Author's Note

Welcome to my new story. As you are all aware, I did post a note on my Forever & Always Series - I am not continuing with that story as it is poorly written, therefore I have re-written it under the title The Hawke Family Legacy. I hope you will enjoy reading it. Volume I and II are complete and I am currently working on Volume III.

As you read my story, you will see that I have replaced Mother and Father with Mom and Dad. I did this because my protagonist is a teenager and I thought a less informal approach would be appropriate.

Acknowledgements

As always the names, places, locations and specific story-lines I have based my novel around are the sole property of BIOWARE.

The Hawke Family Legacy I

Chapter One

"Magic must serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base"

-v-

I am in a state of panic and I want to curse myself for behaving in such an irresponsible way. The flames of the fire I caused are looming closer and there is no way for me to escape and for the first time since I discovered my gift of magic, I curse the Maker for the gift he bestowed upon me, not just because the gift of magic is seen as a sin, but because several youngsters are watching me from beyond the fence surrounding the field not far from my home and because my Dad is going to be absolutely furious with me. In my desperation, I attempt conjuring a wall of ice between me and the looming flames, but it does not work and why should it? I have tried to bring the fire under control so it doesn't spread to the onlookers. I will never forgive myself if one of them dies due to my stupidity. Taking a deep breath, I tell myself I can do it and a fresh surge of power moves through me and finally, after what seems an eternity, I manage to bring the fire under control by conjuring a big enough wall of ice. I collapse, exhausted, to my knees and I murmur a silent prayer of thanks...but my respite is interrupted by the insults coming from the onlookers...

"She's a demon... She shouldn't be allowed to live."

"She's cursed."

Swallowing the hard lump in my throat, I pull myself to my feet and I stand tall. I will not be intimidated. I will not be intimidated. This is something I deal with every day and the more they goad me, the more rebellious I become.

I am sixteen years old and I am so lonely. Lonely for the company of people my age, but if I tried making any friends, they always scurried away from me like the rats they are or they insult me. Say hurtful things to my face and behind my back as if I asked for the gift of magic. I did not. I was born this way. My Dad is a mage as well as my younger sister, Bethany. Poor Bethy. She's a lonely child. She is too young to understand. We discovered her gift when she accidentally set her friend's doll on fire. Luckily the friend's Mother was around to extinguish it, but she approached my parents and told them to keep Bethany away from her daughter and we had a difficult time explaining the reasons why she couldn't play with her friend anymore.

I let out a despondent sigh as I make my way towards the crowd of people and quite unexpectedly, a stone whizzes past my head and I frown. Why would anyone throw a stone at me? I notice a group of guys and one of them is readying himself to throw another stone at me... I can't believe it. White-hot anger mingled with indignation sweeps through me and my hands itch with the need to show them how dangerous I am when provoked. I curl my hands into fists as mana surges through me.

Mana is what makes a mage unique. We are all born with mana, but mages are the only people who have the ability to tap into the Fade – a realm of dreams where demons and spirits alike live. Mages have the ability to tap into the Fade in a waking state unlike non-mages who can only tap into the Fade in a sleeping state. A mage's ability to tap into the Fade when it suits them is what makes us extremely vulnerable to demon possession and the very reason we are feared to such an extent.

A soft singing sound interrupts my contemplation and I give my hands a quick glance. White wisps of magic are floating from my fingers in long strands and it is not a good sign. I cannot lose control again. I close my eyes and take slow, even breaths to bring myself under control.

"Marian?" A rich, deep baritone voice says and my eyes shoot open. A young man not much older than me is coming towards me with utmost concern in his green eyes. Eyes that remind me of pine leaves with a hint of gold in them.

"Back off, Aaron. I don't need you or anyone else for that matter."

"Mari, I am not here to fight you. I am here because I am concerned about you. This," he says gesturing to the burnt part of field behind me, "Is unlike you. What do you hope to achieve?"

"What do you care, Aaron? So don't even try to pretend otherwise."

"I...care more than you realise."

"No, you don't... Look at your friends... They are all sneering at me and they are ready to throw stones at me. If you care, prove it because I'm done trying to-" I lower my gaze to my worn boots. I don't want him to see the depths of what I feel for him. I've been interested in him for a long time and he refuses to take me seriously.

"Mari, I'm not like them..."

