Elvhenan: Never Shall I Submit!
A/N: Takes place a week or two before the Dalish Origin begins. It will be a Male Mahariel/Merrill and also have all the other Origins in it. MSurana/Morrigan, MAeducan/FBrosca FAmill/Zevran FTabris/Alistair and MCousland/Lilieana.
My Dalish Warden Aearion (which is and elven name for Son of The Sea/ guess what the human English name for Son of the Sea is and I'll give ya a prize!) will be a Spirit Warrior from the start, if you convince Mahariel's godmother to tell him of his/her's parents she'll tell you his/her father was a keeper, who typically have magic so it would make sense that my elf would be a bit more sensitive to the Fade/Beyond than most none mages.
Also to get a better idea of what he looks like here is a link http:/ dragonage. wikia. com/wiki/Origins if you did it correctly you should be on a page that will let you scroll down and each pic next tp the Origin will have a picture of the Male Human Noble, the Female City Elf, the Male Dalish Elf, the Female elf or Human Mage, the Female Dwarf Commoner and the Male Dwarf Noble. Mine looks just like the Dalish Male but with white hair, include the armor to cuz it look a bit more, bad ass.
Click on the pic and then when it comes up there will be a little icon that looks like a piece of paper with a magnifying glass in the bottom right corner of the window, click that and you'll get a bigger picture. Click on it again and you'll get an even bigger picture.
Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter 1: Prelude: The Mother and the Father revealed.
Deep in the Brecillian Forest, a large mighty Elk galloped threw the bush, frantic and scared.
They were coming, known to the forest as the Swift Ones. They are friends to the forest and its inhabitants but they were also enemies. They where like the Fickle Ones, the Bears, they eat the fruit and root of the Tall Ones, the trees and bushes of the forest, but had a preference for meat.
And today, the Mighty One was unlucky enough to be there next prey. But at lest they where not like the Impatient Ones, they who hunt and harvest much more than they need and burn what they cannot use.
Bird calls could be heard all over the forest; Owls, replying to Finches, Robbins conversing with hawks.
/twang/
An arrow soared through the air, piercing the Mighty One in the front-left elbow, causing him to crumble and crash into the ground, twisting his other front leg and breaking one of his hind legs.
He was scared; he was not ready to die yet. Why did the Swift Ones choose him!
Out of the bush a lean male Swift One came to the Mighty One. He was tall compared to most Swift Ones, being slightly taller even than most Impatient Ones. His hair was shoulder length long, combed back (what ever a comb was) so it fell between his shoulder blades and white as the Cold Rain. His face was marked with shapes that looked similar to the weaved antlers of the Great Ones, the Halla; giant white deer about as big an elk on his forehead under his eyes and on his chin. His eyes where blue like the river water, and like all Swift Ones his ears were slightly elongated and pointed.
On his body he wore the typical leather and plate armor all Elite Swift One Hunters do, only it was a darker color showing it was hardened.
The Swift One spoke softly to him, rubbing the Mighty One gently between the ears. "Kaima eithel beleg onna aa' i' Seldarine creoso lle." (Translation: Sleep well Mighty One (lit: Strong Creature) may the gods welcome you.)
The Swift One unsheathed his dar'misu from his lower back, the blade was beautiful, made of the purist and greenest Veridium alloy, Steel treated with Copper and Zinc and boiled in enchanted water making it a dark green and twice as strong as tempered steel. He raised it above his head and plunged the dagger into the Mighty Ones heart, giving it a quick, painless and merciful death. "Abelas." (Tr: I'm Sorry.)
The Swift One wiped the blood of on the grass before he sheathed it on his lower back. He couldn't skin it hear in the forest, wolves and worst things would be attracted to the scent of blood and attack him. So he lifted it and slung it over his shoulder, being careful not to have it break his short bow, and began his track back to camp.
But then the Swift One saw something. "Bones?" he said in English curiously. Normally the site of bones in this forest wouldn't be to surprising, but they were Elven and they didn't look very old, the clothing suggested it was from a Dalish clan, and the fact that they were still there and not dust suggested that the body was not very old.
He dropped the carcass and searched the old body of the poor unfortunate woman, for based on the skeletal structure it was in fact a woman, she was from another clan based on the marking on the leather armor she wore, the clan in the southern part of the forest near Lothering.
"What was she doing so close to this clan?" Aearion thought aloud he found an amulet. It was made from blue wood, Ironbark, and emerald green veridium. The beads were all shaped like animals shaped like rabbits, foxes, wolves, deer and other animals all chasing each other. And the amulet itself was...it looked like an oak leaf with a golden trim on the edges with a hinge on the side. It was a locket as well.
