A/N Hello all! Had to get this story off my mind! I hope you enjoy. What you recognize from the games/books/wiki are not mine of course.
Child of the Lost Time
The Fall
"Mel, Shiral! You must take my staff of Mythal and run. Hide. The city is falling and you mustn't fall with it!"
"Mamae! Yo.. you are coming!"
"No emma lath, I am not. I am needed here".
"You are needed with us!"
"Shiral you must be strong. Take your sister and the staff and you run and you never stop. When it is safe use the key to- The sounds of screaming comes closer and the roar of dragons rumbles the city. Go! Now!"
"Mamae!"
And so the great dreamer Iselva watched as her children ran into the darkness. Their black hair and bright green eyes full of fear and grief which were so like her own left her sight and she fell to her knees and the earth shook one last time before the world around Iselva collapsed.
Hours before…
Rocky cliffs slick with ocean spray and seaweed, the sound of birds chirping and cawing, the sea salt and sand in her hair, the cool breeze brushing her young cheeks. Len'Melava stood silently as she judged and calculated the distance to her next leap.
Len'Melava or 'Mel' to those that love her raised her hands to her wind teased black hair and twisted the long strands into a tight knot. She assumed the position in preparation to make her leap for the small, slick overhang when with a sly smile she straightened once more. A hand on her chin Mel considered her quarry and hid a grin as she heard a groan behind her.
"Mel you've made this jump countless times. Hurry up!" Her twin brother Uth'Shiral complained.
This particular cliff on the edges of the endless sea was of no particular challenge to the young elvhen but she liked to make her impatient and slightly younger brother wait. "Calm yourself Shiral! We are to take our first lessons with the Dreamers tomorrow. It wouldn't do to be reckless and break our necks when we have finally been accepted."
Shiral shook his matching black hair from his eyes and tried to ignore the sing of the salt in his eyes. "Please don't act as if we have never dreamed before. Mamae has been teaching us for years now."
Mel rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder to her brother, her best friend, and her confidant. "And you know the elder's mustn't know. Besides we have never been welcomed into the Veil Tower. Now hush lest we fall to our deaths and leave our Mamae full of grief. You know we are not supposed to be here."
"Then why did you drag me from my wood crafting lesson?"
Mel gave him a secret smile. "As if you actually enjoy those stuffy lessons." Mel said mockingly. "You will see. Hush." Turning back to her goal, Mel planted her bare feet firmly and lined her body to the small ledge. Letting out one last breath Mel took two quick steps before leaping from the wet rock, her fingers gripped the ledge firmly and with strong arms she fluidly pulled herself up to the cliff.
Despite having made the leap many times in the years before she always felt exhilarated, the feeling of adventure humming in her blood. Mel hopped out of the way as her dear brother made the same accomplishment just as easily as she had and she led the way to their destination.
After a long moment of silence Shiral grew impatient once more and his curiosity was running wild. "Alright Len'Melava, I no longer recognize the path we are on. Where are you taking us?"
"Alright Uth'Shiral. Remember last cycle when one of the hunters thought I would be receptive of his attentions?" Mel didn't bother with looking back to see Shiral's nod, she knew that he did. "The little upstart was behaving rudely as you know. I couldn't have that so I led him out to the rocks and he may have… slipped on a bit of frost and fell into the water."
Mel smiled at the sound of her brothers' chuckle. It was deep and warm. "A bit of frost in the middle of the second harvest? Imagine that."
"Yes well it was a bit colder that day than normal." Mel stopped talking as she ducked below low branches and in a small clearing was a darkened stone archway leading down into the ground. The steps were covered in over grown moss and vines.
Shiral hesitated and looked around the surrounding trees. "Where have the birds gone?"
With a shrug, Mel continued her story. "Who cares? Back to the story. Naturally I was not going to be there for when the bothersome hunter finally pulled himself from the water so I went to the cliffs and explored."
"Alone? Ar tu na'din! And if I don't then one of those Tevinter shems could have!" Shiral exclaimed.
"Tch! They could have tried! And they would have failed." Mel bit back.
"Did you even have your staff with you?"
"I do not need a staff." Mel ground out. She was becoming very proficient with magic but she had always the thought of using a silly stick and waving it around wildly was all a bit ridiculous. .
"You are better with a staff. Mamae says so."
Mel threw up a hand. "I will no longer discuss this. Mamae does not know everything. Now may I please finish?"
Shiral shook his head but gestured for her to continue anyways.
