

"You're jealous!"

Morrigan sneered at him, though the effect was marred by the pink tinge of her cheeks. Difficult to see in the growing dark, with the only light coming from the fire behind her. But Aedan was certain it was not his mind playing tricks on him. She was most certainly blushing, and growing angry from trying to hide it.

"I suddenly find myself acting the possessive wife!" Morrigan snapped. "I do not enjoy it, and I have little doubt that tis just as unappealing to you."

Aedan weighed the thought in his mind. Somehow he found himself not nearly as bothered by the idea that she was being possessive as he might have in the past. It even felt endearing. For all their time spent together he had grown to believe that she truly believed what she had said after that first night. That she was disinterested in him other than as someone to spend the night with.

Besides, he had never thought of Leliana as anything other than a close friend. Which in and of itself was strange, as he knew she was beautiful. And certainly if he had met her before Ostagar he might have pursued her. He'd felt no need or inclination to do so, as he spent his evenings with Morrigan. Besides, what kind of lunatic would pursue two women at the same time while they all shared a campsite. It would be impossible to keep secret. If Morrigan was reacting the way she was just because he spent time talking to Leliana, he couldn't imagine her fury if he had actually taken Leliana to his tent.

"The crux of the matter is this," Morrigan said. "I do not share. If you wish to pursue that girl then that means you do not wish to pursue me. Tis all the same to me. I will not be where I am not valued. I simply wish to know where I stand."

"A couple things," Aedan said. "When we started this, you said that you had no designs on my independence. Am I to take it that this is no longer so?"

"You are free to do as you wish," Morrigan said. "But if you wish to find your pleasures elsewhere, then you will no longer be finding them with me."

"I have no intention of doing that," said Aedan. "It is you that I want, no other."

"Very well," Morrigan stared to say, but Aedan continued speaking.

"There is one thing I would like to address," Aedan said. "While we are on the subject. If we are reassessing the nature of our arrangement, then I would like to clarify a few points. Firstly, I swear that I will pursue no other without first notifying you of my intentions and giving you the option to end our entanglement if you so desire. Secondly, as long as I abide by those conditions, I ask the same of you. Don't think I don't know about you trying to lure Sten to your tent. If I don't satisfy you, then you are just as free to end it between us as you say I am. All I ask is that you first tell me about it, and we can end it then."

Morrigan's eyes flashed. Aedan knew that making demands of her in this situation wasn't very wise. It was for that reason that he fell back on a more courtly language. He imagined his tutors would have been very proud that the manners they had tried to teach him had stuck. He felt like he was signing a contract with Morrigan, and he was damned if the contract was unfairly weighed in either of their favor. If she expected him to be exclusive with her, then it wasn't unreasonable to ask the same of her. Still he worried, she wasn't responding, which could mean that her answer could be anything.

"I will not have my freedom restricted," Morrigan said.

"I am not restricting your freedom," Aedan said. "You are free to end this at any time. That being said, there is no question in my mind that I want you. If you do not wish to share, then neither do I. I believe we can both live by these terms for as long as it suits us."

"Very well," Morrigan said. "So long as you pursue no other as you bed me, I will afford you the same courtesy."

"Thank you," Aedan said.

"Now, tell that to Leliana," Morrigan said.

He almost argued that there was nothing to tell Leliana. He really had only been talking to Leliana as a friend. But it was not worth starting another argument. His relationship with Morrigan had been strained for a moment. Now he felt that they were on firmer ground. So he could at least spend less time talking to Leliana. That should sort out any misunderstanding.

The rest of the evening he spent with Morrigan. And after they were finished, he tarried a while longer, and they found themselves talking more than they ever had before. He'd shown a great interest in her, and enjoyed learning about her life. Yet ever since they had grown more physical with each other, there seemed to be less time to just speak to one another.

