The Vagrant
By Pyreite
Sequel to: The Trickster Returns
Chapter 4 – The Vir Thenerasan
An hour had passed since she'd returned home. Ellana was freshly washed, dried, and dressed in a tunic and breeches. She and her guests were inside the hut she shared with Abelas. She sat cross-legged on a bed-roll. A bear-pelt was draped across her shoulders.
"You're mad", she told Hawen. "He'll find me the moment I step through the Eluvian".
Ellana accepted the plate of sliced meat and roasted vegetables.
Hawen and Minaeve had made themselves comfortable in her modest home. The ironbark walls, floor, and ceiling along with the stone chimney were more rustic than anything in New Arlathan. Ellana wasn't fond of crystal spires and marble archways. The city elves were too soft in her opinion. Many were overfond of artistry and aesthetic rather than proper form and function.
Simple and pragmatic suited Ellana just fine.
"Of course he will", agreed Hawen. "Fen'Harel is the Master of the Crossroads. He knows all that travel through his labyrinth of Eluvian". He gestured to the plate of food in Ellana's lap. "Eat, Lethallan. You're going to need your strength".
Ellana snorted derisively. She loathed being told what to do. She winced when Abelas tugged on her scalp. The halla-horn comb snagged on a wet tangle. An irritable glance over her shoulder earned Ellana a gentle reprimand.
"Be polite", advised Abelas. "It would be wisest to heed his counsel".
Hawen's haughty smirk turned into a scowl when Abelas modified his statement.
"For now".
The tension between them was palpable. Ellana lost her appetite. She would have abandoned her plate if not for Minaeve. A slender hand grasped the ironbark rim. Ellana gaped when that plate was returned to her lap.
"You must eat", urged Minaeve.
"I'm not hungry!" snapped Ellana.
"I can hear your stomach rumbling", said Minaeve. "I think it disagrees".
Ellana blushed. She sulked and bent to her meal without another word. She resented Minaeve's forthrightness. The tranquil were renowned for lacking emotion and social mores. Ellana wouldn't win this argument no matter how hard she tried.
"Well", chuckled Hawen. "Shall we continue our discussion?"
Ellana shovelled food into her mouth. She was ravenous. She simply didn't want to admit it. Cooperation with arrogant arses like Hawen, had never been her strong point. Ellana lacked the patience for diplomacy.
"Mind your manners, Hawen", reproved Abelas. "You are a guest inside these walls".
"My aren't we touchy", retorted Hawen.
The two elves exchanged looks of mutual dislike.
Ellana rolled her eyes.
"Boys", called Minaeve. Her tone flat and dry. It was not a command, but it gained their attention. Abelas and Hawen ceased their bickering. They regarded her expectantly.
"We must focus on the task at hand".
Minaeve gestured to Ellana. The bobbing of her throat showed another mouthful had been swallowed. She was eating, much to Abelas's relief. The defiant gleam in her eye worried him. Ellana did not like being treated like a child.
Abelas hoped she would cooperate long enough to achieve Hawen's goal. If Morrigan needed aid then only Ellana could provide it. His beloved had a talent in common with the Dread Wolf. Abelas doubted she would take kindly to using it in the manner Hawen wanted. Ellana had a strong distaste for magical interference in mundane matters.
"Speak plainly", urged Abelas. "What do you want from us?"
Minaeve turned to Ellana. Abelas saw his beloved tense. The lax line of her shoulders tightened. Her spine straightened and her neck was stiff too. Abelas recognised her body-language.
Ellana was preparing herself for a fight.
"We need nothing from you personally, sentinel", declared Minaeve. "It is Ellana's help we seek".
Ellana swallowed the last of her dinner. She had devoured everything. The plate was all but licked clean. Ellana handed the empty dish to Minaeve. She watched the tranquil set it atop a low table beside the hearth.
A cheery fire burned. Minaeve helped herself to the wood stacked beside the hearth. A few logs were cast into the flames. The fire stirred, the fuel searing as it was scorched black. Minaeve retrieved a wooden cup from the mantle, filling it to the brim with liquid from a ewer.
She returned to Ellana, retaking her seat. The stool creaked when she leaned forward. She offered the cup to the dalish elf. Minaeve waited whilst Ellana scrutinised her face. A suspicious look at the cup in her hand revealed a lack of trust.
