Anna: "It is a terrible cruelty to keep an elf from the sky."
Irving, the First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi in Fereldan, leaned against the door frame of one of the classrooms, arms crossed and considered his latest protege as she scribbled furiously at the paper on her desk with a coal pencil.
The candlelight caught in her intricate crimson braid picking up the shine of copper throughout. Her braid wound around her head and down over one shoulder. Smaller, beaded braids cascaded out from under the main braid, falling down her back and framing her ears. Long, prominent and curved like the petals of a daisy. She was eminently, and unusually, proud of her ears.
Anna, as she was called, was an elf, and a bit odd. Noticeably shorter then others her age, she had always been... firmer, rounder, of a more muscular build than her peers. Though she was still light by human standards. Her eyes were blue, rather than the usual green, slightly larger and of a slightly different shape as well.
That wasn't what made her odd though. Anna had been "born into the circle", a term used for the mage children of unmarried mages. This meant she had been taken from her mother at birth and raised in a special creche until her magic abilities showed themselves. Raised by humans, among humans, she didn't seem able, or perhaps to want to connect either to elves or humans. Irving shook his head his shaggy gray hair and bushy gray beard rustled slightly.
"I always imagine you as a silver leafed sylvan," Anna spoke without looking up, "It's less disturbing than the thought of so much hair growing from your face."
Irving barely repressed a sigh. She was in no mood to talk. "I don't suppose I've found you working so hard on researching the properties of your "bell" as we discussed." His voice creaked like an old tree in a high wind. The "bell" he spoke of was a spell unique to Anna. She had discovered that she could, by taping the side of a resonate beaker filled with liquid, cause all impurities to fall to the bottom leaving pure water above. The spell sounded like a bell being struck.
"I'm stuck." She sighed and leaned back, "I've been considering your proposal." She blew delicately on the paper.
"Joining the Gray Wardens?" He asked hopefully. The Wardens had made their inquiries toward finding a new mage to join them in the same month that Anna was to undergo her Harrowing, the final test of the apprentice before she could join the circle officially as a mage. Anna was a flight risk and a bit of an instigator so to Irving the request had seemed Maker sent. But she had yet to agree.
She turned to face him in her chair, her large blue eyes were cool, measuring, "I've studied them a bit, the Gray Wardens, I have too much to… research." She turned back to her drawing and held it up for Irving, "What do you think?"
The charcoal drawing was of a werewolf wearing the tattered armor of a Templar. "I don't believe the trader will purchase this one. I wish you would reconsider."
"The Gray Wardens requested a mage to join them in a few months, I still have time." She put her sketch on the desk again, "I wish to go with the mages to fight with the Kings army. That should give me the idea of the kind of life I would be taking up. And I could be useful."
"I'll consider your request, should you pass your Harrowing." Irving turned to go, but stated over his shoulder, "I would appreciate if you would burn that drawing."
Anna stuck her tongue out at his back, then took a deep breath and blew the coal dust off the paper, leaving no trace behind.
A Short little prologue, The story is long and mystery deepish. review if you're interested in more. I really like this character so I'll be writing this story any way it's just a question of if justifying the time needed to edit and post.