The next day came far too soon for me. I made my thousandth mental note of the week: NO MORE DRINKING!. I hobbled out of bed, slowly got myself together for the day, and decided to take Cookie to the market to sell off some of the gear I had gathered from my various missions recently. We spent our early morning browsing through the Lowtown market, gathering a considerably small pile of gold from my treasures, taking our time and just enjoying having nothing to do for once. I was browsing through one of the market stalls when I came across an amulet. I couldn't help it, but when I looked at the amulet I had the feeling that there was something I had forgotten, something massively important. As I returned home, I still couldn't shake that nagging feeling, so I made mental note to ask Bethany. If I truly had forgotten something I know she would be the one to remember, she remembered everything. I walked through the front door to find Mother sewing in the corner, Uncle was nowhere to be found, and Beth was sitting by the fire reading one of her favorite books. She looked up when Cookie came bounding in to hop around her and Mother licking their hands and faces. I chuckled at his warm welcome, it never mattered to Cookie, you could be gone 5 minutes or 5 months and he would still greet you the same.
"Hey Beth, can I borrow you for a second? I have something that I need to ask you."
"Of course you can."
There were no doors in Uncle's house save for the front one, so we exited the front door to sit on the steps outside. Beth settled in next to me and looked at me questioningly.
"So whats on your mind sis?"
"Now this may sound strange, but have I forgotten anything major? Anyones name day, an anniversary, to put pants on before going outside? I cannot get rid of the feeling that I haven't done something important." She looked at me for a second, then off in the distance thinking.
"Well, I can't seem to think of anythi...Oh wait! The amulet! The one the witch gave us. Do you still have it!" It was like a candle being lit. I couldn't believe I had forgotten that stupid amulet.
"Oh Maker yes! I cannot believe I forgot that stupid thing! Its in my chest in the house. I stuck it in a false bottom so Gamlen couldn't find it and sell it for money. Must be why I forgot it. We need to take that to the Keeper of the Dalish as soon as possible, we can see if Varric and Fenris want to go today if possible." Beth looked sideways at me.
"That is if the Dalish are still camped near Kirkwall. Its been over a year since we were told they were here. We should see if Varric knows if they are still there before we gather Fenris too. And, you have a false bottom in your trunk! Since when?"
"I put it in right after we got here, I figured it may come in handy." She chuckled
"Well you always were the crafty one. Lets get going, if we are going to attempt to find the Dalish we can't do it sitting on Gamlen's front step." We fell into a fit of giggles as we headed off toward the Hanged Man to find Varric. I always loved spending time with Beth, we had been best friends since she was old enough to walk. Mother and Father could barely seperate us when we were kids. Most people though her and I were the twins instead of her and Carver. She knew everything about me, well almost everything anyway. There was that one secret, the one that no one knew. But I wasn't about to start dwelling on that again. We entered the Hanged Man and found Varric at his usual table working on some paperwork, or if I knew Varric it was his latest novel masquerading as paperwork. He glanced up and smiled, waving us over.
"What can I do for my favorite Fereldens today?" He gestured to the open seats and we sat down opposite him.
"Well Varric, I have a question for you." He looked intrigued, as he always did when I had questions for him. Granted my questions usually came with a heap load of trouble..but still. I chuckled but continued. "We need to track down a Dalish clan. Do you know of any near here?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.
"Well, there is a clan camped up on Sundermount. But what on earth do you need to find a Dalish clan for Hawke? The Dalish don't seem to be the social call kind of people."
"I made a promise to someone, and I had forgotten all about it until Bethany reminded me. We need to take something to the Keeper of the Dalish clan. If they are still here, hopefully its the same clan. We need to make the journey up there. Do you have the time to tag along? You know we could use the help." He chuckled.
"You always seem to have the most interesting errands to run. Of course I'll come along, like I would miss a chance for a good story."
"Of course you wouldn't Varric. Thank you for coming with us. Were going to stop by and see if Fenris is willing to come with us as well. The more the merrier, especially since we have no idea what were getting in to."
"I can garuntee you Broody will be more than willing to come along." With this he winked at Beth and they both chuckled, and I turned bright red. Blushing should be illegal, well...lots of things should be illegal. I really need to learn how to not blush. I elbowed Beth and she oomphed, causing Varric to laugh harder.
"Oooh, you two! Varric get your things. We still need to get Fenris and I would like to be out of Kirkwall before night falls." Varric laughed all the way up the stairs, and was still beaming when he came back.
"Well ladies should we get going?" He gestured to the door and we headed off for Hightown. We reached the mansion and for once Fenris answered when I knocked on the door.
"Hawke, what can I do for you?" He smiled lightly, and I had to fight the urge to turn red all over again. I was seriously considering just painting my face red to save on embarrasment.
"Fenris, we have an errand to run up on Sundermount and I was hoping you would be willing to come with us. We could certainly use your help, but only if you have nothing better to do." I lowered my head embarrased again. Why could he make me into a blithering idiot everytime I opened my mouth. It was absolutely infuriating.
"Give me a moment to get my equipment, and I will be right out." He shut the door leaving us standing in the entrance, and I caught Varric elbowing Beth out of the corner of my eye. They were both fighting back laughter and I glared at them with all the evil I could muster. It irritated me that my companions were immune to my wrath. I could never bring myself to be fully angry with the people I cared about, and although we had only known Varric for a few weeks he was part of the family to me. I knew they were just giving me a hard time for my awkwardness around Fenris, but it still irritated me. I wasn't one for being poked fun at, and if they had been strangers they would have been bleeding by now. It startled me out of my fuming when the door opened and Fenris stepped out.
