"'We are the Dalish: keepers of the lost lore, walkers of the lonely path. We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit.'
This is the oath the Dalish elves hold close to their hearts. In ancient times we ruled over Thedas alone, ageless and beautiful, until the humans came. Enslaved for a thousand years, we lost not only our immortality but our very identity. We are the Dalish, the elves who proudly refuse to live in human cities, proudly wandering the most remote corners of the wild lands in small clans that rarely meet. Our wagons are welcome nowhere, and more than one tale is told of our kin clashing with remote villagers who attempt to drive them away by force.
Much has been lost, but we will find what has been lost and keep it safe. We will re-learn the elven tongue, rediscover the ancient crafts and practice the old magics. We will spurn the human god and instead cleave to the ancient pantheon of the elves, praying that one day our own gods will return and lead our people to a new homeland. There we will await the return of those elves who have forgotten what they were, we will teach them to remember.
And until that day comes most importantly we will stand fast. As long as our landships are seen on the horizon there will be hope, hope that what was long ago shattered by the touch of mortal man may one day yet be restored."
The tan, early-twenty-something old Dalish elf awoke in his tent, Leliana tapping him lightly on the shoulder.
"Wake up, sleepy-head, it's our turn to stand watch."
"Alright, I'll be out in a minute, Lethallin."
Leliana didn't know much about the Dalish, but the archer had taught her that "Lethallin" was elvish for a great friend or more specifically; "Friend of Mine," like the way "Kadan" is with the Qunari. She left the tent and allowed him to pull his Dalish Armor on. Deerskin, with rabbit fur on the inside. Strong, supple, flexible, yet so soft. He collected his Dalish Longbow with its delicately curved limbs and recurve tips and his quiver, tucking the Dar'misu in his boot as he went. Theron had dark brown hair. Shoulder length, with a braid on each side of his head joining at the back and hanging down with the rest of his hair and green eyes. A tattoo of delicately curving trees on each side of his head split in to three lines high on his forehead and arched, crossing each other- but barely. He opened the flap of his tent to see Leliana waiting patiently for him by the main fire. He saw no dark form by the smaller fire on the other side of the camp, meaning Morrigan had already gone to bed along with the rest of the group, save for Fen'Harel. Theron couldn't help chuckling as he saw the Mabari chewing on Oghren's pants. He turned back to see Leliana still standing there, smiling at him. Even in the semi-dark, it made her beautiful features stunning. The smile was infectous and Theron found himself smiling back. Around his other companions- save for Alastair and Zevran, with whom he shared many jokes and quirks -he was rather serious and solemn. But not with Leliana, she had seen straight through his taciturn, guarded ways, uncovering the carefree (and sometimes mischievous) elf he had been with his clan.
They sat on a large log he and Alastair rolled up next to the fire when they had set camp here. Although the log was quite long, Leliana had placed herself right next to him, almost touching him. She did this quite often. Theron didn't care and though he would never admit it to his companions-- he liked it, it was good to have his best friend so close. Well, best female friend. Alastair was easily his best male friend. And yet... with Leliana it was more than that, though he never thought he could even like a shem, he loved her.
He cocked an eyebrow in his trademark expression, pretending he wondered why she did this.
"Well it's cold outside," she said defensively.
"I wonder why," Indeed Leliana's Dalish Armor was just as good as his was, but hers didn't cover her stomach.
He got up, and walked back into his tent.
Leliana was worried. Oh, why can't I control myself around him? Stupid girl, you drove him off!
However, he came back moments later with a thick, fur blanket that he had crafted from numerous wolf pelts. He wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting back in the same spot, very close to Leliana, to show he hadn't been offended.
"Now hopefully you won't freeze to death," he teased. Indeed, it was very chilly, his knees and the length from his shoulder to elbow were cold. But the numerous winters in his clan's camp made him a bit more tolerant to something such as trivial as the weather.
"Thank you," she said sweetly. He smiled in return and after several minutes gave an involuntary shiver.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! How inconsiderate of me! Here," she wrapped the thick blanket around his shoulders too, snuggling into him. He thanked her, just realising how cold he had been. After several long minutes gazing at the sky, she spoke once more.