"Whatever," I scoff as I look at him. He has short, black unruly hair that never stays flat as much as he tries to keep it flat. He is six feet tall and has a broad set of shoulders on him. He has a square, determined jaw and a firm mouth, but his most striking feature are his eyes that never seize to surprise me and at the moment they are searching my face for something and I frown. What is he searching for? Shaking my head, I walk past him with the intention of heading home, when a stone hits me in the head. I stagger to the ground and I try to refocus my vision. I blink a few times and I manage to pull myself to my feet. I search around for the one who threw the stone at me and I find a pair of cold blue eyes staring at me, daring me to react and my hands burn with the need to use my magic, but a pair of gentle hands close over my wrists and I look up and into the sky-blue eyes of my Father and I cringe when I recognise the disappointment, disapproval and anger on his lined face.

"I think you've had your fun, Marian," he says quietly.

"They started it, Dad. What else was I supposed to do? Run and hide?"

"Mari, we talked about this just the other day-"

"And what, Dad? I must continue listening to their insults? And do nothing? Why must I tolerate it?"

"Mari," he says as he steers me through the crowd and as we head towards the path, Aaron bounds up from behind and he lightly touches my arm. I pause to look at him and in his eyes, there is a glimmer of hope, maybe? I don't know but his gesture touches a nerve. I offer him a small smile and he reaches for my hand and he releases it, leaving a small, crumpled note in the palm of my hand. I frown, but instead of reading it, I shove it into my pocket.

"He seems a good kid, Mari."

"I am not interested, Dad, and why should I be? He wants to join the Templar Order... And I don't want anything to do with anyone whose job it is to arrest mages and send them to the Circle..."

"So, are you going to tell me what happened out there today?" he asks as we walk up the path leading to our modest, wooden home. The path is adorned with dainty blue flowers. My Mom calls them Andraste's Grace and they are my favourite flowers and they smell sweet to. The flowers are native to Ferelden and they are very common around Lothering, our village. We've lived here since I was seven. My siblings, Bethany and Carver were born here.

"I was annoyed, Dad, and upset. That is what triggered my outburst."

"And that is what your Mother and I are going to discuss with you after you've cleaned yourself and eaten your supper."

"Why not now?" I ask quietly as we step into the kitchen. My Mom is busy preparing a meal for us and upon closer inspection, I recognise her famous vegetable soup.

"Smells good, Mom."

"I hope so," she says as she turns towards me. "You look a sight, Mari. Have a bath," she says softly and the concern is clear in her light-grey eyes.

"I am sorry, Mom. I let my anger get the better of me. It's just... At the moment, things are...difficult for me," I whisper.

"I know. Have a bath, Mari. We will talk later," she says firmly, sadly as if she knows something I don't.

"Mom, is everything okay?"

"Just go and bath, Marian," she replies firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Fine, whatever," I mutter as I back away from her towards the living-room. Our living-room is small, yet comfortable. There are two couches and two single-seaters around the fireplace. On the left wall is a bookshelf containing every book imaginable. Books on our country's history. Books on magic. Books about the Chantry and its history and there are also books for children.

I wonder up the passage and into my bedroom. It's the smallest room in the house. It has a single bed under the window. A desk and a wardrobe and its very much my spot. I don't allow the twins in here because they can be a handful at times and they like to get into my things. Deep in thought about what my parents want to speak to me about, I open my wardrobe to take out a fresh blouse and pants. With them in hand, I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. While I wait for the bath to fill with water, I study my reflection in the mirror and a fair-skinned young woman with sky-blue eyes and short and unruly black hair stares back at me as if to say now you've done it. Ignoring that thought, I take out the note Aaron gave to me and I open it. After reading it, I scrunch it up in disgust. I am not interested in going out with him, let alone go for a walk with him tomorrow. He has done nothing to prevent his friends from hurling insults at me. He has never stood up for me or anything remotely like that and now he wants to go out with me. It does not make sense and I realise I don't actually care and with this though uppermost in my mind, I strip off my clothes and climb into the warm water. Water I warmed using my gift of magic and boy, does it feel good to finally unwind and relax after my near-disaster today.

-v-

We've just finished eating our meal of vegetable soup when my Dad asks me to join him in the study. I glance questionably at my Mom who is preparing tea for all of us. She shakes her head before looking down at her hands and a pang of anxiety hits me in the pit of my stomach. This is not good at all.

"What is going on, Mom?"

"Do as your Father says, Mari. I will join you shortly," she replies without looking at me and my anxiety worsens. I decide to not press her further and with my stomach in tight knots, I follow him into the study. He closes the door behind us and points to a chair. I sit down without saying anything and I clasp my hands tightly together and I search his face for any signs of what he wants to tell me, but his expression is unreadable. My Dad does not tolerate nonsense of any kind including the abuse of the gift the Maker bestowed upon us and I realise I have gone too far and he is more than likely going to punish me. Clutching the seat of my chair with my hands, I force myself to meet his piercing blue-eyed gaze.

