Chapter Two
"Mamae! I've come back!" Torrac's baritone voice heralded into the small, rundown shack of a house where he and his mother lived. If his voice alone hadn't been enough to alert all residents of the place to his presence, the door swinging shut with a loud crash behind him most certainly was.
Andraste's steps were hesitant in the cramped living space. She was no stranger to cramped, dirty, poverty-stricken living quarters, considering she herself hailed from Darktown, but it still felt odd intruding into someone else's home like this- even if that someone was a good friend.
"Torrac?" a softspoken voice queried from the kitchen, a slight white-haired elven woman emerging, wiping her hands on her apron. There was a moment of confusion, and then, utter joy crossed her face. "Da'assan, da'len, you've come home again at last!"
The woman ran for her son, and wrapped her slender arms around his muscular torso. The elf-blooded man returned the kind favor to his mother, embracing her with arms strengthened by years of fighting in the Alienage and conducting various bounty-hunting jobs outside Kirkwall.
"Abelas, Mamae." Torrac apologized softly, his voice soothing. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
Not wanting to interrupt the tender moment, but still desiring to make her presence known, Andraste softly and awkwardly cleared her throat, drawing the Dalish woman's attention. "It's good to see you again, Hanna." she greeted quietly, smiling at her friend's mother.
"Aneth era, Andraste." Hanna replied, smiling as she returned the greeting. "It is good to see you here safely again. How is your mother?"
Andraste sighed, shaking her head. If there was anything at all in the world that annoyed her more than Torrac, it was her mother's promiscuous attitude. "Pregnant. Again. This time, with triplets."
Hanna let out a Dalish exclamation of shock, a hand going to her mouth. Then, collecting herself, she said, "My apologies, that was rude of me. But yet again, she is with child? And bearing so many? I don't see how Eliana does it and does not show her years."
The mage shrugged. "Personally, I don't see how she does it either. She's a human and yet she ages like one of elven blood."
While the two women were exchanging pleasantries, Torrac found his eyes drawn to his mother's face. Her eyes, brown flecked with forest green, showed a deep sadness, and bore the shadows of recent tears. He gently placed a hand to his mother's shoulder, and turned her back to face him.
"Na inan... Ma numin..." he murmured, his intense blue gaze locked on hers. "Dirth'ar, Mamae, tu ma souveri?"
The mage arched an eyebrow in confusion. She'd spent enough time around Torrac to pick up phrases of Elvish here and there, so she could tell he was addressing Hanna, but as to what he said, she had absolutely no clue. The smaller Dalish woman replied something rapidly in the elvhen tongue, seeming somewhat defensive. Torrac did not seem to appreciate that, as his tone on the next query was far more sharp. And then, amidst the shakily-voiced reply by Hanna, Andraste finally heard one word which she recognized.
"...Mohana..." the word was almost a broken whisper from the woman's lips- and that soft, sorrowful tone brought many ghosts into the eyes of Andraste's companion.
Yes, the young woman knew this word, because it was not a word of the Dales, but rather, a name. A name which she and Torrac were far, far too familiar with. Torrac's eyes were wide and filled with tears as he replied in a quiet voice, "Mohana'din, Mamae..."
And on that word, he walked out of the house, letting the door shut behind him.
"Torrac..." Andraste murmured, calling out weakly after him. When she received no reply, she nodded respectfully to Hanna, then exited the house to find Torrac slumped against the outer wall, face buried in his hands. She knelt down next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, meeting his startled gaze with a soothing one of her own. "It's all right to mourn... I miss her too..."
"She was not your sister, lethallan." he replied, wiping his tears from his eyes. He stood from his crouched position. "Now is not the time to be pondering something which is already finished... Falon'din guide her soul..."
He rolled back his shoulders, and re-assumed his normal prideful, almost arrogant bearing. "Come on. Let's see what kind of trouble those ir'hamin shemlens need help solving."
Andraste sighed, shaking her head. "You know this isn't going to do anything to help you come to terms with grief, Torrac. It's been almost six years now..."
"Thus why we should no longer be concerned over it." the elven-blooded man growled, cutting her off. "Halam sahlin, da'vhenan'din. Come on... the rogue Templars are gone, and we've got work to do."
The apostate shook her head, glaring after her one true friend in this city of chains. This discussion wasn't over- not by a long shot. But she would have to wait until later to properly confront him about it. Pink lips curling in frustration, she stalked after the archer as they walked for the Lowtown Bazaar, where jobs would soon be found to earn money for the both of them.
**CODEX UPDATE: THE EXILED ONES**
"Many of the elves who now live in the Alienages were born as City Elves, within the boundaries of one town or another. Yet there are some elves now living in the Alienage due to exile from the tribes of the Dales. To date, there are but two offenses known to merit such exile and disgrace- one is to bring harm to the Keeper, the other to sire an elf-blooded child with a man not of the People. Few are the Exiled Ones who get to return to their place among the People. Once that disgrace is cast, little can be done to redeem the elves who have received it."
Author's Note: Below are the given translations for the various Dalish phrases found in this chapter, and explanations for some of the more loosely-translated ones.
Mamae- Mother
Da'assan and Da'len- literally "little arrow" and "little child", terms of endearment from mother to son
Abelas- literally 'sorrow', colloquially and contextually used here as an apology
Aneth era- "my safe place", an informal phrase of welcome
"Na inan... tu ma souveri?"- The literal translation of this makes little sense, as it translates literally into "Your eyes, you (have) tears... Tell me, Mother, to make you weary?". Using the context, however, the meaning becomes clearer. "Your eyes... You've been crying. Tell me, Mother, what's upsetting you?" or "What's wrong?"
"Mohana'din, Mamae."- "Mohana (the person in reference) is dead, Mother."
Lethallan- clansmate or kinsman, used informally among Dalish elves to refer to friends or family. Implies a degree of kinship between Torrac and Andraste, that he refers to her with a term normally used only by Dales referring to their own.
"ir'hamin shemlens"- literally, "more rest quick children" or "more rest humans". "Hamin" in this case is being used in an implicitly adjectival form- restful. Thus, "more restful humans". Taking it in context with the rest of Torrac's comment, he means it as "lazy humans".
"Halam sahlin, da'vhenan'din."- "Halam sahlin" is a phrase normally used in the context of a threat, as it means something "ends now". In this context, however, it is used more in the sense that something "has ended now" or "is already ended". In the past. Done with. "Da'vhenan" means 'little heart', another term of endearment, which makes sense, as he refers to his sister, and she is "din", she is "not" or "no more". Thus, the phrase translates into "It's over now. Little Heart is dead."
