Nadine the Mage
by Natalia Cousland
The life of a mage who isn't conscripted. From being ripped from her family, to the taking of the tower, beyond.
Prologue
The tower was big, that's what she'd been told. Her mouth quivered when she thought of it. Why couldn't she have lived with her parents? Why did they take her away? Why was she cursed! Her hands were held by the cold steel gauntlet of the Templar, restraining. They scared her, what with their bulky armor. She wore a simple dress that her mother had made for her.
They had big swords, the Templars. Shields also adorned their back. She knew better than to run. These men were monsters, and once the monsters had you, you couldn't get away. That was what her brother had told her, after she had saved him with her curse. She should run, because she will be found. Their mother has tsk'd at him. Her father would protect her from the monsters. Even if she couldn't see them, father could.
They came. The moonlight had reflected off their giant forms. They talked with her father, but as she heard them through the window, she had seen the shadows of their swords. She didn't want father hurt. So, she'd given herself up. The monsters (now identified as Templars) held no expression as her father held back her screaming mother. The monsters wouldn't let her look back and watch her mother as they walked from the village.
She had to stay strong. Though, the thought that she may never see her family again killed her inside. Never again would mother hug her, or read her stories. Never would Big Brother tell her about the world. Never would her father hand her the wooden stick and teach her how to hold it right, how to defend herself.
Staying strong was near impossible. She held in the tears, biting her lip. The monsters would not see her cry. She would show them, someday. She would see her parents again, and her brother too.
She didn't show how much it hurt when they dragged her into the boat. Her arm throbbed, and the grip on her hand was like a metal vice. She made no sound as she felt the boat push from the docks.
And so, she became Nadine Amell, the Apprentice mage.
A/N: Err... so... I thought I'd start the sotry that's been nagging me! This is basicly the life of a 'normal' mage. One that is not turned into a Grey Warden and such. It may turn out to be an interesting project...