Alistair stared out at the calm waters of Lake Calenhad and fretted. His new life was about to begin and all he could think about was what he was leaving behind. Not that he was leaving much behind, life at the Chantry had not been kind to him. But this new life held little appeal either. He would be spending his nights and days surrounded by mages, diligently on the look out for signs of abominations and blood magic. The buzz of magic would be all consuming and it frightened him. He had no choice about becoming a templar and he had no choice in where he was stationed once he had spoken his vows. He only hoped to find some kind of companionship, some friend, someone to make this bearable. Loneliness was a feeling he knew well and he was sick of it.
He watched the boat master steer his little boat onto the shore. Alistair kept one hand on the hilt of his sword at all times, vigilant already. He would be the best damn templar he could be. It was all he had now. Two men were waiting for him as he departed the boat and one held out his hand to steady him. He grasped the other man's hand with thanks.
"Welcome to Kinloch Hold, Ser Alistair," the elder of the two men said. "I am knight-commander Greagoir and this is Ser Cullen. He will be showing you around the circle until you become acquainted with everything. If you have any questions, ask him."
Greagoir nodded at the other man and turned on his heel and left them. Not too friendly that one. "I am Alistair," he offered his hand to the other templar, wanting to make sure they got off to the right start.
The other man smiled softly and Alistair felt relief. "Cullen, as the knight-commander said. We should get you inside before you freeze."
Alistair had barely felt the cool air against his skin, not that much of it was exposed. His armor was heavy and confining, but he took the other man's concern to heart. "How long have you served here?"
"Two years. I was sent here right after I took my vows at eighteen."
"Me too. I mean I just took my vows."
"You're nervous. It's okay. You'll fit in here. We become like a family."
"And the mages?"
"They keep to themselves for the most part. Do mages frighten you?"
"No," Alistair said too quickly. "They just make me nervous."
"Good. It'll keep you vigilant. Never forget what they are capable of. However, they aren't bad. Some of them are actually quite…" He didn't finish his sentence. "Anyways, come with me. We'll get you set up right away."
As they walked, Cullen introduced him to the other templars, not that he could remember any of their names. He said hello and kept a polite smile on his face. The mages however watched him with incomprehensible gazes. They were wary of him and kept their distance. Alistair felt uncomfortable and Cullen must have noticed.
"You get used to it. Many of them see us as their jailers, keeping them locked away so they can't harm innocents. Others are a bit more accepting of being here. Each mage is an individual. It would do well to remember that."
They continued to walk, the circle itself felt huge. Cullen would point out areas that he needed to know but again it was all just too much information for him to handle. They made their way to the dining hall where the smell of freshly baked bread caused Alistair's stomach to grumble. Cullen chuckled. "You are probably starving. We should get something to eat before it's all gone."
"We eat with the mages?"
"Yes. Though we tend to sit apart."
Alistair's eyes scanned the not so busy dining hall. His eyes fell on a group of mages talking animatedly among themselves. It was then that he saw her. Her long red hair attracted the eye first, a stark contrast to the drab colors of her companions. It was her lips he noticed second, nearly as red as the hair on her head. She looked up and he saw recognition in her face as she lifted her hand up for a small wave. He looked at his companion who had his own hand up in return. Cullen's face had gone soft and he had a small smile on his lips.
"Who is she?" Alistair asked.
That jolted Cullen and he blushed slightly. "That's apprentice Amell."
"Seems pretty friendly."
"Uh, well, she's one of the… ummm… more accepting mages."
"I'll keep that in mind." Amell. That was a name he would remember.
# # # # #
Jowan, Petra, Anders and Amell sat together in the dining hall, eating and drinking and gossiping. Even once the food was long gone, the four friends remained seated, talking and laughing. They didn't notice that nearly everyone else had cleared out.
"So have you heard about the new templar?" Petra asked, a gleam in her brown eyes.
"Yeah, I heard. I'm hoping for a woman," Anders said, a grin plastered on his face. "A hot one."
"Figures," Jowan said. "You slut, you."
Amell laughed. It was true Anders had a certain reputation but that usually only went so far as his fellow mages. "A templar is a bit ambitious of you."
"You can't corner the market on them," he said slyly. Amell blushed.
"I have no idea what you mean." Of course she was lying and they all knew it. Her friends were very aware of her fascination with a certain curly haired blond Templar. And as they liked to tease her, his fascination with her. Not that either of them acted on anything. She didn't even believe that he had any feelings for her. All he did was stumble over his words and blush. He probably did it with all the female mages. In fact, she was certain of it. Of course she found it absolutely adorable. But he was a templar and completely off limits. Perhaps that was part of the appeal.
"Lost in a daydream there, Amell?" Petra asked, amusement lacing her words.
"No." She threw her half-eaten roll at her friend's head, narrowly missing. It tumbled to the floor. She took a quick look around to see if anyone had seen her, well a templar at least, when she caught two templars staring in her direction. She recognized one of them as Cullen. Before she knew what she was doing, she lifted her hand and gave a slight wave to the man. Her stomach fluttered when he returned the gesture.
"What in Thedas are you doing, Amell?" Jowan asked, turning to look in the direction of her wave.
"Just spotted the newest templar, sorry Anders. Another man."
"And what a man," Petra said, practically panting. "I'd like to get locked in a room with him."
"And how can men like us compete when the two of you are basically drooling over our jailers?" Anders had a sharp tone in his voice that Amell wasn't used to. She looked at her friend who was scowling in her direction. What happened to change his mood? Did he have a thing for Petra? Hadn't they hooked up already? She couldn't keep track of either of their conquests.
"How long do you think it would take before I could get him out of that templar armor?" Petra ignored Anders complaint.
