#𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 ⟫ Lyna Mahariel

[starwrittenfates]

✨Dragon Age Starter — @elliscousland

She's still trying to deal with processing all that has happened in the span of a short amount of time. Even if she was recruited by Duncan and he said the Grey Warden's were welcome to everyone, Lyna couldn't help feeling out of place here. She practically had to leave her clan and everything she knew behind, stepping into one battle after the other. It was amazing they had managed to survive the Battle of Ostagar.

And now, with trying to get her bearings, the Dalish Elf looks to the other recruit and Grey Warden, taking this quiet and possibly brief time to get to know them. After all, they would be working together now. ❝ I don't think I met you before. I'm Lyna Mahariel, from Clan Sabrae. ❞ She pauses, hesitating in asking this next question because of current circumstances, but trying to make small talk too. ❝ H-How are you holding up? ❞

[starwrittenfates]

✨ Dragon Age Starter Call // @woodcries (for Elian)

While some others of the Dalish may look at the elves of the City a certain way, right at this very moment, none of that mattered. They were equals and Grey Warden's. Lyna was still trying to process all that had happened in Ostagar, but even more so since that moment with the mirror, Tamlen, and Duncan arriving to recruit her. It had been a while ago, but it all still seemed so fresh to her, still trying to find a way through the storm of it.

Glancing at the other elf with concern, the warrior sat down next to her, extending some kindness. ❝ How are you holding up? ❞ After all, she probably had her own story to tell too. ❝ I don't know if I ever introduced myself. I'm Lyna Mahariel. ❞

[starwrittenfates]

✨ Dragon Age Starter Call // @morsxmihixlucrum

It's rare when she can find a quiet moment these days, so Lyna enjoys it when it happens, even if she does have a bad habit of trying to distract her mind in her work. Despite being the Warden-Commander of Ferelden now, it wasn't enough to stop her from thinking back on her original home and her clan.

She continued to keep in touch with them thanks to letters back and forth with Merrill, but nothing would compare to meeting with her in person after so long. ❝Lethallan! ❞ Lyna exclaims, the word almost feeling foreign on her tongue. ❝ It is good to see you, Merrill. Thank you for meeting up with me. It's been awhile. How are you doing? ❞

[starwrittenfates]

✨𝐈𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐗 — @personaei ↳ “Some people will hate you for not loving them.” (dealer's choice!)-- (for Alistair)

The elven warrior can't help but raise an eyebrow, looking at them, arms crossed and a smile coming to her face. ❝ Is this supposed to be the sage advice for a Grey Warden? Does everyone get the pep talk? I think Duncan left it out of my Joining. ❞ She's trying to lighten the mood and play it off as though the current predicament wasn't eating away inside her, only adding more fuel to the grief and anxieties within.

Her whole life has suddenly changed in the blink of an eye. Lyna has had to leave everything she knew behind and step into a whole different one, practically forced to hit the ground running and try to survive it. She isn't sure what to do, where to go, and by the Creators...she is still clinging to hope Tamlen is out there somehow.

[starwrittenfates]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄---

𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒:

Lyna Mahariel --- (Dragon Age: Origins)

[starwrittenfates]

Lyna understands why he must feel that way. And if she were to be honest, she can't help but agree, feeling like the punchline for some joke the gods know something about, but she didn't get the message. It makes her question what her elven gods intentions are for her. Hasn't she already endured enough, having lost her parents before she was even born? And then having her request to be bonded with her the love of her life denied by the elders, only to end up being parted from him now, probably for good because of this taint that now ran through her veins.

Hadn't she already lost enough? When would this war be over?

She knows the answer to that, but doesn't even know how one could slay an archdemon. Duncan didn't exactly have enough time to teach them how to do so, much less navigate the world as a Grey Warden. They were just winging it now.

"Yeah, it does feel like that," she replies, not hiding the frown on her face. However, she knows she needs to keep pushing on. Even if she was questioning what her gods were putting her through, she had a goal to pursue --- find Tamlen if he's still out there somewhere, confront Loghain, and stop the archdemon. "We can't let it get us down though. We have to keep moving on. As the only Grey Warden's left in this world, the duty to protect this world falls to us now. Even if Loghain has twisted everyone else against us, we are still warriors with a job to perform. We need to do this...for Duncan and anyone else we've lost, who may still be out there, needing our help."

That thought was the only thing that gave her hope to keep fighting.

ellis sat with his knees drawn closely to his chest. he sits on the fire's edge, watching the flame lick & tear at the logs he fed it. there was something soothing in the action, the small ritual he had allowed himself. the bliss of wood splitting under the heat doesn't last, filled instead with conversation. his stomach twists in an odd sort of fear. her words made it all the more real. they were the only ones left, hanging on by the threads they braided together. all they could do was hope they were strong enough.

