It's been a while but it's finally here! I've written so much content AFTER the elves but actually getting through the elven quest is both a pain to do and a pain to write for me. It's not my favourite part of the game, that's for sure, so it was difficult to get the motivation to write it! But... here we are!

Chapter 36:
Another Sodding Task:

I was in a dark cavern. Rocks surrounded me and there was no sunlight to be seen. It felt cold… evil. I tried to move forward but my feet wouldn't move. I was trapped.

You will die.

I frantically looked around. It was the archdemon… but I couldn't see it. Nothing was around me, I was alone.

You will die.

"I won't!" I screamed into the darkness. "You're the one who will die!" Light suddenly filled the cavern and I winced. I saw bodies ahead of me. Many bodies. I tried to move forward, and my legs finally obeyed me. As I drew closer, I recognised dwarven bodies. Many of them. They were wearing what looked like the Legion of the Dead armour. I'd only heard stories, but it looked like them.

You will die like they have. You will all die.

Darkspawn started filling the cavern, surrounding me. "We will win!" I yelled back. The only response I got was a loud, piercing shriek that drew me to my knees. It was so painful. I looked ahead of me and a large dragon, the archdemon, appeared in front of me. Its eyes pierced mine, as if it was studying me. I screamed as it roared.

oOo

"Kaela!"

I shot upright, sweat coating my entire body. Alistair was crouched beside me, sweat covering him as well. "What?" I panted. I was very grateful I'd decided to sleep outside now that the cool air swept over my sweat-coated body.

"You were screaming," he said. "Did you feel it too? It felt like… the archdemon saw us. It saw us!"

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of this."

My eyes narrowed, and I drew to my feet. "Can you sense that Alistair?"

He nodded and gripped his sword. "Darkspawn."

I spun around and grabbed my two daggers, screaming as a grotesque, black creature appeared in front of me. I swung my daggers at it, but it dodged me and swiped with its clawed hand. I fell to the ground as the claws effortlessly swiped through my arm. I pushed the pain away as I dodged its swipes. I ducked through its long legs and swiftly sliced straight through its neck. I shuddered as I was sprayed with its black blood and straightened myself up to look around at my companions. The camp was littered with dead creatures, but all my companions were still standing – a little covered in blood, and shaken, but unharmed.

"Great. Sodding great," I grumbled. "How did they know where we were?"

Everyone was silent.

Alistair cleared his through. "I guess… I guess it's like Duncan once said: we can sense them, and they can sense us," he muttered.

Leliana sighed. "Then we'd best be more careful from now on."

"This camp isn't safe any longer," I added, "Guess it's an early morning for us. We'd better pack up and move to the Dalish now."

My companions hurriedly moved to pack up the camp. They obviously didn't feel any more safe here than I did. "I'm never going to want to sleep again," I growled at Alistair, quiet enough so the rest of my companions didn't hear me. "It's watching us Alistair. The archdemon knows what we're doing."

Alistair gently lay a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay. It may know what we're doing, but we have allies and friends. We'll still stop it."

I sighed and looked up at him. He had a strange confidence around him, one I rarely saw in him. It made me feel safe... and strong. I nodded slowly. "We'll find a way to defeat it," I agreed. "For now, we need to get out of this camp."

"And head to the Dalish."

oOo

Several days passed as we trekked to the Brecilian Forest. I could hardly sleep when we made camp. My short moments asleep were filled with darkspawn and death. I stayed awake most nights pouring over the map of Ferelden and trying to figure out the fastest routes to each destination. I managed to shave a day or two off our trip to the Dalish – although we did have to fight through a few groups of bandits.

"You need sleep," murmured Leliana one night as she crouched beside me. "I am concerned. The bags under your eyes show how exhausted you truly are."

I glanced up at her in annoyance. "You try sleeping with darkspawn in your head," I spat. "I'd rather be exhausted than wake up in an hour covered in sweat with a pounding headache."

She pursed her lips but didn't respond. I returned to the map and Leliana was soon replaced with Alistair's warmth.

"If you tell me to go sleep I will cut you," I growled, glaring at him.

He shook his head and sat down next to me. "I get it," he said. "I'm struggling to sleep too. Their presence is strong at the moment."

I sighed. "I'm sensing a 'but' coming."

His lips twitched sightly. "BUT… we need to keep our strength up. If we don't at least try to sleep then we won't be at our best when we fight them."

"I don't sleep for long without… without them waking me."

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and drew me into his chest. "I know. I don't either. But, we still need to sleep. We're stronger than they are."

