Part One
Chapter One

A Child of the Dales

If you are an elf, born in this time, in this land, everything is meant to be difficult. Many years ago, the humans had enslaved the elves, and tried to make them submit to their gods. She was always told that it was a terrible time to be alive, and the elders who speak the tales always to so with a look of anguish upon their faces. She hated the humans – or shems, as they were more often called around her people- and whenever one was to stumble into their area it was always a fun game to make them beg for mercy.

As she sat high in one of the old trees, she eyed the grounds carefully. Another reason that being an elf was hard – especially a Dalish elf – was that they were constantly on the move. No humans accepted them and if their camps were found by even one human, well, it was never out of the ordinary that an entire village could be slain because of their hatred and mistrust. It had happened once, long ago, when she was only a small child, yet she remembered their attack in great detail. She was so young…her parents, so brave…

She would not think of that now. She and Tamlen had more important matters to attend to. Being hunters for the clan, it was their duty to not only watch for wildlife to bring back as food, but also to watch for any shems who would dare to cross into their camp.

She looked down from her perch and eyed her clan-mate. He was a strong, handsome elf with dirty blond hair, his facial tattoo an intricate design that danced across his face in different lines and directions. Tamlen had been her closest friend since her parent's death, and she loved him dearly for it. He understood her hatred for the humans and did not judge her for it. If anything, he agreed even more ever since his parents were taken by the shems and brought to slavery. They had much in common, and perhaps that was why they felt such a strong connection to each other. At any rate, she would be lucky to be paired with him, he was their most promising hunter, he would make a fine partner and no doubt they would have strong children.

A twig snapped out in front of them and Tamlen's head shot up, his bow drawn almost as quickly as you can blink. He looked up to his clan-mate and signaled for her to follow shortly. She nodded, and began her descent to the ground from the grand oak tree. It was not until she reached the ground and began to make a run for him that she heard the voices. Tamlen was talking to someone…something, perhaps, and he did not sound pleased. Immediately, she drew her own bow and placed an arrow in front of her. She slowly walked down the hill and started to meet up with Tamlen.

"You fool, the forest does not 'belong' to us. But now that you have found us, we will have to pack up our camp and leave!"

There was an intense fire in his eyes, and she didn't blame him. For instead of wild game to bring home to feast upon, they found something more vile and despicable.

Shems.

Tamlen caught her out of the corner of his eye, his face relaxing slightly. "Ah, you're just in time. I found these…humans lurking in the bushes. Bandits, no doubt. What do you say lethallan? What should we do with them?"

He always wanted her opinion in such matters, as if doing the wrong thing would make or break their relationship. She pondered it for a moment. Although she could hardly stand the sight of humans, with their unhygienic nature and flat ears, she thought it best to at least get a little information out of them. It was not everyday that humans would venture into the forest for no reason, unarmed.

"Let's find out what they're doing here first."

Tamlen grunted. "Does it matter? Hunting or banditry, we'll need to move camp because of them!"

"L-look, we didn't come here to make trouble," one of the humans stammered. "We just found a cave and decided to try and find any treasure."

"We know these woods far too well," she sneered, her bow drawn tight. "If there was a cave, we would have known about it."

The human looked desperate, sweat appearing under his red hair. "I-I have proof! Here, we found it just inside the entrance."

Tamlen took the object. It was an ornate stone with many carvings upon it. It glowed to the touch and felt warm in the Dalish's hand. He stared at the object, wide eyed. "These marking…they look like elvish!" He put his attention back on the humans, placing the object in his pouch and drawing his arrow once again. "Why didn't you go back and look for more?"

"W-we wanted to," the human continued. His other companions were immobilized with fear. "But there was a demon! It was huge! With black eyes! Thank the Maker we were able to outrun it!"

Tamlen laughed. "A demon. You expect us to believe that?"

"It's true! I swear! P-Please, just let us go!"

Tamlen looked over to his clan-mate, "Well, what should we do with them now?"

She glared, her grey eyes burning with hatred. "Kill one. The others will make sure no one else comes."

At the first sound of 'kill', the two humans who couldn't say a word ran first, stumbling on their way out of the forest. Too bad for the talker, Tamlen's arrow would make short work of him.

"N-No wait! Y-You can't do this! Please-!"

But the arrow drove into his heart and silenced him. Blood trickled down his garments from the hole in his chest and he fell onto the ground, facing the sky. Tamlen went to check for signs of life, and she followed. Up close, she saw the arrow did not quiver to a heartbeat, meaning there was no longer one to be heard. He was dead. And she was happy.

Tamlen rose and dusted off his hands. He turned to her and smiled. "Well, shall we see if there's any truth to their story? These caves make me curious."

Anything he wanted, she would gladly give. "Sounds like a good idea."

