Embrace ~ Theron Mahariel

Ar Him Vhen,
Na'lin Dar Ma'lin,
Na'nehn Dar Ma'nehn,
Ma'mi Dar Na'mi,
Sah'lin…

Ar Him Vhen,
Na'lin Dar Ma'lin,

The song went on all night long, in the voices of every clan member, until the first cry of the newborn was heard. His arrival was embraced by the Elvhen.

A new twig had sprouted to replace the branch they'd lost.

"Theron!"

Ashalle shielded her eyes from the sun. Where was the boy? "Theron!" she called again. They had only been in that part of the woods for a few days. But it was unlike the boy to disappear like this. Surely Tamlen had something to do with it…

She heard the rustling of some leaves behind her, and two young faces emerged. Tamlen's mischievous eyes smiled at Ashalle.

"Why do you always sound so worried, Asha? Theron and I already know this part of the woods like the palm of our hands!" He came out from behind the bushes, struggling with the shortbow that most children got from Master Ilen.

"The back!" Theron corrected him in a whisper.

"Like the back of our hands!" Tamlen said.

Ashalle sighed. "Come, da'len. The hunters came back some time ago. The meal is ready, and the other children are waiting for you."

"We'll be hunting some rabbits tomorrow!" Tamlen said excitedly.

"Will you prepare them for us if we get some, Ashalle?" Theron gazed up at the tall woman. "Please?"

Ashalle chuckled. "If you become hunters, you'll also have to learn to skin the animals, emm'len," she said, patting Theron's red-haired head.

"Eww, I think I'll pass," said Tamlen.

"I'll try to learn, Ashalle," Theron said, "so that I can skin both my preys and Tamlen's, if he doesn't want to do that."

"You're lucky to have a friend like Theron, da'assan," the woman said to the other boy.

"I know that," Tamlen grinned, and passed an arm around Theron's shoulders. "He's the best friend I could ever have."

They'd hunted a boar.

Instead of proud looks and congratulations, Keeper Marethari had told them off.

"You put yourselves in great danger!"

"I don't understand, Keeper," Theron said softly. "The animal wasn't a great challenge-"

"True! We really had no difficulty-" Tamlen added.

Marethari crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not about the animal. It is about you two, running unnecessary risks. You truly act like shemlen." The woman scoffed. "When will you understand that you are more important to the clan than any animal? And that boar… He surely escaped from the grounds of Gwaren. You know what can happen to us if the humans discover this…"

Theron bowed her head. "We understand, Keeper. We're sorry."

"It won't happen again," Tamlen mumbled.

"It will happen again, shem'assan," Marethari sighed. "I know you too well, Tamlen. I ask you, I entreat you, to help us with the preservation of the clan. You are still too young to go hunting with the others. Be patient, da'len. Your time will come."

"Yes, Keeper," Tamlen murmured, lowering his head.

Theron put a hand over his friend's shoulder. "Keeper," he asked politely, "can we give the boar to our brothers? As a token for intruding in their hunting initiation."

Marethari smiled. "Of course, Theron. Ma serannas. Tell Alihn to prepare it for them. And help him." Theron nodded and patted Tamlen on the back, signaling him to exit Marethari's tent.

As they walked away, Tamlen gave Theron a little push. Theron turned around and pushed Tamlen back. Tamlen laughed and shoved Theron, before running away. Theron laughed and ran after him. Marethari watched them from her tent and couldn't help smiling at the sight of the two lads.

They were young and impetuous, although she could see that Theron showed the same selflessness and respect that his father had embodied. She sighed. Watching over the clan hadn't been easy, but during the last Arlathvhen the other Keepers had commended her labour. The Sabrae had managed to gather quite a bit of the lost lore, which was always invaluable for the Dalish. It was because of this that the clans had decided that Marethari would train the gifted child of the Alerion clan, Merrill, in the ancient Dalish magic.

It had taken some time for the lass to adapt to the climate of the region and the rhythm of the Sabrae. Marethari had heard her crying in her tent many nights. It had been Theron who had taken an interest in her, and he had asked the other girls to include her in their activities. As Paivel had said, Theron had managed to 'get her out of her shell'.

"Those two will end up bonding, Keeper. Trust me," he'd told her one afternoon, chuckling.

"He's still too young," Marethari said. His initiation would not take place for a few more years. When the time came, she would consider it. Even though he was especially nice to the lass, he didn't seem particularly interested in her as a vhenan'ara – to him, everybody was a friend.

For the moment, Theron would run free and unburdened of the plans that his elders had in store for him.

