Summary:
Maiara wakes up sick and is given a choice.
9:30 Dragon, Draconis 26th
The shadows were calling her name.
A shiver ran down her spine as she twisted, drowning in the darkness and the pain.
It's too much! She cried in the smothering blackness. Make it stop!
Maiara woke with a scream in her throat and panic wrapped around her like a veil. For a moment, she struggled, then realized the veil was actually just blankets. She stopped moving, lying in place panting and trying to get a grip on things. Her eyes were open now and she saw she was in an aravel. A small cry of relief escaped with a stream of hot tears.
After a few minutes of quiet crying, she disentangled herself from the cocoon of blankets, shuddering when she thought of the spiders in the cave.
The cave… Her eyes widened as her mind was flooded with memories. Tamlen!
She scrambled out of the aravel, noting vaguely that she was in healing robes as she stumbled out into the bright light of day. Her vision swam and she almost fainted, reeling back against the aravel in a desperate bid for support. Instead of the wagon, she felt someone's hands steadying her.
For one crazy, hopeful moment, she thought it was Tamlen. Then her vision cleared and she saw it was another of her clan. Fenarel, like her, was one of the Sabrae clan's warriors. They'd fought beside each other more than a few times in the past when they'd been called upon to protect the clan from bandits. He'd always been blissfully neutral and kind.
He was holding her steady now, his green eyes wide with worry as he looked her over for any obvious injuries. "I've got you, lethallan," he was saying, helping her to stand on her own and speaking slowly for her benefit. "You're back at camp. Everyone is worried sick about you. How do you feel?"
Like death.
She licked her parched lips and he handed her his canteen. She drank greedily, causing some water to dribble out over her chin. Wiping at the spillage, she coughed and found her voice. "I'm fine." She looked around and saw that most of the camp was functioning normally. A few faces looked their way, but overall they were ignored. There was one face she didn't see that made her stomach drop like a stone. "Fenarel… where is Tamlen?"
His thin blonde brows drew together in a look of consternation. "I'm sorry, Mai. We don't know. The shem who brought you here saw no sign of him."
It was as she'd feared. The shadows… for a moment she'd thought it had all been some awful fever dream.
"There was a human?" She asked softly, trying to distract herself from her worst thoughts. She thought she remembered something about a human.
Fenarel nodded affirmatively. "Yes. He brought you back two days ago. You don't remember him?"
"I…" Did she? Or was she thinking of the other humans, the ones they'd found fleeing the forest. "I don't know? My mind is unclear. I was in a cave, then… nothing." She realized the full depth of what he'd said and she whirled on him, panic clutching her heart tight in its fist. "Two days?!"
Creators… oh Tamlen. If it had been two days… where could he be that they could not find him?
"He was a Grey Warden," he was still talking and she was doing her best to listen. "He appeared out of nowhere with you slung over his shoulder. He had two other shems with him and a durgen'len."
She frowned as he relayed the events of the last two days. That was a lot of visitors for their small clan.
"You were delirious with fever. You said something about a cave? He said he found you outside a cave in the forest, unconscious and alone." He looked around nervously before continuing. "He left you here and took one of the other shems with him. The other two are here in camp."
"I feel sick," she rasped, leaning against the aravel again. For a moment, she was sure she'd be vomiting again. She coughed and her stomach heaved, but nothing came up and she was thankful. Fenarel was rubbing her back, his hand warm through the thin cloth of the robe she wore.
"The Keeper has been healing you with old magic," he explained soothingly. "Maybe I should-"
"I need to talk to Marethari," she interjected. She had to tell her everything now that she was awake. If they acted fast, maybe they could still find Tamlen, maybe they could-
Pain shot through her like a dozen arrows. She doubled over, gasping in agony and clutching at her sides. Whatever it was, it felt like it was everywhere. There was no source. It was in her blood.
"Lethallan!" Fenarel held her gently, moving her to sit in the grass where she could curl up more easily.
She didn't know how long she was lying there in the grass with her head in his lap. The feeling of pain and sickness – of wrongness – was pulsing through her in a slow wave. In time, it ebbed and she was able to rise again.
Fenarel was watching her warily; as if afraid she might collapse again. She avoided his gaze and looked out at the rest of the camp.
"Is anyone looking for Tamlen?" She asked quietly, afraid she would break; her body scattering like so many dusty bones in the dark.
"Of course!" He blurted quickly, jumping to his feet beside her. "Of course they are. Most of the hunters are off looking for him right now."
She nodded, closing her eyes to urge the tears away. Surely there was still time…
"The Keeper wanted to talk to you as soon as you awoke. Stay here – I'll go get her." Without waiting for a response, he took off running through the camp, his shoulder length hair billowing out behind him like a flag.
Watching him go, Maiara returned to sitting in the grass. Closing her eyes, she'd only just leaned her head back against the wagon when she heard the Keeper's voice.
"I see you are awake, da'len." Her wispy voice was laced with compassion.
Maiara looked up at the tiny, gray haired woman. Her golden skin always had a sort of glow about it, making her seem almost ethereal compared to the rest of the clan. Her vallaslin was laid in gold ink to match, shining out of her skin.
It was the same scrolling lines she'd always traced on Tamlen's face; Dirthamen, the Keeper of Secrets.
"It is fortunate that Duncan found you when he did…" Marethari knelt in the grass beside her so she wouldn't have to get up. The Keeper's thin hands reached out to touch her face and she closed her eyes at the gentle touch. "I know not what dark power held you, but it nearly bled the life from you. It was difficult even for my magic to keep you alive."
A slow and steady panic began working its way up into her chest again. Her eyes flashed upon to see the concern in Marethari's sage green eyes. "Then… Tamlen could be sick as well?"
Sorrow rippled through her large eyes and the Keeper moved her face away too slow. "If he encountered the same thing you did, yes. The Grey Warden said he found you outside a cave, already stricken."
Her eyes filled with tears as she read into the Keeper's unspoken words. She did not think they would find Tamlen. "I kept telling him that we should have come back!" She was crying in earnest now and Marethari collected her into her arms, stroking her hair and whispering calming words in her ear, drawing the tears out until she no longer felt the need to weep.
"Do not worry, da'len. None of this is your fault." She whispered softly, still petting Maiara's hair. "Even I might have been intrigued by such a cave to explore it further."
Maiara was silent, leaning into the Keeper for comfort and inhaling her familiar scent. She smelled of the herbs and incense that she often worked with as the clan's Keeper and healer. Elfroot, herbal resins, amber, embrium, sage, and honey. Her scent conjured images of the untamed wilderness, of ancient lore and practices long forgotten. It was a reminder that she was safe and at home with her family.
