This is set before the start of the Inquisition story line. It covers how Azalea Trevalyan left the Ostwick Circle and what effect such drastic changes made on her life.
This story is unfinished and on hiatus until further notice. The story arc contained in it (regarding her family) is completed but I stop writing just before the grand ball.
It is a F!Trevalyan / Cullen story. It does not cover anything that is in the game but instead attempts to fill various silences between the missions. This is also my first foray into fanfiction so apologies if the quality isn't up to my usual standard.
Warnings for graphic violence and torture.
It was evening when her entire world was destroyed. The sun had only just set over the horizon and Azalea Trevalyn, Ostwick Circle mage, was reclining in a couch in the library, a hot tea in nursed in her lap, looking out the large floor-to-ceiling windows and admiring her view. This was her favourite time of day, a time she always took for herself, to relax, reflect, and just unwind. Not that her life at the circle was particularly taxing, in fact she loved it there. Whenever she visited her family, always accompanied by two or three templars of course, she was always left longing to get back. Recently her family had started wanting her to marry, nevermind how such a thing is rather more complicated within the circle for anyone to really want to marry. But it was for political reasons, not convenience, and the last time she had visited there had been no less than four eligible young men who just happened to be stopping by for her to meet. She was interested in none of them. In truth, her heart belonged to another, though there was no way she could ever tell her family as such. Derrek was a templar here at the circle and was often assigned to her personal guard. She made the templars nervous, she knew that. They were nervous around all mages of course, but Azalea had control over more magic than most. It sang to her; she understood it in an innate way that was beyond most mages, especially one as young as her.
Last night though... Azalea smiled with the memory. Last night Derrek and sneaked into her room. Up until then they had shared nothing more some flirting that made those around them smile but otherwise ignore, a chaste kiss or two whenever they could find some time alone with each other. But last night she had told him she would set up wards around her room that would prevent her neighbours from hearing anything, if only he could prevent his fellow templars from patrolling this particular corridor and being able to sense it. Derrek, for his part, had ensured that he alone would be on patrol in this corridor, giving them several hours to enjoy each other. That had been the best night of her life. She didn't know if she loved him, but she had loved his body and he had loved hers. It was her first time and she still felt the warm glow in the pit of her stomach as she daydreamed about it.
Azalea smiled into her cup as she took a drink. Afraid that people might talk if they spent too long together, after last night she has spent most of today either in the library studying - anatomy and how magic affected it was her current interest - or in the infirmary helping out the healers there where she could. In truth though, she really didn't mind spending her time in that way. Of course she would have liked to speak to Derrek more, but she was accepting that their relation would have to be a secret. And she truly enjoyed researching and learning and practicing her skills to help others. If magic was created to serve mankind what better use for her time was there?
A few of her teachers disagreed though. There had been talks, in private of course, of the mage rebellion that was sweeping the country. The Feraldan circle had been first, and then the Kirkwall circle, quickly followed by others, the mages rebelling against unfair treatment from the templars and the prison like experience of the circles. Azalea had been invited to a few of those talks but for the most part she only listened, saying little. So far at least, Ostwick Circle remained neutral, something Azalea was particularly grateful for. She knew that some circles were horrible places to live, where the mages were treated little better than prisoners or slaves, that the templars abused the power they had over them, but it wasn't like that at the Ostwick circle. Oh, sure, there were cases of things getting out of hand, of fights breaking out, especially with new templars wanting to prove themselves and mages who had been forced to go to the circle against their will, but for the most part they were few and far between. While it was rare for templars and mages to associate they mostly existed in harmony, the templars protecting the mages not only from themselves especially during a harrowing, but sometimes also assisting in experiments. There were some experiments where a mage was at a greater risk of possession especially when they involved investigations into the fade. There were always templars at hand willing to watch on to prevent a disaster from occurring in such cases. They also helped the people of Ostwick as well, and, while Azalea had always required a guard whenever she left the circle to visit friends and family, they were always polite and courteous when escorting her.
