After what had been seen in Kirkwall, Norin walked around in a daze from the nightmares she would have. Exhaustion hung on her shoulders like a weight as she sat in front of a few papers that needed her signature. She hadn't figured she, of all people, needed this paperwork but apparently Cassandra and Josephine were attempting to explain the power of a signature to her. Norin would glance up at them from time to time, nodding here and there only to start to drift to sleep when they finally paused.

"Inquisitor?"

Norin popped her head up once again and quickly looked around, "Yes? Yes!?"

"You don't look too well," Josephine spoke just above a whisper, "Would you...like to lay down?"

"No, no i'm fine," Norin took a quill and began signing her name on the lines of the paperwork, "I'm just..."

"Solas had mentioned you've been screaming in your sleep," Cassandra sat down in front of Norin, "If you need to rest, I will have-"

"I said i'm fine," Norin handed the signed papers to Josephine as she stood up, "I'm just going to visit the potion master and figure something out."

Both Cassandra and Josephine looked to each other before watching the Inquisitor leave the chantry halls. Josephine winced when Norin slammed the door shut behind her, "Perhaps we should not have said something?"

"No," Cassandra sighed as she, too, stood up, "We need a leader who is on her toes and can at least pretend she is rested for any fight. I will talk with Solas. Perhaps he can help her."

Outside the chantry walls, Norin groggily walked down back to her cabin. She had fully intended to take an hour's nap until one of Leliana's men walked up to her with a scroll, "This is for you, Inquisitor. Leliana stated it was pertinent that you read it now."

"Of course..." Norin yawned as the man walked away, she unrolled the scroll and began to read: 'It is important you meet with Commander Cullen and discuss your personal situation at hand. I have not been informed of what the personal matter is, but my sources describe that you have told little to no one. Discussing this information with Cullen will help ease the soldiers and increase morale.'

"Personal...matter?" Norin muttered in confusion.

Who exactly would have told Leliana that she had a personal matter and now Cullen was to know of this apparent secret? Norin groaned to herself as she turned to the front gates of Haven and began walking to where she heard the soldiers training. She kept looking around for Cullen intending on seeing a tall, slightly tan man with many battle scars but couldn't locate him. Instead she only saw the soldiers training amongst themselves. One of them must have noticed the confused expression on her face and approached her as he took off his helmet, "The Commander is in the clearing nearby. Just follow the path and you should find him."

"Why is he there?" Norin glanced to the path then back to the soldier, "Is he expecting more people?"

"Not sure myself, m'lady Inquisitor," the soldier shrugged before scurrying back off to train.

Why Cullen wanted to meet in a clearing was beyond Norin. She tucked the scroll in her back pocket as she walked along the path that held very little trees and the snow covered ground was still frozen from the recent winter. The snow's crisp scent clung into the air as she heard the small wisps of wings of tiny birds daring to appear for the coming spring. How still the air was in these mountains gave Norin peace as the outside world, at least for now, seemed calm without any worry of uprisings or torture. With her mind now at ease in nature, she felt as if her body could fall asleep at any moment or if she had already fallen asleep walking. Noring blinked a few times before staggering to the side and catching herself on a thin tree nearby.

"Are you alright, Inquisitor?"

Cullen's voice was a welcomed surprise. She heard the crunch of his footsteps as he quickly approached her though he did not touch her. Norin blinked up at him as the light seemed to beam right over him and blind her. Her eyes squinted until she was able to just focus on his face. It was as if she had drank too much wine. She could feel how mottled her mind was from the nightly torturous reminders. Shaking her head loosely, Norin spoke, "I feel as if i'm in a dream. I haven't properly slept in days since..."

"Kirkwall has been messing your sleep as well?" Cullen's voice was full of concern as he helped guide her to the location he had originally planned, "It gives me false comfort knowing I haven't been the only one affected by the travesties."

"But you were once a templar," Norin managed to stand on her own before turning to face Cullen, "Haven't you..."

"Not every templar is a corrupted templar," this time Cullen's voice was sharp, though he did not seem angry at her assumption, "And I had thought, as a mage yourself, you had seen what abominations looked like as well."

She wanted to retaliate. However, her body and mind were both full of exhaustion that she hadn't the energy to start a fight. Instead Norin lowered her gaze and balanced herself with the aide of her staff, "Leliana sent me a message saying you needed to know personal matters from me?"