Marethari continued her comforting, asking her questions about the cave and what they'd found. Maiara answered to the best of her ability, recalling everything she could. It was a long process, but she found that it helped for the Keeper to just listen without meting any judgement.
"Duncan thought there may have been darkspawn creatures inside the cave," she said after the reveal of the walking corpses. "Is that true?"
Darkspawn? She'd only heard of the creatures. Thinking back to the cave, she had certainly sensed a feeling of darkness and corruption, but she'd seen nothing like darkspawn. There had been something though.
"There was… a bear." She shivered, thinking about its rotting form. "It was… sick or something. It's flesh was rotting off its bones. It had these growths, like spines, but I think they were bones. They were… transformed or something. And it was mad. It almost killed us." She buried her face in the Keeper's robes, inhaled the scent of elfroot and calmed herself. "It was just festering in that dark room with the mirror."
Marethari flinched. She pulled Maiara's face up to look at her. She'd never seen the Keeper's eyes look so haunted. "A mirror?"
Could she know? The cave was new. There was no way the Keeper could have been there before.
She nodded slowly, watching the older woman's eyes carefully. "A mirror. It… it had no reflection. Tamlen touched it. I begged him not to, but he touched it anyway. It showed him things… then everything went dark."
The Keeper's eyes were guarded now. She sighed and motioned for Maiara to rise. They stood together and Marethari kept one hand on her shoulder. "How could something like that cause all of this?" She shook her head. "I have never heard of such a thing in all the lore we've collected."
The golden elf began pacing between Maiara and the aravel, her thin brows drawn together and her lips flattened into a frown. "I was hoping for answers when you awoke, but there are only more questions." Her emerald gaze locked onto Maiara. "And Tamlen remains missing. He is more important than any lore in these ruins. If he is as sick as you are, then his situation is grave."
"Do you…" she was so scared. She didn't want to ask, but she had to. "Do you think he still lives?"
Marethari's shoulders sagged. "I will not lie to you, da'len. I do not know. We must pray to the Creators that he does and that he can be found."
"If there is hope, then we must not give up." She clenched her fists and stubbornly thrust her chin out as she looked down at the older woman. "I will search for him as well. I know Tamlen. If anyone can find him, it's me."
She'd expected the Keeper to object. It was a pleasant surprise when the old woman smiled. "If you feel well enough, I will not stop you. Duncan returned to the cave to search for darkspawn, but we cannot rely on him to search for Tamlen. I have not seen this cave myself. Can you show us the way? Without you, we will not find it."
Bowing her head in a gesture of thanks, she said, "I am up to the task, Keeper. We must find Tamlen."
Marethari smiled and lightly touched her crown of dark hair. "I am ordering the clan to pack the camp so we can go north. Take Merrill with you to the cave. Find Tamlen if you can, but do it swiftly. We cannot risk the Blight. Dareth shiral, da'len."
If you can. It was an order not to linger. They'd already spent two days looking. That left Maiara with one day to find her vhenan and hope that he lived. She stood straight and looked at the Keeper with sorrowful eyes. "I'll find Merrill right away."
The Keeper nodded. "Go quickly, for Tamlen's life hangs in the balance."
Changing into her normal clothes and armor, Maiara stopped by Master Ilen to pick up supplies. Her sword had been left behind in the cave, so she would need a new one. She'd expected the irritable craftsman to be strict with her since she'd been out when she was supposed to be aiding him. As they weren't often needed to defend the clan, warriors needed to take up various chores around the camp to make themselves useful. It had been her turn to assist the master craftsman, but she was clumsy and he was always so severe. He made her nervous and she was always more hindrance than help.
Instead of his usual tongue lashing, Ilen kept his grouching to a minimum. He'd given her new gear with minimal complaint and instead forced her to promise not to abandon her duties again. She'd hastily agreed, thanked him numerous times and slunk away as quickly as possible. She had to find Merrill and then return to the forest to search for Tamlen. There was only so much daylight left and she knew Marethari would move the clan at dusk.
The clan was already buzzing with rumors as they prepared to collapse camp and move. She could hear some of them whispering, speculating about the discovery of the cave and the arrival of the Grey Warden and his recruits. Apparently the recruits were still in camp, but they were mostly keeping to themselves. One was a dwarf and the other a red haired human woman. There had been another - a dark haired man carrying a staff - that had left with the Warden.
A mage? She'd never seen a human mage. She'd heard humans kept their own mages – and the flat ear mages from the cities – in prisons.
With the camp so full of activity, it was difficult to find Merrill. As First to the Keeper, she was often set apart from the rest of the clan. Having felt such isolation herself, Maiara had befriended the awkward mage. She'd been traded to them from another clan years ago and had been studying under Marethari ever since. Maiara had been brought to the clan by Ashalle, a friend of her parents. She'd always looked different from most of the clan and so she'd felt like an outsider around the other children. Everything about her was dark compared to the rest of them. Merrill was one of the few in the clan who had dark hair like her.
Before she found the absent First, she caught sight of the visitors. She saw the dwarf first, his short stature drawing her attention. Then she noticed the red haired woman next to him. They were standing a ways out from the tree line, watching the Dalish archers practice their shooting.
Most of her experiences with humans had been negative. Then again, most of those humans had been bandits and they would have been aggressive towards anyone. Many of the human settlements they'd interacted with had been fairly neutral, as they'd been interested in trading and nothing more.
I've never met a dwarf before, she realized, observing the strangers as she approached. If they were Grey Warden recruits, they must have been with the man who had found her. Maybe they'd seen something that could be of use to her before she left the camp.
"Savhalla, strangers." She hadn't meant to sneak up on them, but the woman jumped when she greeted them. She offered a contrite smile. "I apologize. I merely meant to greet you."
The dwarf was blonde with bright green eyes. He had hair on his face, just like the dark skinned man who had rescued her. Is it called… a beard?Elves did not grow hair like that, so it was always a shock when she saw it.
"No problem, sister," he said jovially, his lips curving into a smile. "We were a bit distracted. You elves are pretty damn good with those bows."
Maiara smiled in return. He seemed a pleasant fellow. "Some of us, yes. Alas, I find myself lacking in this regard." She noticed the woman had a bow slung over her shoulder. She was shocked to see it was one of Master Ilen's creations. He wouldn't have parted with it easily. "I see you have one of Master Ilen's work. You must be a fine shot."
