Traveling in the Hinterlands was trying, not only with the war between the renegade Templar's and the rebel mage's but because traveling with one's daughter is also a trial in and of itself. Thankfully, this Mother is used to traveling sometimes on foot being Dalish and was determined her daughter get some experience in. Though, it had been some time since she had been traveling on foot.
Her free hand gripping the rock, Maescia spared a glance to see how her daughter was doing just in time to see her lose her footing on a slippery rock. Twisting slightly to make sure her walking stick was in the girls reach, though she couldn't help snorting in amusement once she righted herself.
"You wouldn't last a day with the Dalish, Adlanna dear." Unable to hide the fondness in her voice at the grimace covering her daughter's face. "Let's take a break, Creator's know you need it."
Adlanna made sure to flop on the ground as soon as these words passed her lips, which in turn made her nudge the girls foot with her walking stick. Maescia took the time to look at her daughter's features, pride swelling in her chest at how she could help create such a being.
Her daughter did not look elven, though she could not be mistaken for being human either. Her hair was big and curly, covering her ears, though now her ears were on display for all to see. The dark, curly hair often framed her slightly round tan-face. Though she was raised as a city elf in Kirkwall, she would often find her daughter on roofs of building and soon found this tan would be permanent. She also noticed what was hiding beneath her daughter's oversized clothes. The girl often complained about how her body looked compared to her mother, she wanted to be small to blend in. Though, the human blood which also ran through her made sure she would not have such a small figure.
Instead, she was slightly curvier and had a head of height on her mother. Yes, her daughter was quite the looker, though Maescia took care to make sure no one would notice unless they spend too much time in her presence. Kirkwall was not known for being a nice place, especially for a young elf-blooded girl.
"Mamae, why are we going to Haven? The only thing there is that Inquisition. Why would we go to them instead of staying in Kirkwall?" Though she was quite pretty it did get annoying having to explain her reasoning to the girl once again.
"Hush child, Kirkwall is no longer safe. You saw what happened between the Templars and Mages, so much death in one place. And the Champion is no longer there to protect the people, now that they have accused her of conspiring with that man, Anders." Of course, she did not think Anders was solely to blame, the child was troubled and only seemed to get worse from what she saw when he would follow the Champion to the Alienage to meet up with Merrill.
"And what sort of protection do you think the Inquisition can offer us? The Chanty has denounced them, meaning no Templar support! And they are in Haven! Haven, Mamae! Haven't you heard about those strange stories about when the Hero of Fereldan first visited there?!" And of course, her daughter was more worried about rumors that may or may not be true, instead of getting away from where the real threat lies.
"Up, let's start moving again." The girl made sure to groan while picking herself up from the ground, dusting off some dirt which settled on her green tunic and brown breeches. "Stop with your silly rumors, girl. Do you truly believe many would join this Inquisition if Haven, their base for the moment, is so terrible?"
Adlanna didn't have a chance to answer as the sounds of fighting reached their ears. Maescia grabbed her daughter's hand, pulling her under and uprooted tree which entrance was covered by thick green bushes. Cursing under her breath, the elf made sure both she and her laid flat on the ground and remained silent, as the sound of swords hitting flesh and the smell of burning skin waived in the air.
"This is the Crossroads, Mamae, I didn't think we were so close.." The elf-blooded girl whispered, even after hearing some celebrations from the refugees.
"Neither did I, though this is a good thing. Look!" Though, still under the tree both could clearly make out Inquisition forces and noticed the Herald of Andraste among them. The man proudly wore his vallaslin over his left eye, his black hair messy from fighting. Or perhaps that is how he chose to keep his hair.
"Should we approach them about joining up?" Both moved to exit the tree cautiously.
"I prefer not to. The Dalish are not always so welcome to human blooded elves. He may insult you in some way, and meet his end from my stick. Then we will have no way to close the breach." The elder of the two joked, though as these words left her she moved towards the Herald and his companions.
The two must not have seemed like the other refugee's, for as they approached the Inquisition scouts tensed for battle once more. Maescia felt one of her brows raise involuntarily, before she paused once they were within speaking distance of the larger group.
"Andaran atish'an, Herald of Andraste." Making sure her voice carried so the scouts would hear as well. "It has been some time since I have seen one of the people so readily embraced by the humans."
