"…Tamlen?"

Lana's face had gone white under her tan. The others stood silently, weapons still drawn, alternatively glancing from Lana to the strange creature.

As Zevran looked closer he realized that the creature was indeed an elf, twisted and corrupted as he may be. The elf was completely hairless, the round dome of his head gleaming darkly in the moonlight. His skin was blackened and sickly looking, especially around the eyes, which were sunken deeply into the elf's skull. The eyes themselves were yellow and cat-like; the eyes of a Shriek. They were focused unwaveringly on Lana.

"You…lethallan!" The voice of the ghoul was cracked and raspy.

Lana took a small step forward. "Tamlen? Is that you?" It came out a near whisper.

The tormented elf scrambled back, retreating across the camp. "Don't come near me! Stay away!"

With an anguished cry Lana followed, her knives discarded to the ground. She reached out a hand to the creature called Tamlen but he jerked back once more. "Don't look at me! I'm sick…" he rasped.

She shook her head earnestly. "We can help you, Tamlen! I'm a Gray Warden now! Don't be afraid."

"No help!" the ghoul cried. "No…help for me. The song…in my head…it calls to me. He sings to me!" Zevran watched as the elf seemed to weep, but no tears came from his eyes. Lana's face mirrored Tamlen's, but her tears ran freely down her chin. "I can't stop it!" he screamed, clawing at the smooth dome of his skull with ragged fingernails. The yellow eyes fixed on Lana's again. "Don't want to hurt you lethallan! Please…stop me!"

Lana was shaking now with silent sobs, her face buried in her hands. The others seemed frozen with horror and anguish. Zevran wanted to go to her, turn her head to his shoulder and let her cry in his arms. He held back though; this moment was too raw for any to intrude upon.

"I wish we'd never found that cave." Lana said softly, through her tears.

The ghoul, Tamlen was calm now, with a look of profound sadness in the yellow eyes. "Always loved you…I'm so sorry!" With those final words the fire blazed up in his eyes. Zevran saw it, leaping forward and snatching Lana back with an arm around her waist. He saw Alistair move out of the corner of his eye, and turned, putting himself between Lana and the ghoul, pressing her face into his shoulder.

He only heard the sickening thunk as Alistair's broadsword cleaved the ghoul's head from its shoulders.

Lana was sobbing freely now, clawing at the material of Zev's tunic. "Oh, no…oh Tamlen no…" she cried. Zevran guided her over to the fire, whispering soothingly in her ear. "Wynne," he said. "How about some of that lovely tea you make?" The elderly mage nodded and swiftly ducked into her tent for her supplies. Leliana had come to sit on Lana's other side, stroking her hand and brushing the hair from her face. Across the clearing, Sten and Alistair shifted the body out of sight.

They sat in that attitude for several minutes until Wynne pressed a steaming mug into Lana's hands. Her tears were mostly quieted, and she stared into her cup in silence save for the occasional hiccup. The others had come back to the main fire, even Morrigan.

"Who was that?" asked Alistair tentatively.

Lana took a small sip of her tea and sighed. "His name was Tamlen. He…was an elf I once knew."

Alistair cocked his head slightly, thinking. "Tamlen? Then…he was the one who was with you…" The big warrior shook his head. "I'm so sorry. This is what happens when the taint is left unchecked. It's…it's better for him…to have it end. It was a mercy."

The junior Warden made a small sound in her throat. "I…I know. It's just…" Leliana shushed her. "We'll talk about this later. Sten, how can we make the camp more secure?"

With that the group broke up a bit, with many retreating to the perimeter to check for weak points or just drifting off to have quiet conversations. They were relatively alone.

Most of the tea was gone, and Lana had calmed a great deal. She stared into the fire meditatively. Zevran opened his mouth hesitatingly, but then thought better of it. She'd already seen it though. "Go ahead."

Feeling slightly abashed, Zevran said "I…did not know there had been another. You never told me."

Lana sighed a little. "I thought he was dead. Everyone told me he had to be dead. There…there was no reason to tell you. I had moved on. Or…I thought I had." She sniffed quietly, rubbing her eyes. "Just knowing how much he must have suffered… I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Zevran pressed his thigh gently against hers in acknowledgement and there was no need to speak further.

He was surprised but said nothing when she came to his tent later. She merely ducked in and lay down like it was her own, letting him curl protectively around her. He lay awake much later as she twitched beside him, wishing he could protect her from the nightmares in her mind like he protected her from the nightmares that surrounded them.

Finally, he willed himself to sleep. In her dreams she needed Tamlen. But tomorrow, she would need him.

There's the closure you were all asking for. Hope you enjoyed!