As soon as Calem had gathered his things and let Keeper Sathari know that he would be leaving back to his clan-which was really only partly true-Andra wasted no time in setting off. She wanted no long, drawn out goodbyes full of sorrow and endless questions on why. She didn't have time. And if anyone truly wanted answers, they could go to the Keeper. Andra had told the old women everything, but whether she would pass that on if any of the Ashihari asked, it was uncertain.

"So, where are we headed?" Calem asked as he adjusted one of the straps to his backpack on his shoulder.

Andra didn't look at him as she replied, "To the Arbor Wilds."

This just seemed to confuse the elf even more, "You're looking for answers in the Arbor Wilds?"

"We're going to the Temple of Mythal," Andra explained. "I'm hoping that the elvhes that lived there haven't left yet. Or at least the Abelas is still there."

"Abelas?"

Andra sighed, she knew that this back and forth of questions and answers would be endless until they reached their destination, "He's one of the elves that lives in the Temple, protecting its secrets."

Calem still didn't seem to understand, but he saw the tired look in Andra's eyes-as she had spent her entire morning in the hands of people who didn't understand her position-and he remained silent.

For over an hour, neither said a word as they trekked on. Andra spent this welcome silence replaying everything the Keeper had said to her. About not being truly Dalish, about being whisked away into the Ashihari when she was only four. It all made so much sense to her now. This explained why she was the way she was. Andra had always wanted to leave the seclusion of her Dalish clan, despite the Keeper's warnings, and she had done exactly that when she left for the Inquisition and had become of something so much greater. Or how, in the long run, it had been so easy for her to accept Solas' words, as if a part of her knew they rang with truth. Though whenever Andra had questioned even the smallest things of Dalish culture with her clan, she had been scolded severely for it and told that there wasn't enough history left for them to piece together, so the truth could never be known and she should never judge. In the simplest, the Dalish didn't want to change, even if they knew they were wrong. It didn't matter anymore.

A rustling of leaves alerted Andra's trained, pointed ears and her head snapped to the side to see what it was. Calem seemed to have been mulling over his own thoughts-as she had-as he hadn't even noticed the noise and asked what was wrong when he saw her sudden movement.

Andra didn't answer him as her silver eyes scanned the forest around them, doused in the warm light of midday. But she didn't have to search long as a figure stepped out of the trees, unabashed by discovery. Andra recognized the person immediately and she couldn't help a smile from breaking out on her face.

"Solas!" She called in excitement, and for the moment, Calem was forgotten.

"Hello again." He said plainly, stopping a few feet in front of her and leaning against his staff as they spoke.

"I thought you left?"

"I did. But I didn't get far before a thought came to me. No doubt my actions caused your clan extreme distress and I worried that they might drive you out under the pressure. So I came back to make sure you were okay."

This gave Andra pause, "You worried about me?"

"And why would I not? We are-or at the very least, were-very close friends. Is it not common place for friends to care about each others' well being?"

Andra flushed under his words, "I know we moved past that argument… but I was unsure of the damage that our relationship endured. I didn't know if… if after last night, that was it."

Solas' eyes were gentle and his expression soft as he looked upon the blonde he had grown so close to. "There are so few people I've been able to call friend in this world, I'd be a fool to toss away you."

Andra felt disarmed. Now was one of the rare few moments she and Solas had shared in the time they had known each other; a moment where personal differences didn't matter. Or maybe it was just that she had told him that she believed everything he had said about the Dalish. She cared not, though. What mattered most, right now, was that despite everything, he cared for her. Still cared for her.

"Thank you…" was all she could say as her eyes stung with the threat of tears which she so desperately was failing to hold back.

Solas stepped closer and placed a hand on Andra's cheek, brushing away one of the droplets that was falling down her face with his thumb. "Ar lasa mala revas, Lethallan."

"Not quite," Andra answered, pulling away from his touch and wiping her own face clean with the back of her hand. "The Keeper… she told me some disturbing things. I'm going back to the Temple of Mythal to find some answers."

"Answers? At the Temple?" Solas was surprised, but not as much as Andra had expected him to be. His surprise was actually very slight and seemed a bit forced. "What answers do you hope to find there?"

"The truth about my past."

There was a half grunt, half snort, from next to the duo and they both turned, startled, to see Calem staring at them with his arms crossed over his chest. It was then that Andra realized she had completely forgotten that he was traveling with her, and the proximity she shared with Solas caused her to feel a bit embarrassed. Solas didn't seem to have any qualms about their situation, but rather, he actually looked a little irritated at the interruption.

