Talyn rushed to the main hall, Solas right behind her. Varric and Hawke were standing there, with a third man that must have been Stroud. They looked awful, as if they didn't stop to rest once on their way here. There were dark circles under their eyes, and blood and dirt coated their armor and their skin. There was an urgency to their expressions that had her worried.
"I am Stroud, and I am at your service, Inquisitor." The strange man said. He was wearing what looked like Grey Warden armor, and he looked a little more rested than the other two. He had a giant mustache that reminded Talyn of Dorian, and he spoke with an Orlesian accent.
"Firefly you really need to hear what he has to say." Varric told her.
"You have news of Corypheus?" She asked Stroud.
"I'm afraid so." Stroud replied. "When my friend, Hawke, slew Corypheus Weisshaupt was happy to put the matter to rest."
A wave of anxiety washed over Talyn at his words. Something bad was coming, she already knew it.
"But an Archdemon can survive wounds that seem fatal, and I feared Corypheus might have the same power. My investigation uncovered clues but not proof. But then, every single Warden in Orlais began to hear the Calling."
Talyn was confused as to why everyone's face looked so grim, even Solas'. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Is the Calling some sort of ritual?"
"The Calling tells a Grey Warden that the Blight will soon claim him. Starts with dreams." Stroud rubbed his temples. "Then comes whispers in his head. The Warden says his farewells and goes down to the Deep Roads to meet his death in combat."
Dread settled over Talyn like fog over a field. "And… every single Warden is hearing the Calling? They think they're dying?"
"Yes. Even I am feeling it's effects. It's likely because of Corypheus." Stroud responded grimly. "If the Wardens fell, who would defend against the next Blight? It's always been our greatest fear."
"Corypheus isn't controlling them." Hawke said. "He's bluffing them into thinking they're all going to die. And they're falling for it."
Talyn started to pace. "How is he doing this?"
"He is a Magister as well as a Darkspawn, and he speaks with the voice of the Blight. That gives him the ability to reach out to the Grey Wardens, since we are tied to the Blight as well. "
"They've stopped thinking clearly. That won't go well." Solas said.
"We are the only ones who can slay Archdemons. Without us, the next Blight will consume the world. We must stop them."
"They're in Weisshaupt Fortress, in the Western Approach." Hawke told her. "We must leave immediately, before they do something they'll regret."
Talyn stormed down the halls of Skyhold. "Cullen!" She shouted.
Cullen walked out of one of the rooms. "What is it, Inquisitor?"
"Gather our army. We're going to Weisshaupt. The Grey Wardens are in trouble."
Cullen walked away at once, shouting someone else's name.
"Inquisitor, where is Fenris?" Hawke followed her.
"He's in the infirmary. He ripped his stitches, but he should be fine." She told him.
Hawke started to run in the other direction, cursing under his breath.
Talyn ran to her room and loaded herself up with her weapons. Every knife she could find was either fit into sheaths she strapped to her legs or went into her boots. She strapped her quiver on and slung her bow over her shoulder.
There was no time to waste. The Western Approach was in the desert, which was a long journey from their land of ice. The Grey Wardens needed help, they needed protection from themselves before they brought on the apocalypse.
Within hours the Inquisition army was assembled, and they set off. They raced across Thedas, the urgency of their mission always at the front of their minds. They ran into little trouble on the road.
They made camp one night in the Emerald Graves. The setting sun shone on the bright green leaves of the countless trees that surrounded them, each leaf into a dazzling emerald. Even the grass beneath their feet was a vibrant shade of green that Talyn had ever seen.
"The name of this place is well earned." She told Solas.
"It is said that every tree is the marking of an elvhen's grave." He told her, a grim look on his face.
Talyn couldn't wait to get out of there after he said that.
That night, Solas took her to another part of the Fade.
They were standing by the edge of a silver lake. The water matched Solas' eyes, so bright and otherworldly. She knelt down by the water and ran her hands through it. When she pulled it out of the water, it was painted silver.
"What is this?" She asked, staring at her metallic hand in amazement. The liquid sparkled like a star.
"Starlight." He replied.
Talyn stood up and stared at the lake. "How is that possible?"
Solas laughed. "I told you, Elvhenan was full of impossible things."
She smiled at him. "It's beautiful."
She looked back at the liquid starlight, and an idea formed in her head.
She peeled off her clothes one by one, taking her time and dropping everything in a pile on the grass. Solas watched her curiously, his eyes wandering up and down her body in appreciation.
She giggled, which sounded strange and foreign coming from her.
Then she jumped into the silver water, little droplets splashing into the air like tiny falling stars.
It felt like she was swimming in cool silk. It felt weightless, even though when Talyn came up for air she looked like she was dipped in glittering silver paint.
Seconds later she heard a splash. She turned around to see ripples in the water and waited for him to come back to the surface. Minutes passed, but still there was nothing. She was starting to get worried. Was it possible to drown in the Fade?
Talyn nearly jumped out of her skin when his arms circled her waist from behind her. He laughed, and she turned around to smack him on the shoulder.
