Andra barely heard the flap of her tent open, nor took much note of the footsteps that stopped just behind her, as she packed her things and tied down a rolled, thick blanket to the top of her backpack for sleeping while on the road. She did, however, stop what she was doing when the person behind her spoke.

"What's going on, Andra? The whole clan is talking about you…" She recognized the voice: Calem. Mentally, she cursed as she wished she wouldn't have to face him. They might not be as close as they once were, and Andra didn't love him like she once did, but she still cared for him and didn't want to hurt him. To tell him that she was going to abandon the Dalish because of a Shem would be the most painful insult she could give him. She knew of his hatred for humans-for anyone that wasn't Dalish, really-and he wouldn't understand her situation.

She turned around, hesitantly, and Calem seemed to freeze as he saw her bare face. "I removed my Vallaslin, and I'm leaving the clan for a while. I don't know when I'll be back." She said. It's wasn't entirely the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"How could you get rid of your Vallaslin?" He said in shock.

"It doesn't matter." Andra turned away from him to fasten the buckle on her on pack before standing up and slinging it onto her shoulders.

"Why are you leaving?"

"I need to find some answers for myself. I'm sorry…" She let the sentence hang there. There was so much she felt she should apologize for when it came to Calem. For him coming all this way just to be rejected for his love; for Andra not doing better to keep in touch, especially when they had been so close; for leaving so suddenly when he had only just arrived, especially when it was her he had come to see… And most of all, for not having the courage to tell him that the reason she no longer loved him like he did her, was because she had feelings for someone else. Though, the last part, she had yet to come to terms with. Her mind still buried the thought deep in her head.

His faced creased with confusion, "Answers about what?"

"I don't have time to explain…"

Calem grabbed her arm as she tried to brush past him. "I've only just arrived and now you're off again?"

"I'm sorry… I need to do this or it'll drive me crazy." She gave him a sad look, she wished she could tell him everything. But doing so would drive them apart, and he wouldn't understand either way.

"Will I see you again?"

"I don't know…"

His shoulders slumped at her words as he released her arm, and his face fell slightly. But then an idea seemed to come to him. "Let me come with you." and it was Andra's turn to be confused. He continued quickly, "I should be returning to my clan soon anyway to help with the merge, but a couple more days won't kill anyone. I could come with you to help you find your answers? And then… maybe… you could come back with me to my clan since you're so dead set on leaving yours…"

Andra was stunned, "Calem, I… I don't think that's a good idea."

"And why not? It can't hurt to have an extra set of hands around. And it'll be safer rather than traveling by yourself."

She began shifting her weight from one foot to the other in discomfort, "I don't want you to get hurt." She admitted, knowing that although she was trying to deter him, it would sprout up more questions.

"I won't get hurt. I've very capable, I'll have you know." He smirked despite the tension, completely missing what Andra was trying to imply.

"I know. I mean… the answers I'm looking for will hurt you… And I can't go back with you to your clan."

He still didn't seem to catch on, "How could the answers you're looking for hurt me? But you don't have to make a decision on coming back with me right away, there'll be plenty of time to think it over while we're in search of what you're looking for first. "

"I can't…" Andra said in exasperation. She was trying her best to shield him but he kept pushing. But then her mind reminded her that he was a man now. They weren't kids anymore. He could handle what she would have to throw at him. She hoped, at least… "I'm leaving the Dalish, Calem. Permanently. I don't ever plan on coming back to my clan, and I can't go with you to yours for the same reason. I need to get away. I need to do some things for myself…"

His smile died away, "But you're Dalish. How can you… abandon your people? Abandon all that you've ever known."

Andra sighed in irritation and pushed through the flap of her tent, walking outside as Calem followed her. "You wouldn't understand." She said a bit harshly as she made her way towards the clan's craftsmen. She needed to pick up a new bow, he last one was almost as old as she was and she feared it would break soon. She didn't want to have to deal with that problem while on the road, but a part of her did weep at the thought of obtaining a new weapon. She had made many memories with her old bow. In a way, it was a part of her, it knew her intimately as she had carried it during many important events in her life. But she knew it was just a thing, it wasn't alive, and a newer bow would serve her much better than the old one. It wouldn't do to get sentimental over an inanimate object.

"Haren!" Andra called to the elder that was bent over a table, carving intricate designs into the wood of a small buckler. The old man looked up at Andra as she approached, and he too dawned a look of surprise at the sight of her face. Andra concluded that she would never live it down, nor would anyone ever get used to it.

"Andra?" The elder said softly, trying to convince himself of her identity.

"Yes, I've no time to explain, I've done enough of that this morning with some of the hunters, the Keeper, and now Calem." With the last mention, she pointed a thumb at the elf who was standing right behind her. "I need a new bow, I'm leaving the clan for a while, I don't know when I'll be back, but my old one is no longer suited for use."

The old man grinned at the last part, "Finally heeding my advice about a new weapon?" He chided in a friendly manner.

Andra smiled back, "I'm sentimental."

The elder then turned around to a rack behind him that held a number of weapons he had just finished that week. As he was looking through them, finding one that he would deem acceptable for Andra's talents, Calem stepped up to the young girl's side.

"Please talk to me." He whispered to her, golden eyes pleading.

"I have. There's nothing more to say."

Calem ran a hand through his chocolate hair then but didn't have the time to reply as the old man turned back around with a beautiful recurve bow in his hands, embroidered with many intricate designs of the forest the Ashihari lived in.

Andra stared at the weapon in amazement, taking it from the elder's hands and running her own over it. She admired the leaves and branches carved into the body and tested the draw weight as she pulled on the string. It was perfect for her. "Wow, Haren, you've outdone yourself this time."

The old man smiled with pride, "I made it just for you, actually. I had a feeling you would be asking me for a new one soon."

Andra couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across her face and she couldn't hold herself back as she hugged the elder tightly. For her gratitude of such beautiful craftsmanship, but also because he wasn't making a big deal out of her Vallaslin or her leaving like everyone else. He always had been quite understanding, and never prodded when he knew someone didn't want to go too much into the details.

"Thank you." She cried into his shoulder, her heart swelling with happiness. But also sorrow as she knew she might not see him again.

"Take care of yourself."

Then Andra was off, walking briskly towards the edge of the camp.

Calem still trailing behind her.

"Calem…" Andra started as she reached the unlit lantern that marked the outskirts of the settlement. But he was ready for her this time:

"You have nothing to lose by letting me come with you." Calem interrupted.

But how wrong he was; she could lose him. "Why do you want to come with me? Why not just go back to your own clan? They probably need you the most."

He flinched at her words, "What if I say I just want to spend time with you? We've been apart for so long, is it so hard to believe that I'm just afraid I'll never see you again?"

Andra mulled this over, feeling awful for putting him in such a situation. "If you come with me, you're not going to like what we find. I know that already. No matter what you say to reassure me, I know that we'll never be the same again. And that's most likely not for the better."

"You don't know that." He put a hand on her shoulder then.

"Okay…" Andra gave in, but still certain that it was a bad idea.

"Give me a few minutes to get my things." Calem said, then he left in the direction of his tent.

Andra tilted her head back and stared up at the sky, asking herself what she was getting herself into as she slung the string of her bow over her shoulder and waited.

.

.

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ELVHEN USED:

Haren: "Elder"