A/N: I lost motivation for a day or two so this came out a little different than I had hoped it would. but here you go. UNEDITED. Leave a review if you like.

Amaryllis ran faster than she thought her little legs could take her, especially with the added weight on her back, unsure if she was even going in the right direction. All she knew was that she had to get help. She had to get to the Keeper.

She ran and ran, faster than she had believed she could, even faster than the time she had eaten Akasha's secret stash of chocolate. She ran until she somehow found the clearing, the tips of the aravel's sails, the smoke of the ever present campfire, and Mihris, who was wild-eyed and fuming.

When he saw Ellana, limp against Amaryllis's back, his face grew so pale she thought he might faint. Everyone seemed to come running at her at once.

There were so many hands, reaching for Ellana, taking her friend forcefully from her hands and when they did, she finally noticed how weak her knees really were and she stumbled. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off. Faelyn reached her side and brought her forward, until they were entering Keeper Deshanna's tent and Ellana was being laid upon her bed.

"What happened?" Mihris demanded, turning to her with his cold-blooded gaze. "What have you done to her?"

"I didn't," she said, voice shaking with the tears running down her face. Faelyn began lifting Ellana's dress, searching her body for any sign of injury. The Keeper came to stand beside Amaryllis and guided her to sit beside Ellana's prone form with gentle hands. Mihris sneered and raised a fist, ready to protest but she cut him off quickly to finish her story: to explain their story. "I didn't hurt her. It wasn't me."

"There was a man, a man in armor and he—" Amaryllis swallowed thickly, past the sobs clawing their way up and out of her throat, wracking her body. She fought the urge to scream, to curl into a ball and hold herself tightly together, to hide away from it all. Her hands shook where they gripped the hem of her dress. Her bottom lip quivered. "Ellana used magic — fire — she burned him and he said he would take her to a 'circle,' and he did something to her! She fainted and I didn't know what to do and he was trying to take us away and I..."

"What did he do, Amaryllis?" The Keeper asked. "What did the man do?"

"I-I'm not sure. He just," She mimicked his gesture, hand straight, palm facing outward, and Mihris cursed. "He did that and it looked like she fainted, I tried to help but he did it to me too. It was hard to move."

"She was purged," Mihris said, falling to his knees beside his daughter to lay a shaking hand against her forehead. "Ma da'ean, it must have been painful for you." He stood and exited the tent with purpose in his step, shoving the billowing flaps back angrily.

"W-Will she be okay?" Amaryllis asked through her hiccups. She rubbed at her nose and cheeks with the back of her hand until Faelyn came to her with a cloth and softly wiped her tears away. It reminded her of how much she truly missed her mother. Her tears seemed unending.

"Yes, she will be just fine, da'len," The Keeper smoothed her hand over Amaryllis's head. "Do not worry. Now lay back, let me get a good look at your chest."

"Why?" She asked as Deshanna's gentle yet firm grip pushed her down until she could feel the soft furs against the lines of her little body. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a moment. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. "I'm fine, he barely touched me."

"You don't feel it?" Faelyn asked, baffled. She brought a bowl of clean water, linens, and a jar of ointment to her side. The Keeper thanked her quietly and dipped one cloth into the water, squeezed out the excess, and then brought it up to dab at a section of Amaryllis's chest that she hadn't noticed was bare.

She cried out. Her eyes shot wide open and she tried to sit up but Keeper Deshanna pushed her back, gaze stern yet apologetic. Amaryllis brought her chin towards her chest and tried to get a good look whatever it was but she hissed as the movement twisted a sore part of her neck. She was hurt, but she didn't recall it happening.

"You've been burned, Amaryllis." Faelyn said. The woman didn't need to ask how she had acquired her injury. There was only one place, one person, it could have come from.

"It was an accident." The girl stated. "She would never hurt me on purpose."

"You are a good friend."

Faelyn continued to clean her wound, dipping her fingers into the smooth, cool balm, and slid greasy digits over the girl's collarbone. Amaryllis flinched but her eyes managed to flicker shut once more. They were too heavy to lift.

She could hear arguing outside, shouting, and the Keeper stood with a reassuring smile before exiting the tent. She could hear the soft, steady cadence of Deshanna's voice, soothing, placating, and the arguing decreased until all she could hear were footsteps walking in the opposite direction.

"Faelyn," she said in a hushed whisper, as if the breeze could carry her secret away. "I think I killed that man."

