Two weeks before the Conclave…
It was early morning, the woods of Fereldan were still sleeping except for the light chirping of birds singing to each other throughout the trees. It was Ayla Lavellan's favorite time of day. She wandered through the thick lush trees of the forest her clan was currently inhabiting, hunting for elfroot for her personal storage. She had been running low and chose to go out searching before her clan moved on to another home.
Ayla's eyes brightened as she spotted the leafy herb and rushed over to extract the elfroot from the ground. When she was done she scanned the area again for anymore of the healing plants. She spotted another set close to the creek that was off to her right. She wandered over and whooped. It's my lucky day! She thought as she found a royal elfroot in the middle of the small selections. She went to work on digging them up, forgetting her surroundings.
As she finished packing them an uneasy feeling washed over her and she looked around. The forest was quiet, not a peep from the singing birds. Ayla quickly put her pack back on her back and released her staff in the process, bringing it to rest in a defensive stance in her hands. She stood up and began walking warily back in the direction of her clan, eyes darting all over looking for the danger.
Suddenly, a scream erupted into the air in the direction of her camp. Ayla ran as fast she could, without even a thought of hesitation. Her heart pounding with fear for whatever was attacking her people. She burst out of the trees into the center of her camp and found a bunch of armored human men attacking the camp. Disgust filled her as she seaw all of the men dead along with the children and most of the women. Only five women were left, her Keeper one of them. One of the men was ripping the clothes off Deshanna's body.
Ayla roared and sent a fire bolt at the man pawing at her mentor, burning him alive. His companions retaliate and came at her, swords drawn. Ayla slammed her staff into the ground sending static lightning to the man closest to her. It bounced from him to all of his allies, stunning them and stopping them where they stood. She eyed them warily, readying her next attack that would finish them, but suddenly she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She cried out and fell to the ground and darkness encased her vision as she passed out.
Ayla jerked awake, eyes blurry and a searing pain shot through her head. She has a concussion she thinks, but that is the least of her worries as she realized that her hands are tied to a thin tree. She struggled to slip her wrists out of them but they are too tight and cut into her skin.
"You aren't going anywhere." A man's sneering voice sounded from her right. She turns to him, eyes narrowing with defiance. She tried to summon her magic but it felt like it was locked down within her, like something was blocking it. "Yeah, you won't be able to use your magic, Knife-Eared bitch!"
The man stood up and made his way over to her, a sinister look on his face. As soon as she saw his armor, she knew why her magic wasn't coming to her aid. This was a Templar. A man who relied on Lyrium to suppress any mage's powers, but her people more so than others.
"You are a pretty one, aren't you?" He said, his eyes traveling down her body, his intent clear. Ayla screamed and fought as hard as she could to free herself, trying to get out to defend herself. He rushed the rest of the way and slapped her across the face making her cry out again. "I wonder if you will be tighter than your Keeper was?"
Ayla's eyes widened at the mention of her Keeper. Oh, Goddess please let her mentor still be alive, she prayed. He grabbed her and pulled her legs toward him and put his hands on her hips, his fingers gripping her breeches and pulling them down. Ayla kicked and screamed trying to defend herself. A sharp pain ignited in her thigh as the man stabbed her with a knife, laughing savagely. She stopped kicking, stunned and the man pulls her breeches all the way off. He yanked the dagger out of her roughly making the cut widen. She cried out, fear and pain engulfing her, as she laid helpless. Her eyes wander frantically, seeking out anything or anyone who could help her escape. They land on her Keeper who is tied up to a tree not far from her with another templar violating her.
She heard his pants drop a moment later and then felt his hand on her naked flesh, pawing at her. She felt the flesh of his hardened penis at her vaginal opening. She began shaking, her fear plain for him to see. She tried once more to free herself but it was no use. She kept her eyes on her Keeper, praying for someone to come to their aid. The Keeper's eyes met hers with the same expression. Helpless, but still praying to the Goddess for any aid.
He slammed into her hard, causing pain to erupt everywhere in her private place. She cried out, an ear piercing scream echoing throughout the forest. He slapped her again before grabbing on to her head and pulling her face to his for a forceful kiss. She spit in his face before he could accomplish this however and it only excited him more. He throbbed harder within her making her cringe in response to the pain. She could feel the blood seeping out of her, mixing with the blood from her leg that had pooled underneath her bottom. She returned her gaze to her Keeper's eyes, her only comfort, and she her Keeper's. He grunted and moaned on top of her speeding up, making her wince again, the pain excruciating. He cried out a minute later and splashed her insides with his seed.
