AN: Yes. It's another Idea and admittedly rather rough to just get it out. I wanted to mess with the whole Dalish sending away someone if they have more than two mages, and templar's looking for young apostates to drag to the circle. Of course, because I can't help it, this is a planned Solasmance starting pre-conclave and do not expect it to make canon sense I'm just indulging. Names etc taken from Project Elvhen which is a fantastic resource.

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They named her Saeris, the unending dream. For in her was the first time it appeared that Elven blood could counter the human heritage that always turned any mixed child fully human with no sign of their elven parent. Saeris was born to an elfblooded man who had been accepted more or less by the Dalish, and one of their halla tenders. No one knew what to make of the babe with the slightly rounded ears that still clearly had a point to them at first. Her eyes were still larger, more luminous like an elf's but her frame was not quite so tiny even as a babe. It had been something of a large event to clan Lavellan.

Saeris though, was a quiet if friendly child more interested in sitting at the feet of her elders and pleading to learn the letters at their keeper's side. Because everyone needed a place in the tribe she was learning to tend to the halla with her mother along with the usual chores every child had. Seeking where she would belong, to best grow with them. She had a gift it turned out, with carving and painting the designs that coated their aravells. Even at a tender age her hands were steady and the ideas she held were luminous from her imagination. Perhaps it was what should have been the first warning sign. Since Saeris was clever and had spent so long happily sitting with the many elders, she had not thought to show any of them what she could do when out gathering the herbs or branches for the fires. After all, she had heard the tales. Knew that bad things lurked in the dreams to snare the unwary, the dread wolf tracking their footsteps.

When first she'd answered the old 'The dread wolf needs only to catch your scent once, little halla..' that they told all the children, five of them in total for Saeris' generation; they had not responded to her suggestion of hiding in a river or offering him food instead very well. It had been the first time she could remember her elders scolding her for doing something that wasn't a clear bad idea in the first place.

So Saeris learned before she was very old at all, to keep her mouth shut and look for what answers people wanted to hear. Her own mother was sweet, but quiet. Sometimes she'd draw her near and whisper tales to her making Saeris pledge to never tell even the keeper or her father. Tales of ancient Arlathan and magic that flowed like breathing, tales of her grandfather who slept forever but had passed on the legend of the Lord of Secrets to his daughter on one of the only visits. When she was seven years of age her mother finally answered why they couldn't take her to see grandfather.

"When he heard I had fallen in love with an elfblooded human..he refused to acknowledge me as his child. Cast me aside. I was to leave my name behind then and he damned me for being less..devoted..to the past than my mother was. I do not think he ever got over that she died of sickness.." her fingers had trailed over the blue markings of her Vallaslin then sadly. "I was tempted to go, to tell him of you. That your father was the child of a line of those with elfin parentage as so many shunned them but they were always welcome amongst the Chasind..he was certain that the blood of the people would be drowned in you as so many others." And then soft fingers were rubbing over Saeris's softly pointed ears and making her relax, the pleasant feeling of her ears being rubbed like that of one of the Chasind hounds she'd met when her father had taken her with him to trade with a tribe of them. They had originally been his people.

"You don't think he'd like me?"

"I don't think he'd give himself the chance to realize how much we love you, how special you are. Usually they are like your father, perhaps a slight brightening of the eyes, a touch more grace, but always human in appearance. Never before has a child with the lineage of human within them seemed to be regaining the traits of the people, but none can doubt your eyes my Saeris. They are the exact shape and hue of my own father."

She was ten when her Father fell ill, as her grandmother had. Her mother beside herself with grief was off to seek out some herb the Keeper had sent her for, leaving Saeris to wipe her father's brow with a cold cloth. When she finally returned empty handed she sat beside her daughter, observing the sleeping form of her husband.

"Will I die too? From getting sick like Father is, and grandmother was?" Saeris asked, afraid. She'd seen death of course, the hunters insisted each child know how to set snares and kill what they caught but it was different from a rabbit or squirrel.

"No." Her mother said softly, hand trailing down the blankets shakily. "Maybe. Your grandmother tried to enter Uthenerra..to see. To learn. The mixture you need to take first if not a dreamer can be dangerous to someone without enough magic in their blood and while my mother was a strong mage, not enough it seems..."

