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Blood Bond	By : Hikari86 Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 4278 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Blood Bond

Why must I always wake up with a headache? Arawin thought as she slowly became aware. She was lying on something soft, but it didn’t feel like her bed. It was more stiff, and made her body sore. Opening her eyes, Arawin noticed why it didn’t feel like her bed. The room she was staring at wasn’t her room. And the person she was looking at was not her father or Shianni.
“Ah, your eyes finally open. Mother shall be pleased,” said the girl standing above her. Arawin recognized her.
“I remember you: the girl from the Wilds,” she said. “Why did I think I was in my house?”
The girl came to the side of the bed and handed Arawin her armor and undershirts. Arawin only then realized that she was in nothing but her smallclothes. She took her belongings and started putting them on, only to realize that her soreness was more than just from the stiff bed.
“I am Morrigan,” said the girl as she stood in a corner. “Lest you have forgotten. And we are in the Wilds, where I bandaged your wounds. You are welcome, by the way.”
“Huh?” Arawin said as she was getting on her shirt. “Oh, thanks. Sorry, but I did just wake up.”
Morrigan nodded. “Yes, I see. I do wish to know, how does your memory fare? Do you remember Mother’s rescue? Or anything that happened prior to?”
Arawin was in the middle of buckling the straps of her armor when she had to stop to think. “I remember being overwhelmed by darkspawn... and then... nothing.”
“Mother managed to save you and your friends, though ‘twas a close call. What's important is that you three live. The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field. The darkspawn won your battle. Those he abandoned were massacred.”
“Wait, what?” Arawin had to stop again. She looked up at Morrigan, horror stricken. “You mean Loghain wasn’t over run like we were? He deliberately ignored the signal!”
Morrigan nodded to her again. “‘Tis true. I saw it myself. We have informed your friends. They are not taking it very well. Especially the whinny one.”
“You’re gonna have to give me a little more detail than that.”
“The man.”
“Oh, Alistair.” Arawin began buckling her armor again. “Yes, he is very whinny sometimes.”
“He is also very suspicious and dim-witted. He is outside by the swamp. Mother asked to see you when you awoke.”
Arawin finished putting on her armor and stood. “And what about Zelda? You said all three of us.”
“Yes, she is out there as well. She woke before you, and went to talk to Alistair and my mother. But Mother wishes to speak to all three of you together. I was to tell you this once you awoke.”
“Why does your mother want to see us?”
“I do not know,” Morrigan sighed. “She rarely tells me her plans.”
Arawin stood where she was for a moment. She ran her fingers through her hair then stopped when she felt a small lump at the base of her skull. She poked at it, feeling that it was sore and swollen.
“You cracked your skull,” Morrigan said as she observed Arawin’s reaction to the lump.
“So my injuries were severe? This isn’t permanent, is it?”
Morrigan grinned at her. “‘Tis nothing that will last. Mother is very good at what she does. What you are feeling is merely a protrusion that will go away eventually.”
“Good,” said Arawin as she twisted her neck. It was a little stiff, but nothing that she couldn’t handle. It would make fighting a little harder though. “What about Alistair and Zelda?” she asked, not sure why she was caring, but she found she did care a little.
“Zelda is fine, perhaps the one who suffered the least. Alistair is... as you are. I suppose it would be unkind to say he is being childish. Crying about the ones that were killed and balling his eyes out.”
“Very unkind! Those were his friends!” Arawin burst out, surprising herself. Where did that come from?
Morrigan looked at her with raised eyebrows. “And you think they would encourage his blubbering? If so, they are not the sort of Grey Wardens the legends note.”
Arawin shook her head. She felt strange, like her head was foggy. She almost didn’t feel like herself. But this soon passed and she felt better, clearer. She wondered if it had to do with her poking the lump on the back of her skull. Maybe she shouldn’t do that anymore.
“Why did your mother save us?” she finally asked. It was a question she had wanted to ask, but it was only now her mind could think of it.