"Shhh, da'len." Faelyn said. She coaxed the younger girl's other arm out of her sullied dress, pulled it off of her weary body, and tucked her in under the Keeper's soft, wooly blankets. Amaryllis ran her hand over the fur in a self-comforting manner, a habit she had formed since she had arrived. The feeling reminded her of petting her grandmother's dog as it laid snoring in front of the TV. Faelyn pressed the back of a cool hand against her forehead. "Close your eyes and rest a while."

And so she did.

When Amaryllis came into awareness, it began with a gentle touch to her hand where it sat curled under her chin, fingers loose from sleep. It reminded her of her father, how he used to wake her in the mornings for school with a light kiss to the tip of her nose and a tickle, starting at her palms until she began to wake, stretching her arms above her, and he'd dive in to tickle her ribs. She'd wake with a laugh and a grin, feeling loved.

The touch deepened. She felt fingertips pressing against her palm, persuading her fingers to flex like a cat's. Her eyelids were stuck shut with the thick glue of a peaceful slumber. She couldn't find it in herself to fight against it.

"What did you find?" It was Faelyn's voice, hushed, like the falling of snow in winter.

"He was entirely encased in ice," another voice answered softly. Warm. "It was remarkable."

"Was the ice what killed him?"

"No," the voice spoke adamantly, to the point, like the slam of a Judge's gavel. Guilty! Not guilty! "I did. I killed the Templar."

There was a stinging sensation, hot, like a sunburn, from below her collarbone to where it wrapped slightly around her neck. It ached, but not enough to wake her entirely. She shifted a bit, restlessly.

Everything went quiet for a moment but for the sound of the night's breeze until someone spoke again, close to her ear, quiet, as if it were a secret only for her to hear. They took her other hand lightly in their own. "Thank you, Amaryllis. And I'm sorry for allowing my judgement of you to be clouded by hatred."

Faelyn spoke, and Amaryllis could tell she was smiling. "You should say it again, when she's awake to forgive you."

"I may not deserve her forgiveness. But you are right. I will thank her, and apologize again, the way I know how."

"You are a good man and a good father, Mihris. Mistakes are made. Even children understand that." A shuffle, and then a pat on the back, or what sounded like one.

"That's the problem. She is just a child, and I resented her, hated her, treated her in ways unlike myself. I do not like the person I have become."

"You have the ability to change, my friend. Starting with this."

Keeper Deshanna had been right. Ellana was just fine. She woke the next day feeling hungry but well rested, and did not remember much of what had happened other than she had produced fire. With her hands.

It was suffice to say that Ellana was more than elated to begin "real studying" with Amaryllis, as she put it, instead of just letters and Elvhen with her father.

"This does not mean you shouldn't study those things as well. You have more responsibility now, Ellana, to yourself and to your Clan." The Keeper quirked an eyebrow, fighting a smile when Ellana sighed and grumbled down at her feet, kicking disappointedly at the grass. "I expect you to study twice as hard, now."

"How come Lis gets to learn the fun things?" She whined. The expression Deshanna gave in response was stern, chastising, and Ellana immediately stopped her griping.

"She is different, da'len. Amaryllis is not Dalish. She does not need to learn our language, our history, or the ways of our people."

"Why not?" Amaryllis asked suddenly. She wanted tobelong. This was obviously a permanent thing, so why not? "I want to learn. I want to become one of you."

Ellana tried to hide a grin behind her hand. The Keeper smiled, though it did not reach her eyes.

"You may learn if you wish to, Amaryllis. If that is what you want."

"It is."

Ellana reached for her hand and twined their fingers together until a gruff voice spoke from behind them and they quickly let go, turning to Mihris who looked far from angry. He was nervous. "Could I talk to the both of you?"

The girls nodded warily. Mihris motioned with a tilt of his head and they followed as he led the girls away from where the had been standing between the Keeper's tent and Faelyn's aravel around the edge of camp to the middle where the fire sat surrounded by wooden benches. He motioned for them to sit facing away from the fire and towards an open section of grass. Mihris stood before them with his hands clasped behind his back and his gaze downcast.

Amaryllis looked over at Ellana who sat stiffly, anxious. She did not return her gaze, instead stayed staring straight ahead at her father, who had gotten to his knees before them, palms resting on his thighs. The other members of the clan gathered around the sidelines, watching quietly. Amaryllis said nothing, thoroughly confused.

