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Blood Promise	By : Hikari86 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4559 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
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Waking the Dead

The mountain was ominous. The path leading to its peak a cursed walkway. Jordan found herself fixed in place, unable to move her feet in the direction they needed to go. They would have been more than happy, however, to turn and go the opposite direction to the forest and away from the mountain for good.
“Jordan?” Bethany said softly, seeing her sister's lack of color. “Do you think you can do this?”
“Wh-what?” Jordan shook her head and stared over at Bethany. “Yeah... I can do this.”
“I'm not so sure. Maybe you should stay down here. The ritual can be done with just me and Aveline.”
“No... no. You're not going without me. Not up that mountain. I'll be fine. I just need to... stop thinking about it.”
“What's going on?” Varric asked. He raised an eyebrow at Bethany. “Is something wrong with her?”
“There is nothing wrong with me,” Jordan breathed. “I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.”
“What's this? Is the mighty Hawke scared?” Isabela teased. “”Are you afraid of the mean old mountain?”
“I'm not afraid of the mountain,” Jordan said through her teeth.
“Or maybe you're afraid of the evil magic that surely awaits us at the peak!”
“No, no!” Jordan was starting to get frustrated. “I'm not afraid of the mountain, or the magic, or... anything!”
“You should be,” said Fenris. “This mountain is cursed. We are very likely going to encounter demons on our way to the peak.”
“I don't care about demons,” Jordan growled.
“But there is something bothering you,” said Anders. “Almost as if...”
“She's afraid of heights,” Bethany stated. Jordan gaped at her, trying to comprehend why her sister had just said that.
“That's just what I was about to say,” Anders nodded.
“I can't believe you just told them that,” Jordan said, furious. “Bethany... why?”
“Do you think they wouldn't have found out? Especially with the way you're acting and how you're probably going to act once we start climbing the mountain.”
That was true. With her reluctance to continue up the path, her telling them she was fine obviously wouldn't have put them off. She just wondered how she was going to be able to go up Sundermount. It wasn't the tallest mountain in Thedas, or even in the Free Marches, but it certainly wasn't no simple hill. And as her eyes scaled up the side, she saw that parts of the path were right on the edge, a complete vertical drop from path to ground. It made Jordan's heart beat faster.
“Does she need something for it?” Anders asked Bethany. “I have some potions that might help. They work just as well as the spells, and she wouldn't build a tolerance to them as quickly.”
“No, I don't think she should...”
“Yes, I think I will definitely take them,” Jordan said over her sister.
“Jordan, do you not remember what Father used to tell you?”
“I remember, but he's not here right now. And if this ritual thing needs to happen, then I'll need something.” She smiled over at Anders. “Please?”
Anders reached into his pack and pulled out a vial of yellowish-green liquid. Jordan took it and drank it down. She didn't feel any different after taking the potion, but Jordan knew she needed to give it time to work. Her fear of heights was crippling, sometimes to the point she could never get herself to move. It was only with very high, potentially life-threatening vertical drops, like the side of Sundermount. Such things as looking down Kirkwall from the top of the stairs of the chantry did nothing to her. It was a strange fear to have, or at least she thought so. No where in her memory could she remember a time that might have triggered it, although there was one time her father had told her once. It was when she was two years old, Leandra was pregnant with Bethany and Carver, and they were traveling through Ferelden. The family had come to a rickety bridge over a deep gorge in a deeply wooded area. Malcolm had went to help his very pregnant wife cross, not realizing his two year old, adventurous daughter was already making her way across. A plank snapped underneath her foot, and she went tumbling off the side of the bridge. Her foot had caught on the rope, and Jordan had hanged in midair, over the deep, possibly endless gorge. She had screamed at the top of her lungs, calling the attention of her parents, and had not stopped screaming until she was safe on the other side. On solid ground. Jordan didn't remember it, but her father had also told her that night was when her nightmares started. And the headaches.
Jordan was distinctly aware that several pairs of eyes were staring at her. Some from her companions who were probably wondering if she could continue, and the rest from the Dalish elves. She wasn't sure which ones unnerved her more, but the Dalish were the ones that convinced her feet to move in the direction of the mountain path. She briskly walked, trying to ignore all the strange and hostile elven eyes. Once she was moving, Jordan found it easier to keep going, and to start making her way up the path. The others followed right behind her.