The woman blushed and averted her eyes. "I… well, maybe. My mother was an excellent archer. I was thinking of taking it up."
There was something in her voice that Maiara understood all too well. The woman – no, she's clearly just a girl – had recently lost her mother. She understood that sort of loss all too well. She offered her a solemn, sympathetic look. "I see. I'm sure you'll be wonderful in no time."
The girl looked back at her with stormy gray eyes. "You're the one Duncan found. At the cave."
She smiled bitterly. "Ah, yes. I suppose I'm easy to recognize."
The dwarf shrugged. "Not a bad thing, is it?"
He seemed to be genuinely confused by her sullenness. It drew a softer smile to her face. "It doesn't have to be. I apologize." She wondered how she was supposed to talk to them. "I… I don't suppose either of you saw anyone else when your Warden found me?"
They shook their heads in tandem. The girl was the one who answered. "I'm sorry. We've heard that your friend was with you."
Nodding her head, Maiara couldn't help but let slip a small sigh. "Yes, Tamlen. I was hoping…"
"Are you going to look for him?" The human was very perceptive. "I noticed your clan is preparing to leave."
"We can't afford to stay here for much longer," she admittedly, her eyes darkening with unspoken anger. "Even if we have to leave someone behind."
"But you're not gonna leave him, are you?" The dwarf asked, watching her carefully. "He's your friend, isn't he?"
She smiled sadly. "I will try to find him. The Keeper has tasked me with bringing her First to the cave so we may search for him together. I'm hoping that we may have some luck."
For some reason, she didn't mind telling them. They were outsiders, yes, but they didn't seem to have any judgement in their eyes. There was a healthy amount of respect in their looks and movements and she liked that.
The two shared a glance before turning their focus to her. "We'll help." The dwarf said it like it was a given. The girl nodded firmly.
Maiara was astonished. "I cannot ask that. You two are strangers. This is a matter for the clan-"
"Look sister, we said we're gonna help. You gonna turn down free help?" His green eyes and stern tone of voice brooked no argument.
Her mouth was hanging open. She was so shocked that he was belligerently offering their aid. It was… kind of humorous in a way. "I… I don't even know your names."
"Adoracia Cousland."
"Leif Brosca. There; intros are outta the way." He smiled and then she laughed.
"I am Maiara Mahariel," she managed to gasp out between giggles.
The girl was smiling too now. It was so strange and refreshing. She hadn't thought she would find any joy in such a dark day. Her laughter subsided and she bowed her head to the two who were no longer strangers.
"Ma serannas. I am in your debt." She squared her shoulders. "We must find Merrill – our First – before we leave. As a mage, she will prove invaluable."
"What's this 'First' look like?" Leif asked dubiously.
She held her hand up to the bottom of her nose. "About this tall, short black hair, green eyes, and carrying a staff."
He nodded, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, let's find this mage and get gone. We're wastin' daylight."
Adoracia sighed, a tired but pleasant smile on her freckled face. "He's right. Duncan and Nereus have been gone for some time. We should be out there."
Maiara wondered what sort of people she'd fallen in with. They seemed so kind. It wasn't anything she would have expected from a human or a dwarf. She hoped they could help her. If she couldn't find Tamlen… she didn't want to think about that.
Another wave of sick and pain ran through her, but she managed not to collapse like before. She must have shown some sign, because Adoracia gave her a concerned look. She smiled and waved her off. If Tamlen was as sick as she was… he didn't have the Keeper healing him. He couldn't have gotten far. She hoped.
They found Merrill on the far side of camp. She was fidgeting nervously with a loose thread on her robes. She jumped to attention when she noticed the three figures approaching.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you. I mean, I did. Just now." The skittish mage tended to ramble a bit from time to time.
Maiara had always found it endearing. She smiled. "It's okay, Merrill. I'm sorry I kept you waiting."
Merrill bobbed her head quickly, causing the little braids in her short hair to bounce. "Right. I wasn't waiting long, though, I promise. I just finished getting ready…" she trailed off, looking between Leif and Adoracia. "We have company?"
"We're here to help," Adoracia offered calmly. She smiled disarmingly. "It sounds like your friend is in danger."
The mage's big green eyes darted between the two strangers. She nodded her head slowly. "We could certainly use the help. As the Keeper's apprentice, I may see something Maiara may have missed. Not that you don't see a lot. Because you do. You're good at that."
"Focus, Merrill." Maiara said soothingly. She hoped the presence of outsiders wouldn't make things worse for the socially awkward young woman.
The pale elf took in a deep breath. "Right. Our main objective is to find Tamlen, of course. We should hurry. He may not have much time."
"You got everything you need, kid?" Leif sounded concerned for Merrill.
She smiled nervously and lifted her staff. "I should hope so!"
Maiara led the way, leading their small party through the trees and out of Marethari's sight. She doubted the Keeper would approve of the extra people she was bringing with her. After all, it was a matter for the clan to deal with.
"You gonna turn down free help?"
To save Tamlen? She would welcome the aid of the Dread Wolf himself.
It took over an hour for them to reach the part of the woods where she and Tamlen had explored the other day. They'd passed by the pretty silver pool where she'd spent a brief, blissful time in the arms of her vhenan. From there, she followed the trail that had led them to the deer. It was a rough hike that she hadn't expected. It had been so easy before, lightly flitting through the trees and brush, the wind in her hair and the grass underfoot. Time had flown so quickly when she'd been whiling the afternoon away with Tamlen.
Now she was drained and panting, pushing through the underbrush like it was a physical enemy. She was so tired. Although, it seemed it was difficult for most of them. The only one who seemed completely undaunted was Leif. He was deftly climbing over boulders, hills, and slicing through cumbersome vines. For a time, it seemed he was leading the way more than she was.
Eventually they came to the ledge where she and Tamlen had cornered the deer and later been interrupted by the humans. The deer they'd killed had been dragged off by something in the time they'd left it behind. She could still make out blood dried into the ground.
A black arrow whizzed past her ear.
"Get down!" Leif shouted, darting in front of her.
She tried to focus on where the arrow had come from as she scrambled to find cover. Peering beyond the blackberry brambles, she could see faces. They were like the bear. They looked distorted and wrong.
Leif had already begun to engage them in an upfront battle, forcing them to abandon their bows for daggers. Merrill was already beginning to cast, drawing up the earth around the creatures and slamming it into them with the force of a magical fist. With the danger of arrows no longer a threat, Maiara ran down the path, joining Leif against the foul creatures.