"Where is your mind, lethallin?" Tamlen cut a piece of deer's heart and offered it to Theron. It had been their first real hunt together, and it had been so plentiful that the clan had held a feast in their honour.

Theron cast a quick look at him but said nothing. Tamlen knew that it had to be serious. Theron wasn't usually this secretive. He patiently waited until his friend had finished eating and followed him to another campfire, since it was their duty to keep the fire roaring that night.

"Ashalle has told me that the Keeper is considering…" Theron stopped talking and watched the fire.

Tamlen poked him in the arm. "What?"

"Well… She wants me to bond with Merrill." He didn't sound happy at all.

"Oh…" Tamlen nodded. "I see." He looked back to the place where most of them were singing. Merrill was sitting with them, but her mind was obviously somewhere else. "At least she's easy on the eyes," he observed.

Theron grimaced and groaned. "It's not that. I don't love her, Tamlen."

"Aaaah," Tamlen said. He frowned. "You're not in love with me, are you?"

Theron frowned. "I'm not joking, Tamlen." He sighed. "And today, we've reached adulthood. It is only a matter of time till Marethari asks me to… Argh! What to do?" Theron paced around, shaking his head. "I can't refuse. It would be what she needs to finish becoming part of the clan. You know how lonely she is. And I'd feel terrible for her – being rejected can't be nice."

"You worry too much, emma'falon," Tamlen smiled. Theron sat next to the fire and his friend sat next to him. "Look," Tamlen said, "whatever happens, I'll support you. If you want to tell the Keeper you won't bond with Merrill, I'll go with you to talk to her. If she kicks us out of the clan, well… We can start a new one."

Theron smiled. "Don't be silly."

"What? Afraid of being alone in the forest?"

"A Dalish hunter fears nothing, Tamlen. Although if I were to be alone with you… Perhaps. Your arrows can be a little erratic at times."

"Only when you smell like an animal, lethallin."

"Well, your stench certainly spreads about and sticks to my clothes quite easily," Theron smiled and punched his friend on the arm. Tamlen smiled back and put his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"This place makes me nervous," Tamlen said.

Theron finished disarming a trap. "You were the one who insisted on coming. We can always turn back."

Tamlen shook his head. "'A Dalish hunter fears nothing', remember? Besides, it would be good for me if I could bring something of interest to the Keeper, after what happened."

"I knew I should have stopped you. You're too hot-headed sometimes, lethallin," Theron sighed.

"Fenarel should stay away from other people's lives," Tamlen complained.

"I know, but he was only joking," Theron said, looking for more traps. "He didn't really mean that you and - Careful… Watch your steps here," he warned his friend, pointing to a clear tile amidst a set of loose and broken ones. They walked on, their backs stuck to the wall, and Theron unlocked the huge door, carved with strange symbols.

They stepped in and they saw it. The most beautiful mirror they had ever seen, standing proud against the passing of time and the decay of the ruins that embraced it. Tamlen took a step and they heard some roaring. Theron looked to the right. Out of thin air, a huge bear had appeared. But it wasn't a normal bear. This one looked… nightmarish.

"Use the columns as protection!" Theron shouted. Tamlen ran to the left and saw, with horror, that the bear was chasing after Theron. He was leading the creature to a choking point and shouted, "Shem'assan!" Tamlen tilted his bow in the right position so that the arrows could be used more quickly and shot again and again.

The beast fell with a growl. They waited for a short time and then they approached it.

"By the Creators! I'd never seen anything like that before," Tamlen whispered. He sounded distressed. Theron put his hand on his friend's shoulder and pointed to the mirror.

"That's not the only thing we'd never seen…"

The two friends skulked towards the mirror. They climbed the first two steps.

"Look at the writing on the frame," Tamlen said. "We definitely must bring the Keeper here. I have no idea what that means. Maybe if I move closer…"

Theron frowned. He looked over his shoulder and back to the mirror. "Something's wrong, Tamlen. There's… There's no reflection."

"There's something there!" Tamlen shouted. Theron leaned forward and grabbed his friend by the arm.

"Let's get out of here before something else-"

"Did you see that?" Tamlen's voice sounded delusional. "Something moved! In the mirror! There! What's that? It looks like a camp! Underground!" He freed his arm from Theron's grasp and walked towards the mirror. He pressed his hand over the surface. "Lethallin! I-I can't look away! I-!"

There was a blinding flash of light and endless screaming, which filled Theron's senses. And then the world turned black, and that blackness seeped inside him as well.

"Theron, please. Calm down." Merrill's voice came to him in a whisper and he felt her hand around his. "Perhaps the Warden has found him."

