Chapter 6
Elusive Prey
A/N: I am so sorry guys that it has taken me so long to update this story, it seems I have neglected it and I am super sorry about that. So I am writing for this story again. But a quick thanks to all of you for waiting so patiently and you should know that I have fast forwarded to where they revisit the mirror, but it is just going to be Merrill and Rue.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age
"Rue, I don't think he is here" Merrill says softly as Rue continued to walk past the recently shattered remains of the mirror, Rue could feel desperation clawing at her from the inside as her breathing rate increased,
"He has to be here! This is where it happened!" Rue said impatiently as the Grey Warden made his way back towards them as he cleaned his blood on the fur of the demon that lay dead on the floor. Rue began to search through the rubble that littered the room, Merrill turned to the Grey Warden in distress as her face crumbled in distress.
"I only found you when I came into this room, admittedly it had less darkspawn but there was no one else here" The Grey Warden say as Rue whirls around to face him and her eyes glow menacingly and her posture crouches over slightly.
"Then you weren't looking hard enough!" She say before turning back to the mirror fragments and she begins to walk towards it and Merrill tries to grab her arm, Merrill knows that they won't be able to find anything, she can feel it in her gut and she knows that Rue can too. Rue storms up the steep steps and towards the shards of fragmented glass and she falls to her knees. Merrill goes to rush up to her but the Warden stops her,
"Let her have this moment, she has lost him to the taint, let her grieve" Merrill nods at his words and stands still as she watches Rue just stare down at the fragments of mirror.
Rue's hand gently rests next to the glass and she strokes it with almost a loving gesture and tears form in her eyes blurring her vision as she traces one of the jaggered edges of a slim bit of mirror fragment
"You took him from me" she whispers to the glass as the tear rolls down her cheek and her gut clenches as anger rises within her and she can feel her body twitching with the effort to remain calm. Rue clenches her hand around the glass and tears clog her throat,
"He wasn't yours to take, he was my friend, he was more than that and you…you stole him from me" Rue whispers and she clenches the glass tighter in her palm, the pain is so little compared to how her heart feels that she can barely feel it biting into her skin as more tears run down her cheeks mixing with the tainted mirror and the blood flowing down the shard onto the ground. Rue grits her teeth to stop herself from screaming. Rue's entire being begins to twitch as it holds in the emotions just waiting to burst out of her, when the sun falls through the hole in the cave, bathing her in its light. Rue takes a deep breath as the sun warms her and she lets all the emotion settle down a barrier that she puts between her and the world. Rue opens her eyes and looks into the empty frame of the mirror, wishing she could have stopped him, or done anything differently. Tamlen didn't deserve this fate.
"I will find you Lethallin, even if it kills me" she says quietly as she tightens her hold on the shard of tainted glass and she can hear it cracking slightly. Rue feels a hand on her shoulder and she looks up to see Merrill smiling with tears in her eyes.
"Let's go back home Rue" Rue nods and only with Merrill's help does she find the strength to leave the site of the broken mirror.
In Lothering Chantry…
Lelianna stumbled into the Chantry about a week ago.
She had only been strong enough to leave her bed two days ago. No Sister of the Chantry questioned what happened to her; they only wished that she had a fast recovery.
Lelianna, couldn't help but feel a sense of security when she was here, Mother Hannah had helped her heal her wounds, better than Lelianna could have ever done, and the best part is that they asked no questions, none on where she had been or what she had done to receive those wounds and that gave Lelianna a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in such a long time and she allowed herself to recover and try to block out those memories. Lelianna let out a groan as her whole body ached after days of travel when wounded drained her completely. Lelianna knew she would be safe from Marjolene here, in Ferelden in a Chantry. Lelianna stretched and tried not to wince as she could feel the scabs cracking.
And she stood up and put on her Chantry gown and looked into the mirror in her room. Nobody knew of her past here, of all the things she had done because Marjolene wanted her to. To play the game Lelianna is like dancing in the fire Marjolene said to her when they first played the game. Leliana's heart cramped as she thought of Marjolene, she did love her and a part of Lelianna knew she would never be able to let her go.
Back at the Dalish Camp…
"You need to be more careful Da'len" Keeper Malerthari said as she removed the glass with a cloth and placed it on the table and went back to her hand to examined the damage, Rue just nodded aimlessly and continued to stare at the item the Keeper kept on the wall, she didn't care about her hand, all she could think of was the guilt of Talmen's death hanging over her head and it was heavy in her heart. He was everything to her, he wasn't like Merrill, he wasn't the love of her life but the Keeper would never allow hers and Merrill's marriage to happen. So she thought it would be better to marry Tamlen, her best friend and her safety and now he had been torn away from Rue like every other important person in her life.
