Summary: After his clan is slain, Noah finds one sole survivor: a little girl named Vahari. He takes it upon himself to take the little girl in but it doesn't seem his companions are all to fond of the idea. He says it is until he could find another clan to take her in but as time goes on, he becomes more attached to her - more than he or the others realize.

Char: Dorian & Male Lavellan (Noalanniel "Noah" Lavellan)

Notes: So...Yeah..."What if they had a kid" she asks. This is...what happened...OH goodness, why can't I write more funny and happy things? There will probably be a lot of spoilers in this story. (Working Title)

Raising Vahari

Rite of Lavellan

Josephine looked up when she heard slow but sharp footsteps. It was the inquisitor. She didn't bother trying to say hello to him. He'd just ignore her anyway. Sighing, she stood up and gathered a few of the papers sprawled across her desk. She grabbed up her writing board and followed after him.

The elf had been tense and silently hostile towards his advisors ever since the news that the Lavellan clan had been fell by human hands. It was reported that there were no survivors. This happened almost two weeks ago.

She knew the Inquisitor probably blamed her more than the other two because she had persuaded him it would be a better idea to exercise their diplomatic relations with the nearby noble. In the end, that led to the death of the entire clan.

When they entered the room, the elf inquisitor paused. Leliana was absent and Josephine only stood by the door. Cullen stood at the war table with Iron Bull at the far left side of the table and Solas standing across from him. What were the two of them doing there? "What is this?" Noah asked with a frown. Cullen sighed and crossed his arms.

"There is no easy way in saying this, your worship." Noah was eyeing him warily. The only time the Commander called him anything but Inquisitor was when he had bad news.

"You need closure," Solas said simply, cutting off whatever Cullen was about to say. The ex-Templar seemed to let out a heavy breath. "Cole cannot even be around you without having some sort of panic attack." Noah gave Solas a blank stare. Solas cut his eyes to Iron Bull.

"And you've been more reckless on the field. Your trips to healers last longer and longer. The amount of wounds you get – it almost looks as if you're doing it on purpose." The Qunari was giving him a look that meant he knew that was exactly what the elf was doing.

Noah let out a sigh. He knew there was probably no way he would be getting out of this. "What would you have me do?"

"We travel to the location your clan was last seen. Give them a proper burial rite." Solas said. Noah looked between Solas and Iron Bull slowly before turning his gaze on Cullen. The man had leaned on to the war table, staring down.

"You don't seem to agree." Noah observed the tenseness in the Commander's shoulders. Cullen brought his gaze slowly up.

"I agree that you need closure….but…" Cullen frowned. "I am honestly not sure…you will be able to handle what is there," There was silence.

Noah wanted to say he was wrong; that he'd dealt with corpses already. That he could handle a few more corpses. He'd tangled with demons, walked the fade, and killed the undead – but he knew, seeing the lifeless bodies of the only people that he could call family was something on a whole new level. "I'll be fine," it was nothing but a whisper. You could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"I will gather up some of the troops to-"

"No!" Noah was glaring at him. "I do not want any humans to come." Cullen was silent for a moment.

"Very well," Cullen said. "However, I still would rest easier knowing more than your usual 4-man party walks along with you."

"Then I will take some of Leliana's men." With that, Noah left the room. He didn't spare Josephine even a glance.

"Do you think he will be ready for it?" Josephine asked. Cullen frowned.

"I read the reports…." Cullen mumbled lowly. "I do not believe he would."

"He is not as delicate nor as hardy as you all believe," Solas spoke up. They all looked at him. "You would do well to remember that, lest you anger him even farther. It would not do to allow his anger or sorrow to fester. Along with the situation with Corypheus…" Solas shook his head with a sigh. He let the thought trail off as he took his leave, Iron Bull silently following behind him.

…

..

.

They'd made it to their destination with minimum issues arising, considering. Cullen had managed to stuff a bunch of his human troops with them to the displeasure of Noah. Even though he had stated he didn't want any humans along with him, he brought along Dorian. His party consisted of Dorian, Iron Bull, and Varric. The three were probably the only ones he could tolerate at the moment. He didn't trust to bring Solas because he didn't really like Solas and he didn't trust him to be quiet.

He wonder if the other felt some type of way for being Dorian along instead of him – then again, the elf probably expected the move anyway.