There was a bend in the path that began a slight curve that would take them around the mountain. It was here, where the Dalish camp could no longer be seen, a lone elf sat crouched on the ground, appearing as if she was studying something intently. She had short black hair, separated in small tails about her head. She also wore a type of green tunic that looked to be made of animal hide with a belt about her waist and leather greavers on her legs. Jordan grew closer, slowing her pace so she wouldn't startle the elf.
“Hello?”
The elf froze for a moment, quickly turning behind her to see Jordan and the others standing there. “Oh,” she said, standing fast and placing something behind her back. Jordan wasn't sure, but she thought it looked to be a piece of glass. “Are you the one the Keeper told me about? The one that would come with me to the peak?”
“I am,” said Jordan. “You must be Merrill.”
“Yeah, that would be me. Um, Aneth ara. Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't ask your name. Unless... it's not rude to ask humans their names, is it? I'm so bad at this.”
“It's all right, Merrill,” Jordan chuckled, already liking her quite a bit. She was different from the other Dalish. “You can ask my name. It's Jordan.”
“Oh, what an unusual name. It's pretty though, unless you don't want your name to be pretty. There I go again. Sorry. I tend to ramble sometimes.”
“Don't be,” Jordan smiled at her. “It takes a lot to offend me, so you can say whatever you want. Now Fenris here, you may want to watch what you say to him. He's the one that'll ripe your throat out. Literally.”
“Uh...” Merrill said nervously. “I-I'll make sure not to offend him.”
“Seriously, Hawke?” Fenris said, shaking his head. “Did you have to frighten her?”
“I just wanted to warn her. You are hard to talk to at times. Anyway, Merrill, might as well introduce you to the rest. This here is my sister Bethany, then Anders, Aveline, Isabela, and Varric. You don't need to worry about offending any of them, either. We're all pretty easy going.”
“That's good. I... I'm not really sure how to interact with humans. I'm glad with you being the first ones, you won't yell at me for saying something stupid.”
“Nope. But why are you so nervous?”
Merrill took a deep sigh. “I'm nervous about leaving my clan. Keeper Marethari told you, yes? I hope me traveling with you after we do the ritual won't be too much of a hassle.”
“No, but that does make me wonder,” said Jordan. “Why do you have to leave your clan?”
“I just have to. Let's leave it at that for now, all right?” Her hands, which had been behind her back the whole time, shifted and she placed whatever she was holding in her back pouch. Jordan didn't pry. Just like with some of her other companions, all things would be learned in time.
“So what can you do?” Jordan asked. “It would be nice to know what your skills are before we set out together.”
“Well I know several spells that are used by Keepers. And I guess I'm fairly decent at making potions...”
“You're a mage?” Fenris nearly growled.
“Um, yes. All Keepers are mages. We are the ones that keep our history. It's a Keeper's job to remember, to restore what we can.”
“This is just perfect,” he grumbled.
“And you will treat her the same way you treat Anders and Bethany,” Jordan said, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Did I offend him?” Merrill asked, both saddened and scared.
“Yes and no,” Jordan sighed. “He's not very fond of magic, so please try and stay out of his way.”
“Yes, please,” Fenris grunted.
Merrill swallowed hard. Her large, elven eyes, green like Fenris's but a few shades darker, seemed even more unnerved. “I won't make any trouble, I promise.”
“Why don't we go ahead and start heading up?” Jordan offered. “You can tell me about this ritual on the way.”
“Oh yes, I suppose you would need to know the details.” Merrill began leading them up the path. “It's a funeral, of sorts. I'll preform it when we get to the peak. All you have to do is put the amulet on the altar. The tricky part, however, is getting there. Some of the hunters have already gone up to investigate. They say that parts of the path are blocked by avalanches. But I do know another way we can take. It's through a cave that will lead us straight to the graveyard.”
“The graveyard?” said Aveline.
“That's where the altar is. I said it was a funeral, one the elvhen used to use on their elders when they would go into uthenera. It's a very old ritual.”
“Interesting to have your dead buried at the top of a mountain,” Varric mused. “I thought the Dalish buried them under trees.”
“We do, but back then the elvhen were immortal. Uthenera is a deep sleep. One that they could wake from.”