"I've brought you here to apologize," Mihris began. He looked up and met their gaze then. The lines of his face no longer seemed perpetually wrinkled in anger. Instead, his eyebrows were furrowed and the corners of his mouth were pulled down in what looked like remorse. "The traditional way, in front of the Clan, to bare my mistakes before everyone, and to ask for your forgiveness."

"Babae, it is not me you should apologize to." Ellana said and made to stand, but her father shook his head. She frowned.

"No, I must apologize to you as well, da'len. I did not trust your judgement and I forced you to keep secrets. I am sorry."

"I forgive you, babae. You only did what you thought was best."

"But it was not what was right." He shook his head and turned to Amaryllis, who couldn't decide whether to look him in the eyes or stare down at her hands where they sat in her lap, fingers twisting in nervousness.

She had been afraid of him until now, but seeing the guilt written across his face made her stomach twist. Amaryllis wanted to forgive him, but she hadn't yet forgotten the hatred in his expression as he tore Ellana away from her, as he threw the leggings at the ground before her, or as she had entered camp with Ellana over her shoulder, trying to save her friend. But he hadn't known, and Amaryllis knew that he had every right to be wary of her. Still, she knew, she was just a child. She had done nothing to warrant it in the first place. It was not her who had hurt him.

"I allowed my anger towards others to cloud my judgement. You committed no offense against me." Mihris swallowed thickly past what Amaryllis thought to be tears in his eyes, but they did not fall. "You have had your own troubles to deal with, and yet I gave you more. I gave you reason not to trust us. You protected my daughter when I could not. You risked your life for her, yet I still did not trust your word. For all that, I was wrong. I am sorry."

Amaryllis wasn't sure what to say, so she didn't speak at all. Mihris continued.

"I am sorry for the things I said to you in spite. I am sorry that I hated you, though I did not know you. I am sorry for making you feel uncomfortable here, when the Keeper welcomed you with open arms. You are only a child, and I am a grown man. I should not have done what I did. I am sorry for hurting you."

He bowed his head and bent at his waist. The position looked awkward and painful where his knees dug into the hard, packed soil. Mihris stayed like that while Amaryllis sat, staring at the way his fingers gripped the fabric of his pants.

Ellana leaned towards her and whispered in her ear, "You can say you don't forgive him. You don't have to. But as long as you don't say anything, he won't move."

Amaryllis startled at that and stood quickly. She may have been afraid of him, did not like him, and though he had hurt her with his words, she didn't think he deserved to be in pain, no matter how small.

"I—" She paused for a moment in thought before speaking again. "Thank you for saying sorry. I… I don't know if I forgive you, yet."

Ellana patted her shoulder and then went to stand before her father, taking his hand to help him up. He smiled gently towards them both. "I will be better towards you both."

"And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You were only trying to protect me."

"I was wrong, da'len. It does not matter now. I do forgive you, of course." Mihris leaned down to press a kiss to his daughter's head and then pushed her softly towards her friend. "Now why don't you two play for a while?"

"Really?" Amaryllis said with surprise. Mihris looked saddened for a moment but he shook it away and replaced it with another brief smile.

"Of course, Amaryllis." It was the first time she had heard him refer to her as something other than shem. A feeling of pure glee filled her and she took Ellana's hand and they ran off into the trees, laughing all the way.

The girls had begun taking lessons with the Keeper and Faelyn daily. They progressed quickly, absorbing as much useful information as they could, in awe of the fact that there were things they could do now that not everyone could. They were special, and Ellana took that to heart. She had begun maturing at a much faster pace, taking her new role very seriously, though it obviously pained Mihris to see it.

"I wish you would stay children longer. The both of you." He had said with a sigh, running his hunting knife across a whetstone to sharpen it. "Take the time to play and dream, while you can. Responsibility will come later."

But Ellana couldn't go back, and Amaryllis didn't blame her for it. Their experience with the Templar had changed them, for better or for worse, she did not know. What they did know was that they needed to gain even a semblance of control over their magic, so that they would not run the risk of hurting others. That was easier said than done.

The Keeper was the only other magic user in the clan, so it was she who taught them from the early hours of the morning, encouraging them to meditate, to master their control of themselves, their emotions, the surge of their mana.

It had been another long night plagued with nightmares. Amaryllis struggled to find a comfortable position and woke, time and time again, mid-cry, mid-shout, the car, her mother, the Templar, Akasha. It was all becoming too much.