"Mari, what you did today was totally unacceptable. Your Mother and I are very disappointed in your behavior over the last six months or so. We have spoken to you time and again about not flaunting or abusing your gift of magic in front of the villagers, yet you have blatantly ignored us. I did not raise you to abuse your gift of magic. I raised you to use it responsibly. I understand how difficult things are for you especially at your age when you desperately need a friend or two, but deliberately flaunting your gift of magic is the wrong way to go about it...You know people fear mages and all you are achieving is proving that they are right. Is this what you want, Mari? For yourself? For Bethany?"

"What I want is to walk around Lothering and the fields without the fear of being mocked or insulted by the villagers. Do you know that one of the boys threw a stone at me? Do you see the bruise on my forehead? How do you think I feel when they call me demon, cursed? That I don't deserve to live or that I should be in the Circle?"

"Mari, someone threw a stone at you? Who was he, Mari? Because that is unacceptable."

"And what? You are going to speak to his parents? It will only make things worse, Dad. You...You should have seen the look of hatred in his cold blue eyes."

"What about Aaron, Mari? He seems fond of you. I saw the way he was looking at you. He likes you, Mari, yet you don't want anything to do with him. Why?"

"Because he does nothing when his friends insult me. He sits back and does absolutely nothing. If he really cares for me, he would stand up for me, but he doesn't..." I drop my gaze to my tightly-knotted fingers. "He intends to enlist with the Templar Order...How can I get involved with him?"

"Marian, not all Templars are as cold-hearted as you make them out to be... Let me tell you something, my girl... When your Mother and I eloped, a Templar ensured us save passage out of Kirkwall. He risked his life by helping us...By helping me escape the Kirkwall Circle so that I could be with your Mother who was pregnant with you at the time...He was the finest Templar I knew and we were very good friends."

"And your point is-?"

"My point is don't reserve judgment too quickly, Marian..."

"Fine...Whatever. Are we done?" I ask as I stand, but he gives me a deadpan stare and I hastily sit down.

"Ah, Leandra," he says and I twist myself in my chair. My Mom comes in and places the tray in front of us. I reach for my mug of tea and I have a sip.

"Where are the twins, Mom?"

"They are playing quietly together and they asked me if you are going to read to them before they go to bed... I suggest you do..." she replies.

"Whatever," I mutter.

"Marian..." warns my Dad.

"Sorry," I murmur without looking at either of them.

"Have you told her, yet, Malcolm?" she asks.

"Told me what?" I ask looking from one to the other, but I linger on my Mom's face. Her eyes are too bright and I don't understand why.

"No, I haven't," he sighs as he runs his fingers through his short, black hair and I push my tea away. I'm too anxious to drink it and I feel quite ill.

"Do we really have to do this, Malcolm? Is it really necessary?"

"Mom, what are you on about?" I whisper, my mouth suddenly goes dry and I grab my mug again.

"Just tell her, Malcolm, otherwise I will," she replies.

"Marian, we feel it would be in your best interests to spend two years at the Circle..." And my heart drops to my stomach. A mixture of pain and anger flares through me and I jump to my feet, dropping my cup in the process and my tea sloshes all over my clean pants.

"What?" I hiss.

"Considering the difficult time you are going through, we feel it would be beneficial for you and your welfare to spend two years at the Circle mingling with other mages..."

"Why?" I whisper, clenching my hands into tight fists to control myself and deal with the deep pain his words have caused.

"Think about it, sweetie... What is it you want?"

"To be accepted, Daddy... Is that too much to ask? I love my gift of magic. I love the fact I can heal others..." I trail away. I inherited my Father's talent for healing. The villagers highly respected him for always being available to help the sick and infirm and to deliver babies. Sometimes I helped him in the clinic they built for him near the Chantry. I often thought this was the very reason why the Templars left us alone.

"But at the same time, you are destructive, Mari... I taught you my motto and I told you what it meant, but you have not learned your lesson. Magic must serve that which is best in me, not that which is most base. And as far as you are concerned, you don't follow my motto and until then, I cannot help you. I have taught you all I know, yet you don't listen to me...And it saddens me knowing you have left me with no other option, but to go to the Circle. So, what is it you want, Mari?"

"I...I don't know... Do you really think sending me to the Circle is the answer?"

