Vaguely, Andra realized she was dreaming, that this was the Fade. However, her untrained, non-mage mind kept tying to pull her back into the illusion. What Andra was experiencing danced between her childhood home among the Dalish Ashihari settlement and the desolate dark rock and raw lyrium veins of the real dreamworld.

"There you are!" Andra whipped around just in time to see Calem. He closed the space between them and picked her up around the waist, spinning her wildly. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show!" Calem then set her down. "I've prepared us a picnic, I made sure to bring your favorites."

Andra trotted behind her childhood friend, confused. Behind her, her long blonde hair flowed weightlessly, looking quite like it was underwater. "What are you doing here?"

"Ha! Don't be silly. We've been planning this for weeks. It's so hard to find a moment to ourselves where we can be alone. But I must say..." Calem stopped walking then and turned around, Andra nearly ran into him with the suddenness of it. "When were you going to tell me of your betrayal?"

"What?"

"How could you let that shhhhem turn you from your own people?" Calem hissed, his golden eyes looking slightly deeper set in their sockets than normal as he fixed Andra with an unblinking gaze. "You gave up everything for someone you barely know!"

"Calem—"

"I've been here always, Andra! But you cast me aside despite that! Do you really trust his word over the words of your own kin?"

"It's not that—"

"I should have known better that to love you!" He was a towering figure over her now, and the beauty of the forest fell away to crumbling, floating islands and a dark sky, "I should have known better than to see you as someone special!" The taller Calem got, the deeper his voice fell. "You're nothing but a TRAITOR! A harlot who enjoys breaking the hearts of everyone around her!"

Andra turned from the horrific sight, closing her eyes and cupping her hands around her ears. She desperately tried to shut out the screeching of the monster behind her, crying also as its words stung her.

When finally she cracked her eyes open, peeking, she saw an endless expanse of black rock and dust stretched before her, dotted with rotting ruins tilted at odd angles and half sunk into the ground. Among the closest structure, she saw a wisp of yellow. It waved at her, beckoning her closer, and too afraid to stay put, Andra ran towards it.

The wisp guided her through a labyrinth of crumbling stone, all the while the screeching of 'Calem' following behind them. It felt like an eternity had passed before they stopped and Andra found herself staring out at the true form of the Fade with a murky lake of impenetrable depth at her feet. The thick waters licked at the horizon but Andra was more focused on the glowing yellow beside her.

She could see now that it had a slight shape, almost like a person but just barely. There were no distinct features and the bottom half of its 'body' was nothing more than a shimmering gold mist; Andra realized she was looking at a spirit.

"What are—"

The spirit spoke in Elvhen, it's voice was smooth and playful: "I am Mischief. And you are the lost elf girl who likes to dance with wolves."

In Elvhen, Andra replied: "Dance with wolves?"

"Ah, she does not yet know."

"Know what?"

"It doesn't matter. What does is that I know what you want to know."

"Can you please stop speaking in riddles?"

"You want to know of your past?"

Andra's eyes widened, "You... you know about me?!"

"I might."

"Please, anything you know, tell me!"

The spirit seemed to be amused, almost laughing at her. Every time it spoke, the gold of its aura flickered. "I can't do that." If ethereal beings could smile, Mischief would have been doing just that.

"But you just said—"

"I never said I would tell you anything, I just said I know things. Besides, you haven't proven yourself worthy. I can't just reward you for nothing."

"Nothing?!" Anger crashed down on her like a wave, "I've spent my entire life in the dark, and I'm still in the dark! I've suffered long enough!"

Mischief seemed to scoff, "You were raised by people that loved you and gave you everything you needed, you left them to join the Inquisition and lived, and now you have the leisure to go around asking friends to forgive each other. Am I keeping up?"

Rounded up like that, the spirit made her appear childish and ungrateful. "What do you want from me?"

"That's better!" Mischief began circling Andra wildly before it flew out over the dark lake, "Give me a moment to think on your first quest."

"First?" Andra was overwhelmed, "How many quest do I have to do?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll figure it out along the way."

Andra suddenly wasn't so sure if this was the right way to learn about her past. This spirit could send her on fool's errands, or even worse, it didn't actually know anything about her and was just making it up in order to get her to do its bidding. There was nothing wrong with just waiting on the Inquisition to uncover something, right? That would definitely happen. Eventually...

Andra sighed, she hated having to rely on something that could very well be unreliable. "How do I know you're telling the truth? That you really know about my past."

"You don't," Mischief spoke, flying back over next to Andra, "You'll just have to trust me."

"You're asking me to trust a spirit of Mischief?" She scoffed, it was absurd.

"I tell you what: do this first quest, for yourself if nothing less, and decide for yourself afterwards if you want to trust me or not."

Andra was skeptical but hesitantly agreed in the end.

"A little bit north-west of Antiva, a rune rots on the remains of what was once Arlathan. Recover it and return to Skyhold, I will wait for you here."

"You want me to go all the way to Arlathan?!"

"It's not so far."

"I'd have to cross the Waking Sea, or travel around it through Orlais, and then Nevarra and Tevinter still stands between me and my destination! You're insane!"

"It's worth the trip!"

"And even if I manage to get there—without getting killed, mind you—how would I even begin to look for the remains of Arlathan? The forest it lies in is huge! And it's been centuries since anyone has ever seen it..."

"It's smaller than the Brecilian Forest—or they're at least the same size—and much smaller than the Free Marches, which you did just fine in."

"I also lived there my entire life!"

"Do it or don't, I don't care." Mischief then began floating away out over the lake once more.

"Wait!"

"When I heard you were hard-headed, I didn't realize how much!"

The Fade then began swimming; side to side it swayed. Andra watched on as the grim landscaped turned into the lush green of the Arbor Wilds, but she forced away the comfort of the illusion.

Everything faded to black, and Andra opened her eyes to be met with the very welcome, but also concerned, blue eyes of Solas as he helped her sit up on her bed—in a bedroom that overlooked the Skyhold garden. Which Josephine insisted that Andra use while she stayed with the Inquisition because she worried about Andra's relationship with Solas—as Varric had voiced his concerns to her as well—and didn't think it wise for the two of them to share his room.

"Solas?"

"Ver ra elvyr," he said softly, "ma emem telam somniar."

"I'm alright," Andra replied with a drowsy smile.

Solas sat on the edge of Andra's bed and he brushed the back on his hand against her face, "What were you dreaming of, I wonder?"

Andra's smile faded slightly as she remembered. Not of the spirit but of her childhood friend. "I... had a dream about Calem." Solas seemed to stiffen, "He was friendly at first but then he turned into a monster. He told me I was a traitor. That I betrayed him and my clan..."

"Do you believe that?"

"I don't know," Andra admitted, "I left so quickly, I didn't explain myself very well, and I know a lot of my people resent me for what I've done."

"If you could go back, would you change things?"

"No." Andra was surprised with how much she actually believed that. "I wouldn't. I'm content with the choices I've made. I just... wish I would have said a proper goodbye to everyone, I suppose."

Silence filled the room for several minutes while Andra's mind turned over recent events and she stared down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. Solas watched her quietly, content. So much had happened, and there was still so much to do.

Andra perked up, "Oh!" She looked back at Solas, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I hope it's your decision for us to finally leave this place," Solas said teasingly, though Andra knew he meant it.

She laughed nervously, "Yes, actually."


ELVHEN USED:

Shem: Literally-"quick children", but it's used mainly as an insult to anyone that isn't Dalish.

Ver ra elvyr: "Take it easy."

Ma emem telam somniar: "You had [a] bad dream."