They were even worse up close. They showed too much teeth, their eyes bulged out of their tight, skull-like faces, and they smelled like carrion. The monsters growled and snapped their teeth; guttural war cries broke through their throats like glass as they attacked with a mindless voracity she hadn't experienced since her fight with the bear.
Spells and arrows commanded the attention of other creatures from further down the path; courtesy of Merrill and Adoracia. Maiara focused on the things that had made it to her and Leif. The dwarf was quite the agile rogue, dashing around and bashing the fiends with a mace or stabbing them with his dagger, disappearing before they could get a strike in. When he'd disabled them, Maiara took them down with her great sword, severing heads, limbs, and tearing bodies in two.
With the four of them working together, the monsters were soon dealt with. Their black blood was everywhere, coating the forest floor, trees, and the armor that she and Leif wore. It smelled foul and she wanted to wash it off, but there was no time.
"What were those things?" Merrill cried, joining her and Leif near the bodies. Her green eyes were wide with fear and Maiara could see her trembling.
"Darkspawn," Leif grunted, nudging a corpse with his foot. "Never saw one before."
"Are you sure?" Maiara asked, looking down at the creatures with abhorrence. They were so hideous.
The dwarf nodded. "Oh yeah. Lotsa guys in the carta had faced 'em in the Deep Roads on salvage. Looks just like they said."
"I've seen pictures," Adoracia admitted quietly with a shiver. "They must be darkspawn. What else could look like this?"
"I've never seen anything like them," Merrill whimpered. "You can smell the evil on them."
Maiara had to agree. The stench was pure corruption. Just like the bear. "These weren't here before. There was a bear that was… tainted. Or something. But not these… things."
"Duncan said he'd sensed the taint nearby," Leif said, looking down the path. "That's when we found you. He'd led us through the forest because he'd said there were darkspawn."
"Tamlen is out here alone with these monsters on the prowl," Maiara said in a hushed tone. "We must find him."
"I agree. One person alone against these…" Adoracia didn't finish her thought. She didn't need to.
They continued down the path, each of them looking about warily as they walked. Maiara took the lead with Merrill by her side. The two recruits were speaking quietly behind them, but she couldn't make out their words. They were probably worried about their Warden.
"Lethallan," Merrill spoke softly, looking up at her with troubled green eyes. "Are you hurt?"
Frowning slightly at the question, Maiara did a quick inspection just to be sure. She didn't feel any injuries. Just the slow, steady pulse of wrongness flowing through her veins. "Not that I know of. Why?"
"It's just that you're… well, to be honest, you're looking a wee bit pale." Merrill squeezed the words out nervously and looked away. "In fact, I'd say you even look feverish. Should I be checking your temperature?"
Maiara vehemently shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Thank you, Merrill, but… I'm fine."
The other elf gave her a surprisingly skeptical look. "Sure you are. I'm very convinced by your repetition."
"Ir abelas, lethallan." Maiara muttered under her breath. "I just need to find Tamlen. I'm worried."
The petite mage sighed. "I know. I want to find him, too."
Further down the path, they came across an odd campsite. Maiara couldn't determine if there had been a fire or not, but it appeared that at least two people had spent some time in the dirt there.
"Nereus doesn't build normal fires," Leif supplied, looking over the area with a shrewd eye. "He's a mage, so he just uses magic."
"The Keeper would scold me for using magic so carelessly." Merrill bemoaned softly.
Maiara looked further down the path. "This is only a day old. It must have taken them some time to find their way back out here."
"We know they were here, at least. And it's in the right direction. We should move on." Adoracia spoke quietly, but with intent.
She nodded. "Let's go."
Deeper into the woods they went. It was still warm, like it always was in the Brecilian, but there was a different feel to the air than there had been the other day. It reminded Maiara of her time in the ruins. There was a certain murkiness about it all. The darkspawn had that feeling about them.
Could they be the source of all of this? She wondered what the Blight was truly capable of.
Merrill stopped walking. "Do you hear that?"
Her voice had fallen to the barest whisper. Maiara looked around curiously, tilting her head in an effort to hear whatever it was that had gotten Merrill so anxious. She heard… nothing. Absolutely nothing. When the four of them had stopped walking, she'd been able to realize it.
"The forest has stopped," she breathed the words just as quietly, as if fearful that something would overhear them.
The mage's large green eyes were swiveling around fretfully. They took in the golden light filtering down from the trees and reflected it, making them seem even larger. "Something unnatural is in the air."
"I've felt this before…" she uttered quietly. "In the cave. Before everything went to the Void."
"It seems whatever you woke inside that cave has… spread outside," Merrill intoned nervously. She turned her head to Maiara with a startled expression. "I don't- I didn't mean that you-"
"It's okay," she said with an insincere smile. "We should never have gone down there."
She kept walking.
Not far from the campsite they'd encountered more darkspawn. They'd fought them as they had before; Leif and Maiara ran to the forefront while Adoracia and Merrill took them out from afar. There were more of them this time. Maiara was worried about there being so many of them. If the Grey Warden and his mage had gone ahead of them, wouldn't they have stopped the darkspawn? What if they'd been overwhelmed?
She voiced her concern after another encounter with the fell beasts. Leif had stubbornly denied that the Warden could have fallen.
"He's got that bastard mage with him," he'd growled, kicking at a darkspawn corpse on his way by. "I've fought with him. That human is tough as bronto hide. And Duncan… He's the Commander of the Grey. I don't think they give out titles like that for nothin'."
She hoped he was right. They were getting closer. She could feel it as much as she recognized the scenery. Soon they'd be at the cave, looking into a line of darkness carved into the rock. She could already hear the wind blowing through the cleft, its cold song ringing hollow in her ears and reminding her of screams in the shadows.
They stood over the mouth of the cave, looking down into the darkness edged with silken spider webs. A foul stench wafted out from within, stronger than it had been before. As before, it smelled of decay, but now even the natural scent of the forest had been choked out. Dark sounds echoed out from the broken chambers within.
Leif stepped up beside her and looked down into the hole. "Let me get this straight. You and your friend took a look at this and thought it was a good idea to go in?"
Maiara sighed. "I begged him not to. But I…" she started down the rocks on her way in. "I couldn't let him go alone."
Once more, she passed into the shadows beneath the forest. Three more followed her down.
At least this time there are no spiders. She had to look on the bright side sometimes. The spiders had been atrocious. To deal with the arachnids and darkspawn would be too much.
"These are the ruins?" Merrill asked curiously, her bright eyes looking all over the hall. "You were right when you said it looked human. Yet there are elven artifacts scattered amongst the debris. How peculiar."