"Your past should already be obvious to you," Calem interjected. "You might not have had your parents to tell you all the details, but at least your clan elders and your Keeper were there to take over when that incident with the werewolves happened. And thank the gods that you clan moved out there as quickly as they had to the Free Marches so other kids didn't have to grow up orphans."

Andra winced at his words as they stung deep in her heart. Though, much to her surprise, they didn't hurt as much as she thought they would. That was most likely due to the fact that this version of her life that she had grown up with was a lie. Or at least, Andra believed it was. There was no reason for Keeper Sathari to spew out falsities without reason. But this was all the more reason that Andra needed to go to the Temple, to find out what was true. To find out who she really was.

"Sathari told me that all of that was a lie, Calem. I had a long talk with her this morning before we left. The Ashihari never lived in Ferelden, we had always lived here in the Free Marches. But I was not born into that clan. They might have raised me, but they are not my people. Family doesn't lie to family just to keep someone's feelings from getting hurt.

"I was told I was found in the Arbor Wilds, near the Temple of Mythal, when I was just four. No one has any idea who my parents are or what happened to them. So forgive me for wanting to know the truth." Andra was fuming. Calem had no right to patronize her. An old friend or not, he didn't know everything.

"What?" Calem asked, his golden eyes shining with confusion.

Solas remained silent during the exchange, but there was something in his own blue eyes that itched at the back of Andra's mind. She just couldn't place a finger on what it was.

"But we've known each other forever," Calem went on. "Surely, someone would have let that slip."

But Andra was already shaking her head, a new realization coming to her. "They did. Looking back…" she cast out her silvery gaze to the side, thinking over all the times she had missed what people had been saying about her during the course of her life, "the elders let it slip quite a bit. But it had always been so vague and I never realized they had been talking about me…"

Calem stared hard at the ground, mulling over this new information. He didn't seem to want to accept it, as if it all sounded terribly wrong in his head.

"Ahnsul ma amahn?" Solas asked, but Calem didn't understand.

"I might be an elf, but I don't know Elvhen," the brunet said with a slight scold. "Only a few words; some greetings and farewells and I'm sorry. Most of the language is lost to us."

Solas suppressed a scoff, "And your Keepers; they know Elvhen, do they not?"

Calem's irritation grew as he realized what Andra had told him about-Solas' disregard for the Dalish. "Not as much as you think. Though enough that they could piece it all back together with a little effort. Why would it matter when most Dalish can't speak it, anyway? It's a very small, unimportant part of the history we try to recover."

It was now Solas' turn to become angry as he glared at the young elf before him, "All Elvhen history is a treasure. To lose even a piece of it would be a great loss."

"Te'rulin." Andra sighed in exasperation. Wanting to avoid the fight she knew was coming.

But then the blonde's sour mood fell away as an idea came to her, causing a bright smile to spread on her face. She turned to the bald elf and captured his blue gaze, "Come with me, satha."

Solas' anger fell away at the request, "Elan av'ahna ahnsul?"

Andra continued to smile, but it was a little softer now, "Isavahnan falon."

A smile touched at older elf's features, "Ma nuvenin."

Andra clasped her hands together, a thrill of adrenaline rushing through her spine at the thought of traveling with Solas once again. The only one who didn't seemed to understand was Calem, who did not know what either had said.

"We should get going," the brunet said, wanting Andra to say farewell to this intruder. At least, that's who he was to Calem, who, at this very moment, could feel Andra slipping further and further from his grasp. He knew that her romantic feelings for him were gone, but Calem had hoped that he would be able to turn the tide in his favor with this journey. A journey between the two of them.

Andra nodded her agreement. "Yes, we should." She then turned to look at her old friend, "and Solas is coming with us."

.

.

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ELVHEN USED:

Ar lasa mala revas: "You are free"
Lethallan: Casual reference used for someone with whom one is familiar. Lethallin is used for males, while lethallan is used for females, but this is not always the case. Akin to "cousin" or "clansman" since "lin" is the word for blood.
Ahnsul ma amahn?: "Why are you here?"
Te'rulin: "Not important" / "Of no importance"
Satha: "Please"
Elan av'ahna ahnsul?: "May I ask why?"
Isavahnan falon: "I need a companion/friend" (Literally: "I require a friend")
Ma nuvenin: "As you wish" / "As you desire"