AN: Hello all! This story follows Lyna Mahariel's new life. This first part contains my Hawke, Riley, and the OC I created named Lin. If you would like to learn more about Riley's past as well as Lin then I suggest you read my story: Vhenan'ara: Hearts Desire. You do not have to read it though to enjoy this story. If you do want to read Vhenan'ara, then you would read Lyna's story after Chapter 6 of Vhenan'ara.
As of right now: I have NOTHING planned for Lyna's story. I usually plan out chapters for my longer stories, but I just wrote this to coincide with Riley's story. If you would like me to continue writing Beginning of the End, let me know! I'll happily do it!
She watches the shemlen run and chases after them through the forest. She had to keep circling them in order to get them where she wants them to be. They run for ten minutes before the shemlen finally enter Tamlen's site. He raises his bow and starts walking slowly towards them.
"It's a Dalish!" she hears the one on the ground yell pointing a finger at Tamlen.
"And you three are somewhere you shouldn't be!" Tamlen says back, arrow trained on the one on the ground.
"Let us pass elf!" the orange haired shemlen says as another shemlen came up the rear and helped the one off the ground. Tamlen kept his arrow trained on him, "You have no right to stop us!" Lyna grunts under her breath then jumps down the hill. She pulls out her bow and places an arrow training it on the orange haired shemlen, then walks over to stand beside Tamlen.
"No? We will see about that, won't we?" Tamlen said to them, then to her says, "These humans were lurking in the bushes. Bandits no doubt."
"Their clothes don't look like bandits, though," she replied.
"We aren't bandits I swear! Please don't hurt us!" begged the orange hair.
"You shemlen are pathetic," Tamlen started as he and Lyna slowly walk closer to them, "It's hard to believe you ever drove us from our homeland."
"We've never done anything to you Dalish!" the shemlen in the back started to talk, "We didn't even know this forest was yours!"
"This forest isn't ours fool," Tamlen spat back, "You've stumbled too close to our camp. You shems are like vermin-we can't trust you not to make mischief."
"What do you say lethallan?" Tamlen asks Lyna, "What should we do with them?"
"I want to find out what they were doing here," she answers back.
"Does it matter?"
"Look we didn't come here to be trouble," said the shemlen that was on the ground, "We just found a cave…"
"Yes a cave!" said the orange hair, "With ruins like I've never seen! We thought there might be..uh…"
"Treasure," said Tamlen, "So you're more akin to thieves than actual bandits."
"If you've been to these ruins you must have some proof," Lyna said.
"I do! I…have proof," said the orange hair as he walked to Tamlen and handed him a stone, "We found this just inside the entrance." Tamlen lowers his bow and takes the item. He looks at it, puzzled.
"This stone has carvings…is this elvish? Written elvish?"
"There's more in the ruins! We didn't get very far in though…" said the orange hair.
"Why not?" Lyna asks as Tamlen pulls his bow back up.
"There was a demon! It was huge! With black eyes! Thank the Maker we were able to out run it!"
Tamlen scoffs towards Lyna and asks the human, "A demon? Where is this cave?"
"Just off the west I think," the orange hair said looking at the man behind him. The man nods to him telling him he's right, "There's a cave in the rock face, and a huge hole just inside."
"Well?" Tamlen asks Lyna, "Do you trust them? Shall we let them go?"
"Let them go," she says looking at him then at the humans, "And do not return."
"Yes of course! Thank you!" said the orange man as he and his men ran.
"Well," Tamlen starts as he comes to stand in front of her, "shall we see if there's any truth to their story? These carvings make me curious."
"Same here," she says as she starts to walk past him, playfully bumping his shoulder. Tamlen smiles at her then falls into step next to her, "If we're lucky there will be something more interesting then these carvings."
They made their way through the woods to the location those humans said the cave was. Along the way they encountered a small group of wolves. Lyna and Tamlen easily took them out, her with her trusty bow and him with his trusty sword and shield. Continuing through they found a locked chest that she easily opens and they find various herbs to bring back to camp. Finally they reach the entrance to the cave, and it's massive compared to what they imagined.
"This must be the cave," Tamlen says, "I don't remember seeing this before, do you?"
"I don't," Lyna says then looks to him filled with concern, "And that worries me that we haven't seen something as obvious as this before."
"It'll be alright, Lyna," he says and he comes to her placing one hand on her shoulder while the other moves to her chin lifting her face to him, "Don't worry too much. At the first sign of a demon we'll run out and back to camp. I won't let anything hurt you."
"Nor I to you, emma lath," she says as she brings her hand to his cheek. He kisses her softly then they make their way into the cave.