I looked up into his eyes. His concern ebbed through his very being, but his eyes were filled with determination. He wasn't going to give this up. I bit my lip and finally nodded. "I'll try. But… I need you near me Alistair. To give me strength."

He smiled weakly. "I won't go anywhere."

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes against his warm chest, finally succumbing to a dreamless sleep.

oOo

The walk to the Brecilian forest was solemn. The path was poisoned by darkspawn and we were constantly fighting enemies along the way. My companions lightened the mood somewhat, but I felt exhausted and drained. My companions mostly avoided me, as I was set off by the smallest of things. I knew it wasn't right to tear their heads off because I was feeling crappy, but my fuse was short and the smallest thing was setting me off. Alistair stuck close to my side, walking rather silently and occasionally checking up on me. The rest of my companions were keeping a bit of a distance from me, talking amongst themselves and leaving me to brood alone.

Wynne walked closely behind me. I wasn't sure why but somehow her presence was comforting.

"Do you have any regrets, Wynne?" I asked suddenly.

I heard her sigh softly. "I try not to dwell too much on the mistakes of my past, of which there are many."

"So you don't have any regrets at all?"

"There is one regret – the greatest misstep of my life"

"Sod. What the stone did you do?"

"Many years ago I had my first apprentice. A lad, Aneirin. He was an elf, raised in one of the elven Alienages, and he was very mistrustful of humans, especially humans in authority."

I dropped back to start walking beside her. "He wouldn't have like you then, as his authority figure."

Wynne shook her head slowly. "What Aneirin needed was time. Time to get used to his new home, time to emerge from his shell so we could build a rapport. I gave him no such time. I was young and arrogant. I expected too much from him, too quickly. I gave no consideration to his origin, or his feelings. And he retreated from me further." She gave me a sad smile. "Patience was what was needed, and I learned that too late to help him."

"What happened to him?"

"He ran away from the Circle. I had berated him over some trivial, ridiculous matter that I no longer remember. I drove him away. He was only a child, fourteen at the time of his leaving. They had his phylactery and they hunted him down."

"They killed him?"

Wynne shook her head. "I do not know. I begged the templars to tell me what had become of him, but they would not. I should have known better. I failed him. All I had to do was listen to him. He would try to talk to me and I would tell him to concentrate on his spells. He used to talk about the Alienage, and the Dalish. He always talked about looking for the Dalish elves."

"We are heading to the Dalish – maybe he found them?"

"I doubt that. The templars are well-trained and… he was only a child."

"I'm so sorry Wynne."

"Do not be. It is my greatest regret, but mine alone. The apprentices that came after benefited greatly from the lesson Aneirin taught me. But I regret not being there for him."

We fell into a sombre silence and Wynne fell back slightly to give me space again. Alistair glanced over at me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"How are you doing?" he murmured, careful to keep our companions out of earshot.

I shrugged. "I feel like a dark pit is inside me. I'm not doing great," I replied. "I used to feel wrong in Orzammar. Like something was festering almost. And I thought, being up here, that feeling would go away. But… after this all started… it's worse than it ever was in Orzammar."

Alistair squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sorry… I hate to see you like this."

I gave him a weak smile. "At least I'm used to the sky now. And… I have you up here. I don't know how I'd deal with all of this without you."

He smiled. "Thanks Kaela. You're the only one that's ever needed me."

The gloomy surroundings started to change as we walked deeper into the forest. The taint of the darkspawn started to dissipate and lush greenery replaced it. Alistair dropped his hand off my shoulder as if he sensed the tension melt off. I finally felt like a weight had fallen off me – like we weren't surrounded by death and destruction. Although, I now felt uneasy in this forest. The trees almost seemed alive as we slowly made our way deeper into the forest.

We continued mostly in silence for a while, keeping a close eye on our surroundings. I could hear my companions occasionally bicker behind me, but I was too focused on our destination to pay any attention. That is, until Morrigan finally spoke up after hours in silence.

"My dear witch, you keep watching me, no?" laughed Zevran behind me.

Morrigan snorted. "I have a thought… what is going to keep you from poisoning your target now that you have been allowed to accompany us, I wonder?" muttered Morrigan behind me.

"You are," replied Zevran, "You are watching me like an eagle to make sure I don't do such a thing"

"And why would I do such a thing? Sneaking into our good graces in order to make another attempt is what I would do, were I you."

Zevran chuckled. "And here I was becoming rather fond of the idea of you watching me closely."