It was brief but as he turned his face away from her she could have sworn that she saw a tint of red on his cheeks. Was he blushing? His sudden bashful behavior seemed to contradict his normal calm, commanding stature. Norin pursed her lips as she tried to move to see his face which he continued to hide from her, "Commander?"

"Please, just call me Cullen," he pleaded as he faced her, his face didn't display the blush she had thought she had seen and somehow she felt disappointed, "And yes. It will boost morale in the soldiers if they see us discussing more friendly topics and getting to know each other."

"I'm not following? Exactly how will talking with each other and 'getting to know each other' help the morale?"

"When I was just a soldier rising in the ranks, I found that I had more reason to fight when I saw my commander engaging with a new ally. Instead of fighting for my reasons and for my commander, I would also fight for the new ally," Cullen coughed as he finished his explanation and looking to Norin.

Norin took in his words and went over them once again. Still, she didn't understand how it would boost the soldiers to fight more keenly. Then again she would ride a dragon into battle if it meant that the soldiers fought better. Cullen then revealed a small table and chairs with a bottle of wine with a platter of bread for them. Norin suspiciously walked over to the table and examined the condiments, "And this will help too?"

"I'm hoping," Cullen went over and pulled out her chair for her.

Cullen seemed...nervous and seeing how unsteady he was around her at that moment was flattering. Though she may be a simple Dalish elf, she was still a woman that had been wooed before. Though this was a stiff and rigid man who was attempting to 'wine and bread' her. This was not a man who was looking for a quick romp in the bed. Flattered, Norin took her seat and poured them each a glass of wine and parting the bread into chunks. Cullen sat in front of Norin and took a long drink before refilling his glass. Though consumption was not one thing Norin enjoyed, she summed up that he was looking for liquid courage to take affect. Taking a sip of her wine, she ate a piece of bread to help her mind stay awake.

"Well, then let me begin my tale," Norin watched as Cullen smiled, the scar on his lip seemed less intimidating and something she had the desire to touch.

She kept her gaze on Cullen as she began, "My clan is known as the Lavellan and we specialize in fire type of magic. I was considered lucky to be the last magic-user in the clan because those born after me were sent off to the wilds or traded. As a child, I developed my magic early for most and began to train with the Keeper."

"That was Rosseth?" Cullen ate a piece of bread as he asked.

"Yes, Rosseth had been Keeper for almost 300 years at that point and was still vibrant as ever," Norin smiled at the memory, "She was also a master at fire magic and favored me from her other pupils, they didn't have the specialty of fire just yet. As time grew and our clan moved around, I was named First from my Keeper and my studies of magic also expanded."

"Is that when you got your tattoos?" Cullen reached out and gently touched her forehead.

Norin felt the heat rush to her cheeks before she touched the place on her forehead where his fingers grazed. She lowered her gaze when she noticed his smirk and drank more of her wine. To her surprise she was enjoying this little storytime more than she had imagined. Norin then looked up to see the smirk still on his lips as she continued, "No. It was not long after when I was chosen as First. I did not want the vallaslin until I knew which god I could relate to the most. Rosseth made it her highest goal, as ridiculous as it sounds, and anything that happened to me she would explain as an extravagant sign. Then, one day I was training my magic until an owl flew down and landed on my shoulder. I didn't move in fear that it would bite my ear off and stood still for such a long time. My legs ached, I could feel my body trembling from how terrified I was, and it flew away just like that."

Cullen didn't seem to understand the importance of this sign, and Norin leaned over and explained, "The owl is the symbol animal of Falon'Din, the friend of the dead. Rosseth came running to me in such a fright I thought she was going to kill the owl or me. That's when she said that Falon'Din must have called to me through his vigil. I then received my vallaslin, my markings that same night. Even now, I feel the fire in me call out to Falon'Din to remind him to walk kindly with Rosseth now. He shall guide her through the veil to her final resting place."

When Norin paused, the two sat in silence. The memory of Rosseth didn't seem to fade and it hurt. It was as if she could feel Rosseth at the turn of every corner and knowing she wasn't there still broke Norin's heart. The hurt must have been written on her face because Cullen reached over and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, "Was she like a mother to you?"

