And here we are. I didn't upload this chapter back then because I wanted to put a pause of the story to further brainstorm everything. Realizing I wanted to add flashbacks to the existing chapters but needed the readers to know, I basically started over. Otherwise this chapter was already done and waiting to be uploaded so here we are.

Just further anger issues from poor Quen being bullied.

We also come back to the Tera world for a bit. This chapter sorta is a breaktime before more Inquisition msq and having characters interact with one another.

Thedas. The Dales. 9:22 Dragon. Nineteen years ago

Sitting by the bank of the river, some distance away from the camp, Quen scrubbed at the mud on his arms and face, wincing every time the cuts and scrapes stung from the cold water. The bruised skin around his eye throbbed painfully from the fist he took to the face earlier.

'You're just a FREAK! Just like your mom!'

He scrubbed faster, holding back the hot tears that threatened to resurface as the voices of the other kids echoed through his head.

'Your mother belongs with the Flat-ears in the Alienage!'

'She's a disgrace to our people! She even refuses to wear Vallaslin like the rest of our people!'

The bruise around his eye throbbed. Quen clenched his teeth in anger.

'No matter what you do, you'll never be a true Dalish like us!'

'You're just a nobody!'

'You don't deserve to call yourself Dalish! Or an elf for any reason!'

In a fit of rage, Quen seized a large rock in the river. Whipping his body around, he yelled an air of frustration as he hurled the rock hard into the tree behind him; the stone making a loud thud as it smashed into the bark. Panting for a few moments, Quen let his shoulders slump, his head falling forward. Sucking in his bottom lip, his body trembled.

He wasn't going to cry. If he did, it showed weakness. It showed the other children that their cruel words hurt him.

He hated them.

He hated the adults in his clan who would look at his mother and him with looks of disdain. They always did it behind his father's and their Keeper's backs. Whenever the two mages weren't watching, the whispers of disgust and shaming would resurface. Of course, his mother would hold her head high and ignore the gossip. She knew which adults would refuse to help her when she needed something, but some were unavoidable.

But while Quen's mother could endure the hatred, the children would find opportunities to harass Quen when none of the adults were around.

Quen's pointed ears twitched at the sound of the bushes rustling. He grabbed another rock and waited for the newcomer. As soon as he saw the familiar Vallaslin markings on his father's face, he relaxed, dropping the stone.

"Quen? What are you doing out here?" Haleir asked, brushing aside the branches with his staff. He stopped when he noticed the black eye Quen was sporting. Haleir frowned, walking up to his son before taking a knee in front of him. "Quen. What happened?"

Biting his lip, Quen turned his head away, ashamed to look at his father. "I fell." He stated, refusing to say more.

Haleir sighed, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Quen." He said with a stern voice. "Do not lie to me. What happened?"

Hesitating for a few moments, Quen quickly wiped away the moisture beginning to gather around his eyes. "The other kids... they were saying nasty things... about me and mom…" His shoulders began to slowly shake. The tears rolled down Quen's face, his skin feeling hot from the salty water.

Arms then embraced Quen into a warm hug as he continued to sob into his father's shoulder. Haleir began to rub little circles on his son's back. "I'll talk to their parents. They should know better."

Haleir's frown deepened. This was the third time now. It seemed that the other adults and their children weren't going to let go of their hatred for Laisa and Quen. "I want you to keep away from them." He said. "Stay with your mother from now on."

Quen nodded, wiping the snot dribbling from his nose. "Dad," He whimpered. "Why do people hate mom? Is it because she does not have Vallaslin like the other adults?"

Haleir was silent as he pushed Quen's white locks aside, examining the extent of the damage to the bruise. "The others... see your mother as someone different." He said as he summoned a small healing aura around his palm before reaching up to Quen's face. "Some have come to accept her, while others haven't." As the soothing aura mended the broken blood vessels under the skin, he continued. "The Keeper and I do try to sway their hateful opinions of her, but some of them are just stubborn."

"Then why do we still live with the clan?" Quen tugged at his father's robes desperately. Haleir kept his balance and focused on fixing the various scrapes and scratches on his son. "Why can't we just leave?"

"It's not that simple." Haleir lamented. Of course, it wasn't. Haleir had thought and discussed with Laisa about such an idea before and went over the concerns.

He had the duty of being First to their clan, to lead their people when their Keeper, Zathrian, could no longer.

Even if he and his family left the clan with Lanaya as promoted to being First, Haleir was still a mage. Outside the safety of the clan, the world viewed him as an apostate. He would have to be even more careful than usual, especially hiding the fact he could use magic and possibly be on the move more often. While wandering on his own was not much of an issue, his family would also be with him, which would leave Haleir at a heavy disadvantage.

Quen was just a child, Riella a baby, and Laisa's epileptic episodes would place Haleir in a position of not only having to defend himself but also his wife and son and baby daughter. It was better for them to stay with the clan - where Laisa had the proper care and where it was safer than out in the unknown.

