Dragon Age: Origins – Circle Mage
Forbidden Love and Magic

Preface

A/N: This FanFiction is based entirely upon the content in Dragon Age: Origins, created by Bioware and a Mod created to allow cinematic scenes with the character Cullen, based upon another FanFiction. It is not recommended you read this unless you have played Dragon Age completely at least once. Can contain spoilers and confusion.

Most of the quotes are directly copied from the game or paraphrased (it is not word perfect) some are invented. It was entirely produced during the playthrough of a Circle Mage Origin in attempt to connect more with the character.

I do not own anything apart from the character Sabrina Amell and the creation of this story. I originally intended to do a story for the entire Origin but found it too time consuming and hard to quote the NPCs and so produced an Epilogue of how I foretell events to play out. Obviously, some of it cannot actually happen and is entirely made up. It is, after all, a Fanfiction.

I have not described Sabrina because when I read books I get frustrated at people describing the main characters as it ruins my illusion I've already created in my mind. If you must have some description – the character herself had brown hair and eyes. Please feel free to change this in your mind.

Please enjoy, if you can be bothered to read such a long story, it contains about 10,000 words, I give you fair warning. I apologise in advance for any spelling/grammatical/typing/html errors. We are all Humans and not all perfect. I also have a slight language disability.

Sincerely – Jhaede

"Magic exists to serve man and never to rule over him. So spoke the prophet Andraste…" Knight Commander Greagoir droned out the sentence as he had done a thousand times. Countless mages he had seen enter the Harrowing, some with talent that was as brilliant as it was dangerous, and some that lacked it and fell prey to the demons of the fade. This one however, possessed great power but also the temperate mind of her teacher, the First Enchanter Irving.
Her name was Sabrina Amell, at the age of five she was brought into the tower that contained the Circle of Magi of Fereldan, she had now spent thirteen years in that circle tower.

She was caught setting fire to rats amongst her parents' crops with only her mind; originally she come from Lothering, a small village but great in its land, she had a large family there and had adored it. The life of a farmer was simple but tiring, especially for a little girl. All these pesky vermin were destroying her hard work; in the patch in their farm that she had grown her own vegetables, with the help of her father, there were horrible big rats everywhere… they should be gone! Before she knew it, the vermin had caught fire, squealing and jumping around in pain. The moment had shocked her and her brother who was watching Sabrina carefully from the house window.

Had her parents not been devout in their religion, perhaps her brother would have not betrayed her; perhaps he would have not screamed at his parents "Witch, she's a witch! I bet she's been talking to that witch of the wilds! Mama, Papa, send her away!"Whatever possibilities could have kept her at her home, undoubtedly she would have been sent to the tower at one point or another. Magic was a very hard gift - or curse as some called it - to hide. If you hid it for too long, you'd be branded an apostate and hunted down by the Templars, unmerciful in catching their prey.

The rest of the words spoken by the commander were ignored by this girl, she had heard it all before and she grew restless. Dragged out of her bed at two in the morning, she was brought to the Harrowing Chamber; the site only those who would hope to pass their apprenticeship would see. The Harrowing, legend for its possibility of death, held fear and awe to all those who knew of it, especially those who had to take it. Suddenly, Irving started to speak.
"The Harrowing is a secret out of necessity child…" she listened intently to what he had to say, any help he could offer would be more than welcome. She knew he had complete faith in her abilities and she did as well; this was not bravado, anyone with a mind knew a mage that was not confident was more dangerous than one who was.

"The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter. You are ready." Greagoir gestured towards a bowl on a pedestal, containing a luminescent blue substance. Sabrina would be sent to the Fade, the realm of dreams, to be pitted against a dreadful demon, the battle was unknown but she suspected there was more to it than a simple killing. "This is lyrium: the very essence of magic and your gateway into the Fade."

The apprentice stood still, her eyebrow arched and she took a deep breath. This is it. She glanced upwards, catching the familiar eye of another Templar, one that had no chosen to wear his helmet, one with golden eyes that stared into her soul. She saw fear and a stab of panic entered her stomach. So, they have chosen him… of all people. Unfortunately, she had little choice, and so Sabrina walked up to the lyrium and dipped her hand into it, the substance immediately attached to her and a great glare of light surrounded her, swallowing her whole...