“I wondered at that myself,” said Morrigan as she paced about the room. “But she tells me nothing. Perhaps you were the only ones she could reach. I would have rescued your king. A king would be worth a much higher ransom than you.”
“Thanks a lot,” said Arawin as she crossed her arms.
“I'm only being practical.”
“How did she manage to rescue us, exactly?”
Morrigan stopped her pacing. “She turned into a giant bird and plucked the three of you from atop the tower. If you do not believe that tale, then I suggest you ask Mother yourself. She may even tell you.”
“Maybe.” Arawin contemplated. “I think I will go and join my... friends, I guess.” She turned to Morrigan. “Thank you for helping us, Morrigan.”
“I...” Morrigan hesitated. “You are welcome, though Mother did most of the work. I am only learning.”
“You still did something, and I appreciate that... even if you are human.” Arawin nodded to her. “I will go now.”
“Good, Mother will be eagerly awaiting you. As for me, I will stay and make something to eat.”
***
Arawin watched Morrigan round the corner into what she assumed was the kitchen. She then collected her things and made her own way out of the hut. When she arrived outside, she came to the sight of Alistair and Zelda standing next to the swamp that surrounded the hut. They were both in each others arms. Alistair had his head on Zelda’s shoulder. He was crying, massively in fact. Zelda just held him, rocking him back and forth slowly as the tears ran from his eyes. Arawin looked on with sympathy. She felt sorry for Alistair. He actually hadn’t been that bad, and she realized that he probably lost more than she or Zelda had.
Zelda looked to see Arawin as she stood next to the door. She stopped rocking, which made Alistair look up to see Arawin as well. “Arawin!” he cried out, freeing himself from Zelda and making his way over to her. Before Arawin could react, Alistair had her in a bear tight hug, shaking her as if he would never let go. “Thank the Maker you're all right, too.” He let go and looked at her. “I thought... I thought you were dead for sure. Both of you.”
“Afraid you were going to be left alone?” Arawin said, trying to lighten the mood, but the look Alistair gave her was serious.
“Duncan’s dead. The Grey Wardens, even the king... They’re all dead.” He had stopped crying and now his face was hard. “This doesn’t seem real. If it weren’t for Morrigan’s mother, we’d be dead on top of that tower.”
“Do not talk about me as if I am not present, lad.” The old and weathered voice nearly took everyone by surprise. Neither of them had noticed Morrigan’s mother standing there. They wondered how long she had been there. Had she seen everything?
Yes, she had. Zelda knew that she had been there, but had completely forgotten in the moment. When Zelda had come out, Morrigan’s mother had spoken. “See? Here is one of your fellow Grey Wardens. You worry too much, young man.”
Zelda had found Alistair standing next to the swamp, gazing out into the distance. His eyes seemed lost in a void. When he heard her speak, he looked over to find Zelda. He began to shake as he saw her standing there. “You... you’re alive!” he was barely able to get out. “Zelda...” She could see he was getting ready to break down. “They’re all dead,” he whimpered. “All of them. Duncan...” He was unable to say anything when she saw the first tears run down his face. Zelda moved towards him, taking him in her arms and allowing him to mourn over his lost friends.
He cried on her shoulder, shaking in her embrace. His tears wetting her skin as she slowly swayed back and forth to comfort him. This is what he needed, and she would give it to him, but it made her sad as well.
Much had been lost at Ostagar. The Grey Wardens dead, the king with them. Zelda felt her own grief begin to build within her. It wanted to be let out, but she would not allow it. She couldn’t. It was something she was not allowed to have. She needed to be strong. For Alistair. For Arawin, if she needed it. No, crying was a luxury, and she couldn’t afford it. Zelda couldn’t even afford to cry over her own family that she had lost. She still hadn’t grieved for them properly. She would have if she could, but now things had changed, and if she didn’t stay strong and be the support that everyone needed at that moment, then... who knew what could happen. So she stood there, comforting Alistair, forgetting about all that was around them until Arawin came from the hut.
“I didn’t mean...” said Alistair lowering his face at what Morrigan’s mother had just said. “But what do we call you? You never told us your name.”