Hawen was offended on her behalf.
"Fenedhis, girl! She's not going to poison you!"
Minaeve endured Ellana's judgement with the patience of a saint.
"I know the stink of a sleeping draught when I smell it", accused Ellana. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the potion inside Minaeve's cup. "You used the fresh leaves of Prophet's Laurel steeped in a herbal tea", she recounted expertly. "Before adding a pinch of powdered Felandaris root and the ground petals of dried Dawn Lotus". Ellana glowered when she heard an appreciative whistle.
Hawen was impressed.
"You got all that from the scent alone?"
Ellana's lip curled. She eyed Hawen. "Don't insult me by resorting to flattery", she told him. "You know that herblore is an important part of a Dalish hunter's education". Ellana did not trust Hawen.
"I learned my Keeper's lessons well".
"So you did", affirmed Hawen. "As Keeper of my own dalish clan. It was my responsibility to teach the hunters those lessons too". Hawen nodded to the cup in Minaeve's hand. "Which makes me wonder, if you know what we need from you. Will you still drink or not?"
Ellana's brows furrowed. She glanced from Hawen to Minaeve. The tranquil was serene as a summer breeze. Her expression neutral. Her dark eyes shone with an intelligence devoid of the emotional turmoil plaguing Ellana.
To drink a sleeping draught so potent, would leave her slumbering well past sunrise.
"You cannot enter New Arlathan through an Eluvian", Minaeve reminded her. "Without rousing Fen'Harel's attention". She placed the cup at the foot of Ellana's bedroll. She nodded to the generous portion of sleeping draught inside. "This is the only way", reasoned Minaeve.
Ellana glared at the simple wooden cup as if it contained poison. "You didn't come from New Arlathan", she said coolly. "Through the Eluvian that connects my home to the capital". She knew the truth when neither Minaeve nor Hawen said a word. Their silence was telling.
Only one person could have smuggled them out of Fen'Harel's jewelled city.
He moved like smoke and shadow.
"Cole brought you here in the vain hope", declared Ellana. "That I'd agree to do your dirty work".
Hawen's expression was thunderous. He was outraged by her accusation, though he had enough sense to stay civil. Abelas was watching him. The slightest hint of aggression towards Ellana would not end well for the alchemist. The sentinel was as expert in the arcane arts as he was in the art of combat.
To harm Ellana was to court death.
Hawen preferred to stay alive.
Rotting in a grave, six feet under the earth, would leave Minaeve unprotected.
"Atisha, Hawen", cautioned Minaeve. Her voice was calm. Her face solemn. Minaeve was apathetic to his anger, though she understood its cause. Hawen would always feel indebted to Morrigan.
The witch had saved her life.
Love was a strange and mysterious force.
It made the most reasonable men do foolish things.
"Ar vallem ma dar athim", advised Minaeve. She saw how Hawen's face softened. His brows arching in contrition did not inspire empathy. His mouth turning down unhappily did not move her to pity. The silent plea for support fell short of its mark.
Minaeve was indifferent to Hawen's need.
Logic defined for her a clearer and more concise path to their mutual goal.
"I am tranquil", she said gently. "I cannot feel as you do".
Hawen's head, bowing in disappointment, revealed an old and familiar hurt to Abelas.
"I understand your frustration", he told him. "It is not an easy burden to bear".
Hawen gazed at Ellana. The dalish elf was so focused on Minaeve that she seemed unaware of the man behind her. Abelas dutifully combed her hair whilst she conversed. Ellana was nothing like Minaeve. She had neither been born a mage nor made tranquil.
Hawen doubted their relationship was similar to his own until he saw how Abelas doted on Ellana. The softness of the sentinel's face revealed his innermost desire. He was gentle as he combed Ellana's hair. The tenderness of his actions revealed the depth of his feelings. Hawen recognised unrequited love when he saw it.
The thought that he shared this in common with Abelas was discomforting. The sentinel was old, wise, and sworn to Asha'belannar's service. Hawen knew he could not compare. He averted his gaze, suddenly self-conscious. He was a child next to Abelas, the product of an entirely different generation.
Just like Ellana.
"It never is", agreed Hawen. "But there is always hope for change".
Abelas nodded. "However small".
"Patience", sighed Hawen. "Is necessary".
"It is indeed", said Abelas. "But the potential reward is worth the wait".