The Templar pulled out of her a minute later a smug smile on his face as he looked at his companion on top of her Keeper. "This one was a virgin." His thick voice, boasting proudly. Ayla's face twisted in disgust and burning hatred. She looked around her again and noticed he had left the dagger near her left hand. She concentrated on grabbing it, causing the cuffs to cut further into her wrists. Almost there, she urged, come on you can get it. Her hands touch the handle and she grabbed onto it, her lifeline. She cut the first rope as fast as she could and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the rope loosen. The minute she was free, Ayla didn't hesitate and was on her attacker's back, stabbing him in the neck. Blood spurted up, out and splattered her face as he fell to the ground. She yanked the dagger out and then pounced on the man violating Deshanna. She made quick work of him and then proceeded to free her.
"Are you okay?" Ayla asked, knowing full well that they both were not. "Is there anyone else alive?"
The Keeper shook her head, tears in her eyes. "We must create a funeral pyre, da'len."
"Where is the rest of the company?" Ayla asked, her eyes looking around for more attackers.
"They left already. They-they murdered the other women after they were done with them." Deshana told her, a sob of horror coming out at the trauma. There were bodies everywhere. Ayla pulled Deshana into a hug and cried with her, releasing the grief and horror they had just been forced to endure and witness. All the women, children, Ayla's sister included-her eyes open wide with pain as she'd died. Everyone was dead except for them.
After awhile they released each other and the Keeper looked at Ayla's cut and checked her head. The cut would scar badly but she cleaned it out and healed as much as she could of it. The head wound was easier as it wasn't as serious as Ayla thought.
Once the physical healing was done, they began to make the funeral pyre. They worked in silence, both wanting to get it over with and be away from the horror of the camp. When the pyre was finished they moved all the bodies over to the pyre and proceeded with the Dalish funeral ritual, Ayla using her natural gifts to send their loved ones on their way. After saying what they needed they each grabbed their packs, spare clothes, coin, and their staffs before leaving everything behind.
They traveled to the deep forests where most of the humans didn't dare go to keep themselves hidden. It had been two days since the traumatic experience and neither of them dared to stop, driven by their fear and the need to survive. They stopped and rested in a cave hidden by vines on the third night when the exhaustion took them over. They were both afraid to sleep, not wanting to relive those memories but luckily they were too exhausted to dream.
The next morning they awoke with alarm as voices talked loudly somewhere outside the cave. Fear coursed through them and they looked at each other, eyes wide and holding their breaths.
"They are gathering at the Temple of Sacred Ashes to discuss peace between the Mages and Templars that has broken out among the lands. This discussion will decide how the Chantry plans on restoring order. The Divine Justinia is the one heading this meeting." A voice whispered just outside. It was male and deep, sending shivers of fear up the two Lavellan's' spines. Their ears twitched at the information and they looked at each other as they processed it.
"I hope they don't plan to reinstall the circles. They clearly aren't working." Another voice replied this one female.
The couple walked off not knowing two elves were listening. Ayla thought for a moment and then looked at her Keeper questioningly.
"I believe one of us should be at this meeting, and the other needs to search for another clan to take us in." Deshanna told her softly. "We need to know how this will affect us in the future. We must prevent what happened to us from happening to anybody else."
Ayla took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she deliberated. She didn't want to separate what with them being the last of their clan. She didn't want to be alone or go anywhere near the humans but she would do it so that her Keeper would't have to.
"I'll go to this human temple. You go find the closest clan." Ayla declared. Deshanna's eyes widened in fear for her clan-mate.
"You are as brave as you are kind, da'len. May your journey be swift and safe and may the Light protect you." The Keeper replied, tears springing to her eyes. Both knew then and there that somehow nothing would ever be the same.
They hugged each other in farewell and then packed up. When they were ready they stepped out of the cave and each turned in different directions and walked away from each other.
It took almost two agonizing and terror driven weeks for Ayla to get to the shem's sacred temple. She was constantly slowed down by the rogue Templars and Apostates that plagued the roads throughout the Radalas Mountains.
Ayla had decided to travel at night after nearly encountering both parties. They seemed to be active during the day and she had a need to avoid them, the Templars in particular. The rogue Templars were comprised of mostly men, as had been the band that had attacked her clan. Fear drove her to slip quietly passed them at night, using her enhanced senses to see her safely through the forests as she continued on her way to the Frostbacks.
When she hit the cold region she knew she wouldn't survive the snowy land that covered the mountains. With great reluctance she traveled into a small town and purchased the supplies she needed. The people there all looked at her with disapproving eyes as she arrived, knowing she was a Dalish heathen, as some liked to refer to her people, but they shied away from her much to her relief.