"And if we find anything," he continued, "The keeper will want to know."

She nodded and they headed off deeper into the forest, their ears perked for the first sign of danger. They had yet to venture so far into the woods. Their keeper always forbade it, in case of any humans or dangers that might lurk. But if three unarmed humans can go in, surely two armed and trained elves can as well. Sometimes she didn't understand the keeper's ways and intentions, but she supposed she wasn't meant to. She was only a hunter. It was only her responsibility to feed and protect the clan physically, not keep watch over the entirety of the clan, mind, body and soul.

As they ventured deeper, she stopped in her tracks, holding out her arm to stop Tamlen. He obliged but looked at her curiously. She held one finger to her lips and sniffed the air. She could smell it, blood. She drew her bow again and crept ever so slowly to the edge of the cliff. She gently pushed aside the bushes and saw two magnificent white wolves feasting upon and great white halla. The beasts had only just begun their meal, it seemed, for their muzzles were not quite yet covered in the silver blood of the creature. Tamlen was now right behind her, his weapon drawn. They looked at each other and nodded; these two wolves would prove to be a fine catch for the clan, bit enough to feed off of, and thick fur on their coats for the approaching winter months. Both let their arrows fly.

Hers made direct contact. The wolf fell with her arrow plunged into its brain. Tamlen's, however, missed its mark and impaled itself in the wolf's thigh. It howled and snarled in their direction, coming for them quickly, almost unnaturally fast.

She was not quick enough to dodge. The wolf pounced her and tried to rip at her jugular. She let out a cry and tried to keep the beast at a distance with her bow. Its sharp teeth began to splinter the wood as soon as they made contact. It was relentless.

However, almost as quickly as it started, the wolf stopped, its eyes rolling into its head as it slumped over to the ground. Tamlen had withdrawn his long sword and stabbed the beast in its stomach until it was dead. They were now both covered in blood, adrenaline pumping through their veins.

"Well, at least we will return with food," Tamlen grinned, panting slightly. He helped her up and together they dragged the wolf down to its dead partner. The two elves tied the animals up and hoisted them into a tree so the other animals could not get them. They would have to trust that the wolves would be here when they got back.

The Dale brushed her matted hair off of her face, the dark brown now carrying a sick tinge of red as it streak her hands with every touch. It wasn't so much the blood that bothered her, she was almost covered in it daily with the hunts they went on, but the smell…Something about blood's smell made her want to retch every time. When she first started as a hunter, she couldn't count how many times she lost control of her stomach contents after a kill. The life of a Dalish will toughed you though, and soon she was able to at least control herself.

It was not even another hour before they reached a dip in the trail; a small entrance that was almost hidden by the huge boulders of a would-be mountain. She and Tamlen stopped on top of the rocks and looked down into the black entrance. Something about it didn't feel…right to her.

"This must be the cave," Tamlen said. "I don't recall seeing this before. Do you?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. Let's check it out."

He smiled. "My thoughts exactly. With luck, we'll find something that will make us clan heroes!"

The climbed over the obstacles and made their way into the cave. It was a far way down and much of the foundation was gone, replace by jagged stalagmites and weeds growing through the cracks in the walls. They walked in, slowly, weapons at the ready in case of ambush by any creature. As they entered, they took in the ruins around them; they looked so fragile, as if one breeze might crumble the very columns to dust. It was old, no question about that. However, something about its architecture looked…off to her.

"Looks like those shem were right," Tamlen whispered, breaking the silence. "But what would a ruin be doing down here? And why does it look human built?"

"I'm not sure lethallan. But something feels…wrong here. Are we sure we should venture farther?"

He grinned at her. "We'll be fine. We won't go far. But stay alert and we'll be okay."

There was a door at the end of the room. They approached it slowly, feeling the floor for any ancient traps that might still be active. Tamlen nudged the door ever so slowly and they entered, sizing up the next room, immediately looking for any danger.

"Look at all the elfroot here lethallan!" She exclaimed. "We must bring some back to the keeper! We can use them for our poultices to heal our sick!"

She ran to the other side of the room and placed her bow on her back. She knelt on the ground and began to pick at the glowing greens that grew from the cracks. She was so enthralled in finding the herbs for the healers that she didn't notice the shadows that began to descend from the ceilings.

"No! Lethallan! Look out!"

She turned just in time to see a set of pincers try to sink themselves into her flesh. She rolled away just in time and grabbed her bow and arrow. On bended knee she began to unleash arrow after arrow on the eight legged beast. Never before had she seen a spider so large…so twisted. It came at her, hungry, and with unnatural speed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tamlen warding off two others that were trying to get their webs around him. He spun and twisted his body, wielding his blade in one hand and bashing their 'faces' with his shield in the other. It was then that she saw how close her own beast was. With her arrow, she concentrated.