“Names are pretty, but useless,” said the old woman. “The Chasind folk call me Flemeth. I suppose it will do.”
This made all three of their eyes widen in surprise. “The Flemeth from the legends?” said Alistair. “Daveth was right—you're the Witch of the Wilds, aren’t you?”
“And what does that mean?” Flemeth humored. “I know a bit of magic, and it has served you three well, has it not?”
“So why did you save us?” Arawin asked as she gently released herself from Alistair’s grip.
“Well, we cannot have all the Grey Wardens dying at once, can we? Someone has to deal with these darkspawn. It has always been the Grey Wardens’ duty to unite the lands against the Blight. Or did that change when I wasn’t looking?”
“Of course not!” cried Zelda. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“But we were fighting the darkspawn!” said Alistair, matching Zelda’s tone. “The king had nearly defeated them! Why would Loghain do this?”
“Now that is a good question,” said Flemeth. “Men’s hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature.”
“But it doesn’t make any sense,” said Zelda. “Loghain has never done anything like this. Why would he do this to Maric’s son? He and Maric were best friends!”
“Cailan was being an idiot,” Arawin added. “He thought he could end the Blight right then and there. Ha! I might be cocky sometimes, but even I know when sometime is impossible.”
“Maybe, but Loghain still shouldn’t have done what he did.” Zelda pondered. “Does he think he can deal with the Blight better?”
“Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can outmaneuver,” Flemeth said. “Perhaps he does not see that the evil behind it is the true threat.”
Arawin looked at her questioningly. “What do you mean?”
“The archdemon,” said Alistair with no emotion.
Zelda gasped. “There’s no way. Loghain would have to be insane to think he could bring the archdemon down on his own.”
“What is this archdemon, exactly?” Arawin asked. “I know Duncan talked about it, but I still don’t understand.”
Flemeth answered this one. “It is said that, long ago, the Maker sent the Old Gods of the ancient Tevinter Imperium to slumber in prisons deep beneath the surface. An archdemon is an Old God awakened and tainted by darkspawn. Believe that or not, history says it’s a fearsome and immortal thing. And only fools ignore history.”
“An Old God?” Arawin scuffed. “And it can only be defeated by Grey Wardens? Alistair is the real Grey Warden here, not me.”
“All Grey Wardens in Ferelden are gone except for us,” Alistair said turning to her. “I’ve lost everyone! For the love of the Maker, don’t back out on me now.” He sounded desperate.
Arawin placed her hands on her hips. “I lost... well, a lot before I came here. I know how you feel.”
Alistair almost looked like he was going to cry again. “Zelda,” he said gazing at her. “You’re with me as well, right? I can’t do this on my own.”
Zelda looked down. She wanted to help him. She knew she needed to. It was her job as a Grey Warden to do it. But her mind suddenly brought up something else. Something that she needed to look into. “I want to help, but my brother is out there, somewhere. I need to find him.”
She heard Flemeth laugh. “Somewhere, as in the Wilds? Now that would be quite the feat!”
“I know you want to find your brother,” said Alistair. “But what about everyone else? We can’t let all their deaths be in vain!”
Zelda kept her gaze from him. She did not want to look into his eyes. He was right. There were many things that had to be done that, even though she didn’t want to admit it, were more important than finding Fergus.
Arawin only kept quiet about the issue. She just wanted to know what was going to happen. Was she going to be stuck with these humans now?
“Ahh, to have lost so much,” said Flemeth. “It would be difficult not to cling to hope, however faint. You two have much in common.”
“I lost my family, my home, my entire life,” said Zelda as she looked into Alistair’s eyes. “Don’t think I do not know how you feel. But yes, if what we are needing to do is to be done, then let us all do it together.”
“Thank you,” said Alistair. “And... I’m sorry. I did not know.”
“If you wish to know, I can tell you later, but not now.”
“Of course.”
“So then, what is our plan?” Arawin asked. “Should we contact the rest of the Grey Wardens?”