Maiara was already walking down the hall. There were darkspawn corpses here and there, along with the dried husks of the spiders she and Tamlen had killed. For the most part the ruin looked relatively undisturbed. It looked the same, but it felt different. It was more difficult for her to go through it again. Before, she had wanted to leave because it had frightened her. Now she would not be content to leave until she'd searched every nook and cranny. She had to be sure Tamlen wasn't there. If he wasn't in the ruins…
He could be anywhere. The Brecilian Forest was massive. It covered most of southeastern Ferelden. Her clan had never delved too deeply into the forest because of the legends of horrors that were always coming out of it. If Tamlen was sick or disoriented and he'd somehow made it out of the cave, then he could have wandered through some part of the forest that none of them had seen before.
She shook her head. I can't think about this. In her mind, she knew she just needed to clear the ruins. Search first; then worry about what came next.
She'd already come to the hall that split in two different directions. She didn't want to split up, but she knew every corner needed to be looked through.
"We can cover more ground if we split into two groups," Leif said from behind her, as if he'd read her mind. "Adora and I will go one way. You two go the other."
"We'll go down the left passage, then." She said, nodding in agreement. "We went right last time. There was a nest of spiders that way. There shouldn't be anything left."
The dwarf nodded and started down that way. "Alright. We'll be sure to keep an eye out. Good luck."
"You, too." She sighed, watching them go. Merrill was looking at her expectantly. "If we run into trouble, you stay behind me."
The smaller woman nodded. "Right. After all, you're the one with the big sword."
Maiara smiled and pulled the heavy blade from her back. It wasn't the one she was used to, but it would do well enough. She'd already taken out plenty of darkspawn with it.
Going down the left corridor was surprisingly like going down the right for the first time. The door at the end opened into a large room with trees growing down from outside. Parts of the floor and ceiling had collapsed and there was a far too healthy nest of spiders within. Luckily the spiders were much easier to deal with when she had a mage at her back. Merrill had a neat set of spells involving stones that hurled through the air at great speeds, bright bolts of energy, and even lightning. The spiders were dealt with in no time flat.
"You're very useful to have around, Merrill." She saw the smaller elf blush at the compliment and look away.
"Oh, ma serannas. The Keeper almost never tells me that." She admitted with a small laugh. "I've never seen giant spiders before. They're… gross."
She laughed. "Yes, they really are. Thanks to you, I barely have any spider guts on me this time."
The mage made a disgusted noise when she hopped around the corpses. "We still have to step in them, though!"
Maiara made a revolted face. Yes, she had already stepped in the slimy entrails herself. "I try not to think about that part."
Going through the next door, they could hear a scuffle further down the hall. They cautiously edged around the corner where they saw Leif and Adoracia fighting a small group of darkspawn. Maiara ran ahead with a battle cry, startling the darkspawn and drawing their attention away from the two rogues.
She'd engaged one of them when she saw magic being thrown from a direction other than behind her. One of the darkspawn was a mage. Its bolts had missed her at first, but as soon as she noticed it, something hit her with the strength of a waterfall. Flying backward from the sheer power, she collided against one of the crumbling walls. Something snapped and she cried out in pain.
The sounds of combat faded in and out as she tried to focus on getting up. Eventually, she forced herself to her feet, wincing when one of her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. She saw a couple darkspawn left alive, but the mage had been brought down since she'd gone crashing into the wall.
"Lethallan!" Merrill cried, running to her side. She looked down at Maiara's leg and gasped. "Hold still!"
A pale golden light enveloped her leg, sending soothing pulses throughout the limb. The most unnerving feeling took place. She could feel her bones moving back into place. It didn't hurt. It just freaked her out a little. There had been blood pouring out from under her greaves, but it had stopped when the light had touched her. She put pressure on the leg and found that it was completely healed. She'd never been awake to experience healing magic before.
"Ma serannas," she said sincerely before running back to deal with the last darkspawn.
When the last creature was dead, she looked to Leif and Adoracia, hoping one of them might have seen something, anything. She knew before asking. It was in their eyes.
They'd found nothing.
"Just more darkspawn," Leif said without explaining anything more.
She nodded and then looked to the last door in the hall. The one that lead to the mirror chamber. "This is our last stop."
"Duncan and Nereus must be inside."
The door was closed, just like it had been when she and Tamlen had first explored. She wondered if it was soundproof. It wouldn't surprise her. They hadn't even heard the sound of Adoracia and Leif fighting the darkspawn when they'd been in a room just down the hall.
Leif still had his mace held at his side as he cautiously opened the door. They were hit with the pungent smell of decay. Maiara could see the bear she'd killed sprawled out on the floor nearby. Its bulky frame had mostly collapsed on itself by this point. There were too many… colors going on. She looked away, to the mirror.
Two humans were standing on opposite sides of the mirror. One was the dark, bearded man who had rescued her. The other was pale, with light brown hair and a staff in his hand. They both turned to look at the door when it opened, surprise clear in their eyes.
The larger man, Duncan, looked first to Maiara, then to Merrill, and finally to his recruits. A wry smile pulled at his lips. "I see you two were not content to stay behind."
Leif shrugged, not appearing sorry in the least. "The girl needed help lookin' for her friend. Were we supposed to sit in the grass and braid each other's hair?"
The other man coughed to cover his laughter and Duncan's smile grew wider. "No, I suppose you weren't." He looked back to Maiara. "You're the girl I found before... and you've encountered darkspawn on your return."
"Did you hear us out there?" She demanded. He didn't look too surprised to see the darkspawn corpses on the other side of the door. "Why didn't you help?"
His thick brows lifted in amusement at her questions. "We would have, had we not been in battle ourselves." He held a hand out to the room they all occupied. She could see now that there were more than a few darkspawn bodies littering the floor alongside the corrupted bear.
"Oh… my apologies." She felt childish for lashing out at him.
He chuckled lightly. "It is no matter. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Duncan, as I'm sure you already know."
"Maiara Mahariel," she replied, her eyes roaming over him to look to the mirror.
It looked completely innocuous now. Its dark glass was vacant, as if it had always been so. There were no flashes of light. It seemed to be… waiting, somehow.
"Your Keeper did not send you after me, did she?" Duncan asked, stepping in front of her to obscure the mirror. "I told her it was nothing to worry about. Nereus and I were in no true danger."
"Nereus Amell, by the way," the young man behind him spoke up with a grin. His blue eyes were strangely vibrant in the darkness of the underground chamber. He moved around the mirror to step up beside Duncan. "You are looking much better, Lady Mahariel."
