Loghain had been eating. Things were fine. Until the table began to crumble between the little family of three (Echo included). Morrigan snatched the little magic-bearer child that they were, for the moment, raising. The girl felt like her magic and nothing else, save for her flesh, felt very real. It wasn't the child. And it was not Morrigan.
Depositing Echo across the room of the small hut in the Wilds, Morrigan moved to stand in front of her lover. Husband, if she believed in marriage, but she did not. Okay... so you've got negation. Fitting, I guess. Stop panicking. She warned him, already seeing visible panic in his features. Walk behind me and touch nothing. She stated, leading him out of the hut, through the front door, and into the Wild marshes that she much preferred to call home.
These marshes had seen every kind of magic known to man. And even more than that.
Loghain hadn’t noticed anything that different about himself when he’d first been resurrected, though there’d been so much going on at the time what with waking up to a passed out Morrigan, that perhaps he just hadn’t noticed at the time, but as the days turned to weeks, things had begun happening around him.
As the table began to crumble, at first he looked to Echo, then to Morrigan, as he pushed his chair back from the table, but then Morrigan looked at him and told him he had negation magic. His eyes went wide and suddenly he was no longer sure what to do, afraid to move his hands for fear of making something else crumble. At least Morrigan seemed confident in knowing what the fuck to do. He got up and followed her, trying to look less panicked, but probably not succeeding.
What’s going on? Is this another side effect of you bringing me back? He asked, he was too freaked out to mentally check first if he was asking a stupid question that he could have figured out on his own.
No. Not because I brought you back—that price was your memory. Of the thing he loved the most, if she had to guess. Which stung; she had once been the most-loved thing in Loghain's life. But only fitting it was their daughter who replaced her on that pedestal.
Non-mages have been acquiring magic since the Veil was removed, some five or six years ago. She explained, carefully.
So magic attached itself to me when I came back? He wasn’t sure how he felt about this, at least he had Morrigan to help him, but the idea of being able to do magic, especially negation magic, felt a bit freaky. He felt a bit like he was trying to learn to tame and ride a freaking dragon, as wild as it all was and as little control over it as he had.
He grimaced, glancing back towards their home as he continued to follow Morrigan. **But why negation magic? Is there a reason for that, or is it just random?** He asked, his voice betraying a hint of the uncertainty and fear that he was feeling. He was suddenly wishing he’d paid more attention to how mages came into their magic.
Probably random. But it's my favorite magic, so stop worrying about it. She reached out to pull his hand into hers, even though the magic bit at her flesh. Just think 'stop'. Like you're dealing with an unruly child. She instructed,
Loghain took a deep breath, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts in his head. Alright, just think 'stop'. I can do that. He muttered to himself, squeezing Morrigan's hand for reassurance. He still felt like he was taming a dragon, but at least now he had a starting point.
He took another deep breath, focusing on Morrigan's words. Stop. He whispered, trying to exert some control over the unfamiliar power within him. He closed his eyes and muttered stop again, unsure if anything was happening, and afraid to open his eyes to see what might be happening around them.
Morrigan chuckled quietly, as he squeezed her hand. She linked their fingers, and leaned against him; his first try to stop nothing stopped at all. And she sighed at him, before she moved to stand in front of him.
When I squeeze your hand, think about... slamming a door closed, over your magic. Like you're shutting the door in someone's face. You don't want to talk to them, so you stop talking to them by closing the door. She squeezed his hand, and waited to feel his magic reside.
Loghain looked at Morrigan with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Her instructions were clear, but the concept of controlling magic through such a metaphor seemed foreign to him. Nevertheless, he trusted her expertise and was willing to give it a try.
He took a deep breath, focusing on Morrigan's hand in his. As she squeezed his hand, he attempted to envision the act of slamming a door closed, shutting off his magic as if shutting out an unwanted visitor. It was a strange analogy, but Loghain concentrated, trying to mimic the mental image Morrigan had suggested.
After a moment, he felt a subtle shift within him, a sensation akin to drawing in his energies, like retracting a wave back into the ocean. It wasn't perfect, but there was a noticeable difference in the flow of his magic.
Well, that's... different, Loghain remarked cautiously, still processing the sensation. He looked at Morrigan with a hint of appreciation, acknowledging her guidance. It seems I still have much to learn from you. The understatement of the decade.
Morrigan grinned, You think I'd ever be done teaching you things, Loghain? I've gotta keep you entertained, after all, she murmured, teasingly. She, did not, have to keep the man entertained to keep his interest in her.
He'd found his way back to her at every chance, and she was reminded of that by the fact he stood in front of her now. We'll start proper lessons, soon. But for now... let's rest.
Loghain smirked, a rare glint of amusement crossing his otherwise stoic expression. Ah, Morrigan, always one for keeping me on my toes, he replied, his voice low and laced with a hint of playful sarcasm. He took a step closer, his gaze meeting hers with a mixture of fondness and a lingering intensity that spoke of their shared history. Proper lessons, hm? I suppose I'll have to see what you have in store for me this time, he added, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
He reached out, lightly brushing a lock of hair away from her face, a gesture both tender and perhaps a little possessive, but whenever they found their way back to each other, it was a reminder at how their fates were intertwined. Rest sounds good, he agreed, his tone softening as he pulled her closer. I’ll check and see how Echo is getting on, he murmured, he never imagined he’d be learning magic one day, but it was what it was and he would simply learn to adapt.
