An elven girl was staring at Cullen from the other side of the Gallows. She looked no older than thirteen, skinny and gawky, with curly blond hair that fought to escape its braids and clothes that he thought might have been Dalish. He wouldn't have paid her any mind, but she was looking at him so intently that he couldn't help glancing over.

For a moment, the fear, always there, flared at the back of his mind. Maybe she was an apostate from one of the radical groups, looking to stage some sort of attack. The girl could simply have been posing as Dalish, and the Knight-Commander had said that such organizations sometimes sent children to do their dirty work. No one was free from suspicion, she had said. The Kirkwall Templars were not popular, and he must be ever vigilant. Almost absentmindedly, he laid a hand on the hilt of his sword.

ooo

Aylwen watched the Templar from the far side of the Gallows. She couldn't get over how many of them there were here. Was that normal in a shemlen town? She'd never been in a settlement as large as Kirkwall, so she couldn't say for sure. Seeing them patrol around, close, but not noticing her, was a little frightening, but also oddly invigorating. Like standing at the edge of a high cliff and looking down.

The one she was watching now had caught her eye because he had curly blond hair, just like she did, and because he was tall and good looking, in a way that made her heart flutter with that same mix of fear and excitement. He also wore a very serious expression on his face, much more serious than any of the other Templars. They patrolled around, but she noticed a lot of them still laughed and joked with each other. His expression, though, never changed. A little tired, perhaps a little sad.

She wondered, what had made him so tired? What did he have to be sad about? She couldn't help but start to picture various scenarios in her head. Letting her "imagination run wild," as Keeper Deshanna would have said. Maybe he was a lost prince, posing as a Templar because his bastard uncle wanted him dead. Or maybe his love had died tragically in some distant land, and he'd chosen a life of servitude to compensate. Templars weren't allowed to get married, were they? She didn't know for sure, but that sounded right.

Maybe, she thought, I should go and talk to him.

The idea was tantalizing, but also terrifying. She'd always been told not to speak with Templars. But, then again, if she didn't say she was a mage, how would he even know? She didn't think there was anything obviously mage-y about her.

She nodded to herself, fists clenched. She was going to do it, just to see what would happen. She'd be perfectly fine. The worst he could do was refuse to talk to her.

She took a step.

"Aylwen!"

A hand closed around her wrist. She turned and found herself face-to-face with her best friend, Aefina. Currently, Aefina was bobbing up and down on the soles of her feet, her frizzy hair a match for her frightened expression.

"What in the Creators' names are you doing?" she said. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" She tugged on Aylwen's wrist, urging her to come along. "The trading party captain'll have our hides if he notices we're missing, and hears we've been here, as well!"

"Sorry," said Aylwen. "I was just…"

She cast a glance back at the Templar, still standing motionless at his spot.

"Come on," her friend said, tugging at her hand again. "We've got to go."

Aylwen tore her gaze away and they rushed, half running, out of the Gallows. Inside, Aylwen sighed. She never got to do anything exciting.

ooo

Cullen glanced back at the spot where the girl had stood, and saw her leaving the Gallows, hand in hand with another Dalish girl. He took his hand off his sword and silently heaved a sigh of relief. Good. She wasn't a threat, presumably. One less thing to distract him from his work.

He turned his attention back to the Gallows, ever vigilant. In a short while, he'd forgotten the elven girl entirely.

It seems highly unlikely this would have happened, but I couldn't resist. I guess they both forgot about it?

I also kind of love rebellious teenage Aylwen. It's so hard being a kid growing up...