Ellana heard their hushed discourse. She glanced over her shoulder. "What are you two talking about?" she asked Abelas. She frowned when her lover chuckled. His cryptic answer made her blush.
"Hawen and I have reached an understanding".
Ellana knew exactly what he meant. "Oh", she said. "I see". She turned away, the guilt multiplying tenfold. Abelas deserved better, but Ellana doubted she could give him what he wanted.
Solas had taught her that love was dangerous.
Ellana was relieved when Minaeve interceded. Her appeal for help was a timely distraction. Ellana did not trust Hawen, but she would listen to Minaeve. They were both former members of the Inquisition. Ellana felt enough kinship to give Minaeve a chance.
"Ellana", implored Minaeve. "Morrigan isala ma halani".
"Ma tel'halani", hissed Ellana. She looked Minaeve in the eye. She found neither sympathy nor compassion reflected in those dark irises. Minaeve was unconcerned if Morrigan lived or died. She was bound by duty not by choice.
This was not an issue of morality.
It was about repayment.
Ellana saw through Minaeve's nonchalance. "Ma nuvenin ar na'din Morrigan", she stated. "Because you owe her a life-debt". Ellana was unswayed when Minaeve nodded. Her silent acquiescence was not a convincing reason to commit murder.
Ellana's response did not please Hawen or Abelas.
"That score", she said gravely. "Is yours to settle".
Ellana weathered the storm of their protests.
"You cannot refuse!" roared Hawen. "You are the only somniari outside New Arlathan!"
"Morrigan is shemlen not elvhen!" bellowed Abelas. "She cannot endure the passage of time as we do!"
Ellana ignored their angry tirades. She shared a brief moment of understanding with Minaeve. A nod of acceptance was exchanged between them. Ellana reached for the cup at her feet. She ignored the round of startled gasps and inevitable questions.
"What are you doing?" demanded Hawen.
"Ellana!" cried Abelas. "Think before you dispose of the contents of that cup!"
Hawen and her lover had assumed the worst.
They did not believe Ellana would comply.
Minaeve knew the truth.
Ellana would not turn her back on her friends.
"I hope you have a contingency plan", warned Ellana. "Because when Fen'Harel finds out what you've done. He'll be coming for blood".
"We are prepared", Minaeve assured her.
Ellana snorted as she raised the cup. "You'd better be", she replied frankly. "He's too smitten to consider killing me, but you and Hawen are fair game". Ellana saluted Minaeve before opening her mouth. She tilted her head back, pressing the cup to her lips. She grimaced as she swallowed.
The sleeping draught was horribly bitter.
Five mouthfuls later and the cup was empty.
A hush descended upon the hut.
Hawen and Abelas stared at Ellana.
She had drunk willingly.
Minaeve leaned forward. She offered her empty hands. She received the cup when Ellana relinquished it. Minaeve gently grasped her wrist before she could pull away. She squeezed gently to convey the gratitude she could not feel.
"Ma serannas ma falon", said Minaeve.
Ellana's nod of acceptance was brief. Her eyes rolled into her head till the whites showed. She toppled backward onto Abelas. He caught her with a surprised grunt. The halla-horn comb fell to the floor.
The sleeping draught's effect was immediate.
Ellana's exhaustion doubled the potency. Strong arms enfolded her when she yawned. Ellana knew she was safe. She smiled when a worried face came into view. Abelas pillowed her head upon his shoulder.
He peered at her concernedly, his calloused hand cupping her cheek.
"Ir abelas ma da'assan", he apologised. "Ar tel'ghilani ma vir theneras".
Ellana turned her face into his palm. She kissed his wrist as fatigue bled into her limbs. She felt more sluggish by the moment. "Atisha ma da'mi", Ellana reassured him. "Ma elgar'falon ghilana ma Setheneran".
"Ma souveri", advised Abelas. "Ma ghilas ma da'assan".
Minaeve was intrigued by what she saw. She did not feel emotion, but she could appreciate its effect on other people. Abelas's concern for Ellana was natural. They were lovers. Minaeve wondered how Hawen would have reacted if she were capable of reciprocating his feelings.
"Dareth shiral", murmured Minaeve.
Ellana nodded wearily as her eyelids closed. She relaxed into Abelas's arms, sleep taking hold. Her chest rose and fell in perfect harmony with the beating of her heart. Abelas looked across the hut. He saw Hawen's furrowed brows, the confusion plain upon his face.