"The stars are out tonight," she said dreamily.
"There is still beauty to be found in this world."
"It comforts me to know that no matter what happens down here the stars will be untouched by the Blight, shining eternally... Tell me, do you know the tale of Alindra and her soldier?"
"I can't say I have, but I would be delighted if you told it to me," Theron replied thinking to himself, kissass.
Leliana went on to tell him a story about a young woman whose soldier was killed by another man's corruption and how she pleaded to the Maker to let her be with him and how they are now together as stars in the sky.
"I dream of this love that is so pure that it moves the Gods to action. I ask myself, does such love exist, can it exist?"
Without thinking, he spoke his mind. "If we lose hope in love, then we are truly lost."
"I'd...never have expected you to say that, it is a pleasant surprise."
He grinned, "Don't tell the others, but I'm secretly a terrible romantic."
She giggled, "I have to say that there is a certain severity to you, to find a person under all of that is comforting to know."
"Leliana, the gods truly smiled on me when they lead me to you."
She seemed taken off guard at first at the suddeness of the statement.
"I feel the same way, Theron."
Throwing caution to the winds, he cupped her cheek gently with his hand, turning her head towards his, and leaned in slowly. She did not draw back, or look startled. Leliana closed her eyes, and delicately placed her lips on his. It was sweet and soft at first, but became more passionate, their mouths opening partly. Then their whole bodies turned to each other, the blanket falling to the ground. He held her, firmly but gently with one arm on her back and another behind her head, feeling the soft red hair. It was so peaceful, quiet, he never wanted this moment to end. He had fooled around with some of the young women in his clan, but never had he felt such deep affection as this.
Their lips slowly parted, Leliana's eyes were still closed as if she were savoring the taste of particularly good food.
"I love you so much," she said, dripping with affection.
"And I, you, Lethallin," he put the blanket back around them, and put his arm around her as she snuggled into the crook of his arm.
"Just being here, with you, now. I never want it to end..."
Within minutes, she was asleep, smiling, with her eyes fluttering as if she were dreaming. He still kept his arm around her, even until dawn. No harm would come to this sweet girl this day. He couldn't help an involuntary bark of laughter. If only Tamlen could see him now, snuggled by the fire with a shem, his mother's heirloom necklace hanging around her neck. Suddenly a wave of sadness overtook him.
Tamlen.
His closest friend, who died because Theron was too cocky and headstrong to just go back to their clan's camp. He now remembered the conversation between he, Tamlen and their Keeper mere days before Duncan's arrival...
"What's this?" the Keeper asked, "Brawling? Brawling!? I swear, you too were best friends since you were fledglings... and you've been trouble ever since then! Why on earth were you brawling with Faelorn and his friend?
"He was... well, talking about Theron's mother, Keeper Marethari," Tamlen said, throwing nervous looks at Theron, making sure he didn't offend him.
"Oh," the Keeper's face eased as she looked at Theron who was looking at the floor silently, "I'll be having a talk with him, we do not speak of kin and clan in an offensive manner," she turned back to Tamlen, "but neither do we brawl with them, Theron, you-"
"It was me Keeper Marethari," Tamlen interrupted, I threw the first punch, I goaded Theron into it, it was not his fault."
"Very well then, Tamlen, you are banned from hunting for a fortnight."
Tamlen winced, Dalish elves loved to prove their worth to the other Hunters by, of course, hunting.
"Thank you, Keeper," he said before bowing and taking his leave.
"Keeper Marethari..." Theron said quietly, bowing before following Tamlen.
Theron hadn't even thanked him until the day they found the... mirror.
"Don't worry about it, Lethallin," he said grinning, "you know I'd do anything for you."
I'm so sorry, my old friend-- it seems that your trust was misplaced and undeserved...
******
Theron looked down at Leliana, whose head now rested in his lap and smiled. She was so, beautiful, so innocent, so sweet.
Please, to any god that may be listening to me: keep her safe. I swore I would protect her, but I fear that I may hurt her as bad as I hurt Tamlen... I beg you not to let that happen.
