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Rook and Teia had been walking for a while as they went deeper into Arlathan Forest. Rook had spent a lot of time in the forest since being in the Veilguard and needing to help the Veil Jumpers, but she’d never been this deep into the forest before. As they went through the dense trees and bushes, dodging nugs and other wildlife that were hiding, Rook found herself becoming frustrated. She’d always loved being in nature and exploring, but even though Teia enjoyed it, she knew it wasn’t her favourite thing to do. Whenever they went places that Teia chose, there was always a reason. There was always a plan in mind because that’s how Teia’s mind works. She just wished her best friend would tell her what it was.
“Teia, what are we doing out here? I don’t have time to get lost in Arlathan Forest!” Rook asked.
“Patience, mir falon. You’ll see soon,” Teia replied.
“You said that three hours ago!”
“Yes, and you’re even closer now!” She replied with a smirk.
“Asshole,” Rook muttered.
Teia chuckled, but only a few minutes later she turned to face her friend.
“We’re here.”
“Great. Care to tell me where ‘here’ is?”
“Do you remember the necklace I bought you for your birthday? The day you… you…”
Teia closed her eyes and swallowed hard at the memory of her best friend being pulled into the Fade. The pain of thinking she was dead for all those weeks still welled up inside her and threatened to bring her to her knees. Rook looked sympathetically at her friend and pulled her into her arms.
“I do remember it, vhenan. I wear it all the time. I’m wearing it now. I love it so much.”
“Good. I’m glad. Well, do you remember why I gave you that necklace?”
“Yeah, you said the Keeper of my grandfather’s clan gave you some bark from one of the trees in the forest, a splinter from his staff, and soil from my grandfather’s grave to help me remember my elven side.”
“Yes. I know you still struggle with being an elf sometimes, so I wanted you to feel more of a connection with your elven side.”
“I do really love the necklace and why you gave it to me, but I just don’t think I’m ever going to feel the way you do about being an elf. I don’t know if it’s because of what happened in the Fledgling house, but I feel more connected to my human side.”
“Would you at least try to explore it more?”
“Maybe… I don’t know.”
“Well, you’ll need to decide soon because your grandfather’s clan is right through that copse.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me we were going there?”
“Because you would have said no.”
“Yeah, I would have… and I’m saying no now.”
She turned to walk away, but Teia put her hand on her arm to stop her.
“Amelia, please don’t go.”
Rook turned to look at her. She very rarely called her by her actual name these days. Not that she minded, but the only person who still called her ‘Amelia’ regularly was her father, and she loved that. If Teia was using her actual name, it must be important to her.
“Why, Teia? Why bring me out here?”
“As I said, I wanted you to feel more connected to your elven side. There’s so much more to being an elf than pointed ears, and I really want to share that with you.”
“Fine, but I don’t want to stay long.”
She sighed and they walked towards her late grandfather’s encampment.
The elderly man pushed himself up from the fallen tree trunk, with some assistance from his staff and two young, enthusiastic children. The young elves were energised by the story their hahren had shared with them. Tales of the brave adventures of the clan’s hunters over the years filled them with excitement about what they could do to help their clan. The man turned to go back to his tent when he spotted the women walking towards him. He smiled when he saw them approaching and slowly limped in their direction.
“Andaran atish’an,” he said in greeting.
“Aneth ara,” Teia replied.
“It’s good to see you, young Andarateia. By the necklace you’re wearing, I assume you’re Rook,” he said as he turned to Teia’s friend.
“I am,” Rook said.
“It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Keeper Ieuan of Clan Hiraeth.”
“Pleased to meet you, Keeper Ieuan.”
“Please… just Ieuan will suffice. Come with me.”
They followed him back to his tent and he pointed them towards some rickety stools in the corner before bringing back some halla cakes and cups of elven cider. He took a seat in his chair and laid his staff to the side.
“So, what can I do for you?” He continued.
“I was hoping that you’d be able to share more about your clan with Rook so she can know where she came from,” Teia said.
“I know where I come from, Teia – Treviso,” Rook replied.
“Ah, yes. I understand you had a challenging upbringing amongst the humans. It can be difficult to hold on to one’s heritage in those circumstances,” Ieuan said.
“I doubt if it was any more challenging than it was for the other elves. Besides, I don’t really see this as being my heritage.”
“Rook!” Teia exclaimed.
