Andra hesitated as she looked ahead. This was foolish. Why had her feet carried her here? All those months spent on the road must have made her homesick. But where even was that? She couldn't think of any other reason for returning. Maybe she should have settled somewhere after she and Solas had parted ways rather than wandering. Except, she had loved wandering. Returning to the Emerald Graves, visiting Orlais again—even the brief time she had spent in the Brecilian Forest, aimless in the elvhen ruins there—had been the exact distraction she needed. Though, she could definitely have done without the slavers she had run into on the Imperial Highway in the Hinterlands. She didn't know what it was that made them so jumpy in the first place—if they had kept their mouths shut, she wouldn't even had known who they were—but she had found herself in quite the predicament when they had become convinced that she was hiding one of their runaways.
The fight had been drawn out while they gave chase, and nothing she said would be enough to prove her innocence, but she had escaped in the end. Only narrowly, by killing off their leader which had disbanded what remained of the group. She avoided the roads after that.
It wasn't so bad though. Taking her own path, twisting amongst the trees and traversing great plains had been quite cathartic. Despite any dangers, she knew she was capable of handling anything that came her way. Usually before it even became a problem. That was an advantage of all her years training with the bow and hunting; or maybe just an advantage of being a wild elf in general. She knew how to keep from being spotted, using her surrounding in her favor. Of course, sometimes all of that wasn't enough, but it was rare that she was ever the one to be seen first.
Her feet carried her forward after a long moment standing in place, staring, contemplating whether she should truly make this choice. It felt absurd to her. Two years away—the last being on her own—only to come back and... what? What was she expecting? That everything would be okay? After the way she had left and the coldness she had treated everyone with? Should she really expect anything other than disdain?
A cry called out as she drew closer and Andra saw two elves run off towards the center of the camp. Inwardly, she groaned and felt a fear rise in her. There was no turning back now.
She stopped just shy of the sentries standing guard at the edge of the Ashihari settlement. They looked at her and said nothing, faces expressionless. She wondered if they were seeing her as they would a shem, with disgust. She had abandoned them after all. They had cared for her, raised her, and been concerned for her when she suddenly seemed to rebel against it all without any explanation. In fact, she had been rather irritated at their questions at the time when she had emerged in front of them without her Vallaslin. Why had she done that? Did they not deserve to hear her reasoning? But no, she had never given them the choice.
She felt a wave of guilt settle over her—if they shunned her, she deserved it.
"You return, da'len," the Keeper said, approaching and standing next to the sentries.
Andra's heart ached in her chest with regret, "Ir abelas... I know I shouldn't have..."
Sathari raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't have? Da'len, you are always welcome here."
Andra's eyes met the older woman's, startled. Had she heard her right?
Sathari closed the gap and wrapped Andra an a warm hug, "I was so worried about you. We all were."
Andra hesitantly returned the hug, "But I—"
"No one hates you for leaving, Andra," The Keeper pulled away, resting her hands on the younger girl's shoulders and smiling sadly, "I only meant to keep you safe. I wanted you to feel like you belonged. I didn't—I shouldn't have..." Tears were in her eyes and she tightly wrapped her in her arms once more. "I'm so sorry for keeping everything from you."
It was Andra's turn to begin crying. "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly. I should have explained myself and heard everyone out..."
"No, you had every right to be upset. I know how it looks... you felt like you had been lied to your whole life. I can't change that, da'len... I never wanted you to feel alienated or different. That's why we kept it to ourselves and never told any of the children. We wanted you to grow up feeling like you were a part of the clan. And you are! No matter where you came from, Andra, this will always be your home."
After a long moment, they pulled away from each other. Andra wiped her face clean with the backs of her hands. "The way I left—"
"I've talked with everyone, da'len. They understand."
"It's true!" A brunette ran up to the group, "You're really back!"
Andra was surprised to see the Keeper's First, "Oriana?"
"Took you long enough," She smiled.
"Ir abelas."
The Keeper waved her hand, "Enough of that. Come on, I'm sure you're hungry."
ELVHEN USED:
Shem: Literally-"quick child", but it's used mainly as an insult to anyone that isn't Dalish.
Vallaslin: Blood writing. Dalish receive these markings around 18, sometimes younger. When of age, the elf prepares by meditating on the Gods and the Dalish, then by purifying the body and skin. When the time comes, the Keeper applies the blood writing—in complete silence. Cries of pain are taken as a sign of weakness. If the elf cannot tolerate the pain, they are deemed unready to take on the responsibilities of an adult and the Keeper may make the decision to stop the ritual.
Ir abelas: "I'm sorry"
Da'len: "Child"
