Gwynaeth Amell is my mage. After I finished my playthrough with her, I thought that there were certain things the character I was imaging would have done. So this is it.

I'm trying my humour here as well. It's dry, lathered with innuendos and not to be taken seriously. Please, if you honestly do not get a joke, it probably has no relevance to later events. I'm being completely honest.

And, hey, more dialogue in this beginning chapter than my last one. I'm actually proud of that. Don't know if I should be, but I am. And why does everything appear smaller here. My paragraphs were huge in Word! I swear.

Anyway, read, hopefully enjoy, and reviews of any kind are loved.

Disclaimer: If I owned Dragon Age, I'd have to do my own voice-overs. That would be lame.

She had been drifting off into a rather pleasant sleep when the voices hit her like a hammer. The water was just tempting her to forget all of her worries and stress, and fall back into the Fade. It was a truly tempting thought, but words hit home faster than the exhaustion did, and she groggily smiled at the newcomers.

"I knew we'd find you here, Gwynaeth."

"Where else would I be, Cissa? Studying? The thought just boggles the mind!"

The mage laughed at such a thought. She didn't study as much as she should have, but that didn't bother her. After a string of mentors, each giving up hope or just packing up and leaving, she saw no need to study. And besides, the First Enchanter (who grudgingly took her under his wing) didn't set her homework of any kind. So, studying was absolutely pointless in her books. Group lessons didn't count either, as they would have to regale such things to mentors later, and learn further from them.

Besides, primal magic didn't call for books. It called for blowing things up, that's what. She made that very clear on her first lesson with Irving. She would delve into other things on the odd occasion, but she was focusing on destruction and raw power. If he could live with that, she said, they would have a wonderful apprenticeship between them. If not, Greagoir would probably aim to have her head cut off.

He agreed, and she was still breathing after a year and a half. Lovely the way things work out, sometimes.

"I would have said the male dormitories, but then again," another called, smirking at her.

"Oh, hush. You are just jealous, Laura, that I found a way in. I'd show you, but you would eat me halfway."

The woman stomped, already angry at such things. "I would not!"

"That's not what she meant, Laura. Don't talk to her. She's evil."

Gwynaeth grinned as the familiar tune of her friend's voice hit her ears.

"How do you know what I am actually talking about? I could be talking about lovely, fluffy bunnies, and just using other terms," she directed at the voice, eyebrow raised in challenge.

Whilst Cissa, Laura and another mage, by the name of Hannah, gathered necessary items for their own baths, the other sat by the far wall, book in lap and no attention directed towards her at all.

Gwynaeth was wounded.

"Rhoswen, the water less tempting than the book you hold in your hands, hmm?"

The elf looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "Keep that mouth of yours shut, Amell. I'll do what I like, when I like."

"Too bad that belief still hasn't landed you on your back."

There was a loud bang, and Gwyn smirked as her shield held the elf's rather rude bout of lightning. How dare she throw something that would boil her in her bath! Now she really was bleeding all over the stone at such things.

She also sent a small prayer of thanks towards Irving for helping her with such a thing. Of all the magical wonders she had in her hands, her shields were improving the most, more so than her fireballs. And with Rhoswen constantly attacking her, they were getting the most attention.

"I'm hurt."

"You are vile."

"And you still insist on giving me your lecture notes. Admit it, you worship the bloody ground I walk on."

"I think you are a self-centred, arrogant -"

"Cruel, undisciplined, non-virginal bitch. I have heard it all before. And all of it from you, even."

The elf huffed, but remained seated, eyes locked onto the words in front of her in an attempt to forget the red-head and her bothersome presence.

Gwyn felt rather victorious, claiming the elf's silence as a triumph - which dashed Rhoswen's hope of forgetting her once that stupid smile made it onto Gwyn's face.

But as this was a frequent thing between the two, her victory meant little. She loved the elf like her sister and more, and would do anything for her. She would reshape the stars if Rhoswen desired so.

Whilst she was loud, slightly salacious and upfront, Rhoswen Surana was her polar opposite. She was quiet and studious, turning her nose up at Gwyn's remarks on more occasions than not. She would never admit it aloud, but she did care for the human more than she let on. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit such a thing, though.