“Cailan already summoned them,” said Alisatir. “They’ll come if they can. But I expect Loghain has already taken steps to stop them. We must assume they won’t arrive in time.”
“What could the teyrn hope to gain by betraying the king?” Arawin slowly walked away from the rest as she thought. “I don’t know much about him, except that he's a hero.”
“The throne?” Alistair said shrugging his shoulders. “He’s the queen’s father. Still, I can’t see how he’ll get away with murder.”
Another laugh came from the old woman. “You speak as if he would be the first king to gain his throne that way. Grow up, boy!”
Alistair turned to Flemeth and scolded. “If Arl Eamon knew what he did, he would never stand for it! The Landsmeet would never stand for it! There would be civil war!”
“Yes there would be,” said Zelda. “This is bad, very bad. But do you think the arl would believe us over the teyrn?”
Alistair calmed as he looked at her. “I suppose... Arl Eamon wasn’t at Ostagar; he still has all his men. And he was Cailan’s uncle. I know him. He’s a good man, respected in the Landsmeet. Of course! We could go to Redcliffe and appeal to him for help!” He was excited now over his sudden realization.
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Zelda exclaimed. “Arl Eamon has lots of pull in the Landsmeet.”
“Such determination. How intriguing,” said Flemeth as she studied and listened to their conversation.
Arawin only stood where she was. She knew nothing about politics. “Keep in mind that Loghain was also an honorable man,” she said.
“The arl would never do what Teyrn Loghain did,” said Alistair. “I know him too well. I still don’t know if Arl Eamon’s help would be enough. He can’t defeat the darkspawn horde by himself.”
“Surely there are other allies we could call on,” said Zelda as she thought.
Alistair’s face lit up as he had another revelation. “The treaties! Grey Wardens can demand aid from dwarves, elves, mages, and other places! They’re obligated to help us during a Blight!”
“I may be old, but dwarves, elves, mages, this Arl Eamon, and who knows what else...” commented Flemeth. “This sounds like an army to me.”
“So can we do this? Go to Redcliffe and these other places and... build an army?” Alistair looked at the two women in turn.
“Why not?” Arawin said shrugging her shoulders. “Isn’t that what Grey Wardens do?”
“I doubt it will be as easy as that,” said Zelda as she crossed her arms.
“And when is it ever?” Flemeth laughed.
“It’s always been the Grey Wardens’ duty to stand against the Blight. And right now, we’re the Grey Wardens.” Alistair stood with his head high. He looked completely different from when Zelda first saw him standing at the water's edge. He was more confident now, perhaps.
“So you are set, then?” asked Flemeth. “Ready to be Grey Wardens?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” said Arawin.
Zelda nodded her head. “Yes. Thank you for everything, Flemeth.”
The old woman’s expression became thoughtful. “No, no, thank you. You are the Grey Wardens here, not I. Now... before you go, there is something I can offer you.”
At that point, her daughter Morrigan came out of the hut and walked over to her mother. “The stew is bubbling, Mother dear. Shall we have three guests for the eve or none?” She turned to look at them and Zelda saw she hoped the answer would be none.
“The Grey Wardens are leaving shortly, girl,” Flemeth answered her. “And you will be joining them.”
“Such a shame—What?” Morrigan’s expression went from happy to shock in a matter of seconds. She looked like she was about to burst into a fit of rage.
Flemeth only smiled at her daughter, amused by her appearance. “You heard me, girl. The last time I looked, you had ears.”
“Thank you,” said Zelda. “But if Morrigan doesn’t wish to join us...”
“Her magic will be useful. Even better, she knows the Wilds and how to get past the horde.”
“Have I no say in this?” Morrigan exclaimed. She still had the same expression on her face.
“You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years,” said Flemeth sternly. “Here is your chance. As for you, Wardens, consider this repayment for your lives.”
“Very well, we’ll take her with us,” said Zelda although she wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea. Morrigan had helped them a lot in the last few days, but she didn’t settle well with Zelda. Arawin stayed quiet, unsure of what to think or say.