"It looks like the shem were telling the truth," Tamlen said once inside, "But…these ruins look more human than elven." She nods her agreement and they walk further into the ruins. At the bottom they are greeted with two giant spiders. They quickly kill them, loot what they see, and head through the first door that separates the hallway into two.
"Which way?" Lyna asks Tamlen.
"Let's go left."
They head down the left path and come across a door. As Lyna opens the door they are instantly greeted, again, with giant spiders. More this time around though. Lyna notices a trap in front of them and quickly roll dodges the spider aiming for her. Tamlen draws his sword and slams it into the spiders head as Lyna quickly disarms the trap. Once she's done she stands, draws her bow, and fires a quick arrow into the head of a spider approaching Tamlen's rear. Lyna was so focused on protecting Tamlen that she almost missed the spider that was just looming over her head. She does a quick backflip before the spider could land on top her. She fumbles for an arrow as the thing quickly crawls to her. It's too fast for her as it jumps on top of her, forcing her bow and the arrow to drop from her hands. She hears Tamlen yell her name as the spider tries to bite her. Lyna holds it back with her armored left forearm as she reaches down with her right hand to her hidden dagger. Right before the spider chomps at her head she slits its head right in half, causing a flow of blood to spill on her face.
"Sodding gross," she curses under her breath as she rolls the dead thing over. Tamlen is soon there, offering his hand and she takes it gratefully. He's covered in blood too, but obviously not as much. He gives her a quick scan to make sure she's alright, then he gives her a crooked smile.
"Sexy," he says as he pulls a handkerchief out and hands it to her.
"Oh shut it," she says playfully as she wipes the blood from her face, "Going left was your idea."
"Hey, it's your fault you asked for my opinion."
"Apparently so," she laughs then throws the blooded cloth at him. The look on his face as he quickly drops it makes her laugh even more. They look around the room and loot anything they can find. They come across a locked door and Lyna attempts to unlock it, but ends up cursing under her breath.
"What's wrong my little thief?" Tamlen mocks her, "Found a lock you can't pick?"
"Seems so my annoying little warrior," she says as she backs away from the lock.
"I'm not little!"
"But you admit to being annoying? Interesting," she teases, "Come on. Let's head back and go through the right path." As it turns out, the right path was just a hallway that lead to an open area that, again, had more spiders. They were prepared this time since no traps were to be found.
"Alright it's official. I'm not listening to you anymore," Lyna says to Tamlen.
"Just one time!" She rolls her eyes at him and gathers the loot before continuing the walk. As they were walking they saw corpses with no flesh, all bone. In the middle where the two hallways come together is a statue.
"I can't believe this. You recognize this statue, don't you?" Tamlen asks in disbelief.
"It's a bit worn, but it does look familiar," Lyna replies squinting at the statue.
"Back when our people lived in Arlathan, statues like these honored the Creators. When the shems enslaved us, much of that lore was lost. This looks like human architecture…with a statue of our people. Can these ruins date back to the time of Arlathan?" Tamlen questions.
"It's interesting," Lyna whispers, "So much of our past lost to us."
"I know," Tamlen whispers back then sighs, "Unfortunately it would seem time and decay ruined mostly everything in these ruins."
"Don't give up hope, Tamlen," Lyna says as she nudges his shoulder, "I'm sure there's still something worth of value down here."
"You're right," he said smiling down at her, "Only one door left. Let's see where it leads." They turn so that instead of their backs their fronts face the last door. When Lyna and Tamlen walk towards it, however, the floor beneath them sinks slightly as a giant circle appears below their feet. From the circle a green mist emerges.
Poison.
"It's a trap!" Lyna yells. Her and Tamlen quickly cover their nose and mouths and run out of the mist. Outside the mist the corpses that they passed began to rise. Tamlen took care of the ones coming down the left side and she took care of the ones coming down the right. Once it was clear they gathered at the statue and waited for the mist to dissolve.
"Poisonous traps and walking corpses? I'd say the treasure is behind that door," Tamlen said.
"That, and quite well possibly the demon those humans talked about."
"Ah that's right. Almost forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me," Tamlen said sarcastically.
"That's what I'm here for," Lyna said shrugging.
They left the statue and walk to the door. Being safe this time, Lyna draws her bow and aims an arrow at the door while Tamlen draws his sword and puts one hand against the door. With a quick nod from her he pushed the door open and rolled inside. Sure enough, there was the demon. It looked like a bear, but with spikes coming out all over its body and it had very large tusks coming from its mouth. Not a normal bear. Lyna rapidly shoots at the beast as it starts to run towards her. She does a quick back flip as it reaches her and the beast lifts itself on two legs, like a normal bear would, with its two large paws up in the air. Before the beast lowered its paws to the ground again Tamlen stood in front of it and lifted his shield over his head. The beast's paws slammed down on his shield and Tamlen used all of his strength to keep the beast raised. In this position the beast's stomach was wide open for Tamlen and the beasts head was wide open for her.