"It never is simple…" Quen murmured, sucking in his lip.

"Unfortunately, that is the way of life. We can't always have what we want." Haleir then patted his son's head. "But what we can do is try to make the most of what we have." He looked at Quen. "I will do what I can, but if they do not stop, I want you to stay away from them. You are better than them in every other way."

"What do you mean?"

"By continuing to bully you, they are no better than the Shemlans who hate us elves. Be stronger than them - do not hate others just because they are different. Fight back - but not with violence. Be the strong tree with deep roots in a rushing stream."

Wiping away the rest of his tears, Quen nodded. It was hard though, for the young elf to try to remember his father's words when the harassment continued. Instead, his anger stayed and reminded him of how much he hated that he and his family were looked down upon.

Present

Princess Rida arrived and made her way down the stone steps to the lake, accompanied by her closest maid and guard. As soon as she reached the water's edge, the Elin princess folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

It did not take long before a fountain of water, and light erupted from the lake. As the shower of water finished leaving ripples behind, a woman was seen floating in the air with a set of black and white wings tipped with gold on the edges. Rida's maid knelt in a bow to the holy deity before them.

"Princess Rida," The woman spoke, her voice nearly echoing with an ethereal reverb. "I've been expecting you."

Rida snorted to herself. Of course, the Goddess of Fate would be able to foretell her unannounced visit. "Since you know why I'm here, Mystel, we can skip all the formalities." She waved her hand at the goddess to hurry along.

Mystel smiled as she glided down towards the Elin princess. "I do apologize that Seren is unable to contact you as of late. She, the other goddesses, and I are doing what we can to hold the Breach from spreading." Before Rida could question the statement, Mystel continued. "It is worse than we thought."

"You still don't know who is behind this?" Rida noticed that the usual flare of lights and butterflies that would attend the goddess and surround the Elin like an annoying parade were absent. Just how much power was Mystel sacrificing just to talk to her instead of using it to keep the fissures at bay?

There were so few gods left in the world of Arborea after the Divine War and even fewer still who stayed in contact with mortals in a friendly manner. The evil gods didn't come forward to claim responsibility for the Breach's presence in their world, so that ruled them out for the moment. But even then, they did not come forward to further aid those preventing the Breach's spread, nor did they come to aid those behind the cause.

Mystel shook her head. "We have been too busy upholding the barriers. Whoever is causing this wants us gods distracted." She then closed her eyes and sighed. "Truly, if only my powers were not sealed away from the aftermath of the war…" Moving aside to give a full view of the lake, she conjured an illusion of a tree-like path on the water's surface before Rida. Some of the branches began to entwine with one another and others moved back towards the main path. "What I can tell you is this: these events were not supposed to happen. Not like this."

Rida raised a brow as she shifted in her stance. "Care to explain?" Her maid remained silent, listening to this conversation without interruption.

"Our destinies and fates have a set path." The main trunk of the tree path lit up as Mystel said this. "But," One of the branches lit up as well. "Due to the choices made by those responsible, they have interfered with the destinies of many and set our world's path off course."

"This is an alternate timeline happening then?" The princess's tail flicked around uneasily.

Mystel nodded, her feathered wings fluttering in the air. "This timeline and universe should not exist, but it does. And because of that, it entwines with the other world's fate now. Things that shouldn't have happened in the other world, now do." Her eyes opened. "The Chosen Ones, though, they can fix what has happened. Only they and their older sisters can put our worlds back on the fates destined for them. This is what I know." She then concluded, the illusion rippling away.

Princess Rida placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "Will they? Isn't there anything the rest of us can do? We simply can't just stand still keeping up a defense and leave the fate of our worlds in the Fae Sisters' hands."

"Little Princess," Mystel reached over to pat Rida on the head, an act which the Elin princess would usually object to, but this was a goddess doing it; one who had been around since the creation of their world; the deity had every right to treat every mortal like the Elin as a child. "You do care about those four don't you?"

Despite being unable to keep her cheeks from being flushed in embarrassment, Rida managed to keep her composure otherwise. "They've each served under the royal court for some time, be it under me or my sisters. They…" She paused, huffing, as her maid stifled a giggle. "They've grown on me. Honestly, they are more enjoyable to interact with compared to my ridiculous and arrogant sister, Arin; and they remind me of Syona and Zolyn."

Rida was just a child when the two older Fae sisters were born from the garden; Syona by her side, showing her how the magic from Seren weaved a new life. She watched the two grow up alongside her as they first served as handmaids to her. Thankfully, neither of the twins was like her own flesh and blood sister, Arin.

Arin often felt undermined by Rida and the rest of her royal siblings due to the fact she had no magical talent or connection to the Dream like the rest of the royal family. Because of that, Arin felt compelled to pick fights with her sister from simple to big and political. One such recent incident involved the kingdom's banner, whether they should have squirrel or fox tails. The ridiculous political war was something Rida didn't care about and admonished Arin for. During the unnecessary feud between the two princesses, enemies had tried to invade Pora Elinu while the Queen was away at the battlefront of the Argon war.