Noah stopped, causing everyone else to stop and stare at his back. When they glanced up at what had caused him to stop, they let out a small breath. Everything in the area ahead of them was charred. Smoke wafted up from still burning embers; the smell of burning and rotting flesh stung the air. The air was still, silent, and thick with death. "Teddy…"

Noah swallowed thickly. He ignored Varric and pressed on. It was strange. The area smelt heavily of death but he did not see any bodies. They reached nearly the center of the clearing when he noticed a still standing makeshift hut. It looked like it was made from already fallen trees, but the bark wasn't burnt so it had to have been recent.

"There are grave markers over there," Dorian pointed towards the right of the hut. "Someone is probably still here. Whether they are friend or foe remains to be seen."

Noah said nothing as he started for the hut. He felt a heavy hand lay on his shoulder. He looked up to see Iron Bull frowning down at him silently. Noah let out a barely audible sigh as he let Iron Bull walk slightly in front of him.

When they made it to the hut, Iron Bull jolted slightly, making a pained noise before he fell to the ground. "Bull!" Everyone took up arms at that moment. A cough pulled Noah's attention from Bull's still form to the other inhabitants of the hut. There was a little girl with short, black, shaggy hair. Large grey eyes stared in fear. Brown, dirty, tattered and burnt robes adorned her slight body. She was gripping a staff that was longer than she was. She couldn't have been older than 6 years old. She was standing in front of someone laid out on the ground with a rag on their head.

Majority of the person's body was covered in burns and there was a bandage wrapped loosely around the person's eyes.

"Easy there," Noah held his hand up as he spoke in elvhen. The little girl froze. "We're not here to hurt you."

"Va…h…a..ri…" The elf behind her started to speak. She turned and dropped to her knees. Noah slowly walked closer – the person was an elven woman.

"…" the little girl sniffled silently.

"Lethalin," Noah slowly made his way over to the two. The little girl watched him warily as he kneeled beside them.

"Falon'Din?" She asked before continuing. "Our People…here…have…fallen…" The woman began to rasp. "This…attack…organized….they…." She began to cough. Noah turned sharply to look at Dorian. Dorian understood the silent plea and took a step into the hut but stopped short when a sudden jolt of pain shot through him. He gasped and stepped back. Noah frowned and looked at the little girl, who was staring at Dorian with frightful eyes.

Noah cursed silently. He should have brought Solas along after all…

"They….next…will target….N-…No…" she began to cough again. "The Inquisitor…You know…of him…yes?" A chuckle passed through her charred lips. "Of course…you…do….We are…proud of what….he has…done…" She wheezed. There were bloodied tears soaking through the bandages around her head. "Vahari…" The girl sat at attention. "Ma da'len…ir abelas…." She let out a pained wheeze. "Falon'Din…lethanavir…guide my feet….calm my…soul…lead me….to my rest….I wish….to be…with…to…be…with…with…"She trailed off before she went silent and still. Noah and the child elf sat there staring at her. They both dropped their heads and remained silent.

Iron Bull silently pulled himself from the ground and backed out of the hut. Varric and Dorian were already outside. "Geez, that hurt like a bitch…" Bull grunted, rubbing his neck.

"You're telling me…." Dorian frowned. "It felt as if I had struck myself with my own storm magick…"

"Is that what you felt?" Iron Bull grunted. "I wish I had felt that. It felt like all my innards were yanked out of me and my knees smashed to pieces with a sledge hammer."

"Glad I didn't walk through there…." Varric mumbled, causing both Iron Bull and Dorian to glare at him. Varric shrugged with a humorless grin.

"That hut must be enchanted….I am guessing those who aren't elven can't walk through it without feeling like they're dying." Dorian crossed his arms. They looked up when they heard Noah leaving the hut. He was being led by the little girl pulling him towards the graves.

She was silent as she pulled him along. When they got to the graves, they stood there silently. Noah brought a fist up to his chest and bowed his head. He kneeled down and held that position as he began to mumble something in elven. Bull, Dorian, and Varric pulled their attention away from the elf to regard each other.

"I wish I understood elvhen…" Dorian mumbled.

"All I made out was something about planned attacks, Falon'Din, and the Inquisitor," Iron Bull shrugged. Varric and Dorian gave him curious looks. "There are a lot of things you pick up on in my line of work." He shrugged again. They looked up when they heard footsteps and low muttering.

Noah was holding a stone box in one hand while the little elven girl clung to his other hand. "Vahari," Noah mumbled. She was staring between Dorian and Bull warily. "She's coming with us…" with that, he walked passed the three. Dorian, Varric, and Bull exchanged looks before following behind the two elves at a reasonable distance as Noah began to speak to her.