Dragon Age: Origins - Kyrie's Adventure

Chapter One - The Accident

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Spending an entire day working was not how I had envisioned my day going. When Tamlen had told the keeper that he would be hunting, I had expected her to ask me to tag along. Tamlen was always getting himself into trouble one way or another, typically when he decided to try and bring down a bear or a pack of wolves. The only one who’d ever done such a thing single-handedly was Master Ilen, and just because Tamlen was the master’s apprentice did not mean he was as capable. In fact, I would say that he was half as capable as Master Ilen, though that could simply be because Tamlen and I have been friends since we were both very young. He’ll always be the goofy elf I used to shove into the dirt, no matter how old we get.

Unfortunately, when Tamlen was setting out in the morning, Keeper walked up to me and told me I would be taking his place as Master Ilen’s apprentice for the day. Before I could grab onto Tamlen, he darted out of camp with a quick, mocking farewell. I probably could have taken the news a little better, but I stormed all the way to Master Ilen’s aravel, grumbling all the curses I could on Tamlen’s name.

Not that working for Master Ilen was a difficult feat. Most of his days were spent making the greatest bows for the clan, testing each of them personally. He never sold a single one until it passed his rigorous tests. If he was feeling particularly generous, he would even allow another to fire the bow a few times. I was lucky enough to catch him such a mood, though I grew weary of firing the stiff bows after emptying a few quivers. Master Ilen seemed to pick up on this quickly and allowed me a break. As it was nearing high-noon, I decided I would duck out of camp and track Tamlen down. Giving him a piece of my mind was usually more humorous when in camp, but saving him the embarrassment of being chided by a woman seemed the least I could do for him.

The Brecilian Forest was a rather unyielding place to wander in. It felt at times that the trees moved, causing those unfamiliar with the terrain to get lost within moments. Having practically grown up in the forest, I could find my way home in the dark. But the maze-like trees weren’t the only things to worry about in the forest. Wolves and bears called the forest their home. They usually left us hunters alone if we crossed their path, but not all were passive beasts. Some were brave enough to attack us. None of us entered the forest without both a bow and our blade. I was the only hunter in the whole clan who had a preference for two small blades. The others leaned more towards defending themselves with their bows alone, relying on a blade only if the battle grew too close.

I followed Tamlen’s usual trail for more than half an hour. There were obvious signs of his passage—portions of branches snapped, footsteps in the mud—but he was nowhere in sight. Voices up ahead caused me to come to a full stop. They belonged to men I didn’t recognize, causing my hands to drop to the hilts of my twin blades at my sides. If there were shemlen this close to camp, I would have to drive them off. All shemlen ever brought was trouble. Or danger. Neither of which we Dalish wanted to deal with. Ever.

But when Tamlen’s voice reached me, low and threatening, I relaxed a bit. I jogged up a small hill to get a better view at a quick pace, given the threat the shemlen offered. Once at the top, I saw Tamlen standing before three shemlen, bow strung. Though I couldn’t see his face, I knew that he was certainly wearing a terrifying expression. He couldn’t stand shems, no matter how often he came across them. Many of the Dalish held the same belief, though Tamlen took it to an almost dangerous level. If I didn’t intervene, there would likely be blood shed. The keeper would be furious, and Tamlen couldn’t afford getting on her bad side again. The last time should have taught him a lesson, but he wasn’t the type that learned such things easily.

With a heavy sigh, I took my own bow from my back, slipping down the path that led to where Tamlen and the shemlen were standing. As I entered the scene, I strung the bow, creeping up beside Tamlen as cautiously as I could. The shem’s eyes went wide when they noticed my presence, causing Tamlen to risk a glance. He smiled broadly at me.