Lyn didn't know what she'd expected Alderic to do or say once she told him of Bethen's adventure. Perhaps she figured he would go off after her, but instead he stood in front of her still, this time addressing her standoffish-ness.
What he said was true, she typically wasn't the shy type. She got along with a number of people and generally everyone liked her. But since joining this campaign, she'd really only spoken to Rho and her dwarven friend, Ky. Why had she been so abnormally quiet, she sometimes wondered. The answer was always quite obvious after she thought about it however. After sixteen years of flying under the magical radar she'd finally been caught, that was enough to knock anyone off their normal routine. But what bothered her most about this entire situation is that it meant she'd never get to find out if her parents were alright or not. For all she knew they had been to Denerim to see her and when Caia would report that she'd gone in search of them, they'd never find her. The Circle Tower was the last place they'd think to look.
She was drawn from her own thoughts, however, when she heard Alderic's name called out from the woods behind her. There was really only one explanation for it and she knew Bethen had to be in trouble. Almost as quickly as Alderic had dropped the things he was carrying, Æolyn had risen from her spot on the ground and turned in the direction of the call. But before she could set off, the Templar directed that she stay put. She grimaced slightly, not really one to take direction well in the first place. She watched him dash off into the thick before looking down at her bedroll.
After laying it out, she had slipped the blade given to her by Lanaya under it for safe keeping. She knew how to use it, though she'd never really needed to. It worked much like the staffs mages carried in that she could channel her powers through it. Kneeling over, she removed it from its hiding spot and made her own way into the forest, making for the sounds of voices. Stepping just to the side of the clearing she could clearly see Alderic and Bethen standing with another man, she recognized him from camp but did not recall his name. Next to Beth was a wolf, though Lyn had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't actually a dog. The way he kept near to the Warden mage caused Æolyn's brow to furrow in confusion. She'd never seen a wolf on such good terms with anyone but its own kind.
Then she noticed the other figure everyone was facing. The way she carried herself reminded Lyn of the Dalish elves. She held such confidence in herself and comfort in the woods that Lyn knew instantly she was a force to be reckoned with. Upon further inspection of the woman, Æolyn was transported ten years back.
This hadn't been the first time Æolyn had set foot in the Korcari Wilds. Whenever she and her parents had come to this area, her father had always insisted on hunting in the woods. No one ever came in here and the game was untouched for the most part, he had said. The year after she'd left Lanaya's clan, her father had taken her on one of his hunting trips. The details of the incident escaped Lyn at that moment, but she vividly remembered seeing this woman, though ten years younger then, come to their aide. She would never forget her eyes.
Stepping further into the clearing, Lyn held up a hand to her new companions as if to settle them. Her gaze was fixed on the lone woman, partly amazed that she knew her, as she spoke to the rest. "You needn't fear this woman," she said, a light smile crossing her features. Despite not knowing the other woman's name nor anything about her, Æolyn was sure they could trust her. Tearing her blue eyes from the shaman, she looked back at her companions, now standing where the wolf had once been between the two groups. "She means us no harm," she said a bit vaguely, not even realizing that they might think she was just spouting madness.