"It will be in your best interests, Mari. As a boy, I spent years in the Fereldan Circle. I was not happy, but at least I was with my own people. I learned so much from First Enchanter Irving. You see, the way it works is that you will be under the mentorship of one of the Senior Mages and they will guide you and help you grow as a mage. I can assure you that you will learn so much from them and they have an extensive library which I think you will enjoy considering you are an avid reader. It's two years, Mari. Two years to find yourself and your true potential as a mage."

"But- I won't see you... As far as I know, they don't allow the mages to leave the Circle at all. What kind of life is that, Dad?"

"Fair enough. It's not ideal, however, you will be with people your age and you will more than likely make a few friends... From what you have told me, this is exactly what you want...Surely you can make it work, Mari?"

"Does it look like I have a choice in the matter, Dad? It seems you have already made the decision for me...And what do you have to say about this, Mom?"

"I am not happy either, Mari, but perhaps this is something you need. I would consider it very carefully... He's right. It's not the ideal situation, however, I feel it would be good for you. It will give you a chance to find yourself... Think about it, sweetie," she replies.

"Why? It's clear you have already made the decision...So much for asking me what I want..." I mutter and I flee out of the study away from the disappointment in their eyes and I bolt for the back-door. I don't even take heed when Bethany calls me. I am so upset, I don't take heed of where I am until I run smack-bang into a solid body and we tumble to the ground. I am on my feet and ready to defend myself, when a warm pair of hands closes over my wrists and I look up and into the concerned green eyes of Aaron. He hastily drops my hands and steps away from me. Maker knows what he sees in my face, but it doesn't prevent him from grabbing my hand and lacing his fingers with my own and I am too upset to shrug away from him.

"Mari? Are you alright?" he asks softly.

"No," I whisper over the lump in my throat and to my chagrin, my eyes start burning and I hastily look away from him lest he see my tears.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No," I reply.

"Okay," he sighs. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"With you? Why would I want to go for a walk with you?"

"I..I don't know. Perhaps it will make you feel a bit better."

"If you say so," I murmur.

"Why do you hate me so much, Mari? I don't understand. What did I ever do to you?" he asks, releasing my hand to run his fingers through his already-tousled hair and by the light of the fast-fading sun, he looks...attractive.

"I don't hate you, Aaron. I don't have time for someone who stands back while his friends hurl insults at me...and let's not forget the stones your friend hurled at me this afternoon..."

"What was I supposed to do, Mari? I've spoken to them many times and they always ignore me..."

"Then perhaps you should make new friends, Aaron," I scoff as I back away from him.

He smiles, "True, but the person with whom I would like to form a friendship with is as stubborn as they come and she can't even see a good thing when it's staring her in the face... Like now... She's backing away as if I am going to harm her, when all I want to do is hug her and try to bring her some happiness, but I guess I can forget about that..."

"Well, I guess you can," I smirk and I turn away from him before he sees my reaction. Little does he know his words have struck a chord within me and the temptation to hug him is nearly overwhelming.

"Mari, please? Just talk to me...I've been told I'm a good listener," he says.

"I don't care, Aaron," I mutter.

"And I don't believe you," he mutters as he whirls me around to look at him and his green eyes are darker than ever.

"I don't care about that, either," I whisper as I try to shrug free of his grasp, but he's holding me too securely. "Let me go, Aaron. I don't want to hurt you..."

"I don't think you will, but there you go," he retorts, releasing me and he backs away from me.

"Thank you..." I murmur as I close the short distance between us.

"So you aren't going to tell me what happened?"

"Why should I? What help are you going to be, Aaron?"

"Oh...You are so stubborn, Marian..." he says softly.

"And you are so persistent...Fine... Here's the short. My parents intend sending me to the Circle for two years so that I can learn to appreciate my gift..."

"Oh," he says softly, sadly.

"And that's all you have to say about it?" I snap.

"You are so infuriating, Marian...," he murmurs as he grabs my hands. "Then I don't have much time," he continues.

"Time for what?" I ask.

"To show you how I feel," he replies and before his words register, he wraps his arms around me and presses his lips against mine and I am too shocked to react and when my response is not forthcoming, he pulls away from me looking sheepish. "I'm sorry," he murmurs as he turns away from me.

"Don't do that again, Aaron... There is no point in forming a relationship with me and besides you have waited too long. I've been interested in you for a very long time and you have not made a move until today and besides, I am certain I will be on my merry way to the Circle before the end of the week," I tell him as I turn away from him. He does not need to know how flustered I am after his kiss and I walk away from him without saying anything more because there is nothing more to say...