The Lowly One - Part One (New Lives)

The moonlit spring night's cool breeze was a welcome relief as a small elf's body was wracked with another set of birth pangs. The rosy-cheeked, raven-haired girl's breathing was shallow and her two younger sisters looked over her, lines of worry marring their otherwise beautiful faces. Torchlight flickered briefly over the small clearing amongst the oaks as one pointy-eared girl lay on her side amongst a mismatched collection of borrowed cushions, the other two kneeling upon a neatly arranged pile of wolf pelts.

All three wore the drab gray and burgundy dresses that marked them as servants of the Orlesian family that currently occupied Redcliffe. Having arrived at the camp just as the sun set, there had been no time to change into the more familiar leather garb of their home tribe before the young girl's contractions had become too severe. So they were easy to spot; in stark contrast against the verdant green of their current place of rest in the countryside.

"Don't worry, Lenora, I'll be fine." Melora paused and squinted her eyes in pain, then took a deep breath. "Just get me some of the Blessed water, please".

"No, I'll go get it, right away." Sefora, the youngest, was most concerned and always tried her best to be helpful while Melora suffered through her delicate condition. She quickly scurried away on the errand, not wanting to be left with the expectant mother should something terrible happen. As the eldest, the only small comfort Melora had through the whole ordeal was that at least her younger sisters would be safe from now on. They should never have to endure the pain and humiliation that she had. Now all she had to do was make sure her and the baby survived its impending birth.

She groaned again, cursing Brendon. Why did she have to open her legs for that stupid drunken shemlen, with his promises of making her "his special girl", never mind the fact that he was the Bann Franderel's youngest son? At 17 years, she should be enjoying the Festival of Renewal, basking in the glory of a Dirthamen-blessed moonlit spring night. Or else plying her charms as a whore at some West Hill outpost's brothel . Anything seemed better than wallowing on the ground like a fat sow about to burst from this heavy, human-sized child trying to force its way out of her body.

No, she mustn't get angry. "Mythal, shield us from harm", she whispered, ignoring Lenora's cross glare as she once again called upon a pagan goddess instead of the Maker.

Nirolel, the trio's father who had never returned from a wolf hunt the day after she turned 13, would have said she must love ANY child, no matter the circumstances of its birth. Their mother, Felina, was so kind she had refused to hunt her entire life, instead focusing on healing and tending to the forests and its abundant plant life. Her dear, sweet mother had died of some filthy plague the Orlesian chevaliers had cursed the human village where she volunteered as a healer with two years ago, which left her oldest daughter to take care of her sisters at the tender age of 15.

As though conjured by thoughts of her mother, the tribe's Keeper appeared silently, a welcome but surprising godsend. "Salaine?" Melora was shocked enough to overcome the pain and sat up again. "Wh-why are YOU here?"

"Hush, child. Everyone has been blessed and celebration is well under way. They will do fine without these old bones frowning in disapproval at their libations. YOU however, are the one who is in need this holy night." Although welcome, it was still quite a surprise to Melora that their Keeper would go out of her way to assist her. Most of the elves who stayed true to the Dalish ways didn't associate with humans and did their best to shun the city elves, including those who migrated to the villages for seasonal work as she and her sisters had done. They could have stayed, but Melora had been stubborn, determined to do anything to avoid being a burden while the tribe survived the long winters.

Sefora returned, cradling an earthen pitcher of the blessed water. A few of Adahlelvhenan tribe's best hunters had braved the nearby ruins and returned with a skin of water from a small pool deep within the ancient city that morning. Their keeper had then performed some complicated ritual and mingled the precious water with some normal spring water in the hollowed-out log of an Ironbark tree. The water had been consecrated at daybreak in preparation for their feast and celebration that night.

"I've got it – Oh! Lady Keeper?" Sefora's eager blue eyes widened in disbelief and she glanced at Lenora, opening her mouth as though about to ask a question. The middle sister shook her head quickly as though to silence her, then shrugged.

"Hahaha, my sister's granddaughters - you city dwellers have forgotten how to properly address me already? Salaine will do just fine. Hmmm…you've got the Blessed waters here, do you?" The older woman grumbled, took the pitcher from the Sefora's arms and sat down amongst the wolf pelts to look the expectant young mother over.

"Umm…yes My Lady…I mean, Salaine. Lady Salaine." Sefora stammered in reply.

"Humph. Well, you're certainly healthy, looks like the flat-ears fed you all well at least." Salaine, already forgetting the younger girl's awkwardness, pushed aside the coverlets and her cool, wizened hands examined Melora's distended belly after sprinkling a bit of the blessed water over her. The babe moved a little, and the old woman chuckled. "And your baby is very healthy too. You'll both do just fine, no worries at all. It has been six years since a healthy child has been born to our tribe, let alone survived in this wretched world. Our people are dying and this foolhardy attempt at celebrating the Keeper of Secret's Spring Festival out in the open will only bring the Chantry's dogs on us all the more quicker, you mark my words!"

"Hunters who don't want to listen to their Keeper. Who would have dreamed such a thing? Souver'inan isala hamin….." she sighed, and all the weariness of the decades spent trying to keep her people safe were etched into the lines of her skin. She gathered her waist-long silver braids and twisted them up into a large knot. "But enough of that. It is time for a new life to come into this world of ours."

A sliver of moonlight beamed down on them from between the tree branches at that moment, and the aged Keeper paused. The deep blue gem in the center of the silver amulet she wore around her neck started to light up, then pulsate softly. Three young elves looked up at her questioningly, not daring to disturb her as she stared into the distant hills, as though listening to voices only she could hear. Her eyes began to glow with the same soft but eerie blue light.

"Ahhhhhh!" Salaine finally broke the strange silence and spoke in a hushed monotone. "Yes, this one will be truly blessed! Through her, The Protector will be reborn, the one who will overcome the darkness within. The ancient curse shall be broken and the land's four children will unite as one. The Lost One shall be found, and the sacred city shall awaken from its slumber. The Forest will know her and be glad, while the lowliest of the lowly will be her chosen Consort. Our land and people will know joy once again."

Salaine smiled, the blue glow of her eyes beginning to dim. She looked down at Melora and spoke consolingly. "Your child will be strong and live a full life. She will sacrifice herself to save her own child, but she will live happy and die free. As will you, my niece."

To live a full, relatively happy life, and die free - that was better than any of them could hope for. The breeze picked up, the torches flickered, and the Keeper looked up again towards the moonlit sky before bowing her head in reflection. She said a few brief words in ancient Elvish to her chosen goddess, Sylaise, and her palm lit up with a warm and calming green light of healing. The three sisters knew better than to interrupt a moment of prophecy and healing with futile questions. Melora reached out to receive the glass of water Lenora poured for her, then lay down against the cushions as another set of contractions passed – thankfully, without further pain. She didn't have the heart to tell Salaine that the child would be human.