He looked like he had been carved from the stars. It took Talyn's breath away, the starlight coating his skin was the exact same color of his eyes, turning him into some godly apparition. She ran her hands up his chest, watching her fingers make a trail through the water. He stood motionless. Her hands went up to his shoulders, and then ran over his bald head.
"I wonder what you would look like with hair." Talyn teased. "I don't think I'd recognize you."
He gave her that stare again, the one that was filled with pain and longing, a look that Talyn couldn't possibly understand. She frowned at him.
"What's wrong?" She asked him.
"Do you remember?" He whispered, his voice rough with emotions.
"Remember what?"
There was hesitation in his eyes, something that Talyn had never seen before on him. Then he ran his fingers through Talyn's wet hair, admiring silky strands.
"When we were attacked at Haven, and you promised to draw Corypheus away. You told me to stay with the others."
Talyn nodded. "I remember."
Solas cupped her face and pressed his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.
"That was the moment I realized that I would die without you."
Talyn's tattoos lit up as her emotions skyrocketed. The blue light was dim beneath the starlight painting her skin, but it could still be seen.
"Don't leave my side when we get to Weisshaupt, ma'alas'en. If Corypheus truly does have control over the Wardens, this will be war."
Solas was scared for her, she could see it in his eyes. She couldn't blame him, she had too many close calls with death in the past. But what he didn't seem to realize was that she was also scared for him.
"I won't stray from you if you do the same." Talyn whispered back to him. The intensity of the love she felt for this magnificent man was almost too much for her to bear. Her voice shook when she said, "because I can't live without you by my side either, vhenan."
Solas kissed her hard, holding her body tight against his. She held onto him, afraid that any moment he was going to disappear from her arms forever. He devoured her, and she let him, parting her lips so he could drive his tongue into her mouth and hungrily feast on everything Talyn had to offer. She poured her soul into their kiss, a silent promise that she would be his for all eternity, and he would be hers.
He lifted her out of the water and gently laid her on her back.
There was nowhere else Talyn would rather be than here with her Solas.
The next morning, Talyn was sneaking her way across the forest floor, her eyes on a massive buck that was peacefully plucking berries off of a black berry bush. She had left early while Solas was still sleeping in their tent, and the only people awake were the soldiers that stood guard over the camp.
She wasn't hunting. She had no need to. She was just watching the creature, testing to see how long it took until he noticed her. He was a survivor, the horns that spiraled above his head were the longest she had ever seen. She could see his herd nearby doing the same thing he was, and little fawns were chasing each other.
It made her happy, watching the halla.
Her peace was shattered a few moments later. An arrow went through the creature, her survivor. The herd ran away, and the buck went down.
Talyn stood up in alarm and started to run towards the animal. Who killed her halla? Why? Why would they do that?
"Fuck! Pala!" She cried out as a bear trap hidden by the tall emerald grass clamped around her foot. She crashed to the ground.
When she looked up, she was surrounded by elves with tattooed faces. The stared at her intensely, muttering in broken elvish amongst themselves.
One word caught her attention. Rasdalalen.
"I apologize for the trap." A woman with an emerald vallaslin was standing over her. "Are you alright?"
Talyn looked down at her foot. She couldn't see how much she was bleeding, her blood blended with the black void of her strange armor. But it hurt bad, and she was pretty sure she heard a crack when the claws of the trap clamped around her ankle.
"I think my ankle's broken."
The older woman's face creased with worry. "Our camp isn't far from here, let us take you to our Keeper. He can heal you."
"Myra!" One of the others hissed. "Ahn pala ane ma?"
Their elvish was so broken it was almost gibberish. But she thought that what the elf was trying to say was 'what the fuck are you doing?'
"Asha helani! Min es el!"
She, help, this is our… task? Fault? It was hurting Talyn's head trying to understand it. Where did these guys learn Elvish? It sounded so rough compared to the way Solas nearly sang in their native language, each word flowing into the next like musical notes.
The woman, Myra, reached over and undid the trap. Talyn winced as the claws of the trap were forcefully pulled out of her foot, and Myra helped Talyn to her feet.
"Would you like to be carried?" Myra asked politely.
"No, I'd just like to get back to my camp."
Myra shook her head. "You are with the Inquisition, yes? Our camp is closer. Let our Keeper heal you and you can be on your way."
Talyn felt a little uneasy about accepting help from the Dalish elves. But if she went back to the camp like this, Solas was going to lecture her about going off by herself.
She caved and nodded her head. The other hunters went to get the halla, and Myra helped her limp to the Dalish camp.
Caravans and tents were formed into a circle, a crackling fire in the middle. There were elvhen children that ran around with toy swords, pretending to kill shems. One of them nearly tripped over their own feet by the fire, but one of the women who seemed to be cooking breakfast for the clan caught him just in time.
The two men who were standing guard stared at Talyn curiously, and then started speaking in the same broken Elvish to the man who had been upset with Myra bringing her back to the camp. The deeper into the Dalish camp they went, the more elves stared at Talyn.
The keeper was a tall man with long grey hair, a thousand canyons etched into his skin. He carried a pale staff with what looked like an opal for the jewel.
