Acknowledgements

All names and locations remain the property of BIOWARE.

Prologue

"Amelia! Amelia!" a young woman not much older than twenty years called as she forced her way through the crowd of templars. Her normally neat blonde hair was dishevelled and her blue eyes were wild with fear. The crowd tried to hold her back, but she was firm in her resolve and with the strength of a Mabari hound, she shoved her way through.

"No...Amelia," she whispered when she saw the lifeless body of her sixteen year old sister. There was no sign of the demon that possessed her, turning her into an abomination. The same abomination that killed her parents, save for her sister, Meredith and the same abomination that killed at least seventy people in a matter of a few days.

Meredith cradled her sister and she started weeping. She knew it was not Amelia's fault the gift of magic flowed through her veins. She knew it was not Amelia's fault for being exceptionally vulnerable to the creatures of the Fade and Meredith briefly wondered if her parents were right in not sending her to the Circle because they knew she would be vulnerable to their tests and they knew she would not survive, but as for Meredith she cursed the day her sister first showed signs of magical talent.

Meredith gazed at the darkening night sky and she hardened her heart and she promised she would never allow another mage to become an abomination...She would rather kill them first, before that happened...

Chapter 01

"Do you solemnly swear to remain loyal to the Templar Order?" Knight-Commander Guylian asked Meredith.

It was five years since her sister's death and Meredith was being knighted. She was feeling anxious about the ceremony because the person she most wanted to see had chosen not to attend.

Shortly after her sister's death, she joined the Templar Order of Kirkwall and much to the surprise of the Knight-Commander, she showed great promise. He always thought she would amount to nothing, but she was determined to prove him otherwise and she rose quickly through the ranks.

Meredith cast her eyes around the hall and for a brief moment, she glimpsed, or so she thought, the kind face of First Enchanter Orsino. She always admired him and now she was beginning to question the way he made her feel every time he looked at her or if their hands touched briefly. She sighed sadly and she turned her attention back to the Knight-Commander who was watching her with raised eyebrows.

"May I resume?" he asked.

"I...Yes Ser," she replied.

"Do you solemnly swear to uphold the teachings of the Chantry during your servitude?" he asked.

"I do," she replied.

"Do you solemnly swear to uphold the Law of the Chantry?" he asked.

She sighed. She was bored and all she wanted to do was go out into the training yard to work on her sword skills.

"I do," she replied.

"Then in the eyes of the Maker and the Grand Cleric, I award you with the title of Knight-Captain," he said and she let out a startled gasp. She was not aware of this. He told her she was going to be a lieutenant. There was no mention of her being made Captain and as far as she was concerned, she was the youngest person to be made captain in the long history of the Templar Order.

"I accept my title with gratitude and I will always remain loyal to the Templars. I will always keep the mages best interests at heart and I will do anything to protect them from themselves," she stated solemnly. She cast her eyes around and this time they rested on the green eyes of the First Enchanter.

He was watching her sadly knowing nothing would ever come from the solid friendship they had. She chose her path and he was choosing his. With reluctance and sadness, he turned away from her and he shuffled away from them. He had things to do and one of them was mentoring young mages, fresh from their mother's skirts. He hated mentoring them because it brought back painful memories of his separation from his mother when he was only six years old.

Meredith watched in disbelief, heart thumping painfully as he turned away from her without acknowledging her. They both had differing opinions on the handling of mages in Kirkwall and they often argued for hours about it, but both were aware of the increasing tension between them, but it was not a line they could ever cross for it was forbidden by the law.

Meredith sighed as she slowly made her way through the group of Templars who were cheering and clapping their approval, but she was too despondent to acknowledge them. She wanted to go out into the training fields and clash swords with the young men, who gave her a run for her sovereigns, but as she headed for door, she noticed Orsino peering out at her from his office and she couldn't help smiling quietly to herself. He beckoned to her and she warily approached him. As soon as she was within arm's reach, he roughly grabbed her by the upper arm. She flinched when he dug his nails into her arm but at the same time she found it strangely exciting.

"First Enchanter, what are you doing?" she asked as he dragged her into his office, slamming the door shut behind them. She was feeling bewildered, so she shrugged herself free from his grasp and she gave him slight smite. He staggered backwards, looking rather alarmed, but he quickly recovered himself when he caught her magnificent blue eyes. It was enough to make him weak at the knees. He shakily sat down and pointed to a chair. She nodded and she obliged him. They sat in tense silence each trying to work out what the other was thinking.

He was only ten years older than Meredith and from the first day she joined the Templar Order, he felt something for her and right now his heart was thumping loudly in his chest. He lowered his gaze briefly wondering if she could hear his heart.

"You wanted to see me, I assume, otherwise you wouldn't have dragged me into your office," she said quietly as she folded her hands in her lap. She was anxious for a reason she did not fully understand.

"Meredith," he said softly.

"It is Knight-Captain, but you already know than seen you were there towards the end of my ceremony," she said quietly.

He raised his brilliant green eyes to meet her blue eyes and to him, they were the soul of a beautiful woman. He smiled warmly at her and she reluctantly returned the smile.

"I apologise for not being at your ceremony as I promised, Meredith," he said softly as he rested his hands on the desk. She lowered her gaze and she couldn't help noticing how slender his fingers and hands were. She was so tempted to take one of his hands into hers, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"Why were you not there?" she asked.

"I...I...don't know. I...I," he stammered and he wanted to kick himself for stumbling over his words as if he was a young teenager.

"You promised you would be there...To give me moral support, Orsino," she said sadly as she went back to twisting her hands anxiously. He noticed her agitation or was it nervousness on her part, he briefly wondered as he somewhat reluctantly stood up and he came around his desk to stand in front of her. She briefly glanced at him and then she lowered her eyes once again because her cheeks were growing warm.

"Meredith, please look at me," he said softly as he gently lifted her chin. Her cheeks burned even more at the contact and she felt his magic stir beneath his fingertips.

"What do you want?" she asked, abruptly standing up. She was not much taller than he was and to her he appeared taller than the average male elf as most of the elves she came into contact with were at least a head shorter than she was. He sighed, stepping away from her. She was too close and it was causing him to ache all over.

"I am really sorry, Meredith. I know there is nothing I can do to make you feel better. I brought you here to congratulate you. I am proud of your achievement, but at the same time it worries me," he explained. She glared at him because she wanted more than just his congratulations and she was growing angrier as the minutes ticked by. She desperately needed to go to the training ground to vent her frustration on something or someone.

"Why should it worry you? You know my thoughts on mages...If you knew, you would be more understanding of the way I feel about them," she blurted out knowing she did not think of him as such.

"Then tell me, otherwise this is going to get us nowhere. I don't like the way we are treated in Kirkwall as if we are criminals for being born with the gift of magic. The gift you call a curse...and yet...," he tried to explain. He was trying so hard not to give himself away and he was failing miserably, but whether she was aware of it, he did not know.

"And yet, what, First Enchanter?" she asked coolly. With those words First Enchanter, he knew the conversation was over. He did know how to respond to her sudden change in tone of voice. He sadly lowered his gaze and he shuffled back around his desk and he sat down. In an effort to distract himself, he pulled out a piece of parchment and he furiously began writing on it. He did not even blink when the door closed, but that did nothing to ease his beating heart. His office felt cold and empty without the solid presence of Meredith.