It became somewhat difficult, to find things to talk about. She had no interest in swords and armor, and he didn't understand what she was saying when she spoke about magic. They did find some common ground in discussions about history. Literature and history had always been his favorite part of his education. Outside of everything involving fighting. Morrigan had learned a great deal of ancient histories from her mother, and Aedan soon found himself probing her for information about things he'd never learned before. And when the word probing came to mind he giggled to himself, like a blushing maiden virgin. Or Alistair. Same thing in the long run probably.

Eventually, they talked for so long that it was Aedan's turn to watch. He gathered his things and left Morrigan's tent. As he returned to the main campsite he saw that the two on watch had already been replaced. Aedan couldn't remember who was meant to be on watch with him.

As he approached the fire, he saw Leliana's red hair shining in the firelight. Aedan yawned as he sat down, realizing that he really should have gotten some sleep. But he did not regret the time he'd spent with Morrigan.

"Did you not get enough sleep?" Leliana asked him.

"I didn't get any sleep," Aedan said. He noted the way Leliana glanced towards Morrigan's tent.

"That long, huh?" Leliana said.

"Oh, no, no longer than usual," Aedan said. "We just spent a lot of time talking."

"Really? What could you possibly find to talk with her about?"

"A few things," Aedan said. He chuckled. "Actually, it started when she seemed to think that there was something between you and me."

Leliana did not respond.

"Leliana?"

"Oh, what?" Leliana said. "She confronted you?"

"She wanted me to choose between her or you," Aedan said. "Which wasn't hard, since there was nothing to choose."

"Yes," Leliana said. She wasn't looking at him. "I suppose that would be a silly thing for her to ask you to choose. That seems unlike her. I thought she didn't care about that sort of thing. After the way she was throwing herself at Sten."

"We discussed that," Aedan said. "And in the end we both agreed to not pursue anyone else while we were involved with each other."

"It's almost like a real relationship," Leliana said.

"I suppose so," Aedan said.

"Is that what you want?" Leliana said, and Aedan almost wondered if he detected a hint of pleading in her voice.

Aedan had to take a moment to think about the question. The thought of seeking out a relationship had not occurred to him in the many months they had been traveling. There never seemed to be any time. Morrigan and he had shared an understanding that fit perfectly between trying to save the world while no one else seemed to bother to. They both had needs, and they both had decided to meet them with each other. And in the middle of all of that, he now found himself wondering if maybe there was more to what he'd thought was a straightforward affair.

"I don't know," Aedan said. "I suppose so. I'd have to think about it."

They spent the rest of the night not speaking. Which suited Aedan, as he found himself alone with his thoughts. Not a situation he liked to be in, as it was all too easy to slip into dark thoughts. Now his mind belonged to Morrigan, as he tried to unravel the knot that he'd managed to tie himself into around her.

Alistair had said she would try to use him. Aedan had said he was perfectly capable of noticing that sort of thing. From the very beginning Flemeth had sent Morrigan along with them. The old woman had not given him any reason to suspect that she wanted something from him. It was perfectly reasonable to assume that wanting to stop the Blight was enough motivation for anyone.

But this was Flemeth they were talking about. Her story was well known and often told in Highever. Aedan had studied the history of Fereldan and Thedas. But especially he had focused on his own family's history. And Flemeth played a large part in the Couslands taking control of Highever. If she really was the witch the legends spoke of then the odds of her sending her daughter along to fight the Blight purely out of altruism was unlikely. A powerful witch and her daughter could disappear to any corner of the world. Certainly they must be powerful enough to protect themselves.

So if she had a reason for sending Morrigan with them, then it seemed reasonable that Morrigan had a reason for coming on to him the way she had. Though, to be fair, he had made his interest very clear. It had at the time been a very mutual expression of interest between them. What could he say, he enjoyed a woman who could be as straightforward as Morrigan.

Perhaps all she had wanted at the beginning was a body to warm her bed during the cold nights. It could easily be that her motivations were the same as his. She had after all been leaving her home in earnest for the first time. That alone could provide one with the need for distraction.

