The world was nothing but darkness, except for a small sliver of light that came from the sky above. There was a figure standing in that ray of light, but Talyn was too far away to see who it was. She tried to move toward the person, but her feet would not move. No matter how hard Talyn tried, she couldn't go to the person standing in the ray of light.
But then, the light, and the person standing underneath it shuffled towards her. The sound of their feet scraping against the ground sent a shard of panic through Talyn. She fought against her invisible bonds now, trying to run away from the person making their way over to her.
"Look what you made her do." A woman's voice groaned. The woman was small, plump, with a hood pulled over her head. She walked like a hobbled old woman, but she sounded young.
"No, please go away!" Talyn begged. She didn't want to know what was under that hood. She had a sinking feeling that she already knew.
The woman violently threw her hood back, to reveal a grotesque monster that was once a warm, loving elf. Her face was marred with thick scars, where once her nose was, was all but a black hole in her face. Her green eyes, which were once so warm, were now filled with an unending hatred. She reached out to Talyn, pointing one gnarled, broken claw of a finger in her direction.
"LOOK AT WHAT YOU CREATED!"
Talyn woke up covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. Her heart was hammering in her chest, like she had just finished a battle.
She rolled off of her sleeping mat and stumbled out of the tent. She rested her hands on her knees and gasped for breath. The crisp, cold night air felt good on her sticky skin.
When she was ready, she stood up straight, running a hand through her pale hair. She breathed in deeply through her nose, to calm her startled heart.
Was that a memory? The woman felt familiar, even twisted and mangled as she was. Talyn had felt horror, and shame when she saw her. Shame.
Look at what you created.
The camp was dead silent, everyone was asleep, save for the scouts that were on their shifts for watch duty. But even they stared at Talyn, studied her, like she was a novelty. Suddenly, Talyn felt like she couldn't be there. She needed to get out of the camp, to go somewhere where she could be alone, without the prying eyes of those who revered her like some sort of god.
So Talyn walked out of the camp, barefoot, with no weapons on her person. She didn't know where she was walking, only that she had to be away from them. From everyone.
Look what you made her do.
Who? Who was the villain in Talyn's life? Why couldn't she remember her? Or anything, for that matter?
"Would you like some company?" A gentle, familiar voice sounded right next to Talyn.
She looked up to see Solas walking beside her.
"I…" She looked ahead of her, taking her eyes away from Solas and his hypnotizing eyes. "I don't know."
A comfortable silence fell between them. Talyn was brooding, and she knew that Solas could feel that. Yet even though Talyn didn't want to talk, Solas stayed by her side. Waiting patiently for her to speak, or to run, or to do anything that Talyn decided to do.
Why was he always so near her? Was it because of the mark? Or was it because he was just as alone as Talyn was? He never bonded with any of their companions the way Talyn did. He rarely spoke to them, except to give them advice about whatever threat they faced. The only one he seemed to bother to befriend was Talyn.
She was going to ask him why. Why her. But then he stopped her by grabbing a hold of her hand. His hand was rough with callouses, and warmer than her own icy fingers. Talyn stared at him curiously.
"There is something I would like to show you." He said to her, his eyes alight with a newfound excitement.
Talyn let Solas lead her through the woods, keeping a firm hold on her hand. Almost as if he enjoyed the feeling of her hand in his as much as Talyn enjoyed his hand in hers.
They came upon a circle of trees, white as bone and scarred from the thousands of years they had stood there. There was not a single shadow within the circle, the silver leaves of the trees shimmered underneath the light of the moon that shone above them. They grew tall, and their branches spread out, entwining with the branches of other trees, creating a barrier. Solas led Talyn into the circle of trees. The moment Talyn stepped into the grove, a feeling of peace washed over her. All of her worries were swept away by the golden warmth she could feel blossoming in her chest.
She could feel Solas' eyes on her as she stared in awe at the magnificent trees, their trunks so thick that it would have to take twenty men to make a full ring around one tree. Talyn looked at Solas in wonder, and asked in a fervent whisper, "what is this place?"
"A Guardian Grove." Solas responded, his voice also hushed. As if anything louder than a whisper would break the warmth of the peace. "These trees are offspring of the Sal'Adahl. They provide sanctuaries, places where weary travelers may rest. No one with malevolent intentions may enter the grove. And weapons and battle magic will not work within the circle."
The Soul Tree. The words sparked some sort of familiarity, and a massive white tree with golden leaves flashed in Talyn's mind. Along with a sharp pain in the middle of her forehead. Talyn hissed and closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead.
"Talyn, are you alright?" Solas asked.
Talyn nodded and looked up at Solas. "The Sal'Adahl. Where is it?"
Solas' eyes tightened with emotion. "It's dead."
Talyn's heart stopped. "It's… dead?"
"Whatever ended the immortality of elves killed the Soul Tree." Solas turned away from her. "The Guardian Groves are all that's left."