But she would never worship the ground Gwyn walked on. Ugh, the thought gave her the chills!

The other women present paid no heed to such things, as this was a common occurrence, after all. When they weren't insulting each other, something dreadful was bound to happen. Gwyn had even stated such a thing herself before being thrown off her chair by Rhoswen.

Rhoswen would call her every name she could think of, and then some, at the slightest comment. It always ended with her over-reacting that tiny bit, and some form of mana would clash and people would move on.

They knew it was how they showed affection for each other. A change in such things would scare them both. This they knew and it kept them awake some nights.

Gwyn sat up and stretched, then slouched once more. "Anyway, have any news? I'm awake now."

"No! I thought you were dead!"

Gwyn blew a kiss at Rhoswen, who glared darkly at her.

"Did you hear about someone being a blood mage?" Cissa asked absentmindedly, setting herself in the tub across from Gwyn.

It had been the constant talk for the past week. Everyone had heard, and quite a majority of the Tower's populace were scared by such a thing. They knew the dangers of blood magic, and the outcomes that would come from dabbling in such a thing. Every hour some poor sod was the butt of a joke to lift the tension on the rumour, but the Templars were further on the edge from the rumours, and did not take such a thing lightly.

Several people had ended up in isolation, apparently. At least, that was the rumour.

"I did, from Helena, actually. Do they know who? Or, are we all going to be left guessing until the last minute where demons begin a rampage and everyone dies?" Gwyn said offhandedly, like it was a relatively normal thing and that was that.

People outside the Tower believed it was so. Why couldn't it be so one day? She was just saying, after all.

"Don't say stuff like that, Gwyn. You'll jinx us, and then I will personally haunt you."

"Jinxing is made up, Hannah. You can't jinx someone just by saying something. It's a ridiculous notion. Perish the thought." Gwyn waved her hand, in an attempt to perish the thought.

Rhoswen rolled her eyes, but closed her book. "Nathan mentioned that it was an apprentice who they think is the blood mage. Which makes everything doubly dangerous because the idiot isn't Harrowed."

"Nathan thinks that every apprentice is a blood mage until they go through their Harrowing, or become Tranquil. He's paranoid that way."

"I agree with Laura, actually. Nathan is a bit … odd, for lack of a better word." Gwyn shrugged.

"Gerda is going to become Tranquil, actually. Just putting that out there while we discuss Harrowings and Tranquility."

Gwyn shot forward, absolute disbelief written on her face. "Wait, what? Are you joking?"

Cissa shook her head. "No, she was talking about it with Elise, and Gerda's mentor even mentioned that it might be a better option. I always thought Gerda was pretty good, actually. They said she had a gift for Creation. I wonder what went wrong," she continued, her voice dropping as she began rambling.

Whilst paying attention to the end of Cissa's rambling, and agreeing wholeheartedly, Gwyn was still stuck on the first part. "That's horrible!"

"Better than dying, don't you think?" Laura challenged.

"Yes, but your humanity is gone once emotions are killed off. No, it's wrong. I don't know. I know I just don't agree with it!"

"Mind retained means one's humanity stays," Rhoswen muttered, rather ominous.

Gwyn sank back, head lolling to the side to look at Rhoswen. "True. But I'd rather go through the Harrowing than become Tranquil any day."

"You will jinx yourself for saying that. In the middle of the night, you will have your Harrowing. I bet you."

Hannah waved her hands in front of her, pulling a face as well. She looked rather witchy, and Cissa commented on such.

"Twenty bits says your wrong."

The comment went unnoticed.

"Done."

"Done."

Hannah and Gwyn shared a look as Laura rolled her eyes. They would have shook hands if they were within reach.

"Why do you bet with her, Hannah? Gwyn wins because she cheats. Everyone knows this."

"I don't cheat. I play to win. Cheating is below me." Gwyn sniffed, imitating someone of higher stature.