“What? I keep telling you that. It’s not my fault you don’t listen. I never knew my grandparents and I didn’t even know one of them was Dalish until you told me. The only experience I’ve had of this sort of life is through Bellara and the Veil Jumpers.”
“Bellara Lutare? She’s a good girl. Very enthusiastic about elven history,” Ieuan said.
“You know Bellara?”
“Yes. We’ve had a few dealings with her when she was looking for the Nadas Dirthalen with her brother.”
“Oh. Did you know that she found it – and that her brother died?”
“Dareth shiral, lethallan. Poor Cyrian. He’ll be missed. I’m glad to hear she discovered the Nadas Dirthalen, though. I’ll have to write to her to see if she’d mind sharing what she’s learned.”
“I’m sure she’d love to. I can get a message to her when we get back, if you like.”
“I’d appreciate that. Ma serannas.”
There was an awkward silence for a moment. It was very clear that Rook wasn’t comfortable being there, and she seemed far more tense than she’d usually be around new people. Ieuan stood and hobbled over to a cupboard. He opened it and removed two small items that were wrapped carefully in simple scarves. He placed them in Rook’s hands before taking his seat once more.
“What are these?”
“These were your grandparents’ bonding gifts to one another. I conducted their bonding ritual. Your grandmother bequeathed these to me when she died. I thought you might like them.”
“Oh. That’s very kind of you, but I’m sure they’ll mean more to you than me. You should keep them.”
“Having known them, I’m certain they’d want their granddaughter to have them.”
“I don’t even know their names. Mamae didn’t tell me about her parents before she died.”
“You were only five when your mamae died, Rook. Perhaps she thought you were too young,” Teia said.
“Even if she did, I would’ve thought she’d have something in her possessions about her parents.”
“Maybe she did. Have you seen how much Vi has stored from Izzy?”
“Not for a long time. I don’t like going into the store.”
“Why is that?” Ieuan asked.
“I try not to think of Mamae too much. I don’t like having a reminder that she died.”
“But death is a part of life, da’len. I’m sure she-“
“I’m a Crow. I understand that death is a part of life, but I don’t need to remember that my mother took a contract knowing that she had a five-year-old child at home and got herself killed!”
Rook stood and walked out, leaving Teia and Ieuan looking at each other.
Rook moved through the camp quickly, passing by many of the clan who stopped and stared at the visitor in their midst. She walked past the children practising their sparring and hunting before reaching a large pond filled with dancing fish and water lilies covering the surface. If she wasn’t in such a bad mood, she’d be admiring its beauty, but not today. Not right now. She picked up a handful of flat stones and began to skim them when a couple of young men approached her. They couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old, and they were very curious about this new person.
“Hey, you’re a city elf, aren’t you?” One of the young men asked.
“Yes, I am,” Amelia sighed, but with a distinct note of impatience in her tone.
“We don’t get many flat-ears out here. What are you-“ The second young man began to say before she glared at him and cut him off.
“Listen, da’len – I-“
“That is not a term we use in this clan. Evan, Iestyn – you owe Rook an apology,” Ieuan ordered.
“But Keeper Ieuan, Dafydd said-“ Evan began to reply.
“Dafydd’s clan still struggles to let go of old resentments and challenges. Whether they realise it or not, they will not be able to move forward until they let go of this bitterness towards humans and city elves. You are not to listen to them about this. Now, your apologies are due.”
“Sorry,” Evan muttered.
“Sorry, Rook,” Iestyn said looking shamefaced.
“Ma serannas, boys. Now, don’t you have some training to do?”
“Yes, Keeper Ieuan.”
They hurried off and the Keeper turned towards Rook, who was once again skimming stones.
“My apologies, Rook. Some of our fellow elves are struggling to let go of those areas of the past that hold us back. Occasionally, it rears its head when the youth of the different clans gather together.”
“Thanks, but I’m used to it. The Dalish I meet don’t like me because I’m a ‘flat-ears’ and the humans don’t like me because I’m a ‘knife-ears’. I can’t win either way.”
She sighed and threw another stone. She watched as it bounced along the surface of the water before taking another stone, and then another, and throwing them in the same way. Ieuan put his hand gently on her shoulder.
“Come with me, da’len.”
