So I finally, after gods only knows how many Dalish elf play throughs, talked to Tamlen when my elf and he were in that cave in the beginning. It was pretty clear that depending on your choice of words they were very very close and that your character was supposed to be with the clan that day. So I decided I had to give more emotion to when you are forced to kill him later in the game since there is no way to save him. I also, since I am a huge fan of the Antivan elf, am giving him a more concerned way of acting. However this is Zevran I am talking about so he will still distract her in the only way he really knows how later in this short story. ^.^ Have fun reading and don't forget to review! It helps me know what to write next or whether I should lengthen a story!
"Don't come close to me!" the tormented creature before Kyna Mahariel screamed as she came close, her bow on her back and hands in the air to show she wouldn't attack. Kyna swallowed hard as it ran to the other end of camp, knowing the voice almost better than her own. She looked back and held up a hand, not wanting anyone to follow. "Stay back... I know this one. Let me handle this."
Zevran, the Antivan Elf that had won Kyna's heart over the months that they had been traveling together, nodded and respectfully backed up. The others looked towards each other then nodded, deciding to respect their chosen leader's order than ask questions. Kyna turned and went to the pitiful creature that stood a ways away, the creature pacing and seeming to argue with itself. Kyna's heart felt like it was breaking as she looked at the vallaslin on the creature's face, tears springing to her eyes as she recognized Tamlen's mark. As she stepped closer to the thing that once had been her best friend and first love he looked up. The expression on his face could only be described as tortured as he looked at her, his body stopping and swaying in place. Kyna reached out to Tamlen, wanting to comfort him, just to have him recoil from her. The action caused the young Dalish woman to let the tears slide down from her amber eyes, pained to see the hunter so afraid.
"Don't touch me! Stay back, lethallan. Don't want to hurt you." Tamlen cried out, backing away a few steps. Kyna's hand dropped to her side as she watched him, not bothering to wipe away her tears. "Tamlen? Oh Creators... Tamlen please let me help you."
"No help for me lethallan... I can hear its song. It wants me to hurt you lethallan. Don't want to hurt you." Tamlen said, his voice strained, reminding her of his voice when he had cried out for help the day they found that accursed mirror. She almost stepped forward, tears pouring silently down her face as she forced herself to stand back from him. "Oh Tamlen... I am so sorry... I should never have let us go into that cave."
Her words seemed to make the husk of Tamlen want to sob as well, his hands rising to his face before he tilted his head to stare directly into Kyna's eyes with his own taint discolored ones. "Make an end for me lethallan. Don't want to hurt you."
Kyna nodded, her heart heavy as she pulled The Sorrows of Arlathan, a bow she had found not too long before their misadventure, from her back. The dark red of the wood glinted from the soft light of the campfire across the camp, the husk watching her movements. With shaky hands she notched an arrow, sniffling as she stared at her clan mate. The creature smiled slightly, the look as tortured as his other expressions before he placed a hand on his heart. "Thank you lethallan... Love you."
The female elf's heart broke as she heard him finally saying the words they should have never hid from one another before she pulled the arrow back. "I'm sorry Tamlen... I love you."
As the last three words were whispered Kyna pointed the arrow at Tamlen's forehead and closed her eyes, her fingers loosing the arrow. A sick thunk was heard as it found it's mark in the creature's head, the force sending his body falling back with a more solid sound. The elf's knees gave as she heard the sounds, causing her to fall to her knees. She ignored the pain of the metal of the ancient elven armor that encased her body as she opened her eyes to stare at the body before her.
The others in camp looked away, as if sensing how saddening the moment was before both Alistair and Zevran started towards the woman on her knees. Zevran paused after only a few steps and shook his head, thinking it best to wait till she came to him before he could comfort her. Alistair, however, chose to come to his companion's side and kneel beside her, a million questions running through his head. Though he knew the small elven woman had chosen the assassin over him he still cared for her and did not like seeing her so distraught. Finally coming to the only question that wouldn't seem overly nosy he placed a hand on her shoulder, marveling again how frail she always seemed, before he looked down to her. "Who... was that?"