“Not to... look a gift horse in the mouth,” Alistair said. “But won’t this add to our problems? Out of the Wilds, she’s an apostate.”
Flemeth cocked one of her eyebrows at him. “If you do not wish help from us illegal mages, young man, perhaps I should have left you on that tower.”
“Point taken.”
“Mother...” Morrigan said still trying to argue. “This is not how I wanted this. I am not even ready...”
“You must be ready. Alone, these three must unite Ferelden against the darkspawn. They need you, Morrigan. Without you, they will surely fail, and all will perish under the Blight. Even I.”
“I... understand,” Morrigan said reluctantly.
“And you, Wardens?” Flemeth turned to Arawin and Zelda together. “Do you understand? I give you that which I value above all in this world. I do this because you must succeed.”
“We understand,” they both said together. It made them look at one other curiously. Flemeth smiled.
“Allow me to get my things, if you please,” said Morrigan as she went back into the hut.
Alistair made his way over to Zelda. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, just because her mother said so? She might get us into a lot of trouble.”
“We need all the help we can get,” Zelda said.
“And a mage would be fun to have around,” Arawin chimed in. “I wish that other mage hadn't've died.”
“I guess you're right,” Alistair sighed. “Grey Wardens have always taken allies were they could find them. Still...” He began to look sad again, and Zelda raised her hand to place on his shoulder. Arawin went to do the same thing, before she realized what she was doing and stopped. She looked at her hand in surprised disgust, trying to figure out what it was she was about to do. She looked over at Zelda and rolled her eyes before walking to the edge of the swamp and staring out beyond it.
Flemeth looked on at their behavior and her smile widened. “Tell me, Zelda,” she asked. Zelda looked up at her. “How do you feel right now?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Look deep inside herself, and tell me how you feel. Right at this moment.”
“Okay, although I don’t get what this has to do with anything.” Zelda closed her eyes and breathed in deep and slow. She searched inside herself to see what her true feelings were. “I feel angry,” she said. “That’s obvious, of course.” She looked deeper, trying to find what Flemeth wanted her to find. “It’s not fair. I can’t believe that this is happening to me. That I have to go and do this huge task and be stuck with... with... humans. Especially her.” Zelda opened her eyes and looked confused. “Did I just say that?”
“What was that about?” Alistair asked just as confused as she was.
Arawin turned quickly in Zelda’s direction. “How...?” she was barely able to say. “That’s what I’m feeling! How do you know that?”
“What?” Zelda cried. “You still feel this way about me? I thought after what happened you would be fine now!”
“Just because I cracked my skull doesn’t mean I had a sudden urge to become friends with you. Please Zelda, when are you ever going to learn that we are just not going to get along!”
Zelda could feel herself fuming. This was something she was not used to feeling. How could this elf hate her so much? “You are so impossible to work with! If you hate being with us so much, then why don’t you go and leave! It’s not like we’re going to need you anyway.”
“Wow, wow,” Alistair said trying to settle the situation down. The two women were beginning to come up to each other, staring one another in the face with hate in their eyes. “I think everyone should just calm down and relax for a second. We don’t need anyone running off just yet.”
Zelda seemed to snap out of it. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me. I just all the sudden had a huge surge of hate run through me. I don’t even know where that came from.”
“Just as I suspected,” said Flemeth from behind them. They all turned to her.
“What do you mean?” Zelda asked.
“I have another question, to you both,” Flemeth said gesturing to Zelda and Arawin. “During the Joining, did you both drink of the same blood?”
“Wait!” cried Alistair. “How do you know about the Joining?”
Flemeth narrowed her eyes and turned her head. “Ha! I know many things about the Grey Wardens, young man. Even more than you, I’m sure.”
Zelda and Arawin stared at the old witch stunned, mouths gaping open. “Y-Yes...” Zelda finally said timidly.
“We had no choice,” Arawin added. “There was only one cup left after what happened with Ser Jory.”
“What’s happened to us? What has drinking the same blood done?”