The tavern she stayed in that night was even smaller then the village and was crowded with villagers talking about the meeting that would take place in the next week. Many of the guests there were, like her, traveling to witness the outcome of this so-called meeting of peace. She listened that night as she ate her warm meal in a dark corner for all the gossip surrounding this Divine person. From all accounts, it seemed that the woman was kind and gentle but dangerous when crossed, particularly when in front of her two women bodyguards.
The next morning, found Ayla dressed in a heavy forest green armor of the shem's with a bear fur cloak around her shoulders. It was big on her, not meant for her elven form but it would do for traveling into the snowy mountains. She quickly left, hurrying to the little thicket just at the edge of the town where she had hidden her staff from view; afraid she would be accosted by the Templars that guarded the city.
Ayla secured it on her back and continued on her journey once more, which took a shorter amount of time than she'd anticipated, largely due to only stopping once again when exhaustion overcame her. She was still afraid to sleep since the first night she tried after separating from her Keeper she had re-lived every moment of the tragedy in her nightmares.
She still preferred her usual Keeper's robes, but knew they wouldn't keep the cold off her skin. She rarely saw snow with her clan, as they were closer to the warmer lands of Rivain and Antiva, and often ventured closer for the sake of the better temperatures. She realized she had taken it for granted as she made her way through the ice and snow, and vowed to be more grateful if she ever decided to go back. The steep slopes of the mountain before her didn't help, nor was it easy to make the climb while avoiding the little army camp at the base. Still, she managed and was soon looking at the massive stone structure of the humans' sacred temple.
Voices echoed from inside, those of men and women as they prepared the place for the Conclave that would converge in two days' time. Finding a nice alcove to settle in, Ayla waited for the bulk of the participants to arrive.
Her little nook had afforded her the opportunity to watch the people as they came and went over the days prior to their gathering. Her eyes narrowed as she watched a frail looking human woman in the most ridiculous clothing enter and survey the area. The hall soon filled to bursting with mages and Templars, their voices ringing off the old stone like bells in the Chantries she'd heard when close enough to human settlements. At times, those voices were heated, but the oddly dressed woman managed to silence them with softly spoken words. It was impressive really. So many men and women hung on this person's every word, as though she herself commanded the very stars.
It ended a few hours later with the woman escorted to a small hut outside of the temple and the others all broke off to go their separate ways before rejoining on the morrow. Ayla settled in for the night, keeping watch of the situation from her hiding place above. Not being able to sleep she kept watch into the wee hours of dawn when something suspicious began to stir down below.
When the woman was suddenly removed by another group of what appeared to be warriors of sorts with the woman clawing at the man holding her, Ayla watched closely, blood pounding in her ears. Whatever was going on it seemed that the woman didn't want to go with them and she feared that what had happened to her and her clan was going to happen to this woman so she felt compelled to follow.
She came down silent as night and followed them to the temple. She heard voices shouting from behind the huge stone doors and the woman screaming. Without hesitating she banged through the doors staff at the ready and then before she realized what was happening the world around her exploded and she was engulfed in a green light. Tossed into a void, she was slammed onto the ground with a deafening crack to her skull making her black out.
She came to a while later, her skull pounding from the force of the fall. Her vision was blurry but cleared after a few moments. Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. This was not the cave she had been in before. How did she get here, she wondered. Where was here for that matter. She got up slowly and looked around, the place was dark and dusty. Ah! The Fade. She realized. But how did she get here? And physically? A bright light gleamed at her from some stairs above and she had to shield her eyes with her hand when the light blared in her sensitive eyes.
For some reason the light seemed comforting and she began to slowly make her way towards it, hoping it was a way out of whatever this place in the Fade was. Green smoky fog filled the space around her and it made her feel uncomfortable and queasy. Soon she was at the strange stone steps and she began walking up them more quickly as she realized that the strange light was a figure of somebody.
Suddenly, clicking noises sounded from behind, making her turn around in alarm. Panic flashed through her as bunch of greenish-blackish spiders the size of dogs crawled towards her. It was clear they meant her harm and she ran instantly up the steps as fast as she could. Her heart thundered in her ears, her eyes wide with fright as she desperately tried to climb up to the comforting presence above. She looked back down and regretted it instantly as she saw thousands of the spiked creepy crawlers eagerly pursuing her. She went back to focusing on her escape, looking up at the woman-like figure above who had reached out with a hand to help her up.
Ayla began instinctively reaching for her as she climbed, nearly there. For some reason she knew this woman meant safety. If she could just reach her.
Their fingers touched a second later, light flared bright blinding her once more before darkness consumed her and she lost consciousness again.