One of Cassandra's earliest memories was a dream she had as a child when she had fallen and twisted her ankle, she had felt really tired after that and rather than tell anyone about her ankle she decided to crawl into bed and take a nap. When she opened her eyes Cassandra found herself not in her room filled with dresses that she hated but in a shadowed clearing in a forest, Cassandra was scared Anthony told her about strange dreams having demons she looked around for someone or something familiar and seeing nothing she started to cry. Movement across the clearing made her freeze as a large black hart with sliver horns and strange golden eyes stood and started crossing the clearing, Cassandra started to back away only to fall on her behind and freeze as the large hart came ever closer as a gentle pace.
{Do not cry Ma Dalen, you are safe here nothing will harm you in this place of mine. This I swear to you Ma Dalen, now dry your eyes child and look at the forest not for what is the same but look for that which feels right.} A deep voice that sounded like muffled ringing chantry bells sounded in Cassandra's head, she did as the voice told her and found that the clearing was not scary but peaceful and made her calm down. She curled up with the large hart talking with it about her life and like an indulgent parent it listened until it said to her gently. {It is time for you to go Ma Dalen, go and have fun with your brother and treasure your freedom and let none tell you can not be a warrior like you dream to be.} "Will I ever see you again?" Cassandra asked said at the thought of losing her new friend, a deep rumbling laugh entered her mind. {When you need me I will be here Dalen but I have my own tasks to preform and you must not rely on me being here, but should you need me I will come but only then as this is very draining for me to be here.} Cassandra nodded sad that her friend was leaving but she did not want to be a burden him, when she woke up she found that her ankle was fixed as if she had never twisted it.
The first time she started to wonder if her mark was strange was when she over heard adults talking about her as a child. "Have you seen Cassandra's mark?" a female voice said "yes that mark very odd isn't?" said a male voice "I have never seen one in that style before have you?" the female voice said. "the only style I have ever seen similar was on a dalish savage I saw once." "How tragic the poor dear who would want to bond to a savage." Cassandra never heard the rest as she ran to her brother upset deeply by what she heard. When she told Anthony what she had heard he told her something that she would tell herself when ever she doubted herself in regards to her mark again. "Don't listen to them Cassandra having a mark like that is not a curse but a blessing it means that your soulmate will be someone unlike any other in thedas, just think how jealous they will be when you find yours and they are stuck with boring soulmates." That advice carried her for years.
When she finally started sword training in earnest she was sore everyday as her brother pushed her hard, one night as she drifted off to sleep she opened her eyes to find herself back in the clearing she had not thought of the hart in years since the first time he had appeared before her. Now here she stood again but this time instead of the hart waiting for her it was a tall large man standing there in armor that looked like it was inspired by the Hart with a great sword leaning against a tree nearby along with a shield and sword that looked like the ones she was training with. {So you have decided to walk the path of the sword maiden?} the deep voice echoed in her head, Cassandra stood firm and glared at the large man looking into his armored helm that showed only glowing golden eyes. "Yes and I have enough people telling me that I can not do it so if that is what you want to say be gone!" She snarled already developing her legendary temp, but to Cassandra's great shock the large man just laughed. {Ma Dalen I have not plans to talk you out of it, your soul burns like those of the great protectors of old, no I am here to teach you to fight in proper fashion not the bash and wack that you are learning.} Cassandra bristled at the remark about what her brother was teaching herm but held her tongue as the man was offering lessons and she would be a fool to turn down those, but she was not willing to trust freely. "What do you seek?" {Nothing you can give right now, but I only desire to prevent my own pain by insuring you survive life.} "How would my dying cause you pain?" {the fade weeps when a soul such as yours is lost too soon, and I feel pain when that happens.}
When her brother woke her the next morning she told him about her dream and showed him the moves he had taught her, the weapons master came up as she was showing a series of moves that the hart had taught her and when she finished the weapons master was watching her closely. "Where did you learn that girly?" He growled and Cassandra glared at his tone before telling him. "A spirit in the fade taught me it last night why?" "Because girly that anit no human sword play, that there moves are Dalish moves from their swords masters." Anthony at this point cut in with a question. "Really is it any good?" "Is it any good he says!" the weapon master scoffed. "Of course its good boy those Dalish sword masters are among the best there is with a sword, one of them is worth three of our best fighters!" "Really then how would a spirit know it?" Cassandra asked. "Your sure it was a spirit I have heard that the dalish can dream walk, it might be your soulmate." Anthony pointed out but Cassandra shook her head. "Can't be he felt really old like older than the old forest." With no idea as to who or what the spirit was they decided to forget it but let her continue to learn from it if the spirit showed up again. After that Cassandra would learn the human style during the day and at night she would learn from the strange spirit in the fade at night, this would go on until she became a seeker.