"Now!" Lyna yells as she pulls back the arrow and lets it go. The arrow hits the beast square between the eyes the same time as Tamlen's sword comes up and splits the beast's stomach open sideways. It shrieked as it died, and Tamlen rolls backwards to her feet to let the beast fall.
"Well that was fun," she says helping him up. Tamlen doesn't reply to her. His gaze was fixed on the thing in the middle of the room.
"Tamlen?" Lyna asks concerned.
"Huh? Oh right, uh yeah. That was fun," he says looking at her then back to the mirror. She looks at the mirror too as they walk to stand at the base of it.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Tamlen says as the approach, "I wonder what the writing says…"
"You're not going to cheat on me with a mirror are you?" Lyna says jokingly.
"What? No!" Tamlen says appalled, almost like he didn't even hear her joking tone. Maybe he didn't, "It's just…look how clean it is. Not a single smudge or crack," he looks back at the writing surround the mirror, "I wonder what this writing is for? Maybe this isn't-hey, did you see that? I think something moved inside the mirror."
"I didn't see anything, Tamlen. And you're starting to worry me," Lyna says voice full of concern.
"I'm sorry Lyna its just-there it is again! Can you feel that? I think it knows we're here. I just need to take a closer look."
"Tamlen…" she starts to warn, but he ignores her and walks up to the mirror. She sighs and walks to stand next to him.
"It's…showing me places," he says and places a hand against the mirror, "I can see…some kind of city…underground?" he says looking to her confused. She watches as the mirror starts to glow a faint purple color, "And…there's a great blackness…" He looks back at her then to the mirror, alarm growing on his face, "It…It saw me! Help! I can't look away!"
"TAMLEN!" Lyna screams and she grabs onto his outstretched arm to try and pull him away-
But she can't. The mirror starts to ring in her ears as it glows blindly white. She watches as Tamlen's other hand pushes her stomach so she stepped away from the mirror and him. The mirror's ringing grew so loud that it makes her ears bleed, and then she is being blasted off her feet and falling hard against her back, her head making a cracking sound as it hit the stone floor.
The last thing she remembers is Tamlen's face. His eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. She sees him mouth the words: Ar lath ma.
I love you.
Then everything goes black.
~.~
She hears feet against the stone floor. She feels herself being lifted up by familiar strong arms. The arms take her to the entrance of the cave and set her back down. She feels hands move hair away from her face; so gently. Then the presence is gone.
Later she hears heavy metal boots enter. She feels arms go to carry her again, but these arms are not familiar. These arms carry her out and she can smell the forest and the burning of wood from a fire. Somehow she can hear a deep voice calling for her.
Somehow she opens her eyes and tries to focus on something, anything. She sees a man's face, a shemlen face, and can vaguely hear herself ask him, "Where is he?" She sees the man's eyes fill with sadness. His mouth forms a deep frown on his bearded face.
"I am…very sorry."
Everything goes black, again.
~.~
Lyna wakes up.
She rubs her eyes to try and focus on her surroundings. She's inside a tent, the Keeper's tent. Suddenly she sees flashes of broken memories dance across the top of the Keeper's tent. She sees her and Tamlen run across some humans. She sees her and Tamlen in front of an entrance. She sees her and Tamlen embrace and kiss before entering. She sees the giant spider on top of her, and sees its head split open as she cuts it. She sees the statue. She sees walking corpses coming for them out of a green mist. She sees the demon; tall, fearsome, and spiked all over. She sees a mirror behind the demon and watches as Tamlen approaches it. He screams and then there's a white flash. She sees his face as he says those last words then the memories fade and she's staring up at the tent.
"I have to get out of here," Lyna whispers, her voice hoarse. She quickly stands from the cot, too quickly, and the ground starts to sway under her. She sits back down on the cot and puts both of her hands on her forehead as she looks down and watches the ground sway and deform along with her feet. She could feel the bile coming up her throat.
"Breathe Lyna," she whispers to herself. Her eyes were still focused on the ground as she swallowed away the bile, "Breathe…" She takes three deep breathes and the floor becomes solid and unmoving. She stands, slowly, and leaves the tent. The outside light blinds her vision and she closes her eyes as she rubs her brows. Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness behind her eyelids she slowly opens them. The brightness begins to dim as her eyes finally focus on her surroundings. She looks around and sees the camp is unharmed, quieter, but unharmed.
"You're awake!" She hears a familiar voice call to her. She looks in front of her and sees Fenarel walking towards her, "You've the Gods' own luck lethallan. Everyone is worried sick about you. How do you feel?"