All that considered, he knew to keep an eye open just in case she did indeed want something from him. Or rather something other than what she had already gotten out of him.

Despite his heightened vigilance, and the pride he took in his skill at discovering hidden motives, Aedan could not sense any surreptitious intent from Morrigan. As far as he could see, she was completely sincere in her dealings with him. It was enough to make him feel guilt over his suspicions.

Morrigan was fun to be around. She was witty and quick, with a sharp tongue, and a joy to talk to. Never before had anyone been able to banter quite like she did. Even though they had fallen into each others' bed so quickly, they had continued to flirt throughout and afterwards. She was certainly better at matching his pace than any other woman he'd ever known.

The more he got to know her, the more they talked, the more Aedan believed he understood Morrigan. The others thought he was insane for trusting her. As he looked into the shadows surrounding their camp, glancing towards Morrigan's tent, Aedan was certain he understood her just a little better.

The others were not entirely wrong about her. The woman they saw was the woman Flemeth wanted Morrigan to be. There was someone else there, though, hidden away. Someone that Aedan had only caught glimpses of during moments like the one earlier that evening. She had in practice told him after their first night together that there was nothing emotional about what they were doing. As long as she could do what she wanted, and it coincided with what he wanted that was all that mattered.

This was the same woman who just earlier had told him she did not share. It completely contradicted what she had said before. And yet it was in that contradiction that Aedan felt more confident than before that he was beginning to understand Morrigan just a little better.

They had not been able to set up camp as well as they normally would have. The Darkspawn ambush had taken its toll and it was all they could collectively do not to just collapse on the ground after destroying their attackers. Only one tent had been set up, and it was in front of this tent that Aedan paced, while inside Wynne was seeing to Morrigan.

He could still hear the crack of Morrigan's skull as it hit the boulder. To Aedan it had drowned out all the sounds of battle. Where had that Ogre come from? The monster had sent Morrigan flying with a single swipe, he supposed they were just lucky it had not decided to grab her. Aedan had seen those creatures crush men in armor. Morrigan would not have stood a chance.

"You're making me nervous," Alistair said. "If you keep pacing like that."

Aedan rounded on the other man. "Maker forbid you'd be nervous! Is my walking too stressful for you!?"

Alistair grimaced, but otherwise did not respond.

"Aedan, she'll be okay," Leliana said. "Wynne has healed worse."

"It hit her so hard," Aedan murmured. He nervously twisted the ring she had given him around his finger. At times he thought that perhaps he could feel her presence through the ring as if she were standing next to him even when they were separate. The way the world seemed to shift just a little, as if to ensure that he was fully aware of her location. The way if he focused he could hear her breathing. Soft and measured even after a full days walking. Deep and lusty after a battle, or after they had made love. It was difficult to tell the difference between the two sometimes. Yet now, he could not feel anything from the ring. "She wasn't breathing..."

The tent flaps parted, and Wynne stepped out, stretching her back as she stood straight.

"Wynne! How is she? Is she..."

Wynne held up a hand to silence him, Aedan stamped down on his anger as it flared up.

"Head wounds are tricky," Wynne said. "She'll need her rest, and we cannot move her for a while. I'll need to keep an eye on her. But I think she'll be okay. She's just resting now."

Aedan pushed past Wynne and into the tent. Morrigan lay propped up on several pillows and blankets. She was pale, but her characteristic smirk was still in place. Though somewhat softened from how he remembered it the first time they met.

"I fear I will have to decline you for now," Morrigan said. "In my weakened state I could not survive your attentions."

Aedan frowned. Her sense of humor still seemed intact. That was a good sign at least. "Do you really all think I'm only about sex? I've half a mind to be offended."

"If only that were true," Morrigan said. "Particularly after your display in the whorehouse."

"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

The smirk widened. "Never."