"Good. As I was saying before, during my explorations I came across this tunnel. It was caved in and over the course of the past few days I had been coming here before the day's lessons and clearing the rubble. Come. I'll show you where it leads."
And the siblings each fashioned and lit a torch with a spark from their hands and Mel led the way into the small cramped tunnel, Shiral mumbling that he had wondered where she had been on those early mornings.
Shiral muttered a curse a moment after entering the tunnel. "You don't think you could have found a bigger tunnel to explore?"
This brought a smile to Mel's once tight expression and she glanced back to enjoy the sight of her tall brother hunched over. "Come now it will widen. Watch your step. It gets steep from here.
The path was long and more than a little treacherous but eventually they reached a door made of stone and Mel pushed it open. Using her hands she pushed the long vines and bushes out of their path. "Here we are!" Mel said proudly.
Shiral looked around his nose wrinkled. "Arlathan? All of that just to get back into the city?"
"Tch it's not the fact that it leads to the city but the fact that it obviously hadn't been used in many long years."
"Mel that was a waste of time! If Mamae finds out that we snuck out of our lessons for… for-" Shiral broke off as the first roar and screams filled the air.
After a brief panic filled look the two sprinted for their home, their Mamae.
-They hadn't wanted to leave her. Leave their home. They didn't have a father to leave, as one of the mysteries about the twins of the origin of their conception. Dreamer Iselva was greatly known through the Elvhenan as having great talent and finding the solution to anything in the fade.
During one particular journey, sixteen years before the Teventer Empire destroyed Arlathan, she emerged from the Fade and after a short time learns she was with child. The time had been great since Iselva had taken a lover, leaving no doubt that the father of her unborn children was a mystery.
A few of the elders suggested that the Gods had gifted her because of her notable work with filling their libraries with knowledge of the fade.
Iselva however had always believed that her children were not a gift to her but a gift for something greater. Something much more important than herself, and she always told them so. Do their studies, work hard in their practice, and always treat the servants with kindness. They were important to the Gods and they would need the love of their people.
This was of little import now as the two young Elvhen stumbled and ran back toward the hidden tunnel Mel had dragged them through. This time Shiral pulled his sister through the vines, not bothering to find their torches, and into the dark wet tunnel.
And they left the sounds of fear and pain, they left their elders, their home, their friends, behind and they ran.
-Both were exhausted when they at last stopped to rest inside of a cave as far from their home as they could before collapsing. Neither spoke as they huddled near the back of the cave, their Mamae's staff gripped across their laps as they caught their breath.
It was difficult to process what had happened as neither was sure. They knew the Shems where greedy for land and resources, for the knowledge and power their people had. Seems their own had fallen easier than they thought could have been possible.
The siblings leaned against the other as they drifted to sleep only to be awoken by the sound of armored boots on stone echoing through the cavern.
Her eyes wild Mel looked around frantically for an escape. "Shiral there's nowhere to go!"
Shiral closed his eyes. "We must survive. Hide the staff and don't fight."
Mel began to argue, her green eyes on fire. "But-"
"Mamae needs us to survive this. We can do this."
Mel swallowed and nodded. Quickly she hid the staff beneath a few rocks and joined her brother where he knelt, his head bowed and submissive. It went against every single part of her to join him, grabbing his hand in hers, the pained grief in his eyes was difficult to bear but she knew he was right.
Shouts began to fill their ears and rough hands pulled them apart. Mel struggled to keep her voice from shouting for her brother. Her last thoughts as darkness overcame them. 'We will endure this.'
-Three years after the fall
"Run Mel! I'll hold him back but you must run!"
"No Shiral I cannot lose you!"
"And I will not allow the Magister to destroy you entirely. You- You were always more important than I. Mamae knew we would need you. You must survive. I will be the one to endure."
"Shiral do not be a fool! They will kill you for this."
Mel fought back a tear as her dear brother pulled his stained and worn slaves robe from around his shoulders and used it to wrap her bare and shivering form. Giving her a sad smile he used a touch of magic to erase the bruise under her eye and the split in her lip.
"You must then grow strong, stronger than you were before they tried to break us. And you must use that strength and rain their blood from the highest of the mountains."
A sob caught in her throat as the last piece of her life came crumbling down. She was stubborn and pliant at the same time as Shiral pushed her toward the window.
-Len'Melava had never felt such terrible cold in her short life. Once she would have told you that the river on a brisk third harvest day was cold but she changed that to the first time she slept on the stone in the slaves' dungeon. Neither of those compared to walking through a blizzard in the middle of nowhere.