Eirai and Zyllian were quite a pair for Rida, and the two Fae sisters reminded her of her older twin sisters, Syona Zolyn. While Erune and Eruno are almost exact opposites, Zyllian and Eirai act nearly the same in personality, ambitions, and sometimes stubbornness. When the two reached their teens, they enlisted in the Federation Army. Zyllian soon returned home to Pora Elinu to be part of Princess Zolyn's regiment in the Argon War. The closeness Zyllian had to Zolyn, extended to Syona and Rida in turn, something the current Elin Princess thought of fondly.

Rida was there for Syona when news of Zolyn's death came. But during that time, Rida had forgotten about Eirai's grief and the consequences were irreversible. It was something both Rida and Eirai later regretted and the two tried to make up for it: Eirai being the older sister to Eruno and Erune and Rida tutoring Erune with her connection to the Dream.

Mystel smiled back and spoke, taking Rida out of her thoughts. "I understand. The bond between the four of them is strong, one that is more than just being related by blood. Something Zolyn and Syona had as well." Mystel then looked to the side solemnly. "The Fae Sisters will each have a trial to overcome that will test their bonds. But with this Breach, whatever these tests may be, they will have to encounter them in the other world now." She lifted her hand to observe how transparent her skin was becoming. "Time is short. I cannot stay for much longer. The others need my assistance again."

"What-," Rida had to choose the right words quickly. "What will happen to the four of them?"

The transparency of Mystel's body grew as she began to fade at a rapid rate. "Should they complete these trials, they won't be the same as you had last seen them. Farewell Princess Rida. I will contact you again when I am able - though it may be some time until then. Our hearts see you. Always." With that, she vanished. The sounds from the bubbling waterfall of the lake could be heard in the distance, along with the chirps of birds and insects.

Rida looked down at the water's surface and whispered under her breath. "My heart sees yours too." She then huffed before turning around with a swish of her many-layered skirts and walked away, her shoes clicking against the broken stone tiles.

Her maid quickly rose to their feet and followed close to her heels. "My Lady, what is our next course of action?" The Elin maid asked.

"Send out letters to the Federation leaders." Rida said sharply, her lips curling in disgust. "And one to Pora Elinu. Mother - I mean the Queen - must also be alerted as well. This Breach has called away all the Gods who are allied with us. We cannot sit on our thumbs and be distracted by other minor political affairs. We are at war."

xoxoxo

"Ruru!" Niyum jumped up and down when he spotted Erune materialize in the Dream. "You're back!" The rest of the other children turned their attention to the spot where their friend's body rested. Anya and Kiecey dropped the dolls and toys they were playing with on the sand and ran over. Jerdan let the acorn tops he and Pilt made continue to spin on the flat boulder as he slipped down the large rock, followed by his human friend.

The Elin blinked as she fully became aware that she was back in her world's spirit realm, this time on a beach by the shore. Looking around at each of the five children (one Popori, two humans, boy and girl, one elf girl, and one Amani boy), she let out a sigh of relief after counting them and waved back. "I'm back."

It was good that she was able to see them again. She wasn't always able to visit them when she slept. Her visits were much more sparse since she traveled to the other world, possibly due to how far she was from the Dream.

"So!" Jerdan crossed his arms as he grinned. "It's been a while again. What new things happened in the other world?" The Amani child nudged aside a rock with one of his clawed feet into the sand.

Erune filled the children in with new stories of her latest adventures, something which the five young ones eagerly enjoyed listening to every time she came by to visit them. It often got boring for the children here. While this place, created by the essence of the Tiaran tree, was a haven from the darker parts of the spirit world, it also kept the children themselves away from the gods themselves (something which frustrated the Federation, as they had used the five children's communication to the gods as a way to gain an upper hand in the Argon war for a short amount of time).

The beach where the five of them and Erune were residing was part of the Stepstone isle. The island itself here in the Dream was a spiritual counterpart of the island in the waking world, though it lacked the village that had been built there. It was as if the spiritual counterpart was when the Tiaran tree and the island first came to be right after the Divine war, long before mortals inhabited it.

Even though this was still the Dream, time still seemed to pass here, though it did not coincide with time in Arborea directly. Instead, it had a mind and random schedule of its own; the children didn't mind though; they loved to see the night stars as much as the soft white clouds with the bright sun.

Kiecey brushed her blonde locks behind her pointed ears before commenting on Erune's latest news. "So funny, that this other world has people similar to Jerdan and very short people like Popori like Niyum." With that, she giggled, the other children joining in. "So much in common our worlds have with each other and yet there is so much different." The elf girl then sighed. "I do wish we could see it. And the other lands you have traveled to back in our world." Anya nodded with a solemn face as well.