'Gods, guide my arrow…banish this creature and send it back to hell…'

They listened, and with the release of the arrow, the spider stopped its advance and shriveled in its place.

The elf took no time to celebrate, for she saw her clan-mate begin to fold under the webs the spiders were spinning.

"Help me! Ugh…Lethallan!"

She cast her bow aside, dropped her quiver and jumped high into the air, drawing her two blades. She landed on the backside of the one spider and drove her daggers into its warm, hairy body. The beast actually let out a scream of pain as its life was being taken from it, blood spurting from the wounds and venom oozing from its 'mouth'. She delivered one more blow to the eyes and it stopped moving just like the one previous.

It had given the other spider time to try and get around her to attack, and Tamlen had enough time to free himself of the webbing. He came up behind the beast and jumped on its back, making his way to the head, he stabbed it once, twice, three times until it stopped moving as well.

The two were left there, among the carnage, breathing heavily and taken aback by the monsters they had just encountered. Tamlen was first to pick up his blade and come to check on his mate. Her grey eyes were wide with surprise, and maybe even a hint of fear. He offered his hand, and she took it gladly – happy to be off of the floor that was wet with venom and blood. They looked at each other for one fleeting moment, and their gaze seemed to linger, but they quickly came to their senses and began to collect their items.

"This place makes me nervous."

She looked over at Tamlen, seeing the uncertainty written all over his face. But it was too late to turn back now. What if there were more beasts down here? They could not simply leave and risk them being followed back to the camp. These might only be spiders, but they seemed to have some form of intelligence. There was no telling what they could be capable of if given the chance.

"What do you make of all of this?" she asked.

Tamlen sighed. "I'm not sure. This looks like a very old human place. Why did they build this?" He paced the room, looking all about. "And why would elven artifacts be here? Maybe…some of our ancestors lived here, in caves like the dwarves," he turned and smirked at her. "I'll stick to roaming the land myself."

"This doesn't feel like anyone's home," she replied, too wary to return the smile.

He became serious again, narrowing his gaze on the next door. "I don't know. I have this odd sensation that we've…disturbed something – like we just walked into a dragon's lair. Well, whatever it is…it won't stop me! A Dalish hunter fears nothing!"

So they continued. The path was not as dangerous as they thought it was going to be, save for the odd spider or two, which were now easy to dispose of between the two of them. The elves stayed cautious and progressed slowly, staying aware of their surroundings. The ruins seemed ages old. Most of the artifacts and drawings they were unable to recognize, let alone see in the darkness. But above all it was quiet, and that threw Tamlen off.

"Hey," he began, desperate to break the silence. "Weren't you supposed to be assisting Maser Varathorn today? How did you end up coming with me?"

She blushed. "I…wanted to come with you, of course."

His face reddened in return. "I…thought that might be the case. I'm glad. Hey, let's just find whatever could be here and get out. Then, maybe we can talk later?"

She looked forward to it, of course. Although the Dalish had little time for romance – as most marriages are done out of matchmaking by the keeper or the parents – she felt a strong bond with Tamlen. She knew that she would be content if the keeper were to allow them to wed. She was surprised the keeper had not mentioned it yet. After all, she was a young woman now. It was the perfect time to bear children to add to the clan and still be useful as a hunter after childbirth. It was her duty, after all, to ensure the clan's survival. And that meant strength in numbers.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she completely lost track of Tamlen, that is, until she bumped right into him. He stumbled a bit, but she fell flat on her backside.

"Hey! Watch it lethallan!" she warned, glaring up at him.

He smiled. "I'm sorry. Here, let me help you." He extended his hand and pulled her to her feet. "You know, you should really pay more attention. Now take a look at this. It's amazing! This statue, lethallan, you recognize it, don't you?"

She came closer to the carved rock and ran her hand over it. It seemed oddly recognizable to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Back when our people lived in Arlathan, statues like these honored the Creator. When the shems enslaved us, much of that lore was lost," he moved closer to her and the statue. "This looks like human architecture with a statue of our people. Can these ruins date back to the time of Arlathan?"

She looked to him, watching the fascination glaze over his eyes. "It's interesting: so much of our past is lost to us…"

Tamlen didn't seem to even hear her. "I can't believe that ancient elves might have lived here…with humans!"

Slowly, she turned and spotted the corpses lying about the ground. They looked to be like soldiers from the past who met their untimely end down in this ruin.

'But what ended their lives, I wonder?'

"One more room Tamlen, then we are out of here."

He turned to her, realizing at the sound of his name that she meant business. He sighed and shook his head, clucking his tongue.

"Okay, okay lethallan. One more room. Not like this place has much else to offer anyways."