"Worried. Where's Tamlen?"
"We don't know," he said quietly to her, "The shem who brought you here saw no sign of him."
"A shem?" she said puzzled. She squinted at the dirt trying to remember, and she sees concerning brown eyes and a black beard surrounding a frown.
"A shem brought you back two days ago," Fenarel says bringing her back to reality, "You don't remember him?"
"I've been here for two days?!" she asks with wide-shocked eyes.
"Yes," he says looking sadly at her, "The shem claimed to be a Grey Warden. He appeared out of nowhere with you slung over his shoulder. You were delirious from fever and lose of blood from your head." She reaches behind her neck and felt a scar from the top of her neck, where the hair met, to the middle of her head, "He said he found you inside a cave in the forest, unconscious and alone," Fenarel continues as she traces, "He left you here and ran off again. The Keeper's been using the old magic to heal you."
"Is anyone looking for Tamlen?"
"The Keeper does have some hunters scouting the area. There has still been no sign of him."
"I see…" she said looking at the ground again.
"Don't worry, Lyna" Fenarel says and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "We won't stop searching until we find him. Plus, you know he doesn't go down without a fight."
"Yes that's true," she says with a small laugh escaping her lips.
Fenarel smiles then straightens, "The Keeper wanted to talk to you as soon as you awoke. Wait here I'll go get her." Lyna paces back and forth for a couple of minutes before the Keeper arrives.
"I see you are awake, da'len. It is fortunate Duncan found you when he did…" Keeper Marethari says as she approaches, "A dark power was holding you. It was draining the life from you. It was difficult for even my magic to keep you alive."
"Then Tamlen could be sick as well?"
"If he encountered the same thing you did, yes. The Grey Warden said he found you alone, already stricken. Duncan thought there may have been darkspawn creatures in the cave. Is that true?"
"There were spiders and walking corpses, but no darkspawn."
"Walking corpses?" The Keeper asked alarmed, then she sighs and whispers, "Dark magic…"
"There was also a mirror…"
"A mirror?" The Keeper's eyes went wide. She looks to her side and Lyna could see the Keeper was deep in thought. The Keeper sighs and turns her attention back to her.
"I was hoping for more answers when you awoke, but now there's only more questions," The Keeper walks to her right facing the heart of the camp and crosses her arms, "And Tamlen remains missing. He is more important than any lore in those ruins. If he is as sick as you were, his condition is grave," the Keeper turns her to her, "Duncan returned to the cave to search for darkspawn, but we cannot rely on him to look for Tamlen as well," the Keeper turns her full body and faces her, "We must go ourselves and quickly. Do you feel well enough to show us the way, da'len?" The Keeper asks with a voice of concern, "Without you we will not find it."
"I am up for it, Keeper. I am fine," she says voice filled with strength and determination. She will find Tamlen. She has to.
"I am relieved to hear it," the Keeper said, "I am ordering the clan to pack camp so we can go north. Take Merrill with you to the cave. Find Tamlen if you can, but do it swiftly."
"The clan is leaving?" Lyna asks concerned.
"If there is any truth to what Duncan said, then the darkspawn may show up in these parts soon. We must get away from that horde. But that is not our only concern. Did you encounter any other humans in the forest?"
"We did. They were the ones that told us about the cave, but we let them go."
"So I feared. You may have shown them mercy da'len, but not all humans forgive and forget easily. They told their village about us, and we suspect more will arrive."
"From the village? But that's where Riley lives, surely she can-"
"You know there is nothing she can do against a whole village," the Keeper said. Then sadly, "Maybe if her father was still alive something could be done. But, we all knew we would be leaving at some point in time. Now is that time."
"I understand Keeper. I'll go with Merrill now."
"Go quickly, for Tamlen's life hangs in the balance."
"I know that all too well, Keeper," she said sadly.
"Yes I know," the Keeper whispered, "I shall pray for both of yours safe return." Lyna nods her respect for the Keeper then heads down to meet Merrill. She didn't get very far, though, for she saw someone wave to her out of the corner of her eye. It was Fenarel.
"Is the Keeper sending you back to the cave to look for Tamlen?" he asks as she approaches him.
"Yes. I will be going with Merrill."
"I want to go with you," he said strongly, "Keeper Marethari probably won't approve, but I can help find Tamlen."
"I want you to come too, but let me ask the Keeper first," Lyna said. She never liked going behind the Keeper's back. Especially now that she saved her life. Fenarel sighs but agrees to let her ask. He says he'll wait with Merrill for her answer. They nod to each other and go in opposite directions.
"Yes, da'len?" the Keeper asks as she comes back, "Is something the matter? Are you feeling ill?"