Which was why, when three templars burst through the door to the library, swords drawn, it took Azalea a moment to accept what was going on. Had something happened? Did they need help with a mage who had been possessed? She sensed a lot of magic being used, but nothing particularly malicious that would suggest a possession. Swinging her legs over the couch to stand, she was about to put her cup of tea aside and ask what the problem was when she was hit in the chest with an invisible force that had her stumbling backwards, knees hitting the couch and forcing her to sit once more, the tea falling from numb fingers to shatter on the stone floor. She managed to gasp in two breaths as the templars approached her and it was only now that she noticed their swords were bloody. They had killed already tonight. Fearing what they meant to do Azalea attempted to reach for her magic but found only nothingness. Gritting her teeth and pushing herself forward to stand once more, even moving forward a few steps, she gathered all of her control and a blast spread outwards from her, breaking the hold the templars had. The templars before her were young, not as skilled at their magic hindering abilities as some of the veterans at the circle which was the only reason her attempt had succeeded. They were stunned long enough for Azalea to cast an ice trap at their feet, locking them in place. She had no desire to truly hurt them, surely this was just a misunderstanding that the First Enchanter and the Knight Commander could work out. Hearing shouts, she ran from the room, ignoring the furious shouts of the templars trapped in place.
The room she ran into was one of the classrooms used to teach acolytes. Azalea herself had spent many hours in this room before her harrowing studying and trying to understand everything she could, devouring whatever information her teachers presented her with. Now though, the acolytes were cowering beneath their desks, all children of about ten or twelve years old. The bodies of three children were already in bloody puddles in the doorway, the templars stepping over them, dismissing them like trash.
"Azalea, here!"
Azalea caught the staff that the class's teacher, Richar, threw to her. The elf was standing between the templars and the other children, attempting to prevent the templars from continuing their slaughter. Azalea stood beside him and quickly cast a barrier spell over them. The elf seemed surprised that she still had access to her magic, but not nearly as surprised as the templars before them.
"Azalea, stand down!" one of them ordered, and Azalea felt her heart leap with recognition. It was Derrek. He was wearing a helmet that obscured his face, but she would recognise that voice anywhere.
Stepping forward, though keeping her hold on the staff light and low, trying to be as non-threatening as possible, she said, "Derrek, what is going on here? Why are you attacking everyone, and innocent children at that?"
"The Rite of Annulment has been authorized. The children are not innocent but blood mages in training. As are you all," Derrek said before launching his own dispelling attack. Unfortunately, Derrek was a lot more experienced than the templars in the library and the punch-in-the-gut sensation of Azalea's connection to the fade and her magic being cut off was a lot stronger and more forceful.
Recovering quickly but this time not bothering to attempt to break the hold, knowing it wouldn't work, Azalea rose the staff defensively before her. "No," she said firmly. "I can't let you do this. It's not right. Kill the mages if you will, but leave the acolytes alone." It was foolish really, but a part of her believed that Derrek would listen to her, would, if not call off the attack entirely, at least use reason.
"No," Derrek said, his voice a growl, his eyes, visible through the visor of his helmet, dark with hate. He rose his sword. Azalea saw it coming down towards her and instinctively continued trying to reach for her magic, to throw up a barrier once more, not really believing that Derrek would kill her, not after last night.
The sword kept descending towards her though and it was almost too late that she realized that he wasn't going to stop, that he meant to kill her, to cleave his sword right through her head. Frantically, she pulled backwards, raising her staff defensively to try to divert the attack. It almost worked; the sword didn't slice through her skull but it did cut her face. A sharp burning pain over her eyebrow, her vision going red as blood flowed into her eye and Azalea stumbled backwards. She was given no time to recover though before an armoured foot slammed into her chest. Aided with the templar's magic she flew through the air, slamming forcefully into the stone wall, the back of her head connecting with the stone with an audible crunch before the world went dark.