"I've got something to show you," Merrill said apprehensively when Hawke stopped by for a visit. It had been a few days since they had seen each other, and Varric warned Hawke that Merrill may be needing a friend. Lately the elf insisted on being by herself Varric had said, so when Merrill appeared excited to see Hawke, it was a welcomed surprise.

Hawke followed Merrill into her bedroom, or rather the smaller of the two rooms in the Dalish elf's hovel. The alienage wasn't far from Gamlens, and the layout of the homes was very similar. In the corner of the room stood a large floor to ceiling mirror, though broken and cracked. Bordered in gold with what appeared to be tree roots circling the base, Hawke found it beautiful, even if a bit pointless. "It doesn't exactly reflect the room Merrill," Hawke stated. "And how in the Maker's name did you get something this large in here?"

"Oh, I had some help," Merrill explained. "There were these nice men that offered to help me for free even! Wasn't that nice of them?"

"Free?" Hawke sighed. "What did these men look like Merrill?"

"They were dressed in leather; all matching too which I thought was so cute," Merrill replied as she looked into the cracked glass.

Hawke looked down at Varric who had accompanied her. "Coterie or Carta?"

"I'll find out," Varric replied. "Neither group is in the business of doing anything for free," he whispered the afterthought so Merrill couldn't hear him.

"Every city used to have one of these," Merrill started explaining, oblivious to the concern of her friends behind her. "Long ago when the elves had an empire that covered Thedas. They would use it as a way to communicate across great distances. This is a piece of our history, one long forgotten by my people. The Keeper disagrees, says it was lost by the ancestors for a reason."

Hawke finally understood. "This is the reason you left the clan."

Merrill nodded, not meeting Hawke's gaze. "I have been trying to restore the mirror. Some of the shards were corrupted though. I needed the assistance of a...spirit...to help me."

"Which is what introduced you to blood magic," Hawke concluded.

"It required a stronger magic than I have," Merrill answered with a nod. "The Keeper refused to aid me, and I had no access to lyrium at the camp, so I used what was available to me."

"A demon," Hawke stated.

"A spirit," Merrill corrected her. "With his help I was able to purify the glass but it still won't work. I think I know what I need, but it will be difficult to get my hands on."

Hawke felt Varric nudge her in the back. This must be the reason Varric really wanted her to visit Merrill. The elf needed something, and Varric wanted her to help. "What is it you need Merrill?"

Dearest Father,

I don't know if what I did today was right. Merrill said I was the first real friend she had ever had, just because I supported her in her cause to restore some ancient mirror from her people's past. Am I a friend to encourage someone who dabbles in blood magic and makes deals with demons? It goes against everything I believe in, everything you taught me, and yet I couldn't deny her.

Merrill's entire clan is against her for what she is attempting to do. Why do I not agree with them? Why did I not convince her that what she is doing is wrong? Surely the Dalish know more about this mirror than I do, and some of them are even afraid of Merrill because of what she is doing. One of her own people ran from the sight of her straight into a Varterral! Why in the Maker's name am I helping her?

Merrill reminded me that we aren't as different as I like to think we are. That I know what it's like to lose everything, just as she has. This was a choice she made though...I didn't choose to lose you, or both of my siblings, or my home in Ferelden. But this was for something she believes in, something that she knows will help her clan in the end even if they don't agree. She was so passionate in her pleas, so determined and yet so alone in wanting to help them not forget their past or where they came from. If she manages to achieve what she believes she can achieve, it could open up a whole new world for the Dalish again.

I admit I know very little about Dalish history, but enough to know that they were once the dominant race in Thedas until the Tevinter Imperium dragged the elves into slavery. Forced into hiding they had given up on much of their history and traditions for the sake of survival. Perhaps it is my duty as a human, and especially a mage, to help restore that past in any way I can. I don't know...it just felt like the right thing to do. I hope supporting her in this is a wise choice. I have no doubt some of my companions would not see it this way, but it's a decision that has already been made.

Speaking of decisions, I'll be going to the Gallows tomorrow. I know I said I was going to avoid it for as long as possible, but something happened at Sundermount today that I can not ignore. A group of templars showed up and demanded the Dalish hand over Feynriel, the boy that was dreaming of demons. The hunters said one of the templars tortured and killed a clan member trying to get information. When we arrived the hunters and the templars were about to engage in a full out war over the incident. Luckily I managed to convince the templars to back down, but I don't know for how long that will last.

Very few people knew that Feynriel had gone to the Dalish. Which means someone had to have ordered the templars to go to Sundermount; allowed them to use whatever force was necessary to capture him. I don't know who that someone is, but I'm going to find out.

I wonder if Knight-Captain Cullen will be happy to see me after all of these years. I still haven't thanked him for taking my brother away. I hope Carver is there as well. Yes Father, tomorrow should prove to be an interesting day indeed.