The day after her vigil she found herself in the clearing once more this time the hart was there to greet her, she bowed to her teacher whose lessons had made her the top recruit among the seekers. {I see that you have chosen the path of the seeker.} it was a statement but she could feel judgment in it and she did not like that. "What would have had me be then?" She growled the hart had expressed distain for the chantry and all of its beliefs over the years but never once told her what she should do instead. {I would have rather you did not tie yourself to an order built on lies but it is not my place to judge you, but I put an end to our lessons here and now. I will always come to you when you are injured and need me but I will not come if you have been miss use my teachings to harm the elven people, farewell Dalen I had hoped this time would be different but I see that once more I must wait again.} with that the hart started to walked away. "Wait what do you mean? What are you waiting for?" she cried not understanding why her teacher was not happy, yes she was joining the chantry but at least she was helping people. {I am waiting for you to realize that the order you have joined is built on lies and deceit.} "The seekers are not built on lies!" {Then why do they lie to you about the vigil Cassandra!? Your gifts come not from the maker!} The voice snapped in anger and Cassandra took a step back in fear she had never heard him snap at her before like that. "What do you mean my gifts come from the maker as a reward for showing my devotion!" {NO they come from a spirit of faith restoring your mind after you have been sundered from the fade! I sensed the moment you were lost to the fade and when you came back, the faith spirit that touched you told me of your faith. Your masters lie to you about that, and the truth about how your gifts came to be!} With that the Hart vanished and Cassandra woke up and for the first time since Anthony died cried for the loss of her teacher who and never stopped supporting her or believing in her, the one who had been there for her when Anthony died and she could not help but feel as if she had just cut off her own arm.
When her seeker trainer Byron died and she was on the run while wounded she called a stop to her mage companion. "stop we must rest, I am too tired to go on." She called Regalyan looked at her annoyed. "We cant stop just because you want a nap! I thought your seekers were tougher than that." Cassandra growled and snapped at him. "I am not most seekers whenever I am injured I feel the compulsion to sleep, a spirit in the fade calls to me and helps heal me while I sleep!" Regalyan looked shocked at her words but helped her find a spot to rest for a few hours, Cassandra closed her eyes and opened them to find herself in the clearing for the first time in months. {So I leave you alone for a few months and you nearly die, I guess you ignored my lessons after all?} "I am in no mood to deal with your complaints Byron is dead and I am on the run from my own order and forced to work with a mage I don't trust!" she snapped and at once the Hart was next to her gently urging her to sit down on the grass, after she sat the Hart laid down behind her and wrapped around her so she could lean back into his soft fur. {Ir abelas Cassandra I only felt your physical pain, I know that Byron was dear to you and while I dislike your order I know to you they were family so Ir abelas Falon rest here and when you wake you will be healed and ready for battle.} the Hart sounded sad that she was upset. "Thank you my old friend but I am tired and do not want to think, could you tell me a story?" {Of course Cassandra, would you like to hear about how the halla mother was made into a goddess?} Cassandra would normally scoff at hearing fairy tales of heathen gods and goddess but tonight she did not want to think so she nodded, closing her eyes she listened to the rise and fall of the Hart's voice.
Cassandra was working with Cullen on arranging the soldiers in the best position possible to hold the demons while trying to ignore the pulses of pain that coursed through her mark, her mark had never really pained her so she was worried about her soulmates safety and why the mark was burning almost in time with the breach. "Cassandra!" Cullen and Cassandra turned at the sound of Leliana yelling as she ran up the hill, before Leliana reached them the breach pulsed powerfully and Cassandra dropped to her knees clutching her mark in pain. "Maker are you alright?" Cullen asked worried, Cassandra gritted her teeth and snarled. "My soulmate is in great pain and I don't know why, this is the first time I have felt true pain from them." At that time Leliana came up breathless. "I have a reason for that. Your soulmate is the elf with the strange mark on their hand that appears to be causing him great pain." Cassandra felt like she had been punched in the gut, her soulmate had been found but they might be the killer of the divine this was her worst nightmare. "But that is not the main reason I am here, he is starting to wake up and maybe his soulmate being there might make him give up answers faster!" Cassandra struggled to her feet and nodded for Leliana to lead the way back down the path leaving Cullen in charge. Cassandra jogged down the path hoping that her soulmate had nothing to do with this but knowing that she may have to order the death of her own soulmate tore at her heart.