Solas though was not the first to meet her was the first to not even understand what he was hearing from her and seeing.
She was unconscious has been before I came which was two days after the explosion.
She walked out of the rift and collapsed, a mortal thrown physically through the fade via the means of violent magic that would tear any mortal apart. Her hair was white like freshly fallen snow. The vallaslin blue as the winter sky. A glamour covered her face but could not hide her vallaslin. Why would she need to hide herself? The glamour made her look like a porcelain doll, did it make her look older, younger, softer maybe, I couldn't say. The clothing she wore made her look smaller than she was, she was drowning in them. The glamour covered every inch of skin. The anchor burned the glamour away from her hand her skin was still ivory white.
The anchor flared up causing her body to spasm though she was unconscious she gritted her teeth holding back her cries. She curled in on herself as she rode the pain. She finally relaxed and breathed easy but her brow was creased with worry even in her sleep.
"Da'ise," she murmured in her sleep.
Someone from her clan, family or a lover?
I shook my head. I shouldn't get attached, I shouldn't get curious about her. It was my fault she was in this state in the first place. My fault that the orb was used in such a way. She endured the pain, even in her unconscious state she held on. I was impressed, no modern elf would have such resilience, none that I have met anyway. She was a mystery, one that I was determined to solve.
"Who are you Da'lin," I asked her sleeping form. "Who are you hiding from?"
These questions will have to be answered later. I healed as best I could, letting The Seeker and The Nightingale know she would wake within hours and then asked to go to the nearest rift to try and close it.
It was midday by the time Seeker Cassandra arrived with aid but it was not the aid I had expected. She leaped down the broken stairway arrows flying hitting their mark with skill that I haven't seen since Arlathen.
I took her hand feeling the power of the anchor.
"Quickly," I said laying her hand into the rift. "Before more come through."
I guided her in how to do it, our will combine as one closing the rift. When it closed she looked at me her eyes filled with wonder and suspicion. Her fingers caressing where I touched her, her expression unreadable but she peered at me as if trying to figure me out.
"What did you do," she asked her voice stronger than when I heard her in her cell.
"I did nothing," I said looking at her with a small smile silently accepting her challenge. "The credit is yours."
"You mean the mark."
"No not really," I lied smoothly. "Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also placed the mark on your hand. I theorized that the mark might be able to close the rifts opening in the breaches wake. And it seems I was correct."
"Meaning it could also close the breach itself," Cassandra said walking toward the elven girl her stance becoming protective.
"Possibly, it seems you hold the key to our salvation" I admitted surprised as the elf closed her eyes and bowed her head as if accepting this great responsibility. She was unusual.
"Good to know," the dwarf Varrick said adjusting his gloves and walking forward. "Here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons forever. Varric Tethras, rogue, storyteller and occasionally unwelcome tagalong."
Varric winked at the Seeker who gave a scowl of disgust. The elven maiden tilted her head confused.
"Are you with the Chantry or," the girl asked.
I couldn't help but laugh, "Is that supposed to be a serious question?"
"Technically I'm a prisoner," Varric explained. "Just like you."
"I brought you here so that you can tell your story to the Divine," Cassandra said stepping forward. "Clearly that is no longer necessary."
"Yet, here I am," Varric retorted. "Lucky for you, considering current events."
"It's very nice to meet you," she said, giving him a soft and gentle smile.
"You might reconsider your stance in time," I said shaking my head. The dwarf was an acquired taste.
"Aww," Verric said turning to me with a smile. "I'm sure we'll become great friends in the Valley Chuckles."
That seemed to get under the Seekers skin. "Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"
Varric cut her off. "Have you been in the Valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."
Watching the Seeker walk away in disgust was quite amusing.
"My name is Solas," I said drawing the elf's attention to me. "If there are to be introductions. I'm pleased to see you still live."
Varric chuckled. "He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"
"You know about the mark," she asked me suspicion coloring her tone only slightly. "You've seen it's like before."
"Solas is an Apostate," Seeker said again standing protectively by the girl. Everyone seems to be getting the same impression I was. That she was fragile, but the way she stormed in with the bow. "Well-versed in such matters."
"Technically," I said ice slipping into my tone only for a moment. "All mages are apostates, Cassandra. My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any Circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed regardless of origin."
The girl looked at me with surprise, her mouth formed words I couldn't make out but no sound came out. Then she spoke, "And what will you do once this is all over?"
"One hopes that those in power will remember who helped, and who did not." I turned to the Seeker then. "Cassandra you should know, the magic involved here is unlike any I have ever seen. Your prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."