“Hm. I think I'm gonna have to catch up on my Dalish lore.”
As they continued up the path, Merrill continued to talk, telling them about how they had ended up in Kirkwall and why the clan was also indebted to Flemeth just as Jordan, Bethany, and Aveline were. The clan was originally from Ferelden, although they did occasionally travel as far north as Antiva. They had been in Ferelden when the Blight hit, and Marethari had wanted to get the clan away from the darkspawn as soon as possible. They had moved too late, however, and had found themselves surrounded by the horde. The clan fought them off the best they could, but they were losing badly. Many elves were lost and many more would have been if the great dragon hadn't come down from the sky to save them. The clan didn't know what to think at first, but once the dragon became the Witch of the Wilds, Marethari and Merrill had been the ones to thank her and receive the payment for their lives. She had told them to go to Kirkwall, to camp next to Sundermount and await the arrival of the one who carried the promise. From there, the amulet should be taken to the altar at the peak and the uthenera ritual preformed. Even though it was an odd request, neither Marethari or Merrill questioned it. The witch had saved their clan, and they would do what she asked.
“Ah, here we are.” Merrill stopped them in front of a large cavern entrance. “I hope known of you are afraid of the dark. It's quite a ways through until the graveyard.”
“We should be good,” said Jordan. “We have three mages to light the way, right?”
“Oh yes, I almost forgot!” At the mouth of the cave, Merrill went to a bush where she plucked out a long staff that looked as if it had been carved straight from a tree truck. “I might need this.”
“Is there a possibility we might encounter demons on our way?” Bethany asked timidly.
“It's possible, of course. Sundermount is crawling with curses. But no need to fear, with our large group, we should be good. Keeper Marethari never let no less than four come up this way at a time. Well, there was the one time it was just me and her, but... that was for something different. Anyway, shall we head on in?”
“Lead the way, Merrill,” said Jordan. “We're right behind you.”
***
The cave was dark and deep, and it took them a fairly long time to get through it, but eventually Merrill lead them to an opening that the sun shined through. “Right out this way is the graveyard,” she said, extinguishing the light that was at the top of her staff. “Be careful exiting, though.”
“Why? What's-” Jordan was unable to finish her question as she stepped out onto the narrow ledge and found herself staring straight down a vertical plane that didn't end until it reached the indistinguishable ground far below. Her back slammed against the cave entrance, heart pounding against her chest. She hadn't realized how high they had gotten, the cave having distracted her and made her forget about the height of the mountain.
“Oh it's not that bad,” said Isabela as she made her way past Jordan and looked down the drop. “If you fall you may survive. Just aim for the treetops.”
“This isn't funny, Isabela,” said Bethany as she stood by her sister. “Do you want me to take you back down, Jordan?”
Jordan would have been more than happy to go back down through the cave, but she wasn't sure she could even move. The sight of the vertical drop so suddenly had brought back the fear she had been able to suppress. She was still against the cave wall, her eyes closed tight as she tried to control her breathing.
“Jordan, come on...” She felt her sister tug on her to go back into the cave, but her muscles were too rigid to move. There was also the fact, that even with her fear, Jordan realized she couldn't go back down. Not now. Not with the ritual still needing to be preformed.
She shook her head. “No... We need to finish this.”
“Not in your condition.”
“May I try something?” That was Anders, making Jordan open her eyes to see him standing before her. Bethany nodded and moved to the side. “Jordan... can I have your hands?” He put out his own and Jordan stared at them for a moment before slowly putting her own within them. His hands were actually quite soft. She felt rough patches in the area between his thumb and pointer finger, but otherwise they were the gentle hands of a spirit healer.
He gently began to pull her away from the wall and toward the cave entrance. “No,” she said once she realized what he was doing and pulled back against him. She wanted to rip her hands from his, but he tightened his grip.
“Yes,” he said pulling her back. “It's all right. You aren't going to fall, I promise.”
“It's not the fall...”
“I know. But do you trust me?”
“I did, but now I'm not so sure.” Jordan stared at him. She really did trust him, even if she shouldn't. She just wasn't so sure her feet did.
“Close your eyes and trust me, okay?”