Cissa laughed, and together they mocked the noble brats that pranced through the halls on the odd occasion. Every so often, a noble would have an affair - or not - and some magical child would be produced because someone failed to mention that magic ran through their blood. So the brats ended up in the Tower. Some were not so bad, but there were those who had to learn the hard way that they were now the scum of Thedas and all that land daddy promised them was never going to be theirs.

It was a hard lesson, but everyone had to learn it eventually. Doubly hard as an elf, Rhoswen would comment whenever it was brought up. Elves were below the scum outside of the Tower.

Hannah, on the other hand, was trying to make a valid argument to Laura.

"She can't cheat on this one, Laura. You go through your Harrowing, or you die. Just ask Rhoswen. They make it very clear."

"The whole lecture you get from Greagoir is dreadfully dull. I don't advise listening to him. Just ask the Revered Mother to repeat it. Much more entertaining."

Gwyn laughed, before sighing. "Bother, my water is getting cold. I believe that means that it is bed time."

"You lazy bastard! Don't you have lessons to attend?"

"Ah, probably, actually. Cissa, I normally have this lesson with you, right? What do we have?"

Cissa took on a faraway look, recalling her timetable that she had learned by heart upon receiving it. "History with Sweeney. Oh, Maker save us all, let the Orlesians invade, anything!"

"I don't understand why he is still teaching. Is he still taking apprentices? Maker, I'd hate to have him."

"You did have him, but he never turned up."

"Because the geezer is half-blind and couldn't figure out where the library is."

"You gave him the wrong directions."

"Rhoswen, darling, if he knew anything, he should have figured that out himself. Come, Cissa, Hannah, Sweeney awaits us with reliving wars he may have participated in."

"He isn't that old, Gwynaeth."

"Yes he is. I said so."

"Stop acting like a child."

"Stop acting like my mother."

"I will when you stop acting like a child."

"Well, we have until the end of our lives to end this argument. Trust me, I'm not leaving anytime soon, and neither are you."

Gwyn removed herself from the bath with quite a bit of effort, muscles at complete ease after such a long time in the water, and draped a towel around herself once out. There was a constant chill in the Tower, ominous and just cold. With a shudder, she spoke, hand in its normal position: fist on hip.

"Come on. I have to count my money. Who knows, I may have jinxed myself."

Hannah poked her tongue out, but followed, Cissa bringing up the rear. Squabbling began within seconds. Something along the lines of jinxes, hexes and 'touch wood'.

Rhoswen sighed, and looked over at Laura. Laura held her hands up in defence, eyebrows raised in innocence.

"Hey, she's your friend. How you two manage to remain so is beyond me."

"I can't seem to get rid of her, she's like the plague."

Laura laughed. "Well, the way she's going, she's going soon."

Laura leaned her head back, and promptly began snoring. Rhoswen sat for a little longer, mulling over Laura's words, and the general vibe that surrounded the conversation. Everything sounded like something out of a bad tale. Here they were, laughing about how silly it was to think such things, but such things were bound to happen. Everything she had ever read had directed her to such things.

She couldn't help the cold feeling that sat like lead in her belly, and trailed behind the trio, who had - finally - dressed and were on their way to their lesson. She came in at a rather odd time.

"There's a war?"

"Yes, Hannah, there's a war brewing. Or has been for a while now. Didn't you hear Sweeney babbling about darkspawn the other day?"

"I'm sorry; I believe that I was sleeping during his babbling."

"You'd sleep through your own lovemaking, Hannah, it's just a given."

"Yep … wait, hey! Gwynaeth!"

Rhoswen rolled her eyes, and walked off. Her friend wasn't leaving anytime soon.

She may not know much about anything else besides what she was taught and what she read, but she did know that Gwynaeth Amell, long time friend, constant nuisance and romantic at heart, was not leaving.

Besides, no one would let her in fear of letting her learn life lessons. Imagine such a thing!

The horror!

Later that night

"Amell."

"Ugh, what? Templars …? Ew, what are you doing here?"

Sigh.

"Come on, get dressed."

"Why?"

"Your Harrowing is about to begin."

Pause.

"Oh, bollocks, I owe Hannah twenty bits."

"I have no idea what that means, but move it."

EDITED: 21/10/2011