Erune visibly tensed but then Pilt, seeing this, raised his hand and interjected. "Oh, oh! Erune! We've all been practicing some new tricks! Niyum, come on!" He hopped to his feet and helped the little Popori child up as well. Both headed over to the surf of the ocean before facing each other, Pilt's hands reaching down towards Niyum's, which were raised up toward him.

As the two children closed their eyes, their arms moved in sync with each other. From the sea's surface, a spool of water flowed out like a stream of clear blue thread, the tip of the stream following the two children's hands. Opening their eyes simultaneously, the human boy and Popori child raised the stream into the air and crossed it back like a figure eight. They both then took a step back and, with one of their hands, called upon the wind to pick up around them. The swift air blew small grains of sand that encircled the dancing water as the two continued to expand more in their extravagant display of magic.

Feeling the familiar thrum of magical energy in the air like a warm breeze, Erune relaxed and settled back on the beach.

Once Niyum and Pilt guided the water back into the sea, the other three children and Erune clapped, the sounds echoing through the windy breeze of the ocean. The warm air around them began to slowly cool, the sun starting to set beyond the ocean's edge.

When the clapping ceased, Jerdan got up and cartwheeled over to the edge of the surf as Niyum and Pilt headed back to sit down. The Amani boy planted his draconic tree-trunk like feet apart in a stance as he took a deep breath. Flames suddenly burst around his tightened fists. Shuffling his claws in the sand, he began to sway, allowing the flames to shoot out and enwrap around his limbs in a swirling blaze but never touching or burning his scaly skin. Each time he kicked or punched in his dance, the fire flicked out like a serpent's tongue before retracting back just as swiftly as it came. The other children and Erune watched in awe as the orange glow from the flames reflected in their eyes. As Jerdan brought his feet back together and clapped his palm around his fist, the fire all collected back into his arms and let out a series of lightning sparks before ceasing. A bright grin swept across his face when the other clapped for his performance.

After Jerdan finished and sat back down beside Pilt, Kiecey and Anya stood up and walked over to the sandbar. Jerdan snickered and reached towards Pilt and Niyum for a high-five. Erune smiled as she brought her attention back to the two girls who had just finished preparing.

Anya gathered a few grains of sand on the tip of her finger and encased them within a large bubble of water that she allowed to float up into the air. The light from the setting sun shines upon the oily surface of the bubble, giving it an iridescence of color. Kiecey joined Anya, blowing some more bubbles out of thin air that rose up to join the rest. With a wave of their hands, the round bubbly orbs changed shape, bending in and out to form small little petals. Within moments, the spherical bubbles turned into flowers instead.

Pursing their lips together, both Kiecey and Anya blew into their hands. As they did this, the size of the flowers began to grow at immense rates until they were larger than each of the children there. Even as the soft wind blew, the large bubble flowers stayed within an arm's reach of the human and elf girls' presence.

Suddenly, Anya and Kiecey smacked their palms together, the bubbles popping, spilling forth little tiny white flower petals. A sea breeze picked up the flowers and carried them away. Anya and Kiecey curtsied as Erune and the boys began to clap.

"That was amazing! All of you!" Erune said as she sat up, the tenderness in her voice as she continued to clap. "Your magic and control has been getting so much better! It has improved so much!"

Pilt chuckled. "Heh, I wonder if we'll be able to do just as well when we're finally able to wake up!" The laugh of the human boy then let out had a solemn tone to it then. "How long has it been since we've been sleeping now?"

With those words, a sudden depression swept over the children and Erune, the recent joy and excitement from the displays diminished.

"Three years." Erune sadly remarked as her cat ears drooped.

"We should be teenagers by now." Jerdan began to murmur. "Just like our parents when they came to this island."

Niyum fidgeted nervously as he picked at the sand with his paws. "Here in the Dream, we're always kids. Kinda like that book Pilt's mom had once. The one about the boy who never grew up?" Like Erune, his own furry ears drooped as well. "It's fun being able to play every day here, but I also like the idea of being able to grow up." Erune patted the Popori child on the back, but she couldn't say anything.

It was true, one of these days, the children would have to wake up-but when? How long would they have to wait? What if it took many, many years? By then, they should have been adults. But by living here in an endless loop, unable to grow and mature in both mind and body? They were stuck in limbo.

"I'm sorry." Erune finally said, her eyes starting to wet.

Anya's brown hair nearly got into her face as she quickly grasped Erune's hand. "Erune, it isn't your fault! How many times do we have to say that!" The other children nodded with her. "You were in danger! We all just wanted to save you!"

To Erune, no matter what they said, it was still her fault. If she had been faster, or stronger, then what had happened wouldn't have happened and the children wouldn't have to be stuck here in the Dream for who knows how long.