He opened the locket, and inside was a picture of an elven woman who was in the same armor as the skeleton, it was a well made etching really it almost looked like a small painting, and she was next to a tall elven man in Tevinter mage robes. A Keeper.
Most people think Tevinter Robes were made by the Imperium but in truth, they stole the designs and crafting methods when they enslaved the elves as the methods increased a mages powers.
They looked happy together, lover's maybe? Etched into the back of the door of the locket were there names. "Lynalia Killa'mire Mahariel and Tharon Mahariel."
Aearion dropped the locket.
(Forest Clearing)
It has been a nice, peaceful day in the Dalish Clan Camp. The children were playing with the Halla, the wood crafters where busily crafting various woods from ewe and oak to ebony and ironbark into different things, from weapons and armor to cloths and jewelry too barter with the Shemlen. And the hunters should be back from the hunt soon...or at least most of them.
All but Aearion have returned, all with deer, wolves and other animals good for fur and food. But Aearion has been gone for a good 2 hours longer than he should. He was one if THE best hunters the clan had, he should have been the first to return or have a big catch.
This was what Merrill, First of the Keeper's apprentices and lover of Aearion Mahariel was thinking as she waited for him at the entrance of the camp.
"Where is he?" She muttered nervously to herself. "He's never gone out this late without telling me and the Keeper."
That was when she saw Aearion walking into the camp. He didn't have an animal, nothing, he just looked sad, depressed really, but most of all he looked confused and angry. He was looking intently into his hand, ironbark beads hanging from his hands.
"Lethallin?" Merrill asked concerned.
Aearion jumped at the familiar voice, breaking him from his thoughts. "Oh, M-Merrill what it is it?" He asked nervously trying to play it cool.
Merrill strode over to him cupping his face with her hand. "Are you alright, you were gone much longer than normal, what that?" She was overreacting a bit and she knew it but she's never seen him like this before.
"I…" Aearion hesitated. "I had just killed a large elk in the forest and on my way back I found an old skeleton. It was a Dalish female I found this locket on her and…I…I think she was me mother."
Aearion showed her the locket and Merrill gasped. A Dalish female from another clan and the Keeper to this clan before Marethari took the position.
Aearion gripped the necklace. "I need to talk to Ashalle." He says suddenly and walks off toward the fire pit in the small…uh pit. (What are those little areas called anyway; it's not a hole or a ditch.)
Merrill watched him leave, still worried. Most thought of Merrill as hard to approach, somewhat cold, stoic but she was anything but stoic to those that get to know her, Aearion is a prim example. She watched as he descended down the hill to the fire pit.
(With Aearion)
"Ashalle!" Aearion called.
A middle aged elf woman with her hair down in a bun with a faded vallaslin on her forehead that looked like the canopy of a tree one half was blackish brown with her skin tone as the background and the other half was white on a blackish brown background, looked at her godchild.
"Oh, Aearion, what's wrong child?" she asked noticing he was angry.
The young hunter showed godmother the locket and she gasped. "That's…" She started but quickly shut her mouth.
"They are my parents." Aearion stated with an edge to his voice. "Why has this been kept from me? Why did I find my mothers corpse in the forest?"
Ashalle gasped again putting her hand over her mouth. "So…she's dead." It was a statement not a question. "All these years I hoped she might still be alive but…I knew deep down that was a vein hope." Tears welled up in her eyes but they didn't fall. She looked up at her godchild a slightly regretful and sad expression on her face.
"Come." She said making her way to her aravel. "There is no point in hiding this any longer."
Aearion fallowed and entered her aravel. It had a set up like most aravels a small stove that had a metal pipe going from the upper back of it to through the roof to keep smoke out, a small bed on the far end and a closet/dresser next to it (to the modern man it was basically a mobile motel room) there was also a wolf skin carpet with the head still attached.
Ashalle sat on the foot of her bed and beaconed Aearion to sit next to her. He did and there was a long uncomfortable silence before Ashalle spoke. "You father was the Keeper before Marethari and was with us for a very long time, your mother was from another clan and her elders did not approve the match she and your father had to meet in secret." Her tone then turned solemn. "One day…bandits caught them alone in the forest, your father was killed but you mother escaped."
"Humans…killed my father?" Aearion interrupted. He tolerated humans but he still didn't like them, he plays strained civility with them for the sole reason of keeping them from making some kind of anti-elf/lynching club (*cough* KKK *cough*). He didn't meet many but he did trade with Lothering from time to time.