" ellis cousland, " he offers his name in return, throwing a handful of sticks on the fire. they're dry & catch quickly, intensifying the emotion that rises in his chest at the question. fear. or maybe he was frustrated. it would be easier if he were, he thinks. how are you holding up? a laugh escapes him. perhaps it was rude, but he couldn't stop it. how was he supposed to be holding up, he wonders? before all of this he had never even been in a real fight. he begged for one, quite desperately, but had never imagined.... he wipes a tear from his eye when he is able to swallow his bitter laughter.

" i'm just great. probably great as you, or maybe even the other grey wardens? " he regrets the words soon as they come out. it was sweet of lyna to extend a hand of understanding. they were, after all, the only people left that might understand one another. he clears his throat & looks back to the fire. the sticks have burnt up now, leaving nothing but ash, " i'm sorry. it's just - it's all too much, don't you think? it feels like some sort of joke, but we're the punchline. "

[starwrittenfates]

She had to learn to grow accustomed to her new life. At first it had been difficult for her to leave her old one behind. Lyna knows she tried to fight against it, but when she was presented with no other choice, she had to figure out a new way to survive. It had not been easy, but she surprisingly found herself growing into her new life as a Grey Warden, realizing all she was fighting for.

Becoming the Hero of Ferelden hadn't been her intention. All she wanted was to end the Blight and avenge all those she had lost along the way because of it --- her old life and Tamlen being among that list of course. But becoming Warden-Commander was a choice she had made and one she didn't regret. "Ah, well, you can still just call me Lyna."

Listening to Merrill, her words didn't go unnoticed by Lyna, especially when it came to regards about the clan. Brown eyes going wide with surprise before it feels like she's been hit in the gut again at the mention of Tamlen. "Merrill..." she starts, swallowing sadly. "He's dead. I know, because...back during the Blight, he visited me at camp except...he was no longer the Tamlen we knew anymore. The corruption had turned him into something else. He begged me to end his pain but...I couldn't. I wanted to save him, however...I was left with no choice." Even if it was a little easier to talk about now, there was still no denying the fact it hurt to bring up, causing her to wipe away a tear.

She changed the subject, still worried about what her friend had brought up earlier. "What happened with you and the clan? Don't be afraid to tell me."

Merrill was more and more isolated. Her clan seem to detest her, barely talking to her. The Keeper and her had their disagreeement but, nothing was so disheartening than being rejected by your own family. And Tamlen weight still heavy on her mind, she knew that he was dead, probably, but every time that thought crossed her mind it only made her carry that shard even tighter to her chest to gain new resolve.

One of her comforts laid in the letters Lyna was sending her. It gave her courage to know that , maybe she too, could exist and thrive outside of the clan , outside of what she knew all her life. To say she had been waiting their meeting with anticipation, was an understatement. "Aneth ara !" she happely greeted and was quick to take the other's woman hands in hers. "You look better than the last time I saw you ! Of course you do , hero of Ferelden, Warden-Commadner, all those human titles on you . " she babblered.

At the question of how she was doing, a flicker of incertainty passed her eyes. "Oh, you know ... the usual... you make choices and the clan thinks you are the most evil person to exist - I'm sorry ... I am just ..."Merrill sighed. "I - thinks have been tough ....I did not want to alarm you in my letters but - " she looked down. "I still haven't found him, you know. Tamlen."

[starwrittenfates]

The large scar on her throat had not gone unnoticed by Lyna. However, she didn't want to bring it up assuming Elian had already been through enough. Having heard the stories of their brethren in the alienage's, it didn't take much to guess all the kinds of things Elian must have been put through before even becoming a Grey Warden.

❝ It can be different, you just have to find the right people. It's a big and beautiful world out there. Plenty to see and witness. ❞ She pauses, remembering the current reality, frowning a little. ❝ Granted...there's an archdemon and Blight messing it up, but isn't it our job to fix it? Besides...Duncan didn't seem so bad. Same goes for Alistair. ❞ She said, trying to lighten things a little. ❝ And I'm here too. ❞

　　𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄, 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄, but while she could acknowledge that, it didn't mean she could completely ignore just how different their circumstances were. it was in her nature and upbringing to be defensive when it came to anyone outside of the alienage.

　　' ... elian. ' she managed finally, her voice quiet and raspier than usual. ostagar had left her with a nasty throat injury that even with healing magic, it would likely take several months before she could speak properly again without pain or other difficulty. ' this is the... first time i've left the alienage. i thought... it would be different. '