Norin pressed her lips together as she nodded and looked back to Cullen, "Yes. My birth mother died when I was named First and my father left the clan before I was born. My mother had been sick for a long, long time and passed in her sleep. Our people say that dying in your sleep is a kindness remembered by the ancient gods. When my people would live eternally, they would fall asleep and never wake up because that's how they wanted to go. And dying in your sleep is a reminder of that ability to us. Well, that's what Rosseth taught me."

Cullen refilled Norins wine glass as the two fell into a silence once again. Norin could see that she had dampened the conversation with her talk of death. How solemn Cullen looked as his eyes seemed to darken at hidden memories he had not yet shared. One day she'd have him open up to her as she was opening up to him. Until then, she would lay bare her memories and personality if that is what he wished. Norin took another sip of wine and ate a piece of bread as she smiled, "I had been First for about 15 years before I went to the Temple of Ashes. My clan hadn't seen human contact and we're self-sufficient without need of trade. So, when I first came into contact with humans I thought you all looked the same."

This had Cullen chuckle as he ran his fingers through his hair. Norin smiled, his laughter warmed her soul better than her inner flame did. She then sat back as she crossed her legs, "Another thing that confused me about humans were how tall you all are. I've seen my kind plump and robust, but they struggle to run if they carry all that muscle or fat or whatever you humans eat to make you so...big!"

Cullen laughed harder as his face tinted a darker shade of red, the wine must be affecting him more than he must've intended. Norin sipped her wine gingerly seeing Cullen slightly toasted. There were probably less than a handful who must have seen him so content before in all of Haven. She sat her wine down not wanting to drink further. Their eyes locked as Cullen's laughter faded to a small smile as Norin felt her lips curl to that of a smile as well. Perhaps she was enjoying his company more than she had thought.

"I must confess," Cullen leaned forward on the table, "this meeting wasn't exactly about boosting morale."

Norin leaned forward as well. She knew what this meeting was about, but hearing the words for herself would be better to hear than just assuming she was right. Cullen hesitated as he glanced away, then met her gaze in a more serious matter. His eyes tore through whatever barrier she had intended on putting up to keep people out of her mind and stare right into her soul. All the flames within her skyrocketed and her cheeks flushed a mighty red. Cullen then spoke softly, "I must confess, I just..."

"Commander Cullen! Inquisitor!"

Once again, the moment was gone. Cullen growled beneath his breath as Norin closed her eyes in frustration. For once, could she just have a moment alone to enjoy being alive? Norin stood up and whispered to Cullen, "Another time. I promise."

"Yes..." Cullen responded sulky as he stood up, "Another time..."

The wine was still clouding her thoughts, but Norin stood up nonetheless and greeted the second person to disrupt her time with Cullen. She glanced at Cullen to see that he was also curious to see who was disrupting them. This time, it was a messenger who seemed to be scrambling down the path towards the two. The urgency on the messenger's face worried Norin and she rushed to greet him in between, "What is it? Has something occurred?"

"There is a man...woman? I don't know, they're here to see you and they're gravely wounded!" the messenger breathed heavily.

Norin rushed up the path, weaving in and out through the crowd before reaching the medical tent to see a person on the bed while surgeons were bandaging them and mixing tonics. She went to the bedside and looked the person over. Their gender was confusing considering the soft jaw yet raw masculinity in their outer features. The person then winced before glancing at Norin, "Inquisitor... Good to meet you..."

They coughed with a tinge of blood in to the air. Norin grabbed a nearby rag and wiped the blood away from their mouth before taking their hand, "You're in good hands, soldier. Where are you from?"

"My boss is waiting at the coast... I came here to inform you..." another coughing fit occurred before the surgeons ushered Norin out of the tent to get to work.

She had fully faith in her surgeons to take care of this soldier. The soldier must have meant the Storm Coast which wasn't that far from Haven. Norin turned and went back to the Chantry to inform her advisers only to be met with Cassandra who was seated and cleaning her sword. The Seeker looked up at Norin and waved to her to come over. Norin looked from the War Room to Cassandra, then went over to the Seeker, "I've been told to go to the Storm Coast. We might have another ally."

"That sounds important," Cassandra cleaned the blood off her sword before looking up at Norin, "But I also wanted to tell you the rebel mages have come in contact with your clan."

At the thought of seeing her clan again, Norin's eyes were wide as she sat next to Cassandra and spoke in a soft whisper, "They have my clan? Are they okay?"

"They are in good conditions," Cassandra gave Norin the folded letter of the report, "Leliana's people have contacted them and the mages have welcomed the clan with open arms. The letter also states that the mages have given many of their resources to your clan in hoping of forming an alliance."