He leaned on the wall before the door and she reached towards it, ready to push open their last barrier before they would finally return to the surface. Surely the keeper would be wondering about their whereabouts by now.

Suddenly, they heard a low growl and the clanking of old, rusted armor. Her head turned ever so slightly and she ducked just in time to miss the old blade that tried to take her head off. Tamlen gasped and instinctively began his assault. He cried out in an effort to at least try and stun them, but it was to no avail.

It took only seconds for the elf to clear her head before she immediately drew her blades. She began to run towards the walking corpse that was about to backstab her mate and stabbed it repeatedly in the ribs – or what was left of them. It at least drew the attention away from Tamlen long enough for him to remain unharmed while he concentrated on his own demon.

The corpse lunged towards her, long sword almost completely red from age. He snarled as she dodged it and rolled to the side. She slid on her knees until she could regain her footing and immediately she charged. She kept low and focused on the foe ahead of her. With one swift movement, she had stabbed through the bones in its shoulder to pin it slightly, then her other blade came to finish the job. In a flash, her blade made its way through the corpse like a hot knife through butter. Its head rolled to the floor, and the corpse collapsed once again.

Tamlen rushed up to her, the monster he faced on the ground now as well. He held her at arms length to check for any injuries she might have sustained, but nothing that he could see had scratched her perfect skin.

"One more," she warned again, then walked to the door and opened it quickly.

The room was vast with many arches connecting to the top of the ceiling, creating a rounded dome. The stones around were still just as ancient, but in the middle stood a beautiful mirror, almost completely unscathed from the years of neglect. She wanted to marvel at its beauty, but was distracted by the litter of bones and old rags that were strewn about the room. The smell was almost overwhelming. It was the smell of death, and something else - something not of this world.

It showed its ugly face just then. It had four legs, fur, the build and height of a bear. Yet it was not. What stood before them was twisted beyond what even the Creators could even imagine. Its eyes glowed red, its teeth were much too large for its mouth as it chomped on a fresh arm. Although it had fur, it was tainted an odd color of sickly violet and spikes of bone jutted out from its body. It was not a bear any longer. Something had taken over its being, something sick, and now it had them alone down here, all to itself.

"Look out!"

She froze. Her limbs refused to move as the beast charged at her. She saw its eyes in great detail, the shape and size of the iris, the dilated pupils. She could smell its terrible breath, felt the heat on her skin as it drew closer still to her. She was going to die. It was inevitable. Her curiosity would be the death of her.

"Aerianes!"

Her name snapped her out of it. And the hard ground hitting her body brought her back to reality. Tamlen shielded her as the beast hit the wall, causing debris to fall from the ceiling and surround them. The moment the beast regained itself, Tamlen was on it. He climbed its back as it reared and tried to buck him off. He drew his sword and sunk the blade deep into its back, its side, its neck, and then finally, into its head. Then cursed bear fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Aerianes!" he cried again, dropping his shield and sword and rushing to her side. He ran his hands over her body quickly to check for any injury. When he saw no bleeding, aside from the scrapes on her knees and elbows, he breathed an immense sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to lose you. Come on, we aren't staying another moment in this cursed place."

But her gaze was transfixed. She pointed ahead of her and Tamlen stopped. He followed her finger and his mouth dropped in awe. He now saw the mirror as well, and its beauty overtook him.

"I guess we found something now, didn't we?" Aerianes asked, a small smirk spreading across her face. She got to her feet and the two of them walked closer to it.

The mirror itself was over 8 feet tall. It towered over the two elves and it shone magnificently in the darkness of the room. Strange carvings covered the edges of the mirror and neither of them could understand what they meant. Still, it was captivating.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Tamlen marveled. "I wonder what the writing says?"

Aerianes grinned. "Don't touch the glass?"

He laughed. "Not that we'd leave a fingerprint on it. See how clean it is? Not a single smudge or crack." He took a few steps closer and peered at the edges. "I wonder what this writing is for. Maybe this isn't – hey, did you see that?"

Something made her senses go on red alert. That mirror wasn't right. "Get away from it Tamlen."

"Hold on," he hushed. "I just want to know what it is. Don't you see it? There it is again! I think it…knows we're here. I just need to take a closer look." As he neared the reflective surface, his eyes clouded over and his hand reached out to touch it. The mirror almost seemed to tremble at the touch and a red aura surrounded Tamlen's hand. He peered even closer. "I see a great city…underground? And there's a blackness. I think it saw me…."

Suddenly, the mirror grew brighter. The entire ruin itself seemed to quake as the mirror awoke. It shone brightly enough to blind them both, and Tamlen was screaming.

"Help! I can't look away!"

Then there was a great light that pushed her back and everything went black. There was nothing except a far off voice telling her he was sorry.

"Tamlen…"