
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13520328.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      Multi
  Fandom:
      Dragon_Age:_Inquisition
  Relationship:
      Inquisitor/Female_Lavellan, Inquisitor_(Dragon_Age)/Original_Character
      (s), Male_Inquisitor/Original_Female_Character(s), Iron_Bull/Dorian_Pavus
  Character:
      Dorian_Pavus, Iron_Bull, Sera_(Dragon_Age), Male_Inquisitor_(Dragon_Age),
      Inquisitor_(Dragon_Age), Cassandra_Pentaghast, Leliana_(Dragon_Age),
      Cullen_Rutherford, Vivienne_(Dragon_Age), Dalish_(Dragon_Age:
      Inquisition), Original_Elf_Character(s), Varric_Tethras, Hawke_(Dragon
      Age), Fenris_(Dragon_Age), Lace_Harding, Fen'Harel_|_Solas, Cole_(Dragon
      Age), Blackwall_|_Thom_Rainier
  Additional Tags:
      Dalish_Courtship, Dalish_Elves, Original_Character_Death(s), Minor
      Character_Death, Child_Death, Blood, Loss_of_Virginity, Alternate
      Universe_-_Canon_Divergence
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-01-30 Chapters: 1/? Words: 1889
****** Pocketful of Sunshine and Elfroot ******
by SweetPoffin
Summary
     "Come on Nethy, we won't be gone long."
     "That's what you said last time, and we got back when the sun was
     down and our mothers were still out."
     Two Elven children argued with each other, one wanting to explore the
     vast green forest that the aravels had recently stopped in. The
     Emerald Graves were vast and filled with beauty, but also danger as
     the Keeper had warned. Giants who sought to step on small elves who
     wondered too far from the camp, and great bears to were hungry for
     blood.
      
     A Dalish healer crossed paths with the Inquisition on one faithful
     day, but what happened before she came in contact with the
     Inquisitor?
     What happened in her life to make her the way she is now? Who really
     is Nethari?
Notes
     Italics means speaking in Elven, be kind this is the first time I've
     written something for DA and not gore.
See the end of the work for more notes
When the aravels of a dalish clan stop, when the elves let the halla be free of
the weight they pull, one must be aware that this is now the territory of a
dalish encampment. Get too close and you may be attacked or worse, the elven
'savages' were unpredictable as most people would say. In reality this Clan was
friendly, they had stopped their aravels for the arrivals of new children to be
born soon from a well respected elf who the Clan knew as Helena. But what they
did not know was that in the commotion two of the young had snuck off with
packs of dried meats, they were only five and six at the time but already they
were adventurous things. The blonde one had a cautious look upon her bare face,
for she was too young for the vallaslin to mark her yet, and the redheaded one
to excitedly be pulling on her arm hard in the direction of the thick of the
forest. The trees towered over them, providing shade from the sun but few
steaks slipped through lighting their path. 
"Come Nethy, we won't be gone long."
"That is what you said last time, we got back when the sun had already fallen
and our mothers were awaiting our return."
Two Elven children argued with each other, one wanting to explore the vast
green forest that the aravels had recently stopped in while the other wished to
stay in the camp. The Emerald Graves were vast and filled with beauty, but also
danger as the Keeper had warned. Giants who sought to step on small elves who
wondered too far from the camp, and great bears to were hungry for blood. Still
the taller of the two persisted, pulling the other girl with her as she marched
her way through the bushes. A caterpillar caught their eyes and they had to
stop to watch it cross from one leaf to another, it fell off into the dirt and
grass, the girls couldn't help but giggle at it before Red and 'Nethy' resumed
their walking. 

The elves stopped in their tracks as a bear walked out of the bushes with her
cubs, for she did not attack only walk away. It was a wondrous sight for the
two children to see, before running down the hills to the small creek. It was
early spring, barely any water flowed through but enough that it could still be
called a stream. The redhead sat on a mossy rock with her pack on her lap,
grabbing some spindleweed closest to her as the blonde tugged at her own pack. 

"Liri we should return to the Clan, Keeper Danyhris will scold us if we are not
found in camp soon."  The younger of the two said, as she took a step back, the
noises of the large graves became louder for her and made her quite aware of
how far they had gone from the camp. The sight of elfroot and a bit of
spindleweed caught her friend's eye, making her dash for it and shove it into
her pack before she spoke. "Come now Nethari, where is your sense of adventure?
Besides your mother is going to give birth soon, we have to get her elfroot so
she won't hurt when the babies come." It was true that Nethari's mother was due
to give birth soon, but to break the rules set by the Keeper to help her? How
foolish was Liri to think that this was a good idea at all in the slightest. 

Still Nethari wished not to see her creator in pain, she had watched her mother
struggle the past few months as they traveled the land back to the Emerald
graves where they have not been since the previous fall as winter had come and
drove them away from the place they had decided to call home. But alas they
always return, there was far too much for them to learn here than to be gone
for too long. Keeper Danyhris enjoyed going out to the ruins when she was given
a moment of freedom, bringing back to findings for her students that listened
to her tales of the Elvhen. 