"Merrill!" The Keeper shouted and Rue turned as she heard Merrill's frenzied footsteps and Merrill came storming into the tent. Merrill's eye meet Rue's before meeting the Keepers,
"Yes Keeper?" Merrill said and I watched her fingers twitch slightly and Rue smiled. Merrill always did this when she was nervous or anticipating something, the Keeper turned her attention back to the deep wound on Rue's hand
"Can you discard that piece of glass? Take it deep into the woods, it has already taken one clan member from us, we don't want its poison here" Merrill frowned and picked up the shard of glass and examined it.
"But Keeper, could it be used to help locate-"
"No, get it away from our clan, it is tainted Da'len and we cannot afford to lose another" Merrill sighs impatiently and takes it and leaves the tent and Rue watches her leave
"That child is too curious, even for an elf" she murmurs and Rue laughs
"That she is, but I wouldn't have her any other way" Rue says with the first smile on her lips since entering the cave, Malerthari looks up at her face and smiles but her eyes don't match her smile, instead they hold a sadness that Rue has never seen before.
"You really love her don't you Da'len?" Malerthari asks and Rue answer without even thinking about it
"Yes I do Keeper" Rue says as she blushes and looks away, Rue's heart cramps, she knows what the Keeper is going to say
"You have to leave with the Warden Da'len, you are dying from the taint, you know that don't you?" Rue's lips form a tight line
"Yes, I can feel it running in my veins, but I don't want to leave the clan Keeper, is there no other way?"
"No Da'len, you must leave. We cannot watch you die here, not when there is a better alternative out there. You have always been the one venturing into towns mixing with Shemlens, you will be fine" Malerthari says as she leans back and puts down the needle and thread and she begins to summon up her magic when Rue puts her hand out and stops her.
"No I want to remember why I left, the reason why Tamlen is gone. I just want to remember everything" Rue says and her voice begins to break slightly. Malerthari cups her face in her well-worn hands and stares into Rue's mystical green orbs.
"You will never forget us Da'len, the Dalish way can never be forgotten, and we live in your heart and sing in your soul and run through your blood. You are one of us no matter where you go, where you live and what you decide to do. You are Dalish" she says and wipes away the tears running down Rue's face and Rue smiles slightly before pulling away.
"Just… look after Merrill, make sure she is safe and happy for me, please?" Rue asks and the Keeper nods as she begins to dress the wound.
Deep in the Forest…
Merrill holds the mirror and looks at it; she knows she should get rid of it. Merrill has dug a hole in the ground and she just needs to place it down but she can't. Merrill wants to help Rue so much, she loves her and would do anything for her and if she can find Tamlen and stop the sickness spreading through Rue's body maybe then she can stop this. Maybe then when Merrill is Keeper she can talk of how her ancestors lived by using knowledge from this shard of glass. Merrill ponders this before shaking her head and she places it in the ground and covers it up and she stands up and looks over it before marking it. Merrill doesn't know why she marked it but right now all that is important is getting back to Rue.
Inside the Dalish Camp…
Rue walks out of the tent feeling more at peace than she has in a while only to be stopped by the Warden.
"We leave tomorrow Rue, it is a long journey to Ostagar" Rue wants to punch him, he is the reason she is leaving her home, but she has to be polite, bad manners never get you anywhere apart from a bruise and sleeping in the cold her mother taught her.
"Thank you for informing me Warden, I shall be ready then" he nods and moves from Rue's path as she enters her caravan and she gathers some paper and a inkwell and feather and begins to write a letter to Merrill, explaining everything that she never could and will now never get the chances to, she wipes the tear forming in her eye and continues to write every thought and feeling down.
Hours later…
Rue stretches up as she finally finishes the letter, it took a long time to write everything but she finally managed it and just as time as her ears pick up on the sound of footfalls and her hands clasp around the dagger on the desk and she hears the cautious footsteps and Rue tenses
"Rue? Are you here?" Merrill calls out and Rue relaxes and picks up the knife and places it in her boot
"Yeah I am back here, give me a second Lethallan" Rue calls out and she folds up the letter and carries it with her to the entrance, she needs to give this to the Keeper to give to Merrill once she is gone. Rue pushes the letter into a sealed container and she sees Merrill and gives her a tight smile. Rue drops down past her and she frowns
"Where are you going" Merrill says and Rue turns back to her and points at the letter, Merrill doesn't need to know everything yet.