“It’s called a blood bond,” said Flemeth. “It’s what happens when two people take in of the same taint. You two are connected now, emotionally. Able to communicate and feel one another's emotions and feelings. It’s the same way the darkspawn communicate.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Alistair, throwing his hands in front of him. “The taint is the same in every thing.”
“Is that so?” said Flemeth. “If this is true then why does it react differently to everyone, hmm? Even within the darkspawn, the taint treats them all different, just as it does the Grey Wardens, and those who become affected by it. It is still something not fully understood, so don’t even try.”
“Well I never heard of anything like this,” Alistair scuffed. “Duncan never mentioned anything about it.”
“But he knew,” whispered Zelda. This caused him to look at her with curiosity. “He hesitated before he brought the chalice to us. He didn’t want this to happen, or was forbidden to do it, but he had no choice. It was either have us drink from the same blood or kill one of us.”
Arawin shivered as she thought of that night. In turn, it made Zelda shiver with her.
“A blood bond is usually not seen in the best of light,” Flemeth said. “It can be dangerous, causing the two connected to overwhelm each other, making their connection a curse. The strongest emotion at the moment is the one that takes over, and I can see from you two that it has happened quite often.”
“Yes,” Arawin exclaimed. “I felt worried... or I felt that you were worried about your brother. But I just thought it was because I knew you were worried about him.”
“And I felt your excitement when you fought,” Zelda added. “It made me excited as well. How did you know this?” she asked Flemeth.
“I noticed when I was treating you,” the witch explained. “Both of you were showing the same symptoms, but I could only find the true source on one of you. Once I took care of it, both of you would stop showing the symptoms. Being Grey Wardens, it wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“Ah!” Arawin screamed, pulling on her hair. “I can’t take this! All these human emotions. Do you always have to be concerned?” she directed at Zelda.
“And do you always have to be so angry?” Zelda yelled. “I don’t think I can take your anger!”
“And I don’t think I’ll be able to take any of this,” said Alistair. “Oh Maker, I’m surrounded by women with emotional problems!”
This made Arawin and Zelda laugh, forgetting each other. “What’s wrong, Alis?” Arawin asked. “I thought it was a man’s dream to be surrounded by women.”
“It is,” he said. “But not when they act the way you two do! Oh, I just realized that I really am the only man here. Even the dog is a girl!”
Zelda and Arawin broke out in a fit of laughter, making Alistair pout at them. This bond of theirs didn’t really make sense to him. How could they be so angry one moment, and then laughing together the next?
“Oh, anyway...” said Arawin as she calmed down. She turned to Flemeth. “Is there any way that the bond can be broken? I really won’t be able to survive this.”
“There is not,” said Flemeth. “You are stuck with it for life, I’m afraid. But,” she stated after seeing Arawin’s face fall. “I can provide you with something that will keep you from feeling Zelda, and the other way round.”
“Really? Give me!”
“Wait,” Zelda said stopping her. “We don’t even know what it is yet.”
“So? As long as it works, I’ll take anything.”
Morrigan came out of the hut. She had a pack draped from her shoulder and her staff secured to her back. “I am at your disposal, Grey Wardens,” she said stepping next to her mother. “And from the yelling I heard, can I assume Mother told you about the bond?”
“Yes, and your mother was just about ready to give us what will keep me and Zelda from feeling each other,” said Arawin.
Morrigan reached into her pack and pulled out two small vials of clear liquid. She handed them out to Zelda and Arawin. “This is the potion,” she told them. “It will work for an entire twenty four hours. Afterwards, you will then need to take another. I have the ingredients to make more and can gather them in our travels. ‘Tis not a hard potion to make, and the ingredients are abundant.”
Arawin eyed the little vial, trying to figure how such a small amount of liquid could be effective. Zelda did the same thing. “Well, bottoms up,” said Arawin as she went to drink the potion. Zelda then stopped her. “What in the world are you doing?” Arawin exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you actually like this connection?”
“No, I just don’t like the idea of drinking a potion.” Zelda faced Morrigan and Flemeth. “Is there no other way?”
