A prompt for you! Because i had a random idea. A dalish camp gathering around to hear the story of how Fen'Harel fell in love with the inquisitor. All fairytale-like, and maybe with some twisted truths? Or it could be all super exaggerated, like that other dalish story, with the moon and the sun and the stars. I dont remember what it was called, darn it.. Maybe your memory is better than mine on that matter. xD Perhaps Solasor the inquisitor, even eavesdrop a little? Ah well, it's up to you. c:
(I thought I was going to be so diligent about finishing the other pieces I have been working on, but this prompt kept dragging my attention away. I knew I had to work on it first. I went in a slightly different direction with this one, anon. Hope you like it!)
In another age, far into the future, a Dalish woman and her daughter take shelter with a hedge mage and share the story of how the Dread Wolf lost his heart.
The storm was worse than Elonwen had predicted when she left the shemlen city. She had not even reached the main gate by the time she caught the scent of damp air, yet she’d decided to press on. She cursed that decision now as she heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance, heavy droplets beginning their quickening pace to the ground. She should have tried to find shelter for the night in some inn. It wouldn’t have been ideal and she knew how the humans would look upon her marked face with suspicion, but her daughter was ill. She couldn’t afford to get caught in the rain.
Her child was the reason she wandered from her home, seeking out a human healer when it was clear her clansmen could do little to help ease her da’len’s sickness. Ragged coughs tore into the little girl’s chest, made her wheeze and shudder, her face pale from lack of sleep. It had infuriated Elonwen how unconcerned the shem healer had been – how he had taken only a brief look at the child before holding up a tincture and demanding payment. She was skeptical, but she was desperate. She prayed the medicine would help soon.
The cave she found for shelter had not been unoccupied. She could tell the man was an elf from his build, even with the hood pulled up over his head, his body swathed in dark robes. He sat beside a fire in quiet contemplation before glancing up, surprised at the unexpected company. He looked the pair over briefly before pulling down the scarf that obscured his jaw. “Andaran atish’an.” He said softly, gesturing for them to sit.
Elonwen’s eyes narrowed. “A flat ear who speaks Elvish?”
His expression shifted subtly, though it was difficult to discern if he was annoyed or amused. “You are not the first to question it, nor will you be the last. Sit.” He urged her.
As Elonwen positioned herself across the fire from the stranger, her daughter’s coughing began once more – a painful, uncontrollable gasping fit. She ran her hand against her back soothingly, wishing there were more she could do. “The child is ill?” She glanced up at the man and gave a short nod. “I can offer my assistance as a healer.”
“You’re a mage?” He nodded quietly. “Are you from the Academies of Magi?”
“No.” He said plainly. “I learned my trade through other means.” He held out his hand to the little girl who looked up at her mother for permission. Elonwen nodded and the girl scooted closer to the stranger. It did not take long – a few gentle brushes of his hand against the girl’s back and already she could hear the difference. Her breaths were deeper, clearer. The girl smiled appreciatively as the man looked down at her. “Better?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Much.”
“Sylaise’s blessings upon you.” Elonwen thanked him, her cautious look warming into a smile. “Ma serannas.”
“It was the least I could do.” He said simply.
He quieted then, watching them as the girl squirmed back over to her mother’s side. Elonwen kissed her daughter on the head, patting down the unruly mop of auburn curls. “Lay your head down, Isii.” She murmured. “You need to rest.”
She saw the hedge mage still as the girl laid down, nuzzling the crook of her neck against her mother’s thigh. Though his expression was not quite readable, he was clearly affected. “Your child’s name is Isii?” Elonwen nodded. “An unusual name,” he continued softly. “Not one I have heard often. May I ask how she came by it?”
“She is named for a famous Dalish woman. Isii Dirth’asha of Lavellan.”
The child brightened at the mention of the name, tugging on her mother’s sleeve. “Tell the story of Dirth’asha, Mamae.”
“Another time, da’len.” She murmured. “I’m certain the mage does not want to be bothered with it.”
“I would not mind.” He said. There was a stillness in his face that she found unsettling as he looked at her. Elonwen did not need to glance at the rain beyond the entrance to the cave to know the storm would keep them there for most of the night. A shared story was not the worst way to pass the time. She looked down into her daughter’s face, stroking her hair gently as she began.