"Understood," Seeker nodded bidding the prisoner to follow her. "We must get to the forward camp."
The girl kept breaking from the group. She jumped down a frozen waterfall where a soldier tried to take refuge. He wasn't dying but he wasn't getting out without help. The girl used the scarf she was wearing to set his leg with a branch she had Cassandra break off. She spoke gentle words too quiet for me to hear. She helped the soldier up and walt to the bank we just left promising that help will come to him.
Again she ran off in a different direction this time to save a templar being attacked by shadow wraiths. Her arrows hit their mark and she smiled at the templar when the danger had passed telling him about the soldier she had left behind. I had to speak up now, this wasn't anything I have heard of seen from the Dalish.
"You are Dalish," I said walking beside her as she tightened the string to her bow, she seems like she hated the one in her hand, if it wasn't her own I could understand her reasons. "But you are clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here?"
"What do you know of the Dalish," she deflected my question with her own. This girl knew how to keep her secrets.
"I have wandered many roads in my time," I answered easily enough. "And I have crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion."
"They are your people too," she said as she stopped walking to look at me, her expression stated that there was a double meaning to her words. "We are both of the same people Solas."
I was surprised by her answer. "The Dalish I met felt...differently on the subject."
"Can't you elves get along," Varric complained as we walked.
Suddenly the anchor flared up catching the girl off guard again she didn't cry out but she did fall on her knees. Cassandra helped pick her up.
"I know it's hard but we need to keep going," The Seeker said softly as the girl stood.
"I'll be fine Seeker," the girl said with a warm smile. "I'm actually tougher than I look. I just didn't want someone after my clan to recognize me is all."
"You mean the Glamour," I asked.
The girl nodded, apparently the one she was hiding from wasn't a mage so she didn't act surprised that I could see it.
"We thought there might be an assassination," she admitted. "I was sent to stop it...but I failed. I don't even remember what happened."
When we made it to the forward camp I could see the Nightingale arguing with the Chancular introductions were made and the Chancular demanded that the girl be taken to the Orleasian capital and executed, both the Seeker and I stepped in front of the girl before she stepped around us. The face she gave us was curious as she again muttered under her breath.
There were two paths before us. She chose the mountain pass, I gave her a quizzical look seeing the marks for Mythal across her cheeks. Her eyes were searching but for what I couldn't say.
"We'll take the mountain path," she said finally. "Work together, that's the only way this will work."
The travel was more or less uneventful. A rift was open along the way. The girl didn't even hesitate, she ran for it, her arrows flying hitting demons before they could kill any of the soldiers that happened to be caught by it. She closed the rift quickly her knife stopping an attack from a terror, she didn't even look away from the rift. It closed like before, it was second nature to her.
"Sealed," I said stopping at her side. "As before. You are becoming quite proficient at this."
"Let's hope it works on the big one," Varric said.
The girl just smiled and turned to the soldiers, her mannerisms were annoying me slightly. I cannot understand her, and she acts like she can see me for what I am.
"Thank the Maker you finally arrived, Lady Cassandra," a soldier stated holding her stomach. "I don't think we could have held out much longer."
"Thank our prisoner, Lieutenant," Seeker said gesturing to the girl. "She insisted we come this way."
"The prisoner," the soldier's voice was full of surprise. "Then you…?"
The girl bowed her head a smile on her face. "It was worth saving you if we could."
She didn't wait for a reply, Seeker directed the soldiers back to camp and the rest of us followed the girl. When we caught up with her she was standing by the ladder looking down. Was she afraid of heights but before I could ask any questions she huffed and after taking a few steps back she ran forward leaping over the railing and dropping down sixty feet rolling to her feet after hitting the ground.
"By the maker," Seeker shouted when she jumped. We all looked at the girl in shock expecting her to be dead she just looked up at us like we were taking to long.
"Aren't you all the ones that wanted to close the Breach," she called to us. "I can go ahead of you all if you want. No rush from me, it's just my life tied to that thing is all."
She again didn't wait for an answer, she leaped forward using gravity to have her move faster to get to her destination. We followed as fast as we could finally reaching her as she knelt at one of the burned victims, an ornate dagger that survived was clutched in it's hand. Tears were in her eyes as she stared at this figure. She knew them, she wasn't alone.
"Who were they," I asked not sure I wanted to know.
"My apprentice hunter," she whispered. "She was going to be the head hunter once she earned the right. She begged the keeper to come with me, even though we both said no...she followed, I had her wait this far back thinking she would be safe. I was wrong."
