Chapter Text
She was awoken by the sound of coughing. Not an altogether unreasonable thing given winter was soon to be upon them. It was inevitable at least some of their ragtag group would succumb to the cooler weather and fall ill. She shifted and settled back into her nest of furs, prepared to ignore whoever had awoken her when a cough sounded again. Her brows furrowed when she heard it. The cough had a certain wetness to it not the barking dry cough one usually expects with the early onset of a cold. No matter, she was hardly a healer nor did she particularly care if her traveling companions had to deal with such discomfort.
Again the coughing rang out for longer this time and Morrigan sighed and sat up in her tent. She was never going to get back to sleep if this continued. She reached around for the heavy cloak she had purchased in the last village and drew it around her. She then made her way to the flaps of her tent and peered out curiously.
She is hardly surprised to find it was Leliana at the source of the noise. She was huddled near the fire the main group had started earlier in the evening, a linen blanket wrapped around her form. The fool girl had a habit of giving necessities like her heavier clothing to strangers that were facing hardships. Little good the gifts would do them when the whole of Ferelden falls to the blight because the warden and his party had all succumbed to sickness. One can hardly expect to slay an archdemon when their lungs are full of fluid.
No matter, she herself was not immune to such bouts of illness and Flemeth had taught her much about simple remedies for such things. It would hardly be too large a task to track down the herbs she would need to brew something to alleviate the symptoms. She is thankful for the late hour, dawn was still a long ways off and the darkness allows her to dress and slip away from camp unseen.
Her whole life had been spent in the wilder parts of Ferelden and as such she easily tracked down what she needed. Elfroot and Spindleweed were the most important parts the other ingredients were mainly meant to help reduce the horrible taste of the mixture when brewed. She found they didn’t help overly much as it was still a foul thing to be made to consume, however in her experience it produced results.
It takes her little time to amass a sizeable amount of what was needed and she is sure to gather extra. She was certain the bard would not be the only one to fall ill before this doomed quest of theirs was completed and with their current path leading them to orzammar who knew when she would be able to resupply again.
She is able to sneak back into camp with little difficulty and that gives her pause. She was hardly on agreeable terms with Leliana but she could admit the woman was skilled and arguably more competent than the majority of their party. She was typically very sharp and alert when left on watch and had in fact caught Morrigan on multiple occasions sneaking in and out of camp in the form of an animal. Perhaps things were more dire than she initially assumed as clearly, the bard was experiencing more than just an annoying cough.
She adds some fuel to her own small fire away from the group and reignites it giving it a few moments to reach a respectable size before setting to work. The scent of the herbs when boiled and blended together makes her stomach rebel slightly and she does not envy Leliana. Assuming she could get the woman to try it that is. She scoops most of the plant debris out of her pot and fills a tankard with the drink.
She strode over to the other woman who was mid-cough and spoke “Drink this.”
Leliana struggles to catch her breath after the last bout of coughing, and eyes her warily “What is it?”
“A herbal remedy. It will help” Morrigan eyes her critically “Although a few days of rest and warmth would help a lot more.” It surprises her how much the state of the woman worries her. She is flushed, presumably with fever and her eyes are clouded with fatigue. Her breathing is erratic and she can’t seem to pull a full breath in.
Leliana scoffs at her “Let me know if you find the time and place for either and I’ll gladly accept” she hesitantly reaches out for the tankard.
“I advise you hold your nose and drink all of it as quickly as you can. T’is, not a pleasant experience.” Morrigan advises, handing over the drink. Much to her amusement, Leliana doesn’t listen and spits the drink back out. “I warned you. Drink it and perhaps I’ll consider taking your watch.”
Leliana seemed to debate and glanced between her tent and the tankard in her hands. She sighed with resignation and held her nose before she downed the remainder of the liquid. She wretches afterward but avoided actually vomiting.
“You should speak with Wynne” Morrigan’s tone is almost scolding as she settles next to her. “We are only a days travel from the Dwarves. Perhaps we can find the time and coin to rest awhile there.”
Leliana smirks “We? Why Morrigan I'm flattered.”
Morrigan rolls her eyes “I will allow that remark to pass, only because you are clearly delirious from fever.” She hesitates, considering the weight of what she wanted to confess next before deciding it wouldn’t matter in the long run. “I do not relish the thought of having to descend into the deep roads without you. T'is inevitable we will be tasked to do so. The others are hardly as competent and we would be at a great disadvantage without you there.”
Leliana’s eyes go wide and Morrigan makes a point of looking away “T’is the truth but do not think on it too much. You are still a fool and we are not friends.”
Leliana is smiling at her “No, I suppose we are not.” She pauses, clearly thinking about her next words carefully “But we have traveled together long enough that I can admit that I respect you. You are a skilled mage and you have a sharp mind, and our group is better for it.”
There was a moment of silence where Morrigan had no witty comeback or biting remark. A moment where something seemed to settle and she felt things were different.
Morrigan sighs, frustrated by her lack of retort “Get some rest, Leliana. I’ll take the rest of your watch.”
“Thank you, Morrigan” Leliana looked almost pathetically grateful.
“Do not thank me. I was simply already awoken by your incessant coughing and would have been awake anyway.” Her tone was near hostile again as she lashed out. She was unsure of what to do with this new sense of understanding between them that she hadn’t asked for nor wanted.
Leliana merely smiled before she stood and made her way to her tent. Morrigan already regretted so much.