"It would be a simple enough matter to poison the food in camp. Or cut our throats while we sleep."

I frowned in slight concern. Morrigan seemed a little too fond of the idea of poisoning us. I knew she wouldn't – she needed us. And I kinda hoped that she was starting to think of me as a friend as well. I suppose, if she hadn't killed us yet she must like us at least a little bit. I hoped that Zevran was starting to like and trust us now too, but hopefully Morrigan wasn't putting ideas in his head. I didn't want to die before stopping this sodding blight.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you then," muttered Zevran. "The next time I am spared I will be sure to immediately turn upon my benefactors. Will that do?"

I couldn't help but smirk. I knew it was worth sparing his life – he was quite loyal. Like a dog. Varkas barked beside me a nudged his head into my hand. "Nevermind," I murmured to him as I stroked his head. "You are way better."

Leliana suddenly appeared beside me, walking carefully as her eyes darted all around. "Walk carefully," she whispered. "I believe we have found the Dalish."

I motioned for my companions to stop as I spotted a long figure ahead of us. "Zevran, can you come with me to greet them? They might be a little nicer to an elf than a dwarf. I doubt they're going to be nice to any of the humans."

Zevran scooted up beside me. "Ah, the luxuries of being an elf. Getting to walk ahead with the gorgeous leader while the others longingly watch us from behind."

I rolled my eyes. "Just don't say anything stupid."

"Stop right there!" exclaimed the elf as we approached. He drew his bow and aimed it at me.

"We are surrounded," whispered Zevran. "They're all aiming at us."

I nodded and slowly raised my arms in the air. "We come peacefully," I said. "We're looking for the Dalish."

The elf raised an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe. What business could a dwarf have with the Dalish?"

"Why does dwarf always sound like an insult? Sod. I'm a Grey Warden."

The elf jolted and slightly lowered his bow. "How do I know that's true?"

I snorted. "Seriously? With Loghain putting a death mark on every Grey Warden you really think I'd go around falsely claiming to be one?"

The elf narrowed his eyes and his bow fell to his side. "I suppose… that is true. However the Keeper can decide for himself. Only bring a few companions, the rest must stay outside the camp. We want no trouble."

"Makes sense." I spun around. "You guys make camp out here. Alistair, Wynne, come into the camp with us."

The two of them hurried forward and the elf nodded. "Remember that our arrows will be trained on you the entire time. Follow me."

"Cause that's not intimidating," murmured Alistair.

"You cannot fault the Dalish for being cautious," replied Wynne.

We carefully followed the elf into the Dalish camp. The caravans were all damaged, wheels ripped off and wreckage lay about the camp. It looked like a war-zone. The elves shrunk away from Alistair and Wynne as we passed them. Sod, if I'd gone in alone it would've been less sodding awkward in the camp.

We approached an elf in the centre of the camp. He stood tall and his eyes narrowed as we approached, staring at Alistair and Wynne in anger. "I see we have visitors. Who are these strangers Mithras? I have previous little patience and less time to spend on outsiders today."

The elf that we met outside bowed his head. So his name is Mithras. "The dwarf claims to be a Grey Warden and wishes to speak with the clan. I thought it best to bring her to you and leave the decision to you. There were other companions with the dwarf that have stayed outside our camp, I only allowed a few to come in."

"That was wise of you," replied the elf, the Keeper I assumed. "Ma serannas, Mithras. Return to your post, and keep an eye on the ones outside."

"Ma nuwenin, Keeper," said Mithras with a small bow, before leaving us.

The Keeper stared after him for a moment and then turned his sharp eyes to me. "Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am Zathrian, the keeper of this clan, its guide and preserve of our ancient lore."

"Impressive title," snorted Zevran behind me.

Zathrian glared at Zevran. "You are?"

"That's Zevran," I said hurridly, "Ah, I'm Kaela... There's also Wynne and Alistair."

Zathrian's eyes flicked over each of my companions in disinterest. He turned his attention back to me. "I can sense the Blight and its corruption. I would have taken the clan north by now, had we the abilty to move. Sadly, we do not."

Alistair shuffled behind me. "Yes, it seems like you have your own troubles. What are the odds?" He snorted under his breath, sarcasm dripping off each word.

I turned my head slightly and glared at him. "Not the time," I hissed.

He rolled his eyes and fell silent again.