She looked back up at Anya, the sun finally disappearing past the edge of the horizon, leaving the light of the moon to illuminate the beach and the children. "I just wish I could have done more to help all of you." She felt a nasty lump within her throat that she tried to swallow.

"We know that." Anya smiled at Erune before hugging her. "And we don't blame you for any of this. Someday we will come back. Someday."

Kiecey joined in on the hug. "Don't worry Erune. We're still with you, remember? Our hearts see you. Always. That's what you taught us."

My heart sees you. Always.

That was a saying Princess Rida would say to her. A precious saying that meant so much to her that she taught to the children.

Jerdan then spoke up. "It should be morning soon for you right?"

As Anya drew back, Erune glanced down at her hands and feet and saw that she could see the sand through her transparent limbs. "It appears so. I'll be waking up very soon." Rubbing her eyes, she forced a smile back to the children. "I'll try to come back here when the connection to the Dream is stable. I promise."

Darkness then started to cloud around her vision, her body feeling weak as it fell back against the soft sand. Just as her consciousness in the Dream began to fade, she heard the children all voice their goodbyes aloud to her.

"Our hearts see you. Always.

Erune felt fingers petting her cat ears as she slowly awoke from her sleep. Quen's crouching form blocked the blinding morning light that shone through the tent flap.

"Sorry." Quen chuckled, ceasing in his scritching. "I didn't mean to wake you." He straightened up.

Erune shook her head sleepily. "No, it's fine. It felt nice." She let out a little yawn. "Can you continue, please?" The sensation of his fingers against her scalp left a calm and relaxing feeling through her.

Quen laughed quietly. "Sure." With that, he went back to petting her head and ears until Varric called for them outside the tent to come get breakfast.

xoxoxo

Once Quen, his companions (old and new), and the Fae Sisters arrived back at Haven with the Bull's Chargers, said mercenaries fanned out, each taking in the facilities the village had while a few set up a bunch of tents around the outside of the walls of the town. Vivienne and Solas each went their own ways in Haven while Varric took Eruno and Sera to the tavern to grab a drink. The Iron Bull would have joined the three, but first the Qunari went to go meet with Leliana to discuss further about the deal the Inquisition made with the Ben-Hassrath. Eirai headed over to check in on Cullen and the rest of the troops, whose numbers had grown some since Quen and company had returned. Not enough to be considered a substantial army yet; that is, if the Inquisition needed to go to war; hopefully things would not need to come to that before they were prepared.

"Quen," Josephine called out, heading over to the elf as soon as she had heard that he and the others had returned. "I have a few letters for you from your clan." She held out the folded parchments, which Quen quickly took with a word of thanks.

Just before the group had departed to Val Royeux to appeal to the Chantry clergy, Quen had asked Leliana and her scouts to find his clan and deliver news of his wellbeing. Leliana sent her elvhen scouts, those fluent in Dalish, to not alarm the clan of their presence. The fact that Quen had received letters from his people was good news that the negotiations had gone well.

The first letter was from his Keeper, her handwriting neat and clean.

Da'len,
Andaran atish'an. It does my heart well to hear that you are safe. Our clan was visited by members of the Inquisition who spoke persuasively of the good work you are doing, as well as the fairness with which our kind have been treated by the Inquisition itself.

Mythal has truly blessed you with the presence of the Elins. Perhaps it is fate that you were to have come across them. Creators watch over you all.

We would be a distraction if we came to the Inquisition itself, our hunters arguing with the humans as they so easily do. Nevertheless, if you need aid, send word, and we are with you.

I cannot risk sending Riella to Haven to join you. Since the appearance of the Breach and the fissures, her magic has gotten more erratic when she practices.

Dareth shiral,
Keeper Istimaethoriel Deshanna Lavellan

The second letter was written by his sister. He smiled as he looked at the familiar smudges of ink against the parchment. Some words were misspelled and crossed out to be rewritten. Some of the letters had his sister's trademark loops that she insisted on leaving in her writing even though most penmanship didn't have that. (She said she liked making those loops because it made writing easier and that it was stupid that they didn't make lettering that way normally)

Quen,

The Keeper told me what happinn happened to you. I remember seeing the Breach in the sky when it happened. I don't know how to explain it but I felt a tugging sensation in me when I saw it.

My head has been hurting a lot since then, that's probably why Keeper Deshanna wouldn't let me go after to the Conclai Conclave to hear if you were alright. I don't get why I get these mygrayn migraines. Usually the healer's herbs would help, like when I get my monthly moon bleeding but this time, the pain is continuous. Everyone has been keeping an eye on me and Keeper won't let me wander off as much any more. She said she doesn't want me to be in danger when I get the headaches.

Mom used to get headaches too right? Dad was always fussing about her. I don't want to have that though. I miss mom and dad. Like I miss you.

You met some people called Elins right? They said they're from another world? How is that possible? You left to just listen in on some talks of a political meeting and suddenly there is a big green thing in the sky, demons popping out, and people from another world?

