Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age Origins

The Circle Tower was almost empty since the day the abominations were there. After the mage Grey Warden defeated the blight all mages were given autonomy and the few that remained in the tower made a run out of their prison. All that was left now were a few mages who were too old and wanted to live their last days in the only home they knew and young apprentices. The templar's were confused on what their job was anymore, the most confused of them all was Cullen. He had seen what happened when a mage becomes corrupted and here they were running all over Thedas.

Greagoir had called Cullen into his office to go over some of the changes since the end of the Blight. The older man was packing all his things into crates to be sent elsewhere, nothing in them was of any real importance. All that he needed could be carried on his person. Looking up from an old drawing in his hand, he turned his attention to the younger templar.

"Cullen, I am leaving the tower."

"Knight-Commander you're leaving? You served at the Tower for ages!" all the changes were coming too fast, first the mages making a run out of the Tower now Greagoir.

"I…I have a daughter and since I have no real reason to stay I'm going to find her." Looking down at the drawing again he made a small hopeful smile.

"A daughter? How could you have a child, what about your vows?" Cullen was still young and didn't believe about the rumors of templars and mages fraternizing, they were uncommon but true. In Greagoir's years at the tower he had known of templars having children with mages and mages having children with other mages.

"I was young and I loved her. She was a mage by the name of Maura, she…she got pregnant and died during childbirth." The Knight-Commander looked off towards the window lost in memory for a moment. He was young and afraid of losing everything he worked hard for by resigning his position at the tower and taking Maura with him. Though it was not likely the Chantry would let him just walk out the tower with a mage under his arm.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know where to look?" here Cullen thought that he was the only templar who fell for a mage.

"My daughter's name is Erlina…" taking a deep breath he continued. "She had the most beautiful green eyes and brown hair like her mother. No one knew she was mine; the Revered Mother took her the day after she was born. Children born in the tower are taken into the Chantry, some are adopted or live in the chantry or end up right back here." Greagoir showed Cullen the drawing in his hand; it was of a woman with wavy hair holding a baby with large eyes. It looked as if someone had just drawn it but he could sense the magic preserving it, looking down at the date it was older than him. Maura and babe Blessed 8:83, forty seven years ago.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"With this new found freedom, I thought you would go search for the Hero of Ferelden, I know you had feelings for her."

"I..." the young templar was lost for words. Since Uldred and his blood mages ransacked the tower he was repulsed by the thought of mages. It repulsed him that he still yearned for the woman. She saved the Circle but she was still a mage, she could still become possessed and become an abomination.

"Well my boy I'm off I promise to visit, don't worry Irving will take care of things at the tower, the Circle will survive." The older man let out a genuine smile and for the first time Cullen noticed that Greagoir was not in his templar armor but splint tail. Watching his mentor go and try to make an effort at a normal life made him wonder how many more changes was going to happen to himself and the Circle.

Looking out the window of the palace Vanora wondered what was she to do now, the blight was ended the love of her life was now being whisked off to marry a noble who's mother gave birth to many children. As much as Alistair wanted to marry Vanora the nobles would never agree and she would not agree to be the whore of a king.

"Van, you can stay as long as you need." Alistair said walking inside the mage's suite. The new king was becoming more accustomed to being king day by day but losing his love for the thrown was a hard thing to accept.

"I know, but what do I have to go back too? There's nothing for me, I have no idea where my home is."

"Your home could be here. Ferelden needs you." He pleaded. Vanora paused for a moment to think about where her home actually was.

"When I was a girl I thought my home was in the Coastlands. When I was taken, it was the Circle then with you but now I do not know."

"Ferelden needs your help to rebuild and make changes."

"I think I should go travel for a bit, maybe head to the Coastlands go back to the Tower. I cannot stay in the palace and watch you from afar to be married to another." The king nodded his head in agreement, as much as he wanted to be with her the Maker did not make it possible. But the Maker did make it possible to meet her in the first place and to know what true love was even if it was not meant to last.

Looking up at the king Vanora gave him a small smile, it was officially the end of their relationship as lovers but both knew that they would always be friends.

"I wish you the best then, promise me you will return." Pulling the mage into his arms he pushed back her wavy auburn blond hair out of her face to softly kiss her forehead. They held each other for a long time before one of the servants walked inside the bedroom holding a bag pack containing poultices and such.