"Why take it off? Isn't that part of the appeal?" Anders sneered. This time Petra didn't ignore it.
"What is your problem Anders? Weren't you just moments before dreaming of a female templar?"
"Maybe he's jealous," Amell offered. Anders turned his glare to her. She wanted to wipe it off of his face so she reached out to touch his shoulder. He relaxed at her touch. He smiled at her slightly.
"I meant it. How can the rest of us compete?" Anders was looking at her when he said it in a way that made her suddenly uncomfortable. He had tried to bed her once, a long time ago, before they had become friends and she'd turned him down. He never tried again. She wasn't sure what she would do if he did try again.
She needed to say something to lighten the mood. "Did you hear what happened to Marta? She passed her Harrowing."
"Good for Marta," Anders mumbled. He had already passed his Harrowing as well and moved up into the much better mage quarters. The fact that he still hung out with them, mere apprentices, just made Anders a better friend.
"I heard her saying that once she passed her Harrowing, she was going to lose her virginity," Petra added, looking at Anders.
Anders laughed. "She's not really my type."
"Everyone is your type."
"Not anymore."
"Oh Maker, Anders not chasing tail? Who are you, and what did you do with our friend?" Jowan mocked.
"Maybe I'm tired of meaningless hookups. Maybe I'm looking for something more."
Petra's eyes got dark. "You know as well as I, as all of us know, that what you speak of is dangerous. You can't give them any leverage to use against you."
"Says the mage that was just ogling one of them."
"Just because I'd fuck one, doesn't mean I trust them." Petra kept her voice low.
Amell shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. She didn't share her friends' hatred of the warriors that watched them. While she wasn't their best friends either, she understood the necessity of what they did. She even pitied some of them. Some hadn't chosen this life any more than she had. They were stuck together and she'd make sure it was as pleasant as possible.
Not that she dared voice her opinion around Anders and Petra. Both of them had suffered at the hands of templars and both of them had very good reasons for their mistrust. Anders had escaped the tower many times, being brought back each time, beat up and broken. Then sent to solitary for months at a time. And Petra. Petra had once attracted the attention of the wrong templar. He had went out of his way to make her life hell until finally First Enchanter Irving had found him terrorizing the mage and put a stop to it. The templar was transferred out the next day.
"What's wrong, Amell?" Anders asked, noticing her discomfort.
"I'm just worried you'll be overheard."
Anders nodded. "She's right. No use in discussing this any further."
"So who is she?" Jowan asked after a moment of silence.
"Who?"
"The girl that you want more with."
"Who says there was a specific girl?"
"Oh but there is. You are a terrible liar Anders." Petra goaded.
"And if I tell you, the whole circle will know. I'm keeping my mouth shut."
"She's going to find out. It's just a matter of time," Amell said.
He smiled at her. "Whose side are you on?"
"What? I'm curious too. She must be pretty damn special to catch your eye."
"Yes. She is."
# # # # #
Cullen and Alistair finished their dinner. By the time they were done, the dining hall had been deserted. Even Amell and her friends had departed, but not before they had shared another glance. Just thinking about it made Cullen's heart race. His infatuation with the apprentice mage was dangerous and he knew it. But he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to her face. He couldn't help watching her as she studied, her face scrunched up in concentration and the look of pure joy on her face when she mastered a spell. She was intoxicating and that made her all the more dangerous.
And the fact that she looked back. That she smiled shyly and waved when she saw him. Not that he was special. She acted that way with all the templars. She was kind to everyone around her. And that made her all the more appealing. While many of the mages treated them with disdain and even hatred, Amell was sweet and considerate. She would laugh at his lame attempts at jokes and was patient when he stumbled over his words. Which with her was often. He was lucky to get a single sentence out without stuttering. But she didn't seem to mind or judge him for it.
They were walking again but this time Cullen was lost in his own thoughts and stopped pointing out areas of interest to the other templar. If Alistair noticed, he stayed silent. Perhaps he was trapped in his own thoughts as well. So it took him for surprise when Amell and her friend, whose name escaped him, stood in front of them.
"Hello Cullen," she said, her voice like music to his ears. "Who is this?" She was looking at his companion, a small smile on her lips. He tried not looking at her lips. They led to some impure thoughts.
"Umm… h-hello Amell. This is… umm… Alistair. He just arrived."
"Welcome," she said, giving him a dazzling smile. Her friend reached out and touched Alistair's breastplate in a much too intimate matter.
"Yes, welcome." There was no denying the seduction in her voice. He saw Amell close her eyes and sigh. She didn't approve of her friends actions and that made Cullen happy for some reason. He didn't know how he'd feel if it was Amell stroking another man's armor. Not that he would know what to do if it was his armor being stroked.
"I'm Petra, and this is Amell. Nice to meet you, Alistair." She said his name with a purr. Cullen was starting to get uncomfortable and looking at Alistair, he was equally as discomforted.
"Well thank you for the welcome, Petra, Amell. Amell, that's an unusual name."
"It's my last name. It's actually Solona Amell, but no one calls me Solona."
"Why not?"
She shrugged. "It doesn't suit me, I guess."
"Well, Amell is a lovely name." Was Alistair flirting with her? He looked to see a faint blush color her cheeks. Petra looked amused rather than annoyed.
"Well we should get back to our studying while you men do whatever it is that templars do." Petra grabbed Amell and started to pull her away.
"Goodbye Cullen," she said before turning with her friend.
Both men watched the pair walk away.
"The swaying of her hips must be intentional," Alistair said, his voice low. He was staring quite plainly at Amell's backside. "Is it for me or for you I wonder?"
Cullen felt his cheeks heat up. "You need to be careful. The mages are off limits."
It was Alistair's turn to blush. "I wouldn't know what to do with one anyways."