She stared at him, put off by his way of speaking to her. "I am no 'lady'." Giving him one last strange look, she returned her attention to Duncan. "She did not send us after you. We are looking for my companion, Tamlen. He was here with me, before you found me."
Duncan nodded in understanding. "Yes, I recall her mentioning him. So, you and Tamlen entered this cave. Then you found this mirror. What happened after that?"
Once again, her eyes were drawn to the mirror in question. Nereus seemed to notice, too, because he looked from her to the mirror.
"Tamlen touched it," she said quietly. "I… I blacked out after that."
"I see. That's… unfortunate." Duncan said with a sigh.
Hopelessness was beginning to set in. "You… there's no trace of him, is there? Not even a blasted handprint on the glass, I'll bet."
The Warden and his mage recruit shared a glance. Duncan looked back to her with pity in his eyes. "I am sorry. There is no sign that anyone else was ever here."
She felt Merrill place a hand on her shoulder. "That mirror… what did it do?"
"The Grey Wardens have seen artifacts like this mirror before; it is Tevinter in origin, used for communication. Over time some of them simply… break." He gestured to the bodies on the floor. "They become filled with the same taint as the darkspawn. Even that bear had been transformed by the taint into a bereskarn. Tamlen's touch must have released it… It's what made you sick – and Tamlen, too, I presume."
I can't give up yet! She shook her head, trying to move towards the mirror. Duncan blocked her path. "We could take the mirror to the Keeper. Maybe she can find a way to track Tamlen with it. You said it could be used to communicate. That must have some use, right?"
The Warden held her back. "The mirror is tainted. It will infect anyone who touches it. You are already infected."
The declaration was like a slap in the face. She stared up at him and said in a small voice: "…what?"
"You are infected," he said gently, trying to soften the blow. "The darkspawn are drawn to the taint in the mirror. You would lead them to your clan and the sickness would follow."
Merrill went to her side, staring up at Duncan with fierce green eyes. "I do not fear this sickness. The Keeper knows how to cure it. We could study the mirror; find a use for it."
Duncan shook his head. "She may have weakened it, but she cannot cure it."
Maiara was still reeling from the shock. She knew she felt wrong. Was that what it was? "No. I can't be. The Keeper said I was better. I woke up and I am okay."
He was looking at her with pity again. "I'm sorry. Your recovery is only temporary. I can sense the sickness in you and it is spreading. Look inside yourself. You know it to be true."
"I… you're wrong." She would not believe it. She couldn't be sick. She had to find Tamlen.
The Warden merely sighed. He didn't release his grip on her shoulders. "Confirm it with your Keeper later, if you like. For now, we must deal with the mirror…" He looked to Nereus, his eyes sending him some signal she could not identify. "It is a danger."
The mage nodded and approached the foot of the dais, his staff held before him like a ward. Maiara sensed what he was going to do right before he cast the spell. She screamed for him to stop as she struggled against Duncan's grasp.
There was movement in the glassy depths. He raised his staff, twisting one of his hands in the air as an invisible force enveloped the mirror. It shattered, light flashing from within the glass before it scattered. A sound, almost like a song and almost like screaming, rang throughout the chamber, echoing away as the last pieces of the mirror fell to the ground. The stone frame around the mirror was crushed as if from a great force.
Maiara sagged against the human's arms as she looked at the ruins of the mirror. Tamlen… How could she hope to find him now? It was her only connection to him.
Duncan gently roused her from her stupor. "We must leave. I must speak with your Keeper immediately about your cure."
She pushed away from him and staggered backwards. "What about Tamlen? I'm not leaving without him."
His eyes watched her emotionlessly as she paced back and forth like a caged animal. "There is nothing we can do."
Maiara shook her head. "No. I'm still alive. He could be, too. I just need to find him-"
"Let me be very clear: there is nothing you can do for him." Duncan's voice was like a sharpened blade held to her throat and cutting her voice. "He's been tainted for three days now, unaided. Through your Keeper's healing arts and your own willpower, you did not die. But Tamlen has no chance. Trust me when I say that he is gone."
She could not speak. She stopped her pacing and just stared at the human Warden.
Merrill spoke up. "Won't there at least be a body to claim?"
Duncan sighed, turning to address the smaller elf. "No. The darkspawn will have taken it."
The small mage blanched. "Taken? Taken it where? What would they do with him?"
"Darkspawn are evil creatures. It's best to leave it at that. I'm… sorry." He spoke with great reluctance and regret in his voice.
Maiara didn't care about his regrets. "Tamlen is out there. He's sick and alone. You think I will just abandon him?"
"Lethallan," Merrill intoned softly, grasping her arm with her delicate fingers. "We told the Keeper we would search the ruins. It's getting late. The clan will move at dusk."
"Void take them," she spat angrily, pulling away from her friend. Merrill gasped and she immediately regretted her ire. Tears burned at her eyes and she roughly rubbed at her eyes. "I can't… he would never have left me."
"I'm getting the distinct feeling that this Tamlen of yours was more than just a friend," Nereus said carefully, stepping away from the shattered remains of the mirror.
"Shut up!" Both she and Adoracia had snapped at him together. A look of understanding passed between her and the human girl.
"What?" The mage bristled at their verbal attack. "I was only implying-"
"We know what you were implying, mage," Leif grumbled from behind Maiara. "So shut up and leave the poor girl alone. Let's get back to the elf camp. They'll follow on their own. Won't you girls?"
"We will, I promise." Merrill assured them, moving a protective arm around Maiara again.
Duncan remained where he was for a moment longer before stepping around the two elven women, Nereus in tow. "We will meet you back at your camp, then. Adora, if you will."
"She can stay," Maiara whispered harshly, turning a pleading look to the red haired girl.
"As you wish. Leif; Nereus." The three men exited through the door one after another.
Maiara was left with Merrill and Adoracia. One had been her friend since she was a child. The other had simply shown her empathy and defended her from her own companion. She needed the feeling of sisterhood between them to keep herself stable right then. She needed something. Just some kind of a connection between people.
"Lethallan," Merrill tried again. "I don't want to leave Tamlen any more than you do."
"I know," she whimpered, looking down at the broken artifact. "We should have never come here."
Merrill offered her an awkward pat on the shoulder and then walked past her to the mirror. "I agree. Maybe you were right about the mirror, though. Maybe it can be used to find Tamlen somehow when we leave the forest."
"Should you be touching that?" Adoracia asked warily.