"No Keeper, I'm fine. I've actually come to ask for your permission to allow Fenarel to accompany Merrill and I."
"I had a feeling he would want to go with you. You were all a close-knit circle," she sighs, "Very well. I will allow it."
"I would like to go as well, Keeper Marethari," said a familiar voice. Lyna watches as Lin emerges from behind the Keepers tent and comes to stand in between the two.
"I was afraid you'd ask me, Lin," the Keeper said looking at him with concern, and fear.
"You know I'm the best option to go along. These mirrors cannot harm me any longer," those words hit Lyna like a wild halla as realization comes. Those were one of the mirrors! One of the mirrors that made Lin what he is? Of course, the purple haze and that force. Why didn't she realize it sooner?!
"Please don't blame yourself, Lyna," Lin said bringing her back. She sees him looking at her and she blushes for how obvious she was. Lin gives her his small smile and she blushes even more. Damn, she loves Tamlen, but she can't help but admit that Riley got lucky.
"Besides Keeper," Lin says as he turns back to the Keeper, "I was part of that circle as well. I will feel guilty if I don't go along and something happens to them. Knowing that I could have most likely prevented it."
"I see your point, Lin," the Keeper says sadly.
"Please don't worry so much, Keeper. The ring you made for me has worked for all these years. It won't fail now," Lin said trying to reassure the Keeper. Every time Lyna saw these two talk to each other she saw a mother son sort of bond. It's no lie that the Keeper was very protective of him when he first arrived. It became even more so when Lin remembered his first set of memories. The trauma on his face broke the Keepers heart. Lyna hears the Keeper sigh and it brings her back to the task at hand.
"Yes you're right. So be it, you all can go. Please return soon," she said.
"We will, Keeper," Lin said.
"With Tamlen", Lyna said. They nod to the Keeper then head down through the camp to meet their friends. During the walk she gives reassuring smiles and nods to the concerning eyes of her people.
"I'm sorry, Lyna," she turns her head and sees Lin's face sick with grief, "If I didn't go to Riley I could have been with you and Tamlen. I could have-"
"Stop, Lin," she went to stand in front of him, stopping his walk, "This is not your fault. It was right for you to go to Riley. She needs all the support she can get right now. What with her father's death, and now her brother about to march to Ostagar," Lyna sighs as she starts to feel for her friend. Riley may very well lose more of her family, and here Lyna is whining over a missing person, "Even if you were here you would not have been with us. We were just strolling the woods when we found the humans. I should have said we should turn back and tell the Keeper instead of agreeing to check it out."
"You know even if you did do that Tamlen would come up with an excuse to check it out first," Lin said looking down at her.
"You're right. Still though, it would've been worth a shot," she shrugs then turns around to continue the descent. She hears Lin come to walk beside her after a pause.
"This may be hard to hear, I don't even know if I should say it," Lin starts, "But since you're still alive and Tamlen's missing, that means if there was a demon in the mirror it did not try to take control of either of you."
"What if it did?" she asks, "Say it did take control of Tamlen. What would have happened?"
"You would not be alive."
"I…see," she says, "So since that didn't happen, what do you think happened?" It's a while before he answers.
"I…have no answer for you." They walked in silence after that. She continued giving others reassuring nods and smiles, but now she's not feeling it. They made it to where Merrill and Fenarel stood. They were talking quietly with each other, but stopped when they approached. Merrill gave her a small smile.
"Andaran atish'an, lethallan," Merrill said to her.
"Andaran atish'an, Merrill," Lyna replies back with a small smile of her own.
"So, is my little guide ready for her first big task?" Lin says giving Merrill a smile.
"You know I'm not little anymore!" Merrill said blushing.
"That's true now that you have your Vallaslin," he says, "They fit you."
"I-" Merrill stutters, "Ma serannas."
"Come on then," Fenarel says.
"Yes," Lyna says, "Tamlen won't wait forever." Then the party ventures off.
~.~
They walk through the forest and eventually end up on the same path she and Tamlen took. Lyna looks at the opening where they cornered the humans and can recall every detail. She's so lost in memory she almost didn't hear Fenarel shout. She moves her head as an arrow zips by between the group. The arrow caught her cheek causing a thin line of blood to come out. She snaps out of her memory and draws her weapon as quickly as the others. She and Merrill stay where they are shooting arrows and magic bolts.