She could already feel herself calming, whether it was his magic or not, she couldn't tell. But just his voice, just him speaking soothingly to her seemed to be enough. Jordan closed her eyes and when he started pulling her again, she didn't fight him. Instead she went, trusting him completely. The fear her feet would feel the ledge or hit nothing but air was still at the forefront of her mind, but never did any of that happen. When they finally stopped and he told her to open her eyes, Jordan was amazed to find not only were they past the ledge, but were now in a more open area. The drop that was the side of the mountain was far off, and if she stayed away from that area, then she would be fine.
“Thanks Anders,” she said, reluctantly taking her hands from his.
“You're not the only one I've encountered who's afraid of heights.” He smiled at her and Jordan's heart started thumping against her chest again.
They were all in the open area now, and with the crisis of Jordan's sudden panic attack done, they could finally figure out why Merrill hadn't taken them further. There were two large pillars standing sentry in the path. Between them something shimmered, distorting the air.
“This wasn't here before,” Merrill said as she examined the force field. “I wonder... Oh, I see now.” She turned to face Jordan and the others. “Don't worry, I can open the way. One moment.” Facing back to the force field, she then produced a small knife from the belt around her leather tunic and slit her wrist. From there the red aura of blood magic surrounded her hands and she flung a spell at the force field. It fizzled and disappeared.
Jordan wasn't exactly sure she knew what she had just seen. Had Merrill really used blood magic? It became evident when she heard Fenris growl, possibly going for his sword, and Bethany take in a sharp breath behind her. The others had also been taken by surprise from the sounds of their gasps and the look of their shocked faces.
“That was a summoning,” said Anders. “That takes blood magic! Are you crazy?”
“Yes, it was blood magic,” Merrill said as she turned back to them, healing the cut she had made. “But I know what I'm doing. The spirit helped us, didn't it?”
“You mean the demon,” said Fenris. He then pierced his angry eyes over at Jordan. She could tell what he was thinking without having to ask.
“How was I suppose to know she was going to use blood magic? Or wait, was I suppose to assume she was a malificar because she's a mage outside the Circle?”
“Are you expecting me to be civil now with a blood mage traveling with us?”
“Yes,” Jordan said harshly. When it came to magic, Jordan was for it and a big defender, but blood magic... that was something she wasn't so sure about. There was really no good use for blood magic that she could think of, and she had always thought blood mages were evil and vile. Yet here was little Merrill, a young elf that only seconds before seemed so innocent and sweet. She still was though, and that's what Jordan was confused about. “The spirit did help, I suppose,” she said slowly. “But they don't keep helping. Demons tend to like to... possess people.”
“Well... yes,” Merrill sighed. “But that won't happen. I know how to defend myself. And I also don't need this talk from either of you. I had enough of it with Keeper Marethari. It's... one of the reasons why I can't stay with the clan anymore.”
“So even the Dalish see blood magic as evil,” said Fenris. “I'm glad to hear that, at least. The so-called 'real' elves aren't as stupid as I previously thought.”
Merrill ignored him, turning back to the pillars. “I think we should be moving on. Beyond these two pillars is the graveyard. We should be careful, and go quietly. The dead sleep, but they do not sleep peacefully.”
She took them beyond the pillars and into an area that was silent, eerie, and full of strangely carved statues. They were all carved in the likeness of a different elf, many of them wearing robes, some armor, and one that was completely nude. Along the bases of the statues sat items, such as rusted weapons and armor, clay dishware, weather beaten clothe, and even valuable items like jewelry. A tiara was placed about the foot of the nude statue, a glittering piece of excellent craftsmanship made of gold and fixed with diamonds and sapphires. Isabela couldn't take her eyes off it, and her hand seemed to move toward it without thought.
“No, don't touch anything!” Merrill shouted, but her warning came too late. Isabela's hand grasped the tiara just as she heard Merrill's cry.
“Oops.” She quickly placed the tiara back on the statue's foot, but not even that could stop the mayhem that occurred.
The statutes began to tremble, shaking with what might be considered anger. A black swirl then started to form in front of them all, swirling like a tornado, growing thicker until they began to form the shape of creatures, that once completely formed, attacked. The group separated, the creature's surrounding them. Jordan struck at one of them, but Ripper bounced right off its thick hide. The creature swiped at her, its long claws grazing across her leather jerkin, ripping the bottom part of it off. She rolled behind it, using Edge to block another swing. The creature was fast, faster than she thought it could go. It was able to keep up with her despite how quick she was. Jordan parried Edge forward, the blade cutting into the creature's hide, but not doing enough damage. She was finding herself already becoming exhausted. The trials of the day starting to get to her.
