A/N: Don't anything in this story, except the computer I typed it on.
Chapter 4: My Sister
Two years after Marethari found out the young Vaela Mahariel wasn't a mage, the Sabrae clan finally ran into a clan with more mages than they knew what to do with.
Marethari and the Keeper of the Azalea clan reached an agreement for taking one of their mages into the care of the Sabrae.
"I hadn't heard that Keeper Mahariel had died. He was a good man, Marethari. The Dalish are in a worse position without his leadership. Hopefully, you impart upon Merrill what you learned from Mahariel."
Marethari nodded. "Thank you for this. You needn't worry about Merrill, she'll be safe with us."
The Sabrae clan's newly christened hyperactive, knuckleheaded hunters treated the day as though it were any other, although Vaela, Tamlen, and Fenarel did notice something odd about the adults.
"Hey, where is everybody?" Tamlen asked.
"Waiting for Marethari to return from her meeting with that other clan," Fenarel said, yawning.
"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about. Just sit back and enjoy the day off, Tamlen." Vaela said lounging under a tree, cloud-gazing.
Minutes later, cheering erupted at the edge of the camp. Vaela shot up and rallied her friends. "You guys hear that? It could be a monster or something! Maybe a darkspawn! If we beat it, we can prove ourselves to everyone!"
Tamlen agreed excitedly. "Yeah! Let's do this! We'll save everyone!"
As the three young elves grew closer to the commotion, they realized there was no monster to defeat. The clan was celebrating something, instead. "What's the big deal?" Fenarel asked, shoving his way through the crowd.
The Keeper returned with an apprentice in tow, her First. The crowd parted for the two, except for our young heroes, and Marethari approached them, smiling. "I'm glad I found you three," the Keeper said.
Tamlen was confused by the entire situation. "Who's that? Why's everybody yelling?" Fenarel and Vaela were nodding in agreement with the questions.
"This," Marethari began, guiding Merrill to the three hunters, "is Merrill. My apprentice."
"Hi," the small elf said, quietly.
The four elves exchanged introductions and as the crowd and excitement dispersed only Vaela and Merrill remained.
"Aren't your parents worried about you?" Vaela asked bluntly.
Merrill seemed saddened by the question. "I- my parents died after I was born. I don't have a family," she said.
"Oh… I'm sorry." Vaela quietly said, embarrassed by her question. Seconds later, she flashed a smile and held out her hand. "Between you and me, I'm really happy you're here. We needed another girl around this place," Vaela joked. "And, I don't know… maybe we'll even become sisters."