Chapter Text
Her mind wondered to that day in the forest when the fire trapped her and Seranni. Her mother coming to their rescue, the cold ice barrier her mother cast the only thing between them and the fire. Her mother reaching them and telling Malie to run while she cast barrier after barrier to create a safe path for Malie and Seranni. Her mother enveloped by the raging fire and still casting barriers to make their path. Her mother falling amid the flames and she trying to break the ice barrier and go back to her mother, only to be dragged out of the forest by Seranni. "Mala suledin nadas" - "Now you must endure" said Seranni. "Your mother wanted you to live and I will make sure of that since she saved my life" added Seranni. Malie's eyes were stinging from the smoke and the tears but she could not stop crying. Her mother was gone. Later Malie found out that the region's farmers had set that fire on purpose, convinced "those Dalish" would poach their livestock and steal their crops. Velanna, their First wanted to kill them for almost killing her sister Seranni and killing 3 clan mates including Malie's mother. So did Malie. But the Keeper adamantly refused. So Velanna, Malie, Tulan and some of their clan left their tribe to exact their revenge on the farmers. Seranni followed them saying she needed to keep Velanna out of trouble and keep Malie alive.
She felt herself being carried into a large laboratory. "She is dying. You told me she wouldn't die" said the ghoul which Malie now recognized as her friend Seranni. "Oh well she is just a child, is hard to calculate a dose weak enough for them" said a very tall darkspawn. "A darkspawn that could talk ?" thought Malie confused, semi delirious. "You promised me! And I swore an oath when her dying mother saved my life. If she dies I'm leaving." said Seranni in Malie's feverish dream, half remembered from long ago. "Very well, I can save her but I need you to give me your word that no one will know of this. And of this dagger" said the Architect pulling a dagger black as night from the folds of his robe. "You have my oath. If you save her" said Seranni. A barely alive Malie saw more than felt a distant pain on her hand, the pain of a black dagger cutting her deep and them more pain than she could handle as it felt like all her blood was rushing out of the dagger wound. Before she fainted from the pain she saw a cloud of oily black smoke riddled with her blood enveloping the dagger.
A long time later Malie opened her eyes weakly looking around. She was in a vast chamber, full of vials and strange looking things. A large map covered one wall, showing a network of tunnels and large roads. A map of the Deep Roads ? Not the entire Deep Roads as those were as vast as the continent, she had heard Velanna say once. "Ah you are awake ? Do you hunger ?" said a deep voice startling her. she looked up and saw the tall darkspawn mage that she had seen before. "You can talk ?" she asked. "Apparently so. So can you. Do you hunger ? Seranni can fetch you some deepstalker broth. I'm told it tastes just like your bird stew" said the Architect. "Bird stew ? Oh you mean chicken ? Yes, every mystery meat in Thedas is said to taste just like chicken but never does" said Malie making a face. "But yes, I am hungry. I haven eaten much in your.. err.. lately" she said her stomach growling. She felt better than she had felt in days and felt even better when Seranni brought her a bowl with a weak tangy broth with some strange chewy meat on it. "I hope you like deep mushrooms, I had to add a ton of them to disguise the tang of deepstalker taste" said Seranni.
"Is not bad. Where are we ?" asked Malie. She felt oddly calm and talkative considering she had just been through so many deaths and danger. But it all seemed like a distant past. She wanted to giggle. "We are on the Architect Laboratory. This is the Architect" said Seranni pointing at the tall darkspawn mage who could talk. "Where's Velanna ? And our clan mates ?" asked Malie "Oh.. Velanna will be here shortly. Won't you be glad to see her ?" said Seranni. "Yes I miss her and she was going to help with.. with something" said Malie remembering that she should be doing something she just couldn't remember what. "Why don't you go back to sleep ? The mushrooms on the broth will help you sleep and when you wake up you will see Velanna" said Seranni to a yawning Malie. "OK, I'll do that" said Malie and she went back into a sleep full of colorful dreams.
Malie woke up with Velanna shaking her awake. "Malie, where is Seranni ? What have they done with you ? " asked Velanna. "With me ? What do you mean ?" answered Malie startled, a dull ache on her hand which was wrapped in bandages. She remembered the dagger and the oily smoke bubbling out of her blood. "I... they came and took us at night.. Tulan.. most of the others.. dead.. I was going to die too then he did something to me. To my blood.. I.." said Malie distressed. "Who, who did this to you ?" asked a woman in a fancy armor "Nevermind that. Where's Seranni ?" asked Velanna. "The Architect... Seranni is with him.. she is.. oh Velanna she is a darkspawn now!" said Malie crying. "I know dahlen, I saw her" said Velanna sadly. "We need to leave Velanna, the darkspawn will find about our escape at any minute" said the shemlem woman. "Right... Justice do you think you can carry this kid ? I'm not leaving Malie here to die" said Velanna. "Yes Velanna. It sounds like the correct thing to do. I will help you" said a tall shemlem. "Of course it's the correct thing to do you big dummy!" said a pretty dwarf woman.
"Stop the gabfest and let's go!" said a redheaded dwarf man pushing them all out of the lab, but not before stopping by a flask and sniffing it. "Nah, no alcohol here. Those darkspawn don't know what's good." he said disgusted. "Oghren, would you really drink darkspawn hooch ?" asked a blonde shem. "Of course! I haven't had a beer in ages. It's killing me!" said the redheaded dwarf. The shems and dwarves kept on egging each other on with taunts about beer and darkspawn hooch all through the time they were crossing the Architect's hideaway in the Deep Roads but pretty soon they were all safely back to the surface. "I'll take the kid back to the keep, I need to feed my cat anyway" said the blonde shem. "I'm going with you. I need to feed my beer belly" said the dwarf they called Oghrem and belched. "I shall take the kid back too. It is the..." the tall shem started to say but got interrupted by the pretty dwarf lady. "yea, yeah Justice we know, it is the correct thing to do.. Fine.. We girls help Velanna find her sister while you men go feed your cats, bellies and whatever else safely at the keep. We get it" said the dwarf lady. Malie didn't remember much after that because she fell asleep as the tall shem carried her and only woke up the next day at the Wardens Keep.
This wasn't Warden's keep though. Malie woke up in a bed, being watched by a young elf. Her head pounded and she slowly started remembering the events of yesterday..