Ellana sat beneath a tree, legs crossed. Her eyes were closed and she breathed in steadily through her nose and out her mouth. Keeper Deshanna sat not far from her in the same stance, a light smile gracing her lips. Amaryllis couldn't seem to keep her eyes closed. She fidgeted, crossed one leg over the other and then back again, and flexed her shoulders until they were sore. Finally she gave up with a huff and stood, planning to head back towards camp. Breakfast would be served soon.

"Where are you going?" Keeper asked, voice soft. She had not opened her eyes.

Amaryllis turned towards her and shielded her eyes from the bright rays of morning sun shining through the trees. "I can't do this anymore. I can't get comfortable, and if I close my eyes long enough, I start to fall asleep. I'm just not cut out for this."

"Yes you are, Amaryllis. Your magic was given to you for a reason. You will learn, in time. Come, sit, try again. I will walk you through it."

"You've already done that," She couldn't control the way her voice rose and shook in anger. Electricity flared at the tips of her fingers and she shook her hands in frustration until it stopped. "I can't do it. I just can't. I've tried every day for weeks and it's not working!"

"Give it time, da'len."

"I don't want to give it time!" She shouted and threw her hands out. Electricity burst from her palms unbidden, crossing the short distance between them, towards Ellana and Deshanna. All she could do was watch in horror.

The Keeper was nothing if not practiced. In a split second she stood, staff in hand, and raised a barrier around them both. The lightning struck and quickly dissipated, leaving Amaryllis's short hair standing on end. Tears flew forward, rapidly, and she began to sob.

"I'm sorry!" She cried. Nails dug into her palms, hard, until she thought they might be bleeding. Ellana stood with a sorry expression that Amaryllis felt she did not deserve. The Keeper approached her, but she took a step back, shaking her head. "No, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here. I should be dead, I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Lis, no! That's not true!" Ellana burst forward, wanting to comfort her friend, but the Keeper arrived there first.

She took Amaryllis's hands gently in her own and one-by-one pried her fingers open, running a soothing hand over the scratches in her palms until they no longer bleeding.

"No, da'len. You are here because this is where you were supposed to be," Deshanna pulled her forward until Amaryllis's head rested against her chest, where her heart beat steadily, unafraid. The girl sobbed against her shirt, wetting the fabric with her tears. "And we are so grateful that the Creators brought you here. Our lives are better for it."

"That's right," Ellana added, coming to rest her head against the other side of the Keeper's chest, so that she could look into Amaryllis's teary eyes. She used the back of her hand to wipe away the tracks upon her friend's cheeks. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Babae wouldn't have become better, if it weren't for you. You've helped us so much."

"I haven't done anything," Amaryllis murmured, but she did begin to smile then, bit by bit, and her heart began to settle in her chest, filled with a warmth she hadn't felt in a while. Love.

"You give yourself far too little credit," The Keeper said and pulled back so that she could meet her gaze. She smiled at what she saw and ran a gentle hand over Amaryllis's hair, where it had begun to grow longer. Just a few more months and it would be closer to the tips of her rounded ears. "Now, why don't we go see what's for breakfast?"

When Amaryllis had disappeared from her world, it had been late January. When she had woken in the forest, it had been early summer. Beginning of July, maybe? When she had asked the date, the Keeper had said some words she did not know: "Ena'vun'ise'man, the end of Justinian," and Amaryllis hadn't wanted to ask again.

The issue was, she didn't know exactly when her birthday would be. It was a silly thought, she knew, to be worried about her birthday. But if there was one thing she could keep from the first nine years of her life, she wanted it to be the day her mother had given birth to her: August 28th. The day she had entered the world, and become part of a family.

She wracked her brain, day and night, trying to calculate. If it was January when she left, and July when she arrived, then she had skipped forward six months. It had already been a few months since…

She had missed her birthday, then. She was already ten years old, and hadn't even noticed.

Amaryllis sighed and sat up in bed, scratching at her head in frustration. When she had asked the Keeper about it the day before, she had said birthdays weren't something the Dalish celebrated. Instead they held a New Year's ceremony once a year where they prepared a large meal and held an anointing ceremony, where the Keeper anointed those old enough to have Vallaslin — the face tattoos everyone seemed to have — with oils and they spent the night in quiet contemplation and prayer. Amaryllis had thought it sounded more than boring, to be honest, but she wasn't surprised to hear it. The Dalish seemed to be a serious people.

