Chapter Text
The forest was quiet- it was a perfectly peaceful morning. The only sound for miles was the soft rustling of leaves in the wind and the high pitched chirps coming from nests high up in the trees. The serene silence was interrupted once as a deer crunched leaves under hoof and entered the forest clearing, then once again as an arrow whistled past the trees and embedded itself into its heart.
The creature stumbled in its attempt to run away from the hidden assailant, but it couldn’t run far before falling to the ground. A nearly silent thump followed shortly after, near the edge of the clearing across from where the deer had made its appearance. The hunter stalked their way over to the prey, pulling a small dagger from their waist. The animal laid there with labored breath, almost as if patiently waiting for the end to come. The hunter laid a hand on its head and said a small prayer for the animal.
“For the nourishment of the people, and the continuation of nature’s cycle; your sacrifice will be revered. We are grateful for you. Enansal hamin ghilas(1).”
The hunter took their time in cleaning the kill, showing all manner of reverence and respect for the task at hand. As the hunter began preparing the animal for travel, they were interrupted by the loud crunch of a foot snapping a twig nearby. The hunter’s pointed ears twitched at the sound, she had checked to make sure no one else was around before the hunt, so the intruder is new. She pulled out a second dagger and poised to strike before swiftly turning to face her intruder.
“Atish’an lethallan(2).” the intruder said with a start, “I was only coming over to offer assistance.”
The hunter sheathed a dagger before turning back to the fresh kill on the ground, “I do not require any. I was almost done preparing the deer to take back to the Aravels.”
“Then I shall shoulder some of your burden.”
“You don’t have your own to carry?”
“I- no. I was unsuccessful this time.”
“This time,” she said while tossing bits of the kill to the elf that now stood beside her, “and last time, and the time before. One of these days, I will not help you cover up your failed hunts.”
“One of these days, I will hunt better than even you.”
The hunter shouldered the rest of the deer with a smile, and gave her companion a soft thump on the back before leading the way back toward their home. The two did not talk, as born hunters they were often more comfortable in silence than in chatter. The sounds of the forest soothed them as they journeyed closer to their camp. The walk ended faster than either hunter was truly ready for as they approached the large camp posted right at the forest’s outermost edge and the calming sounds of nature were drowned out by the chattering voices of their people.
The two were approached by one of the clan’s children, her small frame bouncing up and down with barely contained excitement.
“El’Assan, Tan’Vallas, you’re back! You were gone for so long, I thought you would never return.”
“We were only gone for a few hours, da'len(3),” the hunter, El’Assan, chuckled “surely you didn’t miss us that much.”
“But I did! It felt like you were gone for days.”
“Well,” Tan’Vallas started, “you don’t need to miss us anymore. We just need to drop off the deer with Taren and then we can play!”
The young elf let out a cheer before taking off in another direction, inevitably to tell her friends about the promise she just received from Tan’Vallas. The two hunters continued on their easy, further into the encampment. As they walked, they were greeted by other members of the clan, many of them complimenting the two of them on the very large kill that was strong across their packs and shoulders. With every compliment, Tan’Vallas found his face getting warmer and warmer with embarrassment and shame.
“This isn’t right,” he said finally, slowing to a stop, “this is your kill, yet they are praising me for it as well.
“It really doesn’t matter to me,” El’Assan responded casually while adjusting her load, “the important thing is that we have something to give to the clan. The deer meat should be enough to get us through the upcoming migrations, and the hide and antlers will be perfect for materials we might need on the road.”
“Yes, I know, it will provide much for the clan, but that isn’t my point El. you were the one to track it, kill it, clean it, I didn’t do anything for this deer.”
“You’re carrying it- that counts for something.”
“I-”
“Ah, El’Assan, you have returned from your hunt,” a woman’s voice interrupted the pair’s conversation. “I trust you were successful?”
El’Assan turned sharply to look at the new speaker before quickly bowing in respect. “Keeper, it’s good to see you. We were able to find a large deer to bring back.”
“Very good,” the Keeper said, “and Tan’Vallas, were you successful as well?”
“Um- well Keeper, the thing is-”
“This buck was actually very hard for me to track, Keeper. I pulled Tan away from his own hunt to assist with mine.”
The Keeper made a disapproving noise, looking back and forth between the two hunters before conceding, “well, I’m sure Tan’Vallas can handle dropping everything off in their appropriate places. I have important matters that I must discuss with you El’Assan.”
Before El could even open her mouth to respond, Tan grabbed her portion of the deer and sprinted off with squeaky, “Yes, Keeper.”
El rolled her eyes at her friend before turning her attention back to the elf in front of her. “So what do you need to discuss with me?”
“Not here. Follow me back to our Aravel, we may discuss it there.” The Keeper walked away before her sentence was even finished, leaving El’Assan behind for the briefest moment.
The young elf took a deep breath before following the same path the keeper took toward the largest of all the Aravels at the encampment. She took her time as she passed by the stalls of her kin where they were selling all manner of goods to the travelers that passed by. Her clan was never one to hate humans or city elves that happened upon them, as long as they showed respect and spent some coin, all were welcomed with clan Lavellan. El took a small moment to browse through their wares before finally making her way through the doors of the Aravel.
Once inside El’Assan noticed that she was not alone, as she assumed she would be. Rather than just Keeper Deshana sitting at the table, El noticed Master Hunter Thelriel and the Keeper's First, Era’Leth. Her whole family was there.
“Did I do something wrong?” El asked, taking the only empty seat left at the table.
“No.” Deshana answered evenly, “much as I don’t appreciate you lying to me about the hunt-”
“I didn’t lie. Tan helped me, honestly.”
“Don’t interrupt me El’Assan.”
“Sorry, mother.”