She wiped her eyes and stood up walking with us to the entrance. She looked at the rift directly under the breach.
"The breach is a long way up," Varric said stating the obvious as the Nightingale made it through.
"You're here," she cried. "Thank the maker."
"Leliana," Seeker said, turning to her. "Have your men take up positions around the temple." The Nightingale nodded and obeyed as the Seeker turned to the girl who was looking between the rift and the Breach. This is your chance to end this, are you ready?"
"I'll try," she said, her voice not matching her posture, she was nervous but you couldn't tell by listening to her. "But I don't know if I can reach that, much less get close to it."
I shook my head. "No. This rift was the first and is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach."
The girl nodded and started looking for away down, walking around the temple. Red lyrium covered the area making both The Seeker and Varric nervous. Voices broke through the fade, first a man, I didn't recognize but I noticed the girl subtly flinched at the sound, but she didn't react otherwise, almost as if the flinch was an unconscious act. Justinia called then asking for help. As the girl leaped down her voice echoed from the fade.
"What's going on here," her voice demanded ready to fight.
"That was your voice," the seeker said looking at the girl. "Most Holy called out to you. But…"
Before she could continue a memory flashed before us. A man cloaked in shadow standing before Divine Justinia who was bound in red energy. The girl entered the room, no bow but she held a couple of daggers ready to fight.
"What's going on here," she demanded glaring at the red eyes. "Let her go!"
"Run while you can," Justinia called to her. "Warn them!"
"We have an intruder," the shadow pointed to the girl. "Slay the elf."
Before the memory faded we saw the girl throw a dagger at a shadow coming towards her.
"You were there," The Seeker called grabbing the girl by the shoulders. "Who attacked? And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?"
"I don't remember," the girl said breaking from the Seeker's grasp.
"Echoes of what happened here," I explained as the girl went behind me and examined the rift I stood under. "The Fade bleeds into this place. This rift is not sealed but it is closed...albeit temporarily. I believe with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."
"That means demons," The Seeker called loudly enough for everyone in the area to hear. "Stand ready."
The girl opened the rift and a pride demon came out. I joined the fight while she flitted about, disrupting the rift and attacking the demons that poured out. Finally with all the demons dead the girl poured energy into the rift closing it and sending the energy to the Breach. I watched hoping against hope then I looked at the girl, she started pouring her life energy into the task. I had to stop her. I went to her side and pried her away from the rift breaking the energy. The breach will be stable until we could get more power but now. Now we had her to worry about. Even in my arms she felt fragile, as well as looked it. I carried her back to camp where Adon and I worked with her to heal her and bring her to proper health.
When she finally woke up three days later this became chaotic in the camp. She went to Commander Cullen speaking frantically with him. After a brief discussion between him, the Ambassador, the Nightingale, and the Seeker, he and the girl left Haven in the dead of night while everyone prepared for the changes that were happening. The Inquisition was becoming reborn, leaderless but not purposeless.
A week later Commander Cullen returned with a cloaked figure. Varric and I looked up from our conversation with the Ambassador and the Seeker.
"You're back," the Seeker said happily. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"That she did," Cullen sounded happy. "I would like the honor of introducing you to Vawyn of Clan Lavellan. Lavellan helped the elves in the alienage of Kirkwall and their guide Merille. I think if I remember correctly they made a new clan for it, which is one of Lavellan's purposes. Lavellan is like elven nobility I believe."
"I wouldn't go that far Commander," the girl said. "Our clan is just the first, therefore has the most secrets and traditions."
I was about to ask what happened to the elven girl with the anchor when I noticed her left hand. The anchor glowed brightly on her skin, this was the girl without the glamour now. She was still pale and her hair still white but her face was narrow and lean. Her body though soft compared to a man's was muscled. Her arms and legs from years of archery and running. This girl was only nineteen and yet she held herself as if she lived for centuries. She looked familiar to me but I couldn't place it. Similar to Mythal before she died and became what she is today. Her sapphire eyes locked into mine.
"Ane' ma sa mah juinana' o' banal'rasen,*" she asked me. I looked at her confused and before I could say anything she shook her head. "Nevermind, I thought you were someone else."
She smiled sweetly again and walked to the cabin that became hers turning in for the night.
"What did she say to you," The Nightingale asked me. "I didn't understand all of it?"
"To be honest," I admitted. "Neither did I."
*translation. Are you one that will watch from the shadows?s?