The creature lunged forward, grabbing both her blades in its hands. Jordan struggled to free them from its grip, but the creature was too strong. It yanked and both blades were ripped from her hands and tossed in the air. Jordan staggered backward from the loss of her daggers and fell to the ground just as the creature jumped on her. She struggled against it, blackened teeth threatening to bite down on her neck.
“Jordan!” Bethany smacked Honor into the side of the creature she was fighting to get past it. She ran for Jordan, sending an icy blast right at the creature on top of her sister. The creature became coated in ice, but only slowed a little. She then smashed its head with her staff, making the creature lose interest in Jordan. It crawled off her and made right for Bethany, growling and letting loose an eerie sound. Bethany sent another spell at it, but the creature merely batted it away.
“No... Bethany,” Jordan said weakly as she tried to push herself off the ground. It was difficult, the world spinning around her. She was only barely aware of the others as they fought their own creature's. None of them were able to get away to help her. Aveline appeared to be trying, but the creature wouldn't let her get past. Merrill seemed to be the only one who was having any affect against them. Vines surrounded her feet, shooting out and entangling themselves around the creature's arms and legs. She was too far away, however, and unable to get to either her or Bethany.
Bethany screamed when a second creature, the one she had been fighting before, came behind her and clawed at her back. Jordan forced herself to her feet but felt something in her chest throb, making her fall back to her knees. She couldn't get to her sister, and she looked around desperately for anyone who could. Her eyes then met with Anders's, dark brown and hard, shimmering a little as his magic swirled around. She knew immediately what he was about ready to do, hoping it would be what was needed to save her sister.
The blue flames burst forth around Anders, his eyes becoming the blue vortexes. His magic increased beyond anything Jordan had ever felt before. Anders—or Justice now—raised his staff and sent a blast of pure energy right at the creatures attacking Bethany. It hit one, sending it flying back and breaking off one of the statues from its base. The other, letting go of Bethany, went straight after the new threat. Seeing it coming, Justice wasted no time as he summoned a massive storm, one of fire and heat. It circled around the area, making everyone fall to the ground to cover themselves. Jordan could feel the intense heat as it surrounded her, but as she peered up to see the churning flames, she also noticed a shimmering blue shield surrounding herself and the others. Soon the fires died, and as Jordan began to get back to her feet, saw that all the creature's had been destroyed, along with many of the statues. Everyone else began to stand as well, but there was one who caught Jordan's eye.
Fenris stood fast, his sword still in hand, and began to advance on where Justice still stood. He was getting ready to attack, swing his sword down on Justice. The spirit also noticed this and narrowed his eyes and brought up his staff to counter the elf. Jordan acted quickly, ignoring the fire igniting in her chest, and placed herself right in between the two.
“Fenris, stop!” she yelled. “He's not an enemy!”
“Get out of the way, Hawke!” Fenris snarled, his elven eyes fixed on the spirit, hard and unrelenting. “He's been possessed by a demon. I warned you about this!”
“I am not a demon, elf,” Justice growled, taking a step in Fenris's direction. “I am the spirit of Justice. I will not be insulted in such a way!”
“If you've taken over the body of a mage, then you're a demon, and have become an abomination which means you must be destroyed.” Fenris went to pass Jordan, but was forced back when Jordan pushed him. He stared at her disgusted. “What are you doing, Hawke?”
“Would you just listen to me please,” Jordan heaved, holding her left side where the fire was coming from. “Let me explain.”
“There is nothing to explain. Your precious mage has just been possessed by a demon, and-”
“He's been possessed for a while now. Justice is a spirit, not a demon.”
“You should learn the difference, elf,” Justice sneered.
“You're not helping all that much right now,” Jordan said to Justice. “So please stay out of this.”
“Do not think I don't have harsh words for you either, human. You have brought us nothing but trouble.”
“Well I can see you don't like me for some reason.” Jordan stared over at the spirit confused, not sure why he would dislike her.
