Full summary: Lethabelas can't shake the feeling she has that she is always guarded by an unseen shadow. She may have been raised on the Dalish beliefs but one thing she does know is that they weren't always her belief. Something in her past wants to be remembered, but whenever she tries her memories get murky.
That is why she became one of the hunters. That is why she climbed to the top, becoming the best rouge hunter she could be. She was always on the hunt to clear the murky. As such it was no surprise when the Keeper asked her to spy on the Conclave.
Then the explosion happened and there is only one person who could have the answers she seeks, and he is doing everything in his power to stop her from finding out the truth.
A.N. I will only say this once...I don't own any of the Dragon Age saga. It belongs to Bioware. Also for the most part, Italics will be thoughts or flashbacks/dreams. If there is bold in a flashback/thought it is to be emphasised. (hope that makes sense)
Also all my elven is either from the dragonwiki site or translated by fenxshiral and his project elven:
"Tua mar sal felas, elgar of ven'shanen. Tamahn ea es'an ehn pana banal." The voice that called out from the shadows was more of a menacing growl, though the words were spoken for comfort. The child, who had been crying softly in the cold snow, startled but otherwise showed no fear. "Who's there?" she called out, voice higher than normal only due to the recent tears. "Emma Falon, Da'lin," the voice continued, but switched to Common at the child's confused expression. "You are safe. The danger is gone."
"Danger is never gone. My mama is gone though, because death always follows in Danger's shadow." The child squinted her eyes, trying to find a shadow that stood out from the rest. One that would belong to the mysterious voice. "You are wise beyond your age, Da'lin," the voice replied, and the child thought she saw a shape in the shadows. "Where are you going?"
The child held her head up obstinately, almost prideful. "Mama said that the shems were becoming dangerous. She said it would be safer on the roads, like the Dalish." Here the child had to pause as her throat tightened. I will not cry in front of strangers, she thought as she cleared her voice to continue. From somewhere in the shadows there came a soft huff of air, almost like a sorrow filled laugh. "You seek the Dalish then, is that it, Lonely One?"
"I seek for nothing. Mama was the one who sought, I merely followed." By now the child had stood up her eyes fixed upon a darker spot in the surrounding tree line. Bravely, or foolishly, she took a few tentative steps towards it, a deep warning growl causing her to pause. "You will die out here, you know this." It wasn't a question, but a statement made by the shadow.
"So where will you take me, to save me from such a fate?" There was a distinct humph of disinterest at the child's words, but The Shadow (as the child was starting to think of it as a name rather than an object) answered with another question. "When did I say I would save you?" Once again the child's head rose in pride. "Then I shall save myself," she said, and turned away from the Shadow to head off into the Woods on her own. The child could feel The Shadow following, but as he chose to remain silent so did she.
Along the way she picked up a stick that was a slight bit taller than her, but worked well as a walking stick. She felt confident that everything would be fine, despite The Shadow's earlier comment. But that was before the bear. Its massive form rose up seemingly from out of nowhere, the stench of blood and death still clinging to the child's body, hungry for what it assumed would be an easy meal.
Before the child had time to react, The Shadow was bearing down upon the beast. The child could make out The Shadow's form as that of a wolf, but it was the biggest wolf she had ever heard of or seen. Not that she had seen many in the city, but she had seen their pelts as wares on many a visiting traveler's cart.
The Shadow was quick, but not quick enough as one of the bear's massive claws caught hold of the child. As the child lay there bleeding and screaming in pain – By the Creators, he was right. I will die out here – something in The Shadow snapped and he flew into an almost fevered frenzy as he teared the bear to shreds. After a few breaths to calm himself and assure the bear was truly dead (though there was little doubt with its head lying three feet away from its body), The Shadow slowly made his way over to the child.
The child, feeling the cold embrace of death wrap around her body as the pain eased away, cried out to The Shadow. "Thank you for trying." As the child closed her eyes, a strange feeling of warmth seemed to overtake her body. A new sort of pain racked across her small frame, but this time she did not cry out.
"You will not leave me now, Da'len, as I did not leave you. Come and I shall bring you home." As soon as the pain ceased, the child rolled to her hands and knees. Blood, not just that of the bear, covers the ground. "Are you Death?" she asks innocently. The Shadow allows a short laugh to escape. "I might as well be," The Shadow replied. "Death follows Danger's shadow, but Danger follows mine. Come Da'len."
The sun was beginning its climb when The Shadow finally stopped. The child comes to a stop as well, her left hand resting just below The Shadow's shoulder. For a moment she toyed with the idea of asking him about his unholy size, but then her eyes caught sight of the top of red sails. Ships? In the woods? She barely had time to register what they meant when The Shadow looked down at her. "Sleep Da'len, and when you wake, you shall forget."
Lethabelas sat up swiftly, narrowly missing hitting her head on the frame of the bunk above her. Her heart was racing as she attempted to shake off the feeling of dread that always followed that dream. It wasn't the first time she had had this either. It was hard to call it a recurring dream, after all it only seemed to come to her when her clan was traveling through Ferelden's Frostback Mountains.
Knowing she would not get back to sleep, Lethabelas crept out of the Aravel she had been sleeping in, careful not to wake anyone else on her way out. Quietly donning her cloak, quiver, and bow she moved out to where she knew the night patrol would be. As she expected they didn't sense her as she snuck past them and all but ran for the deeper part of the woods. She knew there would be hell to pay later, but while she was awake she figured to put her skills to work. The Clan will have fresh meat for breakfast.
Translations:
Tua mar sal felas, elgar of ven'shanen. Tamahn ea es'an ehn pana banal. = still your heart, spirit of the old ways. there are those who yet fight the darkness. (lit. Make your soul slow, spirit of the old ways. There be they who fight the nothing)
Emma Falon, Da'lin = I am friend, little child (little one)
Lethabelas (my Inky's name) comes from Lethal'abelas - Sorrow family, essentially 'sorrow in family.' (which FenxShiral "assures me") It could be condensed down into Lethabelas, but not really any further.
the big sentence that The Shadow says will make another appearance later on as well...it's just too fun of a line not to have in. anyways hope you all like. I'll post more when i can.
