Kahlé was a calm child, she never cried and never fought for a toy with her cousins. She was always extremely close to Shianni, "almost attached at the hip" their parents would say. All of the children have each other nicknames, "Shi" and "Ka." They weren't always creative, but Kahlé and Shianni would give the kids they didn't like names of gross foods they had to eat in the poor alienage. When the adults looked away, human guards pushed and picked on tiny Ka for her sometimes abrasive language and hard voice, but Shianni came to her rescue and fought tooth and nail to get her out. Kahlé was not necessarily shy, but she was quiet and kept to herself if she didn't find interest in who ever or whatever. When she had a crush or saw something of her desire, she zeroed in and dove for it without too much thought. Boys in the alienage were prey, and Ka was a self trained predator. Later these skills became useful for her as a rogue, and her hunting was no longer limited to playing with boys.
Her mother died before she could remember much about her, just her smile and the twinkle in her eyes that Ka's father had said she shared with her. Despite never being around her, every swift movement and coarse laugh, family friends said was exactly like her late mother.
The elves of the alienage were used to abuse by the nobles, guards or even the occasional Templar that rummaged through them looking for young mages. The day she was meant to be married, though, Kahlé never could have foreseen the damage a few people with power are capable of
"Wake up cousin, you're not the one hung over and I'm already up." Shianni's habits tended to rub off on her cousin, but excessive drinking was not one of them. "Someone's getting married," she pulled out dull orange cloth from a drawer "and they need to look their best." Shi held the firmly to Ka's chest, fitting the corners to her shoulders and the last few inches before her waist. Kahlé was excited to meet someone new, and probably spend the rest of her life with. "I don't know how you do it, cousin" She said, "I couldn't have some man in charge of me." She scoffed, and Kahlé just sleepily nodded in response. "Soon you'll be having babies! How are you going to survive when you can't sleep 20 hours a day?" Shianni teased, cupping Ka's exhausted expression in her rough hands. "I'll always be here to help you, Ka. So will your father and Soris, even though Soris is also getting married today." Kahlé giggled at the thought of Soris being a father, when while he was still little he consistently lost his "pet" rock. I'm the one going to have to help him, she thought, I'll be just fine
Even though she wasn't ecstatic to be losing her freedom to some toddler, she knew her wild streak wasn't going to help anybody in the alienage survive or improve their living conditions. Especially the fighting her and the other young elves would engage, it was innocent wooden sword and stick dagger practice but she lived for the thrill of battle and tactic. Now she was going to be living a different kind of thrill, the dull and difficult life all in the alienage were doomed to live due to poverty
She walked around with Soris, talking about their bride and groom to be. She hoped their children would become friends, that they would share the same bond that Kahlé, Shianni and Soris have. She was still daydreaming when a new voice interrupted her, calling her by her full name rather than a nickname. She looked up, a strong yet kind face looking down on her.
"You're Kahlé, right? I'm Nelaros." His kind manner eased any anxiousness she felt, not to mention he was easy to look at.
"Yes, I assume you're my fiancé," she smiled brightly with her one jagged tooth extending outward, "my friends call me Ka." Kahlé winked at Soris and pulled her new fiancé's arm, bringing him to her favorite hiding places.
"And this is my favorite spot to harass people from," she said casually. They were on the roof of one of the taller buildings, unkempt vines and bushy hedges obscured the view or any onlookers. She took a deep breath, taking in the green fragrances and the smell of rusty metal. She was reminded of all of the times she raced up here and nearly cut herself, slicing open pieces of her clothing instead. Her mind became filled with images of her future children, following her up the vines with steady encouragement.
"I know you must like me immensely, but I can't imagine that smile is because of me." She dropped suddenly out of her happy haze, and made eye contact with him. He's been patient with her pulling him along so far, something he would have to get used to eventually. "Is it weird that this is weird for me? Are you okay, you seem kinda quiet. I hope it isn't because of me." Ka laughed, he was as anxious now as she was earlier.
"No, I'm always like this. I get caught up in dreaming and thinking. It's kind of my safe place, away from all of these problems of the alienage. I've never seen much outside of this place, I can't even begin to imagine what kind of problems there are." He stared, with the corners of his mouth up in a grin, at her and waited for her to finish talking.
"I'm glad I'm marrying you," Kahlé grinned even harder right back.
"Good thing we agree on that.
As they finished whatever basic getting to know each other they could do, they headed back for the cereomony. As far around as she could see, flowers were strewn across the ground precariously, wherever she stepped her feet were padded by soft petals. A stage had been set up where Soris and his bride were already standing awkwardly three feet apart, talking in small snippets of different variations of "how's the weather?" She walked up the steps slowly with her husband to be, hand in hand, soaking in every minute of the day that's meant to be one of the happiest of her life. The eyes of the crowd felt like rays of sun on her skin, radiating joy and hope for their future together. They only spoke in smiles, knowing any talking would be drowned out by their surroundings even if they tried. As she stared into Nelaros's eyes, she felt her breathing hitch in her throat when a familiar tone rang above the noise. It was hissing voice of the noble most famously known for harassing the elves of Denerim, Vaughan. Kahlé and Shianni had many too close for comfort confrontations with his lackeys, only a couple of which were of their provocation. She looked over to where Shi had been standing, her eyes were focused solely on the group of shems approaching.
Kahlé's heart began to pump harder, she shrunk into a defensive crouch and began working her way through the crowd to where Shianni stood. Shianni wasn't a warrior by any means, she had her bow but she never took up the ways of combat like Ka did. She squeezed Shi's hand, and saw her visibly relax. Shianni would fight for her, but it wasn't something she relished in. Eventually Kahlé brought herself to the front and stood next to Valendrian, the alienage elder. Her frame was short and lithe, but she could fight just as well as any bruiser he could bring out. All she had to was avoid direct hits, she had a high tolerance for pain but the body can only take so much. The conflict hadn't even begun and her brain was already swimming with moves she could make, her mind like a chess board. The noble was king, and his minions the knights and pawns. The visibly intoxicated noble walked forward sloppily, with every step her snarl widened. Her hands tightened around her daggers, and the Valendrian placed an unsure hand on her tense shoulder
"Why wasn't I invited to the party? I own most of these buildings." His eyes were glossy and the grin on his face mocked the crowd of scared elves. "It's a shame when knife ears get married, because I still get to pick whoever," his gaze slowly scanned every woman and girl in the crowd, "I want." Shianni pushed through the people, aggressively wanting to be at the front. A few tried to keep her back, but to no avail. Her shoulders brushed by Kahlé and before she realized it Shi was front and center before the noble. She spat as she spoke, the anger dripping from her words. Ka watched the noble raise his hand, and before she could command her body her protective instincts took over. Ka snatched the hand from the air before it reached, Shianni's face but she remained braced for impact. Kahlé stared in the face of the shocked noble, which quickly soured. She couldn't hear what he began shouting in her face over the thumping of her heart, but she could see he wasn't happy. The world slowed down around her, and the nobles jaw continued moving. Above the overwhelming noise, she listened to Shianni shouting her name. She had never heard her name in that tone before, desperate and afraid. As she turned her eyes away from the nobles face, a white knuckled fist was coming for her face. There was nothing she could do before everything went black.