Norin read the letter while forcing herself to slow down and read each word carefully. As a mage herself, she trusted that the mages were taking care of her people as they said. But this was her clan, the people who grew to know as her family, and knowing they were without their rightful Keeper pained her. Norin folded the letter up and looked to Cassandra, "We need to see the mages first. I want to bring my clan back here where they are safe."

"Is that a wise choice?" Cassandra put her sword away and sat back, "You've saved the elves at Kirkwall and now you're saving your clan to bring them here? It seems you are showing who you favor more."

"Cassandra, i'm not showing favoritism. I'm trying to keep those who are scared safe and trying to save my family," Norin stood up and spoke each word sharply, "If there were humans in Kirkwall who wanted helped out, they were no where to be seen."

Cassandra didn't respond before standing up and placing her sword in it's sheath, "Very well. We will go to the rebel mage hideout with you and retrieve your clan."

Getting everyone ready for their trip to the Hinterlands, Norin could see the humans in Haven were noticing how outnumbered they were to the elven walking around. No one said anything, however. The Elves were creating tents and other shelters for them while finding some type of occupation to help keep Haven stabilized with more mouths to feed. Norin got on her horse as she waited for the group to ready themselves while Sera was walking up to her, "Good of ya' to get your clan back, but don't you think it's getting' too elfy here?"

"Too elfy?" Norin could tell that there was an argument ready to brew, "I don't think so. Everyone is welcome to join the Inquisition or stay at Haven."

"I get tha', but you'll save more of everyone else, yea? Like humans, dwarves, or the qunari?" Sera pointed out as she crossed her arms.

"Anyone that needs help, i'll be there," Norin felt her head pounding from lack of sleep and too much wine, and now she needed water.

Sera, Solas, and Cassandra were willing to go among other soldiers. As the group was beginning to leave, another horse rushed out the gates and Cullen rode up along beside the group, "I hope you don't mind my joining."

"Considering your former Templar self wouldn't want to visit the mages," Solas commented dryly, and received a dark glance from Cullen, "Perhaps it's not the best idea to bring the Templar."

"Former Templar," Cullen stated before returning to speak to Norin, "I would like to come to help bring your clan back to Haven. It will be a fairly large group that may stand out and I want to help."

Norin smiled and nodded without a response before she had her horse quicken it's speed to get to the Hinterlands faster...


In order to have the mages trust the Inquisition, only Solas, Norin, and Sera were allowed into the camp. Norin led the two as she held her staff tightly in her grasp. All around them were mages who guarded the camp, but one thing was for sure none of them were elven. The camp was within a large cave where red lamps were lit and a large fire pit sat in the middle. Around that pit, with plenty of food and drink, were Norin's clan. She hesitated in fear that this was a trap. But no one was hurt and her clan seemed to be given what she was told were given. Their carts were repaired, the people were given new materials and resources, and they were even able to trade their weapons for better ones. When the elves in the clan looked to her, she was greeted with her clan rushing to her and embracing her tightly. Norin staggered at how many of the people greeted her, but she embraced them as much as she could as she felt tears sting her eyes. For the last few weeks, all the fear and loneliness vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Keeper," one of the clan spoke, "We had moved on from the Temple of Fen'Harel to a safer distance, but the mages interceded us and took us in to keep us safe once they found out we were your clan."

"We did not mean to leave without you," another spoke up, "But with you and Rosseth gone, we had no choice but to keep the last magic user safe."

"Last magic user?" Norin asked as the embracing ceased, "What about Adinna or Romil?"

"They went in search of you and Rosseth and hadn't come back. We found demons and..." another clan member looked away and they stood in silence.

Norin nodded softly before looking among her clan once again. She then turned to Solas and Sera, "These are my people," she then turned to her clan, "This is Solas and Sera."

Sera didn't responded besides a shrug as Solas walked over to the clan, "I am pleased to see that Norin's clan is safe."

"What clan are they from?" someone asked, only to have Norin shake her head and asked them to not ask again, "Oh..."

After other introductions, Norin sat among her clan before the last magic user was presented to her. It was a young girl that was still very much a child. Her bright red hair was braided into an intricate braid, and the fire behind her brought out the freckles around her nose and her bright blue eyes. Norin could feel the fire from this child's soul and knew that she would be an excellent fire master. The girl smiled widely, some of her teeth had fallen out and new ones were growing. Norin sat on her knees and fixed the girls tunic that clung to her thin figure, "You will be an excellent Keeper one day. Have you been informed on the legends thus far?"

