Chapter One
It felt like she had been running forever. As a child it was at her father's will; she had been too young to understand his reasons, let alone oppose them. After his death, even among the relative safety of the rundown and secluded orphanage outside Nevarra City she had always been ready to make her escape if necessary. It was there they had bestowed upon her the nickname "Magechild". The other children meant it as an insult because her father had been an apostate. They never realized that she shared his talent. Above all else, even love, he had instilled in her a fear to keep her magic hidden. No cost was too high, save her own life—for if the templars were ever to catch her that would indeed be the price.
"Trust no one!" he had told her fiercely, his voice hushed even though they were alone. Madea had been silent, stunned by fear at his tone. Her six year old mind could not comprehend what she had done to earn such a harsh lecture. He grabbed her arms and shook her lightly. "Do you understand me, Madea?" he asked. She had nodded and blinked back the tears in her eyes as best she could. Experience had taught her she would find no sympathy while he was in such a mood. "Yes papa." He nodded once and released her. "Good." He had turned to leave. Madea lurched forward but didn't dare grab his robes or hand, "Papa wait! I—I can trust His eyes had softened for the briefest of moments and then they had grown sad and distant and he turned away again. "Trust no one."
He would be dead within the year and she could only do as he had asked her because she knew no other way. He had taken every ounce of familiarity with him. Everyone was a stranger to her and those who became more than that were still never accepted. Her father had shown her time and again how trust was rewarded. She would not let his lessons be in vain.
While the other orphans played outside on days when the weather permitted she remained inside, keeping to herself as much as possible. The slightest relaxation of her defenses could spell disaster. Oftentimes she watched them play through the windows and wished she was normal like them so that she could run and jump and play.
Instead she sat alone and listened to the attendants through the thin walls. It was from their gossip that she learned of the Hero of Ferelden. She loved to hear tales of the woman that had killed the archdemon and then survived to marry the new king. She had lived near the hero's home at Highever Castle for a time before taking ship to the Free Marches. Madea couldn't remember if she had ever seen the woman, but she dreamt she had. It was the one secret dream she allowed herself to harbor.
She kept it with her even when she left the orphanage. Before dawn on the first day of summer when she was fourteen years old she had been roused from the little cot she had occupied for the past seven years and ushered to the front door. The attendant whose lot it was to send her away pressed a handful of coppers into her palm, passed over a bundle of food and told her to seek out work in the city.
Just like that everything she knew was gone again.
O-o-O
The city spilled along the riverbank. The sparkling cobalt waters looked refreshingly simple compared to the overwhelming extravagance that littered the streets. Statues stood on most corners and they were only to be outdone by the intricate tombs where the Nevarrans interred their dead. Brightly colored cloth banners and wooden stands marked the extensive market that exploded from the main necropolis.
It was easy to see that the lifeblood of the city was the trade that spilled in and out of the busy market. Merchants and farmers alike brought their wares to the city to sell. Some came overland with their carts full of grains and spices while others navigated the river's currents with vessels loaded down with silk, expensive dyes and exotic goods that would be well received in this city of luxury.
A place like that could swallow a person whole and leave nothing to be remembered and therefore it was with a sense of apprehension that she entered the market. It was an immediate barrage of colors and sounds. Her blue eyes went wide with amazement. Even in all the years on the road with her father she had never seen anything as grand as this. A crowd of people in a place this busy could make it all too easy for her to lose her concentration and reveal herself. She had to be careful; one never knew where Templars were lurking.
People jostled and shouted, paying no heed to an orphan in little more than rags. She wove through the crowds and ducked out of the way of big-bellied merchants shouting out their prices. She had never seen such finery. There were pools of silk in various shades of violet and crimson. Ornate cages dangled from hooks at several merchant's stands. Some were filled with brightly colored finches chirping their injustices for the world to hear. Others contained wide-eyed monkeys who appeared just as bewildered as she felt.
As she rounded a corner a hundred different aromas hit her at once. Her stomach rumbled as she inhaled. This street was lined with vendors cooking more food than she had ever seen in one place. She didn't even know what most of the foods were, but they sure looked and smelled delicious. The few copper pennies jingled in her pocket, but they would not be enough to buy anything so grand.
Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she eyed the food. She had picked up some skills in her time at the orphanage. She was not proud of her ability to pick locks or keep to the shadows and remain unseen, but they were vital skills. They would keep her alive where her cursed magic would only expose her neck. She knew she should not steal, but she was so hungry. Resigned, she turned away with a sigh; she would have to be hungrier than this before she resorted to petty theft.
"Here."
The voice belonged to a sandy haired youth with sparkling grey eyes. He grinned at her, flashing teeth as white as the ivory baubles she had seen at a vendor's stall. He was holding a small sack. "Take it," he urged when she hesitated.
"I—uh—no that's quite alright," she said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at his kindness. What reason would a complete stranger have to offer her any help.
His own eyes narrowed and Madea thought for sure he was about to turn on her. Instead he leaned forward and whispered as if they were two friends sharing a secret. "You sound Ferelden. Are you from there?"
The squeak that escaped her lips at how easily he identified her country of birth made her cheeks flame red in embarrassment. She teetered backwards and shoved her hands behind her back. Ignoring his question she responded with her own. "Who are you?"
"Me? Nobody important, I assure you." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and grinned again. She had to admit, used correctly that smile could have easily disarmed her, but she was far too wary for that tomfoolery.
"And here you wanted me to take something from you when you won't even tell me your name," she snapped.
"Well, it was for me to ea—" He cut himself off and turned around as if he had heard someone call for him. Maybe he had. Madea was having a hard time hearing anything in the bustling market place. He dropped the sack in her hands and sketched a sloppy salute, "Gotta go, bright eyes! See you later!"
He took off and by the time she had recovered enough to call after him he had already disappeared. Bright eyes? She repeated to herself. Why would he call her that?
She looked down at the sack and then back up to see if he had reappeared. She searched the crowd but no matter how hard she looked she couldn't find him. Tentatively she opened the bundle in her hands. There was a small loaf of bread, a couple of apples and a large chunk of odd-looking cheese. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of it. He was really going to eat that? Despite that she didn't toss it away. One never knew how hungry they would get. She would do well to save it. If she held her nose and closed her eyes she might be able to stomach it were she hungry enough.
Much unlike the cheese, the apples were crisp and delicious. Juice dribbled down her chin and she caught the sweet nectar on her fingertips and sucked the juice from them. She savored the taste of a treat she had rarely been afforded in the past seven years. The food eased her hunger, but her curiosity about the stranger left her wanting more than ever.