Against the Stars

Summary: Throughout all of Thedas she's been declared the Herald, the savior of their world. And yet, she is still haunted by a past that is catching up to her. [Ocs warning. There will be more than just my Inquisitor]

Prologue

I am afraid to take another step, for it would mean leaving the only life I had ever known. I stare out into the distance. The familiar forest is still, quiet, with white flurries falling to the ground. The trees were still sleeping, with their bark the color of ash and with no new leaves. It would be months before spring swept the land with her warmth. My hands grip the bag strap, my eyes glazed and unfocused, and still quite unsure of what was happening.

I turn halfway around and see the rest of my kinsman watching me, most of them neutral and steady. However, there were some who looked just as confused as I did, and perhaps even a few who were sympathetic. In the front of the crowd of twenty stood a woman, her features mimicking the season surrounding them: snow-white hair and eyes, her posture rigid as ice, and staring at me with a glacial expression. The Keeper. Her eyes meet mine for but a brief moment and I quickly look down at my feet, my hands clutching my bag even tighter than before.

"Keeper, is this really necessary?" said a towering figure next to her, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "She is but a mere child."

The Keeper does not reply, merely stands up straighter, her hands folded behind her back. The tension in the vicinity seems to rise, like a starved cobra lifting its head, ready to strike its vulnerable prey.

"Go," said the woman speaks directly to me. "Go find your own life, da'len."

"Keeper?" the man says.

"The Evanuris have given me a blessing, Falon. There are rules that we must abide by. Every clan that wishes to remain true to the ancient ways keep but three mages in their midst. We have three. We do not need more than that."

The moment she finished her speech, I knew the crowd's doubts were ebbing away. They were, after all, Clan Arthas. The only true Dalish Clan, with a Keeper who not only protected them all from dreaded wolf, but from the rest of the Thedas's corrupted ways. This is what I had been taught since I was a little. Trust The Keeper. For she has seen the wild, destructive world around us. She knows what is at stake. We must give her our loyalty. Our strength.

There was no hope. One last time, my eyes ventured into the familiar faces staring at me. Most of them were now content casting a child into the wintery wilds, with nothing but a pack of food and furs. However, there were still three pairs of eyes that looked at my fate with sadness and remorse. A little girl, with hair the color of straw and eyes too big for her face. Her lips quivered as she buried her head into her mother's shoulders. A teenaged boy stood close them, his bright eyes glistening and his arms crossed. With a free hand, his mother gripped her son's shoulder, squeezing it. The young man's face was unwavering, obviously upset by what was happening but was unable to do anything to stop it.

"Where's Minaeve goin'?" The little girl all but shouted, breaking the silence of the crowd. The Keeper's focus broke as she turned her attention to the family. The mother, her eyebrows furrowed and lips thin, pulled her daughter's face from her shoulder.

"Quill, not now, be silent."

"Listen to your mother, asa'var'lin," The Keeper says, her tones cool. "Should you find yourself joining your precious cousin."

Quill looked ready to jump to my defense, but her mother clamped a hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her. The boy continued to stare at me, unsettled by the situation behind him. And in one last fleeting moment, I remembered the happier times spent in spring, where I taught Quill to catch frogs, how her brother taught me how to create fire, and how their mother kissed me goodnight. And then the moment was gone. I took a step forward, and found, hands still tightly gripping the bag, running into the safety and open-arms of the wilderness.

Author's Note:

This was a prologue to my story from the perspective of Minaeve (the elf from Haven that was cast away from her clan). She's NOT the main character in the story, but this was a good way to introduce the setup. Er, the next chapter is going to have all the characters you love :D Like solas, and varric and other people in the game. And it is written, I'm just doing some final edits. :D In fact, most of the story has been written, so YAY. Yup, give me some feedback b/c that would be AWESOME. I have dyslexia (which is totally not excuse but I'm just letting you know) so I WILL have mistakes in this.