She reluctantly discarded the rest of her stones and followed him. He took her through the trees to a beautiful forest near a lake. The trees were stunning in their golden, autumnal colours. Leaves falling on the ground and making the forest feel warmer than it actually was. He led her past the wooden statue of a halla to a large tree with worn engravings in its bark. He gestured to the tree and she went in to take a closer look.
“’CdR’ and ‘RdR’? I don’t understand. What is this?”
“Catrin de Riva and Ramón de Riva. This is your grandparents’ grave. They’re buried beneath this tree.”
“What? I thought only my grandfather was buried here.”
“No, they both were.”
“But wasn’t one of them a city elf? I thought only the Dalish could be buried on Dalish land.”
“Some clans maintain that tradition, but as I said to the boys, we need to let go of those things which hold us back. Cruelty and derision towards our city kin helps no-one. In fact, it keeps us from moving forward and drowns us in bitterness and resentment.”
“I don’t think many other elves will agree with you,” she replied sadly.
“They will, given time. Tell me – what do you know about your grandparents?”
“Only what Teia told me after she visited you. That one of my grandparents was Dalish and that my grandfather was buried here. I assume he was of Clan Hiraeth.”
“Actually, he wasn’t – your grandmother was.”
“I’m so confused! How did he end up here?”
“He met Catrin after he was injured fulfilling a contract in Arlathan Forest. She came upon him near the border with Tevinter. He was bleeding badly from a broken leg, but he was too far away from any settlement where he could get aid, so she tended to him. She was an exceptionally skilled healer, so she treated his wounds and defended him from predators. Once he was healed sufficiently that he could travel, she brought him back to us so he could recuperate. During that time, they fell in love and requested that they be allowed to bond. Her parents – as well as many others in the clan – were against it. They still clung to the tradition of distrusting city elves. So, she decided she would leave the clan and return to Antiva to be with him.”
“Did she actually leave?”
“Yes, but not before I convinced her family to allow her to bond with him. I didn’t want them to make the mistake of pushing their daughter – our precious clan daughter – away because of old hostilities. They still weren’t happy about it, but they relented, and I performed their bonding ceremony before they left. As part of their bonding, they each presented a gift to the other. She gave him this dagger that she had engraved with the symbols of our clan and the Antivan Crows, and he gave her this wooden halla he carved for her. They each represented something old and new – the past and the future. Once they were bonded, they left for Treviso. They spent many happy years together there, but visited frequently. Ramón worked hard to earn the trust of the people in this clan. He showed exceptional kindness and was willing to learn of our ways, and in turn, our people became ready to learn of our city relations.”
“So, how did they end up buried here?”
“Not long after they’d brought their new daughter to visit us and introduce her to her clan, they returned home. They were so happy together and it was wonderful to see. They’d tried for a few years to have children, and they’d all but given up hope when they found out they were expecting Isabela. They settled into their lives in Treviso, raising Isabela in House de Riva, but also with Clan Hiraeth’s traditions. So, Izzy had the best of both worlds.
“However, when Izzy was seven, Ramón was targeted by the family of one of his marks. They didn’t just kill him, but they killed Catrin, too. They nearly killed Izzy, but Catrin managed to conceal her daughter so the assassin wouldn’t find her. Once the assassins left, Izzy ran to find someone in House de Riva who could help her. I believe a woman called Josephina took care of her until she could speak with the Talon of your house.
“The Fifth Talon quite liked both of your parents. Ramón was one of his senior Crows, and even though Catrin wasn’t a Crow, he was quite fond of her. He even allowed her to take his surname. He agreed to put Izzy in the Fledgling house so she could remain in Treviso and the Crows. We’d hoped that she’d come back to us, but both Catrin and Ramón had written in their wills that they wanted her to have a life in Treviso. They felt that there’d be more opportunities for her there, but that they’d always make sure she knew her Dalish heritage. Also, in the documentation was a request that they be buried back with the clan. Even though Ramón never formally joined Clan Hiraeth, he felt at home here. He once told us that if he ever had cause to leave the Crows, he would love to join us here. So, when they died, we granted their request. Both Catrin and Ramón were brought home here to rest.”
“It’s really lovely that they felt so at home here, but-“ She sighed and went quiet.
“But what?”
“They had the opportunity to keep Mamae safe, but they chose to stay in the Crows. My grandfather chose to remain a Crow and take contracts, even knowing he had a wife and child. Mamae ended up going through what I went through, and yet it still wasn’t enough for her to decide not to go on contracts. She went on a contract and got herself killed, knowing that I was at home. I’m just so mad at her!”