"Why is father sick then, mamae?" Saeris had asked concerned and her mother had smiled softly.

"Some times dear, people just get sick..and your father may look young as a gift from his elf blood but he was not when I met him."

Saeris had looked at her father then, truly looked. She'd always thought he just had white hair like how some of her friends were born with it, and the wrinkles were hidden in his Vallaslin to Egar'nan branching over all his face. "Is father a hahren then?"

"You didn't pick up on that, my little wild one?"

"No."

"Yes, your father had been wed once before me but never had children. She died in childbirth. When we bonded.." Saeris leaned into her mother then and heard tales of her parents courtship all over again, her eyes slowly growing heavy. When she came to the next day her father had passed. Without her father there, for the first time Saeris felt aware of how different she was from the other elves. Without his frame, still lean for a human, Saeris was now the only 'rounded ear' there. Even though hers still had a point they were much smaller, much less sharp. She could hide her ears with her hair fairly easily. She was a bit less frail looking than her year mates as well.

Saeris sought solitude out in the woods and the wilds, knowing that her father had come from the Chasind originally and some of the rituals they had was to spend time remembering their lost ones away from others. At ten years of age she was considered skilled enough as most children and not watched over too much as long as she stayed a days trek in the area. Back before dark began. It was while napping against a tree in a dappled glen that she dreamed differently. She'd always had interesting dreams featuring the tales she had been told, but she'd never watched events happening that she had no idea of. She'd been content to watch the campers wandering about and discussing things in a tongue she did not know, human by the look of them.

"What are you doing, wandering here?" It was not an upset voice, but a curious one. A strange figure that reminded Saeris of a long limb cat if not for the humanoid form. It didn't move correctly though.

"I'm watching the strange humans. What are you?"

"I'm Curious."

"You can watch with me. I can't understand them. What do you think they are saying?"

It was such an innocent exchange that would shake her world.

()()()()()()()()

It turned out, Curious was indeed, Curiosity and the spirit had been entertained when the child had revealed she thought the spirit had implied it was curious about what was happening, not that it was naming it's nature. That had led to a lot of lessons when she slept and it turned out curiosity was a close cousin of patience. One had to be patient to learn about what you were trying to understand after all, even if excited and eager. Being that even Curiosity had never heard of an elfblooded and elf child who looked actually blended, by all accounts the human usually won out, she had an ever present friend in her dreams.

Curiosity taught her not just to question but when to be quiet because others would then give you more information, answering things you did not know to ask. Patience had followed in time, pleased at whatever it found in her memories which she had given both spirits permission to teach her how to share with them. It was bittersweet watching those moments with her father all over again. Patience was also the one who urged caution, patience in sharing information, in revealing too much. In approaching others even when Curiosity urged the opposite. So Saeris told no one of her abilities, of her dreams.

Of how in those dreams Curiosity was teaching her to twist and pull at her powers when not in the camp because Patience insisted they wait and be safe. Sometimes the two spirits would argue and it would always amuse Saeris. There were other spirits of course, lesser ones with and without names, ones that were more like memories of people that had been, some just beasts that flickered about. The realm of dreaming in the Fade was often as widely diverse as the mind could make it, and a child's mind drew many curious lesser forms.

It helped, because the other children were avoiding her now and the adults were looking at her uneasily as she grew. She was already a head taller than her peers, her ears never grew longer, there was the beginnings of puberty happening but Saeris had more of a waist developing than an elf at her age hinting that she would take more after the humans. Her mother was frowning more often, spending any time not with Saeris with the halla and their head carer.

"I was rejected for whom I fell in love with simply because he carried human blood, by my father. I'll not stand by their shunning you for something you could not help."

"Father loved us." Saeris insisted one time, trying to comfort her mother. "I'm proud to be of his blood too."

Her mother had kissed her forehead.

()()()()()()()()

Almost a year after her father died, Curiosity encouraged her to experiment if alone while awake Saeris tried to mimic the exercise she had just been working on the previous time asleep. It was something simple, she breathed out and wind would pick up and stir the leaves nearby, whirling a gentle gale. One of the Hunter's saw her and the ensuing chaos in the clan was enough to make her wish she had time to use one of Patience's exercises in meditation.

