Title: In Wonderland
Summary: "Which is more dangerous, outside of the Tower or inside?" She asked softly, hoping not to draw the Templar's attention to their area. "Well," Jowan said, worrying his lip. "It depends on who you are talking about. Personally, I think inside."
PC: Human Mage (Amell)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Bioware.
I found myself in Wonderland
Get back on my feet again
Is this real?
Is it pretend?
I'll take a stand until the end
-Avril Lavigne "Alice"
Chapter I
The plants of the garden were in radiant bloom as the sun shined through the trees. A woman sat on the stone bench in the garden and strung lilies together. She was fairly young, her skin the color of porcelain and blonde hair almost as white as winter. She stopped her weaving for a moment to trace the outline of her over-grown belly. My child will be here soon, she thought happily and returned to her weaving. That's when she felt the dull ache. She gasps out of surprise, almost getting used to the aches since this morning when they started. She rubs her stomach as though to calm it and lifts a new lily into her hand. It falls from her hand as she clutches herself as the ache becomes sharp and powerful. She cries in pain as another sharp one comes and her water breaks.
"Naria!" She cries as she pulls herself from the bench to stand. Her elven lady-in-waiting came rushing through the garden's path to her as she collapses to her knees.
"Mistress, is it the child?" The elf worked quickly when her mistress nodded, lifting her to her feet and walking her back to the cottage as she groan with pain.
"Where is Harrison?" The woman cried as her elven servant laid her into the bed. The elf fetches dry cloths and hot water for her mistress.
"He went to Knight-commander Jarvis about the bandits seen among the town. He shall be back shortly." The woman sighed and tried to breathe deeply as the contractions came sharper and harder.
Harrison waited outside of the room as he listened to his wife's muffled screams while she delivered his child. He wanted very desperately to be in there, to hold her hand as she coaxed their creation out. Unfortunately, Gracelyn would take this opportunity to strangle Harrison for impregnating her. He blamed the Ander in her. He still can't believe he married this woman. This is what he gets for being Ser Harrison Amell, knight of Teryn Cousland. The door creaked open. Naria appeared through the crack in the door, her face flushed and eyes dancing with joy.
"Ser Harrison! It is a girl, a little darling angel!" She quickly let the new father into the room and to see his daughter. Gracelyn, her face flushed and drowsy, smiled lazily as she held onto the babe. Harrison crosses over to them.
"Let me see the girl." He whispers, nudging away the cloth from the child's face. She had only a poof of white blonde hair on her head and porcelain skin. Harrison knew she would look like her mother as she grew.
"Devene." His wife whispered, petting the child's cheek. The child looks natural in her arms to Harrison.
"Little Devene it is." He whispered lovingly to his wife before placing his lips on hers.
Six years later…
The child with white blonde hair zoomed past all the merchants in the town of Highever, merchants who smiled and waved at the young child with the turquoise eyes and wavy tresses. She was running toward home as the sun slowly behind Castle Cousland, around the time her father should be sent home. She unlocked the hatch on the gate and skipped over to the front door of the cottage.
"There you are, Devene. Where have you been?" Her mother asked as she picked up the little one. Devene rested her head on her mother's shoulder and tried to block out the Chasind man's screams.
"Over near the brook with the other children, Mother." Devene lied easily, not mentioning the Chasind caravan that rolled by.
"Well, let's clean you up for supper. Your father should be back soon." The girl landed on her feet after her mother lowered to the floor and hobbled over to her room and changed out of her muddy clothing. She pulled her pink commoner dress over her head and fastens the brown lace vest as she walked out to her mother. Gracelyn hovered over a pot she brought in and poured the contents into three wooden bowls. She combed her fingers in her daughter's hair as she handed over the bowl.
"It's your favorite, Hare ste-" She dropped the bowl as a scream pierced the air.
"Bandits!" Someone yelled, the sound of blades slicing echo into the house.
"Devene, go retrieve your father's blade. Do it quickly." Devene did as her mother said, hurrying to Harrison's lockbox. She grabbed the key from the armoire and unlocked the chest, grabbing the sword as the door burst open.
"Ello, Lovely!" A gruff voice shouted, furniture being shoved and smashed from the other room. Devene hid in the doorway. She tilted her head to see her mother on the floor and a man dragging her by her hair.
"We're going to have fun with this one, men." The man yanked Gracelyn by her hair and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Devene ran out.
"Leave my mother alone!" She screech like a banshee and caught the attention of the bandits. The leader dropped Gracelyn and chuckled.
"Such a pretty little thing you are. Look just like your Motha'." The bandit swung his arm at her and she dodged it. He made another attempt while she easily ducked. The man laughed.
"Fast little thing, she is. Now, come 'ere, darling." He grabbed her arm this time but she easily wiggled out.
"Don't touch me!" She yelled, her cheeks puffed out and eyes crazy.
"Feisty, too." One of the other men said. She made a run for her mother but the man stepped into her path.
"Come 'ere, you little bugger!" He gripped her in two hands, lifting her from the ground. She kicked out with her legs but couldn't land a decent blow to him.
"Let go of me." She cried as she struggled harder. He continued to laugh.
She felt it in her arms as she continued to fight and felt it crawl to her hands. She lifted her hand for only a moment to have a tunnel of flames erupt from her hand. The Bandit quickly dropped her and clutched his burned and tortured stomach. He looked fearfully at the little girl.
"She's a witch!" He shouted, jumping over to his comrades as quickly as he could. "A sodding witch! Lets run for it, men!" As quickly as they came, they were gone. Devene looked at her flaming hands, perplexed from their appearance. Gracelyn could only stare at her daughter as the Knight-Commander entered from the doorway.
"Gracelyn, are you hur-" His eyes quickly shifted themselves to the little girl with flames circling around her fingers.
"I'm sorry, Grace." He apologized as he went to seize Devene.
"No, Jarvis!" She screamed, rushing to the child and collecting her in her arms. The Templar looked stricken.
"Grace, you see it for yourself." He said gently, motioning her to hand over the girl.
"I'll die first before I hand my child over to those monsters." She hissed, backing away from Jarvis as he approached them.
"Devene is one of those monsters! Would you wait for a demon to take her before seeing clearly? She needs to be taken to the tower for training!" The knight argued, unable to reason with the woman who left him no choice. He unsheathed his blade and points it toward the mother and child. The woman glares at him.
"You wouldn't dare…"Gracelyn challenged him, backing herself into the wall without a way to escape. Jarvis' blade hung an inch from Gracelyn's neck.
"Hand over the child." He demanded. She loosens her grip for only a second, long enough to snag Devene for her arms.
"No!" Gracelyn ready herself to jump for the child but stopped short due to the blade at her neck. All she could do was shoot a heated glare at Jarvis.
"I'm sorry, Grace. It's for the best." The Templar slowly walked out of the house with Devene cradled in his arms, blade held steady out. He bumped into another Templar, Thaddeus, and handed the child over to him.
"Bring her to the Circle of Magi. Do it quickly." He ordered as Grace drove out of the cottage.
"Harrison! HARRISON!" She screamed and yelled, calling for her husband. And speak of the devil, here he came.
"Grace, what's wrong?" He asked upon seeing his wife's ragged appearance. "Where is Devene?" His wife could not speak over the emotion in her throat and merely pointed in the direction of the retreating Templar. He glared over to the knight-commander. "Jarvis, what is the meaning of this? Where are you taking my daughter?" The knight could not look his friend in the eye.
"I am sorry, my friend. Your child…she has the signs…sorry, so sorry." He apologized over and over again until he could no longer see Thaddeus' silhouette.