Morrigan shook her head. “It’s either the potion, or one of you die. And even if that were to happen, the connection may still exist, even into the Fade.”
“Well, do we both have to take it? I mean, it doesn’t need both our participation, does it?”
“If you want it to work effectively, then yes,” said Flemeth.
“Otherwise,” Morrigan added. “It will only block the one who takes the potion, while the other will still feel the full effects of the bond.”
Zelda turned to Alistair. She was uncertain on what to do. “What do you think?” she asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said just as uncertain as she was. “I think... you should, if it’ll keep the two of you from killing each other. And if it will keep me from going insane from your fighting.”
“Don’t count on that, Alis,” said Arawin. “I think me and Zelda will fight no matter what. We’re just too different.” She then drank down the contents of the vial, taking them in with one shot. She grimaced at the taste and stuck out her tongue. “That’s unpleasant.”
Zelda looked at her own vial with contentment. She was still uncertain, but what choice did she have? What was she afraid of? She looked at each of them in turn before she finally drank. It didn’t taste as bad as she thought, but it did leave a nasty after taste.
Immediately she could feel the effects. Zelda felt something withdraw from her, like a cord that had been severed. She felt herself again, which she found strange. She had not noticed she didn’t feel herself. But she did notice, that despite she felt herself again, there was a new empty feeling as well. The blood bond had melded the two women together, beginning to make them one, but now they were two again. It felt like a piece of them was missing.
“I will warn you, though,” said Flemeth, making Zelda moan, wondering why she hadn’t told them this warning before she took it. “The blood bond is not completely gone. It is still there, connecting you to one another, and it will grow over time. This means that the potion you take will need to become more potent. But it will get to the point when the bond will be too powerful and neither of you will be able to control it. I suggest that you stop taking the potion before this happens. When the two of you are ready, and are able to control the bond. It could prove to be very useful, and a very mighty weapon.”
“Is everything settled, then?” asked Morrigan. “Are we ready to head out? I suggest a village north of the Wilds as our first destination. ‘Tis not far and you will find much you need there. Or, if you prefer, I shall simply be your silent guide. The choice is yours.”
“No, I prefer you speak your mind,” said Arawin. “I have no problem with it.”
“You will regret saying that,” laughed Flemeth.
“Dear, sweet mother, you are so kind to cast me out like this. How fondly I shall remember this moment.” Morrigan’s sarcasm dripped from her mouth.
“Well, I always said if you want something done, do it yourself, or hear about it for a decade or two afterwards.”
“I have no problems with you, either,” said Zelda. “I don’t know about Alistair though.”
“Great, another woman,” he mumbled.
“And what was that?” Morrigan demanded. “Are you feeling out numbered? I can see from your glare that you’re a man who does not prefer the company of such strong women.”
“No,” Alistair burst out. “It’s just... well, I guess fate has a sense of humor. Just several days ago I was surrounded by nothing but men, wishing there was at least one woman around, and not just me, but all of us! And not for that type of thing either.”
“And now here you are,” said Arawin. “And I don’t feel sorry for you. Hey, this potion really does work! Thanks Morrigan.”
Morrigan nodded her head and smiled at her. “Farewell, Mother,” she said turning to Flemeth. “Do not forget the stew on the fire. I would hate to return to a burned-down hut.”
This made Flemeth laugh. “Bah. ‘Tis far more likely you will return to see this entire area, along with my hut, swallowed up by the Blight.”
Morrigan looked pained. “I... all I meant was...”
“Yes, I know,” Flemeth said in a calming voice. “Do try to have fun, dear.”
“Then if we’re all set, let’s go,” said Arawin. Instead of heading out like she usually did, she let Morrigan go ahead first. Arawin settled next to the witch as she lead them through the Wilds. Alistair and Zelda followed, with Rupee, who had been asleep by the swamp the whole time, right next to her mistress. The five of them silently made their way through the swamp.

Paraphrasing from Dragon Age: Origins
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Blood Bond