"She said a spirit would guide her", he stated. "Who did she mean?"
Abelas looked upon the slumbering face of his beloved. He knew of whom Hawen spoke. Ellana had spent the past five hundred years consorting with other spirits like Cole. None were as kind or patient as the spirit who walked the paths of the Setheneran. Abelas was grateful that Ellana had such a considerate friend.
She had too few allies in the waking world.
To have one unlooked-for, inside the realm of dreams, gave her another circle of protection.
Fen'Harel was not the only Dreamer in existence.
Ellana was somniari too.
"Many years ago, Ellana befriended a Spirit of Wisdom", explained Abelas. "That Spirit has guided her ever-since, as a mother would a child, along the Vir Thenerasan".
"The Way of the Dreamer!" gasped Hawen. "But that knowledge has been lost for centuries!"
"To ordinary elves. Yes. We do not share that rare and powerful gift", confirmed Abelas. "But for those like Ellana, instruction is needed. She refused to turn to Fen'Harel for guidance, so she sought another teacher. The Spirit of Wisdom, sensing that need, found her wandering the Setheneran".
Abelas kissed Ellana's brow as he eased her down onto their shared bedroll. A pillow was slipped beneath her head. The bear-pelt was draped over her from chin to toe. Abelas settled in beside her for the night. He would guard her till she awoke.
"The Spirit offered to teach her", said Abelas. "Ellana accepted and they have been together ever since".
Minaeve's insight unnerved Hawen. "Fen'Harel had a friend", she told him. "Who was also a Spirit of Wisdom". Minaeve regarded the sleeping woman beside Abelas. She wondered if Ellana shared more in common with the Dread Wolf than she'd dare admit.
"Could Ellana's tutor be the same entity?"
Hawen glanced at Abelas. His eyes widened when the sentinel shrugged. The nonchalant roll of his shoulders revealed his ignorance. Abelas did not know for certain. He was not somniari.
He could not walk the Setheneran as Ellana did.
"Fen'Harel's friend was corrupted by shemlen mages", said Abelas. "Ellana helped to free her, but the damage was done. She wished for death. Fen'Harel obliged. Ellana was present when it happened, that is all I know".
Hawen frowned. "Could that Spirit", he suggested. "Have been reborn?" He nodded to the slumbering dalish elf. "Could she have been drawn to Ellana?"
"It is possible", agreed Abelas. "Spirits do not die as we do. Nor are they born as we are". He tenderly stroked Ellana's cheek. "Perhaps that Spirit recognised something familiar in her. Perhaps that is why she offered to instruct her".
"It would be comforting to think so", remarked Hawen.
"Comforting but dangerous", cautioned Abelas. "No matter involving a Spirit is ever simple".
"The weak can be overwhelmed", asserted Minaeve.
"The strong corrupted", offered Hawen.
Abelas nodded. "And then we have maleficar".
Hawen grimaced. "Is Ellana at risk?"
"You should have thought of that before you came here", reproved Abelas. He watched his beloved sleep. Her expression was calm. Her breathing even. "We will know when Ellana awakens, if your scheming has come to fruition".
Elvish and Tevene Translations: Courtesy of the Dragon Age Wiki – Elven Language.
Fenedhis - An elven curse, likely translated to 'wolf crap' or similar.
Fen'Harel – The Dread Wolf aka Solas.
Ar vallem ma dar athim – I bid you to show humility.
Morrigan isala ma halani – Morrigan is in need of your help.
Ma tel'halani – You're not asking for help.
Ma nuvenin ar na'din Morrigan – You want me to kill Morrigan.
Somniari – Tevene for Dreamer.
Ma serannas ma falon – My thanks, my friend.
Ir abelas ma da'assan – I am sorry, my little arrow.
Ar tel'ghilani ma vir theneras – I cannot guide you on the path of dreams.
Atisha ma da'mi – Peace, my little blade.
Ma elgar'falon ghilana ma Setheneran – My spirit-friend will guide me through the Land of Waking Dreams – aka the Fade.
Ma souveri – You are weary.
Ma ghilas ma da'assan – You should go, my little arrow.
Dareth shiral – Safe journey.
Vir Thenerasan – The Way of the Dreamer.
Shemlen – Quick children – The elven name for Humans.