Lyna sees Lin and Fenarel run past them to their enemies. Lin seems to move with a grace, his lone sword hanging low to his left. She faintly sees purple swirls surround his feet that seem to make him run faster. He makes contact with his first target and watches as the beast easily falls from his blade. The purple swirls around his feet go to the corpse surrounding it in a purple haze. When the mist retreats back to his feet there is nothing left of the corpse. She sees Fenarel run past Lin then. He bumps the last enemy with his shield causing it to fall backwards. Fenarel slammed his sword into the beast the same time one of Merrill's bolts make contact, causing sparks from the body. Lyna and Merrill sheathed their weapons and ran to the boys.
"Wh-what were those things?" Merrill asks between breaths, "Were those darkspawn?"
"That would make sense according to what the Keeper said about the Warden being here," Lyna breathes trying to catch her breath as well.
"I've never seen anything like them!" Merrill says, "You can smell the evil on them."
"Where did they come from?" Fenarel asks as he looks to Lyna, "Were they here before?"
"They were not. I think I would remember seeing something as grotesque as those," Lyna replies, "Maybe they came from the mirror."
"What would the darkspawn have to do with our people?" Merrill asks, "The stories say Arlathan fell long before the darkspawn appeared."
"You're right, Merrill," Lin says, "Maybe there were darkspawn around the area, and whatever evil came from the mirror attracted them. It would also explain why there was a Grey Warden nearby."
"True," Fenarel says, "Grey Wardens go where darkspawn are."
"Well we'll find out soon enough," Lyna says, "Let's just hope we don't find any more of those…things." The group nods their agreement and start their walk again.
"I sent word to Riley when you awoke," Lin says to her, "I was hoping she would appear before we ventured out, but now that I've see what darkspawn look like…" he sighs, "I'm not sure I want her to know what her brother will be facing now."
"These things are at Ostagar?" Merrill asked concerned. Lyna knew Merrill and Riley's brother Carver had something going on. Still, she was surprised to hear the open concern coming from the young elf.
"Apparently so," Lin replies. They continue their walk, fighting another small group of darkspawn. After the fight Lyna sees Merrill look to her with worry.
"Is something wrong Merrill?"
"It's just…are you alright?"
"What do you mean?" Lyna asks confused.
"You do look…paler. If that's even possible," Fenarel says.
"First off, rude. Secondly, I feel fine. No need to worry," she says trying to reassure the group.
"Alright…I'll still keep a close eye on you though," Merrill says, "You did just recover." Lyna nods at the young elf and motions for the group to continue. Soon they're on the path her and Tamlen took to get to the cave, and those memories wash up. One thing that wasn't familiar with her memories was the small camp they came across.
"I wonder whose camp this is," Merrill says.
"It's probably the Wardens," Lyna tells the young elf, "I don't remember Tamlen and I passing this."
"That's true," Merrill says, "The Warden did say he was returning to the cave."
"He isn't here now and there's no sign of Tamlen," Fenarel says.
"Wait-did you guys hear that?" Merrill asks the group looking around alarmed.
"I don't hear anything. The forest is…quiet," Lyna says.
"Exactly," Merrill says, "The forest is too…still. Something's in the air…something unnatural."
"I had the same feeling in the cave," Lyna says.
"It's affecting the forest now?" Merrill asks with wide eyes, "Maybe the mirror unleashed some kind of…sickness."
"That…would not be good," Lin says. Lyna looks at him and sees that his eyes are trained on the path ahead of them, "Be ready," he says drawing his clear sword. Just like the last fight she and Merrill stay back shooting. The same faint mist comes from Lin's feet as he dashes forward with Fenarel surprisingly close behind him. Just as before the enemies fell under their blades, and the same faint mist swarmed the corpses leaving the ground bare except for the bones. Then the group continues down the narrow path with the hillsides closing in on them. The hillsides back away from them as they come across the cave entrance. With nods to each other they enter the cave.
"So these are the ruins? Interesting," Merrill says as they walk down into the first area. Lyna sees the dried up corpses of the spiders her and Tamlen killed not too long ago. There was an addition of darkspawn corpses among the dead spiders, "They're definitely of human origin. Yet elven artifacts are scattered amongst them. Nothing explains the monsters though."
"We have to find Tamlen-if we can," Fenarel says.
"Yes you're right," Merrill says and looks down, "Part of me is hoping he isn't alive. Being stuck with these creatures…"
Lyna took the group on the same paths through the cave as her and Tamlen. They first went down the left corridor and entered the room where she almost got eaten. This time they fight darkspawn instead of spiders, but the locked door remained locked. They turn around and go down the right corridor. They enter the same small open area and fight some more darkspawn. They continue forward and Lyna sees familiar looking corpses on the ground. She taps one on the head with her foot testing to see if it was truly dead. They all were. They come to the familiar looking elven statue and stop for a few minutes for Merrill to examine it. Then they head through the last door. Lyna expected to see the demon bear again, but instead saw a human standing in front of the mirror with dead bodies of darkspawn surrounding him. The human turns around and Lyna recognizes his brown eyes and beard.