“You have proven yourself a distraction,” Justice explained. “One that Anders does not need right now. You are keeping us from achieving our goals that have been set forth. Plus you got him drunk.”
“Drunk?” Jordan laughed. “You call drinking one pint of ale getting drunk?”
“Your infatuation with beverages that cloud your mind prove your intelligence and why you will never accomplish anything.”
“Excuse me?” Jordan was beginning to not like the spirit. Was he really Anders? Or maybe he was his evil side.
“Would you like for me to kill him now?” Fenris asked.
“I'm about ready to say yes.”
Justice then shook his head and closed his eyes. When he recovered, Jordan saw Anders's brown, but she didn't necessarily relax. “Is everybody all right?” he asked. “I hope I didn't hurt anyone.”
“Your other half insulted me,” Jordan fumed. “One would think he might have been grateful for me stopping Fenris from killing you, but apparently he doesn't like me.”
Anders frowned at her. “No... he doesn't.”
“Wonderful.” Jordan then found she had to sit on one of the statue bases as she was finding it more difficult to breathe. Bethany was quickly by her side. Jordan noticed that Anders had wanted to check on her, but hesitated.
“Where does it hurt?” Bethany asked.
“Right here.” Jordan lifted her hand away. It was the area where the creature had ripped away her jerkin. Underneath, she saw that the skin had always been ripped away and she was bleeding fairly good with at least two broken ribs. Bethany went right to work healing her.
Fenris cursed under his breath as he stared at Anders. His sword was still in hand, and it didn't look like he was going to replace it any time soon.
“Do you have a problem, elf?” Anders asked, not liking Fenris staring at him.
“You are an abomination,” Fenris said with malice.
“No, he's not,” said Jordan. “We already established this.”
“Are you saying you're going to allow this?” Fenris shot his glare at her. “An abomination to walk around free?”
“I am not an abomination!” Anders yelled.
“Fenris, this is just one more thing you're going to have to deal with,” said Jordan.
“You can't be serious? Not only are you having me work with three mages—one a blood mage! But now you want me to work with an abomination?”
Jordan squeezed her eyes shut. “I'm not repeating myself. And yes, that's what I'm saying.”
“Festic bei umo canavarum,” Fenris grumbled as he turned and walked away, forcing himself through Aveline and Varric.
“You know, I actually like that side to you,” Isabela said coy to Anders. “This Justice is mean, tough, and so sexy.” Isabela seemed to purr as she smiled provocatively.
“You would be the first to think that,” said Anders. “But I'm just going to ignore you now. And what are you looking at?”
Merrill had been staring at him, more curious than anything else. She quickly averted her eyes, though, when he yelled at her. “Sorry, just... Anyway, are you better now, Jordan? We should proceed before the elders decide to to punish us for breaking their graves as well.”
***
The altar was located at the end of the graveyard, right on a precipice that overlooked the Planasene Forest. Jordan had to force herself to walk over to the altar just to place the amulet upon it. She kept her eyes averted to the ground, and quickly made her way from the altar once the amulet was placed. Merrill then made her way to the front, placing down her staff and beginning the ritual.
“Hahren na melana sahlin,” she spoke. “Emma ir abelas souver'inan isala hamin vhenan him dor'felas. In uthenera na revas.”
With the last of the words dying on her lips, the amulet began to glow. It became brighter, shifting and growing. It became larger, forming a long shape on the altar. Eventually it began to take a form, limbs, torso, a head, and soon a familiar shape stood before them.
“And here we are,” Flemeth spoke as she stepped down from the altar.
“Witch!” Fenris sneered.
“Relax,” said Aveline. “Although it's a surprise to her, I don't believe she means us any harm.”
“No. Not unless you intend to harm me.” Flemeth smiled sweetly at Fenris. “Such a poor lad. You have been freed, but I can see the chains are still there.”
“What chains do you see?” Fenris said tense.
“Not all chains are physical. The ones in our minds can be just as confining.”
“Andaran atish'an, Asha'bellanar,” Merrill bowed, going low.
Flemeth looked on at her. “One of the people, I see, so young and bright. Do you know who I am beyond that title?”
“Only a little,” Merrill said softly without staring in her strange, inhuman eyes.