"So you planned to leave all along?" Alistair asked looking down at the woman in his arms. The elf servant looked puzzled seeing the king in the arms of a mage even if she had saved the land.

"Alistair I will always love you but our paths split here." Walking over to the servant she thanked him taking her bag and handing him a hand full of gold coins she left.

"Um…my king the Earl also told me to tell you next week there will be a ball to help you find a queen."

"A what? I swear Eamon is going to be the death of me." The king grumbled to himself leaving the room he gave the elf a small pouch full of coins. "Oh don't worry if anyone asks I gave that to you if they have a problem they can take it with me."

"Thank you my lord! This coin is really going to help me and my wife, she is heavy with child and we had no idea how we're going to afford caring for it."

"Really when is the baby due?" the king was always curious to know the affairs of everyone around him even the servants. He figured life in the palace was dreadfully boring any kind of news from someone always kept him in a better mood.

"In a few weeks, this is my first one."

"Congratulations! When the baby comes as soon as you find out I want you to take the week off with pay."

"You must be kidding me my lord?"

"No I'm serious, your wife will need time to rest and you need to watch over her and the baby."

"Why would you want to help me, I'm just an elf?" the servant looked at the king confused why this shem was so concerned about his family. No human cared about elves this much even when they were in relationship with them.

"I'm just a bastard turned king, I don't see why not." Alistair gave the elf a cheeky grin and patted him on the shoulder. The elf smiled and thanked him for his generosity before going about his work.

Isabella gave Vanora a wicked smile as she boarded the ship that was going to take her to the Coastlands. The road there could be traveled by foot or land ship but the boat took a week off travel time.

"You know you can stay in my cabin if you like we can have some fun like the last time." The captain purred leaning close to Vanora's ear. One time she, Isabella and Alistair had a threesome and it was supposed to remain a one time thing.

"Um, no thank you. I think I'm going to go rest in my own cabin." Taking a fast stride to the farthest cabin away from Isabella's room Vanora went to bed for the night wondering if what she was searching for was still in the Coastlands.

"I must be under a mage spell." Cullen muttered to himself looking at the tent he just set up camping for the night on the way to Denerim. It had been years since he had to camp out since his brief time training on hunting apostate mages. He was glad to be sent to the tower after he caught an apostate mage who was planning to kill the Revered Mother at the Highever Chantry. Chasing dangerous mages was never his interest, guarding the tower was a much easier job and became more pleasant when he met Vanora.

She was a skinny girl of fifteen with wild curly hair and determined eyes and very awkward.

'Hello my name is Vanora." The girl said with a bright smile looking up at the young templar who was at his post in the library.

"Cullen." He answered back gruffly not making contact with the young mage. Fresh out of training he was still rigid when it came to protocol and keeping his distance from mages since anyone of them could turn apostate or even become an abomination. If you have no feelings for a mage all the easier to strike them down if you had too.

"Is this your first assignment?"

"No." he said flatly. The girl looked disappointed for a moment but her eyes got an evil glint when a though came into her head.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" Cullen almost chocked on his spit when he heard the question.

"From the look on your face you haven't." bursting into a fit of laughter Vanora walked away to her favorite section of the library.

Luckily no one was in the library to know what the little runt said to him. From that day on he was infatuated with her.

Two years later Vanora had grown into a beautiful young woman admired by templars and mages alike. Her teasing turned into short conversations and the occasional snack she always stole out of the pantry before she came into the library to study everyday and he fell…hard for the mage and never seemed to get up.

Here he was in the woods chasing a woman who was once the lover of the new king. He was the man who wiped her tears when she left the Harrowing Chamber after she killed Uldred and saved the First Enchanter. She was lost to him then, the long glances and playful flirting Vanora used to do with him were over.

"Why in Andraste's name am I looking for her?" thinking back to Greagoir made him take the chance to try his luck, looking for a daughter he had not seen since the day she was born. Watching his mentor try his luck to search for a child he hadn't seen in at least forty seven years was inspiring.

'Because you love her!' rolling his eyes up to the night sky he retired to his tent for the night.

First chapter of my first Dragon Age Fic this is a Cullen/Amell, Alistair/OC and Greagoir/OC relative.