"So you were fighting the darkspawn," the human says walking to the group, "I thought I heard combat. You're the elf I found here. I'm surprised to see you recovered."
Surprised?
"My name is Duncan, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you," he says, "The last time we spoke you were barely conscious."
"Andaran atish'an, Duncan of the Grey Wardens. I am Merrill, the Keeper's apprentice," Merrill says to Duncan with a small nod of her head.
"Andaran atish'an. I am Lin," Lin said with the same head bow that Merrill gave Duncan.
"Andaran atish'an. I am Fenarel," Fenarel says with the same gesture then looks at Duncan, "Did you…come here alone? Battling all those creatures?"
"Yes, though I must admit you took a great deal of pressure off me," Duncan replies then looks at Lyna, "Your Keeper did not send you after me, did she? I told her I would be in no danger."
"We're looking for our brother, Tamlen," Lyna replies.
"So you and your friend Tamlen both entered the cave? And you saw the mirror?"
"Yes. Tamlen touched the mirror and I blacked out."
"I see. The Grey Wardens have seen artifacts like this mirror before; it is Tevinter in origin, used for communication. Over time some of them simply…break. They become filled with the same taint as the darkspawn. Tamlen's touch must have released it. It's what made you sick-and Tamlen, too, I presume."
"So I did have the darkspawn plague?"
"You have it still," Duncan says, "And it will infect others as long as this mirror exits. Your recovery is only temporary. I can sense the sickness in you and it is spreading. Look inside yourself and you will see." Lyna hangs her head and closes her eyes. She tries to focus on the inside of her body, and somehow she feels her blood move slowly. The blood was too thick for her small veins, and the blood also bubbled under her skin. It terrified her.
Lyna lifts her head and opens her eyes. She looked next to her at Lin, and saw a look of forgiveness in his eyes. He knew, "You…may have a point there," she says turning her attention back to Duncan.
"Confirm it with your Keeper later. For now we must deal with the mirror. It is a danger." The group watches as Duncan walks back up to the mirror. It starts to glow a faint purple and she feels Lin shift. Duncan takes his sword and slices the mirror causing large shards to fall. The mist disappears.
"It is done," they hear Duncan say. He turns around and walks to Lyna, "Now, let's leave this cursed place. I must speak with your Keeper immediately about your cure."
"What about Tamlen?" she asks.
"There is nothing we can do."
"So…you know for sure then? That he's dead?"
Duncan looks at her sympathetically, "There is nothing you can do for him. He has been tainted now for three days-unaided. Through your Keeper's healing arts and your own willpower, you did not die. But Tamlen has no chance. Trust me when I say that he is gone. Now, we should return."
"Not even a body?" she asks trying to keep her emotions in check.
"The darkspawn would have taken it."
"Why would they take a body?" Fenarel asks, "Not to…eat it…I hope."
"Darkspawn are evil creatures, and it's best to leave it at that," Duncan looks at Lyna with full sympathy in his eyes, "I'm…sorry."
"Is the cave safe now?" Merrill asks trying to change the topic, "Our people could learn a lot here."
"The mirror may be destroyed, but the taint it left remains in these walls Merrill," Lin says looking at Merrill, "It would not be safe."
"Your friend is right," Duncan says, "With the mirror destroyed the darkspawn will have no reason to come here, but the taint has touched everything in here. If you'd wish to excavate you would need to cleanse this place with fire first."
"Let's head back to camp then," Lyna says. She doesn't want to spend another moment in this cursed place. They all leave the cave together. On the way back Lyna motioned Lin to fall back in step with her. She wanted to ask him something and she didn't want the others to hear.
"Lin?" she whisper.
"Hmm?"
"Is it possible…" she pauses to take a breath then looks at his purple eyes, "Is it possible that Tamlen could have become…like you?" He doesn't answer for a long time. She starts to think up an apology, but then he finally speaks.
"I'm not even sure what is inside me anymore, Lyna," Lin says concerned, "I thought it was a demon that I was protecting my clan from, but if it's darkspawn taint.." Lin stops, seeming to collect his thoughts, "Lyna," he stops to face her and she does the same. He looks to her and Lyna shivers at the look in his eyes, "I would not wish this on anyone." She looks to the ground with a face written in shame. He did not leave her though. Instead he waits while she collects herself then they walk together back to camp. Somehow they manage to catch up with their group as they enter the camp. Lyna takes the lead followed by Duncan as they head for the Keeper.
"I'm relieved you have returned!" The Keeper says as they approach, "And I did not expect to see you again so soon, Duncan."
"I was not expecting to return so soon either, Keeper," Duncan replies.