"Yes but there were city elves too, those of us you live with humans do not hold to the old ways." Ashalle explained solemnly before continuing. "Your mother held to life long enough to give birth to you…but grief wracked her heart." Her tone would have become even more solemn if it was possible and a lone tear for her friend slid down her face. "One day she…simply walked into the moonlight and never returned."
"So she…abandoned me?" the younger male elf asked sadly.
Ashalle put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She just couldn't carry on without your father. The clan decided not to discuss this around you must it poison you heart with sadness." She explained trying to comfort her godchild and lessen the pain this information but inflict.
"No, I…I understand." Aearion assured her as a lone tear of his own slid down his face.
Ashalle gave him a warm sad smile before giving him a hug. "Our people have learned to live with much sorrow, it seems only right that we don't dwell on it."
Ashalle stood up and rummaged under her bed until she came up with a small box. "You mother did leave you a gift…something of you fathers to have when you are older, perhaps the time has come."
She opened the small unassuming box and in it was an amulet attached to a necklace similar to the locket found on Lynalia's body…but the amulet was completely different, it was shaped like the wings of a hawk embracing a yellow crystal shaped like an arrow head. It was an amulet of Andruil: Goddess of the Hunt only a few have survived the fall of Elvhenan.Aearion tool the amulet and tied it around his neck he then took his mothers locket and placed it in one of the 4 packs on his waist. "Thank you Ashalle." He murmured. He stood up and left the aravel. He had a lot to think about.
(That night in Aearion's aravel)
Aearion sat on the desk on the left wall of his aravel. His aravel was slightly larger than some of the others. It had a bed in the far right-hand corner, a stove just like the one in Ashalle's aravel in the left hand corner close to the door, a bookcase next to the desk filled with book of what could be found on elven lore and human lore and a closet/dresser next to the bed.
He stared at his mother's locket and his father's amulet in solemn contemplation. "My father was a Keeper…I guess that explains why the spirits of the forest have been so drawn to me. I'm not a mage but I still have awareness in the beyond when I dream and even though I can't use spells I can still use mage items that don't need spells to work."
Aearion sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wish I could have met them…" he stood up removing his Dalish short bow, quiver, the veridium dar'misu from his lower back and veridium dar'misan from his left hip, placing the weapons in the trunk at the foot of his bed. He then removed the torso portion of his Elite Hunter armor (not in game) which revealed some hunting scares across his back and chest and abdomen, it also revealed more vallaslin on his back and chest abdomen and shoulder similar to the one on his face.
"Lethallin?" A voice called from the door of Aearion's aravel. Shortly after the door creaked open revealing Merrill.
It was not told before so her description is here now. Merrill has short raven hair, lightly tanned skin as most Dalish have and a faded vallaslin on her face that looked like bold, angular and curved lines. She wore the tradition Keeper apprentice robes made of wolf and deer skins.
A light blush dusted Merrill's face when she noticed she caught him in the middle of undressing. They've been together for a little while but they've been taking the relationship a little slow, so she's never seen him half naked before. Most Dalish take there time with there romances as one of the ways to re-teach the patience of there ancestors.
"Ah, lethallan, what are you doing here?" he asked as he put the torso armor in the trunk with his bow and blades.
Merrill walked up to Aearion and gave him a hug. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
The male Dalish returned the hug rubbing her head affectionately as he did. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a little down is all." Aearion sat down on his bed letting Merrill sit on his lap. "I'll never get to meet my mother and father because of a bunch of shemlen and flat-ears.
Merrill kissed his jaw lightly to distract him from his thoughts. "I'm sure they are watching you now from the Beyond, whishing they could they could have been with you." Another kiss. "But I don't think they'd want you to dwell on them." And another. "They'd want you to move on with you life and be happy." And another kiss. "I know I want you to be happy."
By know Aearion was returning the kisses in kind. Caressing Merrill's shoulders and waist making her moan into his mouth as she kissed.
Merrill pushed Aearion unto the bed tracing the tattoos on his chest with her finger, a sultry smirk on her face.
END
Sorry no lemon, I've never done a lemon and I don't want to fuck it up.
Anyway translations.
Vallaslin: "Blood Writing" A.K.A tattoos.
Aravel: Land Ship or caravan.
Lethallin: Male friend or possibly significant other.
Lethallan: same as Lethallin but for females.
Dar'misu: a curved Elven dagger with a hook near the handle.
Dar'misan: a curved Elven long sword that looked like a dar'misu but with a more decorative handle.
Shemlen: "Quick Children" a racial slur the Dalish use for humans, City elves use Shem in a similar manner.
Flat-Ear: derogatory term used by the Dalish for city elves because they believe them to have submitted to human rule and ignore there rich and proud elven heritage.