He sat down next to her, careful not to disturb her, and sighed.

"I was worried," Aedan said.

Morrigan raised a single eyebrow. "Truly? Whatever for?"

"What do you meant what for?" Aedan said, turning on her incredulously. "For you! You could have died!"

"And if I had it would have been my own fault."

"And that is supposed to make it better?" Aedan said. He kept his voice down, worried about loud noises hurting her head.

Morrigan laughed, though she did wince afterwards. "Would you truly miss me from your bed that much?"

"That's not it!"

"Then what is it?" Morrigan said, frowning.

"I...don't know," Aedan said. He frowned as well. Of course he didn't want her to die. She was a friend. Or at least that was what he thought of her as, but it somehow didn't seem to be quite enough.

"I tire," Morrigan said, after they had sat in silence for some time. "Begone. Shoo."

Aedan pushed himself up, then surprising himself, and Morrigan apparently, leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes were wide when he pulled back from her. It wasn't the first time they had kissed. But it was the first time he had ever kissed her on the cheek. Never before had a simple kiss on the cheek felt more intimate. He left the tent, leaving Morrigan wide eyed and blushing. A pillow hit him in the back on the way out. He smiled.

The others had gotten a fire started. They were sheltering under an overhang of rock. Not quite a cave, but it provided more shelter and protection than camping out in the open. Random bands of Darkspawn were becoming more and more common nowadays.

He really had feared she would die. There had been so much blood, and the crack of her skull hitting that rock had sounded so final. It was only natural he had been afraid for her. She was a friend. Yes. A friend.

No, that word still didn't seem quite right. He'd felt it before, but after kissing her on the cheek he was more certain than before. She was more important than a friend. He needed a better word.

In the moment she had slumped to the ground, leaving a trail of blood on the rock, Aedan had been transported back to Highever. To the blood stained walls of his ancestral home. To the rooms he had found his dead family in. The rage this brought on was enough to impale the Ogre all the way through with his greatsword. He could have sworn he felt the massive bulk leave the ground, before crashing back down with him atop it. The rest of the battle was a blur, all he could remember was kneeling over Morrigan's body, too afraid to touch her lest he cause more harm.

Now that he had time to think about it all, he finally understood what it meant.

Aedan sat down by the fire, stunned by the realization he had just come to. Leliana was cooking. Alistair had been banned, and no one seemed to trust Zevran with the food even now.

Alistair looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Aedan said.

"What about Morrigan?" Leliana asked.

"She's good," Aedan said.

"So..." Alistair started to say.

"I think I'm in love with Morrigan," Aedan said.

Alistair's hand, which was about to touch Aedan's shoulder, froze in midair. Leliana dropped the bowl she had been holding out for Wynne. Zevran started to laugh. And Wynne dropped her face into her hands.

"Uh...since when?" Alistair asked.

"Just now," Aedan said. "Well maybe earlier. But I just realized it. Now."

No one else said anything, as they all sat there, leaving Aedan to his own contemplation.

The day he feared had arrived. Morrigan had told him about Flemeth, and what she intended. She asked him for help.

This is it, he thought, this is what she's been manipulating you for.

He crushed that thought down. She had only just learned about Flemeth's ability to steal the bodies of her daughters. There was no way she could have been planning this.

More importantly, Aedan could see the fear in Morrigan's eyes. It was not the fear for survival that Flemeth had instilled in her. It was the fear of the girl with the golden mirror, realizing that Flemeth was once again going to steal something she valued. There was only one course of action he could take.

"Of course I'll help you."

AN: It's been a while. Sorry about that. I hadn't realized how much time had flown by. It's almost kind of amazing how long a fanfic can sit there in limbo while the writer doesn't realize it's been so long. I can't promise when the next chapter will come out, I know this is unsatisfying, but I'll keep at it until we actually reach a satisfying conclusion. And I thank everyone for their suggestions. I've got a decent idea of what I still want to write.