"If he has, I'll consider him one of us and I'll call him 'brother'. But… We should have met them halfway. This doesn't feel right." He squeezed her hand briefly and let go of it. "You shouldn't be too close, lethallan. The Keeper wouldn't like her First to fall prey to this sickness."

Merrill caressed his cheek. "You will be fine. The Keeper will teach me how to cure this disease, and I will help you; trust me."

For a moment Theron wondered why he couldn't love this girl. He wished he could. But maybe he wasn't made for loving someone unless it was a friend. His heart beat for the clan and at the moment, his soul cried for his lost brother. Deep down, Theron hoped that the Warden had already found Tamlen. But it had been days since his friend had disappeared.

But when they found the Warden, he was alone. Theron's heart sank.

"There are no traces of your friend. I'm sorry. The Darkspawn must have taken him."

"We've dealt with a few before getting here," Merrill said. "Is that the mirror, Tamlen?"

He nodded. She took a few steps towards it, but the Grey Warden stood in the way. "I'm sorry," he said gravely, "but it would be risky for you to approach it. You don't want to get sick as your friend here."

"You stood by it and you're fine," she replied.

"My circumstances are certainly different," he told her.

"The Keeper sent us to fetch you and Tamlen, or at least recover…" Theron's voice trailed off. He felt dizzy. Merrill's eyes had been fixed on the mirror, but when he'd stopped talking, she rushed to his side.

"Emma vhenan," she said tenderly, "is the sickness again?"

"It's always the sickness," the Warden said. His dark eyes seemed to stare into Theron's body. "You feel it as well, don't you? You know that you're not completely healed. And this mirror," he turned around, "will spread that sickness to those who approach it."

"Then... It must be destroyed," Theron said.

"What? No!" Merrill cried out. "This might be our only clue to find Tamlen!"

"I'm sorry to say this, but... I doubt there's something left of him to find," the Warden said.

"The Keeper will surely need it to find a definite cure to Theron's sickness!"

The Warden shook. "There is no cure, lass. Only a way to delay the inevitable, but it doesn't lie here in these ruins."

"But… We can't destroy it! It's a piece of our history!" Merrill's eyes welled up with tears of frustration. "Please, you can't-!"

"Merrill," Theron said firmly. "Please… Understand…" His own eyes sparkled with tears. "Tamlen's not coming back. He's gone. And the Keeper... The Kepper always says that nothing is as precious to the clan as our lives." He dried his eyes with the back of his hand. Merrill watched him as he turned to the human.

"Do what you must, Warden." Theron said, glaring at the mirror.

"So, you're leaving with the Warden."
"Yes. I'm sorry, Merrill."
"It's not your fault."
"You will find someone else."
"You will as well. Dareth shiral, ma... Theron."
"Dareth shiral, Merrill."

"Come, da'len," Marethari's voice was full of sorrow. "Let your clan embrace you one last time."

Tamlen's arm would never be around his shoulders again. Even if he had been allowed to stay, the embrace wouldn't have felt complete anymore.

He'd been living with the Wardens for a few days when he met the Durgen'len for the first time. The female, Sereda, was knowledgeable in the art of war, and the male, Faren, was someone with whom Theron could talk about Tamlen. Faren had lost his brother in arms, but at least he knew that he was alive. His enthusiasm soon spread onto Theron and Sereda, and by the time the new recruit joined them, the three of them were rather comfortable around each other.

They were having dinner when Theron looked up and saw a slender figure escorted by two Wardens. He stood up, watching her. Her black hair framed her beautiful face, and the fire made her eyes look amber. Or perhaps they were that colour already. She was an elf, like him, but her clothes made her look different – mystical and fascinating. Theron swallowed hard and passed his fingers through his hair.

"H-Hello," he stuttered. "I'm Th-Theron. This is Sereda," he said, pointing to his comrades, "and this is Faren."

"I'm Neria," the newcomer said. She looked back at him, a smile dancing on her amber eyes.

"Welcome, Neria," Theron smiled. "We've been expecting you."

...

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Note: I took the following dates for the Arlathvhen - 9:13, 9:23, 9:33 (since, in MotA banter, Fenris tells Merrill that there will be a new Arlathvhen soon, and MotA takes place when the Qunari are still in Kirkwall). It is very likely that Merrill came to the Sabrae when she was a young child, since she tells Bethany –in banter– that she barely remembers her mother, but for my HC it makes more sense if Merrill came to the clan after the 9:23 Arlathvhen, when she was a teenager, which would explain some of her bonding issues with her new mates.