Zathrian cleared his throat. "I imagine you are here regarding the treaty we signed centuries ago. Unfortunately, we may not be able to live up to the promise we made."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Zathrian motioned for us to follow him and led us to the edge of the camp, where the trees lay in a thick cluster. "The clan came to the Brecilian Forest one month ago, as is our custom when we enter this part of Ferelden. We were always wary of the dangers in the forest, but did not expect the werewolves would be lying in wait for us."

"Werewolves?" repeated Alistair.

Zathrian glared at him for a moment and continued his story. "They ambushed us, and though we drove the beasts back, much damage was done. Many of our warriors lie dying as we speak."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, holding up a hand. "There are actually werewolves in this forest? Werewolves exist?"

"And you got mad at me for interrupting," murmured Alistair.

"Werewolves exist?" I repeated.

Zathrian nodded. "There was a time in Ferelden's history where werewolves roamed the lands in great numbers. Spirits possessed animals and turned them into horrific monsters."

"Werewolves are beasts, not unlike abominations, possessed wolves driven mad," added Wynne.

"So why did the werewolves attack you?" I asked.

"They are savage and unrelenting, they need no reason to attack anyone. What is curious, however, is the ambush. We expect werewolves to be no more cunning than a rabid wolf. The ambush suggests a level of intelligence we've never seen before. When they attacked, they cursed many of my men. The affliction brings great agony and then ultimately death or a transformation."

"Is there a way to stop this curse? Save your men?"

"Within the Brecilian Forest dwells a great wolf - we call him Witherfang. It was within him that the curse originated, and through his blood that it has been spread." I felt Alistair stiffen beside me and grasped his hand to keep him silent. "If he is killed and his heart brought to me, perhaps I could destroy the curse. However… I sent some hunters into the forest a week ago, but they have not returned. I cannot risk any more of my clan."

I sighed. "We need your help to fight against the Archdemon. Will you help us if I go and find this Witherfang for you? We're a tough group."

"Only a small group will be permitted past our encampment to go into the forest, I cannot allow your entire company to come into our camp."

I shrugged. "I'll take just the three that are with me at the moment. Quieter would be better to sneak in anyway."

Zathrian bowed to us. "I must return to caring for my people. I thank you for your assistance."

I watched carefully as he walked away and turned to my companions. "I don't trust him," I said. "How does he know so much about who started this werewolf curse and why would the werewolves ambush the elves and not anyone else?"

"I agree that it is suspicious," said Wynne softly. "But we will need their assistance with the Blight."

Alistair gently placed a hand on my sholulder. "We may find the truth when we find this Witherfang. I don't trust him either, but we should help him for now."

"He was hiding something, no?" said Zevran. "But we will discover what it is. No secrets are safe from Zevran."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks Zev. We'll figure it out. Let's split up and see what information we can get from some of these Dalish."

My three companions hurried off to separate parts of the camp and I let out a sigh. This whole thing was just exhausting – especially having the be all leader-like.

"You are troubled child."

I looked up in shock at the sudden appearance of the elf. "Sorry?" I said.

"You are troubled. It's all over your face. Exhaustion – mentally and physically. You are drained."

I rolled my eyes. "You try being a Grey Warden with a blight going on."

"It must be quite challenging. I could not handle feeling them all the time. Or the nightmares… my close friend became a Grey Warden. She struggled with the sensations even while a Blight was not occurring. My name is Sarel, by the way."

"Kaela. The whole Blight thing is pretty brutal," I grumbled. "Especially for someone who never used to dream. I actually miss my dreamless nights. I used to want to sodding dream more than anything but now… stone. Now I want the dreams to go away."

Sarel patted my shoulder. "I know of someone that can help. He's a healer. He prefers to be amongst the trees and the animals, however, so he is within the forest."

I sighed. "How can he help me?"

"He can help you to sleep better and feel better. It would do no one any good to have an exhausted Grey Warden leading the fight against the Blight."

"He can help get rid of these dreams?"

He nodded. "Aneirin is a very talented healer."

"Wait. Aneirin? Is that his name? Is that a common elven name?"

Sarel frowned and shook his head. "No, he is the only Aneirin I've met. He joined us many years ago. He was still a child when he arrived at our camp, Templars on his trail. We managed to scare them off and free him from their search."

"I…ah… he's in the forest, right?"

"Yes. He is usually there – he prefers silence and the company of the forest. He stays and travels with us, but he is not one to spend time within the camp for long."

"Thank you! I'll look for him when we go into the forest."

I ran off back into the camp to look for Wynne. It may be the same Aneirin that she spoke about earlier – which meant he was alive! Stone, I really hope that he is the same elf. Need something good to happen for once!