Ugh! It's not fair that you get all the fun! Here I am stuck in bed with pounding headaches! I'm so jealous of you Quen! I hate this!

That's mean. I shouldn't be so selfish. I just wish I could be with you. Sorry brother. My head just hurts a lot. Keeper and the others pointed out that I've been cranky because of the migraine.

I wish I could meet those Elins at least. They sound really cool. They have animal ears and tails? I wish I could see what they looked like. Maybe if the headaches get better, I can convince Keeper Deshanna to send a group of us to come help you in the Inkwisishen Inquisition. It sounds really fun. Keeper says that it's more than just that though and that it's actually very complicated, just like the Conclave was. Why is the world so complicated all the time?

I don't know what else to write.

I miss you

Riella Lavellan

Quen felt a twinge of sorrow when he finished his sister's letter. She and Sera would get along if they met. He thought.

The news of Riella starting to have headaches was troubling though. It did sound similar to what his mother had. As he pocketed both the letters and gave Josephine his thanks before departing, he silently prayed to his Creators that this was just a temporary ailment for Riella. He didn't want it to get worse and have her end up like their mother.

xoxoxo

By nightfall, the barracks outside of Haven was still bustling with the sound of activity of soldiers training.

With one swift kick of her legs, Eirai knocked down the soldier she was training with. "Not bad." She remarked, leaning over to help the dwarf to his feet.

Elves and humans seemed to be the most common in Thedas. There were few dwarves walking around on the "surface" or what they called "top-side", the majority preferring to stay underground as much as possible. Despite having lesser numbers compared to human and elves, the number of Dwarves in Ferelden and Orlais were larger than the number of Qunari in the general populace

"Your stance is good," Eirai commented. "but you need to time your strikes and reflexes better. Not every opponent is going to be bigger and slower than you." With that, she then directed the dwarf to practice sparring with another recruit.

It had been a while since she had trained soldiers before she came to Thedas. When raising Erune and Eruno, she had also been an instructor for much of the guard of Pora Elinu after she had retired from the Federation (that was until they reinstated her after Erune and Eruno were made into special agents; she came back as both a chaperone and a guardian for the two). During those years, she had done her best to teach her little sisters combat skills as well, though Erune was very shy and timid in those lessons and spent most of her time working on her magic with Princess Rida.

The familiarity of such a practice of being an instructor came back immediately when she decided to help Cullen with the Inquisition's troops. Her skills in being an army general for the Federation prior to being an instructor for Pora Elinu were still sharp as ever.

Taking a deep breath, she watched her hot breath float up into the cold winter air of the mountains.

Her rabbit ears twitched slightly as she picked up the familiar sound of Quen's voice nearby, along with Commander Cullen's. She looked over past the barracks and spare tents to see the human and the elf on a nearby ledge, the two conversing.

Eirai idly watched the two from afar. She noted how Quen often tried to get close to Cullen during their frequent conversations in Haven, the brush of hands hidden as ones done accidentally and the soft smiles. Eirai had seen such interactions amongst her troops when she was a general back in the old days to know that Quen was deliberately flirting with Cullen, and Cullen was starting to finally take notice, his own reactions flustered and nervous.

Today seemed to be different from Quen's usual flirtations. The elf appeared to be fiddling with something in his pouch by his side as he talked with Cullen, this time avoiding eye contact in blushing slightly.

The next words Cullen mouthed back caused Quen to stiffen, his hand coming back out of the pouch, empty-handed. He forced a smile. But even from where Eirai was, she could see the disappointment in his eyes as he made apologetic motions before suddenly turning and wandering off, leaving Cullen alone.

Eirai filed away this interaction in her mental notes where she kept tabs on everyone she had met, this particular event going into both the folder of Quen and Cullen's profiles.

It wasn't her place to confront Quen about her observations. While eavesdropping and spying on others was often considered rude, it was a force of habit for the rabbit Elin. She noted that the Inquisition's Spymaster, The Iron Bull, and Vivienne had watchful eyes as well (only one working one for the qunari).

Either way, Quen's relations were his own to handle, but Eirai couldn't quite shake the familiar feelings of seeing him as a younger sibling. He reminded her much of Zyllian back in their younger days.

Mentally shaking her head, she went to grab her throwing knives to practice her throwing skills on a nearby free training dummy.

xoxoxo

Quen had managed to avoid running into Cullen that night at dinner. After the rejection from the Commander, seeing him again would be awkward for Quen. It always was awkward for the elf when he faced rejection after flirting with another for a few weeks.

Usually Quen would have his sister to talk to about his crushes, but Riella wasn't there; he would need to find someone else to talk it out with.

He couldn't talk to Leliana, he had been avoiding the Nightingale outside the war table conversations and even then, he could feel the woman's worried gaze burning into the side of his head when he tried to occupy himself with the discussions with the other advisors.