"Dare I ask of Tamlen?" The Keeper ask looking at Lyna, "What did you find of him?"
"If he was alive the darkspawn would have killed him," Lyna says hoarsely.
"So…there were darkspawn in the cave?"
"There is much to discuss, Keeper," Duncan says, "I have learned a great deal since I was last here."
"Let us speak privately within my aravel then, Duncan. Merrill, warn the hunters. If the darkspawn are about I want the clan prepared."
"Ma nuvenin, Keeper. Right away," Merrill says then leaves the group.
"Da'len, allow me to speak with Duncan. Seek us out at my aravel later, and we can discuss your cure," The Keeper says to Lyna.
So she knew too.
"Very well, Keeper," Lyna says.
"Tell Hahren Paivel what has occurred. He now has the sad task of preparing a service for our dead." Then the Keeper and Duncan retreat into the aravel. Fenarel and Lin give her a nod then leave her alone as well.
For a while Lyna just stands there watching the clan move about. She sees them laughing and joking, and she suddenly wonders if she'll ever be like that again. She forces her feet to work and heads for Hahren Paivel. She tells him about Tamlen and she watches as a flash of anger whips across his face. She can't blame him. It was her fault. The anger quickly diminishes and he gives her his thanks for letting him know. He goes into his aravel and comes back with a tree sapling. He hands it to her with his sympathy. She thanks him then hurries off to the edges of the camp. She walks around looking for various flowers and picks up each one she likes.
Lyna then goes to the spot just outside of camp where she and Tamlen first kissed. She kneels and, with shaking hands, plants the sapling. She arranges the small flowers into a rainbow color around the sapling. Then, and only then, does she allow herself to grieve. She stays there, kneeling, for well over an hour just weeping. She felt like she could hear Tamlen telling her to calm down and breath. She felt like she could feel him wrap his arms around her and touch her head with his. She allows herself to breathe, slowly. Soon she finds herself standing on non-wobbling legs and stands straight. She will be strong for him. She owes him that much. She says one final prayer then heads for the Keepers aravel. When she approaches she sees that Duncan and the Keeper are already waiting outside for her.
"Your Keeper and I have spoken and we've come to an arrangement that concerns you," Duncan says to her as she walks up, "My order is in need of help. You are in need of a cure. When I leave I hope you will join me. You would make an excellent Grey Warden."
"What does being a Grey Warden have to do with my cure?"
"Everything I'm afraid," Duncan says, "The darkspawn taint courses through your veins. That you recovered at all is remarkable. But eventually the taint will sicken and kill you…or worse. The Grey Wardens can prevent that, but it means joining us."
Worse?
"Will I be able to return to my clan?"
"We do not know," the Keeper says, "But we could not watch you suffer. The Grey Warden offers you a way to survive."
"This is not simply charity on my part," says Duncan, "I would not offer this if I did not think you had the makings of a Grey Warden. Let me be clear: You will likely never return here. We go to fight the darkspawn, a battle that will take us far from your clan. But we need you and others like you."
"It breaks my heart to send you away," the Keeper says, "As it would to watch you die slowly from this sickness. This is your duty, and your salvation."
"Then I accept your offer Duncan," Lyna says looking at the man.
"I welcome you to the order," he says crossing his arms over his chest and bending, "It is rare to have a Dalish amongst us, but they have always served in distinction."
"I know you will do your clan proud, da'len," the Keeper says, "Take this ring. It is your heritage and will protect you against the darkness to come."
"A valuable gift," Duncan says, "So…are you ready to go?"
"I would like to stay for Tamlen's funeral," Lyna says with her chin up.
"We have much ground to cover, but I cannot deny you of that. Say your farewells, then we'll be off," he says.
"Come then, da'len," the Keeper says moving to put a hand on her shoulder, "Before the Creators guide you from us, let your clan embrace you one last time."
Lyna and the Keeper walk to where Hahren Paivel and the rest of the clan stood. The Keeper stands with Hahren Paivel and they begin the funeral. They both speak in the elven tongue and then Keeper Marethari puts a torch against the empty pyre. The clan then splits in two creating a pathway for Lyna. Keeper Marethari, Merrill, Fenarel, and Lin move to the end of the lines. Lyna wishes Riley was here to see her off too. She walks down the path of people, giving nods and smiles to whoever she could. Merrill and her hug, Fenarel shakes her hand, Lin smiles at her and pulls her into a hug. He whispers in her ear that Riley will miss her greatly, and she whispers back that she will too. Then she's at Keeper Marethari and she gives the elder a smile and nod. Keeper Marethari returns the gesture. Lyna then walks to Duncan, and with one finally look back at her clan, leaves.
Her new life beings today.