"Myra, who is this?" He asked curiously.
"She was injured by one of our traps. She is with the Inquisition that are camped a ways from here."
Myra brought Talyn to a chair. She sat down, and the Keeper stared at her, just like the others.
Talyn cleared her throat. "I'm Inquisitor Talyn of the Inquisition. I'd, um, appreciate the help."
The Keeper smiled. "I have heard of you. I am Keeper Adralan of Clan Lavellan. This is my First, Myra."
"It is nice to meet you, Keeper Adralan."
The Keeper sat in the chair across from her, and she put her injured foot on the table between them.
The old man smiled at her and put his hands on her ankle. A warm glow emitted from his palms, and then Talyn's throbbing ankle felt fine again.
"Thank you." She said, and then she stood to her feet.
"Your welcome, Inquisitor." The Keeper bowed.
That made Talyn's face burn. And then she looked around to see that a crowd had formed around them. They were several feet away, but every face, young, old, male, female, stared at her. That made her face burn brighter.
"Their staring at you because they believe you to be Rasdalalen." The Keeper explained, also rising to his feet.
There it was, that name again.
"If you don't mind me asking, who is Rasdalalen?" She asked. She tried to make it sound like mere curiosity, but her heart was burning for an answer.
"Rasdalalen, The Faceless One. Servant of the Creators, Bringer of Death." She looked around at the others while her pulse pounded in her ears. The Faceless One. Bringer of Death.
Why did those names sound so familiar to her? Why did her soul recognize them?
"It is said that Andruil created her from stardust and gave her the ability to change faces. She used this gift to carry out orders from the Creators. When she wasn't wearing a different face, her own would be shrouded by darkness. Rasdalalen was the most powerful elf in Elvhenan, she mastered every weapon known, could become one with the darkness. Some call her a god, one of the Evanuris. Her blood bled blue with her power. Your vallaslin is blue, Inquisitor. That is why they think you are her. But obviously, you aren't."
Talyn smiled, but her heart was racing. Her memories… That redhead, she had called her Rasdalalen. Why did she do that? She had to talk to Solas. She had to figure this out. She had no choice.
"Would you like to stay for breakfast?"
What Talyn wanted to do was go back to her camp. But she didn't want to be rude. She didn't know how to leave without eating food with them first.
So, she smiled graciously. "Of course, Keeper."
She sat with Keeper Adralan by the fire and ate with him. She tried to scarf it down at fast as possible, but she was scorching her throat in the process. She smiled and nodded as Keeper Adralan talked.
A little girl walked up to Talyn. She kept looking down at the ground. She saw a few other children a little ways away giggling and watching the girl.
"Andaran Atish'an, Rasdalalen."
"Ar'm din Rasdalalen, da'len." Talyn responded. She had told the girl that she wasn't Rasdalalen.
The little girl's face paled and her eyes grew wide. She tried to stutter out a reply, but then turned on her heel and ran back to her friends.
Talyn frowned in confusion.
"Our language is broken. We only have pieces of it left. What you spoke was mostly gibberish, yet it is flawlessly Elvish. Where did you learn it?" Keeper Adralan said to her.
Solas had never had a problem understanding her.
Talyn shrugged. "I don't know. I've just always spoke it like that."
Adralan smiled. "You are fascinating, Inquisitor."
Talyn looked around the Dalish camp. "I didn't know how much of our culture was lost."
He chuckled. "For someone so important, you've been living under a rock. The shems are to blame for the state we are in now. We used to be a mighty people. A thousand years of war and slavery have turned us into this."
She turned to him. "But you have your freedom."
He smiled. "Yes, we do. Free will is all that matters, even if we are still looked down upon, we may roam wherever we wish. We answer to no one, and that is a good feeling."
Talyn returned the smile and stood to her feet. "Thank you for healing my ankle, and for the food. But I must really be going now."
He nodded. "Of course, you have an Inquisition to lead."
"Nuva Evanuris mar travels, Keeper."
It felt weird, switching between two languages like that.
"Nuva stars innana ma, Inquisitor."
Talyn raced back to the Inquisition camp, her newly healed ankle making it possible. She had completely forgotten about the halla that had been killed for its meat, because the information of Rasdalalen was swimming in her head. She was going to have to bring it up to Solas, but she knew that he didn't like talking about the Creators.
When she got back to the camp, everyone was starting to pack up. Cullen spotted her and ran over to her, urgency written all over his face.
"Scouts came back from Weisshaupt, Inquisitor. The Grey Wardens – they're performing a ritual with blood magic. Demons are sprouting left and right. We have to leave immediately."
"Damn it, what are they thinking?!" She cursed in Elvish and ran to her and Solas' tent. It was already packed away, and Solas was saddling their horses.
"Where have you been?" He asked angrily.
She snapped back, "I went for a walk. I'm an adult and I'm allowed to do that, you know."
His face softened. "I'm sorry. I was worried."
Talyn grabbed his face and kissed him.
"I know."
She went to help ready the horses. Now wasn't the time to inquire about long forgotten legends.