He carried Leliana back into her tent and tucked her into the blanket, as well as a few of her own. Theron saw the sun begin to shine over the treetops and started a cookfire for breakfast. He threw five rabbits he had caught yesterday into a large cookpot filled with water, chopping up carrots, potatoes and other vegetables into the fire. It would be hours before the others were up- save for Alastair who would be up as soon as he smelled the stew.
Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, a bleary eyed Alastair crawled out of his tent with half his armor on.
"Morning, Theron."
"Morning, Alastair."
He sniffed. "Rabbit stew?"
"The Dalish Special!"
"Thanks," said Alastair, Theron ladling three bowls of stew, giving one to Alastair, one to Fen'Harel and one for himself, "but I thought I was the cook today? I was going to make my famous lamb stew today!"
"Sorry, Alastair, but we're all still a little queasy from last week's lamb stew, even Sten. It's hilarious trying to watch him cover it up, too. I don't think Qunari get stomach aches. Ah, well, good question for later, though I doubt he'll answer me."
The two men talked for an hour or so, eating stew and telling jokes when a rustle from a tent close to the camp entrance caught their attention. Zevran strolled out of his tent, fully armed and armored, as if he didn't need sleep he looked so wide awake.
"Morning, Zev," Theron said grinning, ladling some stew for him.
"Ah, my dear Grey Warden, you're in a rather good mood today I see. Tell me- is it a special occasion?"
"Not particually, but I had a good night so I decided to make breakfast instead of Alastair today."
"Ah, so it is a special occasion!" he chuckled, scooping a spoonful of stew into his mouth. Alastair through him a falsely hurt look.
"So what's our plan of action for today, Theron?" asked Zevran.
"I'd like to find Branka in the Deep Roads, but we'll be down there for Andruil knows how long and I want to make sure we're absolutely ready. Besides, we have much else to do first."
Alastair leaned closer to him. "Don't look now, but there's a bloodsucking demon headed straight for us."
Theron whipped around, with an arrow already nocked into the string and the bow drawn. All he saw was Morrigan striding to their fire, a scowl on her face as she realised what had been said from Alastair's lean to Theron's sudden alertness.
"Oh, morning Morrigan!" he said politely, "Sorry about the bow, Alastair said-"
"I do not care what that simpleton says about me," she interrupted, glaring at Alastair with her amber eyes, who seemed to be determined to look in any direction but hers.
"Would you like some stew, Morrigan?" Theron asked, trying to avoid a fight this early in the morning.
"Yes, thank you, I think I will."
"...You will?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's a first," Morrigan hardly ever ate their food. And on the rare occasion that she did, she stalked back off to her lean-to immediately afterwards.
Morrigan took her bowl, flattened her clothes and then sat on a stump by the fire.
Zevran laughed, "It truly isa special occasion!"
The four talked some more as Theron and Zevran tried to hold back laughter at Morrigan's well-timed comments at Alastair. Leliana marched out of her tent, stringing her Dalish Scout's Bow as she went. She walked to where Theron was sitting, placing herself right next to him. The others didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary as she always did this when they sat together.
"Ah, and Little Miss Priestess joins us as well, marvelous!" taunted Morrigan.
"Good morning, Morrigan," Leliana said happily.
"So did you have any more dreams- I mean visions you'd like to tell us about? Will Andraste tell us now to have a parade in the Denerim Alienage for all of the elves? Have us all sleep with Zevran-?"
"Yes, Leliana, did she?" interrupted Zevran eagerly.
"-Have us all eat a tub of cheese?"
This time it was Alastair, "Oh please say she did!"
"My dreams were quite confusing Morrigan if you must know, the Maker told me you were a lesbian, but we all already knew that."
There was a stunned silence, Leliana hardly ever insulted Morrigan back. Then the three men roared with laughter at Morrigan's stunned face.
She stalked off back to her lean-to angrily when they heard a curiously low moan from Oghren's tent as he heard Leliana, throwing the four into a new fit of laughter. Alastair fell backwards off the stump he had been sitting on. When the whole group had eventually waken up and had their breakfast, Theron called to them.
"Alright! Leliana, Alastair, Zevran; let's move out!"