Quen had overheard Sera outright announce that she was into women, but she was busy hanging out with The Iron Bull and Eruno most of the time (The Iron Bull himself was a sexually active person like Sera but the two kept their more raunchy and overly adult and explicit jokes to themselves for the young squirrel Elin, especially after she told them her real age mentally) and Quen was wary of the Qunari still.

Cassandra seemed to have her nose in some of Varric's infamous romance novels, so her advice on crushes would be more based on her cheesy romantic literature.

Varric could have had experience, considering he was the one who wrote the romance books Cassandra was reading. The dwarf novelist was also good friends with the Champion of Kirkwall, Hawke, who was well known for being in a relationship with two of his male companions. But Varric was occupied with Eruno and Sera at that moment, so if Quen wanted advice from him, the elf would have to ask later.

Quen hadn't gained Vivienne's full trust yet, so confiding with her seemed ridiculous at this time being.

Erune herself was still a child in her personality and based on Quen's interactions with her, she was innocent when it came to matters of love. He could've talked to her, but she was with Vivienne.

Funny enough, Solas was another one of Quen's personal fancies. The apostate elf had many fascinating stories he shared with Quen about the Fade. But despite Quen's own personal flirtations, Solas either seemed not to notice or return them like Cullen had; he also did not seem like someone to converse with on such a topic.

Zyllian. Quen barely was able to talk to the demonic looking Elin (speaking of which, what kind of animal was she supposed to be? Eruno was a squirrel, Erune a cat, and Eirai a rabbit. So what was Zyllian? Her demon horns and black horsetail reminded Quen of some of the artwork of nightmarish horse demons he had seen in the past), she only talked to her sisters and no one else (most of the other party members had given up speaking with her, but Varric seemed to try to crack a conversation now and then before they fell flat. Even so, the dwarf persisted when he could). Discussing anything with her wasn't possible.

Josephine was held up in the Chantry with Cullen, Leliana, and Cassandra, the four going over the usual Inquisition business.

That left one person to talk to.

As Quen ducked out of the small tavern of Haven, bidding goodnight to the rest of his companions who were still drinking away, he turned and looked out across the main square of the village, the falling snow taking a break in its flurries for the night. He then saw Eirai sitting on one of the stone ledges, helping herself to a mug of hot tea, her braided hair no longer in its usual bun. When he approached to greet her, she glanced up at him before nodding at the spot beside her for him to sit. Quen brushed away some of the cold snow on the flat stones with his fingerless gloved hands before sitting down besides the rabbit Elin.

The two sat quietly for a few minutes, Eirai occasionally taking small sips of her tea while Quen thought over his words for a conversation, the two watching the soft shimmering rainbow river hue from the polar lights contend with the wisping green light from the Breach in the night sky.

"Eirai," Quen finally said. "Have you ever been in a relationship?"

The rabbit Elin finished her tea and put the empty mug beside her, the sound of the baked clay clicking against the stone. "I have. In fact, there is someone right now. She is back in my world." Quen blinked, turning his head to the Elin as she continued. "Due to the severity of the situation of the Breach in my world and my mission, I had very little time to say goodbye to her."

"What's her name, if I may ask?"

"Reina. Reina Rose." Eirai smiled softly at Quen. "She is an Elin like myself."

Quen felt more relaxed, as he was eager to learn more about his companion. "How did the two of you meet?"

Eirai let out a warm sigh. "I hired her as a commissioner alchemist for potions for my journeys. We started sending letters back and forth to each other and then it went on from there I suppose." She then eyed him. "What brings up your inquiries about my love life?"

Quen's face flushed from embarrassment for a moment of being called out like that; he quickly looked away while rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I had a crush on a certain commander I suppose…" He trailed off.

"Commander Cullen?" Eirai hid her smile as Quen nodded back in confirmation. "He is a nice man. It did take him a bit to get used to me and my sisters' animal features and brightly colored hair, but he tries to be friendly and a leader to the troops. You are not the only one to be crushing on him. Some of the women of Haven and the female soldiers have also been talking about him as well."

The corners of Quen's mouth frowned from those last words. "Yeah. It seems he is a bit too shy of any sort of flirtations, especially from another man." He then felt like he needed to open up more. "This isn't the first time I've been rejected. I've even had a few relationships in the past, but in the end, they either didn't work out, or they were just onetime flings. All with men, of course." He added the last bit quietly.

Eirai looked his way and patted his arm. "It'll be alright. I understand. Before I met Reina, I had a few flings when I was still a general. I didn't think I would find anyone, especially when I started to devote my time to take care of my sisters instead. I wasn't expecting anything to happen between me and Reina at all, but it happened. But it did. I felt something with her. You'll find someone someday, don't worry."

Quen's smile came back at that, though there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes. "You're right. It just hurts right now."