"I know a lot already!" the girl smiled brightly as she jumped, but as she jumped fire kicked at her heels.

Norin quickly waved the fire away as the girl seemed frightened and held Norin's arm tightly. Chuckling, Norin took the girl to her lap and admired the braid, "Did your mother do this?"

"Yea," the girl couldn't stop fidgeting though Norin didn't mind, "I'm Avala."

"Avala," Norin spoke the word gently as if the girl would disappear from her lap, "Continue with your lessens and when I return to the clan as the Keeper, i'll make you my First."

She was still very young to understand the importance of being a First and a Keeper or the relationship between. Norin allowed the girl to leave her lap and run back to her mother, who beamed with pride at Norin before walking to the mages to get food. As she gazed into the fire, Solas sat next to her and glanced around the clan, "It is odd to see the elves getting well with these humans. I had thought the letter a ruse and this whole situation a trap. Perhaps I was wrong."

"I don't know," Norin admitted as she kept her voice low, "I want to get them out of here as fast as we can. I just..."

"Say no more," Solas whispered, they both turned to see a young cloaked in burgundy robes approach them.

Her hair was tied in a tight bun as well and she held her staff to her side, "I'm Brienna, this camp's leader per-say. I'd like to talk to the Inquisitor in private."

Norin looked to Solas, who kept his gaze on Brienna as he stood. She looked to her clans people to see their content faces before following Brienna out of the cave. The two kept their staffs in their grasp as they meandered not too far from the opening. Norin kept glancing over her shoulder until they were nearly out in the open fields. Brienna then turned to Norin, "Your clan is safe. I just took them in so I could get an audience with the great Herald of Andraste."

"Thank you for taking them in," Norin began as she turned to face Brienna, "I have full intention on having them return with me."

"Of course," Brienna smiled as she crossed her arms, "Before anyone leaves, I'd like to talk about an alliance between us. You have have the mage rebellion in your hands if we are allowed at Haven as well."

Norin raised a brow as she looked to Brienna, "Your letter said nothing an alliance."

"Is that what you wanted? Are you not an apostate as well?" Brienna motioned towards Norin's staff, "Don't you see what an alliance like this will bring? The Chantry will piss themselves knowing that the mages are apart of the Inquisition and that we're saving their world."

"But this is a decision I cannot make alone," Norin stated politely, "I have advisers and other people who need to be in on this alliance as well."

"But you are the Inquisitor, you are the leader. As a leader, you can have the final say in all of this. Don't you want your kind safe from Templar harm? You're a mage and you are no safer from Templar harm then we are," Brienna explained as she uncrossed her arms, "Look, I'll give you a day to think about it. If you don't want an alliance, you and your clan are free to go."

The walk back to the cave was awkward seeing as how Brienna didn't get what she wanted at first. Norin was greeted again by her clan with a plate of food that the mages had prepared. She saw Sera digging her face into the food and knew it was safe to eat. Though...she wasn't hungry. Something about this didn't seem right. Her clan had smiles on their faces, the mages seemed to be accommodating enough, and everyone just seemed at peace. If this was a mage rebellion then why was everyone so jovial? Norin sat near her clan with the plate of food in her lap as Solas approached her, "A word."

Setting the plate on the ground, Norin followed Solas to the mouth of the cave, "They want an alliance."

"So then make an alliance," Solas responded calmly.

"But what about the Templars? There are reports flooding in saying they're willing to give their alliance as well," Norin whispered, not wanting the mages to hear the conversation.

"You'd rather have Haven over run with Templars?" Solas seemed highly displeased, "They would take over the Inquisition without a second thought. At least the mages would offer their services."

"The Chantry already hates us," Norin scratched the back of her neck, "None of this seems right."

Solas looked into the camp once again and saw that they were alone. He then sighed before whispering to Norin, "You feel it too? There is something odd about all of this as well. How long do you have until you can make a decision?"

"A day," Norin whispered back.

"That's not even enough time, that's tomorrow morning," Solas pointed out to the reddening sky, "I say we rest here tonight and leave before anyone notices."

"And how do you suppose we do that? We have my clan, you, me, Sera, and the others to rush out of here to go unnoticed," Norin gestured to inside the cave.

"Then tell them 'yes'," Solas took Norin's upper arm as his voice seemed desperate, "To keep your clan safe and yourself safe, you need to agree to the mages with an alliance."

"You're...right..." Norin murmured as she took a step closer to Solas, "I just don't want them to be hurt. My clan is all that I have left of my old world and I want to keep that world in tact as long as I can."

"Norin," Solas barely spoke above a whisper as he directed her chin upward to look up at him, "I swear I won't let any harm come to them. Just pledge an alliance with the mages in the morning and we will bring your clan home."

As the sun fell, Norin was given a bed in one of the carts. Avala rushed over to her and grabbed her hand, "You can share my bed with me, Keeper! Please?"

Norin smiled down at the excited little girl and went to the other cart where Avala climbed in. There was just enough room for the both of them. She saw how Avala's mother went to bed with her mate nearby, so at least the parents' were fine with the arrangement. Norin crawled into the cart and Avala covered them with a thick blanket. Prior to this night, she hadn't recalled when Avala had been an active member of the clan. She may have been too young to be able to help around the clan. Or she and her parents might have just joined. Then again, after this night, she would inquire about all that information. Avala cuddled close to Norin as she cradled Avala in her arms. For once, in the last few days since Kirkwall, Norin felt the rush of a peaceful sleep as the familiarity of home echoed around her.


She woke with a start as Solas gently shook her awake. Meeting his gaze, he covered her mouth and gestured her to be quiet. Avala was still sleeping and the sky was still dark. Norin gently left the cart with Solas' help where he and Sera helped her leave the camp and met up with Cullen and his soldiers just outside the camp. Darkness surrounded all of them and it was difficult to see, but Norin bumped into a giant mass of fur and knew it was Cullen, "Sorry..."

"Bless the Maker you're okay," he founder her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "When we didn't hear from you last night-"

"The mages wish for an alliance," Solas interrupted, "To get Lavellan's clan out of there and ourselves we need to agree with them."

"And have Haven overrun with mages? What if someone decides to summon a demon or worse?" Cullen responded angrily, "We don't have the number of soldiers able to hold down an abomination!"

"No one is summoning demons or becoming abominations or using blood magic," Norin cut-in before the fighting grew louder, "Solas is right, I want my clan back at Haven and in order to that that safely I will form an alliance with the mage rebellion. Cullen, if the Templars had my clan, I would do the same thing. Please...just understand."

There was a long silence before she could hear Cullen sigh and whisper, "Alright. Let's just get them safely to Haven."

As Norin turned to go back to the cave, the entire camp site went into flames in a massive, fiery explosion. Norin emitted a scream as she rushed through the flames to get to her clan. Then, the shouts of men ran into the camp, Templars... The mages left the burning cave and began fighting the Templars as their swords began dicing through the first few mages. Norin intercepted a Templar who blocked her path into the cave. Using her staff to block his sword, she grabbed his armor and had fire spew from her arm down into her fingers where she roasted him alive. Thrusting him to the ground as he screamed in pain, Norin ran over him into the burning cave to see a few of her clan people struggling to get to the others to leave.

"This way!" she shouted, then someone grabbed her from behind and forced her against the wall.

"Did you bring them here!?" Brienna's eyes were wild with rage as she held a dagger to Norin's neck, "Did you bring the Templars here!? Answer me!"

"I did not!" Norin kicked her off as the tip of her staff engulfed with flames, "Let my clan go!"

"You brought them here!" Brienna cried out as she turned her staff to the clan, "Any alliance with you will never occur!"

"No!" Norin encircled Brienna with an intricate circle of flames before the circle exploded anyone within it.

However, Brienna's electricity shot to the cart that Norin had slept in and had the cart explode to tiny pieces. Norin felt her stomach drop as she ran to the remains. There was too much commotion to find any of her survivors, and those who did survive had ran out and hopefully met with the others. More and more Templars entered the camp site, and one of them had caught hold of one of her clan people. Her body took on the form of being consumed in fire as she ran to the Templar and impaled him with her staff and burning his insides. The clan member ran outside where Norin continued to kill off any Templar that came her way. She felt her soul engulfed in a rageful flame that she left none of her victims alive or gave them any mercy in their deaths.

The battle began dying down as the sun began to rise. Now that she could see into the outside world, she saw the carnage that was left behind. Where a few of her clans people were safe behind her soldiers, there were so many who weren't able to make it. Norin dropped her staff as she stood in the middle of the dead bodies. The mages who survived were detained as well as any Templar that had survived the massacre. Then, she went back into the save and looked among the wreckage for signs of Avala. The child must've escaped with her parents. Norin then found the mother with her throat cut, a Tempar must've gotten her. She continued to search until she found the tunic the girl had worn. It was torn to pieces and specs of blood were all over it. Her stomach dropped even further until she felt a lump in her throat. If she had eaten last night, she would've gotten sick from the fury she felt.

So young... Not even able to control her magic yet... And she was gone... Norin slowly stood up. Silence wafted around her as she took in the betrayal. She turned and began walking slowly out of the cave where she was approached by Solas. Brushing passed him, she picked up her staff and approached the detained mages and Templars. Her eyes lit up into flames as she readied to slaughter them until Cullen blocked her path, "You can't kill them!"

"And let them get away from murdering my family!?" Norin shouted in a different, angrier voice, "And let them live when my clan died!"

"We have five survivors of your clan!" Cullen quickly gestured to the survivors, three men and two women who all seemed shaken and frightened of their surroundings.

"Norin!" Solas barked as he stood in front of her, grasping her arms, "I know you want to take revenge on them. They deserve no more than a painful death, I agree, but you need to calm down!"

"No!" Norin screamed, which caused a wave of fire to knock everyone down, "I will not! I will tear their limbs from their bodies and have them feast on their roasted flesh!"

"Forgive me," Solas spoke as his eyes glowed a bright green and a blunt object hit her in the back of her head, knocking her out cold.


This time, as she woke, it was on her own. She was back in her cabin in Haven. Norin scrambled from her bed and rushed outside where she found the remaining of her clan posting their tents outside her cabin. They hesitated when Norin looked at each of them in a state of surprise. Then, they stood and approached her and touched a part of her body with their fingers as they whispered, "Keeper."

She recalled her outburst before being knocked out. Though her fury had gotten the better of her, she was relieved to know some of her clan members were alive to tell their tale. Norin had them stay inside her cabin rather than sleep outside. Now that they were back, she would protect them with her life. She then went to the Chantry to write out the report of the incident though she kept to herself and her arms crossed. As some tried to speak to her, Norin kept silent and went straight to her office. She had no reason to speak to anyone and she had no desire for it either.

Once she was in her office, she closed the door with a slam as she felt herself beginning to break down. The tears fell from her eyes rapidly as she clutched her desk to keep herself standing. All she could see was Avala's childish features and how as she had jumped and danced fire clicked at her heels with such passion. She had been so young to deserve such an early death. Norin yelled into the empty room as she tossed her desk across the room before sinking into her chair to hold her head. If she could just take these memories out of her head...

Cullen entered the room slowly and closed the door behind him, "Inqui... Norin. I have the prisoners locked in the dungeon to be given a trial when you're ready."

Norin didn't respond as she kept her head in her hands. Cullen cleared his throat as he edged towards her, "I'm very sorry for what happened. I hadn't seen the Templars..."

"No," Norin's voice was low as she dared to look up at Cullen, her eyes filled with bitter anger, "It wasn't just the Templars or just the Mages. Shemlan are to blame here. No elf is safe when a fucking shemlan is nearby making some type of promise!"

"Norin?" Cullen took a step back as Norin stood up, knocking her chair behind her, "This isn't-"

"This is exactly what it is!" Norin spat as she balled her fists to her sides, though they were still engulfed in fire, "I should have known from the start that any human is a no good, filthy liar! Emma sehm'nan! Ma emma harel! Ma halam!"

Cullen backed away to the door as Norin forced the flames to leave her hands as she gripped the back of her chair as another wave of tears emerged from her eyes. She cried out as she felt her heart tear into pieces, "Why is it that anytime a human comes in contact with elves you hurt us? They had no defense... And no matter what they were going to die. Why? Why is it that you humans are so cruel?"

When he opened his mouth to answer, Norin put her hand up, "Just get out. Tel'abelas."

She heard the door swiftly open and close with a loud slam. Norin winced before crumbling to the ground and weeped. Meanwhile, Cullen stormed passed his soldiers and went into the dungeons with his sword. He slammed that door shut and locked it shut before heading towards the prisoners.