The Lost Halla

Chapter 1

With a groan, Kayla opened her green eyes slowly and blinked a few times. Her head felt like someone had hit it with a blunt object, several times. The ringing in her ears subsided to a dull pain. It took her a moment to realize she was kneeling on the hard floor in a dark room with her hands in a manacle. She started panicking and fighting her shackles before noticing all the guards with swords pointed at her. Kayla's breathing quickened as her left hand flared with a green light. The pain was so bad that she crumpled forward, a small sob escaped her lips.

Then the door opened and closed, so the room was flooded with white before returning to the orange glow of the torches. Kayla looked up with scared eyes and shook more, seeing two women. One was dark-haired and tall, decorated in armor with a sword and shield. The other was in simpler clothing, her ginger hair hidden by a hood. Both wearing a symbol of a strange eye.

What was going to happen to her? She prayed to the creators that it would be over quickly. Kayla knew some humans to be cruel to an elf and her being chains brought that reality closer to life.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you." The dark-haired woman said, her voice filled with a threat that could have easily been fulfilled. Walking around like a beast after wounded prey. "What do you have to say for yourself, dalish? Why were you here in the first place?"

"What do you mean they are dead?" Kayla mumbled, ignoring the questions. Flashes of blood appeared before her eyes. Her hands started trembling as much as they could in their restraints. "So many..."

"Answer me and explain this!" The dark-haired warrior grabbed Kayla's manacles and held them up as the green light flared to life again across the scar on the hand.

"I... can't." Kayla struggled, brought back out of her mindset. It was near useless against the warrior's strength. Her lips quivered under the pain of the metal digging into her flesh. "I can't...please..."

"What do you mean, you can't?" It was more a demand than a question.

"I d-don't know what that is or h-how it got there." Kayla stuttered, fearing that her life depended on her answers. By this point Kayla was crying. "Please...I didn't do anything."

"You're lying!" The woman growled, kneeling closer and raising her hand to strike.

Kayla closed her eyes, praying to Mythal but the hit never came. She still held her breath until another voice broke the silence.

"We need her, Seeker Cassandra."

Kayla opened her eyes, noticing that it was the second woman who spoke and dragged away who was now called Cassandra.

Though the panic started truly settling in again. She was the only one that survived? How? What happened?

"I can't believe it. All those people... dead." Kayla whispered, tear filled eyes widening.

"Do you remember what happened? How this began?" The second woman asked, her tone far more gentle.

"I remember waking up in a dark place and running. Things were chasing me. And then... a woman?" Kayla mumbled again, her eyes kept to the ground, her brow furrowing. Trying to recall hurt her head, like some force stopped the memory.

"A woman?" The red haired woman asked.

"She reached out to me, but then..." That's all Kayla could get out of her mouth before being interrupted.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift." Cassandra said. Kneeling in front of Kayla, unlocking the manacles.

"I'll inform them of the new...situation." Leliana said, giving the elf the smallest of nods before leaving.