The simple version was not only was there already a Keeper and a First but a Second who was in training temporarily from another clan until they met back up in a few years. There was certainly no room for a fourth mage when the only reason they temporarily had a third was that Clan Lavellan was fairly open minded. Saeris' mother wasted no time in packing them both, having seen the heartbroken expression on her child's face as the whispers and looks about the 'bad news of that human blooded girl, certainly Fen'Harel will seek her out. Even Mythal wouldn't take her on. Not really of the people..' And so on. Everything nasty that had until then never been said to their faces.

"Your father was once Chasind before he left on a quest after his first wife died. They knew of me, we visited once before you were in my womb. He'd taken you a time or two..They'll take us in."

"Even though we're Dalish?" Saeris had asked curiously.

"We're kin." Had been her mother's simple answer. It turned out, she was correct. They'd been given one of the halla as a parting gift in thanks for all her mother had done for Clan Lavellan, but they left almost everything behind for the clan. Traveling light was better and since the only things besides a few items from Saeris's father that the young girl wished to have were books? Well, the Keeper would never part with those.

Terys Lavellan though had fidgeted and snuck her his own training book on the language, what little they had. "Sorry.." He'd mumbled and Saeris had just nodded. Once, they'd stumbled over the ancient language together. He was young for training to be First, but Saeris couldn't be upset. Even if he seemed to have not wanted to be around her much since her father died.

"Thank you."

"..write?"

"If I can figure out where to send it." She'd agreed and the two children had shaken hands. Saeris hadn't realized how much everyone hadn't been touching her until then and pulled Terys into a hug.

She didn't look back, at her mother's urging. "Always move forward, look forward, Saeris." Her mother soothed her as she walked beside the halla with her child on it. "My father only ever spoke of and looked to the past, and it made him bitter. Remember, we cannot change the past."

"Just learn from it?" Saeris asked, used to this topic with her mother.

"Indeed."

()()()()()()()()

Living with the Chasind was not that different. There were new rules, new gods. New superstitions and the ways they used magic made Saeris thrilled. It was rough and uncouth and it felt fantastic. Curiosity didn't visit often, never really had but to a lonely child each moment had been a milestone, but when it returned there was much to discuss. New ideas created. The Chasind thought nothing of creating new techniques, they felt each person had their own way and needed to find it. Her mother seemed happy, there were no halla there but there was a slew of hounds and horses. Chasind not only had Mabari at times that they bred from wild dogs they had slowly domesticated and then traded with more 'civilized' areas for. They often mixed them with the truly wild canines, and wolves. They had a special name for those creatures once bred to the ideal mix of ferocious independence and loyalty.

Twiceblooded.

The coincidence had made Saeris beam. "like me!"

A roaring laugh of approval from the resident shaman and nod, before the old snaggle toothed man had crouched down, turning her head one way then the other. "Like you. That is a good use name. Earn it."

Saeris found life among the Kocari wilds hard but enthralling. She played in swampy water and over rocks, tracked birds and rabbits to bring back to help feed everyone and learned new ways to use her magic. One day she ran into an old woman with scraggly gray hair who looked down at her.

"Well now. What have we here. A little lostling?"

There was power pouring out of the old woman even if she wasn't doing so actively and Saeris's eyes went wide. She knew whom this had to be, every Chasind knew of her.

"Flemeth?"

"What if I am? What if not? I suppose it's as much my name as any other. And who are you girl?"

"I'm the unending dream seeking to earn my name." She replied cheekily.

"Hm. Are you now. Digging through muck and mire for a name?"

"No I have my name, the shaman told me I already learned it but I won't earn it for a long time."

"Humor me girl. My own brat is not yet back from gathering frogs for my stew pot." Flemeth's lips curved into an amused smile, a mother with a sharp tongue but Flemeth was spoken of fondly, if a bit fearfully reverent by the Chasind and Curiosity had been her friend long enough for good reason.

"On which of my names? Or does it matter? Can't you pluck them from the sky and make them dance in fire?"

