She had been running across the rooftops of Kirkwall, tears falling down her face as she struggled to come up with a plan for survival. Surely they would send a search out for a violent mage who knocked out four Templars in one blow. Her foot managed to catch on a water drain, causing the elf to go tumbling down the house's roof and onto the stone walkway.
Nethra hissed as she tried to pick herself up.
"Are you okay?" A soft female voice asked. Nethra looked up to see a yellow-eyed woman. She had a breastplate that peeked out at the top and her hair was buzzed down. She offered her hand to the elf. "That was quite a fall."
"I believe I'll be okay, but thank you for asking." Nethra grabbed her hand and the woman hoisted her up onto her feet.
"I'm Hawke, by the way. What were you doing running along the roofs?"
"I-uh…it's a long story…I was just practicing magic when-"
"Do you need a place to stay?" Hawke said softly. She had a look of understanding in her eyes.
"Y-yes. Thank you."
Hawke led the brunette through the dark streets of Kirkwall, finally opening the door to a rather nice house in hightown.
"It's not much, but it's home." Hawke smiled softly, placing her armour and staff on a desk near a fireplace.
"It's beautiful." Nethra whispered in awe. She had never been inside a human's home before. All she ever knew were the aravals from her time with her old Dalish clan and the lonely stone walls of the Chantry Circle. She almost jumped through the ceiling when she spotted two dwarves standing by the door.
"Oh, don't worry about those two. That's just Sandal and Bodhan." Hawke called from another room.
"Pleasure to meet ya." The taller, bearded dwarf stuck out his hand.
"Bodhan, Sandal, this is…what did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't. My name is Nethra. It's wonderful to meet you." She smiled shaking Bodhan's hand.
"Enchantment!" Sandal shouted.
"Oh, don't mind my boy. He's a genius, really, but not particularly in the verbal sense."
"Enchantment." The bald boy smiled.
Hawke walked back into the room carrying a pile of woolen blankets. "This should be enough," she said, "feel free to lay wherever you'd like."
"You've brought in another one?" A deep voice sounded from a room on the left.
"Fenris! I'd like you to meet Nethra." Hawke grinned as a white-haired elf emerged from the room. He had a sunken frown and strange blue markings all over his skin.
"She's a mage."
"I am too! That doesn't seem to bother you too much." Hawke winked at Nethra.
"One of these days, you're going to help one of the bad ones, Hawke." The man grumbled and shook his head as walked away.
In the morning, Hawke brought Nethra down to the Elven Alienage to visit a friend, and that's all Hawke would say about it. Nethra gawked at the large tree in the center of the alienage, decorated with different trinkets and ornaments.
"It's called the 'Tree of the People'," Hawke stated, smiling down at the awestruck elf, "Merrill says it reminds her of home."
"Merrill?" Nethra asked.
Hawke knocked on a dilapidated door in one of the run-down apartments of the alienage. The door opened to reveal a small elf with dark brown hair and large green eyes.
"Merrill, I'd like you to meet my friend, Nethra. Do you know if there's any empty houses around where she can live?"
"Of course!" the elf replied, "Sariel left last week when she heard that there was a rich man in Hightown looking for a servant!"
Nethra blinked at the woman's enthusiasm over something so grim. She looked at the markings decorating Merrill's face. "You're Dalish?" It was more of a statement than a question. Merrill's face lit up.
"Yes! I'm from Sabrae clan. Although I miss my home, I have a job to do, so I must remain here for now."
"I understand. I miss my clan as well." Nethra gave a sad smile. Truthfully, she did not remember very much about her clan. It was so long ago when she left, she could barely remember what her parents looked like. But she was happy to meet another Dalish elf that she couldn't help but talk about it.
"You're Dalish? But you don't have any vallaslin." Merrill questioned.
"I was sent to join a Circle when I was young. I never got to receive it." Merrill's lips formed an 'o'.
"Well, let's get you set up! Sariel's old home is just across the court. We can be neighbours!" Merrill grinned with excitement. Hawke smiled at the newfound friendship between the two elves.
"Adahl,"
"Adall,"
"Adahl,"
"Adall,"
"No, adaaaahl."
"Adahl."
"Yes! Perfect!"
It had been almost a year since Nethra had begun living in Kirkwall's Alienage, safe from the relentless Templars searching for her whereabouts. Having a fresh need to reconnect with her culture, the freckled elf began relearning her native tongue thanks to Merrill.
"Okay, so let's put it all into a sentence now." Merrill smiled.
"Adahl ina'lan'ehn. The tree is beautiful."
"On'ala!" Wonderful!
It was strange to Nethra that she could always understand the language, but she struggled to speak it. No matter what Merrill spoke in Elvhen, Nethra always knew what she was saying – even if she hadn't been taught the phrase yet.
Three knocks sounded from Merrill's front door. She perked up and opened it, revealing Hawke and a dwarf carrying a clunky crossbow. "Hi Merrill, sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem. Varric needs help dealing with his brother. Are you in?"
"Oh, of course!" Merrill stood up and grabbed her staff, "Sorry, Nethra, we'll have to continue at another time."
"Nethra?" The dwarf hummed, "So you're the one the Knight-Captain won't stop searching for."
"Who?" Nethra furrow her brows in confusion. She knew the Chantry was still looking for her, but she never met the Knight-Captain as far as she knew.
"Knight-Captain Cullen. You know, tall, curly blonde hair, hasn't slept in decades…He hasn't stopped asking people about you in months. What exactly did you do, Jailbird?"
"Cullen?" She whispered. The last time she saw him, he hadn't a clue who she was, and now all of a sudden he's the main person trying to find her? "I-I should get going. Thank you for your time, Merrill."
The small elf ducked past Hawke and the dwarf, running back to her home.
"Did I strike a nerve?" Varric asked with a cocked eyebrow.