“As I was saying, much as I don’t appreciate being lied to, what I want to discuss with you has nothing to do with you being in trouble.” Deshana sipped a cup of herbal tea before continuing. “A human merchant recently told me that their chantry will be meeting with the mages very soon. Supposedly, they will be trying to come to some sort of accord with each other. An effort to broker peace. I believe that it would be in our best interest to be present at these talks.”
“Us? Be present?” This time it was El’s older sister, Era’Leth that interrupted the Keeper, “Why would we involve ourselves in shem problems?”
El’Assan silently agreed with her sister’s question. Much as El loved to take any opportunity to observe the humans that they encountered on their journeys, the idea of inserting the clan into their problems, especially one as big as the mage rebellion, seemed dangerous.
“You misunderstand me child. I do not intend to involve the clan in the matter, rather, I wish to send one member to listen in on the conversations that take place.”
Realization dawned on El, “you want to send a spy.”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. I need someone to watch the proceedings and report back with any information. Whatever the outcome, the humans’ problems could cause trouble for us and our way of life. I would rather know and be prepared than be caught off guard.”
“If it’s a spy that you want to send,” Era’Leth interjected, “Then why tell us about it?”
“We obviously don’t have anyone in the clan that is a dedicated spy, per se, but El’Assan has quickly risen the ranks to be one of the best hunters in the clan. I have no doubt that she will be able to slip in and out of this meeting without being seen.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Because, Era’Leth, while I know that your sister is capable of such a task, I do not want her to do this alone. I need you to go with her in case of anything unexpected happening. You have your magic to protect you both. It’s safer this way.”
El’Assan wasn’t entirely sure why, but the pit of her stomach churned with the feeling that something about the journey was destined to go wrong. Nevertheless, her mother had made her decision, and she knew better than to try and change the Keeper’s mind once a decision had been made. El cast a sideways glance at her sister before they both bowed their heads with a soft, “Yes, Keeper.”
Deshana nodded her head at the both of them before exiting the Aravel. No words were said in her absence, but an uneasy feeling of dread settled over the silent table. No one really knew what to do or say at that moment. The silence lasted for what felt like forever before it was broken by Era’Leth clearing her throat. “Babae, when are we expected to leave for this… assignment?”
Their father sighed before looking up at his two girls, his two proudest moments he always called them, “tomorrow. It will be quite a trek for the two of you and will take some time. This meeting takes place near the city of Haven.”
The timeline didn’t help quell the uneasy feeling in El'Assan's stomach. They were to leave right before the clan was meant to journey toward Wycombe in the Free Marches. For the first time in their lives, El’Assan and Era’Leth would not get to travel with their clan. The two shared yet another look as they came to the same, sad realization.
“My dear girls,” their father said, “don’t fret about this now. Spend the rest of your day out in the sun, enjoying the weather. You both deserve to have a little fun.
El’Assan was doubtful she could think of anything besides their impending quest, but she stood and exited the Aravel nonetheless. She needed fresh air. She needed to think. It was not the first time a large burden had been placed on the shoulders of the Keeper’s children, but it certainly didn't make the weight any less cumbersome to bear. El thought it all incredibly unfair. The clan always expected so much from her and her sister, it was nearly impossible to meet the standard.
It wasn’t until El’Assan reached a small clearing in the forest that she realized she had been walking. The soft sounds of the wild began to calm her, before finally she chose to just lay down and listen. The forest was her domain, her whole world. It was the place she would go to find peace and solace, it had been her safe haven since childhood. No matter where the clan traveled, she would always find home in the forest. Out in the clearing, El found that she could simply exist. El found herself falling into a soft meditation on the forest floor, losing track of the time passing by. It wasn’t until an ever familiar crunch of leaves under foot interrupted her peace that she finally sat up.
“Can I sit with you?” Era’Leth asked, her voice coming out barely above a whisper so as to not completely disturb the quiet around them. El’Assan simply nodded, allowing Era to softly plop down next to her.
A comfortable silence came over the pair once again. El knew it wouldn’t last. Her sister wouldn’t have followed her out here if she hadn’t wanted to talk, but she also knew that Era would begin speaking in her own time, there was no need to rush.
“ I don’t understand why we have to be the ones to do this,” Era finally started. “Why do we need to go out and risk ourselves like this?”
“I’m not sure why mother made this decision, but I guess we don’t really have a choice in the matter.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry you have to come with me. It’s not fair to you.”
“I don’t mind going with you. It means I can keep you safe.”
“You don’t always have to protect me, you know.”
“I’m your older sister- it’s literally my job.”
“Yeah well-” El didn’t really have a response to her sister. She was used to her protective nature. “What’s wrong, then? Why don’t you want us to go?”
“It’s just not fair that we are the ones expected to do this. Just because mother is the Keeper, we have to undertake this huge, dangerous, and potentially deadly responsibility all on our own.”
El wasn’t all that surprised hearing her sister echo the feelings she had about the whole ordeal. Neither of them had ever truly been happy having to meet the standard of being Keeper Deshana’s perfect children. The two had been complaining about it since childhood.
“I just want to stay with the clan. I want to continue my studies and just- I don’t even know, but I would do something that doesn’t involve quests or expectations.”
El’Assan let out a soft laugh. “You could finally find a boy to court you.”
“Oh really? I could say the same to you, sister. I know someone who would be very interested.”
“Oh please don’t start on that again. It’s never going to happen.”
“I wouldn’t say never.”
“I would.”
The silence returned as the sisters stared each other down, both relenting after a short while and laying down to stare at the now night sky.
“We are going to be fine, though, right?” El’Assan asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice.
“Yeah,” Era’Leth responded quickly, as if trying to convince herself as well as her sister, “We’ll be fine. In and out before anyone realizes.
Neither of them were quite sure if they believed that.