She stood with a stretch and threw the blankets back onto the bed and haphazardly pulled her leggings on under another hand-me-down she had been given. It was a long sleeved dress, the same green as their tents. It fell to her knees, though it was cut up the sides, exposing her legs. Hence the leggings.

With a last adjustment to the rounded collar of her dress she sighed and let her hand slap against her thigh and took a step out of the tent. She found Ellana across the yard, talking to her father as he ate his breakfast. As Amaryllis approached she saw that Ellana was wearing what looked to be a brand new dress, without a speck of dirt or some sort of stain. In fact, it was a beautiful emerald fabric in the same design as Amaryllis's current outfit, but ruby red and golden flowers embroidered the hem and coiled around the arms like a vine. She immediately felt a pang of jealousy and contemplated turning around and walking in the other direction until she saw her friend's brilliant smile.

"Lis!" She yelled and ran forward to take her hand, pulling her toward Mihris who stood to return his bowl to those on breakfast duty that morning. He shot her a shaky smile and entered their tent. "Look, babae gave me this new dress. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile that she couldn't seem to make genuine. If Ellana noticed, she said nothing. "It's really pretty."

Ellana's answering smile was brilliant. A cool breeze blew through the trees blowing browned leaves across the grass. Amaryllis made to step away and get her portion of breakfast, hoping it wouldn't be cold already, but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Wait a moment. Babae had something to say."

Amaryllis blinked, perplexed, but stayed until Mihris exited the tent with one hand behind his back and another scratching at his chin.

"I, uh," he began, dropping his hand from his face. "You and Ellana both have been working hard at your studies. I just wanted to say that I am… proud of the progress you have made." He stopped for a moment and Ellana nudged him with her elbow. He frowned and pulled his hand out from where it had been hidden behind his back. Mihris was holding a package wrapped in what looked to be large, brown leaves, and motioned for Amaryllis to hold out her hands. She did and he gently handed it to her. It was surprisingly light.

Mihris scratched at his chin again. "I, ah, wanted to give this to you." His expression turned sad, wistful, and he motioned for her to open it. She did, and was shocked to see that it was the exact same dress that Ellana was wearing at that moment. "Ellana's mamae made these, long ago, for our da'len to wear on a special day. I always wondered why she had made two, and for what, exactly, she had made them for, but I think I know, now."

"Special day?" Amaryllis repeated, unable to keep her voice steady. She was crying, again, for what felt like the millionth time that month. "Is today a special day?"

"It is," Ellana said, taking Amaryllis's empty hand in hers. "It's your birthday!"

"My birthday?"

"I heard from the Keeper," Mihris said, and Amaryllis could see that he was blushing, though he tried to hide it. "That humans hold celebrations for their day of birth. We wanted to keep it a surprise but we didn't know your actual birth date, so…"

Tears slipped down her rounded cheeks. Her mouth split into a blinding smile. "This is… I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to Ellana," Mihris said, taking a step forward to lay a gentle hand upon her head. "Thank you for the joy you have brought to our lives."

"I forgive you," Amaryllis finally said, scrubbing at her reddened cheeks. Mihris looked down at her in surprise. "No, not because of this, sorry, I mean I forgave you, before. I don't think I was ever angry with you to begin with, I just… didn't know how to say it. But I do now."

"Thank you," he said, smiling, and tentatively ruffled Amaryllis's hair. His grin grew ever larger at the sight of her obvious delight. "Thank you."

"Now go put it on!" Ellana exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Now just wait a moment," Mihris said, lifting his hand from Amaryllis's head to wag his finger at his daughter. "She hasn't even eaten breakfast yet, and we have things to do."

"Babae," she whined. "But it's her birthday!"

"I know," he said, laughing. It was a sound Amaryllis had never heard. Ellana stopped her antics almost immediately at the sound. "But we have things to prepare for our trip today."

"Our trip?"

"For Amaryllis's birthday," he said. "Now hurry up, we'll need to head out soon if we want to be back by nightfall." Mihris turned to Amaryllis and motioned for her to go. "And you, put that away and eat your breakfast. I will come gather you when we're ready."

"A trip!" Ellana screeched and dove back inside their tent with fervor. "A trip with babae!"

With another laugh he ruffled Amaryllis's hair once more, this time with less hesitation, and walked off with a grin.

And Amaryllis felt, for the first time since she had arrived in this strange place, that she belonged.