“It’s understandable that you’d feel that way, da’len, but she didn’t choose to leave you. You need to let go of that anger and pain or you’ll never be able to move on.”
“But I was only five! I ended up in the Fledgling house and miserable! I was the only elf and I was bullied because of it. It ruined my life.”
“It would, but it doesn’t need to keep ruining it. Let me ask you this: Have you ever performed the elven prayer for the dead?”
“No. Well, kind of. There were some Dalish elves we found in Arlathan Forest a few years ago. Their deaths were troubling a Spirit of Comfort, so we tried to memorialise them to ease its distress. I said the prayer as best I could remember it, but I’m not convinced I got it right. Teia’s much better at this stuff than I am.”
“Well, I’m going to suggest that you perform the prayer for the dead to say goodbye to your mother. Lay her – and your sorrows and regrets over what might have been – to rest.”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t see how it could work.”
“You have nothing to lose by trying.”
“Okay, but how-“
She was interrupted by the sound of shouts and screams coming from the camp. She took off as fast as she could towards the sound, with Ieuan hurrying as quickly as he could after her. To their horror, mercenaries were attacking the camp. Several warriors had already been killed, but Teia was fighting hard against the attackers. Rook turned to the Keeper.
“Get the civilians inside. Teia and I will take care of this,” she said.
“I still have a few warriors I can send to help.”
“No, it’s okay. I recognise those mercenaries. I encountered that group when I was in the Veilguard. They’ll be too much for your warriors. Let me take care of this. Let me protect the clan.”
“Very well.”
He ushered his clan members to safety whilst the two Crows stood against the mercenaries. Some of them tried to retreat once they realised who they were facing. They hadn’t expected to encounter a Talon and a master assassin in this small Dalish camp. They’d assumed it would be easy pickings, but Rook and Teia were cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. When the one remaining mercenary tried to flee, Rook threw a blade which lodged itself in his temple. He fell to the ground in a bloody heap with his fellow fallen mercenaries. They caught their breaths and called out to the clan.
“It’s okay. It’s safe to come out now,” Rook called.
The clan members cautiously came out of their tents and shacks and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their attackers were all dead. A frightened little girl ran to Rook and wrapped her little arms around her legs.
“Ma serannas, falon!” She exclaimed.
Rook stroked her hair and smiled sympathetically.
“It’s alright, da’len. You’re safe now.”
Ieuan walked up to the two Crows with a look of relief on his face. He’d watched them fight the mercenaries from the door of his tent, and he knew she was right. No matter how good his warriors were, they would have been outmatched against their foes. It was miraculous that they’d only lost five of them.
“Ma serannas – both of you! You saved our clan! We will always be in your debt,” he exclaimed.
“No, you won’t. You owe us nothing. We were glad to help,” Teia replied.
“She’s right. You don’t owe us anything, but we should probably get back to Treviso and tell them about the mercenaries. A group that size won’t stop in Arlathan,” Rook said.
“Agreed.”
“Before you go, join us for a meal. Halla Keeper Eleri is making her Dalish forest fruit cobbler,” Ieuan said.
“I’d like that. It was the only thing Mamae knew how to make. She had a Dalish friend teach her. I’ve always loved it.”
“Good, then you’re in for a treat!”
He escorted them to seats beside the fire so they could share a meal together. Once they’d finished the delicious cobbler, the two Crows stood to leave. Ieuan once again handed Rook the two bonding gifts, but this time she accepted them. He also gave her a small, wooden Dalish toy, which puzzled her.
“What’s this?” Rook asked.
“This was Izzy’s toy. I made it for her the last time they came to visit, but she forgot to take it with her. I intended to give it back to her the next time they visited, but I never had the chance. I think she’d like it if you had it.”
“Oh, I-I don’t know what to say. Ma serannas.”
Tears were spilling down her cheek and the elderly Keeper wrapped his arms around her.
“You’re very welcome. Remember that you will always have a home with us – daughter of Clan Hiraeth.”
“Thank you.”
She wiped her tears away and bid farewell to her ancestral clan, and she and Teia made their way home to Treviso. She hadn’t planned for this, but somehow, she felt lighter. She felt whole in a way she hadn’t for a very long time. Treviso and the Crows would always be her home, but she’d found a connection with something bigger than herself, and that brought her more peace than she realised she could ever have.