"I know. Having to halt the pursuit of a relationship is tough, especially in the beginning. My last partner, let's just say it didn't go well with them in the end." Eirai chuckled with a sad tone. "It wasn't pretty to say the least. One of the reasons for breaking it off was the fact that my life-span and theirs differed far too differently." She had a melancholic look in her eyes, as if there was more to the story.

"Sorry to hear that." Quen apologized. "But with Reina now, she's an Elin, so it will work out for the two of you much better right?"

Eirai just smiled at him, folding her hands in her lap. "I suppose so." She didn't say anything more.

Quen decided to drop that topic. "You know, I usually have my little sister to talk to about my relationships. Since she isn't here, I didn't really have anyone else to talk to. Thanks." The Elin nodded back.

"I was wondering about your sister. Is she well?"

Rubbing the back of his neck again, Quen decided to explain his sister's special needs to Eirai and her letter. "My parents knew how to take care of her best, but they're gone, so the Keeper and I have had to figure out what was the best way to help raise Riella with her needs." He finished.

"What happened to your parents, if I may ask?"

Quen didn't hesitate in his answer. "They were killed when I was thirteen. Riella was only eight when it happened." He felt Eirai's hand touch his arm in sympathy. "I had to learn to grow up at an early age."

Not to mention the constant bullying and hatred from the rest of his father's clan, all of that caused him to grow up quickly. He had learned early on that the world was going to be cruel and even with all the love from his family and friends, there was always going to be those with evil intent.

He had to be strong in this world, strong enough to protect people like Riella.

People like Erune.

Eirai spoke again. "We Elins never have any parents, instead, we are born from giant flowers in a sacred garden in our home. Elins born from the same type of flowers are siblings. When Zyllian and I were brought into the world, our flowers were unique and thus we had no older siblings to raise us. Instead, we were raised with other Elins like orphans, which is what happens to those whose older siblings are not there to take responsibility in raising them. With the ongoing wars, there were many like Zyllian and me, no one to take care of the both of us solely. For Eruno and Erune, though, it was different. Still," She glanced at him. "Never having a parent to raise any of us is different from the rest of other people I suppose."

"Yeah, it is different when you don't have parents. But I guess we both can relate being the oldest of raising our younger siblings." Quen looked down at his feet, counting the number of stitches on the side of his boots. "What kind of flower was it? The one you and your sisters were all born from?" He was curious to know what kind of unique plant that bore forth the Fae sisters that made them the only family with the four of them.

"It is easier to show you than to describe it." Eirai closed her eyes and concentrated while holding her hand palm up toward him. A spark of ethereal light gathered in the air above hand, forming itself into a flower. Quen could feel a small amount of warmth from the light from where he sat, and he could almost make out the hint of the smell of cranberries and vanilla from the apparition Eirai conjured up.

The flower itself was made up of four large white petals with a shimmering iridescence of rainbow colors lining the sharp tips of each petal. Under the main base of the flower and above the dark green sepal was a circle of light blue feather thin filaments. Inside the flower, the deep magenta stamen clusters were short to allow an area of space when the petals were closed. It seemed as if each of the colors that made up the flower corresponded with each of the Fae sisters' colors.

"It's beautiful." Quen breathed.

"Mine and Zyllian's withered soon after we were born, but I remember my younger sisters' vividly." Eirai's eyes softened at that. As she slowly began to close her hand, the illusion began to become transparent and fade. "The way it bloomed in the moonlight was truly a sight to behold." She looked at him.

Quen took a moment to laugh. "I was there to witness the birth of my little sister. Though I wouldn't say it was as enchanting as it was with Erune and Eruno."

The Elin chuckled back. "It is still a magical moment, bringing new life into the world."

"Yeah." He agreed with her.

The two then went back to enjoying the sounds of the commerce of Haven around them.

xoxoxo

Quen finally stood up and thanked Eirai for being there to talk with him before he began to head off to the cabin of his lodgings for the night.

As Eirai bid him goodnight, she felt a sense of guilt in her heart to him, to her sisters, and to Reina. She wanted to propose to the other Elin when she returned home, but then she would have to reveal a dark secret she kept about herself. It wasn't something she was sure Reina would handle. She didn't even know how her sisters would be able to handle it. They all needed someone to take care of them still.

"I don't have much time left though. Not even for her." She said to herself sadly.

Perhaps when she could go back to Arborea, she would tell Reina. Now was not the time though. She still had a mission to complete. She would try to hold on until then.

xoxoxo

Zyllian had stopped eavesdropping on her twin and Quen when the elf left. She slunk back behind the stone walls of the various houses, letting her feet crunch against the undisturbed snow.

She felt nostalgic from her twin's conversation with Quen about the birth of her two younger sisters. It was a moment she missed out on, something she wished she could have witnessed.

Her heart ached from the last thought before she shook her head. She couldn't fix the past, no matter how much she wished for it.

But it was the least of her worries now. She needed to focus on the mission and find those responsible for the Breach so she could return home and hunt down the man who took her Princess from her.