"Alright I am ready. I am hoping you will tell me more of our task on the way?" He looked over at me for an answer.
"Well we have one more stop to make, but I will fill both you and Varric in as we travel." They both nodded so we headed for Gamlens to retrieve the amulet. I left everyone outside and ran in to grab it, not wanting to divulge the secret compartment. Not that I didn't trust them, I just didn't want people to know what I kept in there. All of my prized possessions were tucked away in that little cubby including all of the money we had saved for the expedition. I grabbed the amulet and a few potions I had stored in the trunk, and was almost out the door when I heard Cookie whine behind me. I am positive that dog knows exactly how to expertly manipulate me to get his way, but this time I couldn't let him have it. I knelt down next to him and whispered that he had to stay home to guard Mother while we were gone. He wagged his tail and barked which was his way of letting me know he understood his duty, and trotted off to lay down by the fire. I chuckled, went over to the desk to leave Mother a note so she wouldn't worry, and headed out the door to my waiting companions. We chatted casually as we headed out of the city having already filled in everyone on the story of the amulet. Beth was answering all of Varrics questions about how we came across the amulet, and I had a bad feeling about the story milling around in that little head of his. He had a knack for taking the stories I tell him and blowing them in to full blown epic novels. I shook my head and Fenris shot me a sideways look. We had been talking about the past and enjoying each others company. He had become a little more relaxed and I had to admit that I enjoyed having him around more and more each day. We stopped at the foot of Sundermount about mid day and had the small lunch we had the fortitude to remember to bring with us. We sat in the shade and listened to Varric tell stories enjoying our rest. It was a comfortable companionship and I couldn't help but marvel in my luck to have incurred such a ragtag bunch of people. We were all at odds to one another, and everyone was so different, but so far we had worked well together. I found myself nodding off, and woke with a start when I heard a chuckle close right next to me. I looked over to see Fenris leaning towards me, eyes shining devilishly. I could tell he enjoyed the fact that he had caught me napping, and I once again turned flaming red. I scrambled up and began to pack up for our continued journey, and I could hear everyone chuckling behind me. I seriously need to work on my leadership skills, because this was getting rediculous. We packed up our little mini campsite and continued on our way. The climb up Sundermount was steep and windy, and more than once we had to catch each other from sliding back down the way we came. We had to stop more than once to catch our breath. Varric pointed the way and we eventually crested the mountain into a little valley like area.
"According to what I hear the Dalish camp should be situated in the middle of this valley. We should head up that path to our left and see if we can spot it." I sprinted off in the direction and off in the distance I could see what looked like wagons. I called back to my companions and we started off to our destination. We ran into a few giant spiders, but they didn't prove to be a challenge for us and we managed to escape without much injury. We reached the outskirts of the camp and two elvish hunters stepped in our path. They were both scowling and the male of the two spoke to us.
"Why are you here shemlen? Your kind is not welcome among the Dalish." If looks could kill we would be on fire right about now, there was definite hatred from these elves. I knew I had to choose my words wisely or else be turned away and unable to keep my promise. I took a deep breath.
"We were giving an amulet that we were to deliver to someone name Marethari." The male elf glared.
"How do you know that name shem?" I was sure that this was going to end in a fight, but the female spoke up.
"Wait, this is the one the Keeper told us about. She is the one we are waiting for."
"A shemlen? I would have thought she would have been an elf. Enter the camp stranger, Keeper Marethari has been waiting for you. Just mind yourself, we will not hesitate to draw our blades against you." They nodded and stepped aside pointing us towards where the Keeper was waiting. We made our way through the camp, and I was surprised at how many elves stopped what they were doing to watch us when we passed. It was an uncomfortable feeling, being scrutinized by so many people. We found the Keeper standing by the fire, and I approached her.
"Keeper Marethari? I was told to bring you this amulet." I held out my hand and passed her the necklace. She took it carefully and studied it closely before looking at me.
"Andaran atish'an travelers. I am indeed Keeper Marethari. Let me look at you." I was surprised when she stepped forward and gazed openly into my face before smiling and stepping back. "You have truth written in your face, a strange thing for a human. Tell me, how did this burden become yours to bare?" He question was odd, so I thought a moment on how to phrase it before speaking.
"The owner of this amulet saved my family when we were fleeing from the Blight. In return for her assistance we agreed to bring the amulet to you." She nodded.
"I honor you for coming to me with this, but I'm afraid to say that your part in this is not quite over." I looked at her questioningly. "This amulet must be taken to an altar at the top of the mountain, and someone must recite an ancient Dalish rite for the departed. Then return the amulet to me. Do this and your debt will be paid in full." Now I was slightly confused.
"Are you going to teach me how to recite the rite for the departed?"
"No, I will not be teaching you the rite. I will send my First with you, she will be see to it that the ritual is done. Also, when the ritual has been finished, I must ask that you take her with you when you leave our camp." The look that crossed the Keepers face was a very somber and bitter one, and I had to admit that my curiosity was piqued. However I figured it would be better not to ask.
"If that is what you wish, then very well." She shook her head sadly.
"It is not what I wish, however it is what she wants. You will find Merrill waiting for you on the trail that leads further up the mountain. Dareth shiral." And with that she turned and walked away. I looked over my shoulder at my companions and shrugged. Somehow I knew that this simple task was going to turn out to be not so simple after all. I nodded my head in the direction of the path Marethari had indicated and we set off to find Merrill and be rid of this amulet for good. I was eager to see this promise fulfilled, however I was not looking forward to finding out what lay ahead of us in the process of doing so.