"His name was Tamlen... he was... we were close once." Kyna answered, her typically soft gentle tone coming out even softer and sounding as if there was a catch in her throat. Alistair's eyes widened as he recognized the name of the other hunter Duncan had told him had been infected with the darkspawn taint. He looked away from her to the body, feeling even worse for his friend. "That means... Oh Maker... I'm so sorry, Kyna. This is what happens when the taint is allowed unchecked in a person. What you did was actually a mercy."
The Dalish nodded sadly and finally pulled off one of her gloves to wipe at her eyes. "I know Alistair. It doesn't make the blow any easier though. I should have searched harder... We shouldn't have even entered that cave. It felt wrong but I couldn't argue with him."
"Why not?" The templar asked as he looked down to the other Warden, wanting to know more about the secretive female. The only ones she typically spoke to about her past were Leliana, the bard from Orlais, and the Antivan assassin. He knew part of the reason she didn't speak to him about her past was because it was well known that the Dalish had apostates amongst them. Though he had proven more than once he was not against mages, other than Morrigan, he was still trained as a templar. He hoped that he would be able to be her shoulder in this moment, wanting her to be able to feel as though he was someone she could talk to. The ebony hair of her bangs was pushed out of her face by one of her delicate hands before she looked to Alistair with a smile that seemed forced. "I wanted to be with him. I didn't want to spend the day learning to be a haren. I wanted to be with someone I cared about, hunting."
"I understand." Alisair said softly, now fully realizing why she had turned him down. It hadn't been just because she didn't feel the same, though he knew after watching her and Zevran she hadn't. It had been too soon after the destruction of Ostagar and the loss of a man she had clearly adored when he had admitted his feelings. The templar was shaken from his thoughts as the small woman stood, her arms wrapped around her waist. "Alistair?"
"Yes, Kyna?" He replied, standing to full height, concerned for the bewitching elven woman. She looked up, her mind clearly thinking about too many things for her to fully cope with. Kyna paused then looked back to the body of Tamlen, her hand without a glove coming up to wipe away the new tears forming. "Is his body safe to bury in the Dalish ways? I need to do at least this for him. I must give him a funeral, no matter if he is infected or not."
Alistair paused and used his Warden gifts to sense the taint within the body, hoping he could tell her they wouldn't have to build a pyre. A sigh of relief left him as he felt the weakness of the taint, the death of the male seeming to have lowered the amount of taint within his body. "Yes. He can be buried in the way you want. We can do it in the morning before we break camp if you want."
She looked up to him and nodded, her eyes watering again before she moved away. "Can you please move his body where it will be safe then. I... I need to be away from it right now."
With that the young elf went directly in the woods, towards the spring not far from camp. He frowned but held his tongue, not wanting to make her stay in the camp where her clan mate's body rested. Just as he started to bend over to gather the remains of Tamlen a throat cleared behind him, the sound causing him to jump slightly before he looked over his shoulder to see the elven assassin with narrowed eyes staring at him. Inwardly he shuddered, knowing the look in the assassin's eyes meant he was upset with something and that he was a danger to the templar's life. Slowly he stood back up and faced Zevran, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked into the elf's eyes, thinking it best not to show he was frightened of the anger evident on the other male's face. "What is it Zevran?"
"Why did you allow her to leave camp without someone else after this attack?" The Antivan's accent, usually causing his words to come out as if everything he was saying was innuendo, now made his words seem more threatening than they normally would. Alistair swallowed and looked back to the body, wanting to move it soon before it called to beasts or to darkspawn. "She needed air I think. After what she just told me I think any of us would have wanted to escape the camp. You can feel free to follow her. She went towards the spring. Probably to clean the blood from this …. man and herself from her armor."
Zevran's eyes narrowed more before he looked to the body. He paused as he clearly recognized the Dalish tattoo before he looked back to Alistair, his expression more questioning than angry now. "This... creature... It was one of the Dalish, yes?"
Alistair nodded, not wanting to give the Antivan too much information. Kyna may have told the templar things but it did not mean she would want him telling anyone, even if the person asking was clearly her lover. Zevran thought for a moment then walked off without another word, following the direction of the elven Warden. Alistair sighed and went back to lifting the body, his head shaking. "I almost hope she will pin him to a tree with an arrow.