"It's broken," Merrill said, unwrapping her scarf and using it to pick up a single shard of glass. "It doesn't feel dangerous. I'll take it to the Keeper. If we can use it, she'll know."
Maiara nodded wearily. "Good idea. And… wait until Duncan leaves." She looked to Adoracia. "Please don't tell him."
The girl pressed her lips together in a tight line, but assented. "I won't. I… I'm sorry. About Tamlen."
The elven warrior smiled sadly and headed for the door. "Me, too."
They arrived in camp shortly after Duncan and the other recruits. Merrill silently slipped away to pack the rest of her things while Adoracia joined her fellow companions. Maiara searched out the Keeper and found her in deep discussion with Duncan.
The Keeper and the Warden looked up from their conversation. Marethari motioned for Maiara to join them and she did so reluctantly. She could already tell she wasn't going to like whatever decision they'd reached on a cure for her.
Maybe there is no cure. She thought darkly, moving to stand beside the elder woman. Maybe I'll just… fade away into the shadows. Just like Tamlen.
Marethari embraced her. "I'm relieved you have returned. Duncan had me worried for you, da'len."
She hugged the Keeper tightly before letting go. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I… I had to work some things out."
The silver haired elf nodded, her sage green eyes clouded with sorrow. "I am sorry to hear about Tamlen."
"Emma ir abelas." She looked down at the other woman, wanting her to see the heartbreak in her eyes. He was my heart. Now he is lost to me.
"Da'len…" Marethari sighed heavily, averting her gaze.
Duncan interrupted their moment. "Your Keeper and I have spoken and we've come to an arrangement that concerns you."
Maiara looked away from the Keeper, focusing on Duncan. "I'm sure you have."
To his credit, the Warden did not buckle under her glare. "My order is in need of help. You are in need of a cure. Becoming a Grey Warden will cure you of the Blight sickness you carry. When I leave, I hope you will join me. You would make an excellent Grey Warden."
"The cure is to become a Warden?" She asked skeptically. "How does joining your order cure a sickness? There must be more to it than that. Keeper… is this what you intend for me? Do you believe this shem?"
It was rare for her to use that term for humans. Many Dalish used it as a slur to express their hatred towards the humans that had wronged them.
The Keeper nodded gravely. "Yes, da'len. I do. Your life depends on it."
Duncan continued his pitch. "The darkspawn taint courses through your veins. That you recovered at all is remarkable. Your Keeper is a very skilled mage, but even her magic would have no effect in time." He clasped his hands behind his back as he lectured her on her illness. "Eventually, the taint will sicken and kill you. Or worse. The Grey Wardens can prevent that, but it means joining us."
Regardless of how she felt about Tamlen's disappearance, Maiara did not want to die. The clan would travel north and leave Ferelden. That would end her search for Tamlen immediately. Not only that, she risked spreading the Blight to the rest of the clan before dying. There was only one logical choice and she had to take it.
"Then I will join you."
She was surprised when the Warden crossed his arms over his chest and bowed. "I welcome you to the order. It is rare to have a Dalish amongst us, but they have always served with distinction."
"Thank you… Duncan." She felt strange for having agreed. She did not know if she would be a good Warden as he believed, but she would try. Being a warrior was in her blood. If she could not remain with her clan to protect them, she would protect them from afar as a Grey Warden.
"I know you'll do your clan proud, da'len." Marethari smiled up at her. She hesitated, then removed one of the carved wooden rings from a finger and pressed it into Maiara's hand. "Take this ring. It is your heritage. It will protect you against the darkness to come."
Maiara looked over the ring in the dying light. It was carved from willow and it depicted foxes chasing after hares. It was a Keeper's ring. "I don't understand…"
Marethari smiled gently. "It belonged to your father. You should speak with Ashalle before you leave."
The very mention of her father was a shock. The clan had always avoided speaking about her parents, even when she'd directly asked them. She literally knew nothing about them.
"My father was a Keeper?" She breathed, stunned as she looked over the ring again, hoping that it would invoke something within her.
The old woman smiled secretively. "There is much for you to learn before you go, da'len. Pay your respects."
"I had assumed you would need time to say your goodbyes," Duncan said with a note of hesitance in his deep voice.
Maiara turned to him, a pained look crossing over her features. "I… I would like to stay for Tamlen's funeral. And to say my goodbyes."
The Warden nodded. "We have much ground to cover, but I cannot deny you that. Say your farewells… then we must be off."
"Come then, da'len." Marethari entwined an arm with hers and led her away from Duncan. "Before the Creators guide you from us, let your clan embrace you one last time."
While the Keeper spoke to Hahren Paivel about the funeral preparations, Maiara packed her things. She didn't have much. A few sets of clothes, the armor she wore, and the sword on her back. Everything else had been shared by the clan. She would have to stock up on a few more supplies before leaving camp. Potions, poultices, maybe a few herbs to mix later.
Before resupplying, she sought out Ashalle. The older woman had been like a mother to her. She'd been the one who had brought her to the clan and while the clan raised children as a whole, Ashalle had always looked out for her. She knew she'd been a close friend to her parents. She'd never spoken of them, but she'd still done her best for Maiara.
Maiara loved her dearly and admired her very much. She'd even followed the same path as Ashalle and pledged herself to Elgar'nan, the God of Vengeance. At the moment, she felt particularly in tune with her god of choice. The Blight had corrupted the artifact that had taken Tamlen from her. Now she would fight the Blight itself.
She found Ashalle warming herself by a fire with a few others of the clan. Dusk had not yet taken hold, but the air was growing chill, reminding them that winter was not long past.
The woman she viewed as a mother looked up with relief in her eyes. "By the Creators! It is so good to see you whole and well. I was so worried!"
Smiling warmly, Maiara embraced the elder elf. "Ashalle…" She always smelled so sweet; like blossoms and rosemary. She would miss it.
"All that time you were ill, the Keeper didn't know if you were going to live or die!" She hugged her tightly, stroking Maiara's hair affectionately. "I've been outside the Keeper's aravel the whole time. I have never been so relieved as when I heard you would pull through!" She pulled away and looked down at her with worry. "What happened to you? Everyone says Tamlen may be dead…"
She bit her lip and looked away. Of course she hadn't been told yet. Marethari was only now making the arrangements. "He's… I don't know. We tried to find him. He's just… gone." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "The Keeper… she's preparing funeral rites."