"I see that old Brunhilda tells tales still tall as the mountains beneath the seas. Both or stop wasting my time with the flapping of your gums. There's breeze enough in these wilds."

"Saeris, seeking to earn Twiceblooded, Flemeth."

That dark gaze went sharp suddenly and the magic heavy and still. "Saeris is not Chasind.."

"Do you speak the language of the people?" Saeris asked, for few knew what the name meant. Not even the Keeper who had spoken a great deal of ancient elvhen, just accepted her mother's excuse that it was a name from her father's line.

"What do you know of the people, Saeris? Do you know what your name means?"

"I am the unending dream. And I am one of the people." Saeris insisted, crossing her arms unaware of the hurt that bloomed over her young face, barely even twelve years of age now.

"Let me look at you.." Flemeth encouraged with a hand out, crouching low. Saeris was curios as to the softer tone that Flemeth's voice had now and went to her without fear. Slowly hands went to trace down her forehead, her nose. Swept under her eyes that up close showed they were not human, a bit brighter than most elves but still vibrantly golden like citrine. Her hair was darker underneath and brighter on top with brilliant highlights from all the time she spent outdoors, a reddish blonde in copper hues. Finally, Flemeth moved the braids she wore and lifted up the hair pulled over her ears into the high ponytail.

"Well...twiceblooded you said.." And it was as if the mountains breathed, curiosity and wonder. Ancient and something in Saeris was aware this was important.

"My father was elfblooded human, Chasind.."

"And your mother of the people.." Flemeth finished for her, fingers shaking ever so slightly.

"You can touch them, it doesn't hurt." Saeris answered her. Flemeth breathed out and then did so, achingly tender in her touch before she drew back.

"I've never heard of nor witnessed the like. It should not be, when mixed the other lines always drove down that of the people.."

"Mother said it's why she called me Saeris. Because it does not end in me."

"Wise woman, your mother. What is her name?"

"I don't know. When Grandfather refused to acknowledge her anymore because of my father she said she left her name behind. She goes by Da'halla now."

"I see.." Flemeth chuckled then. "I would like to have you meet my daughter some day, but I'll give you another use name. One to keep secret. Can you keep a secret?"

"I have lots of them no one living knows." Saeris agreed and that made Flemeth laugh loudly, a cackle that was half mad and half delightful to witness.

"Oh the heaven's are going to shatter from you! Hmm but already named for a dreamer in plain sight, perhaps your mother suspected or dreamed of it and forgot while you grew inside her...listen carefully then, da'len, and do not share this with anyone. You will know when you have earned this name..I call you Sulemtarsylnin, Stormbringer."

With that Saeris felt as if there was a physical weight to her shoulder's now, it was not unwelcome, but as if the mantle was real and she could pluck at it. Curious she looked at her arms, held them up and then back at Flemeth who raised a brow. "What is it, feel a chill of fate?"

"No but when you said that it felt like something fell on me. Like a blanket."

Flemeth chuckled. "You've strong magic to you girl, I can sense it in you crackling and blazing looking for a way out. I've given you a clue as to where to look to direct it."

"Storms.."

"Yes. A bit obvious but you are young." But there was curves to Flemeth's tone that reminded her of Curiosity, especially when it was smug. Like when it had revealed that by exposing her to so many lesser spirits, ones most did not even consider true spirits, they hid her 'scent' from the demons where usually a dreamer child would draw them near.

"You're being sneaky and hiding something to my name behind the obvious."

"Ha! Come brat, you are definitely meeting my Morrigan.."

()()()()()()()()()()

Morrigan and Saeris got along wretchedly well. Meaning under Flemeth's watchful eye they proceeded to tussle, shove mud in each other's hair, bite each other, and fling half mastered spells before smirking at each other through black eyes and damaged clothing. It was the first time Saeris had a friend who could give better than they took and wasn't afraid of anything. They were more rivals than friends, and any time Flemeth got them together she seemed content to just observe and laugh as they threw themselves into their respective studies to try and outdo the other. Two little not even teenagers yet all but going mad attacking each other. When tired they'd discuss notes and snark on Morrigan's side seemed to roll right over Saeris without ruffling her feathers or hurting her feelings. Nor was Saeris angry the first time Morrigan turned into a giant spider and gave her a dry bite, she just asked to learn to change her shape as well. Morrigan though had a year on her and Flemeth said until her own maturity had settled in it was best to wait, that her blood complicated things. Morrigan had wanted to ask but Flemeth had started tossing spells at both of them, declaring in that action the topic off limits and the ancient crone never missed.