"I need to give this to the Keeper" Rue says as she begins to make her way to the Keepers tent,
"Da'len enter, I can hear you out there" Rue smiles as she enters the tent and her eyes adjust to the darkness inside of the tent and she walks in and towards the Keeper, her gut twisting with nerves as she clutches the sealed container and Rue opens it again and sits down on the chair opposite the Keeper
"Keeper, I would like you to give this to Merrill, after I have left?," Rue swallows on the lump forming in her throat and fights the feeling that she is leaving Merrill "It is going to be so hard for her, so I wrote her this letter, it explains… everything for her and it is for only her to see. Please will you give it to her for me? It would mean the world to me" Rue says as she fiddles with the other necklace she wears, the one that she crafted herself under her father's careful eye when she was younger, Rue's eyes go to meet the Keeper's and they hold such sadness.
"Of course Da'len" Rue gives a sad smile and takes off the necklace and puts it into the container with the letter and reseals it before handing it to Malerthari
"Ma Serannas Keeper" Malerthari nods and Rue leaves and hurries back to her caravan only to find Merrill sat there waiting patiently, Rue smiles as she watches Merrill take everything in around her as if it was the first time, her hair blowing slightly in the cool evening wind and her wide green eyes looking everywhere. Rue stands in front of her hands on her hips and Merrill's gaze slowly falls onto Rue and she blushes
"I didn't see you there Lethallan" Rue laughs before jumping up the small ledge into her caravan,
tonight has to be special, it will more than likely be our last night together Rue thinks and her mood lowers but she begins to pull things from her draws like a spare pair of clothes and her hair brush and she turns back to Merrill who has her eyebrow cocked and hands on hip and Rue cannot help but slowly take in Merrill from her feet to her face and Rue lets her eyes meet Merrill's and the elf blushes under Rue's gaze, Rue brushes past her and lets her body touch Merrill's slightly before pausing to whisper in her ear
"We are going to yours Merrill for a sleepover, I just love our sleepovers, don't you Merrill?" Rue says licking the shell of Merrill's ear and Rue watches as the elf shivers before walking to Merrill's caravan which is far out away from the rest of the clan's caravans and tents, due to her being Malerthari First she needed quiet to study the folklore and the old ways of magic, and that wasn't on Rue's or Merrill's mind right now.
Merrill walks slightly behind Rue as they reach Merrill's door Rue is turned around and pressed hard against the door and before she has time to protest Merrill's lips are on hers and she savours this moment she has with Merrill as it is surely her last. Rue pulls away and looks into Merrill's eyes as her thumb glides over her cheek whilst the other remains fisted in her hair.
"I love you Merrill" Rue says to her and Merrill freezes and Rue feels like she has done the wrong thing until Merrill's face smiles and she leans against her forehead,
"I love you too" Tears run down Rue's face as she brings the lips crashing back together. Rue knows this will be there last night together and she plans to remember it.
Back in Lothering Chantry…
"Mother I swear my dream…it was a vision from the Maker! I it must have been even the old gnarled ugly bush has bloomed a single beautiful rose! It must be a sign from the-" The Mother of the Chantry halted Leliana's ramblings, Leliana was almost fully recovered now, and with recovery came questions as a cloister sister, well one that had not taken her vows yet. Mother Hannah sighed as she listened to another one of the Orlesian's crazy theories that seemed so unrealistic and far-fetched that Mother Hannah could not grasp how she came to such wild accusations.
"Lelianna, these dreams are nothing more than your imagination overreacting to the trauma of the wounds you have sustained" Lelianna wanted to tell her it was nothing to do with that but she knew it would get her nowhere, she sighed. Lelianna knew the other sisters thought she was crazy although the villagers seemed to like her, especially a girl called Bethany who always seemed to want to hear more about the Bard's life before the Cloister or how she decided to join the Chantry. No matter what she told the girl she never told her the truth behind her nature of joining the Chantry. It was to heal, to recover from the damage Marjolene managed to cause on Lelianna, but Lelianna knew that she was safe here but she could feel it in the wind.
Something was coming for them, yet no one listened, just like Mother Hannah right now. Lelianna sighed and nodded
"Yes of course Mother Hannah, I am sorry for disturbing you" Lelianna said and walked out of the Chantry and looked around at the village. It was strange how a pair of robes and a building can make you feel safer, but Lelianna could still feel the power of the unforeseen looking down upon the tiny village of Lothering. Lelianna just hoped she would be ready when the time comes.