“Then stand. The people bend their knee too quickly.” Merrill did so, standing, but still keeping her eyes away from Flemeth's. She backed away and stood behind Jordan where everyone else was, looking on at the scene. “So refreshing to see someone who keeps their end of a bargain,” Flemeth said, turning her attention to Jordan. “I half expected my amulet to end up in a merchant's pocket.”
“No one wanted to buy it,” said Jordan. “Probably because there was a witch inside.”
This made Flemeth chuckle. “Oh yes, there was. A small piece, but it was all I needed. A bit of security, should the inevitable occur.”
“What are you?” Anders asked. He had been slowly making his way to Jordan's side, trying to investigate Flemeth. “A spirit? An abomination? You have magic... none of which I have ever felt or seen before.”
“Do you really wish to know about me, young man?” Flemeth soothed. “Do you think the extra knowledge you received from a hasty decision makes you an expert in the matters of spirits and abominations?”
“I know more than most who have studied spirits their whole lives.”
“You only know the surface. You are not ready to sink below and discover the full knowledge of your true capabilities.” Anders went to protest, but Flemeth cut him off. “Just know that I am an old, old woman who has saved the two you love. More than that you need not know.”
Jordan glanced over at Anders, but saw he was looking at the ground, trying to keep his own gaze from either Flemeth's or hers. He soon backed away just as Merrill did. “So why did you save us?” Jordan asked Flemeth. “Why me and my family, and Merrill's clan?”
“Because I needed pieces,” Flemeth smiled. “The both of you proved to be just what I needed. The Dalish knew the ritual, and you were going to Kirkwall. Did you really think I saved your lives just because I was being helpful? I needed the security.”
“Security from what?”
“My daughter. Morrigan. She proves to know more than she lets on, yet she doesn't know enough. Me being here shows that.”
“I have a feeling I should know her,” said Jordan.
“You do in a way. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by her actions. I did raise her to be that way, after all. I cannot expect her to be less!”
“It's hard to tell... is she your daughter, or your enemy?”
“At the moment, probably both,” Flemeth mused. “We are two players sitting at a chess board. She has her pieces and I have mine. Neither of us should underestimate the other, for you were just a pawn, but before now, were my strongest piece. Now crowned as queen, I shall rise and take her by surprise.”
“So you used me?”
“I used you just as you are using the ones who stand behind you. Don't you need them to help you with your task? Traveling into the Deep Roads is no easy feat.”
“You know, I'm actually not all that surprised you know that,” Jordan said crossing her arms.
“Many things can be learned, even under the floorboards.”
“Hey,” Jordan shrugged. “I wanted to make sure no thief could get their hands on you. You were a fairly pretty amulet, after all. Even if a little creepy.”
“No thief would have touched it,” Flemeth smiled. “Just as no merchant would have wanted it, either, no matter how hard they tried.”
“So what's this all about?” said Aveline. “You only needed us to make sure you survived something your daughter planned? Why are you and she fighting each other in the first place?”
“Because she is rebellious. What more need is there for a child to rage against their parent? But what happens between us, you need not worry yourself over. You will have other things to worry about. Change is coming to this world. A destiny will pass between all. Especially yours,” she said staring at Jordan. “Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap! It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly.”
“Cheap advice from a dragon,” Jordan snorted.
“We all have our challenges.”
“We're going to regret this, aren't we?” said Bethany, looking downcast.
“Regret is something I know well,” said Flemeth. “Take care not to cling to it, to hold it so close that it poisons your soul. When that happens, then you will understand me better. And as for you, child,” she said to Merrill. “Step carefully. No path is darker than when your eyes are shut.”
“Ma serannas, Asha'bellanar,” Merrill spoke, bowing again.
“And you,” Flemeth spoke to Jordan. “Be careful of all your promises. Ones you've already made, and ones you'll make in the future. One will be your downfall.”
“I'll try and keep that in mind,” said Jordan as she squeezed her right hand.
Flemeth smiled as she turned around and took a few steps back on the altar. “The time has come for me to leave. You have my thanks... and my sympathy.” Her body then began to shine again, growing and reforming itself. The dragon, the one that had saved both Jordan's family and Merrill's clan, then spread its wings and leaped into the air. It soared down the mountain, flying over the treetops and across the horizon, disappearing in the light of the sun.

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age 2
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Blood Promise