At least Flemeth would heal her halfway before dropping her back off at the Chasind camp. The first time she'd limped in and begged the old shaman to teach her how to heal herself, her mother had been panicked. When she said Flemeth was kidnapping her to train with her daughter it was odd how every single person there pretended to no longer worry or care, even her mother. It seemed the great witch of the wild's still held her rank as one you did not mess with.

()()()()()()()()

It was ironically Flemeth's toying with the Templar's, Morrigan had told her of the games they played with them, that ended up with Saeris waking up exhausted, aching, and feeling as if her soul had been cut away on the back of a horse with her hands and feet tied. The Templar's had found her. A possibility her mother had stressed on since they first left Clan Lavellan three years prior. If she was ever taken or confronted by Templar's, Da'halla had begged Saeris to go to the circle instead of fight back and risk death.

"I'd rather you chained and alive with a chance to escape...promise me my love.."

"But you'd never know, mamae."

"I'd know you live. Somehow, a mother always knows."

Closing her eyes again she swallowed down the pride and fighting desire she'd learned with the Chasind, the bits of ferocity she'd become comfortable in her magic with Morrigan and Flemeth. Right now she needed to be Saeris Lavellan once more, quiet and observant and draw on Patience's teachings. The first one..information.

"Sir?"

"What is it?" One of the Templar's asked as she looked up from where she'd been sat by the fire, still bound. One of the female's had taken her to attend to other things but since then she'd been clearly in one spot.

"May I ask what is to become of me?"

Slowly the Templar looked her over, setting down the hard tack he had been chewing on. "You aren't going to start the whole screaming and crying part?"

"I can recognize the symbols you wear, so I am going to a circle? I just wish to be sure." She asked, trying to keep calm and respectful but knew fear was in her voice.

"Yes. You have a chance to prove yourself deserving of such. You're young enough I doubt those chasind barbarians taught you their ways yet."

Misdirect. Flemeth had insisted she and Morrigan learn to feed answers without actually lying. "My mother and I are from a clan of Dalish. Are the circle's so different?"

As she hoped the atmosphere was a little less hostile, she knew she looked terribly young, likely closer to eight instead of thirteen in her face and the loose attire she wore helped with that. Savage elves were less offensive to most than savage humans, at least among the humans. Which was odd because according to Flemeth all the Fereldan's had once been from the Chasind clans.

"You don't look like a knife ear."

"Father was elf blooded but allowed to live with the clan, before he died." She answered honestly, yes they didn't have ones like her but maybe it was just because she was the first mix like that. Maybe it was her mother's line or her fathers, or maybe it was just like her they hid their ears.

"So you're part human." Not surprising that they seemed to warm up to her. Barbarian humans bad but elf with a bit of human was tolerable if still less than human? People were confusing. It wasn't like the color of her hair or eyes defined her but what ran in her veins?

The constant subjecting to an admittedly very gentle smiting was highly unpleasant. When she finally whimpered at the feeling of being cut off from the fade she took a risk, unable to take another day on this journey feeling as if the air could not be breathed.

"Is there anything that would have you not do that? It hurts.."

"We can't risk your falling to a demon."

"how would I do that?" She asked, honestly baffled. It was a great and terrible decision as she was then lectured for hours on the Chant of Light. Honestly she had never heard it before and so at least by asking questions, very confused as they were, seemed to be winning the favor of the templars. The next time she was due for a smite she was spared. The lectures were dry and boring and made no sense at all, but it was infinitely better than feeling she was missing a limb. She did her best to pay attention. It helped that among Dalish and Chasind both most the learning was verbal, and same with Flemeth. Saeris just retained things better when they were spoken to her.

Although she really did not know why they revered a god who apparently ignored them. She'd never really understood that about her own people though either. At least the Chasind were more worried about too much attention from gods not too little.