"Are you not Dalish yourself? Or is your vallaslin fake?" The Herald himself did not speak, though his elven companion did. Using his staff, the other elf walked forward. He was slightly taller than the Herald and in contrast light glinted off his bald head.
"I was once Dalish, though my clan did not want me around once it was made clear what was growing inside of me." She spoke truthfully, they were safe for now and there was no need to lie about the past.
"Thanks, Mamae, you make me sound like a fungus." Her daughter grumbled from behind, crushing a couple leaves under her feet as she shuffled.
"How long have you been on the Crossroads?" The human female questioned warily, she hadn't seen them at all during the fighting to protect the refugees.
"We arrived in time to hear the fighting and hid under a tree. It's best to avoid fighting as much as possible since these mages and Templars will attack anyone on sight." The woman nodded towards the tree they took shelter under.
"We have noticed. How long have you been traveling, then?" Pressed the human, almost sounding like she was interrogating the two travels.
"We have been traveling the Free Marches since before the explosion at the Conclave. It's been.. tiring most days. Though, from what we've been hearing from other travelers the cities aren't exactly a step up." This time Adlanna spoke up, running a hand through her hair though grunting once it got tangled in her dark locks.
"And let me guess," the Herald decided it was time to step in," you would like to help out the Inquisition, right? Not that I'm complaining! Oh no, our fledgling Inquisition needs all the help we can get at the moment!" He leaned on his staff only slightly, a snarky grin pulling onto his face even as the human woman elbowed him. "Andaran atish'an, hahren, seth'lin. I am Nihal, in case you wanted to know. Though, please continue to call me by my human title. Appearances and such~"
"And I am Maescia, this Adlanna. And I would prefer you not insult her in my presence." Hand gripping her walking stick tightly, upon hearing the insult from someone so highly spoken of. Thin-blood, he called he silent daughter. He was quite literally asking her to harm him.
"Tel'abelas, so you are saying I can insult her when you are not around. I will keep that in mind." Nihal sniffed before moving on, towards a Mother of the Chantry who was helping some soldiers.
"Not sure what he said, though don't mind him. He likes to insult people just to see their reactions, really!" The dwarven male offered the two a smile, while he lovingly cleaned his crossbow.
"Oh, Varric! You've joined the Inquisition? I know you left Kirkwall for a while since we hadn't seen you around the Alienage for weeks before we left!" Now moving forward herself, Adlanna grinned at seeing a familiar face after being away from Kirkwall for so long.
"And you two are planning on joining too, Dimples. I just hope you both are ready for some frigid weather, and for the green light show."
"You know these two women, Varric?" The human woman spoke up, crossing her arms as she glared at the dwarf.
"Yes, Seeker. I met them a long time ago in the Alienage in Kirkwall. Dimples here found her way into The Hanged Man, and I just had to make sure the small thing made it back home to her terribly worried mother." Varric watched as the girl coughed in embarrassment at the memory, though he was glad he got to her first before some slavery took notice of a young half-blooded girl walking around Lowtown.
"Then joining the Inquisition should not be a hard task for you too. Master Tethras has become the dwarf to talk to when someone would like to join. Though, speaking with Commander Cullen would also help. I hear he was in Kirkwall for several year as well." The taller elf spoke now, offering both women a small, albeit reassuring smile.
"Solas is right, and you are in luck. We actually have a group of scouts heading back to Haven now, it would be safer for your to travel with them. Speak to the Commander once you get there. If you will excuse me." The human woman nodded towards them, before heading over towards the Herald. Soon followed by the elven man, Solas, but not before he sent another smile their way along with a small bow of the head.
"That's Cassandra, she's not so bad." Varric tilted his head in the human's direction. "I'll see you two at Haven, then. And I want the entire story on your journey through the Free Marches, no excuses! No excuses!" And with that, he turned to follow after the Herald.
The two woman were silent before a small laugh passed through Maescia's lips. "That went well, I think!" And she laughed louder when her daughtered groaned as an answer.
The scouts from the Inquisition welcomed them with open arms. The supplied them with warmer clothes, worn boots, and even a tent since their current gear would not keep them safe for the elements to make it to Haven.
A/N: So this is my first attempt at a DA fanfic, since I only recently got into the game, any feedback is welcomed and appreciated! Also, if you have any thoughts or if something looks or sounds off just review! Always looking to improve here!
-SomeRandomFemale