Talyn didn't know why the death of an ancient tree from so long ago would hurt him so much, but she could feel his pain as if it were her own. She put a hand on his shoulder, and his sad eyes met hers.
An ancient relic of their people, gone. Talyn had heard the tales from Varric, of how the elves were once the most powerful force in Thedas. That Elvhenan had spread over the entire continent, until the human mages of Tevinter defeated them, and how the elves lost their connection to the earth. They lost their immortality and became enslaved to the humans.
She couldn't feel the pain that Solas felt, though. Because she didn't remember the pain of being one of the last of a broken people.
She met his gaze with her own. And then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Hoping, that by some small miracle, she could take away his sorrow. He gasped quietly, as if surprised by her sudden proximity. But almost immediately, Talyn could feel his arms encircle her, and he hugged her tight to his chest. He buried his face in her hair.
They stood still like that for a long time. Talyn felt like she could stay in his arms forever, and even though she was trying to comfort him, the mere act of being held by this elf was comforting her as well.
"Solas, tell me about the Fade."
They let go of each other, and Solas looked down at her with one of his rare, brilliant smiles that he seemed to reserve only for her. "Of course, lethallan."
So they sat in the cool, soft grass of the Guardian Grove, and Solas started to tell his stories of the Fade.
Master Dennet was an older man with a hard look about him. His face was set in a grimace, and his eyes were hard as slabs of stone. He stood in one of the horse stalls, brushing down a beautiful black horse as he gruffly answered Cassandra, "yes, you'll get your bloody horses, as soon as you make those roads safe. I won't have my horses dyin' on the road."
"Master Dennet, we need those horses so we can make the roads safe." Cassandra explained to him patiently.
Dennet shook his head and gave Talyn a glare. "I don't care if you're the Herald of Andraste. That's my final offer. Clean up the roads from those rogue Templars, and you'll have your horses at Haven."
Cassandra's patience was thinning. Talyn could see it in her eyes. Any moment now Cassandra's polite facade was going to crack. So Talyn stepped forward. "Alright, we'll clear out the Templars. But if we do that, we're going to need more than your horses. We want you in Haven as well."
Dennet crossed his arms over his chest, a glare on his face. And then he sighed. "Fine. But you better clear out the Templars first lass."
"Thank you, Master Dennet." Talyn said, before walking out the door. The others followed her back to their horses.
"So, what's the plan Firefly?" Varric asked.
Talyn was taken aback by Varric's sudden need to ask her what they needed to do. It took her a moment to reply, so she mounted her horse, and then answered Varric. "Well, obviously we have to find out where the Templar's camp is. And then, we kill them. That should satisfy Dennet."
"Excuse me? Are you the Herald of Andraste?" A timid voice interrupted Talyn. Talyn turned her eyes to look at an older woman holding a newborn in her arms.
Talyn hated that name. In every village they had passed, everyone always asked that question. They would call her Herald, or Your Worship, or other names of that nature, and it took everything in Talyn not to scream to them that she was not some divine being, some magical creature blessed by a god she didn't even believe in.
But she said, much to her own surprise, "yes, I am the Herald."
The woman smiled. "You are much more beautiful than the stories describe, M'Lady."
"Um... thank you?" Talyn cleared her throat and straightened up. "Thank you." She said more strongly.
She didn't miss Solas' and Varric's amused smiles that they hid by turning their head and looking in another direction.
"Is there something you need?" Talyn asked the woman.
The woman smiled shyly at Talyn and looked down at the baby in her arms. "This is my granddaughter, Rosemary. Her father was killed by the Templars, and her mother died in childbirth. I was wondering… well, hoping, that the Herald of Andraste could bless her, to give her a fighting chance in this world."
Talyn didn't know what to say. Or what to do, for that matter. She couldn't very well turn this woman away. She looked like such a kind person, who lost her child and now had to care for her granddaughter. But Talyn didn't know how to bless people. For some reason, Talyn remembered how to kill a man, but couldn't remember any blessings from her own people.
Before she could panic and turn the woman away, Talyn dismounted and held out her arms. The woman looked so relieved, and she thanked Talyn as she handed over her granddaughter.
"Hello, Rosemary." Talyn smiled down at the baby girl. The baby gave her a toothless smile.
"Nuva Evanuris innana tarsul ma, da'len."
She kissed her forehead and handed her back to her grandmother, who stared at Talyn in awe.
"Thank you, Herald. Thank you so much!" She bowed and walked away.
When Talyn turned to the others, she noticed Solas was looking at her. He was always staring, but he usually pretended that he hadn't been whenever Talyn look his way. This time, he stared at her intensely, staring deep into her eyes. As if he was looking for something. Talyn couldn't help but stare back at him.
Until Varric pulled Talyn's attention away from Solas.
"What did you say, Firefly?"
"May the Evanuris watch over you, little one." Talyn climbed on her horse, and they headed out of Dennet's farm.