Ashalle wiped at her tears and pulled her into another hug. "Oh, da'mis. I'm so sorry. I know how much you and the lad cared for each other." She was rocking her gently in her arms as she spoke. "It was always my hope that you two… well. Let's not dwell on it." She sighed. "You must be more careful. Your parents – may they rest in peace – would be horrified to see you take such risks."
Maiara bit back more of her tears. "Ashalle… the Keeper told me I should ask you about my parents before… before I go."
The rocking stopped. Ashalle slowly stepped back to look at her, confusion blooming in her hazel eyes. "Maiara… where are you going, da'mis?"
She was chewing on her lip in earnest now. "I'm sick. I… I have to go so it doesn't spread."
"But the Keeper… she cured you. She said you would be alright." The hurt in her voice was palpable. It hurt Maiara just as much to tell her.
"It's the Blight," she whispered softly, not wanting anyone else to hear. "Only the Grey Wardens… they're the only ones with a cure."
"Oh, my child," Ashalle sobbed, enfolding her in her arms again. "Sweet da'mis… I'm so sorry."
Maiara grasped her tightly as the two of them wept. It was the last time they would ever see each other. Becoming a Grey Warden meant abandoning one's old life. That included everyone in it.
When they'd both let their grief run its course – as much as they could, at any rate – they sat side by side in front of the fire. The others had left them alone when they'd seen the display of misery shared by the two women. It was a small kindness that allowed them their privacy.
"Please," Maiara murmured faintly. "Tell me about my parents."
Ashalle gave a nearly imperceptible nod of her head. "What happened to them is a sad tale…"
"I know," she said without resentment. "I just… I need to know."
"Very well. If I do not tell you now, you'll only wonder." She leaned forward, staring into the flames as she recited the tale. "Your mother was a hunter – one of the finest. And your father was the Keeper before Marethari. He was with the clan for a long time, I'm told. Your mother and I were from another clan and our elders did not approve of the match she and your father made. To avoid the anger of her clan, they had to meet in secret. One day, bandits caught them alone in the forest. Your father was killed, but your mother escaped."
It was… unexpected, to say the least. She hadn't anticipated something so dramatic. "Did humans kill my father?"
Ashalle shook her head. "Not just humans. There were elves from the city as well. Those of our kind living with humans do not hold to the old ways." She exhaled heavily and held her hands close to the warmth of the fire. "Your mother held to life long enough to give birth to you... but grief wracked her heart. One night, she… simply walked into the moonlight and never returned. The clan did not take her passing well. I wanted to avoid trouble for you. I took you and sought out your father's clan to raise you among them."
Her head was reeling from the revelations. While her father had been killed, her mother had just… left her behind. "She… abandoned me? Just like that?"
The elder woman let out a mournful sigh. "She couldn't carry on without your father. He was her everything. When I brought you here with that sad tale, the clan decided not to discuss this around you, lest it poison your heart with sadness."
"I… can see why you didn't want me to know," she admitted with only a small amount of bitterness. If she had known, she would have taken up Elgar'nan's vallaslin for the wrong reason. She would have grown up hating humans and she wouldn't have trusted someone like Duncan or Adoracia. She was glad that she had not lived with such venom in her soul.
Ashalle gave a nod of approval and a proud smile. "Our people have learned to live with much sorrow; it seemed only right that we not dwell on it." She patted the young woman's cheek. "You are so strong and brave. You have grown to be a fine woman."
"Thank you…" She didn't know what else to say. She finally knew the truth. The knowledge was like a stone in her belly.
"Your mother did leave you a gift; something of your father's for you to have once you were older. Perhaps the time has come…" Ashalle started rustling through the pouches on her belt.
Maiara couldn't help but laugh. "I'm leaving. This is the only time."
"You're right." The other woman conceded with a dry chuckle. "I was waiting so long for the 'right' time, for you to be grown. But you are grown now, aren't you?" Smiling, she removed an amulet from one of the pouches she'd been digging through. "This belonged to your father."
Taking the amulet in hand, she saw that it matched the ring the Keeper had given her. It was made up of hundreds of tiny wooden beads, each intricately carved into the shape of an animal. Deer, hawks, wolves, foxes, and rabbits chased each other across its length.
Ashalle helped her to place the necklace around her throat. There was a steady power about it that made her feel safe. She decided it was nice and smiled when she touched the engraved beads.
"Thank you, Ashalle," she said, embracing her one last time. "I'll miss you."
"Not as much as I'll miss you, da'mis," she choked out. Maiara could feel her crying again.
As she waited for the sun to begin its final descent, she held the woman she'd come to think of as a mother and wondered about the fate of the man whom she had hoped would one day be her other half.
Nothing was turning out the way she had hoped.
As dusk fell on the camp, a pyre burned under the pale light of the moons; mourners brought offerings of herbs and incense to the flames to honor the dead. The Dalish to not burn the bodies of their dead the way humans do. They bury them and plant a tree to mark their grave. Tamlen left no body behind to honor. All they can offer are words and tradition.
Hahren Paivel addressed the service, a grim look mixed with the vallaslin on his aged face. He took a deep breath and began to speak:
"Swiftly do stars burn a path across the sky, hast'ning to place one last kiss upon your eye.
"Tenderly land enfolds you in slumber, softening the rolling thunder.
"Dagger now sheathed, bow no longer tense. During this, your last hour, only silence."
When he was finished, the clan began to sing. It was a song that did not often come to pass through their lips, but it was one they held dear to their hearts. It was something they'd managed to dig up from their past and hold onto, even if it was a song for sorrow.
Maiara joined her voice with that of the clan, adding to the symphonic harmony of the other elves. Their combined voices were silver, gold, and everything precious under the stars. Their song was solemn anguish, riddled with sorrow and love for something that could never be found again. It rolled through her heart and mind like a wave, flowing over her like a cool, silver stream; the salt in her tears were just spray from the ocean of emotions that she drifted upon while they sang.
If this was to be the last she saw of her clan - of her family – then she would hold it close like a treasure in her soul.
There was no looking back.
Notes:
So, anyone else find it weird that Marethari's vallaslin changed between Origins and DA2? Merrill's changed, too, but hers was less noticeable and it still has the same basic design. Marethari's is completely different. So I went with the DA2 version since she has a bigger role in that game.
Anyway, as before, the elvhen is a mix of info from the Dragon Age Wiki and the work Project Elvhen by FenxShiral.
Translation Notes:
Da'len – "little child"
Dareth shiral – "Safe journey"/also used to say "farewell"
Savhalla – "Salutations"/"Hello" an informal greeting
Emma ir abelas – "Now I am filled with sorrow"
Da'mis – "little blade"