The next morning in the Dalish Camp…
Rue had finally packed her things, with the help of a verytearful Merrill. Merrill knew what was going to happen and helped her pack and for once Rue was happy that someone wanted to help her, because she didn't know if she was even strong enough to leave the second home that she ever known. Rue sighed and pushed all her emotions away and began to erect barriers around her, she didn't want to feel so that's what she is determined to do and begins to build up walls all around her.
"Da'len. Are you ready?" The Keeper voice fills her eyes and she takes on last scan of her caravan before nodding, she has all of her possessions back in tight to the pack on her back but the sword she and Tamlen found is hanging at her hip alongside her steel blue hunting knife. This was it, this was her life and it was all about to change because of some taint that she had come into contact with all because of those humans in the forest and Tamlen's curiosity. Rue's heart cramped as she thought of him. She had let him die, it was her fault and his death hounded her every minute of the day. Rue began to make her way past all of her clan folk and they had tears running down their faces and she couldn't help but begin to cry as they hugged her and told her to keep strong. She smiled before reaching Merrill who looked like she was about to break down any second. Rue's green eyes dulled as they met Merrill's pale green ones.
"Merrill" Rue whispered and Merrill launched herself at Rue and held her tight and Rue clung to her as more tears escaped down her face, after a few minutes she leaned back and cupped Rue's face
"Be careful, and safe, and don't get hurt. Just remember me? Okay?" Merrill said in a sad tone and Rue cupped Merrill's face and searched her eyes
"How could I forget you? You have been so… I cannot even think of a word to describe it, but I cannot believe I am never coming back, be happy Merrill, move on and have a good life" Rue choked out and more tears fell from Merrill's eyes
"How can I move on knowing that I love you? How can I live knowing your never coming back to me? I cannot move on" Merrill says her voice dropping to a whisper. Rue smiles at her and pulls Merrill's hands away from her head and brings each digit to her lips as she soft kisses them in such an intimate way that Merrill blushes
"It wasn't meant to be Merrill, find someone who can give you everything, because I never could and now I never can. I have no idea what the future holds for you and me but we aren't together. But I still love you but I know there is a whole future for you without me and you will have such an incredible time that you will barely remember me" Rue says softly and Merrill shakes her head and replaces her hands on the sides of Rue's head.
"It's not fair Rue, it not fair. I don't want you to leave. I could never forget you, not after everything" Merrill says with a shaky breath and Rue rests her forehead against hers, not caring about what the other clansmen think
"Life's not fair Merrill, but I still love you" Rue says as she brings their lips together in a soul searing kiss and they can hear the crowd mumble but they don't care as the kiss deepens as the can taste the salt of their kisses on their lips. Rue slowly pulls away with her eyes closed as if she is trying to savour it
"I am going to miss you Merrill, have a good life" Rue manages to say before wrapping her in a hug again as she tries to absorb Merrill's scent. Before pulling back
"I will miss Dareth shiral Emma Vhenan" Rue smiles as more tears fall down her cheeks and she turns and begins to follow the Warden out of the camp when she is stopped by a hand on her arm and she turns to face them and it is Merrill and she is biting her lip and she hands Rue her neck handkerchief, Rue looks down at her hand to Merrill
"Don't forget me" Rue nods before letting out another whimper and she feels the Warden's hand on her shoulder
"Rue, we really must be going" she nods and places a kiss on Merrill's cheek
"Ma'arlath" she whispers before turning away and smiling at the Keeper as she places the Handkerchief in her pocket before finally leaving the place she has called home for a long time. Rue sees Malerthari at the end of the camp and she hugs Keeper Malerthari
"Ma Sernannas Keeper for everything" Rue says and the Keeper presses a bundle of something into her hands as she lets go and she looks down and it is a whole new leather set, enchanted too. Rue frowns and looks at the Keeper for an explanation,
"These were your mothers', I thought you would like to have something to remember her by when fighting the Blight" Rue smiles at her sentiment and hugs her again, no words need to be said between them
"Dareth Shiral Da'len, good luck" she says and Rue nods, Rue's gut begins to twist slightly as she leaves the camp and she can hear them singing for her loss and the loss of Tamlen and she cannot help but cry as she leaves and she looks back to see Merrill in the distance singing to her and every bit of pain and loss is poured into her words.
But Rue cannot look back now, she has no choice but she sings the last few lines with Merrill as she walks away
Arla vent u vir mahvir
Melana 'nehn
Enasal ir sa lethalin
Rue sings letting sadness colour her voice as she delves deeper into the woods and further away from home.
A/N: Phew, that was a long chapter! I don't know why but these take me such a long time to write. I hope you enjoyed this chapter so thanks for reading and please review! - Bexaday