Using what magic she could muster she attempted to keep warm but the wind and snow caused her hands to go numb. Clumps of ice clung to the thin cloth Shiral had wrapped her in and her clothing under that was thin and torn, offering no protection.
Mel fought the uncontrollable shudders her body was giving and concentrated on moving one frozen barefoot in front of the next. Forcing the certainty that her other half, her brother was dead, to the far reaches of her mind.
Loosing track of time and place long ago Mel at last fell into the deep snow, and huddled into a ball. Mel had never been a devout follower of the Gods. To her they were far away stories of great men and women that people came to love more than anyone else. But Mel felt like praying but who do you pray to help you escape such a situation. Mythal?
From her position kneeing in the snow and wind Mel caught sight of a dark figure just beyond the small light of the moon.
"Wh-wh-who…?" Mel attempted to get out more but her voice was frozen within her chest.
The dark figured only stared at her from the distance as if it were waiting.
"I- I c-c-can'tt."
No reply, only the howling wind.
Mel closed her eyes and took deep breaths of icy air and slowly, weakly struggled to stand. She fell more than once as she followed the figure. She followed, no longer caring where she was going. It could have been back to the Magisters for all she knew but her need for warmth was becoming life threatening. She followed.
If she had been of sound mind she would have noticed the beautiful statues, the lovely fountain that flowed as if the weather were warm. The pavilion offered little protection from the cold but the snow was not welcome in there.
The girl collapsed against the nearest statue, that of a wolf and sank to the stone floor. Mel closed her eyes, and allowed her mind to drift. As her mind drifted her blue hands gained their feeling, her toes and legs warmed and Mel smiled as the sun warmed her face.
Blinking her eyes she gazed around the little garden. There were green grass and colorful flowers. Birds flitted from tree to tree, each full of life and energy. Keeping her shoulders wrapped Mel slowly stood, strength filling her limbs and feeling full, she stepped from the garden and saw a great black wolf seated just out of reach.
Mel brushed her black hair from her eyes and smiled kindly at the wolf. "Hello there. This is a lovely garden you have. May I explore a bit longer?" her smile deepened as the wolf joined her side and she gave it a soft pat on the head.
And so the two walk through the trees and flowers. Passing statues and caves, temples and castles. At first there was only silence between them but eventually Mel allowed her grief and sadness to enter her mind and the girl began to tell the wolf of her life. Of her dreams, her hopes, her fears and her nightmares. She talked about her Mamae and Shiral. The fall of her home, her life. Her life as a slave. The day she was forced to have a vallaslin etched upon her once mark free face, forever identifying her as a slave.
The girl became lost in time, loosing herself in this garden of the wolves'. The more she told of her knowledge, of her memories, the more she began to forget them. First she forgot her slavers then her friends and teachers, the elders, her joys and hurts were next. She didn't even notice that she was forgetting her Mamae and Shiral. All she was left with was her name.
When at last she had spoken of everything she ever knew, ever experienced, a heavy weariness settled upon the girl.
"I think I'll rest now lovely wolf."
As always the wolf kept silent and watched as she settled against a tree and closed her eyes. A soft smile still on her lips.
"This is a lovely place dear friend. I never want to leave." Mel opened her eyes slightly as she felt the wolf sit next to her, lying their head across her lap. She lightly ran her fingers across the soft dark fur. "If you'll have me I would stay forever." She whispered as she slipped into her sleep.
When she awoke the wolf was gone but Mel only vaguely remembered the weight of something warm in her lap and the softness of fur threaded through her fingers. Giving into a long stretch the girl pushed the long pale hair from her face and tied it into a knot and sprung to her feet.
A light energy hummed through her body. Mel never considered that she might be lost and in a strange place and had a complete lack of memories but she was an adventurous sort and so she picked a direction and began to walk.
After many days of walking, hunting, and sleeping beneath the stars Mel came across a strange sight. People like herself. With a curious smile she left the trees she had been watching from and walked right up to the oldest person there. Ignoring the stares and whispers of the onlookers.
With a slight bow of respect Mel introduced herself. "Honored Elder, I am Len'Melava of... " Mel paused as her mind failed to recall this part of her introduction. "I must apologize Elder. I-I cannot recall where I am from.
The old and startled elder looked around cautiously for an incoming attack. Finding no cause for immediate concern she turned back toward the curious youth before her. She was clothed in rags, her white hair was knotted and an unkempt mess. Her vallaslin was that of Mythal and there were a couple of small scars on her face.
"Welcome Len'Melava. Come with me and we can talk. I am Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan."