I don't know if these would be considered drabbles, so they're really just oneshots consisting of little bits and pieces of the adventures of my Dragon Age: Origins character, Twylle. This first one is kind of an introduction to her character and the backstory I've given her (far before what you see in Origins).
Twylle Mahariel breathed in the fresh air around her. She loved the open air, as did the rest of her clan, but this specific area had special meaning to her. She stood in front of two trees. She sighed sadly at how big they'd gotten. It had been far too long.
Kneeling down, she touched the ground in front of one of the trees. "Andaran atish'an, Mamae," she whispered. "I've missed you." She looked back up at the tree that grew above her mother's grave, and then to her father's. Her light brown eyes shown with the tears she tried to hide. She was strong. She should not cry.
And yet, this was the place where both of her parents had been murdered. By shems.
Her fists clenched at the mere thought of humans. They had robbed her of her family. She became an orphan, passed onto the Keeper to be raised when she was still a child. She sat, leaning back against her mother's tree. "We have traveled a lot, and it is good to be back here. We have gotten much better at evading most humans, and those who do find us... Tamlen and I make sure that they do not live to tell their companions." She turned her head skyward, closing her eyes. The sun shone warmly on her medium brown skin through the leaves.
Tears once again stung her eyes as she remembered her mother's death.
Minaya Mahariel had, against the Keeper's wishes, left to gather some Eflroot. They had been running dangerously low, due to the injuries many of their clansmen had faced hunting. They needed more herbs, but their resources nearby were far too scarce. There had been rumor, however, of a patch near a human village, though no one dared to try to get it. These humans had a strong hatred for elves, though no one knew why. Twylle had been very young at the time, so she didn't understand.
When the Keepr noticed the extended absence of Minaya, she sent a small party of warriors to look for her. After all, Minaya was very skilled in healing, as well as calming the halla when they were distressed. They had found her struck down about halfway between the village and their camp. She must have fled when they saw her, but they caught up with her and killed her. In cold blood. It was something Twylle couldn't grasp at the time, but it sparked a strong dislike for the shems.
Her father, Varras, was furious. He demanded retribution, so he led the same group of warriors to the human village, determined to exact revenge. The humans, however, seemed to expect this attack, and were laying in wait. Only one elf survived, at it was not her father. A large group set out to collect the bodies, including most of the warriors, as well as the Keeper. Her magic would keep them safe. Twylle was left with her childhood friend Tamlen, confused and scared.
Varras's last words were revealed to be, "Ir abelas, da'len."
It was in that moment that her hatred for humans grew. She would not allow any shem she crossed paths with to live. After her innocent, well-wishing mother had been struck down, not one of them deserved to live. She kept her bow at the ready any time they neared a human settlement, bloodthirsty, but not throwing herself into battle. She was not stupid enough to attack them on her own, or even just with Tamlen. She had no intention to die, and she was not willing to risk Tamlen's life, either. Instead, she stood on watch as often as she could. No shemlen would ever get near her clan again. She would make sure of it.
Yeah, a lot of these will be really short, but they're just glimpses into Twylle's life. Basically, since the Dalish travel, her clan has finally returned to the forest where her parents were killed, so she pays them a visit. Also, I will probably be using many Elven phrases (acquired from the wiki) so I will always translate here:
Andaran atish'an Mamae – Greetings, Mother
Ir abelas, da'len – I am sorry, child
And I will translate this one only once for those who many not know: shem/shemlen – humans