Sadly she was getting old, and without a child born with magic to be revealed
yet they prayed that the new children to be born would show early on the gifts
of the gods. If not they would have to get in contact with fellow Clans whom
had a Second already chosen to come to their own clan, though the stubbornness
of the Keeper would most likely prevent that from happening until years after
the new children have been born. 

"Nethari come over here and help, if we collect enough we can return now." A
tempting offer from Liri, but Nethari stood her ground off the shore of the
bank. At last the redheaded elf stood from her spot, a little frown on her
face. "Is something wrong? You usually help after I pester you.." Liri grewed a
bit worried at the sight of her friend not moving as such, before she too
turned to look where she was facing.

Before them stood a giant who had yet to see them, it stood across the creek
barely a few feet away. Nethari had been paralyzed in fear from just the sight
of it, before she quickly started whispering a prayer to Mythal as the two
began to backup. "Mythal, all-mother, protector of the People, watch over us,
for the path we tread is perilous. Save us from the darkness, as you did
before, and we will sing your name to the heavens." It took barely thirty
seconds for the two elves to be out of sight from the giant and halfway back to
camp, tears bubbling down one's cheeks while the other was amazed by what she
saw. 

Sneaking back into the camp was easy, that is until one of the elders of the
clan noticed the two sneaking back in with packs on their backs. However he was
kind, placing a finger to his lips as they went back to the aravel where a
blonde woman lay with a hand resting upon her swollen belly. A long braid was
thrown over her shoulder, she was humming as she rubbed her belly before
noticing her child. "Come here da'len, your brother or sister has stirred. It
will not be long now before they are gifted into this world." At her request
Nethari crawled into the aravel where her mother rested, Liri left the pack
close by before running to go see her own mother. 

Helen placed butterfly kisses to her daughter's face as she came in contact,
small hands slowly moved to touch her swollen stomach before she rested her
head gently against it to listen. A small foot-or was it a hand, pressed
against her cheek. Nethari couldn't help but giggle at the feeling, looking up
at her smiling mother with an excited grin. "What will it be?" She asked,
almost shaking with excitement even though barely a few minutes ago she was
paralyzed with fear. Her mother only chuckled at her, "We do not know yet, my
little moonflower. Keeper Danyhris said the likeliness of it being more than
one is high, perhaps you will have a brother and sisters, maybe two brothers."
At her words she scrunched up her face at the thought of having two brothers. 

"But I want two sisters.." 
With a pout Nethari rubbed her cheek against her belly some more, enjoying the
comforting warmth that emitted from her. Helen could only chuckle at her, "My
child I cannot control that, for it is upto the Gods to decide if we are to be
gifted with a boy or a girl." With a kind smile, she laid her head back with a
sigh. The child soon realized what she had forgotten, "Mother Liri and I found
something for you." Crawling out towards the open world she grabbed the pack
filled with elfroot and spindleweed, a familiar kind smile on her lips.

"We got you somethings for you pain.." She looked down in shame at the face her
mother gave her, "I know we are not to leave the camp, but we saw how much you
were hurting and..." Biting her lip lightly she pushed the pack closer, before
her mother opened up her arms for a hug, to which she gladly accepted. 

"Moonflower, you know the rules, you mustn't leave the Clan without an adult
for you might get lost or hurt. I do not know what to do if I lost you." At her
words Nethari could only cling to her mother and listen to her heartbeat, it
hurt hearing those words come from her but she knew that they were true enough.
They had lost a few of their own to a sickness during the winter, it was a hard
time for their clan but they had to keep pushing forward, they had time to
mourn when they were away from the cold. Liri lost her father to the ice years
ago, and after that she was always so cautious when she was with her and she
had been so worried during the sickness that maybe she would be lost as well. 

The sounds of another sitting near the entrance of the aravel caught her
attention, looking up at to whom was now there. Nethari could only smile with
her mother at the sight of her father, one of the warriors of their Clan who
brought back many furs for her mother during their time of courtship and even
now when they had their second and third child on the way. "Papa, are you going
to stay here with mother?" Nethari asked with a bit of hope in her eyes, for
her father had to leave soon to hunt for a few days, they could not wait until
the babies were born to hunt as everyone would be too busy. "No da'len, we must
still hunt before the game decides to move. You must stay with your mother,
protect her and your siblings for me." He brought a hand up to her head and
ruffled her hair, before pressing a kiss to his wife's lips. 

Helen looked at her husband, worried evident in her eyes for she fear he would
not be there for the birth of their children. Tariel just gave a small smile to
his ray of sunshine, "Do not worry ma vhenan, we will not be gone long. I will
not miss the first breath of my second child for the world, should I have to
run back by myself to see them I shall." She couldn't help but believe her
love's words, pressing her forehead against his she could only nod. As he
pulled away he pressed his forehead to his daughter's, she eagerly met his with
her own. It was a family thing they did, for when she was but a baby she
refused kisses but loved forehead touches with butterfly kisses. Tariel soon
left the aravel, pulling his greatsword onto his back as the rest of the
hunting party gathered. 

"Will papa be back soon mama?" Nethari whispered to her mother. 

"I truly hope so, my little moonflower." 
End Notes
     Oh god I really hope this is good, I've never written something like
     this before so please give feedback.
     It's gonna start off slow, mentions of the blight, Kirkland and such
     will come later on.
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